Top 5 at 5: Bipartisan Pushback to Amend Act 346

The Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) was recently passed by the Dewan Rakyat despite concerns and calls for revisions to the act. For more on the bill, we speak to Dr Farhan Rusli, Special Officer to the Minister of Health & Fellow, at the Institute for Research & Development of Policy on his thoughts on the new bill as well as the criticisms brought up by opposition MPs and doctors' groups like the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).

· Wins and losses at the G20 Summit: G20 leaders concluded their Rio summit, discussing climate change, global conflicts, and economic inequality. We breakdown the outcome of climate finance with Chee Yoke Ling, executive director of Third World Network; Julia Roknifard, an independent expert on international relations, comments on the growing calls for peace across the Global South; and finally, Suzanne Mooney, founder of The Lost Food Project, weighs in the global alliance against hunger launched by Brazilian President Lula da Silva.

· RM9.45 million lawsuit for brain damage: That's the amount the government was ordered to 10-year-old Thaqif Asyraf, who suffered brain damage at birth due to delayed delivery at Penang General Hospital in 2014. This record-breaking medical negligence award raises questions about its impact on public hospital practices. We hear from Charlaine Chin, a lawyer and Partner at Raja, Darryl & Loh on how this decision will impact the medical practice at public hospitals and its wider impact on healthcare costs beyond the public sector.

· Controversial amendments to the PPPA: Media rights groups criticized a proposed PPPA amendment requiring online media to obtain licenses and expanding "publication" to include digital content. They warned it threatens press freedom, enables government control, and introduces harsher penalties, urging clarification from authorities. We speak to Radzi Razak, Spokesperson of Geramm on the purported changes as well as why abolishing the PPPA altogether, as opposed to amending the Act, may be more effective in fostering press freedom.

· Popek Popek Parlimen: In today's session, we hear a discussion about congestion issues at the Sultan Iskandar Building and KLIA, and ways to reduce them. The MPs also discussed the government's plans to have social media platforms obtain a license before being allowed to operate in Malaysia, and whether this would impede on the people's access to living a modern life, as well as freedom of information.

Image Credit: Akkalak Aiempradit, Shutterstock