Talkback

Every festive season, Malaysian shopping malls roll out their decorations, but not every celebration gets the same treatment. Content creator Blake Yap has been grading how malls mark Deepavali through his Deco Mall Review series, and his scorecard has put the spotlight on questions of effort and representation. We speak to Blake and kolam artist Rupa Subramaniam about what they have noticed in pu...

Khairul Aming’s much hyped restaurant Rembayung in Kampung Baru has been struggling with booking system crashes and scalpers snapping up reservations, so this week it switched to a new reservation system with Grab Dine Out to fix the problem. Meanwhile, fans of Ming Chun’s Gepuklah continue to line up for hours to get a plate of ayam gepuk. It makes you wonder how much pull influencer backed food...

On Tuesday, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said she is open to looking at letting couples share maternity leave, after the idea was raised during the Budget 2027 debate in the Dewan Rakyat. Right now, mothers get 98 days of leave while fathers get just one week, and countries like Sweden and the UK already let parents split their time off in different ways...

A recent article from the BBC noted the streaming of current music was dwarfed by old music that was released at least a year ago. That got us thinking about hits on today’s charts that even date back to the 70s and 80s. We hear what listeners are enjoying these days and ask them: When it comes to music, do you listen to favourites or look for new tracks? Image Credit: Pexels See omnystudio.com/li...

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that he does not want civil servants to use Waze anymore due to the app's link to Israel and concerns surrounding security. He is urging Malaysians to switch to local app TuJu. Soon after that, many users reported issues with the app, most prominently the fact that the app sometimes just show a straight line navigation (which many joked would only...

Lee Zii Jia's recent court dispute with his family over his own company has settled, but the suit raises a question many people quietly wrestle with: if they would go into business with the people they grew up with. From siblings running coffee shops and spouses as co-founders to parents who worked side by side for decades, we ask out listeners: Would you go into business with your family? Image C...

Would you feel safer walking down a street lined with facial-recognition cameras every 50 metres, or would it just feel like being watched? That is the question hosts Lee Chwi Lynn and Susan Tam put to listeners on Talkback, after Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi floated expanding high-definition CCTV with facial recognition in crime hotspots, pointing to China's high-tech po...

With the slew of new technology hitting the market, like the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max having launched on September 9th, alongside Android rivals like the Google Pixel 11 and Samsung Galaxy S26 FE, we got to thinking about the reasons why some people upgrade and why some hold on to their old tech. So we ask our listeners: How old is your current phone? Are you someone who likes to upgrade their te...

Budget 2027 is just around the corner, and we thought it would be the perfect time to talk about what the government should prioritise that will actually benefit everyday Malaysians. So we ask our listeners: What do you want out of Budget 2027, what would actually make a difference to you? Image Credit: Pexels See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following Sepang's grand but one-off return to the Formula 1 calendar this past weekend, conversations have been brewing about the feasibility and possibility of Formula 1 returning to Malaysia for good despite its RM300 million cost. So we ask our listeners: Do you want F1 to return to Malaysia permanently? And, are there other major events you’d like Malaysia to host? Image Credit: EPA Images Se...

With air quality still unhealthy in parts of the Klang Valley and several events already cancelled over haze concerns. Major events like F1 in Sepang and the KL Marathon still continue, with the former getting a record number of ticket sales. From skipping runs and golf games to altering your daily commute, we ask how much the haze is actually changing your plans. Image Credit: EPA Images See omny...

The debate follows comments from UMNO's Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, who wants films and dramas depicting bullying to stop, arguing they could encourage copycat behaviour. He said this after the death of a Form Two student in Kuala Pilah allegedly assaulted by a senior. We open the lines to ask our listeners: Do artists, filmmakers and writers owe society a good moral message? Do we expect them t...

A US recruiter has gone viral on TikTok after saying job candidates shouldn’t bring iced coffee to an interview because it can make them look too casual. It’s sparked a bigger debate about workplace etiquette, so we want to know: what’s one workplace behaviour you would ban, and one you wish more people would do or bring back? Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Dato Seri Najib Razak has been granted a conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his SRC International sentence under house arrest until August 2028, once he pays a RM50 million fine. UMNO has raised almost RM1 million in their solidarity fund to help Najib out with this. So in this episode, we attempt to get a sense of how popular Najib remains among Malaysians, and get insights...

The Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia has opened a 45-day nationwide public consultation on its proposed gaming sub-code in order to set industry wide standards that developers can use to make their games safer. We speak to Mediha Mahmood and Syamil Abdul Samad from Content Forum Malaysia about why these guidelines are necessary and how they would look practically. We also as...

Singapore's Prime Minister will see his benchmark annual salary rise from S$2.2 million (US$1.7 million) to S$3.6 million, a jump of more than 60%, announced by PM Lawrence Wong himself in parliament. Even before the raise, the Singaporean prime minister’s paycheck was considered one of the highest among other country leaders. But this got us thinking about other jobs that might benefit from this...

The haze has worsened, with Sarawak's condition not improving and schools forced to shut down. We revisit a conversation we had with Dr Teckwyn Lim, environmental researcher, about why our haze problem has been going on for three decades. We also hear clips on the health side of things, from an interview with consultant respiratory physician, Dr Helmy Haja Mydin. Throughout, we ask our listeners:...

The controversy surrounding Madu Atau Racun , a Malay-language series alleged to involve same-sex relationships, has drawn reactions ranging from the Religious Affairs Minister to the public, with calls for the series to be pulled for going against religious teachings. With discussions about censorship in the air, we ask you: is censorship necessary? Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/l...

From a good ol' breakfast at the kopitiam before a trip to Genting Highlands to a late-night supper at the mamak after a local football game, everyone has their own definition of a perfect day as a Malaysian. So for today's Talkback Tuesday, we ask our listeners: If you could plan your ideal, quintessentially Malaysian day, what would it look like? Image Credit: Pexels, Suria KLCC ( Website ), Cen...

With Merdeka just around the corner, it is the time of year when we reflect on what brings us together as a nation, from our food and culture to our shared warmth and unity. So, as we prepare to celebrate another year of independence, we ask our listeners: What is your favourite thing about Malaysia, and what is your wish for the country? Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for...

As the government considers whether elements of GST could be integrated into the existing SST framework, questions remain over how a hybrid system would affect consumers and businesses. So for today’s Talkback Thursday, we speak with Thenesh Kannaa, Executive Director of TraTax, on the differences between GST and SST, the impact on the cost of living, and what an ideal tax system could look like....

As generative AI tools become the go-to shortcut for logos, taglines, and marketing campaigns, creatives warn that algorithm-driven branding harms artistic integrity and originality. But with businesses prioritising speed and cost-cutting, does the average consumer actually care if a design is AI-generated? So for today's Talkback Tuesday, we speak with Alexdrina Chong, artist, illustrator and cre...

Think RM1 million sets you up for life? Think again. The Star recently published an article highlighting that with double-digit medical inflation and longer lifespans, RM1 million today only feels like RM700,000 in past terms, and financial experts are pushing the target up to RM1.5 million. So for today's Talkback Thursday, we ask our listeners: Do you think you have enough to retire? How are you...

It’s been 50 years since a woman last raced in the Formula One world championship, with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali saying in 2024 that he didn’t expect to see a female driver on the grid within the next five years. This raises broader questions about gender representation in traditionally single-gender-dominated workplaces and how the gender makeup of a workplace can shape its culture. So for today...

Whether it's ghosting, being left on 'read', or passive-aggressive punctuation, digital communication comes with plenty of unwritten rules. In fact, there is even research that shows Gen Z often views a simple period at the end of a text as harsh or angry, while Gen Xers just see it as proper grammar. This got us thinking about other digital pet peeves people might have. So for today's Talkback Th...