The Iskandarian January 2021 ISSUE by The Iskandarian-WAVES Lifestyle

KDN : PP19356/08/2018(034949) | Singapore MICA : MCI (P) 079/12/2019

the

Iskandar Malaysia’s Official Newspaper is an effort by True Soul Media PLT & Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA)

ISSUE 101

Electricity Users Rejoice!

JAN 2021

Small Gestures of Appreciation

Page 3

Page 17

Accumulating Wealth

Monthly Drill with Lee-Ng Siew Koon, CEO of UMLand Hospitality Division

Threats and Potential Sectors in 2021 (Part 1) Page 14

Page 5

Vaccine: Is this the Dawn of Post-COVID-19?

Don’t shy away from getting vaccinated and know what to do post-vaccine

Many Malaysians hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel after over a year being “plagued” by this pandemic that has gripped the entire world to a standstill

t has been over a year since the world was alerted to the novella-coronavirus that we know as COVID-19 in December 2019. Since then, we have adjusted to a lot of new practises by wearing masks, sanitising and even working and learning remotely while so many industries are forced to move at a snail pace. The pandemic has dampened motivation and will among the people and the news of vaccine is seen as a hope to return to the life that we knew. Malaysia announced that it had agreed to purchase 12.8 million doses of the vaccine in November 2020 and expects to receive the first batch of

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in February 2021. Health Minister Adham Baba said the country has reached an agreement with AstraZeneca on the procurement of vaccines in mid-December 2020 and said it would be enough to vaccinate 20% of the 32 million Malaysians. Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that the government is planning to buy more COVID-19 vaccines to immunise as many as 70% of the population. “As for Malaysia, we have already got 30%. I have instructed Datuk Seri Adham Baba along with Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar (Minister

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian

of Science, Technology, and Innovation) to negotiate and increase it from 30-60% or 70%,” he said in a statement. Malaysia has actively reached out to 10 vaccine companies in phase III clinical trials, while also initiating the first COVID-19 vaccine trial in December 2020 as part of a government-togovernment agreement with China. It will be a Phase III trial of a vaccine candidate developed by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Institute of Medical Biology. Malaysia signed an MOU with China in October 2020 to allow priority access to COVID-19 vaccines produced by China. However, medical analysts cautioned that vaccinations might give people a false sense of security that masks are no longer needed. Unfortunately, this is not the case. It is reported that the

@theISKANDARIAN

duration of vaccine immunity is unclear, and this is one of the many factors. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs a minimum of two months of safety and efficacy data after completion of the emergency use authorisation vaccination regimen. When vaccination programmes are initiated, the duration of vaccine coverage has yet to be determined and will be tracked down. The good news is that the memory cells of our immune system, which recognises infections and mount an immune response, have persisted in some COVID-19 infected patients for more than six months. Further recognising this virus and the effectiveness of the vaccine, we must continue to adopt public health initiatives aimed at minimising coronavirus exposure, such as wearing a mask, washing hands and maintaining social distancing. With vaccines made available, new guidelines for tourism

www.linkedin.com/company/theiskandarian/

and hospitality to maintain safety could be initiated too. In December 2020, Singapore Airlines (SIA) began trials on a new certificate for digital health verification app created by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The first of its kind among major airlines, the app helps verify the COVID-19 test results and vaccine information from a passenger; it is in a bid to promote the return of air travel affected by the coronavirus pandemic. At the time of writing this report, more than 150 potential vaccines have been produced and tested worldwide to avoid the COVID-19 pandemic, with 48 in clinical trials, according to WHO. Thus far, Malaysia has reached over 100,000 active infections and recorded over 1,000 daily new positive cases with little decline in numbers as of date. Therefore, it is important to still adhere to all SOPs in place. - by Norfy Shafeq TI

www.theiskandarian.com

THE ISKANDARIAN

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

NEWS

RM617.9 Million for Preparation and Recuperation SEND LETTERs or inquiries to facebook.com/theiskandarian editor@theiskandarian.com www.theiskandarian.com

Our Friends

Johor State Tourism, Youth and Sports Committee chairman, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi during the SUKMA XX postponement announcement

t a t e To u r i s m , Youth and Sports Committee chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi answers the questions raised by Kempas, Semerah dan Tenggaroh in the Johor State Legislative Assembly on 1st December 2020

about SUKMA XX after it was announced to be delayed to the year 2022. Onn Hafiz said that of the 39 venues provided, 13 venues are newly built and 17 have been upgraded and the rest are existing venues. The construction of

new venues such as the Johor Velodrome, Gold Arena, Johor Shooting Centre, Football Square, Cruise Centre are part of the SUKMA 2020 games organisation costing RM617.9 Million. The cost of i n f ra s t r u c t u re development and sports facilities for SUKMA 2020 amounted to RM467.9 Million while the Management Cost was RM150 Million. RM142 Million out of it has been allocated by the federal government for infra development and RM65 Million for management. He added that MSNJ, Johor State Stadium Corporation (PSNJ), MBJB,

How is Iskandar Malaysia Going to Roll-Out its Data Plan?

arking the expansion of the data analytics initiative across the state of Johor, Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Ir. Hasni Mohammad has launched the Iskandar Malaysia Urban Observatory (IMUO) microsite on 21st December 2020.

Gleneagles MEDINI

“In The Arms Of One Who Cares”

Part of Johor Digital Agenda Hasni confidently states that Johor government is in full support of data analytics as a key item in the Johor Digital Agenda. The Johor Digital Agenda is the state government’s effort to accelerate the state’s economy, driven by the digital economy, taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic which has altered society’s survival. The IRDA-led data analytics platform project has 5 local authorities namely Iskandar Malaysia, Johor Bahru City Council, Iskandar Puteri City Council, Pasir Gudang City Council, Kulai Municipal Council, and Pontian District Council which were already on board. How Does IMUO Work? Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, Chief Executive of IRDA said that the IMUO will analyse huge amounts of data from various sensors

and sources to uncover patterns, get insights and extract valuable information. He added that IMUO is an internationally known initiative and already has United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) support. Data such as age, gender, household income and skill levels allow authorities to understand the Rakyat’s general representation and situation. IMUO as a powerful data analytics tool can help analyse them. As an example, 46% of the population in Iskandar Malaysia belongs to the younger age group below 40 years of age enabling the authority to prepare leadership skills for this youth category. What Comes Forth After the Analysis? The study of household income and form of housing also helped the region prepare effectively for one of its largest Rakyat ventures, the Iskandar Malaysia Bus Rapid Transit or IMBRT routes. The same analysis was also used to understand housing demand and supply. The IMUO data analytics platform can be found at (www. iskandarmalaysia.com.my/imuo). - by Norfy Shafeq TI

Datuk Hasni and Ayub Jamil were being briefed about IMUO at the booth

MBIP have held several meetings to determine the coordination and to make full use of the venues. Here are the outtakes from the meetings: • SUKMA venues will be training places for Johor athletes under the MSNJ programme and will also be used as local competition venues throughout the year 2021 until SUKMA XX Johor 2022. • A total of RM6.45 million has been allocated for SUKMA venues’ maintenance next year. • Depending on the COVID-19 situation – tournaments will also be held at the facilities.

• T h e state government through MSNJ has planned several agendas for the direction of SUKMA Johor athletes by introducing several initiatives such as educational assistance. The Johor State Sports Council (MSNJ) will work with Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam to provide a special course for SUKMA Johor athletes to further their studies under the OffCampus Studies (PLK) Diploma in Sports Science Management. 30 Johor athletes that signed up for this programme will be given a one-off assistance of RM1,000. - by Norfy Shafeq TI

Preparing Professionals to Foresee Complex Global Environment

(Left to Right) Emilia Tee, Director of Group Sustainability, Bursa Malaysia; Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, CEO of Bursa Malaysia; Ausvinna Karisa, Coordinator of UNGCMYB; Faroze Nadar, Executive Director of UNGCMYB UN Global Compact, Bursa Malaysia, collaborates to promote the sustainability agenda of the capital market

ursa Malaysia Bhd and the Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei (UNGCMYB) of the United Nations (UN) will work together to establish joint action plans to advance corporate sustainability agenda to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs). The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed involves cooperation on the creation of the Corporate Sustainability Competency Framework, aimed at serving as a guide for corporate sustainability professionals to assess job skills and core competencies. In a statement, Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia, said the framework was important to provide future professionals with the requisite skills and abilities to respond to the challenges of sustainability in an increasingly complex global environment. “The MoU signing with UNGCMYB reaffirms our commitment to make progress in building a sustainable marketplace and develop innovative solutions which will also play an important role in advancing the SDGs,” he said. UNGCMYB Executive Director Faroze Nadar said the partnership signals a common intention to lift the SDG ambition of Malaysian companies as the next competitive advantage, beyond price, quality and pace metrics for local and global trade, and to strengthen corporate sustainability credentials. The MoU will also leverage BURSASUSTAIN, the digital sustainability platform of the exchange, to engage stakeholders on related sustainability issues and developments in the capital market of Malaysia. TI

Published by True Soul Media PLT [No.51-B, Jalan Impian Emas 5/1, Taman Impian Emas, 81300 Johor Bahru] Printed by Percetakan Osacar Sdn Bhd [No. 16, Jalan IDA 1a, Industrial Desa Aman, Taman Desa Aman, Kepong, 52200 Kuala Lumpur] Copyright of articles, contributions and photos which are published by The Iskandarian is the property of True Soul Media PLT. The Iskandarian does its best to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of its contents, the publisher cannot accept any responsibilities for errors, mistakes and inaccuracies. The publisher reserves the rights of this product and no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the permission of the publisher.

THE ISKANDARIAN

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

How Sustainable is Johor?

alaysia’s Prime Minister, Tan Sri Dato‘ Haji Muhyiddin

Mohd Yassin has launched the Johor Sustainable Development Plan (PPMJ) 2030, a holistic plan

comprising numerous measures and strategies to achieve Johor’s economic growth with Menteri Besar of Johor, Datuk Ir. Haji Hasni Mohammad, and the Johor State Secretary, Dato’ Haji Azmi Rohani present. What is PPMJ 2030?

Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Tan Sri Dato ‘Haji Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin during the launch of PPMJ 2030 in between (left) Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Haji Ir. Hasni Mohammad and Johor State Secretary, Dato’ Haji Azmi Rohani

PPMJ 2030 is a 10-year plan that is driven and monitored to give priority to economic growth and environmental protection for people’s well-being and prosperity. It is anticipated that the plan will be able to push the state’s economy to remain sustainable and creative, as well as to

highlight facets of science, technology and digital covering the whole state and different walks of life. The plan also focuses on efforts to improve government administration, as well as on environmental protection programmes, infrastructure empowerment and a variety of related measures. The 3 Key Objectives Through the Vision of Shared Prosperity 2030 (WKB2030), the content of PPMJ 2030 is in line with the numerous initiatives outlined by the Federal Government by proposing three key objectives,

NEWS namely economic sustainability, physical sustainability and social sustainability, all backed by eight main thrusts. The Federal Government and the Johor State Government have come together to address a range of issues, including low-value economic chains, economic disparities between ethnic groups, income groups and regions, increased foreign equity and the Bumiputera agenda. These initiatives also involve the availability, in the face of the technological boom, of economic and human resources. “I am confident a

paradigm shift can be made in charting a sterling future for Johor in the next decade to make Johor a high performing state, and it fits well with the concept we bring which is Makmur Johor (Prosper Johor),” said Hasni during his closing speech at the State Assembly sitting, before the launch of the book. For further understanding on sustainable goals, read Corporate Sustainability Equation Reflections for 2030: https://www. theiskandarian.com/ news/sdgs- corporatesustainability-equationreflections-for2030/ - by Norfy Shafeq TI

Helping Orang Asli Children 55,000 Came Together for a Cleaner Johor Return to School Safe and Find out how much Protected energy was saved

High-achieving Orang Asli school - Sekolah Kampung Kudong in a forest reserve in Bekok, Johor TOP continues its collaboration with TESCO and Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (JAKOA) through TOP’s ‘A Brighter Future with TOP’ campaign

ith the spike in COVID-19 cases in the nation, and the move to online learning, children are hankering to get back to school in 2021. However, the pandemic has impacted the national economy especially among the Orang Asli population putting the back-to-school plans for these children in jeopardy. TOP, the Putra Brand Award 2019 Platinum winner for the household product category, returns with the ‘Brighter Future with TOP’ charity fundraising campaign with the goal of equipping 364 Orang Asli students in Pahang, Perak and Johor with back-to-school essentials for the 2021 school year by the 15th of

January. To reduce the risk of these children contracting COVID-19, TOP will be contributing two reusable cloth face masks, in addition to the back-toschool essentials of new uniforms, shoes, socks, school bags, stationery sets, colour pencils and exercise books for each child. The contribution serves to motivate the children to attend school, while easing their parents’ financial burden and giving parents peace of mind that their children are protected against the pandemic.

Over the past five years, the campaign has benefited approximately 2,500 children aged between 7 to 17 years from 79 communities in need including Orang Asli and NGOs serving orphans, and children from single parent households. Working with JAKOA, TOP shortlisted schools with full Orang Asli enrolment from areas that have seen significant reduc tion in income among families due to the pandemic, while celebrating the diversity, achievement and perseverance of these communities. The three Orang Asli primary schools receiving back-to-school essentials are SK Kampung Kudong a high-achieving Orang Asli school in a forest reserve in Bekok Johor, SK Pos Dipang in Jeram, Perak that has shown exceptional spirit in rebuilding from landslides, floods and other tragedies, and the isolated SK Terisu, in Cameron Highlands, Pahang where incomes have plummeted. - by Priya Manikam TI

through this annual challenge!

tarting out with only 23 schools in 2013, the Iskandar Malaysia Ecolife Challenge (IMELC) programme in the eighth year of its implementation has now involved 546 schools with 55,000 students from all over the state of Johor. Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, Chief Executive of IRDA, said, “IMELC is one of the initiatives in the Iskandar Malaysia Low Carbon Community Action Plan

(LCSBPIM 2025) that will have a positive impact on climate change. This will enable Iskandar Malaysia to balance rapid economic development with social development and environmental care and conservation for a more balanced way of life for the people in this region.” IMELC 2020

IMELC 2020 has been successfully implemented online through the development of modules by researchers at Universiti Tek nologi M alaysia through the Google Prof. platform. This digital version of a community awareness programme

Low Carbon Challenge’s champion for IMELC 2020, SK Bukit Mutiara

is the first of its kind in Malaysia. Collection of Recycled Goods Increased Despite the Pandemic Executive Director of SWM Environment Sdn. Bhd., Dr Uzir Abdul Malik said that a total of 232 tonnes of recycled goods were collected by students and teachers as well as parents, aiming to increase the national recycling percentage rate by up to 40% by 2025. IMELC 2020 also recorded an increase in the collection of recycled goods compared to 2019 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Over RM100K Saved! A total of RM19,172.05 electricity bill and RM29,192.39 water bills were successfully saved in October and November 2020, while RM52,930.61 (204,828.5 kg) was collected from early January until November 2020 - during this competition. A total of RM101,291.05 was saved and generated by students and schools participating in IMELC 2020. - by Norfy Shafeq TI

Electricity Users Rejoice! TNB to offer rebates for all account holders effective from 1st January 2021

Brighter Future with TOP Campaign Key Visual

enaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) will be giving all account holders a rebate of two sen per kilowatt hour effective from 1st Jan 2021.

“The government has agreed to also maintain the TNB basic tariff average at 39.45sen per kilowatt hour for 2021,” said Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah at a press conference on 23rd December 2020. Shamsul added that

the decision was made to further TNB’s Second Regulatory Period (RP2) (2018-2020) under the Incentive Based Regulation mechanism until 31st December 2021. According to Shamsul, the rebate will run for six months until 30th June.by Priya Manikam TI

THE ISKANDARIAN

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

How Important is Your Children’s Education? COVID-19 shouldn’t be in the way of your children’s education

he n a t i o n ’s COVID-19 statistics by the final quarter of 2020 continued to interrupt the recovery of education. With schools and educational institutions ordered to shut down during the prolonged CMCO till the

end of the academic year, this was the most testing time for many educational institutions. Surviving the CMCO, retaining students and bringing new student enrolments are priorities. As part of Private Education Entrepreneur Association M alaysia ( P E E A M ) ’s ongoing initiative to help ensure the recovery of educational institutions during CMCO,

a Virtual Education Expo 2021 (VEExpo 2021) will be organised to help educational institutions reach out to their prospective parents and students and to promote enrolment through this virtual event. In order to minimise the fiscal burden on organisations, the exhibition expenses have been held to a minimum so that more institutions

Give Way to the Siren

ver y second c o u n t s especially in a medical emergency and it is vital for us to be educated to give way to an ambulance as someone’s life may be at stake. Gleneagles Hospital Medini has made its ambulance service available for communities in Johor seeking immediate and life-threatening medical attention. The dedicated ambulance is another milestone

for the hospital in providing inclusive healthcare services for those in need. “We are driven to complement our service with the new ambulance equipped with the latest and advanced technology,” said Dr Kamal Amzan, Chief Executive Officer of Gleneagles Hospital Medini Johor. “Ambulance service is an important component of emergency care. We are solidifying our

Gleneagles Hospital Medini comes equipped with latest technology

reputation as a trusted healthcare partner with this grade A ambulance, equipped with life support and instruments critical to emergency care,” he added. Gleneagles Medini Hospital Johor started its operations five years ago and is a premier tertiary hospital with a capacity of 300 beds and a 140-suite medical office block located at the heart of Iskandar Puteri, Johor. Easily accessible by road, it is a modern hospital that offers wide range of medical specialties, diagnostics, imaging and screening services. For more information on Accident & Emergency care at Gleneagles Medini Hospital Johor, visit http:// gleneaglesmedini. com.my/. - by Priya Manikam TI

NEWS

can participate and reap the benefits. Hosted by PEEAM and organised by Xenodios Sdn. Bhd., VEExpo is a 3-day virtual exhibition, beginning on 1st January 2021, from 10am to 10pm, with free access to visitors. It’s a one-stop expo that consists everything about 2-12 years old education ranging from Task a, Tadika, Daycare/Transit, Tuition and Enrichment, educational-related products, parents/student resources and talks. Parents can easily browse and explore educational

opportunities and deals available from the comforts of their homes. VEExpo 2021 Registration is available to all educational institutions, parents and students.

• Educational institution: www.veexpo. my/register/exhibitor • Visitor: www.veexpo. m y / r e g i s t ra t i o n / v i s i t o r (free admission) - by Norfy Shafeq TI

Sneak peek of Virtual Education Expo 2021 (VEExpo 2021)

Zurich Malaysia Mobilises Flood Aid Vehicles to Expedite Claims Lodging a claim couldn’t have been made more convenient

ccording to the Malaysian Meteorological D e p a r t m e n t (METMalaysia), the annual monsoon season is forecast to run until March 2021. Anticipating that some customers in high risk areas might experience flooding, Zurich Malaysia (Zurich) has deployed a fleet of five Zurich Flood Aid vehicles to expedite non-motor claims of these affected customers. This initiative provides Zurich customers a faster and more convenient way to lodge a claim. Ta k i n g lead from METMalaysia’s statement on high risk areas, the fleet will roam the roads of Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuching

Left to right: Chief Claims Officer for General Claims Jayapragash Amblavanar, Zurich General Takaful’s CEO Nazrulhisham Ab d Hamid and Zurich General Insurance’s CEO Junior Cho preparing to flag off the Flood Aid vehicle fleet to provide on-site claims assistance for customers affected by flood throughout the monsoon season. Adjusters will be at hand to conduct assessment on the spot if the affected site is accessible and discuss the quantum of loss or damage for claims up to RM30,000. The Zurich Flood Aid vehicles will also distribute flood relief to ease claimants’ recovery process during the difficult time.

Zurich Insurance Group is a leading multi-line insurer that serves its customers in global and local markets. With about 55,000 employees, it provides a wide range of property and casualty, and life insurance products and services in more than 215 countries and territories. - by The Iskandarian TI

3 Important Facts about the Latest JDT Partnership

ohor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT) declared a historic collaboration with international organisation UNICEF to collect funds for the betterment of children. First in the region The collaboration with UNICEF is the first of its kind in the region and will continue to raise awareness of children’s needs. UNICEF works to ensure that every child has the opportunity to be healthy and happy, to live safely and to reach their full potential. JDT also works on corporate social responsibility programmes to give back to society, having recently confirmed a variety of foreign commercial collaborations

that are intended to produce an income for the club. “The most important aspect in a successful organisation is its human values,” said HRH Major General Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Crown Prince of Johor. “As an organisation, we are very successful commercially. So for the 2021 season it is very important to ensure we do not lose touch with our roots and our human perspective as an organisation. “We are proud to announce that JDT has secured a partnership with the world’s largest organisation for the betterment of children, UNICEF. This partnership is the first of its kind between a football club and UNICEF in the

region.” “We are very happy to position JDT as a champion of UNICEF’s causes globally alongside my good friend David Beckham and remind ourselves that children are the future, here in Johor and all around the world.”

from the 2019 JDT All-Stars Friendly to the Tunku Laksamana Johor Cancer Foundation, Women’s Aid Organisation, and Malaysia’s National Cancer

Society. On the front of the 2021 jerseys, the Southern Tigers may also bear the logo of UNICEF. - by Norfy Shafeq TI

Always a Humanitarian With numerous aids for flood and earthquake victims in Johor, Penang, Pahang, Sabah and more, JDT has always been swift to demonstrate their humanitarian arm. In this COVID-19 pandemic, the JDT players and officials have donated a portion of their salaries to the Johor Disaster Fund, while the club donated all proceeds

HRH Major General Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Crown Prince of Johor with UNICEF

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

THE ISKANDARIAN

NEWS

MONTHL

Lee-Ng Siew Koon CEO UMLand Hospitality Division UMLand Hospitality

DRILL

With over 40 years of experience in the hospitality business, Lee-Ng Siew Koon, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel & Restaurant Administration from Cornell University, has vast experience in different sectors of the industry.

From 1979 to 1989, she worked for the Mandarin Singapore Group, taking over the F&B and Conventions Division and was later promoted as their Housekeeping Manager. Siew Koon played a pivotal role in the transformation of the Sheraton Towers housekeeping operations. She coordinated with one of Queen Elizabeth’s Butlers, Ivor Spencer, to incorporate new procedures. Between 2000 and 2010, Siew Koon rendered her services as a consultant for various feasibility studies of ventures and projects. For the past 5 years, she has spearheaded the creation of the Suasana Suites brand of ground-up serviced apartments and is currently actively involved in making UMLand Hospitality as a renowned brand. How much has the hospitality industry evolved over the past 40 years? Back than, there were no computers, mobile phones, or digital keys, and a lot of work was done manually. 3 colour lights indicated the status of each room. Red for occupied, Umber for check out and green is to clean. The Umber & Red lights are switched on by the Front desk and only the green is switched on by the housekeeper at the room itself. Contact was also by pager, where we need to call the operator for messages. Metal keys were also used for individual rooms and we had to bring the key for each room we need to check. Tell us more about Suasana Suites and UMLand Hospitality UMLand is in development – building, homes, townships, complexes, hotels and mixed developments. UMLand Hospitality started as a subsidiary to assist UMLand manage the unsold & leaseback units of the condominiums that were built. UMLand’s Suasana Suites is considered a modern living in the heart of the city that combines the warmth and cosiness of home with luxury, facilities and services of a hotel. Our elegantly appointed suites are comfortable, thoughtful and luxurious, especially with a spacious living room and separate bedroom(s), including the latest modern comforts and features and a fully equipped kitchenette. We assure our guests an unforgettable stay experience with all the comforts of home. What do you think is important in making brands what they are? A brand’s success relies on the repetitive delivery of a consistent message. It is typically designed to cause immediate recognition by the user, inspiring trust, admiration, loyalty and an implied superiority. Therefore, the most important aspects of creating and building a successful brand can be summarised as – Consistency, Instant Recognition, Desirability and Repetition. Creating and sustaining trust is what branding, above everything else, is all about. The best and most successful brands are completely coherent. Every aspect of what they do and what they are, reinforces everything else. A successful and consistent brand

identity will distinguish and give recognition to your organisation as well as create a ‘desirability’ factor for existing and potential new customers, employees, supporters and stakeholders. In your opinion, what makes a great hotel, and for growing hotel businesses what can help them become great? Location is always number 1 and a great hotel has to be customer centric and anticipate guests’ needs. It should be able to provide guests with a carefree and enjoyable experience. It is vital for hotels to invest in both hardware and heart ware. Innovation, creativity and adaptability to the environment is also key. What are your thoughts on the changing landscape of the hospitality industry in this e-commerce and internet era? Things are happening so much quicker and people expect fast information and prompt services. Therefore, we need to embrace change and adapt quickly. Kiosks will replace receptionist, social media news spread faster than normal adverts and flyers, and people nowadays want to have quick, hassle free reservation and check in procedures. The new generation looks for “THE EXPERIENCE”, instead of the standard hotel feel. This has also enabled Airbnb concept to thrive and grow. It is likely to be the most preferred model going forward, as it’s also efficient and only need a very lean team to operate. What are the three most important pieces of advice you can give for a brand to succeed? Establish a brand mission statement. In essence, you’ll have to craft a clear expression of what your company is most passionate about. Before you can build a brand that your target audience trusts, you need to know what values your business provides. The mission statement basically defines a purpose for existing. Everything from your logo to your tagline, voice, message, and personality should reflect that mission. Next, outline the key qualities and benefits your brand offers. There will always be brands with bigger budgets and more resources to command their industry. Your products, services, and

benefits solely belong to you. Starting a brand that is memorable means you dig deep to figure out what you offer and no one else is offering. Focus on the qualities and benefits that make your company branding unique. Know exactly who your target audience is and give them a reason to choose your brand over another. It’s important to note that this is not just a laundry list of the features of your product or services offered to the customer or client. Think about how you provide value that improves consumers’ lives (outcomes or results that are experienced). Finally, integrate your brand into every aspect of your business. The brand building process never stops. Your brand should be visible and reflected in everything that your customer can see, read, and hear. If a client walks into your hotel — your brand image should be on display both in the environment and with personal interactions. Anything tangible from business cards to advertisements, to packaging and product, needs the stamp of your logo. On any digital platform, ensure that your brand looks the same everywhere. Use your brand style guide to create consistency with visuals such as colour and logo use, fonts, photography, and etc. Your website is the most important tool for marketing your brand. When you design your website, incorporate your voice, message, and personality into the content. Profile pages for social media networks should be branded visually, and with your chosen voice for engagement or

business. What is one thing that you would rate as most important in the hospitality industry? For the present moment, with the COVID-19 viruses mutating, the most important aspect is hygiene and cleanliness. We need to provide a safe and clean environment for everyone. A good reputation for cleanliness will go a long way. TI

Lee-Ng Siew Koon

Happy New Year!

The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle

M u s i c U p d at e s

editor’s note

GUESTSTAR, your Personalised Favourite STARS Video Content

R Priya Manikam waves.lifestyle@gmail.com

Happy New Year everyone! Welcome to another year and I pray that 2021 be filled with more positivity and good vibes. Taylor Swift surprised her fans recently by coming out with another brand new album titled evermore. It’s her 9th studio album so do check it out and tell us what you think of it. Meanwhile, over in Singapore, three most popular and celebrated young talents Yung Raja, Fariz Jabba and Zadon remade local classic songs for a multi-cultural EP titled ONE 65. Check out Waves Lifestyle’s socmeds and website for more details. Our movie partners are slowly showing signs of optimism for movie releases this year that were mostly pending since 2020. In that line, Sony Pictures Malaysia is releasing Monster Hunter this January at the cinemas near you. New beginning brings us new tidings, and we understand some people’s need for reasonable lunch options that are not only easy on the pockets but tasty too. So we hear you and have come up with our Top 3 Nasi Kukus joints that you ought to check out. For our Travel tales, we’d like to up the ante a bit and showcase you luxury local travel that you may like to embark upon without having to burn a hole in your wallet with air tickets! Flip over the page and discover Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas in our two part series. As always, for those wishing to share their fashion collection, travel tales, or like us to review your restaurant/hotel for a staycation, drop me an e-mail at waves.lifestyle@gmail. com and be featured. For more news, do access www.theiskandarian.com and https:// waves-lifestyle.com/ The Iskandarian wishes all readers, a very Happy & Prosperous 2021!

By Waves Lifestyle

egional event planning platform Effro launches GUESTSTAR – a new service arm which allows one to commission a star to produce unique video content for personal use. From birthday messages to wedding proposals, jokes to pep talk, consumers are able to engage their favourite local STARS in Malaysia and Singapore to produce a personalised video content at pocket –friendly prices for any occasion. “Gueststar is a unique platform that aims to bring your favourite stars closer to you. Through digital means, time and space are no longer deterrents in creating a beautiful experience for your loved ones. With Gueststar, the distance between you and your favourite stars is brought closer. Today’s stars are no longer just one-dimensional television personalities, they are also content creators. Gueststar provides an alternative platform for them to engage with their fans through personalised content,” commented Adam Tan, founder of Gueststar. Gueststar provides a seamless experience for consumers to engage a star to produce personalised content. Through the platform, consumers can submit a request to the star of their choice and include pointers for the video’s content. Within 7 days of a submitted request (subject to approval), a video ranging from 20 seconds to 2 minutes will be produced and delivered.

Over 50 well-loved STARS are available for hire on Gueststar: Singapore: Allan Wu, Andie Chen Gurmit Singh, Jason Godfrey, Jasper Lai, Patricia Mok and many more. Malaysia: Adeline Tsen, Aishah, Atilia Haron, Dina Nadzir, Dynas Mokhtar, Fahrin Ahmad, Hazami, Lavin Seow, Steve Yap, VE (Voice of Euphonious), Yasmin Hani and many more. Characters: Batman, Cinderella, Princess Jasmine, Queen Elsa and many more. Impersonator: Michael Jackson,

Taylor Swift and many more. Magician: Andrew Lee finalist of Asia Got Talents 2017 and Britain Got Talent 2018. The cost of engagement ranges from RM30 to RM3500, and while the videos are produced mainly in English, users are able to request for other languages such as Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin. Just in time for the festive season, Gueststar is now live and consumers can start requesting for personalised video content via www.gueststar.asia. TI

Global Superstar Taylor Swift Surprised Fans By Universal Music Singapore

Priya SEND LETTERS OR INQUIRIES TO www.facebook.com/waveslifestyle www.waves-lifestyle.com Waves.lifestyle@gmail.com Waves Lifestyle

JAN 2021 | Page 2

“

I’m elated to tell you that my 9th studio album, and folklore’s sister record, is finally out. It’s called ‘evermore’. To put it plainly, we just

couldn’t stop writing songs! To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice:

to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music. We chose to wander deeper in. I’ve never done this before. In the past I’ve always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the next one after an album was released. There was something different with folklore. In making it, I felt less like I was departing and more like I was returning. I loved the escapism I found in these imaginary/not imaginary tales. I loved the ways you welcomed the dreamscapes and tragedies and epic tales of love lost and found into your lives. So I just kept writing them. And I loved creating these songs with Aaron Dessner,

Jack Antonoff, WB, and Justin Vernon. We’ve also welcomed some new (and longtime) friends to our musical kitchen table this time around...” Click https://youtu.be/ RsEZmictANA to watch ‘willow’ MV. TI

JAN 2021 | Page 3

The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle

M OV I ES

MONSTER HUNTER Release date: 28th January 2021 Genre: Fantasy/Action/Thriller/Violence Director: Paul W.S. Anderson Producers: Jeremy Bolt, Paul W.S. Anderson, Dennis Berardi, Robert Kulzer, Martin Moszkowicz Cast: Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris, Meagan Good, Diego Boneta, Josh Helman Jin, Au-Yeung and Ron Perlman

ehind our world, there is another – a world of dangerous and powerful monsters that rule their domain with deadly ferocity. When Lt. Artemis (Milla Jovovich) and her elite unit are transported through a portal from our world to a new world, they are in for the shock of their lives. In her desperate attempt to get home, the brave lieutenant encounters a mysterious hunter ( Tony Jaa), whose unique skills have allowed him to survive in this hostile land. Faced with relentless and terrifying attacks from the monsters, the warriors team up to fight back and find a way home. The story is based on the global video game series phenomenon MONSTER HUNTER. *This film is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for the following reasons: sequences of creature action and violence throughout. TI

Source:

9 GSC Cinemas Cinemas Back in Business

ovie lovers, rejoice (excluding Johoreans for now)! Following the recent CMCO update announcement on 5th December 2020, Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) will be reopening 9 locations from 16th December, 6pm onwards with special sneak previews of Wonder Woman 1984. Ticket sales will be available on the same day and movie-goers can catch Diana Prince go up against the deadly Cheetah at: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

GSC GSC GSC GSC GSC GSC GSC GSC GSC

Sony Pictures Malaysia

and walk-in dining. The reopening of Jin Gastrobar included a host of dining promotions including three-course festive meals and Christmas cocktails, children’s menus, value sets, and much more. A limited menu of Jin’s best selections will also be available for GrabFood delivery from both locations. For the latest updates, follow GSC and Aurum’s social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (GSC) or Instagram (Aurum). TI

How COVID-19 Transformed Our Intelligence – Part 1 It’s been more than a year since COVID-19 first made its appearance in Wuhan, China and to this date, we have not fully recovered from the virus collectively. The rising waves of cases are testing our immune system and despite the overwhelming number of new cases, we crave for our usual routines. There are many factors why humans begin to ‘normalise’ COVID-19. One of them is our adaptability in dealing with our survival. We open to a new possibility where we are finding a way to co-exist with COVID-19. Our innate intelligence and the immune system are the players behind it. Fear and Immune System Do you know the primal fears you feel, particularly the fear for your survival is governed by the immune system? It is our primary intelligence that operates through instinct and intuition. Our immune system does not just fight viruses or bacteria, but the innate intelligence can gather energetic information from the environment and translate the information into intuition and instinct. In the presence of danger, our bodies communicate and prompt us into fight or flight response. Even though we do not experience a threat all the time, our immune system gathers information. Our wellbeing evolves on the corrective patterns and memory we build towards taste, hearing, and smell. With COVID-19, our immune system learns to adapt through changing patterns. It is one of the transformations we have experienced. Besides fighting the virus, immune intelligence also indirectly finds a way to survive socially and economically. Our collective immune system is the reason why regulations around COVID-19 change rapidly to ensure that the economy and social didn’t plunge to death. We began with strict lockdowns worldwide and soon realised it might not be entirely ideal economically. Without this extraordinary intelligence, we are not able to adapt to the changing patterns. In the next issue, we will look into the economic and social transformation around COVID-19. TI

Aman Central, Kedah Gurney Plaza, Penang Sunway Carnival, Penang Dataran Pahlawan, Melaka AEON Bandaraya Melaka Alamanda, Putrajaya East Coast Mall, Kuantan, Pahang Mentakab Star Mall, Pahang CityONE Megamall, Kuching

Be sure to stay tuned to GSC’s social media for updates on other titles that will be releasing soon including Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Mugen Train, The Con- Heartist, Seobok, Shock Wave 2, Your Eyes Tell, and many more. Additionally, GSC will also be reopening Jin Gastrobar in Aurum Theatre at The Gardens Mall, Kuala Lumpur and at The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey, Johor Bahru from 10th December for reservations

Rose Osman is a Certified Human Design Professional. She’s a guide for Living Your Design Workshop and coaches others on self healing for anxiety via E-courses and group workshops yourpersonalmotivator BucketOfRoses www.roselifecoach.com Discover your True Self, Inner Power, Potentials and Purpose with Human Design. Visit Facebook Page : Human Design Malaysia for more info.

JAN 2021 | Page 4

The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle

travel

7 Things You Must Try at Anantara Desaru With Your Family – Part One By Edey Suresh waves.lifestyle@gmail.com

inner of PropertyGuru Property Asia Awards 2020 for Best Luxury and Landed Development (Malaysia), Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas (Anantara) has 108 accommodations comprising of 90 tastefully decorated ensuite deluxe rooms in low-rise traditional Malay buildings that overlook the gardens, lagoon, and ocean. Thirteen stand-alone double story luxurious one and twobedroom pool villas are located around a lagoon. A 45-minutes’ drive from Johor Bahru to Desaru via the Senai-Desaru Expressway and an additional 15minutes from the toll gate to Anantara is all it takes to get you away from the bustling city to this world class luxury resort. Upon arriving, you’ll be treated to a pleasant check in experience while sipping on your welcome drink. The rooms are spacious, and the view is breath-taking. However, unlike your routine resort experience, here are the 7 things you can do at Anantara with your family that you won’t conventionally do at other resorts.

skills to wok-experience. It’s a wonderful couple’s activity as it is highly interactive, and you’ll get to learn about cultural significances and health benefits from the skilled chefs. My personal experience under Head Thai Chef Amara was amazing as she guided me in creating a delicious Green Papaya salad, her signature stir-fried Pad Thai and the mouth-watering favourite, Mango Sticky Rice.

2. Couples Spa Essence Session The recipient of Best Resort Spa in Malaysia award by World Spa Awards, Anantara Desaru’s Spa hosts their guests to immerse themselves in a true serene spa experience. Whether you are combating jetlag or just looking for a massage to unwind, Anantara’s

The resort’s stunning Guest Room Deluxe with a Sea View Bedroom

3. Puzzles and Wall Climbing at Layang- Layang Kids Club and Lungur Ombak

1. Couples Cooking at Spice Spoon Master authentic Malay or Thai cooking with this signature Anantara experience. The Spice Spoon cooking class is much more than your average cooking class as you’ll get tips and tricks of cooking mastery from the skilled Head Chefs who will share their knowledge with you from chopping board

Fun for little ones at the Layang Layang Kids Club spa offers an array of treatments that will leave the body feeling both, vibrant and relaxed. The spa at Anantara has six treatment rooms with en-suite bathroom, a relaxation area, shower facilities and premium branded products. Signature treatments offered at the resort include:

Fruits of labour - stir-fried Pad Thai

The Roots of Malaysia (90 minutes): A signature massage that combines the healing traditions and techniques of Malaysia. Your treatment begins with a foot soak and guided breathing techniques. This is followed by full body palm work combined with light foot pressure points and passive stretching. Anantara Signature Massage (60 & 90 minutes): Revered Eastern and Western massage techniques, combined with a

signature oil blend, stimulate the circulation, promote deep relaxation, and restore energy flow for supreme wellbeing. Bespoke Spa Experiences (60 & 90 minutes): Indulge in an exclusive spa journey designed around your needs and mood. Highlight the areas you wish to focus on, and the therapist will tailor the perfect treatment. No matter the treatment chosen, Anantara Spa is performed by highly trained and specialised therapists. The spa experts tailor the most perfect experiences by providing comprehensive menus of massages and body and facial treatments, bringing together exclusive ingredients and aromas, and time-honoured techniques to promote long-term health and wellbeing.

Watch cartoons, solve puzzles, indulge in arts and crafts or go for an exhilarating wall climbing session for the kids? Get it all at the Layang Layang Kids Club where parents have the option to leave the kids there for a period of time under the supervision of Anantara’s friendly and professional staff. If you’re a teenager, then head over to Lungur Ombak which comes equipped with traditional games, board games, pinball machines, PlayStation and more. The kids club and teens’ club will help parents keep the kids entertained with fun activities and more. To be continued… TI

Head Thai Chef Amara showing how it’s done

THE ISKANDARIAN

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

FEATURE

Forest City Reaches its 5th Milestone From a city developer to a city operator, Forest City celebrated its anniversary with remarkable achievements in Johor, Malaysia To date, multiple hightech industries, such as education, medical care, tourism and smart construction have been established here: 1. The IBS Phase I plant of Forest City has the largest single plant production capacity in Asia. It is designed to produce 260,000 cubic meters of concrete annually. 2. Established in 1858, the Mary School is one of Midwest of America’s oldest college. Under the American curriculum, Mary’s School offers education from kindergarten through high

Forest City’s 1st island after 5 years of development

o re s t C i t y h a s u n d e r g o n e its business transformation from being a city developer to a city operator. The company is fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities step by step. The establishment of high-tech enterprises with long-term development potential in Forest City will provide a solid industrial foundation for the regional economy in the long run. The city is making its way to develop Forest City into a prime model of future cities with industrial integration and great livability. Looking back the past five years, Forest City has achieved rapid development and remarkable milestones. At such a special moment, let’s take a look at the Forest City’s accomplishments. Green City Forest City has always adhered to the concept of sustainable development and has spared no effort in environmental protection and green ecological construction.

Since 2014, Forest City has been continuously cooperating with professional environmental consultant AES, hydrological consultant DHI, Universiti Putra Malaysia and other research institutions. Besides, their landscape team has also formulated a mangrove conservation plan. The Eco Museum phase 1 exhibition hall has been completed and opened in September 2020. It serves as a knowledge exchange platform for the residents, local community and other environmental volunteers. Phase 2 and 3 of the Eco Museum will surely become a gathering point for public cultural exchanges. As an advocate of “Sponge City”, Forest City has built 4 sewage treatment plants with a total capacity of approximately 170,400 P.E. The effluent will then be used for irrigation of roof gardens, vertical greenery, outdoor landscapes, as well as public toilets flushing, and etc. It’s notable that this project has won the title

Societal and education aid provided to 7 adopted schools of 2020 Asian Townscape Award. “Go Green” project was launched in 2019, and it has spearheaded multiple environmental activities to-date. Forest City has garnered support from various volunteers to participate in the green causes and collectively form a green culture. Since the beginning of 2017, Forest City has deployed hundreds of rubbish classification and recycling devices all over the island. Smart City For urban smar t operation, Forest City has worked on five aspects: smart management, smart transpor tation, smar t security, smart communities, and smart homes to improve the experience of residents and enterprises in the city enabled by the technologies. Industry-integrated City

Seagrass rehabilitation programme executed by experts from UPM

Forest City has never stopped its effort in industrial development.

The City Is Unveiled After five years of development, Forest City has formed the shape of a city and has also made a huge contribution to the economic and social development of Johor, Malaysia. Here are the achievements of Forest City with the following figures (Statistics as of November 2020): 1. T h e total investment of Forest City has exceeded RM 20 billion, with a total planned reclamation area of 30 square kilometres. To date, the completed reclamation area is about 9,088,838 square metres, and the road mileage has reached 35,969 metres. 2. To date, the total construction area of Forest City is about 4 million square metres, equivalent to 560 international standard football fields, or 60 Palace of Versailles, or 4 times the total area of Changi Airport terminals. 3. As of now, Forest City has paid a total sum of around RM759 million in

Forest City Eco Museum is an ecology exhibition & research hub school. 3. Forest City has two international standard golf courses, the Legend Golf Course and the Classic Golf Course, attracting golfers from all over the world to come for a golfing feast. 4. The establishment of Johor Digital Economy Centre will help develop Johor into a regional centre for e-commerce. It will accelerate the digital transformation of local enterprises, and provide training to the local talents. 5. CIMB, one of the largest commercial banks in Malaysia, also set up a new concept digital branch.

upstream and downstream industries. 4. In terms of CSR, Forest City has invested more than RM140 million in environmental protection, and more than RM53 million for charity, including the adoption of 7 local schools and 7 local villages. The Green Journey to be continued In 2020, Forest City published the Forest City Ecological Development Action Plan in conjunction with its 5th anniversary in December 2020. This plan outlined the mission of Forest City ecological development. Forest City will carry out green infrastructure development as a foundation. The development of Forest City is a collective effor t by different stakeholders. Forest City has also welcomed working par tners, businesses, residents as well as employees to celebrate this exceptional milestone by sharing their experiences with Forest City along the way. The first five-year development plan of Forest City has been concluded, and the next five-year is approaching. Forest City will continue to bring in high-tech industries to empower the economic development, provide the residents with smarter and safer urban management services, create a green and environmentally friendly life experience for the residents and the local community, and promote multicultural

Forest City Industrialised Building System (IBS) Plant has set a record in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) as Malaysia’s largest fully automated IBS factory in the country taxes and fees to different government bodies of Malaysia and created 11077 job opportunities for

integration in the city. The future is calling, let us join hands and usher into the next five years!

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

THE ISKANDARIAN

FEATURE

THE ISKANDARIAN

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

LIVE

Malaysia Cements its Position as World’s Healthcare Marvel 26 awards at the Global Health Asia Pacific Awards 2020

alaysia continues to make waves as the World’s Healthcare Marvel, most recently at the Global Health Asia Pacific Awards 2020. Securing 26 awards, Malaysia was commended for its excellent management of the COVID-19 pandemic and leadership in the healthcare sector, while private healthcare institutions were acknowledged for continued medical and service excellence. Sherene Azli, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), who was recognised for ‘Outstanding Leadership in Healthcare Travel’ said, “Amidst the ongoing pandemic, Malaysia Healthcare still strives to exemplify the best practices in medical and service excellence, a testament to our global position as the World’s Healthcare Marvel.” Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry has been recognised as a key driver for economic revitalisation, having earned RM1.7 billion in hospital receipts and contributed RM7 billion to the economy in 2019. “Malaysia Healthcare is seeing a positive economic rebound thanks to

the Government’s support and the unwavering commitment of the private healthcare sector, as well as all our dedicated industry players along the value chain,” she added. Shedding light on Malaysia Healthcare’s plans moving forward, Sherene explained, “Anchoring on collaborative efforts, Malaysia was among the first countries in the world to establish a medical travel bubble. This is our way of ensuring continuity of care, especially for those in need of continued treatment. In addition to this, Malaysia Healthcare will forge forward into the new future by exploring digitalisation in healthcare while pursuing aggressive branding and marketing efforts to keep Malaysia as the top-ofmind destination for healthcare for when the borders eventually reopen.” The awards also recognised the Ministry of Health Malaysia for ‘Stellar COVID-19 Achievement of the Year’ while its Director General of Health, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement

Award. 2020 marked the fifth installation of the awards organised by Global Health and Travel. The awards recognises the commitment of healthcare travel players in the Asia Pacific region who have demonstrated c o n s i s t e n t s t a n d a rd s i n healthcare delivery and patient exper ience. The judging process of the awards employs a methodology comprising a consumer survey, panel of industry experts, fulfilment of pre-determined judging criteria, market research reports as well as Global Health Asia Pacific’s expert knowledge. M a l a y s i a’s w o r l d - c l a s s quality, easily accessible, and affordable healthcare continues to be commended by international bodies amidst the global pandemic. It was one of the countries that demonstrated the best COVID-19 response recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Malaysia also reclaimed the coveted ‘Destination of the Year’ and ‘Cluster of the Year’ titles, each for the fourth time at the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) Medical Travel

Awards 2020 in London. Malaysia Healthcare also hosted their second Medical Travel Media Awards virtually on the 10th of December 2020

which which recognised medical travel journalism excellence. To find out more about the awards virtual ceremony, visit: https:// www.mhtc.org.my/mtma/. TI

Sherene Azli, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), with her award for ‘Outstanding Leadership in Healthcare Travel’ from the Global Health Asia Pacific Awards 2020

Seahorses Aplenty in the Tebrau Strait…

ew realise that the dark waters of the western Tebrau Strait between Singapore’s industrial area and the Port of Tg Pelepas and Forest City in Gelang Patah, Johor is home to the Spotted seahorse (Hippocampus kuda) and the Three-spot seahorse (Hippocampus trimaculatus). Every once in a while another species, the Tiger-tail seahorse (Hippocampus comes) will float over from Singapore.

These enigmatic creatures are fish covered in bony plates (not scales) that swim upright, propelled by a tiny fin on their back. They entwine their tails around seagrass and seem to melt into the murk, but a sharp eye will be able to spot them. They mate for life; if you find one adult seahorse, its partner should be nearby. Seahorses don’t have teeth but they inhale tiny crustacea

Serina Rahman Serina Rahman is the co-founder of Kelab Alami and a Visiting Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. She is also a winner of the Iskandar Malaysia Social Hero Awards (IMSHA) and plankton with their long snouts. Male seahorses hold the eggs from a female in his pouch until they are ready to hatch into perfect tiny imitations of their parents. Unfortunately, only 1 in 1000 of these tiny critters survive in the wild. For now, seahorses can still be found in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, but they are e n d a n g e re d. Th e l o c a l community in this area are working with other

stakeholders to prevent collectors from taking them to sell as Chinese medicine or for ‘breeding programmes’. Kelab Alami studies local seahorse populations in the seagrass meadows of Mukim Tanjung Kupang (sponsored by the Johor Port Authority) and conducts guided seagrass habitat walks where you might be able to spot these magical critters. Log on to kelabalami.weebly.com for more information. TI

THE ISKANDARIAN

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

WORK

Excess Workforce Is it Time to Say Goodbye?

he COVID-19 pandemic has somewhat shaped the way we manage our businesses and employees. The introduction of reliable online platforms to connec t wor kers has significantly reduced mobility issues, the time taken to set up meetings and making decisions. The exploitation of systematic software to manage payrolls has reduced the process flows for managing employee entitlements. The digitalisation and automation of businesses has reduced the need for labour workers. The burning question: “Do we still need to maintain the existing number of workforce we have today?” At this point when the economy is in turmoil, companies are exploring options to increase productivity and at the same time reducing business expenses to ensure financial stability in the long run. One of the main costs for most businesses is employee

overhead expenses e.g. basic wages, statutory payments, benefits, and etc. Therefore, many companies are faced with the following dilemmas: 1) I s the existing workforce sustainable under this current economy? 2) How do we reduce the number of the workforce? and lastly 3) What does the law say about reducing the number of the workforce? Is the existing number of workforce sustainable under this economy? The advancement of technologies and automation of industries has taught us one thing: conventional business methods are behind time, for example, “more manpower; more productivity ”. From a financial standpoint, your company will have to study and understand the relationship between the

business requirements and the number of employees needed. The reduction of manpower will instantaneously reduce overhead business expenses. How do we reduce the number of the workforce? When your company has identified the ideal number of the required workforce, you have several options to release excess or redundant employees. Companies can choose between a Voluntary Separation Scheme ( VSS), Mutual Separation Scheme (MSS), or a retrenchment exercise. The best option for the company will be depending on the number of impacted employees, the selection process, the costs involved, and the desired timeline. The company will have to comply with existing clauses of the employment contracts, handbooks, and legislation. What does the law say about reducing the workforce? It is a principle of the industrial

law that a company has every right to reorganise its business in any manner for the economy, provided that it must be done in bona fide (good faith) and the manner in which it was conducted – just and fair. Bona fide situations within the context of a workforce reduction are construed to the justification of redundancy during a retrenchment exercise. In the case of Stephen Bong v FCB (M) Sdn Bhd [1999] 1 LNS 131 the High court held that “... it is not the law that redundancy means the job or work no longer exists. Redundancy situations arise when the business requires fewer employees of whatever kind”. Therefore, in a retrenchment exercise, the Company will have to justify a redundancy in the workforce and that they have complied with existing employment clauses and legislations. Conclusion Changes are never easy, but they

Dzulfadhli bin Lamin Lead Consultant MECA South Sdn Bhd dzul@meca.com.my

are very crucial in a business. In light of the ongoing pandemic, certain measures have to be taken to ensure business sustainability. Be mindful to comply with the existing laws and regulations when reducing the excess within your company. TI

EDUCATION

Kaspersky Detects Four-Digit Increase in Threats Disguised as E-Learning Platform in SEA Global cybersecurity company shares tips on how educators can keep their data safe

ith the risks of COVID-19 expected to be present until a vaccine is fully available to all, educational institutions across Southeast Asia (SEA) are forced to adapt to this unique situation. The unexpected disruption required educators to move offline schooling to remote or hybrid learning environments, with little to no preparation at all. Aside from the technical aspects of this shift, cybercriminals are also preying on the already burdened sector. Globally, the total number of DDoS attacks increased by 80% in Q1 2020 when compared to Q1 2019. Moreover, attacks

on educational resources accounted for a large portion of this growth. Between January and June 2020, the number of DDoS attacks affecting educational resources increased by at least 350% when compared to the corresponding month in 2019. Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) also showed a steep surge in the number of users in SEA who faced threats disguised as e-learning and videoconferencing platforms during the first three quarters of 2020. From just 131 affected users on January to March 2020, the second quarter saw Kaspersky solutions protecting 1,483 unique users in SEA against online threats related with virtual education and online videoconferencing applications, a 1032% increase in a per quarter

comparison. The global cybersecurity company also monitored a slight decrease to 1,166 users almost infected with malware in the third quarter. Kaspersky suggests the following steps on how educators can improve their security online: 1. Learn about the tools you are using - Know their capabilities and features as well as you can by reading through the instructions, learning the interface, and searching on the Internet for configuration guides. Ensure that you follow the rules set by your institution as well. 2. Limit your tools The IT tools you select to conduct classes should be convenient for both teachers and students. More tools does not necessarily mean a better experience. Before starting classes, make sure you have sufficient tools for the job

and that all participants in the educational process are comfortable using them. 3. Set a unique password for each service - For every account, you need one unique password. Of course, all of your passwords should be strong — long enough and not too obvious. 4. Guard your educational accounts Pay careful attention to the accounts you use for educational purposes. You should have no problems accessing them at any moment, and no one else should be able to log in to them. 5. Understand how to recognise phishing e-mails – It is important to know how to distinguish phishing attempts from official mailings and the messages legitimate services might send. Phishing sites often contain errors, misaligned layouts, and broken links, but sometimes scammers

manage to c re ate phishing pages that are indistinguishable from the real thing. 6. Protect devices - You need reliable protection on every device you use to access educational resources. If a student’s school computer is crawled by ransomware, for example, restoring the computer and files can waste a lot of valuable time.

And if a teacher’s computer becomes compromised, things can get even more interesting. Some malware may try to spread to students’ devices. That is why you need reliable protection on all computers, smartphones, and tablets. To find out more about Kaspersky latest report on the risks against the education sector here. TI

THE ISKANDARIAN

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

INVEST

Accumulating Wealth Tips & Tricks

Threats and Potential Sectors in 2021 (Part 1)

inally, the Republicans have accepted Joe Biden’s victory after the Electoral College vote. This is great news for the global stock market, as the confirmation of the incoming global leader signifies that the largest world economy is ready to move on. The positive US Future openings on 15th December 2020 have affirmed this. In addition, the vaccine optimism plus higher oil price would see a celebrative window dressing in the forming this New Year. We can see almost all global market indexes have returned to the bull territory and have continued showing their strengths. In Malaysia, the passing of Budget 2021 has eliminated a big uncertainty, for political stability is the keystone for a performing stock market. Since the KLCI

has turned bullish a month ago, other sectors have followed suit subsequently, including the most depressing construction and property indexes. So are we out of the woods already? Based on the macro development and the market performance, we can see some signs of recovery. To see things from a different perspective, let us look at the oil price, which is an important barometer for the economy recovery. The infographic shows the Crude Oil WTI Futures’ chart on 16th December 2020, and it shows that the crude oil has been hovering between USD$35-44 / barrel since June 2020 for six months. There were two months where the oil turned bearish before it returned to the bull region. At the time of writing, oil has stood

firmly above the MA200 for nearly a month. This is a positive sign. But more significantly, it has filled the big gap that was formed in March 2020 after a few attempts. A big gap signifies a big resistance to overcome. Therefore, if it has filled the gap and stood well above it for over a month, it is a confirmation of an uptrend. Seeing the current situation, I would not be surprised if oil breaks USD$50 in the near term. Potential Threats Before we get too excited after seeing the stabilised macro and micro condition, let us be aware of the potential threats, which could cause social and economic disorder. Firstly, there is no sign that COVID-19 is nearing to an end. Not only are we hearing of more

cases and casualties on a daily basis, there have been news on mutated virus reported. So far, WHO is still studying it and no one can tell whether the mutated virus is insusceptible to the vaccine. Furthermore, there were new cases reported in China’s Heilongjiang since the second week of December. All these tell us that the global health crisis is far from over. Secondly, the geopolitical tensions across the world are not to be underestimated. The end of the U.S. presidential election does not mean the end of the dispute. President-elect Biden is facing the U.S that has never been so divided before. The friction between China and India, China and Taiwan, coupled with the provocative acts by some countries; has rubbed salt into the wound. Let us not forget the ongoing US-China trade war, because the change of president does not mean an end of the trade tension. Moreover, we have not mentioned natural disasters, climate change and food crisis yet. They all can disrupt the economy too. Potential Sectors

The companies or strategies mentioned in this article are meant for study purpose only. It doesn’t constitute any ‘buy’ or ‘sell’ recommendation. Please consult your financial professional if you want to make any decision. (Source: www.investing.com)

Not all is bad. In almost every year, there were challenges to overcome and yet there were sectors that have thrived. Not everyone would suffer in a recession. As investors, our role is to discover potential industry and study them. The following

Tey Bin Yuen Binyuen is the founder of BY Enrich Resources and the author of ‘Life beyond the Comfort Zone’ and ‘Profit from Share Investment’. His books are available in the National Libraries in Malaysia and Singapore or online via http://www.teybinyuen.com/ profitfromshareinvestment sectors would stand a higher chance to perform in this year: 1) Technology It benefits humankind. Whether you like it or not, you would be part of the evolution, whether it’s 5G, automotive LED, electric car, or Artificial Intelligence, to name a few. The advantage of technology companies is that most of them offer products and services to the whole world, which gives them competitive strength. You may therefore, peruse a few technology companies that have performed well in the past few years, such as JHM, D&O, Vitrox, Penta, Gtronics, UWC, Greatech, MI and so forth. Conclusion While the year 2020 has been harsh, it was nevertheless a year of opportunities. Let us be mindful of the risks ahead and continue discovering further potential industry in the next issue. TI

THE ISKANDARIAN

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

PLAY

It Looks Like a Normal Workshop But...

Crossword Puzzle Interactive Crossword Puzzle! Hints are in the articles. Take up the challenge!

Women-friendly is JHLDO’s main aim at their car workshop

Keep washing your hands regularly with soap and water!

CLICK TO PLAY

every month The Iskandarian shares what you should and should not be doing in your communities !

DOODLE

roblems persist each time ladies take their wheels to the workshop, i.e. the possibilities of getting cheated of their money! There are also issues like having to depend on male figures to handle their vehicles for so long and when there are none available at the time of need, the vehicles are left unattended due to the unfamiliarity of how to deal with it. This has been the founder of Johor Lady Drivers Only (JHLDO), Malisa New’s concerns when she coordinated work in her family’s car workshop for 10 years together with her sister, Wendy New. Seeing the problems persisting when it involves lady drivers, they tried their best to help them out and gathered all their courage to break the norms and found JHLDO as a safe space for women. Her extensive knowledge was obtained while coordinating between supplies and mechanics, as she had to know what spare parts were needed for which issues in the car and one thing led to another, she had more than enough experience to fix cars and

is now ready to help other ladies with their wheels. JHLDO is a young community with free membership specifically for women in Johor Bahru. Aiming to provide a womenfriendly car workshop services, the growing community also holds learning and sharing sessions about vehicles in a Facebook group and through live broadcast hosted by Loft Affair. Malisa hopes that this effort would help women to be more pro-active on car maintenance and that the perception of ladies being unfamiliar with their vehicles would be a thing of the past. As we discussed the issues further, it looks like the majority of the women we talked to are interested to join such communities, and pretty sure you would too. Visit JHLDO’s Facebook for more information https://www.facebook.com/Johor-LadyDrivers-Only-JHLDO or pique your interest through their linktree https://linktr.ee/JHLD O?fbclid=IwAR296IL5BJSTN4zJ6k58t5_8pBJa HVzQ2293RAOW6BL03mMPRwP1XCCMw7U - by Norfy Shafeq TI

Malisa New and Wendy New, founder and co-founder of JHLDO at the front of their decades-old family car workshop in Tampoi

Top 3 Nasi Kukus in JB Malaysians and their love for rice are inseparable. The versatility it has includes being steamed to a different fragrant and textures of rice which is great to be paired with crispy chicken parts, curry gravy, ulam mostly consisting of cucumber slices and a spoonful of sambal belacan to add some zing. Steamed rice meal or Nasi Kukus is a notorious favourite for many locals and we have our top 3 favourites that you must try.

MZ Nasi Kukus Impian Emas

Nasi Kukus Ayam Goreng Berempah Cupchai Cafe & Resto Pre-pandemic, this is the place to be when one craves steaming rice of goodness with a hipster and youthful environment. Cupchai Cafe & Resto is known for its extensive Johor’s delicacies and one of its signature dishes is their flavourful Nasi Kukus Ayam Berempah. Find them or order online at: Address: 1-16, Jln Padi Emas 1/4, Kampung Skudai Kanan, 81200 Johor Bahru Price: RM10.00

Quick, tasty, affordable and simple – all that a busy worker could wish for at lunch time. Under the tent in the middle of workplace square, there it is at the corner, giving off whiffs of freshly deepfried chicken, crunchy cucumber and gentle yet spicy sambal with its steamed rice. This stall is tremendously popular and is very affordable too. Do check out the neighbouring stalls that sell beverages to go with your rice pack and you’re all set. Find Caltex petrol station, Taman Impian Emas and you will find the tent nearby: Address: Caltex, No 72, 3, Jalan Seri Impian 1, Impian Heights, 81300 Skudai, Johor Price: RM6.00

Nasi Kukus Gulai Kawah D’Cempaka Trust a seasoned catering service to give you the best bundle of Nasi Kukus with the richest curry gravy and crispiest chicken ever! Cooked daily, the pack of rice at this stall is never short of long queues, virtually and in real life. The steaming rice is served hot at: Address: Hanafi Catering, G 41, Jalan Persiaran Teratai, Taman Cempaka, 81200 Johor Bahru Price: RM8.00

We hope you’re salivating with our picks and hop in the car/bike to get these goodness during your next lunch break. - by Norfy Shafeq

The Iskandarian ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

i-Park @ Senai Airport City by IPark Development Sdn. Bhd. emerged as one of the Regional Winners at the 15th Edition of PropertyGuru Asia Awards Grand Final pg 19

PROPERTY

PROPERTY INSIGHT

@ home

RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS

APARTMENTS

VILLAS

CONDOMINIUMS

OFFICE/RETAILSPACE

Four transit houses destroyed in a fire at Taman Bayu Damai, Pengerang, Johor - KPRJ eases the burden of the residents pg 19

Read this article on our website

RTS - boon or bane for the property market?

Frontier Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hostel gets a lookover

Connect with us on Facebook

THE ISKANDARIAN

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

Frontier Park Gets a New Hostel 2,212 workers in Desa Cemerlang gets a dormitory that is certified under Act 446

uman Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan has officially opened Johor’s first workers’ hostel that is certified under the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act (Act 446) at Frontier Park Hostel in Desa Cemerlang here. He handed the certificate over to Datuk Jack Wan, the Managing Director of hostel operator Kujaya Management Sdn Bhd in a ceremony also attended by the DirectorGeneral of Labour, Asri Ab Rahman and Johor Director of Labour, Zaini Bin Yaacob. Witnessing the ceremony were Woon Yet Leng, Managing Director of WB Land Sdn Bhd,

and Meiban Technology Malaysia Sdn Bhd whose workers are housed at the hostel. Saravanan later signed a plaque to commemorate the official opening of the five-storey hostel designed and built by WB Land Sdn Bhd and managed by Kujaya Management Sdn Bhd. On Kujaya Management, Wan said it was a leading RBA-compliant provider of accommodation in Malaysia. RBA regulations are drawn up to ensure workers are treated with respect and dignity, and that business operations are environmentallyresponsible and conducted ethically. He said the hostel was

equipped with automated facial recognition facility at its secured entrance and exit point while a thermalbody scanner was deployed to display the temperature of anyone entering the premises. “Our policy is to manage all our hostels with a focus on safety, health and hygiene to make them feel it’s like home. We practise fair and humane treatment in managing occupants and treat all of them like family members. We comply with all statutory requirements and International Standards such as RBA.” Wan added that Kujaya has won The Best Hostel Management Manufacturing Sector, and would be open to guide other dormitory management providers in Malaysia. He re-iterated that

How is Damansara Assets Making their Buildings Greener? Damansara Assets Sdn Bhd (DASB) manages iconic buildings around Johor Bahru town and more

ohor Corporation (JCorp) and Cenergi EE Holdings Sdn Bhd (Cenergi) signed an MOU to form a strategic partnership for advanced facilities management ser vices with zero upfront solar energy capital and energy efficient programmes. This joint venture provides building managers with an affordable, energy efficient approach to building management. The MOU was signed by Hazman Hilmi Sallahuddin, DASB Managing Director and Hairol Azizi Tajudin, Cenergi Group Chief Executive Officer, to promote and provide DASB-owned or operating buildings and potentially other building owners with sustainable energy efficient building management services. DASB provides both the development and operation of rooftop solar and energy efficiency programmes. Cenergi complements its services. By putting in rooftop solar panels

and advanced electrical equipment, the endto-end solution offered is aimed at producing energy and saving money. This programme is accomplished through third party organisations, known as the Solar Power Purchase Agreement (SPPA) and the Energy Savings Per formance Agreement (ESPA) (ESPA). SPPA and ESPA systems help owners produce their own renewable energy, reduce their carbon footprint and save electricity costs. This partnership will first carry out this end-to-end solution to DASB-owned or its selected managed buildings. “ We expec t that the electricity bills in these buildings will be reduced by 10-20% after

the completion of the retrofitting, depending on the type and level of the retrofitting work,” said Hazman Hilmi Sallahuddin. DASB and Cenergi plans to deliver this end-to-end solution in the longer term to building owners across the country. In Malaysia, up to 13% of total energy use, 48% of electricity consumption and 20% of GHGs is accounted for by commercial buildings. Transportation and industry are the third largest producers of GHGs and Malaysia is working towards a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2020 and 45% by 2030. To reduce carbon emissions, the government plans to achieve 20% of renewable energy in the energy mix by 2025. - by Norfy Shafeq TI

Kujaya has adopted and strictly enforced all the required standard operating procedures stipulated by the Ministry of Health to combat the current COVID-19 pandemic. The hostel which is now fully occupied, boasts of recreational, canteen and commercial facilities such as food stalls, mini-mart and retail shops that more than meet the basic needs of the workers. WB Land General Manager Kevin Woon said it was fitting that the hostel has met the requirements of both under Act 446 and RBA as Frontier Park was the first in Johor to provide the Gated, Guarded, and Green pro-business environment with a two-acre Central Park back in 2014. “We have created an environment that’s suited for both factory operators

PROPERTY and staff – winning various accolades including Best Industrial Development,” said Kevin, adding that this firstin-Johor certification was another feather in its cap. “Not many people know that we are also the first workers’ hostel in Johor to provide a one-acre sports park,” he said. “Even from the design stage, we have kept in mind the comfort and safety of workers. We

Datuk Seri M. Saravanan signing the plaque to officially open Frontier Park Hostel with Woon Yet Leng of WB Land looking on

Small Gestures of Appreciation

aragon Globe Berhad (Paragon) has extended its suppor t to the frontliners in Hospital Sultan Ismail, Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru and Hospital Permai Johor Bahru by contributing a total of 300 goody bags of essentials to showcase its appreciation for their efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Each hospital received 100 goody bags that were filled with hand cream and essential items such as instant coffee, instant chocolate malt drink, crackers, cup noodle and snack. The initiative to distribute the hand cream is to help the frontliners to replenish and hydrate their hands due to frequent and prolonged use of ethanolbased hand sanitisers.

used S-form aluminum for mwor k to build concrete wall structures even at higher cost but this resulted in neater wall finishes,” added Kevin. With personal space, comfort and convenience factored in, the hostel offers tiled-floors, aluminum window louvres, sockets with USB ports for charging phones and four toilets per apartment. - by Priya Manikam TI

Commenting on the “Show the Appreciation to Hospital Frontliners” Programme, Dato’ Sri Edwin Tan Pei Seng, Chairman Executive of Paragon Globe, said, “The immense dedication, invaluable commitment and unwavering efforts of the frontliners amidst the COVID-19 pandemic are truly incomparable.” “ This contribution

was part of our corporate social responsibilit y (CSR) programme, where we hope to cheer the frontliners with these small gestures of appreciation,” he added. On 30th March 2020, Paragon had donated 100,000 pieces of 3-layer surgical face masks to the Johor state government to support the government in its efforts to address the safety needs of medical teams, relevant authorities and the citizens. - by Priya Manikam TI

100 bags handed over to Norfazila, Assistant Director of Hospital Permai Johor Bahru by Paragon Globe CEO, Gary Goh Soo Liang

8000 Face Masks, 312 Bottles of Sanitisers

J Damansara Assets Sdn Bhd (DASB) Managing Director, Hazman Hilmi Sallahuddin and Cenergi Group Chief Executive Officer, Hairol Azizi Tajudin after MoU signing

ohor Corporation (JCorp) and Group of companies had recently contributed 8,000 face masks, 312 bottles of hand sanitisers and lunch meals to the frontliners at Kulim Training Centre KTC) in Kota Tinggi, Johor. KTC is a training facility owned by JCorp’s subsidiary, Kulim (Malaysia) Berhad (Kulim) which houses 42 dialysis patients since 15th November 2020. The initiative is a joint effort between the Ministry of Health (MoH) and JCorp to ease congestion

at the gazetted COVID-19 hospitals. The contribution was supervised by Kulim and presented by representatives from Waqaf An-Nur Corporation Berhad, KPJ Healthcare Berhad and QSR Brands (M) Holdings Berhad to the MOH staff representative. Since March 2020, JCorp through the ‘JCorp Prihatin’ has channelled contributions of more than RM4.54 million to assist the government in this unprecedented crisis. TI

THE ISKANDARIAN

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

PROPERTY

5 Ways for Johor to Drive the Economy through Drones

ne of the highlights of 2020 has to be when Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB) launched DRZ Iskandar making Iskandar Puteri, Johor the first Drone and Robotic Zone in South East Asia. In line with the launch of the ISKANDAR NEXT initiative on a public-private partnership programme with the Johor state government, DRZ Iskandar intends to build a drone and robotic ecosystem in Iskandar, which would become a growth driver, technology leader and talent. DRZ Iskandar was jointly launched by Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) and Datuk Ir. Hasni Mohammad, the Menteri Besar of Johor via a virtual platform. Also witnessing the official launch are Mohd Izhar Ahmad, the

Johor State EXCO of Investment, Entrepreneur, Cooperative and Human Resource together with representatives from DHL, MaGIC and IIB Group of Companies. We’ve explored the five ways that DRZ Iskandar will be driving the new economy: Expected Investment and Job Creation DRZ Iskandar is projected to bring in RM351mil of investment and generate 1,000 high-value jobs by 2025 in drone and robotics. The Asian drone market is projected to rise from USD8.6 billion in 2020 to USD17.9 billion in 2025 in revenue, according to the 2020 industry report generated by Drone Industry Insight. Malaysia aspires to be the frontrunner in the drone industry. Local Talent - Human Capital According to Khairy Jamaluddin, “DRZ Iskandar and NTIS share the same aspirations in our effort to upskill local talents and move them higher up in the technology value chain, thus creating greater socio-economic impact. Through this partnership, NTIS will now be able to connect our local technology companies to bigger industry players and multinational companies such as DHL”.

Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Ir. Hasni Mohammad during the DRZ virtual launch. On screen is Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI)

International Tech Companies to Invest According to Datuk Hasni, the Digital Johor Corporation, which would be established soon, will play an important role alongside IIB to ensure our digital economy plan

How Will RTS Impact the Property Market? – Part 1 Background of the RTS Link The ground-breaking ceremony of the Rapid Transit System Link (RTS) on 22nd November 2020 was a much awaited event after numerous delays since the idea was mooted in 2011. This project will feature a 4-storey CIQ complex which will be part of a transitoriented development that will also comprise a multimodal transport hub and mixed property development. It is a 4.2-km light rail linking the Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru to Woodlands North terminus in Singapore. This will be the second rail link between the two countries after the KTM Intercity Shuttle Tebrau. It is expected to replace the existing railway line and shuttle train services between JB Sentral and Woodlands Train Checkpoint. A bilateral agreement on the Link was signed back in January 2018. Under this agreement, construction of the Link was to start in 2019 with completion and operations by 2024. However the project was suspended for a review on the construction under the PH government. In October 2019, the former Prime Minister announced that the project would proceed with a 36% cost reduction to RM3.16 billion from RM4.93 billion. The estimated 10,000 passengers per hour per direction via the RTS is about half of the usual number of passengers who use the causeway between the two

countries. This should help ease the longstanding congestion issue. At a frequency of 3.6 minutes per train during peak hour and 6 minutes during non-peak, the traffic bottleneck that chocked the causeway will be significantly lightened. If everything runs smoothly according to plan, the total project duration is estimated to be 6 years, i.e. 4 years of civil works and 2 years of system installation and operation testing. The RTS is slated to be ready in 2026. This is a realistic timeline and hopefully no unforeseen circumstances that cause surprises and further delay this project. A depot will be built near the RTS Link at Wadi Hana to carry out maintenance and servicing works for the trains. Having the depot in Johor Bahru will avail about 1,500 job opportunities into the market. This project is expected to benefit 323 Johor Bumiputera contractors as MRT Corp has allocated 40% of the project’s overall public infrastructure construction to be implemented by the Johor Centre for Construction Development (JCCD) contractors. Passengers only need to clear the immigration at the point of departure to ensure smooth seamless flow at the points of arrival, whether at the Bukit Chagar or Woodlands North stations. This will reduce substantial queuing time needed

is achieved. “I would like to urge IIB and its group of companies together with their esteemed partners to work closely with Digital Johor Corporation and other government agencies to jointly develop the DRZ Iskandar ecosystem,” added Hasni. New Partnership and Stakeholders DRZ Iskandar also welcomed new partners and stakeholders into the ecosystem. MaGIC signed an MoU with IIB Ventures, a subsidiary of IIB and with DHL in Iskandar Malaysia. Medini has been established as a location for DRZ Iskandar based on existing infrastructure and facilities that are continually being developed and updated. The DRZ is suitable for identified activities, including the Drone Test Zone (DTZ) together with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). It aims to develop a robust ecosystem where talents for the DroneTech industry are trained and certified. Tested and Proven NTIS through MaGIC collaborated with the country’s largest plantation operator, FELDA, to deliver social impact. Collectively, IIB has created close to 10,000 jobs across five promoted sectors in Iskandar Puteri and made an estimated RM400 millions of total revenue for the government. - by Norfy Shafeq TI

Best Employers Malaysia Awards 2020 Goes to… “Our organisation is only as good as our people”, Mohd Faris, Managing Director

K By Sr Samuel Tan Executive Director KGV International Property Consultants at both immigrations upon arrival. Some issues the authority will need to pay particular attention to will be: • Ingress and egress of the RTS station – current road provision may not be able to cater to the ferrying cars / shuttle buses picking up and dropping off the deluge of passengers. • Car and motorcycle parking lots will be in grave shortage and will cascade to rampant illegal parking problems. • Connectivity between the RTS station and other buildings need to be well planned with provisions like covered pedestrian walkway, ramps and railing and etc. In the next issue, I’ll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the RTS Link. TI

ulim (Malaysia) Berhad (Kulim), a wholly owned subsidiary of Johor Corporation and one of the leading palm oil groups with operations in Malaysia and Indonesia announced that the company was awarded the prestigious “Best Employers Malaysia 2020” for Government-linked Companies category at the Kincentric Best Employers Malaysia 2020 Learning Conference & Award Ceremony. Recently held virtually across the country, the awarding body measures and recognises world-leading employers with more than 50 years’ experience in culture and engagement, leadership assessment and development, HR and talent advisory services globally. The esteemed award is a testament to the ongoing commitment of Kulim to extend and improve his agility, involving leadership and talent emphasis to drive growth, success and change. “We are proud and humbled by this significant recognition. At Kulim, our organisation is only as good as our people. We always take pride in our effort to nurture the human capital and strive to enhance working environment that allows our people to be themselves, while providing them opportunities and support to grow their career,” said Mohd Faris Adli Shukery, Managing Director of Kulim. Before this recognition, at the 11th Annual Global CSR Summit Awards Ceremony 2019 by Pinnacle Group International, Kulim was awarded the Gold Award for Best Workplace Practices, honouring companies for their excellent, creative and world-class products, facilities, ventures and initiatives. Kulim will continue to honour its commitment to people first by strengthening its culture, HR practices, leadership, as well as training and development programmes. - by Priya Manikam TI

ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021

THE ISKANDARIAN

Enjoy the Festivities at WCT Malls Mall visitors can also look forward to a truly magical month of December at WCT Malls with a slew of activities suitable for the entire family. A Jolly Jingle Christmas at PMJB

Enjoy special decorations and activities until the 3rd of January 2021 at Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru

With COVID-19 still very much prevalent, exercise precaution and adhere to social distancing whilst shopping

elebration, fun, frolic and merrymaking is what characterises Christmas and WCT Malls is set to be the ultimate festive celebratory destination with a host of magnificent activities and experiences being offered from now until 3rd January 2021. Mall visitors can treat themselves to bright, lively colours and dazzling Instagram-worthy festive Christmas decorations. WCT malls, namely Paradigm Mall Petaling Jaya, Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru, gateway@klia2, and SkyPark Terminal have adorned themselves with giant red, gold and silver ornaments, garlands and multicolour curtains and fairy lights. The mall also has giant festive Christmas trees, for shoppers to take holiday-themed pictures until 3rd January 2021. To further elevate the festive spirit and making the Christmas celebrations extraordinary, each mall under WCT Malls will be offering attractive rewards, exclusive redemptions and fun-filled activities for shoppers to enjoy. Patrons will be spoilt for choice and can find a variety of products with irresistible discounts and promotions offered by the tenants of the malls.

Mall Visitors to Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru can witness the vibrant and dazzling decorations along with amazing lineup of activities including festive dance performances, fun-filled workshops, jolly carols & acapella music performances. Spend & Redeem at WCT Malls Shopping this festive season is about to become merrier as WCT Malls is rewarding lucky shoppers with e-vouchers. Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru Spend & Win Don’t miss out on the chance to win amazing prizes when you shop at PMJB from now until 28th February 2021. Top three (3) spenders will stand a chance to win Zero uCooper Ex Massage Sofa, iPhone 11, or uDream Massage Sofa. Spend & Redeem Spend RM200 and above (in maximum of 2 combined receipts on the same day) to be entitled to redeem one (1) piece of RM10 WCT Buddy e-cash voucher*; or Spend RM500 and above (in maximum of 5 combined receipts on the same day) to be entitled to redeem three (3) pieces of RM10 WCT Buddy e-cash vouchers*. Visit www.paradigmall.com.my/jb for more information. WCT Malls Management Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of WCT Holdings Berhad, was incorporated in 2015 to primarily manage shopping malls under the WCT Group, namely Paradigm Mall Petaling Jaya, Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru, gateway@ klia2 airport mall, and SkyPark Terminal 3. WCT Holdings Berhad is listed on the main market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad. - by The Iskandarian TI

PROPERTY

Saving Grace from the Blaze KPRJ reached out to the 15 needy victims in time of need

our transit house residents of Taman Bayu Damai, Pengerang, Johor had their three houses destroyed in a fire and one with its bedroom severely damaged at 10.00pm on 7th December 2020. The 15 victims’ plight came to the attention of Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor Sdn Bhd (KPRJ) through its subsidiary KPRJ Development Sdn Bhd (KDSB) as the operator of the transit house in Taman Bayu Damai, entrusted by the Johor State Economic Planning Division (BPENJ). In order to help ease the burden of the fire victims, KPRJ was tasked by BPENJ and the Kota Tinggi District Office (PDKT) to immediately identify 4 vacant transit housing units and refurbish them – which was done within 10 days as required by BPENJ and PDKT. The victims received their house keys in a handover ceremony held on 20th December 2020 at the transit house in Taman Bayu Damai. The main handover ceremony was

completed by the Managing Director of Tanjung Surat Sub-District, Md Faizul Md Fadzil. Arry Nazroun bin Ahmad, Assistant Managing Director of KDSB, along with Members of State Assemblymen (ADUN) & BPENJ were also present. Umi Amira Buang, one of the victims, said, “I am grateful that our home, which was destroyed in the fire, has been replaced by a new house that is comfortable for our family, otherwise we would not have a roof over our head. Thank you, BPENJ, PDKT and KPRJ”. KPRJ also provided monetary donations to all the fire victims in order to ease their burden in purchasing necessities. The transit house project was built to provide temporary accommodation for residents that were involved in the development of the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC) consisting of former temporary occupancy license (TOL) holders, tenants and squatters in Pengerang, Kota Tinggi District, Johor. 150 units of transit houses in Taman Bayu Damai, a type of 1-storey longhouse were built on 6.20 acres of land. - by Norfy Shafeq TI

Transit house key handover ceremony, from the penghulu to Abdul Halim

87 Companies Competed for 35 Sought-After Regional Titles

ropertyGuru, Southeast Asia’s leading property technology company, made history several times over with the airing of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final as a virtual gala event and awards ceremony. As well as being the first virtual edition of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final, the special broadcast marked the 15th edition of the prestigious, long-running real estate awards programme in December 2020. The 15th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final laurelled developers and projects from 14 property markets in Southeast Asia with highly coveted regional titles – elevating them above their peers as the “Best in Asia”. Around 87 companies, representing distinguished country winners of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards series this year, competed for 35 accolades, including the never-before- presented regional Developer titles of Best Mixed

Use Developer (Asia), Best Industrial Developer (Asia), Best Lifestyle Developer (Asia), Best Sustainable Developer (Asia), Best Commercial Developer (Asia) and Best Breakthrough Developer (Asia). With three regional Developer awards, Singapore emerged as the most awarded country during the 15th edition of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final. The 15th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final saw the presentation of the annual PropertyGuru Icon Award to Thippaporn Ahriyavraromp (Chearavanont), Chairman of Executive Committee, DTGO, Chairman of Executive Committee, MQDC and Chairman of Buddharaksa Foundation. Thippaporn Ahriyavraromp had been named Thailand Real Estate Personality of the Year in 2012 – the first woman to receive the title. Australia, Malaysia and the Philippines also gained one regional title each. Paragon of Pyrmont by THIRDi Group in Australia

was named Best Housing Development (Asia), besting nine projects in Southeast Asia and mainland China. Meanwhile, i-Park @ Senai Airport City in Johor, Malaysia by IPark Development Sdn. Bhd. in Malaysia was named Best Industrial Estate Development (Asia). From the Philippines, Agriya by Damosa Land, Inc. was judged the clear winner of the Best Residential Green Development (Asia) title. “The PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards started 15 years ago with an aim to, among others, create what’s next and celebrate success – a programme that provides a widely respected, highly trusted platform to showcase the achievements and innovations of developers across Asia Pacific. It is truly gratifying to see the programme persist with engaging, immersive, and interactive ways to broadcast the achievements of developers in these extraordinary times but also expand into exciting new markets outside Southeast Asia in its 15th year. We are also

proud that the awards continue to inform residents of Asian countries of more choices of high-quality real estate – living up to our promise that everyone should have a place to call home,” said Hari V. Krishnan, CEO of PropertyGuru Group. For more information, email awards@ propertyguru.com or visit the official website: AsiaPropertyAwards.com. - by Priya Manikam TI

The Iskandarian ISSUE 101 | JAN 2021 Advertisement