Aliran Monthly, Vol 25 (2005): Issue 5

---

Please support our work by buying a copy of our print publication, Aliran Monthly, from your nearest news-stand. Better still take out a subscription now. If you prefer to read our web-based edition, please support our work and make a donation.

---

The cover story focuses on the Royal Commission report on the police. Aliran welcomes this unprecedented report and proposes the immediate implementation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission. We also call for the setting up of a �People�s Task Force� to monitor whether deadlines for the reform measures proposed by the Commission are kept.

Ramdas Tikamdas then delves into the nitty gritty of the report, highlighting some of the significant recommendations as well as shortcomings. We also carry an NGO joint statement endorsed by 38 groups calling for the government to carry out the recommendations promptly.

In our back cover story, Koon Yew Yin explains why there is a dearth of Class A bumiputera contractors. There is no short cut to the top, he says; hard work and the right experience is required. Over in the centrefold, Tan Sooi Beng explores the world of Orang Asli music, in particular the Akar Umbi musical collaboration, involving a ceremonial singer Mak Minah Anggong and two non-Orang Asli musicians.

John Hilley dissects the doublespeak of the mainstream media. Check out his glossary of terms often used in the media and what they really mean. Meanwhile, K Haridas responds to Johan Abdullah�s earlier piece on the proposed Inter-Religious Council, providing another perspective on the background to the controversy.

Amer Hamzah Arshad highlights the plight of refugee children who lack meaningful protection and are denied their basic rights to education and health. Finally, Wong Soak Koon connects us to another group whom we often take for granted - the taxi drivers in the capital - and looks at their everyday struggles to make ends meet.

Get your copy now! Available at leading bookshops and news-agents. Or better still, subscribe now.