Category: Opinion

Q: My widowed mother is still pretty independent but I worry about her being vulnerable to scam artists who victimise the elderly. How can I protect her against this kind of abuse? Focus on the Family Malaysia: We have all heard the despicable horror stories. Help your mum learn to watch out for threats and… Continue reading Shielding seniors from scams and threats

MALAYSIA’S plan to raise cigarette excise taxes aims to discourage smoking, improve health and boost revenue. But without stronger enforcement and smarter regulation of alternatives, it risks fueling illicit trade and losing more revenue than gained. Currently, illicit cigarette trade costs Malaysia about RM5 billion annually, accounting for 54% to 60% of consumption. When legal… Continue reading Balancing cigarette tax hikes and enforcement

THE pitch process was once a catalyst for collaboration – a chance for agencies and advertisers to align around a shared vision, tackle real business challenges and forge lasting partnerships. But somewhere along the way, that promise has faded. What should be an energising kickoff has too often devolved into a source of strain, inefficiency… Continue reading Getting the pitch right: Fine-tuning marketing strategies

LATELY, a new workplace trend has been making headlines: quiet cracking. Unlike quiet quitting, which is often a deliberate disengagement, quiet cracking is more subtle and more dangerous. It describes employees who are still clocking in, replying to emails and delivering results but emotionally and mentally, they are hanging by a thread. According to recent… Continue reading Addressing Gen Z’s ‘quiet cracking’

ARTIFICIAL intelligence is no longer a future prospect. It is already here, shaping the way finance and accounting professionals work across Malaysia and the wider region. It is clear that the change is no longer subtle; it is fundamental. And ACCA’s latest AI Monitor report confirms that the profession is entering a defining moment. Organisations… Continue reading Leading the AI revolution in finance

AT every global summit, in every climate negotiation and across countless community dialogues, one sentiment quietly threatens to derail the pursuit of a sustainable planet – distrust. It lurks behind the polished statements of world leaders and beneath the grassroots frustrations of marginalised communities. Distrust between nations. Distrust within nations. Distrust between governments and citizens.… Continue reading Trust is key to real sustainability

THE assassination of Charlie Kirk has dominated not only the news in the US but also the news around the world. Foreign governments and international organisations that have been focusing on President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and other foreign initiatives affecting global politics and economics now need to include into their calculus what appears to… Continue reading Kirk’s death: Impact in US, world

THE nation has been shaken by the recent tragic deaths and a notable increase in serious bullying incidents in our schools. This troubling trend has exposed a deeper crisis within our educational system. We must fundamentally shift our focus from a reactive cycle of blame to a proactive, collective approach, one that recognises bullying as… Continue reading Adopt collective approach to end bullying in our schools

NATIONS, like people, grow awkwardly but that is still growth. Some days it is obvious: a new MRT line, a policy that finally makes sense or a younger leader speaking with quiet wisdom. Other days, it is clumsy and contradictory. We move forward, then stumble back. We say all the right words, then forget how… Continue reading Change must begin with us

A TOTAL of RM277 billion gone in six years? That is what Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Tan Sri Azam Baki has revealed. This figure encompasses not just outright corruption but also systemic issues like collusion in procurement, wasteful practices and governance gaps, averaging about RM46 billion annually. This is indeed a national tragedy. It is… Continue reading Stop leakages now: Restore integrity in civil service

MALAYSIA Day. That one date on the calendar – Sept 16 – that half the rakyat still confuse with Merdeka. “Eh, bukan kita dah celebrate on Aug 31 meh?” Cue the awkward silence, followed by some patriotic uncle at the kopitiam smacking his newspaper on the table, ready to give a full history lecture. Let’s… Continue reading A love letter with extra sambal

CONSIDERING the challenging times we live in, a superstitious person would have probably suggested numbering the coming Malaysia Plan as 12a, just to avoid attracting bad luck. Jokes aside, the recently introduced 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) offers all the right solutions for the country as we navigate through these choppy waters. In identifying the plan’s… Continue reading Building a resilient ship: Turning 13MP vision into tangible results

EVERY August and extending on to Sept 16, we typically pause to ask: What does Merdeka truly mean? Beyond the colourful displays, it is not merely an anniversary marked on calendars; it is a personal story – one of sacrifice, struggle and determination passed down by generations. Merdeka is a living testament to the resilience… Continue reading Uplifting the nation, hand in hand

MALAYSIA has long been labelled the “fattest nation” in Asia. The share of overweight and obese adults rose from 44.5% in 2011 to 54.4% in 2023, an almost 10% jump in a decade. The 2023 National Health Screening Initiative recorded a similar figure, with 53.5% of Malaysians screened as overweight or obese. The crisis is… Continue reading Malaysia’s obesity time bomb

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