KEDAH STATE GOVERNMENT BANKRUPT? Or Just Run Out Of Logging Money?

A friend of mine who has become a rather prominent NGO activist in Kedah over the last few years (winnable candidate! Hahaha!), Shaharol Niza Omar, posted something troubling and a pathetically funny on his Facebook page yesterday. The original post is quoted below:

LUCU, SEDIH atau TAK MASUK AKAL???


Baru hubungi sebuah agensi kerajaan Negeri Kedah utk site visit. Jwpnnya "kami tak dpt keluar kerana minyak kenderaan telah dibekukan seluruh negeri sehingga diberitahu kelak".

Tahukah kerajaan negeri dgn membekukan minyak kenderaan telah membantutkan urusan dan blh akibatkan kerugian masa dan wang ringgit serta pembangunan???

Zulkifli Yahaya tlg siasat perkara ini. Ini bkn fitnah tp saya sendiri yg hubungi jabatan terbabit.

Much to his surprise, Zulkifli Yahaya, who is part of PAS Kedah's Information team and is the so called Chief PAS Blogger for the state (got such thing meh? chief blogger?), replied rather honestly, but then proceeded to try to cover for his earlier 'slip-up' as captured below:

Of course there is much covering up and counter-spinning going on now. It is indeed as Shahrarol noted, tough to decide on whether this is funny, sad or does not make sense! For a state government agency to have its fuel budget frozen early in the year? IS THE STATE OF KEDAH NEARING FINANCIAL BANKRUPTCY? Or has it just run out of logging money.

I then read the following report in the NST, where Kedah MB, DS Azizan Abdul Razak is said to be "ADAMANT (!!) on RM100m to spare trees" - the RM100 Million being from the BN led Federal Government of course. He seems intent on topping his Chief Blogger in intimately linking state finances to logging! He is quoted as saying: 

Stop all the noise. I am asking the Federal Government RM100 million every year to spare the forest. Pay us and we stop the land clearing work.

and...

The forests belong to the state. There are quarters who were worried that water supply in Penang would be affected when we log timber here. So, we can't cut trees because of Penang and at the same they are getting water free from our rivers.

So, he can link the logging to the threat of cutting water supplies to Penang. He can even make mention of how the water is going to Penang for free. HELLO?! Go and ask Penang la to pay Kedah RM100 Million a year for not cutting trees and continuing to supply Kedah water to fuel its Semi-Conductor and other industries!

 

Kata partners in Pakatan Rakyat. If partners, Pakat-Pakat la for the good of your economies. Neighbours what! Why la like this. How to run a state if the only way you know to fund your state coffers is by selling balak or threatening the Federal government! If Kedah goes bankrupt because of the PAS government is this incompetent... malulah!

Presiden MAYC Dan YB Tony Pua 'Rentap Minda' Tentang Bajet 2012

Sejak jurublog mula menyertai perbincangan dan debat di media layar kecil, memang ternanti-nanti peluang bertukar fikiran ataupun berentap minda dengan 'pakar ekonomi' dari Pakatan Rakyat, YB Tony Pua. Semalam alhamdulillah peluang tersebut sampai melalui MobTV.my

Terima kasih MobTV atas peluang tersebut dan YB Tony Pua kerana sudi berentap dengan pemimpin belia yang tak seberapa ini. Saksikanlah melalui link ini atau salin serta tampal url berikut, http://www.mobtv.my/talkshow-246.html, untuk menyaksikan video tersebut.

Presiden MAYC Tengah Berhujah... LOL

Nasib baik jugalah yang isu ini tak rancak lagi masa perbincangan tadi. Kalau tidak, pasti hangat, sebab pasal bill TNB!

The Real Solution To The Telco Prepaid 6% Tax Problem

I have been observing the media reports, from msm news items, blog postings, even radio interviews of prepaid mobile customers about this issue. The thing that concerns me about this issue is that the telcos seem to have succeeded in playing the innocent corporate citizens here...

For me, the 6% increase in prepaid rates is just a scheme for telcos to increase profits from existing customers. They are already paying the 6% tax off existing sales, but since the prepaid business in Malaysia is so cut-throat competitive, the margin of profitability has probably become too slim to be sustainable. Sure enough, it is understood that Digi is the telco that has been pushing this hard, and it should come as no surprise that prepaid is its largest revenue stream!

OK, if the price of prepaid is now so low that telcos do not find it sufficiently profitable to stay in the prepaid business, what should it do? The natural options to me would be to:

1. Raise the price. Ah, but this is not an easy solution to make. A price rise may result in better unit profitability, but the loss in market share, especially with removal of non-price barriers like the ability to swap the same number between services, may be too painfull.


2. Cut the cost. May be a little harder to do even than raising the price. With each additional new technology on offer, the cost of delivery to customers increase. And some costs that appear easy to cut have real medium to long term implications. e.g. cutting promotions budget means reduced market share or slowing of growth whilst cutting training, a firm favourite among Finance and HR managers, will lead to reduced staff competency...


3. Leave the business... ya lah, dah not profitable enough to be sustainable, tutup kedai la, what else!

However, the telcos as an industry have actually decided to go for option 1 above, only newly improved with some spinning! Also, to ensure a successful outcome of option without the penalty of loss of market share, they have chosen to do it collectively, together, like a cartel - something illegal in many developed countries and soon to be illegal in Malaysia come January 2012!

On the spin, instead of saying they are increasing the price to make more profits, they decided to 'pass on the 6% tax' to the customers. Pass on the 6% tax? What nonsense! Such a statement only makes sense if prepaid mobile charges are subsidised, but they are not! Telcos are already make a profit after paying the 6% tax. All this talk of telcos 'absorbing the taxes' so far is a load of nonsense! Customers are paying the taxes already via the current prices...

So all this talk of 'passing on' the 6% tax is just spin that sounds better than telcos saying, we will increase prices by 6%! In fact, it even helps avoid clever customers, or worse still, bloggers, from sitting down and calculating how much % profitability telcos will gain from increasing prepaid prices by 6%! 'Passing on' taxes my foot, it is the dishonesty to customers that really gets me about this spin!

Then, the telcos choose to perform the increase collectively, like a cartel! Such activities are 'anti-competitive' or rather, against consumer interests! The last time I looked, the telco industry is not heavily regulated for price, hence the myriad offers in the marketplace, which is good for consumer choice. Such collective behaviour in an industry, even among a few major players, would be criminal in more developed economies.

In fact, if the telcos chose to do this early next year, they would be subject to criminal action under Malaysia's own anti-competition laws, due to be debated and ratified by Parliament in December, with the enforcement under the purview of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (MDTCC). Interestingly, the MDTCC Minister, DS Ismail Sabri, has already shown himself to be not only competent, but determined to champion consumer choice!

Could the telcos be moving now due to the threat of the coming anti-competition law curtailing such actions by early next year? If so, this 'passing on of taxes' disguising a 6% price increase collectively moved by the industry in criminally insidious! In fact, perhaps some of the telcos with foreign ownerships, such as Digi or even Celcom Axiata should worry about anti-competition laws being brought against them in other countries! It can be done!

Locally, such behaviour by the industry should not be tolerated. Perhaps the MDTCC should consider tabling the new anti-competition act to be retrospective in application for at least 6 months! this should help curtail further corporate evils of this sort against the rakyat!

Hard Times In Malaysia... Really? Or Just Mass Denial Of A Subsidy Nation?

Bloghouse Malaysia President Syed Akbar Ali has chosen to post and comment on the writting of a so called MCA Head of Research Stanley Koh here. Whilst I have some respect for what was written, I cannot find myself agreeing with either much of Stanley Koh's writting and even some of Syed Akbar's commentary. Why? Because I think the premise is wrong for a nation that is supposed to be maturing. If anything, it seems more as if our nation is going through teen angst!

For instance, for some reason the idea of removing subsidies is so taboo in Malaysia that even when category C2 subsidies are removed from some 'fishermen' in Malaysia, everyone from across political lines are up in arms, seeking justice for the injustice against these 'fishermen'. Many fail to note that the said fishermen are not those doing subsistence fishing, but doing deep sea fishing, with ships and businesses worth millions! These are not poor fishermen!

Some also neglect to examine the following logic. These fishermen are boycotting from doing any fishing due to the subsidy cancellation. If they were poor subsistence fishermen, could they have afforded this? The amount of subsidy for them have nigh doubled this year in order to reduce cost of fishing, but have the price of fish reduced? No? So what is the point of the subsidy? To make these rich fishermen more rich and even at the expense of us consumers?

I am disgusted... and have to go home... more later...

MAYC: Punca Peristiwa13 Mei Patut Didedahkan Kepada Pelajar

Sebagai Presiden MAYC, saya telah berwawancara di Berita Minggu yang terbit pada edisi 22 Ogos sudah. Yang menarik bagi saya adalah ia diberi tumpuan tak disangka oleh organisasi seperti Badan Peguam Malaysian (Malaysian Bar Council). Oleh itu, says tergerak hati untuk menyertakannya di sini sebagai sebahagian dari sambutan kepada jawapan teman saya Jebat Must Die kepada penidak kepentingan Dasar Ekonomi Baru. Dipersilakan ke soalan dan jawapan:

SEKALI lagi isu hak dan keistimewaan Bumiputera ‘disentuh’ kaum lain. Bagaimana MAYC melihat perkembangan ini daripada kaca mata generasi muda yang bakal mewarisi kepemimpinan negara.

Saya rasa tidak salah pemimpin kaum lain menyentuh hak istimewa Bumiputera, terutama jika mengajukan cadangan membina. Tetapi cara atau kandungan diajukan harus menghormati perasaan masyarakat Bumiputera. Sebarang usaha mengurangkan apa yang difahami oleh Bumiputera sebagai hak, akan sentiasa dipandang serong.

Dr Chua pula mungkin memikirkan yang cadangan memberi diskaun atau harga khas untuk Bumiputera sebagai timbal balas pengurangan sasaran 30 peratus DEB sesuatu usaha membina. Malangnya, ini juga boleh menimbulkan kegusaran. Contohnya saya sebagai belia Melayu agak terguris apabila dikatakan sasaran ekuiti kaum saya harus lebih rendah. Sudahlah itu, dicadangkan diskaun pula seolah-olah Bumiputera ini kumpulan subsidi.

Apakah isu hak dan keistimewaan Bumiputera difahami dan diterima generasi muda bukan Bumiputera mengikut pemerhatian MAYC selama ini. Apa persepsi mereka dalam isu ini.

Sebenarnya banyak kekeliruan mengenai asal usul hak keistimewaan orang Melayu dan lebih-lebih lagi mengenai peruntukan DEB untuk meningkatkan ekonomi semua rakyat demi kemakmuran sejagat. Contohnya, terlalu ramai belia memikirkan DEB menolong Bumiputera saja. Mereka tidak mengetahui peruntukan untuk membantu kaum India yang juga menghadapi cabaran ekonomi. Malah pemaju hartanah terkemuka, Presiden dan Ketua Eksekutif SP Setia Bhd, Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin baru-baru ini mengakui masyarakat Cina masih menerima manfaat pembangunan ekonomi sepanjang zaman DEB rancak dilaksanakan.

Saya rasa, sebab utama kenapa hak istimewa terutama sekali DEB menjadi isu sensitif yang kerap menimbulkan kekeliruan belia kerana kerajaan mungkin terlalu berhati-hati dalam hal pendidikan sejarah di sekolah. Contohnya Peristiwa 13 Mei 1969 walaupun ia diakui sebagai titik hitam, tiba masanya dikupas lebih terperinci supaya orang muda diajar sejak di bangku sekolah mengenai bahayanya ketidaksamarataan ekonomi boleh mengancam ketenteraman negara.

Amnya belia tidak menafikan darurat komunis ancaman kepada kemakmuran negara. Ramai menginsafi dan bersyukur negara selamat daripada ancaman pada masa itu kerana pendidikan mengenai keburukan ancaman komunis, disokong pula propaganda media antikomunis dari luar, begitu terperinci serta sampai ke pemahaman belia. Kini China sebagai negara komunis mungkin hebat membangun sementara Vietnam masih dikagumi kerana berjaya mengalahkan kuasa besar Amerika Syarikat, tetapi belia Malaysia masih bersyukur kita bukan komunis seperti China dan Vietnam.

Saya sebagai Presiden MAYC menyarankan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin sebagai Menteri Pelajaran mempertimbang untuk memperincikan pendidikan penyebab 13 Mei dan usaha mengelak ia berlaku, termasuk DEB. Ia harus diperkenalkan sebagai pendidikan wajib di sekolah menengah. Mungkin diperkenalkan sebagai sebahagian kurikulum perpaduan 1Malaysia kerana gagasan ini akan berjaya jika kita mengambil kira pahit manis sejarah hubungan antara kaum.

Mengapa sistem kuota 30 peratus ekuiti Bumiputera perlu dikekalkan dan apakah erti keistimewaan ini kepada generasi muda Malaysia hari ini.

Seperti saya katakan, sebenarnya generasi muda sekarang agak bingung mengenai maksud 30 peratus ekuiti ini. Tambah lagi, fokus terhadap 30 peratus ekuiti mengalihkan pandangan daripada unsur DEB yang lebih relevan kepada golongan muda, seperti peluang mendapatkan pendidikan terutama sekali tetapi tidak terhad ke universiti. Contohnya, jika belia diberitahu MRSM akan dimansuhkan, ini akan membawa lebih banyak bantahan. Namun sebagai belia Melayu, saya juga hairan kenapa sasaran 30 peratus ekuiti Bumiputera begitu dipersoalkan oleh MCA dan dulunya DAP. Padahal, Bumiputera merangkumi lebih 60 peratus rakyat negara ini.

Salahkah sasaran ekuiti untuk Bumiputera iaitu kurang daripada separuh jumlah Bumiputera. Saya rasa lebih adil dan memandangkan pecahan ekonomi kaum Cina jauh lebih tinggi daripada peratusan rakyat Cina. Persoalan sebegini daripada pemimpin kaum Cina khususnya, tidak membina, malah menimbulkan tanda tanya berhubung niat sasaran berkenaan dipersoalkan. Saya ternanti-nanti cadangan pemimpin kaum India, supaya kaum itu juga diberi sasaran ekuiti. Rasanya, memandangkan peratusan rakyat India, tak salah mana-mana pemimpin menyarankan sasaran ekuiti paling kurang lima peratus untuk kaum India.

Saya juga rasa tidak salah sasaran berasingan diwujudkan untuk Bumiputera Sabah dan Sarawak. Mungkin 10 peratus? Ini semua sasaran mencapai keadilan ekonomi di Malaysia. Apabila negara semakin membangun, inilah peluang untuk memastikan bukan kumpulan kaya saja semakin kaya, tetapi semua mendapat manfaat. Lebih penting ialah pengagihan kemakmuran ekonomi lebih sekata. Ini harus dibincangkan, bukan setakat sasaran 30 peratus ekuiti Bumiputera.

Apakah rasional MCA menimbulkan isu sistem kuota 30 peratus ini. Apakah kemungkinan langkah ini diambil kerana bimbang ditolak pengundi Cina pada pilihan raya umum akan datang atau satu ugutan.

Saya fikir lebih baik ditanya kepada MCA. Namun saya rasa tak logik jika pemimpin MCA berharap ini membantu mereka menjadi lebih sedia diundi. Pengundi mana yang untung dengan cadangan ini? Ia tidak jelas, tetapi yang terlihat pengundi Melayu rugi. Mahukah Melayu mengundi calon MCA jika dasar MCA merugikan mereka? Wallahualam. Sudah pasti Dr Chua Soi Lek lebih berpengalaman dalam berpolitik daripada saya.

Ada pihak mempersoalkan rasional kaum Cina membangkitkan kuota 30 peratus ekuiti Bumiputera kerana pada realitinya, mereka masih menguasai sektor ekonomi. Apa pandangan MAYC. Apakah kaum Bumiputera masih perlu dibantu untuk menguasai sektor ekonomi.

Saya sebenarnya terdidik dalam bidang ekonomi dan boleh saya katakan di sini yang usaha ‘penguasaan’ ekonomi oleh mana-mana kumpulan amnya tidak akan membuahkan hasil yang mapan mahupun paling lumayan untuk masa hadapan. Sebarang usaha untuk menguasai sektor ekonomi memberi gambaran kuasa digunakan untuk mengehadkan perkembangan ekonomi sesuatu kumpulan. Ini adalah usaha yang tidak membina. Untuk sesuatu ekonomi itu maju, ia haruslah digerakkan bersama.

Untuk Bumiputra dan masyarakat Malaysia amnya, pengagihan nikmat ekonomi harus menjadi tumpuan, bukan penguasaan ekonomi oleh pihak tertentu. Sebagai pemimpin MAYC, saya lebih suka melihat ahli kelab gabungan MAYC sama hebat kemakmurannya tak kira Melayu, Cina, India, dalam atau luar bandar, Islam, Kristian, Hindu atau Buddha.

DS Najib Diancam Kredibiliti Kerajaannya Walau 'Mudah' Penyelesaiannya

Saya kehairanan apabila membaca serangan jurublog ke atas Datuk Mohd Bakke Salleh apabila perlantikannya sebagai CEO baru Sime Darby diumumkan. Pelbagai sebab diberi dan aneka alasan dipakai untuk membuktikan beliau tidak sesuai. Namun, apabila ditanya kawan-kenalan tua-muda dari sektor korporat serta kepimpinan politik, amnya Datuk Bakke digambarkan sebagai seorang yang berwibawa dan dihormati baik kerana pencapaiannya mahupun keperibadiannya!

Jadi apakah mungkin di sebalik bantahan ke atas Datuk Bakke? Mungkin masalahnya bukan Datuk Bakke sendiri, tetapi persepsi buruk jurublog, mahupun rakyat amnya, terhadap kerajaan DS Najib kini, khususnya apabila memilih para pemimpin untuk mengurus-tadbir badan-badan korprat serta ekonomi berkaitan dengan kerajaan, seperti 'GLC'.

Dari mana datangnya persepsi buruk ini? Pada hemah jurublog, imej pentadbiran ini terjejas kerana kegagalan kerajaan menghukum atau menangani dengan telus salah-laku, penyelewengan serta, lebih buruk lagi, prestasi lembap yang dipaparkan oleh lantikan-lantikan kerajaan ke kepimpinan GLC. Malah, ada pula pemimpin GLC yang dibiar berleluasa sesudah mengaut untung peribadi dan lari pada zaman Pak Lah dahulu.

Pasti akan ada yang terus menyatakan, bagaimana dengan pemecatan DS Ahmad Zubir Murshid dari Sime Darby tempohari? Tak teluskah? Jurublog berpendapat bahawa, bukan sahaja pemecatan beliau terlalu lewat, tambah pula tak cukup sekadar beliau sahaja dihukum! Lembaga Pengarah Sime Darby, termasuklah Pengerusinya, Tun Musa Hitam, semua patut menangguh padah sama kerana membenarkan keadaan melarat begitu lama di bawah DS Zubir!

Malangnya untuk pentadbiran DS Najib, Tun Musa Hitam diberi peluang untuk mengumumkan perlantikan Datuk Bakke! Pengumuman dilakukan sewaktu kewibawaan Tun Musa dalam memimpin Lembaga Pengarah Sime Darby masih dipersoalkan, sekaligus mencemarkan keputusan untuk melantik Datuk Bakke! Malah, kerajaan DS Najib akan mendapat lebih kredibiliti dengan mengumumkan perletakan jawatan Tun Musa dari Lembaga Pengarah Sime Darby pada masa itu!

Salah langkah seperti ini melaratkan suasana, tetapi punca hilangnya kepercayaan rakyat terhadap keputusan korprat kerajaan adalah dari salah-laku yang lepas, baik di arena pentadbiran amnya, tetapi berhubung-kait dengan pengurusan GLC. Skandal BII-Maybank di mana Khazanah 'tertipu' sehingga merugikan negara sambil memperkayakan Temasek serta individu tertentu di negara-negara jiran hanya satu contoh di mana salah-laku tak terhukum.

Lebih buruk lagi, rakyat yang juga merangkumi ahli dan prefesional di sektor korprat semakin mual melihat mereka-mereka yang terlibat menjahanamkan kewangan GLC, yakni kekayaan negara-bangsa, masih lagi berkedudukan, malah diberi ganjaran lagi!

Ramai yang tidak hairan apabila TS Amirsham Aziz gagal memimpin pasukannya di NEAC untuk menggubal Model Ekonomi Baru yang boleh diterima-pakai oleh Rakyat. Malah ramai juga yang bertanya kenapa TS Amirsham diberi kepercayaan besar seperti itu memandangkan beliaulah 'kuda korprat' yang ditunggang arkitek skandal BII-Maybank dari Khazanah! Mungkinkah itu ganjaran dari beliau dijadikan 'kuda korprat'. Tetapi beliau dilantik oleh pentadbiran DS Najib...

Tak cukup sudah desakan hukuman dijalankan ke atas ikon-ikon korupsi untuk memulihkan kepercayaan rakyat kepada BN. Tak kiralah bertapa salahnya laku kerajaan Pakatan, tak pedulilah yang mungkin kes Datuk Norza Zakaria tak patut dibawa ke pengadilan sekalipun, kini Rakyat sudah mula menolak keputusan BAIK kerajaan, seperti perlantikan Datuk Bakke, kerana kewibawaan kerajaan BN semakin punah!

Mungkin inilah masanya DS Najib menunjukkan kepimpinannya bukan sahaja sebagai penyatu-padu antara rakyat berbilang kaum, tetapi juga keberanian beliau mencantas lalang-lalang dan kulat yang kian mereputkan kewibawaan kerajaan beliau... sebelum terlambat...

Cutting Scholarships... Another Reason Why DS Nazri Aziz Should Be Sacked!

I had recommended that DS Najib consider dropping DS Nazri Aziz from his Cabinet in his recent cabinet re-shuffle. Whilst this didn't happen as the re-shuffle was more focussed on changes in the MCA leadership and MIC's post-Samy Vellu preparations, there was much disappointment and continued hope that some heads will roll in the near future.

One minister I didn't mention for the chop, current EPU minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (TS NMY), is currently more popular for removal, especially among the GLC, corporate and business conscious bloggers. This follows the on-going spate of scandals among GLCs, from Sime Darby through POS Malaysia, the former an example of a continuous explosive affair whilst the latter a simmering pot of disaster as TS NMY's boys in Khazanah and the GLCs spin a cover-up.

However, DS Nazri, perhaps upset that the limelight of political confusion has been off him, and focussed on the non-politician DS Idris Jala to boot, has decided to seize it back in a dramatic fashion... it seems DS Nazri wants to abolish overseas undergraduate Scholarships! Worst, in an age when many doubt the quality of local grads, especially from peripheral IPTAs, DS Nazri wants to deprive many Malaysians from getting quality education abroad!

For this DS Nazri surely should be sacked! I have had the pleasure of having run through DS Idris Jala's presentation on Subsidy Rationalisation and found it comforting that EVEN DS IDRIS AND PEMANDU DOES NOT PLAN TO HAVE SUBSIDIES IN EDUCATION CUT; i.e. no scholarship cuts planned at all according to government plans before DS Nazri saw the wisdom in opening his mouth! ... did I get that wrong? Hope not ...

Rather than cut our overseas undergraduate scholarship budget, why doesn't DS Nazri think about cutting minister's overseas holidays budgets first? Not enough? Of course. So then lets start with some more real serious stuff to cut first which is on DS Idris Jala's proposal:

1. Stop subsidising IPPs for the Gas or Fuel they use to run to produce Electricity! I am sure the YTLs and Malakoffs have by now fully recovered their high cost of capital to start their plants AND THEN SOME. In addition, it is surely unethical to continue to subsidise a private enterprise that is making so much money it is expanding on the back of subsidies instead of giving scholarships...


2. Stop giving away APs and instead have all those people who can afford it actually PAY the high cost of these cars! I say it is sick that a rich man can afford to get an AP and hence get a hundred thousand ringgit discount to bring a Ferarri into the country, especially when the same hundred thousand ringgit could pay for 2 years of a Medical Student's scholarship or all of 3 years of tuition fees for an undergraduate Pharmacy student in Australia.


3. By all means, stop paying Highway concessionaries to stop them from raising toll rates. If toll Highway users are upset, tell them to learn to car pool - they won't anyway, Petrol is still too cheap from subsidies for Malaysians to want to bother sharing cars or even try public transport! Tell them if they just RM1/day higher tolls, maybe a few talented kids from Bario or Kuala Sepetang will get a chance to study Engineering in the US.


4. etc.


5. etc.


6. et al.

But for gods sakes, don't cut any of our scholarships! DS Najib, please sack DS Nazri before he loses you the election...

Rakyat Tidak Yakin Tentang Keuntungan Dari Kerjasama Terbaru Dengan Singapura?

Jurublog telah mengambil sedikit masa memantau sebelum memberi komen tentang perjanjian terbaru Malaysia-Singapura untuk memajukan tanah KTM sepanjang landasan keretapi Tanjung Pagar. Jurublog sendiri merasa kecewa kerana rasanya ada peluang lain yang sepatutnya dipertimbangkan, seperti:

1. Perobohan Tambah Johor digantikan dengan sebuah jambatan baru yang membenarkan perairan Selat Teberau kembali lancar untuk pergerakan kapal serta pemulihan alam sekitar pesisir selat. Panambahan landasan MRT/LRT/Keretapi masih boleh dimajukan dengan jambatan baru tersebut.


2. Kemungkinan mengembangkan atau meningkatkan fungsi landasan ke Tanjung Pagar untuk membawa kargo barangan untuk kemudian diekspot melalui pelabuhan Singapura. Kedudukan Tanjung Pagar sekarang sebenarnya lebih strategik untuk merealisasikan cadangan ini.


3. Timbal-balas pelaburan di Tanjung Pagar dan Iskandar Malaysia oleh Singapura rasanya tidak sepadan dengan nilai penyerahan tanah KTM mahupun kerugian berterusan dari adanya Tambak Johor yang kekal menghalang penyambungan semula perairan antara pelabuhan Pasir Gudang dan Tanjung Pelepas. Malaysia seharusnya menuntut ekuiti bukan sahaja di JV tetapi GLC Singapura yang bakal memajukan tanah KTM tersebut juga.

Yang di atas tidaklah menidakkan nilai yang dicapai oleh Malaysia dari segi kewangannya tetap setimpal, malah lumayan seperti diperjelaskan oleh blogger Op Ed. Cuma rasanya nilai strategik yang dapat dicapai oleh pihak Malaysia tidak dilunaskan secara penuh melalui perjanjian yang dimetrai ini. Pada jurublog, ini bukan soal nilai tanah perlu dibayar tetapi juga nilai strategik dari pemilikannya oleh Malaysia yang harus diambil peluang.

Namun pendapat yang lebih berunsur ilmu ekonomi jurublog bukanlah apa yang difikirkan rakyat pada masa ini! Yang difikirkan rakyat adalah, wajarkah kerajaan BN berunding tentang pemberian tanah milik negara apabila skandal Brunei-Limbang di mana persempadanan Malaysia digadai-murah dengan sewenang-wenangnya masih belum ditangani? Keyakinan rakyat sudah terlalu digoncang skandal tersebut sejurus selepas kehilangan Pulau Batu Putih tempohari.

Malah, pol yang dijalankan oleh jurublog menunjukkan kehendak 82% pengundi supaya isu skandal Brunei-Limbang ditangani dengan lebih telus, tak kiralah siapa yang bakal tertuduh, walau Menteri sekalipun. Pada hemah jurublog, apa-apa juga usaha kerajaan berhubung tanah, persempadanan atau mana-mana harta negara dengan mana-mana pihak asing akan disangsi selagi skandal Brunei-Limbang tidak disiasat melalui Suruhanjaya DiRaja.

Menarik lagi, rakyat Malaysia, khususnya yang di Johor akan dapat mengajukan isu perjanjian Tanjung Pagar dengan Singapura ini kepada Tun Dr Mahathir pada pagi 29 Mei di Hotel M-Suite, Johor Bharu. Majlis anjuran Kelab Veteran MAYC tersebut akan dihadiri juga Menteri Besar Johor dan pasti mengundang soalan tentang isu ini. Majlis terbuka ini mengundang kedatangan sesiapa yang berminat berinteraksi dengan Tun Dr M, terutama sekali penggerak NGO.

Apakah rasanya pendapat Tun Dr M nanti? Adakah Rakyat akan disyorkan menerima perjanjian ini, atau mungkinkah maklum-balas beliau bakal menimbulkan lebih banyak sangsi? Wallahualam...

2 Acara Menyingkap Sejarah, Menyentuh Masa Depan

Kesibukan hari penulis penuh dengan hidup berkeluarga, kenduri-kendara mahupun kerja, memberi ruang untuk hanya sedikit masa untuk 'ber-NGO', namun kedua-dua acara yang dimaksudkan tajuk dirasakan cukup bermakna untuk dikongsi.

Khamis lepas penulis ke Seremban bagi menunaikan janji kepada cikgu lama untuk berucap kepada para palajar beliau di Kolej MARA. Topiknya adalah Sejarah dari segi Teori Pengetahun atau 'Theory of Knowledge'. Ucapan penulis kepada para pelajar adalah pentingnya sejarah direlevankan dengan mengambil iktibar kejadian lepas dalam menyelesaikan persoalan yang timbul di masa kini. Antara contoh yang saya berikan:

1. Kenapakah 16 September tidak dapat diterima oleh pemimpin generasi lepas untuk diraikan sebagai Hari Malaysia, lengkap dengan sambutan dan cuti awam? Kenapakah ini dapat dilaksanakan oleh DS Najib pula? Ini adalah kerana sejarah sebenar di sebalik 16 September 'ter'pilih sebagai hari Malaysia disatukan yang memeritkan hati generasi lama tetapi kini sudah kurang relevan untuk generasi sekarang, terutama golongan muda.


2. Bagaimana usaha penulis dan ramai ahli ekonomi muda untuk menghapuskan subsidi gula pincang sedikit kerana kurangnya pemahaman tentang latarbelakang dan sejarah di sebalik dasar subsidi tersebut. Rupa-rupanya, dasar yang lama telah digubal dengan kajian penuh lengkap, merangkumi bukan sahaja ekonomi, tetapi juga isu-isu kesihatan, selera, keperluan tenaga, demografi dan pemakanan masyarakat miskin.


3. Bagaimanakah memahami sejarah negara-negara dan masyarakat lain serta pengamatan budaya mereka dapat membantu dalam perhubungan kita dengan individu, bangsa, syarikat mahupun kerajaan tersebut.


4. Dan lain-lain lagi...

Lebih berharga bagi saya adalah peluang duduk sejenak dengan cikgu-cikgu lama untuk bertukar cerita tentang perjalanan hidup masing-masing. Kagum juga saya mendengar yang mereka kini sibuk merancang 'aktiviti cuti', yakni melawat buat kali ketiga 'kampung angkat' mereka di Kambodia untuk berbakti kepada masyarakat! Pada kali kedua mereka ke sana, sekolah telah dibuka, kemudahan moden bersama dibangunkan dan pelbagai buku-buku ilmu dihadiahkan!

Alangkah bahagianya para pelajar Kolej MARA Seremban kerana diajar guru-guru yang pedulinya melepasi benteng rumah mahupun pesisir kolej, sehingga menjangkau masyarakat serantau sekali! Mereka mengambil inspirasi sejarah di mana negara kita pun nyaris sepapa Kambodia. Penulis masih terkedu sewaktu melepak makan tengahari dengan geng-geng MAYC Negeri Sembilan selepas itu, walaupun mengadap juadah ikan keli dan daging salai yang begitu enak!

Keesokan harinya, sejarah sekali lagi menjadi topik apabila penulis mewakili MAYC ke forum MalaysiakiniTV yang membincangkan Model Ekonomi Baru (MEB) atau lebih dikenali singkatan Inggerisnya, NEM. Seperti para pembaca dapat melihat dari petikan video di MalaysiakiniTV tersebut, sejarah menjadi cukup relevan dalam menentukan masa depan Malaysia, terutama sekali dalam penetapan dan perlaksanaan dasar sepenting NEM. Pentingnya:

1. Menerima yang bukan semua yang dibawa oleh dasar, perlaksanaan dan usaha 'orang-orang lama' itu buruk. Lazimnya, kebaikan yang dibawa kerana niat telus pencadang dan ikhlas perlaksanaan oleh majoriti penggerak dasar. Janganlah pengalaman dari segelintir golongan atau secebis masa dijadikan panduan semata-mata.


2. Janganlah ditidakkan Sejarah dengan label-label yang pelbagai, kerana tiada sumber pengajaran yang wujud selain dari singkapan sejarah. Usaha menggubal dasar seperti NEM akan senantiasa dilambung ombak pergolakan serta perubahan masyarakat. Maka ia haruslah direka dengan mengambil kira maklum-balas terbuka dari setiap lapisan masyarakat.


3. Khusus bersabit isu ini, semua setuju yang NEP atau DEB dan NDP BERJAYA dalam memajukan dan menaik-tarafkan hidup masyarakat. Cuma kini, ia perlua diolah semula, sesuai dengan aspirasi rakyat negara kita sekaligus menangani salah-laku segelintir golongan yang mengambil kesempatan dam perlaksanaan-perlaksanaan dahulu. Ini juga pengajaran Sejarah NEP untuk NEM.

Dalam masa 2 hari, penulis menyertai 2 acara di mana sejarah menjadi bahan perbincangan dan membuktikan ia cukup relevan dalam membentuk masa hadapan. Diharap dalam tergesa-gesanya belia dan masyarakat muda mengejar masa hadapan, mereka tidak melupakan budi dan teladan yang dapat ditimba dari sejarah, walau betapa silam...

Confusion Reigns On New Economic Model

DS Najib Tun Razak at last unveiled the New Economic Model (NEM) yesterday and... confusion reigns! Well... at least in this Malay Mind it does. And I am really hoping someone will set me right with regards to this confusion as I am sure to be asked at smaller and larger kenduri tables to media forums what I think of the NEM... well... it's confusing!

Lets first defuse the immediate impression from my words that I may not like the NEM's key thrusts. Actually, I don't. The idea of modifying the NEP and NDP statistical focus away from the broader population with targets based on race to a income defined basis makes some sense. Sure, it ignores some cultural aspects of Malaysian communities, but at least it highlights that Malays and Bumis make up almost 80% of the lowest 40% income earners of the population.

I also like some of the broader thrusts of the NEM, such as the call to revamp our education system (again...), an acknowledgement that Malaysian income levels are too low (which explains the government's ramping up of public sector pay, beginning with Doctors and Policemen), subsidies must go and most importantly, highlighting the old system (NEP and NDP) did not fail but IT WAS PATRONAGE THAT WRECKED THE OLD SYSTEM hence the new system must be immune to it!

Whilst the NEP and NDP laid the basis for pushing the nation up from the low income strata in the 70's to middle income by early this century, PATRONAGE, especially during its free reign in the Pak Lah era assisted by the post 90's Malaysian private sector doldrums following the economic crises. These two statements in particular clearly laid the finger on PATRONAGE as the reason for the weakness in our economy:

From DS Najib's speech: "There's a need to change rent-seeking and patronage system that has wracked our old system and the NEM must overcome this"

From the NEM: “To break the logjam of vested interests through political will and leadership”

However, despite all the glory promised by DS Najib's speech, questions remain.

Some would tell me to refer to the 200 page NEM book, which I will, but I have little respect for the thickness of the book, especially policy papers, as the Pak Lah's era has taught us that thick books embroidered by slogans and launched at 6-star expense may well amount to nothing if the content makes no sense. And the NEAC line-up to me is unconvincing. They are smart people I am sure, but their backgrounds risk the NEM being more 'academic' as opposed to practical.

Even at the 'academic' level, why is GDP being used as a measure on its own, rather than Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). On focus, whilst DS Najib proclaims the focus being the 40% lower income groups, how is the privatisation of Petronas' subsidiaries helpful to this group? Isn't this more exciting to the investment community, especially foreign investprs and Malaysia's high to medium net worth individuals? Or indeed how is who buys Pos Malaysia relevant?

The rhetoric justifying claims of the NEAC is also inaccurate. E.g., the exodus of highly skilled professionals from Malaysia is blamed on the absence of high value-add jobs and activities. This is not true. The truth is that MALAYSIAN RENUMERATION LEVELS ARE ARTIFICIALLY LOW! The jobs are there, especially in the public and GLC sectors, as many expats and consultants are hired for these jobs, also proving even GLCs can afford high income professionals! So?

This is the beginning of my analysis. And I am glad the government is seeking input. There will be loads!

Pour Less Sugar On Me...

I return to one of my earlier series that explores the relationship of subsidies with marginal economics of essential products and its consumption in Malaysia, the 'cooking oil' series. However, as there is a variation in the product focussed on, being sugar, I've chosen to alude to a completely different set of artists to Shakespeare for the title of this piece... and I only chose Def Leppard as it seems to fit one of their hits... no hidden agenda... and of course, I like their music!

Yesterday, one of my favourite NGOs, the Consumer Association of Penang (CAP), made the news again when they chose to go to press on the issue of Malaysians being among the highest, if not the highest, consumers of sugar in the world; 26 teaspoons of sugar a day! The CAP then urged the authorities to address this through education and legislation, whilst showcasing the direct and indirect medical implications of such high sugar consumption by Malaysians, such as:

1. Malaysia having the fourth highest number of diabetics in Asia which was expected to increase by more than 60% to 1.3 million in 2010.


2. ~72% of 16 million Malaysian adults are sick with a non-communicable disease like diabetes, hypertension or cancer.


3. Malaysia having the most overweight and obese people in Asia; ~54% of the adult population!

I wish to add a tangent to the lobby against sugar related more to economics though. Why is sugar consumption in Malaysia so high? I believe it is partly to do with the price of sugar, seeing as it is a controlled item, which is hence subsidised by the government! The proliferation of sugar hence is not just due to Malaysians having sweet teeth, but because as a bearer of taste, sugar is a cheap option to fulfill the demands of our discerning food-obsessed nation!

Subsidies on sugar presents a dis-economy in many ways, for not only does it boost the consumption of sugar based on an artificial demand-price trade-off, but as sugar or its raw materials are IMPORTED, there is no real benefit of its low prices to the greater economy! Sugar, unlike rice, is a luxury that is so non-essential that any increase in price leading to a consumption drop may not even result in a balancing consumption of other goods... people just consume less!

So, besides creating tycoons from these subsidised businesses, the only 'gain' to the Rakyat from low sugar prices, hence appears to be a frequently pursued transitional feel-good effect related to enjoying sweet stuff cheaply, probably as often as we can afford to! And the result healthwise...

I had expressed in an earlier posting of the need to abolish altogether the subsidies on sugar and the economics were directly related to health, as:

1. The relationship between high sugar intake and poor Malaysian health presents a link between sugar subsidies with poor worker productivity from absence or ineffective work due to illness. The direct economic impact of sugar subsidies on said reduction on national productivity would require a university thesis to quantify, but the link should be clear to us even now.


2. The direct impact of poor health of the populace would be an increased burden, and cost, on our healthcare system and infrastructure. Effectively, the cost is related not just to higher dispensation of drugs (hypertension pills, insulin, etc) and medical services, but also generally a higher cost to insure the health and death of Malaysian citizens as a whole even by public agencies and corporations.


3. The caring for the ill is still a very personal activity in Malaysia. As the number of those in need increase, the burden upon the healthy productive members of society will result in secondary inefficiencies that will further penalise the economy. Confusing? Well, imagine a working mum having to take time off to attend counselling of an obese child. Imagine the dad then being hospitalised for hypertension. Will the working mum remain working?


4. A generally less healthy populace results in the older generation being more ill and less productive at earlier age. For example, politicians are still considered young and sprightly in Japan at the age of 60, but in Malaysia, even at 55 some are labeled old! OK, politicians are perhaps not the best examples of productivity, but no one can deny the national shame at losing Yasmin Ahmad to stroke at the young age of 51!

The straight-line negative economic impact of sugar subsidies can hence be represented in the following chain (I'll chart it up nicely some other time):

Sugar Subsidies -> Higher Sugar Consumption (-ve economic impact from higher sugar imports) -> Poorer Health of Populace (-ve economic impact from poor productivity) -> Higher Healthcare Costs (-ve economic impact from avoidable increased cost of Health) -> Higher Insurance Costs (-ve economic impact from cost of Health cover) -> More Time Spent Caring for Ill (-ve impact from removal of productive workers to act as carers of the ill) -> Older Members Of Populace Relatively Less Productive (-ve impact on economic potential of population above 50 years of age)

So, whilst in theory potentially unpopular, the government should remove the sugar subsidies above all else. It makes sense in terms of ensuring better long-term health of the populace by effectively increasing the cost of getting ill from high sugar consumption. Hopefully I have also made a convincing argument as to the economic merit of removing the subsidy, not just because sugar is imported, but due to the real cost to our economy of the poor health it engenders.

Has Najib And UMNO Copped Out On Malay Rights?

When DS Najib announced that 27 services sub-sectors were being liberalised, meaning specifically that the 30% Bumiputra equity quota requirement was to be rescinded, the response was varied across the nation. As intended, the news rippled out and is already affecting the regional as well as international business and political communities' perception of Malaysia.

However, as is always the case in Malaysia, discourse on the immediate economic benefits of this surprise move by DS Najib so soon after taking power is being slowly drowned by the furore over what this means for Malay and Bumi Rights. Some have even directly questioned whether DS Najib, and by extension, due to the muted response, whether UMNO has abandoned Malay Rights.

I wasn't actually planning to write on this as I did not expect people to be surprised, but they are! There seems to have been the following different types of responses:

1. The normal pro-government media stance... but informative at least.


2. The pro-view, which is typically from the business community, both Malay and non-Malay!


3. The anti-view, which is being held by many ultra-Malays... interestingly, many who are vocal on this view are not involved in business!


4. The opportunist view, as usual the PKR boys think this was all DS Anwar's idea in the first place and that DS Najib is stealing it... grow up!

Why was I not surprised? Because even if we aren't too bound by the WTO due to the on-going breakdown of trade talks and there being worse offenders, Malaysia has signed up to AFTA, the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, and being a leading light in ASEAN, we have to open up these sectors to ASEAN competition by 2010 anyway! Doing this early, at a time when our economy is arguably stronger than Thailand's and Singapore's has its advantages.

Being an ultra myself, and even knowing the above, I was still a little taken aback at how zen I was when the announcement was made. I know I'm not a pro-Najib fanatic, so I have done some soul searching about why I'm so relaxed about this... then it occured to me... for many of these service industries that are being liberalised:

1. Even if international competition wants to come in, IT CANNOT SUCCEED WITHOUT LOCAL PARTNERS! This includes industries such as transport and tourism.


2. There are some services in these sectors that MUSLIM MALAYS/BUMIS DON'T WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN ANYWAY AS IT IS PARTLY NON-HALAL! So, removing the 30% cap doesn't cause any loss to Malays, as we would not be interested in participating anyway. In fact, if said sectors are hence developed post cap removal, the resulting employment, and if you have scrupples, even indirect Halal employment, will be good for Malays.


3. There is always the regulatory lever that the government can apply to safeguard not just Bumi, but Malaysian rights. Significant area would be in Healthcare. We can learn much from how the US, Australia and West Europeans do this.

I do have a couple of caveats though in my guarded indifference, if not enthusiasm, over this new policy move:

1. I would oppose this if it ends up being a precursor to us signing up to the USFTA, which I believe is detrimental to the country's well-being, sovereignity and with even less benefit to be imagined now that the US economy is a mess and they have become more inward looking.


2. I would oppose excessive liberalisation of the Financial sector... but we'll have to wait and see what gets announced there...

And the answer to the question as titled, I is believe NO. DS Najib and UMNO HAVE NOT COPPED OUT on Malay Rights... not yet anyway... hopefully not ever!

Najib Harus Menunjukkan Kekuatan Ala Obama, Mengelak Flip-Flop & Rebut Kuasa

Saya baru menyaksikan siaran lansung ucapan Presiden Barrack Obama di Universiti Georgetown menerusi CNBC. Dalam masa ~45 minit, beliau berjaya menerangkan sebab ekonomi Amerika dan dunia kini merudum, rancangan pemulihannya sekaligus menyangkal kritikan terhadap gerak-kerja pentadbirannya sepanjang 3 bulan pertama memerintah.

Kritikan terhadapnya semestinya akan terus ada. Namun, penjelasan telus berlandaskan keputusan serta gerak-kerja berpaksikan visinya yang jitu cukup meyakinkan. Ini penting dan saya rasa berhasil memperkukuhkan lagi kedudukannya sebagai Presiden.

Pada saya, saranan yang para pemimpin negara kita, terutama sekali Datuk Seri Najib haruslah menimba pengajaran dari pendekatan Obama untuk menghadapi krisis ekonomi dan sosial di Malaysia. Kejayaan menangani isu sosial dan ekonomi inilah akan membawa kejayaan politik untuk pentadbiran DS Najib.

1Malaysia kini sedang digembar-gemburkan sebagai dialog sosial yang penting. Mekanisma ini diharapkan akan membawa kembali perpaduan antara kaum, namun ianya satu pendekatan yang memerlukan masa untuk diolah, diwar-warkan dan diterapkan kejiwa masyarakat Malaysia.

Sementara menanti 'masak'nya dialog 1Malaysia, DS Najib perlu meneruskan usaha menjanakan kembali ekonomi negara. Fokus terhadap ekonomi seharusnya akan membuahkan hasil yang lebih awal. Ia juga akan memberi peluang untuk DS Najib menunjukkan kepimpinannya sepertimana dilakukan oleh Obama.

DS Najib sudah pasti mengelakkan diri dari politik 'flip-flop' Pak Lah, tetapi kekuatan politiknya juga akan terserlah sekiranya beliau mengelakkan diri dari dijerat ke dalam permainan politik 'rebut kuasa' ala Anwar Ibrahim.

Fokus kepada masalah ekonomi dengan pelan perlaksanaan yang jitu adalah apa yang diperlukan untuk meyakinkan rakyat sekarang. Lambat-laun, kejayaan dalam menangani isu ekonomi digandingkan dengan dialog sosial demi perpaduan semestinya akan mengatasi agenda politik rebut kuasa Anwar yang kian basi...

PS: Saya masih di Hospital dan memblog dengan serba kekurangan menggunakan HTC TytnII

Belanjawan Baru Mengejutkan...

Dari segi ekonomi, pakej belenjawan RM 60 Billion yang dibentangkan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak memberansangkan dari beberapa segi:

1. Terlihat jelas usaha membaiki keadaan untuk pekerja 'makan gaji', terutama yang berpendapatan sederhana ke rendah.


2. Usaha untuk memberansangkan pertumbuhan pekerjaan ataupun menampung kegawatan hidup penganggur mahupun yang baru kehilangan kerja melalui pakej latihan, dsb.


3. Insentif tradisional seperti ransangan pembelian rumah, mahupun kreatif, yakni bon pelaburan syariah yang menjamin pendapatan golongan penabung wang dari golongan pendapatan sederhana sekaligus memampatkan perbendaharaan kerajaan dengan 'pinjaman' dari rakyat pelabur.

Tetapi yang lebih menggalakkan bagi saya adalah petanda yang dibawa oleh jalan-cara, ketelusan dan keberanian DS Najib dalam membentang belanjawan ini, contohnya:

1. Bagaimana DS Najib berani serta telus mengakui tahap kegawatan ekonomi, sehingga berkemungkinan susut sebanyak -1% dan paling baik boleh diharapkan pun berkembang hanya sekadar 1%. Pengakuan ini lain sekali dari cara Pak Lah yakni sering mengwar-warkan berita baik dalam usaha menyembunyikan isu buruk yang menggunung terpampang di mata rakyat.


2. DS Najib juga membentangkan pakej yang agresif sekaligus tidak diduga oleh mana-mana pihak. Permainan media efektif di mana jumlah yang lebih rendah di gembar-gemburkan sementara kerajaan menggubal pakej yang lebih komprehensif memberikan kesan positif menjelang pembentangan. Pakej tersebut juga terlihat jitu dan bukanlah 'setengah masak' seperti lazim dialami rakyat sepanjang 5 tahun lepas.


3. Pakej ini juga serasi dengan prinsip neo-Keynesian yang diamalkan oleh Tun Dr Mahathir untuk menangani krisis ekonomi pada akhir tahun 90-an, namun berlainan berdasarkan pelbagai insentif tidak langsung, sesuai dengan kematangan ekonomi Malaysia. Ini menunjukkan kematangan perbendahraan di bawah pimpinan DS Najib yang mengekalkan yang baik dari pemimpin dahulu sambil menimba ide baru untuk abad baru.

Dari segi politik, ternampak pihak pembangkang, termasuklah pemimpin mereka, DS Anwar Ibrahim, terkedu. DS Anwar sebenarnya terperangkap, kerana kalau beliau menyokong pakej ataupun menyatakan ia terlalu kecil, ini menunjukkan beliau mengakui kesalahannya 10 tahun dahulu dan mengakui kebenaran cara Tun Dr M menangani krisis ekonomi dahulu.

Tetapi sekiranya beliau membidas pakej ini sebagai terlalu besar dan membazir, ternyata beliau masih kekal dengan ide lapuknya yang telahpun ditinggalkan oleh sekutu-sekutu ekonominya di Barat yang lazimnya kini menggunakan jalan-cara yang dipelopori Tun Dr M.

Punyalah terkedu pembangkang, sampai PAS pun nak bekerjasama! DAP yang sekian lama gagal menarik pelabur ke Pulau Pinang kerana 'tak gheti' pun mahukan pakej lebih besar!

Cuma satu sahaja yang kini perlu DS Najib buktikan untuk mengembalikan keyakinan rakyat kepada BN dan menjerumus Pakatan Rakyat kekeranda sejarah 'ekonomi politik', beliau haruslah memastikan pakej tersebut dilaksanakan dengan baik. Setidak-tidaknya lebih baik daripada zaman Pak Lah... rasanya tak susah kan?

PPSMI Dan Ekonomi Negara

Sebagai seorang pencinta bahasa, saya begitu sedih melihat usaha para pejuang Bahasa Malaysia kini dipergunakan sehingga huru-hara timbul di negara.

Seperti biasa, Pak Lah yang tahu isu ini sudah mendidih begitu lama dan membiarkan ia membuak-buak selesai keputusan Mathematik dan Sains UPSR yang mengecewakan di luar bandar dengan diputar-belitkan berita mengenai 'kejayaannya', kini sibuk pula ingin menyelesaikannya 'dengan segera'.

Akhirnya, saya setuju dengan pendapat yang mengatakan ini permainan politik sesetengah pihak yang tidak ikhlas pun tentang hal ini. Cuma digembar-gemburkan semata-mata agenda perebutan kuasa pihak tersebut. Malah, kalau bukan kerana ada peralihan kuasa dan sudah diketengahkan isu kuasa Raja-Raja Melayu, tentu tentangan PPSMI disyaki agenda mengalihkan fikiran perwakilan UMNO dari krisis ekonomi menjelang Perhimpunan Agung pada akhir bulan ini...

Hmmm... saya lagi jalan-jalan di Sabah sekarang. Akan saya sambung...

Demi Rakyat, Tumpuan Kita Seharusnya... Ekonomi Beb, Dah Nak Tsunami Dah!

Berita hari ini cukup celaru. Di Perak, krisis politik memanjang tak selesai. La ilham baru YB DS Ir Nizar adalah untuk mengadakan perjumpaan DUN di Kedai Kopi sebab DUN kena kunci. Ini begitu menyayat hati. Ada ka patut DS Nizar berharap DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan Azlan berangkat ke Kedai Kopi untuk membuka dewan? Dah la hak 'mohon derhaka' hari tu tak selesai ampun lagi...

Dah tu, hari ni, ada pula penyokong KuLi yang buang tabiat, nak menunda Perhimpunan Agung UMNO pula! Mungkin ni la sisa-sisa yang mengheret UMNO ke mahkamah sampai haram lebih 20 tahun lalu, juga semata-mata untuk membawa KuLi ke tampuk kuasa. Depa tak sedaq ka yang:

1. KuLi pun dok kata suruh tumpukan perhatian kepada pemulihan ekonomi. Ni dok sibuk lagi pasai politik pasai pa? Macamlah orang muda faham apa untung-ruginya menjadi ahli "KuLi Fan Club".


2. Depa tak sedaq ka yang dengan menunda Perhimpunan Agung serta Pemilihan tahun ini, Pak Lah akan kekal berkuasa sehingga selesai pula isu penundaan ni. Padahal, kita dah tau negara perlukan kepimpinan baru dari la ni, nak tunda pula peralihan kuasa?! Yang dulu KuLi nak Pak Lah pi secepat mungkin, depa ni tak dengaq juga ka?!


3. Dah le tu, kalau tunda barang sehari Perhimpunan Agung, siapa nak atuq PRK-PRK 3 Bukit yang nak mai bulan April ni? Apa, nak biaq UMNO semakin merudum semangat melalui kekalahan di 3 Bukit sementara kepimpinan kita celaru? Yang depa ni nak bantu KuLi ka, ingin pebetui UMNO ka, nak angkat Anwar Ibrahim?!

Celaru macam-macam politik pula hari ni. Padahal, rakyat pun dah beramai-ramai geleng kepala. Kira kalau semua rakyat berambut basah masa melihat gelagat di atas ni, nescaya bah, banjir-lah di negeri-negeri Pakatan Rakyat dari guguran air gelengan kepala kita semua!

La ni, rakyat semakin panik pasai ekonomi! Wei, tsunami dah nak mai dah! Kat sesetengah tempat tu, dah melanda pun, sampai sudah ada suami tak bekerja, isteri tak berbelanja, anak tak berkasut tanpa lubang dan silap hari, keluarga pun tak berumah, kena balik kampung! Dah la kampung tu bukan ada hasil apa... kelapa sawit pun harga dah takdak apa!

Kepada yang berminat memahami sedikit lagi punca meleset segala ini, layari nukilan Op Ed yang ringkas menyentuh bagaimana merudumnya ekonomi Amerika Syarikat serta Eropah kini menjejas ekspot, dan secara langsung, pendapatan rakyat kita...

Saya dah mula berpolitik, tetapi dengan agenda ikhlas untuk berbakti kepada rakyat. Kepala ni dah nak pecah ingin bersuara tentang masalah dan mencari jalan melontar ilham kepada yang berupaya melaksanakannya dalam kerajaan. Tetapi kalau ahli politik sibuk sangat berpolitik, bilakah masanya untuk berbakti? Atau mungkinkah politik mereka saja syoq sendiri, bukan lagi tentang kepimpinan yang membakar diri semata-mata agama, bangsa dan tanah air? Wallahualam...

Alangkah Bahagianya Sekiranya Politik Kita Sematang Ini...

Saya peminat penulisan blogger Salvatore_Dali yang banyak membuka minda pembaca perihal isu-isu ekonomi. Walaupun saya tidak selalu setuju dengan beliau (dan ternyata mengalami konflik antara suka-tidak akan gambar-gambar 'selingan' yang dipaparinya), namun blog ilmiah sepertinya tidak lazim ditemui di alam maya ala-Malaysia.

Hati saya benar-benar tergerak apabila membaca penulisan terbarunya di mana beliau memperjelaskan debat yang kini berlaku di antara kem pegawai media Barrack Obama dan media pro-parti Republican, CNBC, yakni pembangkang di Amerika Syarikat. Pertelikahan ini mengenai skim bantuan pembiayaan hutang perumahan yang baru dicadangkan oleh Presiden baru Amerika Syarikat tersebut untuk meleraikan kesengsaraan rakyat termiskin akibat kegawatan ekonomi.

Pada dasarnya, kedua-dua belah pihak berniat menangani masalah tersebut, tetapi perbalahan berlaku bersabit kaedah. Pihak parti Democrat pimpinan Obama mahu melaksanakan kaedah yang terus membantu rakyat yang terhimpit dengan memberi mereka pembiayaan hutang tersebut.

Tetapi, pihak Republican menganggap ini memberi ganjaran kepada mereka yang tidak bertanggungjawab sehingga terhimpit dek hutang. Mereka lebih suka wang tersebut diberi kepada sektor pembankan dan industri untuk menjana ekonomi, lalu membantu golongan kebanyakan secara tidak langsung.

Dalam pertarungan antara ide ini, tidak ada saman-menyaman dan tiada usaha memintas peraturan untuk merebut kuasa yang sudah ditetapkan sewaktu pilihanraya atau proses susulan jika ada. Institusi Presiden pula yang seumpama Agong di Amerika Syarikat tetap dihormati kuasa serta martabatnya oleh semua, baik yang setuju mahupun tidak akan keputusannya. Bukan seperti di sini...

Sampai Menteri Besar yang dilucutkan jawatan boleh megah dan terus mengaku dirinya berkuasa dan dizalimi sambil kuncunya di Dewan Undangan Negeri terus menyalak Sultan! Sehingga Menteri Besar yang sah pun siap kena merayu untuk diterima! Saya lebih suka jika masing-masing berebut-rebut melontar ide bagaimana nak membuat jasa...

Are We Over-Celebrating Obama?

There is much celebration, it seems worldwide, of Obama's victory in the US Presidential Elections. And indeed there is much to celebrate. At least Obama presents some hope for change, unlike his rival McCain, who looked like an older, less accident-prone but outwardly more conservative version of George W. Bush, who's probably internationally the most hated US President since Nixon (who's also probably more popular if you exclude American sentiments).

But whilst we celebrate the victory for change in the US, with perhaps some legitimate hope that things will be different in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine whilst diplomacy with North Korea, Iran, Russia and others, including ourselves, improves, lets not forget that Obama, self declared 'citizen of the world', will be first and foremost, President of the United States of America, and charged with defending the interests of that country with extreme prejudice.

What does this mean? It means that the priorities in his first term in office should be very US-centric; especially if he wishes to deliver the US from its present crisis thus guaranteeing his second term as President. Does this mean that he will not deliver his promises on Iraq et al? Not necessarily, but President-designate Obama would only be too aware that the last legs of his campaign focussed on the American economy, allowing him to pull away from McCain.

Americans will now see the fixing of their economy to be a key priority, well ahead of Iraq, and so will their President. If withdrawal from Iraq helps, then all the better. But as fiscal stimuli is the economic flavour of the day to tackle the present crisis, don't be too surprised to find Obama trying to balance things a little dangerously. For instance, his strategy in Iraq may be a fire-sale of US weapons left behind as troops withdraw to Iraq's pro-US government.

This article penned by Obama during his nomination campaign is controversial when put against his image as it begins with disturbingly familiar post 9/11 rhetoric. It does nevertheless evolve into a presentation of ideas that are more in line with Obama's mass-market image, where even the US Military's expansion may be geared to good works internationally. But even then, Obama emphasised that for all its foreign aspirations the US had to get its house in order first.

The above may well be a little unjust to Obama's image, but his image remains untested in the muddy waters of a global economic crisis. Previous economic crises have ended in wars as a form of resolution. We hope Obama lives up to his image and steers away from that. But for him to do so, the focus may well be for him to focus on getting the American economic ship back in order. So lets temper our euphoria a little for what Obama will do for us in the rest of the world...

For Malaysia, I see this as the perfect time for us to disengage from the US-Malaysia Free Trade (USFTA) talks... but that's another story...

Exhausted...

I am exhausted. I must share here what I have been saying to everyone who asks me how I find working in Malaysia, having worked overseas for so long. My response,"Malaysians work too hard!"

And if I may add, for a pittance. Malaysian pay still ranks among the lowest in Asia on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) basis and probably the lowest among executives of equivalent economies. I had read somewhere that despite this, KL was seen as one of the hardest working cities in the world. I could only witness it more plainly and indeed experience it over the last 7 months since I've been back. Certainly our pay to work ratio is too small...

I expressed a belief before that this low pay, which I suspect is due to the low benchmark due to relatively low exec pay rates at GLCs and of course the public sectors, is one of the key reasons for our country's 'brain drain', especially of mid-level execs between 5-15 years of experience. Well, the economic crisis has come around, so perhaps companies, especially GLCs, should consider boosting pay with a Cost Of Living Allowance (COLA) in leu of actual pay hikes?

Certainly GLC deposits in GLC banks aren't getting interesting returns and are probably placing added risks to said banks due to shortage of good borrowers these days! And why should GLCs pay staff higher now, when even the global job market is awash with newly jobless high-quality recruits? Well, how else are you going to get these high quality people back, let alone stem an exodus of our best brains especially when their local pay is too low!

I risk repeating myself... I'm too exhausted...

How Will Life Be Under A Pakatan Rakyat 'Ketuanan Rakyat' Government?

1. There will be no freedom of the press. We thought that the Teresa Kok inspired madness ala-Singapore was temporary, and that polite engagement and ridicule would curtail further madness, but it seems not! Now, PAS has jumped into the bandwagon! I mean, we understand the PKR boys hating any negative press coverage about Anwar, but supposedly liberal DAP? And 'Islamic' PAS too?


2. Economics will be run by populist rhetoric. It is troubling enough for me to see the Selangor government going all populist with free water, Perak's free land, and both Selangor and Penang's free municipal rates. But recently the Selangor government announced that they are moving away from privatisation by taking over Syabas. This also soon after Tan Sri Khalid's expressed view that the state government would benefit more from a cash sale of its land to developers than to go on JV's to jointly develop state property. He then gave an example based on cash returns, ignoring capital/equity appreciation benefits in his analysis. Huh??? By the way, this is also to curtail cronies benefitting from these JV deals. But past CEO's of state GLC's involved will not be sacked, but retained to 'fix things'. HAH???


3. MP's will not act on merit but according to party lines. I found the re-branding of Langkawi from being Langkawi Geopark to Langkawi Jewel of Kedah by the PAS state government to be inward-looking and narrow-minded, seeing as the Geopark brand has by far greater value to the tourist islands. I hence find it galling that criticism of this was absent from the opposition bench, the same opposition bench that seems to now find the idea of changing the name of Jalan Alor to Jalan Kejora by DBKL so objectionable! So is the Langkawi re-branding less objectionable because it's a PAS initiative, or because it was done to a 100% BN voting constituency?


4. ... I'm sure this is to come, together with 5, 6, ad nauseum... Maybe it's a good thing for BN to have lost 5+1 states in March!