Side Views - The Malaysian Insider

Democracy a la Malaysia, a bundle of contradiction – Ilaiya Barathi Panneerselvam

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” – George Orwell. Malaysian ruling regime has consistently portrayed itself as the primary practitioner bundle of...

Farewell, The Malaysian Insider – Ooi Kok Hin

March 14, 2016 will go down as the day one of the most popular news portals in Malaysia closes its door. The Malaysian Insider (TMI) has been a constant source of news for many of us, be it in...

Thank you The Malaysian Insider – Adam Reza

It is sad to see The Malaysian Insider (TMI) go. For all its faults, TMI was a stellar news portal. On a personal front, TMI has always given room to Malaysians like myself and a number of...

The world really needs a reboot – Charles Vincent

A friend related to me recently a story of a woman who had passed on at a local hospital. The woman was alone and had suffered from cancer for a number of years. She has only one child, but he...

The Malaysian Insider’s demise, setback in fight for truth, justice – Lim Kit Siang

Datuk Seri Najib Razak's seven-year reign as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia had added another casualty to its long list of infamies – the death of news portal The Malaysian Insider (TMI)...

The autocratic rule of Umno – Michael Penworth

It’s difficult to take proclamations of democracy from an incumbent government seriously when the leader of its opposition festers in jail on trumped-up charges, or when yellow T-shirts are...

Benefits of Chinese investment – Peter Drysdale and Neil Thomas

Chinese investment has increased from virtually zero to becoming Australia’s fifth-largest source of foreign direct investment over the past decade. Chinese investment has grown with the...

Japan and new wave of regionalism in Asia – Mie Oba

Since the end of the 2000s, a new era for regional cooperation has been unfolding in Asia. China’s ascent as a regional leader, the advent of mega FTAs and the changing presence of India have...

The great marriage escape produces mixed reactions – Nury Vittachi

Wife: “The house is on fire! Get the kids out first!” Me (stuffing Star Wars figurines collection into pockets): “I’m on it! Really soon! Almost immediately!” Fortunately, it turned out to be a...

Behind the Korean wave – Sim Younhee

Since the Korean drama “My Love from Another Star” became a big hit in China, a growing number of Chinese couples have been lining up for pre-wedding photo shoots with make-up and dresses styled...

Dr Mahathir and Ku Li, two peas in a pod? – Koon Yew Yin

During the past 10 years I have written a great deal about our national politics and the country's leadership. In particular I have focused on our prime ministers. What I have written has really...

Merkel’s politics of conviction – Harold Kong

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel is making history. Not since Margaret Thatcher has the West seen a leader of equivalent overall ability and mental toughness. Thatcher, who graduated with...

How to prevent tax leakages in digital economy – Kor Bing Keong and Chew Boon Choo

The evolution of technology has led to radical changes in business models over the years. It has dramatically increased the ability of consumers to shop online and the ability of businesses to...

LBGT a threat to national security? – Emerlynne Gil

Southeast Asian governments are increasingly restricting the work of human rights defenders, misusing a variety of laws supposedly aimed at defending “national security” or countering vaguely...

Boycotting Israeli products makes little sense – Johannes Nugroho

It has become apparent that the independence of Palestine is a favourite foreign policy theme with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. In his closing speech of the recent extraordinary summit of...

The hurdles preventing national unity – Wan Saiful Wan Jan

National unity is an issue that is always talked about in Malaysia. Being a multiracial and multi-religious country, perhaps that is something that we should expect. At times the debate...

How tribal culture crushes women in the Islamic world – Harun Yahya

Tribal culture has been central to the fabric of the Middle Eastern civilisations for centuries, if not for thousands of years. Although many North African, Arabian and Central Asian societies...

Dr Mahathir and street demonstrations – Puthan Perumal

On April 29, 2014, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said this in his blog under the title ‘Street Demonstrations’: "14. Democracy upholds the rights of the minority. They must be protected. Therefore...

Another brick in the wall – Saleh Mohammed

Music moves people in a way that doesn’t seem to happen with animals. Nobody really understands why listening to music – which, unlike sex or food, has no intrinsic value – can trigger such...

Defusing the tensions in South China Sea – Keyuan Zou

The year 2016 is the Year of the Monkey in accordance with the Lunar Calendar. Monkey is characterised as intelligent, but also volatile. While the Chinese were about to celebrate their new...