Current Affairs

Findings from Pemandu's  recent crime perception survey, which showed a drop in Malaysians' fear of crime from January to May this year, has been called into question, as critics say it is not representative of the general populace.

Professor Dr P Sundramoothy, criminologist and associate professor of the School of Social Sciences in Universiti Sains Malaysia, shares his views on Pemandu's survey, why Malaysians' perception of crime is high, and how the police force and crime prosecution process affects public perception of crime.

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Following last week's riots in the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to explore ways to halt the use of social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and BlackBerry Messenger if these were being used to plot "violence, disorder and criminality". All three have been implicated in rioters' ability to communicate since the violence began in London on August 6th.

The British Government, along with its intelligence agencies MI5 and GCHQ, are in talks with mobile phone companies and Internet service providers about how they might prevent gang leaders from co-ordinating looting raids using social media.

So is social networking technology really to blame for the UK riots?

Ben Eltham, Melbourner-based writer,  journalist & fellow at the Centre for Policy Development in Australia discusses Cameron's clampdown on social media, and if he really can rein in rioters by turning off Twitter, Facebook & BBM.

Eltham says the riots were caused by a number if factors and to blame it simply on social media is "simplistic". Also he thinks implementating a social-media ban is fraught with technical difficulty -- short of putting in place some "draconian measures", it will be very difficult for the British government to control social networking technology.

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The recent Norway bombing and shooting incidents have brought to the world's attention, the multiculturalism issue in Europe and other parts of the world. Anna Halafoff, lecturer at the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University Australia, says that globalisation inevitably results in a movement of cultures and religious groups worldwide. She believes that multiculturalism issues happen when minority groups feel threatened by new diversity in their communities, and desire to return to a monoculture identity. This also leads to the rise of right-wing, extremist groups, particularly in Europe.

Multiculturalism is also a bigger issue in Europe, where national identity is more entrenched in nation states, compared to a younger country such as Australia, she adds.

Halafoff says that the rise of conservative poltical, religious movements and narrow nationalism in the 1990s is a backlash to the growing openness toward accepting cultural minorities in the 1970s and 1980s. This was evident not just in the Netherlands but in younger nations like Australia as well, which was under the leadership of John Howard, she says. Political leaders play a vital role as they have the potential to fuel anti-multiculturalism sentiment, as well as to douse it.

In the interview, Halafoff talks about why nations face issues when it comes to multiculturalism, the role of politicians in dealing with multiculturalism as well as drawing the line between preserving national identiy and embracing multiculturalism.

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Thirty-four traders and shoplot owners along Jalan Sultan and Jalan Petaling, or Chinatown, received acquisition notices last week from the government, to make way for the Klang Valley MRT project.

Conservation architect Lim Take Bane talks about why an MRT project is usually preferred over railway links above ground, why he thinks the acquisition of the 34 units is unneccesary as well as suggestions for an alternative route.

Badan Warisan Malaysia executive director Elizabeth Cardosa then shares her views on Chinatown's worth as an important fabric of Malaysian heritage, why Malaysians should preserve it and what the government can do to conserve heritage buildings in Malaysia.

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Every country must decide for itself whether nuclear energy is the best option to meet its needs, as nuclear is not for everyone, says Professor Frederick Best, associate professor in nuclear engineering at Texas A&M University in the US.  

While nuclear has its pros -- no greenhouse gas emissions, a more stable cost structure and less pollution from coal -- countries should consider whether it can generate energy from natural renewable resources or whether there is a big enough electrical demand to make nuclear investments worthwhile. 

The development of a nuclear industry in Malaysia will also result in spillover benefits, such as the development of education and talent in engineering and health physics, says Best. He also comments on Malaysia's proposed nuclear plans, the Fukushima disaster's impact on the nuclear industry, and what is needed to launch a successful nuclear programme.

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Aidan Manktelow, senior economist and editor at The Economist Intelligence Unit, believes that the Asian markets' negative performance following the S&P downgrade of the US credit rating is due to various factors, and not solely because of the downgrade. The European debt crisis is to blame as well, he says, adding that France is likely to be downgraded soon. Manktelow says that it is unlikely that Chinese yuan will take the place of the US dollar as the global foreign reserve currency anytime soon.

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It is not unusual for oil and gas net exporters to import LNG, says Thomas Hogue, Asia oil editor of Platts Singapore. Hogue says that Petronas will continue to import for a long time to meet the increasing demand for energy, which cannot be fulfiled using renewable energy sources alone. Commenting on the S&P downgrade of the US credit rating,  Hogue says that the move was a trigger point in the drop of crude oil prices in the following week, but not the sole cause. Prices were already on a downward trend prior to news of the S&P downgrade due to volatile markets, he says.

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Syahredzan Johan, the Chairman of the Constitutional Law Committee of the Bar Council tells whether Chan Lilian's twitter remarks could be considered seditious. The police had raided the Penang Chief Minister's home after receiving a complaint about her remarks: "I think all Christians should march for all the persecution they had done to us and our Lord”.

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