Morning Brief

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 designation has been long-anticipated by many and advocates think that this would bolster efforts to hold the junta accountable. Hunter Marston, Researcher at Australian National University tells us more. Image...

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 back of a triumphant general assembly, we speak to UMNO Youth Chief Dato' Dr. Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki on the state of unity within the party and why he's advocating for GE15 sooner rather than later. Image...

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 government has when it comes to repaying its foreign debt and how dire the economic situation is. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 are 400 walk in vaccination centers? Dato’ Dr Musa Mohd Nordin, Consultant Paediatrician tells us how we can improve the vaccination rate and why it's important for all children to do so. Image credit: Shut...

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 stark contrast to previous years, coming on the back of triumphant wins in the Johor and Melaka state elections. We discuss the key takeaways from the political summit with Adib Zalkapli of BowerGroupAsia. Ima...

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 of 5.3%. As we head into the endemic phase, has Malaysia's policy response been sufficient to minimize economic scarring? We discuss the economic reforms needed with Tricia Yeoh of IDEAS. Image credit: Shut...

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 learning outcomes dependent on the availability of technology equipment, internet access and parental supervision. What are the lessons learned from lockdown learning? We discuss policy considerations for ed...

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 whilst making recommendations for the future. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 will turn to cryptocurrencies to bypass the sanctions imposed. Varun Mittal, Chief Growth Officer of Singlife with Aviva and author of Singapore: The Fintech Nation tells us more. Image credit: Unsplash.com S...

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 to be shared by the government and the open tender in May, we ponder on what can be improved upon to ensure that the project is future-proofed. Chung Yi Fan, Independent Transport Policy Analyst shares his...

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. According to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri, the decision was a difficult one to make, as it involves citizens’ retirement funds. But what are the consequences of this? Pankaj C Kumar, Business Commentator...

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 the situation is like on the ground and why things went so wrong. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 two years since borders were shut in March 2020. We catch-up with Nigel Wong of MATTA on the outlook for travel and tourism in light of the reopening. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listene...

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: https://rafiziramli.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also allegedly received USD756 million dollars from the same bond deal. P. Gunasegaram, Independent Writer and Consultant tells us if any of these revelations were...

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 environment. How much awareness of and action on ocean preservation is there in the Asia Pacific region? Charles Goddard, Editorial Director with Economist Impact tells us more. Image credit: Shutterstock....

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 investments into the country. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Secretary to Lim Kit Siang, DAP helps us answer these questions. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 track them down and seize their assets. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 shares his views, and it may not be as straightforward as we think. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 obstacles. Just before the weekend, it was announced by the EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell that the talk in Vienna has been suspended due to external factors. Dr. James Dorsey, Senior Fellow, Middle Eas...

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 a more targeted fuel and cooking oil subsidy mechanism. But will a targeted fuel and cooking oil subsidy mechanism effective in optimising our resources? Dr. Juita Mohamad, Director of Economics and Busines...

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 views. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, contesting in 4 seats. Haniza Mohamed Talha, Johor state election director and deputy president of Parti Bangsa Malaysia tells us what the party stands for and its chances this election. See omnystudio.com/li...

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 one seat in Kota Iskandar state seat where we will see a five-cornered fight. How does PSM plan to champion through? R. Arangkannal, PSM's one and only candidate and contesting for Kota Iskandar seat tells...