My Blog
You’ll find here all my commentaries and analysis for think-tanks and the Media.
CSIS | Spotlight – Malaysia: October 2023
Photo: Rohd Rasfan/ Getty Image The Malaysian government’s Budget 2024 was adopted this month. At a size of 393.8 billion ringgit (or approximately $83.3 billion), the budget is the largest to be tabled in the country’s history. This includes a record high RM303.8...
CSIS | Malaysia on the Edge of Democracy: Will Anwar’s Governement Step Forward ?
Photo: Lisa Marie David - Pool/ Getty Images In November 2022, Anwar Ibrahim, leader of the democratic movement Reformasi, finally became prime minister of Malaysia. At 75, Anwar spent 8 years of a 20-year struggle in prison for “sexual offenses”—accusations he...
CSIS | Spotlight – Malaysia: August 2023
Photo: Rohd Rasfan/ Getty Image Malaysia’s state elections, held in six states on August 12, followed an uneventful campaign and led to little change to the status quo. The three northern states of Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu were retained by the opposition...
CSIS | Spotlight – Malaysia: July 2023
Photo: Rohd Rasfan/ Getty Image With six state assemblies dissolved in advance of elections to be held within the next couple of months, the ruling and opposition coalitions are in order of battle. The Negeri Sembilan assembly was dissolved on July 1, the Kedah,...
The Diplomat | In Malaysia, Religious Controversies Threaten Anwar Ibrahim’s Government
Photo Credit: Facebook/Anwar Ibrahim Malaysia has long been portrayed as a peaceful mosaic of cultures and a fascinating example of Arab, South, and Southeast Asian creolism, as shown in the work of historian Sumit K. Mandal. However, the combination of nearly 90...