Inside Story

New Year's resolutions: some make them, some manage to keep them, and some don't bother at all. To mark the beginning of 2024, we talk about the concept of making resolutions, and whether they're helpful. Our listeners chip in with their ways of setting intentions or goals for the new year, and we also get a little personal by revealing ours. Image Credit: Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim left for Tokyo today in conjunction with the 50th Year of Asean-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, and said he's opting to wear Malaysian batik to one of the dinners as a way of promoting it. He also pointed out that international promotion for Malaysian products is lacking, especially among small and medium enterprises. We speak to Dr Aqilah Yaacob about wha...

There has been a lot of criticism recently about the lack of Tamil ministers in the the Cabinet following the reshuffle. Separately, a remark from Lim Kit Siang on how the Constitution allows for a non-Malay PM has drawn a lot controversy and is currently under investigation. So we talk about whether representation in politics is important, and why Malaysia is still so tied to this notion that onl...

Tonight, we're discussing cities and city living, after two stories emerged in the news. Firstly, Singapore has been rated the best city in Asia for expats, and in contrast, it's also been ranked the most costly place to live in. This sparked off a conversation on the pluses and minuses of living in a city: whether the opportunities, lifestyle, and culture are enough of a draw, or whether people p...

The Sultan of Johor, who will be the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong, said in an interview with The Straits Times that he wants his role to include more responsibilities, including direct oversight over the MACC and Petronas. In the interview, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar also talked about wanting to crack down on corruption. This has opened up discussions around the role of the Agong, and the separa...

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said that the public will soon be able to evaluate the performance of the federal and state governments through report cards from each state, with Selangor set to be the first to unveil its track record. We discuss the idea of government report cards, and ideally, what this sort of evaluation should include - as well as the importance of meaningful bench...

With COP28 happening at Expo City, Dubai from November 30 to December 12, we speak to environmental activist Mogesh Sababathy, who is currently there for youth activities at the Malaysia Pavillion. We ask him about Malaysia’s climate commitments, and whether the Conference has lived up to expectations. Image Credit: COP28 / Mahmoud Khaled See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A woman went viral on social media recently after sharing her experience renewing her daughter's passport and being ridiculed by the immigration staff member for not being able to speak fluent Bahasa Malaysia. Following that, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail defended the staff member, saying that it was a way to confirm citizenship and that one's obligation to mastering BM cannot...

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores are out, and lo and behold, Malaysia's scores have dropped. A bit of background: the assessment measures reading, maths, and science literacy amongst 15-year-olds. So we explore what our low scores mean, in terms of how we're preparing our students for higher education and for life. Image Credit: Bernama See omnystudio.com/listener f...

We're breaking both the first and second rule of Fight Club this week, as we throwback to this modern classic from David Fincher. Starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, Fight Club explored male disenfranchisement, the disconnectedness of capitalist life, and mental health, in a highly stylised, highly violent and lurid way. We explore how the film has aged, and also discuss the many similar mo...

"Rizz" - defined as "someone’s ability to attract another person through style, charm or attractiveness" - has been named word of the year by the Oxford University Press. We use this as a springboard to discuss being up to date on slang, and our listeners chime in with the slang words they remember using. Image Credit: Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The progressive wage policy was tabled in parliament last week by Economic Minister Rafizi Ramli, and it put forward three main mechanisms: it would be implemented voluntarily, it'd be incentive-based (provided by the government), and it would focus on worker productivity. So we discuss the effectiveness of this model with economist Dr Geoffrey Williams. Image Credit: Facebook / Rafizi Ramli See o...

The National Digital ID has been launched, and is intended to complement our MyKad by enhancing the security and efficiency of digital government services and online transactions. There has, however, also been a fair amount of concern expressed from members of the public around personal data leaks. We speak to cybersecurity consultant CF Fong to understand the benefits of this initiative, the conc...

The perennial issue of motorcycle safety is back in focus this week with Parliament debating the need for more motorcycle lanes on highways. But the truth is, that there's a lot more to it, and much to explore both from an engineering/structural point of view, as well as in terms of behaviours. So first, we speak to a transport expert about infrastructure and policies to ensure the safety of motor...

UPSR was abolished in 2021, but Sarawak has announced that it plans to implement a standard assessment to replace UPSR from 2025 onwards. So we discuss the reason that Sarawak is doing this, and what problems they're attempting to address with our guest, Shahnaz Al Sadat. Then, we explore this deeper with our listeners, and ask them whether standardised tests are a good benchmark for student perfo...

The Local Government Development Ministry has intensified its efforts to crackdown on partitioned room rentals, stating that they will take stern action against those who are found to be illegally subletting cramped and unsafe 'coffin' rooms.. So first, we speak to Dr Suraya Ismail from Khazanah Research Institute to get her perspective on these partitioned rooms. Then, BFM’s own Dashran Yohan, sh...

The Department of Statistics Malaysia, recently published the results of a survey that found states like Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang had lower percentages of interactions with neighbours. This is in comparison to Sabah, Sarawak and Perak, who are more on the friendlier scale. Following the survey, The Star published two articles delving deeper into what causes tiffs among neighbours. So we a...

A recent poll by the Merdeka Center has found that a growing number of Malaysians are dissatisfied with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his administration, mostly due to economic concerns. We analyse the data from the survey and ask listeners what they feel about the direction the government is heading in. Image Credit: Facebook / Anwar Ibrahim See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been several complaints online of the hellishly long daily commute through unpredictable traffic, just to get to work. Not a particularly new issue, but a major part of the conversation this time is on the willingness of individuals to move closer to work, and sacrifice comfortability or family to do so. So first, we get into what it means for cities to grow upwards, and how it affects peo...

Recently 23-year-old Nahvin Muthusamy went viral when he was presented with the Royal Education Award at his university, and gave a speech on the the need for an education system based on meritocracy. We speak to Nahvin about what pushed him to give this speech, and then opened up the conversation to our listeners. Image Credit: Nahvin Muthusamy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Health Organisation has said loneliness is now a global health issue, with the US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy comparing the severity of its effects to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Psychologist Dr Anasuya joins us to talk about this, and our listeners weigh in on dealing with loneliness. Image Credit: Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Petaling Jaya was recently recognised by Unicef as the country’s first child-friendly city and this was largely due to the efforts made by the city council. We invited two MBPJ councillors to talk to us about the quality of life in our cities and what role they play in improving city services. Our councillors also fielded questions (and frankly, complaints) from our listeners. See omnystudio.com/l...

On November 13, in the Keluar Sekejap podcast, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed said Chinese and Indian immigrants in the past refused to assimilate to Malay culture, as they wanted to preserve their culture from their originating countries - which led us to wonder, is assimilation really the model to aim for? Dr Susan Phillips, whose work revolves around issues of identity and belong...

Three tragic incidents of humans being killed by tigers have been reported within the last two months alone, in the Gua Musang area. While attacks involving tigers are rare, these deaths are a startling reminder of how humans and nature can come into conflict, especially against the backdrop of continuous development. We speak to a conservationist to find out why these incidents might occur, and w...

Amidst calls for boycotts and allegations of ties to Israel, Mcdonalds' Malaysia has announced that 60 people will be charged under the Sedition Act for allegedly spreading slander about their brand. So first, Zaid Malek joins us to talk about the legalities of this. Then, we talk about how companies should respond public criticism or boycotts. Image Credit: Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listener fo...