Morning Brief

S. Piarapakaran, President of the Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia (AWER), helps us understand why water cuts occur in Selangor, the most developed state in the country, and suggests proposals to resolve our woes. Image Credit: Afif Abd. Halim / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The end of the blanket loan moratorium in September has triggered concern that people whose income is still suppressed as a result of the pandemic will not be able to service their loans. Although there is a targeted loan moratorium in place, the National Union of Bank Employees is calling for the government to reinstate the blanket moratorium for low-wage groups and SMEs. To find out more, we speak to J Solomon, NUBE General Secretary, about funding trials, inconsistency in conditions set, as well as the impending Budget 2021. Image Credit: Laboo Studio / ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Shaw, Professor of Politics at Massey University in New Zealand discusses Jacinda Ardern’s priorities after her landslide victory, if having a high number of inexperienced MPs would be a setback, and direction on foreign policy with China. Image Credit: ShuttlestockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's majority in the Dewan Rakyat in doubt and a flood of no-confidence motions, all eyes are now set on the upcoming parliamentary session beginning November 2nd. Will these motions see the light of day on the parliament floor or be buried under government business? We also get into the importance of Budget 2021 as a motion of confidence in the prime minister. Image Credit: Lens Hitam / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of people in Bangkok continue to take the streets despite a ban on gatherings. Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director of Asia Centre discusses possible scenarios for the government and the monarchy. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political jockeying continues, the latest being Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim claiming to have majority MP support and UMNO’s hints of withdrawing support for Perikatan Nasional unless given more plum positions. Dr. Hamidin Abdul Hamid, Research Fellow at Ilham Centre, discusses the potential winner and loser in our version of the Hunger Games. Image Credit: Shahjehan / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political jockeying continues, the latest being Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim claiming to have majority MP support and UMNO’s hints of withdrawing support for Perikatan Nasional unless given more plum positions. Dr. Hamidin Abdul Hamid, Research Fellow at Ilham Centre, discusses the potential winner and loser in our version of the Hunger Games. Image Credit: Shahjehan / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of people in Bangkok continue to take the streets despite a ban on gatherings. Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director of Asia Centre discusses possible scenarios for the government and the monarchy. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What will be the fate of the beleaguered Malaysia Airlines? Khazanah, the national carrier’s sole shareholder, could inject funds into its sister airline Firefly, which would subsequently become the national airline.Reports suggest this could become a reality if the current debt restructuring plan fails. So for on the implications of this, we get analyst Khair Mirza's thoughts on this. On The Breakfast Grille a couple of weeks ago, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz said the government will not pour funds into Malaysia Airlines, nor guarantee its debts. And it’s up to Khazanah to decide what’s next. You can listen in on this conversation here. Image Credit: Lens Hitam / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What will be the fate of the beleaguered Malaysia Airlines? Khazanah, the national carrier’s sole shareholder, could inject funds into its sister airline Firefly, which would subsequently become the national airline.Reports suggest this could become a reality if the current debt restructuring plan fails. So for on the implications of this, we get analyst Khair Mirza's thoughts on this. On The Breakfast Grille a couple of weeks ago, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz said the government will not pour funds into Malaysia Airlines, nor guarantee its debts. And it’s up to Khazanah to decide what’s next. You can listen in on this conversation by clicking on the link below: https://www.bfm.my/podcast/morning-run/the-breakfast-grille/what-next-for-malaysias-economy Image Credit: Lens Hitam / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Khazanah Research Institute’s State of Households 2020 report has highlighted a concerning trend of rising living costs, insufficient social security systems and a fast-growing wealth divide, even as the pandemic and socio-political issues further threaten policies to mitigate these challenges. Adam Firouz, Research Associate at the Khazanah Research Institute, discusses. Image credit: Deva Darshan on UnsplashSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A third wave of Covid-19 means yet another fortnight of Conditional Movement Control Orders, throwing yet another spanner in the works of a much-needed recovery in the local retail scene. Tan Hai Hsin, Managing Director of Retail Group Malaysia, discusses the state of play. Image credit TY Lim / ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food security has long been a problem, but COVID-19 has raised the urgency to address it even more. While the stereotypical image of food insecurity is one of famine and hunger, the pandemic has also exacerbated a lack of access to food due to economic poverty. On the event of World Food Day, we discuss with David Dawe of the Food Agricultural Organization. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the Klang Valley, Selangor and Putrajaya under a conditional movement control order for 2 weeks till 27 October , what will the impact be on the Malaysian economy especially since this area is 40% of the country's GDP? Wellian Wiranto, Economist at OCBC Bank weighs in on his views while giving us a preview of Budget 2021. Image credit: Abdul Razak Latif_ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mass test or target test? Lockdown or don't? Target more or less? And do alternatives exist? Professor Dr. Sanjay Rampal Lekhraj Rampal, Public Health Medical Specialist at the University Malaya Medical Centre, discusses. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a charm offensive in Southeast Asia at a time when the pandemic savages the region's economies and its biggest rival, America, faces a period of uncertainty with its polls.Dr. Ngeow Chow Bing, Director of the Institute for China Studies at University Malaya, explains what this means for Malaysia and the region. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim finally had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong yesterday morning, 3 weeks after he first announced that he had the support of a “convincing majority” of MPs.  However his bid to become the Prime Minister of Malaysia is far from certain as after the press conference, it was revealed that the Agong would be meeting with the respective political parties to ascertain their support. Meanwhile Umno issued a press statement stating it is considering withdrawing its support for Perikatan Nasional. To help us unpack all this, we spoke to Dr. Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate, University of Nottingham Asia Institute. Image Credit:  Lens Hitam / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya has started and will be on until 27th October. When first announced, there was confusion especially for the food and beverage industry. Jennifer Ong, Founder and CEO of HAPA Group tells us what issues this industry faces and will these new SOPs affect their business. image credit: AhBoon.Net / ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple had a big launch overnight as the entered the 5G fray with 4 new iPhones. The focus was the flagship iPhone 12, which will start at a whopping $829 dollars.Apple has generated relatively little sales growth from its iPhone in recent years since consumers are holding onto their phones for longer.But many are expecting this launch to spur a major upgrade cycle.Sure, Apple isn’t the first to launch a 5G phone -- they are trailing behind Samsung and Huawei here -- but they may be the one to make the network more mainstream.Beyond the iPhone, Apple also announced a new smart speaker, the HomePod Mini, which may represent a substantial new growth area, since that market is currently led by Amazon. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With an economy heavily dependent on tourism contributing as much as 15% to GDP, what are the implications to the economy when visitor arrivals are only estimated at 9 million compared to 40 million in 2019. Marcus Wong, Emerging Market Macro Strategist at Bloomberg Editorial tells us how negatively impacted the Thai economy will be but what fiscal and monetary measures the government can take to ease some of the economic scar tissue caused by the Covid 19 pandemic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday evening, the government announced that it would be reimposing the Conditional Movement Control Order in Selangor, Putrajaya, and KL due to the recent spike in Covid-19 infections. The announcement comes at a time when consumers were just becoming more confident about emerging from their homes, so we're tackling the question of how this new measure will affect SMEs in particular, with Datuk Michael Kang, President of the SME Association of Malaysia. Image credit: Hafiz Johari / ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs has made the case that the government should ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, better known as the CPTPP. The think tank argues that Malaysia's GDP could be boosted by as much as 1% if the government ratifies the deal- So we reached out to Tricia Yeoh, CEO of IDEAS, to ask her about this, and more. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After seeing a spike in Covid-19 cases across the country, the government imposed a two week conditional movement control order (MCO) in various areas in Klang from 9th October until 23rd October. However, those living in the area were left confused with the directives and the last minute implementation, and have since received little clarity. For more on the situation on the ground, we have with us YB Charles Santiago, the MP for Klang. Image credit: Najmi Arif / ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite the state elections being over, Sabah continues to throw up new political surprises. The appointment of PAS State Secretary Ali-akbar Gulasan to the legislature has been met with objections from other parties in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition. For some analysis on these developments we speak to James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the US election impending, how much impact will it have on Asian equities and does it matter who wins the Presidential elections? Lorraine Tan, Regional Director of Equity Research in Asia, Morningstar tells us who are the sectoral winners in the last quarter of the year and what other risks are on the horizon. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In conjunction with World Mental Health Day, we discuss with Annie Tubadji, Cultural Economist, Swansea University on the definition of psychologically resilient society and the impact of public policies. Image credit: F Armstrong Photography / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the past week, Malaysia's daily new cases of Covid-19 have hovered consistently in the three digits, a worrying surge from the single digit reporting we were seeing a month ago. However, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has stressed that a second nationwide lockdown would be costly. So, to get a sense of whether we could afford a second MCO, we speak to Lau Zheng Zhou of the Economics and Business Unit at the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs, for his thoughts on balancing health and economic concerns. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following the passing of former law minister Datuk Liew Vui Keong, Malaysians are faced with yet another by-election in Batu Sapi, Sabah. But after Covid-19 cases rose dramatically in the wake of the Sabah state elections, are we ready for more polls? To find out, we speak to Thomas Fann, Chairperson of election watchdog Bersih 2.0, for thoughts on how to hold an election during a pandemic. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Increased interest in sustainability has bolstered the demand for ESG bonds. In ASEAN, green bond issuances doubled to $8.1 billion in 2019, from just $3.9 billion in 2018. To find out how Malaysia's nascent sustainable bond market compares to its regional peers, we speak to Winson Phoon, Head of Fixed Income Research at Maybank Kim Eng.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's Golden Week has just ended, with as many as 550 million people expected to hit the road during the period. However, subsequent data reported that tourism revenue still fell more than 30% compared to last year, indicative of weak consumer demand. We speak to Tommy Xie, Head of Greater China Research at OCBC Bank for his thoughts on if this weak consumption trend will throw a spanner in the works of China's recovery. Image Credit: Keitma / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are over 1,000 active Covid-19 cases in prisons involving inmates and staff nationwide. Jerald Joseph, SUHAKAM Commissioner discusses potential improvements and prison reforms. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is undergoing a 14-day home quarantine and has assured that he will continue to perform his duties. It does however raise questions about succession planning as it is unprecedented that Malaysia does not have a designated Deputy Prime Minister. Lim Wei Jiet, constitutional lawyer discusses the constitutional conventions and the possible scenarios. Image Credit: adam yusof / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Workers in Indonesia are protesting against the major omnibus bill that was passed on Monday to amend 73 laws. They argue that those wide sweeping changes violate worker rights and relax environmental protection. Bharat Joshi, Investment Director, Aberdeen Standard Investments discusses the merits of the bill, its timing and his outlook for equities. Image Credit: TomoTaro / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia trails behind countries like Indonesia and the Philippines when it comes to open data. Ashraf Shaharudin, Research Associate at Khazanah Research Institute discusses what needs to be done to close the gaps. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Local university students were left stranded when they could not attend orientation due to a last minute order to close universities. Dr Sharifah Munirah Alatas, Senior lecturer in Strategic Studies and International Relations of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, shares her views on how the situation could have been saved. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Local university students were left stranded when they could not attend orientation due to a last minute order to close universities. Dr Sharifah Munirah Alatas, xxxx, shares her views on how the situation could have been saved. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealanders head for the polls on October 17th. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is widely expected to win. Grant Duncan, Associate Professor, Massey University discusses her track record and the challenges ahead. Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the wake of the Sabah state elections, eyes are now on neighbouring state Sarawak, to see when they will decide to go to the polls. How will the Sarawak state government balance the fragility of its coalition against Covid-19 concerns? Dr. Arnold Puyok, Political Analyst at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, weighs in. Image credit: Hazreen Mohd / ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia's Covid-19 new cases are back in the triple digits, with Sabah and Kedah now leading the country in numbers of infections. The Morning Run team discusses sustaining our healthcare system, internet backlash against politicians perceived to have spread the virus, and the sudden decision to postpone this semester's student intake at universities. Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US has imposed a ban on imports of palm oil and palm oil products from FGV over allegations of forced labour practices. We speak with Khor Yu Leng, political economist, Segi Enam Advisors, on why Malaysian companies do poorly in protecting their foreign workers. Image Credit: ayarx oren / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the collapse of global travel demand amidst Covid-19, the aviation industry has come to a grinding halt. The International Air Transport Association does not expect air travel to return to pre-Covid levels until 2024- it therefore was surprising when Bloomberg reported that the founders of Lion Air are planning to start a new airline. So, for a check-in on the airline industry, we speak to James Teo, transport analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. Image credit ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Beijing Auto Show is the first industry event to take place since the pandemic hit. This is where big Western companies like Ford and Volkswagen, as well as their Chinese rivals, showcase all the latest and greatest of what they have in store. But will there be enough demand out of China to support to auto industry? We speak to Bill Russo about what to watch out for from the event as well as what demand for autos in China mean for the recovery path overall. Image credit EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has said that the Shared Prosperity Vision will continue to take shape under his administration, with the aim to provide a decent standard of living to all Malaysians in 10 years time. Firdaos Rosli, Director of Economics, Trade and Regional Integration at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia speaks to us about bridging the income gap, the government's measures so far, and whether identity politics will get in the way of shared prosperity. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Physical distancing measures have forced people and companies around the world to turn to technology, in order to keep the gears turning. But with the spotlight now on digital transformation and the necessity of digitisation initiatives, how competitive are we as a country, compared to the rest of the world? We speak to Christos Cabolis, Chief Economist at the IMD World Competitiveness Center, about the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Rankings, released yesterday. Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment and Water, Datuk Seri Zaini Ujang recently remarked that the government would update the Environmental Quality Act 1974 to include climate change and sustainability policies. One such policy that being mooted is a carbon tax on emissions, which has been adopted by several countries around the world. How would such a tax look like in a Malaysian context? We discuss with Darshan Joshi of REFSA. Image Credit: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the blanket loan moratorium having come to an end in September, how are businesses faring? Koong Lin Loong, SME Chairman of The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) tells how his 100,000 members are faring and whether more help is required for them. He also tells us which sectors in particular are facing challenging times despite the relaxation of the movement control order. Image Credit:Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden took place yesterday, and it was anything but presidential. Globally, the debate has been labeled a joke, with observers calling it “another sign of the degradation of the American democracy”. And Americans were left disappointed with what they’re calling “the worst debate in history”. That said, in and amongst the chaos did Biden gain a slight edge? Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although research shows that 90% of voters have made up their minds at this stage, the US Presidential debate provides a rare opportunity for candidates to been side by side, and could still influence the 10% of undecided voters, especially swing states. We discuss the expectations for both incumbent Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden, with analysis from Dr. Mitchell McKinney. Image Credit: Yalcin Sonat / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Bank has revised Malaysia’s 2020 GDP forecast to a contraction of 4.9% from the previously estimated 3.1% decline following the country's sharper-than-expected GDP contraction in Q2 due to the pandemic. However, despite the revision, Malaysia seems to be on track for recovery and will likely see growth in Q4 or 2021. We speak to World Bank economists to get their view on Malaysia's economic recovery and what needs to be done to keep it on track. Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has recently launched a career advancement programme under the national economic recovery plan, Penjana. The programme has the aim of providing young graduates with more marketable skills. But how effective is this and what more needs to be done? We take stock of the state of unemployment in Malaysia and the measures taken to curb it. Image credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.