Day: November 10, 2021

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 10 — The challenges faced by rural entrepreneurs in the post-COVID-19 era, efforts to cultivate entrepreneurial activities and the adoption of the digital economy in rural entrepreneurship were among the topics discussed at the ASEAN Forum On Enhancing Rural Micro, Small And Medium Enterprises today.

Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid in his speech at the forum said the results of the discussions could be used by ASEAN countries to formulate development plans for rural entrepreneurs in their countries, especially concerning digital technology.

“Rural entrepreneurship is a major activity that can help develop rural areas as well as improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities in rural areas,” he said in a statement today.

Mahdzir said the emphasis on the importance of increasing the use of the internet and digital technology was also necessary to ensure the sustainability and resilience of rural entrepreneurs in the era of post-COVID-19 recovery.

About 100 government officials, non-governmental organisations and rural entrepreneurs from ASEAN and ASEAN Plus Three countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines and Japan attended the one-day virtual event organised by Rural Development Ministry through the Institute for Rural Advancement.

“This forum is part of Malaysia’s commitment to the ASEAN Framework Action Plan on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication 2021 to 2025.

“It also aims to share best practices and exchange views among ASEAN and ASEAN Plus Three countries on issues, challenges and direction of rural micro, small and medium enterprises during and after the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mahdzir.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today attended the farewell reception and handover of duties ceremony for his police escort at Istana Negara.

According to Istana Negara’s statement on Facebook, the ceremony saw DCP Yahaya Othman handed over the duties as the King’s police escort to SAC Azry Akmar Ayob.

“The management of Istana Negara would like to express our highest gratitude and appreciation to DCP Datuk Yahaya Othman for his deeds and services during his stint at Istana Negara,” the statement read.

Yahaya had been the King’s police escort since 2019 and would begin his new duties as Kuala Lumpur Police deputy chief on Thursday.

In the statement, the management of Istana Negara also congratulated and welcomed Azry Akmar as the new King’s police escort in place of Yahaya.

Azry Akmar has previously served as assistant director of Bukit Aman CID International/MAPO/ Investigation (D3) assistant director.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

GEORGE TOWN, Nov 10 — Penang hopes to gazette the man-made island located next to the first Penang bridge as soon as next year and develop the area to be a ‘Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary’.

State Environment and Welfare Committee chairman, Phee Boon Poh said the area has the largest seagrass meadow in the country, on top of featuring a vast array of marine life and serving as a feeding ground for various marine creatures.

“This is our commitment to the people to preserve our heritage and we are working towards developing this marine sanctuary.

“The facilities have been done and hopefully Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow will make an official announcement on this plan soon,” he told reporters, here, today.

Last Saturday, it was reported that Chow announced the plan to gazette the area and that he had tasked Phee to lead a team to look into various issues, including the proposed gazettement.

Earlier today, Phee announced that traditional medicine would be a new feature under the PgCare Alliance platform, a collaborative effort between the state government and various non-governmental organisations to assist the people in the areas of mental health, employment, food and shelter as well as financial consultation.

He said upon registration, users would have access to consultations with traditional medicine practitioners.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — The ‘KL Cegah, KL Sihat’ campaign, which aims to increase the confidence of visitors to Bukit Bintang here, is beginning to show its effectiveness, although it was only launched yesterday.

Secretary of the Jalan Alor Hawkers and Traders Association, Simon Ang said based on his observation, visitors have started coming to their business premises, even though the number is small.

“So far, there are activities going on. I hope more people will come here, “he told Bernama.

Ang said the traders and hawkers had no problems complying with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set in the campaign.

The traders and hawkers always sanitised their business premises and only allow those who are fully vaccinated to enter, he added.

One of the traders, Triwi Sia, 34, said the campaign had succeeded in getting customers to her premises today.

She said the customers were confident with the compliance by traders and hawkers with the SOP set by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“Before the campaign, not many people come, but after the campaign was launched yesterday, there was a slight increase in people coming to eat at our stalls,” she added.

A customer, Wong Lee, 46, said he was happy that the campaign was launched as he felt more confident to come to businesses there to eat.

“I feel safe knowing that all the traders and customers here have been fully vaccinated. I will also look for a safe shop before I sit down and eat. I prefer to go to a restaurant that has many customers,” he said when met at a food premise in Jalan Alor.

Yesterday, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, when launching the campaign, hoped that the campaign would to some extent raise the economic level of those in Bukit Bintang, whose income and business had been adversely affected.

The campaign is one of the ‘bottom-up’ initiatives proposed by Local Agenda 21 Kuala Lumpur (LA21KL) partners, comprising the Bukit Bintang Cleanliness Blueprint Committee.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

JAKARTA, Nov 10 — The state news agencies of Indonesia and Malaysia today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in the sharing of news and information through various media platforms.

The MoU between Perusahaan Umum Lembaga Kantor Berita Nasional ANTARA and the Malaysian National News Agency, BERNAMA, encompasses the sharing of news and information programmes for broadcast over television and social media.

ANTARA president director Meidyatama Suryodiningrat and BERNAMA chief executive officer Datuk Mokhtar Hussain signed the MoU at a hotel here in the presence of visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Mokhtar, in a joint statement, said: “This agreement will serve as a springboard for ANTARA and BERNAMA to move forward unimpeded in the current challenging media landscape which is seeing greater use of new technologies in the gathering and distribution of news and information.

“The news exchange between ANTARA and BERNAMA goes back several decades and, if I may recall, BERNAMA’s first overseas correspondent was stationed in Jakarta way back in October 1971. This speaks well for the affinity we share in our business.”

Meanwhile, Suryodiningrat said today’s agreement (MoU) is a step forward in terms of cooperation between ANTARA and BERNAMA.

“It is my sincere hope for our news agencies to work closely and strengthen our mutually beneficial ties in various areas. In addition, I believe both our agencies will be able to cope effectively with all existing challenges,” he said.

The cooperation in news and information sharing also fortifies the long-established relations between the two countries.

ANTARA and BERNAMA established ties more than five decades ago.

The signing of the MoU will cement the relationship and take cooperation to a new level in the changing media landscape of the digital era.

ANTARA is a state-owned news agency established on Dec 13, 1937, in Jakarta and provides news services to various media organisations. It has journalists all over Indonesia and in several countries.

In 2020, ANTARA maintained the ISO 9001: 2015 that verified product quality assurance for clients.

ANTARA distributes products through the web, social media and television.

The news agency provides web-based distribution of all the latest news in various categories 24 hours a day.

BERNAMA was established on May 20, 1968, via the BERNAMA Act 1967 and has its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

It is a state-owned news agency which distributes news over multiple platforms including BERNAMA TV, BERNAMA Radio and social media networks.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency