STILL AMRICA FIRST IN TRADE

Domestic drive: The US has endorsed ‘Buy American’ policies, which would favour domestic producers but would be blatantly illegal under WTO rules.

 

https://youtu.be/vcn5Lxshw20 

US multilateralism is coming back in many areas but in trade, many retrograde policies of the past are continuing.

AFTER the end of the Trump presidency in January, multilateralists around the world heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Gone would be the wrecking ball aimed at international institutions.

Gone would be the go-it-alone approach to dealing with global problems. Gone would be policies towards the rest of the world premised on “America First”.

Gone, hopefully, would be the capricious trade wars, some of them directed at American allies.

To a large extent, these high hopes have proved justified.

Within its first 40 days, the Biden administration has reversed many of its predecessor’s disengagements from multilateral institutions and processes.

It has rejoined the Paris Agreement on climate change, which the United States had abandoned in 2017.

It walked back to former president Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which was due to take effect from July 6.

It has pledged US$4bil (RM16bil) for the WHO-sponsored Covax initiative which aims to distribute Covid-19 vaccines to the developing world, which the Trump administration refused to join.

It has agreed to endorse an allocation of special drawing rights – the International Monetary Fund’s hard currency – which would provide additional resources to poor countries without adding to their debt, and which former Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin had declined to support.

Given that the World Bank is the world’s biggest financier of climate change-related investments, its president David Malpass reasonably expects that the Biden administration, for which battling climate change is a priority, will be supportive of its mission.

The administration has also vowed the US’ “unshakeable” commitment to Nato, which Trump had derided as an outdated organisation that imposes excessive burdens on the US.

But there is one critical area where the Biden administration is hesitant to support multilateralism, and that is trade.

Here, multilateralists can be grateful for some small mercies.

At least the administration has affirmed its commitment to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) – the custodian and enforcer of world trade rules – which the Trump administration all but ignored during the last four years and even threatened to leave.

It has also broken the impasse over WTO’s leadership, by endorsing the candidacy of Nigerian-American economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the post of directorgeneral, which was supported by the majority of the WTO’s 164 members, but which the Trump administration had blocked.

So, after being leaderless for almost six months, the WTO now at least has someone in charge.

Modest ambitions

But beyond that, and judging by actions rather than words, the multilateralist ambitions of the Biden administration on trade appear modest.

It has made clear that it will not pursue any trade agreements until it restores America’s competitiveness by investing trillions of dollars in areas such as energy, education and infrastructure.

It has endorsed “Buy American” policies, which would favour domestic producers and would be blatantly illegal under WTO rules.

Citing “systemic problems”, it has continued the Trump administration’s policy of blocking appointments of new judges to the WTO’s appellate body, which functions as a “supreme court” that adjudicates trade disputes.

The body has been unable to issue any judgments since Dec 11, 2019, because it did not have the minimum of three members required to issue a ruling.

Currently, with all judges having completed their terms, there is not a single judge on the body. This means that any appeal against a judgment by a lower panel at the WTO disappears into legal limbo, and the judgment is not binding.

In September last year, a lower panel ruled in favour of China, which made the case that the 25% tariffs levied by the US in June and September 2018 violated the WTO’s cardinal principle of non-discrimination.

The US is appealing that judgment, but the appeal cannot be heard, as the US would know, so the tariffs will remain in place.

Indeed, the Biden administration appears in no hurry to lift the Trump administration’s tariffs on China, all of which are likely to be WTO-illegal, according to trade experts.

It wants to use these tariffs as leverage to secure concessions from Beijing, including its compliance with the phase one trade deal negotiated by the Trump administration under which China was supposed to buy US$ 200 bil worth of US goods and services split over last year and this year, but is falling short of the target.

It has also continued the Trump administration’s policy of designating Hong Kong’s exports as “Made in China”, citing “national security” concerns – which means that in the US view, that issue, too, cannot be adjudicated by the WTO.

In short, a return to multilateralism on trade does not seem to be a priority for the Biden administration.

‘Elephant in the room’

The rise of China is one of the main sources of this reticence.

Like the Republicans, Democrats believe that the WTO is not fit for purpose in dealing with all of China’s alleged trade malpractices.

The case for this is well articulated in a 2016 paper by Harvard Law School Prof Mark Wu, now a senior adviser to the US Trade Representative’s office.

He argues that the main problem is that WTO rules – which were crafted before China joined the organisation – were not made with China’s distinctive economic system in mind.

WTO rules can address only those among China’s trade malpractices which are shared by other countries – such as requiring foreign investors to partner with local firms and buy from local suppliers, or granting exclusive rights to local firms to import or sell goods in the local market – which are practices that are not unique to China, and for which case law already exists.

But problems arise in cases where the boundaries between state and private enterprises are blurred, as is often the case in China. It is then not easy to judge whether a preferential transaction is of a private commercial nature – which falls outside the WTO rules – or amounts to a state subsidy.

At the heart of the problem is what constitutes a “public body”, which in China is not as clear as in other countries.

It is widely accepted, including by WTO itself, that WTO rules need to be updated, not only relating to China but also to issues such as digital trade, competition, services, labour and the environment.

But China, which is involved in the majority of trade disputes involving major economic powers, is the “elephant in the room”.

However, updating the rules should not mean sidelining the WTO in the meantime, which is what seems to be happening.

In a departure from the unilateral approach taken by the Trump administration, the Biden administration says it plans to deal with China’s trade practices in concert with other countries.

But there is no better way to do this than in a multilateral forum like the WTO, which applies a core set of principles to trade disputes such as non-discrimination, has mechanisms to monitor and enforce its rules and which would accommodate the concerns of multiple countries, which is how multilateralism should work.

Besides, China has a good record of complying with WTO rulings that go against it, and not such a good record of caving in to bilateral pressures.

Judicial paralysis

Shutting down the WTO’s judicial function by effectively neutralising its appellate body is especially ill advised.

Some concerns about the way the body functions and its alleged “judicial overreach” may be legitimate, but even if so, this applies only to a minority of cases that the body has adjudicated.

Disabling the WTO’s appellate body prevents the majority of cases, including those unrelated to China, from being resolved.

Besides, for all the criticisms levelled against it, the appellate body has a proud record.

In its 25 years of operation, it has resolved 195 disputes compared with around 160 cases completed in 74 years by the International Court of Justice, with 15 standing judges. Moreover, it has disposed of cases within a few months on average, compared with a few years in the case of other international adjudicating bodies.

Recounting these achievements in her farewell speech on Nov 30 last year, the last appellate judge to finish her term, Dr Zhao Hong, pointed out: “Though there was room to improve, the appellate body distinguishes itself for its outstanding performance among all international adjudicating bodies.”

By continuing to paralyse its functioning, the Biden administration undermines multilateralism and perpetuates the law of the jungle on trade issues, where might is right.

So while the administration has made a good start by re-embracing multilateralism in many areas, its trade policies still leave much to be desired.

-By VIKRAM KHANNA— The Straits Times/ANN

Diplomatic realpolitik

 

AS double-think runs wild in the White House, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) of Saudi Arabia must be enjoying a quiet chuckle. Diplomatic realpolitik has been accorded precedence over the severe action that was expected of President Joe Biden in the context of the US intelligence report that the Crown Prince was complicit in the ghastly killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.

The Washington Post columnist was allegedly drugged and his body dismembered. Every tenet of human rights was thus violated.

By advancing what they call a “free pass” to MBS, America’s President has proffered a feeble excuse to justify his defence of the de facto leader of the desert kingdom. Biden, who had referred to Saudi Arabia as a “pariah kingdom with no redeeming social value” in course of his election campaign, has now softened his stance to a dramatic degree.

It thus comes about that in the somewhat surprising reckoning of the US President, the price of directly penalising Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is “too high”.

He may be right when viewed through the prism of certitudes of foreign policy.

The US President was reportedly convinced by his newly formed national security team that there was no way to formally bar the Saudi crown prince from entering the United States or to take a call on the criminal charges against him.

Altogether, it was feared by the current US administration that a drastic reprisal would have breached the equation with one of America’s key Arab allies, not to discount the flutter within the Arab region generally.

There is said to have been a consensus in the White House that the price of that breach was quite “simply too high” in terms of Saudi cooperation in the fight against terrorism and in confronting Iran.

Biden had been urged by a section of the establishment to at least impose the same travel restrictions against the Crown Prince as the Trump administration had imposed on others involved in the plot.

The White House appears to have drawn a fine distinction between MBS and the Saudi military. While the Crown Prince is unlikely to be invited to the United States in the immediate perspective, the establishment has denied that the Saudi ruler is being given a “pass”.

It is pretty obvious though, that the coveted International Visitor Program (IVP) will not be denied to the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince. Going by the terms of protocol, he may yet be treated as a state guest in America.-Reuter

 

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MH370 kin still searching for answers, seven years on, missing plane’s fate remains a mystery

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https://youtu.be/U3u40XBCWI0

Seven years may have passed since the fateful day Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished, yet loved ones of those onboard are still struggling to cope with the loss.

This was the sentiment shared by Grace Nathan, 31, whose mother Anne Daisy, was among the 239 people on board the aircraft that vanished while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014.

Grace said many of them were still waiting for closure.

“Some continue to wait and some have not accepted that their loved ones may not be coming home, ” she said while hosting the 7th Annual Remembrance Event for Missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 by ‘Voice370’ yesterday.

While some could have accepted the reality of not seeing their loved ones again, Grace said, they all had a longing for answers.

“There is still this undying need or desire to know what happened to them so that we can understand why they are not coming home ever, ” she added.

Her mother Anne, 56, an executive with a learning and development firm, was on her way to to visit her husband, Department of Civil Aviation official VPR Nathan, 58, who had been posted to the Chinese capital.

There were also families of passengers from China, who were likewise struggling to cope, she said.

“A group of elderly next-of-kin are still looking for answers. They have been going to the MAS office every day for the last seven years to ask for updates, ” Grace said.

She said counselling should be provided to these families in China, to help them cope with their emotional anguish.

Grace also reiterated the request of families of those missing for the Malaysian government to release military radar data of Flight MH370 on March 7 and 8,2014.

“The data could be released on a non-disclosure basis to independent experts, ” she said, adding that individuals or governments with information should also come forward to help solve the mystery.

On a separate matter, independent expert Mike Exner yesterday said debris that likely came from MH370 was found washed along the beach in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, sometime between August and September last year.

He said the debris – part of an aircraft’s wing – had been handed over to the South African authorities.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said Malaysia would take any reasonable effort to continue the search for MH370, in cooperation with China and Australia.

“We aspire towards closure as much as the families and friends.

“In the search for MH370, the governments of Malaysia, Australia and China have spared no expenses and resources in the collective effort to locate MH370.

“Our shared aim was always to find the aircraft and get the answers, ” he said in a special message to the next-of-kin during the virtual event.

Dr Wee said that the MH370 tragedy could never be forgotten and yesterday’s event was held in solemn remembrance and with prayers for those who were on board the plane.

“For many, the passage of time these seven years has not softened the painful memory of this tragedy, ” he added.

MH370 was on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board when it disappeared from radar.

Investigators deduced that the aircraft had veered thousands of kilometers off course before crashing into the Indian Ocean.

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Seven years on, missing plane’s fate remains a mystery

 

MH370: Seven years on still no closure

 We've found it! Experts say they have located MH370 crash site

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Yesterday marked the seventh anniversary of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370’s mysterious disappearance while on a scheduled flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

How and why a sophisticated Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers of different nationalities and 12 crew members vanished from the radar screen without a trace remain a mystery despite an extensive search.

In remembering the ill-fated flight, Bernama revisited the incident and interviewed some of the next of kin in Malaysia who were disappointed with the lack of closure on the tragedy.

“I feel exactly like how it was seven years ago when I was 17...things are pretty much the same but we are doing okay, ” said the daughter of Andrew Nari, the chief steward on the flight.

The brother-in-law of Goh Sock Lay, the chief stewardess on board, said the family did not want to talk about the incident as they felt sad each time they recalled it.

Family members of some passengers have moved on and feel there is nothing more to talk about.

Even conspiracy theories have abated.

The initial theories – such as hijacking and diversion of the plane to a US military base on the Diego Garcia atoll, seizure of control of the aircraft from the pilots via remote methods and catastrophic systems or airframe failure – have yet to be proven.

But the aircraft’s flaperon, which washed up on a beach on Reunion Island a year later, pointed to the fact that the Indian Ocean may be the final resting place of Flight MH370.

However, there is no way to pinpoint the exact resting place of the wreck in the vast ocean.

Until the plane is found and the enigma of its disappearance is deciphered, MH370 will continue to be an aviation mystery. — Bernama

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Insurance firms expand virus coverage

 

More funds set aside for special plans including adverse reactions to vaccines

Insurance companies are setting aside more funds to expand special plans related to the Covid-19 pandemic, including covering any adverse reaction from vaccination.

While health experts have said that any side effect from Covid-19 vaccines is rare, the coverage is a precautionary measure.

Most insurance firms have extended their coverage of cash aid for hospitalisation and death from Covid-19, which was supposed to end in December 2020, until this year.

The benefits are for existing and new policyholders at no additional cost for an allocated period of time or until the fund limit is reached.

National Association of Malaysian Life Insurance and Family Takaful Advisors (Namlifa) president A.M. Naidu said insurers had been very supportive of the government’s aspirations to include private healthcare providers in treating Covid-19 patients.

“They have allocations to compensate their insured clients on test reimbursement, admission bills and for treating side effects out of the Covid-19 treatment.

“Now, they are ready to cover the costs of treatment for the side effects of vaccination.

“Some insurers even provide a one-time lump sum compensation to their life insurance clients who test positive for Covid-19, ” Naidu said.

These insurance benefits are on top of the government’s announcement to give ex-gratia payments via a compensation scheme to those who experience serious side effects after receiving the vaccine.

Khairy Jamaluddin, the coordinating minister for the immunisation programme, had said details like the payment amount would be announced soon.

Namlifa, said Naidu, would continue its engagement with the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM), the Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA) and Bank Negara to ensure transparency and fairness towards the insured public in all their initiatives.

“We are even prepared to engage with the Health and Finance ministries in providing feedback and proposals to the government, ” he said.

Tokio Marine insurance agent Janice Khaw said insurance companies were now extending new medical care assistance in view of the prolonged pandemic and the inclusion of private hospitals for Covid-19 treatment.

“A RM5mil medical assistance fund is allocated to support customers who need to be transferred to private hospitals for Covid-19 treatment under the government’s order.

“Customers treated at private hospitals from Feb 20 to June 30 this year can claim up to RM5,000 under Category 3, RM10,000 for Category 4 and RM20,000 for Category 5, ” said Khaw.

The categories relate to the severity of the disease – from Category 1 for asymptomatic patients and Category 5 for those critically ill.

Tokio Marine Life medical plan customers, said Khaw, could also receive reimbursement for medical bills of up to RM5,000 should they experience any adverse effect from the Covid-19 vaccine, adding that the benefit was applicable from Feb 20 to Dec 31,2021.

Unit manager for Prudential Zaid Mohamed Nyan said although treatment related to diseases caused by a pandemic was excluded from insurance coverage, most companies had initiated special plans for Covid-19 patients as a campaign based on goodwill.

“Prudential offers post-Covid-19 vaccination coverage with a fund limit of RM1mil, which ends on Dec 31,2021, or when the fund limit is reached, ” he said.

The coverage is provided for all Prudential customers eligible to receive RM500 in cash relief for hospitalisation in the country due to serious adverse effects from Covid-19 immunisation.

“Eligible clients can also receive reimbursement based on moderate to severe illness from Covid-19, with up to RM5,000 for Category 3 patients, RM15,000 for Category 4 and RM20,000 for Category 5.

“This excludes home quarantine. Patients in Category three to five who need to quarantine and receive treatment at government hospitals can receive a cash relief of RM1,000, ” he said.

The plans, which are covered under the Covid-19 Hospitalisation assistance and Covid-19 Upgraded Plan Assistance with a RM20mil allocation will end on March 31,2021, or when the limit is reached.

“The coverage is set in an allocated period but can be extended from time to time, depending on the company’s view of the current Covid-19 situation in the country, ” said Zaid.

For Zurich life insurance and family takaful customers, those hospitalised due to Covid-19 are eligible to receive a maximum amount of RM100 per day for up to five days.

“If you own a policy or a certificate that provides death benefit, an additional death benefit of RM10,000 will be provided should death occur due to Covid-19, ” it said on its website.

The benefits are extended to existing and new customers until March 31,2021.

Similarly, insurance provider AIA Malaysia said in view of the ongoing pandemic, it was committed to continuing giving extra Covid-19 coverage.

For instance, eligible policyholders can receive hospitalisation benefit of RM200 per day for up to 30 days if they are diagnosed with Covid-19 and directed to be quarantined at any of the Health Ministry’s designated hospital or quarantine centre.

“Home quarantine and elective quarantine at any hospital are excluded, ” said the company on its website.

In the unfortunate event of death due to Covid-19, an additional lump sum coverage of RM10,000 per life will be paid to his or her beneficiary.

The coverage will only be until March 31 this year.

Plans by other companies such as Manulife Insurance Bhd include coverage for customers who need to observe home quarantine as ordered by the Health Ministry.

“A daily benefit of RM200 will be payable to the insured person upon being diagnosed with Covid-19 and hospitalised at designated hospitals or quarantined at Low-Risk Treatment Centres or at home, ” it said, adding that this had a cap of 30 days.

“The coverage of Home Quarantine starts from Jan 29,2021, onwards, ” it said.

Beneficiaries are also eligible to receive a lump sum of RM10,000 in the event of death caused by Covid-19 while an additional RM5,000 is provided if the individual is a medical staff involved in the handling of Covid-19 cases.

Besides hospitalisation coverage, the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia has also allocated RM8mil for the Covid-19 Test Fund in support of the Health Ministry’s efforts to conduct more tests.

This is applicable for all medical insurance policyholders and takaful certificate holders who undergo Covid-19 tests at recognised private labs.

A maximum amount of RM300 is claimable and the reimbursement is valid until June 30 or when the fund is fully used.

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The future of money is digital, but is it bitcoin?

 

Don’t be surprised if by the end of the current decade, the e-wallet on your smartphone resembles a multicurrency account. But instead of dealing with commercial banks, you may be a customer of central banks. Several of them, in fact

 

THE idea that much of today’s cash use will shift to digital tokens is neither faddish nor outlandish, as long as you don’t start equating the future of money with bitcoin.

Sure, governments will borrow some elements of the distributed ledger technology behind private cryptocurrencies, but they will very much want to retain control of what circulates as money in their economies. Some will succeed.

Don’t be surprised if by the end of the current decade, the e-wallet on your smartphone resembles a multicurrency account. But instead of dealing with commercial banks, you may be a customer of central banks. Several of them, in fact.

Sound far-fetched? Apart from the Bahamian Sand Dollar, there’s no official online currency in mass circulation yet.

Still, digital yuan pilots are gathering pace as Beijing aims for a possible rollout coinciding with the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Sweden may be the next major nation to follow suit. The Bank of Japan has no immediate plans, but it acknowledges the possibility “of a surge in public demand” for official digital cash going forward.

Even in the US, which is only toying with the concept, digital payment vehicles that don’t rely on traditional bank accounts can increase financial inclusion among cash users, according to a September 2020 paper by Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta president Raphael Bostic and others. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says a digital dollar is “absolutely worth looking at”.

Once China and the US are both in the fray, virtual money is bound to become a tool for wielding global influence by carving up the world into new currency blocs. That’s because any token will have dual uses outsidethe issuing nation’s borders.

The dollar or yuan that pops up in a phone wallet in Indonesia or India – backed by a solemn promise of taxpayers in the US or China – could be used for buying goods, services or assets internationally.

Just as easily, this new money can end up replacing domestic currency in people’s daily lives. Although this is no different from traditional dollarisation that occurs in countries plagued by inflation and exchange rate volatility, the convenience and accessibility of central bank-issued digital cash could enable “substitution at a faster pace and larger scale,” according to Tao Zhang, a deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). To stay in control of monetary policy, authorities in smaller economies will need their tokens to be attractive in domestic situations.

The goal for bigger nations may be different: China and the US may want to offer add-ons that make the E-CNY or the Fedcoin the preferred choice for foreigners in settling international claims.

An efficient future will be one in which all central banks’ digital currencies are interoperable. In other words, they’ll interact with one another – and with private-sector alternatives including bitcoin, says Sky Guo, the chief executive of Cypherium.

The US enterprise blockchain startup is a member of the Fed’s Faster Payments Council and of the digital monetary institute of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, or OMFIF, a central banking think tank.

Guo is working on the challenges that will arise when sovereign money gets digitised:

How to process high volumes of transactions quickly, cheaply, and with a strong consensus among registries updated automatically across a network? How to give people a sense of privacy in everyday payments, even after the anonymity of cash is lost?

Central banks will have to make choices. Not all smartphones can run advanced virtual machines, effortlessly executing the software code for automated contracts.

Choose the wrong technology, and the unbanked population might once again get excluded. Ditto for overseas remittances, a US$124 trillion-a-year opportunity for tokens to replace an expensive network of correspondent banks moving money by exchanging SWIFT messages.

But it won’t work for small transfers if the computing power to verify transactions in a decentralised network costs too much. The ideal technology doesn’t necessarily have to be a blockchain, but it should be something “lightweight, flexible and capable of working with legacy systems,” Guo says. Above all, the distributed ledger must be transparent.

There will be other obstacles. “A driving force for lobbying against central bank digital currencies has been established among payment processing giants like Paypal, Venmo and Stripe,” Guo tells me. “Fedcoin won’t need these intermediaries to send funds.

As these companies fall victim to innovation, it’ll be interesting to see how they try to protect themselves from disruption.”

Paypal Holdings Inc, which owns the person-to-person service Venmo, contests Guo’s assertion as false. Supporting and distributing central bank digital currencies is part of Paypal’s vision of an inclusive future, CEO Dan Schulman told investors last month.

Former Bank of England governor Mike Carney, who has proposed an alternative to the dollar through a network of central bank digital currencies, recently joined the board of Stripe Inc.

One way to resolve the tension may be to co-opt the private sector. As IMF economists Tobias Adrian and Tommaso ManciniGriffoli have argued, an official virtual currency could be like Apple’s IOS operating system, with commercial banks and e-money providers running apps on top of it.

The Apple Health app may be fine for a lay user; an athlete will want something more sophisticated. Money could go the same way.

Countries will also have to cooperate with one another. Take M-CBDC Bridge. The project for 24/7 cross-border remittances using central bank digital currencies was begun by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Bank of Thailand, but has now been joined by the central bank of the United Arab Emirates and the People’s Bank of China. ─ Bloomberg

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The Future of Money Is Digital, But Is It Bitcoin?

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The future of money is digital but is it Bitcoin?

https://www.deccanherald.com/business/business-news/the-future-of-money-is-digital-but-is-it-bitcoin-958338.html 

The future of money is digital, but is it bitcoin?

 

 

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coronavirus pandemic.

Digital push

 

Go big in digital or risk being left behind. The government took full cognisance of this, which saw it roll out the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint or MyDigital recently.

It dove deep into the national digitalisation journey since 1996 when the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) was initiated and picked up on several weaknesses to address before it went back to the drawing board.

The Covid-19 pandemic and its wrath further cemented the need for digitalisation efforts, not only for the economy to rebound post-pandemic but even more so to future proof the nation from any sort of further crisis.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (pic below) said the pandemic has laid bare the weaknesses and the gap in the economic structure that has to be addressed immediately.

“Covid-19 affected the B40 more than the T20 and M40. We saw the impact from the MCO on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

“The reality is, most of the traditional or brick and mortar business owners have to shut down because they were unable to generate any revenue for months but they still had to pay their workers and for rental. Most of them have low digital literacy and it is not easy for them to move into the digital economy quickly, ” he said in a 10-point question and answer on MyDigital.

Mustapa added that there was no other choice than to accept and adopt digital technology, where the agenda is to improve the quality of life of the people, to improve business productivity and to stimulate the country’s economic growth.

He said Malaysia is one of the countries with the highest Internet usage, far higher than Thailand and Singapore.

“During the pandemic, Internet data usage rose by approximately 30%. The government sees an importance in this in empowering the business community. Business sectors are expected to grow rapidly in line with global competition and this will give our local businesses opportunities to penetrate the global market to become even more competitive through digitalisation, ” he said.

From a macro perspective, the digital economy is expected to contribute 22.6% to the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025.

MyDigital is also targeted to produce some 500,000 jobs in the digital economy and ensure that some 875,000 MSMEs adopt e-commerce.

For the people, the target is to achieve 100% of households with Internet access and for all students to have access to online learning.

Mustapa stressed on the importance of the blueprint in bridging the digital divide among Malaysians, between the urban and rural and between the young and old.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has raised our awareness that the adoption of digital technology needs to be expedited to protect our people from the risks of the digital economy. We are expected to see a change in the digital economic landscape towards improved digital literacy, creation of high-income jobs, a simpler and better organised banking and financial management, access to better education virtually, and the mobilisation of medical facilities to remote towns, ” he said.

For instance, Mustapa said one no longer needs to rent a shop to run a business and can do so entirely online using Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp.

While digitalisation was not something alien to Malaysia, the minister noted that the digital foundation has to be further strengthened in a more aggressive and integrated manner.

There are three phases to the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint – the first phase from 2021 to 2022 on accelerating adoption to strengthen the digital foundation, the second phase from 2023 to 2025 to drive digital transformation and inclusion, and the final phase from 2026 to 2030 to become the digital product manufacturer and digital services provider for markets in the region.

“The first phase places a holistic emphasis on data and digital intelligence as the lifeblood of empowering the digital economy in Malaysia.

“In the second phase, the government will look towards an inclusive digitalisation strategy where government efforts will be focused towards digitalisation engagement on a larger scale.

“This will also see the private sector empowered with human capital to encourage innovation in business areas such as the gig economy sector whereas phase three will chart the path for strong and sustainable growth in the coming decades, ” Mustapa said.

The government also hoped that the initiatives under MyDigital will serve as a catalyst for 5,000 new start-ups in the next five years and to attract unicorn companies to operate in Malaysia due to its tremendous spillover effect. A unicorn is a privately-owned start-up valued at over US$1bil (RM4.06bil).

When the unicorns perform well, Mustapa said this will contribute to the country’s cash flow and will also become the starting point to attract new foreign and domestic investments of some RM70bil into the digital sector.

“Old or young, urban or rural, or what your level of education or career is, the blueprint is for all of us. There’s something in it for everyone. I urge all Malaysians to grab the available opportunities and make the most of it. Together, we will be able to improve the standard of living of every Malaysian, ” he said.

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Virus looms large in Penang; Foreign worker tests behind rise in factory clusters

 

In the final week of February, Penang saw 922 new cases.

PENANG’S Covid-19 infectivity or R0 stood at 1.01 on the last day of February, compared with the national average R0 of 0.91, said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

R0 – pronounced R-naught – is an indicator showing how contagious a disease is.

Chow said in the final week of February, between Feb 21 and 27, Penang saw 922 new cases.

Out of this, 574 cases (62.25%) were locals and 348 (37.74%) comprised foreigners.

“A total of 16,180 Covid-19 tests were done throughout that week by various health facilities under the supervision of state Health Department.

“The majority of screenings were focused on close contacts of positive patients, screening at workplaces in factories as well as construction sites, and symptomatic screenings.

“For the screening of foreigners either registered under Socso’s Prihatin Screening Programme or under employers’ initiatives in manufacturing and construction, the state Health Department reported that as of Feb 28,68,939 people had undergone screening and 2,435 positive cases were detected, ” he said in a statement after attending a National Security Council (NSC) virtual meeting on the management of Covid-19 chaired by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday.

Chow added that the current approach was aspect-based public health as well as vaccinations.

“The Health Ministry as well as Energy, Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry are urged to continue to move in tandem with the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF), which was specially established at the state level.

“In Penang, phase one of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme has been running smoothly in every district.

“Our frontliners will always remain the priority as a commitment and principle held by the state government over the years.

“Let us all together make the vaccination programme a success, which is important to revive the growth of the economy in the state, ” he said.

Chow said in the NSC meeting, the technical committee was asked to examine the standard operating procedures of the tourism sector.

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Factory clusters made up about 60% of newly-detected workplace infections in the past fortnight.

Manufacturers attribute this to more tests which resulted in a steady rise in workplace clusters as the screenings were able to pick up more cases among workers. 

Covid-19 screenings for foreign workers that ended in February have been attributed to factories making up about 60% of new workplace clusters, says the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM).

Its president Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai said one possible reason for the increase in workplace clusters was the rise in community transmission, especially after the start of the third wave of the virus last year.

“Covid-19 is already within the community with 89% of patients being asymptomatic or showing mild symptoms.

“This is despite the government’s efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus and industries implementing the necessary standard operating procedure and precautionary measures,” he said when citing a media report in December.

Soh added that it was then made mandatory for foreign workers to undergo Covid-19 screenings, effective last December.

“The mandatory screenings were conducted in phases until Feb 28.

“As a result, we have seen a steady rise in workplace clusters as the screenings were able to pick up more cases among workers, especially those who were asymptomatic,” he said.

Based on Health Ministry data from Feb 13 to 28, factories contributed to 92 out of 146 new workplace clusters (63%) that emerged in the last couple of weeks.

This is an increase from the period between Jan 28 and Feb 12, where 49% of new workplace clusters were located in factories.

Other notable workplace clusters from Feb 13 to Feb 28 were construction sites (12%), markets and restaurants (8%), public administrative centres (3%) and educational institutions (2%).

Even when including non-workplace clusters such as community clusters, factories still made up 52% of the clusters.

Among the factory clusters, about 47% were located in Johor, while Selangor and Penang made up 34% and 7% respectively.

Soh said FMM had reminded its members to implement proactive measures to prevent Covid-19 outbreaks at the workplace and at workers’ living quarters.

“Among the measures are paying greater attention to workers’ hostels and housing, ensuring compliance with strict SOP, including the requirement for physical distancing in the living environment and imposing such requirements on sub-contract workers.

“We limited the capacity of vehicles or buses ferrying workers to 50% or less to ensure physical distancing.

“We implemented measures such as working in rotations or relocating staff to minimise closure of entire sections. We also appointed a senior management member of the company to oversee SOP compliance at the workplace,” he said.

However, Soh said there had been difficulty in monitoring and controlling the activities of employees outside the workplace.

Complying with housing standards for workers also proved a challenge as there was acute shortage of accommodation space, he added.

“There is also a lack of centralised living quarters to house workers, and it has been challenging to get approvals from the local councils for the use and conversion of shoplots as accommodation,” he said.

Soh said there were also strong objections from resident associations and joint management bodies when trying to house workers in residential areas.

Scientist suggests a more effective approach to COVID-19 ...

 

Why Zoom can wipe you out ?

 It’s not just you: Zoom fatigue is a real thing. — Dreamstime/TNS

 

Covid-19 pandemic has moved our lives into a virtual space. Why is that so exhausting?

The tiredness doesn’t feel earned. We’re not flying an airplane, teaching toddlers or rescuing people trapped in burning buildings. Still, by the end of the day, the feeling is so universal that it has its own name: Zoom Fatigue.

Stanford University professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab, has some answers.

In research published Tuesday in the journal Technology, Mind And Behavior, he describes the psychological impact of spending hours every day on Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, FaceTime, or other video-calling interfaces. It’s the first peer-reviewed article to analyze zoom fatigue from a psychological perspective.

There are four major reasons, according to Bailenson, that video chats make us so weary. And he proposes some easy fixes.

We’re too close for comfort

Think of the normal meeting. You might be looking at the speaker. Or maybe you’re noticing those fancy new window blinds, your colleague’s weekend tan or the traffic on the streets below.

But on Zoom calls, everyone is staring at everyone, all the time. And our faces can appear too large.

When so many faces are so close to ours in real life, our subconscious takes it personally. It tells us: They either want to pick a fight, or have sex.

“ What’s happening, in effect, when you’re using Zoom for many, many hours is you’re in this hyper-aroused state,” according to Bailenson.

Solution: Exit out of the full-screen option to shrink face size. Use an external keyboard to create a comfortable space between yourself and the masses.

We really hate watching ourselves

For most of us, that quick morning glimpse in the mirror is all we really need. After hours of self-gazing, we turn critical.

We notice that sloppy shave job. The overdue haircut. The dead plant over our left shoulder. Or maybe the light’s all wrong, casting deep shadows, and we look like a member of the witness protection programme.

“It’s taxing on us. It’s stressful,” said Bailenson. “There are negative emotional consequences to seeing yourself in a mirror.”

Solution: Use the “hide self-view” button, which you can access by right-clicking your own photo, once your face is framed properly in the video.

We’re trapped in a chair

Humans are restless creatures. During phone calls, we like to wander around. Even if stuck at a meeting at a conference table, we find ways to stretch – leaning back in a chair or gazing pensively at the ceiling.

But with videoconferencing, we’re limited by the camera’s narrow field of view.

This is both physically and mentally deadening. “There’s a growing research now that says when people are moving, they’re performing better cognitively,” Bailenson said.

Solution:

An external camera farther away from the screen lets you doodle, release neck tension, do a seated twist or fidget, just like you do in real meetings.

Turning video off periodically during meetings is a good ground rule to set for groups, creating a brief nonverbal rest.

We can’t see body language, so it takes more energy to communicate

At their best, meetings can act like subtle symphonies, with everyone harmonising their postures, laughter and knowing glances. We read each other’s cues. Conversations have rhythm.

Not so with Zoom. There’s a rigidity, with only one speaker at a time. We must listen closely for sentence completion, so we don’t interrupt. To make an important point, we must add drama and flair. “If you want to show someone that you are agreeing with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up,” said Bailenson. “That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate.”

Solution: During long stretches of meetings, give yourself an “audio only” break.

Don’t just turn off your camera – turn your body away from the screen. Gaze at that wall that needs painting, or the birds outside the window. Maybe hang up a few clothes, even wash a few dishes.

Want to measure your own Zoom fatigue? Because so many organisations – including schools, large companies and government entities – have reached out to Stanford communication researchers to improve videoconferencing setups, the team responded by devising the Zoom Exhaustion & Fatigue Scale, or ZEF Scale, to help measure workplace exhaustion.

The goal is to help change video technologies, so stressors are reduced.

To take the survey and participate in the research project, click here. – The Mercury News/Tribhttps://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2021/02/24/new-research-why-zoom-can-wipe-you-outune News Service

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