Malaysia’s next parliamentary sitting was supposed to have seen the tabling of a historic no-confidence motion against the government led by Muhyiddin Yassin. It appears that the premier has dodged the bullet – at least for now.
State governments’ resistance to the federal government’s decision to lift some Covid-19 movement controls is as much as function of the pandemic’s impacts as political affiliation.
A nationwide ceasefire could generate long-term dividends, and even a stable peace.
The ongoing fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in Myanmar means that social distancing measures will continue indefinitely. This means that political distancing in the run-up to upcoming polls might rear its head.
The Thai Prime Minister has extended the country’s state of emergency amid the Covid-19 outbreak. This is more an attempt to consolidate power, rather than a move to buttress the fight against the coronavirus.
Myanmar’s garment sector has been hard hit by the fall in demand, largely from Europe. This is due partly to the fact that the country is now interwoven into the fabric of globalisation.
Tariff cuts under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will generate import gains for ASEAN as it will reverse the negative trade-diversion effects caused by the existing bilateral and ASEAN+1 free trade agreements. But there will be firms in ASEAN that have to compete with their counterparts from RCEP countries.
Online misinformation and disinformation about Covid-19 have spread even faster than the virus itself, leading to panic buying across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN has found itself in a battle of narratives between China and the United States, as they seek to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. The question is how long the grouping can continue to get the best of both worlds when it comes to major power attention.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Thai prime minister has called on the country’s corporate titans to come up with projects that will benefit the wider community.
Malaysia’s Next Parliamentary Session: Show-time or Stalling for Time?
Malaysia’s next parliamentary sitting was supposed to have seen the tabling of a historic no-confidence motion against the government led by Muhyiddin Yassin. It appears that the premier has dodged the bullet – at least for now.