AMCHAM today held its annual signature event – the Penang Dialogue. For the second time, it was held virtually and brought together business and thought leaders together for a dialogue on doing business in Malaysia’s Northern region. This year’s theme centered around Malaysia’s reopening to a rapidly changing world. As the vaccination rates reach most of the population, Malaysia stands to reaffirm its position as a trading nation. Will Malaysia be able to continue to build upon past successes or lose out to its competing neighbors?
Special guests H.E Brian McFeeters, U.S Ambassador to Malaysia and YAB Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang graced our event once again. The opening by Greg Poling and Bill Reinsch, Center for Strategic & International Studies set the stage for this year’s theme.
The first panel discussion was on what encourages Malaysia to be the preferred investment destination, a session that really highlighted the strengths that Malaysia brings to the table. This session featured Joe Christofanelli, Ernst & Young; Columba Mcgarvey, Dexcom Malaysia Sdn. Bhd; and Mark Arthun, Smith & Nephew; moderated by Zainal Amanshah Bin Zainal Arshad, Aecom Perunding Sdn Bhd.
Attendees of the Penang Dialogue 2021 also had the opportunity to engage with our special guests – the U.S Ambassador to Malaysia as well as the Chief Minister of Penang during the dialogue session., where topics addressed include the issues currently faced and what Penang can do moving forward to attract more investment.
Dr. Mohamed Aly, Founder & CEO, Seeloz presented on the use of AI in the manufacturing process for supply chains. He then proceeded to join fellow panellists, Cash McCracken, Seagate Technology, Dr. Mohamed Aly, Seeloz, Dato P’ng Soo Hong, First Solar Malaysia, Sumit Ray, Dell for the final panel discussion of the day, moderated by Alex Capri, Bower Group Asia.
Special thanks to all our speakers for the insightful discussions and to our sponsors – HP, Motorola Solutions, Microsoft, SMART Modular Technologies, First Solar, Haskell, NI, Nolato, Dell, Technologies, In-Tech Electronics, Knowles Electronics, Plexus Manufacturing, Keysight Technologies, Sanmina and Smith+Nephew for making this event a success.
With nearly four decades as a banker, HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd CEO Stuart Milne has a front-row seat to the evolution of banking. And the future of banking is all about digital enablement, he says. Starting out in HSBC Group as an international manager trainee in 1981, his first job was as a savings account teller at a branch in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
Despite the headwinds brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants for Export Excellence Awards 2021 have witnessed a positive growth trajectory year-on-year, according to the chief judges in the first round of judging for the awards programme. Among the panel of judges were AMCHAM members SMART Modular and Cargill.
Effective October 18, 2021, Malaysia has implemented reduced quarantine periods for travelers entering the country and for those required to quarantine due to close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual. The new quarantine requirements are as follows:
- Fully vaccinated travelers must quarantine for 7 days and undergo a second COVID-19 test on the 5th day of quarantine.
- Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travelers must quarantine for 10 days and undergo a second COVID-19 test on the 8th day of quarantine.
The Malaysian Ministry of Health has informed the U.S. Embassy that children who are too young to be vaccinated will be required to quarantine with their accompanying parent or guardian for the quarantine period determined by the parent or guardian’s vaccination status.
The Malaysian government’s definition of fully vaccinated is:
- 14 days after the second dose of Pfizer, Astrazeneca, or Sinovac; or
- 28 days after one dose of Johnson & Johnson or Cansino.
(Updated) COVID-19
As announced by the White House on October 15, the new travel policy requiring foreign nationals traveling to the United States to demonstrate proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will take effect November 8. The CDC’s website explains that, for purposes of entry into the United States, the accepted vaccines will include FDA approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines. (Please see https://www.cdc.gov/
The CDC and the interagency are working to develop the orders and guidance documents to implement this new travel policy, and those details — for the airlines, for airline passengers, and for people coming to the land border — will be available well in advance of November 8 to understand what is required to be in compliance. The Department of State will provide further information here as it becomes available.
General COVID-19 Information
For more information regarding COVID-19 in Malaysia, please review the following resources:
- Malaysian Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Portal for statistics and resources for COVID patients
- Malaysian National Recovery Plan (NRP) website for information on COVID-19 restrictions and SOPs for each state
- Malaysian National Vaccine Program website for information on COVID-19 vaccines in Malaysia
- U.S. Embassy webpage on COVID-19 in Malaysia for general information for U.S. citizens in Malaysia
Travelers should also routinely review the Department of State’s Travel Advisory for Malaysia and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Travel Health Notice for Malaysia.
Actions to Take:
- Have a travel plan that does not rely on the U.S. Government for assistance.
- Review and follow the CDC’s guidelines for the prevention of COVID-19.
- Check with your airline or travel operator regarding any updated information about your travel plans and/or restrictions.
- Visit travel.state.gov to view individual Travel Advisories for the most urgent threats to safety and security. Review what the State Department can and cannot do for you during an international crisis.
- Visit our Embassy webpages on COVID-19 for information on conditions in each country or jurisdiction.
- Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the United States
- Visit keeping workplaces, homes, schools, or commercial establishments safe.
EY has outlined below the key highlights of this special publication:
- Malaysia Indirect Tax: SVDP – Moving forward with a clean slate.
In this special publication, EY shares some interesting observations on the issues affecting certain industries.
EY’s observation covers the following industries, business activities and transactions:
► Investment-holding companies and management services.
► Infrastructure construction and maintenance companies.
► Engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contracts.
► Cleaning services.
► Port operators.
► Hotel operators.
► Services acquired from overseas vendors.
