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THE year is finally drawing to a close, and what an eventful 2012 it’s been. From politics to crime and scandals, the year has not been short of tantalizing news pieces.
The year kicked off with terror in our own backyard, with a bomb exploding near the Jalan Duta Court complex, which left five injured.
The following month saw the historic televised debate between DAP leader Lim Guan Eng and MCA chief Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek, which sparked countless other debates online and in mamak shops nationwide.
KL was also rocked by mass protests, spearheaded by Bersih 3.0, which resulted in clashes between police and protesters in the heart of the city. The protest also generated controversy after it was alleged that Opposition leaders had sparked off the clash after instructing protesters to move into the cordoned-off Dataran Merdeka.
Subsequent months also saw the surface of claims of a relationship between Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal and actress Zahida Rafik.
The London Olympics also made headlines, with our athletes doing us proud. Shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei fought bravely but succumbed to his injuries as well as nemesis, China’s Lin Dan, in the men’s final, bagging a silver medal for his effort. Diver Pandelela Rinong sent Malaysians into fits of frenzy after her bronze-medal finish.
The Olympics saga didn’t end there though. Malaysians, always up for a bargain, also lined up in droves to redeem their free Baskin Robbins ice cream, courtesy of the ice cream makers and Media Prima, although Malaysia didn’t bag a gold medal, which was the deal.
PKR vice-president and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar also made a few headlines of her own, with her comments regarding freedom of religion for Malay Muslims setting tongues wagging later in the year. The appearance of an image resembling the Virgin Mary at the window of the Sime Darby Medical Centre also drew widespread attention, both locally and worldwide.
The year ended with the speculation over the fateful date 21.12.2012, the date in which the Mayan ancient calendar predicted would herald a new beginning, and widely interpreted as heralding the end of the world. The world has since moved on.
As such, to commemorate the end of another year in Malaysian news, Malaysian Digest has compiled our most-read stories of the month, according to our hits counter.
For those who missed the news, here are the highlights of the year that was, as selected by our readers:
January 2012
Kamal Ashnawi
World’s First Trillionaire and Future Emperor of Indonesia? Malaysian Digest caught up with Kamal Ashnawi, the self-proclaimed trillionaire who pricked the attention of many when he boasted that he planned to develop a ‘world-class petroleum industry hub’ in Malaysia. Claiming to be worth 5 trillion Euros (equivalent to RM20 trillion), that would have made him richer than Carlos Slim Helú, Mexican telco tycoon (touted) the world wealthiest man in 2011 by Forbes Magazine and number 23 in the world’s most powerful people.
The subsequent interview was nothing less than an eye-opener and provided plenty of insight into the mind of a man who, deluded or otherwise, truly believes that he was destined for great things.
Other News:
February 2012
While the televised debate between Lim Guan Eng and Chua Soi Lek provided observers with much cause for discussion, one person dismissed it as nothing more than fluff. Former MCA president and Pandan MP, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat slammed the debate as “lacking fresh ideas” and said it was just political posturing that contributed nothing to the Chinese community. He said the debate topic, which discusses the Chinese at a crossroads, lent nothing to help answer the question.
Other news:
March 2012
Yuri Fujikawa, Japan
Many would think that the questionable, scandal-ridden arena of politics is no place for beautiful women. Men would be pleasantly surprised that, occasionally, there are quite few incredibly stunning dames sashaying their way across Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara floor. Malaysian Digest’s compiled a list of the top 10 finest-looking women in politics today who backed up their brains with beauty, as well as a few who deserved a mention:
Other news:
April 2012
Many would think that the questionable, scandal-ridden arena of politics is no place for beautiful women. Men would be pleasantly surprised that, occasionally, there are quite few incredibly stunning dames sashaying their way across Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara floor. Malaysian Digest’s compiled a list of the top 10 finest-looking women in politics today who backed up their brains with beauty, as well aTongues were set a-wagging when news of a scandal emerged, allegedly involving Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal and beautiful actress Zahida Rafik.
The actress’ driver, Noor Azman Azemi, had claimed that Shafie had been involved in a relationship with the actress over the past few years.
He claimed that he was also hired by Shafie to keep tabs on the actress while he was away. He also claimed that Shafie would meet the actress in hotels in Kuala Lumpur every week and would later pass him between RM100,000 and RM200,000 to be banked into her account.
Noor Azman, who later resigned as her driver, said he lodged a police report to clear his name after Zahida accused him of fleeing with RM200,000.
The minister has since denied the reports and claimed that the claims were ill-intentioned and politically-motivated.
Other news:
May 2012
Bersih 3.0 was an event fraught with drama, from the build-up until the grandstand finish. Protesters clashed with cops, amidst a sea of tear gas; a police car was overturned by protesters, and numerous people arrested.
However, amidst all the thorns, several roses were present. From what was no doubt an extremely serious situation, Malaysian Digest picked out several head-turners among the many female participants of Bersih 3.0
Other news:
June 2012
There are companies that make millions, there are companies that make billions but then there are companies that make lots of billions dollars. Malaysian Digest presented a list of 10 giant companies which generated bilions. The lowest in the rank makes US$23 million dollars an hour, which translates to roughly US$550 million a day or US$380,000 dollars a minute. How does that compare to what you are getting annually?
Other news:
July 2012
The administrative capital of Putrajaya is usually devoid of drama, but that changed on July 9, when a couple, brandishing samurai swords and parang ran amok at the Prime Minister’s Office in Parcel B.
The man and woman had initially demanded to enter the PM’s office and when they were denied permission, produced the weapons. A police team arrived on the scene and tried to calm them down but to no avail.
When the two charged at them, police opened fire. The woman was shot in her left thigh, while the man, who was shot in the arm, later died from his injuries.
Witnesses claimed that the couple had loudly declared that they planned to “overthrow the government.”
The deceased, Khalil Afandi Abd Hamid, 46, is believed to have been mentally disturbed. His blog postings revealed that he was a religious deviant who had a skewed perspective on politics and social interaction. In his writings, he had also issued a warning on his impending attack, and blogged that he would embark on “a mission he would not return from.”
Other news:
August 2012
Datuk Lee Chong Wei may have lost the Olympic men’s badminton final, but the Malaysian public’s dream of scoring free ice-cream is still alive. Following his loss, Malaysians were left wondering whether the pledge by Media Prima and Baskin Robbins to provide a free scoop of ice cream for all Malaysians would materialize.
They needn’t have worried, for that promise was kept. As a result, thousands of Malaysians lined up gleefully across the nation to redeem their free ice cream, and bask in the glory of our Olympians’ silver and bronze medals.
Other news:
September 2012
In September, this was THE YouTube video that had Malaysians glued to their computer screens. The CCTV capture of a man roughing up his wife in their Ipoh boutique, plus her tearful plea for help on her Facebook account, left Malaysians furious with the man for his thug-like behaviour.
However, Malaysian Digest managed to track down the husband, Calven Chik, who relayed his side of the story. Admitting that he was wrong in laying his hands on her, he nevertheless provided an insight into the tumultuous relationship and reasons as to why the marriage was on a downward spiral even before the ugly incident.
Other news:
October 2012
No matter how liberal Malaysians think they are, sex remains a taboo subject and best discussed among close friends in hushed tones or in jest. As such, when National University of Singapore law scholar Alvin Tan Jye Yee, who is Malaysian, created a blog chronicling his sexual exploits with his girlfriend, the country took notice.
The blog even had videos of the couple in the act, and after much criticism, the lovebirds eventually took down the blog. However, they did promise their fans that could, in the future, create private videos to be shared only among those interested.
Other News:
November 2012
CROWD PULLER: The sighting of 'Mother Mary' on a panel window of the Sime Darby Medical Centre in Subang Jaya. Pix: Twitter
At first, it seemed like any other stain on a window. However, eagle-eyed observers soon realized that the shape at the Sime Darby Medical Centre was morphing into something unusual, and appeared to resemble the Virgin Mary.
This soon drew flocks of Christians, as well as curious onlookers, to view the image, which became a tourist attraction.
This led to Bishop Emeritus Anthony Selvanayagam to call on Catholics not to be overly anxious following the sighting.
The window pane was later given to a church in Klang.
Other news:
December 2012
HEARTLESS: Screenshots of the 32-year-old man cruelly assaulting the victim in the video clip that has been uploaded on Facebook.
Malaysians were horrified earlier this month when a YouTube video, depicting a man beating up a small child, began making its rounds on social networking sites.
The nine-minute clip, recorded in the living room of a house in Taman Intan, Kapar, showed a man verbally abusing the four-year-old before slapping the boy and sending him reeling.
The heavyset man also delivered more slaps, punches and even kicks to the boy, before picking him up and slamming him into the sofa.
It later emerged that the boy was from the man’s second wife’s first marriage. The person recording the video was believed to be the man’s first wife.
Thousands of viewers expressed outrage over the brutality and called for action to be taken against the man, as well as the person who recorded the video.
The 32-year-old man, who is a mechanic, was later arrested by police.
Other news:
- mD
Top 10 Richest Companies In The World 2012
Baskin Robbins: Free Ice-Cream Deal Still on Despite Chong Wei's Loss
'Sex Blog' Malaysian Student Prepared To Face Consequences
