



Top 5 at 5: All Social Media Platforms To Be Licensed
Starting January 1st 2026, Malaysia will automatically license major social media platforms with over eight million users, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, and YouTube, under the Communications and Multimedia Act. What impact will this have? We discuss with Dr Benjamin Loh…

Top 5 at 5: A Look at Corruption After 2018
A new report by the reform group, Projek SAMA examines 28 corruption, criminal breach of trust, and money‑laundering cases involving 21 elected politicians between 2018 and 2025, highlighting patterns of prosecutorial withdrawals, long delays, and inconsistent handling that continue to fuel public …

Top 5 at 5: Big Tobacco vs. Public Health
Malaysian Women's Action for Tobacco Control and Health or MyWATCH recently released the 2025 Malaysian Tobacco Industry Interference Index, a biennial report which looks at the extent to which the tobacco industry and its proxies is involved or interfered with public health policies. To shed light…

Top 5 at 5: Making Sense of Anwar's Major Cabinet Reshuffle
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced a Cabinet reshuffle this afternoon, the results of which have been surprising. We speak to Dr Syaza Shukri, Associate Professor of Political Science at the International Islamic University Malaysia, to make sense of the decisions made and its po…

Top 5 at 5: UEC Debate Heats Up Again
The Unified Examination Certificate, or UEC, is back in the spotlight as DAP renews calls for its recognition, drawing strong pushback from Umno Youth and other opponents. We speak to Oh Ei Sun, Principal Adviser of the Pacific Research Center in Malaysia, to examine both sides of this long-standin…

Top 5 at 5: Closing the Gap Between Public and Private Healthcare
Parti Sosialis Malaysia is calling for a moratorium on new private hospitals to reduce the imbalance of workers between public and private hospitals. We unpack these trends and discuss the rise of medical tourism with Dr Cecilia Anthonysamy, member of the Save Our Public Healthcare Campaign at Part…

Top 5 at 5: Australia's Social Media Ban Is Causing a Stir
Australia has officially rolled out its landmark ban on social media accounts for anyone under 16, the first policy of its kind in the world. We speak to journalist and ANU Malaysia Institute associate Kean Wong on what this bold move means amid global debates on Big Tech regulation, online harms, …

Top 5 at 5: Hundreds of Journalists Killed and Held Hostage in 2025
Reporters Without Borders has released its latest annual round-up, revealing another grim year for media freedom: 67 journalists killed, nearly half in Gaza, hundreds detained, and scores missing or held hostage. We speak to Wathshlah Naidu, Executive Director of the Centre for Independent Journali…

Top 5 at 5: Thailand-Cambodia Border Clashes Escalate
Last night, clashes erupted along the disputed Thailand-Cambodia border killing at least three Thai soldiers and nine Cambodian civilians. Each side accuses the other of initiating the conflict, and neighbouring countries have urged restraint . We break down the contributing factors that led to the…

Top 5 at 5: Can Malaysia End Hardcore Poverty by 2026?
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says hardcore poverty could be eradicated by March next year, citing aggressive government aid as the main driver. We speak to Niaz Asadullah, Adjunct Professor at the College of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University, about whether the data supports th…