Happy New Year!

2007 is the first full calendar year I’ve ever had with Li Tsin – so much bliss <3 Don’t think I would’ve survived the year without her :)

pic – Nurazmal via Faisal 

Writing a big post, but will probably publish tomorrow :) Enjoy the evening’s festivities! :)

Brave Seelan Palay

Malaysiakini:

A Singaporean artist said today he had begun a hunger strike to seek the release of Malaysian Hindu rights activists detained under a tough security law.

“At 9am, I began (the hunger strike),” 23-year-old Seelan Palay said from near the front gate of the Malaysian High Commission.

Palay said he would drink water but not eat during [...]

Herald: Malaysians prove their reasonablness

Malaysiakini reports that the government has ok’ed the Herald, without imposing any conditions on the use of the word ‘Allah.’

Good for the Herald. Here’s my political take on the matter, which is purely speculative.

Johari Baharom and gang think that by starting this controversy, they can score points with their Umno/Malay base.

Their reversal on this matter [...]

ISA 4 freed, ISA 5?

For the record, I must welcome the release of the four ISA detainees.

I just hope the government isn’t using this as some sort of PR exercise while keeping the rest, including the latest 5, in.

Nat charged with defamation? :P :)

People like Malaysiakini and SEAPA were kind enough to include me a number of wrap-ups of 2007′s events, thanks!

There is a small inaccuracy floating around though. I was not charged with defamation at any point, I was arrested under the Official Secrets Act under suspicion of possessing and publishing official secrets (shyeah). No charges [...]

La ilaha illallah? Semantics and Strategy

Many views have been proffered on the Herald/”Allah” controversy. So many in fact that I barely feel the need to add my own.

Early on, Hafiz offers the difference between proper and common nouns, while Tricia – as I would – turns first to Wikipedia to trace the etymology of the word Allah.

Three other things I [...]

Benazir Bhutto, al-Fatihah :(

:(

I don’t follow Pakistan politics much, but any assassination, any murder, is a horrible, horrible thing :(

al-Fatihah.

Blogger Arrested; Cucumatkilau & DSP Borhan Daud

I really should have blogged about this earlier, it’s a bad lack of discipline on my part.

Blogger cucumatkilau of Kuantan was arrested and badly roughed up by the police on 24/12/07. His real name is Mohd Shukri Mohd Ramli.

Technically, he was not arrested for what he wrote, but on trumped up charges of being [...]

Samy, Anwar & the Kg Rawa Temple

Updated with KeADILan statement below

Malaysiakini:

Samy – who is also works minister – said that Anwar had even threatened the Hindus to accept the government’s stand in the 1998 Kg Rawa temple issue in Penang.

“He (Anwar) threatened the Hindus there to accept whatever he said, otherwise he said no temple bells will be sounded in Penang. [...]

Merry Christmas!

=) Christmas is a time of hope, so here’s hoping =)

NST/Gov’t takes low blow at Tony Pua

I take it as a sign of weakness. When Tony spearheaded a full alternative budget, he probably accomplished something pretty unprecedented. You can imagine BN getting very nervous about this sort of thing.

I have never bought the argument that the Opposition is not ‘qualified’ to form an alternative government, and this is just further proof.

In [...]

Solidarity Vigil Postponed

Help spread the word.

My internet been down at home, so can’t write much, here’s the Suaram statement:

GMI CANDLELIGHT VIGIL POSTPONED

We, the organizers of the candlelight vigil in solidarity with ISA detainees planned for Saturday 22 December at Dataran Merdeka, hereby announce that the programme is postponed until early next year, in response to the warning [...]

Give Vui Kong a 2nd Chance Please

Help resist the clampdown on the truth!