Insensitive minister making fun of people’s hardship

All work and no play makes Maslan a dull boy QUICK TAKE: What do the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan and the Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Ahmad Maslan have in common? Both made outrageous, insensitive remarks about the average Malaysian, who is struggling to keep his head above…

Make no mistake – NSC Bill is a grab for absolute power

COMMENT The Senate (unsurprisingly) passed the National Security Council Bill 2015. This, despite senators from both sides of the political divide voicing a range of concerns about it. That did not stop the government from pushing the bill through without compromise. Lawyers and activists across the nation have been warning for weeks of the dangers…

Clown minister suggests two jobs to cope with rising costs

Ahmad Maslan takes a beating for ‘work two jobs’ remark Opposition lawmakers and a social activist take a swipe at the Umno deputy minister, with Tony Pua suggesting the people sell nasi lemak and Art Harun saying the PM himself holds three jobs. PETALING JAYA: Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Ahmad Maslan’s “work two…

NSC Bill issue: Every legal power must have legal limits

VIEWPOINT: The proposed National Security Council (NSC) Bill 2015 takes away all constitutional guarantees and fundamental rights of citizens in respect of arrest, search and seizure of property which (if passed) can be ignored or suspended. “This is a grave infringement of the Federal Constitution,” argued Malaysian Bar Council president Steven Thiru, adding the powers…

How the opposition can win the next election

How the opposition can win the next election – Koon Yew Yin By now it is clear that the 1MDB financial scandal, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s campaign against Datuk Seri Najib Razak, GST pain and numerous examples of corruption, abuse and mismanagement of the economy and governance, are not going to win the next election…

Why the NSC Bill is disturbing

Why the NSC Bill is disturbing – Thulsi Manogaran The National Security Council Bill 2015 was passed by the Senate yesterday. As a young Malaysian, I am disturbed by the way laws are made in our country. The bill was first presented in Dewan Rakyat on December 1, 2015. This meant that all Parliamentarians first…

The RM7 billion PetroSaudi caper

The RM7b PetroSaudi caper KINIBIZ The first major investment that 1MDB made – an injection of US$1 billion into a joint venture (JV) with PetroSaudi Holdings (Cayman) Ltd, 1MDB-PetroSaudi Ltd – ended in tragedy as US$700 million was immediately siphoned off to a company allegedly related to Jho Low, Good Star Ltd. Basically, 1MDB injected…

European Parliament slams rights abuse

Malaysia a ‘pariah state’, MP says after European Parliament slams rights abuse KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 – Malaysia risks being stuck as a “pariah state” if Putrajaya fails to address the concerns that the European Parliament has expressed about Malaysia’s worsening human rights situation, a DAP lawmaker said today. The European Parliament passed a resolution…

Malaysia’s Internet speed slower than Thailand, Sri Lanka, survey shows

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 – Akamai Technologies Q3 2015 State of the Internet (SOTI) report released today shows 4K readiness and broadband connectivity increased steadily in the third quarter of 2015. Based on data gathered from the Akamai Intelligent Platform™, the report provides insight into key global statistics such as connection speeds, broadband adoption metrics,…

EU deplores deteriorating human rights situation in Malaysia

European Parliament resolution of 17 December 2015 on Malaysia … 1. Reaffirms the EU’s strong commitment to the Malaysian people with whom the EU has strong and longstanding political, economic and cultural ties; 2. Deplores the deteriorating human rights situation in Malaysia and in particular the crackdown on civil society activists, academics, media and political…