BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Bigger Picture  >  Beyond The Ballot Box  >  First Past the Post, Malapportionment & the Sabah/Sarawak Dilemma

First Past the Post, Malapportionment & the Sabah/Sarawak Dilemma

Wong Chin Huat, Political Scientist

19-Sep-24 15:00

First Past the Post, Malapportionment & the Sabah/Sarawak Dilemma

Malaysia is quite a polarised nation right now, especially across racial and religious lines. The results of the 2022 General Elections tell us as much. While we cannot and shouldn’t place the blame of the polarization on our electoral system alone, we have to ask if our electoral system does more to bring people together or encourage further polarization. And if we change the system, what would it look like? Separately but on a related note, many have argued that Sabah & Sarawak should have 1/3 Parliamentary Seats or more than that. But how would that actually work in reality?

We speak to Wong Chin Huat who’s a political scientist with Sunway University and is also part of an initiative to advocate for institutional reforms to advance political stability and accountability called Projek SAMA. He has been a champion of moving away from the First Past the Post Electoral System.


Image credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Dashran Yohan

Presented by: Dashran Yohan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  politicsgovernmentLaw/Activismcontroversies

Tags:  2022 general electionsthe bigger picturebeyond the ballot boxparliament





Play / Pause

Listen now : Top 5 at 5

Today’s Shows



6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Kingsley Jones, Chief Investment Officer, Jevons Global, tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dr. Greg Raymond, Senior Lecturer, Australian National University (ANU) gives us an update on Thai politics.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Bank Negara Malaysia has maintained the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.75%, as widely expected, after lowering the OPR from 3% in July. Helping us unpack the key takeaways from the central bank’s latest monetary policy meeting — and to discuss the outlook for Malaysia’s economy — is Firdaos Rosli, Chief Economist at AmBank Group.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Dr Tara Béteille of World Bank discusses the current trends in literacy and education in conjunction with International Literacy Day.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dato' Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, MP for Balik Pulau, discussing concerns over the Urban Renewal Bill 2025.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

Sim TzeTzin, MP for Bayan Baru, on the problems with STPM

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Kingsley Jones, Chief Investment Officer, Jevons Global, tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

Jerry Goh, Asia Equities, Investment Director, Aberdeen Standard Investments weighs in on investment strategies in the Jakarta Stock Exchange amidst political turmoil in the country.

9:35 AM

Pinnacle Perspectives

Prof. Shardul Phadnis of Asia School of Business shares his insights on how global supply chains are evolving amid new challenges.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Thanaselan Rajendran of Pepper Labs shares how to balances profit with purpose.

11:05 AM

P&L

Azuar Zainuddin of Satu Creative on the Hasanah Social Enterprise Fund 2025

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

UrbanMetry's Koh Cha-Ly on transforming idle lots and forgotten buildings into thriving hubs.

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

Dr Tara Béteille of World Bank discusses the current trends in literacy and education in conjunction with International Literacy Day.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

3:05 PM

Earth Matters

Every September, thousands of Malaysians join the International Coastal Cleanup to collect and record trash from our beaches. We speak to Reef Check Malaysia’s Julian Hyde and Theresa Ng about what the data reveals and how we can tackle marine pollution.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

We look back at the highlights from the first Health & Living (For Her) event, ‘Best For Moms: A Forum For The Sisterhood’, from mothers’ well-being to kids’ financial literacy.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

6:00 PM

Today I Learned

We discuss the lesser-known side of the Cold War, which found cultural rivalries in the arts, literature, and even music.

7:00 PM

Just For Kicks

8:00 PM

A Bit of Culture