Industry Minister

Wanita Umno deputy chief quits party to contest as independent

Apr 20th, 2013
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Wanita Umno deputy chief quits party to contest as independent

KUALA LUMPUR : Deputy Wanita Umno chief, Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim has quit Umno and will be contesting as an independent candidate for the Kuala Kangsar parliamentary seat.

 

Kamilia will be in a three-cornered fight, against  Pas candidate Khalil Idham Lim who is Pas Perak’s Information Chief and Barisan Nasional candidate, Datuk Wan Mohammad Khairil Anuar Wan Ahmad.

 

The Kuala Kangsar seat was previously held by veteran politician and former International Trade and Industry Minister, Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz with a majority of 1,458 against Pas candidate Khairuddin Abdul Malik.

 

Wan Mohammad Khairil was the former Bukit Chandan state assemblyman, a seat which was offered to Kamilia for this election.

 

In a posting on her Facebook page, Kamilia had confirmed about contesting as an independent candidate.

 

“Saya Kamilia Ibrahim telah disahkan oleh SPR sebagai calon bebas Parlimen Kuala Kangsar, dan dengan ini mengumumkan perletakan jawatan selaku Ahli Majlis Tertinggi UMNO, Naib Ketua Wanita UMNO Malaysia, Ketua Wanita UMNO Kuala Kangsar, dan Ahli Umno.

 

Kamilia however declined to contest in the state seat and expressed her dissappointment in BN’s failure to field her in a seat of her choice.

 

She was reported to have expected to be fielded in Kuala Kangsar as she was the second in command in Wanita Umno, the party’s women’s wing.

 

Barisan Nasional chairman Najib Tun Razak announced today that termination letters will be sent out on Monday to party members standing as Independents in the 2013 general election.

 

“The party’s discipline is important; personal ambitions cannot override the party’s needs,”

 

“Without discipline, a party is destroyed. So we have made a ruling that whoever stands as an Independent cannot remain a member.

 

“The party will take action this Monday and send letters to sack whoever is contesting in the election as an Independent,” he said.

Source: MOLE

Greater KL already has 17 projects

Feb 19th, 2013
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Greater KL already has 17 projects

KUALA LUMPUR: Seventeen projects are already in hand involving multi-national companies (MNCs), which will invest in Greater Kuala Lumpur, which has been described as one of the best investment destinations in Asia.
InvestKL Chief Executive Officer Zainal Amanshah said the projects were mainly in the services sector which will generate jobs and have a high impact on Gross National Income.
He said InvestKL's target is to bring in 100 large MNCs to Greater Kuala Lumpur by 2020 and "so far we are on target".
"However, there is a lot of work to do especially in positioning Kuala Lumpur as the business innovation and talent hub," Zainal told reporters after the opening of Altran's regional office by Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir.
Altran is a global leader in innovation and high-tech engineering consulting providing services in the aerospace, automotive, energy, railways, finance, healthcare and telecommunication sectors.
"This year, we expect about half-a-dozen companies, which are in the final stage of discussions, to announce their investments in Greater Kuala Lumpur. But for us the numbers are not so important.... we look at the quality," he said.
Zainal said the investments by these companies will vary from engineering to chemicals.
"We also see a lot of interest right now in making Kuala Lumpur the regional commodity trading hub.
"The government also has an incentive called the Global Incentives for Trading which has been extended to non-petroleum companies due to the interest seen in the area," he added. -- Bernama

Source: MOLE

Najib annouces additional RM120 mln allocation for Syabas

Feb 2nd, 2013
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Najib annouces additional RM120 mln allocation for Syabas

KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today announced an additional allocation of RM120 million to Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) to help resolve the water problem in Selangor. 

Speaking at the launch of 1Malaysia People’s Aid 2.0 (BR1M 2.0) in Ampang near here, he said the allocation was approved by the government to put an end to the suffering of Selangor people under opposition rule.

Najib who is also Finance Minister said the additional RM120 million allocation was on top of the RM606 million allocated to Syabas earlier.

“If not for the federal government allocation of RM606 million given to Syabas, the water problem in Selangor would have become much worse.

“We don’t want Selangor people to continue being victims and therefore the government has agreed to give the additional allocation of RM120 million.”

Speaking before over 10,000 people from Ampang and Pandan parliamentary constituencies, the Prime Minister said the Barisan Nasional (BN) would continue to fight for the issue but the solution lies with the people.
 

“I want this matter to be further pursued but when the time comes, it is better that Selangor people make the decision,” he said referring to the looming general election.

The Selangor water problem must be resolved fast because it had affected economic investment in the state while 430 development projects had to be postponed.

Najib said as such, the people in Selangor should evaluate the water issue and put a stop to it.

At the function, the Prime Minister presented BR1M to 30 of the 10,000 recipients in a symbolic launch in Ampang and Pandan constituencies.

Also present were Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar, Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Husni Hanadzlah, MP for Pandan Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and BN Ampang constituency coordinator Datuk Ismail Kijo.-BERNAMA-

Source: MOLE

Confusion reigns over Lynas’ waste disposal plans

Dec 12th, 2012
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Cabinet today reaffirmed the joint statement made by four of its members on Monday that Lynas Corporation is bound by its one temporary operating licence (TOL) issued to Lynas remove the residue generated by its rare earths refinery out of Malaysia.

NONEHowever, this clearly contradicts what Lynas Corporation executive chairperson Nicholas Curtis told the Wall Street Journal yesterday.

He claimed that there was no such provision but the company would still be voluntarily shipping the residue, in form of safe recycled products, to allay safety fears in Malaysia.

Curtis had spoken just a day after the four ministers, whose portfolios are directly related to the project,  had assured on Monday that the residue or materials derived from the residue would be shipped abroad, as part of the TOL agreement.

The matter was discussed in Cabinet today and the four ministers issued a three-paragraph statement this evening assuring the public that its decision was firm.

“There will be no change in the government’s position to demand Lynas to remove the residue generated by Lynas Advance Material Plant (LAMP) out of Malaysia, consistent with the conditions stated in the TOL.”

History of contradictions

The statement also said that Cabinet will ensure that all related government agencies will closely monitor LAMP’s operations, especially in the handling and the management of the residue generated by LAMP.

The four ministers are International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed, Science and Technology Minister Maximus Johnity Ongkili, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Douglas Unggah Embas and Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai.

However, the four did not address the Wall Street Journal report, which clearly contradicts them.

The TOL is not a public document and it has become increasingly clear that both Putrajaya and Lynas Corporation interprets the document differently.

Thus, the contradictory claims coming from both parties – which is not something new -  is likely to fuel public confusion on the matter further.

Below is a compilation of events which show Putrajaya’s inconsistencies on the matter:

Feb 1 -  Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) approved the TOL with five conditions, mostly detailing the Permanent Disposal Facility (PDF) requirement without stating the need to export the waste.

Feb 22 – The four ministers issued a joint statement stating that prior to the issuance of the TOL, Lynas shall submit a letter of undertaking that it will accept thee return of any residue generated by its refinery to its original source.

Sept 5 -  After a lenghty delay, the AELB issued the TOL and said that Lynas had made a commitment to export the waste from the refinery, but it did not explicitly state that it is a requirement in the TOL.

Sept 7 – AELB director-general Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan said Lynas’ commitment to ship out the waste is non-binding, according to the TOL.

The very next day, the AELB issued a press release, correcting Raja Abdul Aziz by stating that the management and removal of residue is an integral part of the TOL conditions and agreements, and it is legally binding and the AELB will enforce it.

Dec 7 – Chinese newspaper Guang Ming Daily quoted Lynas Malaysia managing director Mashal Ahmad as saying during a media briefing that the waste cannot be exported, as stipulated by international law, but the company will convert the waste into ‘synthetic aggregate’, which is non-hazardous and has commercial value, for export.

Dec 10 – Lynas issued a statement denying reports quoting Mashal stating that the waste products will remain in Malaysia.

The company stressed that the recycled product would be exported to other countries in accordance with international and local standards and regulations for use as civil engineering material.

Lynas said that the facility to convert waste into commercial products was operation ready.

Later that day, the four ministers issued a joint statement stating that the TOL granted to Lynas requires, as a specific condition, that the company removes all the residues generated by the refinery out of Malaysia.

In an article published by the Wall Street Journal, Curtis refuted the claim, stating that exporting the waste was not a TOL condition.

Kelantan needs transformation to create more economic opportunities

Dec 9th, 2012
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Kelantan needs transformation to create more economic opportunities – Mustapa

SHAH ALAM — The Kelantanese, especially university students and graduates, must realise that their home state needs transformation to create more economic opportunities for the people, said International Trade
and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

Having been ruled by the PAS government over the past 22 years, he said Kelantan has yet to see much changes.

“As a result, more Kelantanese have migrated to other states, especially to Barisan Nasional-led states like Johor and Melaka, just to earn a living,” he said when closing the 1Malaysia Kelantan Students Convention 2012 at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) here today.

Mustapa said Kelantan students should be smart to differentiate truth and lies from all sorts of information they received.

For example, he said the allegation that Umno was cruel was indeed a lie spread by the opposition, which had prompted certain quarters to pray for the destruction of Umno.

If Umno was cruel, there was no way the Kelantan students would make up 20 per cent of almost 500,000 graduates produced by UiTM so far, he said.

Furthermore, he said if Umno was cruel, Kelantan-born General Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin would not be appointed as Malaysian Armed Forces chief and Tun Arifin Zakaria would not be appointed as Chief Justice.

Mustapa said if Malaysia was a failed country, then why would world leaders, including American President Barack Obama, respect the opinion of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak?

“The world community will not respect Malaysia’s voice or opinion if Malaysia is a failed country. Wherever we go, people always look up to us,” he said.

The one-day convention was attended by 15,000 Kelantan students from public institutions of higher learning.BERNAMA

Source: MOLE

Corruption Perception Index improvement will boost investor confidence: Mustapa

Dec 8th, 2012
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Corruption Perception Index improvement will boost investor confidence: Mustapa

KUALA LUMPUR: The improvement achieved by Malaysia in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) this year will further boost investor confidence in Malaysia, among foreign and domestic investors, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said today.

 

He said ratings and rankings are very important to Malaysia as a developing economy to woo more investments and increase trade movements to developed nations.

 

“Foreign investors will not be interested to invest in countries that have high corruption level. Thus, this ranking is very encouraging for Malaysia,” he told reporters after his ministry’s monthly assembly.

 

Mustapa said the credit to the achievement must be given to ongoing efforts by the government through the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to curb corruption at all levels in the public and private sectors.

 

“MACC has done a fantastic job and I think with their continuous effort, higher rankings can be achieved in years to come,” he added.

 

Malaysia moved up six notches to 54th spot in this year’s CPI from 60th position last year, according to the Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M).

 

Malaysia scored 49 out of 100 on the CPI’s survey which gauges the perceived level of public sector corruption among 176 countries.–BERNAMA

Source: MOLE

Merger of five assets by PKNS has green light from treasury

Oct 28th, 2012
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Merger of five assets by PKNS has green light from treasury – Khalid

TANJUNG KARANG — The merger of five assets belonging to the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) into a single group asset transferred to a wholly-owned subsidiary of PKNS had received the approval of the Federal Treasury.
 

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said thus there was no necessity for him to reply on the issue which was raised by several parties because the PKNS deputy general manager (corporate) Datin Paduka Norazlina Zakaria had already given a reply on the matter.

He was commenting on the call by Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar that Abdul Khalid, who is also the PKNS chairman, gave a full explanation on the claim that the PKNS board of directors had approved the sale of the five PKNS assets worth RM321 million.

Noh said the five assets were Menara PKNS Petaling Jaya worth RM90 million, Shah Alam Convention Centre (RM97 million), Shah Alam PKNS Complex (RM85 million), Bangi PKNS Kompleks (RM42 million) and Wisma Yakin Kuala Lumpur (RM7 million).

Noh, who is also the Selangor Barisan Nasional deputy chairman, made the call at a function, here today.– BERNAMA

Source: MOLE

Jobs aplenty in shipbuilding and repairs by 2020

Oct 2nd, 2012
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Jobs aplenty in shipbuilding and repairs by 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: The shipbuilding and ship repairing industry will generate 20,000 jobs by 2020, said International Trade and Industry Minister, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

“A challenge that we face in this industry is a shortage of human capital, with a number of high-value jobs being done outside Malaysia.

“Basic ship repairing and ship building is done in Malaysia but when it comes to the finishing touches, it goes elsewhere. This due to the lack of skilled manpower and we need to address it.

“To date there are about 30,000 people working in this sector in Malaysia and it will increase to 50,000 by 2020,” Mustapa told reporters at the second National Marine Industries Forum here today.

He said the Malaysia Shipbuilding/Ship Repairing Strategic Plan 2020 is designed to put the country on the global map of major shipbuilding nations.

“The strategic plan helps chart the highly potential sector’s growth and provide the framework for its development in a structured and well-planned manner,” Mustapa added. — Bernama

Source: MOLE

Government ready to up funding for Proton to develop hybrid model

Sep 27th, 2012
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Government ready to up funding for Proton to develop hybrid model

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is ready to allocate RM120 million next year to Proton to undertake research and development for the development of a hybrid model before it can be commercialised mid-2014.

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the allocation was justified and relevant as the automotive industry was moving towards this positive direction.

“The government allocated RM100 million this year for Proton to develop a hybrid and electric model and will consider an allocation of RM120 million next year for research and development.

“All this depends on Budget 2013 which will be tabled by the prime minister tomorrow and on Proton meeting its key performance index target,” he said when replying to a supplementary question from Salleh Kalbi (Barisan Nasional-Silam) in the Dewan Rakyat.

Salleh asked if the government was planning on a fixed allocation for research and development for the development of a hybrid or electric model.

Mustapa said the automotive industry was vital to the nation as it provided employment to about 250,000 people.

As such, it was justified for the government to set aside a fixed allocation, just like the United States and Japan.

Earlier, to a question from Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak), Mustapa said Proton would spend RM500 million on green technology vehicle research and development.

Azmin asked about Proton’s rationale in investing, via Frazer-Nash Research (FNR), to develop electric or hybrid vehicles and its implication and return on investments.

Mustapa said Proton aimed for reasonable returns once electric vehicles and range extended electric vehicles are commercialised in two years.

“The automotive industry is undergoing challenging times with the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuel and carbon emission reduction to preserve the environment. Therefore, the need for automotive companies to explore green technology,” he said.

He also said like many other car manufacturers, Proton was focused on moving towards producing environmentally friendly cars.

“Proton has an equal chance. Competition in the automotive industry does not only evolve around product and design but also intellectual rights and green technology.

Proton is currently collaborating with UK-based FNR which is known for its great capability in developing its own intellectual patent in alternative and green technology.

Mustapa said discussions with other automotive companies ended in a deadlock because of problems such as intellectual rights and high royalty.

He said before Proton entered into research and development with FNR, Proton had no prior expertise in green technology vehicles.

“After four years of collaboration with FNR, Proton now has 40 professionals and 30 semi-professionals in the field.

The Proton Exora REEV was announced “The Most Energy Efficient Multi-Purpose Car-Prototype” at Britain’s Royal Automobile Club 2011 Future Car Challenge in November last year. – Bernama

Source: MOLE

PKR: Noh, Tee Yong must explain bird’s nest flip-flop

Sep 23rd, 2012
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PKR vice-president Chua Jui Meng has called on Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar and his deputy Chua Tee Yong to explain the recent flip-flop in handling the bird’s nest industry.

pkr congress 271110 jimmy chua jui mengJui Meng  (right) pointed out that the Agriculture Ministry had claimed the introduction of the radio frequency identification (RFID) system was the only way to end China’s year-long ban on bird’s nest exports from Malaysia but had now quietly backtracked on the matter.

“Both (Noh and Tee Yong) had been very insistent on the mandatory installation of RFID tags on boxes of bird nest exported by Malaysia (to China). They had gone on record, telling the media that it was China’s demand to have the RFID clause in the protocol.

“Now that China has signed protocols with Indonesia and Thailand without such a clause, Noh and Tee Yong have been exposed as beating around the bush on their draft protocol. They have been distorting the issue to suit their agenda,” he said in a statement.

Bird’s nest farmers have vehemently opposed to the costly RFID tags, claiming that the contract to implement the system was being given to a crony at their expense.

“Noh and Tee Yong must explain clearly and convincingly their real intention for initially wanting a protocol with a clause for mandatory installation of RFID tags.

History had shown that greedy middlemen, backed by those in power, would zoom into multi-billion-ringgit industries to grab a slice of the cake,” he said.

Transparency required

With the backtracking and plans to sign a new protocol in China, Jui Meng urged for the procedure to be conducted transparently.

“They are now trying to sign the protocol but the aggrieved traders and farmers do not know its actual contents. Is not the input of some 100,000 swiftlet farm houses and traders nationwide crucially relevant?” he said.

NONEJui Meng called on the ministry to emulate the protocols China signed with Indonesia and Thailand.

“According to the protocols signed by Indonesia and Thailand with China, all that is required for bird’s nests to be exported to China is that the packaging and labeling of carry the product’s name, weight, company name, address and registration number of processing establishments, product storage conditions and date of manufacture,” he said.

He warned that if the matter was not solved swiftly it could lead to the collapse of the bird’s nest industry, and both Noh and Tee Yong would be held responsible.

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