Everyone knows that politics in Malaysia is highly racialised. What’s usually missing from the discourse is how there is an aspect of class, material conditions and even land use that intertwines and even anchors racial politics. For example, did you know that people in areas with higher industrial and commercial activities tend to vote for Pakatan Harapan, while those residing in less developed or agricultural land tend to vote for Perikatan Nasional? This is especially pronounced in the Penang...
Nov 05, 2024•39 min
Ask around and many will tell you that the biggest problem Malaysians face is wages. Wages in Malaysia have been stagnant for more than a couple of decades now. Inequality is on the rise. So, what could be a solution? What if it’s a Universal Basic Income? In this episode, we speak to some researchers who are pushing for universal basic income in Malaysia, namely Dr Sarath Davala, John Michael and Lee Seng Kiat from the Basic Income Earth Network, as well as Prof Geoffrey Williams, Economist and...
Oct 29, 2024•45 min
Last Friday, the MADANI government unveiled the RM 421 billion Budget 2025, up from the RM 393.8 billion budget tabled at the end of last year. The big positive is that this isn’t an austerity budget by any stretch of the imagination. The government is spending. But does this budget address the care economy? How much does it address the needs of caregivers and the care industry? We speak to Lee Min Hui, a gender consultant at the United Nations Population Fund Malaysia. This BFM Budget 2025 Spec...
Oct 24, 2024•38 min
Last Friday, the MADANI government unveiled the RM 421 billion Budget 2025, up from the RM 393.8 billion budget tabled at the end of last year. The question is: Does the budget address the needs of the working class, particularly the B40 and the middle class? We speak to Arveent Kathirchelvan, Central Committee Member, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). This BFM Budget 2025 Special is brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 22, 2024•39 min
With the rising cost of living, unaffordable housing, rising inequality and stagnating wages, Malaysians face mounting challenges. This is especially true if you’re working class, even if you’re middle class. Since the tabling of Budget 2025 is just around the corner, on today’s episode, we take a look at what needs to be addressed in the upcoming budget to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots. We speak to three labour rights activists, Adrian Pereira of North South Initiative, J. ...
Oct 17, 2024•46 min
Malaysia’s labour force participation rate among females has plateaued at around 55% for many years now, while the male labour force participation rate is more than 80%. But why is this the case and what can we do about it? With the tabling of Budget 2025 around the corner, on today’s episode, we will be talking about what Budget 2025 can do to address gender disparities in the Malaysian workforce. We ask Anis Farid from Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) and Abinaya Dhivya from the Gender Budget Gr...
Oct 15, 2024•40 min
The death penalty not only impacts those on death row, but their families as well, causing emotional, psychological and economic strain as they navigate the uncertainties and stigma surrounding their loved ones’ fates. Malaysia has abolished the mandatory death penalty but the death penalty remains in its discretionary form. We speak to Hayati Mohamad, a founder of Pertubuhan Keluarga Kasih (KeKasih) and a family member of someone on death row, Norlia, also a member of KeKasih, and Tham Jia Vern...
Oct 10, 2024•39 min
It’s been a year since Palestinian resistance fighters, led by Hamas, broke through the siege of Gaza and the beginning of the ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza by Israel. More than 41 000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel – which is 1 out of every 55 people. Hospitals have been bombed. Mosques and schools too. According to reports, more than 120 journalists have been killed. Israel doesn’t seem interested in stopping these attacks. In fact, they have only expanded their military campaign...
Oct 08, 2024•39 min
Azra Sayeed is a feminist from Pakistan. She’s an academic and activist known for her advocacy on issues related to the rights of marginalised communities, particularly women, peasants and farmers. She’s the founder and executive director of the Roots for Equity, an NGO based in Karachi that focuses on working with communities at the grassroots level to attain political, economic, social, and environmental justice. Azra has also served as the Chair of the International Women's Alliance (IWA) and...
Oct 03, 2024•43 min
Last week, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and the Jaringan Pekerja Kontrak Kerajaan (JPKK) submitted a memorandum to the Human Resource Minister, Steven Sim, urging the government to increase the minimum wage to RM 2000. Currently, the minimum wage is set at RM 1500. Earlier in March, Steven Sim mentioned that the government will review the minimum wage this year, but there have been no updates on the matter since. We speak to Saratbabu Raman, chief of PSM’s Worker’s Bureau about their push for a...
Oct 01, 2024•30 min
Malaysia will be the chair of ASEAN in 2025. Many have argued that this is an exhilarating time for the Asian region, particularly Southeast Asia. But while there is excitement and opportunities, there are also plenty of real challenges. One such challenge that ASEAN will have to continue navigating is the crisis in Myanmar. As we know, Myanmar has been in turmoil since 2021 following a military coup that overthrew the democratically elected government, leading to a civil war between the Junta a...
Sep 26, 2024•48 min
We often use the word Empire to describe colonial or imperial powers such as the British Empire pre-World War II. Today, more and more people are starting to use the word to describe the United States of America. Some also use the term to describe China. But what exactly does “empire” mean? How do they form? And how does the existence of an empire impact the common working person? We discuss this with Associate Professor Peter Beattie, Political Economist, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)....
Sep 24, 2024•47 min
Malaysia is quite a polarised nation right now, especially across racial and religious lines. The results of the 2022 General Elections tell us as much. While we cannot and shouldn’t place the blame of the polarization on our electoral system alone, we have to ask if our electoral system does more to bring people together or encourage further polarization. And if we change the system, what would it look like? Separately but on a related note, many have argued that Sabah & Sarawak should have...
Sep 19, 2024•42 min
Syed Husin Ali's A People’s History of Malaysia is a brilliant book which offers an alternative narrative of Malaysia's history, centred on the experiences and struggles of ordinary people. The book challenges traditional, elite-centric historical accounts by highlighting the role of workers, peasants, and anti-colonial movements in shaping Malaysia’s development. In this episode, we discuss the lessons that can be drawn from this book with Emeritus Prof. Abdul Rahman Embong, Sociologist and Ant...
Sep 17, 2024•48 min
It’s been slightly more than a month since the riots in the UK which happened from 30 July to 5 August 2024. The riots were far-right and targeted immigrants, Muslims and refugees, among others. Throughout the riots, there were racist attacks – both verbal and physically violent – arson and looting. This was considered to be the worst instance of social unrest in the UK in over a decade. So, why did it happen? And what can we learn from it? Katy Brown is an expert in far-right movements in the U...
Sep 12, 2024•38 min
It’s been more than a year now since Malaysia abolished the ‘mandatory death penalty,’ a move that human rights organisations consider a milestone first step towards total abolition of capital punishment. But what has been the impact on the ground, in reality, since last year? Have we seen any real changes? We speak to Dobby Chew, CEO of the human rights organisation, HAYAT. Editorial credit: YuriAbas / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 10, 2024•34 min
S. Balamurugan was found dead on the 8th of February 2017, while detained at the North Klang District Police Headquarters. Arrested on suspicion of a crime, Balamurugan was allegedly subjected to severe physical abuse by police officers, even after a magistrate ordered his release and medical treatment due to his poor condition. He was denied care and was later found dead in his cell. Multiple investigations revealed negligence and police misconduct, leading to a Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling i...
Sep 05, 2024•38 min
A couple of weeks ago, the Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim received criticism for the government's decision to bring back injured Palestinians for treatment in Malaysia. But were those criticisms justified? In this episode, we explore how Malaysia has been aiding Palestinians and what more needs to be done, with Nur Hafizah, an activist from Viva Palestina Malaysia. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 03, 2024•27 min
More and more states in Malaysia are feeling assertive and empowered, pushing the federal government to funnel more money to the state levels. In light of the MA63 agreement, Sabah and Sarawak's negotiations with the federal government, as well as states such as Johor and Penang's demands for more, we explore this further with Dr Lee Hwok-Aun, Senior Fellow at the Malaysian Studies Programme, at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...
Aug 29, 2024•41 min
Right-wing movements are on the rise all over the world. In the past, we’ve discussed the rise of right-wing, ultra-conservative movements with fascist tendencies in Europe, the US and even India. On today’s show, we continue to explore this phenomenon, this time with an academic from Pakistan. Dr Taimur Rahman is an academic and the author of The Class Structure of Pakistan, for which he won the Akhtar Hameed Khan Memorial Award for the "best book on Social Sciences" about Pakistan in 2012. See...
Aug 27, 2024•45 min
On August 9th, A 31-year-old trainee doctor’s dead body and bearing multiple injuries, was found at a government training hospital in Kolkata – a city in West Bengal, India. She was assaulted, raped and murdered. This triggered massive and widespread women-led protests across the country demanding the “independence to live in freedom and without fear.” In this episode, we unpack the tragic incident and the subsequent women-led mass protests that are currently unfolding, with Srabani Chakraborty,...
Aug 22, 2024•37 min
On today’s episode we’re doing a check-in on the government’s anti-corruption efforts so far. After all, this is a government led by a Prime Minister who repeatedly stresses the importance of combatting corruption. So, what has the MADANI government done well so far and what are the gaps? Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 20, 2024•32 min
The DEMO project, launched by Zikri Rahman, Jeremy Lim and Ooi Kok Hin, is a collection of interviews documenting the history of Malaysian contemporary protests. It’s an archive of stories on the lived experiences of protest organisers and activists of the past 15 years and aims to be a resource for future activists. We speak to ⅔ of the brains behind DEMO Project. DEMO Project Website: https://pusatsejarahrakyat.org/demo/ DEMO Project Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/demoproject.my/ See omn...
Aug 15, 2024•45 min
Professor Kishore Mahbubani is a prominent Singaporean academic and the Founding Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in NUS. He’s an ex-diplomat who served as Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and held various senior positions in Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He’s also an author known for his sharp commentary on global affairs, particularly regarding the rise of China and Asia as a whole, the decline of the American Empire and its implication for ...
Aug 13, 2024•56 min
Imagine a parent walking down the street with their 7-year-old child. They walk past a cleaner sweeping the road or perhaps it's someone cutting grass. The parent tells the kid, don't be lazy otherwise you will end up like that cleaner. There is a perception that the poor are poor and remain poor because they are lazy. That persistent poverty can be attributed to personal behaviour. Political psychologist and political economist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Assistant Professor Peter B...
Aug 08, 2024•42 min
It's been 79 years today since the US dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a moment that forever changed the course of history. This event has impacted people's perception towards nuclear energy, especially in terms of policy making over the past several decades. We will be delving into the anniversary's significance, the impact on Japanese and Malaysian victims, and current reflections. Joining us on the show today to discuss this is Aaron Denison, a doctoral candidate at Hiroshima University....
Aug 06, 2024•42 min
Sivaranjani Manickam has been elected the new secretary-general of Parti Sosialis Malaysia at its 26th national congress, which took place at the end of July. Sivaranjani who was formerly the Workers’ Bureau Coordinator of the party takes the reigns from Sivarajan Arumugam, who was the sec-gen for 9 years. She’s been an activist for more than 20 years, been a member of PSM for almost as long and has also worked for UNHCR. We speak to Sivaranjani about activism and building left movements. See om...
Aug 01, 2024•46 min
On the 23rd of July, 12 Palestinian factions including Hamas and the PLO (led by Fatah) signed a “national unity” agreement. The agreement was signed in China and according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the deal was struck after three days of intensive talks and negotiations, laying the foundation for an “interim national reconciliation government.” But why did this deal need to be struck in the first place? And what does it mean for the future of Palestine? We speak to Muslim Imran, Foun...
Jul 30, 2024•43 min
James C. Scott, a prominent American political scientist and anthropologist passed away at 87, on the 19th of July 2024. Scott was known for his work on how the working class and marginalized resist and evade domination by powerful groups, be it the ultra wealthy or the state. Scott is best known for his book 1985 ‘Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance’ where he studied seventy families in a Malaysian village. Some of his other important books include ‘Seeing Like a State’ an...
Jul 25, 2024•50 min
The hiring of migrant domestic workers has for many decades been one of the important options for a segment of Malaysian households to help with care responsibilities at home. At times, the hiring of migrant domestic workers creates an enabling environment for both parents to go to work. However, the industry is often plagued by corruption, unethical practices, and even human trafficking. There’s also the lack of appreciation and mistreatment of domestic workers. These are exactly the issues tha...
Jul 23, 2024•47 min
