16/01/2026

FRIDAY | JAN 16, 2026

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Driverless bus service for tourists JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor Bahru City Council is set to introduce an autonomous, or driverless, bus service as a tourist route this year. Johor Bahru Integrated Operations and Control Centre Urban Transport assistant director and commander Dr Choo Kok Wah said the initiative would position Johor as the first state in the country to implement such a mode of transport for local and international tourists. He said the procurement of the buses involved part of an allocation grant channelled by the Digital Ministry. “In line with Visit Johor Year, the initial phase of operations will involve selected routes for tourist use,” he told Bernama. He added that the high-tech transportation initiative is among the agenda items the council needs to implement to meet the requirements of the Malaysian Smart City rating. Through the same allocation, the council has also acquired 30 units of mobile solar powered CCTV cameras equipped with AI technology, which will be deployed at locations prone to illegal waste dumping, for monitoring and enforcement purposes. In addition, he said the council plans to add three units of drones to support field operations, including area surveillance and early emergency response. “These drones also have the potential to be used for emergency equipment delivery, such as automated external defibrillators in public areas, in the event of cardiac emergencies.” He added that the council also plans to add about 2,000 units of AI-powered CCTV cameras to support its operations in monitoring the city. The cameras will be installed at major road intersections to facilitate traffic management, through real-time analysis of vehicle flow and the information collected will be used to adjust the duration of traffic light changes when congestion occurs. Currently, 500 CCTV units, equipped with 15 AI features have been deployed across the city since the council began operations in December 2023. The control centre monitors various aspects, including public safety, crime, disasters, traffic congestion, environmental cleanliness and road damage.

Roselin said she took about eight months to

complete the artwork, after

conducting research and reading historical materials. – BERNAMAPIC

Time-transcending artwork o Artist captures evolution

“In that regard, every line, shape and shadow plays an important role in conveying meaning and helping to highlight the details and narrative arrangement in this work,” she said, adding that the artwork was created entirely by hand, with each line built up gradually to form structure and shading. “Drawing with a pen inevitably comes with mistakes and because the sketch cannot be erased, I had to correct errors using lines and ‘hatching’ techniques so that the mistakes are not obvious,” she explained. Roselin, a former landscape architect, said the work was published in a limited edition of 20 prints to ensure quality and exclusivity, and is her personal creative contribution in introducing Malaysia in conjunction with VMY 2026. “This drawing also conveys the message that Malaysia’s beauty lies not only in colourful visuals, but also in the meaning, history and soul of the homeland. “Therefore, I hope visitors will see Malaysia not merely as a tourist destination, but as a country whose history, nature and identity are deeply interconnected.”

a self-sustaining way of life. “As the drawing enters the colonial era, I included elements such as rubber tapping activities, trishaws and shophouses, as well as historical symbols like the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and the National Monument, which represent the struggle and sacrifice in the fight for independence. “The upper section illustrates modern Malaysia through development elements such as oil palm plantations, the Proton Saga as the first national car, public transport systems, Malaysia Airlines aircraft and Kuala Lumpur’s skyscrapers,” she told Bernama when met at her home recently. Roselin said she took about eight months to complete the artwork, beginning with research and reading historical materials before translating them into pencil sketches, which were then refined using a fine-tip pen. Produced in monochrome (black and white) except for two subjects, namely the Malaysian flag and the country’s first light rail transit system, STAR LRT, she said the approach ensures the viewer remains focused on the story and structure of the drawing.

SHAH ALAM: Using a pen as her medium, artist Yuslinda Yusof has captured Malaysia’s transformation from the pre-colonial era to the modern nation it is today, in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2026. Yuslinda, 49, better known by her pen name Roselin, said the artwork titled “Malaysiaku: Bermulanya Di Sini”, is arranged as a visual narrative to be read from bottom to top, beginning with life before independence, followed by the colonial era, independence and finally, modern Malaysia. “The opening section of the drawing depicts village life before independence, including traditional Malay houses, padi fields, village (landscape) and livestock as symbols of of Malaysia through pen drawings in conjunction with VMY 2026