Reading History Through Letters

It's a wrap! The Ones to Watch series has heard the journey and stories of 10 young politicians wanting to make Malaysia a better place. To discuss how youth enter and rise in political parties, we speak with Dashran Yohan of BFM89.9 and Iskandar Fareez, National Vice Chief of DAPSY, who react and reflect to clips from different interviews.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nadira Ilana is a Sabahan filmmaker, activist and storyteller. Born and raised in Sabah, she has spent years documenting stories that often sit outside the dominant national narrative, tackling questions of memory, identity and nation-building from the Sabahan perspective. In conjunction with Malaysia Day, we speak to Nadira about Malaysia from a Bornean perspective. We talk about her personal journey as a filmmaker, as well as a bit about Sabah’s long history of struggle and what it means to build a shared Malaysian identity.Image Credit: Nadira Ilana See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nadira Ilana is a Sabahan filmmaker, activist and storyteller. Born and raised in Sabah, she has spent years documenting stories that often sit outside the dominant national narrative, tackling questions of memory, identity and nation-building from the Sabahan perspective. In conjunction with Malaysia Day, we speak to Nadira about Malaysia from a Bornean perspective. We talk about her personal journey as a filmmaker, as well as a bit about Sabah’s long history of struggle and what it means to build a shared Malaysian identity.Image Credit: Nadira IlanaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every minister in Putrajaya has a private secretary, a press officer, and a special officer. Many of these officers go on to become politicians themselves. To examine how young political actors learn the ropes, we speak to Loh Ker Chean, National Vice Chief of Wanita KEADILAN and Special Functions Officer to the Minister of Education. Image Credit: Loh Ker Chean Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The global order is shifting, with the dominance of the US being challenged by a rising China and a more multipolar world taking shape. For Southeast Asia, these changes bring both opportunities and risks: ASEAN is attracting investment as companies diversify their supply chains, but many countries remain heavily dependent on foreign capital, low wages and competition with their neighbours. So is ASEAN really emerging as a winner of this new global order, or are we simply reproducing the same old model of dependency? And what would it take for the region to build its own productive capacity, strengthen regional integration and move towards a higher-wage, more self-sufficient economy? We unpack all of this with Edward Vrkic, Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Sarawak State Assembly is predicted to be dissolved this year, paving way for the 13th Sarawak general elections. Amidst the talk of seats and the redelineation of boundaries, where do youth fit in the larger picture of Sarawakian politics? We speak to Deborah Dris, former Press Secretary to the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, and Committee member of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Batu Kitang branch.Image Credit: Deborah DrisSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sepucuk Surat, Sebuah Episod is a new book by Raja Ahmad Aminullah, a writer, poet and cultural activist. The book documents a particular episode from around 25 years ago through personal letters, petitions and the writer’s own recollections, involving several prominent Malaysians including Anwar Ibrahim. In this episode, we speak  to Raja Ahmad about the book and why these letters are worth preserving.  Image Credit: R A Fine ArtsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an increasingly fragmented political space where identity politics rule, what do progressives need to do in order to win? We speak to Fadhli Umar Aminolhuda of Pemuda Amanah to discuss the GE15 green wave and what progressive Muslims need to do in order to turn the tide.Image Credit: Fadhli Umar Aminolhuda FacebookSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian Indian Congress won all four seats it contested in the recent Johor elections, with its youngest newly minted ADUN only 29 years old. For a party almost wiped off the electoral map in 2018, can it be revived? We speak to Dr Shatesh Kumar, National Chief of Putera MIC, if youth can play that part.Image Credit: Dr Shatesh Kumar FacebookSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since the end of World War II, but particularly since the end of the cold war, much of the world has used GDP or Gross Domestic Product to measure economic health and progress. However, the past several decades show us that economic growth doesn’t necessarily translate into an economy that delivers for the people. We are, after all, in an era where wealth inequality is at the highest it's ever been, and the middle classes in many countries are no longer aspirational but shrinking and downwardly mobile. In this episode, we speak to Dr Katherine Trebeck, a political economist and writer. She is the Economic Change Director at The Next Economy, and teaches at the University of Edinburgh. She’s a huge advocate of something called The Wellbeing Economy. The idea is to fundamentally rethink how governments and societies define and pursue economic success. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.