The retirement of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun and Court of Appeal President Abang Iskandar has left Malaysia’s judiciary without clear successors, triggering widespread concern over transparency and independence. The delay in appointments has drawn criticism from legal circles, the Malaysian Bar, and even members of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s own party. We speak to Ben Suffian, director of the Merdeka Centre about what this means for the prime minister, and the judiciary.

Other stories we covered:

• Sarawak assembly expansion: Sarawak’s legislative assembly has tabled a bill to increase its elected representatives from 82 to 99, citing demographic shifts, urban growth, and the need for fairer representation. There have been pushback from opposition, as well as concerns from electoral groups like Tindak Malaysia about undermining eelectoral parity. We speak to Danesh Prakash Chacko, director of Tindak Malaysia about those concerns.

• River tragedy sparks road safety concerns: The deaths of a family of six, discovered inside a submerged car in Sungai Korok, have intensified scrutiny over hazardous road conditions near rivers. We speak to Associate Professor Dr Ng Choy Peng from the Civil Engineering Department at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, about safety measures along high-risk routes.

• Delivering parcels through train: A logistics company is pushing for a move that allows them to deliver parcels in the Klang Valley through the LRT system and electric vehicles. This is aimed to reduce maintenance costs and congestion, but scalability is a concern. Nischal Muniandy, Senior Executive of Research, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs weighs in on this.

• France returns stolen African artefacts: France has agreed to return a symbolic “talking drum” to Ivory Coast, part of a broader reckoning with its colonial-era acquisitions. While a handful of countries are following suit, the UK continues to resist calls to repatriate high-profile items looted during military expeditions. We dive into this.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Sharaad Kuttan, Sneha Harikannan, Alia Zefri, Lim Sue Ann, Dashran Yohan, Sudais Ferhard

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sharaad Kuttan

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Categories:  History/Heritage,  culture,  visual arts,  Cars/Motoring,  travel,  technology,  government,  politics,  international,  corruption,  Law/Activism,  controversies

Tags:  ivory coast,  parcel delivery,  Sungai Korok,  sarawak assembly,  sarawak legislative assembly,  judiciary appointment,  artefacts,  museum,  france,  lrt,  parcel,  train,  electric vehicle,  car accident,  river,  Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,  anwar ibrahim,  Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim,  judicial system,