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 ..

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 ..

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 ..

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 ..

Massive US war spending hike raises debt, taxes, doubts As US President Donald Trump pushes the world to war, arms spending has been rising worldwide. Wars secure more budgetary allocations, mainly benefiting the US-dominated military-industrial complex. After bombing Venezuela, the Trump administration raised its war budget from $1.0 trillion, 47 percent of discretionary government spending in 2024, to $1.5 trillion! In 2024, the US accounted for over 36 percent of the world's military ..

President Donald Trump has shaken up the world economy and the rule of international law in the first year of his second termostensibly to make America great again, particularly by reviving US manufacturing jobs. The President has assumed authority from the US Congress to wage war, impose taxes, make treaties, set budgets, regulate federal-state relati

Hamzah vs. Azmin: The political chessboard is still evolving It is customary for major Chinese-based political parties to visit the media before Chinese New Year to extend blessings to readers and voters. As political competition is getting more intense, this years line-up of visitors was exceptionally lively. Even some "rare guests" who seldom visit made an appearancemost notably Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and his team from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia. Having commented frequently in this column ..

Stories of unpleasant encounters with racist treatment in South Korea have long circulated quietly among travelers, students and migrant workers from Southeast Asia. But what was once sporadic and largely anecdotal has now erupted into a bold, undeniable issue as these experiences have been thrust into the spotlight via heated exchanges on social media. The latest flare-up stemmed from a K-pop concert in Malaysia, when a South Korean fan site master was caught bringing in professional cameras ..

Dr Sam takes the helm as Perikatan Nasional gears up A significant shift quietly took place in Malaysian politics during Chinese New Year. Perikatan Nasional (PN), the countrys second-largest political bloc, appointed Pas vice- president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar better known as Dr Sam as its new chairman. With that, tensions between PAS and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) have, at least for now, eased, and PN enters what may be called the Dr Sam era. The compromise was ..

An analysis of the Philippines ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026 The Philippines is the chairman of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) this year, under the theme Navigating Our Future, Together. There are a plethora of issues that it has to navigate, on the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, particularly safeguarding ASEANs central role amid an increasingly competitive and contested strategic landscape, maritime cooperation, Myanmars reform efforts, the ..

They hurled firecrackers at JPJ officers in Rawang, that was not _nakal_ youth, that was open war against the law and against every decent road user trapped beside them on our highways of fear. How many more families must grip the steering wheel in terror before we admit it? The Mat Rempit menace has become a form of road terrorism, and the time for pampering is over. **When the law is attacked, the nation is attacked** On that late night in Rawang, JPJ officers were simply doing their job, ..

It was no surprise. PAS presented the best candidate in their stable and Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar was unanimously appointed and enthusiastically welcomed as the new chairman of the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition on February 22. The appointment of the PAS vice-president, indeed a calculated and strategic choice, signals a deliberate pivot toward generational renewal without sacrificing ideological clarity. And that blend of both the young and the elders is vital for PNs success and ..

Is a redelineation exercise in Malaysias Parliament due? Parliamentary seats in Malaysia have remained at 222 since 2008 when the country had a population of around 27 million with over 10.9 million registered voters. Going by data from the Department of Statistics, there are about 34.3 million people in Malaysia now. The Stars analysis of the 222 parliamentary seats for the 2022 election data showed that 86 seats had over 100,000 voters. That being the case, especially with 22.06 million ..

Hindu temples need to be considered from historical and contemporary perspectives for a solution The issue of illegally built houses of worship needs to be comprehensively looked at from the historical and contemporary perspectives to fully understand this sensitive problem. This issue has in the last few months regrettably become very politicized and polemical to the extent of threatening the nation's harmony. The government is hard pressed to contain this problem considering the aggressive ..

In a world grappling with escalating environmental crises and political polarisation, the rhetoric of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the 2026 Munich Security Conference exemplifies a troubling intersection of ideology and policy. Rubio lambasted European policies as subservient to a climate cult, portraying environmentalism and the theory of global warming as ideologically driven delusions that impoverish nations while benefiting rivals like China. This narrative, however, is not only ..

When I started penning this article, I was aboard the flight to Casablanca, the city that has captured the hearts of many over the decades, including me, thanks to the 1942 cinematographic classic of the same name. Casablanca was made famous by a love triangle story of a film set in the city during the Second World War, when massive numbers of European refugees fleeing Nazi persecution thronged to this North African city in hope of securing travel passes to the US. When I set off on the first ..

In Malaysia, words matter. In a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society, a careless turn of phrase can ignite mistrust, fuel tension, and even spur unlawful action. However, in the temple saga, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has repeatedly shown that he does not always think before he speaks. The end result is that it is the rakyat who suffer the consequences. Two incidents about Hindu temples illustrate a troubling pattern: Anwar's March 2025 victory speech during the Kuala Lumpur temple dispute ..

In the Lower House election held on February 8, 2026, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 316 seatsthe most any party has won since World War II. The main reason for the LDPs landslide victory was the personal popularity of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Before the election, the LDPs approval rating was in the 30 percent range, while the cabinets was over 60 percent. This difference is thought to reflect Prime Minister Takaichis personal popularity. As the first female prime minister, ..

The boy is 17, an excited fresh undergraduate who wants what every teenager wants: freedom on four wheels. He walks into a modest driving school in his neighborhood, clutching his documents, rehearsing eye test charts in his head. Across the counter, the clerk barely looks up. The options come out smoothly, like an everyday menu. Package B: you go through the full test. You pass only if you dont make mistakes. He freezes. Is this how it works now? Has guaranteed pass become a legitimate product ..

The subject of Artificial Intelligence has become so dominant in social discourse that the recent World Economic Forum in Davos devoted reputedly 200 sessions for corporate leaders to discuss AI from multiple angles. The conversations focused on five key themes the geopolitical rivalry using AI and technology; AI as productivity and growth driver; AI as job disruptor; how to invest in AI talent; ethics and governance for generative AI and robot systems; and environmental footprint from using AI ..

In the vast cosmos of power and privilege, few forces match the gravitational pull of Jeffrey Epsteins network. Like a black hole, it drew in the brightest stars of Western societypoliticians, billionaires, entertainers, and intellectualswarping the fabric of ethics and accountability around them. Once trapped in its orbit, escape proved nearly impossible: vanity, ambition and the allure of unaccountable influence sucked elites into a realm of unbridled lust and uncharted peril. This black hole ..

Will the renowned pork rib soup Bak Kut Teh continue to be available in Klang? Many asked this question online after Selangor state government announced closure of pig farms, relying on imports to satisfy the demand of the non- Muslim community. More pressing than concern over a bowl of Bak Kut Teh is how this closure has evolved from a policy matter into a political crisis. When examined more closely, it is no longer just about the dietary habits of non- Muslims; it exposes government inaction. ..

Carney in Davos and the myth of a suddenly ruptured world order When Mark Carney addressed the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in January 2026, he spoke of a rupture in the world order. The word struck a chord. Markets were volatile. Wars were multiplying. Global supply chains were fragmenting. Climate shocks were intensifying. Great power rivalry was sharpening. But before we accept the narrative of rupture too quickly, we must confront a dee

Three escalating issues put Pakatan Harapan on the hot seat Pakatan Harapan (PH) is likely now feeling the truth and cruelty of the saying : "a week is a long time in politics." Previously, with the split in Perikatan Nasional (Perikatan), internal turmoil in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and the progress on Unified Examination Certificate recognition, the situation looked favourable. 1. ** The Azam Baki controversy: credibility at stake** The shareholding controversy involving Malaysian ..

Financial sovereignty: Who designs the platforms, rules the future? The global economic order largely has already undergone a silent but profound transformation that most policymakers in Malaysia and across the Global South have yet to fully grasp. It manifests as a **decisive shift** from an era where sovereignty was defined primarily by territorial control (land and labor) to one increasingly determined by **_architectural sovereignty_**, which can be defined as a nations capacity to design, ..

As a Sarawakian, I am heartened that the government in my homeland is moving to set the minimum age of marriage at 18 for all communities. This decisive step sends a clear signal that Sarawak will not tolerate child marriagea practice that continues to surface in parts of Malaya and rightly troubles many Malaysians. While such cases are not commonly reported in Sarawak, it would be nave to assume they do not occur at all, particularly when official records and data are not easily accessible. ..

Isa Samad and FELDA: A story of power, loss and betrayed trust The rise and fall, and rise again of Mohd Isa Abdul Samad is more than a personal drama of legal acquittals and convictions. It lays bare a deeper crisis in public stewardship, institutional integrity, and the lived realities of rural Malaysians who entrusted their futures to the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA). Many people wondered if these legal twists meant anything, for the ordinary settlers. The answer is painfully ..

The January 31 announcement by Law Minister Azalina Othman Said that amendments to the Federal Constitution to limit the prime ministers tenure to 10 years may be tabled during the current Dewan Rakyat session is, quite frankly, music to my ears. At long last, those in the corridors of power appear to be acknowledging an uncomfortable truth. Overstaying in the coveted post of prime minister rarely works out wellnot for governance, not for institutions and certainly not for democracy itself. ..

Hypermodernity, the reinterpretation of needs and anti-familism among Chinese Malaysians The latest data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) presents a chilling reality. The total fertility rate (TFR) for the Malaysian Chinese community has plummeted to a historic low of 0.9. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the TFR is the average number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her child- bearing years. For a community to sustain ..

Rethinking cash aid and Malaysias path to resilience Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahims New Year message included an announcement regarding the RM100 cash for every Malaysian aged 18 and above under Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA). In an economic environment characterized by inflationary stress and stagnant salaries, the transfer might alleviate the burden of everyday necessities. However, a more profound policy question comes to mind: Is this simply a transaction, or can it evolve to build ..

The Prime Ministers recent directive empowering local authorities to demolish illegal houses of worship marks a profoundly sad and troubling moment for Malaysia. It is not merely a technical instruction about land use or municipal enforcement. It strikes at something far deeper: the sense of safety, dignity and belonging of minority faith communities who have, for generations, helped build this nation. For many Malaysians, especially Hindus and other nonMuslim minorities, the message did not ..

In recent conversations with parents, I have noticed a growing concern: many of their children are reluctant to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). A common reason cited is insecurity about long-term career prospects. Some young people worry that STEM professions may become obsolete in an era shaped by the gig economy, automation and artificial intelligence. This perception, however, could not be further from the truth. Engineering and technology are among ..

Are we building too much commercial space? Rethinking Malaysias retail and shoplot supply Have you ever driven past a row of shoplot in a housing area and noticed that most of them are empty, dark, or simply never opened? This is no longer an occasional sight. In many parts of Malaysia, especially in growing suburbs, we are seeing more commercial spaces being built even as existing units struggle to attract tenants and customers. While commercial development is often associated with progress ..

Chinese community hopes for DAP-MCA synergy in education The on-going disputes between the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) over Chinese education have reached a new fever pitch. Following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahims announcement of a RM40 million grant for TAR UMT and a 10-year tax exemption for its foundation, the two parties have engaged in an endless war of words. While party members might find the mudslinging entertaining, the broader ..

Open-sourcing the Amendments to the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008: A call for Madani transparency As Malaysia enters a pivotal year for institutional reform, the Madani government has signaled a commitment to transparency through the proposed Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill. In July 2025, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made a landmark promise: to introduce a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act that would "overturn the long-standing secrecy by default culture." He said it would ..

Malaysias story has always been larger than any one race, religion or party. We are, at our best, a nation of balanced heads and steady hearts, people who can argue fiercely about politics at noon and share a table of _teh tarik_ and _thosai_ by nightfall. That is the Malaysia our children deserve, and it is exactly that Malaysia that a small group of zealots, acting as the noisy fronts for unseen political hands, are trying to tear apart. Let us speak honestly: religion is being used, again ..

Rethinking cash aid and Malaysias path to resilience Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahims New Year message included an announcement regarding the RM100 cash for every Malaysian aged 18 and above under Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA). In an economic environment characterized by inflationary stress and stagnant salaries, the transfer might alleviate the burden of everyday necessities. However, a more profound policy question comes to mind: Is this simply a transaction, or can it evolve to build ..