Morning Brief

Recently, a new and potentially more transmissible variant of coronavirus was discovered in the UK, but how dangerous is it, and what does it mean for us? To find out, we speak to Dale Fisher, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the National University of Singapore.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ministry of Education has decided to delay the 2021 school year to January 20th, which is notably later than usual. What impact might this have on students? Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, President of the Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE), highlights some of her concerns. Image Credit: YM.Ku Shahril / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is rumoured to be planning a Cabinet reshuffle following the corruption charges against two ministers. Will this shake-up provide a positive boost for Jokowi's government, given the devastating impact the pandemic has had on the country’s economy and healthcare system? We discuss Indonesia’s Covid-19 response as well as its vaccination roll-out with Ben Bland of the Lowy Institute. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The F&B industry has taken a hard hit during the pandemic, but is there hope for recovery in the near future? For some insight into what 2021 might look like for the industry, we speak to Jennifer Ong, Founder and CEO of HAPA Group. Image Credit: Magic Orb Studio / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As tensions rise between Australia and China, can the former afford to stay the course in its spat with the latter? The Morning Run Team discusses this with Richard McGregor, Senior Fellow at the Lowy Institute. We also get into how the trade tensions might backfire on China, which side might concede first, and whether China's "wolf warrior diplomacy" will resume under a Biden administration. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With straight losses at each round of the Budget debates, what is the fate of Pakatan Harapan? Is it time for a reset, or even a leadership change? Ibrahim Suffian, Programme Director at Merdeka Center, tells us what a reset would entail and whether there is an alternate leader for this coalition. Image Credit: Jasni / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food needs and food security have really come into focus this year, as Covid-19 highlighted concerns about self-sufficiency and access to food. But what has Malaysia's focus been when it comes to agriculture? Sarina Che Omar, Senior Research Associate at Khazanah Research Institute, tells us. Image Credit: fiz_zero / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the US, Congress has passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which could see Chinese companies delisted from US stock exchanges for not complying with audit oversight rules. Considering there are more than 200 Chinese firms listed in the US with a combined market capitalisation of US$2.2 trillion, we ask Brock Silvers, Chief Investment Officer at Kaiyuan Capital, whether this move will eventually weaken US capital markets or if transparency is a worthy trade-off in the long run. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reports have begun to emerge that the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail plan may continue, with the track ending in Johor instead of Singapore as initially planned. Though the Singapore Transport Ministry has since come out to say that both countries are still in discussions over this, the reports have raised questions over the HSR's viability should the news turn out to be true. We speak to Dr Francis Hutchinson, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, about whether continuing without Singapore would be a good decision on Malaysia's part. Image Credit: FreshStock / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the difference between the Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines? What do we know about Malaysia's Covid-19 vaccination plan? We speak to Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO of the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy, on the differences between the various vaccines available, and the challenges of rolling out a mass vaccination programme. Image Credit: LookerStudio / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The opposition's failure to vote down Budget 2021 has raised questions about its leadership, but who will step up to the plate? The Morning Run speaks to Warisan president, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, to find out if he would be open to leading Pakatan Harapan, his party's planned expansion into the Peninsular, and Warisan's political allies. Image credit: Dolly MJ / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

News that a Top Glove employee was fired for voicing concerns over cramped dormitories has raised questions about the protections available to whistleblowers, as well as the new labour SOPs. We reached out to lawyer VK Raj for more insight. Image credit: YuriAbas / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disney, the content colossus, has announced massive new content rollout plans, featuring Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar. The move catapulted its shares to a record $171 in New York trading and has raised the question of whether this is a long-term pivot towards streaming services. We speak to Geetha Ranganathan, Senior Media Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, for more. Image Credit: AFM Visuals / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Penjana Kapital announced this week that it had attracted eight international venture capital fund managers to take part in the Dana Penjana Nasional programme, with a total allocation of RM1.57 billion. We speak to Dr Sivapalan Vivekarajah of Scale-Up Malaysia on why local start-ups have reasons to cheer these developments. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2020 was initially thought to be a transformative year for Malaysia's regional security outlook, but the twin crises of politics and a pandemic have dampened that outlook somewhat. We speak to Thomas Daniel, Senior Analyst at ISIS Malaysia, about Malaysia's defence positioning in the region, key issues, and its 'strategic wiggle room' when it comes to the South China Sea. Image Credit: noraismail / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Budget 2021 has been passed in the Dewan Rakyat by a razor-thin margin - 111 MPs in favour and 108 against, with one absentee. Considering this result is a far cry from the one promised by Pakatan Harapan, we ask Dr Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute, what this result says about the leadership of both Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now that President-elect Joe Biden has sealed his presidency, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has acknowledged Biden's victory, what's next for the Democrats, Republicans, and Trump? The Morning Run speaks to Robert Shapiro, Professor of Government at Columbia University, to find out. Image Credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has pledged to create 500,000 jobs through the JanaKerja scheme, but how realistic is this target? The Morning Run finds out from Dr Amanina Abdur Rahman, Economist at World Bank, Malaysia. She also discusses where jobs might be created, whether the government's priorities are on the right track, how it can encourage private-sector hiring, and how it should reset its labour policies. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will the rollback of economic stimulus packages lead to a prolonged economic fallout in the ASEAN region? The Morning Run gets into this with Chua Hak Bin, Senior Economist at Maybank Kim Eng, as well as his forecast for ASEAN-6 real GDP growth, the sustainability of record-low policy rates, whether external or domestic factors will be more influential in driving regional growth, and which country has adopted the best economic practices.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has introduced a special cabinet committee that will study recommendations put forward by the Electoral Reform Committee back in August. We speak to Sunway University political scientist, Dr Wong Chin Huat, about whether or not this means reforms may be implemented before GE15. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Parti Warisan looking to expand into Peninsular Malaysia? The Morning Run asks Jahabar Sadiq, Editor of The Malaysian Insight, for his views here, as well what the future of Pakatan Harapan could look like, whether new leadership is needed, and the general state of Malaysian politics. Image Credit: Dolly MJ / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2020 has been a rollercoaster year for many countries, particularly the United States. In the wake of a fraught presidential election, and with the country still struggling to rein in the Covid-19 pandemic, what lies ahead for the US economy and markets? We speak to Ed Clissold, Chief US Strategist at Ned Davis Research, for more insight.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Auditor-General's Report 2019 was tabled in Parliament last week, covering the performance at 12 ministries. 62 recommendations were submitted by the National Audit Department. But the question is, will these government departments be brought to task for the leakages that have been discovered? We speak to Sri Muniarti Yusuf, Research Manager at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, about her takeaways from the report, and what needs to be done about it. Image Credit (Dewan Rakyat): Shutterstock.com Image Credit (AG Report): National Audit Department, MalaysiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Fitch Ratings downgraded Malaysia's sovereign rating from A- to BBB+ with a stable outlook, a move which shocked many who expected the rating agency to take a more lenient stance in light of the global pandemic. The result? It may be more costly now for Malaysia to borrow funds. Having spoken to both Fitch Ratings and the Finance Ministry, we now reach out for a third view, speaking with Dr Ong Kian Ming, Bangi MP and former Deputy Minister of International Trade, for his take on the matter. Image Credit: 4kclips / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the announcement of a Covid-19 vaccine now in emergency use in several countries, and just approved in the US, many believe that this is the beginning of the end for the pandemic. But the rollout of these vaccines may not be so simple. We speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong, about vaccine regulations, storage, and how much it will take to achieve herd immunity. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Felda announced this week that it is planning to make a mandatory takeover offer to FGV's minority shareholders, at an offer price of RM1.30 per share. The move has raised questions over Felda's intentions, as well as whether FGV's listing status will be maintained. We ask P. Gunasegaram, Editorial Consultant at The Vibes, to give us his take on the issue, as well as some background on the relationship between Felda and FGV. Image Credit: Amy Rosie / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three artificial islands, a RM43 billion price tag and announced by now-disgraced former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2014, the Melaka Gateway could not have had a more auspicious start. But all has unravelled. Dr Francis Hutchinson, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusuf Ishak Institute, unpacks Malaysia's latest white elephant. Image Credit: Prehistorik / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soon about to debut in the public markets, Airbnb might be valued as much as $42b in a year in which tourism and travel were decimated. Why come out now? And is it worth the money? Howard Yu, Professor of Management and Innovation at IMD, analyses. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Human Rights Day is celebrated every 10th December but in this post-Covid-19 era, has this issue being ignored? Dato' Mah Weng Kwai, Commissioner of SUHAKAM, tells us the importance of debating the Suhakam report in Parliament and whether the Perikatan Nasional government has engaged with them. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this week, former Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor was given a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) over charges of receiving RM1 million from businessman Datuk Tan Eng Boon. This would be the third high-profile withdrawal of charges, following those of Riza Aziz, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s stepson, as well as 46 charges filed against former Sabah Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman. Is the latest DNAA a sign that we will see other charges dropped? The Morning Run speaks to Professor James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania, for his thoughts on this and the political situation in Perak. Image Credit: Masuti / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Bevington, Public Policy and Foreign Affairs Analyst at UK in a Changing Europe, analyses the latest in the Brexit saga, with the deadline on a decision looming ever closer. Image Credit: donfiore / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wirecard, 1MDB, Luckin Coffee - what were the lapses that lead to financial scandals like these? The Morning Run speaks to Dr Veerinderjeet Singh, President of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, about this and the role auditing and accounting firms play. Image Credit: Faiz Zaki / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Fitch Ratings downgraded Malaysia’s sovereign rating from A- to BBB+ with a stable outlook. This has a real fiscal impact on the country because a downgrade typically denotes a higher risk of default, which in turn means it will be more costly for Malaysia to borrow funds. So what does the Ministry of Finance think about this downgrade? We speak to Puan Zakiah Jaafar, Deputy Secretary-General of Policy at the Ministry of Finance, to find out. Image Credit: Willy Barton / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To what extent will the relaxation of interstate travel restrictions and passenger car limits help the Malaysian hotel industry? Yap Lip Seng, CEO of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), tells us if this industry can overcome the rising virus cases and the still-closed international borders. He also gives us an outlook for 2021 and what more the government should do. Image Credit: jamesteohart / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore has awarded licences for its first digital banks - what can we expect from this and what will this mean for the traditional players? The Morning Run speaks to Varun Mittal, Global Emerging Markets FinTech Leader at EY, to find out. Image Credit: PopTika / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of last week, Fitch Ratings downgraded Malaysia’s sovereign rating from ‘A-’ to ‘BBB+’, with an improved outlook from negative to stable. Thomas Rookmaaker, Director of Sovereign Ratings at Fitch Ratings, gives us the details on the reasons for the downgrade and what would be required for the country to regain its A- rating. Image Credit: Willy Barton / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President-elect Joe Biden has already made overtures with regard to the Iran nuclear deal to restart negotiations, but has this ship sailed? Will the Iranian government be more amenable to deal after facing economic hardship since the imposition of the sanctions, made worse by Covid-19? Professor James Dorsey, Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, gives us his views. Image Credit: saeediex / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UMNO's engineering of a shakeup in the Perak state government has triggered a political crisis and raised questions over the ability of Perikatan Nasional to remain a coalition and whether there are wider repercussions for the upcoming national polls. Image Credit: Khoe / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government's decision to extend the CMCO in most states until December 20th, and not till the end of this month as widely expected, has businesses and people cheering. But questions remain about the health of the economy, and its path to recovery. Firdaos Rosli, Head of Economic Research at the Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad (MARC), discusses. Image Credit: Phoebe Teng / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has allocated RM31.9 billion for the healthcare sector under Budget 2021. We speak to Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, former Minister of Health and MP for Kuala Selangor, for his views on whether this is sufficient, the effectiveness of the CMCO in Selangor, and how the federal and state governments are cooperating on this front. Image Credit (Dr Dzulkefly): S.O / Shutterstock.com Image Credit (Background): Mohammad Amirul Asraf / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, President-elect Joe Biden introduced his top economic advisers, including former Fed chair Janet Yellen, as his team prepares for a tough confirmation battle ahead in the Republican-majority Senate. We speak to Kathryn Dunn Tenpas about this, as well as what Biden's picks mean for the economy and foreign policy, and how he might navigate a divided Democratic party. Image Credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite the uncertainties presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and the geopolitical tensions between the US and China, Southeast Asian capital markets have managed to remain resilient. According to a Deloitte review, the IPO market in the region has so far bucked the overall economic downtrend, and may even be inching up to pre-Covid levels. We speak to Wong Kar Choon, Disruptive Events and Advisory Leader at Deloitte Malaysia, for more insight.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) has expressed disappointment over the decision not to table their 2019 Annual Report in this sitting of the Dewan Rakyat. We speak to SUHAKAM Commissioner, Jerald Joseph, about the importance of the report, what it contains, as well as the engagement SUHAKAM has had with the government so far.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the eyes of the world were fixed on the US presidential elections, Ethiopia has descended into armed conflict, centred around its northern province of Tigray. Nearly 1 million people are believed to have been displaced from their homes into neighbouring South Sudan and Eritrea, with no end in sight. To find out more about this burgeoning humanitarian crisis, in a region that is one of the major arteries of global trade, we speak to Samuel Makinda, Professor of International Relations and Security Studies at Murdoch University. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to a recent report by the Department of Statistics, women on average earn 94 sen to every RM1 earned by a man. However, the wage differential needs to be seen beyond face value - there are a host of complexities underpinning the wage gap between men and women, and reconciling the differences requires a multi-faceted response. We speak to gender studies expert, Dr Shanthi Thambiah, on how to interpret the wage gap data, as well as measures to encourage women’s participation in the labour force. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim's leadership of the opposition has come into question following the last-minute strategy change to challenge Budget 2021. Is it time for new leadership, or maybe even for the coalition to break up? The Morning Run speaks to Dr Bridget Welsh of the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia about this, the divisions in the coalition, and Parti Warisan Sabah's frustrations. Image Credit: Jasni / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday delivered record sales online. We discuss with Poonam Goyal, Senior US Retail Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, on the outlook for the retail sector. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the last few decades, better healthcare systems have led to longer life expectancies, yet at the same time, it seems that Malaysians aren't getting any healthier. And why are our lifespans still lagging behind countries with income levels comparable to ours? Khazanah Research Institute's latest State of Households Report looks to answer these questions, so we speak to KRI Researcher and co-author of the report, Nazihah Muhamad Noor, to find out more. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has introduced an Undocumented Migrant Worker Recalibration Programme to get employers to register undocumented workers. Take-up, however, has been slow. Khor Yu Leng, an economist at Segi Enam Advisors, discusses the obstacles. Image Credit: Aisyaqilumaranas / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can Australia survive a trade war against China? A new kind of trade war may be brewing in the East as tensions between China and Australia increased drastically over the past few weeks. Last week, China imposed anti-dumping duties of up to 212% on Australian wine, the latest in a slew of measures curbing imports from coal and copper to barley. This led to the Australian government hinting over the weekend that it might bring a formal case against China at the World Trade Organisation. Tensions then escalated further after a Chinese Foreign Ministry official tweeted a fake photo of an Australian soldier holding a knife to the throat of an Afghan child, referring to alleged to war crimes. This led to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison reprimanding China and calling for the country to apologize. So what's the background of this conflict and where could it go? We speak to Dr Pradeep Taneja to find out. Image Credit: danielo / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.