Best Of Malaysia volume 2

M A L A Y S I A 

MINISTRY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY 

2 | Best of Malaysia

Best of Malaysia | 3


M A L A Y S I A 

MINISTRY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY 



Publisher’s Note 

Marking Malaysia on 

the World Stage 

We’re back with the second edition of Best of Malaysia and we 

promise pages showcasing what this country has to offer every 

single one of you. Whether it is investment opportunities, the 

best places to visit in one of our 13 states and three Federal 

Territories, international partnerships with leading countries or 

achievements that Malaysian citizens are creating to stamp and 

solidify a global presence, this edition of Best of Malaysia will 

have you covered. 

International Group Publisher 

Sven Boemeester 

Publisher & Chief Editor 

John Lim 

Project Team 

Theresa Pok 

Fiona Lim 

Adeline Chin 

Creative Production 

Mooi Leng 

Max Tan 

Editorial Team 

Punitha Kumar 

Thiagarajan Duraisamy 

Siti Noor Aziah Binti Othman 

Published by 

AcePremier.com Sdn Bhd 

N-2-6 Plaza Damas, 

60 Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, 

50480 Sri Hartamas, 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

Tel: +603-6203 2522 

Email: info@acepremier.com 

The year 2016 has not ended but Malaysia has been at the 

forefront of many strong agreements forging ties with the world. 

This includes being part of the Association of Southeast Asian 

Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC). This is a historical 

milestone for the country as it taps into a 600 million-backed 

population with a market of USD2.6 trillion set to transform the 

region into a single market and production base with a highly 

competitive advantage to make it a region to be reckoned 

with. China’s largest ASEAN trading partner, Malaysia is also 

charting success by developing maritime links in a freight system 

dominated by European shippers via Beijing’s Maritime Silk 

Road. The plans to materialise this is ongoing but with all the 

global attention we are receiving, this publication will have you in 

the know of what’s essential to move forward. 

On that note, we would like to thank all our partners whose 

support and contributions have made the second edition of 

Best of Malaysia possible. It is our hope that this book presents 

Malaysia as the ideal business and lifestyle destination to a 

global audience. 

In association with Global Village Partnerships 


Foreword 

Message by 

PRIME MINISTER MALAYSIA 

Malaysia, a country that has achieved great strides in economic and social 

development in the past 59 years of nation building, is well on its way of 

becoming a force to be reckoned with on a regional and global stage by the 

year 2020. As we embark on an important mission towards a progressive 

and high-income nation, as envisioned in Vision 2020, Malaysia can no 

longer rely on past strategies and approaches that had previously driven 

our economic growth. We need a new approach, a new enthusiasm and a 

new determination driven by the 1Malaysia spirit, to propel the country onto 

levels of higher growth. 

In line with this, we have rolled out several initiatives which include 

the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic 

Transformation Programme (ETP) which will drive Malaysia towards a highincome 

status and global competitiveness. 

Malaysia has been at the forefront for many key international partnerships 

and collaborations. This includes the culmination of an economic bloc by 

the 10-member states of Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) 

called the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) followed by the signing of 

the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA) which allows freer trade, 

expanding markets and reducing tariffs and targeting projects along the 

Maritime Silk Road via joint venture initiatives with China. 

However, these initiatives will require time and effort. In fact, this requires 

redoubling our efforts to attract investment, drive productivity and 

innovation. With the publication of Best of Malaysia showcasing the 

contribution, achievements, ambition and aspirations of Malaysians, I would 

like to extend my invitation to both local and foreign investors to join and 

be a part of the Government’s vision of transforming Malaysia into a highincome 

developed nation by 2020. 

As such, through the pages of Best of Malaysia, I hope you would be able 

to read, view and see for yourself the success stories and opportunities 

available in this country. I take great pride in all the institutions, companies 

and individuals featured in Best of Malaysia. I am also extending an 

invitation to both local and foreign investors to come and be a part of the 

government’s vision of a better Malaysia. 

I hope you will be inspired as it is an honour to share these achievements 

with you as we, the government, continue to act as a regulator and catalyst 

while upholding the principles of 1Malaysia: People First, Performance Now. 

DATUK SERI MOHD NAJIB RAZAK 


Foreword 

Message by 

MINISTRY OF 

INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY 

Malaysia is well on track to achieve its high-income nation status by the 

year 2020. 

As an open economy with a relatively small market of 30 million people, 

Malaysia needs to continuously look beyond its borders for trade, investment 

and economic growth. As such, we have been involved in several key regional 

economic integration initiatives such as the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 

and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). 

The formation of AEC is meant to promote closer economic integration within 

the region, especially through continuous removal of trade barriers that will 

help boost intra-ASEAN trade and investment. This initiative is vital given the 

potential of ASEAN to remain as a magnet in attracting investments from other 

parts of the world. 

Meanwhile, participation in the TPPA will provide Malaysia with preferential 

access to the market of more than 800 million people with a combined GDP of 

USD27.5 trillion. More importantly, Malaysia will gain access into four countries 

which it currently doesn’t have an FTA with, namely the United States, Mexico, 

Peru and Canada. 

This preferential market access in terms of goods, services, investment and 

government procurement, will help further promote our trade and investment 

agenda. It will also ensure that Malaysia moves in tandem with regional and 

global developments, especially in keeping abreast with our competitors and 

also to keep pace with international standards; which will continue to make 

Malaysia an attractive investment destination within the Asia Pacific region if not 

the rest of the world. 

MITI continues to drive productivity, promoting innovation and formulating 

policies that will be crucial in creating and enabling an environment that is 

conducive for business while strengthening our relationship with global trading 

partners. We are committed in driving the transformation to propel Malaysia into 

becoming a high-income nation by 2020. 

Despite facing global economic challenge, we are confident that our hard work 

for the country is paying dividends. The country’s trade in 2015 was RM1.446 

trillion, an increase of 1.2% from RM1.448 trillion the previous year. Malaysia 

also registered a trade surplus of RM94.29 billion in 2015, a 14.3% growth 

from 2014. 

Thus, the publication of Best of Malaysia is timely in showcasing our initiatives 

and successes. I would like to congratulate the publishers for rolling out the 

second edition of this magazine and hopefully this publication will inspire 

Malaysians worldwide. 

MITI: Driving Transformation, Powering Growth 

DATUK SERI MUSTAPA MOHAMED 


Foreword 

Message by 

MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND CULTURE 

Malaysia was crowned Asia’s Leading Destination at the World Travel Awards Asia 

& Australasia 2015, the 4th World’s Best Retirement Haven, No.1 in the World’s Top 

Muslim-friendly Destination and Medical Travel Destination of the Year. 

With a bustling economy and melting pot of tradition, it comes as no surprise that 

Malaysia remains a top-of-the-mind destination for international tourists. 

Inseparable and complementary, culture and tourism are inevitably like two sides of 

a coin. Through tourism, we present our infinite natural heritage. It is a fact that both 

culture and tourism captivate visitors both domestic and international to reach the 

fascinating destinations in our country. The many tourism landscapes, abundance of 

biodiversity and unique blend of cultural heritage, cuisine and arts have positioned 

Malaysia as a must-visit global destination. 

I wish to congratulate the Best of Malaysia team for producing this meaningful 

representation of the country. In line with the mission and vision of the Ministry 

of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC), I am confident the synergy of tourism and 

culture shall provide Malaysia a greater impetus to move forward and contribute 

significantly in welcoming the world to Malaysia. As such, we are pleased to share 

the fascinating elements and culture of our beloved country with the world. 

Malaysia, Truly Asia 

DATUK SERI MOHAMED NAZRI ABDUL AZIZ 


CHAPTERS 

1 Property Development 110 5 

Oil & Gas 134 

2 6 

Construction 118 Retail 140 

3 7 

Telecommunications 124 Automotive 150 

4 8 

Courier & Logistics 132 Education & Learning 154 


9 

Health & Beauty 164 

14 

Timber & Wood 188 

10 

Travel Attractions 168 

15 

Plantation & Agriculture 192 

11 

Hotels 174 

16 

Halal Business 196 

12 

Medical Travel 180 

17 

Charity 200 

13 

Electrical & Electronics 184 




Executive Summary 

Malaysia has come a long way from 

its days breaking into the international 

arena as a spice route through 

Straits of Malacca. Today, a simple 

Google search yields thousands if not 

millions of results showcasing the 

country’s participation in key economic 

partnerships, humanitarian projects 

and services both on a national and 

international scale. The over 30-million 

people strong country is not only at the 

centre of trade and cultural exchanges, 

but is also fast becoming a home away 

from home for a growing number of 

expatriates realising the country has 

ample amounts of opportunities to 

work and lead a healthy lifestyle. 

STRATEGICALLY-PLACED 

The country amassed international 

limelight in the 16th century. In 1511, 

the state of Malacca was occupied by 

the Portuguese for its location as a port 

connecting countries from the Pacific 

Ocean to the east, during the booming 

times of the spice trade. The colonisation 


soon left the hands of the Portuguese 

and went to the Dutch who, apart from 

expanding the spice trade route, also 

reaped another major natural resource that 

was abundant within the region – tin. 

However, by early 19th century the Dutch 

left and it was the British who ruled 

and made the most prominent mark 

within the country till this very day. Still 

adopting several concepts from federal 

administration to using British English as 

the medium taught in national schools 

and even to the extent of driving on the 

left side of the road, the country is grateful 


for several initiatives but it has certainly 

carved its own name on the international 

plaque through its own drive and 

determination. 

It has been 59 years since Malaysia 

achieved independence from the British. 

Today, the country is not only known for 

its rich and abundant natural resources, 

but as a world palm oil producer second 

only to Indonesia, the world’s top 

sukuk (Islamic bond) issuer in 2014, 

won Olympic medals, a host nation for 

international sporting events such as 

Formula1 and Formula E and houses the 

world’s tallest twin towers apart from the 

sixth largest shopping mall, has dedicated 

entertainment zones and a growing 

number of international schools, colleges 

and universities. 

BEING MALAYSIAN 

The country has four main religions and 

races, a host of festivities throughout the 

year, food choices that will have you take 

time in deciding on what to eat for the 

day, a young and talented workforce and 

according to the Economist Intelligence 

Unit’s Global Liveability Survey 2015, 

the country is ranked second among 

Southeast Asian countries, garnering a 

spot as a leading liveable nation. And 

if you ask a local, what does it mean 

being a Malaysian? The answer will most 

probably include all of the above factors, 

not forgetting the immensely insane traffic, 


parking woes and the usage of Manglish 

(a combination of English and Malay 

spoken informally by most, if not all) if you 

are looking for a sarcasm-laced reply. 

But, which country does not have its ups 

and downs? What matters is how it pulls 

through it all and still performs at the end 

of the day. A part of this comes from the 

country’s talented citizens. This includes 

having the first female athlete to bag an 

Olympic medal through the diving skills of 

Sarawakian Pandelela Rinong and having 

entrepreneur Tan Sri Tony Fernandes 

successfully turning a governmentlinked 

airline into a commercial budget 

airliner, ranking him 33rd on Forbes Asia’s 

Malaysia’s Richest 2015. 

The Heart of Asia: A Fast-Rising 

Economy 

While the actual geographical centre of 

Asia is near Urumqi in East Turkestan 

(Xinjiang), literal location aside, Malaysia 

is a country regarded as the heart of Asia 

with its fast-rising economy. 

Here’s several reasons why. The country 

recently inked a deal with China to 

develop the 21st century Maritime 

Silk Road – to create the modern-day 

equivalent of the historic Silk Road. The 

plan aims at having new land and water 

routes tying China to trading partners all 

the way to Europe and will also envision 

building high-speed railroads, roads 

and highways, energy transmission 

and distribution networks and fibre 

optic networks. Cities and ports along 

the route will be targeted for economic 

development. 

Apart from that, Malaysia is part of the 

Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

(ASEAN)’s ASEAN Economic Community 

(AEC), an economic bloc set to become 

the second largest common market after 

the European Union (EU). 

To give a solid picture of ASEAN’s 

collective potential, the International 

Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian 

Development Bank (ADB) predicted 

ASEAN’s GDP growth at 5.4% in 2015, 



compared to the global economy’s 

3.9% for the same year and has 

investors flocking into Southeast Asia’s 

over 600-million backed population 

consisting largely of a young community 

which is poised to form a huge market of 

USD2.6 trillion. 

Moreover, in accordance with the 

country’s Economic Transformation 

Programme (ETP), there are six economic 

growth corridors and 12 key industries 

under the National Key Economic Areas 

(NKEA) that the government has identified 

in order to fuel the country’s ongoing 

economic expansion. 

Collectively, the industries have been 

contributing to the country’s 6% Gross 

Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014 with a 

target of creating 3.3 million jobs by 2020 

and to create greater competitiveness 

in sectors that could potentially drive up 

Gross National Income (GNI) contribution. 

The corridors, on the other hand, will 

accelerate the development of urban 

conurbations with each corridor consisting 

of high-density clusters with sectorial 

and geographical advantages. This 

clustering will allow businesses to benefit 

from common resources, facilitate labour 

market matching and contribute to 

knowledge sharing. 

Furthermore, the country, home to flight 

carriers such as Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, 

Firefly and AirAsiaX, is within a six and 

eight hour flight radius to key business 

centres including Dubai, Hong Kong, 

Sydney and Shanghai. 

To boot, the country has a history of low 

inflation rate compared to neighbours 

within the region. Bank Negara Malaysia 

and IMF’s projection for price inflation 

showed that the average inflation rate for 

developing Asian economies will be higher 

than Malaysia by 36%. 

As for staying in line with the ever 

expanding information technology 

industry, Multimedia Super Corridor 

(MSC) Malaysia, managed by national ICT 

custodian Multimedia Development Corp 

(MDeC), aims to develop the ICT industry 

in the country, and has recently granted 

the state of Sabah a MSC status which 

comes with a slew of incentives, including 

tax breaks. 

Sabah is poised to become the fourth 

shared services and outsourcing (SSO) 

hub in the country alongside the Klang 

Valley, Penang, and Iskandar in Johor. 

However, all this will not be possible if the 

Malaysian government was not constantly 

proactive and pro-business. It offers 

tax and other incentives to encourage 

business growth and development. 

Through economic reform initiatives, such 

as the ETP, the government is seeking 

to provide opportunities for business 

to expand and stay competitive which 

ultimately lines the country to be further 

developed into a world-class city. 


Business and Economy 

In line with driving Malaysia towards 

a high-income status and global 

competitiveness, the government 

identified 12 National Key Economic 

Areas (NKEAs). Under these areas, 

Entry Point Projects (EPPs) were 

created to enable the country to reach 

its targeted approach in achieving 

sustainable economic growth. Thus, 

we take a look at each of these areas, 

its achievements and future plans in 

making Malaysia a fully-developed 

country by 2020. 

OIL, GAS AND ENERGY 

Malaysia is Southeast Asia’s second 

largest oil and natural gas producer apart 

from being the second largest exporter of 

liquefied natural gas globally. 

According to the Oil & Gas Journal 

(OGJ), it held proven oil reserves of 4 

billion barrels as of January 2013, the 5th 

– highest reserves in Asia-Pacific after 

China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia. 

But, in order to keep its position within 

the top 5 oil and gas producers in the 

region, the government has identified 

projects and investment opportunities 

amounting to more than USD150 billion 

till the year 2020. 

A key takeaway is the rejuvenation of 

existing oil fields. The Tapis oil field 

(offshore Terengganu), the largest 

offshore field in the country, was 

discovered in 1969. It currently produces 

between 3,000 and 4,000 barrels of oil 

per day. However, through enhanced 

oil recovery technologies, the project 


will extend the field’s life by another 25 

years and boost production up to 35,000 

barrels of oil per day. 

The industry is also positioning itself in 

becoming a trading hub for petroleum and 

petroleum products. As such, it is keen 

on attracting major multinational firms 

to relocate or start regional operations 

in Malaysia and encourage these firms 

to form joint ventures with local firms 

to promote growth. In order to step up 

efforts on establishing its global presence, 

the government will also be looking into 

strengthening marketing channels such 

as trade shows to forge stronger ties 

between both local and foreign firms. 

On deriving a steady supply of sustainable 

energy, Malaysia is a goldmine of natural 

resources, especially with Borneo housing 

the states Sabah and Sarawak. The states 

are filled with potential hydro generation 

sites which allow the country to tap into 

its hydroelectricity potentials. By doing 

so, the use of hydroelectricity will help in 

reducing carbon dioxide emissions and 

ensure a secure and sustainable power 

supply for the country, and potentially the 

ASEAN region. 

PALM OIL AND RUBBER 

Mention the words palm oil and one would 

immediately think of Southeast Asia, in 

particularly Malaysia and Indonesia. 

Being one of the biggest producers 

and exporters of palm oil and palm oil 

products, Malaysia has an important role 

to play in fulfilling the growing global need 

for oils and fats sustainably. The country 

currently accounts for 39% of world palm 

oil production and 44% of world exports. 

However, in order to maintain a steady 

supply of production, Malaysia is gearing 

to overcome its shortage of suitable 

farming land by replanting and planting 

new trees on existing land banks by 

independent smallholders to replace 

ageing and unproductive trees with 

higher-yielding seedlings. 

This will be achieved by implementing a 

more proactive approach by replanting 

and new planting initiatives remaining 

on track and contributing towards a 

sustainable supply of the commodity to 

downstream palm oil operators within and 

outside the region. 

Another initiative in overcoming shortage 

of land is by increasing fresh fruit bunch 

yield. The numbers are increasing and 

this is largely due to the awareness the 

government stresses upon better farming 

methods and harvesting technologies. 

Besides helping to reduce greenhouse gas 


emissions, the higher blend of biodiesel 

– from 5% to 7% palm biodiesel with 

95% petroleum diesel by the end of 2014 

– will enhance palm oil utilisation, reduce 

palm oil stocks and boost prices, more 

so since there is an uptick in vegetable 

oil demand from Asia’s economic 

powerhouse – China. 

This will contribute towards an annual 

consumption of 575,000 tonnes of crude 

palm oil (CPO) annually and contribute to 

savings of 6.7 billion litres of diesel a year 

for the transportation and fisheries sector. 

Malaysia is home to the world’s leading 

rubber glove producers who collectively 

are a key employer and revenue 

generator in the country. The goal is to 

reach 65% world market share of latex 

gloves by 2020. 

However, as the industry faces labour 

shortages and tight rubber supply, it has 

embarked on automation to cut down its 

reliance on manual labour while investing in 

ensuring a steady supply of raw materials. 

In 2014, total export revenue of Malaysian 

latex products, of which latex gloves 

is a major contributor, was recorded at 

RM12.03 billion. 

Summing it up, the move towards a more 

integrated Association of Southeast Asian 

Nations (ASEAN) market would also have 

a significant positive impact on rubber and 

palm oil, as it will encourage cross-border 

trade and investments in the region of 

over 600 million people. 

FINANCIAL SERVICES 

Malaysia’s niche in Islamic finance 

is chartering immense growth. Fast 

becoming the indisputable global hub 

for Islamic finance, as of the third quarter 

of 2014, the Islamic banking sector 

commanded 25% of total assets in 

Malaysia’s overall banking system. 

The country’s Islamic finance sector is 

growing rapidly to the extent that it is 

leading, managing and even providing 

technical assistance to countries including 

United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Hong Kong 

and Japan. 

Malaysia has also bagged the title of 

world’s leading sukuk (Islamic bonds) 

issuer in 2014 with RM203.6 billion worth 

of Islamic papers offered, making up close 

to two-thirds of the global Islamic debt 

market. But, in order to maintain this title, 

relevant departments are keen on finding 

measures to increase sukuk issuances 


and encourage trading to broaden and 

develop the sukuk and bond market. 

Malaysia’s financial industry contributes 

11.6% of the country’s real GDP. An 

important component of the economy, its 

banks are well capitalised and governance 

applies equally to all financial institutions. 

With that being said, the industry also 

plans on insuring most if not all of its 

population. The country’s national 

bank has collaborated with insurance 

companies and Takaful (Islamic insurance) 

in rolling out pilot projects to seek 

feedback and experience that will form 

the basis for a concept paper in the 

future. The initiative is currently focused 

on addressing the needs of low-income 

individuals. 

On developing and expanding local banks 

onto ASEAN shores, several banks have 

kicked it off by setting up a branch in 

countries including Myanmar, Vietnam 

and Laos. However, the government 

recognises that championing local banks 

on a larger scale will be dependent 

on market and business needs of the 

respective banks as well as regulatory 

environment of host countries. 

TOURISM 

Malaysia’s warm weather, pristine sandy 

beaches and retail landscapes with dutyfree 

zones have an alluring charm. 

The numbers will add more weight to 

these claims as tourism in Malaysia was 

the sixth highest contributor to the 2014 

economy. It attracts over 25 million tourist 

arrivals each year, contributing more than 

RM60 billion in tourist receipts. 

It is safe to say that a huge chunk of these 

receipts come from shopping. With the 

industry promoting its duty-free zones 

and growing number of shopping malls, it 

comes as no wonder that the government 

intends to dedicate specific entertainment 

zones to cater to respective audiences. 

Bukit Bintang has already been 

established as a leading shopping precinct 

within the capital while the country has 



moved onto completing construction 

on its second premium outlets. The first 

premium outlet is located in the state of 

Johor. As for dedicated entertainment 

zones, the capital will see the expansion 

of TREC (Taste, Relish, Experience and 

Celebrate) KL, which contains a variety of 

clubs, pubs and eateries, while the state 

of Penang will soon be receiving three 

such zones. 

Meanwhile, aiming to capitalise on its 

strategic location as a cruise destination, 

the authorities are centred on growing 

the number of cruise passengers coming 

to the country. Efforts will also focus on 

improving operations and attractiveness 

of six ports in the country with potential 

improvements to be considered for other 

ports as well. To show its commitment, 

the Malaysian government will continue 

to assist cruise terminal operators to 

promote their surrounding attractions. 

They will also engage with local tour 

operators to better develop targeted 

cruise tourism products. 

Keen on boosting the country on an 

international scale and in particularly 

towards other ASEAN countries, 

the hosting of international events 

is a significant platform for Malaysia 

to promote itself as a vibrant travel 

destination. The country has a number 

of existing home grown events that will 

be repackaged and clustered with these 

international events to boost international 

spectatorship. Today, the country is proud 

to be part of international sports such as 

Formula 1, MotoGP and Formula E, the 

world’s first fully-electric racing series. 

BUSINESS SERVICES 

Malaysia, since 2004, is ranked third for its 

position based on financial attractiveness, 

people skills and availability, shared 

services and outsourcing (SSO) by AT 

Kearney’s Global Location Services Index. 

In order to retain or improve its ranking, 

core targets within this industry include 

positioning Malaysia as a data centre hub, 

garnering 15% revenue growth in overseas 

sales for SSO by offering higher-value 

services which is by moving away from 

basic call centre functions to analytics and 

pouring millions worth of investments into 

pure-play engineering services. 

If unfamiliar with the term, pure-play 

refers to companies with a single 

business focus. Malaysia has been 

growing its aerospace and automotive 


engineering sectors in this aspect; 

however, plans are underway to extend 

the services to other areas such as rail, 

urban planning and manufacturing. 

As for positioning Malaysia as a worldclass 

data centre hub, this initiative, 

in 2014, achieved revenues of RM795 

million surpassing its target by RM10 

million. The formation of a data centre 

task force has been a significant reason 

for the achievement. 

However, the country intends to attract 

global cloud players into Malaysia to fill 

the gap in the country’s digital content 

and services ecosystem. By hosting more 

Internet and cloud content in the country, 

Malaysia will increase its attractiveness 

for regional traffic and achieve economies 

of scale for international connectivity. 

In aerospace, Malaysia currently ranks 

second in the ASEAN region in terms of 

market share, and key initiatives have 

been launched which will see a greater 

push towards making the country the 

regional leader in aerospace by 2030. 

This includes implementations from 

a new National Aerospace Blueprint, 

growing the expertise within the 

maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) 

industry through Airbus’ and a Swissbased 

MRO company and having local 

aviation schools partner with international 

companies such as the recent partnership 

with Germany’s Lufthansa to operate an 


aircraft maintenance training school in 

the country. 

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS (E&E) 

Who would have thought that Malaysia 

has a better and more conducive 

business environment than Asian 

economic leader – China? 

The World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business 

Index 2014 ranked Malaysia 18th with the 

country’s regulatory environment more 

suitable for E&E business operations, 

surpassing China and Taiwan. The ranking 

comes as the industry is backed by a probusiness 

government. 

Meanwhile, with the intent of increasing 

the number of silicon producers in the 

country, relevant government departments 

and agencies are providing tax incentive 

packages to promote and attract pioneer 

silicon producers. 

The industry is also keen on expanding, 

building and catering to home grown 

electrical brands which includes the 

recent completion of an electrical home 

appliance manufacturing hub and an 

international distribution network in late 

2015. The hub will create opportunities 

for entry of its appliances into more 

markets as well as opening doors 

for other local brands to market their 

products internationally. 

Furthermore, the future of electric vehicles 

is fast dawning upon us and is no longer 

a sight only permissible in the western 

world. In February 2016, American 

electric vehicle company Tesla Motors 

agreed to cooperate with Malaysia to 

promote electric vehicles in the country by 

providing 100 of its Model S units. This will 

make Malaysia the first country in ASEAN 

to receive Tesla’s cars. 

Locally, home grown electric scooter 

maker Eclimo SdnBhd, meanwhile, is 

expanding its production due to growing 

demand for electric scooters, especially in 

delivery services and the tourism industry. 

Moreover, the introduction of electric buses 

and setting a target of 2,000 electric buses 



on Malaysian roads by 2020, will serve as a 

catalyst for the electric vehicle industry. 

According to ETP’s annual report, in 

2014, Malaysia made its way into the 

top 20 out of 144 countries on the World 

Economic Forum’s Global Competitive 

Index (GCI) for the first time. The report 

also ranked Malaysia fourth in financial 

market development, making it relatively 

easy for E&E companies to access 

capital. Malaysia was also ranked 10th in 

incentives for investment and 10th in the 

number of procedures and formalities to 

start a business for E&E companies. 

But, these rankings are set to improve as 

it is clear that the Malaysian government 

and relevant agencies have pledged to 

play vital roles in the advancement of E&E 

in Malaysia and to support the attainment 

of a GNI target of RM90 billion by the 

year 2020. 

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL 

Search through any top shopping mall 

destination worldwide and one is sure to 

stumble across a Malaysian mall ranked 

highly among the listing. To name a few, 

One Utama takes the cake as it spans 

across 5 million square feet and apart 

from being the largest in the country, it 

is the sixth largest in the world. Another 

shopping haven is Sunway Pyramid. 

Opening its doors to shoppers worldwide 

in 1997, it was thoroughly reconstructed 

and now has 900 stores on five floors. 

To top it off, Malaysia is definitely walking 

the talk when it comes to numbers, the 

wholesale and retail industry continues 

to account for a significant share of 

Malaysia’s economy, contributing 12.7% 

to the country’s GDP. 

To enhance the Malaysian retail 

landscape, the government intends 

to make the country a preferred dutyfree 

destination. This is despite the 

implementation of a Goods and Services 

Tax (GST) that was implemented in 2015 

that slightly decreased the flow of goods 

into the country. But, with the continued 

increase in domestic consumption, 

year-on-year, the flow of duty-free goods 

will continue to enter the country and 

hopefully through cooperation with the 

Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the 

numbers are set to increase. 

These days, pretty much anything and 

everything can be purchased online. 

As shoppers increasingly shop online 

within the confines of their homes, the 

government intends to create more 

opportunities for virtual malls. At present, 

online shopping on Malaysian websites 

are catered to limited product categories. 

As such, one key initiative in the pipeline 

is to encourage the involvement of the 

private sector in diversifying products 

available online. 

Meanwhile, the Kuala Lumpur 

International Airport (KLIA) is set to 

become a retail hub. It only makes sense 

to do so with the place receiving around 

70 million passengers each year. klia2 

which began operations in 2014 will also 

be contributing to the hub as it received 

around 25 million passengers within the 

year it was launched. This will be done by 

attracting more retail tenants to utilise new 

vacant retail spaces within the buildings. 

EDUCATION 

Malaysia is gearing towards becoming 

both a regional and international 

education hub. 

The industry is keen on building and 

expanding international schools and its 

curriculum as the number of international 

students and the number of parents 

wanting their children to study said 

curriculum is on a steady rise. Since 2014, 

over 100 international schools have been 

built and is a healthy indicator of the 

demand from the expatriate community as 

well as Malaysians returning from abroad. 


The challenge, now, however, is to 

maintain the momentum of growth of 

student enrolment, while maintaining a 

high quality of education standards. 

The standards will be met since the 

country is keen on continuing its growth of 

partnerships with international universities, 

as well as educational hubs such as 

EduCity@Iskandar Malaysia. 

EduCity is the first fully contained, 

education-centric hub in Malaysia in an 

effort to transform Malaysia into a worldclass 

education hub. It is located in the 

state of Johor, which has been seeing 

rampant development over the years as it 

is poised to become Southern Peninsular 

Malaysia’s most developed region. 

However, in order to make EduCity more 

liveable, the administration has called 

on entrepreneurs to establish small 

businesses such as F&B outlets, leisure 

avenues, and retail outlets. 

Meanwhile, foreign universities such as 

Heriot-Watt University (HWU) and the 

University of Southampton extended 

their offerings in 2014. HWU, in attracting 

student enrolment, has been offering a 

slew of scholarships and research grants 

to well-deserving students. 

In efforts to champion Malaysia’s 

education brand further, Education 

Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) was 

formed to support Malaysia’s aspiration 

to be an international education hub and 

its key objectives includes managing the 

applications, processing and renewals 

of international student visas to Private 

Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) to 

enhance the management of international 

student welfare and engagement. 

HEALTHCARE 

“Let us be the ones who say we do 

not accept that a child dies every three 

seconds simply because he does not 

have the drugs you and I have. Let us be 

the ones to say we are not satisfied that 

your place of birth determines your right 

for life. Let us be outraged, let us be loud, 

and let us be bold,” American actor and 

philanthropist Brad Pitt said. 

Brad may not have a medical degree but 

he understands that a country can only 

function if its inhabitants are fit and 

well-cared for. 

Malaysia is giving utmost importance in 

developing and expanding the services and 

functions made available in this industry. 

One key takeaway is the rule implemented 

by the government in 2011, to make it 

compulsory for foreign workers to enrol in a 

foreign worker health insurance protection 

scheme. This move ensures adequate 

medical care is given to foreign workers as 

majority cannot afford in-patient medical 

services and also to reduce unpaid bills 

by such workers when using the Health 

Ministry’s facilities.Since 2011, almost 2 

million workers have been insured giving 

them access to better healthcare. 

Due to the country’s proximity to the 

ASEAN, Middle Eastern and European 


markets, Japanese multinational 

conglomerate Toshiba Corporation has 

become the first company to choose 

Malaysia as its main export hub for highvalue 

medical devices manufacturing by 

setting up a production base here. Also, 

with an aim to penetrate a new segment of 

hybrid manufacturing of medical devices 

and pharmaceutical products in Malaysia, 

a US-based pharmaceutical company is 

opting to move its contract manufacturing 

base here in order to take advantage of 

the hybrid manufacturing facilities apart 

from lending expertise and creating jobs 

for locals. 

In order to expand the methods in 

which healthcare services are provided, 

especially to the elderly, relevant 

departments are in discussion to include 

mobile or home healthcare services for 

pensioners and to expand the services 

beyond the Klang Valley. The industry is 

also expanding services offered to the 

elderly by building care residences to 

make senior living and aged care facilities 

the preferred choice in Malaysia and 

establish international standards for senior 

citizens in Malaysia. 

An integrated senior active living lifestyle 

and care residence community to 

promote “active ageing” and “ageing 

in place”, these projects will be the 

first of its kind in Malaysia. In addition 

to maintaining global standards, these 

care residences will be operated by 

international joint venture partners. 



COMMUNICATIONS CONTENT AND 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

Almost everyone today wishes to stay 

connected or online to keep abreast of 

developments regardless of whether 

it’s about your child at home or on the 

Syrian civil war. This only goes to show 

how much of an impact the Internet has 

on our daily lives. 

According to ETP’s 2014 annual 

report, Malaysia continues to push the 

availability of broadband access to its 

people, with household penetration now 

at 67.3%. This is now relatively better 

than most ASEAN countries. Beyond 

broadband, long-term evolution (LTE) 

penetration is now at an encouraging 

25%, and is expected to reach 50% 

by 2017. 

As for the groundwork for high-speed 

broadband phase 2 (HSBB 2), the 

second phase of the high-speed 

broadband was finalised in late 2015 

and aims to expand coverage in urban 

and suburban areas. 

In order to make Internet access more 

universal to the public, efforts are being 

made to push for the gazetting of the 

amended Uniform Building By-laws 

(UBBL) 1984 Act, which requires all 

developers to provide communication 

infrastructure such as internal and 

external ducting for all new housing and 

commercial developments. 

In 2014, Pahang was the latest state 

to have gazetted the amended UBBL, 

bringing the total to eight states. In an 

effort to extend broadband subscription 

to non-urban areas, over 4,000 wireless 

villages, 400 internet cafes and 1,100 

telecommunication towers have been 

built in rural areas. 

Critical targets under this NKEA include 

to record RM600 million of revenue 

from the export of creative content, 

to attract RM400 million in local film 

production incentives in efforts to 

attract foreign film producers to film in 

Malaysia and to showcase the country 

as a destination for international filming, 

to ensure 7,000 schools are connected 

with high-speed broadband and to 

ensure 200 health facilities are rolled 

out with e-health applications. 

AGRICULTURE 

Apart from being a top palm oil 

producer, Malaysia is considered a 

rice bowl nation and it comes as no 

surprise that Malaysians generally prefer 

to spend their time eating than doing 

anything else. 

Rice is an important main dish in almost 

all meals and the industry is fully aware of 

this to the point that it will be collaborating 

with relevant industries in increasing the 

number of fragrant rice varieties. 

As for strengthening paddy farming, 

20,186 hectares of paddy land, 

roughly five times the size of 

Putrajaya, was amalgamated in an 

exercise that involved 8,817 farmers. 

Estate management has contributed 

significantly to increasing farmers’ yield, 

with some farmers seeing yields more 

than double and average incomes rise 

19% since joining the programme. 

Malaysia’s rice states are predominantly 

Kedah and Perlis. In 2014, both these 

states produced 243,200 tonnes of 

paddy through this programme. 

Set on expanding its brand worldwide, 

especially in China, 145 tonnes of 

edible bird’s nest (EBN) products were 

exported in 2014 with over 7,000 swiftlet 

premises registered to date. 

In line with tapping the market for 

premium shrimp, since 2011, 14 anchor 

companies have developed 5,713 

hectares of land for shrimp farming. The 

reason for an increased supply is mainly 

due to its demand as it was also noted 

that the greatest demand for premium 

shrimp was from Malaysia, with the 

price per kilogramme of shrimp higher in 

Malaysia than in export markets. 

The NKEA also encourages business 

opportunities in the fields of herbal 

products, free-range chicken farming, 

button mushroom farming, increasing 

domestic production of fruits and dried 

fruit snacks and ornamental fish farming. 

On herbal products, an EPP has been 

refined to incorporate R&D partnerships 

between research universities and 

private companies to expand the 

number of herbal products in the market, 

enhance its value and reduce the timeto-market 

for the products. 

GREATER KUALA LUMPUR/ 

- KLANG VALLEY 

We are not boasting that it’s one of the 

greatest cities but read the rankings 

at your own pleasure. To begin with, 

Kuala Lumpur was ranked seventh and 

second among Asian and ASEAN cities, 

respectively. In another global ranking of 

140 cities, Kuala Lumpur was ranked a 

respectable 25th in the Financial Times 

(UK) Global Cities of the Future and only 

second behind Seoul among Emerging 

Market Cities. This is where we say, “I 

told you so”. 

As such, under the NKEA, it is all 

about developing the country’s 



capital. To date, InvestKL, mandated 

by the government to attract and assist 

multinational corporations (MNCs) looking 

to invest in the country, has successfully 

attracted plenty of MNCs with approved 

investments totalling RM4 billion and 

commitment of over 6,000 jobs. 

Out of this, RM1 billion investments 

have been realised and over 3,000 jobs 

created. Also, this EPP is on track to reach 

its target of attracting top 100 MNCs by 

2020. This has been driven by the Greater 

KL/Klang Valley’s attractiveness as an 

investment destination, its ease of doing 

business and reasonable cost. 

Also, these MNCs will be setting up 

regional headquarters, global shared 

service centres and principal hub 

operation. The principal areas of operation 

include education, oil & gas, healthcare, IT, 

logistics, engineering services, business 

services, global trader and industrial 

products sectors. 

this game changing project. Discussions 

at this platform are expected to include 

various implementation aspects such as 

high speed rail design and operations 

aspects, security and immigration 

requirements, appropriate financing and 

governance framework. 

As for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) 

system, the constructions are expected 

to be completed in 2017 with the trains 

running by July of the same year. In 

the last quarter of 2015, the Malaysian 

government announced of a second MRT 

line and this is expected to be completed 

by the year 2022.The lines will be 

integrated with the existing KTM Komuter, 

LRT and ERL rail systems at various 

locations throughout the region. 

Meanwhile, looking to shorten travel 

time to 90 minutes between KL and 

Singapore, a High Speed Rail (HSR) 

system is expected to be completed in 

the next four years. 

Both the Prime Ministers of Malaysia and 

Singapore had, in 2013, jointly announced 

the Southern Corridor HSR project. At 

the same forum in 2014, the leaders had 

confirmed Malaysia’s terminal location 

in Bandar Malaysia and three possible 

terminal locations in Singapore, being 

Tuas West, Jurong East and City Centre. 

In addition, a HSR Work Group under 

the Joint Ministerial Committee platform 

between Malaysia and Singapore has 

been formed to ensure steady progress of 



Redefining 

Malaysia’s 

Economic 

Regions 

Constantly being equipped with 

state-of-the-art facilities designed 

to ensure efficient business 

transactions and deliver services 

sealed with nothing short of a 

top-notch quality is a promising 

factor that a country is on track 

to greater heights. However, this 

is not possible without the sheer 

dedication and efforts undertaken 

by both its government and citizens 

alike. With a young and growing 

workforce, we take a look at how 

the country continues to strive on 

placing itself on a global pedestal 

through its five economic regions 

and three Federal Territories. 


GREATER KL (GKL): A KEY ENGINE OF 

ECONOMIC GROWTH 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, is a 

booming and well-populated city home to 

over six million inhabitants. According to 

the Malaysian government, come 2020, 

that figure is expected to reach 10 million. 

The reason for the rising number of people 

flocking into creating Kuala Lumpur as 

their home away from home is simple: 

A strategic location, ease of doing 

business, political stability, wealth of 

opportunity, incentives, highly-developed 

infrastructure and a generous supply of 

human workforce who are the very least 

bilingual, apart from competitive business 

costs, a robust legal framework and 

liveability factors make this city an obvious 

choice for multinational companies 

(MNCs) that have heard the clarion call to 

invest in Kuala Lumpur. 

The city is a hub for these global 

businesses raring to gear their strategies 

from a city perspective simply because 

of its central location with global 

connectivity. With no more than eight-hour 

flights to Asia’s key business centres such 

as Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Sydney 

and Tokyo, many countries are set to 

benefit from Malaysia’s strong investment 

and trade links with the world’s best. In 

2013, the country recorded RM1.37 trillion 

in trade and has South 

Korea, the European Union 

and China as some of its 

largest trading partners. 

Last year, World Bank’s 

Doing Business: ‘Going 

Beyond Inefficiency’report 

stated Malaysia stood 

at the 18th rung. The 

ranking reflects the ease of 

dealing with time required 

for construction permit 

approvals, employment 

fund registrations and 

quintessentially, the 

time required to start a 

business from 37 days in 

2005 to only taking less 

than six days today. 

Led by a democraticallyappointed 

government, the 

country has been enjoying 

political stability since its 

independence in 1957 and investors can 

be rest assured that with a government 

that is pro-business, incentives range 

from grants and funds to lower taxes and 

expatriate employment benefits. 

However, a business is only as good 

as its employees. With that in mind, 

Malaysia was ranked second by the 

World Economic Forum in terms of its 

pay-to-productivity ratio in the Global 

Competitiveness Report 2013-2014. 

The country’s productive workforce is 

also highly protected by a secure and 

well-oiled legal framework, affirmed by 

the same World Bank’s 2015 report that 


anks Malaysia fourth for its investor 

protection policies. 

Complete with competitive salaries and 

lower office rentals compared to the likes 

of Melbourne, Shanghai and Singapore, 

the city that was once known as a tinmining 

district has definitely shed its 

former layers and grown into becoming 

one of the most vibrant and dynamic cities 

in the world with a projection of Gross 

National Income (GNI) of USD54.9 billion 

by the year 2020. 

Furthermore, living in the city does not 

break your bank. According to Mercer’s 

2015 Cost of Living Survey, Kuala 

Lumpur was ranked 113th out of 214 

countries with the first place being the 

most expensive. 

The city’s extensive road, rail networks 

alongside shipping ports and air cargo 

terminals boosts the city’s liveability 

factors alongside having international 

schools and a healthcare system that was 

ranked 14th worldwide by HSBC’s 2013 

Expat Explorer Survey. 

In addition to that, the GKL region is 

fully on board with encouraging foreign 

investment. The region is one of the 12 

designated National Key Economic Areas 

(NKEA) under the government’s Economic 

Transformation Plan (ETP) to transform 

the country into a high-income economy 

by 2020. 

Investors are encouraged to leverage on 

these key economic areas that have been 

identified by the national government as 

these viable sectors provide high growth 

and endless potential for businesses and 

they include oil, gas and energy, tourism, 

electrical and electronics, education and 

agriculture among others. 

Apart from the capital which is one of 

the three federal territories, the country 

is made up of 13 states. The states are 

Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, 

Kelantan, Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan, 

Pahang, Malacca, Johor, Sabah and 

Sarawak while the federal territories are 

Labuan and Putrajaya. 

GKL includes the government’s 

administration capital Putrajaya. Today, 

the ‘Green City’ houses almost all 

Ministries, possesses three monuments 

and home to the largest botanical gardens 

in Malaysia covering 92 hectares. 

Finally, going forward, GKL will be 

constructing a High Speed Rail System 

(HSR) that connects the cities to 

Singapore. The rail is expected to be 

completed in 2020, further strengthening 

connectivity and business ties between 

the two nations. In addition to that, 

construction has also begun for the Mass 

Rapid Transit (MRT) system to reduce 

traffic congestion and accommodate the 

growing population’s needs, not only in 

terms of transportation, but to make GKL 

their home for years to come. 


SOUTHERN DEVELOPMENT 

CORRIDOR: THE SOUTHERN GATEWAY 

TO ASEAN 

The Southern Development Corridor or 

better known as Iskandar Malaysia, is set 

to become southern Peninsular Malaysia’s 

most developed region, where living, 

entertainment, environment and business 

effortlessly converge within a bustling and 

vibrant metropolis. 

Located in the state of Johor Bahru, the 

southern gateway to Peninsular Malaysia, 

its advantages include reaching a global 

market of some 800 million people. 

Flanked by three major ports - the Pasir 

Gudang Port, Port of Tanjung Pelepas and 

Tanjung Langsat Port, Iskandar Malaysia 

is the largest single development project 

ever to be undertaken in the region. 

WHY INVEST IN ISKANDAR MALAYSIA? 

Because of its strategic location, Iskandar 

Malaysia is accessible to leading Asian 

cities which include its powerhouse 

neighbour Singapore, proximity to some 

of the world’s most rapidly growing and 

important economies, and a range of 

attractive fiscal incentives. 

Iskandar Malaysia is also poised to attract 

an exciting influx of foreign and highlevel 

corporate investments, create job 

opportunities within a space of 2,217 

square kilometres as well as look at 

discerning investors who are seeking to 

benefit from its many advantages and high 

growth potential. 

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES 

In Iskandar Malaysia, there are various 

investment opportunities for investors to 

grab on especially on the nine promoted 

sectors in Iskandar Malaysia. 

These opportunities are within the 

industries of electrical and electronics 

(E&E), petrochem and oleochem, financial 

services, food and agro-processing, 

creative, tourism, healthcare, logistics 

and education. 

THE 5 FLAGSHIP ZONES 

Having been allocated a sum of RM6.83 

billion by the government, this corridor is 

divided into five flagship zones: 

(a) Johor Bahru City 

The key economic activities in this flagship 

are financial services, commerce and 

retail, arts and culture, hospitality, urban 

tourism, plastic manufacturing, E&E 

and food processing. Receiving 60% of 

foreign tourists who visit Malaysia, it is a 

major holiday and shopping destination 

for neighbouring Singaporeans due to the 


comparatively lower cost of goods and 

services. Apart from being the central 

business district to the state, it is also the 

main gateway in and out of Singapore via 

the Causeway. 

(b) Nusajaya 

This flagship’s key focus is on property 

development, state and federal 

administration and logistics. The area has 

24,000 acres of contiguous developmentready 

land and will be expected to 

accommodate the projected population 

size of 500,000 by 2025. Poised to 

become an education hub, the region is 

also developing its EduCity@Iskandar 

which is a 305-acre fully integrated 

best-in-class education hub comprising 

universities and institutes of higher 

education which currently houses a 

branch of UK’s Newcastle University. 

Going forward, it would also be the 

hub for creative arts and entertainment, 

medical facilities, tourism, biotechnology 

and hi-tech manufacturing. 

(c) Western Gate Development 

Port and marine services and logistics 

are key sectors in this flagship. With over 

700 acres of land banks consisting of 

agricultural lands and mangrove forests, 

the government is set on developing 

the area into a maritime hub. In terms 

of logistics, convenient methods of 

transportation to connect the area to 

Johor Bahru city and Kuala Lumpur will 

be in the form of a Mass Rapid Transit or 

Light Rail Transit (MRT/LRT) system. 

(d) Eastern Gate Development 

A key industrial and manufacturing hub, 

to date, there are more than 300 factories 

in the Pasir Gudang area that have 

provided more than 30,000 employment 

opportunities to the community of 100,000 

people in Pasir Gudang. To further 

develop this flagship, the government 

is looking to convert estate lands into 

industrial and housing areas. 

(e) Senai-Skudai 

Meanwhile this flagship’s focus is airport 

services and becoming the hub for agro 

and food processing, ICT and retail 

tourism. With more than 1,000 acres of 

available land bank within the vicinity 

of Senai Airport, investors will have the 

advantage of setting up large-scale 

commercial and airport-related enterprises 

at attractive low rates. In the future, Senai 

Airport is envisaged to be the second 

airport in the region after Changi Airport 

by 2025. This will be achieved after the 

suggestion of building a multi-modal 

terminal and cyber city. 

NORTHERN CORRIDOR ECONOMIC 

REGION (NCER): A CHOICE 

DESTINATION FOR WORK, 

INVESTMENT AND LIVING 

The Northern Corridor Economic Region 

(NCER) is a government initiative to 

direct, devise policies and strategies in 

relation to socio-economic development 

in 21 districts in northern Peninsular 

Malaysia in the states of Kedah, Perak, 

Perlis and Penang. 


The corridor contributes to over 20% of 

Gross Domestic Products (GDP), as well 

as more than 60% of the total agricultural 

area for paddy growing, over 30% of 

tourism expenditures and in excess of 

45% of exports. 

For Kedah, the rice state, this translates 

into improving its long-term food 

security measures and increase the 

income of paddy farmers. This will be 

achieved by adopting an estate farming 

approach under a single management 

and introducing a land amalgamation 

scheme for 50,000 hectares (51% of the 

total 96,558 hectares) of paddy fields by 

2020. The adoption of technologies will 

also be intensified across the production 

chain of the paddy and rice industry, such 

as the introduction of new seed varieties, 

improved irrigation and larger scale farm 

mechanisation. 

Focusing on the strengths of these 

regions, five key thrusts have been 

identified and they include agriculture, 

manufacturing, tourism, logistics, 

education and human capital. 

Within the manufacturing sector, Penang 

is at the frontier for the E&E sector in 

Malaysia and is aiming to strengthen 

the available ecosystem especially the 

semiconductor, solar and Light Emitting 

Diodes (LED) technologies. The E&E 

have contributed a total of RM9.8 billion 

towards the Malaysian economy. In 2013, 

Malaysia supports 12% of the global 

back-end support for semiconductor 

industry out of which Penang accounts 

for 8%. 

The goals within the logistics sector 

include, to strengthen transport 

infrastructure and proximity to Thailand 


and Indonesia by becoming the centre for processing, 

logistics and trade and to service demands for the 

Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT). 

The education and human capital sector, serve 

to complement the other sectors as a sector can 

only improve if its workforce is of a certain quality. 

Objectives to be met include enhancing the skills set 

and employability of human capital in the corridor to 

meet the needs of the private sector in agriculture, 

manufacturing, tourism and logistics and increasing the 

number of research and development based activities 

among high-tech companies. 

EAST COAST ECONOMIC REGION (ECER): A HUB 

FOR DIVERSE TOURISM RESOURCES 

The ECER of Malaysia covers Kelantan, Terengganu, 

Pahang and the district of Mersing in Johor. It occupies 

an area of 66,000 square kilometres or 51% of the total 

area of Peninsular Malaysia. 

Serving as the principal east coast cross-border trading 

and tourism hub, this positioning seeks to exploit 

Kelantan’s geographical advantage as a border State to 

Thailand and the Indo-China Region. This capitalises on 

the synergy generated by IMT-GT. 

In Terengganu, the government is intending to rebrand 

the state’s capital, Kuala Terengganu, as a vibrant 

Heritage Waterfront City which will offer an abundance 

of opportunities for tourism to flourish. Known as the 

state for a leading role in the oil and gas industry, the 

Kertih Integrated Petrochemical Complex’s (KIPC) 

11 plants are intended to attract increasing number 

of global petrochemical investors to its shore. KIPC 

produces ethylene-based petrochemical products, 

mainly for the export market. 

As for Pahang, the focus is on making it known as an 

industrial and logistics hub. The Kuantan Port, one 

of the major ports in the country, plays a crucial role 

in making ECER a gateway to the Far East, rubbing 

shoulders with China. The port would play an integral 

role in Malaysia’s maritime industry by paving the way 

for it to welcome more cruise ships to dock here to 

promote tourism and ultimately represent the realisation 

of partnership between Malaysia and China in building a 

21 st century Maritime Silk Road. 

There are also plans to kick off the RM30 billion East 

Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project that will be built under the 

11th Malaysia Plan. ECRL is part of the infrastructure 

development plan for ECER which involves a 


620 kilometres rail track from Tumpat in 

Kelantan to Kuantan Port in Pahang and 

connecting to Kuala Lumpur. 

Meanwhile, Mersing, being developed as 

an important mainland coastal tourism 

destination, is poised to be equipped with 

highly developed tourist facilities as tourist 

arrivals increase by the year. It is also set 

to become a centre for ecotourism by 

virtue of its geography as it is the gateway 

to the Endau Rompin National Park. 

SABAH DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR 

(SDC): A MECCA FOR NATURAL 

RESOURCES 

Set to become a major regional 

influence, Sabah is undergoing various 

transformations under the Sabah 

Development Corridor (SDC), an economic 

masterplan spanning for 18 years from 

2008 to 2025. 

The goal is to turn Sabah into a leading 

economic region and a preferred 

destination for investment, work and 

living. For starters, the town of Lahad Datu 

is strategically located near other industry 

players in the Philippines and Indonesia. 

The palm oil clusters being developed 

in this area feature major infrastructure 

including two biodiesel plants. SDC is 

also keen on developing the Sandakan 

cluster to capture higher value-added 

downstream processing of palm oil. 

However, investors are not flocking 

into the state just for its attractive fiscal 

incentives, Kota Kinabalu International 

Airport (KKIA) is the second busiest airport 

in the nation, with 5.2 million passengers 

annually. It is positioned strategically as 

a hub that connects to 13 major world 

destinations, including Singapore, Seoul, 

Shenzhen, Tokyo, Taipei and Perth. This 

makes KKIA ideal for low cost carriers and 

as a second hub already identified by low 

budget carrier AirAsia. 

SDC has also given much importance to 

the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park 

(SOGIP). Located on a 1,600-hectare 

site, SOGIP will serve as a new point 

for oil and gas investments within the 

Sabah, Brunei and Labuan economic 

centres. The park will promote industries 

such as industrial chemicals, plastic, 

fertilisers, pharmaceutical products and 

packaging materials. 

With the Kota Kinabalu port, an 

International Cruise Terminal (ICT) will 

be built as a complementary activity to 

the Jesselton waterfront development, 

bringing tourists directly to this new, 

mixed-use development. The ICT will 

back a ‘Straits Riviera’ project, also in 


the making, that will tie together cruise 

terminals across Malaysia’s maritime 

geography. This will tap Malaysia more 

fully into the Asian cruise market, which 

the ETP states is currently growing at 

around 14% per year. 

Banking on tourism, the Kinabalu Gold 

Coast Enclave (KGCE), stretching about 

100 kilometres from the state capital to 

the northwestern tip at Kudat, covers 

78.5 square kilometres of prime coastal 

tourism development spanning 15 years. 

With high-quality beaches and coastal 

assets, KGCE seeks to attract longstaying 

visitors, prime eco-adventure 

tourists and second-home buyers of 

luxury holiday villas. 

The key strength of the SDC is the state’s 

strategic location, abundant natural 

resources, rich cultural heritage and 

access to mega biodiversity resources. 

With the implementation of SDC, Sabah 

is expected to experience rapid economic 

growth attaining a four-fold increase in its 

gross domestic product (GDP) to RM63.2 

billion in 2025. 

SARAWAK CORRIDOR OF RENEWABLE 

ENERGY (SCORE): PAVING WAY FOR 

GREEN ENERGY SOLUTIONS 

The core of this corridor is its energy 

resources, particularly hydropower (28,000 

megawatts), coal (1.46 billion tonnes), 

and natural gas (40.9 trillion square cubic 

feet) found abundantly within the Central 

Region. This will allow Sarawak to price 

its energy competitively and encourage 

investments in power generation and 

energy-intensive industries that will act as 

triggers for the development of a vibrant 


industrial development in the corridor. 

To achieve this, SCORE will adopt a 

5-prong development strategy: 

• Drive priority industries investments 

towards three major growth nodes 

along the Corridor – Tanjung Manis 

(south), Mukah (centre) and Samalaju 

(north). 

: In Tanjung Manis, the state is also 

looking at improving its timber industry. 

One of the most important sources of 

revenue to Sarawak’s economy for the 

past five decades, the timber industry 

currently accounts for RM7.2 billion in 

export earnings and has created about 

50,000 jobs. Its goals include increasing 

the state’s exports of timber products 

to between RM8 billion and RM10 

billion a year. 

• Build a well-designed network 

of industrial class transport and 

communication infrastructure within 

the Corridor, extended outwards to 

systematically open up the hinterland. 

• Fast-forward the development of energy 

supply centring on currently known 

feasible hydro power (Murum, Limbang, 

Baram and Baleh) and coal deposit 

sites. 

• Accelerate human capital development 

within the Corridor with new learning 

centres and controlled immigration of 

skilled foreign workers. 

• Develop the tourism industry, focusing 

on the natural attractions of the Central 

Region, particularly the lakes upstream 

of the hydro power stations and the 

beaches along the northern part of the 

Corridor. 

On offshore oil, state-owned firm Petroliam 

Nasional Bhd (Petronas) stated that 

Malaysia has more than 200 discovered 

oil and gas fields off the eastern state of 

Sarawak that have not been monetised. 

To make full use of this, projects are 

underway with one being the Petronas 

Floating LNG1 (PFLNG1), which is one of 

the world’s first floating liquefaction plants. 

The facility will be deployed at the Kanowit 

development, which is located slightly 

over 200 kilometres offshore Bintulu where 

it will produce, liquefy and offload gas 

from the field. 

FEDERAL TERRITORY OF LABUAN: A 

GROWING OFFSHORE FINANCIAL HUB 

A cross between a duty-free airport mall 

and a cluster of six small islands, Labuan 

was proclaimed a Federal Territory in 1984 

and an International Offshore Financial 

Centre. Six years later, the region is home 

to over 86,000 people. 


Predominantly known for its growing 

financial centre, the Labuan International 

Business and Financial Centre (Labuan 

IBFC) was created as Malaysia’s only 

offshore financial hub on October 1990 

and was operating under the name of 

Labuan International Offshore Financial 

Centre (IOFC). At the time it was 

established to strengthen the contribution 

of financial services to the Gross National 

Products (GNP) of Malaysia as well as to 

develop the island and its surrounding 

vicinity. At present, there are over 6,500 

offshore companies and around 300 

licensed financial institutions which 

includes world leading banks. 


Malaysia: Your Gateway To Asean 


Apart from being an ASEAN member, 

Malaysia is now part of AEC. This is 

a historical milestone for the country 

as it taps into a 600 million-backed 

population with a market of USD2.6 

trillion set to transform the region into a 

single market and production base with 

a highly competitive advantage to make 

it a stable and prosperous region. 

At the stroke of the midnight hour, as 

countries and people worldwide revelled 

and ushered the year 2016, 10-member 

states of the Association of Southeast 

Asian Nations (ASEAN) joined hands and 

officially marked the integration of the 

ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), 

an economic bloc set to become the 

second largest common market after the 

European Union (EU). 

To give a solid picture of ASEAN’s 

collective potential, the International 

Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian 

Development Bank (ADB) predicted 

ASEAN’s GDP growth at 5.4% in 2015, 

compared to the global economy’s 3.9% 

for the same year. 

This means that the integration of AEC 

presents real opportunities for growth, 

particularly outside China and India 

who often overshadow ASEAN, and is a 

key historic step to the development of 

what would be the fourth or fifth largest 

economy in the world. 

ASEAN, conceived in 1967, is made up 

of Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, 

Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, 

Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Since its 

establishment, it has been making efforts 

to develop and refine various policies to 

promote trade and collaborative economic 

activities among its members. Over the 

years, despite being extremely diverse 

in size, geography, culture, income level 

and resource endowment, it remains an 

example for other regional groups of how 

a carefully crafted organisation can benefit 

all member nations. 

Thus, with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 

(PwC) annual global CEO survey 2012 

stating that global economic uncertainty 

will remain the top threat to prospects 

of growth within advanced economies, it 

comes as no surprise that investors are 

paying more attention towards Southeast 

Asia’s over 600 million-backed population 

consisting largely of a young community 

which is poised to form a huge market of 

USD2.6 trillion. 

Malaysia, with its population of over 

29 million people, has been at the 


forefront of this growing partnership as 

it joined, participated and recognised 

the importance of AEC. Its capital, Kuala 

Lumpur, was the venue for unveiling and 

adopting the AEC Blueprint 2025 at the 

ASEAN Leaders’ 27th ASEAN Summit on 

November 2015. 

AN INCLUSIVE BLUEPRINT 

According to AEC, the blueprint consists 

of five interrelated and mutually reinforcing 

characteristics, namely: (i) a highly 

integrated and cohesive economy; (ii) 

a competitive, innovative, and dynamic 

ASEAN; (iii) enhanced connectivity and 

sectoral cooperation; (iv) a resilient, 

inclusive, people-oriented, and peoplecentred 

ASEAN; and (v) a global ASEAN. 

In short, the blueprint plans to achieve 

the strategic measures under each of 

the five characteristics of AEC 2025. To 

smoothly roll out this implementation, 

these strategic measures will be further 

elaborated in and implemented through 

the work plans of various sectoral bodies 

in ASEAN. The sectoral work plans will 

be reviewed and updated periodically to 

ensure their relevance and effectiveness. 

Partnership arrangements have been 

made with the private sector, industry 

associations and the wider community 

at regional and national levels as this 

will also be actively sought and fostered 

to ensure an inclusive and participatory 

approach to the integration process. 

Institutions will be strengthened and 

enhanced approaches to monitoring and 

public outreach will likewise be developed 

to support the effective implementation of 

the blueprint. 

The blueprint will lead towards an ASEAN 

that is more proactive, having had in place 

the structure and framework to operate 

as an economic community, cultivating 

a unified identity and strength to engage 

with the world, responding to new and 

upcoming developments, and seizing new 

opportunities. This will not only ensure 

that the 10 ASEAN member states are 

economically integrated, but are also 

sustainably and gainfully integrated on a 

global economic scale, thus contributing 

to the goal of shared wealth. 

This is of course for the future. The 

previous blueprint, detailing measures 

to be achieved between 2008 and 2015, 

had achieved some 506 measures which 

equals to a 95% success rate. Malaysia’s 

International Trade and Industry Ministry 

(MITI) noted that a 95% success rate 

marked notable achievement since it 

was almost impossible to attain a 100% 

economic integration. 

On a microscopic scale, Malaysia, part 

of ASEAN-5 which involves developing 

economies within the region such as 

Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and 

Vietnam, is evolving in becoming a 

gateway for investors looking to forage 

into Southeast Asia. 

ACCESSING A HUGE ECONOMIC BLOC 

Malaysia’s projected real GDP growth 

between 2007 and 2050 is 5.8%, 

combined with ASEAN-5, that figure 

is a whopping 7% surpassing China’s 

6.8%. Out of 185 countries surveyed, 

World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business 

report placed the country at 18th spot 

for the year 2015. Proving that it has the 

ability to manage, retain and allow for the 

development of entrepreneurs to face 

Single market and 

Production base 

•Free flow of: Goods 

Skilled labour 

Services 

Investment 

Capital 

•Food and agricultural security 

Integration of 12 priority sectors 

Global Economy 

Integration 

•Form and manage Free Trade 

Agreements (FTAs) and 

Comprehensive Economic 

Partnerships (CEPs) 

•Enhance participation in global 

supply networks 

•Develop coherent approach towards 

external economic relations 

4 PILLARS OF 

AEC 

regional challenges, the report also stated 

that Malaysia made starting a business 

less costly by reducing the company 

registration fees and made paying taxes 

easier and less costly for companies 

by making electronic filing mandatory 

and reducing the property tax rate. The 

ranking also reflects improvements in 

the ease of dealing with construction 

permits, as the one-stop shop for permits 

implemented in 2013 led to further 

reductions in the time required to obtain a 

development approval. 

In terms of Foreign Direct Investments 

(FDIs), Malaysia is expected to gain a 

significant momentum. The Malaysian 

government stated that FDIs in ASEAN 

surpassed two of the world’s biggest 

economies – the United States and China 

– valued at USD136 million in 2014. 

As for intra-ASEAN trade and investments, 

MITI revealed that removing the barrier 

encircling the 10-member states has 

led to an increase from USD1.22 billion 

in 2000 to USD24.4 billion in 2014. This 

Competitive Economic 

Region 

•Strengthen consumer protection 

•Intellectual property rights 

•Promote infrastructural development 

and e-commerce 

•Reduce double taxation 

•Develop competition policy 

Equitable Economic 

Development 

•Accelerate the development of small 

and medium enterprises (SMEs) 

•Enhance ASEAN integration to 

reduce development gap between 

member countries 


Myanmar 

Population (Million): 52.797 

Nominal GDP in 

Billion USD: 53,140 

ASEAN GDP (overall %): 2.29 

Thailand 





Cambodia 





Malaysia 



Billion Thailand USD: 305,033 


MYANMAR 

LAOS 

VIETNAM 

PHILIPPINES 

THAILAND 

CAMBODIA 

BRUNEI 

MALAYSIA 

INDONESIA 

Indonesia 





Laos 





Brunei 





Vietnam 





Singapore 


Nominal Cambodia GDP in 



SINGAPORE 

Sources: World Data Bank 2012, aseanup.com 

Philippines 





accounted for 17.9% of the total FDI 

inflows into the region in 2014. Similarly, 

the intra-ASEAN trade accounted for 

24% of the total ASEAN trade or USD608 

billion. As ASEAN’s per capita income 

stood at around USD4, 130 in 2015, the 

intra-ASEAN trade was expected to grow 

to 30% by 2020. 

AEC, which focuses on four economic 

pillars, is set to chart a strong impact 

on the global economy. Its pillars are to 

create a single market and production 

base where goods, services, investments, 

capital and skilled labour flow freely, to 

establish a highly competitive economic 

region, backed by a competition policy 

and interconnected infrastructure, 

develop a region of equitable economic 

development, narrowing development 

gaps and levelling the playing field for 

small businesses and finally integrating 

with the global economy, including free 

trade deals with major economies such 

as China, Japan, India, South Korea, 

Australia, and New Zealand. 

In real terms, apart from lowering tariffs, 

this will mean greater mobility to facilitate 

the movement of professionals across 

borders as this will allow the skilled labour 

force to practice in different countries 

using just one, unified set of credentials. 

SMALLER FIRMS SET TO BENEFIT 

Another key generator of jobs and 

economic growth to be observed 

from this partnership is the presence 

of an increasing number of small and 

medium enterprises (SMEs). In Malaysia, 

dedication to develop the bulk of 

businesses which are SMEs, are well 

underway. The SME Corporation Malaysia 

works closely with all government 

ministries and over 60 governmental 

agencies in conducting outreach 

programmes to ensure that the people 

within the industry are well-prepared for 

the AEC. 

SMEs are the backbone of the national 

economy and the Malaysian government 

has vowed to continue supporting them. 

This is evident through the ministry’s 

ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME 

Development 2016-2025. The plan 

includes measures for capacity building in 

areas such as ICT adoption, e-commerce 

and standards conformance and 

compliance; facilitating inter-firm networks 

and linkages within ASEAN for economies 

of scale; and sectoral and geographicalbased 

SME clusters for shared resources 

to reduce costs. 

In addition, Malaysian companies 

operating in ASEAN have formed 

networks of Malaysian business councils 

that can provide advisory services for 

Malaysian companies interested in doing 

business in the region. By investing in 

Malaysia, it could mean investors would 

be able to reap from a profitable, cost 

competitive centre as many Malaysian- 


ASEAN GDP GROWTH VS MAJOR ECONOMIES 

2013 

2014 2015 

WORLD 

ADVANCED 

ECONOMIES 

(US, EURO AND JAPAN) 

DEVELOPING 

ECONOMIES 

ASEAN 

3.0% 3.6% 3.9% 

1.3% 2.2% 2.3% 

4.7% 4.9% 4.3% 

5.0% 5.0% 5.4% 

Sources: International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook 2014, 

Asian Development Bank’s Asian Development Outlook April 2014 


listed companies have among the 

highest operating margins and returns 

in Southeast Asia, a well-known 

business services centre, possess the 

infrastructure and facilities to access 

a trillion dollar market and have the 

continuous support of pro-business 

governmental support offering tax and 

other incentives to encourage business 

growth and development. 

PROGRESS UNDERWAY IN OTHER 

COUNTRIES 

In Indonesia, the largest economy of 

the AEC and ASEAN’s most populous 

nation, the government is reaching out 

and providing training to some 74,000 

of its SMEs on exportation methods. 

Apart from that, as improving interagency 

coordination will be equally 

important, the Indonesian government 

will be establishing a creative economy 

board and supporting SME’s marketing 

through a public university. 

The Indonesian government also 

increased its infrastructure development 

budget to IDR313.5 trillion (approximately 

USD23 billion) for 2016, significantly 

higher than the budget allocation for 

infrastructure in the 2015 budget. 

Vietnam too has beefed up its efforts 

in anticipation of the AEC. Two years 

ago, the New Enterprise Law simplified 

procedures for establishing businesses 

while the country’s Investment 

Law loosened regulations. Notable 

amendments to the Investment Law for 

both domestic and foreign investors 

included revamping and streamlining the 

system by shortening the application 

processing days and allowing foreign 

investors to own charter capital of an 

enterprise in Vietnam without being 

subject to any limit, unless otherwise 

provided by Vietnamese law. 


As for Singapore, in 2013, it was reported 

that hundreds of multinational corporations 

used it as their regional headquarters, and 

there were approximately 4,000 companies 

from mainland China that did the same in 

order to tap into trade in Southeast Asia. 

With its world-class infrastructure and 

ports, the developed nation is a hub for 

research and development and logistics. 

Singapore has the lowest corporate tax 

among all ASEAN member states; as a 

result companies may attempt to shift their 

profits to Singapore. 

According to Thailand’s Real Estate 

Information Centre, the country’s property 

market is set to benefit from the AEC 

integration. The second largest economy 

in ASEAN after Indonesia, its income level 

and purchasing power is higher than its 

neighbouring countries Myanmar and 

Vietnam and it also possesses enough 

land area for development and future 

investments. The profits are set to flow in 

through foreign investors expanding their 

businesses in ASEAN countries with firms 

moving their management and operation 

staff into this region which ultimately mean 

space for work and living. 

Myanmar, Vietnam and the Philippines 

are likely to become major sources of 

growth within ASEAN before long, thanks 

largely to the growing number of labourintensive 

businesses setting up shop 

within their borders. 

This is attributable to a variety of factors, 

such as better distribution of investment 

from abroad into ASEAN countries, betteralignment 

of international division of labour 

in manufacturing within the zone and 

stronger inter-industry relations among 

bloc members. 

Moreover, foreign and Chinese 

manufacturers alike are relocating to other 

Asian countries to escape China’s rising 

labour costs and its stronger currency. 

This is due to the factor that labour costs 

in these countries are still comparatively 

lower than those of other ASEAN 

members. Furthermore, these countries 

possess populations large enough to 

ensure and maintain a steady supply of 

human resource. 

THE GLOBAL ECONOMY 

Meanwhile, ASEAN Plus Three (APT), 

formed in 1997, is a forum which includes 

the 10-member states plus China, Japan 

and South Korea. 

For South Korea, AEC could provide 

tremendous opportunities. ASEAN-Korean 

centre revealed that leaders from ASEAN 

and South Korea have set a target for 

two-way trade to reach USD200 billion by 

2020, up from USD138.2 billion in 2014. 

The ASEAN-Korean centre stated that 

the reason for the increased target stems 

from an abundance of opportunities for 

investment and intra-regional economic 

cooperation which also leads to higher 

changes of economic cooperation for 

ASEAN and other partners in Korea. 

ASEAN has emerged as the hub of free 

trade agreement (FTA) activity in Asia 

and plays a leadership role in negotiating 

trade rules for connecting Asia. FTAs 

have been concluded with ASEAN’s six 

dialogue partners: Australia, China, India, 

Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand. 

Moreover, negotiations for the Regional 

Comprehensive Economic Partnership 

(RCEP), covering ASEAN and its dialogue 

partners, were launched in 2012. When 

signed and implemented, RCEP will 

become the world’s biggest trade bloc, 

with comprehensive trade rules covering 

40% of world trade, GDP at a staggering 

USD17. 1 trillion and will provide 

significant economic gains to its members. 

With the sheer size of the opportunities 

that will be opened up by a fully-realised 

AEC, many of the larger firms are keeping 

an eye on this progress as different 

industries across the region establishes a 

stronger network that enhances ASEAN’s 

participation in the global supply chain. 



CANADA 

MALAYSIA 

VIETNAM 

BRUNEI 

JAPAN 

USA 

SINGAPORE 

MEXICO 

TPPA 

TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP 

AGREEMENT 

AUSTRALIA 

PERU 

NEW ZEALAND 

CHILE 

TPPA 

Malaysia has signed onto what is known 

as the biggest free-trade deal in history. 

But, why does it matter? In a nutshell, it 

leads to an increase in gross domestic 

products, investments and economic 

gains. It is set to be a leap forward for 

Malaysia as it looks to reduce tariffs, 

expand markets and promote freer trade. 

Malaysia and 11 other countries -- 

Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, 

Singapore, Mexico, New Zealand, 

Peru, the United States and Vietnam -- 

concluded the Trans-Pacific Partnership 

Agreement (TPPA) negotiations since its 

proposed agreement in 2005 on 

February 4, 2016. 

Set to become a regional regulatory and 

investment treaty, it is aimed at creating a 

platform for economic integration across 

the Asia Pacific region. 

Having originated as the Trans-Pacific 

Strategic Economic Partnership 

Agreement (TSEP or P4) with New 

Zealand, Chile, Singapore and Brunei as 

its first member countries, the entry and 

participation of the United States (US) 

in 2008 resulted in an expansion of the 

remaining countries. 

Today, after having joined the trade pact 

in 2010, Malaysia is expected to increase 

its gross domestic product (GDP) by 5.6% 

and also its export by 11.9% by year 

2025. So, let’s put things into perspective. 

1. Why does Malaysia want to be a part 

of TPPA? 

Malaysia has signed free trade agreements 

with several countries and trade blocs, 

including TPPA members Japan, New 

Zealand and Australia. But, these free 

trade agreements are usually limited to 

agreements between countries to lower 

their tariffs for certain goods and services. 

The TPPA has 29 chapters and covers 

issues that are beyond most free 

trade agreements. The new rules that 

are negotiated will determine how 

TPPA member countries approach 


competition, labour, environment, 

government procurement and intellectual 

property rights. 

In short, Malaysia wants more 

international market access for its 

exports under TPPA. The country 

intends to reduce bureaucracy, increase 

delivery system which would indirectly 

reduce incidences of corruption, protect 

the interest of government-linked 

conglomerates which have invested 

heavily abroad and ultimately boost 

the country as a favourite investment 

destination among foreign investors. 

2. How will the country gain from the 

agreement? 

With the TPPA, Malaysia is set to gain 

access to a market of 800 million people 

with a total GDP of USD27.5 trillion. The 

Peterson Institute of Economics stated 

that Malaysia stood to gain over USD41.7 

billion (RM133.9 billion) increase in exports 

and USD26.3 billion in income gains by 

2025 if it stays committed towards the 

developments within the TPPA. 

As Malaysia is an open economy that is 

often reliant on international trade, the 

Malaysian government has assured that 

the TPPA will be the chosen gateway 

leading into an unprecedented and 

growing market – including the US – after 

the Malaysia-US Foreign Trade Agreement 

(FTA) talks fall through. 

On expanding markets, Malaysian 

negotiators are currently pursuing 

more access for Malaysian textiles 

to the US market and plywood to 

the Japanese market. For the over 

29-million populated country, a study by 

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) revealed 

that the industries most likely to benefit 

from the pact are textiles, apparel, electrical 

and electronics (E&E) and automotive. 

PwC also stated that the sheer amount of 

investments was set to increase between 

USD136 billion and USD239 billion over 

2018 and 2027 following the country’s 

participation in the pact. It said the textile 

sector was bound to register the largest 

increase in investment growth in 2027, 

followed by construction and distributive 

trade sectors. 

3. What does the future hold? 

There have been 19 rounds of official 

negotiations that are hosted by all 

member countries. The culmination was 

achieved after Malaysia released the full 

text of the agreement for public viewing 

and signed their approval in February after 

ironing out issues in chapters concerning 

government procurement, intellectual 

property and state-owned enterprises. 

Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and 

International Studies (ISIS) revealed 

that non-participation could place the 

country’s policy of close and friendly 

relations with other member nations at 

risk. As such, ISIS concluded that the 

TPPA participation is consistent with 

Malaysia’s New Economic Model and 

ambitions to become a high income 

economy. Malaysia will have fewer tariff 

restrictions in four new markets – the 

United States (90%), Canada (95%), 

Mexico (77%) and Peru (81%) of all tariff 

lines adding that Malaysian exporters 

would gain a competitive advantage in 

market access compared with competitors 

who are not party to the TPPA. 

POTENTIAL IMPACT 

OF TPPA ON 

Textile 

Electrical and 

Electronics 

Automotive 

ECONOMIC SECTORS 

Yarn forward rule to boost 

exports and investments 

in upstream activities 

Large export opportunities 

from access to 

US government procurement 

Component manufacturers 

to benefit from greater 

market access 

Plastic 

Cheaper imports and 

lower tariffs to enhance 

export competitiveness 

Wood 

Lower trade barriers to raise 

export prospects 

Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers’ report on Potential Economic Impact of TPPA 

on the Malaysian Economy and Selected Key Economic Sectors. 



One Belt, One Road 

China will be revitalising the ancient Silk 

Road overland and maritime trade routes 

in efforts to link the East and West. This 

is set to boost Malaysia’s presence with 

it being China’s largest ASEAN trading 

partner. Also, this economic initiative will 

allow Malaysia to expand its business 

opportunities, tap into larger markets 

and allow the country to elevate its 

global status. 

A leading trading nation in Association of 

Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with 

rich natural resources, strong economic 

fundamentals and a pro business 

government, Malaysia is set to develop 

maritime links in a freight system dominated 

by European shippers via Beijing’s Maritime 

Silk Road. 

In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping 

unveiled an ambitious plan - to create the 

modern-day equivalent of the historic Silk 

Road. The plan aimed at having new land 

and water routes tying China to trading 

partners all the way to Europe. 

Officially the 21st century Maritime Silk 

Route Economic Belt, this initiative is a 

development strategy and framework 

focusing on connectivity and cooperation 

involving over 60 countries, covering a 

population of 4.4 billion with an estimated 

economic output of USD21 trillion. It 

consists of two main components which are 

the land-based “Silk Road Economic Belt” 

and ocean-going “Maritime Silk Road”. 


Europe 

(Baltic Sea) 

Russia 

Europe 

Mediterranean 

Sea 

Persian 

Gulf 

West 

Asia 

Central 

Asia 

South 

Asia 

China 

South 

China Sea 

Indian 

Ocean 

South East 

Asia 

South 

Pacific 

Silk Road Economic Belt 

21st Century Maritime Silk Road 

A strategic initiative to increase 

investments and foster collaborations 

across the historic Silk Road, Malaysia’s 

Transport Ministry stated that its country 

is located in an important strategic 

road along the route as it is situated in 

the centre of Southeast Asia as well as 

positioned along the Straits of Malacca, 

one of the busiest trade routes in 

the world. 

THE ROUTE’S HISTORY 

The route, under obvious reasons, derived 

its name from China’s monopoly on silk 

production since Emperor Han’s dynasty 

between 206 BC and 220 AD. A textile of 

ancient Chinese origin and woven from 

the protein fibre produced by silkworms 

to make its cocoon, the Chinese empire 

initially used the fabric as a diplomatic 

gift but as the years progressed, it was 

traded with the country’s immediate 

neighbours and ultimately became one of 

its chief exports. 

As countries joining the route increased, 

the route extending till Europe gradually 

linked up to form what is known today 

as the Silk Roads, a path of trade across 

both land and sea, along which silk and 

many other goods were exchanged 

between people from across the world. 

However, the term ‘Silk Road’ is in fact a 

relatively recent term and for a long time 

in history, these roads had no particular 

name. Only in the mid-nineteenth century, 

German geologist Baron Ferdinand 

von Richthofen named the network 

‘Die Seidenstrasse’ which meant ‘Silk 

Road’. The road allowed Malaysia, most 

importantly the state of Malacca, to serve 

as an international port for centuries. 

THE PRESENT DAY ROUTE 

Fast forward to present day, the landbased 

road will begin in Xi’an in central 

China before stretching west through 

Lanzhou (Gansu province), Urumqi 

(Xinjiang), and Khorgas (Xinjiang), which 

is near the border with Kazakhstan. The 

Silk Road then runs southwest from 

Central Asia to northern Iran before 

swinging west through Iraq, Syria, and 

Turkey. From Istanbul, the Silk Road 

crosses the Bosporus Strait and heads 

northwest through Europe, including 

Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, 

and Germany. Reaching Duisburg in 

Germany, it swings north to Rotterdam 

in the Netherlands. From Rotterdam, the 

path runs south to Venice, Italy — where 

it meets up with the equally ambitious 

Maritime Silk Road. 

The Maritime Silk Road will begin in 

Quanzhou in Fujian province, and also hit 

Guangzhou (Guangdong province), Beihai 

(Guangxi), and Haikou (Hainan) before 

heading south to the Malacca Strait. From 

Kuala Lumpur, the Maritime Silk Road 

heads to Kolkata, India then crosses 

the rest of the Indian Ocean to Nairobi, 

Kenya. From Nairobi, the Maritime Silk 


Road goes north around the Horn of Africa 

and moves through the Red Sea into the 

Mediterranean, with a stop in Athens 

before meeting the land-based Silk Road 

in Venice. 

AN ECONOMIC BOOM 

The geographic vision is no less 

impressive than the economic vision. 

Between 2001 and 2008, China was the 

fourth largest trading partner for Malaysia. 

Since 2009, China has become the largest 

trading partner. China has been ASEAN’s 

largest trading partner since 2009 while 

ASEAN has been China’s third largest 

trading partner since 2010. In 2014, 

Malaysia’s bilateral trade with China 

increased to RM207.85 billion, or a 14.3% 

share of Malaysia’s total external trade. 

As such, it comes as no surprise that 

Malaysia intends to bank on its continued 

stream of opportunities from this initiative. 

Furthermore, in late 2015, China’s premier 

Li Keqiang offered up to USD10 billion 

in loans to ASEAN members, to be used 

for infrastructure building. In addition, 

Li promised to hold a USD7.8 billion 

quota for Malaysian investors under the 

Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional 

Investor (RQFII), paving the way for more 

Malaysian investment in China. 

The plan envisions building high-speed 

railroads, roads and highways, energy 

transmission and distributions networks, 

and fibre optic networks. Cities and 

ports along the route will be targeted 

for economic development. With that 

being said, the Malaysian and Chinese 

governments signed a five-year plan to 

strive for USD160 billion by 2017, by 

expanding trade, investment, tourism, 

education, financial and infrastructure 

projects. China is also expected to open 

up the ASEAN route of the Trans-Asian 

railway, in order to link up Southeast 

Asian countries as well as to allow goods 

to be sent in both directions: east to 

Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and other 

places; west to reach Central Asia. 

For Malaysia, the opportunities will 

come knocking. For starters, the Trans- 

Asian railway will be instrumental in 

expanding the economy and would 

present as a gateway to many countries 

especially ASEAN. Furthermore, the 

state of Sarawak, a region rich with 

resources and huge potential will be used 

as a cooperative platform for Chinese 

investors. In 2015, China’s Yunnan and 

Fujian Provinces signed letters of intent 

for friendly ties with Sarawak’s Corridor for 

Renewable Energy sector. 

FUNDING THE DREAM 

In terms of financing this plan, in 2014, 

China announced the launch of an Asian 

International Infrastructure Bank (AIIB), 

providing seed funding for the project, 

with an initial Chinese contribution of 

USD47 billion. 

The country has invited the international 

community of nations to take a major role 

as bank charter members and partners 

in the project. Members will be expected 

to contribute, with additional funding by 

international funds, including the World 

Bank, investments from private and public 

companies, and local governments. 

The vision here is to resurrect the ancient 

Silk Road as a modern transit, trade, and 

economic corridor that runs from Shanghai 

to Berlin. Traversing through countries 

including China, Mongolia, Russia, 

Belarus, Poland and Germany, extending 

more than 12,000 kilometres, this will 

create an economic zone which stretches 

to over one third the circumference of the 

earth. Building this will take decades, but 

if it aims at no less than a revolutionary 

change in the economic map of the world, 

one will have to be patient before the 

benefits can be reaped. 


Be A Wanderlust 

A country home to over 30 million citizens from 

a plethora of races and religion, the melting pot 

of cultures does not end there. A diverse country 

with a mix of Malays, Chinese, Indians, indigenous 

tribes and a growing number of expatriates, 

Malaysia also offers a great deal of variety in 

terms of its historic buildings, iconic skyscrapers, 

shopping havens, hipster coffee cafes, pristine 

beaches and islands, mountains and lush forests. 

With a minimum of two million tourists flocking 

into the country each month, there is always 

something to see, do or eat and it rings true to an 

old adage by English poet Rudyard Kipling who 

once said: “The first condition of understanding a 

foreign country is to smell it.” 




Kuala Lumpur 

Malaysia’s Bustling 

Metropolitan Capital 

PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS 

Once the world’s tallest building, this 

88-storey skyscraper still remains the 

world’s tallest twin towers standing 

majestically at 452 metres from ground 

level. Each tower weighs 30,000 tonnes 

which is equivalent to the weight of over 

40,000 elephants. The towers feature 

multi-faceted walls of 33,000 stainless 

steel and 55,000 glass panels. These 

specialised panels with light filtering 

and noise reduction properties provide 

a comfortable inner environment while 

stainless steel visors on the panels are 

provided to further protect visitors from 

the tropical sun. Officially opened to the 

public in 1999, the building which also 

houses a shopping mall, international 

offices and a science discovery centre 

attracts a minimum of 100,000 visitors on 

a daily basis. 

KL TOWER 

The KL Tower is the seventh tallest 

freestanding structure in the world and 

a meagre 31 metres shorter than the 

Petronas Twin Towers. Apart from housing 

a 360 degree-revolving restaurant, a 

theatre and an amphitheatre, the tower 

has a tropical rainforest aquarium which 

allows visitors to view fishes and other 

aquatic species swimming against a lush 

rainforest background. Furthermore, apart 

from being the tallest lookout point for a 

view of the city, the tower is annually used 

as an observatory by the government to 

view the formation of crescent moons that 

marks several celebrations including Eid in 

the Islamic calendar. 


NATIONAL MONUMENT 

The National Monument pays homage 

to those who gave up their lives during 

the nation’s struggle against the threat of 

communism. Within its grounds is one of 

the world’s largest free-standing bronze 

sculptures. It was sculpted in 1966 by 

American sculptor Felix de Weldon, who 

was also the creator of the famous Iwo 

Jima monument in Washington DC. There 

are seven bronze human figures atop an 

oblong base with each figure denoting one 

of seven qualities: courage, leadership, 

sacrifice, strength, suffering, unity and 

vigilance. The topmost central figure holds 

the Malaysian flag. He is flanked on the 

left and right by two other soldiers, both 

armed; the figure on the left is armed with 

a machinegun, while the other carries a 

rifle and a bayonet. 

CENTRAL MARKET, CHINATOWN, 

LITTLE INDIA 

Formerly known as a wet market, Central 

Market is at present a cultural heritage 

site brimming with arts and craft stores, 

restaurants and a popular venue among 

tourists to buy souvenirs when visiting 

the city. Authentic Malaysian batik prints, 

sweet toffees known as ‘dodol’ and 

durian-infused coffee are regular items 

that can be found throughout the year 

at this place. Over a century old, the 

building’s decoration and stores often 

change in accordance with the many 

festivals celebrated in Malaysia. Located 

a stone throw’s away from Central Market 

is Chinatown. Based in Petaling Street, 

the place is also known as ‘Chee Cheong 

Kai’ (starch factory street) which is a 

reference to its roots as a former tapioca- 


producing district. A bargain hunter’s 

paradise, notable items on this street are 

Chinese herbs and imitation goods. As 

for Little India, the place holds a 35-foot 

fountain at the junction, an information 

kiosk and a three-storey Indian bazaar 

apart from other stores and stalls selling 

Indian clothing and sweets while blasting 

the streets with Bollywood music. The 

place, located in Brickfields, was created 

as a tribute to the early Indian settlements 

located within the city. 

BUKIT BINTANG 

A haven for night owls and shoppers alike, 

this entertainment district attracts people 

from all walks of life throughout the day. 

The streets are packed with malls which 

include a premier shopping mall that 

carries international brands such as Diane 

Von Furstenberg, Dolce and Gabbana and 



Juicy Couture, an array of Middle Eastern 

restaurants and bars and nightclubs with 

live music scenes and rooftop locations 

that cater to both the young and old. 

NATIONAL MUSEUM 

The National Museum provides a holistic 

view of various periods within the 

Malaysian history and an appreciation of 

the country’s diverse ethnic groups. Two 

years after independence in 1959, the 

government appointed an architect to 

design the proposed National Museum 

to be built on the ruins of the Selangor 

Museum which was destroyed by war 

bombings in 1945. The museum began 

construction in 1962 and on August 31, 

1963, the building was finally completed. 

At present, the museum houses four main 

galleries which are split into the prehistoric 

era, Malay kingdoms, colonial eras 

and present-day Malaysia. 


Selangor 

A Vibrant 

Industrial State 

BATU CAVES 

The site of several Hindu temples and 

shrines, Batu Caves is a limestone 

hill, discovered in 1892, that attracts 

almost a million devotees and tourists 

especially during the annual Hindu 

festival, Thaipusam. The site has three 

main caves and its main attraction is a 

large statue of Hindu God ‘Murugan’ 

at the ground entrance before one 

chooses to climb 272 steps up the hill. 

The statue, which stands proud at 42.7 

metres, is the tallest statue of a Hindu 

deity in Malaysia and the second tallest 

statue of a Hindu deity in the world. 

FIREFLY PARK, KUALA SELANGOR 

Housing one of the biggest firefly 

colonies in the country, this park allows 

visitors to go on scheduled tours once 

the sun sets in order to see thousands 

of fireflies in their natural habitat. The 

place also boasts that visitors will be 

able to see large numbers of fireflies 

moving in perfect synchrony making 

way for a magnificent picture. As 

such, each night there is a stream of 

electric motor boats that ferry tourists 

up along the Selangor River as silently 

as possible to listen to the spectacular 

harmony of these fireflies while viewing 

their luminous flashes of light. 



FRIM 

The Forest Research Institute Malaysia 

(FRIM) is one of the leading institutions 

in tropical forestry research in the 

world. The Institute, which was founded 

in 1929, sits on a 545-hectare site 

adjacent to the Bukit Lagong Forest 

Reserve in Kepong. Apart from being a 

research centre, the site offers visitors 

a chance to experience nature trails, 

waterfalls, a nature education centre, 

camping and picnic sites, botanic 

gardens and arboreta. One of its main 

attractions is its canopy walkway, 

spanning 150 metres and suspended 

30 metres above ground. 

BROGA HILL 

Broga Hill, also known as ‘Lalang 

Hill’ - after the local species of grass 

that grows abundantly here, is a hill 

in Semenyih, at 400 metres high. 

The hill is famed for its incredibly 

panoramic views of the plains, oil palm 

plantations, nearby villages and towns, 

distant mountains and mixture of lush 

rainforest. At dawn, mist rising from 

the ground can be seen enveloping 

the green landscape in a carpet of 

white, evoking a surreal atmosphere. A 

popular hiking spot among locals and 

tourists, it is easily accessible via foot, 

taking anywhere between 20 and 45 



minutes to reach its highest peak. There 

are three peaks in total, each one ascends 

above the other through a clear path 

fringed by tall grass at each side. From the 

summit, a proper jungle trail leads through 

primary rainforest to Tok Wan Mountain 

which stands at 675 metres, roughly one 

and a half hour hike on meandering slopes. 

NATIONAL ZOO 

Zoo Negara was officially opened in 1963 

and has matured into a well-known zoo 

all around the world. It has over 5,137 

specimens from 476 species of mammals, 

birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. The 

zoo covers 110 acres of land and over 

the years, it has transformed itself to an 

open concept zoo with over 90% of its 

animals being kept in spacious exhibits 

with landscape befitting its nature. A 

well-known exhibit at the zoo is the Giant 

Panda exhibit. On a 10-year loan from 

China, two pandas will make Malaysia its 

home for a period of 10 years. The arrival 

of these Chinese bears represent peace 

and a symbol of diplomatic relationship 

between both countries for 40 years. Apart 

from boosting the number of visitors to the 

zoo, the arrival of these pandas are also a 

great opportunity for the zoo to highlight 

the issue of endemic endangered animals 

and champion wildlife appreciation and 

conservation education. 

I-CITY SHAH ALAM 

A 72-acre ICT-based urban development 

consisting of residential homes, offices and 

hotels, this technology park is best visited 

at night. This is when the place comes 

alive with an amazing forest of man-made 

trees brightly illuminated with millions 

of colourful LED lights. The site also 

houses an indoor snow park which allows 

visitors to escape the Malaysian heat and 

experience a temperature of 5 degrees 

and below. The snow park has igloos, ice 

houses, slides, a mini-bobsled run, ice 

penguins and various other ice sculptures 

fully-illuminated by more LED lights. 



Pahang 

A Land Of Hills 

And Valleys 

Cameron Highlands 

The country’s largest hill resort, the 

highland is a popular destination for 

lovely quaint little villages, butterfly 

parks, strawberry and honey bee farms, 

sprawling tea plantations or meals 

at the quintessentially Tudor-styled 

country inns. Situated 1,500 metres 

above sea level, temperatures vary 

often around 16 degrees and above 

which is considered chilly for local 

residents and a treat for foreigners 

who get to escape the sweltering 

heat of the lowlands. Apart from tea, 

strawberries and scones, the place is 

known for trekking and bird-watching. 

The tradition of having tea and scones 

dates back to the days English colonial 

officers used this place as a cool retreat 

during their occupation of Malaysia. 

Genting Highlands 

Dubbed the ‘city of entertainment’, the 

highlands is another cool retreat for 

many Malaysians. Attractions at this 

place include massive hotel chains 

and retail stores from the Genting 

Group which includes casinos, a winter 

wonderland, a video game park, a 

Ripley’s Believe or Not museum, a 

bowling centre, a movie theatre and 

an indoor theme park. Apart from 

capturing a scenic view of the cities 

below, Genting is a family retreat as it 

has activities for all. 

Tioman Island 

Pulau Tioman is an island off the east 

coast of Peninsular Malaysia, acclaimed 

as a geological wonder, ecological 

paradise and one of Southeast Asia’s 

most beautiful travel destinations. 

The island enchants visitors with its 

warm beaches, lovely seas and lush 

rainforests. Budget and mid-range 

hotels provide quick accommodation at 

every village, but there are also luxury 

resorts nestled within private coves 

and beaches. A melting pot of cultures, 

the island attracts travellers throughout 

the year. As for its name, legend has 

it that the island got its name from a 

pet mynah called ‘Tiong’ by locals. It 

was an excellent singer that greatly 

entertained villagers and as it was a 

favourite, locals named the island after 

its passing, a portmanteau of ‘Tiong’ 

and ‘teman’ which translates to ‘friend’. 



Terengganu 

A Bedazzling Hub Of Tropical Islands 

REDANG ISLAND 

The island is the first of Malaysian Marine 

Parks to have a Marine Park Centre. 

The centre was established in 1990 and 

located off the southern tip of the island 

near the state of Penang. The centre’s 

focal point is administration, management 

and providing facilities for marine research 

and education. As a marine park, impact 

from human activities are managed to 

protect the marine environment and to 

conserve its coral reefs. Fishing is not 

allowed within the 3.2 kilometre radius 

while collection of all marine life including 

shells and corals are strictly prohibited. 

Besides the centre, the island is a popular 

snorkelling destination due to its large 

number of fishes and other species. 

Trekking through island trails are probably 

one of the best ways to appreciate the 

island’s surroundings which includes its 

flora and fauna and touted to have turtles 

coming to the beaches during nesting 

periods throughout the year. Favourite 


nesting spots on the island include Pasir 

Chagar Hutang, Pasir Mak Simpan, Pasir 

Mak Kepit, Pasir Bujang and Teluk Dalam. 

PERHENTIAN ISLANDS 

Perhentian is comprised of two islands 

named Pulau Perhentian Kecil (Small 

Perhentian Island) and Pulau Perhentian 

Besar (Large Perhentian Island). The Malay 

word ‘Perhentian’ is translated as “place 

to stop” and this is exactly what these 

two islands were for traders travelling 

between Malaysia and Bangkok in the 

past. The islands are no longer used 

for trade purposes but rather a place to 

disconnect and de-stress. Simple chalets 

and some moderately luxurious resorts 

line the picturesque beaches along 

with restaurants, dive centres and boat 

operators advertising their services with 

hand-painted signs. 

A mecca for scuba-diving, top spots are 

Tokong Laut (Temple of the Sea, also 

known as the Pinnacle) and the Sugar 

Wreck. Tokong Laut is a pointed rock 

protruding from the seabed, surrounded by 

all kinds of coral and home to numerous 

species of reef fish and other marine 

life. The Sugar Wreck is an eerie-looking 

sunken freight ship that lies at around 

15-22 metres. Marine life is in abundance 

here and apart from the many species of 

hard and soft coral that form the backbone 

of these ecosystems, you can also expect 

to encounter turtles, several species 

of sharks, mackerel, jacks, moray eels, 

nudibranchs and various other reef fish. 



Perak 

A Former Tin-Mining State 

Turned Cultural Region 

PANGKOR ISLAND 

Pangkor, derived from the Thai words 

‘Pang Ko’ which translates to ‘beautiful 

island’, is a mountainous island with its 

highest point at 1,216 metres. As the 

island consists of just mountains, roads 

were built to encircle it. Apart from the 

obvious reason to trek or hike on this 

island, other notable activities include 

hornbill-feeding, kayaking, parasailing 

and snorkelling. For those with an 

interest in sitting back and relaxing as 

the cool breeze rushes across your 

face, boat trips around the bay and 

visiting the boat-building industries 

come highly recommended for both 

locals and tourists alike. 

KELLIE’S CASTLE 

Once infamously known as a hangout 

for teens skipping schools, the castle 

was meant to be a home away from 

home for Scotsman William Kellie 

Smith in the 20th century. Wishing to 

retain the charm of his home back in 

Scotland, William began construction 

of his home in 1915. However, the 

construction came to a halt when he 

died from pneumonia. Today, the Perak 

State Government has rescued this 

structure, a solitary building projecting a 

strong personality and layers of mystery 

apart from being touted as a haunted 

castle by locals, and turned it around 

into a tourist attraction for those who 

wish to take a glimpse into the lives that 

lived there in the past. 

TAIPING ZOO AND NIGHT SAFARI 

Taiping Zoo is located in a lovely 

natural setting in Taiping Lake Gardens 

with streams, lakes and abundance 

of flora that gives the zoo a unique 

advantage of being able to use nature 

to its best. Amassing an area of 34 

acres, the Taiping Zoo has embarked 

on an expansion programme which 

includes the building of new ‘Open 

Concept’ animal enclosures. Taiping 

Zoo is currently home to more than 

180 species of animals totalling – 

1,300. These include tigers, lions, 

elephants, hippopotamus, giraffes, 

hornbills, and orang utans. The Taiping 

Night Safari is a first of its kind in the 

country. Bathed in lighting similar to 

moonlight, the beauty and splendour 

of nature is enhanced and in an effort 

to maintain the experience of a natural 

environment, the Taiping Night Safari 

attempts to display nocturnal animals in 

natural looking settings. This provides 

the opportunity for visitors to appreciate 

and value the treasures of nature while 

enjoying oneself. 


86 | Best of Malaysia 

Kedah

Kedah 

The Rice Bowl Of Malaysia 

LANGKAWI ISLAND 

Langkawi is an archipelago consisting 

of over 100 islands in the Andaman 

Sea. The islands are blessed with an 

intriguing heritage of fabulous myths 

and legends of ogres and gigantic 

birds, warriors and fairy princesses, 

battles and romance. With a geological 

history dating back 500 million odd 

years, the islands contain unique rock 

formations that stir the imagination 

and baffle the mind. Numerous caves 

with their stunning stalactites and 

stalagmites taunt the adventurous to 

unravel their ancient secrets while its 

fine beaches offer sun-filled days of 

complete relaxation. The clear emerald 

waters around the islands provide 

numerous opportunities for a host of 

water sports and recreational activities. 

The enchanting marine life beneath 

the waters of Langkawi’s islands also 

beckon diving enthusiasts. A dutyfree 

island, travellers who visit the 

place often come home with bags of 

chocolates and alcohol. 

SEVEN WELLS WATERFALL 

‘Telaga Tujuh’ Waterfalls is billed as 

Langkawi’s most wonderful natural 

attraction. Set on its western headlands, 

its name means Seven Wells Waterfalls, 

referring to a series of seven connected 

natural pools fed by seven separate 

waterfalls in Mount Mat Cincang. As 

with any old settings, the mystery 

surrounding this attraction belongs to 

fairies. Locals often say fairies come to 

these pools to bathe but it is probably 

the crystal-clear water and extensive 

range of plants and flowers that would 

entice visitors into thinking it is indeed 

a magical place. For the adrenaline 

junkies, a hike up the steep climb to 

the top of the waterfalls, past huge 

rocks and through the seven pools is 

well-worth the journey that will take you 

approximately 45 minutes and along 

the way one is likely to spot macaques, 

hornbills or giant squirrels. 


Penang 

The Food Capital 

Of Malaysia 

KEK LOK SI TEMPLE 

A Buddhist temple situated in the 

town of Air Itam, the Kek Lok Si is 

one of the best known temples on the 

island. The construction of the temple 

began in 1893 while the seven storey 

main pagoda or the Pagoda of 10,000 

Buddhas’ was completed in 1930. The 

pagoda combines a Chinese octagonal 

base with a middle tier of Thai design, 

and a Burmese crown; reflecting the 

temple’s embrace of both Mahayana 

and Theravada Buddhism. In 2002, a 

30.2-metre bronze statue of Kuan Yin, 

the goddess of mercy, was completed 

and opened to public. The statue 

is located on the hillside above the 

pagoda. The temple consists of many 

prayer halls, pagodas, bell towers and 

just about every other typical temple 

structure you can think of, in varying 

styles from Burmese to Chinese to Thai. 

GEORGE TOWN 

The capital of Penang, the town is 

named after British King George III. 

In the past, the city with its English 

influences was predominantly used for 

trading and cultural exchanges between 

the East and the West in the Straits of 

Malacca. Today however, the city is 

home to over 500,000 inhabitants with a 

multicultural life and heritage buildings 

that can be seen peppered along the 

streets. Retaining its rustic British 

charm, the city was listed as a Unesco 

World Heritage Site in 2008. This 

historic city has over 12,000 buildings 

comprising shophouses, churches, 

mosques, government offices and 

monuments. The core areas of the site 

encompass the Lebuh Acheh historical 

enclave and sites such as the Lebuh 

Acheh Malay mosque, Jalan Masjid 

Kapitan Kling mosque, Sri Mariamman 

Temple, Khoo Kongsi, St George’s 

Church, Assumption Church, St Xavier’s 


Institution, Convent Light Street, Little 

India, museums and court buildings, the 

commercial area of Beach Street, Fort 

Cornwallis, Esplanade, City Hall, the 

clan jetties and port areas. 

BATU FERINGGHI 

The allure of this spot is its beaches. 

Lose the concrete view of cities and 

head for some much needed sun, sand 

and beach; perfect for a weekend 

picnic getaway. Sinking into the cool 

clear waters at this paradise will not 

be an issue as bathing areas are often 

cordoned off by floating buoys to 

protect swimmers from speeding jetskis, 

banana boat rides and parasailing. 

Also, occasionally, dolphins can be seen 

swimming from one side of the island 

to the other side. At night, the scene 

changes as both locals and tourists 

often flock the night markets - perfect 

for bargain hunters and foodies alike. 


Malacca 

A Historical State On 

The Straits Of Malacca 

JONKER’S STREET 

A street in the city’s Chinatown with 

many antiques, textile and handicraft 

stores as well as galleries, Jalan 

Hang Jebat, or Jonker’s Street as it is 

commonly known, is the street to go to 

if you intend to satiate hunger pangs 

with local cuisines or indulge in some 

clothing apparel or trinkets. Flanked 

on both sides of the road with heritage 

houses dating back to the 17th century, 

the street was home to Baba Nyonyas, 

also known as Peranakans, who were 

descendants of the 15th century 

Chinese immigrants who married local 

Malay women. Today, the street houses 

are mostly converted into stores selling 

a variety of things imaginable under the 

sun. On weekends, the street is closed 

to traffic and transforms into a very lively 

and crowded night market. Coming to 

life with a street party-like atmosphere, 

the place is a haven for those intending 

to spend without breaking the bank, 

enjoy the laidback vibe with live music 

and savour local dishes such as the 

‘chicken rice ball’ dish, dim sums, fresh 

spring rolls or ‘bakchang’ which is sticky 

rice stuffed with pork and wrapped in 

bamboo leaves. 

ST PAUL’S HILL 

The Portuguese colonised Malacca 

for 130 years. As defence is of great 

importance in holding ground, a fort 

called A’Famosa was built overlooking 

the state’s river. Within the fort walls 

were housing and food stores, a castle, 

a meeting room for the Portuguese 

Council and five churches. A sevenmonth 

attack by the Dutch just about 

destroyed the entire fortress, leaving 

only the entrance facade and the 

structure of a church at the top of the 

hill. Today, this hill is a popular site for a 

simple morning or late afternoon stroll 

while reminiscing through the historical 

remnants of the site. The exteriors are 

mostly ruins and the white-washed 

church, dedicated to Saint Paul the 

Apostle, will greet you as soon as you 

reach the top. 

RED SQUARE 

Also known as the Dutch Square, 

this attraction is hard to miss as the 

buildings are all painted in maroon 

colour that stands out amongst its 

surroundings. The former Dutch 

administration site consist of the 

Stadthuys building, a church, a fountain 

erected during the British colonisation 

and a clock tower paying homage to 

the population of Chinese settlers and 

in particularly to a local philanthropic 

businessman. A square looking to 

celebrate a carnival on any given day, 

the hustle and bustle will keep one on 

their toes at all times. 



Johor Bahru 

Malaysia’s Southern Gateway 

LEGOLAND AND HELLO KITTY TOWN 

These amusement parks, named after the 

famed international toys, will deliver and 

keep your family, especially younger kids 

entertained for the whole day. Legoland, 

an amusement and water park dedicated 

solely to the infamous toy bricks lying 

around one’s house and being stepped 

on most often by adults, opened its door 

to the public in 2012 and is the first of 

its kind in Asia and the sixth such park 

built, worldwide. It is a family holiday 

destination with more than 70 handson 

rides, slides, shows and attractions. 

Meanwhile, a town for Sanrio’s iconic 

character ‘Hello Kitty’ that has been taking 

the world by storm since the 80s and quite 

recently was revealed not to be a cat but a 

Japanese-British third grader, is the place 

to be if one owns everything Kitty. 

SRI RAJAKALIAMMAN GLASS TEMPLE 

Religious places of worships are often a 

place for self-reflection. At this temple, 

however, one is able to literally view their 

reflection with every step they take. The 

first and only Hindu glass temple in the 

country, the Sri Rajakaliamman temple 

was included in the Malaysian Book of 

Records for its unique glass architecture 

in 2010. The temple has over 90% of 

glasswork as it is embellished by a mosaic 

of 300,000 pieces of red, blue, yellow, 

green, purple and white glass. 

DANGA BAY 

This recreational avenue possesses a 

myriad of high end retail outlets and fine 

dining restaurants. It is considered the 

biggest recreation park in Johor Baru 

as there are many activities suitable 

for all ages. The Danga Park is suitable 


for children while the bay area is a 

romantic spot for couples with top-notch 

restaurants with a breath-taking night 

view. For shoppers, there is Danga City 

Mall and after a day of shopping, there are 

plenty of premier luxury of budget hotels 

within the area to choose and stay in. 



Sabah 

Blanketed By A Rug Of Trees And Mountains 

MOUNT KINABALU 

The mountain, called “Aki Nabalu” by the 

Kadazan Dusun tribe, is sacred to locals 

and thought to be the “revered abode of 

the dead”. Local tribes believe that spirits 

of their ancestors inhabit the top of the 

mountain. Standing majestically at 4,095m 

(13,435 feet above sea level), Mount 

Kinabalu is the highest mountain between 

the Himalayas and New Guinea. A World 

Heritage Site, it is well-known worldwide 

for its tremendous botanical and biological 

species biodiversity with plants of 

Himalayan, Australasian, and Indomalayan 

origin. It is also blessed with beautiful 

sceneries while taking a climb up. 

SIPADAN ISLAND 

Located in the Celebes Sea off the east 

coast of Sabah, the island is one of the 

most beautiful scuba diving spots in 

the world. The only oceanic island in 

Malaysia, the huge pillar that forms the 

atoll functions as a shelter for many sea 

animals and fish. Furthermore, there are 

only a few places in the world that have 

such a concentration of sea turtles. It 

is almost impossible to list all the fish 

and other sea creatures that you might 

encounter underwater when diving at 

Sipadan but among the species are 

schools of big-eye trevallies, many turtles, 

tornado-like formations of barracudas, 

schools of humphead parrotfishes, giant 

mantas and if lucky, hammerhead and 

white sharks. 

LABUK BAY PROBOSCIS MONKEY 

SANCTUARY 

For those wishing to get a glimpse of 

other primates apart from orang utans, 

the proboscis monkey is a treat to eyes 

with its large nose, webbed toes and pot 

bellies. In the centre of the mangrove 

forests of Semawang is the Labuk Bay 

Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, where one 

can see Borneo’s indigenous proboscis 

monkeys. This privately-owned sanctuary 

located within an oil palm estate gives 

one the chance to observe these animals 

up close and personal. Apart from the 

monkeys, a night tour enables visitors to 

see wild boars, flying squirrels, fireflies 

and crocodiles. 


Sarawak 

A Goldmine Of 

Nature And Wildlife 

Resources 

MULU NATIONAL PARK 

A national park located near the 

town of Miri and a UNESCO World 

Heritage Site, it houses caves and karst 

formations all within a mountain setting. 

Over a thousand of years, the flow of 

water draining from the slopes of Mount 

Mulu towards the sea has sliced deep 

gorges through the park’s limestone 

mountains and, within the rock itself, 

an intricate network of vast caves has 

been formed. Since 1978, these caves 

have been the focus for a succession of 

expeditions and a world of great beauty 

and mystery formed over thousands of 

years by the most elemental of forces - 

the passage of water through rock. This 

world, the domain of caves, is a huge 

hit among explorers, researchers and 

geologists. 

MATANG WILDLIFE CENTRE 

A wildlife refuge rehabilitation centre 

for endangered animals, predominantly 

orang utans, and the place trains 

animals who have been orphaned or 

rescued from captivity on surviving in 

the wild. Apart from orang utans, sun 

bears, deers, civet cats, sea eagles and 

hornbills are a common sight. Jungle 

trekking is also possible at this location. 

BAKO NATIONAL PARK 

This park packs a punch with its 

limited area. With its rainforest, 

abundant wildlife, jungle streams, 

waterfalls, interesting plant life, 

secluded beaches, panoramic rocky 

shoreline and extensive network of 

trekking trails, Bako offers visitors 

an excellent introduction to the 

rainforest and coastline of Borneo. 

Just slightly over 30 kilometres from 

Kuching, its accessibility and sheer 

range of attractions and activities 

have made Bako one of the most 

popular parks in Sarawak. Gazetted 

in 1957, it is Sarawak’s oldest national 

park, covering an area of 2,727 

hectares. Despite being one of the 

smallest national parks in the state, it 

remains one of the most interesting 

as it contains almost every type of 

vegetation found in Borneo. 



Perlis 

A Hidden Gem Of 

A State 

KELAM CAVE 

It is called the ‘cave of darkness’ but 

this brightly-lit cave is a 370-metre 

long limestone cave over 30 kilometres 

from the state’s capital, Kangar. 

Formerly used as a pathway for tinmining 

activities within surrounding 

areas since World War 1, visitors can 

still find remnants of the tin mine 

operation within the cave. The only 

path to the cave is via an eight-foot 

wide wooden suspension bridge built 

by an Englishman in 1935. The place 

is also popular for its enchanting ‘cave 

walk’ where one can enter from one 

end of the cave and come out at a 

different location. 

AL HUSSAIN FLOATING MOSQUE 

Built next to the Kuala Perlis Jetty, 

the mosque’s structure extends over 

the Straits of Malacca, earning it 

the nickname of a floating mosque. 

A 50-metre bridge connects to the 

main prayer hall above the water 

and it was built at a cost of about 

RM12 million. Distinctive features at 

this religious place of worship are its 

twin hexagon minarets at 7.1 metres, 

which is believed to be the first of its 

kind in the world and Quranic verses 

carved on the walls with translations 

in English and Malay. When dusk falls, 

the minarets are lighted with different 

colours signalling a different prayer 

time and used by fishermen as a 

prayer time guide. 



Faith, Food and 

Festivities 

It is a common sight to see cars parked 

illegally by the side of Malaysian roads 

as it could mean one of the following: 

there is a mosque or temple nearby 

and it’s prayer time, there’s a food stall 

selling snacks or local delicacies or it 

just could simply mean someone could 

not find a proper parking spot and is 

about to get towed away by authorities 

sooner or later. But, in a strange and 

quirky way, the system works and 

we have learnt to accept this as the 

Malaysian way. 

OUR DIFFERENCES BRING US 

TOGETHER 

Malaysia has come a long way since its 

first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman 

chanted ‘Merdeka’ seven times at the 

Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on 

August 31st, 1957. The country broke free 

from the clutches of British administration 

since it entered the region in 1786. Today, 

comprising three main religions and an 

intriguing mix of race and culture, its 

people have learnt to work and live among 

one another despite being raised from 

varying backgrounds. 

LEAVE YOUR SHOES AT THE DOOR 

Islam is the official religion and the largest 

ethnic group are Malays who make up 

slightly over half of the 30-million strong 

population. The language spoken is 

Bahasa Malaysia or simply known as 

Malay, the country’s national language 

and spoken by a large majority if not all 

Malaysians. Simple phrases that can be 

used to initiate conversation includes: 

How are you? = Apa Khabar 

(pronounced as a-pah car-bah) 

Thank you = Terima Kasih 

(pronounced as te-ri-mah car-say) 

Good morning = Selamat Pagi 

(pronounced se-lah-mutt pah-gee) 

The country also celebrates major festivals 

observed by the Muslim community and 

the most prominent celebrations are 


Eid or Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Hajj celebration day and Prophet 

Muhammad’s birthday which are all national holidays. 

Hari Raya which is celebrated after Muslims fast for one month 

during Ramadan (the ninth month of the Islamic calendar), is 

ushered in with prayers, food and firecrackers with family and 

friends. A common tradition in the country is ‘open houses’. 

Not to be confused with the western definition of a realtor 

showing a property to interested individuals, the Malaysian 

definition of the phrase refers to people ‘opening their houses’ 

to friends and families to visit, mingle and celebrate a particular 

festivity. If unfamiliar to the concept, there are plenty of 

ministries and government bodies that organise public open 

houses and it is often a place for both locals and tourists to 

attend and soak in the celebrations. However, once invited 

to a person’s house, it is a common Asian thing to leave your 

shoes outside the house as most do not wear their footwear 

inside. This has nothing to do with religion but rather a form of 

maintaining a clean and tidy home. 

A COUNTRY THAT LOVES TO EAT 

If something goes well with holidays, it’s the food. Malaysians 

are huge fans of spicy food and the Malay cuisine is no 

different. A food nation that loves its rice, the most famous 

Malay dish and touted as the country’s national food is ‘Nasi 

Lemak’. Do not be fooled by its literal translation which means 

‘rice fat’. The coconut milk-infused rice that comes with spicy 

‘sambal’ (hot sauce), fried anchovies, sliced cucumbers, a 

boiled egg and peanuts will have one’s mouth salivating just by 

its sheer sight. Other popular dishes are satay (meat skewers 

that are grilled over a pit of charcoal fire and eaten with peanut 

sauce), ‘roti canai’ (a flatbread often eaten with fish or chicken 

curry) and curry puffs (puff pastries filled with baked potatoes 

or meat). 

CHEONGSAMS AND CHOPSTICKS 

The second largest ethnic group in the country is the Chinese. 

Having entered the country through diplomatic relations and 

wanting to earn a living, predominantly at tin mines, today, 

Malaysia is home to almost 30% of the race. Most Malaysian 

Chinese are Mandarin literate with vernacular schools in 

the country using it as the medium of instruction but many 

are well-versed in other dialects which include Cantonese, 

Hokkien, Hakka and Teochew. 

The majority of the race are Buddhists who celebrate Chinese 

New Year and Wesak Day among its more notable festivities. 

During Chinese New Year, common sights are lion dances 

with firecrackers, both those celebrating and not celebrating 

dress in their finest traditional attire known as cheongsams and 

present red envelopes containing money known as ‘angpow’ 

packets, usually given to children and unmarried adults by 

family members. 


When it comes to food, stir-fried rice noodles in a 

wok known as ‘Char Kway Teow’ is a known favourite 

Malaysian Chinese dish. The dish is usually a mix of 

chives, egg, prawns or slices of chicken fried with a little 

soy and fish sauce. Hainanese chicken rice, yong tau foo 

(pieces of tofu or vegetables filled with fish paste) and 

wonton noodles are other favourites. 

EAT WITH YOUR HANDS 

Yes, that’s right. Forgo the fork and spoon, wash your 

hands and dig in. This is the best way to enjoy an Indian 

meal served on a banana leaf. The reason for using your 

hands dates back to ancient customs as it is believed 

that the joining of all fingers while eating improves our 

consciousness of the taste of the food we eat. As for the 

meal itself, it usually consists of white rice, a meat or lentil 

curry dish accompanied by a slew of vegetables, pickles 

and pappadum. Apart from that, other Malaysian Indian 

favourites are ‘thosai’ (fermented crepe made from rice 

batter eaten with curry) and ‘vadai’ which are fried lentilfilled 

savoury doughnuts. 

Indians make up almost 10% of this country’s population. 

Entering the country to work at rubber estate plantations 

during the early years, today, many hold high-paying jobs 

and posts both within the government and private sectors. 

Mostly descendants from the south of India, the majority 

speak Tamil apart from Malayalam, Telugu or Hindi. While 

most are Hindus, there are also those who embrace other 

religions. Hindus celebrate Deepavali, the festival of lights 

and how good triumphed over evil, each year by going to 

the temple, also having ‘open houses’, baking traditional 

Indian cookies and creating a ruckus with firecrackers. 

PEOPLE OF THE LAND 

Malaysia has its fair share of indigenous tribes. This 

includes tribes such as Kadazan-Dusun, Bidayuh, Dayak, 


Bajau, Murut and Iban. Historically 

the natives or better known as Orang 

Asli, regardless of their tribe, kept to 

themselves. However, in order to survive, 

communication with the outside world was 

still of importance. As such, those living 

in remote areas often traded with those 

living outside the forests for items such 

as salt, knives or weaponry not possible 

to make with things found in a jungle. In 

the past, most were animists and prayed 

to trees, plants or various other objects 

believing in the presence of spirits in 

them. But, as time progressed, a huge 

number embraced monotheistic religions 

such as Islam and Christianity due to 

missionary presence and state-sponsored 

programmes. These tribes often celebrate 

harvest festivals which are state holidays 

or celebrations as per their faith. 

A UNITED FRONT 

If one were to take a walk on Piccadilly 

Street in London, chances of bumping 

into a non-Caucasian is relatively high. 

This shows how far nations have come 

in having a diverse crowd all living under 

one roof. The case is no different with 

Malaysia. Apart from the races and 

religions mentioned, the country also has 

a significant number of Sikhs and Nyonya- 

Peranakans. Christianity together with 

Christmas are also given importance with 

the country receiving a public holiday for 

the day. 

Furthermore, apart from generally being 

bilinguals or trilingual the very least, 

English is considered second language to 

most and increasingly the first language 

for those in urban areas. Taught at 

government schools as a standalone 

subject, English language is taken 

seriously in the country where funds 

were even allocated for a Dual Language 

Programme in the 2016 national budget. 

This is a pilot project allowing 300 primary 

schools the option to teach subjects such 

as Science and Mathematics in English. 

To end on a lighter note, with 24-hour 

eatery outlets peppered throughout the 

country, it does come across to outsiders 

that all we Malaysians do is eat and 

enjoy our public holidays. Perhaps to the 

oblivious, we do. But, as the saying goes, 

we work hard and play hard too. 


Datuk Lee Chong Wei Datuk Zang Toi Pandelela Rinong 

Malaysian Icons 

Malaysia may be a small country 

but there is a growing stream of 

ordinary Malaysians who have become 

extraordinary heroes for the country 

and its people, ultimately placing 

the country on a global pedestal. 

They come from various settings and 

backgrounds including from smalltown 

badminton courts, American film 

studios or fashion runways in Milan. 

But, as presenters announce their 

arrivals onto these arenas, the name 

of a Malaysian who has succeeded 

on a worldwide scale is truly an 

achievement only reserved to some. 

Here, we take a look at six of those 

icons who have made both the country 

and its citizens proud. 

DATUK LEE CHONG WEI 

Datuk Lee Chong Wei is a Malaysian 

Chinese professional badminton player. 

He was ranked first worldwide between 

21 August 2008 and 14 June 2012. He 

is the only Malaysian shuttler to hold the 

number one ranking for more than a year. 

Chong Wei is a silver medallist in both the 

2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, making 

him the sixth Malaysian to win an Olympic 

medal and the first Malaysian to reach 

the finals in the men’s singles event. A 

treasured gem to the Malaysian sports 

industry, in 2015, Chong Wei won three 

Super Series titles which were the French 

Open, China Open and the Hong Kong 

Open. As of January 2016, he is ranked 

second worldwide and now aged 34, he 

is married with two sons, intermittently 

coaches other badminton players, is 

UNICEF Malaysia’s National Ambassador 

and published an autobiography in 2012. 

DATUK ZANG TOI 

Fashion icon Datuk Zang Toi is a 

renowned fashion designer. Zang was 

born and raised in a small village in the 

state of Kelantan and was the youngest of 

seven children of a local grocer. But that 

did not stop his dreams of achieving big 

in the fashion industry. At the age of 20, 

he got himself to New York and enrolled 

into the distinguished Parsons School of 

Design. His hard work and determination 

soon paid off when he opened an atelier 

in the United States and a year later, 

Vogue magazine editor-in-chief Anna 

Wintour featured his collection in the 

March 1990 issue. During the same year, 

he was awarded the Mouton Cadet Young 

Designer of the Year which highlights 

top US designers. His clientele includes 

Sharon Stone, Elizabeth Taylor, Kirstie 

Alley, Patti LaBelle, Gong Li, Eva Longoria, 

Bill Gates’s wife Melinda and Saudi 

Princess Haifa Bandar Al-Saud. 

PANDELELA RINONG 

She is the first Malaysian female athlete 

to win a medal at the Olympics. But 

don’t be fooled as this Sarawakian diver 

is only 23 years old. A sports science 

student at the Bukit Jalil Sports School in 

Malaysia, her most coveted win came in 

2012 when she bagged the bronze medal 

for the 10-metre diving event at the 

Summer Olympics in London. Her first 

international event was the International 

Swimming Federation (FINA) Diving 

World Cup in Beijing in 2008 where she 

finished sixth out of 24 and earned a spot 

in the 2008 summer Olympics. A fan of 

Korean pop music, the youngster has 

grown over the years and is definitely on 

track for greater achievements. 

In July 2015, she made history when she 

became the first Malaysian to finish on the 

podium in an individual event in the World 

Aquatics Championships. She took home 

a bronze medal in the women’s 10-metre 

platform individual discipline in the event 

held in Kazan, Russia. With that win, 

Pandelela has become the first Malaysian 

athlete to qualify for the 2016 Rio de 

Janeiro Olympics in Brazil. 

JAMES WAN 

If you are a horror fan, his name should 

be ringing bells. But, not many know 

that the man responsible behind the 

‘Saw’ film franchise, director of ‘The 

Conjuring’, ‘Insidious’, ‘Death Sentence’ 

and ‘Fast and Furious 7’ is actually a 

39-year-old Sarawakian lad from the town 

of Kuching. Apart from directing, the 

man of many tricks is also a prominent 

horror film scriptwriter and has written 

several of the ‘Saw’ films apart from 

being a producer for movies including 

‘Annabelle’, ‘Mortal Kombat’ and quite 

recently being announced as the director 

for ‘The Conjuring 2’ and DC fictional 

superhero flick ‘Aquaman’. He may have 

left the country at a young age to pursue 

his education in Australia and currently 

resides in Los Angeles, albeit having an 

Australian citizenship. But, to many, he is 

still a Malaysian at heart. 

TAN SRI TONY FERNANDES 

He turned a government-linked 

commercial airline into a highly successful 

budget airline. One year after his takeover, 

the company cleared its debts and was 

recognised as a strong industry player. 

This was all made possible by none other 

than the man responsible for AirAsia’s 


tagline “Now Everyone Can Fly”. Apart 

from AirAsia, Fernandes is also the founder 

of Caterham F1 Formula One, chairman 

of London football club Queens Park 

Rangers and the proprietor of Tune Hotels, 

a budget boutique chain of hotels located 

in cities within Malaysia, United Kingdom, 

Australia, India and Indonesia. As of 2015, 

Forbes Asia’s Malaysia’s Richest valued 

Fernandes’ net worth at USD530 million, 

ranking him 33rd on the list. 

YUNA 

She may have a law degree but Yunalis 

Mat Zara’ai’s passion is to sing, write 

songs and become a fully-fledged 

entrepreneur. She began composing 

music at the age of 14 and went on to 

perform her own songs when she was 

19. Since 2006, she has performed in 

numerous acoustic shows and events 

throughout Malaysia. Yuna is currently 

signed with the Verve Music Group with 

Grammy-winning producer David Foster 

heading the creative operations. In 2012, 

her single “Live Your Life”, produced 

by Pharrell Williams debuted on iTunes 

and she was recognised with a National 

Youth Icon Award by the Prime Minister of 

Malaysia Datuk Seri NajibRazak. In June 

2015, she was appointed as Malaysia’s 

tourism adviser to boost tourist arrivals 

in the country alongside other Malaysian 

icons Datuk Siti Nurhaliza and Datuk 

Jimmy Choo. 

DATUK DR MAZLAN OTHMAN 

The country’s first Malaysian 

astrophysicist and the former Director of 

the United Nations Office for Outer Space 

Affairs, she also pushed for space science 

to be part of the school curriculum in 1990 

and established the National Planetarium 

in 1986. She oversaw the formation of 

the Malaysian National Space Agency 

apart from leading it, which played an 

important role in sending the country’s 

first Malaysian astronaut, Datuk Dr Sheikh 

Muszaphar Shukor, to space. She is 

also the creative mastermind behind the 

National Microsatellite Programme and the 

Langkawi National Observatory. In 2013, 

the 65-year-old received the Polarstar 

Award from the Austrian Space Forum for 

her engagement in space discussions. 

DATUK A. SAMAD SAID 

Having started out as an office clerk and 

later as a writer with several Malaysian 

Malay language dailies, Samad eventually 

got the opportunity to do what he did 

best – authoring poems and short 

stories. Today, he is a renowned poet 

and novelist having been awarded with 

the Malaysian National Laureate for 

his continuous contributions to Malay 

literature. In 1976, he was also named a 

‘Literary Exponent’ by the Malay literature 

community and shortly after was awarded 

with the Southeast Asia Write Award. His 

poem, “The Dead Crow” was translated 

into the English language and included 

in the Malaysian lower secondary school 

English literature curriculum between 

2000 and 2009. 

Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman 

Datuk A. Samad Said 

Best of Malaysia | 105 

James Wan 

Tan Sri Tony 

Fernandes 

Yuna

In With The New 

Malaysia is a key node in ASEAN’s 

bustling markets with its matured and 

intricate network of airports, roads, 

railways, highways and ports. Apart 

from being strategically-placed on the 

world map and owning world-class 

infrastructures, there are other factors 

that need to be considered in order to 

achieve its goal of becoming a highincome 

developed nation in the next 

four years. This includes maintaining 

and stepping up in areas such as cost 

competitiveness, political stability, talent 

availability, a mature legal judiciary and 

a pro-business government. Fully aware 

of the tide of interest flowing towards 

Asia, - the government of Malaysia - is 

however making sure and aiming to 

redouble efforts to expand Malaysia’s 

presence, both on a national and 

international scale. 

MOVING FORWARD 

Today, many global businesses are 

considering Malaysia as its location 

for regional operations and expansion 

strategies. The reason for it is an 

emerging market, liberal policies, 

government privatisations and quite 

recently the government’s Economic 

Transformation Programme (ETP) and 

Malaysia joining the ASEAN Economic 

Community (AEC). 

In addition, this is all possible through 

three key factors that will drive the 

country further. This is its pool of growing 

talent, 12 National Key Economic Areas 

(NKEA) categorised into industries 


listed under the ETP and ultimately a 

government that is determined to help 

companies bank in on the country’s 

unique investment opportunities. 

A DIVERSED AND TALENTED 

RECRUITMENT HUB 

If you are looking to tap into the 

local talent, there is a pool of some 

3.19 million experienced Malaysian 

professionals spread across various 

industries in the country. 

Malaysia also has a distinct advantage 

over its regional peers, with its large base 

of relatively young and well-educated 

talent. Literacy rates in Malaysia have 

reached nearly 93%. More than 50% of 

graduates from higher education institutes 

have studied in the fields of social science, 

business and law or science, mathematics 

and computer studies. 


With over 40 local universities supplying 

an approximate 110,000 graduates 

each year, the government estimates to 

generate over 3.3 million jobs by 2020 and 

over 60% of these jobs will be between 

the middle and high-income bracket. 

However, multinational companies 

who wish to bring in their own industry 

experts need not break a sweat as the 

government is keen on promoting the 

sharing of knowledge and technology 

between foreign experts and the local 

talent pool as this constant exchange 

of ideas will ultimately create a more 

dynamic work environment. 

Due to Malaysia’s colonial past and 

multiracial demography, most of its 

citizens are multilingual — fluent in English 

and other languages, such as Bahasa 

Melayu and various Chinese or Indian 

dialects which leads to a workforce that 

has a diverse set of communication skills 

and are able to cater to a larger group of 

people due to their ability to comprehend 

several languages. 

As for ensuring that efforts are well on 

track to bring in the best into the country, 

the Malaysian Prime Minister launched 

the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) 

in 2014 with the aim of streamlining 

and enhancing immigration service 

delivery for expatriate talent, especially 

those with expertise required by priority 

sectors spearheading Malaysia’s 

economic transformation. 

Executed through a joint cooperation 

between the Home Affairs Ministry, 

Immigration Department and TalentCorp 

which is the government’s think tank 

to formulate and facilitate initiatives 

that address the availability of talent, 

the ESD acts as a one–stop centre for 

expatriates and provides a single channel 

for expatriates or companies to submit all 

expatriate-related immigration matters via 

an integrated data platform. 


At the end of the day, Malaysia is a 

melting pot of cultures, languages and 

backgrounds. This diversity has provided 

it with a competitive advantage to nurture, 

attract and retain world-class talent. As a 

result, investors have access to a highly 

educated and multilingual talent pool. 

SCALING NEW HEIGHTS 

Taking a glimpse at Malaysia’s history, 

it was an agrarian economy during 

independence in 1957 and then it moved 

into a more commodity-based economy. 

Agriculture is one of the 12 national 

key industries identified under the ETP. 

But, in order to expand its horizon, the 

manufacturing arm has been given more 

importance. Through a slew of incentives 

and as evidenced by the establishment of 

more oleo chemical refineries, it is looking 

to produce more downstream products. 

Apart from agriculture, other industries 

in the ETP include oil, gas and energy, 

business services, education, agriculture 

and financial services. In terms of business 

services, Malaysia is a preferred direction 

for international companies. As of early 

2016, the country is ranked third by A.T. 

Kearney’s Global Services Location Index. 

In 2012, it was reported that over 5,000 

foreign companies from more than 40 

countries are operating in Malaysia. 

However, in order to build resilience within 

the Malaysian economy, through these key 

industries, the government is committed 

to ensure the government debt is below 

the 55% threshold and maintaining a 

fiscal deficit below 6%. The deficit as a 

percentage of Gross Domestic Product 

(GDP) in 2014 was 3.4% compared with 

6.4% in 2009, with public debt at 53.7% 

of GDP as at end of June 2015. 

A PRO-BUSINESS GOVERNMENT 

Malaysia has become highly efficient 

and the good news today is that we have 

been able to improve the ease of doing 

business. It is very easy to do business 

in Malaysia. The World Bank assessed 

Malaysia in 2009 at number 23. As of early 

2016, the country stands at the 18th rung. 

Change and transformation is inevitable. 

However, in order to keep track with other 

countries, new technologies and trends, 

Malaysia will be able to adapt quickly 

to changes that are happening if among 

other factors, the government is fiscally 

prudent and it brings in all fiscal reforms, 

securing its spot as an optimal hub for 

multinational companies in Asia and 

maintaining a growing talent pool. 


Property 

Development 



Chapter 1

Malaysia’s Booming Property Market 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital and home 

to almost two million people which include 

a significant number of expats is a city to 

keep an eye on. This comes after a recent 

report unveiled that the country’s real estate 

offers many property-related opportunities to 

both local and international developers and 

institutional investors. 

Independent global property consultancy 

firm, Knight Frank, in its ‘Global Cities: The 

2016 Report’ revealed that Kuala Lumpur 

is one of five cities to watch in having the 

capacity to become a global city of the 

future alongside Bangkok, Dubai, Moscow 

and Nairobi. These cities are on the ‘Watch 

List’, a new section of Knight Frank’s report 

which examines the market performance of 

20 global cities of which 10 are located in 

the Asia Pacific region. 

Kuala Lumpur made the list due to its 

infrastructure investment being key to the 

city’s future growth. Malaysia Property Inc 

(MPI), a Malaysian government initiative 

under the Economic Planning Unit, reported 

that Knight Frank Malaysia’s Managing 

Director, Sarkunan Subramaniam said, 

“Future improvements in urban mobility 

such as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line 

in Malaysia is expected to revitalise the 

economic, business and social activities 

within the city centre while countering the 

pace of office decentralisation. There will be 

renewed interest in the city to live and work 

and also as a destination for entertainment 

and tourism.” 

He also said, “The impending entry of 

upscale hotel brands such as Four Seasons, 

Fairmont, Kempinksi and Jumeirah in the 

city will further catapult Malaysia further into 

the global tourism market.” 

He added that there were several familyowned 

businesses especially from the 

Middle East looking out for hotel chains 

varying from budget to luxury hotels as 

new investments. 

Malaysia is placed on the 10th spot out of 

14 cities in Asia with 9 kilometres of metro 

lines provided to every million residents, 

compared with Seoul which tops the chart 

at 40 kilometres per one million residents. 

With new infrastructure and residential 

and commercial building around the LRT 

and MRT stations, many new and exciting 

developments can be anticipated. 


Sarkunan’s comments are corroborated in 

the 2016 report as the Malaysian capital is 

evidently becoming the centre of a rapidly 

expanding rail network. 

KUALA LUMPUR-SINGAPORE HIGH 

SPEED RAIL (HSR) 

Apart from the MRT, the report states that 

the much anticipated HSR will also promote 

real estate opportunities. 

The report states, “Real estate opportunities 

are abundant along the route, and 

successful implementation will promote 

more development activities in the urban 

centres of Seremban, Melaka and Johor, 

as well as along the coastal corridor of 

Malaysia. The HSR project is also key to the 

proposed 495-acre Bandar Malaysia project 

which involves the redevelopment of the old 

airport at Sungai Besi, in Kuala Lumpur’s city 

fringe. The urban mixed-use development 

will house the HSR terminus and be 

integrated with the MRT Line, helping to 

transform the Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang 

Valley region into a world-class metropolis.” 

HSR is looking to shorten travel time to 90 

minutes between KL and Singapore and 

expected to be completed in the next 

four years. 

Both the Prime Ministers of Malaysia and 

Singapore had, in 2013, jointly announced 

the Southern Corridor HSR project. At the 

same forum, the following year, the leaders 

had confirmed Malaysia’s terminal location in 

Bandar Malaysia and three possible terminal 

locations in Singapore, being Tuas West, 

Jurong East and City Centre. 

OFFICE PROPERTY MARKET 

The Kuala Lumpur perspective is of 

the view that the office market, with its 

upcoming supply of good quality dualcompliant 

space available at competitive 

rates, may see improved demand from 

multinational corporations when the HSR 

becomes operational. 

Another notable development is the 

Damansara City Project which is a prime 

example of owners developing and 

refurbishing their current properties to 

become more attractive to tenants. Several 

new buildings operating on pre-lease 

tenancy had shown a very healthy 95% 

occupancy rate. 

In Johor, where much of the property focus 

is centred on Iskandar Malaysia, global 

real estate services provider Savills, in its 

May 2015 property market overview, stated 

that overall occupancy rate averages 73% 

across Iskandar Malaysia, with only a few 

well-located office building that manage to 

achieve higher than 85%, such as Menara 

MSC Cyberport, JB City Square Office 

Tower, Menara TJB, Menara Ansar and 

Menara Landmark. Menara Landmark is 

located within an integrated development 

that consists of four levels of medical suites 

as well as the Doubletree by Hilton. 

As of May 2015, rental rates for prime office 

space in Johor Bahru City Centre are ranging 

between RM2.50 per square feet and 

RM3.50 per square feet per month. Future 

office supply is mostly sited within masterplanned 

developments such as Medini 

Business District, Medini Central, Iskandar 

Waterfront District, Iskandar Financial 

District and Sunway Iskandar. 

MPI also reported that Knight Frank 

Malaysia’s Capital Markets Executive 

Director, James Buckley said that they 

were seeing foreign buyers from Japan, 

Singapore, the Middle East, Indonesia 

and China enter the market ‘hunting’ for 

opportunities in Malaysia, particularly in 

Kuala Lumpur. 

He said investors were attracted to the 

relative ease of transacting in Malaysia, the 

favourable foreign ownership rules relative 

to other Southeast Asian markets and the 

weakness of the Malaysian ringgit against 

the US Dollar. 

Globally, cities will continue to grow. As 

more and more people work and live in the 

city, space will be scarce and property value 

will increase. But, the National Property 

Information Centre (NAPIC), which is under 

the purview of Malaysia’s Finance Ministry 

has predicted that the year 2016 will see the 

property sector enduring these challenging 

periods with adjustments and corrections 

expected from both the demand and supply 

side. Although the property sector may see 

moderation in market activity, the slowdown 

would still be manageable more so with 

several infrastructure projects including 

public transport networks proving to be 

game-changers that would help boost 

values in areas where the networks run. 




Facilities available for rent @ WISMA REHDA 

REHDA - A ‘Responsive, Respected, 

Responsible, Relevant’ NGO 

For inquires, kindly contact REHDA Secretariat at: 

03-78032978 

secretariat@rehda.com 

www.rehda.com 

REHDA is an association of real 

estate and housing developers 

founded in 1970. It is recognised 

as the leading representative body 

for private property developers in 

Malaysia. 

REHDA is highly regarded by the 

public and private sectors as a 

non-government organisation 

(NGO) for its commitment to 

nation building and betterment of 

life through sustainable property 

development. 

Advocacy 

Together with our 11 Branches, 

we actively engage the Federal 

and State governments and their 

relevant agencies in channelling 

members’ feedback and 

advocating better policies and 

providing problem resolution in 

various areas and matters related 

to the property industry. 

Governance 

We actively encourage best 

practices among member 

developers through regularly 

organised seminars and 

published literature, keeping 

members informed of the latest 

developments in the industry. 

Industry Networking 

We create opportunities for 

interaction among members, 

industry partners and government 

agencies through several 

industry-wide events within the 

year to enhance information 

sharing and build rapport. 

Contributions to the Industry 

Through REHDA’s initiative and 

leadership, the housing and 

property industry in Malaysia 

has grown and matured over the 

years, delivering over 4 million 

units of housing to date. Through 

housing development activities, 

REHDA members contribute in 

excess of RM20 billion annually to 

Malaysia’s GDP impacting at least 

140 upstream and downstream 

industries, to emerge as one of 

the key contributors to the socioeconomic 

goals of the nation. 


REHDA Institute 

Set up as the research, education and 

training arm for REHDA Malaysia, REHDA 

Institute was launched on 12 July 2004 

by the then Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Seri 

Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi to support 

the activities of the Association. It was 

specifically created to address the need to 

train up high calibre industry players at all 

levels and bridge the knowledge gap in this 

dynamic and ever-advancing housing sector. 

www.rehdainstitute.com 

GreenRE Sdn Bhd 

GreenRE (Green Real Estate) is the leading 

green building certification tool developed 

locally by the industry for the industry in 

Malaysia. It was established by REHDA 

Malaysia back in 2013 as an independent 

alternative green building certification tool 

to provide competitive choices for property 

developers to certify their buildings as green. 

Since then, our prestigious GreenRE logo 

has been the hallmark symbol for buildings 

nationwide that promotes sustainable and 

liveable built environment. 

www.greenre.org 

fair of the nation, the Malaysian Property 

Expo or ‘MAPEX’, several times a year. Since 

its inception in 1998, MAPEX continues to 

be the largest one-stop showcase for house 

buyers featuring the latest in housing and 

property. 

MAPEX offers an unparalleled sales 

opportunity for those involved in the real 

estate industry as well as allied industries 

to showcase their products and services 

to interested audience of homebuyers and 

property investors. The exposition is well 

established as a convenient one-stop centre 

on property purchase and provides an 

incredible opportunity for participants to: 

• market directly to potential property 

buyers 

• meet interested investors 

• showcase latest products and services 

• establish networking 

• increase media exposure 

• brand building 

www.mapex.com.my 

Malaysian Property Exposition (MAPEX) 

REHDA Malaysia and its Branches host the 

most renowned and longest running property 


Construction 



Chapter 2

A Robust and Highly Competitive Market 

The construction sector has not 

seen busier days than this. The 

11th Malaysia Plan unveiled last 

year reaffirms the strong and sturdy 

number of construction jobs to be 

generated till 2020. 

Last year, Maybank Investment Bank 

(IB) Research report stated that four 

major infrastructure projects with a 

total value of RM80 billion have been 

recorded and if the contracts are 

rolled out according to plan, there will 

be a continuous and strong job flow. 

This is expected to be driven from 

new tenders in public transport, oil 

and gas downstream infrastructure 

and water-related jobs. 

The Klang Valley Light Railway 

Transit Line 3 (KVLRT 3) rail project, 

Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit 

Line 2, Gemas-JB electrified double 

track rail project and the Pan Borneo 

Highway Sarawak are some of the 

projects involved. 

Rail-related construction jobs 

are already set to be aplenty. 

This will come as a major 

significance to the Malaysian 

economy as it is estimated 

that construction accounts 

for 9.5% of Malaysia’s total 

registered workforce. 

The construction sector 

in Malaysia is estimated 

to contribute about 5.5% 

or RM36.3 billion to the 

Malaysian economy, with 

strong forward and backward 

linkages and more than 

100 types of businesses 

which are related to the 

construction industry. 

An important gear 

in the Malaysian 

economy, construction 

is playing a pivotal role 

in the transformation, 

industrialisation and 

urbanisation process of Malaysia 

from developing nation status to 

developed nation status as imagined 

in Vision 2020. 

Vision 2020 has created the 

environment for development of 

the sector. It has enhanced the 

growth and scope of the sector by 

execution of large scale advanced 

and modern infrastructure projects. 

Today, the Malaysian construction 

industry is more advanced, 

modernised and well-equipped. 

It has a potential to deliver 

complex heavy infrastructure 

and skyscraper projects by using 

highly sophisticated mechanised 

techniques. This has resulted in 

rapid execution of many projects like 

high rise commercial and industrial 

buildings, highways, expressways, 

bridges and tunnels, housing 

schemes, schools and hospitals and 

sports and spa centres, monorail 

and power plants. The expansion of 

tourism and manufacturing sectors 

has also been playing an effective 

role to maintain growth momentum 

of the construction industry. Some 

of the major projects that were 

completed by the Malaysian 

construction industry are the 

world tallest twin towers, Petronas 

Twin Towers, the Kuala Lumpur 

International Airport (KLIA), klia2, the 

North-South Expressway, Penang 

Bridge, Storm-water management and 

road tunnels, Commonwealth Games 

Village and several other projects. 

But, as Malaysia moves rapidly 

towards achieving the Vision, the 

government will have to take strong 

measures to uplift its economy 

including the construction sector as it 

is vital and essential for infrastructure 

development and has strong positive 

correlation with the country’s GDP 

(Gross Domestic Product). 


CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 

TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME 

(CITP) 

The CITP blueprint was launched by Prime 

Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last year 

and is spearheaded by the Works Ministry 

and Construction Industry Development 

Board (CIDB). 

In 2015, Works Minister Datuk Seri 

Fadillah Yusof was quoted as saying that 

part of attaining Vision 2020 included 

having CIDB achieve Malaysia’s national 

agenda to transform the construction 

industry through the Construction Industry 

Transformation Programme (CITP) which 

was launched last year. 

CITP is a comprehensive implementation 

plan which encompasses 18 initiatives, 

from four strategic thrusts namely Quality, 

Safety and Professionalism (QSP), 

Environment Sustainability, Productivity 

and Internationalisation. The four thrusts 

focus on ingraining quality, safety and 

professionalism into the industry; ensuring 

environmental sustainability measures 

are in place at the design, construction 

and subsequent maintenance of 

buildings, cities and infrastructure; 

raising overall productivity level of the 

industry; and, focusing on improving the 

competitiveness and subsequent ability of 

construction players to internationalise. 

Besides the four thrusts, CITP will also 

be pushing for the adoption of the quality 

assessment system in construction to 

measure the quality of workmanship in the 

industry, reduce accidents and fatalities in 

the industry, reduce the reliance on foreign 

labour and strengthen Malaysian companies 

to compete with international players. 

With all these projects and programmes 

in place, the construction sector thus has 

a great impact not only on the country’s 

economic status but as well as socioeconomic 

development. A key sector 

that governs the lion’s share of financial 

resources of any economy and can play a 

role as a stepping stone towards improved 

social well-being in the country, the 

construction industry will help accelerate 

social and economic development and 

fight against poverty and unemployment. 

It also has multiple links with other sectors 

of economy, therefore, it is considered a 

driver of economic growth especially in 

developing economies like India, Pakistan, 

Vietnam and Indonesia. 

Under the 10th Malaysia Plan, the sector 

recorded a growth of 11.1% and as 

such is expected to continue growing by 

double-digits moving forward. 


Swissma Building Technologies Sdn. Bhd. 

Total Solution Provider in Roofing and Wall Cladding 

Swissma’s office and factory located in Seksyen 15, Shah Alam 

Swissma Building Technologies Sdn 

Bhd was established with the expertise 

of European master-craftsmen and 

incorporation of European technologies, 

poised in providing high-end premium 

roofing and wall cladding system in 

Malaysia. Swissma together with its partners 

Sanko Metal Industries Co. Ltd (Japan) and 

Nippon Steel & Sumikin Bussan Corporation 

(Japan) provides total solution for roofing 

and wall cladding in terms of design, 

fabrication and installation. Swissma’s Sanko 

range of metal roof has a proven track 

record in Malaysia since 1974, supplying 

long length metal roofs to industrial buildings 

owned by foreign direct investors such as 

Intel, Infineon, First Solar and B. Braun just 

to name a few. 

Swissma’s total solutions are able to cater to 

all design requirements including buildings 

of three dimensional shapes, industrial 

buildings that require long length metal roof 

installation, residential homes, airports, 

institutional and commercial buildings. 

Their forte is the ability to provide value 

engineering to meet both technical and 

budgetary requirements. 

Hartalega Factory in Sepang, Selangor 

Lexis Hibiscus Resort in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan 


Auditorium Cempaka Sari in Putrajaya 

The company’s core value in delivering 

quality products and solutions are evident 

in them utilizing only premium quality 

materials such as Clean COLORBOND®, 

ZINCALUME®, Pure Titanium, Titanium Zinc, 

Copper, Aluminium and Stainless Steel. 

Swissma’s vision is to be the leading Global 

Provider in Total Roofing and Cladding 

Solution. They have exported their products 

to Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam, 

Cambodia, Philippines, Gabon and Sudan. 

They are the first company in Malaysia 

to secure FM (Factory Mutual) approval 

for metal deck roof. FM Approvals is an 

international company conducting in thirdparty 

testing and certification services, 

emphasizing on testing loss prevention 

products and services that applies to both 

commercial and industrial infrastructures. 

Recently, Swissma has been awarded The 

BrandLaureate BESTBRANDS Award 2015- 

2016 – President’s Award in Manufacturing 

Steel Roofing in recognition of its quality 

products and services. 

Awards 

The BrandLaureate BESTBRANDS 

Award 2015-2016, President’s Award in 

Manufacturing Steel Roofing 

SWISSMA BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES 

SDN. BHD. (444319-T) 

Lot. 194, Jalan Utas (15/7), 

Shah Alam Industrial Estate, 

P.O. Box 7053, 40700 Shah Alam, 

Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. 

Tel: +603 5519 1360 

Fax: +603 5510 1362 

Email: enquiry@swissma.com 

www.swissma.com 

Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 


Telecommunications 



Chapter 3





GDex New logo as in 2008 

C100 M90 Y10 K60 

M100 Y100 K10 

Courier 

& Logistics 



Chapter 4

GD Express 

Malaysia’s Premier Express Carrier Company A Growing Player Within Asean 

GD Express (GDEX), an express delivery and 

logistic services company with over 19 years 

of industrial experience is most definitely 

emerging as a formidable competitor within 

the industry. It may have come from humble 

beginnings but as it charts higher growth 

and gains significant market acceptance, the 

company is keen on boosting its presence 

within the e-commerce industry, securing 

its reputation as a growing industry player 

within the Association of Southeast Asian 

Nations (ASEAN) region and stamping 

its mark within the ASEAN Economic 

Community (AEC). 

Joining the AEC, an economic bloc that 

allows free trade and movement of goods 

and services for a market size of 600 

million, may not be an arduous task. As of 

January 2016, the company amassed a total 

market capitalisation worth RM2.17 billion. 

Cementing it reputation as a prominent 

express delivery company, GDEX has clearly 

proven that it is here to stay. 

BENCHMARKING WITH THE BEST 

Having a consistent and exponential 

growth since 2000, it was only natural 

for GDEX to strengthen ties with foreign 

express carriers to offer delivery services 

to over 212 countries worldwide, boasting 

a 67,000 square feet central all-weather 

clearing hub in Petaling Jaya, an integrated 

hub management system linked with 193 

stations nationwide, a comprehensive 

security surveillance system, more than 600 

delivery vans and trucks, a state-of-the-art 

IT system, a 105, 726 square feet packaging 

and warehouse complex, customised 

storage and bulk-handling equipment and a 

staff base of over 2,800 employees. 

As for its services, GDEX offers both 

domestic and international express deliveries, 

customised logistic solutions apart from 

comprehensive logistic services, enhanced 

liability coverage for shipping valuable items 

and four versions of GDEX prepaid products 

that offers hassle-free shipping with a flat 

rate price. 

GAINING RECOGNITION 

GDEX was listed on ACE Market of Bursa 

Malaysia in 2005 and transferred to the 

Main Market of Bursa Malaysia in 2013. As 

of January 2016, the company welcomed 

Yamato Holdings as a new shareholder. 

Yamato, a Tokyo stock exchange listed 

company, is Japan’s top parcel delivery 

company with a 45.4% market share in 

2015. Yamato has emerged as the second 

largest shareholder of GDEX, followed by 

Singapore Post Ltd. 

The company’s sheer dedication, excellent 

work ethics and a steady improvement led 

to it bagging the Frost & Sullivan Malaysia 

Excellence Awards - Domestic Express 

Service Provider of the Year for the Private 

Sector for three consecutive years between 

2013 and 2015. The award was conferred 

in recognition and honour for outstanding 

industry achievements. The achievements 

were based on an evaluation study carried 

out by Frost & Sullivan to recognise 

companies and individuals that have pushed 

the boundaries of excellence – rising 

above the competition and demonstrating 

outstanding performance in the 

Malaysian market. 

RIDING THE TREND 

The demand for express delivery services 

is a growing trend from various segments 

including business to business (B2B), 


usiness to consumer (B2C) and consumer 

to consumer (C2C). B2C, or more commonly 

known as e-commerce delivery, has been 

steadily growing in the past few years as a 

result of the emergence of key e-commerce 

players in Malaysia. 

With the global economic outlook looking 

to improve, the sharp spike in e-commerce 

worldwide and the emergence of the AEC 

bodes well for the express delivery industry. 

Having proven to run an organisation that 

works well as a team, GDEX is continuously 

exploring growth opportunities, both organic 

and inorganic, to fuel its growth trend. 

CLIMBING THE GROWTH LADDER 

The company reported a healthy set of 

results in financial year 2015, with revenue 

growing by 24% and net profit up by 21% 

due to a strong demand for its service. 

Having established operations in Malaysia, 

Singapore and business collaboration 

with PT Pos Indonesia, GDEX is looking at 

creating more presence in other ASEAN 

countries, as part of its expansion plan into 

Southeast Asia. 

The strong growth in demand for express 

delivery services also prompted the 

company to invest up to millions in capital 

expenditures to increase its resources in all 

areas of operations, particularly in systems 

and processes, infrastructure, warehousing, 

vehicles and manpower. 

SEIZING REGIONAL OPPORTUNITIES 

E-commerce is yet to make a steady 

appearance or impact in ASEAN countries 

including Malaysia. The bottleneck issue 

stems from the connectivity of logistics 

and last mile delivery. However, with a solid 

foundation and strengthening financial growth 

in its home country, GDEX is raring to move 

onto the next phase of growth –brushing 

shoulders with regional opportunities made 

available on an ASEAN scale, staying true to 

its vision of becoming a leading role model in 

the logistic services industry. 

GD Express Sdn Bhd 

No 19 Jalan Tandang, 

46050 Petaling Jaya, 

Selangor Darul Ehsan 

Malaysia. 

General Line: 03-7787 2222 

Fax: 03-7785 6818 


Oil & Gas 



Chapter 5

Forging A New Reality 

The oil and gas sector is facing a landscape of 

rapidly rising demand. This is due to the rise 

in energy consumption which will inevitably 

contribute to the change in fuel mix in Asia. 

Growth in the demand for gas will outstrip all 

other fuels, given its cleaner environmental 

characteristics and superior flexibility. 

Alongside energy consumption, demand for 

oil and gas will also grow as industrial inputs 

with Asia’s rising wealth fuelling demand 

for manufactured goods. In addition, with 

its growing population and economy, Asia 

stands out as the most promising part of the 

world for energy companies. 

With that being said, the demand for 

energy – increasingly sourced from oil and 

gas – is driven by two factors – the size of a 

country’s population and per capita Gross 

Domestic Product (GDP). It simply equals 

to the more people a country has, the more 

energy it needs and the richer that people 

become, the more energy they consume. 

This ultimately makes Asia the most 

important region in the world when thinking 

about the future of the oil and gas industry. 

For a continent that has more than half 

of the world’s people and a continuously 

growing population, it is a given that the 

continent is also the fastest growing part of 

the global economy. 

Furthermore, Asia’s share of global 

energy consumption is also rising given 

its giant share of the global population 

and fast growing income. According to 

petrochemical giant ExxonMobil’s ‘2013 

Outlook for Energy’ report, it reckons that 

Asia’s share of global energy consumption 

will rise from 38% in 2010 to 45% by 2040. 

Scaling it down among Asian countries, 

almost all countries within the region are 

importers of energy. One notable exception, 

however, is Malaysia. Ever since 1910, the 

year oil was first drilled in Sarawak, the 

country has been a producer of oil and gas, 

both for its domestic needs and for export, 

and the sector has played a huge role in the 

country’s development. 

Today, the industry contributes about 20% 

to the country’s GDP and almost 40% to 

the government’s revenues. Malaysia is 

also Southeast Asia’s second-largest oil 

producer and has the fifth-largest reserves 

in the Asia-Pacific region. 



Segments in the oil and gas industry 

are generally categorised as upstream, 

midstream and downstream activities. 

Upstream activities consist of exploration, 

development and production of oil and 

gas resources. Meanwhile, midstream and 

downstream activities range from refining, 

processing and transportation of oil and gas 

to marketing and trading of end products. 

Being a crude oil producer and exporter, 

Malaysia has a mature upstream oil and 

gas segment, leading to a well-established 

ecosystem of service and manufacturing 

companies that have set up base. However, 

to serve the rapidly growing domestic 

market more attention has been given to the 

development of downstream activities, such 

as refining and petrochemicals engineering. 

Another area of focus within the industry is 

the need for talented professionals which 

is likely to increase as demand for energy 

across Southeast Asia grows. 

To access the most experienced people 

or those with the greatest potential, 

employers will need to widen the talent 

pool significantly. That does not just mean 

geographically, but also means widening 

it culturally and socially where gender 

diversity is essential. 

Indeed, achieving a good balance of male 

and female employees at all levels of the 

organisation can be of huge benefit to oil 

and gas companies, as both genders bring 

different ideas and ways of working to the 

table that can benefit each other. 

Identifying, addressing and eventually 

solving these issues will allow the industry 

which is a key industry in the Economic 

Transformation Programme (ETP) to achieve 

its 5% annual growth between 2010 and 

2020. The growth will stem from continuous 

development of sustainable oil and gas 

production, providing better supply of oil 

and gas to end users and eventually turning 

the country into a leading hub for oil and 

gas storage trading in Asia. 

Efforts to turn this into a reality include 

maximising the value of existing oil fields 

through implementing techniques of 

enhanced oil recovery (EOR), improved oil 

recovery (IOR) and improved gas recovery 

(IGR). These developments are headed 

by the country’s national oil company – 

Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas). 

On top of that, Malaysia requires a wide 

range of technical services to support 

the growth of the oil and gas industry. 

Accordingly, the Malaysian government 

has gazetted a set of incentives under the 

Petroleum Income Tax Act (2010) which 

includes tax allowances of up to 100% 

of capital spending (CAPEX), reduced tax 

rate from 38% to 25% for marginal oil field 

development and waivers of export duties. 

Besides incentives from the government, the 

Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corporation 

(MPRC) and Labuan Financial Services 

Authority have jointly created a Global 

Incentives For Trading (GIFT) Programme 

for oil and gas initiatives in Labuan, Sabah. 

Some of the features of the programme 

include a 0% tax rate for liquefied natural 

gas (LNG) trading companies for the first 

three years of operation, a flat corporate 

tax rate of 3% and a 50% exemption 

on personal income tax for foreign 

professionals. 



Retail 



Chapter 6

Malaysia Is Asia’s Fastest Growing 

Retail Sector 

The facts and figures will speak for 

themselves: because of the world’s 20 

biggest shopping malls, 14 are now in Asia, 

including four in China, four in Malaysia 

and four in the Philippines. This proves that 

apart from domestic consumption which 

represents a key driver of economic growth, 

initiatives in the retail industry are moving 

global inevitably to transform Malaysia into 

Asia’s retail hub. 

Furthermore, US global management 

consultancy firm A.T. Kearney, in its 2013 

report stated that Malaysia: “Is at the 

forefront of many international retailers’ 

expansion plans. Tesco expanded in 

both Malaysia and Thailand, in 2012, and 

Japanese grocer Aeon acquired Carrefour’s 

Malaysian assets in November 2012, part of 

a plan to make Malaysia its Southeast Asian 

headquarters… In other areas of retail, Italian 

jeweller Damaini named Malaysia as one of the 

brand’s most appealing emerging markets.” 

These developments mean that retailers 

don’t have to build their own shops and 

so can avoid regulatory and real estate 

concerns as they expand. Malls also help to 

drive footfall by attracting shoppers from a 

wide area, something that retailers struggle 

to do in standalone retail stores. As these 

malls are built, the share of retail conducted 

in a modern, organised environment is rising. 

In addition, to keep with changing times, 

according to a 2014 Economist Intelligence 

Unit Limited report, the retail picture is 

evolving, creating an intriguing backdrop for 

retail businesses. The opportunities for retail 

and wholesale companies are determined in 

large part by rising purchasing power. 

Large populations in which incomes are 

rising rapidly present the best opportunities 

for the retail sector. In this regard, 

Asia stands out globally as a region of 

tremendous potential. For a start, Asia has 

more than half of the world’s people, and 

the population is growing. In 2010, Asia’s 

population stood at 3.8 billion people. 

By 2040, it will rise to 4.6 billion, creating 

an additional 800 million consumers, an 


supermarkets to high-end luxury goods. A.T. 

Kearney ranks the relative attractiveness of 

retail markets around the world every year 

and concludes in its 2013 assessment that 

China offers the most exciting potential in 

the region, closely followed by Mongolia, 

Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. 

The report also stated that: “Consumer 

spending growth, continued adoption 

of modern retail, and solid economic 

fundamentals keep Asian markets attractive 

to global retailers.” 

Furthermore, the Malaysian government 

recognises the importance of this sector, 

listing it under one of its 12 National Key 

Economic Areas (NKEA) with the industry 

expected to contribute RM45.2 billion to 

Gross National Income (GNI) and create 

226,000 additional jobs by 2020. This growth 

will be driven by three economic drivers 

requiring RM187.6 billion in private sector 

funding and investments to capitalise on 

these business opportunities. 

The economic drivers comprise: 

• Higher retail expenditure per capita due to 

increased GNI per household by 2020. 

• Urbanisation from rural-to-urban 

migration, which is expected to create 

higher demand for goods and services, 

including higher value-added products. 

• Malaysian population growth which is 

projected to result in higher demand for 

goods and services. 

Finally, the wholesale and retail industry 

will continue to account for a significant 

share of Malaysia’s economy because the 

government and relevant authorities are 

working together to, namely, transform 

small retailers into modern format stores 

inevitably improving retailers’ capabilities in 

information technology, customer service 

and stock management, among others. 

This will also involve exporting products to 

help the maturing local retail sector seek 

opportunities abroad and looking to tap into 

concepts and strategies which Malaysian 

retailers have yet to explore by removing 

import duties on luxury goods to increase 

affordability for locals and tourists. This 

will be done by assisting Malaysian mall 

operators and developers expand in foreign 

markets, and establishing virtual selling 

platforms to increase the global exposure of 

local products. 

average of 27 million extra people every year. 

But not only is Asia’s population expanding, 

the average wealth of the population is 

also rising. In 2001, the region accounted 

for 26.8% of global GDP measured using 

purchasing power parity. 

By 2013, that share had risen to 36.6% and 

most observers expect Asia’s share to keep 

rising for the foreseeable future. Per capita 

incomes in Asia are growing faster than in 

any other region of the world. 

The numbers are looking good as with Asia’s 

rising spending power, the region offers 

opportunities for every kind of retailer, from 

petrol stations to convenience stores to 




SOGO (K.L.) Department Store 

Doulton, Royal Albert, Bohemia Crystal, 

Noritake and many other high brands for our 

esteemed customers to choose from. 

Up on our 6th Floor, we have set out “Saji 

Food Court”, and our fine dining Suma 

Japanese Restaurant and Siang Chinese 

Seafood Restaurant. This floor is cooled by 

a 30-foot waterfall which is unique and found 

only in KL SOGO. 

Our esteemed customers who need a break 

can enjoy welcome relief at our “Platinum 

Lounge” and/or “Gold Lounge” on the 7th 

Floor; which also features a children’s crèche 

and children’s “Starz Studio” Learning 

Centre. This floor also has an “Events Hall” 

where our esteemed customers know they 

can find the best bargains in town during our 

“Warehouse Sales”. 

SOGO (K.L.) Department Store, 

affectionately known to our esteemed 

customers as “KL SOGO”, first opened our 

doors for business on 18th January 1994 at 

Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur. 

Originally built by SOGO Co., Ltd. of Japan, 

today it is a wholly Malaysian owned 

iconic store, being the largest standalone 

department store in Malaysia. 

KL SOGO offers our esteemed customers a 

wide array of merchandise from affordable 

basics to luxury goods, complemented by 

an abundant choice of food and beverage 

outlets, a complete health and wellness 

centre, children’s play centre & crèche and 2 

VIP customers’ lounges. 

Starting on the Lower Ground Floor, KL 

SOGO’s Food Hall has a full range “SOGO 

Supermarket” offering fresh produce and 

groceries, food outlets and speciality kiosks 

selling snacks and ready-to-eat meals. 

The “Beauty Arcade” on our Ground Floor 

houses the world’s finest cosmetics, 

fragrances and skin care products, including 

handbags, fine jewellery and fashion 

watches. 

The latest in women’s and men’s fashion, 

shoes and accessories are found on the 

“Ladies Gallery” and “Men’s Connection” at 

our 1st and 2nd Floors respectively. 

An exciting “Fashion Arena” on our 3rd Floor 

features the latest fast fashion, sportswear 

and equipment for our young and trendy 

customers. 

Our 4th Floor’s “Children’s World” is where 

you find the largest and most complete 

children’s department in Malaysia, offering 

the widest selection of children’s and 

babies’ clothing, maternity wear, children’s 

necessities and toys. 

And the best place to shop for your home 

and kitchen needs is at our 5th Floor “Home 

Centre” with quality items from Royal 

Finally, our 8th Floor offers the “Peak Fitness 

Gym and Wellness Centre” for our esteemed 

members to work off their stress. 

KL SOGO is well known for bringing the best 

of Japan to Malaysia; our store has personal 

shopper services, home delivery & porter 

services, click-and-collect services, and a 

generous “Refund and Returns Policy” – as 

part and parcel of our comprehensive list of 

customer-centric services to ensure every 

visit by our esteemed customers to our 

KL SOGO Store becomes a pleasant and 

memorable visit. 

Currently celebrating our 22nd Anniversary, 

KL SOGO is trendsetting to remain at the 

forefront of the Malaysian retail trade and 


fashion industry. Striving to render our 

esteemed customers the best possible 

shopping experience, KL SOGO constantly 

upgrades and renews our sales floors to 

bring in more new and popular brands. 

Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (formerly 

known as Batu Road), is easily accessible by 

public transport – LRT, KTM train, buses and 

taxis - and it is now gazetted as a heritage 

shopping precinct. The vicinity of KL SOGO 

is well populated with shops offering goods 

and merchandise from traditional ethnic 

apparel to imported fine tapestries and floor 

carpets. 

We, KL SOGO regard all the traders and 

businessmen along Batu Road as part of our 

one big family, and pursuant to this belief, 

KL SOGO is one of the founding members 

of the “Batu Road Retailers Association 

(BARRA)”, a NGO set up to promote 

and enhance the retail points and overall 

image of our Batu Road heritage shopping 

precinct; thereby bringing more attention and 

awareness of both Malaysian and foreign 

shoppers about Batu Road. 

KL SOGO’s competencies as a retailer have 

been recognised by many corporations 

and institutions, inter alia the Walt Disney 

Corporation of USA, the Brand Laureate 

Institution of Asia Pacific, the Malaysian 

Retailers Association and the Social Media 

Chambers of Malaysia. 

At KL SOGO, we are especially proud to 

have been the humble awardee in the Best 

Retail Department Store category at the 

Brandlaureate Special Edition World Awards 

in 2015; as well as being the recipient of the 

Best Retail Execution of the Year (Southeast 

Asia) Award 2015, awarded by the Walt 

Disney Corporation of USA. 

This year KL SOGO was again honoured 

with the President’s Award 2015-2016 at 

the 10th Anniversary of The Brandlaureate 

Awards. We have also been awarded the 

Fair Price Shop Award. 

In our 22 years of doing business at Jalan 

Tuanku Abdul Rahman, KL SOGO has been 

able to ascend to the top of the department 

store industry in Malaysia, due to the solid 

support and close business relationships we 

have garnered together with our esteemed 

Business Partners. They help us to also 

bring the very best goods and merchandise 

offerings to our esteemed customers. 

We in KL SOGO now feel the time has 

come for our store to expand into other 

geographical areas and to better serve our 

esteemed customers all over Malaysia. 




Automotive 



Chapter 7

Progressing Towards 

An Innovation-driven Nation 

Searching for someone in Malaysia who 

does not own a car is increasingly becoming 

a difficult task and it is considered the 

norm for many Malaysian households to 

own more than two vehicles. Take a drive 

through any neighbourhood in the city 

and one will see garages filled with two to 

three cars. This is even apparent the case 

in rural areas. However, it’s not all about 

the performance and looks that increases 

a buyer’s purchasing interest. Numerous 

factors contribute to this situation. 

Malaysia has proved to be a market centre 

and gateway for attractive investment 

destinations and centre for automotive 

and component manufacturing activities. 

According to the Malaysian Automotive 

Association, in 2015, a total of 614,664 

passenger and commercial vehicles were 

produced and assembled in the country. Of 

that figure, 563,883 were passenger vehicles 

while the remaining were commercial 

vehicles. Passenger vehicles include cars, 

4WDs, SUVs, window vans and MPV models 

while commercial vehicles include trucks, 

prime movers, pick-ups, panel vans, buses 

and others. 

In 2005, the total vehicle figure stood 

at 563,510. As for the number of total 

new passenger and commercial vehicles 

registered in the country for the year 

2015, it was 666,674. In 2005, the figure 

was 552,316. The numbers are slowly but 

steadily increasing. And here’s why: 

CENTRAL ASEAN LOCATION 

Companies based in the country will be able 

to reach a market of more than 600 million 

people. Global automotive manufacturers 

also benefit from pro-business policies, welldeveloped 

infrastructure, and an educated 

and skilled labour force. 

GROWTH OF NATIONAL CARS 

Malaysia has obtained much recognition 

regionally and internationally for its 

outstanding achievements in the automobile 

industry through two of its national 

automotive projects — Proton and Perodua. 

The first national automotive project, 

Proton, in 1983, with the formation of a 

joint venture between the Heavy Industry 

Corporation of Malaysia (HICOM), Mitsubishi 

Motor Corporation (MMC) and Mitsubishi 

Corporation (MC) of Japan, was the 

Malaysian government’s attempt to increase 

local content, rationalise the industry to 

achieve economies of scale and upgrade 

the assembly industry to a manufacturing 

industry with international recognition and 

competitiveness. 

Equipped with the protective measures 

and subsidies in various ways by the 


government, the first Proton cars were rolled 

out in 1985. Subsequently, the national 

automotive programme also established 

small car manufacturer Perodua in 1993, 

a heavy vehicle company Malaysian Bus 

and Truck (MTB) in 1994, a motorcycle 

manufacturer MODENAS in 1995, and 

a light vehicle commercial manufacturer 

INOKOM in 1997. 

Today, both Proton and Perodua has 

gone through many revamps and remains 

a favourite especially among Malaysian 

buyers. Set your sights on any street and 

you will not miss seeing the classic staple 

cars, namely the Perodua Myvi and Proton 

Saga on the road. 

NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE POLICY 

(NAP) 

The NAP was introduced on 22 March 2006 

to facilitate the required transformation and 

optimal integration of the local automotive 

industry into regional and global industry 

networks within the increasingly liberalised 

and competitive global environment. 

In October 2009, the Government reviewed 

the National Automotive Policy (NAP) with 

the objectives of: 

• ensuring orderly development as well as 

long term competitiveness and capability 

of the domestic automotive industry as a 

result of market liberalisation 

• creating a conducive environment to 

attract new investment and expand 

existing opportunities 

• enhancing the competitiveness of the 

national car manufacturer through 

strategic partnership 

• fostering the development of the latest, 

more sophisticated technology in the 

domestic automotive industry 

• developing high value-added 

manufacturing activities in niche areas 

• enhancing Bumiputera participation in 

the domestic automotive industry 

• improving safety standards for 

consumers and promoting environmentfriendly 

opportunities and enhancing 

the implementation of current NAP’s 

policy instruments. 

The new policies and measures under 

the NAP Review are expected to provide 

significant contribution to the overall growth 

of the industry and the country. 

But, in 2014, the International Trade and 

Industry Ministry reviewed the policy again 

and this time the aim was to make Malaysia 

a regional automotive hub for energyefficient 

vehicles (EEVs). 

Under this review, Malaysia has liberalised 

the automotive sector where foreign 

carmakers can now invest to make EEVs 

with engine capacity of 1.8 litres or less 

without any equity restrictions. 

Foreign and local investors keen to invest 

in the EEV segment are also eligible 

for customised incentives, including 

pioneer status, incentive for research and 

development as well as training grants. 

The NAP provides a comprehensive 

financial package of about RM2 billion until 

2019 which will also focus on raising the 

competitiveness of Bumiputra companies 

in the total value chain of the domestic 

automotive industry, from human capital to 

technology. 

Some RM1.89 billion would be channeled 

through soft loans and RM175 million in 

grants to support automotive infrastructurerelated 

and human capital development. 

By 2020, it is projected that some 85% 

of vehicles produced in the country 

will be EEVs. Various strategies and 

measures have also been identified to 

strengthen the entire value chain of the 

automotive industry which will also lead 

to environment conservation, high-income 

job creation, transfer of technology as well 

as develop new economic opportunities 

for Malaysian companies. 

TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP 

AGREEMENT (TPPA) 

The industry is also set to flourish further 

with the recent signing of the TPPA. 

The Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) 

sees tremendous opportunities for part 

and component manufacturers with the 

implementation of this agreement. Malaysia 

exports RM10 billion worth of parts and 

components annually and is geared to 

perform better under this agreement. 

This is because Malaysian automotive 

players could tap into other TPPA countries 

under the rule of origin provisions. Vehicles 

exported within TPPA countries are required 

to meet the rules of origin of 55% but with 

the agreement, Malaysian suppliers not 

only have the opportunities to supply to 

OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) 

within the country, but also to TPPA 

countries, especially the top four countries 

that produce cars, namely the US, Japan, 

Canada and Mexico. 


Education 

& Learning 


Chapter 8 

GLOBAL APPEAL: UCSI is home to students from 


more than 80 countries who seek an education that 

prepares them for future-proof careers.

THE UCSI LEGACY 

The place. The promise. The people. 

UCSI University is a vibrant community 

of learning and scholarship. It offers 

an education others don’t, provides 

experiences others can’t, and delivers 

life-defining outcomes for young 

people, everywhere. 

What are the hallmarks of excellence? For 

some, it’s a long track record of success. 

For others, it’s worldwide recognition. The 

list goes on: life-changing testimonies, 

industry-acclaimed offerings, international 

benchmarks, a dedication to quality and 

brand trust. 

At UCSI University, it’s all of the above and 

more. Established in 1986 to improve life 

chances through education, the University 

has opened doors for precocious and 

driven individuals, not only in Malaysia, but 

around the world. In essence, that’s a 30- 

year commitment to social change. That’s 

also more than 10,000 students from over 

80 nations each year. Ultimately, that’s 

thousands of lives changed for the better. 

Long acknowledged as one of Malaysia’s 

best private universities, UCSI is now 

cementing its status in the international 

arena. The University is classified as a 

top 300 varsity in the 2015 QS Asian 

University Rankings, becoming one of 

the few private universities to feature in 

the prestigious and competitive annual 

exercise that evaluates the performance 

of the world’s best universities. And in 

doing so, UCSI improved by almost 100 

positions in a year. 

The meteoric rise was no product of luck. 

UCSI made marked improvements in 

each evaluation criterion, most notably, 

in the area of research. The University’s 

Vice-Chancellor and President, Senior 

Professor Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff – one 

of Malaysia’s leading cardiologists – has 

been instrumental in this endeavour. As 

one of Malaysia’s leading researchers, Prof 

Khalid sets the example by driving worldclass 

research with fellow researchers from 

universities like Harvard, Duke, Melbourne, 

Sydney, McMaster and the London School 

of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 

HARVARD PEDIGREE: UCSI medical student Cherish Chong 

conducted high impact research at Harvard. UCSI’s top 

medical students are annually selected for year-long research 

programmes at Harvard. 


Under his watch, UCSI has made it a 

point to engage academics who are at the 

forefront of their disciplines. The rationale 

is simple: An academic cannot inspire 

students to expand the boundaries of 

knowledge if he or she does not walk the 

talk or possess the ability to do so. This 

has influenced hiring policy and today, 

30% of UCSI’s academic staff possess 

a PhD – far higher than the 16% average 

at Malaysian private higher education 

institutions in 2015 – and a further 16.5% 

are pursuing their doctorate. 

This initiative is more than a number’s 

game. UCSI academics drive high 

impact research and much has been 

accomplished in the past year. For 

starters, Professor Khalid received a 

coveted research grant through the 

prestigious Newton-Ungku Omar Fund for 

his immense contributions in medicine and 

science. Shortly after, UCSI Deputy Vice- 

Chancellor (Research and Postgraduate 

Studies) Professor Dr Ooi Keng Boon was 

recognised by Elsevier as the world’s most 

productive researcher in the field of mobile 

commerce. The same study also ranked 

him as the world’s second most influential 

author in the field. 

The achievements at the top do much 

to spur scholarly pursuit throughout the 

University. The number of academic 

publications has increased significantly, 

more research grants have been secured 

and research awards are won on the 

domestic and international front. Most 

recently, two academics and two students 

from UCSI’s Faculty of Applied Sciences 

finished in the top 5 in Elsevier’s inaugural 

Green and Sustainable Chemistry 

Challenge in Berlin, edging out 99% 

of all entrants worldwide. UCSI is also 

affiliated in top scientific papers published 

in leading journals like the Lancet, the 

New England Journal of Medicine and 

the Journal of the American Medical 

Association, among many others. 

UCSI’s research endeavours are 

bolstered further by international 

collaboration with renowned universities 

in the Ivy League, the Russell Group, 

Australia’s Group of Eight and Universitas 

21. This extensive knowledge network 

also includes leading universities in 

France and Ireland, opening a world of 

opportunities for students and staff. 

Raising aspirations. Challenging 

expectations. 

While UCSI’s fast-growing international 

reputation is a shot in the arm, the 

LONDON CALLING: UCSI Engineering students like Leon Tan 

(left) and Wei Ming are also selected for research programmes at 

Imperial College London, one of the world’s best universities. 

true measure of its impact lies with its 

students. Thousands flock to UCSI each 

year to realise their potential and pursue 

their affinities. They come with hopes 

and dreams and many do not realise how 

great they could be. UCSI makes it a point 

to help them find out. And for students 

whose ambitions already come in XL, it 

may be time for an upsize. 

PROJECT RUNWAY: UCSI student Lee Bao En blew away 

the competition to win the prestigious AirAsia Runway Ready 

Designer Search last year. 


BUILDING THE FUTURE: When completed, UCSI’s new 

academic blocks will expand the operational capacity at its 

South Wing campus by more than 1million square feet. 

Enter UCSI’s Star Trek initiative – a 

programme that provides students with 

invaluable opportunities to advance 

knowledge at the world’s best universities. 

Star Trek began at the tail end of 2014 

when Cherish Chong, UCSI’s top medical 

student in her cohort, was selected for a 

year-long research programme at Harvard 

University. At Harvard, Cherish conducted 

her own research projects and earned the 

respect of her research supervisors like 

renowned clinician-scientist Professor Dr 

Gordon Williams who heads the Hormonal 

Mechanisms of Cardiometabolic Injury 

programme at Harvard’s Brigham and 

Women’s Hospital. She did not return 

empty handed as well. Her time in Boston 

resulted in two research papers that will 

be published soon. 

GLOBAL IMPACT: UCSI Pharmacy graduate Alvin Teo has saved 

lives in some of the world’s most difficult warzones through his 

work with Doctors Without Borders. 

Conducting extensive research on the 

human body’s adrenal glands and the 

aldosterone steroid hormone, Cherish 

made a pivotal discovery. It was 

traditionally accepted that the production 

of aldosterone was regulated by the level 

of sodium in one’s body – less sodium 

would result in more aldosterone and 

vice versa – but her findings showed that 


OPENING DOORS: Two more UCSI medical students have been 

selected for year-long research programmes at Harvard Medical School 

in 2015. Tan Jia Wei is making the full use of the opportunity to drive 

innovation in science with her mentor, Professor Dr Gordon Williams. 

aldosterone production was 

regulated instead by the 

adrenal glands, specifically 

the mineralcorticoid 

receptors. She later found 

out that the receptors also 

regulated corticosterone – 

a hormone that regulates 

energy, immune reactions and 

stress responses. No one had 

discovered this prior to her 

research. 

“Spending a year at 

Harvard opened my eyes 

to the endless possibilities 

a career in science can 

offer,” enthused Cherish, 

who is back in Malaysia. 

“Being there allowed me 

to interact with the world’s 

best minds, access state-ofthe-art 

facilities and pursue 

cutting-edge research! When 

I first got there, I thought 

it would be great if I could 

just tag along for research 

projects and learn from 

experienced mentors. So 

to be able conduct projects 

on my own… it’s still quite 

unbelievable. UCSI made this 

possible and the University 

went out of its way to get me 

ready for Harvard. It’s great 

when a University goes the 

extra mile for its students and 

I’m happy to see my juniors 

enjoy similar opportunities 

each year.” 

Cherish’s positive experience 

– and glowing feedback from 

her supervisors at Harvard 

– showed that Star Trek was 

exceeding all expectations. 

The initiative was swiftly 

expanded and in 2015, 

two Engineering students 

were selected for summer 

research programmes at 

Imperial College London 

where they worked with 

Professor Dr Jerry Heng, a 

leading Malaysian researcher 

who co-heads Imperial’s 

Surfaces and and Particle 

Engineering research 

IMPACTING KUCHING: UCSI’s new Sarawak is a Green Building 

Index-certified campus that many eco-friendly characteristics. 


RHAPSODIC QUALITY: UCSI’s Institute of Music grows 

from strength to strength by collaborating with world-class 

conductors, performers and orchestras. 

group. The connection with Harvard was 

enhanced further when two more UCSI 

students were selected for year-long 

research programmes in Boston. To date, 

UCSI is the only university in Malaysia to 

provide students with such opportunities 

on an annual basis and more tie-ups with 

leading universities will be announced in 

2016. 

UCSI’s milestones in science 

are complemented by significant 

achievements in the arts. UCSI students 

enjoy numerous avenues to showcase 

their craft and fashion design student 

Lee Bao En stands out for winning the 

AirAsia Runway Ready Designer Search 

2015 competition. Creating her own fabric 

using nuno felting techniques, Bao En’s 

collection set her apart from the other 350 

contestants. She also used the runway 

to make a statement against female 

oppression. Her final design was worn by 

a model who hit the catwalk with her face 

covered and her hands tied – symbolic 

portrayals of the domination of female 

identity and free will. 

RISE UP: Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Khairy 

Jamaluddin was one of the many policy makers, industry 

leaders and leading thinkers who shared insights with the UCSI 

community recently. 

Bao En’s feminist undertones struck a 

chord with the audience and she even 

won special praise from Malaysia’s 

design heavyweights Khoon Hooi and 

Jovian Mandagie. For her efforts, the 

final-year student at UCSI’s De Institute 

of Creative Arts and Design won a couple 

of return flights to Tokyo, a guaranteed 

spot to showcase a full collection at the 

KL Fashion Week RTW 2016 and an 

invaluable one-year apprenticeship with 

Mandagie, among other prizes. 

Living up to its billing as Malaysia’s best 

music school, UCSI’s Institute of Music 


DEEP FOCUS: Lee May Yan 

concentrates as she drives 

research in UCSI’s engineering 

labs. May Yan was recently 

selected for a summer research 

programme at Imperial College 

London. 

continues to ochestrate a musical tour de 

force. The UCSI Chorale recently reached 

the new apotheosis of its performing 

history when it was selected to collaborate 

with Benjamin Zander and Andreas Delfs 

– two of the world’s most celebrated 

conductors – and the Malaysian 

Philharmonic Orchestra, earning rave 

reviews for its rhapsodic quality. 

“Receiving generous praise from such 

established conductors is significant as 

it shows how far UCSI has come as a 

musical force, not only in Malaysia, but in 

the region,” said UCSI Institute of Music 

Director Professor Dr P’ng Tean Hwa. 

“To date, the UCSI Chorale is the only 

university choir to partner with the MPO 

and this speaks volumes about our quality. 

The who’s who of Malaysian music have 

studied, are teaching or once taught at the 

Institute and we want to keep this tradition 

going.” 

Seismic change. Global reach. 

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2016, 

UCSI is rapidly expanding when most 

education providers are grappling with 

budget cuts in the face of global economic 

headwinds. Two new colossal academic 

blocks – that pass as high-rise buildings in 

their own right – are being constructed at 

UCSI’s Kuala Lumpur campus. With more 

than 1 million square feet to consummate, 

the new blocks will accommodate more 

than 8,000 extra students at any given 

time. Featuring state-of-the-art labs and 

learning facilities, the new blocks will 

also house a hostel and a lifestyle mall. 

Purposefully designed, the new blocks will 

tower over the Cheras skyline when they 

are completed at the end of the year. In 

fact, they already do. 

The two new academic blocks are just 

the first phase of a larger plan that will 

see UCSI’s main campus undergoing a 

major transformation. More new academic 

blocks, student hostels, a sports complex 

with a retractable roof and a music 

conservatory will be built in the coming 

years. On top of that, existing buildings 

will be refurbished to meet and exceed the 

demands of 21st century education. 

Away from the capital, UCSI is also 

building Malaysia’s first private teaching 

hospital in the education township of 

Springhill, Negeri Sembilan – part of its 

commitment to Malaysia’s Economic 

Transformation Programme. Progressively 

built in stages, the 1,000 bed hospital 

will complement a hotel, a lifestyle 

mall and an international school that is 

already operational in the area. UCSI is 

also building a new campus in Kuching, 

Sarawak. Designed and built with 

sustainable architecture, the eco-friendly 

campus is Green Building Index-certified 

and it promises to boost UCSI’s presence 

in East Malaysia. With these new additions 

and more, UCSI is building an eyeopening, 

if not mind-bending, testament 

to the future of higher education. 

With these plans in place, UCSI will 

continue producing the best human 

capital, not only in the industry, but for it. 

UCSI has always been synonymous with 

graduate employability and the University 

runs Malaysia’s widest industry-university 

network involving more than 3,500 global 

companies. Many of UCSI’s industry 

partners like Accenture, CIMB, Citibank, 

Deloitte, DHL, KPMG, HSBC, Maybank, 

Nestle, Standard Chartered, Petronas and 

PWC, among many others, stand out as 

leaders in their respective fields. Their 

collaboration opens doors for students 

in the areas of structured internship 

programmes, technology transfers, 

industry exposure and job opportunities. 

Internships overseas are becoming 

increasingly common and UCSI annually 

sends students for internship in Japan, 

Singapore, Hong Kong and many other 

countries each year. 

International collaboration will be 

bolstered further. UCSI is in the midst of 

setting up a Centre for ASEAN Higher 

Education Partnership to tap into the 

best practices and opportunities of a 

region that is home to more than 620 

million people and worth $2.6 trillion. At 

the same time, the University will also 

establish a Centre for Scandinavian 

Studies to promote cross-cultural dialogue 

and mobility programmes. On the home 

front, UCSI organises numerous public 

lectures featuring some of Malaysia’s most 

influential thinkers. To date, UCSI students 

have gained insights from acclaimed 


HIGH FLYERS: UCSI students frequently engage corporate figures in the industry 

like AirAsia Bhd CEO Aireen Omar to gain insights on the corporate world. 

architect Hijjas Kasturi, squash queen 

Datuk Nicol David, AirAsia Bhd CEO 

Aireen Omar, the Institute of Democracy 

and Economic Affairs (Ideas) founding 

president Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin Tuanku 

Muhriz, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy 

Jamaluddin and Deputy Education 

Minister Dato’ P. Kamalanathan, among 

many others. 

Societal impact is another key focus area 

and UCSI students have been pivotal 

in this effort. Suzanne Ling, a final-year 

Psychology student, kick-started Hands of 

Hope – a voluntary project that educates 

refugee and underprivileged children. 

Encouraged by the keen response from 

the UCSI community, she soon cast a 

wider net by launching The Picha Project 

– a social enterprise that helps refugees 

make a living by utilising their culinary 

skills. The arrangement sees Suzanne 

and her team sourcing clients for refugee 

families who will pocket a fair share 

of all sales. What started off as a onefamily 

supplier has quickly flourished and 

Suzanne is now working with different 

families from different countries, offering 

clients a diverse menu selection. 

UCSI is also joining the nationwide 

effort to end statelessness in Malaysia 

2024. The UCSI Scholar’s Circle recently 

launched Journey to Belong, a non-profit 

student movement dedicated to raise 

societal awareness on statelessness in 

the nation. The initiative will see UCSI 

scholars collaborating with Development 

of Human Resources for Rural Areas 

(DHRRA), a non-profit NGO that has been 

aiding stateless people since July 2014 

and UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. 

To strike a chord with Malaysian youth, 

Journey to Belong will run an online 

campaign featuring testimonies and 

stories of formerly stateless children 

and youth who attained identities and 

nationalities through DHRRA’s legal 

services. Powerful and poignant, these 

stories put the spotlight on individuals 

who finally obtained their fundamental 

rights as citizens – a privilege so often 

overlooked – in their bid to be visible, to 

be heard and most importantly, to belong. 

On community health, UCSI medical 

students work with NGOs like Hospis 

Malaysia, the Family and Reproductive 

Health Association Malaysia and the Pink 

Triangle Foundation on health awareness 

COLLECTIVE EFFORTS: UCSI’s 30th anniversary 

celebration involves a year-long series of events. 

Its recent Family Day was launched by (from left) 

UCSI founder Dato’ Peter Ng, UCSI Chancellor 

Tan Sri Dr Abdul Rahman Arshad and UCSI vicechancellor 

Senior Professor Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff. 


campaigns. Pharmacy students also 

organise public health campaigns each 

year, educating local communities on 

specific medical complications and ways 

to safeguard one’s health. And in its bid to 

improve English proficiency in Malaysia, 

UCSI’s Faculty of Social Sciences and 

Liberal Arts organises campaigns like 

Right2Read and Poetry Slam to promote 

the language. 

UCSI’s commitment to social change 

is further exemplified by its generous 

scholarship programme. In line with its 

30th anniversary, UCSI is disbursing 

more than RM30 million this year in 

scholarships and grants. The University 

was founded on the principle that no 

deserving student should ever be denied 

access to higher education. To date, more 

than RM100 million in scholarships has 

been disbursed. This commitment has 

changed the equation for thousands of 

talented individuals and much more will be 

done in years to come. 

The social agenda rubs off well on 

students. Many UCSI students are 

involved in community outreach 

programmes and Alvin Teo Kuo Jing – a 

UCSI Pharmacy graduate – stands out for 

his work with Doctors Without Borders. 

Undeterred by impediments that would 

make brave men cringe, he has brought 

medical aid to communities in some of 

the world’s most challenging war-torn 

and endemic-hit regions. His call of duty 

reads: South Sudan, Pakistan, Syria and 

Ukraine. Although Alvin has come under 

fire, his ironclad resolve holds firm. 

“What’s the point of knowledge and skills 

if it doesn’t bring benefit to those who 

truly need it?” he answers unequivocally 

when asked about his burning desire to 

serve. “It’s a privilege to help those in 

need. Empathy is best practised when 

experiences are shared and you can find 

beauty even in the harshest environments. 

Yes, I suppose I could sit behind a counter 

or work on drug discovery and live a more 

HOMECOMING: Acclaimed music and film score 

composer San Weng Onn (second from left) is 

a proud UCSI alumni who often comes back 

to engage the student community. He recently 

composed the score of Ola Bola and he brought the 

director and cast of the cult football film to campus. 

comfortable life. However, not everyone 

can get to a pharmacy so sometimes, I 

get to bring it to them. I had the privilege 

of learning in a caring and supportive 

community at UCSI. I’d like to provide the 

same support to others in my own way.” 

Alvin’s personal accounts sum up the 

UCSI legacy – a commitment anchored 

on the transformative power of education. 

A legacy that is intertwined with the lives 

of thousands of students from around 

the world. It may be a tad hard to digest 

but that legacy first started when a 

young Dato’ Peter founded UCSI on a 

shoestring budget of RM2,000. How far 

UCSI has come in the past 30 years is 

self-evident. Follow the shared narratives 

of achievement and you are dealing with 

an education that is far-reaching and 

consequential. Turning 30 is more than a 

milestone at UCSI. It’s a reason to believe 

– an assurance to students that that until 

they realise their potential, the University 

will not rest. Here’s to the next 30 years 

and beyond. 

NATIONAL ICONS: 

Malaysian squash 

queen Datuk Nicol 

David is among the 

many successful 

personalities who 

encouraged the UCSI 

student community to 

realise their potential. 

UCSI University Kuala Lumpur Campus 

No. 1, Jalan Menara Gading, 

UCSI Heights 

(Taman Connaught), Cheras 

56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

Tel: (+603) 9101 8880 

Fax: (+603) 9102 2614 

www.ucsiuniversity.edu.my 


Health & Beauty 



Chapter 9

Blackmores 

Blackmores is Australia’s leading 

natural health company. Based on 

the vision of naturopath and founder 

Maurice Blackmore (1906-1977), we 

are passionate about natural health 

and inspiring people to take control 

of and invest in their wellbeing. Our 

quality range of vitamin, minerals, 

herbal and nutritional supplements, and 

continued support of the community 

and environment, are among the many 

reasons Blackmores is the most trusted 

name in natural health. 

We achieved this by translating our 

unrivalled heritage and knowledge into 

innovative, quality branded healthcare 

solutions that work. Our enthusiasm 

and belief in a natural, holistic approach 

to health inspires us to excellence in 

everything we do. 

Blackmores is a prominent supplement 

brand in Malaysia with a history of over 

25 years of presence. The Nielsen 

Scan Data* reported that Blackmores 

is the No.1 health supplement brand 

in Malaysia and dominating the No.1 

market share in 4 key product segments 

namely Fish Oil, Multivitamins, 

Glucosamine and Coenzyme Q10. 

Blackmores Malaysia has also won 

several prestigious award such as 

the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand, 

Superbrands and Brand Laureate 

awards for numerous years. 

Blackmores’ strong commitment to 

quality ensures that our products 

consistently meet or exceed the 

expectations of our customers as 

well as comply with high regulatory 

standards across the globe. Our work 

of quality includes 

• Working with the highest quality 

raw material suppliers to source 

and select the very best possible 

ingredients available. 

• Developing products by a highly 

experienced and dedicated team of 

formulators including naturopaths, 

chemists, scientists and product 

development pharmacists. We base 

each formulation on comprehensive 

review of the latest scientific 

advancements in natural medicine. 

• Commissioning independent 

chemical and microbiological 

testing at licensed laboratories for 

our products, as well as work with 


a variety of regulatory and government 

bodies to understand the complexities 

of each markets’ requirements and 

successfully achieve compliant 

registrations. 

Since day one, Blackmores believes in 

empowering people to take control of their 

health. Therefore, we offer free personalised 

lifestyle, dietary and supplementation 

recommendations for consumer health and 

well-being via our naturopath consultation. 

Essentially, naturopathy is a system which 

focuses on building health and encouraging 

the body’s self-healing process through 

holistic health education with the ultimate 

goal of achieving holistic health and wellbeing. 

The free naturopath consultation 

can be arranged at any Blackmores 

Flagship Store at Mid Valley Megamall in 

KL, Queensbay Mall in Penang, Mediplex at 

Subang Jaya Medical Centre & Imperial City 

Mall in Miri on appointment basis. 

Blackmores Institute has been established 

with the purpose of becoming a centre 

of excellence in the field of natural health 

research and education. It brings together 

the best minds, knowledge, and evidence, 

and is dedicated to sharing this knowledge 

with the wider of healthcare professionals, 

researches, industry and consumers. In 

2015, we brought the Blackmores Institute 

to Malaysia by conducting Blackmores 

Institute Symposium participated by over 

200 pharmacists and academicians. 

As responsible corporate citizens, 

Blackmores demonstrates care, respect 

and passion for the environment and our 

community. Hence, Blackmores’ employees 

are encouraged to participate in a charitable 

scheme whereby a certain percentage of 

their taxable pay is deducted each payday 

and placed in an interest-bearing trust 

account. The Company matches this and 

twice yearly each participating employee 

nominates a registered charity to receive 

the donation. These funds have gone wide 

and far to support environmental projects 

including the planting of Mangrove trees 

in Kuala Selangor, the cleaning up of the 

Serendah Waterfalls surroundings and Kuala 

Gandah Elephant Sanctuary and organised 

outings for orphanages to bird parks, the 

national science centre and the Forest 

Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) and 

National Cancer Society of Malaysia. 

* Blackmores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd calculation 

based in part on data reported by The Nielsen 

Company based on scan data from 7 key account 

chains for Total Health Supplement category and 

Blackmores’ product definition for the Health 

Supplement category for 12 months ending June 

2015 in Total Malaysia (Copyright © 2015, The 

Nielsen Company (M) Sdn Bhd) 


Travel 

Attractions 



Chapter 10

From Malaysia With Love 

From exploring the vast and colourful 

vegetable and flea markets, to examining 

British, Dutch and Portuguese colonial 

buildings, from taking boat trips to some of 

the best islands, quintessential Tudor-styled 

highland resorts, to bird watching, soaking 

in glorious hot spring tubs and meeting 

friendly local people. 

This is even before you start on a fabulous 

trek up the country’s Mount Kinabalu. Truly, 

to know Malaysia is to love Malaysia — a 

bubbling, bustling melting-pot of races and 

religions where Malays, Indians, Chinese 

and many other ethnic groups live together 

in peace and harmony. Our multiculturalism 

has made the country a gastronomical 

paradise and home to hundreds of 

colourful festivals. It’s no wonder that 

we love celebrating and socialising. 

Collectively, Malaysians are very relaxed, 

warm and friendly. 

Geographically, Malaysia is almost as 

diverse as its culture. Eleven states and 

two federal territories, Kuala Lumpur and 

Putrajaya, form Peninsular Malaysia which 

is separated by the South China Sea from 

East Malaysia which includes the two 

states, Sabah and Sarawak on the island 

of Borneo, and a third federal territory, the 

island of Labuan. 

One of Malaysia’s key attractions is its 

extreme contrasts which further add to this 

theme of diversity. Towering skyscrapers 

look down upon wooden houses built on 

stilts while five-star hotels are a stone’s 

throw away from old yet protected reefs. 

Majestic yet rugged mountains reach for the 

sky while their rainforest-clad slopes sweep 

down to floodplains teeming with forest life. 

This, together with the country’s warm 

weather, pristine sandy beaches, retail 

landscapes with duty-free zones and over 

2,000 hotels have an alluring charm. The 

numbers will add more weight to these 

claims as tourism in Malaysia was the sixth 

highest contributor to the economy in 2014. 

It attracts over 25 million tourist arrivals 

each year, contributing more than RM60 

billion in tourist receipts. 


With the industry promoting its duty-free zones 

and growing number of shopping malls, it 

comes as no wonder that the government 

intends to dedicate specific entertainment 

zones to cater to respective audiences. 

Bukit Bintang has already been established 

as a leading shopping precinct within the 

capital while the country has moved onto 

completing construction on its second 

premium outlets. The first premium outlet 

is located in the state of Johor. As for 

dedicated entertainment zones, the capital 

will see the expansion of TREC (Taste, 

Relish, Experience and Celebrate) KL, 

which contains a variety of clubs, pubs and 

eateries, while the state of Penang will soon 

be receiving three such zones. 

Furthermore, visiting Malaysia will be 

incomplete if one does not explore what 

the country has to offer. This includes 

the Petronas Twin Towers, an 88-storey 

skyscraper which still remains as the world’s 

tallest twin towers. Perhaps you are more 

inclined to discover life below the ocean 

waves and what better way to pursue 

that than to visit Sipadan Island, which 

is located in the Celebes Sea off the east 

coast of Sabah and the only oceanic island 

in Malaysia — a huge pillar that forms the 

atoll functions as a shelter for many sea 

animals and fish. Furthermore, there are only 

a few places in the world that have such a 

concentration of sea turtles. 

Penang’s capital, George Town, should also 

be listed in your top must-see as the city 


is home to over 500,000 inhabitants with a 

multicultural life and heritage buildings that 

can be seen peppered along the streets. 

Retaining its rustic British charm, the city 

was listed as a Unesco World Heritage 

Site in 2008. This historic city has over 

12,000 buildings comprising shop houses, 

churches, mosques, government offices, 

monuments and even a glamping resort still 

under construction. 

Young tourists are not forgotten in this 

equation as Malaysia is proud to be the 

only country in Asia to have a Legoland 

amusement park in Johor Bahru. It is a 

family holiday destination with more than 

70 hands-on rides, slides, shows and 

attractions. Meanwhile, a town for Sanrio’s 

iconic character ‘Hello Kitty’ that has been 

taking the world by storm since the 80s and 

quite recently was revealed not to be a cat 

but a Japanese-British third grader, is the 

place to be if one owns everything Kitty. 

Malaysia is also a leading cruise destination 

with efforts focusing on improving 

operations and attractiveness of six ports in 

the country with potential improvements to 

be considered for other ports as well. The 

country is also widening its international 

recognition by boosting its international 

spectatorship through international sports 

events such as Formula 1, MotoGP and 

Formula E, the world’s first fully-electric 

racing series. 

All these things aside, at first glance, 

Malaysians may seem rude for not greeting 

or helping you out with directions to a 

tourist attraction as we rush to work or 

school. To that we say, be bold and ask us 

again. We may be shy or we may not talk 

much but we are always eager to help to the 

best we can! 



Hotels 



Chapter 11

Armada Petaling Jaya Hotel 

The Convenience Of Location And Comfort 

ACCOMMODATION 

Stay at the Armada Petaling Jaya Hotel 

for all the comfort and convenience one 

would expect when travelling abroad. 

Towering majestically over the city’s 

prominent Federal Highway, the hotel 

is conveniently located in the heart of 

Petaling Jaya, with a population of over 

600,000 residents. It is accessible via 

public transportation which includes LRT 

stations, buses and taxi stands allowing 

more options to all parts of the city and 

easy access to Klang, Shah Alam and 

Kuala Lumpur. 

Sleek and contemporarily designed, the 

24-storey hotel features 257 rooms, all 

meticulously designed and planned to 

give guests a comfortable and enjoyable 

stay. Each room comes with a USBequipped 

40” plasma television set and 

complimentary WiFi to keep you wireless, 

yet wired. 

ROOM TYPES 

Deluxe 

Grand Deluxe 

Family Deluxe 

Premier Deluxe 

Admiral Premier Deluxe 

Admiral Suites 

SERVICES 

Restaurants, Bar, Club, Lounge, Private 

Karaoke Rooms, Multi-function Executive 

Rooms that come with attractive hotel 

meeting packages for your next meeting 

or conference, 24-Hour Reception, 

Luggage Storage, Gym, In-room Dining, 

Convention Facilities, Communication 

Centre, Laundry Services, Currency 

Exchange, Limo Transfer, Valet and WiFi. 

FACILITIES 

Disabled-friendly Rooms, Wheelchairs, 

Safe Deposit Boxes, Cable Television, 

Designated Smoking Areas, Prayer 

Rooms and 600 Car Park Bays. 

DINING AND ENTERTAINMENT 

Utara Coffee House 

A gastronomical food haven which is 

well known for its delicious and addictive 

array of local and western cuisine that 

also includes its daily Buffet featured 

during breakfast, lunch and dinner. Utara 

Coffee House can accommodate up to 

180 diners at a time and also serves as a 

venue for private functions, but only with 

prior booking and arrangements. 

SHOKUDO 

Our Japanese deli, delivers the best 

dishes from the Land of the Rising Sun, 

respecting traditions of the past, in a 

small cozy setting. 

PIANO LOUNGE & KAFE’ 52 

Those seeking to meet up for quick and 

convenient business meetings should 

drop by the Armada’s Piano Lounge or 

Kafe’ 52 and discover coffee culture, 

delicious snacks as well as an extensive 

range of beverages. 

THE MERCHANT 

A new paradigm in bar experience, the 

bar offers a swanky comfort more akin 

to an updated London gentlemen’s club. 

Exuding elegance and style, different 

spaces are created catering to the various 

guests’ preferences. One such addition is 

‘The Balcony’ an outdoor seating space 

with impressive views overlooking the 

busy Federal Highway and the PJ skyline. 

For those with a more sophisticated 

preference, a Cigar Lounge, where retro 

glamour meets contemporary style is chic 

yet relaxed. Enjoy the company of friends 

over a nightcap and fine cigar in the lounge 

to the soft sounds of jazz and swing. 

One of the many features of The Merchant 

is the illuminated Onyx Main Bar and 



a separate illuminated feature table for 

special occasions. A dedicated games 

area with bricked walls offers up a more 

rustic atmosphere. Here, guests can enjoy 

a game of pool or score a bull’s-eye on 

the electronic darts machines. 

THE MERCHANT LIVE 

A brand new addition to the hotel — 

The Merchant Live was built around the 

ambition to create a unique club where 

design, music and people form a new 

dimension of inspiration and quality 

live entertainment. 

Offering live band entertainment, 

The Merchant Live is an innovative 

entertainment venue equipped with a 

sleek island bar, state-of-the-art sound 

system, acoustic panelled walls, more 

than 1,000 LEDs offering inter-changing 

backlit colour visible throughout the 

club and three private suites with each 

suite offering touch screen karaoke 

entertainment, darts machine as well as 

an American pool table. 

MEETINGS AND FUNCTION ROOMS 

The flamboyant Atlanta Ballroom on Level 

3 can accommodate up to 350-seated 

guests or 500 guests for conference 

meeting. Supported by state-of-the-art 

facilities, the ballroom is an excellent 

venue for seminars, conferences, 

weddings and annual dinners. Along 

with this, there are six other function 

rooms on the same level – Arcadia I,II,III 

(between 20 and 100 people), Aseana and 

Avenia (between 10 and 15 people) and 

Arista (between 20 and 50 people), for 

classroom seating. 

Located on Level 1, is The Latitude, 

a multi-event venue which is a recent 

addition to the existing function rooms 

on Level 3. The Latitude is a stylish 

and spacious venue consisting of three 

suites which combine multifunctional 

facilities for meetings and events in a 

contemporary setting that breaks away 

from the traditional meeting space. The 

three meeting suites are adjacent, so 

may easily be combined or partitioned 

according to requirements. The entire 

space can accommodate a standing 

cocktail group of up to 250 guests. 

Complimentary wireless broadband 

Internet connectivity is also available 

throughout the Hotel including the 

Meetings & Functions Floor as well as all 

the Food & Beverage outlets. 

It’s the best of everything in the center of 

Petaling Jaya. 

WHAT’S NEARBY? 

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) 

45 Minutes 

Low Cost Carrier Terminal / klia2 

1 Hour 

SubangSkypark Terminal Airport 

25 Minutes 

Light Rail Transit (LRT) station 

Opposite Hotel 

RapidKL / Metro buses 

Opposite Hotel 

KL Sentral 

KL Monorail Station 

15 Minutes 

15 Minutes 



Medical Travel 



Chapter 12

An International Medical Destination 

of Choice 

In Malaysia, one of Southeast Asia’s most 

prominent medical tourism destinations, 

there is no doubt that this is one of the 

fastest growing sub-sectors in the world as 

the country is strategically positioned as an 

attractive destination for medical tourism 

with lucrative returns. 

This is strengthened by the fact that 

Malaysia has won multiple international 

awards, including the “Medical Travel 

Destination of the Year” title at the 

International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ), 

Medical Travel Awards in 2015. And this is 

due to three key virtues which are quality, 

accessibility and affordability that sets the 

country’s healthcare system apart. 

Malaysia’s Health Minister Datuk Dr. S. 

Subramaniam said, “In 2015, Malaysia 

witnessed more than 800,000 healthcare 

travellers arriving for healthcare treatments, 

raking in a revenue of almost RM1 billion.” 

He further added that while the government 

promoted various policies, programmes, 

incentives as well as put in place stringent 

regulatory framework for healthcare safety, 

developing a competitive industry as a whole 

would require a collective and concerted 

effort by various stakeholders, both in the 

public and private sectors. This is important 

as it provides the right and holistic ingredient 

for the development of a sustainable medical 

tourism industry. 

Recognising the importance, the Malaysian 

government has listed medical tourism as an 

Entry Point Project (EPP) under Healthcare, 

one of the 12 sectors listed under Malaysia’s 

National Key Economic Area (NKEA). Under 

the EPP, the sector is projected to create 

5,295 jobs by 2020 and contribute over RM4 

million in Gross National Income (GNI). The 

sector has also grown at an average of 25% 

annually since 2010 and continues to record 

double-digit growth in terms of revenue and 

the number of health travellers. Healthcare 

travel revenue amounted to RM685 million 

in 2014. 

Moreover, according to the Malaysia 

Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), an 

agency under the purview of the country’s 


sustainable collaborations, domestically and 

abroad, to further strengthen our healthcare 

propositions and to create higher degrees of 

accessibility to our healthcare services for 

citizens of the world. Malaysia’s standing as 

a Global Halal Hub gives it a niche appeal 

to markets with consumers seeking halalcompliant 

options and environments, not only 

for themselves but also for accompanying 

family members. This, coupled with the 

favourable exchange rate, makes Malaysia 

an ideal healthcare travel destination.” 

The country’s healthcare system has grown 

from strength to strength in the last few years. 

The country was named the “Medical Travel 

Destination of the Year” at the Medical Travel 

Awards 2015 by the International Medical 

Travel Journal, and “Best Country in the World 

for Healthcare” by International Living’s Global 

Retirement Index for three consecutive years 

since 2014. Malaysia was also honoured as 

the “2015 Public Private Partnership Medical 

Travel Destination of the Year” at the 8th 

Annual World Medical Tourism & Global 

Healthcare Congress in Orlando, Florida 

(USA) for its highly successful public-private 

partnerships and collaborations. 

MALAYSIA HAS THE RIGHT MIX 

Sherene Azli said, “We strongly believe 

that Malaysia has the right mix: excellence 

in quality care, ease of accessibility and 

competitive affordability. To top it off, it is 

easy for travellers to communicate with 

health professionals here, where English is 

widely spoken, and matched with strong 

government backing and commitment from 

the private healthcare sector, Malaysia has 

everything it takes to achieve our ambition 

of becoming number one in the world for 

healthcare travel.” 

MHTC also said travellers are keen on 

looking at prevention, detoxification 

or alternative care such as Traditional 

Complementary Medicine, Ayurveda. 

The MHTC is also working closely with 

relevant authorities and medical hubs in 

Malaysia are being built in Penang, Malacca 

and Johor Bahru. These three key areas 

are slated for development under the 11th 

Malaysia Plan, a five-year development plan 

between 2016 and 2020. 

Summing things up, where healthcare 

tourism is concerned, this country has 

the perfect package. Offering world-class 

medical treatment at affordable prices 

in an English-speaking environment — 

allowing easy communication — and good 

infrastructure support with solid backing by 

the government, Malaysia has seen a rise 

in its reputation as an international medical 

destination of choice and is well on its way 

to achieve more and beyond. 

Health Ministry, Malaysia was 

recently awarded the Top 

Country for Muslim Travel 

in 2015 by Master Card- 

Crescent Rating Global Muslim 

Travel Index. The country’s 

affordable treatments with 

Arabic speaking translators 

available upon request as well 

as its Muslim-friendly hospital 

environment were deemed a 

sure appeal to the Middle East. 

MHTC Chief Executive Officer 

Sherene Azli said, “As we forge 

ahead in our mission, Malaysia 

Healthcare also seeks to build 


Electrical 

& Electronics 



Chapter 13

Rapid Economic Growth - Equals Wide Range Of 

Engineering Opportunities 

The field of electrical and electronics 

industry (E&E) is extremely wide and varied, 

from aerospace to energy, from construction 

to automotive and from electric scooters to 

software. But no matter which sub-sector 

a company operates in, the region of Asia 

Pacific is likely to be the most exciting in the 

world, thanks to its high-growth economies. 

More specifically, Malaysia will be a choice 

destination for investments and business 

opportunities as the E&E industry is a 

leading sector in Malaysia’s manufacturing 

sector, contributing significantly to 

the country’s exports at 33.4% and 

employment at 23.7% in 2014, according 

to the Malaysian Investment Development 

Authority (MIDA). 

With the country’s participation in the 

Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

(ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC), the 

sector’s growth is projected to increase. 

Contributing factors to the growth will be 

made possible with the Engineers Act 

Malaysia being amended to accommodate 

foreign participation of engineers and 

consultancy firms and that green initiatives 

and pursuit of sustainability will continue to 

be a leading trend. 

The E&E industry in Malaysia can be 

categorised into four sub-sectors: 

ELECTRICAL 

According to the Malaysia External Trade 

Development Corporation (MATRADE), 

the electrical sector had its beginning 

in the 1960s with the establishment 

of manufacturing plants for the import 

substitution of household appliances, 

electrical fittings, wires and cables and 

automotive batteries. The industry has then 

grown over the years, with capability to 

supply high-end electrical products including 

electrical components to both domestic and 

international markets. 

Also, major electrical products produced 

under this sub-sector are lightings, solarrelated 

products and household appliances 

such as air-conditioners, refrigerators, 

washing machines and vacuum cleaners. 

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS 

This sub-sector includes the manufacture 

of LED television receivers, audio visual 

products such as Blu-ray disc players and 

recorders, digital home theatre systems, 

mini disc, electronics games consoles and 

digital cameras. 

The sector is represented by many 

renowned Japanese and Korean companies 

which have contributed significantly towards 

the rapid growth of the sector. The leading 

companies are now undertaking R&D 

activities in the country to support their 

global and Asian markets. 

Another notable key growth in this subsector 

is the mobile lifestyle affecting most 

if not all of us in today’s world. The lifestyles 

of consumers are becoming increasingly 

hectic, particularly in urban areas. Mobile 

consumer electronics, such as smartphones, 

tablets, and laptops, are bringing speed 

and convenience to consumers in terms of 

their jobs and communication. Smartphones 

in particular have become a necessity 


not only for communication, but also for 

entertainment purposes. Consumers can 

access popular social media websites 

or just browse the latest trends almost 

anywhere in Malaysia due to the increased 

coverage of the 3G or 4G networks. Besides 

entertainment, mobile internet brings 

along the ability to do professional work 

from mobile devices such as office suites, 

collaborative applications or even photo 

editing. These have given consumers greater 

freedom and have thus fuelled the demand 

for mobile devices. Given such lifestyle 

habits, consumers have become reliant on 

consumer electronics. 

INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS 

This sub-sector consists of multimedia 

and information technology products 

such as computers, computer peripherals, 

telecommunication products and office 

equipment. The industrial electronics subsector 

is the second largest sub-sector, 

comprising 28% of the total investments 

approved in the E&E sector for 2014. 

ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS 

Products and activities which fall under this 

sub-sector include semiconductor devices, 

passive components, printed circuits 

and other components such as media, 

substrates and connectors. 

Within the electronic components subsector, 

the semiconductor devices have 

been the leading contributor in the 

performance of exports for the E&E industry. 

In 2014, the electronic components subsector 

became the largest sub-sector with 

approved investments of RM5.8 billion. 

The presence of major (MNCs) such as 

Intel, AMD, Freescale Semiconductor, 

ASE, Infineon, STMicroelectronics, 

Texas Instruments, Renesas and major 

Malaysian-owned companies such as 

Silterra, Globetronics, Unisem and Inari 

have contributed to the steady growth of the 

semiconductor industry in Malaysia. To date, 

there are more than 50 companies, largely 

MNCs producing semiconductors devices. 

The presence of IC design firms strengthens 

the semiconductor ecosystem by providing 

IC design services for their own products 

or outsourced. Today, IC design firms have 

added more value to their capabilities. 

Companies such as MyMs and Symmid have 

diversified their product base to feed the 

needs of the financial, Halal and LED markets. 

CAPABILITIES ON LOCAL SOIL 

Malaysian companies have accumulated 

vast experience in supporting the global 

E&E multinationals. Today, they are capable 

exporters that have been supplying various 

E&E products worldwide. It is important to 

highlight the following areas of specialisation 

that Malaysian companies are capable of: 

• Electronic manufacturing services 

• Wafer fabrication 

• IC designs 

• Assembly, packaging and testing 

• Parts and components for electrical 

products 

• Power and energy generation 

• Solar solutions 

• LED lighting solutions 

• Consumer electrical items and 

• IT parts and accessories 

Malaysian exporters have proven capabilities 

in producing high quality E&E products and 

meeting world standards. They are also 

ready with the current global trend for green 

and environmentally-friendly products as 

well as the move towards sustainability. 

Malaysia is a key player in the fast expanding 

E&E market with its major export destinations 

include China, US, Singapore, Hong Kong 

and Japan. As a result, Malaysian exporters 

are open to work with any interested 

business partners to embark on the highimpact 

joint-venture projects for new product 

development, innovation, R&D and other 

services within the E&E value chain. 


Timber & Wood 



Chapter 14

Rich Resources Trigger Future Growth 

For many years now, Asia has been 

touted as a fresh source of demand for 

consumer products, attracting more and 

more global investments to its shores and 

fuelling new wealth. 

Malaysia, a country with rich natural 

resources, has a total forest area of 

22,195,100 hectares (ha) or 67.6% which 

is more than two-thirds of the land area. In 

2000, the coverage area was 21,591,000 

ha. Between 2010 and 2015, forest area 

has risen by 14,000 ha per year. 

This equates to the fact that Malaysia’s 

forest area is increasing, not decreasing. 

Primary forest area is 5,041,1000ha 

(22.7% of forest area), other naturally 

regenerated forests are 15,188,000ha 

(68.4% of the total area), and planted 

forests, represent 1,966,000ha or 8.9% of 

forest area. 

Malaysia is one of the world’s leading 

exporters of tropical hardwood products. 

Some of the key timber products for 

domestic demand and export include 

sawn logs, sawn timber, veneer sheets, 

plywood, particleboard and furniture. 

Some of the main importers of Malaysian 

timber products are Belgium, China, 

Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, 

and the Netherlands. 

The wood-based industry can also be 

classified into wood and wood products, 

paper products and furniture fixtures. The 

wood and wood products classification 

can be divided further into 10 subsectors 

of which three are of special importance: 

plywood, saw, timber and wooden 

furniture. Further categories include 

logs, medium density fibre board (MDF), 

builder‘s carpentry and joinery (BCJ), 

mouldings, veneer and other timber. 

In 2009, the timber sector was the fifth 

largest export earner for the country and 

maintains its position as strong driving 

force within the industry. In 2010, the 

timber sector contributed to 3.7% of 

the GDP and 3.2% of the country‘s total 

merchandise export. 

In 2015, Malaysia’s exports of timber and 

timber products, including wooden and 

rattan furniture, plywood and saw and 

timber, reached RM22.1 billion, which was 

an increase of 6.5% over 2014 (RM20.5 

billion). 

Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) Chief 

Executive Officer, Datuk Dr Abdul Rahim 

Nik was quoted in Timber Malaysia 2016 

as saying: “The timber industry, including 

the export of wooden furniture, is a 

significant contributor to the economic 

development of tropical countries like 


Malaysia. However, continued growth 

and progress of the industry is largely 

dependent upon its ability to shift from 

the current manufacturing-based mindset 

to one that is more innovation-centric, 

providing more value-added products for 

the international market.” 

Timber Malaysia 2016 also revealed that 

the Malaysian timber industry is among 

the top five export earners of the nation, 

just behind crude petroleum, electrical 

and electronic products, palm oil, and 

palm oil based products, and rubber and 

rubber-based products. The Malaysian 

timber industry had contributed 2% of the 

Malaysian GDP and 2.7% of the nation’s 

total merchandise exports in 2014, with 

the top exported timber-based product 

being wooden furniture. 

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AEC, 

TPPA AND THE TIMBER INDUSTRY 

The Association of Southeast Asian 

Nation (ASEAN) Economic Community 

(AEC) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership 

Agreement (TPPA) is set to impact the 

foundations of business in Malaysia, 

including the timber industry. 

The AEC, a huge market with 600 million 

people and a market of USD2.6 trillion, is 

the 3rd largest market in Asia and 7th in 

the world. In that context, Malaysia has 

a good opportunity to provide exports. 

Currently, the biggest ASEAN markets for 

timber include Singapore, Thailand, and 

Philippines for the year 2014. 

Moreover, with the recent TPPA 

signing, among the 12 nations that are 

participating in the agreement, Malaysia 

does not have a Free Trade Agreement 

(FTA) with four of these nations, namely 

the United States, Canada, Mexico and 

Peru. But, with the TPPA, Malaysian 

businesses have an opportunity to do 

business with these nations. 

CONSERVATION EFFORTS 

The country is also taking a more 

conscious effort in sustainably managing 

its forest resources in a transparent way. 

Measures taken include improving the 

investment climate for forest plantations 

as a supplementary source of wood 

supply, diversifying wood products 

and wood product markets to reduce 

commercial risk on the industry and 

increasing utilisation of lesser-known 

wood species and production of bio-fuel 

from palm oil. 

Furthermore, deforestation is not only 

a problem in Malaysia but a global 

dilemma. Malaysia faces shortfalls in 

timber production from its native forest 

and therefore, forest plantations play 

an important role in keeping the timber 

industry sustainable. 

According to the Forestry Department 

Peninsular Malaysia (FDPM), forest 

plantations covered an area of 75,672 

hectares by 2001. However, for a total 

sustainable timber production this effort 

was not enough. Therefore, in March 

2005, the government gave the Ministry 

of Plantation Industries and Commodities 

(MPIC) the task to pursue an aggressive 

programme for the development of forest 

plantations in Malaysia. Ultimately, the 

goal of the Ministry hereby is to develop 

another 375,000 hectares of forest 

plantation at an annual planting rate of 

25,000 hectares per year until 2020. 


Plantation 

& Agriculture 



Chapter 15

Key Enabler In Economic And 

Social Transformation 

The plantation and agriculture sectors, 

along with fisheries and forestry, still 

account for 7-8% of Malaysia’s gross 

domestic product (GDP), which is a high 

level for a country at Malaysia’s stage 

of economic development. The sector 

also involves around one million workers, 

with about half of these being temporary 

migrants creating a hub for employment 

opportunities. Apart from being known 

as an important sector that draws in both 

international and domestic investors, 

the plantation and agriculture sector is 

highly dynamic, deemed to possess good 

potential for the future. 

PALM OIL AND RUBBER 

Being one of the biggest producers 

and exporters of palm oil and palm oil 

products, Malaysia has an important role 

to play in fulfilling the growing global need 

for oils and fats sustainably. The country 

currently accounts for 39% of world palm 

oil production and 44% of world exports. 

However, in order to maintain a steady 

supply of production, Malaysia is gearing 

to overcome its shortage of suitable 

farming land by replanting and planting 

new trees on existing land banks by 

independent smallholders to replace 

ageing and unproductive trees with 

higher-yielding seedlings. 

This will be achieved by implementing a 

more proactive approach by replanting 

and new planting initiatives remaining 

on track and contributing towards a 

sustainable supply of the commodity to 

downstream palm oil operators within and 

outside the region. 

According to a report by the Australian 

National University in 2012, “Palm oil 

commands relatively high international 

prices, which are sustained by high 

persisting demand in both the food 

and non-food sectors. The latter is 

especially connected with bio-fuels, 

where petroleum is predicted to grow 

scarcer in relation to burgeoning global 

consumption. Rubber too remains a 

vital industrial product, and has seen a 

quadrupling of price over the last decade. 

It also has favourable forecasts for the 

future. Returns to producers from these 

crops are accordingly high, and there is 

substantial ‘downstream’ development 

into manufactured products. “ 

When it comes to rubber, Malaysia is 

home to the world’s leading rubber glove 

producers who collectively are a key 


employer and revenue generator in the 

country. The goal is to reach 65% world 

market share of latex gloves by 2020. 

However, as the industry faces labour 

shortages and tight rubber supply, it has 

embarked on automation to cut down its 

reliance on manual labour. 

In 2014, total export revenue of Malaysian 

latex products, of which latex gloves 

is a major contributor, was recorded at 

RM12.03 billion. 

Furthermore, the move towards a more 

integrated Association of Southeast Asian 

Nations (ASEAN) market would also have 

a significant positive impact on rubber 

and palm oil, as it will encourage crossborder 

trade and investments in the 

region of over 600 million people. 

RICE 

Malaysia’s rice states are predominantly 

Kedah and Perlis. An important subsector 

under the Malaysian government’s 

National Key Economic Area (NKEA) 

Entry Point Project (EPP), efforts 

have been made to further strengthen 

paddy farming. This includes estate 

management which contributes 

significantly to increasing farmers’ yield, 

with some farmers seeing yields more 

than double and average incomes rising 

19% since joining the government’s 

programme. 

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE WITH 

NICHE AREAS 

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) products 

were exported in 2014 with over 7,000 

swiftlet premises registered to date 

while premium shrimp which receives its 

greatest demand from Malaysia has the 

price per kilogramme of shrimp tagged 

higher in Malaysia than in export markets. 

The Agriculture NKEA also encourages 

business opportunities in the fields of 

herbal products, free-range chicken 

farming, button mushroom farming, 

increasing domestic production of fruits 

and dried fruit snacks and ornamental fish 

farming. 

The Malaysian agriculture is a sphere 

of major economic potential, whose 

transformation needs to be strengthened 

further by substantial social change. 

There are many possibilities of 

improvement, and these deserve to 

be actively canvassed. But, this is all 

possible with sustained investment 

from both the government and private 

companies. This will then lead the 

agriculture and plantation sectors 

which are traditionally small-scale 

and production-based sectors into 

a large-scale agribusiness industry 

that contributes to economic growth 

and sustainability leading up to 2020. 

Ultimately, the sector contributions to 

the economy will continue to grow along 

with enhancing the quality of life for both 

industry players, workers and the people. 


Halal Business 



Chapter 16

MIHAS 

A Stage For Trade With Ethics And Integrity 

Muslims represent an estimated 23% of the 

global population or about 1.8 billion people. 

By 2030, Muslims are expected to make up 

about 26% of the world’s total population. 

Clearly, Muslim consumers represent an 

important market segment in the global 

economy. With the Muslim market tagged 

as the fastest growing consumer segment 

in the world, there is enormous growth 

potential for the halal industry. 

The global halal industry is currently 

estimated to be worth USD2.3 trillion 

(RM9.2 trillion). Until a decade ago, the 

halal industry was largely confined to food 

and other food-related products. However, 

the changing purchasing habits among 

Muslim consumers and the rise in ethical 

consumerism worldwide, the halal industry 

has expanded beyond just food and today 

the industry comprises other segments such 

as tourism, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, 

media recreation and e-commerce. 

Halal is no longer a mere religious obligation 

for Muslims – it is a lifestyle choice. The 

values promoted by halal revolve around 

social responsibility, economic and 

social justice, animal welfare and ethical 

investment and these values have garnered 

interest beyond religious compliance. 

The halal status to a product is not just a 

guarantee that the product is permissible for 

Muslims; it is a symbol for quality assurance 

and ethical consumerism applicable for non- 

Muslims as well. Many Western countries 

have recognised the emerging global trend 

in consumerism towards halal products 

and services, and are now moving towards 

gaining a footing in the global halal industry. 

Malaysia, strategically located at the 

centre of Southeast Asia, is one of the first 

Muslim majority countries to recognise 

the importance of the halal market and 

has pioneered many initiatives to fuel the 

halal industry’s double digit growth. The 

Malaysian government and the private 

sector have collaborated with various 

relevant partners to create a plethora of 

opportunities in the global market for halal 

products and services. 


Testament to this, MIHAS or Malaysia 

International Halal Showcase is the most 

comprehensive and integrated promotion 

and sourcing platform to energise the global 

halal ecosystem effectively. It also brings 

together businesses, organisations and 

governments closer to champion one single 

cause –developing a dynamic growth for 

the halal industry. The premier trade show 

made its debut in 2004 and quickly became 

the world’s largest halal marketplace. Since 

its inauguration, MIHAS has congregated 

approximately 200,000 visitors from 

70 nations, 5,000 companies from 30 

countries and generated more than USD3 

billion in sales. MIHAS is recognised globally 

as a value-adding platform that promotes 

cross-border economic investments and 

business partnerships. 

The recently concluded MIHAS 2016 reaped 

RM1.14 billion in sales -- an increase of four 

per cent from last year’s (RM1.1 billion). The 

sales generated included sales from the 

event’s two main components -- International 

Sourcing Programme (INSP) and the 

exhibition, over a period of four days. 

This is an exciting time for the global 

halal industry as the international trade 

for halal products and services is growing 

rapidly, driven by shifts in production 

and consumption patterns, continuing 

technological innovation and new ways of 

doing business. With over 500 businesses 

showcasing their premier products and 

services annually at MIHAS, it is an ideal 

platform for the world to penetrate into the 

global halal market and source for pioneering 

new innovations, discover emerging brands 

and expand trade opportunities. 

MIHAS, organised by Malaysia External 

Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), 

is part of the World Halal Week (WHW) – 

a brainchild of Ministry of International Trade 

& Industry (MITI). Besides MIHAS, other 

components of the WHW are World Halal 

Conference organised by Halal Industry 

Development Corporation (HDC) and Halal 

Certification Bodies Convention organised 

by Department of Islamic Development 

(JAKIM). The WHW brings together industry 

players and halal experts from all over the 

world. It also embodies Malaysia’s aspiration 

to be the main driver in creating a dynamic 

ecosystem for the halal industry for the 

world players to draw inspirations from. 

MIHAS 2017 will continue to meet the 

growing demand for halal products and 

servicesaround the world. Buyers, retailers, 

trade delegates, foreign media and halal 

enthusiasts from all over the world are 

expected to grace the trade fair with their 

presence. The prestigious MIHAS 2017 will 

be held from 5th – 8th of April 2017 at the 

state-of-the-art Kuala Lumpur Convention 

Centre, Kuala Lumpur. 

Join us in our movement as we set a 

stage for commerce and trade, with 

ethics and integrity. Visit MIHAS 2017! 

For more info, log on to 

www.halal.com.my 


Charity 



Chapter 17

NATIONAL CANCER COUNCIL (MAKNA) 

Keeping The Torch Alight For The Fight Against Cancer 

Furthermore, under the Young Cancer 

Survivor Scholarship programme, MAKNA 

aims to help young cancer survivors aged 

25 and below to further their tertiary studies. 

This is in efforts to lessen the financial burden 

of a family that has gone through cancer. 

A NEVER-ENDING BATTLE 

In line with its mission on to mobilise all 

resources to fight cancer, MAKNA has 

actively embarked on gaining a deeper 

understanding of the cause of cancer 

and the pathology of cancer initiation and 

progression. Since 2001, the organisation 

has collaborated with several public and 

private universities in Malaysia and approved 

over RM10 million in funds up to 2015. The 

fund will be used as a platform for Malaysian 

researchers to further their study and 

findings on detecting cancer early enough 

to make successful treatment possible, 

managing cancer as a chronic disease and 

making prevention the first line of defense 

against cancer. 

Cancer is increasingly becoming a 

healthcare bane in Malaysia. It not only 

takes a toll on one’s life but on finances as 

treatment and medication costs continue to 

escalate. This is where the National Cancer 

Council (MAKNA) lends a helping hand to 

those in need. 

A Malaysian cancer not-for-profit social 

enterprise since 1994, the group has been 

helping over 5,000 cancer-stricken patients 

each year, receives referrals from over 92 

hospitals, assisted in over 450,000 cases 

and recently expanded its operations to 

Vietnam in its efforts to raise awareness and 

share expertise. 

A key pillar to the cancer community, MAKNA 

is as passionate about the people who trust 

in them as much as giving importance to 

ultimately finding a cure for cancer. 

PROVIDING FINANCIAL AID 

MAKNA hopes to one day eliminate all 

treatment costs for its patients. In the 

meantime, its cancer centre at Universiti 

Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre 

(MCC-UKMMC) is an ongoing working 

relationship for over 16 years. Consisting 

of an oncology ward, a sub-basement 

radiotherapy unit and a stem cell transplant 

unit, the cancer centre has treated over 

160,000 patients, performed over 150 bone 

marrow transplants and continues to be 

operated by both parties with funding from 

MAKNA at an annual cost of RM4 million. 

Under the Bursary Assistance Programme, 

cancer patients in the lower income groups 

who are undergoing treatment with a 

government hospital can apply to MAKNA 

for financial aid. Provided that the patient 

is undergoing treatment at any government 

hospital, he or she can keep applying for 

assistance once their current assistance ends. 


Another key initiative in foraging for a cure; 

MAKNA annually allocates around RM100, 

000 between three and four Malaysian 

scientists as part of the Cancer Research 

Award for promising scientists with 

interesting proposals on cancer research. 

Successful recipients are screened and 

vetted with the help of scientists from the 

Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Up to 2015, 

MAKNA has disbursed over RM1.28 million 

to 45 scientist in Malaysia. 

SPREADING AWARENESS AND 

EDUCATION 

MAKNA accepts requests to speak about 

cancer, conduct breast self-examinations 

and put on educational presentations and 

exhibitions to increase the understanding of 

cancer. Stating that understanding cancer 

is one of its main priorities, the organisation 

conducts an average of 200 events annually. 

This is done either by themselves or in 

partnerships with companies, government 

agencies, universities or schools. 

Staying in line with technology, MAKNA has 

an interactive and educational app that helps 

one to understand more about breast cancer 

and even reminds women to perform regular 

self-examination. The app, Ludic, available 

only for iPhone users at the moment, also 

provides informative videos on breast 

cancer, updates on MAKNA’s awareness 

events complete with map directions and 

a mobile mammogram 

screening unit locator. 

On breast cancer 

awareness, MAKNA’s 

initiative to provide mobile 

mammogram services 

to local communities 

nationwide became 

a reality in 2012. The 

initiative was rolled out 

after a customised 40- 

foot trailer complete with 

a mammogram machine 

and all necessary 

supporting equipment was approved and 

licensed by the Ministry of Health. The trailer 

has since travelled to various locations 

including rural areas and remote settlements. 

SECURING PARTNERSHIPS AND 

COLLABORATIONS 

Apart from partnerships with local 

companies, on an international front, 

MAKNA has been working with the Union 

for International Cancer Control (UICC) as a 

full-fledged member of the organisation. Its 

position has been to align and participate 

in programmes that are aimed at raising 

awareness of cancer and accelerating the 

fight against the disease. 

On a larger scale, since 2009, MAKNA has 

been contributing to a cancer infrastructure 

to cope with Vietnam’s rising cancer rates. 

In 2013, the group held breast and cervical 

training courses for young doctors from the 

poorest regions in Vietnam. Sixty-seven 

physicians and 49 doctors attended the 

courses in Hanoi and Hue respectively. An 

approximate of 10,000 women benefitted 

from the free health examinations. 

MAKNA’s impacts to take off further in 

Vietnam included having Vietnam’s Ministry 

of Health cancer support experts supporting 

the ‘Supportive Fund for the Cancer Patients 

– Bright Future’. In the long run, these are 

accumulated efforts as MAKNA International 

Vietnam (MIV) wishes to replicate MAKNA’s 

mission in Southeast Asia: to mobilise 

resources from all walks of life in the 

common battle against cancer. 

MAKE YOUR DONATION COUNT 

The organisation has come a long way. 

This is largely due to its donors, volunteers 

and supporters. Diversifying its methods in 

allowing others to contribute, an individual or 

company can choose to partake from direct 

debit donations, fundraising campaigns 

such as going bald for cancer, loose 

change campaign run in accordance with 

the Ministry of Education at participating 

public schools nationwide, climbing Mount 

Kinabalu, taking part in an annually-held run 

or creating your own fundraising campaign. 

Money aside, time and offering support 

to cancer patients is equally important. 

MAKNA has its own cancer support group 

established at its office and in partnership 

with participating government hospitals 

nationwide. As for volunteering with the 

organisation, a volunteer is given the option 

to choose his or her area of interest which 

includes engaging and helping cancer 

patients during home visits, partaking in 

recreational activities with cancer patients, 

to helping with MAKNA’s administration 

work or fundraising for MAKNA through its 

events. Acknowledged by the slogan ‘A 

Work of Heart’, MAKNA highly regards its 

volunteers who have been a crucial part of 

its operations in reaching out to patients and 

communities nationwide. 

If you are interested in becoming a 

volunteer, please visit www.makna.org.my 

To make a donation please visit 

www.makna.org.my or call 03-2162 9178. 


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