https://www.scmp.com/rss/501584/feed Norshahril Saat is a Senior Fellow and Coordinator at the Regional Social & Cultural Studies Programme, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Norshahril Saat,A'an Suryana Norshahril Saat,A'an Suryana Last month, the Indonesian government created a new ministry to oversee both the annual haj, which is obligatory for Muslims to perform at least once, and the voluntary umrah pilgrimages. This ministry, established on August 26, is an upgrade and expansion of the former Badan Penyelenggara Haji (Haj Management Agency), formed only last year. The move was unanimously backed by the People’s Representative Council (DPR) and is meant as a solution to long-standing problems with pilgrimage... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3325373/can-indonesias-new-haj-ministry-fix-its-pilgrimage-problems?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3325373/can-indonesias-new-haj-ministry-fix-its-pilgrimage-problems?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 02:30:08 +0000 A seeming act of tolerance by a mosque in Central Java did not turn out as planned. In May, 44 monks from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore were making their way on foot from Pudak Payung village, Semarang to the famous Borobudur. The monks’ 78km (48-mile) journey was an annual Vesak Day ritual. Pilgrims would normally make several stops, for meals and rest. A Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)-affiliated mosque in Bengkal village, Temanggung regency, Central Java, agreed to host them. While this... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3266683/indonesian-mosques-hosting-buddhist-monks-sparks-debate-religious-tolerance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3266683/indonesian-mosques-hosting-buddhist-monks-sparks-debate-religious-tolerance?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jun 2024 03:00:12 +0000 True to form, Mahathir Mohamad has stirred the hornet’s nest by saying that not all non-Malays belong to Malaysia. While his comments are deemed irrelevant in the current context, it behoves the incumbent administration to elucidate the vision of a multicultural country. During a recent interview with Indian television channel Thanthi TV, Mahathir said that ethnic minority groups who have “their own schools, their own language, their own culture” are “different from the original people who... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3249876/malaysias-mahathir-holds-outdated-view-ethnicity-does-debate-show-cracks-nations-multiculturalism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3249876/malaysias-mahathir-holds-outdated-view-ethnicity-does-debate-show-cracks-nations-multiculturalism?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jan 2024 02:00:14 +0000 Barely two weeks after taking office, Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim is already sending out good vibes that change is under way. He must keep this momentum going, against all odds. Among his first moves was to forgo his prime minister’s salary. While a populist decision that will not tackle inequality and high rising prices, it is nevertheless a campaign promise fulfilled. This symbolic move though signals that he is sensitive to the struggles facing ordinary Malaysians. In this age of social media... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3202141/malaysias-pm-anwar-ibrahim-must-tread-carefully-heal-nation-divided-race-inequality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3202141/malaysias-pm-anwar-ibrahim-must-tread-carefully-heal-nation-divided-race-inequality?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Dec 2022 10:29:22 +0000 When Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah declared a state of emergency in January, his message to the MPs was unequivocal: cut the politicking and focus on tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet MPs from the Perikatan Nasional government and the Pakatan Harapan opposition did exactly the reverse, soliciting defections to boost their parliamentary support. While Covid-19 infection rates continue to rise, politicians’ power-grabbing behaviour may have a deep impact on the country’s political... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3123606/its-time-malaysia-had-law-against-party-hopping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3123606/its-time-malaysia-had-law-against-party-hopping?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Mar 2021 03:30:12 +0000 As expected, Malaysia’s nationalist Umno party won the by-election for the state assembly seat of Slim in Perak over the weekend, with a resounding 84.5 per cent of votes, surpassing its 2018 election victory of 44.8 per cent. The by-election would not have changed the make-up of the Perak state government, given that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition – made up of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Bersatu, the hardline PAS and unofficial Umno support – has 34 of 59 seats and the opposition... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3099601/mahathirs-pejuang-lost-slim-election-its-muhyiddins-bersatu-thats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3099601/mahathirs-pejuang-lost-slim-election-its-muhyiddins-bersatu-thats?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Aug 2020 10:47:12 +0000 Malaysia has been roiled by political uncertainty since the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition collapsed in February and was replaced by the new Perikatan Nasional coalition led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Made up of the multi-ethnic Barisan Nasional grouping comprising the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC); the Malay-Muslim grouping comprising Umno and the Islamist party PAS; and the Malay-centric party... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3090654/malaysias-malay-first-multiracial-winning-formula-politics-faces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3090654/malaysias-malay-first-multiracial-winning-formula-politics-faces?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jun 2020 03:30:08 +0000 Indonesia announced its first Covid-19 case on March 2, more than a month after its neighbours Singapore and Malaysia reported their first infections, and subsequently, President Joko Widodo admitted that some information had been withheld from the public to avoid causing alarm. With Indonesia now having 6,760 infections and 590 deaths, the highest number of fatalities in Southeast Asia, there are worries about whether the health care sector can handle the expected continued surge in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3080774/jokowis-tough-choice-lock-down-indonesia-or-let-millions-earn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3080774/jokowis-tough-choice-lock-down-indonesia-or-let-millions-earn?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2020 02:30:06 +0000 In a surprise move, leaders from the opposition Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) have indicated their support for Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s leadership, and for him to continue leading Malaysia until the next election, which is due in 2023. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the party intends to table a vote of confidence in the prime minister when parliament next sits in March. When asked for comment by reporters, Mahathir’s response was short and sharp, if not sarcastic – he was already... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3050738/umno-pas-pakatan-harapan-malaysian-politics-its-hard-tell-friend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3050738/umno-pas-pakatan-harapan-malaysian-politics-its-hard-tell-friend?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Feb 2020 04:30:05 +0000 Former general Luhut B. Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for maritime affairs in President Joko Widodo’s first cabinet, sat down earlier this month with researchers from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore to offer his thoughts on the priorities and challenges for Widodo in his second term. The following are edited excerpts of the interview. SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT CONCERNS There were reports that a new naval base had been built in the Natuna Islands about a year ago. What... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3033913/new-balis-islam-and-moving-capital-indonesias-luhut-pandjaitan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3033913/new-balis-islam-and-moving-capital-indonesias-luhut-pandjaitan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Oct 2019 05:45:04 +0000 Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s recent calls for Malay unity may have seemed spontaneous and even off the cuff, but closer inspection hints at the shifting alliances and strategies that could yet reshape the country’s bitter factional politics. Mahathir earlier this month urged Malays to join Bersatu (the Malaysian United Indigenous Party), which he currently leads, as part of the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition. He even extended the invitation to members of his former party Umno... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3019652/what-mahathirs-call-malay-unity-means-pakatan-harapan-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3019652/what-mahathirs-call-malay-unity-means-pakatan-harapan-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jul 2019 00:00:17 +0000