Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had a special televised address where he announced key economic details and policies that targeted the cost of living for Malaysians. Among the measures announced included an RM100 cash handout for Malaysian adults and the reduction of RON95 petrol prices. We speak to Tricia Yeoh, Associate Professor of Practice, School of Politics & International Relations at the University of Nottingham Malaysia about the implications of these announcements.

Other stories we covered:

• Whistleblower Act changes approved but there’s still room for improvement: Yesterday, Parliament introduced several amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act, one of which includes protecting the whistleblower even if they’re implicated in the crime. However, Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman has said that an independent body is still needed for case referrals. We talked to Pushpan Murugiah, CEO of the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism about the significance of these changes.
• Youth organisation leaders must be under 30: The Youth Societies and Youth Development Act 2007 has been amended so that the age definition of “youth” will be under 30 starting next year. The Malaysian Youth Council have urged the government to reconsider the enforcement of this age limit. We speak to Dobby Chew, co-founder of Mandiri to understand the impact of this new amendment.
• Selangor government willing to postpone parking scheme: State Exco for Local Government, New Village Development & Tourism Ng Suee Lim has stated that concerns raised by the public about the Smart Intelligent Parking (SIP) scheme are being taken seriously by MPs and local councillors. We reached out to a few elected representatives, YB Azli Yusof, MP for Shah Alam from Amanah, and YB Lim Yi Wei, ADUN for Kampung Tunku from DAP for their thoughts on the matter.
• Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne passes away: The rock star’s death comes just after his retirement performance in his hometown of Birmingham a few weeks ago. We look back on the life of the Godfather of Metal from his crazy on stage antics to his brief stint as a reality TV star.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Sudais Ferhard, Lim Sue Ann, Alia Zefri, Dashran Yohan, Sneha Harikannan

Presented by: Sharaad Kuttan, Susan Tam

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

Categories:  economy,  government,  politics,  Law/Activism,  music

Tags:  ozzy osbourne,  black sabbath,  privatisation,  parking,  youth party,  age limit,  whistleblower,  law,  act,  anwar ibrahim,  madani,  ron95,  prime minister,