Inter-Research And Studies (IRAS)

When Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB) chief economist Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajuddin gave a prediction of a possible Pakatan Rakyat narrow victory in the next 13th general election, overnight, he has became a political enemy of his employer. The BIMB chief economist has been suspended from active duty by his employer until further notice and it was not clear that if he would later face the bank's domestic inquiry for an alleged "misconduct" as claimed earlier by the BIMB's managing director. What "misconduct" has Azrul committed in the forum which he has attended and had his view presented? If the BIMB managing director has mentioned that his view and prediction on Pakatan's possible narrow victory are entirely his personal, then why issue him a suspension on BIMB capacity? Has Azrul ever mention "according to BIMB's prediction, Pakatan will gain a narrow victory"? No he did not say so. Furthermore, Azrul has attended the forum in under...

Even in the early 1800s Asian American started to become involved in politics. Their used their resources to lobby for equal rights and equal access to economic and occupational opportunities. From the early 1800s to the 1920s, over one thousand lawsuits were filed in state and federal courts by Asian Americans seeking to receive proper legal rights. During the same period Asian Americans tried to further their political presence. The circulated petitions, conducted letter-writing campaign, published their own newspapers and magazines promoting their political cause. They also tried to gain political gain by pairing up with non-Asian organizations. All of these cases go to show that Asian Americans are not always quiet and complacent. The Asian American community has a very clear sense of political justice, and they have demonstrated their knowledge for quite some time. And their constant fight for justice has made the American political system realize that they are very a...

What is the mind of the public? How do opinions, attitudes and beliefs of citizens affect the policy making of political elites? What motivates citizens to vote or not to vote and why do they vote the way they do? Are voters oriented more towards issues or towards the personality of particular candidates or is their vote an expression of long standing loyalty to a particular party or leader, regardless of its candidates or position on the major issues of the day? If voters perceive a discrepancy or inconsistency between these various categories eg between party loyalty and the party's candidates, how are they likely to behave? And how do various orientations of voters relate to their level of formal education; the extent of their political knowledge; their age, sex, race, religion, profession, income and place of residence and the opinions of their close friends and relatives? What explains a voter's shift in political allegiance between elections or his willingness to vote for...

Compiled by Viktor Wong Elections are underway in China. Not for the country's presidency but for "Renmin Daibiao," or the National People's Congress (NPC). Over the next few months, electorates in townships and urban districts all over the country will elect delegates to their both local and provincial levels People's Congress, the lowest and provincial levels of China's multi-tiered parliamentary system. Conducted every five years, this is the only time citizens can directly vote for their legislators. On paper, anyone can seek a seat by collecting signatures of at least 10 constituents. But in China's tightly-controlled political system, all candidates are closely vetted by both Chinese Communist Party (CCP) local and top officials. Elections are carefully choreographed. Still, there are more than 100 people who have bravely coma forward to offer themselves as independent candidates. Among them is Li Chengpeng, who has declared his candidacy on Weibo, C...