By JASON LIM

I would ask for still more, if I had the sky with all its stars,
and the world with its endless riches; but I would be content with
the smallest corner of this earth if only she were mine.

Lover’s Gifts V : I Would Ask For Still More, Rabindranath Tagore

After three years away,
lingering long goodbyes to foreign friends and familiar English streets,
I left Holborn, Russell Square, Heathrow, London,
a year ago, today, on a plane.

Independence day might not seem a particularly auspicious day, but for me - it was a significant date to take my flight back to her.
… Click here for the full article!

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By KEITH LEONG

As a young boy, I was always excited about Merdeka. There was something about the yards and yards of flags, the pageantry and black-and-white images of Tunku Abdul Rahman that got me extra hyper.

I would get up early, jump around the house, scream “MERDEKA� three times and sing the Sudirman song. This was my ritual every year on 31 August.

Even when I was overseas I felt compelled to commemorate it.

Usually it would mean wishing “Happy Merdeka!� to the few Malaysians I knew in Sydney at around 4:45 p.m. There was a year when I considered planting a Jalur Gemilang in my college courtyard and proclaiming it Malaysian soil for 24 hours, but thought better of it.

Tomorrow, I will probably be jumping around my house at about 6 a.m. yelling like a maniac despite my family’s disapproval.

In contrast to my youthful enthusiasm, I know and have heard of Malaysians who do not honour … Click here for the full article!

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By WONG WAI SENG

I fear going home.

I fear my fellow Malaysians who do not see me as a fellow Malaysian because of the colour of my skin.

I fear the collective paranoia besieging all sides, as a standoff has been created by differing viewpoints on religion and religious freedom.

I fear I am no longer allowed to speak my mind, even online. … Click here for the full article!

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By ANDREW LOH

Author’s warning: This article neither attempts to justify nor condemn the Israeli-Lebanon conflict, but is an extremely biased, personal perspective of the situation. Given the highly volatile sentiments surrounding it, this article will be “sensitive” for most.

Hezbollah is not made up of idiots. Its members are highly intelligent, calculating strategists. Its newest action has forced Israel into another Catch-22 situation.

First, Hezbollah kidnaps two Israeli soldiers. Israel has to do something. Do nothing and the government will fall. It’s simple psychology. You don’t retaliate, you lose face. You are weak. You get voted off.

Hezbollah: 1, Israel: 0.

I see that Israel has a few choices, with varying outcomes … Click here for the full article!

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By JAY MENON

Petronas has set a new annual profit record, somewhere in the region of $12 billion.

Being Malaysia’s only Fortune 500 company, the 22 percent growth the company is posting should set an example to the rest of the so called state-supported organisations which are two steps short of tatters as we speak. What are our major state-supported companies, such as Proton, MAS, Tenaga Nasional and TM, doing now? … Click here for the full article!

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By ARIVIND ABRAHAM

Malaysia rots at its core.

This is not the overblown statement of some anti-government radical, but an honest observation on the state of the nation. While all may look good on the surface, there is an insidious hand at play that poisons our nation from within.

The recent outrage the government has perpetrated in trying to shut down the Coliseum cinema in Kuala Lumpur is one example of this rot. Again I do not think these words are too harsh. Perhaps it is time that we, as the people, call a spade a spade.

Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim’s comment that “national interest surpasses any other interest” (The Star, page 3, Aug. 4 2006) smacks of nothing more than arrogance. It is a … Click here for the full article!

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By NUR AMALIA MOHD. ZUKI

During the 1930s, 18-year-old girls were not ashamed of their bulging bellies and their status as young mothers. Marriage was a common path to take after a girl finished secondary school, assuming they even went to school back then.

But these days, teen pregnancies have become such a taboo in our Malaysian culture. The status of being a young mother before the age of 25 is regarded as restrictive and irresponsible. These days, it seems that advancing one’s career is more important than having babies.

This term “Teen Pregnancy” seems to have evolved from one meaning to another. Literally, teen pregnancy specifically refers to the status of young women aged 13 to 19 who are pregnant. However, nowadays, the same phrase also means that a young woman of that age has had premarital intercourse resulting in pregnancy.

With reference to the second definition, somehow teen pregnancy … Click here for the full article!

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