Marhaen Dan Rakyat

In his twilight years, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the 99-year-old former Prime Minister of Malaysia, seems content with spending his last days being an internet troll obsessed with his former protege, current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. It's become like clockwork, as when Anwar says A, Mahathir must come out to say no, it's not A, it's B. This has become so routine that even Mahathir, the neoliberal champion of Malaysia in the 1980s and 1990s, has sought to position himself as a champion of people with low incomes as if he were a socialist icon, just because equitable share of wealth has become a key pillar for Anwar's administration. However, this self-portrayal is steeped in hypocrisy, given his long history of cultivating the conditions he now claims to criticize. The irony of his self-proclaimed role as a champion for the underprivileged is stark, inviting a critical view of his actions. As the architect of Malaysia's economic policies for over two decades, he is of...

Baru-baru ini, bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad mendakwa kestabilan dan keamanan negara dapat dicapai kerana kerajaan menasihati rakyat agar tidak bercakap. Mahathir mendakwa kerajaan turut mendesak pihak pembangkang untuk menandatangani Memorandum Persefahaman (MoU) agar tidak membuat ucapan kebencian. Beliau turut secara sinis mendakwa kerajaan mengeluarkan arahan agar media sosial dilesenkan supaya kebebasan bersuara rakyat disekat. Kenyataan sinis tersebut seolah-olah mencerminkan seorang pemimpin yang prihatin terhadap kebebasan bersuara, namun ironinya, Mahathir juga terkenal dengan langkah-langkah autoritarian yang beliau gunakan ketika menjadi Perdana Menteri. Sepanjang tempoh kepimpinannya sebagai Perdana Menteri, Mahathir menggunakan pelbagai mekanisme undang-undang, seperti Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA), untuk mengekang kebebasan bersuara dan menindas musuh politiknya. Semasa Mahathir memegang tampuk pemerintahan, salah satu instrumen yang paling kontrove...

The recent wedding of Muda’s acting president, Amira Aisya Abd Aziz, to Luqman Long was met with an outpouring of joy. Announced on Muda’s official Instagram, the news was warmly received by supporters. Among the guests was former Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who served as one of Luqman’s best men. In a lighthearted moment, Muda committee member Nurainie Haziqah Shafii shared a video of Syed Saddiq humorously lamenting that he was the last to know about the couple’s relationship. Syed Saddiq later posted a heartfelt video from the akad nikah ceremony, wishing the couple happiness “till Jannah.” Amid this celebration, however, lies an uncomfortable silence surrounding Muda’s political future, particularly their absence from the recent Mahkota by-election in Johor. While Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) battled it out in a two-way race, Muda’s decision to sit on the sidelines was both conspicuous and perplexing. The party, which has prided itself as a yo...