Consortium Of Four Local Firms Appointed For Th Branding With Board Approval
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said the consortium comprises professionals of various races, and the appointment was approved through TH's procurement processes and governance, which are overseen by its Board of Directors.
'Since 1963, TH has carried out brand reviews three times, in 1969, 1995, and 2009. TH consistently upholds the highest standards of corporate governance and complies with all procurement policies and procedures.
'TH has always prioritised Bumiputera companies under its procurement policy. Last year, 81 per cent of TH's appointed vendors were Bumiputera firms, accounting for 70 per cent of TH's total expenditure,' he said in winding up the debate on the motion of the 13th Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat today.
For the branding project, Mohd Na'im said TH has confirmed that the consultancy cost is RM5.9 million over three years, and not RM20 million as alleged.
Meanwhile, Datuk Dr Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN-Pengkalan Chepa) was suspended from Dewan Rakyat for two days starting today after failing to comply with Deputy Speaker Alice Lau Kiong Yieng's instructions.
During Mohd Na'im's clarification on the involvement of non-Bumiputera firms in the TH branding exercise, Ahmad Marzuk repeatedly interjected, disrupting the session.
Lau initially asked Ahmad Marzuk to leave the chamber for 30 minutes, but after he continued his provocation, she ordered him to be escorted out.
'I had given you 30 minutes to leave and return afterwards, but Yang Berhormat continued speaking without permission. Would you prefer two days (out of the chamber)? Very well, two days it is,' she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Barnama
40 minutes ago
- Barnama
HR Minister Unlocks RM2 Bln Levy Fund For Graduate Hiring As Merdeka Gift For Employers
BUSINESS PETALING JAYA, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong has announced that employers can utilise up to RM2 billion from the human resources development (HRD) levy fund to hire Malaysian graduates beginning Sept 1, 2025. 'As a Merdeka gift, I am unlocking up to RM2 billion in the HRD levy fund for you to hire Malaysian graduates beginning Sept 1, 2025. You will now be able to use your levy money to pay the salary of your workers if they are university graduates or TVET graduates,' he said in his speech at the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) Annual Dinner 2025 here today. Also present were Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, FMM president Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai and FMM deputy president Lee Chor Kok. Sim highlighted that the initiative would not only help employers improve cashflow, but also place a greater premium on human capital, create more higher-paying jobs and provide on-the-job training for graduates. He also reminded industry players not to overlook human capital while chasing technology-driven productivity, especially with artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly reshaping industries. 'This confirmed our instinctive suspicion for the past few years. AI replaces conventional academic-trained personnel… this will dent the signalling value of an academic degree in the future,' he said. The minister highlighted that Malaysia had already spent up to RM77.2 billion on digitalisation until the end of last year, while global tech players such as Google, Microsoft, Bytedance and Amazon have committed to invest over RM60 billion in the country. 'Through the National Semiconductor Strategy, Malaysia has also received RM46.5 billion in investments in high-tech, high-growth, high-value sectors such as wafer fabrication, AI chips and integrated circuit production,' he said. The dinner also marked the 57th anniversary of FMM.
Barnama
2 hours ago
- Barnama
Kelantan Has Potential To Become Major Local Onion Producer
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) is optimistic that Kelantan has the potential to become a major producer of local onions next year. Its minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, said the state's soil fertility was deemed suitable for onion cultivation and initial trials showed promising results. He said KPKM had approved an allocation of RM6 million for the Onion Cultivation Development Project in three states, namely Selangor, Perak and Kelantan, involving 80 participants with an area of 94.85 hectares (ha), which includes 11 farmers (40 ha) in Selangor, 52 farmers (26.85 ha) in Kelantan, and 17 farmers (28 ha) in Perak. Recently, Kelantan carried out its first harvest with an expected production yield of 18.4 tonnes from an area of 4.6 ha at the Telong Food Production Park (TKPM) in Bachok, which used the BAW-1 and BAW-2 varieties. "This harvest result shows a positive achievement as it recorded high production of around four tonnes per hectare, so Insya-Allah, next year we want Kelantan to become the main producer of this onion because its land is fertile for onion cultivation," he said when winding up the debate on the motion on the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13) for KPKM in the Dewan Rakyat today. Regarding production costs, Mohamad explained that a comprehensive study has not yet been conducted to determine the actual cost comparison between local and imported onions. 'Regarding production costs, we still don't have precise figures. Some use the greenhouse method, which is quite expensive. Overall, the government has not yet finalised the production cost for one tonne of local onions. 'The cost also varies depending on whether it is grown outdoors or in a greenhouse. However, we see that the price gap with imported onions is not too wide," he said. He also said that although there are no official figures yet, the government expects local onion production to reduce dependence on onion imports by up to 30 per cent.
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Govt to roll out nuclear power programme under 13th Malaysia Plan
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is set to embark on a nuclear energy development programme, exploring its use for electricity generation as part of the country's clean energy transition over the next five years. Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said MyPower Corporation will serve as the Nuclear Energy Programme Implementing Organisation, responsible for governing the national nuclear programme in line with the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency. "This entity will coordinate the implementation of communication, education and public awareness programmes, investments in new infrastructure, strengthening research and development, capacity-building and training, as well as international cooperation with various stakeholders on nuclear energy," he said in his winding-up speech on the 13th Malaysia Plan. Meanwhile, Fadillah, who is also the deputy prime minister, said five key targets have been set to strengthen flood mitigation and adaptation during the next five years. To this end, he said, measures will be taken to accelerate the development of flood mitigation infrastructure, adopt alternative methods in flood adaptation and management, and enhance governance mechanisms to safeguard the people's wellbeing and strengthen the nation's economic sustainability. This includes increasing the number of people protected from flood disasters from 154,000 to 1 million by 2030, expanding the flood-protected area to 1,400 square kilometres, and completing 55 new flood mitigation projects by 2030, compared to 17 projects up to 2024. "We will also commence construction of four multifunctional retention ponds and initiate the development of 12 new integrated river basins," he said. He assured that the implementation of all strategies and initiatives under the 13th Malaysia Plan will be monitored in a transparent, systematic and comprehensive manner to ensure the benefits are realised by the people. "The success of the 13MP will accelerate the transition to a value-creation-based economy, elevate the country's positive image and influence on the global stage, and secure a better quality of life for the people while ensuring a healthier planet," he said.
