Morning Brief

The pandemic has changed the nature of work permanently with hybrid work becoming the norm. But what about the 4 day work week? Will employers accept this? And what are the challenges of implementing this? Mariam Salman, Campaign Officer at 4 Day Week Campaign in the UK tells us about its feasibility.

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With general elections around the corner, talk of seat allocations and which candidates will run where is rife. PKR President Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim recently signalled that he would not be defending his seat in Port Dickson, and may instead aim for a seat held by defectors from Pakatan Harapan. On the other side of the aisle, PAS has indicated that they will decide next week on which team to side with during GE15. We speak to political analyst Dr Oh Ei Sun for his analysis on these developments.

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Even with the full reopening of the economy, Malaysia's automotive sector remains beleaguered by the after effects of the lockdowns, supply chain disruptions and chip shortages. Can Budget 2023 provide impetus for the sector's recovery and growth? We discuss the auto sector's budget wishlist with Datuk Aishah Ahmad of the MAA.

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Saudi Arabia’s 86-year-old king has appointed his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to replace him as prime minister, continuing a gradual transfer of power of the world’s largest oil exporter. Dr James Dorsey, Adjunct Senior Fellow at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies tell us the reasons for this whilst weighing on the recent protests in Iran.

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Reports by Malaysiakini and the watchdog Rimba Disclosure Project revealed that over 800 hectares of forest land in Bukit Lagong will be cut down to make way for 27 quarries, involving three developers linked to the Selangor state government. What does this signal about the state government’s commitment to green conservation? We discuss the implications of the quarry development for Bukit Lagong with forestry researcher Dr. Lim Teck Wyn.

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The full reopening of the economy has seen the return of road congestion and mounting frustration over the lack of commuting options in the Klang Valley. What policies would best address the gaps in urban public transport? Aziff Azuddin, independent urban mobility researcher give us his prescription for Budget 2023.

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From October 11 onwards, Japan will finally open its borders to individual tourists, and resume visa free entry for short term travellers, thus marking the end of their cap on daily arrivals. Will this mean Japan’s tourism sector seeing a light at the end of the tunnel? We speak to Denise Wong, Equity Analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence for some outlook on Japan’s prospects.

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The full reopening of the economy has seen the return of road congestion and mounting frustration over the lack of commuting options in the Klang Valley. What policies would best address the gaps in urban public transport? Aziff Azuddin, independent urban mobility researcher give us his prescription for Budget 2023.

Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.

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According to police statistics, more than 71,000 scams amounting to over RM5.2 billion in losses were reported between 2020 and May 2022. In response, Bank Negara is introducing a slew of initiatives to curb financial scams, including instructing banks to migrate away from SMS OTP authentication. How effective are these measures? We get reactions from Munira Mustaffa of Chasseur Group.

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Budget 2022 received the highest allocation in the nation’s history at RM332 billion. Malaysia witnessed a 6.9% growth in the GDP for the first half of 2022 and is projected to exceed annual growth targets this year. How much of this is due to the implementation of Budget 2022 policies? Farah Rosley of EY gives us her review.

For more information on Budget 2023, visit budget.mof.gov.my.

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