Live & Learn

On 30 September, Malaysia officially ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) making us the 9th country to ratify this free trade agreement. But the CPTPP has remained a point of contention, as some say that it will benefit Malaysia’s economy, while others argue that it will cost us in the long-run, requiring changes in laws, guidelines and directives. So what could happen next, now that we’ve ratified the CPTPP? We find out from Chee Yoke Ling, Executive Director of Third World Network.

Image Credit: Twitter/Sahabat Alam M'sia

Ketuanan Pengundi (or Voter Supremacy) is a series in collaboration with Bersih. This series will explore 6 key reforms that the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections is championing to empower voters, ahead of GE15. 

On the final episode, we discuss the need to bring back local government elections.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Kota Kinabalu is most well-known as the gateway to Kinabalu National Park, especially for those who want to climb up Mount Kinabalu. But how often do we look at it and appreciate it as the capital city of Sabah? How do we ensure as the city continues to grow and urbanise, it is one that is inclusive and accessible to all? On the show with me to discuss this today is Rashidah Kamaluddin, Founder and Managing Director of KotaKita. 

Image Credit: Facebook/KotaKita

 Parti Kemakmuran Negara was started in May 2021 by a group of retired military officers hoping to drive home the message that racial polemics have no place in multi-racial Malaysia. Their attempts to register as a political party were met with resistance, as the Registrar of Societies under the Home Minister's purview has refused to approve their application despite court orders to do so. Its pro-tem president Brig-Gen Datuk Abdullah Mohamed, a retired air force officer, talks about Kemakmuran's GE15 plans regardless of whether or not they are registered.

Image Credit: Facebook/Parti Kemakmuran Negara

Ketuanan Pengundi (or Voter Supremacy) is a series in collaboration with Bersih. This series will explore 6 key reforms that the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections is championing to empower voters, ahead of GE15. 

On the 5th episode, we explore the role of institutions like MACC & AGC and how we can reform it.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

A staggering 50 million people globally are trapped in modern slavery, according to a recent report jointly published by the International Labour Organisation, the International Organisation for Migration, and Walk Free, an anti-trafficking human rights group. A problem that is neither new nor unknown, why have we struggled to clamp down on modern slavery? Are we ready to admit that modern slavery can be found, even here in Malaysia? 

We unpack this recent report and the broader issue of modern slavery, especially forced labour, I with Joanne Chua, national programme officer with the International Organization for Migration. 

Image Credit: Shutterstock

The philosophy behind Forest School Singapore is strongly linked with the history of kampungs and tropical living - they fervently believe in the importance of community spirit. Their approach is guided by three pillars of leadership: Nature-Led, Child-Led, and Context-Led. We find out more about this school, where Mother Nature and the Environment are the main teachers, and how it cultivates a space that empowers children, from Darren Quek, the Founder of Forest School. 

Out Of The Box is a monthly series where we explore alternative ways to teach and learn, done in collaboration with Anyaman Preschool.

Image Credit: Forest School Singapore and Facebook/Forest School Singapore

It's been described as crimes against humanity - back in 2015, Malaysian police discovered 139 mass graves in 28 abandoned migrant "prison camps” just over the border from Thailand in Wang Kelian, Perlis, following the discovery of similar graves in Thailand. The victims are believed to be Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshis - victims of mass human trafficking from Myanmar and Bangladesh to Thailand and Malaysia from 2012 to 2015. Human rights NGO Fortify Right and Malaysia's SUHAKAM investigation into the matter found reasonable grounds to believe that a transnational criminal syndicate committed crimes against humanity against these trafficked persons. Though Malaysia set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the matter, no report was made public, with officials calling it an official state secret - that is, until Fortify Rights revealed that the report recently appeared on the Ministry of Home Affairs website. Among other things, the 211-page RCI report found that the torture and deaths of Rohingya refugees and others in Wang Kelian “should have been prevented by the authorities” and that Malaysian enforcement agencies failed to follow their own standard operating procedures, significantly impacting the quality of their investigation into the situation in Wang Kelian. We find out more from Patrick Phongsathorn, a Human Rights Advocacy Specialist at Fortify Rights about what the report details, and what actions they are calling for.

Image Credit: Twitter/Fortify Rights

Ketuanan Pengundi (or Voter Supremacy) is a series in collaboration with Bersih. This series will explore 6 key reforms that the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections is championing to empower voters, ahead of GE15. 

In the 4th episode, we explore the need to abolish draconian laws such as the Sedition Act and section 233(1)(a) of Communications and Multimedia Act, and protect the people’s right to dissent. 

Image credit: Shutterstock / Djohan Shahrin

Food security is a major concern at the global level, as we continue to face an ongoing pandemic, international conflicts and climate change, amidst an uncertain economic outlook. But what does food security look like at the community level, for individuals and families? And how are soup kitchens and food banks who are filling in the gaps coping? In conjunction with World Food Day (16th Oct), we speak to Justin Cheah, Operations Director with Kechara Soup Kitchen to find out more. 

Image credit: Kechara Soup Kitchen