Author Archives: Tricia

Tun Ismail: Up Close and Personal

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Tricia

First published in theSun here, on 12 November 2015. TUN Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman’s life in politics has in two previous books been deeply analysed by academic Ooi Kee Beng (in The Reluctant Politician: Tun Dr Ismail and His Time … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Public duty and private interest

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Tricia

First published in theSun here on 15 October 2015. A MONTH ago, Otto Perez Molina resigned as president of Guatemala following an investigation that he and his aides received bribes in exchange for lowering taxes for companies importing products into … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Minorities in an age of distrust

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Tricia

(First published in theSun newspaper on 1 October 2015, here). OVER the last week I spent in Paris under invitation of the French Foreign Ministry, almost every academic and official I met raised the refugee crisis and migration as the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethno-Religious Politics, Religion | Leave a comment

Opening up budgets

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Tricia

(First appeared in theSun newspaper on 17 September 2015, here). THE Auditor-General’s Office has found massive discrepancies in government spending for the longest time. While it is excellent that the auditor-general boldly reveals this year after year, it is important … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Economics, Public Administration, Transparency and Good Governance | Leave a comment

Whose cause is Bersih’s?

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Tricia

First published in theSun on 3 September 2015, here. MANY of my urban, middle class friends and relatives went for their first ever rally last weekend, joining tens of thousands on the streets of Kuala Lumpur in a festive parade, … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Elections | Leave a comment

A prime minister’s powers

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Tricia

First published in theSun on 13 August 2015, here. THE news of the prime minister having removed the attorney-general and deputy prime minister; promoting the Public Accounts Committee chairman; and transferring several Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers shocked many people. … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, General Politics, Public Administration, Transparency and Good Governance | Leave a comment

Why media freedom matters

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Tricia

First published in theSun on 30 July here. THE three-month suspension of The Edge Financial Daily and The Edge Weekly newspapers by the Home Ministry is a chilling reminder of a government that silences any form of critical questioning. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Culture, Literature, Public Administration, Transparency and Good Governance | Leave a comment

Taking back liberal

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Tricia

(first published in theSun on Thursday, 9 July 2015, here) AT an IDEAS public forum last weekend on whether or not Malaysia is ready for a liberal political party, it was evident that all three of the panel speakers acknowledged … Continue reading →

Posted in Liberalism, Philosophy, Religion | Leave a comment

Nothing to hide

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Tricia

(First published in theSun on 11 June 2015, here). IN our A-Level English literature classes, we used to describe Shakespearean comedy as “someone else’s tragedy”. Such is the case of the most recent public relations disaster to have befallen our … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Economics, General Politics, Transparency and Good Governance | Leave a comment

Waking up to an old, brewing crisis

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Tricia

(First published in theSun on 28 May 2015, here). MALAYSIANS have finally woken up to the cruel plight faced by refugees and migrant workers following the consecutive events of the last few weeks. The most disconcerting has been the discovery … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Human Rights, Public Administration | Leave a comment