Live & Learn

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution indicated that he has no intention of reviewing the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma). It’s important to note that Saifuddin Nasution is a supposed reformist and PKR/PH has been campaigning against SOSMA for years.

So, first we speak to Sevan Doraisamy, Executive Director, SUARAM on why we need to abolish SOSMA. We also play a portion of old interview of ours, where former Petaling Jaya MP, Maria Chin Abdullah, talked about her experience being detained without trial under SOSMA.

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Recently, health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa announced an initiative to provide free sanitary pads in the Ministry of Health (MOH) to combat period poverty. She said that the initiative will launch in MOH itself, in which free sanitary pads will be placed in the washroom of the minister’s office. The announcement drew mixed reactions from the public, with many calling it a step in the right direction, while others say the initiative should be targeted better. 

So, is it a good initiative, is it not? Perhaps it’s a great initiative that in a typical Harapan fashion, wasn’t communicated properly. 

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In the past week, distressing reports have once again emerged of Rohingya refugees left stranded on a boat out at sea. Unfortunately in Southeast Asia, it’s something that’s happened again and again, often with countries in the region pushing the responsibility to each other, and in many cases with refugees - adults and children - dying at sea. To shed some light on what’s happening now as well as the larger issue of how we address humanitarian crises such as this, we’re joined by Lilianne Fan, Chair of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network’s Rohingya Working Group. Lilianne is also the co-founder and international director of the Geutanyoe Foundation which works with refugees and marginalised groups.

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The end of the year marks the monsoon season here in Malaysia, and for some communities, it's also a time of great hardship. The Bateq tribe who live along Sungai Tembeling in Kuala Tahan are adversely affected each year, and the good folks from the Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY) have started an annual appeal for the communities that are affected, to help tide them over during these difficult times. We hear more about how we can help from Andrew Sebastian, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia.

Image Credit: ECOMY

Many, especially arts practitioners and those in the arts and culture industries were dismayed that there was no mention of Arts and Culture in the current cabinet line-up under the Anwar Ibrahim administration. Why does arts and culture always seem to play second fiddle to other industries, and why is Malaysia’s focus on the art industry so low despite it being so rich, given our diversity? We discuss this and more with Ali Alasri, an artist and researcher, with a performing arts background and Bilqis Hijjas, the Director of Rimbun Dahan, who are both part of ReformARTsi, a coalition of 118 Malaysian artists and 55 arts organisations advocating for policy change in the areas of finance for the arts, arts education, and freedom of expression. 

*This interview was recorded before YB Dato Seri Tiong King Sing made the announcement that the Arts and Culture portfolio will remain under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Any confusion is deeply regretted.

Image Credit: Five Arts Centre Malaysia

For decades, Palestinians have suffered injustice and oppression at the hands of the violent Israel Zionist regime, backed by the United States government. There have been many attempts to resolve this conflict peacefully, but negotiations have always fallen through. 

Question is, can there be peace and justice in Palestine?

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Despite decades of work and progress led by women’s rights activists in Malaysia, there remains much more to be done for us to achieve gender equality. With a new government in place, what do women’s rights organisations hope and want to see from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration? We speak to Abinaya Mohan, advocacy director with the Women's Aid Organisation.

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Adding another feather to his already outstanding cap, educator Samuel Isaiah - the first Malaysian teacher to be a Top 10 Finalist of the Global Teacher Prize - was recently awarded the TRT World Citizen Educator Award for the year 2020, recognised for his efforts to improve the quality of education in Malaysia. We catch up with Teacher Sam to find out more about this latest accolade, which comes on the heels of two other rewards he received this year, the Anugerah Belia Diraja and Anugerah Harapan Merdeka. We also ask Sam about what education reforms he would like to see under the new Anwar Ibrahim administration.

Image Credit: Global Teacher Prize Varkey Foundation

Since the implementation of UNDI18 or the lowering of voting age from 21 to 18, the youth have become increasingly important in shaping not just the outcome of elections but the direction of public policies too. But what role exactly do youths play in shaping public policy? We speak to Dr Jason Pandya-Wood, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia.

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After a week of political drama and impasse following GE15, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister last Thursday, with a coalition government led by Pakatan Harapan, with Barisan Nasional, Warisan, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Gabungan Parti Sarawak as partners. As we wait for the new cabinet to be unveiled, what should be on the human rights agenda for this new government? Will we see significant reforms being pushed through? We hear from Katrina Jorene Maliamauv, Executive Director of Amnesty International Malaysia. 

Image Credit: EPA-EFE and Shutterstock