"...To me, he now looks more like an Umno hitman than an intellectual giant that he perhaps still regards himself to be.
From east to west, intellectuals - like anyone else - are yearning for recognition and some form of political influence, however aloof, transcendental or even angelic they perceive themselves to be.
Anthony Giddens was initially merely a prominent sociologist, but began to assume global fame when he agreed to be a political guru to Tony Blair with his Third Way theory.
And I need not mention those who jump instantly on the bandwagon at the sound of war.
From east to west, intellectuals - like anyone else - are yearning for recognition and some form of political influence, however aloof, transcendental or even angelic they perceive themselves to be.
Anthony Giddens was initially merely a prominent sociologist, but began to assume global fame when he agreed to be a political guru to Tony Blair with his Third Way theory.
And I need not mention those who jump instantly on the bandwagon at the sound of war.
But it is worth remembering that true intellectuals are - more often than not - found outside of the establishment.
As the late Edward Said once wrote: the real or true intellectual is always an outsider, living in self-imposed exile and on the margins of society.
Judging from this, those like Rais Yatim, Khoo Kay Kim and Chandra Muzaffar have not only betrayed their own ‘scholarship’, but also made themselves a national joke."
As the late Edward Said once wrote: the real or true intellectual is always an outsider, living in self-imposed exile and on the margins of society.
Judging from this, those like Rais Yatim, Khoo Kay Kim and Chandra Muzaffar have not only betrayed their own ‘scholarship’, but also made themselves a national joke."
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http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/200345
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