Talkback

Would you choose a fair work-life balance over a big fat paycheck? Well, according to a survey carried out recently, Malaysians prefer a happy lifestyle, centred on work-life balance, over a successful career that brings in the big bucks.

The Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI) carried out by global recruitment firm, Kelly Services, found that 67% of Malaysians felt that way together with 65% of respondents from China (surprisingly) and 76% of respondents in Thailand. Singapore stands on its own with 57% of respondents feeling the complete opposite. No surprises there.

But while we’d prefer a less-stress life for lesser income, can we sustain our current living costs? Everyone’s feeling the pinch and the only so-called good thing happening right now is the drop in petrol price. Everything else seem to be going up in cost - electricity, food, transportation. Just today, school bus operators are implementing a 20% hike in their fares despite the drop in fuel prices. Their reason for the hike? The escalating operating and maintenance costs.

So, how are Malaysians going to survive on a mediocre monthly income?

Can Malaysians really have it all; can we choose a work-life balance over higher salaries and still be happy?

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The Education Ministry will allow Form 6 students to ditch their school uniforms for traditional attire and other apparel. The move, announced last month, is part of the government's exercise to rebrand Form 6. What do you think about this rebranding exercise? How would you rebrand Form 6? Our lines were open.

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It has been four years since it's inception and a lot has changed. In 2012, Malaysia was ranked 18th in the World Bank's Doing Business Report but today we are ranked 6th. The country is becoming wealthier and change is underway. But are you satisfied with the economic direction of the country? Are you feeling the difference? And is it enough? 

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What makes a city liveable and loveable? It is a collaboration between a government that prioritises safety, healthcare, educational resources, infrastructure and the environment along with a citizenry that takes ownership of their surroundings. The River of Life project is one of the many initiatives towards making Kuala Lumpur more liveable and loveable. It aims to transform specific areas within Kuala Lumpur facing the Klang River into a vibrant waterfront with high economic and commercial value. But all of this effort will be for nought if there isn’t a buy in from the public at large. On Talkback Thursday, we asked: What will it take to inculcate a sense of civic consciousness among Malaysians? What will it take to make us love our city?

This programme was brought to you by the Economic Transformation Programme

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Last month, residents and companies in PJ were up in arms over the one-way road change within the PJ State area. There was a lot of confusion and traffic jams, with upset drivers claiming that there weren’t sufficient signages to explain the change.

Today, it has been announced that 8 roads will be renamed from tomorrow (November 26th) onwards. The names of these roads will be changed to honour previous royal heads of state. And we’re talking about some major roads like Jalan Duta, Jalan Ipoh and Lebuhraya Mahameru to name a few.

The last time a road renaming exercise took place was in 2008 and DBKL had to bear the brunt of the criticism from the public. The “victim” was Jalan Alor, the hawker food street famous for the last 35 years. It’s new name was Jalan Kejora.

Social media has been on fire since this announcement with many wondering why there should be a change in the first place and why there’s been a lack of public consultation. The onslaught of fiery comments also comes at the back of yesterday’s report of DBKL wanting to demolish their current 12-storey Tower 2 and replace it with a skyscraper “to create more office space”. The projects cost’ is expected to be within the 7-figure mark.

While it’ll be interesting to see what DBKL and the government will have to say about this in the next few days, this evening, we wanted to know how this road renaming exercise will affect either you or your business?

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Today is Universal Children’s Day. Nearly 25 years ago, the world made a promise to children: that we do everything in our power to protect and promote their rights to survive and thrive, to learn and grow, to make their voices heard and to reach their full potential. As with many other countries, Malaysia has old challenges combined with new problems that deprive many children of their rights and the benefits of development. Rape of underage children come to mind, child brides, missing children and the list goes on. Surely we could do more to put a stop to all these but how? On Talkback Thursday, we asked you: Where do we fall short when it comes to protecting our children?

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The Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) will hold a two-day regional forum later this month, which is said aims to help local Muslim doctors reconcile their beliefs in spiritual beings and black magic with modern medicine.

In an age where humanity is landing probes on comets 300 million miles away, does superstition have a place in modern medicine? Is it possible to reconcile the supernatural and the scientific? Our lines were open.

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Recently Lee Chong Wei’s B sample tested positive, with a potential suspension looming for the world badminton champ. Chong Wei is more than just a badminton player for Malaysians; he’s a symbol of national unity. A figure that all Malaysians admire. Will Chong Wei’s fall from grace affect our unity? Or will we rally behind the man?

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Malaysia has been described as a fast-developing country, working hard in wanting to achieve its Vision 2020. People say we're a progressive nation but are we really? Or have we become a regressive one? Our lines were open.

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