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YOURSAY | ‘We need voices like Haris – principled and resolute…’ We can’t build a nation on lies, says Haris Ibrahim Haris is always Malaysian first, no thought of selling out BobbyO: Activist Haris Ibrahim, nothing is hidden. Go to any politician’s home and you will see a mansion and a fleet of luxury cars. They and their children travel to all four corners of the world. Perhaps except for these past two years. You have tried your best to awaken Malaysians, together with many more who have continuously written and spoken about what is wrong with this nation. It is all because the politicians … Continue reading “YOURSAY | Haris Ibrahim – a rare gem among the Malays”

Serving as the mascot of a world-renowned conservation organization, building diplomatic relationships between China and the world, playing protagonists in blockbuster movies — giant pandas have done it all. The public attention and adulation these animals garner make them star attractions at zoos and have helped pump billions into tailor-made conservation programs that have successfully brought the species back from the verge of extinction. “They hit the lottery,” says Willam J. McShea, a wildlife ecologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute who has studied giant pandas (Ailuro… Continue reading “Lessons from panda conservation could help Asia’s other, overlooked, bears”

RAJA AMPAT, Indonesia — Esterlita Jabu says she still remembers the gut-wrenching horror of hearing explosions from blast fishers near the beach where she played as a child with her friends. “Not only you could hear it, but also you could feel the vibrations,” she tells Mongabay during a visit to her village on the island of Mutus in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago. Today, 33-year-old Esterlita is a member of the island’s community volunteer group that patrols the waters for illegal and destructive fishing. Methods such as blast fishing and cyanide fishing flourished in the waters of Raja A… Continue reading “Fisher groups are the marine militia in Indonesia’s war on illegal fishing”