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Beyond the Ballot Box

As they say, democracy doesn"t begin and end at the ballot box. On Beyond the Ballot Box, we have in-depth conversations about political economy and human rights in Malaysia, Southeast Asia, and around the globe through a class prism.

news politics

All Episodes

49:54

Corruption Inc. Unpacking the Political-GLC Complex

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/03/25

Over the years, especially since the 1MDB scandal, Malaysians have become more familiar with the term ‘corruption.’ Not only have we broadened our understanding of it (no longer do we think it’s just about bribery), it has also become part of mainstream political discourse.Malaysians know that our country has an entrenched problem of corruption and that it is holding us back, eating us from the inside and eroding our trust in the system.But just how deep is the rot? How does it manifest in ways

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46:36

S.L.A.P.P - How Corporations Abuse Defamation Laws to...

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/03/20

Defamation laws are incredibly important to protect individuals and organisations from false and harmful baseless statements. They help to curb falsehoods that could influence public opinion or even business markets. However, what happens when these defamation laws are abused by big corporations to prevent the public from holding them accountable? What if they hide behind defamation laws while exploiting workers? What if they use it to prevent people from speaking out?Recently, Mohanarani Rasaiah

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45:42

EPF For Migrant Workers: A Win For Labour Rights?

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/03/13

EPF contributions will now be mandatory for migrant workers. This comes after the Dewan Rakyat passed amendments to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Act 1991 recently. The proposal was first announced in Budget 2025 and under this scheme, both the employer and employee contribution rate is set at 2%.So, is this a step in the right direction for labour rights in Malaysia? Or does it just side step the core problem in Malaysia which is wage suppression?We unpack this with Alex Ong from Migrant

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42:22

How to Strengthen Racial and Religious Harmony in...

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/03/11

Malaysia is politically fragmented and polarized. To make matters worse, this division is drawn along racial and religious lines, fueling deep and growing distrust between ethnic and religious communities. At the same time, discussions about race and religion remain lacklustre often framed as a highly sensitive issue that shouldn’t be talked about altogether OR oversimplified narratives.So, how do we move forward?Recently, The All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia (APPGM) on Racial and Religious

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36:34

Urban Renewal Act: Yay or Nay?

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/03/06

The Urban Renewal Act is set to be tabled in Parliament in the first quarter of 2025. This is arguably one of the most prominent pieces of legislation that is set to be tabled by the MADANI government in their first term in power. It has certainly been one of the most hotly debated ones. The act ultimately sets out to facilitate the redevelopment of aging and abandoned urban properties, enable better planning and modernize city spaces. However, the core of the act, which will lower the consent

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47:48

German Elections 2025: Why the Right-Wing Performed...

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/03/04

The recent German elections saw a big shift toward right-wing parties. The CDU, which is a Christian democratic and conservative party won, while the far-right Neo-Nazi party AFD came in second after making massive gains. This isn’t necessarily surprising. After all, for a while now, we’ve been talking about how far-right parties/movements are on the rise in many parts of the world, certainly in Europe and the US.But what does this mean? What does it tell us about the direction of German politics?We

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34:48

Parliamentary Services Act 2025: Yay or Nay?

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/02/27

The Parliamentary Services Act (PSA) 2025 was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat this week, by the Minister of Law and Institutional Reform, Dato Seri Azalina Othman Said.The PSA was enacted in 1963 but was later repealed in 1992 during Tun Dr Mahathir’s first tenure as Prime Minister. This move reduced the autonomy of Parliament and concentrated more power in the office of the Prime Minister.So, will the new PSA 2025 restore the independence of Parliament?In this episode, we're once again joined by Ngeow

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36:02

Are People Fundamentally Selfish?

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/02/25

We often hear that human beings are inherently selfish; That we’re naturally driven by profit and personal wealth accumulation; That success is solely determined by one’s superior intelligence or work ethic, and that we love to compete. We say this is human nature.But is this literally human nature from a scientific point of view or is it merely a perspective derived from a particular political-economic ideology, namely capitalism or perhaps even more specifically neoliberalism that rapidly

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38:21

60% of Billionaire Wealth Is From Inheritance and...

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/02/20

We often hear that the ultra-wealthy are as rich as they are because of their superior capabilities as entrepreneurs.But is this actually true?Not quite, according to Oxfam, a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty. In their latest report aptly titled Takers, Not Makers, they highlight that 60% of billionaire wealth is derived from inheritance, cronyism, or monopoly power.We unpack the latest Oxfam report with Peter Beattie, who's a political economist & political psychologist

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34:57

We Must Save Pannir From Execution in Singapore

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/02/18

Pannir Selvam Pranthaman is a 38-year-old Malaysian on death row in Singapore for trafficking 51.8g of diamorphine. Pannir was not a kingpin nor a drug lord but a man caught in the web of poverty, desperation, and manipulation.Back in 2020, I interviewed the sister of Pannir Selvam and human rights lawyer Latheefa Koya, about Pannir’s journey and the need to abolish the death penalty. Now, nearly four years later, the fight to save him has reached its most critical moment.According to his former

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43:08

Why Malaysia Needs a Proper Parliamentary Services Act

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/02/13

It’s been 33 years since the Malaysia repealed the Parliamentary Services Act (PSA) during Tun Dr Mahathir’s first administration in 1992. As a result, our once robust Parliament became a lot more muted – well not literally (screaming contests are still part of the regularly scheduled programming at the august house), but in terms of how it functions. It also lost its autonomy to the Prime Minister's Office.Recently PKR MP Lee Chean Chung said that the government will be tabling a new Parliamentary

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38:33

Here’s How Employers in Malaysia Prevent Workers From...

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/02/06

The rate of unionisation among workers in Malaysia is at an abysmal 6%. This is one of the key reasons why wages in Malaysia are incredibly low.But why is this the case? What’s preventing workers in Malaysia from organising themselves to have greater bargaining power?Recently, the Labour Solidarity and Learning Resources Association (LLRC) published a paper titled The Challenges of Workers’ Organising in Malaysia. It’s a detailed report on the kinds of labour rights violations and union-busting

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47:00

Is the Government Going Too Soft on Najib?

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/02/04

In an interview with the Financial Times, when asked about the reduced prison sentence for former Prime Minister Najib Razak, current Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that he does not wish for Najib to suffer in “hell” as he once did. This is of course amidst ongoing conversations on the possibility that Najib could be granted house arrest for the rest of his sentence, although it has to be said that such laws do not yet exist in Malaysia.In response to that, the Center to Combat

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38:18

How to Overcome Malaysia’s Retirement Crisis

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/01/30

According to reports by Khazanah and EPF, most Malaysians do not have adequate retirement savings. As of 2024, only 36% of EPF members meet the current basic savings level of 240 000 at age 55. And that’s just basic savings that will allow you to survive from month to month for about 15 years post-retirement.So, are we in a retirement crisis? And what can we do about it?We speak to Geoffrey Williams, who's an economist.In this episode, we discuss:What are the markers that indicate that Malaysia is

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48:46

How to Build a Prosperous ASEAN

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/01/23

A couple of days ago, in a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) outlined economic challenges facing Southeast Asia and strategies to create an equitable region. The memorandum was received by one of the special officers to the PM.We discuss the various challenges and opportunities ahead for ASEAN with Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj who is the Chairperson of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).We Discuss:The biggest political and economic challenges

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30:40

Why Lack of Political Funding Act Hurts Malaysia

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/01/21

Malaysia is the most politically and economically developed country that does not have a political financing act. This is the argument by Dr Magnus Ohman, Director of the Regional Europe Office of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). He’s right. Neighbouring countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Australia all have some form of laws that regulate political funding. We are an anomaly.In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Magnus who unpacks why this is a problem and why

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36:17

How Close Are We to Nuclear War?

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/01/16

The world today is at a crossroads. We’re seeing an escalation in conflicts and wars – Russia and Ukraine, the genocide in Gaza, are just a couple of prominent examples. We’re seeing the rise of China as a economic powerhouse and with that the rise of tensions between the US and China. But what do these shifts mean, for the world and for Southeast Asia?In this episode, we speak to Professor Jeffrey Sachs. He’s an economist from the US and the President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions

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48:42

Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship: What It Means for the...

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/01/14

Southeast Asia is one of the most diverse regions on the planet, encompassing over 650 million people across 10 member states with diverse cultures, languages, and political systems. Over the decades, the ASEAN region has transformed from a modest regional grouping into a significant economic powerhouse. Today, it is the fifth-largest economy in the world.ASEAN is in an interesting juncture right now, with plenty of challenges and opportunities ahead – from navigating the civil war in Myanmar,

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31:17

Witness the Unseen: How Corporations Exploit Land

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/01/09

Landraub, directed by Kurt Langbein is a documentary that delves into the global issue of land grabbing, where vast amounts of land in developing countries in the global south, including countries like Indonesia and Malaysia are acquired by wealthy corporations from Europe and US. The film highlights the consequences of this practice towards local and indigenous communities.Landraub will be one of the films screening at the upcoming film festival called Witness the Unseen. It’s now going to be a

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20:31

Witness the Unseen: Kurdish Resistance

Beyond the Ballot Box ·

2025/01/07

Have you watched a war film that was shot in an active war zone? The End Will Be Spectacular is a 2019 Kurdish-language film directed by Ersin Çelik, which tells the gripping story of the youth resistance in Sur, the historic district of Diyarbakır, Turkey, amidst the Turkish-Kurdish conflict.The film is based on true events from 2015-2016, focusing on a young Kurdish woman named Zilan who returns to her hometown only to find it under siege. As she joins the local resistance, the film portrays the

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382 results

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