Tag: Racial politics

The Story: In Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the midst of protests, riots, and looting, Friday morning, Minnesota state troopers arrested a three-person CNN news crew, including...

null On Saturday, after a 14-day campaign period, Barisan Nasional’s candidate – Zakaria Hanafi of the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) – won the seat for Semenyih, a state constituency in Selangor, by 1,914 votes. He beat the Pakatan Harapan candidate – Muhammad Aiman Zanali of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) – and two independents. Mahathir’s ruling coalition loses seat in Malaysia by-election His victory meant Semenyih, about 20km from Kuala Lumpur, became the first constituency to have been flipped by the Barisan Nasional since the Pakatan Harapan toppled it from power in May after more than six decades of uninterrupted rule. “In [the last elections], Barisan and PAS won a total of 46.43 per cent of votes, while Pakatan Harapan won with 50.76 per cent. In the by-election, Barisan backed by PAS won 50.44 per cent while Pakatan won only 45.56 per cent. In May, the Barisan Nasional lost the seat to Pakatan Harapan’s Bakhtiar Mohd Nor, who won with a majority of almost 9,000 votes. Although this is not Barisan’s first post-election victory (it retained the seat of Cameron Highlands in another by-election in January), observers say Semenyih is one of the most telling by-elections since the Pakatan Harapan took over. Although Pakatan Harapan managed to retain most of the ethnic Indian and Chinese vote – the other two main racial groups in Malaysia – it yielded the Malay vote, which is about 68 per cent of the constituency. “There is clearly unrest about how Pakatan is governing, both in terms of the economy and the unnecessary provocation of the Malay sentiment,” said Shahril, of Umno Youth, adding that the victory boded well for future Umno-PAS cooperation. Religion, race, politics: what’s causing Malaysia’s great divide?

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation on the US Supreme Court is a major accomplishment. (Oct. 10) AP With nerves still raw from the wrenching confirmation process of now Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, speculation whirls regarding what the political implications will be. What might these two black senators tell us about the direction of racial politics in the country? Both, in my view, point to a core redefining of the black presence in the Democratic Party. Whereas 41 percent of Americans describe themselves as "born again" or evangelical, 61 of blacks do. But the movement of Democrats farther left, highlighted by the divisiveness of the Kavanaugh hearings, could be a watershed in racial politics. Booker and Harris are rooted more in Democratic Party progressivism than the traditional concerns of black Democrats. It is this kind of perversion of justice, displacing facts with prejudice and claims, that has historically been used to persecute blacks — particularly sexual assault claims leveled against black men. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, is exactly what they don't need. And more and more black Americans are beginning to understand this.

What might these two black senators tell us about the direction of racial politics in the country? Both, in my view, point to a core redefining of the black presence in the Democratic Party. Whereas 41 percent of Americans describe themselves as "born again" or evangelical, 61 of blacks do. Thirty-three percent of Americans say they attend church once per week. But the movement of Democrats farther left, highlighted by the divisiveness of the Kavanaugh hearings, could be a watershed in racial politics. Booker and Harris are rooted more in Democratic Party progressivism than the traditional concerns of black Democrats. It was about carrying out the law based on facts rather than unsubstantiated claims by interested parties. It is this kind of perversion of justice, displacing facts with prejudice and claims, that has historically been used to persecute blacks -- particularly sexual assault claims leveled against black men. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, is exactly what they don't need. And more and more black Americans are beginning to understand this.

Surely I must be mistaken. Nothing about me would indicate a steadfast interest in a niche collection of vintage boxing cards from the late 1800s and beyond. The trading cards on display are straightforward, commercial depictions of boxing champions from the 1880s. There are essentially two poses these boxers take: crossed arms or in the guard position. Otherwise, the artist has cropped the illustrated portrait below the collarbones of these oft-mustachioed men. Nearly a century before these trading cards were produced British caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson created a series of prints called, “Six Stages of Marring a Face” (1792), which combined the visual motifs of a boxing beatdown (bruises, gashes, etc.) As Lady Archer squeezes, primps, and plumps, we see gestures strangely akin to the nearby boxer’s. In the corner of the Met’s exhibition are three nearly identical portraits from the 1780s, the first of which displays boxing champion Richard Humphreys while the last two showcase Daniel Mendoza. Depicting opposing black and white boxers, it is clear that Gericault is foregrounding an aesthetic decision to heighten the monochromatic qualities of his lithograph by exploiting the racial politics of boxing. On the Ropes: Vintage Boxing Cards from the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection continues at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan) through October 21.

Mr Mohd Rosdy, who said he switched support from UMNO to the new Pakatan Harapan government because UMNO was seen as preserving its self-interests over the needs of Malays, added: “We hold the key to which government takes charge. They also claimed that Pakatan was controlled by DAP and a vote for Pakatan would therefore undermine the special place of Malays in the country. “I notice Dr Mahathir is actually only being used by DAP to divide the Malay votes, as if DAP is good to the Malays,” he said. There was little to no canvassing of non-Malay votes by him and the BN leadership, except by component parties Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). The observers noted that Dr Mahathir’s leadership of the Pakatan pact also made it easier for Malay voters to switch over from BN. “People are still harping about education, these rights and those rights. The only thing left for us is that the Malays continue to govern this country. But DAP will clearly not be the dominant party in Pakatan alongside three other largely Malay parties - Dr Mahathir's Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, Mr Anwar Ibrahim's Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the Parti Amanah Negara led by new defence minister Mohamad Sabu. “It’s very comprehensive and we all signed this thing ... the DAP signed this.” Taking a swipe at BN, he added: “I would like to emphasise the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Malaysian Indian Congress did not sign.” Ms Tricia Yeoh, an expert in Malaysian politics from the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, said that any move away from racial politics will be a slow one, owing to the Malay community’s insecurities which have been exacerbated by economic loss brought on by the rising cost of living. Then Malaysia might move beyond racial politics.”