Reflecting on Chinese cultural interactions and exchanges between Johor and Singapore On September 12 and 13, the 7th 24 Seasons Drums Festival returns to its birthplace, Johor Bahru, after an eight-year hiatus. Like before, the Chinese community in Singapore will join the celebration. In the past, Chinese cultural exchanges between the two sides of the strait were vibrant. Following the founding of Nanyang University in Singapore during the 1950s, these exchanges grew. Early activities were ..

This is my second article on Marina Ibrahim in this column. Three months ago, on June 2, I wrote a piece titled A DAP blunder to sideline Marina Ibrahim. It did not go down particularly well with some of my friends in DAP. From what I gathered, the general feeling among the unhappy lot was that I was defending Marina without presenting the partys side of the story. My commentary was therefore perceived as one-sided and, consequently, unfair to DAP. Let me say this again today. I do not know ..

From Russia with force: A Pan-Slavic war in Ukraine that is upending world order Russia's strike on the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service, or SBU, in the heart of Kyiv on September 4 should not be treated as merely another episode in a war that has already lasted more than four and a half years. It represents another crossing of the psychological thresholds that once appeared to constrain the conflict. The drone was reportedly aimed directly at the office of the acting head of the SBU, ..

Why young Chinese voters may turn to Barisan Nasional In recent state elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, an intriguing phenomenon emerged as ballot counting got underway: several Chinese-majority voting streams (channels) showed young voters trending toward Barisan Nasional (BN). In state seats such as Mengkibol in Kluang, Yong Peng in Ayer Hitam, and Johor Jaya, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA)s vote share appeared to surpass that of the Democratic Action Party (DAP). After ..

PAS seeks total dominance- including the status of Chinese The "muscle" on display at the PAS Muktamar (national general assembly) sends a clear message: PAS intends to dominate everything. Umno, eager to return to Putrajaya as a dominant player, is running toward the "moon" (PAS logo). Yet, if it is not careful, Umno risks being crushed under the weight of PAS. Even if Umno frees itself from Pakatan Harapan (PH), it may ultimately end up subservient beneath PAS. PAS is never in a hurry. When ..

Could better fire safety lower insurance premiums? Malaysia has strengthened its fire safety requirements by requiring certain designated premises to establish a fire safety organisation. Under the Fire Services (Fire Certificate) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, the organisation must consist of one Fire Safety Manager (FSM) and at least three Fire Safety Officers (FSOs), appointed by the owner, occupier or person having overall management of the premises. The FSM and FSOs must also be certified ..

Hannah Yeoh's divorce : Setting a healthy precedent Hannah Yeohs divorce has become a hot topic. Setting gossip aside, analysing it through the lens of social perception is a worthwhile discussion. First, I must state that I have only met Yeoh a few times and do not know her well, nor do I know her ex- husband. However, two years ago, a company established by her ex-husband, Ramachandran Muniandy, sparked major controversy when it received a public transit contract from the Selangor state ..

As someone who was once handcuffed due to an accidental error in a national flag design, my personal ordeal is long past. Yet, seeing my beloved country still tormented by one flag controversy after another today, I realise that while time has passed, the reality remains unchanged. It breaks my heart to see the state of our nation Precisely because shameless politicians deliberately manipulate these issuesand do so by selectively targeting their victimsan absurd phenomenon has emerged: when ..

As Malaysia celebrates national day, millions of Malaysians proudly display the Jalur Gemilang at their homes, offices, shops and other premises. But I wonder whether some Malaysians are now becoming reluctant to do so. I remember a time when an upside-down Malaysian flag was treated quite differently. If a neighbour noticed that someone had accidentally put up the flag the wrong way, he would point it out: Your flag is upside down. The owner would correct it, apologise if necessary, and life ..

When energy, technology, money and power are one, you cant escape thermodynamic limits How do you explain what Charles Dickens called the best of times, and the worst of times? We live today with massive social inequalities: the rich have never had it so good, the middle class has never been so discontented, there have been consecutive years of heatwaves, wars on two continents, stock markets at record highs and bond markets suffering from four-decade-high interest rates. Are we going through ..

Uncle Sams trade war with Canada was meant to be an easy pour. It is not. It is a glass of Canadian Dry: sharp, unsweetened, and harder to swallow than the White House promised. For a year president Donald Trump treated Ottawa as a subsidiary that would buckle under the same tariff theatre that hurried London and Brussels into deals. Last weekend the theatre closed. Mark Carney pulled his negotiators out of Washington. Fifty per cent of American duties landed on about $20 billion of Canadian ..

Bell the cat: Our leaders cannot keep choking on excuses while we choke on smoke The haze is back. Again. And once more, ordinary Malaysians are left staring at a grey sky, checking API readings on their phones instead of the weather forecast and wondering out loud why the people paid to protect us seem so unbothered by our suffering.. This is not a new story. It is an old, tired, insulting rerun. Since August 1, a fresh wave of transboundary haze from land and forest fires in Sumatra and ..

Believe me, I find no joy whatsoever in writing about Ridhuan Tee Abdullah. In fact, I believe it must have been a number of years since I last featured this controversial preacher in my column. There is a certain moral conscience that reminds me it is neither fair nor professional to write about a personality when I cannot find even one good word to say about him. Unfortunately, Ridhuan Tee has now given me little choice. When someone from West Malaysia chooses to comment negatively and ..

'Merdeka' from fear and the courage to move forward together Every Merdeka and Malaysia Day, many in my and the older generation look back with pride at the founders of our nation. But August 31 and September 16 must be more than an annual remembrances of 1957 and 1963. They should be moments when we ask ourselves a harder question: what kind of Malaysia do we want to build? Nearly seven decades after Merdeka, and six decades after Malaysia Day, our nation -- with her 34-million population -- ..

Public enthusiasm for displaying the Jalur Gemilang to commemorate the 69th Merdeka anniversary appears to have hit a low point this year. Very few flags are visible across urban and rural areas, with the displays mostly limited to government offices, local authorities, and large corporate firms. A primary reason for this sharp drop in public spirit stems from recent controversies, criticisms, and polemics surrounding the national flag. Many patriotic citizens feel hesitant, if not intimidated, ..

Singapore unites and moves forward, Malaysia fractures and slides backward We celebrate national day next Monday. What should have been a day for the whole nation to celebrate independence and reinforce national identity has once again lost its focus due to controversies over "upside-down national flags." While politicians exchange barbs, ordinary citizens live in fear over innocent mistakes. A day meant to foster unity and remind us of how far this nation has come has thus been cast under a ..

My own corner of Malaysia: Rotary clubs and a school reunion In the last two weeks, I attended two meaningful events that represent what I consider my own "corner" of Malaysia. Malaysia may soon be painted green or deep blue, but my corners of Malaysia still prevail and will outlive any political party. As long as there are pockets of the country that still practice the original vision envisioned by our forefathers, the Malaysia of our hearts will endure. We will all fight for our country tooth ..

A small but growing shelf of American fictions had begun to treat the unthinkable as plausible: the formal breakup of the United States. New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg recently observed that novelists are no longer merely warning of polarisation; they are mapping the logistics, the human wreckage, and even the possible relief of national divorce. Kurt Andersens The Breakup, Emily St. John Mandels Exit Party, and Catherine Laceys earlier Biography of X form a loose canon of literary ..

Danish philosopher Sren Kierkegaard (18131855) famously noted that life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. While we look to history for guidance, the inherent uncertainty of the future requires us to act in order to reveal what lies ahead. However, because our perception of reality is subjective, actions are often driven by beliefs or judgments that can easily become detached from objective reality. As financial markets grow increasingly speculative, _Financial ..

The topic is "Who will be the next Prime Minister?", which means who stands the highest chance, rather than who should be the next Prime Minister. To be clear from the start, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is absent from this list. He takes the number one spot on the list, leading the pack by a wide margin. Even if people are unhappy about it, they just have to hold their tongues for now. A few months ago, wasn't there a poll report indicating that Anwar had the highest support rating while Zahid ..

A digital content filming team from the Malaysian Media Council came to my office ahead of National Day and asked me four questions. The first question was: "What does Merdeka mean to you?" My answer was: Merdeka doesn't just mean national independence and sovereignty; more importantly, it should allow every single person to identify with the sentiment: "We are all Malaysians." Regardless of our ethnicity, religious beliefs, or the language we speak, everyone should feel that they have a place ..

Several days later, she emailed me to say that she hoped I would find the book a good read. My first thought was that the book was a practical resource for people living with cognitive changes to cook safely and to eat well. Its content, writing style, and format were rooted in lived experience. Yet, I felt there was something more to her story. My thoughts went back to two words that kept twirling in my head as we talked over dinner: dignity and personhood. For me, Emily expresses her ..

I cannot help but wonder if 2026 will be the last year we remember our country as the one we grew up with. A lot has already changed, but the teh tarik sessions and football-at-the-Mamak-restaurant mania remain deeply woven into our daily lives. Yet, an ominous shift is underway. Our country will not be subjugated by a foreign powerof that we have no fear. There is no imminent, Trump-like invasion threatening the shores of Southeast Asia. Instead, the signs of impending doom for the Merdeka ..

Anwar and Zahid should stop the charade, just go separate ways now Indeed, politicians are strange bedfellows. Two political leaders can stand side by side, smile for the cameras and insist that everything is well between them. In public, they may praise each other and talk about stability, cooperation and a shared commitment to the nation. In private, however, they may barely tolerate one another. If there is one political relationship in Malaysia today that increasingly fits this description, ..

Earthworks and construction are underway across both the Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) and Shah Alam (MBSA) sectors, primarily focusing on high-density residential developments. Strategically located between Petaling Jaya and Shah Alam, serviced by major highways and MRT lines, and situated near Subang Airport, Kwasa Damansara is well-positioned to transform into a major metropolis housing tens of thousands of residents. As this transformation unfolds, the historical legacy of the site must not be ..

A premier for two countries The indispensable Mr. Zhu Zhu Rongji, the ex- Premier of China, died in Beijing on August 12 at the age of 98. In the American press, some have dusted off former President Bill Clintons reported regret over pushing for Chinas entry into the World Trade Organisation, claiming that the decision helped create the superpower that now challenges the United States. The narrative sounds forceful. It is, in reality, a profound misreading of what openness actually means. It ..

Politicians can retire, but they cannot retire from defending Malaysia Wong Chen has apologised to the people of Subang for resigning before completing his term as their Member of Parliament. It was an appropriate gesture. An elected seat is not merely a political position. It is a mandate temporarily entrusted to an individual by tens of thousands of citizens. But Wong Chen's departure also raises a larger question about Malaysian politics. What happens to the responsibility of politicians ..

Nurul Izzah may not be the first woman PM in Malaysia, but she can hold her head high There was a time when many believed Nurul Izzah Anwar would become the first woman prime minister in Malaysia. Many also hoped she would become Malaysias Margaret Thatcher, leading the birth of a new Malaysia. No one else possessed quite the same combination of qualities and advantages as Nurul Izzah. As Anwars daughter, the path into politics had already been paved for her; her family and party had suffered ..

In another two weeks, we will celebrate National Day. Every year around this time, the authorities urge Malaysians to fly the national flag as a way of expressing our patriotism. But to me, patriotism is more than a slogan or a national flag. It is something reflected in the way we live our everyday lives. Malaysian Chinese going to Malay stalls for nasi lemak; Malaysians of all backgrounds enjoying Indian roti canai and teh tarik at mamak stalls; Malay and Indian friends visiting Chinese homes ..

Foolhardy of Pakatan Harapan to go to bed with Bersatu There is a suggestion doing the rounds that since both Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) are now at their lowest ebb, perhaps this is the right time for the two parties to cooperate. The argument is that when two political parties are struggling, they might just be able to rescue each other. In fact, I would regard any attempt by Pakatan Harapan (PH) to embrace Bersatu as not merely politically risky, ..

Character education needs an ecosystem, not just a curriculum Malaysias renewed attention to character education raises an important question: Can character truly be developed through curriculum alone? Most Malaysians would agree that character matters. Academic achievement may prepare students for examinations and employment, but knowledge and qualifications alone do not prepare them to make wise decisions, withstand pressure, treat others responsibly, or contribute meaningfully to society. ..