Author Archives: Tricia

First published in theSun on 10 November 2016, here. Malaysia woke up last week to find that its government had signed not one, but 14 bilateral agreements with China worth RM144 billion in total, in addition to a RM55 billion … Continue reading →

(First published in theSun on 27 October 2016 here). MUCH is made over the budget speech tabled by the prime minister in Parliament in October each year. And rightly so, since it is supposed to be the government’s financial blueprint … Continue reading →

(First published in theSun on 13 October 2016 here). THERE are many ways to think about freedom. If you live with your parents and your parents impose a curfew on you to come home by midnight, you might say that … Continue reading →

(First published in theSun here, on 7 January 2016). OVER the last few months, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has been one of the few government bodies undergoing tremendous pressure. Most recently, rumours circulated that its chief commissioner, Tan Sri … Continue reading →

First published in theSun here, on 10 December 2015. THE 2016 budget came as a rude shock to some, since there were massive budget cuts in most of ministries, including education, energy, finance, urban wellbeing, housing and local government, as … Continue reading →

First published in theSun here, on 26 November 2015. LAST week, I was invited to speak at an OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) conference on the corporate governance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), or in Malaysian terms, government-linked companies … Continue reading →

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 →

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 →