Current Affairs

The Sarawak government will now assume full authority over the oil and gas industry in the state by July this year, following the launch of Petroleum Sarawak (Petros).

However, will this be enough to satisfy Sarawak's demands for more autonomy from the federal government? Professor James Chin weighs in.

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Over the weekend, Parti Sosialis Malaysia announced that it will be fielding 17 candidates in the upcoming General Elections - 5 Federal Parliamentary seats and 12 state seats. This comes a month after PAS announced that is would contest 130 Parliamentary seats.  Unlike the previous General Election when most voters were faced with a simple choice between two coalitions - Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat. This time the field is a little more crowded. Today we ask, if multi-cornered fights are a winning strategy for smaller parties like PSM and how they intend to appeal to voters to go beyond the BN vs PH framework. 

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We are coming into the election season and we can expect an increased interest in political discussions and books. Today we speak to the author of the book “Sensitive Truths in Malaysia: A Critical Appraisal of the Malay Problem”, who has a new book that will be launched tomorrow.

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Just when you thought the Trans-Pacific Partnership was dead in the water, with the withdrawal of the US from an agreement it had initiated and brokered, the multi-lateral regional trade agreement has been revived.  Earlier this week, the 11 remaining members of the TPP announced their intention to sign what they called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership or C.P.T.P.P. The signing is scheduled to take place in Chile on 8 March. Today, we look at what the differences between TPP and CPTPP are.

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Recently a social media campaign called for voters to either abstain or spoil their vote as an expression of protest in the upcoming general election. Using hashtags like #UndiRosak and #ProtesPRU, the movements have opened up a discussion on whether or not the decision to not choose a candidate is a legitimate choice or politically naive. Today we talk about the origins of the campaign and its consequence. Tonight our guests are part of a public forum public, “Undi Rosak: Kau Nak Apa Sebenarnya?” at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall at 8:30pm. 

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Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak made a working visit to Saudi Arabia, at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud. More recently, the government issued a statement that it stood in solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, over ballistic missile attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Today we ask about consequences of taking sides in the Yemen crisis, and how we can negotiate the changing politics of the Middle East.

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Earlier this week, Pakatan Harapan’s Youth Wing proposed that the English Premier League be televised on RTM. This suggestion was among 10 proposals the Pakatan Youth wing intends to use to attract young voters in the 14th general election. It’s chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said they want EPL fans in Malaysia to enjoy the most-followed league in the world.  The Youth Wing’s proposals drew a pointed response from UMNO Youth Exco, Shahril Hamdan.  On Twitter he wrote, “Based on latest list of Pakatan promises, RM94b in first year alone. RM1 trillion after 10 years of PH government.” Today we explore the cost of election promises and the messaging youth in the upcoming General Election. 

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On Sunday, Pakatan Harapan announced that its Chairman, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohd will be the interim Prime Minister should they win the next general election. The announcement added that Dr Mahathir would serve as prime minister until Anwar Ibrahim is ready to take over upon his release from prison. Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was also named Pakatan's choice for deputy prime minister. Today we ask is this is a winning strategy for Pakatan Harapan; and if we any closer to a policy-driven voting mindset.

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Yesterday, National laureate Datuk Dr Shahnon Ahmad passed away from pneumonia. He was 84. In 1982 was awarded with the National Literary Award. By then his body of work included the novels “Minister” and “Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan” translated as “No Harvest but a Thorn” published in 1966. While Shahnon was a write and academic, he Professor Emeritus at Universiti Sains Malaysia. He did have one term as MP in Sik, Kedah, winning the seat as a PAS member in the 1999 general election during the Reformasi period. Today we explore, his contributions as well as his relationship with the political establishment. 

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On Monday, a report by the News Straits Times, reopened the case of the death camps of Wang Kelian that grabbed headlines in 2015. Most serious of the allegations was that there was a massive cover-up by officials including the destruction of evidence. This has elicited responses from many stakeholders from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the European Rohingya Council ambassador.  Part of international context for these tragic events was our ranking in the Trafficking in Persons report produced by the US government. In the 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report, Malaysia was upgraded to Tier 2. Today, we ask what impact these new allegations will have on our TIP ranking.

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