Filed under: internet, journalism, new media, The Malaysian Insider, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, ceramah, chinese, cina, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, malay, malaysia, malaysian spring, media, muslim, new media, news, ops lalang, pakatan rakyat, police, PR, pru13, sedition, solo journalism, The Malaysian Insider, umno, vote, voters, zan azlee
I’m afraid, really afraid!
By Zan Azlee
MAY 24 — I’m going to be honest and say outright that I’m afraid of the recent turn of events in our country, with the numerous arrests being made and copies of newspapers being confiscated But it’s a complicated situation that everything is in right now. And I am seriously tired of all these complicated situations that we’ve been in since the election.
Yes, the election has come and gone. And yes, Barisan Nasional (BN) won and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lost. It’s the worst faring by BN and the best by PR. BN was quick to swear in their prime minister, while PR was quick to declare the election process being a fraud and not recognise the results.
And since they won the popular vote, PR leaders started organising rallies all around the country, knowing full well that the turnout would be huge. Yada yada yada. And that’s when all hell broke loose in the BN camp. [Click to read the full article at The Malaysian Insider]
Filed under: Astro Awani, internet, journalism, new media, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, ceramah, chinese, cina, demonstration, fat bidin, ganyang, ge13, general election, indonesia, interview, jakarta, joko widodo, journalism, Keadilan, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, malaysian spring, media, muslim, new media, news, pakatan rakyat, PR, pru13, riot, solo journalism, umno, violence, vote, voters, wiji thukul, zan azlee
Lu lagi, lu lagi!
By Zan Azlee
Last week, I was in Jakarta on a working trip. The work was mainly corporate in nature, of which is very unfamiliar terrain for me. But it’s good to explore new things once in a while. Of course, being a highly intuitive journalist (oh yeah!), I decided to look around for stories that I could tell back home in Malaysia. Hence, the topic for this week’s column.
Malaysia has just concluded it’s 13th General Election and I was still in the mood for all things political. So I decided to check out what was brewing in Indonesia. The love-hate relationship that we have with our distant cousin nation (really more of like a direct irritating sibling, I have to say!), has always interested me.
However, I have to admit that their brand of politics isn’t very familiar to me. Maybe it’s because they’re a more sophisticated republic and have had several revolutions that it surpasses my understanding. [Go to English.AstroAwani.Com to read the full article]
Filed under: internet, journalism, new media, The Malaysian Insider, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, ceramah, chinese, cina, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, malay, malaysia, malaysian spring, media, muslim, new media, news, pakatan rakyat, PR, pru13, solo journalism, The Malaysian Insider, umno, utusan, vote, voters, zan azlee
Serve all races
By Zan Azlee
MAY 17 — Yesterday, I got back from a working trip to Jakarta and in the taxi from KLIA, the driver started chatting with me about the recent general election. And just for context, the driver is Malay and looked to be middle-aged. I’m guessing around 50 years of age.
At one point, he said to me: “Tengok Kabinet baru yang Perdana Menteri sudah lantik. Langsung tidak ada wakil orang Cina. Biar padan muka mereka. Cina sekarang dah banyak songeh!”
At first, I wanted to blurt out and say that he needs to be certain who he’s talking to. I may look Malay, and I may sound Malay, but I am in fact Chinese (part of me, that is!).
Then I would have continued to condemn him and his racist ways and, hopefully put him in his place and educate him a little about the ways of harmonious living.
But I immediately caught myself before I did anything drastic. And I think it paid off quite well judging from the taxi driver’s reaction. [Click to read the full article at The Malaysian Insider]
Filed under: Astro Awani, internet, journalism, new media, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, ceramah, chinese, cina, demonstration, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, malaysian spring, media, muslim, new media, news, pakatan rakyat, PR, pru13, riot, solo journalism, umno, utusan, violence, vote, voters, zan azlee
The ‘Good vs Evil’ trap
By Zan Azlee
I disagree with the interviewees (forum panelists) in an article published in the Free Malaysia Today website on 14th May 2013 which called for the people to take to the streets and topple the BN government.
In a brief overview, the article quoted three panelists at a forum, Haris Ibrahim (ABU – Anything But Umno), Adam Adli Halim (student activist) and Hishammuddin Rais (Bersih) calling for the rakyat to take to the streets and topple the government.
Apparently, another five years is just too long to wait to vote Barisan Nasional out of the federal office, and according to these three individuals, we have to take it by force.
Here’s the deal. I think they’re on their own. [Click to read the full article at English.AstroAwani.Com]
Filed under: Astro Awani, broadcast, directing, documentary, In The Heat Of Battle: The story of Lembah Pantai, internet, journalism, new media, video blog | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, ceramah, documentary, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, malaysian spring, media, muslim, new media, news, nurul izzah, pakatan rakyat, PR, pru13, raja nong chik, solo journalism, umno, video journalism, vote, voters, web video, zan azlee
Remember ‘In the Heat of Battle: The Story of Lembah Pantai‘ which I did during the campaign and election period last week on AstroAwani.Com? Well, the TV version is all done – it’s a 5-episode mini series starting tonight (Wednesday, 15th May 2013), every night until Sunday (19th May 2013), at 9:30pm, on 501 Astro AWANI!
The entire 2-week campaign and election period condensed into 4 episodes of TV time… it doesn’t get better than that! It’s like being there without being there yourself! Hahaha!
Filed under: internet, journalism, new media, The Malaysian Insider, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, ceramah, chinese, cina, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, malaysian spring, media, muslim, new media, news, pakatan rakyat, PR, pru13, solo journalism, The Malaysian Insider, umno, utusan, vote, voters, zan azlee
The race factor
By Zan Azlee
MAY 10 — The race factor definitely played a role in the voter swing in the recent GE13. No doubt about it. So when Umno-owned newspaper Utusan published the front-page story “Apa lagi Cina mahu?” last Tuesday in response to the voter swing, it couldn’t have been a surprise.
Barisan Nasional consists of many component parties and most of these parties (if not all of them) are all race-based. And, of course, the three main parties that make up the coalition are Umno (Malay), the MCA (Chinese) and MIC (Indian).
The logic to it is that Umno will attract the Malay voters, the MCA will attract the Chinese and MIC, the Indians. Hence, they should have it all covered in Malaysia.
Then we look at Pakatan Rakyat, who is constantly preaching multiracial politics, claiming that they aren’t race-based. [Click to read the full article at The Malaysian Insider]
Filed under: Astro Awani, internet, journalism, new media, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, ceramah, chinese, cina, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, malaysian spring, media, muslim, new media, news, pakatan rakyat, PR, pru13, ridhuan tee, solo journalism, umno, utusan, vote, voters, zan azlee
‘Apa lagi Ridhuan Tee mahu?’
By Zan Azlee
This debacle with the headline written by the Utusan newspaper last Tuesday has got me thinking – which side is Ridhuan Tee on regarding this matter?
Okay, for those who are oblivious ignoramuses, Utusan published the very irrational and racist sounding headline which read ‘Apa lagi Cina mahu?’ last Tuesday.
Then page after page carried articles that talked about how the Chinese were being racists by voting for other than Barisan Nasional. What is this Umno-owned newspaper trying to do? Create disharmony and spark an upheaval of the people?
Come on! They already won the election. What else do they want? (Did you see what I just did there? Haha!) Sure, they did win. But it is the worst showing the coalition has ever received in its entire 56 years of rule in the country. [Click to read the full article at English.AstroAwani.Com]
