Kampung Jalan Papan in Klang is a decades-old settlement where families have lived since before independence.

Over the years, the land was transferred, developed and contested, eventually leading a private developer to obtain court orders enabling eviction and demolition. Despite repeated promises of resettlement and affordable housing from both state authorities and the developer, residents say the offers were inconsistent and promises were never delivered.

In November 2025, eviction enforcement escalated into on-site demolitions, tense confrontations, and arrests of residents and activists, prompting human rights groups to condemn the operation as heavy-handed and a violation of due process.

In today's episode, we speak to S. Arutchelvan, Deputy Chairperson of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). Arutchelvan was one of the activists who were arrested last week while organising and fighting alongside the residents of Kampung Papan.

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Neil Woods was once a dedicated narcotics officer. In fact, he spent 14 years working undercover, infiltrating drug gangs in Britain’s underworld. But something changed throughout that journey. Now, Woods is one of the leading advocates for drug policy reform, calling for the end of the war on drugs. He wrote a book titled Good Cop, Bad War, chronicling how his attempts to infiltrate and dismantle drug gangs gradually led him to question the entire system.

In this episode, we speak to Neil Woods about his journey, what he witnessed during his time as a narcotics officer and the drug policy reforms he’s championing.

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Zohran Mamdani has won the New York City mayoral election, defeating Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.
Not only that, he also received more than 50% of the popular vote. He’s a proud Democratic Socialist, and notably, the first Muslim and South Asian to become mayor of New York City.

Billionaires reportedly spent over 22 million dollars trying to stop him, yet he won. Donald Trump and Elon Musk publicly attacked him and endorsed Andrew Cuomo. Yet, Mamdani won.

Not only did he win, he won on an unabashedly, proudly, multicultural, people-centered platform focused on affordability, including pledges to freeze rents, provide fast and free public buses, and ensure universal childcare.

He plans to fund these initiatives by taxing New York’s wealthiest residents: multimillionaires and billionaires.

So, how did a Democratic Socialist become mayor in the heart of global capitalism? And what does it signal?

We speak to Professor Peter Beattie, who's a political economist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

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In the 2024 Oxfam report, it was revealed that the richest 1% in the Global North extracted US$263 billion from the Global South in 2023 — a stark reminder that inequality and neocolonial exploitation remain hardwired into the global economy. Meanwhile, far-right movements are gaining ground across continents, progressive spaces are grappling with internal contradictions, and even causes like Palestine are being twisted to justify bigotry.

In this episode, we speak to Jacob Andrewartha, a member of the Socialist Alliance, Australia. He’s also a childcare worker with history of involvement in the Pro-Palestine movement and Climate Justice. Also part of the discussion is Arveent Kathirchelvan, Coordinator of Policy Research Bureau, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).

On a related note, an international socialism conference will be happening on 15–16 November, 9am-6pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH). The conference will feature socialist activists, academics, and thinkers from Malaysia and across the world.

Check out the lineup of speakers and get your tickets here: https://shorturl.at/ISOy1

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Around the world, money is increasingly a gatekeeper to political power. Malaysia is no different. If someone wants to step into politics from outside the elite circle, it’s a tremendous challenge. In two new reports by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the numbers speak for themselves. For example, candidates face mandatory deposits of about RM15,000 for parliamentary seats. Internal party contests and party-level advancement can also be expensive, costing tens of thousands. Then there’s the legal fees, sustaining an elected office, and on and on and on.

The two WFD studies argue these cost structures act as a “screening mechanism” that disproportionately excludes women, young people, independent candidates and persons with disabilities, which distorts representation and governance.

In this episode we speak to Dr Graeme Ramshaw, Director of Quality and Innovation, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, as well as Ooi Kok Hin, Country Director for WFD in Malaysia.

Links to read their full reports:

COP national study: https://www.wfd.org/what-we-do/resources/cost-politics-malaysia

COP and Women Candidates: https://www.wfd.org/what-we-do/resources/women-and-cost-politics-malaysia

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Recently, in Melaka, a group of 17-year-olds was accused of allegedly raping their schoolmate at a secondary school in Alor Gajah. In Kedah, there was a statutory rape case involving underage students. And very close to home, in Bandar Utama, Selangor, a 14-year-old boy has been charged with murdering his 16-year-old female schoolmate at SMK Bandar Utama (4).

These are only incidents that have been reported in October 2025. Not to mention, recently there was a case in Sarawak where a group of boys allegedly threatened to stab and sexually assault their classmate — an incident now under police investigation. So, why is this happening? What can we do about it?

In recent weeks, we’ve been hearing a lot from adult experts and stakeholders, be it teachers, parents, psychologists, academics, and activists. In this episode, we speak to Jessie Lee, who’s currently a form four student in a public school in the Klang Valley. She’s a Child Rights Advocate, a member of the UNICEF Young Persons’ Advisory Group. She’s also a part of SUHAKAM Consultative Child Council. 

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The world is undergoing profound changes. China has become a global powerhouse. The US, while still the most powerful country in the world, is experiencing a relative decline in influence. There are constant conversations about moving toward a multipolar world. But what does this all mean for a middle power like Malaysia? 

In this episode, we speak to political analyst James Chai. James has written a novel called Sang Kancil: A Tale about how Ordinary Malaysians Defied the Odds, has worked in Think Tanks and even in the Ministry of Economy, under former minister, Rafizi Ramli. He’s currently also a columnist for CNA, where he has written a number of articles on how to make sense of the changing world, as a Malaysian. 

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Jagat, the highly acclaimed 2015 Malaysian film directed by Sun-J Perumal, is a coming-of-age story that captures the struggles of working-class Malaysian Tamils with sincerity and earnest reflection. Today, nearly a decade later, Jagat continues to resonate, both as a work of art and as a reflection of identity, displacement, and resilience. 

The film was re-released earlier this year, and on top of that, the director is also releasing two spiritual sequels to the film in quick succession in November and December, titled Macai and Blues.

In this episode, we speak with Sun-J Perumal about his life, the Malaysian Tamil identity and how his own experiences growing up have shaped his storytelling.

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Southeast Asia is one of the most diverse regions in the world, not just ethnically and culturally but also politically. It’s a region where Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians; democracies, monarchies, and communist states coexist side by side. 

However, since the formation of ASEAN, there have been questions and narratives about its potential split or how it’s doomed to fail. But just how true is that? What are the important nuances concerning ASEAN that people need to be aware of? 

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Ilango Karuppannan, a retired Malaysian Ambassador with 33 years of frontline diplomatic experience. He’s also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. He runs a YouTube channel called Diplomatify, where he recently posted a video titled Is ASEAN Really Breaking Up — or Just Being Framed That Way?

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Myanmar’s devastating civil war grinds into its fourth year, following the 2021 military coup that ousted the country’s elected government. What followed was a nationwide civil disobedience movement, along with the rise of armed resistance groups. The revolutionary forces have been battling the junta for control of the country, not just to restore things as they were but to build something new altogether. According to reports, more than 5,000 people have been killed, over 3 million displaced, and the economy has been left in ruins.

Recently, as chair of ASEAN this year, Malaysia undertook a more active role, facilitating a series of stakeholder engagement meetings not only with the Junta but more importantly, with the National Unity Government and other key resistance forces and civil society groups. 

After the series of engagements, the various pro-democracy forces, in a strongly worded statement, rejected the Junta’s “sham elections,” which are to be held in December.

So, where do we go from here? What does this mean for the future of Myanmar?

In this episode, we unpack these questions and more with Lilianne Fan, who's the Head of Secretariat for the Malaysian Advisory Group on Myanmar.

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