Today in the ARB: Asia in 2025: how did Asia fare in the “Best Books” lists of 2025? asianreviewofbooks.com/asia-in-2025-r…

“Captives and Companions: A History of Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Islamic World” by Justin Marozzi [ARB asianreviewofbooks.com/captives-and-c… podcast asianreviewofbooks.com/podcast-with-j…] reviewed in NYT nytimes.com/2025/12/23/boo…

Two of the most formidable challenges faced by Malaysians are not racism and DAP, but class and meritocracy. When one is accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression, and entitlement becomes a way of life. Only in Malaysia does "cable" have such a loaded meaning.

As long as Malaysians continue to recycle the tropes and mimic the narratives of our former colonial masters, we will not make the most of "the freedom to prosper" ("maharddhika"). Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it does not engender a "Merdeka of the mind".

"The less talent they have, the more pride, vanity and arrogance they have. All these fools, however, find other fools who applaud them." - Erasmus (1466-1536) It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2025 🎄 Wishing all who celebrate a safe, joyous and blessed Christmas! May your festive celebrations with family and friends be filled with peace, love and happiness.

Jawatan “Yang Di Pertuan Agong” adalah jawatan baru yang diwujudkan dalam tahun 1957. Dalam perenggan 58 Report ini “Yang Di Pertuan Besar” adalah Raja berperlembagaan yang bertindak mengikut nasihat, bukan Raja yang berkuasa mutlak seperti di zaman silam kesultanan Melayu

"PAS lawmaker Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh was instructed to apologise over his statement that the Bible has been corrupted or manipulated by [then Dewan Rakyat Speaker] Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun." thevibes.com/articles/news/…

"Justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done." - Lord Chief Justice of England, Rex v. Sussex Justices, [1924] 1 KB 256 With this guilty verdict, former disgraced Prime Minister and unrepentant kleptocrat Najib Razak is now a TWICE convicted felon.

Both guilty verdicts (1MDB and SRC International) not only demonstrate the efficacy of our post-corrective procedures to hold perpetrators of financial crimes accountable for their actions, but also restore the public's trust and confidence in our judiciary.

To all Najib Razak supporters: When you lament about the lack of funds needed to bring improvements to public education, healthcare, accommodation and infrastructure, remember that the RM2.6 billion that was siphoned off could have been channeled to many of these projects.

Indeed. Not so much "country bumpkin" as "plundering idiot".

It is a damning indictment of our ailing and degenerative value system that some Malaysians continue to not only worship and adore an unrepentant kleptocrat and twice convicted felon, but also hold him up to be an inspirational and aspirational role model.

"Lies have short legs." (Translation of a common German saying "Lügen haben kurze beine", meaning that lies don't make it very far.)

Indeed. Unrepentant kleptocrat and twice convicted felon Najib Razak has inflicted unprecedented - and in some aspects, irreversible - damage upon Malaysia with his nefarious financial crimes. The debilitating consequences of his thievery will be felt for generations to come.

"Najib Razak Syndrome": an influential individual ensconced in a position of authority and power behaves with wanton impunity, believing he/she will not be held to account for his/her actions due to personal connections, misplaced hubris, and an odious sense of entitlement.

"History says: Don't hope on this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime, The longed-for tidal wave of justice can rise up And hope and history rhyme." - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) One of the few bright spots of New Malaysia: x.com/IMMikhailHafiz…