Malaysia’s government has requested that the social media giants Meta and TikTok present a plan of how they intend to clamp down on offensive content on their platforms, as the government reported a sharp increase in content removal requests. According to a joint statement yesterday from the Communications and Multimedia Commission and the Malaysian police, the … Read more
Just weeks after Malaysia was seized by the controversy over socks printed with the word “Allah,” the country’s conservative culture warriors have fixed their sights on a new target: a brand of women’s shoes. Vern’s Holdings, a Malaysian shoe company, yesterday agreed to stop selling one of its popular lines of women’s shoes after complaints … Read more
As Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim approaches the midpoint of his second year in office, he finds his work cut out for him. The national currency, the ringgit, was one of Asia’s worst-performing currencies in 2023, having declined 4.3 percent against the U.S. dollar. This year has so far brought no respite: on February 20, … Read more
Former Prime Minister Najib Razak is once again seeking to dilute the prison term he is serving for his role in the 1MDB scandal, filing a legal application to allow him to serve the remainder of his term under house arrest. In what The Associated Press described as a “surprise application” filed on Wednesday, Najib’s … Read more
A third branch of a popular Malaysian convenience store has been attacked with a Molotov cocktail for selling socks with the word “Allah” printed on them, a scandal that has led to two of the chain’s executives being charged with “hurting religious feelings.” The latest attack on a KK Supermart outlet took place in Kuching, … Read more
Malaysia and Singapore have been locked in a culinary showdown over nasi lemak, each claiming their version reigns supreme. But beneath this entertaining gastronomic rivalry a bigger battle rumbles away: one over water. Singapore’s water scarcity issues force it to rely on imported water for a large part of its day-to-day supply. Singapore’s water agreements … Read more
This week, Malaysia’s Cabinet will discuss a proposal to hold a “downsized” version of the Commonwealth Games in 2026, replacing the original host, the Australian state of Victoria, which pulled out of the event last year. According to a Reuters report published on Monday, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) had offered Malaysia $127.33 million in … Read more
The largest public savings and investment fund in Malaysia is called the Employee Provident Fund, or EPF. Enrollment in the fund is compulsory for most Malaysians working in the private sector, with a mandatory contribution of 11 percent of their annual salary. Employers also contribute. The funds are invested in a mix of stocks and … Read more
Yesterday, a day after the close of the special Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia delivered a speech at the Australian National University in Canberra. The Malaysian leader’s speech ranged over a number of issues, from Western hypocrisy and the war in Gaza to the importance of ASEAN … Read more
A decade ago on March 8, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without a trace, becoming one of aviation’s biggest mysteries. Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers. But Malaysia’s government said Sunday it may renew the hunt for MH370 after an American marine robotics company that tried … Read more