Alwyn Lau | Opinion | Malay Mail

MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki exhibits cash seized during an investigation linked to a former army chief at a press conference at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya on January 15, 2026. — Picture by Yusof Isa

Malaysia / 9 h ago

MACC: Millions in cash, gold, luxury goods seized in defence procurement probe

Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh (centre) attends the President’s Briefing held in conjunction with the Umno General Assembly, taking place from January 14 to 17 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL), January 14, 2026. — Bernama pic

Malaysia / 16 h ago

‘No fear, no surrender’ to stepping aside? Umno Youth weighs Akmal’s future

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh attends the opening of the Wanita, Youth, and Puteri wings at the 2025 Umno General Assembly at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur on January 14, 2026. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

Malaysia / 13 h ago

Umno Youth chief demands Malaysiakini apology at party assembly over pig-farming photo blunder

Former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin waves during the Umno Youth wing assembly at the Umno General Assembly at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur on January 15, 2026. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Malaysia / 13 h ago

Khairy’s comeback? Ex-Youth chief welcomed to Umno assembly with ‘silat’ and drums

Liew Chin Tong (centre) speaks with family members at the wake of the late Cheah Keng Sin. — Liew Chin Tong pic

Malaysia / 12 h ago

From street kid to deputy minister: The RM200,000 gift that changed Liew Chin Tong’s life

Customs Department director-general Datuk Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin attends an interview at Wisma Bernama, Kuala Lumpur on September 25, 2024. — Bernama pic

Malaysia / 12 h ago

Customs DG: Department now spends just RM2.13 to collect every RM100

Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the deaths of a woman and her four-year-old son in Bandar Dato’ Onn, Johor Bahru, last December were criminal in nature. — Bernama pic

Malaysia / 6 h ago

Police: Doctor set to face murder charges after wife, four-year-old son found dead in JB home

Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh poses with Khairy Jamaluddin (left) and Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh (right) at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur on January 15, 2026. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Malaysia / 9 h ago

Will Khairy return to Umno? Ex-Youth chief says taking it ‘one step at a time’

Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh delivers his policy speech at the Umno Youth annual assembly at Dewan Merdeka at the World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, January 15, 2026. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Malaysia / 10 h ago

Akmal asks if DAP will ever see Umno as ‘good’ despite working together

A test train travels along the RTS Link alignment near Bukit Chagar during its first dynamic run on December 26, 2025. — Picture via Facebook/RTSO

Malaysia / 8 h ago

Loke: Most Johor-Singapore RTS physical works complete, system installation and testing underway

Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan attends the opening of the Wanita, Youth, and Puteri wings at the 2025 Umno General Assembly at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur on January 14, 2026. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

Malaysia / 14 h ago

Tok Mat says past time for Umno to ‘stop selling history, start selling the future’

Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has revealed he will step down from his role as Melaka State Executive Councillor for Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security next week. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Malaysia / 10 h ago

Akmal quits Melaka exco role but stays on as Umno Youth chief

(From left to right) Novo Nordisk Pharma general manager Dr Praful Chakkarwar, Malaysian Obesity Society president Dr Rohana Abdul Ghani, senior consultant endocrinologist Dr Chan Siew Pheng, and senior consultant cardiologist Datuk Seri Dr Azhari Rosman launch Wegovy in Kuala Lumpur on January 15, 2026.. — Novo Nordisk pic

Malaysia / 8 h ago

Your gym membership just got competition — weight-loss drug Wegovy launches in Malaysia

Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak to the media on Capitol Hill, Washington DC, flanked by US Senators Lisa Murkowski and Peter Welch, on January 14, 2026.

World / 13 h ago

Trump refuses to back down on Greenland claim after tense US-Denmark talks at White House

The mural on the Lian Lee Store along Jalan Besar, Kuantan, on January 14, 2026.

Opinion / 14 h ago

A Malaysian people or races in a country?

Alwyn Lau

Alwyn Lau

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

Opinions

There is no question that online distraction is a new sort of epidemic today. — Picture by Hari Anggara

07 Jan 2026

How to fight digital distractions

The author argues that Malaysian cinemas undermine the movie-going experience by forcing patrons through cramped, poorly lit and uncomfortable exit routes — a jarring finale that feels unsafe, unnecessary and wildly out of step with the glamour promised at the front door. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

02 Jan 2026

Why must exiting a cinema hall be such a lousy experience?

According to the author, the true world-beaters climb slowly, steadily. And crucially, they spend their early years dabbling widely, dipping into multiple sports, subjects, instruments — building what you might call a rich ‘learning capital’ that compounds beautifully over decades. — pexels.com pic

23 Dec 2025

Does early specialisation sabotage greatness?

Visitors view books at the Straits Quay Convention Centre in Penang on November 28, 2019. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

15 Dec 2025

Repurposing university libraries

More

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

“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?

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

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he had received a courtesy call from Skop Productions executive chairman Datuk Yusof Haslam (left) to discuss developments and the direction of the local film industry. — Picture via Facebook/Anwar Ibrahim

2 h ago

Anwar reaffirms govt support for creative freedom, discusses film industry issues with director Yusof Haslam

Umno Youth Wing chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh poses for a group photo after the Umno Youth Wing wrap-up session at WTC in Kuala Lumpur, January 15, 2026. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

2 h ago

Akmal: My exco resignation will spawn ‘300,000 Akmal Salehs’

Overstaying accounted for the most court cases brought against foreigners arrested during Immigration Department (JIM) operations in the federal capital last year. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

3 h ago

Overstaying most common offence among detained foreigners in 2025, says KL Immigration Dept