Archive - 23 August 2002

The Abolish ISA Movement meets up with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) to thrash out issues over the commission's inquiry into ISA detentions and is heartened that the human rights watchdog appears to be attentive to their complaints.

No one seems to have an answer to the cause of last year's fire at Universiti Malaya's Dewan Tunku Canselor (DTC). "Don't know, don't know" sounds rather unfair now after political leaders blamed it on militant students' involvement soon after the incident. The truth, sadly, may never be known at all.

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad berkata ramai pelajar keturunan Cina bersekolah di Singapura kerana lebih berminat di sekolah aliran Inggeris daripada sekolah beraliran Mandarin.

As the air quality in Sarawak improves and cloud seeding operations are carried out to stimulate rain, residents in Kuching hope the government will clear the smog clouding the Air Pollutant Index readings as well.

The head of Wessex Water, newly acquired by Malaysian powerhouse YTL, has been arrested by London police for alleged fraud involving RM5.7 million, which is said to have happened during the takeover of the British company by YTL in March this year.

The controversial Bakun dam project has been awarded to a consortium led by local politician Stanley Ajang, instead of the CMSB Group which is linked to Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's family business interests.

Though treating most criticism like water off its back, the Malaysian Association of Muslim Scholars, however, does clarify one thing: its endorsement of Nik Aziz's recent controversial statement about Allah being a 'samseng'.

While our children's future is held to ransom, policy-makers are kept busy fine-tuning a political compromise. But several educationists share their optimism with malaysiakini over what they see as a visionary policy and brush aside doubts about its implementation.

From having to sign the Akujanji pledge to the UUCA's restrictions of speech, assembly and association, our university students are being 'rehabilitated'. SALBIAH AHMAD wonders if all these 'harassments' and policing build a generation of young people capable of facing the world on their own.

Contrary to the popular perception in the West, Islam is not a monolithic faith which propagates terror. However, there are certain sects which preach austere and extreme forms of the religion but the majority are moderate Muslims. In view of this, a distinction is pertinent.

Persatuan Ulama Malaysia (PUM) menjadi sasaran kecaman beberapa pihak yang menuduh persatuan itu membela Mursyidur Am PAS, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat yang didakwa menyifatkan tuhan itu 'samseng". Apakah reaksi PUM terhadap kritikan tersebut?

DAP chief Lim Kit Siang used a 25 percent maximum deviation rule to study the Election Commission's recent re-delineation exercise and discovered a number of disparities. One disturbing feature, he says, is that it is more unfair and undemocratic than previous exercises.