Part 1

Malaysia is set to be officially recognised as one of 13 nations added to BRICS as a partner country, though not as full members yet. But as Malaysia joins this diverse and at times divided group, questions remain about what the country stands to gain—and what it risks. On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks with Elina Noor, Senior Fellow, of the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The Health Ministry has been allocated RM45.3 billion in Budget 2025, which is the second highest after the education ministry. It’s an almost 10% increase from the previous budget. Will it be enough to address the many issues affecting Malaysia’s public healthcare system? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks with Dr Farhan Rusli, Fellow at the Institute for Research and Development of Policy.

Budget 2025 was tabled in Dewan Rakyat today, and now the crucial evaluation begins. Does #Belanjawan2025 successfully balance progress and prudence? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Danial Rahman, CEO of Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI), and Doris Liew, Economist & Assistant Research Manager at IDEAS Malaysia's Public Finance Unit.

s Malaysia takes over the chair of ASEAN in 2025, the region faces a critical test: the deepening crisis in Myanmar. Despite the 5-Point Consensus agreed upon by ASEAN leaders in 2021, little progress has been made in resolving the ongoing violence and humanitarian disaster gripping the country. Can Malaysia’s chairmanship reshape ASEAN’s approach to Myanmar and bring about real change? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks with Lilianne Fan, who is part of the Malaysian Advisory Group on Myanmar. She’s also the Co-Founder and International Director of the regional humanitarian organisation Geutanyoe Foundation.

The Israeli military has continued to carry out air raids across Lebanon, while also intensifying its strikes across Gaza over the past 48 hours. This after Iran launched a missile attack at Israel in response to Israeli assassinations of top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. Amid the soaring violence and escalating tensions, how close are we to a regional war in the middle east? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Dr Ferooze Ali, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law and International Relations at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin in Terengganu.

Merdeka Center’s recently released National Youth Survey points to some troubling undercurrents, particularly around ethnic relations. With regional and social divides deepening among young people, how might these trends shape our country’s future? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Ibrahim Ben Suffian, Co-founder & Programmes Director of Merdeka Center for Opinion Research.

What began as a student movement against job quotas had unveiled deep-rooted economic and political grievances and evolved into a mass uprising that eventually toppled a sitting Prime Minister. Is Bangladesh on the brink of a democratic and economic awakening? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Professor Niaz Asadullah, Southeast Asia Lead of the Global Labor Organization, Professorial Fellow at North South University in Bangladesh, and a Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Reading in the UK.

Launched with the vision of transforming the polluted rivers of Sungai Gombak and Sungai Klang into a vibrant city waterfront, KL’s River of Life project was hailed as a beacon of urban renewal. However, according to the latest Auditor-General’s Report, the River of Life project is neither likely to meet its deadline to be completed this year, nor has it met any of its objectives—despite close to RM4 billion already spent on the project. On this episode of episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Dr Shuhana Shamsuddin, founder & first President of The Malaysian Urban Design Association PEREKABANDAR, which is a registered NGO championing good urban design practices, with aspirations to reclaim the character of Malaysian cities.

While court processes are daunting for adults, they can be even more intimidating for children. Many young victims face immense stress and often give up seeking justice before the process concludes. Last year, Parliament took a significant step forward by amending the Evidence of Child Witness Act, providing more rights and protections to children testifying in court. Now new amendments to the Evidence of Child Witness Act are being proposed. These changes aim to create a more supportive courtroom environment, ensuring children can provide their best evidence. On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Sharmila Sekaran, Chairperson of Voice of the Children.

A new eye-opening investigative report by MalaysiaKini’s Kini News Lab has shed light on the substantial pensions awaiting elected representatives after their tenure. The report highlights how some MPs are eligible for more than one pension due to holding different positions across their careers. Should MPs be entitled to multiple pensions for their various roles that they’ve served? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Ooi Choon Nam, Senior Journalist at Malaysiakini, and Aidila Razak, Special Reports Editor at Malaysiakini.

A recent study, published in the Environmental Science and Technology journal, found that Malaysia has the highest per capita microplastic consumption amongst 109 countries. Malaysia is also among the top ten countries that inhales the most microplastic particles each day. How are these invisible pollutants entering our lives, and what can be done to stop it from continuing to happen? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Professor Dr K. Sudesh Kumar, Professor of Applied Microbiology at USM’s School of Biological Sciences.

Hidden indicators within poverty significantly contribute to perpetuating cycles of deprivation.

This ongoing public engagement helps to keep track of what is coming out of DNB and spot potential red flags.

Aligning the individual consumers behaviours with the overall food security strategy shall not be the last in terms of its importance.

Potential dangers of technology and content from social media extend far beyond the impacts on the education system and the workforce.

Donald Trump says he would impose the tariffs until China stops the flow of illegal drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the United States.

Topping the demands of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is the release of all its leaders, including Khan, who has been jailed on a series of corruption charges since August 2023.

The report highlights that "60 per cent of all female homicides" are committed by "people closely related to them".

Two subsea cables, one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania, were damaged in less than 24 hours.

It is clear that adding more lanes and highways doesn't work, because we are still attempting the same approach to solve the issue.

This investment includes efforts to upgrade INOKOM's existing assembly capacity to meet Hyundai's automotive needs.

'C4Cinta', directed by young filmmaker Karthik Shamalan, has set a new benchmark in Malaysian Tamil cinema.

The court denied bail and scheduled case mention on Feb 7 for the submission of forensic, autopsy, and chemist reports.

The classroom assessment approach offers a much more interesting learning ecosystem, says Fadhlina Sidek.

Google and Meta says the government should wait for the results of an age-verification trial before going ahead.