Author Archives: Tricia

Managing Plural Societies

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Tricia

In this article, I look at just how a consociational a democracy our country is, based on reflections of a dialogue session that I participated in at the Centre for Dialogue in Melbourne. A version of this was published in … Continue reading →

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

What do the state budgets of Penang and Selangor tell us? (2012)

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Tricia

The 2012 state budgets of Penang and Selangor would speak of brilliant financial performance from both states, an affirmation that Pakatan Rakyat governments have done well in managing their states. This is a case study for what a Pakatan federal … Continue reading →

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

Malaysian Lessons from Bolivia

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Tricia

Having worked on a documentary last year, I truly appreciate the worth of the visual medium now. Documentaries add great value to the study of politics as well, as the “Our Brand is Crisis” documentary shows. This was first published … Continue reading →

Posted in General Politics, Outside Malaysia | Leave a comment

The Paradox of Plenty

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Tricia

Haven’t you ever wondered why Malaysia with all its glorious resources, is not more developed than it is today? This has been called the “Paradox of Plenty” – my piece which was published in theSun on the 25th November 2011. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Human Rights | Leave a comment

Open Crucial Mega-Deals to Public Eye

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Tricia

And the financial mismanagement of the Malaysian corporate sector (or should we say pseudo-corporate) keep taking place. A version of this was written and published in theSun on the 25th November 2011. Open Crucial Mega-Deals to Public Eye Cyberspace was … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Economics | Leave a comment

What’s in the Budget for State Governments? (Federal 2012 Budget)

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Tricia

Every year when the Federal Government tables the budget in Parliament, the focus tends to be on national benefits. But here in my column for the Penang Monthly in December 2011, I write about what’s in it for state governments … Continue reading →

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

We can’t afford bad waste management

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Tricia

One thing politicians sometimes forget is that people just want their basic services to get done right: safe streets, clean streets. And so, I am convinced issues of water and waste will eventually be primary factors in how satisfied people … Continue reading →

Posted in Public Administration, Selangor | Leave a comment

The Vicious Cycle

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Tricia

Economics and Education – why one needs and contributes to, the other. First published in theSun on the 21st October 2011. The vicious cycle  For the last two weeks, all eyes have been focused on the 2012 budget (themed “National … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

Malaysia the Welfare State?

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Tricia

Are we a welfare state, or are we not? I’m not sure even our government knows how to classify us, since there have been conflicting remarks on the matter in the past. This was first published in the Penang Monthly … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

Same rules of the game

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Tricia

In October 2011, the Occupy Wall Street movement was rife, infecting many other cities in the US and England. We had a similar movement, although ours started even before theirs began, interestingly enough. A version of this was published in … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Human Rights, Outside Malaysia | Leave a comment