Category Archives: General Politics

Walking the narrow path

Walking the narrow path (This was first published in Selangor Times, on the 20th July 2012). I had the privilege of speaking to a group of young interns under the Otak-Otak Internship Programme this week. Otak-Otak recruits and places 50 … Continue reading

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A tale of two water supply systems

A tale of two water supply systems The Teluk Bahang Dam in Penang. Photograph: Daniel Lim By Tricia Yeoh  (First published in Penang Monthly in the June 2012 issue). In the days before the world’s governments went mad about privatisation, … Continue reading

Posted in Corruption, Economics, General Politics, Selangor, Water | Leave a comment

Decentralisation the way forward?

Decentralisation the way forward? (First published in Selangor Times, on 15th June 2012). At the launch of my book, “States of Reform: Governing Selangor and Penang” last Saturday, three esteemed panelists YB Liew Chin Tong (Member of Parliament, Bukit Bendera), … Continue reading

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

Seeds of Reform

Seeds of Reform (A version of this was published in theSun on 1st June 2012). Politics creeps into our lives like a steady, stealthy creature, and before you know it, it envelops you. This is a matter of fact – … Continue reading

Posted in Elections, General Politics, Selangor, The Cause | Leave a comment

Early election: Can Penang and Selangor get the ball rolling?

Early election: Can Penang and Selangor get the ball rolling? Photograph: Kwong Wah Yit Poh Rules surrounding elections in Malaysia are intricate. Now when some states are governed by parties opposed to the federal government, things get even more complicated–and … Continue reading

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That Religious Issue: Faith, Space and Justice

Religion just keeps coming back to haunt us. This time, it was Hasan Ali (yes, the former Selangor EXCO) who went on a warcry on supposed conversion of Muslims. This was published in Selangor Times in April 2012. That Religious … Continue reading

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

Malaysia after regime change

Malaysia after regime change  (First published in New Mandala, March 24th 2012). Crony capitalism in Malaysia: Breaking the business and political nexus The intricate nexus between the worlds of business and politics has been an age-old tradition in Malaysia. Crony … Continue reading

Posted in Corruption, Economics, Elections, General Politics | Leave a comment

Election Fever

It seems ironic now that I wrote about “Election Fever” a year ago! This is because the government seems to have had cold feet for all this time, not willing to call for an election it probably expects to do … Continue reading

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What the Debate says about the Chinese

Political debates are common these days, well.. with the exception of the Prime Minister Najib who has yet to agree to one with Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. In any case, this was the “Chinese debate” – which said a lot, … Continue reading

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Malaysians! Know your governments

It’s important to know what the MP, ADUN, and local councillor roles and responsibilities are, or you end up getting them all confused. This is the problem when we don’t really know the structures, much less what our reps are … Continue reading

Posted in General Politics, Public Administration | 2 Comments