IDEAS Malaysia

Budget 2025 was tabled in Dewan Rakyat today, and now the crucial evaluation begins. Does #Belanjawan2025 successfully balance progress and prudence? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Danial Rahman, CEO of Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI), and Doris Liew, Economist & Assistant Research Manager at IDEAS Malaysia's Public Finance Unit.

Budget 2025 was tabled in Dewan Rakyat today, and now the crucial evaluation begins. Does #Belanjawan2025 successfully balance progress and prudence? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Danial Rahman, CEO of Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI), and Doris Liew, Economist & Assistant Research Manager at IDEAS Malaysia's Public Finance Unit.

In an effort to ensure sustainable political peace till the end of 2027, the Madani government has floated a Memorandum of Understanding with the Opposition. The proposed MoU offers Constituency Development Funds to Opposition MPs — on the condition that they refrain from engaging in race, religion, and royalty (3R) issues. Perikatan Nasional, however, has flatly rejected the terms, and the offer seems to have only led to more division rather than unity. Is inter-coalition cooperation for political stability still on the table? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Aira Azhari, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the think tank, IDEAS Malaysia.

Are you aware of how your state's budget is being managed? As a citizen, you have the right to be informed about how your money is spent, and to demand stronger oversight by independent institutions. The Malaysian Open Budget Index, MyOBI, which is an initiative driven by the think tank IDEAS Malaysia, aims to shine a light on how transparent and accountable our state governments are with their budget processes. On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Alissa Rode, Senior Manager of Research at IDEAS Malaysia and lead researcher for Malaysia in the Open Budget Survey, and Michelle Ng, Member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly for Subang Jaya and member of the Selangor State Public Accounts Committee.

Recently Johor and Penang have made headlines with their push for a larger share of the taxes they collect. Johor, at the urging of regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, is seeking 20 to 30 percent of its collected taxes, while Penang is seeking 20 percent. These demands are raising important questions about decentralisation and financial autonomy. Additionally, Sabah and Sarawak’s unique position under the MA63 adds to the complexity of these discussions. How should Malaysia navigate the demands for greater funds? On the episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to economist Professor Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram, and Dr Tricia Yeoh, CEO of IDEAS Malaysia.

What pull factors might make the 2 million Malaysians living and working abroad consider a return to Malaysia? Hafidzi Radzali from BowerGroupAsia and Kirjane Ngu from IDEAS Malaysia discuss reversing brain drain and retaining talent.

Kerajaan sedang mempertimbangkan kelonggaran Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) di kawasan-kawasan yang diisytiharkan sebagai zon hijau.