On the 7th August 2018, the BMCC organised a Premier Luncheon addressing the aspirations both government and private enterprises are undertaking towards a more sustainable future. Newly appointed Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, YB Dr. Ong Kian Ming took centre stage in affirming Pakatan Harapan’s direction towards a decentralisation of power in governance, thus paving the way for more discussion opportunities amongst Cabinet members.
Dr. Ong spoke of this reform as a priority from a sustainability perspective of the ruling Pakatan Harapan Government as it would see a disruption towards market and political monopolies. The reducing and restructuring of the national debt as well as the establishment of a fresh roadmap for institutional and policy reform will remain the new governments short term priorities. In the long run, an overhaul of the nation’s fiscal structure, including the election of sound leadership in policy and justice is seen as a necessity.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Jennifer Lopez, newly elected Executive Director of the BMCC spoke of the Chamber’s ongoing endeavours towards bridging the private and political sectors by means of initiatives such as this. “Our Advocacy Working Group is fast becoming a sought-after platform for many of our members. Its importance lies, not just with consolidating or conveying the needs of our business community to policy makers, but also supporting us in bringing our government leaders to our members,” she said.
In the spirit of broadening dialogue, Dr. Ong encouraged industry players to be creative in inputs and to propose “win-win” solutions for both government and private sectors towards the betterment of society. He said this as he touched on the government’s goal to reach a 20% Renewal Energy mix by 2025, which currently stands below 3%. Among the ideas to accomplish this includes the creation of new and more mobility pathways to alleviate the reliance on traditional combustion engines.
As part of the afternoon’s theme, Dr. Cho-Oon Khong, Chief Political Analyst, Shell Scenarios of Royal Dutch Shell featured as a guest speaker to present on Shell’s Sky Scenario and its potential for an energy system to bring modern energy to the world. By the year 2040, Sky aims to convert all new passenger car sales in South East Asia to electric vehicles. Sky’s other aspirations include seeing an end to deforestation and the dominance of renewable energies by 2070.
The Premier Luncheon series continues as one of the BMCC’s most successful flagship events with over 60 attendees from various backgrounds showing up. The afternoon concluded with a panel discussion and a Q & A segment for its members.
(Photo credit: Selected images credit to The Sun)
