Author: Francis Paul Siah

Tok Mat for PM? Why not?

If you can’t force or unwilling to force your people to follow you, with or without threats, then you are not a leader. – Lee Kuan Yew, ex-Singapore PM I have a question for readers today. Among the current crop of Umno leaders, who is your top choice to be

To pardon Najib or not?

We are all serving a life sentence, and good behaviour is our only hope for a pardon. – Douglas Horton, American author I have noticed that none of my fellow columnists here have touched on the jailing of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak over the past week. So, let me

With Hadi in charge, PAS has a bleak future

Political dictatorship and social hopelessness create the desperation that fuels religious extremism. – Benazir Bhutto, ex-Pakistan PM I would normally refrain from taking on religious clerics because I believe that all of them have only one noble objective in mind – to spread the Good News of salvation to mankind.

My brother, See Chee How

We must live together as brothers, or perish together as fools. – Martin Luther King Jr, American civil rights leader “Good afternoon, big brother,” See Chee How greeted me over the phone last Wednesday afternoon. That was his usual greeting whenever he called. Chee How, who is like a younger

Beware! Cyber bullying can turn deadly

Cyber bullies can hide behind a mask of anonymity online, and do not need direct physical access to their victims to cause unimaginable harm. — Anna Maria Chavez, American inspirational speaker This is a tragedy, a tragedy of tragedies really. I could not believe it, even after reading the news

Anti-Hopping Bill: Wan Junaidi has done well

I was in Parliament last Thursday, July 28, to observe the passage of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No 3) 2022 on the prohibition of parliamentary members from party-hopping, in short the Anti-Hopping Bill. It was my first attendance in the Dewan Rakyat in almost three years. I attend parliamentary sittings

‘Political donations’ easily abused

We need real finance campaign reforms to loosen the grip of special interests on politics. – Tom Daschle, ex-US Senator What is political donation? According to Wikipedia, campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates and political parties. Political parties,

Bon Odori – much ado about nothing

My country is the world and my religion is to do good. – Thomas Paine, American philosopher Two months ago, in May, the Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur happily announced that the Bon Odori festival is back in Malaysia after a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic. The event will

Going gaga over the DPM’s post

Our political leaders will know our priorities only if we tell them, again and again, and if those priorities began to show up in the polls. – Peggy Noonan, WSJ columnist In my previous column, I had emphasised that offering posts as sweeteners for political support is never the answer.

Posts as ‘sweeteners’ for support not the answer

Ninety per cent of politicians give the other ten per cent a bad name. – Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is under a lot of pressure. And more so now than ever before. It’s not easy being the prime minister, especially for someone