Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today. ROBERT Mugabe — hailed as a hero to some, labelled a “racist dictator” by others. Having won the hearts of the locals,  mainly for fighting against the whites in the Rhodesian Bush War, Mugabe and his political party Zimbabwe African National Union — Patriotic Front secured a landslide victory in the 1980 elections as the nation gained independence. Mugabe was named prime minister in 1980 before he became president in 1987 — a post he holds till today.  But it has been a challenging time for Africa’s oldest leader throughout his more than three decades in power. Zimbabwe’s economy has not been rosy. Six years ago, the African nation adopted the multi-currency monetary system, referred to as dollarisation. It was in response to the country’s chaotic economy, riddled with inflation, throughout the 2000s.  The World Bank recorded the most recent poverty headcount for Zimbabwe (in 2011) was 72.3 per cent, wit...

Being Frank by Frankie D’Cruz, as published in Malay Mail today. IF you’re looking to understand a political leader so out of touch with his party, I’ve got one for you: G. Palanivel.  For one who started the crisis in the MIC and seems unable to stop it from reeling out of control, the party president has indulged in trigger-happy behaviour. This “quiet” man has gone ballistic. Step by insidious step, he’s on a sacking spree of dissenting members and on Monday kicked his gaffe machine into high gear by going on a collision course with Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Palanivel does not want a non-Indian BN secretariat to steer the administration of the MIC until fresh party polls. He said it was a grave act of injustice to let third parties (BN) “to run our beloved party”.  “The deputy president (Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam) may be willing to allow third parties to run MIC and lose our self dignity ...

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol BLOODIED faces, tears of fear. That is not the picture one would expect after Áo Đỏ (the nickname of Vietnam’s national football team which means Red Jersey) edged Harimau Malaya 2-1 in the AFF Cup first leg semi final at Shah Alam Stadium on Sunday. Kicks and punches flew soon as the final whistle was blown. It was an ugly sight that marred the beautiful game. Hooligans tainted the sport, as their stupidity went against fair play, respect and sportsmanship. Apologies, and plenty of it, emerged as sympathisers pacified Vietnamese supporters hoping our foreign guests do not paint a dark image on Malaysian football supporters. As the Malay saying goes, kerana nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga (One bad apple spoils the whole barrel). We can take issue in so many ways. For starters, the FA of Malaysia’s anti-hooliganism campaign launched in February had failed big time. To put it ...

Others I spoke to said the drama in MCA beats any TVB series and MCA is yesterday’s news. Many are unable to relate to such politics. They find it easy to consume a fabricated lie against the establishment than the truth. They would grab onto anything to slam leaders.   Such frustration is fueled by the lack of explanation and initiative to embrace the people. It is typical human nature to be defensive when attacked but the key to earning admiration is to admit, rectify and progress.   Instead, we are bombarded with nauseating claims of phantom voters, immoral activities and corrupt practices. What about the party? What about the people?   There are agendas behind every political party but priority must be on the man on the street.   Political parties are not a playground for the elite few. Those within are supposedly elected representatives of the people, a reflection of a particular community. Thus the voices of the community must be aired — re...

Wishful thinking? Maybe not. Or perhaps this should have been implemented right from the start. There has been plenty of talk about the need to have a single stream education system instead of the very many vernacular schools in the country. The author, has numerous times in the past, maintained the nation needs a single education system but, with the workings of certain vernacular schools, allowing students to master four different languages - Bahasa Melayu, English, Mandarin and Tamil. This will also allow students to mix fluidly with one another. But not many would agree to such an idea - including those political parties who claim of being Malaysian but yet would fight for the rights of vernacular schools which will only contradict their 'Malaysian' stand. Tamil schools and Sekolah Agama are often in the losing end, for they are always deemed to be the poorest. Chinese schools, meanwhile, are placed in the opposite end where an enrollment fee - in the form of...