KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Nov 2009: Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today challenged the government to investigate all his bank accounts to determine whether he had dubious sources of funds to the tune of several billion ringgit. He said investigations had previously been conducted into his accounts, which came up with nothing. "Instead, the government-controlled media has continued to spread...

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Nov 2009: A fresh election will be held for the Kota Siputeh state seat in Kedah after the High Court here today declared it vacant. Justice Datuk Alizatul Khair Osman Khairuddin ruled that the seat was vacant after incumbent assemblyperson Datuk Abu Hassan Sarif absented from two state assembly meetings this year. Following the High Court decision,...

PENANG, 16 Nov 2009: The Penang state executive council meeting this Friday will deliberate on declassifying the official minutes on the conversion of a parcel of land on the island which has become a subject of controversy, said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. In a statement issued here today, Lim said revealing the minutes would help throw light on...

SHAH ALAM, 16 Nov 2009: The Selangor government has yet to designate a suitable area in the state for the sale of liquor, Local Government, Studies and Research Committee chairperson Ronnie Liu said today. Replying to a question by Yap Ee Wah (BN-Sungai Pelek) in the state legislative assembly, he said the mechanism on the sale of liquor was in...

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Nov 2009: An overwhelming majority of Malaysians view corruption as a serious issue, but almost half do not think it affects their personal lives, a survey has found.  "What was most surprising about the results was a majority felt corruption does not affect their lives even though 81% said it's a serious problem," said Merdeka Center programme...

Anthony Milner"BIAR mati anak, jangan mati adat." Quoting the Malay proverb that places culture above one's child, Prof Anthony Milner argued on 21 Oct 2009 during a lecture in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) that Malay-ness was defined by civilisation, and not descent or bloodlines. The lecture by Milner, who is Basham Professor of Asian History at the Australian University, argued...

SILLY season seems to still be around in Malaysia. First we were forced to witness the spectacle of the bust-up that never was among MCA leaders. And last week, we were treated to a display of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders posturing. First these leaders got on their respective soap-boxes to spout, only to step down to hug and make...

SOMETHING feels horribly amiss in the government's recent declaration that lawyer VK Lingam won't be charged for his role in brokering the appointment of top judges. The government's focus on whether to charge Lingam or not feels like a red herring. After all, the Royal Commission of Inquiry clearly found ethical and criminal misbehaviour by some of Malaysia's top judges,...

MyConstitution campaign logo (© MyConstitution / Facebook)PERAK. Party-hopping. Frogs. Who by now doesn't know about the Perak constitutional crisis. Awareness has also been stirred about the right to freedom of association and the rights of voters to choose based on a candidate's party. Federal-state relations are receiving prominence now that the opposition controls at least four states. Federal funding for...

IN 2006, then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched on behalf of the prime minister a manual on gender budgeting in Malaysia. The manual was published a year earlier after the completion of a gender budgeting pilot project with five key ministries.  Gender budgeting seems to have dropped off the government radar Since then however, gender budgeting seems...

WHATEVER anyone wants to say about the Malaysian theatre scene, when it comes to musical theatre, I think we are getting somewhere. PGL the Musical promotional picture (source: pglthemusical.com.my) I have seen three different musicals at Istana Budaya — P Ramlee the Musical, Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) the Musical and lately, Cuci the Musical — and have been impressed by...

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Nov 2009: The High Court here fixed Monday to decide whether a fresh election will be held for the Kota Siputeh state seat in Kedah after incumbent assemblyperson Datuk Abu Hassan Sarif was absent from two state assembly meetings this year. Justice Datuk Alizatul Khair Osman Khairuddin set the date after hearing lengthy submissions by counsel Sulaiman...

ALOR STAR, 12 Nov 2009: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today instructed Kota Siputeh assemblyperson Datuk Abu Hasan Sarif to attend the state assembly sitting scheduled for Tuesday. He said that although Speaker Datuk Dr Abdul Isa Ismail had said that Abu Hasan had lost his eligibility as an assemblyperson, the Barisan Nasional (BN) concurred with the Election...

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Nov 2009: Ulama have been urged to explain the reasons, guidelines or methods used in making decisions or opinions on religious rulings or issues to avoid public confusion. Institute of Islamic Understanding (Ikim) chairperson Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said many issues in society were in dire need of explanation by the religious experts. These included the use...

SHAH ALAM, 12 Nov 2009: All ulama and mufti must obtain the permission of the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) before they can give religious talks or sermons in the state. Jais director Datuk Muhammed Khusrin Munawi said he would not compromise on this matter as "the ruling is stipulated in the Selangor Islamic Administration Enactment 2003". He said everyone,...

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Nov 2009: The new fuel subsidy management system will be implemented in May next year, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung told the Dewan Rakyat today. He said the system's mechanism would be announced after a study on the subsidy distribution and target groups had been identified. "I can't reveal the system in detail as the...

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Nov 2009: MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai fired back at Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek today to "surrender" the deputy president post and support fresh elections in the party's ongoing rift. "The deputy president position belongs to the party, it does not belong to any individual ... he cannot be giving it to me...

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Nov 2009: MCA leaders have been reminded that the prolonged leadership crisis can lead to the party's suspension, former secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said. Ong said MCA leaders should learn from what happened to Umno, which had its registration suspended in 1988 following bitter in-fighting. "Failure to find an amicable solution may affect the people's...

RECENTLY, a court case involving Malaysian TV personality Daphne Iking invoked an archaic law that has gotten many parties up in arms. The law in question is Section 498 of the Penal Code. The section deals with the issue of "enticing or taking away or detaining with a criminal intent a married woman", and is seen by some parties as...

Zainah Anwar DESPITE stepping down in 2008 as executive director of Sisters in Islam (SIS) which she co-founded and led for two decades, Zainah Anwar has not retired from her commitment to women's rights and justice. Currently project director of Musawah, a global movement for equality and justice for Muslim families, Zainah, 55, continues to travel the world to advance...