| Dr Kamal Amzan is concerned about where the country is heading, and whether the correct diagnoses and treatment will be able to save us all. He believes that politics is both an art and a weapon, which can be deadly in the wrong hands.Follow him on Twitter at @drkamalamzan. |
Stop with the violence already
April 29, 2013APRIL 29 — Malaysians need to respect those with different opinions.Democracy is about having a multitude of ideas that doesn’t necessarily agree with one another. And instead of shying away or rejecting them outright, we are supposed to embrace them and choose one that we deem is better, keeping in mind the right of others to also side with another that … Read More
Paradise at our doorstep
April 18, 2013APRIL 18 — The best things in life are sometimes just around the corner.For instance, I am very used to being stared at whenever I walk into a Chinese coffeeshop for a drink. It is fine for a Chinese to walk into a Malay restaurant for a meal but when a Malay man steps into a Chinese restaurant, he is immediately treated as an exotic specimen.The prolonged … Read More
Who’s accountable?
March 02, 2013MARCH 2 — If we use the quality of our roads as a yardstick, we can expect the collapse of more buildings and bridges.One would think that we have learned our lessons from collapsed stadiums in the past but no, we are only getting better at blaming others. If only our leaders are brave enough to commit “sepukku” when something goes wrong, we needn’t wait … Read More
No to foreign interference
February 22, 2013FEB 22 — It may not be the shirt you wear. Or even the pants or shoes you have on. It doesn’t matter what your political inclinations are or what your sexual preferences may be.As a sovereign state, we have every right to determine who is allowed into our country. You may call it a stupid move and a mistake. But the mistake, no matter how small or big, is … Read More
Lost in translation?
February 13, 2013FEB 13 ― It is heartening to hear that the one who gave out white packets for Chinese New Year does not speak for the ruling government.He does not speak for me, my family and friends either. Nor do those who belong in the same book-burning club, masquerading as defenders of all that is good and holy even when the public perceives them to have little or … Read More
KPI for Bangsa Malaysia
January 18, 2013JAN 18 — I was at a friend’s wedding banquet recently. I should add, a Chinese wedding banquet.Naturally, I was placed at the table for vegetarians. As I was walking towards my table, I realised what exotic animals must feel like when we gawk at them in zoos.At my table sat a few Chinese couples, perhaps with cholesterol problems. We exchanged small … Read More
Malaysia Boleh? Not anymore
January 04, 2013JAN 4 — It is an open secret that we are still losing the best and brightest overseas.Ask any of our medical, law, engineering students beyond our borders and very few have the desire to return.Low patriotism? Perhaps. Poor remunerations — definitely.In their place we have doctors who were trained in Indonesia, Ukraine, Russia and the latest to join the … Read More
Who do they think they are?
December 20, 2012DEC 20 — Politicians never learn, do they?Either they are slow learners, or they think we Malaysians are. Perhaps it is the education system they formulated — purposely dishing out As and refusing to allow the teaching of science and mathematics in English as a way to keep us dim.They want us to believe that they are capable, and have never stopped peddling … Read More
Get out of the hair salons
December 02, 2012DEC 2 ― I wonder if PAS has anything more than meets the eye.As the inevitable 13th general election approaches, and political parties scramble to put their best foot forward, PAS is grappling at issues that are colloquial at best.The saga involving segregation of patrons in hair salons is a case in point. One would think that with all the problems we … Read More
How to help the Palestinians
November 30, 2012NOV 30 — I am all for the Palestinians. Their woeful state of affairs screams at the double standards in human rights practised by those in the corridors of world power.For those who are naive about the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, it began when the Palestinian’s homeland for over a thousand years was taken, without their consent and … Read More