Malaysian Politics

The palace and the players
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Malaysia has been rocked by political upheaval since Muhyiddin Yassin became prime minister without a parliamentary vote in March 2020. The country's constitutional monarch has taken a more active role in politics while a power tussle involving veteran politicians Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim continues.

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News
Diplomacy
US President Donald Trump posted on this photo on his Truth Social account. It shows what he describes as Venezuelan President “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima”. Photo: @realDonaldTrump/Handout via Reuters
Diplomacy
‘Straddle the middle ground’: Europe’s hard choice over US attacks on Venezuela
‘Although they do not agree with Trump’s ways of doing things, they seem to agree with his ultimate objectives,’ Chinese analyst says.
A 26-year-old Malaysian man, who lost an arm in an accident, is working as a food delivery rider to save for his wedding in Singapore next year. Photo: TikTok@ahmadnabil400
People & Culture
Inspirational one-armed Malaysian man works as food delivery rider to save for wedding
26-year-old suffered horrendous injuries after being dragged along road in an accident; shuns use of prosthetic arm as it causes too much pain.
Filipino domestic workers gather on a street in Hong Kong. Indonesia and the Philippines have provided millions of helpers to the rest of Asia over the decades. Photo: Dickson Lee
Health & Environment
Ageing Asia needs domestic helpers, but can it keep them safe?
While the region cries out for care, top source nations the Philippines and Indonesia have tightened controls to curb exploitation and abuse.
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A woman shops at a wet market in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is bracing itself for a surge in shipments of American poultry. Photo: Reuters
Economics
Fair or fowl? Malaysia struggles to stomach its US trade pact
Local chefs fume over ‘lousy’ US poultry flooding the market, as critics call the trade agreement hastily reached and unfairly lopsided.
Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur occupies the top floors of Merdeka 118, the second tallest building in the world. Photo: Handout
Travel & Hotels
Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur: a luxurious escape in Asia-Pacific’s tallest building
The luxury hospitality brand’s first hotel in the country is a serene urban retreat blending modern comfort with Malaysian heritage.
The Edison George Town is housed in a 1906 heritage colonial building in the heart of George Town, capital of the Malaysian island of Penang. Photo: Handout
Travel & Hotels
Old-world charm meets modern refinement at The Edison George Town, Penang
Set in a heritage colonial building dating back to 1906, the hotel underwent a 4-year restoration to bring it up to contemporary standards of luxury.
Fireworks explode near the Petronas Twin Towers during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Xinhua
Health & Environment
Malaysia’s new year revelry sees less waste as tougher littering laws kick in
Some 42 litterbugs caught in a nationwide operation face fines and community service amid stringent enforcement of waste laws.
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Amid US-China trade war truce, ex-diplomat preaches realism
Daniel Kritenbrink, once the top US diplomat for East Asia, doesn’t see a wider thaw in relations despite upcoming meetings between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
A diving site on Sipadan Island, Malaysia’s Sabah state. Photo: Facebook/malaysia.travel.my
Southeast Asia
‘Warm hospitality’: Chinese tourists eye return trips for Visit Malaysia 2026
Sabah’s natural beauty and events linked to the tourism drive entice travellers as the Malaysian state aims for 4 million arrivals.
Illustration: Craig Stephens
China Opinion
Opinion|As history makes clear, a powerful China is not expansionist
China was an unmatched power in the Song and Ming dynasties, with greater concentrated authority. But it consolidated, rather than colonised.
9
Young women using a smartphone in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From January 1, major social media and messaging platforms with more than eight million users in Malaysia are treated as licensed under a new online safety regime. Photo: AP
Economics
Malaysia moves to regulate WhatsApp, Facebook and others under online safety law
The decision to deem major platforms licensed regardless of application closes a regulatory gap, but questions remain over enforcement.
Tourists take pictures with Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers in the background in Kuala Lumpur. The country aims to attract 47 million international visitors during the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign. Photo: AFP
Health & Environment
‘Less than friendly’: Malaysia’s tourism minister flags visitor complaints
Authorities have also called for a major clean-up ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026 in response to reports of dirtiness in tourist areas.
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Stranded in Kuala Lumpur, Frida Pigny (left) found unexpected kindness from a Malaysian woman, who helped her family reach the airport on time. Photo: Facebook/aljamalulai
Southeast Asia
No Wi-fi or Grab: Malaysian woman’s kindness saves family’s Hong Kong trip
‘Kindness is still around. It’s just quieter now. It wears hoodies, headphones and tired faces,’ the visitor says of the woman who saved the day.
Myanmar soldiers raid a scam centre in Myawaddy township, Karen state, in October. Photo: Myanmar Military True News Information Team via AP
Southeast Asia
Malaysian forced to scam Hongkongers recalls nightmare in Myanmar
Chew said he would be ‘beaten, electrocuted or starved for more than a week’ if he ‘failed’ in his task.
A vendor grills skewered meats at the Pasar Eatai Chinese Muslim Festival at 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof
Economics
Muslim businesses in China target Malaysia as global halal gateway
The growing presence of China’s Muslim entrepreneurs at a festival in Kuala Lumpur reflects their trust in Malaysia’s strong halal standards.
A man walks pasts a mural representing the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 at an alley in Shah Alam, near Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AFP
Southeast Asia
Will Ocean Infinity finally solve the flight MH370 mystery in Indian Ocean?
A new deep-sea search, armed with advanced tech and drones, restarts to find the Malaysia Airlines plane that vanished nearly 12 years ago.
A worker checks a durian at a shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AFP
Southeast Asia
‘It’s cheap and worth it’: Malaysia’s durian glut triggers ‘happy hour’ frenzy
Bumper harvests prompt traders to offer rock-bottom prices as locals and tourists grab time-based deals on the spiky fruit.
Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a year-end recap briefing with media in Putrajaya, Malaysia earlier this month. Photo: EPA
Southeast Asia
Malaysia’s Anwar says Asean to assess Myanmar after ‘premature’ polls
As Asean chair, Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim says the bloc will assess Myanmar’s election cautiously to avoid legitimising military rule.
A man was jailed for 20 months for stealing luggage on a Singapore Airlines flight from Dubai to the city state. Photo: AFP
Economics
Mile-high crime club: theft syndicates target Asia’s airlines
Experts say rising passenger volumes, including an influx of Chinese travellers amid visa-free schemes, have attracted gangs operating in the skies.
Former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin leaves the Gua Musang Sessions Court in Gua Musang on August 27, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Politics
Malaysia’s opposition thrown into uncertainty as Muhyiddin quits as PN chairman
The former prime minister’s exit follows months of infighting within Perikatan Nasional and a bitter power struggle between Bersatu and PAS.
A supporter’s T-shirt bears an image of Najib Razak during his 1MDB trial in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Friday. Photo: AFP
Southeast Asia
Malaysia’s Najib Razak challenges 15-year jail term in 1MDB case
A court last week ordered Najib to begin ‍serving the additional sentence after his current six-year prison term ends in 2028.
The Long San Tong Khoo Kongsi clanhouse in Penang. Photo: Ushar Daniele
Asia
Rise of Peranakan Chinese networks, Malaysian ex-PM jailed: 7 Asia highlights
From Indonesia fuming over flag stunt to Duterte’s drug war verdict upheld, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.
The ringgit’s surge has boosted travel plans and currency exchanges in Malaysia. Photo: Shutterstock
Southeast Asia
‘I’m lucky’: Malaysians cash in as ringgit’s surge boosts travel budgets
Travellers capitalise on the favourable exchange rate for holidays after the currency hit a five-year high against the US dollar.
The Angkola Protestant Church stands amid flood devastation at Aek Ngadol village in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra province, Indonesia on December 25. Photo: AFP
Asia Opinion
Opinion|Forest conservation must be long-term priority for Southeast Asia
The region’s challenges are primarily political as underfunding and business interests create fragmented institutions, weak enforcement and poor data.
Malaysia’s Army Chief General Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan attends a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on September 25. Photo: AFP
Southeast Asia
Malaysia army chief on leave amid procurement scandal raids
Authorities are investigating high-value contracts to specific firms. Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan has stepped down for a conflict-free probe.
Supporters of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak gather outside the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya on December 26, ahead of a High Court verdict in his 1MDB-linked corruption and money laundering case. Photo: Reuters
Politics
Najib’s new 1MDB verdict deepens Umno rifts, testing Malaysia’s unity government
The jail term for the former prime minister has reignited grass roots anger and raised questions over Umno’s future inside Anwar’s coalition.
US President Donald Trump signs executive orders at the White House on April 2, 2025, imposing tariffs on imported goods. Photo: Getty Images
China
Tariffs, truces and Trump: key developments in US-China trade war in 2025
From Trump’s stiff tariffs and China’s response to high-level trade talks, here’s a selection of SCMP stories covering the major milestones.
The Khoo elders observe the Tung Chen prayer ceremony in the ancestral hall of the Long San Tong Khoo Kongsi on December 20. Photo: Ushar Daniele
Lifestyle & Culture
How the Peranakan Chinese built one of Southeast Asia’s most powerful networks
Born of trade and migration, the Peranakan community has forged a distinct identity that has bridged China and Southeast Asia for centuries.
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Opinion
Asian Angle|Bangladesh needs ‘structural’ change, but how will it get there?
As Bangladesh heads into elections next year, it must tread the challenge of political transition with more care and thoughtfulness.
Kamal Ahmad
Macroscope|Can AI deliver the economic goods and high returns? Don’t count on it
The dash towards AI might become a rout as the public rebels against the environmental costs while investors worry about the returns.
Anthony Rowley
1
Reflections|Chinese historical myths that are accepted as fact, and why they’ve endured
Like Singapore’s ‘ejection’ from Malaysia, Chinese history contains fallacies, including ones about Sun Yat-sen and Empress Dowager Cixi.
Wee Kek Koon
1
Asian Angle|Sabah’s election proves Malaysians want results, not slogans
Local parties crying ‘Sabah First’ largely flopped as voters rejected empty identity rhetoric for proven service records.
Arnold Puyok
Reflections|Malaysia’s unusual creation still affects it today. China mulled doing similar
Malaysia was born as a federation in 1963, with some states considered ‘special’. China also once toyed with federal ideals.
Wee Kek Koon
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Editorial|Curbs on children’s social media use and screen time must strike a balance
The digital world is part of young people’s lives; there is a need to limit risks without depriving children of the benefits of being online.
SCMP Editorial
2
Editorial|Asia’s floods a deadly reminder of need to combat growing climate threat
Devastating flooding and landslides have focused attention on disaster preparedness efforts as rising temperatures threaten the region.
SCMP Editorial
Asian Angle|Malaysia is not Palestine. False equivalence fuels ethnic polarisation
Such rhetoric paints Malays as the dispossessed natives of their own land and non-Malays as the occupiers.
Afra AlatasMohd Faizal Musa
2
Editorial|East Timor’s journey to Asean membership can be source of inspiration
Asia’s youngest country has come a long way from war and occupation to increased investment and strong relationships with its neighbours.
SCMP Editorial
Macroscope|To Trump, Asean and Apec are simply platforms for his own agenda
Leaders of superpowers should not use regional multilateral summits to advance their own interests, overshadowing the vital work of other nations.
Anthony Rowley
Outside In|Trump’s unilateralism in Asia makes ‘world minus one’ clear
While the US president’s trip to the region coincided with multilateral summits, he was clearly more interested in bilateral deals.
David Dodwell
Macroscope|Asia’s trading powerhouses are more Trump-proof than many feared
High US tariffs not only did not cripple export-oriented economies like South Korea, thanks to the AI boom, but they also pushed policymakers to embark on reforms.
Nicholas Spiro
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