April 2008 Economic Data & Analysis

Malaysia

1. Malaysia will count on domestic demand and high commodities prices to sustain growth as US Slowdown damps global trade.

2. The cost of the Government’s food security strategy to counter the worldwide increase in prices, especially rice, will total RM4bil. The money will be used to increase food production and counter inflation to keep prices in check. The allocation would also be used for food stockpiling.

3. Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January to March 2008 increased by 2.6%. Food and non-alcoholic beverages (4.4%), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (1.3%) and transport (0.9%).

4. Domestic financial markets continued to experience some volatility amidst uncertainties on the outlook for global growth and continuing disruptions in the international financial markets.

5. Pahang is a geared towards becoming the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) dairy hub when an RM50mil farm in Rompin managed by First Dairy Farm (M) Sdn Bhd. comes into operation in May 2008.

Current Global Economy Situation

The U.S.

1. Fed lowered its interest rates for the seventh time (in eight months) by a quarter of a percentage point to 2.0%. The Fed mentioned that the risk of recession is gradually reducing, thus signalling an end to one of US’s most aggressive rate cuts in diverting its attention to curb inflation.

2. Consumer confidence fell as negative news continued to plague the employment and housing sector this week. Weekly initial jobless claims rose to its 4-week high at 380,000 and job cuts by employers in Apr-08 rose to the highest since Sept-06 by 27.5% and unemployment rate at 5.0%.

3. First quarter US GDP was up 0.6%, driven by a 1% increase in personal consumption expenditures. Contrary to popular belief, the consumer continues to spend in the face of rising gas prices, falling home prices and declines in payrolls.

China

1. Consumer confidence index dropped 1.7%. Consumer inflation has been on the rise since last year, largely due to soaring food prices.

2. The world's fourth-largest economy's growth slowed slightly to 10.6 percent in the first quarter, compared with 11.7 percent in the same period last year, according to National Bureau of Statistics. The deceleration might continue because of uncertainties such as reduced external demand and the spreading impact of the US subprime mortgage crisis.

Welcome to Parliament Malaysia

Right side = Pakatan Rakyat... Leader= Wan Azizah.
Left side = Barisan Nasional. Leader = Abdullah.
Parliament Lobby.... A lot of previous DYMM SPB Agung portrait...
This is our dearest law making policy holy building... Bangunan Parliament Malaysia.
This is BN Rembau... Richest Unemployed.
This is Mahathir Jr....
This is Dewan Negara... No sitting now....
Parliament at resting hour......
So many documents on the table.....

Event Announcement

The ACCCIM STI Committee is organising a Public Lecture by Prof. Du Xiang Wan, Vice President of Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), China. The details of the public lecture are as follows:

Topic: General Discussion on Science, Technology & Innovations in Business Enterprises

Date : 20th May 2008(Tuesday)

Time : 3pm

Venue : Equatorial Hotel, Ballroom, Mezzanine Floor, Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur .

Language: Mandarin

Presentation Slides : Chinese and English

Entrance Fee : Free of Charge

Stupid Idiot UMNO 30% Bumiputra Equity Requirement

Bumiputera Berpeluang Miliki 30 Peratus Ekuiti Dalam 263 Syarikat Asing, Kata Noh

PUTRAJAYA, 6 Mei (Bernama) -- Syarikat Bumiputera yang berkelayakan dalam pelbagai bidang termasuk teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT) dan telekomunikasi berpeluang memiliki 30 peratus ekuiti dalam 263 syarikat asing yang beroperasi di negara ini melalui Program Pemadanan Perniagaan yang akan dilaksanakan Jun ini.

Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi Datuk Noh Omar berkata program itu akan dilaksanakan oleh kementeriannya (MECD) dengan kerja sama Jawatankuasa Pelaburan Asing (FIC) dan Unit Perancangan ekonomi (EPU) di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (JPM).

MECD telah mengenal pasti syarikat asing berkenaan, katanya.

Ekuiti 30 peratus itu dikhaskan untuk Bumiputera semasa melabur di negara ini, yang masih belum lagi diisi oleh Bumiputera," katanya kepada pemberita selepas majlis perhimpunan bulanan MECD yang pertama dihadirinya sejak menjadi Menteri di kementerian itu di sini, Selasa.

Turut hadir sama adalah Timbalan Menterinya Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Ketua Setiausaha kementerian itu, Datuk Musa Muhamad dan Timbalan Ketua Setiausaha Datuk Mohd Hashim Abdullah.

FIC telah mensyaratkan supaya syarikat asing yang melabur di negara ini memperuntukkan 30 peratus ekuiti kepada syarikat Bumiputera.

Bagaimanapun, Noh berkata kerajaan memberi pengecualian antara dua hingga tiga tahun bagi pelabur berkenaan untuk memenuhi syarat itu untuk membolehkan mereka mendapat rakan kongsi yang sesuai dan berkelayakan.

Untuk mencari syarikat Bumiputera yang layak, katanya bukan satu perkara yang mudah dan dalam masa yang sama "kita perlukan pelabur asing, jadi kita memberi kelonggaran."

"Kita akan berusaha untuk menyebarkan maklumat ini kepada Bumiputera untuk membeli ekuiti berkenaan. Kita ada senarai syarikat yang menjalankan pelbagai perniagaan termasuk ICT, telekomunikasi dan perkilangan," katanya.

Mengenai kriteria yang diperlukan, Noh berkata, selain perlu mempunyai kelayakan mengikut bidang dan kepakaran masing-masing, syarikat Bumiputera itu perlu mempunyai kesesuaian, kebolehan dan peranan yang boleh dimainkan dan bukan setakat menjadi pemegang ekuiti sahaja.

Noh berkata syarikat asing ini bertanggungjawab kepada FIC/EPU dan MECD merupakan agen pelaksana bagi program pemadanan ini.

-- BERNAMA

Malaysian Population Projection for 2020

1. Projection based on a population growth of around 2% per year.
2. Due to population ageing, the growth for all races will be in small deceleration rate.

Year	2020 (million)
Total	34,075.60
Malaysian	31,254.20
Bumiputera	21,311.36
Melayu	17,515.14
Bumi lain	3,796.56
Cina	7,283.98
India	2,236.18
lain-lain	422.20
Non Malaysian	2,821.54

(Source Data from Yearbook of Statistics 2006. Dept. of Stats. Malaysia)

Gross Domestic Product by Kind of Economic Activity at Constant 2000 Prices

(Source: Bank Negara Malaysia,2008)

Food Crisis (ecoworldly.com)

According to the World Bank, global food prices were 57% higher in March than in the same month of 2007. World rice prices have risen 96% and more for some types, between October 2007 and April 2008.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all food in the US is forecast to increase 3.5% to 4.5% in 2008, as retailers continue to pass on higher commodity and energy costs to consumers in the form of higher retail prices. The CPI for food increased 4.0% in 2007, the highest annual increase since 1990.
The total spent for all food consumed in the U.S. was $1,082.5 billion dollars in 2006, a 6.6 percent increase from $1,015.1 billion in 2005. Source: ERS Food Expenditure Data Series
India’s inflation accelerated to 7.41% in the week ended March 29, the quickest in more than three years, in the wake of the biting food crisis. India has since banned most exports of its rice as a precautionary measure to feed more of her people and avoid social unrest. In comparison, inflation in Vietnam rose 21.4% in April, the highest since 1992.
It has also been reported that price increases globally, up to the end of March 2008 were as follows: Wheat: 130%; Soya: 87%; Rice: 74%; Corn: 31%.
In efforts to alleviate suffering in poor nations, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has upped spending on farming projects by 50% or US$240 million, from US$160 million in 2007.
Inflation in Britain, which has recently embraced increased biofuel usage by way of new regulations, climbed to 3.5% in March, up from 3.2% in February 2008.
Global development aid devoted to agriculture have fallen to just 4%. The World Bank’s agricultural development financing, through its agencies, has steadily dropped over the years from a peak of 30% in 1980 to only 12% in 2007.
Around 30% of the United States’ corn production will be used to produce biofuels by 2010.
UN’s World Food Programme has an estimated funding shortfall of US$500 million to enable it feed the world’s poor and already global charities have cut their food supplies by 73%, effectively keeping 73 million people even hungrier.
By 2050, world population will have grown to 9.2 billion people, compared to current figures of just under 7 billion.

做人别太CNN

CNN对中国西藏的歪曲报道，以及北京奥运圣火传递遭到藏独分子的攻击，促使了这首歌。

做人别太CNN
那天上网猛然看见了一张照片
描述的是发生在西藏的打砸事件
CNN信誓旦旦，一切真相都在里面
而我渐渐却发现，这竟是欺骗
不管世事如何变迁，沧海变桑田
周老虎和这样的照片， 我一样的讨厌
不要以为重复千遍，谎话就会成箴言
黑夜给了我黑色眼睛，我却用它寻找光明
何苦挖空心思，想要弄假成真， 做人别太CNN
你又怎么可能，让周杰伦变成李宇春？
何苦挖空心思，想要弄假成真， 做人千万别CNN
我宁愿你们， 只是很傻很天真
我宁愿你们，只是很傻很天真

He is wearing a SONGKOK.....

Our dearest Selangor State Assembly Speaker YB Teng Chang Kim is wearing a songkok as a hat. He described that songkok was required as a formal attire in the state assembly..... He still owe peoples a good reason and MCA an apologies for attacking them when they wear songkok....

Malaysia Independent Commission Against Corruption

Yeah .... Minister to study and adopt the Hong Kong version of Anti Corruption Agency. Start reform and now Lets work together for a better Malaysia.

Will Teng wear Songkok ?

Lawyer Teng had been aggressively scolding MCA on wearing a songkok on official ceremony....
Since he was voted as the Speaker in the Selangor state assembly , i hope that he will clarify on his songkok wearing issue if he was to wear a songkok when the assembly begins too....

Mis Reporting on Tibet Issue... (L) China

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSQnK5FcKas

Class F Contractors to get A Small Bite of Big Cakes... Agree?

Government creating Class F contractor jobs is to help the Bumiputras in the construction industry. The move by Ministry of Works is to create more job opportunities for Class F contractors and assist them in capacity building through the development of more specialized contractors in the field of construction.

But, we opposed the decision on giving 10% of sub-contractors job to the class F contractor for mega projects that worth more than RM 10 million.

We agree that government should help class F contractors to become more competitive in the industry. Therefore, we proposed the following mechanism:

1. For contracts worth less than RM200,000 , 70% of the contracts will be reserved for open tender among Bumiputeras and 30% open tender to all Malaysian with 5% of margin of preference be given to Bumiputras.
2. For contracts worth between RM200,001 to RM500,000 , 70% of the contracts will be reserved for open tender among Bumiputeras and 30% open tender to all Malaysian with 4% of margin of preference be given to Bumiputras.
3. For contracts worth between RM500,001 to RM2,000,000 , 30% of the contracts will be reserved for open tender among Bumiputeras and 70% open tender to all Malaysian with 3% of margin of preference be given to Bumiputras.
4. For contracts worth between RM2,000,001 to RM10,000,000 , 30% of the contracts will be reserved for open tender among Bumiputeras and 70% open tender to all Malaysian with 2% of margin of preference be given to Bumiputras.

For contracts worth more than RM10,000,000 , we hope that open tender procedure should be available to all Malaysian without restriction.

Finally, we urge the Ministry of Works to award projects and contracts in a fairer manner and according to the contractor’s merit.

NO MORE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ! PLEASE !
NO MORE TONGKAT ! PLEASE !

Have you got your pay rise?

Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) did a survey on Salary, Benefits and Employment Conditions Survey 2007 for manufacturing sectors. Some stats are available as below:

1	Average an increase of 0.3% in increments for manufacturing sector.
2	64.8% of the respondents would be getting an average of 5.92% increments.
3	88% of manufacturing companies surveyed, gave increments averaging:
		a. 5.62% to executives and 5.52% to non-executives in 2007
		b. 6.08% to executives and 5.92% to non-executives in 2006
4	Higher recruitment last year:
		a. 117 companies recruited 1,454 executives and
		b. 137 companies hired 15,685 non-executives.
5	Top three industry sub-sectors in recruitment were:
		a. electrical and electronic,
		b. plastics, and
		c. medical precision and optical instruments
6	Skills shortages were highest in:
		a. mechanical skill,
		b. quality control and
		c. machinist

Pay Rise...... :-)

Yes ! Confirm ! I Will be Contesting.....

Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on today (14/04/2008) announced his intention to seek re-election as UMNO's President in the party election, which will be held on December. His move was seen as a blow to the "Power Transition Plan" by Najib, Muhyiddin and which was openly backed by Rais Yatim. UMNO MT - Khir Toyo also joining the crowd and asking Pak Lah to resign today too.

Resign Please.. Pak Lah. Some Stats and figure

As of 11 April 2008, the persons or groups that openly requested the President of UMNO and BN to step down will be as below:

1. Mahathir Mohamad - Old Man
2. Tengku Razaleigh and Gua Musang Division - Never Dying Man
3. Mukhriz Mahathir - MP Jerlun
4. UMNO KEDAH
5. UMNO PULAU PINANG
6. UMNO JOHOR
7,8,9 Muhiyiddin and Najib asking for a " Power Transition Plan" and Rais Yatim Support that.
*17 April 2008
10. UMNO Selangor

If you MALAY are interested to Contest in the UMNO Election for the posts stated below, you need to get a total sum of UMNO division support as below:

1. President : 58 of 191 (30%)
2. Deputy President: 38 of 191 (20%)
3. Vice President : 19 of 191 (10%)
4. Supreme Council: 10 of 191 (5%)

MCA Economic blueprint 2008-2013

I think some of you may have heard of the launching of the MCA Economic Blueprint on 22/02/2008. The Economic blueprint was a 1st in MCA, which is a well written on the long neglected economic area for MCA. We are currently implementing the thrusts accordingly, for this 5 years, from 2008 to 2013. For inquiries, you're welcome to call us at the secretariat: 03-21611618.
-

MCA also need to Reinvent

Lets work together for a better Malaysia. Although there are a lot of politikus in MCA.
Can we find a cat from Deng Xiao Ping (邓小平）to settle it ? Muahahaha....

风继续吹。。。Blogging winds.....

Politician turn blogger....

When you can't beat them, you...... Join them ....

1 Month Post 12th General Election - Pakatan Rakyat

(One) month - 30 days - today is 08/04/08.
Have the Barisan Alternatif module coming back with a new name ? Pakatan Rakyat..... DAP-PKR-PAS working together again setting up a loose coalition.
Kit Siang says:" we have no connection with PAS".
Remember to cross over my dead body before you implement Hudud law (Karpal to Nik)...