Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi launched a US$33.5 billion development plan for Malaysia's poor eastern states yesterday as he prepared the ground for national elections.
The East Coast Economic Corridor (ECER) project, drawn up by the national oil company Petronas, is the third in a series of development masterplans rolled out ahead of expected snap polls.
"Now is the turn of east coast states to experience the winds of change," Abdullah told a crowd of more than 10,000 people at the sleepy seaside town of Kuala Terengganu, capital of Terengganu state.
"The government hopes this plan will provide a ray of hope for the lower-income groups, particularly the hard-core poor, to come out of poverty and to enjoy these fruits of development," he said.
There was a distinct feel of electioneering at the launch of the plan, with Terengganu's chief minister Idris Jusoh leading cheers of "Gelombang Biru" or "Blue Wind" -- referring to the ruling coalition's signature color.
Abdullah must call polls by March 2009 but opposition parties are bracing for elections much earlier, saying he is keen to head off growing disenchantment with his administration.
The government said the 12-year ECER plan is designed to create 560,000 new jobs and raise income levels for nearly four million people -- some 15 percent of the population.
It will involve some 227 projects in transportation, infrastructure, tourism, education, manufacturing, the oil and gas industries and agriculture.
The government is to fund 39 percent of the 112-billion-ringgit plan, with another 14 percent coming from government-linked companies, 20 percent from the private sector and 27 percent from public-private partnerships.
The ECER covers about 51 per cent of peninsular Malaysia's land mass, taking in the rural Malay heartland states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and the district of Mersing in Johor state.
"The launch of the ECER and its master plan signals a push to accelerate the growth of the eastern region in a viable, equitable and sustainable manner aimed at raising incomes and reducing poverty," a government statement said.
Abdullah launched the ECER in Terengganu state, which along with neighboring Kelantan is expected to form the frontline of national elections tipped to be held by early next year.
Observers say that Abdullah is hoping to capitalize on the trickle-down effect of the three development projects.
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”
Sales in the retail, and food and beverage sectors last month continued to rise, increasing 0.7 percent and 13.6 percent respectively from a year earlier, setting record highs for the month of March, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Sales in the wholesale sector also grew last month by 4.6 annually, mainly due to the business opportunities for emerging applications related to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing technologies, the ministry said in a report. The ministry forecast that retail, and food and beverage sales this month would retain their growth momentum as the former would benefit from Tomb Sweeping Day
Thousands of parents in Singapore are furious after a Cordlife Group Ltd (康盛人生集團), a major operator of cord blood banks in Asia, irreparably damaged their children’s samples through improper handling, with some now pursuing legal action. The ongoing case, one of the worst to hit the largely untested industry, has renewed concerns over companies marketing themselves to anxious parents with mostly unproven assurances. This has implications across the region, given Cordlife’s operations in Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. The parents paid for years to have their infants’ cord blood stored, with the understanding that the stem cells they contained