Building Resilient Kuala Lumpur
Climate change is impacting us more rapidly and more severely than expected. It has become apparent that due to extreme dry and wet spells in Malaysia, the risk of climate change-related disasters in Kuala Lumpur has increased significantly. The Malaysian National Water Research Institute (NAHRIM) estimates that from the 1970s to 2007, the intensity of rainfall duration increased by approximately 30%, while sea levels rose between 2.7...
Budget 2025 and SMEs: Key Tax Strategies for Financial Growth
The Budget 2025 introduces several crucial tax incentives and initiatives aimed at supporting SMEs and enhancing their financial sustainability and growth. By leveraging these incentives, SMEs can manage increased labour costs, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen their financial resilience. Budget 2025 affirms that Goods and Services Tax (GST) will not be re-introduced but the existing SST scope will include additional...
Malaysia and BRICS: Balancing Global Opportunities and Challenges
Malaysia, a fast-growing Southeast Asian nation, has often sought to strike a balance between maintaining good relations with Western nations while also fostering deeper connections with emerging economies. One avenue Malaysia is considering is closer engagement with BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), a bloc of rapidly developing economies. This exploration reflects Malaysia’s desire to strengthen its global...
Balancing Growth and Fiscal Responsibility: An Overview of Malaysia’s Budget 2025
The Malaysian Budget 2025, unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on October 18, 2024, marks a significant turning point in the nation’s economic strategy. With an unprecedented allocation of RM421 billion, this budget is not only the largest in Malaysia’s history but also encapsulates a vision for sustainable growth and fiscal prudence. The overarching theme, “Membugar Ekonomi, Menjana Perubahan, Mensejahtera...
Age by Choice: Unlocking Active Ageing Beyond Chronological Years
Aging is a natural process that affects every part of life, bringing changes not just physically but also at the cellular level. Your birthday count, or chronological age, only shows how long you have lived, but your biological age, based on how your cells age, is a better measure of the aging process. Cellular aging, also known as cellular senescence, refers to the changes that cells undergo as they age – influencing how well or...
Embracing the Golden Years: Cultivating Mindful Gratitude for a Fulfilling Life
Aging is a natural process that starts at birth and ends with our last breath. Turning 60 and beyond may feel daunting for those who reach that age. However, the main challenge with aging is our lack of preparedness for this stage of life. Despite growing up around older people, we often find ourselves caught by surprise when we experience the stage ourselves. Most of the time at this alleged “old age”, we grapple with regrets over...
Cybersecurity in Social Media: Emerging Threats and Protective Measures
Social media has become an integral part of modern life, influencing how we communicate, share information, and interact with the world. Platforms like Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and Instagram have transformed from mere social networking sites into powerful tools for marketing, entertainment, and even political activism. However, as social media trends evolve, they bring a host of cybersecurity threats and implications: Data breaches...
Finding the Right Balance: Modernising and Conserving Kuala Lumpur’s River of Life
Urban settlements often reflect both fears and hopes. While many cities trace their origins to defence, trade, or agriculture, cities like Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur (KL) began with valuable minerals found by early pioneers. Malaysia used to be the world’s top tin producer, and this ‘white gold’ attracted our ancestors from near and far to settle in many far-flung corners of our country. This started our process of urbanisation...
Manufacturers in Southeast Asia: Protect Your Business from Ransomware
Ransomware attacks have become a significant threat to the manufacturing and production industry across the globe, and Southeast Asia is no exception. The region’s burgeoning manufacturing sector, coupled with increasing digitalisation, had made it a prime target for cybercriminals. Unfortunately the manufacturing and production industry has set the highest growth of organisations hit by ransomware in 2023 according to this year’s...
Circular Economy: A Roadmap for Sustainable Material Use
In our relentless march of progress, we have adhered to a model of “take, make, dispose.” This linear path has led us to an unsustainable reality where the demand for virgin resources has spiralled out of control and waste piles up around us. But what if there was another way? Enter the circular economy—a vision of a world where resources are cherished, cycled, and used to their fullest potential. At its heart, the...
Revolutionising Building Safety with Predictive Maintenance Powered by AI
Think about Malaysia’s rapid urbanisation and the complex modern structures rising across the country. The need to revolutionise building safety has never been more urgent. The intersection of technological advancement and engineering innovation in this transformative era offers unprecedented opportunities to elevate safety standards across our built environment. Among these advancements, Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands out as a...
The Dark Side of Social Media: A Call for Stricter Regulations
Cyberbullying has emerged as a critical issue in Malaysia as recently highlighted by the tragic death of a 30-year-old social media influencer Ms Rajeswary Appahu, known online as Esha, following severe online harassment. This incident has ignited public outrage and brought attention to the pervasive and damaging effects of online harassment. In July 2022, a 44 year-old mother of three committed suicide at her home in USJ after being...
Educating for Flood Resilience and Preparedness
Floods are among the most damaging natural disasters wreaking havoc on communities all over the world, especially during Monsoon seasons. They cause major threats to public health and safety, disturb livelihoods, and uproot populations. Factors that exacerbate flood risks, such as urbanisation, deforestation, and climate change have heightened the severity of floods in recent years. Hence, communities must take proactive steps to...
FinTech As The Future of Integrated Reporting
The rapid deployment of FinTech to be one of the major disruptors and a catalyst for major transformative efforts in the realm of integrated reporting. Unlike traditional financial reporting which focuses solely on financial metrics, integrated reporting (IR) is a holistic approach that combines financial statements with environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors to provide a more comprehensive picture of a company’s overall...
Navigating the Quadruple Helix for Innovation Success
The journey from ideas to innovations is often marked by challenges, complexities, and the quest for intellectual property (IP) protection. Amidst these hurdles lies a potentially transformative Quadruple Helix framework. By integrating diverse perspectives, expertise, and resources, this framework integrates academia, industry, government, and society. It holds the key to addressing challenges and creating environments conducive to...
Balancing Data Opportunity with Cybersecurity
Over the past decade, Malaysia has experienced significant growth in its digital economy. This growth is fuelled by a variety of factors such as increasing internet access, widespread adoption of digital services, and an expanding tech-savvy population. This also means that there’s an increase in data collection among companies since there is now more data available. As businesses collect and analyse more data, they gain valuable...
Techno-Couture: When algorithms interrupt the fashion system
In today’s rapidly advancing technological landscape, the multibillion-dollar fashion industry is embracing innovation. AR T-shirts designed and offered by Bee3 Malaysia. Photo courtesy of bee3.my. A year ago, Bee3, a local Malaysian fashion brand captivated its consumers. Their typical printed t-shirt presented an interactive Augmented Reality (AR) experience, as upon scanning the print, a dynamic and vivid 3D animated artwork...
Navigating the Evolution of Immersive Retail Experiences
The digital era has revolutionised retail experiences, blending technology, changing consumer preferences, and cultural shifts. On the other hand, advancements in digital technology and online platforms have transformed commercial spaces, emphasising spatial narrative and collaboration to create immersive retail environments that connect with modern consumers. Today’s consumers prioritise memorable experiences that transcend...
6 Tips for Building a Website that Really Works for Your Business
In today’s digitally connected world, consumers tend to expect every business to be fully searchable for product information, location, operating hours with an easily accessible website online. According to recent GoDaddy global research, 90% of small businesses surveyed said they felt that digitalization of their business was either very important or quite important to them. With so much opportunity to share with your business...
Don’t Be a Victim: How to Identify and Prevent Scams
Scams have become an increasingly prevalent threat in Malaysia, encompassing a wide range of deceptive practices that prey on unsuspecting individuals. From elaborate online schemes to fraudulent investment opportunities, these scams not only pose financial risks but also undermine trust and confidence in the digital landscape. In response to this growing concern, authorities and advocacy groups are ramping up efforts to educate the...
