Author Archives: Tricia

Shedding light on public procurement

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Tricia

First published in theSun here, on 21 August 2014. ONE of the many criticisms against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) that Malaysia is negotiating to sign alongside 11 other countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region is that procurement by government and state-owned … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Economics, General Politics, Public Administration | Leave a comment

In and out of schools

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Tricia

First published in theSun here, on 7 August 2014. AT an IDEAS education-related roundtable held earlier this week, the issue of school dropouts in Malaysia was raised, specifically in relation to the findings of our nationwide survey among the bottom 40% … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Leave a comment

Why more information is better

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Tricia

First published in theSun here, on 25 July 2014. WHAT both MH370 and MH17 have shown us is that accurate and timely information being provided to the public is absolutely crucial, and this is surely a lesson that must be extended … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Corruption, Media, Public Administration | Leave a comment

Reviewing the economy

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Tricia

First published in theSun here, on 10 July 2014. FEW writers and analysts are able to both identify precisely the challenges facing the Malaysian economy as well as communicate these in a manner easy to digest. Shankaran Nambiar’s new book, The … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

A transparency tool we can use

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Tricia

First appeared in theSun here, on 20 June 2014 DURING the 2015 Budget Consultation, the World Bank representative said explicitly that Malaysia would have to cut its annual budget down by 2.5% each year starting immediately, if it is serious about … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

Push for a better quality of life

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Tricia

(First published in theSun on 5 June 2014, and can be accessed here). AS I prepared for my presentation to the prime minister last week on what the government can do to enhance Malaysians’ quality of life during the Ministry of … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Crime, Economics, Public Administration, Water | Leave a comment

The rights of oil producing states

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Tricia

(First published in theSun on 22 May 2014, and can be accessed here). THE Sarawak state assembly recently passed a resolution calling for an increase from 5% to 20% of its oil royalty entitlement, along with seeking more developmental grants from … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Federalism, Public Administration | Leave a comment

Teaching for Malaysia

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Tricia

(first published in theSun on 1st May 2014) ONE Friday afternoon, I took a break from my office job and went to a school just outside Kuala Lumpur to teach a bunch of pubescent kids. I had hoped that I could … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Language | Leave a comment

Crony capitalism or plain cronyism?

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Tricia

(first published in theSun on 26th March 2014 and can be accessed here.) THE hallmark of a free economy is that it allows for perfect competition in a level-playing market where all players have access to both information and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

Politics in Policy

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Tricia

(First published in theSun on 13 March 2014, here.) AT the time of writing, it would be more than 60 hours since Malaysian air traffic control lost contact with the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. For the past few days, … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, General Politics, Public Administration | Leave a comment