Morning Brief

Although Malaysia's economy shows promise post pandemic, it is also time to engage in economic reform with focus on improving fiscal sustainability and improving the level of social protection for the most vulnerable. Dr Apurva Sanghi, Lead Economist for Malaysia at the World Bank tells us how on the back of their recently released Malaysia Economic Monitor report. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

The Ministry of Finance recently issued its 2023 pre-budget statement highlighting the priorities of the government in its annual spending plans. We speak to Julia Goh of UOB Malaysia for hints on what to expect in Budget 2023. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The prefect storm of a war in Ukraine, supply chain shortages and rising energy cost is creating a sharp rise in food prices. We talk to Dr Paul Teng from the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University as to the consequence of this and what are the solutions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently eyebrows were raised over a RM30 million project to upgrade 200 lamp pole units for DBKL, leading to more questions about the procurement process between DBKL and the contracted parties, Ennova Sdn. Bhd. and subcontractor SCIB. Economist Dr. Nungsari Radhi helps to untangle the complexities of government procurement and the gaps in the process that need to be addressed to prevent mismanag...

The long-awaited Anti-Hopping Bill will finally be tabled during the Parliamentary sitting beginning 18th July. Will this bill put an end to the party hopping that has been part of Malaysian politics? Dr. Azmi Hassan, Senior Research Fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research gives us his analysis, while also diving into the prospects for Bersatu and the risk that it may see more defec...

Apple has announced a slew of hard-and-software upgrades at last week's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), sending waves of optimism that the tech behemoth is best-poised to weather the current storm among other tech players. Daniel Ives, Managing Director, Wedbush Securities, discusses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With inflation at record highs, what policy options does Bank Negara have and should out of the box options be considered? Woon Khai Jhek, Senior Economist at RAM Ratings weighs in and also discusses the possibility of stagflation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Shangri-La Security Dialogue returns to Singapore after a two-year hiatus, and all eyes will be on the competing narratives from the US and China on the future of the Indo-Pacific. We discuss expectations for the security summit with Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Veerinderjeet Singh, Chairman of Tricor Malaysia and the Immediate Past President of Malaysian Institute of Accountants explains what is the purpose of the Fiscal Reform Bill. We also dive into the necessity of reforming the taxation system and is this the right time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After two years of pandemic restrictions, Malaysia officially reopened most sectors of the economy on April 1st this year. However, do the twin headwinds of inflation and rising interest rates stifle recovery for SMEs? For a channel check on the state of the economy from the perspective of SMEs, we speak to Datuk William Ng, Chairman of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association (SAMENTA) on the...

With ESG investing growing at a rapid rate around the world, how has the trend been like in Malaysia? Are local companies adopting ESG values and framework fast enough? And how should they benchmark their standards and criteria to an international level? Leslie Yap of Nomura Asset Management Malaysia explains. Brought to you by Sun Life Malaysia . Your lifetime insurance and takaful partner. See o...

The Yen against the US Dollar is at a two decade low. Economic theory tells us that it's good for exports and equity markets but are there downsides? Vishnu Varathan, Head of Economics & Strategy, Mizuho Bank tells us his outlook whilst giving us the house view of the Yen in the short term. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is experiencing a shortage of common medicines across private clinics and pharmacies as a result of high demand and global supply chain issues. Dr. Koh Kar Chai, President, Malaysian Medical Association explains how the supply shortage could affect patient healthcare treatment if the situation is prolonged. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

With rising interest rates and a choppy equity market, will the PE market still be buoyant in 2022 for Asia? Tom Kidd from Bain & Company tells us what to look out for. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With GE15 expected to be called within the next year, reports of political maneuvering across different parties continue to percolate. We discuss the potential scenarios affecting major politicians and factors influencing Prime Minister Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri's decision on when to dissolve Parliament with political analyst Dr. James Chin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a confidence vote on Monday, but with 40% of Conservative MPs voting against him, his leadership position is far from secure. We discuss the likelihood of Boris Johnson staying in power with political expert Dr. Ben Wellings of Monash University. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Corruption is a widely acknowledged problem in the country, but how genuine and effective are measures to combat this issue? Former banker Tan Sri Nazir Razak recently suggested that Malaysia model anti-corruption efforts in Hong Kong, including an amnesty for mild corruption followed by a zero-tolerance approach. We discuss the best initiatives to tackle endemic corruption, as well as the costs o...

Last week, the Senior Minister of Education Datuk Radzi Jidin announced that the Form Three Assessment examination or PT3, which was introduced in 2014, will be abolished effective this year. Nina Adlan Disney, Executive Director of LeapEd tells us the consequence of such a decision and what are the challenges from its implementation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sunday June 5th was World Environment Day, but how genuine are government efforts to conserve the country’s natural heritage? This question comes up as yet another urban green lung, the Shah Alam Community Forest is under threat. We speak to Alicia Teoh of the SACF Society on why it's imperative to preserve the forest area and its rich ecosystem. For more information visit shahalamforest.org . See...

The streaming industry was thrown into turmoil when Netflix reported its first quarterly drop in subscribers in its last earnings report and warned of further subscriber losses in the near future. How will this impact the content development and growth strategy of media companies moving forward? We discuss the state of play with Geetha Ranganathan of Bloomberg Intelligence. See omnystudio.com/list...

Despite renewing a bilateral labour agreement in December 2021, the hiring of workers from Bangladesh has not resumed following suspension in 2018. Labour agents in Bangladesh object to the restriction of recruitment to 25 agencies selected by the Malaysian government, calling for open market access. How does this reflect on Malaysia's broader foreign labour policy? We discuss the issues at hand w...

Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi said that the coalition is ready for GE15 but Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri who is also Umno’s vice president indicated that he is in no rush to call for a general election anytime soon. So will GE15 be held by this year and how does this split in priorities impact the internal relations of UMNO and BN moving forward? Dr. Hamidin Abdul Hamid, Senior Fellow of Ilham...

The EU's ban on Russian oil ban is a rare show of unity among her 27 member states but economic constraints will test the limits of Western unity in future, says Dr Frederick Kliem, Research Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oil markets are under pressure as events this week heightened concerns over tighter supply, just as the summer travel season begins to kick-off. The EU announced further sanctions on Russian oil imports, while Shanghai came out of a two-month lockdown, raising expectations for higher demand. How will these developments impact oil markets in the short-to-medium term? Wayne Tan of Bloomberg NEF weig...

The international border of Malaysia reopened on April 1, but as travel demand rise, the hotel industry has been facing difficulties accommodating its guests due to manpower shortages. What’s driving this worker shortage issue and what are the solutions around it? Christina Toh, President of Malaysian Association of Hotels breaks it all down for us. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.co...