Day: June 21, 2022

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) — The Home Ministry (KDN) has allocated about RM900 million (2021-2022) to meet the needs of the Immigration Department and modernise the country’s immigration system.

Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the move was to ensure the country’s immigration system was more comprehensive, modern, integrated and customer-friendly.

He said the budget was approved for the implementation of 61 physical and non-physical projects.

“The projects are in line with the latest technological developments such as the Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence so that we stay relevant in service delivery and our sovereignty and national security are preserved,” he said.

He said this when officiating the contract handover ceremony for the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) project, here today.

Among the projects are the construction of a new Immigration, Customs and Quarantine Complex, upgrading the country’s entry points, implementation of the automated clearance system and bidirectional counters such as at the Sultan Iskandar Building in Johor.

He said the Home Ministry would not hesitate to take stern action against any contractor or party who failed to deliver the task entrusted to them as the project status and development would always be closely monitored.

“To ensure NIISe runs smoothly, the government has appointed a third party to help regulate, monitor, evaluate, test and audit the projects throughout the software development life cycle to ensure the system being developed meets the department’s specifications and requirements and is of a high quality” he said.

He said the need to appoint an independent third party was critical in minimising failures in the development of a complex, high-impact and costly system.

MIMOS Berhad has been appointed as the independent project management consultant and MIMOS Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd as the independent verification and validation (IV&V) team for the system development and to audit the equipment supplied.

The NIISe project to replace the 20-year-old Malaysian Immigration System (myIMMs) is expected to be fully operational by 2024.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MAKKAH, June 21 (Bernama) — Malaysia has become the first country to obtain a permit to operate a hospital for the 1443H haj season, said the Malaysian Haj Delegation head Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Abdul Rahman.

He said that compared to other countries, Malaysia’s efficiency was always recognised by the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia and they were also aware that Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) staff would comply with the stipulated rules and conditions.

“A handover ceremony for the permit issued was held last week and it was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH).

“This proves the commitment and efficient work of the MOH and TH medical staff. This also shows that TH and MOH always prioritise the care of pilgrims’ health in the Holy Land.”

He said this when met by reporters at the Abraj Al-Janadriyah building, which houses TH headquarters and Malaysian pilgrims hostels, here.

Elaborating, he said Malaysia has fulfilled all the conditions set, including in terms of building, equipment, waste disposal system and the number of staff.

Meanwhile, Syed Saleh also advised Malaysian pilgrims not to force themselves to take part in activities that could affect their health, especially when wukuf day is around the corner.

He added that the dry spell with a temperature of up to 50 degrees Celcius would make it easier for pilgrims to fall sick.

“Please wear your face mask, especially in Masjidil Haram and Nabawi Mosque. Pilgrims also need to be careful when purchasing food…make sure they are clean and wash fruits before eating.

“In this hot weather, we must take care of ourselves and always drink enough water to avoid various diseases including heat stroke,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) — The government will formulate a National Adaptation Plan (MyNAP) relating to the impact of climate change, which will include a long-term action plan and strategies for various sectors, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

He said the sectors include public health, infrastructure, water resources and security, agriculture, forestry and biodiversity.

The decision was reached at the Malaysia Climate Change Action Council (MyCAC) meeting held online today to discuss the proposed flood management roadmap to increase Malaysia’s resilience and readiness in facing the impact of climate change, he said.

“This is because Malaysia is also exposed to the impact of climate change such as heavy rains which resulted in massive floods,” he said in a statement today.

The meeting was also attended by Menteri Besar, Chief Ministers, Cabinet Ministers, representative of the Chief Secretary to the Government, and experts in climate change.

Ismail Sabri said among other action plans was to encourage state governments to adopt the Malaysian Climate Change Adaptation Index to increase response to the impact of climate change.

“Other actions are to integrate the climate change factors in the planning, designing and implementation of projects in the water and infrastructure sectors to reduce the risk of floods,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the meeting also discussed the proposed use of electric vehicles (EV) in the organising of large-scale events, which was expected to be a catalyst for the development of the EV ecosystem as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions effectively.

He explained that it also has the potential to attract foreign investment, create green jobs, and reduce fuel subsidies by the government.

He said the meeting also agreed with the carbon market policy framework developed by the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) which provides basic guidance for carbon credit transactions in Malaysia.

“The framework emphasises the importance and advantages of carbon credit transactions at the domestic level to ensure the carbon market mechanism is implemented transparently, thus meeting international standards and contributing to the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target,” he said.

At present, KASA is in the midst of developing the Long-Term National Low Carbon Development Strategy in line with the government’s aspiration to achieve net zero carbon emissions in 2050 at the earliest.

He said the government’s commitment and efforts in spearheading the climate change agenda would also be continued through the country’s participation in the 27th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from Nov 6 to 18 to discuss the global issues of climate change.

Ismail Sabri said he himself would lead the Malaysian delegation to the convention.

“In line with the ‘Sustainable Malaysian Family’ aspiration, the federal government, along with state governments and other stakeholders will continue working closely together to ensure the country’s capability in tackling climate change issues can be strengthened for the wellbeing of Malaysian families now and in the future,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) — The Federal Territories Ministry through the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has banned heavy vehicles exceeding 7.5 tons from entering the city centre with immediate effect.

Its deputy minister, Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias said the enforcement measure was decided today by a special committee looking into solutions regarding the methods and actions to disperse traffic congestion in the capital city.

He said that any heavy vehicle found entering the capital at peak hours will be subject to action under Section 79 of The Road Transport Act 1987 by the police and the Road Transport Department (JPJ).

“Those who violate this ban will be subject to mandatory compounds and we will take a tough stance by not considering any appeals they might submit,” he said at a media conference that was also attended by KL Mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah after chairing the first meeting of the special committee here today.

Congestion in the city was also found to be due to a 45 per cent increase in the number of vehicles after the easing of the Movement Control Order since August last year, with 46.76 million recorded in December 2021 compared to 26.51 million in December 2019.

The committee has also decided to ban vehicles from parking on the curb during peak hours and will be phasing out parking spots at major roads in stages.

“We also are banning traders from conducting business on pavements during peak hours and will phase out trading spots in stages on pavements of major roads,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) — The Education Ministry (MOE) will find ways to resolve the issue of candidates opting out of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

Senior Minister of Education Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said the issue was not something new; in fact, the figure of around 10,000 absent candidates recorded last year was almost similar to that recorded in previous years.

“We are reviewing the results (of SPM 2021). As such, we are looking at new constraints and challenges faced in the context of candidates’ no-shows.

“We will look into this matter in a comprehensive manner because it has been going on for so long,” he told reporters at the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka 66th Anniversary Celebration here today.

Radzi also said that the ministry’s efforts in implementing the concept of ‘Sekolahku Sejahtera’ to inculcate students’ interest in the school system could be seen as a step to address the problem.

“Among the aspects emphasised in the concept is to create a school atmosphere that is fun enough for (students) to attend…we don’t have to force them and they themselves will feel that school is their place.

“If we don’t address the problem thoroughly and analyse it one by one, we won’t be able to find a suitable approach or mechanism (to solve it),” he said.

Asked if there is a possibility that school students are now more interested in working instead of going to school, Radzi said he had met with parents whose children did not enter the school system because they were comfortable working.

Therefore, he said, all quarters, including parents, should realise that school was an important component in the development of young people.

“Students, parents, teachers and the community need to work together to ensure that our children continue to go to school,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) — The Home Ministry is still gathering evidence on allegations that non-refugees were given refugee status cards by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin also said the ministry has yet to hold discussions with UNHCR on the matter.

He said the ministry was gathering more evidence to ensure no mistakes and to confirm the issue was not merely confined to only one or two parties.

“If there is a lot (evidence), they would then not be able to say anything. There is something that (they) may be hiding from us and this is what we are doing (evidence gathering) now.

“I will make a decision when the time comes… it is better for those who want to stay in our country to comply with our laws,” he told reporters after officiating at the NIISe project contract handover ceremony here today.

He said Malaysia was an independent country and all parties should have confidence in its laws.

Meanwhile, Hamzah said the Home Ministry was still responsible for foreign workers’ safety even though the entry quota for the group was now under the management of the Human Resources Ministry.

“For example, foreigners who work as maids in which safety is their own responsibility. But who ensures their safety? Others would not know, except for the Home Ministry through the police and Immigration who will assist if issues arise. The same goes with the security sector involving foreign security guards,” he said.

He said the Home Ministry also vetted foreigners brought in to work in the country to ensure that they were not blacklisted.

“If an employer gets a quota by wanting to bring in 100 foreigners, he has to pay levy to the Immigration and then key in the (details) into our system.

“If the foreigners are blacklisted in our country, we will not approve the Temporary Employment Visit Pass (PLKS). If they pass, we will stamp the visa with the PLKS and issue them a card for them to work in the country,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) — Malaysia has recorded 106,477 cases of the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), up to the 24th epidemiology week (ME) from June 12 to 18.

Health director-general, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement today said this was an increase of 39 times compared to the total cases for the same period last year which was during the COVID-19 pandemic with 2,710 cases.

“If compared with 31,500 cases for the same period in 2019 (before COVID-19 pandemic), it showed a 3.4 times increase. The cases reported nationwide for ME 24 was 10.556 cases, a 19.3 per cent fall compared with ME23 with 13,077 cases,” he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said Selangor logged the highest cases with 29,880 infections followed by Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (11,687), Perak (10,938), Johor (7,052) and Kelantan (6,532).

According to age, he said 95,175 children aged six and below were infected with HFMD while 9,183 children aged seven to 12 were infected by the disease.

The outbreaks were mostly at nurseries, kindergartens and pre-schools with 1,131 outbreaks or 56 per cent followed by private homes 794 outbreaks (40 per cent) and child care centres 57 outbreaks,” he said.

An outbreak is defined as an incident of HFMD with two or more cases in a locality and the cases are epidemiologically related as well as during the incubation period of HFMD.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency