Coming of Age

Nik Ahmad Nik Nazmi

Description

Writer and politician Nik Nazmi has always been vocal in articulating his vision for a better Malaysia. This compilation of over 40 essays written between 2001 and 2011 covers a variety of topics ranging from politics and economics to law and religion, and parallels his involvement in the politics of Malaysia. It provides a unique window into not only the author's coming of age but also of Malaysia's Reformasi movement, and is his clarion call for justice and freedom. "I do not in any way claim to be the exemplar of my generation - but if young Malaysians are to one day take on the mantle of leadership, if we are to move Malaysia forward, then we must stand up and articulate our vision for it."

Informations

• Publié par: MarshallCavendish
• Date de parution: 01 août 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814398732
• Langue: English

Extrait

What they say about Coming of Age …
“Coming of Age is an intellectual portrait of the writer as a young politician as he traces his journey from Reformasi to 8 March 2008 and beyond. Well-articulated with penetrating insights into the nation’s political awakening, this collection of essays is testimony to Nik Nazmi’s astuteness as an observer and, more significantly, his commitment to the cause for a better Malaysia.”
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim Malaysian Opposition Leader & former Deputy Prime Minister
“Nik Nazmi’s collection of commentaries does not only chart the intellectual development of this passionate and honest young man over the last decade but also traces Malaysia’s unending struggle to come to terms with its difficult diversity.”
Dr Ooi Kee Beng, Senior Fellow Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore & author of The Reluctant Politician
“An honest perspective about the dilemma that we, as a nation, face every day.”
Azam Aris, Executive Editor of The Edge & author of The Quintessential Man
“The author charts the difficult sea of Malaysia’s past, present and future in this series of articles with sensitivity and eloquence. His reflections highlight the tensions and complexities of the multi-threaded tapestry that is Malaysia, leaving the reader with a compelling picture of what the country must become.”
Dr Lynn Kuok University of Cambridge Former Editor-in-Chief, Cambridge Review of International Affairs
Reviews for Moving Forward: Malays for the 21st Century
“He represents a refreshing brand of Malay politics: middle-of-the-road, confident, unafraid and bold.”
Karim Raslan, author of the Ceritalah series
“Nik Nazmi is a refreshing departure. He has some profound observations and perspectives that belie his chronological and political youth.”
M Bakri Musa author of The Malay Dilemma Revisited
“Nik Nazmi… has this message for the Malays and for Malaysians: Let’s put an end to the race-card game, and move forward into the 21st century together.”
Malaysian Today
“(The book is) very sensible and well-written… you just hope that people will read and become that much wiser.”
Sharon Bakar, author and blogger

© 2011 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited Text and photographs copyright of Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad Cover design by Nor Azmin Md Nor of awandesign.com Designer: Bernard Go Kwang Meng
Reprinted 2012
Published by Marshall Cavendish Editions An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196
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The views and opinions expressed in this book are the author’s own and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same.
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National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Nik. Coming of age : a decade of essays, 2001-2011 / Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad. – Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Editions, c2011. p. cm. eISBN : 978 981 4398 73 2
1. Malaysia – Politics and government – 20th century. 2. Malaysia – Politics and government – 21st century. I. Title.
DS597.2 320.9595 – dc22        OCN740972129
Printed by Times Printers Pte Ltd
to Imaan and Ilhan
CONTENTS
Preface
Part 1: EARLY DAYS
1. Student Activism May Yet Revive Glory Years, Malaysiakini, 5 January 2001
2. Saying ‘Yes’ to Non-racial Affirmative Action, Malaysiakini, 23 March 2001
3. Meritocracy Plan a Knee-jerk Reaction, Malaysiakini,19 August 2001
4. The Informal Apartheid, Suara Anum, 1 December 2001
5. Keadilan’s Future Lies in the Political Centre, Malaysiakini, 24 December 2001
6. Criticism of, and Suggestions for, PAS, Malaysiakini, 3 June 2002
7. A Merdeka Reflection, Suara Anum, 1 September 2002
8. How to Stand Up and Be Counted, Malaysiakini, 7 October 2002
9. Making the Case for Electoral Reform, Malaysiakini, 10 March 2004
10. Towards a New Politics of Ideas?, Aliran Monthly, Vol 24 (2004): Issue 9
11. Dealing with the New Chattering Class, Malaysiakini, 3 February 2005
12. Open Letter to Suhakam (with Edmund Bon),Malaysiakini, 14 April 2005
13. The Case against the ISA, Remag, January 2005
14. The Sheikh and the England Flag, Malaysiakini, 22 April 2005
15. Let Moderate Voices Speak, theSun, 16 November 2005
16. The Debate on Islam Amidst the Diversity of Farish Noor’s Writings, Malaysiakini, 18 January 2006
17. Religion, Respect and True Tolerance, theSun, 1 December 2006
18. Breakdown of Law and Order, Malaysiakini, 26 September 2007
Part 2: THE CHANGE
1. The Coming of Age of Malaysia’s Youth, Opinion Asia, 6 June 2008
2. All About ‘Cleaning up the Mess’, The Malaysian Insider, 18 June 2008
3. Work as One for Change, The Star, 31 August 2008
4. How New Media Trumped Old Politics, and the Road Ahead, CPI, 5 December 2008
Photographs
Part 3: NEW REALITIES
1. Anas, We Hear You, The Malaysian Insider, 8 March 2009
2. Liberalisation Will Fail Without Social Justice, The Malaysian Insider, 6 July 2009
3. In Defence of Public Assemblies, The Malaysian Insider, 9 August 2009
4. Religion and Society in Malaysia, The Malaysian Insider, 23 August 2009
5. Overcoming Our Democratic Deficit, The Malaysian Insider, 7 November 2009
6. The Forgotten Malaysians, The Malaysian Insider, 31 December 2009
Part 4: THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
1. Why Malays Are Migrating as Well, The Edge, 8 March 2010
2. The Journey Continues, The Malaysian Insider, 18 March 2010
3. A Stronger Federal Presence, The Edge, 12 April 2010
4. The Strange Death of Moderate UMNO, Off the Edge, 1 June 2010
5. What the Rakyat Expects Before Subsidy Reform, The Edge, 14 June 2010
6. Germany vs Spain, Gol, 9 July 2010
7. Closing the Inequality Gap, The Edge, 12 July 2010
8. Need for a Fresh Look at Bumiputera Property Policies, The Edge, 9 August 2010
9. Keadilan Polls: Leaving ‘Smoke-filled Rooms’ Behind, The Malaysian Insider, 9 September 2010
10. Higher Income More Meaningful than Equity Ownership, The Edge, 13 September 2010
11. Need to Strengthen Confidence in the Economy, The Edge, 11 October 2010
12. Let’s Perfect the Two Party System First, The Malaysian Insider, 11 November 2010
13. Thoughts from London, The Malaysian Insider, 24 November 2010
14. The Post-Reformasi Generation, The Malaysian Insider, 27 January 2011
15. Sex, Malays and Politics, The Malaysian Insider, 7 April 2011
16. Lessons from the 2011 Sarawak Election, The Malaysian Insider, 20 April 2011
Conclusion
Terms & Abbreviations
About the Author
PREFACE
This is a compilation of my writings from 2001 to 2011. As such, they parallel my involvement in the politics of Malaysia. Putting them together is my modest contribution to the explosion of print and online socio-political literature in the country before, during and after the 2008 general election.
I have always found writing to be essential in developing, articulating and refining my ideas. I suppose it comes naturally to me since I have been a vociferous reader and an opinionated observer of politics even as a child. Furthermore, writing provided my generation of young Malaysians the means to express our hopes, dreams and fears for our country during the heady days of Reformasi and beyond.
My writing ‘career’ took off at the age of 19, when an essay about student activism was accepted by Malaysiakini. That was in January 2001, a few months before I joined the Political Education Unit of the Institute for Policy Research. It was there that I became directly acquainted with Keadilan and its leaders.
Shortly afterwards, I established a youth web magazine called SuaraAnum.com. The website (like so many youthful projects) lasted about a year. But the experience, together with running my fledgling column in the party newspaper Berita Keadilan and my blog niknazmi.com, inculcated in me the discipline of regular writing.
Incidentally, many of the first essays were published online. ‘The Informal Apartheid’, for example, was posted on Suara Anum. Published in the KYUEM Student Magazine, it was also posted on the online KYUEM student forum and attracted passionate comments. Those were the days before blogs and Facebook. Still, nothing beats the special feeling of seeing your work in print.
Writing also led to my foray into politics. I feel that leaders must be willing to teach their followers as well as learn from them. Malaysians need politicians who not only talk to them, but with them, and more importantly, listen to them. My articles are intended to convince fellow Malaysians of the need for change, and to debate as to how this might come about.
This pushed me to join politics full time, which is very different from typing out columns at home. Still, writing keeps my feet on the ground and provides ample inspiration for my essays.
Of course, some people will never be satisfied with either my politics or my writing. For instance, I’ve had the ‘honour’ of getting into trouble with the national authorities