Category Archives: On the Beat

He was then asked whether the  denial of a scholarship, for example, to a qualified non-bumiputra  was an infringement of human  rights. The moderator pointed out that  the bumiputra who won the scholarship could be from a well-off  family. The […] Continue Reading

The former PAS Youth executive  secretary stood for the Bandar Tun  Razak parliamentary seat in the  1995 general election as a PAS candidate but pulled out at the last  minute. Three years later, he emerged as  a leader of the […] Continue Reading

The party was eager to shed its  extremist image. In a bid to garner  votes from the non-Muslims, it set  up the Chinese Consulative Council, which comprised non-Malay  Muslims. Party secretary-general Halim  Arshat, then a state PAS secretary,  was among […] Continue Reading

The 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) will see the presence of leaders from countries that matter. We all know Indonesian President B.J. Habibie and President Joseph Estrada of the Philippines would want to be on the world stage despite their […] Continue Reading

The most obvious was the theatrical display of representatives from the 60-or-so legal and  human rights groups. Some of  them demanded preferential  treatment, that they be given  priority over other Malaysians. They insinuated that without  their presence, the trial would  […] Continue Reading

These street protests have, in  fact, taken on a more ugly dimension with people getting hurt and  property damaged. As expected, both sides have  pointed fingers at each other. The  police have said the gatherings  were illegal and that the […] Continue Reading

While NGOs have long been a  feature of other countries which  emphasises civil society, they continue to be viewed with suspicion  here. They are perceived, rightly or  wrongly, as being antagonistic and  confrontational towards the Government. They are seen to […] Continue Reading

Another report, in the same Oct  15 issue, carried a story about  singer Rafique Rashid with his latest spoof on the country's political  events. Both pieces gave the impression  that Malaysians were now defying  authorities and were finally willing  to […] Continue Reading

In conservative Malaysia, such allegations are viewed seriously. Morality aside, the political implications are enormous. The expression of anger and disbelief by his supporters are understandable in such circumstances. And now, the sacked Deputy Prime Minister has appeared in public […] Continue Reading

Interestingly, while Anwar and  his supporters have all questioned  the fairness of the local media, the  other side has hit out at the foreign  media for their sensational reporting and for jumping to conclusions  and inaccurate assessments. Objectivity, unfortunately, has  […] Continue Reading