rumah panjang Socialist, labour, indigenous and environmental news from Malaysia. Excerpts only; every story links to its publisher. 2026-11-03T00:09:59+00:00 urn:rumahpanjang:feed:en Excerpts only. Copyright in each item remains with its publisher. Serbia after the student landslide: The black box in parliament urn:rumahpanjang:17ade0c18e9d341b 2026-11-02T00:04:08+00:00 Aliran Biljana Vankovska The student protests in Serbia, which began in the wake of the tragic event in Novi Sad in November 2024, only occasionally made the front pages of the world’s media. Palestine and the colonial question: Lessons for Malaysia (Part 2/2) urn:rumahpanjang:33e2205ceaf90fa4 2026-11-01T23:29:20+00:00 Aliran Cross-ethnic resistance to colonial domination Malaya had a certain history of cross-ethnic resistance, even insurgency, against British colonial rule. Both the ethnic Malays and the other ethnic groups played important roles in speaking, publishing, rallying and fighting… Suhakam, Bar strengthen legal capacity to advance Indigenous peoples’ rights in Sarawak urn:rumahpanjang:8b99959468dba1a5 2026-11-01T09:26:10+00:00 Aliran The Malaysian human rights commission Suhakam and the Malaysian Bar, with support from the EU through its grant project ‘Advancing human rights in Malaysia via strategic approaches in education and awareness raising’, successfully conducted an intensive human rights law and… More than a Monday ritual urn:rumahpanjang:196da68dab910611 2026-11-01T09:05:21+00:00 Aliran Chew Zhun Yee Recently, a theatre performance by The Fever Kinetic, first staged in 2018, resurfaced online and spread widely. Its makers called it a satirical take on the Rukun Negara (national principles). Follow the money behind the haze urn:rumahpanjang:59def2e042709eae 2026-11-01T00:05:11+00:00 Aliran The hazy blankets over Southeast Asia are not mere ecological accidents. They are better understood, critics argue, as the atmospheric exhaust of a transborder capital formation, a system of money that moves across borders. Highlighting The Chauvinism Paradox Through a History of Multiculturalism urn:rumahpanjang:efdde22e80518aa1 2026-10-31T16:01:00+00:00 Penang Monthly ONE OF THE deepest legacies of colonisation worldwide is the nation-state. Having learned that every inch on earth has to be owned, sooner or later, by some political power, the emergent nation-states, which inherited the territories left behind by crumbling European powers—and… A Delightful Stay At Rimbun Dahan: A Sidestep Rather Than A Retreat urn:rumahpanjang:7430818d1668b606 2026-10-31T16:01:00+00:00 Penang Monthly A green lotus seed pod on the grounds.For workaholics to drop everything and go on a retreat is as crazy as asking a parent to stop worrying about their children for a while. Not really possible. Weaving Patience: Basketry At St. Nicholas’ Home urn:rumahpanjang:13ca607e891489fc 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly The first thing that greeted me was silence. Not the uncomfortable kind; instead, it settled gently over the basketry workshop. There were no machines humming in the background, only the soft sound of rattan being shaped by experienced hands. The Indian Heritage Gallery & Cultural Centre Opens Its Doors urn:rumahpanjang:9d815906bd158497 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly Heritage café located in the front portion of the building.If the walls, windows and doors of Penang’s “Little India” could speak, they would tell countless stories about the place. From Padukara Theeru (Boatmen’s Street) and Elam Muchanti (Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling), to Teochew puppetry: do the deities approve? urn:rumahpanjang:877efcf26bd2f411 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly The front of the Hor Kai Kong Temple in Pulau Tikus filled with young students and neighbourhood worshippers, as a performance by Ling Goh's Iron Gang Puppet Theatre (铁枝帮) began.[1] Onstage, her students and the musicians performed the Four Fortunes Set (四出连)[2] Restoring Communal History: The Remarkable Revival of Wadda Gurdawa Sahib urn:rumahpanjang:7b49c2ebb31822ad 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly Penang’s Parking Attendance Sheme: Smart Move In Difficult Times urn:rumahpanjang:63ec6fd5052cdb09 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly Before coupons proliferated, only to be replaced by digital parking applications, parking attendants were ubiquitous across Penang’s public parking facilities. Mirrored Migration: Finding The Way Home urn:rumahpanjang:2a4713b4047af2c4 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly Coming home should be easy, or so I thought. After four years of living in the UK, I imagined that returning to Penang would feel like slipping back into a familiar rhythm: of the food, the languages, the old streets I grew up knowing and the people I once called Making An “Investment of Hope”: An Interview With Amelié Skoda urn:rumahpanjang:62fba661508be292 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly Opening with an enigmatic arrival in 1970s’ London, Amelié Skoda’s novel, Beth-nal Green, follows a young woman’s sojourn in the metropole to pursue a career in nursing. Suyin’s complicated act of leaving Penang offers a point of departure for questions about Learning to learn: why literature still belongs in school urn:rumahpanjang:1352b785673bc903 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly A cover image for a presentation of Semester 1 poems.Beyond books and examinations pfs (est. 1816) is Southeast Asia’s oldest English-medium school. Its heritage makes it a particularly compelling place to study Literature today. How Long Have You Been Here? The Art of Migratory Pregrenations From Bengal urn:rumahpanjang:d71b3bbd9fba2f86 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly NIGHT: At the Hu Yew Seah school, a mural featuring the polymath Rabindranath Tag-ore, who laid its foundation stone, magisterially overlooks Lorong Madras. Changing Money, Changing Times urn:rumahpanjang:a8f33ac655f7dd25 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly Between Islands: Text, Translation And Contestation urn:rumahpanjang:4afdd1a239b738c6 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly “My memory begins, as always,” opens When Memory Dies, “with the rain.” A. Sivanandan’s 1997 novel follows Ceylon’s transition away from being an outpost of the British empire to the postcolonial state of Sri Lanka (where I was born). The novel is Behind the Counter: Can Penang’s Ottu Kadai Survive Another Generation? urn:rumahpanjang:bfae309d25f4f930 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly In anthony cheah’S watercolour painting, “Ottu Kadai Penang”, the small shop being depicted occupies hardly any space, yet seems to contain an entire neighbourhood. The term “ottu kadai”—also romanised as otthu kadai or oothu kadai—commonly describes a compact Indian sundry A Smellscape of Little India urn:rumahpanjang:b9f2cfcd00e06691 2026-10-31T16:00:00+00:00 Penang Monthly JUST PAST 8.30AM, I am hit by oppressive fumes of exhaust as the 101 pulls away from the “Little India” bus stop. The road gives off the distinct smell of pet-richor and wet tarmac. Apart from distant drumming somewhere down Lebuh Chulia, much of this side ‘Recovered And Repurposed’ – Najib’s Notorious China Pipeline Heist Is Covered-Up? urn:rumahpanjang:2d8ac6479f7fd669 2026-10-31T14:35:26+00:00 Sarawak Report In May, we revealed negotiations involving Jho Low were underway to resolve the outstanding repayments due on Malaysia's RM8 billion pipeline loan, raised by 1MDB/SRC from China, from which the money had disappeared. Why should bus terminal operators control ticket sales? urn:rumahpanjang:0e6a8de93abd3e14 2026-10-31T08:57:48+00:00 Aliran Rosli Khan Malaysia’s express bus industry is facing a new regulatory burden that raises serious questions about competition, commercial freedom and the government’s understanding of public transport. Pledges without rules urn:rumahpanjang:71cded59d1ecbf07 2026-10-31T07:39:02+00:00 Aliran Four years after governments agreed to align public and private financial flows with global biodiversity goals, a new report Regulating Finance for Biodiversity: An Assessment for the Global Biodiversity Framework, finds that major financial jurisdictions have yet to translate… Take party registration out of the home minister’s hands urn:rumahpanjang:7046becaef429a26 2026-10-31T07:09:26+00:00 Aliran Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama) urges all political parties – especially those that have been victimised under the current power structure of the Registrar of Societies (RoS) – to commit in their manifestos for the next general election to moving… Palestine and the colonial question: Lessons for Malaysia (Part 1/2) urn:rumahpanjang:26584a0a62da4c3f 2026-10-30T07:20:22+00:00 Aliran Three things happened in 1948. Israel declared itself a state. The British Mandate in Palestine ended. And the British colonial government declared a so-called ‘emergency’ (1948-60) in Malaya. Establish State Commission of Inquiry into Paya Terubong Landslide Tragedy urn:rumahpanjang:1d84d6b5fb646654 2026-10-30T06:29:43+00:00 Consumers Association of Penang Leading Non-government Organisations (NGOs) in Penang call on the Penang state government to urgently establish a State Commission of Inquiry (SCI) into the Paya Terubong landslide tragedy near Taman Seri Rambai, that occurred on Sunday, Oct 25 which killed a 73-year-old retired… Another Penang landslide, and the same questions urn:rumahpanjang:8ace13a7f812257b 2026-10-30T04:11:34+00:00 Aliran Leading NGOs in Penang today call on the Penang state government to urgently establish a state commission of inquiry into the Paya Terubong landslide tragedy near Taman Seri Rambai on 25 October, which killed a 73-year-old retired doctor. Rubio begging Cubans to join the CIA? urn:rumahpanjang:ef46897832f62727 2026-10-29T22:36:34+00:00 Aliran US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has become so desperate for regime change in Cuba, he is now begging Cubans to join the CIA. The Cuban Revolution is not falling any time soon though, so Rubio has decided to become a spy recruiter. The Brazilian victory: Left unity and digital autonomy urn:rumahpanjang:8a89ff40ca3d5137 2026-10-29T22:14:35+00:00 Aliran Rezgar Akrawi The leftist leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured a historic victory in Brazil’s presidential election on 25 October 2026. The result came amid intense political and social polarisation and the growing influence of the far right in Brazil and across Latin… How China Fulfilled Its Promises To Bail Out Najib In Return For A Belt & Road Strategic Coup urn:rumahpanjang:6e08fd0153dc09b7 2026-10-29T11:17:27+00:00 Sarawak Report New details on China's blatantly corrupt collusion with Najib to steal billions from Belt & Road projects, funded by Chinese loans which Malaysia has to repay, can now be pulled together to give a clear explanation of Jho Low's 1MDB cover-up operation Parents should not have to coordinate care alone urn:rumahpanjang:ac5df4b4f776cc8a 2026-10-29T09:59:09+00:00 Aliran Every year, when the time for the Budget is near, the public conversation about children with disabilities surfaces. There is a request for more services and resources, especially for children with autism. But we fail to ask some key questions. Publication bans: Who decides what we can read? urn:rumahpanjang:c38a95c698226619 2026-10-29T07:47:24+00:00 Aliran The think tank Initiative to Promote Tolerance and Prevent Violence (Initiate.my) has recently launched a new open-source database that documents the publications and materials banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984. On Google killing 400,000 trees to build data centres in Finland urn:rumahpanjang:834f0b0fafa73ee3 2026-10-29T07:43:10+00:00 Aliran That is how things work under capitalism. The law, according to some people, primarily exists not to protect people or the environment, but to protect the interests of capital. Source: Caitlin Johnstone / YouTube What a photojournalist learnt after being beaten by Israeli settlers urn:rumahpanjang:a4e8b28615eb67c1 2026-10-29T07:27:37+00:00 Aliran CNN’s Jake Tapper interviews Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, who was hospitalised after Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank attacked her and a group of Palestinians during the annual olive harvest. Source: CNN / YouTube Malaysia’s Expanding Waste-to-Energy Plans Raise Climate Concerns, as Delhi Report Finds Incinerators Carry High Fossil-Carbon Burden urn:rumahpanjang:abd8b9488d23c2d2 2026-10-29T04:08:04+00:00 Consumers Association of Penang 29 October 2026 A new report, The Climate Cost of Burning Waste: The Carbon Intensity of Waste-to-Energy Incinerators in Delhi, and Why It Should Not Be Funded as Climate Action, finds that electricity generated by Delhi’s four operational waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerators… Paya Terubong: A decade-old warning against dangerous hill ‘development’ urn:rumahpanjang:f2833fc9b529a801 2026-10-28T10:25:56+00:00 Aliran This was a presentation by Dr Ti Lian Geh during a joint press conference of Penang Forum and the Residents’ Association of Taman Sri Rambai / Taman Lau Geok Swee in August 2016. One in Four Paints Tested in Malaysia Exceed Safe Lead Limit as Industry and Consumer Groups Back Mandatory Standard urn:rumahpanjang:7eabdd1ab6955cfe 2026-10-28T06:35:14+00:00 Consumers Association of Penang New study finds lead up to about 1,100 times the safe limit; coalition calls for Malaysia’s voluntary standard to be made mandatory KUALA LUMPUR, 27 October 2026 — One in four household paints tested in Malaysia contain lead above the internationally recognised safe limit of 90… UM’s student housing project must be properly monitored urn:rumahpanjang:e30bc168c2df05e8 2026-10-28T04:01:08+00:00 Consumers Association of Penang A recent media report stated that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would personally monitor Universiti Malaya’s (UM) student residence project. The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) appreciate the Prime Minister’s concern in completing the project without any delay… The anxiety we inherit in Malaysia urn:rumahpanjang:b9122d8da796cbad 2026-10-28T03:12:02+00:00 Aliran Three years ago, I wrote an article on the six state elections that were held that year. I noted we should have celebrated small victories while remaining cautious about the Pakatan Harapan government. A rare ray of sunshine for Malaysia but… urn:rumahpanjang:ae0f45ef8eb2a4d6 2026-10-27T09:40:53+00:00 Aliran Many would agree that peace is one of the basic prerequisites for society’s advancement politically, socially and economically. On the other hand, wars and social discord retard progress, damage infrastructure and displace people. Who pays the consultants? urn:rumahpanjang:1426f024157bd342 2026-10-27T08:25:05+00:00 Aliran The latest landslide in Taman Seri Rambai in Paya Terubong on 25 October – one of many on Penang Island – has killed a 73-year-old doctor. The Penang Island City Council mayor said the developer’s consultants would assess ground movement behind the affected area, while state… People Power Now: Asia Pacific Movements Call for Systemic Transformation urn:rumahpanjang:45d1805b0feb6d57 2026-10-27T07:57:42+00:00 Consumers Association of Penang 27 October 2026 – Grassroots movements, community leaders, and activists from across the Asia Pacific and other regions have called for urgent systemic transformation rooted in people’s power, ecological justice and internationalist solidarity, following the Friends of the Earth… One rule for footballers, another for mothers? urn:rumahpanjang:01aac836d8b0cdcd 2026-10-27T07:05:21+00:00 Aliran We, the members of G25, are deeply concerned with the Ministry of Home Affairs for the apparent disregard for established requirements and the double standards in the administration of Malaysian citizenship exposed by the controversy involving the Football Association of… A step forward, but not the whole journey urn:rumahpanjang:19bff3b56d5dd6e2 2026-10-26T23:34:37+00:00 Aliran We, the members of G25, welcome the coming into force of the Parliamentary Service Act 2025 (PSA). This is a long-overdue reform intended to restore Parliament’s administrative autonomy and strengthen its independence as a fundamental institution of Malaysia’s constitutional… More than GDP: What Europe’s protesters want urn:rumahpanjang:f31698b772910f0d 2026-10-26T21:05:00+00:00 Aliran Young people have been taking to the streets across Europe, including in Spain, France and Portugal. They are protesting against the state of schools and the wider cost-of-living crisis. Don’t make families and small businesses bear the cost of haze alone urn:rumahpanjang:20b8d70423106a41 2026-10-26T10:24:21+00:00 Aliran Engage (Rakyat in Action) and Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama) call for urgent support for families, workers and small businesses affected by haze-related school closures, in particular those in Johor, where all schools have been ordered to close… Can small forest patches make a difference urn:rumahpanjang:72a69e8de205f89c 2026-10-26T07:49:09+00:00 Aliran When we talk about saving forests in Malaysia, the instinct is to think big: national parks, huge reserves, major conservation bodies. But Shariff Mohamad took a different approach, by buying three acres of land in Hulu Selangor and simply letting it grow back. The West’s export-quality democracy boomerangs urn:rumahpanjang:6ba836059c278715 2026-10-26T07:29:57+00:00 Aliran Kua Kia Soong From Hong Kong to Washington and now from Tehran to Europe – the trouble with cheering for street protests is that the streets belong to everyone. The Brain-Changing Power of a 20-Minute Walk urn:rumahpanjang:151c43705aaacdc6 2026-10-26T07:11:39+00:00 Consumers Association of Penang Want to think more clearly, feel better, and improve your focus? Go for a short walk. Just 20 minutes of walking can make a difference in how your brain functions. Physical activity increases blood flow, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to brain cells. Femicide is preventable – Suhakam urn:rumahpanjang:a6ecbafde9a5a6c3 2026-10-26T06:34:46+00:00 Aliran On 15 October, the Malaysian human rights commission, Suhakam, represented by commissioner Melissa Mohd Akhir briefed the parliamentary Select Committee on Women, Children and Community Development and government agencies on the human rights and gender equality position on… Malaysia’s circular economy has a vision but no mission urn:rumahpanjang:83fd3e13b6b87296 2026-10-26T05:03:33+00:00 Aliran Imagine placing three different puzzle pieces on a table and declaring the puzzle complete. That is how the government recently presented its new economic plans to the people. They are meant to support a greener, circular economy. Only You Can Save Yourself urn:rumahpanjang:e27e38c514605a59 2026-10-26T02:52:41+00:00 Consumers Association of Penang The choices you make today shape the life you’ll live tomorrow. People can guide you, support you, and show you the way. But no one can take your steps for you. Doctors won’t make you healthy. Nutritionists won’t make you slim. Teachers won’t make you smart. Good Daily Reminders urn:rumahpanjang:0e7a543cd9a55299 2026-10-26T02:03:54+00:00 Consumers Association of Penang from Book Therapy Why six-year-olds are refusing to share a table urn:rumahpanjang:a497618c3bbe8714 2026-10-25T10:20:10+00:00 Aliran The recent issue of children refusing to sit with classmates of a different faith is rather troubling. Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin said a teacher approached him to say some primary school pupils had refused to sit with their Christian or Muslim classmates. Doctor’s death in Penang landslide demands answers urn:rumahpanjang:60d064f20f200e8d 2026-10-25T09:20:26+00:00 Aliran Sahabat Alam Malaysia is very shocked to learn about the death of a doctor following a landslide that happened in Paya Terubong today. As we know, the Paya Terubong area is very prone to landslides. It is also where massive hill-cutting is happening for a road project. Who protects workers from the haze? urn:rumahpanjang:c54b41ead927040c 2026-10-24T09:34:11+00:00 Aliran Charles Santiago Protection from the peat and forest fire smoke haze cannot stop at telling people in Malaysia to wear masks. Outdoor workers can spend eight hours or more exposed to polluted air. UN at 81: Where is the peace? urn:rumahpanjang:ad3bdebe7c5370d1 2026-10-24T03:05:19+00:00 Aliran M Santhananaban We are fortunate that our country remains an oasis of peace and stability. It offers a level of predictability and prosperity that attracts both foreign investors and workers. Revisiting the NEP: Let’s not re-invent a race-based policy urn:rumahpanjang:d0e050cbf00cc042 2026-10-24T02:08:19+00:00 Aliran “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds.” – Bob Marley, Redemption Song Emeritus Professor KS Jomo’s lecture ‘Revisiting the NEP After Half a Century’ in Petaling Jaya on 17 October, was a great chance to reflect on one of Malaysia’s… Can the attorney general crack the ‘corporate mafia’? urn:rumahpanjang:11f1db591c67f502 2026-10-23T22:35:03+00:00 Aliran The government has set up a taskforce led by the attorney general to probe alleged ‘corporate mafia’ activity, with a public report promised in three months. Why is voting important? urn:rumahpanjang:bb699d8d8b8a6640 2026-10-23T22:27:00+00:00 Aliran Voting is often seen as the cornerstone of democracy, giving ordinary people a say in who governs them and the direction their country takes. But what does it mean to participate in politics beyond casting a ballot every few years?