Author: Dr Navin C Naidu

Reformasi: Renewal, reversal or refusal?

‘Political reform is a waste of time if people are innately saddled with certain sins and flaws like selfishness, prejudice, short-sightedness and self-deception.’ – Steven Pinker, Canadian cognitive psychologist Reform is a very strong word. In ordinary and technical language it means to “make changes in something, especially an institution

The WMD-ODD scare

Look, all administrations, all governments lie, all officials lie and nothing they say is to be believed. That’s a pretty good rule. – Daniel Ellsberg, American political activist In Malaysia the WMD-ODD (What Ministers Do – Or Don’t Do) scare is not totally unfathomable. Hidden agendas, ulterior motives, machinations and

Court in the act

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.  – Will Rogers, American satirist Malaysia in the 1980s witnessed convulsions to constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy and the independence of the judiciary when a Machiavellian-inspired prime minister believed that “if the acts accuse us, let the

Lackadaisical leadership

When voting is glorified as a panacea, people become lackadaisical in preserving their rights. — James Bovard, American author An uncomfortable paradox standing ready for evisceration and analysis is the leadership qualities of the voters. Most assuredly, herd mentality outshines, overcomes and out-performs critical thinking. Voters are unwittingly preyed upon

Unenumerated rights

The Almighty Creator granted inalienable rights; government guarantees certain rights; the thinking man invokes unenumerated rights.– Anon Y Mous Rights are usually enshrined in a written constitution outlining what you can expect from government. What the government expects from its citizens springs from man-made laws. Be wary. In Malaysia Fundamental Liberties are listed in

The law: Faces and paces

Any one of the strange laws we suffer is a compromise between a fad and a vested interest.– Gilbert K. Chesterton The Latin phrase “communis error facit jus” means “common error makes law” in English. This legal principle suggests that if there is a widespread or common misunderstanding or error regarding a

R-o-t-i factories

“The ultimate ignorance is rejection of something you know nothing about yet refuse to investigate.” Dr. Wayne Dyer, American author FACTORIES producing the religion of the ignorant (r-o-t-i) are sprouting and thriving everywhere with renewed vigour, vim and vitality. The awakened pray that this wilful and deliberate ignorance-seeking culture does

The ethics of lying

Man is not what he thinks he is; he is what he hides. – Andre Malraux, French writer All hell will break loose when a skilled lawyer asks a witness if he has ever lied in his life as an opening question. The judge will frown, the jury will lean

The rim of Malaysian consciousness

“Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness.” Otto von Bismarck, German Chancellor THE Federal Constitution has politely made it possible for Malaysian apologists, polemicists, pacifists, optimists, pessimists, isolationists and fence-sitters to co-exist.  Meanwhile, racists and extremists have secured permanent membership in the cult of irrationality.  The apologist speaks up

The unlearning society

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. – Alvin Toffler, American author Natural Law is descriptive and prescriptive in proving that the only society that can survive and sustain itself is one that unlearns