Morning Brief

Philippines is the South East Asian country with the most Covid - 19 cases despite going into an early and long lockdown. Cleve Arguelles, Department of Political and Social Change with the Australian National University tells us why the race to flatten the infection curve appears to have lost it way. He also weighs in on President Rodrigo Duterte’s approach to fighting this pandemic and wha...

Malaysia counts some 180,000 officially documented refugees as certified by the UNHCR, though the government is reluctant to recognise this status. Should Malaysia take better care of refugees and afford them more protection and the ability to work? Elise Arya Chen, Refugee Action Programme Officer, Tenaganita, discusses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government wants to revive JASA, its much-maligned Special Affairs Unit, but first it must convince the public that the new incarnation will not be the propaganda machine it once was. Shahril Hamdan, Deputy Umno Youth and Information Chief, speaks. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hong Kong wants to delay election on coronavirus grounds but the opposition isn’t buying it, saying it’s effectively a postponement of democracy. Bunn Nagara, Consultant on Asian Security and Strategy, expands on the issue. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Residential Tenancy Act is currently being drawn up by the Ministry of Housing with the intention of protecting both landlords and tenants and also to prevent discrimination. We speak to Chris Tan, Lawyer and Managing Partner of Chur Associates to see the viability of the Act and whether implementation will be an issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The dollar is one of the world's-worst performing assets through July, thanks to trillions in stimulus spending to buttress virus shocks in the world's-biggest economy. Terence Wu of OCBC Bank explains. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian government has recently banned foreign labour except for 3 sectors. Will this resolve the unemployment issue that Malaysia will increasingly face with the economic scar tissue brought upon by Covid 19? Dr M.Niaz Asadullah, Southeast Asia Lead, of Global Labor Organization gives us his views whilst telling us what policies should be adopted to raise the income of Malaysians. See omnys...

Malaysia wants to rely less on foreign workers to protect local jobs and shove its companies up the automation chain, but as with all new policy, there are teething pains. Dr M.Niaz Asadullah, Southeast Asia Lead, Global Labor Organization, analyses. Image Credit: PUNIT PARANJPE / AFP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Haze is almost an annual event affecting Malaysia and the Transboundary Haze Act was to be enacted to address the issue. But this act has been shelved after taking into consideration Singapore's lack of success with a similar piece of legislation. Dr. Helena Varkkey, Senior Lecturer at University of Malaya tells us the reasons why the PN government has decided to do so and what other options does...

The Centre recently conducted a study recently on transit deserts, which are areas with little to no access to public transport. While the study was focused on Shah Alam, it gives us some interesting insight on how data about transport networks and income levels may inform cityplanners' decisions about improving connectivity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Centre recently conducted a study recently on transit deserts, which are areas with little to no access to public transport. While the study was focused on Shah Alam, it gives us some interesting insight on how data about transport networks and income levels may inform cityplanners' decisions about improving connectivity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All sectors have been impacted by Covid-19, with lockdowns across the globe. Yet there is still a need for goods to be transported, as economies become more interdependent due to globalisation. Has the shipping industry been able to navigate these challenging times? We speak to Ooi Lean Hin, Chairman of the Shipping Association Malaysia (SAM) for his views, including on the recent conflict between...

All sectors have been impacted by Covid-19, with lockdowns across the globe. Yet there is still a need for goods to be transported, as economies become more interdependent due to globalisation. Has the shipping industry been able to navigate these challenging times? We speak to Ooi Lean Hin, President of the Shipping Association Malaysia (SAM) for his views, including on the recent conflict betwee...

Despite weeks of lockdown, the state of Victoria is Australia's most-afflicted by Covid-19, thanks to a raft of reasons, human-caused or otherwise. Catherine Birch, Senior Economist, ANZ Research , discusses the economic implications. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost too swiftly, Sabah’s state assembly was dissolved over the weekend, prompting fresh questions over the Warisan/PH vs BN/UMNO imbroglio, not to mention East Malaysa’s role as kingmakers in a looming national election. Political analyst Arnold Puyok discusses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Congress held a grueling six-hour hearing with the CEOs of Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google where they were interrogated about whether big tech had gotten too big. But is this a lot of noise that leads to no action? Chris Sagers, Professor of Law at Cleveland State University gives us his view as to whether we might actually see any action and does the outcome of the Presidential elections in...

With Datuk Seri Zahid's statement that UMNO will not officially join the informal Perikatan Nasional coalition that controls the federal government, what does this mean for the future of this umbrella coalition? Dr Hamidin Abdul Hamid, Research Fellow at Ilham Center weighs in on this and also the future of Bersatu when the political ideologies are similar. Image Credit: MOHD RASFAN / AFP See omny...

Sam Fazeli, Senior Healthcare Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence helps us understand the progress and challenges of developing vaccines for Covid-19. Photo source: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the loan moratorium will be extended by three-months for those who have lost their jobs this year and have yet to find employment. Is this targeted approach a good balance? We speak with Carmelo to find out. Image source: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Hamidin Abd Hamid, Research Fellow, Ilham Centre expects that Warisan will lose Sabah today following assertions by Tan Sri Musa Hasan that he has enough backing from state assembly members to form a new government in Sabah. Image Credit: Fazry Ismail / European Pressphoto Agency See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid-19's arrival saw oil demand evaporate almost overnight, as planes were grounded and countries closed their borders. So, as we hopefully head into a period of economic recovery, we reached out to Sharifah Zaida Nurlishah, President of the Malaysian Oil & Gas Services Council, for an industry view of how the oil and gas sector is doing post-pandemic, and what kind of support they have seen...

Yesterday’s landmark verdict found former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak guilty of all charges relating to SRC International. Dr. Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate, University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute discusses UMNO’s dilemma, and if Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should rejoin the party and call for a snap election. Image Credit: Mohd RASFAN / AFP See omnystudi...

Yesterday’s landmark verdict found former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak guilty of all charges relating to SRC International. Dr. Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate, University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute discusses UMNO’s dilemma, and if Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should rejoin the party and call for a snap election. Image Credit: Mohd RASFAN / AFP See omnystudi...

When Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was asked if Heng Swee Keat is his designated successor, Lee deflected the question. Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, Senior International Affairs Analyst at Solaris Strategies discusses Singapore’s 4th Generation (4G) succession plan, is it a given that Heng will be Prime Minister, and if the new cabinet meets the immediate and long-term needs of the republic. Photo...

After Covid-19 cratered global travel demand, airlines around the world went into crisis mode. But even once lockdown restrictions eased and countries rolled back travel bans, flight volumes are only a fraction of what they used to be. The question on everyone's minds is, how long will it take for the aviation industry to return to pre-Covid norms? For more insight, we speak to James Teo, Transpor...