Preparations for Singapore's leadership transition going 'as well as they can': Shanmugam

The fourth-generation leadership is "doing well", Mr K Shanmugam said when asked for his assessment on how the
new team is making their mark. TODAY file photo

• In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Law and Home Affairs Minister Shanmugam spoke about the training that Singapore's leaders go through as they rise up the ranks
• He noted, for example, how Singapore's fourth generation of political leaders have gained valuable experience through the Covid-19 crisis and current housing issues
• This is different from the process in many other countries, he said, where people do not need training before becoming prime minister
• Mr Shanmugam also touched on geopolitics, including the tensions between the United States and China, and the Russia-Ukraine war

April 8, 2023

Can Malaysia’s ruling coalition work together? PM Anwar squares up to new political realities

The alliance between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional is a tenuous one, so holding it together is a daunting task. But are there bigger challenges in store for Malaysia’s new leader? 

After being an also-ran for years, Mr Anwar Ibrahim has taken the top job in Malaysia’s government. Can he deliver?

Derrick A Paulo
Zainudin Afandi

04 Feb 2023

KUALA LUMPUR: After Malaysia’s recent general election produced a hung parliament, artist Faye Lim was thrilled when Pakatan Harapan (PH) got the chance to form the government again.

The 32-year-old was among those who opposed the internal coup in 2020 that had brought down the previous PH government.

So in December, when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, chairman of PH, won a vote of confidence in the Malaysian parliament to emerge as the undisputed leader of the new unity government, it was what Lim wanted.

“Give people a chance to finish what they start,” she said. “If (politicians) are always going to keep repeating … ‘I’ll never work with’ (or) ‘I don’t want’, then … (they) aren’t thinking about us as a whole nation holistically.”

Malaysia GE15 result a hung parliament scenario; both PH and PN in pole position to form government

All eyes are now on the negotiations with possible partners, including the parties from Sabah and Sarawak.

Muhyiddin Yassin and Anwar Ibrahim speak during their respective party's press conference on Nov 20, 2022.
(Photos: CNA/Fadza Ishak/Gaya Chandramohan)

Pichayada Promchertchoo

Rashvinjeet S Bedi

20 Nov 2022 

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s 15th General Election (GE15) has resulted in a hung parliament scenario, with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalitions almost neck and neck in terms of the number of seats won.

With neither coalition having the numbers for an outright majority in the 222-seat Lower House, both coalitions will now negotiate with their potential partners in a bid to form the next government. 

Commentary: Overturning of Roe v Wade abortion decision has upended the US midterm elections

With the US Supreme Court overturning the right to abortion, will Roe v Wade unify Democrats or rally Republicans in the November midterm elections? Yale-NUS College’s Trisha Craig says domestic politics could affect America’s role as global leader in uncertain times.

A celebration outside the Supreme Court, Friday, June 24, 2022, in Washington. after its decision
to overturn the court's landmark abortion cases. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Trisha Craig

08 Jul 2022

SINGAPORE: Abortion in the United States has been a highly partisan issue for decades. Politically, it is often summed up by where one stands on the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion.

So when the US Supreme Court – with a conservative majority of judges - overturned Roe v Wade on Jun 24 after a draft decision was leaked in May, it was expected but no less stunning.

BBC asked Shanmugam about S'pore's 'social controls', 'draconian' drug laws and Section 377A. Here's how he responded

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam (left) was a guest on BBC journalist Stephen Sackur's podcast HardTalk.

• Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam was a guest on the BBC's HardTalk programme, hosted by British journalist Stephen Sackur
• Mr Sackur questioned the minister on Singapore's "social controls" and controversial laws such as the death penalty
• Refuting facts presented by the journalist at several points, Mr Shanmugam set out why the Republic takes a tough stance on drugs
• He also explained Singapore's approach on Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises gay sex

June 29, 2022

The Armed Uprising of 2024 (Or the Second American Civil War)

[These are excerpts from: 

Newsweek January 07 - 14, 2022

It makes a case for how American politics have become so fractured and the schism between Republicans and Democrats is widening into an unbridgeable chasm. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) have struck down a New York law that requires applicants for concealed carry permits to show that they have an actual need for a concealed weapon. This means anyone in New York can carry a concealed firearm. And that means that the next Storming of the Capital could be by armed protestors. The suggestion is that this schism might well lead to the Second American Civil War.]

A growing number of RADICALIZED REPUBLICANS are willing to grab their guns if the next presidential election doesn't go their way

DAVID H. FREEDMAN




MIKE “WOMPUS” NIEZNANY is a 73-year-old Vietnam veteran who walks with a cane from the combat wounds he received during his service...

...Nieznany is no loner. His political comments on the social-media site Quora received 44,000 views in the first two weeks of November and more than 4 million overall. He is one of many rank-and-file Republicans who own guns and in recent months have talked openly of the need to take down—by force, if necessary—a federal government they see as illegitimate, overreaching and corrosive to American freedom...

Singapore addresses death penalty, foreign interference law during UN human rights review

Freedom of assembly, LGBT issues and conscientious objection were also discussed in Singapore's national statement.

Ng Hong Siang

02 Oct 2021


SINGAPORE: Singapore can support 210 out of 324 recommendations it received in the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council's universal periodic review (UPR), the country's Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva, Ambassador Umej Bhatia said on Friday (Oct 1).

The outcome of the review, which happens every five years and is Singapore's third, was adopted on Friday.

Singapore's national statement during the adoption also addressed the Government's position on the death penalty, freedom of assembly, LGBT issues and the draft Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Bill.

American Prof: SGs should think again when they complain, given that SG a “pretty good place to live”

03/08/2021

In an opinion piece published by the Straits Times on Sat, American Prof Peter Coclanis wrote that Singaporeans should think again when they complain, given that Singapore is a “pretty good place to live”, all things considered (‘Singaporeans, you think you’ve got problems? Think again‘, 31 Jul).

Prof Coclanis is Albert R. Newsome Distinguished Professor of History and director of the Global Research Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He has lived and taught in Singapore, and often visits Singapore.

“It doesn’t take a visitor long to appreciate the fact that Singaporeans are perhaps most comfortable while complaining and, as a result, have developed the verbal remonstrance into something akin to an art form – or national sport,” Prof Coclanis pointed out.

Indonesia - model for Myanmar

 [Two news articles on the Military in Politics, and how Myanmar might have used Indonesia as a model.]

‘We live in a different age now’: Why Indonesia’s military is unlikely to return to politics

February’s coup in Myanmar has turned the spotlight on other Southeast Asian countries whose militaries have played a significant political role. The programme Insight examines the situation in Indonesia and the prospects for its democracy.

JAKARTA: He was tortured, underwent forced labour and had to eat mice, snakes, lizards and snails to survive.

Arrested for being a suspected communist sympathiser, Bedjo Untung was never charged despite being detained from 1970 to 1979, under the authoritarian regime headed by Suharto, the former general.

It has been 23 years since Suharto’s fall, but Bedjo, now 73 and a human rights activist, worries that Indonesia’s military “will always try to play a role” in government.

That has been the case in Thailand, for example, and February’s military coup in Myanmar has cast the spotlight on other Southeast Asian countries whose militaries have played a significant political role over decades.

But is Indonesia’s military capable of making a political comeback following the country’s transition to the multi-party democracy it is today? The programme Insight examines the balance of probabilities.

'Violent' ducks? Hong Kong clothing brand cartoons rile China

APRIL 18, 2021

The owner of clothing brand Chickeeduck, Mr Herbert Chow, shows a cushion his company makes decorated with chickens and ducklings in Hong Kong on April 9, 2021.

HONG KONG — Cute cartoon animals have been at the heart of Hong Kong clothing brand Chickeeduck since 1990, displayed on everything from t-shirts and tote bags to baby rompers and pillows.

But owner Herbert Chow is now struggling to get his designs made in China, where his avian characters have been seized by authorities for "advocating violence".

GE2020: Middle-aged voters, not youths, accounted for national vote swing against PAP, says Lawrence Wong

By NG JUN SEN

19 July, 2020

• Ruling party lost votes from middle-aged voters in the sandwich class
• PAP did not do well in its digital campaign despite putting out a lot of content
• Party will review its style, conduct of campaign including how it goes about highlighting falsehoods 

SINGAPORE — Suggestions that younger voters across the board had abandoned the People’s Action Party (PAP) in the recent General Election (GE) are untrue, PAP’s Lawrence Wong said on Saturday (July 18).

A preliminary review on the party’s performance has shown that the more likely swing came from “sandwiched” middle-class voters who have been affected by the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, he added.

Swing votes also came from those who were swayed by the opposition’s messaging that there was a real threat of an opposition wipeout in the election.

Commentary: The great pity that was Malaysia’s short-lived Pakatan Harapan coalition

The ideological schisms between parties, coupled with perceptions that Malay rights had been chipped at and pressing economic concerns left unaddressed, ultimately led to the PH’s downfall, says Wan Saiful Wan Jan.


By Wan Saiful Wan Jan

03 Aug 2020

SINGAPORE: Malaysia’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) government lasted less than two years.

After winning the 14th general election (GE14) on that historic May 9, 2018 to great fanfare, it crashed on Feb 24 this year following the sudden resignation of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and the departure of Bersatu from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.

Many were surprised by this collapse, but a closer look at the nature of PH and how they behaved in government will show that the PH administration were riddled with problems.

GE2020 commentary: What next for PAP and Singapore politics?

By Nicholas Fang

13 July, 2020

As the dust settles on Singapore’s 13th General Election, the time is ripe for some soul searching, not only by political parties as they evaluate the outcome of a bruising campaign, but also by the electorate.

The nine days of campaigning and the preceding months of posturing and positioning by the various parties have thrown up some interesting lessons which could be useful for politicians, particularly those from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), in light of the electoral results.

Time to rethink one man, one vote?

Lawrence Loh

For The Straits Times

Jun 28, 2016
[Note the date of this news article. This was not a reaction to WP winning a second GRC.]

There are parallels between Brexit and Singapore after Separation in 1965, says one writer, while two others argue that Brexit points to failings of the one man, one vote system.

The Brexit shock took the world by storm. It is a perfect storm, definitely much more than the proverbial storm in a cup of English tea.

Almost everyone, everywhere - from political leaders to financial professionals to laymen, from the Americas to Singapore - are figuring out what the future will hold and what the impact will be for them. It is like a wake-up call that the unthinkable nightmare has actually happened.

Despite the hullabaloo on the bleak future of the once united Britain, the more fundamental issue is probably the time-honoured one man, one vote system.

Democracy, as enshrined by the right of determination by all, has been the dominant model globally for most modern countries' organisation and order.

The merit of the principle of equal voting rights for all is compelling. It respects the very sanctity of what it is to be human - to have a voice in how society is being ruled if you are part of it. This principle has even been weaved into diplomatic relations, especially in how the West is dealing with the rest of the world.

It is often taboo to question the one man, one vote system. To do so will risk having critics brandishing labels like elitism, imperialism or even authoritarianism.

We are not power crazy, say Pakatan Harapan leaders as they seek a common ground for PM candidate

22 Jun 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s opposition parties have denied that they are power crazy for their attempt to wrest back control in parliament, adding that Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its allies must work towards a common ground to reclaim electoral mandate.

The statement, jointly issued by Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) president Mohamad Sabu and Democratic Action Party (DAP) secretary-general Lim Guan Eng on Monday (Jun 22), came amid a difference of opinion within PH over the candidates for the prime minister post.

“We have been criticised for not quickly regaining our rightful government and yet when we find the only realistic route left for success we are criticised as power crazy. This is unfair because while we are not afraid to be in opposition, the rakyat (people) voted for us in 2018 to be in government,” the statement read.

PH was voted into Putrajaya in the 2018 general election with Dr Mahathir at the helm, but the administration collapsed in February after Mr Muhyiddin Yassin led Bersatu out of the coalition. Mr Muhyiddin, who is backed by Barisan Nasional and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, was sworn in as Malaysia’s eighth prime minister leading the Perikatan Nasional (PN) pact.

PH, which finds itself as the opposition coalition again, was strategising its moves to return to federal power but reached a stalemate when component parties and their allies could not agree over the candidacy for premiership.

George Floyd 2020

[First, Trevor Noah explains the riots.]

Malaysian Politics - Will Frantic February settle down or are we going to see March Madness?

[If you find yourself getting whiplash trying to follow the political ping-ponging and neck-breaking change of fortunes over in Malaysia in the last week of February, you are a noob.

Or a Malaysian.

As any non-Malaysian with an interest in Malaysia politics should know by now, the trick of following Malaysian politics is to NOT follow it too closely.

I'll admit to not following my own advice. At the start of the last week of February, I got caught up in the breathless (but stupid) drama that is Malaysian politics. Is Dr M trying to betray Anwar again? Will Anwar be able to turn the tables on the old fox. What is Azmin Ali trying to do? Is Bersatu holding the trump cards? Does PKR/DAPPH have a strategic/tactical response? Will Anwar's journey to be PM be thwarted yet again?

Who cares?

Of all the questions above, the most important one, if you are not a Malaysian, is "who cares?"

If you are a Malaysian, my sympathies. In which case the most important question you may have is, "have you consider emigrating?"

But, let's assume that having read all the way down to here, you are still interested, perhaps morbidly, in the explanation for this political drama. Or dramedy. Or farce.

A good analysis and expose of the political machinations by Sarawak Report, lay the fault simply on Azmin Ali.

And if you need a happy ending, the short answer is that Azmin Ali did not get what he wanted. 

But if you are a Malaysian, should you be happy with the outcome? 

And what IS the outcome? Is this done?

Well, it's Malaysian politics. You can resigned after 22 years, and then come back after 15. You can be dropped into prison, and 22 years later be the PM-in-waiting, only to have that snatched away.

So who am I to say this is done? The soap opera that is Malaysia Politics is never ever really done.]

Expect more mischief by Malaysian political elites unless there is a devolution of power

By Ooi Kee Beng

26 February, 2020

The grab for power attempted over the period of Feb 22 to 24 at Malaysia’s centre of power was a totally elite enterprise. It was a game of numbers among parliamentarians done behind locked doors.

This caught everyone not involved in the plotting by surprise. But of course, this is the nature of such matters.

What deepened the shock for the public in general was the supposition on the part of the coup-makers that the coup would not lead to social violence and economic chaos, and the total disregard for it.

Cynicism runs deep among Malaysians, but this turn of events confounded even them.

How could a coup take place which aimed to replace a whole government but the prime minister?

Malaysia's Mahathir moots grand coalition of fierce foes, but Umno and PAS decline

Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad proposed the idea of a grand coalition to 

leaders of the major political parties he met. PHOTO: REUTERS

Feb 25, 2020

Shannon Teoh

Straits Times

Malaysia Bureau Chief

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's interim Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has sought to lead an ambitious grand coalition across the political divide a day after his shock resignation as premier and the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.

The Straits Times understands that Dr Mahathir proposed the idea to Malaysia’s main political leaders on Tuesday morning (Feb 25), before the King began a process of interviewing individual MPs over whether they supported the 94-year-old statesman, who has been named by most parties as their choice to lead the country.

“The idea is to step away from extreme race and religious politics and to try politics of national unity,” a source familiar with the talks told ST.

But the plan has already taken a blow, as the two largest Malay Muslim parties Umno and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) have set a condition that it cannot include PH component Democratic Action Party (DAP), which they accuse of being anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

“If the unity government includes DAP, we are unanimous in that we will not join the government,” Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa said on Tuesday evening.

He was speaking at a press conference held by Umno, PAS, the Malaysian Chinese Association, Malaysian Indian Congress, and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).

Malaysia's political machinations: What happens next?

25 February, 2020

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's government has collapsed after the resignation of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, which followed a failed bid by rivals to form a new coalition aimed at stopping leader-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim from succeeding him.

Dr Mahathir, 94, the world's oldest leader, has been appointed interim leader while intense political jockeying is underway to form a new government.

Here are some details about the political crisis and what could happen next:

HOW DID EVENTS UNFOLD?

The ruling "Pact of Hope" coalition, an uneasy alliance cobbled together to unseat a corrupt government at 2018 polls, had long been riven by bitter infighting over who would succeed Dr Mahathir.

Mr Anwar, a former opposition icon previously jailed for years on questionable charges, had been named as leader-in-waiting, but a rival faction in his own party was pushing a different candidate, Mr Azmin Ali.