23-May-24 17:00

Datuk Roger Chin, Immediate Past President of the Sabah Law Society

Today's countdown includes:

1. We talk about a Michelin-star eatery in New York run by a someone who has never even stepped foot in Southeast Asia!

2. An incident of severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight caused the tragic death of one passenger, and injured several others. Shantanu Gangakhedkar, an aviation consultant for Frost & Sullivan helps us understand what turbulence is, and how to stay safe when it happens.

3. MAHB's privatisation plan with a RM12.3 billion price tag that's being led by a four-member consortium consisting of Khazanah, EPF, Abu Dhabi-based ADIA and New York-based GIP. With critics unconvinced with the proposal, we ask Emmanuel Samarathisa, journalist and founder of The Malaysianist about the concerns raised, and what MAHB's ideal partner looks like.

2. In the latest update of the government's shift from blanket subsidies to a targeted system, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced subsidy cuts for diesel fuel, with expectations that it will save up to 4 billion Ringgit of government finances. We hear what Geoffrey Williams, an economist and founder of Williams Business Consultancy, has to say about whether this would raise business costs, and if it really benefits the people.

1. Our top story: We speak to Datuk Roger Chin, Immiediate Past President of the Sabah Law Society about Sabah's 40% special grant, and the legal challenges that have been brought up by the Sabah government in the process of appealing for this demand.

Image credit: Najmi Arif, Shutterstock