Tackling the Immigrant Issue Seriously
5 min read
US President Donald J. Trump’s executive order to ban immigrants from seven Muslims majority country provoked strong negative reactions in the country and...
The Sad Lot of Migrant Workers Affects Us All
4 min read
For years, I have spoken both in and outside Parliament about the need for Malaysia to empower women in economic and public life.We need to increase our femal...
Understand That Your Wisdom May be Worthless…
5 min read
In the age of free information flow, we do well in being hesitant about sharing.In my philosophy class in varsity, we studied Plato, who wrote narratives ab...
The Housing Question: Who Is My Neighbour?
5 min read
Vincent van Gogh's The Good Samaritan, After Delacroix.Oddly enough, the fundamental issue with housing today can be summed up in what perhaps is the most...
Hang Tuah as an Icon for Malaysia
5 min read
Last November, Prime Minister Najib Razak launched a new national ambition that sets aside the Vision 2020 programme initiated almost 20 years ago by his newfou...
Imagine Malaysia Anew!
7 min read
It’s been 54 years since we got together as Malaysia. That is already more than half of a century – a long time indeed.Our forefathers came togeth...
Najib’s Kangkung Symbolism and Durian Reality
8 min read
Back in July this year, a colleague of mine, Ali, exclaimed in shock when he found out that durians today cost more than RM100 a kilogram, “Dulu durian se...
Food and Politics
6 min read
As I spend more time in politics, I find that food features prominently.When I was first elected in 2013, between August and September that year (during the C...
Reflections on Bukit Mertajam, and Political Lessons for Malaysia
10 min read
The story of the valiant Sisyphus is one of my favourites in Greek mythology. He cheated gods and death, and thus angered Zeus himself. Because of this, Sisyphu...
Hang Tuah and the Keris Which Heals the Wound it Caused
13 min read
The story of Hang Tuah fascinates me. But to the question of whether he existed or not, I do not have an answer. However, that does not at all affect my interes...
GE14: A Malaysian Moment
5 min read
In the hilly land to the north of Johannesburg, on the wall opposite the Bench in the Constitutional Court of South Africa, nestled within the Old Prison Fort w...
Telling the Astounding Stories of Malaysia’s Para Athletes
4 min read
Last October, I was in Jakarta to be with the Malaysian contingent competing in the Jakarta Asian Para Games. The minister and I wanted to spend as much time as...