New resolutions for a new decade

New resolutions for a new decadeMUSINGSSunday, 29 Dec 2019 By Marina Mahathir THE city fathers of Sabang in Aceh recently issued a ban on its local residents celebrating the New Year. Apparently, after 2,020 years, they’ve decided that such festivities are not in line with their local customs and traditions....

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Wishy-washy silence is not golden

Wishy-washy silence is not goldenMUSINGSSunday, 01 Dec 2019 By Marina Mahathir THEY say that if you don’t come out strongly against something, it means you’re for it. Silence means acquiescence. It’s an affliction that particularly affects politicians who, ever wary of potential controversies, stay clear of...

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No dignity in half-measures

No dignity in half-measuresMUSINGSSunday, 03 Nov 2019 By Marina Mahathir You might need to do some unpopular things to right some wrongs. But if you look at the long-term benefits, the answer will be clear. SPIKED. A word that describes an uptick in numbers such as an increase in followers after you’ve said...

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Look for what we can offer the world

Look for what we can offer the worldMUSINGSSunday, 29 Sep 2019 By Marina Mahathir While Malaysians look inwards and find new non-issues to hyperventilate over, other Asian countries are looking at the rest of the world and finding ways to export their cultures. THESE are the things that make me weary: A university...

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Whither our Merdeka spirit

Whither our Merdeka spiritMUSINGSSunday, 25 Aug 2019By Marina Mahathir Our independence was built on the spirit and willingness to accommodate. Now we have the best chance to write a new inclusive chapter in our country’s history, for the sake of our children. IN six days we will turn 62 and I sometimes wonder...

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Don't let the young tune out and switch off

Don't let the young tune out and switch offMUSINGSSunday, 28 Jul 2019 By Marina Mahathir SINCE I’ve been back I have not been reading the news. Partly that is because I have so much work to do. But I have to admit that I am also very disinclined to read the news because, well, most of it is dreadful. There is...

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Never too late to start a new chapter in life

Never too late to start a new chapter in lifeMUSINGSSunday, 30 Jun 2019 by marina mahathir FEW people seem to have noticed that I have not been around in Malaysia for the better part of the last nine months. That’s one of the benefits of social media, that we can always seem present in the virtual world without...

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Getting the ‘right sort’ of education

Getting the ‘right sort’ of education MUSINGS Sunday, 26 May 2019 by marina mahathir I just finished a wonderful book that everyone should read: Educated by Tara Westover. It is the true story of a Mormon girl from rural Idaho who grew up in a survivalist family with parents who mistrusted authority so much...

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Let’s have a happy first anniversary

Let’s have a happy first anniversary MUSINGS Sunday, 28 Apr 2019 AS the cliche goes, time has whizzed by. Wasn’t it just yesterday we were queuing up by the thousands at polling stations, and then getting together with friends to wait for the results? And waited and waited? Meanwhile, our phones buzzed with...

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Get your scepticism on

Get your scepticism onSunday, 31 Mar 2019by marina mahathirSOMETIMES when I read the horrific toxic messages that go around WhatsApp groups, I have to wonder about my people. Do we enjoy being whipped up into agitation? Do we find reading bad news pleasurable? Is it really blissful to wallow in ignorance? Don’t...

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All upside down

All upside downSunday, 24 Feb 2019by marina mahathirI REMEMBER more than a year ago feeling dizzy because I thought the world had turned upside down. Things that used to be true were then declared fake, values that used to be upheld were discarded and their opposites lauded instead.I remember feeling disorientated;...

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