PRESS ROOM

PRESS ROOM

Dasar SOP perlu dinilai semula supaya rakyat mudah faham

Fakhrurrazi Rashid, Koordinator Penyelidik REFSA menyatakan kerajaan dan pembangkang perlu meneliti semua perkara dalam memastikan pengekang penularan pandemik COVID-19 dipakukan secara bersama.

May 17, 2021

PRESS ROOM

Covid-19 containment strategy needs a change

Instead of having stricter restrictions to deal with the rising case numbers, our Economic Advisor, Frederik Paulus explains how government funds should be spent to tackle the pandemic.

May 3, 2021

PRESS ROOM

Malaysia’s Economic Recovery Remains Elusive without Clear Plans to Address Downside Risks

Adding to the chorus of caution surrounding BNM's optimistic GDP growth projections is the ADB's recent growth estimate of 6% for Malaysia in 2021 at the lower bound of BNM's range. Indeed, given the low vaccination rates and rising case numbers suggestive of a fourth wave, recovery remains elusive without clear plans to address downside risks. With this in mind, our Economics Team will be introducing 10 strategies to rebuild Malaysia better and address the downside risks to growth.

April 30, 2021

PRESS ROOM

Think tank questions Bank Negara’s over-optimistic growth forecast

A recent Bank Negara report forecasts GDP growth of 6-7.5% for 2021. In response, the REFSA research team has raised questions about the assumptions underlying the estimate. This is because the downside economic risks are stronger than acknowledged, and actual GDP may be lower than forecast.

April 23, 2021

PRESS ROOM

Is Southeast Asia waking up to the need for unity in South China Sea?

Our Research Director Ivy Kwek quoted on whether there’s unity among Southeast Asia countries on the South China Sea dispute.

April 20, 2021

PRESS ROOM

ASTRO Tonight Interview: M’sia needs to ramp up spending, not slow it down

Is the government really running out of funds? Our Executive Director Tan E Hun shared her view about why the figures cited are misleading, whether it is too soon to talk about fiscal discipline and what sort of targeted injections should the government aim for when it comes to spending going forward.

April 15, 2021

PRESS ROOM

Kerajaan masih ada ruang fiskal untuk perkenal suntikan baharu – Badan pemikir

Jaideep Singh, penyelidik REFSA berpendapat kerajaan perlu memperkenalkan suntikan baharu untuk menggalakkan penggunaan dan pelaburan swasta bagi memulihkan ekonomi negara. Suntikan baharu ini lebih penting berbanding dakwaan tidak berasas Perdana Menteri yang menyatakan kerajaan tidak mempunyai banyak wang selepas berbelanja untuk COVID-19.

April 15, 2021

PRESS ROOM

Malaysia should ramp up, not slow down, spending

Recent reports of Malaysia’s insolvency are greatly exaggerated. On April 12, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin claimed that the government was running out of money, having spent RM340 billion on pandemic-related stimulus measures and RM322 billion on Budget 2021. This is misleading for two reasons.

April 14, 2021

PRESS ROOM

Malaysia’s AirAsia aims to be ‘more than an airline’ as coronavirus cripples aviation

Frederik Paulus, Economic Advisor of REFSA weighs in on AirAsia's purported entry into ride-hailing and the benefits it may bring to the drivers.

April 13, 2021

PRESS ROOM

Hishammuddin hails China as ‘elder brother’, miffed academics demand explanation

Academics urge Malaysian's Foreign Minister to explain his statement on addressing China as Malaysia's 'big brother' in the context of foreign diplomacy.

April 7, 2021