Beyond The Ballot Box BFM Media

Right-wing parties are gaining traction and strength all over Europe. Germany is no different, where a far-right party called Alternative for Germany (AfD) is becoming increasingly popular and is said to command around 20% of the popular support. 
So, why is this happening?

We speak to Dr Frederik Holst, an academic from Germany and an Associate Professor at Albukhary International University (AIU).
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On the 1st of April, there was a deadly strike by Israel on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria. Iranian military commander, Major General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, was killed in the attack, along with six other Iranian nationals, including another general, and at least six Syrian citizens.
In retaliation, on April 13, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in what they called ‘Operation True Promise’.
But what lies at the heart of this conflict and how will it impact the Middle East?

We speak to Dr. Assal Rad, a scholar of Middle Eastern history. She works on research related to US foreign policy issues, the Middle East, and contemporary Iran. She’s also the author of ‘The State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran’.

Image Credit: Shutterstock (Ai-Generated Image)
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When discussing Malaysian politics, there is a tendency by many to look at “The Malays” as a singular block. On the one hand, there is a penchant for some to blame “The Malays” for our nation’s 99 problems. On the other hand, Malay political elites tend to propagate a narrative in which “The Malays” were “united” across racial lines once upon a time and so, there is a need to reunite the Malays once more. 
But are the Malays a monolith? Have they ever been?Producer's note: A couple of factual errors were made in the conversation -
Concerning May 13, MCA was cited when it should've been Gerakan.
The Memali incident took place in the 80s, not 50s.

Image Credit: Shutterstock
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In what appears to be a massive blow to the rights of Malaysian workers, The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Malaysia's Industrial Court cannot hear the case of L. Subramaniam, a former security guard allegedly unfairly sacked by the US Embassy without reason. Previously, the Malaysian Industrial Court ordered the US Embassy to pay L. Subramaniam RM 66 000. The US Embassy then turned to the Malaysian civil court to quash the ruling. The US Embassy claims that it has absolute immunity.
So, what does this mean for Malaysians working in foreign embassies?

Image Credit: Parti Sosialis Malaysia
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Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) has released its 2023 human rights report. In this episode, we take a look at the various human rights violations that have occurred throughout 2023, here in Malaysia, and discuss changes that should happen in 2024. 
We speak to Jernell Tan, Documentation & Monitoring Coordinator, SUARAM.
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Growing up, we read about the Holocaust and the Nazis and we think “How did people of that generation ever let this happen?” “How did the world stand and watch?” 
Well, we’re living through a massive genocide right now. Since last October, Israel has killed more than 30 000 people, half of whom are children. This is on top of the illegal occupation, settler colonialism, dispossession, ethnic cleansing the Palestinians have faced at the hands of the State of Israel for the past 70 years. 
We’re watching massacres happen live. 
Yet, the most influential media companies in the world, from the West, still take the Pro-Israel stance. There are millions of people protesting all over the world, including in the US and the UK. Hundreds of thousands of people march against their governments in DC and London, yet the political class of the Western Empire do not budge from their Pro-Israel stance. 
Many people around the world are feeling hopeless. There’s a sense of doomerism, understandably so. It feels like no matter what we do, we can’t defeat the bad guys. 
So, how do we make sense of all of this?
Image credit: Shutterstock
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