The stories we covered today include:

5. The 48th anniversary of the Bon Odori festival in Malaysia, which is an annual event that celebrated Japanese culture. Back in 2022, this festival was quite a hot topic after then-Minister in the PM's Department, Idris Ahmad, said Muslims should not participate in it due to its religious connotations. We look back at a conversation we had with Dr Jamila Mohd, Head of Malaysia-Japan Research Centre of University Malaya on this.

4. Violence has erupted in Bangladesh, as police clash with student protesters who are calling for an overhaul of hiring practices in the civil service. Niaz Asadullah, a Professorial Fellow at the North-South University, Bangladesh, shares his two cents on the controversy behind the job quotas and possible solutions to the ongoing tensions.

3. His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar of Johor will be installed as the 17th Yang Di-Pertuan Agong on July 20. We talk about the preparations, traditions and decorum that go into the coronation ceremony.

2. An op-ed from Malay Mail has questioned the age-old tradition of prefects and disciplinary teachers going through our belongings to confiscate things we should not be bringing to school. We ask if this practice is dystopian in nature. Dr Anasuya Jegathevi Jegathesan, the Dean of Psychology and Social Sciences at the University of Cyberjaya weighs in on the conversation.

1. Our top story: The Cabinet has decided to maintain Taman Rimba Kiara as a green lung, and build permanent housing for the longhouse community. This is following a seven-year long struggle to protect the area from encroachment while also addressing housing needs. We speak to Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh on this decision, and hear briefly from Abdul Hafiz Abu Bakar, former chairman of the TTDI Residents Association

Image credit: Taman Rimba Kiara Official Website

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

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:  politics,  international,  government,  environment,  education,  History/Heritage,  culture

Tags:  coronation,  spot checks,  bon odori,  riot,  bangladesh,  royal family,  johor sultan,  taman rimba kiara,  green lung,