Current Affairs

When Prime Minister Najib Razak attacked humans rights as an ideology that draws from the extreme ends of secularism, liberalism and humanism, he unleashed a storm of criticism from human rights advocates. He subsequently released a correction on social media. What is the source of his inconsistency, what consequence has it for efforts to develop and institutionalize international human rights standards, which the government itself funds, and also of Malaysia’s standing at international fora? Former commissioner with the National Human Rights Commission reframes the debate.

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In the recent Indian parliamentary, or Lok Sabha, elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, won an outright majority winning 282 seats. At the last Lok Sabha elections it had 116 seats. Today we look at the BJP in particular the role of a Hindu nationalist organization called the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, in its electoral success. The BJP win is a fascination story of astute political messaging, grassroots organizing, institutional cross-fertilisation and corporate interest shaping public agendas through media ownership and control.

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Today the results from India’s Lok Sabha elections will be known. Some 550 million voters (130 million more than in 2009) voted across in the month-long process. We ask what’s behind the record-high voter turnout of 66%.

Is it an anti-incumbency wave or a ‘Modi-wave’, a reference to the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party? What do regional as well as gender-based variations in voting turnout tell us about India’s democracy? And should we believe exit-poll results.

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On Monday, a leadership transition on the state of Terengganu created a crisis. In a planned succession, Ahmad Said stepped down as MB and was replaced by Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman. In the wee hours of Tuesday morning Ahmad Said and two other Assemblymen quit UMNO and declared themselves independents. This reduced Ahmad Razif ‘s administration to a minority government with 14 seats, while PAS held 14, PKR 1 and 3 independents stood on the other side of the aisle. The 3 independents have since returned to UMNO but the party still controls the state by the slimmest of majorities of 17 to 15. We ask if this apparent stability will last in view of factionalism in the ruling party and the slim majority in the State Assembly.

This is a report by Aziff Azuddin.

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Brunei’s implementation of Syariah law and Hudud punishment has grabbed international headlines. While Western celebrities like Virgin’s Richard Branson announced a boycott of the Sultan’s hotels, back in Malaysia Brunei’s decision has it enthusiastic supporters. Important to note the Sultan visited Kelantan in December last year for a 3-day visit. In the blogosphere the Sultan is quoted as saying “Who are we before God to say No or Wait since these laws are part of the Quran and Hadis.” But what’s also noted in other conversations is that the Sultan is constitutionally exempted from these laws. We need a deeper understanding of the Nation of Brunei, Abode of Peace, as it is officially known, if its going to provide an adequate model for hudud in Malaysia. Gunn is the author of “Language, power, and ideology in Brunei Darussalam”.

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This weekend significant numbers of protestors from both sides are on the streets. The PDRC is seeking defection by state officials to its side and an interim government. Its occupation of television stations seeks to broadcast this intent. The United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) will be pushing for a July election and for the caretaker government to remain in office. There is no chance of the former, some for the latter,” writes Connors in an op-ed for the English-language Thai daily, The Bangkok Post. We speak to him on what he calls D-Day.

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We bring you a report from Sinar Harian's forum "Hudud: Sedia atau Tidak?" held yesterday. The panel left the audience with one conclusion: despite opposition, the Kelantan state government is determined to implement hudud come next year. With MCA taking a stand against the ruling and UMNO moving forward with support, will this spell trouble for the Barisan coalition?

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The results of the 13th General Election of last year shocked many supporters of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. While its component political parties garnered some 51% the votes cast nationally, it failed to wrestle power from the Barisan Nasional. There was a steep learning curve ahead for many on issues like “mal-apportionment” and “gerrymandering”. We report on an initiative that is both raising awareness as well as providing a constructive opportunity for citizens to participate in the expected constituency re-drawing or delimitation exercise that the Election Commission will embark on. NGOs Tindak and Global Movement of Moderates are collaborating on this project.

This is a report by Alexandra Lok.

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As Special Assistant to the Secretary-General of ASEAN in 1993, journal Pichai Chuensuksawadi had a unique view of the organization. At that time the Secretary General was Ajit Singh of Malaysia. BFM’s Haniff Baharudin met up with him at a forum entitled “Fostering Freedom of Expression” at Unisel in association with Asian Institute for Development Communication (AIDCOM). Can ASEAN become a dynamic organization? Who actually gives shape to ASEAN's policy? And what hopes is there to create an regional economic community.

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In Egypt, the crackdown against press freedom has gripped the attention of the whole world. Canadian Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, Australian producer Peter Greste, and Egyptian cameraman Baher Mohamed are three Al Jazeera journalists. They have been detained since December 29th last year. And are charged with “harming the general interests of the country” and aiding the Muslim Brotherhood, considered a terrorist organisation by the Egyptian junta. But as Greste, an award-winning foreign correspondent, wrote from his cell: “How do you accurately and fairly report on Egypt’s ongoing political struggle without talking to everyone involved?” Follow the case on Twitter #freeAJstaff.

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