After Trump, truces and turmoil

World rings in 2026 under shadows of war, trade shocks 

The Star, Thursday 1 January 2026

SYDNEY: New Year's Eve revellers toasted the end of 2025 on Wednesday (Dec 31) waving goodbye to 12 months packed with Trump tariffs, a Gaza truce and vain hopes for peace in Ukraine.

It was one of the warmest years on record, the stifling heat stoking wildfires in Europe, droughts in Africa and deadly rains across South-East Asia.

There was a sombre tinge to celebrations in Australia's harbour city Sydney, the self-proclaimed "New Year's capital of the world".

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The Longest Silences Often Precede the Loudest Chaos

For much of the past year, Malaysian politics felt unusually quiet. Not calm, not resolved — just muted. 

Parliament convened without fireworks. Opposition MPs asked questions but rarely pushed hard. Political ceramah were sparse and perfunctory. Even social media outrage cycles felt shorter, less ferocious. 

After years of instability, coups, pandemics, and collapsing governments, the country appeared to have entered a lull.

A stable government. A reformist prime minister. A fatigued opposition. A public more concerned with prices than polemics.

But in Malaysian politics, silence is never empty. It is cumulative. And the longest silences often precede the loudest chaos.

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Merry Christmas to all readers

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Which state/(s) intended by Sultan of Selangor in his pre-Birthday message?

Wong Chun Wai wrote a column on The Star Sunday yesterday entitled "Nation’s needs trump state pride". It was in-sync with this blog's last week analysis on worrying trend of disintegrating Malaysia. 

Chun Wai's was reiterating his article in Bernama on the eve of the Sultan of Selangor's birthday last Thursday. It was a timely reminder from the Sultan after a Sabah state election filled with loud campaign on state rights, Sabah pride and voters put local political parties to both govern and be opposition for the state assembly. 

Many would presume the Sultan's message was directed eastward but those states' rights are clearly spelled out in the Federal Constitution and for six decades denied of their rightful fair share. Wonder if the message was meant for any specific state? 

Chun Wai's original Bernama writing reproduced:   

State rights must not overshadow national interests, says Selangor Sultan

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Malaysia: Worrying trend towards disintegration

A new wave of state-centred narratives is sweeping across Malaysia. 

For years, we have been hearing slogans such as “Sabah for Sabahans”, S4S for its Sarawak equivalent and MA63. Eventually, “Johor for Johorean”, “Selangor First”, and “Penang Rights” will no longer appear as fringe slogans, but increasingly reflect real underlying frustrations. 

At the same time, dissatisfaction with politicians, open criticism of royal behaviour, sectarian labelling within the Muslim community, and intense intra-party conflict are reshaping the country’s political landscape.

These trends might appear disconnected. But viewed together, they signal something deeper: 

Malaysia is entering an era of fragmentation.

This is not mere speculation — earlier this year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) listed political polarization and social fragmentation as among the world’s most serious near-term risks. Many Malaysians are now experiencing exactly these pressures in real time.

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If Johor for Johorean, S'ngor First and Penang Rights wave hit Malaya?

Malaysia stands on the verge of a major shift in the balance of power between its federal centre and constituent states. The momentum behind that shift is powered not just by history or constitutional argument, but by the concrete economic weight carried by a few key states in Peninsular Malaysia. 

As Sabah and Sarawak renew their push for autonomy — reclaiming territory-based rights promised under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement — it becomes ever more striking that states like Johor, Selangor and Penang, which are the economic backbone of the federation could demand for more preposition from their contribution to the nation.  

Their economic performance today offers both a compelling context and a preview of what could happen if Malayan states begin pressing claims for stronger statehood or devolved power.

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Perpetual negotiation, balancing act of a Malaysian PM

The Hollow Crown: Why Malaysia’s Prime Minister Is a Statesman Abroad and a Caretaker at Home

Betty Teh

4 December 2025

Watch Anwar Ibrahim on the ASEAN stage or at the UN: fluent, fearless, a regional elder statesman lecturing superpowers on Gaza or moderation in Islam. 

At home, the same man struggles to pass a budget without begging 40 MPs in five separate WhatsApp groups, cannot fire a single underperforming minister, and spends half his week flying to Kuching or Kota Kinabalu to prevent the government from collapsing before Friday prayers.

This is not a contradiction in personality. The difference is not character; it is structural. 

It is the logical consequence of coalition mathematics.

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