BERSIH and Civil Society's Battle for Malaysia’s Future

Budi95 is a targeted subsidy scheme by the Malaysian government to give RON95 petrol at a reduced price to eligible Malaysian citizens, while phasing out blanket subsidy models that cover everyone including non-citizens and some businesses. However, this plan appears somewhat contradictory to what has been discussed and announced for months, which is a system where fuel prices would be floated based on the market rates and subsidies would be given out based on income levels. So, does this new plan make sense economically and politically? In this episode, we speak to Dr Lee Hwok-Aun, Senior Fellow, Malaysia Studies Programme and Regional Economic Studies Programme, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. We discuss how much the government can actually save with this new plan, consumer impact and the political will required to carry out important reforms such as fuel subsidy rationalisation.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Gender Budget Group (GBG), a coalition of civil society organisations and academics, has urged the Malaysian government to make bold, transformative investments in gender equality in the 2026 National Budget, highlighting that progress on women’s political representation, economic participation, social protection, and protection from violence remains slow. Their memorandum outlines seven key areas for action including strengthening governance and accountability with gender-responsive budgeting,  boosting women’s labour force participation, reforming social protection systems and more. In this episode, we speak to three representatives from the GBG, namely, Dr Ummu Atiyah Ahmad Zakwan, Lead Consultant, Engender, Dr Sulochana Nair, Vice Chancellor of Binary University and Datuk Ong Bee Leng, CEO, Penang Women's Development Corporation (PWDC)Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While domestic violence is still very much prevalent in society today, I think we at the very least live in a climate where committing violence against your spouse is culturally unacceptable (broadly speaking of course) and completely illegal. But this wasn’t always the case. There was a time, though – not too long ago, in fact – when if a husband were to beat his wife, for example, it would be seen as a private/family matter. Authorities would close an eye or advise the abused spouse to find a way to endure or reconcile. This was the case until the enactment of the Domestic Violence Act of 1994. So, what changed in the 90s? In this episode, we're joined by Betty Yeoh, someone who has been at the forefront of women’s rights activism in Malaysia since the 80s. She’s also one of the founding members of the All Women’s Action Society (AWAM). We talk about how ordinary Malaysians came together and pushed the government back in the day, to outlaw domestic violence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve seen how many regions around the world still suffer from hunger despite there technically being enough food to feed everyone globally. We also see how food like pork or beef is sometimes weaponised in the culture wars to sow division between communities. Dr Elaine Pratley is a peacebuilder who does interfaith and intercultural dialogue.  whose work explores how something as simple as food can be deeply political. Her thesis, Hungry for Peace, examines the ways food practices and food insecurity are tied to questions of power, identity, and belonging. She’s also the founder of Peace Kitchen, an initiative that brings people together over shared meals to spark dialogue and connection. In this episode, we chat with Dr Pratley about how food can both heal and divide communities, and why tackling hunger isn’t just about filling stomachs but about challenging the systems of inequality and marginalisation that determine who gets a seat at the proverbial dining table.Elaine will be speaking at ZafigoX 2025 Women's Festival, taking place on 11–12 October 2025 at Menara KEN TTDI, Kuala Lumpur. For more information, do check out the website zafigo.comImage credit: Hungry for PeaceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the government will be tabling the Freedom of Information Act in Parliament by the end of this year. This is a highly anticipated piece of legislation that Civil Society Organisations (and even the Pakatan Harapan political coalition) have been pushing for, for a very long time. It is said to be an important game-changer in the fight against corruption and for the democratisation of power. In this episode, we speak to Wathshlah Naidu, who’s the Executive Director of the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), one of the key organisations pushing for this legislation. A number of CSOs, including CIJ, have also come up with a model RTI Bill, which details what a law of this nature should look like. We also speak to Dr Punitha Silivarajoo, Deputy Director General of Policy and Development of the Legal Affairs Division, in the Prime Minister’s Department. She and her team have had in-depth discussions and meetings with CSOs since 2019, concerning this particular Bill. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was a point where progressive forces in the country could organise and mobilise hundreds of thousands of people on a multicultural platform. We are of course talking about movements like BERSIH. But after the historic 2018 general election, when the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition was toppled for the first time in the nation’s history, everything changed. Progressive civil society organisations that had spent years as outsiders suddenly found themselves inside the halls of power, with unprecedented access to parliamentarians, ministers, and policymaking processes. So, what does that mean? How much of influence did they have? And what does it mean that the streets were left to be filled by conservative forces? This is exactly what Ooi Kok Hin explores in his paper published for the R. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, titled Influencing Power: Civil Society, Political Mobilisation and the Pursuit of Reforms. Kok Hin was the former executive director of Bersih and is currently leading the Malaysia office of a UK public body dedicated to making democracy and governance stronger. In this episode, we speak to Ooi Kok Hin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the 9th of September 2025, tens of thousands of Nepalese people, led by Gen-Z students, took to the streets in anger against the establishment government. They stormed the Nepalese Federal Parliament building in Kathmandu and set it on fire. As of latest reports, sixty protestors, ten prisoners and three police officers died during the demonstrations. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) was forced to resign. Later, over 100,000 youth took to Discord to elect former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as interim Prime Minister, becoming the first woman head of state in Nepal.So, what are the root causes of this uprising? And what does it mean for the future of Nepal? In this episode, we speak with Atul Chandra, Researcher, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report by the Datum Initiative and ARROW – Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women examines the systemic barriers faced by women with disabilities in Malaysia, particularly around sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Some of the findings published are shocking. So, on today’s episode, I’m going to be unpacking the report with its co-authors, Dr Benjamin Loh, Dr Vilashini Somiah and Hasbeemasputra Abu Bakar.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ISA, a draconian law that enabled detention without trial, was used in Malaysia for decades, most notoriously during the infamous Ops Lalang in 1987. But in 2012, it was finally abolished after years of public pressure and grassroots organising. We speak with Nalini Elumalai, one of the key coordinators of the Gerakan Mansuh ISA rally in the mid-2000s, about the long struggle to end the law, the challenges of mobilising under repression, and the lessons learned from this landmark victory for civil society.Image credit: Pusat Sejarah RakyatSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have often heard about the role the elite mainstream political actors played in Malaysia’s independence struggle. But the reality is much more nuanced. Our independence is also a story about grassroots organising and resistance among workers, students, feminist groups and more. Which is exactly what the exhibition called Seeds of Resistance: Journey Towards Independence is all about. The exhibition, organised by Raja Ahmad Aminullah, a prominent Malaysian poet, writer and activist, is currently ongoing until the 29th of September at GMBB Kuala Lumpur. In this episode, we do a brief reflection of our journey to independence and discuss the ongoing exhibition with Raja Ahmad. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.