Over the past couple of decades, far-right parties and leaders have moved from the fringes to the forefront of global politics. Figures like Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Giorgia Meloni, and Narendra Modi or parties like the AFD, who were once seen as outliers or shrugged off altogether, now command mass followings, win elections or come close to winning, and shape global political discourse in a big way. They are now in concretely the mainstream. Their rhetoric may differ across borders, but many share common strategies: scapegoating marginalised groups, exploiting economic anxiety, and leveraging democratic institutions to erode them from within. We see similar trends in Malaysia too. The question is how did we get here?The last time we spoke to German political scientist, Dr Frederik Holst, Associate Professor, Albukhary International University (AIU), we discussed Germany’s right-wing movement specifically. Today, we are once again joined by Dr Frederik to have an in-depth conversation about global far-right movements. In Part 2 we discuss the weaknesses of the left and if left-wing populism is the antidote to right-wing populism. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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30:19
Is Fascism on the Rise? (Part 1)
Over the past couple of decades, far-right parties and leaders have moved from the fringes to the forefront of global politics. Figures like Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Giorgia Meloni, and Narendra Modi or parties like the AFD, who were once seen as outliers or shrugged off altogether, now command mass followings, win elections or come close to winning, and shape global political discourse in a big way. They are now in concretely the mainstream. Their rhetoric may differ across borders, but many share common strategies: scapegoating marginalised groups, exploiting economic anxiety, and leveraging democratic institutions to erode them from within. We see similar trends in Malaysia too. The question is how did we get here?The last time we spoke to German political scientist, Dr Frederik Holst, Associate Professor, Albukhary International University (AIU), we discussed Germany’s right-wing movement specifically. Today, we are once again joined by Dr Frederik to have an in-depth conversation about global far-right movements. In Part 1 we discuss the similarities and differences between various far-right movements and if fascism is the right word to categorise them.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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32:59
What to Do About Racism in the Rental Market?
If you're ethnic-Indian—or if you have friends who are—chances are you've experienced first hand, or heard about racism in Malaysia’s rental market. Landlords rejecting tenants based solely on race. Ads that say “No Indians” or “Chinese only.” There are also instances where rental fee/pricing is clearly discriminatory. But what can you do about it?Right now, the truth is—not much. The rental system in Malaysia is under-regulated, with few protections for tenants. So what would it look like to fix this?So the NGO, Architects of Diversity (AOD) has launched a campaign calling for the enactment of a Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) in Malaysia, aiming to address long-standing issues in the country’s largely rental housing market. We speak to Jason Wee, Co-Founder of Architects of Diversity. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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43:21
IMF Urges People to Work Till 70: Yay or Nay?
Many countries around the world are starting to become aging societies. In other words, there are more old people AND fewer people having babies. This demographic shift has important implications on the economy and politics of a country. The question is, what do we do about it?The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently published a report titled ‘The Rise of the Silver Economy: Global Implications of Population Aging.’ In it, they propose that governments consider raising the retirement age and encouraging people to work until the age of 70. They say this is what will help countries sustain economic growth. But is that the right approach? We speak to Prof Peter Beattie, Political Economist & Political Psychologist, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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32:52
Malaysia’s Continuous Battle With Corruption
Raymon Ram has been appointed the new president of Transparency International–Malaysia. He will be serving in this capacity from 2025 - 2027. He succeeds Dr Muhammad Mohan, who stepped down after completing the six-year term limit. In this episode, we chat with Raymon about battling the culture of corruption in Malaysia and what he hopes to achieve as the new President of Transparency International - Malaysia.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As they say, democracy doesn't begin and end at the ballot box. On Beyond the Ballot Box, we have in-depth conversations about political economy and human rights in Malaysia, Southeast Asia, and around the globe through a class prism.
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