Author: UKEC

Would you take care of your parents when they are old? Rolling your eyes, you might be thinking, duh, of course I will. As Malaysians, many of us were brought up with traditional values emphasising filial piety. Customary Malaysian values of filial piety have always dictated that adults should care for their ageing parents, but what happens when the government proposes a filial piety law? Will it be a welcome reminder of cultural values, or will it lead to tension between parents and their children?

“Selamat pulang ke tanah air”—these words strike a chord within the hearts of many Malaysians; I am no exception. This is the phrase I have yearned to echo in my ears and heart again since I first touched down in KLIA after a year of loss, solitude, and sorrow in my distant home, the UK.

The recently announced Budget 2023 under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration will allocate RM15.1 billion to the Ministry of Higher Education, which is a 5.7 per cent increase compared to the previous budget, as reported by New Straits Times. The ministry has since pledged to improve the quality of Malaysian higher education, including upgrading the basic infrastructures and adopting more digitalisation to enhance digital learning, pairing with fiscal efforts such as the deferment of National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan payment and cash distribution via the e-tunai Belia Rahmah initiative.

It was certainly a tough pre-Valentine weekend for Penang Deputy Chief Minister Ramasamy Palanisamy when he was attacked by politicians from both sides of the aisle, along with various civil societies and non-governmental organisations, over his remark that the Malaysian civil service is currently Malay-dominated and that the current government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim must take action to ‘break’ the Malay dominance in the public sector.

On 16 August 2021, following the resignation of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s government due to backlash on the handling of Covid-19, UMNO vice president, Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri became the ninth Prime Minister to lead the country’s recovery. He commanded a very slim four-seat majority in Malaysia’s 222-seat parliament of 114 seats. Pakatan Harapan (PH), the opposition bloc, had 88 seats in parliament. The country was still recovering with half-baked lockdowns and an unfinished vaccination program, and a general election was unrealistic and inconsiderate to the struggling rakyat. Thus, a memorandum of agreement between PH and the government was signed to ensure political stability.