Do the Poor Remain Poor Because They Are Lazy?

Ask around and many will tell you that the biggest problem Malaysians face is wages. Wages in Malaysia have been stagnant for more than a couple of decades now. Inequality is on the rise. So, what could be a solution?What if it’s a Universal Basic Income?In this episode, we speak to some researchers who are pushing for universal basic income in Malaysia, namely Dr Sarath Davala, John Michael and Lee Seng Kiat from the Basic Income Earth Network, as well as Prof Geoffrey Williams, Economist and Director of Williams Business Consultancy. The four of them recently produced a paper on what a universal basic income could look like in Malaysia.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Friday, the MADANI government unveiled the RM 421 billion Budget 2025, up from the RM 393.8 billion budget tabled at the end of last year. The big positive is that this isn’t an austerity budget by any stretch of the imagination. The government is spending. But does this budget address the care economy? How much does it address the needs of caregivers and the care industry?We speak to Lee Min Hui, a gender consultant at the United Nations Population Fund Malaysia.This BFM Budget 2025 Special is brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Friday, the MADANI government unveiled the RM 421 billion Budget 2025, up from the RM 393.8 billion budget tabled at the end of last year. The question is: Does the budget address the needs of the working class, particularly the B40 and the middle class? We speak to Arveent Kathirchelvan, Central Committee Member, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).This BFM Budget 2025 Special is brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the rising cost of living, unaffordable housing, rising inequality and stagnating wages, Malaysians face mounting challenges. This is especially true if you’re working class, even if you’re middle class. Since the tabling of Budget 2025 is just around the corner, on today’s episode, we take a look at what needs to be addressed in the upcoming budget to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots. We speak to three labour rights activists, Adrian Pereira of North South Initiative, J. Solomon of National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) and Alex Ong of Migrant Care.This BFM Budget 2025 Special is brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s labour force participation rate among females has plateaued at around 55% for many years now, while the male labour force participation rate is more than 80%. But why is this the case and what can we do about it? With the tabling of Budget 2025 around the corner, on today’s episode, we will be talking about what Budget 2025 can do to address gender disparities in the Malaysian workforce. We ask Anis Farid from Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) and Abinaya Dhivya from the Gender Budget Group, for their Budget 2025 wishlists.Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The death penalty not only impacts those on death row, but their families as well, causing emotional, psychological and economic strain as they navigate the uncertainties and stigma surrounding their loved ones’ fates. Malaysia has abolished the mandatory death penalty but the death penalty remains in its discretionary form.  We speak to Hayati Mohamad, a founder of Pertubuhan Keluarga Kasih (KeKasih) and a family member of someone on death row, Norlia, also a member of KeKasih, and Tham Jia Vern, Research Lead of HAYAT.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a year since Palestinian resistance fighters, led by Hamas, broke through the siege of Gaza and the beginning of the ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza by Israel. More than 41 000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel – which is 1 out of every 55 people. Hospitals have been bombed. Mosques and schools too. According to reports, more than 120 journalists have been killed. Israel doesn’t seem interested in stopping these attacks. In fact, they have only expanded their military campaign to other areas of the region, including bombing Lebanon, killing civilians in the process.So, where are we right now and what can we expect moving forward?Joining us to discuss is Muslim Imran, Founding Director, Asia Middle East Center for Research & Dialogue (AMEC).Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Azra Sayeed is a feminist from Pakistan. She’s an academic and activist known for her advocacy on issues related to the rights of marginalised communities, particularly women, peasants and farmers. She’s the founder and executive director of the Roots for Equity, an NGO based in Karachi that focuses on working with communities at the grassroots level to attain political, economic, social, and environmental justice. Azra has also served as the Chair of the International Women's Alliance (IWA) and APWLD - Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, in various capacities since 1999. She’s been fighting the good fight for decades. And for the longest of time, she has argued that to be a feminist is to be anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist. In this episode, we discuss her political-economic views, organising women in farming communities and more.Image credits: YouTube @internationalwomensrightsa8844, ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and the Jaringan Pekerja Kontrak Kerajaan (JPKK) submitted a memorandum to the Human Resource Minister, Steven Sim, urging the government to increase the minimum wage to RM 2000. Currently, the minimum wage is set at RM 1500. Earlier in March, Steven Sim mentioned that the government will review the minimum wage this year, but there have been no updates on the matter since. We speak to Saratbabu Raman, chief of PSM’s Worker’s Bureau about their push for a higher minimum wage.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia will be the chair of ASEAN in 2025. Many have argued that this is an exhilarating time for the Asian region, particularly Southeast Asia. But while there is excitement and opportunities, there are also plenty of real challenges. One such challenge that ASEAN will have to continue navigating is the crisis in Myanmar. As we know, Myanmar has been in turmoil since 2021 following a military coup that overthrew the democratically elected government, leading to a civil war between the Junta and various pro-democracy and liberation forces. Some have even called it a revolution. So, what should ASEAN’s role be in this crisis?In this episode, we speak to Thomas Daniel, who’s a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia. He recently wrote an article arguing that with Malaysia as chair, ASEAN should approach the situation in Myanmar much differently than the past few years. Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.