By Andrew Harding As it tussles with multiple crises of political legitimacy and governance, Malaysia has reached a decisive point in its more than half-century history as an independent nation. What started as a shocking but not exceptional scandal has turned into a political crisis of unprecedented proportions. This was underlined by the Bersih 4 protests on … Continue reading
By Nile Bowie Malaysia’s prime minister, Najib Razak – a British-educated technocrat with a reputation for opulence – is at the center of an unprecedented scandal. A sovereign wealth fund established to develop lucrative industries and boost economic growth in Malaysia, the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), has incurred more than $11 billion in debts and is … Continue reading
Malaysia is planning to cut more government fuel subsidies and move billions of dollars in government employee housing loans off its balance sheets to shore up its fiscal position, in the face of a growing scandal that is threatening Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ability to execute potentially unpopular policies, Bloomberg reported on Monday night. The Malaysian government will … Continue reading
By Shankaran Nambiar After a year of solid achievements on the economic front, Malaysia’s leaders will face difficult circumstances as they implement reform in 2015. One of the more impressive achievements of the Malaysian government in 2014 was the resolve it demonstrated in trying to balance the budget. Prime Minister Najib Razak inherited a budget … Continue reading
By Nurhisham Hussein World oil prices are falling precipitously. For an oil exporter like Malaysia, that’s definitely bad news. Unless the country can diversify its economy, it may find it difficult to navigate its way through the economic challenges it faces on its way to higher income status. Of course, the drop in the world … Continue reading