No electoral reforms and no will to bring change, says Bersih

In our continuing series to mark the anniversary of the most heated general election in recent memory, we speak to electoral reform activists on their struggle for clean and fair elections. Despite the repeated calls and public cries for electoral reforms following the 13th general election last year, which was marred by allegations of fraud…

Hit and miss in RM350mil varsity research grant

RM353.20 million and seven years later, the government’s Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) meant to boost research in universities has been a hit and miss affair. The 2013 Auditor General’s Report found that projects funded under the programme from 2010 and 2011 had yet to be completed while targets had not been met. And yet…

Wasted millions must be measured in stolen futures – AG’s Report

Opinion THE true cost of the millions of ringgit in public funds that are reported as lost in the Auditor-General’s Report 2013 must be tabulated in order to drive home the importance of stemming this endless haemorrhage. Two prominent cases highlighted in the first of the three-part AG’s Report released last week, illustrate the unconscionable…

Fresh grads struggling to survive due to high cost of living

Fresh grads struggling to survive due to high cost of living, Jobstreet poll reveals A majority of fresh graduates earning an average salary of RM2,500 a month are struggling to make ends meet, a recent poll by online recrutiment company, Jobstreet.com, revealed. The poll, which was carried out last month, saw 2,062 fresh graduates from…

Are our teachers ready?

Opinion by Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim CRACKS are beginning to appear in the implementation of Wave One of the Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB). The Parent Toolkit or Sarana Ibu Bapa, which was accorded a grand launch at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in February 2013 to formalise the involvement of parents in their children’s education,…

The demonisation of democracy by Dr M

The demonisation of democracy by Dr Mahathir – Ravinder Singh That’s what Dr Mahathir Mohamad did when he said Bersih’s demonstrations were an attempt to bring down Putrajaya. Isn’t it the hallmark of a vibrant democracy for the opposition in any country to try and bring down the ruling government through the ballot box? Otherwise,…

MH370 – Asking for transparency and apology

Open letter to Prime Minister Najib Razak – K. S. Narendran Honourable Prime Minister Mr Razak, I write to you as a friend of the Malaysian people from a neighbouring country, and as the husband of one of the passengers of flight MH370. It will be 2 months on May 7 since MH370 flew past…

Study: Large dams are uneconomical

A new research paper by Oxford University has suggested that mega-dams are uneconomical worldwide, despite policy makers often suggesting otherwise. The paper – published in Volume 69 of Energy Policy, a journal by the university – suggested that large dams on average cost 96 percent more than initially estimated and take 44 percent longer to…

Zaid likens Najib to Chinese emperor

Compared to his successor, former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is real and true to his nature, according to Zaid Ibrahim. The ex-law minister said that Abdullah was not a pretender but a kind and decent human being, which were important factors to be prime minister in this fragile new country. “He is not a fighter,…

‘Civil servants need only be loyal to king and country’

A constitutional expert has lambasted the labelling of civil servant who attended the anti-goods and services tax (GST) rally as traitors, saying the pledge of loyalty binding them was unconstitutional. Abdul Aziz Bari (left) said public servants are not required to be loyal to the government of the day but instead, are only required to…