Podcasts by Morning Brief

Expectations For MOF Post Cabinet Shake-Up from 2023-12-13T08:45:37

Dato’ Sri Amir Hamzah Azizan, the former CEO of EPF has been tapped to become Finance Minister II. What might he bring to the table and what is expected of the fortified MOF leadership? We get r...

Higher Education System In Need Of Overhaul from 2023-12-13T08:30:17

Dato’ Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir took control of the Ministry of Higher Education. His appointment comes amidst the higher education system coming under fire as to whether it prepares Malaysians...

New Faces, Old Faces, Same Vision from 2023-12-13T07:45:37

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced a revamp of his administration. The Madani government now has 31 ministries with the addition of the Federal Territories portfolio and the splitting up...

The AI Chip War Rages On from 2023-12-13T07:30:50

The US-China chip war has been ongoing for over a year now. Recently, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has raised concerns over China's breakthrough in advanced chipmaking. Meanwhile, Nv...

Time To Strengthen Environmental Impact Assessment Reports from 2023-12-12T08:30:32

The Environmental Impact Assessments were introduced back in 1974 under the Environmental Quality Act to evaluate the sustainability and long-term viability of a proposed project or development....

Government Transport Plans Need Further Analysis from 2023-12-12T07:45:31

Malaysia is currently strategising two major projects, the tram system in Melaka and the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail. One for vanity, another for necessity. Will these two projects cr...

China-Philippines'Flare Up On South China Sea from 2023-12-12T07:30:01

Over the weekend, several skirmishes were reported between Chinese and Philippines’ vessels in the South China Sea, highlighting continued tensions over maritime territory in the region. We disc...

Proper Implementation Of TERAJU Initiatives Needed from 2023-12-11T08:45:21

TERAJU was established in 2011 under the Prime Minister's Department to increase Bumiputera participation in the economy, but how successful has this agency been in delivering its mandate? As th...

Russia's Middle East Charm Offensive from 2023-12-11T08:30:03

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently made a whirlwind visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia last week, covering issues such as the war in Gaza and OPEC+ ties. We speak to Muhammad Faizal Abdul ...

Malaysia: Preparing For An Aged Society from 2023-12-11T07:45:38

Malaysia is seeing a demographic transition, with projections indicating that about 15% of the population will be elderly by 2030 - consisting of individuals aged 60 and above. Chai Sen Tyng, a ...

Will This Week’s Fed Meeting Put A Damper On A Year End Rally? from 2023-12-11T07:30:55

Investors begin a cautious week as the final Federal Reserve meeting of 2023 looms, hoping for any signals on when central bankers will begin to cut interest rates. Stephen Chiu, Chief Asia FX a...

MyDigital ID: Hitches Expected Without Proper Legal Framework from 2023-12-08T08:45:31

The MyDigital ID programme is set to launch for the public in July next year and is expected to be used for verification to receive targeted subsidies. However, there is also concern about the p...

Identifying Ingredients For A Better PISA Score from 2023-12-08T08:30:57

Data from the Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA 2022 showed a steep decline in performance of Malaysian students in all three domains, namely mathematics, science and readin...

1984 Statute Repressive To The Writing Industry from 2023-12-08T07:45:08

The Printing Presses Publication Act (PPPA) 1984 gives absolute power to the Home Affairs Minister to ban any publications which are deemed to be prejudicial to public order, morality, security,...

Ukraine Resilient Despite Foreign Aid Challenges from 2023-12-08T07:30:12

It’s been 21 months since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, and Western financial assistance is beginning to dwindle. On Wednesday, Republicans blocked a bill in the US Senate that would provide m...

The Urgency To Limit Fossil Fuel Extraction Activities from 2023-12-07T08:45:01

The Global Carbon Budget report highlights that carbon dioxide emissions from coal, oil, and gas continue to increase. This is despite recommendations that there needs to be a 45% decline in gas...

Malaysia’s PISA Score Leans Downwards from 2023-12-07T08:30:40

Malaysian students scored poorly on the Programme for International Student Assessment 2022 (PISA), even below the OECD average. The data showed that Malaysian students showed weakness in all th...

Government Proposes Easier Access To Highways from 2023-12-07T07:45:37

The government aims to say goodbye to toll gantries via a Multi Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system, thus making it easier for drivers to coast onto the highways. However, The Association of Highway Co...

Online Shopping In Southeast Asia Heats Up from 2023-12-07T07:30:33

ByteDance’s TikTok has reportedly agreed to invest in a unit of Indonesia’s GoTo group to restart its ecommerce business while the soon-to-be-listed Shein and PDD’s Temu have been taking advanta...

Malaysian Bar Challenges Zahid’s DNAA from 2023-12-06T08:45:49

The Malaysian Bar filed for leave for a judicial review to quash the Attorney General’s decision to seek a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) of Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s 47 gr...

COP28, Mired In Fossil Fuel Controversies from 2023-12-06T08:30:24

The UN Climate Change Conference has been ongoing for about a week, and the focus in the last few days has been on fossil fuels. Shazana Mokhtar, Presenter & Producer on the Morning Run who ...

Putrajaya Hot On Incentives For Solar Panels from 2023-12-06T07:45:37

Putrajaya is set to announce a quota increase for its 7-year-old Net Energy Metering Scheme by year's end. This comes as the existing quota that was expanded by 630 megawatts back in March this ...

Weaker Shopping Data Expected Due To Cost Of Living Crisis from 2023-12-06T07:30:58

Shopping traffic has returned back to pre-Covid levels. Lines are forming outside popular stores but their purchasing power is weakened by the cost of living crisis. The Retail Group Malaysia ha...

Progressive Wage Policy Right Direction For Progress from 2023-12-05T08:30:49

A white paper outlining the progressive wage policy has been introduced by the government, scheduled for implementation in June next year. Dr. Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center For Market Educa...

Social Media Platform Regulation Timely from 2023-12-05T07:45:45

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is expected to come up with a framework soon to facilitate the registration and regulation of social media platform providers. We di...

Banking On Confidence For China's Property Sector from 2023-12-05T07:30:17

Chinese property developers are on the edge of collapse and to salvage the battered sector, the Chinese government is proposing a rescue package that is sending shivers down the banking industry...

Don't Dismiss the 60/40 Investment Portfolio Allocation Strategy from 2023-12-04T08:45:30

2022 was an anomaly with both equities and fixed income performing poorly. This has meant that the 60/40 investment portfolio that has been a cornerstone of a well-diversified portfolio has unde...

Malaysia's Ambitious Goals At Cop 28 from 2023-12-04T08:30:55

For COP 28, Malaysia has sent its largest contingent led by Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad. Malaysia's theme this year is “Going beyond: G...

Outcome For PAS'Victory In Kemaman By-Election from 2023-12-04T07:45:19

The Kemaman parliamentary by-election just ended with Terengganu Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri emerging as victor thus propelling him onto the national stage as possibly the future ...

Persons With Disabilities'Issues Still Work In Progress from 2023-12-04T07:30:04

In conjunction with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Dec 3rd, we look at the discrimination faced by this community especially in workplaces. Despite Malaysia implementing t...

SUHAKAM Given More Fangs. Next, Implementation from 2023-12-01T08:30:34

Parliament recently gave Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia or the Human RIghts Commission more authority to defend the rights of individuals and also its pursuit in ensuring the rights of children. ...

A Sabah State Budget For All from 2023-12-01T07:45:05

With development lagging behind that of Malaysia, will the Sabah's 2024 state election be a game changer and help the state achieve its theme of "SABAH TEGUH, RAKYAT TERBELA”? Dr. Firdausi Suffi...

High Prices Causing Bitterness To The Cocoa Industry from 2023-12-01T07:30:37

Recent price movements of cocoa caused concern among chocolate connoisseurs. The commodity price soared to the highest in 46 years as bad weather and high fertiliser prices affected crop product...

What's At Stake At COP28? from 2023-11-30T08:30:19

The UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP28 begins today and will run for the next two weeks. What’s at stake in the global negotiations and what does Malaysia bring to the table? We d...

The Welfare Of Gig Workers Need To Be Prioritised from 2023-11-30T07:45:56

The establishment of the Gig Economy Commission Malaysia (SeGim), initially mooted by Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has now been shelved. It was intended to ensure the welfare of gig ...

RIP Charlie Munger from 2023-11-30T07:30:57

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s long-time business partner at Berkshire Hathaway passed away at 99. He was known for being the human capitalist behind Buffett's investment decisions, providing ...

Taxes To Influence Changing Consumer Behaviour from 2023-11-29T08:45:18

A local business group has called for the implementation of a 10% low-value goods tax to protect Malaysian brick and mortar businesses from being undercut by foreign vendors. Will this move infl...

Imperfect Smoking Control Law Better Than Regulatory Void from 2023-11-29T08:30:31

Yesterday, the Ministry of Health finally tabled the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023 for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat. However, the revised bill no longer incorp...

How To Reverse The Backslide In Democracy? from 2023-11-29T07:45:53

The fifth edition of the Global State of Democracy report by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance reveals that democratic trends have been declining around the worl...

Black Friday Sales Reflect US Consumer Confidence from 2023-11-29T07:30:45

We look at the health of the US retail sector on the back of the biggest shopping event in the calendar. Over the weekend, inflation-weary American consumers were coaxed by various discounts hap...

Managing Stakeholders Delays Rolling Out Key Policies from 2023-11-28T08:45:17

Deep reflection occurs at PKR’s Annual Congress as the party changes tack after being on the opposition benches for 25 years. The economy remains the focus while leadership manages dissent and d...

Tit-for-Tat Drone Attacks In Kyiv And Moscow from 2023-11-28T08:30:55

Over the weekend, Russia fired more than 70 drones at the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv overnight, in what officials are calling the largest drone attack in the war so far. We discuss the latest dev...

The Task Of Attracting Tourists, Is Malaysia Doing Enough? from 2023-11-28T07:45:08

Malaysia eases visa rules for China and India, key sources of tourist arrivals as we push for more revenue in this sector. This is on the back of similar proposals by ASEAN neighbours such as Th...

Unpack Concerns On Spiking Respiratory Illness In China from 2023-11-28T07:30:23

China is seeing a spike in respiratory illnesses and pneumonia cases, especially among children, evoking nightmares of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the World Health Organisation has explained...

Kemaman By-Election: Another People's Referendum from 2023-11-27T08:45:48

More than 141,000 eligible voters will again vote for their Dewan Rakyat representative in the Kemaman constituency after the Terengganu Election Court's decision in September, invalidated the v...

Vernacular Schools, A Divisive Subject from 2023-11-27T08:30:48

The three-member panel at the Court of Appeal has decided that, vernacular schools in Malaysia are constitutional.

And that the use of Chinese or Tamil in national-type schools is protect...

Charity And Compliance Checks Begin At Home from 2023-11-27T07:45:06

Public trust and confidence in charities has been shaken due to alleged governance issues at a large NGO. Many will start questioning how much of their donated funds do end up at the target bene...

China Property: Worse Still To Come? from 2023-11-27T07:30:28

China's property woes continue to be of concern with shadow banking giant Zhongzhi Enterprise Group disclosing last week that it was severely insolvent, revealing a shortfall amounting to USD36....

A New Chapter For Crypto from 2023-11-24T08:45:43

The cryptocurrency industry has been plagued by scandals and investigations. This month, we saw two of its figureheads, FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried and Binance's Changpeng Zhao brought down by crimi...

Underemployment Requires Better Industry-Higher Education Collaboration from 2023-11-24T07:45:30

According to the latest data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Malaysia recorded a cumulative total of nearly 6 million graduates in 2022, with labour force participation of 85%...

Thai Economy Hits Speedbump In Q3 from 2023-11-24T07:30:42

Thailand’s GDP expanded 1.5% on-year, in the 3rd quarter of 2023, less than the 1.8% reported in Q2 and lower than economist estimates. This was despite robust domestic consumption and steady to...

Malaysia's EV Conundrum from 2023-11-23T08:45:01

Malaysia dreams of developing her own EV and in the meantime has banned the import of such vehicles costing under RM100,000 until that happens. There are also worries that the charging infrastru...

Sarawak's Economy Making Strides from 2023-11-23T08:30:30

Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg unveiled the state’s largest-ever budget for 2024, totaling 12.4 billion ringgit. Professor Dr. Evan Lau, Head of Strategy, Faculty of Economics an...

Improving Governance In Government-Linked Investment Companies from 2023-11-23T07:45:04

Recently, it was revealed that the total assets under management (AUM) exposure for GLICs on Bursa Malaysia is around 451 billion ringgit, around 25% of the market’s total equity value. This com...

India's Ascendant Economy from 2023-11-23T07:30:50

India is due to release its second quarter GDP results next week, which some economists have estimated could come in as high as 7% growth. What’s buoying the world’s fifth largest economy, at a ...

Winter Is Coming, But Invest For The Warmer Seasons from 2023-11-22T08:45:04

The Fed minutes reveal that it's still maintaining their hawkish policy for the moment due to sticky inflation and its resolve to bring inflation down to long-term target rate of 2%. What does t...

Opposition Divided In Taiwan's Presidential Election from 2023-11-22T08:30:28

The deadline for candidates to register in Taiwan’s presidential election is just days away, and the opposition is in disarray. Having failed to come to a consensus on a joint presidential candi...

Family Offices Mushroom In Singapore from 2023-11-22T07:45:25

Singapore has seen a tremendous rise in family offices, from 400 in 2020 to more than 1,100 today. The government is embracing this segment by providing incentives for Ultra High Net Worth Indiv...

Time To Streamline Government Communication Agencies from 2023-11-21T08:45:27

J-KOM’s main focus is to assist the federal government in disseminating information to the people but it has been also accused of being a propaganda machine. Dr Benjamin Loh, Senior Lecturer, Sc...

MIC And DAP, Parties With Different Fortunes from 2023-11-21T08:30

MIC and DAP recently concluded their conventions with very different messaging. We check in with Dr. James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania on his take on the future of t...

Sam Altman Sacking: The Closure of OpenAI from 2023-11-21T07:45:44

OpenAI's 4-member board's sacking of its CEO Sam Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman, led to Microsoft hiring them both a couple of days later to lead an AI research team. The fallout to what Op...

Argentina Bets On Outsider Javier Milei For President from 2023-11-21T07:30:58

Libertarian economist Javier Milei emerged the overwhelming victor in Sunday’s Argentine presidential elections, defeating his Peronist rival and Economy Minister Sergio Massa by 11% of the vote...

Who Decides Gaza's Post-War Future? from 2023-11-20T08:45:05

Amid reports that a deal was imminent for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, US President Joe Biden put forth a US vision for post-war Gaza governed by a revitalised Palestinian Auth...

Taking A Toll On Malaysian Motorists'Pockets from 2023-11-20T08:30:16

Putrajaya has renegotiated with selected concessionaires aiming to avoid toll hikes for 19 highways, as part of the government's election pledge. This means the concession period may be extended...

Domestic Demand Continues To Support from 2023-11-20T07:45:52

Malaysia’s Q3 GDP expanded by 3.3% year on-year, better than the 2.9% gain in Q2. Lavanya Venkateswaran, Senior ASEAN Economist at OCBC breaks down the factors affecting this performance and wha...

Turning Point In The Myanmar Crisis? from 2023-11-20T07:30:18

Recent clashes in Myanmar between ethnic resistance groups and the military junta in border areas of the country have raised questions about the strength of the current regime. Are we seeing a t...

The Road To A Malaysian Media Council from 2023-11-17T08:45:35

The Madani government targets to table the Malaysian Media Council Bill by March 2024 and engagements involving industry players, civil society organisations and other stakeholders are ongoing. ...

Reassessing Iron And Steel Industry's Challenges from 2023-11-17T08:30:53

The Investment, Trade & Industry Ministry has implemented a 2-year moratorium to study challenges faced by the local iron and steel industry and update the industry’s direction in line with ...

Equal Constituency Allocation One Year After GE15 from 2023-11-17T07:45:50

Electoral watchdog Bersih has been calling for constituency development funds to be given equally to all MPs irrespective of their support for or against the government of the day. The urgency o...

APEC, Trade Benefits For All from 2023-11-17T07:30:20

The APEC summit, which has a membership of 21 countries, is ongoing in San Francisco. As a bloc, its members produce around 11.4 trillion US Dollars in exports. Calvin Cheng, Senior Analyst in t...

Constitutional Smokescreen Preventing GEG? from 2023-11-16T08:45:34

With the increased scrutiny on the constitutional validity of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023, New Sin Yew, Constitutional and Human Rights Lawyer tells us to what ex...

SOPs In Place To Protect Indonesian Workers from 2023-11-16T08:30:31

The Indonesian embassy has reported that approximately 90% of complaints received are related to domestic helpers. To raise the standard of protection, the maximum recruitment cost for a new Ind...

Both, Green And Transition Financing For Net Zero Goals from 2023-11-16T07:45:45

The Economy Ministry is in discussions with banks and financial institutions to develop an energy transition financing mechanism for companies to participate in green projects. We ask Cedric Rim...

China-US Relations A Temporary Thaw? from 2023-11-16T07:30:23

We dissect the second meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum after a rocky year of tensions b...

The Extradition And Death Sentence Conundrum from 2023-11-15T08:45:31

Sirul Azhar Umar has been freed from detention in Australia. Convicted for the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, can he be extradited since the mandatory death penalty has been abo...

Solutions To The Retirement Crisis In Malaysia from 2023-11-15T08:30:07

Malaysia will reach the status of a “super-aged nation” by 2056 as more than 20% of the population will be above the age of 65. Yet, EPF has highlighted that 45% of Malaysians do not have 100 th...

Personalities Trumps Policies In Sabah from 2023-11-15T07:45:25

With reports circulating that Sabah’s Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor is considering an early state election, we ask Dr Oh Ei Sun, Principal Adviser at Pacific Research Center of Malaysia ...

Biden-Xi Meeting Eclipsing APEC Summit from 2023-11-15T07:30:15

San Francisco will host the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference, starting today till November 17th. This economic summit will also bring both US President Joe Biden and Ch...

The Destination That Wants To Be A Resort Island from 2023-11-14T08:30:21

Langkawi has been receiving negative publicity of late ranging from tourists being stopped for allegedly dressing inappropriately, reports on a ban on alcohol and overpriced food. The island is ...

Avoiding A Repeat Of The 2021 Floods from 2023-11-14T07:45:41

With the Meteorological Department warning of heavy rains till March 2024, how prepared is Malaysia this time to avoid the disaster of the 2021 floods. Amran Mahzan, Executive Director of MATCH ...

Singles'Day Sales - A Barometer Of Consumption from 2023-11-14T07:30:45

The China's Singles' Day extravaganza concluded over the weekend after weeks of promotions across the country. Seen as the world’s most significant shopping event, 11/11 saw e-commerce leaders l...

Bersatu, Start Of More Defections? from 2023-11-10T08:30:49

In the last few weeks, four Bersatu MPs have switched loyalties and pledged their support to Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the unity government. We ask Dr Azmi Hassan, Senior Fell...

Policy And Awareness Key To Up Our Recycling Rate? from 2023-11-10T07:45:34

With Malaysia aiming to achieve a national recycling rate of 40% by 2025, the government already has several initiatives in place and is in the process of drafting a blueprint for solid waste ma...

China's Hotel And Casino Resurgence from 2023-11-10T07:30:16

The world’s second largest economy has been showing mixed signs of recovery since its easing of pandemic restrictions in January. But it did not dampen the wanderlust in the Chinese as travel da...

MAVCOM-CAAM Merger To Take Off? from 2023-11-09T08:30:20

Putrajaya has again floated merging the Malaysian Aviation Commission, which oversees economic and consumer issues, with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, which is responsible for techni...

Retain Constitutional Safety Nets Against Statelessness from 2023-11-09T07:45:44

Early this year, the government announced that the constitution would be amended to provide equal rights to Malaysian mothers to confer citizenship to children born abroad on par with Malaysian ...

Changing Landscape For The Insurance Industry from 2023-11-09T07:30:34

McKinsey’s Global Insurance Report 2023 has revealed that Asia's insurance industry is at an inflection point, with the life and Property & Casualty sectors facing slowing growth and profita...

More Questions Than Answers On 1MDB from 2023-11-08T08:30:09

Deputy Finance Minister Dato' Sri Ahmad Maslan informed Parliament this week that the government was close to paying off the debts owed by 1MDB, with the remaining obligations of RM5 billion due...

Missed Opportunity To Act On Transboundary Haze from 2023-11-08T07:45:49

The government has said it is not pursuing a transboundary haze bill, although it left the door open for the proposal in the future. We get reactions from Khor Yu Leng of Segi Enam Advisors and ...

Indonesia's 3Q GDP Data Short Of Expectations from 2023-11-08T07:30:57

The Indonesian economy took a hit in the third quarter of 2023, with GDP growth slowing to 4.9%, the first time in seven quarters that the pace fell below 5%. We discuss the headwinds impacting ...

Regulatory Oversight For Charities Needed from 2023-11-07T08:30:23

The government has been urged to establish a Charities Commission in response to growing calls for increased transparency and accountability in managing charity funds. What would be the mandate ...

COP28: One Step Closer To Loss And Damage Fund from 2023-11-07T07:45:28

One of the big achievements of last year’s COP27 was the agreement to set up a loss and damage fund that would channel money to the most vulnerable countries affected by the consequences of clim...

China-Australia: Stabilising Relations from 2023-11-07T07:30:49

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has just completed a 4-day state visit to China, the first Australian leader to visit the Middle Kingdom in seven years, ending a hiatus triggered by several disp...

Driver Strikes Over Lorry Load Limits from 2023-11-06T08:30:49

Some 1,000 lorry drivers in Penang, Kedah and east coast states have been protesting against a crackdown on the overloading of lorries and commercial vehicles since last month, stating that this...

Punishment VS Rehab for Drug Offences from 2023-11-06T07:45:25

The Home Ministry hopes to table the Drug & Substance Abuse (Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act in Parliament next year. The aim is to enable first-time or minor drug offenders to...

Mixed Fortunes Of Tech Magnificent Seven from 2023-11-06T07:30:14

The latest quarterly results of the major tech firms were mixed overall, with Microsoft and Amazon exceeding expectations while Alphabet and Tesla disappointed. We discuss the trajectory of tech...

Water Tariffs Due For Justified Hike from 2023-11-03T08:30:16

The Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change is proposing a mechanism to set water tariffs that allows water operators to determine rates without the need of the Minister’s...

Higher For Longer OPR? from 2023-11-03T07:45:56

As widely expected, Bank Negara maintained the overnight policy rate at 3% in its final meeting of the year. There has been no change to the rate since the last hike in May and with inflation at...

Will Governments Be Able To Effectively Regulate AI? from 2023-11-03T07:30:14

With the US unveiling a new executive order on AI alongside an AI safety summit hosted by the U.K, we ask policy advisor and fintech expert Dr Jonathan Chang on how governments should try to cha...

Do International Boycotts Work? from 2023-11-02T08:30:48

Do international boycotts work? We discuss the proposal by Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal for Malaysia to boycott the APEC Summit in San Francisco later this month in solidarity with the Palestini...

How Will Nuclear Tech Power Malaysia's Economy? from 2023-11-02T07:45:42

The government launched the National Nuclear Technology Policy 2030 last month to spur national development including in healthcare, food and agriculture sectors. We speak to Professor Ir. Dr. N...

BOJ Does The Bare Minimum from 2023-11-02T07:30:40

On Tuesday, the Japanese yen declined sharply after The Bank of Japan re-defined the 1% cap on the 10-year yield as a loose "upper bound" rather than a rigid cap. They also kept its short and lo...

Price Controls Self Defeating In Long Run from 2023-11-01T08:30:34

The government announced in Budget 2024 that it would lift price controls on chicken and eggs. However will this lead to a sudden surge in the cost of living and what control mechanisms need to ...

Anchor Educational Campaigns On Values Not Politics from 2023-11-01T07:45:25

The directive by the Ministry of Education (MOE) for schools to hold a Palestine Solidarity Week sparked backlash after social media posts showing children and teachers brandishing weapons went ...

Giving Policy Recognition To The Care Economy from 2023-11-01T07:30:33

Both the federal and state governments have signalled intentions to strengthen the care economy, with the latest comments from Selangor Menteri Besar Dato Seri Amiruddin Shari this week about in...

Accountability In Public Healthcare Cost Is Non-Negotiable from 2023-10-31T08:30:58

The Public Accounts Committee’s latest report on pandemic procurement by the Ministry of Health revealed a RM505 million ringgit loss from the expiry of 8.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses and th...

Bilateral Zeal For Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) from 2023-10-31T07:45:59

The 10th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat was held this week after a three year hiatus in Singapore. What are the key outcomes of the summit and how will this shape economic relations with ou...

The Journey To Sustainable Aviation Is Bumpy from 2023-10-31T07:30:49

Indonesia flew its first commercial flight using palm oil-blended jet fuel, carrying more than 100 passengers on the Boeing 737 for a journey of 550 kilometres. Steve Saxon, Partner, McKinsey &a...

How Do We Depoliticise The Dewan Negara? from 2023-10-30T08:30:18

Last week, the speaker of the Dewan Negara, Tan Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar proposed for the appointment age of senators to be lowered from 30 years to allow for more youth to be appointed to ...

SDEG Guidelines Helping SMEs Navigate ESG Reporting from 2023-10-30T07:45:49

To help businesses navigate global and local ESG standards, Capital Markets Malaysia recently introduced the Simplified ESG Disclosure Guide (SEDG) for SMEs operating within global supply chains...

Time For Malaysia To Ratify Rome Statute from 2023-10-30T07:30:14

Malaysia’s last attempt to accede to the Rome Statute, which sets up the International Criminal Court, ended in a U-turn in 2019 after intense public backlash. As the war in Gaza continues,...

Making It Even Easier To Do Business In Malaysia from 2023-10-27T08:30:25

The Government is working on streamlining the role of the 31 investment promotion agencies which include both federal and state bodies. Aside from reducing costs, this will supposedly help ease ...

Singapore's Waterfall Approach To Preventing Scams from 2023-10-27T07:45:48

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) have released a joint paper introducing a Shared Responsibility Framework (SRF) for phishing scams. This...

ASEAN Tech Unicorns Undergoing Massive Changes? from 2023-10-27T07:30:01

We discuss the outlook for Southeast Asian tech giant with GoTo’s co-founder share sale and Delivery Hero confirming that some parts of Foodpanda are up for sale. Nathan Naidu of Bloomberg Intel...

Are En-Bloc Sales The Remedy For Urban Regeneration? from 2023-10-26T08:45:38

The threshold for en-bloc sales will be lowered from the current 100% although the final figure has yet to be determined. Allan Soo, Principal of Allan Soo RE Consultants tells us if he thinks t...

Prep The Ground For EL Vehicle Policy from 2023-10-26T07:45:20

Recently, Transport minister Anthony Loke said that an end of life vehicles policy couldn’t be implemented due to its impracticality and our high reliance on private vehicles. Yet, we still aspi...

Gaza War Reveals Social Media Fault Lines from 2023-10-26T07:30:48

Amid the war in Gaza, a digital battle is unfolding on social media platforms. Tech giants have been accused of censoring accounts or actively reducing the reach of pro-Palestine content. In the...

Malaysia's Water Infrastructure Needs An Urgent Upgrade from 2023-10-25T08:45:23

Close to a third of water supply dams in Malaysia are over 50 years old while another seven dams are in critical condition with their structural integrity in need of urgent attention. With water...

PTPTN, A RM66.9bn Problem from 2023-10-25T07:45:03

The government is considering introducing a mandatory monthly deduction for repaying PTPTN study loans through an automatic deduction facilitated by IRB. This is as the government agency is sadd...

Republicans Still Can't Elect A House Speaker from 2023-10-25T07:30:27

With Tom Emmer, hours after being nominated by the Republican party as the third Speaker candidate in 3 weeks withdrawing from the race for House Speaker, we get reactions to these developments ...

Takeaways From The 69th PAS Muktamar from 2023-10-24T08:30:03

Last weekend, PAS held its 69th annual congress, marking a political party at its zenith of popularity with 42 seats in Parliament and running 4 state governments. Can it expand its reach to non...

New All Time Lows for Ringgit from 2023-10-24T07:45:19

Despite inflation declining to 1.9% in September and the economy accelerating to 3.3% in the third quarter of 2023, the Ringgit continues to weaken. We ask Nazmi Idrus, Head of Economics, CGS-CI...

International Paralysis On Gaza from 2023-10-24T07:30:58

The war in Gaza has entered the third week with no respite in sight for the over 2 million Palestinians trapped there. A Peace Summit in Cairo over the weekend yielded no progress - who are the ...

Who Will Be Jokowi's Successor? from 2023-10-23T08:30:04

Indonesia will hold its general elections on 14th February next year to elect the successor to President Joko Widodo, who is barred from running for a third term under the constitution. Who are ...

Improving Attendance In Parliament from 2023-10-23T07:45:57

The poor attendance records of MPs has prompted Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul to consider making public their attendance records or docking their allowances. Aira Azhari, Senior Mana...

Consolidate Foreign Worker Management from 2023-10-23T07:30:26

A 2019 report by an independent committee appointed by the Pakatan Harapan government was published last week, highlighting issues surrounding the management and recruitment of foreign workers. ...

Budget 2024 A Gamechanger For Sports from 2023-10-20T08:30:25

The government has allocated RM72 million ringgit to strengthen the competitive athlete ecosystem, including RM20 million for Malaysia’s Road to Gold programme and RM12 million to support para-a...

Budget Lacks"Oomph" from 2023-10-20T07:45:19

Budget 2024 was the first full term Budget for this Madani government but was it game changer? P. Gunasegaram, Independent Business Writer gives us his honest review and whether a very different...

Behind China's Positive Q3 GDP Figure from 2023-10-20T07:30:08

China’s latest GDP figures came in higher than expected at 4.9% in the third quarter, a sign that many are hoping means that the worst is over for the world’s second largest economy. But with be...

Thai Land Bridge No Threat To Malaysian Shipping from 2023-10-19T08:30:20

The Thai government is pursuing a $27.4 billion land bridge project in the south that would link the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea through road and railway, giving shipping operators the ...

Tourism Needs More Than Tired Visit Malaysia Campaign from 2023-10-19T07:45:37

The government has allocated RM350 million ringgit in Budget 2024 to get ready for the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, alongside other initiatives to boost tourist arrivals. We discuss how impactf...

Budget 2024: Doing Right By Civil Servants from 2023-10-19T07:30:18

Budget 2024 included an interim payment of between RM1,000 and RM2,000 for civil servants Grade 56 and below, including those on contract. Retirees were not excluded while all public sector empl...

Budget 2024: Enough For Education? from 2023-10-18T08:30:31

The Education Ministry received the biggest slice of the 2024 Budget pie with an allocation of 58.7 billion ringgit. However, does it tackle the critical issues facing schools? Datin Noor Azimah...

Is China's Belt And Road Initiative Still Relevant? from 2023-10-18T07:45:55

World leaders have convened in Beijing to mark the 10th anniversary of the belt and road initiative. And some noteworthy attendees include Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Mi...

HRW: Israel's Collective Action A War Crime from 2023-10-18T07:30:36

As world leaders criss-cross the Middle East to contain the geopolitical fallout from Israel’s military escalation on Gaza, the humanitarian situation is becoming untenable. We speak to Tom Port...

Higher Healthcare Funding In Budget 2024 from 2023-10-17T08:45:21

In Budget 2024, the Health Ministry’s allocation rose by 13.5% to RM41.2 billion, the largest increase of allocation among ministries. How is funding being prioritised? Public health medicine sp...

Hari Raya Revenge Spending Is Here from 2022-04-21T07:45:34

As we approach Hari Raya in less than two weeks, this year's festive season appears to be a brighter one already - not only for Malaysians who will finally get to celebrate with their loved ones...

Are Sanctions Imposed On Russia Not Working? from 2022-04-21T07:30:19

Since Russia launched a full scale invasion into Ukraine, many countries have unleashed an unprecedented set of coordinated sanctions against Russia. However, these sanctions do not seem to dete...

Traders Need More Food Safety Education&Awareness from 2022-04-21T07:15:23

In the wake of viral social media posts of Ramadhan bazaar offerings of questionable food quality, how much awareness do traders and the public have about the risks of food poisoning? We discuss...

Sky High Airfare To East Malaysia from 2022-04-20T07:45:23

Airfares to Sabah and Sarawak for the festive season surged as high as close to RM1,400 per one way ticket but fortunately the airfares has decreased by 30 percent following intervention by the ...

Will Lawrence Wong Be The Next PM For Singapore? from 2022-04-20T07:30:47

With Finance Minister Lawrence Wong named chief of the so-called fourth-generation leadership team, making him heir apparent to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, we ask Dr Michael Barr from Flinde...

Basikal Lajak: A Sad, Long Case For All from 2022-04-20T07:15:23

The plight of 27-year-old driver Sam Ke Ting, who was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment by the High Court for dangerous driving, grabbed public attention last week. She was convicted for causing...

Second Booster Shot For The Vulnerable Elderly from 2022-04-18T07:45

The Ministry of Health will administer a second vaccine booster shot for senior citizens with comorbidities to counter waning immunity levels for those most vulnerable to Covid-19 infections. We...

Will Elon Succeed In Taking Twitter Private? from 2022-04-18T07:30:21

Elon Musk made an official offer of $54.20 per share to take Twitter private, valuing the company at $43 billion. However, the board of Twitter adopted a poison pill provision to ward off his of...

Malaysian Banking System Remains In The Pink Of Health from 2022-04-18T07:15:31

Moody’s Investors Service has kept its outlook on Malaysian banking system at stable owing to improvements in profitability and operating environment. But as Malaysia sees the end of the lowest ...

Larger Than Life Personalities In PKR? from 2022-04-15T08:45:26

Parti Keadilan Rakyat or PKR has commenced polling season for the leadership of the party from 2022 to 2025 and to little surprise, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has retained the PKR presidency for a...

The"Un-synchronised'But Necessary Transition To Carbon Neutrality from 2022-04-15T07:30:09

With an ambitious target for Malaysia to be carbon neutral by 2050, the shift to renewable energy is urgent. But what about the energy trilemma? Dr. Mohd Fadzil Mohd Siam, Head of Strategy &...

Protracted War In Ukraine, Dim Prospects For Peace Talks from 2022-04-15T07:15:11

The war in Ukraine is entering its 50th day, with no sign of a ceasefire or resolution in sight. Russian forces are regrouping for a renewed offensive in the south-eastern Donbas region, after w...

Time For A Massive Labour Reboot In Malaysia from 2022-04-14T07:45:34

Malaysian companies are struggling with the paucity of the supply of foreign labour on which it so greatly depends, making the local labour ecosystem ripe for a massive rethink and restructuring...

Feeling The Pinch From Food Prices? from 2022-04-14T07:30:55

Research by Oxford Economics has found that since October last year, food inflation in Asia outside of China has risen 2.7 percentage points to 4.5%, mainly driven by the conflict in Ukraine. So...

Can MRT3 Catalyze Transit-Oriented Development? from 2022-04-14T07:15:04

The revived MRT3 project, which is expected to be completed in 2030, is touted as a catalyst for urban redevelopment in Kuala Lumpur. One of the initiatives under the MRT3 project is the buildin...

Is The ALR's Conditional Offer Fair And Sound? from 2022-04-13T07:45:11

ALR made a conditional offer to acquire the 4 Klang Valley highway concessionaires, based on total enterprise value of RM5.5 billion. But is the conditional offer fair and sound? And who does it...

Boring Is Good When It Comes To Australian Elections from 2022-04-13T07:30:39

Dr Jill Sheppard from the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University helps us understand what Prime Minister Scott Morrison's chances are of securing a ...

How Do We Empower Civil Servants? from 2022-04-13T07:15

Civil service remains the constant cog in the wheels of government bureaucracy, tasked with keeping services running regardless of political turmoil. But is the political upheaval of the past 4 ...

Big Picture Policies To Bridge Digital Divide from 2022-04-12T07:45:15

Despite estimates of internet penetration in the country reaching 89% of the population, there are many pockets that still lack access to stable internet connection. In light of the various gove...

Will Beaver Voters Come Out For Macron? from 2022-04-12T07:30:50

Professor Peter McPhee, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Melbourne unpacks the first round of the French presidential election and how tight the run-off will be in the re-match...

Does Article 10 Amendment Prevent Another Sheraton Move? from 2022-04-12T07:15:55

Constitutional lawyer, New Sin Yew gives his perspective on whether the proposed amendment to Article 10 of the constitution relating to freedom of association will remedy the problem over polit...

Second Conviction For 1MDB Scandal from 2022-04-11T08:30:10

On Friday, former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng was convicted for his role in the 1MDB financial scandal by a US federal jury. He is the second figure held guilty over 1MDB, following former Pri...

Out For The Frogs from 2022-04-11T07:45:07

There are two remedies practised by governments to kill political frogs. There is the well known anti hopping bill, which would disqualify any MPs who switched parties or were sacked from their ...

Will Zuck Bucks Bring In The Bucks for Meta? from 2022-04-11T07:30:59

Meta has been exploring alternative revenue streams and the most recent venture is in the form of in-app tokens that draw similarity to Roblox's Robux or Fortnite's V-Bucks. But how would this b...

High Time For Law On Clean Drinking Water from 2022-04-11T07:15:46

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin last week announced the government’s plans to table a Drinking Water Quality Act to safeguard against health hazards due to unsafe drinking water. For reactions...

RAM's Business Confidence Survey Findings from 2022-04-08T07:45

With international borders now open and the path to endemicity in progress, the state of business confidence is in focus. Woon Khai Jhek, Co-head of Economic Research & Senior Economist, RAM...

Carrie Lam Departing Under A Cloud from 2022-04-08T07:30:11

Earlier this month, Carrie Lam announced that she would not be running for a second term as Chief Executive of Hong Kong. Who are the potential successors to replace her? We discuss Lam's legacy...

It's Now Or Never For Climate Change from 2022-04-08T07:15:53

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its final instalment of its 6th assessment report, focusing on mitigation efforts and warned the world that carbon emissions must...

Gradual Uptick In Business Activity In JB from 2022-04-07T07:45:15

Today marks one week since the reopening of the Causeway between Johor and Singapore after 2 years of pandemic closure. What's been the impact on businesses in Johor Bahru? We find out the situa...

Rethinking Access To Healthcare In Light Of Pandemic, Climate Change from 2022-04-07T07:30:57

The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the stark inequities that exist in our healthcare systems, and the growing climate change impact also presents serious risks to human health. The WHO estimate...

The Role Of Traditional Chinese Medicine During Pandemic from 2022-04-07T07:15:46

Traditional Chinese Medicine is gaining traction thanks to the efforts of China's government as well as the need for alternative remedies to treat the symptoms and side effects of Covid-19. Shir...

Who Stands To Benefit From ALR Taking Over The Highways? from 2022-04-06T07:45:11

The government has agreed to a proposal by Amanat Lebuhraya Rakyat (ALR), a private and “not-for-profit” company to restructure four Klang Valley highway concessionaires, which will ensure that ...

Elon's Three Musk-eteers: Tesla, SpaceX And Twitter? from 2022-04-06T07:30

From outer space with SpaceX to his recent stake in Twitter, we ask Daniel Ives, Managing Director at Wedbush Securities what Elon Musk will conquer next and what his motivations were in acquiri...

Time To Reform Our Healthcare System? from 2022-04-06T07:15:34

Our healthcare system struggled during the pandemic with the surge of patients and there have since been calls for reforms, even from within the industry. Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin admit...

Constitutional Crisis In Pakistan from 2022-04-05T08:30:41

Pakistan has been thrown into political turmoil, after members of the ruling party led by Prime Minister Imran Khan blocked a no-confidence vote called by opposition MPs on Sunday, and subsequen...

What Are The Implications Of MPs Missing Parliament? from 2022-04-05T07:45:48

With only 18 MPs having a perfect attendance record in parliament, we ask political scientist Dr. Wong Chin Huat about the consequences of missing parliament and why it's important for an MP to ...

Economic Pressures Spark Mass Discontent In Sri Lanka from 2022-04-05T07:30:14

Tensions are heating up in Sri Lanka as it faces its worst economic and political crisis in decades. Protesters are calling for the resignation of President Gotobaya Rajapaksa, who came to power...

Will The Malaysia-Indonesia MOU On Foreign Workers Resolve Current Shortages? from 2022-04-05T07:15:26

Khor Yu Leng, political economist from Segi Enam Advisers helps us unpack what the signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the recruitment and protection of Indonesian domestic workers betwe...

Awareness And Education On Savings Needed To Curb Household Debts from 2022-04-04T07:45:21

Bank Negara’s Financial Stability Review for Second Half of 2021 report revealed that household debt grew at a slower pace of 4.1% year-on-year as at December 2021 and the household debt-to-GDP ...

Causeway Reopening Cause For Jubilation from 2022-04-04T07:30:07

On Friday, April 1st the land border between Malaysia and Singapore was fully reopened for the first time after two years of pandemic restrictions. We discuss the impact of the prolonged border ...

M'sian Politics: No Eternal Enemies, No Perpetual Allies from 2022-04-04T07:15:13

The oldguards of Malaysian politics, namely Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin have been meeting separately, setting tongues wagging on the likelihoo...

Structural Reforms Needed To Address Cost Of Living Issues from 2022-04-01T08:45:40

Bank Negara Malaysia, in the Economic & Monetary Review 2021 report released this week, said that the cost of living in Malaysia needs structural reforms on both income and cost aspects. It ...

Malaysian Comedy Lives On from 2022-04-01T07:45:50

April 1st — April Fool's Day — sees Malaysia opening its international borders while loosening Covid-era restrictions, hopefully equating to more social activities, including at comedy clubs. Ri...

Crunch Time For US Economy from 2022-04-01T07:30:26

While the US economy ended 2021 with its GDP expanding at a healthy 6.9% in the fourth quarter, the momentum has slowed significantly amid a surge in Covid-19 infections at the start of the year...

Road To Recovery For Businesses from 2022-04-01T07:15:17

PWC has recently released the findings of their Act Now to Recover (“ANTR”) survey, that was conducted between June and July last year, which revealed how the pandemic has impacted business owne...

BNM Reports: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly from 2022-03-31T07:45:16

BNM has released 3 reports yesterday namely The 2021 Annual Report, The Economic and Monetary Review 2021, and the Financial Stability Review for Second Half 2021. Economists and analyst are rev...

Malaysia's Journey To Endemicity From April 1 from 2022-03-31T07:15:12

Come April 1st, Malaysia begins its transition to the endemic phase of Covid-19, leading to much uncertainty over exactly what this entails. Associate Professor Dr Farhan Rusli, Public Health Me...

Oscars Stardust For Apple TV+? from 2022-03-31T07:00:26

For the first time this year, a big tech giant won the coveted Best Picture award at the Oscars with the film CODA distributed by Apple TV+. The pandemic and speed of digitalization has elevated...

The MySejahtera App: Who Owns What? from 2022-03-30T07:45

The MySejahtera saga continues with uncertainty over the ownership of the app. Foong Cheng Leong, Intellectual property and information technology lawyer helps us untangle this complex web, remi...

Lockdowns Place Further Pressure On China's 5.5% GDP Growth Target from 2022-03-30T07:30:42

Gary Ng from Natixis helps us unpack the latest economic challenges that China is facing as Shanghai, its major financial and trading hub, faces a staggered two-phase eight day lockdown for its ...

PKR's Rising Phoenixes from 2022-03-30T07:15:27

With PKR having set their elections for May, calls for reformation within the party have been louder especially as GE15 is just around the corner. Although former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli has anno...

CSR Government Procurement Loophole from 2022-03-29T08:30:38

The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been reviewing the government’s role in administering the MySejahtera app, putting forth a recommendation in December 2021 that the governme...

SC Annual Report 2022, Charting Out The Priorities from 2022-03-29T07:45:15

The 2022 Securities Commission Annual Report was filled with a myriad of details which included the growth of the Asset management industry, the value of private equity deals and even the govern...

SC Annual Report 2021, Charting Out The Priorities from 2022-03-29T07:45:15

The 2021 Securities Commission Annual Report was filled with a myriad of details which included the growth of the Asset management industry, the value of private equity deals and even the govern...

Middle East Divergence On Ukraine War from 2022-03-29T07:30:56

This week Israel played host to a historic meeting with four Arab countries as well as the US in the Negev desert. The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco normalised ties with Israel in 2020 as part of the...

Unravelling The Owners Of MySejahtera App from 2022-03-29T07:15:15

The ownership of the MySejahtera app used by 38 million users has come under intense scrutiny over the past few days. Who is Entomo? Who is MySJ Sdn Bhd? Who is the true owner of the app? We ask...

Is The High Cost Of Houses In Large Part Due To Compliance Costs? from 2022-03-28T07:45:16

Should the government compel developers to control prices to make homes more affordable? Are compliance costs a large part of the high costs of houses and what can we do about this? Michael Kong...

Ukraine War: No Sign Of Diplomatic Breakthrough from 2022-03-28T07:30:14

US President Joe Biden amped up rhetoric over the weekend appearing to call for Russian President Vladimir Putin's ouster. Although US officials have tried to walk back on these comments, has th...

Building A Better Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill from 2022-03-28T07:15:53

The Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill has been put into hiatus as the different stakeholders concluded that it is not robust enough. Betty Yeoh, Co-Founder of All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) and Tra...

Where Are The Money Flows In Malaysia's Expensive Elections? from 2022-03-25T07:45:41

With Malaysia's last four state elections costing a combined RM420 million, questions are now — rightly — being asked of the presence of fiscal transparency and sources of funding. Danesh Prakas...

President Biden Goes To Europe from 2022-03-25T07:30:25

US President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe is said to be one of the highest stakes presidential trips in recent memory as he had back-to-back summits with NATO, the Group of Seven and the European ...

The Fallout From Rising University Dropouts from 2022-03-25T07:15:26

Earlier this month, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad told parliament that over 38,000 students dropped out of or deferred from courses in public and private higher education...

Dewan Rakyat Defeats Government Motion On SOSMA from 2022-03-24T08:45:37

Yesterday, the Dewan Rakyat voted against a motion to extend the enforcement period of section 4(5) of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, or SOSMA. The provision allows for deten...

Ratifying ILO Equals More Fairness For Forced Labourers from 2022-03-24T07:45:11

Adrian Pereira, Director of North South Initiative, expands on the implications of Malaysia formally ratifying the International Labour Organisation forced labour convention, also known as Proto...

Oil, Ukraine Sends Land Of Smiles Into Frowns from 2022-03-24T07:30:34

Krystal Tan, economist with ANZ Bank, expands on the triple whammy of rising Covid cases, inflation, and geopolitical risks, which will likely send Thailand into a back-to-back current account d...

Law Reform Imperative To End Child Marriage from 2022-03-24T07:15:13

The Minister for Women, Family and Community Development, Datuk Seri Rina Harun recently said the government did not intend to legislate against child marriage, opting for other measures to curb...

Is The Amended Employment Act Watered Down? from 2022-03-23T07:45:02

On the face of it, the amended Employment Act does seem to improve workers' rights since there is an increase in length of paternity and maternity leave. However, Donovan Cheah, partner at Donov...

Global Growth Tilted To The Downside from 2022-03-23T07:30:16

2022 has had an ominous start with the war in Ukraine uprooting the optimism that this was the year of global economic recovery. Julia Goh, Senior Economist at UOB tells if global growth will be...

Should Malaysia Adopt Crypto As Legal Tender? from 2022-03-23T07:15:54

Aaron Tang, Country Manager at Luno Malaysia weighs the pros and cons of adopting crypto as legal tender and helps us understand how easy is it for a country to implement, as well as whether Mal...

New Chief For DAPSY from 2022-03-22T08:30:34

Replacing Howard Lee, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii has been elected the new chief of DAP Socialist Youth or DAPSY. What role will DAPSY play in DAP’s new future? Dr Kelvin Yii speaks to us an...

Are 3rd Generation DAP Leaders Ready For GE15? from 2022-03-22T07:45:06

Dr James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania, helps us navigate the outcome of DAP's central executive committee (CEC) election and what DAP's new leadership team need...

US Declares Rohingya Repression A Genocide from 2022-03-22T07:30:52

The Biden Administration has formally declared that Myanmar’s years-long repression of the Rohingya Muslim population as a “genocide", the eighth time such a designation has been used. This desi...

Ignore Nature At Your Peril from 2022-03-22T07:15:10

Recently, Bank Negara Malaysia and the World Bank published a report on nature-related financial risks for Malaysian banks. We speak to Rekha Reddy, Senior Financial Sector Specialist at the Wor...

UMNO Youth: Return Mandate To The People from 2022-03-21T08:30

During the UMNO General Assembly, Prime Minister Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri said that any decision to call for snap general elections will be done in concert with the top 5 leaders of Umno. On the b...

UMNO's Triumphant Return from 2022-03-21T07:45:40

Umno headquarters, the World Trade Centre, was a sea of red and white over the weekend as the party faithful gathered for the annual general assembly. The mood at this year’s assembly was in sta...

Sri Lanka, An Economy In Blackout from 2022-03-21T07:30:39

With an inflation rate of 15% which is the highest in Asia, Sri Lanka is facing the brunt of rising oil prices and border closures. Bernard Aw, APAC Economist at Coface tells us what options the...

More Kids Needed For PICKids from 2022-03-21T07:15:35

Only 35% of children in Malaysia aged 5 to 11 have received their first dose of the covid-19 vaccine which is below the 50% target set by the Ministry of Health. Why is that the case when there...

Policy Prescriptions for Malaysia's Economic Scarring from 2022-03-18T08:30:14

The movement control orders imposed during two years of the pandemic have had a significant impact on the Malaysian economy, with GDP contracting by 5.6% in 2020 and unemployment hitting a high ...

How to Recover from Pandemic Learning Loss? from 2022-03-18T07:45:12

The lockdowns imposed in March 2020 were the start of a steep learning curve for students and educators to transition to online learning. The effectiveness of PdPR has been mixed at best, with l...

The Role of Cryptocurrencies in Russian Sanctions from 2022-03-18T07:30:37

Cryptocurrencies have garnered significant attention amidst the war in Ukraine. As Russia becomes more excluded in the global financial system, many have raised questions as to whether Russia wi...

The Gaps in Our Healthcare from 2022-03-18T07:15:18

The lockdown in Malaysia started on 18 March 2020 but what were the gaps in our healthcare system? Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO, Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy does a review with us whils...

4th Round of EPF Withdrawals from 2022-03-17T08:30:12

The government will once again allow Malaysians to withdraw up to 10,000 ringgit of their retirement savings from EPF, to help rebuild their lives after two years of virus restrictions. Accordi...

Hope on the Horizon for Tourism Sector from 2022-03-17T07:45:20

Malaysia will be opening its borders to international travellers on April 1st. The move comes as relief to the ailing tourism sector, which has relied heavily on domestic tourism for the past tw...

Always Have an Exit Plan from 2022-03-17T07:30:49

Hong Kong is struggling to contain the omicron wave after being the poster child of handling the Covid crisis. Michael Frank, Senior Analyst of Public Policy at Economist Impact tells us what th...

What Else Should be Considered for MRT3? from 2022-03-17T07:15:05

The final piece of connectivity in the Kuala Lumpur public transport system, or MRT3, has been recently resuscitated with limited information from the government. While waiting for more details ...

Is Rafizi Back for Good? from 2022-03-16T08:45:48

Following the disastrous Johor, Melaka, and Sarawak state elections, we ask Rafizi Ramli what he plans to do to transform the fortunes of PKR as he vies for the no. 2 post. Image credit: Listen

1MDB, The Truth Emerges from 2022-03-16T07:45:38

FBI agent, Eric Van Dorn testified in the US courts alleging that fugitive financier Low Taek Jho had stolen USD1.42 billion from bond transactions that Goldman Sachs arranged for 1MDB while for...

Does the Asian Region Care about Ocean Pollution? from 2022-03-16T07:30:49

We think of plastic pollution when we say ocean pollution, but a recent report by the Economist Impact titled “The Invisible Wave” also highlights the problem of chemical pollution to the marine...

GLCs and GLICs Mandate Requires Clarity from 2022-03-16T07:15:08

With the PM launching the GLC open day with much fanfare, Dr Nungsari A. Radhi provides his assessment on the clarity of the role of GLCs and GLICs in nation building and driving more investment...

For DAP, Soul Searching Starts from 2022-03-15T07:45:40

Despite winning 10 out of 14 seats, questions still arise as to whether DAP has lost the support of their traditional voter base and whether the PH coalition is weak. Syahredzan Johan, Political...

Russian Oligarchs On The Run? from 2022-03-15T07:30:58

Jill Shah from Bloomberg News gives us her take on how sanctions are impacting the ultra rich in Russia and how they intend to preserve their wealth as governments and members of society try to ...

Will Hotels Recover Now That Borders Reopen? from 2022-03-15T07:15:49

Our country’s international borders are reopening with relaxed restrictions come April 1st and will this be a boost for the tourism sector? Yap Lip Seng, CEO of Malaysian Hotels Association shar...

Is a Targeted Fuel and Cooking Oil Subsidy the Solution to High Subsidy Bills? from 2022-03-14T07:45:47

Oil prices increased more than 40% on a year to date basis and the Malaysian government's oil subsidies have skyrocketed to RM2bn just for the month of January alone. The government is studying ...

Will an Iran Nuclear Deal be Eventually Struck? from 2022-03-14T07:30:39

Talks to save the Iran Nuclear Deal or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, and to bring Iran back into the deal’s compliance began in the beginning of 2021, but has been facing many obs...

Retail Sales, Brighter Days Ahead from 2022-03-14T07:15:49

Despite the omicron wave, will retail sales do better in 2022? What are the catalysts that we should keep an eye out for? Tan Hai Hsin, Managing Director at Retail Group Malaysia tells us his vi...

PBM, Open to Any Coalition from 2022-03-11T08:45:12

Parti Bangsa Malaysia, previously known as Sarawak Workers Party, went through a rebranding in October last year led by Julau MP Larry Sng. It's making its debut in the Johor State elections, co...

PSM Debuts in Kota Iskandar from 2022-03-11T07:45:03

Parti Sosialis Malaysia was officially registered as a political party in 2008 but currently has no representatives in either Dewan Rakyat or any Dewan Undangan Negeri and will be contesting for...

Uniting a Divided Korea from 2022-03-11T07:30:37

Yoon Suk-Yeol, who is a member of the People Power Party and former prosecutor, has won the neck-to-neck Presidential race against ruling Democratic Party member and ex-mayor and lawyer Lee Jae-...

Nightclubs Remain on Negative List from 2022-03-11T07:15:02

The government has made revisions to the negative list with only nightclubs to remain closed during this transition to endemicity, as nightclubs are thought to be at high risk for the transmissi...

Warisan Making Its Way West from 2022-03-10T08:30:13

Warisan is contesting 6 seats in the Johor state elections on its own. Will this east Malaysian party make headway and what does the party stand for? YB Suhaimi Salleh, Johor Chief of Warisan, t...

Is the 5G Plan in the Air Again? from 2022-03-10T07:45:17

It was reported in the press, that the Government may be considering a U-turn over its proposed SWN (Single Wholesale Network) model. Alexander Wong, Managing Editor at SoyaCincau chimes in on w...

PKR Thinks No Confusion with Own Logo from 2022-03-10T07:30:19

PKR will be contesting in 20 seats in the upcoming election in Johor, which is the largest number of seats in the Pakatan Harapan coalition. But why the breakaway in logo usage and is cohesion r...

From Government Intervention to Personal Responsibility from 2022-03-10T07:15:53

As the country segues to the endemic phase on 1st of April, There will only be one SOP but 9 guidelines. Dr Vinod Balasubramaniam, senior lecturer and co-lead at the Jeffrey Cheah School of Med...

Pejuang's Johor Ambitions - Can the Minnow Turn Mighty? from 2022-03-09T08:45:37

Pejuang is contesting 42 seats in the Johor state elections, with an ambitious target of securing more than 30 seats. Although headed by a political legend, can this minnow party make headway in...

DAP Pledges Clean and Dynamic Government from 2022-03-09T08:30:10

Will Johoreans once again vote for DAP in the upcoming state elections? Or are the voters going to choose stability over change? Johor DAP Chief, Liew Chin Tong, tells us. Image credit: Twitter....

Does Malaysia Need a Rental Tenancy Act? from 2022-03-09T07:45:19

Malaysia’s rental market has long been viewed as lacking proper regulation to safeguard both tenants and landlords.

The absence of specific rules on rental tenancy means that contract law ...

Ordinary Russians Bear the Brunt of Sanctions from 2022-03-09T07:30:34

Russia has become the world's most heavily sanctioned country following international response to its invasion of Ukraine. What has the impact been on the economy thus far, and what options do R...

Doomsday Not Here Yet, Phew from 2022-03-09T07:15:24

At the start of the Ukraine war, President Vladimir Putin ratcheted tensions by threatening to use nuclear weapons. Should this threat be taken seriously, and how should the West be reaping? Pav...

MCA Targets to Reduce Economic Hardship in Johor from 2022-03-08T08:45:32

MCA will be looking to redeem the party in this Johor elections and they are contesting in 15 seats. One of their agenda is to lessen the economic burden of people in Johor but how will MCA carr...

Integrity is PAS's Campaign Strategy in Johor from 2022-03-08T08:30:47

Ahmad Nawfal Mahfodz, PAS candidate for Parit Yaani, shares with us PAS's strategy to wrest more seats from its current one seat as the Johor state election looms. Image credit: Harris Hamd...

An All of Society Approach for Women Issues from 2022-03-08T07:45:23

As we celebrate International Woman's day, we examine the effectiveness of policies In Malaysia to empower and elevate the role of women in society. Anis Farid, Research and Advocacy Officer at ...

Is China's 5.5% GDP Economic Growth Target Realistic? from 2022-03-08T07:30

With the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National People’s Congress (NPC) convening in Beijing, we ask Peiqian Liu, China Economist from NatWest Markets, wheth...

Women in Corporate Leadership from 2022-03-08T07:15:11

Anne Abraham, the Chairperson and Founder of LeadWomen, tells us about women representation in leadership roles and also about what needs to be done to encourage more women participation in top ...

Is Johor a Precursor of GE15 for UMNO? from 2022-03-07T08:45:15

Johor, the birthplace of UMNO, will see a very crowded field of candidates and political parties in the state elections. But is it to UMNO's advantage? Dato’ Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, Youth Chief of ...

Bersatu Touts Integrity Credentials in Johor from 2022-03-07T08:30:42

There stakes are high for Perikatan Nasional and its anchor party Bersatu in the Johor state elections. With erstwhile allies Umno in competition for dominance of the state, can Bersatu put up a...

700,000 New Voters in Johor is Ground Breaking from 2022-03-07T07:45:43

The game changer for Johor elections will be UNDI18 and automatic voter registration which was gazetted last year. 700,000 new voters aged 18 will add to the electoral role but how will they vot...

Fine and Dandy with the Australian Economy? from 2022-03-07T07:30:11

The Australian economy rebounded strongly in the last quarter of 2021 with an expansion of 3.4% of GDP, but will the coming months turn cloudy for this lucky country with geopolitical risks from...

Public Health Not Safeguarded by Tougher Penalties from 2022-03-07T07:15:22

The proposed amendments to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act, also known as Act 342, ignited public backlash when it was first tabled in December over the disproportionate pe...

MUDA: Naive or Different? from 2022-03-04T08:30:38

All eyes will be on political newcomer MUDA as they make their debut in the Johor state elections. MUDA is contesting 7 seats in the Johor state elections, including going head-to-head with PKR ...

The Challenges of a Living Wage from 2022-03-04T07:45:26

EPF CEO, Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah has recommended that Malaysia implement a living wage as that would raise the EPF savings rate. But what would be the challenges of implementing this? Firdaos Ros...

India's Geopolitical Tightrope from 2022-03-04T07:30:50

Asian rivals India and China often find themselves on opposing ends of the geopolitical table, but they both abstained from voting at the United Nations on the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Polit...

Grow Talent Pool for Digital Transformation from 2022-03-04T07:15:36

A survey conducted by business consultancy Forrester revealed that Malaysian businesses were losing momentum in digital transformation, despite the pandemic accelerating the shift to digita...

EPF Dividends, Steady She Goes from 2022-03-03T08:45:14

The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) declared a 6.1% dividend for conventional savings and 5.65% dividend for shariah savings for 2021 which was even better than pre-pandemic times. Pankaj C Kumar...

EU Stands United Against Russia from 2022-03-03T07:30:18

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has set in motion seismic shifts in EU and German foreign policy, including the direct arming of weapons to countries in conflict. We discuss the reasons and...

Code Red: Malaysia Needs Adaptation Plan for Climate Change from 2022-03-03T07:15:42

The 6th assessment report issued this week by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) gave a grim prognosis on the impact of global warming, warning that temperatures were rising f...

Formalizing Gig Workers A Good Idea? from 2022-03-02T07:45:14

With the Federal Government set to table a landmark amendment bill to make gig workers formal employees, we speak to Edwin Goh, policy researcher at The Centre on how the amendments of the Emplo...

Russia Under Pressure as Economic Sanctions Bite from 2022-03-02T07:30:25

Western countries have unleashed a series of heavy sanctions aimed at crippling Russia's financial sector in response to its assault on Ukraine. We discuss the impact this has had on R...

East Coast Floods Requires Mitigation and Adaptation from 2022-03-02T07:15:37

With over 25,000 people displaced from their homes in the east coast due to one of the worst floods in Kelantan and Terengganu, Dato’ Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus, President, MERCY Malaysia prov...

In Parliament's Inbox: Policy, Clarity and Reform from 2022-03-01T07:45:45

Global and local volatility begs for more policy clarity, further adding impetus for Malaysian Parliamentary reform, not to mention much-needed legislation on anti-party hopping and gender equal...

Rising Oil Price - Boon or Bane For Malaysia's Economy? from 2022-03-01T07:30:45

With oil prices potentially hitting 120 dollars per barrel, Julia Goh from UOB articulates the net benefit (or cost) to the Malaysian Economy and how it would put pressure on the cost of living ...

Russia Invasion, Worryingly, Increasingly Global from 2022-03-01T07:15:07

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is fast escalating into a globally significant event with many more world players getting increasingly involved, including the US, Germany, and China.

Dr. Malc...

Why is ASEAN Muted on the Invasion of Ukraine? from 2022-02-28T08:30:34

The Malaysian government's latest statement on the situation in Ukraine has been criticized by some observers as not going far enough; the same applies for the recent statement issued by ASEAN F...

Lots of Cooks Milling Around Johor's Broth from 2022-02-28T07:45:14

Johor's polls are seeing an unprecedented number of candidates, laying a potential template for soon-to-ensue GE15. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

Impact to ASEAN From Ukraine Conflict from 2022-02-28T07:30:12

Bernard Aw, Economist for Asia Pacific, Coface, spells out the trade and economic ramifications from the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

No Quarantine for Boosted, Asymptomatic Close Contacts from 2022-02-28T07:15:45

Beginning 1 March, people categorized as close contacts of positive Covid-19 cases will not have to undergo quarantine if they are asymptomatic and have received a third booster vaccine dose. We...

Russia's Guns Cast Pall on Europe Growth from 2022-02-25T08:45:15

A plethora of economic sanctions have been thrust upon Russia following its invasion of the Ukraine, but there remain serious concerns over an escalation, not to mention Europe's frail recovery....

Russia's Justification For Ukraine Invasion from 2022-02-25T08:30:21

Russian troops invaded Ukraine after months of troops on the border. H.E. Naiyl Latypov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Malaysia gives their position on why the incursion was necessary ...

More Revelations In 1MDB Trial from 2022-02-25T07:45:45

Recent revelations from the Roger Ng trial in New York has shone a spotlight on some of the details of the 1MDB corruption trial. Tom Wright, author of Billion Dollar Whale tells us what we shou...

Russia's Ukraine War Derails Aviation's Frail Recovery from 2022-02-25T07:30:32

With Russia's invasion of the Ukraine, aviation's frail recovery is once again under serious derailment. Shantanu Gangakhedkar, Aviation Consultant, Frost & Sullivan, discusses. Image credit...

Safe and Fair Campaigning in Johor? from 2022-02-25T07:15:01

Descriptor: The Election Commission has loosened campaigning rules for the Johor state elections compared to previous polls, but some argue that the flexibilities provided do not give adequate r...

Sheraton Move Retrospective from 2022-02-24T07:45:13

This week marks two years since the events of Langkah Sheraton, which saw a change in government and triggered the breakdown in established coalitions. We discuss the impact of political machina...

2022 Hong Kong's Budget Consistent With Its Zero-Covid Policy? from 2022-02-24T07:30:59

Gary Ng from Natixis highlights the key elements of Hong Kong’s budget and whether it will cushion the city from the worst of the Omicron economic impact. Image Credit: HUI YT/Shutterstock....

The New Norm of Self-Testing from 2022-02-24T07:15:48

The Ministry of Health recently issued a call to the Medical Device Authority to ensure the quality of Covid-19 self-test kits, following consumer complaints over the accuracy of testing results...

The Conundrum of Declining Graduate Wages from 2022-02-23T07:45

According to 2020 data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), wages for graduate employees have seen declining trends. Young graduates under the age of 24 have been particularly...

The Conundrum of Carbon Tax Pricing from 2022-02-23T07:30:23

Many countries in the world have embarked on carbon tax but how complicated is it to price it. Howie Lee, Economist, at OCBC Bank tells us whilst giving us a glimpse of how Malaysia should imple...

Will New Political Parties Have Longevity? from 2022-02-23T07:15:32

The past year has seen the emergence of several new political parties as well as an independent movement, posing challenges to the dominant parties of yore. How much impact will this have on the...

Is Recovery In Sight For SMEs? from 2022-02-22T07:45:54

2022 was supposed to the year of economic recovery but with rising covid cases due to Omicron, does this derail things? Is the solution government support or is it time for business to bite the ...

Is The Russian-Ukraine War Inevitable? from 2022-02-22T07:30:24

Alexey Muraviev from Curtin University, Perth, unpacks the latest developments taking place in the Russian-Ukraine border as President Vladimir Putin orders troops into the Eastern Ukraine. Imag...

Lack Of Accountability In Custodial Deaths from 2022-02-22T07:15:04

Member of Parliament for Batu Kawan, Kasthuri Patto, shares with us the gaps in accountability and lack of transparency over the circumstances of the nine custodial deaths that have taken place ...

Are We Ready To Open Borders? from 2022-02-21T07:45:39

Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin has announced that borders will reopen in the 2nd quarter of this year. But are we ready, what are the gaps in the health care system. Asst. Prof Dr Farhan Rus...

Singapore Raises Wealth Taxes, GST To Chart Post-Covid Future from 2022-02-21T07:30:43

Singapore has unveiled its budget for the year last Friday and it plans to boost income and property taxes, also GST to hike over 2 years, amongst other things being announced. But will the budg...

Is There Political Will to Legislate Anti-Hopping? from 2022-02-21T07:15:10

The government is expected to table an anti-hopping bill when Parliament reconvenes next week. However many elements remain to be ironed out, including how the bill defines “anti-hopping.” We di...

Online Versus In-Person Learning from 2022-02-18T07:45:40

As the debate rages on whether to adopt in-person versus online learning or even some hybrid version, Teo Nie Ching, former Deputy Education Minister, helps us identify the challenges and the re...

Are Southeast Asians Losing Faith in ASEAN? from 2022-02-18T07:30:46

Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute published its annual State of Southeast Asia survey report, unpacking how the region views major foriegn policy and issues and the differences in prioriti...

Curbing The Rise Of Cybersecurity Threats from 2022-02-18T07:15:58

Cybersecurity threat is getting increasingly rampant and it has become a priority of our governments and corporations. Cybersecurity threats are borderless and increasingly more sophisticated, b...

Is A Single Wholesale Network the Best Way to Deploy 5G? from 2022-02-17T07:45:13

Uncertainties remain whether the government will greenlight the Single Wholesale Network (SWN) model for Malaysia's 5G deployment, amid objections by the main telco operators. Telecommunications...

Deteriorating Covid-19 Situation in Hong Kong from 2022-02-17T07:30:31

Hong Kong has imposed its toughest measures since the start of the pandemic, as daily case numbers climb exponentially. Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that she has no plans to impose a com...

2022 Malaysia Banking Landscape from 2022-02-17T07:15:27

With a recovery on the horizon and the award of the 5 digital banking licenses, Edward Ling from The Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers (AICB) shares his perspective. Image credit: Shutterstoc...

Turning Census Data Into Policy from 2022-02-16T07:45:53

The Malaysia 2020 Census Report was released which revealed data including population growth, urbanisation rates and even gender imbalance. The next step is using it for crafting national polici...

South Korean Election A Drama To Watch? from 2022-02-16T07:30:59

South Korea has started the 22-day campaign period for the Presidential post that began last Tuesday with balloting on March 9. This election is closely watched by foreign countries as the candi...

Disunited Opposition A Boon For UMNO In Johor from 2022-02-16T07:15:54

Dr Oh Ei Sun unpacks the latest developments taking place in the upcoming Johor state elections as more parties throw their hat into the ring and begin announcing their candidates. Image credit:...

Affordable Housing For All? from 2022-02-15T07:45:18

The government is planning to introduce a series of affordable home programmes as part of its "Liveable Malaysia" initiative. However Bank Negara Malaysia has said that attention should be given...

Afghanistan On The Brink Of Humanitarian Catastrophe from 2022-02-15T07:30:56

Humanitarian aid and financial flows to Afghanistan have been halted since the Taliban’s return to government, with donors seeking to tie aid funding to conditions such as the upholding of human...

Moving Towards A Smoke Free Nation from 2022-02-15T07:15:30

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin is planning to table a new Tobacco and Smoking Control Act in the upcoming Parliament session in replacement of the old and some of the proposed measures of the...

World Radio Day: Radio and Trust from 2022-02-14T08:45:23

World Radio Day, which has been observed on 13 February since 2011 has just passed but this year's theme is “Radio and Trust". It’s still challenging times for traditional media, and radio is no...

Is 4000 Permanent Positions For Doctors Sufficient? from 2022-02-14T07:45:21

The Cabinet has approved the addition of 1,500 permanent positions for doctors annually from 2023 to 2025. Is this welcoming news for contract doctors? Dr Kevin Ng, the former chairman for Malay...

Canadian Covid Protests Spark Contagion Abroad from 2022-02-14T07:30:53

Over the past month, protests against Covid-19 mandates have grown into a catch-all anti-government movement that has disrupted economic activity in Ottawa and also crippled US-Canada border mov...

2022, A Better Year Ahead For Malaysia's Economy from 2022-02-14T07:15:50

Bank Negara released GDP for the last quarter of 2021 which was above consensus expectations thanks in part to the removal of most lockdown measures. Yet the Central Bank Governor warned that th...

From 24-7 Dining To Much, Much Less from 2022-02-11T07:45:09

Datuk Seri Garry Chua, Immediate Past President of the Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA), addresses the woes of the F&B sector post-pandemic as the New Normal possibly heralds the end...

What Is Installed For ASEAN In 2022? from 2022-02-11T07:30:01

The Malaysian GDP numbers to be released today beholds and what would the story be for the other countries in the region? Khoon Goh, Head of Asia Research for ANZ speaks to us. Image credit: Shu...

Balancing Public Interest And Harm Prevention Online from 2022-02-11T07:15:12

The internet is one of the greatest inventions of the modern age, but its widespread usage has created various challenges for governments, tech platforms and individuals alike. How should we bal...

Will MUDA Make Waves in Johor? from 2022-02-10T07:45:51

The Election Commission has confirmed that Johor state elections will be held on March 12th, with Nomination Day set for February 26th. Muda has aligned itself as a strategic partner to Pakatan ...

In Philippines Polls, Bong Bong Marcos Has Early Lead from 2022-02-10T07:30:32

Political analyst Andrea Chloe Wong discusses the Philippines’ national elections, where nearly 68 million Filipinos will vote in a new leader on May 9th. We discuss the prospects of the frontru...

Greener Utilities In Years To Come? from 2022-02-10T07:15:13

There has been some fresh developments in the usually muted utilities sector lately; Tenaga Nasional's legal win against the Inland Revenue Board and YTL Power International's disposal of their ...

Does Mara Need A Reset? from 2022-02-09T07:45:07

MARA is responsible for developing, encouraging, facilitating and fostering economic and social development in Malaysia's rural areas. So what happens when questions of integrity in MARA and its...

The Business Of"Swipe Left Or Right" from 2022-02-09T07:30:25

Valentine's Day is just a few days away and many singles may be looking for their potential date on an online dating app. But how is the business of dating apps faring, especially during the pan...

Getting Ready For The Endemic Phase Of Covid-19 from 2022-02-09T07:15:49

The National Recovery Council (NRC) announced plans to reopen borders to fully vaccinated travellers without mandatory quarantine on 1 March, subject to Cabinet approval. Meanwhile the Ministry ...

Business Costs Not An Excuse to Sidestep Minimum Wage from 2022-02-08T07:45:30

The Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri M. Saravanan has mooted for minimum wage levels to be increased to RM1500 by the end of the year. This has sparked a debate between labour unions and e...

Oil Inches Closer To USD100 bbl from 2022-02-08T07:30:40

Oil prices have rallied to over USD90 per barrel this month, the highest level seen since 2014. What's driving up oil prices and is the rally sustainable? Bloomberg Intelligence senior anal...

Rising From The Ashes from 2022-02-08T07:15:54

The Johor state elections will be closely watched with 56 seats up from grabs. This time round, will MCA able to recover from their disastrous loss in GE14? Dr James Chin, Lecturer in Asian Stud...

PICKids: A Thing Of Concern For The Kids? from 2022-02-07T08:30:22

We speak to Dr Khoo Yoong Khean, Managing Editor of Malaysian Medical Gazette to get the low down on Covid-19 vaccination for children aged 5 to 11. And with cases hitting over 10,000 for the fi...

Umno Advantage In Johor from 2022-02-07T07:45:40

The Election Commission will announce the nomination and polling days for the Johor state elections this Wednesday. Umno is seen as the party with pole position in Johor, but how much of an adva...

Meta Drama But What About The Rest Of MAMAA? from 2022-02-07T07:30:02

Last week Meta stock took a plunge after it released results that were below expectations. But market sentiments picked up as more positive tech earnings got released. So will technology remain ...

When Geopolitics and the Olympics Collide from 2022-02-04T07:45:09

The Beijing Winter Olympics will officially commence 14 years after the wildly successful Beijing Summer Olympics 2008 that heralded the opening of China to the world. However, these Winter Olym...

Will Tightening Be The Death Of Sovereign Ratings? from 2022-02-04T07:30:59

Global sovereign credit conditions have improved in the second year of the pandemic when compared to 2020 but with policy makers marching to the tune of monetary tightening, what does this mean ...

Great Resignation Or Great Sabbatical from 2022-02-04T07:15:01

What is the latest employment trend in Malaysia? Ridhima Khanduja, Partner and Market Leader, Kincentric Malaysia shares with us glimpses of the current employment market and tips on how to mana...

Sino-Russian Ties In The Spotlight from 2022-02-03T07:45:21

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will be meeting on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics this week, amid increasing tensions with the US. How have Sino-Russian ties evolved and what impl...

Urgent Policy Reform to Counter Forced Labour Allegations from 2022-02-03T07:30:49

Sime Darby Plantations has become the latest Malaysian company to be served with a Withhold Release Order or W.R.O, by the US Customs and Border Protection department, over allegations of forced...

Investment Strategies In This Volatile Environment from 2022-02-03T07:15:31

For analysis on what could be in store for global equity markets, Sean Markowicz, Strategist at Schroders helps us understand different investment strategies as the Fed begins to unwind their ac...

What's The Game Plan For PKR In Johor? from 2022-01-31T08:30:13

With a disastrous showing in Sarawak and Melaka for the opposition, what is their strategy to retake back the largest state in Peninsula Malaysia. YB Fahmi Fadzil, Communications Director of PKR...

Recovery In Hospitality A Possibility This Year? from 2022-01-31T07:45:19

We see more glitzy new hotels springing up, but what does this translate in occupancy rate with the lack of tourists from abroad? Yap Lip Seng, CEO of Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) tells...

Deja Vu Of 2021 For APAC In 2022? from 2022-01-31T07:30:44

We take the pulse of the region with Steve Cochrane, Chief APAC Economist at Moody’s Analytics, as he gives us an overview on what to expect in the region this year. Image credit: Unsplash.com

Foreigners Are Back In Town from 2022-01-31T07:15

With the Fed expected to raise rates by at least three to four times in 2022, what does this mean for the Malaysian Fixed Income market? Ang Beng Kuan, Head of investment, Hong Leong Islamic Ass...

Uphill Battle For PH In Johor? from 2022-01-28T08:30:28

Pakatan Harapan will be contesting under two banners in the Johor state elections - PKR will use their own party logo, while DAP and Amanah will campaign using the PH logo. What does this move s...

Sustainable Transformation Via FSB3 from 2022-01-28T07:45:54

Bank Negara Malaysia launched its 5-year Financial Services Blueprint 2022 - 2026 (FSB3) this week, which outlined the key priorities of the financial sector amidst changing market conditions. W...

Is The Year Of Tiger A Roar Or Purr? from 2022-01-28T07:30:33

As the year of the Water Tiger fast approaches, we take a look at the Feng Shui Index released annually by the international brokerage and investment group, CLSA. Will the God of Wealth whisper ...

Knotty Supply Chains To Persist from 2022-01-28T07:15:06

Supply chain disruptions have been a long running issue throughout the pandemic, where a confluence of factors, including bottlenecks at trading ports, panic buying from consumers and rising fre...

SMEs Giving Us A Pulse Check On The Economy from 2022-01-27T07:45:35

Has spending recovered to pre-pandemic levels especially during the run up to Chinese New Year? Datuk William Ng, Chairman of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association (SAMENTA) gives us a ch...

Is The Worst Over For APAC Banks from 2022-01-27T07:30:35

This is the third year of the pandemic and banking systems are expected to reflect the economic recovery of countries. But how soon can profitability return to pre-pandemic levels despite rising...

Public Private Partnerships Will Ease Hospital Case Backlogs from 2022-01-27T07:15:36

Dr Kuljit Singh explains that why public-private collaboration the best way to clear up the medical backlog in public hospitals as we are seeing a backlog of over 50,000 cases at public hospital...

The Fintech Blueprint Is Revealed from 2022-01-26T08:30:38

At MyFintech Week organised by Bank Negara Malaysia, Governor Tan Sri Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus launched the Financial Sector Blueprint 2022-2026. Vincent Fong, Chief Editor, Fintech News Malaysia...

Prioritise Education Over Politics from 2022-01-26T07:45:54

The announcement that teachers under the Education Ministry can get involved in politics has stirred intense debate. We discuss the implications of the policy decision and how it differs from pr...

Brinksmanship In Eastern Europe from 2022-01-26T07:30:47

Tensions in Eastern Europe are heating up this week, amid continued warnings from the UK and US over a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. What is the likelihood of tensions escalating i...

Malaysia Falls 6 Spots On Corruption Perception Index from 2022-01-26T07:15:19

Malaysia suffered a further drop in rankings in the latest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI), falling 6 spots to 62. What reforms are needed to reverse our downward tr...

Peering Into the Future With Johor Elections from 2022-01-25T07:45:38

Johor's snap state elections could be an interesting bellwether for UMNO's coming GE15 aspirations but also for how the 750,000 young new voters will vote, thanks to Undi18's introduction. Dr. H...

Luck Running Out For The Lucky Country? from 2022-01-25T07:30:09

Catherine Birch from ANZ Research helps unpack Australia's economic performance and expectations for 2022 as unemployment continues amid a net loss of population at more than 88 thousand people ...

Two Years In, Covid's Lessons For Malaysia from 2022-01-25T07:15:04

It's been two years since Covid's discovery in Malaysia, so how does Malaysia rate on its policy treatment of the virus and what lessons can be learnt on this anniversary? Dr Vinod Balasubramani...

Don't Penalize Athletes For Turning Professional from 2022-01-24T07:45:30

The fall out between top badminton player Lee Zii Jia and the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has raised questions about the management of national athletes and priorities of the sp...

Sun Sets On Hong Kong, Thanks To China from 2022-01-24T07:30:39

China's heavy hand on Covid and treatment of pro-democracy supporters have sent droves of Hong Kongers away and stoppered demand from expat workers, raising concern that the city state's time in...

As Inflation Rages, Will REITS Offer Refuge? from 2022-01-24T07:15:43

Movement restrictions have hit property counters hard, but what does that mean for REITs, hitherto seen as a hedge against inflation, which is assailing economies globally? Stewart Labrooy, Chai...

Congestion In Malaysian Skies? Not Yet from 2022-01-21T07:45:59

Malaysia's civil aviation regulator surprised the industry by approving the licences of two new airlines, SKS Airways and MYAirline, an ultra low-cost carrier. We discuss the potential rati...

BoJo's Apology Too Little, Too Late? from 2022-01-21T07:30:19

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in the centre of a political furore over a string of parties held by his staff when Covid-19 lockdowns were in effect. With calls for his resignation grow...

Diversify Agricultural Land Use Mix from 2022-01-21T07:15:17

Next month, the government will launch the National Agricommodity Policy 2021-2030, with the aim of driving the development of the commodities sector in a more sustainable, competitive and ...

Cagamas's Reverse Mortgage Scheme from 2022-01-20T07:45:47

We ask Datuk Chung Chee Leong, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cagamas Berhad on their latest product, the reverse mortgage scheme with the intention of helping the elderly fund the...

Global Sukuks Gain, Malaysia Falls to No. 2 from 2022-01-20T07:30:35

Worldwide, Sukuk issuances are up 36% annually but Malaysia has lost its mantle as top global issuer. Bashar Al Natoor, Senior Director, Global Head of Islamic Finance, chats about the implicati...

RFID Rollout Challenges from 2022-01-20T07:15:48

Chung Yi Fan helps us unpack the bumpy roll-out of the RFID payment system at selected toll plazas over the past week causing massive congestions at toll plazas along the North-South Highway and...

More Questions Than Answers From Securities Commission from 2022-01-19T08:30:12

The Securities Commission (SC) concluded its enquiry on MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki's controversial share purchases, and said they were unable to conclusively establish any breach under Section...

Snap Polls in Johor Barometer for GE15? from 2022-01-19T07:45:39

Over the past few weeks, rumours have been flying about the possibility of snap polls being called in Johor, following the death of Kempas state assemblyman Dato’ Osman Sapian in December. Johor...

China Shifts To A New Phase Of Growth from 2022-01-19T07:30:54

China's GDP for 2021 hit 8.1% which was above market expectations but what are the growth prospects for this year? What will be the engines of growth and what is the cost of their zero covid str...

Save Lives, Donate Blood from 2022-01-19T07:15:39

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted blood donation drives and prevented regular donors from contributing blood. How do blood shortages impact the provision of public medical services? Dr. Alvina...

Are All Relief Measures By Bursa Equally Good For Shareholders? from 2022-01-17T07:45:49

In response to pandemic pressures, in April 2020 Bursa Malaysia introduced a number of relief measures and fundraising flexibilities to help businesses stay afloat. We discuss share placements, ...

Changes At The US Fed Board Won't Change Monetary Policy Direction from 2022-01-17T07:30:43

US President Joe Biden has put forth his nominations to fill the vacancies on the Board of the Federal Reserve namely former Fed governor Sarah Bloom Ra...

PE Deals Galore Globally; What of Malaysia? from 2022-01-14T07:45:04

Global private equity deals are soaring but does the same trend apply in Malaysia? Preman Menon, Malaysia Strategy and Transactions Leader, Ernst & ...

China's Zero-Covid Strategy Could Run to 2023 from 2022-01-14T07:30:14

As the rest of the world tries to find ways to reopen borders safely and transition to an endemic phase of Covid-19, China has taken a different tact in...

Malaysia's Retail Property Market from 2022-01-14T07:15:36

Despite Singapore's rising prices, we ask Chan Ai Cheng from Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents why the residential property market isn't enjoying th...

Malaysia To Welcome 5.8m New Voters. Discuss. from 2022-01-13T07:45:45

Malaysia’s electorate will soon swell by around 5.8 million voters upon implementation of the Undi18 and automatic voter registration laws, with many qu...

2022 Remains A Year Of Uncertainty For Aviation from 2022-01-13T07:30:53

Brendan Sobie explains whether Omicron will have an impact on the Asia Pacific market and the expected recovery trajectory as markets slowly reopening. ...

A Holistic Approach For Education In Pandemic Era from 2022-01-13T07:15:21

The pandemic has ravaged the education of millions of children nationwide with few able to cope with online learning and device and connection issues, p...

How Can Malaysia Level Up Its Trade Activity? from 2022-01-12T08:45:48

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted many structural weaknesses in our economy, despite the positive economic indicators that we’ve seen in 2021. What ...

Going for Gold In Tech from 2022-01-12T07:30:58

The early days of 2022 has been a volatile ride for the tech sector as the reality of 3 rate hikes by the Feds begins to be priced in. Daniel Ives, Mana...

Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy for Booster Shots from 2022-01-12T07:15:29

Malaysia's booster jab campaign has been running since October 2021, with a patchy take-up rate. Why do people seem to be more skeptical of the need for...

Coalition Building New Malaysian Political Reality? from 2022-01-11T07:45:27

Malaysia has seen a slew of new political parties enter the field, with the latest being Parti Bangsa Malaysia led by former PKR member and Julau MP Lar...

Morningstar: TSMC Remains Top Semicon Play from 2022-01-11T07:30:49

Financial services firm Morningstar forecasts that the global semiconductor industry could see a supply glut in 2024, as foundries heavily increase capi...

2022 Courier And Delivery Services Market Outlook from 2022-01-11T07:15:13

Cheong Yen Li from PwC shares her perspective on the impact of the lifting of the suspension of issuance of new courier service licenses in September. I...

Covid-19 Vaccines Safe For Children from 2022-01-10T07:45:38

The Malaysian government recently approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years old, following the footsteps of other countries s...

Kazakhstan Unrest Portends Deeper Issues Former Soviet Dominions from 2022-01-10T07:30:01

The new year began with turbulence in Kazakhstan, after violent street protests erupted in response to rising gas prices. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart...

MACC Incident Reflects Lack Of Protection On Whistleblowers? from 2022-01-10T07:00:43

Researcher Lalitha Kunaratnam revealed that she has been issued a letter of demand by Tan Sri Azam Baki, over the publication of two articles on share p...

Penang Benefited From Semicon Rally, So What's Next? from 2022-01-07T07:45:53

With supplies short and demand high, the global semiconductor industry is in a Goldilocks (read: ideal) period, begging the question of what's next. Dat...

Looking Back On The Capitol Hill Riots from 2022-01-07T07:30:40

America remains deeply polarised one year after the January 6th Capitol Hill riots, which saw Donald Trump supporters break into Congress to protes...

Public Trust In MACC At Stake Without Greater Transparency from 2022-01-07T07:15:32

Despite the decision by the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board to absolve Tan Sri Azam Baki, Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commis...

Interest-Conflict Rules Should Apply To Civil Service Too from 2022-01-06T08:30:22

Following public furore over reports of millions of ringgit in MACC Chief Tan Sri Azam Baki's share trading account, the public is now rightly asking wh...

Coming Soon: Malaysia's Digital Banks from 2022-01-06T07:45:25

Malaysia's five digital banks are expected to be announced soon, with the narrative now shifting to market strategy and path to profit. Vincent Fong, Ch...

India's Covid Wave Impacting The Modi Government from 2022-01-06T07:30:13

As India experiences another wave of Covid, Pradeep Taneja from the University of Melbourne gives his perspective on how prepared are authorities for th...

Five Fold Expenses To Recruit Domestic Helpers from 2022-01-06T07:15:12

Khor Yu Leng, political economist from Segi Enam Advisers explains the rationale, or lack of, behind the exorbitant increase in costs to recruit domesti...

Are Price Controls The Solution For Malaysia? from 2022-01-05T07:45:54

Prices of daily essentials are on a rising trend due to supply chain shortages and inflationary pressure. This put undue hardship on some segments of so...

Will Crypto Reach Mainstream In 2022? from 2022-01-05T07:30:47

2021 was a blockbuster year for cryptocurrencies, with both Bitcoin and Ethereum reaching new highs in November, even if it didn’t last long. Howev...

EFT Mechanism Could Be Gamechanger In Forest Conservation from 2022-01-05T07:15:52

The severe flooding occurring across multiple states this monsoon season is a reckoning of our environmental policies. Many environmentalists argue that...

F&B 2022 Outlook from 2022-01-04T07:45:52

With increasing raw material prices and labour shortages, Jeremy Lim, Vice-President, Persatuan Pemilik Restoran dan Bistro gives his perspective on how...

Will Malaysia Miss Out On RCEP Benefits? from 2022-01-04T07:30:42

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is the biggest international trade agreement to date, covering nearly a third of the global popul...

Privacy Protected For MySJ Trace from 2022-01-04T07:15:59

Dr Mahesh Appannan, Head of Data of the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre, Ministry of Health allays our concerns about the MySJ Trace app as this...

Starting In The Year In The Shadow Of Omicron from 2022-01-03T07:45:36

Health Minister Khairy Jamaludin warned over the weekend that Malaysia could see an Omicron wave, similar to what other countries are undergoing at the ...

Asian Economies Likely To Emerge Stronger In 2022 from 2022-01-03T07:30:09

Throughout 2021, pandemic recovery in Asia has been patchy at best, with the emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants as well as rising inflation put...

Will 2022 Be The Year Of GE15? from 2022-01-03T07:15:01

If 2020 is remembered for the Sheraton Move, 2021 will likely be remembered for disastrous pandemic management that led to the fall of another Prime Min...

Malaysian Education At Crossroads In Pandemic Era from 2021-12-31T08:30:59

The Covid-19 pandemic severely disrupted education services, with Malaysian schools physically closed for 42 weeks of the year in 2021. Additionally, th...

Malaysia's Retail Outlook 2022 from 2021-12-31T07:45:05

After two straight challenging years, Tan Hai Hsin from Malaysian Retail Group shares his perspective on how the retail sector fared in 2021 and if ther...

Delivering Quality Economic Growth In 2022 from 2021-12-30T08:30:44

Carmelo Ferlito from the Center for Market Education calls for more thoughtful and structural reforms in the economy in order to drive more private inve...

Whatever You Do, Don’t Start The Engine from 2021-12-30T07:45:25

The recent floods have left many car owners in despair with big bills but what are the options to ease the pain from the government and also the private...

Reflections On Malaysia's Healthcare from 2021-12-30T07:30:53

Azrul Mohd Khalib from the Galen Centre reflects on the challenges our healthcare industry faced and what the outlook for 2022 as concerns linger about ...

MUDA Making A Difference, Can They Get Votes? from 2021-12-29T08:30:44

Over the past 2 weeks, MUDA has managed to galvanize public support for its flood relief efforts, raising over RM2 million to date and involving over 10...

Live With Nature, Don't Fight It from 2021-12-29T07:45:51

After the recent heavy rain, landslides are happening across the country. Datuk Ezumi Harzani Ismail, President of The Malaysian Institute of Architects...

Is The HK Democracy Dream Over? from 2021-12-29T07:30:41

In the latest Hong Kong Legislative Council election, pro-Beijing candidates won an overwhelming majority out of the 90 seats. However the race was stac...

Start Packing Again from 2021-12-28T08:30:51

State borders have reopened and domestic travel is encouraged with even the Government offering a tax relief of up to RM1000 for this. But is this enoug...

Climate Emergency Caused The Flash Floods from 2021-12-28T07:45:47

Datin Noraida Saludin from the Malaysian Institute of Planners shares her perspective on the severe flooding that happened more than a week ago has take...

Shifting Sands In Middle East Geopolitics? from 2021-12-28T07:30:27

This year witnessed several changes in Middle Eastern political dynamics. As countries focus on economic recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, ...

Festive 'Retail' Cheer? from 2021-12-27T08:30:11

Liyana Yahaya from NielsenIQ shares her perspective on whether the double festive momentum of Christmas and Chinese New Year will sustain the uptrend fo...

Time To Rethink Water Management Solutions from 2021-12-27T07:45:48

Last week it came to light that Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam experienced severe floods in the past, indicating that government authorities did have recor...

No Easy Solution For Myanmar from 2021-12-27T07:30:24

Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has reiterated plans to hold a fresh general election in August 2023 sticking to the military government’s timelin...

Post-Mortem Needed On Disaster Management from 2021-12-24T08:30:40

With confusion over the chain of command in addressing disaster situations, we speak to Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, Director of the Sunway Centre for Pl...

Slow Response To Floods Will Have Political Repercussions? from 2021-12-24T07:45:53

Professor Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, Director, Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA) assesses how will the recent events affect the Prime Minister’s...

Milder But Still Serious from 2021-12-24T07:30:20

With a series of studies suggesting it to be less severe, we ask Dale Fisher from the National University of Singapore on how severe the Omicron variant...

Floods Impact On Malaysia's Shipping Industry from 2021-12-23T08:30:18

Ooi Lean Hin, Chairman of the Shipping Association of Malaysia shares with us the impact the floods have had on the shipping industry as well as the ext...

Malaysia's Wealth Is Not Just Its Financial Capital from 2021-12-23T07:45:36

Apurva Sanghi, World Bank Lead Economist for Malaysia explains it economic growth projections of 5.8% by 2022 and why it urgently needs to address the w...

Tech Driving Dealmaking In SEA, Except In Malaysia from 2021-12-23T07:30:17

According to the Annual Transaction Trail Report by Duff & Phelps, A Kroll Business consultancy, global deal-making activity surged to a record USD4...

Sink Or Swim, Malaysia Needs Better Coordination from 2021-12-22T08:45:10

Datuk Wira Ameer Ali Mydin tells us his side of the story as to why he forgives the looters of his store in Sri Muda. He also tells us that better coord...

Multi-Stakeholder Discussion Crucial for Effective Act 342 from 2021-12-22T08:30:49

The government has postponed the tabling of the controversial bill to amend the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, also known as Ac...

When Climate Change Risk And Insurance Needs Intersect from 2021-12-22T07:45:44

The massive flooding in the Klang Valley and elsewhere this week has shone a spotlight on insurance coverage in the face of natural disasters. We speak ...

Gloomy Skies Still For International Travel from 2021-12-22T07:30:24

he global aviation industry was buoyed by the reopening of borders earlier in the year, but the new Omicron variant has thrown a spanner into the r...

SMEs Struggling With The Aftermath Of The Floods from 2021-12-21T08:30:54

With SMEs already struggling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we ask Chin Chee Seong from SME Association of Malaysia how are they handling thi...

No Leadership In Managing The Flash Floods from 2021-12-21T07:45:35

Fikri Faisal from the Centre unpacks the gaps in the government's response to the floods and what lessons can we avoid in the future to avoid such disas...

OCBC Predicts 5% Indonesian GDP Growth In 2022 from 2021-12-21T07:30:29

Bank Indonesia has projected GDP growth to be more than 4.5% in the fourth quarter of the year, after growth slowed the previous quarter due to pandemic...

Flash Floods Response Inadequate from 2021-12-20T08:45:36

With one of the worst flash floods experienced in decades, YB Charles Santiago, Klang MP, helps us assess the situation on the ground and the preparedne...

GPS Landslide Election Win from 2021-12-20T08:30:13

Following GPS's stunning victory in Sarawak's state election, Dr James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania helps us understand what...

Energising The Future, Rebuilding The Nation For Economic Recovery from 2021-12-20T07:30:55

As Malaysia tries to overcome the economic scars caused by Covid 19, is this actually an opportunity for us to reskill the nation and embrace the new ec...

Don't Fear The Taxman from 2021-12-17T08:30:58

The government is introducing new laws aimed at enhancing tax compliance and collection procedures via the new Section 106A of the Income Tax Act. The a...

Opposition Stumbles In Sarawak from 2021-12-17T07:45:36

Sarawakians vote tomorrow in the 12th Sarawak state election, with the governing coalition GPS widely expected to retain their majority. The key questio...

Cooling Measures For Singapore's Hot Property Market from 2021-12-17T07:30:17

With the onset of rising property prices, Alan Cheong from Savills Singapore provides his assessment whether the proposed measures to cool Singapore pro...

More Transparency Needed In Adviser Appointments from 2021-12-16T08:30:40

It was recently revealed in Parliament that Prime Minister Dato' Seri Ismail Sabri spends some RM136,000 on special advisers per month, which is the mos...

Anthony Blinken's Short Trip To Malaysia from 2021-12-16T07:45:40

Thomas Daniel, Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Security Studies Programme, ISIS Malaysia shares whether the recent short trip by the US Secretar...

2022 Will Be The Year Of EVs from 2021-12-16T07:30:39

Electric vehicles are poised to become mainstream amid a global push towards electrification and green energy. EVs currently make up just 3% of total ve...

MA63 Amendments Crucial For Mindset Shift On East Malaysia from 2021-12-15T08:45:37

The Dewan Rakyat unanimously passed the MA63 Bill this week, approving several amendments to the constitution in recognition of the special status of Sa...

Muda Gets Its Stripes from 2021-12-15T08:30:15

The High Court has ordered the Home Ministry to register MUDA as a political party within two weeks after its first attempt to do so in September 2020. ...

MyCC Crackdown On Bid-Rigging In Government Procurement from 2021-12-15T07:45:27

The Malaysia Competition Commission is launching investigations into 500 companies across various sectors for suspected bid-rigging in government procur...

Will Russia-Ukraine Tensions Turn Into Armed Conflict? from 2021-12-15T07:30:40

Professor Rouben Azizian, Director, Centre for Defence and Security Studies, Massey University helps us unpack the Russian - Ukraine conflict and the li...

SOP Fines: Proportionate To Avoid Double Standards? from 2021-12-14T08:30:46

With the global rise of Omicron and the clear lax of SOP compliance among the wider public, we ask Dr Khor Swee Kheng if the proposed hefty increases in...

PAS Will Remain A Relevant Political Force? from 2021-12-14T07:45:38

As it celebrates its 70th anniversary, director of BowerGroupAsia, Adib Zalkapli helps us understand what the future holds for PAS and Muafakat Nasional...

Democracy Summit, Worth The Invite? from 2021-12-14T07:30:42

When Joe Biden rolled out his foreign policy platform for the 2020 presidential campaign, he made a big promise: to gather the world's democracies at a ...

1st 100 Days - Sloganeering And Superficial? from 2021-12-13T08:45:08

Shahrill Sabaruddin, Director of Consultancy, Bait Al-Amanah helps us unpack the recent 90% KPI achievement of the first 100-days of Ismail Sabri's gove...

Return Local Government Mandate To The People from 2021-12-13T07:45:12

Last week, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican said that local government elections would not be revived due to th...

Stabilizing China's Economy from 2021-12-13T07:30:03

With the three-fold downward pressure of contraction of demand, supply shocks and weaker expectations, Bernard Aw from Coface explains how Chinese polic...

Understanding Long Covid from 2021-12-10T11:45:58

According to the Ministry of Health, nearly 20,000 Malaysians who contracted Covid-19 experienced post-Covid-19 syndrome, also known as long Covid. What...

Najib: Convicted But Still Popular. Why? from 2021-12-10T08:45:41

Disgraced and convicted former PM Najib Razak might have received his latest setback in the courts but his star still shines bright among the masses. Az...

Blink(en) And You Will Miss Him from 2021-12-10T07:30:10

Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore tells us what to expect ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Southeast ...

Najib Razak: One Last Chance In Federal Court? from 2021-12-09T08:30:57

Following former PM's Datuk Seri Najib Razak failure to overturn his conviction and sentence for seven charges on SRC International at the Court of Appe...

Labour Shortage Hampering The Economy from 2021-12-09T07:45:57

Datuk Wira Ameer Ali Mydin, President of Bumiputera Retailers Organisation shares with us the challenges and lack of action taken to address the labour ...

America, BFFs Say 'No' To China Winter Olympics from 2021-12-09T07:30:12

America, Australia, Canada and the UK will boycott the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, prompting another round of analyses on waning US-China ties...

Outstanding Questions On Malaysia's 5G Rollout from 2021-12-08T08:30

Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) announced this week that wholesale 5G services will be offered for free to mobile carriers during an initial trial roll-ou...

Covid, Making The Fight Against Cancer Harder from 2021-12-08T07:45

Cancer is the 2nd highest cause of death in the country but early detection improves the survival rate. But with Covid, has this been thwarted. Farahida...

Will GPS Retain Its Two-Thirds Majority In Sarawak? from 2021-12-07T08:30

With 349 candidates contesting in 82 seats in Sarawak's state election, we ask Dr Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs...

School Drop Outs Data Needs To Be More Granular from 2021-12-07T07:45

Shahnaz Al-Sadat, Chairperson of LeapEd Services gives her perspective on the recent education ministry announcement that since the first lockdown this ...

Can EU's Global Gateway Make Headway In Asia? from 2021-12-07T07:30

The EU has launched an infrastructure development project dubbed as the Global Gateway, which is branded as an alternative to China's Belt and Road Init...

Go And Get Tested from 2021-12-06T08:30

With the Health Ministry unveiling a set of new guidelines on the National Covid-19 testing strategy or NTS, Azrul Mohd Khalib from the Galen Centre pro...

STEM Is Losing STEAM from 2021-12-06T07:45

Professor Niaz Asadullah from University Malaya help us understand the severity of the shortages and the skill gaps in engineering in Malaysia as well a...

Grab's IPO Listing from 2021-12-06T07:30

Business commentator, Pankaj C Kumar unpacks Grab Holdings IPO which debuted Nasdaq via a SPAC on Thursday and does it have what it takes to go the dist...

Workers Needed But Migrant Workers Not The Solution from 2021-12-02T08:30

Despite chronic labour shortages in a number of key industry sectors, there remains no plan to legalise migrant workers currently, begging the question ...

As Oil Surges In Q3, So Too Petronas from 2021-12-02T07:45

With oil prices surging in the three months to September, Petronas appears to have turned the corner, but the wider issue of profit sustainability remai...

Fertilizer Driving Food Prices from 2021-12-02T07:30

As the prices for fertilizers surged around 200% and hurting farmers, we ask Chris Lawson, Head of Fertilizers of C.R.U Group whether he sees prices con...

What Selangor ADUNs Think About The 2022 State Budget from 2021-12-01T08:30

The Selangor state government has allocated RM2.34 billion for its 2022 budget, focusing on five key priority areas. We get reactions from assemblymen f...

Pandemic Impact On Clinical Waste from 2021-12-01T07:45

According to the Department of Statistics (DOSM), the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a marked increase in clinical waste from the use of test kits an...

It's Been A Wild Ride For Oil Prices from 2021-12-01T07:30

Oil prices are down by more than 20% from their highs. Matthew Darvin, Asia Regional Head of Sales at HedgePoint Global Markets tells us the reasons for...

PM Ismail Sabri's 100-Day Report Card from 2021-11-30T08:30

This week marks 100 days since Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri became the ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia. He came into office at the height of the Covid-19 ou...

VTL Reopens The Link Finally from 2021-11-30T07:45

The Johor-Singapore Causeway finally reopened thanks to the launch of the Vaccinated Travel Lane by land which allows 1400 people to travel daily. Is th...

What We Know About The Omicron Variant from 2021-11-30T07:30

The scientific community is racing to better understand the latest Covid-19 variant, dubbed Omicron that was first reported in South Africa. We discuss ...

Building Malaysia (Back) Better? from 2021-11-29T08:30

Datuk Seri Nazir Razak gives us a perspective on Better Malaysia Assembly as they request for the formation of a non-partisan assembly to propose reform...

2022 A Blockbuster Year For Malaysian IPOs? from 2021-11-29T07:45

Malaysia saw 13 Initial Public Offerings in the 1st half of this year creating a market capitalisation of RM1.5 billion on the Bursa Malaysia. A total o...

Forex Facing The Omicron Headwinds from 2021-11-29T07:30

The US Dollar had been already gaining strength prior to news of this Covid 19 variant, Omicron. But will emerging currencies face more headwinds over t...

Setting The Stage For The Sarawak State Elections from 2021-11-26T08:30

The Election Commission has set December 18th as polling day for the upcoming 12th Sarawak state election. More than 1.2 million voters will be eligible...

Can Universal Basic Pension Scheme Help Insufficient Retirement Funds? from 2021-11-26T07:45

As the median savings for all EPF members below age 55 stands at RM13,000, which translates to RM54 a month for their retirement years. We speak to Dr G...

Money And Power In Global Football: Yea or Nay? from 2021-11-26T07:30

Billions of dollars are pouring into English Premiership football, which naysayers are killing The Beautiful Game. Professor Simon Chadwick, D...

Can Households Cope With Rising Food Prices? from 2021-11-25T08:30

Food prices are rising in Malaysia, raising concerns that households, already struggling with the pandemic, cannot cope. 

Carmelo ...

Greater Community Support Needed For Ex-Prisoners from 2021-11-25T07:45

According to statistics from the Home Affairs Ministry, some 2 million prisoners have been released in Malaysia over the past decade. What are the chall...

Will Supply Chain Disruptions Spoil Christmas? from 2021-11-25T07:30

Professor Charles Fine, Dean of Asia School of Business gives us an update on whether the supply chain disruptions taking place globally is easing and w...

Bersih Soldiers On For Electoral Reform from 2021-11-24T08:30

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections or Bersih marked 15 years since its inception on 23 November 2021. Bersih started out focusing on issues of v...

Priority Is Clarity For National Energy Policy from 2021-11-24T07:45

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said that the National Energy Policy is in the final phase of development. ...

Family Drama Takes Centre Stage In Philippines' Elections from 2021-11-24T07:30

The next presidential elections in the Philippines' is shaping up to be a clash of clans. Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of current President Rodri...

New Narrative Needed for Pakatan Harapan from 2021-11-23T08:45

Following the disastrous results of the Melaka State election, will this prove to be a reflection point for Pakatan Harapan? And what will DAP do moving...

Get Your Booster Jabs from 2021-11-23T08:30

Dr. Abhimanyu Veerakumarasivam, Dean of School of Medical and Life Sciences at Sunway University helps us unpack the latest Covid developments in Malays...

How To Better Protect The Whistleblower In Malaysia from 2021-11-23T07:45

Studies from Transparency International have shown that whistleblowing is the most effective way of detecting serious wrongdoings such as corruption and...

US 1 Trillion Infrastructure Package from 2021-11-23T07:30

DJ Gribbin from Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners shares with us how the 1 trillion dollars infrastructure deal that was signed by President Biden will ...

Time For PKR To Do Some Soul Searching from 2021-11-22T08:45

PKR's Communications Director Fahmi Fadzil shares why Pakatan Harapan and PKR suffered a heavy defeat for the coalition and how can it recover in t...

BN's Emphatic Victory in Melaka from 2021-11-22T07:45

We ask UMNO's info chief, Shahril Hamdan about Barisan Nasional's emphatic victory in Melaka State election and whether this signifies the great comebac...

2022 Outlook: Clearer Skies For Parts Of ASEAN from 2021-11-22T07:30

The economic recovery story for ASEAN has been mixed at best this year, due to the resurgence of Covid-19 and slow vaccination rates across the region. ...

Najib RM100 million Land Bid Threatens Budget '22 and Malaysia Recovery from 2021-11-19T08:45

Convicted ex-PM Najib Razak's RM100m house and land request might splinter a fragile PH-Govt pact that PH says offered a chance of much-needed reform. A...

Final Stretch of Campaigning in Melaka from 2021-11-19T08:35

The Melaka state elections will be held on Saturday, 20th November, amidst muted campaigning due to pandemic restrictions. With multi-corner fights in a...

Lockdowns and the Impact on Kids' Mental Health from 2021-11-19T07:45

On the eve of Children's Day, Educational Psychologist Tan Cheng Yi addresses the challenges kids have been facing following nearly two years of lockdow...

Why We Need A Children's Ministry from 2021-11-19T07:35

The theme for this year's World Children's Day, observed on 20th November is "A better future for every child." What kind of policies are needed to ensu...

Melaka A Bellwether For UMNO's Comeback? from 2021-11-18T08:30

We ask Datuk Dr. Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, Director, Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA) how will UMNO fare in the Melaka state elections as the elections...

Malaysia Brain Drain Is Accelerating: Why? from 2021-11-18T07:45

Shareen Shariza Dato' Abdul Ghani, the managing director and Co-Founder of Sorga Innovation, the creators of gigxglobal.com, a talent platform for profe...

Malaysia's Delay in Ratifying CPTPP from 2021-11-18T07:35

We ask Dr Kati Suominen, CEO Nextrade Group on the latest progress on CPTPP, Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Whil...

Can DAP Broaden Appeal Beyond Its Typical Voter-Base? from 2021-11-17T08:30

Despite being the political party with the most seats in Parliament, DAP is often held up as the bogeyman for many Malay-based political parties. How ge...

Reversing Mindsets on Gender Equality from 2021-11-17T07:45

The findings of a Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) survey on attitudes concerning violence against women revealed a worrying lack of gender equality norms...

China-US Virtual Summit a Step-up in Engagement from 2021-11-17T07:35

We ask Chong Ja Ian, Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore on how significant the virtual face-to-face summit between President Bi...

The Game Plan For PAS from 2021-11-16T08:30