Author: Francis Paul Siah

A shadow cabinet it is not!

The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite. – Thomas Jefferson, US President 1801-1809 Of late, Malaysians are made aware of one important pointer in the nation’s political system. In

Avoid making controversial appointments

I think the debate around nepotism is futile because I am an outsider and I know there is no compensation of talent. – Badshah, Indian rapper   Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had a standard reply whenever he was criticised for allegedly practising nepotism. “I have never encouraged any of my

Umno sackings: Why the big fuss?

There is no act of treachery or meanness of which a political party is not capable; for in politics there is no honour. – Benjamin Disraeli, ex-British prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sacked from Umno by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1998. Even back then, Anwar was no

Hadi, cash handout is corruption!

If we elect the same corrupt politicians every time, that’s an obvious message that we don’t want a change. – Sukant Ratnakar, Indian author At times, I’m truly amazed at how hollow and stupid some political leaders would become in their attempts to justify the unjustifiable. This past week, PAS

State or region – what’s in a name?

A country is not a mere territory; the particular territory is only its foundation. The country is the idea that rises upon that foundation; it is the sentiment of love, the sense of fellowship that binds together all the sons of that territory. –Giuseppe Mazzini, Italian activist   We have

Same players, same messy game in Sabah

It is a fine game to play – the game of politics – and it is well worth waiting for a good hand before really plunging. – Winston Churchill, Britain’s war-time PM No, it wasn’t me who described the current political upheaval in Sabah as a “game”. It was Sabah

Anwar’s anti-graft crusade must succeed

The evil of corruption reaches into every corner of the world. It lies at the heart of the most urgent problems we face. – David Cameron, ex-UK prime minister Almost every prime minister who came into power will surely embrace fighting corruption as a top priority of his new administration.

Salute the unsung heroes of Batang Kali

I’ve always seen first responders as unsung heroes and very special people because, when everyone else is running away from danger, they run into it. — Dwayne Johnson, American actor Following the end of the search and rescue (SAR) operation at the Batang Kali landslide site on Christmas Eve, I

Will Altantuya’s family ever find closure?

If you’re that obsessed with someone, why would you kill her? Humans are full of contradictions. – Ai Yazawa, Japanese manga author This is probably true. Never in the history of heinous crimes in Malaysia has there been a more high-profile one as the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian

Fate of four Sabah MPs in limbo

As we have seen, members do switch political parties when they feel that their values are no longer welcome in the party they ran in. – Paul Martin, ex-Canadian PM The key question to ask is: Were the four Sabah MPs from Bersatu ignorant of the anti-hopping law which came