Malaysia Morning News For November 20, 2019

New law to regulate dams nationwide in pipeline, says minister
The Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry is drawing up a law to regulate the country’s 104 dams as currently there is none that specifically addresses safety and maintenance.
— Malay Mail

Licenses to be revoked if oil palm landowners fail to get MSPO cert next year
Oil palm landowners with land over 100 acres risk getting their licence revoked if they fail to secure the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Certification from next year onwards, says Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok.
— The Borneo Post

‘Upset’ Najib ordered 1MDB audit report changes to hide two different financial statements, Ali Hamsa confirms
Datuk Seri Najib Razak directly ordered amendments to be made to the 2016 Auditor-General’s (A-G) report on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), former chief secretary to the government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa told the High Court.
— Malay Mail

SME Bank sets aside RM1 billion financing for local ECRL contractors
SME Bank has allocated RM1 billion in financing especially for local contractors who have been awarded civil works packages of the East Coast Rail Link project.
— The Sun Daily

Hats Off To YB Violet Yong – COMMENTARY
Last week this opposition representative in the Sarawak State Assembly stayed true to form and carried out her job.
— Sarawak Report

Foreign investors offloaded equities worth RM408.5m net last week
The momentum of selling activity by offshore investors on Bursa Malaysia gained pace last week, with foreign investors taking out RM408.5 million of local equities last week compared to RM237.2 million net sold in the preceding week.
— The Sun Daily

Pahang state government starts acquiring land for ECRL project
The state government has started the process of acquiring land for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in the state on Oct 30, after it was postponed on July 3, the Pahang state legislative assembly was told today.
— The Sun Daily

RAM: Oct inflation to ease to 0.9% on lower food inflation
Malaysia’s overall inflation rate is expected to ease to 0.9% in October on the back of smaller contribution from the food component, according to RAM Ratings.
— The Sun Daily

Pahang govt confirms Lynas has applied to build permanent depository facility site
The Pahang state government today confirmed that the rare earth processing company, Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Lynas), had applied for a site to construct a permanent depository facility (PDF) in the state.
— Malay Mail

Loke: Sarawak, Johor to have BRT system
Sarawak and Johor will be developing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system at respective states, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
— The Borneo Post

Sharifah Hasidah: MA63 steering committee wraps up but discussions on oil royalty, special grant continue
The Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Steering Committee has decided during a meeting yesterday that the issues surrounding oil royalty and cash payment for petroleum and gas extracted from Sabah and Sarawak will be discussed separately next month.
— The Borneo Post

Miti hopeful India will eventually be part of RCEP : Darell
The Ministry of International Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI) hopes India will eventually join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) after delaying its decision to join the trade pact.
— The Sun Daily

State election among top agenda at Sarawak PKR convention
Preparation for the Sarawak state election, expected to take place in 2021, will be among the main agenda to be discussed in the coming Sarawak Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) convention on Saturday (Nov 23).
— The Borneo Post

Bursa Malaysia lower in early trade
Bursa Malaysia retreated from yesterday’s gains to open lower this morning, on selling in the index-linked counters, amid mixed regional markets.
— The Sun Daily

S’pore urged to halt hanging of M’sian
The Singapore government has been urged to halt the hanging of Malaysian, Abd Helmi bin Ab Halim, at Singapore’s Changi prison, which is due to take place on Nov 22.
— The Sun Daily

MACC ready to help companies identify gaps in anti-corruption plans
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is prepared to help commercial organisations to identify the gaps or the uncovered areas in their anti-corruption plans ahead of the enforcement of Section 17A of the MACC Act in June next year.
— The Borneo Post

Big plans afoot for Penang Port
There are ambitious plans to reposition the port of Penang as a regional hub and three former schoolmates have been given the task to steer the ship in its intended course.
— The Sun Daily

RAM Ratings: Lacklustre foreign interest in Malaysian bond market in October
Foreign interest in the Malaysian fixed-income market was subdued in October, with a marginal net outflow of RM541.3 million, according to RAM Ratings. This compares with a net inflow of RM908 million in September.
— The Sun Daily

Pharmaniaga confirms interim 25-month Health Ministry contract
Pharmaniaga Bhd confirmed that it has bagged a contract from the Ministry of Health (MoH) for an interim period of 25 months from Dec 1, 2019 to Dec 31, 2021.
— The Sun Daily

Construction sector earnings seen rebounding in Q3
The construction sector’s earnings are expected to rebound in the third quarter (Q3’19) from a low base in Q3’18 post-general election, according to Affin Hwang Capital.
— The Sun Daily

We will conclude MA63 negotiations next year, says Sabah CM
The state government will prioritise negotiations for Sabah’s entitlement under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 next year.
— Malay Mail

Today’s top tech news: NEXEA invests in 5 startups, ByteDance to launch music streaming platform
Malaysia’s NEXEA announces investments in five startups – Press Release Malaysia-based startup investment firm NEXEA announced that it has invested a total of MYR250,000 (US$60,000) into five early stage startups from the NEXEA Startup Accelerator and Startup-Corporate Pilot programme, that has just ended this month.
— e27

Penang to study claims that coastal areas will submerge in 50 years
Penang will study claims made in an international environment report which predicted that three coastal areas here would be submerged within the next 50 years based on the trend of rising sea levels.
— The Sun Daily

Federal Court rules Pua can sue Najib for public office misfeasance
The Federal Court, in a landmark decision, ruled that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was a public officer and could be sued for alleged misfeasance in public office.
— Malay Mail

More efficient commute soon for Kuching and JB folk
Kuching and Johor Baru will be the next two cities to offer the bus rapid transit (BRT) service to their commuters.
— The Sun Daily

Mahathir in good health, just a slight nose bleed
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad suffered a slight nose bleed today during a press conference but is reportedly in good health. News that he was rushed for medical attention is not true, said a message which the Prime Minister’s Office shared with the media.
— The Borneo Post

Dr M to chair special federal-state council on MA63 review
A special council will be formed to monitor the implementation of decisions of the Special Cabinet Committee for the Review of the Malaysia Agreement 1963, a Sarawak government official announced today.
— Malay Mail

S’wak aims for smart cities, Miri to serve as model
Sarawak plans to develop smart city applications to improve public services in major cities in the state, with Miri serving a model.
— The Star Online

7 states prefer not to raise minimum age for marriage to 18
The federal government is unable enforce a ban on child marriages nationwide because seven states have disagreed with the legislative amendment, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
— The Sun Daily

Draft of National Strategic Plan to curb underage marriages at final stage – DPM
The draft of the National Strategic Plan to tackle the problem of underage marriages is at the final stage, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
— The Borneo Post

Licenses to be revoked if oil palm landowners fail to get MPSO certification: Teresa Kok
Oil palm landowners with land over 100 acres risk getting their license revoked if they fail to secure the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Certification from next year onwards, says Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok (pix).
— The Sun Daily

Perak exco on trial for rape can work as not yet proven guilty, says MB’s office
Suspended Perak state executive councillor Paul Yong Choo Kiong was allowed to resume his duty on the legal principle that he is innocent until proven guilty of his rape charge, the office of Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faisal.
— Malay Mail

DPM: Seven states won’t ban child marriage
The federal government cannot enforce a ban on child marriages nationwide as seven states are not cooperating, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail revealed in Parliament today.
— Malay Mail

Several members of Parliament met at Azmin’s residence last night
Several members of Parliament (MPs) gathered at the official residence of Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali in Precinct 10, here last night.
— The Borneo Post

Berjaya Assets back in the black with RM2.4m net profit in Q1
Berjaya Assets Bhd (BAssets) returned to profitability with a net profit of RM2.4 million for its first quarter ended Sept 30, 2019 against a net loss of RM300,000 in the corresponding quarter of the previous year, attributed to lower operating expenses incurred by its property development & property investment business and hotel.
— The Sun Daily

Tanjung Piai result shows people want PH to fulfill manifesto pledges: Guan Eng
Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) defeat in the Tanjung Piai by-election is a message from the people to the government to fulfill its election manifesto promises, according to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
— The Sun Daily

National Strategic Plan to curb underage marriage at final stages: Wan Azizah
The draft of the National Strategic Plan to tackle the problem of underage marriages is at the final stage, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
— The Sun Daily

PKR’s Kamaruddin downplays controversial meeting with Azmin, BN
Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar has downplayed the controversial meeting between PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali with 22 Barisan and five PKR MPs last Monday (Nov 18).
— The Star Online

Release names of people not welcomed in Sarawak on Internet, Dr Ting urges state government
A DAP assemblyman has suggested that the Sarawak government publish online the names of people who have been barred from entering the state after a Peninsular Malaysian activist was stopped at the Kuching International Airport (KIA) last week.
— The Borneo Post

‘Shocked’ Muhyiddin says Pakatan must change drastically to avoid being one-term wonder
Pakatan Harapan (PH) must make changes to both its strategy and execution if it intends to survive the next general election, coalition deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
— Malay Mail

Tun M says unsure content of meeting between Azmin, BN MPs
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad appears to be in the dark over a meeting between PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and several Barisan Nasional (BN) parliamentarians yesterdaynight.
— The Sun Daily

Firemen train to strengthen rescuing capability in highland areas
Sixty rescue personnel from various agencies in the state are undergoing training to strengthen their ability to rescue and manage victims in mountainous and highland areas, at Chemerong Waterfalls here.
— The Sun Daily

Ringgit opens lower against US dollar
The ringgit opened lower against the US dollar today as investors turned to US dollar as a safe haven following doubts on the progress of US-China trade talks, said a trader.
— The Sun Daily

Paul Yong’s application to shift rape trial to High Court to be heard on Nov 26
The High Court here will hear DAP assemblyman Paul Yong’s application to transfer his rape case from the Sessions Court on November 26.
— Malay Mail

Under Umno probe, Hishammuddin says has nothing to hide
Former Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein denied leading the Barisan Nasional lawmakers who visited PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali for a clandestine meeting last night.
— Malay Mail

Hadi says MCA victory in Tanjung Piai shows rejection of political extremism
The Barian Nasional victory in the Tanjung Piai by-election is a rejection of extreme political culture by Malaysian voters, said PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
— Malay Mail

Feature photo WPF Malaysian National Branch

This week’s Malaysia morning news feature photo focuses on World Philosophy Day, November 21.

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).

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