In 2005 the Young Turks in PAS led by deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa swept to power, bringing a promise of greater dialogue and engagement. They aimed to re-brand the party to strengthen its national electoral position, with the hope of expanding its support reminiscent of the heyday 'reformasi' era....
From Time Asia When the cat’s away, the mice will play. And play they did last week in Thailand. In a bloodless coup led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the military ousted Thaksin Shinawatra from power while he was attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York City. ...
In a decisive victory, the opposition won eight seats (excluding one independent seat) in the May 20 polls, a record not seen in Sarawak since the 1987 elections and in Chinese areas since the 1974 polls....
Southeast Asia needs to build up institutions, not individuals...
Less than four months ago, Terence Gomez's forced resignation raised a series of issues about problems in higher education - inadequate salaries, biased appointments and promotions, over-politicitized university management, limits on academic freedom, and, in some cases, gross administrative incompetence. After robust debate, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wisely intervened to correct the...
With the election of dynamic young professional leaders to key leadership positions within Islamic Party PAS, change is clearly in the air. Older stalwarts were replaced by a younger cohort of politicians committed to political pragmatism, including working with non-Muslims. The dynamic new deputy party leader, Nasharudin Mat Isa, three non-ulama...
The forced resignation of Edmund Terence Gomez from Malaysia's most prestigious university, Universiti Malaya, illustrates a continued decay in the standards and practices of higher education. Despite the impressive investment in education through the 1990s, professional standards have dropped to a level that respected scholars and quality teachers are being pushed...
By Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — In a remote village that locals call the Sky Kingdom, Malaysian villagers revere a giant teapot and follow the teachings of an illiterate 61-year-old man who claims to be the reincarnation of holy figures from the world's major religions. Kampung Batu 13 village...
