Morning Brief

Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO, Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy gives us his view on whether the RMCO will be extended as it is due to expire at end of August. He also weighs in whether there should be better clarity on the SOPs and if Malaysians are doing their part to keep the infection rates low. Image Credit: Mohd RASFAN / AFP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

America is headed for elections with a record 76% of the population eligible for postal voting. But critics like President Trump say the process will be slow and open to fraud. Matt Dickinson, Professor of Political Science, Middlebury College, discusses. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid has exacerbated an already lacklustre property sector now made worse by cautious lending among banks. Datuk Paul Khong, Managing Director, Savills Malaysia offers his outlook on the Malaysian property sector, including what he thinks are potential growth sectors and where the govt might be able to step in to help. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Accepted economic theory suggests that borrowing more in times of distress is a good way forward for governments to reinvigorate the economy. But is it? And how it should be spent efficiently? Lau Zheng Zhou, Research Manager in the Economics and Business unit at the  Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs or IDEAS, discusses. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

With Israel and the UAE putting pen to paper in a historical and potentially lucrative peace accord, lingering doubts remain over the pact, incuding simmering territorial disputes. Rodger Shanahan, a Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute, discusses. Image Credit: Jack GUEZ / AFP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Telecommunication companies are racing to transform and meet the changing needs of both retail and enterprise customers, amidst accelerating technological trends, including 5G and digitalization. In this regard, fintech has become a space that more and more telco players are dabbling in. We speak to Jasmine Lee, U Mobile’s Chief Marketing Officer on what their newly launched platforms bring...

With the weekend announcement that Bersatu has agreed to join the UMNO/PAS alliance Muafakat Nasional, observers are asking what this means for Bersatu's position on the political landscape, especially with ex-PM and Bersatu founder Tun Dr Mahathir's formation of a new party named 'Pejuang'. Ibrahim Suffian, Program Director, Merdeka Center, analyses. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/liste...

Malaysia's economy saw its steepest ever contraction in the second quarter of 2020, due to the measures imposed under the movement control order. But is the worst behind us, as many expect? What might help or hinder our recovery trajectory? We speak to Khoon Goh for insights on the Malaysian economy and how it compares with the rest of the region. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener...

In its closely watched Monthly Oil Market Report, OPEC projected a lower demand for 2020, compared with its July estimates. Yong-liang Por, consultant for the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis (IEEFA), discusses the global energy outlook in the medium- as well as the long-term, as climate change forces the transition to clean energy. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/l...

With Covid-19 casting a pall over the global economy, it seems a foregone conclusion that Malaysia will eventually see an economic contraction. Ahead of the second quarter GDP announcement today, we reached out to Julia Goh, Senior Economist with UOB Malaysia, for her expectations. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lee Shih, dispute resolution lawyer, weighs in on the Covid-19 bill that was recently tabled in Parliament. Is it too late? The devil is in the details. Image Credit: Mohd Rasfan / AFP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to a study by AMCHAM Hong Kong from 6-9 July, 76% of respondents expressed concern about the new security law, and of this, about 41% was “extremely concerned,” while 37% was “somewhat concerned. However, more than 64% of the respondents indicated that their companies have no plans to move out of Hong Kong. Michael Frank, Senior Analyst of Public Policy at the Economist...

Russia has announced a Covid-19 vaccine, raising questions over the drug's safety and efficacy. Few details of the research have yet been released to the public, fuelling concerns that Russia's vaccine may not have fulfilled the required safety standards. So to help us answer the question of is this really the vaccine we're waiting for, we reached out to Dr. Jean-Louis Excler, Program Director at...

In Parliament, Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin raised the question about the appointment of politicians to statutory bodies and GLCs. Laurence Todd, Director of Research of IDEAS discusses the merits of such appointments, the need for political donations regulations, and how GLCs should evolve to become more competitive. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Juita Mohamad, Fellow of ISIS Malaysia discusses the Supplementary Supply Bill that was passed by Parliament to allocate an additional RM7 billion for expenses incurred last year. Image Credit: KIXTHVISUALS / Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government intends to set up a Special Council instead of a Parliamentary Select Committee (that Pakatan Harapan had mooted) to review the implementation of the Malaysia Agreement or MA63. James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania weighs in on how the government is approaching discussions, and in light of the upcoming Sabah state elections, what does he make of Datuk Seri...

US President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders in order to provide relief to American facing economic pressure due to Covid-19. The new measures have attracted criticism over how actionable they are, as well as for bypassing Congress, which is still deadlocked on a Covid-19 bill. So this morning, we speak to Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute to get more i...

Aidonna Jan Ayub, Deputy Director of Research, Khazanah Research Institute reviews the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership) and compares it to RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership).  Find out more about trade issues in KRI's publication: Malaysia's Trade Governance at Crossroads Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The blast in Lebanon has thrown the country into political and economic turmoil. James Dorsey, Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies & the Middle East Institute helps us understand what ails Lebanon and what gives its people hope. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has claimed trial to a count each of bribery, and using his position as Chief Minister at the time for personal gratification, in relation to the Penang undersea tunnel project. Amid wide speculation over whether this trial is set to be a political ploy, or whether it is simply justice served, we ask Dr. Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate at the Un...

Professor Datin Paduka Fatimah Mohamed Arshad, Research Fellow at the Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia is calling for the government to review Bernas’ role as the gatekeeper for rice imports and to allow for market deregulation, in order to create more opportunities for smaller rice players and promote innovation. Together with IDEAS, she co-author...

Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, analyses what impact Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s new party might have, if any, and what alliances he would still need to form. Image source: VINCENT THIAN / POOL / AFP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tun Dr Mahathir and his Bersatu breakaway group plan to set up a new party to represent Malay interests. Apparently they are receiving grassroot support from Bersatu members. We get an update from Tun’s legal advisor, Haniff Khatri Abdullah, and discuss the party’s intentions and level of support thus far. Image Credit: Mohd Rasfan/AFP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Calls for reform have gained strength after the Thai government arrested two pro-democracy activists over the weekend, on charges of sedition and breaking coronavirus gathering rules. Thailand has seen rallies almost every day for the past few weeks, with mainly young protesters denouncing the government of former military leader and current Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-O-Cha. For more insight, we...

Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz is tabling a long-awaited Covid-19 bill that seeks to increase the government’s self-imposed debt ceiling to 60% of GDP. But can Malaysia afford it? And should it spend more to avoid a recession? Subang MP Wong Chen discusses. Image Credit: FUAD ABDULLAH / Malaysia's Department of Information / AFP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...