- Malaysia ranked 23rd in the global competitiveness ranking
- 75 is the new retirement age?
- Indonesia snubbed the G7 Summit in Canada
IN Malaysia
Malaysia leapfrogged in the global competitiveness ranking
PM Anwar Ibrahim lauded the country’s remarkable achievement in the World Competitiveness Ranking (WCR) 2025, where Malaysia jumped 11 positions from 34th to 23rd place, the nation’s best performance since 2020. PM Anwar attributed the achievement to the country’s strong performance in trade, administrative efficiency, and investment environment, which forms a solid foundation for inclusive and sustainable economic growth. WCR is a comprehensive report that evaluates economies based on their ability to create and sustain a business-friendly environment that contributes to long-term prosperity. Ini bukan anugerah beli pakai wang akin to certain ‘business’ awards out there.
Source: https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/746350
The US greenlight the sale of Kuwaiti F/A-18 Hornets to Malaysia
Malaysia is one step closer to getting hand-me-down F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets from Kuwait, as Washington has no qualms with Malaysia getting those US-built jets. Why do we need US clearance even though the jets belong to the Kuwaiti Air Force? This is because under the US Arms Export Control Act, all deals involving American-made arms must have the approval of the country’s Congress. This includes assets which had already been purchased by one country and are being sold to another nation. However, given that the negotiations processes go smoothly, Malaysia will only get hold of the new toys once Kuwait receive their spanking new Super Hornets from the US. Malaysia is expected to acquire 30 Hornets — a mix of single-seat F/A-18Cs and twin-seat F/A-18Ds. Malaysia currently operates eight F/A-18D Hornets and 18 Sukhoi Su-30MKMs in its combat aircraft arsenal, and has recently purchased 18 South Korean-made FA-50Ms.
Why not set the new retirement age at 75?
After suggestions were posed by Law Minister Azalina Othman to bump up the retirement age ceiling from 60 to 65 years old, now comes the former Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt in the fold. During the Employee Provident Fund (EPF)’s International Social Wellbeing Conference, Reinfeldt mooted the idea to rethink retirement, proposing people to stay in the workforce until the age of 75 years old. He lambasted current assumptions of retirement that are outdated, as people nowadays live longer, up to 100 years old. Reinfeldt stated that instead of keeping older individuals in demanding jobs, he proposed transitioning them into roles that suit their evolving abilities, supported by strong policy frameworks. For Malaysia, the last time we increased the retirement age was in 2014. We are open to individuals working longer, but instead of staying as a cog in the machine, ‘golden’ individuals should transition to entrepreneurship post-retirement. In this way, we free up employment spots for the youth while at the same time, making sure the oldies remain productive. A new social contract needs to be formulated to support the work-to-entrepreneurship transition. Perhaps, if you create your own business after retirement, you will get significant tax exemption. It is about time the ‘tax the rich’ narrative dies down.
Around the S.E.A.
Iran-ning out of options
Mayday, mayday in Iran, as another Middle East country will soon go to waste, as US President Donald Trump demanded Iran to unconditionally surrender, before the US pushes the button to assassinate its supreme leader. But before that, to those that missed the train, what the actual pak happened to start this clusterpak? It all started with a pre-emptive air strike by Israel that killed key defence facilities and high-value Iranian targets, in a bid to thwart Iran’s ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons. In response to the surprise air campaign, Iran launches thousands of missiles and drones at Israel, significantly straining Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system. Other countries, such as China, have accused Trump of ‘pouring oil’ on the conflict, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of being ‘the biggest threat to the security of the region’. Ever since the conflict started, it has been reported that at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and 224 people have been killed in Iran.
The situation is so bad that even Malaysia has issued a notice for all Malaysians to immediately leave Iran, as the situation is highly volatile and may deteriorate further without warning.
Source: https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/746410
Shorts
- Thailand’s cabinet has approved a USD1.2 bil bid to host a Formula One (F1) street race in Bangkok in 2028. Previously, in March, Thailand’s PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra had met with F1 chief Stefano Domenicali to discuss the plan to have an F1 race in the country. A Grand Prix on the Bangkok street is more preferred, even though Thailand already has an FIA-accredited, MotoGP-hosting Buriram circuit.
Source: https://paultan.org/2025/06/17/thailand-approves-us1-2-bil-bid-to-host-f1-in-2028/
- Indonesia is showing the middle finger to the G7 economic group as Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto skipped the G7 Summit and instead scheduled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. This move marks a significant shift by Indonesia from the West towards the East. Previously, Canada, the host of the G7 Summit, had invited PM Prabowo to the summit as a guest. According to Dedi Dinarto, lead Indonesia analyst at advisory firm Global Counsel, from Jakarta’s standpoint, the G7 Summit may offer fewer concrete returns.
For your EYES only
Want a inspirational story to fuel your midweek blues? Watch the Netflix limited series on the rise of Thailand’s first unicorn.
Aku ingatkn Bad Genius dh power, skali lg Thailand buat cerita sebenar ttg Startup Unicorn pertama di Thailand. Dari org kampung berjaya buat startup bernilai 1 Billion USD, idea dia dpt
tgk delivery sistem di China. Korang mmg tak senang duduk tgk film ni.Mad Unicorn : 9.5/10 pic.twitter.com/l2WisJcqGs
— M_Hidayatullahᵀᴹ (@mhidayatullah__) June 4, 2025
