Malaysia’s Fiscal Dilemma: Managing Rising Oil Prices and Subsidies

Dr Geoffrey Williams, Economist

16-Mar-26 07:45

Malaysia’s Fiscal Dilemma: Managing Rising Oil Prices and Subsidies

Pause
Embed

Rising global oil prices are putting governments under renewed fiscal pressure. For Malaysia, the challenge is complex. While the country exports energy, it also spends heavily on fuel subsidies and public sector costs. As policymakers look for ways to manage spending, even measures like work from home for civil servants are being considered. How much fiscal room does the government really have? We discuss this with economist Dr Geoffrey Williams.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Agnes Ong

Presented by: Shazana Mokhtar, Philip See

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

Categories: economy

Tags: fiscal pressure, public sector costs, WFH Civil Servants, oil subsidies, malaysia fiscal policy, hlbpriority, rising oil prices,

Today’s Shows

6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Tim Waterer, Chief Market Analyst, KCM Trade tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Christopher Wong, FX Strategist at OCBC Bank, shares his outlook on gold.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Economist Dr Geoffrey Williams unpacks the implications of rising oil prices on national cost management.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Wee Eng Kong, Managing Director of Tuju Setia talks about the finances of the company and construction projects they've won recently.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dato’ Khairul Annuar Abdul Aziz, President of PDAM on how rising oil prices could hit consumers and petrol dealers.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

Zaid Malek, Executive Director of Lawyers for Liberty, discusses free speech in civic and academic space.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Tim Waterer, Chief Market Analyst, KCM Trade tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Christopher Wong, FX Strategist at OCBC Bank, shares his outlook on gold.

9:35 AM

Pinnacle Perspectives

Soo Hoo Khoon Yean, Managing Partner of PwC Malaysia discusses how Malaysian CEOs are recalibrating strategies and managing risks amid global uncertainties.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

DS Willie Tan, Founder, Master Ee Reflexology

11:05 AM

From The Enterprise Archives

Kevin Brockland, Founder & Managing Partner, Indelible Ventures, Pang Chan Yip, Executive Director, Vertex Ventures

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

XP Ng, CEO, Academy of Artificial Intelligence

1:00 PM

Breakfast Grille (REPEAT)

Wee Eng Kong, Managing Director of Tuju Setia talks about the finances of the company and construction projects they've won recently.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

An eclectic selection of BBC shows, curated with variety in mind.

3:05 PM

Earth Matters

Malaysia has climate targets, but are they enough? We discuss a new report that estimates the country’s fair share carbon budget, and what it means for our emissions and policies.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

The Orang Asli communities cannot be viewed as a homogenous group. We hear about the unique health challenges of different indigenous communities in rural Perak.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

A countdown of the 5 biggest stories of the day, to catch you up on all you need to know!

6:00 PM

Today I Learned

Why Malaysians Love Adibah Amin

7:00 PM

Just For Kicks

8:00 PM

A Bit of Culture

Kam Raslan, Dhanya Nair and debutant Steve Yong get together to talk about the return of old TV series, learning retro tech before using the modern ones, and online gaming communities.

PROGRAMMES