What narratives of the past do we carry with us that will shape our lives in the present and into the future?

IN today’s column I will attempt to argue that one way we can support nationhood is to reposition the arts as what they truly are: an endeavour of self-discovery, experience and cultural sharing, and a road towards intuitive creation.

I WAS exchanging WhatsApp messages in the middle of the night with my pastor friend, conversing about the political, economic and health challenges Malaysia is facing.

FRANKLY speaking, I am worried. I have been watching the goings on in this country intently and I have come to two worrying conclusions.

ON the eve of the historic date marking the formation of Malaysia, I want to share the story of a man who, to me, was a quintessential example of that generation of Malaysians who grew up before Sept 16,1963.

MALAYSIA, with her 39 ethnic groups, is a fragmented society. We live as strangers among ourselves, with the Semenanjung people not knowing and generally not caring to know our brethren in Sabah and Sarawak and vice versa.

It hurts when you’re made to feel like a stranger in your own country.

PANIC disorder is a debilitating mental health condition that you would not wish on your worst enemy.

Have you read a book recently by a Malaysian scholar that changed the way you think about the world?

IT IS universally accepted that every­­thing has an end. However, there is no broad agreement on what an “end” is and its form or nature.

When government buildings incorporate elements of representation, accessibility and accountability, people can better appreciate their true role and power in national politics.

IN today’s column, I want to talk about a little storybook by Enid Blyton that only now resounds deafeningly in my mind as an important contribution to the idea of nation-building.