Water, Power, and Labour: A Conversation with Charles Santiago

Charles Santiago is a human rights activist, a member of the DAP, former MP for Klang, and a two-time chairman of Malaysia’s National Water Services Commission (SPAN). He first held the SPAN chairmanship from November 2018 until his removal in April 2020 (after Langkah Sheraton), and was reappointed in March 2023, serving until March 2025. Beyond these roles, Santiago serves as the co-chair of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), where he has been a vocal advocate against systemic labour exploitation and debt bondage in the region, among other issues. In this episode, we speak to Charles Santiago about his tenure at SPAN, the politics of water and labour rights violations in the region. Image Credit: Charles Santiago, SPANSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.