Beyond the Ballot Box

Malaysia is at an interesting juncture right now. In 2018, Malaysians voted out the Barisan Nasional government that was once thought invincible and had ruled the country since its independence. Then there was a period of political instability since Langkah Sheraton until about a week after GE15. Now, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the helm, things have finally stabilised. 

In an article for The Lowy Institute, Ooi Kok Hin argues that Malaysia’s democratic transition is an important case for Southeast Asia and the Muslim-majority world and that the country has the potential to lead regional democratic discourse during its 2025 ASEAN chairmanship. 

So, what are the opportunities that lie ahead? We speak to Kok Hin.

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Donald Trump is once again President of the United States of America. 

He did so by defeating Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris relatively comfortably. Heading to this year’s polls, all eyes were on the seven swing states – Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina. Trump managed to win every single one of these states. Not only that, but he is also the first Republican candidate to win the popular vote since George W. Bush in 2004. 

So, how did he do it?  

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

In part 2 of this conversation, we discuss:
• How progressives like Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar won their seats despite not endorsing Kamala Harris and Joe Biden
• Is the Obama coalition finished?
• What’s the antidote to right-wing populism?
• What we can expect from Trump 2.0

Click here to listen to part 1. 

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Donald Trump is once again President of the United States of America. 

He did so by defeating Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris relatively comfortably. Heading to this year’s polls, all eyes were on the seven swing states – Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina. Trump managed to win every single one of these states. Not only that, but he is also the first Republican candidate to win the popular vote since George W. Bush in 2004. 

So, how did he do it? 

I speak to Prof Peter Beattie, Political Economist & Political Psychologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). 

In part 1 of this conversation, we discuss:
• How the rise of inequality in the US contributes to Trump winning
• Why some of Joe Biden’s progressive policies did not sway voters
• How the media landscape in the US shapes politics
• US government’s backing of Israel’s genocide in Gaza
• If the Democratic Party is too left-wing/progressive

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In October, the Parliament of Malaysia passed controversial amendments to the constitution’s citizenship provisions via a Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024. According to critics, the bill is a case of one step forward, a few unnecessary steps backward. While the bill seeks to grant citizenship to overseas-born children of Malaysian women, it also includes a whole host of regressive amendments which will worsen conditions for other categories of stateless people in Malaysia. This move was the last straw for Yap Xiang, who resigned in protest as vice-chief of PKR’s student wing Mahasiswa Keadilan Malaysia. The student wing had previously rallied with other NGOs against the regressive provisions of the bill outside Parliament in March. Yap Xiang, who’s also a member of Borneo Komrad, joins us in conversation.

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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 state. We speak to Aziff Azuddin who recently penned an article for The Star highlighting exactly that. Aziff has been researching the politics of Malay youths for quite some time now.

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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 Director of Williams Business Consultancy. The four of them recently produced a paper on what a universal basic income could look like in Malaysia.

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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 Special is brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.

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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.

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. Solomon of National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) and Alex Ong of Migrant Care.

This BFM Budget 2025 Special is brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.

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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 Group, for their Budget 2025 wishlists.

Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.

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