Current Affairs

There was much criticism surrounding the government's handling of last years floods in the east coast as well as Sabah and Sarawak, which were the worst in several decades. Today, we discuss what lessons Putrajaya has learnt since then, and whether Malaysia is ready to handle a possible repeat of the disaster, or any other natural catastrophe.

This report is by Nadiah Abdul Aziz.

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Investigations are ongoing into the deaths of five Orang Asli children in Pos Tohoi in Gua Musang, Kelantan last month. The tragedy has shed light on many long standing problems affecting the indigenous community, especially education related issues. For instance, last year alone some 850 Orang Asli children dropped out after Standard Six, nearly 20 percent of their total primary school enrolment. We explore the issues that cause Orang Asli children to distrust the education system, leading to them dropping out or running away, including the hostels and the deplorable state of many of the community's primary education facilities.

This is a report by Jason Lim.

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Is the media responsible for the success of extremist groups or is it governments? Do news values of immediacy, drama, “if it bleeds it leads” converge with the modus operandi of terror groups? And even if so can the media actually do anything about it. You can catch our guests and other debate this issue this evening at 8pm at Pusat Kreatif Kanak-kanak Tuanku Bainun (PKKTB), 48 Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail.

This report is by Sharaad Kuttan.

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The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) is demanding a 40-hour work week policy, from the current 48 hours. It claims Malaysians are being forced to work extra hours to gain additional income, at the expense of the their health, work-life balance and productivity. Looking at Sweden which has adopted a six-hour work day format, MTUC is urging the government to protect Malaysian workers who are reportedly being overworked. Today BFM explores the rationale behind the proposal and its feasibility in Malaysia.

This report is by Shawn Tanis.

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While many tax experts have lauded the government for maintaining its fiscal consolidation plan, there is no doubt who is paying for the budget. From a consumer perspective, the higher and middle income groups are obviously funding a huge chunk of expenditure for next year. Today we discuss the budget from the perspective of the middle income demographic, against the rising cost of living.

This is a reported by Nadiah abdul Aziz

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The government's annual budget announcement always receives mixed reactions, and last Friday's Budget 2016 was no exception. In the face of controversy surrounding the 1MDB issue, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak comes under the spotlight again, in a budget heavily focused on UMNO's traditional voter strongholds of Sabah and Sarawak. The budget has been criticised for turning Malaysia into a welfare state, at a time of flagging investor confidence, waning foreign direct investment, and huge capital outflows. We speak to a trio of tax experts to ask, did Putrajaya get it right this time around?

This is a report by Nadiah Abdul Aziz and Keith Kam.

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We continue with our discussion of Budget 2016 taking into account social inclusion issues, benefits to the Borneo states, solving poverty when leakages are significant and the prevailing ‘neo-liberal’ assumptions underscoring the Administration’s approach to budgeting and social policy.

This report is by Sharaad Kuttan.

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How did Malaysia rate in a global survey of government budgetary process called the Open Budget Survey 2015? And does our low score reflects the democratic character of our government and the state of political will on questions of transparency, audit institutions and public participation. Today we look at why thinking about the Budget as a one-off event undermines good governance.

This report is by Sharaad Kuttan.

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Myanmar is set to have its first general elections in 25 years early next month. An election some believe could be a major landmark in the reform country and could see the military-backed ruling government ousted by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party. We explore issues surrounding the elections, including if Suu Kyi’s win will make any difference in how the Rohingya community in the country is treated, and why the Election Commission disqualified over 100 candidates.

This report is by Sharyl Kaur and Wan Irdina Binti Mohd Fizlie.

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It's been two months since Southeast Asia has been blanketed in thick smoke from the burning peat forests in Indonesia. Recent reports suggest that the haze could last up to the end of the year and beyond, prompting questions over Indonesia's response to this regional environmental crisis. Today, we explore Indonesia’s perspective on the political, economic and diplomatic dimensions of the haze.

This report is by Aziff Azuddin and Haniff Baharuddin.

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