Morning Brief

This week the Ministry of Home Affairs raided Swatch outlets across Malaysia and seized watches from its 'Pride Collection" for allegedly contravening the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA).  What are the provisions and processes behind this Act, and was it rightly used? We speak with lawyer, New Sin Yew to find out more.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Capital lenders through corporate and government bonds, play a crucial role in advancing the responsible investment agenda and with we have seen a sharp rise in green bond offerings. However do all such bonds really meet the criteria and what should that standard be? Jason Mortimer, Head of Sustainability, Fixed Income Nomura Asset Management gives us his views. Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is a two-cornered fight between PAS-Bersatu and BN-Pakatan Harapan in the upcoming state election in Kelantan. Will the unity government make inroads, or will we see a clean sweep of seats by the PAS-Bersatu coalition? For insights, we speak to Adib Zalkapli, Director of BowerGroupAsia.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the streaming war finally over as subscriber counts plateau? Is great content the only way to acquire and retain market share. And what will the roll out of password sharing controls do for Netflix’s number 1 position? We speak with Geetha Ranganathan, Senior Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence to talk about the companies bringing us great shows like XO Kitty, Succession, and the Mandalorian.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US government could start to run out of money within weeks unless it allows itself to borrow more. With just a week till the estimated debt-limit deadline of 1 June, we ask Walter Todd, President & Chief Investment Officer, Greenwood Capital what are the options left and the consequences if the largest economy breaches the debt ceiling.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the first three months of this year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has made official visits and trade missions to 9 countries, attracting around 185 billion ringgit of potential investments and potential exports of 3.2 billion ringgit. Ong Kian Ming, Director of the Philosophy Politics & Economics (PPE) Program at Taylor's University and former Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry weighs in on the value of these trips as there is cost to taxpayers.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Goldman Sachs estimates that China’s government debt amounts to $23 trillion US dollars, and this includes debt amassed by regional governments and municipalities. How do these debt levels weigh down on China’s economic recovery? Bernard Aw, Chief Economist at Coface gives us his analysis.Image by: ZDL / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disillusionment amongst our secondary school leavers have taken hold, with only 50% of surveyed youth intending to continue their higher education. Is it a case of funding, varsity places, or a mismatch of tertiary courses versus jobs available. To get an insight on this dilemma, we speak with Adli Amirullah, Fellow at Malaysian Youth Council.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perikatan Nasional looks ready for the upcoming Kedah state election led by the popular Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor. The state is a key gateway for PAS into the west coast. To have an understanding how prepared the 2 opposing sides are, we speak with Dr Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate with the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute MalaysiaImage by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The MACC is purportedly investigating the UEM purchase of a 33% block stake in Renong Bhd for RM2.3 billion ringgit. Many questions remain unanswered from the aftermath of the transaction that took place 26 years ago in 1997. To help us answer these question, we speak with P. Gunasegaram, Independent Business Writer.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Focusing on the three giants dominating the Southeast Asia tech space, Grab, GoTo and Sea; Nathan Naidu, Equity Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, dissects for us their recent quarterly results and their timeline to full year profitabilityImage by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subsidies are weighing heavily on government budgets and plans to rationalise subsidies for both fuel and electricity are in motion. Join our conversation with Associate Professor Dr Ahmed Razman Abdul Latiff, MBA Program Director , PUTRA Business School on targeted subsidy removals, and how implementing it on a phase approach will minimise the risk of unintended consequences.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As temperatures are set to soar, what should businesses and the government do to ensure that the safety, welfare and productivity of workers are upheld? We discuss policies to mitigate the effects of heat waves with Dr Abed Onn, Vice-President of the Academy Of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, MalaysiaImage by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The G7, an informal grouping of the world’s seven richest nations, convened in Hiroshima over the weekend with a surprise visit by Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky. We discuss their communique in detail with William Pesek, columnist at Nikkei Asia.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is doing better than average in terms of reducing trade barriers compared to her Asia Pacific peers. We rank 45th out of 88 countries in the International Trade Barrier Index by Washington DC-based think tank the Tholos Foundation in partnership with Malaysia’s Centre for Market Education. CME's Carmelo Ferlito tells us what the study shows us.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been a flurry of rhetoric over the Jill Ireland case on use of the word Allah by non-Muslims. We break down the legal issues in this matter with constitutional lawyer Dato’ Malik Imtiaz.Image by: msyaraafiq / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Meteorological Organisation is now predicting that the world is more likely to break the key temperature limit of 1.5⁰C between now and 2027, and judging by the heatwave we are experiencing now, it's not hard to imagine that it is likely. Ahmad Afandi, Senior Analyst at the Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS Malaysia), explains what can be done to counter this and whether or not it's too late.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia ended the SEA Games on a dismal note recording its worst performance in the history of the games. What does this say about the state of our sports industry? We get reactions from Haresh Deol, Editor of the news portal twentytwo13.myImage by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Days after Thailand’s elections and the shock win of the Move Forward party, what’s the status of talks to form a government? We speak to political analyst Dr. Termsak Chalermpalanupap of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute for insights into the negotiation process and potential scenarios.Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tech stocks have been rallying as investors anticipate the Fed Fund Rate to peak in the near future. We discuss the outlook for US tech with Jonathan Curtis of Franklin TempletonImage by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Extending highway concessions for another 30 years and opening up the toll payments systems beyond Touch n Go. It looks like tolls are here to stay. To give us an understanding of the complexity to move forward to a multi-lane free flow (MLFF) system, we speak with Sharim Tamrin, Senior Journalist, The Vibes & former MIROS board of directors memberImage by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six states - Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan & Terengganu - are set to dissolve their respective state assemblies by end-June, paving the way for elections to be held. Thomas Fann, Chair of Bersih, shares his concerns on how a low voter turnout might impact the outcome and what can be done to address this.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pakistan is no stranger to political unrest, but the current situation differs from the past due to the strange dynamic between former Prime Minister turned political firebrand Imran Khan and the military establishment. We discuss what’s happening in Pakistan with Dr. Zahid Ahmed of Deakin University.Image by: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Khazanah Research Institute survey has revealed that women in Kuala Lumpur spend 1.4 hours more unpaid homemaking each day than men and with around 2.4 million housewives in the country not in any formal employment, they aren't covered by any form of social protection. Anis Farid, Research Project Manager, Women's Aid Organisation, tells us unpaid care work transcends gender and is also under-reported, suggesting that social protection efforts need to be more wide ranging.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another round of water cuts was announced on Sunday affecting 650,000 users in Penang and Kedah. Why does a country blessed with ample rainfall still suffer from water cuts and poor distribution of clean piped water? Datuk Ir Abdul Kadir Mohd Din, the immediate Past President of Malaysian Water Association give us his views on how stakeholders should manage and protect our water management assets.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turkiye’s presidential race will head into a run-off on 28 May, after neither President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor opposition challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu won more than 50% of the vote. We discuss the outcome of Sunday’s elections and who holds the upper hand leading into the run-off with Dr. James Dorsey of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.Image by: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thailand politics has been far from stable over the last decade, with an ongoing cycle of elections, protests and coups. Could the outcome of Sunday’s general election bring an end to the uncertainty? We discuss the initial results with Dr. Greg Raymond of the Australian National UniversityImage by: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Unity Government came together for a show of strength. Even the usual hardline youth wings sang the same tune. Will this be enough for the grassroots and upcoming state elections? To get an analysis on the show, we speak with Dr Azmi Hassan, Senior Fellow, Nusantara Academy of Strategic ResearchImage by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s GDP expanded 5.6% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to a year ago, mainly thanks to domestic demand. But as export continues to see some moderation, can this expansion continue?Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian Bar in an Extraordinary General Meeting on Wednesday declared a motion of no-confidence against the Attorney General for failing to defend the judiciary, among other resolutions adopted. We hear from Bar Secretary General Anand Raj on why the Bar has taken this stance and what it hopes to see moving forward.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Indonesia chaired the first ASEAN Summit of the year this week in the Labuan Bajo. Unsurprisingly, the prolonged conflict situation in Myanmar was one of the key issues in the spotlight, however the lack of progress on resolving the crisis continues to have an impact on ASEAN’s credibility as an institutional actor. Is there political will for a different approach? We discuss the outcomes of the meeting with Thomas Daniel of ISIS Malaysia.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Labour government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled their second budget this week, projecting the first surplus in over a decade. What does the budget say about the government’s policy priorities? We discuss the highlights of the budget and the outlook for the economy with Catherine Birch of ANZ BankImage by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is studying policies for a progressive wage system. We discuss the factors contributing to Malaysia’s slow pace of income growth and what’s needed to accelerate the pace to achieve high-income nation goals with Nithiyanathan Muthusamy of Khazanah Research Institute (KRI).Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government announced that it was lifting the ban on renewable energy exports. What are the implications of this for Malaysia’s energy sector? We get reactions from Dhana Raj Markandu, independent energy analyst & consultant.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tech war between the US and China is throwing havoc on the Shanghai Composite and Hang Seng Index. China’s recovery was expected to drive up markets, but the year has been mixed so far. To make sense of this, we talk to John Lau, Portfolio Manager, AHAM Capital on his views on China’s markets, economy and policies moving forward.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The EPF has been constantly in the news since the pandemic hit in 2020 - from the various special Covid-19 withdrawal schemes to proposals to allow members to use their savings as collateral for loans. More recently, a workers’ union group wants employers’ EPF contribution increased from 13% to 20%; and PM Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wants the fund to increase its domestic investments from the current 64% to 70%. Independent business writer P Gunasegaram unpacks what all these mean.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Deputy Prime Minister has signalled that the government is looking to pen an agreement with the UNHCR regarding its roles and responsibilities for refugees and asylum seekers. We discuss the policy implications of this with Lilianne Fan of Geutanyoe Malaysia.Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big Tech’s pandemic boom of the past 2 years was marked by double to triple growth rates. Fast-forward to 2023 and we are seeing Q1 results of between 3% to 9% for giants like Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft. Dan Ives, Managing Director of, Wedbush Securities, helps us sift through the analyses of the outlook for the US tech sector, amid the industry’s heavy cost-cutting exercises. Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The traffic congestion in Penang has been an issue for residents with many solutions including the government proposed LRT. Is this the best way forward or are there other holistic solutions to consider. Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, Professor of Transport Engineering in Universiti Sains Malaysia tells us his answers.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turkey will head to presidential and parliamentary elections this Sunday, in what some observers call the most important elections of 2023. We discuss the stakes at play for incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with political expert Dr. James DorseyImage by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Health Organization announced on Friday May 5 that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency, and immediately drew mixed reactions and emotions from health experts and stakeholders alike. Dr Khoo Yoong Khean, Scientific Officer, Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness helps us dissect these fractions and share his thoughts on how we should move forward in this pandemic phase.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia came in 3rd in this year’s Economist Crony-Capitalism Index. Surprisingly Singapore is ranked 4th. So what defines a crony capitalist economy and how does it differ between Malaysia and Singapore? For answers to this and more, we are joined by Pushpan Murugiah, Acting CEO, Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism, or commonly known as C4.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the long Hari Raya weekend, vegetable farmers in the country had to dump surplus fresh vegetables on a large scale, causing millions of ringgit in losses and unnecessary food waste. An ironic situation considering questions over the level of food security in Malaysia and the rising cost of food. Prof. Dr. Fatimah Arshad, Research Fellow at Laboratory of Agricultural & Food Policy Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia tells us what the solutions to resolve this.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the long Hari Raya weekend, vegetable farmers in the country had to dump surplus fresh vegetables on a large scale,causing millions of ringgit in losses and unnecessary food waste. An ironic situation considering questions over the level of food security in Malaysia and the rising cost of food. Prof. Dr. Fatimah Arshad, Research Fellow at Laboratory of Agricultural & Food Policy Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia tells us what the solutions to resolve this.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a country which has had 12 army coups since 1932, will elections which are due on May 14 bring forth a stable government that can appeal to the army and a very divided electorate. James Gomez, Regional Director, Asia Centre gives us an update whilst telling us who might be the Prime Minister.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a country which has had 12 army coups since 1932, will elections which are due on May 14 bring forth a stable government that can appeal to the army and a very divided electorate. James Gomez, Regional Director, Asia Centre gives us an update whilst telling us who might be the Prime Minister.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government announced that Malaysia will allow for a dual-wholesale network of the 5G roll-out once national coverage has reached 80% by the end of the year. What are the implications of this decision for telcos and consumers? We get reactions from Alexander Wong, Managing Editor of tech news portal SoyaCincau.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bank Negara Malaysia, US Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and Reserve Bank of Australia all raise rates by 25bps this week. It appears central bankers are more concerned about inflation rather than recession. Joining us to share his take on this surprising but not unexpected hikes, we have with us Firdaos Rosli, Chief Economist at Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia jumped 40 spots in this year’s World Press Freedom Index, ranked at number 73, ahead of regional peers. What accounts for the massive improvement and how do we compare to the rest of ASEAN? We speak to Daniel Bastard of Reporters Without Borders for insights from the report.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The admission by Daihatsu that it rigged safety tests for four car models that it manufactures, including the Perodua Axia, has put the spotlight on safety standards for cars sold in Asian regions. Auto journalist Daniel Fernandez speaks to us about the implications of the scandal and whether it will have an impact on demand.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.