Evening Edition

Utusan Malaysia put the entire country on edge, after publishing and then retracting a news article on Najib Razak's possible pardon. We try to make sense of what a pardon could mean, and how that could impact how we think about justice. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Netflix documentary, 'Man on the Run' was released a year ago, but recently re-entered the spotlight when Najib Razak's legal team asked for it to be taken off the platform. We speak to its producer and director Cassius Michael Kim about the making of the movie, and why the 1MDB scandal has continued to capture imaginations. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

A video clip posted on X went viral for showing a traffic policeman soliciting a fine from a travelling British couple for a speeding offence, which has reawakened old conversations about why bribery continues to be so endemic in our country. We open up the phone lines and ask listeners if this has happened to them, and how they've responded. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener...

Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar's appointment as the eighth Governor of Sarawak has been met with positive reception from Sarawakians and state leaders alike, though there continues to be some surprise surrounding the retirement of the outgoing governor Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud - a significant and controversial figure in Sarawakian politics. We speak to Robert Lau, former senator, to under...

A recent tweet on X from BFM asked a simple enough question: What was the most useful thing you learned in school? We had a lot of thoughts, and figured our listeners would have too, so we opened it up for discussion! Image Credit: RTM See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Thursday, January 25th 2024, Malaysia’s human rights record was examined by the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the fourth time. To understand how it's gone, we speak to Jerald Joseph, who was part of the Malaysian COMANGO delegation in Geneva. Image Credit: X / MYGenevaUN See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MPH Bookstores recently announced the closure of its Mid Valley Megamall store after 25 years of operation. Sad news for Klang Valley readers who grew up loving books, and as an extension, the stores that hold them. We speak to Micheal Cheang about the special memories that bookstores like MPH hold for many of its readers, and why we're so attached to them. Image Credit: Facebook / MPH Clicks See...

No sleeping at certain hours, sweeping on Chinese New Year, or cutting your nails at night. If you've heard these beliefs throughout your life, you're not alone. A discussion on X about supersitions got us talking about whether we're superstitious, and which ones have stuck with us. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore's transport minister, S. Iswaran, has stepped down after being charged with corruption and abuse of power (to which he pleaded not guilty). We speak to Walid Jumblatt Abdullah about the larger political implications of this case. Image Credit: Bloomberg See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever entered a building just to find yourself going in circles, higher and higher, just to get a parking? For many people who live in these buildings, this is their experience daily! A discussion on X about the issue of excessive parking provisions in dense developments have spurred us to ask where exactly our priorities are, when it comes to building design and development. Image Credit:...

On January 13 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi suggested an enactment of the Fixed Term Parliament Act to prevent mid-term changes of the government. Later, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Cabinet had yet to convene any discussion on this. We speak to Tharma Pillai about why the call for this legislation was made. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystud...

The field of higher education is one that is rapidly evolving, with online learning increasingly becoming a feature of many institutions. We speak with Open University Malaysia's (OUM) Professor Dr Santhi Raghavan, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Learner Experience & Technology, and Professor Datuk Dr Mohammad Tajudin Mohammad Ninggal, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic & Research, about how OUM...

We take a trip down memory lane today, after an X user asked people to think back to when they were a child, and what they perceived the pinnacle of wealth to be. We discuss some of our perceived notions of luxury back then - think giant boxes of colour pencils, dollhouses, a full set of encyclopaedias, and bellbottoms, among others! Image Credit: Freepik See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Last year, search and rescue dogs were in the spotlight because of their role in saving victims of the Batang Kali landslide; later, Blake (an English Springer Spaniel), a key member of Search And Rescue Dogs Malaysia, was euthanised due to advanced euthanasia, drawing millions of tributes online from Malaysians. We speak to the folks behind the team about how these dogs are trained and the sort o...

A user on X shared that he looked at reviews for the Pejabat Agama Islam Daerah Sepang, and that people were unhappy about them not picking up calls despite having many staff in the office. We expand this to talk about our experiences with customer service at government departments, both the good and the bad. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia will soon have its human rights performance reviewed by countries around the world in the United Nations through a process called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The Coalition of Malaysian NGOs in the UPR Process (COMANGO) recently organised a media briefing to provide an overview about the UPR process. We speak to Ryan Chua, programme director at Pusat KOMAS about what this process...

A discussion on the usage of bank card lanes at toll booths and why there hasn't been as much uptake, is currently ongoing on X, so we discuss whether we (and listeners) have chosen to make the transition yet. Image Credit: Bernama See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Khairi Anwar and Tan Meng Kheng, the director and producer of the film of Mentega Terbang respectively, have been charged in the magistrate’s court, with "deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of others". We speak to Fahri Azzat about these charges, the legalities involved, and what this turn of events indicate for the creative industries and freedom of expression in the country....

The residents of Taman Tasik Titiwangsa have had longstanding complaints about illegal stalls, vendors, and businesses that have been set up in the area, particularly due to the popularity of the Titiwangsa park and lake, causing congestion, blocking roads, and the piling up of garbage. The residents claim that despite numerous complaints to City Hall (DBKL), nothing has changed. We speak to a rep...

A viral video of a man who repaired a pothole himself and then painted the words “duit saya” over it in Taman Sentosa, Klang, reignited perennial complaints about our roads being poorly maintained - and who should be taking responsibility for this. We discuss this and how the authorities can handle road maintenance more effectively. Image Credit: Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

South Africa is taking Israel to the International Court of Justice, claiming the Gaza attacks amount to genocide and are in contravention of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. We speak to a human rights lawyer to understand the processes involved in this. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Merdeka 118 tower was officially opened on Jan 10, 2024, and reactions to it have been mixed, to say the least. We discuss the idea of building skyscrapers in Malaysia, and whether this is something people are still excited by. Image Credit: The Star See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Molotov cocktail was thrown into Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham’s house, causing a fire. This comes two weeks after he made remarks on including non-Muslims in a special committee on Syariah law, which he later withdrew. We discuss the incident, and how highly charged political rhetoric should be mitigated. Image Credit: Facebook / Ngeh Koo Ham See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We love our food, but is that love enough to queue for it? And most importantly, for how long? A discussion on X made us contemplate how long we're willing to line up for food, and what goes into our willingness to do this. Image Credit: Facebook / Xing Fu Tang Malaysia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah is continuing to struggle with water supply issues, and this has been brought to light again after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim requested a report on the RM 3 million allocation that was approved by him last year for this issue. We talk about what's happening on ground at UMS, and why there needs to be more transparency between the university and its student bo...