Live & Learn

Buka Sekolah Kami! is a coalition of teachers, parents, educational institutions, medical professionals and grassroots organizations, who believe that the cost of school closures greatly outweigh the benefits. They are advocating for policy makers to prioritize the reopening of schools on a national level, and the need for a decentralised solution, and an end to blanket policies. In this second episode of our series on the issue, we speak to Consultant Child Psychologist Katyana Azman about how school closures impact our children, in terms of their mental and physical health, and also in terms of the development of their socioemotional and critical thinking skills. Ultimately we ask - why is face to face learning and interaction so important for them?

One of the world’s most wanted paedophiles, 40-year-old Alladin Lanim, was finally apprehended in Sarawak a few days ago, after operating under the radar for about 14 years. The perpetrator has been sentenced to 18 and a half years in prison and 15 strokes of the cane. The question is, why did it take so long to catch him? We discuss this and the impact of child sexual exploitation on the victims/survivors with Sarah Norton-Staal, Chief of Child Protection at Unicef Malaysia.

Image credit: Shutterstock.

All of us know that there are 222 MPs in parliament. We cast our vote, in general, once every five years. But apart from the big wigs and famous faces, how many of us even know who those MPs are? How many Malaysians even know what an MPs job is in the first place? How then do we decide who to vote for, besides the party’s logo? Insert MyMP! 

MyMP is a project by a trio of volunteers and developers working with MCCHR (Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights) with the aim of making the process of getting to know your MPs fun and engaging. In this episode, the founders of MYMP join us to share what the platform is all about.

 
Image credit: MYMP Website

Two weeks ago, after Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed as Prime Minister, the former Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Hannah Yeoh, called on the PM to establish a separate ministry to look after the needs of children in the country. Right now, children’s issues are largely addressed by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, so why is having a separate ministry necessary? How will it help us better protect children’s rights and welfare? And, more importantly, is it the right time? YB Hannah Yeoh is joined by child rights activist and founder of Yayasan Chow Kit, Datuk Dr Hartini Zainudin, to share more about why it’s time for a Ministry of Children.

Image credit: Hannah Yeoh Facebook and Yayasan Chow Kit website.

For the last few months, the team behind the FreedomFilmFest have been releasing a specially curated Freedom film playlist every weekend - dubbed ‘Weekend Watch with FreedomFilmFest' - on their YouTube channel. This month, the theme is 'Merdekakan Minda Rakyat' and the playlist is dedicated to speaking up about censorship in film, music, and the arts. The first film being re-released is Justin Johari's "Who Speaks For Me," a short documentary which deals with the question of freedom of expression in relation to 'sensitive issues' in Malaysia. The documentary features a Hip Hop group, D&A, attempting to explore the possibilities of addressing these 'sensitive issues' through music.

Image credit: Freedom Film Fest

Buka Sekolah Kami! is a coalition of teachers, parents, educational institutions, medical professionals and grassroots organizations, who believe that the cost of school closures greatly outweigh the benefits. They are advocating for policy makers to prioritize the reopening of schools on a national level, and the need for a decentralised solution, and an end to blanket policies. In this first episode of our series on the issue, we speak to Joanna Menon Lim, one of the founders of the campaign, and Siti Suhaila Mohamad, a mother of three and a former management consultant, about what exactly they are advocating for.

Yesterday (31st Aug) was International Overdose Awareness Day, which is said to be the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, to remember without stigma those who have died from overdose, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. In conjunction with that, we take a look at the role that decriminalisation of drugs for personal use could play in reducing overdose or perhaps even putting an end to it, and whether there is sufficient support for such a move to happen in Malaysia. We are joined by Samantha Chong, a human rights lawyer & drug policy reform advocate, and Palani Narayanan, Senior Advisor on Drug Use and Harm Reduction at the Global Fund.

Image credit: Shutterstock

In conjunction with Merdeka which is happening tomorrow, we’re joined by three young activists in different fields, namely youth advocacy, education and women’s rights, to discuss how far we’ve come as a nation and what they hope to see in the future.

Image credit: Shutterstock

We're continuing our collaboration with the Freedom Film Network, and featuring their past films, which are being specially curated and re-released under the “Weekend Watch with FreedomFilmFest' banner, on their Youtube channel. With Merdeka around the corner, this weekend's playlist will feature stories about independence, and one of the featured films is 2012's The Silent Riot by Nadira Ilana, which gives us a rare insight into riots that erupted in March 1986 in Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Sandakan in Sabah, following a turbulent state election the previous year.. Nadira joins us to share more.

Image source: Freedom Film Network

After 20 years of war, the Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan. The 20-year conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, and displaced millions more. How the Taliban plan to govern Afghanistan remains unclear, but women are especially fearful, considering that when they last held power, the Taliban strictly enforced their ultra-conservative interpretation of Sunni Islam that included banning women from going to school or working. Dr Johanna Higgs, a women’s rights activist, anthropologist and founder of the women's rights advocacy group Project Monma, spent some time in Afghanistan, to learn more about the situation of women’s rights in the country. She joins us to share the results of her research and what she learned from her time there,  and why we all need to demand equal rights for women everywhere, to end the oppression of, and violence against women.

Image source: Shutterstock