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
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The 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 readingChange: Why is it so difficult?
Habit is difficult to break, they say, because if you take the H there is still “a bit”. Even if you take away the “a” there is still the “bit”. And even if you remove the “b” there is still “it.” There is some truth about habit and change. Why
Continue readingSingapore election 2020: Is Singapore politics turning a new page?
Singapore opened its 14th parliamentary session recently. This came on the back of a general election held in early July. By any measure of democratic elections Singapore’s recent election is a thumping victory for the People’s Action Party (PAP) which has ruled the 700 square km island- state since 1959.
Continue readingMalaysia’s fight to contain the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Seven weeks ago, the Malaysian government imposed a lockdown, known locally as the Movement Control Order (MCO). This came after the country experienced a spike in Covid-19 cases in early March. The government was swift in imposing the lockdown and the the public took the MCO very seriously. The result
Continue readingInstitutions and Change and the case of Malaysia
It is almost impossible to discuss present institutions prevalent in Malaysia’s political economy without mentioning the New Economic Policy (NEP). It is an institution that has consumed the mental make up of most Malaysians and created a fair amount of discourses amongst observers. For the critics, especially neo liberals, the
Continue readingThe Covid-19 pandemic and the danger of de-globalisation
The Covid-19 pandemic threatens to see a further retreat of globalisation. Donald Trump’s recent executive order to limit immigration to the US, his announcement to withhold US funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and his threat to India’s initial refusal to release the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 patients,
Continue readingIssues in Implementation
Why do policies fail? What are the factors that make for good public policy? These are things that will be discussed in the slides. For a full account read this. PSCI 4151 (February 2020)
Continue readingRepresentation of the bureaucracy
Why is it that bureaucracies tend to be represented by people of certain class, ethnic group or gender. For example, why are some parts of the bureaucracy dominated by males and some other parts of the bureaucracy by females? Why is it that top officers in a bureaucracy usually come
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