Morning Brief

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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Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is Malaysia's 10th prime minister, 24 years after he was sacked as deputy by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Today, his Pakatan Harapan coalition is leading the new administration but only as a result of all MPs except those from Perikatan Nasional declaring their support, effectively giving him 148 seats or a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Maha Balakrishnan, Parliamentary Consultant and Researcher, talks to us about what reforms we can expect and what needs to be prioritised as the Reformasi movement gains new life.

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Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is Malaysia's 10th prime minister, 24 years after he was sacked as deputy by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Today, his Pakatan Harapan coalition is leading the new administration but only as a result of all MPs except those from Perikatan Nasional declaring their support, effectively giving him 148 seats or a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Maha Balakrishnan, Parliamentary Consultant and Researcher, talks to us about what reforms we can expect and what needs to be prioritised as the Reformasi movement gains new life.

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The Anwar Ibrahim administration has its work cut out as rising competition for a limited share of the FDI pie from Indonesia and Vietnam. So far, Malaysia has attracted RM54 billion in net inflows for the first nine months of this year. But what will the strategy for this new government look like as it banks on the existing strong infrastructure and a slew of incentives to attract multinational companies to the country. Daniel Bernbeck, CEO of the Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry talks about what MNCs want versus what might be offered.

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A week after the US midterm elections, former President Donald Trump announced that he was making a bid to run as the Republican presidential candidate. President Joe Biden has also indicated that he intends to run again, thus setting the stage for a Biden vs. Trump rematch in 2024. Mark J. Rozell, Dean at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University tells us the likelihood of this.

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After five days of post-election crisis, Malaysia has finally elected its 10th prime minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a news welcomed by businesses who yearn for political clarity. Businesses will also be closely watching the government for their tabling of the budget and in turn addressing their concerns as soon as possible. We speak to Jeremy Lim, Vice-President, Persatuan Pemilik Restoran dan Bistro, for a check in on how the food and beverage industry is doing, and their outlook for the upcoming financial year and hopes for the new government to address.

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After five days of post-election crisis, Malaysia has finally elected its 10th prime minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a news welcomed by businesses who yearn for political clarity. Businesses will also be closely watching the government for their tabling of the budget and in turn addressing their concerns as soon as possible. We speak to Jeremy Lim, Vice-President, Persatuan Pemilik Restoran dan Bistro, for a check in on how the food and beverage industry is doing, and their outlook for the upcoming financial year and hopes for the new government to address.

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China has seen a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases, thus presenting a conundrum for the leaders to either have dial down on its Zero Covid policy or revert to its familiar strict curbs to halt the outbreak at the expense of the economy. Even so, China continues to astound with its economic measures on helping the property and infrastructure sector. Yet the question remains: is China caught between a rock and hard place, and what would be their next move? We speak to Alfredo Montufar-Helu, Head of the China Center for Economics and Business, The Conference Board for insights.

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With Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) as one of the core components of the unity government under Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, what does this mean for federal-state relations with Sarawak? We discuss the political developments with analyst Dr. Arnold Puyok.

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Despite the shocking defeat of UMNO at GE15, winning only 26 seats, this party is now playing kingmaker in determining which coalition will run Malaysia. Dr Azmi Hassan, Senior Research Fellow, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research helps us make sense of their statement which states that it would be part of a unity government not led by PN. He also delves into the future of current party president, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

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