Morning Brief

With schools practically closed since March 2020, what will the impact be for Malaysian school-going children? Dr Niaz Asadullah, Southeast Asia Lead of the Global Labor Organisation, weighs in on what solutions should be considered and how we can narrow the parental divide that has a significant role in helping overcome the challenges of school closures. Image Credit: NAUFAL ZAQUAN / Shutterstock...

Sebastien Strangio unpacks how Myanmar's coup by the military junta will impact the country's future, as well as the geopolitical implications in the Asia Pacific region. Image Credit: Kan Sangtong / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some see the use of social media as the democratisation of financial markets, but with that comes its own risks, especially for the retail investor. Datuk Umar Swift, CEO of Bursa Malaysia Berhad, tells us what motivated a joint statement with the Securities Commission and whether we can expect to see more enforcement on this front to weed out illegal investment advisors. Image credit: Syahtuah Mo...

Devanesan Evanson, CEO of the Minority Shareholder's Watch Group, cautions investors to stay away from the GameStop-driven frenzy in glove stocks, reiterating the importance of investor education and not buying into short-term fads. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ed Clissold from Ned Davis Research explains whether this new army of Reddit retail investors has the potential to upend capital markets. Image Credit: Tada Images / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent Malaysian Insight poll found that 96% of the 2,000 respondents are upset with Perikatan Nasional, with only 4% satisfied with the way the government is handling the pandemic. Dr Hamidin Abd Hamid, Research Fellow at the Ilham Centre, dives into the possible reasons for this poll outcome and how it might affect PN's performance at the next general elections. Image Credit: xtock / Shutterst...

Hannah Yeoh, Segambut MP, celebrates the Court of Appeal's quashing of a development order by KL City Hall to develop Taman Rimba Kiara in TTDI, but remains aware that the road ahead is a long one. Image Credit: tamanrimbakiara.net See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Muhammad Mohan, President of Transparency International (TI) Malaysia, explains why Malaysia’s ranking has slipped in TI’s Corruption Perception Index 2020, and what the government must do to restore our reputation. He also warns that Malaysia’s score may drop further this year due to the emergency declaration. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Daniel Ives, Managing Director for Equities Research at Wedbush Securities, maintains a bullish position on Big Techs like Apple and Microsoft despite heightened antitrust concerns. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a new study conducted by mental health NGO RELATE Malaysia, it was revealed that youth suicide costs the country a staggering RM350 million a year. Given the tragic nature of this issue, and the fact that mental health issues are expected to worsen the longer the pandemic drags on, how should the government address this problem? We speak to Dr Chua Sook Ning, clinical psychologist and founder o...

The Sarawak government has announced its fifth special assistance package, the Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang 5.0, involving some RM405 million. But is this enough to ease the burden of Sarawakians, who are facing economic difficulties and flooding, in addition to the Covid-19 pandemic? For more insight, we speak to Dr Dayang Affizzah Awang Marikan, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics a...

The US has rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement under President Biden's administration, but what does it mean for the rest of the world? For some insight, we speak with Alizan Mahadi of ISIS Malaysia. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Covid-19 cases in excess of 3,000 a day have left Malaysians discouraged in the fight against the virus. Even as we wait to be immunised, pandemic fatigue appears to be setting in, so we reached out to Dr Helmy Haja Mydin, Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur Internal Medicine Specialist, to find out what options we have to effectively fight the virus together. Image Credit: fatmawati achmad zaenuri /...

Farah Shuhadah Razali, Partner at Zul Rafique & Partners, helps us understand the impact of the recent court ruling that a listed company has to be delisted when served with a winding-up order. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vietnam is choosing the country's leadership for the next five years, including the successor to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Dr Le Hong Hiep, Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, breaks down the process and also talks about Vietnam's potential relationship with the Biden administration. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second Movement Control Order caused much confusion among retailers, some of whom were allowed to open while others were not. But were retailers on the whole better prepared to face temporary closures this time around, or has it hit them harder than ever? For insight, we speak to Datuk Wira Ameer Ali Mydin, President of the Bumiputera Retailers Organisation and Vice President of the Malaysia R...

Dr Carmelo Ferlito, CEO at the Center for Market Education, discusses alternatives to imposing a total lockdown in Malaysia to balance economic and public health needs. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In line with International Education Day today, we tackle the ongoing issue of education amidst a pandemic. How are our children faring? Students on the cusp of major exams have gone back to school, where they will face the consequences of a year of interrupted study, while others continue to struggle with home-based learning. So for some insight into this issue, we speak to Melissa Gomes, co-foun...

President Biden has signed various executive orders ranging from immigration to the environment, most of which he had campaigned on. Which are the most significant, and what might have implications in the international community? The Morning Run speaks to Gorana Grgic at the United States Studies Centre based in the University of Sydney on this, as well as why Executive Orders are seen as controve...

Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim claims that most MPs are against the emergency proclamation, while calls are getting stronger for Dato’ Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to step down as president of Umno. Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, weighs in on the political situation in Malaysia. Image Credit: YuriAbas / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Simon Baptist rates Armin Laschet's chances of succeeding German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Image Credit: vasilis asvestas / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PIAM's Antony Lee explains the challenges in determining market price and premium for Covid medical treatment as well as how the general insurance industry is supporting the government. Image Credit: wan wei / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Selangor state government has announced its own stimulus package, valued at nearly RM74 million to mitigate the impact of MCO 2.0 on Selangor residents. Dr Juita Mohamad, Fellow at ISIS Malaysia, gives her views on whether it addresses the problems caused by the pandemic, as well as the state government's decision to procure 5 million vaccines on its own. Image Credit: ShamAn77 / Shutterstock....

Contrary to what many had expected, Bank Negara Malaysia decided to maintain the overnight policy rate (OPR) at 1.75%. Julia Goh, Senior Economist at UOB Malaysia, weighs in on this. Image Credit: kitzcorner / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated domestic violence cases, as the lockdown has made it harder for victims to escape their abusers. To find out whether we might see a recurrence of this and what is being done to alleviate such concerns, we speak with Natasha Dandavati, Head of Campaigns at the ‎Women's Aid Organisation (WAO). If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out to WAO vi...