Author: Tahaani Hamood

The purpose of establishing Ombudsman Malaysia is to replace and improve the functions of the Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) in serving the public to resolve complaints and promoting good governance in the public sector. PCB director-general S. Letchumanan said this was also to ensure that the body has a clear authority to investigate any complaints received. “In the existing policy the word investigate is not clearly defined and terms like examine or calling a witness are used, which are actually steps of an investigation. “So what we want is an Ombudsman that will really have the power to investigate. We…

EU debt rules should be reformed to give member countries more fiscal space to modernize their economies. While some believe that this will encourage investment and trigger growth, others, with Germany at the forefront, fear that loose fiscal policy will only increase the deficits and debts of highly indebted member states. Recent crises have led even thrifty countries like Germany or the Netherlands to take on large amounts of public debt, leading to calls for reforms. The bloc’s strict debt and deficit rules, known as the Stability and Growth Pact, have been temporarily suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and that suspension…

SPRING is the season of hope and joy when everything bursts into life. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to China ended with a great success when his plane departed from Beijing Capital International Airport in this early spring. This is a historic visit with a number of firsts. It is the first-time meeting between leaders of China and Malaysia both have just finished their respective new-term government formation. Prime Minister Anwar is among the first group of foreign dignitaries received by China’s new-term government. This is also Prime Minister Anwar’s first official visit to China since taking…

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Saturday (20 May) reportedly said it detained four tankers for illegally anchoring in the eastern Johor waters in the period of six days, according to local media outlets. Tanjung Sedili Maritime Zone MMEA deputy director commander Mohd Najib Sam reportedly stated the four ships, comprising two registered in Singapore, an Indonesian-registered vessel and another registered in Monrovia in Liberia, were seized last week. The first Singapore-registered ship, transporting liquified petroleum gas, was seized on 13 May at 17.7 nautical miles east of Tanjung Sedili Besar while the second Singapore-registered vessel was seized at…

Within the narrow confines of a shoplot in Prangin Mall, Cecelia Lim is busy attending to a customer. She picks up swatches of multicoloured sarong material and holds it up against the waist of the teenage girl clad in a bright embroidered Nyonya kebaya top and shorts. “This goes very well with the kebaya top,” Lim said. Lim herself is clad in a red elaborately embroidered Nyonya kebaya paired with a matching multicoloured batik sarong. She pulls out another sarong for the girl to consider while the girl’s mother and sister are busily selecting several kebaya tops from the racks to try. “You choose the top…

RHB Investment Bank Bhd has maintained that the country’s trade performance will likely improve by the second half of 2023 (2H 2023), following the anticipated recovery in the global economy. In a research note, RHB Investment Bank said global growth would likely rebound by 2H 2023 with the stabilisation of financial conditions as most major global central banks would have reached their peak policy interest rate objectives, and inflationary momentum would likely ease on a sustained basis. “Exports are unlikely to collapse in 1H 2023. Despite the contraction in the year-on-year term for March, we expect a continuous stabilisation in…

The Waterfront City mall, which overlooks the Straits of Johor Bahru and Singapore, could be converted into a commercial building similar to KL Tower (in Kuala Lumpur) with an estimated gross development value of RM1 billion, sources said. The source said that there are plans to demolish the mall, also known as Lot 1, to make way for a mixed-use commercial building with a revolving restaurant at the top level and a telecoms antenna at the highest point. According to him, the Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) will commence the development and ask investors, including the private sector and Government-Linked…

Emomali Rahmon made appointments today, March 2, in the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the press service of the head of state reports. Thus, Umed Solehzoda, Deputy Minister of Industry and New Technologies, Sherali Kabir, was relieved of his post by a decree signed by the President. In connection with what the dismissal followed, it is not indicated. By another government decree, Kurbonzoda Isodjon Yatim was appointed First Deputy Minister of Industry, and Safarzoda Bakhtiyor Khairullo and Nazar Aziz Savzali were appointed Deputy Ministers of Industry. By another decree of the…

The meeting took place within the framework of Mikhail Mishustin’s working visit to the Republic of Tajikistan. E. Rahmon: We welcome your visit to Tajikistan, dear Mikhail Vladimirovich. Russia is our important strategic partner and ally. Tajik-Russian relations have a high development dynamics in all areas. Russia remains Tajikistan’s main trading partner. Cultural and humanitarian ties have a trend of steady expansion. We work closely together in the field of security. The development of Tajik-Russian relations occupies a priority place in the current policy of Tajikistan. We will continue to make the necessary efforts to build up multifaceted cooperation with the Russian Federation. I am convinced that…

The Slovenian government has compiled a list of routes it plans to subsidise out of Ljubljana Airport in a bid to bolster connectivity. The list of destinations is to be revealed shortly, after which a public call will be issued to select airlines willing to operate the services. The country’s Minister for Infrastructure, Alenka Bratušek, said, “Next week we expect to adopt a program where these destinations will be determined. We are waiting and hoping that we will also get the consent of the European Commission as soon as possible, because according to European rules we need their approval”. Since…