Returnees from abroad are reminded to go for their second COVID-19 screening voluntarily or face getting escorted for testing by the police, says Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. The Senior Minister (defence) said this after being asked to comment on the Health Ministry’s statement that 1,472 individuals under home quarantine, called Person Under Surveillance (PUS), had yet to undergo their second screening

Cisco has launched a new financing programme to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia purchase its products at zero percent interest, with no upfront costs, and at a fixed 3-year monthly payment term. The offer extends to all Cisco’s products portfolio including software, hardware, and services. The launch of the programme comes as Malaysia eases its COVID-19 measures and reopens the economy which will see various economic sectors resuming their operations under the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO).

The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has introduced the #SMART Automation Grant (SAG) as part of the government’s initiative to expand support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to make the digital leap in this era of unprecedented disruption. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Surina Shukri said the SAG takes a partnership approach between the government and SMEs to drive forward digitalisation of Malaysian businesses.

With effect from 1 July 2020, a sales tax exemption facility known as the Approved Major Exporter Scheme (“AMES”) is introduced under Section 61A of the Sales Tax Act 2018. This exemption facility is available exclusively to approved traders and manufacturers in Malaysia who are export-oriented (i.e., major exporters). On 30 June 2020, the Sales Tax (Amendment) Regulations 2020, which prescribe the relevant conditions and application procedures for AMES, was published on the Official Federal Gazette website. Key amendments to the above-mentioned Regulations have surfaced.

The Energy Commission/Suruhanjaya Tenaga (“ST”) recently released its first response to queries received on LSS@MEnTARI regarding the Request for Proposal ("RFP"). Notably, some of the clarifications amount to what appears to be a major shift from the initial position in the RFP on participation by foreign players. The ST has now clarified that participation by foreign players in the bidding entity or any of its corporate shareholders will be permitted, subject to certain conditions.

As it turns out, most companies did a solid job of addressing their employees’ basic needs of safety, stability, and security during the first phase of the COVID-19 crisis. However, those needs are evolving, calling for a more sophisticated approach as organizations enter the next phase. McKinsey recently surveyed more than 800 US-based employees on a wide variety of topics related to employee experience. We found that employees working remotely see more positive effects on their daily work, are more engaged, and have a stronger sense of well-being than those in non-remote jobs with little flexibility do.