Morning Brief

Last week, US President Joe Biden played host to ASEAN leaders in Washington D.C. as part of efforts to reaffirm America’s commitment to the Southeast Asian region. But for some observers, the discussions were less persuasive than anticipated. We discuss the outcome of the special summit and the state of play in Malaysia-US bilateral relations with policy analyst Elina Noor. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been much hue and cry over the Serba Dinamik saga, which has taken many twists and turns. Last Friday, the Attorney General issued a statement to explain the decision to compound Serba Dinamik officials, instead of pursuing a criminal trial. We discuss reactions to the decision with lawyer Lim Wei Jiet, who argues that the Attorney General has raised more questions than answers in his statement. Image credit: Pavel Kapysh/Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s first quarter GDP recorded a higher than expected 5% growth, compared to the 3.9% projected by MARC. Firdaos Rosli, Chief Economist at MARC breaks down the data for us and also shares his thoughts on Bank Negara’s monetary policy tightening, as well as his expectations for further rate hikes in the remainder of 2022. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Fauzi Anshar, Respiratory Medicine Physician explains the long term-impacts of long Covid and what needs to be done to manage this concerning phenomenon. Image credit: Pixabay.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crypto investors have lost a fortune since TerraUSD's collapse this week exacerbated the post-Nov 2021 swoon for the ecosystem. Varun Mittal, author of The Fintech Nation, explains the collapse, including what's in store for the industry. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Presumptive president-elect of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will be inheriting an economy in recovery from the pandemic, with GDP growth coming in at 8.3% in the first quarter compared to a year ago. How is the new government expected to navigate the twin challenges of rising inflation and slowing global growth? We discuss the outlook for the Philippines economy with Dr. Zamros Dzulkafli of Maybank Investment Bank. Image credit: Pexels.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Khairy Jamaluddin announced that all nightlife businesses will be allowed to reopen starting from May 15th onwards. Government guidelines released yesterday state that RTK tests must be conducted on site for all visitors before entry, supervised by the club operators. But how business friendly are the new SOPs and what will be new challenges moving forward? Jeremy Lim, Vice President of Persatuan Pemilik Restoran dan Bistro, shares his thoughts with us. Image credit: Unsplash.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia preemptively and unexpectedly hiked interest rates by 25bps with three more meetings scheduled for the rest of the year. Julia Goh, Senior Economist at UOB Malaysia, fields questions on the outlook for the local currency, additional rate hikes, inflation, growth and fund flows. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US-ASEAN Summit is taking place in Washington DC, the first in-person engagement between the US President and ASEAN leaders since 2017. We discuss expectations for the meeting amid competing geopolitical interests with Thomas Daniel of ISIS Malaysia. Image credit: ReutersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How has ESG investing grown in Malaysia and how hard has it been to get investors to go green with their money? And do investors realise that with ESG you can have returns without sacrificing your values? We speak to Andrew Chan, South East Asia Sustainability and Climate Change Leader at PwC to get his thoughts on the progress of ESG and its future. This conversation was brought to you by Sun Life Malaysia. Your lifetime insurance and takaful partner.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regulators will be stepping in to investigate the flight scheduling disruption during last week's Hari Raya and Labour Day break, that caused flight delays of up to 9 hours and also much inconvenience to many travelers. As a consumer, what recourse can you take in the event of flight delays, cancellations or mishandling of baggage? Pushpalatha Subramaniam, Director of Consumer Affairs with the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) tells us more. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysians continue to make up the largest group of foreign workers in Singapore, particularly given the higher salary as the Singapore dollar continues to appreciate against the Ringgit. But is salary the main cause of talent migration to Singapore and what are the long term policy measures that need to be in place to reverse the brain drain? Thomas Mathew, Group CEO of TalentCorp Malaysia tells us more. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hong Kong has a new Chief Executive, John Lee. Who is he and what can we expect from his rule? Michael Frank, Senior Analyst of Public Policy, Economist Impact gives us some clues into this enigma. Image credit: GovHKSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The relationship between Umno and PAS has soured considerably over the past few months, with Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi most recently describing PAS as “two-faced” and indecisive. While he has dismissed any possibility of working with PAS in GE15, PAS leaders have tried to keep Muafakat Nasional alive. We discuss the future of the political alliance and how this impacts UMNO's fortunes with political expert Dr. Hamidin Abdul Hamid. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bongbong Marcos has won the Philippine presidential election which sets the stage for the return of the Marcos family into the Malacanang Palace 36 years after they were ousted following the People’s Power revolt. Andrea Chloe Wong, a Philippines’ political analyst tells us what to expect from his rule. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mirza Iqmal Sariffudin from Transit Malaysia explains what has caused Malaysia, and especially Klang Valley, to be so car-centric as the number of motor vehicles in Malaysia stands equal to its population by the end of 2020. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We ask Hannah Pearson, Director, Pear Anderson, a research and tourism consultancy whether the worst is really over for the Southeast Asian tourism industry as markets begin to reopen post pandemic. Image credit: Pexels.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The charges against Serba Dinamik were withdrawn after the public prosecutor accepted the representation made to the Attorney-General’s Chambers. This resulted in the accused directors only receiving a fine of RM3 million each. P. Gunasegaram, independent writer and consultant tells us about the implications this has on capital markets and what reforms should be considered to avoid a repeat. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ministry of Health is forming an independent task force to investigate the tragic death of a junior doctor attached with the Penang Hospital, amid allegations of a pervasive culture of bullying towards trainee doctors. We discuss whether the issue of workplace bullying is systemic in the healthcare sector and policy measures to address toxic work environments with clinical psychologist Dr Chua Sook Ning. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ding Jo-Ann, advisor at the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), explains the myriad factors behind Malaysia's latest decline on the World Press Freedom Index. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitter’s board has accepted Elon Musk’s offer last week and just yesterday it was announced that the Tesla CEO has secured USD7.1 billion in funding. While the deal looks set to complete, U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will decide next month if an in depth antitrust probe is needed which could delay the closing of the transaction. Ashley Kim, Senior Associate Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence's Technology Team breakdown the details for us. Image credit: Unsplash.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bank Negara Malaysia finally announced the 5 successful applicants for the digital banking licences but many are questioning whether these new digital banks can actually co-exist with their conventional counterparts, or will they be seen as major threats to the current banking system? Chan Jit Hoong, Senior Analyst at Hong Leong Investment Bank tell us. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian ringgit has recorded its steepest monthly drop since November 2016. Although generally a weak currency is good for exports as it makes selling of goods more affordable, a weak currency could also be challenging for the economy as it makes imports more expensive. Saktiandi Supaat, Head of FX Research, Global Markets, Maybank Singapore breaks down the cause of this Ringgit weakness with us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We ask Steve Cochrane, Chief APAC Economist of Moody’s Analytics how realistic is China's GDP target of 5.5% for 2022 while maintaining a zero-covid strategy at all costs and what its repercussions on the overall economy in Asia Pacific.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.