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Syringe Attacks in Malaysia and France: Random Violence or Terrorism? - Part 3

The syringe attack on the 12-year-old son of Pandan MP and former Economy Minister, Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, has shaken Malaysia. What initially appeared as a rare and bizarre incident now echoes a disturbing pattern witnessed abroad, notably in France. In June 2025, during the Fête de la Musique festival, over 145 people across France reported being pricked with syringes in crowded public areas. In both cases, the weapon of fear was not a gun or bomb but a syringe. When viewed together, the Rafizi incident and the mass needle attacks in France reveal an alarming global trend of unconventional, psychological violence that leaves behind not just physical uncertainty but emotional trauma. The question we must now ask is: are these acts simply random criminality, or should they be treated with the gravity of terrorist attacks? A Pattern Beyond Borders In France, the attacks spanned multiple cities, with 13 confirmed cases in Paris alone. Victims included women, men, and even min...
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A Child Attacked: A Wake-Up Call on Public Vulnerability - Part 2

The syringe attack on the 12-year-old son of Pandan MP and former Economy Minister, Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, is more than a political incident. It is a disturbing reflection of how vulnerable ordinary people, especially children, have become in public spaces. The boy was attacked in a mall car park in Putrajaya in the early afternoon, in broad daylight, while simply getting into a car with his mother. According to Rafizi, two men on a motorcycle had been trailing them before one of the men jumped off, grabbed his son, and jabbed him with a syringe. That a child could be harmed so easily in a public area, while accompanied by a parent, raises serious concerns about the safety of civilians not just political families, but any member of the public who could find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. What is most chilling about this incident is the nature of the attack itself. Injecting someone with an unknown substance is a deeply invasive, intimate, and frightening form ...
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A Syringe Assault as a Political Warning - Part 1

The recent assault on the 12-year-old son of Pandan MP and former Economy Minister, Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, marks a deeply troubling moment in Malaysian political history. The boy was reportedly attacked in broad daylight at a Putrajaya mall car park, where an assailant grabbed and jabbed him with a syringe before fleeing the scene. The child, accompanied by his mother, was taken immediately to UPM Hospital and remains under observation. While police have launched an investigation, the motivation behind the attack has stirred nationwide concern and rightly so. Rafizi has publicly claimed the attack was not random, but rather a premeditated warning to silence him due to his political stance and recent realignments. This unprecedented form of intimidation has elevated the conversation around the safety and security of Malaysia’s elected officials and their families. One of the most pressing questions following the incident is why the attacker targeted Rafizi’s son instead of his w...
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MIC at a Crossroads: Time to Reclaim Relevance

As Malaysia edges closer to its 16th General Election (GE16), the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) finds itself at a critical political juncture. Once a dominant voice for the Indian community within Barisan Nasional (BN), MIC now appears increasingly adrift by lacking clear messaging, decisive leadership, and the strategic agility necessary for survival in a rapidly shifting political landscape. Recent developments in Kedah have raised eyebrows. MIC’s local leaders have been signalling support for Perikatan Nasional (PN) through indirect channels, relying on non-Muslim wings and secondary-tier representatives to express political positions. While such moves may be attempts to test the waters, they also reveal a worrying absence of national-level coherence. This low-profile political posturing suggests a party unsure of its direction, grappling with identity, and failing to recognise the urgency of its situation. The contrast with the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) is strik...
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Why Narrative Warfare Is Crucial for Malaysia Now

In the 21st century, the landscape of conflict has shifted dramatically. Traditional battles fought with armies and weapons are increasingly supplemented and sometimes supplanted by wars waged in the realm of ideas, perceptions, and information. This is the essence of narrative warfare: the strategic use of stories, symbols, and messaging to influence how people think, feel, and act. For Malaysia, a diverse and geopolitically significant nation, the ability to engage effectively in narrative warfare has become an urgent necessity. Malaysia faces mounting challenges from foreign powers seeking to expand their influence and from internal actors who exploit ethnic, religious, and political fault lines. Without a coherent and proactive narrative strategy, Malaysia risks being overwhelmed by divisive forces that threaten its social cohesion, sovereignty, and long-term stability. Narrative warfare operates by shaping the framework through which individuals and communities interpret t...
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From Giants to Strugglers: Why Malaysian Football Fell Behind

From the 1950s to the 1980s, Malaysia was a football powerhouse in Asia. Our national team not only held its own against regional rivals like South Korea, but often outplayed them. Icons such as Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun, Hassan Sani, Santokh Singh, and the legendary goalkeeper R. Arumugam who famously known as the “Spiderman” were admired across the continent. Back then, Japan was far from being a footballing threat. Today, however, the story has flipped entirely. South Korea and Japan are now among Asia’s elite, regularly qualifying for World Cups and producing players who star in Europe’s top leagues. Meanwhile, Malaysia struggles to dominate even within Southeast Asia, relying heavily on naturalized players to boost the national team a strategy that has delivered underwhelming results. At the heart of this decline lies a stark difference in vision and commitment. Japan’s failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup led to the creation of a “100-Year Vision,” a long-term devel...
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Malaysia in a Shifting World Order

The global geopolitical landscape is undergoing a seismic shift. For decades, American dominance economically, militarily, and diplomatically that defined the post–Cold War international order. Today, that dominance is increasingly challenged by emerging powers and shifting global alignments. The rise of competing powers, growing distrust of U.S. intentions, and the resurgence of nationalist economic policies, particularly under Donald Trump’s second term, are accelerating the fragmentation of global power. In place of a U.S.-led unipolar order, a multipolar world is emerging one increasingly defined by the rivalry between the United States, an emerging axis of Russia–China–India (RCI), and a recalibrated European Union. Trump’s recent moves to impose tariffs on a wide swath of countries, including traditional allies like the European Union, Canada, South Korea, and India, mark a decisive turn away from multilateralism. The U.S. under Trump appears less interested in preserving a...
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