Live & Learn

Yesterday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, unveiled what the PN government dubs a National Recovery Plan. The plan has four-phases and highlights the government’s strategy to ease out of lockdowns, reopen social sectors, and parliament, as well. As it stands, the government aims to reopen Parliament in September and reopen the entire economy in December. 

But does this plan address the issues that the country has faced over the past year and does it provide a pragmatic recovery solution to boost the confidence of the people? 

Iskandar Fareez of the think tank REFSA, joins us to discuss. 

Image source: Muhyiddin Yassin Facebook

It’s been more than a year since COVID-19 has upended our lives, especially the lives of our healthcare frontliners regardless of whether they are directly involved in treating COVID-19 patients or not. We speak to one of our healthcare workers, Dr Tharshana Thenakaran, a medical officer from Melaka Hospital, to find out what happens behind the scenes at the hospital, what it’s like to care for kids and babies who have contracted COVID-19, and how every little action can help to reduce the burden on our frontliners.

Image source: Tash Karan Facebook 

Last Friday, the Malaysian Immigration Department uploaded a poster across all social media platforms, telling Rohingya migrants that they’re not welcomed here. 

The cinematic poster which mirrors that of action films -- think PASKAL or Polis Evo -- contains 3 armed soldiers, and words that read “Migran Etnik Rohingya Kedatangan Anda Tidak Diundang (Ethnic Rohingya migrants, you are not welcomed here).” The poster was eventually taken down by the immigration department after plenty of pushback from social media users. While that was the right move, as with many things on the internet, once it’s uploaded, it will find a way to live on forever, and in this context, live on through forwarded WhatsApp messages. 

But what are the potential impacts of such a poster?

Image source: Malaysian Immigration Department 

Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is now underway. In this ongoing series, senior citizens who have gotten their jabs share their stories, to allay fears and concerns about getting the vaccination. This episode features Col. (Rtd) Yap Pak Choy, 73, from Kuala Lumpur.

The FreedomFilmFest has been bringing socially relevant, human rights films to Malaysians since 2003. Now, as we stay home to stay safe, the folks behind the Freedom Film Network are releasing a specially curated FFF film playlist every Friday - dubbed ‘Weekend Watch with FreedomFilmFest' - on their YouTube channel, giving us plenty to watch, and lots of food for thought. This weekend's playlist is themed  #IPCMCNow - and is a collection of films that showcase why an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission is necessary, to hold those who abuse their power accountable for their actions. One of the films featured under this playlist is the documentary film "Rights of the Dead" which looks at the events surrounding the mysterious death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock, and what transpired after. We find out more from the film's director, Tricia Yeoh, who is the CEO of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS).

Image source: Tricia Yeoh

The FreedomFilmFest has been bringing socially relevant, human rights films to Malaysians since 2003. Now, as we stay home to stay safe, the folks behind the Freedom Film Network are releasing a specially curated FFF film playlist every Friday - dubbed ‘Weekend Watch with FreedomFilmFest' - on their YouTube channel, giving us plenty to watch, and lots of food for thought. This weekend's playlist is themed  #IPCMCNow - and is a collection of films that showcase why an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission is necessary, to hold those who abuse their power accountable for their actions. One of the films featured is “POCA Boy”, a short documentary about Ang, a 16-year-old boy who was placed under POCA (Prevention of Crime Act 2015). We find out more from the film's director, Sevan Doraisamy, who is also the Executive Director of Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram).

Image source: FreedomFilmFest

New Naratif is an online journalism platform and independent media outlet which tells stories that empower Southeast Asians to take action for positive change. Independent, ad-free and pro-democracy, the outlet publishes investigative reporting, academic research, comics, explainers, videos and podcasts in English, Bahasa and other languages of Southeast Asia. We catch up with the founder and managing director, Thum Ping Tjin and also Deborah Augustin, who is New Naratif's Membership Engagement Manager and Malaysia Lead, to find out more about what they stand for, and the work they do, and also how they are aiming to keep their work 100% independent.

Image source: New Naratif Twitter

Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is now underway. In this ongoing series, senior citizens who have gotten their jabs share their stories, to allay fears and concerns about getting the vaccination. This episode features Dr Siva Rama Krishnan, 99, from Kuala Lumpur.

Image source: JKJAV

Last year, the folks at UNDI 18, which is a non-partisan youth advocacy group, organised a little something called Parlimen Digital, a virtual parliamentary sitting run and participated by youths. The event was highly successful and garnered praise from the media, activists and politicians alike. This year, the UNDI 18 folks are back with something that looks to be bigger and better. It’s called Dewan Muda Malaysia (DMM), a two year programme with the aim of promoting greater political participation among Malaysian youths. Qyira Yusri and Tharma Pillai, Co-Founders of UNDI 18, join us to discuss DMM.

Image source: Qyira Yusri's LinkedIn, Dewan Muda Malaysia Facebook, Tharma Pillai's Instagram 

Last week, 23-year-old World Number 2 tennis player Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open, after being fined and threatened with expulsion by the tournament organisers for refusing to attend post-match press conferences to protect her mental health. In fact, she revealed that she has suffered from “long bouts of depression” and found it anxiety-inducing to speak to the media. While she received widespread support from fellow athletes and her fans, she was also criticised for not being able to handle the pressure and that speaking to the media is part of her job. This raises the question: why are people still unable to put themselves and their mental health before their professional priorities, without judgment? How can we do better to support not just public figures but the people around us when they speak up about their mental health? We speak to clinical psychologist Evone Phoo to find out.

Image source: Shutterstock