Now this reminds me of the time when Rafidah Aziz broke the heel of her shoe while scrambling frantically on stage to ask Mahathir why he was stepping down.
Meryl Streep of course does it with more grace and poise – though the almost hysterical Rafidah should have received an Oscar for best performance in a “supporting” role in a long-running drama.
On a more serious note, Meryl received this award for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the film ‘Iron Lady’. I haven’t seen the film but from what I have read it tries to maintain some sense of neutrality.
In reality, though, Thatcher’s economic policies were anything but. She was fiercely anti-union and undermined the labour movement. Her Thatcherism policies, including privatisation and cuts to social security benefits, hurt large segments of society.
Not surprisingly, income inequality widened during the Thatcher years: the Gini coefficient for the UK soared from 0.25 in 1979 to 0.34 in 1990.
Her privatisation policy was enthusiastically copied by leaders of other nations who sold off state assets to cronies to set up monopolies, which then hiked tariffs.
Rafidah’s boss, Mahathir, followed suit despite outwardly coming up with his ‘Buy British last’ policy.
Today, not surprisingly, income inequality in Malaysia remains one of the highest in the region. And we are still paying the price for all those disastrous privatisations and other neoliberal policies.
After a 16-year long wait, displaced descendants of the original settlers of Jalan Raja Uda are finally receiving some compensation from a developer who took over an abandoned commercial project along this bustling street in Butterworth.
Some have suggested that “drug abuse” (usually taken to mean illegal or hardcore drugs) played a part in Whitney’s downfall, but reports have emerged that prescription pills were found around her hotel bath-tub.
On a day when the Grammy Awards ceremony paid tribute to Whitney Houston, our very own guest writer Martin Jalleh comes up with a moving tribute to the gifted singer.
More loutish behaviour: another ceramah – this time involving students promoting academic freedom – was called off in Klang after an unknown group broke chairs and messed up the hall before the event.
Whitney Houston, found dead in a hotel room on the eve of the Grammy Awards show, will always be remembered for her powerful vocals in songs that touched the hearts of millions around the world.
The Penang state government has appointed building consultants and township developer Surbana, whose majority shareholder is Temasik, for a PDC affordable housing project in Batu Kawan.
An update on what is happening to the RM1.1bn which PDC is supposed to receive from the sale of 103 acres of Bayan Mutiara super prime land to Ivory Properties.
Perak Pakatan reps gathered under the Democracy Tree in Ipoh on 6 February to recall the third anniversary of the power grab in the state. Photograph: Kinta Kid
Much has been said about the controversial award of a record 60-year concession for the proposed RM7bn West Coast Expressway. But who actually owns the concessionaire?
New malls, shopping complexes and condo projects could turn Penang Island into a concrete jungle before long. Take a peek at what the future holds for us.
Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh has confirmed that Pakatan will shut down Lynas Corporation’s rare earth refinery if the coalition captures federal power in the coming general election.
Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s latest claim is that Sarawak will be the richest ‘state’ in Malaysia by 2030. He obviously chooses not to know that Sarawak was already the richest in 2009.
(Click on picture to enlarge) 
(Click on picture to enlarge) 