Episódios
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Our special guest, David Tiang, made an appearance to discuss with our host, Simon Yeo, the decision delivered by Malaysian Federal Court where 16 provisions of offences in Kelantan Syariah Penal Code (1) Enactment 2019 are deemed to be void and not validly enforced in the state. 9 February 2024, the day which the decision was delivered, was hailed by the Kelantan ruling party Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) to be “Black Friday”. Is it Black Friday or is it a day we slowly break away from religious control in a secular nation? Tune in for more.
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On 21 February 2024, we saw the demise of a notable longest serving head of state in Sarawak, former Governor and Chief Minister of Sarawak, Tun Taib Mahmud. Many obituaries were written; some coined him as the Father of Modern Sarawak, whilst others referred him as The Godfather of Sarawak. In this episode, we discuss the achievements and the controversies that followed thirty-three years of Taib's chief ministership. Is it one that resulted in political stability, social and religious harmony in Sarawak or one that caused schism between the various people groups in Sarawak?
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Texas sued to stop federal agents from cutting the border wire, claiming trespass a tort and a violation of Administrative Procedure Act. In this episode, we talk about Texas, borders security, issues of self-determination, balance of power between federal vs state.
Do leave a comment or email us at [email protected]
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“The race is far from over,” said Nikki Haley after losing New Hampshire primary to Trump. In this episode, we discuss Donald J. Trump’s appeal and what we are not getting at?
Trump represents a populist move that demands a shift away from global elite management. What MAGA movement brings about is a fresh take on “no taxation without representation”, which is a lesson that Malaysia could draw parallel from in the areas concerning self-determination.
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Former President Donald J. Trump cruised to victory in the Iowa caucuses, and we see the world is having mixed emotions towards the victory and also the suspension of presidential campaign by Ron DeSantis.
With the Iowa win, it is clear, at least to DeSantis, that “a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump a second chance.”
Don’t miss out this episode where we discuss the man who rises above every media attack, political lawsuits and old guard establishment effort that tried to destroy and force him out of the election.
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We learnt the lessons of 2023 and look forward to a brighter 2024 where we see more of these in Malaysia:
1. Self determination
2. Small government
3. Pursuit of happiness and necessity of flourishing Middle class
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Despite Speaker McCarthy's shocking victory over the deep state by securing House passage of a 45-day stopgap bill to keep the government open and cut off funding for Ukraine, Rep. Matt Gaetz has filed a motion to vacate House Speaker to which he succeeded with the help of Democrats.
While many Republicans think that McCarthy has been "rock solid" as a leader in the House, Matt Gaetz disagreed and justified on grounds that he "takes no lecture from those who would grovel and bend knee for the lobbyists and special interests who own our leadership, hollow out this town, and borrow against the future of our future generations."
In Malaysia, we see the similar tension and cringe when the incumbent unity government justified the continual advancement of NEP mainly in the name of stability and unity. What can we learn from the US Speaker race so that the nation can move away from affirmative action policies that have been hijacked and weaponised to cultivate a culture of fear and insecurity for politicians to remain in high places?
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During his address for the Malaysia Day 2023 celebration here on Saturday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had hailed Sarawak as the nation’s “most advanced state”, underlining the remarkable strides that it has made since the birth of Malaysia. In a viral video, it was seen that Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg was humbled and bemused that the Prime Minister would request him to give a lecture on the green economy that Sarawak is adopting and leading in the nation.
We were inspired by the Sarawak premier's phrase that Malaysia will be prosperous if Sarawak is prosperous in our pursuit of happiness in the nation that turned 60 on 16 September 2023.
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In the article titled "What Malaysia Day means to us" published by The Star, one particular comment aptly describes the confusion between Merdeka on 31 August and Malaysia Day on 16 September, where many thought the celebrations are interchangeable.
"I personally wish we are educated more on the cultures, customs and experiences of people of Sabah and Sarawak. I feel it’s important to celebrate a historical event such as Malaysia Day, as many might not actually know the reason behind the celebration and I think it should be more prominently explained or highlighted on the same level as our National Day. Many in the peninsula are largely unfamiliar with traditions of Sabahans and Sarawakians aside from what we are taught in our Civics textbook."
Though the celebrations for both days have passed, may this song "Malaysia Forever" that was even considered as Malaysia's "unofficial national anthem" spurs your consideration of which day to be celebrated widely by Malaysians.
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Over the last week, many Malaysians have joined the bandwagon of those who have expressed great disappointment and even anger at Anwar and his unity government over Zahid’s DNAA.
In this episode, we asked few questions to cause us to think beyond the confines of political games.
1. What are some of the constraints faced by the unity government?
2. Is PMX still the one?
3. Are we placing too much hope on the government?
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We are seeing some feisty fisticuffs in a Trump-less Republican debate night. There were some interesting school kids moments of show of hands to see who would support former President Trump as the party’s choice if he is convicted in a court of law, and there were other moments where ChatGPT’s and Obama’s words were being regurgitated by one of the Republican candidates. We give you our post debate view to see who’s the biggest winner and who’s the biggest loser of the fight night.
On the same night, former President Trump was running a counter programme with Tucker Carlson. Here we discussed why we are studying American election cycle closely as we glean useful insights for Malaysian context.
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Previously, we discussed American Supreme Court case - Harvard / UNC decision at length whereby the Court reversed a 45 year old precedent on affirmative action on the ground that it violates the Constitution and the Civil Acts Act. In our discussion, our thoughts are frequently turned to the situation here back in Malaysia. We know very truly in the practical reality the existence of affirmation action in Malaysia, across all sectors – economy, education, civil service and others.
Is affirmative action a constitutional foundation of this nation? Or is it simply a policy made by the government of the day? This is what we want to explore in this episode.
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In this special episode to analyse the State Elections 2023 results, together with our special guest, David Tiang, we touch on several key issues, such as the legitimacy of Green wave, the Trump-like populist “Sanusi wave”, PAS’ clean sweep in Terengganu, super majority results in most of the 6 state elections, the irrelevance of UMNO, and what it means moving forward for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government.
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We are just one day away from the polling day where the registered electors in Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu will be determining the fate of their state legislative assembly away from the general elections for the first time in history.
Will Muda party, led by Syed Saddiq, tank in this state elections, or will they be successful in emerging as the third force to challenge the lack of reforms by the incumbent unity government?
Is green wave narrative a real threat, as propagated by Pakatan Harapan leaders, as well as pro PH media?
Is affirmative actions here to stay following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's reply to a student that abolishing quota system will cost him the state elections?
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Martin Luther King said many years ago, when he said he had a dream…that someday, his children will be judged, not by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character. However, the victimhood and undealt trauma of the race-conscious generations have resulted in the progressive activism of social racism with government-imposed racism. Simply put, affirmative action in fact prolongs and further promotes systemic racism in a society that should have thrived in meritocracy.
When we are able to look objectively as a nation at the immediate 3R issues (i.e. race, religion, and royalty) at hand in our home turf, Malaysia, we are not succumbing to what Justice Jackson dissented in the landmark case as “let-them-eat-cake obliviousness”. In fact, quite the opposite - we would be moving closer towards becoming a nation that overcomes racial discrimination when we allow the Constitution to be colour-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens.
Supreme Court of the United States: Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf
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In Thailand, we see the victorious emergence of 3rd force led by maverick Move Forward Party. The centre left party is mostly driven by youth movement. In this episode, we explore the viability of Muda contesting alone in the state polls, after being sidelined by Pakatan Harapan.
Following the big support that Move Forward won from youth voters and the capital Bangkok, it seems like the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (in short, MUDA) is also following Move Forward’s campaigning strategy that leverages overwhelmingly on social media on an anti-establishment platform.
Is this now a good time for the rise of third force in Malaysia’s upcoming state elections? Tune in to this episode to hear and make a determination for yourself.
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Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist at Harvard, observed in The New Yorker that there is a pronounced shift in the global landscape of dissent where people in more countries are using people's power than at any time in recorded history. The primary challenges to the government today are no longer the armed upheaval, but rather nonviolent mass movements.
The former UMNO leader Khairy Jamaluddin suggested recently that the unity government should be worried about a “tsunami of discontent” instead of a “green wave” in the upcoming state polls, and he was quickly backed by Perikatan Nasional chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin who dismissed concerns/issues surrounding race, religion, and royalty.
Is this a rehabilitation of Perikatan Nasional’s reputation as part of Khairy Jamaluddin’s PR project? Watch this episode to see if the tides might have well and truly turned.
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This draws us to reference an incident when George Orwell, the author of Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, was commissioned by British Council to write an article on British cookery in 1946, as part of the organisation’s efforts to promote British culture overseas, and subsequently being rejected due to reasons being “it was problematic to write about food in a time of strict rationing.”
In times of rising green wave, we wonder if an anytime food has been weaponised to promote fake religion of tolerance, where it was debated that a heritage dish should be something that can be savoured by all races in our country. It seems that the establishment in these days are somewhat po-faced and risk-averse, and was anxious to avoid recognising a non-halal food as heritage food for appeasement of voters in the upcoming state elections.
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Driven largely by woke ideology (and in this case, siege mentality), cancel culture is a form of modern banishment whereby the loudest voice tries to signal a public boycott based on certain ideas/perspectives. Comedy, a genre that fundamentally pushes boundaries and pokes fun at the status quo by drawing inspiration from familiar and general experiences to communicate, is no foreign to constant attack where political correctness demands.
In an interview with CNN following the massive backlash from Malaysians and Singapore’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Jocelyn Chia replied, “We all know in the comedy club context that this is the comedian trying to get a laugh, and there is no actual malice behind it."
In this episode, we discuss the decline of comedy, particularly in the context of the long friendly rivalry between Singapore and Malaysia, and the implications of cancel culture toward freedom of speech.
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Despite the PN17 issued by Bursa Malaysia (signifying the financial distress of a listed company), the Health Minister, Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, has nothing but high praises for Pharmaniaga Logistics Sdn Bhd, which was touted to have 98% KPI performance in its fulfillment.
Now, the question is - When are we seeing the reforms that are so promised by the incumbent unity government when we are seeing tremendous aid that is given to a government-linked company in an environment that is very much being monopolised by the political arms?
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