Dr. Ir. Ts. Hj. Mohmad Asari Daud
President
2023-2025 Session

President’s 2024 New Year Message

Dear Members of MWA, supporters and stakeholders,

On behalf of The Malaysian Water Association, we welcome the New Year 2024 with great enthusiasm as we close the current year’s successful activities of the MWA, and we wish you and your families prosperity, blessings, and joy in the New Year.

I believe the year 2023 has turned out to be a most eventful year for the water industry beginning with the completion of the Mid-term Review of the 12^th Malaysia Plan. In this regard, the water sector can look forward to an increased attention in terms of policy, planning and budget, coupled with the opening up a host of opportunities in new investment towards sustainable, affordable and scalable water solutions both for immediate and longer term. This includes the roll-out of the Water Sector Transformation 2040 (WST2040) plan, ESG and carbon trading and green technology transition.

On 12 December 2023, with the reshuffling of the federal government cabinet, the water industry bid farewell to YB Nik Nazmi Nik Nik Ahmad, the Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC), who was reassigned as Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability. Though YB Nik Nazmi had a short stint responsible for the water industry, he has proven his mettle in grasping the challenges and issues the industry faced and had initiated actions to address them. We shall miss his guidance and advice but fortunately for the industry YB Nik Nazmi new role is not completely divorced from water but is still closely related to it. On behalf of the industry, we wish him well and look forward to seeing and working closely with him still in his new Ministry.

At the same time, the industry welcomed YAB Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Public Utilities (a new ministry, split from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC)).

We hope that with the Deputy Prime Minister’s leadership in helming the water sector, the long-cherished “dream” of the water stakeholders to see water placed at the heart of national water agenda will soon be realized. May 2024 be the year with a clearer focus on the national water strategic direction to ensure the water sector is a dynamic growth driver while ensuring water supply for all. With this, we trust that top-level cross-sectoral decision makers in both the federal and state governments will be able work together (alongside with NGOs) to do something in an even more determined way than before in addressing the issues and concerns faced by water players and operators as well as consumers in 2024 and beyond.

I am confident that we will continue to evolve as an industry, as we always have, and the MWA is committed to having a substantial role in these conversations.

Challenges have always been part of our industry and always will be. With challenges, come opportunities, a time to be innovative, a time to collaborate, and perhaps most importantly, a time to work together and to continue to build relationships.

The MWA growth over the years has been a cumulative outcome of the efforts of every individual and institutional member and partners associated with us. So, as we venture into new year, we will also look forward to your active participation in boosting us further in 2024. 

The MWA has faithfully recorded and documented some of the favorite moments from 2023 in our Website, the Quarterly Bulletin magazine Water Malaysia and the MWA Newsletters which are distributed free to all members and supporters. Three major successful events held in 2023 include the two-day Water Malaysia Specialised Conference in June 2023, the one-day Water Regulatory Forum in September 2023 and the Malaysia International Water Convention in December 2023.

We will be providing regular updates and reports on the events and happenings in 2024 in MWA and the industry through this website and our newsletters.

The programmes of knowledge sharing, advocacy and training were great reminders and confirmation that the MWA is committed to continuing to be the voice for national water sector in an ever-evolving industry. We are dedicated to delivering on this “mandate”, to be an influential part of the dialogue on industry challenges, and to continue to be involved in the conversation for the overall collaborative effort that is required as we move forward. 

A major achievement in 2023 was winning the bid for the MWA to be the host of the 2028 IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition by the International Water Association (IWA). This success is one that the MWA and the country can be proud of. The venue will be in Kuching Sarawak. A big thank you and congratulations to the MWA Sarawak Branch for all the hard work in preparing for the successful bidding. For the coming 12 months, it will be the Take Off Year for IWA WWCE 2028 where the MWA together with the Sarawak Branch will roll out the local and international organising plan and structure and establishing working committees to host this prestigious event. We can leverage on the technical expertise of our members to contribute to this effort to make it a success.  

Last but not least, a new year, a new beginning, and it always brings new hope. We’d surely want 2024 to be productive for our industry and our nation. I want to acknowledge that you as MWA members are an integral part of our success story. Your support and presence have always helped and motivated the association to grow as a result of our partnership.  Our association has always benefited from your contribution. To us, you are like family. As we embark on this New Year, we wish our association to prosper and bring us mutual benefits. We look forward to sharing more rewarding moments with you and we wish you all the best and renew our commitment to do our best.