Current Affairs

For over a year, the legality of ride-booking services such as Uber and Grabcar has come under scrutiny from various quarters, despite their increasing popularity. SPAD insists that ride-booking services without Public Service Vehicle licenses are illegal, and has seized over 150 vehicles since October last year. The pressure on these app-based operations was amplified in recent weeks, as regular taxi drivers began detaining ride-sharing drivers, before handing them over to the authorities. Is this the beginning of the end for ride-booking services in Malaysia? BFM explores some primary concerns surrounding the legality of these services involving urban-mobility, licensing and safety.

This is a report by Shawn Tanis, Ashraf Zein & Wan Irdina.

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In 1956 the Razak Report established the broad parameters of our current three-stream education system. Over the decades it has been challenged in one form or another. A deeply politicised issue, the rights to vernacular schools and mother-tongue education was again raised by protesters at the Maruah Melayu rally. The Prime Minister in his weekend address to the Gerakan annual national delegates' conference reiterated that vernacular schools are part of the 'social contract'. But will this settle the question once and for all? Today we seek the opinions of parents and teachers on what is most important in education.

This is a report by Aisyah Tajuddin.

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The 12 nations involved in the Trans Pacific Partnership finally reached an agreement on October 5th, after five years of negotiations. Today, nearly two weeks on, the debates continue over how beneficial - or otherwise - this deal would be to the economies of the US, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia. Contentious issues over intellectual property laws, concerns the TPP agreement favours large corporations, as well as protection of an individual country’s national agenda have become hot topics. We look at what Malaysian businesses stand to gain or lose by participating in this trade bloc. Are they ready to face the increasingly competitive global market? Should they continue to rely on government protection?

This was reported by Keith Kam and Ashraf Zein 

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Last Saturday, two suicide bomb blasts killed almost 100 people during a rally in the Turkish capital Ankara. Turkey has blamed the Islamic State for the attacks. Apart from acts of terror, IS has captured territory. Can it be stopped? Will the recent Russian entry in fighting the IS in Syria, as well as the on-going US led operations, lead to its demise? Today we explore why predictions of the Islamic State’s demise may be premature, the possibility that IS militants may have infiltrated refugees escaping Syria, and whether talk of a military coalition of regional and global powers to fight the IS menace, can be translated into a realistic option.

This is a report by Jason Lim.

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The GST has been in effect for half a year, hiking inflation nationwide, up to the highest on record at 3.1 percent in August. Today, we look at whether the controversial tax system will have a snowball effect on household debt, against a backdrop of already low wages.

This is report by Nadiah Abdul Aziz and Keith Kam.

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Recently, there have been calls made by several ministers to abolish vernacular schools, and applying a single stream school system, to foster racial unity among students. This comes after the Maruah Melayu rally called for the end of these schools, with participants carrying ‘Hapuskan SJKC’ banners. After a statement made by Prime Minister Najib Razak that vernacular schools are here to stay, the Ministry of Education will be introducing a Nation Building module in primary schools. But will these efforts succeed, and is the source of the problem actually our schools? BFM explores.

This is a report by Aisyah Tajuddin & Wan Irdina binti Mohd Fizlie.

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Malaysia is set to celebrate its inaugural National Sports Day in less than 24 hours. The event, aimed at celebrating sports and healthy lifestyle, is also expected to foster unity among Malaysians in the long run. BFM explores the event with an official from the Sports Development Division of the Youth and Sports Ministry.


This is a report by Shawn Tanis & Wan Irdina binti Mohd Fizlie.

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It has been a month since the mandatory separation of waste programme was implemented. Residents living in landed properties in selected states, including Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, will have to separate their waste into two different categories; a residual waste pile and a recyclable solid waste pile. We explore how effective it has been so far, among other issues, and give you a checklist of how to go about it.

This is a report by Sharyl Kaur and Ashraf Zein.

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The seasonal haze has returned with a vengeance this year, causing weeks of severe disruptions across several countries in South East Asia. As NASA scientists project this could be the worst event on record, we discuss how Malaysia is handling the far reaching effects of the haze, and what more needs to be done.


This is a report by Nadiah Abdul Aziz, Wan Irdina binti Mohd Fizlie and Ashraf Zein. 

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The recent outbreaks of rabies in three Malaysian states and the subsequent declaration by the authorities to cull all stray dogs has sparked controversy. Thousands of dogs have been killed so far, and the state government of Penang in particular, has come under severe criticism, for adhering to the advice of Department of Veterinary Services to cull the stray dog population. In response to the UK-based animal charity, Worldwide Veterinary Service, offered help to roll out a mass vaccination program in Penang. Today we explore why vaccination is our best bet to eliminate rabies and how the campaign will be carried out.

This is a report by Shawn Tanis.

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