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Beyond political partisanship

AT UKEC’s 4th Malaysian Student Leaders’ Summit (MSLS) in 2010, I spoke on empowering youth and lowering the voting age to 18. That has now been achieved through an Act of Parliament, though apparently some wish to undo that unanimous parliamentary decision.

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Page-turning read on M’sian Justice

I JUST finished reading a remarkable book, written by a former holder of one of Malaysia’s constitutional offices with responsibility in shaping the law. Having served in the legal arena for many decades, he left the role under circumstances that have impacted the evolution of law and politics in our country.

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A new beginning to an era of hope

AS Malaysians know from personally experiencing the 14th general election in May 2018 and the Sheraton Move in February 2020, changes in the executive branch can cause unrestrained euphoria and doleful mourning in equally hyperbolic measure. Supporters proclaim the dawn of a hopeful era; detractors declare the end of the world.

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Emergencies to start the year

THE new year was welcomed by humankind on the smallest scale for any new year’s countdown in generations, judging by images of cities around the world at the stroke of midnight. (It is a personal tradition to watch the London fireworks when I wake up, but this year’s edition was more explosive for its overt political messages than its actual pyrotechnics.)

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Lessons from abroad

VISITING a new country brings a degree of caution: regardless of how much research you do beforehand, nothing really prepares you for the actual sounds, sights and smells that await, ready to overturn assumptions. It’s particularly disorienting if a youthful imagination has taken hold before arriving: when I first visited London as a child, I was expecting to see streets paved with gold, so taken was I by the story of Dick Whittington and his cat.

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#MyButterflyEffect for Dubai

IN 1851 the Great Exhibition was held in London. Organised by Prince Albert, it provided a platform for nations to show off their newest inventions, sparking creativity and ultimately fuelling scientific progress and economic growth. Over the years, these World Fairs evolved, and now come under the ambit of the Bureau international des expositions, organised into “World Expos” and “Specialised Expos”.

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Voting for more voters

I WAS 18 when I began my first year at university in London, and a few months later there was a UK general election.

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Negri’s experience of federalism

With the recent local elections approved, perhaps the state can lead the way in restoring centuries-old traditions of rule of law after periods of turbulence and erosion.

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Speaking about a common theme

INVITATIONS to speak at various events have resumed in earnest after Ramadan. I am sometimes slightly puzzled by some of the requests that I receive, including on topics I know little about, so I always try and understand from the organisers how they think my words can benefit those who will be present, lest I fall into a bout of impostor syndrome.

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Part and parcel of a healthy democracy

I HAVE written enthusiastically about Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Mohamad Ariff Yusof, Election Commission Chairman Azhar Harun, Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Attorney General Tommy Thomas and Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Hamid Bador as they set out to do these important jobs.

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Unity in Raya forgiveness

TOWARDS the end of Ramadan, there were different views expressed about the permissibility of Muslims breaking fast in buildings in (or near) non-Muslim places of worship, about Muslims breaking fast with food cooked and distributed by non-Muslims, and about a supposed general trend of events that include people of different faiths gaining in popularity that might “threaten” the faith of Muslims.

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Reflections this Ramadan

AS in previous years, this Ramadan began with time-honoured traditions.

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