Current Affairs

When 14 out of the 15 Division Chiefs of UMNO Kedah, issued a demand for the resignation of the current Menteri Besar, Muhkriz Mahathir, it precipitated a crisis that's been grabbing headlines. While a gag-order on UMNO members prevents us from getting their insider viewpoint today we look at State-Federal as well as party-political dynamics to understand this rapidly evolving story.


This is a report by Sharaad Kutan.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chennai's remarkable recovery from its worst floods in recent history has been inspiring despite all the finger-pointing on what actually caused the catastrophe. As global warming experts indicate this could be the start of many more similar natural disasters across the globe, we explore how Chennai dealt with its most devastating floods and the lessons it learned from this calamity.


This is a report by Shawn Tanis and May Barani Lwin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 2 of our interview with Land Public Transport Commission chairman, we discuss the Bus Network Revamp, how to improve the system further, as well as the controversial new fare structure that’s come at a time of spiralling cost of living issues.

This is a report by Nadiah Aziz.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The terrorist attacks in Jakarta’s central business district on 14th January were the first major bombings to hit Indonesia’s capital six in years, and have been blamed on militants recruited by the Islamic State in Syria. Jason Lim speaks to Andreas Harsono, Researcher at Human Rights Watch Indonesia to understand the differences between these attacks with the previous years' bombings. He also questions if Indonesia’s intelligence agency could have done better in anticipating the incident.

This is a report by Jason Lim.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Land Public Transport Commission has faced a great deal of criticism of late, particularly as the authority regulating public transport in the country. Blamed for the recent ERL, LRT and KTM fares hikes to name a few, SPAD now has to defend itself after implementing a revamp of bus routes. Today we ask how commuters in the Klang Valley have been affected commuters at a time when rising costs of living.


This is a report by Nadiah Abdul Aziz.

For more information on the Greater KL and Klang Valley public transport plan, listen to :

Transport Masterplan Crossroads - First aired on 4th of August 2015 :


Urban Transport - Too Many Cooks? - First aired on 3rd of August 2015:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have been reading headlines of job cuts within the oil and gas space locally and abroad. While prospects do not seem rosy for this sector, oil majors are also mindful to not reduce their talent pool too significantly, for when markets do pick up eventually, they do not need to then scramble to hire. Instead, cost optimization methods such as redeployment of resources within the oil and gas value chain could be explored.


This is a report by Wei Lynn Tang and Navin Nair.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The passage of controversial laws such as amendments to the Sedition Act, Prevention of Terrorism Act and National Security Bill last year, have raised further questions on the transparency of our parliamentary process. In response, the government has pledged to carry out reforms to improve Malaysia’s parliamentary system, via avenues such as the Cabinet Committee on Transformation of Parliament. Independently of this top down approach, civil society groups have begun their own initiatives to make the legislature more accessible to the public. We explore their efforts including greater use of technology, in a bid to gradually modernize and reform the age-old institution of parliament.

This is a report by Jenn Behh, with contributions from Haniff Baharuddin and Jason Lim.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pakatan Harapan signed an agreement over the weekend to govern how the component parties will work within the new coalition. BFM asks Shahril Hamdan UMNO Youth exco member how this changes things for the ruling coalition.

This is a report by Sharaad Kuttan and Melisa Idris.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pakatan Harapan will have its official launch tomorrow but already there are problems for the 3 party pact consisting of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, the Democratic Action Party and Parti Amanah, a splinter of Parti Islam SeMalaysia or PAS. In fact Sinar Harian has carried the story of dispute over Local Council seats on its frontages 3 times this week. With today’s front page reading, ‘Amanah Perlu Bersyukur’ - a statement attributed to Teng Chang Khim, Deputy Chairman of DAP Selangor. This morning we ask why if the local council seat issue is it the first test for Pakatan Harapan? As well as other barometers of shifting political sentiment.

This is a report by Sharaad Kuttan.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP21 ended last month, with 196 countries and other stake-holders negotiating the Paris Agreement to mitigate the worsening effects of climate change. Malaysia has approximately 14 years to meet its commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent from its 2005 levels. Whether or not this is possible, given the level of government and private sector initiatives, remains to be seen. Today, we explore the policies implemented by Malaysia in achieving the pledge made in COP21, assessing the positive actions taken and the barriers the country will face along the process.


This is a report by Jason Lim and May Barani Lwin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.