Live & Learn

The gaming world was at one point seen a safe haven for geeks to come together, share their passion for video games and compete with each other -- It was an escape! While that is still the case to a certain extent, over the years it has also proven that it can be incredibly toxic, just like any other industry. And about a month ago, the veil completely came off, as dozens of women in the gaming and esports industry started speaking out about sexual harassment they faced in the industry.

Today we’re joined by Tiffani Lim, the Vice President of the Malaysian Esports Players’ Association (MESPA) and Richard Wee, a sports lawyer & member of the Malaysian Bar. And we’re going to be discussing the gaming/esports industry’s #MeToo movement and what sort of systemic changes that need to be implemented going forward.

Image Source: Wallpaper Flare 

During Parlimen Digital, Klang MP Melinda Anne Sharlini passionately spoke about the economy through the lens of gender. In this episode, we talk to Melinda about her experience as one of the participants of Parlimen Digital, her passion for women’s rights activism, as well as the importance of having more women and young people in politics.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Parlimen Digital is a virtual parliamentary sitting run by and participated by Malaysian youths. The virtual sitting is held in response to the parliamentary session that was held on May 18th that lasted only half a day and had no debates or discussions on policies. The government cited COVID-19 as the reason why a full parliamentary session could not be held, which led many of us to wonder why the sitting wasn’t just held online. Well, this Saturday and Sunday -- that is the 4th and 5th of July -- youth groups Undi18, Challenger Malaysia and Liga Rakyat Demokratik will be hosting Parlimen Digital. Qyira Yusri, Co-Founder and Education Director of Undi18 joins us to discuss what Parlimen Digital is all about, and the importance of having more young voices in politics.

It has been a tumultuous few weeks in the United States. The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, led to nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. We explore the history of police brutality in the US and the years of systemic racism that led to this historic moment, and also explore why the current Black Lives Matter movement has inspired countries like Malaysia to look inwards towards any systemic racism or police brutality that might exist in our country as well.

We live in a world where manhood is often tied to one's ability to "plant his seed." Palooka: 12 Rounds to Fatherhood tackles this toxic notion head-on. The author, James Thoo, details his personal struggle with infertility and the IVF journey he goes on with his wife. We talk to the author about how he found the courage to pen this book, his relationship with his old-school father, as well as his comedic writing style. 

History on Repeat is an eight-part miniseries that aims to delve into key aspects of Malaysian history. While we won’t be able to cover every period and topic in our vast and complex past, we will be having a series of conversations on key subjects, places and themes, and discussing why our history still matters today. In this segment, we’ll be looking at the making of Malaysian identities from the 19th century up to today. Over time, various people, from politicians to playwrights, have conceptualized “Malaysia” and “Malaysians” in diverse ways. While Merdeka in 1957 marks the emergence of Malaysia as an independent nation-state, this is only part of a more complex story.

History on Repeat #1: Archaeology and the Roots of the Malay World

History on Repeat #2: Rethinking Melaka and the Sejarah Melayu

History on Repeat #3: Portuguese and Dutch Legacies in the Malay Peninsula

History on Repeat #4: Nineteenth-Century Women of Malaya

History on Repeat #5: British Malaya through the Lens of Architecture

History on Repeat #6: Migration and the Making of Chinese and Indian Diasporas in Malaysia

History on Repeat #7: Malaya and the Second World War

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that global human development – which can be measured as a combination of the world’s education, health and living standards – could decline this year for the first time since the concept was introduced in 1990. Though the world has weathered many crises over the past 30 years, the impact of COVID-19 - with its triple hit to health, education, and income – could signal the largest reversal in human development on record. But, concerted action with a focus on equity, could still limit the impacts of this unprecedented crisis. We explore how with Niloy Banerjee, the UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.

A man facing a charge in the Selangor Syariah High Court for allegedly attempting to commit unnatural sexual intercourse, has been granted leave by the Federal Court to commence a constitutional challenge on a provision in the Selangor Syariah law which he was charged under. The man is challenging the validity of the law used to charge him under the Federal Constitution, as he says the Selangor Syariah court does not have the constitutional right to make those laws in the first place. We unpack what this all means, while discussing the implications of this landmark case, and the grounds on which the Federal Court has granted leave to the petition in the first place.

It’s an unfortunate reality that even today, society places so much emphasis on the colour of your skin. Judgements are made about people based on skin colour. People may perceive you as intelligent or stupid based on the colour of your skin, beauty is often tied to a particular colour, and people may even see you as a threat, because of the colour of your skin. And we’re not necessarily talking about race here, or racism, but rather racism’s equally rotten brother, colourism -- a notion that gives some people privilege and others suffering. Today we discuss the concept of colourism with Dr Karim Bettache, senior lecturer in psychology whose area of passion and expertise also include racism and colourism. 

Good water quality is essential for our survival, but it's estimated that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. As water scarcity becomes a greater threat to our survival, the call to produce less pollution and improve the way we manage wastewater is getting more urgent. Is it time we look at a more sustainable model, one that places value on wastewater for its potential? This World Environment Day, we discuss whether safe wastewater management can help protect our ecosystems and give us energy, nutrients and other recoverable materials, with Narendran Maniam, the CEO of Indah Water Konsortium.