Dato’ Sri Dr. Halim Shafie has been appointed the new Chairman of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). He is replacing Dato’ Mohamed Sharil Mohamed Tarmizi who’s contract ended on December 31.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek made the announcement to Bernama on Sunday.
“I am happy to announce that Dato’ Sri Dr Halim Shafie has agreed to come on board again,” the Minister told Bernama.
“His tenure will be for two years and I have assigned specific tasks for him to achieve. These include looking at good governance, which is in line with the government’s efforts for all ministries and agencies.”
“Among others, Halim will be working on decoupling the role of the chief executive officer (CEO) from the role of chairman of MCMC. I feel this is important for MCMC in ensuring continuity and the balance of power within the organisation,” he added.
According to the minister, the new Chairman of MCMC is expected to review the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 towards a “healthy cyber space”.
“What happened during the East Coast floods last year should be prevented from happening again. Although the law is not likely to prevent it fully, we hope that people will think carefully before they share information which is unverified,” said the Communications and Multimedia Minister.
Some background on Dato’ Sri Dr. Halim Shafie:
- Obtained a Bachelor of Economic (Hons.) from the University of Malaya in 1972
- Masters in Economic Development, Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, USA (1980)
- PhD in Information Transfer from Syracuse University, USA (1988)
- Completed professional courses in Systems Analysis and Design at the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN) in 1976, Management Education Program at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India in 1977 and Advanced Management at Harvard Business School in 2000.
- Started his career in the Ministry of Education, Malaysia in 1972 followed by appointments at INTAN since 1976 and Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) in the Prime Minister’s Department since 1987
- Senior positions held:
- Secretary General in the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications, Malaysia since 2000
- Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Education
- Senior Research Officer, National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN)
- Programme Coordinator, National Computer Training Center, National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN)
- Director of Information Technology Division of the Malaysian Administration Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (“MAMPU”)
- Director of National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN) since 1994
- Deputy Secretary General 1, Communications & Multimedia Sector, Ministry of Energy, Communications and Multimedia since 1999
- Dato Sri Dr. Halim Bin Shafie served as Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of Telekom Malaysia Berhad from November 24, 2000 to May 18, 2004
- Director of Pos Malaysia Berhad of POS Malaysia & Services Holdings Bhd.
- Director of Pusat Tenaga Malaysia, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd, Pihak Berkuasa Malaysia/Thailand and Universiti Telekom (UNITEL)
- Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of Tenaga Nasional Berhad from February 1, 2001 to June 7, 2004
- Chairman of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) from 2006 – 2009
- Non-Independent Non-Executive Chairman of Telekom Malaysia Berhad from July 31, 2009 to January 12, 2015.
Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) announced the resignation of Dato’ Sri Dr. Halim Shafie as Chairman of TM Board on January 12. With the departure of Dato’ Sri Dr. Halim, TM also announced the appointment of its new Chairman, Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Sulaiman Mahbob effective 12 January 2015.
“We would like to take this opportunity to record our highest appreciation to Dato’ Sri Dr. Halim for his immense contribution to TM. Having long served the telecommunications industry, his stewardship and guidance have led the Company to where it is today. During his chairmanship, TM has achieved several key milestones including the successful roll-out of the High Speed Broadband (HSBB) project as well as the introduction of UniFi, the first triple-play service in the country – driving TM beyond being the Broadband Champion towards becoming the nation’s one and true Convergence Champion. In addition, Dato’ Sri Dr. Halim has been a strong and passionate advocate for education as the Chairman of Multimedia University (MMU) and the Company’s Corporate Responsibility (CR) which saw his commitment and participation in various initiatives including ICT-related nation building, community-based and environmental awareness programmes.” said Tan Sri Zamzamzairani Mohd. Isa, Group Chief Executive Officer of TM.
“We would like to wish Dato’ Sri Dr. Halim all the best in his future undertakings. On that note, we would also like to welcome Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Sulaiman as the new Chairman of TM Board,” added Tan Sri Zamzamzairani.
[Source]– Bernama
