ART: We Didn’t Kowtow — We Calculated

There are moments in public policy when you don’t need to argue anymore. You just lean back, sip your kopi, read the headlines — and whisper, “I told you so.”

The recent decision by the United States Supreme Court striking down former President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff move was one of those moments. Because suddenly, all those who were shouting that Malaysia had “kowtowed” to the United States over ART are looking… slightly less certain.

You remember them. The opposition politicians who saw weakness everywhere. The conservative voices who declared sovereignty under siege. The opportunists within the ruling coalition who mistook theatrics for strategy.

Apparently, some believed that dealing with Trump was like negotiating a municipal by-law or unregistered temple. It wasn’t.

When Hong Kong had no Yee Sang: A Malaysian Awakening

In the late 1990s, I was working in Hong Kong, just before the historic 1997 handover from Britain to China. Like many Malaysians abroad, I carried with me a suitcase full of assumptions — especially about food. 

After all, Hong Kong was the beating heart of Cantonese culture. If there was any place outside Malaysia that would understand our version of Chinese cuisine, surely it would be there.

One evening, friends visiting from Kuala Lumpur asked if we could order fish in belacan sauce — the kind regularly served at the old Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur. The waiter looked puzzled. We tried to explain: sambal, shrimp paste, spicy, fragrant. He shook his head politely. No such dish.

It was our first gentle reminder that what we thought of as “Chinese food” was, in fact, something uniquely Malaysian.

The bigger revelation came during Chinese New Year.

Azam Baki, Velocity Capital and the Politics of Selective Outrage

The Bloomberg report alleging that Tan Sri Azam Baki owned 17.7 million shares in Velocity Capital Berhad has predictably ignited a media and political storm. Within hours, the narrative hardened: the MACC Chief Commissioner had breached a 1993 civil service circular, and therefore his integrity was in question.

But when the noise settles, a more uncomfortable question emerges: are we dealing with a clear governance breach, or another episode of selective outrage shaped by politics, timing, and institutional backlash?

Modi’s Visit to Malaysia: Strategic Stakes Beyond Local Noise

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Malaysia should be understood as a strategic milestone rather than filtered through the prism of episodic domestic controversies. 

In a rapidly fragmenting global order, where middle powers must navigate between economic uncertainty, geopolitical rivalry, and regional security pressures, the Malaysia–India relationship has regained strategic relevance that extends well beyond day-to-day political noise.

This visit also marks a deliberate reset following a period when bilateral relations lost momentum. During Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s second premiership, ties between Kuala Lumpur and New Delhi became strained. Indian media narratives largely attributed this to Mahathir’s public criticism of India’s position on Kashmir. 

Within Malaysian corporate and diplomatic circles, however, there was a quieter interpretation—that the chill reflected accumulated elite grievances, including dissatisfaction over how the late Ananda Krishnan’s business interests were treated in India. 

Since Hannah Yeoh coward from Segambut JMB controversy, can she restructure DBKL?

Elected Mayor for Kuala Lumpur: Democracy, Power, and the Limits of Good Intentions

Few governance ideas sound as intuitively appealing as the call for an elected mayor for Kuala Lumpur. It promises democracy, accountability, transparency, and a clear line of responsibility. In a city as complex, wealthy, and influential as Kuala Lumpur, the absence of an elected city leader feels, to many, like an anachronism.

Yet good intentions are not the same as good outcomes. Before embracing the idea wholesale, it is worth examining both the promise and the pitfalls—and more importantly, whether the political actors championing this reform are equipped to deliver the deep structural changes it would require.

Political intrigue of the Sunway-IJM merger proposal

Dive into “Is There More Than Meets the Eye?” — a deep look at the IJM–Sunway deal that challenges surface assumptions and raises tough questions about market logic and hidden dynamics in Corporate Malaysia. 

While we unpack these layers, curiosity peaks as Normala Dealova’s recent Facebook buzz questions why Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is seen out within just 22 days of hospitalisation, stirring fresh public intrigue around his recovery.

In the latest Edge Weekly publication, Jose Barrock claimed other bidders have surfaced to disrupt the chance meeting of Krishnan Tan and Jeffrey Cheah many years ago at "S" shopping complex.

So much intrigue ...

Majlis Raja-Raja should declare "Surat Kuning" invalid

The strong statement against corruption expressed by Agong during the opening of the latest Parliament session and other statements by fellow brother Sultans indicate the royal institution are seriously concern about corruption.

Agong's concern is in-sync with big corruption story involving top millitary brass that is hogging the news from the expose by opposition activist Chegubard. And Agong expressed pride the millitary clean-up is happening during his reign.

In his reaction to Agong's speech, Chegubard suggested the royalty show commitment against corruption by declaring "Surat Kuning" should be entertain. 

Its an open secret that Surat Kuning is still rampantly practised. Perhaps Majlis Raja-Raja Melayu could declare all Surat Kuning as invalid