Current Affairs

In early April, the Malaysian Parliament passed a series of amendments to the national Child Act. The Child Bill 2015 was first tabled in Parliament last year, and incorporates a number of suggestions that will hopefully bring Malaysia in line with international standards on children’s rights. Malaysia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1995.

This is a report by Aisyah Tajuddin and Lyn Mak.

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Last month, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said, questions on the RM2.6 billion political donation to the Prime Minister can no longer be raised in Parliament. She stated, such discussions are sub judice due to the Bar Council’s suit against attorney-general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali.

What exactly is the sub judice rule? Does it still have a place in our current legal system?

This is a report by Azlin Balqis and Tan Yuen Yuen.

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In March, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission uncovered a syndicate that allegedly siphoned off 100 million ringgit from the Youth and Sports Ministry. In the wake of the discovery, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin highlighted procedural weaknesses, such as not obtaining higher level approvals for government payments.

This scandal has reignited many questions about the management of government funds and the effectiveness of audit practices in the Ministry. Today on Current Affairs, we explore best practices in other countries to achieve transparency and accountability in government institutions.

This is a report by Nadiah Aziz and Yuen Yuen Tan.

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The UN recently highlighted the link between freedom of information and sustainable development, while emphasising the need for nations to prioritise the safety of journalists who are operating within their borders. How does Malaysia compare to other countries in the region, when it comes to press freedom? BFM takes a closer look at our report card on this subject.

This is a report by Azlyn Balqis, Yuen Yuen Tan, Sonia Naidu, and Lyn Mak.

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The recent abductions of four Malaysians off Sabah's East Coast by the Abu Sayyaf group has led several countries to issue travel advisories against all non-essential travel to the state. The advisory warns of a threat of kidnapping and criminality on the eastern coast of Sabah, particularly on the islands close to the Sulu Archipelago in the southern Philippines. Today on BFM, we explore how Sabah's state government reacted to the incident, as well as what can be done to ensure the state's security and public safety.

This is a report by Jason Lim and Sonia Naidu.

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Candidate Rodrigo Duterte’s commanding lead as the final votes are being counted in the Philippine Presidential race cannot have come as a surprise. The Mayor of Davao City lead in opinion polls throughout the campaign. As an outsider to the political elite he rode an anti-incumbency wave. This morning we ask about outgoing President Nonoy Aquino’s last ditch attempt to thwart a Duterte win. We also take a look at the implications of this Détente win for Malaysia in view of his popularity with Mindanao Muslim society. We ask how this might play out for regional peace efforts especially around the recently scuttled Autonomy deal and the Sabah claim which Duterte has vowed to keep on the books.

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Winning 72 out of 82 seats with an increase in its popular vote. Barisan Nasional (BN) garnered 63.72% of the popular vote, an increase of 8.32% from the last state election. While credit has gone to “Team Adenan” and “Team Najib”, questions remain when looking more closely at the results. Was there a swing against BN in rural Sarawak? Have Chinese voters returned to BN, as the MCA claims? And what about the factionalism in BN and infighting over seat allocations in Pakatan? What model of coalition-building works best? 

This report is by Sharaad Kuttan and Melisa Idris. 

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In late March, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi made waves when she publicly criticised the actions of a Chinese trawler caught fishing in waters just off the Natuna islands. This is only the latest in a series of confrontations arising from China’s claim to 80 percent of the South China Sea. Whether or not this incident with Indonesia will affect ASEAN’s stance on the dispute remains to be seen.

This is a report by Chacko Vadaketh and Lyn Mak.

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Performance on the World Press Freedom Index has been poor for the region as a whole with The Philippines and Indonesia as notable exceptions. And while we have had some success domestically, Malaysia has a long way to go to ensure the free functioning of the media.

This report is by Lyn Mak, Sonia Naidu and Yuen Yuen.

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In early April, a group of journalists leaked around 11.5 million confidential documents from law firm Mossack Fonseca, based in Panama in Central America. Known as the Panama Papers, this incident revealed the names of many wealthy individuals who in their efforts to minimise their taxes burden by opening offshore accounts. But where does tax avoidance slip into tax evasion? And since governments can make legitimate claims for taxation how do tax regulators detect avoidance? And conversely what is considered legitimate methods to minimise taxes?

This is a report by Keith Kam and Tan Yuen Yuen.

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