
Over 450 Pulau Gaya residents benefit from HRD Corp outreach
Published on: Sun, Jun 01, 2025 Text Size: Sim and others at the event. KOTA KINABALU: The Human Resources Ministry (Kesuma) and Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) have extended skills training and aid to over 450 residents of Pulau Gaya through the 'Sentuhan Kesuma bersama HRD Corp di Bawah Bayu' community outreach programme. Held in conjunction with National Training Week 2025, the event featured hands-on workshops in digital marketing, drop shipping, and floral entrepreneurship for women, youth, and students from Kampung Gaya, Lok Urai, Torong Logong and Kesuapan. Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong said the ministry aims to reach 60,000 Sabahans with skills training this year, adding that national progress depends on equipping the people with better skills. HRD Corp also launched a strategic partnership with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) under the SHINE initiative to establish Malaysia's first lifelong learning hub focused on workforce development and research. The event also saw the launch of an Industrial and Community Training Centre and included RM36,000 in equipment support for local tourism training, alongside RM20,000 in PTA donations, food baskets, and 700 life jackets for islanders. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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Daily Express
3 hours ago
- Daily Express
Sara recipients can shop at over 470 premises in Sabah
Published on: Saturday, July 26, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jul 26, 2025 By: Clarence Dol Text Size: Armizan presents the grand lucky draw prize to the winner. RANAU: A total of 470 supermarket and grocery premises in Sabah are now part of the 4,152 nationwide outlets where Sara recipients can use their MyKad to purchase basic necessities. Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said his Ministry is also exploring ways for the Sara aid to be used at Rahmah Madani Sales programmes (PJRM), especially in remote areas. As of July this year, RM410 million has been channelled to 830,000 STR recipients in Sabah, while RM500 million has reached 506,000 Sara recipients. Armizan, who is also Papar MP, announced this during the KPDN Carnival Tour and Buy Malaysian Goods Campaign 2025 for the Sabah Zone, held here from July 25 to 27. The event supports local entrepreneurs and promotes domestic products under the 'Let's Buy Local' theme, with KPDN targeting 2,276 PJRM series across Sabah this year and welcoming the recent RM300 million federal boost to the Rahmah initiative. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia


Borneo Post
10 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Sabah's food paradox: The road to self-sufficiency
Sabah is blessed with fertile soil, abundant rainfall, and incredible agricultural potential. Yet, it finds itself in a perplexing situation: it imports over 60% of its food, including essential staples like rice. This dependency isn't just a matter of convenience; it's a serious vulnerability. In an era of climate disruptions, geopolitical instability, and fluctuating global markets, a shock to the worldwide supply chain could send ripples of price volatility and food insecurity across the state. This is especially true for rice, the most critical staple for many Sabahans. The state's struggle for food security is complicated by a centralized federal system, especially when it comes to rice. Since 1996, the company Padiberas Nasional Berhad (BERNAS) has held a federal monopoly over all rice imports into Malaysia. This gives BERNAS sweeping powers over imports, pricing, and national stockpile management. While the intent behind BERNAS's concession is to safeguard national food security and stabilize farmer income, its implications for state autonomy — especially in Sabah and Sarawak — are profound. In Sabah, where the rice self-sufficiency level (SSL) hovers around 22.8%, the centralized import model severely restricts the state's ability to tailor responses to local shortages, price hikes, and regional preferences. Sabah's Deputy Chief Minister I, Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, has consistently called for Sabah to manage at least 50% of its rice imports, framing it not as a request but as a constitutional right to address local needs and safeguard food security. As the state's Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister, Jeffrey emphasizes that Sabah's challenges differ significantly from those in Peninsular Malaysia and thus require decentralized control over rice imports and production. This would empower both Sabah and Sarawak to respond more effectively to local supply-demand dynamics. Proposing a 50% share as a practical middle ground, he believes Sabah can demonstrate the benefits of localized management without fully dismantling the federal system, allowing for policy evaluation and adjustment. Jeffrey is a vocal critic of the current rice import monopoly, arguing it stifles competition, hampers progress, and harms Sabah's economy. He warns that such centralized power fosters inefficiency and potential abuse, and rejects the notion that competition is harmful. On the contrary, he argues, competition drives innovation, efficiency, and better outcomes for both farmers and consumers. Despite these strong arguments, federal authorities have stood firm, extending BERNAS's monopoly until 2031. They maintain that a single importer ensures price stability and strategic stockpile coordination. While Sabah has attempted to challenge this monopoly, such efforts are fraught with legal complexities, as rice is a federally regulated strategic commodity. Nevertheless, Sabah is not standing still. The state government, through its GLC Sawit Kinabalu and the Agriculture Department, has launched a 100-hectare pilot padi project in Kampung Ongkilan. The goal is ambitious: to raise Sabah's rice self-sufficiency to 60% by 2030. With an investment of RM5 million, the project incorporates modern technology, including drone monitoring and efficient irrigation systems. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor has thrown his weight behind the effort. He has pointed out that 2,600 hectares of idle padi land remain untapped and has urged other GLCs to follow Sawit Kinabalu's lead. This is not just an agricultural initiative; it is a strategic economic push to reclaim local control over food security and revive Sabah's rural heartland. Beyond regulatory issues, Sabah's food security challenges are rooted in physical and logistical disconnections. Sabah's interior agricultural zones — from Keningau to Kudat — produce an abundance of food. But poor rural road networks, seasonal flooding, and inadequate post-harvest infrastructure render much of this food inaccessible. A sudden downpour can turn dirt roads into impassable swamps, leaving harvests stranded and spoiled in the field. Farmers bear high transport costs, and perishables rarely survive the journey to urban markets. Investing in resilient farm-to-market roads is not just a development priority; it is a necessity. Without reliable road infrastructure, no amount of agricultural expansion or policy reform will translate into real food on tables. The cold chain — the temperature-controlled storage and transport system vital for preserving perishables — is virtually nonexistent in most of Sabah's rural areas. Without cold storage, farmers experience post-harvest losses as high as 40%. This is not only an economic tragedy but a nutritional one. Sabah must embrace innovations such as solar-powered cold rooms, already tested successfully in India and Africa. These solutions are especially relevant for Sabah's off-grid rural areas and align with the state's green development goals. Simultaneously, smart irrigation systems are needed to mitigate the effects of erratic rainfall, which still dominates Sabah's agriculture and leads to inconsistent yields. Predictable production enabled by smart irrigation would lead to smoother, more cost-effective logistics down the line. Finally, the state's traditional agricultural value chain, which moves from farmer to middleman to wholesaler to retailer, is long and inefficient. Sabah should pivot toward a direct-from-farm model, powered by digital platforms. This would shorten the supply chain, reduce spoilage and costs, and empower farmers to keep a larger share of the profits. Such a transition requires investment in localized distribution hubs, training in post-harvest handling, and user-friendly digital platforms that connect farmers directly with buyers. Revamping Sabah's logistics system is not just a technical fix; it's a transformational policy that would touch every aspect of rural life. Better logistics mean higher incomes for farmers, more jobs in transportation, healthier diets for consumers, and stronger rural communities less dependent on external aid. Even forgotten infrastructure, like the railway to Tenom, could be revived as part of a modernized logistics system. The key to Sabah's food security lies not only in growing more food but in ensuring that food moves efficiently, affordably, and reliably from farms to kitchens. This requires a three-pronged approach: • Investment in Infrastructure: Fund roads, cold chains, and smart irrigation systems. • Embracing Innovation: Pivot to digital farm-to-market models. • Policy Reform: Open a dialogue with the federal government to reform policies that stifle state innovation, specifically regarding the rice import monopoly. The current situation, where local food rots while imported goods fill supermarket shelves, is no longer tenable. Sabah must be empowered to act as a protector of its food destiny. If logistics is the lifeblood of agriculture, then Sabah's heart is in critical condition. It's time to fix the chain — technically, economically, and politically — before the system breaks beyond repair.


Malay Mail
12 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Singapore catering couple fined over RM235,000 each after failing to pay staff more than RM1.4m
SINGAPORE, July 26 — A married couple who ran several catering businesses, including Royal Cuisine Group and Tingkat Singapore, have each been fined S$72,000 (RM237,283) for failing to pay salaries to over 100 employees in Singapore, The Straits Times reported. Wu Wenchun, 37, and Sim Ling Zhen, 31, pleaded guilty to 12 charges under the Employment Act. Each faces 66 weeks' jail if the fines are not paid. An additional 13 charges, including failure to report their change of residence, were taken into consideration during sentencing. According to Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the couple's companies — Royal Cuisine Group, Yanxi and Healthy Meals Catering — owed 103 employees a total of S$432,870.63 in unpaid salaries. Only S$73,420 has been recovered to date, The Straits Times said. Sim was listed as the director, while Wu was the general manager. They were actively involved in running various food service brands, including Angel Confinement Meals, Happy Mamapapa Catering, Vegetarian Buffet, and the now-defunct Yanxi restaurant in Chin Swee Road. Public complaints about the companies surfaced in 2022, when customers began reporting unfulfilled meal orders. MOM received its first formal complaint on July 20, 2022, from a Royal Cuisine employee about unpaid wages, The Straits Times reported. Investigations revealed that the businesses were initially supported by investor Low Ting Hui, who helped fund operations and payroll. However, Low withdrew financial support in October 2022 following disputes over the companies' direction and use of funds, said MOM senior prosecuting officer Justine Loh. 'Despite meeting cash-flow issues and knowing that there would be difficulty in paying salaries to the employees, Wu and Sim decided to continue operating the companies, continue the employment of the employees, and opening other new businesses,' said Loh in court, as quoted by The Straits Times. By December 2022, landlords had shut down the companies' premises due to unpaid rent. MOM said Wu and Sim failed to properly inform employees about the situation and left them without pay for up to three months. The couple were also uncooperative with authorities, skipping mediation sessions, missing appointments, and failing to provide updated residential addresses during investigations, The Straits Times reported. 'Despite being provided with ample time to make salary restitutions to the affected employees, Sim and Wu did not make appreciable efforts to do so,' MOM said. Most affected workers have since found new employment with assistance from the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) and the NTUC Employment and Employability Institute, according to The Straits Times. Under Singapore's Employment Act, employers who fail to pay salaries may face up to six months in jail, a fine of between S$3,000 and S$15,000, or both. Repeat offenders face stiffer penalties.