Morning Brief

Dr Muhammad Mohan, President of Transparency International-Malaysia gives his perspective on the lack of transparency following the recent revival of multi-billion ringgit oil & gas project in Sabah and how the Government needs to improve disclosure of mega products in the future. Image credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We ask Dr. Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs  on whether the unprecedented move by ASEAN to  bar Myanmar’s military chief General Min Aung Hlaing from attending the ASEAN summit will spur the junta to seek a resolution to the political crisis in Myanmar.  Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oil prices have rallied from the bleak pandemic period, but the recovery is not even across the industry, with many in the oil & gas services and equipment sector (OGSE) struggling to stay afloat. At the same time there is a global shift to sustainable energy, which does pose an existential threat to the sector overall in the long-term. Is the Malaysian industry prepared for this eventuality,...

Dr Azmil Tayeb, a Political Scientist from Universiti Sains Malaysia. explains if electronic voting is the way forward and whether it is secure enough and can it replace paper ballots and the purple ink on our thumb? Image credit: Lens Hitam / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Dorsey from S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies explains recent tension between Turkey and the West as President Erdogan has been putting pressure to expel ten ambassadors from the EU and the US over the detention of activist Osman Kavala.  Image credit:  Sasa Dzambic Photography / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the economy reopens under the National Recovery Plan, retailers are attempting to catch up for lost revenue in the remaining few months of the year. With Budget 2022 being tabled this Friday, we ask Tan Hai Hsin of Retail Group Malaysia what retailers need from the government to tide them through this challenging year whilst promoting recovery. Brought to you by Mah Sing. Image credit: Shutters...

Singapore recently launched its Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs), which allows for quarantine-free travel between certain countries. Malaysia is also looking to reopen Langkawi to foreign tourists in mid-November. How soon could we see further restrictions on international travel lifted? We discuss the scenarios with aviation analyst Brendan Sobie. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

With an acceptance that we have to live with Covid 19, what policies and strategies should Malaysia adopt? Is a National Testing policy key to this?  Dr. Vinod Balasubraniam, Senior Lecturer and Co-Lead, Infection and Immunity Research Strength, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine & Health Sciences tells us his views. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

We ask political commentator James Chin to address rife speculation that the Sarawak state assembly might be dissolved soon to make way for an election, as well as the recent developments on MA63. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin this week said that the government will implement a National Digital Identity system by 2024. The National Digital Identity roll-out is part of the government’s ambitious MyDigital Blueprint launched earlier this year, with the aim of ensuring flexible and secure online transactions as well as reducing administrative costs while delivering more effic...

Dr. Sarena Che Omar from Khazanah Research Institute explains how the energy crunch is also affecting the price of fertilizer and how severe the effect will be on rice production and prices. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysians who are eligible to receive Covid-19 booster shots have started to receive their jabs last week, with the roll-out beginning in Sarawak. How are third doses being administered and could this be extended to the rest of the population? We discuss this issue and other challenges of post-pandemic living with Azrul Mohd Khalib of the Galen Centre. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudi...

The pandemic has triggered a dramatic increase in the number of Malaysians entering the gig economy, either by choice or forced by circumstances. Although they enjoy flexibility in their job, there are concerns on the labour rights for gig workers. As there have been calls to amend the Employment Act 1955 that was drafted over 60 years ago, what changes are needed to benefit the gig workers in the...

Tamma Febrian from Fitch Ratings guides us to how digital banks are transforming the landscape of the banking sector, how profitable will they be, and how it will impact the incumbent traditional banks. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Election Commission has decided that polling day for the Malacca state election will be held on November 20th, with nomination day set for November 8th. As the various coalitions negotiate on their candidates for the 28 seats at stake, we discuss the political dynamics within Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional, and which side has the upper hand with political commentator Dr. Oh Ei Sun. Ima...

The courts have given permission to several high profile figures undergoing trials for the temporary return of their passports for travel abroad, including former Prime Minister Datuk Sri Najib Razak and his spouse, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor as well as Umno President Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi. These decisions are raising eyebrows, given that all three are facing corruption charges - does this set an...

Fahmi Fadzil, MP for Lembah Pantai sheds light on the complex challenges of urban developments in KL and shares with us the issues his residents want the government and DBKL to fix urgently. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christina Zhu from Moody's Analytics explains how China's Q3 GDP numbers have lost its steam due to recently reporting an economic growth of just 4.9% as the energy crisis, Covid-19, and the property crisis looms large. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jerald Joseph from SUHAKAM explains whether Malaysia's election to the United Nations Human Rights Council is an opportunity to bolster its human rights credentials at home. Image credit:  Giorgio Caracciolo / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick Diamond from Queen Mary University of London helps unpack a Covid-19 report by UK MPs highlighting the country’s failure to do more to stop the virus from spreading early in the pandemic. Image credit: groovelanddesigns / Pixabay.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global supply chain disruptions are expected to last until at least next year. And according to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, Malaysia has not been spared. Alvin Chua, President, Federation of Malaysian Freight Forwarders tells us the issues on the ground whilst giving us his opinion on the Bumi equity issue for his industry. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/liste...

James Teo, Transport & Logistics Analyst from Bloomberg gives us a sense on whether airline stocks are worth investing now after more than a year of struggle, as airlines in Asia-Pacific are finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Image credit: Pixabay.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeremy Lim from Persatuan Pemilik Restoran dan Bistro shares his perspectives on the challenges faced by the F&B industry from the pandemic and how recovery will look for eateries and restaurants as we finish the final stretch of 2021. Image credit: Farrel Arissa / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The supply chain crunch may have caused Apple to dial in iPhone sales targets but that doesn't detract from its long term potential, says Dan Ives, Managing Director of Wedbush Securities. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Langkah Sheraton in February 2020 has unfortunately set a precedent for change of government outside of the typical electoral process, exacerbated by the pandemic situation. How can we strengthen our parliamentary framework to prevent the democratic process being held hostage by the whims of politics? We discuss the Melaka state elections and parliamentary reforms with Thomas Fann of Bersih 2.0. I...