General

Healthcare workers have been battling at the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic for more than a year, donning restrictive PPEs, and worrying about the risk of contracting COVID-19, all while ensuring that quality healthcare is still provided to everyone who needs it. This World Health Day, we look back on 2020 with two of our healthcare workers, to find out how they are surviving the pandemic - what have they seen and learned in 2020, and most importantly, how they’re coping emotionally and mentally.

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If maps could speak, what would they tell us? The illustrated book, Biar Pete de Bersuara! (Let The Maps Speak!) is a story about the indigenous Semai people, which focuses on issues revolving around development on their land, and customary land rights. This trilingual children's book was illustrated by Semai artist Bah Saluji a/l Yeok So Alu of Perak, and written by Lai Bwe Yuoong, and was jointly published in collaboration with Malaysian CARE and other partners. The book is said to illustrate the interwoven relationship between the Orang Asli and their customary land - which sadly, in Malaysia, is often encroached upon. We find out more about the Semai community and the book from Bah Saluji, and also from Dr Wong Young Soon, the Executive director, of the NGO Malaysian CARE.

Throughout the pandemic, a lot of us have been supporting local, home-based F&B businesses, especially as they’ve mushroomed over the past year. With Ramadan set to begin next week and more people likely to buy food from such businesses to break their fast, we take a look at why food safety and hygiene is important, even among home-based businesses.

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Malaysia’s shopping mall occupancy rate declined for a fifth straight year, falling to 77.5% in 2020, its lowest since 2003, as retailers continue to be hammered by movement restrictions brought upon by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Waiting to “cuti-cuti Malaysia” as soon as interstate borders open? Not so fast, says an expert, as a loosened policy could bring about the 4th wave of the pandemic. Based on the small yet sudden spike in cases and the alarming jump in infectivity rates, traveling across the country may not be the best idea at the moment.

Has remote working banished the idea of the sick day? Has the pandemic made us paranoid to put in that application when we have a migraine or a cold? And are we still, even in 2021, victims of the presenteeism problem?

In a society that consistently promotes hustle culture, companies tend to push their employees to be at their best. With almost 10,000 hours of our lifetime spent at work, how are we able to juggle between our happiness, health and well-being? Ulrika Brunner, CEO of Inspire Group Asia gives her take on what companies should be doing, the priorities for staff growth, and ways to boost employee morale.

Continuing to improve your skill set is a major part of staying hireable and taking your company to the next level, and training courses can only teach you so much in the space of only 24 or 48 hours. Sam Suresh, founder of the e-learning platform ModernLMS, discusses how SMEs, colleges, and other organizations use the platform to keep building their skills throughout the years.

Why is Parti Warisan Sabah disassociating itself from the Pakatan Harapan Plus coalition? The Morning Run speaks with Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Warisan's President, to find out. We asked him about potential partnerships with Syed Saddiq and MUDA, Warisan's relationship with PH, and whether he want to be Prime Minister.

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It goes without saying that Covid-19 is one of the biggest health disasters in recent memory. Malaysia alone has seen over 350,000 cases since January 2020. But who is leading the charge against this invisible enemy? For a World Health Day special, we speak to Dr Lo Ying-Ru, WHO Representative to Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore about the challenges of coordinating an international response to the pandemic.

Image Credit: WHO