Side Views - The Malaysian Insider

The imprisoned Malay mind – M. Bakri Musa

In my first three essays I pointed out that the Malay problem is real and not a mere myth. It is also solvable and not unique unto our community. Thus there is much that we can learn from...

Poverty affirms Malaysia’s true status – J. D. Lovrenciear

Any first-time visitor to Malaysia will be left speechless as he gets overwhelmed by the towering skyscrapers, majestic palatial dwellings and infrastructure. "Progressive and successful" is...

How Asean can harmonise competition law – Cenuk Sayekti

The Asean Economic Community (AEC) came into effect in December 2015 and will gradually allow the free flow of goods, services, investment and skilled labour among its members. One pressing...

Misplaced affection for Myanmar’s old days – Nicholas Farrelly

The rush of foreign visitors wanting to see Myanmar “before it changes” exhibits a curiously misplaced mix of nostalgia and voyeurism. What some people think they want to experience is a place...

Why counting dead bodies in Syria is fraught with politics – Anthony Billingsley

In a chaotic situation such as the war in Syria, it is nearly impossible to provide precise numbers of those killed and wounded in the fighting. Assigning responsibility for the casualties is...

Proud Malaysians once and hopefully, once more – Ku Ali

It gives me no pleasure at all writing this, but it has to be written. A former prime minister has expressed he is no longer proud to be a Malaysian. And for that, he was lambasted by quite a...

The future is in our own hands – Ooi Kee Beng

Let’s be upfront about it. Anyone concerned about the survival of the planet has to struggle with the deduction that the greatest threat to the environment is man himself. This paradox is a...

Lessons from Fukushima – East Asia Forum

As we approach the fifth anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown which devastated Japan’s Tohoku region, how has the Japanese state absorbed the lessons of that...

How to change the BN government peacefully, lawfully – Puthan Perumal

For many people, the thought of changing the Barisan Nasional (BN) government seems to create an atmosphere of rebellion or violence, or feelings to that effect. We seem to have the notion that...

Mahathir and the Breakfast Club – Vanitha Nadaraj

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, 90, stood up to tell the media that he wants his one-time protégé to step down at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur last Friday. Seated around him were mostly political...

Cuepacs, please stop your shenanigans – TK Chua

When politicians engaged in endless quarrels, policy issues were allowed to go autopilot. I am referring to The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) and its...

From glass ceiling to carpet of shards – Ban Ki-moon

As a boy growing up in post-war Korea, I remember asking about a tradition I observed: women going into labour would leave their shoes at the threshold and then look back in fear. “They are...

More than a ‘mental revolution’ – Zaid Ibrahim

It was a hot Friday afternoon when old and young gathered together in a crowded room to lend support to the Citizen’s Declaration calling on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to step...

The unlikely alliance – Sin Chew Daily

It is not at all surprising to see former foes coming together to form an alliance against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as there are no eternal foes in politics, just interests. It...

The power of humility – Amy Ou

Successful leaders, it is often assumed, stand out from the crowd – they are bold, brash and assertive. They expect to get their own way and usually do. Examples such as Steve Jobs, the late...

We cannot live in fear – Tariq Ismail

Malaysia has been a nation that has been gripped in fear and ruled by fear. The results of the 13th general election and the subsequent fear mongering, has dashed any hopes of reform and...

Anthony Loke’s appointment to PHC not political – Zairil Khir Johari

As a director of the Penang Hill Corporation (PHC), I wish to correct the falsehoods and misrepresentations circulating over the recent appointment of Seremban MP and DAP Parliamentary...

Save Malaysia, just a trite cliche? – Kua Kia Soong

Once again in Malaysia we have witnessed the announcement of that trite cliche: “there are no permanent enemies in politics”. History has shown us that this is typically spouted by desperadoes...

Security dilemma in South China Sea dispute? – Damos Agusman and Haryo Nugroho

Regardless of the underlying legal disputes in the South China Sea (SCS), recent developments have apparently demonstrated the spiral model termed “security dilemma”, a condition where “in the...

Pragmatic rethink of ‘mat rempit’ race proposal – MPUK

If you were Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor, would you allow “mat rempit” to race in Kuala Lumpur? The Federal Territories minister’s statement has attracted heavy condemnation from Malaysians....