Current Affairs

Despite the higher number of medical graduates in Malaysia, members of the public continue to question the quality of graduates, especially in view of more medical schools and programmes mushrooming around the country. Do we have too many medical schools and how can changes in medical education improve the quality of future doctors?
In the following interview, Professor Reginald Jordan, CEO of Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) and former Dean at the International Medical Education for Newcastle University UK, shares his thoughts on these issues, and innovating undergraduate medical programmes in Malaysia. NUMed is the first university to join global education hub Educity @ Iskandar in Johor.

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Malaysia is the world’s largest exporter and producer of rubber gloves, supplying more than 60% of the world’s demand, exporting more than 100 billion pieces of rubber gloves to more than 180 countries. 

In the following interview, Oon Kim Hung, Organising Chairman of the upcoming 6th International Rubber Glove Conference and Exhibition and past president of the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association, discusses the issues facing rubber glove manufacturers in Malaysia.

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The recent arrests of PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli and former Public Bank employee Johari Osman under the Banking & Financial Institutions Act 1989 has raised concerns on the effectiveness of the Whistleblower Protection Act. 
In the following interview, Eric Paulsen, co-founder and advisor at human rights lawyers organisation Lawyers for Liberty, talks about how the Whistleblower Protection Act stacks up against the Banking & Financial Institutions Act. 

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Former Beaufort MP Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin has ceased to be a deputy minister with immediate effect, following the revocation of his appointment. This comes after Lajim, along with Tuaran MP Datuk Wilfred Bumburing had announced their departure from Barisan Nasional over the weekend.
In the following intervire, Sabah Barisan Nasional Secretary & Kota Belud MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan shares the BN perspective on politics in Sabah, why the defections are a non-issue for the party, and the party's strategy to keep Sabah as a blue state in the next GE.

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Since 2010, Malaysia has been negotiating a Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement with the United States and nine other countries, including New Zealand, Singapore and Australia. Although the TPPA is said to be a vehicle to advance economic cooperation and liberalise investment, critics are strongly opposing certain provisions of the TPPA which they claim will limit Malaysians’ access to medicine and cost the government its ability to formulate effective public policy.

In the following interview, Fifa Rahman, drug policy executive with the Malaysian AIDS Council and regional rapporteur at Harm Reduction International, discusses how the TPPA will affect access to not just access to medicines in Malaysia but public health policies, as well as provisions that should be excluded from the agreement to safeguard healthcare in Malaysia

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The Minimum Retirement Age Bill 2012 was in the news again as the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has called for the immediate implementation of extended retirement age from 55 to 60 years for the private sector.

The Ministry of Human Resources has yet to make a final decision on when to implement this, adding that companies that want to do so may implement it at their discretion.

The government also launched its Private Retirement Scheme recently, in hopes of addressing the gaps in the retirement savings landscape and provide an alternative platform to accumulate retirement savings.

But the golden question remains: can Malaysians afford to retire early? 

In the following talkset, Morning Run team members David Chew, Melisa Idris and Kathleen Tan discuss the issue in depth.

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Last weekend, Tuaran MP Datuk Wilfred Bumburing and Beaufort (bow-fert) MP Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin announced their departure from Barisan Nasional to set up new local political movements Angkatan Perubahan Sabah and Pakatan Perubahan Sabah respectively.

Their decision to back Pakatan Rakyat has intensified the fight for seats among the federal opposition, and may weaken the Opposition’s impact at GE13 by splitting the Opposition vote.

In the following interview, Dr Arnold Puyok, a political analyst based in Sabah, discusses the political situation in Sabah:

- Barisan Nasional's chances at the GE13

- State Reform Party (STAR)'s "Ini Kali Lah" campaign

- Recent departures from BN and implications

- Opposition chances

- No longer "fixed deposit" states claim

- The relevance of the 20-Point Agenda to Sabahan voters today

- Individual political pursuits of Sabahan politicians

- Winning Sabahans' vote at the ballot box

- The tripartite battle in GE13 and which demographic of voters will support whom

- Relationship between state and Federal government

- How to elevate Sabah politics beyond local issues to national-type ones

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The Human Rights Commission or Suhakam has recently recommended that safety precautions on covering rallies be included in National Union of Journalists’ safety handbook, in light of Suhakam’s inquiry into human rights violations at the Bersih 3.0 rally. With civil society groups holding more public rallies in Malaysia, how prepared are local journalists in keeping themselves safe when covering such events?

Masjaliza Hamzah, executive officer for Centre for Independent Journalism, talks about safety precautions for journalists, why uniformed personnel need to be more informed on how to handle media, as well as whether mistreatment of journalists in the country is tantamount to censorship.

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In Malaysia, politics is closely tied to religion, with political parties using religious issues to gain voter advantage, particularly in view of upcoming elections.
In the following interview, Dr Maszlee Malik, assistant professor at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa and associate at IDEAS, discusses his views on the role of religion & Islam in politics in the country. He also talks about what Islam has to say about democracy, as well as prospects of religion being a unifying , instead of divisive, factor in politics.

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Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA, or the Abolish ISA Movement, has recently launched its latest campaign lobbying for the release of 45 ISA detainees in Kamunting Detention Centre. This comes after the new Security Offences (Special Measures) [SOSMA] Bill, which replaces the Internal Security Act, was gazetted.

In the following interview, GMI chairman Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh talks about his thoughts on the ISA repeal, whether SOSMA is an improvement from the ISA and the role of civil society in freeing the 45 ISA detainees.

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