Live & Learn

Our daily lives are undoubtedly contributing to climate change, but does our personal consumption habits really matter in the climate emergency? What difference can we make if most of the people and institutions with the most wealth and power continue to shirk their responsibility? Joining us to take the conversation beyond individual responsibility, and discuss the need for systemic change and corporate culpability, in the fight against climate change is Gurmit Singh, the Chairman and Founder of the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development Malaysia, or CETDEM.

Last Thursday, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting social media companies. This happened after Twitter labelled two of his Tweets as "potentially misleading." Trump said he made the move in the name of protecting freedom of speech. Does this make sense or does Trump have a warped understanding of the first amendment of the US constitution? We talk to Assistant Professor Peter Beattie, who is a retired lawyer and academic whose area of expertise include political psychology, media, and global political economy, to find out what Donald Trump's executive order means for free speech.

On this episode of Law & Behold, we look at issues linked to our Federal Constitution that have been making the headlines. First, we touch on free speech, while discussing YB Xavier Jayakumar being investigated under the Sedition Act & s 233(1) CMA. Next, we look at the role of the Attorney General of Malaysia, whose responsibilities are provided for in Article 145 of the Federal Constitution. Finally, we discuss the importance of parliamentary oversight as envisioned in the Constitution, with regard to the recent stimulus packages announced.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics was originally scheduled to take place between the 24th of July and the 9th of August this year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government to reschedule the games to the summer of 2021. But what is the impact of the postponement? We take a deep dive into the topic with sports lawyer and member of the Malaysian Bar, Richard Wee. 

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. Many of us are familiar with stories of the Japanese Occupation of Malaya during the Second World War, which have been passed down through the years by our relatives and friends who witnessed the war firsthand. In this segment, we place these stories into their broader historical context, asking questions about the economic impact of the war on Malaya, how the war and its aftermath shaped new political spaces for Malayans to consider a future outside of the British Empire, and how the war has been remembered and memorialised. To help us take a fresh look at this important and turbulent period in our country’s history, we speak with Professor Gregg Huff, Senior Research Fellow at Pembroke College, University of Oxford.

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 #8: The Making of Malaysian Identities

The COVID-19 pandemic has often brought out the best in our society. From medical personnel working hard on the frontlines of the Coronavirus battlefield to communities working in unison to do their part in flattening the curve. However, the past couple of months have also highlighted the worst our society has to offer, with many instances of bigotry and discrimination in the form of racism, xenophobia and even homophobia. We discuss why the pandemic has brought out the worst in some people, with Dr Karim Bettache, Senior Lecturer in Psychology from Monash University Malaysia.

The recent arrests of undocumented migrants across Kuala Lumpur in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19, and the move to turn away hundreds of Rohingya refugees stranded at sea by the authorities, has raised concerns among many. In the Federal Constitution, the right to life and the right to equal treatment is guaranteed to all persons - without distingushing the citizenship status of the person. This includes the right to humane treatment and to dignity of life. On this episode of Law & Behold, we discuss how lawful it was to turn away boat people, the rationale behind mass arrests of undocumented migrants, and the rise of xenophobia towards them in Malaysia. We also look at laws that are in place to protect vulnerable members of the community in a time of crisis, with Firdaus Husni, the Chief Human Rights Strategist at the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights, and Surendra Ananth, a Constitutional Lawyer.

Believing that every child deserves a great future, the social enterprise LeapEd Services was formed, with a specific focus to transform students’ learning experience and equip them with the necessary skills for the 21st century. With massive shifts happening in the education sector globally, how can we best support teachers, students and parents, to face the challenges ahead? Joining us to discuss this and more is Nina Adlan Disney, the Executive Director of LeapEd Services.

The closure of schools nationwide due to the Covid-19 pandemic threw a curveball to many students, teachers and parents alike. Everyone has had to adapt quickly, but the transition to online learning has not been easy for many. Eddie Lim, who is the Founder and CEO of Live Tuition Sdn Bhd, has been working with teachers across the country, to ensure that education is not halted for our children, and he joins us to share how he's working towards that.

Article 9 of The Federal Constitution provides that citizens have the right to freedom of movement. The State can however, lawfully restrict your freedom of movement for the purpose of national security, public order, public health or for the punishment of offenders. We take a look at what the Constitution says about the Movement Control Order, and what happens if you choose to ignore it, with Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi, a Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Malaya and Lim Wei Jiet, a constitutional lawyer. Law & Behold is an ongoing series aimed at improving constitutional literacy among Malaysians, done in collaboration with The Malaysian Bar and the University of Malaya's Faculty of Law.