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Reimagine Southeast Asia: Call for Flash Fiction Submissions
Imagining a better world is the first step toward creating one. Stories and art from Southeast Asian writers and creators.
Highlights
The 23 Most Important Issues Facing Singapore in 2022
In Stage 1 of The Citizens’ Agenda 2022, New Naratif asked Singaporeans what they think are the most important issues facing Singapore, and what they’d like political candidates to talk about in the next general election. Here’s what our readers said (and didn’t say).
The 22 Most Important Issues Facing Malaysia in 2022
In Stage 1 of The Citizens’ Agenda 2022, New Naratif asked Malaysians what they think are the most important issues facing Malaysia, and what they’d like political candidates to talk about in the next general election. Here’s what our readers said (and didn’t say).
Peeling Back the Facade of Indonesia’s Colonial New Capital
Indonesia’s decision to move its capital from Jakarta to a new city in East Kalimantan excluded local and indigenous communities from the planning process. Now, Nusantara—an internal colonial project in disguise—threatens their land, culture and livelihoods.
The Use and Abuse of Personal Data by the PAP Government
How does the PAP government view the privacy of Singaporeans’ personal data? Do they protect it? Or do they use it to their advantage as means to increase surveillance within the nation? A look into how Singapore’s PAP government views privacy, how it has been interpreted into its laws, and how this trickles down to…
New Naratif is a movement for democracy in Southeast Asia. Our vision is to foster an inclusive Southeast Asia community where all peoples are fully engaging and participating in building democracy. We build capacity for this through our three-step process: Engage, Educate, and Empower Southeast Asians.
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Get Involved
The Citizens’ Agenda 2022
How do those who never have a chance to have a direct conversation with candidates and party leaders get their concerns on the agenda? New Naratif’s The Citizens’ Agenda is a space for people to voice their concerns and increase their political engagement.
The Media Freedom
in Southeast Asia Project
The Media Freedom in Southeast Asia Project seeks to understand the challenges that media workers in Southeast Asia face and how they navigate them. This project aims to interrogate the voices of media workers in the region in its methods.
Get Informed
freedom of expression
Sued by Singapore’s Prime Minister: Roy Ngerng’s Ridiculous Case
Blogger and researcher Roy Ngerng had his life destroyed by Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong’s defamation lawsuit. Seven years on, he talks to PJ Thum about the injustice of his case, politics in Singapore, his new life in Taiwan, and what Taiwan is like compared to Singapore.
Picturing Media Freedom in 2021
Nine artists draw out their experiences and interpretations of media freedom in Southeast Asia.
Media Work as Resistance
A graphic summary of New Naratif’s study of media freedom in Southeast Asia, drawn from media workers’ experiences and challenges.
free and fair elections
Is Malaysia’s Parliament Dead?
Deborah Augustin speaks to Arveent Kathirtchelvan and Chong Yee Shan from Parti Sosialis Malaysia about the limitations of electoral politics and potential alternatives to this system.
Duit Right: How to Fix Malaysian Political Financing
Political financing in Malaysia is privately-sourced and largely unregulated. Ensuring accountability and transparency is key for free and fair elections.
Undi18: Malaysian Youth Fight to Lower the Voting Age
On this episode of Southeast Asia Dispatches, Deborah Augustin speaks to Lim Wei Jiet, one of the co-founders of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance, Malaysia’s first youth-driven political party, about their thoughts on this voting age controversy, the challenges the party has faced in getting registered, and the political climate for young politicians in Malaysia.
migration
In Need of Cleaning
The promise of high wages draws Indonesian migrant workers to Singapore. However, exploitative practices by agents such as deducting monthly salaries and charging illegal fees make life difficult for the migrant workers and their families back home.
Khmer Krom Monks Cross Borders to Learn Their History
Frustrated by Vietnam’s suppression of their language, history and faith, Khmer Krom monks are forced to migrate to Cambodia to pursue an unrestricted education. Some who return face hostile authorities who fear monks will stir up deep-seated ethnic divisions.
Singapore’s Migration Laws Trap Women With Abusers
For foreign spouses trying to escape domestic abuse or their marriage altogether, Singapore’s migration laws and exclusion of foreigners from some social services leave them reliant on their abuser and vulnerable to homelessness and separation from their children.
Features
Cambodia’s At-Risk Construction Workers Raise Families On-Site
Cambodian construction workers and their families often live inside the buildings they are constructing, despite dozens being killed in building collapses in recent years. Few labour protections and low pay leave them vulnerable to accidents and exploitation.
Displaced by War, Papuan Refugees Face Lingering Dangers
Some 60,000 people have been displaced by fighting between Papuan separatists and the Indonesian military in Nduga Regency. One group of refugees are stranded far from home, without jobs, schools, quality healthcare or any sign of the conflict’s end.
To Save a Dying Lake, Mekong Nations Must Act as One
Mekong nations must act collectively to preserve Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake, its fisheries and the livelihoods that depend on them. If not, human-made problems of illegal fishing, hydropower dams and climate change will spell disaster for millions.
“Nowhere Is Safe”: Myanmar Bombing Shatters “Peace Town”
In Kayin State, recent fighting between the Myanmar military and anti-junta forces has displaced thousands from a Karen village built as a symbol of peace. One year since the coup began, many have fled to the Thai border and struggle to find food and shelter.
See all features in other languages:
Bahasa Indonesia | Bahasa Melayu | 中文 | ဗမာစာ | Tiếng Việt
COMICS
Who You Gonna Call? MPs, ADUNs, and Local Councillors in Malaysia
Learn about the different levels of government representatives in Malaysia, and who you should talk to about neighbourhood or national issues.
See all comics in other languages:
Bahasa Indonesia | Bahasa Melayu | 中文 | ဗမာစာ | Tiếng Việt
RESEARCH >
Envisioning Media Freedom and Independence: Narratives from Southeast Asia
A qualitative exploratory study of media freedom in Southeast Asia, centring on the voices of independent media workers in the region.
PODCASTS >
The Power of Quasa
Producer and Presenter Thum Ping Tjin PJ Thum talks to Irie and Muhammad, two founders of Quasa, a peer support and community network for queer Muslims in Singapore. They talk about Quasa, what it does, why it’s needed, and what they want to achieve. They also discuss the lives of queer Muslims, what they want,…
VIDEOS >
The Women Tree Planters of Sukau
Since 2008, women from Sabah’s Sukau Village have planted trees to connect forest fragments and preserve the area’s biodiversity. COVID-19 stopped their work for months, resulting in the deaths of many newly planted trees. Now, they have returned to the forest.
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