Beyond the Ballot Box

Marxists believe that there are two classes in society – the owner class (i.e. ultra wealthy, big businesses, etc) and the working class (i.e. bottom 90% masses). But if the struggle is between two classes in society, how does the fight for women’s rights, gender equality and the likes fit into the marxist/socialist framework? We discuss with Christine Gabriel who’s a member of Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s (PSM) Gender Biro.

Image credit: Shutterstock

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Road to GE is a show that explores your power in deciding who serves you in government. 

Langkah Sheraton came as a shock. Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir lost his majority when a small faction of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, defected from the party, teamed up with Bersatu (which was also part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition) and formed a new coalition with Barisan Nasional, PAS, GPS, etc to form a new government. Since then, there have been calls for an anti-hopping law – to put it simply, a law that would prevent frogs. We discuss the anti-hopping law, what it will accomplish and how it will work exactly, with YB Azalina Othman, MP for Pengerang and former Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat. 

Image credit: Facebook / Azalina Othman Said

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chico Mendes, Brazilian, rubber tapper, environmentalist, trade union leader, once famously said, “ecology without class struggle is just gardening.” On this episode of ThinkLeft, we discuss capitalism as the root cause of the climate crisis, why poor countries suffer due to rich country’s greed and why class struggle and solidarity among the masses is the best way to overcome this problem. 

Image credit: Shutterstock / Michal Urbanek

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls for a political funding/financing act have been growing louder ever since former Prime Minister Najib Razak tried to explain off millions of dollars flowing into his personal bank account as political donations from Saudi’s late king Abdullah. But the fact of the matter is, the need for a political funding act goes beyond Najib and his various corruption charges. It is about strengthening people’s power and preserving people’s interests more than the interests of the elite. Dr Kassim Noor Mohamed of Nottingham Trent University, joins us to discuss. 

Image credit: Shutterstock

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In July, Fadhlina Siddiq was elected as Ketua Wanita Keadilan (Chief of PKR’s Women’s Wing). Fadhlina is an activist-lawyer who is particularly passionate about issues concerning gender equality and equity. Despite only joining the party two years ago, Fadhlina has been a supporter for a long time now and her dad, Siddiq Fadzil was the former president of ABIM and close confidante of Anwar Ibrahim. 

Fadhlina joined us on the show today to share her journey in politics, what she plans to do differently as the chief of PKR’s Women’s Wing and their plans for GE15. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was a strong leftist movement in Malaysia pre-independence. In fact, leftist parties were integral in the fight against the British and gaining independence. On this episode, we explore what role leftist parties played in the 40s and 50s and how and why they eventually got squashed. What lessons can we learn from the past?

Image credit: Wikipedia

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The High Court has delivered its verdict on Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s corruption case involving a 1.25 billion ringgit solar hybrid energy project for rural schools in Sarawak, and found her guilty on all three charges.

So, what does this mean for our political landscape moving forward?

Joining us to unpack is Dr Oh Ei Sun, Principal Adviser, Pacific Research Center.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple of days ago, the Federal Court upheld the guilty verdict in former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s SRC International case. Najib is sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined 210 million ringgit. While there may be some narrow escape routes left for Najib, the fact of the matter is this: UMNO’s Kleptocrat poster boy is currently behind bars, as we head towards GE15. So, what does this mean for our political landscape moving forward?

Image credit: Shutterstock / Afif Abd. Halim

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People often think of politics as just government and the people. But another vital aspect that most people don’t think about – billionaires. Who are billionaires/ultra-wealthy and what role do they play in our society/politics? We discuss with S. Arutchelvan, Deputy Chairperson, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah said the following in response to the Malaysia Happiness Index 2022: “We are among the happy states. Happy means that the people are satisfied, the people are happy even if there are problems. That is why we are included in the happiness index. We got a score of 7.0, slightly different from Terengganu’s 7.2. Compared to Selangor’s 5.0, it is much different. That is a state that is said to be intelligent, ruled by Pakatan Harapan, the land is abundant, the state is rich, but the people are not happy.” But is the happiness index a good tool to measure how well citizens of a particular state (or country) is doing?  We discuss this with James Chai, political analyst and Visiting Fellow, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.

Image credit: Shutterstock

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.