Malaysia Morning News For May 30

State gov’t to extend electric bus service
The state government will be extending its electric bus service that has now reached the end of its three-month trial period. Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah announced that the service would still be available for free to commuters.
— The Borneo Post

Malaysia maintains 22nd position IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2019
Malaysia has maintained its 22nd rank, among 63 countries, in the World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) 2019 published by IMD World Competitiveness Centre, based in Lausanne, Switzerland. With a score of 82.54 out of 100 points, Malaysia sustained its position for the second year,
— The Borneo Post

Firms given 14 days to ship plastic waste out of Malaysia
Malaysia took some decisive steps yesterday to reiterate the fact that it will not be the world’s dumping ground.In an about-turn, the Sepang Municipal Council (SMC) revoked a six-month temporary operating licence issued to a plastic waste recycling factory, ordering the China-owned.
— The Sun Daily

Ramadan traders donate unsold food
Those who are fasting would know the feeling when visiting a Ramadan bazaar. There are mountains of food everywhere with the aroma of food wafting through the air.
— New Sarawak Tribune

Malaysia’s economy unaffected by inclusion in US treasury currency manipulator list
There are no consequences to Malaysia’s economy from the country’s inclusion in the United States (US) Treasury’s monitoring list of potential currency manipulators, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) said here, today.
— The Sun Daily

Three Malaysian students selected to continue studies at prestigious US military academies
Three Malaysian students from the National Defence University of Malaysia have gained the honour of attending three of the US most prestigious military academies. The students, Muhammad Aniq Hilman Haslimi, Grace Sian Ern…
— Malay Mail

Witness says Najib was ‘shocked’ RM42m from Ihsan Perdana transferred into his accounts, claims no knowledge
A witness told the High Court today that Datuk Seri Najib Razak was genuinely “shocked” and upset after finding out someone had transferred RM42 million into his personal accounts through Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB).
— Malay Mail

Ibrahim Ali says divide and conquer tactics real reason for Malay disunity
Parti Putra Perkasa Negara (Putra) president Datuk Ibrahim Ali today said that the real reason for Malay disunity is divide and conquer tactics and not the formation of other parties.
— Malay Mail

Seven police personnel involved in robbery released on bail
Seven police personnel and six individuals arrested over a robbery case involving a businessman on May 19, were released on police bail today.Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim (pix) said all the individuals involved, which included two police officers with the rank of .
— The Sun Daily

Muhyiddin: Home Ministry to discuss issue of illegal immigrants with state reps
The Ministry of Home Affairs will have a meeting with representatives of the states including the village heads and members of the public to find an effective solution in tackling the inflow of illegal immigrants into the.
— Malay Mail

Retailers protest local councils charging businesses for advertising signs inside own premises
Retailer groups, frustrated at being charged for signage within their premises by local authorities, want the government to look into current licensing and advertising laws.
— Malay Mail

Industrial division powers Sime Darby’s Q3 net profit
Sime Darby Bhd’s net profit rose by 64% to RM222mil in the third quarter ended March 31, 2019 from a year ago, boosted by the strong performance of its industrial division.
— The Star Online

Public hearings will continue for KL Plan 2020-2040: Khalid
Public hearing sessions will continue until the end of 2020 to complete the Kuala Lumpur Development Plan 2020-2040 but are not needed for developments that are already in line with the Plan, said Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad (pix).
— The Sun Daily

Kenanga obtains Bank Negara’s green light to acquire Libra Invest
Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd (Kenanga IB) has received Bank Negara Malaysia’s approval for its asset management subsidiary Kenanga Investors Bhd (KIB) to acquire ECM Libra Financial Group Bhd’s fund management arm Libra Invest Bhd.Kenanga IB said today that the approval is subject.
— The Sun Daily

Malacca welcomes federal govt’s decision to waive state water debt: Adly
The federal government’s move to write off loans for the rural water supply project has allowed the development of water supply from Tasik Biru, Chinchin near Jasin to the Durian Tunggal dam in the state to be implemented early enough to ensure adequate water supply.
— The Sun Daily

Shell spreads Raya cheer to three charities
In conjunction with the Hari Raya festivities, Shell is donating every sen for every litre of petrol purchased to three charities.
— The Star Online

FGV registers fourth straight quarterly loss
FGV Holdings Bhd reported another net loss of RM3.37 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 (Q1 19) compared with a net profit of RM1.13 million in the same quarter a year ago, dragged down by lower crude palm oil (CPO) prices and provision of separation scheme of RM27.36.
— The Sun Daily

Three Malaysians accepted into prestigious US service academies
Three young Malaysians received their appointments to continue their studies and prepare to become military officers at three prestigious American service academies on Wednesday (May 29).
— The Star Online

Melewar’s plan to take MAA Group private via SCR fails
MAA Group Bhd’s major shareholder, the Melewar group’s proposed plan to take it private through a selective capital reduction (SCR) failed.
— The Star Online

CIMB Q1 earnings at RM1.19bil
CIMB Group Holdings Bhd saw its net profit slipped 8.7% to RM1.19bil for the first quarter ended March 31 (1Q19), as compared with RM1.3bil in the same quarter last year in the absence of one-off disposal gain last year.
— The Star Online

Najib ‘shocked and upset’ money transferred into his account, says witness
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): A witness told the High Court here on Wednesday (May 29) that former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak appeared “shocked and upset” upon learning that someone had transferred money into his private accounts.
— The Star Online

PLUS: Sinkhole at northbound North-South Expressway repaired, all lanes open as usual
Road works to repair a sinkhole at KM272.7 of the North-South Expressway (NSE) north bound near Gunung Lang here have been completed yesterday.
— Malay Mail

AmBank Research sees possible cut in banks’ SRR
AmBank Research sees a possible cut in the statutory reserve requirement (SRR) for banks due to the current economic challenges and headwinds.
— The Star Online

BNM unfazed by Malaysia inclusion in US monitoring list, says no unfair currency practices
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) said there are no consequences for the Malaysian economy from the country’s inclusion the US Treasury’s monitoring list of potential currency manipulator published today.
— The Sun Daily

Envoy hopes M’sia will consider opening High Commission in Mauritius
Mauritius hopes that Malaysian government will consider opening a High Commission in the Indian Ocean island republic.High Commissioner of Mauritius to Malaysia, Issop Patel, said it is high time that Kuala Lumpur, which established diplomatic ties with the island republic in 1987,
— The Sun Daily

Home Ministry to meet with state reps to discuss illegal immigrants
The Ministry of Home Affairs will have a meeting with representatives of the states including the village heads and members of the public to find an effective solution in tackling the inflow of illegal immigrants into the country.
— The Borneo Post

Miros: Batu Pahat ranked highest in road fatalities
Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) director-general Siti Zaharah Ishak yesterday named the Batu Pahat district in Johor as having the highest number of vehicular fatalities with 554 cases recorded over the.
— Malay Mail

Gobind lauds Facebook’s commitment to combat misinformation, disinformation
Minister of Communications and Information Gobind Singh Deo has lauded Facebook’s initiatives in supporting his ministry’s efforts in tackling misinformation and disinformation.
— The Sun Daily

Karim thanks PH government for returning tourism tax collected
It is the federal government’s responsibility to continue distributing the 50 per cent tourism tax collected to all the respective states. Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul.
— New Sarawak Tribune

39 bands indigenous bands to attract more than 9,000 foreigners to RWMF2019
The Tourism Ministry is confident that Rainforest World Music Festival 2019 (RWMF2019) will be able to attract over 9,000 foreign visitors to the state. Tourism, Culture, Arts, Youth and.
— New Sarawak Tribune

PH must be clear about interests of races if it wants to win GE15
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government must always explain its stand on the interests of all races if it wants to continue to gain support and victory in the next general election (GE15).He said PH leaders including those from Parti …
— The Sun Daily

Why it’s good for federal govt to transfer revenue to the states
Revenue transfers to states are a much better way of spreading the benefits of growth to all areas of the country and all segments of the population.
— FMT News

High Court cancels arrest warrant for ex-spy chief who ‘forgot’ case mention
Former intelligence chief Datuk Hasanah Abdul Hamid has one less worry after the High Court cancelled the warrant for her arrest it issued last week.
— Malay Mail

Grab drivers in KK gripped by fear after murder case
Grab drivers here have expressed safety concerns following the recent killing of Grab driver Mohd Hanafiee Jaafar, who was robbed and his body dumped in Tuaran.
— The Star Online

Kit Siang accuses Najib of breaking own law introduced in 2012
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang has called for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to be investigated for activities “detrimental to parliamentary democracy”, a criminal clause the latter’s Barisan Nasional.
— Malay Mail

Health Ministry, Sungai Buloh Prison say looking into inmate’s TB death
The Health Ministry and the Sungai Buloh Prison are jointly investigating allegations that an inmate who recently died from tuberculosis was denied medical treatment for the infectious disease. “Investigation is ongoing.
— Malay Mail

Tenaga powers KLCI higher, bucks regional trend
Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) helped power the FBM KLCI to a firmer close at midday amid a downtrend seen in most regional stock markets.
— The Star Online

Primary One pupils to learn Science and Maths in English next year
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research will kick off the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English next year starting with Primary One pupils. Its minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong estimated that around 1,046 out of 1,265 primary schools throughout the .
— The Borneo Post

Jakoa in touch with states over Orang Asli issues, says minister
The Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa) is constantly in communication with the state governments to alleviate issues regarding the Orang Asli community and is also working with them to resolve the land encroachment.
— Malay Mail

Hearing for judicial review on smoking ban set for Aug 22
The hearing for a judicial review initiated by seven individuals challenging the smoking ban on eateries has been set for August 22, the counsel representing the group said today.
— Malay Mail

Report: Rela terminates services of over 1,600 inactive, honorary and associate members
In a bid to shape up and prevent possible abuse, the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) has ended the service of 1,681 inactive honorary and associate members following an internal audit.
— Malay Mail

Sarawak to be leading ‘halal’ beef supplier
Ready to export beef to Asean members and Middle-East KUCHING: Sarawak is poised to be the leading “halal” beef supplier to members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
— New Sarawak Tribune

Australia not lifting Sabah travel advisory for now
High Commissioner Andrew Goledzinowski also promises to promote Sabah’s eco-tourism to Australians.
— FMT News

King expresses condolences to Dahlan’s family
The King has expressed his condolences to the family of the late Datuk Dahlan Zainuddin, a renowned singer in the 70s who passed away on Tuesday (May 28).
— The Star Online

Sarawak to start teaching Standard One pupils Math and Science in English from Jan 2020
Sarawak will start using English as a medium of instruction for Mathematics and Science in primary school from January next year, making it the first state in the country to do so.
— Malay Mail

Today’s top tech news, May 29: Malaysian HRtech company Jibble raises US$2.5M
Also, Bukalapak joins forces with MoEngage for cross-channel customer engagement Malaysian HRtech company Jibble raises US$2.5M, now valued at US$33M [Press Release] Jibble, Malaysia-based HR software provider, announced that it has raised US$2.5 million funding, putting its valuation at US$33 .
— e27

Buku Fixi drops author, founder of Patriots group who hoped for killing of Malay liberals
Online bookstore Buku Fixi have dropped the works of Malay right-wing author Helmi Effendy after the latter had hoped and prayed for the purge and killings of Malay liberals and certain segments of the non-Malay community in…
— Malay Mail

PIDM advises public to be extra cautious
Perbadanan Insurans Deposit Malaysia (PIDM) has reminded the public to be extra cautious and to inform the authorities if they are asked to pay for PIDM’s protection. Its chief executive officer Rafiz Azuan Abdullah said there was an increase in number of complaints received.
— The Borneo Post

Penang govt to mark 100th birthday of second CM Dr Lim Chong Eu with book release
The Penang government through its think tank, Penang Institute, will launch a book in conjunction with the state’s second chief minister, the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu’s centenary birthday celebration.
— Malay Mail

Pig scourge pushes Vietnamese farmers to cows and ostriches
Among the world’s highest consumer of pork, Vietnam is encouraging a greater number of pig farmers to expand production to other livestock in the wake of a new swine flu outbreak.
— FMT News

Feature photo baka_neko_baka

This week’s Malaysia morning news feature photo acknowledges Gawai Dayak Festival, June 1.

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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.