Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Training programme to help job seekers

Monday December 21, 2009
Training programme to help job seekers

KUANTAN: The East Coast Economic Region (ECER) Development Council is hoping that at least 70% of some 2,000 participants of three human capital development programmes in Pahang will qualify for job placements with its partner companies.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said the programmes were the graduate and employee placement programme, the graduate training programme and the skills training programme.

“For example, there are 610 registrations for skills training in the area of automotive engineering and design, hospitality, ICT, supervisory management and logistics and supply chain,” he said.

The participants, he said, would be exposed to on-the-job training for between one and nine months and enjoyed a minimum monthly allowance of between RM1,200 and RM1,500.

“Young people, especially unemployed graduates, should grab this opportunity,” he said, adding that the monthly allowance was quite attractive.

Adnan said to date, 15 local and multinational companies had become partners in the programme.

“We aim to get up to 60 companies and we believe that it can be achieved,” he said.

On the progress of projects in the ECER, Adnan said things were proceeding well ahead of schedule.

- Malaysia Star -

ECER Council Out To Woo Middle East Investors

November 30, 2009 18:25 PM

ECER Council Out To Woo Middle East Investors

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- To create more jobs and drive business opportunities within the East Coast Economic Region (ECER), the ECER Development Council is aiming to attract investments from the Middle East.

Malaysia is expected to attract investments totalling RM9 billion from the Gulf states in the next 10 years, according to the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority.

As of May 2009, 28 manufacturing projects from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with investments worth US$1.215 billion were approved.

The projects were in the sectors of basic metal products, food manufacturing, wood and wood products, chemicals and chemical products, petroleum products as well as machinery and equipment.

ECER Development Council's chief executive officer Datuk Jebasingam Issace John said the ECER has many synchronous businesses with the GCC states such as free zones, ports, petrochemical and polymer parks, real estate developments and tourism.

"Malaysia is also known as a progressive Muslim country, which will be comforting to many GCC member countries," Jebasingam said in a statement Monday.

"This, along with the vast business opportunities available, makes Malaysia an ideal place for investment for both business and leisure," he said.

Jebasingam said based on the GCC's previous investments, the ECER's projects in halal food manufacturing, tourism, agriculture and livestock, education, oil and gas as well as its by-products would be appealing.

"In addition, ECER's Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with customised fiscal and non-fiscal incentives will whet the GCC's interest further," he said, adding that the SEZ would have speedy project approvals and project implementation facilitated by the ECER Development Council and the state governments.

According to Jebasingam, the SEZ is also attractive because it is located just two hours from the Klang Valley and has excellent accessibility to ports, airports, roads and railways.

"At 390,000 hectares, the integrated development at SEZ will contain new townships, international tourism sites, four ports, two airports and knowledge innovation zones," he said.

The ECER's key economic developments are in the fields of tourism, oil, gas and petrochemical, manufacturing, agriculture and human capital development.

In addition to encouraging foreign direct investment inflow, the ECER can also tap the full potential afforded by regional economic cooperation and regional market opening following Malaysia's recent liberalisation announcements.

Among the ECER's push for Middle East investments is its participation in the Malaysia Arab Business Forum being held from Nov 30 to Dec 1, 2009.

The forum is jointly organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute and Malaysia Gulf Cooperation Countries Business Council.

-- BERNAMA

Study On East Coast Rail Route In Progress

December 14, 2009 19:00 PM

Study On East Coast Rail Route In Progress


KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 (Bernama) -- The East Coast Economic Region (ECER) Development Council is conducting a study on the proposed East Coast Rail Route to improve the rail transport system in the region.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said the study covers rail linking the Klang Valley to Mentakab, Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu and Kota Baharu.

"The study's outcome will allow the government to set the track alignment and determine the type of train service for the East Coast," he said in reply to a question by Senator Fatimah Hamat in Dewan Negara here on Monday.

Fatimah wanted to know whether the government planned to conduct a study on rail service linking Terengganu to Pahang and Kelantan.

Abdul Rahim said the government had plans to improve the rail transport system in the East Coast of the peninsula.

-- BERNAMA

Saturday, December 12, 2009

DRB-Hicom Needs Strategy To Face More Competitive Industry - Najib

December 12, 2009 15:44 PM

DRB-Hicom Needs Strategy To Face More Competitive Industry - Najib

PEKAN, Dec 12 (Bernama) -- DRB-Hicom Berhad needs a strategy to maintain its success in an increasingly competitive industry, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Saturday.

He said the group should not be satisfied with its current strategy although it has brought success since the opening of its automotive complex in Peramu Jaya here 25 years ago.

"They should implement a strategy to face the next 25 years," Najib said at a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the automotive complex.

"We cannot just retain the strategy which has been successful for the past 25 years but also take dynamic and timely measures to ensure success for the next 25 years," he said.

Also present were the Sultan of Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah, who officiated the event, Sultanah Pahang Sultanah Kalsom, Tengku Mahkota Pahang Tengku Abdullah, Tengku Puan Pahang Tengku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah and the Prime Minister's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

Looking back, Najib said the automotive industry had started in Pekan 33 years ago with the opening of a factory by Tatab Industries Sdn Bhd in Peramu Jaya in 1976.

He said after three decades, the industry began to show encouraging development and progress, especially under the DRB-Hicom group which built its own automotive complex in 1984.

Najib said besides offering job opportunities to about 2,200 workers, especially those residing in Pekan, the complex has produced almost 5,000 vehicles since its opening.

"Its achievements are not only in making vehicles for well-known producers like Isuzu and Suzuki but also for Mercedes-Benz which has given an opportunity for it to assemble various models, including the S500 class which has the highest value," he said.

Najib also said that the workers' capability and the technology being used by the group are comparable with international standards.

The complex, he said, also contributed to the economy through the excise duty and road tax which increased 78 per cent to RM442 million last year from RM178 million in 2005.

The figure is expected to reach RM525 million this year, he added.

-- BERNAMA

"Bridge of Friendship" to enhance Malaysia-Thailand ties

News 2009-12-08 18:47

JELI, Dec 8 (Bernama) -- The 120-metre bridge across the Golok River, linking Bukit Bunga here and Ban Buketa in Narathiwat, Thailand, is to be renamed the "Bridge of Friendship" to symbolise the deep diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Thailand.

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will officiate at the renaming tomorrow in conjunction with their visit to southern Thailand as part of the annual bilateral consultation.

The RM9.2 million bridge was opened on Dec 21, 2007 and has been known as the "Bridge of Goodwill."

On the Malaysian side of the bridge is the RM37.2 million 4-storey Bukit Bunga Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex which houses the offices of the Immigration Department, Customs Department, Police, Health Department, Forestry Department and Veterinary Services Department.

The construction of the bridge came under the Joint Development Strategy of the border areas launched in 2004 to serve as a catalyst for the transformation of the poor community through benefits derived from the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) development programmes.

ECER is expected to set off transformation in Kelantan and the benefits of the development are expected to spread out to the Malay Muslim community in Narathiwat as well.

Besides the physical development, the Malaysian Malay community can also extend their expertise in human capital development as there is no barrier in terms of language, culture and religion between the communities.

Intensive courses on learning methodology, opportunities to study at Malaysian institutions of higher education institutions or courses on skills could be explored here.

No obstacles stand in the way of Malaysian entrepreneurs seeking to expand their business network and partnerships as their technology is most effective in certain fields, such as agriculture.

The Bridge of Friendship brings hope for the Malay Muslim community in southern Thailand to achieve progress and development after suffering setbacks due to terrorism.

In NARATHIWAT, the Muslim community of southern Thailand is looking forward to the visit of Najib and Abhisit tomorrow, hoping that it will bring peace to the strife-torn region.

Che Hir village headman, Jali, 47, said the people were looking forward to peace and political stability.

"Every day, we hear of murders and shootings but we do not know who is responsible," he told Bernama.

At 6pm yesterday, a bomb went off at the market in Narathiwat, killing a man and his wife while a student of a religious school was shot dead by a band of armed men in a village, 70km from Narathiwat.

A villager of Kampung Ban Pa near Narathiwat, Abdul Rahman Daud, 37, said the people lived in fear and anxiety and hoped that Najib's visit would help to ease the fear.

A trader in Sungai Golok town, Mek Esah Wok, 58, said traders were unable to conduct their business safely owing to the attacks by the irresponsible people.

"We can be killed by a bomb at any time, or shot at by unidentified people, but to earn a living, we must carry on doing what we have to do," she said.

The mother of seven children, two of them girls, is hoping that Najib's visit would help to ease the crisis which has instilled fear in the people.

- Sin Chew -

Pahang Has Right To Claim Oil Royalty, Says Goverment Supporter

November 19, 2009 17:33 PM

Pahang Has Right To Claim Oil Royalty, Says Goverment Supporter

KUANTAN, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- A government supporter has asked the Pahang government to claim oil royalties from the federal government, claiming that the oil extracted in Terengganu waters could also come from areas in the state.

Datuk Abdul Rahman Mohamad (BN-Padang Tengku), while debating the Pahang government's 2010 Budget in the State Assembly on Thursday, said a consulting firm should be appointed to study the matter in an effort to boost the state's revenue, which had suffered budget deficits for 12 consecutive years.

"Terengganu is given oil royalties, Kelantan gets compassionate payment, but why isn't Pahang given anything when it has the right (to receive royalties)," he said.

Meanwhile, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said told the assembly that the first phase of the upgrading and expansion project of Kuantan Port as a manufacturing hub and main logistics centre in the development of the East Coast Economic Region (ECER), would start by end of 2010.

It would entail the construction of wave breakers and the widening and deepening of navigation routes.

He said the project would turn Kuantan Port into a commercial gateway between Malaysia and Asia-Pacific countries while some 50,000 job opportunities would be created by 2020.

-- BERNAMA

ECER Council Out To Woo Middle East Investors

November 30, 2009 18:25 PM

ECER Council Out To Woo Middle East Investors

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- To create more jobs and drive business opportunities within the East Coast Economic Region (ECER), the ECER Development Council is aiming to attract investments from the Middle East.

Malaysia is expected to attract investments totalling RM9 billion from the Gulf states in the next 10 years, according to the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority.

As of May 2009, 28 manufacturing projects from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with investments worth US$1.215 billion were approved.

The projects were in the sectors of basic metal products, food manufacturing, wood and wood products, chemicals and chemical products, petroleum products as well as machinery and equipment.

ECER Development Council's chief executive officer Datuk Jebasingam Issace John said the ECER has many synchronous businesses with the GCC states such as free zones, ports, petrochemical and polymer parks, real estate developments and tourism.

"Malaysia is also known as a progressive Muslim country, which will be comforting to many GCC member countries," Jebasingam said in a statement Monday.

"This, along with the vast business opportunities available, makes Malaysia an ideal place for investment for both business and leisure," he said.

Jebasingam said based on the GCC's previous investments, the ECER's projects in halal food manufacturing, tourism, agriculture and livestock, education, oil and gas as well as its by-products would be appealing.

"In addition, ECER's Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with customised fiscal and non-fiscal incentives will whet the GCC's interest further," he said, adding that the SEZ would have speedy project approvals and project implementation facilitated by the ECER Development Council and the state governments.

According to Jebasingam, the SEZ is also attractive because it is located just two hours from the Klang Valley and has excellent accessibility to ports, airports, roads and railways.

"At 390,000 hectares, the integrated development at SEZ will contain new townships, international tourism sites, four ports, two airports and knowledge innovation zones," he said.

The ECER's key economic developments are in the fields of tourism, oil, gas and petrochemical, manufacturing, agriculture and human capital development.

In addition to encouraging foreign direct investment inflow, the ECER can also tap the full potential afforded by regional economic cooperation and regional market opening following Malaysia's recent liberalisation announcements.

Among the ECER's push for Middle East investments is its participation in the Malaysia Arab Business Forum being held from Nov 30 to Dec 1, 2009.

The forum is jointly organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute and Malaysia Gulf Cooperation Countries Business Council.

-- BERNAMA