Holding back democracy
Our political leaders will know our priorities only if we tell them, again and again, and if those priorities begin to show up in the polls. – Wall Street Journal columnist “Mana undi kami?” (“Where is our vote?”) This was the question being asked by some 100 protesters last Saturday, who gathered at the barricaded […]
5R — The bite-sized way
I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use. – Mother Teresa, Indian Roman Catholic nun Bite-size. If you describe something as bite-sized, it means it is small enough to be considered or dealt with easily, meaning one bite at a time. Why is this term […]
Common-sense, the guiding principle
Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom. – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet “… ‘common sense’ …” said Bishop of Anglican Church in Sarawak and Brunei, Datuk Danald Jute. The ‘common sense’ Bishop Danald Jute was referring to here relates to the ruling made by Justice Datuk Nor Bee Ariffin […]
Protecting Sarawak
Vaccines are the tugboats of preventive health. – William Foege, American physician and epidemiologist There are many aspects to protecting Sarawakians. The one that takes precedence now and with the utmost urgency and importance is the Covid-19 vaccination programme currently underway in Sarawak. It is essential that all of us, who are eligible to register, […]
To jab or not to jab?
If we have large segments of the population that say, “Oh I’m not gonna get vaccinated now,” we very well could see on-going transmission that would make it more challenging to get back to that new normal. – Dr Michael Osterholm, American epidemiologist The flickering of the light at the end of the tunnel can […]
Unity — another window dressing again?
Peace is not unity in similarity but unity in diversity, in the comparison and conciliation of differences. – Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet ex-president Is it another publicity stunt to pull the wool over our eyes again? Here I am referring to the latest effort by the federal government with another blueprint. This time titled “National Unity […]
Continuing with our festivities and celebrations
Festival Season is a perfect time to reflect on our blessings and seek out ways to make life better for those around us. – Unknown A land of festivals! This indeed we are. The now on-going Chinese New Year celebrations with the many colourful fireworks that fill our skies are a good testament of one […]
Books and the fear they cause
Censorship ends in logical completeness when nobody is allowed to read any books except the books that nobody reads. – George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright To officially or legally prohibit (something) or officially prevent (someone) from doing something — this is the meaning of ‘banned’ according to the Oxford Dictionary. Books have always been a common […]
Meaningful memories and special moments
Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart. – Haruki Murakami, Japanese writer Memories, good ones and sad ones act as milestones in our lives. Celebrations or the marking of special occasions are normal for us. They provide us with lifelong memories of the occasion. Many of us have to […]
The resurgence
A person in public without a mask during a pandemic is a walking septic tank. – Abhijit Naskar, international bestselling author It is time to show tough love. The time for friendly warnings should be over. I am referring to the effective enforcement of our long-established lifesaving SOPs about keeping the Covid-19 virus at bay. […]
