A CLOSE friend, Kevin Christopher, a prominent analyst with an investment firm in Kuala Lumpur, recently posted a question in a WhatsApp group chat.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, said that 39 Members of Parliament had switched sides since the 14th General Election. This translates into roughly 20% of MPs defecting, which does not augur well for our democracy.

OVER a year ago, Gerakan joined Perikatan Nasional as the fifth component party after Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, PAS, Sabah People’s Progressive Party, better known as SAPP, and Sabah STAR.

IN the latest edition of the Economist Magazine, there is a dedicated article on the political resurgence of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. The author attributes this resurgence to the failure of the political forces that oppose Najib to come together and find a common purpose.

ONE of my earliest recollections of war was Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1991. I recall it because whenever I would quarrel with my elder sister, my mother would refer to my sister as Iraq as she was older, myself as Kuwait and herself as America – the one attempting to make peace.

People opposed to vaccines do not like to be called anti-vaxxers. They find it a pejorative term, and rightly so. It is not meant to uplift but a reflection of misinformation and deception.

It has been some months since my last column. I took some time off to reflect and digest what has happened to our country over the past few months. My only hope is that next year will be better than the last two years for all of us.

IN the early hours of Thursday (July 8), Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi delivered what some have billed as a scorching address against the Perikatan Nasional government led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

TO say that the last three years have been topsy-turvy is an understatement.

AMERICAN author, Stephen Kinzer stated that “alliances and partnerships produce stability when they reflect realities and interests.”

Malaysia's usually polarised political discourse has been even more polarised since the release of former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas' memoirs.

A little over a year ago, we were confronted by a rising political temperature and rumours of a national political equation change. As this happened, many of us were equally concerned over a virus emerging from Wuhan in China.