Beyond the Ballot Box

For months, the Malaysian Citizenship Rights Alliance (MCRA), constitutional experts and more have been pushing back against many of the proposed amendments by the Home Ministry due to its regressive and cruel nature that will only perpetuate statelessness. Last week, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024 which concerns stateless people, was tabled in Parliament. Interestingly, the Bill wasn’t voted on in Parliament due to “lack of time.” 

So, what is the content of the Bill that eventually hit parliament floors? What does it mean that the bill wasn’t voted on? What changes do we need to see before Parliament sits again in June?

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The government of Malaysia will be launching the Progressive Wage Policy voluntary pilot programme in June. The policy draws inspiration from Singapore’s Progressive Wage Model, albeit with some key differences. So, what are these key differences and what can Malaysia learn from the successes and flaws of the Singapore model?

Calvin Cheng and Kevin Zhang are two public policy researchers who recently wrote a paper for the Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) titled Malaysia’s Progressive Wage: A Guide to Policy Design Considerations for Effective Implementation.

We unpack their paper in this episode. 

Image credit: Shutterstock AI

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The Greater Klang Valley is a wonderfully diverse city of 8 million people and growing. And if there’s one thing the millions of people share is our frustration with the consistently congested streets. But what can we do about it?

SocDem Malaysia is a new centre-left Think Tank. They recently released a research paper arguing that the central problem is the lack of a complete public transportation network, anchored by buses. They argue that if we are serious about tackling this problem, the Klang Valley needs 7000 more buses on the road. 

We speak to the co-founders of SocDem Malaysia, Rajiv Rishyakaran, (who’s also the ADUN of Bukit Gasing) and Kusaaliny Mahendran, (who’s also a Councillor at Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ). 

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The government of Malaysia has announced its intention to abolish the popular pension system for future civil service recruits and switch to retirement funds by way of EPF savings.  

But is this a good move – one that would benefit members of the civil service and the country as a whole or will this be detrimental to members of the civil service, especially those earning lower wages? 

We speak to Lee Hwok-Aun, Senior Fellow of the Regional Economic Studies Programme, and Coordinator of the Malaysia Studies Programme, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. 

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The Human Resource Minister, Steven Sim has announced that the government will review the minimum wage this year in accordance with the National Wages Consultative Council Act 2011. 

The question is, what should the new minimum wage be? How much should it increase from the current RM 1500? We speak to Alex Ong, Labour Rights Activist & Malaysian Coordinator of Migrant Care AND Sivaranjani Manickam, National Workers Bureau Coordinator, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). 

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There is a revolution ongoing in Myanmar. The people of Myanmar of various political ideologies and regions are engaging in civil disobedience and have also taken up arms against the military junta. There’s been talk about forging a new constitution and building a new Myanmar beyond and free from the junta. 

But where do the ethnic minority Rohingyas fit into this picture? After all, the Rohingya people have been subject to oppression, dispossession and genocide for decades, even before the recent coup. Millions of displaced Rohingyas are refugees in various parts of the world. We speak to Ro Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya activist, who’s currently based in Germany. 

Image credit: Free Rohingya Coalition

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Bersatu has been on the news a lot lately largely because there have been many MPs from Bersatu who are now pledging support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Madani government. The party isn’t just bleeding MPs though but members at all levels. So, what does this mean for Bersatu’s future?

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Our global political economy is going through some massive changes. Many experts have said that we could be witnessing the slow decline of the US & Western Empire right now. Are we moving towards a multipolar world? What role will China play? And after more than 40 years of neoliberalism, why are we seeing growing fascist or right-wing populist movements across the globe? 

These are big questions. 

We speak to Professor Venkatesh Athreya, Economist & Activist from Tamil Nadu, India. 

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For there to be a proper functioning democracy, we need a proper functioning media system – one that’s focused on the democratisation of ideas and robust debate between various viewpoints. However, the hyper-commercial media landscape today couldn’t be further from that. Fake news, half-truths, narrow perspectives, playing to the gallery and rage-baiting culture wars have greatly contributed to the polarisation we see across the world. 

Peter Beattie, who’s a regular guest on this show, wrote a book titled Social Evolution, Political Psychology, and the Media in Democracy which focuses on problems with the media landscape today and what needs to be done to make it better. We unpack his book in this episode. 

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Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian Theologian, academic and activist. He has written extensively on issues related to theology and politics in the Middle East and is an advocate for peace and justice in the region. He joins us in this episode to discuss the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza, Palestine by the Zionist Israel regime, and how Palestinian Christians are often left out of the conversation to fit the narrative of Western powers.

Image credit: Shutterstock & Bethlehem Bible College

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