Morning Brief

The Trans-Borneo Railways project, proposed by Brunergy Utama, a Bruneian infrastructure company, aims to significantly enhance connectivity throughout the island. With an estimated investment of 70 billion dollars, the project promises to revolutionise transportation in the region. Dr. Mohamad Raduan Kabit, Senior Lecturer in Transportation Engineering at the Department of Civil Engineering UNIMA...

This week the Registrar of Societies (ROS) approved proposed amendments to Bersatu’s party constitution that would establish stringent protocols governing the resignation and expulsion of party members. Will this have any effect on the 6 Bersatu MPs that had pledged allegiance to Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim? We discuss the implications with Dr. Azmi Hassan of the Nusantara Academy of Strategic Resear...

The Small and Medium Enterprises Association (SAMENTA), renewed calls for the government to consider an Economic Sabotage Act in response to recent threats to Malaysian businesses. But how should we define economic sabotage? We speak to Datuk William Ng, President of SAMENTA on why he believes the act is necessary. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much does China’s economic situation influence its initiatives to make nice with friends and foes? We scrutinise Beijing’s relationships with Washington, Canberra, New Delhi and Moscow with political scientist Dr. Pradeep Taneja of Melbourne University. Image Credit: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite cooling measures introduced last year, Singapore’s home property market remains buoyant, as indicated by the 1.5% rise in private residence prices in the first quarter of 2024. How will economic conditions influence the trajectory of Singapore real estate in the coming months? We discuss trends in Singapore property with Alan Cheong, Executive Director of Savills Singapore. See omnystudio....

The Malaysia Venture Capital Roadmap (MVCR) for 2024-2030 signals the government commitment to economic growth by positioning the country as a leading global venture capital hub. We'll speak with its Malaysia Venture Capital Management Bhd (MAVCAP), Chief Operating Officer Noor Amy Ismail to delve into the strategic initiatives outlined in the blueprint. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystud...

Nordin Abdullah, founder, Crisis Management Centre helps us understand the inauthentic tactics taken in social media by digital mercenaries to manipulate public discourse and opinions as well as address what can be done to safeguard the integrity of public discourse. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The technology sector in Malaysia has been underperforming the broader market with a return of just 2.2% compared to the FBMKLCI return of 6.2%. This due to negative sentiment that the semiconductor cycle had not reached the bottom yet. However, is it time to bottom fish? Lee Meng Horng, Senior Analyst, RHB Investment Bank gives us the answer and what his top picks are. Image Credit: Shutterstock....

The Finance Ministry has widened the scope of service tax exemptions to logistics service providers and maintenance services, just one month after the Sales & Service Tax rate rose from 6% to 8%. The intention is to mitigate rising costs on the rakyat. Dr Veerinderjeet Singh, Senior Adviser on Tax Policy at KPMG explains the impact of such a decision/indecision. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com...

Starting September, DRB-Hicom unit, PUSPAKOM, will operate alongside other licensed vehicle inspection service providers, ending its three decade monopoly. This is part of the Transport Ministry's efforts to reduce monopolies and introduce healthy competition. Daniel Fernandez, Managing Editor of dsf.my explains the impact of these developments. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/li...

In a shock turnaround from the general elections in May, the opposition CHP party secured major inroads in Turkiye's local elections, winning the popular vote and claiming victory in major cities including Istanbul and Ankara. What does this outcome mean for the ruling AK party and President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan? We get analysis from Middle East expert Dr. James Dorsey.  Image Credit: Shutte...

Not everyone has the same sense of humour but comedians playing to sell-out shows has a certain allure to the business of comedy. However, in Malaysia, local comedians have to navigate racial, religious and political sensitivities while figuring out how to pay the bills. Comedian Kavin Jay shares with us what the local scene is like and is there money to be made by being funny. Image Credit:...

The World Bank and Bank Negara Malaysia recently released a joint report entitled "Managing Flood Risks - Leveraging Finance for Business Resilience in Malaysia". We speak to Tatiana Didier, Senior economist at the World Bank Group for what policy changes are required to help business survive these increasingly frequent calamities due to climate change and overdevelopment. Image Credit: Shuttersto...

Did you know that Malaysia is the 8th most breached country in the world? The government now hopes the passing of the Cybersecurity Bill 2024 in the Dewan Rakyat will mark a pivotal moment in fortifying the nation's cybersecurity framework. Kenny Lam, partner with RDS Law, helps us understand what the implications are. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

As we move into the 2nd quarter of 2024, ASEAN Banks come under our radar as a barometer of how the economy is doing. Rena Kwok, Credit Analyst, Asian Financials, Bloomberg Intelligence joins us to discuss the impact of China’s property woes on these financial institutions, what a Fed rate cut does to earnings, and the outlook for their additional tier 1 bonds. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See o...

Apple is currently working to implement Google’s Gemini AI engine into the iPhone. With Microsoft hiring the cofounder of AI startup DeepMind. Adrian Chew of ASEAN AI joins us to discuss AI’s place within the tech sector going forward. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd reported a new all time high of its share price, a week after signing new operating and lease agreements with the government. Ahmad Maghfur Usman, of Nomura Malaysia shares with us details of this new agreement, as well as the outlook for aviation players. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The KK Mart sock controversy has catapulted UMNO Youth Chief Dr. Muhamad Akmal Saleh into the national spotlight. How much of the outrage he channels is due to genuine offence vs political posturing? We discuss the fallout from the controversy with political scientist Dr. Syaza Shukri of the International Islamic University Malaysia. Image Credit: Nashriq93/ Shutterstock.com See omnystud...

PADU will close its registration window on March 31, with the government signaling that it may be reopened for a second round in the future. What does the government need to address to improve the rate of sign-ups? We discuss lessons learnt from the PADU registration exercise with Dr. Rachel Gong, Deputy Director, Khazanah Research Institute. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/liste...

Last week, the Home Minister Dato’ Seri Saifuddin Nasution announced the government will not proceed with two of five proposed constitutional amendments that would impact the citizenship of foundlings and abandoned babies, following massive public outcry.  However, this was only a partial victory for advocates - the remaining 4 regressive amendments were still tabled for the first reading in...

The Police (Amendment) Bill 2024 was passed with little fanfare in the Dewan Rakyat last week but has since sparked significant debate. The bill also increases penalties for several offences, including obstructing police orders and failing to comply with instructions with fines potentially reaching up to RM10,000 and up to two years imprisonment. Do the Police Act amendments adequately balance con...

For the first time, the United States did not use its veto power to kill a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. The legally binding resolution has now been passed with the other 14 members voting yes. Carrie Nooten, the UN Correspondent for Le Monde and Radio France Internationale helps put this development into c...

Boeing has seen crisis after crisis since 2 crashes involving its 737MAX planes. More recently, a panel that exposed a hole in an Alaska Airlines jet shortly after takeoff, raised questions about Boeing's production processes. Greg Waldron, the Asia Managing Editor of FlightGlobal talks about the impact the recently announced changes at Boeing's top management might have on its fortunes. See omnys...

Bank Negara hopes its Financial Inclusion Framework 2023 to 2026 will result in affordable financial products and services available to all segments of Malaysian society, regardless of geographical location or income level. The key here is to expand digital financial services. Vincent Fong, Chief Editor of Fintech News Malaysia looks at the developments so far. See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

The Malaysian capital market showed resilience despite slow recovery in 2023 amid global headwinds, according to the Securities Commission Malaysia in its latest 2023 annual report published yesterday. We speak to Ng Zhu Hann, CEO and founder of Tradeview Capital on the key highlights of the SC’s report as well as measures that can be taken to boost the competitiveness of the country’s capital mar...