Beyond the Ballot Box

On the 31st of August, Malaysia celebrates its 66th year of Independence. We have come a long way as a nation since 1957 – we have modernised, urbanised and even expanded human rights. However, questions still remain on what it means to be Malaysian, especially given how incredibly polarised we are across racial and religious lines.  We reflect on the nation’s past, present and future, with D...

National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang has said that The Rukun Negara pledge will now be recited with the reading of the preamble followed by the 5 principles, in every school and government programme.  This is interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly many Malaysians are not aware that there’s a preamble to the Rukun Negara, and have been under the impression that the Rukun Negara...

With the growing popularity of PAS and the Islamist movement in Malaysia, it is imperative now more than ever, for the unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to be a genuine alternative.  This alternative firstly, needs to be one that focuses on improving the material lives of regular working-class Malaysians, but also offers a cohesive vision of a Malaysian identity – a philoso...

Ethnonationalism, religious nationalism, neo-fascism and other forms of right-wing and ultra conservative populist movements are on the rise, in Malaysia and across the globe.  From the growing popularity of PAS and Perikatan Nasional in Malaysia, Narendra Modi and his Hindu Nationalist project in India, to strongman Donald Trump or the Evangelical Christians of the Republican Party in the US...

PRN 2023 took place last Saturday. The coalition comprising PH-BN retained Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, while Perikatan Nasional retained Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. While the big picture remains status quo, a closer look tells us that Perikatan Nasional did make gains.  We unpack the results with Francis Hutchinson, Senior Fellow of the Regional Economic Studies Programme &...

We’re only a few days away from PRN 2023, a series of state elections happening on the 12th of August, which is this Saturday. The states involved are Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah.  So, on today’s episode, we do a preview of the state elections and discuss some of the key themes and questions emerging on the road to PRN 2023.  Image Credit: Friko Keir...

The upcoming series of state elections will see a third force namely MUDA and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) come together to take on the two giants that are Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional. The move has been equally welcomed and criticised by members of the public, particularly on social media, as some say that they could play a pivotal role in shifting our nation’s discourse in a more prog...

The East is Green is a mini-series where we bring you stories from the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia (also known as the Malay Heartland) in hopes of painting a more nuanced picture of its people, culture and politics.  Politics in the east coast is a lot more dynamic than people often give them credit for and in this episode, we discuss the rivalries between the political parties that dom...

Apa Macam, ADUN? is a monthly series where we speak to a different Selangor state legislative assembly member each month about a plethora of issues affecting folks from Selangor.  This month’s episode centres around public and affordable housing. We speak to Rodziah Ismail, Former ADUN and Selangor State Exco Entrepreneur Development, Housing and Urban Wellbeing. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

The East is Green is a mini-series where we bring you stories from the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia (also known as the Malay Heartland) in hopes of painting a more nuanced picture of its people, culture and politics.  In this episode, we explore the arts scene of Kelantan & Terengganu and reflect on how they express themselves despite tight restrictions and conservatism, as well as h...

MUDA recently announced their decision to contest solo at the upcoming series of state elections that will be taking place in Selangor, Kedah, Terengganu, Kelantan, Penang and Negeri Sembilan. This means that the young party will go against both Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan. The move has been equally welcomed and criticised by members of the public, particularly on social media.  Wh...

The East is Green is a mini-series where we bring you stories from the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia (also known as the Malay Heartland) in hopes of painting a more nuanced picture of its people, culture and politics. In this episode, we speak to Mohd Syahiran Muhammad, Chief ABIM Kelantan about what young people in Kelantan and the east coast are thinking about when it comes to politics and t...

Charles Santiago, who’s a human rights defender and the former Klang MP for DAP, recently wrote a four-parter on Malaysiakini detailing modern-day slavery, forced labour, and abuse perpetrated against a group of migrant workers from Bangladesh. On today’s show, we go through the series of heartbreaking events experienced by these workers and also discuss what needs to be done so that this doesn’t...

The East is Green is a mini-series where we bring you stories from the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia (also known as the Malay Heartland) in hopes of painting a more nuanced picture of its people, culture and politics. In this episode, we get acquainted with DHPP - Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS, which is essentially PAS’ non-Muslim wing. We speak to Dr Balachandran Gopal Krishnan, advisor of Non...

MUDA has announced that it's going solo and will be contesting against not just Perikatan Nasional, but the Pakatan Harapan-led MADANI government pack, as well. The move has received mixed reactions on social media, with some saying it’s inevitable, some sending well wishes, while others have criticised and even trolled them.  But what does MUDA going solo tell us about our political landscap...

The East is Green is a mini-series where we bring you stories from the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia (also known as the Malay Heartland) in hopes of painting a more nuanced picture of its people, culture and politics. On the first episode, we reflect on our trip to Kelantan & Terengganu and also talk about the Malaysian Happiness Index.  Image Credit: Syahrin Abdul Aziz / Shutterstock...

We are at a critical juncture in politics right now. The rise of right-wing populism and post-truth narratives isn’t just a Malaysian problem but a global one. There’s also the Russia-Ukraine war, the refugee crisis and the climate crisis. And so, the push to strengthen democracy and the power of the people to build a more equitable society has never been more crucial.  Our guest on today’s e...

Terengganu can be considered one of the true swing states in the country. For decades now, the state has flipped between UMNO and PAS, with no political party managing to hold onto power for more than a term. In the run-up to the upcoming state elections, we speak to Dato’ Tengku Hassan Tengku Omar, Exco in Terengganu – Chairman, Terengganu State Committee For Trade, Industry, Regional Development...

We’ve all probably come across the term T20, M40 and B40. We’ve probably said “T20” in reference to the rich. But does this classification system accurately reflect financial realities on the ground and the imagination of the masses? Does it help the government provide subsidies to the right groups? The short answer is, not quite.   This is one of the reasons why Minister of Economy, Raf...

It is often said that state elections should focus on local issues, while parliamentary elections focus on national issues. However, the upcoming series of state elections looks to be huge, with both PN and the Unity Government side painting this as a test for Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership and popularity. On top of that, this election will be different from GE15, in terms of alliances heading into th...

Democracy, a term that resonates with notions of freedom, participation, and equality, lies at the heart of many political systems worldwide, at least in concept. But what does it actually mean? For many, democracy equals elections and the ability to cast a vote once every however many years. Others might consider that a problematic and reductive way of defining democracy. So, what is democracy? A...

Minister of Economy, Rafizi Ramli recently said that the government is looking in principle at the policy for a progressive wage system in Malaysia and the discussion and engagement process has begun with various stakeholders. The minister said this is in line with the 12th Malaysia Plan’s aim for the compensation of employees as a percentage of GDP to hit 40%, which is an increase of roughly 3-6%...

Xavier Justo is a name that might ring familiar to anyone who’s been following the 1MDB scandal closely. The former Swiss banker who worked for PetroSaudi obtained and leaked crucial documents to journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, which then unravelled a web of high-level corruption and kleptocracy involving high-ranking officials, including of course, disgraced former Prime Minister, Najib Razak.&...

Apa Macam, ADUN? is a monthly series where we speak to a different Selangor state legislative assembly member each month about a plethora of issues affecting folks from Selangor.  This episode is centred around party politics – the dynamics between unity government parties, seat negotiations and containing the much talked about “green wave.” We’re joined by YB Juwairiya Zulkifli, ADUN, Bukit...

There’s been a lot of debate and discussion surrounding that on social media recently. For example, when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the T20 income group will not benefit from electricity subsidies and haj financial assistance, some people cried foul, saying that the T20 already pay the highest taxes so surely they deserve the highest subsidies from the government too. Similar conv...