Beyond the Ballot Box

Over the past decade or so far-right parties and leaders have moved from the fringes to the forefront of global politics. Figures like Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Giorgia Meloni, Narendra Modi and the BJP, Nigel Farage in the UK, AFD in Germany and more who’s views were once seen as outliers or shrugged off altogether, now command mass followings, win elections and shape global political discourse in a big way. Most recently, the AFD in Germany won a state election, something a far-right hasn’t done in the country since World War II and Hitler. 

The far-right is now concretely in the mainstream. 

So, why is the far-right gaining ground? 

In this conversation, we discuss:

What actually is the far right?

The difficulty of defining the right across different countries, the role of exclusionary politics and nativism, and why concepts developed from the European experience do not always neatly apply to countries like Malaysia.

Why is right-wing populism rising now?

We explore the economic and political conditions behind its resurgence, from neoliberal globalisation and inequality to declining trust in established political parties, and the sense that the promises of liberalism have benefited elites more than ordinary people.

Has the left abandoned the working class?

How centre-left parties have moved closer to professional and college-educated voters, depoliticised the economy and hyperfocused on cultural representation, creating a political vacuum that the right has been able to exploit.

Why does economic frustration become a culture war?

If people experience stagnant wages, insecurity and declining living standards, why are they often drawn towards questions of migration, race, religion and national identity rather than economic reform? And how do political movements give shape to these anxieties?

Can the left reclaim nationalism?

What would a more inclusive form of nationalism look like? One based not on ethnic or religious purity, but on sovereignty, decolonisation, economic development and bringing different communities together around better jobs, healthcare, housing and public services?

What can actually defeat the far right?

Whether left-wing populism can offer a meaningful alternative by combining economic transformation with multicultural politics, and whether political movements need to demonstrate their values through material improvements in people's everyday lives rather than simply arguing about ideology.

Reading/watching/listening list: 

• Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture Wars by Ash Sarkar [Book]

• Tyranny of Merit by Michael Sandel [Book]

• War for Eternity by Benjamin R. Teitelbaum [Book]

• The German Word That Explains Why Young Men Are Moving Right [Substack]

• The Left Is Speaking a Dead Language [Substack]

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Budget 2027 will be tabled in Parliament this Friday. In the lead-up to it, former Klang MP Charles Santiago who also runs the think tank Monitoring Sustainability of Globalization (MSN), has been calling for the government to put household prosperity at the centre of its economic policy with stronger wages, social protection and action on the cost of living. He argues that economic growth means little if it isn’t translating into better incomes and greater security for ordinary Malaysians. Separately, Charles is also calling for systemic reforms, including greater government accountability and a more permanent institutional framework for Indian affairs specifically. 

We unpack all of this and more with Charles Santiago. 

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We’re living through a period of enormous uncertainty. Great power tensions are rising, from the US and China to Russia and Europe. The climate is warming, bringing more extreme heat, floods and disruption. And AI is developing at a pace that has left even the people building these systems debating where all of this could ultimately lead.

And perhaps what makes all three particularly frightening is that they’re no longer just science fiction. These are real developments happening right now, and they raise very real existential questions on the future of humanity.

So, are these genuinely existential threats? How worried should we be? 

In this conversation, we discuss: 

Are we sleepwalking into World War Three?
Rising tensions between major powers, particularly the US, China and Russia, and the danger that a conflict could escalate through miscalculation or momentum rather than deliberate intent.

Is the decline of US hegemony making the world more dangerous?
Challenging the idea that a multipolar world automatically means a more balanced world, and that the decline of a dominant power could instead produce renewed great-power rivalry and competition over spheres of influence.

Can diplomacy and international institutions prevent catastrophe?
The role of the UN, diplomats, and multilateral institutions in navigating global conflicts, alongside the question of whether the existing international order is still capable of containing conflicts as global power shifts.

The climate crisis may be the most immediate existential threat.
Rising temperatures, extreme weather, and potential cascading crises such as food failures and mass displacement severely impact the Global South, despite having contributed much less to historical emissions.

Is AI really the threat — or is it who controls AI?
Rather than focusing only on the “AI takes over humanity” scenario, we dissect ownership, capitalism, automation, and inequality. If AI dramatically increases productivity, who actually benefits? Will AI liberate people from work, or simply give more power to those who own the technology?

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Across Asia-Pacific, women continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid care work. The situation is becoming increasingly challenging as societies age, birth rates decline, and demand for elderly care grows. These pressures are further compounded by migration, the climate crisis, and rising economic insecurity, all of which are reshaping care needs across the region. The economic implications are significant: the UNDP estimates that recognising the value of women’s unpaid care work could add around US$3.8 trillion to the regional economy.

Spogmay Ahmed is the Deputy Director of the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative, a shared space for feminists working across government, civil society and philanthropy to collectively strategize and advance feminist approaches to foreign policy. Recently, they organised a roundtable on: Sustaining Feminist Foreign Policy Through a Shared Care Agenda… with diplomats and civil society from across the world to discuss how governments can build on growing international momentum around care and translate it into coordinated action through multilateral institutions and processes.

In this episode, we speak to Spogmay Ahmed about the link between care and foreign policy.

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Red Tiger: Practical Socialism in Malaysia is a new book by Arveent Kathirtchelvan. In it he argues that Malaysia's problems aren't simply the result of bad politicians and that things such as low wages, inequality, and concentrated economic power are connected to the underlying logic of capitalism itself. So the question isn't merely "How do we make the current system work better?" but "What would an alternative economic system look like?"

In this episode, we unpack Red Tiger with its author, Arveent.

Image Credit: Arveent Kathirtchelvan

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Malaysia is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. Like much of the world, it is also a nation-state deeply embedded in the global capitalist economy, shaped by decades of neoliberalism and privatisation. At the same time, Malaysia has universal public healthcare, a large public education system and a significant state-owned sector through government-linked companies. So, what does all of this tell us about the nature of the Malaysian economy? And what does this mean for a left-wing project in Malaysia?

In this episode, we speak to Jeremy Lim, who’s an editor at Jentayu and a PHD candidate at University Malaya. We discuss the possibilities and limits of parliamentary reform, the role of the state, and what kind of strategy Malaysia’s left might need to pursue meaningful political and economic change.

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It's a wrap! The Ones to Watch series has heard the journey and stories of 10 young politicians wanting to make Malaysia a better place. To discuss how youth enter and rise in political parties, we speak with Dashran Yohan of BFM89.9 and Iskandar Fareez, National Vice Chief of DAPSY, who react and reflect to clips from different interviews.

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Nadira Ilana is a Sabahan filmmaker, activist and storyteller. Born and raised in Sabah, she has spent years documenting stories that often sit outside the dominant national narrative, tackling questions of memory, identity and nation-building from the Sabahan perspective. 

In conjunction with Malaysia Day, we speak to Nadira about Malaysia from a Bornean perspective. We talk about her personal journey as a filmmaker, as well as a bit about Sabah’s long history of struggle and what it means to build a shared Malaysian identity.

Image Credit: Nadira Ilana

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Every minister in Putrajaya has a private secretary, a press officer, and a special officer. Many of these officers go on to become politicians themselves. To examine how young political actors learn the ropes, we speak to Loh Ker Chean, National Vice Chief of Wanita KEADILAN and Special Functions Officer to the Minister of Education. 

Image Credit: Loh Ker Chean Facebook

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The global order is shifting, with the dominance of the US being challenged by a rising China and a more multipolar world taking shape. For Southeast Asia, these changes bring both opportunities and risks: ASEAN is attracting investment as companies diversify their supply chains, but many countries remain heavily dependent on foreign capital, low wages and competition with their neighbours. So is ASEAN really emerging as a winner of this new global order, or are we simply reproducing the same old model of dependency? And what would it take for the region to build its own productive capacity, strengthen regional integration and move towards a higher-wage, more self-sufficient economy? We unpack all of this with Edward Vrkic, Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 

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