Side Views - The Malaysian Insider

Cuepacs missed the point in ‘ah long’ issue – TK Chua

The warning and advice given by Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) to civil servants resorting to borrowing from ah long just do not make sense. It is a...

No repeat of authoritarianism, please – Rakyan Adibrata

In times of conflict, the law should not fall silent. And with the new, tougher anti-terrorism law currently before the House of Representatives, the question remaining before us is no longer one...

How the modern Muslim world created Isis – Harith Ramli

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) declared its re-establishment of the caliphate on June 29, 2014, almost exactly 100 years after the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz...

Who are the ‘Naypyitawrians’? – Nicholas Farrelly

It once made sense to talk, simply, about a country named Burma, where the people spoke Burmese, and some of them were called Burman. Since the assertion of Myanmar as the dominant organising...

Taking shortcuts to solving problems – Sin Chew Daily

The government's plan to legalise street racers have received largely negative feedback from the public. While the plan looks absolutely ridiculous, from the theoretical point of view,...

Simpleton leadership and blind loyalty – T.K. Chua

Although he likes to label others as nobodies, to me, minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz is a leader with leadership roles. After all, he was once a youth leader and now an elected MP and a full...

Will Petronas give Najib ‘GAS’? – Sir Wenger J Khairy

The prime minister should engage competent advisers to ensure that he does not suffer the ignominy that befell his good friend, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who was forced to step down from MIC...

4 factors that determine a society’s fate – M. Bakri Musa

In my earlier two essays, I highlighted the issues surrounding the "Malay problem". I suggested that it is not unique unto our community. As such, there is much that we could learn from others,...

Stop stifling free speech, expression – Steven Thiru

The Malaysian Bar is aghast at the decision of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (“MCMC”) — pursuant to Sections 233 and 263(2) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998...

Axing selected events at 2017 KL Sea Games a bad move – Ong Kian Ming

Imagine this. It’s approaching the 2012 London Olympics. The United States Track and Field association decides not to send any Americans to compete in the 10,000m event at the Olympics because...

Ritualism and the erosion of human rights – Melanie O’Brien

While paying lip service to stopping human rights abuses, leaders in the Asia Pacific are rejecting basic freedoms and reinforcing their own power, eroding human rights and flouting the very...

Malaysians, trust our reformists – Zaid Ibrahim

My friend Aspan blogged recently about how Malaysians must mark the gathering of 27 March as a momentous event, one where we can all unite to restore the country to good order. I hope many...

We’re only hardliners on porn, LGBT – Kornelius Purba

“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Pope Francis responded when a journalist asked him about gay priests in the Catholic Church in 2013. His...

The end of chivalry towards Umno – Tariq Ismail

The following statement is very critical of Umno 2000, but this does not mean I am an enemy of Umno nor am I an opponent of the prime minister. Please understand, that Umno is a man made...

The time is now to free Malaysian media – Sukhbir Cheema

It is now more evident than ever that Malaysian journalists are treated like dirt following the recent blockade imposed on The Malaysian Insider and with the sudden closure of The Rakyat Post...

Regurgitating knowledge – Nur Adilah Ramli

As the new term has started, again, my mind is fluttered by the thought of memorising notes to be churned out during exams, only to be forgotten right after. While those with photographic...

Mid-term assessment of the nation since GE13 – Lim Teck Ghee

We are reaching the mid point of the Barisan Nasional (BN) government’s rule following its election victory in May 2013. How has the government fared? What can the nation look forward to in...

Closing the wealth gap – Sin Chew Daily

The recent controversies around our overdependence on migrant workers should offer the policymakers, local businesses as well as the public an excellent opportunity to reflect on ourselves how we...

Wearing our genes to work – Song Zhaoli and Richard D. Arvey

Are we pre-programmed to love our work? Or to be leaders? Studies in the field of genetics have found that many psychological characteristics can be inherited, and certain genes or groups of...

What ready meals are doing to our health – Richard Hoffman

Who doesn’t like a ready meal once in a while? People in the UK certainly do: consumption of ready meals and convenience meat products has increased five-fold over the last 40 years, according...