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Brave New World: Greatest Hits
Azmi Sharom may be best known for his law expertise and his intimate acquaintance with the Sedition Act, but as this collection shows, he has a lot more to talk about: faith, fear-mongering, football, and Flight of the Hamsters, for example.
Drawn from selected newspaper columns published between 2007 and 2015, these essays cover Merdeka, mob rule, and the path from one to the other. Azmi clears up the question of whether Malaysia is a secular or Islamic state, explains the role of the monarchy as determined by the Constitution, and outlines (perhaps a little wearily) how the introduction of simple concepts such as academic freedom and an independent police commission might actually be beneficial to everybody. Along the way, we’re invited to consider how history is taught to our youth, who’s responsible for landslides, and why we can’t all just unite against our common enemy, the Aedes mosquito.
The state of Malaysia today ensures that he’s never short of material, and he’s often scathing, frequently hilarious and consistently fair in his assessment of it.
The book comes with a free CD of two original songs by Azmi.
Azmi Sharom is an Associate Professor in a public university. He teaches Human Rights and Environmental Law. He has been writing articles for newspapers and magazines for many years, starting with comic reviews in the 90s and moving onto current affairs on an ad hoc basis from 2001 and then regularly from 2007. Currently he has regular columns in The Star and Sin Chew Jit Poh.
Drawn from selected newspaper columns published between 2007 and 2015, these essays cover Merdeka, mob rule, and the path from one to the other. Azmi clears up the question of whether Malaysia is a secular or Islamic state, explains the role of the monarchy as determined by the Constitution, and outlines (perhaps a little wearily) how the introduction of simple concepts such as academic freedom and an independent police commission might actually be beneficial to everybody. Along the way, we’re invited to consider how history is taught to our youth, who’s responsible for landslides, and why we can’t all just unite against our common enemy, the Aedes mosquito.
The state of Malaysia today ensures that he’s never short of material, and he’s often scathing, frequently hilarious and consistently fair in his assessment of it.
The book comes with a free CD of two original songs by Azmi.
Azmi Sharom is an Associate Professor in a public university. He teaches Human Rights and Environmental Law. He has been writing articles for newspapers and magazines for many years, starting with comic reviews in the 90s and moving onto current affairs on an ad hoc basis from 2001 and then regularly from 2007. Currently he has regular columns in The Star and Sin Chew Jit Poh.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 17, 2015
I have to be admit, I am already a fan of the Brave New World column- thus, biased towards purchasing this book.
The bonus (well, for me!) are the "intermission" articles. I thoroughly enjoyed these, and wish that post-retirement, Azmi would choose to go down the route of J.K. Rowling and the likes and make tonnes of money. God knows he needs it as a lowly paid academic.
So even if you've personally archived all of Azmi's writings, this is still a collection worth keeping and reading. I started reading this book on a 22-hour flight, thus have yet to listen to the CD (this review will be updated once I do). You'd agree and disagree; you'd be exasperated, you'd feel like going down to the streets rallying, you'd be disturbed enough to want to keep reading.
I personally hope that Associate Prof Azmi Sharom keep teaching and keep writing - and I look forward to that epic work of fiction one day.
The bonus (well, for me!) are the "intermission" articles. I thoroughly enjoyed these, and wish that post-retirement, Azmi would choose to go down the route of J.K. Rowling and the likes and make tonnes of money. God knows he needs it as a lowly paid academic.
So even if you've personally archived all of Azmi's writings, this is still a collection worth keeping and reading. I started reading this book on a 22-hour flight, thus have yet to listen to the CD (this review will be updated once I do). You'd agree and disagree; you'd be exasperated, you'd feel like going down to the streets rallying, you'd be disturbed enough to want to keep reading.
I personally hope that Associate Prof Azmi Sharom keep teaching and keep writing - and I look forward to that epic work of fiction one day.
October 21, 2024
This book contains a collection of the author's articles spanning the years 2007-2015, most of which being years where I was in primary school, and years where politics and local affairs were not matters I could comprehend nor was I interested to do so. (what a privilege that was)
That being said, this was a good way to get a brief background of the parts of our past that are too recent for the history books yet too far back that it would come up in casual conversation. I will say that it's convenient that the author's ideals align with my own since his news column was more of opinions on current affairs as opposed to straight to the point news. (I was unaware of his background and column, and found this book by chance at a secondhand bookshop). Someone with a different vision for Malaysia's future may review it very differently if they were to read this.
That being said, this was a good way to get a brief background of the parts of our past that are too recent for the history books yet too far back that it would come up in casual conversation. I will say that it's convenient that the author's ideals align with my own since his news column was more of opinions on current affairs as opposed to straight to the point news. (I was unaware of his background and column, and found this book by chance at a secondhand bookshop). Someone with a different vision for Malaysia's future may review it very differently if they were to read this.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews