Alwyn Lau | Opinion | Malay Mail

2025 World Championships women’s doubles runners-up Pearly Tan and M Thinaah. — Bernama pic

Sports / 12 h ago

Malaysia’s badminton camp falls short of four-gold target, spotlight now on doubles aces Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Pearly Tan-Thinaah

DAP Youth says SPM Malay requirement proves community respects national language. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

Malaysia / 9 h ago

UEC recognition a constitutional right, not threat to Bahasa Malaysia, says DAP Youth Wing

The local streetwear and lifestyle convention LahLahLand 2025, which took place at The Mines International Exhibition and Convention Center saw over 50 local brands participating. —Pictures by Arif Zikri

Life / 15 h ago

From Jalan Pudu to Japan: Malaysian streetwear brands making waves locally and internationally

Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi attends the 33rd All Malaysian Indian Progressive Front (IPF Malaysia) general assembly in Hulu Langat December 14, 2025. — Bernama pic

Malaysia / 8 h ago

Zahid cautions BN component parties against exit, says there will be ‘no way back’

‘Wantan mee’ with ‘char siu’ and Hakka ‘zha yuk’ at Toong Kwoon Chye. — Picture by Ethan Lau

Eat-drink / 13 h ago

Toong Kwoon Chye Wanton Mee, Bukit Bintang: A taste of four generations of ‘wantan mee’ legacy going back over a century

A KTM Komuter train at the Kajang station. A new timetable for selected routes will take effect from January 1. — Picture by Raymond Manuel

Malaysia / 10 h ago

KTMB announces new Klang Valley Komuter timetable from Jan 1 amid KVDT2 works

Malaysia secured its first badminton gold of the SEA Games today after national women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M Thinaah triumphed in Bangkok. — Reuters pic

Sports / 7 h ago

Pearly Tan–Thinaah break the spell as Malaysia finally strikes SEA Games gold

Health workers move a woman on a stretcher to an ambulance after a shooting incident at Bondi Beach in Sydney. — AFP pic

World / 3 h ago

Bloodshed at Bondi: 11 killed as gunfire tears through Sydney beach

BAM doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky said he is ready to step down as part of taking responsibility for the four-gold shortfall in Malaysia’s 2025 SEA Games badminton results. — Bernama pic

Sports / 2 h ago

One gold, two silver, six bronze: Malaysia’s badminton chief admits shortfall, open to stepping down after SEA Games results

Ayesha Assilla Watuna said she has raised over RM15,000 so far, pledging 100 per cent of the proceeds to the Global Sumud Flotilla. — Bernama pic

Malaysia / 11 h ago

Legendary move: Sabah woman sells rare Pokémon card collection to join next Sumud Flotilla mission

The Bagan MP said a proposed RM20 billion tax refund payout before Chinese New Year could inject much-needed liquidity into the business sector. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

Malaysia / 11 h ago

Lim Guan Eng urges full tax refunds, buy-local policy to ease business cash crunch

Emergency responders at the scene of the road accident at Machang UiTM, where a student was killed after being hit by a motorcycle while crossing the road. — Picture via Facebook

Malaysia / 10 h ago

Student killed in Machang UiTM accident had wireless earbud on, police say

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the decision was made following feedback from teachers who felt the sSPLKPM was affecting their focus on their core duties. — File picture by Mukhriz Hazim

Malaysia / 9 h ago

MOE ends SPLKPM so teachers can focus fully on the classroom

The Kuala Terengganu High Court ruled today that the earlier defamation trial against Clare Rewcastle-Brown was invalid and must be reheard. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

Malaysia / 7 h ago

Kuala Terengganu High Court orders retrial in Clare Rewcastle-Brown defamation case

After four records and the 2025 SEA Games gold in Thailand, the Malaysian and Sarawak governments are lining up rewards for hammer thrower Grace Wong. — Picture from X/Bernama_Radio

Malaysia / 4 h ago

Sarawak, Putrajaya to reward record-breaking SEA Games gold medallist Grace Wong

Alwyn Lau

Alwyn Lau

Bookworm. Contrarian. Proud Malaysian. Or thereabouts. Tweets at @alwyn_lau

Opinions

The author argues that PTPTN no longer functions as a real loan system because repayment rates are so poor. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

11 Dec 2025

Can we stop calling PTPTN a loan?

Teachers prepare for class at a school in Ipoh, Perak, on June 23, 2020. — Picture by Farhan Najib

02 Dec 2025

Schools as worry factories?

The author reminds Malaysians that KLIA was opened in 1998 and says there has been only the occasional leaking and minor flooding in its past 27 years. — Screengrab via X

17 Nov 2025

Poor optics but otherwise resilient #KLIA

According to the author, many Malaysian executives — on a 24/7 journey of clawing with their finger-nails after the next promotion and next salary increment — see the very concept of ‘free time’ as a moral failure. — pexels.com pic

11 Nov 2025

When ‘free time’ scares us

More

“6-7” was Dictionary.com’s 2025 Word of the Year.

06 Nov 2025

Is ‘67’ nonsense or an example of linguistic democracy?

The author learnt from a conversation with a student from China that the practice of replacing the number “4” with “3A” is rare compared to Malaysia. — Freepik pic

24 Oct 2025

‘4’ or ‘3A’? A chat about tetraphobia

Authorities are seen at a school in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya October 14, 2025, after a schoolgirl was stabbed by her schoolmate. — Bernama pic

16 Oct 2025

School stabbing: A parent’s shock and reflection

File picture of an accident that occurred on May 13 involving a gravel-laden lorry and an FRU truck on Jalan Chikus-Sungai Lampam, Teluk Intan. — Bernama pic

13 Oct 2025

Are lorries the number one cause of traffic accidents in Malaysia?

Students arrive at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seksyen 7 in Shah Alam on March 3, 2022. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

29 Sep 2025

What’s required (or rewarded) in school but ignored (or punished) outside school?

Vehicles are seen approaching the drop-off/pick-up area of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. — KLIA pic

23 Sep 2025

Thoughts on being picked up from KLIA

In my experience it’s very normal for parents, especially Asian parents, to have a LOT of say in what their children study, not least because they’re paying the tuition fees and what-not. — Unsplash pic

17 Sep 2025

Whose future is it? Exploring parental influence on post-graduate paths

With 80 per cent of Malaysians expected to be city-dwellers by 2030, the government argues that the URA will keep our urban vibes fresh and home-owners’ feelings happy. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

02 Sep 2025

Urban Renewal Act debate: Modernisation imperatives vs community concerns?

The benefit to fresh grads and brain-drain slowdown notwithstanding, the huge question now is what’s going to happen to the training sector for whom the HRD funds have been a critical source of revenue?

25 Aug 2025

Corporate training sector in crisis?

The losses since 2019 have totalled billions. Eg, the State of Scam Report 2024 revealed that Malaysia lost RM54.02 billion (US$12.8 billion) to scams in 2023, equivalent to three per cent of our GDP. —Picture by Firdaus Latif

14 Aug 2025

Can cybercrime reshape vices and even banking in Malaysia?

Son Heung-Min, the South Korean sensation who danced through defenses like a waiter dancing past crowded tables, the man whose smile lit up stadiums and goal celebrations, is finally moving on from North London. ― Reuters pic

05 Aug 2025

Spurs is Son, Son is Spurs

Apparently durians produce this molecule called spermidine (yes, I know what that sounds like) which is important because it promotes this biological process known as autophagy. — File pic by Farhan Najib

26 Jul 2025

A surprising health component of durians?

Setting aside the question of lecturers ‘cheating’ if they use AI to grade, not every form of assessment can be practically handled with AI. — Reuters pic

13 Jul 2025

Should lecturers use AI to grade papers?

As such, shows like Squid Game — and in fact almost every major movie or TV series — may be offering audiences a way of ‘processing’ frustration, pain and tragedy in the family by way of entertainment and fantasy.

07 Jul 2025

Of ‘Squid Game’ and family trauma

A customer makes a payment using a QR code in Cheras in this file photo taken on October 5, 2023. — Picture by Raymond Manuel

28 Jun 2025

Waiting an infinity for QR code payments to go through?

What if we treated schooling the way an open-hearted chef viewed his kitchen i.e. as a place where experimentation reigns, where various recipes and concoctions may be tried and tested, where success need not be narrowly defined and can, in fact, be a matter of ‘taste’ and individual desire? — Picture from pexels.com

16 Jun 2025

Is education like bomb disposal or like cooking?

A staff member arranges books at the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair 2025 at the World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur May 25, 2025 — Picture by Raymond Manuel

04 Jun 2025

How reading physical books beats screen-reading

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean forward Son Heung-Min waves to fans as he carries the Europa League trophy. — AFP pic

26 May 2025

The end of Tottenham’s trophy drought

Scott Adams, the creator of

21 May 2025

How death gives life meaning

Primary school students return to school at Sekolah Kebangsaan Syed Idrus Chemor in Perak March 21, 2022. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Farhan Najibnn

03 May 2022

The (cautious) case against mask mandates

A man smokes outside an eatery in Petaling Jaya January 1, 2019. u00e2u20acu2022 Picture by Miera Zulyana

25 Apr 2022

Why a smoking ban probably won’t help

A man walks past a shuttered bar/night club with a u00e2u20acu02dcFor Rentu00e2u20acu2122 sign in Kuala Lumpur during the Covid 19 pandemic October 18, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

11 Apr 2022

So what really is the problem with nightclubs?

A customer counts how much change was given back after buying some groceries at a wet market in Kuala Lumpur. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Saw Siow Feng

29 Mar 2022

Why are we worth more dead than alive?

21 Mar 2022

Three groups who welcome the RM10,000 EPF withdrawal

Form Five students get ready to sit for their SPM examination at SMK Seksyen 7 in Shah Alam March 2, 2022. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

15 Mar 2022

Should Malaysian students do a gap year?

Sekolah Kebangsaan Section 7 students on their first day back at school in Shah Alam July 22, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

28 Feb 2022

Could e-textbooks be the solution to heavy school bags?

Election Commission officials get the polling station at Dewan Badminton Kompleks Perumahan Polis Tabuan Jaya ready ahead of early voting in Kuching December 13, 2021. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

14 Feb 2022

Are Covid-19 cases being artificially boosted ahead of Johor polls?

The Lim clan having their reunion dinner at Lim Jetty, Weld Quay on January 31, 2022. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

07 Feb 2022

Playing ‘20 Questions’ at Chinese New Year

Rex Lee Kok Hong, 36, displays his angpow collection at his home in Sungai Dua February 13, 2018. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

31 Jan 2022

Chinese New Year and e-’ang pows’

27 Jan 2022

BAM should revoke Goh Jin Wei’s ban too

A general view of traffic on the Federal Highway in Kuala Lumpur June 1, 2021. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

24 Jan 2022

Alternative to holiday traffic jams

Students resume classes at Sekolah Kebangsaan Meru Klang in Klang January 10, 2022. u00e2u20acu201d Bernama pic

17 Jan 2022

Why hasn’t ‘Pendidikan Moral’ been scrapped yet?

People receive their Covid-19 booster shot at the KL Gateway Mall in Kuala Lumpur January 5, 2022. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

10 Jan 2022

Boosters: Allow walk-ins at PPVs by disabled

People wait to receive their Covid-19 vaccines at the Covid-19 vaccination centre in the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre, Seri Kembangan, June 17, 2021. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

27 Dec 2021

Notes from a PPV volunteer

A general view of traffic on the Federal Highway in Kuala Lumpur June 1, 2021. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

20 Dec 2021

Three pointers on how to be safer behind the wheels

As the country slowly reopens, the temporary traffic respite will gradually come to an end. u00e2u20acu2022 Picture by Yusof Mat Isan

13 Dec 2021

So far, yet so near: Are you a super-commuter?

Choong has spent more than 30 years zipping around the world visiting archeological dig sites and even excavating in some. u00e2u20acu201d Picture via Facebook

07 Dec 2021

A conversation with Malaysia’s own Indiana Jones

The release of u00e2u20acu02dcJames Bond: No Time to Dieu00e2u20acu2122 for Malaysian cinemas has been from September 30 to November 25. u00e2u20acu201d Picture courtesy of United International Pictures Malaysia

29 Nov 2021

James Bond: From fantasy to reality

Just IN

Kada chairman Khalid Abdul Samad said compensation is provided at RM3,000 per hectare for the damaged paddy crops in Kelantan. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

2 h ago

Kelantan’s flood-hit paddy farmers to receive compensation after RM2.3m crop losses

Malaysians embrace colourful Christmas preparations ahead of December 25. — Picture by Raymond Manuel

3 h ago

Early shoppers, decorations and holiday deals herald Christmas across Malaysia

Mosti is holding STI Madani Carnivals nationwide to empower young Malaysians and boost the country’s chances to reach developed nationhood. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

3 h ago

Malaysia needs 70pc of jobs in STEM to reach developed nation status, says Mosti official