Alliance of Hope

Malaysia lowers its voting age to 18

Malaysia's parliament Tuesday backed lowering the voting age from 21 to 18, a change that would add millions of people to the electoral roll and was pushed by the country's reformist government.The Southeast Asian nation is one of a handful of countries around the world that limits voting to those aged over 21, and the change still has to be debated and passed in the country's senate before it can become law.The overhaul was championed by the government of Prime Minister Mahath

17 July 2019
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Bleak outlook for Malaysia’s youth

The 2018 euphoria of the #MalaysiaBaru movement that followed the historic win of the new Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) coalition in the 14th general election (GE14) in Malaysia, have since died down.

6 June 2019
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Where are Amri and Koh?

“It started in 1998. It peaked 10 years later in 2008. And it has not stopped changing. Changes are still ongoing even as you read this. It is now unstoppable. The government can no longer turn back the tide.

25 May 2019
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Has Malaysia’s new government been a success?

Malaysia’s Alliance of Hope-led (Pakatan Harapan) government turns one today, and like most one-year-olds, there have been a few falls and bumps.Euphoria swept through the country after the coalition led by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamed shocked the nation on 9 May last year, finally handing Malaysia its first new government after 61 years of independence.

10 May 2019
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Rome Statute: Was Malaysia hasty?

The Rome Statute is a multilateral treaty that helped establish the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 1 July, 2002. The powers of the ICC are limited to prosecuting those who have committed genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes. To date, over 130 countries have signed the treaty while over 100 countries have ratified it. Among the ASEAN countries that have not signed it as yet are Brunei, Indonesia, Myanmar and Malaysia.

9 April 2019
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Is "New Malaysia" dead?

Malaysia’s landmark election on 9 May 2018 saw the National Front (Barisan Nasional) lose its grip on power for the first time in 60 years. The media – both foreign and local – were abuzz with news of the defeat at the hands of the Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) coalition. Many local politicians were cast under the spotlight and this was not limited to former prime minister Najib Razak and new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

11 January 2019
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What now for New Malaysia?

100 days have now come and gone and just 21 out of the 61 promises made by Malaysia’s new ruling coalition, the Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) as part of its election pledge has thus far been completed.

29 August 2018
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The road ahead for New Malaysia

As Malaysia continues along an unfamiliar path – having only tasted rule under one party for over six decades – the new Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) government headed by Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamed must be careful to not repeat the mistakes of the previous administration.Since assuming office, Malaysia’s new government has wasted no time in admonishing its predecessor for incompetence whilst it held the reins of executive power in the country.

28 August 2018
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Combating fake news: A balancing act

Dealing with fake news is a balancing act. On the one hand, fake news can be a serious problem as seen in India where fake news has led to numerous lynching incidents. On the other hand, there’s the question of limiting the freedom of the press and hampering its ability to play watchdog.Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have gained notoriety for their lack of press freedom over the years.

21 August 2018
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Malaysia’s champion for ‘invisible’ women

Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Malaysia’s new deputy prime minister, said one of the darkest moments of her life came in 2015 when her husband Anwar Ibrahim, the former opposition leader, was sent to jail for a second time.In hindsight, she ended up appreciating the moment in one sense as it pushed her back into politics in an effort to free him.

9 August 2018
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