Beyond the Ballot Box

Global Communications firm, Edelman recently released their annual Trust Barometer. The Trust Barometer measures the level of trust and credibility that people have in various institutions, such as governments, businesses, media, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).  Unsurprisingly, the survey found that Malaysians, like the rest of the globe are highly worried about their economic futu...

What does it mean to be a Malaysian urbanite in 2023? It’s about celebrating diverse cultures, one’s love for nasi lemak and of course, complaining and crying about our daily commute. The roads are always congested and unless you’re staying in specific areas in the Klang Valley, you’ll have no choice but to own a car and brave through the traffic every day. Heck, even if you are living in specific...

Last weekend, the inaugural Unity Government National Convention was held at World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur. A running theme from the unity government’s national conference was that of unity and cooperation between former rivals. A lot was also said about history and how never in a million years would any Pakatan Harapan politician have thought they would be giving speeches in the UMNO fortress....

When Dr Bridget Welsh who’s a political scientist and an Honorary Research Associate with the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia (UoNARI-M), previously joined us on the show, we unpacked a series of articles she had written for Malaysiakini, analysing ethnic voting patterns of GE15 . She recently penned another series of articles, this time looking at GE15 voting patterns be...

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) recently released their 2022 human rights report. In we will be taking a look at the various human rights violations that have occurred throughout the year, here in Malaysia, and look at the changes that should happen in 2023. Image Credit: SUARAM See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this week. Founded in 1998 by a group of social activists, PSM has been an important left-wing voice in Malaysian politics, advocating for social justice, workers rights, the expansion of democracy and most importantly, an equitable and classless society. It is a party that explicitly anchors its politics on class struggle. They’re...

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 congestion, public transportation and last-mile connectivity. But since we’re on the road to the Selangor State elections, we dive into that, as well. We’re joined by Rajiv Rishyakaran...

Dr Sharifah Munirah Alatas is a retired academician who believes that universities should be a hub for political discourse and a place to liberate minds. However, this cannot be truly achieved so long as UUCA (or AUKU) – Universities and Universities Colleges Act nor when education is guarded or gatekept by the ruling elite. We unpack this with Dr Sharifah. Image Credit: http://82-g.blogspot.com/2...

Ikea Malaysia has cut ties with a labour recruitment firm that provides security guards after it had violated the retailer’s policies. IKEA said it initiated an investigation following claims that Nepali security guards had to fork out US$1,000 (RM4,400) to obtain the job, according to the Financial Times. But this isn’t just an isolated problem. In fact, the issue of labour brokers and recruitmen...

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) has launched a campaign, urging the government to implement a pension scheme for senior citizens. Under their proposed pension scheme, all retirees above the age of 65 will receive RM 500 a month. PSM estimates that such a scheme would help 1.8 million senior citizens lead a “dignified” life as well as reduce the financial burden on their children. But is it feasible?...

Over the past 10 years or so, social media has taken over our lives. Most of us have social media accounts, if not live in these spaces altogether. But more than that, it has also become a powerful advocacy tool for marginalised groups, including indigenous communities, sexual minorities, racial minorities and more. It has transformed the lives of these communities by providing a platform for expr...

In a 4-1 decision, the Federal Court bench rejected former premier Najib Abdul Razak's review application in the RM42 million SRC International corruption case last week. Legally, this means Najib will remain behind bars. However, the days that followed have been a fracas, to say the least. For one, it seems like Najib and his allies are unsurprisingly continuing to push for the release of the dis...

Public housing has been an important aspect of Malaysian development for decades, as it is viewed as a means to improve the quality of life of the low-income population. While public housing in Malaysia has undergone several transformations over the years, it still faces numerous challenges, including poor living conditions, inadequate maintenance, and ironically, issues with affordability too.&nb...

Malaysia is highly polarised. The results of GE15 told us that much. But just how polarised are we, especially across racial and religious lines? Dr Bridget Welsh who’s a political scientist and an Honorary Research Associate with the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia (UoNARI-M), recently wrote a 7-part series for Malaysiakini breaking down ethnic voting patterns of GE15.&n...

It’s no secret that Malaysia has been plagued with issues of racism, religious extremism and xenophobia, for many years. And things have been intensifying since GE15 which painted a highly polarised Malaysia. But just how bad are things looking? And what can we do about it?  Pusat KOMAS recently released their 2022 Malaysia Racism Report, which aims to document and record incidents of racism,...

The world is becoming increasingly polarised. Whether it’s in the US, Europe or even Southeast Asia, which includes Malaysia, the increasing polarisation has often led to a focus on hot-button cultural issues at the expense of substantive policy discussions centred around political economy and class struggle. This phenomenon is known as the ‘culture wars.’  The culture wars can take many form...

The results of the 2023 UMNO leadership elections are out. President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Deputy Chief Mohammad Hasan won their positions uncontested, while Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Johari Abdul Ghani were elected as vice presidents, while law minister Azalina Othman Said did not make the cut.  So, what does this mean for UMNO’s present and future, as well as the stab...

On Monday, Michelle Yeoh won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once. She became the first Asian and better yet, first Malaysian woman to win an Oscar. It was a proud moment for many Malaysians. Even politicians jumped on the bandwagon to congratulate and celebrate her victory. However, many local artists, activists and social media users in general called out the...

There is a common misconception that young people are inherently more progressive. But that may not necessarily be the case, be it in Malaysia and Southeast Asia as a whole.  Extremism in any form, be it religious, political, or cultural, can lead to violence, hatred, and division within society. Therefore, understanding the factors that drive young people towards extremist ideologies is crit...

Recently, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin recently said that The government has no plans to repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (Auku). But he also said that they’re open to suggestions on how the Act can be improved. But what exactly is AUKU and what is its impact on university students in Malaysia? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

The 4th of March marked 100 days since Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim became the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia. Since taking office, the Prime Minister has promised to fight corruption, carry out democratic reforms and improve the lives of the poorest people in the nation. So, how have the Prime Minister and his cabinet performed so far? We speak to Dr Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate, Unive...

Local government elections – specifically the need to re-introduce it – has been a hotly debated topic for many years. Decades, even. The lack of local government elections, while seemingly benign, has far-reaching implications for democratic accountability, transparency and clarity in the political system. And if those words don’t mean anything to you, let me put it this way – local government el...

Last Friday at Parliament, Prime Minister & Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim unveiled the new Budget 2023. The Budget billed ‘Developing Malaysia Madani’ involves an allocation of RM388.1 billion.  But is this budget inspiring? And does it do enough to address the needs of the working class masses, especially the B40 community? Sivarajan Arumugam, Secretary General of Parti...

On the 21st of February, Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad were charged in court for alleged corruption. The charges brought to the spotlight a government programme called Jana Wibawa. But what exactly is Jana Wibawa and how much money was allegedly swindled? We speak to Raymon Ram, a certified fraud examiner. See omnystudio.co...

In February 1963, the Singapore government, under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, launched a covert operation, which led to the arrest of 113 left-wing political players and activists, all of whom were detained without trial. This operation was called Operation Coldstore.  One of the victims of the operation was Dr Poh Soo Kai, one of the founding members of PAP and later, Barisan Sosialis. U...