The rise of AI is disrupting nearly every industry. A friend of mine half- jokingly mentioned that when he noticed something unusual with his body, his instinct was neither to search online nor to see a doctor immediately but to first discuss his symptoms with ChatGPT, using a process of elimination to assess his situation before deciding whether to seek medical attention. While this sounds like a casual remark, it reflects a reality that is already unfolding: m

After eight decades of peace after the end of World War Two, we are now in the throes of a four-year old Ukrainian war and an escalating Israel-US-Iran undeclared war that flared last June for 12-days, and since 28 February, a widening war of missiles and drones that killed Irans spiritual leader and closed the Straits of Hormuz, sending oil prices to record highs. Governments make horrible mistakes when they are blinded by individual egos, excessive political shenanigans, lack of moral ..

The Cabinet received the Attorney-Generals Chambers investigation papers on shareholding controversy involving Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Tan Sri Azam Baki on March 11, but it has yet to be made public. Has the Madani government made other arrangements, or is it exercising caution? Former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli recently cited sources claiming that a special committee set up by the government found that shares under Azams name ..

For more than a century, Hindu temples stood at the heart of rubber and palm oil estates, built by indentured and later free Indian laborers who were never given secure land, only quotas and targets. These shrines were not illegal structures, they were the only institutions that acknowledged estate workers humanity when the company only saw them as headcount and productivity. Today, many of those estates are owned or controlled by government-linked companies (GLCs) and state investment arms, ..

With recent scandals dominating our headlines, his suggestions appear both timely and necessary. Who would argue against the need for stronger laws on political funding, a greater oversight of public donations and lastly, a framework to address misconduct in public office? Most people would agree and many would probably praise him for stepping forward to advocate for new legal frameworks aimed at closing loopholes and strengthening governance. However, reform is not judged by what is proposed. ..

When civilizations converse: IIUMOxfordPeking University dialogues and reimagining of global thought In a world increasingly defined by strategic mistrust, hardened narratives, and intellectual silos, the simple act of dialogue has become both rare and revolutionary. The fragmentation of global orderwhether seen in trade wars, technological decoupling, or competing civilizational claimshas made genuine academic engagement across cultures more urgent than ever. It is against this unsettled ..

The ESG blindspot: Why we can't save the Earth without fixing society first In boardrooms, parliaments, and international summits, two acronyms define our eras approach to the future: SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance). Trillions of dollars are being mobilized to align with these frameworks. Yet, beneath the flurry of sustainability reports lies a glaring imbalance. We have become hyper-focused on environmental ecology while deeply neglecting ..

Sabahs 40% special grant: A test of Putrajaya commitment The debate over Sabahs 40 percent revenue entitlement has once again brought into sharp focus the unfinished business of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the continuing struggle of East Malaysia for fairness within the federation. The recent legal and political developments surrounding the special grant are more than a technical dispute over revenue calculations. They represent a deeper question of whether the spirit and promises made when ..

Will MCA and MIC benefit from Umnos renewed unity? The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) has once again been caught in a a situation marked by conflicting accounts over whether it is leaving Barisan Nasional (BN) or joining Perikatan Nasional (PN). This confusion is the aftereffect of the partys repeated moves since last yearhinting at quitting BN while flirting with PN. On November 16 last year, MIC resolved at its general assembly to leave BN and seek entry into PN. The exact timing of its ..

Sabahs 40% special grant: A test of Putrajaya commitment The debate over Sabahs 40 percent revenue entitlement has once again brought into sharp focus the unfinished business of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the continuing struggle of East Malaysia for fairness within the federation. The recent legal and political developments surrounding the special grant are more than a technical dispute over revenue calculations. They represent a deeper question of whether the spirit and promises made when ..

Raya has always been a season of forgiveness, reflection and renewal, a time when Malaysians reach across divides, strengthen bonds and remember that this countrys greatest treasure is its people. But this year, as families opened their homes and exchanged greetings of Selamat Hari Raya, many found themselves scrolling through a different kind of message. Instead of peace and gratitude, their screens overflowed with venom posts steeped in racial contempt and religious arrogance, shared without ..

In the gilded confines of the Oval Office on March 20, 2026, history collided with hypocrisy in a single, jaw-dropping exchange. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sat rigidly beside President Donald Trump as a Japanese reporter posed what should have been a routine question: why had the United States failed to notify its closest allies, Japan included, before launching its devastating decapitation strikes against Iran? Trumps response was vintage Trumpblunt, unfiltered, and laced with a ..

PAS is avid to engage with the Chinese community, but are we ready for it? Malaysian politics has been exceptionally animated lately, with ruling and opposition parties changing sides faster than they are changing clothes, catching many completely off guard. While the current intense infighting within the PN coalition seems ongoing and unending, it is in actuality paving the way for and eventually consolidating the dominant hold of PAS. BN, in the meantime, is actively re-establishing itself as ..

Sachs is right on West Asia but missed out on Southeast Asia Recent remarks by American economist Professor Jeffrey Sachs cautioning countries against hosting foreign military bases have reignited debate over the strategic risks associated with such facilities. His argument is simple yet powerful: when nations allow foreign powers to station military forces on their soil, they may inadvertently transform themselves into targets in the event of war. The ongoing crisis in West Asia provides a ..

UN experts call for Malaysia to strengthen social work profession Recently Malaysias progress on meeting fundamental child rights was reviewed in Geneva by a UN panel of experts. High on their list of key recommendations was to strengthen, without delay, professional social work in all sectors, especially in the public sector. To those working with children, especially child protection, this is no surprise. It has long been recognized that as a country we have a long way to go to provide the ..

Seventeen years after the death of Teoh Beng Hock, the most striking feature of the case is not what is known, but what remains unresolved. Her appeal is grounded in facts that are no longer disputed. That conclusion did not close the case, because it further complicated it. This is not a minor legal nuance. It is the center of the case. If we were to examine the wording, unlawful acts implies wrongdoing and unknown persons implies a failure of accountability. Seventeen years on, those two ..

Preparing for the Era of Section 301: ASEAN must defend with institutions, not just tariffs US trade policy is shifting its focus toward more sustainable means of pressure, amid a US Supreme Court ruling that found tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) unconstitutional. Immediately following this unconstitutionality ruling, the Trump administration transitioned to utilizing Section 122 of the Trade Act, which allows for a uniform additional tariff of up ..

What does war escalation in the Middle East mean for global governance? The Israel/US attacks on Iran since February 28 have profound implications on the global governance order. For the mightiest power to attack another sovereign nation without Congressional nor United Nations approval condemns the rules- based order into the dustbin of history. Governance is all about checks and balance by rules, self-restraint or humble appreciation that waging forever wars often end up destroying oneself. ..

Recognizing the deliberate wrecking-ball demolition of the post-1945 world order, Februarys 62nd Munich Security Conference theme was Under Destruction. Billed as the worlds leading forum for international security, the conference program made clear whose interests and security were prioritized. In its first year, Trump 2.0 bombed ten nations, besides threatening aggression against four other Latin American nations, but none were represented at Munich! The Munich conference shed all pretense of ..

The Iran war paradox: How Washingtons escalation is strengthening Tehran Every war has a visible front line and an invisible one. The visible front in this conflict spans the skies of the Middle East, where successive waves of Iranian drones and missiles currently test the air defenses of a US-Israeli coalition that expected a quick, surgical victory. The invisible front runs through the corridors of power in Tehran and Washington, where two parallel transformations that will outlast any ..

Henry Kissinger, the architect of modern American realpolitik, famously likened the geopolitical interplay between the United States, Russia, and China to the mathematical principle of a triangle: the sum of any two sides must always exceed the third. This analogy underscored his strategy during the Cold War, where the U.S. sought to maintain closer ties with either Moscow or Beijing than those two powers had with each other, preventing any one from dominating the others. By opening to China in ..

Can Malaysian politics unite the country when the world is coming apart? In my conversations with global investors, business leaders and policymakers, one theme increasingly stands outnamely how uncertain and even dangerous the world feels today compared to the last few years with all its tumults. Conflicts in the Middle East are re-escalating. Beyond a reshaped global trade, reconfigured supply chains, and fragile growth amid superpower competition, energy (in)security has now been thrown into ..

Character before controversy: Why respect for faith must begin within Malaysia has long been recognized as a society where multiple faiths coexist within the same national space. Mosques, temples, churches, and gurdwaras often stand within the same neighborhoods, reflecting a quiet yet remarkable tradition of religious diversity. Yet in recent times, moments have emerged where faiths and religious symbols have been mocked, ridiculed, or treated with casual disrespect. In an age where opinions ..

Malaysias gig riders are the backbone of our instant-delivery culture, and also the most expendable bodies on our roads. We clap for their service, then quietly accept a body count that now looks like a slow, silent massacre. One lunch hour in Damansara, the glossy myth of the gig economy shattered right in front of my car. A food delivery rider clipped my vehicle and was flung onto the road, lying flat and motionless, with a line of cars bearing down behind. I stopped, got out, and with ..

During the Chinese New Year, Rafizi Ramli visited Sin Chew Daily headquarters to extend his festive greetings. In an exclusive interview with _Sin Chew Daily_, he said he did not expect to contest under Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in the next general election, although he would still defend his Pandan parliamentary seat. PKR interpreted this as a declaration he intended to leave the party and subsequently issued him a show-cause letter demanding an explanation. If the party were not satisfied ..

If no one had exposed it, would Azam Baki still be MACC chief? The reported decision not to extend Azam Bakis contract as head of the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) after 12 May, 2026 may seem like the end of a controversy; however, it raises a deeper and uncomfortable question. This question matters a lot, because Azams tenure had already been extended three times, by the Prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim. That alone shows how much power governments have when deciding who leads ..

From US-Israel-Iran conflict to electronics shortage: Can supply chain turn chaos into control? The electronics industry is no stranger to disruption. From pandemic shortages to logistics bottlenecks, supply chain leaders in Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) companies have learned that stability is never guaranteed. Today, another geopolitical tension is emerging: the escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. Although the ..

PKR lawsuits bring back the ghost of Sheraton Move I have repeated this many times and let me say it again. I have not forgotten nor forgiven the key players of the treacherous Sheraton Move. It remains one of the darkest chapters in our nations modern political historyan episode when a group of elected representatives betrayed the voters trust by toppling a democratically elected government and installing what many Malaysians viewed as an illegitimate backdoor administration. The conspiracy ..

The world witnessed a military operation that redefined modern warfare. President Donald Trump authorised an AI-led decapitation strike against Irans top leadership, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and key members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This strike marked the first instance in military history where AI played the starring role in eliminating an adversarys command structure. It was a brilliant feata testament to American technological prowess that left global ..

Reclaiming our ecology: A structural blueprint to reverse the Chinese Malaysian demographic crisis The Chinese Malaysian community is currently enduring a demographic winter that threatens the very foundation of its cultural, economic, and institutional future. With the total fertility rate plummeting to a historic low of 0.9, and the latest Department of Statistics Malaysia report showing the Chinese birth share in Q4 2025 at just 7.8 percent, the community is projected to shrink to a mere 15 ..

Within 72 hours of the Operation Epic Fury conducted by the United States and Israel on February 28, where 48 of Irans top religious and political leaders were decimated in one fell swoop, 11 countries have become entangled in the war against Iran, posing the most serious energy risk since the Oil Shock of 1973. In moments of global turbulence, smaller and middle-sized powers in regions such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) often react with haste. They align quickly, speak loudly, and ..

Will the return of Khairy and Hamzah make UMNO great again (MUGA)? Lets start with Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin. Has he fallen victim to a scam? He recently claimed he was preparing to take over the Parti Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family Party), only for it to be exposed as a political party that was never actually registered. Such an empty shell resembles a ghost company set up by scam syndicateswhere buyers think they have found a treasure when acquiring it. At this moment, does Hamzah feel ..

Scrolling through my phone on the hotel bed first thing in the morning, I was shockedand inevitably perturbedby headlines on missiles dashing above the Middle East sky, as the United States and Israel joined hands to strike Iran. I had thought my Moroccan trip could bring home toms of sweet memories of the vast expanse of the Sahara and romantic Casablanca. It never crossed my mind that the journey could take me so close to a real war! All that was in my head was that I must not be stranded in ..

Detaining children is a line the state must not cross Malaysias use of preventive detention has crossed a dangerous line with the reported incarceration of several minors under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma). Detaining children under a preventive security law designed to suspend ordinary safeguards raises grave questions about legality, proportionality, and the states willingness to sacrifice child rights in the name of security. This is not a policy misstep. This is ..

Barisan Nasional (BN) says it wants to contest at least 115 parliamentary seats in GE16, according to a _Malaysiakini_ report on March 2. Why? Because no political coalition goes into an election saying it wants to play second fiddle. But let us not pretend this is some bold new strategy. This is about survival, not supremacy. And BN/Umno is desperate to survive. Umno is still the big brother in BN today. MCA and MIC are groping in the dark, their leaders clueless on the next course of action. ..

The constitutional amendment bill to limit the prime ministers tenure to two terms, or a total of 10 years, failed after securing only 146 votes, short of two votes to meet the required two-thirds majority for Federal Constitution amendment. All 79 MPs from Pakatan Harapan voted in support, including 10 Parti Keadilan Rakyat MPs led by Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli. Both the government and opposition blamed each other after the amendment bill fell through. DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook said ..

For years, South Korea drew comfort from a familiar belief. China might scale faster, but Korea would stay ahead in the technologies that mattered most: semiconductors, precision manufacturing and secondary batteries. The latest government assessment points not to a temporary slip, but to a change in direction. China has moved ahead in areas that Korea once treated as defensible ground, and the gap is widening. A 2024 evaluation reported by the Ministry of Science and ICT shows Chinas overall ..

Beyond financial cures: Urgent need for a sustainable social ecology restoration strategy in Sinosphere The demographic collapse across the global Sinosphere spanning China, Taiwan, and the broader diaspora is no longer a distant warning. It is a present, structural reality. However, to truly understand the severity of this crisis, we must compare it accurately. When we map the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) from 1950 to 2023, using data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the UN ..

State of DisunionThe root causes of American polarisation In the once-revered chamber of Congress, the State of the Union address was meant to embody national unitya solemn occasion for presidents to articulate a collective vision. Instead, on February 24, 2026, President Donald Trumps interminable 107-minute rant morphed into a grotesque pageant of narcissism, a level of self-obsession never before witnessed in that historic venue. The disapproval rate, in the wake of the speech, came down to ..

When he urges world leaders to rediscover moderation and moral responsibility, Anwar positions Malaysia as a principled voice of balance and stability on the global stage. Although global instability may lie beyond the control of any single nation, the state of political sanity at home is not. It is precisely in our domestic governance, institutional integrity, and the treatment of dissent, that the contrast between rhetoric and reality becomes most pronounced. These are the areas which the ..