Transition In Malaysia Research Articles

Job Coach Development in Career Transition in Malaysia

Job Coach Development in Career Transition in Malaysia

Digitalization and financial development contribution to the green energy transition in Malaysia: Findings from the BARDL approach

AbstractDigitalization has become a critical instrument in the struggle against pollution and has the potential to help society move toward a low‐carbon economy. However, how digitization affects the environment depends on how different economic actors collaborate and, consequently, interact with digitalization. In this regard, the current study investigates the role of digitalization in Malaysia's transition to green energy, a crucial strategy for curbing CO2 emissions and combating climate change by using the Bayesian auto‐regressive distributed lags (BARDL) approach for a period from 2000 to 2021. The research empirically demonstrates the positive impact of the digitalization sector on the transition to green energy, notably, variables related to this transition were statistically significant. The main contribution of the study to the literature is to reveal the role of digitalization in the transition to green energy. The findings also offer practical policy recommendations, supporting the development of renewable energy sources and aiding in achieving zero‐carbon targets. The empirical findings provide valuable insights for decision makers, emphasizing the importance of aligning the European Union regulations for Malaysia's successful transition to digital green energy.

Pandemic to endemic: A successful transition in Malaysia.

Pandemic to endemic: A successful transition in Malaysia.

Examining Factors Influencing the Adoption of E-Wallets among Malaysian Youth

In Malaysia's transition to a cashless economy, e-wallet technologies are emerging to replace traditional cash transactions. However, the continued preference for cash among many puts into question the behavioural intention of the people in adopting e-wallet. This study focused on the youth behavioural intention particularly undergraduate students at private university. As those attending private universities are often overlooked. This study employs the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to comprehend the factors influencing young individuals' intent to embrace e-wallet usage in Malaysia. Five independent variables were analysed: perceived usefulness, consumer confidence, price value, facilitating factors, and social influence. A total of 484 respondents participated in the study, providing valuable insight into this target group’s mindset. Results revealed a significant relationship between perceived utility, consumer confidence, and social influence with the intention to adopt e-wallets, while price value and facilitating conditions showed negligible impact. To promote e-wallet usage, it is suggested that universities and government organisations in Malaysia focus strategies on enhancing these behavioural intentions to accept digital payments.

Assessing Resistance towards the Adoption of Cashless Payment: A Survey among Generation X in Klang Valley

Adopting cashless payments at every level, including consumers, businesses, and the government, plays a vital role in Malaysia's transition to an entirely cashless economy. To boost Malaysian consumers' adoption of cashless payments, the barriers that hinder their adoption must first be identified. This study incorporates the obstacles to resistance proposed by the Innovation Resistance Theory (IRT) model with an additional external variable targeted at Gen X due to limited resistance studies on this age cohort in Malaysia. The barriers studied were usage, value, risk, tradition, and merchant acceptance barriers. Thus, this study aims to assess the obstacles that hinder the adoption of cashless payments and identify the relationship between the barriers and resistance towards adopting cashless payments among Gen X in the Klang Valley. The methodology used in this study is a survey approach to distributing questionnaires. Various analyses were performed on the 384 responses from Gen X in the Klang Valley region. The study found that usage, tradition, and image barriers significantly and positively affect resistance towards adopting cashless payment among Gen-Xers in the Klang Valley. However, value, risk, and merchant acceptance barriers did not considerably affect resistance towards adopting cashless payment among Gen-Xers in the Klang Valley. Therefore, it is suggested that future studies delve deeper into the research framework model proposed, which uses the IRT model and the additional external variables presented to gain more valuable insights into consumer resistance.

The dilemma in energy transition in Malaysia: A comparative life cycle assessment of large scale solar and biodiesel production from palm oil

Energy transition to renewable energy is a current global trend. Being the world's second-largest palm oil and third-largest solar photovoltaic cells producer, Malaysia prioritizes palm biodiesel as biofuel and large scale solar as renewable energy sources. Nevertheless, disputed issues such as land occupation and embodied environmental impacts of both technologies are not backed with data-driven evaluation from a life cycle perspective. This study compares the environmental impacts and identifies the environmental hotspots of palm biodiesel and large scale solar systems using life cycle assessment methodology under the same system boundary and functional unit (i.e., 1 MJ of energy). There are 18 impact categories and three damage assessments evaluated with ReCiPe 2016 via SimaPro 9.1. The large scale solar systems perform more favorably than palm biodiesel systems by 77% in all damage assessments. The environmental hotspots in palm biodiesel (i.e., fresh fruit bunch production and milling) and large scale solar systems (i.e., electrical installation) show environmental burdens up to 15–51% in human non-carcinogenic toxicity, human carcinogenic toxicity, global warming, marine ecotoxicity, water consumption, and fossil resource scarcity. Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel usage and land transformation in palm biodiesel systems are of positive value when compared (i.e., 11 g CO2/MJ PB) to large scale solar systems. The aluminum recycling in large scale solar systems and anaerobic digestion biogas plant in the palm biodiesel system can reduce the environmental impact between 4.13% and 25%. Policy implications are recommended for policymakers for better decision-making aligned with the national renewable energy implementation road map.

The nutrition transition in Malaysia; key drivers and recommendations for improved health outcomes

BackgroundThe main purpose of this paper is to understand the multidimensional phenomenon of the nutrition transition in Malaysia, from 1980 to 2014, to inform future policies for a healthier nation.MethodsFood and health data were obtained through Food Balance Sheets, Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey (MANS) and National Health and Morbidity Surveys (NHMS) for year-to-year review. Interaction between changes in food supplies and dietary trends and the progression of diet-related diseases and risk factors in tandem with demographic and socioeconomic transitions were observed using quasi-historical approach.ResultsThe period-under-review has seen Malaysia becoming more affluent, urbanised and modernised. Energy supply for Malaysian population remained consistently in excess of average calorie needs by a minimum of 30%. There were significant signs of shifting food trends, particularly in the supply of wheat (+ 56.5%), rice (− 23.7%), sugar and sweeteners (+ 23.9%), meat (+ 49.3%), fish and seafood (+ 38.7%), and eggs (+ 55.7%). The plant/animal protein ratio has decreased over time. Prevalence of NCD and associated risk factors has increased rapidly, some as high as 170%, despite various policy efforts to reduce them.ConclusionThe study highlights the importance of policymakers taking a relook into its policies and strategies, and formulate sustainable, comprehensive and multifaceted actions together with all relevant stakeholders to ensure a conducive, healthy and nutritious food systems and environment for its population.

Post-legislative Scrutiny (PLS) in the Process of Democratic Transition in Malaysia

Malaysia’s 14th general election in 2018 saw the fall of the Barisan Nasional (BN) regime after ruling the country for more than six decades. Prior to the election, Malaysia faced challenges ranging from the absence of state legitimacy, fragile institutions to corruption scandals, leaving little room to have robust discourse on legislative reforms. Promise 16 of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) election manifesto prior to the election, pledges to restore the dignity of Parliament to institutionalize the select committee system in Parliament and the Senate to enable them to function effectively. Whilst there is limited post-legislative scrutiny (PLS) in Malaysia for now, the various reforms in the phase of democratic transition to the administration of PH is a positive sign of the possibility for Malaysia to move into better law-making procedures. This paper examines the work that is currently being undertaken in the Parliament of Malaysia to assess whether the current parliamentary reforms can pave the way for the PLS mechanism to be put in place.

Rural community transformation and fertility transition in Malaysia

Rural community transformation and fertility transition in Malaysia

Coping mechanisms among Palestinian refugee families in Malaysia during the transition period

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how Palestinian refugee families in Malaysia cope with the challenges they face during their transitional destination. These families have recently fled from conflict zones in various Arab countries and moved to Malaysia where they registered in the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kuala Lumpur, waiting for resettlement in a third country.Design/methodology/approachThe paper utilizes the qualitative research approach, drawing descriptive analysis (thematic analysis technique) of data collected by semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 30 Palestinian families. For sample selection, the author used purposive sampling and employed the Snowball technique to select the families who have experienced refuge life for the second time. Then the sample was equally divided into three groups to include ten families moving from Iraq, Syria and the Gaza Strip. The interviews were conducted with the head of the families who varied in terms of gender and age composition. The study involved 9 female participants and 21 males. They are all Muslims and aged between 24 and 80 years old. In terms of educational background, all of the participants are literate with formal school education, diploma or tertiary education.FindingsThe study shows that refugee families adopt four main ways of coping commonly used to improve the quality of their life during their transition in Malaysia. They turn to religion and spirituality, keep in touch with relatives and friends in the diaspora and conflict zones, develop a positive image about their present situation by comparing it to worse living conditions of others living in conflict zones and plan to migrate to Europe to hold a European passport which will give them the opportunity to visit their original country, Palestine.Originality/valueThe paper tackles the Palestinian refugee family life and explores their real-life stories and experiences during transition in Malaysia. It provides them with an opportunity to speak up their suffering and reveal the various strategies they adopt to cope with life challenges. Besides, the result of the study will be a fruitful addition to the corpus of sociological knowledge as well as an important contribution to the families that stay in transition in different societies around the world.

Introduction of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles: prospects and challenges for Malaysia's transition to a low-carbon economy.

Alternative energy policies targeting the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) could have significant positive impacts on Malaysia's ability to meet both its carbon reduction goal and its energy security needs. The transport sector generally contributes heavily to carbon emissions, and is also difficult to decarbonize because of the costs associated with many greener options. This study explores the possibility of decarbonizing the Malaysian transport sector by promoting the use of hydrogen vehicles, and analyzes the adoption challenges and economic obstacles (especially public acceptance) associated with introducing HFCVs. This studycontends that the adoption challenges of this new technology can be overcome through the use of development strategies outlined. This study also addresses the regulatory framework that Malaysia (and other countries) might use to overcome common policy adoption challenges of HFCVs.

Singapore in 2018

In June, Singapore captured the global spotlight when it hosted the summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The regional political environment prompted anxiety, given the leadership transition in Malaysia. Domestically, political leadership transition and the opposition Workers’ Party’s lawsuit over allegations of mismanagement of town council funds were major issues.

NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND DIETARY INTAKE OF SEMAI INDIGENOUS CHILDREN BELOW FIVE YEARS IN PERAK, PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

The nutrition transition in Malaysia has had profound impact on the nutritional status of national population especially in children below five years. There exists paucity in the data that address the nutritional status of aboriginal children that may impair intervention programme. Hence the study aims to assess and appraise the nutritional status of Semai Orang Asli children under five years and identify the determinants of nutritional status to strengthen baseline data. A total of 340 Semai children (179 males and 161 female children from Perak were recruited for the study. All information pertaining to demographic, socio-economic and educational status were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. All children were subjected to nutritional anthropometry and clinical examination using standard procedures. A one-day dietary record was done on a sub-sample of 140 children between 12 and 59 months. About 32.7% of the Semai children were underweight 28.2% were stunted and 52% showed wasting. Body Mass Index (BMI) revealed 52% of children with moderate to severe thinness. The existence of malnutrition was higher among female children. Twenty-eight percent were identified with any form of nutritional deficiencies and did not meet the Recommended Nutrient Intake for any measured nutrient. Poverty, illiteracy, unavailability of food, location and proximity to procure food, lack of physical activity, poor sanitation and hygiene were the contributors to the poor nutritional status. Nutrition transition has had less or marginal impact on the nutritional status of the indigenous children which calls for immediate action and intervention.

Democratic Transition in Malaysia: Prerequisites and Obstacles

This paper discusses three factors accounting for the transition to democracy, namely the absence of mass or armed resistance to democracy, the internal strength of the state, and the cohesion of the political elite. In the case of Malaysia, the structural conditions that emerged in the late colonial period, that is the absence of mass resistance movements, allowed for the rise of a relatively democratic postcolonial state. Conditions had been relatively conducive to the development of democratic political culture. However, recent years have seen the development and exertion of a more authoritarian trend among the political and religious elite that has accompanied a process of Islamisation of governance. These developments resonate with a more feudal, hierarchical and authoritarian culture that can be traced to the pre-colonial past and which has an affinity with a more authoritarian interpretation of Islam so typical of the contemporary state religious establishment. The future of democracy in Malaysia depends on the ability of democratic tendencies within the state as well as civil society to work against these authoritarian forces. This future would require drawing upon the more egalitarian and humanist tradition of precolonial Islam and the modernist movement of the colonial Malay world.

Why we run when the doctor comes: Orang Asli responses to health systems in transition in Malaysia

Globally, indigenous peoples live with stark disparities in health when compared with national populations. The disparities arise from a combination of factors that relate to the social and economic determinants of health, combined with disenfranchisement, and a rapid destruction of indigenous health systems, forests, natural resources and indigenous knowledge. In Malaysia, the indigenous peoples, known as the Orang Asli or ‘Original People’, are often viewed by authorities as ‘backward, ignorant and resistant to modern health services’, and therefore responsible for their poor state of health. This view situates the problem in the indigenous community, with the state as the benevolent provider of progress and improvement including health services. Orang Asli responses to this benevolence ranges from pragmatism to resignation to resistance. Drawing on a two-year ethnographic study, this paper explores, from the perspective of the Orang Asli, the dynamics of state and non-state societies, the structure and role of indigenous health systems and the effects of socio-economic transition in shaping Orang Asli responses to modern health services. Already burdened with poorer health compared with the national population, there is a growing problem of non-communicable diseases among the Orang Asli. Addressing this will require a shift from the benevolent dependency-creating approach commonly adopted by state public health services to one that is inclusive, responsive and participatory.

Child and Adolescent Mortality Across Malaysia's Epidemiological Transition: A Systematic Analysis of Global Burden of Disease Data

PurposeA rapid epidemiological transition in developing countries in Southeast Asia has been accompanied by major shifts in the health status of children and adolescents. In this article, mortality estimates in Malaysian children and adolescents from 1990 to 2013 are used to illustrate these changes. MethodsAll-cause and cause-specific mortality estimates were obtained from the 2013 Global Burden of Disease Study. Data were extracted from 1990 to 2013 for the developmental age range from 1 to 24 years, for both sexes. Trends in all-cause and cause-specific mortality for the major epidemiological causes were estimated. ResultsFrom 1990 to 2013, all-cause mortality decreased in all age groups. Reduction of all-cause mortality was greatest in 1- to 4-year-olds (2.4% per year reduction) and least in 20- to 24-year-olds (.9% per year reduction). Accordingly, in 2013, all-cause mortality was highest in 20- to 24-year-old males (129 per 100,000 per year). In 1990, the principal cause of death for 1- to 9-year boys and girls was vaccine preventable diseases. By 2013, neoplasms had become the major cause of death in 1–9 year olds of both sexes. The major cause of death in 10- to 24-year-old females was typhoid in 1990 and neoplasms in 2013, whereas the major cause of death in 10- to 24-year-old males remained road traffic injuries. ConclusionsThe reduction in mortality across the epidemiological transition in Malaysia has been much less pronounced for adolescents than younger children. The contribution of injuries and noncommunicable diseases to adolescent mortality suggests where public health strategies should focus.

Demand for Malaysia's Exports: Evidence from the Electronics Industry

This study estimates the determinants of foreign demand for Malaysia's top five electronics exports by SITC (Standard International Trade Classification) product groups from 1990 to 2001. Cointegration results indicate a unique long-run relationship between export demand for electronic products and relative prices and foreign income. Both the estimated long-run income and price elasticities of export demand are greater than 1, conforming to a pattern found in most fast-growing economies and implying price is an important factor in explaining export growth with the exception of semiconductor exports. The present study has important policy implications to the competitiveness of electronics exports that can lead Malaysia's transition towards high-technology industrialization.

Conceptualizing Islamic banking and finance: a comparison of its development and governance in Malaysia and Singapore

ABSTRACTIn response to the limited engagement with critical social science concerning the governance of Islamic banking and finance (IBF), this paper compares and conceptualizes the development and governance of IBF in Malaysia and Singapore. We argue that IBF governance in Malaysia and Singapore can be distinguished on the basis of ethnic politics, moral suasion, product demand, product innovation, and the character of state practices. Concerning the latter, we contend that the political economy of both countries can be characterized as broadly involving a ‘neoliberal-developmentalism’, but we nuance this by positing a transition in Malaysia from a ‘semi-developmentalism’ in the 1980s to what we call an ‘Islamic and internationalising ordoliberalism’ beginning in the 2000s. In turn, the governance of IBF in Singapore involves a combination of neoliberal developmentalism, which nonetheless also entails some form of Islamic ordoliberalism.

Prospects for introducing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Malaysia

Sustainable economic development through adoption of hydrogen pathway is expected to simultaneously solve the double challenge of environment and energy security. The momentum of current research in this area is focused on optimizing the potential benefits in transportation sector through introduction of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). However the rapid adoption of critical cleaner energy system is still problematic in developing countries especially in transportation. This article sheds light on the Malaysian case by highlighting related issues and obstacles, and discusses the future prospects of hydrogen FCV. We argue that innovation and technological advancement of hydrogen FCV is important and ready for introduction in Malaysia; however it is not sufficient in explaining the conditions that will allow for rapid transition in Malaysia. The main message of this article is that hydrogen FCV in Malaysia can be expected and is possible when there is a thorough understanding of energy security issues, where energy policy integration for economic development and environmental objectives are achieved at the same time. The understanding of specific problems from the standpoint of developing country is crucial in encouraging government policies to induce development of hydrogen FCV.

Secular Dealignment and Party System Transition in Malaysia

AbstractThe Malaysian electoral behaviour has for some time reflected the ‘partisan identification’ thesis. Since 1999, however, there has been a marked shift towards ‘secular dealignment’. Analyses of electoral and survey data reveal that although a significant number of Malaysian voters remained attached to the party they identified with, most of the electorate, however, are swayed by short-term factors. Though the economic issues played a role in the three elections, it is the leadership of the parties supplemented by the use of mass media that played a significant role in swinging the vote from one party to the other. The three elections in 1999, 2004, and 2008 can be categorized as evidence of secular dealignment: the 1999 elections substantially reduced the margin of gain by the ruling coalition; the 2004 elections reversed the opposition gain, while the 2008 elections resulted in the loss of two-thirds majority seats in the parliament habitually enjoyed by the ruling coalition and the emergence of a strong opposition coalition. This trend not merely continued but was much more stronger in the 13th Malaysian general election.