Introduction The proposed constitutional amendments to Malaysia’s citizenship laws initially emerged as a noble effort to address long-standing gender inequality, aiming to grant Malaysian women the right to confer citizenship on their overseas-born children—something already afforded to Malaysian fathers. However, when the proposed amendments were finally revealed late last year, they included several controversial and […]
Category Archives: Politics
28
Jun
Jun
As political analyst Oh Ei Sun aptly observed, “Most by-elections are referendums of some sort. Each side wants to show that they still have the support of the people.” This insight rings particularly true for Sungai Bakap, a region that embodies the complexities and challenges facing Anwar Ibrahim’s administration. Far from being a mere local […]
Featured, Politics
Leveling the Playing Field: A Look at Malaysia’s Proposed Political Financing Bill
13
Dec
Dec
Political financing is one of Malaysia’s “legacy” problems. Almost every major milestone of Malaysian politics is concerned with political financing troubles. In the past, the ruling BN government has been accused of receiving donations from local corporations, while the opposition PR and PH coalitions have similarly been accused of receiving donations from shadowy foreign entities. […]
Featured, Politics
Integration or Assimilation: To Detract From Integration Model is to Belittle Everyday Malaysians
16
Nov
Nov
“There was assimilation, for example people from Arab countries and India, they have been assimilated. (The Chinese and Indian immigrants) refused, not that we did not insist, but they looked down on us, we wanted them to become Malays. They didn’t want to be known as Malays.” — Dr Mahathir. In a recent Keluar Sekejap […]
14
Nov
Nov
Who could have foreseen that Malaysia’s anti-party hopping law enacted in 2022 would be inadequate in undoing a deep-rooted curse of political frogs? Oh, right, just about anyone with a basic understanding of politics beyond wishful thinking. When the idea of having an anti-hopping law provision was first floated around, it was recognised as a […]
02
Jun
Jun
A disconcerting culture of gaslighting has firmly taken root in Malaysian politics, weaving a web of deception that manipulates perceptions and erodes the trust of the people. ‘Gaslighting’ is a term many of us are at least somewhat familiar with. In fact, It became the Word of the Year for 2022, according to Merriam-Webster, following […]
Featured, Law, Malaysia-ku, Politics
Unfathomable Attitude towards the Protection of the Nation’s Sovereignty
29
Jul
Jul
It’s utterly baffling. It boggles the mind that when our fellow Malaysians in Sabah are exposed to the dangers of foreign imperialism — when Malaysia’s very sovereignty is under threat — there are still those who would rather waste time arguing over: “Ni salah Najib ke, salah Tommy?” To begin, I would like to address those […]
12
Oct
Oct
If Malaysia deserves better, it really could do without the political mess we had seen in the past few days. The Pandora Papers, the Melaka political crisis, and the tragic death of a CEO in Penang – cases which, in this day and age, should not have happened. We are a country emerging from probably […]
05
Aug
Aug
Last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the world, the country’s democratically-elected government imploded. Pakatan Harapan could not hold back from prioritizing their politics, positioning their heir-apparent to take over the seat of Prime Minister. Then-Prime Minister Tun Mahathir lost his calm and tendered his resignation after Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim and his […]
29
Nov
Nov
Strong, formidable, convincing… those were the words used by Opposition Leader Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim in September to claim he had the numbers. But in the most crucial vote to date, what was observed was stability on the side of the government. The Opposition MPs weren’t able to muster the courage to stand up, and […]
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