Live & Learn

Refugees in Malaysia are only recognised as such through their UNHCR cards, as Malaysia’s law does not make any distinctions between refugees and undocumented migrants. However, the Malaysian government recently introduced the Tracking Refugees Information System - also known as TRIS - for all UNHCR card holders, to identify their whereabouts in the country. This move has raised concerns among refugee rights groups and activists about its necessity and implementation. We speak to Tham Hui Ying, Executive Director of Asylum Access Malaysia to discuss the ramifications of this move, and where it stands amidst increasing securitisation of refugees globally. 

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Dr Kannan Pasamanickam has dedicated the vast majority of his life to his patients. Recently, the good doctor wrote an autobiography titled Joy, Challenges and Hope: My Life Journey, where he details well, his journey growing up in a small town in Muar, his passion for the field of medicine and how hope and optimism are important pillars in his life. 

Dr Kannan joins us on the show today to talk about his book and his life journey.

Image credit: Subang Jaya Medical Centre

For the second consecutive year, the 2022 US Trafficking in Persons report has given Malaysia the lowest rank - Tier 3 - indicating our failure to meet minimum standards when it comes to human trafficking. With World Day Against Trafficking in Persons observed annually on July 30th, we take a look at what this latest report means for Malaysia, a member of the UN Human Rights Council, and whether the current economic situation will further fuel trafficking activities, with Jerald Joseph, human rights consultant and former commissioner with SUHAKAM.

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Unhappy with the rigidity and unfriendly atmosphere she encountered in her young son's school, Kiran Bir Sethi took matters into her own hands and set up The Riverside School in Ahmedabad in 2001, which was designed to shake up attitudes towards early years education, by placing empathy and creativity at the heart of the curriculum. This alternative model focuses on “quality of learning,” “student well being,” and “empathy in education” - which may seem like no-brainer ideals, but it was in fact a game changing move in parts of India and now across the world. Kiran, who is a designer, teacher, education reformer, and social entrepreneur, joins us to share her story of setting up the school, the principles it was founded upon, and how believing in children and telling them they "can" do something, does wonders. 

Image credit: The Riverside School

Article 8 (1) of the Federal Constitution reads: All persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection of the law. The law implies that every person is equally subject to the law, regardless of their social, political or economical status. While equality is not defined, it has been the subject of interpretation. We discuss equality before the law, especially with regard to intersectionality, poverty and human rights, with Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Hj Shad Saleem Faruqi, Holder of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Chair, University of Malaya, and Firdaus Husni, Chief Human Rights Strategist, Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (MCCHR). 

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).

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The inaugural Malaysia International Agricommodity Expo & Summit 2022 (MIACES) will be taking place at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) Kuala Lumpur from 26 to 28 July. The event will showcase an exhibition of in-demand commodity products, services, and up and coming agri-technology. We speak to Datuk Ravi Muthayah, Secretary General, Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC).

Art historian John Ang is the great-great-grandson of Major China Dato' Tan Hiok Nee, a textile trader and influential figure in Johor's history. With a special interest in textiles himself, John is an avid collector and researcher, and has been travelling around Asia to build his collection of textiles from different Malay communities of Southeast Asia. The Splendours of Malay World Textiles is an exhibition that features a comprehensive trans-regional representative collection of these Malay textiles, and will feature the complete set of the 12 major categories of Malay textiles, represented through 650 individual pieces. John joins us to share more about the immeasurable beauty of Malay textiles, what these fabrics reveal about our rich heritage and past, and how he is collecting not just textiles, but stories too.  

The immigration department is seeking to deport a Malaysian-born mother and her three Malaysian-born children (all of whom are officially stateless), to Indonesia. This family was detained on the 1st of July and has been kept in detention since. But why is the government aiming to deport Malaysian-born people – children no less – to a random country? Dr Hartini Zainuddin, who’s a child rights activist and the co-founder of Yayasan Chow Kit, joins us to discuss.

Image credit: United Nations Photo

Last week, the World Economic Forum released the Global Gender Gap Report 2022, which provides an index of where countries stand in achieving gender parity since it was first released in 2006. Out of 146 countries, Malaysia ranked 103rd, and globally, it’s said that it will take another 132 years to close the gender gap. We speak to Sivananthi Thanenthiran, Executive Director of ARROW, to discuss what this means for us in our efforts to achieve gender equality and how we can possibly shorten that time frame.

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Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican recently announced ‘Karnival Jom Beli Rumah 2022’, in which 10 000 affordable homes nationwide will be offered, priced at RM 300k and below. But is this a good initiative? And what should constitute affordable housing in the first place? We’re joined by Iskandar Fareez of the Think Tank, REFSA.

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