Foolhardy of Pakatan Harapan to go to bed with Bersatu There is a suggestion doing the rounds that since both Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) are now at their lowest ebb, perhaps this is the right time for the two parties to cooperate. The argument is that when two political parties are struggling, they might just be able to rescue each other. In fact, I would regard any attempt by Pakatan Harapan (PH) to embrace Bersatu as not merely politically risky, ..

Character education needs an ecosystem, not just a curriculum Malaysias renewed attention to character education raises an important question: Can character truly be developed through curriculum alone? Most Malaysians would agree that character matters. Academic achievement may prepare students for examinations and employment, but knowledge and qualifications alone do not prepare them to make wise decisions, withstand pressure, treat others responsibly, or contribute meaningfully to society. ..

DAPs problem may be nothing more than perceived arrogance making it easy pickings for PAS DAP does not necessarily have an ideological problem. Nor is its principal difficulty that it has suddenly become unacceptable to large sections of Malaysian society. Its more immediate danger may be considerably simpler: arrogance, or at least the public perception of it. In politics, perception can become reality long before reality has the opportunity to correct perception. When a party appears ..

History possesses a cruel, repetitive rhythm: it teaches lessons that humanity consistently refuses to learn. The world today drifts along a precarious geopolitical edge, where isolated regional skirmishes no longer remain contained. Instead, conflicts bleed across continents, intertwine rival alliances, and escalate invisibly into a sprawling, interconnected crisis. The chaotic momentum of modern global friction bears an uncanny, haunting resemblance to the fatal summer of 1914, the historical ..

When the DAP national congress convenes on August 16, delegates will debate a single motion: whether the party should pull out of the Unity Government for the remainder of the current parliamentary term. More than 4,000 delegates are expected to cast their votes on this issue via secret ballot. Yet, DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook had already made the party's position clear weeks ago, announcing that DAP would stand by the Unity Government until parliament completes its full term. This ..

Uniting multiracial strength to counter the blue and green wave Call it a marriage of conveniencewhich it certainly isor call it anything else. The reality is that Umno and PAS somehow managed to put aside their long-standing bitterness, or at least put it on hold, to forge an electoral pact. We have already seen the results in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections, and observers are warning that more is to come. When we talk about the Barisan NasionalPerikatan Nasional (BNPN) combo, we ..

University applications still nowhere in sight for UEC holders The new academic year for universities will begin very soon. Students admitted to local and overseas institutions are filled with joy, eagerly awaiting the next stage of their learning journey. Whether studying locally or abroad, they look forward to the start of a fresh chapter on campus. Yet, the governments promise to Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) holders from Chinese independent secondary schoolsthat they could begin ..

Negeri Sembilan has barely emerged from weeks of public uneasiness over a highly publicised royal dispute. Just when many had hoped the state could finally move forward after the Aug 1 election, another controversy has surfaced - this time over the appointment of the new menteri besar. First, there was the royal rumble. Now comes the MB rumble. Ironically, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim appeared to have predicted such a situation long before polling day. Campaigning in Negeri Sembilan ..

Deep ideological clashes in the USChina contest of the century That is the key question posed by the influential _Foreign Affairs_ magazine in its examination of the USChina military and technological rivalry. At its core lies a fundamental clash of strategic philosophies between the US-led international order and China's worldview, which has propelled its remarkable rise to become the world's second-largest power. The American contributors to the magazine largely reflect a deeply ingrained ..

Negeri Sembilans blue wave: A post-election assessment and the beginning of Malaysias next political realignment The outcome of the Negeri Sembilan state election on Aug 1 confirms that the Blue Wave has evolved from campaign rhetoric into a measurable electoral reality. Barisan Nasional (BN) secured 18 of the 36 state seats, Perikatan Nasional (PN) won seven, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) retained only 11. Together, BN and PN now command 25 seats, giving the alliance a two-thirds majority and ..

As predicted, DAP Secretary-General Loke Siew Fook has lost in the Chennah state constituency in Negeri Sembilan. While he remained popular in Chinese- majority areas, Loke faced significant headwinds in Malay areas. It is understood that he and his campaign team were given the cold shoulder when campaigning in several kampongs and FELDA settlements. With Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS rallying under the banner of Malay-Muslim unity, the results proved that they secured full support from the ..

Sara aid can continue, but long-term solutions needed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's announcement that the government intends to increase the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) assistance will undoubtedly be welcomed by millions of Malaysians struggling to cope with the rising cost of living. For families living from paycheck to paycheck, every additional ringgit counts. The extra assistance can help put food on the table, buy school necessities for children, pay utility bills, or simply ..

The vote you give up is one you will eventually pay for A few days ago, some owners at a condominium in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur received the annual general meeting (AGM) notice where the agenda included a proposal that could affect every resident's wallet: raising the monthly maintenance fee from RM2.68 to RM4.95 per unit, an increase of 85%. I have lived in this condominium since 2023. I only found out about it after other owners shared the information on social media. By then, I was out of town ..

What Langkawis experience means for Port Dicksons tourism future Langkawi offers an important warning to Port Dickson, but the warning must be stated accurately. Langkawi received about 2.58 million visitors in 2022, 2.81 million in 2023 and 2.90 million in 2024. The islands tourism authorities reported further growth in 2025. These are not the figures of a destination experiencing an absolute tourism crash. Yet visitor arrivals alone do not tell the whole story. The more serious question is ..

Malaysia has no shortage of ideas for becoming a more prosperous, technologically advanced, and globally competitive nation. We speak confidently about artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing, the digital economy, renewable energy, the blue economy, and becoming a high- income nation. Every government unveils another blueprint, another master plan, or another ambitious roadmap. Yet there remains one obstacle that no economic policy alone can overcome: chauvinism. Before Malaysia can ..

Burnhams new clothes of powernever casual on the seriousness of UKs decay Andy Burnham has arrived at Downing Street in the uniform of studied informality: dark T-shirt beneath a blazer, no tie, trainers or sensible boots, the whole ensemble proclaiming Mancunian straightforwardness rather than Westminster starch. This is not the rumpled eccentricity of Boris Johnson or the studied negligence of earlier rebels against protocol. It is a deliberate aestheticbranded, in the admiring press, as ..

UmnoPAS cooperation: Who is using whom - and who will utimately absorb whom? The cooperation between Umno and PAS was initially confined to behind-the- scenes negotiations over seat allocations during the Johor state election. By the Negeri Sembilan state election, however, it had evolved into open collaboration, with both parties' campaign machinery and grassroots members supporting one another. The upcoming series of state elections will serve as rehearsals and strategic preparations for the ..

We have raised the ceiling; now we must raise the floor The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates indicated that Malaysias economy grew by 5.8% in Q2 2026, from 5.4% in Q1 2026, exceeding market expectations yet again.For the first half of the year, growth stood at 5.6%, compared with 4.5% during the corresponding period last year. Commendably, these numbers were achieved despite the Strait of Hormuz disruptions, resulting in elevated energy prices, volatile capital flows and an increasingly ..

The endless game of race and religion in Malaysian politics A day after the Johor state election results were announced, a Facebook post caught my eye. It saddened and bothered me deeply. The post read: Melayu tolak parti yang menentang Ketuanan Melayu. Jangan lupa diri di bumi mana kamu berpihak. Loosely translated: Malays reject parties that oppose Malay supremacy or dominance. Do not forget the ground you are standing on. The message was obviously aimed at those who oppose the concept of ..

Good intentions should not extend to giving away prescription medicines Many neighborhood and community chat groups have become vibrant platforms for sharing, allowing people to give away unwanted household items rather than throwing them away. This is a commendable trend that promotes sustainability, reduces waste, and supports those in need. Increasingly, however, these digital spaces are being used to offer leftover, unused medications. Posts offering several packs of unexpired drugs are now ..

Muhyiddins revenge against Hadi backfires into an accidental lifeline for Pakatan Harapan Malay politics in the Negeri Sembilan state election is undergoing a further reshuffle. The alignment of ruling and opposition Malay political parties has shifted due to political interests, returning to a scenario reminiscent of the post-2018 general election. Eight years ago, Pakatan Harapan (PH) overthrew the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to seize power for the first time. Under pressure, Umno ..

The Human Tissues Act, passed in 1974, can be considered a forward-looking piece of legislation for its time. In that era, organ transplant was a developing medical technology, and the number of transplant surgeries that could be performed domestically was countable on one's fingers. The primary objective of the act was to regulate the procurement and use of human tissues. More than 50 years have passed, and medical technology has long since stepped into a completely new era. Today, liver, ..

From Tanjung Aru to the world: How Sabah can pilot global climate action KOTA KINABALU: Sitting by Tanjung Aru beach and watching one of the most stunning sunsets in the world, I reflected on what it would take to truly prioritise the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have just concluded an intense three days with 170 local and global organisationsincluding WWF, alongside numerous non-governmental civil societies, businesses, investors, and policymakers. Our focus was singular: how to ..

Is Bersatu the lifesaver for Pakatan Harapan in Negeri Sembilan? The collaboration between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN)excluding Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in the Negeri Sembilan state election serves as a test. It aims to see whether a closer partnership between the two can yield electoral gains, and if this relationship can be sustained post-election to extend into other state polls or even the next General Election. In the recently concluded Johor election, ..

In a Facebook post a couple of nights ago, MCA Youth Secretary-General Saw Yee Fung shared a telling revelation. She noted that while campaigning during the recent Johor state election, she repeatedly assured voters that Barisan Nasional (BN) was not cooperating with PAS. However, according to Saw, cooperation between BN and PAS now appears all but certain for the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state election on August 1. I find it particularly interesting that she specifically named "BN" and not ..

Umno outsources Negeri Sembilan to PAS Pakatan Harapan is in danger If anyone assumes that after the Johor state election, Umno will simply replicate its winning formula in Negeri Sembilan, they are sorely mistaken. In Johor, Barisan Nasional (BN) played a high-stakes game. They contested all 56 seats, aiming to seize state power with a commanding majority. In the end, they achieved their goal, securing 48 seats to govern single-handedly. In Negeri Sembilan, however, BN (with Umno pulling the ..

The perpetually ignored: The human cost of digital rush Digitisation has quietly created a new class of Malaysians. They do not belong to the B40, M40, or T20. They are the demographic I call the perpetually ignoredour senior citizens who are being systematically erased from daily life simply because the world now lives inside an app. Back when technology was framed as Information and Communications Technology (ICT), it was about copper wires, bulky cables, and dial-up modems. The internet ..