Good Things

Karunakarer Selvaratnam is described as a marvel in Malaysian sports, and among others was active in competitive hockey, football, badminton and golf, a Malaysian captain in athletics and cricket, a champion national middle-distance runner, and he represented the Navy in four different sports – and was also a champion boxer. Now in his 80's, he is still an active sportsman, but also heavily involv...

ABIM or Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia is a Muslim Youth Movement in Malaysia which aims to not only empower Muslim youth but also bridge the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia. In this episode, we speak to Faisal Azil, president of ABIM. Image credit: Twitter/ ABIMalaysia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Autism Cafe Project (ACP) established in 2016 with the prime objective to empower youth with autism and train them to be independent. In this episode, we speak to ACP’s founder, Adli Yahya on the inspiration behind this cafe and how it has evolved over the years.  Image Credit: Facebook/AutismCafeProject See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Murallitharan Munisamy is one of three people recently awarded the Best CEO Award by the Union for International Cancer Control, which is the largest global non-governmental cancer organisation worldwide. A familiar name in the medical field in Malaysia when it comes to cancer care and support, Dr Muralli is currently the Managing Director for the National Cancer Society of Malaysia, spearheadi...

YSEALI Boot Camp 2022, led by Biji-Biji, aims to empower talented youths (18 to 35 years old) from all over Malaysia to spark fresh ideas and drive innovation through civic engagement. We speak to Rashvin Pal Singh and Gurdit Singh, some of the brains behind this boot camp.  Image Credit: YSEALI Boot Camp 2022 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cikgu Siti Rahayu believes that education is a fundamental human right. The last time  we spoke to her on this very show, we talked about her journey as an education activist, why she decided to set up Buku Jalanan Chow Kit and her philosophy of education.  Fast forward a few months later and Cikgu Siti, who’s also a part of Parti MUDA, will be contesting for the Tanjong Karang Parliamen...

PantauPRU15 is an initiative led by the National Council of Women’s Organisations and is focused on monitoring gender sensitivity in manifestos and also the number of women fielded by political parties and are also pushing for at least 30% of women representation in Parliament. We speak to some of the key people behind the initiative. Image Credit: National Council Of Women's Organisations Malaysi...

GE15 is set to take place on the 19th of November. Unfortunately, the EC has continuously refused to allow postal voting for out-of-state voters. So, much like in GE14, a piece of the challenge is helping people get back to their hometowns so that they can cast their ballots.  This year, four initiatives – #PulangMengundi, #UndiRabu, #CarpoolGE, and #KitaJagaKita – have come together under on...

Hanim Apeng, or Mak Intan as she's better known as, is an Orang Asli entrepreneur from the Jakun-Jahut tribe, and founder of Asli MakIntan Enterprise . The fourth out of seven siblings, she learnt to make traditional crafts from her parents, following them into the forest to look for wood and materials for weaving projects. She went on to hone her craft-making skills, and learnt as much as she cou...

Befrienders KL is a familiar name for many of us, especially if you’ve read news reports or articles on mental health issues, you’ll have seen Befrienders’ contact details at the bottom alongside several other helplines. Ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10th October, we speak to Justin Victor, Chairman of Befrienders KL to find out more about the work that they do, and how we as a community can...

Aliff Naif is one of the most prominent youth leaders / student activists in Malaysia today. He’s the President of IIUM’s Student Union, Chief Coordinator of Demuda, and has been one of the key people behind many of the recent protests, including the protest against price hikes held in August. He joins us on the show today to share his story.  Image credit: Facebook / Aliff Naif Mohd Fizam Se...

Kirsten Han is a Singaporean activist and independent journalist, who runs a newsletter called We, The Citizens. As an activist and journalist in a country with very little civic space or room for dissent, Kirsten has found herself tangled up with the Singaporean authorities a number of times, in her fight for social justice. She joins us on the show to share her story.  Image credit: Kirsten...

A graduation trip to Kenya in East Africa changed Gabriel Teo's life forever. Moved by the hardships he saw the people of the Tana Delta facing, Gabriel made a commitment to find ways to help, and in 1995, he gave up a successful career and comfortable life and moved to Kenya permanently. In 2005, the NGO Tana River Life Foundation (TRLF) was formally established, with the objective of assisting t...

Kasih Hospice is a non-governmental organization focused on palliative care. They provide medical, emotional, and spiritual support for patients and their families, at hospitals or at the patient’s home. Best part is, they do so free of charge. Dr Munirah Ibrahim, who’s a family medicine specialist and a hospice doctor at Kasih Hospice, joins us to talk about the organization and their upcoming ch...

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections ( more commonly known as BERSIH) has been an integral part of Malaysia’s political fabric for more than a decade now. Since the mid-2000s, BERSIH has been pushing for electoral reforms, and led some of the most iconic and important protests in this nation, which ultimately led to the downfall of the Barisan Nasional government in 2018. Thomas Fann, Chairp...

Cultural heritage organisation PUSAKA was formally established by Eddin Khoo in 2002, though the work began much earlier in the 1990's. Focussed on championing Malaysia's intangible heritage - our local traditions and art forms - Eddin first started working with traditional masters from Kelantan, after the local government implemented a ban on some of the state’s traditional arts. The small but fo...

Elizabeth Cardosa is a familiar name in the field of heritage conservation, after spending over two decades lending her expertise to restoration projects and continuously raising awareness about the need to preserve our heritage. For BFM listeners, she is also a familiar voice across our station, especially on I Love KL. She joins us on Good Things to talk about why heritage conservation means so...

Around the time he turned 63, veteran activist Haris Ibrahim was unfortunately diagnosed with lung cancer. Yet, the man behind the ‘Anything But UMNO (ABU)’ movement, still finds the courage and strength to take to the streets and fight for a more just and equal society for all of us. A proud Malaysian through and through.  He joins us on the show today to share his journey in activism and ho...

The first FreedomFilmFest was first organised in 2003 to promote human rights through social films. The Festival has expanded and grown over the years, but continues to make films that highlight the unseen, unheard, and untold in Malaysia. We speak to Brenda Danker and Anna Har, the co-founders of the Freedom Film Network, who have been tirelessly working to bring these stories to a wider audience...

Youth in Politics (YPOLITICS) is an independent youth-led movement that aims to generate a more politically aware Malaysian youth. Joining us on the show to discuss what this initiative is all about is the founder of YPolitics, Loh Kar Mun. Image Source: Loh Kar Mun See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Makanan Adalah Hak Untuk Semua” (Food Is A Right For Everybody) is something that the folks of Dapur Jalanan Kuala Lumpur firmly believe in. The group of volunteers have made it their mission to feed the homeless and the marginalised at the corner of Jalan Panggong, in Kuala Lumpur since 2013, and continue to do so, even today. We find out more about the organisation from Nurul Fitrah Marican and...

Suri Kempe is an activist who has been fighting for gender equality and equal citizenship rights for more than a decade. She’s been attached to various non-profits over the years, including Sisters in Islam and ARROW. She’s now the President of Family Frontiers. She joins us on the show to talk about her journey in activism, how 9/11 changed her life and her hope for the future of Malaysia. See om...

22 year old Hasan Al-Akraa was born in Aleppo, Syria. In 2012, he and his family had to leave their wartorn home country to seek refuge. Today, Hasan is a teacher and an activist fighting for refugee rights. He joins us on the show to share his journey, struggles and that time where he was placed in a detention centre as a 12 year old. Image credit: Facebook / Hasan Al-Akraa See omnystudio.com/lis...

Adam Adli has been a prominent political activist and human rights defender for more than a decade, before transitioning to frontline politics and joining PKR in 2021. He was recently elected as the PKR Youth Chief. He joins us on the show to talk about his journey in activism, his decision to join a political party, and that time he got arrested for lowering a flag of former Prime Minister Dato’...

As the world commemorated the International Workers’ Day back in May, women workers across Asia and the Pacific united to continue their fight for workers’ rights, and push for their demands on social protection and decent work. Feminist and labour organisations put forward their demands for employers and governments to provide decent work and living wages and ensure social protection of workers,...