Live & Learn

Law Quacks is an online portal that publishes easily-digestible articles that are related to the law and legal matters. Inviting everyone to swim in their knowledgeable pond, the co-founders of the portal hope to educate and inform the public, and hopefully break down complex legal issues for all. We find out more about this portal from three of the six co-founders, Chua Yi Xin, Javed Amir Khan and Ananda Mohan.

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The Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM) recently produced two pieces of research related to sexual and reproductive health provision in Malaysia: the first being a survey of private clinics providing women-friendly services in West Malaysia, and the second being a review of a hotline providing information to women facing an unplanned pregnancy. On this episode of Live & Learn, Dashran chats with Petra Gimbad, the secretary of RRAAM, about some of the findings of these studies, why abortion services are important & necessary, and also the stigma surrounding abortion in the country.

Image Source: Planned Parenthood Action Fund

Subashan Vadibeler is a final year medical student at the University of Malaya, who has been awarded the highly prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. He will be pursuing two Master’s Programmes in Oxford University and hopes to one day find a cure for dengue. On this episode, we speak with Subashan about his life, passions, and what it takes to achieve academic excellence. 

In conjunction with 16 Days of Activism Against Violence, the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) is running a little something called “Girls Takeover!”... where young girls go on air and speak about issues that girls and children face. On this episode, Dashran speaks to four young girls, who share their stories on the bullying they’ve had to endure (from strangers, friends and family) and how they’re dealing with it.

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The Dewan Rakyat passed the second reading of Budget 2021 yesterday. The RM322.5 billion (US$79 billion) budget, the largest budget ever tabled in Malaysia, was called "a budget for the people" by the Prime Minister, and it was arguably also the most intensely debated proposed budget in recent times. On this episode of Law & Behold, we give you a 101 on the Budget -- how it's tabled, the approval and legislative process -- and also discuss hypothetical situations that could play out, should the Budget be rejected. Joining us to do that are Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi (Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Malaya) and New Sin Yew (Constitutional Lawyer).

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It’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. In light of that, we look back and reflect on 2020, see how COVID-19 and lockdowns contributed to the rise of Gender-Based Violence, and examine if political instability can slow down efforts to curb GBV.

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In conjunction with World Children’s Day 2020, Dashran speaks to Nurul Rifayah, a 17-year-old activist who’s passionate about education reform. Nurul works closely with UNDI 18, and also won Best Debater at 'Debathon Parliament 2019' at 16, beating participants much older than her.

Image Source: Nurul Rifayah Instagram 

Rachel Bitecofer, an American political scientist said: Winning elections isn’t about convincing the undecided or the so-called “swing voters,” rather, it’s about motivating your team to show up. Bitecofer may have been talking specifically about US politics, but we wanted to explore if the theory is applicable to Malaysia as well and ultimately try and examine what it takes to win an election in Malaysia. Dashran explores this idea with Dr Bridget Welsh, political analyst and honorary research associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute.

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On this episode of Law & Behold, we discuss the recent case involving student activist Wong Yan Ke, who was arrested while he was filming and broadcasting a raid related to an investigation involving the University of Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany). This investigation is being done over a statement the association made, about the role of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. We discuss how this incident relates to Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, which is on freedom of speech and expression, with lawyer Kee Hui Yee and Firdaus Husni, the Chief Human Rights Strategist at the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights.

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In a presidential election that some have billed the ‘battle for America’s soul,’ Democratic candidate Joe Biden, defeated the incumbent President Donald Trump, to become the 46th President of the United States. This was a special election -- one that drew record-breaking voter turnouts. Joe Biden received more votes than any other president in US history. 

The result was met with jubilation amongst the more progressive & liberal folks, not just in the US, but all over the world. You could feel it in the air -- something felt different. 

But the question is, what does Joe Biden’s victory actually mean? And what could his presidency be like? Dashran speaks with Assistant Prof Peter Beattie, an Academic in the field of Political Psychology, Media, and Global Political Economy, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

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