Internationalization Policy for Malaysian Higher Education

In "Is Malaysia the regional leader in international higher education?" (Guardian Professional, 2 July 2012), Patrick Blessinger and Enakshi Sengupta discuss the benefits and challenges of the number of students studying abroad (Patrick Blessinger is Executive Director & Editor, International HETL Association). The authors describe how about a decade ago how the 20% of Malaysian students abroad were causing 12% of the nation's current account deficit. The solution was in-country campuses of foreign institutions and allowing local private partners of overseas universities to award degrees. The authors note how the UK's colonial legacy still exerts an influence in the region. But Malaysia's relative success is drawing criticism from other countries in the region and there are still cultural tensions in higher education in the country.

This is only a brief article and the authors did not have time to touch on the issues of higher degrees and research (particularly PHDs) and the effect online education will have on private providers, universities and government policy.

For those who wish to delve further, the full text of the "Internationalization Policy for Higher Education Malaysian 2011" is provided online by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia as a 105 page PDF document. For those who do not want to download the 3.2 Mbytes of the full report, here is the table of contents and executive summary:

Table of Contents

About the book
Contributors
Content
Acronyms

Executive summary


CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Introduction
The global view on current HEI development

• Globalisation vs internationalisation
• Internationalisation of HE globally: current trends

Internationalisation in Malaysia context

• Rationale of internationalisation: Government
• perspective
• Rationale of internationalisation: Institutional
• perspective
• Setting the direction: National Higher Education
• Strategic Plan

The Internationalisation Policy for Higher Education in Malaysia
References

CHAPTER 2 WORKING DEFINITION

References

CHAPTER 3 STUDENT MOBILITY
Introduction
Enabling international student mobility
Recommendations
Internationalisation Policy for Higher Education in Malaysia: Policy for Student Mobility
References

CHAPTER 4 STAFF MOBILITY

Introduction
Promoting International Staff Mobility In Malaysia:
Recommendations
Internationalisation Policy for Higher Education in
Malaysia: Policy for Staff Mobility
References

CHAPTER 5 ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES

Introduction
Model towards Academic Exchange: European Higher Education Area
Internationalisation and Malaysia’s Academic Programmes
Recommendations
Internationalisation Policy for Higher Education in Malaysia: Policy for Academic Programmes
References

CHAPTER 6 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Introduction
R&D In Malaysia: Current Status
Internationalisation and Its Role in Intensifying R&D
Initiatives
Recommendations
Internationalisation Policy for Higher Education in Malaysia: Policy for Research and Development
References

CHAPTER 7 GOVERNANCE AND AUTONOMY

Introduction
Institutional Approach towards Internationalisation
Internationalisation Policy for Higher Education in Malaysia: Policy for Governance and Autonomy
References

CHAPTER 8 INTEGRATION AND COMMUNITY SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT

Introduction
Challenges of Social Integration and Community Engagement

• Malaysians
• International students

Review
Internationalisation Policy for Higher Education in Malaysia: Policy for Social Integration and Community
Engagement
References

CHAPTER 9 CONCLUSION

...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Internationalisation Policy for Higher Education in Malaysia is an operational policy, which aims at accelerating the inflow of international students to 150,000 by 2015 and 200,000 by 2020.

This policy is formulated by looking at six core aspects of internatiosalization i.e. student mobility, staff mobility, academic programmes, research and development, governance and autonomy as well as social integration and cultural engagement, based on collaborative participation from both public and private higher education institutions, as well as various government agencies which contributed to internationalisation of higher education in Malaysia.

Measures proposed in this policy will increase Malaysian higher education institutions’ quality and capacity in admission, provisions of education as well as retention of international students upon completion of their studies. By clearly defining the direction, action steps to be taken, key responsible as well as measurable for each action step, it is hoped that all parties involved would take a proactive role in ensuring positive projection of internationalisation activities in the country in order to position Malaysian higher education as a strategic export service for the country.

The objectives of the policy are as follows:

1. Identifying the critical components of internationalisation of higher education in Malaysia that require immediate action
2. Enabling current practices of internationalisation to be improvised and improved, based on the best interest of all involved
3. Aligning and ensuring the current momentum in internationalisation activities is heading towards national aims

The expected outcomes of the policy are as follows:

1. Increased growth of international students and staff in the country
2. Increased inbound and outbound international mobility among students and staff in country
3. Increased positive experience of international students in country

...

From: Internationalization Policy for Higher Education Malaysian 2011, Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, 2011

Green ICT for ASEAN ICT Masterplan 2015

According to "Asean is moving ahead with its ICT master plan" (Bangkok Post, 9/05/2012), Malaysia will lead ASEAN's Green ICT initiative. The "ASEAN ICT Masterplan 2015" (7 January 2011), mentions Green ICT:

"... ASEAN will foster a creative, innovative and green ICT sector. ...

To enhance innovative and entrepreneurship quality of life green ICT sector. ...

Innovation aims to develop a creative, innovative and green ICT sector in all countries in ASEAN. ...".

Australian Education Excellence Showcase Malaysia 2011

Austrade is running an "Australian Education Excellence Showcase" at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia, 12noon to 6pm, 15 to 16 October 2011. It happens I will be in Malaysia then for a conference. I teach a course on Green ICT to students of Open Universities Australia (OUA). I would be happy to give a talk in KL for any of the OUA member universities. A suitable topic would be new book for the course "ICT Sustainability: Assessment and Strategies for a Low Carbon Future" and how iPads and eBooks are used in teaching.

Hi-tech to see in Kuala Lumpur

I will be at Putrajaya, Malaysia, in 10 to 15 October 2011 for a conference. Any suggestions on what hi-tech to see in Kuala Lumpur? I have 10 and 11 October free to look around and can give a talk to local ICT and education practitioners, if anyone has a venue and would like to host a talk. Recent interests are e-learning for professionals and ICT Sustainability, using iPads, smart phones and e-Books.

On my last visit to Malaysia, I gave a talk on emergency use of mobile phones at the MobileMonday Global Summit, in conjunction with the 2008 World Congress of Information Technology. This talk was not planned as I was actually there for the Malaysian Corporate Governance Conference at the Securities Commission. But I read in the local newspaper that the WCIT was on, when I looked out my hotel window, there was the conference venue. So I sent the organisers a message to say I was in town and they responded with an invitation to fill in a gap in the program due to a canceled speaker.

Unlocking a USB Wireless Modem

I wanted to have wireless broadband access while visiting Malaysia. My phone will work fine, as Vodafone offer global roaming (for a price). But Virgin Mobile Broadband service on my wireless router is only available within Australia. So I thought I might get a temporary SIM card for overseas use. But this requires the modem to be unlocked to use a different carrier's SIM card.

According to Virgin's help site, the Pre-paid Mobile Broadband modem is locked to the Virgin network. What was less clear is if the post-paid service I have is also locked. As far as I can work out the post-paid modems are also locked, the only difference is that there is no need to have paid a set amount to have them unlocked. The unlock process is to send a request via the on-line support system, with the make and model of modem (mine is HUAWEI E169) and the IMEI Number (a unique number written on the modem). Virgin the send an unlock code.

One thing which makes this difficult is that Virgin's help system requires that I enter the mobile phone number for the account. As this is a data service I don;t know what the phone number is (I don't use the modem to make phone calls). Virgin issue an account number which I use to log into the Virgin billing system, but this does not seem to work for the help system.

Hi-tech to see at Cyberjaya, Malaysia

I will be at Putrajaya, Malaysia, in mid October 2011 for a conference. Apparently this is a bit like the center of Canberra: a planned city, specifically designed as a national capital with landmark buildings around a lake (and a bit dull). But Next to Putrajaya, and sharing the same same railway station, is Cyberjaya with a science parkand part of Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor.

Most such planned hi-tech centres have not been successful. London is attempting this with East London Tech City (or " Silicon Roundabout"), intended to build on the investment in London for the Olympics. Post-Olympic developments have been even less successful than artificial high-tech parks and it will be interesting to see how London does. One of the UK's successes is Silicon Fen, the area around Cambridge University. However, this grew up organically, as described in "The Cambridge Phenomenon". I have visited Cambridge a couple of times to see how this was done and it will be interesting to compare with the Malaysian equivalent.

Hi-tech to see at Putrajaya, Malaysia

I will be at Putrajaya, Malaysia, in mid October 2011 for a conference. Any suggestions on what hi-tech to see in the planned city? I have 10 and 11 October free to look around and can give a talk to local ICT and education practitioners, if anyone has a venue and would like to host a talk.

On my last visit to Malaysia, I gave a talk on emergency use of mobile phones at the MobileMonday Global Summit, in conjunction with the 2008 World Congress of Information Technology. This talk was not planned as I was actually there for the Malaysian Corporate Governance Conference at the Securities Commission. But I read in the local newspaper that the WCIT was on, when I looked out my hotel window, there was the conference venue. So I sent the organisers a message to say I was in town and they responded with an invitation to fill in a gap in the program due to a canceled speaker.

Putrajaya has many similarities to my home in Canberra. Both are planned cities, specifically designed as a national capital. Both have landmark buildings around a lake. Canberra is subject to criticism for being artificial, but is a very pleasant place to live.

Civil servants can use new ways to communicate

A seminar on Green IT in Sabah, Malaysia was held 30 December 2010. This was hosted by Sabah INTAN, Sabah Malaysia Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, state Computer Services Department and the Malaysian Cocoa Board. At this Datuk Muhammad Hatta Aziz, State federal secretary is reported to have said that most civil servants were still using paper mail and refusing to accept replies by email (at best allowing for fax). This wasted paper, as well as making government processes less efficient. It is despite the Malaysian government issuing a green technology policy last year.

The National Archives of Malaysia issued a comprehensive "Electronic Records Management System (ERMS) System Specifications for Public Offices" in 2009. This was developed into "Principles and Functional Requirements
for Records in Electronic Office Environments, Module 2" (International Council on Archives, 2008) now ISO 16175-3:2010 (25 November 2010) and so is comparable to those of other countries. This should allow Malaysian civil servants to communicate electronically.

The Faculty of Information Management at UiTM runs courses in e-records management. My own "Electronic Document and Records Management" course at ANU addresses this and is avialable online to students in Malaysia.

"IT-Sideways: Tech Blog Malaysia" reports that the only green measure in the 2011 budget was hybrid cars will enjoy .

Islamic Banking for Malaysian Military Bases

According to Janes Defence Weekly ("Malaysia turns to Islamic banking to fund military upgrade" Jon Grevatt, 21 July 2010), the Malaysian Ministry of Defence was considering the use of Islamic banking. The Shariah-compliant Sukuk (صكوك‎) financial certificates would be used to pay for pay contract workers. However, according to Malaysian Defence Blog ("No Sukuk For The Needy", July 15, 2010 – 2:26 pm, Marhalim Abas), this has been rejected by the Malaysian Treasury.

In 2008 I attended the Malaysian Corporate Governance Conference at the Securities Commission, Kuala Lumpur, the regulator for Islamic capital markets in Malaysia. The Australian government issued a report "Islamic Finance" in February 2010. Islamic Banking has much in common with ethical investment by companies such as "Australian Ethical Investment".

South East Asia Computer Conference in Brisbane in September

SEARCC 2010, the 26th conference of the South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC), will be held in Brisbane on 22 September 2010, in conjunction with the World Computer Congress WCC 2010 (I am presenting on Green ICT at WCC ). Here are some excerpts from the SEARCC 2010 brochure:

SEARCC'10 - ICT Leading Change Through Innovation
22 SEPTEMBER 2010
BRISBANE CONVENTION CENTRE, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA ...

Speakers

JOHN SUFFOLK, 9.00 - 10.00am, CIO, UK Government, SHIFTING THE PARADIGM OF GOVERNMENT ICT

John will explore “How do you maximise the reality behind technology such as Cloud computing yet still retail the balance between localism and centralisation”

John was appointed Her Majesty’s Government Chief Information Office on the 5th June 2006. He has a background of over 25 years’ experience in IT and major transformation programmes.

John leads the work of the CIO Council in delivering the Government’s strategy for the transformation of public services enabled by technology. John will also provide leadership to the IT Profession across the wider public sector and enable public service transformation through the strategic deployment of technology which includes driving the use of shared services. John will also act as the ‘“face”’ of UK Government IT both home and abroad.

KUMAR PARAKALA, 10.30 - 11.00am, Chain ERP
Global COO, KPMG & Immediate Past President, ACS
CHANGE TODAY & TOMORROW: WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR CIOs

The role of CIO represents the move from the back office to the Boardroom for ICT professionals. Should the CIO have a business or technical background? Are the CIOs today meeting the needs of tomorrow? Does your CIO look like the CIO of today or the CIO of tomorrow? Kumar looks in to the future of CIOs.

Kumar is the immediate past President of ACS and a Partner at KPMG and fulfils the roles of Chief Operating Officer of Advisory and National Head of IT Advisory practice for India and Global Head of Sourcing.

MARK TOOMEY, 11.00am - 11.30am, Chief Executive, Infonomics
ICT LEADERSHIP & GOVERNANCE: BUILDING A RESILIENT ORGANISATION IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD

Most organizations are highly dependent on IT and can exploit IT for competitive advantage. But despite the shift to commodity components and outsourced supply, the failure rate of IT projects remains unacceptable and operational IT breakdowns cause too much disruption. The key to overcoming these issues is a shift in focus from the supply arrangements to the way that the organization uses IT. Toomey will explain how ISO/IEC 38500 guides effective leadership and governance of IT from the point of view of those who control the business agenda, and show how this can lead to substantial economic benefit.

Mark is the founder, chief executive and principal consultant for Infonomics. Mark is internationally recognised as a leading independent advisor and educator in top level governance of information and communication technology. He has over thirty years experience in planning and delivering IT solutions that enable business performance, and ten years of specialist experience in Governance of IT.

PETER LAMBERT, 11.30 - 12.00am, Head of HR & Corporate, Defence Materiel Organisation
SUCCESS OR FAILURE RELIES ON INNOVATIVE GOVERNANCE AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT – A CASE STUDY ON THE LARGEST LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN ERP ROLL-OUT IN AUSTRALIA THIS YEAR

In July this year, the Defence will roll out the largest Logistics and Supply in Australia, based on Queensland company Mincom’s Ellipse product. The solution supports over 9,000 users across 160 sites around Australia and overseas. The Military Integrated Logistics Information System, or MILIS, manages billions of dollars worth of thousands of significant and complex equipments, millions of related inventory items and varied supply chains originating from Australian and overseas suppliers and extending through multiple warehouses to units and systems around the world, including in Afghanistan. Innovative governance and change management approaches have been a critical contributor to the success (or failure - since we don’t know yet) of the rollout.

Peter Lambert is the Head of Human Resources and Corporate Services n the Defence Materiel Organisation. His responsibilities include workforce and HR management, ministerial and corporate communications, support to operations, external agreements and performance reporting, corporate governance, security and risk, business process improvement, information management and business systems. He is also responsible for the sustainment of Defence’s logistics system and the delivery of the major upgrades to this system.

TAN SRI RICHARD MALANJUM, 12.00 - 12.30am, Chief Judge, High Court Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia
INTEGRATED COURT SYSTEM (ICS) MALAYSIA: AN ICT INNOVATION SUCCESS IN JUDICIAL SECTOR

The Integrated Court System (ICS) project is an exemplary initiative which efficiently integrates IT, Video and mobile technologies for improving the productivity and efficiency of court case dispositions and improving the quality of judiciary services. The open source platform offers a scalable, secure and a reliable model. Since its implementation in 2006, in the two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo, ICS has reduced the average number of days to settle a case by 80%.

The Right Honorable Mr. Justice Tan Sri Richard Malanjum was called to the English Bar of the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn, London and admitted as an Advocate to the Sabah Bar and to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Bar.

His Lordship is the first bumiputra/native of Sabah to be elevated to the high office of a Judge of the High and for the first time since the formation of Malaysia his Lordship became the first Sabahan to be elevated as the Chief Judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia.

SENATOR STEPHEN CONROY, 1.30 - 2.00am, Minister for Broadband, Communications, Australia and the Digital Economy, Australia
NBN: THE FUTURE

Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy was appointed Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy in December 2007. He is also Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Stephen has a broad range of portfolio responsibilities, not least the National Broadband Network—the largest nation-building infrastructure project in Australian history, and the enabling foundation for our digital economy. Other responsibilities include Australia’s digital television switchover, our national broadcasters the ABC and SBS, media policy, community broadcasting, cyber security and cyber-safety, radio frequency spectrum and Australia Post, among other things.

REGIONAL INDUSTRY, LEADERS FORUM 2.00 - 2.30pm
GROWING OUR NEXT GENERATION OF TECHNOLOGY GREATS

Panellists Include:
Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (Australia);
The Hon Paul Raymond Henderson MLA, Chief Minister of Northern Territory (Australia);
YB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam, Chairman of Sarawak State IT and Resources Council (Malaysia);
Hwang Chang-Gyu, Former Chief Technology Officer, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (Korea);
Shri Sachin Pilot, Union Minister of State, Communications and IT (India).
Moderator: Caroline New, Executive Coach and Business Growth Strategist, Quantum Values.

AJAHN BRAHM, 2.30 - 3.30pm, Spiritual Master
STRESS FREE TECHNOLOGY: LESSONS FROM A SPIRITUAL MASTER

Ajahn Brahm will show how to press the delete button on the problems associated with decision making, removing the worry before and the guilt after. He will also present simple but highly effective strategies for removing the stress of life in front of a monitor, like only a Buddhist monk can do. This humorous presentation will be like no other in this conference. No power points, no jargon, just a new, effective and enjoyable software program for your brain to gain a taste of nirvana.

Ajahn Brahm was born Peter Betts in a poor suburb of London in 1951. He won a scholarship to study Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University in 1969, after which he taught teenagers in high school for a year. That experience was enough to make him leave the world and travel to Thailand to be ordained as a Buddhist monk. He has been a monk for 36 years.

Currently Ajahn Brahm is the Abbot of Bodhinyana Monk Factory, just south of Perth. He is also the Spiritual Director, Advisor and Patron of many organisations. In October 2004, Ajahn Brahm was awarded the John Curtin Medal for his vision, leadership and service to the Australian community by Curtin University. Ajahn Brahm has spoken at many
International conferences and is highly sort after for Executive retreats. He is the author of many books, including the best-selling Opening the Door of Your Heart, currently translated into 20 languages.

PREMIER DAVID BARTLETT, 4.00 - 4.30pm, Premier of Tasmania
ACHIEVING VALUE FROM ICT: HOW TASMANIA IS LEADING TECHNOLOGY INCUBATION IN AUSTRALIA

Premier the Hon David Bartlett is also Tasmania’s first Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology.

With the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN), Tasmania is taking a giant leap into a digital future. Telecommunications infrastructure will be the hydro-electric dams, poles and wires of the 21st Century, creating new generation jobs and industries.

David Bartlett understands that the NBN is not just about faster internet but that real benefits will come as our community connects to the network and to each other. There will be new ways of delivering heath, education, government, community and business services.

JOHN GRANT, 4.30 – 5.00pm, Chair, Information Technology Industry Innovation Council, Australia
INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY – SECURING OUR FUTURE

John Grant looks at the game changing impact technology is having on ways in which we communicate and work together; Australia’s positioning as a global innovator; the innovation agenda in Australia; a context for innovation and technology in securing our future; and an approach to changing the way we think about problem solving through technology.

John Grant is the Chairman of the Australian Information Industry Association and Chair of the IT Industry Innovation Council, one of seven industry councils set up by Federal Ministry for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. He is also Managing Director of Data#3 Limited, an ASX listed IT solutions company. John has also been an outstanding sportsman representing Australia in Rugby League at the 1972 World Cup and Queensland between 1972 and 1975.

SEARCC / WCC DINNER, 7.00 - late
Your SEARCC registration includes dinner on 22 September

SEARCC 2010
The 26th SEARCC Conference ‘ICT Leading Change through Innovation’ is being held in conjunction with the World Computer Congress (WCC).

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

The SEARCC 2010 conference is designed for:

• CIOs and leaders in the ICT industry
• ICT Managers
• ICT Governance Specialists
• Individuals interested in ICT, Leadership and Governance

The SEARCC 2010 conference will provide opportunities to form new friendships with delegates from all around the world.

WHAT IS SEARCC?

SEARCC (South East Asian Regional Computer Confederation) is a confederation of national information technology professional societies. SEARCC represents members from Asia-Pacific region including Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand. For more info on SEARCC visit
www.searcc.org

WHAT IS WCC?

The World Computer Congress (WCC) is IFIP’s flagship conference and the most prestigious event on the global Information Communications and Technology (ICT) calendar, held every two years. SEARCC 2010 is one of many partner conferences at WCC2010.

WHAT IS IFIP?

The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) is an umbrella organisation for national societies working in the field of ICT. Established in 1959 by the United Nations, IFIP has 58 member associations in 56 countries throughout the world. With over half a million members, IFIP holds the World Computer Congress every two years.

Register today: www.wcc2010.com/SEARCC ...

From: SEARCC 2010 brochure, 2010

Malaysian Green Technology Policy

The Malaysian Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water provide several energy efficiency policy, industry and householder guides via their website. While the content of these is very useful (the incentives for industry in particular), the formatting of the reports in very large PDF files makes them difficult to access:

• National Green Technology Policy - eBook: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 (Bahasa Malaysia)
• Incentives For Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Guidebook
• Your Guide to Energy Efficiency at Home- eBook: Part 1

The policy is in Bahasa Malaysia, but web based translation does a reasonable job (other documents are in English):

Green Country Technology Policy

Contents
iii foreword from Prime Minister of Malaysia
iv foreword from Minister of Energy, Technology: Green and Clean
02 Background
04 Definitions
05 Green Country Technology Policy
06 Objectives
08 National Goals
11 Strategic Thrust
17 Key Indicators

From: National Green Technology Policy - eBook (Part 1 translation), Malaysian Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Pusat Tenaga Malaysia, July 2009

Incentives For Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency in Malaysia

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2
2. Purpose of Handbook 2
3. Definitions 2
4. Fiscal Incentives for Renewable Energy (RE) 3
4.1 Eligibility for RE Incentives 3
4.2 Types of Incentives for RE 4
4.2.1 Pioneer Status (PS) 4
4.2.2 Investment Tax Allowance (ITA) 4
4.2.3 Eligible Activities for PS and ITA 4
4.2.4 Import Duty and Sales Tax Exemption 5
5. Fiscal Incentives for Energy Efficiency (EE) 5
5.1 Eligibility for EE Incentives 5
5.2 Types of Incentives for EE 6
5.2.1 Pioneer Status (PS) 6
5.2.2 Investment Tax Allowance (ITA) 6
5.2.3 Eligible Activities for PS and ITA 6
5.2.4 Import Duty and Sales Tax Exemption 6
6. Choice of Optimum Incentives 7
6.1 Eligibility for PQ Incentives 7
6.2 Types of Incentives for PQ 7
7. Application Process for RE and EE Incentives 7
7.1 Third Party Distributors for Import Duty
and Sales Tax Exemption 8
8. Conclusions 9
Annex 1: Calculations for ITA benefits 10
Annex 2: Extracts from Budget 2009 15
Annex 3: MIDA Guidelines 17
Annex 4: ST Guidelines 25

From: Incentives For Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency in Malaysia, Malaysian Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Pusat Tenaga Malaysia, October 2009

Your Guide to Energy Efficiency at Home

Contents

INTRODUCTION 2
What is energy efficiency? 2
Why do we need to use electricity efficiently? 2
YOUR MONTHLY ELECTRICITY BILL 3
Electricity consumption in your home 4
Cost of electrical appliances usage 4
Formula to calculate the cost of
using electrical appliances 5
Reducing your electricity bills 8
Auditing your home 8
BUYING EFFICIENT ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES 13
Energy labelling 15
Energy performance of electrical equipment 15
USING ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT WISELY 17
Energy Saving Tips in:
• The Kitchen 18
• Refrigerator and Freezer 18
• Kettle 20
• Oven And Microwave Oven 21
• Cooker Hoods 22
• The Laundry And Bathroom 22
• The Living Room 26
• Home Entertainment 30
• Computers 32
• Lighting 34

From: Your Guide to Energy Efficiency at Home (Part 2), CETREE - Center for Education and Training in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Malaysian Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, November 2009

Malaysia, Turkey and Greece - Technology and Travel

From mid May to June 2008 I traveled to Malaysia, Turkey and Greece. Highlights were a nighttime train from Greece to Turkey, ferries to the Greek Islands, opera at the Athens Acropolis, attending a Greek wedding and visiting the new Istanbul Museum of The History of Science and Technology in Islam. This was mostly for a holiday, but along the way I attended a corporate governance conference in Malaysia, presented at the World Congress on Information Technology, looked at ICT Education in Malaysia and gave a seminar on how to set up the Tsunami warning system for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Other travelogues:

Europe:

• Rhodes, Greece, July 2008
• Marmaris, Turkey, July 2008
• Istanbul by Public Transport, July 2008
• Istanbul Museum of The History of Science and Technology in Islam, July 2008

• Cambridge, Brussels, Berlin, and Hamburg by Bicycle and High Speed Train, 2005.
• Berlin By Bending Bicycle, 2004.
• Stockholm by Slow Boat and Fast Train, 2001
• UK: England, Cornwall and Stonehenge, 2000
• London to Paris By Eurostar, 2000
• Cambridge live from a Double Decker Bus, 1996
• London to Rome by Train, 1994

Asia and Pacific

• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2008
• India, 2005
• Beijing By Bending Bicycle, China 2003
• Coming of Information Age in Samoa, 2005

This video presentation contains images that were used under a Creative Commons License. Click here to see the full list of images and attributions:

https://link.attribute.to/cc/1790707

Nyonya Food

Precious Old China restaurant & bar is located upstairs in the Kuala Lumpur’s Central Market (to the left, just inside the front door). The restaurant is located inside a Chinese antiques store and the effect is like dining in a museum. On the night I was there, there were only about a dozen patrons. The food featured is "Nyonya", which is Chinese with Malaysian spices. One aspect of the restaurant which spoils the old world feel is the wireless device on each table, with buttons for ordering more food, water or the bill. But I guess when the place is crowded this saves time.

ICT Education in Malaysia

While I did not set out to do a formal study of ICT education on my trip to Malaysia, Greece and Turkey, I noticed a few things on the way.

Malaysia

My visit to coincided with the 24th Malaysian Education Fair 2008. The Straights Times newspaper included a sixteen page supplement for the fair. ICT and computer science featured, after business, medicine and engineering, in prominence. Australian universities compete for students in Malaysia, with universities from the UK and the USA. The Australian institution featuring prominently is Curtin Unviersity (Engineering), which has a Sarawak Campus. RMIT University
has courses in association with Metropolitan College, for business with some ICT components (also with Curtin).

The Malaysian market is very competitive for students, and Malaysian institutions may have associations with multiple overseas universities. As an example Sunway University College, offer a Victoria University programm, but also have a Memorandum of Agreement with Lancaster University, England, and students can also complete their course at Western Michigan University, USA.

Some Malysian institutions claim exclusive arrangements with Australian institutions, such as HELP University College and The University of Queensland for ICT.

Some of the claims made by Malysian instituions for collobroation can be somewhat tenuous. As an exmaple, the the Institute Of Leadership & Quality Management announced it "...has taken the first step to visit one of the best universities in Australia, The Australian National University ...", with one of their staff mentioning "cooperate and joint-venture". In fact this seems to be just a decision by someone at ILQAM to visit the ANU, with no endorsement or agreement from ANU.

KLIA Airport

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is billed as the world's best airport. It is big, with the gates in a satellite terminal connected by automated trains. It is an unusual feeling to be accelerating out of the station while still in the terminal building, with people duty free shopping beside you. Free wireless Internet is provided, as are a few web terminals (I used the WiFi to post this while waiting for my flight to Sydney). Web access worked fine, but I was unable to get my POP mail.

KL City Library and Student Design Display

To escape from the heat and noise of KL I visited the Gombak Setia branch of the Kuala Lumpur city library, located at one end of Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square), with the Royal Selangor Club. at the other.

The Library was hosting a display of work by graphic design students, including displays of multimedia, including video trailers to promote video games. The students were giving presentations about their work and being assessed.

The library is located above the display area. Visitors are welcome and there is no charge, but you have to sign in at the front desk. Malaysians write down their government identity card number so I guess visitors should use their passport number, but no one seems to check: just write your details and take a visitors pass.

Up the stairs there is a reasonable collection of periodicals and books in several languages and computers for research. There is also some sort of gimmicky looking virtual reality display. There is a computer training room somewhere, but I couldn't find it. There is also, curiously, the Abraham Lincoln corner, with a miniature of the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Mall in Washing DC. Why this was there I could not work out.

Broadband in Malaysia

According to the local media (RM15.2b to boost broadband service), The Malaysian government is doing a RM15.2b deal (about $AU5b) with Malaysia Telecom to roll out high speed broadband, increasing household penetration from 18% to 50% by 2010. There will be three zones:

1. Growth corridors, including KL, with up to 1,000 Kbps
2. Outside the growth corridors, With 2 Mpbs
3. Rural areas, with subsidies from a Universal Service Pla (USP).

However, the exact boundaries of the three regions have not been published.

This differs from Australian Government policy which has essentially two regions: one with 12 Mbps and then an remote area with government subsidies. The Malaysian approach makes more sense, recognizing the reality that it will be feasible to provide higher speed access in densely populated city areas.

Kuala Lumpur 2020

Kuala Lumpur is a rapidly changing city. There is a new draft city plan Kuala Lumpur 2020.

Transport

One area in need of planning in KL is transport. There are several transit systems, but these do not connect well and are not large enough for the population.

KL Monorail

There is a KL Monorail, which is larger than the one in Sydney, but still very limited. This has an elevated concrete track which winds its way though the city. The cars are set up for short commuter trips, with limited seating and a lot of standing space. This is a good way for tourists to see some of the city from above the traffic.

There are well designed stations for the monorail with fabric roofs and natural ventilation. However, the large concrete structures supporting the stations intrude on the street-scape. It is unfortunate that something more integrated, or smaller, was not used.

The monorail track is very uneven in places making for a slow and bumpy ride, at odds with the streamlined high tech look of the cars. Also the system is far too small for the city.

Curiously the track ends about 200m from the central railway station. Clearly it was intended to terminate at the station, but the track just stops in mid air, requiring commuters to walk down to street level, across a busy road, down an alley way and then up into the station. What there is in the base of the station is an excellent place to have an inexpensive meal.

The monorail was clearly a mistake in terms of town planning and investment, but one which other cities, such as Sydney have also made.

Metro

There is an automated metro, the Kelana Jaya Line (KLJ) , which is underground for part of the route and elevated part way. This uses driverless cars, larger than a London underground unit, but smaller than a standard railway. The system uses a third rail electrical supply to avoid overhead wires, resulting in a less obtrusive overhead system than the monorail.

The metro service is frequent, fast and efficient. It is a little disconcerting to look out the front of the train and realize there is no driver (there is a manual driving station under a panel at each end of the train). The underground stations have doors on the platforms sealing off the tunnel and making them much more comfortable.

There is a smart card system for regular commuters and recycled tickets for single trips. The usual hard-to-work ticket machines. In three attempts to buy multiple tickets, the machines only worked correctly once.

The metro system interchanges with the very efficient express train service to the international airport and to long distance rail at the central station, KL Sentral. There are also some interchange points to the monorail and buses in the city.

While it works well, the metro system is still too small for the needs of the city. It is unfortunate that the city did not invest in a higher capacity rail service in place of the metro and the monorail. The recent Indian cities use of elevated and underground rail show this can be done in a densely packed city, such as Delhi, with its Delhi Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS, Delhi Metro, दिल्ली मेट्रो).

Venture Capital Perspective on the Mobile Industry

In the afternoon I took a break from the MobileMonday Global Summit, and toured the exhibition halls of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. One computer exhibition looks much like another, but this one had some features different to Australia. There were real estate promotions for high technology developments, most notably Cyberjaya. Malaysian state governments were prominent in the displays.

Also prominent was the national government, with its "MyKad" Government Multipurpose Card (GMPC). This is a compulsory identity smart card which also offers some consumer ePayment functions. Apparently the non-compulsory functions are not widely used, which supports the Australian Government's decision to scrap a similar project.

There were large displays from Microsoft and Intel, but a curiously tiny display from IBM. There also large display by Asian region government and one from Holland.

There were also some devices from companies which did not make a lot of sense to me, such as a special touch screen computer for farmers. This device was not rugged and I couldn't see the point.

Wireless and Mobile Media in Asia for Disasters

Greeting from the official opening of the MobileMonday Global Summit. As with the Malaysian Corporate Governance Conference the opening was far more formal than in Australia, with Malaysian dignitaries as well as an the ambassador to Finland.

Also Madanmohan Rao from Bangalore introduced himself to me, as he was speaking next on the day on emergency us of mobiles. He has edited several books on mobiles and Internet in Asia. He started his talk on the "mobile mandate". He talked about how mobile can be used in disasters. He argued that mobiles are the most important communications devices. He talked about SMS warnings, RFID tagging of relief supplies, Mesh networks and WiMax in a box used in Hurricane Katrina. One example was using SMS to send funds from Malaysia, the SMH asking for SMS about friends in the disaster, Chinese text messages to reassure about aftershocks to avoid panic, China mobile subscribers sending donations. In the case of recent terrorist attacks the phones on the victims were used to contact relatives.

Madanmohan Rao then talked about the "Wireless Ecosystem". He argued that nations need to ensure that they cultivate the mobile industry. He categorized countries into categories, such as restrictive (Myanmar), to Negotiating (China), to "Mature" (Australia) and "Advanced" (Japan and Korea).

Encik Badlisham Ghazali , CEO of the Malaysian government's Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC, previously MDC) gave his formal talk (he must be having a busy day at the conferences). He said that the government aimed to move from 15% to 50% broadband penetration by 2010. He pointed out that mobile devices had a role to play. He also said that this opens up a new area for reaching out to the population, for political as well as commercial use.

I was not previously familiar with the MobileMonday organization. Normally, the name would be enough to put me off looking further, but in this case they seem to be an interesting blend of mobile business people and some researchers. There is a Sydney Chapter.