Live & Learn

In its election manifesto, Pakatan Harapan committed to providing the legal right to work to all registered refugees in Malaysia. In today's show, we discuss the latest report from IDEAS about the economic impact of granting refugees in Malaysia the right to work.

Andreas Harsono, a veteran Indonesian researcher for Human Rights Watch, spent 15 years researching and writing his latest book, Race, Islam and Power: Ethnic and Religious Violence in Post-Suharto Indonesia, documenting how race and religion have come to be increasingly prevalent within Indonesia’s politics. He joins us to share his understanding of the social dynamics on the ground within the highly diverse and complex nation that is Indonesia.

Law & Behold is a series aimed at improving constitutional literacy among Malaysians, done in collaboration with The Malaysian Bar and the University of Malaya's Faculty of Law. In our fourth episode of the series, Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Shad Saleem Faruqi together with lawyers Surendra Ananth and Firdaus Husni, walk us through Article 10 of the Constitution of Malaysia, which guarantees Malaysian citizens the right to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of association. Our guests also remind us that "freedom of speech” doesn’t mean freedom from consequences.

Charity Right is an international NGO that distributes food to disadvantaged schoolchildren and communities. In 2012, a local branch was set up by Mercy Mission Malaysia as part of a food rescue initiative. We learn more about their “Feed to Educate” programme from Mercy Mission Malaysia’s country manager and Charity Right project director, Mohd Nurhisyam Shamsir.

In the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, initiative #34 states the aim to increase access and quality of education for students with special needs. We find out how The Education Performance and Delivery Unit (PADU) is working towards creating equal opportunity and access to education to all children in Malaysia, with Dr. Noorliza Binti Hj. Zakuan, the Executive Director for System Structure at PADU.

Non-profit organisation Save our Environment, Save Ourselves’ (SESO) main goal is to fight against food waste and food poverty. But they are also working to build communities, in particular amongst people who are suffering from social isolation. We find out how they do this from Tan Shi Wen, the Founder/CEO of SESO and Gary Liew, a Co-Partner with SESO.

Law & Behold is a series aimed at improving constitutional literacy among Malaysians, done in collaboration with The Malaysian Bar and the University of Malaya's Faculty of Law. In our third episode of the series, Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Shad Saleem Faruqi (Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Malaya) and Lim Wei Jiet (Deputy Chair, Bar Council’s Constitutional Law Committee) join us to discuss the role and function of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the State Rulers, under the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. 

India goes to the polls this month in what will be the biggest democratic exercise in history, with 815 million people registered to vote in an election that will be held over a six-week period. We speak with two journalists from India to gain insight into the major issues involved, and why this general election could be a pivotal one for the country.

Saul Takahashi is a human rights lawyer and activist based in Tokyo. He was the Deputy Head of Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in occupied Palestine, and has authored numerous publications in English and Japanese on human rights in Palestine. He joins us to discuss his work, specifically in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which works to end international support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.

From suing for pay parity to getting their own kits, we take a look at gender discrimination in football and what is being done to tackle these issues.