DESIGNING effective public policies in Malaysia is often a thankless job. I spent 10 years in government, intermittently, and one thing I realised pretty early on is that while a lot of effort is made to craft good public policies, it is almost never appreciated.

Last week, Malaysians were rocked by an interview given by the princess of the Reformasi movement to a Singaporean newspaper.

They say marriages are made in heaven, and that is exactly what PAS and Umno leaders said this week when they “consummated” their cooperation with a formal alliance they termed a “marriage.”

IT promised to be an interesting by-election, and Cameron Highlands did not disappoint.

Bridging the urban-rural divide is no easy task but nevertheless, one that must be carried out.