Am I a maverick?
In that sense, the religionists and politicians are all the same. They expect you to agree with them and if you do not then you are the enemy. If you are a Catholic you must agree with Rome. If you…
It’s a man’s world
It is time we gave real political power to women. The ‘official religion’ of Malaysia is Islam. In Islam, women are not permitted to lead (in Saudi Arabia, they are not even permitted to drive or to…
Is this the beginning of Malaysia’s Sunni-Shia conflict?
Religion is supposed to be good. Religion is supposed to save your soul. However, it appears like religion has condemned more souls than it has saved. Is this not ironical? And it becomes worse when…
The snake oil merchant
So there you have it. That is the solution. First of all employ only Chinese police personnel -- especially opposition supporters who are squeaky clean. Don’t employ any Malays -- especially…
Asabiyyah: a scourge according to PAS
The only way to end asabiyyah would be for, say, Indonesia to invade and conquer Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc., and create a new Muslim empire a…
What actually did happen in Sungai Limau
The ‘missing’ 777 Chinese voters could mean a sign of protest by the Chinese (especially since their turnout of 57.82% is lower than the 85.5% average). This could be because they are not happy with…
Chinese still the kingmaker
This would mean (if it was 10,722 Malay votes for PAS versus 10,655 Malay votes for Umno) the Malays are still split 50:50 like what Nazri Aziz told me five years ago. And this would also mean that…
The chess game of Malay politics
If I were a Malay voter in Sungai Limau I would vote Barisan Nasional so that Mukhriz would become stronger and hence Najib would always be under threat from Dr Mahathir and his team. Giving the seat…
What the newspapers do not report
In or about 1998, Musa Hassan and Gani Patail were implicated as having fabricated medical evidence in the “Black Eye” incident involving the assault and injury while in police custody of the then…
Melayu mudah lupa
Raja Petra KamarudinHow many of you remember KAL007. No, I am not talking about one of those James Bond movies if that is what you are thinking. Still don’t remember? I thought many of you would…
Politics is about the attainment of power
Raja Petra KamarudinHello.....brother.....that is not how the political game is played. Gratitude for past deeds has no place in politics. It is what you can do now and contribute to the future that…
Old politicians never fade away
Raja Petra Kamarudin“Mahathir’s attacks fuel talk of comeback,” said Leslie Lopez in the Singapore Straits Times on 26 April 2006. Well, I got news for you Leslie. Dr Mahathir never left. He may have…
A crisis of credibility
Raja Petra KamarudinLet there be no misunderstanding about this. Politics is about the attainment of power, plain and simple. If anyone tells you otherwise, then he or she is either a bad politician…
The mark of a true reformist
Raja Petra KamarudinThere are just so many reformists. Almost every country has at least one. Some are still living. Most died a long time ago. Some have been reduced to legends and we no longer know…
There’s no future in the past
Raja Petra KamarudinParti Keadilan Rakyat, or keADILan for short, celebrated its anniversary a few days ago. It was seven years old on 4th April 2006. Conspicuously absent from the birthday…
Power perceived, power wielded
Raja Petra KamarudinI remember reading -- it was many years ago, I think in The Star -- about a foreign dignitary wanting to meet the First Prime Minister and Bapa Merdeka (Father of Independence),…
Georgetown, we have a problem
Raja Petra KamarudinAnwar Ibrahim was released from jail 18 months ago and since then has been based at Georgetown University in Washington DC. In May, Anwar, now a professor, will be coming home for…