Morning Brief

Islamic State has claimed reponsibility for a terrorist attack at a concert hall in Moscow, resulting in the loss of over 130 lives. Four men have been charged with committing an act of terrorism. Dr Alexey Muraviev, Associate Professor of National Security and Strategic Studies at Curtin University talks about how this development might affect President Vladimir Putin's offensive in Ukraine, now...

Last week the Ministry of Transport announced that vehicle deregistration will soon be able to be done online via e-Dereg, as part of efforts to make it easier to dispose of end-of-life vehicles. How effective might this policy be? We get industry reactions from Cho Chee Seng, Immediate Past Secretary General of the Malaysian Automotive Recyclers Association (MAARA). Image Credit: Wirestock Creato...

The Education Ministry recently announced an intervention curriculum for Standard 1 students to prepare them for the expected 2027 school curriculum, that emphasises mastering literacy and numeracy. This comes as the state of Malaysian education comes under intense scrutiny following the impact of the pandemic and the abolition of the Dual Language Programme. Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, Chair o...

Economy minister Rafizi Ramli has warned that any delay in implementing targeted subsidies would cost the government RM2 billion a month in blanket petrol subsidies. It is now depending on a successful PADU initiative to begin reforming how subsidies are doled out. Jeremy Goh, Head of Research at Hong Leong Investment Bank helps us analyse the issue. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.c...

With Home minister Saifuddin Nasution expressing his readiness to discuss with the Communications Ministry on the possibility of regulating streaming platforms such as Netflix, we ask Dr Benjamin Loh, Director of the Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Impact Lab at Taylor's University shares with us if this is a reasonable course of action as well as the possibility of doing so with existing l...

With Malaysia's facing a growing demand for skilled workers, widening supply- demand job mismatches, stagnant wages and the threat of automation on traditional jobs, we delve deeper into what Malaysia needs to do to address these challenges with Dr Niaz Asadullah, Southeast Asia Lead at the Global Labor Organisation & Professor of Economics, Monash University Malaysia Image Credit: Shutterstoc...

This week, Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong resigned over corruption allegations, the latest in a string of leadership shake-ups over the past several years that have observers worried about the political stability of the country. We speak to Sebastian Strangio, Southeast Asia Editor at The Diplomat to better understand what’s happening in Hanoi and what the implications of the latest developmen...

Hong Kong passed a new national security law that cracks down on all forms of dissent and allows for trials to be held behind closed doors. This has triggered fresh criticism over fear that it will further erode civil liberties. Elaine Pearson, Asia Director, Human Rights Watch shares with us what is in this new law, its impact, and what can the international community do. Image Credit: EPA-EFE Se...

Sabah's political dynamics have grabbed headlines over infighting within UMNO and PKR ahead of the state elections due to be held by October 2025. We speak to Prof. Dr. Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) about how political developments could impact alliances leading into the elections. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia will be developing a new indicator to measure the cost of living. It told Utusan Malaysia that this will be launched in September and will include where Malaysians live as part of its component. Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Norma Mansor, Director at the Social Wellbeing Research Centre of University Malaya shares her insights. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See...

Yesterday, Bank Negara Malaysia issued its 2023 annual report and related financial reports detailing the health of the macroeconomy. What are the factors that will influence the trajectory of economic growth? We discuss the highlights with Dr. Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, Chief Economist of Bank Muamalat. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has just concluded a 2-day trip to the Philippines just as its President Ferdinand Marcos Jr admitted that Beijing’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea continue to be a point of contention. Andrea Chloe Wong, a Philippines' political analyst helps us contextualise all this along with a perceived rift between Marcos Jr and his VP Sara Duterte-Carpio, the...

The world's longest monetary policy experiment has ended with the Bank of Japan finally raising rates after 17 years. In what was a widely anticipated move, the overnight rate is now in a range of about zero to 0.1 percent, from minus 0.1 percent. William Pesek, columnist, Nikkei Asia tells us what this entails for the economy, markets and the yen. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com...

Carbon markets are increasingly being seen as one of the key mechanisms to encourage global stakeholders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, but are they the right solution for Malaysia's context? Yin Shao Loong of Khazanah Research Institute argues for other policy levers instead of carbon markets. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

This week the Dewan Rakyat passed a bill amending the Universities and University College Act of 1971 to provide more authority to student bodies. However, many are calling into question the scope of these amendments, as well as the continued necessity of the UUCA. We get reactions on the law from Lai Yue Yi, Vice President of the University of Malaya Association of New Youth (UMANY). Image C...

Unlike Gold, US Equity Markets and Cryptocurrencies, base metals have had a rather tough year with prices on a downward trend. We ask Michelle Leung, Head of Asia Metals and Mining at Bloomberg Intelligence as to whether this negative price trend will persist and what are the key catalyst for a sector rerating. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

Putrajaya plans to use data from the 2022 Household Income and Basic Amenities Survey Report to develop a mapping project to adjust housing prices based on residents' incomes. The aim is to improve housing affordability for low and medium-income households. Badrul Hisham, Director of Programmes, Iman Research helps us understand how this may or may not work. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystud...

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has just concluded his maiden official visit to Germany since becoming prime minister, meeting with Chancellor Olaf Schulz as well as representatives from almost 40 companies across various industries. Dr Eva Langerbeck, the Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry's interim executive director, gives us some insights from the visit and what to expect going forwa...

Nearly 1 billion people will go to the polls in India next month, in an exercise that runs over 6 weeks beginning April 19th. President Narendra Modi is vying for his third term in office after 10 years leading the BJP government. What are the issues that will influence voters at the ballot box? We discuss what to expect with Yanitha Meena of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Ma...

Putrajaya has agreed to amend citizenship laws enshrined in the Federal Constitution which will grant automatic citizenship to children born overseas to Malaysian mothers and non-Malaysian fathers. However, a foundling will not be eligible for automatic citizenship and would have to go through a registration process. Maalini Ramalo, Director of Social Protection, Development of Human Resources for...

It has been revealed that Putrajaya is in the final stages of drafting the country’s first Urban Redevelopment Act which will govern among others, how heritage buildings are preserved. This will also open up conversations on how developers might reap excessive profits at the expense of city dwellers. Datin Noraida Saludin, president of the Malaysian Institute of Planners, helps us understand what...

The Deputy Health Minister recently revealed that vape and tobacco lobbyists were involved in the Generational End Game (GEG) component of the anti-smoking bill being dropped. When does policy lobbying cross the line to corruption? We discuss this with Dr Muhammad Mohan, President of Transparency International Malaysia as well as the larger implications that lobbying has on the policymaking proces...

Petronas, Malaysia's state-owned oil and gas reported a 20.6% Y-o-Y decline in revenue to 80.7 billion ringgit in 2023, from a record high of 101.6 billion ringgit in 2022. Reasons cited for this decline was the 20% drop in average oil prices and a shift in the energy industry towards cleaner solutions. Sean Lim Ooi Leong, Head of Regional Oil & Gas at RHB Investment Bank helps us un...

The US-China trade war has been a boon for the Malaysian semiconductor industry, with investors flocking to set up production here. What can we do to further leverage on the opportunities that arise from the resulting de-risking trend? We get industry insights from Dato' Seri Wong Siew Hai, President of the Malaysian Semiconductor Industry Association. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio...

The spillover of the Middle East conflict to the Red Sea is not just impacting the shipping industry; there has also been repercussions for the telecommunications sector that rely on undersea cables located in the area. Marvin Lo, Senior Equity Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence discusses the implications for Asian telcos and also the broader outlook for the industry.  Image Credit: S...