Morning Brief

Dr Hamidin Abd Hamid from the Ilham Centre helps us unpack the hybrid Parliament, Sarawak elections, party elections and the implications of the Agong’s meeting with the political leaders in the lead up to the special conference of rulers happening next week. Image Credit: Migel | Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India is tentatively re-opening its economy, though the Modi administration remains under fire for what critics say has been an 'irrational' vaccine rollout program. Sanjay Mathur, Chief Economist for Southeast Asia and India, ANZ Bank, explains. Image Credit: Mr Subir Halder / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Finance Ministers of the most advanced economies agree to tackle tax avoidance and commit to a significant overhaul of the taxation regime, we speak to Simon Baptist from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) who helps us unpack how this far-reaching deal impacts big tech players and nations, both big and small. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

As Finance Ministers of the most advanced economies agree to tackle tax avoidance and commit to a significant overhaul of the taxation regime, we speak to Simon Baptist from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) who helps us unpack how this far-reaching deal impacts big tech players and nations, both big and small. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

Teong Teck Lean, president of the Association of Malaysian Express Carriers discusses the impact of the pandemic on the fast-growing courier industry and shares his perspective on the effectiveness of PAKEJ, the government's latest plan to improve sustainability and service standards of operators. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In conjunction with World Ocean's Day, Dr. Loh Jiun-Yan, Assistant Professor at UCSI University describes the challenges faced by the Malaysian fishing industry, efforts taken to improve sustainability, and the short term assistance offered during the pandemic Image Credit: Image Credit: OlegD / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Joe Biden signed an executive order banning 59 Chinese companies with ties to China’s military or were in the surveillance industry. How will China retaliate and what does this mean for already fraught US-China ties? Brock Silvers, Chief Investment Officer of Kaiyuan Capital tells us. Image Credit: rawf8 | Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Abrar Anwar, Managing Director, and CEO of Standard Chartered Malaysia discusses steps to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities including the move to cloud-based banking and working with fintechs to stay nimble. This report is in collaboration with Standard Chartered Malaysia. Image Credit: vs148 | Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Nungsari Radhi, economist discusses the government’s fiscal ability and options to provide aid during this pandemic, and how to strengthen the independence of GLC boards in light of political-linked appointments. Image Credit: Kelvin Shutter / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Green bonds have been gaining traction in the past few years but just how sustainable is this growth? The Morning Run speaks to Cedric Rimaud, ASEAN Programme Manager with the Climate Bonds Initiative, about this, but also the challenges going forward, the role of green bonds in the sustainable agenda, and concerns over greenwashing. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

The audit debacle between engineering firm Serba Dinamik and external auditor KPMG has turned the spotlight once again onto Malaysia's corporate governance standards. Particularly, this has raised questions over the role of independent directors in cases like these, and whether that role is changing as minority shareholders make their voices heard more than ever. We speak to David Berry, Depu...

Countries around the world are scrambling to get their populations inoculated against the Covid-19 virus. But many less economically developed countries are still struggling with their rollouts, and are reliant on the Covax facility, run by the World Health Organisation. We speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the University of Hong Kong for an update on the...

Countries around the world are scrambling to get their populations inoculated against the Covid-19 virus. But many less economically developed countries are still struggling with their rollouts, and are reliant on the Covax facility, run by the World Health Organisation. We speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the University of Hong Kong for an update on the...

RHB Bank and Boost under Axiata are forming a consortium to apply for a digital banking license. Vincent Fong, Chief Editor at Fintech News discusses the merits of this deal, and how traditional banks will survive in this new landscape. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marhalim Abbas, defence writer discusses the government’s response to China sending 16 military aircrafts toward Malaysia, and how else could we stand up against the superpower. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council issued a statement yesterday saying the RM5 billion direct fiscal injection under the Pemerkasa+ aid package is inadequate. They proposed instead a RM45 billion aid package to soften the impact of a total lockdown- so we speak to Subang MP Wong Chen, about what that plan would look like. Image Credit:  Try_my_best / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio...

China recently decided to allow families to have three children. Xing Zhaopeng, Senior China Strategist at ANZ Research discusses the challenges, possible measures, and implications if China fails to raise birth rates. Image Credit: StreetVJ | Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About 1,000 private hospitals and GPs are expected to help the government administer the Covid-19 vaccine. This number could increase further as there are 8,000 GPs. Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh, President of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM) discusses their involvement while the biggest challenge remains in securing enough vaccine supply. Image Credit: Djohan Shahrin | Shutterstock...

With the imposition of a total lockdown for two weeks nationwide, how will members of the B40 community survive the loss of income and economic vulnerability that will result? Enter the Pemerkasa+ aid package, which is the government's attempt to ease the impact of the lockdown on the B40 group- but how effective is it? We speak to Dr. Juita Mohamad, Fellow from Institute of Strategic & Intern...

Last week, SME Association of Malaysia warned that 40% of SMEs will shut down if government imposes full lockdown. The Morning Run speak to Chin Chee Seong, Vice President of the SME Association of Malaysia, on the potential damage to SMEs from the lockdown and whether Pemerkasa+ is enough to help them survive. Image Credit: Chaton Chokpatara / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

Datuk Dr Musa Mohd Nordin, Consultant Paediatrician discusses the merits of the 2-week lockdown, and potential complementary measures to strengthen the government’s fight against the pandemic. Image Credit: AkuAlip | Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday night announced RM40 billion in economic package, of which RM5 billion is direct fiscal injection. Pankaj C. Kumar, financial market columnist, makes a case for increasing spending and its impact on our debt yield and ratings, and the Ringgit. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong unveiled the plan to contain Covid-19 and support the economy. Selena Ling, Chief Economist at OCBC discusses the economic impact as well as how realistic the plan is to ease restrictions from 14th June, and that every adult resident could be vaccinated by 9th August, National Day. Image Credit: Hit1912 / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/liste...

Since the state of emergency was declared in January, the number of daily Covid-19 cases recorded in the country has almost tripled. Amid mounting public anger over the government's handling of the situation, we speak to X to find out whether Perikatan Nasional will be able to survive the pandemic with its hold on government intact. Image Credit: MUHAMMAD IZZAT TERMIZIE / Shutterstock.com See...

After courtroom and boardroom dramas unfolded across ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell Plc, there are those who question the long-term future of companies in the oil and gas industry. With growing pressure on these international oil majors to adhere to climate change agreements, we speak to Yong-Liang Por, Consultant of the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis (IEEFA) for insight i...