Editor’s Note
by by Siu Tzyy Wei, Lead Editor - Maritime Crescent Desk
Across the Maritime Crescent, the question of who belongs is rarely asked out loud.
In Malaysia, it lives in the algorithm that finds the disillusioned before anyone else does. In Indonesia, it places itself at the gates of a run club that was never meant for the people living just outside of it. In Brunei, financial literacy lies at the expense of social acceptance.
The region is developing faster than its social contracts can keep up with. The gaps that open in that acceleration are never neutral - they serve some, while leaving others standing at the door.
This week’s issue is for the uninvited.
Malaysia 🇲🇾
Wolves in the Server
by Sydney Gan, in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia’s Ministry of Defence is eyeing the formation of a new Cyber Force dedicated to preventing cyberthreats, including online extremist recruitment. Although radicalization is not a new nor novel problem in Malaysia, it has only intensified since the introduction of online platforms. Out of the numerous 2024 terrorism-related arrests in Malaysia, 54% were recorded to be involved in supporting Islamic State (ISIS) members through social media and messaging applications, with Facebook being the hotspot for such recruitment, and Telegram, TikTok, and Instagram close behind. Radical online communities are now emerging even in dedicated children’s gaming spaces, such as Minecraft and Roblox.
The most significant risk lies within the online communications features available in both gaming and social media platforms, which have mutually exacerbated the threat of radicalization and extremist recruitment in each other’s digital communities. For example, with communications more difficult to monitor in gaming servers, hostile actors are given the opportunity to ‘platform-hop’ with their victim to an even more remote, encrypted second digital location. This provides the perpetrator free rein to exploit and influence as they please. Vice versa, social media sentiment and its cultivation of incel culture are also shaping online gameplay, fostering an enabling environment for radical perpetrators to take advantage of vulnerable victims with weak identity controls.
Policy-wise, Malaysia is taking great strides to address this problem - most notably in the under-16 social media ban enforced in June 2026. The introduction of the Online Safety Act 2025, as well as the Cybercrimes Bill 2026, clearly indicates regulatory appetite to curb online harms, with punitive measures in place to incentivize strengthened safety features in online platforms. However, a much broader approach should be taken to digital safety, focused not only on prohibition, but also on instating long-term changes to ensure digital citizens are insulated from the ever-evolving risks posed by fast-developing online platforms.
This calls for a child-centered solution, putting the onus of safety-by-design onto digital platforms to ensure children’s interests are prioritized from the conception of their digital function. UNICEF Malaysia points out that this child-first approach must also be adopted by regulators when considering the drafting of online protection and artificial intelligence legislation, and that children risk getting left behind in the rapid advancement of technology if their well-being is not being formally safeguarded. As an investment in digital safety, cybergroups are also urging the government to complement the implementation of online safety regulation with comprehensive digital education for children and parents, equipping users with a holistic understanding of online risks so as to avoid threats to radicalization and further harms.
As cyberthreats continue to evolve and hostile actors grow increasingly evasive, regulations and parental safeguards are the last bastions of protection for children’s online wellbeing. Suggestions of complete social media or platform bans for underage users are an unenforceable reality - governments must pivot to build digital literacy from the ground up to ensure a more intuitive and thoughtful cyberspace for all, including children, to occupy.
Sydney holds a Bachelor of Laws from King’s College London, where she focused on Human Rights Law, Criminology, and Public & Administrative Law. She is an Analyst at Asia Group Advisors, providing policy analysis and strategic guidance across the tech, sustainability, and gaming sectors in Southeast Asia. Prior to joining AGA, she worked in the social development sector in London, contributing to the Ukraine Judicial Training Programme through research on war crimes adjudication and the development of a legal training curriculum with high court magistrates.
Indonesia 🇮🇩
Not Your Doormat
by Muhammad Rayhansyah Jasin
Bali’s tourism industry was rocked by allegations of racial discrimination occurred by an international running club organized by two Dutch nationals in the Canggu region. A viral Thread post uploaded on July 20 detailed an incident of an Indonesian woman being denied entry to participate in a “Silent Disco” themed event by the so-called ‘Entourage Run’ club despite her German boyfriend’s request being approved.
The woman detailed that some Indonesians told her that they could join the event after they were admitted to the group chat; however she said that none of them had their phone numbers starting with the local Indonesian code of +62. Another Indonesian got her approval twice after being rejected by the same club yet she was still blocked off from joining the Whatsapp group chat. The instance gained wider attention when a Balinese senator with a major online presence, highlighted it on her posts and filed formal complaints to the immigration office.
Indonesia’s Immigration Director-General, Hendarsam Marantoko, acted swiftly calling that there should be “no state within a state” while imposing a re-entry ban to the two Dutch organizers who had fled to Singapore following the public backlash. Entourage then released an online statement on July 25 claiming that “there was bias which incorrectly rejected (some) numbers of +62” and hence erred the approval system for the Whatsapp groups and non-running events.
British social media influencer “Joshberlari’ stated that Entourage Bali is not a one-off incident as exclusive foreign-owned clubs have been operating freely on public roads and infrastructures for far too long. The Governor of Bali, I Wayan Koster, has since declared that there are no-longer any foreign clubs excluding Indonesians operating on the island with later findings of a so-called “Russian Village”, an exclusive residential community, to have ceased to exist. Koster later refuted the claim of exclusionary treatments against Indonesians with Entourage claiming that up to 25% of its participants were Indonesians. Koster also insisted that “the situation in Bali is good and conducive”, encouraging people to come and check the island themselves rather than relying on baseless social media rumors. He also stated that no running clubs are forbidden to operate so long they do not disturb local order and daily activities.
Foreigners living in Canggu and in other parts of Bali’s expatriate-dominated areas have long observed disrespectful customs such as driving motorcycles wearing inappropriate clothes–sometimes even going shirtless–possessing no driving license, and modifying engines to have loud noises. Many of these erratic behaviors go unpunished as local authorities have pushed for a “digital nomad” visa system to boost Bali’s growing economy. Such instances of discrimination fueled by racism and colorism have been plagueing the “Thousand Gods” island perpetrated not only by foreigners, but also locals prioritizing services for white tourists over domestic Indonesian visitors. An Indonesian tourist recalled an interaction where local street vendors belittled her interest in buying handmade crafts assuming that she would not be able to afford them.
Today, Indonesia’s household tourist destination still suffers from symptoms of mass tourism, making Bali’s local livelihoods more expensive and invasive to communal lands. The existence of exclusive foreign clubs only adds insult to Balinese already injured hospitality.
Rayhan is pursuing an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Public Policy at Central European University and the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals. He holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences in International Relations and Political Economy from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. His current research focuses on the socio-economic impacts of Indonesia’s nickel mining industry on local communities and national development.
Brunei Darussalam 🇧🇳
Informed, Yet Indebted
by Maryam Zulaidi
Roughly 30-40% of Bruneians exhibit inadequate financial literacy. The same research also found that Bruneians significantly need improvements in financial knowledge and behaviour through the Financial Literacy Index (FLI). Highlighting that Brunei averaged 66.5 on the FLI, the score remains insufficient for the 2023 OECD threshold of at least 70 points.
In 2021, it was reported that the National Financial Literacy Council aims to bridge the government sector and the private financial sector under a shared mandate. Educational roadshows are among the frameworks created to help foster literacy from as early as primary school. This simplifies complicated explanations, while showing institutional commitment to actively create change for the nation. However, awareness does not necessarily translate into the disposition to act on it.
Most citizens are aware that Brunei’s era of generous public benefits and subsidised living has receded. However, this awareness of a changing economy does not automatically produce changed habits. The information that data cannot accurately represent nor explain is that some will respond by maintaining a lifestyle that is no longer comfortably supported by their financial reality - a behavior familiar to Brunei. Conspicuous consumption is a response to social visibility; in a small society where reputation is revered, spending signals stability, whether or not it’s actually there. The advanced digital environment revolving around trends, instant gratification, and the incentive to spend ahead of one’s means only intensifies this phenomenon. It is social pressures and expectations that are doing much of the heavy lifting, a reality educational campaigns struggle to shift.
Furthermore, consequences compounding quietly are revolving credit card debt, loans, social costs extending to families. Banks flourish from this design while households remain in debt. Yet, as of March 2026, Brunei’s household debt stood at 15.5% of GDP, well below its peak of 19.4% in 2016. While figuratively low, statistics should be interpreted with caution. Brunei’s GDP is driven by oil and gas, making the debt ratio appear lower than it seems. The result also leaves out informal borrowing from family and friends, which the 2015 survey found was common. As a result, the headline number understates the financial pressure facing many households rather than showing that household debt is not a concern.
That being said, the literacy gap is narrowing, slowly, through sustained institutional effort. The lifestyle gap, however, is complicated because it depends on social norms that promote overspending. Closing this gap requires more effort than campaigns and roadshows - it requires changing what financial prudence means socially. The two challenges may look similar at first glance, but call for different solutions in practice.
Maryam is a first-year International Relations and Politics student at the University of Sheffield, with an academic focus on Southeast Asia—particularly Maritime Southeast Asia—and the Middle East. She aspires to a career in diplomacy and academia and is committed to fostering international dialogue and advancing scholarly engagement with global issues. Beyond her academic work, she pursues creative interests and voluntary initiatives that broaden her perspectives on public service.
Editorial Deadline 01/08/2026 11:59 PM (UTC +8)
