Morning Brief

As climate change wreaks havoc on weather patterns in Southeast Asia, how has this affected perceptions of climate change action amongst its diverse population? We discuss the findings of the 2024 Southeast Asia Climate Outlook with Sharon Seah of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

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Sri Lanka will hold its presidential election this Saturday, September 21st, following the country's 2022 economic collapse which saw the president at the time having to flee amid mass protests. Faraz Shauketaly, an independent broadcaster and investigative journalist talks to us about the sentiments going into election day as 17 million eligible voters select from 38 candidates, who will lead their country for the next 5 years.

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The news that JAKIM is considering making halal certification mandatory for restaurants and food establishments that do not serve pork or alcohol, has sparked debate highlighting the complexity and importance of this move. Prof Dr Abdul Malik Musharat, Chairman of Global Halal Malaysia Traders and Consumer Association shares his insights on this issue.

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The price of crude palm oil is currently hovering above the RM3,800 level as Malaysia’s August palm oil stockpile rose to a six-month high since February, driven by seasonally higher production and lower exports. Alvin Tai, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, shares his views on the direction of the commodity amid the strengthening of the ringgit, weakening soybean oil prices and even the prospect of another Donald Trump presidency.

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The government is developing new regulations to support the integration of autonomous vehicles (AVs) into public transport. What can Malaysia learn from the experience of other countries in integrating this technology in transport systems? We get insights from economist Dr. Walter Theseira about the potential of AVs to transform the transport landscape.

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DAP will hold state elections on 22 September, with incumbent Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow stating that he will not defend his post as state party chair. What does that say about the internal dynamics of DAP? We discuss this with political analyst Dr. Azmi Hassan.

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After the US debate, it appeared that Kamala Harris had the upper hand. But what were the economic policies of both candidates? Vasu Menon, Managing Director, Investment Strategy, OCBC weighs in and also tells how volatile markets will be until polling day on November 5th.

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Water pollution is a continuous issue in our country. Most recently, residents in Selangor experienced unscheduled water cuts caused by water contamination and a new case of illegal waste dumping is also causing odour pollution in Johor. We speak to Dr Zaki Zainudin, Water Quality and Water Quality Modeling Specialist about the legal framework on water pollution in Malaysia, and what can be done to stem this problem.

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The government recently agreed to amend both the Trustee Act and the Trustee (Incorporation) Act to prevent the misappropriation of funds by established trustees for purposes such as religious, social, and welfare activities. Given past cases of public fund misuse, including in the Aman Palestin scandal, are these legal reforms the way forward for enhanced governance? Alliff Benjamin Suhaimi, Partner at Thomas Philip, offers his perspective.

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This new law offers better protection for platform workers like private hire drivers and freelance delivery workers, by creating a new legal category between employees and the self-employed. Dr. Walter Theseira, Associate Professor of Economics, Singapore University of Social Sciences explains the details of this bill and how it impacts the future of platform work.

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