Beyond the Ballot Box

Since the end of World War II, the world has been underpinned by a particular global economic system: Liberalism. This has solidified further since the end of the Cold War and has remained largely unchanged for decades. However, for various reasons that we will unpack throughout this conversation, that world is fading. So, amidst the increasingly fluid geopolitical landscape, will a different order take shape?

Arividya Arimuthu, a senior fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, wrote an article titled From progressive liberalisation to strategic protection: The quiet rewriting of trade doctrine, which explores exactly this. She joins me on the show today to unpack this further. 

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Many Malaysians are familiar with the story of how colonial powers used divide-and-rule policies to reshape Malayan society, creating ethnic and class structures whose effects continue to reverberate today. 

But how should we understand our political and economic development post-independence? 

How did neoliberalism reshape society? Why, despite decades of economic growth, do so many Malaysians continue to struggle with stagnant wages, rising living costs, debt, housing affordability and more? As Malaysia faces the challenges of the 21st century, a different kind of political and economic model is needed to build a society that is both prosperous and fair, but what should that look like?

So many big questions. 

In this episode, we speak to Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, chairperson of Parti Sosialis Malaysia. He has written a paper for the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research titled Contemporary Challenges for the Malaysian Left. 

Image Credit: Tricontinental Asia

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An extensive new report by the criminal justice system reform NGO Hayat contends that Malaysia’s anti-drug framework has evolved into a system that often punishes low-level couriers who are deceived and manipulated rather than kingpins that run the show. It traces this problem to two key legal mechanisms: statutory presumptions in the Dangerous Drugs Act and the doctrine of wilful blindness. Together, these rules shift the burden onto accused persons to prove they did not know they were carrying drugs, even in cases involving hidden compartments, forged travel arrangements, romance scams, or fraudulent job offers. A major focus is the landmark case of Herlina Purnama Sari, an Indonesian woman sentenced to death after drugs were found in her luggage. 

In this episode, we unpack this and more with Tham Jia Vern, who's a researcher at HAYAT and one of the authors of the report. 

Image Credit: Hayat

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The Strait of Hormuz has been blocked for a few months now, which has resulted in a global energy crisis. While some hope things will return to the way they were, many geopolitical experts think this is the new normal.

So it's all the more reason for us to understand the conflict between Iran and the West at a deeper level.

In his paper titled The Intimate Enmity: Iran and the West, Yin Shao Loong, who’s the deputy director of research at the Khazanah Research Institute argues that the US-Israeli illegal war on Iran and Iran’s subsequent retaliation cannot be understood simply by looking at the past few months, as it is only the latest chapter in a much longer history of imperial intervention and regional power struggles.

In this episode, Shao Loong joins us to unpack his paper.

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Dr Chee Soon Juan is one of Singapore’s most prominent opposition politicians and has served as secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) since 1993. Despite not having a seat in Parliament, Chee has spent decades advocating greater political pluralism, civil liberties, democratic reform, and stronger social welfare policies in Singapore. Like most in Singapore who choose to actively battle the PAP in the political arena, Dr Chee’s journey has been an uphill one, marked by legal troubles, arrests and prison time. 

In this episode, we speak to Dr Chee on the realities of being part of the opposition in Singapore and the challenges the country faces despite years of good governance by the ruling PAP. We also talk about his new book, Unbroken: The Power of Resilience. 

Image Credit: Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Facebook

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Saul Takahashi is a Japanese human rights lawyer and academic known for his work on Palestine, international human rights law, and Islamophobia research. He served as Deputy Head of Office of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Occupied Palestine from March 2009 to May 2014. He’s currently a Non-resident Fellow at the Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies, University Malaya. 

In this episode, we speak to Saul about his personal journey, what he learned about the limits of the United Nations while working there, what he witnessed while living and working in Palestine, post-war Japan and more. 

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Kami Orang Sini Juga is a mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research. This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth.

In the 8th and final episode, we explore the rise of China as a global powerhouse and whether its soft power is shaping the identity and political views of young, local Chinese. We also interrogate whether its soft power is any different from how Hong Kong and Taiwan captured the imagination of Malaysian-Chinese back in the 80s-2000s, or how the English-speaking community is often shaped by American pop culture and politics.

We speak to Liew Liang Hong, Researcher, IMAN Research. 

Listen to the rest of the episodes of the series here.

And if you missed it, we previously covered IMAN’s Orang Kita project on Malay-Muslim youth. Here is the list of episodes - 

The Malays Are More Politically Diverse Than You Think

Does the MADANI Branding Capture the Imagination of Young Malays?

Farmlands & Financial Hubs: How Land Use Shapes Voting Patterns in Malaysia

What Do Malay Youths Want?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kami Orang Sini Juga is a mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research. 

This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth.

In the seventh episode, we unpack a bit of the history of one of the most well-organised far-right organisations in the world, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and explore whether it has spread its wings to Malaysia. We also talk about actor-turned politician Vijay (who recently won the Tamil Nadu elections and became its chief minister) and how he is capturing the political imagination of the diaspora community in ways others can't.
In this episode, we are once again joined by Shalini Muniapan, who is a researcher at IMAN Research.

Listen to the rest of the episodes of the series here.

And if you missed it, we previously covered IMAN’s Orang Kita project on Malay-Muslim youth. Here is the list of episodes - 

The Malays Are More Politically Diverse Than You Think

Does the MADANI Branding Capture the Imagination of Young Malays?

Farmlands & Financial Hubs: How Land Use Shapes Voting Patterns in Malaysia

What Do Malay Youths Want?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kami Orang Sini Juga is a mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research. 

This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth.

In the sixth episode, we explore the key priorities of Malaysian-Chinese youth, including infrastructure and social harmony. 

We speak to Liew Liang Hong, Researcher, IMAN Research. 

Listen to the rest of the episodes of the series here.

And if you missed it, we previously covered IMAN’s Orang Kita project on Malay-Muslim youth. Here is the list of episodes - 

The Malays Are More Politically Diverse Than You Think

Does the MADANI Branding Capture the Imagination of Young Malays?

Farmlands & Financial Hubs: How Land Use Shapes Voting Patterns in Malaysia

What Do Malay Youths Want?

Image Credit: Shutterstock

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kami Orang Sini Juga is a mini-series in collaboration with IMAN Research. 

This series explores how young Malaysian Indians and Chinese understand identity, belonging, and their place in Malaysia today. It builds on IMAN’s earlier project, Orang Kita, which focused on Malay Muslim youth.

In the fifth episode, we unpack why young Malaysian Indians feel disconnected from politics in the country, how they feel about race based political parties and what meaningful political re-engagement could look like. 

Listen to rest of the episodes of the series here.

And if you missed it, we previously covered IMAN’s Orang Kita project on Malay-Muslim youth. Here is the list of episodes - 

The Malays Are More Politically Diverse Than You Think

Does the MADANI Branding Capture the Imagination of Young Malays?

Farmlands & Financial Hubs: How Land Use Shapes Voting Patterns in Malaysia

What Do Malay Youths Want?

Image Credit: Shutterstock

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.