General

In this month's round-up, we first look at all the news surrounding old and new environmental extractive projects - the Penang South Islands reclamation, the mining projects at Tasik Chini and Som forest, the sand-mining at Setiu Wetlands - what gives? Next up, we look at a massive deforestation project in Bukit Ibam, Pahang, which will displace Orang Asli families, and also the land dispute cases in Sarawak, where Penan and Kenyah groups are alleging that they haven't given free, prior, informed consent to logging projects in Miri and Limbang. Finally, will August see the reconvening of Parliament? We need policy-makers to table and debate responses to not just the Covid pandemic, but also a host of consequent environmental issues. Joining us to discuss this and more are Wong Siew Lyn & Law Yao Hua, Co-Founders, Co-Editors and Writers, Macaranga.org.

Image source: Jabatan Perhutanan Negeri Pahang Facebook, Shutterstock  

KampungKu is a series of renewable energy projects dedicated to resolving the energy-related needs of Orang Asli communities across Malaysia, by providing small-scale solar solutions. With help from the Ecotourism & Conservation Society of Malaysia (ECOMY) and other partners, ten easy-to-use, mobile photovoltaic cells and solar lamps were installed in cooperation with the Orang Asli of Kampung Dedari — a village community located upriver from Kuala Tahan and across from Taman Negara — in less than six months. Following the success of that project, more projects were initiated to help other Orang Asli communities, and even more are hopefully on the horizon. We find out more from Andrew Sebastian, the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of the Ecotourism & Conservation Society of Malaysia (ECOMY) and Arran Rahul Hashim, the Lead Project Coordinator and Co-founder of Kampungku. 

Image source: KampungKu, ECOMY

Saksi is an initiative by the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) to raise awareness and challenge gender bias reporting in the media. We speak to Hannah Jambunathan, Capacity Building Officer, Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) to get to know what their initiative is all about, as well as share some insights on the issue of gender bias in reporting, and what we can do to challenge it.

Image source: Shutterstock

With Phase One of the National Recovery Plan still in force, businesses want the government to recalibrate the list of essential services and industries to include their supply and export businesses.

Restaurants have been urging customers towards direct delivery as delivery platforms take cuts of up to 35%, and many feel that takeaway is not enough for future business sustainability despite operating hours now being extended to 6AM-10PM.

Image Credit: TY Lim | Shutterstock

According to PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the current restrictions put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19 will now be measured in ‘Phases’, and no longer in stages of the ‘MCO’. Whether or not we move from one Phase of the recovery to the next will solely depend on our daily infection numbers and the burden it puts on the healthcare system.

Once, the thought of working from home was not just rejected outright, it was even laughed at as an impossibility. How things have changed; employees resistant to technology embraced it because their career survival depended on it; companies pivoted; new apps, platforms and portals became the primary way of communicating… will we ever go back to working the same way as before or will employers have to meet employee expectations, and what could those expectations be? Human Equation founder Sheila Singam discusses the future of work trends and what we can expect.

Image Credit: senadamie | Shutterstock

It’s actually quite a common occurrence in the startup world to Pivot. And while some business owners may have a natural sense on how and when to Pivot! Pivot! Pivot! (like Ross Gellar did), it may not be so clear to others (read: Rachel and Chandler). We discuss the tricky art of pivoting, and how it can sometimes be a lengthy and complex but nonetheless essential process, with Mohandeep Singh from SecondCRM and Agiliux Cloud Insurance.

Brazil’s Covid-19 death toll surpassed 500,000 deaths last week, a grim reminder that the pandemic continues to rage more than a year and a half after its outbreak. President Jair Bolsonaro is notorious for making light of the pandemic and prioritizing the economy over healthcare measures. But as case numbers continue to rise with no relief in sight, could this bring an end to his political dominance? We discuss the situation in Brazil and the South American region with writer Mac Margolis.

Image Credit: Dado Photos / Shutterstock.com

Serba Dinamik has filed a civil claim for substantial damages against its auditor KPMG who then subsequently resigned. P. Gunasegaram, Editorial Consultant, at The Vibes discusses if Serba has a strong suit against KPMG and the core issues.

Image credit: Pavel Kapysh / Shutterstock