BUDI95

BUDI95

As of April 1, 2026, the Malaysian government has reduced the monthly BUDI95 (Budi Madani RON95) subsidy quota from 300 litres to 200 litres due to rising global oil prices. The subsidised price remains at RM1.99 per litre. This temporary measure aims to manage high diesel costs, with additional aid provided to beneficiaries.

Latest BUDI95 News (April 2026):

• Quota Reduction: The monthly quota is reduced to 200 litres per month effective April 1, 2026, down from the previous 300 litres.
• Price Maintained: Despite the quota change, the subsidised price of RON95 remains at RM1.99 per litre for eligible recipients.
• Context for Change: The decision was made following a surge in global oil prices (Brent crude exceeding US$100/barrel), with the government tightening eligibility to manage subsidy costs while ensuring it covers the majority of users.
• Extra Aid: To aid with rising costs, a temporary additional RM100 assistance was announced for beneficiaries of BUDI Individu and BUDI Agri-Komoditi, bringing total aid to RM300 for April.
• Security Measures: Following reports of unauthorized usage, the Finance Ministry has emphasized strict monitoring of the subsidy scheme. 

This temporary reduction aims to manage the high price of fuel amidst a global energy crisis. 

Criminals

 

Unlearning corruption among white-collar criminals

WHITE-COLLAR criminals often believe they won’t be caught using sophisticated tactics to exploit system gaps and viewing themselves as smarter than their victims, making their behaviour largely calculated.

According to Rational Choice Theory, white-collar criminals in positions of trust weigh potential gains against risks, committing corruption when rewards outweigh the chance of detection or punishment.

A corporate executive may manipulate accounts for higher profits or bonuses if the chance of detection seems low.

For example, in the Enron Corporation scandal, executives altered financial statements to hide losses.

Similarly, a senior Malaysian armed forces officer was charged with criminal breach of trust involving RM5 mil from the welfare fund, while another officer allegedly received proceeds from unlawful activities totalling over RM2 mil.

If these charges are proven in court, it means they likely committed these acts because the perceived financial gain and status outweighed the risks of detection, prosecution, and career loss.

Removing corruption from Malaysian public institutions requires addressing the knowledge embedded within them through organisational unlearning and re-learning.

According to Hendi Yogi Prabowo, in the Journal of Financial Crime, this process involves eliminating tacit and explicit knowledge of corrupt practices and replacing it with principles of good governance, accountability, and integrity.

Unlearning helps overcome challenges and supports success in a constantly changing environment.

Jack Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory suggests that organisations can combat fraud by first unlearning outdated practices and norms, then relearning more effective systems, values, and capabilities.

Modern governance reform follows this same two-step process, as meaningful change rarely succeeds without letting go of old habits.

Effective unlearning and re-learning involve both human governance (to change mindsets and behaviour) and structural governance (to update systems and processes for stronger ethical decision-making).

Unlearning is influenced by parenting, upbringing, peer groups, and education, as these shape our early habits, values, and beliefs.

While children learn behaviour and moral principles from their caregivers, some habits, such as dishonesty or favouritism, once learnt, are difficult to reverse but may need to be unlearned later to foster ethical conduct.

Education and training programmes also support unlearning and re-learning by helping individuals discard outdated or unethical practices and replace them with honesty, integrity, accountability and critical thinking skills.

Sweden’s low corruption reflects a long, gradual process, not a sudden change—they were inculcated from young.

Our early experiences shape our thinking, and as adults, we may continue old habits. To grow and improve, we must unlearn what we have learned as knowledge and theories can become outdated.

For example, much of what I learned during my Master’s in Criminology 40 years ago at the University of Detroit would now be obsolete without unlearning outdated concepts and updating them with new knowledge.

Lifelong unlearning, shaped by early experiences and education, helps individuals act ethically.

Organisational unlearning and relearning are essential to discard harmful practices and replace them with ethical leadership, accountability, and integrity.

Before institutions can build integrity, they must first unlearn habits that normalised failure, complacency, and abuse of power, while leaders address entrenched biases through training, new incentives, and stronger leadership behaviour.

The 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, in which billions were allegedly misappropriated, highlighted the need for organisational unlearning.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is using advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, big data, and digital forensics, to combat increasingly sophisticated financial fraud and corruption.

Other examples include companies affected by the Enron Corporation scandal, which moved away from relying solely on internal reports and adopted independent audits, stronger financial controls, and forensic accounting.

Similarly, government departments that previously depended on manual document checks had to embrace digitalisation and data analytics to detect fraud, corruption, and leakages.

In the financial sector, banks shifted from reacting to customer complaints to using artificial intelligence-driven real-time monitoring, behavioural analytics, and multi-factor authentication to detect anomalies, requiring unlearning of old reactive methods.

It is recommended that Certified Integrity Officers (CeiO) stay current on integrity and governance matters by completing the Continuing Professional Education (CPE).

For example, Certified Fraud Examiners must earn a minimum of 20 CPE credits related to fraud each year, with at least two credits focused specifically on ethics.

Promoting unlearning-learning and ethical decision-making strengthens accountability, reduces fraud, and helps overcome deeply rooted corruption. ‒ March 16, 2026

 

The Writer : Datuk Seri Dr Akhbar Satar is a Professor of Criminology at HELP University.

Health

Why cancer survivorship must protect the heart too

ON the day cancer treatment ends, many patients expect life to finally return to normal. The scans are clear, the appointments become less frequent, and family members breathe a collective sigh of relief.

After months or years of fear and uncertainty, the word “survivor” feels like a finish line. But for a growing number of people, it is not the end of the journey; it is the start of a quieter, more complicated chapter.

For many years, cancer care focused on one overriding goal which is survival. Patients and doctors alike asked the same urgent question: can we beat the disease?

Every test, every drug, and every difficult decision revolved around that single aim. Today, the answer is increasingly hopeful. Advances in early detection, chemotherapy, targeted treatments and radiotherapy mean more Malaysians are surviving cancer than ever before.

This is one of modern medicine’s greatest achievements, transforming cancer from a fatal diagnosis into a chronic, often manageable condition.

Yet this success has revealed a new challenge, one that rarely makes headlines: what happens after cancer treatment ends? As survival improves, doctors are seeing more cancer survivors develop other serious health problems years later.

Heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels are appearing with surprising frequency. These conditions can limit independence, increase hospital visits and, in some cases, pose a greater long-term threat than the cancer itself.

For survivors, this reality can be deeply unsettling. After enduring surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, many expect their health to steadily improve.

Instead, some find themselves breathless after short walks, struggling with rising blood sugar, or facing lifelong medication for heart conditions they never had before.

Cancer and heart disease are often treated as separate worlds, managed by different specialists in different clinics. In reality, they are closely connected.

Both share common risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, smoking, physical inactivity, chronic inflammation and ageing, conditions that are increasingly common in Malaysia.

Cancer treatments themselves can also strain the body. Some chemotherapy drugs may weaken the heart muscle. Radiotherapy involving the chest can affect blood vessels years later.

Hormonal therapies and prolonged steroid use can disrupt metabolism, leading to weight gain, insulin resistance and abnormal cholesterol levels.

This does not mean cancer treatments are unsafe or should be avoided; rather, it means survivorship care must evolve to reflect the realities of longer life after cancer.

Traditionally, healthcare has been organised around individual diseases. Cancer is treated in oncology centres. Heart disease is managed by cardiologists. Diabetes and metabolic disorders are addressed elsewhere.

While this structure works for short-term treatment, it struggles when conditions overlap over time. A patient may complete cancer therapy, be discharged from oncology follow-up, and return to routine care.

Years later, heart failure or diabetes develops, often without clear links being made to past cancer treatment. By the time symptoms appear, damage may already be significant.

This is why experts are increasingly calling for a more integrated approach to survivorship care, one that recognises cancer as part of a broader health journey rather than an isolated episode.

Cancer centres are uniquely positioned to lead this shift. They already follow patients closely, collect detailed treatment histories and manage complex care plans. By embedding heart and metabolic health monitoring into cancer care, risks can be identified early rather than discovered late.

This means assessing cardiovascular and metabolic health before treatment begins, monitoring changes during therapy, and continuing follow-up long after remission. Simple measures such as regular blood pressure checks, blood sugar monitoring, heart function screening and lifestyle counselling can make a meaningful difference.

Family medicine specialists play a vital coordinating role in this model. Working alongside oncologists, cardiologists and endocrinologists, they help ensure continuity of care across years, not just treatment cycles.

This team-based approach reduces the risk of survivors falling through the cracks once active cancer treatment ends. Prevention is another powerful benefit of integrated survivorship care.

Many heart and metabolic complications can be delayed, reduced or avoided entirely with early intervention. Encouraging physical activity, supporting healthy weight management, addressing smoking and improving diet may seem basic, but for cancer survivors they are essential tools for long-term recovery.

Early treatment of high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol or rising blood sugar can prevent serious disease later. For survivors, these measures are not optional add-ons; they are a necessary extension of cancer care itself.

This approach is particularly relevant for Malaysia. Cancer incidence continues to rise as the population ages, while cardiovascular disease and diabetes remain leading causes of illness and death.

Treating these conditions separately places increasing strain on healthcare resources and patients alike.

An integrated survivorship model makes both medical and practical sense. It shifts care from crisis response to early prevention and recognises patients as whole individuals rather than a collection of separate diagnoses.

Helping cancer survivors live longer should go hand in hand with helping them live better. Survival alone is not enough if it is accompanied by preventable chronic disease. Beating cancer is no longer the end of the story.

For many, it marks the beginning of a new chapter that deserves protection, planning and care. As cancer care continues to advance, our approach to survivorship must advance with it, ensuring that life after cancer is not only longer, but healthier and fuller. ‒ Feb 19, 2026

 

Dr Mastura Mohd Sopian is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Pusat Kanser Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.

BFOOD

Boycott pressure keeps Berjaya Food loss-making despite narrower deficit

BFood’s quarter two financial year 2026 (2QFY26) revenue of RM126.3 translated to core loss after tax, amortisation and minority interest of -RM10.6 mil.

The results missed both Hong Leong Investment Bank’s (-RM44.6 mil) and consensus (-RM46.8 mil) expectations, primarily due to weaker than expected sales at Starbucks and a slower pace of demand recovery.

While losses continued to narrow, earnings remain firmly in the red, extending the group’s loss making streak.

Group revenue declined -2% QoQ to RM126.3 mil, driven by underperformance in Malaysia (-2%), which more than offset growth from other SEA markets (+35%).

The weakness in Malaysia reflects the ongoing Starbucks boycott since Oct-23 following the Israel–Gaza war, which continues to materially suppress traffic and sales. 

Growth in other SEA markets was supported by contributions from newly opened Paris Baguette outlets in the Philippines. 

“Despite the sequential narrowing of losses to -RM10.6 mil, we believe a return to profitability will take time given the still challenging demand environment,” said HLIB.

Top line improved by +3% year-on-year to RM254.5 mil, largely driven by overseas operations. This offset lower revenue from Malaysia following the closure of underperforming stores. 

Losses narrowed to -RM26.8 mil in the first half of financial year 2026 (1HFY26) from – RM69.0 mil in 1HFY25, supported by cost-saving initiatives, store rationalisation, and lower depreciation and amortisation charges. 

That said, the improvement remains largely cost-driven rather than revenue-led, underscoring the fragility of the recovery. Management continues to prioritise footprint optimisation as part of its operational reset. Starbucks Malaysia’s store count declined to 267 outlets following 20 net closures in 2QFY26, while KRR and Paris Baguette stood at 27 outlets (ten closures) and 17 outlets (one addition), respectively. 

While management is considering selective Starbucks expansion (10 smaller-format stores), the overarching focus remains on consolidation, operational efficiency, labour productivity, and disciplined marketing. 

“We expect the lingering brand overhang from geopolitical tensions to continue weighing on BFood in the near term, delaying any meaningful recovery toward pre-boycott performance levels,” said HLIB.

At the same time, intensifying competition from rapidly expanding local and China-based coffee chains is structurally raising competitive pressure, further constraining Starbucks’ ability to regain lost market share. Overall, earnings visibility remains low, with no clear catalyst to drive a sustained turnaround. —FocusM Feb 6, 2025

Main image: Berjaya Food

Gen Z

Gen Z: Inability to adapt, or is the world changing too fast?

IN recent years, complaints have continuously been made about the younger generation, especially Generation Z (Gen Z) who are regarded as struggling with adapting, whether at work, in universities, or within the community.

Gen Z has been labelled as a pampered generation, who will be easily discouraged and lacking resilience. Nonetheless, a crucial question remains, namely, are they truly unable to adapt, or has the world changed so rapidly that it has become difficult for them to adapt?

Specifically, Gen Z has been raised in an environment substantially dissimilar to that of previous generations, wherein they were born into a fully digital world, which is teemed with smartphones, the internet, and social media as part of daily life since childhood.

Gen Z has learned, socialised, and entertained themselves through the screens of digital devices, and physical interaction, which was a natural training ground for social skills, has currently become increasingly limited.

Therefore, Gen Z appear awkward when interacting physically, especially in formal settings such as the workplace.

Childhood, which was once frequently associated with outdoor activities and group play, has currently been substituted with a more controlled and virtual world.

Children of the past learned empathy, patience, and compromise through real-life social experiences, whereas numerous Gen Z individuals have grown up in a safe yet isolated space.

As a result, social skills—such as understanding other individuals’ emotions, fitting into groups, or communicating confidently—did not naturally develop.

Aside from the influence of the digital world, modern parenting styles have also contributed to the above behaviours. Particularly, multiple parents of Gen Z have adopted an overly protective approach, despite a positive intention, namely, yearning for children to be safe and successful.

Nevertheless, unintentionally, Gen Z children were not offered sufficient opportunities to learn from small failures or perform personal decisions. When parents managed everything, children would lose the ability to be independent and to adapt when encountering actual challenges.

The impact of such upbringing has become evident as Gen Z children have grown up. Multiple Gen Z excel academically but lack self-assurance when experiencing social pressure and job demands.

Gen Z has also become easily anxious, unsure of personal capabilities, and is inclined to avoid uncomfortable situations, which are not signs of weakness but an indication that Gen Z children did not possess adequate opportunities to develop social and emotional resilience while growing up.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also shaped the social patterns of Gen Z, particularly during crucial developmental periods, namely adolescence and early adulthood, wherein Gen Z was compelled to live in isolation, as school, university, and social activities were conducted virtually.

Accordingly, human connections were developed through screens instead of through physical touch or eye contact. When the lockdown measures were lifted, numerous Gen Z individuals felt awkward and unsure how to reintegrate into actual interactions.

Meanwhile, evaluating Gen Z only through existing weaknesses is unfair, as in actual reality, Gen Z also possesses different strengths. Gen Z individuals are more open to diversity, sensitive to social issues, and bold in expressing personal perspectives.

Concurrently, Gen Z can adapt swiftly to different technologies and possesses high levels of creativity, which suggests that Gen Z requires more guidance to balance digital competence with social maturity.

In work and educational contexts, traditional approaches may no longer be effective, and employers and educators should understand that Gen Z values open communication, immediate feedback, and opportunities to express personal opinions.

Gen Z does not reject discipline, but rather, they seek more authentic and mutually respectful relationships. When management and teaching approaches are more empathetic, Gen Z can fully demonstrate personal potential.

The contemporary world is more complex than previously, and various issues, especially mental health, social media pressures, and economic uncertainty, produce direct impacts on the psychological well-being of Gen Z.

As such, support based on understanding rather than criticism should constantly be offered, as Gen Z does not require negative labels, but rather, the space to learn, fail, and rebound.

Gen Z is not a weak generation; instead, Gen Z is shaped by an environment different from that of the previous generation. The current world has rapidly shifted, and social challenges encountered by Gen Z are more intricate, which necessitate different adaptation approaches.

Hence, a deeper understanding of the actual context and a change in existing perspectives are required instead of evaluating Gen Z through outdated standards.

Instead of perceiving Gen Z as struggling to adapt, the key question is “Have we provided enough space and opportunity for them to learn to adapt?” Ultimately, developing a resilient generation is not solely the responsibility of Gen Z; instead, the responsibility is shared by all existing generations.

Gen Z is a reflection of the world that all generations have collaboratively created, and an environment that nurtures, rather than penalises, should be shaped to assist Gen Z in becoming more potent and mature. ‒ Jan 27, 2026

Dr Syarifah Maisarah Syed Alwi is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya and a clinical psychologist.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.

Trump

Trump says he thinks China can open its markets to US goods

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Reuters (Jan 13): US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he thinks China can open its markets to American goods, once again asserting he had a good relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

"I think it's going to happen," Trump said when asked if he thinks Chinese markets could open to US goods. He did not elaborate.

Washington and Beijing have had tense ties for years over issues like trade tariffs, intellectual property, human rights, the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, cybersecurity and policies towards Taiwan, Hong Kong and Russia's war in Ukraine.

A day earlier, Trump threatened to slap a 25% tariff on countries that trade with Iran, risking reopening old wounds with Beijing, Tehran's biggest trading partner.

China condemned Trump's threat and Trump did not provide details on his plan to impose tariffs on countries conducting trade with Iran, which is currently seeing some of its biggest anti-government demonstrations in years.

Trump has been weighing how to respond to the situation in Iran, which fought a 12-day war with US ally Israel last year and whose nuclear sites were bombed by the American military in June.

Trump

Trump will take Greenland by any means necessary

DENMARK has described itself as now facing a defining moment in its diplomatic crisis with the United States over the issue of Greenland.

The assessment was made after US President Donald Trump once again hinted at the possible use of military force to seize the Arctic territory.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said there is a conflict over the territory ahead of a meeting in Washington, which will discuss the global competition for key raw materials.

US President Donald Trump has again insisted that Washington will take over Greenland “by whatever means necessary”, citing national security interests and concerns over Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic region.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Greenland, which is rich in strategic mineral resources, must come under US control to prevent other major powers from dominating it.

Trump’s stance has drawn strong opposition from Germany and Sweden, both of which expressed firm support for Denmark, in line with most NATO member states.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson warned that any US move to take over mineral-rich Greenland would be a violation of international law and could encourage other countries to act in a similar way.

Meanwhile, Germany has reiterated its support for Denmark and Greenland ahead of the talks in Washington.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who is scheduled to meet his US counterpart Marco Rubio, held discussions in Iceland to address the strategic challenges in the region.

“If the US President is concerned about threats that might come from Russian or Chinese ships or submarines in the area, we can certainly work together to find solutions,” he said, stressing that Greenland’s future must be decided by its own people and Denmark. — FocusM, Jan 12, 2025