Category: Opinion

THIS week, the news has been a relentless drumbeat of unrest. In Gaza, bombs are once again raining down, reducing homes to rubble and leaving lives tattered and torn. In Nepal, thousands flood the streets in defiance of political elites. In Indonesia, demonstrations swell as citizens demand accountability from their leaders. Every headline is a… Continue reading In unity we find our calm

THE recent announcement that Malaysia could introduce nuclear power within the next decade has triggered a wave of discussion. Some see nuclear energy as a bold step forward in diversifying our energy mix while others fear that it is a costly gamble with consequences that could last for generations. The truth is that this issue… Continue reading Nuclear ambitions or public burden?

Q: My wife and I are more than willing to take care of my ageing father but he has always been a proud man, and we don’t want to diminish his sense of dignity. How do we support him without making him feel like he is becoming a burden or losing his purpose? Focus on… Continue reading Meaningful ways to support ageing loved ones

AT my grandfather’s care home in Penang, the staff work tirelessly to care for dozens of elderly residents. Yet, one incident remains etched in my memory: an elderly woman, frail but full of life, collapsed alone in her room. No one noticed for hours. When help arrived, it was too late. Stories like these are… Continue reading Engineering help for elder care

SCHOOL bullying in Malaysia is no longer a fringe issue, nor should it be dismissed as typical adolescent mischief. It has evolved into a troubling societal phenomenon that demands urgent attention. Behind the pursuit of academic success and school prestige lies a harrowing truth — that many of our students, especially in secondary and boarding… Continue reading When silence hurts: Confronting the epidemic of school bullying in Malaysia

EVERY Sept 16, Malaysia Day comes around to remind us of an important moment in our history – the day Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya came together to form Malaysia. For me, Malaysia Day is not just about remembering the past; it is also about thinking of the future. As a Malaysian, my biggest hope is… Continue reading Connecting hearts across the sea

THE government needs to address the longstanding, severe traffic congestion in Kuala Lumpur. The most important step: adding more public buses and improving their quality of service. People prefer to use their cars over buses due to lack of confidence in the public bus system. However, if they see more buses on the road and… Continue reading Put an end to KL’s traffic congestion

WE often assume moods are personal, something we can carry quietly without affecting anyone else. In reality, they rarely stay inside. A bad mood can shift the air in a room just as a raised voice does. A tense silence, an abrupt response or the refusal to engage altogether can shape the atmosphere for everyone… Continue reading The quiet weight of moods

THERE is a widespread but fallacious perception that India’s tariffs are inordinately high. There are subjective factors when it comes to a country, like livability, public courtesy or even how foreigners are welcomed. But tariffs are quantifiable and there should really be no place for subjectivity. Let us consider the facts in the case. But… Continue reading Debunking India’s ‘tariff king’ myth

AS the calendar blooms anew, we take great joy in celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and other personal milestones. With Malaysia Day just around the corner, we find equal delight in honouring and commemorating the anniversary of our nation’s birth. As Malaysians, our love, loyalty and reverence for this nation run deep in our hearts. Malaysia reminds… Continue reading To Malaysia with love

ALL religions have symbols to depict their faith. In Buddhism, it is the wheel, symbolising eternity. It reminds us to focus on the present moment as each passing moment is lifted into eternity by the flow of time. By focusing fully on the present moment, we can rise above the constraints of time and experience… Continue reading Restore purpose to politics and belief

IN a rural village in Sabah this June, I asked a group of children – ages nine to 12 – to write their names on a form. What should have been a simple task revealed something heartbreaking. Some children hesitated, their hands trembling as they tried to spell. Nine-year-old Maxuan paused over every letter before… Continue reading Writing children’s dreams with dignity through literacy

AS United States President Donald Trump seethed over not being invited to join the galaxy of world leaders attending China’s celebration of victory over Japanese militarism and the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Western media reacted sharply. Outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian and Sky News went to… Continue reading Why China’s parade rattled the West?

SO here’s the situation: Malaysia is getting older – and it’s not just your knees, but the whole country. According to statistics, we are sliding rapidly into an “ageing nation” status. By 2030, 15% of Malaysians will be aged 60 and above. That will be a lot of atuks, neneks, makciks and uncles trying to… Continue reading Creak less, care more on ageing

A RECENT case in Malaysia highlights a troubling trend in modern healthcare. Some patients are beginning to place more trust in artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT than in medical professionals. In this incident, a patient visited a clinic demanding specific antibiotics and injections, insisting on the exact treatment suggested by ChatGPT. He even refused… Continue reading Dangerous new trend of AI self-diagnosis

THE smoke over Gaza, the frozen trenches in Ukraine, the simmering tensions fracturing democracies – these are not isolated tragedies; they are symptoms of a deep and increasingly virulent disease: racism. It now rivals climate change as a global threat, a chilling recognition of reality. Climate change imperils our physical world. Racism, unchecked, can destroy… Continue reading Racism bigger threat than the pandemic

AS the echoes of fireworks and patriotic songs from our recent Merdeka celebrations fade into memory, we Malaysians turn our gaze towards Malaysia Day on Sept 16. It is a time when the red, white, yellow and blue of our Jalur Gemilang flutter proudly in the breeze, reminding us of the federation that binds our… Continue reading Repaying our beloved Malaysia

THERE is something wonderfully ridiculous about paying good money to be terrified. We avoid fear in real life – checking the back seats of our cars, pretending we did not hear that creak upstairs but the moment a horror movie hits the big screen, there we are, willingly lining up, popcorn in hand, ready to… Continue reading The delicious fear that keeps us alive

TOO many adults carry a secret they never asked to hold. They were touched, molested or assaulted as children. Some have buried it so deep they barely think of it; others live with the shame every single day. What they share is silence – a silence that protects the perpetrator, never the child. This is… Continue reading When silence protects the wrong people

REFLECTING on Malaysia’s 68-year journey of nation-building fills me with both joy and sadness. Our country is a living laboratory of pluralism – multiracial, multireligious and multilingual – a near-perfect mosaic. Malaysia’s greatest test has always been its greatest gift: our stunning diversity. We are a nation of many faiths, languages and traditions. Yet, this… Continue reading Living with virtue in a Malaysian mosaic

Q: I am a busy working man. I know I should be spending more time with my family, and I really want to. But I am stumped as to how I can fit it all in; I have no room for anything else. What can I do? Focus on the Family Malaysia: There is a… Continue reading Finding better work-life balance

YOU scroll through TikTok for what feels like only five minutes. Suddenly, there is a scarf, a phone case and a Korean skincare product in your cart – and before you know it, you have paid. These are items you never even considered before but a 30-second video convinced you otherwise. If this sounds familiar,… Continue reading Why short videos trigger shopping

IN the not-so-distant past, the term “conference” would summon images of fluorescent-lit ballrooms, with stiff chairs and a parade of PowerPoint presentations. However, that image is quickly being replaced by something more flexible, immersive and forward-thinking. Now, the world, including Malaysia, is witnessing a transformation in how conferences and meetings are conceptualised and conducted, where… Continue reading New age of conferences, meetings

SOCIAL and Economic Research Initiative (Seri) welcomes the Madani government’s continued commitment to relieve cost-of-living pressures through Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara). In 2025, Sara broadened access to essential goods nationwide via MyKad, expanded eligible item categories, and raised targeted support for poor and hardcore poor households – up to RM2,100 annually – while also extending… Continue reading Seri calls for fixes to restore trust in SARA aid

WHEN the floodwaters reached the roofs of kampung houses in Kuala Krai, no one needed a scientific report to know the climate crisis had arrived. As the global climate emergency deepens, nations are being called to act not just responsibly but also decisively. Malaysia, with its relatively low unemployment rate of 3.3% as of early… Continue reading Turning green into gold

AS world leaders, including Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, converged in Tientsin recently for what non-Western media are describing as an unprecedented, pivotal and potentially transformative meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), their counterparts in the Western world have responded with slanted and partisan reporting. This arises in part from their long-held… Continue reading SCO: Key brick in emerging multipolar global order

THERE is a narrative going around that Gen Z entered the workforce at the worst possible time. A pandemic disrupted their education. A recession tightened job markets. And now, just as they are trying to find their footing, artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of every industry. But what if we have got the story… Continue reading Gen Z did not miss the boat; they are building a new one

MALAYSIA’S fight against tobacco is entering a troubling new phase. While the country has made commendable progress in reducing cigarette smoking among teenagers, a new and insidious trend has emerged – vaping. Marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes, vaping is gaining popularity among adolescents, threatening to undermine national public health goals under the 13th… Continue reading Vape wave: Teens face new threat

LET’S talk about a modern Malaysian tragedy – no, not the potholes or the price of kopi ais, though those are scandalous too. I am talking about food wastage. You know, that beautiful spread of lauk at a kenduri or buffet lines longer than a queue for free iPhones, and three hours later, plates are… Continue reading Stop playing with your nasi

AUGUST usually paints Malaysia in stripes and stars. Cars sprout mini Jalur Gemilangs like festive feelers, shopfronts glow with patriotic bunting and offices quietly compete to see whose entrance looks the most Merdeka-ready. From highways to hawker stalls, the flag has always been everywhere. This year, though, it feels different. The colours are there but… Continue reading When pride feels like pressure

Q: I am a newly married stepmother trying to build family connections but my husband’s children are not exactly warming up to me. What can I do? Focus on the Family Malaysia: Being a stepmother may be one of the toughest jobs a woman can have. It can take a long time for children to… Continue reading Building bonds through respect

IN light of recent developments and growing concerns about bullying in Malaysia, we must learn to recognise the signs of harm that are not immediately visible. Bullying is often associated with physical violence, yet some of its most damaging forms leave no marks on the body. Non-physical bullying, often referred to as silent bullying, can… Continue reading Silent bullying just as harmful