Category Archives: Civil Society

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

Australia-Malaysia Youth Forum 2015

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Tricia

I had the privilege of giving some introductory remarks recently on 14 May 2015 at the Australian High Commission, with whom IDEAS jointly organised an Australia-Malaysia Youth Forum 2015.  ** Good morning to HE Rod Smith, PSM, Australian High Commissioner … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Economics, Outside Malaysia | Leave a comment

To whom is the IGP accountable?

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Tricia

(Written on 31 March 2015, and not published elsewhere). Last Monday evening, one of our IDEAS National Unity Youth Fellows, a young student from Universiti Malaya, heard that a few of his friends were arrested at the anti-GST protest in … Continue reading →

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

How independent is the MACC?

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Tricia

First published in theSun here on 26 February 2015. Congratulations are due to the 26 members of the three independent panels of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), 19 of whom are new appointees. In his speech, Prime Minister Najib Razak … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Corruption | Leave a comment

Where values begin

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Tricia

(First published in theSun on 8 January 2015, here). FOR all of our technical analysis of how to improve such-and-such a public policy, the most current of which being the deforestation decisions that may have contributed largely to the flood disaster, … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Ethno-Religious Politics, Liberalism, Philosophy, Religion, The Cause | Leave a comment

Moderates break their silence

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Tricia

(First published in theSun on 12 December 2014, here). ABOLISHING the Sedition Act would not quite result in madness and mayhem, as some would have us believe, but in the likes of towering Malaysians standing up against supremacist NGOs. Earlier this … Continue reading →

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

Opening up government

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Tricia

(First published in theSun on 29 October 2014, here). LAST week, IDEAS hosted a workshop to promote the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a tool currently being adopted by 64 countries around the world that signifies a government’s commitment to greater transparency … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Public Administration | Leave a comment

Govt and civil society: The gap widens

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Tricia

First published in theSun here, on 26 September 2014. AN Asian civil society summit I attended in Jakarta recently discussed the oftentimes tenuous relationship between government and civil society in countries within the region. Civil society in many of our neighbouring … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Human Rights, Public Administration | Leave a comment

Making voluntarism legal

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Tricia

First published in theSun here, on 5 September 2014. I SPENT the Merdeka weekend writing a paper on the choppy relationship between the Barisan Nasional-led federal and Pakatan Rakyat-led state governments. I traced the brief history since 2008 of the many … Continue reading →

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