Morning Brief

The Disney empire saw a sudden change of leadership on Sunday, when the board announced that Bob Chapek was stepping down as CEO to be replaced by his predecessor, Bob Iger. Iger is taking over the company as it seeks to staunch billions of dollars in losses in its streaming business. Can Iger bring back the magic for Disney investors?Image credit: Silvia Elizabeth Pangaro / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we enter the third day post-GE15, negotiations are still ongoing to form the next federal government. The two biggest coalitions, Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan, are racing to build their numbers, to cross the 112 threshold of MPs needed to claim majority in Parliament. We discuss the political considerations at play with Dr. Francis Hutchinson of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Academic studies have placed Malaysia as the 13th worst malapportioned country, with unequal representation of voters across constituencies. How should the electoral map be redrawn for fairer political representation? We speak to Danesh Prakash Chacko of Tindak Malaysia to better understand the challenges of redelineation.Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Qatar was awarded the rights to host the 2022 World Cup, thus making history with this World Cup being the first to be held in the Middle East. The Qatari government's goal may have been to bring international prestige, but it has also come under scrutiny for the country’s human rights practices. Adding to this are also long-standing corruption allegations hanging over the bidding process for the games, which Qatar has consistently denied any wrongdoing. For Qatar, what will be the political and economic impact of hosting the World Cup? We speak to Dr. James Dorsey, Adjunct Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies for insights.Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whichever coalition eventually governs Malaysia, the road ahead will be a challenging one with a global recession impending. Dr Nungsari Radhi, Economist tells us what are the solutions and the consequences if we ignore the problems.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Alizan Mahadi from ISIS Malaysia on the recently concluded COP27 negotiations in Egypt as delegates managed to pull out a resolution on Loss and Damage. The question is if this is enough to avert a climate catastrophe?Image credit: PixabaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With no single coalition able to win enough seats to form the government, Istana Negara instructed coalition and party leaders to notify the Dewan Rakyat Speaker of their numbers to form a new government and respective PM candidates by 2pm today. The Federal Constitution states the King has the discretion to appoint as prime minister the person he feels is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Dewan Rakyat and can act at his discretion. But what is the process from here on and what does the law or convention tell us? For answers we speak to Dato’ Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, Constitutional Lawyer.Image credit: 123RF.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With GE15 looming soon, how do the different coalitions stack up against each other in their manifestos concerning women’s issues? We speak to Abinaya Mohan, Head of Campaigns, WAO on her thoughts on each manifesto, and what voters should consider when casting their votes on this issue this Saturday.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GE15 will see an electorate size of over 21 million, thanks to automatic voter registration and UNDI 18. A high turnout rate is crucial to give legitimacy to Parliament. Encouragingly, early voting on Tuesday saw an almost 95% turnout rate and we continue to hear stories of Malaysians abroad racing against time to ferry votes back to our country. So as the clock ticks towards the 19th of November to choose the future we want, how different has this campaigning period been and why should you go out to vote? For answers, we speak to Jason Wee, Co-Founder, Architects of Diversity.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the past two weeks, politicians of all stripes have been campaigning in earnest to win the hearts and minds of voters. With many unprecedented factors at play, how does the mood of these elections compare with past GEs? We speak to SCMP's Hadi Azmi for observations from the campaign trail.Image Credit: IZWAN IS / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first time, Malaysians have a buffet of options when it comes to the Prime Minister candidate. Each of the three main coalitions have their designated PM - but each man has to first win their federal parliamentary seats on the road to Putrajaya. We discuss the prospects of the potential PMs with political analyst Dr. Kartini Aboo Talib @ Khalid of UKM.Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Indonesia took over the chairmanship of the G20 last year, no one foresaw the outbreak of the war in Ukraine which would derail geopolitical ties between the largest economies in the world. The G20 Summit was successfully hosted in Bali amid ongoing developments in Ukraine - but was this event a case of form over substance? Bunn Nagara, Honorary Research Fellow of Perak Academy gives us the key takeaways from the summit.Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Malaysia where political debates are not the norm, we speak to three out of the 10 candidates running for the Batu constituency: PKR incumbent P Prabakaran, takes on independent candidates Siti Kasim and Tian Chua. We put them through their paces and ask them why they deserve to be the MP for this constituency.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Russian troops withdrew from the southern city of Kherson marking the latest setback for Russia in the nine-month long siege of Ukraine. Does the liberation of Kherson mark another turn towards the end of the war - or will Russia strike back harder as the winter months turn colder? Prof. Rouben Azizian of Massey University weighs in.Image credit: EPA-EPESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza is filling in the gaps in political literacy through his popular #KelasDemokrasi, both online and through in-person sessions at local universities. However, his classes have been disrupted at 7 public universities so far. We ask Dr Benjamin Loh, Senior Lecturer, School of Media & Communication at Taylor's University why and how should lessons on democracy and politics be taught.Image credit: Twitter.com / @kuasasiswaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Titiwangsa federal parliamentary constituency will see a four-cornered race, with the two frontrunners being from Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan. We speak to Amanah and PH candidate Khalid Samad on why he left his previous seat of Shah Alam to contest in Titiwangsa and what he brings to the table.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sleepy town of Kuala Selangor is the battleground for another showdown of giants this GE15. Caretaker Finance Minister Tengku Dato’ Sri Zafrul Aziz will make his maiden run here, going up against Amanah incumbent and former Health Minister Dato’ Dzulkefly Ahmad. How will voters decide this time around? Adib Zalkapli of BowerGroupAsia gives us his take.Image credit: Berita HarianSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hang Seng Index at one point last month was trading at 11-year lows. But it has rebounded strongly from the depths it reached in October and is up by more than 20%. Part of the gains as well as speculation that China may be gradually relaxing its stringent Covid-19 policies and the recent property rescue incentives. Recently China reduced the quarantine time for international travellers by two days to five days. Will China continue to gradually dial back on its Covid-19 policies and will this be a boon for the stock market? For insights we speak to Peter Lewis, Founder and Director of Peter Lewis Consulting (China) Limited.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s economy registered a stronger growth of 14.2 percent in the third quarter of 2022 from 8.9 percent in the second quarter. The 14.2 percent is the fastest GDP pace posted by any Southeast Asian nation during the period, surpassing Vietnam's 13.7 percent. Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus said headline inflation was likely to have peaked for the year at 4.5 percent during the quarter from 2.8 percent in Q2 2022. What does this all mean for the future OPR hikes and the Ringgit? For insights, we speak to Julia Goh, Senior Economist, UOB Malaysia.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For GE15, 3 major coalitions are fighting to run the country, with a crowded field of 945 candidates contesting in 222 parliamentary seats. All of which makes the outcome harder to predict, thus raising the prospect of a hung parliament after every vote has been counted. New Sin Yew, Constitutional Lawyer, tells us what the Federal Constitution does say or doesn't say about such a situation.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Richard McGregor, Senior Fellow at the Lowy Institute, as to what the stakes are for this much anticipated meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping who will be having their first face to face meeting since Biden became the President of the US on the sidelines of the Group 20 summit in Bali.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FTX, which was at one time the 2nd largest crypto exchange, saw its fortunes take a dive after a series of bad decisions by its owner, Sam Bankman-Fried. It looked like a white knight in the form of a rival, Binance would come and save the day but that deal is now dead in the water. Bankman-Fried told investors that the company is facing a shortfall of up to 8 billion dollars from withdrawal requests and needs emergency funding. Will all this have a contagion on the price of cryptocurrencies and broader markets and will there be a white knight that will come to FTX's rescue? For insights we speak to Varun Mittal, Chief Growth Officer, Singlife with Aviva.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With GE15 round the corner, what are the do's and don'ts for voters, candidates and parties alike? Thomas Fann, Chairperson of Bersih reminds us whilst dispelling the fake news that has been swirling on the voting process.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ampang P99 seat is a nine corner fight featuring five women candidates. Will this just be a toss up between former Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities and incumbent MP Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin who will be defending her seat under the Parti Bangsa Malaysia ticket and Pakatan Harapan’s Rodziah Ismail? Will voters forgive her for the Sheraton move? Zuraida won the seat in GE14 under the PKR ticket and in 2020, she infamously joined the Sheraton Move which saw her defecting to Bersatu leading to the downfall of the Pakatan Harapan government. For insights, we speak to Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, Associate Director, Vriens and Partners.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Steve Saxon from McKinsey & Company about China's travel and tourism industry as it grapples with rising Covid cases, while the government continues to enforce their zero Covid policy.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prasarana has announced the closure of 16 LRT stations until 15 November, causing massive disruption and inconvenience to KL commuters. We unpack why this has happened, what are the remedial actions that should take place and who is accountable for with Aziff Azuddin, Independent Urban Mobility Researcher. We also discuss which manifesto has the most comprehensive transportation solution for Malaysia.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No other seat exemplifies the dilemma between party and candidate that voters are faced with better than this seat. It’s a crowded field with 7 contenders for the seat, but all eyes are on caretaker Health Minister Khairy Jamaludin running for Umno, Barisan Nasional  and Datuk. R. Ramanan of PKR, defending what is long seen as the PKR stronghold. The incumbent MP, M. Sivarasa held this seat with an overwhelming majority in GE14 but was dropped this time round. For insights, we speak to Dr Lau Zhe Wei, Assistant Professor, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although Republicans eked out convincing wins in many states and gained control of the House of Representatives in the US midterm elections, it was by no means the bulldozing of the Democrats that some foretold. Meanwhile the race for control of the Senate remains on a cliff-hanger, with seats in Georgia and Arizona currently too close to call. How will these elections impact President Biden’s policymaking for the remainder of his term? We discuss the implications with Dr. Adrian Ang of RSIS.Image credit: EPA-EPESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All three major coalitions for GE15 have finally released their election manifestos. We speak to Dr Tricia Yeoh, CEO, IDEAS to compare and rank their economic initiatives.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In politics, the Malay heartland of FELDA and FELCRA covers 90 parliamentary seats, or 41% of the total seats in the Dewan Rakyat. With the Malay demographic expected to split three-ways between BN, PN and GTA, who will succeed in winning the hearts and minds of the Malay heartland? Dr. Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate, Asia Research Centre, University of Nottingham Malaysia weighs in.Image credit: Muaz Jaffar/Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world’s largest annual shopping event, Singles’ Day will see its thirteenth iteration this Friday and has evolved into a multi-day extravaganza. Last year, over the 11-day sales period, Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com set new records, and racked up around USD115 billion in sales across their platforms. With a challenging economic environment and no end in sight for China’s zero covid policy, will the shine of the event this year be hampered by inflation and lockdowns? Catherine Lim of Bloomberg Intelligence weighs in.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week ahead of Nomination Day, the C4 Center presented a research paper highlighting the ways in which business and politics intermingle in Malaysia, and the potential risks that this can pose to our political system without transparency. What safeguards should be put in place to ensure that business in politics is kept corruption-free? We discuss the issue with independent business writer P. Gunasegaram.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Gombak parliamentary seat, P098, will be closely watched because of the heavyweights in play. The incumbent MP is Dato’ Sri Azmin Ali, who is running under the Bersatu/Perikatan Nasional ticket. He’ll have to defend his seat against four other challengers, including PKR’s Dato Sri Amiruddin Shaari who is the Selangor Menteri Besar and Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin of Umno/Barisan Nasional. How might this five-corner fight play out? Political analyst Dr. Azmi Hassan weighs in.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although most economies have reopened and port congestions have eased, there have been other snags to the supply chain, such as the war in Ukraine which contributed to the sharp rise in inflation. A few days ago, one of the world’s largest container shippers, Maersk, warned that demand for transport and logistics will fall as a global recession looms. How might this then impact global supply chains - and what’s the state of the Malaysian shipping industry amid all these developments? For answers, we speak to Ooi Lean Hin, Chairman, Shipping Association of Malaysia.Image credit: PixabaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a record 945 candidates, 108 independents and 39 political parties, we ask Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, Deputy Managing Director, Bower Group Asia about the latest political developments taking place as GE15 campaigning escalates following nomination day.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over 21 million voters are eligible to decide the next government of Malaysia in the GE15 but the surge in new voters also means that there is a requirement for more poling agents. We speak to Danesh Prakash Chacko, Director at Tindak Malaysia as to the process to become one, why it's important for democracy and should the political parties have paid more attention to recruitment.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global vehicle sales have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels due to a slew of issues such as supply chain constraints, chip constraints and on-going sporadic lockdowns which shuttered factories and dealerships. However, one bright spot however has been in the electric vehicle space as global sales doubled in 2021 from the previous year to a new record of 6.6 million. So with less than 2 months left till 2023, how will the following year look like for the automotive sector? For insights, we speak to Arushi Kotecha, Automotive Analyst at Economist Intelligence Unit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month, there are a series of high-level meetings taking place - the COP27 in Egypt, as well as the ASEAN and APEC Summits in Indonesia - without Malaysia having a formal government to represent its views and interests. Is Malaysia missing out on a chance to influence global discussions and how do the various political coalitions differ on foreign policy issues? We discuss the intersection of foreign policy and politics with Thomas Daniel of ISIS Malaysia. Image credit: zmpixes / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Sunday, leaders from government, business and civil society spheres will convene in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt for the United Nations Conference of Parties climate summit, or COP27. Although countries pledged to implement more ambitious climate change plans after last year’s COP26 in Glasgow, only 24 countries out of 193 have actually submitted updated plans to the UN. As the world experiences more extreme weather patterns and natural disasters, will leaders prioritize action over rhetoric to combat climate change? We discuss expectations for the summit with sustainability expert Dr Renard Siew. Image credit: rafapress / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As widely expected, Bank Negara raised the overnight policy rate yesterday by 25 bps, bringing the OPR rate to 2.75%. But with the Fed warning of a higher peak Fed Funds Rate, can BNM continue its gradual increase in interest rate or does it need to adopt a more aggressive stance? We discuss implications of monetary policy tightening with economist Firdaos Rosli. Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pakatan Harapan launched its manifesto for GE15 with 10 key objectives with a focus on improving livelihoods and eradicating corruption. We speak to Fahmi Fadzil, Communications Director, PKR as to whether it's too idealistic and whether their promises will be kept.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia has produced 5.5 million graduates from higher education institutions to date. But are universities producing graduates with the skills and critical thinking to thrive in our economy? We speak to Dr Sharifah Munirah Alatas, Senior Lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia on much-needed reforms in higher education.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US mid-term elections act as a temperature check for the President in power, and historically the mid-terms tend to favour the party in opposition to the government. The Democratic Party stands to lose their control of both Houses of Congress as a wave of discontent over the economy sours opinions on Joe Biden. How might the outcome of these polls shape the direction of US policy moving forward? We speak to Bob Shapiro of Columbia University for insights ahead of November 8th. Image credit: Marlin360 / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Both Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional announced the bulk of their candidates for GE15 in parallel events last night. What does the candidate line-up tell us about their respective strategies for the elections? We discuss the emerging political trends with Dr Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate at University of Nottingham Malaysia. Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bread and butter grievances like rising inflation, unemployment and stagnant wages continue to be voters’ main concern as we head into GE15. Even though Malaysia witnessed an 8.9% growth in GDP for the second quarter of this year, we continue to see the weakness of our currency as between January and September this year, the ringgit has depreciated by 10.2% against the US dollar. And with the global economy slowing down in 2023, can Malaysia’s economy sustain its growth momentum and what should be the economic priorities of the next government? For some answers we speak to Dr Geoffrey Williams, Economist, Malaysia University of Science and Technology. Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The China property market appears to be in a perfect storm. Monthly National sales decline continued to decline by 15.3% year-on-year in September 2022, narrowing from a 20.8% year-on-year decline in August. Developers' liquidity will also remain under pressure. But the Chinese government introduced new stimulus measures in late September to encourage homebuyers to purchase new properties. Will this be enough to lift near term sentiment or is the sector spiralling into a long term structural decline? For answers, we speak to Bernard Aw, Economist for Asia Pacific, Coface. Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent Merdeka Center survey points to a decline in Barisan National’s popularity. We ask Ibrahim Suffian, programme director of Merdeka Center, on the reasons for this and who stands to benefit. Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Covid-19 pandemic experience underscored the importance of prioritising healthcare issues in government policy. In addition to over 30,000 lives lost to the virus, the pandemic revealed the gaps in Malaysia's creaking public healthcare infrastructure. What should the next government be looking to prioritise in public health policy? Azrul Mohd Khalib of the Galen Centre gives us his election manifesto wishlist. Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brazil’s next president will be Luis Inacio Da Silva, commonly known as Lula, after he won the run-off race by a majority of less than 2%. Both candidates represent the ends of the left and right spectrums and are controversial characters in the country, and these elements spilled over into the long campaign. We discuss what to expect next with Clara Ferreira Marques of Bloomberg Opinion. Image credit: EPA-EPESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Nomination day looms nears, we examine the candidates named so far with Adib Zalkapli, Director at BowerGroup Asia. We also take a closer look at the hot seats like Gombak and Ampang which are currently held by MPs who defected to Bersatu after the Sheraton Move.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.