Morning Brief

There has been public outcry over the decision by the Petaling Jaya City Council to introduce a 90 sen charge for non-Malaysians who use the PJ City Bus service beginning January 15th. Adrian Pereira, Director of the North South Initiative, a social justice advocacy group tells us the wider implications of this move.

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Last year, initial hopes for a revival of the stalled nuclear deal between the West and Iran were dashed, with Tehran instead coming under further western sanctions for supplying arms to Russia. Tehran is also grappling with a protest movement that’s described as the biggest challenge to the Islamic Republic in decades. Meanwhile in Israel, a new government has been sworn in, helmed by an old hand, Benjamin Netanyahu. However the presence of far-right groups in the government that have many fearing actions that could inflame tensions with Palestine. Middle East expert Dr James Dorsey gives us an overview of what to watch on these international fronts.

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Ahead of Budget 2023 that’s due to be tabled in February, opposition MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim recently groused about the long-standing issue of unequal allocation for parliamentarians across the aisle. How should the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) mechanism be reformed to avoid the political resentment and patronage issues of the present system? We get policy recommendations from Danesh Prakash Chacko of Tindak Malaysia.

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2022 saw the revival of the aviation and tourism sector with the loosening of border restrictions spurring the demand for revenge travel. However this was not without turbulence and is 2023 the year where travel returns to pre-pandemic levels? Hannah Pearson, Founder, Pear Anderson tells us whilst also giving us her views as to whether Malaysia will be a top tourist destination in this region.

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Ahead of Budget 2023 that’s due to be tabled in February, opposition MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim recently groused about the long-standing issue of unequal allocation for parliamentarians across the aisle. How should the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) mechanism be reformed to avoid the political resentment and patronage issues of the present system? We get policy recommendations from Danesh Prakash Chacko of Tindak Malaysia.

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With the festive season extending from Christmas right into Chinese New Year this month, retailers anticipate that consumer activity will remain high going into the Year of the Rabbit. However with labour shortage still affecting many sectors in Malaysia and worries of inflation this year, will the next few weeks set the tone for the rest of the retail year? Datuk Wira Ameer Ali Mydin, managing director of hypermarket Mydin gives us his outlook.

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As the world's 2nd largest economy readies for a reopening, how should Malaysia prepare for the influx of Chinese tourists especially since there are reports of high covid cases in their country? Dr Khoo Yoong Khean, Scientific Officer, Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness gives us those answers.

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As the world's 2nd largest economy readies for a reopening, how should Malaysia prepare for the influx of Chinese tourists especially since there are reports of high covid cases in their country? Dr Khoo Yoong Khean, Scientific Officer, Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness gives us those answers.

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The sale of the KL Tower concession from TM to little known entity Hydroshoppe Sdn. Bhd. for RM3.8 million has drawn scrutiny, given that the business made an annual profit to the tune of RM20 million in 2019. Business commentator P. Gunasegaram gives us a breakdown on the corruption concerns that this deal raises.

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2022 was a rocky year for all key members of ASEAN with the lingering effects from the COVID-19 variant of Omicron, the Russia-Ukraine war and rising inflation globally. As we start the new year in 2023 with the US and EU likely heading for a recession, coupled with an abrupt reopening by China and a likely surge in tourist arrivals, what does this hold for Asean economies and currencies? Also, which countries look most resilient and are poised to benefit the most? For insights, we speak to Khoon Goh, Head of Asia Research, ANZ Bank.

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