YAM TUNKU ’ABIDIN MUHRIZ

The Negeri Sembilan prince and founding president of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) on writing and his latest book Roaming Beyond The Fence, compilation of his newspaper articles. Tunku Abdul Rahman. I am particularly inspired by him because he was a writer himself; he wrote in The Star every week. On censorhip? Well, the self-censorship practised by media professionals here is insidious because it defeats a profession that should be pushing boundaries. We should be fighting for more freedom. Being What sparked your first article? It was during the 2008 elections and I had just come back from the US. Before that I was working in the British parliament, and I just wanted to share what I had observed in the UK elections. Writing influences? I’m not a politician; I’m not trying to propose legislation. What I’m trying to do is to promote discourse. I think that’s the first step, to ensure that issues which might have been deemed sensitive can be discussed and translated into policies by political parties. I think that’s the end game. Some feel that you lack a certain understanding due

a cowed in an atmosphere where you feel that you can’t do public things for fear of some sort of sanction is not healthy. How would you counter the sceptics who question the feasibility of certain ideas in your book? to the huge lifestyle difference between you and the