As they say, democracy doesn't begin and end at the ballot box.
On Beyond the Ballot Box, we have in-depth conversations about political economy and human rights in Malaysia, Southeast Asia, and around the globe through a class prism.
What's Politics is a series where we delve into political concepts, ideas, and questions and explore how they impact all of us. In this episode, we explore the concept of ideologies – what are they and what impact do they have on economic policies and decision making, as well as how various political ideologies have evolved over the years. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
SOSMA or the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act is a law that was enacted after ISA was abolished in 2012. The law provides authorities with enhanced investigative powers and allows for extended pre-trial detention, all in the name of national security. Over the years, the law has faced criticism for its human rights abuses. Recently, Siti Nurizzah Mohd Tazali, an independent researcher, wrote a paper on the socioeconomic impact of detention under SOSMA. We discuss the findings of her rese...
It is estimated that there are over a million non-Malaysians living in Sabah today, including undocumented and stateless people. They live among Sabahans. In fact, many of them are born in Sabah and have lived in Sabah all their lives. Yet, their existence isn’t legally recognised, which means they are denied basic rights – they’re not allowed to receive education in public schools, have no access to healthcare and are not allowed to be employed. In this episode, we explore the plight of statele...
What's Politics is a series where we delve into political concepts, ideas, and questions and explore how they impact all of us. “Race” is a concept that has shaped how a large majority of people in many parts of the world see themselves and each other. However, as we learn more about this concept, it becomes evident that race is a man-made idea but with very real, pervasive and devastating impacts towards communities. We explore this with Peter Beattie, political economist and political psycholo...
Every now and again we will hear news stories about groups of families facing eviction, for example, the case of Kampung Koskan a few months ago. Oftentimes, the people who are forcefully removed from their homes are known as “Peneroka Bandar.” "Peneroka Bandar" in Malaysia refers to urban settlers or urban pioneers. These are individuals or families who have relocated from rural areas to urban or semi-urban areas in search of better economic opportunities and improved living conditions. In this...
The robots, as they say, are coming for our jobs. We live in an era where robots can not only do factory work, but also ace MIT examinations, write poetry and so much more. But what does this mean for society? In conjunction with Merdeka and Malaysia, we imagine and discuss what Malaysia could look like in 100 years, with the rise of automation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Politics in Malaysia often centres around the Peninsular, while Sabah & Sarawak are often relegated to the peripheries of mainstream discourse and our imagination. Not to mention, revenue from their natural resources has been funnelled to Putrajaya for decades. But this should not be the case. The Malaysia Agreement 1963 is a profound document detailing the rights of Sabah & Sarawak in terms of autonomy, cultural preservation and political representation. My Country and I: The Malaysia A...
What's Politics is a series where we delve into political concepts, ideas, and questions and explore how they impact all of us. In this episode, we discuss what does politics mean, in the first place. On the one hand, we often hear people say they don’t like politics or that it doesn’t affect them. On the other hand, political discourse these days often tends to be polarising around culture wars and identity politics. But are we missing an important piece of the puzzle? See omnystudio.com/listen...
Out of the six states that went for elections in 2023, the three states with the highest median wages were won by Harapan-BN, while those with the lowest median wages went to PAS/PN. What does it mean for a “progressive” political block if a large percentage of the poorest people do not vote for you? What has Pakatan Harapan done wrong and how can they be a genuine alternative for people, even those in the Malay heartland? We speak to Iskandar Fareez, DAP Public Policy Committee Member. Image Cr...
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 Dr Kua Kia Soong, human rights activist, former Suaram director, and former DAP MP. Image Credit: 123RF See...
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 begins with Kepercayaan Kepada Tuhan and ends with Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan. Secondly, it’s because the p...
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 philosophy that we can emotionally latch on to. The Prime Minister has of course launched the Malaysia Madani con...
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, and the anti-immigration Marine Le Pen in France, the list goes on and on. This has led to massive polar...
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 & Coordinator of the Malaysian Studies Programme, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. See omnystudio.com/listener f...
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 Keiro / Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
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 progressive direction, while others accuse them of being spoilers and vote-splitters. We speak to: S. Ar...
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 dominate the Malay heartland and the new parties that are vying to break through. We hear from: Wan Ahmad Fah...
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 for privacy information.
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 how they negotiate with the various powers that be. We hear from: Intan Rafiza, Curator, Balai Seni Negara ...
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. What’s also interesting is that MUDA has formed an electoral pact with Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), which ...
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 their aspirations for the state. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
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 happen again. Image Credit: Hafiz Johari / Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...
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-Muslim affairs to the Terengganu MB. Image Credit: Berita PAS , Wikimedia Commons See omnystudio.co...
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 landscape today? Is this move good for the people? We speak to Dr Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate, Univ...
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 , IZZ HAZEL / Shutterstock , shaifulzamri / Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...
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 episode is Thomas Mulcair. He’s a retired MP and former leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP), as w...
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 and Administration Wellbeing. We discuss the state government’s economic vision, job creation in Te...
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, Rafizi Ramli has announced the government’s intention to move away from the current classification system of househ...
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 the polls. We speak to Dr Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate, University of Nottingham Asia Re...
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? And what needs to be done to make Malaysia a more democratic nation? We discuss with Ooi Kok Hin, Exe...
