Morning Brief

The Cabinet had agreed to amend the Federal Constitution to allow children born abroad to Malaysian mothers to gain automatic Malaysian citizenship. Suriani Kempe, President of Family Frontiers tells us what are the next legal hurdles to overcome and why this change in law was much needed.

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UMNO announced changes to its Supreme Council membership last week, with Selangor Umno treasurer Tengku Datuk Zafrul Aziz appointed whilst Dato’ Lokman Noor Adam who had been expelled, was readmitted. Dr Oh Ei Sun, Principal Adviser at Pacific Research Centre tells us the consequences of such moves and the importance of the upcoming state elections.

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The revised Budget 2023 is to be tabled this Friday. The electrical and electronic industry accounts for 7.2% of the Gross Development Product and around 40% of exported manufactured goods making it a crucial part of the economy. The previous 2023 Budget included initiatives to attract more high-quality investments in particular the front end of the supply chain. However, will the incentives from this new Budget 2023 be enough to drive investments in the sector and ensure Malaysia as an E&E sector and also destination stays relevant? We speak to Dato' Seri Wong Siew Hai, President of Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA) for insights.

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With US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, we ask if US-China can reset turbulent ties spurred by the spy balloon saga? We discuss superpower geopolitics with Dr. Pradeep Taneja of Melbourne University.

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As Malaysia's national debt including liabilities has reached 1.5 trillion ringgit, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration has set their eyes on reducing opex and expanding revenue. And one elephant in the room that cannot be ignored would be the size of civil service, their emoluments and pensions. So as reduction of fiscal deficit takes priority, how should we relook at the size of civil service in Malaysia? For answers, we speak to Dr Tricia Yeoh, CEO, IDEAS.

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As Malaysia's national debt including liabilities has reached 1.5 trillion ringgit, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration has set their eyes on reducing opex and expanding revenue. And one elephant in the room that cannot be ignored would be the size of civil service, their emoluments and pensions. So as reduction of fiscal deficit takes priority, how should we relook at the size of civil service in Malaysia? For answers, we speak to Dr Tricia Yeoh, CEO, IDEAS.

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The 2023 State of Southeast Asia report was issued last week, shedding light on how the rivalry between the US and China is seen from the perspective of those caught in the middle. How have the developments of the past year affected how those in Southeast Asia view the power competition, and the effectiveness of ASEAN as a multilateral bloc to navigate the dynamics? Sharon Seah of the ISEAS Yusof-Ishak Institute shares insights from the report.

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There are international laws governing how children should be held in detention by governments. Is Malaysia abiding by these laws and how can we ensure the protection of children being held in state detention? We discuss this issue with child rights activist Dr. Hartini Zainuddin, Co-Founder of Yayasan Chow Kit.

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The Japanese economy averted recession in  the fourth quarter of 2022, expanding by an annualised 0.6%, but this was much smaller than the median forecast of 2% GDP growth. The latest data point to the challenge for incoming Bank of Japan governor, Kazuo Ueda, in normalising the bank’s ultra-loose policy without derailing the fragile economic recovery. What options does the Japanese central bank and government have to navigate the delicate policy tightrope? Tokyo-based journalist William Pesek shares his insights.

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The Japanese economy averted recession in  the fourth quarter of 2022, expanding by an annualised 0.6%, but this was much smaller than the median forecast of 2% GDP growth. The latest data point to the challenge for incoming Bank of Japan governor, Kazuo Ueda, in normalising the bank’s ultra-loose policy without derailing the fragile economic recovery. What options does the Japanese central bank and government have to navigate the delicate policy tightrope? Tokyo-based journalist William Pesek shares his insights.

Image credit: Saranya Phu akat

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.