Live & Learn

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of cooperation and aid more than ever. Yet, the pandemic has also shown us that this current system of “aid” - in air quotes - may not be working as it should to support countries that need it the most - in fact, some have described the current system as outdated and ineffective. So what are our options? A group of experts are proposing that we look at Global Public Investment as an alternative, and to find out more about this, we speak to Dr David McCoy, a member of the Expert Working Group on Global Public Investment. He’s also the research lead at the United Nations University’s International Institute for Global Health, which is the UN think tank on global health. 

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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 third episode, we discuss Parliament – its importance, why it’s so weak today and how we can fix it. 

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Last Friday, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz unveiled Budget 2023 at RM372.3 billion — the country’s second-largest ever budget. However, in a twist in the tale, yesterday, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob of UMNO dissolved Parliament. The 15th General Election will be called within 60 days and the next government will either have to retable the same budget or a new one. 

So, with all of that in mind, on this episode, we take a look at Budget 2023 and analyse if it addresses the needs of the masses, particularly the B40. We also discuss some of the politicking that have been going on around the budget. 

Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.

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Last Friday, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz unveiled Budget 2023 at RM372.3 billion — the country’s second-largest ever budget. However, yesterday, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob of UMNO dissolved Parliament. The 15th General Election will be called within 60 days and the next government will either have to retable the same budget or a new one. 

Putting elections aside, on this episode of Live & Learn, we’re going to be analysing the budget tabled in parliament last week, with a focus on women and gender equity. 

We’re joined by Sabrina Aripen of Society for Equality, Respect And Trust for All (SERATA) and Jernell Tan of All Women’s Action Society (AWAM). Sabrina and Jernell are also part of the Gender Budget Group. 

Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.

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Life may seem like it's pretty much back to normal in this post-pandemic world, but for many "pandemic kids" or "bunker babies" - all those missed social interactions during those prolonged lockdowns and quarantines have caused a lapse in their ability to socialise in an in-person group setting. Tracy Ho, a Certified Supervisor for Play Therapy, joins us to share what she has been seeing in her practice in terms of children struggling with socialisation, and how parents and caregivers can set the right pace for re-socialisation.

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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 second episode, we explore the need for a recall election law/mechanism on top of the Anti-Hopping Law that was recently passed in parliament. We also discuss the need to institutionalise equal constituency development funding. 

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Budget 2023 will be tabled in Parliament this Friday, the 7th of October. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob previously stated that the government will table a Gender Responsive Budget, especially for B40 households. But what should a gender responsive budget look like, and how should the government address the needs of women? 

We’re joined by Jernell Tan, Information & Communications Officer, All Women Action Society and Prof. Dr. Noraida Endut, Professor at Unit for Research on Women and Gender (KANITA). Both Jernell & Prof Noraida are part of the Gender Budget Group. 

Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.

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Article 10 of the Constitution of Malaysia guarantees Malaysian citizens the right to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of association. On this episode of Law & Behold, we tackle Freedom of Association in particular, with Firdaus Husni, the Chief Human Rights Strategist at the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (MCCHR) and Kee Hui Yee, a lawyer with Kanesalingam & Co. Freedom of association is a fundamental liberty guaranteed to every citizen under Article 10(1)(c) of the Federal Constitution, and the same rights are enjoyed under Article 20(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Why do discussions on anti-hopping laws inevitably involve arguments about freedom of association, and how is the Societies Act 1966 inconsistent with the principles of human rights, particularly the right to freedom of association? We discuss this and more with Firdaus and Hui Yee.

Law & Behold is a monthly series which aims to arm Malaysians with constitutional literacy, and is done in collaboration with The Malaysian Bar, the University of Malaya's Faculty of Law, and the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (MCCHR).

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 first episode, we explore reforming the Election Commission to prevent voter suppression, with Thomas Fann, chairperson of Bersih. 

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Without enough information, the right information, it’s hard for us to make decisions on just about anything. But as a society in a democracy, do we have the right to access information, especially from our public bodies? In conjunction with the International Day for Universal Access to Information (28th September), we speak to Wathshlah Naidu, Executive Director of the Centre for Independent Journalism, on the importance of access to information and why that matters in press freedom in Malaysia. 

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