Talkback

Today on Talkback Thursday, we took a trip back to revisit  some of the conversations we’ve had about  the many socio-economic issues plaguing the country. Brought to you by the Economic Transformation programme, we looked into the 3 issues that created quite stirring conversations with our listeners at the time: aged care, education and brain drain. With one eye on current and pot...

There's a lot of discontent about the current water rationing situation; some reports are saying that we may even have to ration water until December. Currently there are calls for the state government to find new water sources for the problem, as the water supply from the dams is not enough to supply water to more than 7 million people in the Klang Valley. In addition to that, it  was report...

Talentcorp, the government agency tasked to fight the brain drain happening in the country has, to date, only managed to bring back 2,500 Malaysians under the Return Experts Programme. Some of the reasons cited by Malaysians living abroad on their reluctance in returning to Malaysia include higher salaries, better professional opportunities and a comfortable life.  The government’s aggr...

The rising costs of living is hitting Malaysians, both old and young, and everyone is feeling the additional burden on their shoulders. Young Malaysians, with their entry-level salaries and overall lowered subsidies, are finding it hard to plan for their future - how are they going to buy a car or even a home? On today's Talkback with Ministers series, we had Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Youth a...

The internet has spread to a worldwide phenomenon over the past two decades, creating a superhighway of information, commerce and communication unparalleled in human history. Today, people all over the globe are connected together with instantaneous communication, allowing them to see and hear ideas or items that were simply not possible before. However, such freedom also comes with a price. For e...

Racial infliction is often found in our news stories and everyday conversation. And the result is often damaging, making some of us question why we go down that path at all. But some of us are so used to it, we see nothing wrong in delivering such thoughts and comments. On today's Talkback Thursday, we asked if racial discourse should be explored or ignored? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

On Talkback Tuesday today, we spoke about the cancellation of Future Music Festival Asia 2014 in Kuala Lumpur. Last Saturday, the third and final day of FMFA was cancelled after it was confirmed that  6 people had died , with 3 more in critical condition due to a methamphetamine overdose (as reported in The Star). The cancellation left thousands of upset ticket holders, and both the...

We explored the relationship between crisis management, leadership calibre, and the role it plays in shaping perception. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Throughout the whole month of March, 2014 on Talkback, we gave the callers the unique opportunity to speak to the people in charge and ask them the tough questions. To have a direct and candid conversation with Malaysian ministers on the state of the economy and rising cost of living. This program was brought to you by PEMANDU. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to an article published in the Malay Mail on the 3rd of March 2014, 'the number of divorces in Malaysia has more than doubled in just eight years from 2004. In 2012, a whopping 56,760 divorces were recorded, which is equivalent to a marriage breaking down every 10 minutes.'  We opened up our phone lines to ask you - 'Do you think that the high divorce rates are due to the fact that...

On Sunday, the Education Ministry announced that the school-based assessment (PBS) policy would be put on hold pending further reviews. This came after receiving critical feedback from teachers, about workload and implementation issues affecting both staff and students. On Talkback Tuesday today, we asked you -  as parents, teachers and even students, what were your thoughts are on the system...

There has been a lot of heat surrounding the news of the Malaysian couple being held by Swedish authorities for allegedly hitting one of their children. And it's been reported today that both Azizul Raheem Awalludin, who is a Tourism Malaysia officer in Sweden, and his wife, Shalwati Norshal, were charged separately at the Solna district court with multiple counts of assaulting their four children...

The FMT reported today that a  survey was conducted in a national primary school in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan and had shocked parents when the questions posed to the students were about their sexual activities and preferences. Some of the questions asked were if the students engaged in masturbation or if they had sexual desires for their own gender. We asked on Talkback Thursday today: Would you...

There are multitudes of people that believe in the 'science' of Feng Shui. It's spawned best selling books, global tours and even TV series'. On this edition of Talkback we attepted to improve your Feng Shui via the phone lines. How could Feng Shui help you in the new year? We were joined in the studio by the High Reverend Master Sifu Leong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two Year Four boys from a vernacular school in Sungkai, Perak, were made to wear bells around their neck and “offered” grass to eat as punishment for not doing their homework. After the lesson was over, their class teacher saw the boys and allegedly mocked: “Since when did I have two additional cows in my class?” The boys were also caned twice and then, during recess, the s...

The government announced today that a special satellite tracking system known as the Centralized Taxi Service System (CTSS) will soon be implemented to keep taxi drivers in check. The move is intended to allow the government to direct a taxi to a waiting customer as well as monitor a driver's habits, amongst other things. But will this move help improve the current state of taxi services in Malays...

The National Automotive Policy (NAP) was announced yesterday by the International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed. What exactly is the NAP? How does it affect us, and will we ever get cheaper cars? To help us make sense of the announcement we spoke to Paul Tan,  Managing Editor of Paultan.org and Anthony Lim, Editor of paultan.org .  See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Yesterday, The Malay Mail published a report on how a special foreign worker enclave has been set-up in the Iskandar region, to keep crime rates down. The enclave houses 1,500 foreign nationals from Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Indonesia, Pakistan and Philippines, and consists of refurbished public flats, 650 sq ft in size with eight workers allocated for each unit.  On Talkback Tuesday today,...

Come 2015, Malaysia will join some 160 countries, which include leading nations and economies, who have implemented GST or VAT (Value Added Tax) systems. And while it has worked for these countries, will it work for ours? But first, do we even understand what this tax system does and what it's pros and cons are? We asked 'What does GST mean for you? Do you believe that GST is necessary?' This Talk...

Malaysia's growth has spawned a labour shortage, paricularly in the plantation, factory and other positions that locals may deem as being menial. These gaps are filled by migrant workers - many of them coming from Bangladesh, India and Vietnam. They are looking for stable empolyment and incomes, just like everybody else. Does Malaysia offer them a safe and stable income? What have you done as a Ma...

It was reported that s alaries and meeting allowances of Malaysian federal lawmakers are expected to more than double to at least RM16,000 and RM500 respectively under a proposal to be tabled today. We asked if you thought the porposed salary hike was justified, and if we should expect more from our representatives if they received higher wages. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of  Talkback we dwelled into the topic of innovation. Who is to be blamed for the lack of innovation coming out from Malaysia? This Talkback Thursday is produced in collaboration with the Economic Transformation Programme. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We spoke about the revision of assessment rates on properties in KL and listened to the feedbacks of our listeners and what they considered a reasonable hike about the proposal by DBKL. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), cars older than 12 years are cited as “unsafe, unreliable and could be faulty".  As a result, the Road Transport Department (RTD) is working towards putting measures to enforce the policy. The Evening Edition asked on Talkback Tuesday whether car owners should be forced to replace their vehicles every 12 years?  ...

We talked about healthcare in Malaysia, but more specifically about the exorbitant costs that comes with it and also the issue of accessibility of medication. This Talkback Thursday is in collaboration with the ETP. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.