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The debate on the new Independent Police Conduct Commission bill, or the IPCC, has been postponed to the next Dewan Rakyat session. The new IPCC bill replaces the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission bill -- that’s the old IPCMC bill that was tabled by the Pakatan Harapan government last year. Despite the debate being postponed, the new IPCC bill has already attracted criticism...

The Perikatan Nasional government had already said back in March that it had planned to recall the IPCMC Bill, so we knew it’s withdrawal was coming, and its replacement is the IPCC Bill. Bi-partisan consultations did take place during the Pakatan Harapan Administration but did any of the compromises make it into the Bill tabled yesterday. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Maria Chin Abdull...

What did the pandemic revealed about Malaysia's healthcare system and our capacity to manage infectious diseases? And what would be do to "build back better". Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician, Datuk Dr Christopher Lee who served as the Health Ministry’s Deputy Director General for Research & Technical Support, and also the National Advisor on In...

Like the HIV epidemic, Covid-19 brings to the fore issues around inequality, social justice and systemic racism. We ask what the biggest challenges the fight against HIV/AIDS faces in the next few years. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician, Datuk Dr Christopher Lee who served as the Health Ministry's Deputy Director General for Research & Technical...

Today MCMC minister said he supports the controversial decision to withdraw the PM term-limit bill, despite once calling it crucial for government reform. "I think different government, different administration has a different philosophy. A different way of looking at certain things." Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan bring you the most important conversations of the day.

Yesterday the United Nations agencies, UNFPA and UNICEF, released the initial findings of a survey on the impact of the MCO on the women and children of low-income urban families, who are living in city council housing projects -- or PPR flats. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Stephen Barrett, Chief of Social Policy at UNICEF Malaysia about the major findings in the report.

The lockdown - MCO - put all social systems under extraordinary stress but the problems the report highlights predate the pandemic. When it comes to solutions or mitigation efforts, should we be looking at transforming the system so that social safety nets are systematic and sustained? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Stephen Barrett, Chief of Social Policy at UNICEF Malaysia.

Future reports are expected to monitor the extent to which these families recover. The findings aim to offer insights for policymakers to ‘build-back-better’. But what is in the current design that might need to be overcome in order for that to happen. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Stephen Barrett, Chief of Social Policy at UNICEF Malaysia.

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister quarantine violation after returning from Turkey in July has generated a frenzy on social media. It was raised in Parliament today, during which the Dewan Rakyat was told that there are no ‘double standards’ when it comes to enforcement of Covid-19 SOPs. But is that true? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan bring you the most important conversations of th...

Former Bersatu Youth chief, Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman's interview with Channel News Asia has generated headlines on the possibility of a new party that is centred on youth. What is meant by a "youth-led party" and is it both desirable or feasible? While Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Qyira Yusri, Co-Founder of UNDI 18, one of the organisers of Parlimen Digital, and Kavita Maheendran, exco...

Was it inevitable that a discussion about increasing youth engagement in politics -- including lowering the voting age -- would lead to a youth-led party? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Qyira Yusri, Co-Founder of UNDI 18, one of the organisers of the recently concluded Parlimen Digital.

The Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development revealed that it received 1,721 cases of sexual crimes against children in the first six months of this year. The Deputy Minister added that efforts are being made to raise awareness about sexual crimes against children through various school and public programmes. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan bring you the most important conversations.

There have been almost daily anti-government rallies in Bangkok in recent weeks. These demonstrations have largely been student-led, and are calling for a revised constitution and reform of the monarchy, which is a sensitive subject in Thailand. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Associate Professor, Center of Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Japan.

Is the media framing the Thai protests in a way that is adequate to the complexity of the Kingdom's social and political fabric? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Michael Vatikiotis, Asia Director, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Singapore and author, 'Blood and Silk, Power and Conflict in Modern Southeast Asia'.

We begin with news that President Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia has become the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine, after less than two months of human testing. Moscow has likened its success to the Cold War-era space race but is this the kind of nationalist frame that the world needs? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan bring you the most important conversation...

The government of Lebanon resigned following days of protests as citizens blamed the country’s political elite of incompetence and corruption that lead to a devastating blast at Beirut's which killed hundreds and left thousands injured or homeless.  The tragedy came at a time when Lebanon was already facing political, economic and public health crises. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Guy...

French President Emmanuel Macron's visited Beirut just two days after the horrific blast. In fact, he was on the streets, even before Lebanon's prime minister was. Since then, there's been a petition demanding to "place Lebanon under French mandate for the next ten years". Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Guy Burton, Adjunct Professor, Vesalius College, Brussels if anyone taking this serio...

With a history spanning almost 50 years - they just celebrated 49 years - one local expression of the international Islamic movement and “political Islam” has evolved over time. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz, President, Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM).

How have public perceptions and organisational self-perception shaped the growth of one of the most recognisable names in the world of Islamic NGOs. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz, President, Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM).

In an era of toxic politics, what is the way forward and what is the message? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz, President, Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM).

Heated conversations that have been sparked by that viral video of a teenager who was fined a thousand ringgit for purportedly pulling down his face mask while waiting on a train platform - leaving him in tears. It has raised questions about seemingly uneven enforcement of the compulsory face mask rule - as quite a number of politicians have been photographed without masks while in public places....

Yesterday was the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, with the aim this year to highlight Indigenous People’s Resilience to Covid-19. Indigenous Peoples are one of the poorest and most marginalised groups in Malaysia. And their vulnerability had been further compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic - affecting their access to medicines, healthcare, food, education and livelihoods. Melisa Idris and...

Does the International Day for Indigenous People bring needed attention to the work that’s being done locally for uplifting and giving visibility to one of the nation’s oldest communities?  Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Shaq Koyok, visual artist and Orang Asli activist.

Today on the show we’re going to be looking at how our public spaces and built environment will need to be rethought, reorganised, and redesigned in the era of pandemics. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Lillian Tay, President of the Malaysian Institute of Architects and Nurul Azreen Azlan, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Urban Design at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Some cities pivoted well in the face of the pandemic because of their prevailing design. What would we need to have to rethink, perhaps in a more radical fashion, in order to make our cities and lives more resilient? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Lillian Tay, President of the Malaysian Institute of Architects and Nurul Azreen Azlan, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Urban Design at Univers...