Current Affairs

Sharaad Kuttan previews today's speech by His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V on day 2 of the current parliamentary sitting.

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Sharaad Kutten shares his expectations ahead of the 14th Parliament session, which commences today.

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Less than a week before Parliament opens, chatter about who will be Speaker of the House has intensified. While Pakatan Harapan in their election manifesto committed itself to appointing a Member of Parliament to the post, some quarter has criticized this move, saying that the Speaker, who should be politically neutral, is best chosen from outside of Parliament. Today we ask why the government is adamant on keeping to its manifesto.

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Last week the country was shocked by the case of a 5-month-old baby who was found dead in fridge while in the care of his babysitter. The tragedy cast a spotlight on the difficulties that many working parents face in sourcing for reliable and affordable childcare services. In the aftermath of the incident, Deputy Minister for Women, Family and Community Development Hannah Yeoh announced that all government agencies will be equipped with day care centres for children by 2019. She also urged the private sector to follow suit. Today we explore the challenges to implementing this policy.

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Indian Muslim televangelist Zakir Naik was in the headlines last week over reports by the Indian media that he was being extradited to India. The Malaysian police subsequently denied such reports. Since then the Prime Minister announced that the government would not deport Zakir Naik as he has permanent resident status. Over the weekend the image of the PM with Naik went viral resulting in contentious debate over social media. Today, we ask why Malaysia finds itself in the position of ‘harbouring’ the controversial preacher.

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There’s been an abrupt resolution to the controversy surrounding the appointment of Numan Afifi as press officer to  the Minister of Youth and Sport, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. Yesterday, Numan Afifi announced he will no longer be working with the Youth and Sports Ministry in any official capacity. He said in a statement that the backlash from opposition propagandists made it impossible for him to exercise his duties. Today we speak to the man at the heart of the controversy.

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Over the weekend, the new Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq came under fire on social media for appointing an LGBT rights activist as his press officer.The critics said that it was inappropriate for a "champion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) causes" to be a government staffer. Saddiq has since said no appointments have been made. Human rights defenders, an MP on the Pakatan side and more liberal members of the public have criticised his lack of commitment to the coalition’s own claim to be ‘build an inclusive and moderate nation’.

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The arrest and charging of former Prime Minister Najib Razak has elicited a range of responses from his supporters, from a quiet candle-light vigil to noisy chanting at the Attorney-General’s press conference yesterday. Today we speak to a man better known for his work as pro-UMNO blogger, Papagomo, for leads on how the party will respond to Najib’s fall from grace.

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Yesterday Former Prime Minister Najib Razak was charged  at the KL Sessions Court on 3 charges of criminal breach of trust, and one charge of abuse of power. Apart from arguments on the bail application, the Court agreed to an interim media gag order that the defence applied for. It is unclear at this moment the practical effects of this interim gag order. However today we explore the implications of the Court’s tentative decision.

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This morning former Prime Minister Najib Razak was brought to court to be charged. Three charges of criminal breach of trust were laid against him. BFM’s Jason Lim gives us an update on what happened at the High Court, after a group of Najib supporters turned rowdy during the Attorney General’s press conference.

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