Happy birthday, Che!
By Zan Azlee

JUNE 14 — Ah yes! As we celebrate the birthday today of one of the world’s great rebels and human rights fighter, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, it is hard to forget that it is also my birthday.

If Che was alive today, he wouldn’t be looking as vibrant and youthful as his iconic picture — the one on T-shirts and posters all around the world — as he would really be 85 years old today.

I, on the other hand, am only 35 today, and still look very vibrant and youthful so it is a shame my face isn’t on T-shirts and posters all around the world!

I would like to take this opportunity to deny my on-coming mid-life crisis and share some life lessons.

This article is really for my daughter Athena Azlee, but if you readers feel like I’m making sense, then please feel free to agree with me! [Click to read the full article at The Malaysian Insider]

Can an elected leader choose who he wants to neglect?
By Zan Azlee

In a democracy, leaders are elected by the people in a society to lead and govern that certain society. The basic elements of a democratic election is such:

1. The people go and vote for the candidates in an election
2. There is a counting process to see how many votes each candidate received
3. The candidate who garners the most votes wins and becomes the elected leader

As you can see, the concept is quite simple actually. And being in Malaysia, a country where Islam is the official religion, I think it is appropriate to see the relevance of the religion in the governance of the country, even if we see ourselves as secular.

And when a leader has been elected, he or she then has the responsibility and obligation to serve the entire society. I would like to stress here that it is the ENTIRE society that he is responsible for.

Islam actually forbids a leader (or anyone, for that matter) to practice partiality and differentiate one group of human being from the other as if one is more deserving than the other. [Click to read the full article at English.AstroAwani.Com]

Will we stagnate with the status quo?
By Zan Azlee

JUNE 7 — During the election period last month, I was pretty adamant about wanting to see change, whether it be a change in government, or at least a change in governance.

I had many discussions, conversations and even debates with fellow journalism colleagues, friends and family about this. One of the conversations I had was about how if the federal government were to change, or even if certain ministers or MPs were to lose, what effect it would have.

Say, for example, if a local businessman was awarded a project by the local MP because they were friends or acquaintances. What would happen then if that MP lost during the election and the opposing party took power in that area? Would that local businessman lose business? [Click to read the full article at The Malaysian Insider]

N. Dhamendran could be Malay for all I care
By Zan Azlee

In this day and age, the immediate reaction most people usually have when it comes to social and political issues are posted on to social media. As a journalist, my immediate reaction most of the time is to post something on social media as well. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram being my preferred choice.

Then of course, since I have the outlet, I will write about it in more depth in my columns or even in my video reports and documentaries. And in this day and age, reaction and response from others to our comments are also very immediate and, most of the time, without much thought.

Yesterday, I posted an article in the Malay Mail on Facebook and Twitter about deaths in police custody and how Malays and Chinese detainees have died too aside from Indians. This is, of course, my response to the recent death of N. Dhamendran while in police custody. And we all know that the policemen who were allegedly involved have now been charged.

All of a sudden, a person on my friend list commented that when other races die, no fuss is made. But when Indians die, everyone makes noise. And he adds, apparently, that when an Indian dies, they all make noise as if Malay policemen are so evil. Now just back up right there. [Click to read the full article at English.AstroAwani.Com]

From excitement to fatigue
By Zan Azlee

MAY 31 – Last week, I had lunch with my friend, Liew Seng Tat, a famous award-winning Malaysian film director of Chinese descent. If you haven’t heard of him, then you know zilch about film. Seng Tat is very politically active. He’s not a politician, he’s just one of the many young Malaysians who have had a heightened sense of political awareness due to developments in the country.

He was at all three BERSIH demonstrations and was even beaten up and arrested during the second one (Remember the famous assault on Tong Shin Hospital? He was in the carpark.). He attends a lot of ceramahs and talks, candle light vigils, protests and even became a PACABA volunteer during the recent GE. And of course there are the Black 505 rallies.

He even sends me all kinds of SMSes, Facebook links and e-mails about politics, the government, news of corruption and human rights abuse, etc. But when I met him for lunch a few days ago at Mahbub in Lucky Gardens, Bangsar, his mood and level of enthusiasm was a stark difference than before. [Click to read the full article at The Malaysian Insider]

I’m not an objective journalist
By Zan Azlee

Recently, people have accused me of not being objective in my journalism. In fact, I’ve had this accusation thrown to me many times over the years. But seriously, I’ve been accused of worse. Like in my college days, some people actually accused me of being a Limp Bizkit and Korn fan!

So let me set the record straight right now, here on my Astro AWANI column. I am not, I repeat NOT, an objective journalist! The only reason why I am not an objective journalist is for the fact that I do not see the need for me to be objective as a journalist.

I think that we need to get past the ‘he said this and he said that’ journalism because the public now are intelligent enough to know that full objectivity does not exist anyway.

Every soundbite or quote that a journalist chooses to include or exclude in a story is already a subjective decision. Every photograph or video footage that a journalist shoots and edits in or out of a story is already a subjective decision.

Many journalists who insist that they are objective aren’t aware that they are really just trying to portray a perception or image of objectivity. [Click to read the full article at English.AstroAwani.Com]

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]

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]

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]

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]