Consider This

Nationwide School Walkout Day aligns itself with the #Make School A Safer Place movement, and calls for teachers & students to be absent from school, both online and  offline, for either one whole school day or one class period. The Majlis Belia Negara (Malaysian Youth Council) has put out a statement disagreeing with the walkout. We ask them why? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to ‘Atiqah Syairah Shaharuddin is the Assistant Secretary-General of the Malaysia Youth Council.

How have schools and teachers responded to the #MakeSchoolASaferPlace movement - with regard to the rape comments and period spot-checks - and is there a culture of silence or not reporting misconduct in schools? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Harry Tan is the Secretary-General of the National Union of the Teaching Profession for Peninsular Malaysia (NUTP).

In light of the recent accounts of rape culture, sexual harassment, and period spot checks in schools, an alliance of NGOs, youths, parents and teachers, have organised a nationwide School Walkout Day. Slated for the 6th and 7th of May, the National School Walkout Day is to demand for comprehensive action from authorities, and to stand in solidarity with the victims. But it get the intended response? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Firzana Redzuan is founder of Monsters Among Us, a youth NGO combatting child sexual abuse through advocacy, education, and community involvement.

Last Sunday saw an overwhelming response to the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine registration opt-in system, when all 268,000 vaccination slots were taken up in about three hours. Yet this number represents a small percentage of the millions of adults who live in the capital and surrounding state of Selangor. Are we in danger of reading too much into Sunday’s exercise? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Dr Helmy Haja Mydin, Consultant Respiratory Physician at Pantai Hospital KL.

Last Sunday saw an overwhelming response to the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine registration opt-in system, when all 268,000 vaccination slots were taken up in about three hours. The process was a unique opportunity to test public responsiveness to a parallel vaccine rollout. What was discovered about this state-based, vaccine-specific, opt-in system? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to independent Health Policies Specialist, Dr Khor Swee Kheng.

Today we mark World Press Freedom Day, a day of particular importance to working journalists like ourselves but also to the wider public, especially those who see a connection between a free press and good governance. Tonight we take stock on how the media has fared over the last year and where it might be headed in the near future.  This year’s theme for World Press Freedom Day is “Information as a Public Good”. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Jahabar Sadiq, CEO & Editor of The Malaysian Insight and Tehmina Kaoosji, Independent Broadcast Journalist & Gender Activist.

This year’s theme for World Press Freedom Day is “Information as a Public Good”, which underlines the indisputable importance of having access to accurate and comprehensive information, including government data. When we talk about access to government data, we often cite the Right to Information. And the fact that Malaysia is one of the few countries that does not have Right to Information legislation at the national level. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Independent journalist Norman Goh and Ashraf Shaharudin is a Research Associate with Khazanah Research Institute.

Our guest writes that “the Sabah digital public offer positive signs that Malaysian society can compartmentalise their politics to unite and work together for the betterment of their own society.” We ask him what he means by this. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Benjamin YH Loh co-edited the book “Sabah From The Ground”, and also co-wrote the chapter, ‘Don’t Jump, Time to Work’: Political Maturity of Sabahan Digital Spaces Through the 2020 State Election.

Tonight we speak to the editors of a recent book on Sabah’s election last year -- what happened, and why, as well as the broader implications of the outcome for Sabah and Malaysian politics. The introduction of the book notes that explanations of Sabah politics often focus on ethnic and state nationalism. We ask what’s limiting about this approach? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Bridget Welsh, co-editor, ‘Sabah From The Ground: The 2020 Elections & The Politics Of Survival’ and author of several chapters  including on “Sabah Style” and voting patterns.

Sabahans pride themselves for not sharing Malaya’s politics of racial and religious supremacy yet “anti-immigrant” rhetoric is commonplace. And how is it related to the fact that Sabah society consists of “layered, diverse and complex ethnic narratives.” Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Vilashini Somiah is an anthropologist and a Senior Lecturer at the Gender Studies Programme at Universiti Malaya. She co-authored a chapter in the book titled “Incessant Political Narratives: Perilous Migrants and the Treacherous East” with Aslam Abd Jalil.