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.
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) has released its 2023 human rights report. In this episode, we take a look at the various human rights violations that have occurred throughout 2023, here in Malaysia, and discuss changes that should happen in 2024. We speak to Jernell Tan, Documentation & Monitoring Coordinator, SUARAM. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Growing up, we read about the Holocaust and the Nazis and we think “How did people of that generation ever let this happen?” “How did the world stand and watch?” Well, we’re living through a massive genocide right now. Since last October, Israel has killed more than 30 000 people, half of whom are children. This is on top of the illegal occupation, settler colonialism, dispossession, ethnic cleansing the Palestinians have faced at the hands of the State of Israel for the past 70 years. We’re wat...
For months, the Malaysian Citizenship Rights Alliance (MCRA), constitutional experts and more have been pushing back against many of the proposed amendments by the Home Ministry due to its regressive and cruel nature that will only perpetuate statelessness. Last week, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024 which concerns stateless people, was tabled in Parliament. Interestingly, the Bill wasn’t voted on in Parliament due to “lack of time.” So, what is the content of the Bill that eventually hit ...
The government of Malaysia will be launching the Progressive Wage Policy voluntary pilot programme in June. The policy draws inspiration from Singapore’s Progressive Wage Model, albeit with some key differences. So, what are these key differences and what can Malaysia learn from the successes and flaws of the Singapore model? Calvin Cheng and Kevin Zhang are two public policy researchers who recently wrote a paper for the Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) titled Malaysia’...
The Greater Klang Valley is a wonderfully diverse city of 8 million people and growing. And if there’s one thing the millions of people share is our frustration with the consistently congested streets. But what can we do about it? SocDem Malaysia is a new centre-left Think Tank. They recently released a research paper arguing that the central problem is the lack of a complete public transportation network, anchored by buses. They argue that if we are serious about tackling this problem, the Klan...
The government of Malaysia has announced its intention to abolish the popular pension system for future civil service recruits and switch to retirement funds by way of EPF savings. But is this a good move – one that would benefit members of the civil service and the country as a whole or will this be detrimental to members of the civil service, especially those earning lower wages? We speak to Lee Hwok-Aun, Senior Fellow of the Regional Economic Studies Programme, and Coordinator of the Malaysia...
The Human Resource Minister, Steven Sim has announced that the government will review the minimum wage this year in accordance with the National Wages Consultative Council Act 2011. The question is, what should the new minimum wage be? How much should it increase from the current RM 1500? We speak to Alex Ong, Labour Rights Activist & Malaysian Coordinator of Migrant Care AND Sivaranjani Manickam, National Workers Bureau Coordinator, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). Image credit: Shutterstock ...
There is a revolution ongoing in Myanmar. The people of Myanmar of various political ideologies and regions are engaging in civil disobedience and have also taken up arms against the military junta. There’s been talk about forging a new constitution and building a new Myanmar beyond and free from the junta. But where do the ethnic minority Rohingyas fit into this picture? After all, the Rohingya people have been subject to oppression, dispossession and genocide for decades, even before the recen...
Bersatu has been on the news a lot lately largely because there have been many MPs from Bersatu who are now pledging support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Madani government. The party isn’t just bleeding MPs though but members at all levels. So, what does this mean for Bersatu’s future? Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Our global political economy is going through some massive changes. Many experts have said that we could be witnessing the slow decline of the US & Western Empire right now. Are we moving towards a multipolar world? What role will China play? And after more than 40 years of neoliberalism, why are we seeing growing fascist or right-wing populist movements across the globe? These are big questions. We speak to Professor Venkatesh Athreya, Economist & Activist from Tamil Nadu, India. Image ...
For there to be a proper functioning democracy, we need a proper functioning media system – one that’s focused on the democratisation of ideas and robust debate between various viewpoints. However, the hyper-commercial media landscape today couldn’t be further from that. Fake news, half-truths, narrow perspectives, playing to the gallery and rage-baiting culture wars have greatly contributed to the polarisation we see across the world. Peter Beattie, who’s a regular guest on this show, wrote a b...
Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian Theologian, academic and activist. He has written extensively on issues related to theology and politics in the Middle East and is an advocate for peace and justice in the region. He joins us in this episode to discuss the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza, Palestine by the Zionist Israel regime, and how Palestinian Christians are often left out of the conversation to fit the narrative of Western powers. Image credit: Shutterstock &am...
In Malaysia, for every RM 100 in wages received by men, women only receive RM 66. This is according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia’s (DOSM) Gender Gap Index for 2022, which is their latest report. But what exactly does this mean? What are its consequences? In light of International Women’s Day 2024, we speak to Marina Abdullah, Head of Campaigns, Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO). Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
24-year-old Kusaaliny Mahendran from the DAP, is one of the youngest councillors of Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ). Kusha who comes from incredibly humble beginnings is a social democrat who’s passionate about expanding the common good – be it public healthcare, public transportation or public schools and redistributing wealth to the common good. In this episode, we’re joined by Kusaalini to discuss her journey in politics, what she plans to do as a local councillor and her vision for a bette...
The Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution has said that the proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution on citizenship matters will be presented to the cabinet on the 8th of March which is this Friday. The cabinet will then decide if the bill is ready to be tabled in Parliament. So, what are stateless people and NGOs working with the stateless concerned about? Well, the proposal by the Home Ministry is a mixed bag – one step forward, several steps back – with severe consequences. But ...
Last week, in light of the passing of Taib Mahmud, we discussed the legacy of the Sarawakian strongman and how his policies shaped Sarawak over the years, for better or worse. This week, we look to the future and explore how will Sarawak emerge from under the shadow of Taib Mahmud. We once again speak to Dr James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania. Image credits: (Left: Shutterstock), (Right: Flickr, Ben Sutherland ) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
The inequality between the haves and have-nots, has reached unprecedented levels. According to OxFam, a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty, since 2020 the five richest men in the world have seen their fortunes more than double, while almost five billion people have seen their wealth fall. Globally, men own US$105 trillion more wealth than women. The world’s richest 1% own 43% of all global financial assets. In other words, the wealthy got wealthier, everybody else got a lo...
In December we did a show called Public Transport in the Klang Valley: Are We on the Right Track? In that episode, we took a look at our transit network in Greater Kuala Lumpur and the philosophy and policies that guide our public transport infrastructure development. In this episode, we take a look at public transport beyond the Klang Valley. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
72-Year-Old Prabowo Subianto of the Gerinda party will be the new President of Indonesia, after defeating Ganjar Pranowo of PDI-P, and Anies Baswedan, independent candidate. A few interesting things to note: Prabowo won emphatically in one round, receiving around 58%-60% of the votes – making him an incredibly popular president; Prabowo’s running mate, who will now be vice president, is Jokowi’s son, Gibran; While PDI-P’s candidate did not win the Presidential election, the party won the most se...
Former Sarawak governor Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud has passed away. He was 87 years old when he died in a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur. Taib Mahmud served as the Chief Minister of Sarawak from March 1981 to February 2014 – that’s 33 years, making him the longest-serving CM in Malaysian history. He also served as the 7th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak from March 2014 to January 2024. Taib Mahmud was an incredibly important figure in Sarawak and Malaysian politics. But how will...
Over the past few months, the Zionist regime of Israel has been carrying out a cruel campaign of bombardment and genocide against Palestinians in the city of Gaza. Close to 30 000 people have been killed, half of whom are children. More than 2 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes. Israel claims that this is merely a response to the attacks by Hamas on October 7th 2023. However, we have to keep in mind that Israel has been engaged in settler colonialism and ethnic cleansing r...
The Bumiputera Economic Congress 2024, themed “Positive, Progressive, Innovative” will be taking place from the 29th of February to the 2nd of March. It is organised by the Ministry of Economy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development. But what exactly are Bumiputera Economic Congresses about? Why should Bumiputeras and non-Bumiputeras alike keep a close eye on this upcoming one? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Real-life Abang Adiks are potentially in grave danger, as the government of Malaysia looks to make a bundle of highly regressive and immoral amendments to our citizenship laws. These amendments will perpetuate statelessness among children, condemning them to a life without identity, access to education, healthcare, job opportunities and more. We must stress that one out of these proposed amendments is a step in the right direction. There are aspects of Malaysia’s citizenship laws that are highly...
The people of Indonesia – the world’s third largest democracy – will be heading to the polls tomorrow, the 14th of February. The three main presidential candidates are Prabowo Subianto from Gerinda (who has current President Jokowi’s son Gibran, as his running mate), Ganjar Pranowo of PDI-P, and Anies Baswedan, independent candidate. So, what are the key issues of this election? And how will it shape the future of Indonesia and ASEAN? We speak to Made Supriatma, Visiting Fellow in the Indonesia ...
Last week, the Pardons Board decided to halve corrupt former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s prison sentence. It was an anxiety-riddled week, filled with speculation, news reports that were subsequently retracted, silent politicians, curve balls, and a severe lack of transparency on the part of the government, as the public waited with bated breath for the decision from the Pardons Board. It’s a shame that Malaysians had to find out what was going on from the foreign press. The public response to t...
Recently, the world watched South Africa take Israel to the International Court of Justice for the genocidal acts Israel committed in Gaza. After hearing presentations from both sides, the court sided with South Africa. While there is still a long way to go before the case fully concludes at the ICJ, the court has issued a preliminary order barring Israel from further acts of violence against Palestinians. The fact that Israel isn’t complying is hardly surprising. What’s interesting is Western m...
When we look at the “Muslim World” – particularly, but not limited to the Middle East – there are many countries which exhibit high levels of authoritarianism or anti-democratic tendencies. There are also many regions which are underdeveloped and riddled with conflict. The Western and/or neoliberal narrative is that the problem is with Islam in and of itself. This is an incredibly shallow way of looking at things. In this episode, we have a conversation with Prof Ahmet Kuru, the author of Islam,...
The Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has been sworn in as the 17th Agong, for a five-year term. His deputy is Sultan Nazrin Shah of Perak. In light of that, we take a look at what exactly the role of the monarchy is according to the Malaysian constitution. Image credit: Shutterstock Inc. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We live in a globalised society. The world has gotten smaller, especially over the past 30-40 years. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic. Borders were closed for a prolonged period and there was a reduction in international trade. This intensified the process of deglobalisation, something that has been discussed in politics for more than a decade. So, how has the pandemic influenced – or continues to influence – a local process of deglobalisation here in Malaysia? And what do we do to navigate this?...
What's Politics is a series where we explore and break down political concepts and ideas. In this episode, we discuss a concept called neocolonialism. Malaysia and many parts of the Global South may no longer be directly colonised by the British Empire or any other superpower – after all, we don’t see European soldiers marching down our streets with guns. But the truth of the matter is, we still are colonised today, just in different, perhaps more complex ways. So, what exactly is neocolonialism...
