BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Evening Edition  >  Top 5 At 5  >  Top 5 at 5: Phasing Out RON95 Subsidies

Top 5 at 5: Phasing Out RON95 Subsidies

Dr Lee Hwok-Aun, Senior Fellow, Malaysian Studies Programme, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute

11-Nov-24 17:00

Top 5 at 5: Phasing Out RON95 Subsidies

Earlier this year, the Malaysian government announced the removal of diesel subsidies and plans to phase out RON 95 subsidies for higher-income groups by 2025. We ask Dr. Lee Hwok-Aun, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, to weigh in on the policy's driving forces and its potential impact on Malaysians, sparking a national debate on fuel affordability.

Other stories we covered today:

· Selangor DAP Leadership Shake-Up: Selangor DAP party members have just elected their leaders for the 2024-2027 term with Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin emerging victorious with 1180 votes, Ng Sze Han being named the new chairperson and V Ganabatirau chosen as deputy. We speak to Oh Ei Sun, Principal Adviser at the Pacific Research Centre for his analysis of the leadership change and the surprising loss of incumbent DAP Selangor chairman Gobind Singh Deo.

· COP29: COP29 kicks off today in Baku, Azerbaijan, focusing on securing increased financial commitments from wealthy nations to support climate action in poorer countries—a goal still unmet since the 2009 US$100 billion pledge. In a recent Earth Matters episode, Meenakshi Raman, the President of Sahabat Alam Malaysia, shared her insights on potential finance negotiation challenges, particularly the tension between developed and developing nations.

· Mercenary Or Terrorist?:
Lee Bing Hang, a 20-year-old Malaysian, enlisted as a mercenary in Ukraine’s war against Russia, prompting a public debate about the treatment of Malaysians who join foreign conflicts. We explore the "double standard" around perceptions of Lee’s actions versus Malaysians involved in groups like IS or Jemaah Islamiyah, with insights from Aizat Shamsuddin, founder of Initiate.my.

· Popek Popek Parlimen:
During today’s Dewan Rakyat session, Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying reassured MPs about Malaysia's economic stability despite concerns stemming from the US elections and Donald Trump's presidency. Merbok MP Nazri Abu Hassan raised questions on how the expanded SST may affect the cost of living and whether there are alternative revenue sources without burdening citizens. Discussions also touched on controversial government grants to YTL Corp subsidiaries.

Image Credit: MY STOCKERS, Shutterstock

Produced by: Dashran Yohan, Alena Nadia, Juliet Jacobs, Sudais Ferhard

Presented by: Sharaad Kuttan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  politicsgovernmenteconomyinternationalLaw/Activismcontroversiesenvironment

Tags:  Malaysia fuel subsidiesdiesel subsidy removalRON 95 subsidySelangor DAP leadershipNg Sze Hanclimate finance negotiationsLee Bing HangUkraine mercenaryAizat ShamsuddinMerbok MP Nazri Abu HassanSST impactYTL Corp subsidiariesMalaysia economic stabilityDonald Trump MalaysiaMalaysia cost of livingfuel affordability debatecovid-19yeo bee yingobind singh deoCOP29meenakshi ramanMalaysian mercenarypopek popek parlimenus electionsdewan rakyatparliament





Play / Pause

Listen now : BFM 89.9 -- The Business Station

Today’s Shows



11:00 AM

Best of Enterprise

(REPEAT) Why is succession planning a board's duty, not just an HR task? ICDM's Michele Kythe Lim and Tunku Alizakri discuss building a leadership pipeline.

12:00 PM

BBC World Service

(REPEAT) This week on Science in Action, stories on how scientists are tracking Atlantic ocean circulation with satellites, studying ancient proteins to understand life’s history, rethinking an old Australian crater’s impact, and highlighting Arthur Ruhlig’s forgotten work in fusion science.

1:00 PM

A Bit of Culture

(REPEAT) Kam Raslan, Zan Azlee and Mikey Gong get together to talk about cashless society, mathematics and nostalgia in TV shows and films!

2:00 PM

Ringgit & Sense

(REPEAT) Felix Neoh, Director of Financial Planning at Finwealth Management talks about the OPR how it affects your finances.

2:30 PM

The Property Show

(REPEAT) Adrianta Aziz of the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) discusses what defines sustainable architecture.

3:00 PM

Best of The Bigger Picture

(REPEAT) We unpack an important new report by IMAN Research, detailing the political views of the Malay youth -- what they're worried about, how they feel about multiculturalism and Islam in politics -- and how we can build stronger inter-ethnic relationships.

4:00 PM

Best of Evening Edition

(REPEAT) Governments are worried about falling birth rates, but are they missing the bigger picture? ARROW’s Sivananthi Thanenthiran joins us to talk about rights, realities, and why people must come before policies.

5:00 PM

BBC World Service

This episode of People Fixing the World focuses on nifty inventions that are helping save the lives of babies and mothers during childbirth.