Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital

The Malaysian batik industry has long depended on wax resist techniques, yet environmental, health, and technical challenges have encouraged the search for safer alternatives. A major breakthrough came in 2020 with the introduction of batik tanah liat (clay resist batik) by Kraftangan Malaysia, providing an eco-friendly and cost-effective substitute for wax. Between 2020 and 2025, Clay Resist Batik advanced from experimentation to wider adoption through training programs, entrepreneurship, and retail development. This study explores the localized adaptation of clay resist techniques through the Batik Merbok initiative in Kampung Hilir, Merbok, Yan, Kedah. Villagers collaborated in a community-based effort to develop motifs such as mangroves, paddy stalks, zebra doves, Sanskrit inscriptions, and architectural forms, enriching the artistic repertoire of batik while reinforcing Merbok’s cultural identity. The initiative highlights community-based collaboration, with villagers contributing to motif development, workshops, and knowledge exchange. This collaborative model supports intergenerational skill transmission, strengthens artisan agency, and ensures that creative outcomes remain locally grounded. Using qualitative and practice-based methods, this study analyses technical processes, material constraints, and design outcomes. Despite challenges related to dye adhesion and colourfastness, Clay Resist Batik incorporating localized motifs demonstrates strong potential as a heritage-rooted innovation capable of sustaining cultural continuity and creative livelihoods.

Ethical transparency in the private healthcare sector is a growing concern, particularly in Malaysia, where governance disclosures on hospital websites remain inconsistent. Despite regulatory advancements, limited studies have examined the influence of board-level governance and human governance attributes on the disclosure of integrity-related information in digital platforms. This study aims to conceptualize a governance-integrity framework that integrates board characteristics, human governance, audit risk committee effectiveness, and ownership concentration as key drivers of online integrity disclosure. Using a narrative review methodology, the study systematically analysed 19 peer-reviewed articles sourced from the Scopus database. Thematic synthesis was applied to identify conceptual patterns across governance practices, ethical leadership traits, and digital reporting behaviours. Findings suggest that while board structure and independence play foundational roles, human governance which include ethical values and professional background of board members, exerts a significant yet underexplored influence. The audit risk committee was found to mediate governance effectiveness, while ownership concentration moderated transparency outcomes. This framework contributes theoretically by extending agency and stakeholder theory into the digital disclosure. Practically, it recommends the formal integration of human governance indicators into board assessment tools and the strategic implementation of digital integrity dashboards on hospital websites. This study offers new insight into how healthcare institutions can improve ethical accountability by addressing governance mechanisms holistically.

The integration of digital technologies into everyday life has significantly influenced how young people engage with democratic processes, though the implications remain uneven and contested. Digital platforms offer opportunities for civic participation, activism, and political education; however, they also pose risks, including misinformation, polarization, and digital access inequalities, which raise concerns about the inclusivity of youth democracy. This study examines the role of digital technologies in shaping youth democratic engagement, with particular attention to civic participation, digital citizenship, and the challenges of digital environments. Using Scopus AI (search conducted on 11 September 2025), the review applied a narrative review approach combining a structured search string, summary and expanded summary analysis, concept mapping, topic expert profiling, and identification of emerging themes to synthesize literature across disciplines. The findings show that digital culture fosters new forms of engagement through online activism, global networks, while digital citizenship predicts both local and global participation. Nonetheless, challenges including misinformation, online harassment, and ethical concerns about technological determinism limit the democratizing potential of these tools. Emerging themes emphasize the importance of digital competence, innovations in digital democracy, youth-led digital activism, and the transformation of the public sphere. The study concludes that digital technologies present both opportunities and challenges for youth democracy, highlighting the need for educational reforms to strengthen digital literacy, policy interventions to ensure equitable access, and safeguards to protect democratic quality. These provide theoretical contributions to understanding democracy in the digital age and practical guidance for policymakers, educators, and civic organizations.

Throughout history, human societies have emerged and flourished around river valleys, which were essential for their survival. However, contemporary challenges like global climate change, conflicts, water pollution, poverty, and difficult geographical conditions have impacted both the availability and quality of water resources. In Malaysia, water-related challenges have become particularly pressing in several states, especially rural ones. The combination of low population density in these areas and the high costs of building sanitized water supply systems has caused delays in water infrastructure projects. Since 2020, water waqf has emerged as a promising initiative in Malaysia, spearheaded by Yayasan Wakaf Malaysia (YWM) in partnership with the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA). This approach is also gaining traction in ASEAN countries, such as Indonesia, Cambodia, and Brunei. Although the concept of water waqf is not new, there remains limited research, both theoretical and empirical, on this topic. This study seeks to offer an alternative approach to water management and sanitation improvement using the water waqf instrument for sustainable living. Using a qualitative, library-based methodology, the study conducts a document analysis of primary source materials from YWM. This analysis includes reviewing annual reports, project documentation, and financial distribution records related to water waqf projects by state, up until December 2023. The findings emphasize the significant potential of water waqf development in addressing water resource challenges, ultimately benefiting society by broadening access to clean water as the concept of water waqf becomes more widely understood.

This study examines how directors’ network structures influence corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance. Drawing upon social network analysis, four centrality measures—degree, eigenvector, closeness, and betweenness—are employed to capture the social capital embedded within board interconnections. The analysis focuses on the 100 largest publicly listed companies in Malaysia for the year 2022, comprising a network of 1,012 unique directors. The findings reveal that network centrality enhances the diffusion of strategic information and resources, enabling companies to respond to stakeholder expectations more effectively and to improve ESG performance. However, excessive direct connections may lead to information redundancy and governance inefficiency, suggesting that the quality of network ties is as important as their quantity. The study is limited by its cross-sectional design and geographical focus, which may constrain causal inference and generalizability. Future research should consider longitudinal or multi-country approaches to provide deeper insights. Practically, the results underscore the importance for companies and regulators to design board structures that balance interconnectedness with diversity, ensuring optimal information flow and oversight. The study contributes to corporate governance literature by integrating Social Network Theory with Resource Dependency and Stakeholder perspectives, offering a comprehensive understanding of how directors’ relational positions can both facilitate and constrain sustainable governance practices.

The formation of student identity plays a crucial role in achieving Malaysia’s national aspiration of producing citizens who are patriotic, competitive, and progressive. Within this context, the implementation of General Studies courses (Mata Pelajaran Umum, MPU) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) serves as an important initiative to cultivate values, ethics, and a strong sense of national identity among students. Despite these intentions, MPU courses are often perceived by students as less relevant or unnecessarily burdensome, primarily due to the heavy academic workload and the prioritization of discipline-specific subjects. This study aims to explore the contribution of MPU courses to student identity formation and to analyze their relevance within the broader framework of higher education in Malaysia. Employing a document analysis approach, the study examines the official MPU guidelines issued by the Ministry of Higher Education as well as existing scholarly literature on identity development in higher education. The findings suggest that MPU courses have the potential to produce holistic graduates who possess a strong identity rooted in their religion, cultural heritage, moral values, and Malaysian national identity. Furthermore, these courses play a significant role in supporting the National Education Philosophy, which aspires to nurture balanced individuals across physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual dimensions (JERI). By embedding both universal and local values, MPU courses offer students an opportunity to develop a more integrated worldview that aligns with national priorities and global competencies. Therefore, the continuation and enhancement of MPU courses remain essential in ensuring that HEIs not only produce technically skilled graduates but also individuals with strong character, civic responsibility, and a sense of national belonging.

The Basic Hotel & Restaurant Accounting course is a core component of hospitality education but is often perceived as difficult and complex by students. This study aims to identify the challenges faced by hospitality students in learning accounting and to explore strategies that can improve their academic performance. The research involved 42 third-semester Hotel Operation students from Sungai Petani Community College. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from validated instruments. The findings reveal several critical issues, including reliance on traditional teaching methods, limited student-faculty interaction, inadequate assessment structures, low student engagement, and a lack of industry-relevant resources. Students also reported insufficient feedback and a disconnect between theoretical knowledge and real-world application. Additionally, poor study habits and negative attitudes toward accounting were found to hinder learning. The study recommends adopting student-centred teaching approaches, integrating technology into instruction, utilizing interactive learning methods, and developing customized course materials tailored to the hospitality context. These strategies aim to make accounting education more accessible, relevant, and engaging for hospitality students.

Hemoglobin E beta-thalassemia (HbE-BT) is a prevalent and genetically diverse inherited hemoglobin disorder in Malaysia. While most cases are attributed to known genetic variants, discovering novel mutations is essential for understanding their wide-ranging clinical presentations and underlying genetic heterogeneity. We present the case of a Malay male patient with an intermediate phenotype of HbE-BT whose clinical course was marked by a progression to a transfusion-dependent status, a change triggered by an acute febrile illness. The case highlights the complex challenges of long-term management, including a high risk of iron overload and the significant morbidity and mortality associated with postsplenectomy infections. The patient was referred for a comprehensive DNA analysis of thalassemia syndromes. Full blood count showed hypochromic microcytic anemia (hemoglobin 7.90 g/dL, mean corpuscular volume 66.10 fL). Hemoglobin analysis via capillary electrophoresis revealed a characteristic pattern of HbA (49.1%), HbE (20.6%), and HbF (27.0%). Sanger sequencing subsequently confirmed a compound heterozygous state of HBB:c.79G>A (HbE) and a novel frameshift mutation at codon 124 of the beta-globin gene (HBB:c.375_376delAC). Predictive computational tools further supported the pathogenicity of this new variant, and its data have been submitted to the ITHANET database (IthaID: 4155). Initially, the patient's condition was managed with nutritional supplements and intermittent blood transfusions. Following an acute febrile episode at age 26, his clinical condition worsened, necessitating regular monthly blood transfusions to manage severe anemia. He also received subcutaneous chelation therapy to address severe hepatic iron overload. At age 36, he underwent a splenectomy to reduce his transfusion requirements. Despite these interventions, the patient passed away at the age of 37 from septic shock and multiorgan failure. This outcome occurred a year after his splenectomy and underscores the critical risk of overwhelming postsplenectomy infection, a significant complication in splenectomized thalassemia patients. Identifying this novel compound heterozygosity contributes to our understanding of the genetic landscape of HbE-BT in Malaysia. This case reinforces the importance of comprehensive molecular analysis for accurate diagnosis, and it has important implications for improving long-term management and genetic counseling strategies for patients with thalassemia syndromes.

Bumiputera entrepreneurship is a cornerstone of Malaysia’s economic development, yet Bumiputera entrepreneurs face persistent challenges that hinder their ability to thrive in competitive markets. Key issues include limited access to funding, inadequate business skills, cultural barriers, and low levels of technological adoption, which collectively restrict their capacity to scale operations and compete effectively. To address these concerns, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by Bumiputera entrepreneurs by using a Scopus-AI-driven systematic review from 2010 to 2025, with experiential learning opportunities gained through academic trips. This study also synthesizes findings through concept mapping. The main findings highlight Bumiputera entrepreneurship challenges include market access and competition, human capital issues, financial constraints, cultural and social factors. Insights from academic trips further enrich the findings and reveal that experiential learning opportunities, such as academic trips, play a transformative role in bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. By integrating classroom learning with real-world exposure, participants gain actionable insights into overcoming challenges and developing critical skills. This study emphasizes the importance of collaboration among stakeholders, including policymakers, educators, and industry leaders, to design inclusive support mechanisms and scalable solutions. The implications of this research extend to fostering inclusive economic growth by empowering Bumiputera entrepreneurs to overcome the entrepreneurship challenges and contribute meaningfully to Malaysia’s development agenda. Future research should explore cross-disciplinary approaches and evaluate the effectiveness of innovative policies aimed at addressing these challenges.

This action research study explores the author’s developmental journey toward becoming an inspirational role model for trainee teachers through iterative cycles of planning, action, observation, and reflection. The study documents the author’s process of personal growth, focusing on the evolution of teaching practices, the cultivation of a supportive learning environment, and the navigation of challenges. Qualitative data from self-reflections, trainee feedback, and pedagogical experimentation inform the analysis, highlighting the iterative nature of development. The findings demonstrate the significance of ongoing self-reflection, adaptation, and professional growth in aspiring to inspire and empower future educators. By offering insights into practical strategies and challenges, the study contributes to the discourse on transformative teacher education, emphasising the importance of continual development in fostering inspirational classroom leadership.