Latest news with #WorldQuestions
![[UPDATED] Fuziah: Op Gasak had 'communication issue'](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2Fgasakki_1749574538.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[UPDATED] Fuziah: Op Gasak had 'communication issue'](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fassets%2FNST-Logo%402x.png%3Fid%3Db37a17055cb1ffea01f5&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
New Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] Fuziah: Op Gasak had 'communication issue'
KUALA LUMPUR: Op Gasak was intended to target activities involving the decanting of subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into non-subsidised containers. Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Deputy Minister Fuziah Salleh said the enforcement, however, was not communicated effectively. "Targeting decanting was the initial move, where subsidised LPG was transferred into non-subsidised containers. "But somehow, there was a communication issue," she told reporters after the BBC's World Questions debate held in Petaling Jaya tonight where she was among four panellists. Fuziah said that the government is now collecting data and engaging with multiple stakeholders before bringing feedback to the Cabinet in order to make amendments to the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2021. "This would allow the micro businesses to have more than three canisters of LPG gas cylinders. "Before this it was three and you would have to have a special permit to have more than that. "Now that rule no longer applies (to micro businesses)." Fuziah was responding to criticism that the Op Gasak campaign was poorly communicated and rushed. She said that this is why the Cabinet, in light of the feedback received, agreed to allow micro and small-scale food and retail businesses to continue using LPG cylinders without a Scheduled Controlled Goods Permit (PBKB) until October. Op Gasak, which runs from May 1 to Oct 31, aims to curb illegal activities such as gas decanting (transferring gas from subsidised to non-subsidised cylinders), smuggling, and the misuse of subsidised LPG by medium and large-scale industrial sectors.
New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Fuziah: Op Gasak had 'communication issue'
KUALA LUMPUR: Op Gasak was intended to target activities involving the decanting subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into non-subsidised containers. Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Deputy Minister Fuziah Salleh said the enforcement, however, was not communicated effectively. "Targeting decanting was the initial move, where subsidised LPG was transferred into non-subsidised containers. "But somehow, there was a communication issue," she told reporters after the BBC's World Questions debate held in Petaling Jaya tonight.
Daily Express
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
Open debate signals Malaysia's maturing democracy, says BBC producer
Published on: Tuesday, June 10, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jun 10, 2025 By: Minderjeet Kaur, FMT Text Size: BBC's Charlie Taylor has commended Malaysia for its 'maturing democracy', saying a big part of the freedom of speech afforded to Malaysians was in being able to speak truth to power. PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's growing press freedom tells of its maturing democracy, says Charlie Taylor, producer of BBC World Questions, ahead of tonight's first-ever public debate show in the country. Taylor, who has been with BBC for three decades, said the broadcaster has held similar events in Seoul, Tokyo, Cape Town and Lithuania. Advertisement He said Malaysia, the current Asean chair, stands out for its open, on-the-record debate, something not all countries in Southeast Asia permit. 'Not every country in Southeast Asia could do it. They don't all have the freedoms that you have in Malaysia where you can allow a sort of open debate to take part,' he told FMT in an interview. 'I think, having met quite a few Malaysians in the last few days, people are fairly forthright. It's hard to find someone without an opinion,' he added. BBC's World Questions programme, a global extension of the long-running 'Question Time' in the UK, will be recorded before a live audience at 6pm today, at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre. He said the forum was about empowering local voices for a global audience. 'My understanding is that freedoms here (in Malaysia) have increased over recent years and testament to that is the fact that we have been welcomed in to do our debate—an open debate,' Taylor told FMT in an interview. 'The prime minister (Anwar Ibrahim) said he wants to see Malaysia as a maturing democracy. That maturing democracy is going on, and a big part of that is freedom of speech and being able to speak truth to power,' he added. Taylor said the format allows the public to pose questions to a panel of prominent political and public figures on national and international issues. The panellists are deputy minister of domestic trade and cost of living Fuziah Salleh, Tricia Yeoh from the University of Nottingham Malaysia's School of Politics and International Relations, Bersatu MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, a former deputy unity minister, and Vilashini Somiah, head of Universiti Malaya's gender studies programme. The forum will be chaired by veteran BBC journalist, Jonny Diamond. Taylor said the BBC did not come to Malaysia at the government's invitation but selected the country for its regional importance and openness to public discourse. 'No one approached us. We thought it was time,' Taylor said. 'We do 12 editions of this programme a year, and we move it around so we get different perspectives from different places.' Taylor said the programme's main objective was to allow local people to raise their questions on a global platform. 'We want to open a window on Malaysia so people get a deeper insight. 'We don't really decide what the questions are. The audience does,' he said, adding that questions may relate to any topic that may affect the nation, including corruption and tariffs. World Questions has been running since 2015, although it builds on a BBC tradition that dates back 60 to 70 years, he said. Taylor said the country's political and media landscape makes this the right time for such a forum. 'We want to open a window on a fascinating country and we want to hear people discuss their ideas in front of people who have different opinions. 'So we hope to have a difference of opinion, not argument and to listen to other people properly with respect,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Open debate signals Malaysia's maturing democracy, says BBC producer
BBC's Charlie Taylor has commended Malaysia for its 'maturing democracy', saying a big part of the freedom of speech afforded to Malaysians was in being able to speak truth to power. PETALING JAYA : Malaysia's growing press freedom tells of its maturing democracy, says Charlie Taylor, producer of BBC World Questions, ahead of tonight's first-ever public debate show in the country. Taylor, who has been with BBC for three decades, said the broadcaster has held similar events in Seoul, Tokyo, Cape Town and Lithuania. He said Malaysia, the current Asian chair, stands out for its open, on-the-record debate, something not all countries in Southeast Asia permit. 'Not every country in Southeast Asia could do it. They don't all have the freedoms that you have in Malaysia where you can allow a sort of open debate to take part,' he told FMT in an interview. 'I think, having met quite a few Malaysians in the last few days, people are fairly forthright. It's hard to find someone without an opinion,' he added. BBC's World Questions programme, a global extension of the long-running 'Question Time' in the UK, will be recorded before a live audience at 6pm today, at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre. He said the forum was about empowering local voices for a global audience. 'My understanding is that freedoms here (in Malaysia) have increased over recent years and testament to that is the fact that we have been welcomed in to do our debate—an open debate,' Taylor told FMT in an interview. 'The prime minister (Anwar Ibrahim) said he wants to see Malaysia as a maturing democracy. That maturing democracy is going on, and a big part of that is freedom of speech and being able to speak truth to power,' he added. Taylor said the format allows the public to pose questions to a panel of prominent political and public figures on national and international issues. The panellists are deputy minister of domestic trade and cost of living Fuziah Salleh, Tricia Yeoh from the University of Nottingham Malaysia's School of Politics and International Relations, Bersatu MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, a former deputy unity minister, and Vilashini Somiah, head of Universiti Malaya's gender studies programme. The forum will be chaired by veteran BBC journalist, Jonny Diamond. Taylor said the BBC did not come to Malaysia at the government's invitation but selected the country for its regional importance and openness to public discourse. 'No one approached us. We thought it was time,' Taylor said. 'We do 12 editions of this programme a year, and we move it around so we get different perspectives from different places.' Taylor said the programme's main objective was to allow local people to voice their questions on a global platform. 'We want to open a window on Malaysia so people get a deeper insight. 'We don't really decide what the questions are. The audience does,' he said, adding that questions may relate to any topic that may affect the nation, including corruption and tariffs. World Questions has been running since 2015, although it builds on a BBC tradition that dates back 60 to 70 years, he said. Taylor said the country's political and media landscape makes this the right time for such a forum. 'We want to open a window on a fascinating country and we want to hear people discuss their ideas in front of people who have different opinions. 'So we hope to have a difference of opinion, not argument and to listen to other people properly with respect,' he said.
![Western media struggles to grasp Malaysia's complexities, says BBC man [WATCH]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2F02bbc100625sp_NSTfield_image_socialmedia.var_1749513621.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Western media struggles to grasp Malaysia's complexities, says BBC man [WATCH]
KUALA LUMPUR: Western audiences and media often struggle to grasp Malaysia's complexities due to geographical distance and a lack of awareness of its political and historical context, says BBC journalist Jonny Dymond. Speaking exclusively to the New Straits Times ahead of the BBC World Service's World Questions debate in Kuala Lumpur, Dymond said ignorance remains one of the biggest barriers to covering countries like Malaysia, whose realities are shaped by colonial legacies and modern geopolitical pressures. "Most people don't even scratch the surface of what countries like Malaysia are dealing with," he said. "Everything from colonial inheritance to current day tensions. The challenges of geopolitics around here are formidable. You know? "And people, I think, on the other side of the world simply don't understand the balancing act that countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, and other nations in the region simply have to perform all the time. "When countries are told they have to choose between global powers, it's a strange demand to make from 3,000 miles away." Dymond also said the positioning of countries like Malaysia on issues such as the war in Gaza reflects a new divide in global politics. While critical of the term "the global south", which he said oversimplifies diverse countries and perspectives, Dymond acknowledged growing divergence in views between regions. "It's a sign of, a kind of a new division, a different division in the world. I mean, the phrase 'the global south' is a horrible one. "It suggests that there's one lump here and another lump there — but let's use it for the moment." He noted that on issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in Gaza, there was initially a sharp divide between how the West and other parts of the world viewed the situation. "It's worth pointing out, you know, there is a shift also in the West as this war has continued, and more and more people feel uncomfortable, and upset about what has happened. "Again, not my place to judge it, but it is interesting that Malaysia has been so forthright. And, obviously, I think there is a reflection in the government as to what people feel within Malaysia about what's happening in Gaza. "And Malaysia and Malaysia's leadership has made its position very, very clear on Israel and the Palestinians and seems to walk in step with its population there — it seems to speak for many, many Malaysians in their unhappiness at what Israel is doing in Gaza." He also urged Western observers to develop a deeper understanding of Southeast Asia, particularly in light of growing US-China tensions. "It's up to the West to know a lot more about places like Malaysia before it judges them." The BBC World Questions debate series invites members of the public to pose questions directly to politicians and public figures on current political, economic, and social issues. Tonight's debate, which will be broadcast at a later date, will focus on the government's fuel subsidy rationalisation, corruption cases, freedom of speech, and institutional reform. It will also examine Malaysia's foreign policy, especially its efforts to balance ties with the United States and China. Among the panellists are Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Deputy Minister Datuk Fuziah Salleh and Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal.
