PUTRAJAYA: A proposal for Putrajaya and Shanghai to become sister cities will be presented to the Cabinet, says Nga Kor Ming.
The Housing and Local Government Minister said the proposal will be submitted before Malaysia Day so that the move could be part of the 50th anniversary celebration of diplomatic ties between Malaysia and China.
“Shanghai and Putrajaya can be sister cities and work together,” he said during the presentation of the ministry’s half-year report here yesterday.
Nga said that during his working visit to Shanghai last year, he saw that Malaysia could learn a lot from the city, particularly for its smart city initiatives.
“They have facial recognition. This makes a city safe because everything is under surveillance with HD (high-definition) cameras,” he said.
Asked if similar facial recognition will be implemented in Malaysia, Nga said it could be considered.
“It will involve financial implications, but if we have the technology and it is proven to be useful, why not?
“That would make our cities very safe,” he said.
However, international reports have noted privacy concerns over facial recognition for mass surveillance.
Sejong City, South Korea’s administrative capital and Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, are also sister cities with Putrajaya.
