When Institutions “Bite”
This is my latest article on political change and why it can be so difficult. As much as we want change and expect change agents who champion the promise of political change to deliver on their reform promises, we are usually left disappointed. This article deals with the fact that
Continue readingMalaysia Dissolves Parliament, Calls for Election
The Malaysian Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri, has just announced the dissolution of the country’s parliament, paving the way for the country’s 15th General Election. The move was much anticipated following weeks of speculation. In his address to the nation, the Prime Minister mentioned that the “people’s mandate is a powerful
Continue readingTransnationalism and Chinese Diaspora’s struggle for identity in British Malaya
Malayan Chinese muted response to the Malayan Union proposal in 1946 which promised common citizenship rights and equal opportunity to non-Malays have not been sufficiently explained by existing literature. This article suggests that such muted response is due to the presence of Chinese transnationalism that diluted and diverted the community’s
Continue readingIssues in Malaysia’s public policy and administration: An Institutional Analysis
How does institutional quality dictate a bureaucracy’s ability to change? Should we see change as transformational? Or should we see change as incremental, one that takes place in small steps over time? Are institutional legacies great impediments to change? This is a newly released book that touches on various issues
Continue readingIndia mulls over Indo-Pacific Security Arrangement
The recent tiff between France and Australia over the latter’s buying of nuclear powered submarines has created diplomatic tension. Australia’s about turn – choosing of the US nuclear powered submarines against the French-made submarines – has soured relations between France, UK and the US with the French accusing its NATO
Continue reading9/11 and the impact lives on…
The bombings of four key US installations on September 11, 2001, by four commercial planes, are still etched in most minds. Twenty years ago, the world watched the event unfold, real time, with awe and shock as the two towers of World Trade Centre collapsed minutes after the second plane
Continue readingThe Myanmar Crisis and ASEAN’s role
This is a recent article I wrote for Critical Asian Studies. In the article I raise the point that any intervention in Myanmar should take careful note of the complexities of Myanmar’s political economy and the country’s institutional quality where democratic institutions are still at a nascent stage. ASEAN, specifically,
Continue readingMalaysia’s dilemma and ongoing battle for political change
This is an article I wrote in 2016, before Malaysia’s eventful May 2018 election that saw the Barisan Nasional (BN) losing control of the government and the first time that Malaysia saw a new coalition government, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) taking control. At the time the PH government included many
Continue readingIs Capitalism and Democracy incompatible?
Unlike common belief, there is always the tug of war between capitalism and democracy. Some are suggesting that rampant capitalism as we see now is putting democracy under threat. The effects iof capitalism is evident from widening rich-poor divide, the rule of markets over state’s policy and the evident rise
Continue readingA Covidian-age budget: Malaysia to announce its budget for 2021
Malaysia is set to announce its budget for 2021 this coming 6 November. How will the Malaysian budget look like? How different will this budget be compared to the pre-covid 19 budget statements. One certainty is that Malaysia’s budget deficit is set to breach its self-imposed limit of 5.5% of
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