Reports emerged on 23 February that a major political realignment in Malaysian politics was underway. According to numerous sources, Dr Mahathir had apparently cobbled together support from a majority of lawmakers in Parliament to form a new government – but those hopes were put in...
July 2019 | Some 15 months after the surprise victory by the Pakatan Harapan (PH), I thought to share some observations about emerging developments in Malaysia. This is especially as the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), the biggest party in the Dewan Rakyat with 50 seats, is...
Senior fellow Oh Ei Sun from the Singapore Institute of International Affairs caution that Mr Anwar "is playing a very dangerous game" by pressuring Dr Mahathir during a period of weakness, and could inherit a troubled house even if he succeeds. "It is reminiscent of the...
SIIA senior fellow Dr Oh Ei Sun told The Straits Times that Dr Mahathir "is not happy that he is constrained by DAP and PKR", which collectively have 92 MPs. "So he is broadening PH. This does not mean he wants to stay on forever, but...
Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun said: "Umno remains overwhelmingly strong in rural constituencies, and if their electoral pact with PAS to run only one candidate holds, they remain a force in these areas." Excerpted from the full article: Barisan romps to by-election...
Dr Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs noted that the new king is also a new sultan, having only been proclaimed as the ruler of Pahang on Jan 15. “He is not known for being outspoken. So I assume...
September 2018 | As a number of you have asked, I thought to share some observations about the new government in Malaysia, following their initial 100 days in power and the recent by-elections. My points are drawn from recent visits to KL as well as...
100 days have elapsed since Pakatan Harapan defeated the ruling Barisan National coalition during Malaysia’s 14th General Election. The SIIA hosted an evening talk on Malaysia’s new government, featuring views from Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Advisor for International Affairs, Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute...
SIIA Director of Security and Global Affairs Nicholas Fang was quoted by Reuters on the Singapore-Malaysia water issue. Here's an excerpt from the article. Water hazard: Malaysia's belt-tightening resurrects age-old dispute with Singapore by John Geddie and Aradhana Aravindan “It is not just about money. He (Mahathir) is a...
May 2018 | After 60 years of rule under the Barisan Nasional (BN), Malaysians elected a new coalition, Pakatan Harapan (PH) to lead the country. The outcome was unexpected; most observers had judged that BN’s tricks – especially the use of gerrymandering, money politics and postal...