Talkback

There's a lot of discontent about the current water rationing situation; some reports are saying that we may even have to ration water until December. Currently there are calls for the state government to find new water sources for the problem, as the water supply from the dams is not enough to supply water to more than 7 million people in the Klang Valley. In addition to that, it was reported today that the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry has been instructed by the Cabinet to set up a National Action Committee that would enforce penalties and fines on those who used water excessively, such as through the use of hoses.

On Talkback Tuesday, we asked if you thought it was fair for the government to enforce such penalties on those who use water excessively? 

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Talentcorp, the government agency tasked to fight the brain drain happening in the country has, to date, only managed to bring back 2,500 Malaysians under the Return Experts Programme. Some of the reasons cited by Malaysians living abroad on their reluctance in returning to Malaysia include higher salaries, better professional opportunities and a comfortable life. 

The government’s aggressive role in trying to woo Malaysian professionals to return from overseas comes at the back of a World Bank Report in 2011, which revealed that Malaysia was experiencing a huge brain drain to other countries, with almost a million of the country’s professional workforce reported to be working overseas.

And while the move to pursue our local talent to return is a good step, Malaysian professionals who chose to stay back here to make a living feel as if they’re on the short end of a stick. Mounting challenges in the form of escalating cost of living, a spike in crime, the political scenario of the country and a below-par education system, have left many Malaysians weary, tired and fed up. But still they work just as hard, or harder still, to make sure they keep their heads above water.

So, if the logic is to recognise and give perks to Malaysians who worked hard at getting a better quality of life overseas vs Malaysians working hard here to make ends meet despite challenges and minus the perks, should we then migrate or should we stay? Our lines were open.

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The rising costs of living is hitting Malaysians, both old and young, and everyone is feeling the additional burden on their shoulders. Young Malaysians, with their entry-level salaries and overall lowered subsidies, are finding it hard to plan for their future - how are they going to buy a car or even a home? On today's Talkback with Ministers series, we had Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Youth and Sports with us and he spoke about the financial challenges youths face today and what the government is doing to help.

This Talkback with Ministers series was brought to you by PEMANDU

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The internet has spread to a worldwide phenomenon over the past two decades, creating a superhighway of information, commerce and communication unparalleled in human history. Today, people all over the globe are connected together with instantaneous communication, allowing them to see and hear ideas or items that were simply not possible before.

However, such freedom also comes with a price. For every advantage that the internet offers, there are also images, words, sounds and items that can be offensive to many people. Regulating this content without undue censorship is the goal of many nations, but how it can be achieved without impinging on the freedom that is present is certainly up for debate.

In the past couple of weeks in Malaysia, there have been statements like:

'A special task force will be set up to monitor social media websites to act against those who break the law by spreading rumours or seditious and incendiary remarks online.'

"The time has come for us to filter the internet," - Tun Dr Mahathir

We’ve also witnessed wild speculation as to what’s happened regarding the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 - due to the necessity of getting information out first, rather than fact checking, or checking up on sources - most of this speculation fueled by reports on social media.

So our question was - "Is the Internet too free? Are the calls to censor the Internet reasonable?"

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Racial infliction is often found in our news stories and everyday conversation. And the result is often damaging, making some of us question why we go down that path at all. But some of us are so used to it, we see nothing wrong in delivering such thoughts and comments. On today's Talkback Thursday, we asked if racial discourse should be explored or ignored?

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On Talkback Tuesday today, we spoke about the cancellation of Future Music Festival Asia 2014 in Kuala Lumpur. Last Saturday, the third and final day of FMFA was cancelled after it was confirmed that  6 people had died , with 3 more in critical condition due to a methamphetamine overdose (as reported in The Star). The cancellation left thousands of upset ticket holders, and both the organiser and police explained in a statement following the cancellation that they had strong police and medic presence, and arrests were even made during the fest on those in possession of drugs. We asked our callers: Who should be responsible for the safety of concertgoers?

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We explored the relationship between crisis management, leadership calibre, and the role it plays in shaping perception.

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Throughout the whole month of March, 2014 on Talkback, we gave the callers the unique opportunity to speak to the people in charge and ask them the tough questions. To have a direct and candid conversation with Malaysian ministers on the state of the economy and rising cost of living. This program was brought to you by PEMANDU.

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According to an article published in the Malay Mail on the 3rd of March 2014, 'the number of divorces in Malaysia has more than doubled in just eight years from 2004. In 2012, a whopping 56,760 divorces were recorded, which is equivalent to a marriage breaking down every 10 minutes.' 

We opened up our phone lines to ask you - 'Do you think that the high divorce rates are due to the fact that more women are becoming financially independent?'

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On Sunday, the Education Ministry announced that the school-based assessment (PBS) policy would be put on hold pending further reviews. This came after receiving critical feedback from teachers, about workload and implementation issues affecting both staff and students. On Talkback Tuesday today, we asked you -  as parents, teachers and even students, what were your thoughts are on the system? Do you think the school-based assessment system should be abolished? 

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