Morning Brief

Last week, we learned that Celcom and Digi are headed for a merger which would result in Malaysia’s largest telco provider, but as with any M&A deal, the question is: what are the synergies? And what will this deal mean for the rest of the sector? The Morning Run speaks to Tan J Young, Senior Analyst withHong Leong Investment Bank, to find out. Image credit: Mickey12 / Shutterstock.com oleschwander / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are over 100 housing projects that have been abandoned by developers, and the government is looking to amend the Housing Development Act 1996 (Act 118). Khairul Anuar Shaharuddin, lawyer, also discusses policies to protect buyers and take stricter actions against errant developers. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thornton Matheson, Senior Fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center unpacks the technicalities of President Joe Biden’s proposal to impose a global minimum corporate tax rate to fund its massive budget. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sudhir Vadaketh, a political commentator, discusses the implications of Heng Swee Keat’s decision to step aside as designated successor to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and the likely leader to take over. Sudhir is also the co-author of Hard Choices: Challenging the Singapore Consensus. Image Credit: How Hwee Young | EPASee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The underrepresentation of women in parliament and state legislative assemblies is a long-standing issue, with quotas typically proposed to raise participation. However, some parties are sceptical of the quota system and its efficacy, so we ask Danesh Prakash Chacko, Director of Tindak Malaysia about other options available to empower women to be more active in politics. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recorded telephone conversation, purportedly between Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has gone viral, causing controversy. Both men have denied suggestions from the audio that Umno and PKR are working together, but is this yet another nail in the coffin of Zahid's leadership of Umno? We speak to Professor Dr. Azmi Hassan, political analyst and professor from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia to find out. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alexander Wong, Managing Editor and Co-Founder of the tech news portal, SoyaCincau discusses the government’s plan to accelerate 5G rollout, and the implications of the merger between Celcom and DiGi. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once upon a time, Southeast Asia was one of the most promising regions in the world for economic growth. But that was a pandemic ago. With Covid-19 vaccination rollouts happening across the world and vastly different economic responses seen even within our neighbouring countries, we speak to Joseph Incalcaterra, HSBC's Chief Economist for ASEAN, about what a recovery will look like for ASEAN in 2021. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The water pollution incidents of 2019 and 2020 have shone a spotlight on the inadequacies of the legal framework for environmental crimes. Environmentalists and policy commentators have long-called for an overhaul of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, the cornerstone of Malaysia’s environmental conservation policy. How should the law be updated to take into account the current climate crisis and modern-day environmental problems? Lawyer Kiu Jia Yaw argues for a more holistic and wide-ranging revamp of the law. Image Credit: ZPL PICTURES / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Varun Mittal, Global Emerging Markets FinTech Leader, at EY Singapore gives his take on Grab’s listing via a SPAC merger - why SPAC, why US and how would you value a super app? Image credit: Lens Hitam / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rosli Khan, a transport management consultant discusses the need for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) in view that KTM already has dual-tracking lines. The government has decided to revive the project to its original northern alignment involving Selangor, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan. Image credit: Farizul Hafiz Stock | Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To date, Brazil has recorded more than 13 million Covid-19 cases, recently breaking a tragic new record with 4,000 Covid-related deaths recorded in one day. President Jair Bolsonaro's administration has been heavily criticised for mishandling the pandemic, and plunging the country into an economic sinkhole from which recovery seems difficult. We speak to Mac Margolis, Bloomberg Opinion columnist about the politicisation of Brazil's vaccination rollout, what's next in Bolsonaro's political career, and what Brazil needs to rehabilitate its struggling economy. Image Credit: BW Press | Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As our administrative capital, Putrajaya is a beautiful, sprawling metropolis- but it lacks the bustling economy of Kuala Lumpur. Now, Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa has said that Putrajaya will be developed into an international recreational city over the next 25 years, with reports surfacing of proposals for 'glamping' and a Safari Park. But will these measures turn Putrajaya into a thriving city? We speak to Ihsan Zainal Mokhtar, President of the Malaysian Institute of Planners to find out. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Basel Convention came into force in January this year, aimed at governing the trade of plastic waste to prevent developing countries from becoming dumping grounds. Dr. Agamutu Pariatamby, Professor at the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, Sunway University discusses his concerns about allowing plastic waste imports, and opportunities for improvements in the recycling industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, discusses the implications of Parti Warisan Sabah’s move to dissociate from Pakatan Harapan, and its interest in contesting for seats in Peninsular Malaysia. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, discusses the implications of Parti Warisan Sabah’s move to dissociate from Pakatan Harapan, and its interest in contesting for seats in Peninsular Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vietnam recently confirmed Pham Minh Chinh as the country’s next Prime Minister, once again ensuring a smooth transition. Linda Liu, Economist at Maybank Kim Eng discusses Chinh’s priorities and the challenges he needs to deal with. Image credit: Le Minh Ty / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is Parti Warisan Sabah disassociating itself from the Pakatan Harapan Plus coalition? The Morning Run speaks with Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Warisan's President, to find out. We asked him about potential partnerships with Syed Saddiq and MUDA, Warisan's relationship with PH, and whether he want to be Prime Minister.Image credit: Dolly MJ _ ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alejandra Grindal, Senior International Economist at Ned Davis Research unpacks President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan, and the challenges in pushing it through. Image credit: Lev Radin / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Due to the pandemic and ensuing economic downturn, salaries stagnated and fresh graduates struggled to get employed. To assure fresh graduates, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamad says that they can expect a higher starting salary by the middle of this year. Dr Juita Mohamad, Fellow at Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia discusses options and what must be done to address underlying problems. Image Credit: Yang Zhen Siang | Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foreign Minister Dato’ Seri Hishammudin Hussein courted controversy during his recent visit to China, when he referred to his counterpart Wang Yi as an “elder brother.” Despite the apparent faux pas, there were several notable outcomes from the visit, including the establishment of a high-level committee for post-Covid-19 cooperation. We discuss the state of Malaysia-China bilateral relations and the calculations being made on each side amid the broader geopolitical tensions between East and West with foreign policy expert Dr. Johan Saravanamuttu. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As part of its annual report released last week, Bank Negara Malaysia included a special commentary to explain the role of international reserves. Khoon Goh, Head of Asia Research at ANZ Bank believes Malaysia could be maintaining a higher level of reserves, and gives his outlook and assumptions for the Ringgit. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the breakup of Umno and Bersatu, other political entities like Gabungan Parti Sarawak have become increasingly important, if Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's Perikatan Nasional coalition hopes to stay in power. After a two-day working visit to Sarawak, the prime minister emphasised what Sarawak had to gain from working with the federal government, saying that it could emerge as one of the most developed states in Malaysia. We speak to Professor James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmaina, about just how long this cooperation will last. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Cooper, Managing Director of Michael Page Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam discusses the firm’s report on talent trends as a result of the pandemic. Longer-term Cooper expects short-term contractual work to rise, and flexible work-from-home arrangements to remain. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian Competition Commission, better known as MyCC, is seeking amendments to the Competition Act 2010. But in the first place what is the ambit of this government agency and does it have any teeth? Mervyn Lai, Senior Associate at Tommy Thomas Advocates gives us a 101 on the law. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unsold homes remain at worrisome levels, a situation rife with implications for listed property developers. Loong Kok Wen, Regional Head of Property, RHB Research, discusses. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com Unsold homes remain at worrisome levels, a situation rife with implications for listed property developers. Loong Kok Wen, Regional Head of Property, RHB Research, discusses. Image credit: PJ Kah Loong Lee / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a flurry of mergers and acquisitions expected as companies rationalize to gain market share and reduce cost, will this create monopolies that are detrimental to consumers. Iskandar Ismail, CEO of MyCC tells us why a change in the law is needed to address these concerns. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Azam Wan Hashim from IDEAS deliberates on recent and overlapping efforts pursued by the Government to attract higher quality investment and drive innovation-led growth particularly through the tech sector. Image credit: Abdul Razak Latif / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Capital has rotated out of Big Tech into cyclicals but with the innovation, depth and breadth of the tech ecosystem, the sector's time in the sun is far from over, says Jonathan Curtis, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager from Franklin Templeton. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian government has revealed that the RM15 billion cost of developing 5G infrastructure will be borne by the private sector, with an open tender expected to be held soon via the government’s special purpose vehicle, Digital Nasional Berhad. So who wins and loses from this arrangement, and what does this mean for consumers?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We get Dr Oh Ei Sun to navigate through the romantic dynamics and complicated love triangle taking place between PAS, UMNO and BERSATU with the latest political twist and turns following the UMNO General Assembly that took place last weekend. Image credit: Amiirullah Mansor / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dissecting BNM's 132-page 2020 Annual Report. Fear not as Julia Goh from UOB helps us distil the essence of this data-rich report, discusses trends, key economic indicators as well as shed light into what's driving the revised economic growth forecast. Image credit: Shutterstsock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claude Achcar helps us understand how the tech giants are making huge investments in undersea cable expansion across South East Asia through Indonesia and Singapore and what this means for internet penetration across the region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever since the start of the pandemic, live events and performances have taken a huge hit. This includes the comedy scene. So how have comedy clubs pivoted in order to weather the crisis? We take a look at the business of comedy with Rizal van Geyzel, co-founder of one of the country’s longest-running full-time comedy clubs. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Malaysia losing the Foreign Direct Investment race? Dr Geoffrey Williams, Professor at the Malaysia University of Science and Technology tells us what needs to be done from a policy perspective to win this race and stand out from the regional competitors. Image credit: Manzrussali / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the increasing prominence of the gig economy, Wong Chen, MP for Subang, shares his perspective on the increasing dominance of Grab as well as discussing how the Government should address the market power impacting consumers and the gig workers. Image Credit: Abdul Razak Latif / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Cochrane from Moody’s Analytics gives us insights into how the Suez Canal blockage impacted global GDP, which sectors were affected, the need to diversify our supply chain to remove future vulnerabilities, and whether this could impact the price of goods. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fall of Archegos Capital with the forced liquidation of more than $20 billion of their holdings had led to losses by some of the largest global investment banks. Pankaj C. Kumar, financial market columnist and former Chief Investment Officer shed lights on this breaking story whilst telling us if there any repercussions on the broader market. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UMNO may have chosen to forsake its partnership with Bersatu for GE15, potentially a high-risk strategy that may or not pay off while leaving room for lots of unpredictable permutations, says Dr. Hamidin Abdul Hamid, Research Fellow at the Ilham Center. Image credit:EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prof. Dr. Moy Foong Ming discusses the progress of the phase 1 vaccination programme, her expectations of the phase 2 vaccine roll out and in particular whether it should be expanded to all or economic front-liners. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prof. Dr. Moy Foong Ming discusses the progress of the phase 1 vaccination programme, her expectations of the phase 2 vaccine roll out and in particular whether it should be expanded to all or economic front-liners. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A party that is celebrating its 75th Anniversary, UMNO Is at crossroads with increased factionalism within the party. Dr Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute-Malaysia breaks down the recently concluded General Assembly and what the outcome means for the PN coalition. Image credit: Shahjehan / ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ooi Lean Hin, chairman of the Shipping Association of Malaysia provides us with a status update on the stuck Ever Given mega-vessel in the Suez canal, its impact on global trade and logistics as the Egyptian government is frantically trying to unlodge the ship. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rusli Affandi, Secretary-General, National Union of Hotel, Bar & Restaurant Workers joins us to discuss the recent Federal Court ruling that hoteliers cannot use the service charges they collect from customers in order to pay their workers’ minimum wages. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent study published by the Global Development Policy Center of Boston University expects ASEAN to be a net loser of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that is meant to create the largest free trade bloc in the world. Jayant Menon, Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, shares his views about the potential benefits to Malaysia, and the limitations of forecasts. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After several Covid-19 quarantined cruise ships made a spate of bad headlines last year, it is estimated that the cruise industry saw revenue fall 15% last year. Some cruise liners have attempted to stay above water by offering round trips with no ports of call, but is that truly a sustainable measure to keep the industry afloat? We speak to Annie Chang, Director of Cruise at the Singapore Tourism Board, for more insight. Image Credit: Igor Grochev / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twice in one month, the Singapore Food Agency has issued recalls of eggs imported from Malaysia, following the discovery of a type of Salmonella bacteria in the batches. Considering some of the producers of the eggs have since been declared free of Salmonella by the Department of Veterinary Services, this has caused concern over what looks to be differences between Malaysia's food safety standards and Singapore's. For insight, we speak to Dr Chai Lay Ching, Senior Lecturer at the University of Malaya's Institute of Biological Sciences. Image Credit: Unsplash.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Health gives an insider view on efforts to boost vaccination registration to achieve the inoculation target of 70% of the population. Dr. Jemilah sits on the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF), and the Special Committee On Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV). Image Stock: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the implementation of UNDI18 pushed to September 2022, The Morning Run speaks to MUDA Co-Founder and President YB Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman for their next steps, reactions, and MUDA’s plan to run in GE15. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Manufacturers of cars, computers and phones are feeling the pinch from a global shortage of semiconductor parts. Nick Marro, Lead, Global Trade, The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) discusses the underlying issues and when the situation might normalise. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.