Malaysia Morning News For April 12

PM: Islamic banking players must invest in technologies
Islamic banking and finance players must be intensely invested in technologies to transform the way they conduct banking services and disseminate their products more effectively and efficiently.
— The borneo Post

Malaysia’s Feb IPI rises 1.7% on expansion in electricity, manufacturing output
Malaysia’s Industrial Production Index (IPI) expanded 1.7% year-on-year (yoy) in February 2019, supported by the growth in the electricity and manufacturing segments, according to the Department of Statistics.
— The Sun Daily

Malaysia posts 5.5% growth in Feb manufacturing sales
Malaysia’s manufacturing sales rose 5.5% in February 2019 to RM65.8 billion versus RM62.3 billion in the same month a year ago.
— The Sun Daily

Malaysia’s language dilemma
The teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI) was a government policy implemented in 2003. It was designed to help improve the command of the English language among students by implementing it in the teaching and learning of science and mathematics.
— Asean Post

Maybank to disburse RM85b mortgages, SME loans in next 3 years
Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) plans to disburse RM50 billion in mortgages and RM35 billion in SME loans in the next three years, said group president and CEO Datuk Abdul Farid Alias (pix).
— The Sun Daily

Report: Malaysia, China to sign ECRL agreement tomorrow
The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) may finally see the light of day as a news report today claimed Malaysia and China will be signing an agreement on the project in Beijing tomorrow.
— Malay Mail

Last year, Malaysia was fourth in region for number of death sentences given
Malaysia ranked fourth in the Asia-Pacific region for the most number of death penalty sentences meted out last year, according to an Amnesty International report released yesterday.
— Malay Mail

Latest figures support expectations of Malaysia slowdown
MALAYSIA’S lower-than-expected industrial production (IP) growth figures for February are supporting economists’ expectations of slowing gross domestic product (GDP) growth, with possible risks of a rate cut ahead.
— Business Times

Dr M warns Malaysia about giving Rulers absolute power
Granting Rulers absolute power may lead to them advancing their personal interests instead of their states, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
— Malay Mail

Forest protection is Malaysia’s climate ace card
What hope for Malaysia, a climate and renewable energy leader, we saw at the Clean Energy Collaboration conference in Kuching.
— Malaysiakini

Johor is in Malaysia, Dr M says after sultan’s outsider remark
The federal government is authorised to comment on Johor’s affairs as the state is part of the federation, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
— Malay Mail

105 Israelis allowed entry to Malaysia since 2016: Home Affairs Ministry
Up to 105 Israeli citizens were permitted entry to Malaysia between 2016 and March this year, Home Affairs Deputy Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said on Thursday.
— New Straits Times

Petition Gains Momentum after Malaysia’s U-turn from Signing Rome Statute
A petition calling for Malaysia to accede to a treaty that established the International Criminal Court has garnered thousands of signatures since April 6, despite Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad saying that the nation would pull out of the Rome Statute.
— Benar News

Malaysia: Evidence mounts for economic slowdown
Malaysia’s economic data for the first two months of 2019 underpins our forecast of a slowdown in GDP growth to 4.2% in the first quarter of the year. This, in turn, supports our view of a 25 basis point rate cut in the next month to pre-empt any further growth downside in the rest of the year.
— Think

Malaysia-China Economic Relations Post-GE14: Rhetoric Vs Reality – Analysis
Malaysia still views China as an important economic partner regardless of the negative rhetoric. It is important to look at the actions of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in recent months, which have indicated that they want to deepen economic relations with China.
— Eurasia Review

Malaysia ratifies FAL Convention
Malaysia has ratified the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL) in a move that will better promote Malaysian ports and businesses in moving ahead to provide reliable services while maintaining uniformity in its processes and procedures.
— New Straits Times

IOI Properties sees recovery in property market
IOI Properties Group Bhd, which is launching The Clio 2 Residences next month, is confident that the market will recover soon.
— The Sun Daily

Cahya Mata: We are a monopoly, but anyone can supply cement in Sarawak
Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd(CMSB), which is the sole cement supplier and manufacturer in Sarawak, is open for other players to participate in the market there.
— The Star Online

US$1 billion investment made for Malaysia’s first AI park
G3 Global Bhd and China’s SenseTime Group Ltd are looking to set up Malaysia’s first artificial intelligence (AI) park, in collaboration with China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC), with a total investment of more than US$1 billion (RM4.1 billion) over the next five years.
— The Borneo Post

Malaysian senior citizen spends her inheritance on stray animals
Septuagenarian Chan Mee Fah, 78, has an inexplicable bond with helpless canines and felines. Her late mother, a coffeeshop owner, was compassionate towards stray dogs and cats. She would take them home, feed them and give them shelter.
— Asia One

PH’s bad precedents in MB appointments
The battle royale that is shaping up in Johor over the choice of menteri besar may look like a tussle between the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government and the monarchy over a constitutional principle.
— FMT

MBI Selangor and RAC to build affordable homes at transport hubs
Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI Selangor) and Railway Assets Corp (RAC) will draft a comprehensive development plan to build affordable homes across RAC’s land in Selangor.
— New Straits Times

Government allows workers with calling visa to fly to Malaysia but only a few show up to take labour permit
More than a week since the government decided to allow Nepali migrant workers with calling visa for Malaysia to take up jobs in the Southeast Asian country, it seems there are only a few takers.
— Eleven Myanmar

Sunway Velocity TWO reached 85pc in sales
Sunway Property, the property division of Sunway Bhd, has achieved 85 per cent in sales for Sunway Velocity TWO.
— New Straits Times

Come forward for a new Malaysian narrative
ALL groups in the country must come forward to create a new narrative for Malaysia, says civil rights lawyer Syahredzan Johan. The clock is ticking for a new, inclusive national agenda to be accepted by the people, but it is still not too late to make it happen, he adds.
— The Edge Markets

Malaysians react as Netflix snubs Malaysia in new series on Asian street food
Malaysian Twitter users were not impressed when Netflix debuted a trailer for their new culinary series Street Food Asia — and ignoring Malaysia.
— Malay Mail

Grab implements facial recognition feature into app
IN collaboration with the Transport Ministry, e-hailing company Grab Malaysia today announced its unique passenger verification feature that enables users to verify their identity on Grab’s app via a live selfie option.
— The Malaysian Insight

Petronas Chemicals collaborates with Dow on EO facility
Dow has signed an agreement with Petronas Chemicals Glycols Sdn Bhd to collaborate on a carbon project at Petronas’ world-scale ethylene oxide (EO) production facility in Kerteh, Terengganu.
— The Borneo Post

Feature photo BenarNews

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Malaysia morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Malaysia news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.