The Simon Says Podcast

We saw the media broke the day after the conversation between billionaire Elon Musk and former President Trump went live in X for two hours. Many headlines from legacy media that followed the conversation were ones that were slanderous in nature where we see “Musk Interview Showed Trump Doesn’t Know How to Run Against Harris” or “The dumbest climate conversation of all time”. The truth is the lega...

In a recent news where the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, expressed his dismay over the backlash against the effort to bring in the injured Palestinians for medical treatment, we explored the power of social media platform in regulating contents. The minister of truth in Malaysia, who acts on behalf of Prime Minister Office, even demanded an apology from Meta on the grounds of removal...

Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, joins in the choruses of those who deemed the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh to mean the more moderate voice within Hamas is off the table. Whilst Anwar Ibrahim tries very hard to woo the religious conservatives with the Palestine Freedom Rally, many critics have accused him of exploiting the issue to score political points. Is he gainin...

In recent week, we saw an uproar in the internet when former President Trump questioned the racial identity of Vice President of United States, Kamala Harris. CNN reported that Donald Trump falsely suggests Kamala Harris ‘happened to turn Black’. Like CNN, BBC wrote, “Ms Harris is the first black and Asian-American vice-president, with Indian and Jamaican-born parents. She attended Howard Universi...

Recently, an AI image of “All Eyes on Rafah” surges on social media after what the cable news coined as “deadly Israeli airstrike killing dozens of civilians” based on reporting by Hamas-controlled local officials. Other alternative medias reported verified sources from IDF that strikes were conducted outside of designated humanitarian areas. Increasingly, we are seeing schism caused by media bias...

At the 4th week of hush money trial, Trump decried election interference upon arrival at a Manhattan courthouse. “I should be out campaigning now instead of sitting in a very cold courthouse all day long,” Trump told of the reporters outside the courtroom. “This is a Biden persecution. It’s election interference at a level that nobody in this country has ever seen before.” In this episode, we disc...

Of recent years, there is a voice from Sarawak which has pro-independence stirring but the results over the last few election cycles do not seem to support the rise of a strong call for independence. Drawing parallels from the contentious issues concerning Texas border security, we discuss with Michele on how Sarawak could demonstrate a strong identity yet bringing out the flavours of self-determi...

Some crypto enthusiasts intone the halving like a religious event with near mystical importance which relies on the hard-coded mining mechanics, whereas some detractors argued that it’s merely smoke and mirrors. But here’s the key thing - so many people look to government for solution in light of falling Ringgit, when the only way out for us is to take accountability and initiative for financial s...

In the era of misinformation, where we begin to hear terms such as digital leviathan, how do we navigate through the swampy media narrative? In this episode, we break down the process of dismantling the mainstream media narrative, and take a deep dive into the process of verification at source so that discernment arises to see through any political witch hunt.

Our special guest, David Tiang, made an appearance to discuss with our host, Simon Yeo, the decision delivered by Malaysian Federal Court where 16 provisions of offences in Kelantan Syariah Penal Code (1) Enactment 2019 are deemed to be void and not validly enforced in the state. 9 February 2024, the day which the decision was delivered, was hailed by the Kelantan ruling party Parti Islam SeMalays...

On 21 February 2024, we saw the demise of a notable longest serving head of state in Sarawak, former Governor and Chief Minister of Sarawak, Tun Taib Mahmud. Many obituaries were written; some coined him as the Father of Modern Sarawak, whilst others referred him as The Godfather of Sarawak. In this episode, we discuss the achievements and the controversies that followed thirty-three years of Taib...

Texas sued to stop federal agents from cutting the border wire, claiming trespass a tort and a violation of Administrative Procedure Act. In this episode, we talk about Texas, borders security, issues of self-determination, balance of power between federal vs state. Do leave a comment or email us at simon.says.podcast@protonmail.com

“The race is far from over,” said Nikki Haley after losing New Hampshire primary to Trump. In this episode, we discuss Donald J. Trump’s appeal and what we are not getting at? Trump represents a populist move that demands a shift away from global elite management. What MAGA movement brings about is a fresh take on “no taxation without representation”, which is a lesson that Malaysia could draw par...

Former President Donald J. Trump cruised to victory in the Iowa caucuses, and we see the world is having mixed emotions towards the victory and also the suspension of presidential campaign by Ron DeSantis. With the Iowa win, it is clear, at least to DeSantis, that “a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump a second chance.” Don’t miss out this episode where we discuss the m...

We learnt the lessons of 2023 and look forward to a brighter 2024 where we see more of these in Malaysia: 1. Self determination 2. Small government 3. Pursuit of happiness and necessity of flourishing Middle class

Despite Speaker McCarthy's shocking victory over the deep state by securing House passage of a 45-day stopgap bill to keep the government open and cut off funding for Ukraine, Rep. Matt Gaetz has filed a motion to vacate House Speaker to which he succeeded with the help of Democrats. While many Republicans think that McCarthy has been "rock solid" as a leader in the House, Matt Gaetz...

During his address for the Malaysia Day 2023 celebration here on Saturday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had hailed Sarawak as the nation’s “most advanced state”, underlining the remarkable strides that it has made since the birth of Malaysia. In a viral video, it was seen that Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg was humbled and bemused that the Prime Minister would request him to...

In the article titled "What Malaysia Day means to us" published by The Star, one particular comment aptly describes the confusion between Merdeka on 31 August and Malaysia Day on 16 September, where many thought the celebrations are interchangeable. "I personally wish we are educated more on the cultures, customs and experiences of people of Sabah and Sarawak. I feel it’s important...

Over the last week, many Malaysians have joined the bandwagon of those who have expressed great disappointment and even anger at Anwar and his unity government over Zahid’s DNAA. In this episode, we asked few questions to cause us to think beyond the confines of political games. 1. What are some of the constraints faced by the unity government? 2. Is PMX still the one? 3. Are we placing too much h...

We are seeing some feisty fisticuffs in a Trump-less Republican debate night. There were some interesting school kids moments of show of hands to see who would support former President Trump as the party’s choice if he is convicted in a court of law, and there were other moments where ChatGPT’s and Obama’s words were being regurgitated by one of the Republican candidates. We give you our post deba...

Previously, we discussed American Supreme Court case - Harvard / UNC decision at length whereby the Court reversed a 45 year old precedent on affirmative action on the ground that it violates the Constitution and the Civil Acts Act. In our discussion, our thoughts are frequently turned to the situation here back in Malaysia. We know very truly in the practical reality the existence of affirmation...

In this special episode to analyse the State Elections 2023 results, together with our special guest, David Tiang, we touch on several key issues, such as the legitimacy of Green wave, the Trump-like populist “Sanusi wave”, PAS’ clean sweep in Terengganu, super majority results in most of the 6 state elections, the irrelevance of UMNO, and what it means moving forward for Prime Minister Anwar Ibra...

We are just one day away from the polling day where the registered electors in Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu will be determining the fate of their state legislative assembly away from the general elections for the first time in history. Will Muda party, led by Syed Saddiq, tank in this state elections, or will they be successful in emerging as the third force to...

Martin Luther King said many years ago, when he said he had a dream…that someday, his children will be judged, not by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character. However, the victimhood and undealt trauma of the race-conscious generations have resulted in the progressive activism of social racism with government-imposed racism. Simply put, affirmative action in fact prolongs a...

In Thailand, we see the victorious emergence of 3rd force led by maverick Move Forward Party. The centre left party is mostly driven by youth movement. In this episode, we explore the viability of Muda contesting alone in the state polls, after being sidelined by Pakatan Harapan. Following the big support that Move Forward won from youth voters and the capital Bangkok, it seems like the Malaysian...