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PETALING JAYA: Cooperation between Malaysia and Singapore in food security could draw more foreign direct investments (FDI) and increase employment opportunities in rural areas, said Universiti Utara Malaysia economics professor Dr K. Kuperan Viswanathan. He was giving his views on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s comments on Monday that such a move is one area of cooperation that could be explored by both countries. “Food security is an area that I believe would solicit support for Singapore to use Malaysia as the heartland to produce for the benefit of both countries,” Anwar said during his one-day official visit to the citystate on Monday. Kuperan said Malaysia has the land and ecological conditions to produce vegetables, livestock and poultry eggs, while Singapore has the money and investors willing to explore agriculture and food production. “Malaysia could welcome investors from Singapore who are willing to put money into food production so both nations can gain from boosting food security this way. “This is a good way to introduce FDI into Malaysia and direct them to the vital food production sector. Doing so will also increase employment opportunities and raise income for the rural population. “Investments from Singapore should also be directed to Sabah and Sarawak as these regions need more funds to uplift the income levels of residents. “Investing in agriculture is a very good way to help rural populations there. This approach of roping in investments from Singapore is a very efficient and effective way to enhance food security while alleviating poverty,” he added. Universiti Malaya agriculture expert Dr Muhamad Shakirin Mispan said Malaysia could also benefit from Singapore in terms of technology transfer. He said Malaysia has plenty of unutilised land that can be converted for agriculture use. “I’m not keen for Malaysia to open up more farmlands by destroying our natural forests and highlands. Opening up these lands will have negative environmental consequences in the future. “Instead, we need to explore new farming technologies (NFT). I believe Singapore has the funds and expertise that can be shared with Malaysia to implement NFT in the country. “Vertical farming, aquaponics and hydroponics can be integrated with smart farming techniques to increase yields and improve quality. We can also produce speciality organic crops such as tomatoes, lettuce and spinach, and premium produce like avocado, dragonfruit and kohlrabi (German turnip), which can be marketed in Singapore,” he said. Muhamad Shakirin added that this can have a positive impact on the Malaysian economy as NFT could bring positive results to the Malaysian agricultural sector and attract youths to take up farming. oEnticing Singaporeans to farm in Malaysia could attract FDI and increase produce for both countries █ BY MUHAMMAD YUSRY newsdesk@thesundaily.com INSIDE 2 page Fahmi appointed government media spokesman TELLING IT AS IT IS ON WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2023 No. 8199 PP 2644/12/2012 (031195) ROARING PERFORMANCE ... Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, flanked by his deputy Teo Nie Ching and secretarygeneral Datuk Seri Mohammad Mentek, watching a lion dance performance in conjunction with Chinese New Year after the ministry’s monthly assembly in Putrajaya yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC Raising food security “As long as the government has a good policy to make sure we produce enough for our people, I believe a joint venture with Singapore could improve our food security as well.” Muhamad Shakirin said some agricultural products, such as rice, are heavily subsidised. “Although the Control of Padi and Rice Act 1994 has strong regulations governing rice exports, we need to ensure that the subsidy will remain only for the benefit of Malaysians. “Malaysia must keep abreast of Singaporeans’ advantage in technological knowledge and bring it into the country. We can increase our human capital capacity and be agriculture champions in the region,” he said. 3 page Addressing gaps in health emergency www.thesundaily.my management

2 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS Fahmi appointed spokesman PUTRAJAYA: Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil has been appointed the government spokesman to handle the media. Confirming this yesterday, Fahmi said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim issued a directive at a Cabinet meeting two weeks ago, stating that he (Fahmi) and the Communications and Digital Ministry will act as the representative or spokesman for the government, especially when dealing with the media, reported Bernama. “For example, if the prime minister is unable to host the weekly media conference after Cabinet meetings every Wednesday, the ministry and I will oCommunications and Digital minister to be government’s media liaison in PM’s absence handle it,” he said after the ministry’s monthly gathering here yesterday. According to him, as the government spokesman, the media can contact him on any matter for confirmation or verification. “This is to ensure that issues are referred to the right ministry or minister for feedback.” He added that his ministry will discuss with broadcast stations on providing detailed and comprehensive information regarding government activities that are expected to be aired in news slots. “Various information is presented by the ministries and agencies, but there is no emphasis on the effectiveness of the delivery.” Meanwhile, Fahmi stressed that agencies such as the Information Department, Malaysian National News Agency and Radio Televisyen Malaysia must help the government explain the concept of Madani to the public. “Madani is not just a slogan, but an elaborate concept,” he said, adding that it is important for the ministry to study, interpret and refine the meaning of Madani for the benefit of the people. On the appointment of former Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar as the prime minister’s senior economic and financial adviser, Fahmi said it is not just her but several other individuals, including Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican, had also been appointed during Anwar’s leadership. “The term ‘adviser’ is clear because the person will not touch on policy matters, has no authority, including calling for meetings, and the person is not paid any salary,” he added. Govt to set up Cyber Security Commission PUTRAJAYA: The government is planning to establish a Malaysian Cyber Security Commission as part of efforts to strengthen cyber security in the country, said Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil. He said the Communications and Digital Ministry will cooperate with agencies like CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) to set up the commission. “There are big plans and hopes of establishing a Malaysian Cyber Security Commission,” he said during the ministry’s monthly gathering here yesterday. Fahmi added that several amendments affecting the ministry’s agencies, such as the Personal Data Protection Department, National Film Development Corp Malaysia and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission will be tabled in the coming Dewan Rakyat session, which begins on Feb 13. “There is no point in having data when it is not safe. The Personal Data Protection Department needs to be strengthened and CSM too should take the leap by settling basic matters fast.” Meanwhile, Fahmi said the review of 5G network implementation will be completed by the end of March, and the ministry is now at the stage of gathering feedback and meeting relevant parties. “5G is not only about service access, but managing technology and helping provide a better Madani (civil) future,” he added. On Jan 13, Fahmi said the policy on 5G implementation by Digital Nasional Bhd would be tabled before the Cabinet by the end of the first quarter. – Bernama PM challenges athletes to bag first Olympic gold in Paris Anwar and Yeoh with sportsman Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and sportswoman Datuk Pandelela Rinong at the awards ceremony in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC Indonesia supports policy revisions on migrant workers PUTRAJAYA: Indonesia welcomes the policy changes and revision of managing foreign workers in Malaysia, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. He said the matter was discussed during a meeting with Indonesian Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah and Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly on Monday, which was held in conjunction with the working visit of delegations from the Home Ministry and Human Resources Ministry to the country. This follows the meeting between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Joko Widodo earlier this month. Saifuddin said in a statement yesterday that he had explained the changes on aligning the management of foreign workers, including the Foreign Worker Employment Relaxation Plan and extension of the Recalibration Plan for Illegal Immigrants 2.0, which will tackle manpower needs in critical sectors to drive the country’s economic development. He added that discussions will be held at the official level between the two countries. According to Saifuddin, the meeting also touched on the enforcement of immigration and labour laws involving Indonesian workers, the management of repatriation of prisoners and immigration detainees as well as coordinated actions taken to minimise the risk of foreign workers being exploited by irresponsible parties. “We discussed reducing migration time and costs involving the hiring of foreign workers as well as optimising the use of digital technology to integrate the system in order to facilitate the monitoring of workers.” He said they also spoke about cooperation in immigration and border control to ensure the sovereignty and security of both countries. – Bernama Malaysia, Russia to boost bilateral trade KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Russia are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the agriculture and fishing sectors to further strengthen the bilateral relationship and trade between both countries. The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry said in a statement yesterday that the MoU will include a working relationship in modern farming, seedlings technology, fishing and acquaculture. According to the statement, the initiative is in line with the need to ensure continuity and reliability in food production. “The initiative is among the main topics of discussion between Agriculture and Food Safety Minister Mohamad Sabu and Russian ambassador to Malaysia, Naiyl M. Latypov, during their meeting in Putrajaya on Monday. “Russia urged Malaysia to increase the export of agriculture products to Russia, including tropical fruits and seafood. Russia is also ready to export halal products and soya to Malaysia,” said the statement. It added that Russia also invited Mohamad Sabu to attend the International Economic Conference on food security organised by the country this year. – Bernama KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has challenged Malaysian athletes to make history by bagging the country’s first Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games. He said this is no mission impossible if all parties, including the Youth and Sports Ministry, associations, sports bodies and athletes, play their respective roles and give their best. “I want us to achieve at least one gold medal at the Olympic Games. “This is my challenge to minister (of Youth and Sports) Hannah Yeoh and Olympic Council of Malaysia president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria,” he said at the National Sports Awards ceremony, held at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil yesterday. Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim and heads of the national sports associations were also present. – Bernama

3 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is committed to work together with other parties to address critical gaps that remain in health emergency prevention, preparedness and response. In her remarks at the 152nd Session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Executive Board Meeting in Geneva, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said such action includes strengthening international health regulations (IHR) and the potential amendments, in addition to brainstorming at Intergovernmental Negotiating Body meetings. “Malaysia believes the targeted amendments proposed will enhance global health security with respect to the principles of equity, accountability and transparency, and the sovereign process of member states. “As chair of the Standing Committee for Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response, Malaysia will continue to work closely with members,” she said. According to WHO official websites, IHR provides an overarching legal framework that defines the rights and obligations of countries in handling public health events and emergencies that have the potential to cross borders. Zaliha also stressed the gravity of the noncommunicable diseases (NCD) epidemic, which is increasing in all countries, and is also one of the greatest disease threats in the Western Pacific Region, that accounted for 87% of all deaths in 2019. “We see a disturbing trend of late, where those afflicted with NCD are younger. This is a solemn reminder to us all to keep persevering with the preventive work being done around the globe,” she added. On global surgery, Zaliha said it is imperative for member states to explore pooling of resources in terms of assets, training of both surgeons and non-doctors, medicines and supplies. “Malaysia would be delighted to host a side event at the upcoming 76th World Health Assembly in May. We welcome the support of our fellow executive board members and look forward to innovative viewpoints on surgical care system strengthening,” she said. Meanwhile in London, the UK-Malaysia Clinical Research Partnership forum organised by Clinical Research Malaysia successfully concluded on Sunday. The event took place at Malaysia Hall in London and was participated by over 80 attendees from the field of clinical research, Bernama reported. Zaliha and Healthe Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah also attended the forum. Its objective was to bring Malaysian clinical researchers in the UK together to discuss areas of research interest that could be explored with the Health Ministry. “We hope to leverage on the Malaysian diaspora in the UK to form collaborative research with our local researchers and clinicians back home. With more than 1,000 active and experienced clinical trialists in Malaysia delivering quality research in their respective institutions, I believe that with the right partnerships, we could leverage on common research interests and areas between both countries and make these projects happen.” Johor seeks govt’s nod on JM2H programme JOHOR BARU: The state government has expressed hope that its request to proceed with the Johor My Second Home (JM2H) programme would be considered by the federal government. State Housing and Local Government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said the matter was also brought to the attention of Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail at a meeting with Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi. He also expressed hope that the JM2H policy will follow the conditions as set for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) initiative before the change of government in 2018. “For example, the condition for MM2H is that a person must have RM1 million in savings, but this is not the case in the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. “In Johor, one would have to reside in the state for at least three months. So, we have to be flexible, as we are trying to sell properties and do business,” he said after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing event. Mohd Jafni said in Johor, most of the properties are priced at RM500,000 and above, and 80% of them are serviced apartments. The state government is calling for JM2H to be introduced even if no decision has been made on the MM2H policy nationwide. Mohd Jafni said the MoU signed by four local authorities with nine private associations represented by the Johor Professional Association aims to establish cooperation in various fields to ensure that the “Greater Johor Baru” agenda can be implemented. The agenda was implemented last year to realise the state government’s intention to drive the development of Johor and Johor Baru, particularly to be in line and on par with other Addressing gaps developed cities. – Bernama in health emergency management oMalaysia keen to work with WHO members on strengthening international regulations, says minister FT Day events to focus on underpriviliged KUALA LUMPUR: The 2023 Federal Territory Day celebrations will focus on programmes for B40 and the less fortunate in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan. Federal Territories Department DirectorGeneral Datuk Seri Rosida Jaafar said programmes involving the participation of people from various races and walks of life would be held throughout February. She said it would be in line with the theme for this year’s celebration, which is “Federal Territories for All”, and to meet the department’s aspiration to make federal territories reflective of the values of unity, understanding and a sense of belonging to the community. “The selection of this theme is in line with the Madani Malaysia concept, which emphasises inclusion and equality among society. “I believe it is capable of stimulating a sense of belonging among citizens to jointly develop and prosper the federal territories towards becoming sustainable and habitable metropolitan cities,” she said. Rosida added that the main programmes to mark the celebration would include Jualan Rakyat MYGrocer@Wilayah, Baiti Jannati@Wilayah Persekutuan and Musical Water Formation, which involves a rhythmic fountain show and light decorations. “There will also be a Fly the Federal Territory Flag campaign held until Feb 28 and Mucang-Mucang Se Wilayah programme, which is a synonym for gotongroyong activities in the Bruneian dialect.” Rosida also said all the programmes were arranged in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recommendation for ministries and government agencies to avoid wasting government spending. Federal Territory Day is celebrated on Feb 1 every year to commemorate the declaration of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan as federal territories and this year is the 19th celebration since it was introduced in 2004. – Bernama Festive cheer for 50 Labuan families LABUAN: Petronas, through its corporate social responsibility arm Yayasan Petronas, has distributed food items and festive hampers to 50 families here under its Sentuhan Kasih festive programme in conjunction with Chinese New Year. The house to house distribution was carried out by Petronas volunteers, comprising employees and the leadership team of Petronas Chemicals Methanol Sdn Bhd on Jan 27, said its CEO Lawai Jok. “Engaging and supporting members of the communities around our operations area has always been the focus of our social impact programmes. We hope that through this gesture, we can help in spreading joy during this festive season,” he said in a statement yesterday. He added that the recipients included the elderly, single mothers, orphans and people with disabilities identified by the Labuan Social Welfare Department. The initiative involved over 2,000 recipients from B40 families nationwide. – Bernama Work orders backlog at CIQ cleared JOHOR BARU: A total of 1,100 work orders have been completed for the maintenance of escalators and lifts at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex here, which were delayed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said this was made possible after the Johor Public Works Department was authorised to approve the work orders. “During the pandemic, as many as 1,200 work orders for the repair of faulty facilities at CIQ were pending but thanks to the cooperation of everyone, only 100 are still outstanding,” he said at a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between Greater Johor Baru and Johor Professional Associations. When met during Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to Singapore on Monday, Onn Hafiz said he had also appealed to Anwar to help ease traffic congestion between Johor Baru and Singapore. – Bernama RIDING THE WAVES ... Local resident Mohamad Rizwan Mohamad Nazrin surfing yesterday at Sungai Pagar Beach in Labuan, that is renowned as a popular destination for such activity due to the presence of huge swells. – BERNAMAPIC

4 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS READ OUR HERE /thesundaily SCAN ME Helping B40 families escape poverty trap KUALA LUMPUR: There are many pockets of poverty around Kuala Lumpur, such as in PPR Batu Muda in Sentul, where B40 families are trapped in a vicious cycle that has continued for generations, preventing them from improving their lives. However, there is still hope for them in the form of the many charity and philanthropic organisations in the country. One of them is the Pusat Bantuan Sentul, a community centre in Jalan Sentul here. The centre is regarded as a haven for those in dire need of provisions, medical assistance, psychological counselling and emergencies. Located within the PPR Batu Muda area, the centre holds tuition classes and meetings for residents in urgent need of help. Its management board executive secretary and third-generation Sentul resident, Stephen Niles Lee, is disappointed that socio-economic issues faced by the poor and marginalised communities have not been addressed by the authorities. “The families, who live in and around the People’s Housing Project flats and the Batu Muda area, are facing the same issues for the last 30 years, including poverty, homelessness, lack of opportunities for youths, drug-related issues and broken families,” he said. “The environment itself is not conducive for the upliftment of their community.” Lee said the centre was founded in 1987 by a group of individuals and headed by former member of parliament (Segambut and Wangsa Maju) Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong to help Sentul and Batu communities who were struggling with poverty-related issues. Today, Tan remains an adviser to the communty centre. However, the centre is run by a full-time coordinator Victoria Arulanthu, who is employed to handle the day-to-day running of both the office and the community centre at PPR Batu Muda. “Since 2012, the centre has embarked on a partnership with Prudential Insurance at PPR Batu Muda, known as the ‘PRUKasih’ community social responsibility programme. “Those registered are eligible for payouts in the event of hospitalisation, sickness or death of a breadwinner. “It provides much-needed financial assistance to the B40 families,” said Arulanthu. A PPR Batu Muda resident, single mother Devika Chandra, 44, works as a part-time cleaner while managing the needs of her two younger children aged 17 and 13. Her elder son, Deepesh Bahadur Ganesh, is wheelchairbound for the time being after suffering serious ankle injury just before his SPM examinations last year. He is now undergoing regular medical treatment for it. Devika was not able to work during this time as she had to care for her son. However, through assistance from the centre and ‘PRUKasih,’ she was able to manage her finances. Another resident, Lee Seo Tho, 62, has two grown-up children, a 19-year-old daughter and a 23- year-old son. The son is working while servicing his higher education loan. Lee’s husband does not work as he has health issues. The couple do not qualify to purchase a People’s Housing Project flat since both are aged over 60. To help them cope with the high cost of living, the centre gives them provisions every month. Arulanthu said the centre had initiated a social enterprise “Mum Sew with Love” 10 years ago to ease the burden of families and teach mothers how to earn sustainable income. “As long as the community needs help, the centre will remain and continue to be a haven for them.” Maintain cleanliness or face action, eatery owners told IPOH: In line with Visit Ipoh Year 2023, and with the expected increase in the arrival of domestic and foreign tourists here, operators of food premises are urged to maintain the highest level of cleanliness or face legal action by authorities. Ipoh mayor Datuk Rumaizi Baharin said enforcement action will be taken to further improve the cleanliness of food outlets in the city. “The Ipoh City Council has stepped up its monitoring activities to ensure the level of cleanliness of premises, places where food is prepared and the cleanliness of toilets is up to mark. “We will step up enforcement activities every day. If it is necessary to take the case to court, we will do so to ensure owners comply with the cleanliness regulations,” he said after the council meeting yesterday. – Bernama Entrepreneur brings tuk-tuk rides to Perlis village KUALA PERLIS: Thanks to an enterprising young man, Nur Afiq Nasharudin, Malaysians need not go to Thailand to experience a tuk-tuk ride as they can enjoy the service at the Kampung Warna Warni Seberang Ramai Royal Project here. After raising RM4,000, Nur Afiq placed a special order for the auto rickshaw from Thailand to generate additional income for his family and help other youngsters in his village to earn some money. “I got the idea to operate this transport service after seeing elderly people and expectant mothers having to walk quite a distance to enjoy the sights of the village. “It took some time for me to figure out how to bring in the vehicle legally. I finally received it last month,” he said. Nur Afiq or affectionately known as Mat Apit among the villagers here, said he did not expect that the transport service would receive such an encouraging response from foreign and local tourists when he started the business during the Chinese New Year holidays on Jan 22. “If given the opportunity to get a loan, I plan to have another unit to cope with the increasing demand, especially on public holidays and weekends.” He said during peak periods he would get his friends in the village to take turns to bring around the visitors. “During the weekends, I usually manage to get between seven and nine trips from morning to late afternoon. I charge RM35 per trip for a ride around seven villages namely Kampung Tengah, Kampung Tanjung, Kampung Seberang Alur, Kampung Seberang Jaya, Kampung Pulau Ketam, Kampung Tandiap and Kampung Baru Tandiap. “This would take about 45 minutes to an hour to complete.” He said apart from taking selfies and enjoying the sight-seeing tour, tourists would stop to buy dodol, putu kacang, halwa maskat and Kuala Perlis laksa to bring home. – Bernama Cervical self-test gaining acceptance: Expert KUALA LUMPUR: Continuous education on the importance of cervical screening and the availability of self-test kits will help overcome reluctance and embarrassment for women in undergoing pap smear tests. Sunway Medical Centre consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Syeda Nureena Zaidi said there is a growing acceptance of self-test kits in Malaysia. A recent Malaysian study showed that more than 80% of participants were confident when performing the self-sampling method as it was easy, convenient and users will not face any embarrassment. Syeda Nureena said the self-test kits, which test for human papillomavirus (HPV), are as effective as the conventional pap smears and physician-sampling HPV tests. She added that a national school-based HPV immunisation programme targets 13-year-old females as the vaccine is most effective if given before HPV exposure. Married women could also take the vaccine to reduce risk of cervical cancer. In Malaysia, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women, accounting for 6.2% of new cancer cases from 2011 to 2016, the highest being breast cancer at 34.1% and colorectal cancer a 11.1%. However, cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers. Syeda Nureena said many women do not go for regular screenings eventhough the resources are readily available. She added that the incidence of cervical cancer increases at age 35 and peaks between 50 and 74 years. She advised women to go for pap smear once every three years. – Bernama University adopts cashless system to ease transactions KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has launched a “Cashless Campus” concept offering various payment methods to ensure faster and more efficient transactions. UKM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Ekhwan Toriman said going cashless would not only make it easier for customers, but also enable systematic monitoring of financial records. He said among the cashless applications used at business premises in UKM include QR DuitNow, Maybank QRpay, Touch & Go eWallet, Shopee Pay, Grab Pay and Boost. “Consumers do not have to bear the risk of carrying large amounts of cash because payments can be made directly through the banking platform of the customer’s choice. “Cashless payment methods are believed to be faster and safer since users can make payments whenever and wherever they are,” he said in a statement yesterday. – Bernama █ BYDHARSHINI GANESON newsdesk@thesundaily.com A LITTLE HELP Victoria (second from right) handing out aid items to residents. – SYAZWAN KAMAL/THESUN oSentul community centre determined to ease struggles of PPR Batu Muda residents by providing provisions, medical and financial assistance

5 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 cancer but she continued to help her husband with his research until she passed away in November 2016. Now, more than 15 years later, their findings have been documented in Mandarin in a book that hit the market on Sept 27 last year. Work on a Bahasa Melayu version of the book, titled Jejak penghijrahan awal Orang Cina di Kelantan (Early migration of the Chinese to Kelantan), is now in the works. Wee said as part of his research, he travelled to over 50 Chinese villages in Kelantan located on the banks of Sungai Kelantan, Sungai Pengkalan Datu and Sungai Kemasin, Bernama reported. “The migration of the Chinese from the south of mainland China to Kelantan can be traced back 300 years and they were well-received by the local Malays.” Besides interviewing the descendants of the early Chinese immigrants and collecting archaeological artifacts, he also managed to trace the lineages of some of the families with the help of the wooden plaques displaying the names of the ancestors of each family. Wee also said the ancestral plaque of every Chinese family in Kelantan provided a glimpse of their migrant family’s history and genealogical tree. “For example, during a visit to Businessman claims trial over false claims charges MALACCA: A businessman claimed trial in the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court yesterday to nine counts of submitting false claims to the Social Security Organisation (Socso) under the Penjana Kerjaya 2.0 programme involving RM267,400. On the first three counts, Mohd Azmi Mat Sah, 55, as the owner of DRAZZ Global Resources, with the intention to deceive Malacca Socso office, submitted the names of three people purported to be employees of the company to claim RM13,200 in incentives, Bernama reported. He was charged with committing the offences at the DRAZZ Global Resources office, Limbongan Business Complex in the Central Malacca district on June 5, 2021. The charges, framed under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24 of the same Act, provides for a jail term of not more than 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the claims or RM10,000, whichever is higher. On the fourth to ninth counts, Mohd Azmi was charged with misappropriating RM254,200 in incentives. The offences, allegedly committed from Aug 3, 2021 to Feb 24, 2022, at the Maybank Malacca Raya Branch in Taman Melaka Jaya, were framed under Section 403 of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of not less than six months and not more than five years, with whipping and a fine. Judge Elesabet Paya Wan allowed Mohd Azmi bail of RM40,000 in one surety and set March 10 for mention. Decision on election petition postponed MALACCA: The High Court here yesterday postponed to Feb 7, a hearing to decide on a preliminary objection to a petition filed by the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Masjid Tanah parliamentary seat to annul the result of the 15th general election (GE15), which was won by Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin. Judge Datuk Anselm Charles Fernandis set the date to enable the parties involved to provide additional submissions. Mohd Faizi Che Abu represented Mas Ermieyati, while Rosfinah Rahmat acted for BN candidate Abdul Hakim Abdul Wahid. Abdul Hakim filed the petition on Jan 3, alleging bribery in the form of money and banquets were used to sway voters in GE15. Mas Ermieyati filed a preliminary objection to the petition, claiming that it was filed out of time pursuant to Section 38 of the Election Offences Act 1954. She also said the petitioner erred as he did not name the returning officer and the Election Commission officer in the petition. Mas Ermieyati (PN-Bersatu) won the seat with a majority of 4,411 votes in a four-cornered fight against Abdul Hakim, Mutalib Uthman (Muda) and Handrawirawan Abu Bakar (GTA-Pejuang). – Bernama Tribute to Kelantanese Peranakan community history KUALA LUMPUR: A casual Chinese New Year visit to an uncle’s house at Kampung Pasir Parit in Pasir Mas, Kelantan in 1994 sparked a man’s desire to find out more about the Kelantan Peranakan community and his heritage. Wee Chong Joi, 92 , (pic) who was then teaching at a school in Kelantan, found himself drawn to his 80-year-old uncle Koh Boon Chok’s vivid account of his family ancestry. Koh, a fourth-generation Kelantan Peranakan Chinese, could even recall the names of his ancestors with ease. “He told me and my family about our ancestors’ sea voyage from the southern part of mainland China, that is, Fujian and Hainan, before settling down in Kelantan.” About 10 years after the eventful visit, Wee and his wife Tam Lye Peng, who both retired as teachers at SMK Chung Hwa in Kota Baru in 2005, embarked on a quest to dig up the history of the Kelantan Peranakan Chinese community. In the sixth year of their research, Wee’s wife was diagnosed with oRetired teacher documents migration of Chinese to state going back 300 years Tow truck workers arrested for fighting MALACCA: Nine men were arrested in connection with a fight between two groups of tow truck workers in front of a petrol station on Jalan Datuk Haji Mohd Zain in Batu Berendam here on Sunday. Central Malacca district police chief ACP Christopher Patit said the incident, which was posted on Facebook, was due to a dispute over the right to tow a vehicle. “Eight suspects aged between 20 and 64 were arrested at the scene of the incident, which happened at about 7.30pm on Sunday while a 30-year-old man was picked up on Jalan Kota at 1.45am on Monday.” He said the suspects were remanded for two days from Monday. They are being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting, which provides for a jail term of up to two years or a fine, or both. Christopher advised the public not to speculate on the incident, adding that offenders can be charged under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. – Bernama Lorry driver charged over beating of dog KUALA SELANGOR: A lorry driver pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here yesterday to a charge of cruelty to an animal. Mohd Zainal Mat Daham, 41, was alleged to have beaten a dog with a stick, causing it to be injured on the right front and hind legs. He was charged with committing the offence in front of a guard post at a residential area in Bandar Puncak Alam at 8.30pm on Oct 29 last year. The charge, framed under Section 29(1)(a) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 is punishable under Section 29(1) of the same Act and providesfor a fine of up to RM100,000, imprisonment of up to three years, or both. Selangor Veterinary Services Department officer Mohd Sharif Sabran appeared for the prosecution, while Mohd Zainal was unrepresented. Judge Zafirah Zainal Abidin allowed Mohd Zainal bail of RM6,000 in one surety, ordered him to surrender his passport and fixed Feb 28 for mention. – Bernama Cops nab 905 for illegal gambling KUALA LUMPUR: Police arrested 905 individuals nationwide during an operation, codenamed Op Limau, for suspected involvement in illegal gambling activities and seized items worth RM513,793. Police secretary Datuk Noorsiah Saaduddin said a total of 137 raids were carried out during the operation from Jan 15 to 29. “Op Limau was conducted for 15 days across the country to curb gambling activities in conjunction with Chinese New Year.” She said investigations were carried out under Section 6(1) and Section 7(2) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953. Noorsiah also said anyone with information on any illegal gambling activities can contact the Op Limau hotline at 016-577 3477. – Bernama PRIZED PLUMAGE…Trader Harfaizul Haris with a pair of ’decorative’ chickens, that are becoming popular as pets rather than for consumption. Among the species of fowl he sells are Pekin, Brahma, Serama, Rosecomb White, Red and Black, Sutera Silky and Moderngame. – BERNAMAPIC Kampung Balai in Bachok, we came across a plaque on the graves of a Chinese-Siamese family that had engravings of Thai and Mandarin characters.” Wee added that although the Kelantan Peranakan Chinese observe a mix of Malay, Chinese and Siamese cultures, they still adhere to the customs and beliefs of their ancestors. In terms of the dialect they speak and their food, way of dressing and leisure activities, they share a lot of similarities with Malays. Wee said currently, there are more than 60 Peranakan Chinese villages in Kelantan, each with a population of between 500 and 2,000. The Peranakan Chinese make up 3.01% of the state’s population and most of them are involved in trading, fishing and farming. To improve the process of documenting the information and artifacts relating to the migration of the Chinese to Kelantan, Wee established the Kelantan Chinese Historical and Cultural Association in 2009.

6 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS Myanmar junta elections will fuel violence, says UN BANGKOK: Junta plans for elections in coup-hit Myanmar this year will “fuel greater violence”, a United Nations special envoy said yesterday, calling for the international community to unite in opposition. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government almost two years ago, alleging massive fraud during elections her party won in 2020. The junta-imposed state of emergency is due to expire at the end of this month, after which the constitution states authorities must set in motion plans to hold fresh elections. Any military-run elections “will fuel greater violence, prolong the conflict and make the return to democracy and stability more difficult”, said UN special envoy Noeleen Heyzer in a statement. She called for the international community to “forge a stronger unified position” on the planned polls. The United States has said any elections would be a “sham”. Close junta ally Moscow said it supports holding polls. A United Nations spokesman said UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres was “concerned by the military’s stated intention to hold elections amid ongoing arrests, intimidation and harassment of political leaders, civil society actors and journalists”. “Without conditions that permit the people of Myanmar to freely exercise their political rights, the proposed polls risk exacerbating instability,” the statement said. The junta gave existing and aspiring political parties two months to re-register under a strict new electoral law this month, the latest sign it is planning fresh polls this year. Observers said the planned polls cannot be free and fair under the present circumstances. The UN Security Council passed its first resolution on the situation in Myanmar last month, urging the junta to release Suu Kyi and all “arbitrarily detained prisoners”. Security Council permanent members China and Russia abstained, opting not to wield vetoes following amendments to the wording. India, which has close ties with the junta, also abstained. Diplomatic efforts to resolve Myanmar’s bloody impasse led by the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have made little headway, with the generals refusing to engage with opponents. – AFP Aussie nuclear body joins search for radioactive capsule CANBERRA: Australia’s nuclear safety agency said yesterday it had joined the hunt for a tiny radioactive capsule missing somewhere in the outback, sending a team with specialised and portable detection equipment. Authorities have now been on a week-long search for the capsule, which is believed to have fallen from a truck that made a 1,400km journey in Western Australia. The loss has triggered a radiation alert for large parts of the vast state. The capsule, part of a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore feed, had been entrusted by Rio Tinto Ltd to a specialist contractor to transport. Rio apologised on Monday for the loss, which happened sometime in the past two weeks. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency said it was working with the Western Australian government to locate the capsule. It added that the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation has also sent radiation services specialists as well as detection and imaging equipment. The truck travelled from Rio’s Gudai-Darri mine, north of Newman, a small town in the remote Kimberley region, to a storage facility in the suburbs of Perth – a distance longer than the length of Great Britain. State emergency officials yesterday issued a fresh alert to motorists along Australia’s longest highway to take care when approaching the search parties, as vehicles carrying the radiation detectors are travelling at slow speeds. “It will take approximately five days to travel the original route, an estimated 1,400km, with crews travelling north and south along Great Northern Highway,” said Department of Fire and Emergency Services incident controller Darryl Ray in a statement on Monday. – Reuters B R I E F SCHINA ANGERED BY CZECH LEADER’S TAIWAN CALL PRAGUE: China’s Foreign Ministry criticised Czech President-elect Petr Pavel yesterday for holding a telephone call with Taiwan’s president and foreign minister the day before. “Pavel trampled on China’s red line,” said ministry spokesman Mao Ning. “This severely interferes in China’s internal affairs and has hurt the feelings of the Chinese people,” she said. Beijing urged Prague to “take effective measures to eliminate the negative impact of this incident and avoid irreparable damage to China-Czech relations”. Pavel will replace pro-Chinese incumbent Milos Zeman on March 9. – AFP SOUTH KOREA, U.S. TO HOLD ‘TABLETOP’ EXERCISES SEOUL: The United States and South Korea will hold discussion-based exercises on addressing nuclear threats, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said yesterday. Washington and Seoul will conduct “increasingly complex scenario-based tabletop exercises focused on nuclear threats on the peninsula,” he wrote in an oped published by the Yonhap news agency, without specifying when this would occur. Austin is visiting Seoul for the third time as defence secretary. His visit is aimed at reaffirming “that the US extended deterrence commitment to the ROK (South Korea) is ironclad”, he wrote. – AFP Pakistan stares at economic collapse ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is gripped by a major economic crisis, with the rupee plummeting, inflation soaring and energy in short supply as International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials visit to discuss a vital cash injection. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for months held out against the tax rises and subsidy slashing demanded by IMF, fearful of backlash ahead of elections due in October. But in recent days, with the prospect of national bankruptcy looming and no friendly countries willing to offer less painful bailouts, Islamabad has started to bow to pressure. The government loosened controls on the rupee to rein in a rampant black market in US dollars, a step that caused the currency to plunge to a record low. Artificially cheap petrol prices have also been hiked. “We’re at the end of the road. The government has to make the political case to the public for meeting these (IMF) demands,” former World Bank economist Abid Hasan told AFP. “If they don’t, the country will certainly default and we’ll end up like Sri Lanka, which will be even worse.” Sri Lanka defaulted on its debt last year and endured months of food and fuel shortages that sparked protests, ultimately forcing the country’s leader to flee overseas and resign. In Pakistan, time is of the essence, with Nasir Iqbal from the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics warning the economy had already “virtually collapsed” due to mismanagement and political turmoil. oNation in panic with currency plummeting, inflation soaring and energy in short supply The IMF delegation will arrive today to a nation in panic, still reeling from unprecedented floods that submerged a third of its territory. The world’s fifth-biggest population has less than US$3.7 billion in the state bank – enough to cover just three weeks of imports. It is no longer issuing letters of credit, except for essential food and medicines, causing a backlog of thousands of shipping containers at Karachi port stuffed with stock the country can no longer afford. Industry has been hammered by the imports block and massive rupee devaluation. Public construction projects have halted, textiles factories have partially shut down and domestic investment has slowed. In downtown Karachi, dozens of day labourers including carpenters and painters wait with their tools on display for work that never comes. “The number of beggars has increased and the number of labourers has decreased,” said 55-year-old mason Zafar Iqbal, who was eating biriyani from a plastic bag donated by a passerby. “Inflation is so high that one cannot earn enough.” At the petrol pump, a widow with her son said every few hundred rupees of fuel for their motorcycle was precious, with the pair only eating two meals a day. “The cost is so high that we eat our breakfast late and the second meal at around seven, with nothing in between,” said Ulfat, who declined to give her second name. – AFP Rescuers search debris for mosque blast survivors ISLAMABAD: Distraught relatives thronged hospitals in Pakistan’s Peshawar yesterday to look for their kin a day after a suicide bombing ripped through a crowded mosque in a heavily fortified area of the city, killing more than 90 people, mostly policemen. The attack in the Police Lines district follows a surge in violence targeting police in this restive, northwestern city near the Afghan border. No group has claimed responsibility. “My son, my child,” cried an elderly woman walking alongside an ambulance carrying coffins, as rescue workers stretchered wounded people to a hospital emergency unit. At least 170 people were wounded in the blast, which demolished the upper storey of the mosque as hundreds of worshippers performed noon prayers. Senior local government official Riaz Mahsud said the casualty toll was likely to rise as workers searched through the debris. “We cut three main beams of the building and efforts are underway to cut the remaining one.” Overnight, at least nine bodies were recovered as rescue personnel shifted through the rubble of the mosque’s blown out wall and collapsed roof for survivors. The mosque is the main place of worship in the district, which houses offices for the police and counter-terrorism unit. Authorities say they do not know how the bomber managed to enter the area, which is protected by a series of checkpoints manned by police and military personnel. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the bomber was standing in the first row in the prayer hall when he detonated his explosives. Peshawar sits on the edge of the Pashtun tribal lands, a region mired in violence for the past two decades. – Agencies Security officials inspecting the blast site in Peshawar. – AFPPIC

7 NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 Pension protests kick off in France oOne million people expected to rally against plans to raise retirement age from 62 to 64 PARIS: France woke up to a day of paralysis yesterday with transport blockages, mass strikes and demonstrations hitting the country for the second time in a month to protest a planned pension reform to raise the retirement age. Around a million people were expected to take to the streets nationwide, a police source told AFP, rallying against plans to boost the age of retirement from 62 to 64. Some 11,000 policemen were mobilised across the country, with 4,000 deployed in Paris where several hundred extremist troublemakers were expected, according to the Interior Ministry. On Jan 19, some 1.1 million took to the streets in rallies against the proposed shake-up – the largest protests since the last major round of pension reform in 2010. Millions had to find alternative means of transport yesterday, work from home or take time off to look after their school-age children, with workers in transport and education Former Nigerian senator on trial in UK for alleged organ harvesting UN calls on Taliban to let women help give aid to desperate Afghans B R I E F SU.S. COVID EMERGENCY STATUS TO END IN MAY WASHINGTON: The White House said on Monday that the national and public health emergencies declared just as the Covid-19 pandemic took grip three years ago will officially end on May 11. The end to both federal emergency declarations, which took effect in January 2020 under then-president Donald Trump, will see funds used to subsidise Covid medicines, medical insurance and other types of government aid related to the pandemic come to an end. In reality, money for the programmes has already started drying up due to opposition from Congress. – AFP EU LAWMAKERS BACK LIFTING OF IMMUNITY BRUSSELS: A key European Parliament committee yesterday unanimously backed lifting the immunity of two lawmakers implicated in a corruption scandal. Prosecutors in Belgium have urged legislators to strip Marc Tarabella of Belgium and Andrea Cozzoli of Italy of their immunity as part of a probe into alleged bribery by Qatar and Morocco. The parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs voted 23 to zero to take the move – paving the way for the entire plenary to decide the issue in a vote tomorrow. – AFP A Ukrainian serviceman gesturing from atop a BMP-2 infantry combat vehicle in Donetsk. – AFPPIC sectors among those staging walkouts. “This is about more than pensions, it is about what kind of society we want,” said university professor Martine Beugnet, 59. Most Paris metro and suburban rail services were severely restricted, Paris transport operator RATP said. Intercity travel was also disrupted, with just one in three high-speed trains likely to run, railway company SNCF predicted. Air travel is less badly affected, with national carrier Air France saying it would cancel one in 10 short and medium-haul services, but longdistance flights would be unaffected. Around half of all nursery and primary school teachers would be striking, the main teachers’ union Snuipp-FSU said. France’s oil industry was mostly paralysed, with the hardleft CGT union at energy giant TotalEnergies reporting between 75% and 100% of workers on strike. Sixty-one per cent of French people support the protest movement, a poll by the OpinionWay survey group showed on Monday – a rise of 3% from Jan 12. The most controversial part of the overhaul is hiking the minimum retirement age but the changes are also to increase the number of years people have to make contributions before they can receive a full pension. President Emmanuel Macron put pensions reform at the heart of his re-election campaign last year. He said on Monday the changes were “essential when we compare ourselves to the rest of Europe”. France has the lowest qualifying age for a state pension among major European economies. The government said the changes are necessary to guarantee the future financing of the pension system, which is forecast to tip into deficit in the next few years. – AFP Biden says no fighter jets for Ukraine WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden said on Monday the United States would not provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, as Kyiv expands the list of weaponry it needs to be better able to drive Russian forces from occupied territories. Fighting continued at key points along the long front as Russian forces sought to expand their hold on territory in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. “There are constant attempts to break through our defence,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. “The enemy maintains a high intensity of attack.” Last week, Western countries, including the United States and Germany, approved the delivery of heavy battle tanks to Ukraine. The move is a departure from a previous position that tanks were considered a step too far in their support for Ukraine and could risk a widening backlash from Russia. But Biden on Monday appeared to draw the line on supplying American fighter jets to Ukraine. “No,” he said when asked by reporters at the White House if he was in favour of sending F-16s or others. But European leaders said they were open to the idea, even if Ukraine has not yet formally requested advanced fighter aircraft from its allies for the war. Analysts believe both Ukraine and Russia are gearing up for significant offensive movements in the coming months and Western aircraft could increase Kyiv’s strength, with its own air force significantly depleted by 11 months of war. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he would not rule out giving fighter aircraft to Ukraine but warned against the risk of escalation in the conflict. Macron had talks with Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who has already floated the idea of sending Dutch F-16s to Ukraine. “Nothing is excluded in principle,” Macron said. Over in South America, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Brazil “has no interest in sending ammunition to Ukraine” during a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – the first Western leader to meet the leftist leader since he took office. “Brazil is a country of peace. My suggestion is that we create a group of countries to sit at the table with Ukraine and Russia to try to reach peace,” Lula said. – AFP NEW YORK: The UN humanitarian chief said on Monday he has pleaded with the Taliban to let women participate in a massive effort to support desperate Afghans struggling to survive a “savage” winter. Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than half of its 38 million population facing hunger and nearly four million children suffering from malnutrition. At least 166 people died in a recent wave of bitterly cold weather that heaped misery on the poor nation. The crisis was compounded last year when Taliban leadership banned Afghan women from working with NGOs, forcing several aid agencies to suspend their vital work. In recent weeks, the authorities have allowed women to work in the health sector only. But “Afghanistan is going through a savage winter”, said UN humanitarian affairs under-secretary-general Martin Griffiths. “Last winter, we managed to survive. I don’t know if we can do this indefinitely, not with these bans.” The United Nations has pleaded with the Taliban to expand the exemptions to “cover all the aspects of humanitarian action”, said Griffiths, who led a delegation of senior NGO officials to meet several government leaders in Kabul last week. He said they were told “such arrangements would be forthcoming.” Afghanistan has been frozen by temperatures as low as -33°C since Jan 10, combined with widespread snowfall, icy gales and regular electricity outages. – AFP LONDON: Nigeria’s former Senate deputy president and his family members are due to go on trial in Britain today for alleged organ harvesting. Ike Ekweremadu, 60, is accused along with his wife, daughter and a doctor of bringing a man, 21, from Nigeria to have his kidney removed. Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly planned to have a kidney removed from the man, so that it could be given to the politician’s daughter Sonia. The man is said to have raised the alarm after refusing to consent to the procedure, following preliminary tests at a north London hospital. Charges were brought after the man went to the police in a town outside London, and the Ekweremadus were arrested in June last year at London’s Heathrow airport after flying into the UK. Another man, Obinna Obeta, a 50-year-old doctor from south London, was arrested at a later date. Ekweremadu is a senator for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party for Enugu state in southeast Nigeria. The Ekweremadus and the doctor are accused of conspiracy to arrange the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, under UK legislation on modern slavery. The alleged offence is said to have taken place between August 2021 and May last year. Ike had his bail plea rejected over concerns he might flee Britain. His wife Beatrice and Sonia were released on conditional bail. – AFP

8 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 SPEAK UP Get a jump start today on creating a successful tomorrow! For the best in local and international higher education institutions, catch theSun's fortnightly Education Focus. FOCUS 2023 EDUCATION Contact us now for special deals on digital, video and print advertising. Ensure all children complete schooling A KEY indicator towards meeting Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on quality education is that all children complete primary and secondary education and this is free and of high quality. To monitor the country’s progress, the Statistics Department (SD) recently shared some data showing impressive rates of completion, with an increase in 2021 despite the pandemic. But, do they give a complete picture? The SD statistics, sourced from Education Ministry (MOE) data, suggest that Malaysia is doing very well, with 99% of children completing primary education, 99.8% completing secondary education and 97.8% completing upper secondary education for the year 2021. These numbers are surprising, given the anecdotal evidence that Malaysian children (as well as children from other jurisdictions) have experienced enormous learning loss in the pandemic years. Intrigued, we took a closer look at the statistics. In principle, to address any shortfalls and improve our education system and provide quality access to education for all, it is first essential that the data we rely on is cross-checked, reviewed and accurate. We started by reflecting on the situation based on MOE data available in MOE Quick Facts 2022 and Health Ministry (MOH) data available in MOH Health Indicators 2022. School attendance and dropout in MOE schools Previous annual MOE Quick Facts documents show data for the same batch of students at two points in time within their schools. At face value, they confirm the trend highlighted by SD. However, with further analysis, it is apparent that drop-out rates during transition years and the rates of nonenrolment of children at the beginning of the school year have not been included, as can be seen by the following data: Primary Education 0 Year 2017: 440,025 students enrolled in Standard 1; 0 Year 2022: 437,414 students enrolled in Standard 6 (the same batch of students). This means 2,611 students dropped out, giving a primary education completion rate of 99.4% for 2022 which shows the increase noted by SD in 2021. Similarly, we can see good secondary education completion rates from the MOE Quick Facts: Lower Secondary: 0 Year 2020: 386,695 in Form 1; 0 Year 2022: 387,160 in Form 3. Upper Secondary: 0 Year 2021: 373,943 in Form 4; 0 Year 2022: 371,243 in Form 5. We noted that the data does not take into consideration the “life course” of the student and students that drop out between the years assessed (transition years). We proceeded to calculate this from the raw data as shown below: 0 Year 2021: 446,428 students in Standard 6; 0 Year 2022: 406,504 students in Form 1 (with an additional 12,995 students in Remove Class). With this simple calculation, we noted that even with these official figures, only 94% of children continued their studies from Standard 6 to Form 1 in 2022. In real numbers, these figures mean that 26,929 children dropped out of school in 2022. Overall, out of an average enrolment at Standard 1 of 450,000 students, only an average of 370,000 reached Form 5, i.e, 82.2%. An average of 80,000 children, or 18% of those who attended MOE schools, dropped out. Just relying on selected figures provided by the MOE, we realised that the way that SDG has been reflected is misleading and that our achievement of this vital indicator is more limited. School attendance in non-MOE schools Another crucial oversight is that the SD data for SDG 4 does not account for or take into consideration the many children who do not attend MOE schools. Using the Health Indicators MOH 2022 data on live births for the year 2016, i.e, children expected to enter Standard 1 in 2022, it is apparent that there were 508,203 live births in 2016. The year 2022 MOE enrolment data for Standard 1 showed 454,530 students. Hence, there is a shortfall of 10.6% of children (53,673) who are not enrolled in MOE schools (government or governmentaided schools). It may be assumed that most of these 53,673 children are enrolled in religious schools, private schools, international schools, home schools, etc. The year 2022: a total of 26,030 is the approximate number attending Standard 1 in these institutions based on an average of six class years of attendance. At this juncture, a question arises to the fore. Given that these are not MOE institutions, how is the quality of education and drop-out rates of children enrolled in non-MOE institutions monitored? Children who do not attend school The data (in MOE Quick Facts 2022, read together with Health Indicators MOH 2022 data on live births for the year 2016), as scrutinised above, underscore the fact that in 2022, the schooling options for 27,643 children are not accounted for: 508,203 live births in 2016 minus 454,530 students enrolled in Year 1 in 2022 minus 26,030 students enrolled in non-MOE institutions equals 27,643 children. MOH data would suggest that about 4,000 to 5,000 of these children would have died before the age of 7. One question requires an answer, where are the remaining children who ought to be in school getting educated? Are these stateless children, children in detention, children of migrants and refugees, or children with disabilities? There are over 20,000 children whom the system has not accounted for each year and who are not captured in Malaysian SDG 4 data. The bottom line (summary) The true shortfall in our education system is staggering, with children not attending any school (4.5%) or dropping out of school before reaching Form 5 (18%). The above review, based purely on data made available by the MOE and MOH, indicates a crisis in our education system. It is far from being inclusive and equitable. The data call for an urgent review of Malaysia’s education system’s quality and accessibility so that no child is left behind. We recently highlighted our children’s enormous learning loss due to the pandemic, the highest among Asian developing nations and exceeding that of all Asean members. We believe that this learning loss, which is still yet to be officially acknowledged by the MOE or addressed adequately, coupled with the limited enrolment and significant dropout rates, has huge economic and social implications for the nation and its economy. We cannot afford continued inaction that will yield a less skilled labour force and a higher mental health burden. Malaysia needs more robust data that enables the identification and channelling of resources to support children who are not receiving formal education and those who drop out. Given the above, we strongly recommend the following urgent measures for government action: 1. Revise Malaysian data on SDG 4 to reflect the reality on the ground. We can only overcome the crisis if we acknowledge that a crisis exists, accept the situation and work towards finding solutions and implementing urgent remedial measures. 2. Strengthen comprehensive coverage and enable independent monitoring by the system for collecting and annually publishing data on: 0 The quality of education and attendance at all primary and secondary education facilities; 0 Attendance and enrolment, disaggregated by parameters, such as region/rural-urban location, ethnicity, disability, age, gender and other parameters such as undocumented, refugee/migrant status; 0 All children in Malaysia; and 0 All school environments in Malaysia. 3. Identify and reach out to school dropouts to enable their return to schooling or fasttrack them to vocational skills training and employment. 4. Identify vulnerable children and schools that require more support, including financial aid, to enable those from poor families to return to school and complete schooling. 5. Enforce the implementation of a genuine no-reject policy that allows all children, regardless of status, documented or undocumented, to attend school and complete schooling. This is a basic right enshrined in three Conventions that Malaysia has ratified: the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as in the Sustainable Development Goals that Malaysia has committed to fulfilling. Any loss of education in a child’s life is a loss for the child and for the nation. If we leave any child behind, we are undermining our nation’s prospects. Just as “it takes a village to raise a child”, similarly, it takes every child to make the village and the nation. We neglect our children’s education at our own peril. Datuk Dr Amar-Singh HSS, Consultant Paediatrician and Advisor, National Early Childhood Intervention Council (NECIC); Yuenwah San, Honorary Senior Advisor (Disability Inclusion), Social Development Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP); Gill Raja, Retired Lecturer in Social Policy and Social Work, Committee Member, Sarawak Women for Women Society; Srividhya Ganapathy, Co-Chairperson, CRIB Foundation; Ng Lai-Thin, Educator in Special and Inclusive Education and Project Officer for NECIC; Dr Ong Puay-Hoon, PhD (Cognitive Science), Dyslexia Association of Sarawak. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com COMMENT by Datuk Dr Amar-Singh HSS

9 SPEAK UP theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 They’re taking our children away from us BEING defenceless, vulnerable and innocent, children are desirable exploits for grossly immoral actors who mercilessly trade in the lives of the young for profit in the shadows of the black market. They lure our little ones into narrow alleyways, abduct them and violently silence their pleading cries for help by forcing them into dark chambers, viciously drugged and violated until they are stripped entirely of the very essence that made them appear human in the eyes of their captors – all so to deliver “product” to “consumer”. Child sex trafficking is a disgusting scourge on Malaysian soil, an indictment of the future of our youth. In spite of the efforts by authorities to prevent the issue, traffickers have historically managed to carefully infiltrate the country, using the country as both a transit point and hive of activity for the abduction of children. What makes it difficult to resolutely expel traffickers from the country and shut down their operations is that their tactics are diversified, making it easier to avoid detection and overwhelm the surveillance of the authorities. Traffickers deliberately install themselves into poverty-stricken areas and prey on the vulnerable by luring children with certain “incentives” on the false promise of alleviating their parents’ financial woes – appealing to their emotions – in order to entice them into following through with their demands. They also take advantage of the naivete – their underdeveloped sexual education and maturity – of the young in poor communities by sexually grooming them under the auspices of playing “innocent games” so as to make them less resistant to their devious activities. This gaping entrance into poor communities will continue to be pried open and exploited if a tangible solution is not instantiated. Plastering a temporary band-aid over the problem in the form of knee-jerk, reactionary positioning of the police force, which might already be constrained in manpower, in communities that have been struck by traffickers, only displaces traffickers who already operate discreetly and coerces them instead to transition to other areas. Long-term solutions – ones that serve to permanently deter – such as the introduction of widespread educational programmes and law enforcement collaborative surveillance with NGO watchdogs and social services are significantly more efficacious. Awareness campaigns that aid the young in understanding the prevalence of dubious job opportunities that beguile the vulnerable and help develop foundational knowledge as to their personal boundaries ensure that the young are able to identify sexually scandalous predators that try to cross them. Malaysian law enforcement could strengthen its strategic relationship with NGOs and social services by sharing collected intelligence on abduction hot spots and profiles of traffickers with NGOs and social services, and coordinating with each other in order to advance the rescue and rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking. This has the added advantage of increasing the reach and potency of antitrafficking initiatives, placing greater pressure on traffickers to see just how widespread and interconnected the authorities are. This allows for the development of a strong ecosystem that thoroughly dislocates organised trafficking groups, constraining the degree to which they are able to mobilise, effectively expunging their operations altogether. The Malaysian government have been praised for their incorporation of education programmes as an antidote to perverse sexual intrusion by predators into young communities. The “Safe School Policies” found in schools across Malaysia ensure that a safe and healthy environment that protects children against sexually malignant behaviour is strictly facilitated. They have also organised awareness campaigns to inform Malaysians about deceptive work opportunities and equip them with the tools necessary to discern the deceptive tactics of predators. These efforts could be collectively synthesised, combining programmes that address these different areas and instantiated in a way that may be accessed by all Malaysians, particularly in poor and rural communities. Malaysia must prepare itself for the next wave of child sexual exploitation. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2023, cybercrime is a threat that will continue to grow in its intensity. Unicef has made it clear that hundreds of thousands of children are susceptible to online sexual exploitation. They’re taking our children away from us, and we must stop it. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com “The Malaysian government have been praised for their incorporation of education programmes as an antidote to perverse sexual intrusion by predators into young communities. Myanmar, Bangladesh ‘cement diplomacy’ DESPITE Bangladesh’s icy relationship with Myanmar regarding the Rohingya issue, bilateral trade between the two neighbouring countries has been increasing gradually over the years. Trade between them suffered in the last fiscal year of 2020 to 2021. But even after that, bilateral trade, especially through land ports, was expected to jump over 225% after the completion of the current fiscal year 2021 to 2022, according to sources. Trade volume between the two countries stood at 185,822.28 tonnes from July to March of the financial year 2021 (FY21). The current trend shows that bilateral trade will reach 250,000 tonnes by June 30. Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at 78,257.44 tonnes against 202,453 tonnes in FY20. Goods are being handled through 400 to 500 cargo shipments every month, while 2,500 to 2,600 trucks carry the goods. Myanmar primarily exports dry fish, chilled fish, ginger, onions, Burmese teak wood, Garjan wood, plum pickle, red chilies and coconut to Bangladesh. Bangladesh exports fresh potatoes, cement, apparel, textile wastage, soft drinks, biscuits, live eels and fish to Myanmar. During the first six months of FY22 to FY23 (July to December), Bangladesh’s cement industry earned export revenue of US$4.69 million (RM19.9 million) on the export of cement, mostly to neighbouring Asian countries, compared with US$3.91 million in the same six months last year. This translates to growth of 20% year-onyear (y-o-y) but marks a shortfall of 9.1% to meet the target of US$5.17 million set for these months of the ongoing fiscal year. The figure also includes a minor amount of salt, stone and related products, according to Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data. Bangladesh has set an export target for the cement industry at US$11 million during the 12 months of the ongoing financial year ending June 31, 2023, compared with US$9.57 million earned in FY21-22 (July 2021-June 2022). This translates to expected growth of 15% yo-y, according to the EPB. Bangladesh’s total merchandise exports, including cement, reached US$27.31 billion during the first six months of FY22-23 against US$24.69 billion in corresponding months a year earlier, reflecting growth of 10.6%. More than a dozen companies export cement to India, Myanmar, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh producers see Myanmar as a potential destination for their products as huge development work is taking place in the states close to the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. One local cement maker – Premier Cement – had already started shipments of building materials to Myanmar, while others were either in the negotiation or planning phases to export the item. Many local cement-manufacturing companies are also exporting cement to India in a bid to expand the export market and help reduce the trade gap between the two countries. “We’re exporting 20,000 bags each month but the demand is even higher,“ Amirul Haque, managing director of Premier Cement said. He added that Myanmar companies want at least 20,000 tonnes of cement each month saying: “I cannot supply the quantity, as we have limited production capacity.” Jahangir Alam, the then managing director of MI Cement said: “I’ve also exported a small quantity of cement a few months back.” Many exporters who do not produce cement are also exporting cement to Myanmar on regular basis. Such exporters are procuring cement from Chittagong plants and surrounding areas. Myanmar construction firms consider sourcing cement from Bangladesh as costeffective. However, Jahangir said the international payment system cannot be applied to transferring money, as Myanmar lacks formal banking arrangements with Bangladesh. Myanmar has decided to import 3,000 tonnes of cement to Rakhine from Bangladesh after the State chamber of commerce and industry urged the centre to grant permission for importing cement from the neighbouring country. The development came following the approval of the Naypyitaw Nasaka Council earlier last year. “Rakhine State government has been allowed to import the cement with an aim to stabilise its market value and sell at a reasonable price,” said state chamber of commerce and industry chairman Tin Aung Oo. Earlier, the country had restricted cement and fertiliser trade through the Bangladesh and Myanmar international border. After the western Myanmar state had been allowed to import cement from Bangladesh, the Naypyitaw commerce department notified border trade companies about the development targeting aspirants for necessary licenses to be involved in the trade. Presently, a bag of cement in Rakhine State is priced between 12,000 Kyats and 16,500 Kyats (RM33), which was between 7,000 Kyats and 8,000 Kyats before the coup on Feb 1, 2021. The cost is expected to go down in the coming days after the import from Bangladesh begins. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com Racists should look at themselves in the mirror RACISM again reared its ugly head in a recent English FA Cup match between Birmingham and Blackburn Rovers. The Birmingham goalkeeper appeared “shaken up” by alleged racist abuse. Typically before play commences, in a show of solidarity to emphasise that there is no room for racism in the game, all 22 players go down on one knee as a symbolic gesture. It seems we have not learned from the Covid-19 crisis that ravaged us all for a few bleak years. Health staff worked their socks off day and night to help patients irrespective of race, in whatever way possible in their fight for survival till the very end. As things seem to go back to normalcy, humans return to their uncivilised behaviour. Instead of being fortunate to have survived the Covid-19 outbreak and to be able to watch football matches live, they use it as an avenue to display their uncouth character. Hurling verbal racist abuse at players who are honestly earning their living by playing football is a grave injustice. There is no such thing as being superior to others in this world. In fact, come to think of it, the most famous sporting personalities on our planet are coloured people. Muhammad Ali, the pugilist, was the most well-known person globally during the 1960s and 1970s. Pele, the footballing wizard, was just as famous the world over during the 1950s through to the 1970s. Cricket’s equivalent was Garffield Sobers, the West Indian allrounder who bowled the world over with his brilliant skills. Of late, Usain Bolt was the name on everyone’s lips for the last decade or so. None of them pale in comparison or complexion. Thus, why the racial taunt that has been going on for decades? Racism is just another form of bullying. All those racists caught in their acts should be punished severely so that it would be a deterrent for others not to do likewise. Of course, fans are an integral part of any sport, but it doesn’t warrant them the right to misbehave and do as they please. Thiagarajan Mathiaparanam Klang COMMENT by Harunur Rasid COMMENT by Pravin Periasamy LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

10 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 MEDIA & MARKETING Or download app on the AppStore or Google Play ENJOY A SEAMLESS READING EXPERIENCE. Read our iPaper at https://www.thesundaily.my/ NBCUNIVERSAL International Networks & Direct-to-Consumer (NBCUIN & DTC), one of the world’s leading entertainment and media companies, has today announced a deal with Astro, Malaysia’s leading content and entertainment company, to launch DreamWorks – the 24-hour channel dedicated to kids and family entertainment. Available from Feb 1, on Channel 612, DreamWorks will be offered in English, Bahasa Melayu, and Chinese language options, as part of the Kids Pack. DreamWorks will provide kids and families with hours of entertainment, featuring award-winning, original television series such as Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny, Trolls: The Beat Goes On!, and The Boss Baby: Back in Business. The channel also presents a daily morning preschool block, DreamWorks Junior, for two to five-year-olds featuring favourites such as Noddy Toyland Detective and Dragons: Rescue Riders. Also available on Unifi in Malaysia, the launch of DreamWorks on Astro marks a significant expansion and demand for the brand in the region, with DreamWorks reaching more than 50 million households across 100 countries to date. To celebrate the launch of DreamWorks on Astro, the pay-TV service is offering a 15-day preview of DreamWorks (on Channel 622) to all eligible Astro customers from now to Jan 31. DreamWorks will move to Channel 612 on Feb 1. I T’S three cheers for Heineken Malaysia Berhad (HEINEKEN Malaysia) as the brewer bagged three outstanding accolades at the recent Putra Brand Awards 2022. Continuing its proud traditions and sterling standards, the brewer once again struck gold where its brands, Heineken and Tiger Beer took home the Gold Award, while Guinness won the Bronze Award. These new wins bring the total awards tally to 39 since the inception of the Putra Brand Awards in 2010. Roland Bala, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia shared: “We owe a huge thank you to all our consumers for their incredible support of our brands. Without a doubt, we could not have done so without the passion and commitment of our One Strong Winning Team which always delivers its best to our consumers. Together, we are guided by HEINEKEN’s purpose, which is to brew the joy of true togetherness to inspire a better world.” Meanwhile, Willemijn Sneep, Marketing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia also commented: “We are proud to celebrate yet another triple win at the prestigious Putra Brand Awards, further demonstrating our commitment to delivering premium, world-class brands. At HEINEKEN Malaysia, we put our consumers first by not only meeting but exceeding their expectations through exciting and meaningful campaigns. As our brands adapt to the evolving landscape, we strive to be more creative in anticipating our consumers’ needs.” Last year, Heineken launched its When You Drive, Never Drink (WYDND) campaign, encouraging consumers to pledge to never drink when they drive. The campaign garnered more than 3,000 consumer pledges, as well as over 100 industry pledges advocating responsible consumption. Another highlight in 2022 is the Heineken Hotel Takeover at KLoé Hotel where consumers were invited to immerse themselves in a Heineken-themed hotel experience through a variety of music acts, art installations, culinary delights and even fitness classes! In the Lunar year of the Tiger, Tiger Beer, Malaysia’s No. 1 Beer[ Source: Total Off Premise Jan’21 - Dec’21 Retail Audit] launched its local Chinese New Year campaign – The Year We ROAR Together – encouraging fans to pursue their dreams and goals in 2022. As a brand that has always championed local street food culture, Tiger Beer also hosted the Tiger Street Food Festival, which featured all things hot and spicy, paired with Tiger Crystal for the ultimate street food experience. Another key campaign last year was the Tiger Crystal Fire Starter, where the brand launched a platform to empower Malaysians to discover new passions. The highlight of the campaign was the Fire Starter District Festival where fans explored activities such as bouldering, rollerblading, dancing, jump rope, and freestyle football. What’s more, throughout the year-end football season, Tiger Beer also hosted a series of epic live viewing parties for fans of the sport with its ‘Cheers to the Bold’ Campaign. Meanwhile, Guinness, Malaysia’s favourite and the World’s No. 1 Stout, hosted the Guinness St. Patrick’s Festival 2022 to reward fans with exciting activities and attractive prizes. To bring more merriment to Malaysian fans, the brand also launched Guinness Draught in a Can (GDIC) with a revolutionary Guinness widget for a perfectly smooth and creamy stout. House of Guinness – a hub that allows fans to immerse themselves in the world of Guinness, was also introduced for fans to experience the magic of Guinness. To close the year, Guinness Malaysia also launched its first-ever flagship outlet, Arthur’s Storehouse where fans can enjoy a true Guinness experience with Guinness-infused food and cocktail menu, as well as exclusive merchandise. HEINEKEN Malaysia is a strong advocate for responsible consumption and encourages consumers to enjoy responsibly and not drink and drive through its commercial and marketing activities. For more information on HEINEKEN Malaysia and the company’s initiatives, please visit heinekenmalaysia.com. *HEINEKEN Malaysia’s products are strictly for non-Muslims aged 21 and above only. Dreamworks to launch with Astro in Malaysia oThe brewer continued its winning streak at the Putra Brand Awards with three wins Three cheers for HEINEKEN Malaysia

KLCI 1,485.50 STI 3,365.67 HANG SENG 21,842.33 SCI 3,255.67 NIKKEI 27,327.11 106.29 TSEC 15,265.20 KOSPI 2,425.08 S&P/ASX200 7,476.70 WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2023 Editorial Tel: 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2624/5 Email: sunbiz@thesundaily.com Advertising Tel: 03-7784 8888 Fax: 03-7784 4424 Email: advertise@thesundaily.com 5 MOST ACTIVES January 31, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (sen) +/– (sen) VLB 352,106,200 39.0 +6.0 BORNOIL 154,458,600 2.0 UNCH G3 139,929,500 3.0 UNCH ZENTECH 105,413,100 6.5 UNCH SAPNRG 102,786,000 5.0 UNCH EXCHANGERATES JANUARY 31, 2023 Foreign currency Bank sell Bank buy Bank buy TT/OD TT OD 1 US DOLLAR 4.3130 4.1770 4.1670 1 AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR 3.0520 2.9300 2.9140 1 BRUNEI DOLLAR 3.2770 3.1800 3.1720 1 CANADIAN DOLLAR 3.2160 3.1280 3.1160 1 EURO 4.6850 4.5310 4.5110 1 NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR 2.7990 2.6950 2.6790 1 SINGAPORE DOLLAR 3.2770 3.1800 3.1720 1 STERLING POUND 5.3350 5.1610 5.1410 1 SWISS FRANC 4.6450 4.5350 4.5200 100 UAE DIRHAM 118.7200 112.5100 112.3100 100 BANGLADESH TAKA 4.1380 3.8680 3.6680 100 CHINESE RENMINBI 64.3000 61.5300 N/A 100 HONGKONG DOLLAR 55.5900 52.7900 52.5900 100 INDIAN RUPEE 5.3700 5.0400 4.8400 100 INDONESIAN RUPIAH 0.0298 0.0269 0.0219 100 JAPANESE YEN 3.3110 3.2040 3.1940 100 NEW TAIWAN DOLLAR N/A N/A N/A 100 PAKISTAN RUPEE 1.6700 1.5600 1.3600 100 PHILIPPINE PESO 8.0200 7.5500 7.3500 100 QATAR RIYAL 119.0100 112.9800 112.7800 100 SAUDI RIYAL 116.0600 110.1800 109.9800 100 THAI BAHT 13.7300 12.1700 11.7700 Source: Malayan Banking Berhad/Bernama KL MARKET SUMMARY January 31, 2023 INDICES CHANGE FBMEMAS 10,816.20 -93.30 FBMKLCI 1,485.50 -13.89 CONSUMER PRODUCTS 599.08 -5.21 INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS 189.93 -1.37 CONSTRUCTION 160.34 -1.08 FINANCIAL SERVICES 16,413.40 -124.00 ENERGY 887.25 -6.04 TELECOMMUNICATIONS 603.85 -2.84 HEALTH CARE 1,676.98 -25.80 TRANSPORTATION 964.26 -5.10 PROPERTY 679.81 -2.02 PLANTATION 6,829.38 -20.60 FBMSHA 11,076.20 -113.00 FBMACE 5,711.46 -47.00 TECHNOLOGY 67.53 -0.88 TURNOVER VALUE 4.033 BIL RM2.779 BIL 5 TOP GAINERS January 31, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) +/– RM F&N 194,700 24.80 +0.58 RAPID 6,800 16.28 +0.36 BKAWAN 3,000 22.80 +0.24 DIN040000223 20 101.700 +0.20 HEIM 463,300 28.00 +0.20 5 TOP LOSERS January 31, 2023 STOCK VOL CLSG (RM) +/– RM PETDAG 1,226,800 21.80 -1.08 NESTLE 212,600 135.20 -0.80 PETGAS 1,259,900 16.82 -0.78 MPI 147,300 33.18 -0.72 HLBANK 3,318,600 20.52 -0.68 M’sian economy capable of facing global challenges KUALA LUMPUR: Based on Malaysia’s socioeconomic scenario, the country’s economy has the potential to face global challenges, evidenced by its improved labour market and continuous external demand, according to Malaysian Economics Statistics Review Vol 1/2023 released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia yesterday. This is also backed up by upward trends for several key indicators, which have oStatistics Dept cites improved labour market and sustained external demand – backed by uptrend of key indicators 13.89 12.62 227.40 13.65 228.62 25.39 5.00 consistently shown positive annual growth. Malaysia’s trade sustained its robust performance in December 2022 with exports increasing 6.0% to record RM131.9 billion, while imports rose 12.1% to RM104.1 billion. Summarising 2022, Malaysia’s trade surpassed the RM2 trillion mark for the second year in a row, and surged 27.8% year-on-year to RM2.8 trillion. The Industrial Production Index in November 2022 increased 4.8% year-onyear while the sales value of the manufacturing sector soared 11.8% to record RM159.2 billion. In addition, sales value of wholesale and retail trade recorded a double-digit growth of 13.9% year-on-year to reach RM133.9 billion in November 2022. Looking into the labour market’s performance, the number of employed persons increased 3.2% year-on-year in November 2022 to 16.11 million persons while the unemployment rate remained at 3.6% for three consecutive months. In terms of prices, the Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index in December 2022 recorded increases of 3.8% and 3.5% respectively compared with the same month in 2021. For the whole of 2022, inflation rose to 3.3% compared with a rate of 2.5% in the preceding year. The production of oil palm fresh fruit bunches in December 2022 surged 14.9%, amounting to 8,299,936 tonnes compared with that in December of the previous year. However, the production of natural rubber declined 8.0% year-on-year to record 28,048 tonnes in November 2022. Moving forward, the Malaysian economy is anticipated to experience a modest growth tendency in 2023, signalled by the Leading Index as it decreased by 0.4% to 110.5 points in November 2022. Bursa targets 39 IPO, RM10b market cap in 2023 PETALING JAYA: Bursa Malaysia Bhd targets to list 39 initial public offerings (IPO) and total market capitalisation of RM10 billion this year, said CEO Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift. The exchange recorded 35 IPO last year, with 25 listed on the ACE Market and a total market cap of RM11.5 billion. Year to date, the bourse has recorded seven IPO, with one and six listed on the Main and ACE markets respectively. Muhamad Umar remarked that the bourse aims to record a profit before tax of between a range of RM295 million to RM326 million, this year. He said that in line with the practices promoted in its “public listed companies transformation” programme guidebook, the bourse disclosed its headline key performance indicator yesterday to investors and stakeholders. “They reflect the exchange’s focus to develop, intent and growth,” he told reporters at a press conference on Bursa Malaysia’s financial year 2022 financial results yesterday. Meanwhile, Bursa Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar said that following a resilient performance last year, From left: Umar, Wahid and CFO Rosidah Baharom during the press conference. █ BYGLORIA HARRY BEATTY sunbiz@thesundaily.com the exchange’s growth this year is expected to moderate amid a slower global economy. “Compared to the anticipated 8% growth in 2022, most economists predict that Malaysia’s economy would grow more moderately, by some 4.0% this year. This is partly since exports to major markets are expected to be supported by strong domestic demand and continued labour market improvements. “Looking ahead, short-term market volatility is expected to persist in the coming months. Nonetheless, a number of positive and domestic catalysts could boost market sentiment, potentially providing further fundamental support to the domestic market in the medium term,” he said. Abdul Wahid opined that given the current global macroeconomic headwinds will persist, the operating environment is anticipated to remain challenging. In addition, he remarked that it will continue to improve its current offerings and deepening its capabilities in venturing into new products and services. “We will leverage technology and work on innovations to improve our customers’ experiences with us and better serve them. “We will strive to strengthen our position as the leader in the Islamic capital market by developing novel shariah-compliant instruments to meet the needs of investors, such as sustainable and responsible investments and waqf-featured products,” Abdul Wahid said. He added that in 2023, the bourse remains committed to further develop its marketplace for the betterment of all stakeholders as well as to make it a more thriving and attractive investing and listing destination, in line with its mission of ‘creating opportunities, growing value’. Bursa Malaysia’s net profit decreased 24.55% to RM49.01 million in its fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2022 compared with RM64.95 million in the corresponding quarter in the previous year, due to lower overall trading revenue as well as higher total operating expenses for the full financial year of 2022 (FY22). Revenue fell 11.79% to RM145.70 million from RM165.18 million for the same quarter last year, driven by lower overall trading revenue of RM377.1 million in FY22. For the full year, the group’s net profit decreased 36.22% to RM226.57 million compared with RM355.25 million. Its revenue decreased by 21.41% to RM603.25 million from RM767.54 million. The exchange declared a final dividend of 11.5 sen per share amounting to about RM93.1 million, which brings the total dividend payout for FY’22 to 26.5 sen per share, which includes the interim dividend of 15 sen per share paid out in August 2022. Participation 48.4 22.3 29.3 100.0 Institutions Retail Foreign Bought RM m 1375.2 639.1 765.2 2779.5 Sold RM m 1315.9 599.5 864.1 2779.5 Net RM m 59.3 39.6 -98.9 0 % Preliminary stats (excluding trade amendments). For final data, please refer to www.bursamalaysia.com Source: Bursa Malaysia A Participating Organisation of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad A Trading Participant of Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Berhad S E C U R I T I E S S D N. B H D. 197201001092 (12738-U) 31/01/2023

12 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 SUNBIZ Perodua to maximise production capacity this year KUALA LUMPUR: Carmaker Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) intends to maximise its production capacity to 330,000 units this year from 282,019 units last year (14.2% higher) to fulfil outstanding orders carried forward from 2022 and to meet demand so far in 2023. Perodua president and CEO Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Ahmad said it has 220,000 units of outstanding bookings and is facing difficulties in managing operations because it has reached maximum capacity due to high demand. “Perodua has earmarked RM10 billion to purchase parts from local suppliers to meet our 2023 targets. Hopefully by maximising our production to 330,000 this year, we will also be able to fulfil our average From left: Perodua Auto Corp Sdn Bhd president, Masanori Takahashi, Zainal, and Perodua Sales Sdn Bhd COO JH Rozman Jaafar at the press conference. oCarmaker aims to roll out 330,00 units, targets sales of 314,000 vehicles in 2023 █ BYHAYATUN RAZAK sunbiz@thesundaily.com normal orders,” he said during the Perodua 2023 Outlook Media Conference yesterday. Currently, the normal installed annual production capacity for Perodua Manufacturing and Perodua Global Manufacturing plants is at 320,000 units on a twoshift cycle, and Zainal said it can increase the volume by improving productivity and by instituting overtime. He said the impact of such production growth on the Malaysian automotive industry would be significant as Perodua purchase commitment is expected to encourage the Malaysian automotive ecosystem to improve its production capabilities and quality standards. “In short, the increase in production will give a muchneeded boost for our local industries to improve economies of scale and to better compete with counterparts abroad,” he added. Zainal also affirmed that Perodua will make sure customers who booked vehicles during the National Economic Recovery Plan (Penjana) scheme period and are supposed to get their orders by March 31 will still be able to enjoy the sales and services tax (SST) exemption intended for them. In addition, Perodua is targeting sales of more than 314,000 units this year, or 11.3% higher than the preceding year’s 282,019. Based on the waiting period for most brands, as well as the still strong demand for Perodua’s vehicles, Zainal said, total industry volume has the potential to reach 700,000 units this year. “In terms of the overall market, we believe that there is still a bright silver lining for the industry despite the cost pressures. We believe that the total industry volume (TIV) can go beyond the 650,000 units announced by the Malaysia Automotive Association,” he added. Perodua, he said, will not increase the prices of existing models but there will be some price increases for newer models due to new and enhanced specification features rather than due to the impact of inflation or higher material prices. Perodua has allocated RM1.15 billion in capital expenditure this year to improve its group operations. One key area for improvement is its new business division where Perodua is expanding its Pre-Owned Vehicle and Subscription business. “We have allocated RM537.1 million for the development of multiple new models that we are planning to launch in 2024 and 2025. In addition, we will allocate RM247.1 million to modernise operations, which also includes upgrading existing 1S (sales showroom) and 2S (service and spare parts centres) into 3S centres (a combination of the two),” he said. With these improvements planned for its network, Perodua is targeting an increase in its vehicle intake at its service centres. “For 2023, we target to see an increase in vehicle intakes to 2.8 million units from 2.6 million recorded in 2022. This growth would be a combination of improved service time as well as increasing our service bays throughout the country,” said Zainal. MISC welcomes ‘Seri Damai’ and ‘Seri Daya’ to its fleet of eco-efficient LNG carriers KUALA LUMPUR: MISC Bhd has added two new-generation liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, Seri Damai and Seri Daya, to its fleet of LNG carriers. These 174,000-cubic metre LNG carriers are equipped with smart and sustainable technologies and were built for MISC by Samsung Heavy Industries Co Ltd. These LNG carriers will be on longterm charters to ExxonMobil’s wholly owned subsidiary, SeaRiver Maritime LLC, and will be managed by Eaglestar Shipmanagenent (S) Pte Ltd. MISC’s president & group CEO, Captain Rajalingam Subramaniam, said the delivery of Seri Damai and Seri Daya marks a strong start to the year and a significant milestone in MISC’s partnership with SeaRiver Maritime. Seri Damai and Seri Daya will now add to MISC’s fleet strength, which currently totals 31 LNG carriers for its gas business, in addition to six very large ethane carriers and two LNG Floating storage units, which have a combined capacity of over two million deadweight tonnes. Steady increase in Air Traffic Rights applications PETALING JAYA: There is a steady recovery in Air Traffic Rights (ATR) allocations for fourth-quarter 2022 (Q4’22) as the aviation industry navigates the post-pandemic phase of Covid-19, according to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) which published its ATR report for Q4’22, which included 44 ATR allocations for Malaysian civil aviation from October to December 2022. In total, the Commission received a 15.8% increase in ATR applications compared to the third quarter of 2022 (Q3’22), during which the Commission approved 100% of ATR applications received. The ATR allocations for the fourth quarter of 2022 included 28 international and 16 domestic routes. “Wrapping up a year of recovery for airlines and the aviation industry, the Commission is pleased to report that ATR applications submitted in Q4 2022 reached 12.8% of ATR a p p l i c a t i o n s received before the pandemic in Q4 2019,” said executive chairman of Mavcom, , Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim He said the gradual resumption of air travel since the reopening of regional and international borders has boosted the ATR applications rate for the quarter, which was especially driven by the opening of new domestic routes. “Reflecting this is the significant 220% increase in ATR applications received and awarded for local destinations in Q4 2022, which is mostly attributed to MYAirline, the c o u n t r y ’ s newest low-cost passenger airline that began operating in D e c e m b e r 2022,” he added. In terms of year-on-year comparison, Mavcom reported a 31% increase in ATR applications in 2022 versus 2021, and a 29% increase versus 2020. Following a steady recovery through 2022, ATR applications reached 78% of the commission’s pre-pandemic ATR applications in 2019. Furthermore, Mavcom approved 52 more ATRs for international passenger travel in 2022 than in 2021, indicating the positive impact of global border re-openings which set the industry on the road to recovery. ATR applications for the cargo sector, however, were down by 80% in the current quarter, with only two applications submitted, compared with 10 in Q3’22. Year-on-year, ATR cargo applications fell by 85% in Q4’22 compared with Q4’21, owing to lower demand for cargo freighter business as passenger belly space has increased significantly following the surge in air travel. B R I E F S MPC PROGRAMME HELPS ENTERPRISES SAVE RM3.5 MILLION KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) has managed to record operational cost savings of RM3.5 million for local enterprises through its productivity enhancement programme. MPC said in a statement that the programme was its latest initiative to narrow the gap in productivity among companies, especially in bringing SMEs to a higher value chain. “The programme is based on the sharing and transfer of best practices, information, skill and technology from a market leader, commonly from major and multinational companies to the SMEs. The market leader also benefits when SMEs in their supply chain learn to be competitive, MPC director-general Datuk Abdul Latif Abu Seman said. – Bernama MIDF SEES LOWER COST PRESSURES FOR MALAYSIAN PRODUCERS KUALA LUMPUR: MIDF Research sees lower cost pressures for Malaysia’s producers, especially with declining global commodity prices as well as easing global supply chain disruptions. The reopening of China and the better supply of labour and materials globally will provide further support, it said. The research house noted that Malaysia’s Producer Price Index increase of 3.5% in December was slightly higher than the 21-month low recorded in the previous month’s 3.2%. On a month-on-month basis, the input inflation fell by 0.3%. The moderating price pressures on producers were mainly due to the persistent contraction of crude materials cost and moderation of intermediate materials cost, it added. – Bernama Malaysia’s offficial reserve assets totalled US$114.65b as at end-2022 KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s official reserve assets amounted to US$114.65 billion (RM486.1 billion) as of endDecember 2022, while other foreign currency assets stood at US$5.4 million, said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). The central bank said in accordance with the International Monetary Fund’s Special Data Dissemination Standard format, the detailed breakdown of international reserves provides forwardlooking information on the size, composition and usability of reserves and other foreign currency assets. It also provides guidance on the expected and potential future inflows and outflows of foreign exchange of the federal government and BNM over the next 12-month period. “For the next 12 months, the predetermined short-term outflows of foreign currency loans, securities and deposits, which include, among others, scheduled repayment of external borrowings by the government and the maturity of foreign currency Bank Negara interbank bills, amounted to US$16.94 billion. the central bank said in a statement yesterday. – Bernama

13 * SUNBIZ @thesundaily theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 FOLLOW ON TWITTER SCAN ME Masteel first steel mill listed on FTSE4GOOD Bursa Malaysia Index KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Steel Works (KL) Bhd (Masteel) has become the first ultra-low carbon emission integrated steel mill listed on the FTSE4GOOD Bursa Malaysia Index, having invested over RM60 million in various carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction initiatives in its operations. Managing director and CEO Datuk Seri Tai Hean Leng said Masteel’s pioneering achievement on FTSE4GOOD Bursa Malaysia Index was borne out of the unequivocal dedication, foresight and immense success in revolutionising the steelmaking industry at its core manufacturing process. He said that the integrated steel manufacturer earned three stars out of four in the environmental, social and governance ratings among publiclisted companies (PLC) in FBM EMAS, placing it within the top 26-50% of PLC assessed by FTSE Russell. “We have invested approximately RM60.66 million across various CO2 reduction initiatives towards our goal of reducing total CO2 emissions by approximately 7,300 tonnes,” he said in a statement yesterday. He also said the group aims to reduce emissions by a further 10% by 2026 and 15% by 2031. “At the same time, we will also expand our emissions monitoring systems from Scopes 1 and 2 currently to include Scope 3, to implement incremental step-ups in a systematic and sustainable manner,” he said. He noted that Masteel has been focusing on minimising other air pollutants in addition to CO2 emissions mitigation measures including the installation of a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System at the Bukit Raja, Klang plant in 2021, which is capable of tracking particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide emissions in realtime. – Bernama Aeon Credit secures RM600m SLL from three banks KUALA LUMPUR: Aeon Credit Service (M) Bhd has secured a total of RM600 million in Sustainability-Linked Loans (SLL) with threeyear tenure for the first time with two Japanese banks and a local bank, namely Mizuho Bank (Malaysia) Bhd, MUFG Bank (Malaysia) Bhd and CIMB Bank Bhd. The SLL are recognition of the group’s efforts in environmental, social and governance (ESG) and the proceeds will be used for general working capital and refinancing purposes as well as to enhance its sustainability performance that contributes to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Predetermined Sustainability Performance Targets (SPT) in accordance with the group’s existing sustainability framework are established for assessment purpose upon securing the said SLL. Aeon Credit will be incorporating the SPT into the assessment of business and financial performance where interest rate adjustment is subjected to the achievement of the targets. Aeon Credit managing director Daisuke Maeda said, “Securing the SLL marks another milestone of the group to continually strengthen our commitments towards ESG while creating long-term value for our stakeholders at where we operate.” As guided by the corporate philosophy of Pursuing Peace, Respecting Humanity and Contributing to Local Communities, he added they recognise the importance of embedding the sustainability elements into their business model and daily operations. “We have set our commitments including to be the market leader for electric motorcycle financing, provide financial inclusion for micro enterprises, promote ESG education in school, while we continue our efforts to work towards carbon neutral business and uphold good corporate governance practices,” said Daisuke. HEB Group bags Silver Award at AIGA 2022 KUALA LUMPUR: Engineering and project management consultant HSS Engineers Bhd (HEB Group) was honoured for its exemplary practices in integrity, corporate governance and anti-corruption practices as it bagged the Silver Award from Malaysian Institute of Integrity (MII) at the Integrity, Governance and AntiCorruption (AIGA) 2022 Awards presentation ceremony held recently. HEB Group had embarked on a journey of promoting transparency and trust since 2019. In May 2020, the group’s subsidiaries and associates successfully obtained the ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management System certification. Most recently, the group received five certifications of the newly implemented antibribery management systems ISO 37001:2016 issued by Sirim Bhd in December 2022, specifically for HSS Engineers Bhd, HSS Engineering Sdn Bhd, BIM Global Ventures Sdn Bhd, HSS Integrated Sdn Bhd, and HSS Mekanikal and Elektrikal Sdn Bhd. HSS Engineers Bhd executive vice-chairman Tan Sri Kuna Sittampalam said: “The group has always been a strong advocate in upholding the highest standard of corporate governance across all levels of the organisation, with various steps taken to continuously enhance best practices in line with global environmental, social and governance standards. Asian Supply Base bullish about prospects, says business steady LABUAN: Labuan-based Asian Supply Base Sdn Bhd (ASB), one of Malaysia’s largest supply bases for the oil and gas (O&G) industry, is bullish on its prospects this year, backed by its steady business operations despite uncertainties ahead in the sector. ASB CEO Japar Esteban said all the O&Grelated Malaysian and multinational companies are still operating normally and oil drilling works are still being carried out via ASB’s base. “We are optimistic about the steady business operations momentum despite numerous speculations about the uncertainty of the O&G industry this year,” he told Bernama. Japar said a total of 88 oil and gas-related international and domestic companies are currently operating in ASB’s operation hub with 16 of them being petroleum arrangement contractors and the remaining 71 non-petroleum arrangement contractors. ASB will continue to deliver expectations without being affected by the uncertain situation, he added. Japar said that ASB could become the preferred logistic service provider for O&G companies that undertake operations in the waters of Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and the Philippines. Teladan Setia buys Malacca land for mixed development MALACCA: Malacca-based property developer Teladan Setia Group Bhd via its wholly owned subsidiary Asal Harta Sdn Bhd has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Megan Mastika Sdn. Bhd (vendor) for the proposed acquisition of leasehold land located in the Central Malacca District with a land size of 7.54 acres, for a total consideration of RM48.5 million to be satisfied by a combination of bank borrowings and internally generated funds. Teladan Setia’s managing director Richard Teo Lay Ban said, “The proposed acquisition is in line with our strategy to balance our landbank developments to cater to different market environments and demands. Over the past two years, the group has acquired new landbanks in Malacca amounting to 858 acres. - TELADAN SETIA WEBSITE oAcquisition will boost group’s total undeveloped landbank to 1,106.9 acres He added that as they strive to enhance the value proposition in their property projects, the land is earmarked for the development of a health and wellness centre, and residential service apartments. “The land is strategically located in the heart of Malacca Town, which is opposite Mahkota Medical Centre and within walking distance to popular tourist spots including Jonker Street. As this is a prime area amongst local and international tourists, we are confident that the projects will do very well,” he added. With Malacca having one of the lowest residential property overhangs in Malaysia, Teladan Setia continues to see great development potential in the state and has been active in accumulating landbanks in key locations. Over the past two years alone, the group has acquired new landbanks in Malacca amounting to 858 acres. Inclusive of this proposed acquisition, the group’s total landbank will further increase to 1,106.9 acres, allowing the group to scale up its property development activities in generating long-term sustainable income. “Moving forward, we are confident of benefitting from the pent-up demand for residential properties arising from the recovery of economic activities and rebound in tourism industry. In addition, we also continue to pursue our strategy of accumulating strategic land parcels that bring potential economic value and positive future earnings to our group,” said Teo. “Looking ahead, the demand for property developments may be softened from the headwinds of inflationary pressure and interest rate upcycle. Nevertheless, we are optimistic that our sufficient landbank inventory and well-strategised rollouts of suitable properties will allow us to attain commendable sales as we navigate through the opportunities ahead,” Teo added. Barring any unforeseen circumstances and subject to approval from the Malacca State authority, the proposed acquisition is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2023.

14 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 SUNBIZ China economic activity returns to growth in January oDomestic orders, consumption drive output higher amid fast recovery from Covid reopening BEIJING: China’s economic activity swung back to growth in January, after a wave of Covid-19 infections passed through the country faster than expected following abandonment of pandemic controls. Domestic orders and consumption drove output higher, according to the first broad data to show how quickly China is recovering from its Covid reopening wave, but analysts warned that the economy faced persistent weakness in external demand. The official purchasing managers’ index (PMI), which measures manufacturing activity, rose to 50.1 in January from 47.0 in December, the National Bureau of Statistics said yesterday. Economists in a Reuters poll had predicted the PMI to come in at 48.0. Since the result was above 50.0, it implied growth. A rebound in non-manufacturing activity was more decisive than expected by economists – but helped by a seasonal surge in spending for the Lunar New Year holiday. That index, which covers services, leapt to 54.4, from 41.6 in December. Both indexes had previously shown the economy to be contracting since September. “The PMI data showed that confidence in production, operation, and the state of the market has improved significantly,” Bruce Pang, Big investors tiptoe back to bitcoin B R I E F S NISSAN SHARES RISE AFTER OVERHAUL OF RENAULT ALLIANCE TOKYO: Shares of Nissan Motor Corp rose in Tokyo yesterday, after the Japanese automaker and its French partner Renault SA announced a sweeping overhaul of their two-decade-old alliance putting them on equal footing. Nissan shares climbed as much as 3.1% in early trade before giving up some gains. They finished the morning session up 2.1%, outperforming a slightly negative Nikkei 225 share average. Under the deal announced on Monday, Nissan and Renault will now hold 15% stakes in each other, and Nissan will get voting rights with its stake. “The normalisation of the capital relationship will raise the amount of freedom Nissan has in terms of management, making it easier to adopt a strategy that focuses on the US, China and emerging markets,“ Masayuki Kubota, chief strategist at Rakuten Securities, told Reuters. AUSTRALIA, CHINA TO HOLD VIRTUAL MEETING NEXT WEEK ON TRADE SYDNEY: The trade ministers of Australia and China will hold a virtual meeting next week, Australia’s trade minister, Don Farrell, told broadcaster ABC in an interview yesterday. The meeting between China’s Wang Wentao and Farrell would be the first between the commerce and trade ministers of both nations in three years. Relations between the two countries are improving after years of strained ties. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the G20 summit last November. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said it was a “step-by-step process”, and Canberra has urged Beijing to lift sanctions on a raft of Australian exports. – Reuters INDIA SEES GDP GROWTH SLOWING TO 6-6.8% IN 2023/24 NEW DELHI: India yesterday forecast its economy will grow 6% to 6.8% in the financial year starting on April 1, down from 7% projected for the current year, as a global slowdown is likely to hurt exports. The government’s annual Economic Survey report said its baseline scenario for growth for 2023/24 was 6.5%, with nominal growth, which accounts for inflation, forecast at 11%. India’s economy has rebounded since the Covid-19 pandemic, but the Russia-Ukraine conflict has triggered inflationary pressures and prompted central banks, including India’s to reverse ultra-loose monetary policy adopted during the pandemic. – Reuters UNILEVER NAMES FORMER HEINZ EXEC SCHUMACHER AS CEO LONDON: Unilever on Monday appointed Hein Schumacher to replace Alan Jope as CEO from July in a move that was welcomed by investors including board member and activist shareholder Nelson Peltz. Schumacher, 51, rejoined Unilever in October last year as non-executive director and is currently the chief of Dutch dairy business FrieslandCampina. He worked at Unilever more than 20 years ago before working for retailer Royal Ahold NV and packaged food maker H.J. Heinz in the US, Europe and Asia. The move was also cheered by other investors and analysts, who have felt in recent years that Unilever needed an outsider’s touch. – Reuters chief economist at Jones Lang Lasalle, wrote in a note, while pointing to the level of a sub-index for new export orders, just 46.1, as cause for concern. As foreign economies have weakened under pressure from rising interest rates, so has demand for China’s exports, which last month were 9.9% lower than a year earlier. January’s rebound in activity “is a bit unexpected as everyone is still quite cautious,“ said Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China. “It’s difficult for PMI to pick up in the same month as the Chinese New Year, as workers normally have two weeks off.” Yet the speed of recovery in activity corresponds to what is increasingly understood to have been an infection wave that came very quickly, disrupting work and consumer demand, then also faded very quickly, leaving factory managers to get production on line again and retailers to welcome back customers. Still, strong holiday consumption has flattered the January PMI report. Lunar New Year consumption had already been reported as 12.2% higher than in last year’s holiday period, while holiday trips inside China for the same period surged 74%, as people headed out to celebrate for the first time in three years without Covid-19 restrictions. The cabinet said on Saturday it would promote a recovery in consumption as the major driver of the economy and also aim at helping importers. The IMF yesterday also addressed the speed of China’s economic recovery. The boost from renewed mobility would be short lived, it said. The international agency revised up its outlook for 2023 expansion in gross domestic product to 5.3%, from the 4.4% it estimated in October, but warned growth would likely fall again to 4.5% in 2024. – Reuters Adani’s share sale gets boost from investors MUMBAI: Subscriptions to Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s US$2.5 billion (RM11 billion) share sale surged yesterday to hit 70% even as many group stocks stayed under pressure following a scathing shortseller report that cast a shadow on the conglomerate’s operations. The secondary share sale of flagship Adani Enterprises was subscribed 40% yesterday in the book building process, compared to only 3% in bids received by Monday. With the 30% anchor investor book that closed last week, the issue is now subscribed 70%, Indian stock exchange data showed. The share sale needs at least 90% subscription to go through. Adani group’s stocks have tumbled after the Jan 24 report from US-based Hindenburg Research which flagged concerns about high debt levels and the use of tax havens, with cumulative losses now at US$65 billion. Adani has called the report baseless. The share sale is critical for Adani, not just because it is India’s largest follow-on offering and will help cut debt, but also because its success will be seen as a stamp of confidence by investors at a time the tycoon faces one of his biggest business and reputational challenges of recent times. An unsuccessful share sale would be a stunning setback for the group which has in recent days repeatedly said investors were standing by its side and the share offering would go through. Over the weekend and through Monday, Adani’s firm held extensive discussions with investment bankers and institutional investors to attract subscriptions, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the talks. Demand from retail investors remained muted, garnering bids only worth around 8% of the shares on offer for that segment. Yesterday, demand came from foreign institutional investors, as well as corporates who bid in excess of 1 million rupees (RM52,000) each, data showed. The company’s shares were trading at 3,041 rupees, up 5% yesterday but still below the lower end of the share sale price band of 3,112 rupees. “The follow-on public offering has to go through to restore investor confidence,“ said V. K. Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services. Hindenburg said in its report it has shorted US-bonds and non-India traded derivatives of the Adani Group. Yesterday, US dollar-denominated bonds issued by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone continued their fall into a second week. – Reuters LONDON: Big investors are dipping their toes into crypto waters again after a bumper month for bitcoin. Digital asset investment products, often preferred by institutional investors, saw inflows of over US$117 million (RM496 million) last week, the biggest weekly increase since last July, according to data from asset manager CoinShares. Bitcoin was far and away the biggest draw, with funds tracking it responsible for US$116 million of that. Crypto funds’ total assets under management have risen to US$28 billion, up 43% from lows plumbed in November as the collapse of the FTX exchange sent shockwaves through the industry. “For the most part, people are more confident than they were a month ago,“ said Joseph Edwards, investment adviser at Enigma Securities. Bitcoin has soared nearly 40% in January, closing in on its best monthly performance since October 2021 and its second-best January in the past 10 years. The rally, combined with a possibly brightening macro picture, has some investors hoping the long crypto winter might finally be verging on spring. Many investors expect the US Federal Reserve to hike its benchmark rates by 0.25% this week – the smallest rise since their tightening cycle began last year. “If peak inflation is indeed behind us for now, then long-term interest rates may move lower as we approach the end of the inflation-focused ratehiking cycle,“ analysts at Fidelity Digital Assets wrote. “This could signal positive momentum on the macro front for assets such as bitcoin.” Activity in the options market indicated traders were rushing to place bets just after the Fed meet, a sign of the importance the market is placing on it. Crypto trading volumes are also rising with average weekly volumes up 11%, indicating traders are returning after months of dampened activity. Still, crypto’s not out of the woods by a long stretch, and the Fed could still spoil the party if they take a more hawkish tone this week. Nonetheless, there are also other signs that the end of the bear market might be nigh, according to exchange Bitfinex. They said shorter-term investors were selling their bitcoin at a profit, while longer-term “HODLers” were still sticking with their coin and not contributing to selling pressure. – Reuters Sources: Bloomberg, Refinitiv, Reuters Picture: Getty Images Short-seller attack on Adani Shares in India’s Adani Group continue to plunge after U.S. short-seller Hindenburg Research accused the conglomerate of accounting fraud, leading investors to dump its stocks Fall in stock values and market cap (Jan 24-Jan 30) Jan 24: Report by Hindenburg Research alleges decades of “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud” Jan 24-30: Allegations wipe more than $62 billion off Adani Group’s market capitalisation Gautam Adani, 60: Founder and Adani chairman. Stock rout wipes $27.9 billion off his fortune. Bloomberg’s index ranks him world’s seventh richest, now worth $92.7 billion © GRAPHIC NEWS Adani Total Adani Transmission Adani Green Adani Ports Adani Enterprises Adani Power Adani Wilmar -39.8% -38.2% -38.0% -20.6% -17.0% -14.2% -12.6% -$21.45bn -$14.16bn -$15.34bn -$0.35bn -$7.89bn -$1.88bn -$1.01bn

1 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W E D N E S D A Y Notes from the past LOCAL indie rock band Hayley’s Komet (also known as Hayko) has just released their second single Nota (1969) which debuted on Nov 25 last year, and is a tale of personal struggle. Although practically every song has a profound meaning and explanation behind it, this new song from Hayko relates to the personal life of the songwriter – and frontman – Aniq Ammar Ekhwan, as he was in the midst of making a decision that would radically impact his life. In a recent interview with Aniq, he revealed that he wrote the song at the age of 19 while he was struggling in life, and upset with people who do not value and respect generosity. Aniq is the lead vocalist and third guitarist in the 2019-formed band, which also includes Adam on lead guitar, Musa on second guitar, Imran on bass, and Ehsan on the drum. “Nota (1969) is regarded as a personal life narrative set in the past. The song’s lyrics were written by myself, whereas the music was composed by every member of Hayko,” Aniq told theSun. “I wrote this song when I was 19 years old and couldn’t decide on a life path. At the same time, I was isolated by some people to an almost unbearable extent,” he added. “People despised me because they thought I brought them misery and negativity. Until I burst into tears one night, holding a grudge against this ridiculous situation.” Despite the fact that Aniq encountered so many challenges during that time, still, he wished to prove to everyone around him that life still goes on, and to never hold a grudge. “What I wanted to convey through this song is not to retain a grudge or seek revenge, but to completely abandon all the past history and to carry on with life.” oHayley’s Komet released their second single titled Nota (1969) after three years of build-up █ BY HAZIQUE ZAIRILL The single was initially planned to release this year, but the band decided to accelerate its production. “Hayko’s Nota (1969) purposely implemented the 1975 and Decicals vibes as they were their primary major influence,” claims Aniq. He then concluded: “Most importantly, you must return to your rightful position. And now my life is so much simpler and more serene.” Aniq went on to say that he first wrote the song’s lyrics in 2014, but didn’t intend for them to become a song at the time. Prior to being given to Hayko for melodic adjustments, the song was primarily a simple melody with simple chords. “At that particular time, I wrote it as my own personal journal. Then I started to realise that I was able to turn it into a song. So I preserved it in the archive until Hayley’s Komet was created in 2019 and I handed it over to them,” said Aniq. Hayko’s efforts at producing to this single demonstrated how they decided to take things seriously, as they worked on the song – and other potential future releases – throughout the pandemic. Aniq explained: “All processes for this song, like the guitar part, was recorded during the pandemic. But what makes it special is we did it in a ‘hybrid’ fashion, where all of us recorded [segments of] this single from home. “Then, for the percussion and drum recording, we did it at Kashfy Studio located in Wangsa Maju while recording vocals, mixing, and mastering was done by Ardy Hamdan of NuBreax Studio.” Regarding the artwork, Aniq stated that they chose to go with a a galactic setting. In the art for the single cover, we can see pieces of shattered spaceships, and every element has some significance. “This EP’s theme will be space and the galaxy. All of the singles on this EP will feature space-themed artwork. In fact, the visual signifies that the individual in the spacesuit is returning to the past and must tackle the task by himself, as depicted in Nota(1969),” Aniq explained. According to Aniq, Hayko will release another single later this year, bringing the total number of songs on their EP to nine by the end of the year. Since each member of the band had previously played in a different band, Hayko’s path in the independent music industry has been quite remarkable, setting it apart from other performers. Aniq, who is also a former member of Secret Of Dahlia and Thy Fall Ov Baghdad, remarked that the band’s primary objective was not to become “the greatest among the crowd”, but rather to fill out as many local gigs and show venues as possible. Stream Hayko’s music now on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Sound Cloud, and also YouTube. For more information on the band’s next show and music updates, visit their official social media pages on Instagram (@hayleyskometband) and Youtube channel (@hayleyskomet519). Nota (1969) was described as a story from the past in which the songwriter is still in the midst of a life-altering decision. – ALL PIX BY HAYLEY’S KOMET

16 ENTERTAINMENT theSun LYFE ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 /theSunMedia FOLLOW ON YOUTUBE SCAN ME A family affair THE late pop singer Michael Jackson will be portrayed by his 26-year-old nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the biographical movie Michael, the Lionsgate studio has announced. “Michael” will explore “the complicated man who became the King of Pop,” Lionsgate said in a statement. The film will include “all aspects” of his life and his most noteworthy performances that set him on the path to becoming an icon in the musical world,“ it said. Production will start this year and the film will be directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by Graham King, who both said that Jaafar Jackson had a natural ability to emulate his uncle and bring him to life. “It was clear that he is the only person to take on this role,” King said in a news release, adding that he “cannot wait for the world to see him on the big screen as Michael Jackson.” Lionsgate did not directly address one of the most controversial aspects of Jackson’s story – his trial on child sex abuse charges in 2005 and additional allegations against the singer featured in the 2019 documentary, Leaving Neverland. In 2005, Jackson was acquitted by a California jury in the case involving a 13- Jaafar (left) will portray his late uncle Michael in the biopic. – GETTY oThe late Michael Jackson will be played by his nephew Jaafar Jackson, in a new biopic about the music idol’s life year-old boy. The 2019 documentary followed the accounts of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who claimed they were befriended by Jackson and were abused by him from ages 7 and 10, respectively, in the early 1990s. In 2020, a California appeals court ruled that the two men could pursue their claims through a lawsuit. The Jackson family denied those accusations and the Michael Jackson estate won its appeal that year. Jackson was a child star with his family’s pop group the Jackson 5 and went on to a solo career that made him one of the most famous people on the planet before his death in 2009 at the age of 50. His hits include the 1982 Thriller album which featured the title song as well as Billie Jean. Jaafar Jackson is the son of Michael Jackson’s older brother, Jermaine Jackson, who is also a singer and producer. “Jaafar embodies my son,” said Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, in the news release. “It’s so wonderful to see him carry on the Jackson legacy of entertainers and performers.” – Reuters Eva Green acting fee lawsuit heats up JAMES Bond actress Eva Green on Monday told a UK court her “Frenchness” led her to call a film director “weak and stupid” and accuse him of making a cheap “B [movie]”. The High Court battle revolves around never-made sci-fi film A Patriot, in which the French Casino Royale actress was due to play a soldier. Green is seeking payment of her US$1 million (RM4.26 million) acting fee for the aborted project from UK-based production company White Lantern Film. The production company is countersuing, alleging that she derailed the project by making “unreasonable demands”. White Lantern lawyer Max Mallin read out messages sent by Green in which she disparaged the film’s producers and director. Mallin read out an email she sent to her agent Charles Collier in which she said “I am very worried, they are super weak and stupid”, referring to director Dan Pringle and business partner Adam Merrifield. Green responded in court that the messages were “my Frenchness coming out”. “Sometimes I say emotional things I Green was accused of disparaging the project and the filmmakers. – REUTERS don’t really mean. Of course they are not weak and stupid,” the actress, wearing jeans, a black jumper and a dark green jacket, added. The 42-year-old actress signed up to the project in 2018, but became increasingly uneasy as funding issues meant that UK producer Jake Seal began to assume more control. She said in another message that she was worried his influence would turn the project into a “B movie”, telling court that being involved with it could destroy her career. “I don’t care about the money. I live to make good films. It’s my religion,“ she told court. Green was also angry that production of the film was shifting from Ireland to Black Hangar studios in southern England. “I need my team around me so that I can handle anything evil Jake (Seal) throws at me”, she messaged her agent. “My team will have to pull out and I will be obliged to take his ... peasant crew members” from nearby Hampshire, she added. Green claims that she was not given enough training for the role and accused the producers of “cutting corners”. “Look at what happened with Alec Baldwin on the movie Rust,” she told the court. “Producers cutting corners, no safety measures in place, and a young woman got killed.” The trial, which began last week, is due to last nine days. – AFP Cindy Williams dies at 75 CINDY Williams, who played Shirley alongside Penny Marshall’s Laverne in Laverne & Shirley, one of the most popular U.S. TV shows of the 1970s and 1980s, has died at 75, the AP reported on Monday, citing a statement from her family. Williams passed away in Los Angeles on Wednesday following a brief illness, said her children, Zak and Emily Hudson, in the statement. “The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed,“ they said. “Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.” Williams, who was born in Los Angeles, began her career acting in TV commercials before landing roles in films directed by Hollywood greats George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola. She and Marshall first appeared as Shirley Feeney and Laverne DeFazio in the popular “Happy Days” series in 1975. Laverne & Shirley followed as a spinoff, running for eight seasons with 178 total episodes from 1976 to 1983. The series follows two single roommates working in a Milwaukee bottling factory in the 1950s and 1960s. Shirley is the more well-mannered of the two, with Laverne known for her unrefined style and thick Bronx accent. Marshall once described the success of Laverne & Shirley by saying: “We dared to be stupid.” – Reuters Williams with her Hollywood star. – AFP Original Wednesday actress dies AMERICAN actress Lisa Loring, who played Wednesday Addams in the original The Addams Family television series in the 1960s, has died. She was 64. Her death from a stroke comes a couple of months after the release on Netflix of spinoff show Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega. Loring “passed away on Saturday surrounded by her family,“ longtime agent Chris Carbaugh told CNN in a statement on Monday. “She brought to life one of the most iconic characters in Hollywood history that is still celebrated today,“ Carbaugh added. Laurie Jacobson, a producer and close friend of Loring wrote in a Facebook post: “She is embedded in the tapestry that is pop culture and in our hearts always as Wednesday Addams,“ Jacobson added. Actress Christina Ricci took up the mantle in the 1991 film The Addams Family before Ortega played the character in Netflix’s Wednesday. – AFP Loring as a young Wednesday. – NBC

17 ENTERTAINMENT theSun LYFE ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 Sam Smith drops new album, GLORIA FOLLOWING hot on the heels of the explosive No.1 global smash, Unholy, Sam Smith returns with their new offering Gimme from their much-anticipated new album GLORIA. For the dancehallinfused Gimme, Sam has teamed up with other two female forces in Columbian-Canadian R&B singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez and Jamaican reggae star Koffee. Described by Smith as “filth!”, the track, which got its first play as Radio 1s Hottest Record, is a dubby hypnotic lover’s call. ‘Me and Jessie were basically drunk, drinking whisky in Jamaica, two in the morning, running around, like two girlfriends having a laugh, it’s a very sensual song.’ And Gimme was born. Gimme comes off the back of the unprecedented success of Unholy, Sam’s eighth #1 hit, garnering over 1 billion streams worldwide, the record was Sam’s first Billboard Hot 100 #1, it has been nominated for a GRAMMY, and remained on top of the Spotify and Apple Music global charts over a month after release. Dominating Tik-Tok trends with the track, Sam is amongst only three other artists who debuted at #1 on the UK Official Charts in 2022; holding 4 weeks at the top. Multi-Platinum, GRAMMY, BRIT, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning artist/songwriter Sam Smith is one of the most celebrated musical artists to emerge in recent history and holds a collection of remarkable successes. Having amassed 37 million album sales, 276 million single sales and 50 billion career streams. Last year, Sam performed two very special shows at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall and has since announced GLORIA UK and EU tour for 2023. GLORIA, the album was released on Jan 27. An evening of romance WITH Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it is not too early to start making plans and klpac has just the right offering. With three near-sold-out editions under its belt, the popular Golden Oldies series makes a timely return with Cabaret Series: Yesterday Once More 4 which previews on Feb 8 and runs until Feb 12 at klpac’s Pentas 2. Treat your loved ones to some of the mostloved classics by some of the greatest crooners and soul singers of all time like Joni Mitchell, Louis Armstrong, Shirley Bassey, Nat King Cole, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and the King of Roll Elvis Presley. Co-director Ian Chow shared: “After truncating the programme of the earlier editions due to Covid-19 restrictions, Yesterday Once More 4 is finally reverting to its full 90-minute programme which means more good songs and more good times for our fans. “While the previous instalments focused on artistes popular in the 40s to the 60s, this time round we will be showcasing more names from the late 70s.” He added: “Yesterday Once More 4 welcomes back singers like Joel Wong, Omar Ali, Phraveen Arikiah and Rachel Liu but we are also showcasing two new vocalists Angie Cheah and Kirthana Kuhendran, gems we uncovered from open auditions which is part of our commitment to being on the lookout for fresh faces and new blood. It will certainly add an interesting twist to our upcoming edition.” Sharing the director’s seat is Omar Ali who is also performing and the vocalists will be backed by a four-piece band featuring k e y b o a r d i s t Jacqueline Teng (also Music Director), lead guitarist Jeremy James Kong, bassist Dishon Lau and percussionist Alex Lee. For one night only on Feb 11, klpac offers a special Valentine’s package with a full evening’s programme planned out for you and your date. Backstage Bites: Valentine’s Edition begins with an exclusive guided tour at 5pm followed by a romantic dinner at Craf and a sunset stroll before ending with Yesterday Once More 4. If The Carpenters, The Marcels, The Platters, or even the Bee Gees still make your heart flutter, sing along to Please Mr Postman and sway to Blue Moon until the Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and confess How Deep Is Your Love to your loved one. Take down a memory lane with tunes you grew up listening to like Can’t Help Falling In Love, Natural Woman, Bridge Over Troubled Water, and Blame it on the Boogie. Expect the same feel-good factor and relaxing vibe in Yesterday Once More 4 with warm, velvety vocals that are sure to soothe your soul. For more info and ticket details visit bit.ly/yom4_tickets. Black magic horror FOLLOWING its Global Premiere at Busan International Film Festival’s On Screen program as the only series from Southeast Asia, Teluh Darah is slated to debut exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar for audiences in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Philippines this Feb 25. Teluh Darah marks the first series from the thriller and horror specialist Kimo Stamboel. The 10-part, 45 minutes per episode series will follow Wulan and Esa, two young people from different families whose lives collide after a black magic attack. Driven to protect their families at all costs, Wulan and Esa cooperate to find out who is responsible and hold them to account. Starring Mikha Tambayong, Deva Mahenra, Lukman Sardi, Imelda Therinne, Justin Adiwinata, Maryam Supraba, Shenina Cinnamon, and Taskya Namya, Teluh Darah is produced by Rapi Films with Kimo Stamboel as director and written by Agasyah Karim, Khalid Kashogi, and Bayu Kurnia Prasetya. Setting sail on the Titanic again IN celebration of its 25th anniversary, a remastered version of James Cameron’s multi-Academy Award-winning Titanic will be re-released to cinemas in 3D HDR and high-frame-rate. With a cast headed by Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, the film is an epic, action-packed romance set against the ill-fated maiden voyage of the “unsinkable” Titanic, at the time, the largest moving object ever built. Titanic won a record 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction-Set Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects. Upon its initial release in 1997, the film became the #1 all-time global box office champ and is currently the third highestgrossing film worldwide. Relive the romance of Jack and Rose in full 3D HDR this February. oTake a walk down memory lane with KLPAC’s Golden Oldies Valentine’s special

18 FASHION theSun LYFE ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 Otherworldly fashions FOR a man with seemingly infinite creative ambitions, it is fitting that Indian designer Rahul Mishra’s latest Paris haute couture collection attempts to encapsulate the entire universe. Last week’s Paris Fashion Week debut of Cosmos became the latest showcase for one of Asia’s leading stylists, whose works have been modelled by Michelle Yeoh, Viola Davis and other top film stars. Mishra invited AFP to tour his frenetic workshop on the urban fringes of New Delhi several times over the collection’s production, from its initial sketchbook concepts to his last-minute agonies over sudden revisions. His long and laborious journey reflects a desire to evoke the boundless mysteries of life, told through his trademark embroidered flourishes of animal contours and luminous details. “This is actually the true cosmos in its ultimate manifestation,” Mishra, 43, told AFP this month while proudly unveiling one of the more than two dozen gowns he was about to send to Paris. “It justifies the name of the collection.” The gown’s flowing pleated silhouette is alive with intricately embroidered depictions of the animal kingdom, where schools of fish rub shoulders with the night sky’s constellations. Mishra has spent months engrossed in every microscopic detail of the piece, but even in the frenzied final week before its Paris debut, he was compelled to make a major conceptual change. “It looks dramatic, it takes too much attention,” he says as he agonises over a bold decision to pin two giant golden fish ornaments to the gown’s bust, wondering if it upsets the delicate harmony he has cultivated. oIndian designer Rashul Mishra evokes mysteries of the Cosmos in Paris Mishra at his New Delhi studio. – AFP Mishra often defers to the expertise of his team and solicits their opinion but they share his taste for the flamboyant and give a resounding vote of approval to the new look. Looking spectacular “The more we try to know about cosmos, the less we know; the more we try to know about ourselves, the more remains to discover – this is the true meaning of cosmos,” Mishra said of his artistic vision. The theme is well-suited to a designer whose creations fuse together as many materials, textures and patterns as the laws of physics allow. “We work like an art studio that tries to mix mediums, to assemble ideas, to create a new expression that is not necessarily just fashion,” he said. “Our dresses are full of life – they are growing, expanding, they are reaching for something in an everexpanding universe.” The collection’s more extravagant pieces reflect Mishra’s preoccupation with the natural world and include a sequined gown with translucent veils, modelled on the pulsing movements of a jellyfish. Other eye-catching works feature elegant embroidery of pinktinged leaves, golden ladybird brooches, or frilly bustiers with blue sequins and marine life motifs to elicit the ocean’s depths. Mishra’s intention to portray a fantasy journey to “something that doesn’t exist” have this time led him out of his traditional obsessions and into the urban environment. On an ankle-length coat, uncharacteristically monochrome against the designer’s usual colour bursts, skyscrapers float upside down on a ruffled hem against speckled silver stars to channel the magic of cities at night. Flamboyant even by the standards of the Parisian runway, Mishra abhors any suggestion of aesthetic restraint. “It has to be spectacular, otherwise why would you create something?” he said. “There are already so many beautiful clothes in the world.” – AFP Dozens of designers, tailors and crafters worked on his collection in his workshop in New Delhi. – AFP A craftsman with embroidery looms sews flower motifs on a delicate sheer fabric. – AFP In 2020 he became the first Indian to feature in the French Fashion Federation’s haute couture programme. – AFPN Pieces from his last collection The Tree of Life sold for up to €12,500. – AFP Mishra presented his Cosmos collection at last week’s Paris Fashion Week. – INSTAGRAM/@NOW FASHION His nature inspired art mirrors that of artist Claude Monet. – AFP

19 WELLNESS theSun LYFE ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 This screenless wearable alerts you to rising stress levels NOT all connected watches tell the time. In fact, there’s one model that doesn’t have a screen at all, but which could prove highly useful in helping manage or prevent episodes of stress, while promoting better sleep. Based in the Netherlands, the Nowatch start-up proposes a new type of smartwatch, capable of providing real-time data on the user’s physical and mental wellbeing. To do so, the “watch” measures parameters such as heart rate, as well as the activity of the sweat glands, thanks to various integrated sensors. In particular, it uses Philips’ Biosensing technology. Once on the wrist, this wearable can emit small vibrations to alert users to rising stress levels, allowing them to identify stressors and take appropriate action. It can also help improve the concentration and overall well-being of its user. According to the manufacturer, certain stress peaks could be detected up to 60 minutes in advance. The watch works regardless of the user’s activity, whether resting, walking, running or playing sports. Regarding sleep, the watch measures the time spent in deep sleep each night. An accompanying application is on hand to track physiological data while offering advice and insights on how to live (and sleep) more serenely. In this wearable, the screen is replaced by an interchangeable module featuring a gemstone. For the rest, this watch is 37mm in diameter and has an average battery life of 10 days per charge, which can obviously vary depending on use. Different configurations are proposed for the watch case, the strap and the gemstone that features in place of the screen, all starting at €383 (RM2,014). Note that a monthly subscription system allows you to benefit from personalized monitoring and recommendations. This type of product joins the family of wearables designed to track health or physical activity, taking the form of watches, wristbands or even connected rings. – ETX Studio Nowatch’s screenless wearable aims to help users monitor and address their stress levels. – NOWATCH Self-care for new mums BEING a new mother and suddenly having little to no time to oneself while putting practically all of your attention on your child might feel daunting. Even if it may feel impossible, it’s crucial for new mothers to keep in mind the value of caring for themselves as well. Making time for self-care when you can will help you feel more balanced while you get used to your new position as a parent. Remember that taking care of yourself is not being selfish if you can find the time, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Here are five straightforward self-care techniques you can implement right away. Get rest and do not exhaust yourself Rest is crucial for your health at all stages of life, but it becomes especially crucial while your body is recovering, acquiring new skills, and meeting both your own and the nutritional demands of a newborn. Exercising can fill your day with energy and enthusiasm. – ALL PIX BY 123RF oSelf-care is essential to your well-being and happiness █ BY THASHINE SELVAKUMARAN Always stay hydrated and carry a water bottle with you wherever you go. Get the sleep you need and enjoy your quiet moment! Every parenting journey is unique, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Because new mothers depend on their infant’s feeding and sleeping patterns, their tiredness from lack of sleep can be overwhelming. Up until the infant is a few months old, it is practically difficult for them to obtain six to eight hours of restful sleep. So, new mums should nap whenever the baby naps. Even for a short while, this might provide them a reprieve from all the pressure and obligations. Practice mindfulness Being mindful is being aware of and attention to the current moment. It can aid in the creation of a moment of calm that can be carried forward throughout the day. It can also help new mum focus their attention on their child’s needs by managing their own emotions. Download an app for your phone or watch an online video that walks you through a calming meditation, for example. They can last up to an hour or as little as 5 minutes. Anything can be of help! Eat well Your body requires a lot of protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, iron, calcium, vitamins, and minerals when you are healing from giving birth and the pregnancy. Mums who wish to keep active and healthy should eat a balanced diet. You get energy from eating nutritious meals, and you stay fuller for longer. Instead of three large meals over the day, try to eat five to six smaller ones. Additionally, avoid eating late at night as this might lead to gaining weight. Exercise Eventually, not immediately. Once your doctor has given the all-clear, look for methods to include exercise into your weekly schedule. Exercise for your attitude instead of trying to get your physique back. The advantages are actual and verified. Take the time to do anything you like to do, whether it’s going for walks outside, doing yoga in your living room, going to the gym for an hour, or anything else. Stay hydrated Maintaining hydrated is always a crucial self-care technique, but it’s also crucial for helping your body heal and ensuring that enough milk is produced. Drink water to stay hydrated. Pregnancy causes a new mom’s skin to expand a lot, so keeping it hydrated is essential to keeping it supple and relieving dry, itchy skin. Go easy on yourself Being a mother requires major adjustment. You had to take care of your own needs alone for your whole life, but that is no longer the case. It might be difficult to accept that you are no longer number one and that there will be hiccups along the road. Your baby loves you just as you are; you must to too. Every day, set aside some time for reflection and meditation. This can be done in the morning, in the initial few minutes of a nap, or towards the conclusion of the day. You may develop in incredible ways by taking time to think back on your everyday challenges and victories. Enjoy this special moment you have with your child. The early months with a newborn are short, and since new moms spend so much time working, they do not often notice the happiness all around us. Therefore, savour each moment, cherish those adorable screams, and savour those adorable baby parts. Get everything in. Because every stage – both the good and the bad – is only a stage, and because that tiny baby is growing by the hour. Taking good care of oneself will help you succeed. You got this!

20 WELLNESS theSun LYFE ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 /thesundaily FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK SCAN ME More greens, less meat THE Lunar New Year always brings around a new mindset to improve our health and well-being. As 2023 marks the ushering in of the year of the Rabbit, one way we can look towards doing so this year is by taking a page out of this furry little creature’s diet and incorporating more veggies and vegan foods into our busy lives. “People have become more receptive to plant-based diets in recent years, as they are packed with healthy fibre, vitamins and minerals, free of cholesterol, and are much lower in calories and saturated fats. They are also rich in antioxidants which can help protect against heart disease, certain types of cancer and diabetes,” says Dr Jasminder Kaur, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at Sunway Medical Centre, Sunway City. “Besides that, they also help to keep people feeling fuller for longer periods of time and increase energy use when resting, which helps with weight management and combatting obesity.” However, Dr Jasminder acknowledges that doing a complete overhaul of one’s diet can be oEat like a rabbit for a healthy and prosperous new year! The UV lamps used for certain manicures could have harmful effects PRIZED for their resistance and shine, gel manicures have been a staple of beauty routines around the world for several years. But a US study has now questioned their safety and, more specifically, that of the UV lamps used in the process. Over time, these could potentially damage DNA and cause mutations that could increase the risk of skin cancer. The application of gel nail polish, or semi-permanent nail polish, requires the use of UV lamps that allow the product used to harden and dry quickly, while giving it a glossier finish than traditional nail polishes. These strengths have turned these manicure techniques into beauty must-haves. However, the UV lamps used in these services, which are similar to small tanning beds, have not yet been the subject of scientific studies establishing the safety of these techniques. Tanning booths meanwhile, which emit mainly UVA rays – like nail lamps, although with greater intensity and covering a different spectrum – have been subject to research demonstrating a proven risk of skin cancer. After discovering cases of skin cancer on the hands of two healthy women who regularly had this type of manicure, a team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego and the University of Pittsburgh decided to look at the impact of these UV lamps on human cells at molecular and cellular levels. Published in the journal Nature Communications, their research suggests that frequent, long-term exposure to these lamps could damage DNA, leading to cell mutations similar to those seen in skin cancer patients. 20 to 30% of cells are destroyed in 20 minutes To reach these conclusions, the researchers exposed human and animal cells – mouse embryonic fibroblasts, human foreskin fibroblasts, and adult human keratinocytes – to these UV lamps under various conditions. “Each primary cell line was irradiated one, two, or three times, with the duration of each exposure lasting between 0 and 20 min. Cell viability was measured 48 hours after the final irradiation, with each condition repeated at least three times,“ the study authors explain. After concluding their experiments, the scientists observed a cytotoxicity induced by the UV radiation emitted by the nail lamps. They specify that a single 20-minute irradiation caused the death of 20 to 30% of cells, while three consecutive 20-minute exposures resulted in the destruction of 65 to 70% of cells. The scientists also came to the conclusion that frequent, long-term exposure could lead to mutations similar to those observed in skin cancer patients. These results require a more indepth epidemiological study before sounding the alarm on these devices, which, it should be noted, are not used in the same way in every region of the world. “It is likely that such studies will take at least a decade to complete and to subsequently inform the general public,” the scientists say. Salon exposure amounts to less than 10 minutes While this study is by no means insignificant, it is important to note that the findings do not necessarily The UV lamps used for gel manicures could pose a health risk, research reveals. However, these results have yet to be confirmed by a longer-term epidemiological study. – GETTY reflect the actual conditions of a gel manicure, whether performed at home or in a salon. For such a service, the drying time after each layer of product – a base, two coats of varnish, a top coat – varies, on average, between 30 seconds and 120 seconds, depending on the type of lamps used, and it can even be less in some salons. This means that, at most, a customer’s hands will spend eight minutes under the lamp. This is much less than the time tested by the researchers. This does not mean that the risk is not real – far from it – but that further studies are indeed needed to support this initial investigation. – ETX Studio intimidating and requires a lot of hard work and discipline. Luckily, there is a wide variety of plant-based diets to try out if you feel like the standard practice of cutting out meat products is not appealing. Types of Plant-Based Diets Lactovegetarian This diet excludes meat, fish, poultry and eggs, as well as foods that contain them. However, dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yoghurt and butter, are still consumed. Ovo-vegetarian This type of plant-based diet excludes meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products, but allows the consumption of eggs. Lacto-ovo vegetarian Excludes meat, fish and poultry, but includes dairy products and eggs in their diets. Pescatarian This diet gets its main source of protein from fish, but does not consume meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs. Vegan This is the strictest type of plantbased diet – excluding meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products along with any foods that contain these products. Don’t put all your veggies in one basket While adopting a plant-based diet is a great step for fully grown adults to take if they’re looking to improve their health and well-being, it is also important to remember that simply becoming vegetarian will not cure ailments or make a person healthy overnight. “To see proper improvements, it is essential to plan well, ideally with a nutritionist that understands your current bill of health. A healthy approach to plant-based dieting means including a variety of nutrientrich ingredients and protein substitutes since meat products are not being consumed. Additionally, plant-based dieting needs to be part of an overall healthful lifestyle, so we need to remember to stay active and get enough rest,” Dr Jasminder shares. She concludes that for people who are just starting along this journey, a gradual or partial cutting of meat products may be a more suitable option. “Don’t be swayed by the latest ‘trending’ diets you may see on social media as ‘quick fixes’ to your health. Incorporating plant-based foods as a main component of your daily diet should be something you invest in for your own good, therefore you should make sure to go at a pace that is beneficial to you and your lifestyle to reap the best results.” Dr Jasminder Kaur.

21 SPORTS theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 HOST International Foundation (1354783- V) invites the submission of food and non-food items (NFIs) bids from qualified suppliers of food and hygiene items for the preparation and delivery of these items to the location provided in the RFQ document. Prospective bidders must be capable of providing food & NFI items for a one time delivery in the month of March across 5 states, namely Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak and Negeri Sembilan for a total of 1300 kits of food & NFI items. All items and delivery details are provided in the RFQ. The vendor should take into account all the following: Have good business reputation and performance, proven clean track record. Possess all relevant certificate of registration, licenses approvals and permits with the local authorities and a copy of which are to be furnished when requested. All employees, especially food and beverage handlers, are required to comply with food safety requirements. The vendor shall be able to produce a Food Safety Plan containing procedures on hygienic food storage, preparation, handling, waste management, hygiene, and pest control. Please email: malaysia@hostinternational. org.au for access to RFQ. The key dates for this tender are as follows: Tender open date : 30/01/2023 Tender closing date : 08/02/2023 Last day for bid submission : 08/02/2023 by 5pm Period of bids analyses and comparison : 3 days Date of announcing the awarded tenderer: 13/02/2023 Submission of tender bid: All bids can be submitted either online or send hard copy to our HQ address. Send by email to: malaysia@ hostinternational.org.au Send as hardcopy to the address: No 208 Block A Pusat Dagangan Phileo Damansara 1, No 9 Jalan 16/11, Off Jalan Damansara, 46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Any inquiries or questions can be sent by email to: malaysia@hostinternational. org.au Content provided by HOST International Foundation. 322 Notices Desert drama McIlroy’s sweetest victory showcases golf’s unmissable theatre AS Rory McIlroy clamped down on his bottom lip, his little white ball hurtling towards the water, a gasp could be heard around the Dubai desert. The rough acted as a bumper to ensure a “lucky” McIlroy, haunted by last year’s splash on the 18th hole, would eventually escape with victory over rival Patrick Reed despite flirting with danger once more. This most absorbing of final rounds on the DP World Tour underlined that magnetic force that binds McIlroy and gripping drama. A three-shot lead whittled down by Reed added a fascinating narrative following “teegate”. But the shaky edge to a 15th victory on the European circuit, his third at this particular event, while denying Reed, only gave him more pleasure. On another day, McIlroy may have captured his scintillating best and stormed home, but a gentle start, including eight successive pars, made for a pulsating watch. Golf’s villain, who sniffed victory after emerging as the outright leader with three holes to play, having started the day four behind, could be seen confidently soaking in McIlroy’s finish from the scoring office, beads of sweat trickling down the former Masters champion’s face. One of the sport’s most controversial characters, Reed went from clasping binoculars on Sunday in order to identify his ball inside a palm tree, to a majestic run of holes that gave McIlroy a real fright. The anguish painted across McIlroy’s face on 18, beautifully revealing just like his uncomfortable, yet brutally honest expression when pushed on a potential truce with Reed, added humour after what started, in the words of the four-time major winner, as a “storm in a tea cup”. “Mentally today was one of the toughest rounds I’ve ever had to play,” a brutally honest McIlroy conceded. “It would be easy to let the emotions get in the way. “I had to concentrate on myself, forget who was up there on the leaderboard, I showed a lot of mental strength out there. “This is probably sweeter than it should be or needs to be, but it’s a great start to the year.” Part of the joy with McIlroy is his candid nature, unafraid to reveal his disdain for Reed and those who made the leap to the Saudi league. An innocuous moment, ballooned into a new chapter entirely as this most bitter of stories shows no sign of fizzling out as we storm towards the first major at Augusta in April. Sport needs rivalries, golf more so than most, and different characters and personalities add immense value. Reed has always embraced his role as the bad guy, making this thrilling finale one to savour. They won’t come too often though, given the litigious nature of this conflict and McIlroy shifting focus away from the DP World Tour to the PGA Tour’s elevated events, having already cashed an exemption to miss the Tournament of Champions. Yet “teegate” has shown us how rivalry and personality can elevate the sport to uncharted territory. The Masters is coming, on this evidence, it is not to be missed. – The Independent Formula One on brink of civil war MOHAMMED BEN SULAYEM could be ousted as FIA president with a British successor already lined up as a replacement, according to German site Sport1. They claim Formula One owners Liberty Media want to get to rid of Mohammed amid an ongoing civil war between F1 and the FIA. Reports suggest former Motorsport UK chairman and Prodrive chief David Richards could take the post. Richards has strong knowledge of F1 from his roles as a team boss at Benetton and British American Racing (BAR). Sport1 claims he is already in the starting blocks to take over but warns Liberty must first prove Mohammed’s misconduct. It comes amid rising tensions between the FIA and Mohammed on one side and F1 bosses on the other. Both sides collided over a possible deal to bring Andretti-Cadillac onto the grid ahead of the new regulations changes in 2026. However, things have worsened with both sides disagreeing in remarks over a possible commercial rights sale with Saudi Arabia. Mohammed took a dig at F1 by claiming a £16 billion (RM85b) price tag put on the sport was “inflated”. Liberty Media then hit back, stressing that Mohammed’s comments were “unacceptable” and that the FIA could be liable for damages. Liberty bosses even wrote a letter to Mohammed raising their concerns over the remarks. It read: “Any individual or organisation commenting on the value of a listed entity or its subsidiaries, especially claiming or implying possession of inside knowledge while doing so, risks causing substantial damage to the shareholders and investors of that entity, not to mention potential exposure to serious regulatory consequences. “To the degree that these comments damage the value of Liberty Media Corporation, the FIA may be liable as a result.” F1 bosses also responded that Liberty had the “exclusive right” to use the sport’s “commercial rights”. This was quickly rebuffed by Mohammed who stressed F1 was simply on loan to Liberty. He responded: “The championship is ours. We have only rented it out. “So far there are only rumours about a possible sale. But the FIA should have a say and be able to offer advice.” – Express Newspapers THE grand slam battle moves on to the French Open, where it could be a straight fight between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for supremacy. Djokovic’s victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday earned him a 10th Australian Open title and drew him level with Nadal at the top of the all-time men’s standings on 22 grand slam titles. Djokovic’s deportation from Australia last year meant their tie on 20 was broken without the Serbian present, but this time all eyes will be on the battle at Roland Garros. Despite a hamstring injury that left him fearing for his chances, Djokovic dropped only one set at Melbourne Park and felt he played some of his best tennis. At 35, he is showing no sign of slowing up and is back at No. 1 in the world rankings having overtaken Carlos Alcaraz. “Of course I am motivated to win as many slams as possible,” said Djokovic. “At this stage of my career, these trophies are the biggest motivational factor of why I still compete. “I still have lots of motivation. Let’s see how far it takes me. I really don’t want to stop here. I feel great about my tennis. “I know that when I’m feeling good physically, mentally present, I have a chance to win any slam against anybody. “I like my chances going forward. But, again, nothing is given or nothing is taken for granted. Of course, I have awareness there’s a lot of players that want this trophy or want the No. 1 position in the world. “Physically I can keep myself fit. Of course, 35 is not 25, even though I want to believe it is. But I still feel there is time ahead of me. Let’s see how far I go.” As well as surpassing Nadal, Djokovic also has the overall record in his sights, with Serena Williams on 23 and Margaret’s Court’s current best of 24 now the only targets ahead of him. Asked how long he thinks Djokovic can challenge for major titles, his coach Goran Ivanisevic said: “Definitely two, three more years.” Former Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic described the 22-22 draw as “like a handball match”, and he expects Djokovic and Nadal to again repel the likes of Tsitsipas, Alcaraz and the other young pretenders in Paris. “Yes, they are coming... still, if Rafa steps on the court at the French Open, for me he’s always the favourite to win the tournament. “I’m looking forward, honestly, for both of them to be super healthy, then the battle is there.” – The Independent Djokovic, Nadal set for French Open battle █ JACK RATHBORN █ ELEANOR CROOKS Who will win the most grand slams? NOVAK DJOKOVIC and Rafael Nadal are level once again at the top of the men’s singles all-time grand slam standings. Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open final to claim his 22nd slam title, the same mark Nadal hit at the French Open last season. Here is a look at their journeys and what might happen next. How did we get here? Nadal is a year older than his rival and made his breakthrough early, winning his first French Open title just after turning 19. He had three titles by the time Djokovic won his first in Australia in 2008 and was already on nine when the Serbian claimed his second. But since then Djokovic has been catching up fast. Djokovic’s 2021 Wimbledon title left both on 20 and now they are level again. Who’s in better shape? Undoubtedly Djokovic. Nadal’s two slam titles last year were a tremendous effort but staying fit is becoming increasingly difficult for the 36-year-old Spaniard, with a hip problem that contributed to a second-round loss here his latest ailment. Djokovic, on the other hand, has won five of the last seven slams he has played and looks in as good a shape as he did at 25. What happens next? In a best-case scenario, Nadal could return for the next big tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in March, but may choose to stay off the match courts until his favoured clay. With the pair locked at 22 apiece, it sets up the delicious prospect of a straight fight for outright supremacy at the French Open beginning on May 28. How many could they end up with? A fascinating question. Nadal may look vulnerable but do not expect anyone to bet against him adding a 15th title at Roland Garros – and maybe even a 16th. Djokovic, meanwhile, barring unforeseen circumstances, will be the favourite at Wimbledon and the US Open, and of course when the tour returns to Australia next year. It would be a surprise if he does not overtake Margaret Court’s outright record of 24 to be the most successful grand slam singles player of all time and he could perhaps push on towards 30. – The Independent PHIL MICKELSON says he will be “at peace” if he never plays in a PGA Tour event or Ryder Cup again, nearly one year after his explosive remarks about the Saudi-funded LIV golf series triggered uproar. In an interview with Sports Illustrated published yesterday, the six-time major winner said he was not bothered about the possibility of being frozen out of PGA Tour events for good. “If I were never to play another PGA Tour event, I’m totally at peace with it,” Mickelson said. “I’m motivated, but I don’t see the benefit to playing more,” the 45- time PGA Tour winner said. “The tournaments where you are going to leave a mark are the majors. That creates a life memory. If I win another Tour event, who cares? “Another major would be a unique, special moment. That’s really where I want to thrive.” Mickelson also said he would be fine not being part of the biennial team tournament again. “I’ve loved being part of the Ryder Cup as a player 12 times and as a vice captain once,” Mickelson said. “I’ve had more great experiences than probably anybody. If I’m not a part of it, I’m at peace with that as well.” – AFP Mickelson ‘at peace’ if never plays PGA, Ryder Cup again █ ELEANOR CROOKS Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed alMaktoum, CEO of the Emirates Group (left), presents the trophy to Rory McIlroy after winning the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic. – AFPPIX

22 theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 SPORTS @thesundaily FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM SCAN ME 5590/2023 31/01/2023 (TUE) 3902 3895 3434 5314 2170 8552 2588 6861 7270 1781 8541 3689 7209 4408 3162 2590 8511 7788 5414 5190 8984 1365 8917 11,669,501.14 3902 3902 3902 3434 3434 3895 3434 3434 3895 3895 3902 3895 173,628.51 3902 3895 3434 OX 17337 96789 6789 789 73606 8 9 9 0 036790 36790 6790 790 03679 0367 036 0 3 3,205,459.90 1,833,076.60 3 6 17 33 35 49 262,286.86 173 24 35 47 52 12 20 21 28 42 46 36 10,309,963.38 RM189,627 RM2,285 won on 29/01/2023 ! Toto 4D Jackpot 2 (i-System) Toto 4D Jackpot 2 232 441 + BOAR 578 848 + RAT 468 119 + HORSE Draw Date: 31/01/23 (Tue) Draw No: 5537/23 Venue: PERAK TURF CLUB 2441 8848 8119 5372 + 2462 2971 + 4540 5403 + 0889 0921 + 2733 1424 + 7705 9054 + 8813 7365 + 4112 6239 + 9123 0859 + 3632 3595 + 1915 RM15,496,742.50 2441 + 8848 8848 + 2441 2441 + 8119 8119 + 2441 8848 + 8119 8119 + 8848 RM176,873.00 RM2,116,002.90 RM991,666.60 RM2,175,972.10 545 372 922 462 032 971 384 540 115 403 920 889 900 921 612 733 331 424 907 705 659 054 398 813 857 365 104 112 866 239 229 123 990 859 943 632 203 595 001 915 441 848 119 RM836,071.50 441 + 848 + 119 848 + 119 + 441 441 + 119 + 848 119 + 441 + 848 848 + 441 + 119 119 + 848 + 441 HSSB 1+3DJ1 RM289,134 & 1+3DJ2 RM575,138 won on 29/1/2023! ‘God kept it for me’ Messi says World Cup trophy ‘called out’ to him LIONEL MESSI won the World Cup because the sparkling solid gold trophy picked him to lift it, the Argentine star said in a radio interview aired yesterday. The 35-year-old inspired his country to World Cup glory last month by scoring two goals and a penalty in the South Americans’ shoot-out triumph over previous holders France following a thrilling 3-3 draw in Qatar. “The cup called out to me, it told me: come and grab me, now you can touch me,” Messi (pix) told the Argentine Urbana Play radio station. “I saw it sparkling in that beautiful stadium and I didn’t hesitate to kiss it”, he added, referring to the stunning Lusail Stadium in Doha, where the final was played. Messi finally lifted the trophy in his fifth and final World Cup tournament, having lost in the 2014 final to Germany. He also played in three losing Copa America finals before finally clinching that trophy in 2021. “After so much suffering and lost finals, God kept it for me,” said Messi of the World Cup. He thus became the first Argentina captain since Diego Maradona in 1986 to lift the World Cup. “I would have liked Maradona to hand me the cup, so he could at least see Argentina champions.” Maradona died of a heart attack two years ago. “From up above he gave me strength, as did so many people who love me.” M a n y p e o p l e expected Messi to retire, at least from international duty, after the Qatar triumph but he decided to continue so he could take to the field with his teammates as world champions. However, he admitted that the end was close after a gloryladen career that saw him also win four Champions League titles and 10 La Liga crowns with Barcelona, and a Ligue 1 trophy with Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the Ballon d’Or a record seven times. “That’s it, there’s nothing left, I’ve achieved everything with the national team, with Barcelona, individually,” he said. Messi also conceded that “everything changed” for him following the World Cup success amid speculation over his club future at Paris Saint-Germain. There are now mounting fears among the PSG hierarchy Messi could depart come the end of the season following the expiration of his current deal. His latest comments do not directly address his club future, but admit that his crowning moment out in Qatar led to a shift in perspective. Some feel that Messi is now of the belief that having secured the one major trophy that evaded him for so long, he no longer has anything to prove and could spend t h e twilight of his career either back in his home country or plying his trade in the MLS, with Inter Miami particularly keen on a deal. There has also been speculation that the forward could seek an emotional return to Barcelona just two years after exiting the Nou Camp. In truth, Messi will most likely have to take a drastic paycut wherever he ends up, with even Inter Miami unlikely to be able to fork out the kind of eye-watering wages he is currently pocketing at PSG. Miami co-owner Jorge Mas talked up the idea of a deal last year: “Leo Messi is still one of the best players in the world, his skills have not diminished. “I believe, and David (Beckham) has a relationship with him, that if he leaves PSG, at the time he leaves PSG we would love to have Messi as a player at Inter Miami and be part of our community. “Can it happen? We will push. I’m an optimist at heart – can I see it happening? It’s a possibility.” – AFP/Agencies Gattuso leaves Valencia VALENCIA announced yesterday that coach Gennaro Gattuso was leaving the club. The club said that the two sides “have decided by mutual agreement to terminate the contractual relationship”. After losing 1-0 to Valladolid on Monday, Valencia are 14th in La Liga, one point above the relegation places. “It is clear that I am responsible for this,” Gattuso said after the defeat. Spanish media said that Gattuso had been frustrated by the lack of transfer activity by the club and met with club’s top management on Monday. Gattuso, a defensive midfielder who played 73 times for Italy, first became a head coach in 2013 with Sion in Switzerland. He managed former club AC Milan for two seasons from 2015 to 2017, coached Napoli from December 2019 to May 2021. His only trophy as a manager is the Coppa Italia in 2020. He agreed to join Fiorentina in the summer of 2021 but quit before starting his contract after a dispute over the club’s transfer policy. Gattuso took over at Valencia in June, replacing Jose Bordalas who had led the club to a ninth-place finish and the Copa del Rey final. Valencia said that long-time coach Voro, who has been caretaker or interim boss at the club on six occasions, would be in charge when the squad resumed training today. Racist fans to see red SPAIN’S High Council for Sport (CSD) said yesterday that more than 10 Real Valladolid fans who racially insulted Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior in a La Liga game last month will be punished. Some home fans hurled abuse at the Brazilian winger during Madrid’s 2-0 win at Valladolid on Dec 30, prompting La Liga to file a complaint to the local courts. The CSD said in a statement that its Commission against Violence, Racism and Xenophobia in sport has “initiated proceedings for the proposed punishment of more than 10 supporters” over the incidents. Police are collecting data before recommending punishments, which could include fines of €4,000 (RM18,500) and a one-year ban from sports stadiums for any person identified, the statement added. La Liga made a complaint about the fans to the police and said they had provided video and audio recordings they had gathered. The commission also held an extraordinary meeting yesterday to discuss another incident involving the 22- year-old Brazilian. A dummy dressed in a Vinicius shirt was strung up near Real Madrid’s training ground before last week’s Copa del Rey quarterfinal against local rivals Atletico with a message reading “Madrid hates Real.” The CSD said police had begun an investigation to identify those behind the “despicable acts” using traffic cameras and images published on social media. SHORTS

23 * SPORTS theSUN ON WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 1, 2023 NON-LEAGUE Wrexham will get a dream FA Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur in the fifth round, if they defeat Sheffield United in a replay next week. Wrexham – who are owned by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – are the only nonleague side left in the competition but they were denied a famous win on Monday at the Racecourse Ground as Sheffield United scored a late equaliser in a 3-3 thriller. Wrexham will travel to Bramall Lane on Feb 8 (3.45am Malaysian time) in one of five replays next week, with a home tie against the eight-time winners Tottenham on the line in the fifth round. Elsewhere, Manchester City were drawn away to Bristol City, in one of only two complete ties to be made yesterday. Pep Guardiola’s side defeated Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday, while Bristol City knocked out West Brom. Manchester United were drawn at home against West Ham. It’s currently the only all-Premier League fixture, but that will change if Fulham defeat Sunderland in their replay and set up a match against Leeds. Brighton’s reward for knocking out holders Liverpool is a trip to Stoke City, and Leicester City will host either Blackburn or Birmingham. Southampton will play at home to Luton or Grimsby, while the winner of Ipswich vs Burnley will take on either Sheffield Wednesday or Fleetwood Town. FA CUP 5TH ROUND DRAW: Southampton vs Luton/Grimsby, Leicester City vs Blackburn/Birmingham, Stoke City vs Brighton, Wrexham/Sheffield United vs Tottenham, Fulham/Sunderland vs Leeds, Bristol City vs Manchester City, Manchester United vs West Ham, Ipswich/Burnley vs Sheffield Wednesday/Fleetwood. /thesuntelegram FOLLOW ON TELEGRAM SCAN ME Toffees in need of makeover Dyche explains plans to ‘remodel’ Everton after signing two-and-a-half-year contract NEW Everton manager Sean Dyche wants to “remodel” the club but his first priority was finding reinforcements in the final few hours of the transfer window. The former Clarets boss, who has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, is looking to bring in a couple of players to bolster a squad low on confidence which has just lost Anthony Gordon to Newcastle but has yet to have any new additions this month. Dyche was not first choice to replace Frank Lampard, who was sacked last Monday. Former Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa was wanted to become Everton’s eighth permanent manager since Farhad Moshiri took ownership in 2016 and change the ethos of a club seemingly in terminal decline over the last few years. But the 51-year-old insisted there was no reason why he could not affect that change in his own way. Dyche is a wellknown hard taskmaster who made his Burnley team difficult to beat and he expects that to be the minimum standard for the squad he has inherited which is second-bottom in the Premier League after nine defeats in 12 matches. “There’s a big challenge ahead but one I’m ready for and want to take on. I’m looking forward to hopefully playing my part and realigning things,” he told evertontv. “We want to change the shape of this club going forwards, remodel it in our style, but remodel it in a way we can win. “We want to put out a team that works, that can fight and wear the badge with pride, beyond the tactical and technical. “I’m not questioning any manager who has been here before, I’ve got to imprint my feeling and my style on it and that’s part of what I do. “But it starts with hard graft, literally the hard yards. We have to fast-track it. We want truth and honesty and they will certainly get that from me.” Dyche’s appointment may not have been the ideal appointment the club or supporters wanted but it is probably the one they needed for the predicament they are in. He is unapologetic about his methods but accepts he has to win over a fanbase which is currently at odds with the club’s leadership and has a second protest planned against board members – including chairman Bill Kenwright and chief executive Denise BarrettBaxendale – for his first match at home to League leaders Arsenal on Saturday (8.30pm Malaysian time). “I’ve seen all the white noise at what’s going on but – at the end of the day – just give us a start and we will pay you back. That’s all I can ask for,” was his message to fans. “I am under no illusions I have to earn my right as manager here. I don’t expect a free ride from fans. “Even with the players, I have to earn that. I don’t expect them to just do what we ask. “All I can ask for is a bit of a breather because I know there’s a lot going on at the minute. “Anyone can take the wheel in calm waters but it’s not calm waters at the minute. “There’s not that much wrong, not as much wrong as you think. “Sometimes the lines between success and failure, they seem massive in football but there are some good things here and it is about adapting to how I think it could work better.” – The Independent Maguire ‘running out of patience’ MANCHESTER UNITED captain Harry Maguire will weigh up his future at the club at the end of the season after turning down a loan move to Inter Milan, according to reports. The defender is prepared to wait until the summer to decide whether or not to leave the club, having fallen out of favour under Erik ten Hag, but he is said to be quickly running out of patience. The 29-year-old has started only once in the Premier League this year after losing his place in the side to Lisandro Martinez, the £57 million (RM302m) signing from Ajax who has proved to be a huge hit with the club’s fanbase. Maguire was recalled to the side for United’s 3-1 win over Reading in the FA Cup fourth round, but the centreback – an £80m (RM424m) world record signing from Leicester City in 2019 – is considering his options. According to the Daily Star, Maguire will make a decision on his future at Old Trafford in the summer once the season has finished, as he wants to see first if he can work his way back into Ten Hag’s plans. The report says the Dutchman is “keen” to keep Maguire in his squad as the Red Devils endure one of the longest seasons in Premier League history due to the winter World Cup in Qatar. United are still challenging on all four fronts this season after reaching the semifinals of the Carabao Cup, last-16 knockout stage of the Europa League and fifth round of the FA Cup. Ten Hag’s men also hold a slim hope of challenging for the Premier League title as they are 11 points adrift of leaders Arsenal. It is likely Maguire will get chances to impress and the player demonstrated his willingness to fight for his place after snubbing a temporary switch to Italy. Inter Milan had enquired about his availability on loan to replace outgoing defender Milan Skriniar, but their request was knocked back by both Maguire and the club. After making only four starts in the League since Ten Hag took over, the former Leicester man is understandably not happy with his current situation. However, he has vowed to impress when he is eventually handed a chance in the first team. “I’m 29 and haven’t really been in this position in my career before,” Maguire said recently. “I don’t want to get used to it, but it is part and parcel of football. I’m pushing, training well, and when chance comes, I need to take it.” – Express Newspapers City have no margin for error, says Akanji MANUEL AKANJI feels Manchester City have no margin for error as they bid to overhaul Arsenal in the title race. Defending champions City trail the current Premier League leaders by five points, having played a game more, just over halfway through their campaign. With City also still competing in the FA Cup – after knocking out the Gunners last week – and their Champions League challenge soon to resume, there is plenty riding on most games. Akanji said: “Every game is important but in January and February there are a lot of games. “The Champions League is coming back now, it’s another big competition and we can’t lose any games, we can’t drop points. We know that and that’s how we go into every game, to get the three points.” City had an indifferent spell around the turn of the year, prompting manager Pep Guardiola to publicly question his players’ hunger. City suffered back-to-back defeats to Southampton and Manchester United before they needed to fight back from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham. The response since has been positive with victories over Wolves in the League and Arsenal in the FA Cup. Switzerland defender Akanji said: “It might have helped, it might have provoked us a little bit. Probably that’s what he (Guardiola) wanted. “I think we showed a great reaction in the games that we’ve had. The results weren’t always how we planned them or how we wanted it to be but we won the last three games so I think it’s a good turn that we took. Hopefully we can keep on this winning streak.” If City can start to look forward, the schedule does not get any easier. February sees them play Tottenham and Arsenal away in the League as part of five matches out of their six in the month that will be away from home. The Champions League knockout rounds also return, with the Blues in Leipzig towards the end of the month sandwiched between trips to Nottingham and Bournemouth. – The Independent/Agencies █ CARL MARKHAM █ ANDY HAMPSON ENGLISH FA CUP 4TH ROUND: Derby 0 West Ham 2. LA LIGA: Villarreal 0 Rayo Vallecano 1. Top 5 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 18 15 2 1 37 6 47 Real Madrid 18 13 3 2 38 16 42 Real Sociedad 19 12 3 4 28 18 39 A. Madrid 19 10 4 5 28 16 34 Villarreal 19 9 4 6 21 14 31 SERIE A: Udinese 1 Verona 1. Top 5 P W D L F A Pts Napoli 20 17 2 1 48 15 53 Inter Milan 20 13 1 6 40 26 40 Lazio 20 11 5 4 36 16 38 Atalanta 20 11 5 4 39 23 38 AC Milan 20 11 5 4 37 29 38 RESULTS & STANDINGS New Everton manager Sean Dyche Potential Spurs clash for Wrexham

theSun is published and printed by Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd (221220-K) of Lot 6, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7783 7435 • Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2624/5 Email: newsdesk@thesundaily.com • Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Fax: 03-7784 4424 Email: advertise@thesundaily.com WEDNESDAY • FEBRUARY 1, 2023 No party without Partey WHEN Julian Alvarez let fly, he had room to do so. His shot arrowed on to the base of the post. A few seconds later, Nathan Ake scored. Half an hour after that, the Premier League leaders were out of the FA Cup. It may not have been Arsenal’s greatest loss at the Etihad Stadium on Friday. Mikel Arteta had tried to take the risk-free approach. He had rested the majority of his regulars against Manchester City, his bench featuring six who would have begun a League game. But Thomas Partey started and suffered; his ribs were hurt in a collision with Ilkay Gundogan, his match ended at half-time and, when Alvarez then proved the catalyst for the winner, it was tempting to wonder if Partey would have closed him down and snuffed out the danger. Sometimes the best defensive midfielders attract attention more when they aren’t there than when they are. So mentions of, and laments for, Partey could abound in the next few weeks. He will have an MRI scan. Arsenal could be forgiven for fearing the worst. Injuries have cost them before. They might have won the title in 2008, after all, but for losing Eduardo at a similar stage of the season. In particular, Partey’s injuries have cost them before. They very probably would have qualified for the Champions League last season had Partey’s campaign lasted from August to May, not September to April. He missed their first three League games, and they lost all; he missed their last nine, and they lost four. No Partey, no party? They may think so. Partey isn’t quite their m o d e r n - d a y “Invincible”, but he isn’t far off. Arsenal have only lost four games this season. Partey sat out two, came off with the scores level on Friday and came on when PSV Eindhoven were already ahead. Still more than invincible, he has felt Arsenal’s indispensable. That a £60 million (RM318m) bid for Moises Caicedo preceded his injury was an expensive indication that Arteta recognised the need for an alternative. That it was rebuffed showed Brighton’s determination to keep the Ecuadorian. Defensive midfielders may now be commanding superstar-style prices. If it is another trend that stems from C h e l s e a ’ s overspending, given their pursuit of Enzo Fernandez, it may be reflected in some of the seasons of the elite. Rodri is integral for City, Manchester United’s improvement can be traced to the way Casemiro is such an upgrade on Scott McTominay and Fred and Partey has been terrific for Arsenal. The contrast is supplied by the underachievers Chelsea, suffering in the absence of N’Golo Kante, and Liverpool, sadly lacking the Fabinho of old. Arsenal offer a comparison to United: the gap between the first-choice holding player and his understudy is too big. That drop-off between first and second choice is one reason to anoint Partey the most important player in the Premier League. Another lies in a shift in tactics: push the rest of the midfield up to press high and the insurance policy becomes still more pivotal. As Casemiro and Rodri can testify, one player is often charged with doing the job of two. That Caicedo has similar power, and powers of anticipation and assurance in possession, suggests he is another of their rare breed. Maybe Arteta could shift Granit Xhaka or Oleksandr Zinchenko into Partey’s position, but the area where Arsenal seemed shortest of a pedigree replacement was at the base of the midfield. And an unwanted vision of life without Partey flags up questions of who or how they can cover and if his absence prompts a colossal bid. – The Independent █ RICHARD JOLLY West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen (left) celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English FA Cup 4th round match against Derby County at Pride Park yesterday. – REUTERSPIX Moyes relishing chance to take on United in FA Cup DAVID MOYES is relishing another trip to Old Trafford in the FA Cup after West Ham’s routine 2-0 win at Derby set up a fifth-round tie at his former club. Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio scored in either half for the Hammers, who will now face Manchester United in a cup competition for the fifth time in seven years. Moyes, sacked by United in 2014 only 10 months after replacing Sir Alex Ferguson, said: “I’m really looking forward to the game. I think it’s a really good game for us at West Ham. “I think maybe at the moment that’s the game we need because I think we’ve got players who want to play on the big stage and players who can play on the big stage. “There’s nothing bigger than Old Trafford, so I’m saying to the players, ‘Come on, let’s go and take it on and challenge them’.” West Ham will play United in a cup game for the third successive season. The Hammers won 1-0 at Old Trafford in last season’s Carabao Cup and lost by the same score in the FA Cup fifth round the year before. Moyes said: “Man United are playing very well. The manager’s doing a great job there, so it will be a tough, tough game, but why not? “If you’re going to get to the cup final, you’re going to have to find a way of knocking a few of the bigger teams out along the road.” Moyes described his side’s win at Derby as “job done”, having made six changes after their 2-0 home win against Everton nine days ago lifted them out of the Premier League’s bottom three. The Londoners made it back-to-back wins after beating Everton 2-0 to climb out of the Premier League’s bottom three nine days ago and rarely needed to hit top gear as they halted League One side Derby’s 19-game unbeaten run. Paul Warne’s side are flying high in fourth place in the third tier and there were high hopes of an upset among the home faithful before kickoff in a Pride Park crowd of 25,308. “Really thrilled that we’re through. It was never going to be an easy task coming to a team who are on such a good run and have Premier League potential, but we got through and we did the job.” Derby boss Paul Warne, who has guided his side to fourth place in League One after replacing interim manager Liam Rosenior in September, said he was proud of his players. “I am really proud to be fair and I quite enjoyed the game,” he said. “I asked the lads to puff their chests out and have a go. I know it was a year ago since the fans marched to save the club. “I showed the lads a bit of video of it before the game because there were some players who joined in the summer who weren’t aware of it. “I just said remember you have a whole city behind you so have a go and we did. The simple version is they were better. “The lads give everything they could. We just didn’t have enough guile in the final third. “I thought we went in at half-time 1-0 down but I didn’t really think we were losing if that makes sense. “We had moments where we were excellent and moved the ball really well but credit to West Ham they defended really well. “They made it difficult for us to create a goalscoring opportunity. I come away really proud. I love those guys, they gave everything.” Warne said the only disappointment on the night was the withdrawal of midfielder Max Bird, who is waiting to learn the full extent of a groin injury. “Losing Max Bird to an injury is a massive blow,” Warne added. “I would rather have lost 8-0 and not lost him truth be told.” – The Independent/Agencies Potential absence of Arsenal lynchpin could derail Gunners season Partey