It is unfortunate that Malaysia’s political parties remain reluctant to openly discuss the enormous RM60 billion dent in government finances caused by the fuel subsidy burden following the Iran war and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz. Yet this is precisely the conversation the country urgently needs. As speculation grows that the 16th General Election may be approaching sooner rather than later, political survival appears to be taking precedence over honest policy debate. Difficult truths are being avoided because no political coalition wants to be seen as the government that raises fuel prices or reduces subsidies.  But regardless of whether the current administration survives or a new government eventually takes over Putrajaya, the reality remains unchanged: sooner or later, politicians will have to confront the fiscal consequences. There is simply no escaping arithmetic. Instead, much of the political debate has drifted toward populism. Parties within the ruling coalition...

Today marks the final day of Tan Sri Azam Baki as Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Few public officials in recent years have divided opinion quite like him. To his supporters, Azam was one of the most operationally aggressive MACC chiefs Malaysia has seen. To his critics, he damaged the institution’s credibility and symbolised selective enforcement. Yet amid the noise, slogans and placards, one uncomfortable reality remains largely ignored by Malaysia’s fashionable reform crowd: corruption investigation is not a university seminar in Bangsar. Without fully understanding how corruption actually operates in Malaysia, the Bangsar Bubble has once again emerged with its favourite collection of politically attractive buzzwords — “institutional safeguards”, “parliamentary accountability”, “legal review”, “oversight mechanisms” and the ever-popular “transparency”. Naturally, many of them found themselves at the protest near Sogo alongside politicians, acti...