KJ: With shots increasing daily, country can hit 10% mark by mid-July
Malaysia’s Covid-19 immunisation drive is going full steam ahead towards achieving its aim of vaccinating 10% of the population this month. The coordinating minister of the national immunisation programme Khairy Jamaluddin said as at June 29, a total of 7,824,912 vaccine shots have been administered in the country. As part of the National Recovery Plan, the government has set a target of ensuring that by mid-July, at least 10% of the population are fully vaccinated. This translates to 3.2 million people in the country. At present, the country has managed to fully vaccinate 2.2 million people. “As more supplies of vaccines arrive, we can set higher targets and benchmarks so we can achieve broader vaccination coverage as soon as possible,” he added. Khairy said the third phase of the vaccination programme, which involves the general public aged between 18 and 59, has begun in Melaka, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Labuan, Penang, Selangor and Sarawak. On vaccine supplies, Malaysia will receive two million vaccine doses from Japan and the United States in the form of donations. This is on top of the national vaccines supply that Malaysia is scheduled to receive. (The Star)
Azmin: Malaysia’s trade still going steady in face of pandemic
Malaysia’s trade performance in 2021 has indicated a strong productive recovery with trade having grown by 43.2 per cent to RM190.76 billion, said International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali. He said the performance, recorded in April, is a marked improvement compared to April last year. “Exports have been in excess of RM100 billion for two consecutive months, reaching RM105.62 billion in April this year, surging by 63% as against April 2020,” Azmin said. He characterised it as a major achievement as this is the fastest growth since February 1998 and the eighth-consecutive month of year-on-year expansion since September 2020. “The World Competitiveness Yearbook 2021 ranked Malaysia’s global competitiveness at 25th place from 64 economies, an improvement from the 27th position in 2020. In the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business 2020 ranking, Malaysia recorded second position among 190 economies in dealing with construction permits,” he said. Azmin said the ministry’s Malaysia Productivity Corporation continues to work closely with the Special Taskforce to Facilitate Business (Pemudah) to reduce the unnecessary regulatory burdens on existing and new businesses. (Malay Mail)
CTOS Digital Bhd announces RM1.2bil IPO launch
Malaysian credit reporting firm CTOS Digital Bhd on Wednesday announced plans to launch its RM1.2 billion initial public offering (IPO), the country’s biggest listing for the year so far. The company said at the launch of its prospectus that it expects to list on the Malaysian bourse on July 19. The listing would entail a public issue of 200 million new shares and an offer-for-sale allocation of 900 million existing shares, priced at RM1.10 each. A big chunk of the IPO proceeds, which is RM155.2 million, will be used to pare down debts, while RM59 million will be earmarked for synergistic investment and acquisition of target companies. The remaining RM6.1 million will be utilised to defray listing fees and expenses. The listing is the largest since Mr DIY Group’s RM1.5 billion IPO last year. Both Mr DIY and CTOS come from private equity firm Creador’s stable. (Reuters)
Let us operate under strict SOPs, plead property, real estate sectors
A group representing some 15,000 professionals in the property and real estate sectors has urged the government to allow them to operate during the movement control order but under strict SOPs. They said the MCO has halted the operations of most firms in the industry, which are SME businesses. “We appeal to the government to reconsider the consequences of extending this lockdown not only to the general economy but to the surveying, valuation and property-related firms,” the group said in a joint statement. The group comprises the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM), the Association of Valuers, Property Managers, Estate Agents and Property Consultants in the Private Sector Malaysia (PEPS), the Malaysian Institute of Property & Facility Managers (MIPFM), the Malaysian Institute of Professional Estate Agents & Consultants (MIPEAC), the Business Valuers Association of Malaysia (BVAM) and Persatuan Perunding Hartanah Muslim Malaysia (Peham). It appealed to the government to consider opening up critical sectors such as construction and property, and professional services to support them. (Free Malaysia Today)
Sabah sets up committee to make Sandakan second city
The Sabah government will set up the Sandakan Economic and Investment Development Committee (JPEPS) to realise the goal of making Sandakan the second city in Sabah, after Kota Kinabalu. Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said the committee would assist the state government to plan and implement more systematic and progressive development programmes in Sandakan. “Sandakan has so much potential to be developed, including biodiversity that is attractive enough for the tourism, industrial and other sectors, besides providing good road network system as well as water and electricity supplies to attract tourists and investors,” he said. According to him, the relocation of the Indonesian capital from Jakarta to Kalimantan would see more developments implemented in Kalimantan, which would then surely have a positive impact, especially in terms of economic growth in Sabah, in particular Sandakan. “As such, we who are nearby will definitely be able to help in terms of providing various needs, among them electricity supply. At the same time, we can prepare something that will attract them to Sandakan and this will certainly provide economic returns to the people,” he said. (Malay Mail)
IGP: Movement approval permit period for self-employed extended until July 7
The one-off movement approval permit given to all self-employed individuals, which ended on June 28, is automatically extended until July 7, said Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani. He said previously, the police gave such permits to the self-employed like plumbers, maintenance workers, and hawkers for movements during the movement control order (MCO) 3.0. For movement after July 7 under Phase One of Movement Control of the National Recovery Plan (PPN), plumbers, maintenance workers and hawkers must submit new applications. “Movement approval will be given for 14 days, and they need to re-apply when it (permit) expires,” he said. He also urged the public to comply with the stipulated standard operating procedures (SOP) at police stations and jointly play a role to curb the spread of Covid-19. (Malay Mail)
