Current Affairs

The internal crisis of Parti Islam SeMalaysia, better known by its acronym PAS is intensifying in the run up to the June party elections. From allegations of individual’s conspiring to overthrow the party president Hadi Awang, to the purge in the editorial leadership of the party news organ, Harakah, the public display of factionalism has reached fever pitch. Critics remark that this may possibly lead to a split come the party elections later this year, while others say the tensions are a normal part of party politics. We explore the larger implications of this internal turbulence for the party’s increasingly strained relationship with the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

Aziff Azuddin contributed to this report.

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The world has seen a tremendous rise in human rights violations in 2014, especially in conflict-ridden countries like Syria and the Ukraine. A recent report by Amnesty International also highlighted Malaysia’s human rights record. The NGO says human rights in the country has worsened throughout the years, due to the use of repressive laws and discriminatory policies, in particular the Sedition Act. We speak to Amnesty’s local chapter to find out more.

Annabelle Lee, Melanie Abraham and Mahesh Krishnan contributed to this report.

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The chairman of the bipartisan Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Malaysian Parliament released a statement last week saying that “the public needs to know the truth and the government must be transparent on 1MDB. If its investments and operations are legitimate, let this be proven by the Audit Department”. The PAC listed several areas of concern: “the source of the RM2 billion used to settle 1MDB's loans with local banks, the RM3 billion injection of government funds into the debt-laden company, its dealings with PetroSaudi International (PSI), and whether the money parked in Cayman Islands has been brought back”. We speak to a member of the PAC to get sense of the fast developing story.

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Today we follow up on some of the new faces appointed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in its effort to maintain good check and balance on anti-corruption efforts. We ask these new appointees why they think they were chosen and what strategies they plan to bring to the table as they embrace their roles.

We recommend Current Affairs' New Faces to Combat Corruption - Part 1 for complimentary listening.

Annabelle Lee contributed to this report.

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Hugo Swire, the Minister of State for the Foreign Office and Commonwealth Office, arrived here yesterday, the latest in a series of high level visitors from the UK over the last four years. His stated purpose is to reinforce the strong and enduring friendship between both countries. But our poor human rights record is causing some discomfort. Mr Swire himself has expressed concern about the recent jailing of leader of the Federal Opposition Anwar Ibrahim. We spoke to Tom Greatrex, who has raised this Malaysia’s human rights record in the UK Parliament during a debate on foreign policy recently.

Mahesh Krishnan contributed to this report.

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Earlier this week, Prime Minister Najib Razak appointed 26 panelists to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, more commonly known as the MACC. A total of 19 out of the 26 members appointed were new faces. Among the first time appointments is R. Nadeswaran, a prominent journalist as well as a longtime critic of the MACC. Today we speak to both the MACC and him about what we can expect from these panels.

Annabelle Lee contributed to this report.

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Unlike Nigeria's Boko Haram, which has been grabbing international headlines, Séléka is a lesser known rebel militia that overthrew the government of the Central African Republic in 2013. While promising a better life for people, the alliance has since been accused of violent crimes including looting and murder. Today we take a closer look at Séléka, why there has not been much coverage on it and what threats it poses to other countries in that region of Africa.

Melanie Abraham contributed to this report.

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Two months after the state of Kelantan, and much of the East Coast, was hit with the worst floods in its history, many questions are still being asked about progress in the rebuilding of infrastructure and rehabilitation efforts for the victims. Today we look into the disaster management efforts in the state and ask if reconstruction efforts are on the right track.

Mahesh Krishnan contributed to this report.

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Edelman’s annual survey into the state of trust in key institutions of civil society is now into its 4th year in Malaysia. The 2015 Edelman Trust Barometer looks at what makes or breaks ‘trust and credibility’ across four key institutions: Governments, Businesses, Media, and NGOs. Melisa Idris delves into its findings.

Listen to the podcast to learn why less than half of Malaysians surveyed trust Government and Media, why the public seems to have lost a little faith in NGOs, and why Malaysian CEOs are now enjoying a resurgence of credibility, despite the low trust in business leadership globally.

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The spiritual leader of PAS and former Kelantan Menteri Besar, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat passed away at the age of 84, after a long battle with prostate cancer. As a former teacher, he believes in the idea of using the political stage to impart knowledge to a wider audience. He also helped shape the course of the Islamist party for over three decades, steadfast in his beliefs and political ideology. But what was he like as a person? We speak to a former political rival who shares his personal experience with the man.

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