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For our 21st Middle Malaysia podcast, we speak to prominent civil rights lawyer Malik Imtiaz about various legal matters, starting with Bersih 3.o. He gives his view on whether the mammoth rally was in fact an illegal rally. He also talks about the lawsuit the government has instituted against the Bersih steering committee. He expresses concern over the Borders case where a manager was charged by Islamic authorities for selling a book that was at the time not yet banned. Malik explains wh...

For our 20th Middle Malaysia podcast, we speak to Ong Kian Ming, who often appears in Malaysiakini for  his views on election matters. However, his most recent appearance was for a different reason. He — or rather, his house — was attacked by a bunch of thugs. He recounts what happened and although he initially thought it was a robbery attempt he soon concluded it was probably politically motivated. Ong also comments about the recent attack on fellow political analyst Wong C...

For our 19th Middle Malaysia podcast, we speak to Saifuddin Abdullah, the deputy minister for higher education and MP for Temerloh. Regarded by many to be the most credible and consistent voice of reason and moderation in Barisan Nasional, Saifuddin talks a bit about his background which gives him his idealism. He also explains how a former political activist like him ended up in UMNO. He insists that UMNO is a lot more inclusive and tolerant of diverse voices than people give it credit ...

For our 18th Middle Malaysia podcast, we speak to Sim Tze Tzin, the Penang state assemblyman for Pantai Jerejak and former political secretary to Anwar Ibrahim. Considered to be one of the rising stars in PKR, Sim talks about the idealism that motivated him to join politics in the first place and whether he regrets leaving behind a high salary and the sunny beaches of California to become a politician. When asked about the odds of Pakatan Rakyat taking over Putrajaya, Sim says he conside...

For our 17th Middle Malaysia podcast, we speak to Tricia Yeoh, a former aide to Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and a prolific columnist who writes for theSun, Selangor Times and Penang Monthly. She recently launched a “State of Reform”, a compilation of her articles from Penang Monthly, which is available in major bookstores. In comparing the two Pakatan Rakyat (PR) states of Penang and Selangor, Yeoh explains why she think there is a perception that the former is better mana...

For our 16th Middle Malaysia podcast, we speak to Wong Chin Huat, a steering committee member of Bersih 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0, who recently got mugged by Mat Rempits. He tells us about the attack, which he doesn’t believe is politically motivated. Yet, the attackers didn’t seem determined to take his money either. Whatever the case, Wong says that the police are not doing enough to combat street crimes and gives some surprising statistics about the police force. He reveals, for example, ...

For our 15th Middle Malaysia podcast, we speak to Foong Cheng Leong, co-chair of the KL Bar IT Committee, about the new amendments to the Evidence Act. It was Foong who first broke the news about the new amendments via an article on the LoyarBurok blog. He says the article at first didn’t garner much attention. That all changed when theSun published a front-page article based on it. Now, everyone...

For our 14th Middle Malaysia podcast, we speak to Long Seh Lih, co-founder for the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights, also fondly known as Pusat Rakyat Loyar Burok. This year-old NGO is staffed by four full-time staff and 600 volunteers! Its core activities include strategic litigation and a voter education programme. The former refers to an initiative where lawyers from Pusat Rakyat Loyar Burok...

For our 13th Middle Malaysia podcast, we speak to Zairil Khir Johari, the CEO of the Penang Institute and political secretary to DAP Sec-Gen Lim Guan Eng. Zairil describes how he, the son of a former UMNO minister, ended up in DAP and not UMNO or even PKR or PAS. He says that DAP’s transformation since the March 8, 2008 General Election has been a “necessary evolution” for the party and maintains that the recent influx of prominent Malays has nothing to do with any gran...

For our 12th Middle Malaysia podcast, we speak to Edmund Bon, a prominent human rights lawyer and one of the co-founders of Loyar Burok, a community blog focused on human rights issues. In our discussion, Bon clarifies and elaborates on his sensational statement in defence of the protestors who did butt exercises in front of Bersih Chairperson S. Ambiga’s house. He also explains why...