Morning Brief

Former Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Razak is likely to be  disqualified as a Member of Parliament for Pekan within 14 days of his Federal Court conviction if he doesn't seek a royal pardon. What are the implications of Najib vacating his seat for Umno? We discuss the scenarios with political expert Dr. Hamidin Abdul Hamid, and also get his reactions to the Rembau MP Khairy Jamaludin forgoin...

In an effort to woo wealthy foreign investors to Malaysia, the government has launched the Premium Visa Programme (P-VIP), which will be open for applications on 1 October. We get reactions to this policy from Shaun Cheah of Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sri Lanka’s disgraced former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa returned to Colombo on Friday, less than two months after he fled during the nation’s worst economic crisis in memory. In the meantime, there is a potential USD2.9b loan from the IMF. We speak to Anushka Wijesinha, economist and Co-Founder of Centre for a Smart Future, a think tank based in Sri Lanka for an update on these latest developmen...

The Aug 31st deadline has come and gone for Malaysia's 6 main mobile network operators to agree and finalise terms on equity stakes in a state-controlled 5G single wholesale network run by Digital Nasional Bhd. There is confirmation that U Mobile will not be pursuing this option, while Maxis is reportedly likely to opt out, leaving DNB with 4 takers. Alexander Wong, Managing Editor at SoyaCincau e...

The Chinese economy is facing its biggest challenges since the Great Financial Crisis of 2008. Gary Ng, APAC Economist at Natixis tells how the government intends to overcome the slowdown and what policy tools its has at its disposal. Image credit: shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and her husband the former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak are now convicted felons. Rosmah was found guilty on all three counts of corruption in connection with the RM1.25 billion Sarawak rural schools’ solar energy project. She faces a 10-year jail sentence and a RM970 million fine, the highest for a corruption case. Tom Wright, co-author of Billion Dollar Whale, b...

As concerns over Covid-19 wane, Europe is expected to recover 70% of pre-pandemic travel demand in 2022. The recovery could be attributed to the EU Digital COVID Certificate which helped ease the process of travelling between EU members. Back in 2020 when the pandemic first hit, ASEAN countries did consider an intra-ASEAN travel corridor but it never came into being. And while touri...

The Department of Statistics Malaysia revealed that more than 70 percent of post-SPM students do not intend to continue with their studies after SPM and STPM. We ask YB Teo Nie Ching, Former Deputy Minister of Education and MP for Kulai what is deferring students from furthering their studies and what actions need to be taken to resolve this. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

The summer of 2022 saw major, sustained drought over the globe, from Europe to China to the United States and Africa, with dire ramifications ranging from energy shortages to food insecurity. Dr. Mariam Zachariah, Research Associate working with the World Weather Attribution initiative, at the Grantham Institute for Climate change and the Environment of Imperial College London helps us understand...

The Human Ministry has delayed the implementation of certain amendments to the Employment Act. Why especially since these were already debated in parliament more than a year ago? Dr Niaz Asadullah, Southeast Asia Lead at the Global Labor Organisation, Professor of Economics at Monash University Malaysia gives us the answers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Malaysia be dominated by coalition politics? Is it good or bad for Malaysia? Dr Tricia Yeoh, CEO, IDEAS shares her perspectives and reflections following 3 years of coalition politics in Malaysia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In June, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri said that the government is reviewing 147 laws deemed obsolete but should we not also consider archaic laws that do not reflect the current times and infringe on our civil liberties? Dato’ Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, Constitutional Lawyer helps us define what archaic is and what needs reforming. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following an eventful weekend for Malaysia’s political landscape with several major parties holding conventions, we get some thoughts from Ibrahim Suffian, Programme Director, Merdeka Center on how the different political alliances are preparing for GE15 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest producer of oil is changing as it’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tries to reduce its reliance on oil revenue. Will the initiatives bear fruit? Toby Iles, Head of Middle East and Africa Sovereigns at Fitch Ratings gives us an update on this. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Khoo Yoong Khean, Scientific Officer, Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness gives us an update on why Singapore is opting to go maskless indoors and also lessons that need to be learnt with 1 million people still dying from Covid this year despite the availability of vaccines and booster shots. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the Federal Court dismissed Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s final appeal over his sentence and conviction in the SRC International case, mentions of royal pardon have been garnering attention. Edmund Bon, Lawyer from Amer Bon Advocates tells us how the process work and if reform that is required. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Thailand’s constitutional court suspending prime minister Prayuth Chan-O-Cha from official duty while it considers a legal challenge to his 8 year term limit, Dr Michael Montesano, coordinator of the Thailand Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute tells us the implications of this and could this country call for early elections See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

As government policy is important and is the foundation to catalysing change, businesses also need to adapt. With a mindset change that taking on a green transition is not a lose-lose situation Datin Seri Sunita Rajakumar, Chairperson of Climate Governance Malaysia tells us how businesses should pivot. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in prison for 12 years, it is now time for all political parties to reassess their positions. How will Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan and the other parties use this new development to their advantage going into the 15th General Election that must be held by next year. Dr Azmi Hassan, Senior Research Fellow, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Resear...

Datuk Seri Najib Razak is finally in prison serving his 12-year jail sentence after just over 4 years since he was first charged for misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International funds. This was the result of judges at the KL High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court, all unanimously finding the former Prime Minister guilty. Transparency International Malaysia President, Dr Muhamm...

With an energy crisis, all time high inflation and weak currencies, is Europe and the UK in a recession already? Craig Erlam, Senior Market Analyst at OANDA tells us and if there are still nonetheless investment opportunities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More details continue to emerge on the Ministry of Defence's award in 2011 of a RM9 billion contract to Boustead Naval Shipyard for six littoral combat ships. PKR MP for Subang, Wong Chen, helps us sift through some of these details and how this scandal might shape the trajectory of GE15 similar to how 1MDB did for GE14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BFM’s news team had been present at the Federal Court since the start of the appeal last Monday until the departure of the former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in a black SUV that drove him to Kajang prison where he started serving his 12 year sentence. Sheryll Paul, News Writer & Producer at BFM 89.9 tells us what the situation was like on the ground. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

It has been 6 months since Russia invaded Ukraine. We talk to Denys Mykhailiuk, the Chargé d'Affaires at the Ukrainian Embassy, on the country's 31st Independence Day to find out what is the way forward and if peace is ultimately achievable. Image credit: Tumofiy / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The SRC International corruption trial has ended with the Federal Court upholding Dato' Seri Najib Razak's 12-year prison sentence and RM210 million fine. Dr James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania, breaks down what this means for Umno and Malaysia, with the 15th General Election just up ahead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.