MSAM 2010 turns out to be a mesmerising week

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KUCHING: The 11th Minggu Amanah Saham Malaysia (MSAM) 2010, which came to a close on Monday, exceeded all expectations after it managed to attract 187,000 visitors to the week-long exhibition.Organiser Permodalan Nasional Berhad’s (PNB) had only expected to see 150,000 visitors.

“On average, the exhibitions and activities held received about 27,000 visitors daily. This average daily attendance was the second best ever achieved after MSAM 2004 at Kapala Batas, Pulau Pinang,” PNB chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said in his speech during the MSAM 2010 Thank You Dinner at Pullman Hotel on Monday.

“Apart from the main exhibition hall, which housed more than 50 companies, corporate and enforcement bodies, other activities held throughout the week here gathered tremendous response. Participations alone were very promising,” Ahmad Sarji added.

Among the activities held during MSAM 2010 were PNB’s meet-the-people session at Kampung Pinang Jawa, Petra Jaya, ‘Pesta Beteba’ at the Waterfront, Special Financial Seminar, 1Malaysia Investment Interactive Quiz, ‘Forum Perdana’, story telling and lectures on stories from the Al-Quran, colouring contest with mascot Along Bijak, Entrepreneur Seminar by PNB-Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF) and the Jejak Pelabur Bijak edu-entertainment programme.

Other programmes which attracted massive crowd interest was the Inspirational Icon programme on Sunday which featured Miri-born paralympic swimmer Zul Amirul Sidi Abdullah who is ranked sixth in the world.

The highlight of the programme, however, went to war hero Kanang Langkau, who mesmerised the audience with his experience in serving as a Sarawak Ranger during the insurgency era. To date, Kanang is the only Malaysian in the armed forces to receive both the Panglima Gagah Berani and Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa medals.

Ahmad Sarji said all the programmes implemented would help to build more awareness among the people about investments. It would also contribute to the branding of PNB as the top investment figure in the unit trust industry.

The dinner also saw PNB’s 13 main MSAM partners namely; Malayan Banking Bhd, Sime Darby Bhd, I&P Group Sdn Bhd, UMW Holdings Bhd, Chemical Company of Malaysia Bhd, MIDF, MNRB Holdings Bhd, NCB Holdings Bhd, Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd, Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd, MMC Corporation Bhd, Pernec Corporation Bhd and Takaful Ikhlas Sdn Bhd, – given a token of appreciation.

Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud presented the souvenir to each of the partner’s representative ranging from chief executive officers, directors and general managers among the 13.

The chief minister also presented awards to the winner of the ‘Best Voted Exhibition Booth’ which goes to Sime Darby Bhd. Second place went to NCB Holdings Sdn Bhd while Takaful Ikhlas Sdn Bhd took third. Another award, ‘Most Popular Booth’ was given to Malayan Banking Bhd.

Another highlight for the night was the announcement of the E-Peraduan winner. The prized Perodua Alza went to Tijan Laing of Padang Kerbau, Miri while the much aspired Toyota Hilux Commonrail 2,500cc diesel was won by Abdul Wahab Ismail, 46 of Kampung Tupong Tengah, Kuching.

On the entertainment side, cultural performance by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) cultural dance club kick start the dinner before local culture world music arts group ‘Tukukame’ took the stage. A local P.Ramlee impersonator and Malaysian pop queen Dayang Nurfaizah also wowed the crowd.