Inside Story

MUDA President Syed Saddiq temporarily steps down as party leader after he was found guilty of corruption. We speak to MUDA acting president, Amira Aisya on the concerns of party members and what they plan to do moving forward and then political analyst, Dr Syaza Shukri discusses how the conviction will impact public perception. We also ask listeners if the verdict changed their feelings about the...

A recent op-ed published by Malaysiakini argued whether the liberal political movement in Malaysia will fail in the ideological war with Right Wing Islamists conservatives. We speak with the author, Aziff Azuddin about his arguments and the ongoing divide between liberals and conservatives and also ask listeners which side of the fence they sit on. Image credit: Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listene...

There has been renewed calls by Datuk Ewon Benedick of UPKO’s president that Sabah and Sarawak receive ⅓ of the seats in parliament as following the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). So Wong Chin Huat joins us to walk us through the possibilities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker, Tan Sri Johari Abdul suggested that in order to curb absenteeism in parliament, the names of the MPs that did not attend will be listed publicly on the Dewan Rakyat website so that the parliamentary constituents they represent will be informed of their absence. But with all issues, we have to look at the root of the problem. Rajiv Rishyakaran, ADUN of Bukit Gasing, joins us t...

There have been calls by activists for a Charities Commission to be founded, to oversee all registered charities in Malaysia. This is to increase public trust, monitor funds, and to have a database, or a way to identify charities, to reduce the potential of scams or frauds. So we speak to James Nayagam, Chairman of Suriana Welfare Society on why charity groups should be transparent about where the...

It’s been about a year since Elon Musk took over Twitter and rebranded it as X. What has changed since, what might yet come, and what does this all say about the "public square" that is social media? We speak with Nishant Shah, professor of global media and director of the Digital Narratives Studio at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Image Credits: Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

This is Pakatan Harapan's fourth term in the Selangor state government, so we commemorate with an episode about what they've done in the past, what they missed, and where they can improve. We hear from our listeners on whether they're happy with the state government, and what problems they'd like to see tackled. Elizabeth Wong, who is former Bukit Lanjan assemblyperson and a member of Selangor Sta...

The Local Government Development Ministry recently hosted the "Toilet of the Year” awards as part of efforts to tackle dirty public toilets in the country. Minister Nga Kor Ming explained that the award would improve the country’s public toilets to what he dubbed “BMW-grade” which are: Bersih, Menawan and Wangi. We talk about what makes a public restroom first-class, and flush out best - and worst...

The government has announced that they are mulling over a plan to allow refugees to work in the country, but limited to 3D (dirty, dangerous and difficult) jobs. So we speak to Katrina Jorene Maliamauv of Amnesty International Malaysia on her view of this move, why limiting it to 3D jobs sends the wrong message, and the importance of refugees being able to earn a living legally. Image Credits: Shu...

A global research study conducted by Censuswide found that Indonesia scored the highest in the region when it comes to adopting AI tools at work. We discuss the survey results and how AI will impact the workplace, particularly within the Malaysian context. We also hear from our listeners, who share how they're integrating AI tools into their daily work. Image Credits: Pexels See omnystudio.com/lis...

The Education Ministry has instructed all government education institutions to observe a solidarity week in support of the Palestinian cause, which has received a fair amount of criticism from various civil society groups and members of the public. We talk about whether this is the best way to help children make sense of the ongoing crisis in Palestine, and hear from a child psychologist on how be...

On Tuesday, 24th October 2024, several people were arrested for a protest on the eviction of farmers at the Kanthan vegetable farm in Tambun, Perak. A bit of background on this: These farmers have been facing the threat of forced eviction, despite having farmed there for decades. Replacement land of two acres leased for a period of 30 years was offered but the Perak government has failed to fulfil...

Established in 2005, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement continues to push for Palestinian liberation by calling for economic action against Israel - a call that has strengthened following the current war in Gaza. We discuss the effectiveness of boycotts in championing a cause, and ask listeners whether they've ever stopped supporting a brand based on ethical reasons. Image Credits...

Tiger Stripes, directed by Amanda Nell Eu, opened in cinemas for limited showings on October 19th. The movie has been much anticipated here since it won the Grand Prize of the Critics Weeks at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and it’s going to represent Malaysia at the Oscars. But alongside the theatrical release, director Amanda released a statement saying she did not stand by this version of the...

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul has announced a ban on MPs using words like "kafir" "Zionist" and "Yahudi"or in Parliament to refer to each other. This is coming after a series of arguments between MPs, in which several of them resorted to using these terms pejoratively. So first, we speak to a political communications expert about the dangers of misusing language and weaponising words....

A survey conducted in the US by software publisher BambooHR found that 50% of employees regret their new position within the first week of being on the job. Amongst the reasons given was supervision in their early days, or more help getting to know their colleagues. We take a look at the survey in a more local context, and also asked listeners what they look out for when starting a new job - and i...

The Malaysian media landscape has changed quite a bit over the past few decades, with social media and messaging apps making it easier for people to share news. But has it become easier for media practitioners? And has there been renewed trust between the media and the public? So to help us understand all of this, we first speak to Janet Steele about the state of independent media, and its relatio...

The Kita Food Festival is an annual event that celebrates the diverse culture of the Southeast Asian culinary scene, and foregrounds conversations around food and food culture. Co-founders Leisa Tyler and Darren Teoh share their inspirations for the event and talks to us about Malaysian and Southeast Asian culinary history. We also hear from our listeners, who weigh in on Malaysian food culture an...

Imagine you live in an apartment where the entrance and car park are areas you're not allowed to walk on. This is what's happening to the residents of SEA Park Apartments, whose homes are encircled by someone else's private land. The landowner has taken to extreme measures such as obtaining court orders, threatening to dig up the land, and even had men placed at its entrance to collect parking “fe...

Budget 2024 was unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last week, on Oct 13, 2023. It broke its own record, with an allocation of RM393.8 billion. Has it lived up to expectations and go far enough to address both short and long-term issues? We first speak to Farah Rosley, on some of the budget's major takeaways. Then, we enter the political side of things: did it err on the safe side?...

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is set to unveil Budget 2024 tomorrow (October 13), and will provide clarity on the government's proposed targeted subsidies, taxation, and strategies to increase revenue. First, we discuss what the budget should focus on, and then we hone in on youth initiatives. Image Credits: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On October 7, 2023, Palestinian militant group Hamas fired a barrage of rockets into southern Israel, briefly taking control of some Israeli settlements and taking some Israeli soldiers hostage - a retaliation to the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli settlers and the killing of a record number of Palestinians, but also in response to years of occupation and oppression by the Zionist Israel...

With Oct 10 being World Mental Health Day, Prime Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim and a few other lawmakers showed their support by wearing a green ribbon pin in Parliament. The PM also called on the public to stop the stigma associated with mental health problems. We speak with a clinical psychologist about how this stigma is shifting over time, and asked listeners whether Malaysians are becoming mor...

Former Penang deputy chief minister, Dr P. Ramasamy, has proposed that Malaysian Indians should form a political party that's not allied to either Pakatan Harapan or Perikatan Nasional, saying that this would benefit the Indian community best. We speak to him about his rationale for this, and also open up the conversation to our listeners. Later, we hear of the sentiments amongst Indian voters fro...

When I Was A Kid 3, a comic book by Cheeming Boey, was recently banned by the Home Ministry under the Printing Press and Publications Act 1984, on the ground that it contained material that was “likely to be prejudicial to morality”. While actual details are scarce, the ban seems linked to a chapter in the book about a childhood incident where Boey's father showed him how fast his Indonesian domes...