From Baling to ‘baling’: The irony of Malaysian politics that PMX should be mindful — Phar Kim Beng

A century ago, Malaysian politics found itself in Baling, Kedah. Baling is more than an ordinary constituency in northern Peninsular Malaysia; it is a significant symbol of some of the most pivotal episodes in Malaysian political history. It is also an ironic metaphor for contemporary politics. In Malay, baling means to throw or hurl — and Malaysia has figuratively gone from Baling to baling.

Where once it represented efforts to establish political order, it now signifies a political culture where accusations, grievances, identities, and economic frustrations are constantly thrown at one another.