STATEMENT

Over the course of 2020, Malaysia has undergone through one of the most challenging times, the worst economic decline since Asian Financial Crisis 1997, the pandemic of Covid-19. It all began as a health crisis but slowly morphed into a global economic crisis and the severity of Covid-19 has greatly impacted the economy by lockdowns, business closure, travel restrictions and the freeze of economic activities. Our economy crashed and hit a new low in March 2020 with the implementation of Movement Control Order (MCO) and only the essential services could remain open until the MCO was lifted in July 2020.

These 12 months of trying time and counting tested the Group's strength and resilience, bringing out the best of the Group's management to stay strong and remain positive. With the Group's capabilities to perform a rapid and radical counter measures, we identified and analyzed the situation, focused to go beyond by tightening our operations and slowly phasing towards digital transformation and maintain as a pioneer in the property market and starting a new reality. Covid-19 has significantly changed our perspective view in market context, and we will continue to adapt to recent changes.

Guided with our corporate vision and mission “Ever Searching for Better living” and “It is all about meaningful innovative creations”. We recognised the need to operate our business in a responsible and sustainable manner complying with all relevant legislative and regulatory requirements, to maintain the Group’s reputation, digital transformation and generate future business.

Our sustainability value can be seen through our development. We set out to build a place where people could live, learn, work, and play in an environment that they could be proud of.

Our sustainability report covers the restructuring of our business to adopt the CHANGE especially towards Big Data, blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. The Group look into implementing digital transformation of its current services with adoption of new technology, and moving forward to transform the entire business into Data and digital platform.

We are committed to safeguard the environment and strive for continual improvement in our environmental performance in ways that are sustainable, practical, commercial, meaningful, costeffective, and innovative.

• To be an environmental steward and strive to conserve the natural resources and biodiversity under our influence and ensure that all potential adverse impacts our operations may have on the environment are identified and appropriately managed.
• We identify, asses and manage the health and safety risks and impacts of our existing and planned operations.
• To operate as far as is reasonably practicable in a manner which safeguards the health and safety of all our employees and stakeholders.

• We strive to be an employer of choice by providing an environment in which all employees are treated fairly and with respect so that they can realize their full potential.
• To provide the leadership and resources that will enable our employees to meet objectives and targets.
• We promote Character Plus with knowledge in technology and IoT.

• We ensure that our team of consultants, contractors and suppliers are aware of our Environmental & Sustainability Policy and its objectives and that they have the necessary skills to implement it.
• To engage consultants, contractors and suppliers who promote sustainable development and encourage our customers to use our products and services responsibly.

• To communicate regularly with the communities where we operate to develop and maintain a mutual understanding of goals and expectations.
• To promote good relationship with the authorities and communities of which we are a part of and enhance their capabilities while respecting their culture and heritage.

OUR SUSTAINABILITY in SUPPORT with THE UNSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (UNSDGS)

HUMAN CAPITAL

Our Employee, Our People, Our CHAMPS

Country Heights is dedicated to transform its Human Resource initiatives by formulating systematic programmes for its employees towards a purposeful and effective workforce.

"CHamps!"

It stands for Country Heights Amazing PeopleS! (Plural of people, Def: a body of persons that are united by a common culture, tradition, or a sense of kinship) is to create a common identity among all employees under different business units towards one goal, one culture and one direction.

The primary objective of CHamps! is to provide programmes that resonate with their employees, allowing them to be a proud CHamps!

The programmes also aim to create unity, inclusiveness and a heightened awareness and energy amongst employees. Each employee is recognised as a CHamps! and abides by the common values listed below as a guide in one's individual conduct in the working environment.

C - I am Caring & Committed!
H - I am Healthy & Honest!
A - I am Appreciative and Assertive!
M - I am Mannered & Motivated!
P - I am Persistent & Positive!
S - I am Sincere & Successful!
! - Oomph! (Energy)

Country Heights understands that to be able to gain competitive edge and to maintain sustainability, Human Development is a crucial foundation. Country Heights has dedicated in transforming its Human Resource initiatives in formulating systematic programmes for its employees towards a purposeful and effective workforce. The first initiative was the launch of “CHampS!”.

The coining of a name is to create a common identity among all employees under different business units towards one goal, one culture and one direction.

CHampS! aimed to create unity, inclusiveness, and a heightened energy among workforce within the group.

Each CHampS! abides the common values of caring, committed, healthy, honesty, appreciative, assertive, mannered, motivated, persistent, positive, sincere, and successful as a guide in one’s individual conduct in the working environment.

In line with the digital transformation of the company, we promote the importance of having Character Plus with knowledge in technology, IoT (Internet of Things) and social media. This is to ensure that our employees remain competitive and innovative.

“If your plan is for one-year, plant rice; if your plan is for ten years, grow trees; but if your plan is for a hundred years, educate your people.” In early 2020, Group Human Resources took the initiative to transform CHHB employees towards the digital platform. Few steps were taken in order to implement this vision and this is in line with the Founder, Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew’s mission to transform the Group towards digitalization which consists of artificial intelligence, blockchain and big data.

The Group Human Resources was the first department implementing the digitalization initiative with the first being HRIS Cloud based system initiated beginning of January 2020. Though we were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, same with the entire population in the world, we proceed with this transformation in a different way: “lockdown” & “work from home”.

Secondly, the INFO TECH - HRIS system being implemented in Country Heights Holding Berhad and subsequently to all the subsidiaries such as GHHS Healthcare, MIECC, Palace Vacation Club, Borneo Heights Sdn Bhd and College Heights Sdn Bhd.

Thirdly, we managed to implement the first digital face recognition attendance in November 2020. This is a clocking system which reads your attendance and punctuality to work by recognition of staff’s physical face appearance which will be synced to the mobile app system.

Besides the digital transformation, as the corporate governance and compliance, towards staff developments, we introduced webinar-trainings to staffs and educate them during this MCO period.

Last but not least, as the culture of the company, maintaining the bonds between the employees and employers, the Group has also issued guidelines to remind the Business Units and Functions of their compliance obligations under various competition laws.

Leadership support has been fundamental to the success of the company’s programmes. With strong support and transparent lines of communication, the company is able to focus its efforts on the following initiatives:

Activities carried out such as:

1. Identifying staff birthday by month and prepared gift for each employee.
2. Team Building programmes.
3. Prior to the MCO in March, gathering over food (Makan Bersama-sama) during festive season luncheons such as Golden Horse Alumni, Chinese New Year Luncheon, and Lion Dance Performance, Hari Raya Dinner Gathering, Deepavali Dinner Gathering and Year End Luncheon Gathering.

Safety Working Environment

Occupational Health, Safety and Health committee had carried out the following during the year 2020 towards improving the safety awareness amongst employees.

1. Safety awareness on induction of new recruit.
2. Provided safety gear such as cotton gloves, face mask, ear plugs and safety boots for workers protection.
3. Zoom Meetings to discuss improving safety in operating and handling equipment.
4. Emergency fire drills conducted twice a year.

Bantu-Bantu Malaysia is a non-profit social initiative which was created when the Movement Control order (MCO) started on 18th March 2020 due to the pandemic of Covid-19 with the objective to bring in masks and personal protection equipment (PPEs) for preventive measures, following the slogan of “A Mask is a Must”.

Bantu-bantu Malaysia has a firm belief that prevention is the best way to slow down the Covid-19. Under Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew’s leadership, Bantu-bantu Malaysia has brought in 6.5 million of masks and charted air-freight and distributed it to the front-liners. An additional of 2 million masks were brought in by ship as a preparation after the MCO.

We have contributed 640 pieces of surgical gown and subsequently donated 2 units of ventilator; 300 units of PPEs (personal protection equipment, suit and medical goggles); 20,000 units of surgical mask and 3000 pieces of N95 grade masks for the medical staffs and the front-liners at Sungai Buloh Hospital.

The distribution being extended to the rest of other government and private hospitals in Malaysia such as UKM Hospital, University Malaya Medical Centre, Putrajaya Hospital, Shah Alam Hospital, Kota Bharu Hospital, Pantai Hospital, Ipoh Hospital, Hospital Besar Kuala Lumpur and some other masks and PPEs were also sent to non-profit organisations and other states in Malaysia.

During the initial part of MCO, we had embarked on a cooked food programme within 5km radius from Palace of the Golden Horses for the orphanages, old folk homes, single mothers, foreign workers and students.

Bantu-bantu Malaysia has distributed more than 80,000 hampers which include 5kg bag of rice in each hamper and food essentials, more than 20,000 pieces of ‘roti canai’ and cooked food has been channeled to JAWI Food Bank, Social Welfare Department, Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan, Army Veterans and other NGOs as a food security measure and to ensure the “Food on the Table”.

Food for THOUGHT by Bantu-bantu Malaysia is our education initiative and in conjunction with 50th years of Rukun Negara. We had organised a Video & Essay Contest to promote the ideas that Rukun Negara can be the best medicine to our country and be adopted in our daily lives while connecting with participants and Malaysians citizens.

Looking at the high Covid-19 cases comprising of the foreign workers, complimentary Covid-19 RTK antibody tests were given away from 25 to 29 November 2020. This initiative was led by GHHS Healthcare, a collaboration with Bantu-bantu Malaysia. A total of 1000 complimentary Covid-19 RTK antibody tests were given to public and was conducted by GHHS Healthcare professional medical team.

Country Heights has taken various project plans which have been implemented towards energy savings and sustaining “clean environment”. Negative ions’ energy ceiling board, a natural ionizer and air purifier LakeView Residency in Cyberjaya was our first project which has negative ions’ energy ceiling board and also its first development in Malaysia to introduce ‘negative ions’ energy ceiling board. The energy ceiling board works as a natural ionizer and air purifier. This purification process improves air quality by helping to purge airborne particulates such as dust and germs. With the installation of the energy ceiling boards, the homeowners will enjoy fresher, cleaner and healthier environment.

Solar Energy

Through Malaysia Renewable Energy Policy, which includes a measure for promoting the popularization of solar power, the government aims to cover 73% of its electricity by renewable energies by the year 2050. Along with that, we have carried out solar energy exercise at a smaller scale at our hotel and office premises.

Recycle - Useable items

Employees are encouraged to practice the 5 R’s - ‘Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Repair and Recycle’ in their daily activities both at home as well as at the working place. This practice is encouraged as it supports the segregation of garbage for recycling/ disposal. i.e, minimise paper usage, electric and water. For example, we are using lake water to water the plants and toilets.

Under the Country Height’s core values, NATURE is establishing a harmonious relationship with nature through the preservation and enhancement of nature’s finest gifts.

Thus, we are introducing Bottle for Life – Say NO to Plastic Bottles to ban single used plastic bottles.

Reducing Bottled Water at Meetings and Events – we are practicing to use glass bottle almost at all our meetings. We are in the midst of coming up with campaign/event on this.

Country Heights Holdings Berhad has launched its Auxiliary Police Unit in 2017 to enhance security in its townships and other developments.

The introduction of the unit is part of our approach to reinforce the security at all current and future Country Heights townships, with the aim of creating a safer environment for the communities.

The first batch has been deployed at selected townships and developments especially in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan’s townships and we plan to expand the unit with more trained personnel being deployed across all our townships in other states respectively in Kuching and Kedah. The first batch underwent a two-months basic auxiliary police course at Pulapol.

We are continuously proactive, providing excellent infrastructure, facilities and amenities including security and safety features within all our townships, to ensure a conductive and sustainable living environment for everyone.

• Patrol assigned areas within the mall and its surroundings
• Respond to routine and emergency calls, administering First Aid as required and assisting crime or accident victims
• Assist with the containment and preservation of crime scenes as directed, and assisting with the determination of the extent of personal injuries, identifying victims, witnesses, the extent of damage and documenting evidence.