The Iskandarian Jan 2015 Issue by The Iskandarian-WAVES Lifestyle

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The Iskandarian ISSUE 29 | JAN 2015

Official Newspaper

KDN : PP17797/06/2012(032765) | Singapore MICA : MCI (P) 144/11/2014

The Iskandarian, Iskandar Malaysia’s Premier Community Newspaper, is a publicprivate collaborative product by IRDA’s Social Development Division

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The Iskandarian Monthly Drill

We get in touch with CEOs & Chairmen to drill them with questions

The GST system will be implemented on the 1st April 2015. The GST system will replace the existing Sales and Service Tax

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- Balkhis Binti Haji Wahab Deputy Director Royal Malaysian Customs Department (Johor) pg 9

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Tigers vs Lions Neighbours: Malaysians and Singaporeans constantly label each other in a never-ending bid to outdo the other. We gathered 45 individuals to disclose their place card thoughts on our neighbours across the bridge and also shared some thoughts on living costs in both countries against the faltering Ringgit pg 5

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INSIDE Minister KJ attends DRH & TAR collaborative effort to adopt students pg 13

ISKANRNIVAL 2014 Highlights from this year’s carnival pg 7

Tourism Malaysia expands its Tourism Industry pg 12

pg 4

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Toll Wars: RM20 VEP fee for Singaporean vehicles Concern: Malaysia will charge RM20 vehicle entry permit (VEP) for all foreignregistered vehicles coming in from Singapore in the middle of 2015 By Maisarah newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

pic: Nicholas Vincent

eputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said the imposition of the fee was approved by Prime Minister Najib Razak in July 2014. “The Transport Ministry is working out details of the VEP’s implementation at the two entry-points in Johor, which is the Causeway and the Second Link, before it is enforced,” Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times. Singapore now charges S$35 (RM92.40) VEP a day for four-wheel vehicles and S$4 daily for motorcycles except on weekends and Singapore public holidays. Traffic between both countries through the Causeway and Second Link is estimated at 400,000 crossings both ways daily. Malaysian-registered vehicles

The toll wars will continue if Singapore responds with more charges currently pay zero VEP if they enter the Lion City on weekends, Singaporean public holidays, 10 business days per calendar year and between 5 pm and 2 am on other weekdays, although a revision of this

is being proposed. Channel NewsAsia reported that Singapore’s Transport Ministry is studying Malaysia’s move and will decide on a response “in due course.” A round trip to Malaysia

using the Causeway now costs about S$13.10 - more than five times the cost before revisions by the two sides on Oct 1 2014. The cost of a similar trip using the Second Link in Tuas remains unchanged at S$12.40.

JB10K Run Back For Another Round Interest: Great Eastern Life Company brings back the JB10K Run promoting healthy lifestyle to the society

he JB10K Run recently organised by the Great Eastern Life saw thousands of participants coming as early as the crack of dawn to warm up and run while promoting healthy lifestyle among the society. “Great Eastern, being a life company is not like other insurance companies. We promote a healthy lifestyle and not just sell insurance. That’s why we call ourselves a ‘Life Company’,” said Dato’ Koh Yaw Hui, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Great Eastern Life Assurance. Dato’ Benjamin Haji Hasbie, Federal Commissioner of Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) joined Dato’ Koh in the cycling

group ushering the runners of the JB10K Run. “This corporate social responsibility event is organised to encourage the society to participate in healthy lifestyle programmes. This is in line with the Iskandar Malaysia’s vision of having strong and sustainable metropolis of international standing focusing on healthy and smart community. On top of that, we strongly support all activities which is low in carbon output,” said Dato’ Benjamin. The Federal Commissioner also said that this is a good example of collaboration between the public and private sector with the community.

Thousands turn up for the JB10K Run Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) also agrees with the direction taken by the private and public sector along with the society because it is on par with the mission to transform and make Johor Bahru a green and

international city. This event will be an annual event that will come with many more activities such as Zumba and Yoga that aims to promote healthy lifestyles and living.

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The Iskandarian ISSUE 29 | JAN 2015

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STELIS Biopharma CEO Joe Thomas speaks about bringing GreenTech to Iskandar pg 15 Malaysia

JobsMalaysia Serving “Dinner” for Hungry Job Seekers Opportunity: Azam Kerja Night Career Fair Johor 2014 offered more than 2,500 jobs from 50 different employers around Johor ranging from various job descriptions and qualifications By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

obsMalaysia Iskandar Malaysia Centre under the Johor Labour Department recently gathered 50 employers who offered over 2,500 jobs around Johor. This strategic location and space saw people coming from all over Johor looking for a career. Azam Kerja Night Career Fair 2014 is now in its third year. This programme is part of a government initiative to improve the lives of the rakyat through these job vacancies offered. It provides an opportunity for job seekers to come

to a specific location and look and choose a job description of their interest and qualification. The programme which was scheduled in the evening provided a perfect timing for both employers offering the jobs and job seekers to have the time after work and look for opportunities. Chairman of the Johor Human Resource and Unity Committee, Vidyananthan Ramanadhan officiated the event with a speech and gimmick of cutting the ribbon at the entrance gate of the career fair. “The youth and fresh graduates should take this

opportunity to seek for jobs offered in and around Johor,” said Vidyananthan. He added, “Job vacancies offered here today ranged from the lowest grade to the high paying manager levels, which means there are opportunities for all levels of qualification.” Among the companies present at the Azam Kerja Night Career Fair 2014 were Dyson Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Glenmarie Properties Sdn Bhd, Johor Port Berhad, Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Mewaholeo Industries Sdn Bhd, Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd and many more.

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Even highly regulated Singapore sees ignorant drivers -Posted by Amanda Chng Expose inconsiderate motorists at our facebook rant group: Against Inconsiderate Motorists (AIM)

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The Iskandarian ISSUE 29 | JAN 2015

Fun Run for the Zoo

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Responsible: JOSO organised the Iskandar Charity Run 2014 to raise funds for the Johor Zoo

Back-To-School with UEM Sunrise

Cause: UEM Sunrise brings cheer to the children of the Orang Asli community in Kampung Simpang Arang, Gelang Patah through its Back-To-School programme By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

U IRDA’s Chief Executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim (fourth from left) seen here with the winners

hemed “Fun Run for the Zoo”, Johor Sons (JOSO) Malaysia recently organised the Iskandar Charity Run 2014 at Iskandar Malaysia. The charity run was supported by Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) and Johor Zoo, and powered by the Johor International Youth Hub (HAB). YB Tan Sri Datuk Seri Shahrir Abdul Samad, Advisor and Member of IRDA Advisory Council and also Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, IRDA Chief Executive were present to grace the event. The charity run was held in conjunction with the Iskandar Youth Event which was held a week before. Promoting healthy lifestyle and green living, JOSO,

IRDA and MBJB is trying to inculcate these values among the rakyat of Iskandar Malaysia in line with the vision of making Johor Bahru an International City. Aimed at raising funds for the Johor Zoo, specifically the endangered Sun Bear, the donations will go directly to the cause. There were two categories which were Open Category and Fun Run Category. The Open Category required participants to run for 10km with minimum age of 12 years old. As for the Fun Run Category, participants ran for 3km with no age restrictions. Sponsors for the event were from Johor Corporation, SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd, Country Garden Pacificview, Abdul Rahman Saad and Associate, and Milo.

EM S u n r i s e ’s B a c k -To - S c h o o l programme was successfully organised for the Orang Asli children of Kampung Simpang Arang, Gelang Patah. The event was officiated and graced by the presence of the Johor State Deputy of Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (JAKOA), Abdul Aziz bin Ngah who handed over the items to the Orang Asli children of Kampung Simpang Arang along with UEM Sunrise’s Senior General Manager, Mohd Nadzari bin Haji Bachek. The programme was also attended by fellow villagers of Kampung Simpang Arang. Currently in its second year, the programme aims to ease the burden of the families involved towards the preparation of their children for the upcoming 2015 school season. “This Back-To-School programme is not only to encourage the Orang Asli to send their children to school

UEM Sunrise’s Senior General Manager, Mohd Nadzari bin Hj Bachek (left) handing over the goodies and get education but also to encourage the timid indigenous people of Gelang Patah to go out, explore and associate themselves with the society and also to enjoy the development of the region together,” said Nadzari. The event saw a total of 131 primary and secondary students receiving school supplies including two sets of school uniforms, a set of socks and school shoes as well as stationery amounting to RM250 per person. Muhammad Zulhilmi bin Muhammad Najib, a

Johor Police HQ 07-221 2999 / 07-225 4499

Nusajaya Police IPD 07-511 4222

Tourism Malaysia Hotline 1300 88 5050

Johor Tourism 07-223 4935 / 224 9960

Senai International Airport 07-599 4500

JB South Police IPD 07-2218 999

Ministry of Tourism (Johor) 07-223 3171

Tourism Malaysia Johor 07-222 3590 / 91

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primary three student of SK Taman Nusa Perintis was one of the children of the Orang Asli that received a bag of school supplies. “I am so happy and excited to receive all of these items. I feel so enthused to restart my school session,” he said. Nadzari also added, “As a responsible corporate citizen, UEM Sunrise is committed to share our values with the community, in line with our corporate responsibility objectives. We aim at creating a better living for the people within our developments and areas that we operate”.

Development Authority (IRDA) 07-233 3000

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The Iskandarian ISSUE 29 | JAN 2015

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Tigers vs Lions

Neighbours: Malaysians and Singaporeans constantly label each other in a never-ending bid to outdo the other. We gathered 45 individuals to disclose their place card thoughts on our neighbours across the bridge and from cover page also shared some thoughts on living costs in both countries against the faltering Ringgit

By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

ecently, we’ve seen Malaysia hit by an economic blow when the MYR dropped to 2.67 (1SGD). This is even lower than the massive economic downturn in 1997. Singaporeans being the opportunists, flood over to Malaysian borders to enjoy cheaper goods and services. Many also pounce at the opportunity to travel to destinations in Malaysia such as Melaka, Penang or Kuala Lumpur to shop and sightsee with friends and family. Malaysia and Singapore are similar in so many ways, yet, most of the time they can be worlds apart. Separated by the Straits of Johore, the two countries are linked by only two bridges where majority of the commuters differ mainly in lifestyle. Malaysians cross the border to search for a living, whereas Singaporeans drive over mostly to flaunt their superiority in currency. Both Malaysia and Singapore have the same multicultural society. Be it the Malays, Chinese, Indians, and others, they share the same love for food, travel, sports and etc. However, we have seen through the years that many Malaysians flock to Singapore as early as before dawn to rush in to get to their jobs and earn a living. With so much in common, Malaysians and Singaporeans are practically cousins (either by blood or by bond) but the majority of us will

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaysia and Singapore

source : http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

refute that statement and would prefer to label our neighbours from across the bridge. We at The Iskandarian thought we’ll take it one step further by to find out, what do Malaysians or Johorians in particular think of our Singaporean neighbours (refer to the images of our fellow Johorians sharing their views on placecards). Expenses of living in Johor Bahru (the closest Malaysian city across the Singaporean border) is so much lesser compared to the high living cost of settling down in most parts of Singapore. Utilities and real estate prices are just too much for most people, and they would rather stay in Johor Bahru and work in Singapore. This is also the case for most expatriates in Singapore and Malaysia. Preferably, living in Johor Bahru or the developing Iskandar Malaysia region, expatriates would rather choose to live cheaper and have more space. Living costs in Singapore can be

unimaginably high and living space is also becoming scarce. Workers tend to commute to and fro despite the traffic and the hassle of going through customs every morning. The only reason why they do it is because of the money. Even simple fast food restaurant jobs or any non-professional profession for that matter can pay up to SGD1,000 (RM2500++). Malaysians may put many labels on Singaporeans and vice versa. However, the deep connection through cultures and heritage somehow always brings them together. There are many Malaysian families who have relatives residing on the other side of the border and the same can be said for most Singaporeans. Festive and holiday seasons always seem to blur the imaginary borderlines between the two countries. Living in harmony until now, surely Singaporeans and Malaysians can coexist and tolerate each other for years to come.

Green Earth Society (GES) gives recognition Highlight: GES awarded four recipients for outstanding work in environmental awareness

IRDA’s Isma Ezwan Safri being recognised for his excellence in promoting the low carbon society. More pics on page 13 By Maisarah newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

reen Earth Society recently held a fund raiser and awards recognition night. Led by GES President, P. Sivakumar, the informative event was attended by officials from IRDA and YB Adam Sumiru. “We need to look at countries like Japan to learn on how to better manage our waste and knowledge on preserving our environment,” said YB Adam. Dr Rani Panadam from Soroptimist International Johor Bahru for excellence in the field of conservative work, Vincent Chow from

Malaysian Nature Society for excellence in the promotion of Sustainable Development, Isma Ezwan Safri from IRDA for his excellence in the promotion of Low Carbon Society and Ho Hwa Kiong from Sin Chew Daily Johor for excellence in the field of reporting on the environment were the four recipients of GES awards. “Johorians must equally participate in the preservation of the environment. Citizens must play their role in keeping the environment clean and green,” said P Sivakumar. A total of RM19,655 was collected during the fund raiser which will be used by GES to carry out more programmes.

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news A Pet Affair for HOPE Responsible: H.O.P.E. Foundation for Animals received RM1,164 in a fundraising event

actory 30 Just Want Coffee (JWC) at Taman Seri Austin became the venue for a fundraising event for H.O.P.E. Animal Shelter from 2 - 4 December, in conjunction with global #GivingTuesday. Pet lovers filled JWC’s lawn, bringing their beloved pets, mostly dogs, to liven up the event. Humanitarian and animal lover, Jessica Chiah, organised this ‘Pet Affair’ to raise funds for a good cause. Although the cause was meant for a different species, the humanity in people were restored when all pet lovers joined together to share the joy

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and happiness to help other animals in need, particularly the animals under the care of the Animal Shelter. “We have seen a couple of years being involved in charity events and look forward to continue this good cause in years to come,” said Jessica. Besides that, the event featured artist Shikee Ng, Dyas Henna Art Creations, Zara Mansoura, Perfect Pix Photobooth, Klazura, Sasa Nail House, Mohamad Azlee and more. There were also musical performance from Fiddle Music centre and an indie band called Sazy Lunday.

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Highlights of ISKARNIVAL 2014

Highlight: ISKARNIVAL 2014 was another successful and fun-filled event promoting community ties

n an effort to increase the awareness of opportunities in Iskandar Malaysia for local Johorians and the rakyat, Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah), UEM Sunrise Berhad (UEM Sunrise) and Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB) once again came together for the third time to organise ISKARNIVAL 2014 to celebrate the continued success of Iskandar Malaysia. The event was held at Dataran Mahkota in Kota Iskandar, Nusajaya and it aimed to promote community ties with the rakyat through its various platforms including commerce, career opportunities, affordable homes and recreation. With the support of the Johor State Government and Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), ISKARNIVAL featured fun and family-centric activities, which included concerts with exciting line-ups of popular artistes, a career fair, a local food festival and a property exposition showcasing affordable homes in Johor.

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“Liveable City of Iskandar Malaysia” Captured in Photos

Interest: IM Klik Photography Competition winners announced at ISKARNIVAL 2014

(from left) Anwar Syahrin Abdul Ajib, Managing Director of UEM Sunrise accompanying Menteri Besar Dato’ Mohamed Khaled Nordin Anwar Syahrin Abdul Ajib, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UEM Sunrise said, “We are proud to be part of ISKARNIVAL. As the master developer of Nusajaya, UEM Sunrise is committed to ensuring social inclusiveness in the region. We are excited to be sharing information on the affordable housing developments as well as other projects by UEM Sunrise which are available.” With the expansion of economic activities, Iskandar Malaysia continues to provide new employment opportunities to the rakyat. Local job seekers benefitted the most through ISKARNIVAL’s Career and Education Fair with over 1,500 job vacancies. The ISKARNIVAL also offered free CV drafting services complete with a photo booth to cater to first-time job seekers. Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, President/Chief Executive Officer of IIB said that, “ISKARNIVAL is a wonderful event that brings together the local community to enjoy the best of Iskandar Malaysia, and IIB is pleased to be part of this celebration”.

President and CEO of IIB, Datuk Syed Mohamed bin Syed Ibrahim By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

highlight event at the ISKARNIVAL 2014 was the IM Klik Photography Competition. With the theme “Liveable City of Iskandar Malaysia”, contestants were required to capture a moment that brought the theme to life in a single picture. Organised by Iskandar Investment Berhard (IIB), the winners of the IM Klik Photography Competition were announced at an awards ceremony at ISKARNIVAL 2014 which was recently held at Kota Iskandar, Nusajaya. The winners were presented with their prize winnings by YB Tan Sri Shahrir bin Abdul Samad, Member of Parliament Johor Bahru, who was the guest-ofhonour at the ceremony. The winning photograph was taken by Mohd Nazri bin Sulaimain. Titled “Kota Iskandar – Kota Cinta Hatiku”. Mohd Nazri

captured a scene of a child blowing bubbles against the backdrop of Laman Jauhar, Kota Iskandar winning him cash vouchers worth RM4,000. Pay Ah Kee and Sun Kong Wei took the 2nd and 3rd prize with photos titled “Harmony at Iskandar Malaysia” and “Sunset at Kota Iskandar” respectively. Fifty of the best entries, including the winning photographs were selected and displayed at the IM Klik Photo Gallery throughout ISKARNIVAL 2014. The winners were chosen from more than 1,000 entries that were submitted during the month-long photography competition. The competition, organised by IIB provided photographers wih the opportunity to showcase their talents and encouraged students to take up photography, as they captured images to embody the theme of “Liveable City of Iskandar Malaysia”.

President and CEO of IIB, Datuk Syed Mohamed bin Syed Ibrahim said, “The IM Klik Photography Competition has been a great success and I want to congratulate all the winners. Throughout the competition we have seen some fantastic submissions that truly captured the essence of living in Iskandar Malaysia. It is heartening to see the vibrancy of Iskandar Malaysia through the eyes of the public. The faces, emotions and expressions of Iskandar Malaysia that have been captured and celebrated by Iskandarians themselves are a testament to the transformation of Iskandar Malaysia into a liveable city.” The IM Klik Photography Competiton also featured a photography workshop which was conducted by the Nikonian B e yo n d Ph o to gra p hy Academy renowned photographer, Andrew Boey and his team.

YB Tan Sri Shahrir bin Abdul Samad (second from left) presenting the cash prizes along with President and CEO of IIB, Datuk Syed Mohamed bin Syed Ibrahim (fourth from left)

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DRILL

EXCLUSIVE The Iskandarian aspires to be the voice of the rakyat and with that in mind, our Editor touches base with CEOs and Chairmen of organisations to Drill them with questions to hear their opinions and perspectives.

mdm. Balkhis

Deputy Director

Monthly Drill

Royal Malaysian Customs Department (Johor)

The Goods and Service Tax (GST) system will be implemented on the 1st April 2015. The GST system will replace the existing Sales and Service Tax (SST). Registration for GST closed on 31 December 2014. After that date, there will be a penalty of RM1,500 to RM20,000, as per Sec21(6)of the Goods and Service Tax Act 2014 charged to businesses who failed to register. Businesses that have achieved an annual sales value with taxable supply amount (standard and zero rates) of RM500,00.00, need to register under GST. However, voluntary registration is welcomed. Under Sec. 3 (1) Goods and Service Tax Act 2014, “Business” includes any trade, commerce, profession, job or any activity alike, whether it be for monetary profit or not.

What is GST (Goods and Service Tax)? GST is consumerism tax which is imposed on goods and services on all business levels. GST is applied on value added at all business levels starting from supplier right up to consumers. GST encompasses a wider scope compared to Sales and Service Tax (SST ). For example, under SST, sales tax is charged at the supplier/producer level, whereas under the GST system, tax is charged on every supply level until the consumer performs a transaction by paying for goods and services that are taxed. (Standard rate: 6%)

How to register for GST? Registration can be made online by surfing the official website JKDM – Taxpayer Access Point (TAP).

(www.gst.customs.gov.my – click on TAP icon) (https://gst.customs.gov.my/TAP/) To assist businessmen/ potential registrations which have no access to the internet or have problems registering on their own, JKDM has provided registration kiosks manned by officers on duty. These kiosks have been placed in main offices/customs stations and are opened every working day. Kiosk location; • Ground floor at Customs Tower • Sultan Iskandar Building – Industrial Branch • Sultan Abu Bakar Complex – Management Branch • Muar, Batu Pahat and Kluang Customs Offices For associations/groups that wish to register for GST by groups in certain locations such as offices/association house, requests can be forwarded officially to the department. Customs officers are ready to come to the requested locations to assist group registrations online. For more info, please contact: 07-220 2044/ 07-220 2005.

Quote “Affordable prices for consumers; GST eliminates overlapping taxes under Sales and Service Taxes. Consumers will pay cheaper and more affordable prices for most of the goods and services under GST compared to SST”

Why GST?

GST represents a taxation system which is more transparent, fair and efficient compared to the Sales and Service Tax (SST). It reduces business costs businessmen receive benefits they can apply for Input Tax Claims (ITC) for raw materials/goods and service at every level of the business. It improves compliance; GST possesses a readily available mechanism which can make tax administration more selfcontrolled thus improving compliance. GST Reduces bureaucratic antics; Easier management because there is no more need to file request for tax exemption towards raw materials under sales tax system. Equitable; GST rates are imposed equally among all businesses that are involved whether it be at the factory, wholesale, retail, or the service sector level. Affordable prices for consumers; GST eliminates overlapping taxes under sales and service taxes. Consumers will pay cheaper and more affordable prices for most of the goods and services under GST compared to SST. G S T w i l l b e m o re transparent compared to SST; Consumers will be made aware of the goods and services that are taxed and know exactly how much they are supposed to pay.

What is the difference between GST and SST? GST will replace the existing SST for the purpose of reorganising the country’s taxation system mak ing it more efficient, transparent and customer friendly. GST is a consumerism tax

which has a wider scope (broad based consumption tax) which covers all levels of the supply chain from producer to consumer level. On the other hand, under SST, sales tax is only imposed at the supplier/producer level. Under GST, tax rates for taxed supplies are at a standard 6%, zero rate and exempted for different types of supplies. Zero rate applies for basic supplies such as rice, fresh fish, meats, and poultry, cooking oils, fresh vegetables, water and the first 300kWh of electricity for domestic use. Exempted rate is for supplies such as residence buildings, agricultural land and land for public use, medical, educational and financial service and highway tolls. Under SST, sales tax rates are at 5% and 10% whereas Service Tax is at 6%.With the implementation of GST, a lot weaknesses within the SST can now be handled effectively. Examples of weaknesses would be overlapping taxes, hidden economic activities, tax evasion and etc.

What are the information/ documentation needed for the registration process? The depar tment has provided a checklist guide for registration purposes. The checklist can be obtained at any customs office. The information/ documentation needed for the registration process is:1. SSM business registration number 2. IC/passport number (for nonMalaysian) 3. Valid e-mail address 4. Total taxable supply 5. Malaysian Standard Industrial Classification (MISC) code 2008 6. Bank account detail (soft copy)

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peggy loh

My johor stories Peggy is a regular contributor to NST and actively writes in her blog www.peggyloh.com about matters that are close to her heart. She can be reached at write2peggyloh@gmail.com

Let’s do better to attract visitors to JB

the adjacent Bazaar JB, this area is drawing in throngs of people. Two arches at each end of Jalan Tan Hiok Nee were then built as landmarks for visitors to identify this heritage destination. As the twin arches complimented the roads which were already paved, the heritage identity of this area attracted self-motivated young people to start businesses here. It organically developed into an exciting community with traditional businesses like tailors, dhobis, kopitiams and bakeries thriving alongside specialty coffee cafes, a pop-up cafe, chic boutiques, art galleries, antique dealers and an established corner café renowned for its chicken chop! While the aim of creating a destination to bring life back into the old part of the city is being met, some situations have arisen that were probably not anticipated and if they go unresolved, I’m concerned that this destination will no longer be Pages 76 to 81 of Going Places in the August 2014 issue of attractive. Recently, Malaysia Airlines’ in-flight magazine, featured Johor Bahru’s the Bazaar JB started Jalan Tan Hiok Nee titled, “JB Cool” to occupy a wider I didn’t think it was wrong for me to area with more stalls mushrooming next to feel a prickle of pride because this charming registered traders. Now the rampant illegal part of JB that I frequent to introduce parking by businessmen and other drivers its uniqueness to my visitors, was being along the paved streets have destroyed the featured in this prestigious magazine. Since pavements and created potential traffic and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee was declared a Heritage fire hazards. A larger bazaar also resulted Walk in 2009, the network of nearby roads in more vehicles belonging to traders and that link Jalan Trus and Jalan Dhoby have shoppers choking up the heart of the city, been developing into a popular destination especially in the evenings. The Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) for locals and tourists. With weekend cultural events and daily night markets in recently held a “Go Green” event with a ast August while travelling to the UK for my nephew’s wedding, I was delighted to discover that Pages 76 to 81 of Going Places, the Malaysia Airlines’ in-flight magazine, devoted a feature on Johor Bahru’s Jalan Tan Hiok Nee titled, “JB Cool.” It warmed my heart that our very own JB was truly “going places” and gaining exposure among international travellers on board our national carrier. As I scanned the photos with the feature, I recognised the faces and places because I’m familiar with the merchants who are injecting new life into the heart of JB with their new businesses in old buildings.

My visitors from Australia had to walk on the street in Jalan Tan Hiok Nee because the sidewalks were occupied by parked cars!

A feature on Jalan Tan Hiok Nee in the December 2014 issue of Fireflyz, Firefly airline’s in-flight magazine recycling campaign, music festival and a Vehicle-Free Day in some parts of the city. Going Vehicle-Free is an excellent idea that should be adopted permanently for visitors to enjoy the sights with walking tours in the city. For a start, I humbly suggest to gazette Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk as a “Strictly No Parking Zone” so that the pavements are freed up for pedestrians and traders to do more to promote JB’s culture and heritage. This one-way street should allow vehicle drive-through only to business owners and traders who show proof of their business addresses here, and be offered a low flat rate for season parking in the car-park at nearby Jalan Ibrahim. Incidentally, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee was also featured in the December 2014 issue of Fireflyz, Firefly airline’s in-flight magazine, and the popularity of this destination continues to spread to travellers who are on this lowcost carrier’s routes. The publicity in airline magazines will probably result in more visitors from abroad but the question is, “Is Johor Bahru ready for international travellers?” At the moment, the information centre at Laman Sri Lanang seems to be underutilised even though it was designed for ambitious purpose. This building should be properly manned by trained personnel to provide information and render any emergency help. The visible presence of Tourist Police will be deterrent to petty criminals and the police may also double up as “Courtesy Ambassadors” to answer any queries and be equipped to be a “Walking Directory” to help visitors with directions to places of interest and the nearest hospital or Police Station, if the need arises. Recently I was at Jalan Tan Hiok Nee with visitors from the Johor Tourism Department, and also met several businessmen who lamented about the problems they faced after the nightly crowds leaving at the close of business. I regret to learn that they not only leave a trail of garbage but also a stinky stench from stale urine. We know that everyone has to answer the call of Nature and it appears that in the dark of night, people have been using the

streets as their toilet! Cleanliness and security is vital for a destination to attract visitors. But the sad truth is; this popular destination does not have any public toilets and those that are available for visitors (in shops) will be closed after business hours. This toilet issue is only the tip of the iceberg because a great deal more needs to be done to make our city ready to welcome visitors. Therefore, we urgently need a concerted effort by the relevant authorities to work in cooperation with the MBJB, Tourism Department, Police and Traffic Police as well as the committed participation of every individual who is proud of JB as our home, because it will go a long way to improve the image of our city. The start of 2015 is a good time to reflect on the past, to take stock of our successes and failures so that we can do better in the future. So let’s begin, if possible, with better law enforcement and implementation of “No Parking on Pavements” at Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, proper parking in designated areas and more rubbish bins so that the public have no excuse for littering. The time is ripe for us to do something constructive to improve the situation so that visitors, whether local or foreign, will take home a positive impression of Johor Bahru.

Members of the Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk Committee with visitors, Johor Tourism Department Director, Dr Badrul Hisham Kassim [3rd from Left] and Assistant Director, Amirrul Asyraf Ibrahim [Right] and some Jalan Tan Hiok Nee traders they met on their recent tour of the site

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he Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) recently held an event called the JB Charity Jam Session at the Polo Lounge of Mutiara Hotel, Johor Bahru. The event was held to raise funds for Villa Paulos, a home run by the Catholic Church for abandoned and abused children. Villa Paulos was founded by Paul Netto and incorporated in 2008. Villa Paulos is housed at a bungalow along Jalan Mariammah donated by the late Madam Goh Lum Eng. JB Charity Jam was an effort to not only raise funds for a good cause but also to bring people together to enjoy the day with the children and also indulge in the good food offered by the hotel. “We don’t expect or want people to just donate or give us

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Charity Jam by MAH Something Special Highlight: Malaysia Association of Hotels came together to aid the children of Villa Paulos money for the charity fund but we also want them to enjoy what good deeds they have done for the children by being part of the JB Charity Jam,” said Shyam Nath Nair, Honorary Chairman of MAH Johor Chapter. A substantial amount of money was raised from the event summing up to RM48,000. This was the highest amount of money raised by a single nongovernmental organisation (NGO) in the region. MAH gave RM34,000 to Villa Paulos after deducting cost expenses from the event.

The cheque presentation was held later at the Double Tree Hilton Hotel, Johor Bahru, followed by a hi-tea treat for the children of Villa Paulos. “We are so grateful for the donation and appreciate the efforts of MAH in aiding the children at Villa Paulos,” said the House Mother of Villa Paulos. “MAH Johor is keen on organising more CSR events such as this. Such events will be held every year in November and the cheque presentations will be held just before Christmas,” said Shyam.

MAH representatives presenting the RM 34,000 mock cheque to Villa Paulos

for the Children

Cause: Johor Cerebral Palsy Association organised the 19th National Seminar on Cerebral Palsy 2014

he 19th National Seminar on Cerebral Palsy was recently held at the M-Suites Hotel in Johor Bahru. Organised by the Johor Cerebral Palsy Association on behalf of The National Council Spastic Children’s Association of Malaysia, the event was themed “Partnership For Success: Facing Uncertain Futures”. The Chief Minister’s wife, Datin Rosni Omar graced the exhibition of handicrafts at the M-Suites Hotel Lobby upon her arrival and had chats with the cerebral palsy patients who are also the crafters of the products. “I love the diligence of these special crafters making products of art, despite facing some difficulties in the process. They are so beautiful,” said Datin Rosni. This year, the seminar offered a unique opportunity for parents, families, health care practitioners, educationists, service providers, researchers, policy makers and others who are directly or indirectly involved in the care and wellbeing of children, adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy to come together to share, discuss and create opportunities for a better future for

Members of the public lending a hand those who live with cerebral palsy. The seminar examined current medical, development and educational issues that affected the children and adults with special needs and their families. Participants also described developmentally appropriate interventions for children and families with special needs. Many ideas and thoughts were presented during the seminar on how to aid and create awareness of these special people. Those fortunate to live a normal live are encouraged to learn about the Cerebral Palsy syndrome and understand that these special people have a chance to experience life as well. With proper aid and support, they too can contribute to the society.

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skandar Investment Berhad (IIB) recently provided some relief to 211 underprivileged school children from its seven adopted schools, in the hope to ease their families’ financial constraints in facing the new school term in January 2015. All students received a new school bag and shopping vouchers worth RM120 each from Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, the President and Chief Executive Officer of IIB. “IIB would like to ensure that we extend some form of assistance to the families of our deserving adopted students. Many can attest that the spending pattern will definitely increase at the very start of every new school term as various requirements materialise. When you have a few school-going children in the house, the need to

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Timely aid for back to school 2015 Responsible: IIB provides relief for 211 underprivileged school-goers provide intensifies. As part of our plan to build a solid human capital foundation in Iskandar Malaysia, we constantly contribute to the students’ well-being,” said Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim. He was accompanied by Akmal Ahmad, Chief Development Officer and Datuk Benjamin Hj Hasbie from Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA). “We are glad that IIB came forward with this timely assistance, and we take this opportunity to thank them for their steady contributions (to both the school and our students) throughout 2014. In preparation for

the new school term, children from less fortunate homes will be right on track with the more fortunate ones,” said Rafidah Binti Md Yussup, Headmistress of SK Kampung Pasir. The seven schools under IIB’s adopted programmes are Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Danga, Sekolah Kebangsaan Mohd Khir Johari, Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Pasir, Sekolah Kebangsaan Senibong, Sekolah Kebangsaan Rambah, Sekolah Kanak-Kanak Istimewa Johor Bahru, Sekolah Kebangsaan Pasir Putih and Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil Jalan Yahya Awal.

It Starts From SCRATCH Community: The Stray Cats Rescue and Treatment Community Help Association (SCRATCH) urge people to adopt rather than buy domestic animals like cats and dogs

Datuk Syed Mohamed (middle, in grey) posed with some students after the hand-over of school bags and shopping vouchers to children from its seven adopted schools

Night Fest 2014 bring Youths Together Interest: Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) Expressway’s Pandan Rest and Service Area (Pandan RSA) hosted the 2014 Night Fest

By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

et World Expo was recently held at the Danga City Mall Expo Hall where many animal lovers flocked to the venue to see various animal exhibitions. The two day event showcased exhibitions, animal grooming and animal supplies such as food, clothing, and more. Animal lovers brought their pets to the fair to mingle around with other pets and owners. Some cat owners even enrolled their pets into the cat competition held at the event. There were many booths promoting healthy and expensive breed animals such as the Persian and Maine Coon cats, Albino Pythons, Sugar Gliders, and more. There were also a few booths trying to promote the adoption of pets rather than buying. Stray Cats Rescue and

Animal lovers came out in full force to interest with other pet owners Treatment Community Help Association (SCRATCH) is one of the associations trying to promote adoption. SCRATCH provides sponsorship for neutering and medical treatments for stray cats. Therefore, any person who would like to adopt a stray or feel pity for stray animals can bring them to SCRATCH. People tend to buy their pets because it is easier and they prefer the more beautiful ones. Adopting pets

can also give the same effect, though a little extra attention and care might be needed. To date, SCRATCH has aided more than 300 cats and about 10 dogs ever since their establishment in 2011. SCRATCH depends on donations from the public and sale of merchandise. Helping stray cats and dogs is a noble thing to do. Good deeds will always be repaid with good vibes. So adopt a pet, now!

2014 Night Fest brought together young entrepreneurs of local brands, fun outdoors activities and youth

n event called the“Night Fest 2014”was recently held at the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) Expressway’s Pandan Rest and Service Area (Pandan RSA). It was organised by Aliff Osman and a local clothing boutique brand named; Nelly XO in collaboration with the Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB). The two-day event gathered over 50 entrepreneurs of various products, including local clothing brands and homemade foods. The initiative was geared towards assisting the young entrepreneurs to promote their products. Many activities were also slotted into the event’s itinerary highlighting young talents and freebies. Music performances, sale of food and beverages, free ice cream for early birds, and community gathering and calisthenics (street workout) were among the activities offered at the event.

“The purpose of this Night Fest 2014 is to encourage online business entrepreneurs to join their counterparts in the field for networking during the event where they also get to meet potential customers face-to-face,” said Aliff. Night Fest 2014 also aims to help young entrepreneurs to become more confident in voicing out their opinions and ideas in their respective fields of business. The EDL is an 8.1 kilometre free expressway that stretches from Pandan Interchange at the southern end of the PLUS Highway to the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) centre. This Night Fest 2014 not only brought revenue to the young entrepreneurs who participated but also to the entrepreneurs who are settled at the Pandan RSA. It also brought life to the normally quiet area.

Johor Expands its Tourism Industry Tourism: “Johor Shopping & Food Trail Packages 2015” launched in conjunction with 1Malaysia Year End Sales (1MYES)

ourism Malaysia – Johor with support from KOMTAR JBCC held a launching ceremony for “Johor Shopping & Food Trail Packages 2015” in conjunction with 1Malaysia Year End Sales (1MYES) which took place from the 15th November 2014 till 4th January 2015. The ceremony was officiated by YB Datuk Tee Siew Kiong, Exco of Johor State Tourism, Commerce

and Consumerism at KOMTAR JBCC, Johor Bahru. The event was attended by government department representatives, tourism industry players, retailers and local media. The packages were created for the purpose of attracting and encouraging visitors and tourists who come to Johor to not only to shop or hunt for food but also to enjoy other tourism products available around the

state. With the help from tourism agencies, tourism product entrepreneurs, shopping complexes and eateries, 10 packages were created for shopping and seven packages for foodie activities in Johor. The event is a continuation of the “Johor Food Trail” programme which has been held twice before in 2011 and 2013. The programme was

more inclined for food tours to outlets providing traditional Johor cuisine which hails from the various ethnicities of Johor such as the Malays, Jawas, and Bugis mainly in Johor Bahru and Muar. At the launching ceremony of the “Johor Shopping & Food Trail Packages 2015”, there were Johor Food Exhibitions which promote dishes from the likes of Kacang Pool, Burasak, Botok-botok, Laksa Johor,

Nasi Ambang, Kuih Ketuk Ubi and Rempeyek. Besides that, there was also a food carving competition between culinary students from Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan, Yayasan Pelajaran Johor and KFCH International College. Master Chef Celebrity, Syura also made an appearance showcasing stage performances and cooking demonstrations to brighten up the event.

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TAR and DRH to Adopt Students Opportunity: Ministry of Youth and Sports collaborates with Themed Attractions and Resorts and Destination Resorts and Hotels to mentor marketable graduates in the leisure and tourism industry By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

he Leisure and Tourism industry in Malaysia is set to benefit from a tripartite collaboration between the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), Themed Attractions and Resorts Sdn Bhd (TAR) and Destination Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd (DRH). Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding took place at Lat’s Place, The Little Red Cube in Puteri Harbour, Nusajaya. The collaboration saw TAR and DRH opening doors to eligible students from Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) to undergo internship training with the renowned theme parks, golf courses and hospitality operators and subsequently build a career in the Leisure and Tourism Industry. Students who are chosen to undergo this collaborative internship programme will receive valuable onthe-job training from world-class organisations, which will prepare them as they step into the working world. Once the training has been completed, these students will have a distinct advantage over their peers and this will aid them in securing

pic: John Lee

“Ministry of Youth and Sports initiated efforts to increase employment opportunities”

Youth and Sports Minister YB Khairy Jamaluddin (centre) witnessed the MoU signing

YB Khairy Jamaluddin Minister Ministry of Youth and Sports

employment in the burgeoning Leisure and Tourism industry upon graduation. YB Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Youth and Sports and YM Tunku Dato’ Ahmad Burhanuddin witnessed the signing of this strategic alliance where the parties will collaborate in developing the local pool of young professionals in the Leisure and Tourism industry. Chief Resources Officer of TAR, Hishamuddin Mon represented TAR and DRH while Secretary General of Ministry of Youth and Sports, Datuk

Jamil Salleh represented KBS in the signing ceremony. “In April 2014, the Ministry of Youth and Sports initiated efforts to increase employment opportunities for youths by implementing the IKBN Transformation Programme. Amongst the key initiatives under this programme is the fostering of closer cooperation with industry to provide youths with training that matches the needs of that industry,” said YB Khairy.

IMSHA Series: NGO 2.0 – Strategic Thinking Highlight: Iskandar Malaysia Social Heroes Award (IMSHA) and Iskandar Malaysia Sustainable Communities Network (IMSC) organised a free learning session for NGOs

ollowing the roaring success of Iskandar Malaysia Social Heroes Award (IMSHA), the organising committee along with IRDA’s Iskandar Malaysia Sustainable Communities Network (IMSC) and The Iskandarian organised a strategic thinking workshop for NGOs. The purpose of the workshop was to develop an awareness and understanding of the impact of strategic thinking and having strategic action plans for NGOs to develop and operate from. The trainer for the workshop, Faroze Nadar from DIBTA Group Malaysia, has been actively involved in designing and developing various knowledge management activities. He designed a module for the attending NGO’s to pick up strategic management as a tool for managing the changes all organisations

Nor Hisham Hussein, IRDA’s Social Development Division Director sharing his thoughts with the NGOs undergo. 75 individuals from various NGOs attended the one-day workshop. Most of the attendees were winners of IMSHA 2014. “It’s my first such session, kind of an eye opener that NGO’s can be looked at from a management point of view. We have a better understanding now that NGOs need each other’s support and need a management perspective to remain relevant,” said Vanitha K. Chandrasegeran from Kechara Soup Kitchen. The workshop touched on basic strategic management modules, SWOT analysis for NGOs, action plans, and scorecard balancing. “The workshop is very important for all NGOs and we hope that such sessions will help NGOs better manage their organisations and expand constructively,” said Nor Hisham Hussein, IRDA’s Social Development Division Director.

Managing Director of TAR and DRH, Tunku Dato’ Ahmad said, “TAR and DRH are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the nation-building agenda through the Ministry’s human capital development initiative. Through this collaboration, TAR and DRH will benefit from the increased pool of talent who have been trained by IKBN and have also been exposed to the workplace culture of TAR and DRH through on-job training as well

as seminars conducted under this programme”. This collaboration will allow eligible students from IKBN to be given the opportunity to explore and experience working while gaining a better understanding of specific work functions at TAR and DRH’s establishments such as KidZania Kuala Lumpur, Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, The Little Big Club, Lat’s Place, The Datai Langkawi and The Els Club Malaysia.

Happenings

Green Earth Society Fund-raiser cum Awards Ceremony

IMSHA Series: NGO 2.0 - Strategic Thinking

IRDA’s Knowledge Management forum

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news Taking the Green Path

Achievement: Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) launches “JB Think Green – Making JB Alive” campaign

he Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) recently took an initiative to organise a green campaign called “JB Think Green – Making JB Alive!” in collaboration with Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), PPSPPA and JOHO Youth Club. The campaign was launched and officiated by Dato’ Tee Siew Kiong, Exco of Johor State Tourism, Commerce and Consumerism at the JB Bicycle Ride Flag-off event which started in front of the MBJB building.

Car Free Day will happen once a month from 2015 onwards JB Think Green – Making JB Alive! was mooted between MBJB, IRDA, PPSPPA, JOHO Youth Club and other government agencies which have also supported the goal to create awareness on the importance of maintaining cleanliness and environmental sustainability of the city. “It is not merely a collaborative cleaning operation targeted to the city area but it also encompasses a few key components such as recyclable product promotion, environmental art and other activities,” said Dato’

Hj. Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed Dewam, Mayor of Johor Bahru City. Hundreds of cyclists joined Dato’ Tee and other officials in the cycling event around JB City. The air-horn was blown and the cyclists rode their bikes guided by marshals. Upon reaching Meldrum Walk, Dato’ Tee and Dato’ Hj. Abdul Rahman along with others, planted trees as a symbol of the direction JB City was heading towards a green city. There will also be a CarFree Day that will happen once a month. JB City will be free of four-wheeled vehicles for a few hours reducing carbon emissions and providing citizens with an opportunity to utilise the fully pedestrianised space. “I see this

programme as a triple-edge sword because it is practical in promoting green practices such as 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) through the launching of the Think Green programme,” said Dato’ Tee. Majority of the participants

for the cycling event were from the Gen-Y pool. The youth have always been attracted by fun activities and trends to be a part of, therefore, the JB Think Green also collaborated with JOHO Youth Club in promoting environmental cleanliness and sustainability.

YB Dato’ Tee is cheered on by Mayor Dato’ Hj. Abdul Rahman and IRDA Chief Executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim

Johor Bahru to be named International City by 2020

020 is just six years away and the journey to become an International City is not far from sight. Johor Bahru City will have to undergo much change and renewal processes that will be done holistically by the Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) and the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA). MBJB and IRDA are just two of the 16 local authorities who are a part of Johor Bahru City Transformation plan initiated by Iskandar

Malaysia development. “Among the uniqueness that other local authorities lack compared to MBJB is the fact that there are three palaces or Istanas here which are the Istana Besar, the Istana Bukit Serene and the Istana Pasir Pelangi,” said MBJB Mayor, Abdul Rahman Dewam. Besides that, the strategic location of Johor Bahru City, being in the region of the southernmost tip of the Malaysian Peninsula makes it a gateway to the Asian mainland. Its

close proximity to the developed nation of the Republic of Singapore which is only divided by the Tebrau Straits brings in investors and expatriates from all over the world. IRDA’s JB Transformation plan shall also be a major facelift project that will turn Johor Bahru City into a modern, green and sociallyfriendly environment which still has lots of heritage for citizens to be proud of. City Square and KOMTAR JBCC malls, Angry Birds Activity Theme Park, Bazaar JB,

Local Foodie Chill-out spots are just some of the points-of-interest that are in the vicinity of Johor Bahru City. Jalan Ibrahim is also decked with a brand new LED Sky Screen which colours the skies whilst providing visual light show to tourists. With all the rapid progress, developments and investments that are coming into the Iskandar Malaysia region, Johor Bahru City is surely on track to achieve the title of International City by 2020.

Musical Melodies from MPYO Interest: The Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO) inspires the youth of Johor to listen to more classical music

By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

erenading classical music filled the indoor arena at the EduCity Sports Complex when the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO) played their instruments with song selections from the likes of Mozart, contemporary artists and even movie soundtracks. This musical episode was part of the MPYO’s outreach programme whereby this time, they visited Johor to spread and inspire the spirit of classical music to the youth. “There is life beyond the orchestra. Music can be a profession. It can teach us how to think and express ourselves,” said the Head of the MPYO, Ahmad Muriz Hj. Che Rose. The MPYO Tour & Outreach Programme allows the young talents to share their love for music with community groups and students through live performances and demonstrations. The programme also encourages other aspiring young musicians to join the orchestra’s pool of well-trained Malaysian instrumentalist, community and professional performers, teachers and inspired amateurs. EduCity Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd Managing Director, Joanne Jacinta Oei said, “The young musicians of MPYO are extremely talented and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to watch them perform for

the community. Music is great for holistic development and we hope the orchestra’s passion and love for music will inspire the youths in the region, including EduCity students. We are happy to support the development of the region’s youth by hosting the Johor leg of the MPYO’s Tour and Outreach Programme at EduCity Sports Complex.” Among the participants who enjoyed the music of the String Quartets and the Jazz Ensemble are from the Southampton University, Newcastle University, Raffles University, Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology, Malaysia Multimedia University, Management and Development University, Raffles American School, Marlborough College, SK Medini, SMK Medini, Sekolah Tun Fatimah, ladies from JUWITA, representatives from the Yayasan Warisan Johor (YWJ) and even the special children from the Tanjung Puteri Community-Based Rehabilitation Centre. MPYO is regarded as the best youth orchestra in Malaysia featuring the brightest of local youth musicians. Besides the outreach programme, they are also featured in the Malam Melayu Klasik with their counterparts from the Istana Budaya Traditional Orchestra and the musicians from YWJ which filled the hall of the Johor Heritage Foundation. The event was also attended by the Royal family of Johor.

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What is the background of STELIS and what are your strategies for succeeding in the biopharmaceutical space? STELIS Biopharma is a subsidiary of Strides Arcolab Ltd, headquartered out of India, but having worldwide sales in generic pharmaceuticals. Strides is a listed company on the Indian stock exchange and is one of the most dynamic and fast growing companies among its peers. The company’s focus is on developing and manufacturing niche and technically challenging specialty pharmaceutical products. The founding of STELIS is a continuation of that strategy since bio-pharmaceuticals are the most complex products to develop and also command the highest value. 8 out of the top 10 best-selling drugs globally are biologics, but while there are many generic players in the pharma space, there are very few biosimilar (biogenerics) players who have the capability to compete on a global scale. STELIS aims to be one of the top players in this space coming out of Asia. To help succeed in this space we have over 10 years’ experience, within the group, of building and running US-FDA approved pharmaceutical plants in India and overseas. We also have experience in developing and registering over 150 generic products with the US-FDA and EMA. STELIS will leverage all these skills and past experiences as it build its biopharmaceutical business out of Malaysia.

news STELIS Biopharma Bringing Green-Tech to Iskandar Malaysia Exclusive: The Iskandarian catches up with Bio-Xcell and Joe Thomas, CEO of STELIS Biopharma What are bio-pharmaceuticals and how are they different from regular generic pharmaceuticals? Regular pharmaceuticals are made from synthetic organic chemicals produced in a GMP environment. These are then formulated and dispensed as tablets, capsules, liquids and even injectable products. Generics are exact copies of innovator product developed after expiry of product patent. Pharma Generics are relatively easy to develop because they are small molecules. Biopharmaceuticals on the other hand are large and complex molecules and these are produced within living cells inside specially controlled bioreactors. Living Cells (microbial and mammalian) which have been cloned or engineered to produce such therapeutic proteins are used to express commercial volumes of such products. Developing and manufacturing such products requires very high understanding of molecular biology, industrial

Benchmark: STELIS Biopharma begins construction of multiproduct biologics facility at Bio-Xcell Biotechnology Park, Johor

TELIS Biopharma recently broke ground for construction of its customised, multiproduct, biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility at BioXcell Biotechnology Park in Nusajaya’s premier park and ecosystem for industrial and healthcare biotechnology. STELIS Biopharma (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Strides Arcolab Limited) and BioXcell had previously announced the signing of a Build and Lease agreement with Bio-Xcell for the construction of the building and part of the equipment of STELIS Biopharma’s 140,000 sq. foot Biologics facility, for a total project investment amount of RM201 million (US 60 million). “STELIS is pleased to commence work on its flagship biopharmaceutical facility in Malaysia. With its strong commitment to bioeconomy, attractive incentives, quality infrastructure and enabling ecosystem, we are confident of making this our biomanufacturing hub for regional and global markets” said Joe Thomas, CEO of STELIS Biopharma.

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Groundbreaking ceremony at Bio-Xcell Biotechnology Park attended by DUN Nusajaya YB Dr. Zaini (centre) The construction and fit-out of the facility is expected to be completed in 24 months and commercial operations are targeted to begin mid2017 at Bio-Xcell Park. The 140,000 sq. foot facility will incorporate “next-gen” singleuse bio-processing technology with both mammalian and microbial manufacturing suites. Once completed, it will be one of the few Regulated Market approvable facilities in the Region with end-to-end capability including sterile fillfinish across all formats. The facility will also house an R&D unit to conduct scale-up and process development studies. “The partnership with STELIS Biopharma to build a state of the art, multi-product Biologics facility from the start, is seen as a first in BioXcell Biotechnology Park and timely given the close working relationship over the years. We are happy to see the second biopharma project to commence in Bio-Xcell Park and for the Facility to ground break over an aggressive construction timeline to see its operations

in 2017. It is yet another positive step forward for the park to strengthen the value proposition of the Bio-Xcell ecosystem as a regional hub for industrial bio-manufacturing and bioprocessing,” said Rizatuddin Ramli, CEO of BioXcell Malaysia. STELIS Biopharma (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the Strides subsidiary constructing this facility, will manufacture and commercialise its internal and partnered pipeline of biopharmaceuticals as well as cater to the demand for highquality contract manufacturing and clinical supplies. At peak operations, the facility will employ 180 people in R&D, Manufacturing, QA/QC, Analytical and Regulatory, of which a significant number will be local employees. Bio-Xcell’s park’s strategic location in the Iskandar region of Johor with its close proximity to Singapore and access to a network of world-class seaports and airports within a short distance will help tap into the unmet regional and global demand for cost-effective biologics.

biotechnology and advanced analytical techniques to ensure highest levels of quality and safety. Unlike generic pharma, biogenerics or biosimilars are required to undergo Clinical trials in both animals and patients before it can be approved for sale. This adds to the cost and time taken to develop these products. What are some examples of biopharmaceutical products that can be made in STELIS facility in Malaysia? We have designed STELIS Malaysia facility such that it can produce any kind of bio-pharmaceutical product from bulk drug substance to the final finished product in commercial packs ready for sale. We also have an R&D unit attached, so in a sense, this is a truly end-to-end operation covering the entire value chain in manufacturing. Some of the products that can be made in the microbial suite are:- GCSF, pegGCSF, EPO (products used in treatment of anemia and cancers), Intereferons (used in treatment of Multiple Sclerosis and Hepatitis), Parathyroid Hormone (used for treatment of Osteoporosis), Insulin and its analogs, Staphylokinase (used as a clot buster). The mammalian suite can produce all kinds of antibodies which are mainly used in treatment of auto-immune diseases and cancers such as Rituximab (blood cancer), Trastuzumab (breast cancer), Bevacizumab (tumors and certain eye conditions), and Adalimumab (rheumatoid arthritis). Not all these are in STELIS pipeline, but we can manufacture these products under license for

other companies besides producing our own products. What attracted STELIS to invest in Malaysia? Malaysia has a stable political and economic environment with pro-active and enabling policies especially directed at growing the bio-economy. This was the main attraction for STELIS. Malaysia is also a highly developed economy with excellent industrial infrastructure and ancillary services that is critical for a technology driven industry. Also, Malaysia, with its excellent connectivity and friendly foreign relations is the gateway to the vast and interesting ASEAN market as well as the APAC markets further afield. What has been your experience in working with Malaysian companies and government agencies so far? Having experience in operating across many international locations, it is our view that Malaysian professionals are as competent as any in the world. Our interactions with BioXCell, in whose excellent Industrial Park we are setting up our facility, has been smooth, professional and purposeful. The team at BioXcell, the officials at MIDA and Biotech Corp. are united with a clear sense of purpose – that of getting the project off the ground. While many countries have attractive incentives for investors, very few have co-ordinated action across government bodies to make things happen. That we have found in Malaysia.

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The Iskandarian ISSUE 29 | JAN 2015

Quick Reads

Jaclyn Victor performs at Komtar JBCC Malaysian Idol Jaclyn Victor serenaded guests with a Christmas medley at KOMTAR JBCC to mark the launch of the ‘Joy of Starry, Starry Christmas’ campaign. Victor also lit up a 25-foot Christmas tree located on the ground floor of the mall by placing the last ornament; the star, at the top of the tree. As part of the campaign, KOMTAR JBCC also invited 32 children below the age of 13 from Pusat Kebajikan Kalvari to join the celebrations. “We chose the star as our theme this year because it is an irreplaceable icon of love and peace,” said Jennie Parr, Centre Manager of Synergy Mall Management Sdn. Bhd. (subsidiary of Damansara Assets Sdn. Bhd.) KOMTAR JBCC features an array of outlets of famous international brands, sophisticated cafes, modern supermarket, the souk bazaar, children centric outlets and activity park, state of the art colour coded car park, secure business venue complete with 24 hours CCTV and roving security officers at strategic locations.

oday’s Mall management, Grand Esteem, recently organised the “Tiram Grand Carnival” in conjunction with the reopening of the Tiram Indoor Water Park. The water park reopened after renovation works that were implemented to improve and enhance facilities to provide a more enjoyable experience to the patrons. Tiram Indoor Water Park is the first water theme park to be located inside a shopping complex in Johor. It is an alternative for families to have fun and enjoy the holidays regardless of the hot or rainy weather outside at reasonable prices. The water theme park now brings a new image with fresh and attractive pirate theme. There is also a dry park which can be an alternative to families that don’t feel like getting wet. During the carnival, the children were ecstatic and their faces were coloured with bliss when Upin and Ipin, the 3D animated cartoon superstars made their appearance. The arrival of the mascots was the highlight of the event. Children and parents alike lined up to get their pictures taken with their favourite characters during the polaroid session with Upin and Ipin. Tons of other fun games and activities were also included in the itinerary such as fashion show, colouring competition and lucky draws whereby children stood a chance to win exclusive Upin and Ipin merchandise.

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Upin & Ipin invaded Today’s Mall Attraction: Guest appearance by 3D animated cartoon superstars Upin & Ipin at the Tiram Grand Carnival

Upin & Ipin brought blissful excitement to the children and families

Children were kept entertained throughout the day There was also a ‘Free Food Festival’ for patrons who already purchased tickets for the Tiram

Indoor Waterpark. Lucky winners bagged attractive prizes such as a Samsung smartphone, a sofa set, a

refrigerator and lots more during the lucky draw. About RM10,000 worth of prizes was given out.

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Calendar of Events >> pg 4

Jan 2015

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MUSIC Updates from Nikki Minaj, LIVESOS, Demi Lovato and more

Travel: Go local, Eat local, Stay Local

BodyWork Spa at Thistle

How to Unfold Your Life Purpose (pt I)

Movies

Disney’s In The Woods & Sony’s The Wedding Ringer movie preview >>pg 3

JAN 2015 | Page 2

The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle

Editor ’s Note

MUSI C UPD AT ES

n this issue, we’d like to bring you latest album releases by various top artistes. We wish we could list them all, but here are our top picks:

Fall Out Boy – American Beauty/ American Psycho Release Date: 20 January 2015

Until then, have a great start to 2015!

Priya

ulti-platinum selling band Fall Out Boy’s highly-anticipated sixth studio album is now available via preorder on iTunes. Fans will receive an instant download of three songs from the album with all preorders: smash-hit “Centuries,” UK single “American Beauty/American Psycho” and brand new track, “The Kids Aren’t Alright.”

Priya Manikam waves.lifestyle@gmail.com ello 2015, folks! The first thing that comes to my mind is that, there is a lot of weekend public holidays this year. What a great start and it’s time to plan your weekend getaways and dig up your club membership. Previously, we had featured Shepperd the music band and in addition to that, they won the ARIA Awards last year for ‘Best Group’ category and also got voted 10/10 from Channel [V] for Best Dressed on the red carpet! In this issue, we bring you selected album releases by various top artistes. As for you fashionistas out there, we feature chic BeoPlay H6 headphones by B & O. Do check out the review for more details and pricing. Did you love growing up watching Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood or Rapunzel? Imagine all your favourite Disney characters intertwined in one movie?! Look no further than “Into the Woods” which is set to release on 15th January. This movie initially premiered on Broadway in 1987 and won the Tony Awards for best score, best book and best actress in a musical. You definitely don’t want to miss this tale. Also in store, watch the budding bro-mance between Doug and his fake best man Jimmy in “The Wedding Ringer” released by Sony Pictures on the 29th January. Rose brings us another inspiring topic and our foodie Tony is busy exploring best eats around New York City at the moment, but locally he has checked out Grazia Café for all you food lovers. Due to popular demand, our “Go local, Eat local, Stay local” travel column is extended for the year and we bring you a special Spa review from Thistle Johor Bahru’s BodyWork Spa & Fitness. That’s all from me, and as always, for those wishing to share their fashion collection, travel tales, or like us to review your restaurant/ property, drop me an e-mail at waves.lifestyle@gmail.com and be featured. For more reads, do access www.theiskandarian.com

Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek To Cheek LIVE!

ecorded at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City in July 2014, Cheek To Cheek LIVE! features an evening of classic jazz standards in both vocal duets and solo performances, including the full Cheek To Cheek album live plus additional hand-picked song selections, with the stars joined by a 39-piece orchestra.

Nicki Minaj – The Pinkprint

5 Seconds Of Summer LIVESOS

‘

The Pinkprint’ is the third studio album by American rapper Nicki Minaj. The album has since been supported by the singles ‘Pills n Potions’, ‘Anaconda’, ‘Only’ and ‘Bed of Lies’. ‘Anaconda’ peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and has become Minaj’s highestcharting single to date in the United States.

SOS thank their fans by announcing the release of live album ‘LIVESOS’! As the biggest selling debut band so far, 5SOS’s electric live performances have been the cornerstone of their success, winning them millions of loyal fans all around the world, and setting them apart from any other breakthrough bands in 2014.

Demi Lovato – DEMI (Deluxe Repack)

his album is a repack of her ‘DEMI’ album and contains refreshed artworks and an additional 7 new tracks which includes, ‘I Hate You, Don’t Leave Me’, ‘Let It Go’ & her acoustic cover of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Give Me Love’.

Source: Universal Music Singapore

A Splash of Fashion, Colour & Elegance and Blue Stone which are perfectly suited for style conscious urban dwellers.

B&O PLAY by BANG & OLUFSEN introduces three new vibrant and vivid special editions of the popular BeoPlay H6 headphones that will bring both excitement and elegance. The headphones were designed by the industrial designer Jakob Wagner and come in Graphite Blush, Bronzed Hazel

Review: BeoPlay H6 boasts premium sound and is designed to give you music the way the artists intended it; without any tweaks or overemphasised bass. The headphones are wrapped in the finest cowhide leather and lambskin, both durable and exclusive materials that can withstand the wear and tear of everyday use. BeoPlay H6 features a daisychain functionality* that lets you share the music - and the ability to change the cord from the left to right ear pad depending on your

preference. There’s an inline remote and microphone too that lets you control your devices directly from the cord. The headphone is also light weight making it an ideal travel companion. (* Monster MusicLink feature is used under license from Monster, Inc)

REVIEW

PRICING & Availability The BeoPlay H6 special editions will be priced at S$648 and available at selected Apple Stores, (EpiCentre, Infinite, iStudio, Nubox & Polaris), AOE (Art of Entertainment), AV One, Challenger, Courts, ConnectIT, Digital Style, Gadget World, Harvey Norman, Newstead, Parisilk, Sprint-Cass (Changi Airport T1, T2 & T3), SoundWaves Studio, Stereo & Swee Lee and online at HipVan, Lyke & TREOO.COM.

JAN 2015 | Page 3

The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle Motivation

How to Unfold Your Life Purpose (pt I)

An Energy Coach, A Reiki Master and A Personal Motivator. Rose Osman uses her knowledge in energy and Reiki to help people achieve their goals in personal growth, life, love, career & relationships.

n my journey of unfolding self-mastery and unlimited potentials for myself and others, I found out that we all have one thing in common; we do not know what we want! When I changed the question to ‘Do you know what you love to do? Or do you know your purpose?’ Some people have the answers but many are still hanging in the middle of nowhere. Purpose is one wonderful essence of life. It always comes with a reward, a fulfilment of love and a satisfaction of achievement. With purpose, you will experience the joy of doing. If you still have no clue what your purpose is, let’s

find it. Take two to three weeks to find out what you love. When you list down the activities on a paper, find out which activity resonates with you the most. Then try to live that activity for a month and see if it makes you feel satisfied and joyful. Let’s take painting, writing and dancing as simple examples (in your mind) for the following question: What makes you wake up from your bed early in the morning and feel joyful? The feeling should look like this; the moment

you open your eyes, you would want to wake up and do what you love to do. Even though the activity may take place in the afternoon, you have already felt the joyful vibe from it. As a result, the morning joy becomes so intensively alive for you, and the colourful life becomes vivid too. Your body then comes at ease and stressfree. Deep inside your heart, you know that this is one of your best moments unfolding for you to experience, and everything around you aligns with your path and support what you love. So tell me, what do you love to do that gives you this morning experience?

MOVIE pREVIEW Into the Woods

Genre: Rating: Malaysia Release Date: Cast: Director: Producers: Screenplay by: Based on the musical play by:

By Rose Osman

Personal Motivator & Energy Coach yourpersonalmotivator BucketOfRoses

MOVIE pREVIEW THE WEDDING RINGER

Family Comedy / Musical Fantasy na 15th January 2015 Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine, Baranski, Lilla Crawford and Johnny Depp. Rob Marshall Rob Marshall, John DeLuca, Marc Platt, Callum McDougall James Lapine Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine

Synopsis “Into the Woods” is a modern twist of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt) of their wish to begin a family, and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them. Rob Marshall, the talented filmmaker behind the Academy Awardwinning musical “Chicago” and Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” helms the film, which is based on the Tony-winning original musical by James Lapine, who also penned the screenplay, and legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, who provides the music and lyrics.

Source: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Malaysia

Genre: Malaysia Release date: Cast: Director:

Comedy 29th January 2015 Josh Gad, Kevin Hart, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Ken Howard, Mimi Rogers Jeremy Garelick

Synopsis Doug Harris (Josh Gad) is a loveable but socially awkward groom-to-be with a problem: he has no best man. With less than two weeks to go until he marries the girl of his dreams, Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), Doug is referred to Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart), owner and CEO of Best Man Inc., a company that provides flattering best men for socially challenged guys in need. With very little time to work with, Jimmy pulls out all of the stops in assuming the role of Doug’s right-hand pal, putting together an all-star team of bogus groomsmen in order to impress Gretchen’s increasingly suspicious parents Ed (Ken Howard) and Lois (Mimi Rogers) Palmer. What ensues is a hilarious wedding charade as they try to pull off the big con, and an unexpected budding bro-mance between Doug and his fake best man Jimmy.

Source: Sony Pictures Malaysia

JAN 2015 | Page 4

The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle

Go local, Eat local, Stay local Calendar of Events

BodyWork Spa & Fitness at Thistle Johor Bahru

January 2015 1st January 2015 Happy New Year 2015!

JB, 1st - 4th Jan Doraemon Expo @ City Square

Spore, 1st Jan Scientist for a Day’ Exhibition @ Science Centre S’pore

3rd January 2015 Prophet Muhammad Birthday

Spore, 3rd Jan Investment Workshop @ International Plaza S’pore

15th January 2015 Happy Ponggal

JB, 16th Jan Mediation Advocacy Introduction Talk @ Johor Bar Auditorium

JB, 17th - 18th Jan Johor Career & Postgraduate Expo @ Danga City Mall

Spore, 17th - 25th Jan Singapore Art Week

Spore, 21st -23rd Jan Smart Airport SEA @ Singapore Expo

spa visit is something that we reward ourselves with when some ‘me-time’ is needed. It’s the escape time for us to be pampered and treated a bit more preciously. A blissful hour or two under the hands of an experienced masseur is the best refreshing getaway from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Tucked away inside the five-star rated Thistle Johor Bahru Hotel, BodyWork Spa is a hidden gem that deserves exposure. Relax, unwind and indulge will be the words that come to mind upon entering BodyWork Spa. What’s called for is a place where you can relax and experience a sense of well-being and where the treatments are, not only marvellous, but memorable and BodyWork certainly fits the bill. My journey began with a much needed soothing foot massage - after endless hours of walking and running around in the office, we all need some loving in our feet, don’t we. Getting a foot bath in scented water filled with petals of roses and smattering of lime which were used as scrubs is simply blissful.

JB, 29th Jan (tbc) Drink Entrepreneurs JB

The rooms are very elegantly set up The rooms are set very elegantly and continue the momentum of tranquil bliss. This full body massage package is sure to leave one smelling and feeling beautiful with the therapist using up to five oils in the mixture. The beauty of BodyWork Spa is that they customise their sessions to cater to what the client needs. My session began with a lemongrass oil massage. The experience of the masseurs’ was evident as she navigated her nimble fingers across the canvas of my body. As I relaxed and drifted off, the aroma of lemongrass filled the air, deepening my comfort. After my massage session, I decided to try out the sauna. 15 minutes was more than enough for me at the steam room as I moved on to my body scrub session. I loved the rich, moisturising body scrub of cocoa butter and sea salt. An excellent scrub must have great balance of the right ratio of skinsloughing and moisturising elements and

If you need more information on the above mentioned events, drop us an email at: waves.lifestyle@gmail.com

Gym facilities are also available at BodyWork Spa & Fitness On the whole, BodyWork is a hidden sanctuary that deserves more than just one visit. Their spa-menu with price list is available online.

Soothing foot massage with essential oils, rose petals and lime The ambience of the spa is incepted perfectly, where the charm of relaxation is the tempo set. After my foot massage teaser, it was time for the real deal with their signature Aromatherapy Full Body Massage priced at RM135 for 60minutes, RM 188 for 90minutes and RM250 for 120minutes. Opting for the 120minutes massage, I was prepared for a blissful 2-hour relaxing session.

an amazing fragrance that’s not too strong. It should be energising yet relaxing enough to feel like you’ve stepped into paradise. After the body scrub, I stepped into my flower water bathtub for the final stage of my session. My gorgeous bath treatment was fragranced by lush roses and flowers. I detected the sweet smell of lime as well. It was the befitting conclusion to my weekend retreat as I basked in sweet aroma which I wished could go on forever. At the end of my session, I was greeted with a warm cup of ginger tea. I had the pleasure of chatting up with the General Manager BodyWork Spa & Fitness, Lynda Eunos. She gave me some insight and background of the spa which is the third establishment to be owned by them. She also highlighted that patrons are also welcome to try out the gym facilities cojoined with the spa.

The ever friendly General Manager, Lynda Eunos (right)

Name: BodyWork Spa & Fitness Address: Thistle Hotel Johor Bahru, LG Floor, Jln Sg Chat, 80100, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. Hours: 6am to 10pm weekdays / 8am - 9pm (weekends & public holidays) Telephone: +60 7-221 3121 Website: www.bodywork-spa-fitness.com

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live

Your 2015 New Year Resolution Ms. Sally Khor Seh Lee Principal of Kunkwan Master of Linguistics & Applied Linguistics

t’s the New Year and if you are like most of us, the start of a new year will have you thinking about selfimprovement. Maybe you could consider a permanent form of selfimprovement, one that can enhance your career, increase your income and a resolution that can be funded for your education and professional benefits. What’s an excellent resolution that people should consider? I strongly suggest learning Mandarin as your resolution. It may take time and dedication, but through our method of “Kunkwanization”, your journey of learning is worth a lifetime. A philosopher once said, “The more languages you know, the more you are human” - Tomas Garrigue Masaryk. So how does this resolution help guide you? For instance, if your partner,

in-laws, relatives or friends speak Mandarin, then learning that language will help you communicate with them. It can also give you a better understanding of their culture and way of thinking. If your work involves having regular contact with speakers or clients of Mandarin language, then being able to talk to them in their own language will help you negotiate and close sales and secure contracts. Knowledge of the Mandarin language may also increase your chances of finding a new job, getting a promotion, an overseas transfer, or getting an opportunity for foreign business trips. For students, learning other languages gives you access to a greater range of information about your subject and enables you to communicate with students and researchers from other countries such as China. If you are going for holidays, pursuing studies abroad or embarking on a business trip; learning the local language can help you venture beyond and be able to know the locals, understand their culture and programmes, read signs, menus and more. Therefore, knowing the local

language is very useful. Is ‘learning a new language’ a must? YES, Definitely! Even our leaders in Malaysia encourage communities re g a rd l e s s o f race to learn Mandarin as a step for greater achievements. Now do you realise that by learning a new language, a wider opportunity actually opens for you? If you’re a bit of a Philomath and enjoy learning, then one language is n e ve r e n o u g h ! So make sure you make a difference this New Year and learn Mandarin at Kunkwan.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart” - Nelson Mandela.

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Quick Reads Jiu-Jitsu Championship Ultimate Beatdown is proud to present their second Jiu-Jitsu Championship to the Southern shores at Plaza Sentosa. Johor’s premier Mixed Martial Arts events’ organisation, Ultimate Beatdown will be organising their second Johor Jiu-Jitsu event in Johor Bahru. The Open Championship will be held from the 10th - 11th January at Plaza Sentosa. Ultimate Beatdown and Plaza Sentosa have teamed up this year. They intend to bring a total of 8 events for the whole year with four Jiu-Jitsu and four Mixed Martial Arts events in the pipeline. The First Johor Open JiuJitsu event was held last October and it was a major success with an international cast of competitors, including a lone entrant who flew in from Qatar, with support from a multitude of gyms from Malaysia and Singapore. Ultimate Beatdown is optimistic that the second JiuJitsu for the year would have a roaring success and support.

Bringing Healthcare to the Orang Asli Community Responsible: Regency Specialist Hospital celebrates their 5th anniversary with the Orang Asli community of Kampung Kuala Masai

he 5th anniversary of Regency Specialist Hospital (Regency) was recently celebrated at the Orang Asli village of Kampung Kuala Masai. Regency collaborated with the Dental Health Division of the Johor Health Department and was welcomed by the Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (JAKOA) to extend the importance and awareness of general and dental health to the Orang Asli community at Kampung Orang Asli, Kuala Masai. Kampung Orang Asli Kuala Masai is a small community of 308 residing in 55 houses located about 30 minutes from Johor Bahru city. The joint outreach expedition involved a group of 20 caring people comprising of doctors, medical officers, dentists, nurses, hospital management and volunteers from Regency, JAKOA and the Dental Health Division. Chin Wei Jia, Chief Executive Officer of Regency, led a team of hospital personnel to reach out to the Orang Asli of the village in efforts to promote general and dental health awareness. “We hope that this day brought some cheer to the settlement, and increased the level of health literacy

among the rural people. Regency has always been sensitive and concerned to the needs of the less fortunate and will do it’s best to extend our assistance in any forms, should such an opportunity arise, as per Regency’s faith in giving back to the society,” said Chin. The visit started early in the morning when trucks came in to set up canopies and brought in medical utensils and supplies for the event. Regency brought along specialist doctors from their own staff and dentists from the Dental Health Division. The villagers were given free general and dental checkups by the medical staff. At the end of the event, awards were presented to the top three individuals who had the best teeth and they were among the children. JAKOA Officer, Firdaus, announced the three chosen winners of the cleanest houses in the village with judging help from Regency’s staff. R e g e n c y l o o k s fo r wa rd to continue this corporate social responsibility programme in years to come, especially in cases that can help promote the awareness on the importance of general and dental healthcare.

Kampung Orang Asli Kuala Masai is a small community of 308 residing in 55 houses

Regency Specialist Hospital celebrating their 5th anniversary

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¬ Mega Trend 5: Smart Grids (pt I)

work

The Importance of Mega Trends for Long-Term Sustained Growth

Manoj Menon Partner & Asia Pacific Managing Director at Frost & Sullivan

mart Grids is the emerging paradigm in the global utility and electric power industry. The electric grid architecture as we have today is almost a century old. While there have been incremental advances in technology, there has never been a wholesale restructuring of the system. The grid is very inefficient and many a time the operator has limited real time knowledge of what is going on in the system. The existing grid has evolved on the principle of “build and grow”. The utilities have been creating infrastructure with the assumption that power demand growth will keep increasing. While this is certainly true because of the changing lifestyle and massive demand from the energy hungry digital world, the utilities have long ignored the need to strike an optimum balance between growth and efficiency. Increased concerns about global warming, pressure on bottom lines, proliferation of intermittent but clean energy sources like solar & wind in the grid, combined with advances in ICT technology, has forced the utilities to rethink their business model and technology evolution. Smart Grids consist of a web of technologies aimed at automating, improving efficiency, and increasing availability of the electric grid ranging from generation, transmission, and distribution levels.

• Ageing infrastructure in most regions are putting a strain on the grid • Current philosophy is to do one-way metering of power consumption; this means the customers will have no control on what they consume and have no say in making choices.

Automation also includes tools to conduct predictive, preventative and supply analysis based on data collection that is conducted at the transmission and distribution level From Conventional Grid to Smart Grids

The following are the key features of conventional grids: • It is dominated by centralised power generation resulting in substantial power and transmission losses

The emerging smart grids solution will look to address most of the inefficiencies and challenges with the conventional grids, by effectively marrying digital ICT technologies and clean energy technologies with the power grid. The key characteristics of the smart grid include: • Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) facilitating two-way communication between the customers and the utility. • Integrating several small generating facilities (including micro-generation) like wind & solar into the system. • Facilitating large customers like offices, hospitals to sell excess energy (they selfgenerate), back to grid. • Planning and supporting the large scale advent of electric vehicles. These vehicles will also store energy that can be supplied back to the grid during peak demand periods. • Increased efficiencies and reduced operational e x p e n d i t u re s and environmental effects.

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invest

¬ Surviving a Bear Market

ull or bear? I bet most of you would answer ‘Bear’ as the Malaysian stock market has been moving up for the last five years and if there’s any correction happened, it would normally recover within a month or two. But this time, the correction has been persistent for three months (as I wrote this article) and this is pretty unusual. So where is the market heading right now? More importantly, what should we do if the market continues to go down (bearish), or if it surprises us by recovering unexpectedly (turn bullish)? In this issue, I’ll be sharing with you on how to define Bull or Bear market from technical perspective, which in turn would help us determine which strategy to use. To begin with, there are two signs to define that we’re in the BEAR market: 1)The Composite Index (KLCI) falls below MA200

The Composite Index (KLCI) is a benchmark that represents the performance of 30 blue chip companies in Malaysia. Generally, if the stock market is doing well, the KLCI will go up, and vice-versa. MA200 is a moving average line plotted by 200 days of data. In technical analysis, MA200 is a very strong support. If the index falls below this line and doesn’t come back within days, there is a high possibility that something worse is coming. So where are we right now? Our KLCI index has fallen below this critical line since October 2014, and it’s far below this line as at the middle of December 2014 (refer attached graph). This implies that the market sentiment is still very negative, and more people are selling than buying. 2)A fall of more than 20% from the peak By referring to the KLCI

Lam Kwai Soon is a qualified accountant with ACCA qualification, and is a member of Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA), the Chartered Tax Institute of Malaysia (CTIM) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). He is a Tax Director at Cheng & Co. Taxation Sdn Bhd. (A Member of Cheng & Co Group).

Additional Cost for Preparation

t is crucial for the relevant authorities and industries and businesses to e d u c ate a n d co n d u c t f re q u e nt dialogue sessions, knowledge sharing and trainings to enhance a better understanding of GST and its specifics. It is through such sessions that specific industrial norms or practices are addressed to assure GST readiness for implementation. All of these will require

Index, you can see it peaked at 1896 on 8 July 2014. So, has it fallen more than 20% already? If the market closed at 1700 on 18 Dec 2014, the difference of 1896 and 1700 is 196 points. This is a 10.3% decline from the peak. To fall 20% from the peak, the Index would need to go down to 1516, about 200 points away from 1700. Although we’re only half way towards 1516, many retail investors have been badly hit as lots of companies’ share prices has fallen more than 40% from its peak. Clearly, this is a Bear market that we’ve not seen in five years. The question is what should we do? Immerse in the Bear market with calculated risk. Although we don’t like it, let’s move out of our comfort zone and face it, because bear market is the best time to gain invaluable experience. And trust me, you’d

Data source: Yahoo! FINANCE

ACCUMULATING WEALTH

Tey Bin Yuen is the founder of BY Enrich Resources and the author of ‘Life beyond the Comfort Zone’. His books are available at major bookstores in Singapore & Malaysia. He’ll be conducting a workshop ‘Profit from Technical Analysis’ on 18 Jan 2015. Reach him at contact@ teybinyuen.com

become much more matured once you’ve experienced and survived the bear market. Here’s how we can enhance our experience: 1. Only invest a smaller amount for learning purpose, say 20% of your overall capital: i.e. invest only RM2000 if your overall capital is RM10000. A smaller investment allows you to have a peace of mind whilst learning. 2. Disassociate yourself from the market’s emotion, and observe market sentiments by seeing how the Composite Index KLCI fluctuates with oil price, currency

and international news. 3. Read the company’s quarter and annual report and correlate their earnings with the share price. 4. Attend courses and seminars to gain insights from different industrial players, and reflect. So now you know how to identify a bear market and adopt some of the strategies to protect yourself while enriching your investing experience. I encourage you to cherish the opportunity and take action. After all, it is how much you learn which decides how much you earn!

¬ The readiness of the businesses and the

impacts of GST (pt V- final)

Goods & Services Tax (GST) extra investment in time, financial and human resource aspects. • Trainings for the Manpower To ensure a smooth transition and effective implementation of GST, this is unavoidable! Businesses will need to train and equip their staff with the knowledge to manage GST compliances; business owners, particularly franchisors and franchise owners will need to train their managers to ensure

they have an in-depth understanding on GST concepts and their statutory responsibilities provided under the GST laws and regulations. Government departments will need to do the same for their civil servants and their leading authorities who will be part of the GST law enforcement units. • Upgrading of Information and Computer Systems Review of the operation procedures and process must be carried together with the modification and upgrading of the computer systems. The review and the modifications may cover invoicing, inventory, accounting and finance, procurements, claims, inventory, right down to sales and marketing. The Government has allocated RM100 million for businesses to apply for GST training grants, and RM150 million has been allocated for SMEs to apply for financial assistance to acquire or upgrade the computers’ software and hardware. Benefits and Advantages of GST GST implementation seems to be tedious and intimidating, but impacts aside, there are benefits and advantages to it. Comparing it with the current Sales and Service Tax, it is of my professional opinion

that the new tax system will reduce red tapes and bureaucratic processes, avoidance of tax cascading issues and enhancing transparency. There is no perfect system in the world, and every system will have its pros and cons. There are some who debates that GST is a type of regression tax system; where the poor will pay higher tax proportionately on their income as opposed to the rich. Bear in mind that GST should be looked upon as a tax structure as a whole, and how tax revenues collected will be redistributed. GST is a tax system which will benefit the general public in the long run, and will generate substantial extra income for the Government. As such, it is crucial that the funds collected be used wisely to enhance the country’s qualitative competitiveness as a whole, level up the nation’s income, and ensure equality of income distribution nationwide. The spotlight will be on the person who is leading and managing the system to bring out its’ positive measures while at the same time, mitigate its unfavourable aspects. This will ultimately be the key challenge for the country leader and his tax authorities leading up to the GST implementation and following up on its effectiveness after that.

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Christmas with the less fortunate Responsible: Le Granduer Palm Resort Johor celebrated Christmas with the less fortunate and launched ‘Have A Heart..Buy A Heart’ programme

play

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Biggest painting at Legoland Malaysia Interest: LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort and Wall’s Paddle Pop collaborated to break Malaysia Book of Records

aimed at raising funds and soliciting Christmas presents to benefit the less fortunate. Donations were collected through the sales of ‘Hearts’ which were sold at RM50, RM20 and RM10 each. The funds collected will be channeled to selected welfare organisations. Initiated by the General Manager, Le Grandeur Palm Resort Johor is the first in the region to introduce recycled-bottles Christmas tree decoration since 2011. The tree, 6 metre tall was built by empty mineral water bottles and decorated by beautiful lights and ornaments. The tree will be at the resort’s lobby throughout three festival celebrations (Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year). This time, the residents from the Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children Association, Saleng, Johor were the chosen beneficiary A Christmas tree built by using empty and they were also treated mineral water bottles and decorated by to a sumptuous meal by the beautiful lights and ornament hotels’ management.

n the spirit of last Christmas, George Loong, the General Manager of Le Grandeur Palm Resort Johor launched ‘Have A Heart..Buy A Heart’ programme. This is an annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative

n conjunction with World’s Children Day, LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort and Wall’s Paddle Pop collaborated to break the record for the “Biggest Painting Assembled by Children” under Malaysia Book of Records. Children from various orphanages and kindergartens in Johor as well children visitors to the Resort, gathered for the activity and successfully assembled a giant painting measuring 12.27m

The media event that was held on 15 Nov 2014 to celebrate the World Children Day and break Malaysia record x 7.53m. This broke the previous record of 9.75m x 5.48m. The Resort unveiled the paintings made up of individual tiles in a huge wall mural along the walkway of the LEGOLAND Water Park. “We are proud of this achievement by the children and are extremely excited to have collaborated with our Resort partner, Wall’s Paddle Pop in this activity dedicated

to children. LEGOLAND is for families with children and this is a good example of how we bring this value to life with events at the Resort,” said Mark Germyn, General Manager of LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort. Besides that, LEGOLAND Malaysia also offered a special promotion during the holiday season with a Buy 3 get 1 Free Offer for both Standard and Premium Annual Pass new sales.

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Johor kaki Grazia Cafe Tony is a very passionate Johor food blogger. He is fascinated by Johor’s unique culinary heritage created by its melting pot of diverse cultures. He hopes that his writings about the delightful experiences with Johor food and the people behind it, visitors from around the world will appreciate the potpourri of Johor culinary art.

razia Cafe is a quaint cafe tucked in a corner of Taman Sutera Utama near Sutera Mall. The furnishings here is eclectic and a mishmash of odds and ends. Kellie (the owner), dreamt of owning her own cafe and started Grazia on a shoestring budget. Therefore, many of the furnishings were pre-used and adopted from other places. Re-use and recycle are some Earth friendly ideas which Kellie brought home from her travels. Kellie is also a coffee enthusiast, so there is an espresso bar in Grazia Café for all coffee lovers. F & B: Grazia serves a wide range of cafe fare such as pizzas and pastas, all

with a local twist. Kellie’s younger brother helms the kitchen here.

Wide range of pizzas available I first tried the “The homemade cream of mushroom soup” (RM7.90). It was savoury and mushroomy (if I could use this word)! The soup was likable flavour wise but was blended a bit too finely for my liking. However, I discovered that in Johor, the public generally prefers finely blended mushroom soup. Next, was the “Bacon and Ham Pizza” (RM18.90). It consisted of a thin crispy crust topped with fried bacon, turkey ham slices, chopped capsicum, shiitake mushroom, and melted cheese. This was a good try. I then decided to go for the signature Omelette dish. It was a

serving of omelette with bacon, chicken sausage, potato wedges, and baked beans. Simple in flavours; this was one of the most beautifully executed omelette that I have ever eaten! The omelette was shaped as a plump yellow torpedo and had a pillowy bounce and moist texture with bits of soft savoury ham bursting with flavours in your mouth. All egg lovers must try this omelette. Next up were the pasta dishes. I first tried the “Bacon Aglio Olio” (RM13.90). It was spaghetti cooked with shiitake mushroom, bacon, cheese, garlic and chilli. The smooth syrupy sauce was aromatic and savoury. Here, the pasta was cooked until slightly softer than al dente to suit local taste buds. Then was the “Smoked Duck Aglio Olio” (RM16.90). Again it was spaghetti but with savoury smoked duck breast slices, shiitake mushroom, garlic and chilli. Finally no meal is complete without any deserts and I was recommended to try the “Brownie with ice cream” (RM8.90). Basically, it was generic vanilla ice cream but the warm homemade brownie was

Location

Finely cooked pasta dishes chocolaty rich, syrupy moist and buttery sweet - Perfect with coffee. Speaking of coffee, there is a wide range of selected coffees at Grazia and the Cappuccino (RM7.90) is a winner for me as it’s brewed from a blend of Brazilian and Sumatran Arabica. The medium bodied cappuccino was gently savoury with mellow caramel sweet notes and aroma, and had a citrusy aftertaste. It’s also interesting to mention that the cafe also serves warm blended fresh milk which is actually popular with its customers. Overall, Grazia Café is a casual, cosy, family friendly place with nice food and good coffee at reasonable prices.

Restaurant name: Grazia Cafe Address: 80, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/3, Taman Sutera Utama Map: http://goo.gl/maps/JsNUQ GPS: 1.515212,103.668891 Hours: 12:00 noon to 11:00 pm Telephone: +60 7-559 6428 Non Halal

Grazia’s signature Omlette dish

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PROPERT Y INSIGHT

PROPERTY

RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS

Cover: MAPEX December 2015

REHDA Johor proudly presented its second MAPEX 2014 at Sutera Mall, pg 31 Johor Bahru

APARTMENTS

VILLAS

Property Investment by Our Expert

CONDOMINIUMS

Ed Cheong talks about ‘A New Year of Confidence’ pg 32

OFFICE/ RETAILSPACE

UM Land’s Seri Austin goes full swing Dynasty View unveils its new property sales gallery and Aster phase pg 34

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Quick Reads

Freeze on serviced apartments The state has halted new applications to build serviced apartments to ensure that the property market would not be flooded by serviced apartments, especially in Iskandar Malaysia. Menteri Besar Dato’ Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that those who have received their approval can continue with their projects. “Construction of ser viced apar tments was not subjected to housing development conditions such as the providing of basic amenities such as schools, multi-purpose halls and places of worship. Such apartments were no longer rented out but owneroccupied. Hence, developers should provide these amenities to buyers,” said Khaled. The Iskandar Malaysia Comprehensive Development Plan 2006-2025, only about 26,000 units were deemed necessary for south Johor however recent reports have suggested that about 86,000 units of serviced apartments had been approved for the country’s first economic growth corridor until 2025. “ We have direc ted the Township Development Planning Unit to review the need for such an excessive number of serviced apartment projects,’’ he added. “ I t i s b e t t e r fo r developers to focus on building apartment units in Iskandar Malaysia instead of serviced apartments.”

Mah Sing appoints Topotels Mah Sing Group Bhd has appointed Topotels Sdn Bhd as the hotel operator to operate and manage its Meridin Hotel Suites in Medini, Johor. Meridin @ Medini would be an integrated complex of hotel, condotel and residences located in the new urban township of Medini Iskandar, Johor within walking distance to Lego Land theme park. “Meridin @ Medini is poised to benefit from its location just right next door to Legoland Malaysia which has attracted more than one million visitors since its opening,” said Mah Sing Group Managing Director Tan Sri Leong Hoy Kum.

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Pool of Properties at Second MAPEX 2014 Benchmark: REHDA Johor proudly presented its second MAPEX 2014 at Sutera Mall, Johor Bahru

he second Malaysian Property Expo (MAPEX) 2014 was recently held at Sutera Mall and the Johor Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (REDHA) were proud to organise this property expo to gather the developers to showcase their properties. MAPEX was supported by the State government with the presence of the Johor State Secretary, YB Dato’ Ismail bin Karim who officiated the event. “This is a good programme to be held as it promotes the economic growth of the state by inviting investors not only within the country but also from across the borders to buy properties and make Johor their second home,” said Dato Ismail.

“MAPEX is about offering potential buyers choice of properties and developers” Hoe Mee Ling Branch Chairman REDHA Johor

YB Dato’ Haji Ismail bin Karim officiating MAPEX “MAPEX is about offering potential buyers choice of properties and developers. During these three days, property buyers could choose from residential, commercial and industrial properties by major conglomerates, established names in the property scene as well as niche boutique players,” said Hoe Mee Ling, Branch Chairman of REDHA Johor. Property hunters would go crazy over MAPEX as the expo sees over 100 choices of properties sited at desirable locations in Iskandar Malaysia. Estimated gross value of all property exhibited at the expo was about MYR12billion with an average cost of MYR500k per unit. Touted as the largest property expo, the second instalment of MAPEX 2014 was not short of exciting activities. There were also enlightening GST Q&A sessions,

Dato’ Ismail emphasised the importance of MAPEX during the press confrence property and Feng Shui talks. MAPEX 2014 also brought festive cheer with Christmas caroling, appearances by Santa Claus and Santarina, kid’s dance performances and a magic show. In the spirit of Christmas,

MAPEX 2014 also held a Donate-a-Toy charity drive. All were encouraged to bring their toys to the property expo. The toys were donated to the Calvary Care Homes during a presentation ceremony held on the last day of the expo.

Property Corner

¬ Case Study 7 : MRTA Revisited

A.Devadason CA(M), FCCA, MDRT Deva is a partner in the firm of Dason & Dason, Chartered Accountants who specialises in tax advisory and consultancy. He can be reached at deva@dason.com.my

call came from a friend who recently acquired a house in Serene Park and was re-looking at his MRTA (Mortgage Reducing Term Assurance) options. From my previous dealings, I had suggested to take MLTA (Mortgage Level Term Assurance) instead, to which he was agreeable after balancing the pro’s and cons of the plan. He was also looking at a

plan that covers Critical Illnesses (CI) rather than the basic coverage of Death & Disability. The new loan was at RM265k and about a year ago, he acquired an apartment which carried RM200k loan, and he took up an MLTA plan to mitigate the risk. As our meeting went on, he informed me that the apartment was sold and was in the process of changing hands. This transaction was expected to be completed in about 3 months’ time. The question is; how much loan should he take in view of the soon to be completed disposal? Should he re-cycle the previous MLTA and just top up the difference of RM65k or take a plan for the full RM265k since the previous unit is yet to be disposed in its entirety?

If one is paranoid, then, the new MLTA should be at RM265k. However, this may be an overkill since the apartment is already on its way out and there is such a thing as risk and calculated risk. I explained to him that when it comes to property investment, it may not be practical to insure the entire amount of loan for all properties. In practice, one should categorise properties as core holdings and trade commodities. The core units should be protected in full as the primary intention is for long term retention (for self use or rent collection) while the other group is held with the aim of disposal should the right situation arise. Example of core units are the house one resides in, the office one operates from as well as other units that are meant for

portfolio building. He then concluded that the house is a core unit that must be protected from risks and the apartment as a trade item. I suggested that he performs this core/non-core asset exercise periodically to gauge his risk exposure with mitigating actions. In the end, he decided to take an additional coverage of RM100k instead. The rationale was to have an additional RM35k for the family even after the house loan has been settled in full. I suppose when one is a husband/father, leaving something extra behind as a parting gift is the least one can do, and loans are a good financial tool but just like fire, if precautions are not there, it can burn the house down! So invest wisely.

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Property Investment

Ed Cheong is the Singapore founder of the Iskandar Malaysia Investors Forum and Rafflesland Group of Companies which provides platform for property investors to gain insights and world-class investment strategies. He is contactable at iskandar@rafflesland.com

¬ A New Year of Confidence

new year has begun since the launch of Iskandar Malaysia (IM), and it is timely to revisit the highlights and changes of 2014. Before we begin, let us remember that all economies whether mature or developing, face the same growth cycle and every few years, there is a change of growth to be consolidated. I believe 2014 was the start of an economic consolidation and the beginning of maturation of IM’s early plans. This phase will last a few years before new infrastructural development happens.

Not withstanding the catching up of IM housing prices with Kuala Lumpur’s, we have seen drastic slowing down of new project launches in residential, commercial and international joint ventures in IM. There is an oversupply overhang. There are no longer daily headlines of new project commitments and if there is any eye catching news, it is to do with implementation of policies to facilitate new local housing, skills and employment development, and daily living matters. Indeed, this is a necessary development to reach a healthy

equilibrium of pricing, supply and demand. It is expected. U n fo r t u n ate l y, m a ny buyers are speculators. They are naive to think that pricing growth is the factor to a healthy state of investments. That sort of misunderstanding often seeded by speculative investment peddled by ‘gurus’ and sales seminars of past years, causes panic and disappointment in this phase. Panic ensues in the rush exit as properties are left unrented out. True investors will look at IM with a view on future employment, regional economic factors and the

impact of its positioning. No sales seminars have ever added value in this sense of educating economic investors. As a result, property buyers feel scared and flee. Real investors do not jump in when things start to fall apart. They patiently wait for speculators to flee. Investors understand that speculation causes prices to increase and their selling causes a crash. When speculators force sell, they realise their own fears. If your view is of a long term growth in IM, you need to stay true to that vision. You need to be an investor in the true sense of the

¬ Understanding How to Get It Right

Quick Reads

in Property Investment

Propernomics by Dr Daniele Dr. Daniele Gambero is the CEO and co-founder of REI Group of Companies, gives presentations on the property market and welcomes feedback at: Daniele.g@reigroup.com.my

Malaysia: Present and Future ow can we define if a country’s performance is good or bad? In science, laboratories have comparison scales and parameters, but in economics, we can also make a comparison between the object countries and better performing ones. In this case, this will allow us to see the strong and weak points of Malaysia’s current performance and possibly help us in better understanding for future growth and improvement. The table shows the basic indexes of the 2013 performance of several fully developed countries from around the world and Malaysia’s. Briefly, we can say that a country MUST have positive growth especially through the GDP (Gross Domestic Product); we can derive the raise or decline of per-capita income and consequently the spending capacity of its population. So far, Malaysia’s performance is not up to

expectation as the outlook was for a 5.2 to 5.5%, but it is still considered as performing much better and stably if compared to the others in the chart. The Government’s debt which had been recently recalculated by Bank Negara as 65.2% for the Q1 2014 is a parameter to measure the efficiency of a country’s Government. Theoretical guidelines are setting a healthy and manageable limit at 65% and we just hit it. We’ll need to see which measures the Government will introduce to ensure that we will not increase and possibly reduce it. Again from a general comparison, we can reiterate that even though Malaysia is not a top performer but when compared to others, it has a decent scoring. Government deficit and percentage of GDP is another tool to evaluate the efficient performance of the Government’s spending as its showing the over or under spending

compared to the budget and inland tax revenue. The poor result is leaving plenty of room for improvement and the Malaysian Prime Minister has been committing his Government in reducing this index to below or on par to 3.5% by end of 2014. The balance of the current account is showing how much a country is capitalising on internal resources and how strong is its trading appeal. Malaysia is surely a country rich of natural resources such as oil, gas, minerals, palm oil and rubber. The Malaysian SMEs have been able to leverage on this natural gift and through an appropriate use of it kept the balance of the current account in positive waters. The outlook for this index should be quite positive because with a weak Malaysian Ringgit (as we have at the moment), Malaysian products will be much more attractive in general when compared to 2013. Inflation is on a growing trend and it will possibly

word. If you have speculated, it is time to revisit your capacity to hold. Now is a good time to start rationalising on how you can be better off by rebalancing credit so that you will not suffer with rising interest rates, and to stay away from future speculative activities. My advice for 2015 is to revisit your original plans and stay true to the growth vision of IM. It is a long term economic story and not of speculation. Make new plans to add value to your knowledge in the real sense of education and learning. Happy New Year!

become worst as GST is going to be implemented in April. Based on what I’ve seen in other countries around the world during the past decades, it will surely push up the consumer price index at unfortunately higher levels. Hopefully the Government will be fast and efficient enough to control and regulate as much as possible and indiscriminate the raising of basic products. In this way there will be a rational control over an index which might be badly affecting future trend of growth for our economy. Last but not least, the unemployment index shows an extremely healthy labour market with logically growing wages and very low impact on the Government’s debt due to an almost 100% employment in the country. In the table, everyone can see the devastating effects of higher unemployment on the Government’s debt for countries such as US, Europe or UK.

Sources: Napic Property market Report 2013, CIMB, RAM, Malaysian Department of Statistics, REI Archives.

Greenland 21 @ Iskandar Malaysia Fo r t u n e 500 c o m p a ny, Greenland Holdings Group is expected to replicate the concept of its flagship integrated development project called Greenland 21 at Iskandar Malaysia. The company is finalising the acquisition of a 52ha plot in Permas Jaya, Johor Bahru, for the project. This proposed waterfront project marks Greenland’s second venture in Iskandar Malaysia, after its low-density Jade Palace condominium development located at Danga Bay. Greenland 21, located in the Huaqiao International Service Business Park, Shangai is deemed as a decentralisation project that seeks to encourage Shanghai residents to relocate there to cushion the impact of escalating property prices and land scarcity in China’s financial capital. “We have gone global in 2012, had penetrated the real estate markets in Europe, the United States, Australia and South Korea last year. After Iskandar Malaysia, we plan to go to the Klang Valley. If the conditions allow us to do so, we plan to build an iconic building there,” said the Group Executive Vice-Chairman Xu Jing.

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One of a Kind Property Gallery Benchmark: Dynasty View Sdn Bhd unveils its new property sales gallery at Seri Austin Township

ward winning developers, D y n a s t y Vi e w S d n Bhd (DVSB) who are a subsidiary of UMLand recently unveiled its newly refurbished property sales gallery. The Seri Austin Gallery at Seri Austin Township officially opened on 20 December 2014 and was officiated by YAB Tun Musa Hitam, UMLand Chairman. “The launch is aimed to provide the public with a new experience in getting to know more about the township and what it has to offer,” said DVSB Chief Executive Officer, KK Wong. “Our staffs are also happy and glad to assist the public to understand more about our products and everything about the township,” he added. Fully equipped with CCTV, smart card access and designated with a double volume design at the sales gallery, the new gallery is also built with a grand conference room, comfortable lounge space for

DVSB CEO KK Wong

customers and also a big parking space which can accommodate more than 180 cars. Seri Austin has become a familiar name amongst home buyers and property chasers because of its proximity to various utilities such as banks, government offices, hospitals and shopping malls though located in a quiet and safe suburban area. Located also within Iskandar Malaysia and a hotspot in the Tebrau growth corridor, Seri Austin boasts excellent accessibility and direct access via the North-South Expressway (PLUS) and the Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway (EDL). An exclusive Lifestyle Smart Technologies partnership with Samsung and Telekom Malaysia (TM) made Seri Austin Gallery one of the first property galleries in the southern region to be equipped with High Speed Unifi and a Samsung Showcase Gallery. In conjunction with the official opening of Seri Austin Gallery, UMLand also took the opportunity to contribute RM10,000 to The Breast Cancer Support Group, Johor Bahru (TBCSGJB) as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative. YAB Tun Musa Hitam was honoured to be the presenter of the mock cheque to the patron of TBCSGJB, YB Tan Sri Datuk Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad. Datuk Charlie Chia, UMLand Group Chief Executive Officer and KK Wong, DVSB Chief Executive Officer were there to witness the cheque presentation.

YAB Tun Musa Hitam (third from left) officially opening the Seri Austin Sales Gallery with DVSB CEO KK Wong (first from right) and UMLand Group CEO Datuk Charlie Chia (first from left)

“The launch is aimed to provide the public with a new experience” KK Wong Chief Executive Officer Dynasty View Sdn Bhd

UMLand presenting the mock cheque to the patron of the Breast cancer Support Group, Tan Sri Sharir Samad

TM Opened first HSBB Centre at Seri Austin Interest: Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) through TM Johor launched its first High Speed Broadband (HSBB) Experiential Centre in the Southern Region

DVSB CEO KK Wong (third from left) and TM Officials launch the HSBB Experiential Centre

Attendees of the event experienced the HSBB Centre for themselves

elekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) opened their first experiential centre in the Southern Region marking another collaboration between TM and Dynasty View Sdn Bhd (DVSB). The opening of the HSBB Centre was done in conjunction with DVSB’s launching ceremony of its Aster Semi-D and Cluster homes at Seri Austin Sales Gallery at Taman Seri Austin. The TM HSBB Experiential Centre was officially opened by Mohamad Yusman Ammeran, General Manager, Mass market Sales, TM. Also present was DVSB Chief Executive Officer, KK Wong. “Seri Austin is the first Smart Township with TM’s UniFi in the Southern Region made possible via Smart Partnership Programme by TM in which TM collaborates with property developers for the deployment and provision of TM’s HSBB network infrastructure and services to the new property areas,” said Yusman.

The HSBB centre will be open to public for a year to allow them to experience UniFi and HyppTV. They can also get themselves familiar with HyppTV channel offerings and the navigation of the IPTV. TM will also be offering free 2 years of TM Residential Package VIP5 for Aster homes which include basic channels of HyppTV, up to 5mbps internet speed, Streamyx Zone ID and free calls to TM fixed lines nationwide. With an average price of RM1.2 million, a piece of ‘Luxurious Living by The Hill’ can be purchased at Seri Austin’s double-storey Aster Semi-Detached homes. Pricing starts at RM990,000 for the double-storey Aster Cluster Homes. Aster Semi-Detached homes are each built on a 32’ by 85’ of land comprising of 2802 sq feet of built up area while the Aster Cluster homes are built on 32’ by 75’ of land size each comprising of 2601 sq feet. The exclusive Aster homes are expected to be ready by 2016.

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