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By IZHAM ISMAIL

I can’t help being spiteful towards Singapore.

It definitely seems like Malaysians and Singaporeans just can’t get along. Like oil and water, cats and dogs, or however you put it, the relationship is hostile despite living side by side geographically.

By logic, they should be the best of friends. But unquestionably, both sides have done a great job undermining each other: I’ve heard of Singaporeans saying Malaysians are lazy, underachieving people, while Malaysians would be in high spirits to label their neighbour kiasu.

But whatever it is, Singaporeans play better football than Malaysians do … Click here for the full article!

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By SEBASTIAN NG

I rejoiced as much as the next Malaysian when the incumbent governing party lumpuh over the March 8 elections.

But here I must make a stand. I think Pak Lah allowing for the drastic reduction of petrol subsidies is one of the best things he has done since becoming Prime Minister. Clearly it is not a popular move, and clearly it won’t bring outwardly beneficial consequences to the rakyat. And so much so sudden. But analysts say that is wise - so that you only face the anger once, rather than staggered anger over a few months. Now, if the government can survive this volatile position it has brought itself into, it will have much more leeway and space in terms of using that surplus money generated from the new subsidy scheme.

What are the next decisions? To me that will be the imperative questions. It’s what Pak Lah does next … Click here for the full article!

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By EDMUND TEOH

In a lot of ways, the recent election in Malaysia has affected me on a far greater personal level than I could have ever imagined. Yes, as much as I felt the jubilation alongside my fellow Malaysians that we are finally seeing the silver lining for true democracy from the results, I also felt something else that while giving me reason to be optimistic, also complicates the decisions I have to make in the future.

I left Malaysia to pursue my graduate studies for a large part to find a better future outside of it. After going back to Malaysia last year, a proud holder of a BSc in life sciences from one of the world’s most renowned universities, I was quickly humbled by the fact that in Malaysia that meant very little.

I was part of the cadre of students who had hoped to pursue a career in the biological sciences after knowing about our government’s plans to develop the bio-science industry with the proposal of the Biovalley back in 2003. Much to the chagrin of my peers and I, the initial Biovalley development collapsed … Click here for the full article!

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The story by Thomas Fuller, which was dated in Penang, was published today.

PENANG, Malaysia - Chanting “Long Live the Malays!” several hundred members of Malaysia’s largest ethnic group gathered Friday on this largely Chinese island, defying a police ban on protests and raising communal tensions in the aftermath of sharp electoral losses by the country’s governing party.

Rapid moves by newly elected state governments to abolish some of the long-held privileges of ethnic Malays have challenged the core of Malaysia’s ethnic-based political system and inflamed the sensibilities of Malays, who until the March 8 elections thoroughly dominated politics through the country’s largest party, the United Malays National Organization, known by its initials, U.M.N.O.

Read the full story here.

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By SHANNON TEOH

When I look in hindsight, all the signs were there. Yet none of us wanted to believe it. And even if any of us did, we didn’t think it could be this good.

For most of us, the idea of denying BN two-thirds majority was one conceived in hope rather than expectation. We had the pragmatism to realise that just because many in our own circle wanted to do away with BN’s landslide majority, it didn’t mean that the entire nation did, because it’s a very different Malaysia out there, no matter where in or out of Malaysia you are right now.

That same logic will always hold true. But this does not preclude the logic that if you put several other factors together, then there would be a strong enough groundswell to push back the underperforming, C+ on its report card, “Must do better” teacher’s comment, government of the past four years.

Not everyone in Malaysia was privy to … Click here for the full article!

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By JOSHUA FOONG

It was havoc in theSun’s newsroom on Saturday. And I have a huge pie of thoughts to chew on. But for now I’ll take just a few bites, a few nibbles.

Look at our political landscape. There’s been a sea change, a tsunami if you may. A tidal wave bigger than the one in 1969.

But there’s no face off, no battle-royale. It’s not the end all but rather just the beginning.

It is neither a defeat nor victory for Barisan Nasional, even though the results was a huge - and “huge” is an understatement - upset, having lost two-thirds majority in the 222-member parliament. The same goes for the opposition. They may have swept Penang, Perak, Selangor and Kedah by surprise, but … Click here for the full article!

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By NGAI JIN TIK

Although I am about two years shy from exercising the right to vote, I was glued to the coverage of the elections on TV until the wee hours of morning. 5 am to be exact. Surprisingly, not even the live football matches could steer my attention away from witnessing an unprecedented political tsunami that took Malaysia by storm on a day I billed as “Super Saturday.”

Unlike other advanced countries where parties breathe down each other’s necks, the political climate here had always been dormant. With the exception of … Click here for the full article!

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By KEITH LEONG

My heart is full, my friends. I cannot sleep and my heart is pounding. My mind is racing off in a thousand directions. No, I am not having a health incident caused by my age-old obesity. Any Malaysian who is aware of what has been going on in the past 24 hours will probably feel the same.

Even the early morning hours were exciting enough. I did what I had been waiting to do for almost 20 years: with my family, I went back to my old school and voted for the first time in my life. Like a free man. Like a citizen. Along with millions of my other fellow Malaysians. All free men and women. All citizens.

To all those who doubted whether or not voting would make a difference - look at the record … Click here for the full article!

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