Malaysia Morning News For March 5

MACC confirms probes on Penang tunnel project
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today confirmed that it is investigating the Penang undersea tunnel project.
— FMT

Malaysia to export US$891m of palm oil to China
Malaysia has signed four agreements with Chinese parties for the export of 1.62 million tonnes of palm oil, worth US$891mil based on current prices.
— The Star Online

Electronics and LNG shipments lift Malaysia’s January exports
Malaysia’s January exports rose 3.1% from a year earlier thanks to robust shipments of electronics and liquefied natural gas.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Guan Eng: Malaysia’s 1% inflation proves SST mitigated price rise
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said today Malaysia’s 2018 inflation at 1% versus 2017’s 3.8% is proof that the sales and service tax (SST) played a role in mitigating price increases if compared to the goods and services tax (GST).
— The Edge Markets

Putrajaya proposes index to measure cost of living
The government has proposed an index to accurately measure the cost of living to assist employers in determining the right salary increase.
— Malay Mail

KLCI stays below 1,700 on tepid sentiment after poor 4Q18 corporate earnings
The FBM KLCI remained below the crucial 1,700-point level at the midday break today as sentiment stayed tepid following a disappointing fourth quarter 2018 (4Q18) corporate earnings season.
— The Edge Markets

Malaysia fights illegal immigration
Nearly 1,500 illegal immigrants have been detained in a nationwide operation by the Immigration Department of Malaysia.
— VietnamPlus

5G pioneer test in Cyberjaya, Putrajaya to begin next month
Cyberjaya and Putrajaya will become the first smart cities in Malaysia to receive 5G technology facilities when the service network’s pioneer test begins next month, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said.
— FMT

Govt proposes BNM to create cost of living index separate from CPI
The government plans to put forward a proposal to Bank Negara Malaysia to create an index to determine the cost of living of Malaysians soon.
— New Straits Times

Anwar should replace Malaysia PM Mahathir immediately, says PKR lawmaker
Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) president Anwar Ibrahim should take over as prime minister immediately following back-to-back by-election losses suffered by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, said a lawmaker from Penang state on Monday (Mar 4).
— Channel NewsAsia

More to water pact than Malaysia lets on
It is ironic that Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is speaking about “morality” when he wilfully selects and distorts facts about the water agreement (Mahathir urges Johor to speak up against S’pore water pact, March 1).
— The Straits Times

Mudajaya ex-employee arrested, charged with misappropriation of RM800,000 property
Mudajaya Group Bhd’s former employee, who was sued by the company for alleged breach of fiduciary duty, was arrested in Bangkok and brought back to Malaysia.
— The Sun Daily

Top Glove completes US$200m maiden exchangeable bond offering
Top Glove Corporation Bhd has completed the bonds issue for its maiden exchangeable bonds in the principal amount of US$200 million (RM814.1 million) on March 1, 2019.
— The Sun Daily

So Many New Democracies Yet So Few Of Them Are Clean. Malaysia Has Problems.
The good news is that democracy as a system of government spans more of the globe than at any previous time in history. The bad news.. well there’s plenty of it.
— Forbes

How Malaysia’s five naval stations at Spratlys were built
Malaysia’s ambitious plans to secure its rightful territories in the Spratlys began in the late 1970s.
— New Straits Times

Yinson’s shares higher on earlier-than-expected project commencement
Shares of Yinson Holdings Bhd were slightly higher on Bursa Malaysia this morning with the earlier-than-expected project commencement announcement for the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) Abigail-Joseph, Nigeria.
— The Sun Daily

Malaysia’s exports grow 3.1 pct in January
Malaysia’s exports grew 3.1 percent year-on-year to 85.41 billion ringgit (20.97 billion U.S. dollars) in January as exports to China remained steady, official data showed Monday.
— Xinhua

Report: Putrajaya tightens checks on expat retirement programme
Putrajaya has introduced stricter background checks for Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) applications, a popular programme that allows wealthy expatriates to stay in the country on a 10 year visa, The Straits Times reported today.
— Malay Mail

Niu e-scooters now in Malaysia – priced at RM8,800
First entering the global market in 2016, Niu electric scooters are now in Malaysia, and priced at RM8,800, including road tax, insurance and registration. Imported into Malaysia by MForce Bike Holding, the Niu N-Series has been launched as an introductory model.
— Paultan

EquitiesTracker LEAPS into Bursa to raise RM7m
EquitiesTracker Holdings Bhd, which is enroute to a listing on the Leading Entrepreneur Accelerator Platform (LEAP) of Bursa Malaysia, is raising RM7.14 million from new shares issuance.
— New Straits Times

Malaysia gets own Forest Stewardship grading standards now, but are they effective?
Malaysia became the first Southeast Asian country to have a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification standards, a supposedly rigorous set of criteria for best practices governing forest management.
— Malay Mail

Saying no to female genital mutilation in Malaysia
The external female genitalia comprises the mons pubis, which is a mound of fatty tissue covering the pubic bone; labia majora, which are large tissue folds that enclose and protect the other external genitalia; as well as the labia minora, which are small tissue lips that lie inside the labia majora and surround the vaginal and urethral openings.
— Star2

Malaysian retiree is making new friends while on a biking tour of the world
Sometimes life is full of surprises. For Malaysian cyclist Peter Yoong, he would have bade his newfound cyclist friends goodbye after their first encounter but, in some cases, they bumped into each other time and again.
— Star2

Tourism Malaysia believes Brunei tourist arrivals will rebound
DEPUTY Director General (Promotions) of Tourism Malaysia Dato’ Mohmed Razip Hasan, hosted a luncheon recently with local travel agents and airlines.
— Borneo Bulletin

Qatar-Malaysia high-level meetings on track, says embassy official
Preparations are underway for high-level meetings between Qatar and Malaysia slated this month and in April, Malaysian embassy charge d’affaires Mohamed Shahir Sabarudin said on the sidelines of a business meeting held at Qatar Chamber yesterday.
— Guft Times

Malaysia: Coalition Partners Ready to Desert UMNO Over ‘Racial Remarks’
Ten months after its first-ever electoral defeat, Malaysia’s oldest political coalition lurched further toward potential collapse Monday as leaders of two key component parties called for it to be dissolved or restructured.
— Benar news

Malaysia plans to halt all expansion of palm oil plantations
Malaysia plans to halt all expansion of oil palm plantations this year as it seeks to dispel the oil’s reputation as a driver of deforestation.
— Business Times

“Malaysians’ wage level currently not up to par”
Taking account of the current cost of living, there is a need for an in-depth study on salary and wages of Malaysian employees, says Employees Provident Fund (EPF) chief executive officer Tunku Alizakri Alias.
— New Straits Times

Make landscaping a Malaysian culture – Dr Mahathir
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wants effort to beautify the landscape around the house, village and towns to become a culture and the interest of society, to turn Malaysia into a beautiful garden country.
— Edge Prop

Samsung Galaxy M is coming soon to Malaysia as an online exclusive device
The Samsung Galaxy M series is coming to Malaysia very soon. These are Samsung’s new range of mid-range smartphones that offer a large display and a huge battery at a lower price point. Samsung Malaysia has just posted a teaser calling for registration of interest.
— Soyacincau

Brunei Sultan, Dr M to hold annual leaders’ consultation tomorrow
Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will have their maiden meeting under the Malaysia-Brunei Annual Leaders’ Consultation framework here tomorrow.
— Malay Mail

Audi Q2 1.4 TFSI arrives in Malaysia – RM219,900 OTR
The Audi Q2 has finally arrived in Malaysia, following its debut at the paultan.org Premium Auto Car Expo (PACE) last November. Pegged at RM219,000 on-the-road without insurance for private registration, the Audi Q2 comes in a sole sport 1.4 TFSI variant.
— Paultan

Malaysian stocks fall as neighbours react positively to US-China deal news
Most Southeast Asian stocks climbed on Monday amid reports the US and China were close to striking a trade deal, while Malaysia fell despite the country reporting a higher-than-expected trade surplus for January.
— FMT

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