Talkback

Malaysia, Truly Asia. It’s a catch phrase that has really caught on. As a tourist destination, we seem to have it all.  Idyllic Islands, Green Highlands, Vibrant cities. Delicious cuisine. Tourism accounts for almost 13% of the country’s GDP.
 
But is this something that only appeals to the outside world? How do we Malaysians see our own country? 

On today’s Talkback Thursday - brought to you by the Economic Transformation Programme - we want to know why you’d much rather spend your tourist dollars and go abroad rather than experience everything the country has to offer? Why are you on the first flight out to Bali instead of enjoying the sandy beaches of Sabah? 

What would make you a tourist in your own country?

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The UPSR paper leak that's been making headlines has everyone up in arms. But should we be surprised? For years, we've heard of situations where both school and tuition teachers share exam questions, conveniently labeled as "exam tips" with their students. How is that different from the UPSR paper leak yesterday?

The biggest victims here are the students, who now have to have their exams postponed, as if their nerves aren't rattled enough. What must be done to enforce stricter education system guidelines for this to not happen again?

Photo credit: The Malaysian Insider. 

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A social experiment video showing Malaysians sticking up for each other has been making news within the online sphere. The video, filmed by a local ad agency, featured Malaysians refusing to say disparaging remarks for money. Malaysians have commented that the video clearly showed how division among Malaysians doesn't exist, as some people would have us believe. So, are we truly a harmonious nation then?

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Several brands that have been singled out for their alleged links to Israel say that the recent boycott campaigns and protests by Malaysians "misguided" by inaccurate information will inflict greater pain on their fellow countrymen than their intended targets. We discussed this on Talkback Tuesday today and asked you: How effective do you think boycott campaigns and protests are in achieving its objectives? 

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A mother had reported her son, a 15 year old schoolboy, to the police because he allegedly raped her after watching a pornographic video, after she had mistakenly entered his bedroom to sleep while she was intoxicated. The story alone shows the many issues at hand: Is porn the main problem? Is sex education the answer to helping students? Should the mother have reported her son? Should she have contained the issue at home and try to help her son get through this? Is our developing country plagued with many socially ill issues? On Talkback Thursday today, we're asking: What are your thoughts about the story? 

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Bullying in school is never down to one form where students bully students. It has escalated to students bullying their teachers and even teachers bullying their students. And in that last scenario, teachers in the wrong are often transferred to another school as a form of punishment. But is that the answer to solving the problem of these teachers who lack responsibility? Is this an acceptable standard of punishment to uphold? On Talkback Thursday tonight we asked: What should the punishment be for teachers who bully students? Our lines were open.

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With almost 180,000 Malaysian graduates entering the job market, it's a wonder why local grads can't secure a job. Are they really not good enough for the job market or is there a bias against hiring them? The Economic Transformation Programme asks, “Would you employ a local graduate?". Our lines were open. 

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On Talkback Tuesday tonight, we spoke about the call for internet censorship which has made headlines in our news recently. Contributing to the discussion was our former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir, who was quoted as saying that the internet had the power to undermine moral values and create problems. But is it really just the internet that's causing trouble? Social media has shown that it courts controversy too, so we asked you: Should both the internet and social media be censored in the interest of public morality?

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There’s been a barrage of unpleasant incidents that have graced our news stories just these 3 weeks alone. We’ve had politician Bung  Mokhtar’s Hitler remark after Brazil lost embarrassingly to Germany in the World Cup. Datin Seri Wan Azizah has been labeled as unfit to be a Menteri Besar because of her menstrual cycle, according to another politician. These seemingly unforgivable remarks are reminiscent of 2012’s listen-listen-listen debacle where undergraduate KS Bawani was publicly berated by the moderator.

Entering the fray now is the infamous viral video showing a woman and her over-the-top display of road rage on an elderly man in a fender bender episode a couple of days ago. The magnitude of how it exploded on our social media scene is nothing short of spectacular, with netizens calling for action to be taken, on top of the outpouring of negativity.

Some are calling for calm over the incident and to move on. But most of society are demanding that there should be consequences. Is this symbolic of what we’ve become as a society?

Are we a vengeful society or a forgiving one? Should we forgive and forget and just move on?

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