Julia Lau|Francis E. Hutchinson
Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim has not minced his words in upbraiding Israel and its supporters for their response to the worsening crisis in the Gaza territories. His motivations are driven by compelling domestic factors and a long-held political stance on Palestine.
Manggi Habir|Siwage Dharma Negara
This Long Read examines the trends and developments in the digital transformation of Indonesia’s banking landscape. These look set to benefit a large swathe of Indonesia’s 270 million population which remains unbanked and underbanked.
Norshahril Saat
The recent annual general assembly by Parti Islam SeMalaysia was relatively uneventful, with key leaders including Abdul Hadi Awang retaining their positions. If the party is eyeing federal power in Putrajaya, however, it would need to prove its governance credentials.
Hoang Thi Ha
Vietnam’s General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is actively promoting “Vietnamese bamboo diplomacy” as his foreign policy legacy. The concept is not altogether new but it has been riding upon Trong’s political ascendency and Vietnam’s geopolitical fortunes.
Burhanuddin Muhtadi
There is a widening rift between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle which endorsed his candidacy in the country’s two previous presidential elections.
Joanne Lin
The recent ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council summit underscores a joint goal to link the two dynamic regions. The key is to keep the bloc-to-bloc interactions going.
Chang-Yau Hoon|Kaili Zhao
The relationship between China and Brunei has grown significantly, but the level of people-to-people exchanges leaves much to be desired.
Thida|Kyi Sin
As the violence in Myanmar looks set to spill over into another year of intractable struggle, both sides are dealing with morale and discipline problems within their armed units. The main suffering is borne by the civilians who, despite all the tribulations, remain defiant.
Julia Lau
Indonesia is likely to support the Palestinian people and redouble its commitment and calls for a two-state solution in light of the ongoing Israeli-Gaza violence. Domestically, the spiralling crisis has some potential to affect the 2024 presidential candidates and security climate, especially if no urgent solution is in sight.
Nguyen Khac Giang
Vietnam’s 8th Party Plenum underscores Hanoi’s two-pronged bid to maintain solid relations with external powers in the West and tightening the screws on civil society at home.