Author: M Rajah

Baby dumping — who should take the blame?

God, that dumping ground of our dreams.  – Jean Rostand, French biologist It saddens me to read reports about baby dumping cases in the country. From 2010 to 2019, 1,075 cases of baby dumping were reported and I believe many more might have gone unreported. Of these cases, 64 percent

The Good, The Bad and The Smelly

I freely admit that when ripe it can smell like a dead animal. The fruit is difficult to handle, bearing likeness to a medieval weapon. But get down to the pale yellow, creamy flesh, and you’ll experience overtones of hazelnut, apricot, caramelised banana and egg custard. — Thomas Fuller, American

Who’re we to mete out street justice?

There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice. – Montesquieu, French philosopher I was disturbed by a news report in the New Sarawak Tribune yesterday about a shoplifter who was caught by workers of a grocery

A little bit about Abang Jo’s past …

I am not important. I’m only continuing the struggles of Sarawak and that of previous leaders. I’m not important, the important thing is Sarawak. It is more important than me. – Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg It’s not easy to be a leader, more so a political leader of

Wait for tragedy, then we act?

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. – Karl Marx, philosopher It was a tragic start to the New Year for Sarawak. A four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicle with nine people from two families plunged into Batang Lupar from the Triso ferry landing in Sri Aman last Friday. No one

Quarantined — but no complaints!

I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person. – Oscar Wilde, Irish poet After almost a year of self-imposed travel restrictions because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I travelled to Kuala Lumpur on Nov 18

Celebrating occasions under the new normal

I know there’s no normal to go back to. But I’m here to help you build a new one.  — Unknown The coronavirus pandemic has changed the lives of everyone — yes, every one of us — and like it or not, forced us to adjust to a ‘new normal’,

In search of Malaysian football heroes

I’ve never scored a goal in my life without getting a pass from someone else. – Abby Wambach, American football player This week I have decided to stay away from the political hustle and bustle and controversial topics to concentrate on something harmless — sports. Looks like 2020 is not

Pay peanuts and you get monkeys …

To be effective in tackling poverty wages, a living wage has to be mandatory and basic trade union rights should be restored so workers can protect themselves from exploitative employers. – John McDonnell, British politician The issue of foreign workers and low salaries in our state is not going to

Please, please give me a job, any job!

If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. – Martin Luther King, civil rights activist These days it’s extremely difficult