Morning Brief

2020 was initially thought to be a transformative year for Malaysia's regional security outlook, but the twin crises of politics and a pandemic have dampened that outlook somewhat. We speak to Thomas Daniel, Senior Analyst at ISIS Malaysia, about Malaysia's defence positioning in the region, key issues, and its 'strategic wiggle room' when it comes to the South China Sea. Image Credit: noraismail...

Budget 2021 has been passed in the Dewan Rakyat by a razor-thin margin - 111 MPs in favour and 108 against, with one absentee. Considering this result is a far cry from the one promised by Pakatan Harapan, we ask Dr Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute, what this result says about the leadership of both Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tan...

Now that President-elect Joe Biden has sealed his presidency, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has acknowledged Biden's victory, what's next for the Democrats, Republicans, and Trump? The Morning Run speaks to Robert Shapiro, Professor of Government at Columbia University, to find out. Image Credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has pledged to create 500,000 jobs through the JanaKerja scheme, but how realistic is this target? The Morning Run finds out from Dr Amanina Abdur Rahman, Economist at World Bank, Malaysia. She also discusses where jobs might be created, whether the government's priorities are on the right track, how it can encourage private-sector hiring, and how it should reset its labour policies...

Will the rollback of economic stimulus packages lead to a prolonged economic fallout in the ASEAN region? The Morning Run gets into this with Chua Hak Bin, Senior Economist at Maybank Kim Eng, as well as his forecast for ASEAN-6 real GDP growth, the sustainability of record-low policy rates, whether external or domestic factors will be more influential in driving regional growth, and which country...

The government has introduced a special cabinet committee that will study recommendations put forward by the Electoral Reform Committee back in August. We speak to Sunway University political scientist, Dr Wong Chin Huat, about whether or not this means reforms may be implemented before GE15. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Parti Warisan looking to expand into Peninsular Malaysia? The Morning Run asks Jahabar Sadiq, Editor of The Malaysian Insight, for his views here, as well what the future of Pakatan Harapan could look like, whether new leadership is needed, and the general state of Malaysian politics. Image Credit: Dolly MJ / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

2020 has been a rollercoaster year for many countries, particularly the United States. In the wake of a fraught presidential election, and with the country still struggling to rein in the Covid-19 pandemic, what lies ahead for the US economy and markets? We speak to Ed Clissold, Chief US Strategist at Ned Davis Research, for more insight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Auditor-General's Report 2019 was tabled in Parliament last week, covering the performance at 12 ministries. 62 recommendations were submitted by the National Audit Department. But the question is, will these government departments be brought to task for the leakages that have been discovered? We speak to Sri Muniarti Yusuf, Research Manager at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs,...

Last week, Fitch Ratings downgraded Malaysia's sovereign rating from A- to BBB+ with a stable outlook, a move which shocked many who expected the rating agency to take a more lenient stance in light of the global pandemic. The result? It may be more costly now for Malaysia to borrow funds. Having spoken to both Fitch Ratings and the Finance Ministry, we now reach out for a third view, speaking wit...

With the announcement of a Covid-19 vaccine now in emergency use in several countries, and just approved in the US, many believe that this is the beginning of the end for the pandemic. But the rollout of these vaccines may not be so simple. We speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong, about vaccine regulations, storage, and how much it...

Felda announced this week that it is planning to make a mandatory takeover offer to FGV's minority shareholders, at an offer price of RM1.30 per share. The move has raised questions over Felda's intentions, as well as whether FGV's listing status will be maintained. We ask P. Gunasegaram, Editorial Consultant at The Vibes, to give us his take on the issue, as well as some background on the relatio...

Three artificial islands, a RM43 billion price tag and announced by now-disgraced former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2014, the Melaka Gateway could not have had a more auspicious start. But all has unravelled. Dr Francis Hutchinson, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusuf Ishak Institute, unpacks Malaysia's latest white elephant. Image Credit: Prehistorik / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.co...

Soon about to debut in the public markets, Airbnb might be valued as much as $42b in a year in which tourism and travel were decimated. Why come out now? And is it worth the money? Howard Yu, Professor of Management and Innovation at IMD, analyses. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Human Rights Day is celebrated every 10th December but in this post-Covid-19 era, has this issue being ignored? Dato' Mah Weng Kwai, Commissioner of SUHAKAM, tells us the importance of debating the Suhakam report in Parliament and whether the Perikatan Nasional government has engaged with them. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this week, former Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor was given a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) over charges of receiving RM1 million from businessman Datuk Tan Eng Boon. This would be the third high-profile withdrawal of charges, following those of Riza Aziz, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s stepson, as well as 46 charges filed against former Sabah Chie...

Matt Bevington, Public Policy and Foreign Affairs Analyst at UK in a Changing Europe, analyses the latest in the Brexit saga, with the deadline on a decision looming ever closer. Image Credit: donfiore / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wirecard, 1MDB, Luckin Coffee - what were the lapses that lead to financial scandals like these? The Morning Run speaks to Dr Veerinderjeet Singh, President of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, about this and the role auditing and accounting firms play. Image Credit: Faiz Zaki / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Fitch Ratings downgraded Malaysia’s sovereign rating from A- to BBB+ with a stable outlook. This has a real fiscal impact on the country because a downgrade typically denotes a higher risk of default, which in turn means it will be more costly for Malaysia to borrow funds. So what does the Ministry of Finance think about this downgrade? We speak to Puan Zakiah Jaafar, Deputy Secre...

To what extent will the relaxation of interstate travel restrictions and passenger car limits help the Malaysian hotel industry? Yap Lip Seng, CEO of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), tells us if this industry can overcome the rising virus cases and the still-closed international borders. He also gives us an outlook for 2021 and what more the government should do. Image Credit: jamesteoha...

Singapore has awarded licences for its first digital banks - what can we expect from this and what will this mean for the traditional players? The Morning Run speaks to Varun Mittal, Global Emerging Markets FinTech Leader at EY, to find out. Image Credit: PopTika / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of last week, Fitch Ratings downgraded Malaysia’s sovereign rating from ‘A-’ to ‘BBB+’, with an improved outlook from negative to stable. Thomas Rookmaaker, Director of Sovereign Ratings at Fitch Ratings, gives us the details on the reasons for the downgrade and what would be required for the country to regain its A- rating. Image Credit: Willy Barton / Shu...

President-elect Joe Biden has already made overtures with regard to the Iran nuclear deal to restart negotiations, but has this ship sailed? Will the Iranian government be more amenable to deal after facing economic hardship since the imposition of the sanctions, made worse by Covid-19? Professor James Dorsey, Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, gives us his views....

UMNO's engineering of a shakeup in the Perak state government has triggered a political crisis and raised questions over the ability of Perikatan Nasional to remain a coalition and whether there are wider repercussions for the upcoming national polls. Image Credit: Khoe / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government's decision to extend the CMCO in most states until December 20th, and not till the end of this month as widely expected, has businesses and people cheering. But questions remain about the health of the economy, and its path to recovery. Firdaos Rosli, Head of Economic Research at the Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad (MARC), discusses. Image Credit: Phoebe Teng / Shutterstock.com...