Morning Brief

The S&P500 and the Nasdaq have now turned negative on a year-to-date basis, while the Dow Jones remains just under 2% in the positive, amid news of uncertainty coming from the second Trump administration and other geopolitical uncertainties. Grant Bowers, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Franklin Equity Group, shares his views on whether or not the resilience of the health of the U...

The establishment of a Malaysian Media Council, first suggested in 1973 when Tun Abdul Razak was PM, has finally been passed in the Dewan Rakyat. The bill aims to create a framework for media accountability while upholding press freedom. Teo Nie Ching, the Deputy Communications Minister shares her perspectives on the significance of this Council which has now been created by an act of Parliament....

Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently attended the high level plenary session of the second Asean Future Forum where he emphasised that centrality needs to be earned. We speak to Thomas Daniel, Senior Fellow, ISIS as to whether Malaysia’s leadership in ASEAN can foster a new era of multilateral cooperation, and how could it change the region? Image Credit: Shutterstock.com Se...

Malaysia's private medical inflation cost is higher than regional average causing the rise of health insurance premiums in tandem. We ask Sim Tze Tzin, MP for Bayan Baru & member of the Public Accounts Committee for his views on how this issue can be addressed and what the government is doing to ensure than medical cost does not rise exorbitantly. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnyst...

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces issues at home and also on the international front with declining approval ratings on the back of spending cuts to fund defense spending. Whilst having to be on a charm offensive when he meets with US President Donald Trump today. Benjamin Barton, Head of the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham Malaysia gives us his in...

Despite calls from civil society organisations to put in place a laws to regulate political funding to mitigate corruption risks and enhance transparency, as well as it being included in Pakatan Harapan's GE15 manifesto, a bill to this effect remains elusive. Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz, Chairman of BERSIH, reiterates why this piece of legislation is important and should no longer be stal...

Malaysia is still implementing a B10 programme, requiring diesel for transportation to be blended with 10% palm-based biodiesel, despite having already starting the B20 programme. Compare this to Indonesia which is already gearing up for B40. Khor Yu Leng, an economist with Segi Enam Advisers breaks down the issues at play in Malaysia, including a funding standoff between the government and indust...

The Auditor-General highlighted in Parliament that the RM11 billion ringgit owed to the National Higher Education Fund Corporation, also known as PTPTN, is the the highest in a decade and that there needs to be new solution to improve on it's collection. We speak to Prof. Dr Ong Kian Ming, Pro Vice Chancellor for External Engagement of Taylor's University for the reasons for this debt, how can it...

Germany's recently concluded federal election saw the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Friedrich Merz, secured approximately 28.5% of the vote - allowing it to lead the formation of the next government. Notably, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) achieved a historic surge. Prof Andrew Bonnell, Professor of History at the University of Queensland, takes us through...

Earlier this month, the Digital Ministry announced that it had secured AI training for almost half a million civil servants, who will soon have access to Google Workspace’s latest generative AI capabilities. CF Fong, Executive Chairman of LGMS Berhad tells us what are the advantages of this and the necessary guardrails to ensure that data is protected whilst efficacy is tracked. Image Credits: Shu...

Putrajaya has given about 700,000 Micro SMEs another extension of six months to adopt e-invoicing, this time until Jan 1, 2026. Eugene Chow, Tax Executive Director, Deloitte Malaysia, shares his thoughts on the challenges in getting small businesses to adopt this system which is intended to plug leakages in Malaysia's taxation ecosystem. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener f...

The government is set to table the Urban Renewal Act this year as a way to address ageing infrastructure and housing shortages. At its core, the URA will lower the threshold for en bloc sales, making it easier for developers to acquire ageing strata properties. Detractors say this benefits property developer more than the ordinary rakyat. Jamie Tan, Managing Director of JLL Malaysia shares hi...

Four months as Indonesia's new president, Prabowo Subianto, has already announced sweeping budget cuts across various ministries and institutions, sparking widespread protests among Indonesian youths. It has also affected civil servants. Erin Cook, a Journalist for Southeast Asian Affairs, shares her insights into these issues as well as how the new sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, are shaping co...

The recent peak hour restrictions for heavy vehicles on highways are causing concern among logistics companies, with many claiming that their input was not sought before the implementation of these restrictions. The president of the Association of Malaysian Hauliers, Soo Che Yeong shares more on his frustrations about the lack of consultation and discusses the potential impact on operations, costs...

Malaysia’s exports stumbled in January 2025, rising just 0.3%, well below the 5% forecast. With the trade surplus dropping to RM3.6 billion ringgit, is there cause for concern especially with a tariff storm brewing? Zafri Zulkeffeli, Deputy Chief Economist at BIMB Securities gives us his perspective. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered to step down in exchange for peace and his country’s NATO membership. We ask Denys Mykhailiuk, Chargé d'Affaires of the Ukrainian Embassy in Malaysia, what are the next steps in the peace process against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump attempting to rewrite history as to...

Following growing concerns over persistent child labour despite high-income ambitions, should the government review the legal frameworks? Srividhya Ganapathy, co-chair of the Child Rights Innovation and Betterment Foundation, highlights the critical legislative changes needed to safeguard vulnerable children whilst exploring the economic and social reasons behind this practice. See omnystudio.com/...

National Unity Minister Datuk Seri Aaron Ago Dagang recently told Parliament that Malaysia has enough laws to tackle racial discrimination. Yet incidents continue to crop up that test the fabric of our multi-racial society, exacerbated by the reach of social media. What policies are needed to strengthen national harmony? We discuss this with Jerald Joseph of Pusat KOMAS. Image Credit: Shutterstock...

The Malaysian government is urged to review SOSMA to ensure fairness while maintaining national security. Lawmakers and Civil Rights groups stress balancing security needs with human rights in proposed amendments. We’ll be speaking with Sevan Doraisamy, Executive Director of Suaram (Suara Rakyat Malaysia), a Human Rights Organisation, for his insights. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See...

The US could be teetering on the brink of a constitutional crisis as a result of President Donald Trump's executive actions that have challenged the limits of presidential powers. What does this mean for the balance of democratic institutions and the rule of law in the US? We discuss this with Prof. Cheryl Saunders of the University of Melbourne. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/l...

Snap elections are happening this Sunday in Germany after the ruling "traffic light" coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed last November. Dr Frederick Kliem, Southeast Asia Director at the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network shares his insights into the issues at play, everything from immigration to climate and will comments from the Trump administration have an effect. Image Cred...

The latest parliamentary session saw the government reaffirm its commitment to housing affordability, highlighting the 10 billion ringgit Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme (HCGS) and tax relief for first-time homebuyers. With urban migration set to rise by millions by 2030, is Malaysia ready to meet the demand for affordable homes? Joining us to discuss this is Dr. Nur Fareza Mustapha, Research Asso...

We are increasingly seeing more cases of Malaysians being lured by lucrative job opportunities abroad, only to awaken to a much darker reality of human trafficking and being forced to commit online scams. Do governments have the right tools to tackle this transnational crime? We get insights from Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim of the Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation or MHO, a group advo...

Recognising Sarawak's energy supply potential - both renewable and conventional - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has requested the state to begin supplying its excess electricity to the southern Philippines through Sabah, starting next year. Dr Renard Siew, Climate change and sustainability expert, shares his views on this development. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/lis...

The government allocated funds under Budget 2025 to build 44 new schools, the highest in four years. How much would this alleviate overcrowding in public schools, especially in urban centers? We discuss the policy measures to tackle overcrowding in the education system with Chan Soon Seng of Teach For Malaysia. Image Credits: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.