Malaysia's Missing Middle Class

A recent paper by Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) suggests that the traditional understanding of income classification, i.e. B40-M40-T20 inadequately reflects Malaysian society, and that the middle-class is more represented by the very top income groups. How should these findings inform social we…

Resilient Outlook For F&B Sector

With the price of dining out continues to rise in Malaysia, reflecting an uncertain outlook for the food and beverage sector, especially as the cost of living continues to increase. With rising costs of labour, raw materials, and rent, Patrick Sim, Deputy Chief of the Food & Beverage Division at th…

Tourism Industry Hoping For 2025 Turbo-Boost

Malaysia has seen the volume of foreign tourist arrivals increase from the year prior, with some 24 million visitors during January to November period. However this is lower than what the government initially targeted for 2024, which is 27 million tourist arrivals. How is the travel and tourism ind…

EV Policy Going Round In Circles

The market share for electric vehicles in Malaysia remains miniscule, at just 1.6% of registered vehicles as of April 2024 despite the government having a goal of 15%. We ask Amin Ashaari, CEO and Co-Founder of SoyaCincau.com as to what policy tweaks are needed to achieve that goal and can Malaysia…

Turning Point For Myanmar Crisis?

The crisis in Myanmar has been ongoing for over three years, and a fresh escalation of fighting between the junta and opposition groups is drawing attention back to the largely forgotten crisis. What can Malaysia as ASEAN Chair do to make progress towards a ceasefire? We discuss the situation in My…

Decoding Public Opinion On The Madani Government

A survey conducted by research house Merdeka Center found that the approval rating for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim increased by four percentage points from last year to 54%. Meanwhile, the approval rating for the Madani government stood at 51%, up from last year's 46%. The study assesse…

Tax Filing Season Again: Some Tips

As 2024 comes to a close and the time to file your income tax returns comes around again, what reliefs can you claim to reduce the amount of tax you end up having to pay? Thanneermalai Somasundaram, Managing Director of Thannees Tax Consulting Service, shares some tips and reminders with us. Ima…

Federal-State Alignment Crucial For Forest Conservation

Malaysia has a standing commitment to maintain forest cover at 50% of land mass, but are federal and state policies aligned to ensure this? We discuss the importance of federal-state coordination for forest conservation with forestry specialist Dr. Lim Teck Wyn. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

Malaysia's Aviation Sector: Turbulence Or Smooth Sailing?

In 2024, the global aviation sector saw a resurgence in passenger numbers, including a return in demand for Asia-Pacific travel. Back home, Malaysia Airlines has had to deal with the fallout from operational mishaps, AirAsia remains under PN17 status and efforts to privatise Malaysia Airports Holdi…

The Complexities Of Road And Railway Upgrades

The Multi-Free Flow Lane (MLFF) system for highways and the KL-Singapore High Speed Railway are just two mega infrastructure projects that have long been discussed but with little visible headway. Why are these projects so fraught? Transport specialist Dato' Prof. Ahmad Farhan Sadullah breaks down …