Opinion - The Malaysian Insider

They’re not racist, you are

Next to politics, corruption and the government – all inevitably linked – racism is a favourite topic of conversation among Malaysians. Racism is such a monster that when it rears its ugly...

Ada apa dengan Melayu

Dalam muzik dan genrenya, Singapura lebih banyak melahirkan lagu-lagu dan produk yang berkualiti dari negara kita ini. Sweet Charity, Ramli Sarip, Kembara, Love Hunters, M.Nasir, Art Fadhil dan...

Judges must balance predictability and perfection

A reader commented on my last article, remonstrating that I should not have chosen the Indian judiciary as a model of judicial activism. His objection was rooted in the weaknesses of the Indian...

Campaklah berapa banyak mikrofon pun, Mat Sabu

Sejak saat mengejutkan pada malam Himpunan 365 di depan pintu penjara Sungai Buloh, 9 Februari 2016 itu, macam-macamlah pula orang melemparkan komen terhadap perbuatan Mohamad Sabu, presiden...

Stop being nosy and get to work, Khairy

There is something about ministers in Malaysia which I find completely foolish. They repeatedly try to act as spokespersons for the prime minister – or his deputy – hoping that their public...

Should we panic over Zika virus?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared an international public health emergency over the spread of Zika virus in the Americas. While at time of writing, there are no Zika cases...

Kenapa Melayu-Islam ditanggap bodoh?

Dalam kajian tesis, saya menganalisis fikrah orang Melayu-Islam yang di pinggiran (margins) daripada apa yang normal. Yang di luar kebiasaan, dalam erti kata lain. Mungkin ramai terkejut yang...

Samakah tangkap Dr Mahathir dengan tangkap Anwar

Dua tahun lagi, genap 2 dekad Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ditangkap buat kali pertama ketika berada di puncak kuasa dengan memasang impian menduduki Putrajaya serta bergelar perdana menteri dan mahu...

Why I am returning

After almost three years of non-stop traveling, hitchhiking in Asia, sailing in the Caribbean coast and settling down in a small community in Colombia, this year I was given a choice – I could...

The ‘pendatangs’ among us

When Donald Trump made public his desire to build a giant wall to keep Mexicans from entering the United States, many Malaysians rightly labelled him a racist. When he made disparaging remarks...

Tuan Guru – sebuah permata nilam

Hanya sesekali dalam sesuatu zaman, seorang tokoh besar lahir untuk mewarnai zaman dan masyarakatnya. Menjadi pejuang kemanusiaan dan kebebasan dan dalam masa yang sama menjadi jurubicara...

Hang Tuah hanya mitos? – Bahagian 1

Hang Tuah hadir dalam hidup saya bersama laungan keramat "Takkan Melayu Hilang di Dunia" sewaktu di sekolah rendah. Pada tahun 1970-an dan 80-an, mata pelajaran Tawarikh (Sejarah) diajar di...

A house for RM300,000? Well…

In the recent budget review announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, one of the plans was to limit properties priced at RM300,000 to first time home buyers. I think this is a great...

The battle for GE14 begins today

The 14th general election (GE14) must be held on or before August 24, 2018 and Parliament will be automatically dissolved on June 24, 2018. That is approximately two and a half years away from...

Time to update your Malaysian English

A brand name is considered a major success when it is used as a generic trademark, though it doesn't necessarily bring profit to the company. Pampers, thermos and xerox are examples of generic...

Tak perlu terkejut dengan permintaan terhadap warga asing

Pekerja asing ada di sekeliling kita. Siapa yang menyapu daun-daun pokok dan sampah di tepi jalan? Siapa yang menjadi juruwang di kedai-kedai makanan segera? Siapa yang sedang panjat...

Asean must grab opportunity to avoid becoming a ‘pawn’

Today marks the first day of the much talked about United States (US)-Asean Summit. From February 15-16 , US President Barack Obama hosts the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian...

1.5 juta lagi warga Bangladesh bakal ‘rampas’ rezeki rakyat Malaysia

Bersungguh-sungguh pemimpin negara mempertahankan tindakan membawa masuk 1.5 juta lagi rakyat Bangladesh untuk bekerja di Malaysia. Ironinya, pemimpin yang beria-ia mahu membawa warga...

Mengapa faham Islam kalau tak nak peluk Islam?

Apa niatnya kalau seorang bukan Islam ingin faham Islam kalau tak nak peluk Islam? Kalau tak peluk Islam, mungkinkah seseorang itu fahami Islam? Ini 2 soalan yang selalu saya temui sama ada...

Finding our Malaysian pride in the most damning of times

In barely over a years’ time, Malaysia has quickly moved up to staggering levels of infamy for being one of the world’s most scandal-ridden countries of 2015. If once we were known as Southeast...