Beyond the Ballot Box

Over the past decade or so far-right parties and leaders have moved from the fringes to the forefront of global politics. Figures like Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Giorgia Meloni, Narendra Modi and the BJP, Nigel Farage in the UK, AFD in Germany and more who’s views were once seen as outliers or shrugged off altogether, now command mass followings, win elections and shape global political discours...

Budget 2027 will be tabled in Parliament this Friday. In the lead-up to it, former Klang MP Charles Santiago who also runs the think tank Monitoring Sustainability of Globalization (MSN), has been calling for the government to put household prosperity at the centre of its economic policy with stronger wages, social protection and action on the cost of living. He argues that economic growth means l...

We’re living through a period of enormous uncertainty. Great power tensions are rising, from the US and China to Russia and Europe. The climate is warming, bringing more extreme heat, floods and disruption. And AI is developing at a pace that has left even the people building these systems debating where all of this could ultimately lead. And perhaps what makes all three particularly frightening i...

Across Asia-Pacific, women continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid care work. The situation is becoming increasingly challenging as societies age, birth rates decline, and demand for elderly care grows. These pressures are further compounded by migration, the climate crisis, and rising economic insecurity, all of which are reshaping care needs across the region. The economic implic...

Red Tiger: Practical Socialism in Malaysia is a new book by Arveent Kathirtchelvan. In it he argues that Malaysia's problems aren't simply the result of bad politicians and that things such as low wages, inequality, and concentrated economic power are connected to the underlying logic of capitalism itself. So the question isn't merely "How do we make the current system work better?" but "What woul...

Malaysia is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. Like much of the world, it is also a nation-state deeply embedded in the global capitalist economy, shaped by decades of neoliberalism and privatisation. At the same time, Malaysia has universal public healthcare, a large public education system and a significant state-owned sector through government-linked companies. So, what do...

It's a wrap! The Ones to Watch series has heard the journey and stories of 10 young politicians wanting to make Malaysia a better place. To discuss how youth enter and rise in political parties, we speak with Dashran Yohan of BFM89.9 and Iskandar Fareez, National Vice Chief of DAPSY, who react and reflect to clips from different interviews. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Nadira Ilana is a Sabahan filmmaker, activist and storyteller. Born and raised in Sabah, she has spent years documenting stories that often sit outside the dominant national narrative, tackling questions of memory, identity and nation-building from the Sabahan perspective.  In conjunction with Malaysia Day, we speak to Nadira about Malaysia from a Bornean perspective. We talk about her person...

Every minister in Putrajaya has a private secretary, a press officer, and a special officer. Many of these officers go on to become politicians themselves. To examine how young political actors learn the ropes, we speak to Loh Ker Chean, National Vice Chief of Wanita KEADILAN and Special Functions Officer to the Minister of Education.  Image Credit: Loh Ker Chean Facebook See omnystudio.com/l...

The global order is shifting, with the dominance of the US being challenged by a rising China and a more multipolar world taking shape. For Southeast Asia, these changes bring both opportunities and risks: ASEAN is attracting investment as companies diversify their supply chains, but many countries remain heavily dependent on foreign capital, low wages and competition with their neighbours. So is...

The Sarawak State Assembly is predicted to be dissolved this year, paving way for the 13th Sarawak general elections. Amidst the talk of seats and the redelineation of boundaries, where do youth fit in the larger picture of Sarawakian politics? We speak to Deborah Dris, former Press Secretary to the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, and Committee member of Parti Pesaka Bumiputer...

Sepucuk Surat, Sebuah Episod is a new book by Raja Ahmad Aminullah, a writer, poet and cultural activist. The book documents a particular episode from around 25 years ago through personal letters, petitions and the writer’s own recollections, involving several prominent Malaysians including Anwar Ibrahim. In this episode, we speak  to Raja Ahmad about the book and why these letters are worth...

In an increasingly fragmented political space where identity politics rule, what do progressives need to do in order to win? We speak to Fadhli Umar Aminolhuda of Pemuda Amanah to discuss the GE15 green wave and what progressive Muslims need to do in order to turn the tide. Image Credit: Fadhli Umar Aminolhuda Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian Indian Congress won all four seats it contested in the recent Johor elections, with its youngest newly minted ADUN only 29 years old. For a party almost wiped off the electoral map in 2018, can it be revived? We speak to Dr Shatesh Kumar, National Chief of Putera MIC, if youth can play that part. Image Credit: Dr Shatesh Kumar Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

Since the end of World War II, but particularly since the end of the cold war, much of the world has used GDP or Gross Domestic Product to measure economic health and progress. However, the past several decades show us that economic growth doesn’t necessarily translate into an economy that delivers for the people. We are, after all, in an era where wealth inequality is at the highest it's ever bee...

Most youth who run for elections will lose their first try. Why do some candidates keep trying, while some others exit politics? We speak to Rashifa Aljunied, who placed third as MUDA's candidate in Puteri Wangsa in the recent Johor state elections on her journey and why she's continuing her political ambitions. Image Credit: Rashifa Aljunied Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Following a series of electoral defeats in Sabah, Johor and most recently Negeri Sembilan, questions are being asked about the future and direction of Pakatan Harapan, including what they’ve been doing wrong and what needs to be done moving forward. In a recent post, Rajiv Rishyakaran, DAP member and ADUN for Bukit Gasing, argued that PH needs to define its core purpose and develop a stronger poli...

Our student movements have fed our parties for generations, from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of UM and ABIM to Adam Adli, who now sits in Cabinet. But every activist who makes that crossing faces the same question. Do you change politics, or does politics change you? We speak to Zaim Zulkifli, member and campaigner for Parti Bersama who currently sits right at that crossing. Listen to the rest of...

One of the big stories coming out of Pakatan Harapan’s defeat in the recent Negeri Sembilan state elections is the loss of DAP’s secretary general, Anthony Loke, in the Chennah seat. He first won the seat in 2013 from Barisan Nasional’s MCA and, after 13 years, lost the seat to MCA again. In light of this defeat, yesterday, in a press conference, Loke announced that he will be stepping down as the...

How does a youth member rise to leadership within a political party? What is the ladder? Who holds it? And how long is the climb? We speak to Azman Azeez, Exco of Pemuda UMNO Malaysia in charge of leadership and membership development, to learn how our oldest party recruits its young talent. Image Credit: UMNO Online See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Selangor state government has announced a free breakfast programme for schoolchildren, which is scheduled to begin in August. It is aimed at ensuring students have access to nutritious meals before they begin their school day with a target of reaching 120,000 pupils in 965 schools.  Former Klang MP Charles Santiago has argued that the initiative should not be limited to Selangor, but expa...

City councillors are the unsung champions of local politics, covering a wide range of jurisdictions such as infrastructure and development. Is serving the community a good first step into national politics for youth? We speak to Nalina Nair, Petaling Jaya City Councillor and Publicity Secretary for DAP Women Selangor on the viability of councillors as a pathway into politics. Image Credit: Nalina...

Gandipan Nantha Gopalan, Central Committee Member, Parti Sosialis Malaysia Description: Socialism has been gaining renewed attention around the world. In the English-speaking world, figures like Zohran Mamdani in the US and Zack Polanski in the UK have brought socialist ideas back into mainstream political conversations. At the same time, there are growing calls for higher taxes on the wealthy and...

A social media arena can make or break a political party’s success in modern elections. However, is going viral enough to make a breakthrough in Malaysian politics? Na’Im Brundage, Exco of ARMADA, which is Bersatu’s youth wing and TikTok influencer, shares his journey from content creator to political maverick.  Image Credit: Na'Im Brundage Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Reluctant Capital: Essays on Kuala Lumpur is a new book which explores how KL and the Klang Valley has grown into a modern capital while grappling with deep social, political, and economic tensions. Through a series of essays combining urban theory with on-the-ground research, author Badrul Hisham Ismail examines how neoliberalism, government-controlled development and Malaysia's ethnic politics h...