Beyond the Ballot Box

The average age of members of Parliament in Malaysia is a staggering 52.4 years old. So, why would young people want to join politics? What motivates them?  In the second episode of Ones to Watch, we speak to Cassel Krishnan, Melaka DAPSY chief and a violin teacher on his journey into politics, and the challenges youth face in rising in party leadership.  Listen to the first episode here...

We're just a few days away from the Johor state election on the 11th of July. As Johor positions itself to become one of Malaysia's most important economic engines, with the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone aiming to attract major investments and high-value industries, questions are also being asked about who stands to benefit from that growth.  Will these investments translate into bett...

1.2 million youth became eligible voters when Malaysia lowered the voting age to 18 in 2019. As Malaysia enters another season of elections, are youth ready to step up to participate in national politics? Nurul Rifayah, a youth activist and Ahmed Faris, CEO of Impact Integrated, walk us through reflections on the past four years of youth in politics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

The big perennial problem in Malaysia is wages. A lot of Malaysians today feel they're working harder but not getting ahead—they're either experiencing stagnant incomes or finding themselves worse off than the generation before—because wages remain stubbornly low. Despite years of economic growth, many households continue to struggle with the rising cost of living, raising fundamental questions ab...

According to UNHCR, there are about 117 million asylum seekers worldwide as of 2025. In Malaysia, approximately 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers are registered with UNHCR, with estimates suggesting the actual number may be significantly higher. In past interviews, we’ve talked extensively about some of the challenges faced by refugees.  The truth is, whether we “like” them or not, so long...

Since the end of World War II, the world has been underpinned by a particular global economic system: Liberalism. This has solidified further since the end of the Cold War and has remained largely unchanged for decades. However, for various reasons that we will unpack throughout this conversation, that world is fading. So, amidst the increasingly fluid geopolitical landscape, will a different orde...

Many Malaysians are familiar with the story of how colonial powers used divide-and-rule policies to reshape Malayan society, creating ethnic and class structures whose effects continue to reverberate today.  But how should we understand our political and economic development post-independence?  How did neoliberalism reshape society? Why, despite decades of economic growth, do so many Mal...

An extensive new report by the criminal justice system reform NGO Hayat contends that Malaysia’s anti-drug framework has evolved into a system that often punishes low-level couriers who are deceived and manipulated rather than kingpins that run the show. It traces this problem to two key legal mechanisms: statutory presumptions in the Dangerous Drugs Act and the doctrine of wilful blindness. Toget...

The Strait of Hormuz has been blocked for a few months now, which has resulted in a global energy crisis. While some hope things will return to the way they were, many geopolitical experts think this is the new normal. So it's all the more reason for us to understand the conflict between Iran and the West at a deeper level. In his paper titled The Intimate Enmity: Iran and the West, Yin Shao Loong...

Dr Chee Soon Juan is one of Singapore’s most prominent opposition politicians and has served as secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) since 1993. Despite not having a seat in Parliament, Chee has spent decades advocating greater political pluralism, civil liberties, democratic reform, and stronger social welfare policies in Singapore. Like most in Singapore who choose to active...

Saul Takahashi is a Japanese human rights lawyer and academic known for his work on Palestine, international human rights law, and Islamophobia research. He served as Deputy Head of Office of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Occupied Palestine from March 2009 to May 2014. He’s currently a Non-resident Fellow at the Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies, University Mala...

Kami Orang Sini Juga is a mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research. This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth. In the 8th and final episode, we explore the rise of China as a global powerhouse and whether its soft power is...

Kami Orang Sini Juga is a mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research.  This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth. In the seventh episode, we unpack a bit of the history of one of the most well-organised far-right organi...

Kami Orang Sini Juga is a mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research.  This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth. In the sixth episode, we explore the key priorities of Malaysian-Chinese youth, including infrastructure...

Kami Orang Sini Juga is a mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research.  This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth. In the fifth episode, we unpack why young Malaysian Indians feel disconnected from politics in the countr...

Kami Orang Sini Juga is a mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research.  This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth. In the fourth episode, we unpack how young Malaysian Chinese relate to politics of the country, as well a...

Kami Orang Sini Juga is a mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research.  This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth. In the third episode, we unpack if Malaysian-Indians feel shortchanged by the education system, with Shal...

Kami Orang Sini Juga is a new mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research.  This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth. In the second episode, we explore what it means to be Malaysian-Chinese today — not just as an ethnic...

Kami Orang Sini Juga is a new mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research.  This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth. In this first episode, we provide an overview of the diversity within the Malaysian Indian community...

Gerakan Gabungan Anti-Imperialis or GEGAR is a progressive youth-led movement that aims to build a left-wing, multicultural, and transnational front in Malaysia against Zionism and U.S. imperialism. Since their formation in 2023, they’ve been organising and mobilising against U.S. interventionist aggression in the Global South, with a special focus on the liberation of Palestine.  We speak to...

Labour Day is observed every year on the 1st of May. It’s a holiday in most countries around the world and perhaps one of the most important ones. However, most of us don’t think about its significance and even take it for granted. Behind the holiday lies a legacy of protest, solidarity, and the ongoing fight for workers’ rights, even in here in Malaysia.  In this episode, we discuss the sign...

MPs skipping parliament has long been a problem in Malaysia. It’s not uncommon to turn on the TV to watch a parliamentary sitting and notice droves of empty seats. The most mind-boggling aspect is that an MP, which literally stands for Member of Parliament, can be absent from parliament for a period of six months before Parliament may – not must, but may – declare their seat vacant.  In respo...

In April, Palestinians observe two very important days. The first is Palestinian Children’s Day, which takes place on the 5th and was established in 1995 by the late Palestinian liberation activist and politician, Yasser Arafat, to highlight the rights and welfare of Palestinian children. April is also the month of Palestinian Prisoners Day to honour Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention...

Charles Hector is a Malaysian lawyer and prominent human rights advocate known for his long-standing activism on issues such as labour rights, migrant worker protection, and campaigning against the abolition of the ISA back in the day. He’s also been closely associated with civil society groups like Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (MADPET), frequently speaking out on legal, political,...

A Dialogue Across Civilisations: The Polis and the People by Tan Wah-Piow is a short work of political philosophy that stages an imagined conversation between major thinkers from different eras and traditions, including ancient Greek Philosopher, Socrates, revolutionary German thinker, Karl Marx to ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius. It explores enduring questions about justice, democracy, pow...