Loke: Approval was for bike taxi services, not Go-jek as sole operator
The Transport Ministry today made it clear that the Cabinet has so far only approved e-hailing motorcycle services to be introduced in the country, and not for any one particular company to operate the service, including Indonesian ride-hailing giant, Go-jek. Its minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said once the framework on the service has been approved in Parliament, any company can offer the service. Elaborating further, Loke said the once the framework was ready, the ministry would need some time to test the system. (Malay Mail)
Malaysia needs RM33b investment to hit renewable energy target
Malaysia needs investments totalling RM33 billion in order to achieve its target of 20% electricity generation from renewable energy (RE) sources by 2025, said Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin. She said the investments would be contributed by the government, public-private partnerships and private financing. The government would continue all the current incentives such as the Green Technology Financing Scheme and the Green Investment Tax Allowance to incentivise the growth of RE. Meanwhile, she said the third round of large-scale solar (LSS3) bidding, which ended last month, saw the cost of generating per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from solar energy was lower than energy generation from natural gas sources. LSS3 projects were in the offing for Malaysia in an effort to provide more affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity to the people. (NST Online)
PM: No need to increase retirement age to 65
There is no need to increase the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said. He agreed with Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s view to retain the current retirement age so as not to block employment opportunities for the younger generation. Dr Mahathir said there were nations that did not impose a mandatory retirement age, and employees there could work as long as they liked, but that only meant that they were denying opportunities for the younger generation. On Saturday, the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) urged the government to increase the mandatory retirement age to 65 years, as practised in several developed countries, including Singapore. (Malay Mail)
S P Setia to use IBS for landed residential projects
S P Setia Bhd plans to implement the industrialised building system (IBS) in the construction of upcoming landed-linked houses as well as prefabricated bath units in some of its projects to increase operational efficiency. S P Setia president and CEO Datuk Khor Chap Jen said today the IBS has resulted in increased efficiency of construction work and assembly processes, as well as improved quality and timeliness in project completion and handover. Its subsidiary Setia Precast Sdn Bhd had achieved the highest IBS score of 93.95 in Malaysia for the construction of the Health Ministry’s government quarters building along Jalan Bangsar. According to him, S P Setia had so far used the IBS in its apartment projects besides non-residential developments including the Setia City Mall in Shah Alam, Selangor. (The Edge)
20 lots of land to make way for Penang Mount Erskine road project
The Penang state government will be acquiring 20 plots of land to make way for a RM25 million underpass at the junction of Mount Erskine, Jalan Bagan Jermal and Burmah Road. Penang Island City Council (MBPP) Secretary Datuk Addnan Mohd Razali said the lands must be acquired so that they can widen Mount Erskine Road and build an underpass to link to Burmah Road. Addnan said construction costs for the underpass will cost about RM25 million and the city council will be spending another RM25 million to acquire the lands. The lands, of about 4430 sq metre, will be acquired based on the value determined by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH). (Malay Mail)
