The Simon Says Podcast

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 for General Election?

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.

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, “particularly in the face of continued Israeli strikes in the country and in Lebanon”.In this episode, we explore Malaysia’s position in this war from the perspective of undealt trauma from anti-colonial and anti-west mindset. Our hope is for Malaysia to navigate unpolitically correct as she sees the rise of pre-1979 Lion and Sun Flag.

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 embraces affirmative action, and what sort of Malaysia would we like to have, even as US is facing

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.

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 corruption so long Sabah first? Find out more in this episode.

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 wars, their horrific globalist trade deals, their open border catastrophes, their corruption of our intelligence system, and it’s never been more corrupt. And all of the other betrayals of the American people.”With the brewing spat within conservation movement in the US, are people having to come to terms with totally no foreign intervention where the slogan is MAGA?

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 neutral place,' and he was there.” Does this mark the beginning of a golden age for Malaysia - a neutral nation advocating and facilitating peace?

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.” Tune in to find out more.Article credit: https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2025/07/29/breitbart-business-digest-putting-a-price-on-admission-to-americas-markets/

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 Izzah’s brave opinion where it is said that scholars have no influence in Malaysia; only religious bureaucrats. Will Malaysia be able to navigate through the “moderate” and less religious way of expressing freedom in this season where it is said that Malaysia’s halal certification is even more stringent than that of Saudi Arabia, an emblem of Islamic nation?

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 putting America first.In that visit, it came as a surprise to many when Trump was greeted with warm standing ovation when he told investors in Saudi Arabia that he was lifting sanctions off of Syria and opened the gates to Arab investment in Syria. At such important transition times for many nations, Malaysia included, how would the nations chart their way forward? Would it be like European Nation that is making non-committal negotiations to resolve trade deficits with the US or would other nations follow the pathway of the United Kingdom to strike the favourable deal for both nations?

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 various topics, such as “Will the conclave elect a Pope that is different from the late Pope Francis who placed a heavy focus on social justice issues?” and “Will Malaysia, particularly under the leadership of PMX, choose right instead of the continual hold onto decades-old ineffective bumiputera policy?”