Day: March 8, 2023

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Bernama) — The appointment and work rotation of civil servants are being implemented in accordance with public service-related rules and regulations, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said.

In fact, he said the processes were also in line with the Public Officers (Appointment, Promotion and Termination of Service) Regulations 2012 and the Ministerial Functions Act 1969.

While refuting the allegation that there is political interference in the appointment of top officers of the civil service under the Unity Government, Armizan said the appointment of such officers is a normal practice and has been done during the administration of previous governments.

“For replacement and work rotation of civil servants on Grade JUSA C and above, 128 appointments were made during the administration of the 7th Prime Minister (PM) (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad), 104 during the 8th PM (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin), 92 during 9th PM (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob), and under the current PM Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, there were 62 as of Feb 28.

“So, the perception that the Unity Government interferes in the appointment of top officers in the public service is untrue,” he said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2023 at the policy stage at the Dewan Rakyat sitting here today.

Meanwhile, Armizan said the government, from time to time, has always studied and reviewed the salaries of civil servants and made several improvements to the Malaysian Remuneration System (SSM) which has been implemented since 2002.

He said the prime minister had also pledged his commitment to review the salaries and wages of civil servants when the country’s financial situation improves.

“Any salary increment or a change in the existing salary structure should be studied comprehensively to maintain harmony in the public service,” he said.

Armizan said the decision to give salary increments to civil servants should also take into consideration the overall amount of public service emoluments and the country’s current financial situation.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Bernama) — The National Investment Council (MPN) will be established to plan an investment-related agenda as well as ensure the empowerment of investment governance in the country.

International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the MPN is chaired by the Prime Minister and the first meeting will be held in the near future.

“The establishment of MPN is important as it coincides with the effort to plan the investment agenda according to the interests of the country especially related to strategic investment with commitment at the highest level of the country,” he said during the winding up debate on the Supply Bill 2023 at the policy level in Parliament today.

In addition, Tengku Zafrul said, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) will focus on the goals of the New National Investment Policy based on the National Investment Aspiration (NIA) which involves five main cores.

“This New Investment Policy also focuses on inclusion and sustainability which is in line with environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tengku Zafrul said the ministry through the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) has established a special unit, the ‘Industrial Estate Unit’ to monitor and develop industrial parks to attract quality investments.

MITI has also received a development expenditure allocation from the Economy Ministry amounting to RM10 million for 2023 for a programme to upgrade the basic infrastructure of existing industrial areas.

“However, there is a need to apply for additional allocations to ensure the capacity and maintenance of the 700 industrial areas in the country are at their best,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

ROMPIN, March 8 (Bernama) — The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today expressed appreciation to the Malaysia Armed Forces (MAF) and the Public Work Department (JKR) for working closely to build the Bailey bridge on the main road to Felda Selancar and Perwira Jaya here.

His Majesty also hoped that the 42.67-metre temporary bridge could be put to optimal use as soon as possible as it also provides some temporary convenience and comfort to the affected residents.

“Thank you to JKR and MAF for building the bridge and I hope that when the time permits, a feasibility study will be done for a new road to be built there,” he said when visiting the temporary relief centre at Sekolah Kebangsaan Leban Chondong which houses 117 flood victims here.

Al-Sultan Abdullah was accompanied by Pahang Regent Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah and Tengku Panglima Raja Tengku Amir Nasser Ibrahim Shah.

Earlier, the King was presented with a briefing on the flood situation in the district by Rompin District Officer Datuk Ahmad Nasim Mohd Sidek.

The Bailey bridge was opened yesterday to all types of light vehicles under 40 tons with a speed limit of 30 kilometres an hour (km/h).

The bridge was constructed to allow residents road access after the main road collapsed on March 1 after the river broke its banks due to continuous rain, affecting around 12,000 local residents as the road connected them to Segamat and Muadzam Shah.

In his speech, Al-Sultan Abdullah also expressed appreciation to the agencies involved in the flood rescue operations, as well as the state government and non-governmental organisations.

The King also expressed hope that the operations to find a woman known as Nur Hafizah Zailan, who was believed to have fallen in a river while crossing the bridge in Kampung Aur Bukit Ibam at 4 am last Friday, would turn out fruitful.

“I hope the family will be patient during this difficult time, I pray that the victim will be found soon,” he said.

During the visit, Al-Sultan Abdullah also presented personal donations to the flood victims.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Bernama) — The Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK) will apply for additional allocations under Budget 2023 to boost the revenue of the agricommodity sector and to counter negative perceptions towards the sector.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said he would bring this matter to the attention of the Ministry of Finance for discussion.

Fadillah, who is also the Plantation and Commodities Minister, said additional allocations should be based on the country’s export income contribution from the agricommodity sector which was high as compared to the approved allocation.

The measure would allow KPK to focus on restructuring the smallholder development programme through the active involvement of major industry players in the sector, especially in the production and product marketing activities.

“This includes managing challenges such as disease as well as negative campaigns against the agricommodity sector which require larger allocations.

“Perhaps, in the budget review later, we will get additional allocations to deal with the challenges faced,” he said during the winding up of the policy-level debate of the Supply Bill 2023 at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Moving forward, Fadillah said KPK would also focus on enhancing the effectiveness of agency collaborations in driving the production and income of smallholders, as well as ensuring sufficient supply for the timber sector through the rubber replanting programme.

“In addition, the ministry will promote the application of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) to enhance the effectiveness and competitiveness of the agricommodity sector,” he said.

Fadillah also said the government had provided an average of RM670 million in financial allocations for the sector under the 12th Malaysia Plan (RMK12) from 2021-2023 to implement various initiatives and programmes to ensure that the sector remains competitive.

He said potential new sectors could be developed to generate new sources of growth and income for the country such as in the field of biomass, including fibres, which is expected to draw investments of up to RM10 billion by 2025.

Meanwhile, he said the ministry would also explore opportunities for the sector to be involved in carbon trading activities in an effort to create new growth opportunities, including kenaf as a source of construction materials.

Additionally, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board is in the process of developing a system for mapping oil palm-planted areas throughout Malaysia, which is expected to be completed before the end of 2024.

“Until December 2022, the oil palm planted area in Malaysia is 5.67 million hectares (ha) compared to the oil palm planted area limit of 6.5 million ha, in line with the National Agricommodity Policy (DAKN 2030),” the minister added.

DAKN 2030 is part of the government’s efforts to drive the development of the agricommodity sector in a more sustainable, competitive and market-oriented manner.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KOTA BHARU, March 8 (Bernama) — Failure to seek early treatment due to having more faith in traditional treatment has resulted in only 70 to 80 per cent of mental patients recovering after being treated in hospital.

Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital (HRPZ II) Department of Psychiatry head Dr Fariza Yahya said most mental patients only sought treatment at the hospital after more than two years of experiencing the problem.

“Many of the patients we saw said that their families took them to seek treatment with bomoh (shaman) first. But, when they see the patient’s condition worsening, they will then come to the hospital.

“The delay in getting early treatment has resulted in many patients not recovering 100 per cent due to their (patients’) deteriorating mental capacity,” she told reporters after the launch of the Community Mental Health Centre (MENTARI) project at the Ketereh Health Clinic, here, today.

Also present were Kelantan Social Security Organisation (Socso) director Nora Yaacob and Socso Return to Work division head Rosmawati Mat.

Dr Fariza said that early treatment is crucial to ensuring patients recover and can go about their normal routine, including being able to work, but they must take their medicine as prescribed by doctors.

According to her, for the MENTARI programme, patients undergoing rehabilitation will be given skills in their fields of interest, such as doing business, making ice cream and burgers as well as working with employers.

At the same time, over 2,000 new cases annually involving mental patients, including in terms of behaviour, are recorded seeking treatment at the HRPZ II Department of Psychiatry.

“Within a month, we received 200 to 300 new cases, including teenagers and the youngest is 13 years old. Many children from divorced parents are also found to have mental problems,” she said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Bernama) — The government is using a multi-pronged strategy, encompassing the entire food supply chain from raw materials to food outside of the home, to stabilise food prices and bring them to an affordable level.

Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli said initiatives such as Menu Rahmah and the People’s Income Initiative (IPR) that could provide ready meals at RM2 not only present affordable choices for consumers but also encourage competition within the food market space.

“The quality of the initiatives can already be seen. For example, the consumer price index (CPI) inflation for the food-outside-the-home component has fallen for the first time since August 2021, from 9.6 per cent in December 2022 to 9.3 per cent in January 2023.

“The government will ensure there is a continuation of efforts to reduce the people’s burden,” he said in a statement today.

Rafizi said the short-term focus towards fair price accountability would continue with the development of an ecosystem based on nationwide price data with the injection of price and supply elasticity.

He said the government would continue with the Price Standardisation Programme (PPH) to standardise the prices of seven basic goods, comprising white rice, sugar, one kg bag of cooking oil, flour, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), RON95 petrol, and diesel.

“This is to ensure the supply of these basic goods will reach people living outside urban areas and in the rural regions of the peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak.

“The PPH programme’s implementation will enable everyone to purchase essential goods at standardised prices,” he said.

Rafizi also said that the Ministry of Economy would analyse the price increase during the recent Chinese New Year when the month-on-month growth in 2023 (0.2 per cent) was lower compared with 2021 (0.3 per cent) and 2022 (0.24 per cent).

“This matter is encouraging because it proves that Malaysia was successful in lowering the rate of price increase amid global supply chain constraints and seasonal demand spikes,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Bernama) — The Unity Government has approved the principle to amend three Acts related to sexual offences against children to ensure justice for child victims and witnesses.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the laws involved Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (Act 792), Evidence of Child Witness Act 2007 (Act 676), and the Evidence Act 1950 (Act 56), were approved on Feb 24.

She added that the amendments are to be carried out in two phases, with the first phase comprising three proposed amendments to be implemented in this session, while the second phase will be implemented in the next Parliament session.

“The proposed amendments include the introduction of additional child-friendly measures to protect child victims, the creation of new offences and the granting of compensation to child victims,” she said during her winding-up speech on the Budget 2023 today.

Azalina explained that the proposed reform is intended to prevent child victims or witnesses from having to go through a lengthy, repetitive judicial process and a child-unfriendly justice system, thereby suffering long-term trauma.

In addition, Azalina said the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department is also conducting a study to enact the Public Defenders Bill to offer services for assistance in cases holistically.

She said it is aimed at giving everyone the opportunity to access justice, especially those who are unable to do so.

The National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK) had provided criminal legal aid services to 657,057 individuals from 2020 to 2022.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency