Morning Brief

Yesterday's parliamentary sitting was marked by shocking announcements from the Palace, as well as sudden postponements and claims of Covid-19 cases amongst parliament staff. As we try to make sense of the constitutional crisis the country is now facing, we speak to YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, PKR’s Organising Secretary, and Setiawangsa MP for an on-the-ground view of yesterday's proceedings in the Dewan Rakyat.

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As companies and governments around the world begin mandating employees and contractors to be vaccinated, the Malaysian government has not yet made the vaccination mandatory, although there are discussions to do so. So questions remain whether employers can make vaccinations mandatory and what happens if employees refuse to be vaccinated? We ask Vijayan Venugopal, Employment & Administrative Lawyer at Shearn Delamore & Co to help us clear the air on this issue.

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Indonesia has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Asia, already charting 3.3 million cases and close to 89,000 deaths. The government has been under fire for not acting fast enough. Media Wahyudi Askar, Researcher at Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) analyses.

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The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has said he is deeply disappointed with how the government acted. What are the political ramifications of this? The Morning Run speaks to Dr. Hamidin Abd Hamid, Research Fellow with the Ilham Centre, about this, as well as the biggest winners and losers, the growing UMNO tussle between Dato Seri Ismail Sabri and Dato Seri Zahid Hamidi, and where Dato Seri Anwar stands.

Recap: Yang di-Pertuan Agong is disappointed that the Cabinet had decided to revoke the Emergency Ordinances promulgated during the state of emergency without receiving his consent, but the Prime Minister's Office says that "all actions taken were orderly and in line with the requirements of the law and the Federal Constitution".

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As companies and governments around the world begin mandating employees and contractors to be vaccinated, the Malaysian government has not yet made the vaccination mandatory, although there are discussions to do so. So questions remain whether employers can make vaccinations mandatory and what happens if employees refuse to be vaccinated? We ask Vijayan Venugopal, Employment & Administrative Lawyer at Shearn Delamore & Co to help us clear the air on this issue.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Indonesia has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Asia, already charting 3.3 million cases and close to 89,000 deaths. The government has been under fire for not acting fast enough. Media Wahyudi Askar, Researcher at Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) analyses.

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Last November, an exemption allowing foreign vessels to conduct undersea cable repairs was revoked by the Transport Ministry - a move that has stalled efforts to make Malaysia attractive to investors as a digital hub. Despite assurances that the issue would be resolved by the end of April, to date, no resolution is to be found. We speak to Dr. Rais Hussin Mohamed Ariff, Chairman, MDEC about the status of negotiations, and also ask him what the implications could be if this situation continues any longer.

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Vaccine Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin said that we still have a long way to go to immunise 80% of Malaysians. Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO of the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy discusses the ongoing challenges especially in reaching out to niche groups like inmates and Orang Aslis, and other ways to measure the severity of the pandemic and make better decisions.

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The year 2021 might be a record year for global IPOs (initial public offerings), according to a recent report by EY. But how will Beijing’s regulatory changes affect the pipeline of Chinese companies listing in the US and Hong Kong? And will investor interest in SPACs (Special Purpose Acquisition Companies) hold? What are hot IPOs to look out for in Southeast Asia? Max Loh, ASEAN IPO Leader at EY discusses his outlook including what is driving demand and supply.

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Vaccine Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin said that we still have a long way to go to immunise 80% of Malaysians. Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO of the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy discusses the ongoing challenges especially in reaching out to niche groups like inmates and Orang Aslis, and other ways to measure the severity of the pandemic and make better decisions.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com