Beyond the Ballot Box

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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.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    German Elections 2025: Why the Right-Wing Performed So Well

    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 unpack everything with Frederik Holst who’s an Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at Albukhary University. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    48 min

  2. 6 DAYS AGO

    Parliamentary Services Act 2025: Yay or Nay?

    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  The PSA was enacted in 1963 but was later repealed in 1992 during Tun Dr Mahathir’s first tenure as Prime Minister.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 Chow Ying, Convenor, Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia - also known as Projek SAMA. We discuss if the bill that has been tabled actually addresses issues of parliamentary autonomy and independence, how the structures of parliament will change and if it will bring about an improvement in accountability and transparency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min

  3. FEB 25

    Are People Fundamentally Selfish?

    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 permeated across the world since the 1980s? In this episode, we unpack this topic with Karim Bettache, who’s a political/social psychologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He’s been researching and writing about this topic for many years now, including in a paper he wrote in 2024 titled Where Is Capitalism? Unmasking Its Hidden Role in Psychology.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    36 min

  4. FEB 20

    60% of Billionaire Wealth Is From Inheritance and Cronyism

    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 at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    38 min

  5. FEB 18

    We Must Save Pannir From Execution in Singapore

    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 lawyer, M Ravi, Pannir will be executed this Thursday, the 20th of February.  In a recent Facebook post, Ravi shared that Pannir’s sister had received a letter from the prison confirming his execution. HAYAT, which is an NGO working on rehabilitative and restorative justice, released a statement that reads, "His status as a courier was acknowledged by Singapore courts, and he provided extensive information to authorities during the investigation. The information was also given to Singaporean authorities by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) through his family via a police report." Despite the years-long efforts of his family and activists, his fate remains unchanged.  In this episode, we're joined by Dobby Chew, who's the CEO of HAYAT. We discuss if there’s still room left to save Pannir and also if the war on drugs and the death penalty solves the problem of drug trafficking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min

  6. FEB 13

    Why Malaysia Needs a Proper Parliamentary Services Act

    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 Services Act (PSA) in the current session of the Dewan Rakyat. This is something civil society organisations and the Pakatan Harapan coalition have been pushing for, for a long time, as it would restore or at least increase parliamentary autonomy and independence.  But why is it important for us to have a stronger Parliament? What should a proper Parliamentary Services Act entail?We speak to Ngeow Chow Ying who’s a legal expert and also the convenor at Projek SAMA. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    43 min

  7. FEB 6

    Here’s How Employers in Malaysia Prevent Workers From Unionising

    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 tactics by big businesses and employers in Malaysia.  We unpack this paper with one of the authors, Ng Yap Hwa who is the Assistant General Secretary of the Labour Solidarity and Learning Resources Association (LLRC). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    39 min

  8. FEB 4

    Is the Government Going Too Soft on Najib?

    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 Corruption and Cronyism released a statement recently saying “enough is enough! Why has the tone of the Madani government been so sympathetic to Najib Razak? Have they forgotten the sheer scale of his crimes?” So, has the MADANI government, led by Prime Minister Anwar, forgotten its reformist roots or is it just smart and meticulous politicking to manage the political climate and maintain stability?  We speak to Pushpan Murugiah, who’s the CEO of Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4).  In this episode,we discuss: The framing of Najib's reduced sentence as a human rights issue. The political challenges faced by the MADANI government. How to strike a balance between navigating a large coalition of varying interests and being steadfast in executing the anti-corruption agenda. Why the Prime Minister and his team must communicate with the people in a more transparent way. Does Malaysia need a 1977 Hong Kong-style Amnesty? In 1977, Hong Kong’s newly established ICAC granted amnesty for past corruption to quell police resistance, allowing strict anti-corruption enforcement moving forward. The three key areas of reform the government must implement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    47 min
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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.

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