Tag: Kuala Lumpur

All that changed in one dramatic day. Thai Raksa Chart's move to nominate Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya as its candidate for prime minister was doomed by a royal command from the King. In Thai politics, Princess Ubolratana cannot expect anything of the sort. Pheu Thai, meanwhile, has fielded fewer than 250 constituency candidates, meaning much hope was being pinned on Thai Raksa Chart, whose future is now uncertain. In a fairy tale, a wandering princess has no problem befriending the villagers and other creatures of the forest. Deputy Foreign Minister Marzuki Yahya's political career was on the rise, especially after he was appointed to the key post of secretary-general of Bersatu. But when the scandal broke, Mr Marzuki clarified that it was Cambridge International University in the United States, which, to his further embarrassment, turned out to be a degree mill. The question on everyone's lips is whether Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will take the necessary action to safeguard the image of his government and party. The Marzuki scandal could not have happened at a worse time for Bersatu which is facing a pivotal by-election in Semenyih next month. By proving her still substantial leverage over the main opposition party, does she want to invite the ruling force to consider a political solution of the current situation?

"If [Anwar] wins, it brings him back into the political mainstream of Malaysia," said Keith Leong, head of research at the KRA Group in Kuala Lumpur. It was the first time they had appeared together at a political rally in more than 20 years - when Mahathir sacked and jailed his one-time protege. "Not for Anwar. A multicultural country of more than 30 million people, Malaysia's population is mostly Malay Muslim but has substantial communities of ethnic Chinese and Indians, as well as numerous indigenous peoples. If he's to do this country a favour then he must use this credibility to bring about a Malaysia that is less fundamentalist in its approach to Islam." It was only once Mahathir had resigned that Anwar was freed. 'Willing to run the gauntlet' New sodomy allegations emerged in 2008, but that didn't stop Anwar from standing for election and becoming leader of the opposition, where he called for political reforms. But in 2014, the decision was suddenly overturned and Anwar found himself facing five years in prison. Anwar would back Mahathir and the 93-year-old would ensure Anwar was pardoned and released from jail. Whether we continue to build a better Malaysia."

This leads to an interesting question that has been the subject of much speculation in the Kuala Lumpur political class for the past few months: How will DSAI and incumbent Mahathir Mohamad co-exist in parliament? The Port Dickson by-election will be held merely five months after the recent general election. With Anwar back in parliament in October, some said it sure looks like the Anwar political dynasty is up and running. Part of the fear comes from their belief that Anwar will be a political liability among the rural Malay voters in the next general election. If PH does not keep the rural Malay vote, there is a real possibility that PH may be a one-term government. Rafizi Ramli, running for PKR’s deputy presidency post, openly claimed that he was running for the position to help Anwar clinch the pinnacle position of PM, and that if he loses the deputy presidency’s post to Azmin Ali, Minister for Economic Affairs and former Selangor chief minister, Anwar may not succeed Mahathir as PM - as Mahathir is said to be secretly backing Azmin to derail Anwar’s plans. Mahathir’s party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), only has 13 MPs. There is every reason to think that more UMNO MPs and state assemblymen will leave UMNO in the coming months. He cannot join the Cabinet unless his wife agrees to give up the seat of deputy PM to him. Under Malaysia’s political system, if anything happens to Mahathir, the incumbent Deputy PM takes over automatically.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Petani Semasa is a significant exhibition on contemporary art about the Patani region of Southern Thailand, that privileges local artists. Currently on display at the Ilham gallery in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the works are deeply complicated, and largely unsettling. Featuring 27 artists, the show never resolves into a unified voice, but showcases the diversity of practice and experience of the region. Patani Semasa adopts poetic means of representation from a region largely internationally defined by its enforced marginality. This conflict has been simmering for decades, perhaps peaking in 2004 with the Tak Bai incident wherein approximately 78 men were tragically killed by Thai police (some reports put the number of the dead higher). While the majority of the artists of Patani Semasa deal with the contentious politics of the region, they don’t propose solutions, or lean on simplistic answers. While many works on display are dark and violent, the exhibition is successful because of its much more subtle, even quotidian representations of the Patani region, which are equally worthy of our consideration. Another powerful work made from local materials is Jamilah Haji’s, “The Spirit of Faith 7,” (2011). Like Waji’s work, the figures in “The Spirit of Faith 7,” are expertly crafted and really pop from the frame, though with a dramatically different affect. Everyone can appreciate a good meal.

Even if his Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition wins, a poor performance at the polls could see a challenge to Najib's leadership from within his own party. There is one big reason why Wednesday's election isn't seen as a shoo-in for Najib: Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's former strongman leader, who ruled the country for 22 years before retiring in 2003, has come back in an attempt to oust the Prime Minister. Chief among them is Anwar Ibrahim, the deputy prime minister Mahathir once imprisoned for corruption and sodomy. While Mahathir and Anwar are the most charismatic politicians Malaysia has and could win the popular vote, it will take nothing less than a miracle for them to oust Najib. The son of Malaysia's second prime minister, Najib is a politician through and through. By 25, he was already a deputy minister and member of then-Prime Minister Mahathir's cabinet. By 2008 Najib, with the backing of his party and luminaries such as Mahathir, had been appointed Prime Minister. Mahathir, in his prime, had full control over the nation's media -- which was almost entirely owned by the government or political parties allied to Mahathir. Filings by the US Department of Justice in the wake of the 1MDB scandal last year claimed almost $30 million of the fund's money was spent buying jewelry for Rosmah. It is this, more than the 1MDB scandal itself, that voters bristle at.