Morning Brief

We get some answers from Dr Khoo Yoong Khean, scientific officer at the Centre for Outbreak Preparedness in Duke-NUS Medical School following the World Health Organization declaration of monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern.Image credit: Poetra.RH / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the the Biden administration is pushing for a 52 billion US dollar bill to subsidise its domestic semiconductor manufacturers and its friend-shoring policy, we ask Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai, President, Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association how this will impact Malaysia's semiconductor industrySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tasik Chini is at risk of losing its World Biosphere Reserve status under UNESCO, following a preliminary report by the review committee. UNESCO has requested Malaysia to submit a detailed plan to rehabilitate the site by September. We speak to Datuk Seri Dr Mushrifah Idris, former Research Centre Director of the Tasik Chini Research Centre at UKM on what measures are needed to retain the status.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zaidel Baharuddin, Vice President, MUDA explains what effective policy measures they would put in place to address youth unemployment and their struggles to keep up with increasing cost of livingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Undi 18 and automatic voter registration being made law in Malaysia, should we follow the path set by Singapore and Australia to implement compulsory voting. We discuss if this is the right way forward and what could be the impediments to this?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The dust is far from settled in China’s property sector, after the collapse of property giant Evergrande last year. In the latest turn of events, large numbers of homebuyers in China are withholding mortgage payments for homes that property developers have yet to complete. With China’s economy seeing a marked slowdown stemming from Beijing’s Zero-Covid policy amid an ongoing outbreak of cases, what are the implications of a property sector meltdown, which makes up some 25% of China’s GDP? Economist Gary Ng breaks down the issue.Image Credit: Fabio Nodari / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Malaysia remaining in Tier Three in the US State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report 2022, we ask migrant rights activist Adrian Pereira why we continue to rank at the bottom on this issueImage Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The next British Prime Minister is now down to the Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. They have until September 5th to woo 180,000 Conservative party members. So far, the race to succeed Boris Johnson and to take over the legacy he leaves behind is neck and neck. Patrick Diamond, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Queen Mary University of London, analyses what each candidate has to offer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, the country was shocked by the surprise seizure of two Petronas subsidiaries in Azerbaijan by the purported heirs of the Sulu Sultanate. This was after a French arbitration court ruled in March that Malaysia has to pay the purported heirs at least 62 billion ringgit. Roger Chin, President of the Sabah Law Society helps us unlock the history of this case and what steps the Malaysian government should take.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent report by the Malaysian Insight highlights the many bureaucratic challenges that F&B players face, particularly the lack of clarity in procuring operating licences and the yards of red tape involved. We get an industry perspective from Jeremy Lim of the Persatuan Pemilik Restoran dan Bistro on the business-friendly policies needed for the F&B sector to stay resilient.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sri Lanka has fallen into a deep and unprecedented economic crisis that has sparked huge protests and seen its president quit after fleeing the country. This scenario could be replicated elsewhere, with the IMF warning that other countries could be at risk of similar troubles due to high debt levels and limited policy space. Prof. Hans Genberg, Professor of Economics at Asia School of Business tells us which countries are at risk and what are the solutions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After decades of advocacy, the Dewan Rakyat yesterday passed the anti-sexual harassment bill through a voice vote.  It most notably establishes a tribunal that will consider any complaints of sexual harassment in a closed-door hearing, with any award by the tribunal deemed to be a court-order; non-compliance could result in a criminal penalty. Does this law go far enough to protect all Malaysians from sexual harassment? We get reactions from Yu Ren Chung of the Women's Aid Organisation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian fintech industry has boomed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, with products like e-wallets, remittance apps and cryptocurrency trading platforms gaining traction across society. The Malaysian Fintech Report 2022 published this week by Fintech News Malaysia highlights progress in the financial tech sector over the past year. Chief Editor Vincent Fong goes through some of the main developments.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

European countries are facing some of the most sweltering temperatures on record, as severe heatwaves affect the UK, France, Portugal, Spain and Greece. This phenomena isn’t unique to Europe - India and Northern Australia went through extreme heatwaves in March, while Japan had the worst heatwave in 150 years last month. Sustainability specialist Dr. Renard Siew explains the links to climate change and why governments need to take stronger action to combat risks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Parliament passed important reforms to the National Forestry Act, that would make it more difficult for state governments to degazette permanent forest reserves without scrutiny. In addition, the amendments also increase penalties for illegal forest activity. However, given that forests and land matters come under state jurisdiction, how effective can federal amendments be in conserving green spaces? Meenakshi Raman, President of Sahabat Alam Malaysia weighs in.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following Putrajaya's announcement sweeping measures to reduce costs and with Minister for Economic Affairs Dato’ Mustapa Mohamed saying that the government would postpone or not continue any project that has yet to commence, we ask Sri Murniati Yusuf from IDEAS what are the implications of this cost-cutting exercise for all stakeholders.Image Credit: zesphiete / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sri Lanka could see its GDP contract by more than 6% this year amid the current political and economic instability, which is also hamstringing key discussions on financial relief with IMF and bilateral creditors. Years of economic mismanagement and poor policy planning have created an untenable situation in the country, with Sri Lankans struggling to source basic needs such as fuel, food and medicines and inflation running beyond 50%. We discuss much-needed economic reforms for Sri Lanka to make its way out of crisis with economist Anushka Wijesinha.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the government agreeing to defer implementing the condition that at least 80% of the workforce in manufacturing companies must be Malaysians, before they are allowed to employ foreign workers by two years, we ask Dr Niaz Asadullah if this reprieve is much needed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Azrul Mohd Khalib from the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy shares with us on the implications over the launch of a framework for the registration of prescription drugs containing cannabidiol or CBD and plans to enact legislation for a tobacco generational endgameSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can the factions within PKR bury the hatchet and stage a comeback for GE15? Dr James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania shares why the recent 16th PKR National Congress was a missed opportunity for PKR to articulate its vision and strategy for GE15See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oil prices have been volatile in the last few weeks. Wayne Tan, Oil Analyst at Bloomberg NEF tells us what are the factors behind these price swings and where it is heading.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All eyes are on US President Joe Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia, which is taking place two years after the president declared the country a pariah state. Biden has justified his visit as an exercise in realism, but some may see it as the leader having to eat humble pie, amid record US gasoline prices and global tensions arising from the war in Ukraine. We ask Middle East expert Dr. James Dorsey on the expected outcomes of the visit.Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Indonesia has (again) temporarily stopped sending its citizens to work in Malaysia. Jakarta claims there had been a breach of the MoU signed between both countries back in April. Malaysia's Home Minister Dato' Seri Hamzah Zainuddin's reaction - there are 15 other countries to source from. Khor Yu Leng, Political Economist, Segi Enam Advisors talks to us about the implications of this latest freeze might be on Malaysia's already stretched workforce.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite the gloomy horizon for the US economy, Finance Minister Tengku Dato’ Sri Zafrul Aziz is optimistic that Malaysia can weather through the storm and that GDP forecasts of growth between 5.3 to 6.3% remain on track.How well-positioned is the Malaysian economy to manoeuvre the global headwinds and can we emerge unscathed? Business commentator Pankaj C. Kumar weighs in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two subsidiaries of Petronas in Azerbaijan have been seized following a French court order. This comes as heirs to the Sulu Sultanate seek a RM62 billion compensation over land in Sabah leased to their ancestors in 1878. Bunn Nagara, Convenor of the Sabah Malaysia Study Group, helps us put the issue in perspective.Image credit: shutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's foreign minister Wang Yi was Kuala Lumpur as part of a 5-nation tour around South East Asia after a hiatus of face to face visits due to the pandemic. Angeline Tan, Researcher in the Foreign Policy and Security Studies at ISIS Malaysia gives us her observations of this visit and what the focus was.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Public Services Department (JPA) is cancelling the scholarship bonds of contract doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who successfully apply for release. This means there night be fewer medical professionals in government service. Dr Vijay Ganasan, Chairperson of MMA's Section Concerning House Officers and Medical Officers (SCHOMOS), gives us the latest and what he believes a sustainable solution might be. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With life expectancy at birth in 2021 increasing to 75.6 years we ask Dr. Juita Mohamad, Director of Economics and Business and Acting Research Director, IDEAS what does an ageing population means for Malaysia in terms of an economic, social protection and health perspectiveSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Perikatan Nasional chairperson Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announcing that the coalition will be using a new logo for GE15, Adib Zalkapli, Director, BowerGroupAsia helps us understand whether the logo change is an attempt to hold together a breaking alliance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 years into the pandemic and with a week long closure for casinos in Macau, what does this mean for earnings for the operators? Angela Han Lee, Equity Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence gives us her views as to whether value is emerging despite the headwinds of China's zero covid policy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss the importance of keeping institutions independant with economist Dr Nungsari Radhi off the back of the recent news that the newly created Special Task Force on Jihad Against Inflation has asked Bank Negara to explain its reasons for raising the Overnight Policy Rate by further 25 basis points to 2.25%. Dr Nungsari shares his concerns regarding the possibility of the government meddling in decisions made by independent institutions and just how effective the task force has been in addressing inflation. Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the back of Shinzo Abe's shocking assasination, we discuss the ramification of his death and the legacy Japan's longest serving prime minister is leaving behind. William Pesek in Japan shares his views on this and thoughts on the recent upper house election results which saw the ruling conversative government take on a comfortable majority in parliament.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What can only be described as tumultuous weekend in Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe have finally agreed to step down after months of public protest as basic necessities such as medicine, fuel and even food became short in supply. What's next for this South Asia country which is a poster child of mismanagement, corruption and nepotism. Dr. Chulanee Attanayake, Research Fellow Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore tells us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After around 3 months, Elon Musk announced that he was terminating his 44 billion dollar deal to buy Twitter due to the fake or spam accounts on the platform. But Bret Taylor, the chair of Twitter’s board said the company is still committed to closing the deal at the agreed-upon price and plans to pursue legal action to enforce the agreement. We ask Daniel Ives, Managing Director, Wedbush Securities how will this impact Tesla and Twitter, and the outlook for the Q2 earnings season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are reports that some pharmacies and clinics are low on supply for common medicines like paracetamol, cough syrup and lozenges for sore throat, but is this situation short-lived? And a study commissioned by the insurance industry found that medical treatment costs have increased by around 8-9 percent annually between 2013-2018. How worried should we be about all these issues, and what is the Malaysian Health White Paper update? Questions we ask Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh, President, Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been a month since the arrival of the omicron BA 4 and BA 5 sub variants and Malaysia is seeing increase in number of cases. We ask Dr Vinod Balasubramaniam, Senior Lecturer and Co-Lead, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine & Health Sciences on how worried should we be and why should we consider taking the second booster vaccine?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Chinese government is due to report GDP growth next week but can the world's second economy achieve the target of 5.5%? We ask Peiqian Liu, China Economist, NatWest Markets on the impact of Shimao Group's default, PBOC's next move and her outlook.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been about a month since Rafizi Ramli comfortably won the deputy presidency of PKR and while many were expecting the win to result in more acrimony in the party due to his testy ties with party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, it seems temperatures have cooled with no signs of any major tension. We take stock of this development ahead of PKR's  two-day convention that begins on July 16 with Professor Shamsul Baharuddin of Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA) to get his take on PKR's prospects.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With more than 45 cabinet members resigning from Boris Johnson's government. What are the chances he will survive and who might inherit a divided Tory party? Patrick Diamond, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Queen Mary University of London gives us the answers.Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With markets in a tailspin with a plethora of risks from the war in Ukraine to inflation, what is the best investment strategy to adopt? Manpreet Gill, Head of Fixed Income, Currencies & Commodities Investment Strategy at Standard Chartered Private Bank gives us his views on this as well as on oil and gold.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bank Negara's Monetary Policy Committee raised the overnight policy rate (OPR) by 25 basis points in June, marking the first back-to-back rate hikes since the mid-2010s. What implications will this have for the Malaysian economy? We discuss with economist Dr. Carmelo Ferlito.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the second quarter, resale HDB flats’ prices increased 2.6% compared with 2.4% in the first quarter While prices for private residential properties rose 3.2%, which is an almost five times increase of the 0.7% inflation in the previous quarter. In tandem, rentals have also increased by 20-40%. We ask Alan Cheong, Executive Director of Savills Singapore why the Singapore property is so hot and will this trend continue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri announced that Government Linked Companies (GLCs) and Government Linked Investment Companies (GLICs) should appoint a representative from the MTUC to their board of directors, in a bid to enhance transparency and ensure workers' interests are protected. We get reactions on this move from Lya Rahman of the Institutional Investors Council Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this month, the government announced that employees can now apply for flexible working arrangements with their respective employers, following recent amendments to the Employment Act 1955 which will come into force on September 1st. We discuss the implications of this for the workplace with Ridhima Khanduja of Kincentric Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the government forming a Special Task Force on Jihad Against Inflation, Dr Shankaran Nambiar, Head of Research, Malaysian Institute of Economic Research outlines what is necessary to tackle inflation in the immediate and longer termSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

25 years have passed since the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and with global equity markets in freefall with central bankers desperately trying to manage inflation, are we looking at a repeat? Will currencies come under pressure and which countries are vulnerable? Jeff Ng, Senior Currency Analyst at MUFG gives us a history lesson whilst giving us his view of what to expect for the rest of 2022.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sevan Doraisamy, Executive Director, SUARAM gives his perspective how will these new appointments of SUHAKAM will impact the human rights progress in Malaysia and what are the steps forward from now onSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Firdausi Suffian, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, UiTM Sabah unpacks the economic challenges facing Sabah and gives his perspective on the right diversification economic model it needs to adopt to drive greater growth and to substantially reduce its poverty levelSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a new Chief Executive in Hong Kong, William Pesek, columnist with Nikkei Asia argues that the the current political dynamics will have a negative impact the trajectory of Hong Kong’s growth and will threaten it's position as an economic powerhouse in AsiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs analyses the recent rift between DAP and Warisan as he unpacks what this means for Pakatan Harapan as GE15 looms.Image credit: shutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.