Steven Gan

From Asia Hotel to police cell: Apcet II revisited

From Asia Hotel to police cell: Apcet II revisited

Eight years ago, an Umno Youth-led mob stormed and disrupted an international conference in Kuala Lumpur. Here's a first-person account of what happened that day.
Police brutality? Here? Nah!

Police brutality? Here? Nah!

Why spend millions of ringgit setting-up a body to advise the government when its recommendations are roundly ignored? Such is Suhakam's fate. Is the police royal commission similarly doomed?
How to tell Pak Lah the truth?

How to tell Pak Lah the truth?

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi knows very well that media censorship is not to protect the peace and security of the nation. It is there to protect the peace and security of those in power.
Business as usual, people

Business as usual, people

For someone who professes reform, Pak Lah's for-my-eyes-only assets declaration is nothing more than a rehash of the old regime.
What reforms?

What reforms?

Now that Pak Lah is in an all-powerful position, he could use his awesome mandate to clean the slate. But he failed to do so when naming his new cabinet.
One vote, two messages

One vote, two messages

This election will not only be a referendum on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. It will also be a referendum on political Islam.
BN will win, here's why

BN will win, here's why

The electoral rules are heavily stacked against the opposition even before the Election Commission fires the starter gun.
Pak Lah, no half measures please

Pak Lah, no half measures please

Now that the war against corruption is afoot, the question to ask is does Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi have the support from Umno?
Who is to blame?

Who is to blame?

The Bakun dam project is a case of turning economics on its head - we generate electricity first and figure out what to do with it later. But who is responsible for such stupendous waste of money?
Growing pains

Growing pains

Malaysiakini is four years old today. Now that we are No 1 in the Internet, it's time we take the fight to our print cousins. But will we be given the chance?
Whistleblowers penalised once more

Whistleblowers penalised once more

Irene Fernandez is not the only whistleblower punished in the ‘false news’ trial, which ended recently. There is one other, who turned prosecution witness.
Be a patriot, fight graft

Be a patriot, fight graft

Perhaps it is time to redefine patriotism and reclaim its true meaning. To begin with, a distinction has to be made between one's love for the country and one's love for the government.
Suhakam gagal beri sumbangan bermakna

Suhakam gagal beri sumbangan bermakna

versi Bahasa Malaysia Apakah badan pemerhati hak asasi itu suatu penyelesaian kepada masalah atau ianya sendiri satu masalah? Tidak apalah. Rekod prestasinya sejak tiga tahun penubuhannya sudah tentu boleh membanggakan kerajaan.
Suhakam fails in fine print

Suhakam fails in fine print

Is the human rights watchdog a solution to the problem or a problem to the solution? Never mind. Its three-year track record would have made the government proud.
Satu lagi ujian getir bagi bidang kehakiman negara

Satu lagi ujian getir bagi bidang kehakiman negara

versi Bahasa Malaysia Jika berdasarkan kepada rekod ketiga-tiga hakim yang terbabit dalam permohonan ikat jamin Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, bekas timbalan perdana menteri itu nampaknya akan terus merengkuk di penjara.
Acid test, again, for judiciary

Acid test, again, for judiciary

The judiciary is on the mend, so they say. But the coming weeks will tell whether this is the case when all eyes are set on the appellate court's decision on Anwar Ibrahim's bail application as well as the latest round of promotions within the bench.
Berterima kasih kepada Pak Lah? Jangan harap...

Berterima kasih kepada Pak Lah? Jangan harap...

versi Bahasa Malaysia Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tidak layak mendapat tepukan di bahu. Kerana beliaulah yang menandatangani arahan penahanan yang menyebabkan tahanan hilang dua tahun kehidupan mereka.

Pak Lah, expect no gratitude

Pak Lah, expect no gratitude

Prime-minister-in-waiting Abdullah Ahmad Badawi may have 'liberated' the reformasi detainees but he will not get a pat in the back from those who have lost two years of their lives.
Will Pak Lah set them free?

Will Pak Lah set them free?

Don't bet o­n it. Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - despite his misgivings about our Third World mentality - is likely to keep the reformasi detainees behind bars for another two years.
Getting away with murder

Getting away with murder

Last year, 54 journalists were killed. So far this year 23 journalists have died - 14 of them during the war in Iraq.
Resistance is not futile

Resistance is not futile

Now that Baghdad has fallen, the real war begins - the battle to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqis. But given Washington's track record, that will be a tough sell.
Enemies at the gate

Enemies at the gate

George W Bush and Tony Blair should have brushed up their History 101 before embarking o­n their mission to 'free' Iraq.
Pax Americana unmasked

Pax Americana unmasked

As the 'humane' bombs fall from the skies of Baghdad, some human rights advocates are falling over themselves to cheerlead the American o­nslaught. But the last thing o­n Bush's mind, as he pounds Iraq into submission, is to protect human rights.

Another NAM talk shop?

Another NAM talk shop?

Yes, judging from previous Non-Aligned Movement summits. But NAM - the biggest international organisation outside of United Nations - was never meant to be a talk shop.