10/02/2026

TUESDAY | FEB 10, 2026

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Berjaya eyes India expansion after Modi meeting

Ű BY KIRTINEE RAMESH newsdesk@thesundaily.com

opportunities in hospitality, food services, retail, fintech and clean technology. Berjaya already has a significant presence in India’s hospitality sector and Tan expressed interest in expanding further into India’s consumer and services markets. Other business leaders who met Modi included Phison Electronics founder Datuk Pua Khein Seng, Petronas CEO Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik and Khazanah Nasional Bhd managing director Datuk Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir. Discussions covered technology investments, renewable energy, green fuels and India’s growing high-tech and petrochemical sectors. The MEA described the meetings as a reflection of strong investor confidence in India and a shared commitment to scaling up economic and technology partnerships between the two countries. The visit is part of broader efforts to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Malaysia and India, with trade, investment, digital economy, semiconductors and clean energy identified as priority areas. Bilateral economic ties remain robust, with total trade reaching RM79.49 billion (US$18.59 billion) in 2025. Malaysia’s exports stood at RM52.3 billion (US$12.24 billion), led by palm oil, agricultural products and electrical and electronic goods, while imports totalled RM27.19 billion (US$6.35 billion), mainly for agricultural, petroleum and chemical products.

PETALING JAYA: Berjaya Corporation Berhad is looking to further strengthen its business footprint in India following a meeting between its founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Malaysia. Tan praised Modi for his leadership and economic achievements. “From all that I’ve read about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I think he’s done a great job. He’s a great prime minister who has made India more economically successful and developed. I’m very impressed with him.” The discussion, although brief, was “very meaningful and warm”, Tan added, noting that Modi comes across as a personable and approachable leader. He also revealed plans to visit India soon. “Our group has built luxury resorts similar to the Four Seasons in Japan and Iceland, and we are considering India as a potential location – in New Delhi or Goa. We also discussed business opportunities, including sanitary landfill waste management.” Modi’s visit to Malaysia on Feb 7 and 8 included high-level meetings with leading Malaysian corporate figures to boost bilateral economic cooperation across key growth sectors, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The MEA said Modi met Tan to explore

Tan and Modi engaging in talks on investment prospects amid efforts to boost Malaysia-India economic cooperation. – PIC COURTESY OF NARENDRA MODI FACEBOOK PAGE

‘Give border control agency full command’

“All six agencies have different cultures. We must unite them as one pasukan keselamatan (security force) with proper discipline. Then only respect comes. Then fear of breaking the rules comes.” Since taking the helm of MCBA, Shuhaily has overhauled the country’s border security. He merged multiple enforcement units under a single command, reinforced officer discipline, expanded manpower and launched a crackdown on human trafficking, smuggling and corruption. The agency’s long-term plan would centralise operational enforcement at entry points while allowing parent ministries to retain specialised policy and professional roles. Under the proposal, Maqis enforcement duties at entry points would eventually be absorbed into MCBA, while Immigration would continue handling passports and travel documentation. “There’s still Immigration, Customs and Maqis. Maqis will eventually be absorbed by us totally (for border enforcement). Immigration will remain, but it will create a base and will also involve the issuance of passports and travel documents. For us, it’s inspection at the entry point.” Shuhaily said the Public Service Department is reviewing the formal transfer of personnel into MCBA command, with a proposal expected to be presented to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim soon. “They are sending me the same people to solve the same old problems. I’m inheriting all this. That’s my challenge. “If they stop, that’s good. If they continue and get caught, that’s good for me too, because then I can remove them and bring in new people.” He said MCBA was working with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission as part of its integrity reforms and stressed that his focus was institutional rather than personal ambition. “I don’t have ambition to become anybody big. I just want to do the right thing,” he said. – By Faiz Ruzman

o Director-general says fragmented reporting lines prevent uniform discipline and effective enforcement at entry points

Shuhaily says MCBA currently draws most of its manpower from the Immigration Department, Maqis and other enforcement bodies. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

same as the police or the military. In enforcement work, discipline must come together with authority. “If there is no change in command culture, people don’t care. You can give instructions, but without discipline and consequences, it doesn’t work,” he told theSun on the sidelines of his new year address to MCBA personnel at its Putrajaya headquarters last week. Shuhaily said MCBA currently draws most of its manpower from the Immigration Department, with about 4,000 officers seconded to the agency, while personnel from Customs, Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis) and other enforcement bodies are still being integrated. However, many remain administratively tied to their parent agencies, limiting MCBA’s ability to enforce uniform disciplinary standards. “They still report back to their own agencies. So I can’t fully impose our system. That is why the command structure must change.” Shuhaily has proposed transforming MCBA into a full security enforcement force with structured discipline, firearms capability and unified command. departments. We have to make sure those perks remain. “For MCBA, if we want to build new quarters, we don’t have the money yet. So other agencies have to share assets with us until the time is right.” Shuhaily said reforming entrenched enforcement habits would be a major challenge. “When something goes on for too long, it becomes culture. That is why we must rebuild discipline first,” he said. He added that he was inheriting long standing operational issues and problematic personnel.

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s border control chief has proposed giving the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) full command authority and security-force discipline to strengthen enforcement reforms.

Speaking to theSun recently, director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the agency’s biggest hurdle is a fragmented command culture, stressing that enforcement credibility cannot improve unless MCBA operates

under a unified, disciplined system with clear authority and consequences. “Immigration is law enforcement. Customs is law enforcement. But the discipline is not the

Autonomy hampered by shared resources, says Shuhaily PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s border control agency is still operating without its own officers, infrastructure or quarters, leaving it dependent on legacy agencies and limiting its operational autonomy, according to MCBA director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain. “We are at the behest of other agencies, still dependent on them operationally.” Shuhaily said manpower, posts and physical infrastructure at entry points remain tied to existing departmental structures, making it difficult to enforce a unified command system. “They are still under their old departments. They still report back to their own agencies. So I can’t fully impose our system.”

He said MCBA continues to rely on shared manpower and facilities as its institutional transition remains incomplete. “We don’t even have our own officers yet. You go to the next office, there’s no dedicated MCBA office. You go to Kuantan Port, there are no officers assigned under MCBA. So we are sharing.

He said officer welfare, housing and service benefits must be preserved during the unified command system transition. “Some of them are already staying in government quarters under their original