Beyond the Ballot Box

We’ve seen how many regions around the world still suffer from hunger despite there technically being enough food to feed everyone globally. We also see how food like pork or beef is sometimes weaponised in the culture wars to sow division between communities.  Dr Elaine Pratley is a peacebuilder who does interfaith and intercultural dialogue.  whose work explores how something as simple...

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the government will be tabling the Freedom of Information Act in Parliament by the end of this year. This is a highly anticipated piece of legislation that Civil Society Organisations (and even the Pakatan Harapan political coalition) have been pushing for, for a very long time. It is said to be an important game-changer in t...

There was a point where progressive forces in the country could organise and mobilise hundreds of thousands of people on a multicultural platform. We are of course talking about movements like BERSIH. But after the historic 2018 general election, when the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition was toppled for the first time in the nation’s history, everything changed. Progressive civil society organisa...

On the 9th of September 2025, tens of thousands of Nepalese people, led by Gen-Z students, took to the streets in anger against the establishment government. They stormed the Nepalese Federal Parliament building in Kathmandu and set it on fire. As of latest reports, sixty protestors, ten prisoners and three police officers died during the demonstrations. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli of the ruli...

A new report by the Datum Initiative and ARROW – Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women examines the systemic barriers faced by women with disabilities in Malaysia, particularly around sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Some of the findings published are shocking.  So, on today’s episode, I’m going to be unpacking the report with its co-authors, Dr Benjamin Loh, D...

The ISA, a draconian law that enabled detention without trial, was used in Malaysia for decades, most notoriously during the infamous Ops Lalang in 1987. But in 2012, it was finally abolished after years of public pressure and grassroots organising. We speak with Nalini Elumalai, one of the key coordinators of the Gerakan Mansuh ISA rally in the mid-2000s, about the long struggle to end the law, t...

We have often heard about the role the elite mainstream political actors played in Malaysia’s independence struggle. But the reality is much more nuanced. Our independence is also a story about grassroots organising and resistance among workers, students, feminist groups and more. Which is exactly what the exhibition called Seeds of Resistance: Journey Towards Independence is all about. The exhibi...

If one wishes to understand how gender, power, and economic development intersect in shaping women’s lives and choices, and how women — particularly women in the Global South — renegotiate patriarchal structures in households, communities, and labor markets, look no further than Naila Kabeer. Professor Dr Naila Kabeer is a British-Bangladeshi feminist economist and an Emeritus Professor of Gender...

As we approach the three-year mark since the formation of the MADANI government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, questions arise about what has been accomplished economically, the country’s trajectory and what the PM’s legacy will ultimately be.  Dr Geoffrey Williams has been exploring these very issues in his series of articles on Free Malaysia Today titled Creating Anwar’s Leg...

If you’ve been to a youth-led progressive protest or rally recently, chances are you may have seen student activist Alyaah Hani on the frontlines. As the coordinator of Liga Mahasiswa, she has been a vocal critic of student debt, academic restrictions, and state repression. Recently summoned under Section 509 of the Penal Code for her role in an anti-corruption rally, Alyaah speaks about the risks...

Malaysia is one of the few countries in the world that has attained parity across genders at the tertiary education level. In Malaysia, women make up about 52% of tertiary education enrolment, compared to 48% men, meaning women slightly outnumber men at this level. So, why, despite this, does women’s participation in politics remain incredibly low? According to the folks behind KRYSS Network, one...

According to estimates, there are around 4-6 million migrant workers in Malaysia, both documented and undocumented combined. There are also approximately 300 000 - 400 000 refugees in the country. They have limited labour rights and protections and hence are regular targets of exploitation, often receiving poor wages and forced to live in horrible conditions. What’s also interesting is that despit...

Education of Ethnic Minorities: The Case of Indians in Malaysia by Dr Santhiram Raman examines how the Malaysian education system shapes the experiences and outcomes of the Indian minority, with a focus on students from Tamil-language primary schools. The book dives into some of the benefits of this school system, but also the historical marginalization, structural inequalities, and school environ...

If you’ve walked around your city, chances are you may have seen people skateboarding off the rails outside a shopping mall or doing parkour on a dingy rooftop of an abandoned building, or perhaps even kicking around a ball in an alleyway turned into a makeshift futsal court. But what do these activities tell us about urban culture? Do they reveal anything about politics? And is there anything urb...

We have often talked about the rise of right-wing populism with fascist tendencies across the world. From US President Donald Trump to Nigel Farage and the Reform Party UK, Marine Le Pen in France to the AFD in Germany, political parties and leaders that are proudly anti-democratic, espousing hatred for ethnic, religious or sexual minorities, and scapegoating migrants and refugees have gone from t...

Khalsa Aid International is a humanitarian relief organisation based in the UK. It was founded in 1999 by Ravi Singh based on the Sikh principle of Sarbat da Bhala – the wellbeing of all. Today, this cross-border humanitarian agency operates across six continents and have done work in many conflict zones such as Iraq and Ukraine to natural disasters including the Türkiye earthquakes and Pakistan f...

The 27th National Congress of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) was held in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, from July 25th to 27th. The congress, themed "Kuasa Ketiga, Kuasa Kita" was attended by around 150 delegates. In this episode, we speak with Arveent Kathirchelvan, who’s a Central Committee Member and Coordinator of the Policy Research Bureau of PSM. We discuss some of the key motions they passed at their...

Katrina Leclerc is an award‑winning peacebuilder, researcher, and advocate who specializes in the intersection of Women, Peace & Security (WPS) . She serves as a respected expert advisor to governments, UN agencies, and civil society, supporting inclusive peace policy development and implementation across multiple regions and countries, including in Congo, Kenya, Lebanon, Rwanda and more. She...

It’s been 16 years since Teoh Beng Hock’s passing. Beng Hock was the political aide to an elected representative from the DAP, who was found dead after overnight questioning by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in 2009, sparking public outrage and ongoing allegations of foul play. Today, justice is yet to be served. Last week, the MACC issued a public apology to Teoh’s family. This w...

Malaysian ethnic Indians make up less than 7% of the country’s population — but this small community is disproportionately represented in some of the country’s most troubling statistics. Indians form a shockingly high percentage of the prison population, face persistent income and wealth gaps—both between ethnic groups and within their own community—and continue to grapple with access to quality e...

It’s been 70 years since the first General Elections in Malaya in 1955, and 61 years since we voted for the first time as a new nation called Malaysia in 1964. From the era of one-party dominance under the Alliance and then Barisan Nasional, to the historic change of government in 2018, our electoral journey has been an incredible one. In that time, we’ve gone from a nation that didn’t think it wa...

In GE15, the surge of Malay youth support for Perikatan Nasional sparked narratives about a rising “green” or “theocratic wave” and urgent questions about the shifting political attitudes of younger Malays. Many were quick to blame the election outcome on the lowering of the voting age and even went as far as calling the constitutional amendment a mistake. But these narratives are simplistic and d...

Tess Ingram is a spokesperson with UNICEF who has been on the frontlines of some of the most urgent crises in North Africa and the Middle East, including the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza due to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinians carried out by the State of Israel. In 2024, while attempting to deliver life-saving aid to the North of Gaza, she was inside a clearly marked UNICEF convoy that...

Dr Peter Slezak is a Jewish Australian academic and outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights. He’s a member of the Council of Advisers at the Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies at Universiti Malaya and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network.  He’s also an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of New South Wales, Australia. For decades, he has used his platform and promi...

Invisible People by Jean Ho is an animated documentary series that shines light on the lives and struggles of people on the margins of society, namely the stateless and refugees. Through short interviews with people from the impacted communities, activists and academics, the series explores themes of identity, belonging, and systemic neglect, while also highlighting the resilience and dignity of t...