(' , ')

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: The upcoming Melaka election will be the 10th state polls since the 15th General Election (GE15), the most ever held between any two parliamentary elections. The previous record was four state elections, between GE14 (2018) and GE15 (2022), and between GE6 (1982) and GE7 (1986), according to an analysis of previous election dates. The trend shows that state elections are increasingly being held separately from parliamentary polls. For most voters, it means that going to the ballot box twice to choose a Member of Parliament and State Assemblyman has become a new political reality (see related story). The current surge in separate state polls came about after the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat in October 2022 to pave the way for GE15. Only three states decided to dissolve their assemblies alongside Parliament, namely Pahang, Perlis and Perak. Ten others did not follow suit. They include Sabah, Sarawak, Mel...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's increasingly fragmented political landscape is making separate state elections a new reality, with state governments charting their own course instead of going to the polls alongside the Federal Government. Political analyst Prof Dr Azizuddin Sani said the trend reflected a departure from the previous practice, when state and federal elections were more closely aligned under a dominant political party. He said the political changes since 2008, particularly the change of government in several states, had given state administrations greater incentive to hold elections separately from general elections. "There's an element of strategy among political parties. They believe they have a better chance of winning state elections if they are held separately from the general election," he said. Azizuddin said the trend had become more pronounced following the 15th General Election (GE15) in November 2022, which resulted in a hung P...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: With Melaka set to go to the polls on Nov 14, Malaysia will have held 10 state elections since the 15th General Election (GE15). This is the highest number of state election events recorded in any period between general elections, according to an analysis of election data. Since GE15 on Nov 19, 2022, Malaysia has held nine state election events and 13 by-elections as at Aug 1 this year.  Melaka's upcoming election will bring the number of state election events to 10. The figure stands out against previous periods.  The nine state election events since GE15 comprised six state elections held simultaneously on Aug 12, 2023, followed by Sabah's state election in 2025 and the Johor and Negri Sembilan state elections this year. The six states that went to the polls in 2023 were Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah. Negri Sembilan stands out for having held two state election...

By NARMATHA RAJA PETALING JAYA: Haze hotspots in Indonesia’s Kalimantan and Sumatra have surged to their highest level in a decade, with 37,628 detected as of Oct 11, following a sharp increase over the past 45 days. The last recorded high was in 2015, when the two regions registered a combined 58,106 hotspots. According to data from the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), the latest tally represents a 140% increase from the 15,652 hotspots recorded between Jan 1 and Aug 27. Kalimantan accounted for 29,306 or about 78% of the combined total, while Sumatra recorded 8,322 hotspots. Kalimantan’s tally more than doubled (140%), rising from 12,212 as of Aug 27 to 29,306 by Oct 11.  Sumatra’s count also climbed by 142%, from 3,440 to 8,322 over the same period. In just 45 days, the two regions recorded an additional 21,976 hotspots with Kalimantan accounting for 17,094 and Sumatra for 4,882. Kalimantan’s 2026 tally has also s...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Soaring oil prices have led to a sharp rise in subsidies that the government has had to bear to keep petrol pump prices steady for Malaysians. Since the start of this year, the price of unsubsidised RON95 petrol has gone up by 76.6% from RM2.56 to RM4.52 as at Oct 1. Ahead of the tabling of Budget 2027 on Friday (Oct 9), we take a closer look at how the surge in global oil prices has affected - and may continue to affect – Malaysia’s fuel subsidy bill.   Steep climb since the Iran conflict The government launched the Budi Madani RON95 (BUDI95) programme in September last year as part of its move to transition from blanket subsidies to targeted subsidies. Under the initiative, eligible Malaysians currently qualify for 300 litres of subsidised RON95 petrol each month at RM1.99 per litre. The start of the Middle East conflict in late February then triggered a sharp spike in global oil prices.   A gro...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s fuel subsidy bill could approach RM50bil in a prolonged oil-price shock scenario, according to an economist. Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) research associate Dr Mikhail Rosli estimated Malaysia’s fuel subsidy bill could cost between RM45bil and RM50bil next year if Brent crude prices remain above US$100 per barrel. He said the estimate would be broadly in line with the KRI’s Beyond The Pump report which estimated fuel subsidies will cost around RM48 billion per year when the crude oil prices exceed US$100 per barrel and remain at that level. However, he stressed that this remained a “tail scenario” rather than the most likely outcome. “This remains an unlikely scenario, as the US Energy Information Administration’s base case projects Brent crude to average US$74 per barrel in 2027, while the World Bank forecasts US$70 and the IMF’s severe scenario at between US$110 and US$125,” he said. The wa...