Morning Brief

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is in the midst of calling for an investigation on Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), the government entity tasked for the 5G rollout in Malaysia. Part of the review will be on the tender process which was perceived to not be done in a transparent manner. New Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil also assured that the current 5G rollout will still con...

Segambut MP, Hannah Yeoh, as the newly appointed Minister of Youth and Sports has said that she will not introduce new programmes or policies but instead work with what is already in place. We speak to Haresh Deol, Editor of the online portal twentytwo13.my as to what her priorities will be nonetheless and whether sports in the country needs a shake up. Image credit: Kementerian Belia dan Sukan Ma...

Indonesian lawmakers have ratified changes to its colonial-era criminal code that impose bans on insulting the President and state institutions, views that contradict state ideology, protests without a permit, sex outside marriage and non-marital cohabitation. Dr Ross Tapsell, Senior Lecturer at Australian National University tells us why the government wants to impose these laws and what it means...

With growing calls from all quarters to relook and even pull out from the CP-TPP that was ratified by the Dato Sri Ismail Sabri administration, Professor Rajah Rasiah from Universiti Malaya outlines the challenges and complexities that come with this controversial agreement. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jerald Joseph, Director of Pusat KOMAS and former SUHAKAM commissioner outlines the policies and personnel actions that the new Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution must prioritise. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A year ago, global manufacturing activity took a huge hit no thanks to supply chain bottlenecks that were exacerbated by Covid induced factory shutdowns. This reversed in early 2022 with recovery in demand and the revenge shopping phenomenon. However, with rising inflation and a global economic slowdown, can Asia Pacific still see strong manufacturing activity as financial conditions tighten? For...

Klang Valley residents have had to endure long commutes on roads and on trains. Is this due to our flawed transportation model? What should the priorities of our new Minister of Transport be? We ask Dr Rosli Khan, Transport Consultant, that question. Image credit: Anthony Loke Siew Fook / Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week marks the first working week for Dato' Sri Anwar Ibrahim's administration, in the new reality where Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional are on the same rather than opposing sides of the aisle. The PH-BN cooperation is also being displayed in the Padang Serai and Pulau Tioman by-elections. Will this fragile alliance survive the Umno party elections? Political analyst Dr. Azmi Hassan weig...

Oil prices had a good run in 2022 but it has given up all of its gains and is flat YTD at under US$80 per barrel. Meanwhile, the Group of Seven nations, Australia and the 27 European Union states imposed a US$60 per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil this week. Will this price cap work and how will Russia retaliate? Also, what does this mean for oil prices especially with China looking...

The recent appointment of first time elected MP Fadhlina Sidek as the new Minister of Education certainly raised some eyebrows. Many wonder if the first time MP and minister is able to tackle many challenges afflicting the ministry, ranging from reading proficiency, learning poverty and effect of lockdowns on learning. For reactions and recommendations for the new minister, we speak to Shahnaz Al-...

Protesters in Iran have called for a three-day strike this week amid conflicting reports that the nation’s “morality police” had been shut down. The Iranian attorney-general reportedly made these comments on Sunday; however this has yet to be officially corroborated by state media. Street demonstrations have been ongoing in Iran since September, triggered by the death in custody of 22-year-old Kur...

ESG considerations are driving many capital investment decisions and fueling a demand for green financing. How is AmBank Group rising to the challenge of aiding the ESG transition for customers? We speak to Eqhwan Mokhzanee, CEO of Ambank Islamic and AmBank Group's Sustainability Champion to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much of the analysis post-GE15 has been focused on the changing support base of Malay-based parties. However the elections have also seen detrimental outcomes for two major Chinese-based parties, namely MCA and Gerakan. Gerakan, which had aligned itself with Perikatan Nasional, lost in all 20 seats it contested, while MCA fared slightly better, winning two out of 44 seats contested. What does this...

Malaysia will be launching the long-awaited Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) Exchange on December 9 to drive the nation's environmental change and sustainable goals. How will the VCM be structured, how successful will it be and what will the take up be like? Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago, Chinese authorities unveiled their most comprehensive rescue package to-date in a bid to salvage the ailing property sector. But the sector is still seeing a persistent slump in home sales as well as home prices. In November, the 100 biggest real estate developers witnessed a 26% y-o-y drop in new home sales, while new home prices fell 1.6% y-o-y, its biggest slump since 2015. Wha...

Since Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was appointed Malaysia’s 10th prime minister, a lot of attention has been drawn to the congratulatory gestures from dignitaries throughout the world. While these gestures are an encouraging sign towards the international recognition of Anwar’s leadership, how exactly does it impact the dynamics of Malaysia’s international relations and enhance bilateral negotiations?...

Many important positions such as the IGP, MACC head and Judicial Appointments Commission members are decided by the Prime Minister. Surendra Ananth, Deputy Chairperson at Malaysian Bar Law Reform and Special Areas Committee tells us why these appointments should be independent of the executive branch of the government, in particular the Prime Minister. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com...

According to the World Bank’s 2018 Logistics Performance Index (LPI) score, Singapore stands out in ASEAN’s top country in terms of its logistic infrastructure and is also comparable with the EU. While Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand also stacked up fairly well in ASEAN, they are still lacking globally. Malaysia’s logistics sector is expected to expand at a >4% CAGR over 2022-2027, fuelled by...

PAS, the conservative Islamist party which won the most seats in GE15, has gone on the offensive against the government of day. Adib Zalkapli, Director at BowerGroupAsia tells us why and how the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's government should counter this narrative. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speculation is rife that Malaysia's 10th Prime Minister will be appointing his cabinet soon but with 19 political parties in this coalition and a promise of a slimmer administration, who should be appointed? Datuk Dr Rais Hussin, Chief Executive Officer at Emir Research tells us what should be the criteria and important characteristics of these Malaysians that will lead the government. Image credi...

Taiwan’s local elections resulted in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, suffering its worst defeat in 36 years, holding on to only 5 out of 22 municipalities, down from 6 in 2018. The main opposition party, Kuomintang, or KMT, rose to victory in the mayoral and county elections, winning 13 of the 21, including the capital Taipei. What were the issues DPP was being punished for and do...

Newly minted Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently chaired a special meeting of the 2022 National Action Council on the Cost of Living. He has set a two-week deadline to come up with a proposal on targeted subsidies and their implications. Malaysia is estimated to spend a record RM80 billion this year on subsidies with the largest being for fuel and cooking oil. How quickly and in what...

Chinese authorities have stepped up its presence in cities across China to clamp down on protestors following a series of demonstrations which turned political over the weekend. The protests come after a fire in a high-rise block in Urumqi, western China, killed 10 people last Thursday. Clara Ferreira Marques, a columnist with Bloomberg Opinion, talks about where these protests which have gone onl...

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is making it his mission to no longer approve procurements without tenders as a way to prevent leakages and corruption. This is not without its challenges as transparency and legislation for procurement has always been in question, along with exceptions in place to allow for direct negotiations. Sri Murniati Yusuf, Deputy Research Director, Institute for Dem...

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is Malaysia's 10th prime minister, 24 years after he was sacked as deputy by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Today, his Pakatan Harapan coalition is leading the new administration but only as a result of all MPs except those from Perikatan Nasional declaring their support, effectively giving him 148 seats or a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Maha Balakrishnan, Parliamentary Co...