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Thu, May 17, 2012

Oon Time

Oon Time

Irreconcilable differences

Posted on 15 May 2012 - 07:57pm
Last updated on 15 May 2012 - 10:54pm

Oon Yeoh

WHEN news first came out that DAP vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim was against Bersih 3.0, it came as a shock to many people, especially because of the timing of his comments, right before the rally.

His comments might have been an off-the-cuff response to a reporter’s question. Many were certainly prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

One clear policy, one clear strategy

Posted on 9 May 2012 - 04:36am

Oon Yeoh

BERSIH 3.0 has come and gone. We all know what happened. Large numbers of Malaysians attended the rally. Since they were not allowed to sit at Dataran Merdeka, they gathered around it instead.

Then, the inevitable happened. Some protesters tried to breach the barriers. And all hell broke loose. Water cannons and tear gas were used. And people got hurt.

Every gas cloud has a silver lining

Posted on 1 May 2012 - 08:57pm
Last updated on 1 May 2012 - 09:21pm

Oon Yeoh

WHAT I had written in my column last week proved to be spot on. I said the police would erect road blocks around the city, which would prompt protesters to walk to their destination.

I said police would form a blockade around Dataran Merdeka and that some protesters would try to breach it.

Let Bersih use Dataran

Posted on 24 April 2012 - 07:57pm
Last updated on 24 April 2012 - 11:00pm

Oon Yeoh

WHEN Bersih 3.0 was first announced, the consensus was that the authorities would react in the same way they did with Bersih 2.0, which was to declare the movement illegal and to clamp down hard, in a shock-and-awe style show of force.

We know how that panned out. Nobody was shocked. In fact, the authorities acted just as everybody thought they would. No one was awed either.

A test of notions

Posted on 18 April 2012 - 04:41am

Oon Yeoh

THE results of the March 8, 2008 general election was beyond anybody’s imagination. Not a single political pundit accurately predicted that Penang, Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Kelatan would all fall to Pakatan Rakyat.

I remember prior to the election, talking to a political analyst who had pegged PR’s chances in Penang at 1%.

Last day of class

Posted on 10 April 2012 - 08:29pm
Last updated on 10 April 2012 - 08:53pm

Oon Yeoh

LAST Thursday was the last day of class for my journalism students. This is also the final semester for many of them, which means they will soon be entering the workforce.

What an exciting time for them. Not only is leaving college and getting your first job a big transition, the sector they will be joining – media – is going through exciting times.

Who’s right about Selangor?

Posted on 3 April 2012 - 08:26pm
Last updated on 3 April 2012 - 09:35pm

Oon Yeoh

THE two “crown jewels” that Barisan Nasional lost in the 2008 general election were Penang and Selangor, both economic powerhouses.

With Penang almost certainly staying in Pakatan Rakyat hands, the real battle is over Selangor, where Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is the BN state leader. He has said that BN must win back Selangor at all costs.

Why we need Facebook and Twitter

Posted on 27 March 2012 - 07:43pm
Last updated on 27 March 2012 - 09:47pm

Oon Yeoh

THERE’S a popular saying amongst members of civil society that goes something like this: In Malaysia, there is freedom of speech but there isn’t always freedom after speech.

Najib has to do it all

Posted on 20 March 2012 - 07:35pm
Last updated on 20 March 2012 - 08:49pm

Oon Yeoh

RECENTLY, a currency analyst from an investment bank in Hong Kong was in town and wanted to speak to me about the political situation in this country. I guess part of his responsibility is to report on political risk, and a mutual journalist friend gave him my name and contact.

Bets are on June

Posted on 14 March 2012 - 04:36am

Oon Yeoh

WHILE I was in Europe last week, I received a curious SMS from a number which I did not recognise. The message, which greeted me in French, was from a producer with a Malaysian TV station, who told me she was following my tweets and thus knew I was in Paris at the time.