RSF Press Freedom Index: Why is Malaysia Ranked So Low?

James C. Scott, a prominent American political scientist and anthropologist passed away at 87, on the 19th of July 2024. Scott was known for his work on how the working class and marginalized resist and evade domination by powerful groups, be it the ultra wealthy or the state. Scott is best known for his book 1985 ‘Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance’ where he studied seventy families in a Malaysian village. Some of his other important books include ‘Seeing Like a State’ and ‘The Moral Economy of the Peasant.’In this episode, we reflect on James C. Scott’s seminal works with Meredith Weiss, Professor of Political Science, University of Albany and Ooi Kok Hin, Political Sociologist. Photograph courtesy of James C. Scott via The Regents of the University of California, 2017See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The hiring of migrant domestic workers has for many decades been one of the important options for a segment of Malaysian households to help with care responsibilities at home. At times, the hiring of migrant domestic workers creates an enabling environment for both parents to go to work. However, the industry is often plagued by corruption, unethical practices, and even human trafficking. There’s also the lack of appreciation and mistreatment of domestic workers. These are exactly the issues that Pinkcollar has been addressing over the past 5 years. Pinkcollar is an ethical recruitment agency for migrant domestic workers in Malaysia. Joining me on the show to reflect on the past 5 years are the co-founders of Pinkcollar, Zenna Law and Sophia Jamal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CounterArchive: Fictional Healing is a project co-curated by Ong Jo-Lene and Rebecca Yeoh, and involves activating British archival materials from the Malayan Emergency. In light of that project, we will be exploring some of its themes across a few episodes. *******************National identity and memory are crucial elements of a nation's cultural fabric, reflecting its collective experiences and values. So, what does this mean for nations which were former colonies of empires, such as Malaysia? How does colonialism and periods like the Malayan Emergency continue to shape how we view ourselves in relation to each other and our country?In this episode, we speak to Dr Jessica Rapson, from King’s College London. She’s an expert in Cultural Memory and National Identity, as well as, Dr Sarena Abdullah, Art Historian, University Sains Malaysia. CounterArchive: Fictional Healing is a collaboration between the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Universiti Malaya and Malaysia Design Archive, and is funded by the British Council.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a revolution ongoing in Myanmar. But where do the ethnic minority Rohingyas fit into this picture? After all, the Rohingya people have been subject to oppression, dispossession and genocide for decades, even before the recent coup.Also, Malaysia will be taking up the role of chair of ASEAN from 2025. So, what can we do to push for peace and justice for the Rohingya community?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is polarised. Far-right, ultra-conservative majoritarian movements are gaining traction. This is reflected in the election results of GE15 but we’d be wrong to think that this is just about PAS or one political party. We’re talking about a movement that is rapidly capturing the imagination of young Malays, reshaping how they view themselves in relation to others and this nation.A period like this requires an antidote in the form of a clear alternative vision for Malaysia – A progressive vision that can capture the hearts and minds of Malaysians. Is the MADANI concept that vision? In a recent column on The Star titled ‘Nostalgia knot’, Aziff Azuddin argued that 2 years in and the MADANI concept still remains unclear to many Malaysians and that Malay youths, in particular, feel disconnected from it. Aziff joins us in this episode for a conversation. Image Credit: Cik Bak via ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a historic defeat for the Conservative Tory Party, led by Rishi Sunak at the 2024 UK General Election, losing more than half the seats they previously held. The Conservatives have been in power for 14 years. In that same vein, the Labour Party led by Sir Kier Starmer saw a massive victory, winning 412 of the 650 seats available. Separately, the second round of the French Legislative Elections saw the Left-wing coalition New Popular Front led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon defeat both the Far-Right led by Marine Le Pen and the neoliberal technocrats led by Emmanuel Macron.We unpack the results with Katy Brown, Postdoctoral Fellow, Maynooth University. Katy focuses on politics in the UK and Europe. Image Credits:Sir Kier Starmer - Sean Aidan Calderbank via ShutterstockJean-Luc Mélenchon - Gerard Bottino via ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teoh Beng Hock was once a promising young journalist and political aide to a member of the Selangor state legislative assembly from Pakatan Rakyat. In 2009, he was called in for a MACC investigation. He was later found dead on the rooftop of a building near the MACC offices. His unexplained death has sparked public outcry and ongoing calls for justice and accountability. However, 15 years in, there is still no justice for Teoh Beng Hock and no closure for his family.  On the 13-16 of July, the Teoh Beng Hock Association For Democratic Advancement will be having a Walk for Justice and a Memorial Night in honour of Teoh Beng Hock. We speak to Kenneth Cheng from the Teoh Beng Hock Association For Democratic Advancement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is becoming an ageing society and concurrently, there are changes in family structures. People are growing older, living longer, choosing to have less children or no children and unlike our grandparents' time, big families generally don’t tend to live under one roof anymore, for various reasons. This may not be an issue in and of itself but the problem arises because our current economic framework does not take into account these shifts, and unless changes happen quickly, there are going to be consequences. And the brunt of these consequences is going to be felt – or is already being felt – specifically by women. ISIS Malaysia recently published a paper that seeks to address this very issue. The paper is titled Building a Cradle-to-Grave Care Economy for Malaysia and is written by Lee Min Hui, Calvin Cheng, Shazana Agha and Anis Farid. In this episode, Min Hui joins us to unpack the findings of their study. Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is a global grassroots movement aiming to end Gaza's blockade, address the humanitarian crisis, and support Palestinian rights. And they do so, interestingly… by sailing!In this episode, we speak with James Godfrey, visiting from Australia, who volunteers on the international steering committee for the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The latest FFC missions are preparing to sail to Gaza in the coming weeks. One is a small boat which is stopping in European and Mediterranean ports on the way. The other mission is three ships - two cruise boats carrying hundreds of participants, including approximately 20 Malaysians, and one cargo ship carrying 5,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid.To keep up to date on both Freedom Flotilla missions and follow the Malaysian participants sailing to Gaza follow Humanitarian Care Malaysia (MyCARE) socials on Instagram (mycare.hq) and their telegram channel (MyCARE). All the relevant information and links will be in the podcast description.Image Credit: Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The European Union Parliamentary Elections took place from the 6th - 9th of June and saw far-right parties make big gains. The mainstream centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) maintained the most seats of any single group in the legislative body, but the far-right ultra-conservatives have now almost one-quarter of the total seats.  So, how did this happen, and what does it mean for the future?Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.