Parts Of Malaysia Research Articles

GOVERNANCE AND ECONOMIC CHANGE IN SINGAPORE

The Singapore economy went through several changes due to changes in its mode of governance from being a trading outpost of the East India Company (EIC) to being part of the colony of the Straits Settlements, and more recently to being a British colony by itself, then to being part of Malaysia and now an independent republic. These modes of governance enabled the economy to grow until Singapore became more important and also more closely linked to the outside world. British rule, British capital and the response of the people who came, enabled Singapore to integrate technological change so that it is now part of a global network. However a declining rate of births and a large foreign population now compel Singapore to make further changes.

New data on the genus Peracca (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae) in Malaysia, with description of two new species

Peracca omissa sp. nov. and P. derelicta sp. nov. from western part of Malaysia are described. These species are very similar to P. conspicuithorax Griffini, 1897 and P. mirzai Tan et Ingrisch, 2014 but differs from them in the shape of some male abdominal structures. Peracca macritchiensis Tan et Ingrisch, 2014, syn. nov. from Singapore is synonymized to P. tiomani Gorochov, 2011 described from Tioman I. near southern part of Malacca Peninsula.

Constructive Technology Assessment (CTA) of Nano-Biosensor: A Malaysian Case

The latest advancements in nanotechnology, biology, advanced materials, and photonics have produced the Nano-Biosensor—an analytical device comprising a biological recognition element and a transducer in spatial proximity, whereby a recognition event triggers a measurable signal at the nano-scale level. Its future survival very much depends on carefully planned research, which needs to be critically assessed for it to be viably forecast ed, monitored and controlled. However, measuring the potential impact of this technology is a double-bind problem: the technology needs to be developed and adopted widely for its impact to be measured, but by that time controlling or changing the technology is very difficult, i.e., a Collingridge dilemma. In addressing this issue, constructive technology assessment (CTA) was developed to assist in assessing the potential impact of emerging technologies. This paper presents the results of collected qualitative data through CTA interviews performed on respondents in a research institute of a local university located in the Northern part of Malaysia, who are actively involved in new nanotechnology applications development related to Nano-Biosensors.Through convenience sampling, the selected respondents had highlighted several issues, namely sensitivity issues of Nano Biosensors,the local research spearheading the Nano-Biosensor advancement, and the potentially bright future regarding the further advancements in this field. It was concluded that the Nano-Biosensor can potentially remain in the forefront of nanotechnology development in Malaysia, since it is an enabling technology that impacts across industries and sectors at various points in the supply chain, not only in Malaysia, but also at the global stage.

Facilities Management Relevant Competencies for Malaysian Public School

The question of whether one is actually practicing Facilities Management (FM) or an FM practitioner in the Malaysian industry is very common as the definition of FM continues to be under debate. Nevertheless, FM competencies have been defined by international FM professional associations with the main purposes of professional recognition and training in this area. Two pioneer associations in the field that are of distinguished reference internationally were the first in the effort of establishing the list of competencies for FM professionals. The process of defining the competencies however was very challenging given the fact that FM itself has not been able to be unanimously defined in its practice. The fine line between FM and other disciplines in the built environment also affects FM associations and their potential members, especially on whether or not they belong to each other. Despite this uncertainty, FM as a profession and an area of management is increasingly accepted and acknowledged all over the world, including Malaysia. This study aims at identifying the position of the practice of managing Malaysian public school within the context of FM, through relevancy of the defined competencies for FM by the international FM associations to the required competencies in the management of Malaysian school building and facilities. A survey was carried out amongst the school administrators from all parts of Malaysia and the data was analysed with factor analysis. The findings indicate that although by definition the management practice carried out by the school administrators does fall under the FM, less than half of the competency list proposed by FM organizations was found to be significant as far as Malaysian school facilities management is concerned.

The Name of Sabah and the Sustaining of a New Identity in a New Nation

<p class="resume">When North Borneo achieved its independence through Malaysia on 16 September 1963, it changed its name to Sabah. The change of name was proposed as it was thought that the name was the original name of the state prior to western colonialisation. However, the origin of the name Sabah was not popularly known and the provenance of the name continues to be discussed even until present day. Yet, when the name was introduced in 1963, it was embraced by the people of the state whole-heartedly, and without opposition. It also provided the people of the state a new identity, an identity which they became proud of. The paper will examine the many ideas proposed earlier behind the name of Sabah by examining various evidence. The paper will also trace the evolution of the use of the name over the past 130 years beginning with the Chartered Company era from 1881 to 1942 during which the use of the name was discouraged. The Japanese used another name for the state. It was during the Colonial Era starting 1946 that the term was gradually reintroduced, first, by some quarters in the colonial administration which saw the need to provide the locals with a rallying name, as part of the preparation for eventual self-government. The name was also actively promoted by a rising local leader, Donald Stephens, who believed that the name is the original name of the state. The final part of the paper looks at how the name has inspired new local/state identity within the new nation of Malaysia.</p><p class="resume">Au moment où North Borneo devient indépendant en intégrant la Malaisie le 16 septembre 1963, le territoire change son nom pour devenir Sabah. Ce changement de nom reposait sur l’idée que Sabah était le nom de l’Etat avant la colonisation occidentale. Cependant, son origine n’était pas largement connue et elle continue d’être discutée aujourd’hui. Néanmoins, lors de l’introduction du nom en 1963, il est adopté avec enthousiasme et sans opposition par les habitants de l’État. Il leur procure alors une identité nouvelle, identité dont ils deviendront fiers. Cet article vise à examiner les nombreuses idées avancées jusque là à propos du nom de Sabah à travers diverses sources. Il retrace également l’évolution de l’usage du nom durant les 130 dernières années, à partir de la période de la Chartered Company (1881-1942) durant laquelle cet usage est déconseillé. Quant aux Japonais, ils utilisent un autre nom. C’est durant la période coloniale, à partir de 1946, que le terme est réintroduit progressivement, tout d’abord par certains milieux dans l’administration coloniale qui ressentent le besoin de procurer un nom rassembleur aux habitants, en préambule à l’autonomie politique. Le nom est également activement promu par Donald Stephens, un leader local en pleine ascension, qui est persuadé qu’il s’agit du nom originel de l’Etat. La dernière partie de la contribution s’intéresse à la façon dont le nom a inspiré une nouvelle identité locale/étatique dans le cadre de la nouvelle nation de Malaisie.</p>

DOES SOCIAL REMITTANCE TAKE PLACE AMONG INDONESIAN PLANTATION WORKERS IN MALAYSIA?

Diffusion of new ideas via international migration is an interesting phenomenon if one wants to study social change. This is a case study that examines the role of migration in understanding diffusion and transmission of skills and knowledge into the home country of foreign workers. It looks at a specific group of migrant workers in the plantation sector in Malaysia and how their position as Indonesian migrants facilitates and encourages transmission of cultural elements to their home country. It means examining their experiences in Malaysia to know the extent to which they can be agents in the diffusion of new skills and knowledge in the local community. Drawn from a qualitative study in 2010, both interview and focus group discussion were conducted among Indonesian workers in oil palm plantation in Johor, in the southern part of Malaysia. The study finds that social remittance is only realistic and feasible when workers have the financial means to possibly carry out the new ideas and skills they have observed, acquired and learned. These ideas and skills may also be very limited to the kind of exposure they have experienced while living in Malaysia considering the limitations they encountered. Actual application of ideas and skills they have acquired and remitted to their home country still largely depends on the availability of finances and the migrant workers agency when they will eventually return to Indonesia. Diffusion can only be realized when a ‘friendly’ environment is available for the diffusion of new ideas.

Way to Measure the Concept Precarious Working Conditions in Oil Palm Plantations

Oil palm plantations are the backbone of the Malaysian economy, since day immemorial. When you look intothe past, the workers in the oil palm plantations were dominated by Indian and Chinese communities. Later dueto the sigma associate with oil palm plantations jobs viz., dirty, dangerous and distance, the Indians and Chineseworkers moved away from the oil palm work and they were replaced by Indonesians and Philippines. Theseforeign workers whom having the legal and illegal status under enforcement in Malaysia, have been living inremotely located inhabitations engaging in ‘dirty, dangerous and distance’ wise oil palm plantations. Though thelarger oil palm plantation companies ensure minimum living and working conditions for the foreign workers,vastly located small holding plantations never follow such minimum and fair working environment. Theseconditions to be correlated with the term “precarious working conditions’ in small holding oil palm plantations.Due to lack of availability of the locals to engage in oil palm work, the plantations have to depend on foreignworkers do all these ‘dirty, dangerous and distance’ workers in oil palm plantations. Except a few literatureavailable from Amnesty international and local NGOs, there is less evidence to prove the existence of suchexploitative working conditions in oil palm plantations. In order to explore precarious working conditions in oilpalm plantations thus a qualitative research study is conducted in the Sabah region of the Eastern Part ofMalaysia. The study followed, triangulation method through interviews with the migrated foreign workers, (legaland illegal), focus group discussions and Delphi technique with the identification of experts in the field to arriveat the factors and categories related to the theme ‘precarious working conditions’ in oil palm plantations. Theoutcome of the study fixes the variables that need to be concentrated for a higher level research throughquantitative research.

Community Social Capital in Malaysia: A Pilot Study

Social capital is a vital concept in identifying resources in the social network, which has the capability to be used to improve life quality and to facilitate the society development process. It emerges in the form of individual asset and needs to be analyzed through collective lifestyle or a community. An initial process has been explored to identify social capital components. The outcome is translated into an instrument comprising of six social capital components based on survey items and past studies namely participation in community activities, proactivity in the social context, neighborhood connections, multi-racial tolerance, a sense of trust and protection, and life values. A pilot study involving 41 respondents was carried out in several neighboring areas in the northern part of Malaysia. The study results show that all six components have a high internal reliability value. These components of social capital are categorized into three levels namely low, moderate and high. The findings demonstrate that the majority of the four components are at the high level. They are participation in community activities, neighborhood connections, multi-racial tolerance, and, a sense of trust and protection whereas majority of the respondents for the components of proactivity in the social context and life values is at the moderate level.

Cognitive reflection test and behavioral biases in Malaysia

AbstractWe asked whether behavioral biases are related to cognitive abilities of Malaysian youth. Frederick’s three-item Cognitive Reflection Test was used to understand the role of behavioral biases concerning behavioral economics and finance. The sample (n = 880) comprised of university students from different parts of Malaysia. We found significant CRT differences as a function of gender, race and age groups. In addition, lower scores on the CRT are correlated positively with time preference and conservatism, but not with risk preference or the conjunction fallacy.

Managerial Competencies and Small Business Growth: Empirical Evidence From Microfinance Participants

A large number of studies have been conducted on small business performance. However, potential influence of managerial competencies on small business growth, particularly among microfinance participants is hardly existent. In fulfilling the literature gap, this study provides some insight into the relationship between managerial competencies and small business growth. Using data collected from microfinance participants in Kelantan and Terengganu and applying the Structural Equation Modelling approach, this study found that all the managerial competency dimensions – technical, generic and conceptual skills – had positive and significant impacts on small business growth. While consolidating the theories that managerial competencies explain business growth, this study has several limitations. Future studies should delve into, through qualitative research, why managerial skills are significant for small business growth. Sampling should also include small businesses in other parts of Malaysia, instead of Kelantan and Terengganu. Keywords: Small business, growth, management competencies, generic skills, technical skills, Conceptual Skills, Microfinance.

A Novel Tamil Character Recognition Using Decision Tree Classifier

Tamil is a South Indian language spoken widely in Tamil Nadu, one of the states of India. It is one of the oldest languages in the world, and the Tamil script is used to write the Tamil language in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and parts of Malaysia, as well as to write minority languages such as Badaga. This paper presents an efficient method for recognizing Tamil characters based on extracted features like horizontal lines, vertical lines, loops, and curves. The extracted features are fed to Back Propagation based Neural Network (BPNN) classifier system, Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier, and Decision Tree (DT) classifier. The DT classifier system has achieved very good recognition rate on the Tamil character database and shows improved performance as compared to BPNN classifier and SVM classifiers.

Interannual Variation of the Winter Rainfall in Malaysia Caused by the Activity of Rain-Producing Disturbances

Abstract Heavy rainfall/flood (HRF) cyclones contribute close to two-thirds of the total rainfall PT in both parts of Malaysia [peninsular Malaysia (M) and west Borneo (B)]. Judging by the rainfall variance produced by these cyclones and its correlation (~0.9) with the interannual PT variation, this variation is caused primarily by HRF cyclones through two factors: 1) their westward propagation properties and 2) their rain-producing efficiency. The former is regulated by the change of the cyclonic shear flow around the near-equator trough, while the latter is determined by the change of the convergence of water vapor flux toward tropical Southeast Asia. During November–December of cold (warm) ENSO phases, the westward propagation of the cyclone's parent cold surge vortices (CSVs) from the Philippine (P) vicinity (Borneo) to peninsular Malaysia CSVPMs (CSVBMs) and intensified (weakened) convergence of water vapor flux toward tropical South/Southeast Asia act to enhance (reduce) the rain-producing efficiency of HRFPM (HRFBM) cyclones. During winter cold (warm) phases, the deepening (filling) of the near-equator trough crossing west Borneo allows some CSVs formed/trapped in Borneo CSVBBs to develop into HRFBB (HRFBBM) cyclones (to propagate westward to peninsular Malaysia). The rain-producing efficiency of HRFBB and HRFBBM cyclones is also increased (reduced) by the intensified (weakened) convergence of water flux toward tropical South/Southeast Asia. Interannual variations of both PT(M) and PT(B) caused by the impacts of the circulation pattern changes on occurrences of HRFPM and HRFBB/HRFBBM cyclones, respectively, and their rain-producing efficiency may pose a new challenge to simulate the weather–climate relationship in climate modeling.

In Search for Canon of Singapore Malay Poetry: Reflection on Nature, Race, Religion and Love

This paper discusses selected poems by three generations of Malay writers in Singapore from the first generation poets who received their vernicular education during British colonial period, before Malayan Independence in 1957; to second generation writers who received Malay education when Singapore was part of Malaysia, 1957-1965 who established their poems in 1970s; and the third generation writers who received bilingual education who began to make impacts when Singapore become a Republic in 1980s. These iconic poems embody the easthetic as well as the cultural and political values of Malay society. It is an early attempt to define and search for canon of Singapore Malay poetry. Keywords: literature, canon, poetry, Singapore, culture, identity, values

English in Malaysia: a case of the past that never really went away?

The English language has been part of Malaysia for a long time, going back to the beginning of British colonial rule in the 18th century. The present attitudes towards English can be said to vary from conservative (e.g. referring to it asbahasa penjajah, literally ‘language of the coloniser’) to general acceptance (e.g. English is part of Malaysian history) and to a liberal/modern/Western outlook (e.g. calling for the return of English-medium schools). The conservative view stems from the history, or, for some, the memory, of the role English played in the colonial education system as the language of the elite which served to separate the urban and rural populations into the haves and the have-nots. Inevitably, the abolition of English-medium education became one of the key matters for debate during the campaign for independence from British rule in the 1950s. Malay nationalists considered English-medium education to be part of a British agenda to maintain control of the country after Independence. Replacing English with Malay as the medium of instruction as well as the national language in Malaya was, therefore, vital. In 1967, through the National Language Act, Malay became the sole official language in Malaysia a decade after Independence. Thus, from 1970 onwards, the phasing out of English as a medium of instruction from the Malaysian education system was carried out fervently, while at the same time Malay was zealously promoted, not only in education but in all spheres of public life.

The Winter Rainfall of Malaysia

Abstract Malaysia is geographically separated into Peninsular Malaysia and west Borneo. The rainfall maximum in the former region occurs during November–December, whereas that in the latter region occurs during December–February. This difference of maximum rainfall period indicates that the formation mechanism is different for the rainfall centers in these two parts of Malaysia. Since rainfall is primarily produced by severe weather systems, the formation of a climatological rainfall center is explored through synoptic activity and the rainfall amount of this center is estimated through contributions by rain-producing disturbances. The major cause of the rainfall maximum of Peninsular Malaysia is cold surge vortices (CSVs) and heavy rainfall/flood (HRF) events propagating from the Philippine area and Borneo. In contrast, the major cause of the rainfall maximum of Borneo is these rain-producing disturbances trapped in Borneo. Disturbances of the former group are formed by the cold surge flows of the Philippine Sea type, whereas disturbances of the latter group are formed by cold surge flows of the South China Sea (SCS) type. The population of HRF events is about one-fourth of the rain-producing disturbances in both Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo, but they produce less than ~60% rainfall for these two regions. It is revealed from the synoptic and dynamic analyses that the major Borneo rain-producing disturbances propagate westward before December by strong tropical easterlies, but they are trapped after December by strong northeasterlies of the SCS-type cold surge flow.

Individual guanxi network and social exchange relations: an evidence from Malaysian hotel industry

This research endeavour is aimed to judge direct and indirect effects of individual guanxi network on job involvement and finally impact of job involvement on in-role performance. Questionnaire was used as tool for data collection, 300 questionnaires were distributed to Malaysian–Chinese hotel employees at two points of time. Simple random sampling technique was used to select respondents from eastern part of Malaysia. Findings of the study confine that individual guanxi network significantly contributes to social exchange relations (perceived organisational support – POS and leadermember exchange – LMX), and job involvement. Guanxi network is having both direct and indirect effect (through mediation of POS and LMX) on job involvement. It validates the Blau social exchange theory. Testing mediation effects of LMX between guanxi network and social exchange relation (POS) is the main contribution of the study. Limitations, practical implication and future directions are also discussed.

Trends in sustainable landfilling in Malaysia, a developing country

In Malaysia, landfills are being filled up rapidly due to the current daily generation of approximately 30,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste. This situation creates the crucial need for improved landfilling practices, as sustainable landfilling technology is yet to be achieved here. The objective of this paper is to identify and evaluate the development and trends in landfilling practices in Malaysia. In 1970, the disposal sites in Malaysia were small and prevailing waste disposal practices was mere open-dumping. This network of relatively small dumps, typically located close to population centres, was considered acceptable for a relatively low population of 10 million in Malaysia. In the 1980s, a national programme was developed to manage municipal and industrial wastes more systematically and to reduce adverse environmental impacts. The early 1990s saw the privatization of waste management in many parts of Malaysia, and the establishment of the first sanitary landfills for MSW and an engineered landfill (called 'secure landfill' in Malaysia) for hazardous waste. A public uproar in 2007 due to contamination of a drinking water source from improper landfilling practices led to some significant changes in the government's policy regarding the country's waste management strategy. Parliament passed the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management (SWPCM) Act 2007 in August 2007. Even though the Act is yet to be implemented, the government has taken big steps to improve waste management system further. The future of the waste management in Malaysia seems somewhat brighter with a clear waste management policy in place. There is now a foundation upon which to build a sound and sustainble waste management and disposal system in Malaysia.

Application of terrain analysis to the mapping and spatial pattern analysis of subsurface geological fractures of Kuala Lumpur limestone bedrock, Malaysia

Subsurface geological fractures in karst terrain are often associated with unpredictable environmental and geotechnical engineering problems. This requires precise mapping and an understanding of the distribution of geological fractures on multi-scales. To extract and investigate surface and subsurface geological fractures on such scales, multi-scales, this study presents two approaches. The first involves geological prediction and visual interpretation of terrain parameters using a digital elevation model (DEM). The second is an automatic detection method using a topographical fabric algorithm that uses a DEM to create a map of ridges, which represent the footwalls of geological fractures, and valleys (channels), which reflect geological fracture zones. Unlike wavelet analysis and the Fourier transform, which use optical remote-sensing images, the integration of visual interpretation and a topographical fabric algorithm is capable of the extraction and spatial correlation of subsurface geological fractures. This method was applied to Kuala Lumpur limestone bedrock in Malaysia, by focusing on the adjacent mountainous areas and the geometries of ex-opencast mining ponds. The spatial correlation of the extracted surface geological fractures was clarified by rose diagrams and semivariogram models. Spatial correlation shows that the Malaysian peninsula, surface and subsurface geological fractures and the geometry of ex-opencast mining ponds share similar trends. The results obtained using this methodology is compared to those of subsurface geological fractures reported by means of geophysical surveying and field investigation. This proposed method may be useful for mapping geological fractures in areas of high soil moisture, where geophysical surveying is difficult and/or not available, and is also highly applicable in other parts of Malaysia or Southeast Asia, permitting a better understanding of the geotectonics and geotechnical engineering setting of the study area.

PENGARUH KEPUTUSAN MAHKAMAH INTERNASIONAL DALAM SENGKETA PULAU SIPADAN DAN LIGITAN TERHADAP PENETAPAN GARIS PANGKAL KEPULAUAN INDONESIA

International Court of Justice Decision established Sipadan and Ligitan islands as a part of Malaysia’s souverign. This decision gives significant influenced for Indonesia and Malaysia, pariculary for Indonesia’s souvereignity. It’s important for Indonesia to made change of the position of archipelagic baselines were previously located for these two island. The changing of basilines position has influenced for Indonesia’s rules of territorial sea boundary, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone, continental shelf, archipelagic waters and internal waters. Based on UNCLOS 1982, the exact position of each boundaries is still need to resolved further by both countries, because its should not be set unilaterally. Billateral cooperation between these two countries give oppurtunity to solved this problem equally.

Bridging the digital divide : effort towards establishing the real impact of information technology to the rural community

The Bridging Digital Divide (BDD) Program initiated by the Malaysian government in 1999 has successfully introduced the Information Technology (IT) to the rural communities particularly in Malaysia. The computers and internet connections are available almost at every part ofMalaysia including those in the remote areas. However; to have a real impact of technology on people slives, the effort has to go beyond the infrastructures and technology literacy programs and awareness. Having information available suit to the needs of the local community will bring greater impact ofthe technology to them. Nevertheless, the new approaches need to be introduced to make the effort less costly. Some of the Digital Divide programs require proper coordination with other projects. Coordination with the responsible agencies in providing power utilities and road infrastructures is essential to make such expensive digital divide program more cost effective·and give greater impact to the community. Thus, this paper will provide numerous suggestions on the improvement in providing greater benefits; both the users and the project implementers. Besides, this paper will also discuss on the need of local content in local language with self-sustained nature. lt further highlights the importanceof having basic infrastructure such as electricity and road accessibility that may have influence over the success of BDD program.