19-Aug-24 17:00

Dr Kevin Fernandez, Senior Lecturer, Asia-Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya

The stories we covered today:

5. Some Malaysians have criticised the government for providing aid to 127 Palestinians who were brought to Malaysia for medical treatment. We hear thoughts about the backlash from Bunn Nagara, Director and Senior Fellow of the BRI Caucus for Asia-Pacific and Honorary Fellow at the Perak Academy; Saul Takahashi, Professor of Human Rights and Peace Studies at the Osaka Jogakuin University; as well as Nur Hafizah of Viva Palestina.

4. Plantations and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani says the government will halt new oil palm plantations to preserve Malaysia's forests and biodiversity. Khor Yu Leng, an economist from Segi Enam Advisors shares some comments on these new policies, and the impact they will have.

3. Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil has suggested for Kuala Lumpur's natural ecosystems to be restored by rewilding the city, and reintroducing native species and letting them grow without interference. Abdul Razak Abdul Aziz, the founder of SEEDS Malaysia, for his thoughts on the idea and the challenges that might come up.

2. Back in 2019, Malaysia experienced one of the most severe cases of water pollution at Sungai Kim Kim which lead to thousands of hospitalisations. Victims of the incident have finally been granted their day in court to seek compensation. Dr Zaki Zainuddin, a water quality and modelling expert helps us undertand the state of the river, while S. Piarapakaran, President of the Associatation of Water and Energy Research Malaysia talks about measures to consider when we're exposed to pollution.

1. Our top story: Barisan Nasional has taken back the state seat in Nenggiri. We explore what caused this shift and more with Kevin Fernandez, Senior Lecturer, Asia-Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya.

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