Touch base breakfast meeting...

Bernama senior officials led by General Manager Datuk Yong Soo Heong held a breakfast meeting with a delegation from Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information (MICA) at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Led by the ministry’s Deputy Secretary Sim Gim Guan, the 11-member delegation  comprises officers from the ministry.

They include  a number of senior public communications directors who have been posted to various ministries to head their public communications divisions and serve as press secretaries to the republic’s political office holders.

Singapore High Commissioner Ong Keng Yong and several of his officers were present during the one-and-half hour meeting.

The visit to Malaysia was part of the inaugural INFO-LEAD Programme, a three-week training programme, jointly organized by the Singapore Civil Service College and MICA aimed at improving Singapore’s public communications efforts.

The delegation hopes to learn from the Malaysian government’s experience in public engagement and public consultation, as well as to obtain an update on the information and media scene in Malaysia.

The participants also hope to develop and strengthen professional ties with their Malaysian counterparts.

The breakfast meeting was to enable the delegation learn more about how Bernama had been adapting to respond to various challenges including the increased diversity of media and other information sources in the country.

Bernama General Manager Datuk Yong Soo Heong and Editor-in-Chief Datuk Zulkefli Salleh briefed the delegation about Bernama, followed by Q&A.

Datuk Yong told the delegation that apart from Singapore, Bernama has correspondents in Bangkok, Jakarta, Beijing and New Delhi.

The agency is also supported by stringers in Melbourne, New York and Washington D.C.

Bernama Radio24 Managing Editor Mohamad Letfee Ahmad took the opportunity to informed the meeting that the radio station, which generated interest among members of the delegation, was celebrating its sixth anniversary today.