The National Measurement System Act 2007 (Act 675) was approved by the Malaysian Government on 17 July 2007. STANDARDS MALAYSIA played an important role in preparing the proposal of the Act to the Malaysian Cabinet.

The Act, which is governed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), coordinates the national measurement system by prescribing the use of uniform units of measurements based on International System of Units (S.I), and providing a coherent approach in establishing the traceability of measurements. It aims to enhance the country’s measurement infrastructure and help to facilitate and widen the trade of Malaysian goods in the international market.

The scope of the national measurement system covers all measurements made in Malaysia for any legal purposes including for health, safety, forensic and environmental. While trade measurements also fall under the scope, it is also subjected to the provisions of the Weight and Measures Act 1972.

In 2008, several promotional programmes have been planned to help disseminate information about the Act. To date, promotional programmes have been held with the relevant agencies under Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications and MOSTI.

The objectives of the promotional programmes are to:

• Create awareness among Government departments, agencies and regulatory bodies on the existence of the National Measurement System Act 2007 as an umbrella act, in addition to the Weights and Measures Act, to provide for traceability of measurement to international system of units (SI) in existing and future acts.

• Encourage the effective enforcement and verification of measuring instruments used in activities in addition to trade such as surveying, telecommunications, medical services, consumer safety, monitoring to environment, public utilities not covered under the Weights and Measures Act and other areas to enhance the quality of life.

One of the current problems faced in Malaysia is the enforcement and verification of most common public utilities such as meters and billing systems for electricity, water, vehicle parking, and telecommunication services such as cellular and landline phones, are not well established. The programmes will faicilate to strengthen the verification of measurement systems in public utilities used nationwide and restore consumer confidence so that they may expect fair charges.

Medical devices and instruments used in health care services such as sphygmomanometer (used to measure blood pressure), thermometers, and hearing aids should also be regulated under the Act. This is vital in ensuring that a high quality service is consistently provided to patients. As such, a promotional programme scheduled to be held with the Ministry of Health in September 2008, is expected to raise awareness in the health sector of the need for accurate and verifiable measurements. Also planned for 2008 are promotional programmes for regulatory bodies in Sabah.

Threat of EU Ban on Malaysian Seafood

In April 2008, the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) of the European Union (EU) carried out random inspections on 9 companies exporting fishery products to the EU and found some of them to fall short of health standards set by the EU. Some of the deficiencies found by the EU were ships lacking hygiene facilities such as hand washing basins and toilets, and the use of damaged and rusting equipment such as freezing trays.

Following the findings, the EU was considering banning seafood products from Malaysia. To avert any impending ban, the Malaysian Government volunteered to temporarily stop all seafood exports to the EU and spend the next 6 weeks conducting inspections and ensuring the Malaysian companies meet EU standards and specifications.

After finishing inspections, the Malaysian government intends to reenlist itself as an exporter to the EU, a process which takes at least 3 months. During this 3-month suspension period, Malaysia is expected to lose more than 1 billion ringgit.

The recent incident involving the EU and the Malaysian seafood industry makes it clear that substandard product safety and quality which leads to non-compliance with food and sanitary measures can potentially put the safety of consumers at risk, as well as having a devastating affect on the country’s seafood industry, economy and reputation.

Looking at the positive side, the current situation presents an opportunity for the Government and industry to renew and increase its commitment to raise product quality to meet international standards. Here, STANDARDS MALAYSIA can lend its expertise to overcoming the situation and preventing its similar occurrences in the future.

The best way for Malaysia to improve its position and reclaim the EU’s trust is to begin with improving the safety and quality of its seafood products. As a long term solution, STANDARDS MALAYSIA, together with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, the Department of Fisheries and industry experts, could pool their resources and work towards developing common standards, regulations and inspection schemes for fishery products. For instance, it might be made mandatory for any organisation involved in processing seafood to adhere to the standard before being issued a license to manufacture seafood.

The standard could be based on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) approach, cover all aspects of fishery product preparation and apply to all companies in the seafood industry chain including food processing, aquaculture facilities, storage, and transportation.

Other areas where STANDARDS MALAYSIA can assist are in raising awareness amongst the public, industries and interested parties on the importance of standards on food safety and sanitation. This could be carried out through various seminars, dialogues, workshops and expos.

References:
1. http://www.miti.gov.my
2. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/business/news/article_1412339.php/Malaysia_stops_seafood_export_to_EU_after_ban_threat
3. http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1213937222.99/
4. http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20080610&id=8754286
5. http://ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/act_getPDF.cfm?PDF_ID=6656)

For more details, please contact:
Department of Standards Malaysia (STANDARDS MALAYSIA)
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
Century Square, Level 1 & 2, Block 2300
Jalan Usahawan,
63000 Cyberjaya
Tel: 03-8318 0002 Fax: 03-8319 3131
Email: info@standardsmalaysia.gov.my
Website: www.standardsmalaysia.gov.my