Good Things

Aliff Naif is one of the most prominent youth leaders / student activists in Malaysia today. He’s the President of IIUM’s Student Union, Chief Coordinator of Demuda, and has been one of the key people behind many of the recent protests, including the protest against price hikes held in August. He joins us on the show today to share his story. 

Image credit: Facebook / Aliff Naif Mohd Fizam

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Kirsten Han is a Singaporean activist and independent journalist, who runs a newsletter called We, The Citizens. As an activist and journalist in a country with very little civic space or room for dissent, Kirsten has found herself tangled up with the Singaporean authorities a number of times, in her fight for social justice. She joins us on the show to share her story. 

Image credit: Kirsten Han

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A graduation trip to Kenya in East Africa changed Gabriel Teo's life forever. Moved by the hardships he saw the people of the Tana Delta facing, Gabriel made a commitment to find ways to help, and in 1995, he gave up a successful career and comfortable life and moved to Kenya permanently. In 2005, the NGO Tana River Life Foundation (TRLF) was formally established, with the objective of assisting the marginalised through education and the acquisition of life skills. More than 17 years on, TRLF has continued to grow and flourish, as have the beneficiaries of the foundation.  The organisation is now the biggest education stakeholder in Tana Delta working together with Kenya’s Ministry of Education. We catch up with Gabriel to find out more about the work the organisation does, and to discuss what it truly means to help others, which often requires a lot of letting go, and starting from zero. 

If you'd like to find out more or get in touch with Gabriel, you can email him at [email protected], or send a message via WhatsApp to +6598338401, or via Telegram at +254723521774.

Image credit: Tana River Life Foundation

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Kasih Hospice is a non-governmental organization focused on palliative care. They provide medical, emotional, and spiritual support for patients and their families, at hospitals or at the patient’s home. Best part is, they do so free of charge. Dr Munirah Ibrahim, who’s a family medicine specialist and a hospice doctor at Kasih Hospice, joins us to talk about the organization and their upcoming charity fair.

Image credit: Kasih Hospice Foundation

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The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections ( more commonly known as BERSIH) has been an integral part of Malaysia’s political fabric for more than a decade now. Since the mid-2000s, BERSIH has been pushing for electoral reforms, and led some of the most iconic and important protests in this nation, which ultimately led to the downfall of the Barisan Nasional government in 2018. Thomas Fann, Chairperson of Bersih, joins us to reflect on Bersih’s journey through the years as well as the Federal Court upholding the guilty verdict against Najib.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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Cultural heritage organisation PUSAKA was formally established by Eddin Khoo in 2002, though the work began much earlier in the 1990's. Focussed on championing Malaysia's intangible heritage - our local traditions and art forms - Eddin first started working with traditional masters from Kelantan, after the local government implemented a ban on some of the state’s traditional arts. The small but formidable team behind PUSAKA, which includes creative director Pauline Fan, are celebrating their 'official' 20th anniversary this year, and the group are still dedicated to creating a comprehensive documentary archive of traditional performing arts in Malaysia, while strengthening the viability of these traditions at the community level. We catch up with both Eddin and Pauline to discuss how they continue to work to both preserve and revitalise Malaysia's cultural traditions. 

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Elizabeth Cardosa is a familiar name in the field of heritage conservation, after spending over two decades lending her expertise to restoration projects and continuously raising awareness about the need to preserve our heritage. For BFM listeners, she is also a familiar voice across our station, especially on I Love KL. She joins us on Good Things to talk about why heritage conservation means so much to her and where she sees Malaysia heading in preserving our heritage and history. 

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Around the time he turned 63, veteran activist Haris Ibrahim was unfortunately diagnosed with lung cancer. Yet, the man behind the ‘Anything But UMNO (ABU)’ movement, still finds the courage and strength to take to the streets and fight for a more just and equal society for all of us. A proud Malaysian through and through. 

He joins us on the show today to share his journey in activism and hope for Malaysia.

Image credit: Facebook / Haris Ibrahim

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The first FreedomFilmFest was first organised in 2003 to promote human rights through social films. The Festival has expanded and grown over the years, but continues to make films that highlight the unseen, unheard, and untold in Malaysia. We speak to Brenda Danker and Anna Har, the co-founders of the Freedom Film Network, who have been tirelessly working to bring these stories to a wider audience, and who have been mentoring and training filmmakers in their quest to produce  “social films” in Malaysia.

Image credit: Facebook / FreedomFilmFest

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Youth in Politics (YPOLITICS) is an independent youth-led movement that aims to generate a more politically aware Malaysian youth. Joining us on the show to discuss what this initiative is all about is the founder of YPolitics, Loh Kar Mun.

Image Source: Loh Kar Mun

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