Beyond the Ballot Box

Dr Peter Slezak is a Jewish Australian academic and outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights. He’s a member of the Council of Advisers at the Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies at Universiti Malaya and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network.  He’s also an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of New South Wales, Australia. For decades, he has used his platform and prominence to challenge dominant narratives around Israel-Palestine, often highlighting the moral responsibility of the Jewish community to oppose oppression and apartheid. He has written and spoken extensively about the genocide in Gaza and condemned the misuse and abuse of the term ‘antisemitism’ to silence dissent.

In this episode, we speak to Peter about what being the son and grandson of survivors of Nazi Germany taught him about how to view the Zionist project that is the State of Israel, how antisemitism is being weaponised by the right-wing and more.

Image Credit: Peter Slezak's X Account / Shutterstock

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Invisible People by Jean Ho is an animated documentary series that shines light on the lives and struggles of people on the margins of society, namely the stateless and refugees. Through short interviews with people from the impacted communities, activists and academics, the series explores themes of identity, belonging, and systemic neglect, while also highlighting the resilience and dignity of those living in the shadows. It’s also a great introduction for people who are completely unfamiliar with the challenges faced by refugees and the stateless.

In this episode, we speak to Jean Ho about her documentary.

Image Credit: invisiblepeopledoc.com

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Iskandar Fareez is from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), currently serving as the National Vice Chief of DAPSY, which is their youth wing. He’s also served as a Special Functions Officer to the Deputy Minister in two ministries, namely the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities and Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

Originally from Shah Alam, Iskandar's political journey began while studying in Australia, where he was involved in student activism and connected with progressive Malaysian leaders who inspired him to enter politics. He's passionate about social justice, youth empowerment, and building a more inclusive, multiracial Malaysia. 

So, in this episode, I'm gonna speak to Iskandar Fareez about his journey in politics and what it's like pushing for change from within the system.

Image Credit: Iskandar Fareez's X account

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Starting 1st of July, Malaysia’s expanded Sales and Service Tax (SST) framework will kick in. Under this expansion, luxury and discretionary items like watches, yachts, and antique artworks will now be taxed at rates of 5% or 10%, while services such as private wellness treatments, construction, fee-based financial services, private schools, among others, will face a 6–8% service tax.

There was also a lot of discussion and backlash about imported fruits getting taxed. While that broadly still applies, the government did announce today that imported oranges and apples will be exempted.

The government says these new taxes are essential to fund public projects like new hospitals, especially in light of Malaysia’s low tax-to-GDP ratio (currently at 11-12%).

But is this the best path forward? Is it aligned with the Prime Minister’s rhetoric on taxing the wealthy (or “mahakaya”)?

We speak to Gandipan Nantha Gopalan, Central Committee Member, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). We discuss what works and what doesn’t about the SST, as well as alternative tax models that could be implemented, which will genuinely target the richest people in society, instead of middle class/upper middle class consumers.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Temple Tracks: Labour, Piety and Railway Construction in Asia is a fascinating book by Vineeta Sinha, a professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the National University of Singapore. It explores how Indian migrant workers, brought to colonial Malaya and Singapore to build and maintain the railway system, were not just labourers laying down tracks — they were also community-builders and religion-makers.

In this episode, we speak to the author about the intersection of railways, migrant labour, and Hindu temples and how it resulted in interesting parallels and divergences in political thought between the South Indians, specifically the Tamils in Tamil Nadu and those in Malaya/Singapore.

Image Credit: NUS FASS/Berghahn Books

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Sevan Doraisamy is a veteran Malaysian human rights defender and activist who’s been fighting the good fight for more than 25 years. He also served as the Executive Director of SUARAM, one of the country’s leading human rights organisations for 10 years, before deciding to step aside this year.

Over the years, he’s been at the forefront of numerous human rights campaigns, from pushing to abolish ISA (which was eventually done in 2012), to advocating for police accountability and championing freedom of expression. He has faced consequences for his activism, including being detained by authorities numerous times.

In this episode, we speak to Sevan about his years of activism, how much Malaysia has progressed on the human rights front, where we’ve stagnated and the tasks that lie ahead for the next generation of activists.

Image Credit: SUARAM's Facebook

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Since the 2018 and 2022 elections, there has been renewed national focus on East Malaysia and the long-standing promises of MA63. But often, much of that focus has been on Sarawak — its political stability, development push, and dominant state government. Meanwhile, Sabah’s story is equally complex, shaped by decades of political shifts, unresolved questions of autonomy, persistent development gaps, and the long shadow of the alleged Project IC. 

As Sabah heads towards elections in 2025, many of these issues are once again front and center. In this episode, we unpack the past, present, and perhaps even future of Sabah politics, with Ariff Adi Putera Anwar, Research Associate, Institute for Development Studies.

Image Credit: Wikimedia / Creative Commons

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Protests have spread all across America in solidarity with migrant workers and against US President Donald Trump’s immigration raids.

Last Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made the most arrests in a single day in its history, detaining more than 2,200 people. Even tourists were reportedly questioned and some were temporarily detained. Then on Friday, the federal agency arrested more than a hundred undocumented immigrants in workplace raids. This triggered spontaneous protests near those sites and in front of downtown federal buildings, especially in Los Angeles, California. Protesters accuse the Trump administration of targeting ordinary workers simply trying to make ends meet.

Trump deployed 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops without California’s consent, citing national security and calling these protests an “insurrection.” In videos circulating on social media, we see authorities using brute force, rubber bullets, and tear gas against protesters and journalists. As of now, close to 400 people have been arrested due to the protests, and that number is rising rapidly. 

But this has only brought more people onto the streets, now all over the country. Thousands of people are taking to the streets in New York, Atlanta, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco and more.

So, what is the significance of this moment?

We speak to Prof Peter Beattie, Political Economist & Political Psychologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

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By November 2025, Kerala is set to become India’s first state to entirely eradicate extreme poverty. One of the key reasons is the highly successful Extreme Poverty Eradication Project that the state government embarked on. But the interesting thing about Kerala is that while this specific project is fairly new, the state has been the benchmark in the country for development and social wellbeing for decades. 

The South Indian state has the highest literacy rate in the country, the highest literacy rate among women in the country, its infant mortality rate is on par with the most developed countries, it was the best state in India at managing the Covid-19 pandemic, it has the world’s first solar-powered airport, an incredible sustainable eco-tourism landscape, and the list goes on and on. 

The question: how did they do it? What can we learn from them? 

In this episode, we speak to Atul Chandra, Researcher, Tricontinental Research Institute. He also recently penned an article for the People’s Dispatch describing Kerala’s efforts in eradicating extreme poverty.

Image Credit: Wikimedia / Creative Commons

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Charles Santiago is a human rights activist, a member of the DAP, former MP for Klang, and a two-time chairman of Malaysia’s National Water Services Commission (SPAN). He first held the SPAN chairmanship from November 2018 until his removal in April 2020 (after Langkah Sheraton), and was reappointed in March 2023, serving until March 2025. 

Beyond these roles, Santiago serves as the co-chair of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), where he has been a vocal advocate against systemic labour exploitation and debt bondage in the region, among other issues. 

In this episode, we speak to Charles Santiago about his tenure at SPAN, the politics of water and labour rights violations in the region. 

Image Credit: Charles Santiago, SPAN

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