Morning Brief

Bersatu has agreed to amend Article 10 of its party constitution after six Bersatu MPs expressed support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim without resigning to avoid triggering the anti-defection law. Dr Azmi Hassan, Senior Fellow, Nusantara Academy of Strategic Research shares insights into the effectiveness of this amendment and other measures to address the internal conflicts within t...

Last week, the government caused a stir when it announced plans to reform the retirement policy for new civil service recruits this year. Instead of pensions, retirement schemes like EPF and SOCSO will be used. Economist Dr. Nungsari A. Radhi tells us why the shift is necessary and how it can and should be better communicated. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Former Dewan Negara president Tun Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar was sworn in as the eighth Governor of Sarawak. He replaces Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud who was the Governor since March 2014, and also Chief Minister. Dr. James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania helps us break down how these two very different men have and will take on this role. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnyst...

The Monetary Authority of Singapore has maintained its stance on monetary policy, leaving the currency band unchanged. MAS also retained its 2024 core inflation projection of 2.5% to 3.5%, despite a 1% increase in the GST to 9%. Khoon Goh, Head of Asia Research at ANZ helps us analyse this development. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Social media platforms are on alert after explicit AI-generated images depicting Taylor Swift went viral. Following this, X announced plans to hire 100 full time content moderators to build a new trust and safety centre to stop the spread of child sexual exploitation materials and address issues like hate speech. Dr Fahizah Shamsuddin, Programme Director & Senior Lecturer, School of Media &amp...

Malaysians might need to brace themselves for more expensive prescription medicines, with reports saying pharmaceutical companies planned to hike prices in the US on more than 500 drugs beginning this month. Professor Amrahi Buang, president of the Malaysia Pharmacists Society talks about why the price of drugs may rise by as much as 10% with half of them imported from overseas, including the...

Last week, the Cabinet agreed to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry to look into how the Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and the South Ledge territorial case was handled, leading to the International Court of Justice deciding that Pulau Batu Puteh belonged to Singapore, Middle Rocks to Malaysia and South Ledge to the state in the territorial waters in which it is located. Bunn Nagara, director...

Last Friday, the International Court of Justice made an interim ruling on the genocide case against Israel, ordering Israel to prevent acts of genocide and to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. Could this ruling change the trajectory of the war? We discuss the implications with Middle East expert Dr. James Dorsey. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a rough January for Japan - it experienced a severe earthquake in the Ishikawa prefecture on New Year’s Day affecting manufacturing supply chains, and a corruption scandal is putting the political stability of the government at risk. Will January set the tone for the rest of the year for Japan? We discuss this with Tokyo-based journalist William Pesek. Image credit: Alexandros Michailidi...

The government has launched an ongoing review of the Public Service Remuneration System for salary and allowance adjustments. The SSPA hopes to address the long-standing issue with civil service recruitment to ensure salaries are competitive enough to attract the best talents and address the increasing cost of living. Abdul Rahman Mohd Nordin, Secretary-General of CUEPACS, shares his thoughts...

This week, former US president Donald Trump secured another win at the New Hampshire Republican primary, despite rival challenger Nikki Haley pouring resources into the state. Does Haley have a path to the presidential ticket? We discuss how the presidential race could shape up with Wendy Schiller, Professor of Political Science at Brown University. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.co...

Bank Negara maintained the overnight policy rate at 3.0% following its first Monetary Policy Committee meeting of 2024, meaning no change since May 2023. Ray Choy, Chief Economist at Malaysian Rating Corporation analyses how this might affect the FBM-KLCI, the value of the ringgit and the overall Malaysian economy. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister has called for an end to the "old bureaucracy" between the Ministry of Higher Education and the nation's public universities. Will this spark a paradigm shift in the governance of higher education? We speak to academic Dr. Sharifah Munirah Alatas about much-needed reforms to foster the independence and autonomy of public HEIs. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.c...

Although it has been 3 weeks since the launch of PADU, registration for the database has been underwhelming, standing at some 4.5% of the targeted number. What accounts for the tepid response? Tai Zee Kin, a Digital Political Communications Consultant, imparts insights on how to enhance the effectiveness of the government's messaging strategy. Image credit: Bernama See omnystudio.com/listener for...

The AI boom in 2023 led to a rebound in US stocks, especially for the tech-heavy Nasdaq. Meanwhile, the concept of ESG has been picking up pace in recent years and investments are expected to continue to soar. Abel Lim, Executive Director and Head of Wealth Management Advisory and Strategy at UOB shares his perspective on these two themes and how will they impact investment strategies. Wealth...

There were initial expectations that the reign of King Dollar would come to an end as the Federal Reserve looked set to cut rates as early as March. However that prognosis is less certain as macroeconomic data point to inflation remaining stubbornly high while Fed minutes confirm that the  timing of the cuts is hard to forecast. What then is the outlook of the US dollar and other major curren...

Mohamad Safiq Rosli was the first person to be charged under Malaysia’s anti-stalking law for stalking a woman for 8 years. A Magistrate’s Court subsequently declared that he was of unsound mind when committing the crime and ordered him to be detained at a psychiatric facility at the Sultan of Selangor’s pleasure. Criminal lawyer Sreekant Pillai explains the details of this case and its implicatio...

The International Energy Agency has raised its 2024 global oil demand growth forecast to 1.24 million barrels per day, the third consecutive upward adjustment in recent months. Fernando Valle, a Senior Equity Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence breaks down the factors at play including geopolitics, demand and even the climate, that might impact prices this year. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See om...

The world’s fourth most populous country, Indonesia, is going to the polls on February 14th and the presidential race is heating up among the three main candidates. What are the factors that could influence the outcome of these elections? We get analysis from political scientist Dr. Ahmad Rizky M. Umar of Queensland University. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

How has the Malaysian shipping industry been impacted by the ongoing tensions in the Red Sea? We hear from Datuk Ruben Gnanalingam, Group Managing Director of Westport on the spillover effects, including whether we'll see a surge in freight rates.  Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, former Singapore Transport Minister S. Iswaran was charged with 27 counts of corruption, the latest in a series of scandals that have rocked the island republic since 2023. We’ll speak to James Gomez, Regional Director at the Asia Centre to discuss the implications of the recent developments for Singapore’s political landscape in light of the leadership handover later this year. Image c...

The Independent Police Conduct Commission has already seen five out of seven members appointed, confirming that the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission, which the Pakatan Harapan administration tabled in 2019, has been replaced. Edmund Bon, a lawyer at Amer Bon Advocates, compares the differences in how the IPCC and the IPCMC can help put a stop to police misconduct incidences...

Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak continues to draw attention even behind bars. Having so far served 17 months of his 12-year prison sentence for charges pertaining to 1MDB-linked SRC International, there is speculation that his royal pardon could be decided by the end of this month. Independent business writer P. Gunasegaram, makes the case why this would be disastrous for the country....

Grab Malaysia recently announced a restructuring of its delivery fee and bonus framework, effective last Tuesday. However, this decision has been met with dissatisfaction among certain riders, primarily due to the reduction in wage fees. Consequently, a group of riders is considering a boycott as a visible expression of their disagreement. Bryan Ng Yih Miin, Advisor to Persatuan Perpaduan Rakan Pe...

Bursa Malaysia started the year on a much-welcomed positive note; but in recent days, selected counters have seen such strong selling pressure that they hit limit down each successive session. This negative sentiment has spread to the broader market with losers outnumbering gainers on a ratio of 885 to 218 stocks. We check in with Business Commentator, Pankaj C Kumar to understand why this is happ...