Tear down the wall of silence against racism

THE message has been made loud and clear – there will be zero tolerance for racism. No rational and reasonable Malaysia would argue against this in the wake of racist remarks made by bigoted Malaysians.

We are used to bankrupt politicians uttering hurtful words about other communities in the belief that they can win votes by projecting themselves as racist supremacists and, by extension, as protectors of their race.

But this sickening action seems to have grown, with more racial champions being given bigger space in the media, which would only encourage them further.

For the rest of my comment, click here.

We need to move on as one nation

IT’S just about 10 days now to National Day. By right, we should be in an upbeat and celebratory mood and yet Malaysians are gripped with emotional political issues that are threatening to tear us apart instead of bringing us together as a nation.

The country turns 53 on Aug 31. As a nation, we are not old but we are not so young either. We can have our differences, especially political allegiances and economic approaches, but we also share the same destiny and many aspirations as Malaysians.

More than ever, we should not let racists and religious bigots hijack our hopes. We must say no to self-serving politicians who beat the racial and religious drums and get their way at the expense of the moderates.

The rest of the column, please click here.

Jho Low: A world exclusive

International Man of Mystery Jho Low, who parties with Paris Hilton and is reputed to chalk up hefty bills for champagne, has finally come out to talk about himself and the life he lives. Read the full story exclusive here.

Guan Eng can learn from Yes Minister

Guan Eng must have surely watched the popular ‘80s British satirical political sitcom Yes Minister to appreciate how civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby – who was actually holding the powers – manipulated Administra­tive Minister James Hacker. If he hasn’t, he had better do so now. Read my On The Beat comment today by clicking here.

All part of the political game

Politi­cians in the PKR may like to project themselves as saviours to the people, and some may even start believing in their own propaganda, but it is also about power and positions.

THIS is what we will hear from Parti Keadilan Nasional leaders about the leadership feud in Selangor as they downplay the issue: it is not as bad as portrayed and the press should be blamed for blowing up the matter.

As much as PKR leaders like to project themselves as defenders of the people and the Barisan Nasional as a corrupt, incompetent and detached government, they cannot run away from the fact that politics is about power – or more precisely, the spoils of power.

Selangor is Pakatan Rakyat’s jewel in the crown and Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, a PKR leader, is the Mentri Besar. Another important state, Penang, is under the DAP’s Lim Guan Eng.

Read the rest of my column here.

Subsidies: Time to get out of mindset

DATUK Seri Idris Jala found himself facing a barrage of criticism, and even a demand for him to be sacked from the Cabinet, when he said the country risked going bust if our Budget continued to be in a deficit.

Many of our politicians prefer to put on the blinkers and pretend that all is rosy and fine in Malaysia, and assume that we are still ahead in the region.

Here’s the bad news. We may have gotten out of the recession and the Prime Minister has taken bold initiatives to make things work but we’ve got to get out of this mindset.

Read more here.

Namewee's got talent!

Check out this latest video by Namewee. Click on the image. Check out his blog here.