Morning Brief

With the border crisis with Cambodia still raging, Thailand plunges into early elections as Prime Minister Anu-tin Charn-vira-kul dissolves parliament. What’s really behind this sudden move, and how will it shake up the country’s political scene? We dig into the fallout with Dr. Michael Montesano, Associate Senior Fellow at ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute.

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The government is set to ban social media use for those under 16 years old next year. However, is this the best approach to achieve a safer screen society?  Professor Tricia Yeoh, Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Nottingham Malaysia's School of Politics & International Relations, walks us through these concerns.

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ASEAN economies has shown surprising resilience in 2025 despite higher US tariffs and global uncertainty. Chua Hak Bin, Regional Co-Head, Macro Research, Maybank IBG gives us the outlook for 2026 and what could be the headwinds that derail growth.

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SMEs that earn less than 1 million ringgit annually will no longer have to implement e-invoicing. Previously, the income threshold for e-invoicing was set at 500 thousand ringgit, Datuk William Ng, Chairman, Small and Medium Enterprises Association (SAMENTA) explains why this was needed for the sector whilst giving us an outlook for 2026.

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Controversy is brewing as the government is reported to have quietly submitted draft amendments to the Protection of New Plant Varieties Act 2004 to an international body, raising alarm among farmers over their rights and food security. We speak with Nur Fitri Amir Muhammad, Coordinator of Forum Kedaulatan Makanan Malaysia (FKMM), on what these changes could mean for local agriculture

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• Should Malaysians be denied public services because of the way they are dressed especially in an emergency. A pertinent question we are posing to constitutional lawyer Kee Hui Yee from Kanesalingam & Co. 

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• We’re taking a closer look at how Southeast Asian banks are positioned heading into 2026, a year shaped by shifting interest-rate expectations, uneven economic momentum across the region, and evolving credit-market conditions. To help us break down what this means, we’re joined by Rena Kwok, Senior Credit Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence

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• Malaysia’s oil and gas sector has seen much volatility this year, with both external and domestic pressures weighing on the sector - but will these stress factors persist into 2026?   Imran Yusof, Head of Research, MBSB Research gives us an outlook for the sector and his buy ideas, if any. 
  
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Idea reports that modern influencers have become central to the dissemination of political messaging, with government and political party machinery increasingly pivoting towards commercial influencer engagement to reach audiences disengaged from mainstream media. What minimum transparency standards should Malaysians be demanding to differentiate between genuine or paid opinions. Sabrina Firdaus Aloysius, Senior Executive of Research and author of the report from Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) tells us.

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With medical inflation rising steadily, the government is reviewing the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act and the way that private hospitals charge their patients. Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh, President of the Association Private Hospitals Malaysia, provides his perspective on the government’s plans.

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