COMMENTARIES

23 Dec 2025

Court Ruling Against Former PM Will Haunt Thailand’s Cambodia Policy

Pongkwan Sawasdipakdi

The Constitutional Court’s ruling against a former Thai premier will constrain how conciliatory the kingdom will be in times of conflict.

22 Dec 2025

Beyond Autonomy: The Ripple Effects of Sabah Elections on Federal Power

Lee Hwok-Aun|Adib Zalkapli

Pakatan Harapan’s poor performance at the Sabah state elections has weakened its bargaining power vis-à-vis ruling coalitions in Sabah and Sarawak. It will need their support to form the next federal government.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections Malaysian Politics

22 Dec 2025

Critical Mass: The Complexity of Malaysia’s Nuclear Reboot

Amalina Anuar

Malaysia is re-considering the use of nuclear power. But the government will need to tackle questions about trade-offs.

Energy Malaysia Malaysian Politics Nuclear Power

19 Dec 2025

ASEAN Business Entity: Integration at the Cost of Inclusion

Tham Siew Yean

The ABE initiative professes to promote regional economic integration via greater intra-ASEAN investments, but ASEAN should focus on attracting high-quality investment, enhancing industrial upgrading, and mitigating geopolitical risk.

ASEAN Economic Integration

19 Dec 2025

Reading ASEAN’s Sentiments in a Year of Crosswinds

Joanne Lin|Jasmine Yeo

Joanne Lin and Jasmine Yeo show how insights from two major regional surveys in 2025 capture the forces shaping ASEAN’s confidence in a year of shifting global winds.

ASEAN ASEANFocus Economic Development State of Southeast Asia Survey Sustainable Development

18 Dec 2025

ASEAN Power Grid: Gleaning Best Practices from Worst Cases

Mirza Sadaqat Huda

As Southeast Asia focuses on building the ASEAN Power Grid, there will be a higher chance of success if interconnections are designed to be modular and embedded within a broader regional integration agenda.

ASEAN Energy

18 Dec 2025

Private Investment, Public Burden: Indonesia’s ‘Whoosh’ Lesson

Romora Edward Sitorus|A. Prasetyantoko

Indonesia’s first high-speed train project is historic but its government now has to prevent it going off the rails as costs spiral and boomerang onto the state and taxpayers.

Indonesia transport

17 Dec 2025

Islamic Soft Power: Malaysia Well-Positioned to Consolidate its Global Leadership on Halal Branding and Governance

Syaza Shukri

Malaysia has successfully transformed halal governance from religious compliance into a strategic tool of soft power. Through the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC), halal became both a moral brand and an economic driver across food, finance, tourism, cosmetics, and logistics.

Halal Halal Certification Malaysia

17 Dec 2025

Indonesia’s Slow Disaster Response: President Prabowo Constrained by His Own Agenda

Made Supriatma

Poor advice and a seeming refusal to acknowledge the reality and scale of the problem have hampered the Indonesian president’s response to the disastrous floods across Sumatra.

Disaster Management Indonesia Indonesian Politics

17 Dec 2025

Sabah First? 2025 State Election Shows Voters Want Results Not Slogans

Arnold Puyok

The 17th Sabah elections evinced a mix of the predictable and the surprising. Despite the show of support for the ‘Sabah First’ slogan, the fragmented politics of the state will continue.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections Malaysian Politics Sabah