BMI - Bicara Minggu Ini

Malaysian media industry is already facing a lot of challenges due to the economic slowdown prior to Covid-19 and changes in the appetite of consumers. The first casualty came in April during the Movement Control Order (MCO) and the situation forced a four-decade old magazine publisher BluInc, housing over 20 magazines in three languages, to cease its operations. In the first part of 'Struggling Newsrooms in Covid-19', I speak to Malaysiakini's CEO and co-founder, Premesh Chandran to share his thoughts on this issue and how Malaysiakini is pulling itself up in the midst of the pandemic.

Muar Member of Parliament and former Youth and Sports Minister, YB Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was elected to the office at the age of 26 after the 14th General Election in 2018. Fast forward today,  the political turmoil from within Pakatan Harapan imploded in February 2020 and led to the fall of the administration. Is Malaysia Baru rolling back to Old Malaysia? 

[Recorded in Bahasa Melayu] Panggilan nama ‘Tok Abah’, ‘Pak Long’ dan ‘Pak Su’ terpapar luas di tajuk utama berita dan media sosial pada hari ke-100 pimpinan Perdana Menteri ke-8, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Untuk memahami lebih mendalam tentang psike dan komunikasi politik Melayu, episod ini membawakan Dr. Muhamad Nadzri Mohamed Noor, pensyarah kanan Sains Politik di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) untuk mengupas tajuk ini.

[Recorded in Bahasa Melayu] Panggilan nama ‘Tok Abah’, ‘Pak Long’ dan ‘Pak Su’ terpapar luas di tajuk utama berita dan media sosial pada hari ke-100 pimpinan Perdana Menteri ke-8, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Untuk memahami lebih mendalam tentang psike dan komunikasi politik Melayu, episod ini membawakan Dr. Muhamad Nadzri Mohamed Noor, pensyarah kanan Sains Politik di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) untuk mengupas tajuk ini.

What happens after the deadlock in Pakatan Harapan and how will that entail? Bicara Hari Ini speaks to Professor James Chin of Asia Institute, University of Tasmania on how Pakatan Harapan need to do going forward to wrest the power in Putrajaya.

The State of Malaysian Media, quo vadis? What is the direction of our media in Malaysia? With publishers shutting down, journalists losing jobs or getting pay cuts due to the pandemic and a change of government in March. Are we rolling back to the old times?

Welcome to 'Bicara Minggu Ini', or in English, 'The Talk of the Week'.

My name is Norman Goh, a freelance journalist, formerly a journalist and social media editor with Malaysiakini from 2014-2019 and a short stint in the government until the infamous Sheraton Move that saw the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government. 

For a start, what is Bicara Minggu Ini - I will be producing a weekly podcast, discussing top issues in politics, what’s trending, and yes, exclusive interviews with people you should know. Maybe you can tell me who I should grill in my next podcast.

Do stay tuned and you can write to me at [email protected] and send in your suggestions!