The Breakfast Grille

Both SIS and ABIM have been leading the conversation on the question of the role of Islam in life of the nation, a conversation that affects those within the faith community as well as those outside. Today, a few days before the end of the month of Ramadhan, we talk about the results of the 14th General Elections, the future of Malay ethno-nationalism and the dialogue between Muslims on different...

Our panelist weigh in on the implications of reintroducing the local government elections and whether Malaysians are ready for "third vote". See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The newest player in Singapore's insurance sector - Singapore Life - is the first local insurer with no foreign partners to be licensed by the city-state since 1970. Having just commenced operations last year, they have since acquired a S$6 billion business portfolio from Zurich Life Singapore. We talk to Singapore Life's CEO Walter de Oude on the company's business model and M&A plans. The co...

After ruling the country for more than 60 years, UMNO's failure to capture Putrajaya in the recent elections came as a shock to those from within and outside the party alike. Melisa Idris explores if, and how, UMNO and Barisan Nasional can reinvent itself. She speaks to Zaidel Baharuddin, Executive Secretary of Barisan Nasional Youth and Dato’ Dr Vaseehar Hassan, author of ‘The Malay L...

Heavily criticised on social media for his open criticism of the current administration for a lack of consensual decision-making process, his corrective on the impact of the Dr Mahathir factor in GE14, the man who once could do no wrong by the urban chattering classes, speaks about his approach to the new ground realities of Malaysian politics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Mobius, previously the Executive Chairman of Templeton Emerging Markets Group and current founder of Mobius Capital Partners, says there could be an imminent 30% correction in US share markets and discusses the reasons underlying this opinion. He also discusses the prospects for ASEAN as an emerging market bloc and the role of China and India before expanding on Malaysia, where the 61-year-lo...

In one of the first media interviews from a Finance Ministry representative, YB Ong Kian Ming attempts to clarify the country's current financial position and shares how they plan to tackle the RM1 trillion debt mountain. Kian Ming also sheds light on the transition from the Goods and Services Tax to the Sales and Services Tax. We also discuss the 1MDB story, in particular if the MoF is looki...

The results of GE14 vindicated a 50-year struggle for one of Malaysia's longest-serving members of Parliament, YB Lim Kit Siang. He provides his analysis of the shock victory for Pakatan Harapan, which required tough decisions to drop DAP's rocket logo and to work with his former nemesis, Tun Dr. Mahathir. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pakatan Harapan administration has recently announced that GST will be zero-rated starting June 1, followed by the Sales and Services Tax (SST) making a comeback later on. With rising national debt, can Malaysia afford this? We speak to a panel of experts on the implications of abolishing GST, the way forward in implementing SST and the expected impact on Malaysians' cost of living. See omnyst...

The Iron Lady talks about the outcome of GE14 and her hopes for the future of Malaysia. She also delves into the Supermax and Stanley Thai dilemma, the controversy around Air Asia and Tony Fernandes and her views on the Pakatan Harapan government, the cabinet and politics in general. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He stood against Barisan Nasional’s Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin and the PAS’ Fauzi Abu Bakar and bested the majority of his Pakatan predecessor, Nurul Izzah Anwar. Despite a majority of close to 5600 votes with just over 33,000 votes, a simple calculation of his opponent’s combined votes were which close to 33,000, we ask if his position in this KL constituency is secure. T...

The Sarawak Report was one of the news portals infamously banned under the previous administration over its whistle-blowing reports. We catch up with its editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown on developments post GE14 and the portal's place in the media landscape. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having moved from civil society into the state both our guests have a unique insight into the transformation of Malaysia. Today we explore how the electoral reform process might look like as we move towards the first Parliamentary session and the challenges of institutional reform and finally the debate around the role of civil society in a post-Barisan Nasional era.  See omnystudio.com/liste...

Despite the warm after-glow of the recently concluded General Elections, the break from decades of Barisan Nasional-led authoritarian rule has its paradoxes, starting with the leadership of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Today we speak to veterans of the much repressed dissenting tradition in Malaysian politics about the prospects of genuine democracy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

Former President of the Malaysian Bar and ex-chair of electoral reform movement Bersih gives her take on the serious challenges for the newly-minted government of Pakatan Harapan. We explore everything from contract sanctity of mega-infrastructure projects now under review, to Rafizi Ramli’s “outburst” over Cabinet positions and political will to address the corruption allegation...

We continue news coverage and analysis post-GE14 with Karim Raslan of KRA Group. We take a look at the future of UMNO and the need to be critical of the new Pakatan Harapan government to hold them accountable to their election promises. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brigadier-General Dato' Arshad Raji, the President of the National Patriots Association, speaks of how he prays for a Malaysia free of hate, racial prejudice, lies and corruption. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Seri Jamil shares insights into the global halal business, how the Halal Development Corporation has performed under his leadership over the last 12 years and how the Malaysian halal ecosystem has evolved. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Qatar Airways is set to add 16 new destinations for 2018 and 2019 combined, despite expectations that the Gulf carrier will announce a "substantial' loss for the 12 months ending March 2018. Yet, given geopolitical tensions between Qatar and its neighbours, will that limit the airline's ambitions? And what role does Malaysia play in its global strategy? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Competition has intensified for insurers with non-traditional insurers entering the space. With the rise of FinTech companies, h ow does Zurich General Insurance set itself apart from the rising competition? David sheds light on this. We also talk about industry consolidation, Bank Negara's latest deadline for foreign life insurers and the future of insurance, specifically its affordability a...

With Polling Day just 10 days away, and with Nomination Day two days behind us, we take a measure of the political ground as it shifts and changes. We talk about fence-sitters, Federal versus state dynamics, surprises in Sabah and seats to watch because they are barometers of the Malay ground. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Berhad is the country's oldest Takaful operator and currently the only pure Takaful player listed on Bursa Malaysia. It commands 23% of the family Takaful market, making it the market leader in this segment. But how long can it maintain its lead? We ask Dato' Sri Hassan Kamil how Takaful Malaysia plans to step up its digital push. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

Globetronics Technology Berhad is an investment holding company that engages manufacturing, assembly, testing and sales in the semiconductor and electronics industries. Dato Heng gives us insights into the global electrical and electronic industry and how they are competing globally. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Education is central to the Malaysian Dream; seen as the key to upward mobility. And despite allocations of RM61.6 billion in Budget 2018, questions remain about the thinking behind reforms in the education system. Today, we look at party political manifestos; what they say about education and how it can be strengthened. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the EIS (Employment Insurance Scheme) system was first announced, it raised a number of questions. One of it was -- is the EIS system necessary? We ask Deputy CEO Datin Azlaily Rahman this. Since the implementation of the Employment Insurance System in January this year many employers, as well as employees, are still in the dark about the scheme. SOCSO estimates a total collection of RM479 mi...