“Yes, it is truly historic, and the UK newspaper headlines captured that sentiment, as did papers around the world. Nothing could change the image of America more than this. But it is more than historic; it is very personal for many of my generation. A new generation just sees this as natural – he’s an …
There is a book entitled Excellence by former US secretary of education John W Gardner, who argues in it that ‘excellence’ has an absolute value dimension and cannot simply become and remain a populist or merely a democratic ideal. He nevertheless argued for both excellence and equality to be pursued as important democratic ideals. The current dialogue …
Is every interest of the government always equal to the interest of the public at large? If not, how then does the party in power ( aka the executive branch of government) seek to determine the specific nature of the public interest in every case or situation? Foreign Affairs Minister Rais Yatim’s doctoral dissertation was published as …
What is the colour of the air we breathe? If we ask Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, he would swear that it only is green. Therefore, his edict or advice to the public servants of the Municipality of Kota Baru that Muslims wearing lipstick or high heels are guilty works for him. …
I agree whole-heartedly with Citizen Nades’ core thesis in the Sun (July 7): that the third force of society often called the social sector, is fed up, tired and dismayed by the lack of leadership integrity in the government of the day. So, with Nades, I too sound my word of advice to Pak Lah. Please be …
Last week, I attended a function where there were three speakers: a bishop, a teacher who specialises in leadership, and a minister who is also the head of a political party. Each addressed core issues related to truth versus perception. The bishop warned that ordinary people are confused between the truth and perception in Malaysia …
I never thought I would see the day when a director-general and deputy director-general of a strategic government department would be remanded for investigations into corruption charges. The Anti Corruption Agency must be congratulated for taking such a bold step. Of course, seeing that our ACA is not really the brightest nor smartest outfit in …
Rather interestingly, in the last few weeks there has been talk about dialogues. First, there were two articles in The Star about an ISIS sponsored Forum on Muslim-Christian Dialogue in the history of Islamic Civilisation. The talk was delivered by Syed Farid Alatas – the oldest son of the late Syed Hussain Alatas.He is an Associate Professor …
The federal government was very upset when the US issued warnings about “due process fair play in the new Anwar Ibrahim trial, especially by the media.” Their caution and concern was only that Anwar be given a fair, transparent and open hearing in the yet unsubstantiated complaint. I am frankly amused by the PM’s argument …
I have known Irene Fernandez and her family since about the 1960s. We were neighbours and I often say publicly \”that we all, as kids, used to play marbles, rounders, and kites together.\” Those were the days before TVs and computers, when life was simple and great fun. Therefore I know Rita, Josie, the late …
