Beyond the Ballot Box

 Recently, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government will be slashing constituency development funds from RM 3.8 million per constituency to RM 1.3 million. Anwar said the move is meant to better control the country’s finances and would be implemented in stages. But is this a good move? We speak to political scientist, Dr Bridget Welsh.

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Recently, there have been some rumblings that healthcare workers in Malaysia are going to go on strike to demand better wages and fairer working conditions. We hear about strikes from across the globe, as well. For example, rail workers in the US were about to go on strike recently until President Joe Biden signed a bill to block it. In 2020-2021, farmers in India went on strike for weeks against a law that would put farmers at the mercy of corporations. 

But what exactly are strikes? We discuss with Arveent Kathirtchelvan, Youth Chief, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). 

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Recently, there have been some rumblings that healthcare workers in Malaysia are going to go on strike to demand better wages and fairer working conditions. We hear about strikes from across the globe, as well. For example, rail workers in the US were about to go on strike recently until President Joe Biden signed a bill to block it. In 2020-2021, farmers in India went on strike for weeks against a law that would put farmers at the mercy of corporations. 

But what exactly are strikes? We discuss with Arveent Kathirtchelvan, Youth Chief, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). 

Imaage Credit: Shutterstock

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, there have been some rumblings that healthcare workers in Malaysia are going to go on strike to demand better wages and fairer working conditions. We hear about strikes from across the globe, as well. For example, rail workers in the US were about to go on strike recently until President Joe Biden signed a bill to block it. In 2020-2021, farmers in India went on strike for weeks against a law that would put farmers at the mercy of corporations. 

But what exactly are strikes? We discuss with Arveent Kathirtchelvan, Youth Chief, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). 

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On the 7th of February, the Malaysia Madani administration held its first Secretariat meeting. What’s interesting is that the meeting was held at the UMNO HQ and marked the first time Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim stepped into Menara Dato Onn in 25 years. So, what is the significance of this moment and what are the key takeaways from the meeting? 

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Forced labour is a massive problem in Malaysia. We’re talking about horrible wages, deplorable working and living conditions – in essence, modern day slavery. But what can we do about it? Recently, Lee Hwok-Aun of ISEAS and Adrian Pereira of the North-South Initiative, wrote a paper for ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute titled Can Malaysia Eliminate Forced Labour by 2030? We unpack this paper with the authors. 

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Last Friday, the UMNO Supreme Council, under the leadership of President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, sacked prominent figures, Khairy Jamaluddin and Selangor Umno liaison committee chairman Tan Sri Noh Omar.

It also suspended several other prominent members such as Hishamuddien Hussien and Shahril Hamdan. 

But what does this mean for UMNO and our political landscape moving forward?

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Historically speaking, a political party / movement that is considered progressive, is one that manages to unite the masses against the ruling class who owns the means of production, for the purpose of reducing the wealth gap and to build an equitable, egalitarian society. So, why then do we see the working class masses, especially the poorest people in society, in many parts of the world, vote for conservative parties, who generally push to reduce the minimum wage, lower tax rates on the rich, etc.

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Why is Najib still so popular? This is a question that has fascinated many Malaysians since UMNO-BN’s defeat in 2018. I mean, how did former Prime Minister Najib Razak rehabilitate his image and preserve his relevance within the political sphere, despite being plagued by numerous corruption scandals and charges? 

Recently, Dr Benjamin Loh, Vilashini Somiah & Sarah Ali wrote a paper titled Shame and shamelessness: Changing discourses in Najib Razak’s social media campaign. It is a quick and fascinating read into the strategies deployed by Najib to paint himself as a good man, wronged by the system. Dr Ben joins us on the show to discuss. 

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First-time MP, YB Syerleena Abdul Rashid recently won the Bukit Bendera Parliamentary seat in Penang with a comfortable 42 000 majority, at GE15. She is also the ADUN of Seri Delima, a seat that she won in 2018. What’s interesting is Syerleena is also a musician – a guitarist and a songwriter with multiple bands, to be specific. On today’s episode, she joins us to have a conversation about why she pursued politics, her ideologies, the challenges faced by Malay politicians in DAP, the rise of religious fundamentalism in Malaysia, even in Penang and her passion for the arts.

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