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Malaysia’s Retirement Savings Crisis Exposes Deeper Problems

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: The Asian financial crisis of 1997 revealed critical flaws in the country’s social safety net. But the lesson was seemingly forgotten until the recent Covid pandemic once again exposed the nation’s vulnerabilities.
 

 

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Promoting Sustainable Land Management For A Greener Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: March marks the International Day of Forests, shedding light on one of our planet’s most critical ecosystems. Despite this, Southeast Asia has witnessed alarming forest loss, with Malaysia being one of the countries experiencing significant depletion. In 2010, Malaysia boasted 20.3 million hectares of natural forest, covering 87 percent of its land area. However, by 2022, it had lost 118,000 hectares of natural forest, equivalent to 83.9 million tons of CO₂ emissions. Human activities, particularly logging and clear-cutting for food production and agriculture, are primary contributors to this forest loss. 
 
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Don't Stab Us Instead DS Anwar!

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: PSM reminds DS Anwar that he should rather ensure that his state government policies really address and solve the long-pending woes of the community and ‘not stab us instead’ by ignoring our issues.
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Malaysia’s Dysfunctional Elites

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: In the realm of societal leadership, a dysfunctional elite emerges as a group entrusted with authority and influence, yet failing in their fundamental duties towards the wider community. These elites, whether in politics, business, or academia, exhibit telltale signs of a malaise that hampers their effectiveness and betrays their solemn responsibilities.
 
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Singapore’s Lee Declares Departure In Shock Announcement

HONG KONG, SAR: In a sudden announcement that rocked Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s office announced this morning that the 72-year-old Lee would step down on May 15 – in just a month – to be replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, only the third leadership transition in the island republic since its independence in 1965. Two of the premiers have been members of the Lee family, one of the most enduring political dynasties in Asia.
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A Confident Marcos Returns to the White House

HONG KONG, SAR: Tomorrow, April 11, US President Joe Biden will host a tripartite summit in the White House with Fumio Kishida of Japan and Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines as guests. Announced at a time of escalating tensions in the South China Sea, the optics of the summit are as much about decline as they are about resurgence.
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Prabowo's New Fears and Hope

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Indonesia’s President elect Prabowo’s visit to Malaysia reflects a new strategic maneuver for both Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. Jakarta will need Malaysia’s alignment of support and policies, as both share similar threat settings and challenges in facing renewed and intense pressure and overtures from both the West and Beijing.
 
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From Desperation To Determination: Indonesian Trafficking Survivors Demand Justice

NEW YORK, US: Working abroad can be a way for Indonesians to earn much more than they could at home, and provide for their families. However, for some the journey can turn into a nightmare, with long hours, wages withheld, and abuse. The UN is working closely with the government to help bring trafficked workers home.
 
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Without Special Scheme For Micro-Businesses, E-invoicing May Backfire

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: On 22 May 2023, the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN) announced that an electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) system will be implemented in stages starting from 2024. LHDN shared that a pilot implementation with selected companies will begin in April 2024, followed by mandatory implementation based on company’s annual revenue. The new scheme will target firms with revenues above RM 100 million per year from 1 August 2024, to be extended to firms with annual revenues above RM 25 million from 1 January 2025. Finally, from 1 August 2025 all firms will be subject to compulsory e-invoicing.
 
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Malaysia's Call To Preserve Mangroves: Leveraging Technology For Sustainable Conservation

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Amidst persistent floods and an ongoing climate crisis, one undeniable reality emerges: the fate of mangrove trees extends beyond environmental concerns; it represents a collective responsibility and a crucial lifeline for humanity. Take, for example, the recurring challenges posed by floods. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, in 2022, floods resulted in significant losses, amounting to a staggering 622.4 million ringgit. Notably, all 14 states in Malaysia faced flood-related issues in 2022, marking an increase from the 12 states affected the previous year.
 
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Russia Steps Up ASEAN Engagement As Multipolar World Emerges

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: As the collective West steps up its confrontational foreign policy against its perceived rivals, Russia is moving forward with a constructive agenda through greater engagement with its partners in the Asia-Pacific, particularly with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko.
 
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“Do Not Cross The Red Line, Anwar Must Stop That From Happening”

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: WHERE is the red line? Listen, just because one uses God as the basis of one’s actions, that does not justify breaking the law or inciting hatred or asking people to boycott and destroy the business of the country. There must be limits to your anger. 
 
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Stop The Burial Of Truth In The Case Of Amri Che Mat

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: We call upon your government to stop the attempts to bury the truth in the case of Amri Che Mat who was enforced disappeared on November 24, 2016, in Kangar, Perlis, seemingly targeted for being a Shia Muslim.
 
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Tax incentives – Boon or Bane?

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia:PMX DS Anwar Ibrahim’s administration has repeatedly highlighted the need to be prudent in government spending in order to reduce deficits. We are constantly reminded by the Finance Minister that he has inherited more than a trillion dollars of debt from previous administrations that his government has to pay back. 
 
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Politicians Come And Go, But The Elite Are Permanent In Malaysia

BANGKOK, Thailand: Governments do change in Malaysia. Each incoming administration will have its own narratives and specific agendas. However, policies will be generally very similar, and based upon the same principles as the previous government. In and around the executive and administrative government is a network of elite people, who collectively yield massive power. The actors can be seen in GLCs, corporations, royal households, civil servants, the judiciary, police, and within the executive itself. This massive power is however, hidden due to its fragmentation, and unseen influence its membership carries.
 
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What A Prabowo Win Signals For US-Indonesia Relations

WASHINGTON, US: Soon after voting ended in the world’s fourth-largest country and third-largest democracy, Prabowo Subianto is claiming a knock-out blow winning more than half the vote and the necessary number of provinces to eliminate both his challengers.
 
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When Politicians Want To Go To Heaven

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: It was reported that UMNO’s sole assemblyman in Kelantan, Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim, voted along with the rest of the state legislature to support a motion to re-enact provisions of the Shariah criminal code that the Federal Court recently declared unconstitutional. In explaining the assembly’s puerile act of defiance of the highest court in the land, Syahbuddin said, “We want to go to heaven”. 
 
 
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Is Malaysia Ready For A Global Recession?

BANGKOK, Thailand: With the latest World Bank’s forecast warning that most economies will grow much slower in 2024 and 2025, Malaysia must be very cautious as the local economy is directly exposed to global events.
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