Evening Edition

Some prefer calling, and some refuse to pick up the phone, resorting instead to messaging (whether it be via messaging apps or email). A discussion on this has been making the rounds on X, and we get into what these preference means for people on both sides. Image Credits: Pexels See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's parliament session, the MPs discussed how much money was being allocated for the promotion of their own initiatives, the US’s proposed unilateral sanctions against supporters of Palestine & Hamas as well as programs to improve reading, writing and counting skills among standard 6 students in Sarawak. Image Credits: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's session was a lively one, with MPs discussing the type of crops and livestocks the government is prioritising to ensure food self-sufficiency, new efforts to expand the digital economy ecosystem and plans to improve our RFID systems (a much loved subject for Malaysian drivers!). There was also a debate about MPs being absent from parliament, and the dissatisfaction over their names potenti...

In Parliament on Oct 16, Masjid Tanah MP Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin raised the issue of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing dancing and drinking in public, referencing an old viral video of him socialising at a lantern festival in Pelangai. The minister responded saying there was no issue with him drinking alcohol as he is not a Muslim, and that his actions do not ref...

The government has announced that the National Service two-phase approach will be targeting Malaysians between the ages of 16 and 35 years. This has caused quite a stir on social media, so we get into the mixed reactions and ask our listeners how they'd feel about being called up for National Service. Image Credits: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's session of parliament, the World Health Organisation's Pandemic Preparedness Treaty was brought up, which the government affirmed its support of. Besides that, MPs also discussed naked towers in Sarawak, housing for the poor, as well as the possibility of increasing the standing of national archery in the country. Image Credits: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Should nasi kandar only be halal? This question is making its rounds online after a video went viral of a nasi kandar stall serving pork in their dishes, with many netizens criticising the stall but others pointing out that it clearly states that it is non-halal. Meanwhile, the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) has also slammed the restaurant, saying that nasi kandar was orig...

Measures to tackle school bullying were among the key issues in today's parliament. The Education Ministry has launched detailed guidelines for schools to adhere to when dealing with incidents of bullying, and will increase the number of guidance counsellors if the number of cases continue to rise. Other topics discussed include upgrading speed cameras and improving the care of children under the...

Clean Cut is back to bring you the laughs! The drill is, we invite comedians to come to our office to perform a set in from of the BFM staff, record it, and share it with you. The caveat is that they have to perform a set that would be playable on air and not get our license or their reputations revoked. Joanne Kam joins us for our fourth episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Travel the world? Begin a romance? Learn a new language? These are some of the things people said they'd do if they could afford to take a break from their careers. So we ask our listeners how they'd make the best out of this work-free time. Image Credits: Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's parliament session, the MPs discussed the Israel-Palestine conflict, and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made clear the country's stance on it, despite pressure from the US. Other topics discussed include measures to encourage more women to return to the workforce, battery-swapping technology for electric motorcycles, and how the government is monitoring contractors when they do...

Last week, Big Pharmacy’s partnered video with a digital creator went viral after drawing criticism for being racist and offensive - the video featured an influencer imitating an Indian accent whilst scanning items over the counter with a "bindi" drawn on his forehead. Social media users shared their thoughts on having a racially diverse workforce in order to prevent such insensitive incidents. Im...

Chaos in the Dewan Rakyat yet again. Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim accused Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah of supporting Israel, which Puah denied and also demanded that the statement be retracted. Backbenchers began to chime in, forcing deputy speaker Alice Lau to intervene. Other issues raised include a "kill-switch" for unwanted incidents at concerts, and content on streaming platforms potentially be...

A conducive and supportive learning environment can go a long way towards bolstering students' academic success, and this becomes even more essential when we talk about learning virtually. We speak with Prof Dr Santhi Raghavan, vice-president of Open University Malaysia, on how teaching methodologies go hand-in-hand with a supportive learning environment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Malaysia is considering sending TVET lecturers and trainers to South Korea and Turkiye for the Training of Trainers program. We discuss these overseas training trips and their value, and ask listeners what best practices we could adopt, and from which countries. Image Credits: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reminded all government departments to not entertain any letters that are not written in Bahasa Malaysia. He justified this as being an integral part of empowering our culture and language. A lot of reactions to this online, so we look into them and discuss whether this is the right move on the part of the government. Image Credits: Shutterstock See omny...

In today's session of parliament, our public transportation system was a central topic of discussion. They talked about the new open payment system that's about to be implemented fully in our rail and bus networks (which will allow people to use their credit or debit card to commute, on top of Touch-N-Go and tokens), plans to renegotiate the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau service between JB Sentral and Singa...

Students in underserved communities face many challenges on their pathway to getting the best out of their education, but there are initiatives aiming to help. One of them is CAREbinet by The Risers, which provides learners in these communities access to basic needs like food and hygiene products through the building and distributing of sustainable cabinets to schools in Kuala Lumpur, which is esp...

Today's topic of discussion was on thrifting and buying secondhand items. Whether it's value for money or for sustainable reasons, more and more people are moving towards thrifiting or buying secondhand. We asked listeners if they shop secondhand, and what draws them to. Image Credits: Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A variety of topics were discussed in parliament today. Among them were empowering youth entrepreneurs in the modern agriculture industry, and ageing pipes causing water leakages amounting to losses worth RM2 billion. MPs also discussed food security, and the need to reduce traffic congestion on our highways, especially during the festive season. Image Credits: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/list...

We're talking about food today, after a user on X wanted to know (in genuine curiosity) why the food from Sabah is "bland". Many people came forward to explain (and defend!) Sabahan cuisine, and we expanded the conversation to talk about what the barometer is for "tasteless food". Image Credits: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another day, another session of parliament. Today kicked off with guidelines for rallies, following what happened at the Save Palestine rally last weekend where people were stopped from chanting takbirs. Then, the MPs moved on to discuss upgrades to our sports stadiums, specifically on the installation of Zeon Zoysia grass. Other topics of discussion included the issue of abandoned housing project...

The “Freedom For Palestine” rally at Dataran Merdeka on Oct 22, organised by Viva Palestina Malaysia and MyCARE, got mixed responses on social media. Despite being attended by thousands of supporters, the rally was also called out by attendees for a number of things, including the confiscation of protest posters, stopping people from chanting the takbir, and putting out VIP chairs for specific gue...

MPs were banned from using the words "kafir", "Zionist", and "Yahudi" to refer to each other in parliament, by Dewan Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul. The Speaker said it was wrong to use words that could cause feelings of hurt or enmity between different commnities in Malaysia, and reminded MPs to prioritise national issues instead of using the Dewan Rakyat for politicking. Other topics discussed inc...

Recently MyAirlines suspended operations effective immediately due to “severe financial challenges” - which left many passengers stranded with no flights, some even right at the airport. We talk about the frustration and stress when a flight is unexpectedly cancelled, and hear from listeners about their worst experiences with this. Image Credits: Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...