Morning Brief

The Minister of Education Fadhlina Sidek recently announced that the government is looking to make secondary education mandatory in a bid to curb school drop-outs. How would this policy be implemented? We speak to Shahnaz Al-Sadat, Chairperson of LeapEd Services for her views on how and when this should be rolled out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oil has been on a 7-week winning streak which has surprised pundits as demand conditions are still soft with China facing deflation and global growth slowing. We go behind the headlines with Ho Pei Hwa, Regional Energy Analyst at DBS Bank for the reasons for this price appreciation and who will be the listed winners.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Saturday, all of MUDA’s 19 candidates suffered heavy defeats and lost their deposits. It appears the decision to part ways with the Pakatan Harapan coalition and go solo has backfired. With no signs that it can win any election as a stand-alone party, what can the party do from now till GE16? We’ll be speaking with MUDA’s President Syed Saddiq to share his thoughts and analysis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Penang has been a stronghold for Pakatan Harapan since 2008, with DAP holding the biggest share at 19 out of 40 seats in the state assembly. However, following the shake-up in DAP candidates and a recent high-profile exit from the party, can PH retain control of the state or could PN make inroads?  We speak to Dr Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia for his projections in Penang.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take a close look at the battle for Malaysia’s richest and most developed state, as its outcome will be closely scrutinised by the local and international community. Dr James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania tells us if the tried and tested PH government can safely keep Selangor.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Negeri Sembilan is a unity government stronghold with all 36 seats held by UMNO and PH parties. But can the PH-BN coalition afford to be complacent as PN seeks to make inroads into the state? We speak with Dr Azmi Hassan, Senior Fellow, Nusantara Academy of Strategic Research to gauge the prospects of both coalitions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the role of a lead prosecutor in a criminal case? We discuss this and other procedural matters with criminal lawyer Sreekant Pillai in light of the change in the prosecution team in the Yayasan Akalbudi trial involving Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Image Credit: Shahjehan / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The trio Singapore banks of DBS, OCBC and UOB have all concluded their second quarter earnings recently with record profit thanks to rate hikes. We speak to Sarah Jane Mahmud of Bloomberg Intelligence for her take on which bank is outpacing peers and whether growth prospects are sustainable amid weak global economic conditions.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perikatan Nasional completed their launch of state election manifestos last Friday, the final coalition to do so midway through the campaign period. Can PN win voters with its manifesto promises and how confident are they of making inroads in states beyond the Green Belt of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah? We discuss this with PN Deputy Youth Chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With almost 3 million youth votes at stake in the state elections, political parties have been working hard to convince this cohort that their needs and demands will be addressed. Dr. Syaza Shukri, Associate Professor and Political Science Researcher from the International Islamic University Malaysia discusses how the youth experience could influence voting trends on August 12th.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As part of BFM's debate series for the Selangor state elections, we feature all the candidates of N34, Bukit Gasing. In the hot seats were VKK Raja (Muda), Nallan Dhanabalan (PN) and Rajiv Rishyakaran (PH) as we uncover where they stand on the critical issues like development, environment and local council elections.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Early voting starts today in the state elections for approximately 97 thousand Malaysians, mainly those serving in Armed Forces and Police. The remaining 5 days of campaigning will see intensified efforts to entice voters to the ballot box - with ceramahs and tik tok platforms thrown in the mix. We speak with Thomas Fann, Chairperson, Bersih for his observations on the election campaign, why your vote matters, and his expectations for turnout this Saturday.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economy Minister, Rafizi Ramli launched Phase 1 of the National Energy Transition Roadmap, also known as NETR with 10 flagship catalyst initiatives. With 25 billion ringgit in total investments and 23,000 job opportunities in the pipeline, who are the beneficiaries? Anand Pathmakanthan, Regional Head of Research at Maybank Investment Bank will tell us.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perikatan Nasional has launched its manifesto with the theme of ‘Selangor Baharu Kita Bangkit’. With all coalition party manifestos announced, the battle to win over the 3.7 million Selangor voters intensifies. We speak with Datuk Dr. Marzuki Mohamad, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, International Islamic University Malaysia and former Principal Private Secretary to the 8th Prime Minister to share his views on the fight to win over the voters.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The N39 Kota Damansara constituency will witness a three-corner fight between Izuan Kasim of PH; Radzlan Jalaludin of PN; and Sivarajan Arumugam of PSM. Tune in to the fiery debate between the candidates to find out why they should be elected as representatives, what are their positions on policy issues affecting Kota Damansara.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have started an investigation on Sam Waltman’s OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, and echoes calls that AI needs to be regulated by Elon Musk and Geofrey Hinton. Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said Malaysia will also consider an artificial intelligence regulatory framework. We speak with Zachary Scully, Partner of RHTLaw Asia and HMS Law to get his views on the rules we may expect to see in an AI regulation framework.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re less than 10 days away until the state elections on Aug 12th, where close to 10 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots. We ask Danesh Prakash Chacko of Tindak Malaysia what are the expectations for voter turnout, how to boost up the numbers, understanding local council elections, and why is it important to elect members of the state assembly and the state government?Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The general election in Myanmar that was supposed to be held this month has been delayed, as the military junta extended the state of emergency in the country for six more months. We speak to Hunter Marston of the Australian National University for an update on what this means for the country and the developments related to NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this year, the government promised to absorb 12,800 contract doctors into permanent positions. The first batch of 4,200 doctors reported for duty at the end of July. However, the placement of these doctors have been fraught with controversy, leaving many hospitals understaffed and relocation claims not reimbursed. We speak with Dr. Timothy Cheng of the Malaysia Medical Association on problems with the relocation exercise and implications for public health services.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former President Donald Trump is facing a third tranche of indictments over his efforts to overturn the 2020 Presidential election results. What accounts for Trump’s enduring popularity, despite facing legal scandal after scandal? We discuss factors influencing voter sentiment with independent pollster John Zogby.Image by: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MUDA is striking it alone in the state elections, aiming to mainstream its "new politics" tagline. We discuss elements of its manifesto and the policy direction of the party with Teacher Thanusha, Muda's candidate for the Sentosa state assembly seat in Selangor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China’s factory activity contracted for a fourth consecutive month in July, while non-manufacturing activity slowed to its weakest this year. In response, the government has made a number of pledges to boost its flagging economy. Gary Ng of Natixis discusses whether the measures introduced are sufficient to spur growth.Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Economy Minister Mohd Rafizi Ramli launched Part 1 of the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), with 10 flagship projects generating 25 billion ringgit in total investments, creating 23 thousand job opportunities, and a reduction of over 10 thousand Gigagrams (Gg) of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) equivalent. We’ll speak with Azril Zainal, Energy Leader in Malaysia, Arup to help us digest the announcement, notably on the solar front.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There have been a flurry of high level visits between the US and China over the past months, raising hopes that better ties will prevail between the arch-rivals. However geopolitical analyst Bunn Nagara is less sanguine about the positive momentum, and we discuss what's the root cause of the longstanding tensions.Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim launched the Madani Economy economic framework yesterday, with the goal of catapulting Malaysia’s economy into the world’s top 30 within the decade. We get reactions to the announcement from economist Dr. Geoffrey Williams - an economist at the Malaysia University of Science and Technology.Image by: Facebook/Anwar IbrahimSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hong Kong’s top officials and business leaders are visiting Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia this week, as the territory aims to increase bilateral trade and gain support to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. We speak to Dr Jonathan Choi, Chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, to find out how Hong Kong aims to regain its status as Asia’s premier financial hub.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perikatan Nasional has unveiled their candidates list for the state elections, with names like Azmin Ali and Rina Harun contesting in Selangor. But could the green wave make its way here and in Penang? And With the recent freezing of Bersatu's bank accounts by the authorities, how will this impact the state election machinery? Dr Kartini Aboo Talib @ Khalid, Deputy Director, Institute of Ethnic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia shares with us her insights.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tesla is the first EV manufacturer to be exempted from approved permits under Malaysia’s new Global Battery Electric Vehicle initiative. But why should high end EV vehicles be exempted from duties and taxes? And why does the government intend to maintain the AP system? Does the AP system still make sense in the push for higher EV adoption and making Malaysia a regional hub for manufacturing? We discuss all thousand more with Daniel Fernandez of the auto news portal dsf.my.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President of the Philippines’ Ferdinand Marcos Jr held a three-day state visit this week. Thomas Daniel of ISIS Malaysia gives us his take on key bilateral issues between the two countries, including the South China Sea and Sabah dispute, as well as new opportunities for trade cooperation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Monday, Russia withdrew from a deal that allows the safe export of Ukraine's grain via the Black Sea. We speak to Evghenia Sleptsova, Senior economist, Oxford Economics on how this will impact Ukraine’s economy and will we see a u- turn this time?Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DAP released their candidate lineup for Selangor, Penang and Negri Sembilan with many new faces. A move copied by other political parties. What is the strategy behind this move and does it help with the outcome or even voter turnout. Dr Wong Chin Huat, Political Scientist, Sunway University weighs in.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's central bank took a pause on its interest rate hikes last month after raising it 12 times in the past 14 months hoping to reign in inflation which is at a still-elevated 5.6%. For now property owners have a bit of respite. Mohsen Crofts, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Australia, talks to us about how the RBA's fight against inflation is affecting the country's real estate and consumer markets, and what expectations are for the months ahead.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most legal fees for conveyancing transactions in Peninsular Malaysia have increased from 1% to 1.25% since July 15th, affecting transactions involving non-contentious matters like the sale and purchase of movable and immovable properties, financing and tenancies. The Malaysia Competition Commission is questioning this hike, calling it uncompetitive. Karen Cheah, the president of the Malaysian Bar, gives us the legal fraternity's side of the story and how lawyers are coping with increasing operating costs.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the course of a divorce proceeding, couples with children will have to navigate through issues related to custody, visitation rights, and child support. And NGO Sisters in Islam has raised an alarming trend on the ​​prevalence of parental child abduction. We speak to Nizam Bashir, Syariah Lawyer on the complicated process surrounding child custody battles and are the child’s best interest taken into consideration by the courts.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, we saw reports that a rape victim was denied entry to the one-stop crisis centre of a government hospital and was told to lodge a police report first, which did not tally with the advice from Women’s Aid Organisation. So we speak to Zati Hanani, senior advocacy officer at WAO on what is the process in handling victims of rape and sexual assault and how can the process can be streamlined to consider the trauma the victim has suffered?Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

News of Russia terminating the Black Sea grain corridor agreement gave an immediate uplift to crude palm oil prices last week. But is this knee jerk reaction sustainable or will the sector fundamentals continue to place downward pressure on CPO price? We ask Alvin Tai, Senior Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence this question and where he sees CPO pricing headed moving forward?Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Ministry launched the Dual Language Programme in selected schools in 2016 for STEM subjects such as Mathematics and Science to be taught in English. However there are reports that at some top national full DLP schools, non-DLP classes have been introduced. We speak to Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, Chairperson, Parent Action Group for Education as to the reasons for this and what are the consequences.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asian central banks have been striking very different tones on their monetary policy versus the Federal Reserve and even their European counterparts. Stephen Chiu, Chief Asia FX and Rates Strategist, Bloomberg Intelligence tells us what this means for currencies and also the bond market.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A revision in the Solicitor’s Remuneration Order (SRO 2023) will allow lawyers to charge more for conveyancing transactions increasing the conveyancing fee from 1% to 1.25% effective July 15th. This will affect the sale and purchase of movable and immovable properties, financing and tenancies. Iskandar Ismail, CEO of the Malaysia Competition Commission tells us why MyCC think this will unfairly impact consumers.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thailand's General Elections were held on May 14th and more than 2 months later, the kingdom still has no prime minister. Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward party which won the most seats, has lost his final bid after lawmakers blocked a second vote on whether he should be PM. Dr Greg Raymond, Senior Lecturer, Australia National University talks about what happens next for Thailand as conservative voices appear to trump the people's will.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With just under a month before voters in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu head to the polls to elect their representatives for the next 5 years, political parties are positioning themselves for battle. Eyes are on how a Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional partnership might fare, whether or not Perikatan Nasional might make further in-roads post-GE15 and if MUDA's gamble to contest solo will bear fruit. Oh Ei Sun, Principal Adviser at Pacific Research Centre shares with us his views.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore's 5th ranking in Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 is being tested after its Transport Minister S Iswaran was arrested by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. This probe also involved hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng. Additionally, two MPs have resigned resulting in a total of 5 constituencies without a people's representative. James Gomez, Regional Director, Asia Centre dissects these developments for us and how this impacts the performance of the People's Action Party that has been in power for 6 decades.Image by: ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUISee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deputy law and institutional reform minister Ramkarpal Singh has called for amendments to redefine a “mentally incapacitated” individual under the The Mental Health Act 2001. Dr Ravivarma Rao Panirselvam, Psychiatrist at the Hospital Miri Malaysia weighs in on this suggested amendments and if there should be any other changes. Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US economy has been resilient despite the record hikes in the Fed Fund rate. In the meantime China’s anticipating economic boom post the lifting of covid restrictions have not materialised. What then is the impact on Asia’s economies? Is the street still optimistic? Alex Holmes, Senior Economist At Oxford Economics weighs in on thisImage by: Megan_Rexazin | PixabaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The EPF has proposed a slew of reforms for its retirement scheme, including mandatory monthly withdrawals and a new Account 3 designed to strengthen income security. Alvin Tan, President of the Financial Planning Association of Malaysia breaks down the rationale for these proposals and whether it will have the intended effect. Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest economic data coming out of China has further fueled concerns about the health of the world’s second largest economy. Exports sank by 12.4%, while imports tumbled 6.8%, worse than anticipated by economists. We get analysis from Bernard Aw of Coface on what options Beijing has to prop up the economy.Image Credit: humphery / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is stepping up its fight against rent-seeking activities, or “Alibaba” culture, which is estimated to cost Malaysia losses amounting to 1% of GDP to corruption. We speak to economist Dr. Carmelo Ferlito, on the kinds of reforms needed to eliminate such activities in the country.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The two-day NATO Summit in Vilnius concluded yesterday, with mixed outcomes. Sweden will officially join the group after Turkey dropped its objections; but Ukraine’s membership path is far from certain, much to Kyiv’s chagrin. We discuss the key takeaways from the security summit with Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore.Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we head into the second half of 2023, how are ASEAN economies faring? We check in with Chua Hak Bin of Maybank Investment Banking Group to find out the GDP prospects of the region and the pre-pandemic realities that ASEAN economies face.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has given a three-month timeline for the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Anti-Drug Agency (NADA) to effectively address the drug abuse problem affecting almost a million Malaysians. We speak with Professor Dr. Vicknasingam Kasinather, Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia to gets his insights on how NADA, the Police and Ministry of Health have been working to tackle the problem.Image by: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.