Going through my store of old books and 1st edition works on Malaysia and Southeast Asia, I came across an early edition of one of the works of Frank Swettenham, the colonial official who was one of the governors of British Malaya.
On the inside cover Swettenham had hand-written a note to the person to whom [...]
To sum up our discussion in class today, let us return to the salient features and events of the Badawi years:
1. The elections of 2004: The rise and near-total dominance of UMNO and the eclipse of the opposition in Malaysia.
The elections of 2004 were, and remain, difficult to explain: It led to an overwhelming endorsement [...]
When looking at the tumultuous years between 1997-2001, we often come across the term ‘crisis’ in the writings and analyses of the event/s that took place during that short period. Two things need to be borne in mind here:
Firstly, our working operational definition of ‘crisis’ and what it is; and secondly how crisis can and [...]
As we discussed during our coffee break yesterday, when looking at the role of the state and the hegemonic presence of the state apparatus in a country like Malaysia, it is important to note the extent to which the state is really present in all aspects of social life, and equally important to note the [...]
4th February 2010
Dear Eddin,
Last night, as weariness overcame me and fatigue took its toll, I sought refuge from the madness around us by turning to the things I hold dear to me. As I lay on the couch with cigarette in hand and a cup of tea within reach, I held in my hand the [...]
Note that while the 1980s were a period when Malaysia’s economy was being re-structured to prepare the way for industrialisation, by the 1990s Malaysia’s laws had been reformed to suit the needs of international capital and investors, ensuring asset liquidity and rapid capital transfers in and out of the country. The government had also opened [...]
(This is a summary of the talk I gave at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) on 2 February 2010, at the ASEAN LOGICS conference. The panel was addressing the question of Addressing the Gulf/Divide in ASEAN over Cultural, Racial and Religious Differences. Ive tried to reproduce my talk verbatim below.)
Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow [...]
