Malaysia
Malaysian Chinese community to shape national poll
Despite having lived there for centuries, the Malaysian Chinese community, which makes up 22.6 per cent of the Malaysian population, has often been cast by Malay nationalists as…
Refugees may become victims of Malaysia’s electoral politics
Campaigning is well underway for Malaysia’s general election, set to be held on 19 November. In the leadup to the high-stakes poll, Malaysia’s government has made the…
Does ASEAN really need an official “second language”?
The idea of an “official language” for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been a contentious subject over the years. Recently, the issue has resurfaced.
In…
Semut: Australia’s secret war against the Japanese in Borneo
Book review: Christine Helliwell, Semut: The Untold Story of a Secret Australian Operation in WWII Borneo (Michael Joseph: Penguin Random House, 2021)
Few in Australia…
Answering China’s South China Sea flying safety challenge
China continues to double down on its dangerous intercept of an Australian maritime surveillance aircraft flying in international air space in the South China Sea. China’s…
Proceed with caution: high-speed rail for Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur
With pandemic restrictions easing, especially for travel, some Southeast Asian countries have resumed the pursuit of enhanced intra-regional connectivity. The Malaysian and Thai…
China’s nine-dash line proves stranger than fiction
Vietnam recently banned the film Uncharted from domestic distribution due to a scene depicting an “illegal image” of China’s infamous “nine-dash line”.
This is not the first time…
Stiffening the ASEAN spine in the South China Sea
“Coalition” is one of those politically loaded terms that the sovereignty-conscious member-states of ASEAN tend to avoid – especially in dealing with disputed claims in the South…
Malaysia – and no Southeast Asian nation – should be bullied by China
Earlier this month, 16 Chinese military transport aircraft were sighted a little more than 100 kilometres off the coast of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. The Royal Malaysian…
Malaysia’s political turmoil has an economic cost
Political dysfunction is rarely a good thing. It is especially unhelpful during a pandemic and recession. Unfortunately, all three are currently playing out in Malaysia.
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