Month: July 2024

JOHOR BAHRU, Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd and Waqaf An-Nur Corporation (Waqaf An-Nur) have signed a collaboration agreement to expand support for micro-entrepreneurs in the country.

Bank Islam group chief executive Datuk Mohd Muazzam Mohamed said the strategic pact would see Waqaf An-Nur channel contributions from corporate waqaf worth RM120,000 to its charity public funding platform Sadaqa House.

He said the contributions would be revolving funds to offeriTEKAD micro-financing to micro-entrepreneurs, assisting them in generating sustainable income and financial resilience to face challenges.

“The injection of funds from Waqaf An-Nur into Bank Islam’s Islamic finance mode allows for the opportunity to increase the mobility and capacity of micro-entrepreneurs to expand their businesses with iTEKAD financing. This can expand financial inclusion for micro-entrepreneurs from communities lacking access to banking services.

“The revolving fund model will enable support for more micro-entrepreneurs compared to provi
ding business grants. Entrepreneurs that have been identified can receive iTEKAD BangKIT micro-financing of up to RM20,000 at zero per cent interest (qardhul hasan).

“This fund can be utilised as working capital and expenditure for micro-enterprises participating in the iTEKAD programme,” he told reporters at the collaboration agreement’s signing ceremony here today.

Waqaf An-Nur chief operating officer Bahrin Bakri, Waqaf An-Nur ummah development division general manager Zamri Norani and Bank Islam group chief social finance officer Mohd Nazri Chik were also present at the signing ceremony.

Mohd Muazzam elaborated that the role of Sadaqa House as Bank Islam’s social finance driver has been acknowledged at the global level, and it drives the bank’s social finance initiatives, including the iTEKAD BangKIT and iTEKAD Maju micro-financing programmes.

He said these programmes provide financing, grants, and continuous mentoring to participants to ensure they can generate sustainable incomes.

“The aim of iTEKA
D BangKIT and iTEKAD Maju is to empower the asnaf and B40 entrepreneur communities, highlighting Bank Islam’s dedication towards inclusive economic development. To date, more than 1,200 micro-entrepreneurs have benefited from the disbursement of more than RM25 million since the programmes were introduced in 2020.

“Bank Islam and Waqaf An-Nur have the same goal to develop the underprivileged segment of society through Islamic social finance instruments. We thank Waqaf An-Nur and all contributors for this collaboration,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PENDANG, The Modenas and Kawasaki Motorcycle Technology Industry Centre of Excellence (ICoE) set up at GiatMARA Pendang will be a tie-up to produce mechanics adept at high-powered motorcycle technology to meet the needs of the two-wheel industry.

GiatMARA chief executive officer Ahmad Hamdi Ibrahim said the development of the ICoE was the result of collaboration between Modenas and GiatMARA since last year, which follows the development of the motorcycle manufacturing companies’ expertise and technology in the local and international markets.

‘With support and cooperation of the industry (Modenas), GiatMARA will be able to ensure that the training provided to the trainees is relevant and meets the current and future market requirements… So that GiatMARA graduates can ‘walk into jobs’ at workshops or service centres under Modenas throughout the country.

‘With that, our trainees will earn a higher salary than normal certificates. The scope of our cooperation is also broad, apart from placement of the trai
nees for our careers offered, we also aim to improve the knowledge of teaching staff through Train of Trainers (ToT) programme,” he said after the ICoE Launch at the Pendang GiatMARA Centre here today.

Also present was the director-general of MARA Datuk Seri Azhar Abdul Manaf.

Commenting further, Ahmad Hamdi said in order to equip trainees with the new skills, two motorcycle workshops, namely a Kawasaki high-powered motorcycle technology workshop and a Modenas motorcycle technology workshop were also built and equipped with various equipment.

He said the workshops offer modules specific to motorcycle technology, including how to use Modenas and Kawasaki equipment as well as industry pioneering concepts, real work-based lessons, all these while learning with wages paid.

‘Modenas also handed over three high-powered motorcycles, motorcycle engines for training and special equipment to diagnose repairs for the use of trainees, in addition to GiatMARA instructors who are also given special training to keep up
with the latest technology,’ he said.

In the meantime, Modenas also expressed the strategy to give exposure to GiatMARA trainees in the repair and maintenance of e-bikes (electric motorcycles) that are now increasingly popular for public mobility.

‘At the moment, there are still not many technicians skilled in electric vehicles (EV) and with the exposure that Modenas will give to GiatMARA, we are confident that we can meet the needs of jobs in this rising trend.

‘This industry collaboration does not stop at producing skilled mechanics or technicians but more importantly, it will also inspire entrepreneurs to rise in the automotive field from GiatMARA graduates, while another new field we will pay attention to is the repair of agricultural drones,’ he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PENAMPANG, The floods in Penampang, which have caused extensive property damage and claimed one life, have been described as the worst in the district’s history.

Nicholas Yap, 68, a retired oil and gas worker, said he was born in Kampung Dabak here and has lived there all his life but has never experienced such severe flooding before.

‘This is the worst flood in our history. There have been floods in the past, but none have been as destructive as this one. We didn’t have time to save our belongings. Fortunately, my child and I managed to escape with the villagers.

‘The water got into our homes so fast that even the nearby St Michael school was submerged. None of us in the village expected the flood to be this bad,’ he told Bernama.

Yap said he and other villagers had to quickly evacuate with the help of rescuers when they realised that the water levels were rising. He hoped that once the floodwaters receded, the villagers would receive the assistance they needed.

This morning, a total of 464 people from
140 families were housed in four relief centres in the affected districts of Penampang, Putatan and Tuaran.

The number of evacuees at the Penampang Cultural Hall increased to 279 people from 93 families compared to 165 people from 67 families yesterday, while the body of a 37-year-old woman was found believed to have been swept away by floodwaters.

Ainner Lindy Angus, 27, a supermarket staff, said the floods in Penampang were totally different this time due to the much stronger currents, causing the water to rise rapidly.

‘That night, we heard the villagers shouting for us to leave our homes. I saw the water coming in very quickly, so I grabbed my two children and, together with my husband, we ran out of the house without being able to save any belongings. Within less than 10 minutes, the water had already entered our home,’ said Ainner, who lives in Kampung Tuavon.

She added that most of the flood victims in the area belong to the B40 group, and as such, the loss of property due to the flood significantl
y impacted their lives.

Esther Gabriel, 14, a student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St Michael, said she did not have time to save her books and school supplies when her riverside home was suddenly flooded without any warning.

‘The river rose suddenly, and the current was very strong. I only managed to grab some important documents and a few clothes before my father hurried us out of the house. We ran to higher ground at the church and watched helplessly as our house was flooded,’ she said.

The girl was also shocked to see her school covered in mud after the floodwaters started to recede and hoped there would be assistance to clean and restore the school.

Meanwhile, Penampang district officer Francis Chong said the highest floodwater level was at 10.05 metres, recorded at 10.28 pm Sunday, but has since decreased to around eight metres.

The District Disaster Management Committee chairman said almost all villages and areas in Penampang were impacted by the floods, but the situation is showing signs of imp
rovement this afternoon.

‘The disaster may have been caused by heavy rain in the upper Penampang area on Sunday afternoon, which caused Sungai Moyog to overflow. The flood came suddenly and very quickly,’ he said.

He added that they have set up a secure area at the Penampang Cultural Hall relief centre, equipped with basic necessities for flood victims, and urged affected residents to comply with the authorities’ instructions and evacuate immediately from hazardous areas.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

TUMPAT, The aggressive actions of smuggling syndicates at the Malaysia-Thai border, which can escalate to threatening the safety of authorities, should not be taken lightly.

Bukit Aman Marine Police commander SAC Norzaid Muhammad Said said to prevent any untoward incidents, as smugglers can act aggressively, including using firearms, the use of bulletproof vests and safety helmets is essential.

“Each member who goes out to patrol and perform operations along Sungai Golok is instructed to wear adequate safety equipment to ensure their protection.

“This is an administrative order and failure to wear bulletproof vests will result in members not being allowed to perform their duties and may lead to disciplinary action,’ he said when contacted today.

Currently, the Pengkalan Kubor Region 3 Marine Police Force has 32 members who carry out patrol duties from Kuala Takbai to Kubang Pak Itam.

Meanwhile, Pengkalan Kubor Region 3 Marine Police Force commanding officer ASP Akil Abdul Rauf, emphasised that patrol as
signments place great importance on security and caution due to the unpredictable and aggressive actions of smugglers.

“During each patrol, our team, comprising eight members using two boats, is equipped with bulletproof vests and safety helmets.

‘We conduct our patrol duties with utmost caution, ensuring the safety of each member while combating smuggling activities,” he said.

He also urged the public to provide any information related to criminal activities at the border to the police.

On June 19, a team of enforcement officers from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department was shot at by a member of a fuel smuggling group while conducting an operation in Sungai Golok.

The smugglers fired a total of three shots in their attempt to escape arrest near the Pok Mat Haram Base in Kampung Simpangan, Tumpat.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MACHANG, Three Unity Government political parties as well as the Federal Village Development and Security Committee of the Machang parliamentary constituency village (JPKKP) lodged a police report against Bersatu’s Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal here today.

Machang UMNO vice-chief Mohd Fakaaruddin Ismail said the police report was lodged by him together with representatives from Amanah, PKR and JPKKP following allegations made by Wan Ahmad Fayhsal yesterday regarding allocations meant for him (Wan Ahmad Fayhsal) allegedly being diverted to political parties supporting the Unity Government.

They strongly refute Wan Ahmad Fayhsal’s statement, which they claim is defamatory and maliciously intended to cast aspersions on political parties in the Unity Government.

‘We strongly deny Wan Ahmad Fayhsal’s defamatory statement, which maliciously casts doubt on the integrity of the Unity government parties,’ said Mohd Fakaaruddin.

‘He should base his statements on facts. There has never been any prece
dent of government allocations meant for MPs being redirected to political parties,’ he told reporters after lodging the report at the Machang district police headquarters (IPD) here today.

Earlier, some 100 representatives of the three parties and also JPKKP held a peaceful protest against Wan Ahmad Fayhsal near the IPD grounds.

Yesterday, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal reportedly claimed that funds earmarked for MPs were allegedly diverted to political parties aligned with the Unity government instead.

Mohd Fakaaruddin added that they expect the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) to take appropriate action and are prepared to pursue legal avenues against Wan Ahmad Fayhsal.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency