Morning Brief

The government has indicated that it is in the midst of finalising the review of reducing or limiting Approved Permits, with a policy submission set to be sent to the National Economic Action Council by November this year. P Gunasegaram, independent business writer and analyst, tells us why APs which have benefited few and strayed from their original intention, are no longer needed in this day and age.

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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to New York was a packed one, encompassing meetings with both the diplomatic and business community. Dr. Prashanth Parameswaran, a Fellow at the Wilson Center and Founder of the weekly ASEAN Wonk Newsletter tells us what impact that visit had especially the maiden UN address and future US-Malaysia ties.

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The government has indicated that it is in the midst of finalising the review of reducing or limiting Approved Permits, with a policy submission set to be sent to the National Economic Action Council by November this year. P Gunasegaram, independent business writer and analyst, tells us why APs which have benefited few and strayed from their original intention, are no longer needed in this day and age.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the sidelines of the 78th UN General Assembly, US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled that the normalisation of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia could materialise. We discuss what this would mean for the geopolitics of the Middle East with political expert Dr. James Dorsey.

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PJ MP Lee Chean Chung suggested that Kuala Lumpur be returned to Selangor to create a mega metropolis. This was supported by Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng on the basis that it will help solve issues plaguing the Klang Valley. But could the reunification of two large cities make it difficult for the federal government to exercise their administrative capacities or will the return local council elections be a better solution? We speak with Chean Chung himself to explain his stance and rationale.

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PJ MP Lee Chean Chung suggested that Kuala Lumpur be returned to Selangor to create a mega metropolis. This was supported by Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng on the basis that it will help solve issues plaguing the Klang Valley. But could the reunification of two large cities make it difficult for the federal government to exercise their administrative capacities or will the return local council elections be a better solution? We speak with Chean Chung himself to explain his stance and rationale.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister (MOTAC) Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing announced that Malaysia is on track to meet the 16.1 million 2023 tourist arrivals target. However, Malaysia is still a far way off from regaining back the numbers it enjoyed before the pandemic, when in 2019 it recorded 86.1 billion ringgit in tourism receipts from 26.1 million arrivals. We speak with Hannah Pearson Founder of Pear Anderson and ask if Malaysia can regain its position as a preferred destination.

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This week UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced delays to some of the critical climate change targets that the government had set, including pushing the ban of petrol and diesel cars to 2035 - this has been pushed back to 2035. Although he cited economic security as the main reason, the announcement sparked backlash from the business community. Will this affect his chances of re-election come 2025? We discuss the fall out with Prof. Chandran Kukathas of the Singapore Management University.

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Budget 2024 is set to be tabled in Parliament on Oct 13th with prime Minister and finance minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hinting that there may be new taxes planned, to narrow the budget gap to 3.5% of GDP by 2025. Sim Kwang Gek, Country Tax Leader, Deloitte Malaysia shares her thoughts on what she expects in terms of how the government plans to boost its revenues going forward.

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The 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) started on Tuesday but with the notable absence of 4 leaders of the permanent security council, is the General Assembly still seen as an effective forum for international peace and security. We speak with Dr Julia Roknifard, Assistant Professor at University of Nottingham Malaysia on the key takeaways and the UN’s role and relevance in this day and age.

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