BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Evening Edition  >  Top 5 At 5  >  Top 5 at 5: A New National Children's Policy

Top 5 at 5: A New National Children's Policy

Dr Amar-Singh HSS, Consultant Paediatrician

26-Nov-24 17:00

Top 5 at 5: A New National Children's Policy

Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri recently unveiled a new National Children's Policy that will focus on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of a child's development. We discuss what this will entail with consultant paediatrician Dr Amar-Singh HSS.

· The language we use on signboards: DBKL recently launched a large-scale raid targetting premises with signages that did not prominently display the Malay language. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing also weighed in, saying that he was concerned that this would hinder Malaysia’s competitiveness in the global market. For this, we hear from Nigel Wong, president of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents. We also hear from Stephanie Pillai, senior professor at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics of Universiti Malaya, about language representation.

· A drop in Malaysia's English proficiency ranking: According to the 2024 EF English Proficiency Index, Malaysia ranks 26th in the world for having high English proficiency, dropping by one spot from its previous rank. We reached out to Dr Ayeshah Syed, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Languages & Linguistics of Universiti Malaya, to get her thoughts on Malaysia's ranking, and its correlation with our use of English in daily settings.

· Kerfuffle over private funding for government trips: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has come under fire for disclosing an invitation made towards private companies to join in on his overseas trip covering five countries, with these companies covering the airfare and costs of the travel. Anwar has since clarified that it was a cost-sharing strategy, and these companies had only paid for their share of the commercial flights. This does shine the light on transparency when it comes to government and public sector collaboration. Alissa Rode, senior research manager for the Public Finance Unit at IDEAS weighs in.

· Popek Popek Parlimen: In today's session, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek defended abolishing UPSR and PT3 exams to address rising student suicide rates. MPs also debated a two-tiered gated community system for public housing and the surge in electricity disconnections by Tenaga Nasional Berhad due to unpaid bills.

Image Credit: msyaraafiq, Shutterstock

Produced by: Dashran Yohan, Tee Shiao Eek, Lee Chwi Lynn, Alia Zefri, Alena Nadia

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn


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

Categories:  politicsgovernmentinternationalcorruptionLaw/Activismeducationcontroversies

Tags:  National Children's Policychild development MalaysiaDr. Amar-Singh HSSDBKL signboard raidMalaysia global competitivenesslanguage representation MalaysiaEF English Proficiency Index 2024Malaysia English rankingMalaysia English usagegovernment travel fundingUPSR PT3 abolitionstudent suicide prevention Malaysiapublic housing debate MalaysiaMalaysian politics education reformdatuk seri nancy shukripopek popek parlimenEducation Minister Fadhlina Sidek





Play / Pause

Listen now : Discovery Hour:

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

Tony Nash, CEO, Complete Intelligence 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

Ken Foong of Bloomberg Intelligence discusses the outlook for Singapore's property market in 2H2025.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Daniel Moss of Bloomberg, weighs in on whether Indonesia can keep its Rp662 trillion (2.8% of GDP) deficit under control while funding social programmes.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Dr. Goh Kar Chun of MCE Holdings discusses the firm’s future after winning over RM120 million in new contracts and entering the US market.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Andrew Khoo, Human Rights Lawyer, weighs in on the Federal Court’s ruling against a key provision of the Peaceful Assembly Act.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

Adib Zalkapli of Viewfinder Global Affairs discusses the recalibration of UMNO ahead of Sabah’s 17th state election.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Tony Nash, CEO, Complete Intelligence 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

Ringgit & Sense

Alvin Tan of the Financial Planning Association of Malaysia (FPAM) discusses aspects of Malaysian Gen Zers personal finance.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Healthpro.id's co-founder Rendy Alfuadi shares how their on-demand platform is solving Indonesia's healthcare staffing crisis, one shift at a time.

11:00 AM

Tech Talk

Audax’s Mike Breen explains why Malaysia’s fintech growth depends on transforming legacy banks into agile platforms, and how bridging infrastructure gaps is key to turning KL20’s vision into reality.

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

Ong Johnson and Lo Khai Yi, Head and Co-Head of Technology Practice Group, Partners at Halim Hong & Quek, discuss Malaysia’s growing digital asset space and the role of stablecoins in bridging finance and blockchain.

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

Dr. Goh Kar Chun of MCE Holdings discusses the firm’s future after winning over RM120 million in new contracts and entering the US market.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

3:05 PM

Beyond the Ballot Box

The director of Invisible People, Jean Ho, joins us in conversation about her documentary which shines light on the lives and struggles of people on the margins of society, namely the stateless and refugees.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

The stigma faced by people with obesity is pervasive - it comes from their community, healthcare providers and policymakers. We discuss why an empathetic lens matters.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

6:00 PM

Talkback Thursday

8:00 PM

BBC World Service

This episode of Crowd Science looks at twins and what makes them unique.