THE local maritime industry has welcomed the recent initiatives by the Government to seek a new director-general for the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (Mima) under the Ministry of Transport.
It is understood that seven candidates have applied for the position which was advertised last month.

Shipping and port communities deeply disappointed with the activities and the progress of the 15-year old institute have often complained that the performance of the institute had not met the expectations of the industry “notably in its failure to produce a blueprint or a policy framework on the development of the Malaysian maritime industry”.

Industry sources feel there is need to carefully evaluate a suitable sufficiently qualified candidate with research background for the job to take Mima to a higher level of research and policy-making.

Source said with an annual budget of about RM4 million, Mima had failed in its task to produce what was fundamentally set up to do for the maritime industry, namely producing a blueprint on the national shipping development.

The institute, set up by the Government to serve as a national focal point for research in the maritime sector, lacked the focus and the expertise to look into critical maritime issues and policy concerns.

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