Morning Brief

With the government announcing a slew of reforms to cut bureaucratic red tape, we speak to Chin Chee Seong, the National President of the SME Association of Malaysia, about the progress of these efforts to date and what else is needed to make it much easier to do business in Malaysia. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim created a stir when he stated that the private sector financed 70% to 80% of his recent overseas visits. Why was this comment controversial and can private sector financing of government travel be rationalised as a cost-cutting measure? We discuss ways to improve budget transparency with Aira Azhari of IDEAS. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com...

COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan ended in dramatic fashion - negotiations were held until the wee hours of Sunday morning before an agreement was reached on a new climate financing goal of $300 billion US dollars. How will the outcome of COP29 shape the climate agenda moving forward, especially in ASEAN? We discuss this with climate expert Dr. Renard Siew. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.co...

The Public Accounts Committee's recent report has revealed that the government may have to pay Bestinet Sdn Bhd RM3.22 billion ringgit for the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System. This is likely due to the fact that the government has been operating the foreign worker recruitment platform without a finalised contract for six years. Alex Ong, Country Representative, Migrant CARE, shares hi...

The World Bank has an International Development Association that provides grants and low-interest loans for the 78 poorest countries in the world. The fund which is replenished every 3 years has a target of USD100 billion this year. We ask Clemence Landers, Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for Global Development if rich countries will provide the funding and the consequences if that goal is not...

TalentCorp revealed this week that around 620,000 jobs are at risk of convergence or displacement if workers do not reskill in line with trends in A.I. and the green economy. How should A.I. literacy be incorporated into education to meet the demands of the new economy? We discuss this with Dr. Chen ZhiYuan of University of Nottingham Malaysia. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/lis...

Deloitte revealed that the initial public offering or IPO market in Southeast Asia has been rather lacklustre in 2024, with only 122 listings raising USD 3 billion, a value that is the lowest in nine years. Malaysia however was the stand out with the most number and highest value of IPOs this year. We ask Wong Kar Choon, Audit Partner, Deloitte Malaysia reasons for Malaysia's strong capital market...

This year's G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was not without its share of drama, with contentions over the joint communique, jostling for Chinese President Xi Jinping's attention while US President Joe Biden delivers his swan song. What do the changing geopolitical dynamics mean for the effectiveness of the group? We discuss this with Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore. Image...

Following the announcement by the Health Minister that the government will no longer award pharmaceutical procurement contracts to just one company, we speak to Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO, Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy whether this will be the much needed panacea to our sustained supply of affordable drugs? Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Singapore’s private home prices fell for the first time in five quarters in the July to September period as the private home price index fell 1.1%. Meanwhile, the latest URA data has shown that the office rental index (Central Region) registered a 0.5% quarter-on-quarter decline as vacancy spiked by almost 8%. So is it all doom and gloom for Singapore property and what is the outlook for 2025...

The issue of abolishing subsidies for packet cooking oil has been discussed numerous times at the cabinet level with no firm decision on this matter despite it costing the government more than RM800mn. We ask Prof. Dr. Mohd Nazari bin Ismail, Honorary Professor, Department of Management & Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics at Universiti Malaya for his views on this. Image Credit: shu...

In the final weeks of his term, US President Joe Biden has given the greenlight for Ukraine to use American-made long-range missiles on Russian targets. How will this impact the trajectory of the war in Ukraine and will a Trump presidency change the dynamics? We discuss the latest developments with Dr. Alexey Muraviev of Curtin University. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener...

Incoming President Donald Trump has been vocal with his intentions to impose 60% tarrifs on Chinese imports and duties of 20% on all other imports. What impact will this have on Malaysia's Semiconductor industry? We discuss this with Dato’ Seri Wong Siew Hai, President of the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association, and Dr. Tay Kheng Chiong, Group Managing Director of D&O Green Technologie...

The government is mulling a proposal to introduce a code of conduct for athletes, especially regarding social media use to enforce better discipline and balance between training and personal lives. Would this be an effective solution? We discuss the challenges of implementation and broader issues on Malaysian sports' performance with Haresh Deol, Editor with the news portal Twentytwo13. Image Cred...

The National Assembly of Vietnam approved the government’s 2025 economic plan with total central budget revenue being set at over US$39.4 billion, with the goal of of helping one of Asia’s fastest growing economies to hit 7-7.5% growth. However, is incoming President Donald Trump with his tariff plans an obstacle to this goal and how should the Vietnamese government navigate this new world order?...

This year’s Singles’ Day was said to be the biggest yet, as financial data from China’s e-commerce giants showed strong sales growth. Independent tracker Syntun estimated that transactions across all platforms in the weeks leading up to November 11th rose by nearly 27%. So, has consumer sentiment improved, or are people just waiting for this once-a-year discount? We review the data with Cathe...

The biggest event on the climate change agenda, COP29, is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan over the next two weeks. What are the policy priorities that Malaysia is pushing for on this platform, and what international support is needed for us to achieve the national targets that we’ve set for ourselves? We hear from Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad....

The Education Ministry is looking to improve the Reproductive and Social Health Education (PEERS) module to be implemented in 2027, in response to the rise in teen pregnancy. What would an effective and meaningful syllabus look like? Sex educator June Low weighs in. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President-elect Donald Trump has wasted no time appointing his Cabinet with people to execute his “America First” policies. With less than 70 days to build out his team before Inauguration Day on January 20th, we examine those appointments with Dr Kathryn Robison, Lecturer in American Studies, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/...

The government is looking to finalise a code of conduct for social media platforms that sets out the rules for the license regime that's due to kick in on 1 January 2025. Does the code provide sufficient clarity for platforms? We discuss the implications of the regulatory regime with Dr. Benjamin Loh of Taylor's University. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

How much progress can Malaysia make on the long-stalled Code of Conduct on the South China Sea during its ASEAN Chairmanship? We discuss this and how a Trump presidency could affect regional security dynamics with Dr. Rahman Yaacob, Research Fellow with the Lowy Centre. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysiakini has been reporting on an anonymous whistleblower who has video evidence allegedly showing discussions between a businessman and various state assemblymen about bribes for a project licence. The whistleblower has also asked for a written guarantee from the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission for immunity from prosecution. Ramkarpal Singh, the former Deputy Minister in the Prime Minist...

Putrajaya is considering using nuclear energy as a power source for the country in the future, as part of the efforts towards achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Work is already ongoing to develop a legal and regulatory framework to govern the use of nuclear energy. Dr Nahrul Khair Alang Rashid, Professor of Nuclear Engineering Programme at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, gives us some con...

With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office for his second term in January, there is a lot of speculation on what his foreign policy might look like, particularly US-Asean relations. Dr Prashanth Parameswaran, a fellow at the Wilson Center and founder of the ASEAN Wonk newsletter, looks at the various possible scenarios when the Trump administration gets to work for the next four years. I...

Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 US presidential election brings with it potential shifts in how Asian fixed income markets will behave. For one, Trump's stance on fiscal expansion and trade protectionism could keep US interest rates higher for longer with a stronger dollar, creating pressure on regional debt. Jason Yu, Head of Multi Asset and Fixed Income Management, Asia at Schroders, shares h...