Category Archives: Comment
Of vaccine pride and prejudice ( 09 July 2021 )
IT SMACKS of discrimination, really. The European Union (EU) has now reportedly said that its approval of AstraZeneca doses made by South Korea, Thailand, India or Japan would not be recognised. Unfortunately, South Korea and Thailand produce AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccines […] Continue Reading
Covid-19 vaccine inequality: Wealthy nations hoard supplies and use them as diplomatic leverage ( 29 June 2021 )
EYE-brows were raised when Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin lambasted rich countries for vaccine hoarding, describing the act as “cruel and unjust” against poor and less developed countries. The Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister drew similarity to the […] Continue Reading
Let this be the last lockdown ( 29 June 2021 )
THERE is a lot of unhappiness on the ground. The extension of the lockdown has not surprisingly gone down badly, with most Malaysians grappling with the raging Covid-19 pandemic. Many have lost their jobs or will lose them soon. Their […] Continue Reading
Letter of the law ( 23 June 2021 )
AS a rookie reporter jumping into the job at The Star more than 35 years ago, the first thing the news editor sent me out for was to cover the courts. I had to learn the basic laws, he said. […] Continue Reading
Just ramp up vaccination drive in remote areas ( 13 June 2021 )
LONG Lamai, a remote village in Sarawak probably does not ring a bell with most Malaysians. Most of us would not even care about this remote Penan settlement, located near the borders of Sarawak and Kalimantan, Indonesia. The village is […] Continue Reading
A place called home ( 17 March 2021 )
First office: Members of a chingay team demonstrating their skill with the Star flag outside the newspaper’s rented building in Weld Quay in Penang where the tabloid was launched in 1971. I HAD just completed my Sixth Form and was […] Continue Reading
James Bond through the years ( 03 November 2020 )
I’VE watched all the James Bond movies. As far as I’m concerned, there is only one real Agent 007 who served Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and this honour can only go to Sir Sean Connery. As a fan of the […] Continue Reading
Memories of Mandela and a Malaysian’s role ( 20 July 2020 )
A file picture of Mandela (left) with Dr Mahathir during his visit to Malaysia in 1990. IT hardly seems like three decades ago, but on the hot summer day of Feb 27, 1990, I stood on the tarmac of the […] Continue Reading
Fragrant Harbour still raising a stink ( 27 May 2020 )
CHINA’s introduction of security laws is likely to sound the death knell for Hong Kong, at least that’s the general impression. However, in a case of shooting itself in the foot, the island’s rioters – dubbed pro-democracy protesters – killed […] Continue Reading
We can’t deal with an exodus of refugees ( 29 April 2020 )
THERE has been a strong shift of opinion in Malaysia towards the Rohingya refugees since the outbreak of the pandemic, especially among the country’s Muslim majority. If in the past, there were sympathies and support for them on Islamic solidarity […] Continue Reading
