​Monday, April 29th, 2019 Political scientist and policy advisor Mr. Yin Shao Loong graced MDBC for the third time in as many years, sharing insights into how the Pakatan Harapan government have fared during their first year of operation. 

Mr. Shao Loong offered an interesting insight into differences between ministerial cultures and challenges with a financial situation worse than originally anticipated but above all, he send a message of hope, highlighting that Malaysia is constructively moving forward, step by step. 

There is much to celebrate, not the least a proven, peaceful transition testifying to a stable democracy and the rule of law. PM Dr Tun Mahathir is astutely navigating through stormy waters in search of a way to not just achieve personal legacy, but to put Malaysia right, especially for the bottom 40%, reducing inequality. Structural changes take time, but there have been frank assessments and the country is slowly and surely moving forward, regaining its footing. 

​It will be interesting to see where the dialogue goes the next 6 months on reshaping industrial policy, putting more emphasis on manufacturing and generating jobs, and we hope to have Mr. Shao Loong back before long, sharing insights on how that consultative process is progressing.

Thank you to all who joined us and a special thanks to Uhrenholt for once again providing us with delicious Danish cheeses.

It was a colorful Sunday in Mont Kiara as MDBC hosted one of our more festive networking events - the annual Danish family carnival, Fastelavn. This offered a great opportunity for our member to enjoy and share a popular Danish tradition with family, friends, colleagues, partners and clients.

The kids had a wonderful time in their creative costumes, enjoying fun entertainment, bashing of barrels, great prizes, and of course large amounts of candy. It was a good day for the grownups too, with clear skies and the opportunity to feast on juicy hot dogs and yummy refreshments from our generous sponsors - Carlsberg, Sunquick, Uhrenholt (Emborg), Arla, Copenhagen Coffee and Danfoss.

Thank you to our sponsors and everyone who came out to celebrate with us!

These kind of events brings the opportunity for networking in a relaxed atmosphere, enjoying the delicious snacks and beverages kindly provided by our generous sponsors. 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term Fastelavn comes from Old Danish fastelaghen, which was a borrowing of the Middle Low German vastel-avent, meaning "fast-evening", or the day before Lent. 

Traditional events include slå katten af tønden ("hit the cat out of the barrel"), which is somewhat similar to using a piñata. The Danes use a wooden barrel, which is full of candy and sometimes oranges and has the image of a cat on it. After the candy pours out, the game continues until the entire barrel is broken. The one who knocks down the bottom of the barrel (making all the candy spill out) becomes kattedronning ("queen of cats"); the one who knocks down the last piece of the barrel becomes kattekonge ("king of cats").

In Denmark, the barrel tradition has been practised for centuries, possibly introduced by Dutch immigrants to Copenhagen during the reign of Christian II of Denmark in the early 1500s. Historically, there was a real cat in the barrel, and beating the barrel was superstitiously considered a safeguard against evil. It was practised up until the 1800s, with the last known event occurring in the 1880s. The cat was not killed, but allowed to escape when the barrel was broken. 

Today, a number of business leaders from Danish companies were invited by Danish Ambassador Jesper Vahr to a luncheon at the Ambassadors residence, hosting the Secretary General of MITI, Datuk Isham Ishak along with several senior staff from MITI and MIDA

Fair trade, not protectionism were keywords from Datuk Isham, who also emphasised a strong focus on industry 4.0 and on SME’s as well as a focus on fighting corruption, coordinating important policies across all ministries and on businesses to think not just Malaysia, but ASEAN.

Businesses brought up more streamlined international trade processes, enforcement of IPR and predictability in regulations. On balance there was a very positive spirit with participants feeling that Malaysia is a great place to do business and to live and Danish companies will continue to plan for increased business ties with Malaysia.