Last week, Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim filed an application with the High Court to refer eight constitutional questions to the Federal Court. These questions centre on whether he is entitled to immunity from a civil lawsuit filed by his former research assistant, Yusoff Rawther, who sued Anwar in 2021, alleging that he was sexually assaulted in October 2018 at the PKR President’s office. We spoke to constitutional lawyer New Sin Yew about what this unprecedented bid means for our legal system and the broader implications for public office holders.

Other stories we covered:

• Will 65 be the new 60?: Law and Institutional Reform Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said suggested raising the retirement age for Malaysians from 60 to 65. We spoke to Professor Emeritus Datuk Norma Mansor, Director of the Social Wellbeing Research Center at Universiti Malaya, who explained how other nations, like those in the EU, are navigating this policy shift and what Malaysia can learn from them.
• Speech therapists a dying breed: Last week, Penang’s Youth, Sports, and Health Committee Exco Daniel Gooi revealed that children with speech and language disorders in the state face an average wait time of 205 days to see a speech therapist at government hospitals, due to a shortage of speech therapists. We spoke to Tay Chia Yi, President of the Malaysian Association of Speech-Language & Hearing, who explained the root causes behind the shortage.
• Stunted growth affecting over 90,000 Malaysians: A study conducted last year by the Ministry of Education on pupils aged 10 to 12 revealed that out of over a million children surveyed, more than 90,000 fell into the stunted growth category. We spoke to Professor Dr Muhammad Yazid Jalaludin, Consultant Paediatrician at University Malaya Medical Centre, who explained how stunting can affect a child’s development, particularly if it begins during infancy.
• Fasten your seatbelts...or else: Earlier this month, Turkey’s civil aviation authority began issuing fines to inbound airline passengers who unbuckle their seatbelts and stand up before the seatbelt sign is turned off. While the official guideline did not specify the penalty amount, Turkish media reported the fine to be around 2,600 Turkish lira, which is approximately 280 ringgit. We discuss the effectiveness of these measures.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sudais Ferhard

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Categories:  technology,  economy,  politics,  government,  international,  environment,  corruption,  Law/Activism,  education,  controversies,  culture,  History/Heritage,  Family/Parenting,  travel,  medical advances,  wellness

Tags:  qualified immunity,  civil lawsuit,  yusoff rawther,  daniel gooi,  seatbelt light,  air rules,  passengers fined,  anwar ibrahim,  attorney general,  sexual harassment,  azalina othman,  malaysian retirement age,  speech therapy,  penang,  government hospitals,  private hospitals,  pediatric health,  aviation,  airlines,  turkey,