With Pas now allying itself with Bersatu in PN, it is game on for the coming general election. The lines have been drawn (well, not quite, but still…).
World no. 10 Lee Zii Jia has arrived on the world stage in style, giving the entire country a lift, as he edged out world no. 2 Viktor Axelsen to clinch the All-England men’s singles badminton crown. Lee is coached by Tey Seu Bock and Indonesia’ Hendrawan under national coaching director Wong Choon Hann. He was previously trained by Misbun Sidek and Indonesia’s Indra Wijaya.
In the quarter-finals, Lee ousted world no. 1 Kento Momota 21-16, 21-19, whom he had never taken a game off in six previous encounters. So the new champion’s triumph is no fluke.
It was a good day for Malaysian coaches abroad as well. Japan under Tan Kim Her (men’s doubles) and Jeremy Gan (mixed doubles) triumphed in all-Japan finals in the two events.
Japan, coached by South Korea’s Park Joo Bong, who once trained the Malaysian team, is undoubtedly a new powerhouse in world badminton, winning four of the five final events – three of them all-Japan finals, in the absence of China and Indonesia.
But Lee’s breakthrough win has shown us the power of perseverance and determination against the odds. It has rallied the nation together, breaking down ethnic and religious barriers, at a time of so much divisiveness.
Now let’s hope for Parliament to reconvene soon, so that our elected representatives can put their minds together to break through the political stalemate that is dragging the nation down.
So what do you make of this? Does it matter if they still insist on the massive reclamation in southern Penang Island and all their other unsustainable mega-projects when so many ordinary people are struggling to get by? #PenangTolakTambak #StopPIL
What do you make of this? Do you think Pakatan Harapan or PKR should cooperate with Umno? What would their ideological platform be, given the track record of both sides? Good governance, anti-corruption, constitutional provisions. But this is vague, without going into specifics.
Photos by activist Meena Raman
What brilliant moonlight on this auspicious day. It takes our minds off our troubles, at least momentarily. It reminds us that the light will always pierce through the darkness.
And it is also a telling reminder we should do all we can to protect the natural beauty and ecosystem of this place we call home.
And this morning:
MEENA RAMAN
It looks as if things (fires and hill clearings) have been happening on the hills of Penang while the rest of us are under lockdown. This statement has just been released by the Tanjung Bunga Residents Association:
In Part One, we looked at the failure of the Barisan Nasional government in Penang to move towards sustainable mobility.
Now, let’s look at the Pakatan Harapan’s record since 2008, when it captured power in Penang.
The Penang government got off on the right foot and in 2009, set up the Penang Transport Council, which included civil society representatives.
This council proposed that the state government come up with a transport masterplan for the state.
Heeding the call, the state government and the Northern Corridor Implementation Agency, on 27 April 2011, appointed AJC Planning Consultants Sdn Bhd, Halcrow and the Singapore Cruise Centre to produce a masterplan. Full article on Aliran website
It was bemusing to see politicians on both sides of the political divide engaged in a recent war of words about saving the Penang ferries.
Both sides seemed to agree that these “‘iconic heritage ferries” should be saved or showcased elsewhere so that foreign tourists and local visitors could take joy rides.
But let’s be clear from the outset. The vast majority of daily riders on the ferries – whether passengers or motorists – are local residents from Penang, either going to work or running some personal errand or on weekend trips. From my observation, they far outnumber tourists and out-of-town visitors, who use the ferries mainly during school holidays, weekend breaks and festive periods.
So the premise for saving the old ferry service – for tourism purposes – starts on the wrong footing.
The hastily introduced boats are a poor substitute for the ferries, not to mention hardly friendly to people with disabilities. A crowd of people in an enclosed cabin with not much physical distancing is not ideal, unlike the old airy ferries where there was plenty of room for passengers with sea air freely circulating through the upper and lower decks. Full article on Aliran website
It has been a grim year for many of us and for Malaysia and for the rest of the word. Let’s hope the coming year will bring happier tidings for more justice, freedom and solidarity in Malaysia and beyond.
This has been an eventful year for all of us, not just for Aliran. We had the Sheraton Move at the worst possible time in February, when the coronavirus pandemic had begun spreading in Malaysia.
Cardinal Soter Fernandez, passed away at 12.35pm today aged 88. A humble man, he led the Malaysian Church with a steady hand, always passionate about authentic human development, social justice and interfaith dialogue. I wrote the piece below four years ago, soon after Pope Francis installed him as Malaysia’s first cardinal.
Original post on 18 November 2016
It seems altogether fitting that the archbishop who championed the ministry of justice and peace in the Malaysian Church should be installed as cardinal by Francis, the Bishop of Rome, on 19 November, which coincides with Bersih 5.
This is a piece I wrote for the Herald a few weeks ago.
Soter Fernandez – From hospital dresser to cardinal of a ‘field hospital’ church Last year, when I met Archbishop Emeritus Soter Fernandez, he took pains to highlight two somewhat related areas that he seemed to be concerned about. He carried in his bag a clutch of documents relating to the Aggiornamento in 1976 and the present Bishop of Rome’s encyclical on the Joy of the Gospel.
Syabas, Malaysia! The rejection of the bid to declare an emergencyis a triumph for parliamentary democracy. Many people played a role in making their voices on this issue heard. Aliran has just issued a statement:
In light of a possible loss of confidence in Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Aliran stresses the importance of upholding parliamentary democracy instead of sidelining it.
