TheGoodCastShow

Its that time of the year again... a time for reflection, reassessment, introspection, and of course, anticipation, hope, and optimism.


While optimism is great, without data and analysis, it can devolve into delusion pretty quickly.


With that in mind, I ask for a favour.


If you have the time, please fill up this questionair and share your feedback. Your honest feedback will go a long way towards improving the channel and enable us to give you the content you love just the way you like it.


Click on the link to start - forms.gle/oGxRQPivVd6XFhJdA


Looking forward to your feedback.

7 hours ago | [YT] | 1

TheGoodCastShow

Who knew that non-citizen spouses in Malaysia go through what they do.

Earlier today I attend a media briefing conducted by Family Frontiers Malaysia and was exposed to the ordeal that many of these non-citizen spouses endure.

Foreigners who marry Malaysians are at the mercy of mind boggling rules and regulations that limit their participation in the Malaysian economy, and at times, make them completely dependent on their Malaysian spouses.

Which you would would have guessed, opens them up to the abuse in their own homes., and worst of all, unable to leave, fearing loosing their children in the process.

They are made to spend years, even decades, applying and waiting for a sign that they can stay in the country, for a nod from the authorities that they can begin to build a life in Malaysia.

Today, I heard from many of those spouses, who struggle to make ends meet, who have lost the prime years of their lives to simply to waiting.

Who constantly live with a cloud of uncertainty above them.

Assumptions hurled at spouses to Malaysians as being opportunists, a group of people who should be limited, in fear of Malaysians loosing their jobs to them, seem nothing more than an excuse to justify an unjust system.

Matters get muddier when the Malaysian spouse dies, leaving the living non-citizen lost in the wilderness of applying and waiting, with their allowance to reside in Malaysia nothing more than a temporary rug, that can be pulled from under their feet at any time.

How does one build a life and become a contrbuting member of society, when the rules of the game are stacked against them?

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 17

TheGoodCastShow

The latest collab for the podcast, this time with the Women's Aid Organisation. A collab that will span 16 episodes, with each episode discussing a different topic under the umbrella of feminism.

Stay tuned for the first episode that comes out on the 25th of November, and then one every day for 16 days straight.

Lets get to talking!

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1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 17

TheGoodCastShow

My first interview with a member of a foreign government, Janaka Adikari, a Central Committee Member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).



The JVP led, National People’s Power coalition (NPP), recently secured a two-thirds majority (159 seats) in the 225-member Sri Lankan Parliament 61% of the votes polled.



Imagine if in the coming GE16, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) secured a two-thirds majority, that is exactly what happened in Sri Lanka.



Being a leftist-movement steeped in Marxist-Leninist ideologies, their victory wasn't just proof that Sri Lankans had enough of the parties that had bankrupted the country, also, this was a rejection of the capitalist system in favour of socialism.



Celebrating the victory was one thing, according to Janaka, it seems that JVP is focused on governing. And it could not have picked a more challenging time, with Sri Lanka beholdened to the IMF bailout, while at the same time, trying to restructure its economy.



Our conversation revolved around what they've done in the year since their victory and what they plan to do.



Only time will tell if the JVP is up to the task, if they can repay the faith of the people with success.



For me...its time for TheGoodCastShow to go global.

1 month ago | [YT] | 41

TheGoodCastShow

Ethnocentrism is a dangerous endeavor for any nation. It’s the perfect petri dish for the cultivation of misconceptions, misunderstandings and misrepresentation.


History offers plenty of examples of what can go wrong, when we succumb to defining another based on our own understanding, or by the actions of a few within that very community.


So, when I had the chance to sit down with IKRAM, I jumped at it.


IKRAM’s approach paints a very different picture of the Islamic faith as compared to what a few extreme cases would have us think.


Their engagement with other communities, their progressive stances, their approachable demeanor, allowed me, a non-Muslim to share my views, resulting in a two-way conversation that centered around a mutual purpose of correcting the narrative.


Towards fostering a society that can engage one another in healthy, and constructive discussion.


It’s only through these discussions that the walls erected between us, as a result of decades of misdirection, can be destroyed.


Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Datuk Dr Omar Abdul Rahman said, when I interviewed him, that the Federal Constitution is worded to represent our nation as a mosaic of communities, and not a melting pot.


If that’s the case, then it is up to us as Malaysians to protect this beautiful mosaic that is our nation. That we stand against those who aim to crack that very mosaic for their own benefit.


The Walls of Jericho weren’t brought down by brute force; all it took was the sound of the horn.


The preservation of our way of life, isn’t through picking sides, flag-waving, or fist pumping, it’s through the elevation of our understanding of one another, simply through honest, sincere conversations.


Surah Al-Hujurat (49:13): "O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may know one another."

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1 month ago | [YT] | 36

TheGoodCastShow

Two teachers in a classroom, police to roam the corridors of our schools, caning, and character development classes, are just some of the suggestions and proposals, that have been put forth by our politicians to deal with the growing number of bullying cases and tragic deaths in our schools.


All in the spirit of making our schools safe again.


But, do they?


From the outside it looks more like hail marry passes, as oppose to a calculated moves that truly have the teeth to do what needs to be done.


When I spoke to both Kevin and Dr Vinoghiri, one educator, the other a psychologist dealing predominantly with children, it was clear that the burden of resolution, rests not only on the shoulders of the Ministry of Education.


We have to agree that these problems have been in existence for decades, exacerbated by social media, violent games, and failures of those tasked with raising these kids.


And it all starts at home.


Listen to real cases mentioned by Dr Vinoghiri and you will realize that the cries of most, if not all, of the kids she works with, are only for time and attention from their parents.


The lack of which creates voids in their lives, that get filled with virtual realities, that from the outside may look innocent enough, on the inside, houses pedophiles, violence, and a darkness that is ever-ready to grab hold of the consciousness of these innocent children, turning them into agents of hate, anger and destruction.


Kevin, an educator, spoke blatantly about how parents just don’t care. In some cases, contributing a week in a year to finding out how their child was doing in school.


In the end, is the answer to our problems in our very homes?


A question that takes courage to admit, even more to answer.

1 month ago | [YT] | 11

TheGoodCastShow

Could I ask you something?


I once saw children roaming the streets of Kuala Lumpur, as I accompanied Tuan Haji Mohd Azizan Zainal Abidin’s NGO late one night.


Do you think the policies tabled, discussed in the ‘Colosseum of Democracy’ or as we call it Parliament, really matter?


Are those debates, helping the lives of those children whose days are without purpose? Whose destinies are written by the highest bidder, if not the circumstances that surround them?


Sometime in 2018, in Subang Airport, at one the cafes, I sat across a stand-up comedian from Singapore, someone whose show I had just promoted and after the bruhaha as they say, was heading back to the Lion City.


Right before she left, she said, “Be careful whom you work with, not every stand-up comedian is nice, one bad experience could destroy your love for comedy.”


I didn’t think much of it. Until now, a little older, a little greyer, and a little wiser, those words resonate with me thanks to recent experiences.


Rewind the clock a few years from that little airport chat, and this time I was at a McDonalds, seated in front of a man, who said, with his finger pointed right at me, “You are enthusiastic, don’t ever let them take that from you.”


I remember not knowing how to comprehend that piece of advice, now at 40, I understand.


While I love politics, sometimes, what you see, hear and read, can erode that love, and take away one’s enthusiasm.


Your hope for better, often times unanswered.


I ask you…is change a realistic expectation?


Or like the book ‘Animal Farm’ do the heroes and villains always end up indistinguishable?


Do the systems that have been put in place remove the dreams, ambitions, and idealism from the hearts and minds of young politicians? Filtered out by party politics, resulting in a finished product that doesn't differ much from the one before.


Is it the fate of the voter to be pulled in every direction, whenever someone sees fit? To be lied to for the good of the few?


Does politics help the weakest among us?


You tell me.

1 month ago | [YT] | 14

TheGoodCastShow

It’s the disagreements that give birth to robust discussions.


While I may have disagreed with a lot of what past guests has to say about Malaysia and their brand of politics, the act of airing disagreements in the form of civilized debate, creates a space where people feel heard, where their opinions are mirrored, ultimately bringing more people into the discourse.


These debates destroy echo chambers and release opinions into the ether, allowing them to roam wherever they may. Inspire as they see fit.


So, what do I do, when I see negative criticisms hurled at a clip that I shared from my interview with Dr Raghavan Nambiar on the topic of Deepavali.


Not only did this post disagree with the opinion shared in the clip, it was a stern request to stop talking about Hinduism, to leave it to Hindu NGOs, the apparent gatekeepers of the religion, to be the only permeators of all things Hinduism.
And that I would not tolerate.


My reply was simple…lets have a conversation on the podcast, and… lets stream it LIVE.


The reply to that…complete silence.


No one has the right to curtail our freedoms to speak, to express, and to disagree. The moment we don’t call out self-appointed gatekeepers, is the day your God given ability to think, is no longer yours.


Learning comes from being wrong, learning comes from questioning, learning comes from discussions, debates, and disagreements.


And your evolution in thought, is between you and knowledge.


“I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an ass of yourself.” ― Oscar Wilde

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1 month ago | [YT] | 9

TheGoodCastShow

"Good afternoon. I am already missing your many other good podcast interviews, and myself observed you are quiet on the podcasts...." - said someone who watches the podcast.

Yes that is true I have not posted a video in the past 2 weeks and that has been simply for personal reasons. I had to a break to focus on family but now I am back!

This week I will be sharing my interview with Professor Dr. S. Vikneswaran. In this discussion we talked about 'bullying' and being a parent myself, it was not easy to contain my emotions as the conversation went on.

Are our schools safe? Are they the havens for our children to build lifelong memories, to learn, to bond?

Well... I honestly do not know anymore, but you decide after watching this interview.

The full interview drops tomorrow (9th of Oct) at 10am right here.

More interviews comong your way.

2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 18

TheGoodCastShow

Meet Qistina, the Deputy President of Suara Mahasiswa UMS.

Just a while back, she and members of her student movement set a caricature of our Prime Minister ablaze. Shocking an act as it was, it caught the attention of the nation. Both electorate and politician, sharing their opinions on the matter. Some for it, others against it, and a few insisting to either meet these students, or sue them.

When I spoke to her on the podcast, I was envious. Hearing her passion, the conviction to her ideals, fueled her words and hand movements, creating a play I had long forgotten. A play I was all too familiar with in my younger years, a play I myself would present to those who dared speak to me about my political ideals.

A show summed up best by the word 'Idealism'.

Remember that? Come on... of course you do. Remember a time when you were so filled with hope and belief that your actions could change the course of history. That you were part of something greater than yourself, that the country you and I love, would bow down to our demands, folding at the seems when faced with our rhetoric and fist pumping.

Like the walls of Jericho, we believed that the establishment would crumble to dust, when our cries for change, justice, and a new world, filled the air.

How many of us still have that believe? That change... is on the other side of our actions as voters?

I try not to succumb to the believe that perhaps George Orwell was right, perhaps the creators of V for Vendetta knew something we didn't. Perhaps there is nothing that we can do. Perhaps the system is rigged. Favouring those who have, and forgetting those who have not.

In spite of my pessimism, that tiny part of my brain, the one dedicated to hope, shines brightly. Keeping me going and believing that perhaps tomorrow would be better. Perhaps the next government will do better. Perhaps 'the chosen one' is just around the corner.

The tussle between realism and my idealism goes on, locked in a stalemate of sorts.

My only advice to Qistina, is to preserve that idealism. Don't ever let the world take that away from you. For tomorrow's reality, is today's idealism.

5 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 21