Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was sworn in as president today after a decisive snap election victory following the impeachment of former president Yoon Suk Yeol over a failed attempt to impose martial law. We spoke to Hoo Chiew Ping, co-founder and senior fellow at the East Asia International Relations Caucus, about Lee’s victory and what to expect from his domestic agenda.

Other stories we covered:

• Calls to halt the RON 95 fuel subsidy: The Petroleum Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM) has called on the government to delay the RON95 fuel subsidy rationalisation plan, citing unresolved issues such as outdated commission rates and rising Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges. We got insight from Calvin Cheng, Director of the Economics, Trade, and Regional Integration division at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) on the validity of the association's concerns.
• Covid-19 cases surge in Southeast Asia: Several Southeast Asian countries have seen a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases over the past month, prompting health officials to sound the alarm about regional preparedness. However, Malaysia's Health Ministry says local records remain under control. The surge has been linked to newer variants, LF7 and NB181. We heard from Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe, World Health Organisation Representative to Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore, on what makes these variants different, and how concerned we should be.
• Bali's bottled water ban: As early as next year, Bali plans to ban the production of bottled water smaller than one litre in a bid to tackle the island’s mounting waste crisis. Nearly all landfill sites are at capacity, with single-use plastics making up the bulk of the problem. We spoke to Khor Sue Yee, co-founder and director of Zero Waste Malaysia, to find out whether this move can make a meaningful dent in Bali’s waste management challenge.
• Kota Madani just self-serving branding?: Bersatu’s Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan has slammed the government’s Kota Madani smart township as self-promotional and a waste of public funds, likening it to past slogans like 1Malaysia and Keluarga Malaysia that faded with political turnover. We discuss whether these slogans are genuine efforts to shape national identity or just costly, self-serving branding exercises.

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