Malaysia still far from being out of the woods, says Daim KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 5): Malaysia is still far from reaching the status of a developed country with unified citizens that is ready to face the industrial challenges of the future, says Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) chairman Tun Daim Zainuddin. Daim said Malaysia is still playing catch up with the fourth industrial revolution when other countries are already gearing for the supposed fifth industrial revolution. "Let us not be under any illusions. We are still far from being out of the woods. We are far from being ready for the changes happening around us. "We are far from being a united people. We are far from being able to compete at the global level. We are far from being able to embrace differences and changes. "And underpinning all of this unpreparedness is education," he said at the launch of the International Conference on Emerging Issues in Public Policy at Universiti Malaya's Institute of Public Policy and Management. The former finance minister pointed out that education is the key to prepare the youth for the future. However, he said the education ministry has failed to prioritise the right issues to tackle, which has hindered the progress of reforms within the national education policy. "We are still arguing over whether we should teach Maths and Science in English, when the rest of the world has embarked on advanced curriculums that focus on Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4) so as to make their youth more competitive and relevant in a world that is going to be dominated by artificial intelligence and robotics," he said. "To participate in IR4, we must go through a knowledge-based economy and here Malaysia has failed because the government, through the Ministry of Education, has not got its priorities right. The Education Ministry must not fail our nation. "While we are still mired in the political rhetoric of languages, others around us have moved beyond English or Mandarin or Bahasa Malaysia into the language of programming and coding. When will we realise just how far behind we are and lacking?" Daim added. In facing the rise of technology in industrialisation, Daim said the government should implement policies that create an environment where people are allowed to maximise their potential and pursue creative pursuits that are complemented by technology, not replaced by it. The reality is, he said, technology will have the most impact on future employment as robots replace humans in menial tasks. But where one window closes, another opens, he added. "Fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Robotics, Supply Chain Logistics, and Smart Manufacturing need skilled workers and indeed, the World Economic Forum has estimated that 133 million jobs will emerge as technology advances," he said. At the same time, Daim stressed that education is not just for skills development, but it is also for the soul. He said the values that are instilled in the youth at home and at the school level will greatly impact the type of adults they evolve into. "We must empower them with the ability to think critically, logically, wisely and to make their own informed decisions, no matter the situation. We must raise a new generation of leaders and great thinkers, not of sheep and cowards," he said.
Bioalpha seeks migration to Main Market TheEdge Tue, Aug 27, 2019 09:56pm - 11 hours ago
KUALA LUMPUR: ACE Market-listed health supplements maker Bioalpha Holdings Bhd has proposed to transfer its listing to the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia, saying it has met the requirements for the proposed transfer.
This includes satisfying the profit track record requirements, having a healthy financial position and liquidity, as well as an adequate public shareholding spread, Bioalpha said in a stock exchange filing today.
Bioalpha said it achieved an adjusted consolidated profit after taxation (PAT) of RM10.57 million for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2018 (FY18) and an aggregate adjusted consolidated PAT of RM24.4 million between FY16 and FY18.
As such, it said it has exceeded the profit requirements for the migration to the Main Board, which requires the group to have an aggregate PAT of at least RM20 million for the past three full financial years, as well as a PAT of at least RM6 million for the most recent financial year.
As at FY18, Bioalpha's current assets and current liabilities stood at RM89.96 million and RM9.92 million respectively, which translated to a current ratio of 9.07 times.
Meanwhile, it said cash, bank balances and fixed deposits were at RM23.12 million, saying it has sufficient working capital for at least 12 months from today.
"Accordingly, Bioalpha Group is in a healthy financial position, with positive cash flow from operating activities and no accumulated losses based on latest audited financial statements of financial position for FY18," it said.
And as at July 31, Bioalpha’s public shareholding spread was at 57.11%, comprising 5,066 public shareholders holding not less than 100 ordinary shares each, exceeding the minimum requirement of 25% public shareholding in the hands of 1,000 public shareholders.
Bioalpha managing director William Hon said the time is right for the group to "graduate" to the Main Market.
"The proposed transfer would lift the group to greater heights as we believe being Main Market-listed would accord Bioalpha with greater recognition and acceptance amongst investors, particularly institutional investors, and our stakeholders, to better reflect our current scale of operations.
"At the same time, we would also have enhanced access to the broader capital market to support our expansion plans," he said.
He added the group will continue to grow its products and customer base locally as well as in key markets like China in its health supplement manufacturing business, while it plans to add more Constant outlets under its retail pharmacy business.
"We expect sales of house brand products to improve as we add more outlets. Looking ahead, we are positive on making strides as we continue our endeavours to strengthen the business," Hon added.
Subject to regulatory approvals, Bioalpha expects the migration to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year. Its shares closed unchanged at 20 sen today, with a market capitalisation of RM172.04 million.
Most ppl lost patient and confident for Tis stk aft too long wait and no improvement at all for the past 3yra since first news out ....ppl just want to get out from this stk
Keep issue shares, talk got this opportunity, that opportunity but nothing materialize. By now the herbal plants should start contributing to the bottom line. Or is this also talk only?
New IPO: Building management systems (BMS), solar thermal systems and energy-saving services provider, Solar District Cooling Bhd aims to list on the Ace Market!
MQ Trader 804 views | 5 d ago
0:17
New IPO: The onshore and offshore support services provider for the O&G industry, Steel Hawk Bhd aims to list on the Ace Market!
This book is the result of the author's many years of experience and observation throughout his 26 years in the stockbroking industry. It was written for general public to learn to invest based on facts and not on fantasies or hearsay....
Retimer
168 posts
Posted by Retimer > 2019-08-09 01:23 | Report Abuse
Look like being fooled