Politik, Legislatif, Dasar dan Tadbir Urus

Sehingga pada hari ini, ramai di antara kita masih belum menyedari kenapa dan bagaimana Umno dan parti-parti gabungannya di dalam Barisan Nasional (BN) masih dapat menguasai suasana dan pentadbiran Parlimen, baik di Dewan Rakyat (Dewan Perwakilan), mahupun di Dewan Negara (Senat). Hakikatnya adalah kerana Parlimen adalah di bawah cengakaman Jabatan Perdana Menteri, di mana ianya mempunyai satu Bahagian khusus yang menguruskan segala hal-ehwal pengurusan, keputusan dan perjawatan di dalam Parlimen. Seorang Menteri Di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Azalina Othman, dipertanggungjawabkan untuk menguruskan segala aspek yang berkaitan dengan Parlimen. Kedua-dua Yang Dipertua (Speaker) Dewan Rakyat dan Dewan Negara, walaupun dipilih daripada kalangan ahli-ahli parlimen dan senator, namun kedua-dua mereka ini wajib bertanggungjawab melaporkan diri mereka kepada Menteri Di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Azalina Othman di dalam apajua aspek pentadbiran, prosiding dan keputusan di dalam kedua-...

By Melissa Crouch The great paradox of Indonesian democracy is on display for all the world to see. On the one hand, there is greater freedom of expression and association for all. But on the other, this has given fuel to Islamists to espouse lawlessness and violence in the absence of a strong state. A major rally in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, to call for the arrest of Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (‘Ahok’) went peacefully despite heavy police presence last Friday. At least 200,000 conservative Muslims rallied in the second major protest against its minority Christian governor, who is being prosecuted for alleged blasphemy. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, a political ally of the governor who angered hard-liners by being out of the city during their first protest, unexpectedly went to the national monument to join Friday prayers with the sprawling crowd. The blasphemy case against Ahok has already been submitted by the Attorney General to the North Jakarta District Court. In par...

By Bridget Welsh The Malaysian Prime Minister’s ruthless tactics to hold on to power at all costs demonstrate that he is the one who is most afraid while his people are willing to fight on, Bridget Welsh writes. This week Najib Tun Razak is beating the Malay chauvinist drum at his party’s annual general assembly (AGM). Meetings of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) have regularly followed this mode, but the use of racism and paranoia have taken on greater intensity in the face of its leader’s eroding political legitimacy. For the past two years, Malaysia’s Prime Minister has been beleaguered by the 1MDB scandal that has involved not only nearly $700 million going into Najib’s personal account but also raised issues of criminal money laundering, embezzlement and economic mismanagement involving over $3.5 billion. The case is being investigated and prosecuted in over six jurisdictions, most notably by the US Department of Justice . The scandal featured centre stage in la...

By Syed Jaymal Zahid When 26-year-old Dhanni was faced with retrenchment from his oil and gas engineering job, he decided it was time to pursue a master’s degree in supply chain management. For Dhanni, who was among the thousands of engineers culled by oil and gas firms as a result of the global oil price rout which left a trail of devastation across the globe, news that many of his colleagues in the management side were left unscathed by the mass layoffs meant it was worth spending another year in school — not to mention a lot of money — to get a master’s degree in the business side of his field. He felt this would give him more job security. But Dhanni could be in for a big disappointment. While having a sterling CV with a good MA may appear to be the best way to stand out from the growing number of degree holders competing for that high-paying job, the opposite seems to be the case in today’s work market. As the Malaysian economy decelerates at a record five-year rate, high-payin...