Will corruption amnesty work? [Part-1: Analysing the Problem]

Do you think corruption amnesty will work in Malaysia? Is it the right way to tackle endemic corruption? Analyse the problem. A question for your conscience Corruption is the abuse of public office for private gain – both pecuniary and otherwise. What if we gave every corrupt person a chance to come clean within 6 months? Only if they don’t admit their crime should we put them – and those who enjoyed the fruits of their ...

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Can a court grant a gag order?

When former prime minister Najib Razak was charged in court two days ago, the High Court, in the exercise of its criminal jurisdiction and powers, granted an interim gag order. Najib’s lawyer argued that Najib should not be ‘tried by the media.’  The order sought to stop public discussions over the charges pending against Najib. The court said it would hear full arguments on the gag orders later.  It nonetheless granted ...

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Our execrable Education System

Long ago, Lat drew a cartoon. It compared a study on mosquitoes carried out by a foreign scholar and a Malaysian one.  The foreign scholar is shown with a stack of books (volumes 1 to 5).  The Malaysian scholar has a wafer-thin manuscript with an arrow that says: ‘Ini adalah nyamuk.’  Do you remember that? Lat should come out of retirement! That just about sums up the state of our schools. Most ...

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Are We One Nation or Three?

When our forebears commenced building Malaysia 61 years ago, we were a plural nation. We comprised of many ethnic groups. We still do. Somewhere along the way, things changed. We have lost that Malaysian identity.  Over the years, we have regressed into a form of forced cultural separation.  We have withdrawn, for refuge, into our respective ethnic groups. This does not bode well. A look at recent history might give some ...

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