Day: April 2, 2022

SEPANG, April 2 (Bernama) — The Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry has held discussions with Bank Rakyat and SME Bank on the process of restructuring the loan repayment of entrepreneurs affected by COVID-19.

Its minister Tan Sri Noh Omar said he had also tabled the proposal at the recent Cabinet meeting.

“Many entrepreneurs came to see me and informed me that they could not repay their loans even though the banks provided a moratorium. Therefore, I have discussed with these two financial institutions to restructure loan repayments.

“This way, we can assist businesses to recover especially when the country’s borders have reopened,” he told Bernama at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport recently.

Noh said that as foreign travellers can now enter the country for tourism purposes, the ministry would focus on assisting entrepreneurs in the tourism industry, including tour bus operators and homestay owners.

“As they have not been in operation for two years, they need time to make repayment. They also need to repair their vehicles and homestay in order to kick-start their business,” he said.

In this regard, Noh was confident that the restructuring or rescheduling of loan repayments could assist entrepreneurs involved in resuming their business and repaying their loans according to schedule soon.

Meanwhile, he said the ministry has allocated RM50 million to assist micro-entrepreneurs affected by the floods last year, RM100 million for small and medium industry entrepreneurs as well as RM200 million through the Informal and Micro Financing Scheme.

“The ministry will continue to be concerned with the problems faced by entrepreneurs because they are the ones who will help to revitalise the country’s economy,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, April 2 (Bernama) — The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) today launched the 2021-2030 National Animal Welfare Strategic Plan which outlines three main strategies including strengthening the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 and other related laws.

The other two strategies were establishing cooperation with various parties for continuous development to strengthen animal welfare and wellbeing and spearheading the concept of welfare and kindness to animals based on the social culture of local communities.

The strategic plan was launched by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry 11 Datuk Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh, in conjunction with the two-day 2022 Malaysia Animal Loving Day (MALD 2022) celebration here, beginning yesterday.

DVS director-general Datuk Dr Norlizan Mohd Noor said the strategic plan was a continuation of the 2012-2020 National Animal Welfare Strategic Plan which ended in 2020.

“Animal welfare development planning must be continued to ensure that the aspect of welfare could be instilled continuously in every community in the country beginning from the early stages of children’s education.

“We target by 2030, Malaysian society will understand the importance of animal welfare and become responsible animal owners,” he told Bernama.

He said DVS also planned to cooperate with various stakeholders such as local institutions of higher learning, the private sector, animal associations and others to ensure the strategic plan will be successful.

“Also, under this plan, we hope to guide and educate all quarters involved in the animal industry to comply with all existing regulations and towards animal welfare assurance and well-being,” he said.

He said the development of animal welfare in the country must be implemented to instill a responsible animal ownership culture and establish a society that was concerned with animals.

He said the Animal Welfare Board which was set up under the Animal Welfare Act 2015 would monitor the implementation and evaluate the achievements of the policy.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

ALOR GAJAH, April 2 (Bernama) — The Melaka state government is planning to introduce a more efficient recruiting method so that more civil servants in the state register themselves as members of Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Negeri Melaka Berhad (KPKNMB).

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali said the government welcomed civil servants in Melaka to join the cooperative even though it is not compulsory.

“The plan to encourage more state civil servants to become cooperative members is there and discussions have been held as only 4,500 individuals have become members compared to the 30,000-strong civil servants in the state,” he said.

He told reporters after officiating Ar Rahnu Business Premises of Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Negeri Melaka Berhad in Taman Bandar Baru, Masjid Tanah here today.

Also present were Malaysian Cooperative Commission executive chairman Zazali Haron and Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Negeri Melaka Berhad chairman Marsitah Othman.

Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Negeri Melaka Berhad was formed in 1926. It has 12 members on the cooperative board and offers credit to its members, building rentals, real estate projects, investments and self-service laundry services.

He said civil servants in the state who have yet to register as a member should grab the opportunity and benefits offered by the cooperative since it is among the top 100 best cooperatives out of 14,500 registered cooperatives in the country.

“Among the advantages is the death benefit scheme for deceased members. Beneficiaries will receive RM18,000 each and any outstanding debts owed by the deceased member will be settled by the cooperative. It is the only cooperative to offer such benefits,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 (Bernama) — The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah extended their Ramadan greetings to all Muslims in Malaysia today.

With the arrival of Ramadan, Al-Sultan Abdullah urged all Muslims to strengthen their faith and increase religious activities as well as good deeds during the holy month.

“Seri Paduka Baginda also urged Muslims in Malaysia to dedicate themselves to meaningful pursuits and to strengthen their solidarity with one another during this holy month.

“His Majesty expresses his hope that Ramadan Al-Mubarak will be marked by humility and gratitude to the blessings and grace bestowed by Allah SWT upon us all,” said the statement posted on the Istana Negara Facebook page today.

Meanwhile, Al-Sultan Abdullah advised Malaysians not to be complacent and to continue to practise self-discipline to prevent the spread of COVID-19 even as the country enters the transition to endemic phase.

Muslims in the country are also advised to remain vigilant against the threat of COVID-19 and be disciplined in complying with the standard operating procedure (SOP) during the transition phase.

His Majesty said that Malaysians should ensure that they and their loved ones were protected by getting COVID-19 booster shots.

“Both the King and Queen would like to invite all Muslims to pray together in conjunction with Ramadan that Malaysia would continue to be blessed and protected against all threats and calamities, and that the spread of COVID-19 will come to an end soon,” the post read.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KOTA KINABALU, April 2 (Bernama) -The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) in collaboration with Kota Kinabalu City Hall has revived the Ramadan Bazaar at Asia City here after two years of ‘rest’ to help traders increase their income.

Kota Kinabalu FAMA officer Saibe Mohamad Saidol, however, said the number of stall lots had to be limited to 73 only and arranged according to standard operating procedures (SOP) which included set distancing between stalls and provision of scanning of the mySejahtera application to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“They (traders) have been waiting (to trade at the Ramadan bazaar), even for the past two years they have applied for the Ramadan bazaar to be opened, but due to the pandemic it was not allowed to operate.

“Now the Ramadan bazaar has been allowed (to operate) and there is relaxations on the SOP. The applicants are grateful … people say this Ramadan bazaar is the source of livelihood for most Ramadan bazaar traders (in this city),” he told Bernama.

Saibe, who is also the coordinator of the Ramadan bazaar at Asia City, hopes that the traders and patrons can together comply with the SOP set and adapt to the new norms of Ramadan bazaars.

Meanwhile, the traders involved were elated that the Ramadan bazaar has been allowed to operate this time, with some of them already making preparations to do business starting tomorrow, the first day of the fasting month.

One of the traders, Suriani Amir, 42, said she would make full use of the opportunity to generate side income as she has not traded in such a bazaar for two years.

The same sentiment was also shared by Jessy Nur Ain Majinam Abdullah, 41, who for the past two years has been continuing her kuih muih (traditional cakes) and pastry business online.

“Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah) for being able to do business again in this Ramadan bazaar as it is an opportunity to generate income. I hope the Ramadan bazaar this time is more lively,” said Jessy Nur Ain, who also provides an e-Wallet application to make it easier for people to pay without cash.

Jessy Nur Ain said she sells various types of kuih muih and pastries at reasonable prices, between RM2 and RM10 a pack.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUANTAN, April 2 (Bernama) — The Women of Wisdom (WoW) programme, organised by the Institute of Leadership Excellence and Development (i-LEAD), is targetting the participation of 5,000 young women this year in an effort to produce skilled, creative and innovative people.

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker said so far, about 500 participants from Kedah, Sabah and Pahang have joined the programme and gained exposure in the areas of leadership, communications and personality.

He said women entrepreneurs and icons as well as social media influencers would be invited to share their knowledge and exchange opinions at the Wow programme.

“The programme is free of charge and serves as a platform for sharing experience and ideas to realise the government’s aspirations in developing competitive human capital.

“It is targetting the participation of 5,000 women from all over the country and after this, the programme will be held in Melaka,” he told reporters after the closing ceremony of the WOW4U@i-Lead programme here today, with i-LEAD director-general Haswandi Ahmad also present.

A total of 120 women participated in the programme, comprising representatives from non-governmental organisations and students from public and private universities.

Members of the public who are interested in participating in the programme can visit https://i-lead.gov.my for further details.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency