| Dr Hsu Dar Ren is a medical doctor and blogs on socio-economic issues; he believes that a fair and equitable society with good governance is the key to the future of this country. |
Symptoms of a deeper ill
January 18, 2013JAN 18 — Recently, a YouTube video about a forum held in a university went viral. This particular forum has now been dubbed the “Listen listen listen forum”, with many versions of it appearing, some remixed with hilarious songs and subtitles. The behaviour of the central figure in that video, nicknamed the “Listen Listen Listen lady”, actually represents … Read More
Will PR become the proverbial rabbit?
November 23, 2012NOV 23 — As the end of the year approaches, there is still no sign of any election being called. Now it looks like the general election (GE) will only be held after the automatic dissolution of our Parliament in late April 2013. Another possible date is perhaps March 2013.Malaysia’s political landscape cannot be more different from that of the United … Read More
Apathy, crime and feeling safe
July 13, 2012JULY 13 — The late Bo Yang, a famous Taiwanese writer, wrote a book called “The Ugly Chinese.” While what he said is true for certain groups of Chinese people, it is actually wrong to profile all Chinese as “ugly”.I would say that only a small portion fits the “ugliness” bill described by Bo Yang. Many of the more educated ones (by education, I do not mean … Read More
Yes, Prime Minister, we need answers!
April 30, 2012APRIL 30 — Two days after Bersih 3.0, and after viewing many videos and photos on the Internet, I would like to pose a few questions to the authorities, specifically the prime minister, who missed a golden chance to walk his talk (and claim to be a reformist).1. When was the decision to fire tear gas made? Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision or was it made … Read More
Goodbye, Steve
October 07, 2011OCT 7 — His passing will be missed by the whole world as his influence is everywhere.Steve Jobs’ foresight led him to develop the first commercially viable personal computer in the late 70s, the Apple I and II.I have been reading Time magazine since my teens as a way to improve my English, as well as my general knowledge.I remember I was still a young man … Read More
The debacle of mishandling
July 11, 2011JULY 11 — The dust has settled from the Bersih 2.0 march and life is now back to normal.The much-anticipated rally took place and despite the heavy clampdown, shutting KL-bound roads and diverting traffic, an estimated 20,000 people walked in many parts of the city to express their wish for a cleaner and more transparent election process.With all due … Read More
Demeaning to men as well
June 09, 2011JUNE 9 — I was brought up in a family where girls and boys were treated the same. I had a brother and a sister, I being the youngest of the three siblings. My sister was, in fact, treated more special than the two boys; she was the only one who was sent for piano lessons. It was also perhaps because my dad could only afford piano lessons for one kid.In all … Read More
When belts cannot be tightened anymore
May 26, 2011MAY 26 — I chatted with an old patient of mine after a consultation yesterday. He was probably suffering from the side effect of stress and not enough rest. I enquired about his job and he told me that he is working two jobs now; a daytime office job and part- time taxi driving at night. He had to do this to make ends meet.So I told him what any doctor … Read More
A case of “too little too late”
April 19, 2011APRIL 19 — Ironically, both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat leaders are happy with the Sarawak election results. The only exception is SUPP but even their own leaders realised their fate long before the election was called.BN leaders expected the worst. In fact, just a few months ago some of them privately expressed the fear that they may lose more than … Read More
History or his-story?
December 22, 2010DEC 22 — Shih Huang Ti, the emperor of Qin who united the warring factions of China over 2,000 years ago, was a shrewd leader. He wanted to live forever, and thus sent Xu Fu and 100 young boys and 100 young girls in search of the elixir that will give him eternal life.Xu Fu was a smart person. He sailed with the boys and girls to a group of Islands then … Read More
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