Current Affairs

 Law firm, BON Advocates, are tackling the issue of high legal fees by putting templates and information for simple legal documents on online platforms. Users will soon be able to draft their own Sales and Purchase agreements online for no cost whatsoever. They call this project DIY Law.

Today, we explore the DIY Law model and the ways it could either help or harm the public. Will this be the new frontier of law, or could it be costlier for users in the long run?

This is a report by Heng Wei Ann and Sharyl Kaur

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For some, the flurry of political moves yesterday - the termination of the Attorney-General, the removal of the Deputy Prime Minister, the elevation of key members of the Public Accounts  Committee, and the naming of a new Special Branch Director - all point to the Najib Administration’s 1MDB debacle. In a statement released following the termination of the AG , liberal think tank IDEAS noted that “to terminate his service in the middle of an ongoing investigation involving the Prime Minister raises a lot of questions about the intention behind this sacking.” We explore.

This is a report by Sharaad Kuttan. 

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On Friday, The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily were slapped with a 3-month suspension order. This comes after the Home Ministry issued the media group a show-cause letter on June 1 over its reports on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The letter from the ministry to the media company, stated that the publications' coverage of 1MDB was "prejudicial or likely to be prejudicial to public order, security or likely to alarm public opinion or is likely to be prejudicial to public and national interest”. There have been many responses to the news of the suspension both in support of the government as well as against it. Apart from politicians like Tun Dr Mahathir and former MITI Iron Lady Rafidah Aziz, captains of industry have also weighed in. AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes called it a sad day. CIMB Chief and brother of the Prime Minister, Nazir Razak weighed in on his Instagram account noting that “The Edge is a pillar of our business community - big role in keeping us informed, honest and competitive.” Today we look at the response of civil society activists. 

This is a report by Sharaad Kuttan. 

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There have been many comparisons and parallels drawn between Malaysia's debt levels and the current situation in which Greece has found herself. The crisis deepened when Greece became the first developed country in the world to have ever failed to make a repayment on a loan from the International Monetary Fund. We explore how Greece found itself in dire straits, prescriptions for a way out of its predicament, as well as a look at the similarities and differences between the economies of Malaysia and Greece.

This is a report by Keith Kam.

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Over the past 2 weeks, more than 230 human rights lawyers, employees and activists have been arrested, detained or have disappeared following Beijing’s crackdown on individuals deemed threats to ‘national security’. This comes after Beijing recently passed several laws to enable it to override both rule of law principles as well as human rights concerns. Why are these individuals being targeted when Beijing’s leaders claim to want to make the judicial system more responsive to ordinary citizens? We explore.

This is a report by Wong Yu Han.

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In 2014, migrant rights NGO Tenaganita sheltered 11 child brides, the youngest of them being only 8-years old. These ‘brides’ are part of the human trafficking trade emanating from Bangladesh and the Rohingya community. Today we explore the demand for child brides and the reasons why Bangladeshi and Rohingya parents seem to be willing partners in the supply of girl children. 

This is a report by Heng Wei Ann.

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In 2010, Malaysia enforced the Whistleblower Protection Act as part of its stated commitment to eliminate corruption. Five years on, whistleblowers are playing an increasingly significant role in exposing wrong-doing. But are we doing enough to value the contributions of whistleblowers in good governance? Today we look at the report “Whistleblower Protection Laws in G20 Countries” for a yardstick to measure the strengths and weaknesses of our own laws.

This is a report by Wong Yu Han.

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A Reuters report last week that Malaysia is set to receive an upgrade in this year’s US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons report has sparked outrage. The upgrade would allow Malaysia to participate in the newly fast-tracked Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. After a spate of poorly handled human trafficking incidents, is this a sign that the US’ trade interests trump its human rights agenda? We explore whether Malaysia done enough to justify an upgrade or if there are greater political forces at play.

This is a report by Daniel Subramaniam.

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The magnitude 5.9 earthquake which struck Ranau and Mount Kinabalu in Sabah last month, killed 18 people and caused close to 100 million ringgit worth of property damage. Both the federal and state governments have proposed systems such as earthquake detection sensors to better prepare for future tremors. We take a look at the current situation in Sabah just over a month after the earthquake, through the accounts of an NGO involved in aiding victims, and explore the measures needed to better prepare the people of Sabah against future seismic events.

This is a report by Jason Lim. 

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Recently Edaran Tan Chong Motor issued a number of vehicle recalls for Nissan due to possible problems with faulty airbags. It joined Honda Malaysia, UMW Toyota Motor, and BMW Malaysia, while Fuji Heavy Industries also confirmed, some Subaru models in Malaysia are also on the list. With the number of class action lawsuits against airbag manufacturer Takata Corporation rising steadily, we look at whether Malaysian motorists are adequately protected, and what more needs to be done to address these recalls.

This is a report by Nadiah Aziz.

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