BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Evening Edition  >  Top 5 At 5  >  Top 5 at 5: A "Kuli"-tocracy of Professors

Top 5 at 5: A "Kuli"-tocracy of Professors

Zaharom Nain, Deputy Chair, GERAK (Pergerakan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia)

28-Feb-25 17:00

Top 5 at 5: A "Kuli"-tocracy of Professors

The National Professors Council was recently in hot waters after the Auditor General’s Report on GLCs found that nearly RM374,000 of the council’s funds were misused to finance companies owned by members of the board of trustees. To address this, there have been a suggestion to merge the council with think tanks, though academics feel this would just bury the scandal. We speak about this with Zaharom Nain, Deputy Chair of GERAK.

Other stories we covered:

• Kelantan records highest drug abuse cases: According to the National Anti-Drugs Agency, Kelantan recorded 1,130 drug abuse cases per 100,000 residents. Palani Narayanan, Director of the Drug Policy Program Malaysia joins us to make sense of why the numbers and what we can do to address it.

• Gambling debt in unlicensed premises not enforceable: This follows a case where a businessman Ting Ching Lee wanted to strike out a RM6 million gambling debt counterclaim by tour agent Ting Siu Hua. Siu Hua wanted to recover 1.5 million USD in credit and over 190,000 USD in rolling rebate that had been given to the businessman for gambling at a casino in Cambodia. Commercial lawyer Kuhan Manokaran, who specialises in debt recovery, joins us to help understand the legalities of this.

• First measles outbreak in the US: Texas reports its first measles death in the ongoing outbreak, a school-aged child who was unvaccinated. Over 100 cases have emerged in Texas and New Mexico, with low immunization rates fueling the spread. We hear more from consultant paediatrician Dato’ Dr Musa Mohd Nordin.

• Blue Origin to launch all-female crew space mission: Jeff Bezo's aerospace company is launching this expedition into space, with public figures like Katy Perry and Gayle King joining the mission, among others. We talk about why this has captured public interest, and also explore the idea of space tourism as the shiny new expedition of the uber-rich, and what it means for the rest of the world.

Image Credit: Majlis Profesor Negara

Produced by: Sudais Ferhard, Tee Shiao Eek, Alia Zefri

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Dashran Yohan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  corruptionenvironmentgovernmentinternationalmanaging disease

Tags:  National Professors CouncilMajlis Profesor NegaraKelantan drug abusegambling debtblue originaerospacekaty perry





Play / Pause

Listen now : World Market Watch: Shane Oliver, Chief Economist, AMP Capital tells us where...

Today’s Shows



6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Shane Oliver, Chief Economist, AMP Capital tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Professor Dr Abhimanyu Veerakumarasivam of Sunway Medical School shares on the future of global health security and renewed fears over vaccine safety.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Dr. Joshua Netto, Blue Stone Management Sdn. Bhd discusses findings from the Putra Heights explosion report.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille LIVE

Teh Wee Chye of Malayan Flour discusses how global macroeconomic and geopolitical issues are affecting the prices of wheat and grain, how its poultry segment is performing, and more.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Prof. James Chin of University of Tasmania discusses Sabah’s political turmoil over a bribery scandal involving 15 politicians and RM4 million in alleged kickbacks.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

Chin Chee Seong of the SME Association of Malaysia discusses whether businesses are ready for the SST expansion taking effect today.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Shane Oliver, Chief Economist, AMP Capital tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) We take a look at the FBM KLCI as well as regional capital markets.

9:35 AM

People, Planet, Profit

Rutuja Tendolkar of ERM weighs in on how businesses should navigate both economic and social risks in data center development.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Metal Brain Studio’s Charlie Chan shares how slapstick hit Oko Lele grew from a YouTube series into a global IP, and what it takes to turn digital content into a scalable, revenue-generating brand.

11:00 AM

Marketing Mojo

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

Optimism vs Headcount: A 2025 Workforce Paradox. Aon's Rahul Chawla breaks down the 2025 workforce paradox where business optimism is high but hiring remains flat, and what it means for talent strategy.

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

Teh Wee Chye of Malayan Flour discusses how global macroeconomic and geopolitical issues are affecting the prices of wheat and grain, how its poultry segment is performing, and more.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

3:05 PM

Beyond the Ballot Box

We speak to the vice chief of DAP’s youth wing on building a progressive Malaysia from within the system.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

Months after the deadly earthquake in Myanmar, do people have access to safe water? We speak to an expert on the ground to find out how they’re plugging the gaps.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

6:00 PM

Talkback Tuesday

8:00 PM

BBC World Service