PODCAST · government
The Simon Says Podcast
by Simon Yeo
“Simon Says” is a deep dive into the topsy-turvy world of Malaysian politics and why it matters. Follow host Simon Yeo as he gives his perspectives and decodes current political and government news for you.If you have ever wondered about some of the following, this show is for you!“Why does boring history matter to politics?”“What’s Malaysia’s future going to be like? Should I even start a family?”“How can I tell if what the media is telling me is true or not?”“How can we, the people, get more involved?”
Episodes
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Is Latin America Turning Right? (Ep.153)
As Brazil heads into run-off presidential election, we talked about Brazil election in the sense of conservative rebound. Is there a shift worldwide on people gravitating to reform because of perceived or actual injustice? In the midst of the shift, how do Malaysians perceive the conditional...
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What Will Become of Malaysia? (Part 2) (Ep.152)
As the nation celebrated 59th independence just more than 1 month ago, we explored the topics concerning Reid Commission, affirmative action that have been around since the founding of the nation. Even more so now when the nation is divided over the former PM's conditional pardon, it is…
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What Will Become of Malaysia? (Part 1) (Ep.151)
As the nation celebrated 59th independence just more than 1 month ago, we explored the topics concerning Reid Commission, affirmative action that have been around since the founding of the nation. Even more so now when the nation is divided over the former PM's conditional pardon, it is…
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Is our dream of multicultural society on the verge of collapse? (Ep.150)
In this episode, we discussed few key questions in our pursuit of rainbow nation: 1. What went wrong with PH? 2. What is the key message from the voters really? 3. What does the future hold for a multicultural Malaysia?
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False Narrative of MA63 (Ep.149)
In a pretty recent episode 207 of ‘Keluar Sekejap’ podcast, KJ and Shahril invited an amateur law professor in the studies of MA63 to discuss on the highly specialised and contentious topic of MA63. Following that, Senator Robert Lau has rebutted the factual and constitutional errors. In this...
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SCOTUS lets State ban trans athletes (Ep.148)
The Supreme Court ruled on 30 June 2026 that states can exclude transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports teams. It was a decision that even many homosexuals celebrated due to the inherent athletic advantage that trans athletes have over girls and women.
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SCOTUS strikes down Trump's order ending birthright citizenship (Ep.147)
Trump issued the executive order at the onset of his second term which provided that babies who are born in the United States to parents who are in this country either illegally or temporarily are not automatically entitled to citizenship. In the SCOTUS decision ruled on 30 June 2026, the Supreme...
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USA 250th Birthday Celebration (EP146)
During USA semiquincentennial celebration, President Trump delivered one of the most powerful and focused speeches of his two presidencies, evoking "American exceptionalism" and warning against the dark forces that seek to destroy it. In this episode, we discuss the uniqueness of USA government...
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Johor State Election 2026 - Madani Government Confidence (Ep.145)
Johor Menteri Besar (MB) Onn Hafiz Ghazi dissolved the state assembly one year ahead of schedule, paving the way for Johor state election that will be held in the next weekend. With the Barisan Nasional coalition’s flagship party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), having deep roots…
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Starmer Resigns and Its Parallel to Malaysia (Ep.144)
With Starmer quitting as Labour leader, thus paving way for contest for new prime minister, would this be a lesson for Malaysians when the voters allow disappointment to turn into disengagement and nation in decline?
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Is UMNO feeling bullish for Johor state election? (Ep.143)
With 11 July 2026 set by Election Commission as the polling date for Johor, political pundit Bridget Welsh commented that Johor polls set the tone for competitive election season. With UMNO feeling bullish about defending its state administration, are we seeing a rallying of old powers gearing up...
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Petrol Subsidy Cut and the Stigma with Tax the Rich (Ep.142)
While the former Malaysia Economy Minister has pulled a stunt with formation of his new party “Kancil Party” in an attempt to portray an image of weakened Madani government, the uncertainty surrounding petrol subsidy cut has plagued the hearts of many “T20s”. As Malaysia draws nigh to election...
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Possible Malaysia Election Cycle with New Party Formation (Ep.141)
We have heard rumours of new party formation and now our Malaysian eyes have seen it. What will become of Malaysia? Tune in to the discussion and find out if you’re keen on nation watch.
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Will Malaysia Choose Right in War Time? (Ep.139)
Even in the midst of withdrawal of accreditation of Iran’s ambassador by foreign ministry of Lebanon with Tehran’s violation of diplomatic norms and established practices, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibraham has shown continual support in the name of Iran’s right to defend its sovereignty,...
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The Establishment’s Wishful Thinking on Trade (Ep.138)
Following a ruling by the US Supreme Court on 20th February 2026 that struck down the Trump’s presidential authority on impose duties on virtually every country, Malaysia’s former investment, trade and industry minister, Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, has stated that Malaysia is no longer tied to the...
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Anti-Colonialism & Affirmative Action (Ep.137)
Just earlier this February, dumpy woke pop star Billie Eilish was applauded by woke leftists when she went on a tirade during Grammy Awards, claiming “No one is illegal on stolen land.” In this episode, we discussed the rise of anti-colonialism especially prevalent in the people group who firmly...
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America Only or America First? (Ep.136)
Few years ago, former President George W. Bush once claimed, “An isolationist United States is destabilizing around the world.” That statement came from a stance of refusing to denounce the far-left policies of Obama, seemingly attack the Trump’s administration focus on enforcement of immigration...
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Is America headed to become a Gestapo? (Ep.135)
Joe Rogan, in his podcast, claimed “ICE are villains” after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICE agitator Renee Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In this episode, we discussed the topics concerning even gen alpha right now if border control is a good thing for a nation.
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What would be a workable compromise for Malaysia? (Ep.134)
Professor Tajuddin Rosdi gave an opinon piece in FMT in Dec 2025 titled "Get ready for an Umno-PAS-GPS-GRS govt" where some people have accussed him of sowing fear so people will continue to support PH. In this episode, we discussed the lack of workable consensus on what is a desirable future as…
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Sabah Election - The Danger of Self-Determination (Ep.133)
In state election held in Sabah last November 2025, it was evident that voters in Sabah rejected national parties, in a stinging rebuke to decades of neglect by the federal government. We see the rise of Sabah nationalism, but was the core message one that speaks volume to acceptance of…
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Mamdani brands big-government stances as "affordability" solutions (Ep.132)
In the recent New York mayoral election, we see Mamdani’s message of affordability, one that resonates and represents the rights and dignity of working people, has been branded by the Democrats to be a powerful one. Are we seeing the similar trends of voter’s concern in Sabah election? Will urban...
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Do We Really Have to Choose between America First or MAGA Doctrine? (Ep.131)
President Trump once responded to commentary from Tucker Carlson by saying, "The one thing Washington cannot forgive is that I put America first — always put America first. I could never help it. I have to do that in order to make America great again. I reject their foolish and disastrous foreign...
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How did Anwar turn Trump’s State Visit into Diplomatic Advantage for Malaysia? (Ep.130)
In the recent Trump’s state visit to Malaysia, there were many critics who liked and disliked the posturing that PMX showed. Some fancy Trump, and some just don’t. Nonetheless, the shift in PMX from continual focus on international crises to local matters such as affordability in every day lives…
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Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord witnessed by Trump and Anwar (Ep.129)
With Cambodia-Thailand Peace Pact signed in Malaysia, Trump declares this to be a momentous day for South East Asia. In Trump’s speech - “I would also like to thank Anwar. I called him right at the beginning and said, ‘You have two countries fighting right next to you. We need a third place, a...
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Is Malaysia headed towards Isolationist Policies? (Ep.128)
It has been 1 month plus since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who is well known even among ordinary people in Malaysia. Some people said he was killed because of his Christian faith, but we believe he’s killed for his discussion of ideas. Domestically, the issues remain the same - religion,...
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White House sets Malaysia’s tariff rate at 19% (Ep.127)
In a brilliant article by John Carney of Breitbart titled “Putting a Price on Admission to America’s Market”, we discussed in this episode as to how did we, Malaysian government, get from "I am not going to pay a single payment of tariff" to "thank you very much, 19% tariff is an excellent deal.”...
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Season of Navigating Tariff for Malaysia (Ep.126)
As Malaysia struck a deal at the eleventh hour with the Trump administration, we discussed in this episode what might have been the ideal tariff deals for Malaysia, especially when our Prime Minister has been recently labelled as “cukaiman” (aka tax man) with the introduction of sales and service...
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Can Clerical Leadership Really Take Malaysia to Greater Heights? (Ep.125)
In Zaid Ibrahim’s facebook post, he said, “Guided by its Council of Guardians - religious scholars with deep ideological conviction - Iran not only survived but asserted its independence despite decades of war and crippling sanctions from global superpowers.” In this episode, we explored Nurul...
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Expanded SST - Is Support for PMX Waning? (Ep.124)
Framed as part of the Madani Government’s broader fiscal reform efforts, Malaysians have been thrusted into the supposed reform that are in fact patchwork fix for underlying ever expanding government expenditure. More and more, the Madani tax is looking like Mamdani tax that is aimed to...
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Nations Realignment through Trump’s Middle East Visit (Ep.123)
Nations Realignment through Trump’s Middle East Visit (Ep.123) In the recent visit to Middle East, Trump called out “Nation-building Neo-Cons” and liberal “Non-Profit” who had betrayed the ordinary people in the nation; and it was apparent that from the visit, Trump’s main focus remains to be...
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PKR Central Election - Rafizi or Nurul Izzah vying for 2nd highest position? (Ep.122)
Rafizi recently made a statement - "If Nurul Izzah loses, people would say Anwar has been rejected by his own party. So what choice do you have here?" In this episode, we explore the significance of this party election that may impact the general election.
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Departure from a Globalist Era? (Ep.121)
Malaysia’s halal import restrictions and requirements for bumiputera equity in foreign-owned companies have been flagged by the United States as non-tariff barriers, which is viewed as a lack of reciprocity in the bilateral trade relationships between the two nations. In this episode, we explored...
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Desperate China on ASEAN Tour to Rally Support Against US Tariff (Ep.120)
A master class in negotiation, Trump recognised a reality and perhaps predicted Beijing's belligerent approach to Trump's call for fairness in trade deals. In this episode, we discussed the recent trip that President Xi has made to Malaysia, and if Malaysia would remain neutral in trade deals…
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Desperate China on an ASEAN tour to Jointly Resist Unilateral Bullying of Trump Tariffs (Ep.119)
Since the Liberation Day on 2 April, the world has been thrust into introspection of the unfair “free trade policies”, which is seemingly “without economic sense” as American Enterprise Institute bluntly declared. Ahead of the scheduled visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Malaysia on 15…
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Affirmative Action & Preferential Policies in Malaysia (Ep.118)
In this episode, we have a guest speaker, Ch’ng Xin Ying, with whom we discussed the nuanced assertions and counter-assertions on group preferences and quotas. Innumerable principles have been used to justify affirmative action programs, but are we able to hope for a better alternative to...
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Turning Point for DAP? (Ep.117)
The recent CEC election results have signaled a generational change with the rise of new crop of party leaders. In this episode, we discussed with our guest speaker, David Tiang, on the directional shift within DAP that would be more palatable to the voters before the next general election.
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DAP CEC Election (Ep.116)
Ahead of the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) Election on 16 March, we have two special guests on this show as we discussed the key question surrounding the election as posed by Professor James Chin. “Will the Lim family remain a dominant force or will a new leadership emerge?”
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Anwar’s ASEAN Summit off to Bumpy Start? (Ep.115)
Many critics have equated Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship to a disappointing start, with possibility of supposed “neutrality” in ASEAN-US relations risks Trump’s ire as Anwar cosies up to Gulf nations and China. In this episode, we also discuss Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar’s passive-aggressive...
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Associated Press claimed Elon’s DOGE less efficient at it reported (Ep.114)
With the federal protest on 19 February 2025 against Elon Musk’s “takeover” of public service jobs, we explore the dreaded topic by Malaysian politicians of waste and civil service inefficiency. While several political analysts have alluded to the idea of DOGE, will there come a time when...
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New Paradigm in World Affairs? (Ep.113)
Barely 3 weeks into the new American administration, President Donald J. Trump continues to attract and commands the attention of the world. It is not a hyperbole to suggest that every word, official decree issued by Trump (and of course his administration) commanded the attention of the world....
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Trump: Winning is What Matters (Ep.112)
In his inaugural address, the 47th President of United States of America proclaims ‘The Golden Age of America Begins Right Now’. In line with the historic start to President Donald Trump’s second term, the President signed more executive orders on his first day in office than any president in...
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2024 Recap: A Year of Establishment Crumbling (Ep.111)
While 2024 was a year many conservative values were upheld, from Labours voters flock to Farage’s Reform Party over mass migration, to Trump’s impressive political comeback, we see in Malaysia, Christian MP was being persecuted on grounds of national security for a book on her faith journey that...
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2024 Global Events in a Nutshell (Ep. 110)
As we come to a close of the chapter for 2024, we look at few significant events that took place, from Zelensky’s benefit from domestic corruption and geopolitical conflict with Russia for close to 3 years now, to UK election. Tune in for more on our continual discussion for self determination,...
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The Tension between Media Freedom and Control (Ep.109)
The return to power of Donald Trump has news executive nervous, particularly with the recent ABC’s settlement of a defamation lawsuit brought by the President-elect over an inaccurate statement made by George Stephanopoulos. At home, in Malaysia, Communication Multimedia Act (CMA) has been…
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Trump Jokes about Taking Over Canada (Ep.108)
Trudeau visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida after Trump threatened to slap a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico unless they cooperated in protecting the U.S. border from illegal migration and fentanyl. While back at home in Malaysia, we see a huge contrast on the response...
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Media Meltdown - Logan Paul’s Epic Troll of Far-Left BBC (Ep.107)
Since Trump’s landslide victory, we have seen that many of the once respected corporate media being revealed of its true colours, i.e., “having its unearned influence through a phony front of respectability and professionalism” as described by John Nolte. Paul Logan’s troll on BBC by sending a...
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Leftist Meltdown with Trump’s Victory in Pop Culture (Ep.106)
Veteran journalist Bob Woodward said on MSNBC’s “Inside” after Trump’s re-election as the incoming 47th President of United States that Trump was “giving his middle finger to the American people” with his cabinet picks. In this episode, we discuss the various reactions from world leaders...
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Which America will turn out on November 5? (Ep.105)
As both presidential candidate laid out their closing campaign message on Monday, the voters will answer Ben Franklin’s famous demand of the American people: “A republic, if you can keep it.” in the ballot boxes this November 5th. Nate Silver famously titled his article, “There’s more herding in...
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The Most Beautiful Word in the Dictionary Is Tariff (Ep.104)
In days leading up to U.S. Election 2024, more and more Vice President Kamala Harris has backed out from opportunities to discuss economy policies at length, first with Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait and Joe Rogan. Trump on the other hand garnered a staggering 34 million views in two...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
“Simon Says” is a deep dive into the topsy-turvy world of Malaysian politics and why it matters. Follow host Simon Yeo as he gives his perspectives and decodes current political and government news for you.If you have ever wondered about some of the following, this show is for you!“Why does boring history matter to politics?”“What’s Malaysia’s future going to be like? Should I even start a family?”“How can I tell if what the media is telling me is true or not?”“How can we, the people, get more involved?”
HOSTED BY
Simon Yeo
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Simon Says Podcast have?
The Simon Says Podcast currently has 157 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Simon Says Podcast about?
“Simon Says” is a deep dive into the topsy-turvy world of Malaysian politics and why it matters. Follow host Simon Yeo as he gives his perspectives and decodes current political and government news for you.If you have ever wondered about some of the following, this show is for you!“Why does boring...
How often does The Simon Says Podcast release new episodes?
The Simon Says Podcast publishes regularly with 157 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Simon Says Podcast?
You can listen to The Simon Says Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Simon Says Podcast?
The Simon Says Podcast is created and hosted by Simon Yeo.
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