The Najib conviction is a clear sign that the entire edifice centred on UMNO on which the ruling class has relied for decades is falling apart, opening up the prospect of further political upheavals.
With the presidency and parliamentary numbers settled for now, sordid deals are being made among the different sections of the ruling elite.
After seizing power in 2014, the regime has repeatedly delayed any poll, fearing a voter backlash.
Anwar’s re-entry into parliament will only heighten tensions in the unstable ruling coalition currently headed by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
The opposition CNRP undoubtedly has ties to the US, but Hun Sen’s politically bankrupt regime is resorting to blatantly anti-democratic methods to retain power.
Mahathir’s cabinet highlights the potential for conflict in the new coalition government.
The ousting of the 61-year UMNO-led government will have ramifications beyond Malaysia.
The government is using every means at its disposal to undermine the opposition and reverse its poor results at the 2013 elections.
As well as pursuing his factional opponents through the courts, General Secretary Trong has tightened his faction’s control of the state apparatus.
Last November’s agreement between Burma and Bangladesh was a ploy to deflect attention from the Burmese military’s ongoing pogrom against Muslim Rohingya.
The humanitarian crisis resulting from the earthquake exposes the inadequate response of the PNG and Australian governments.
Washington’s attitude to the humanitarian disaster is not determined by concern for the suffering of the Rohingya, but by its efforts to isolate China in the Indo-Pacific region.
The “reformasi” opposition’s endorsement of Mahathir as its prime ministerial candidate underscores its utterly opportunist politics.
The provision of assault rifles to the New South Wales riot squad is part of an international process of police militarisation to deal with growing social tensions.
A significant factor in the deaths and injuries was the failure of the authorities to evacuate people from the most vulnerable areas.
Médecins Sans Frontières conservatively estimated that 6,700 Rohingya were killed in Burma’s Rakhine state in the month August 25 to September 24.
Conflict in Indonesian Papua is being driven by Jakarta’s push for development, which is exacerbating social inequality and class tensions.
The deadly blaze at a fireworks plant in Tangerang was the product of sweat shop conditions imposed by the company and Indonesian authorities.
The measures will effectively wipe out the results of two elections and give the Cambodian People’s Party unchallengeable control of every level of government.
The real aim of the military, with the full collaboration of Aung San Suu Kyi and her government, is to drive the Rohingya out of Burma.
