Morning Brief

Tan Zhai Gen, Research Manager at the Asia School of Business, provides his perspective on whether the proposed initiatives under the Pemerkasa stimulus was meant to help the employer or the gig worker. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Bank has highlighted the need for Malaysia to diversify government sources of revenue, including broadening the tax base, in order to achieve its goal of becoming a high-income nation. What are the options available and what’s the appetite for tax reform? We discuss proposals for reform with tax expert Dr Veerinderjeet Singh. Image Credit: zesphiete / Shutterstock.com See omnystudi...

We speak to lawyer Andrew Khoo who gives his thoughts and concerns on the amount, discounts offered and applications of the RM10k fines imposed by the government for flouting pandemic-related regulations. Image Credit: MIFAS / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Juita Mohamad from ISIS Malaysia helps us unpack the recent RM20 billion PEMERKASA stimulus package announced by the Prime Minister and shares her concerns and challenges of execution, funding and designing effective initiatives. Image Credit: S.O / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several European countries like Germany and Italy have temporarily suspended the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccines over concerns that dozens of recipients of the shot have developed blood clots. So how concerning is this in the big picture? And how might it impact the public's trust in COVID-19 vaccines? For some insight, we speak with Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiolo...

According to the World Bank, Malaysia could transition into a high-income economy in the next five years. However, for this to become a reality, the country will have to undertake further reforms. For some insight into what this might entail, we speak with Richard Record, the World Bank's lead economist for Malaysia. Image Credit: OutdoorWorks / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

With travel bans still tightly in place globally, the aviation industry continues the struggle to survive. McKinsey Partner Steve Saxon gives us an update on how airports have been surviving this past year, and how they will need to adapt moving forward. Image Credit: Milosz Maslanka / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ho Siew Kei, Cyber Risk Executive Director of Deloitte Malaysia, answers our questions about cybersecurity, and whether current measures are really up to the mark when it comes to avoiding future data breaches. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following his election as US President, Joe Biden and his envoys are meeting Japan, India and Australia as members of an anti-China alliance known as the “Quad”, before engaging with top Chinese diplomats in Alaska at the highest-level face-to-face talks between the two sides since Biden took office. Dr Adrian Ang, Research Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at...

Dr Lau Cher Han, Chief Data Scientist at LEAD, briefs us on the features and efficacy of Malaysia's contact tracing app and the opportunities that could be tapped further. Image Credit: Ekahardiwito / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tan Hai Hsin, Managing Director of Retail Group Malaysia, dissects January retail sales data and offers a deeper dive into what many expect will be a recovery year for this much-beleaguered sector. Image Credit: Tooykrub / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite being ostensibly narrower than other fake news legislation, there's much to be concerned about with this latest ordinance, including its ambiguous interpretation and dearth of detail, according to Zaid Malek, Coordinator for Lawyers For Liberty. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are described as "one-of-a-kind" assets in the digital world that can be bought and sold like any other piece of property but have no tangible form of their own. Just as Bitcoin has been hailed as the digital answer to currency, this new star in the cryptocurrency world is seen as the future of collectibles. For a view on whether this is the next big thing or a bubble wa...

With Xavier Jayakumar's defection to 'govt-friendly independent', Dr Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, observes that Anwar Ibrahim's PKR is looking increasingly fractured, boding poorly for the national political landscape. Image Credit: Ismiza binti Ishak / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh, President of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia, discusses how private hospitals could get involved in the nationwide vaccination programme while addressing inequity concerns that the rich will be prioritised over the poor and vulnerable. Image Credit: siam.pukkato / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Myanmar's death toll continues to rise as the military cracks down hard on protests across the country. More than 60 protesters have reportedly been killed and 2,000 detained since the February 1st coup, which saw the military seize power from the fledgeling democratic government. With unrest showing no signs of abating, is it still possible for there to be a peaceful resolution in Myanmar? We spe...

It appears that work from home with flexi-options is here to stay post-pandemic. Sharmini Ann Jacob, Executive Director at People and Change in KPMG Malaysia, discusses the permanent shift, and suggests ways to measure and track productivity as well as navigate challenges. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the US, Congress has just passed a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill to aid those affected by the pandemic. But markets are concerned that massive fiscal spending will trigger inflation, sending 10-year Treasury yields above 1.6%. So to understand the effect the stimulus bill will have on the US economy and bond markets, we speak to Padhraic Garvey, Regional Head of Research for the Americas at ING F...

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has just concluded a 4-day visit to Saudi Arabia, from which we have reports that Saudi will be adding 10,000 places to Malaysia's haj quota. But more than that, does this signal a return to a more cordial Malaysia-Saudi relationship? What might Saudi Arabia have to gain from that? We speak to Anis Huszainey, Researcher at the Institute of Strategic and Inte...

Siti Aiysyah Tumin, Research Associate at Khazanah Research Institute, discusses the structural reasons behind why young people are not saving enough and running up high credit card debts, whether the minimum wage should be raised, and the government’s mixed messages - encouraging people to save but at the same time loosening the criteria for EPF withdrawals. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com S...

Chern Yeh Kwok, Deputy Head of Asia Pacific Equities at Aberdeen Standard Investments, discusses his outlook for the Japanese economy and sector picks, as well as the impact of the Tokyo Olympics. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Former Minister of Health and Chair of Selangor Task Force on Covid-19, discusses the pace of the Covid-19 vaccination and the reasons why Selangor is the slowest state in vaccinating its residents. Image Credit: Hezril Ismail / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pakatan Harapan has started its seat negotiation process, gearing up to face the next general election. But with the country's political landscape in flux, and UMNO now split from Bersatu, will the Opposition coalition stand a chance at the polls? Should they work together with UMNO to take on Bersatu? We speak to political scientist Wong Chin Huat to find out. Image Credit: YuriAbas / Shutterstoc...

Why have Asian countries been slower to roll-out vaccines compared to counterparts in the West or the Middle East? We find out from Steve Cochrane, Chief APAC Economist at Moody’s Analytics, who also discusses the implications of a fragmented global rollout. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A coalition of NGOs has started a ‘Kakak Juga Perkerja’ campaign, fighting for domestic helpers to be recognised as formal workers and urging the government to amend the Employment Act 1955 which exempts them from certain basic labour rights available to domestic workers. For more insight, The Morning Run speaks with Irene Xavier, Executive Director of Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor...