Morning Brief

Refugees are defined and protected under the “1951 Refugee Convention relating to the Status of Refugees”. However, despite having policies and measures put in place to protect refugees, many are still vulnerable to poor living conditions, inaccessibility to education, employment bans, and other issues. Phil Robertson, Deputy Director of the Asia Division at Human Rights Watch breaks down the situation for us. Image credit: Unsplash.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iskandar Ismail, CEO of Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC), discusses their investigations into reports of political interference in the local poultry industry. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heavy traffic will be of no surprise over the next two weekends, with the Hari Raya holidays. PLUS is expecting two million vehicles on its highways in the upcoming long weekend, which is a 25% spike from the usual 1.6 million vehicles a day. With that, more accidents can be expected. Prof. Dr Kulanthayan K.C. Mani from the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety tell us how we can improve road safety. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China has an official growth projection of 5.5% this year despite ongoing lockdowns and a global supply chain and inflation crisis. Gary Ng, Economist from Natixis expounds. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political circles have been buzzing this past week over a document dubbed PASLeaks purporting to detail discussions between PAS chiefs and other Malay political party leaders. We ask Dr. Azmi Hassan, Senior Research Fellow at Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research as to the what, who and why's of it and does it have any repercussion on GE15. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are clear ramifications to Malaysia changing most of its Covid guidelines, including the belief that Malaysians are able to practice self-regulation. Dr Khoo Yoong Khean, Managing Editor, Malaysian Medical Gazette, discusses. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Palm oil prices have been fluctuating on the back of news coming out of Indonesia on its export ban for palm oil. Earlier this week, the government clarified the export ban wouldn’t cover crude palm oil, relieving pressure on markets. But how much will elevated palm oil prices feed into global food inflation? We discuss the outlook for the edible oil market with Alvin Tai of Bloomberg Intelligence. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With residential property overhang increasing year by year, business commentator Pankaj C. Kumar helps us account for the mismatch between demand and supply. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Koh Cha-Ly from Urbanmetry identifies the root causes of flash floods and suggests preventive measures that we can deploy to mitigate the increasing occurrence in the future. Image credit: Free Malaysia Today/BernamaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an effort to combat rising inflation, our government has put in place several programmes to help relieve the burden of people, including price control measures. But these measures have caused shortage in supplies and also profit margin squeeze. How is the government balancing the livelihoods of the people as well as businesses? Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs tells us more. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the weekend, Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Ismail Sabri announced that he would chair a Special Cabinet Committee for Protecting Vulnerable Groups to address gaps in the oversight and regulatory enforcement on care centres, among other issues. However, this move has raised eyebrows as the welfare of vulnerable groups has traditionally been seen as the purview of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development. Former deputy minister Hannah Yeoh weighs in on inter-ministerial coordination issues and the long-standing challenges for care centres that need to be addressed. Image Credit: Raymond Vong Photography/Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To combat the effects of Covid-19 and the fallout from the Ukraine war, Germany has increased its debt levels to unprecedented levels. Dr Frederick Kliem, Research Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies tells us what impact this will have on the economy and if it affect the popularity of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)  into senior judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali has triggered outcry from legal experts who view this move could undermine the independence of the judiciary. We speak to SUHAKAM Commissioner Dato' Mah Weng Kwai about the processes in place to sanction judges and lawyers for ethics breaches. Image Credit: Arnain/Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Defense Minister Dato’ Sri Hishammudin Hussein announced that the Cabinet had unanimously agreed to proceed with the procurement of littoral combat ships for the Royal Malaysian Navy. This is a long outstanding project initiated back in 2011 with a price tag of RM9 billion ringgit for 6 ships, but has been beset with delays and allegations of corruption. We speak to Ridzwan Rahmat of Janes on the gaps in Malaysian defense procurement. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Malaysia becoming an ageing nation earlier than expected after recording lowest fertility rate in four decades at 1.7 babies per woman in 2020, Dr Lee Hwok-Aun from ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute breaks down the figures and how the economy of Malaysia should prepare. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following Emmanuel Macron's resounding victory, Professor Peter McPhee from University of Melbourne gives his analysis on how he might heal a divided France and what his priorities will be moving forward. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

​​Political debates have a time and place in any functioning, thriving democracy, but is that the case in a fragmented and politically ambivalent Malaysia? Tai Zee Kin, Digital Political Communications Consultant, discusses. Image credit: FacebookSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While other central banks are hiking interest rates this year, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) is expected to remain dovish as part of a long-standing bid to push up inflation. This has led to the Japanese yen tumbling, putting pressure on economic recovery. We discuss the factors that will influence monetary and fiscal policy in Japan with Daniel Moss of Bloomberg Opinion. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The adoption of Environment, Sustainability and Governance or ESG Investing in Malaysia took a significant turn in 2018 when EPF, KWAP and Khazanah became signatories of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment. Since then, ESG investing has grown significantly globally but are we still seeing a similar trend in Malaysia? Dr Lim Kim Hwa, Founder and CEO of Crea8 Capital tells us more. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we approach Hari Raya in less than two weeks, this year's festive season appears to be a brighter one already - not only for Malaysians who will finally get to celebrate with their loved ones after a two-year long pandemic, but also for the retail sector as festive shoppers begin to provide a much needed sales boost to the local economy. But will it be back to normal for everyone so soon? And with ongoing supply chain issues and labor shortages, how are retailers recovering? Liyana Yahaya, Senior Manager, Analytics & Insights at NielsenIQ shares her thoughts. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since Russia launched a full scale invasion into Ukraine, many countries have unleashed an unprecedented set of coordinated sanctions against Russia. However, these sanctions do not seem to deter President Putin, and in retaliation, Russia has imposed counter sanctions. So how effective are sanctions imposed on Russia and do the counter sanctions deployed by Russia pose any impact at all? Raffaello Pantucci, Senior Fellow at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies tells us more. Image credit: Unsplash.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the wake of viral social media posts of Ramadhan bazaar offerings of questionable food quality, how much awareness do traders and the public have about the risks of food poisoning? We discuss the current regulations and standards that food traders need to abide by as well as the levels of enforcement with food safety expert Dr. Chai Lay Ching of Universiti Malaya. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Airfares to Sabah and Sarawak for the festive season surged as high as close to RM1,400 per one way ticket but fortunately the airfares has decreased by 30 percent following intervention by the aviation authorities and airlines. But what can be done to prevent another extreme price hike from happening again? Nigel Wong, Honorary Treasurer and Spokesperson at The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) shares his thoughts with us. Image credit: Pexels.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Finance Minister Lawrence Wong named chief of the so-called fourth-generation leadership team, making him heir apparent to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, we ask Dr Michael Barr from Flinders University what this will mean for the political landscape in Singapore. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The plight of 27-year-old driver Sam Ke Ting, who was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment by the High Court for dangerous driving, grabbed public attention last week. She was convicted for causing the deaths of 8 teenagers in a 2017 collision, despite being acquitted on two occasions previously by the Magistrate’s Court. Beatrice Chin, a lawyer tells us the legal process ahead. Image credit: Free Malaysia TodaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ministry of Health will administer a second vaccine booster shot for senior citizens with comorbidities to counter waning immunity levels for those most vulnerable to Covid-19 infections. We discuss the rationale for the move as well as other pandemic developments in the country with Dr. Vinod Balasubramniam of the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk made an official offer of $54.20 per share to take Twitter private, valuing the company at $43 billion. However, the board of Twitter adopted a poison pill provision to ward off his offer. Musk's extreme wealth is undeniable, but does he have the funding required to complete the transaction? And what other obstacles will he face in order to succeed? Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities shares his views with us. Image credit: Unsplash.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moody’s Investors Service has kept its outlook on Malaysian banking system at stable owing to improvements in profitability and operating environment. But as Malaysia sees the end of the lowest OPR rate of 1.75% by year end and more moratoriums coming to an end, is there a threat to asset quality and profitability? Alka Anbarasu, Senior Vice President at Moody’s Investors Service tells us more. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat or PKR has commenced polling season for the leadership of the party from 2022 to 2025 and to little surprise, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has retained the PKR presidency for another term, winning the seat uncontested. The other key seat to watch will be the number 2 post, namely the deputy president position. Dr Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs breaks down for us on the direction of the party moving forward and if this election will heal fissures in the party. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The war in Ukraine is entering its 50th day, with no sign of a ceasefire or resolution in sight. Russian forces are regrouping for a renewed offensive in the south-eastern Donbas region, after withdrawing from Kyiv and north-western areas. The prospects of a breakthrough in peace negotiations have also appeared to dissipate, after President Vladimir Putin declared that peace talks were dead in a local press conference this week. We discuss the latest developments on the battlefront with Prof. Rouben Azizian of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With an ambitious target for Malaysia to be carbon neutral by 2050, the shift to renewable energy is urgent. But what about the energy trilemma? Dr. Mohd Fadzil Mohd Siam, Head of Strategy & Sustainability at Tenaga Nasional and Alizan Mahadi, Senior Director of Research at ISIS Malaysia answers this challenging question.Energising the Future is powered by Tenaga Nasional.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The revived MRT3 project, which is expected to be completed in 2030, is touted as a catalyst for urban redevelopment in Kuala Lumpur. One of the initiatives under the MRT3 project is the building of affordable homes above the carpark facilities of at least 8 stations. How feasible is this proposal in practice? We get reactions from Aziff Azuddin, independent urban mobility researcher. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Research by Oxford Economics has found that since October last year, food inflation in Asia outside of China has risen 2.7 percentage points to 4.5%, mainly driven by the conflict in Ukraine. So how long will we be feeling the pinch from the increase in food prices and will there be any food security concerns? Priyanka Kishore, Head of India and Southeast Asia Economics at Oxford Economics shares her insights with us. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysian companies are struggling with the paucity of the supply of foreign labour on which it so greatly depends, making the local labour ecosystem ripe for a massive rethink and restructuring. Carmelo Ferlito, CEO, Center for Market Education, analyses. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ALR made a conditional offer to acquire the 4 Klang Valley highway concessionaires, based on total enterprise value of RM5.5 billion. But is the conditional offer fair and sound? And who does it really benefit? Pankaj C Kumar, business commentator breaks down the details for us. Image credit: Unsplash.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Civil service remains the constant cog in the wheels of government bureaucracy, tasked with keeping services running regardless of political turmoil. But is the political upheaval of the past 4 years taking a toll on relations between political leaders and the civil service? Tricia Yeoh, CEO of IDEAS shares her thoughts with us. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Jill Sheppard from the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University helps us understand what Prime Minister Scott Morrison's chances are of securing a second victory and what is motivating Australian voters this time round. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite estimates of internet penetration in the country reaching 89% of the population, there are many pockets that still lack access to stable internet connection. In light of the various government initiatives to improve connectivity, from JENDELA to the MyDigital Blueprint, how much progress has been made on this front and what policy gaps need to be addressed to close the digital divide? Image credit: kalilipatvideoart/Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Peter McPhee, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Melbourne unpacks the first round of the French presidential election and how tight the run-off will be in the re-match between Macron and Le Pen. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Constitutional lawyer, New Sin Yew gives his perspective on whether the proposed amendment to Article 10 of the constitution relating to freedom of association will remedy the problem over politicians switching parties. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are two remedies practised by governments to kill political frogs. There is the well known anti hopping bill, which would disqualify any MPs who switched parties or were sacked from their party. The second one would be to have recall elections, which gives the right to fire politicians back to the voters. Danesh Prakash Chacko, Director of Tindak Malaysia tells us which works best for parliamentary democracy and political stability in Malaysia. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday, former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng was convicted for his role in the 1MDB financial scandal by a US federal jury. He is the second figure held guilty over 1MDB, following former Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Razak's conviction by Malaysian courts in the SRC international trial. We get reactions to the verdict and updates on the multiple ongoing trials in Malaysia from criminal lawyer Goh Cia Yee. Image credit: KYTan/Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin last week announced the government’s plans to table a Drinking Water Quality Act to safeguard against health hazards due to unsafe drinking water. For reactions to the proposal and recommendations on what the law should cover, we speak to water quality specialist Dr. Zaki Zainuddin. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta has been exploring alternative revenue streams and the most recent venture is in the form of in-app tokens that draw similarity to Roblox's Robux or Fortnite's V-Bucks. But how would this be able to be monetized in the Meta ecosystem? Varun Mittal, Chief Growth Officer of Singlife with Aviva and Author of Singapore: The Fintech Nation tells us more. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its final instalment of its 6th assessment report, focusing on mitigation efforts and warned the world that carbon emissions must peak by 2025 and decrease to net-zero by 2050. Darshan Joshi, Analyst at ISIS Malaysia breaks down the report for us and also gives his thoughts on areas where Malaysia need to focus on in order to do our part in reducing carbon emissions. Image credit: Unsplash.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With international borders now open and the path to endemicity in progress, the state of business confidence is in focus. Woon Khai Jhek, Co-head of Economic Research & Senior Economist, RAM Ratings, discusses the findings of their latest Business Confidence Index survey. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this month, Carrie Lam announced that she would not be running for a second term as Chief Executive of Hong Kong. Who are the potential successors to replace her? We discuss Lam's legacy in office and the challenges for the next leader of Hong Kong with political analyst Sonny Lo. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today marks one week since the reopening of the Causeway between Johor and Singapore after 2 years of pandemic closure. What's been the impact on businesses in Johor Bahru? We find out the situation on the ground from Teh Kee Sin of the SME Association of South Johor. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the stark inequities that exist in our healthcare systems, and the growing climate change impact also presents serious risks to human health. The WHO estimates that more than 13 million deaths around the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes. On World Health Day, we discuss the nexus between planetary and human health with epidemiologist Ben Cowling of Hong Kong University. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Traditional Chinese Medicine is gaining traction thanks to the efforts of China's government as well as the need for alternative remedies to treat the symptoms and side effects of Covid-19. Shirley Lee, a practitioner at Thomson TCM, discusses the issues. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.