In Asia: Weekly Insight and Features from Asia

With only four days left before Malaysians cast their votes in the nation’s 13th general elections, both the Barisan Nasional and the Pakatan Rakyat are intensifying campaign efforts to win the hearts and minds of voters. Political giants from both sides of the competing coalitions, such as the incumbent prime minister, Najib Razak, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamed, and opposition leaders Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, and Hadi Awang have all attracted massive turnouts at their campaign events. Thousands of posters and flags cover almost every intersection in the country, with some party workers and supporters being more creative than others, making giant replicas of the scale, rocket, and moon from flags to represent their party logos.

> More

Earlier this month, I attended the 2012 IMF-World Bank annual meeting in Tokyo for the first time and, as expected, talks about the eurozone crisis dominated discussions. However, some very compelling conversations revolving around Asia’s role in this environment and beyond…

> More

On April 28, Bersih 3.0 – a movement in Malaysia that is supported by 64 NGOs as well as the opposition party components – organized what turned out to be the largest street demonstration in Malaysia in a decade. Bersih in Malay means clean, and tens of thousands of Malaysians thronged the streets…

> More

This story is one that I have shared many times before. Years ago, I found myself walking through a stunning village in Bazarak, Panjshir Valley – home of the late Ahmad Shah Massoud – over 50 miles from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul. I was there to help monitor preparations for the 2004 presidential elections.

> More

Many first-time visitors to Kuala Lumpur are quickly impressed by the large highways, ultra-modern shopping malls and, of course, the twin Petronas Towers that dominate the city’s skyline. However, some do not realize just how impressive…

> More

Malaysia is among the most successful middle income nations in the world. Fuelled by export-led economic expansion with GDP growth rates between 4-8 percent sustained for 30 years, Malaysia now has a substantial middle class and a relatively well established institutional infrastructure. The country’s population is both ethnically diverse (Malay 50 percent; Chinese 24 percent; [...]

> More

I was on my way to University Teknologi Petronas in Malaysia’s Perak state the other day when a colleague of mine, better known as Ali, whilst driving, posed a question to the four passengers: “Why doesn’t the government just shut down PROTON (the Malaysian national automobile manufacturer)? It’s a failure by any international standards and [...]

> More

Although generally perceived by Malaysians to be ignorant on political issues, young people — 21 to 35-year-olds — account for nearly 45% of all eligible voters in Malaysia and could soon become the primary force in determining the issues and discourse of public policy and debate in the country. It is in this context that [...]

> More