10/07/2025

THURSDAY | JULY 10, 2025

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Price rise impact cushioned by higher wages, assistance schemes KUALA LUMPUR: Salary increases along with more recipients and higher allocations under public assistance programmes are expected to cushion the short-term impact of rising prices following the expansion of the Sales and Service Tax (SST). This is particularly relevant as the government undertakes aggressive efforts to raise the country’s economic ceiling. Putra Business School Master of Business Administration Programme director Assoc Prof Dr Ahmed Razman Abdul Latiff said SST exemption on essential goods helps ensure that the B40 income group is not significantly affected by the higher cost of living, as price increases primarily affect premium and imported goods rarely consumed by the group. “Basic necessities are under price control, and government assistance programmes, including the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah and Sumbangan Tunai Rahmahcontinue to provide fiscal support for the B40 group.” He said consumers must play a proactive role by reporting traders who exploit the tax changes to impose excessive price hikes, in line with the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act. Universiti Utara Malaysia School of Economics, Finance and Banking senior lecturer Muhammad Ridhuan Bos Abdullah said from an economic theory perspective, any new tax would inevitably impact both producers and end consumers. “Although the Madani government may have conducted a cost-benefit analysis, the short-term impacts may not be fully mitigated, particularly in terms of the magnitude and impact of the tax. These can only be accurately assessed after one to three years of implementation.” He said the economy could be strengthened through either tax cuts or the provision of subsidies and more efficient tax policies, which could boost public spending and enhance allocation efficiency. He added that Malaysia’s ongoing economic reform involves structural adjustments, and fiscal tools such as SST are essential to achieve national income redistribution objectives. The minimum wage was raised to RM1,700 on Feb 1 while salaries of civil servants have been revised under the Public Service Remuneration System. For 2025, the government has allocated RM13 billion for public assistance programmes. The number of recipients has also increased significantly from 700,000 to 5.4 million individuals. Other forms of assistance disbursed include the 2025 Student Education Assistance, Federal Territory General Assistance, Madani e-Wallet and e-Belia Rahmah programmes, 2025 Hari Raya Aid and the 2025 Civil Servants Raya bonus. – Bernama Brazilian president to visit KL in October KUALA LUMPUR: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s visit to Malaysia in October is set to mark a new chapter in Brazil-Malaysia relations, which are currently experiencing a particularly dynamic phase. Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Secretary-General Maria Laura da Rocha said Lula’s visit, the first by a Brazilian head of state to Malaysia in nearly three decades, would mark the culmination of this positive momentum and elevate Brazil-Malaysia relations to an unprecedented level. “It will be a historic milestone, the first time a Brazilian president participates in an Asean Summit, and a sign of Brazil’s growing engagement with Southeast Asia,” she said on the sidelines of the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Lula has accepted Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s invitation to attend the 47th Asean Summit in October as a guest of the Asean chair. – Bernama

Malaysia urged to reinvent its textile legacy Ű BY MAHADHIR MONIHULDIN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians are being urged to safeguard the nation’s rich textile heritage by embracing innovation and reimagining tradition for the modern age. National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said traditional textiles, each unique in motif, material and craftsmanship, remain a vital part of the country’s living heritage. He said to keep textile traditions alive, the real challenge is not only in ensuring their survival but also that they evolve responsibly in today’s world. “Sustainability in textiles must encompass eco-friendly production, fair treatment of artisans and the passing down of skills to younger generations. “I take pride in the fact that Malaysia’s songket was recognised by Unesco and inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. “Our heritage holds the potential to build a textile industry that is both environmentally sustainable and culturally significant,” he said in his speech at the Asean Fabrics Symposium 2025 yesterday. Aaron also said museums must go beyond preserving the past and become drivers of contemporary relevance and regional collaboration. “Through exhibitions, symposiums and co-creative programmes, museums can inspire public dialogue, facilitate intergenerational knowledge transfer and drive cultural sustainability at both the national and Asean levels.” In the Asean context, he sees museums as potential regional hubs for collaboration, enabling joint research on textile heritage, cross-border exhibitions and skills development for curators, artisans and cultural leaders. “We must see museums not as passive repositories but as active platforms for

The Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin visiting the Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery after opening the Asean Fabrics Symposium 2025 in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. – ADAM AMIR HAMZAH /THESUN

opportunities for an Asean museum network centred on sustainable heritage and cultural innovation.” Aaron also expressed hope that more efforts would be made to inspire future joint nominations to Unesco, similar to the recent recognition of the kebaya , jointly submitted by Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand. “Such efforts not only honour our shared traditions but also reflect our collective commitment to cultural diplomacy and unity.”

collaboration, where artisans, academics, communities and policymakers come together to transform heritage into shared value. “These partnerships hold the power to bridge divides and elevate our collective Southeast Asian identity on the global stage.” He expressed pride that the Museums Department has been actively involved in regional dialogues and remains committed to strengthening such cooperation. “We are currently exploring

‘Regional cohesion vital amid global tensions’

internal integration by expanding intra regional trade and investment as well as accelerating sectoral integration to enhance resilience and relevance, Bernama reported. “To build a stronger, more connected Asean economy is a strategic imperative that will anchor our relevance and resilience for decades to come.” He rejected the notion that Southeast Asia should be subject to external spheres of influence. “We are a region that charts its course, deliberately, coherently and with purpose. Asean will not be spoken for in absentia.” Anwar said Asean must continue delivering practical cooperation with real impact, citing priorities such as connectivity, food security, digital transformation, education, public health and climate resilience. He cited the lives of ordinary citizens across the region, from a mother in Battambang to a farmer in Central Luzon and a child in Chiang Rai, to illustrate how Asean’s work must ultimately benefit its people. “From Sittwe to Merauke, from Da Nang to Dili, our region can become more peaceful and more prosperous if we have the courage to see Asean not as nations moving in parallel but as one community moving with purpose.”

o Asean foreign, economic ministers must move in concert to face challenges and translate unity of grouping into tangible outcomes, says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: Asean needs to ensure closer alignment between its foreign and economic policy tracks to strengthen regional cohesion amid rising geopolitical and trade tensions, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said Asean foreign ministers and economic ministers must move in concert to face challenges, adding that such synergy is essential to translate Asean’s unity into tangible outcomes. Highlighting the shifting global landscape, Anwar warned that tools traditionally used to promote growth, including trade and investment, are now increasingly being deployed to exert political pressure and fragment global cooperation. “This trend is not a passing storm but the new weather of our time,” he said when opening the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting yesterday. Anwar said power has always shaped trade but today, it increasingly defines it.

He cited the proliferation of tariffs, export restrictions and investment barriers as instruments of geopolitical rivalry. He said Asean must confront today’s realities with “clarity and conviction”, ensuring that unity is not only expressed in declarations but also embedded in institutions, strategies and decision making. “This imperative is fully aligned with Asean’s Vision 2045, which calls for greater synergy across pillars and sectors. We must build habits of coordination that match the realities we confront.” On Monday, United States President Donald Trump began sending out trade letters to foreign governments outlining new tariff rates on exports to the US. Among Asean member states, Indonesia faces a 32% tariff, Thailand and Cambodia 36% and Malaysia a 25% tariff rate. The highest tariff rate of 40% has been imposed on Laos and Myanmar. Anwar also called on Asean to strengthen