Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Economy: Tell People the Truth

Minibudgetakj

(FINAL)

A Kadir Jasin

[ANONYMOUS comments with not be entertained. When commenting, your real identity is preferred. But a suitable pseudonym is accepted. If you have to use anonymous, please print your name or pen name at the bottom of your message. Please avoid seditious, defamatory and libelous statements. Unrelated comments will not be given priority.]

IN this third installment of the of kopitiam discussion series with several veteran politicians, lawyers and, in this particular instance, a veteran economist, I would like to talk about the economy with particular reference to the upcoming mini budget.

I have been regularly asked to discuss economic issues by those who said they were fed-up with politics and politicians.

But we cannot run away from politics neither can we banish politicians to the mythological Laut Khalzum where the garuda and the jentayu reside. That’s why political stability so important in this time of crisis. We need a capable government and a responsible opposition.

As has been widely reported, the Ministry of Finance (MoF), who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, is going to present a Mini Budget early next month – I believe on March 10.

Mohd Najib told this blogger and bloggers Pahit Manis (Ahmad A Talib) and Rocky’s Bru (Ahiruddin Atan) in a meeting in Putrajaya on Feb. 27 that he would tell the people the truth about the difficult economic situation and seek their understanding and cooperation.

The proposed Mini Budget has come as a surprise to some because a stimulus package was announced only in November during the winding-up of the 2009 Budget debate.

Before this, Minister of Finance 2 (MoF2), Nor Mohamed Yackop had been saying the country was not going to sink into recession. We all know that under Prime Minister and Finance Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Noor Mohamed was effectively the de facto Finance Minister.

We were told through the Press that there was going to be a 3.5-per cent growth last year and there should also be growth this year. So why the sudden change in budgetary strategy and requirements?

We dare not imagine that the MoF2, until Mohd Najib became the Finance Minister last September, had no clue about what was happening to the economy and made those media statements not based on the correct facts.

Growth Forecast Not Attainable

OUR fear was proven correct when, on Feb. 27, Mohd Najib announced that the government would revise downward the 3.5-per cent forecast, saying that the earlier growth projection was no longer attainable in view of the worsening external environment.

Mohd Najib said the new estimate would be announced together with the Mini Budget, adding the recession that hit the global economy was expected to be more severe.

He said that Malaysia’s actual GDP for the fourth quarter of last year grew by a meager 0.1 per cent, the lowest since the third quarter of 2001 when the growth was negative 0.4 per cent.

“I do not think that we can anticipate an improvement in the GDP figures for the next quarter (first quarter of 2009), but of course, it all depends on the situation in the United States and Europe,” Mohd Najib said.

It’s commendable for the Deputy Prime Minister to acknowledge the very difficult problem the country and the people are facing. The people had for a long time wanted the truth from the government.

They know better than the MoF2 and the media spinners that Malaysia is not on a different planet. We are on Planet Earth and like everybody else we are not immune to the worsening global recession. It had happened in 1997/98 and it’s happening again.

If he didn’t know, the best thing to do was not to mislead others. Or somebody should have told him not to make those misleading statements to the Press. Erroneous information had brought discredit and disrepute to the government and problems to the investors and consumers.

The question is have they spent everything in the 2009 Budget and the stimulus package? If they have, what are the projects? Similarly, what has happened to the projects and allocation under the 9th Malaysian Plan?

According to official sources, the money is being spent, citing the case of 14,000 over contracts worth RM500 million awarded to Class F contractors.

Some say it makes more sense for the government to wait until the first quarter to be over and the results are known before rushing to present a mini budget unless the government has run out of money.

The expectation is for more bad news around April. So it is wise for the government to be patient and wait for clearer indicators before acting.

The MoF2

BEFORE we proceed further, we have better give a bit of background of MoF2. He is mostly remembered for two things namely the Bank Negara’s loss of RM30 billion in foreign exchange trading in the early 1990s and for “advising” Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on the imposition of the limited exchange and capital control in 1998.

At RM2.50 to a USD then, the amount came to US$12 billion. Imagine what Malaysia could do with that amount of money.

The Governor then, late Tan Sri Jaffar Hussein, had to take responsibility for the fiasco and resigned. He was a decent man but died in disgrace and, literally, took the shame to the grave.

The MoF2 too resigned but got a job in Mun Loong Berhad with the help of then Finance Minister, Anwar Ibrahim. It’s a common knowledge that there’s a 600-page complaint against him by Gerakan Rakyat Anti Korupsi (Gerak).

When Dr Mahathir decided to impose capital control, it took the National Economic Action Council (NEAC) six months to agree because it wanted to be absolutely sure that the plan worked. It did.

MoF2 then was recalled to join the Bank Negara as advisor because the newly appointed Governor, Ali Abul Hassan, who came from EPU, had no banking experience. Later he was made advisor to Dr Mahathir.

Abdullah appeared not to have made a distinction between an advisor and someone who runs and manages an organisation. So he made Noor Mohammad MoF2. Since then we all know how the economy has performed.

Reading is a must at the MoF. There are plenty of files that must be read and understood. It’s a huge Ministry, which includes Bank Negara.

Abdullah’s interest in and understanding of complex fiscal and monetary matter is always suspected. So the day-to-day running of the ministry is left with MoF2. It’s also a common knowledge that the MoF2 and the Bank Negara Governor, Zeti Akhtar Aziz, do not see eye-to-eye.

This kind of situation can only lead to mess and we have every reason to worry about the incoherent policies and confusion as to who really runs the economy.

Conflicting Views

TAKE the example of the MoF recently saying that he was not ready with details of the Mini Budget but EPU chief, Dr Sulaiman Mahbob, was reported as saying that it was ready and programmes would be skewed in favour of the private sector.

A few days earlier, the MoF2 said there were a lot of surprises and goodies in the Mini Budget. So who is telling the truth?

This kind of media information shows not only a lack of coordination, but also a lack of secrecy. In the past, budgets were kept secret and closely guarded until they were presented to the Parliament.

Abdullah was advised by his advisers and consultants to revise and revoke policies of the Mahathir era. They created the impression that a lot of money was wasted under Dr Mahathir.

They talked about reducing the deficit and many educated people were taken by their public relations exercise and cheered the reversal of Dr Mahathir’s policies.

Dr Mahathir’s policies were tried and tested. We have one million registered foreign workers and another one million illegal to support the success his policies. There was growth, political stability and people have jobs and were generally happy.

No intelligent government would want to change or abandon these successful policies. But Abdullah listened to the MoF2 and 4th Floor boys and changed them.

The MoF2 was advisor to Dr Mahathir. He supported Dr Mahathir’s successful policies. But once Dr Mahathir left he agreed and followed those who wanted his policies discarded.

Strange enough, not long after that, the projects were re-started at double the price and to make matters worse, retail fuel prices were increased by 40%.

Thus a lot of knowledgeable observers wondered if the MoF2 and the smart boys on the 4th floor had the knowledge and foresight to detect the onslaught of troubles and problems the country is now facing.

Warnings Unheeded

THERE were no shortages of warnings and cautionary notes from the experts. The former MoF, Tun Daim Zainuddin, had warned as early as 2007 of the looming sub-prime crisis.

But fearing that such warnings might affect the Stock Market, the local press refused to publish them.

In a July 2008 article in the Malaysian Business Daim advised the Government to tell people the truth and prepare them for the worse and yet Budget was still bullish on economy and suddenly while winding up the Budget, the MoF tabled a stimulus package.

Overnight things have gone wrong and now in March there are signs of panic and another stimulus package is being proposed.

Please let the rakyat know what has happened to the 9th Malaysian Plan allocations, the Budget 2009 and the RM7-billion stimulus package before this new mini budget is presented.

Where has the money gone? The people are shocked and suspicious. Rumours abound that all contracts are given to friendly parties.

Even Ministers are unhappy as their recommendations were ignored. Ordinary people don’t see the multiplier effects and are angry with the government over their daily problems like rising prices, unemployment and crimes.

Only the MoF2 is still giving press statements telling people not to worry, more goodies are coming and everything is ok.

Abdullah has acknowledged his shortcoming and has done the honourable thing by stepping down early. He reiterated that he would go by the end of the month. The King had already thanked him and wanted a smooth transition.

It’s only logical that the people, whom he trusted but failed to do their job well and, as a result, brought hardship and misery to the people, should also step down or be removed.

Speed Is The Essence

IF we do not work fast to halt and then reverse our faltering economy, there is nothing to stop our country becoming a basket case by which time it’s too late and we really will have to beg from the likes of the IMF.

If the Federal Government seems at a loss as to how to handle the crisis, the Oppositions are not doing any better. They too have no clue. We deserve the government we elect and we also deserve the Oppositions we put in place.

For the Government to enjoy the confidence and support of the people, it must tell the truth and stop flip-flopping like it did in the cases of the highway toll increase, the KLIA LCCT and the proposed part-privatization of the National Heart Institute.

The people have felt the effects of the crisis a long time ago. They are angry at not being told the truth. The government has to acknowledge this if it hopes to get the cooperation and support of the people in riding out this economic tsunami.

68 comments:

Legal Cat said...

They need a think tank with all those who really counts like the two Tuns...

Anonymous said...

Dear Datuk,
Lama tak komen. Saya dah sebut kat blog Datuk ni lama dulu dah pasal MoF2 ni. Lepas tu ada sorang commenter suruh saya pergi baca buku, "Go read a book!".

Common knowledge juga sekarang MoF2 tak boleh sign projek dah. Saya tertanya-tanya jugak apa dah jadi pada Persatuan Bisnes India Muslim Penang (Persatuan Tak Rasmi) yang selalu lepak Putrajaya Lake Clubhouse tu. Diorang masih rajin buat hourly-trip lagi kat Kementerian Kewangan ke?

Jawatan penting macam Menteri Kewangan ni, jangan bagi pada orang politik. Betul, Nor Yackop asalnya bukan orang politik. Tapi, ada orang yang cucuk dia masuk bertanding. Habis semua local UMNO Warlords nak dilanggar. Dapatlah dia 1 kerusi MP Tasek Gelugor. Seorang penyokong UMNO (tak tahu lah dari kawasan mana)pernah bersembang dengan saya, "Bodohlah siapa tak sokong Tan Sri Nor Yackop, macam-macam pembangunan dia boleh bawak kat sini". Saya diam aje lah. Sekarang nak balik tengok kawasan, lagi nak urus ekonomi. Haii, mana satu nak buat ni? Takkan nak suruh Setiausaha Politik Hasbi urus ekonomi masa dia balik kawasan kot?

Tapi rasanya, dulu dan sekarang sama sahaja. Tunggang-terbalik ekonomi dibuatnya. Dengan pelbagai keputusan kerajaan yang mengusik kalbu.

Harap-harap Datuk Najib buat keputusan yang bijak nanti. Ada ura-ura katanya MoF2 ni nak ditransfer ke JPM jaga EPU. Saya rasa Najib lebih bijak dari tu. Kalau dia letak jugak kawan kita ni dalam kerajaan, eloklah kita siap nak pangkah untuk kerajaan lain pulak next election.

Sekarang kita confuse jugak dalam UMNO ni, ada yang rupa tak macam melayu. Cakap pun tak macam melayu. Depan geng dia, 'speaking', tapi bukan 'speaking' English. Tapi bila kita nak tanya, "You ni....", belum habis tanya, "Saya ni melayulah!!".

Hmm, Saya cadangkan Kimma (Kongres India Muslim Malaysia) sertai saja BN kalau nak jadi Menteri ke apa ke.

A.R.Razman

A KADIR JASIN said...

Sdr A.R. Razman dan pembahas yang mulia,

Mohon kerjasama. Minta jangan buat serangan peribadi atau ungkit asal keturuan.

Dalam Umno sekarang macam-macam ada. Bukan Melayu atau Muslim saja lagi.

Ada kawan saya seorang keturunan Punjabi tetapi Muslim, dia pun ahli cergas Umno. Di Kedah, ramai orang keturunan Siam beragama Buddha ahli Umno.

Fasal Menteri Kewangan, saya dah lama cadang PM tak boleh jadi Menteri Kewangan.

Terima kasih.

Anonymous said...

Salam DAKJ

1. Superb!!, your kopitiam discussion is more precise than our cabinet meeting which is more concise.
2. “RULE No 2” in medicine is don’t be a HERO; It means, if you don’t know something, please ask for help from the expert.
3. There are a few criteria of expert, well known consultant, consultant to be, look like consultant and not expert at all (like 4th floor). You have to choose wisely and without bias. If you make a wrong decision, then the conclusion will be flip flop.
4. Malaysia has the most superb super senior consultant; Tun Dr. Mahathir . Please ask for his help.
5. I don’t want to make any suggestion because this topic is my “blind spot”. So, my recommendation is to go back to statement No 2, 3 and No 4. TQ.

Anonymous said...

Dato'
No matter how it is twisted, Pak Lah, Najib, MoF2, Che Det, Daim and some names mentioned in the article, it stinks.
You forgot Dato', why we ended in the present situation. Those names mentioned above have a common factor and as well as a factor that remain constant throughout 50 years of government which only the rakyats know the answer. The rakyats will deliver the answer sooner or later.
If we want to progress and face the assault of the economic downturn, stop the blame game now, forget all this "ungkit mengungkit" now. It is about the country, about the people present and future generation.
Forget about all the praises and ingratiation. Surely you know Pak Lah, Najib and even Anwar, can't you stem your influence and tell them off and wake up!!! Enough is enough. dh9753

Unknown said...

Dato'

You have aptly highlighted the issues that the government must address and address swiftly...Unfortunately we have to wait (Like the "Akan Datang" Trailer in Movie Houses) until the 10th (screening date) to gather what is going on!!

The biggest issue is that of credibility...It's not unknown that on the streets the rakyat are saying that whatever packages to be handed out will be handed out to favourite parties (perceptions of the usual crony mentality). To claim credibility the government must exercise transparency and specify where and for whom these "rescue packages" are going to go.

Lastly, the current political turmoil will only make things worse for the government, not better......

ReMyZiEy said...

dear dato',

actually what's the point of knowing this from the government itself when all of us had already realized the situation.

Even during Tun M tenure the government kept telling the people to have faith in their policy although the whole world is in doubt with it. Yet we succeeded although some said we were just lucky

Anonymous said...

Dato Kadir oh Dato Kadir,

Asyik nak sokong & pertahankan Mahathir jer.

Walaupun Mahathir perdana menteri masa itu, semua tanggungjawab dan kesilapan yang dilakukan sewaktu pentabirannya itu semua salah orang lain jer, seolah-olah Mahathir tu malaikat yang suci.

Tolonglah Dato, janganlah mempersendakan intelek orang Melayu.

Rencana Dato tu kandungannya ada yang menarik dan bermanfaat dari segi ekonomik. Tapi cukuplah nak mempertuankan dan memperjuangkan Mahathir ni Dato. Sayang kalau tulisan berkualiti rosak sebab pendirian politik peribadi yang kurang rasional.

Quantum Metal Consultant said...

Fasal Menteri Kewangan, saya dah lama cadang PM tak boleh jadi Menteri Kewangan.
................................

Dato' tersengaja bercakap atau tidak sedar.

Sekarang Menteri Kewangan adalah Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan pada March nanti Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan juga adalah Presiden UMNO - selari dengan apa Dato' cadangkan.

Pada masa itu PM masih Dato' Abdullah Ahmad Badawi seorang ahli UMNO, Ketua Bahagian UMNO Kepala Batas dan Ahli Parlimen Kepala Batas dan dipilih secara majoriti di parlimen untuk terus kekal sebagai Perdana Menteri Malaysia - selari dengan cadangan Pakatan Parti Pembangkang (PPP).

Ekonomi - pasti merudum.

mannmusa said...

PM mmg tak boleh menjawat Menteri Kewangan...pasal menteri kewangan perlukan tumpuan serious.. perlu buat keputusan bijak tepat dan pada masanya...kalau PM jadi menteri kewangan masa dia terlalu terhad. Masa PM dan overview semua aspek negara.

Lihat siapa menarajui kementerian wang next coming april...

Raison D'etre said...

Datuk AKJ,

MOF2 still buoyant about the economy. Says (not verbatim) that at 0.1 percent is still positive growth.

Sigh..

Najib is talking one direction, he's taking another and they are both MOFs.

A study of the Japanese stimulus model of early 1990's points to expenditure to promote growth having to be very substantial and not stopped when things seemed in place.

I recalled there were so many, far too many announcements that remains just that: announcements.

There were sadly no visible spinoff that causes people's confidence to soar.

We do seem to have the penchant to do things halfhearted:
witness the agri / bio push, the corridor (was those projects to enrich kawan2s, I wonder).

Imagien my surprise to see the Philippines' possible 5.5% growth this year.

They had pushed their agro-based industry and is reaping the reward.

As for us, it was neither here nor there but everywhere.

Again, was that the result of a hotchspotch of middlemen proposed projects?

a.z said...

The question I'd like the soon to be new PM to answer is how he intends to ensure that the benefits of these stimulus package trickle down to the rakyat (golongan marhaen).
Pevious package didn't really work did it?
What will be the steps taken to ensure prudent goverment spending on one hand while in the other hand create more value in the country's economic cake so that it can be shared more fairly. Answer this without any political vibes, as the Prime Minister for all Malaysian.

Maybe The Scribe can write an article or invite knowledgeable economist to write on the economics of this stimulus and how it supposed to help those in need. Macam bagi hint pulak kat new PM and then we'll see if he really has the calibre to captain this boat called Malaysia for the next years.

Anonymous said...

Datok,
kenapa tak ada komen pasal politik perak,adakah Datok dah menyampah,buntu,konfius,keliru,bosan,atau ada sebab lain.isu ekonomi memang relevan ,tapi bagi saya politik diatas kerana politik melibatkan dasar dan halatuju negara/negeri.contoh di perak ,bagaimana kerajaan perak nak bercakap pasal ekonomi , nak sain cek pun tak tahu siapa yang sah(nizar atau Zambry).Datok tak rasa kesian ke kepada rakyat awam di perak nak cari makan,MB mana yang nak ditemui,pihak mana nak buak payment projek DSB.dah berminggu tak selesai.saya pelik pihak yang mendakwa arif pasal undang2/perlembagaan nampak senyap sunyi,tak bersungguh,apa sudah jadi,moga allah selamatkan kita semua.
maaf tajuk lari
zmy.

hlekir said...

Kalau pasal kewangan pun tak boleh cerita keadaan sebenar, apakah depa (BN) nak cerita yg sebenar berkaitan politik?

Iskandar PT said...

Salam Dato',

Pak Lah nak padam sejarah TDM yang berjaya menangani masalah ekonomi 1997-98 dengan berbagai dasar yang kononnya akan memadam jasa TDM selama 23 tahun.
Dasar Pertanian yang dikemukakan oleh Pak Lah memang baik untuk negara, tetapi bila tingkat 4 lebih berkuasa menentukan dasar negara, Pak Lah menjadi boneka mereka.
MOF2 dah lama kita tahu tentang kesilapan yang dilakukan oleh beliau, bila Pak Lah ambil jadi Menteri ia merupakan kesilapan BN kali ke 2.
Kenyataan Pak Lah yang "flip-flop " menambahkan ketidak percayaan rakyat terhadap polisi dan dasar kerajaan BN.
Kejadian yang banyak berlaku akhir-akhir ini menambahkan kekeliruan rakyat, antaranya:-
1. Tumbangnya PR di Perak angkara BN.
2. SPRM yang hanya menyiasat kes terpilih khususnya yang melibatkan ahli politik PR.
3. Isu Tol. Kerajaan sepatutnya dah lama membeli UEM dan PLUS untuk kesejahteraan rakyat.
4. Isu Petrol. Kerajaan sewajarnya menurunkan harga bahan bakar tersebut.
5. Tariff letrik. sewajarnya kerajaan menurunkan tariff letrik lagi untuk pengusaha IKSdan kilang-kilang bernafas.
6. Isu ekonomi. Kerajaan hanya memberikan angka-angka palsu tentang indeks harga, inflasi, pengangguran dll.
Akibat BN/PR terlalu berpolitik dan mempolitikkan isu, negara dalam kegawatan dan sehingga tak tahu bila.

Anak_Parit

budak-kom said...

matthias chang dah sebut pasal ni lama dah datuk...dia sbut satu persatu...baguslah dsn nak bagitau perkara sebenara..tun pun dah pesan kat kerajaan aritu, tapi sape tun d mata kerajaan...orang nyayuk...kalau betul tun orang nyayuk. gila ke orang yang panggil tun kat luar negara aritu cakap pasal ekonomi n mengutuk negara maju d persidangan davos...tun mempunyai banyak penasihat, tapi tun juga kata dia bukan posmen..dia teliti dulu semua nasihat n buat keptusan..tun sedar masalah nor yakop tapi krisis 97 98 membuatkan tun tersepit.tun pernha bagitau takde orang yang boleh bagi jawapan kepada soalan dia.tun tak buat kptusan terburu2 tapi tun sruh dia jelaskan semua perkara..tanya semua data n latar belakang camne perkara ini boleh terjadi...lepas tu baru tun buat kptusan.tun bukan posmen yang buat je benda yang d nasihat tapi tun teliti n letakkan negara d hadapan-lepas tu buat kputusan.bagi saya,silap bagi nor yakop bertaraf menteri kerana kepakaran beliau tak perlu menjadi menteri.dia jadi penasihat tun lama tapi nape berkesan juga...mungkin kerana tun tau batasan yang perlu kepada nor yakop

Anonymous said...

Apa ni Dato!

Dato Kadir berkata Orang Punjabi pun ahli UMNO???

Ini dah tak betul ni. Ni dah salah ni, Dato!

Mana boleh orang Punjabi jadi ahli parti orang Melayu, Dato!

Kenapa orang Cina dan India tak ramai dalam UMNO cam PKR?

Ni dah haram ni, orang Punjabi yang masuk Islam untuk memperkudakan sistem bumiputera.

Ini harus dicegah, Dato!

dan kajang said...

As'kum Dato',

1. Memang betul rakyat sekarang agak keliru dengan keadaan kegawatan ekonomi semasa.Disekeliling kita amat jelas tentang kelembapan ekonomi.Banyak projek2 terbengkalai.Banyak kilang2 terpaksa ditutup dan ramai pekerja hilang pekerjaan.Ramai kontraktor yang menjalankan kerja2 Jabatan Kerajaan mula mengeluh kerana tidak banyak kerja dan kalau ada kerja pun pembayaran terlalu lambat dibuat.Semua ini membuktikan ada krisis kewangan yang amat dasyat.

2. Namum dari kenyataan2 YB2 Menteri, mereka memberi gambaran yang indah2 seolah2 tidak ada apa yang perlu dicemaskan.Terus terang saya katakan bahawa rakyat sekarang sebenarnya sudah hilang kepercayaan kepada semua kenyataan Bapak2 Menteri kita.Terlalu banyak flip flop.Kita tidak tahu samada mereka ini tidak bercakap benar (menipu) atau tidak tahu apa yang mereka cakapkan.Ini suatu keadaan yang merbahaya kepada kepimpinan negara.

3. Keadaan negara kita menjadi lebih teruk lagi apbila ahli2 politik samada dari pihak Kerajaan BN atau pembangkang PR asyik sibuk dengan masalah politik masing2 yang tidak memberi faedah kepada pemulihan ekonomi semasa.Yang terbaru mesyuarat DUN Perak diadakan di bawah pokok.Macam zaman purba cerita Laksamana Do Re Me.Pelabur luar akan hilang keyakinan kepada suasana begini.

4. Kerajaan sekarang tidak fokus kepada penyelesaian kegawatan ekonomi.Seperti kata bekas Menteri Kewangan Tun Daim, Kerajaan perlu wujudkan sekor keutamaan bagi memudahkan bank tempatan menyalur dana bagi merangsang ekonomi.Kurangkan karenah birokrasi.Ini yang perlu dilakukan oleh Kerajaan apabila mengumumkan Mini Bajet 10 Mac ini.Rakyat perlu tahu apa yang akan dan sedang dilakukan oleh Kerajaan.

5. Saya juga setuju dengan Dato' bahawa langkah pertama yang perlu dibuat oleh DS Najib apabila memegang teraju kepimpinan negara ialah mengugurkan mereka yang selama ini menyebab kepada kemusnahan dan hilangnya kepercayaan rakyat terhadap kepimpinan negara.DS Najib perlu berhati2 melantik Penasihat yang sesuai."Kitar semula" orang2 politik seperti TDM dan Tun Daim bagi membantunya.

dan kajang said...

As'kum Dato',

1. Memang betul rakyat sekarang agak keliru dengan keadaan kegawatan ekonomi semasa.Disekeliling kita amat jelas tentang kelembapan ekonomi.Banyak projek2 terbengkalai.Banyak kilang2 terpaksa ditutup dan ramai pekerja hilang pekerjaan.Ramai kontraktor yang menjalankan kerja2 Jabatan Kerajaan mula mengeluh kerana tidak banyak kerja dan kalau ada kerja pun pembayaran terlalu lambat dibuat.Semua ini membuktikan ada krisis kewangan yang amat dasyat.

2. Namum dari kenyataan2 YB2 Menteri, mereka memberi gambaran yang indah2 seolah2 tidak ada apa yang perlu dicemaskan.Terus terang saya katakan bahawa rakyat sekarang sebenarnya sudah hilang kepercayaan kepada semua kenyataan Bapak2 Menteri kita.Terlalu banyak flip flop.Kita tidak tahu samada mereka ini tidak bercakap benar (menipu) atau tidak tahu apa yang mereka cakapkan.Ini suatu keadaan yang merbahaya kepada kepimpinan negara.

3. Keadaan negara kita menjadi lebih teruk lagi apbila ahli2 politik samada dari pihak Kerajaan BN atau pembangkang PR asyik sibuk dengan masalah politik masing2 yang tidak memberi faedah kepada pemulihan ekonomi semasa.Yang terbaru mesyuarat DUN Perak diadakan di bawah pokok.Macam zaman purba cerita Laksamana Do Re Me.Pelabur luar akan hilang keyakinan kepada suasana begini.

4. Kerajaan sekarang tidak fokus kepada penyelesaian kegawatan ekonomi.Seperti kata bekas Menteri Kewangan Tun Daim, Kerajaan perlu wujudkan sekor keutamaan bagi memudahkan bank tempatan menyalur dana bagi merangsang ekonomi.Kurangkan karenah birokrasi.Ini yang perlu dilakukan oleh Kerajaan apabila mengumumkan Mini Bajet 10 Mac ini.Rakyat perlu tahu apa yang akan dan sedang dilakukan oleh Kerajaan.

5. Saya juga setuju dengan Dato' bahawa langkah pertama yang perlu dibuat oleh DS Najib apabila memegang teraju kepimpinan negara ialah mengugurkan mereka yang selama ini menyebab kepada kemusnahan dan hilangnya kepercayaan rakyat terhadap kepimpinan negara.DS Najib perlu berhati2 melantik Penasihat yang sesuai."Kitar semula" orang2 politik seperti TDM dan Tun Daim bagi membantunya.

abe MIE 'TERJAH' said...

http://pkrpasdap.blogspot.com


utamakan apa yang perlu..mujurlah TUN dah bina KLCC dan putrajaya..kalau tak malaysia tak ada apa2 lah sekrang...

amoker said...

MOF2 is one who have overstayed. It is time for him to go. The local businesses have a list of his mistakes and that does not provide any sense of security and assureness of his ability. He might do well in the first try but prob due to TDM. On his own, there is no sense of direction.

Anonymous said...

Yes tell rakyat the truth and stop flip floping decisions it will put bad image on the government. Take what expert suggest on the issue and stop politiking

Anonymous said...

Dear Dato

It is always a pleasure to read your blog pieces.

The crisis is here, and those ppl must be in lala land when they tell us we are not affected.

The papers that published those comments that saying that we are shielded or whatsoever bear the most responsibility.

In my opinion, we do not have quality leaders, and simply those incapable ones are there for too long, too rich, and too clueless onwhat is happening here.

For me myself, currently working abroad really, the threat of the crisis can be felt most, experiencing the height of job security risk.

Wake up already. Dun recycle those old woods.

Regards,

YK

Anonymous said...

Dear Dato

It is always a pleasure to read your blog pieces.

The crisis is here, and those ppl must be in lala land when they tell us we are not affected.

The papers that published those comments that saying that we are shielded or whatsoever bear the most responsibility.

In my opinion, we do not have quality leaders, and simply those incapable ones are there for too long, too rich, and too clueless onwhat is happening here.

For me myself, currently working abroad really, the threat of the crisis can be felt most, experiencing the height of job security risk.

Wake up already. Dun recycle those old woods.

Regards,

YK

Abi Ayyub said...

I read what MOF2 said about the incidents of how the currency control comes into effect. I think that is one of the brilliant ideas which were translated into one of the best policies Malaysia ever had.

The problem is, I think he has the knowledge like most people, but he definitely is not a leader material, and a lousy politician/ wakil rakyat.

There are no sincerity anymore for the rakyat, if not how come it is always the rakyat last. Highway is good, and toll to pay for its construction is a necessity, however when its purpose is to enrich some few it becomes bad.

Water is important to life, when some people benefit more than the rakyat it becomes bad, worst of all when one lucky lawyer whose knowledge of water is as good as mine gets 5.1 million annually that is ridiculous.

So all in all, we need to pay when we can effort it, I don't mind paying for the first 20cubic m of water, although I'll accept the gift, the money could be better use for a SPECIAL FUND on education or EMERGENCY.

As I See it, people already no that the economy is in bad shape, lets work together to find the right solution and implement it fast.

Anonymous said...

Datuk,

Saya adalah pengundi di Parlimen MoF2 ni, dulu saya pangkah dia kerana jasa dia membantu Tun dlm krisis 97-98. tapi lepas pilihanraya lebih banyak kesilapan yang dilakukan oleh MoF2 ni kerana dok sibuk turun padang sebagai MP. Taulah Penang ni berapa kerat ja Parlimen BN.

Saya rasa MoF ni dah dalam mod automatik macam Tun Mahathir pernah tulis dalam blognya.

tidak ada control system sehinggakan keputusan penting mengenai kepentingan ekonomi negara di buat secara sembrono tanpa ada kajian khusus tentang impak sesuatu keputusan terhadap rakyat dan negara.

Saya yg ada sedikit darah keturunan
mamak ni rasa malu dengan beliau kerana kami mamak bangga jadi Melayu bukan mengasing diri dengan berbahasa tamil.

Anonymous said...

Saya berharap Najib dapat membawa dua Tun dalam majlis penasihat ekonomi selepas PakLah turun. Orang lama ni masih berbisa.

The Botak Man said...

Sdr. A Kadir Jasin,

There is not much the government could tell the people apart from the constant denials. And they are still doing it blatantly.

As you and others rightly pointed out, how could a trading nation like Malaysia continue to be resilient to the crisis when all (almost) its trading partners are in recession, some deeply!

How could a government with integrity continue to sing such tune (all is well and we are resilient) when it is very obvious that we are not immune to a crisis of such magnitude?

Of course, the fault lies with us for voting such people to be our government. Unfortunately for us, the opposition is no better!

Yes, I was told of the RM30 billion blunder but only RM9 billion was "recognised as losses" by one of the people entrusted to "clean-up" and Jaafar Hussein had to take the rap. Yes, it is a known fact that MOF2 and BNM Governor don't see eye-to-eye! Yes, I was also told that FM2 is quite vindictive even to those that helped him when he was "down".

It has been mentioned that some people got their "war chest" ready one year ahead of the last GE mindful that it is their first election! Interesting...?

I totally disagree with ValueCap and its intentions, no matter how noble these appeared. I strongly believe that it is totally a waste of public funds! But who am I to disagree??

The government and Najib as the FM1 and PM-in-waiting should not take the rakyat as fools!

Praises heaped onto Najib when he was appointed FM1 was ridiculous. Just because he read Econs in varsity does not make him an economist and economically-inclined. Irregardless of academic background and discipline, a PM must have the intellect to focus, understand, think, analyse and decide based on facts. Taking over Perak via technicalities does not speak well of the people involved, Najib included!

As a rakyat, I want actions, coordinated ones to face the harsh reality that Malaysia WILL be affected by the global crisis... not time-wasting and time-consuming politicking by the appointed raps. Time passed and could never be recovered!

I am now starting to do restructuring of companies. I am quite sure there are others out there doing similar things. This time around, without, proper concise plan of action by the government, our restructuring efforts could proved to be futile and the banking sector would be hit. It is not easy to restructure a company when its viability depends very much on the export market...

God help us!

Sekian.

ab said...

3.3.2009

Salam Dato,
Malaysia susah nak export barangan, harga minyak sawit dan getah rendah dan harga petroleum rendah.
Prasarana ekonomi saya fikir dah bagus sebab itulah dah banyak tahun ekonomi tumbuh positif ,tapi ada yang bolih diperbaiki juga.

`PHYSICAL MONEY’ dah sikit sangat, kalau dato bercakap tentang wang 100 ringgit, duit yang bolih di pegang untuk jual beli dalam 1-2 ringgit saja ni..,yang lain tu DUIT DIUDARA! (nonexisting money). Jual beli memerlukan physical money.

NON EXISTING MONEY NI duk membelon besarnya sekarang…. Pokok dan faedah menambah setiap saat diseluroh negara…..berbagai macam hutang dengan FIXED INTEREST RATES! ( MASA SIGNED AGGREMENT PINJAMAN DULU)…

GOMEN AMBIL REAL `physical money’ dalam income tax,custom tax,corporate tax, dividend dsb.. GOVERNTMENT BONDS also suck `physical money” away.

KAT MANA NAK CARI DUIT YANG TAK ADA NI untuk bayar interest,cukai dsb?.Semua orang berebut untuk mendapatkan duit yang tak ada ni!. Bayangkan jumlah yang perlu dicari tapi tak ada jika setiap ketua rumah dimalaysia perlu dapatkan 50,000-100,000 ringgit untuk bayar faedah hutang…..tak termasuk pokoknya.

Saya fikir gomen perlu order duit baru berkapal/kontena.


In return for the new cash,the government also has to order and provide the amount for the interest as well. These new physical money is sent to the public in exchange for new schools,bridges,buildings,road and etc. Baru orang bolih berniga dan dapat jumlah yang selama ini tak ada…

IN ADDITION THE GOMEN must buy back the bonds and other assets with REAL MONEY, also to send new real money to the public.

IT IS NO WAY OUT OF THIS MESS IF THE GOVERNMENT KEEPS ON TAKING THE REAL PHYSICAL MONEY AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC and shouting about encouraging peoples to borrow credit instead!

OUTDATED MODEL AND OUTDATED ECONOMY NI!!!

The LYING MOF 1 & 2 are no better.

Abu Bakar Ab Rahman

Unknown said...

kerajaan menipu saya..saya benci kerajaan..kata ekonomi ok 3.5 skang 0.1 ape cerita?

mad said...

berkenaan Stimulus Package 1 berjumlah RM7 billion, setakat ini hanya RM567.9 juta yg dibelanjakan, atau baru 9% dari jumlah yg dibentangkan di parlimen tahun lalu.

dipetik dari blog jeff ooi :

"..This afternoon, Nor Mohamed only mentioned at the Dewan Rakyat that the RM567.9 million spent had been allocated for 8,474 projects. Details unknown..."

FG1008760 - 0122231890 (ikhlas.fg1008760@gmail.com) said...

1. Mungkin bajet mini nanti boleh menjadi indikator kemampanan ekonomi malaysia.

2. Sekarang kami pedalaman sarawak pun kurang memahami dan terdedah kepada senario yang benar, tepat dan menyakinkan tentang ekonomi. Tiada nilai kuantiti/indikator mengenai data.

3. Beritahu kepada masyarakat apa yang masyarakat perlu lakukan kepada negara untuk membuat persediaan menghadapi ekonomi bukannya menghiburkan masyarakat dengan pengumuman yang gimik.

Anonymous said...

Dear datuk sooner or later the pandora box will be opened and out comes the truth about the economic of our country and won t be that great.

Anonymous said...

Salam datuk...

Kita ya ajelah apa yang najib buat...baik untuk dia baiklah untuk kita...nak ke najib tu dengar nasihat ari rakyat.

Zamrul KL

Anonymous said...

Datuk,
Saya berpendapat analisis dan perhitungan Datuk mengenai situasi dan kondisi negara berkaitan ekonomi dan politik, tepat, membimbangkan dalam masa yang sama membingunkan jika dilihat tindak tanduk pihak pemimpin Kerajaan.
Pelanggan utama kita ia itu AS telah secara terang terangan mengistiharkan mereka sedang hadapi keadaan ekonomi yang gawat dan teruk.
Kerajaan kita masih berdolak dalik dan sehari dua ini hanya Najib kelihatan sedang cuba memberi gambaran yang serius.Yang lain hanya mengelirukan.
Keadaan politik pula terumbang ambing, di Perak keadaan masih teruk dan sudah timbul pula tuduhan apartheid dari DAP di Seremban.
Karpal tak habis habis dengan eksploitasinya melalui kelonggaran undang undang sahingga turut cuba mengguna DYMM SPB Agung.
Seorang bekas tokoh bank membayangkan besar kemungkinan pada penghujung tahun ini pengangguran akan menjejas satu juta.
Peristiwa peristiwa mutakhir ini belum pernah berlaku dalam sejarah termasuk "dewan undangan negeri bersidang dibawah pokok", bayangkan kartunnya segala pergolakan ini.
Saya seorang pesara "security practitioner" melihat segala yang sedang berlaku dalam bidang bidang sosial, ekonomi dan politik dengan perasaan yang amat membimbangkan.
Pari parti komponen dalam BN seperti UMNO, MCA dan MIC juga sedang begelora. Pihak pembangkang asyik mencari salah orang lain dan belum sempat lagi membuktikan kebolehan memerintah dengan berkesan.
Apakah semua ini berlaku secara spontan tanpa kaitan antara satu dengan yang lain atau sedang mengikut satu rancangan towards destablising the country?
Sebagai seorang wargaemas saya hanya dapat bertanya pada diri sendiri dan berdoa moga moga Allah SWT memeliharakan kita, Amin.
Your persistent pessimism is indeed welcomed and hopefully may catch the attention of those in power and shake them up from their slumber and over confidence and check the rot.
Dzulman, Shah Alam.

Anonymous said...

Betul juga kata Razman tu, orang melayu ni sebenarnya baik-baik belaka. Tak kisah lah melayu UMNO ke melayu PAS ke. Cina dan India datang dahulu juga tidak dihalau balik ke tempat asal.

Macam dalam UMNO juga. Siapa-siapa pun boleh join. Kalau kat Sabah ni, macam-macam kaum ada dalam UMNO. Tapi tak apa juga, kerana orang melayu sebenarnya baik hati.

Diharap orang lain tidak mengambil kesempatan di atas kebaik-hatian orang melayu ni.

Anonymous said...

Datuk

Too much truth already, so how to tell the untruth out of the truth?.

Anonymous said...

Datuk,

Begitulah cara bila orang yang selama ini disangsi latarbelakangnya masih dekat dengan kuasa baik di zaman Tun Mahathir atau Pak Lah sendiri.

Tahniah dan terima kasih diucapkan atas penerangan di atas dan sepatutnya Datuk lebih berani menjelaskann perkara sebegini semasa di zaman Tun Mahathir lagi.

Cuma sudah terlewat sedikit..tidak mengapa dan harap kebenaran terus dipertahankan.

Rakan20G

besi said...

tell people the truth? kat parlimen
menteri kewangan tak bagi maklumat yang sahih ke? orang kata jawapan parlimen jawapan rasmi kerajaan...

kalau itu pun tak truth? datuk kat mana lagi rakyat biasa nak tau?

Hambali ® said...

Salam Datuk, I cant comment too much as economic is not my bread and butter.

But deep inside my heart, "i feel" that it's like nothing has been done by the Government recently (exclude the Stimulus package announced by Najib).

What i meant was, no "serious" effort or action taken to tackle the economic problems. We can see here that price of basic needs are going up without control.

Dont talk about the GDP and so on. Im a layman. So i only talk as a layman. Pakcik Man in Padang Melangit in Kangaq or Makcik Senah Kota Aur in Sik doesnt care about the GDP, Total Export or what so ever but they do care when price of flour, sugar and "ikan temenung" increases. From there, they know that something is not right with our economic situation.

Yes the economic problem that we face now is the the global problem. Just like SARS problem we faced several years back. It was also a global deases. But when SARS attacked, we did take lots of action in order TO MINIMIZE the consequences. And we do succeed eventhough we cant archieve a 100% perfect.

But unfortunately, i cant see (and i feel; since this is my opinion) that no serious action taken by the Govrnment (which is of course lead by Paklah).

I think we've to accept fact that "Malaysian Polictis Too Much".
Accepting the fact only might be not enough. Maybe we should learn how to priotize it.
The End.

yobolton said...

This is the time for us to know that how capable our leader can manage this country. This is also an opurtunity to Dato Seri Najib to show the people he is one of the leader of the century like his father.

Whatever action that our leader to make we hope it can ease burden of the people facing the global economic crisis.

Anonymous said...

Dear Bang Dir

Yep, its truth time.
They keep assuring us we are still okay.
Better to be an alarmist and a fear-monger than a dreamer.
I am no economist. But i rely on logic.
If US with the nobel laureate economists can't stem the tide of recession, how can we.
Also the oft-repeated saying when US sneezes, the world catches a cold.

Anonymous said...

assalamualaikum,

dear datuk & reader,

pertikaian mengenai mof2 ni memang menjadi topic utama,terutamanya dengan keadaan ekonomi yg tidak menentu seperti sekarang.perspektif saya mengenai mof2 ketika zaman Tun Mahathir (TM) ialah menganggap beliau sebagai economic-man. strictly bussiness,nothing personal.seseorang yang bukan dari kalangan arena politik dipanggil untuk menolong perdana menteri membantu negara keluar dari krisis ekonomi 1997.

namun di dalam sejarah malaysia membuktikan hanya ada satu daim yg sama hebat dgn Daimler-Chrysler iaitu Tun Daim(TD).Made in Derga.mof2 nyata tidak dapat menyumbang kepada negara seperti yg disumbangkan oleh TD.walaupun bnyk skandal yg dikaitkan dengan TD namun kredit kepada beliau tidak boleh dinafikan.walaupun nik aziz amat tidak bersetuju dengan TM namun dari segi pencapaian dan sumbangan TM diakui hebat oleh nik aziz.mudah saja dosa TM yg dilebelkan sebagai maha firaun kembali menjadi maksum iaitu dengan menyertai parti pas dan melawan umno.namun TM bukannya Islam atas nama borang keahlian pas,beliau fundamentalist islamic.aneh juga ramai pejuang islam dtg mendengar ceramah maha firaun.matlamat menghalalkan cara,boleh saja apa apa dilakukan asal matlamat tercapai.

berbalik kepada cerita ekonomi,begitu jugalah dgn TD yg walaupun beliau dianggap sebagai mof penuh dgn skandal namun beliau diakui salah seorang otak korporat melayu terbaik.melayu seperti ini kita boleh bangga.

atas sebab-sebab tertentu yg sy sendiri pun kurg arif,maka kedua-dua melayu kebanggaan saya ini(saya percaya kebanggaan rakyat malaysia juga) diketepikan dalam teraju kepimpinan malaysia pada hari ini.politik menjadi percaturan, ekonomi negara menjadi korban,rakyat yang sengsara.

dizaman saya bersekolah menengah di mrsm,berita negara kekurangan golongan profesional menjadi tajuk yg tidak asing.sampaikan diadakan fast-track program untuk menampung keperluan negara.betapa rasa ruginya saya tidak sempat graduate dizaman TM sebagai PM dan TD sbg mof.peduli apa dgn korupsi rasuah yg digembar gembur pembangkang, mereka membenci TM dan TD kerana mereka tidak akan sama sekali dapat menandingi ketokohan kedua-dua bintang melayu ini,namun faedah sumbangan mereka negara merasa.

mof2 mungkin juga genius,mungkin jugak tidak,namun ekonomi apabila timbang tara yg menjadi pemberat dlm membuat keputusan adalah bertunjangkan kepentingan politik maka apalah yg dpt diharap sgt(politik peribadi secara tepatnya).itu pun kalau dikaji semula keputusan menaikkan harga retail minyak amatlah tidak bijak sama sekali.tak mengapalah kalau tidak bijak ekonomi,namun kuasa politik pula tergadai dek keputusan itu.hari ni harga minyak turun semula,untuk menambah parah shahrir menyebut isu harga lantai minyak kerana dikhuatiri petronas rugi.kalau harga minyak naik pun rugi,harga jatuh pun rugi,adakah waktu bilanya harga minyak selamat?rakyat tak mahu tahu segala istilah ekonomi.

common sense tak diajar di sekolah mahupun univerisiti,cuma timba- timbalah ilmu dari org yg makan garam dulu.tak mengapa kalau tak pandai,tapi jgn sombong.

-check-

Anonymous said...

Scribe,

The Root Cause
(a greedy bendahara or a foolish man)


Terima Kasih.
(alhamdulillah: )

(bisikan hati: bagaimana sekiranya Sdr Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Onn: just wondering: was Tun Mahathir that honest when he was MoF that he survived and now an honorable statesman for the muslim world?)

Sha said...

The fact that Pak Lah said that he prefer fishing and gardening over blogging or writing really says a lot about his characteristics i.e. "lepak". He relied on MOF2 and Fourth Floor Boys to do everything for him I guess. A lot have been said (or rumoured) that our current PM don't read reports. And isn't it a coincidence that he'll be retitiring at a time when the nation is in economic troubles?

We can only hope that Najib can come up with something intelligent to cushion the people from going from recession to depression and by telling the truth is a good start. The rakyat is not bodoh, we know that the leaders are hiding something about the economic situation and that they have no speck of clue as to how to manage this mess.

Maybe the truth hurts but its far much better than not knowing at all. Maybe we the rakyat can be hand in hand with the government at dealing with this mess but we aren's able to do it if the govt. treats us like mental retards.

I watched the famed financier Suze Ormon on Oprah the other day and she said that the first thing that we all need to do to manage our debt and finances is by being truthful to yourself and to others. And if Najib really gonna start to give us the punch of truth, then we're all glad for that.

Anonymous said...

Dear Datuk,

(1) The newspapers reported that MOF2 had said we are not in recession technically. The rakyat are not interested in technicality. They are suffering. They want quick action from the government to overcome the recession they are facing. Maybe we should appoint MOF2 as Minister of Technicality!


(2) Amboi! What is going on? Like Datuk said, initially our MOF2 said all was well. Malaysia’s economy was healthy. Even the lady governor had been releasing figures every now and then to say that our growth was within target. Now MOF2 says we are technically not in recession. Do technicalities matter? Does MOF2 know there is retrenchment of workers and closing down of factories, repatriation of foreign workers, proposal to issue shopping vouchers to encourage spending, prices of things skyrocketing, etc., etc.? He is sleepwalking. Is he really qualified to hold his post? My advice to Najib as MOF, and when he takes over as PM, he should be self-reliant and learn to read and analyze figures. Don’t leave the fate of the country to a bunch of clowns. Sorry Datuk!


(3) When he takes over as PM, Najib’s greatest service to the nation is to get rid of all the jokers and clowns. We are facing the greatest economic crisis and let the clowns retire.

The Reader

Anonymous said...

Oh Dato;

IGNORANCE IS BLISS....



Politikus Bandar

Unknown said...

assalamualaikum,

dear datuk & reader,

pertikaian mengenai mof2 ni memang menjadi topik utama,terutamanya dengan keadaan ekonomi yg tidak menentu seperti sekarang.perspektif saya mengenai mof2 ketika zaman Tun Mahathir (TM) ialah menganggap beliau sebagai 'economics man'.strictly bussiness,nothing personal.seseorang yang bukan dari kalangan arena politik dipanggil untuk menolong perdana menteri membantu negara keluar dari krisis ekonomi 1997.

namun di dalam sejarah malaysia membuktikan hanya ada satu daim yg sama hebat dgn Daimler-Chrysler iaitu Tun Daim(TD).Made in Derga.mof2 nyata tidak dapat menyumbang kepada negara seperti yg disumbangkan oleh TD.walaupun bnyk skandal yg dikaitkan dengan TD namun kredit kepada beliau tidak boleh dinafikan.walaupun nik aziz amat tidak bersetuju dengan TM namun dari segi pencapaian dan sumbangan TM diakui hebat oleh nik aziz.mudah saja dosa TM yg dilebelkan sebagai maha firaun kembali menjadi maksum iaitu dengan menyertai parti pas dan melawan umno.namun TM bukannya Islam atas nama borang keahlian pas,beliau fundamentalist islamic.aneh juga ramai pejuang islam dtg mendengar ceramah maha firaun.matlamat menghalalkan cara,boleh saja apa apa dilakukan asal matlamat tercapai.

berbalik kepada cerita ekonomi,begitu jugalah dgn TD yg walaupun beliau dianggap sebagai mof penuh dgn skandal namun beliau diakui salah seorang otak korporat melayu terbaik.melayu mcm ni kita boleh bangga.

atas apa sebab yg nampak pasti mahupun tidak pasti kedua-dua melayu kebanggaan saya ini(saya percaya kebanggaan rakyat malaysia juga) diketepikan dalam teraju kepinpinan malaysia pada hari ini.politik menjadi percaturan, ekonomi negara menjadi korban,rakyat yang sengsara. dizaman saya di mrsm,berita negara kekurangan golongan profesional menjadi tajuk yg tidak asing.sampaikan diadakan fast-track untuk menampung keperluan negara.betapa rasa ruginya saya tidak sempat graduate dizaman TM sebagai PM dan TD sbg mof.peduli apa dgn korupsi rasuah yg digembar gembur pembangkang,mereka membenci TM dan TD kerana mereka tidak akan sama sekali dapat menandingi ketokohan kedua-dua bintang melayu ini,namun faedahnya sumbangan mereka rakyat merasa.

mof2 mungkin juga genius,mungkin jugak tidak,namun ekonomi apabila timbang tara yg menjadi pemberat dlm membuat keputusan adalah bertunjangkan kepentingan politik maka apa yg dpt diharap sgt(politik peribadi secara tepatnya).itu pun kalau dikaji semula keputusan menaikkan harga retail minyak amatlah tidak bijak sama sekali.tak mengapalah kalau tidak bijak ekonomi,namun kuasa politik pula tergadai dek keputusan itu.hari ni harga minyak turun semula,untuk menambah parah shahrir menyebut isu harga lantai minyak kerana dikhuatiri petronas rugi.kalau harga minyak naik pun rugi,harga jatuh pun rugi,adakah waktu bilanya harga minyak selamat?rakyat tak mahu tahu segala istilah ekonomi,common sense tak diajar di sekolah mahupun mana-mana univerisity,cuma timba timbalah ilmu dari org yg makan garam dulu.tak mengapa kalau tak pandai,tapi jgn sombong.

Faizal I.M

Anonymous said...

YBhg Dato` kadir Jasin.

Memang susahlah kalau MoF2 tidak bertentang mata dengan GBN. Bagaimana hendak selesai kemelut kegawatan ekonomi negara kalau kedua-ua orang kuat rakyat ini dalam situasi begini.

Saya dengar khabar, Amerika sekarang ini sedang kempen membeli barangan tempatan. Antara barangan yang termasuk dalam senarai barangan tempatan ialah minyak kacang soya. Kalau betullah, makin parahlah pasaran minyak kelapa sawit kita.

Nyonya kedai runcit tempat saya berbelanja memberitahu saya bahawa ekonomi negara akan menjadi lebih teruk menjelang bukan Jun ini. Mana dia dapat maklumat ini saya tidak tahu, sedangkan MoF2 kata ekonomi negara berkembang 3.5 peratus. Secara tiba-tiba, timbul rasa takut dalam diri saya. Lalu saya pun mengurangkan perbelanjaan saya pada hari itu. Beli barang keperluaan yang lebih murah dan lebih rendah mutu daripada kebiasaan. Itu baru nyonya yang tak sekolah tinggi mana yang beritahu. Kalau MoF beritahu, bukan sahaja bursa saham ang terjejas, mungkin semua orang jadi gelabah. Semua orang kurangkan perbelanjaan. Semua orang simpan duit. simpan duit baik untuk diri sendiri, tetapi dari segi ekonomi makro, duit yang disimpan tidak membantu ekonomi negara. Oleh itu. perlukah MoF " Economy :Tell People The Truth"

ps. Ini semua orang Amerika punya pasal. Dia orang pakai falsafah , Bio Pape asai begaye. Tak ada duit pakai kredit. Baru Amerika. Dah tak mampu bayar kita pulak yang kena bahana.

Anonymous said...

Sejak awal lagi kerajaan BN terkena sindrom 'denial' atau dalam bahasa Melayu yang sopan 'Bodoh Sombong'

Ditambahkan lagi pengadu domba MSM TV1,TV3,surat kabar utusan dan berita harian dsb yang sentiasa
melaporkan berita yang diputar belit dan mengelirukan.

Mungkin niat MSM untuk menutup sebarang kelemahan kerajaan dan peluang pembangkang dan rakyat untuk mendapat fakta-fakta yang boleh menyusahkan kerajaan apabila ditanya di parlimen.

Tetapi akibat putar belit itu terlalu acapkali disampaikan sehingga kerajaan BN sendiri terpedaya dan percaya kepada penipuan mereka sendiri.

Sepatutnya mereka tahu sekarang ada kelemahan dan ini masa untuk memperbakinya atau merancang strategi untuk menghadapinya.. namun putar belit MSM untuk membeli masa tidak dipergunakan dengan efektif dan kerajaan terus lalai dalam merancang strategi baru.

Rakyat Malaysia akan faham kelembapan ekonomi dunia akan dilalui oleh semua negara.

Tetapi mereka tidak faham apabila kerajaan masih terus dibuat mimpi dan tidak mempunyai idea yang mapan untuk menghadapinya..

Anonymous said...

Dato'

It's next to impossible for some rakyat not to be aware of the current economic meltdown that started with the collapse of the Lehman Brothers. The news is brought to our living room non stop by CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, etc. It has not bottomed out yet in the U.S. and their financial experts don't expect it to bottom out this year. Dollah and his people can continue wearing blinkers and regurgitate statements after statements but believe me even the apeks who help me choose my fabrics at one shop close to KotaRaya were telling me that they did not believe those statements made by Dollah and his MoF2 on the good health of our economy. And this was long before the stimulus package and mini budget. They didn't even have to watch CNN and the likes. Their indicator was the dwindling number of customers that stepped into their shop and who actually purchased their textiles. This country definitely need steadier hand at the helm and I am not only talking about Dollah and MoF2. Judging from some of the candidates that are most likely to run for the top posts in the coming UMNO election, one still cannot breathe easy. These candidates either buy their way out or in at every turn. I cannot help but wonder if it's a case of too little too late now. However, I absolutely support the idea of bringing in the 2 Tuns. It'll be very interesting to see whether these 2 Tuns be carrying out a "Search and Rescue" or "Search and Salvage" job.

Melati

Anonymous said...

salam DAKJ

There are too many comments regarding Dato’ Najib. It is not fair to judge him as a PM since he is not our PM yet. At least Dato’ Najib has proved that he is able to make his rivals ‘incontinence’ and ‘palpitation’ and cause ‘tremor’ of not only their knees but the whole body. And he had proved it in Perak. DO NOT underestimate his power.
To King Siva, You have lost. Please keep your mouth shut as ordered by the court he..he.. he..
To YAB Ir Nizar, Pergilah bercuti, perbanyakkanlah Istiqamah, buat sembahyang Tahajjud, buat sembahyang Istiqarah, Berkhalwat, pergi buat umrah, minta bantuan dan pedoman dari ALLAH. Insyaallah ALLAH akan membuka pintu hati hambanya. Islam adalah bersaudara. TQ

Anonymous said...

Datuk,

Saya rasa tidak banyak yang boleh berubah andai Najib nak tekankan sangat mengenai keadaan ekonomi negara yang lemah. Seperti berkata "bumi itu bulat". So what? Semua orang dah tahu dah. Yang penting sekarang, apa tindakan yang perlu diambil untuk menghadapi masalah ekonomi ini? Action! Action! Action! Itu saja rakyat nak tengok sekarang. Saya percaya, pihak pembangkang akan tetap membangkang tidak kira samada Najib cakap benar, cakap bohong atau cakap putar-belit. Kalau Najib putar cakap Jerman, pembangkang akan belit cakap Jerman. Kalau Najib putar cakap Arab, pembangkang akan belit cakap Arab. Itulah aktiviti utama pemimpin-pemimpin kita. Tak habis-habis main politik. Yang sengsara, rakyat! Oleh itu, saya harap Datuk boleh perbanyakan menulis mengenai bentuk cadangan atau tindakan yang kita rasa perlu kerajaan ambil untuk membantu rakyat. Nak kondem-kondem orang terutama yang macam MOF2 ni saya rasa buat buang masa saja. Beri lebih tumpuan pada cadangan seperti cadangan pengambilalihan PLUS oleh kerajaan, pengurangan harga petrol, harga elektrik, pemberian subsidi pada pekebun, petani, nelayan, penternak ikan dsbg ...

Saya mencadangkan, baget tambahan yang bakal dibentangkan nanti perlu menitikberatkan kepada pengurangan kos sarahidup rakyat seperti pengurangan kadar elektrik, pemotongan cukai individu, pengurangan yuran universiti, pembatalan pembayaran TOL, cukai perkhidmatan, cukai jualan, cukai jalan dll. Dengan ini, rakyat akan mendapat manfaatnya secara TERUS tanpa perlu menghadapi kerenah birokrasi. Andai kerajaan ingin berbelanja kearah infrastruktur, saya cadangkan kerajaan berbelanja untuk memperbesarkan lagi sekolah-sekolah agar sekolah satu sesi dapat diwujudkan di seluruh negara. Ini dapat mengurangkan beban ibubapa yang terpaksa berulang alik mengambil anak ke/dari sekolah.

.........................

Pendapat Datuk bahawa Perdana Menteri tak sesuai pegang jawatan Menteri Kewangan, saya kurang bersetuju sedikit. Ini kerana, apabila kedua-dua jawatan ini disandang oleh individu yang berlainan, ia akan mewujudkan ketidakstabilan politik dalam kerajaan. Kita sepatutnya mengambil iktibar terhadap apa yang berlaku diantara Anwar dan Mahathir dahulu. Pengaruh Anwar melonjak kuat selepas beliau menjadi MK. Pengaruh beliau ini sangat kuat hinggakan menyaingi pengaruh PM itu sendiri! Tak payah cakaplah bencana yang menimpa pada pengaruh TPM iaitu Ghafar Baba pada ketika itu. Lunyai.....

Namun begitu Datuk, saya berpendapat bahawa ada 2 individu yang boleh memegang jawatan MK ini tanpa mewujudkan ancaman terhadap Najib. Mereka ialah Tg. Razaleigh dan Nazir Razak. Tg. Razaleigh sesuai kerana faktor usia kerana pada usia beliau sekarang, tak mungkin beliau ada kesesuaian masa untuk kumpul pengaruh untuk "melanggar" Najib untuk jadi PM.(Najib pun pergilah cuti dan bagi peluang Razaleigh memangku jadi Perdana Menteri 2-3 bulan. Bagi chance ler sikit ...). Nazir Razak pula kerana beliau adalah adik Najib sendiri. Tak kan adik nak langgar abang kot? Isu nepotisme boleh dikesampingkan memandangkan Nazir sendiri adalah seorang tokoh korporat yang disegani dan punya pengetahuan luas dalam bidang ekonomi dan kewangan.

......................

Datuk,

Kawan Punjabi Datuk tu D.J.Dave ke?


-sinbad-

Anonymous said...

Dato KJ.

Satu tulisan yang baik.Saya setuju dan tak setuju dengan tulisan Dato.Saya ingin memberi pandangan dengan akan sumbangan dan kesilapan yang di buat oleh mereka semasa menjadi Menteri dan Perdana Menteri.

Tun Mahathir.

Saorang yang mempunyai persenolity yang kuat.yakin kapada diri sendiri,banyak membaca dan mempunyai visionnya sendiri untok menjadikan malaysia sabagai negara maju.Samasa menjadi perdana Menteri,sungguh pun ia mempunyai ahli kabinet yang tak kurang bijak saperti Musa Hitam dan Tengku Razaligh,style Tun mentabir Negara macam one man show.Akhirnya Musa dan TRazaligh mengambil keputusan untok menentangnya.Berlaku lah pertembongan sengit pada tahun 1987.
Sejak dari awal Tun menjadi PM pada tahun 1981,ia telah banyak membuat kesilapan.Antaranya membena Daya Bumi diberi kapada kontrektor jepun dengan harga 100% lebeh mahal dari local kontrektor.Bezanya $200 juta ringgit.Kemudian Tun cuba mempertahankan harga Tin.Scandal MAMINCO.Kita kerugian hampir $400 juta.Menubohkan Sogoshasha.Akhirnya di tipu oleh orang di perrcayainya Abdulah Ang.Kerajaan rugi hampir $100 juta.Menubohkan Perwaja.Eric Chia buat angkara.Kerajaan kerugian hambir 5 billon.

Kalau hendak di sebut banyak lagi.Akhir sekali di akhir pemerentahannya ia membelanjakan hapir $40 billion wang Petronas untok membena Putra Jaya dan Twin tower.Satu pembaziran yang tak dapat di maafkan.

Tun juga bertanggong jawab untok melahirkan beberapa Billionair saperti Ananda dan YTL dan Syed Mokthar.Dan bertanggong jawab untok mematikan beberapa Ahli Korporat Melayu yang ia pada mulanya membantu mereka.Tan Sri Ibrahim Promet,Tan Sri halim,Tan Sri Tajuddin,semua dibiarkan mati katak dalam krisis kewangan 1997.

Jadi,Kadir you tak usallah puji sangat Mahathir tu.Dia macam ayam sabong,bekukok sedap tapi ekornya banyak tahi.

Tun Daim,saorang persenoliti yang menarek.Saorang batu api yang melagakan pemimpin UMNO sacara tak sedar mereka di ketepikan.Ia baik dengan semua orang saperti.Tun Musa,Tengku Razaleigh,Anwar Sanusi.Akhirnya mereka ini habis di lenyapnya.Ia juga baik dengan Lee Kuan yew dan saya tak tahu samaada ia menjadi spy Singapora. Banyak keputusan yang ia buat lebeh menguntongkan Singapura.Perundindan untok menbangunkan tanah Railway di Singapora salah satu darinya.Keputusan yang Daim buat tampa di rojok kapada kabinet.Membatalan CLOB merupakan satu yang merigikan malaysia capital market.Dia beritahu semua orang Effictive Capital milek UMNO,tapi yang banyak untong ialah Akbar Khan,orang kuat Daim.

Samasa Daim menjadi menteri kewangan pada tahun 1984 ,Mahathir amat percaya dengannya.Ia di anggap sabagai economic Czar.tapi mahathir tak tahu ia juga banyak private deal yang menguntongkannya.Rekord Daim samasa menjadi Menteri kewanga kali pertama amat impressive.Banyak budaknya saperti Tajuddin,Halim,Wan Azmi,Razaligh,Rashid Hussein menjadi billionair secara mendadak,terutamanya samasa pasaran saham naik mendadak tahun 1994 - 1997.

Semua orang tahu bahawa kejatohan Anwar dalam UMNO dan Kerajaan di rancangkan oleh Daim.Ini di sebabkan Anwar tidak terhutang budi kapada Daim.Tak dapat di napikan tampa Daim,Anwar tidak akan kemana2.Daim lah yang bertanggong jawab meminta Mahathir menjadi Menteri Kewangan.Daim juga bertanggong jawab bagi Anwar mengalahkan Tun Ghafar.Anwar apabila menjadi Menteri Kewangan telah mula hilang pedoman,Ia menjadi amat sombong dan mula mengorek apa yang Daim buat samasa menjadi Menteri kewangan.Anwar juga banyak membuat keputusan yang merugikan Daim dan budak2nya.Contohnya ia lah keputusan Anwar untok membenarkan Tan Sri Loy dari MBF untok mengambil aleh syarikat Sri Hartamas.

Ini merupakan projek yang paling Daim idamkan.Projek ini mulanya di mileki oleh Tan Sri Syed Kechil dan Wong kee Tat.Waktu krisis pasaran saham tahun 1985 Daim yang masa itu menjadi menteri Kewangan enggan menolong Syed Kechil.Syed Kechik jadi bankrup dan Sri Hartamas di bawah receiver.Samasa Daim berhenti menjadi menteri kewangan Daim telah meminta proxy nya,Dzulkifli untok membeli saham2 Sri Hartamas.Anwar yang tak tahu ekor pangkal telah mendengan nasehat Murad dari bank negara untok memberi projek ini kapada Tan Sri Loy.Sudah tentu Daim marah.

Tun Daim yang mula nya menjadi menteri kewangan yang baik,telah dilantek menjadi Menteri kewangan kali kedua salepas Anwar di pecat.Dalam masa ini lah Daim menjadi bagitu rakus.Banyak projek2 di luluskan tampa pengtahuan kabinet dan Mahathir.Ahkirnya Mahathir memechatnya dan saya percaya sampai sekarang Mahathir berasa very bitter apa yang Daim lakukan.

Pak Lah sabagai Perdana Menteri.

Saya maseh ingat pada masa itu,apabila hubongan Daim dengan Mahathir telah menjadi renggang,Daim sacara terbuka meminta pemimpin UMNO untok memaksa Mahathir berhenti dan Pak Lah menjadi Perdana Menteri.Tun Khalil,Setiausaha Agong UMNO, merupak antara orang nya yang memain peranan ini.Saya juga di maalumkan oleh Megat Junid,sabelum ia mati, yang ia dan Daim lah merupakan orang yang mempengarohi Mahathir melantek Pak Lah sabagai Timbalan Perdana Menteri.

Tun Daim yang mulanya merupakan musoh yang ketat dengan Musa dan Pak Lah dari team B,tiba2 menjadi kawan baik.Saya yakin Tun berbuat demikian kerana ia sangka ia boleh menggunakan Pak Lah yang ia tahu amat lemah dari segi kuality leadership.

Kenaikan Pak lah banyak di bantu oleh budak BTN saperti Anwar zaini,Shagul hamid,Rozai,Dr Kadri dan Pak Wan,Pak mentua Anwar.Mahathir pun tahu samasa Pak Lah dalam kabinetnya tidak ada satu pun idea bernas yang ia sumbangkan.PR nya first class.Ramai kawannya tidor tak lena bila pak Lah jadi PM.Tapi akhirnya mereka ini menyumpah Pak Lah kerana satu pun projek kerajaan mereka tak dapat.Siapa yang salah di sini kadir.Tun Mahathir tak boleh cuci tangan.

Tan Sri Nor MOF2 merupakan persenolity yang amat menarek.saya setuju 100% dengan You yang ia lah yang merosakna ekonomi kita sekarang ini.Ia juga yang memberitahu Pak lah supaya membatalkan banyak projek yang Tun rancang sabelum ia bersara.Ia juga yang memberitahu Pak Lah akan pembaziran Mahathir.Semua yang you sebut itu betul.tak payah saya nak tambah.
Memang Ia denga Zeti tak sebulu.ia tak mahi menyambog kontrek Zeti.Zeti terpaksa menunggu di pejabat Pak Lah 4 jam untok berjumpa denganya dan memaksa Pak lah menyambongkan kontrek nya pada hari itu juga.

Ia juga sabotage Tan Sri Ali Abu Hassan.Yang patut menjadi MOF2 ialah Tan sri Ali dan bukan dia.Sampai sekarang Tan Sri Ali tak boleh lihat mukanya.

Memang benar,Pak lah kena kelentong dengannya.Pak lah yang banyak tak tahu hal ekonomi ikut sahaja apa yang ia recomended.Untok berlaku adil kapada Pak lah banyak projek dan kontrek untok anak beranak Pak Lah,untok Noni,untok Khairy di beri oleh MOF2 tampa pengetahuan Pak lah.Sebab itu dalam interview Anwar zaini dengan Pak lah,ia tak tahu menahu akan kontrek yang di perolehi oleh Scomi.

Saya tak mahu menyebut banyak direct nego kontrek di beri dengan harga gila2 dan tahu berapa banyak mereka buat duit.Itu antara ia dengan Allah.Saya boleh sebut di sini tapi nanti you kata mana boktinya.Jadi fitnah.

Eloklah saya simpulkan disini bahawa Najib mempunyai tugas yang berat untok membetulkan kewangan negara.Saya percaya Negara kita sudah kehabisan wang dan kita akan benkrup jika harga minyak dan harga kelapa sawit di tahap ini.Deficit kita akan lebeh besar dan nilai ringgit akan jatoh lagi katahap $4.50.

MOF2 dah tahu nansibya.Ia memberitahu kawannya di tasek gelugor yang najib dah clip wingnya.Ia tak lagi dapat approve kontrek2 yang besar.Najib dah tahu tembelangnya.Dengar kata tempatnya akan di ganti oleh proffesional dan bukan ahli politik.

Saya berharap cerita pengliporlara saya ini tidak ada unsor fitnah dan boleh di siarkan.Salam.

Anonymous said...

thinktank is a must!
two tuns is a MUST!!!

-mamanponthot-

Che Jam said...

Salam Datuk,

Pardon me these off-key questions. If Datuk have ready answers, just say yes or no:-

1. Is it true that Malaysia lost its 2/3 majority for the first time in 1969 GE ie on 14th May.

2. Was 13th May 1969 the eve of a GE day ?

Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Krisis yang berlaku di Malaysia, bukan kerana menteri kewangan disandang oleh Perdana Menteri. Bukan itu puncanya.

Akan tetapi inya berpunca daripada sikap para pemimpin yang diberi amanah. Mereka tidak amanah dengan amanah yang dianugerahkan.

Mengapa tidak amanah? kerana para pemimpin yang ada sejak dahulu hingga kehari ini tidak ”kenal diri sendiri”.

Kalau mereka kenal diri sendiri sudah barang tentu mereka ikhlas, tidak sombong tidak ego, tidak takabur, tidak riak, tidak ingkar dan tidak jahat.

Kejahatan yang dipamer jelas dan nyatakan tidak dapat disembunyikan lagi sepertimana diperlakukan terhadap orang yang berhak tidak diberi haknya. Dan orang yang tidak berhak diberi haknya.

Mereka lupa jawatan yang mereka sandang itu adalah anugerah yang beriberi oleh Allah agar dapat melaksanakan perintah, termasuk membela rakyat, tetapi mereka hanya membela rakyat yang menyokong mereka sahaja. manakala rakyat yang tidak menyokong mereka dinafikan haknya.

seperkara lagi mereka memerintah negara ini dengan kaedah skim cepat kaya. Bayangkan orang yang punya kemahuan supaya cepat kaya sudah tentu ada jalan pintasnya, walaupun ini jelas salah.

Oleh itu pemabanguanan yang dilaksanakan jelas tidak sejajar dengan kadar pendapat rakyat yang menyebabkan yang kaya bertambah kaya dan yang msikin menjadi papa kedana.

Kesimpualan yang boleh kita ambil bahawa mereka yang menjadi pemerintah sekarang semuanya memiliki hati yang kotor termasuk makan rasuah, makan riba dan tidak kira halal dan haram.

Kita masih ingat dasar Mahathirisme dan dasar Abdullahisme. Dasar kedua kedua orang inilah yang menjadi punca krisis ekonomi kononya tempias dasar Bush yang menaklok Iraq dan menyerang Taliban di Afganistan.

Mereka mentadbir negara seperti beli baju tidak ukur badan sendiri dan ini akan jadi ikutan Datuk Najib pula apabila mengambil alih perdana menteri Mac Nanti kerana dianggap baik untuk peribadi dan hawa nafsu.

Hang Kasturi said...

Salam Takzim Dato',

I read your blog in this great land called China.The history of modern China commenced when Chairman Mao tzetung beat the Kuomintang and established the People's Republic of China(PRC)in 1949 in a civil war.

I am amazed at the ways China handles the effects of global economic melt down on its economies.There is no flip flop in its policies. There is unity of action, direction and purpose. The government speaks only with one voice: how to alleviate the sufferings of the masses due to closures of factories. China experiences dry up of orders from the USA. Twenty million people had lost their jobs.

The main worry of the government is the social unrest and public disorder that may result if the unemployment issue is not handled properly and effectively.

So the Government has put in place stimulus plan to mitigate this effect as a matter of priority.The plan is very simple : priotise aids and spending in the sector that is most affected.The government is wisely playing the role of a big spender at the time when the financial power of private sector has been lost.

China is now having its National People's Congress(03-03-09 to 13-03-09).This is similar to UMNO Delegates Assembly.At this NPC, proposals are studied, analysed and adopted if found to be feasible and good for the country.Delegates are drawn from the district levels in the Communist Party of CHINA. This is democracy ala China:the masses elect their representatives to the NPC.The NPC is the mirror of the will of the masses.

One is amazed by the excellent results in the economic fields due to this hybrid of ideologies : Communism as the political ideology and the free market of capitalism in economic practices.

There is no intense politicking, the people are discipline and hard working.

Comapare this scenario to some other countries, where in the name of democracy,demonstrations are held. So much tension and public disorder, even deaths, occurred. The lives of the ordinary people are affected.

In Communism, there are also democratic rights but exercible within certain confines.There is no throwing of chairs, or legal suits,etc as we see in some democracies, incluiding Malaysia.

To the masses, what they want is a peaceful life,with a job that guarantees 3 meals a day, good public transport, free medical services and pensions in old age.

And all these are achievable in modern China.

To our leaders, Dato' advise them to look at the China experience and draw lessons from it.Forget about ideology !!And the so-called basic human rights,and so forth.In this economic plight,the masses would choose a piece of bread than exercise their rights if this means losing this piece of bread.

Hang Kasturi

Anonymous said...

Dear Datuk AKJ Sir,

Allow me to make the following points to add to the issues already raised by fellows commentators:

1 Not only do we have a bunch of jokers in the govt but also in the Opposition. When the govt announced there is nothing wrong with the economy, nobody spoke up.
Pakatan MB from Perak went to court asking govt confirm that he is still the MB after he was sacked, and then went further to hold an Assembly meeting under a tree? Apa ini? Soon Ex-Co meeting will be held on the streets.

2 If you go to court, wait for it to make its decision. Otherwise you show contempt. Nizar may not understand court rules, but the speaker, being a lawyer, should.

3 What happened to value cap? Let us see the accounts. We would like to cap MOF2.

4 RM30 billion paper loss. Khazanah RM18 billion paper loss. Retrenched workers paper loss too? No food to eat weight loss. Why don’t MOF2 get lost?

5 If Najib keeps his present economics team then rakyat will not keep Najib in next election.

6 Time to wake up and face reality. Economy is in a mess.

7 MOF2 first advise to Najib, go out buy shares. Brilliant advice. Today the world avoids shares. Only MOF2 is in love with stock market. Attend to real economy.

Ex-Banker

Anonymous said...

Datuk YM,

My one-vote advice to Najib goes like this.

a. Drop all the deadwoods from the Tun Hussein, Tun Mahthir dan Pak Lah (soon to be Tun) eras whether they are from Umno, MIC and PBB.

b. Drop all the non-performers irrespective of parties, states and ages;

c. Drop all flip-floppers like Syed Hamid, Sharir, Nor Yaakob and Nazri Aziz.

d. Forget about toppling or buying PKR MPs and SAMs. They are as bad or worse that those in Umno. They will topple by themselves if you can show that you can rule and BN can become less corrupt.

e. Don't worry so much about Anwar. We know without the Indians and Chinese in PKR and the support of DAP he's nothing.

f. So just mind your own business and prove to us that you are better than Pak Lah and his 4th floor boys, we will come back and support you.

g. And no 4th Floor boys and kitchen cabinet of your own Please.

Fencesitter

Anonymous said...

Why they not set a MOF team and get the advice from our previous menteri kewangan ( Ku Li, Daim, Anwar, Mahathir, Paklah and Najib)
on hot to manouver the economy crisis.

Come on, come with ideas and strategy and take action on it.

No matter you are on the goverment or oppositions..

Unknown said...

Dear Datuk,

Except for one or two Ministers with some gray matter, the rest are all Mr. Half Past Six. So what is there for us to expect.

And now because of the clowns and fools in Perak we have become a laughing stock all over as well.

But none watches us with more glee than our closest and most erstwhile neighbour just across the causeway.

What a lame duck we are today when just a few years back we were a nation to be reckoned with.

sawit futures trader said...

Salam Dato',

Saya merujuk kepada http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/19589-ringgit-could-breach-380-mark-soon

dan

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/business/19689-bank-negara-ringgit-stable-against-other-currencies

Saya kurang berpuas hati dengan kenyataan Zeti.

Betul RM bergerak selari dengan matawang lain dalam rantau ini.

Walau bagaimanapun, tidak cukup sekadar mengatakan sistem yang ada sudah cukup baik.

Ini saya tafsirkan (sendiri) sebagai belum ada counter productive initiatives yang telah diputuskan. Masih lagi status quo.

Buat Dato' dan rakan blogger, saya nak kongsi artikel dari blog Tengku Razaleigh (jika belum dibaca). Agak menarik komen dan cadangan beliau.

http://razaleigh.com/2009/02/25/secret-stimulus-package/

dan

http://razaleigh.com/2009/01/16/22/

Anonymous said...

Salaam, Dato'

Just before I sat down at my computer this morning, I was informed that there were 2 blackouts in a period of less than 48 hours that affected all the houses on the street in JB where my primary residence is.

And today I read that our own Tenaga Nasional has chalked up RM24 BILLION in debt, slightly more than half of which is denominated in Japanese Yen and US Dollars. As these currencies have strengthened, Tenaga has had to take a writedown of RM1.4 BILLION on forex translation losses.

This doesn't speak well of Tenaga's financial managers or of it's CEOs who ran up this debt over the past years. Neither does it speak well of Khazanah Nasional which is the controlling shareholder of Tenaga.

And then there is the news that Tenaga's hands are tied by lop-sided, badly-negotiated and badly-drafted contracts with the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in that there are apparently no "unwinding" or "exit" provisions in these contracts.

Of course, one could ask what Tenaga's financial position would be if it had to pay Petronas full market prices for gas that the national oil company is supplying to Tenaga at heavily subsidised prices?

Ok, back to the topic of the economy.

A Reuters report today said that Flextronics, a Singapore-based contract electronics manufacturer, will be shutting down it's assembly plant in Shah Alam and laying off 1,382 workers.

Other international electronics companies (Western Digital, Intel and Panasonic) with operations in Malaysia have also announced substantial redundancies at their Malaysian plants. About 45,000 workers in Malaysia's electronics industry have been laid off thus far.

Electronics account for about 40 per cent of Malaysia's exports, and low-tech assembly plants are facing competition from countries with lower labour costs (China, Vietnam and the Philippines).

Malaysia's exports, according to the Reuters report, is expected to fall about 25 per cent in January year-on-year.

GDP growth in the 4th quarter of last year was only 0.1 per cent year-on-year (the slowest in 8 years).

The report noted that Malaysians are "unwilling to do low-paid jobs (hence the need for millions of legal and illegal foreign workers) and do not have the skills needed for higher value-added industries". That, surely, is a drastic indictment of the government's human resources policies over the past several years. It is also an indictment of our national education system, right up to university level.

What are the other signs for the economy?

> the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) has forecasted that economic growth for the 1st half of the year will be negative and that overall economic growth for 2009 will be 0.5 per cent in the best case scenario. 

> the federal government budget deficit could hit 8 per cent of GDP this year if the forthcoming "mini budget" is more than RM30 billion.

> the federal government budget has been in deficit for 11 straight years (what has the country got to show for this extravagant spending?) with more years of budget deficit projected with government stimulus packages and the drastically lower prices for crude oil and palm oil. Of course, this will be negative for the ringgit (which could hit the 3.80 mark against the US Dollar soon) and the country's international credit ratings.

> the country's foreign reserves have dropped US$34 billion to US$92 billion over an 8-month period to mid-February 2009.

> the Bank Negara governor has said that "domestic economic conditions are expected to remain challenging".

Anonymous said...

dato i am an avid follower Futurefastforward.com by Mathias Chang Tun Dr M ex-political secretary.

if Najib Pak Lah and Nor Mohamad Yakcop care to read, he has been the impending economic disaster for the few years ...alas it come to deaf ears...

i have great respect for Zeti..but i found her statement lately sound silly

what happned to her actually?

drmuzi

CheWal said...

kepada ahli UMNO veteran...

tiada satu pun tulisan anda yang betul mengenai Tun Dr. Mahathir. Kesemuanya salah.

sila banyakkan membaca dan berfikir.

terima kasih.

flyer168 said...

Dear Datuk Kadir,

- Why are our Government, etc so “Bodoh Sombong” trying to “Reinvent ANOTHER OF MANY, MANY FAILED WHEELS” (Back to Square One!), when our “BASIC WHEEL” since 1957, just needs to be “REDEFINED and REFINED”?

- If we just “Swallow our False Pride, be Honest & Sincere” to acknowledge & admit....the “Whole Nation and the World” will be with us to HELP out!

- We only have to “Look, Acknowledge, Ask and Learn” from our neighbour down South - their TESTED, TRIED and PROVEN solutions which have “ENDURED THE TEST OF TIME”

- DYNAMIC and RESILIENT SUCCESSFUL POLICIES, ECONOMY, ETC.

- Even their SEVERAL Decade old Successful Cost Effective 2 - 3 year National Service Model for the FUTURE NEEDS of the nation, with no “Surplus to Needs” - Ready for its “Battlefront” duty after graduating from their Military, Police, etc Bootcamps!

-Our Southern neighbour adopts the best criteria Brains, Politicians, Implementers, etc with Academic, Professional,

- With Long and Proven Track performance of “Excellence”, who are “Accredited and Remunerated” very well (from a few hundred thousand to more than a Million Singapore Dollars per annum) with “Structured Job Specs” in this 21st century context…and they DELIVER!

- Sometimes Foreigners (Asian first, then others) are taken for a short contract period to “Groom” the Local “Best” personnel.

- Every National/State Project - DELIBERATION/Decision/ Implementation for the Nation, State and its People are “COST EFFECTIVE” and “NOT SURPLUS TO ACTUAL NEEDS”!

- As such no squabbles/disputes

- Right person for the job at hand! Integrity and Accountability

- Either “deliver or else you are out”.

- With such a Policy in place, their Senior Leaders, Generals, CEOs, etc do not even have to be seen....

-but everything runs the way it should for the nation and its rakyat’s “Guaranteed Basic Needs” (In this Bolehland it is the reverse !).

- They are the “True Leaders” involved in the “Bigger Vision” for the Nation’s International Political, Security, Economic, R & D, Manufacturing, etc Policy and Standing

- The DBS, MAS and Termasek together have financial “Reserves” of more than 600 Billion Singapore Dollars.

- For a small nation, they have acknowledged, deliberated, identified and mobilized a “Structured and Dynamic” contingency financial plan to mitigate this financial meltdown

- with an initial package of 20.5 Billion Singapore Dollars and they are “Rock Solid” with their cash reserves.

- Anyone involved in “Graft, Corruption, etc” would rather “Self-Destruct” than have to face the Senior PM and their peers.

-With the Global Financial Meltdown, NO Country or Government can understand & appreciate the "Actual Impact" to the "Nation" & its "People" until they get hit "Hard" like "Iceland."

- The then Icelandic Government "ACCEPTED THEIR FAILURE NOT THROUGH CORRUPTION THOUGH"....

- thereafter HONOURABLY & "GRACIOUSLY STEPPED DOWN ENBLOC"

- A "New Government is now in place" to "Salvage" the nation!

-Whilst the G20 Presidents, PMs, FMs, Governments are strategising & synergising their positions on the GLOBAL FINANCIAL "Chess Board"....

- there is still no "Structured Contingency plan nor Quantums" in place in this Bolehland...

- The UMNO/BN Leaders are still in “Denial” even at this 11th hour of our nation’s "Double Whammy, Political & Financial Tsunami” at our doorsteps....

Our PM & Finance Minister/PM wannabe & their “Slaves” are still...

"Quarreling with PR & Anak Bangsa Malaysia with their Law of the Jungle & Gutter Politics Jaguh Kampong ala KINDERGARTEN style & still playing with MARBLES" when all the other nation's Presidents, PMs & FMs are playing "CHESS."

This Bolehland has a “Long” way to go with their “Blatant Denials” & “Childish Charades” even at this eleventh hour, to be able to catch up!

We the "Rayaat" have to be "Proactive" and it is a matter of "What can I do for myself & my family NOW" rather than...

- "Ayooo...will the gomen help me....

- how to live with no job, no money lor ?....no future ma !"

For the present it is “Every Man for Himself” when it happens!

So consider “Repositioning” yourself and family financially, professionally (career/job), etc, fasten your “Seatbelts” tight, to safely ride this Tsunami!

May God bless and protect this nation and its rakyat. Insha Allah !

Jahamy said...

Datuk,

Salam. This is a very interesting article (like most of yours). I have linked this on my blog. In fact your site is on my blogroll. (I also have another blog at http://jahamy.blogspot.com dealing with 'religion')

salam and be well.

About Me

My photo
I was born in 1947 in Kedah. I came from a rice farming family. I have been a journalist since 1969. I am the Editor-in-Chief of magazine publishing company, Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd. I was Group Editor NST Sdn Bhd and Group Editor-in-Chief of NSTP Bhd between 1988 and 2000. I write fortnightly column “Other Thots” in the Malaysian Business magazine, Kunta Kinte Original in Berita Harian and A Kadir Jasin Bercerita in Dewan Masyarakat. Books: Biar Putih Tulang (1998), Other Thots – Opinions & Observations 1992-2001 (2001), The Wings of an Eagle (2003), Mencari Dugalia Huso (2006), Damned That Thots (2006), Blogger (2006), PRU 2008-Rakyat Sahut Cabaran (2008), Komedi & Tragedi-Latest in Contemporary Malaysian Politics (2009) and Membangun Bangsa dengan Pena (2009).