Malaysian Citizens Research Articles

Cryptocurrency Security Risk: Awareness Among General Public in Malaysia

In the age of digital payments, cryptocurrencies have gained significant attention as an alternative investment option. However, security risks such as phishing, hacking, and fraudulent exchanges present challenges for investors. This study aims to assess the level of awareness among the general public in Malaysia regarding cryptocurrency security risks. A quantitative research method was employed, using a survey questionnaire distributed to 150 Malaysian citizens via social media platforms. The questionnaire explored respondents' knowledge of cryptocurrencies, awareness of security risks, and protective measures such as security programs, two-factor authentication (2FA), and education. The results of the regression analysis show that the installation of security programs, 2FA, and public education are all significant predictors of increased awareness of cryptocurrency security risks, with a combined R² value of 0.523. This suggests that 52.3% of the variance in awareness is explained by these factors. The study concludes that strengthening security measures and providing education can significantly improve public understanding of cryptocurrency risks, leading to safer investment practices. The implications of these findings highlight the need for targeted education and security initiatives to enhance public confidence in cryptocurrency, making digital currency investments more secure

Navigating the digital landscape: social media’s influence on luxury brand equity and purchase intention

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how social media affects luxury brand equity and purchase intention in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaires were distributed across shopping malls in the Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas, targeting Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above with a history of luxury purchases. Using random sampling, the study collected and analysed 300 valid responses. Findings The findings demonstrate that social media has a positive effect on luxury brand equity and that brand equity significantly influences purchase intention. However, the study reveals a negative impact of social media on purchase intention. Originality/value This study explores the profound impact of social media on luxury brand equity in Malaysia, revealing its role in shaping brand awareness, associations, uniqueness, loyalty and perceived quality.

A Preliminary Sentiment Analysis on Digital Barriers among Senior Citizens During Covid-19 Pandemic

Nowadays, digital technology has been an important element in assisting the community in their daily routine. During the COVID-19 era, The Special Committee for Ensuring Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) has been initiated to assist the health and well-being of Malaysian citizens in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. MySejahtera, a healthcare application technology, has been used by Malaysian citizens for seeking vaccination information as well as updating their health status. While there are benefits to using the application, there is still a challenge in using the technology among senior citizens. This study aims to investigate digital barriers to using a healthcare application, known as MySejahtera, among senior citizens in Kelantan. This study also reveals lessons learned regarding the use of technology among senior citizens during the Covid-19 era. Convergent parallel mixed method research design is initiated to produce a sentiment analysis for identifying digital barriers issues and challenges among senior citizens in Kelantan. 5 respondents aged from 60 to 80 years old were interviewed to obtain their sentiments on using digital technology for vaccination information and Covid-19 news. This study highlights issues namely awareness of knowledge, misconception about digital technology, information quality and technology usage among the senior citizens in Kelantan. This study summarizes that there is a need to reduce digital barriers among senior citizens to ensure digital inclusion for their benefit in health and well-being.

Analysing the multifaceted determinants of exorbitant medical expenses among senior citizens in Malaysia

This article analyses the complex factors contributing to rising medical expenses, focusing on the senior citizen demographic in Malaysia. With the global aging population, notably in lower and middle-income countries, the study highlights the escalating medical and health insurance costs, driven by age, income source, modern healthcare, and geographical residence. The research draws on an extensive literature review, demographic analysis, and quantitative methods to examine these determinants. It critically analyzes Malaysia’s healthcare system, which operates on a dual-tier model, and the financial burden placed on senior citizens. The findings indicate that age, source of income, and geographical residence significantly influence medical expenses, whereas modern healthcare’s impact is not statistically significant. The study calls for government intervention, insurance industry adjustments, and private sector support to mitigate the financial strain on senior citizens. Recommendations include tax relief adjustments, National Health Insurance Scheme implementation, and employment sustainability for seniors. This research provides some recommendations to policymaking, the insurance industry, and academia by providing insights into managing the healthcare needs of an aging population sustainably.

Embracing telepharmacy: Unveiling Malaysians' perceptions and knowledge through online survey.

The expansion of information technologies, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, has notably increased the use of remote services, including telehealth. Telepharmacy, a subset of telehealth, offers remote pharmaceutical care services, benefiting patients by providing advice and consultations without the need for physical pharmacy visits. This study aimed to assess public perceptions and awareness of telepharmacy in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from Nov 2022 to May 2023, involving 387 Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above. Data collection utilised Google Forms distributed via social medias, covering demographics, technological readiness, awareness, perceptions, and willingness related to telepharmacy. The study demonstrated high digital readiness among respondents, owning smartphones and being adept in utilising various digital features. However, there was a lack of awareness regarding the concept of telepharmacy. Despite predominantly positive perceptions of its potential, only 48.1% of respondents showed willingness to utilise telepharmacy services. While respondents exhibited readiness for digital engagement, there was a notable deficit in understanding telepharmacy. Though perceptions were positive, willingness to embrace telepharmacy was moderate. Addressing the knowledge gap through targeted education initiatives might enhance acceptance. Future research should focus on integrating telepharmacy into healthcare systems considering public preferences, thereby evaluating its actual implementation and outcomes among diverse demographics.

Media Monitoring oleh Divisi Informasi di KJRI Johor Bahru

This study aims to analyze the media monitoring activities carried out by the Information Division at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Johor Bahru. These activities are crucial for understanding how information circulating in the media influences the image and policies of the KJRI, as well as identifying issues relevant to Indonesian citizens in Malaysia. The study employs a descriptive qualitative method with data collection techniques including direct observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. The results of the study indicate that the Information Division at KJRI Johor Bahru has implemented various effective strategies in media monitoring, including the use of digital tools to monitor various media platforms. KJRI Johor Bahru conducts Media Monitoring, referred to as Weekly Reports (Lapming), in accordance with the definition of media monitoring activities by Friedel and Lukman (2020). Meanwhile, media tracking at KJRI Johor Bahru involves monitoring various credible online news sources, and media clipping at KJRI Johor Bahru aims to organize news collected from online sources and social media.

Nurses’ perceptions of patient handoffs and predictors of patient handoff perceptions in tertiary care hospitals in Kelantan, Malaysia: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesTo study nurses’ perceptions of patient handoffs in tertiary care hospitals in Kelantan, Malaysia, and to identify predictors of these perceptions.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingThree tertiary care hospitals in Kelantan, Malaysia, February–March 2023.ParticipantsThe...

البُعد الإسلامي في الهويّة الوطنيّة للغة الماليزيّة

The spread of Islam in the Malay Archipelago has a significant impact on social change and the development of the Malay language, which is one of the languages spoken in the archipelago at this time. It is a global language that plays a major role in the spread of Islam in Malaysia and the neighboring countries of the archipelago. As for the Arabic language and the Malay language, they have the same position in linguistic communication. As this presence in language contact provides a balance between the two languages; which leads to exchange and interaction between them; As for the linguistic identity, it also has a role in uniting the different ethnicities in Malaysia through the Malay language. This study will follow the descriptive and analytical approach. The study aims to clarify the concept of national identity and its connection with the spirit of belonging, with the characteristics and features that it represents that distinguish Malaysians from their different ethnicities from other neighboring countries. Therefore, Malaysians show their personal characteristics as Malaysian citizens, to reflect the civilized image of Malaysia. In addition, this paper shows the influence of Islam on the development of the Malay language and the influence of the Islamic dimension from several aspects, including writing, translation, education, and borrowed Arabic vocabulary in the Malay language in the religious aspect. This made the Malay language carry Islamic dimensions in it, which led to a change in the Malaysian people's view of life and helped to unify them through the national identity from the linguistic side according to the Islamic point of view.

Migrant Employment: A Blessing in Disguise from the ‘Unseen’?

Migrant workers are hired mainly to fill the demand in dirty, dangerous, and demeaning (3D) jobs in Malaysia. However, the transformation of temporary migrants into entrepreneurs while in migration, resulted in migrants’ entrepreneurship registration conundrum because they were only allowed to register for companies with private limited by shares. Currently, business registration as sole proprietors, enterprises, and limited liability partnerships are restricted to Malaysian citizens only. During the pandemic, it was observed that migrants faced heightened difficulties with marginalization and discrimination. Social media comments were captured to observe public perception towards migrants’ entrepreneurship in COVID-19 environment. A netnography analysis was conducted on eight official government agencies' Facebook pages, where 218 Facebook posts related to migrants’ entrepreneurship were observed for data collection to conduct thematic analysis. Common themes captured in the comments related to COVID-19 shaped public opinions on the topic. It was revealed that Malaysian public felt that something good resulted from COVID-19 when more enforcement measures were done during the pandemic to mitigate migrants’ enterprises. Based on thematic analysis of the comments, users criticized the lack of actions from the authorities in the past and that COVID-19 resulted in more enforcement measures due to the perceptions that migrants are responsible in spreading disease. The public has also supported such actions taken by the authority as it is seen as an opportunity to create more openings for locals to be involved in businesses especially for those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Keywords: Migrant entrepreneurship, COVID-19, migrant marginalization, netnography, Facebook.

Exploring individuals’ purchase willingness for cryptocurrency in an emerging context

This study aims to investigate the influencing factors of consumers’ willingness to buy cryptocurrency in Malaysia. The targeted population of this study was Malaysian citizens who had knowledge about digital currency such as cryptocurrency. In this study, the data collection process was completed using an online survey questionnaire from several social media groups in Malaysia. They were sent a survey invitation to take part in, and after their approval, their responses were gathered. Five-point Likert scale has been used, where ‘1’ stands for “strongly disagree” and ‘5’ stands for “strongly agree”, to find out the item-wise questionnaire. The final sample size was n = 620. Moreover, 5% significance level and SPSS software were used to analyze the data and evaluate the hypotheses. The outcome of this study exposes that the perception of the price value of the cryptocurrency, perceived trust, and perceived security measure positively and significantly affect consumers’ willingness to buy cryptocurrency. Overall, these variables can explain 49.50% (R2 = 0.495) of the variance in predicting consumers’ willingness to buy cryptocurrency. It is found that among the three determinants, perceived trust (β = 0.569) in cryptocurrency had the highest impact on the intention among Malaysian consumers compared to other variables. This study contributes to the limited existing literature concerning Bitcoin and digital currencies, offering insights that can aid scholars in comprehending the significance of cryptocurrency and delineating its predominant impacts within the Malaysian cryptocurrency space.

Crisis Communication Strategies During Natural Disaster Crisis Case Studies: Selangor Flood, Malaysia

A crisis is unpredictable, especially a natural disaster crisis. Malaysian citizens are always exposed to uncertainty from the flood effect. They were affected physically and mentally, especially by the affected victim and family. Though appropriate aid was given to the needed victims by the authorities, there were many dissatisfied reactions from affected victims whereby they claimed that the authorities were not helping them during the flood and that early preparation was missed. Therefore, this research aims to analyze the crisis responses and communication carried out by the authorities in dealing with the crisis. The researcher used the qualitative method through in-depth interviews to collect information. For this research, six major key informants were finalized through snowball sampling for a qualitative in-depth interview. These informants were selected from various districts, particularly in Selangor. The finding revealed that mostly all the selected informants were not prepared for the crisis due to a lack of urgent information from related sources and they were emotionally affected due to the danger and losses faced by them. Participated informants agree that communication plays an important role during the disaster, but according to them, immediate responses and information they received were mainly received from surrounding people and non-governmental organizations through WhatsApp platforms. This study recommends that crisis preparation is on standby by providing immediate information through a diversified method. The role of governmental public relations should be highlighted to increase public trust in managing the crisis.

Readiness for re-entry among pre-release prisoners in Sarawak, Malaysia

PurposeRe-entry refers to the process of transitioning back into society after incarceration, and it is a complex phenomenon that requires further exploration. Therefore, this study aims to identify the readiness for re-entry among pre-release prisoners in Sarawak, Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachUsing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory as the theoretical foundation, quantitative place-based research was conducted among 384 pre-release prisoners in Kuching, Sri Aman, Sibu, Miri, Bintulu and Limbang prisons.FindingsThis study’s results indicated that most respondents were Malay male offenders between the ages of 25 and 29, Malaysian citizens, single and had completed their education up to the upper secondary level. Most respondents had multiple prior convictions (52.3%), were convicted for drug-related offences (50.3%), had served sentences ranging from two to five years (56.0%) and were scheduled for release in 2023 (60.7%). The findings also demonstrated that factors such as personal development, perceived employability, social development and health development significantly predict readiness for re-entry among pre-release prisoners [F(4, 379) = 96.269, p < 0.01].Practical implicationsThe findings of this study provide place-based evidence for the state government to understand the prisoner profile for further policy intervention measures and to enhance the personal development, perceived employability, social development and health development of pre-release prisoners. Given that most offenses were drug-related, it is crucial to highlight the state government’s need to invest in evidence-based drug treatment programmes. Synergy among different stakeholders is important to devise appropriate drug treatment programmes tailored to the current needs of the prison population to ensure successful reintegration into society and to actualise their potential.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research study conducted in Sarawak, Malaysia, that examined re-entry readiness among pre-release prisoners. It contributes to the knowledge pool by providing place-based evidence that takes into account readiness for re-entry among pre-release prisoners in Sarawak, Malaysia, from an Asian perspective to promote the attainment of SDG16.

Kepastian Hukum dalam Proses Perceraian Talak di Hadapan dan Melalui Izin Mahkamah Negara Bagian dan Wilayah Persekutuan Malaysia

Divorce that occurs outside and without permission from the court raises many legal problems, from the validity of the divorce to the non-fulfillment of the rights and obligations of husband and wife after divorce. Malaysia is a country consisting of states and an alliance area which in its Islamic family law rules regulates divorce before the court to ensure legal certainty. This paper discusses the procedures for the divorce of Malaysian citizens that must be carried out before the Malaysian Court and the rules for registering talak for divorces that have already occurred not in front of and without the permission of the Malaysian Court. The regulations for imposing divorce outside the Malaysian Court also include penalties (punishment) for violators. This paper uses a juridical-philosophical approach to explain the procedure for divorce before the court and the rules related to the registration of divorce that have been carried out outside and without the truth of the court to create legal certainty. This research is a qualitative type of literature research. The conclusion of this paper shows that the rules related to divorce before the Malaysian Court indicate legal certainty because in the process the judge examines the validity of the lafadz talak that the husband has imposed to ensure the validity of the legal status of divorce in Sharia and the state administratively, as well as the fulfillment of the rights and obligations of husband and wife after divorce.

Telehealth Consultation for Malaysian Citizens' Willingness to Pay Assessed by the Double-Bounded Dichotomous Choice Method.

Re-envisioning healthcare in technology tools includes robust utilisation of telehealth, improvement in access, quality, care efficiencies and cost-effectiveness of healthcare services. In reality, the technology's potential to transform healthcare may be limited by the ability to pay for it. This study aims to estimate Malaysian citizens' willingness to pay (WTP) for telehealth consultations and determine the factors contributing to it. This is vital to inform decision-making about expansion, preferences and deployment of a pricing strategy for telehealth services. A random sample of 220 adult Malaysians was surveyed using social network services (SNS). Three different WTP bid arrays were identified and each respondent received a randomly drawn bid price. The WTP fee for using the telehealth consultation for 30 min was measured and estimated using a Double-Bounded Dichotomous Choice (DBDC) and the Random Utility Logit Model. The median WTP was estimated to be RM58 (JPY2,198), RM78 (JPY2,956) for 132 respondents' willingness to use telehealth consultation and RM26 (JPY985) for 51 respondents who were unwilling. Further analysis found that WTP is correlated with the perception and willingness of the respondents to use it. Despite most respondents being willing to pay for telehealth consultations, sociodemographic characteristics and affordability influenced the process of making decisions about WTP for telehealth consultation. This finding suggests that the private sector can play a crucial role in the deployment of telehealth. However, there may be a need to consider affordability and how to increase access and use of telehealth services.

Examining the roles of meteorological variables in COVID-19 spread in Malaysia

There are limited studies that established significant relationships between meteorological variables and COVID-19 spread in Malaysia. Although knowledge from studies conducted in other countries can be utilised as a basis for the policy formulation in general, country-specific studies are necessary as meteorological parameters and COVID-19 spread vary from country to country. This study investigated the potential roles of five meteorological parameters (average relative humidity, maximum temperature, average temperature, minimum temperature, and average wind speed) on COVID-19 spread in each of the 13 states and the entire Malaysia. The state-wise daily COVID-19-confirmed cases and daily meteorological parameters from 1 August 2020 to 31 March 2021 were acquired from Ministry of Health Malaysia and Malaysia Meteorological Department, respectively. The correlations between state-wise daily COVID-19-confirmed cases and daily meteorological parameters were ascertained via Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation tests at 5% significance level. Overall, significant correlations exist between all meteorological parameters considered in this study and daily COVID-19-confirmed cases throughout Malaysia. Average wind speed was positively correlated with COVID-19-confirmed cases, whereas average relative humidity, maximum temperature, average temperature, and minimum temperature were negatively associated with COVID-19-confirmed cases. These study findings build up knowledge pertaining the association between important meteorological factors and COVID-19 spread in various regions with different climates. The research outcomes could be helpful in understanding, bringing awareness, and educating Malaysian citizens through communication between citizens and governmental as well as non-governmental agencies via official portals to develop a better response mechanism for the Malaysian perspective.

Health Behaviour Changes among Malaysian Citizens During Covid-19 Pandemic: a Review

Since the outbreak in early 2020, COVID-19 has fundamentally altered many aspects of society and human lives globally. The changes are likely to remain for many years to come. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in the least expected way and many countries were caught unprepared and struggled to establish public policies to avoid economic downturn while still providing adequate protection to the people in the initial stage. Various preventive steps were put in place to curb the spread of the pandemic. Malaysia has been praised as one of the five model nations that successfully stopped the virus transmission while safeguarding the welfare of its population. The impact on the mental wellbeing of these preventive strategies on Malaysians is still being felt. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of health behaviour changes reported in Malaysia from the first to the last movement control order (MCO). The behaviour changes observed in this study included physical activity, eating habits, sleep habits, smoking, and alcohol consumption, as well as psychological distress.

Physiological Response and Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic among Malaysian Citizens: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Studies have shown that staying at home for prolonged periods of crisis can pose a significant challenge to individuals and affect their mental health. Hence, this study was conducted to identify the susceptible subgroups among Malaysian citizens that are prone to mental health problems during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with sociodemographic factors. Methods: The mental health status was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale -21 (DASS-21) questionnaire. The survey link was distributed online between October and December 2020. Results: Of 637 respondents, one-third experienced mild to extremely severe depression and anxiety (31.1% and 35.1%, respectively). Female respondents (odds ratio = 1.516, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.057-2.172) were 1.5 times more likely to experience mild to severe depression than male respondents. Unmarried and divorced respondents were 2.1 times more prone to experience mild to severe depression than married respondents. A significant association was also found between employment status and age with depression symptoms among the respondents. For anxiety, a significant association was observed between the age group with mild to severe anxiety symptoms. Marital status, age, and employment status were socio-demographic factors significantly impacting stress levels. Conclusion: According to our findings, females, individuals aged 18-30 years old, students, unmarried and divorced respondents were more susceptible to mental health problems, suggesting that mental health support shall also be provided for these vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis.

Aspect-Based Classification and Visualization of Twitter Sentiment Analysis Towards Online Food Delivery Services in Malaysia

Twitter has become a popular platform for the citizens of Malaysia. Twitter’s ease of expressing opinions could be used to evaluate and review Malaysian Online Food Delivery (OFD) providers. Due to competition from other OFDs in Malaysia, companies need to know customer feedback. OFD reviews are unstructured and massive, making comparisons difficult. Next, some websites evaluate OFD yet only consider pricing, delivery time, and customer experience. Customers cannot visualize the comparison based on users’ preferences, bilingual reviews, and less time-consuming to visualize OFD using the website. Thus, this study aims to design a web application system that uses Naïve Bayes to categorize Twitter sentiment analysis (SA) on Malaysia’s best OFD. It is based on customer satisfaction, visualizing the results, developing the system, and evaluating its accuracy, functioning and usability. Users can read about specific OFD by viewing Twitter SA visualization or comparing them directly. Five aspect-based SA types were presented: affordable price, promotion and discount, review rating, delivery time and condition of food delivered. Functionality testing demonstrated the accomplishment of all objectives. The training and testing data could predict OFD’s Twitter sentiment with 71.67% and 76.29% accuracy for English and Bahasa Melayu, respectively. The system’s usability produced a 94.64% average score using System Usability Scale and was considered “excellent”. Thus, it can be concluded that this study can solve the mentioned issues of OFD and ease the aspect-based comparison.

SOCIAL MEDIA AS MALAY AND CULTURAL ART PRESERVATION: GOOGLE SCHOLAR AS REFERENCE TOOL

In Malaysia, a diverse nation encompassing multiple ethnicities and languages, each community holds unique cultural traditions and beliefs. As responsible Malaysian citizens, it is imperative that we foster mutual respect among these various races. Malaysia places a significant emphasis on its Malay cultural heritage, featuring traditional games like Gasing, Congkak, and Wau, as well as entertainment forms such as Wayang Kuli, Dikir Barat, and Menora. These cultural elements play a crucial role in shaping the identity of the Malay youth. In the contemporary era dominated by digital technology, our generation increasingly relies on social media for various purposes. Within this context, this study focuses on exploring literature that examines the intersection of social media and the preservation of Malay cultural art. Leveraging Google Scholar as a reference tool, we aim to delve into past research that sheds light on how social media platforms contribute to the conservation of Malay cultural heritage. The study employs a methodological approach that involves identifying relevant literature from year 2017 until 2022 through Google Scholar, using keywords such as "Malay cultural art" and "social media." By undertaking this research, we seek to advance our understanding of past literature discussing the use of social media for the preservation of Malay cultural art. The findings are expected to contribute significantly to the current body of literature, serving as a valuable resource for scholars and researchers interested in this field. Ultimately, this study aims to foster awareness and appreciation for the rich cultural tapestry of Malaysia, encouraging future endeavours in preserving and promoting its diverse heritage.

Military spending and spillover effect on social welfare

The Malaysian Ministry of Finance primarily aims to implement fiscal and financial policies for perpetual economic progress. It is vital to ensure the equitable distribution of national wealth to improve Malaysian citizens’ well-being. Based on this study, the Malaysian government’s strategy in defence allocation and spending demonstrates spillover effects on social welfare. Notwithstanding, this financial strategy must be self-sufficient in terms of resources to achieve economic scale through increased job creation and income generation. The current work utilised panel data to examine the defence spending effects on social welfare. A key finding was derived by applying the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model to fiscal time series data for 15 years (2008–2022). Specifically, defence allocations and expenditures reflected a spillover effect on social welfare. The empirical outcomes potentially catalyse the development of the National Defense White Paper in defence allocation and spending strategies and establish a novel independent paradigm in the National Defense Industry (NDI).