Talkback

The Immigration Dept recently (2015) announced that they will be including appointment-based services as part of improving their efficiency. And credit must be given to government agencies for trying to improve on overall service. So how would you rate our public services? What experiences have you had dealing with various government departments? We opened our lines to our listeners to hear what they have to say. 

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A recently conducted survey asked 1,000 Koreans if they'd like to be reborn in their country and the results were pretty depressing. Apparently, only 3 out of every 10 people wanted to be reborn in Korea, with most of them saying it was due to overworking. With the same question in mind, we tweaked it a little and asked Malaysians if they'd like to be reborn in Malaysia. 

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In February 2015, a UK newspaper reported about how 2 year-olds should be playing and not be in school, after evidence suggested that it may poorly align the development needs of young children that contravenes their underlying human nature. The idea may sound absurd to Asian parents who are used to lining up extra classes on top of nursery school hours for their toddlers. But is it so bad to hold off on schooling for young children and have them do what they do best at that age - play and explore? We opened our lines to callers and asked of their opinions on the matter. 

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A recent report in The Star Online highlighted the plight of a 75-year old man suffering from cancer, which raised questions about the moral and ethical practice of euthanasia and what it means in the Malaysian context. We asked, "should a person have the right to terminate his/her own life in the face of intolerable suffering?"

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Malaysian cuisine is a subject that most Malaysians feel passionate about. As our cuisine appears to play such a pivotal role in Malaysian society, should we be doing more to promote and protect it? Last Friday, a demonstration was held in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta requesting Malaysia to retract a claim of ownership over the ‘popiah’. Some feel that this incident has been blown out of proportion while others feel that our cuisine should be fiercely defended and protected. What did you think? Our lines were open.

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In a recent report released by international research firm McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), Malaysia has failed to rein in household debt that started ballooning since the 2007 global financial crisis and may expose the country to crisis should the credit bubble burst. Just how are Malaysians sustaining their lifestyles? What are you spending most on? Do you spend more than you earn? 

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Britain voted on Tuesday to become the first country to allow a "three-parent" IVF technique which doctors say will prevent some inherited incurable diseases but which critics see as a step towards creating designer babies. The designer-babies debate has been an intense one, with many opposed to the idea, saying it is akin to playing God and purely unethical. But if it can help eradicate diseases in our babies that's plaguing our generation now, would we think twice? Are you for or against the idea of designer babies? Our lines were open.

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Around this time last year, we entered 2014 with caution amidst reports of fuel and sugar subsidy cuts and possible increases in toll rates, public transport fares and so on. This year, we've entered a volatile 2015 with oil prices hitting an all-time low and the Ringgit labeled as Asia's worst performing currency. We asked on Talkback Thursday if the falling ringgit and oil prices had taken a toll on your day-to-day life. 

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Borneo charted new territories for themselves now that Sabah has joined Sarawak in binning the “lain-lain” race category on government documents and generic forms. The decision came after the Sabah state government deliberated on the matter and decided that the column should now be replaced with a blank space to allow applicants to identify their respective ethnicities.

Just to refresh everyone’s memory, the race column in forms have 4 boxes to tick from. The first 3 boxes represent the 3 main races, Malay, Chinese and Indian. The last box is called “lain-lain” or “others” with a space beside the box asking to state what race you are specifically. This applies to the Eurasians and the native races, mostly from ethnic tribes, of which Sabah alone has over 30.

In recent years, the binning if the race category in forms have been brought up with majority of those supporting the move stating that Malaysians shouldn’t be tagged. People have commented how segregating Malaysians according to race, further polarises the nation. So why are we so hung up on the having a race category? Is binning the lain-lain category in forms really necessary in the context of unity? Why?

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Part of the revision for Budget 2015 that was announced today was for the National Service Programme to be deffered for one year. The move is estimated to cut RM400 million from federal spending. While the programme has garnered both positive and negative feedback from Malaysians over the years, we asked you if you think the NS programme should be discontinued?

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