Beyond the Ballot Box

From memes to heated exchanges in the comment section, feminism is often distorted through the lens of viral and even ragebait content on social media and reduced to caricatures and stereotypes. Today, feminism has even become a sort of ‘foul word’ in some quarters, with some women trying to distance themselves from the label, as well. But beyond the noise, lies a global grassroots movement against the patriarchy, shaped by history, economics, and everyday realities on the ground. Maria Castro Varela is a feminist thinker and professor of Pedagogy and Social Work at the Alice Salomon University in Berlin. In this episode, we speak to her about some myths surrounding feminism, what the movement truly stands for, what some feminists get wrong, and why men should be part of the movement too.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ethnic affirmative action has shaped Malaysian policymaking and political discourse for more than five decades. The transformational New Economic Policy (NEP) and subsequent similar frameworks have anchored national debates on inequality, opportunity, and the country’s broader social contract. Yet despite how central these policies are to our politics, our understanding of where interethnic inequality actually stands today is surprisingly patchy: we know the broad narrative, but not the details. We talk about progress or regress, quotas and meritocracy, but rarely examine who has moved up, who has stalled, and why. In this episode, we speak to Lee Hwok-Aun, a Senior Fellow and Co-coordinator of the Malaysia Studies Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. He recently published an article titled Interethnic income inequality in Malaysia: Revisiting Old Records, Exploring New Narratives, which takes a hard look at these questions and challenges some of our long-held assumptions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9% of Malaysian women who have ever been in a relationship experience domestic violence. 9% may not seem like much, but that essentially amounts to about 800,000 Malaysian women. These are the very realities that Eswari Varanarasamma from WAO confronts in her daily work.Eswari Varanarasamma is a social worker at the Women’s Aid Organisation, where she works closely with women and children affected by domestic violence. In light of WAO’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence campaign, in this episode, we speak to Eswari about her journey as a social worker, some of the challenges she faces, and more.If you’re experiencing domestic violence, here are some numbers you can contact. You are not alone. WAO Hotline: +603 3000 8858 (9 am – 5 pm)SMS/WhatsApp TINA: +6018 988 8058 (24 hours)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

United Nations experts have warned that there is “widespread and systematic” exploitation and deception affecting Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. In their statement, they highlight excessive and fraudulent recruitment fees, false job offers, passport confiscation, forced labour and forced return. Simply put, this is debt bondage, or to put it even more plainly, modern-day slavery. But what is driving this? How much do poverty, desperation, the lack of opportunity in home countries, and the reliance on cheap labour in the Malaysian economy contribute to and maintain this system? In this episode, we speak to Adrian Pereira, who’s the Director of the North South Initiative (NSI), about corruption, the imbalance of power, inequality and the international division of labour. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Al Awda is a documentary by Singaporean Jason Soo that follows 22 activists from 15 countries as they sail on the Al Awda Flotilla in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza in 2018. Originally meant to leave the journey early, Jason ended up remaining on board, capturing the activists’ fears, strategies and decision-making as they approached an inevitable confrontation with the Israeli Occupying Force. Among the activists onboard were Malaysian academic Afandi Salleh and Singaporean exile Dr Ang Swee Chai.In this episode, we speak to Jason about his personal journey in activism, his documentary and more. If you'd like to watch Al Awda, do catch the screening happening on Friday, the 5th of December at 8.30pm at the Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC).Entrance is by a minimum donation of RM30, with proceeds split between crowdfunding for Al Awda and Viva Palestina Malaysia’s winter campaign. Registration for the event is available at bit.ly/AlAwdaKL.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s latest labour force figures paint a mixed and intriguing picture of the economy in 2025. Unemployment has fallen to a decade-low of 3%, signalling a labour market that appears resilient on the surface. Growth is also being supported by strong investment flows and steady expansion across key industries, or at least that’s the impression we get from the headlines every time the government announces billions of dollars of investments coming from one country or another.Yet, beneath that headline lie deeper problems. Large numbers of Malaysians are still working jobs that don’t match their qualifications, wages are still stagnating and there are serious concerns about the inadequacy of retirement savings among a vast majority of people.So, what does this all tell us? And how do we ensure economic dignity and upward mobility for all Malaysians? As we slowly wind down towards the end of the year, in this episode, we unpack these questions with Dr Geoffrey Williams, Economist & Founder of Williams Business Consultancy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2025 Sabah state election is taking place this weekend on the 29th of November. There are close to 600 candidates representing various parties or running independently, contesting for 73 seats. There are multi-cornered fights everywhere. Indeed Sabah is highly democratised and fluid politically. Its electoral history has been shaped by shifting demographics, the struggle over state rights, and cycles of political instability marked by strong personalities and frequent party defections. Recently, Tindak Malaysia published a historical atlas of Sabah elections through the years, exploring the various forces that have shaped Sabah elections. In this episode, we unpack key lessons from Sabah election history with Danesh Prakash Chacko, who's the director of Tindak Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kampung Jalan Papan in Klang is a decades-old settlement where families have lived since before independence.Over the years, the land was transferred, developed and contested, eventually leading a private developer to obtain court orders enabling eviction and demolition. Despite repeated promises of resettlement and affordable housing from both state authorities and the developer, residents say the offers were inconsistent and promises were never delivered.In November 2025, eviction enforcement escalated into on-site demolitions, tense confrontations, and arrests of residents and activists, prompting human rights groups to condemn the operation as heavy-handed and a violation of due process.In today's episode, we speak to S. Arutchelvan, Deputy Chairperson of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). Arutchelvan was one of the activists who were arrested last week while organising and fighting alongside the residents of Kampung Papan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Markela Panegyres is an Australian performance artist, academic, activist and a member of the Socialist Alliance Australia. Known for her raw, provocative performances and video installations, she explores themes of trauma, memory, power, and resistance. Beyond the arts, she is a vocal left-wing organiser deeply involved in Palestine solidarity work, actively campaigns for the academic boycott of Israel, and has helped lead student and staff actions pushing universities to cut ties with Israeli institutions. In this episode, we speak to her about her journey as an activist and discuss how the Palestine solidarity movement can evolve from winning the discourse to winning tangible changes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neil Woods was once a dedicated narcotics officer. In fact, he spent 14 years working undercover, infiltrating drug gangs in Britain’s underworld. But something changed throughout that journey. Now, Woods is one of the leading advocates for drug policy reform, calling for the end of the war on drugs. He wrote a book titled Good Cop, Bad War, chronicling how his attempts to infiltrate and dismantle drug gangs gradually led him to question the entire system. In this episode, we speak to Neil Woods about his journey, what he witnessed during his time as a narcotics officer and the drug policy reforms he’s championing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zohran Mamdani has won the New York City mayoral election, defeating Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa. Not only that, he also received more than 50% of the popular vote. He’s a proud Democratic Socialist, and notably, the first Muslim and South Asian to become mayor of New York City.Billionaires reportedly spent over 22 million dollars trying to stop him, yet he won. Donald Trump and Elon Musk publicly attacked him and endorsed Andrew Cuomo. Yet, Mamdani won. Not only did he win, he won on an unabashedly, proudly, multicultural, people-centered platform focused on affordability, including pledges to freeze rents, provide fast and free public buses, and ensure universal childcare.He plans to fund these initiatives by taxing New York’s wealthiest residents: multimillionaires and billionaires.So, how did a Democratic Socialist become mayor in the heart of global capitalism? And what does it signal?We speak to Professor Peter Beattie, who's a political economist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 2024 Oxfam report, it was revealed that the richest 1% in the Global North extracted US$263 billion from the Global South in 2023 — a stark reminder that inequality and neocolonial exploitation remain hardwired into the global economy. Meanwhile, far-right movements are gaining ground across continents, progressive spaces are grappling with internal contradictions, and even causes like Palestine are being twisted to justify bigotry.In this episode, we speak to Jacob Andrewartha, a member of the Socialist Alliance, Australia. He’s also a childcare worker with history of involvement in the Pro-Palestine movement and Climate Justice. Also part of the discussion is Arveent Kathirchelvan, Coordinator of Policy Research Bureau, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).On a related note, an international socialism conference will be happening on 15–16 November, 9am-6pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH). The conference will feature socialist activists, academics, and thinkers from Malaysia and across the world.Check out the lineup of speakers and get your tickets here: https://shorturl.at/ISOy1Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Around the world, money is increasingly a gatekeeper to political power. Malaysia is no different. If someone wants to step into politics from outside the elite circle, it’s a tremendous challenge. In two new reports by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the numbers speak for themselves. For example, candidates face mandatory deposits of about RM15,000 for parliamentary seats. Internal party contests and party-level advancement can also be expensive, costing tens of thousands. Then there’s the legal fees, sustaining an elected office, and on and on and on.The two WFD studies argue these cost structures act as a “screening mechanism” that disproportionately excludes women, young people, independent candidates and persons with disabilities, which distorts representation and governance.In this episode we speak to Dr Graeme Ramshaw, Director of Quality and Innovation, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, as well as Ooi Kok Hin, Country Director for WFD in Malaysia.Links to read their full reports: COP national study: https://www.wfd.org/what-we-do/resources/cost-politics-malaysia COP and Women Candidates: https://www.wfd.org/what-we-do/resources/women-and-cost-politics-malaysiaImage Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, in Melaka, a group of 17-year-olds was accused of allegedly raping their schoolmate at a secondary school in Alor Gajah. In Kedah, there was a statutory rape case involving underage students. And very close to home, in Bandar Utama, Selangor, a 14-year-old boy has been charged with murdering his 16-year-old female schoolmate at SMK Bandar Utama (4).These are only incidents that have been reported in October 2025. Not to mention, recently there was a case in Sarawak where a group of boys allegedly threatened to stab and sexually assault their classmate — an incident now under police investigation. So, why is this happening? What can we do about it?In recent weeks, we’ve been hearing a lot from adult experts and stakeholders, be it teachers, parents, psychologists, academics, and activists. In this episode, we speak to Jessie Lee, who’s currently a form four student in a public school in the Klang Valley. She’s a Child Rights Advocate, a member of the UNICEF Young Persons’ Advisory Group. She’s also a part of SUHAKAM Consultative Child Council. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world is undergoing profound changes. China has become a global powerhouse. The US, while still the most powerful country in the world, is experiencing a relative decline in influence. There are constant conversations about moving toward a multipolar world. But what does this all mean for a middle power like Malaysia? In this episode, we speak to political analyst James Chai. James has written a novel called Sang Kancil: A Tale about how Ordinary Malaysians Defied the Odds, has worked in Think Tanks and even in the Ministry of Economy, under former minister, Rafizi Ramli. He’s currently also a columnist for CNA, where he has written a number of articles on how to make sense of the changing world, as a Malaysian. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jagat, the highly acclaimed 2015 Malaysian film directed by Sun-J Perumal, is a coming-of-age story that captures the struggles of working-class Malaysian Tamils with sincerity and earnest reflection. Today, nearly a decade later, Jagat continues to resonate, both as a work of art and as a reflection of identity, displacement, and resilience. The film was re-released earlier this year, and on top of that, the director is also releasing two spiritual sequels to the film in quick succession in November and December, titled Macai and Blues.In this episode, we speak with Sun-J Perumal about his life, the Malaysian Tamil identity and how his own experiences growing up have shaped his storytelling.Image Credit: Skyzen StudiosSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Southeast Asia is one of the most diverse regions in the world, not just ethnically and culturally but also politically. It’s a region where Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians; democracies, monarchies, and communist states coexist side by side. However, since the formation of ASEAN, there have been questions and narratives about its potential split or how it’s doomed to fail. But just how true is that? What are the important nuances concerning ASEAN that people need to be aware of? In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Ilango Karuppannan, a retired Malaysian Ambassador with 33 years of frontline diplomatic experience. He’s also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. He runs a YouTube channel called Diplomatify, where he recently posted a video titled Is ASEAN Really Breaking Up — or Just Being Framed That Way?Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Myanmar’s devastating civil war grinds into its fourth year, following the 2021 military coup that ousted the country’s elected government. What followed was a nationwide civil disobedience movement, along with the rise of armed resistance groups. The revolutionary forces have been battling the junta for control of the country, not just to restore things as they were but to build something new altogether. According to reports, more than 5,000 people have been killed, over 3 million displaced, and the economy has been left in ruins.Recently, as chair of ASEAN this year, Malaysia undertook a more active role, facilitating a series of stakeholder engagement meetings not only with the Junta but more importantly, with the National Unity Government and other key resistance forces and civil society groups. After the series of engagements, the various pro-democracy forces, in a strongly worded statement, rejected the Junta’s “sham elections,” which are to be held in December.So, where do we go from here? What does this mean for the future of Myanmar?In this episode, we unpack these questions and more with Lilianne Fan, who's the Head of Secretariat for the Malaysian Advisory Group on Myanmar. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Friday, the Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim unveiled the RM 419.2 billion Budget 2026. This is a slightly smaller budget than last year’s. While it isn’t an austerity budget by any means and does prioritise fiscal discipline, it begs the question: Does Budget 2026 address the needs of regular Malaysians, especially from the perspective of wages, housing, social protections and more? On top of that, does this Budget do enough to push us towards becoming an economically sovereign nation?Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Budi95 is a targeted subsidy scheme by the Malaysian government to give RON95 petrol at a reduced price to eligible Malaysian citizens, while phasing out blanket subsidy models that cover everyone including non-citizens and some businesses. However, this plan appears somewhat contradictory to what has been discussed and announced for months, which is a system where fuel prices would be floated based on the market rates and subsidies would be given out based on income levels. So, does this new plan make sense economically and politically? In this episode, we speak to Dr Lee Hwok-Aun, Senior Fellow, Malaysia Studies Programme and Regional Economic Studies Programme, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. We discuss how much the government can actually save with this new plan, consumer impact and the political will required to carry out important reforms such as fuel subsidy rationalisation.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.