Morning Brief

The world’s fourth most populous country, Indonesia, is going to the polls on February 14th and the presidential race is heating up among the three main candidates. What are the factors that could influence the outcome of these elections? We get analysis from political scientist Dr. Ahmad Rizky M. Umar of Queensland University.

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How has the Malaysian shipping industry been impacted by the ongoing tensions in the Red Sea? We hear from Datuk Ruben Gnanalingam, Group Managing Director of Westport on the spillover effects, including whether we'll see a surge in freight rates. 

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Last week, former Singapore Transport Minister S. Iswaran was charged with 27 counts of corruption, the latest in a series of scandals that have rocked the island republic since 2023. We’ll speak to James Gomez, Regional Director at the Asia Centre to discuss the implications of the recent developments for Singapore’s political landscape in light of the leadership handover later this year.

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The Independent Police Conduct Commission has already seen five out of seven members appointed, confirming that the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission, which the Pakatan Harapan administration tabled in 2019, has been replaced. Edmund Bon, a lawyer at Amer Bon Advocates, compares the differences in how the IPCC and the IPCMC can help put a stop to police misconduct incidences which have been on the rise recently.

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• Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak continues to draw attention even behind bars. Having so far served 17 months of his 12-year prison sentence for charges pertaining to 1MDB-linked SRC International, there is speculation that his royal pardon could be decided by the end of this month. Independent business writer P. Gunasegaram, makes the case why this would be disastrous for the country.

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Grab Malaysia recently announced a restructuring of its delivery fee and bonus framework, effective last Tuesday. However, this decision has been met with dissatisfaction among certain riders, primarily due to the reduction in wage fees. Consequently, a group of riders is considering a boycott as a visible expression of their disagreement. Bryan Ng Yih Miin, Advisor to Persatuan Perpaduan Rakan Penghantar Malaysia shares his insights on the potential impact of the revised structures on the affected e-hailing riders.

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Bursa Malaysia started the year on a much-welcomed positive note; but in recent days, selected counters have seen such strong selling pressure that they hit limit down each successive session. This negative sentiment has spread to the broader market with losers outnumbering gainers on a ratio of 885 to 218 stocks. We check in with Business Commentator, Pankaj C Kumar to understand why this is happening, and can more be done by the regulators to ensure orderly trading?

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Malaysia has imposed a freeze on new foreign worker recruitment, affecting labour-intensive industries grappling with manpower shortages, despite there currently being 2 million migrant workers distributed across five sectors. Adrian Pereira, Executive Director at the North South Initiative talks to us about how he thinks the country can address these issues.

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What does 2024 look like for Malaysia's automotive industry, after last year saw total industry volume for sales of new motor vehicles increased 11% year-on-year to nearly 800,000 units, a second consecutive annual all-time high? We find out from Daniel Fernandez, Managing Editor of dsf.my.

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Data released yesterday showed that China’s 2023 GDP grew by 5.2% y-o-y, in line with government’s estimates but disappointing market expectations for recovery. Gary Ng of Natixis analyses the latest economic data with us, and tells us if he is optimistic for the year ahead.

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