Merdeka! But beware the new power…

 Corporate agenda, Democracy, Environment, Ethnic and inter-religious relations, Islam, Malaysian finance/business, Politics  No Responses »
Aug 312007
 

Just watching the 50th Merdeka celebrations on TV and I can’t help but notice how top BN politicians are dominating the proceedings. The 8tv talk show hosts are singing the praises of the PM. Samy and Ong Ka Ting are hovering around the PM. So too Hishamuddin Hussein. Khairy Jamaluddin raising the flag… Khairy leading the Youth of the BN component parties in a marchpast…Najib literally breathing down Abdullah’s neck, looking over his shoulders, as the PM delivers a “spirited” speech. (Fifty years ago, the Tunku was flanked by Najib’s father Razak, Cheng Lock, and Sambanthan. Umno Youth leader Sardon Jubir placed a chain around the Tunku’s neck in recognition of his role as Bapa Kemerdekaan.) Dressed in BN blue, Abdullah uses words such as “terbilang” and “gemilang” (from the BN tagline), raising his voice in an attempt to fire up the crowd – but he ends up coughing in [Read more]

Would Jesus want the Makkal Osai suspended?

 Christianity, Media  17 Responses »
Aug 242007
 

This evening, I received an SMS with the intriguing question: “So u think Makal Osai shld b suspended?” Makai Osai of course refers to the Tamil daily that published an image of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette and a beer can four days ago. It was slapped with a suspension from today to 24 September. It was interesting to see the Islamic Party, Pas, coming out to express displeasure against the depiction of Jesus in the paper. Archbishop Murphy has found himself an unlikely ally, I thought! Since then, the paper has apologised and Archbishop Murphy has accepted the apology. Quite appropriately, the quote next to the picture that was deemed offensive read: “If someone repents for his mistakes, then heaven awaits them.” End of matter? No, the paper was nonetheless hit with a suspension order.

West Bank: Checkpoints, teargas and other daily oppressions

 Global justice movement, Human rights, Israel and Palestine  No Responses »
Aug 232007
 

Here’s a riveting account of what life is like in the West Bank. Making a guest appearance today is political scientist John Hilley, who has just returned to Scotland from a trip to Palestine with the Glasgow Palestine Human Rights Campaign. He describes his time there “between getting tear-gassed and shot at in Bil’in to being around our wonderful projects and friends in the West Bank refugee camps”. I thought it was particularly courageous of John to engage with the IDF soldiers manning checkpoints and to point out their role in the crushing Occupation. In doing this, he puts into practice the powerful moral force of non-violent resistance. This piece deserves a wider audience; so here it is, reproduced in full with kind permission from John. It’s a longish piece, but it’s worth the read to catch a glimpse of life beyond the checkpoints. Checkpoints, tear gas and other daily [Read more]

PR firm soliciting NGO views on Penang mega project

 Development issues, Environment, People's Park/PGCC  No Responses »
Aug 222007
 

I’ve just heard from a reliable source that a PR firm, Fox Communication, is going around meeting NGO representatives to find out their views on the Penang Global City Centre project. The project is located on that vast plot of prime land used by the Penang Turf Club, which will be relocated to the mainland. The PGCC is being developed by Equine Capital. Isn’t that a Patrick Lim company? I hate to think what the traffic will be like along Scotland Road, already congested during peak hours, if they go ahead with the PGCC and build, what, 40 tower blocks on the Turf Club land. This project will in all likelihood spell the deathknell for Komtar, that mega project of the 1970s. The 65-storey tower block is fast turning into a white elephant even before all the planned phases are completed. As one veteran activist said, the PGCC project “looks [Read more]

Job materialises above my desktop

 Christianity  No Responses »
Aug 202007
 

Sometimes its hard to understand the meaning of suffering and misfortune. I spent most of today running around taking the first step towards getting all my cards replaced. And discovered that it is an expensive affair to get burgled. The fee for replacing each card (whether bank ATM card, identity card, driver’s licence) ranges from RM12 to RM50. It’s back to my old desktop PC now after the laptop was stolen. My Samsung monitor, for some reason, looks blur. Maybe because it is past its prime. Yesterday, I discovered a book that I thought had gone missing. It was on wisdom spirituality based largely on material from the Old Testament. I found it lying strategically on the CPU of my desktop. I flipped the book open to where I had left a book-mark inside to indicate where I had last stopped. The next chapter was all about Job. How apt, [Read more]

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