Current Affairs

After the Trigana Airlines crash in Irian Jaya (West Papua) two weeks ago, Indonesia’s air safety record has been in the spotlight. Although it has one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in South East Asia, 59 of it airlines are prohibited from flying within the European Union. Today we explore the reasons behind the archipelago’s aviation safety problems and the challenges to over-coming them.

This is a report by Wan Irdina binti Mohd Fizlie. 

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Sri Lanka’s just concluded parliamentary elections together with the presidential elections in January suggests that the island-state is under-going a peaceful democratic revolution. But Sri Lanka is a country that has suffered reversals in the past, so questions remain if it can move decidedly against strong man politics, enact market-friendly economic reform, establish lasting ethnic reconciliation and reduce its heavy reliance on China. We frame the issues for you.

This is a report by Sharaad Kuttan. 

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Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee has been in the news for months now. But does the public know and care about it? One measure of how much the public cares about it is the admission of  former PAC chairman Nur Jazlan, that he might lose his parliamentary seat because he accepted position of Deputy Home Minister. His move into Cabinet meant he had to give up the chairmanship of the PAC, which effectively halted the committee’s hearing into 1MDB. Today we look at the inner workings of the PAC.

This is a report by Daniel Subramaniam. 

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The ringgit has weakened some 25% in the past one year, and the speed at which the local currency had devalued, has left many breathless. Among those affected are students intending to study overseas, those who are already abroad and those who are funding them. We explore how the overseas education is still very much sought after - not so much for the paper qualifications, but for the overall experience.

This is a report by Keith Kam with contributions from Aziff Azuddin and Heng Wei Ann. 

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More than 71,000 cases of dengue fever have been recorded nationwide from January to August this year. During this time, there were nearly 200 deaths, almost double the number in the same period last year. Meanwhile according to a recent report, China have been releasing mosquitoes infected with wolbachia bacteria, which make the males sterile and limit the insects’ ability to carry dengue. Scientists claim, the method has reduced the mosquito population by 90% in southern China. Back home, together with British company Oxitec, Malaysia at one time was the pioneer in the research of another method using genetically modified mosquitoes, for several years. Oxitec is still hopeful that a deal can be struck with the Malaysian government to introduce this technology to the environment. We explore the contrasting views on the benefits, efficacy and risks of this approach. 

This is a report by Shawn Tanis. 

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Barely two months after historic general elections that had raised hopes for opposition political parties, Turkey now faces political turmoil after talks to form a coalition government, collapsed this week. This comes against a backdrop of ongoing fighting between government and Kurdish militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party group, also known as the PKK. As Turkey increases its involvement in the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Syria,  we explore the complex military and political relationship between the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and its Kurdish minority.

This is a report by Jason Lim.

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Unlike Malaysian online content providers, their Singaporean counterparts are bound by increasing regulations. These regulations limit foreign funding and enable the authorities to take greater action against content in breach of the country’s Internet Code of Practice. As the government explores implementing similar regulations here, we explore how these regulations are changing the media landscape in Singapore. 

This is a report by Daniel Subramaniam.

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The Ministry of Higher Education is planning to create more holistic and employable students with a new grading model: intergrated Cummulative Grade Point Average (iCGPA). The iCGPA will take soft skills such as leadership and problem solving into account when grading students. Will this initiative be able to solve the unemployment crisis amongst graduates, or will students and lectures alike fail to adapt to this new system?

This is a report by Heng Wei Ann.

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Four months have passed since the goods and services tax was implemented in Malaysia. Like many of the 160 countries adopting this consumption tax - be it known as GST or VAT - Malaysians have also noticed a rise in the cost of many everyday items. The higher cost of living has also been reflected in the country's inflation data, highlighting a significant difference pre- and post-GST. We explore how the retail industry, as one example, has been affected by the introduction of the GST, which has been cited as a reason for the hike in prices of many goods. 

This is a report by Keith Kam. 

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Last week, the transfer of two officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to the Prime Minister’s Department caused public outrage. Although the civil service department later reinstated the two MACC personnel, questions remain over the independence of the anti-graft agency. Today, we explore the perceived weaknesses of the MACC and plans to address them.

This is a report by Wong Yu Han and Daniel Subramaniam.

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