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Articles by Ameen Kamal -
Make food insecurity a priority national security agenda
HISTORY shows that Malaysia has never been short of policies related to agriculture or food. Ironically, policy abundance has proven insufficient to ensure food security. Past policies have proven inconsistent in terms of self-sufficiency targets and many major food items still rely on import supplementations. Food items with 100 per cent or more self-sufficiency levels still rely on significant external inputs.
Think economics, geopolitics before signing up with Starlink | New Straits Times
STARLINK is a division within SpaceX — the company headed by the richest man in the world, Elon Musk. It designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft — providing satellite Internet connectivity around the world using thousands of small satellites in space. As Starlink's representatives were reportedly in Malaysia in the week of May 23 for further discussions, we hope the government takes into account various factors before making any deals.
Navigating the Omicron wave before it turns into a potential storm
In Malaysia, the Omicron variant of Covid-19 appears to be causing less severe illness, with the vast majority of cases reportedly in Categories 1 and 2, and only 0.5 per cent in Category 3 and above. But, due to the Omicron variant's high transmissibility rate, it is vital to minimise the rate of transmission.
Investment in flood-resistant designs is an insurance policy for rainy days
FLOODING is an accounting problem. If the water-ins are more than the water-outs, it won't be balanced, and we get flooding. The rain started on Friday and poured non-stop for more than 24 hours, with volumes exceeding the monthly average. The amount and rate of water from the rain are more than could be slowed down and redirected. Infrastructure design and development must measure how much water catchment and rate of water runoff prevention a particular virgin land provides.
Expand sin tax, incentivise healthy lifestyle
AS battling Covid-19 will likely extend well into 2022 due to immunological uncertainties and virus variants, we need tools that go beyond vaccination. Specifically, Malaysia should consider early-stage prophylactic treatments such as antiviral medications to prevent disease progression for non-severe cases. For example, the United States, which has a population of 328.2 million, has reportedly allocated US$3 billion for antiviral treatments.
Establish independent fiscal body to boost oversight of govt policies
The release of the country's first pre-budget statement as a prelude to Budget 2022 provides an opportunity for greater transparency, accountability and stakeholder engagement in the formulation of fiscal and macro-economic policies. We would like to urge the government to take a step further and call for the establishment of an independent fiscal body (IFB).
Time for clearly communicated, data-driven Covid-19 policies
IT'S time to take stock of the Covid-19 situation, learn from past failures and move forward in managing the pandemic to sustain economic reopening. We need to maintain high levels of vaccination readiness, so we shouldn't be quick to reduce the involvement of general practitioners (GPs). If anything, they are an important part of a future pandemic management strategy.
Easing controls: Err on side of caution
Through the article "Are we easing movement restrictions a little too soon?" on July 21, EMIR Research warned that a significant portion of the population could have relatively lower antibody levels. We also mentioned potentially uneven levels of protection due to inoculation with different types of vaccines, which could be unprepared to take on the rising spread of variants, particularly Delta.
MyRakyat app for the people's voice?
LAWYERS and constitutional experts can go on debating all they want, and as much as they think this public back and forth in this political crisis is intellectually impressive, the truth is that these arguments are of no practical value to most people and businesses. One of the reasons for this is disconnectedness.
Next-generation vaccines may be pivotal to combat Covid-19 variants | New Straits Times
Current vaccines are good at preventing severe disease and there is increasing evidence that vaccinations help reduce the transmission of viruses. However, it does not appear to completely prevent someone from carrying it, being infected with it and transmitting it. Current vaccines are injected therapies (e.g., intramuscular routes) and are good at eliciting systemic immunity.
Making the National Recovery Plan a success
NATIONAL Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, mentioned that the next three months will be crucial for the vaccination campaign. EMIR Research supports this view, and presents herein some strategies and success factors that must be given attention to complement the effort. Khairy pointed that the vaccination rate is going well at the moment with average daily doses surpassing earlier targets.
Go high-tech in agriculture improves food security
A recent visit to a chilli and rock melon farm in Banting, Selangor – part of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Digital Agtech initiative's pilot project – demonstrated a good example of the combined implementation of 4IR and digital technologies that MDEC has been championing for the nation.
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