Malaysia Morning News For February 19, 2020

World Bank reviewing covid-19 impact before revising Malaysia’s GDP growth target
The World Bank is in the midst of reviewing the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Malaysia’s economy before deciding whether to revise the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth target.
— Malay Mail

Italy is using Malaysia as a dumping ground for plastic waste
Anger mounts as Italian companies found illegally delivering waste to Southeast Asia in move that risks locals’ health.
— Aljazeera

100,000 Malaysians could lose jobs if coronavirus threat persists
Up to 100,000 Malaysians could be sent packing from their jobs this year if the Covid-19 outbreak persists until year-end.
— The Sun Daily

AirAsia X may need affiliate’s support to cope with coronavirus impact: HLIB Research
The global aviation industry has been badly hit by the coronavirus outbreak, with no exception for local airlines. However, the impact on AirAsia X Bhd (AAX) looks to be more worrying and may need support from its affiliate AirAsia Group Bhd (AAGB).
— The Sun Daily

Malaysia urged to cut down on plastic packaging for cleaner seas
An analysis of Asia’s worst ocean polluters shows Malaysians are the biggest individual consumers of plastic packaging, green group WWF said on Monday (Feb 17), urging the government to limit single-use plastics and work with companies to fund a recycling push.
— CNA

Enhance Msia-Thailand cross border connectivity: Thai ambassador
Major upgrade of trade logistics and cross-border infrastructure between Malaysia and Thailand are important to spur bilateral trade and seamless trade connectivity for both countries.
— New Straits Times

A year after abandoning ‘deathtrap’, WPP’s Malaysian campus plans remain in limbo
Agency network says it continues to look for a suitable location for a new KL campus, with agencies remaining in disparate offices for now.
— Campaign Asia

Petronas Gas pays 32 sen dividend as Q4 profit surges 61%
Petronas Gas Bhd’s (PetGas) net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2019 jumped 61.44% to RM485.27 million from RM300.60 million a year ago on higher share of profit from joint ventures, unrealised forex gain from translation of US dollar lease liabilities and higher interest income from fund investments.
— The Sun Daily

BSN to channel matching grants for digitalisation of SMEs
Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) has entered into a strategic collaboration with the SME Bank Group and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to channel matching grants towards the digitalisation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
— New Sarawak Tribune

Two Malaysians on Diamond Princess cruise liner tested positive for COVID-19: Health Ministry
Two Malaysians on quarantined cruise liner Diamond Princess have tested positive for COVID-19, said the Health Ministry on Tuesday (Feb 18).
— CNA

Petronas inks 12-year TCP for 2 vessels with K Line
Petroliam Nasional Bhd’s (Petronas) subsidiary, Petronas LNG Ltd (PLL), has signed a Time Charter Party (TCP) with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd (K Line) to charter two liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessels.
— New Sarawak Tribune

E&O returns to black in Q3, but hotel occupancy adversely affected by Covid-19 outbreak
Eastern & Oriental Bhd (E&O), which returned to the black in the third quarter ended Dec 31, 2019, said the recent Covid-19 outbreak has adversely impacted its hotel occupancy.
— The Sun Daily

Business as usual: Melaka tourism unfazed by water rationing
Tourism industry players in Melaka say they are not adversely affected by the phase two water rationing which began on Feb 10 as they have contingency plans to deal with the situation.
— Malay Mail

Covid-19: Malaysia transparent in disseminating info — Health expert
Malaysia has been very transparent on the Covid-19 infection in terms of disseminating information to the public.
— The Borneo Post

Developers, designers to be responsible for construction workers’ safety: Kula
The Ministry of Human Resources will establish specific legislation or regulations by extending the responsibility towards construction workers’ safety to include developers and designers.
— The Sun Daily

Rabies: Sarawak will replace injection with bait method, says deputy CM
The state government will try to use the bait method to replace the vaccine injection procedure in an effort to curb the spread of rabies in Sarawak, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said today.
— Malay Mail

Gobind: Malaysia to choose 5G partners based on own security standards
Malaysia’s own security standards will dictate which companies take part in its planned 5G rollout this year, its communications minister told Reuters today, as the United States pushes countries to exclude China’s.
— Malay Mail

Unemployed JB man who allegedly stepped on Quran to undergo mental evaluation
A 33-year-old unemployed man was charged at the Magistrate’s Court here today after he was accused of stepping on the Quran and insulting Islam, in an incident that was shared ‘live’ on Facebook on February 13.
— Malay Mail

Govt, NSC submit objections to Anwar’s summons
The Malaysian Government and the National Security Council (NSC) have submitted preliminary objections to the originating summons filed by Port Dickson MP Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to challenge the implementation of the NSC Act 2016.
— The Star Online

A woman to head Agrobank?
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has dropped a hint that Agrobank, a government-owned bank, may be headed by a woman.
— New Sarawak Tribune

Ku Nan’s RM1 million graft case to be heard before new judge
The former Minister of Federal Territories Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s RM1 million corruption case will be heard before a new High Court judge.
— The Sun Daily

SME Masterplan shows some success but more could be done: World Bank economist
The programmes within the SME Masterplan 2012-2020 has shown some success so far, but there could be more done, according to World Bank senior economist Smita Kuriakose.
— The Sun Daily

Castro, Mahathir ‘architects’ in building strong Cuba-Malaysia ties, says Cuban ambassador
Former Cuban President Fidel Castro and Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pix) were the ‘architects’ in building the strong diplomatic ties which enabled both countries to respect each other and cooperate despite differences in their political systems, says Cuban Ambassador to Malaysia Ibete Fernández Hernandez.
— The Sun Daily

Morning News Roundup: Commerce.Asia invests in Malaysian rural social commerce platform BizApp
Finance e-Commerce ecosystem startup Commerce.Asia invests in Malaysian rural social commerce platform BizApp Commerce.Asia announced that it has made an investment in BizApp, Malaysian rural social commerce platform, with the aim to “overcome the disparity between urban and rural entrepreneurs through social commerce”.
— e27

Only loyal Sarawakians should contest in state polls, says PBB info chief
A Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leader has proposed that the Sarawak Constitution be amended to ensure that only “loyal Sarawakians” can contest in state elections.
— The Borneo Post

Sarawak rep wants state constitution amended to prevent non-locals from getting elected
Muara Tuang state assemblyman Datuk Idris Buang today urged the state government to amend Article 16 of the State Constitution to prevent non-Sarawakians from becoming the elected members of the Legislative Assembly.
— Malay Mail

Consumer confidence slips in Q4 but still optimistic
Despite the fifth consecutive quarter of decline, Malaysian consumers remained largely optimistic in the fourth quarter last year (Q4 2019), based on an index score of 107 points on The Conference Board Global Consumer Confidence Index (CCI), produced in collaboration with Nielsen.
— The Sun Daily

Ringgit continues downtrend as Covid-19 fears persist
The ringgit continued its downtrend from last week following worries surrounding global markets as Covid-19 fears continue to persist.
— The Borneo Post

Shell appoints Sarawakian as VP for Malaysia and Philippines
Shell Malaysia has announced the appointment of Sarawakian Ivan Tan as the new vice president (VP) for Malaysia and Philippines and managing director of Sarawak Shell Bhd and Sabah Shell Petroleum Company Limited, effective from.
— The Borneo Post

VM2020 to be modified following Covid-19 infection: Mohamaddin
The direction and promotion of Visit Malaysia Year (VM2020) will be modified in line with the situation of the country following the Covid-19 infection.
— The Sun Daily

Visit Malaysia Year 2020 to be modified following Covid-19 outbreak, says tourism minister
The direction and promotion of Visit Malaysia Year (VM2020) will be modified in line with the situation of the country following the Covid-19 infection.
— Malay Mail

State govt offers land for Federation’s HQ
The Federation of Chinese Associations of Sarawak will soon have a piece of land to set up its headquarters here. Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg announced that the land was in the central part of this city.
— New Sarawak Tribune

Business as usual at Malaysian embassy, consulates in China
Business is as usual at the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing and consulate offices in China. Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said all the embassy and consulate officers were on duty as usual without any shortage of manpower as only the Malaysian staff’s spouses and children had been repatriated back to Malaysia following.
— The Borneo Post

‘RM1.25b price for solar project set by Jepak Holdings without negotiating with ministry’
The High Court here was told today that the RM1.25 billion contract price for a hybrid solar project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak, had been set by Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd without undertaking any price negotiations with the Education Ministry.
— The Sun Daily

Kuala Lumpur Kepong Q1 profit down 33%
Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK) Bhd’s net profit for its first quarter ended Dec 31, 2019 declined 33.3% to RM167.2 million from RM250.9 million previously, dragged by the manufacturing and farming segments as well a drop in corporate income.
— The Sun Daily

Developers, designers to be responsible for construction workers’ safety too, says HR minister
The Ministry of Human Resources will establish specific legislation or regulations by extending the responsibility towards construction workers’ safety to include developers and designers.
— Malay Mail

Deputy minister: Giving local jobs to Malaysians a priority in 12th Malaysia Plan
Priority for Malaysian workers in fulfilling job opportunities in the country is one of the elements to be reinforced in the National Human Resource Policy (DSMN) and the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (RMK-12).
— Malay Mail

Sarawak DCM says no fraudulent health declarations so far
Visitors to Sarawak have been truthful in filling in their Health Declaration Forms (HDF), state Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said today.
— Malay Mail

Prosecution launches stay bid on return of 1MDB monies to Umno, MCA and two others
The prosecution has applied for a stay of execution of a High Court order for the return of RM194 million that was seized by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) from Umno, Wanita MCA and two.
— Malay Mail

Higher impairment, finance cost drag down MISC Q4 profit
MISC Bhd’s net profit slid 26.2% to RM249.9 million in the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019 against RM338.7 million reported in the same quarter a year ago, due to higher finance cost and impairment loss on ships, offshore floating assets and other investments.
— The Sun Daily

Dilapidated schools: Putrajaya fails to keep its word, says Abg Jo
Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg today said Putrajaya has failed to keep its end of the contra deal to repair 1,020 dilapidated schools in the state.
— The Borneo Post

Still too early to offer rental rebates, say M’sian mall owners
The Malaysia Shopping Malls Association (PPKM) says it is too early to offer rental rebates to its tenants or retailers, and that further monitoring is needed to assess the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus on the Malaysian retail sector.
— The Star Online

DPM conveys condolences to Ashraf Sinclair’s family
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (pix) has conveyed her condolences to the family of actor Ashraf Sinclair who died of a heart attack earlier today in Jakarta.
— The Sun Daily

Sinmah Capital’s indirect unit to acquire land for hospital-related project
Sinmah Capital Bhd’s 70%-owned indirect subsidiary Sinmah Amegajaya Healthcare Sdn Bhd proposes to acquire a five-acre piece of land from Sime Darby Property (City of Elmina) Sdn Bhd for RM32.67 million.
— The Sun Daily

MBPP to convert two-way street to one-way
The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) will be turning a portion of Lorong Air Terjun into a one-way street from 10am on Feb 20.
— The Sun Daily

XOX teams up with Advance Tech to launch 4G and 5G smartphones
XOX Bhd is partnering with Advance Tech Communication Sdn Bhd to launch a range of 4G and 5G smartphones in the next nine months. In a Bursa filing, XOX said its indirect wholly owned unit XOX Mobile Sdn Bhd had entered into a collaboration and cooperation agreement with Advance Tech to promote XPLORE smartphones across Southeast Asia.
— The Sun Daily

Penang City Council to convert two-way Lorong Air Terjun to one-way street
The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) will be turning a portion of Lorong Air Terjun into a one-way street from 10am on February 20. In a statement recently it said two-way traffic flow will be converted to one-way from Jalan.
— Malay Mail

Robo adviser MYTHEO hopes DIM will illuminate investment scene
With the rise of fintech and the introduction of robo advisers, the previous barriers to entry for investors are dissolving, leading the way to a new era of financial inclusion.
— The Sun Daily

Ku Nan’s RM1m graft case to be heard before new judge
The former Minister of Federal Territories Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s RM1 million corruption case will be heard before a new High Court judge.
— Malay Mail

‘Rebrand 3D jobs for more social acceptance’
It’s not the salary that keeps Malaysians away from 3D (dangerous, dirty and difficult) jobs, but the lack of social acceptance, according to the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).
— The Sun Daily

Feature photo Sahabat Alam Malaysia

This week’s Malaysia morning news feature photo focuses on World Day of Social Justice, February 20.

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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