Just beat it

This article first appeared in The Malaysian Insider.

Michael Jackson. Bank of England. Malaysia. Perak. What do they all have in common?

The one-time King of Pop is attempting a 10-concert run in London this summer, singing his hits list that can raise some RM1.48 billion to pay off his debts and beat the blues that have afflicted him these past years. Read more

Jumbos in mousedeer country

This article previously appeared in The Malaysian Insider

The global financial crisis has triggered calls for unrestrained government spending and tax cuts to boost economic growth from a range of politicians, economists and even the public who are now posting comments on Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s website www.1malaysia.com.my.

Pakatan Rakyat economic advisors have proposed a RM50 billion stimulus package to improve the economy.

Read more

Grow the economy, not give it away

This article first appeared in the Malaysian Insider

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s opening statement on the Budget drew laughter from the house.

He lamented on the fact that friends usually appear during the good times and disappear during the bad times.

He also made a conciliatory gesture to the opposition to work together to face the turbulent period ahead. Read more

Bye bye BII

This article first appeared in the Malaysia Insider

I am not surprised that the acquisition of Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII) by Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) was railroaded by Bank Negara at the eleventh hour. The purchase was not well received by the markets and the rakyat from the beginning.

The deal was deemed expensive and the investment could have suffered a potential writedown due to runaway inflation which was expected to slow Indonesian economic growth in the short term. The unpredictable regulatory environment did not help either. Read more

When reality bites…

The rakyat is rabidly seething from the effects of the recent price hike but it seems to me that many Malaysians, especially leaders in opposition who still do not understand the intricacies behind how Malaysia fixes its oil prices and Malaysia’s specific problems with oil.

The complaints that we always hear about are: Read more

In Parliament: Fixing the Oil Fix Features in the Debate of the King’s Speech

Saya ingin menyentuh mengenai masalah inflasi dan bebannya kepada rakyat dinegara ini. Kadar inflasi yang tinggi merupakan fenomena yang melanda semua negara didunia. Dan nampaknya, tidak ada satu kerajaan didunia ini yang mempunyai cara penyelesaian ala magic bullet, dengan izin, untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini. Read more

Fixing the Oil Fix Part (3): Replying to EPF

I am indeed happy to have a response from EPF on my article “ Fixing the Oil Fix”.

I feel that the points raised by the EPF are informative and must be taken into account, however I believe the issues can be easily addressed. Read more

In Parliament: Are Individual Taxpayers Suffering the Burden of a Bloated Civil Service

Via written reply. I asked this question to determine whether the revenue collected from individual tax payers commensurates to the emoluments paid to the civil servants.

The minister did not answer my question correctly but the answer has revealed that there are more civil servants than individual tax payers. Even though the minister’s answers that there is more than enough money collected from Individual AND Corporate taxpayers to pay for the emoluments of the civil servants, however I suspect that the amount collected from individual taxpayers is not enough to maintain the livelihood of all the civil servants in the country.

The question that we need to ask ourselves is whether individual taxpayers should carry the burden of a bloated civil service. Or should the number of civil servants be reduced? Read more

Fixing the Oil Fix Part 2: EPF Replies…

The Malaysian Insider received a reply from EPF on my article “Fixing the Oil Fix”: “EPF says the idea may be noble but it isn’t the right government vehicle to transfer subsidies into Malaysian pockets. Such action contradicts EPF’s stated operations, a good number of Malaysians will be left out and foreigners not entitled to government largess will benefit.”

I am grateful for the reply from EPF and as well as for the comments made on the article in this website.

My respond to EPF and the other comments will follow suit, but meanwhile here is EPF’s reply in verbatim: Read more

Fixing the Oil Fix

There was a time when for one ringgit, you could get at least three roti canais. Now you’d be lucky to get one. And the same size as before.

Our money is small. Very, very, very small, to paraphrase Shebby Singh’s favourite quote on ESPN. Notwithstanding the weakening US dollar. Read more