I WAS thinking the other day about different cultures. And how manners differ.  I wondered what manners were for, and came to the conclusion that they are to make other people feel good, and to make yourself feel smug – not really, just secure in the knowledge that you have done the right thing. .

Over last 10 years, Indonesia has made considerable economic progress, more so after Jokowi has taken over as President. He has reduced corruption, red taps and most importantly, he has introduced economic liberalization. Unlike in Malaysia and all these, he has rejected racial/religious politics even though Indonesia is the world’s largest Islamic country. .

many stresses in geo­politics and the global economy  have reached a tipping point: It is now more likely that we will get a series of political shocks and an accelerated downturn in the world economy. Political hot spots — in Hong Kong, Italy, Brexit, Argentina and South Asia — are turning critical.

Years ago, a Peace Corps teacher introducing us to Shakespeare’s Richard III, whom he called ‘Richard the Turd’ (which joke fell flat in the class because that was how we all pronounced ‘third’), broke off in his introduction to the play and referred to a novel called “Pale Fire” which he said should be read by everyone of us.

EACH year when National Day comes around on Aug 31, the nation does its soul searching. Reflections on issues such as national unity and integration or the country’s development goals and their implications come to the fore as events unfolding in the months and weeks before reveal how bare the threads of social cohesion and multiculturalism are and how nebulous economic prosperity and inclusiveness seem in the fabric of the nation.

opponents do not talk to each other because they come from separate disciplines, cultures and beliefs. The world is divided into silos of academic disciplines that do not know how to communicate with each other. Without a common basis of communications, divisions, fragmentation and polarisation can only worsen, which is exactly what we are observing today.

“Gostan” is a Malay contraction of a nautical term to “go astern” or go backwards. It can be used as an expression “gostan balik” (to reverse). The Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq posting photos on his Instagram account of Zakir Naik and him having a meal together is a good example of a gostan balik. Syed Saddiq probably thought it was a proud moment, but the whimsical out of the blue PR publicity invited more criticisms and showed the weaknesses of our current leaders. Weeks earlier he called for Zakir Naik to be deported. .

As we have celebrated Independence Day on 31 August 2019, it is timely we ponder on Malaysia’s progress in the context of political and economic leadership because these two elements are vital for national growth, progress and general well-being of all Malaysians. Also, sad to say, they are dwindling fast.

Amazon.com Inc. was brought to court by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 2017 for transfer pricing discrepancies. In 2005 and 2006, the multinational tech company transferred $255 million in royalty payments to its tax haven in Luxembourg, but according to the IRS these royalty payments should have amounted to $3.5 billion. .

COMPLAINTS from primary school teachers that young children are being pushed through preschool without a solid grounding in basic reading, writing and comprehension skills keep growing louder. .