Live & Learn

It can be said that Malaysia is built on the backbones of migrant labourers. We see them everywhere -- cleaning our streets, fixing our rooftops, serving us at restaurants, banging and clanging in factories and even taking care of our kids. They're a part of us. However, new reports pop up every other week about foreign laborers overworked, underpaid and placed in horrible living environments. Some call it forced labour, some might even say modern day slavery. But what exactly constitutes forced labour? And how do a lot of big companies get away with it, a lot of times without much public awareness? In this episode, two labour right activists join us to share their insights.

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Rimbun Dahan is the beautiful sprawling home of Hijjas Kasturi and Angela Hijjas, which is set on fourteen acres in Kuang, Selangor, and is described as a centre for developing traditional and contemporary art forms. Rimbun has also been a temporary home for visual artists, dancers, choreographers, writers, arts managers, curators and researchers, through various residencies, and has provided educational opportunities for students of architecture, ecology and botany. So what pushed Angela and Hijjas in the direction of cultural and environmental philanthropy? Angela and her daughter Bilqis Hijjas, who are both Directors of Rimbun Dahan, join us to share more.

Image source: Rimbun Dahan's Facebook Page

The cat's out of the bag: Warisan is planning to contest parliamentary seats in peninsular Malaysia. But what will this mean for Pakatan Harapan as they head into GE15? Will it be a return of PH Plus, or will Warisan's presence disrupt Pakatan's journey to Putrajaya? And would Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim agree to work with the Sabah-based party? We answer these questions—and more—with Badrul Hisham Ismail from Iman Research, and IDEAS' Aira Azhari.

Image source: Aira Azhari's LinkedIn Page

If maps could speak, what would they tell us? The illustrated book, Biar Pete de Bersuara! (Let The Maps Speak!) is a story about the indigenous Semai people, which focuses on issues revolving around development on their land, and customary land rights. This trilingual children's book was illustrated by Semai artist Bah Saluji a/l Yeok So Alu of Perak, and written by Lai Bwe Yuoong, and was jointly published in collaboration with Malaysian CARE and other partners. The book is said to illustrate the interwoven relationship between the Orang Asli and their customary land - which sadly, in Malaysia, is often encroached upon. We find out more about the Semai community and the book from Bah Saluji, and also from Dr Wong Young Soon, the Executive director, of the NGO Malaysian CARE.

In a powerful speech last month, the Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations, Kyaw Moe Tun, urged the international community to use "any means necessary to take action" against the military, to help restore democracy in Myanmar. Speaking on behalf of Aung San Suu Kyi's ousted government, he also flashed the three-fingered salute before the UN General Assembly in New York, a gesture against authoritarian rule that has been adopted by anti-coup protesters in the country. Keith Kam speaks to Kyaw Moe Tun about what's happening Myanmar, since the military coup seized control there.

Think tanker by day, civic warrior by night. When he’s not working for his corporate day job, Zaim Mohzani spends time with young Malaysians to build up their self confidence and navigate the vast job market to address the issue of underemployment among young graduates. Having founded 3 NGOs that have collectively impacted 10,000 young Malaysians, we speak with Zaim to see what’s next for him as he seeks to help more youth build a future for themselves—and our country.

Image Source: zaim.my

When it comes to addressing the rakyat's needs, unequal parliamentary allocations between government and opposition MPs has been a sticking point for decades. But Bersih 2.0 and IDEAS have come up with ways to suggest that all MPs and ADUNs receive equal CDFs, or Constituency Development Funds. In fact, they’re suggesting that Parliament legislates this, and are pushing for ways to ensure that these funds are spent more transparently, and for lawmakers to be held more accountable. We speak with IDEAS' Sri Murniyati Yusuf and Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming to find the best way forward for allocating CDFs.

Image source: Shutterstock

After a brief hiatus, Law & Behold returns - now as a monthly segment - still with the aim of improving constitutional literacy among Malaysians, done in collaboration with The Malaysian Bar and the University of Malaya's Faculty of Law. In this episode, we look back at two issues that dominated the headlines in the earlier months of this year - first, the landmark decision of holding Malaysiakini in contempt of court for readers comments, and what this decision means for freedom of speech in Malaysia. Secondly, we discuss the issuance of the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021 , which makes it a criminal offense to create, publish, or disseminate “fake news” relating to Covid-19 or the proclamation of emergency in the country, or to fail to take down such material upon the government’s request. Joining us to explain these two major issues in detail is Dato’ Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a lawyer and expert in Constitutional law in Malaysia.

Image Source: EPA-EFE, Shutterstock

In a recent interview with BFM, Dr Bridget Welsh said something to the effect of “what’s unfortunate about our political landscape right now is that we’ve moved from reform politics to personality politics.” On today’s show, she joins us to discuss how our political landscape morphed from reform-centric to personality-obsessed, and the pros and cons of that.

Image source: Zahid Hamidi's Facebook Page, Muhyiddin Yassin's Facebook Page, Anwar Ibrahim's Facebook Page 

For Suzanne Mooney, a meeting with Robert Egger, the founder of the DC Central Kitchen, changed her life. He showed her that one person could make a difference to a community and to peoples’ lives. Originally a broadcast journalist with the BBC, Suzanne then worked for the United Nations, before she moved to Malaysia and founded The Lost Food Project, with the help of like-minded souls. From small beginnings, the Lost Food Project has made a huge impact on reducing food waste in the Klang Valley, providing support to lower-income communities, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They were even instrumental in working with the government on the Food Donor Protection Bill, which was approved by the Dewan Rakyat in October 2019. We catch up with Suzanne about how far the group has come, and find out about some new projects they are working on.

Image source: The Lost Food Project's Facebook page