Morning Brief

This Saturday is polling day for the by-elections in the Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state constituencies in Johor. Both are seeing a 3-way fight. Dr. Azmi Hassan, Senior Fellow, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, analyses the chances of the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional against Perikatan Nasional following the outcome of the recent 6 state elections in a state that has been se...

China issued an updated version of its standard map last week, which extended its territorial claims over the South China Sea, much to the displeasure of other claimant states. What are the implications of this for geopolitical tensions in the region? We speak to Veerle Nouwens from the Institute of International and Strategic Studies for a better understanding of the dynamics at play. Image Credi...

Beginning 1st September, Malaysia Airlines is flying-solo having discontinued its partnership with long-term caterer Brahim’s Food Services. However the transition to new arrangements has been turbulent, resulting in public backlash over its in-flight food service. How might this impact MAG’s earnings outlook and reputation? We speak to aviation analyst Shukor Yusof for his analysis. Image Credit:...

Over the weekend Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim admitted to weaknesses in the Government’s communication machinery. We speak with Dr Benjamin Loh, Senior Lecturer, School of Media and Communication, Taylor's University for his views on whether these criticisms have merits and how the Government should respond. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Industrial Master Plan 2030 emphasises the role of SMEs as a key contributor to economic growth, targeting to double SME exports to 25% in seven years. We speak to Datuk William Ng of SAMENTA for his views on the plan and support needed by SMEs to achieve the goals of the NIMP. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Friday, former senior minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam emerged as the winner of the Singapore Presidential elections with 70% of the vote. What are the implications of this outcome for Singaporean politics? James Gomez of the Asia Centre weighs in.  Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As BFM turns 15 years old, we take a look at the local and international headlines that we reviewed and analysed as a radio station from the bad which of course includes 1MDB, the tragic and even the joyful moments in sports and arts. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All this week to mark our 66th Merdeka, we’re imagining what a better Malaysia could look like from different aspects of our lives. Today we’re focusing on social protection, which is becoming increasingly urgent for the severely poor, vulnerable, and marginalised. We speak with Prof. Emeritus Datuk Dr Norma Mansor, Director, Social Wellbeing Research Centre of Universiti Malaya on what is needed...

The national oil company Petronas released its second-quarter results on Wednesday, posting weaker earnings due to lower oil and gas prices. Petronas’s CEO said that oil and gas prices will remain volatile amid an uncertain global economy, but the company will press ahead with its plan to become a net-zero carbon country by 2050. We speak to Kong Ho Meng, Senior Analyst at UOB Kay Hian Research to...

All this week to mark Merdeka Day, we’re imagining what a better Malaysia could look like from different aspects of our lives. Today we’re focusing on the environment and climate change action, which are existential issues for policymakers. Meena Raman of Sahabat Alam Malaysia weighs in on the policies needed to ensure future generations can inherit a green and clean Malaysia. Image Credit: Shutte...

Given that banking results are seen as the barometer of an economy, what do the earnings of the sector bode for Malaysia’s economic outlook? Willie Tanoto, Director at Fitch Ratings' Financial Institutions team discusses the increasing downside risks to the credit quality of loan portfolios, and M&A potential in this space.   Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Businesses are excited over the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to reshape the business landscape, but many companies are still unsure how to leverage on the technology. How should companies strategise and adapt to the AI revolution? BFM moderated a panel discussion on themes and issues related to AI with Denyu Bostandzhiev, Managing Director of Audi Malaysia; Dr. Nikolai Dobberstein Mal...

As we continue our Merdeka series on what Malaysia could be in the decades to come, we are taking a look at education as it is the bedrock upon which a country's future is built. CEO of Teach For Malaysia, Chan Soon Seng shares with us the perennial structural problems in the education sector, is decentralisation, the solution moving forward and his vision for the future. Image Credit: Shutterstoc...

Japan’s decision to release treated radioactive water from its Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean has caused neighbouring countries to be on alert about the safety of consuming Japanese seafood. Malaysia has not banned seafood imports from Japan yet, but we speak to Jeremy Lim, Vice-President & Media Liaisons, Persatuan Pemilik Restoran & Bistro to get his reactions to this dev...

As part of our Merdeka series, we take a look at how Malaysia's economy might take shape in the next decade or more. Is the Madani Economy framework the right foundation for the next chapter of growth since it has lofty aims of creating a high-value economy? Are we paying too much attention to big projects and not enough on the SMEs? Economist Dr. Nungsari Radhi gives his views on Madani, target s...

The informal alliance known as BRICS comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will gain six new members beginning January 2024. What does the enlarged membership mean for the grouping, which has somewhat nebulous aims to begin with? We get the key takeaways from last week’s BRICS Summit with political scientist Dr. Pradeep Taneja. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener f...

The Generational End Game or GEG is proposed to be implemented in 2024 and is expected to cost up to 305 million ringgit. This law will ban smoking for anyone born after 2007. What are the key requirements in making this implementation effective? Benedict Weerasena, Research Director, Bait Al Amanah shares with us some insights. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Nvidia reported knockout earnings and positive guidance in the recent quarter as it rides high on the generative artificial intelligence boom. Meanwhile, SoftBank-owned Arm this week unveiled plans for the biggest US IPO in almost two years. We delve into the prospects of both tech firms and the broader trends for the industry with Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities. Image Credit: Shutterstock...

The political tumult of the past 4 years has shifted the electoral calendar in such a way that it may be a while before we can return to concurrent elections given the staggered terms of Parliament and state assemblies. What are the implications of separate federal and state elections for the medium to long term? We discuss the changes to Malaysia's electoral cycle with elections analyst Dr. G. Ma...

Elon Musk has made a series of changes to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, since his $USD44 billion takeover, but have these moves furthered the cause of free speech as he claims? We discuss how changes to the platform's features could impact the reputation and attractiveness of X to users as well as advertisers with digital media expert Prof. Bradley Freeman. Image Credit: Shutters...

Thailand finally broke its political impasse as parliament voted in Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai party as the new Prime Minister. On the same day, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatara returned after 15 years in exile. We speak with Dr Greg Raymond from the Australia National University to dissect what these twin developments mean for the future of Thailand. Image Credit: Shutterstock See...

2023 was supposed to be China’s year to rebound after opening its doors post-pandemic; the first quarter numbers showed promise. But the 2nd quarter numbers paint a completely different picture. To help us make sense of all the economic data points coming out from China and whether markets are overreacting, we speak with Derek Scissors, Chief Economist at China Beige Book International whether Chi...

The state elections may be over, but politics never stops. The Perak Menteri Besar confirmed a plot to topple his government, Bersatu is upset in Kedah, and Selangor begins a new chapter with a very different mix in the assembly. Meanwhile, by-elections in Pulai and Simpang Jeram in Johor will see PH battle it out with PN yet again. We speak to Adib Zalkapli, Director of BowerGroupAsia to get an u...

India has recently imposed an export ban on non-basmati white rice, and this week, followed with a 40% export duty on onions effective until 31 December. India is the world’s largest exporter of these two items, so what impact will this have on the food supply chain and prices? We speak with Priyanka Kishore, Economic and Forum Director at (International Market Assessment) IMA Asia to get some ins...

Recently, The Malay Chamber of Commerce called for the reinstatement of GST. We ask their Secretary General, Ahmad Yazid Othman why and what lessons can be learned to ensure that GST 2.0 is implemented properly. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.