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: Astro Awani, internet, journalism, new media, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, ceramah, 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, vote, voters, zan azlee
No more opinions, just hard facts before we vote
By Zan Azlee
Last Monday, I went into Lembah Pantai as usual for my journalistic duty and to find stories for my multimedia project ‘In The Heat Of Battle: The story of Lembah Pantai’. Being the first day of the second week of campaigning, I was pretty sure that I would find some interesting stories or issues that can be talked about.
Lo and behold, I did stumble on to some interesting events. The first was the launch of BN’s candidate, Datuk Raja Nong Chik’s, Lembah Pantai report card. And the second, the people’s Malaysian Spring. [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, writing | 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
Part 9 – ‘A Malaysian Spring’ and ‘Report Card Day’ – you make the choice!
The second half of the campaign season started with a bang. On one side, the huge campaign machinery went into full gear and came up with an event fueled by much fanfare, while the other side relied on community-based people power.
Click to hear to view/read/watch/listen/smell the full story!
Filed under: Astro Awani, directing, documentary, In The Heat Of Battle: The story of Lembah Pantai, internet, journalism, new media, video blog, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, ceramah, documentary, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, media, muslim, new media, news, nurul izzah, pakatan rakyat, PR, pru13, raja nong chik, solo journalism, taxi, umno, video journalism, vote, voters, web video, zan azlee
Part 8 – Taxi!
While on the Lembah Pantai campaign trail, I bumped into two taxi drivers, James Sundram and Navanathan, who offered to tell me their story over coffee in a stall in Lucky Garden, Bangsar. Apparently, things still aren’t as hunky dory as it seems even after 1,000 individual taxi permits have been issued by the government.
Click to hear to view/read/watch/listen/smell the full story!
Filed under: Astro Awani, In The Heat Of Battle: The story of Lembah Pantai, internet, journalism, new media, video blog, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, ceramah, documentary, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, 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
Part 7 – The roaming carnies!
Ceramahs are lively events, almost like a carnival or a fun fair. You get to wander around all kinds of stalls selling all kinds of things, from traditional medicine (yes, just like in P.Ramlee’s movies!) to food.
Click to hear to view/read/watch/listen/smell the full story!
Filed under: Astro Awani, new media, The Malaysian Insider, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, documentary, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, 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
Can campaign style determine a winner?
By Zan Azlee
APRIL 26 — It’s a week into the official campaign period and following the candidates around their constituencies has started to take its toll on me.
My beautiful Converse shoes are now caked in mud and fishy water due to walking in pasar malams, and not to mention the fields during ceramah nights.
I’ve also had to avoid rotten eggs being thrown from fanatic party supporters and have had to endure threats from local party leaders.
And I might have some hearing damage due to the unsporting behaviour of other supporters who play loud patriotic music during an opposition candidate’s ceramahs.
Aside from that, it’s been a blast!
One thing that struck me is the unique way different politicians have when it comes to campaigning. It’s almost like auteurship. [Click to read the full article at The Malaysian Insider]
Filed under: Astro Awani, directing, documentary, In The Heat Of Battle: The story of Lembah Pantai, internet, journalism, new media, video blog, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, campaign, documentary, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, 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
Part 6 – Who has a more winnable campaign style?
Part 6 – Who has a more winnable campaign style?
Zan Azlee compares the campaigning style of Nurul Izzah Anwar and Datuk Raja Nong Chick Zainal Abidin. Whose do you prefer?
Click to hear to view/read/watch/listen/smell the full story!
Filed under: Astro Awani, internet, journalism, new media, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, documentary, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, media, muslim, new media, news, nurul izzah, pakatan rakyat, PR, pru13, raja nong chik, umno, vote, voters, zan azlee
To be fair and honest is to call them racists
By Zan Azlee
I like being a journalist as it allows me to be on the ground, experiencing and observing things as it happens. And I get the prestigious job of relating this to the public. One thing that I pride myself on as a journalist is the fact that I try very hard to be open minded, fair and honest with whatever I observe and relay.
So let me relay to you, as open-minded, fair and honest as I can, what I saw while following the campaign trail this GE13 so far. As all of you would know, politicians like to campaign, and one of their favourite campaign activities is to ‘go on the ground’ and visit people.
One weekend, I decided to follow a Barisan Nasional candidate as he visited a pasar malam. And you can’t get as down and dirty with the people then at a pasar malam! I arrived early and so I decided to visit the BN operation centre at the entrance of the pasar malam while waiting for him.
The candidate happens to be from Umno and while I was waiting, I listened to the recording of a ceramah the BN operation centre was playing out over their loud speakers. I don’t know who the person on the recording was, but he was spewing out racist remarks almost throughout the whole time I was listening. [Click to read the full article at English.AstroAwani.Com]
Filed under: Astro Awani, directing, documentary, In The Heat Of Battle: The story of Lembah Pantai, internet, journalism, new media, video blog, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, documentary, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, 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
Part 5 – The other side of the highway
In part 5, I follow the candidates as they cross the highway into the ghettos of Lembah Pantai to campaign!
Click to hear to view/read/watch/listen/smell the full story!
Filed under: Astro Awani, broadcast, directing, documentary, In The Heat Of Battle: The story of Lembah Pantai, internet, journalism, new media, video blog, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, datuk saifuddin abdullah, documentary, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, media, muslim, new media, news, nurul izzah, pakatan rakyat, pengundi hantu, phantom voters, PR, pru13, raja nong chik, solo journalism, umno, video journalism, vote, voters, web video, zan azlee
Part 4 – Hantu Rahimah Balik Rumah!
In part 4, I stumble upon a group of ‘phantom voters’ in Lembah Pantai. They spooked the hell out of me!
Click to hear to view/read/watch/listen/smell the full story!
Filed under: Astro Awani, broadcast, directing, documentary, In The Heat Of Battle: The story of Lembah Pantai, internet, journalism, new media, video blog, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, datuk saifuddin abdullah, documentary, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, 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
Part 3 – It’s a three-cornered fight!
Part three of my multimedia project on AstroAWANI.Com is now live online! I follow the nomination day closely like it’s a cancerous tahi lalat on the back of my neck!! Nurul Izzah, Datuk Raja Nong Chik and Rusli Baba all three talk about their ‘message’! Hmm…
Click to hear to view/read/watch/listen/smell the full story!
Filed under: Astro Awani, broadcast, directing, documentary, In The Heat Of Battle: The story of Lembah Pantai, internet, journalism, new media, video blog, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, datuk saifuddin abdullah, documentary, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, 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
Part 2 – Oh my! Just listen to our first world problems!
Lembah Pantai has a very diverse population, most noticeably is the income level. You have the low-income group on one side of the highway, and the high-income group on the other side.
For the candidates in Lembah Pantai, trying to bridge the gap between these two groups can be very challenging indeed because it is obvious that the two groups have different priorities when it comes to election issues.
In the upper class neighbourhood of Bangsar, which also has a more cosmopolitan population, the locals tend to harp on more global issues such as human rights, racial-based politics and freedom of speech.
And this can be seen in the video above of a forum organised by Bangsar locals titled ‘Is Progressive Politics Possible in Contemporary Malaysia?’, which was participated by Pakatan Rakyat’s former Lembah Pantai MP, Nurul Izzah Anwar, and Barisan Nasional’s former Temerloh MP, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
[Click to experience the full story at English.AstroAwani.Com]
*Log on to English.AstroAwani.Com as much as you can this GE13 period to see Zan Azlee’s regular multimedia presentation of ‘In the Heat of Battle: The story of Lembah Pantai’. Zan is spearheading Astro AWANI’s pioneer team of Solo-Journalists.
Filed under: Astro Awani, broadcast, directing, documentary, internet, journalism, new media, video blog, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bangsar, barisan nasional, BN, documentary, fat bidin, ge13, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, lembah pantai, malay, malaysia, 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
Part 1 – Sup kambing satu!
The 13th General Election period has begun. And throughout the campaigning period, I will be focusing on the federal constituency of Lembah Pantai, which I feel is a nice sample of Malaysia and of the General Election.
There are the high profile candidates, the rich and powerful elite class, the middle class, the hard working class, all of the major races, long time locals and also the migrants from other parts of the country that have made this area their home.
Filed under: Astro Awani, broadcast, directing, documentary, internet, journalism, new media, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, astro, awani, barisan nasional, election, fat bidin, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, malay, malaysia, margaret thatcher, media, new media, news, pakatan rakyat, pru13, sharizat jalil, tun mahathir, umno, violence, zan azlee
Oh no! I don’t have land to run on!
By Zan Azlee
After two years of waiting and guessing, it now feels like a dream that could just be taken away with a simple pinch. But I guess the 13th General Election is really going to happen. Nothing can beat the reality of walking the streets of Malaysia to see just how things are gearing up for the parties, the candidates, and of course, the people.
I’m a very positive and happy person. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I am never without a smile or a hearty laugh even in the most stressful of situations. Happiness and positivity is my philosophy in life. I need to have these elements in my life to be able to do my work, to interact with family and friends, and just to survive.
Now that the general election is here, I am happy and excited as this will be the third general election that I will be covering as a journalist, and the first as a voter (I know! Right?). Since the important dates were announced by the Election Commission, I have been in the field, deep in the heart of my constituency, Lembah Pantai, getting a feel of the surroundings.
One of the first stops I made was to the biggest and most striking ops centre in the area – Barisan Nasional – which is located on Jalan Bukit Bangsar. [Click to read the full article at English.AstroAwani.Com]
Filed under: journalism, The Malaysian Insider, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, barisan nasional, fat bidin, GE, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, mahathir mohamad, malay, malaysia, media, new media, news, oon yeoh, pakatan rakyat, pru13, racism, racist, The Malaysian Insider, umno, zan azlee
The Sun columnist, Oon Yeoh, compares my thoughts with former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir regarding the 13th General Election! Who would you agree with?? Jeng jeng jeng!! Click here to read the article: Hope vs Fear!
Filed under: Astro Awani, internet, journalism, new media, The Malaysian Insider, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, barisan nasional, fat bidin, GE, general election, interview, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, malay, malaysia, media, new media, news, pakatan rakyat, pru13, racism, racist, The Malaysian Insider, umno, zan azlee
No votes for racists
By Zan Azlee
APRIL 12 ― I turn to my right, and I see two Malaysians. Their names are Cherish Leow and Cynthia Ng. I look further down to the left; I see another Malaysian. His name is Thinesh Kumar. This is my workplace.
I look to my left, I see four Malaysians. They are the Lau family. I look further ahead and I see another Malaysian. His name is Steven Tan. This is my residential area.
I look to my right, I see a Malaysian. Her name is Ang Swee Poh. I look further down to the right, I see another Malaysian. His name is Ganesh Selvacumarasamy. This is my family.
I look to my left, I see a Malaysian. Her name is Jasmine Abu Bakar. I look in my arms, I see a Malaysian. Her name is Athena Azlee. These are my wife and daughter.
Then I read in the news and see prominent Malaysians endorse and encourage racial politics, in particular, one former Inspector-General of Police.
He says that racial politics is relevant to our society because the different races need to be able to share power so as to have a stable and peaceful country.
Bullshit! I say it’s just a divide-and-conquer strategy to ensure certain people get the power. What do you think? Could my humble opinion actually be right? [Click to read the full article at The Malaysian Insider]
Filed under: Astro Awani, internet, journalism, new media, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, astro, awani, barisan nasional, election, fat bidin, journalism, Keadilan, kuala lumpur, malay, malaysia, margaret thatcher, media, new media, news, pakatan rakyat, pru13, umno, zan azlee
Is Malaysia a great nation?
By Zan Azlee
“A great nation is the voluntary creation of its people—a people composed of men and women whose pride in themselves is founded on the knowledge of what they can give to a community of which they in turn can be proud.” – Margaret Thatcher, October 1980
This is a great time to be a Malaysian. Every morning I wake up and I start to tremble from the bottom of my feet right up to the ends of my long silky flowing hair! The 13th General Election is approaching and now that the Election Commission has announced the date, 5th May 2013 will be the date that all Malaysians will be anticipating.
Many have predicted that this particular general election will be the most hotly contested and of which the outcome will have the biggest impact on the country. I do not doubt that one single bit. However, I do believe that the impact and change has already happened, regardless of the result outcome. [Click to read the rest of the article at English.AstroAwani.com]
Filed under: book, journalism, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, bersih, bersih 3.0, election, fat bidin, journalism, kuala lumpur, malay, malaysia, media, new media, oon yeoh, pru13, zan azlee
The 13th General Election is finally here in Malaysia after a long wait! I’m a different person now than I was many years ago. I have covered every single BERSIH event and nothing has changed me more than Bersih 3.0. It changed me as a father, as a journalist and as a Malaysian! My friend and fellow journalist, Oon Yeoh, edited a book titled ‘Clean Sweep – The global triumph of Bersih 3.0′ last year and he asked me to contribute an essay about my experience. The book is now available in all major bookstores. And if you would like to read my essay, you can do so by not being a cheapskate and just buying the book! But if you’re still adamant about being a cheapskate… then click here to read it lah! Hahaha!
Filed under: internet, journalism, new media, The Malaysian Insider, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, fat bidin, islam, journalism, kuala lumpur, malay, malaysia, media, muslim, new media, race, racist, The Malaysian Insider, zan azlee
So who are the racists here?
By Zan Azlee
FEB 8 — “It was never like this back in my day.”
“We mixed with everyone when I was a child.”
“Race was never an issue. We were all Malaysians decades ago.”
Shut up! I’m sick and tired of listening to the older generation going on about how race relations in Malaysia was so much better 30 years ago. I’m not denying it. I’m sure it is true. Everyone from that generation says so and they all seem to agree with one another. Things have deteriorated, no doubt. But, when I think about it… has it really?
People go on and on about how things are so polarised, that there is no interaction between the different races and how each race is so insecure that they look at each other in fear. But I would like to be a little micro and anecdotal here and see if it is possible to extrapolate it to tell the macro story of race relations in the country. [Click to read the full article at The Malaysian Insider]
Filed under: Afghanistan, Arab Spring, broadcast, directing, documentary, DVD, film, GUIDE TO AFGHANISTAN: The Adventures of a KL-ite, I'm Muslim Too!, internet, journalism, lomokino, new media, The Malaysian Insider, writing | Tags: 1malaysia, afghanistan, askar, bamiyan, bersih, city, conflict, documentary, fat bidin, film, insurgency, islam, journalism, kabul, kuala lumpur, lim chee wee, malay, malaysia, media, middle east, military, muslim, new media, ridhuan tee, solo journalism, taliban, terrorism, The Malaysian Insider, video journalism, war, zan azlee
2012 according to Google
By Zan Azlee
DEC 28 ― The year is coming to an end and it is time to look back and reflect upon the momentous events of the passing year. I thought it would be a good idea to look back at 2012’s top ten searches on Google… and that led to my website, Fatbidin.com!
10. Ridhuan Tee Abdullah
Number ten could be one that has given me the most pleasure this year. I disagree with everything this academician, TV host and writer ― whose real name is Tee Chuan Seng ― says. We had a brief heated exchange in our respective columns (his is in Sinar Harian), from which I emerged victorious.
9. Kabul
Being the gloriously brave war journalist and adrenaline junkie that I am, I went to Afghanistan to shoot a documentary. After a decade of war and after the Taliban, it’s quite a surprise that the country is still getting media coverage.
8. Bersih 3.0
This has to be one of the lowest points of the year. I witnessed things that I don’t ever want to witness in Malaysia again. The police were brutally attacking demonstrators and even journalists like a bunch of street thugs ― after they removed their nametags, of course. But the spirit of Malaysians that gathered, now that was a high point.
[Click to read the full article at The Malaysian Insider]
