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Safeguarding Malaysia’s Sovereignty Amid Rivalry - Part 2

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If Malaysia’s first challenge is recognising the nature of modern espionage, the second and more complex; challenge is responding without sacrificing economic opportunity. The intensifying rivalry between the United States and China places Malaysia, and ASEAN more broadly, in a strategic bind. Both powers are indispensable economic partners. Both supply capital, technology, and access to global markets. Yet both also operate intelligence systems that view global data access as a strategic necessity. In such an environment, neutrality cannot remain a rhetorical position; it must be operationalised through policy, regulation, and institutional discipline. Malaysia’s development model has long been built on openness. Foreign direct investment, export-oriented manufacturing, and integration into global supply chains have driven growth for decades. Today, technological integration from advanced semiconductors and cloud computing to smart infrastructure is central to national competitive...
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DAP Marginalised: Sabah’s Tsunami and a Coalition in Crisis

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The Nov 29, 2025, Sabah state election delivered one of the most dramatic verdicts in Malaysia’s recent political history: DAP, once confident in its Sabah foothold, lost all eight seats it contested - a devastating wipeout from the six seats it held after the 2020 state election. This was not a narrow loss but a sweeping rejection, even in urban Chinese-majority constituencies that were once considered DAP strongholds, such as Likas, Kapayan, and Luyang. To understand the broader national implications, this electoral collapse cannot be viewed in isolation. It is both a symptom and a catalyst of deeper strategic realignments within the Madani government, one where DAP’s political appeal appears to be eroding just as its PH partners, particularly PKR and Amanah, have refrained from robustly defending it against UMNO’s public pressure. The Sabah Election as a Litmus Test Sabah voters sent a clear message: dissatisfaction with federal parties that are perceived as detached from ...
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Technology Laws Reshape Espionage and Power - Part 1

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The defining feature of twenty-first century geopolitics is not simply the return of great-power rivalry, but the profound transformation of how power itself is exercised. Competition today no longer relies primarily on military confrontation or overt diplomatic pressure. Instead, it unfolds quietly through data, technology, and legal authority. Espionage, once episodic, covert, and human-centric, has evolved into something far more pervasive: systemic, continuous, and embedded within the digital infrastructure of everyday life. Power now resides not only in armies and alliances, but in servers, algorithms, software updates, and statutes. Modern espionage is no longer primarily about stealing classified documents or recruiting human agents. It is about access, aggregation, and anticipation. States seek persistent visibility into how societies function, how economies operate, and how infrastructure behaves under normal conditions. Cyber intrusions, supply-chain manipulation, cloud...
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Green Promises Broken at Ayer Hitam

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I write this not as an activist or politician, but as a resident of Bandar Kinrara whose daily life, home investment, and trust in governance are directly affected by the proposed redevelopment bordering the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve. Like many others here, I bought my home with a clear expectation: that the greenery in front of my house; part of one of the last remaining forest lungs in this part of Selangor would remain protected. Today, that expectation is being quietly dismantled. The controversy surrounding the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve is not merely about land use. It is about credibility, governance, and political accountability at a time when Selangor’s leadership can least afford to appear dismissive of public sentiment. Residents are repeatedly told that the disputed 68.4 hectares is “not technically part of the forest reserve” and was degazetted nearly a century ago. This legalistic argument may be convenient, but it is deeply unsatisfactory. Laws evolve, values evol...
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Ayer Hitam and Broken Public Trust: Ayer Hitam and broken public trust: How planning opacity and weakened transparency fuel resident frustration

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I write as a resident of Bandar Kinrara, not from a platform or political office, but from a home where the proposed redevelopment bordering the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve threatens the life I’ve built, the value of my investment, and the confidence I place in public institutions. The greenery I moved here to enjoy is now under threat, and with it, the trust that our leaders would protect the spaces and communities we care about. The dispute over Ayer Hitam is often framed as a technical matter of land classification or historical de-gazettement. Yet, at its core, this is a test of governance, accountability, and public trust. Reliance on legal technicalities while disregarding the lived realities and expectations of residents erodes confidence in those entrusted with protecting the public interest. Authorities point out that the 68.4 hectares in question is “not technically part of the forest reserve” and was degazetted nearly a century ago. While historically accurate, such reas...
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Bondi Beach shooting: Public spaces under deadly siege

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The Bondi Beach shooting and the attack at Brown University are not mere tragedies; they are warnings. Neither occurred on battlefields or fortified government sites. They struck spaces defined by openness like a beachside festival and a university exam hall: symbols of safety, normalcy, and civic trust. Their significance lies not only in casualties but in how modern violence exploits routine, predictability, and societal complacency. At Bondi Beach, the attack struck during a Hanukkah celebration, turning a communal gathering into chaos. Multiple people were killed, dozens injured, and police officers were among the wounded. One attacker was killed, another apprehended. Authorities quickly labelled it terrorism, signalling that this was ideologically charged, symbolic violence aimed beyond immediate victims. The beach, an icon of leisure and openness, became a deliberate stage for fear. Brown University shows a parallel vulnerability: educational institutions. Exam halls are pr...
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Open Spaces, Deep Fault Lines Exposed

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The Bondi Beach shooting and the attack at Brown University are no longer just tragedies to be mourned; they are warnings that demand serious, even uncomfortable, reflection. These incidents did not occur on battlefields or at hardened government targets. They unfolded in places defined by openness: a beachside celebration and a university exam hall - spaces meant to symbolise safety, normalcy, and shared civic life. Their significance lies not only in the number of casualties, but in what they reveal about how modern violence exploits routine, predictability, and complacency. At Bondi Beach, the attack took place during a Hanukkah gathering, turning a communal religious celebration into a scene of terror. Multiple people were killed, dozens injured, and even police officers were wounded in the chaos. One attacker was killed, another apprehended, and the incident was quickly framed by authorities as terrorism. This framing matters. It signals that the violence was not merely spon...
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