Live & Learn

What was the process and thinking underlying the Malaysia Education Blueprint? How does it compare with educational reforms of other countries? What are the key intended outcomes? Dato’ Sri Idris Jala, President & Chairman of PEMANDU Associates and Chen Li-Kai, Trustee of Teach for Malaysia & Senior Partner from McKinsey & Co joins us to reflect on the Malaysia Education Blueprint. 

This is an edited recording of the second webinar on Malaysia's education challenges, with a focus on Malaysia's Education Blueprint (MEB), and is a collaboration between BFM Media, Edunity Foundation and G25 Malaysia.

M-C-M': Utopia Milik Siapa? takes us on a journey to discover how escalating house prices came about in Malaysia, and explores the forces at work causing this, including developers, banks, the state. The award-winning 2012 film tackles issues like affordable housing, rising debt, the likelihood of a Malaysian Homeless Generation, and why democracy matters to the economic well-being of all Malaysians. This film is being re-released by the Freedom Film Network on their Weekend Watch Playlist, and we discuss what inspired the making of this film and more, with its writer and director, Boon Kia Meng.

Image credit: Freedom Film Network

It’s no secret that Malaysian politicians often engage in political rhetoric that centres around race and religion. But just how often do they do it? And what exactly do they say, especially when mainstream media isn’t pointing a camera at them, particularly during elections campaigns. 

Kami Nampak! Is a new initiative that focuses on exactly that -- monitoring the usage of racial and religious rhetoric during elections campaigns. Mayna Patel of Kami Nampak joins us to discuss her initiative.

Image credit: Kami Nampak! Twitter 

As vaccination rates begin to plateau in many countries across the globe, particularly in those with a steady supply of vaccines, we begin to see governments taking harsher measures against those who choose to remain unvaccinated. On Monday, Austria essentially imposed a lockdown for the unvaccinated. In Singapore, unvaccinated residents who catch COVID-19 will have to pay for the hospitalisation costs. In Malaysia, last month Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that the government plans to “continue to make life difficult” for those who continue to refuse vaccination, although we have yet to see new measures imposed for this segment of the population. But these recent developments in other countries also beg the question: does our high vaccination rate warrant stricter measures for the unvaccinated? Here to share his thoughts on this is Assistant Professor Dr Farhan Rusli, public health medicine specialist from the International Islamic University Malaysia.

Image credit: Shutterstock

The Hasanah Forum, by Yayasan Hasanah will be held on the 17th-18th of November. With the theme, from charity to justice, the two-day virtual forum will focus on deepening conversations around key issues impacting nation-building such as socio-economic and environmental injustices, leadership, philanthropy, dignity, and rights. Dato’ Shahira Ahmed Bazari, Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah, joins us to discuss. 

Image credit: thf.yayasanhasanah.org 

Do you have faith in our education system? Many will say no, but others might feel that our education system simply needs a major overhaul. For years, educationists, parents and students have called for a better approach to Malaysia's centralised school system, and its cookie-cutter curriculum that lacks inspiration and creativity. We have an ambitious National Education Blueprint 2013 - 2025 in hand, but do we have anything to show for it? Have we tackled its 5 main goals - education for all levels, a 50% reduction in achievement gaps, unity, quality and maximizing student outcomes within the current budget? Our experts, Chan Soon Seng (CEO, Teach for Malaysia), Datin Noor Azimah Abd Rahim (Chairman, PAGE and Former MPPK Member) and (Nina Adlan Disney, Executive Director, LeapEd) have their say, discussing Our Education System: Overview or Challenges and Solutions.

This is an edited recording of the first webinar on Malaysia's education challenges, with a focus on Malaysia's Education Blueprint (MEB), and is a collaboration between BFM Media, Edunity Foundation and G25 Malaysia.

We're continuing our collaboration with the Freedom Film Network, showcasing films from their archives. This week, the chosen film is Al-Fatehah Memali, a documentary which follows two singer-songwriters, Black and Meor, as they journey to Kg Memali in Kedah, to try and make sense of what is now known as "The Memali Incident." Also known as “Operasi Angkara,” the incident involved the killing of both civilians and authorities, but the central figure was the alleged deviant preacher, Uztaz Ibrahim Mahmood aka As-Syahid Ustaz Ibrahim Libya. We trace back the incidents of that oft-forgotten incident and tragedy in our nation's history, and also what transpired after, with the film's director, Rahmat Haron. He will also discuss how local politics and the Internal Security Act played a part in what took place.

 Image credit: Al-Fatehah Memali film.

Things are brewing, up in the beautiful hills of Frasers, with The Raub Draft District Local Plan 2035 proposing to revive and turn Fraser’s Hill into a major tourist destination. With tourist numbers dropping these past few years, there are calls and major recommendations to revamp the entire area, but will these plans permanently destroy everything this “Little England” in Malaysia is known and loved for? We speak to Nik Jassmin Hew, the Chairman of Persatuan Alam & Warisan Bukit Fraser (PAWBF) about what the draft local plan is proposing, and what the residents of Frasers Hill feel about these new proposals.

Image credit: wikimedia.commons

 Human rights experts in Malaysia (and from around the world, as well) have joined the growing calls for Singapore to halt the execution of Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, a Malaysian convicted of drug smuggling more than 10 years ago. Nagaenthran is mentally disabled with an IQ of 69. 

The 33-year-old, who was sentenced to death in 2010 after being caught crossing the border the year before with 42.72 grams of diamorphine, was due to be hanged on Wednesday, but the punishment was put on hold after a last-ditch appeal filed by his lawyers and mounting public pressure. 

On today’s show, we explore why it is incredibly cruel and unjust to send drug mules to the gallows and also touch on why the death penalty needs to be abolished altogether.

Image credit: shutterstock.com

 Last week, it was reported that a resident of a drug rehabilitation centre in Kubang Pasu, Kedah had died after succumbing to injuries allegedly caused by a warden when he was attempting to escape. It was also reported that the warden had allegedly placed the victim in an isolation cell, then stepped on the victim’s neck and kicked his chest. While the warden has since been arrested, it raises concerns over the potential abuse and torture that could happen in rehabilitation, as well as the need for drug policy reform for us to better help drug users in Malaysia. We discuss with Dr Afiqah Mohd Salleh from Universiti Malaya’s Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA) and Ramli Abdul Samad, president of PENGASIH.

Image credit: shutterstock.com