Morning Brief

The government plans to review proposals to amend digital-related laws to address online scams, including making telcos one of the entities responsible for combating such crimes, along with financial institutions. CF Fong, Executive Chairman of Malaysian cybersecurity firm LGMS Berhad share his views on how these law might look going forward. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/liste...

The US Supreme Court will soon considers the constitutionality of a law that would ban TikTok in the country if its China-based owner, ByteDance, doesn't sell off its American operation by January 19. Bradley Freeman, Professor of Creative Arts & Media, School of Arts, Sunway University helps us understand the issues at stake. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...

ASEAN has benefited from the US-China trade tensions as countries opt for a China-plus-one strategy to diversify their supply chains, but will this continue under a second Trump administration? We discuss the global trade landscape with economist Jayant Menon of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Penang’s transportation future depends on the successful integration of the LRT system, Mutiara Line and the Pan Island Link 1 (PIL 1) highway. With the increasing traffic congestion, it’s crucial that both projects are developed to improve connectivity and create a more efficient, sustainable transport network. We discuss the impact of these developments with Transport Consultant Dr Rosli Azad. I...

Incoming US President Donald Trump has made headlines recently for reiterating his desire for the US to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, calling both critical to American national security. How serious is this rhetoric and what are the implications of this for partner countries? We discuss this with Dr. Kathryn Robison from the University of Sydney. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnyst...

Licensed childcare centres nationwide have been facing rising costs especially when the new RM1,700 minimum wage policy starts on Feb 1st, adding on to already escalating financial commitments. These will of course be passed down to parents. Norsheila Abdullah, President of the Malaysia Association of Registered Early Child Care and Development shares her thoughts on the challenges to the industry...

Yesterday, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited Malaysia for the first time since taking office, aiming to enhance trade ties. His leadership is focused on major projects, including Indonesia joining BRICS and relocating the capital to Nusantara. We discuss how these initiatives will shape Indonesia's future and its role on the global stage with Julia Lau, Senior Fellow and Co-coordinator...

The semiconductor industry has become a driving force behind Malaysia’s economic growth, contributing an estimated 25% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). However, 2025 is expected to be a volatile year, especially for the semiconductor sector, due to escalating US-China trade tensions and the incoming deregulation policies under American President Donald Trump. So, what is the outlook...

Farmers’ organisations and civil society groups are urging the government to not table the Plant/Crop Seed Quality Bill in Parliament, citing the lack of consultations with stakeholders and the detrimental impact on small scale farmers. Nurfitri Amir Muhammad, the head coordinator of Forum Kedaulatan Makanan Malaysia, explain the issues. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener f...

The 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat witnessed the official agreement to establish the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which is expected to catalyse economic returns on both sides of the Causeway. We speak to Dr. Walter Theseira of the Singapore University of Social Sciences on the potential growth levers and challenges to overcome in making the SEZ a success. Image Credit: Sh...

The latest development in the media industry is the merger of Walt Disney’s Hulu Plus Live TV streaming service with the online sports-focused company FuboTV Inc, creating the second-largest digital pay-TV provider. Geetha Ranganathan, a senior analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, shares her insights on how streaming media might progress going forward. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.c...

Oil and gas contribute about 20% to Malaysia's GDP, but production in Peninsular Malaysia has declined, with more focus now on Sabah and Sarawak. As reserves decrease and imports rise, the government is pushing for a quicker shift to renewable energy. We delve into the impact and future outlook of the sector on industry players with Gordon Lim, Communication and Media Secretary, Petrol Dealers Ass...

We speak to Dr Muhammad Mohan, President of Transparency International Malaysia about when the 2024 edition of the Corruption Perception Index might be released and how prolific graft cases from last year might affect our rankings in the index. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Madani Government launched the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2024-2028 in May as part of its bid to rank among the top 25 in the global Corruption Perception Index (CPI) within the decade. What is MACC's role in achieving this target? We speak to Norul Ashikin, Head of the Governance Policy Sector at MACC on the whole-of-government approach to combat corruption. Image Credit: Shutte...

This week, Malaysia and Singapore officially signed an agreement formalizing the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to boost collaboration on both sides of the Causeway. Which equities stand to benefit from the enhanced ties? We discuss expectations with Lim Sue Lin, Co-Head of Research at Maybank Investment Bank. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Phase 2 of the National Digital Network, JENDELA, is set to be launched to improve 4G connectivity nationwide. However, this initiative has been facing mounting criticisms for its delays and inefficiencies since it was initiated in 2021. Dr Rachel Gong, Deputy Director of Research at Khazanah Research Institute, helps us understand the challenges surrounding JENDELA and Malaysia's digital strategy...

In the past month or so, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, who had attempted to impose martial law, was impeached with a warrant subsequently issued for his arrest but was thwarted. PM Han Duck-soo was then appointed acting president but was also impeached almost immediately after. William Pesek, a columnist at Nikkei Asia helps shed some light into what is happening in South Korea. Image Cre...

Jailed former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is now a step closer to serving the rest of his sentence under house arrest, after the Court of Appeal allowed his judicial review application related to a royal addendum. Criminal lawyer, Goh Cia Yee, explains what the implications of this decision might be as well as how a house arrest might work when there are no provisions for this in Malaysi...

PUSPAKOM, the sole provider of vehicle inspection services for over three decades, is back in the news with four of its officers under investigation for approving vehicles that do not meet safety standards, putting lives at risk. Transport consultant, Wan Agyl Wan Hassan, shares his insights into how vehicle inspections can be improved especially with PUSPAKOM's monopoly ending and at least 10 com...

Bitcoin has rallied 42% since the US presidential election in early November which saw Donald Trump win. Since then, the coin has hit an all-time of US$107,000. Andy Baehr, Managing Director and Head of Product at CoinDesk Indices, talks about what we can expect as the pro-crypto Trump officially moves into the White House. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Although economic indicators appear positive going into 2025, SMEs are not fully convinced that this will translate to better business this year. We do a channel check with Chin Chee Seong of the SME Association of Malaysia about the headwinds concerning SMEs in the new year. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is taking on the role of 2025 ASEAN Chair at a time of uncertainty over geopolitical dynamics with an incoming Trump presidency. How should Malaysia position itself as the leader in tackling regional challenges? Analyst Bunn Nagara weighs issues that should be prioritised. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Data from the Statistics Department in 2023 have revealed that nearly 98% of P-hailing and E-hailing workers were youths aged 15 to 30. Another set of data from Statista, show the value of the online ride-hailing and food delivery market in Southeast Asia trebling by this year. Jose Rizal, Chief Activist of the Malaysian eHailing Association (GEM), shares his thoughts on where Malaysia stands...

The equity performance of ASEAN was a tale of two halves with Singapore and Malaysia both ending 2024 on a strong note whilst the laggards were Thailand and Indonesia. Andrew San, Head of EM Equities, Amundi Malaysia tells us his outlook for 2025 and what investment strategy we should adopt to outperform. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Unity Government saw a 2024 that has experienced both momentum and hurdles in 2024 amid public dissatisfaction over economic measures like subsidy cuts and the controversial partial pardon granted to Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Meanwhile, the opposition Perikatan Nasional has struggled to maintain a united front. Dr Syaza Shukri, Associate Professor, Internati...