Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim starts his overseas trips with a visit to Indonesia to further strengthen ties. The prime minister will soon appoint an envoy to Jakarta after the post has been left vacant for nearly two years.

No government can function well without a clear understanding of the role of the civil service. And public servants, sometimes mistreated by politicians, deserve some recognition.

TAN SRI Rafidah Aziz makes no apologies for being a fierce person and a slave driver as some people would describe her. If you are on the receiving end, you will just have to bear with it. But behind that steely persona, Rafidah is a very warm person.

CALL it nervousness or excitement, but even a seasoned politician like Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim must have felt overwhelmed by the atmosphere in the Balairong Seri at Istana Negara under the watchful gaze of Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’aya-tuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.

TWO important summits are taking place back to back in the region this week: the Asean summit in Phnom Penh and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) in Bangkok. Malaysia is a member of these two groupings.

More importantly, will this issue of sovereignty resonate with voters?

The public has the right to know if the government’s move to review the judgement that handed Batu Puteh to Singapore is helpful for Malaysia to reclaim its sovereignty after a 10-year lapse.

THE United Nations General Assembly (Unga) in New York City is an annual gathering of world leaders held every September.

Malaysian envoys have been described as the country’s frontliners abroad – but is their wellbeing being looked after?

Any words uttered by the Prime Minister, including on foreign issues, must be carefully crafted or they risk being misunderstood by domestic and global audiences.

The intense tension between China and the US is unlikely to ease any time soon.

AND just like that, Myanmar executed four activists, an act which the ruling military described as justice for the people. These executions were the first in Myanmar in over thirty years.