This book is about explaining and analysing Malaysia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the context of the Malaysian economy. This book serves as an important historical account for Malaysia and for Malaysian economic history in particular, as this COVID-19 pandemic challenges are indeed unprecedented. This book is crucial, especially for policymakers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, academics, as well as the general public at large to understand what happened and make sense of what measures and results of what the Malaysian government has done.

The victory of the Pakatan Harapan (PH), or the Alliance of Hope on May 9, 2018 in the Malaysian 14th General Election (GE14) was not just stunning, but historic. Moreover, the second comeback of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as the seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia was indeed impressive. The results of the GE14 were clearly against the tide as many political pundits and analysts had predicted a win for the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition with differences only in matters of margins. Similar to Malaysia’s 13th General Election (GE13), which was held on May 5, 2013, the main issue in the GE14 was also about the economy. The rise in cost of living was perhaps the mother of all issues which caused the downfall of the BN government for the first time since independence. Other crucial economic issues centered on alleged corruption practices and manifested through the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) saga. As a new federal power for 22 months, the PH government had a daunting task not just to address economic issues mentioned above, but also the other alleged economic problems which they had highlighted in their election manifesto. On top of that, the PH government had the responsibility to maintain, if not to improve further what the BN government had done to the Malaysian economy in the past, of which World Bank economists described as a success story, “a very strong economy” and “growing towards a high-income.” Post-GE14, what is the state of the Malaysian economy and its direction? What are lessons that can be learned from the PH economic management? And with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government succeeding the federal power in March 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, what are the pressing issues and what needs to be done moving forward especially in the context of the economic challenges arising from the pandemic and post-Covid-19 era? These are some critical questions which this book is trying to address. The book essentially argues for the need to give greater focus to economic issues above anything else by envisioning a new national vision and engineering a new wave of economic structural reforms primarily based on insights from the vast Malaysian economic history lessons

is based on Revealed Knowledge demarcates itself from the other disciplines which are based on Acquired Knowledge. Thus, the educators for Islamic Finance have the added responsibility and Amanah to uphold the sanctity, nobility and the purity of this knowledge which must be incorporated and reflected in the programmes offered, researches conducted as well as the practices propagated based on the Quran and Sunnah. The International Council of Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE) therefore, takes its stride in terms of fore-fronting the Islamic Finance educators in the mission to play a bigger role in charting the future growth of sustainable Maqasid-based Islamic Finance Education. Towards attaining this objective, coupled with the recognition of Malaysia as the International Islamic Finance Hub, Malaysia Islamic Finance Education Report Atlas 2021 and Beyond seeks to present the current landscape for Islamic Finance Education as offered by both public and private institutions of higher learning from the year 2017-2020. This MIFER Atlas 2021 and Beyond focuses on three (3) main areas namely, the programmes offered, the talent development, as well as graduate employability. It is hoped that by understanding the current landscape and identifying challenges and issues associated with each area, charting future growth for Islamic Finance Education both at the national and international fronts within a dynamic environment will be more impactful to benefit the ummah as a whole.

Malaysia was once on the cusp of becoming one of the ‘Asian Tigers’ as a result of the impressively high growth rates recorded in the early 1990s. From 1990 until 1997, the growth rate was above 9 percent per annum on average. This performance came to an end when the economy was struck by the 1997/98 Asian Financial Crisis, the worst economic crisis Malaysia has ever experienced since independence. Things eventually worsened with the onslaught of the 2008/09 Global Financial Crisis, which dragged the Malaysian economy yet into another round of a recession with the growth rate contracting at 1.5 percent in 2009. On hindsight, these two events, which have had a substantial impact on the state of the Malaysian economy, pointed to several urgent calls for economic reforms, such as the need to address structural weaknesses of the economy and to have a growth target which is both sustainable as well as inclusive. When Datuk Seri Najib Razak became the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia from April 2009 until May 2018, it was clear that a new approach to economic development for Malaysia had to be crafted. Towards this end, he introduced the National Transformation Policy (NTP), so that the economy can be transformed into one that is of high-income and developed status by the year 2020. He also set a new vision for Malaysia, also known as the 2050 National Transformation, or TN50, which is meant to chart a new course for Malaysia to move into the second half of the 21st century. How successful is this transformational agenda? What are the other issues and challenges which need to be addressed? What important lessons can we learn from this transformational journey? This book is an attempt to address these specific questions by assessing Najib’s economic plans, policies, programmes and vision which evolved during the nine years of his term as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Living Mindfully Across the Lifespan: An Intergenerational Guide provides user-friendly, empirically supported information about and answers to some of the most frequently encountered questions and dilemmas of human living, interactions, and emotions. With a mix of empirical data, humor, and personal insight, each chapter introduces the reader to a significant topic or question, including self-worth, anxiety, depression, relationships, personal development, loss, and death. Along with exercises that clients and therapists can use in daily practice, chapters feature personal stories and case studies, interwoven throughout with the authors’ unique intergenerational perspectives. Compassionate, engaging writing is balanced with a straightforward presentation of research data and practical strategies to help address issues via psychological, behavioral, contemplative, and movement-oriented exercises. Readers will learn how to look deeply at themselves and society, and to apply what has been learned over decades of research and clinical experience to enrich their lives and the lives of others.

It is said that the COVID-19 pandemic has turned back the poverty clock. As such, there is a need to have social mechanisms put in place to provide relief to those who are affected in this regard. Islamic social finance consists of tools and institutions that could be used to alleviate poverty. This book explores the impact of COVID-19 on Islamic finance to better understand the effectiveness of Islamic social finance in helping those who have been affected by poverty overnight due to the halt in all major economic activities in the context of the pandemic. Since the struggle against poverty in each country will be different, the book attempts to shed light on the experiences of different countries by presenting successful models of Islamic social finance. The book first looks at poverty and COVID-19 before delving into the role of Islamic social financial institutions and how they have risen against COVID-19. The book concludes by examining the impact of COVID-19 on Islamic microfinance. This book is the first of its kind on the subject of COVID-19, and it intends to bridge the gap in the literature.

The authors lift the veneer off 'employability' to expose serious problems in the way that future workers are trying to manage their employability, how companies understand their human resource strategies and government failure to come to terms with the realities of the knowledge-based economy.