Morning Brief

The recent peak hour restrictions for heavy vehicles on highways are causing concern among logistics companies, with many claiming that their input was not sought before the implementation of these restrictions. The president of the Association of Malaysian Hauliers, Soo Che Yeong shares more on his frustrations about the lack of consultation and discusses the potential impact on operations, costs, and Malaysia’s logistics hub ambitions.

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Malaysia’s exports stumbled in January 2025, rising just 0.3%, well below the 5% forecast. With the trade surplus dropping to RM3.6 billion ringgit, is there cause for concern especially with a tariff storm brewing? Zafri Zulkeffeli, Deputy Chief Economist at BIMB Securities gives us his perspective.

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Ahead of the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered to step down in exchange for peace and his country’s NATO membership. We ask Denys Mykhailiuk, Chargé d'Affaires of the Ukrainian Embassy in Malaysia, what are the next steps in the peace process against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump attempting to rewrite history as to who is the aggressor in this war.

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Following growing concerns over persistent child labour despite high-income ambitions, should the government review the legal frameworks? Srividhya Ganapathy, co-chair of the Child Rights Innovation and Betterment Foundation, highlights the critical legislative changes needed to safeguard vulnerable children whilst exploring the economic and social reasons behind this practice.

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National Unity Minister Datuk Seri Aaron Ago Dagang recently told Parliament that Malaysia has enough laws to tackle racial discrimination. Yet incidents continue to crop up that test the fabric of our multi-racial society, exacerbated by the reach of social media. What policies are needed to strengthen national harmony? We discuss this with Jerald Joseph of Pusat KOMAS.

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The Malaysian government is urged to review SOSMA to ensure fairness while maintaining national security. Lawmakers and Civil Rights groups stress balancing security needs with human rights in proposed amendments. We’ll be speaking with Sevan Doraisamy, Executive Director of Suaram (Suara Rakyat Malaysia), a Human Rights Organisation, for his insights.

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The US could be teetering on the brink of a constitutional crisis as a result of President Donald Trump's executive actions that have challenged the limits of presidential powers. What does this mean for the balance of democratic institutions and the rule of law in the US? We discuss this with Prof. Cheryl Saunders of the University of Melbourne.

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Snap elections are happening this Sunday in Germany after the ruling "traffic light" coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed last November. Dr Frederick Kliem, Southeast Asia Director at the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network shares his insights into the issues at play, everything from immigration to climate and will comments from the Trump administration have an effect.

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The latest parliamentary session saw the government reaffirm its commitment to housing affordability, highlighting the 10 billion ringgit Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme (HCGS) and tax relief for first-time homebuyers. With urban migration set to rise by millions by 2030, is Malaysia ready to meet the demand for affordable homes? Joining us to discuss this is Dr. Nur Fareza Mustapha, Research Associate from the Khazanah Research Institute.

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We are increasingly seeing more cases of Malaysians being lured by lucrative job opportunities abroad, only to awaken to a much darker reality of human trafficking and being forced to commit online scams. Do governments have the right tools to tackle this transnational crime? We get insights from Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim of the Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation or MHO, a group advocating for the rescue of overseas scam victims.

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