IRAS


Inter-Research And Studies or better known as IRAS in its acronym, is a Penang based think tank group and forum dedicated in providing thoughts and views based on research and studies in various issues on socio-political, public policy and international affairs.

IRAS is funded through public donation, contribution, consultancy, individual donations from well-wishers and grants.

Besides, IRAS is also a social-oriented pressure group which aims to promote radical and progressive politics for the betterment of our people and the nation.

Popular posts from this blog

BN lost, but continue its blame on DAP

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The Sarawak BN's lost in the Sibu parliamentary by-election is seen as a grieve setback to its component and participating party, the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP). Until then, the leaders of SUPP had refused to concede defeat even at the final hour before the announcement of the results were out last night. Well the announcement has been made anyway and it said DAP had won and BN lost. The BN and SUPP leaders were disappointed, the deputy prime minister dumped the BN candidate Robert Lau and flew back to Putrajaya even before the results were known, because he already knew, the vote had already swing in favour of DAP. However, the BN leaders are still in a denial mode. They refused to accept the fact that their defeat shows that they are no longer "powerful" in Sarawak after decades of manipulation of the people's human rights there. The BN leaders in Sarawak denied that they had lost their ground, but instead blamed DAP and Pakatan Rakyat because they exp...
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Enactment bill to allow local government elections, but what if...?

The Penang state government seems to have taken a brave effort to restore the local government elections in the state by enacting a state law to allow the third vote to take place. If the enactment comes through, we will see both Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) and Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) holding their elections soon to elect their municipal councillors. The enactment bill called the Local Government Elections (Penang & Province Wellesley) Enactment Bill 2012 is expected to be tabled soon next week at the ongoing state legislative assembly sitting. With the bill, Penang will become the first state in this country, historically to have a law of its own to restore the local government elections. However, it is not clear that if the other Pakatan states like Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan would follow Penang's effort in doing so. Previously, it was only Penang and Selangor who had made known to public of its efforts to restore the third vote for the people. With...
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MACC should investigate FELDA's irregularities

Recently, the former deputy Minister of Land and Cooperatives Tan Kee Kwong has exposed Umno president Najib Razak of systematically "destroying" Felda or the Federal Land Development Authority. Tan said Felda's cash reserves declined by RM 200 million from RM 4.5 billion in 2004 and blames the premier's mismanagement for the loss. He further pointed out that Felda has paid 40 percent or RM 230 million to the developers for a grand "five-star office" in the centre of Kuala Lumpur, raising questions about the unusually high deposit and the possibility of the project being abandoned half-way. The five-star office is to be built at a cost of RM 600 million by construction company NAZA TTDI. We all know these numbers are huge and after the Sime Darby financial scandal, makes it a lot harder to digest. Furthermore, Mohd Bakke Salleh was Felda Group Holdings CEO, who now has been made the new CEO for the Sime Darby Group. Mohd Bakke is clearly one of Najib's c...
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