At the Cultural Update on 23 October 2020, experts discussed the role of arts and culture during COVID-19 and the impact of the pandemic on the sector.

At the Economic Update on 22 October 2020, experts discussed the groups most impacted by the pandemic in Malaysia and what economic policies the government could pursue to provide support to the country’s most vulnerable.

At the Political Update held on 21 October 2020, experts discussed youth parties and activists, and the challenges they face now and in the future.

When the PH government fell in February 2020, many states also fell. This affected the downward distribution of institutional and fiscal resources in Malaysia.

Then came the COVID-19 crisis, which crucially tested the boundaries of federal-state relations. A longstanding dispute over autonomy in the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak has also created opportunities for new political alignments, as well as reignited the debate over oil rights.