Virtual Civil Society: Malaysiaas 2008 General Elections Revisited

This article revisits the 2008 general elections in Malaysia to examine how the internet contributed to the remarkable political change never experienced in the history of this country The ruling coalition Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority seats it had enjoyed since 1969 while the opposition that ardently utilized the blessings of the internet in the run up to the elections returned to full political limelight The literature examined provides significant leads to the different political scenarios that herald increased internet usage among concerned citizens which we were able to justify against the political reality in Malaysia However through a close study and analysis of Malaysia s political terrain prior to the 2008 general elections we observed that numerous controversial issues and events that engulfed the ruling coalition government which were effectively divulged and most often deliberated upon via the internet infuriated many enfranchised Malaysians hence provided the opposition and civil society activists with tremendous leverage in amassing public support against the ruling coalition This observation leads the article to contend that the degree of contestations contained in a political system and the intensity of information fed unto the internet and regenerated determines the role of the internet as a powerful bridge to political chang

Socio-demographic factors and structural barrier in accessing public clinics among the urban poor in Malaysia

One of the dimensions of multidimensional poverty as well as quality of life is access to healthcare services. Lower income households are often associated with poorer health conditions, making accessibility to healthcare even more important. Nonetheless, in accessing healthcare services, this group of households often faces more significant personal, financial and structural barriers compared to families from higher income groups. This study focuses on structural barrier from socio-demographic factors that affects access to public clinics among the urban poor. The respondents of this study were residents of Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) in Kuala Lumpur. Questionnaires were distributed to 585 respondents selected systematically from 30 PPRs. The results from the regression estimates that urban poor who are married, divorced, the spouse has passed away with monthly income less than RM 1000 are facing higher structural barrier in accessing the public clinics. Government is suggested to increase the operation hour of the public clinics as well as making effort to set up mobile kiosk clinic for urban poor live far and cannot reach the public clinics in their areas

Muslim women’s marriage, pregnancy, abortion and spacing of children: Evidence from the United States, Iran and Malaysia

Background: This study investigates the decisions on marriage, pregnancy, abortion and spacing of children among Muslim women (MW) residing in the United States, Iran and Malaysia to explore the occurrences as well as socio-demographic characteristics associated with the likelihood of making an independent decision regarding sexual and reproductive health rights. Methods: A total of 1140 MW in Washington, D.C. (the United States), Tehran (Iran) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) participated in this study, and the number of respondents were equally distributed across the three cities. To examine the occurrences of sexual and reproductive rights violation, we report the descriptive statistics from the responses given by MW in these cities. Results: On the decision to solemnize marriage, 84.5 per cent of MW in Malaysia reported that the marriage decision is made jointly with their husbands, but this figure stands at only 30 per cent in Iran and 47.9 per cent in the United States. More than 80 per cent and 72 per cent of MW in Malaysia and Iran, respectively, make decisions on pregnancy, abortion and spacing of children jointly with their husbands. Conclusions: Policymakers should promote jointly made (made by wife and husband together) decisions among Muslims, which accords with Islamic teachings and is considered as good practice among Muslims

Transport policy in the Klang Valley, Malaysia: the sustainability agenda

There are many definitions of sustainable transport system, but generally it takes into account the three elements of sustainable development: the economy, the environment and the social well-being when deciding on policy that is affecting transportation activity. This paper examines the urban transport policy and its implications on sustainable transport agenda in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. The research utilizes a combination of primary and secondary data. Interview was employed to gather the primary data, while scholarly works, government documents and archival records are the instruments used for gathering the secondary data. The findings shed light on the implications of transport policy on sustainable transport agenda in the Klang Valley. The main challenge seems to be the lack of holistic measures in tackling transport issues that are in conflict with the objectives of sustainable transport. This main factor stems from a combination of several other issues such as decision-making based on short-term result that are mostly driven by economically viable alternatives and the lack of understanding on the real meaning of sustainable transport. These scenario inadvertently influence development processes and threaten the implementation of sustainable transport agenda

Demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with access to public clinics

Introduction: Providing adequate and equal access to healthcare is a key goal towards achieving universal health coverage. However, social and demographic inequalities in accessing health care services exist in both developed and developing countries. This study examined the demographic and socio-economic factors associated with the lack of access to public clinics in the Greater Kuala Lumpur area. Materials and Methods: The study employed a survey involving 1032 participants. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires distributed between October and December 2015 in the Greater Kuala Lumpur area. Results: Of the 1032 participants, 535 were public clinic users. A quarter (25.8%) of the users stated that they did not have access to public clinics in their residential area. A multiple logistic analysis showed that the elderly, the women, those from ethnic minority groups, those of lower family income, and the private sector workers were more likely not to have access to public clinics than their counterparts. Conclusions: The existing level of accessibility to public clinics could be improved by increasing the number of clinics. Clinics should be established to focus more on reaching the elderly, the women, the ethnic minority groups, the poorer families, and the private sector employees

Housing and transport in Malaysia: a fundamental combination in determining affordability

Malaysia is undergoing significant changes through rapid economic development. Growing urban population led to challenges confronting the housing and transportation sectors, affecting affordability. Objectives: This literature review on housing and transport was conducted to explore Malaysia’s housing and transport affordability issues. This study also provides an overview of housing policies in relation to housing and transport affordability. Results: Increased urban population; housing/transportation connectivity; affordable-accessible housing; and housing price/income mismatch were identified as key challenges of Malaysia’s housing and transport affordability. Integrating housing location and public transport networks not only improves regional accessibility, but also reduces traffic congestion and rejuvenates neighborhoods. Conclusion: A new or improved sustainable public transport system can ultimately boost the growth of the local and regional economy

Sexual and reproductive health rights: comparing ethnic groups in Malaysia

Power works differently in different society. The norms in the cultural setting show that men play dominant and highly influential role particularly in family decision making. Although the issue of decision making in the family is crucial, the studies on this subject remain limited, particularly in Malaysia. Studies in developing countries indicated that power is perceived as control over one's partner and the ability to make decisions. Objectives: This paper explores the decision making power over women‟s sexual and reproductive health rights in Malaysia using the person who influence the decision making process as the proxy. Results: Based on the findings, generally there is not much difference between races in terms of decision making on sexual and reproductive health rights in Malaysia. Conclusion: In terms of societal settings, this study has shown that Malaysian women with the moderate societal setting, have equal right in decision making towards sexual and reproductive health issues

Factors Associated with Health Care Professionals’ Attitude Toward the Presumed Consent System

Objectives: This paper explores health care pro - fessionals’ potential attitude toward organ donation if the presumed consent system were to be im - plemented in Malaysia, as well as factors associated with this attitude. Materials and Methods: We used self-administered questionnaires to investigate the attitude of 382 health care professionals from the University of Malaya Medical Center between January and February 2014. The responses were analyzed using logistic regression. Results: Of the 382 respondents, 175 (45.8%) stated that they would officially object to organ donation if the presumed consent system were to be imple - mented, whereas the remaining 207 (54.2%) stated that they would not object. The logistic regression showed that health care professionals from the Malay ethnic group were more likely to object than those from Chinese (adjusted odds ratio of 0.342; P =.001) and Indian and other (adjusted odds ratio of 0.341; P =.003) ethnic groups. Health care professionals earning 3000 Malaysian Ringgit or below were more likely to object than those earning above 3000 Malaysian Ringgit (adjusted odds ratio of 1.919; P =.006). Moreover, respondents who were initially unwilling to donate organs, regardless of the donation system, were more likely to object under the presumed consent system than those who were initially willing to donate (adjusted odds ratio of 2.765; P <.001). Conclusions: Health care professionals in Malaysia have a relatively negative attitude toward the presumed consent system, which does not encourage the implementation of this system in the country at present. To pave the way for a successful implementation of the presumed consent system, efforts should be initiated to enhance the attitude of health care professionals toward this system. In particular, these efforts should at most target the health care professionals who are Malay, earn a low income, and have a negative default attitude toward deceased donation. © Başkent University 2019

The state of sexual and reproductive health rights in developing countries: a qualitative review

Objective: To review surveys on sexual and reproductive health rights. The main focus of the review is examining the issues on sexual and reproductive health rights such as family planning, unsafe abortion and role of men as to gain insights on how women are affected by these circumstances. Methods: A qualitative systematic review methodology was carried out by means of thematic synthesis. The scholarly works were searched using databases such as EBSCOhost, Emerald and Web of Science. Results: 18 scholarly works employing survey method involving 18 countries were selected for the review with a total of 184,383 respondents. Conclusion: Women's level of education need to be increased since it can be the most effective platform to advance the acceptance of family planning and increase the demand for planning services. In spite of focusing on sexual and reproductive health rights exclusively on women, a policy on male contraceptive and the right method of information delivery targeting men seems to be necessary