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Showing posts with label credible information. Show all posts
Showing posts with label credible information. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Malaysia will open its borders to international travellers on April 1, 2022

 



Malaysia to fully reopen borders from April 1 as country transits to COVID-19 endemic phase

KUALA LUMPUR: In about three weeks, Malaysia will reopen its borders and those wanting to visit the country will no longer need to apply for the MyTravelPass.
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All travellers have to do is download the MySejahtera application and fill in the pre-departure form under the “Traveller” section, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
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“The reopening of the country’s borders was one of the much-awaited announcements among the rakyat.
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“We believe that the reopening of the borders on April 1 will not only bring freedom for the rakyat to travel abroad but also allow those from other countries to visit Malaysia,” he said at a press conference in Parliament yesterday.
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Visitors and Malaysians who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer have to quarantine when they arrive.
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They must, however, undergo a RT-PCR test two days before departure and a professional rapid test (RTK-Antigen) upon arrival.
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“They can do the RTK test at the airport or at a health facility outside, but it must be done within 24 hours,” said Ismail Sabri.
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As for travellers who have not been fully vaccinated, he said the entry procedures will be explained by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today.
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“The country wants to provide comfort to travellers and not complicate their travel process,” the Prime Minister added.
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As for Malaysians, he said those with valid documents are free to travel to any other country that had reopened their borders to visitors.
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For countries that had yet to fully open their borders such as Singapore, Malaysians could use the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) method, he said.
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He added that the country is also in the midst of implementing the VTL initiative with Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia.
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The country’s borders have been shut since March 2020, while entry of foreign workers has been frozen due to the pandemic.
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Ismail Sabri noted that the reopening of the borders will help revive the country’s economy, especially the tourism industry which was badly hit by the pandemic.
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Some 98.7% of Malaysia’s adult population are fully vaccinated, while 64% have received their booster shots.
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Although the country’s daily cases have shot past the 30,000 mark due to the recent Omicron outbreak, 99% of the infections are mild or asymptomatic.

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Covid-19 recoveries outnumber new cases again | The Star

SOURCE :
World / Countries / Malaysia
Last updated: March 09, 2022, 06:57 GMT

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/malaysia/

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Big dreams of becoming a global cryto hub

Singapore plans to emerge as key player

Easing restrictions: A representation of the virtual cryptocurrency bitcoin. The Monetary Authority of Singapore is against clamping down on crypto. — Reuters

 SINGAPORE: Singapore is seeking to cement itself as a key player for cryptocurrency-related businesses as financial centres around the world grapple with approaches to handle one of the fastest growing areas of finance.

“We think the best approach is not to clamp down or ban these things,” said Ravi Menon, managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which regulates banks and financial firms.

Instead, MAS is putting in place “strong regulation”, so firms that meet its requirements and address the multitude of risks can operate, he said in an interview.

Nations differ vastly when it comes to how they handle crypto: China has cracked down on large amounts of activity in recent months, Japan only recently allowed dedicated crypto investment funds – though El Salvador has embraced bitcoin as legal tender.

In the United States, while there are an abundance of options for investing in the burgeoning asset class, regulators are concerned about everything from stablecoins to yield-generating products.

“With crypto-based activities, it is basically an investment in a prospective future, the shape of which is not clear at this point,” said Menon, who has helmed the MAS for about a decade.

“But not to get into this game, I think risks Singapore being left behind. Getting early into that game means we can have a head start, and better understand its potential benefits as well as its risks.”

The stakes are high for the small island nation, which has already earned a reputation as a global wealth hub. Singapore must raise its safeguards to counter risks including illicit flows, Menon said.

The city state is “interested in developing crypto technology, understanding blockchain, smart contracts and preparing ourselves for a Web 3.0 world,” he said, referring to the third generation of online services, which will be a key theme during the Singapore Fintech Festival that MAS will host next week.

Menon acknowledged that banks and other financial institutions will face certain challenges with the decentralisation of finance. Still, Singapore wants to be “well positioned” for 2030 when “an economy of tokenisation” may come, he said.

Singapore isn’t the only place with crypto ambitions. Locations as diverse as Dubai, Miami, El Salvador, Malta and Zug in Switzerland, are also making efforts.

It can be a fine line to tread, given the crypto industry grew up with few regulations, so many players balk at government officials’ attempts to impose guardrails.

Singapore’s approach has attracted crypto firms from Binance Holdings Ltd, which has had a series of run-ins with regulators around the world, to Gemini, a US operator targeting institutional investors, to set up base.

Some 170 companies applied for a MAS licence, taking the total number of firms seeking to operate under its Payment Services Act to about 400, after the law came into effect in January 2020.

Since then, only three crypto firms have received the much-coveted licences, while two were rejected. About 30 withdrew their application after engaging with the regulator. 

Among those approved is the brokerage arm of DBS Group Holdings Ltd, Singapore’s largest bank, which is also a pioneer in setting up a platform for trading of digital tokens while offering tokenisation services.

The regulator is taking time to assess applicants to ensure that they meet its high requirements, Menon said. The MAS has also boosted resources to cope with high volumes of prospective services operators, he said.

“We don’t need 160 of them to set up shop here. Half of them can do so, but with very high standards, that I think is a better outcome,” he said.

Menon said the benefits of having a well-regulated local crypto industry could also extend beyond the financial sector.

“If and when a crypto economy takes off in a way, we want to be one of the leading players,” he said.

“It could help create jobs, create value-add, and I think more than the financial sector, the other sectors of the economy will potentially gain.” — Bloomberg

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Representations of cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, Ethereum, DogeCoin, Ripple, Litecoin are placed on PC motherboard in this illustration take...
 

How Malaysia Budget 2022 Can Drive Your Business Forward? Forum 5 Nov 2021 . 3pm ~ 4:30pm


REGISTER NOW

Session 1 : #SOS: How Budget 2022 Can Drive Your Business Forward

The session will address:
– SME portfolio financial restructuring
– How the Government’s 2022 budget can help you rebuild or drive your business forward
– Government’s focus in strengthening public healthcare, rebuilding socio-economic and economic resilience

Speakers:
1) Datuk Dr. AT Kumararajah , Secretary General, MAICCI
2) Jenny Hoh, Vice President of SME Advisory and Marketing, CGC
3) Yip How Nang, Head of SME Banking, RHB Bank Berhad

Session 2 : #SOS: How Budget 2022 Can Drive Your Business Forward

This session will address:
– Strategies for effective budget planning 2022
– Reopening of all sectors – What’s next? Is this the right time to invest or expand your businesses?
– Government’s focus on enhancing digital infrastructure. How can SMEs benefit?

Speakers:
1) Shirley Tay, President, MRCA
2) Pang Kong Chek, Chief FInancial Officer, PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd
3) Kevin Lee, Head of SME, Maxis Business

REGISTER NOW

For SOBA enquiries, email soba@thestar.com.my or call 017-231 1789.

SOBA Website : www.soba.com.my

 

Related:

 

Helping SMEs drive their business forward | The Star


SMEs to benefit from Budget 2022 | The Star

 

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Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Covid-19 self-test kits going for as low as RM6.90 per unit

 

https://assets.theedgemarkets.com/test1.jpg?pUGfh41asPkN5epuyolysKroiuYGYSGY

 Covid-19 self-test kits now available for as low as RM6.90

Covid-19 self-test kits now available for as low as RM6.90 -A +A

SEPANG (Nov 1): The Covid-19 self-test kit is available for as low as RM6.90 a unit, said Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.

He said this followed the move to expand the sale of the test kit to supermarkets, convenience store networks and petrol stations in stages.

“The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) was told the prices offered at supermarkets and convenient stores are as low as RM6.90 each while, KK Supermart is selling them for only RM6.60 each.

“This is surely very good news to consumers in the light of the situation today,” he said when launching the Covid-19 self-test kit sales at KK Supermart in KL International Airport 2 (klia) and inspecting the 2021 Deepavali Festive Season Maximum Price Scheme, here on Monday.

Prior to this, the Covid-19 self-test kits received conditional approval from the Malaysian Device Authority (MDA) to be sold at selected clinics and pharmacies.

The government had fixed the maximum retail price for Covid-19 self-test kit at RM19.90 per unit and wholesale price at RM16 a unit effective Sept 5.

Nanta said the decision of the government to expand the sales of the Covid-19 self-test kit would bring down the price with the readiness of stock and through competition in the retail sector.

As of Oct 28, he said 2,570 business premises nationwide had been approved to sell the Covid-19 self-test kits whereby 494 are under KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd including at klia2.

On the new ceiling price of the Covid-19 self-test kit, Nanta said it would be announced soon and its determination would take into account all aspects including the interest of consumers and traders.

“The business environment must be centred on supply and demand. It is not necessary for the government to use its power to restrict and regulate,” he added.

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Monday, October 25, 2021

Shocking to allow a convicted criminal to travel overseas !

 

He is barred from contesting in the coming general election, but he is allowed to travel overseas? 

The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) is appalled at the news that former Prime Minister Najib Razak has been allowed his passport for travel, especially since he has already been convicted of serious corruption and criminal breaches of trust.


We urge the Attorney General’s Chambers and the prosecution team to explain to the public why there was no objection to Najib’s application for temporary custody of his passport. There are real reasons for concern about flight risk, as he is appealing his conviction, and continues to face more daunting charges in court, all related to 1MDB and its subsidiaries.

He is also appealing an amount of RM1.7bn of fines to be paid to the Inland Revenue Board.

In addition, the 1MDB scandal was again named in the Pandora papers and linked to Russian and Indian frauds, signalling no end to this gargantuan financial heist, of which he is a central figure.

Despite the heavy load of charges and a slew of court dates still before him, and with repeated delays due to Covid, the prosecution did not see fit to object to the application. We ask for an urgent explanation of what constitutes a fair request.

C4 Center asks for the full reasons behind the decision not to object to his application for the return of his passport.

It bears stating again that Jho Low and Nik Faisal, central allies of Najib, are both still at large, and Malaysia cannot afford to give Najib any opportunity to escape, after being charged with multiple counts of money laundering and corruption in such a massive financial heist. We ask again what measures are in place to ensure he does not slip away

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READ MORE: The Najib Razak 1MDB Trial Ep 57: No action taken 

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As it stands, how is it that Najib, who owes the government such a hefty sum, is allowed to leave the country, while PTPTN (student) loan and income tax defaulters get blacklisted?

While the blacklist for PTPTN loan defaulters has since been overturned, this still represents a gross inequity in treatment. Double standards in the execution of the law will greatly affect the upholding of the rule of law.

Should it really be a case of class and caste, action has to be taken to protect the judiciary against the pulling of strings and offering of favours, to ensure that justice is meted out properly, with the punishment befitting the crime.

We are dealing here with a convicted criminal who is barred from contesting in the coming general election, but he is allowed to travel overseas. Where is the logic in this?

We urge the Ismail Sabri Yaakob government to assure Malaysians that former PM Najib must account for his misdeeds and cannot be given preferential treatment. – C4 Center

\ Thanks for dropping by! The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.

Our voluntary writers work hard to keep these articles free for all to read. But we do need funds to support our struggle for Justice, Freedom and Solidarity. To maintain our editorial independence, we do not carry any advertisements; nor do we accept funding from dubious sources. If everyone reading this was to make a donation, our fundraising target for the year would be achieved within a week. So please consider making a donation to Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara, CIMB Bank account number 8004240948.

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Allowing convicted criminal to travel overseas shocking, says C4

 

 

 

 

Allowing convicted criminal to travel overseas shocking, says C4

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Allowing convicted criminal to travel ... - theSundaily.my

 

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Sunday, October 24, 2021

Non-invasive COVID-19 breath test results in 10 minutes

A medical worker takes a swab sample from an elderly man for COVID-19 test at a testing site in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, July 21, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)
 
 

No swabs – experts develop new screening method with simple breath exhalation


BEIJING: A NEW Chinese developed technology can return novel coronavirus test results within five to 10 minutes with a simple exhalation of breath, eliminating uncomfortable throat or nostril swabs and long waits.

According to a study published recently in the Journal of Breath Research, an academic journal based in the United Kingdom, Chinese scientists and researchers have developed a noninvasive rapid screening test for Covid-19 by analysing breath-borne compounds.

The technology was developed by a team led by Yao Maosheng, a professor at Peking University’s College of Environmental Sciences and Technology, together with colleagues from the centre for disease control and prevention in Beijing’s Chaoyang district.

The research team has applied for a national patent for the new system.

Yao said that because SARS-COV-2 infection causes changes in metabolism, the composition of exhaled breath of Covid-19 patients was different from that of others.

He said that analysis of 12 key organic compounds could discriminate Covid-19 from other subjects with 91% to 100% accuracy.

To take the test, people only have to exhale into a disposable plastic bag for 30 seconds or less. Compared with nucleic acid tests, such screening is cheaper and faster.

“Experiments with recruited subjects have proved that the system is effective,” Yao said. “It’s fast, and sensitive enough.

“Now we need to test more breath samples for the system to go from the experimental stage to clinical application.”

He said their published work involved 74 Covid-19 patients, 30 patients with non-covid-19 respiratory infections and 87 medical workers and healthy people.

Yao said that common nucleic acid tests sometimes report false negatives for confirmed Covid-19 patients, creating dire risks in controlling the spread of the disease. Yao said the noninvasive screening system could save time and overcome the nucleic acid test’s sensitivity problem, particularly in scenarios where rapid screening was desired, for example in hospitals, airplanes, high-level meetings, quarantine hotels and customs entry points.

Scientists and researchers in some other countries, including Japan, Indonesia, Israel, France and the Netherlands, have been working on developing similar technology since last year. But Yao said the research teams in China were the first to report experimental data.

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 Researchers develop quick, noninvasive COVID test - China ...

 

Chinese scientists create COVID-19 breath test that generates result in 10 minutes


The latest research by a Chinese team could save people from the discomfort of taking a throat or nasal swab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing, and save time too, as a new test method only requires the patient to exhale into a bag for 30 seconds, with 5-10 minutes needed to finish the analysis.

The Global Times on Wednesday learned from the team leader Yao Maosheng, a professor at the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at Peking University, that the test is highly accurate, and can differentiate among COVID-19 carriers, healthy people and patients of other respiratory infections.

The study was based on exhalations of 74 COVID-19 patients, 30 patients with other respiratory infections and 87 healthy people. There are 12 s

ignal breath-borne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from their exhalations, which can be regarded as "fingerprints."

Higher levels of propanol were detected in the exhaled breath of COVID-19 patients and other respiratory infections than healthy subjects, while breath-borne acetone was found to be significantly lower for COVID-19 patients than those with other respiratory infections, Yao said.

Based on the 12 signal VOCs, an algorithm was created, and verification of the algorithm found its accuracy ranges from 91 to 100 percent.

The quick procedure and high accuracy give the new method an edge in comparison with the antigen-based quick testing. Yao told the Global Times the new technology didn't require any reagents and has a lower detection limit for detecting VOC species.

The new method is also cheap, costing 10 yuan ($1.5) in comparison with a nucleic acid test that charges 80 yuan for takers.

The test is capable of identifying a COVID-19 infected person with a false negative throat swab test. Asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infections can be detected early, the Global Times learned.

The research was co-conducted by the Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control of Peking University and Chaoyang district's Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing.

It can be used in various scenarios, including the Beijing Winter Olympics, Yao said. But the expert noted that as China doesn't have many cases, further data and validation tests may be needed before the technology is applied. 

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Saturday, October 23, 2021

Can the great powers avoid war?

 https://youtu.be/Uiz934HVZjY

 Super Imperialism: The Economic Strategy of American Empire with Michael Hudson

 

 

https://youtu.be/NK0ls5hV_5Y  

The Rise and Fall of Great Powers? America, China, and the Global Order

 

When the meek are weak, they suffer because they must. But when the strong are insecure, that is when war begins.

AS tensions over the Taiwan Strait mount, everyone needs to think through whether war is inevitable.

Leon Trotsky once said: “You may not be interested in war but war is interested in you.”

And if we slip into war by what World War I historian Barbara Tuchman called the “March of Folly”, can the great powers step back from mutual nuclear annihilation?

When the world’s unipolar power incurred more pandemic deaths (at last count 752,000) and got defeated in Afghanistan by tribal warriors, no one should be surprised to ask whether America (and by extension Western civilisation) is in a decline.

The prestigious US magazine Foreign Affairs devoted three issues this year to: “Can America Recover?”, “Decline and Fall – Can America ever Lead Again?” and “Can China Keep Rising?”

For those reading the endless barrage of invectives against America’s rivals, it certainly feels like the Cold War has returned with a vengeance.

However, for Greta Thunberg and fellow climate activists, surely the world leaders’ priority is to work together to address our looming climate disaster.

Why are alphas fighting in a burning planet? Shouldn’t we call “time out” to see how to address collectively the urgent and existential issues of human and planetary distress?

Next month, the World Economic Forum is meeting in Dubai with an agenda to move from a Great Reset to a Grand Narrative Initiative “to shape the contours of a more prosperous and inclusive future for humanity that is also more respectful of nature.”

Grand Narrative may sound like a media story but the reality is that the masses are unlikely to buy an elite-driven dream until they are part of the conversation.

Take Harvard historian Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilisations” narrative. Written in 1996, Huntington seemed prescient in predicting the clash between Western civilisation and the rest, namely, Sinic, Japanese, Hindu, Islamic and Latin American.

He asked poignantly: “The central theme for the West is whether, quite apart from our external challenges, it is capable of stopping and reversing the internal process of decay. Can the West renew itself or will sustained internal rot simply accelerate its end and/or subordination to other economically and demographically more dynamic civilisations?”

Huntington basically reflected the worry of British historian Arnold Toynbee (18891975) that since civilisations are born out of primitive societies, the key is whether the elites can respond effectively to new challenges, internal or external.

Toynbee saw clearer than other Western historians like Gibbon (Decline and Fall of Roman Empire) that collapses are not necessarily due to barbarian invasions but whether the ruling elite can overcome their own greed or interests to address the new challenges.

In pure economic, financial, technology and military terms, few question that the West remains superior in almost all aspects, except in population numbers.

According to the Maddison projections of population and GDP, the rich countries (essentially Western Europe, plus Western offshoots (the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) and Japan would be 947 million people and 36.3% of world GDP by 2030, whereas Asia (China, India and other parts of Asia) would have a population of 4.7 billion and 49.6% of GDP.

This reverses the 2003 position when the West (including Japan) accounted for half of world GDP, compared with one-third for Asia.

The dramatic reversal is due to the rise of China, India and the rest of Asia to higher-middle-income levels by 2030, mainly through trade and catch-up in technology.

In the coming decades, roughly one billion rich West must contend with the rising powers of China (1.4 billion), India (1.3 billion) and Islamic countries (1+ billion), which have cultures and ideologies very different from the West.

If the planet heats up as expected, expect more Latin Americans, Africans and Middle East poor arriving on the West’s borders to migrate.

At the same time, with the American demonisation of Russia and China pushing them closer together, the United States is confronting at least three fronts (including the Middle East) amid a fractious domestic arena, where political polarisation prevents policy cohesion and continuity.

This current situation reminds Islamic countries following their great historian Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406 AD) of the cycle of dynastic and empires that Islam went through.

When the social cohesion or bonds (asabiya) is strong, there is state legitimacy and empires rise. When it is weak, dynasties fall and empires are lost.

After the Jan 6, 2020 insurrection in Washington DC, many are inclined to believe that fratricidal tribalism is happening now inside America.

Similarly, Chinese macro-historians Sima Qian (Records of the Grand Historian, 146-86 BC) and Sima Guang (Comprehensive Mirror for Governance, 1019-1086 AD) also recorded that empires fall not so much from external invasion but internal decay.

In Yale, historian (Rise and Fall of Great Powers) Paul Kennedy’s terminology has the United States arrived at the point of “imperial over-reach”, when the country’s global ambitions and responsibilities exceed its financial and industrial capacity.

After all, the US government debt has reached as high as the end of World War II level without even starting World War III.

But all historians know that rise, decline or fall is never pre-ordained. The past is not a scientific linear predictor of the future. The unipolar order has weakened, without any grand bargain between the great powers on what the new order should even begin to look like.

Any grand bargain requires the incumbent hegemon to admit that there are equals and peers in power that want the rules of the game reset from the old order.

This does not mean that anyone will replace the United States soon because everyone wants to buy time to set their own house in order after the pandemic.

In short, before any Grand Narrative, we need a whole series of conversations with all sides, from the weakest to the most powerful, on what individually and collectively the post-pandemic order should look like.

There can never be one Grand Narrative by the elites until there are enough dialogues between the many.

When the meek are weak, they suffer because they must. But when the strong are insecure, that is when war begins.

By ANDREW SHENG. Andrew Sheng writes on global issues from an Asian perspective. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.

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Thursday, October 21, 2021

NCIA setting up new technology and innovation hub in Bayan Lepas by year 2023

New tech and innovation hub for northern region 

  

An artist’s impression of the proposed NCER Technology Innovation Centre in Bayan Lepas, Penang.


IN an effort to build a strong and sustainable ecosystem in Penang’s industrial and economic landscape, Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) will be establishing a technology and innovation hub called the NCER (Northern Corridor Economic Region) Technology Innovation Centre (NTIC).

NCIA chief executive Datuk Seri Jebasingam Issace John said the centre, which will be built in Bayan Lepas and completed by 2023, will have a newly developed programme under the NCER Single Campus initiative that focuses on activities related to research, design, technology, innovation and commercialisation.

“The Single Campus initiative promotes collaboration and cooperation among key manufacturing areas in Penang, Kedah and Perak through the facilitation by NTIC while positioning Penang as the catalyst hub focused on technology and innovation.

“This hub will provide services and facilities for product innovation, linkages with local and international experts, local talent development, design and consultancy and a one-stop solution provider management system.

“NTIC will serve as a platform for small and medium enterprises, local large companies, multinational companies, technocrats and young entrepreneurs, as well as start-up companies to conduct high value-added activities in the northern corridor,” he said in an online event on Friday.

Issace John added that through NTIC, NCIA is collaborating with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology Centre (Crest) to develop high-skilled local talents to meet the demands of the industries within NCER.

“With the signing of a memo- randum of collaboration (MoC) between NCIA and USM, a programme has been launched to enhance talents’ marketability by developing their Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0)-related knowledge and skills that are highly sought after by the industry.

“The Professional Excellence Programme or PreX is developed by combining academic and industry inputs on industry needs and expectations, industry professional assessment and employability.

“The MoC with Crest, on the other hand, will see collaborations with world renowned multi- national companies such as Intel Microelectronics (M) Sdn Bhd and Motorola Solutions (M) Sdn Bhd, and local technology companies such as Orionplex Sdn Bhd, Exiatec Technology Sdn Bhd and Sensoft Technologies Sdn Bhd,” he said.

Issace John said NCER Talent Enhancement Programme (NTEP) will also support the Engineering Software Talent Programme (EnSofT) to address the engineering software talent gap in the fields of embedded system, android applications and embedded android operating system.

“EnSofT will be a catalyst to other types of high-end training programmes to generate industry- relevant talents that meet current and upcoming market demands.

“Such collaborations with academia and industry players will help Penang to further grow into a high-income and developed state as well as help it recover quickly from the pandemic as more job opportunities especially in software engineering are created,” he said.

He said NCIA helped attract a total of RM8.56bil of approved investments and created 5,155 approved job creations to date this year.“We have, in fact, already exceeded our target of RM7.2bil of 2021 approved investments. As for job creation, we are also on track to meet the 8,644 approved job creation targeted for this year.”

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who attended the online event, said the strategic partnership between NCIA and the state government had given birth to a high-value talent ecosystem that will further boost the state’s position as a world-class regional technology hub.

This will also reinforce the development of highly skilled local talent in various high end technology related areas, he added.

“In collaboration with Penang and federal governments, NCIA is continuously enhancing the state’s attractiveness to investors in the electronics and electrical, and manufacturing and engineering sectors.

“We are continuing to strengthen our position as a leader in the region for advanced technology and as a high-value talent and technology hub.

“With more than 300 multinational companies already having established operations in Penang, there is a need for more highly skilled talent to address the demand from the industry here.

“We are fortunate that Penang has an abundance of fresh graduates that industries can tap into, and our position as the ‘Silicon Valley of the East’ can be further strengthened by upskilling and enhancing the quality of our graduates through initiatives introduced by NCIA,” Chow said.

NCIA is a regional development authority responsible for establishing directions, devising policies and strategies related to the socio- economic development of NCER.

Incorporated in June 2008 under the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority Act 2008 (Act 687), NCER encompasses the four northern states of Kedah, Penang, Perak and Perlis in peninsular Malaysia.

NCIA drives the growth of NCER towards becoming an excellent economic region while catalysing and implementing high value-added development programmes in six economic clusters namely manufacturing, agribusiness, petrochemical, mining, green economy and services (including tourism, logistics and connectivity, and digital economy).

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Northern Corridor targets RM3.8bil of investment for Perak this year

Northern Corridor targets RM3.8bil of investment for Perak... 

 https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/10/04/northern-corridor-targets-rm38bil-of-investment-for-perak-this-year

 

Plans to empower the people in NCER

 https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2021/09/06/plans-to-empower-the-people-in-ncer

 

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RM525mil investment for Penang to create 1,600 jobs & human capital programme