Morning Brief

The military junta in Myanmar is planning to hold elections in December, five years after the coup in February 2021. However with opposition groups barred from participating and with swaths of the country controlled by non-state actors, is this a futile exercise in performative democracy? Journalist Jaw Tu Hkwang weighs in.

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Twelve opposition groups have formed a loose coalition to put pressure on the Madani government and lobby on issues that they deem neglected by policymakers. Is this a genuine effort to strengthen opposition counterbalances to government? We get reactions from political scientist Prof. Dr. Wong Chin Huat.

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Malaysia proudly touts record-breaking “approved” foreign direct investments (FDI), but the reality often tells a very different story. Independent business writer P. Gunasegaram joins us to unpack the disconnect between flashy approvals and real inflows as well as what reforms are needed to attract high-quality, sustainable investments.

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President Trump's trade war seems to be nudging Beijing and New Delhi closer together, despite a longstanding economic rivalry and border disputes. How sustainable is the momentum towards warmer India-China ties? For more insights on this unlikely alignment, we speak to Dr. Pradeep Taneja, Senior Lecturer in Asian Politics at the University of Melbourne.

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World currencies have been on a tear year-to-date, with the USD/MYR in particular, strengthening 5.4% - this is the same with the Euro and Sterling Pound as well. However, is this due to the weakening US dollar or the strength of these currencies? Saktiandi Supaat, Head of FX Research & Global Markets at Maybank shares his views.

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The Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2023 reveals that vaping in Malaysia has risen sharply, with e-cigarette users increasing by over 600% since 2011. This has prompted some states in Malaysia to ban sales of vape products. Prof Dr Haniki Nik Mohamed, Leader of Smokefree Sejahtera Campus Community, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) talks about how serious vaping and smoking are to the nation's health and that no economic returns will be worth it.

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Malaysia’s economy continues to show resilience, with GDP growth holding firm at 4.4% in the second quarter of 2025. Can this momentum be sustained amid weaker exports and global uncertainties? We speak with Julia Goh, Senior Economist at UOB, for her outlook on what lies ahead for Malaysia’s economy.

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Under the first budget by President Prabowo Subianto,  the Indonesian government is set to spend USD $234 billion in 2026. The plan aims to boost the economy by 5.4% while keeping the fiscal deficit at 2.48% of GDP. Lionel Priyadi, Head of Research, PT Mega Capital Sekuritas gives us his impressions of this budget and what it means for the domestic equity market.

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According to recent figures from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), civil servants make up the largest group arrested for accepting bribes, with nearly 3,000 cases recorded between 2015 and mid-2025. Pushpan Murugiah, CEO, the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) gives us his assessment of the anti-corruption measures in Malaysia, and what more needs to be done to strengthen public service integrity.

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What does the outcome of the U.S.–Russia summit in Alaska mean for Ukraine’s future? Joseph Camilleri, Emeritus Professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences, offers his analysis of the meeting and its implications.

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