Talkback

Parliament is in session, and it's been a busy period for our MPs who have been carefully reviewing tabled bills and amendments. And the outcome has been good; notably for the bill on sexual violence against children and the amendments passed for the Domestic Violence Act. But an off-putting remark by Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Shabudin Yahaya about rape and child marriage has got Parliament and the p...

When it comes to education, we’ve really seen the discourse swell over the past few years. Global education has truly evolved and we’ve seen many countries trying to find ways to move education into the 21st century and yet here in Malaysia, there seems to be a feeling of inertia. Meaningful change will take time of course, but we'd like to know what you'd do. On Talkback Thursday toda...

In an article in FMT today, financial planner Robert Foo of MyFP Services wrote about young Malaysians and their relationships with credit cards. His take on the status quo, is that many fresh grads end up misusing their credit cards, spending on lavish lifestyles and shiny new gadgets - essentially, luxuries, rather than necessities. His advice is to use a credit card as a ‘payment utility&...

The Beauty and the Beast debacle has been the topic of discussion this whole week. Our Film Censorship Board (LPF) has said the film is good to go with the inclusion of a minor edit. But in the end, film distributor Walt Disney decided to pull the film off our screens altogether, rejecting the cuts made. So on Talkback today, we're asking: What should or shouldn't be censored in our cinemas? Our l...

The world celebrated International Women's Day yesterday, and many have come out voicing the importance of having more women in the forefront of things. Our very own Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin expressed his wish for a Malaysian society that would move on from being "patriarchal" and "misogynistic" in objectifying women. He added that he also wishes for a female Prime Minister by t...

A public library in Oregon, USA is starting a new programme called ‘Adulting 101,’ which is essentially a bunch of classes geared towards helping young people become functioning adults. The course also includes life skills beyond university like modules on writing a resume and getting a job, moving out and finding an apartment, and more. So based on that, we’d like to ask you tod...

On Saturday, we all saw the reports of an awful cycling mishap that claimed the lives of 8 teenage boys, injuring a further 8. The incident took place at about 3am in Johor Bahru after the group was hit by a woman driving a Nissan Almera. A few days after the incident, the Star published a report that focused on the grieving parents. It talked about how the parents, already distraught at having lo...

Former Treasury Secretary General Tan Sri Sheriff Mohd Kassim at a recent forum called for the civil service to be downsized. This suggestion has been shot down by The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services or Cuepacs. Last year, public servants pay totalled RM74 billion with pensions amounting to about RM19 billion. Collectively, these payments formed the biggest portion...

Earlier this month, Taiwan-based Chatime revoked the rights of its Malaysian franchise owner from operating the chain they’ve been building for 6 years. Chatime has 800 outlets worldwide, and Malaysia accounts for more than half of their turnover. In fact, some assumed Chatime was a Malaysian brand until this story broke. They now have less than 45 days to rebrand all 165 outlets, but CEO Br...

On Monday, there was news that the government was considering banning the kapcai, or underbone motorcycles, from entering Kuala Lumpur. The Federal Territories Minister, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor has said that this is to reduce carbon emissions and congestion in the city, as well as to reduce crime. The news became viral on social media, drawing much backlash from people who disagreed with it...

We Malaysians have our fair share of heroes. Most recently, Mohd Faiz Subri created history by winning FIFA’s prestigious Puskas Award. But Malaysians were quick to swap their support for stick and stones by criticising Faiz's command of the English language after he delivered his acceptance speech at the award ceremony. This evening on Talkback Thursday, we're asking you, is it fair for us...

2017 is here and money seems to be on our minds a lot. Malaysians are still struggling with healthcare costs. Parents have had to pay double for their children's school supplies. Recently-married couples are nursing personal loans they took to finance their big day. Malaysians are taking up 2 jobs to sustain their income. And amidst all this, loan sharks lurk in the background offering their hassl...

It was reported yesterday, that IDEAS, (Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs) doesn’t support the idea of cash incentives to encourage more births. This was with regard to the Terengganu government’s programme to raise birth levels in the state. IDEAS says that it’s irresponsible and dangerous to encourage families to have more children when they can’t afford it. An...

This evening on Talkback, we’re talking about the bane of every Malaysian driver, traffic. Inspired by what’s currently happening in Paris where they’ve banned cars for the second day running as a means of controlling pollution, we’d like to know how you’d respond to the same being done here, as a means of controlling the traffic situation. So we’d like to ask y...

There’s an article in the Malay Mail about how Malaysians with Master’s degrees are finding it difficult to land solid, well-paying jobs. According to the report, high-paying jobs are scarce and with a growing number of degree holders competing for them, even a good Master’s degree doesn’t give you that edge. Statistics from various agencies are indicating that hiring growt...

Just a couple of days ago, there was a report about an app called ‘YELLOW’ which apparently has 5 million users and has been dubbed as "Tinder for teenagers". With no age-restrictions or checks and balances in place, the app has received criticism for attracting age-inappropriate users. This evening on Talkback, we’re addressing the topic of teenagers finding love, online and via...

A school in Scotland, has stopped setting homework for its 175 pupils, after 80% of pupils and more than 60% of their parents voted in favour of scrapping homework altogether. Instead of homework, the children will be encouraged to read books and comics, and to play. We’re looking at a far more comprehensive and holistic approach to learning these days (in line with the new education bluepri...

Do you find yourself doing things for your children that they are old enough to do for themselves such as cutting up their food, doing their washing or changing their sheets? BFM is presenting our first-ever health event focusing on children’s health this weekend; ‘BFM’s Health & Living Junior’ and today on, we’re going to kick things off by exploring an area of p...

Earlier this year, a primary school teacher in Hulu Selangor was transferred to another school after he was found to allegedly have molested nine students. Education director-general Tan Sri Dr Khair Mohamad Yusof has said that the standard operating procedure was fair to the parties and that there is a need to ensure that natural justice prevails. However, parents have reacted furiously to the ne...

Following the announcement that Malaysia may scrap the Formula One Grand Prix race after our contract ends in 2018, the conversation about the future of motorsports in Malaysia has really caught on. So today, we’d like to explore what you think. If you had to chose between F1 and MotoGP, which one would you keep? Or are you in the camp that thinks that we should do away with motorsports comp...

Tomorrow, Malaysians will be glued to their TVs and radios for Budget 2017. Analysts are speculating that the focus might be on cash handouts, property - especially for first time home buyers and subsidy cuts to name a few. How will the government balance the need to reform the country's economy and meet the expectations of the people? On Talkback Thursday this evening, we're asking: What's on you...

Yesterday, Operator PLUS Malaysia Berhad confirmed that several motorists have been fined for LTJ, which stands for “long journey time” after spending too long completing trips on the highways under maintenance. So, this evening we’re asking, “Is it fair for highway operators to charge for “long journey time?” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday, it was reported that the organ donation rate for organ and tissue transplants in Malaysia is among the lowest in the world. The current rate stands at 1 donor, per 1 million population, and it isn’t anywhere near enough to meet the demand. Today on Talkback, we’d like to extend that call for more organ donors, and to facilitate the discussion, we have with us Datin Dr. Lela,...

So last week, Art For Grabs facilitated a very interesting discussion that centered around the political discussions that happen (or not) when we’re at home with our family. So what we’d like to do this evening, is extend that conversation that Art For Grabs started and ask you: Does your family talk ‘politics’ at home or do you think that politics should be left outside th...

Not so long ago, a report about Singapore earning a Michelin star for their hawker food sparked an outrage on social media about the origins of Chicken Rice. Now, there's a food fight between Singapore and Indonesia and Malaysia after ex-footballer Rio Ferdinand posted a picture of his nasi goreng meal with the caption "Keeping it local in Singapore". Culinary and cultural heritage spats between t...