Archive - 18 September 2002

The Bar Council will discuss issues that have put the legal profession in a bind at a forum to be held on Saturday. The controversial dismissal of ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's appeal and the sensational spat between judges recently are among the controversies that will be tackled.

A six-page reply to 32 questions from the Dewan Rakyat on an issue of immense public concern is just not good enough, says the ever-vocal DAP chief Lim Kit Siang of Education Minister Musa Mohamed's answer to parliamentarians on the move to teach Science and Mathematics in English.

Senior government officials with loose lips can face the Official Secrets Act, warns Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Rais Yatim. The minister was responding to Opposition Leader Abdul Hadi Awang's claim that these officials leaked information about the budget to the opposition.

The haze which shrouded Kuching last month is back today. Visibility in the Sarawak capital is down to 1,000m as a result of forest fires set by plantation companies seeking to cash in on the hike in palm oil prices.

Former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee today received a blow to his last-minute attempt to save his political career. The royal pardon sought by Yong will not stop the Election Commission from holding a by-election.

The US embassy has received the green light to approve several hundred visas over the next few days to those Malaysians who have faced difficulties in obtaining visas because of the Sept 11 terror attacks.

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo met with a Filipino sultan today in connection with the Philippines claim on Sabah. She told the Sultan that reclaiming the territory will take a "long, long time".

Hell hath no fury like an opposition MP scorned. Housing and Local Government Deputy Minister M Kayveas learnt this the hard way today when his accusation that PAS and DAP shared a 'one-night stand' relationship brought him under the crosshair of opposition MPs.

In its zeal to be the top bank, four-time award-winning Public Bank wields its whip hard on employees only to yield a backlash when the bank's union members decided to launch a protest campaign today by wearing badges that declare "bank terrorises workers".

Kepulangan Timbalan Perdana Menteri (TPM) merangkap Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ke tanahair hari ini dinanti-nantikan semua pihak, berhubung keputusan Mahkamah Persekutuan terhadap habeas corpus lima aktivis reformasi yang ditahan di bawah ISA. LEE BAN CHEN mengulas isu ini.

Even before Puteri Umno's forthcoming inaugural election, a contender for the top post is already challenging incumbent Azalina Othman Said by querying the 38-year-old lawyer's eligibility as a member, much less a candidate.

Since the Sept 11 terror attacks, not only has the Arab community in America fallen prey to discrimination but so have others. Here is the dilemma of a Sikh boy who refuses to wear a turban for fear of being taunted by his classmates.

Following the avalanche of allegations concerning the mistreatment of Filipino migrants, the Philippine Commission on Human Rights has asked its Malaysian counterpart, Suhakam, to help investigate the matter.

After a euphoric if humble start, the first online news media in the country is now striving to maintain its independence by keeping its coffers 'kosher'. Its survival now hinges on a subscription model that is different from newspaper subscriptions only in rates.

Despite requests by the National Union of Journalists, Suhakam and legal practitioners, several newspapers have persisted in naming a 13-year-old Filipina girl alleged to have been raped by Malaysian police officers. Today, her lawyer speaks up.