Morning Brief

Ties between UMNO and Bersatu have become increasingly strained in recent months. Questions have arisen over whether the parties will continue to work together - and if so, whether Bersatu could survive a general election without UMNO's backing. To find out what this means for the future of the Perikatan Nasional coalition, we speak to Dr Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. Image Credit: Shahjehan / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With President Joe Biden in the White House, how could the US relationship with Saudi Arabia and Iran change? The Morning Run speaks to James Dorsey, Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies & the Middle East Institute, for his insights here. Image Credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Rachel Gong, Senior Research Associate at Khazanah Research Institute, helps the Morning Run team unpack the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint - the hits and misses. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maszlee Malik, former education minister, lectures us on the complexity of our education and his grand visions and ambitions for our education system. Image Credit: msyaraafiq / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marcus Strom from MEAA Media discusses the impact of Facebook's Australian news ban and the global ramifications of the Australian news media bargaining code, the first law regulating how tech giants and media outlets license content. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vivek Vaidya from Frost & Sullivan helps us navigate the different aspects of Malaysia's ambitions to be an automotive manufacturing hub and what it needs to do to introduce EV vehicles to scale. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S. Pusapathi from MySkills passionately makes the case for the government to take the issue seriously, with the need for robust and innovative solutions to reskill youth to free them from gangsterism. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Howie Lee from OCBC Bank shares with us his outlook for the commodities markets (oil and non-oil), which are seeing across the board rallies. We also discuss whether this is the start of a supercycle and how investors can take advantage of the hot commodities market. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eddin Khoo from PUSAKA emphasizes the facilitative role the government needs to take in engaging diverse stakeholders through consultative dialogue to ensure the blueprint's success. Image Credit: msyaraafiq / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s national vaccination programme will kick into gear later this month, with the first batch of some 300,000 Pfizer vaccines set to arrive on February 21st. Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also unveiled the official vaccination strategy handbook yesterday, which details the timeline of the vaccination as well as the logistics of the rollout. There will be many questions on the implementation of the programme, but to answer some of the initial questions, we speak with Prof. Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud, Fellow & Secretary-General of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and head of the Independent COVID-19 Vaccination Advisory Committee (ICVAC). Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Khoon Goh from ANZ dissects Singapore's 2021 Budget that balances the short-term support in managing the pandemic as well as the long-term initiatives in human capital and sustainability to deliver a resilient economy. Image Credit: Phuong D. Nguyen / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tricia Yeoh from IDEAS shares the structural solutions Malaysia needs to adopt to return the economy to growth in 2021 and beyond. Image Credit: Abdul Razak Latif / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The implementation of the Undi 18 law and whether 18-year-olds should be allowed to vote has re-emerged in public discourse. James Chai, Head of Commercial and Research at INVOKE Solutions, weighs in on this. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

William Pesek from Nikkei Asia channels Japan's frustration in the lack of a vaccination plan and uncertainties surrounding the Olympics with the absence of its new Prime Minister. Image Credit: john smith williams / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economic reflation won't occur even if loan moratoriums are extended, says Dr Geoffrey Williams of Malaysia University of Science and Technology. So what will spur recovery? Image Credit: Holger Kleine / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julia Goh, Senior Economist from UOB Malaysia, distils Malaysia's GDP numbers, the worst since the Asian Financial Crisis of 2007. We discuss 2021 projections and how rising oil prices might provide some fiscal space. Image Credit: kamarulzamanganu / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Luca de Nard from Nielsen Malaysia deep dives into the changing consumption patterns of Malaysians during this festive period and shifting retail experience. Image Credit: Unsplash.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s challenging times for traditional media, and radio is no exception. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, traditional media has been struggling to survive amid the broader digital transformation in media consumption, as audiences turn to streaming and online avenues. This in turn eats into advertising dollars, as advertisers go to where the consumers flock. So, as we celebrate World Radio Day, Meera Sivasothy, General Manager of BFM Media, tells us how the station is evolving to stay ahead of the game. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not surprisingly, Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate of the charge of incitement to insurrection over the Capitol riot in the Senate. The votes stood at 57 to 43 with 7 Republicans voting to impeach. Robert Shapiro, Professor of Government at Columbia University, tells us what this outcome means for the Republican Party and whether this is the end of the road for Trump. Image Credit: Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this week, we saw reports that ministers travelling abroad on official trips now only have to quarantine for three days instead of the usual ten, causing an uproar among some Malaysians who see this as double standards. Health Minister Dato' Sri Dr Adham Baba stood by this, noting that it only applies to ministers who meet certain criteria like following a strictly-controlled itinerary and undergoing multiple COVID tests. That said, does the science back this up? The Morning Run speaks to Dato’ Dr Musa Mohd Nordin, consultant pediatrician and neonatologist who has been closely following the developments around COVID-19, for his thoughts on the 3-day quarantine, but more importantly, to get a grasp of what should be driving SOP changes and the data points we should be paying more attention to. Image Credit: Abdul Razak Latif / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A disaster is at hand in the seas as the fate of seafarers who play a crucial role in keeping global trade flowing is being labelled a "humanitarian crisis at sea," as hundreds of thousands of crew are spending extended periods at sea, far beyond the expiry of their contracts. The Morning Run speaks to Guy Platten, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping, to get a better understanding of the situation, the challenges going forward, and whether the shipping industry overall is a hotbed for COVID-19 clusters and transmission. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unemployment among heads of low-income families in KL's low-cost housing doubled during the CMCO last year. A joint survey by UNICEF and the UNFPA found female heads of households and Persons With Disabilities also charted significant growth during the period, with poverty rates remaining high. We speak to Stephen Barrett, Chief of Social Policy at UNICEF Malaysia, about the government's performance in this area, and what more needs to be done. Image Credit: Try_my_best / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting March 1st, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will have a new CEO, outgoing TNB CEO Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan. This once again brings to mind questions around leadership for Government Linked Companies (GLC) and Government Linked Investment Companies (GLIC), and the process and transparency of these decisions, especially considering there are public stakeholders. The Morning Run speaks to long-time business journalist P. Gunasegaram for his initial thoughts on Amir Hamzah's appointment and what he brings to the EPF, concerns surrounding the GLC and GLIC appointment process, as well as a look at Tunku Alizakri Alias' tenure at EPF. Image Credit: Ismail Sadiron / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of SPACs in 2020 grew fourfold from 2019, and so far in 2021, there have already been more SPACs than the entirety of 2019. What’s driving this, what are the risks, and is a bubble brewing? The Morning Run gets into all this and more with Varun Mittal, Global Emerging Markets FinTech Leader at EY. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Wong Ching Huat, Political Scientist at Sunway University, proposes codifying laws to ensure constituency allocations are fair and equal amongst all MPs. A government MP could apply for up to RM3.5 million while an opposition MP only gets RM100,000 a year. Image Credit: Oliver Le Moal / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A UKM survey of teachers found that online teaching has so far been less effective than face-to-face classes. Nina Adlan Disney, Executive Director of LeapEd, an operator of Trust Schools, discusses the challenges and opportunities to improve education. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the weekend, a video purportedly showing logistics workers throwing parcels amid a dispute over pay went viral. The incident spurred discussion over whether the workers' actions were justifiable, and what other recourse might they have had, whether it be strikes, or turning to trade unions for aid. So for a view on this, as well as insight into the role of unions in Malaysia, we speak to Datuk Abdul Halim Mansor, President of the Malaysian Trade Unions Congress. Image Credit: Shutterstocck.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China’s market regulator released new anti-monopoly guidelines on Sunday targeting internet platforms, tightening existing restrictions faced by the country’s tech giants. What are the short-term and long-term effects of these guidelines on Chinese tech? The Morning Run speaks to Brock Silvers, Chief Investment Officer at Kaiyuan Capital, about this, Kuaishou nearly tripling on their first day of trading, where TikTok stands in all this, and other Chinese tech names that could be promising. Image Credit: Tada Images / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite lockdowns in Malaysia and Indonesia, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin makes his first official visit as head of state to Jakarta to meet President Joko Widodo. The Morning Run team discusses with Siwage Dharma Negara, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, the necessity of the trip and what more it could have achieved. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A poll conducted by the USCI Poll Research Centre showed almost half of the respondents in the T20 income group used their i-Sinar withdrawal to invest in gold and stocks. This has raised the question of whether i-Sinar is truly effective in alleviating the effects of the pandemic on those in the lower-income bracket, who have been the hardest hit. We speak to Calvin Cheng, Analyst in the Economics Programme at ISIS Malaysia, for a look at i-Sinar and the social protection landscape in the country. Image Credit: Mohd Rodi / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A poll conducted by the USCI Poll Research Centre showed almost half of the respondents in the T20 income group used their i-Sinar withdrawal to invest in gold and stocks. This has raised the question of whether i-Sinar is truly effective in alleviating the effects of the pandemic on those in the lower-income bracket, who have been the hardest hit. We speak to Calvin Cheng, Analyst in the Economics Programme at ISIS Malaysia, for a look at i-Sinar and the social protection landscape in the country. Image Credit: Mohd Rodi / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A poll conducted by the USCI Poll Research Centre showed almost half of the respondents in the T20 income group used their i-Sinar withdrawal to invest in gold and stocks. This has raised the question of whether i-Sinar is truly effective in alleviating the effects of the pandemic on those in the lower-income bracket, who have been the hardest hit. We speak to Calvin Cheng, Analyst in the Economics Programme at ISIS Malaysia, for a look at i-Sinar and the social protection landscape in the country. Image Credit: Mohd Rodi / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A poll conducted by the USCI Poll Research Centre showed almost half of the respondents in the T20 income group used their i-Sinar withdrawal to invest in gold and stocks. This has raised the question of whether i-Sinar is truly effective in alleviating the effects of the pandemic on those in the lower-income bracket, who have been the hardest hit. We speak to Calvin Cheng, Analyst in the Economics Programme at ISIS Malaysia, for a look at i-Sinar and the social protection landscape in the country. Image Credit: Mohd Rodi / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A poll conducted by the USCI Poll Research Centre showed almost half of the respondents in the T20 income group used their i-Sinar withdrawal to invest in gold and stocks. This has raised the question of whether i-Sinar is truly effective in alleviating the effects of the pandemic on those in the lower-income bracket, who have been the hardest hit. We speak to Calvin Cheng, Analyst in the Economics Programme at ISIS Malaysia, for a look at i-Sinar and the social protection landscape in the country. Image Credit: Mohd Rodi / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vinoop Goel, Regional Director of Airports and External Relations of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), discusses the digital vaccine certificate that travellers would require to travel abroad. It does not guarantee admission into a country as that is up to mutual agreements between governments. Image Credit: ronstik / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has outlined a national vaccination program for COVID-19 that aims to get everyone eligible vaccinated by February 2022. Is this timeline feasible or is it maybe not ambitious enough? The Morning Run speaks to public health policy specialist Dr Khor Swee Kheng on this, what Malaysia needs to learn from other countries, and the key challenges in the vaccine rollout. Image Credit: MBLifestyle/ Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Waqas Adenwala, Asia Analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, says that Malaysia is four spots more democratic in 2020 from a year ago, despite a change in government sans elections, answering why that is the case. Image Credit: adam yusof / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss with Dr Pradeep Taneja the pandemic budget of the 'pharmacy of the world' called India and the recent agricultural protests in New Delhi. Image Credit: PradeepGaurs / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cha-Ly Koh, of property data company Urbanmetry, suggests that policymakers focus on the primary objective behind affordable housing, where perhaps there might have been too many considerations in the equation, potentially obfuscating the issue. Image Credit: Laboo Studio / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simon Evenett from the University of St. Gallen explains the far-reaching implications of the vaccine export control measures taken by the EU and its potential impact on the global vaccination programme. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last few months, some Malaysian companies have announced their plans to distribute vaccines, even though their current expertise is not within the healthcare field. Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO of the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy, gives us his view on this whilst delving into the potential of other public-private partnerships that can benefit the vaccination rollout in the country.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over 30 industry representatives have come out to voice their opposition to the extended movement control order (MCO) that was announced on Tuesday. Dato' David Gurupatham, legal advisor and spokesperson of the coalition Industries Unite gives us their wish list in terms of government support whilst telling us that clearer SOPs and recovery plans are needed. Image Credit: Afif Abd. Halim / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kuala Lumpur has over 30,000 families that earn below RM2,200 who are also in need of basic necessities. Hawati Abdul Hamid, Senior Research Associate at the Khazanah Research Institute, tells us what immediate assistance should be afforded to them with the extension of MCO 2.0 and what longer-term solutions should be considered. Image Credit: Try_my_best / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With schools practically closed since March 2020, what will the impact be for Malaysian school-going children? Dr Niaz Asadullah, Southeast Asia Lead of the Global Labor Organisation, weighs in on what solutions should be considered and how we can narrow the parental divide that has a significant role in helping overcome the challenges of school closures. Image Credit: NAUFAL ZAQUAN / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sebastien Strangio unpacks how Myanmar's coup by the military junta will impact the country's future, as well as the geopolitical implications in the Asia Pacific region. Image Credit: Kan Sangtong / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some see the use of social media as the democratisation of financial markets, but with that comes its own risks, especially for the retail investor. Datuk Umar Swift, CEO of Bursa Malaysia Berhad, tells us what motivated a joint statement with the Securities Commission and whether we can expect to see more enforcement on this front to weed out illegal investment advisors. Image credit: Syahtuah Mohamed / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Devanesan Evanson, CEO of the Minority Shareholder's Watch Group, cautions investors to stay away from the GameStop-driven frenzy in glove stocks, reiterating the importance of investor education and not buying into short-term fads. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ed Clissold from Ned Davis Research explains whether this new army of Reddit retail investors has the potential to upend capital markets. Image Credit: Tada Images / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent Malaysian Insight poll found that 96% of the 2,000 respondents are upset with Perikatan Nasional, with only 4% satisfied with the way the government is handling the pandemic. Dr Hamidin Abd Hamid, Research Fellow at the Ilham Centre, dives into the possible reasons for this poll outcome and how it might affect PN's performance at the next general elections. Image Credit: xtock / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hannah Yeoh, Segambut MP, celebrates the Court of Appeal's quashing of a development order by KL City Hall to develop Taman Rimba Kiara in TTDI, but remains aware that the road ahead is a long one. Image Credit: tamanrimbakiara.netSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.