Morning Brief

Wolf pack cells radicalised by local events such as the Seafield riots are getting worrying as they attempt to copycat foreign terrorist activities. Policy would do well not to ignore them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Thomas Fann, Chairperson, Bersih 2.0 to find out if the recent elections were  fair and free. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A key battle in the Philippines mid-terms will be for the 12 Senate seats up for grabs, which, if captured by President Rodrigo Duterte's allies, would mean a Duterte-aligned supermajority in both Houses of Parliament. For more insight into the elections, we speak to Dr. Aries Arugay, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Philippines-Diliman, about possible outcomes, what p...

00:05 - Crude palm oil (CPO) goes through the unusual situation of reduced stocks and lower prices. 04:02 - Meanwhile, the government looks to China for ways to make homes cheaper. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there enough government support and legislation to help working Mothers in Malaysia? We talk to Suri Kempe, Programme Director of Musawah, to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Sandakan by-elections saw DAP's Vivian Wong emerge victorious with a 11,500 vote majority over her nearest rival, PBS's Datuk Linda Tsen. For more insight into the results and how they reflect on Pakatan Harapan as a whole, we speak to Ibrahim Suffian, Program Director at the Merdeka Centre. Listen in.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:00 - The vote in the Philippines mid-term elections will test Duterte’s popularity, but will likely result in his consolidation of power. Listen in to our discussion. 02:30 - We speak to Dr Tang Siew Mun, Head of the ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute to determine the economic impact the KRA Canal will have on Thailand and its regional neighbours. See omnystudio.com/l...

00:05 - We speak to Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam about his views on the New Economic Policy that was implemented in the aftermath of the May 13th riots in 1969. 09:18 - Should KWAP be giving out loans? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:00 - The Prime Minister has introduced a new economic model: Shared Prosperity 2030. It's essentially a request for an extension of the Vision 2020 assignment which started a generation ago. His lost decade explainer must also be looked at in light of some of the longer term institutional failures that led to Vision 2020's breakdown. Some “cakap serupa bikin” is called for in policy...

The proposed merger between Telenor and Axiata would make it one of the largest regional telcos in the ASEAN and Southeast Asian region. However the deal is still in the early stages of discussion. We speak to Janice Chong, Director at Fitch Ratings, on her take on the merger. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:00 - Grab is looking to raise less than 500 million US Dollars for its financial services and payments business. They have mandated a few banks to attract strategic investors like banks and insurance companies to take minority stakes rather than just raising capital. 04:25 - Google’s paid music services have topped 15 million music subscribers after struggling to build their subscription...

In conjunction with the release of the Corporate Governance Monitor 2019 by the Secuities Commission, we ask Lya Rahman, an adviser with the Institutional Investors Council of Malaysia, whether CEOs of listed companies are overpaid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:05 - Axiata and Telenor are looking to form a new merged global entity, which could see it becoming the largest mobile telecommunication network operator in Malaysia. 07:00 - Day 13 of Datuk Seri Najib Razak's SRC International trial brought new revelations, including an expedited loan worth RM4 billion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A report published by the  Institute for Democracy and Economics Affairs  (IDEAS) titled “Project Pantau”  has tracked Pakatan Harapan’s progress during their first year. So far, nearly a third of PH’s economic promises have either been fulfilled or are currently on track. We speak to Laurence Todd, the Director of research and development at IDEAS to discuss...

00:00 - Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway held its annual shareholders’ meeting in Omaha, Nebraska with Buffet and his long-time business partner Charlie Munger taking the stage. We discuss some of the main takeaways of the meeting, including share buybacks, tech investments, and private equity. 04:25 - Are Collateralized Debt Obligations, or CDO’s set to make a comeback? Despi...

00:00 - Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat has made history as the first woman to hold the position of Chief Justice of Malaysia. We speak to Latheefa Koya, from Lawyers for Liberty, about Tengku Maimun's history, her past judgements, and what her appointment will mean for the Malaysian judiciary. 05:41 - Talk of a merger between Axiata and Telenor Group has given rise to speculation that they could create a...

Shou Ning Wong speaks to Tan J Young, a Senior Analyst with Hong Leong Investment Bank, to see how the latest advancements in the telco sector will affect the Malaysian players. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:00 - All eyes are on the Uber IPO Roadshow, the latest news being that the ride-hailing firm's first Wall Street Buy has endorsed its comparison to Amazon. 05:15 - Plant-based meat company Beyond Meat has become the best performing IPO since the Financial Crisis- with its shares surging over 160% following its Nasdaq debut. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent announcements from the Education Ministry have lit a fire under discussions of the country's matriculation system. For more insight into the on-going conversation, we speak to Dr Lee Hwok Aun, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, about pre-university education systems, quotas, and possible reforms. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian property market has gradually improved over 2018 and is expected to stabilise this year. According to The National Property Information Centre (NAPIC) of the Department of Valuation and Property Services, the property sector recorded a marginal increase in volume by 0.6% and an increase in value by 0.3% valued at RM140 billion. Listen in.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

The Prime Minister has unofficially confirmed Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Bador's appointment as the new Inspector-General of Police, replacing Tan Sri Fuzi Harun, who retires on Saturday. With the spectre of the Suhakam probe into the disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat looming over the transition, we speak to Datuk Seri M. Ramachelvam, Chairman of the Bar Council's IPCMC Task Force,...

00:30 - Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed is in China on a 5-day working visit in conjunction with the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. He will be meeting with three key leaders of China’s government. The trip follows on the heels of last week’s announcement of the revival of the China-backed Bandar Malaysia project, as well as the resumption of the East C...

Samsung Electronics has unveiled plans to spend up to 116 billion U.S. dollars over the next decade on developing logic chips and its contract chips making business. This is part of Samsung's effort to diversify away from the volatile memory chip business, which is currently the company’s primary income generator.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:30 - The World Bank's latest East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, titled, 'Managing Headwinds', forecasts Malaysia will record GDP Growth of 4.7% in 2019. We speak to Richard Record, Lead Economist for Malaysia at the World Bank, for more insights. 10:20 - UBS Singapore has admitted that a controversial statement made by one of its officers contained factual errors. See omnystudio.com/listene...

00:30 - The Industrial Collaboration Programme has been around since 2011-why haven't we heard of it? 05:18 - From the SRC trial, we learn that Najib spent big money on influencing online news content and running his Ah Jib Gor Facebook page. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.