MALAYSIAN POLITICS 101

One the most exciting things we learned in Malaysia was the nuances of their political structure. Since I was already here interning for a research think tank I was exposed to Malaysia's Political Parties early on. 

Malaysia is technically a democracy with a free press. In reality, there are just a few political parties who recycle the government, as well as limited press freedom. This means that the general population actively works to remain informed. Here's a quick breakdown of the political parties. 

1. There’s not just one mainstream culture, there are three 

Whereas the United States is a melting pot of ethnicities, Malaysia is comprised of three distinct cultures: Malays, Chinese and Indian. That means there are three entirely different sets of languages, food, religious sites and most importantly politics!

2.  There are usually 2 main coalitions that run the country

Barisan Nasional (BN), which is made up of UMNO the leading political party in charge sine independence. The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) represents the Buddhist Chinese-Malaysian population, and the Hindu Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC).

The opposition coalition is People's Justice Party (PKR), which represents the moderate Malay Muslim population. Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which is dedicated to Malay Muslims that are more right wing and the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which caters to the Secular Chinese Majority. The Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS)

  3.  The Prime Minister is Najib Razak and the Opposition leader is Anwar                   Ibrahim

If you’ve been in power since the birth of a country’s independence you tend to eventually get a bit paranoid about your position. For the first time in Malaysia’s history the BN coalition actually lost the majority in parliament, but still remained in power. This loss starting revealing cracks in the BN/UMNO dominance, which has led to a series of scandals and sackings

Left to Right: PM Najib Razak and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim

    4. Recently threats to the government started to be silenced in opposition

Anwar was arrested for the 2^nd time in his political career on sodomy charges. His assistant has come out and claimed that he sexually assaulted him. He was sentenced to 5yrs in jail, making him ineligible to run for government after winning election.

Left to Right: Anwar Ibrahim and his accuser and former aide Mohx Saiful Bakhari Azlan

   5. Over-covering a financial scandal meant you were closed  

      Once Anwar was removed, the biggest challenge to Najib’s administration was the financial scandal of 1MDB. He’s been accused of corruption, stealing millions from a government fund. When a media company was over-covering the scandal in a negative light, they started to be closed. 

        6. Now the war is internal 

     

      The Scandal has gotten so serious the internal struggle within UMNO is the only real challenge to Najib’s control. If you become the head of UMNO, which is the largest party in the BN coalition, then you were basically Prime Minister. Because of the 1MDB scandal there are many members of the party who are vying for Najib’s place. To remedy this there has been a recent cabinet reshuffle which has resulted in the removal of those vocal against the scandal. 

As everyone we met stated, this is a very exciting time to be in Malaysia. I look forward to seeing what the next step in this saga will be...stay tuned
   
    Fahmiya Ismail

    2nd year GGPS

Of Lizards, Monkeys and other Creatures in KL

Crickey! Look at the size of this snail!

   
     Located about 217 miles away from the equator, Kuala Lumpur (KL) is home to a wide variety of tropical animals that have adapted to the encroaching terrain of city life. Becoming accustomed to the plethora of wildlife here was an interesting experience. While living in KL for over a month and a half, I became fascinated with the animals that would randomly appear while I was walking home or doing odd chores around the house where I was staying.

Watch out for warning signs of possibly dangerous things.

  My first couple of jarring experiences with animals in KL happened in the home I was staying at for my internship with Musawah. Ivy, who I was renting a room from, had taken me to buy groceries and was making room within her fridge for me when she happened upon a dead gecko. I learned from her that this was a normal occurrence since that geckos in KL will often get themselves into everything. She also firmly stated that I needed to make sure to keep my bread sealed since “they love to nibble whatever they can find, especially bread.” True to Ivy’s word, I would find many geckos in random places over the course of my stay such as in the cupboards, my closet, behind the toilet seat cover, inside my laundry…I’ve had previous experience with geckos when I lived in New Mexico and the Philippines, but the ones in KL were especially intriguing. Some would come in pretty shades of greens and browns. Others would appear in an off-putting clear color, like some kind of tiny alien.

Well, hello there.

    A few days into my stay, Ivy roused me exclaiming that there was a frog in the kitchen. I rushed over to help, wondering how in the world it came in the house, when she brushed past me, mumbling about leaving it and hoping it will leave on its own. It was a decently sized frog, probably about the size of my palm. I figured it must have leaped through the window and proceeded to scoop it up and take it outside. Ivy seemed impressed, but others I told chastised me, saying it could’ve been poisonous and that in the future I ought to stay away from all frogs.

What are you?!

   On one hot day while walking to the KL Butterfly Park, a monitor lizard crossed my path. I had no idea what this large thing was until I googled it later. This lizard was about the size of a small dog and really fast! The ladies at my internship, after I told them, warned me to be very careful since these lizards are mainly found in the gutters and sewer drains. They’re known to eat anything, and one bite from them has enough bacteria to possibly kill a person.

Here's to a relaxing afternoon in the jungle!

                      
   Additionally, our AU class abroad found that while jungles and waterfalls are lovely, a sure way to ruin your trip to the jungle is to forget about the monkey tribes watching your every move...

Noo, not the monkeys!

From our awesome driver/guide Robert, we learned survival tips such as to not look a monkey in its eyes, keep away from the baby ones, do not turn your back on them, and to wave around a big stick and holler to show them who’s boss. Upon trekking through the jungle and arriving at the waterfall, our group made the mistake of turning our attention away from the monkeys. 

In a split-second, Fahmiya’s camera bag was stolen by a sneaky monkey and was being spirited away. As Graham and I reacted and gave chase, the monkey reached into the bag, pulling out a packet of gum, dropped the bag and made off with the gum. As we rescued the bag, the monkey proceeded to sit a short distance away, unwrap a piece of gum, and throw the wrapper in our direction.

Just chilling with my new best friends.

     All in all, I found the animals in KL are wonderfully diverse and fun to observe. Learning about them, however, really brings into perspective for me Malaysia’s environmental issues and the need for stronger efforts by the federal government to protect these animals and Malaysia’s natural resources. Much more work should be done regarding the preservation of local habitats and motivating Malaysians to understand the consequences of the last few decades’ growth, especially regarding pollution and deforestation.  

Stephanie Vazquez
2nd Year, CRS

5 THINGS I LEARNED BEING MUSLIM IN MALAYSIA & INDONESIA

1. CELEBRATING HOLIDAY'S IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES COME PERKS

Growing up as a Muslim in the Middle East and the West I've become accustomed to a few norms.
-You're always the minority. Whether I'm a Muslim in the Arab dominated populations of the Middle East or the non-Muslim world of the West, I've grown up accustomed to being the minority one way or another. However, coming to Malaysia for the first time and finally feeling a part of the majority was a very unique and uplifting experience.

-Most people either don't know why I'm doing certain things, or they perform it differently. To have everyone around me understand the religion, the customs, and behaviors of a Muslim was both shocking and exiting. The city shut down when it was time to pray. There was a mosque on every corner, and even the non-Muslims adhered to the customs out of habit. Even when breaking fast, I always had people offering me things to eat if they saw me empty-handed at the time to break fast.


-The role of women is very different to an outsider. Having just arrived to KL from Qatar the first day of Ramadan I just assumed being a women would be the same. However, as I walked the streets of KL I quickly noticed how I was never stared at. It's just a habit I've grown up with to avert my look when crowds of men walk by. However, the freedom to look where I pleased and feel safe where ever I traveled was such a refreshing feeling. I also love the sense of community and comradery when I stand side by side with these women. They have a uniform that they wear when they pray. Being asked to put on the traditional garb to join them in prayer was a beautiful visual reminder of the equality that's supposed to exist among Muslims.

2. MALAYSIA IS STRICTER THAN INDONESIA

Islam is both the dominant religion of the majority as well as the government. Everyone in the country not only adheres to the faith, but it's also policed by non-Muslims. For example, since I had been traveling I wasn't obligated to fast on the day I landed. So when I tried to get food during fasting hours I was quickly reprimanded by a non-Muslim restaurant owner. Not realizing what the situation was I continued to eat openly later on in the day with some ice cream. The look of shock on most people's faces when I was walking around quickly brought me up to speed. Whether you're fasting or not DON'T EAT IN PUBLIC IF YOU'RE A MUSLIM!! Apparently out of respect the custom is to eat in private or wait till it's time to break fast. Lesson Learned! I'll have to wait till sunset to eat all my new purchase at the Ramadan Bazaars.

3. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEN & WOMEN ARE MORE OPEN THAN OTHER COUNTRIES

Most Muslim countries aren't big on PDA. Even in my Somali culture it's not generally the norm to be affectionate in public. But in Malaysia everywhere I went you would see couples holding hands, feeding each other, or cuddling on public transportation. To see such tenderness and love in the open was a beautiful sight. This was a practice of the Prophet Muhamed (PBUH) and I'm happy to see it being practiced so openly here. I hope that more Muslims implement this practice in their lives.

4. ISLAM IS VIEWED THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS

Since I've spent most of my life in America it's normally for me to hear about Islam from a security perspective. In Malaysia and Indonesia Islam is a part of everyday life. For example, trade is based off of rules concerning Halal (kosher) standards. Architecture is influenced by the religion. Every building either has a mosque nearby or has a prayer room called a Surau (in Malaysia) or a Musholla (in Indonesia) somewhere in the building. Everyone is either a Muslim or knows a bunch of Muslims so it can't be seen as a national security concern. If anything, Malaysia passes laws to protect the national interest of the Muslims.

5. EVERY RELIGION IS FREE TO PRACTICE OPENLY

Even though these are Muslim majority countries, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam are freely practiced. All the major holidays of each faith are observed by each country, and the citizens are educated about the faith's. It's not uncommon to see a mosque, a temple, and a church all on the same street each competing to be more beautiful than the last. 

South East Asia has been an amazing experience and being here on the two holiest holidays in the Muslim calendar has been an honor. It's amazing to know that Islam isn't always seen as a threat and even though it's temporaty, I'm happy to know that I can live a modern life in major cities, and still hold on to the traditional life of a moderate Muslim.

Fahmiya Ismail
2nd year GGPS

Selamat Hari Raya!!

Selamat Hari Raya!

Hari Raya ( Also called Eid al-Fitr in other Muslim countries) marks end of Ramadan and a time where all Muslims from around the world celebrate with one another. In Malaysia, most of the Malay population will 'balik kampong' ( 'Return to their village' in English) in order to get together with their families.  So what does this mean? It means that... most of KL becomes eerily silent and empty. The roads once filled with heavy traffic become strangely calm with several places closed to mark the beginning of the Hari Raya holiday.  However since the program was still occurring during this time, we still had a lecture in the morning.  However I am not going to talk about that! Instead I will give an explanation of what usually happens during this important festive occasion! Even when not celebrating, one can still feel the Hari Raya festive energy in the air!

The night before Hari Raya... kinda quiet( except for some small  fireworks) since everyone is moving back to their hometowns.

But what does one do during Hari Raya?  While most Eid traditions are consistent among Muslims world-wide, in Malaysia one goes back to their families and ask forgiveness from one another starting from the oldest. ( I am the youngest so no one asks for mine! ). Another tradition is people opening their houses to guests, offering huge feasts.  

Fortunately for me my uncle invited me to his house. Since the  first day is usually just for family, so unfortunately the others members couldn't join. However had we stayed longer in KL, there may have been an open house where all people are welcome to attend.

Types of food served during hari raya

Hari Raya is also celebrated in Jakarta ( among its large Muslim population).  How does the Raya spirit fare over there? We will have to see.

So I wish everyone a SELAMAT HARI RAYA!!!


Naif Yusoff
CRS 2nd year

Banyak Macet! Traffic in Jakarta

Traffic on the main toll road in Jakarta during evening rush hour from pedestrian overpass.

Hi! Betsy here. I'm a Masters student in the SIS Masters in International Development program. I started my summer interning at The Jakarta Post in Jakarta Pusat on Jalan Palmerah Barat, a little West of Central Jakarta. After one week with the class in Kuala Lumpur, the one thing I keep coming back to when describing Jakarta is the traffic jams ("macet"). It's on a completely different level than what I've seen in KL. The above picture is an example. From the picture, you might assume that this road has five or more lanes. Not so. According to the lines, there are only three, plus the bus only lane. But traffic just fills in any empty spaces with cars, motorbikes and buses. You can see on the left how cars are even filling in the supposedly bus-only lanes. You can get a hefty fine for this, but they do it anyway. I have been in many taxis that employed this method, despite the separator you have to drive over to get into the bus lane. 

Typical view from inside a taxi - Driver on the right, passenger on the left - they drive opposite the US, on the left side of the road. Also, each driver has their taxi license with photo and code number in all the BlueBird/Pusaka taxis on the left. This is very very light traffic on a Sunday afternoon. 

In Jakarta, the most common form of transportation suggested to me was the taxi ("teksi"). This surprised me, as I had ridden on multiple forms of transportation in Latin America. I was told only to take a BlueBird/Pusaka taxi or an Express/Eagle taxi, as they are always metered and have the best track records in the city. Though I would have liked to try more methods, I have only picked up a few words in Bahasa Indonesia, so I mostly relied on taxis. 

Good things to know how to say for riding in a taxi: 

Selamat Pagi/Siang/Sore/Malam: Good morning/noontime/afternoon/evening

The name of the location where you intend to go

Dekat: near to (good for giving directions toward a landmark near your desired location)

Di sini: Here

Di sana: There

Lurus: Straight

Kanan: Right

Kiri: Left

Sebarang: Across from

when your directions are bad: Maaf!: Sorry!

and of course: Terima Kasih: Thank you

for fun: Banyak macet: a lot of traffic jams

when you don't understand: Saya tidak mengerti (bahasa Indonesia): I don't understand (Indonesian). 

The level of English my taxi driver could speak varied, with some drivers speaking no English. But most of the time even if I could barely speak any Indonesian, showing an address worked for getting where I wanted to go. The drivers did not hesitate to stop and ask for directions, sometimes multiple times. 

Typical line-up of 20+ motorbikes at the Slipi intersection near my residence

Many people in Jakarta also use motorbike taxis ("ojek"), but I haven't tried this method as I'm afraid. The appeal for many is that motorbikes can zip in and out of traffic and are actually much quicker during heavy traffic and rush hours. Another American interning at The Jakarta Post told me that in Jakarta people avoid traffic as though waiting for a storm to pass over, often traveling much earlier or later to an appointment in order to avoid sitting in traffic for an hour or more during rush hours. There is a new app, Go-Jek, which is popular with expats and locals alike because it works like Uber, with a map showing your driver coming towards you and the ability to pay with your credit card through the app instead of haggling with the driver at your destination. Uber is also very popular, but since they don't have a special license to be able to drive on the roads restricted to vehicles with three or more passengers, it can sometimes be quite a circuitous journey to your destination. I did find that the Uber drivers spoke better English and had nicer and larger cars than the taxis. 

Jakarta commuter line map

Another popular method of transportation is the Jakarta commuter line, a rail system that goes out to the suburbs and throughout the city. However, it seemed that everywhere I wanted to go required multiple transfers and took quite a long time due to lines not being designed in a way that fit where I wanted to go. Another intern and I did take the train to Bogor, a city about an hour South of Jakarta, where we visited the Bogor Botanical Gardens, and it was fairly comfortable on the weekend. However, I think foreigners often avoid it because during the week it can be extremely crowded and confusing.

Inside the commuter train

The first and last cars of every train are reserved for women only. The only men allowed in the cars are police and train staff. 

You may have noticed I haven't mentioned walking. I had the fortune of finding a residence only 500 meters from my internship at The Jakarta Post. I walked to and from work, which I think was much better than braving traffic every day. However, as you can see below, at the end of my work day, around 6 or 7pm, I still had to contend with traffic. After a few weeks, the most common method I used to cross the street was to find one of the security or traffic cops who had lights and whistles to help me across, since traffic was much more likely to stop for them than me!

Typical weekday evening on my street: a mix of pedestrians, motorbikes, cars, and minibuses.