Iskandar Fareez is from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), currently serving as the National Vice Chief of DAPSY, which is their youth wing. He’s also served as a Special Functions Officer to the Deputy Minister in two ministries, namely the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities and Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. Originally from Shah Alam, Iskandar's political journey began while studying in Australia, where he was involved in student activism and connected with progressive Malaysia...
Jul 01, 2025•50 min
Starting 1st of July, Malaysia’s expanded Sales and Service Tax (SST) framework will kick in. Under this expansion, luxury and discretionary items like watches, yachts, and antique artworks will now be taxed at rates of 5% or 10%, while services such as private wellness treatments, construction, fee-based financial services, private schools, among others, will face a 6–8% service tax. There was also a lot of discussion and backlash about imported fruits getting taxed. While that broadly still ap...
Jun 26, 2025•41 min
Temple Tracks: Labour, Piety and Railway Construction in Asia is a fascinating book by Vineeta Sinha, a professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the National University of Singapore. It explores how Indian migrant workers, brought to colonial Malaya and Singapore to build and maintain the railway system, were not just labourers laying down tracks — they were also community-builders and religion-makers. In this episode, we speak to the author about the intersection of railways, migrant labour, ...
Jun 24, 2025•48 min
Sevan Doraisamy is a veteran Malaysian human rights defender and activist who’s been fighting the good fight for more than 25 years. He also served as the Executive Director of SUARAM, one of the country’s leading human rights organisations for 10 years, before deciding to step aside this year. Over the years, he’s been at the forefront of numerous human rights campaigns, from pushing to abolish ISA (which was eventually done in 2012), to advocating for police accountability and championing free...
Jun 19, 2025•47 min
Since the 2018 and 2022 elections, there has been renewed national focus on East Malaysia and the long-standing promises of MA63. But often, much of that focus has been on Sarawak — its political stability, development push, and dominant state government. Meanwhile, Sabah’s story is equally complex, shaped by decades of political shifts, unresolved questions of autonomy, persistent development gaps, and the long shadow of the alleged Project IC. As Sabah heads towards elections in 2025, many of ...
Jun 17, 2025•45 min
Protests have spread all across America in solidarity with migrant workers and against US President Donald Trump’s immigration raids. Last Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made the most arrests in a single day in its history, detaining more than 2,200 people. Even tourists were reportedly questioned and some were temporarily detained. Then on Friday, the federal agency arrested more than a hundred undocumented immigrants in workplace raids. This triggered spontaneous prote...
Jun 12, 2025•42 min
By November 2025, Kerala is set to become India’s first state to entirely eradicate extreme poverty. One of the key reasons is the highly successful Extreme Poverty Eradication Project that the state government embarked on. But the interesting thing about Kerala is that while this specific project is fairly new, the state has been the benchmark in the country for development and social wellbeing for decades. The South Indian state has the highest literacy rate in the country, the highest literac...
Jun 10, 2025•39 min
Charles Santiago is a human rights activist, a member of the DAP, former MP for Klang, and a two-time chairman of Malaysia’s National Water Services Commission (SPAN). He first held the SPAN chairmanship from November 2018 until his removal in April 2020 (after Langkah Sheraton), and was reappointed in March 2023, serving until March 2025. Beyond these roles, Santiago serves as the co-chair of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), where he has been a vocal advocate against systemic lab...
Jun 05, 2025•50 min
Sarawak’s Sovereign Wealth Fund was launched in 2022, to “to safeguard and invest the State's funds for the future generations of Sarawak.” But what exactly is a sovereign wealth fund? How does it work? And if it’s a useful tool or institution, would a state like Selangor—Malaysia’s most populous state with the highest GDP — benefit from one too? We speak to Geoffrey Williams, who’s an economist. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 03, 2025•38 min
Over the past couple of decades, far-right parties and leaders have moved from the fringes to the forefront of global politics. Figures like Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Giorgia Meloni, and Narendra Modi or parties like the AFD, who were once seen as outliers or shrugged off altogether, now command mass followings, win elections or come close to winning, and shape global political discourse in a big way. They are now in concretely the mainstream. Their rhetoric may differ across borders, but man...
May 29, 2025•30 min
Over the past couple of decades, far-right parties and leaders have moved from the fringes to the forefront of global politics. Figures like Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Giorgia Meloni, and Narendra Modi or parties like the AFD, who were once seen as outliers or shrugged off altogether, now command mass followings, win elections or come close to winning, and shape global political discourse in a big way. They are now in concretely the mainstream. Their rhetoric may differ across borders, but man...
May 27, 2025•33 min
If you're ethnic-Indian—or if you have friends who are—chances are you've experienced first hand, or heard about racism in Malaysia’s rental market. Landlords rejecting tenants based solely on race. Ads that say “No Indians” or “Chinese only.” There are also instances where rental fee/pricing is clearly discriminatory. But what can you do about it? Right now, the truth is—not much. The rental system in Malaysia is under-regulated, with few protections for tenants. So what would it look like to f...
May 22, 2025•43 min
Many countries around the world are starting to become aging societies. In other words, there are more old people AND fewer people having babies. This demographic shift has important implications on the economy and politics of a country. The question is, what do we do about it? The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently published a report titled ‘The Rise of the Silver Economy: Global Implications of Population Aging.’ In it, they propose that governments consider raising the retirement age ...
May 20, 2025•33 min
Raymon Ram has been appointed the new president of Transparency International–Malaysia. He will be serving in this capacity from 2025 - 2027. He succeeds Dr Muhammad Mohan, who stepped down after completing the six-year term limit. In this episode, we chat with Raymon about battling the culture of corruption in Malaysia and what he hopes to achieve as the new President of Transparency International - Malaysia. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 15, 2025•35 min
The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), is urging the government of Malaysia to take a firm and principled stance against the ongoing human and labour rights violations in Myanmar by supporting the invocation of Article 33 of the ILO Constitution. The organisation, which consists of 12 million workers across 365 trade unions in 111 countries, stresses that Malaysia—as a Deputy Member of the ILO Governing Body and the current ASEAN chair —has a unique opportunity to demonstrate moral ...
May 13, 2025•31 min
Dr Vilashini Somiah who’s a feminist anthropologist and a senior lecturer at University Malaya has been appointed as the next chair of the Southeast Asia Council (SEAC) of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS). This is important in and of itself but also specifically because she will be the first Southeast Asian-based scholar to lead the council since 1970 – that means she’s also the first Malaysian to lead the council, since then. In this episode, we speak to Dr Vilashini Somiah about her wor...
May 08, 2025•46 min
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) has released their 2024 human rights report . It’s a detailed report on the various human rights violations that have occurred throughout the year, some of the progress made and the changes that should happen moving forward. We speak to Jernell Tan, who’s the Documentation & Monitoring Coordinator at SUARAM. Jernell also penned numerous chapters in the report. Image Credit: SUARAM See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 06, 2025•40 min
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. But 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. In this episode, we discuss the significance of labour day, especially in Malaysia with Gandipan Nantha Gopalan, Central Committee Member, Parti Sosialis Malaysia. There i...
Apr 29, 2025•34 min
There’s been a lot of talk lately about PTPTN’s ballooning debt and what to do about it. With a total outstanding debt of RM 40 billion, pressure is mounting on the government to act decisively. The instinctual reactions tend to focus on the defaulters, with many calling for harsh penalties like fines or travel bans. I mean, it’s only natural to think “you borrow, you pay back!” But are we missing something here – something more fundamental and structural? We speak to Geoffrey Williams, Economis...
Apr 24, 2025•36 min
Kanni Wignaraja is the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with over 25 years of experience in Sustainable Development. She has worked across Africa, Asia and is a prominent advocate for inclusive and people-centered development in the Asia-Pacific region. In this episode, we talk to her about Malaysia’s economic and political trajectory over the past several decades, within broader ASEAN an...
Apr 22, 2025•31 min
The Ayer Kuning by-election will be taking place on the 26th of April and it is going to be a three-cornered fight between MADANI/Barisan Nasional’s Mohamad Yusri Bakir, Perikatan Nasional’s Abdul Muhaimin Malek and Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s Bawani Kaniapan (Bawani KS). The election for one out of the 59 state seats in Perak is taking place due to the passing of incumbent Ishsam Shahruddin of Barisan Nasional. The move by PSM to contest this election has been equally welcomed and criticised. Som...
Apr 17, 2025•45 min
Basic Income – or Universal Basic Income (UBI) as it’s commonly referred to – is a policy where a government gives all citizens a regular sum of money periodically (i.e. every month), regardless of their employment status or income level. You might think to yourself that this is idealistic and utopian, wondering if it’s even feasible or necessary. In this episode, we speak to Guy Standing, a British economist and one of the world’s leading voices in advocating for Basic Income. He is a professor...
Apr 15, 2025•43 min
For the past several decades, most of the world has been part of the neoliberal economic model. It burst onto the mainstream with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in the late 70s and 80s but gained even more prominence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the emergence of the United States of America as the global hegemon. This era was underpinned by the free flow of capital across borders, low tariffs and the financialisation of the economy. But last week something changed w...
Apr 10, 2025•47 min
Last week, the world watched as U.S. President Donald Trump made headlines once again — this time by declaring “Liberation Day.” But instead of fireworks and parades, he brought out a sweeping new tariff regime. At the heart of it? A universal 10% tariff that spares no one — not even a remote, uninhabited territory like Heard Island and McDonald Islands, best known for its penguins. Beyond the universal tariff, Trump also unveiled “reciprocal tariffs” — targeted duties that vary by country. Chin...
Apr 08, 2025•45 min
It is no secret that Malaysia is a highly racialised country. Over the past decade, racial discrimination has not only persisted but evolved in new and complex ways. But are things getting better or worse? More importantly, are we getting better at understanding racism beyond simplistic framings of majority vs. minority? Pusat KOMAS recently released Malaysia Racism Report: A Decade in Review. Basically, it’s a deep dive into how racism has shaped policies, institutions, and everyday life over t...
Apr 03, 2025•42 min
We're increasingly seeing the Uberization of the economy, where platform-driven gig work with wages based on algorithms, and precarious labor conditions have become the norm. Look around and you’ll see many young Malaysians as e-hailing drivers and food delivery riders. But people aren’t just doing this as part-time gigs in between jobs or while waiting for college to start – it is the primary source of income for many, including some who have Bachelor’s Degrees. Also, think about your consumer ...
Mar 27, 2025•46 min
Over the years, especially since the 1MDB scandal, Malaysians have become more familiar with the term ‘corruption.’ Not only have we broadened our understanding of it (no longer do we think it’s just about bribery), it has also become part of mainstream political discourse. Malaysians know that our country has an entrenched problem of corruption and that it is holding us back, eating us from the inside and eroding our trust in the system. But just how deep is the rot? How does it manifest in way...
Mar 25, 2025•50 min
Defamation laws are incredibly important to protect individuals and organisations from false and harmful baseless statements. They help to curb falsehoods that could influence public opinion or even business markets. However, what happens when these defamation laws are abused by big corporations to prevent the public from holding them accountable? What if they hide behind defamation laws while exploiting workers? What if they use it to prevent people from speaking out? Recently, Mohanarani Rasai...
Mar 20, 2025•47 min
EPF contributions will now be mandatory for migrant workers. This comes after the Dewan Rakyat passed amendments to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Act 1991 recently. The proposal was first announced in Budget 2025 and under this scheme, both the employer and employee contribution rate is set at 2%. So, is this a step in the right direction for labour rights in Malaysia? Or does it just side step the core problem in Malaysia which is wage suppression? We unpack this with Alex Ong from Migrant...
Mar 13, 2025•46 min
Malaysia is politically fragmented and polarized. To make matters worse, this division is drawn along racial and religious lines, fueling deep and growing distrust between ethnic and religious communities. At the same time, discussions about race and religion remain lacklustre often framed as a highly sensitive issue that shouldn’t be talked about altogether OR oversimplified narratives. So, how do we move forward? Recently, The All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia (APPGM) on Racial and Religi...
Mar 11, 2025•42 min
