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Opinion

Blue diamond might cost the Red Devils

NOV 8 — It seems like there is no end to the woes surrounding Liverpool. One week they are getting further away from the elusive league title, the next they are almost eliminated from the Champions League. This weekend, thanks to their turn on the Sky Sports Monday night football slot in the UK, the Reds have got a few more days than their once-fellow title challengers to prepare for the start of their season-salvaging campaign, playing host to Birmingham City. While we eagerly anticipate that match, the match-of-the-week tonight has to be gotten out of the way first. It is ... Read More...

Dua puluh tahun robohnya Tembok Berlin – rayakan keranapan sosialisme!

Nov 8 — Pada 9 November 2009, genaplah dua puluh tahun runtuhnya Tembok Berlin. Tembok Berlin dibina atas arahan Parti Kesatuan Sosialis (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands) yang memerintah Jerman Timur. Puak sosialis di Jerman Timur takut  cengkaman kuku besi mereka tergugat jika rakyat mereka boleh menyaksikan sendiri kebebasan yang dimiliki di Berlin Barat hasil daripada demokrasi dan kapitalisme pasaran bebas di sana. Tembok Berlin dibina dengan pantas dan penuh kerahsiaan. Pada waktu malam 12 dan 13 Ogos 1961, tatkala rakyat Berlin sedang tidur, tentera Jerman T... Read More...

No Proton, no car industry?

NOV 8 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the man behind Proton, infers that without the national car company, there would be no car industry in Malaysia. Can that really be true? And can it really be so simple? No Proton equals no automotive industry? After all, it wasn’t as if Malaysians only walked before the Saga came along. On the flipside, we also have people who continue to spend time trying to determine if, had there never been a Proton, we would not be better off than where we are right now. The answer from them, as I’m sure you can imagine, is often a resounding yes. The pr... Read More...

What Najib seeks is 1BN

Nov 8 — It may be saying too much to claim that Malaysia’s major political parties are self-destructing. But they are certainly not in the best of health. The recently-ended National Delegates Congress of Parti Gerakan Rakyat was a lacklustre show where a well-timed, sassy challenge to resign issued to Gerakan president Koh Tsu Khoon by an Umno backbencher, Mr Mohamad Aziz, had to be brushed aside. The main news from the congress was the proposal — quickly rejected — raised at the Gerakan Youth meeting to discuss the party’s withdrawal from the Barisan Nasional coalition.... Read More...

Happy holidays!

NOV 8 — Ishan’s been having a fabulous time in Kuala Lumpur over the past month. He goes kai-kai three to four times a day, takes Pickles the dog for his evening walk every day and is allowed to run with abandon at the neighbourhood shopping mall. I’ve been having a great time too. It is nice when the power-walking ‘aunties’ ask after my mum and son and when the ‘uncles’ walking their dogs around the Bangsar DBKL sports complex wave hello as we cross paths. It is as if I never left. I still refer to KL as ‘home’ because this is where my family is. It is also the meeting poin... Read More...

Books that take you on a journey... literally

NOV 8 — Reading can take you places and I am not talking about sharing the adventures of the author as you turn the pages of a travelogue or memoir. Yes, sometimes reading can send you to the travel agent’s! I remember the first time that happened to me: I had just read Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” and saw a copy of his other book “A Cook’s Tour” in the bookshop. This was before the Discovery channel show of the same name starting showing here but I wanted to read more of Bourdain so I bought it. ... Read More...

A Premier League success story

NOV 7 — A poll in Britain once rated Arsene Wenger the most influential manager in the English Premier League. Not to take the shine away from another successful manager in England, but the main reason that Wenger edged that other fellow was he brought about a structural change to the way a football club is run. Not to mention, he won the league title in his first full season, something that took seven years to achieve by his main rival. ... Read More...

Enigmatic Ancelotti moulding formidable force at Chelsea

NOV 7 — Given time, football teams invariably start to reflect the personality of their manager. It’s probably an unconscious process; managers don’t sit in their offices and think, “You know what, I’m a cheerful, laid-back, carefree kind of guy. So I want my team to play relaxed, happy-go-lucky football. Hey, it’s only a game!” No, it doesn’t work like that. But there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that, given the opportunity to mould, shape and develop a team, a manager will choose to select players, a system, a style of play and a general attitude that corresponds to his... Read More...

Overcoming our democratic deficit

NOV 7 — I am currently in Britain meeting Malaysians and talking to them about politics. I was also recently in the United States, at the Bay Area in California, for a similar purpose It was heartening to see the strong level of interest that Malaysians residing in both countries showed in the political situation back home, especially after the last general election. They asked the usual questions: like whether Pakatan Rakyat can win in the next polls, and when will we resolve our internal difficulties. ... Read More...

It’s colonialism under another name

NOV 7 — Why do we have different states in Malaysia? If we are one country, why don’t we get rid of the states and centralise our government? The correct answer is probably “It’s an accident of history” — if our government could get rid of the states, I am almost certain it would. But we ought to keep our federation of states the way it is — and events this week highlight more than ever the importance of our country’s diversity. ... Read More...

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