☕️ Whistleblowers will not receive protection if they go to media first - Azalina

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

79% of Malaysian respondents (n = 1,005) in a Pew Research Center survey said that speaking the country’s main language, Bahasa Malaysia, is very important to “truly” belong to Malaysia. In contrast, 8% of respondents felt it was not important to speak the language to be considered truly Malaysian. Similar findings were observed in Malaysia’s neighbouring countries, with 78% in Thailand and 83% in Indonesia sharing the same view. Singapore was a notable exception in this regard — about 25% of adults there say it is very important to speak Mandarin in order to be truly Singaporean.

A total of 635 notices have been issued for various offences after inspections of 6,605 buses nationwide, according to Aedy Fadly Ramli, the director-general of the Road Transport Department (JPJ). This means on average nearly 1 in 10 buses violated some laws - that’s concerning. The inspections were part of a special operation conducted in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebrations, covering 54 bus depots and 28 main terminals across the country, from Jan 20.

Thailand had 260 convenience stores per 1 mil people as of 2023, according to Euromonitor. While this is about half of Japan’s 496 stores per mil, it remains the highest among six major economies in Southeast Asia. The dominant player in Thailand’s convenience store industry is 7-Eleven, operated by the local Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, the country’s largest conglomerate. CP, with its substantial cash reserves, is opening 700 stores a year and surpassed 15,000 stores by the end of 2024, securing about 70% of the market share.

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3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

‘The Association‘ warns that foreign worker EPF mandate might squeeze the palm oil industry of RM274 mil
Recently, the Government mandated that foreign workers would contribute 2% of their wages to the EPF with employers matching that. Now the palm oil industry is making noise about the potential cost increase they have to cover.

In the plantation sector alone, there are an estimated 336,500 non-local workers, which means the mandate is estimated to cost around RM274 mil for the industry per year, according to a statement from a group of 12 palm oil industry organisations, who call themselves ‘The Association‘. 

They also cite existing financial strains on the palm oil and plantation industry, seeking the govt to reconsider the policy to avoid even more burden on both employers and employees alike.

The Association asserted that the EPF is designed for long-term retirement savings, and this would be a gaping issue for most foreign employees in the country, who operate on an employment cycle of two to four years. The workers also often prioritise sending a majority of their earnings home, which would be harmed by the potential cut in their take-home pay, discouraging those seeking employment in Malaysia.

The statement also included a warning about the lack of a clear method to withdraw the funds from the account for those who would want to return to their home countries. This could create another turn-off for the employees.

This is also another challenge for small to medium-sized plantation companies to remain competitive against giants in the global palm oil industry.

Whistleblowers will not receive protection if they go to media first - Azalina
Today, a minister from the Prime Minister’s Department, Azalina Othman, told the Dewan Rakyat that whistleblowers must provide the information to the authorities, or be denied protection.

Enforcement agencies need to provide justifications for protection, as well as determine if the information provided by the whistleblower can be classified under an older case or if a new one should be opened entirely. She then finished off by confirming that whistleblowers cannot go to public domains with their information, and then expect protection afterwards. Azalina then tacked on the fact that whistleblowers aren’t always of good faith when providing their information, potentially motivated by personal issues or frustrations.

This was in response to Teresa Kok of the DAP voicing out about the whistleblower recently involved in the exposé of corrupt assemblypersons in Sabah.

Other proposed amendments include, interestingly enough, extending protection to informants who provide information in good faith without acting upon personal interests, expanding witness protection to whistleblowers under the Witness Protection Act 2009, and introducing a standard reward as an incentive to informants, among others. The new proposed amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act will be brought to the cabinet’s attention at its next meeting.

Malaysians are leaving their elderly at hospitals during CNY
Vexxed doctors in Malaysia have taken to TikTok to vent their frustrations about a particularly concerning habit that many Malaysians seem to be guilty of: Falsely, or conveniently, dropping off their elderly family members to the healthcare system for the holiday season.

The issue has blown up within the nation, and a fiery debate was sparked by these very videos highlighting this strange behaviour. According to some doctors on social media, a spike in emergency cases, admissions being flooded, and labs drowning in samples and tests for vague conditions are nothing new for the season of Lunar New Year. A group of government hospital doctors stated that this was a recurring pattern every major holiday, from Hari Raya to Christmas, but the Lunar New Year, especially so.

Some family members even delay collecting their elderly from healthcare centres, even going as far as to not pick up calls, appearing once the holiday period is over. While the holiday spirit in the country seems to embody familial bonds, the practice in rue of it seems to say otherwise.

Shorts:

1. ZUS Coffee explains its price increase

   Earlier this week, many ZUS Coffee enthusiasts lamented the RM0.30 price hike in most of the coffee and all of the chocolate drinks. It seemed to have crept up overnight, with no prior notice from the brand. On the 4th, however, an email blast from ZUS Coffee explained that the rising costs of coffee beans worldwide (up a staggering 83% in 2024), the highest it has ever been since 1977, and cocoa, was causing the company to suffer losses. The cost had been absorbed in 2024, but 2025 is a whole new year for many ZUS Coffee loyalists. Their essential items, however, such as the Espresso, Americano, CEO Latte, Coconut Latte, and CEO Coconut Latte have remain untouched in price.

2. Missing PJ woman found dead on Kuala Selangor beach

   Yong Jia Yein, 34, who was reported missing last Wednesday, was found dead on Remis Beach in Kuala Selangor on Jan 4. A police team patrolling the area at 2AM found a deceased woman inside a grey Proton Saga at the beach’s parking lot, which had to be pried open by the fire and rescue department to retrieve the body. The case has been classified as a sudden death, as the body showed no physical injuries or criminal elements at the initial examination on the site. It was sent to Tanjong Karang Hospital for an autopsy. Yong Jia Yein was last seen driving out of her condo in PJ in a blue Proton Iswara on Jan 29.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

In Trump’s America
Elon Musk is causing a stir among the Democrats and constitutional scholars in the US - only after 2 weeks of Trump’s inauguration, he has managed to upend the federal bureaucracy, including flagging millions of government employees for redundancy, gaining access to classified material and sensitive details of fellow Americans, and taking control of the payment system that manages the flow of trillions of dollars of government spending.

Note that he is actually never elected and is not part of Trump’s cabinet, but currently holds the head position of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He is named a “special government employee” by the White House on Monday, but the position is typically appointed on a temporary basis and subject to “most” ethics rules that apply to ordinary government employees.

His actions, which are without oversight of the US Congress, are prompting questions about the scope of his authority and warnings of a constitutional crisis, or even a coup. But Trump is adamant that he “won’t” and “can’t” do anything without the approval of his administration.

Outsourcing prison - El Salvador offers to jail Americans in its prisons
Iron-fist leader of El Salvador Nayib Bukele has appeared to make an interesting offer to the US government - incarcerating Americans in its largest jail for a low fee, to help the US outsource their prison system. Although there is no precedent in contemporary times for a democratic country to send its own citizens to foreign jails, the US seems “profoundly grateful” for the offer, but the US courts will definitely be challenging this move. Bukele’s crackdown on crime has won him soaring popularity in his country and has gained hero status for many in Trump’s orbit.

Mergers and investments:

• Indonesia passes law to create USD61bil (RM271.08 bil) investment agency 
  Lawmakers in Indonesia’s Parliament passed an amendment yesterday that laid a legal foundation for a new entity Daya Anagata Nusantara, or Danantara, to consolidate Indonesia’s state firms, as well as supervise their operations, investments and dividends. The agency will be overseen by ministers and report directly to President Prabowo and will help the administration achieve its goal of boosting economic growth to 8% within Prabowo’s term. Danantara will be established with a capital of about IDR 1,000 tril (USD 61 bil or RM272.47 bil) through cash, state-owned assets, or government-owned shares, according to the draft legislation. It will also be one of Prabowo’s key initiatives to mobilise funding for his strategic projects for the country. For the sake of Indonesians, may they avoid a 1MDB.

• Grab and GoTo accelerate merger talks 
  Southeast Asia’s two biggest ride-hailing providers, Grab Holdings Ltd and GoTo Group, have apparently accelerated their merger discussions, with a target to reach a deal this year. The merger could help them cope with years of losses in Southeast Asia’s competitive market, and help reduce costs and competitive pressure in the region of more than 650 mil consumers. However, Bloomberg Intelligence said that the deal might face tough regulatory scrutiny as the two are the top on-demand-service players in many of Southeast Asia’s key markets. Together, the companies’ market value approaches USD25 bil (RM111.53 bil), rivalling the capitalization of some of the biggest companies in Southeast Asia.

Shorts:

1. Thailand to cut power to border areas linked to human trafficking centres 
   As part of its effort to curb scam centres, the Thailand government will be suspending electricity supply to the Thai-Myanmar border areas which are apparently infamous as a human trafficking centre, ensnaring vast numbers of people of multiple nationalities. The UN has estimated that the operations generate billions of dollars annually, and has become a big concern for the Thai government as it is tainting its vital tourism sector.

2. Greece’s Santorini rattled by 200 earthquakes
   A series of earthquakes that occurred a few minutes apart on Tuesday morning have left popular tourist spot Santorini’s people shaken, with thousands of locals and holidaymakers crowding onto ferries and flights to leave the island out of fear. The largest quake recorded at magnitude 5.1, but has only caused minimal damage and no injuries. The island does have a dormant volcano, but experts have stressed that the quakes were not related to volcanic activity, although they did not deny possibilities of an impending bigger earthquake.

3. Air Busan to disallow power banks in overhead compartments
   Following the Jan 28 plane fire incident in Busan, South Korea’s Air Busan has decided not to allow passengers to keep their power banks in their luggage stored in overhead compartments. Although the cause of the fire was not yet determined, the company decided to apply it as a preemptive measure for safety. It will take effect on Feb 7 on trial routes, subsequently expanding to all flights. It will also include additional crew fire training and fire containment equipment on board.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

1. Papua New Guinea has 840 languages that people still speak today, which is more than any other country. A living language is one that at least one person speaks as their first language. The chart shows the ten countries with the most living languages in 2024. This information comes from the Ethnologue dataset by the Summer Institute of Linguistics International.

2. How DeepSeek wreaked havoc last week, explained within 4 minutes.