Fond memory: Mandela (left) had a special admiration for Malaysia, says Abdul Kadir, seen here with his late wife Dr Sara Ibrahim. He is now married to Tengku Rasilah. For G25 founding member Datuk Abdul Kadir Mohd Deen, the grouping prides itself as a catalyst for change and open discussion. AT Nelson Mandela’s inauguration in 1994, the new South African president proclaimed a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world. When Datuk Abdul Kadir Mohd Deen served as Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Pretoria from 1997 through 1999, he found that Mandela had a special admiration for Malaysia and saw it as a very inclusive country. “To him, Malaysia was a rainbow nation,” Kadir says. Malaysi

APRIL 26 — I write in support of Zurairi A.R., who in his column, criticised the raids carried out by the religious authorities in the Federal Territory and Selangor to arrest those organising the transgender fund raising dinner which the Islamic enforcers accused was a cover for a beauty contest and the other one, to break into the home of a young Malay celebrity lady on suspicion of committing khalwat. Such raids indicate that Muslims in this country have less freedom than their non Muslim brothers and sisters because they are subject to so many restrictions in their social activities that they are all the time at risk of running foul of the religious departments and their laws of punishme

I WOULD like to join others in congratulating the Public Accounts Committee for coming out with its report on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) based on testimonies from key witnesses called in to testify before the committee. The transcripts make interesting reading of who said what and raised some questions, which, hopefully, will be answered when the investigations by the National Audit Department are released in the form of a public report. Whatever the critics may say about the PAC proceedings and its report, the committee is, nevertheless, a good example of how Parliament can oversee government processes and its agencies. I am also encouraged to hear that the cabinet has agreed on a

Improving our students’ proficiency in English is one of the key initiatives outlined in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025. It is also one of the challenges identified under the National Key Results Areas of the Government Transformation Programme to ensure quality education — a task undertaken by the Performance Management Delivery Unit (Pemandu). Malaysia is a trading nation, unlike countries like Germany, Japan, South Korea and even Indonesia, which have strong domestic markets. According to statistics provided by Pemandu, our country’s trade percentage of GDP is ranked fourth, after Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam. Malaysia is highly dependent on trade, with its ratio of trade

Some analysts say Malaysia's 1MDB scandal has strained relations between the country's different ethnic groups. Auskar Surbakti interviewed former Malaysian MP Dr Kua Kia Soong and Datuk Noor Farida Affrin, a lawyer and women's rights activist. Video Interview, ABC

At the height of her career, G25 founder and retired diplomat Noor Farida Ariffin was wearing three different hats for Malaysia at the world’s legal capital – The Hague, Netherlands. MALAYSIANS KINI, a series on Malaysians you should know, provides a depth to this lady many may have not understood or misunderstood. Here Alyaa Alhadjri speaks with Noor Farida to find out … She was appointed as ambassador to The Hague in 2000 and represented Malaysia as co-agent at the International Court of Justice in the trials for claims on Pulau Batu Putih, as well as Sipadan and Ligitan. This was aside from being the Malaysian permanent representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical W

MELBOURNE CONFAB: "The Malays, like the rest of the population, are angry about corruption, cronyism and injustice, and today, they will vow to change the government. In the run-up to a general election, extremist NGOs will whip up anti-Chinese and anti-DAP sentiment. The resolve for change, in the more insecure Malays, will falter. They will vote Umno Baru/BN. How can one counter the insecurity of these Malays? This question was put to former Ambassador Noor Farida Ariffin of the G25 group and Dr Kua Kia Soong, the advisor to Suaram. They will be taking part in the conference on "Overcoming Racism" today (April 16) in Melbourne, Australia. Noor Farida said, "It’s not just extremist Malay NG

OVERCOMING RACISM: Do we talk enough about racism? Divisive policies and indoctrination, have compartmentalised us as a society and forced us into our specific racial groupings. People of a particular ethnicity enjoy study and job opportunities which are denied other communities, and we tend to look at others, through race tinted spectacles. Aware of the destructive effects of racism, on the country, a group of young Malaysian professionals, who call themselves, "Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia" (SABM) have taken the initiative to encourage Malaysians to concentrate on this sensitive topic. On April 16, SABM will hold a conference on "Overcoming Racism", with the intention of starting discussions,

KITA sering mendengar perkataan liberal digunakan untuk menyindir dan mengutuk seseorang atau kumpulan yang berfikiran terbuka berkenaan politik, agama, bahasa atau bangsa. Liberal itu tidak seharusnya dikaitkan dengan sifat yang buruk atau seseorang yang bebas tanpa batasan dari ajaran ugama atau perlakuan undang-undang. Liberal bermakna kesediaan terbuka untuk menerima pandangan orang lain dan menghormati hak mereka bersuara. Tidak semestinya kita bersetuju dengan pendapat yang berbeza itu. Tetapi, pandangan itu wajar diberi pertimbangan selagi perbuatan itu tidak menyalahi undang-undang. Masyarakat di negara kita ini secara semula jadi adalah plural, kandungan Bumiputeranya pun kay

Titah DYMM Sultan Nazrin Muizzudin Shah at the book launching of Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad’s “Conversations with Tunku Abdul Rahman”

KUALA LUMPUR: Drug addicts forced to go for treatment have higher chances of relapsing into their old habit, a recent study shows. Centre of Excellence for Research in Aids (CERiA)’s Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman said Cure and Care participants had an 84% decreased chance of relapse compared to those admitted into drug rehabilitation centres - either by force or compelled by a court order. The study by Universiti Malaya - which has yet to be published as it is undergoing a journal review process - compares compulsory detention to voluntary methadone therapy for opiate-dependent persons in Malaysia. The 300 sample size was divided into two groups - a batch of 150 who came to the Cure and Care s

What we need is to overhaul the way Islam is taught and understood. Our aim is to bring out the best in the religion so Muslims may use it to bring good to the modern world. THE Minister in charge of Religion worries about liberal and pluralist Muslims whom he considers deviant. The Mufti of Perak worries about Muslims who use logic and intellect to make statements on Islam. And this guy from the Perak Islamic Information Centre worries there are Muslims who believe the Federal Constitution, drawn by men and amended several times, could ever be considered superior to Syariah laws formulated by God. Never mind if it’s men who drafted those Islamic laws he was referring to, and men who passed

ISLAM is facing a problem with the divergence between reality and perception. The reality is that Islam is a religion of peace and compassion. History tells us that Muslim countries have been far less involved in destructive wars and mass murders, such as what the big powers did during World War 2. Americans and Europeans are more likely to be killed in road accidents or gunned down by thugs than by Islamic terrorists. Unfortunately, Islam suffers from the perception that it teaches intolerance to other faiths and culture. It is this intolerance that breeds terrorism. Critics point examples to the theocratic Muslim states where the clerics (ulama) have the final say on social policy, using r