Morning Brief

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called for early elections in a move that was not entirely a surprise as there were hints of it. So for Singapore's 13th elections since independence, the economy and the handling of the Covid-19 are likely to be main issues that will be discussed. We speak to Chong Ja Ian, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science at the National University of Singapo...

One suggestion for Malaysia to revive the important tourism industry is to create travel bubbles but only for international business travelers from countries which have contained the Covid-19 virus like Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan. However many questions arise as to the viability of this and also what happens if there is another virus outbreak. Nigel Wong, Honorary Secretary General,...

The Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri M. Saravanan announced that the government will freeze recruitment of new foreign workers in all sectors until the end of the year. The rationale for this move was to reduce the dependency on foreign labour and also give job priority to locals. As to whether this will achieve the objectives, we speak to Dr M.Niaz Asadullah, Southeast Asia Lead of the Glob...

For the once-autonomous city state of Hong Kong, the looming spectre of Chinese rule is looming large, as the prospect of an all-powerful security agency and new, possibly draconian laws, is said to soon pass. Carole Petersen, Professor of Law and Graduate Chair, Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, discusses the legal and judicial implications. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

With a slew of growth-forecast downgrades, criticism over government stimulus reliefs to contain damage from the pandemic and rising border tensions with China, India's economic engine seems to be stuttering. Amintendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, discusses the extent of the damage while also offering some much-needed perspectiv...

Less than two of every ten Malaysians are taxpayers, while Covid-19 has savaged corporate taxes. With a tax-collection shortfall that's been exacerbated by record-low oil prices in an energy-exporting nation, the government has a looming policy and fiscal time bomb on its hands. Veerinderjeet Singh, Chairman, Tricor Malaysia and President, Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants, explo...

Professor Wong Chin Huat, Jeffrey Sachs Centre on Sustainable Development, Sunway University discusses options to discourage party hopping and the bigger problems about the electoral system. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leadership issues continue over in the Pakatan Haparan camp, with PKR in disagreement with allies DAP and Amanah over Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as their prime minister candidate if snap polls are called. PKR said it will reject any proposal to nominate Tun Mahathir for the position and continued to back Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim as Prime Minister. However, Anwar appears to be struggling to gain...

India and China, two of the world's fastest-growing countries and also nuclear rivals, are clashing again, except that the consequences are rising, with potentially half the world's population affected and feed-through effects into rising China-US tensions. Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director of the Asia Program, Wilson Center, discusses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A study by Professor Dr Geoffrey Williams, ELM Graduate School, HELP University reveals that 64% of the 100 universities that he researched are critically debt ridden, and 32% are bleeding cash. The MCO made things worse. We discuss with Williams the reasons universities have been doing badly, and how the industry will change when there are closures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

We're 5 months away from the 2020 US elections, which will be taking place under the shadow of the worst global pandemic in over a century. As candidates once again start to hit the (physical) campaign trail, we reached out to Andrew Cohen, Professor of Journalism and US politics to talk about subjects including Donald Trump's approval ratings, and Joe Biden's presidential bid. See omnystudio.com/...

Despite the fact that Malaysia has moved into its Recovery Movement Control Order, it's still not yet smooth sailing. On Wednesday, the Employee's Provident Fund sat down with BFM at an exclusive media roundtable to talk about their expectations. So here's what CEO Tunku Alizakri Alias said about Malaysia's recovery scenario, social security, and unemployment. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Start ups have also been feeling the effects of Covid-19 as funding dries up. Dr Sivapalan Vivekarajah, Co-founder and Partner at Scale-Up Malaysia and Past President of the Malaysian Business Angels Network tells us the challenges that venture capital funds are facing. He also compares the industry in Singapore and Malaysia and what are the trends. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

The situation on the Korean peninsula has worsened, after North Korea blew up a joint liaison office in the border town of Kaesong, South Korea on Tuesday. The rapid deterioration in relations come only two years after a new era of bilateral ties was touted. So for a better understanding of how things got so bad, we speak to Dr. Hoo Chiew-Ping, Senior Lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Se...

In a small media roundtable discussion, the CEO of the Employees Provident Fund of Malaysia, Tunku Alizakri Raja Muhammad Alias reminded that EPF remains a long term fund manager with clear objectives. He however does acknowledge that changes are needed to how investments should be considered and that the ability to pivot is key to succeeding especially during these difficult times. See omnystudio...

In a small media roundtable discussion, the CEO of the Earnings Provident Fund of Malaysia, Tunku Alizakri Raja Muhammad Alias reminded that EPF remains a long term fund manager with clear objectives. He however does acknowledge that changes are needed to how investments should be considered and that the ability to pivot is key to succeeding especially during these difficult times. See omnystudio....

Weddings are a RM10 billion industry in Malaysia. So aside from the contribution it makes to the economy, it often is one of the most important events in a lifetime. So we speak to Leticia Hsu, President, Association of Wedding Professionals to find out the impact Covid-19 has had on the industry and how should weddings continue in the new normal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Weddings in Malaysia are a RM10 billion industry in Malaysia. So aside from the contribution it makes to the economy, it often is one of the most important events in a lifetime. So we speak to , Leticia Hsu, President, Association of Wedding Professionals to find out the impact covid 19 has had on the industry and how should weddings continue in the new normal. See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

As China is the first country to emerge from a lockdown, will the consumer trends emerging from there be an indicator of what will happen in the region? Taohai Lin, Consumer & Retail Analyst at Fitch Solutions shares with us the findings of their study whilst telling us the long term trends we should see. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite a self-imposed deadline of yesterday evening, the Pakatan Harapan coalition still has not decided on its Prime Minister candidate. We reached out to Dr. Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute and frequent commentator on Malaysian politics, for her thoughts on this never-ending story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

The automotive industry has suffered since the start of the Movement Control Order - April Total Industry Volume came in at only 141 vehicles sold, compared to nearly 50,000 units a year ago. So with the government recently announcing incentives to spur the sector, how well will industry players be able to respond to the challenges posed by a global pandemic? We speak to Dato' Aishah Ahmad, Presid...

A report by the Singapore Straits Times reported that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is gearing up for snap elections by the end of the year, following the tabling of an 'election budget'. To talk about how likely this is, as well as the political dynamics within the Perikatan Nasional coalition, we speak to Amir Fareed, Director of Strategy at KRA Group. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

A cluster of infections has emerged in Beijing over the weekend with more than 100 people infected. Questions now arise over the dreaded second wave that many health specialist warn of. We speak to Dale Fisher, Professor of Infectious Diseases at National University of Singapore to ask what precautions we can take to avoid this and is another lockdown inevitable? See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

Many industries and businesses have been disrupted as a result of the MCO, and local governments are also feeling the pinch. Facing unexpected expenses and decreasing revenue, we reached out to Ng Sze Han, Selangor Exco for Local Government, Public Transportation and New Village Development as well as State Assemblyman for Kinrara, to talk about funding sources for local councils. See omnystudio.c...

All businesses have had to evolve in the Covid-19 era and wealth management which was growing phenomenally in Asia is no exception. Gabriele Vigo, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company tells us how wealth managers should shift their focus and the way they to do business to remain relevant and grow even as customers change their investment behaviour. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...