Civil servants have been told to increase their productivity following the salary review of civil servants.
In his speech during the 19th Majlis Amanat Perdana Perkhidmatan Awam in Putrajaya today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the increase in salary would not be useful or benefit the country if civil servants were stuck in old habits.
One for the album: Anwar posing with civil servants at the 19th Majlis Amanat Perdana Perkhidmatan Awam (Mappa) at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre. — Bernama
PMwants to see a new spirit in civil servants following pay hike, Have a spring in your step
PUTRAJAYA: Starting next Monday, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wants to see civil servants coming to work with a new spirit and work culture.
Following the increase in wages for government servants, the Prime Minister said he did not want to hear the public asking why they had to wait two hours to get a licence and up to two weeks for other matters.
Anwar also said department heads who failed to report misconduct by their subordinates would face disciplinary action.
“For example, there are headmistresses who wanted to protect the school’s image and didn’t even report cases of students being tortured.
“There are also department heads who did not report their subordinates with extraordinary wealth.
“Therefore, if it is proven, these department heads will not be promoted,” he said during the 19th Majlis Amanat Perdana Perkhidmatan Awam (Mappa) yesterday.
Anwar earlier announced a 15% pay raise for officers under the implementing, management and professional groups and a 7% hike for officers in top management and professional roles.
He also instructed department heads to constantly implement job rotations to prevent incidents of misconduct among public officials.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said civil servants must ensure services to the public are aligned with their core responsibilities to avoid a waste of expertise.
“I want this issue to be reviewed by the relevant ministries to ensure that our resources are realigned to where they are needed,” he added.
He also warned businesses not to take advantage of the recent salary hike to raise the prices of goods.
“I also hope the private sector, especially companies that record high profits, will follow the government’s move to raise salaries to appreciate the services and sacrifices of their employees,” he added.
Six accused of abducting Chinese national with four others at large
SEPANG: A married couple and four others have been charged with kidnapping a Chinese national last month and demanding a ransom of USDT1mil (RM4.44mil) in cryptocurrency.
Chen Jun Hiong, 28; Law Han Wei, 28; Dhinnesh Tan Kin Yuan, 29; Jong Li Jiat, 25; and husband and wife Loh Wei Jian and Wong Xiao Yen, both 29; pleaded not guilty to the charges before Sessions Court judge Amir Affendy Hamzah here yesterday.
According to the charge sheet, the six, along with four other individuals still at large, are accused of wrongfully detaining the Chinese man for a ransom amounting to USDT1,007,696.
USDT is the symbol for Tether, a cryptocurrency that is pegged to the US dollar.
The offence was allegedly committed at the Cyberjaya exit of the Maju Expressway (MEX) on July 11 at about 11am.
The charges under Section 3 (1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, provide for a minimum prison sentence of 30 years or a maximum of 40 years and caning, if convicted.
The prosecution was handled by deputy public prosecutor Mohamed Wafi Husain while the accused were represented by counsels G. Freda Sabapathy (Chen), Mohd Zali Shaari (Law), Nur Aminahtul Mardiah Md Nor (Tan), P. Haresh (Jong) and Bernard Francis (Loh and Wong), Bernama reported.During the proceedings, Mohamed Wafi did not propose any bail as the offence is non- bailable.
However, each defence counsel requested bail for their client, which the court rejected.
“After considering all arguments and the nature of the charges, the court has decided that bail will not be granted,” the judge said, setting Oct 8 for the submission of documents.
Earlier this week, it was reported that police are still tracking down four more suspects believed to have been involved in the kidnapping near the MEX toll plaza, Cyberjaya, on July 11.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that the four suspects – three men and a woman – were part of an 18-member gang responsible for planning and executing the kidnapping.
They are believed to still be in the country.
On Aug 3, police shot and killed four suspects in a shootout in Skudai, Johor. The suspects were also believed to be involved in the kidnapping case.
PETALING JAYA: Anonymity, speed and global accessibility are some of the reasons why cybercriminals prefer to demand ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency, say criminologists.
Financial forensics expert Raymon Ram said unlike traditional financial systems, cryptocurrency transactions can occur without intermediaries.
“The irreversible nature of these transactions ensures that once the ransom is paid, victims cannot recover the funds, offering criminals a level of security,” he added.
Raymon also said that by using digital currency, criminals such as kidnappers could easily launder the ransom money by leveraging on the pseudo-anonymity and decentralised nature of cryptocurrency systems.
“After receiving the ransom, typically in popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or stablecoins like USDT, criminals often employ tactics such as mixing services and chain-hopping.
“Mixing services obscure the transaction trail by blending the ransom with other funds, while chain-hopping involves converting the cryptocurrency across different platforms and coins, making it harder to trace.”
Raymon said enforcing strict identity verification and transaction monitoring can make it harder for criminals to launder their illicit gains.
Criminologist Datuk Seri Dr Akhbar Satar agreed, saying that using cryptocurrency as ransom has been some criminals’ modus operandi as it would be harder for authorities to trace them.
Akhbar, who is also Malaysian Association of Certified Fraud Examiners president, said that the recently gazetted Cyber Security Act 2024 would also help in enhancing resilience against emerging threats involving cryptocurrency.ttps://dai.ly/x942lqg
The restrictions on US technology exports to China are encountering mounting opposition due to the growing financial losses of American companies and the burgeoning independent innovation capabilities of Chinese companies, ultimately ruling out the possibility of the US being able to force allies into alignment on further export controls over China.
California Democrats are calling on the Biden administration to freeze reported plans to impose fresh restrictions on US technology exports to China, arguing that a further round of controls "could send longstanding US companies into a death spiral," Reuters reported on Wednesday.
To be clear, the US politicians' use of the term "death spiral" does not necessarily mean that they are opposed to the tech suppression of China, but rather highlights their deep concern about the potential harm that measures targeting China could inflict on US companies.
Such concerns are not groundless. For example, a recent report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York pointed out that US export control measures targeting China have had a negative impact on American companies, as they have caused supply chain disruptions, raised operating costs and reduced US companies' competitiveness.
The total market value of all US companies affected by export controls on China has been reduced by an estimated $130 billion, the report noted.
There is a growing awareness within US political and business circles that Washington's technology export controls on China are encountering resistance and becoming increasingly ineffective.
In a recent article published by The National Interest magazine, Brian J. Cavanaugh, who once served on the White House National Security Council, wrote that addressing China's rise as a global leader in electronics manufacturing requires a comprehensive strategy that encompasses economic policy, technological innovation and national security measures. He acknowledged that the US will not defeat China on its own, pointing out that "Washington must reconsider its approach to trade with Beijing, particularly in the electronics sector. Working with allies and partners to develop a coordinated response to China's market practices can help mitigate the risks."
However, regardless of the methods the US may choose to employ in order to enforce its unilateral strategy of stifling China's technology industry, it will be difficult to achieve its goals. This can be attributed to two primary factors.
First, if US companies are unable to capitalize on the vast Chinese market, businesses in allied nations of the US will become less willing to cooperate with US companies. This is largely due to the fact that China boasts a massive market with a high demand for intermediate products and chips, making it a market that profit-driven companies simply cannot afford to overlook.
Second, the independent innovation of Chinese companies has posed a challenge to the unilateral technological blockade of the US. Washington's technology "iron curtain" has not stopped Chinese companies from developing. On the contrary, US export controls actually have promoted independent innovation in China, helping Chinese companies reduce their dependence on US technology products and enhancing their competitiveness in the global market. For instance, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Huawei Technologies is close to introducing a new chip for artificial intelligence use. Continuous technological breakthroughs are the best response to US technology restrictions.
This is one of the consequences that US politicians should have anticipated. The reason they turn a blind eye to such possibilities and continue to push for technological "decoupling" from China is because they are reluctant to admit that their technological hegemony will eventually fail. Countries that get used to abusing their power often overestimate their own strength.
Washington also overestimates its influence on allies, as it seems to aim to defeat China through alliances. California Democrats wrote a letter urging the use of "all forms of leverage available to the US government to bring our allies along in aligning their export controls with ours." But this approach is unlikely to succeed.
Washington's attempt to maintain technological hegemony at the expense of global efficiency and the profits of high-tech multinationals has already caused widespread dissatisfaction, because it not only affects China but also the interests of the global economy and world trade. More importantly, today's China has strong technological capabilities and can make independent breakthroughs. Therefore, the containment strategy of the US, left over from the Cold War era, is bound to fail.
