Author Archives: Tricia

Malaysia Post-PH Government, a documentation of political events from 21 to 24 Feb 2020

The movements of the political elite over the last few days have left Malaysians in confusion, not to mention the very real impact on economic and policy matters, and any semblance of reform initiatives. As of Monday 24 February 2020, … Continue reading

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Following the money: Political financing in Malaysia

First published in The Asia Dialogue on 30 July 2019 here. It is important to examine how political parties are financed, as this reveals who has the biggest influence on party decision-making. The questions of real concern are: does the … Continue reading

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Seeking fresh leads to Beng Hock’s death

First published in the New Straits Times on 17 July 2019 here. IT has been 10 years since the “mysterious” death of Teoh Beng Hock, the aide of a Selangor state executive councillor being investigated for his use of allocation … Continue reading

Posted in General Politics, Human Rights, Selangor | Leave a comment

Reviving the Spirit of Federalism: Decentralisation Policy Options for a New Malaysia

This policy paper was published as Policy Ideas No. 59 for the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) Malaysia. It can be downloaded for free here. Introduction Up to 2008, the spirit of Malaysia’s federalism had all but faded, … Continue reading

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The Fall of the Corrupt

First published in theSun here, on 17 May 2018. IN Ayi Kwei Armah’s book, The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born, the protagonist is a civil servant who chooses not to take bribes for favours at the expense of his children’s education … Continue reading

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

Notes on a New Nation, Day 7

Notes on a New Nation Day 7 Post GE-14 (16 May 2018) and Concluding Thoughts (for now) How apt it is to end the week with what most would consider to be sweet justice. Just seven short days following the … Continue reading

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

Notes on a New Nation, Day 6

Notes on a New Nation Day 6, Post-GE14 (15 May 2018) The slowest news day since the election, so we shall keep it short. Last evening (14 May), the Agong released a press statement stating that he was satisfied with … Continue reading

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Malaysia’s new leadership line-up strengthens Mahathir’s hand

First published on the Channel NewsAsia website on 14 May 2018, here. Mahathir Mohamad named three Cabinet ministers and announced the establishment of a Council of Elders on Saturday (May 12), in a move that strengthens his position within the … Continue reading

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Notes on a New Nation, Day 5

Notes on a New Nation Day 5, Post-GE14 (14 May 2018) We are inching towards one week post-election day, but it feels like much longer, given the number of events taking place; the changing of the tides is rapid, and … Continue reading

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Notes on a New Nation, Day 4

Notes on a New Nation Day 4 Post-GE14, 13 May 2018 It has been the quietest day in news since election day (thankfully). Kudos to the media that has been faithfully following the news daily; they must be exhausted, but … Continue reading

Posted in Elections, Ethno-Religious Politics, General Politics, Selangor | Leave a comment