Morning Brief

Since Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was appointed Malaysia’s 10th prime minister, a lot of attention has been drawn to the congratulatory gestures from dignitaries throughout the world. While these gestures are an encouraging sign towards the international recognition of Anwar’s leadership, how exactly does it impact the dynamics of Malaysia’s international relations and enhance bilateral negotiations? For insights, we speak to Izzah Ibrahim, Analyst, Foreign Policy and Security Studies programme, ISIS Malaysia.

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Many important positions such as the IGP, MACC head and Judicial Appointments Commission members are decided by the Prime Minister. Surendra Ananth, Deputy Chairperson at Malaysian Bar Law Reform and Special Areas Committee tells us why these appointments should be independent of the executive branch of the government, in particular the Prime Minister.

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According to the World Bank’s 2018 Logistics Performance Index (LPI) score, Singapore stands out in ASEAN’s top country in terms of its logistic infrastructure and is also comparable with the EU. While Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand also stacked up fairly well in ASEAN, they are still lacking globally. Malaysia’s logistics sector is expected to expand at a >4% CAGR over 2022-2027, fuelled by higher adoption of e-commerce and higher rate of urbanisation and affluence. Are there any synergies between ASEAN countries which can bridge logistics connectivity and enhance efficiency across borders? We speak to Raja Nur Aqilah Raja Ali, Analyst, RHB Research for her views.

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Speculation is rife that Malaysia's 10th Prime Minister will be appointing his cabinet soon but with 19 political parties in this coalition and a promise of a slimmer administration, who should be appointed? Datuk Dr Rais Hussin, Chief Executive Officer at Emir Research tells us what should be the criteria and important characteristics of these Malaysians that will lead the government.

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PAS, the conservative Islamist party which won the most seats in GE15, has gone on the offensive against the government of day. Adib Zalkapli, Director at BowerGroupAsia tells us why and how the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's government should counter this narrative.

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Speculation is rife that Malaysia's 10th Prime Minister will be appointing his cabinet soon but with 19 political parties in this coalition and a promise of a slimmer administration, who should be appointed? Datuk Dr Rais Hussin, Chief Executive Officer at Emir Research tells us what should be the criteria and important characteristics of these Malaysians that will lead the government.

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Taiwan’s local elections resulted in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, suffering its worst defeat in 36 years, holding on to only 5 out of 22 municipalities, down from 6 in 2018. The main opposition party, Kuomintang, or KMT, rose to victory in the mayoral and county elections, winning 13 of the 21, including the capital Taipei. What were the issues DPP was being punished for and does this show that voters in Taiwan are more pro-China? We speak to Brian Hew, co-founding editor of New Bloom magazine, an online magazine covering politics and youth culture in Taiwan.

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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is making it his mission to no longer approve procurements without tenders as a way to prevent leakages and corruption. This is not without its challenges as transparency and legislation for procurement has always been in question, along with exceptions in place to allow for direct negotiations. Sri Murniati Yusuf, Deputy Research Director, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), explains the hurdles this new administration might face.

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Newly minted Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently chaired a special meeting of the 2022 National Action Council on the Cost of Living. He has set a two-week deadline to come up with a proposal on targeted subsidies and their implications. Malaysia is estimated to spend a record RM80 billion this year on subsidies with the largest being for fuel and cooking oil. How quickly and in what manner will the new government follow through with this initiative? For insights, we speak to Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center for Market Education.

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Chinese authorities have stepped up its presence in cities across China to clamp down on protestors following a series of demonstrations which turned political over the weekend. The protests come after a fire in a high-rise block in Urumqi, western China, killed 10 people last Thursday. Clara Ferreira Marques, a columnist with Bloomberg Opinion, talks about where these protests which have gone online and have spread amongst the Chinese diaspora overseas, might impact President Xi Jinping's legacy.

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