Beyond the Ballot Box

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.

The Gender Budget Group (GBG), a coalition of civil society organisations and academics, has urged the Malaysian government to make bold, transformative investments in gender equality in the 2026 National Budget, highlighting that progress on women’s political representation, economic participation, social protection, and protection from violence remains slow. Their memorandum outlines seven key areas for action including strengthening governance and accountability with gender-responsive budgeting,  boosting women’s labour force participation, reforming social protection systems and more. In this episode, we speak to three representatives from the GBG, namely, Dr Ummu Atiyah Ahmad Zakwan, Lead Consultant, Engender, Dr Sulochana Nair, Vice Chancellor of Binary University and Datuk Ong Bee Leng, CEO, Penang Women's Development Corporation (PWDC)Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While domestic violence is still very much prevalent in society today, I think we at the very least live in a climate where committing violence against your spouse is culturally unacceptable (broadly speaking of course) and completely illegal. But this wasn’t always the case. There was a time, though – not too long ago, in fact – when if a husband were to beat his wife, for example, it would be seen as a private/family matter. Authorities would close an eye or advise the abused spouse to find a way to endure or reconcile. This was the case until the enactment of the Domestic Violence Act of 1994. So, what changed in the 90s? In this episode, we're joined by Betty Yeoh, someone who has been at the forefront of women’s rights activism in Malaysia since the 80s. She’s also one of the founding members of the All Women’s Action Society (AWAM). We talk about how ordinary Malaysians came together and pushed the government back in the day, to outlaw domestic violence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve seen how many regions around the world still suffer from hunger despite there technically being enough food to feed everyone globally. We also see how food like pork or beef is sometimes weaponised in the culture wars to sow division between communities. Dr Elaine Pratley is a peacebuilder who does interfaith and intercultural dialogue.  whose work explores how something as simple as food can be deeply political. Her thesis, Hungry for Peace, examines the ways food practices and food insecurity are tied to questions of power, identity, and belonging. She’s also the founder of Peace Kitchen, an initiative that brings people together over shared meals to spark dialogue and connection. In this episode, we chat with Dr Pratley about how food can both heal and divide communities, and why tackling hunger isn’t just about filling stomachs but about challenging the systems of inequality and marginalisation that determine who gets a seat at the proverbial dining table.Elaine will be speaking at ZafigoX 2025 Women's Festival, taking place on 11–12 October 2025 at Menara KEN TTDI, Kuala Lumpur. For more information, do check out the website zafigo.comImage credit: Hungry for PeaceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the government will be tabling the Freedom of Information Act in Parliament by the end of this year. This is a highly anticipated piece of legislation that Civil Society Organisations (and even the Pakatan Harapan political coalition) have been pushing for, for a very long time. It is said to be an important game-changer in the fight against corruption and for the democratisation of power. In this episode, we speak to Wathshlah Naidu, who’s the Executive Director of the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), one of the key organisations pushing for this legislation. A number of CSOs, including CIJ, have also come up with a model RTI Bill, which details what a law of this nature should look like. We also speak to Dr Punitha Silivarajoo, Deputy Director General of Policy and Development of the Legal Affairs Division, in the Prime Minister’s Department. She and her team have had in-depth discussions and meetings with CSOs since 2019, concerning this particular Bill. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was a point where progressive forces in the country could organise and mobilise hundreds of thousands of people on a multicultural platform. We are of course talking about movements like BERSIH. But after the historic 2018 general election, when the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition was toppled for the first time in the nation’s history, everything changed. Progressive civil society organisations that had spent years as outsiders suddenly found themselves inside the halls of power, with unprecedented access to parliamentarians, ministers, and policymaking processes. So, what does that mean? How much of influence did they have? And what does it mean that the streets were left to be filled by conservative forces? This is exactly what Ooi Kok Hin explores in his paper published for the R. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, titled Influencing Power: Civil Society, Political Mobilisation and the Pursuit of Reforms. Kok Hin was the former executive director of Bersih and is currently leading the Malaysia office of a UK public body dedicated to making democracy and governance stronger. In this episode, we speak to Ooi Kok Hin.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the 9th of September 2025, tens of thousands of Nepalese people, led by Gen-Z students, took to the streets in anger against the establishment government. They stormed the Nepalese Federal Parliament building in Kathmandu and set it on fire. As of latest reports, sixty protestors, ten prisoners and three police officers died during the demonstrations. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) was forced to resign. Later, over 100,000 youth took to Discord to elect former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as interim Prime Minister, becoming the first woman head of state in Nepal.So, what are the root causes of this uprising? And what does it mean for the future of Nepal? In this episode, we speak with Atul Chandra, Researcher, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.