Malaysia's Industrial Output Plunges over 20%

"MALAYSIA'S manufacturing sales, which are a key driver of the economy, sank 22.7 per cent in January from a year earlier, according to official data released on Thursday.

The government's statistics department attributed the sharp fall to the poor performance of the computer industry and the iron and steel sector."

To read the full story as reported in The Straits Times, click HERE


Eventus stultorum magister


Events are the teacher of the stupid

THE PLOT THICKENS, DUMB & DUMBER SWOP PORTFOLIOS

In a Cabinet reshuffle today, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi named his deputy Najib Razak as finance minister.

Abdullah, who was the finance minister, will take over Najib's defence portfolio, becoming minister of defence.

Abdullah also reportedly said Anwar Ibrahim is now a threat to economy and national security.

Summary:

Abdullah Badawi said on 17^th September 2008, that Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has now become a threat to the economy and national security.

The PM said Anwar’s actions had not only affected political stability but also economic stability.

“As a result of his actions, certain fund managers had made reports that Malaysia was not a good investment destination because of political uncertainties,” he told a press conference at his office in Putrajaya.

When he was asked on what action would be taken against him, Abdullah said the government would do what was needed.

See BERNAMA NSTP HERE

CNN reports: HERE

MALAYSIAN PM SAYS HE MIGHT RESIGN EARLY

Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi says he may hand over power to his deputy Najib Razak before the 2010 deadline he had set earlier.

The actions of the federal government under the leadership of Abdullah and Najib, have been much more of threat to the Malaysian economy and national security, than Anwar has been.

The PM & DPM exchanging portfolios will only make things go from bad to worse.

What has Abdullah in mind, detaining Anwar under the ISA, and / or declaring a state of emergency and then imposing martial law?

If he does he will be committing political suicide!

Abdullah will also be instrumental in destroying the national economy, and inciting civil unrest.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi -

A precipice in front, wolves behind

MALAYSIA’S INDEPENDENCE DAY IS SHROUDED IN POLITICAL WORRIES & DEVIOUS MANIPULATIONS AS WELL AS ECONOMIC WOES & UNCERTAINTIES

Flag in Hand, Abdullah Looks Glum on 31st August 2008

Malaysia celebrates 51 years of independence on Sunday 31^st August 2008, but the country dogged by economic woes and uncertainties as well as political worries and devious manipulations.

The recent landslide opposition victory has raised fears within UMNO and BN, and their subservient cronies and lap-dogs, that the resurgent opposition Peoples Aliance (Pakatan Rakyat) may very soon topple 'their' government that has ruled unchecked since 1957 when British colonial rule ended.

Barisan Nasional (BN), the National Front is a coalition of 13 political parties dominated by Abdullah's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which claims to represent the majority Malays. It in theory shares power, with two main parties claiming to represent ethnic Chinese (MCA) and Indians (MIC), as well as the other 11 parties in BN which are small, but in practice BN is, as everyone is aware, now under the full control of UMNO.

BN’s credibility has gradually eroded over the years as UMNO's greedy grip on power has hardened, and Anwar's multi-racial Pakatan Rakyat (Peoples Alliance) promises have struck a chord with many Malaysians who say they are ready for change of federal government.

'Our leaders have let us down by indulging in too much politicking and polarization in our multiracial and multi-religious society,' said former Finance Minister Ramon Navaratnam, the president of Transparency International Malaysia.

'No group should feel marginalised in Malaysia, where God has provided for everybody's basic needs but not for anybody's greed,' he said.

Wise words indeed from Ramaon Navaratnam.

Many Malaysians have given the independence celebrations the cold shoulder, and unlike in the past, a minute number of vehicles, and very few businesses, apart from the GLCs bothered to display the Malaysian National Flag this year. The flag was visible mainly on flying on government buildings and civil service offices.

The 2009 budget tabled last Friday, by the multi-tasking PM, who doubles as finance minister, was aimed at soliciting support from the public, but was aimed at getting the civil service in general, and the police in particular on the governments band-wagon

So, it seems that there was no mood for any celebration on 31^st August 2008.

Next year with a new federal government and a better economic situation, Malaysians may then be willing to celebrate again.

Forsan miseros meliora sequentur

- For those in misery perhaps better things will follow.

HERE ARE SOME ANAL VIEWS

SURPRISE SURPRISE, HERE ARE SOME ANAL [Amazing News Absurd Laughable] VIEWS

Najib on Defence

The Defence Ministry will continue with the programme to replace the Nuri helicpters although its operational budget had been reduced by RM300 million.

DPM Najib Razak said although the ministry's expenditure had been reduced, most of the existing operations would be continued.

Among the projects that would be continued are the replacement of the Nuri helicopters where we have already called for international tender but the final decision has yet to be made," he told reporters.

Najib, who is also Defence Minister, said among other programmes that would proceed was the acquisition of the New Generation Patrol Vessels (NGPV) for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).

SURPRISE SURPRISE!

Zeti on Inflation and Consumer Price Index

Malaysia expects the consumer price inflation (sic) to exceed 6% in June, following the adjustment in petrol prices by 40.6% and diesel prices by 63.3%, says Bank Negara Governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz.

AMAZING!

Hadi National Service food

Only 90% of food handlers in National Service (NS) camps underwent food management courses before they were certified, said NS director-general Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil.

NEWS?

Taxes on fuel rebate

The Government has yet to decide if the rebate of RM625 a year to owners of vehicles with engine capacities of up to 2,500cc will be taxed.

ABSURD!

Blog banging by Shafie

Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Shafie Apdal has hit out at blogs, saying they made the recent demonstrations worse.

He also described the culture of believing everything one read in blogs to be the truth as unhealthy and what made it worse was that the inaccurate information was passed on to others.

“One post may say a person stole RM10 and that amount might end up being RM100 when it got around. That is how inaccurate blogs can be,” he said.

LAUGHABLE!

Debating dodging the debate by Shafie

Mohd Shafie Apdal has urged that the scheduled debate between Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek and PKR advisor Anwar Ibrahim over the recent fuel price increase be called off.

”The Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister said the debate would not bring any benefit to the people or solve the problems at hand.

Speaking to reporters at the parliament lobby here Tuesday, he said, efforts should be directed at assisting the people who needed help, whereas the debate would not be able to provide any concrete proposals to offset the fuel price hike.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Idris Haron asked why should an opportunity be given to someone who would capitalise on the issue to poison the minds of the people.”

VIEWS!

{News Sources Malaysian newspapers on line and BERNAMA}

"If there were any people safe to criticize, they'd be politicians and child molesters, don't you think?"

Neal Boortz

Double Standards, Discrimination, Bribery and Corruption are all still Alive and Well in Malaysia

Thinking Prohibited, do as the Malaysian government says!

Double Standards and Discrimination

First this was reported in the Star on 13^th June 2008:-

Malaysian Permanent Residents Who Own Vehicles are not entitled to cash rebates.

Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yaakop said

“Only Malaysian citizens were entitled to the rebate.

"It had been stated very clearly. Only vehicle owners who are Malaysian citizens get the rebate,"

he was reported to have said.

If had been stated very clearly, how come no one knew about it?

Permanent Residents Are Not Entitled To Claim Cash Rebates

Then on 14^th June 2008, an arm Malaysian government propaganda machine, the national news agency BERNAMA reported:

Permanent residents (PR) are not entitled to claim cash rebates as it is strictly for eligible Malaysian citizens, Pos Malaysia Berhad (PMB) said Saturday.

In a statement,

PMB said this was to prevent unauthorised claims and protect the integrity of eligible vehicle owners.

It said customers were allowed to use their temporary identity cards or temporary police/army cards as part of the verification to claim the cash rebates, provided they brought along a second form of identification which was either a driving licence or a Malaysian passport.”

Regarding the PMB statement “this was to prevent unauthorised claims and protect the integrity of eligible vehicle owners”

What the hell does this meaningless bullshit mean?

Bullshit Prohibited

Malaysia continues to practice discriminatory double standards, and blatant discrimination; perhaps next we shall be told that only bumiputras are entitled to the rebate, to protect unauthorised claims and integrity of vehicle owners!!

Permanent residents have always had to pay the same taxes as Malaysian Citizens, their cars are the same price, they pay the same price for petrol and everything else (except for their National Registration Identity Cards which are dearer!), so why this outright outragious discrimination?

If PRs cannot claim the rebated, then they should be allowed to buy petrol and diesel at the previous price rates!

What a half-past-six, reactionary and useless government Malaysia has, no planning is carried out, financial matters are haphazard and bribery and corruption are truly endemic (see below)

The time for a change is undoubtedly at hand, perhaps there is not very long to wait now.

Abdullah, Najib and the rest of the bunch are ‘shitting in their own nests’ so fast and so much that they will have no choice but to vacate them very soon.

Adde parum parvo, magnus acervus erit

- Add a little to a little, and there will be a great heap

Then the UMNO bullshit will really hit the fan and soon BN / UMNO will be gone!

And as everyone should know, when the bullshit is removed from UMNO, there is nothing else of any substance left!!!

VICTIM = Malaysian Post Offices?

PS:

I am awaiting news of hold-ups at post offices (now well stocked with cash for the rebates) nationwide, as they must now be tempting soft targets for robbers.

Bribery and Corruption

This type of arrest is a rare occurrence in Malaysia; I cannot help but wonder whose toes this guy stepped upon?

A news report in the Star stated:

“A director in the Fire and Rescue Department based at the headquarters has been arrested by the Sarawak Anti Corruption Agency (ACA) for allegedly receiving bribes of RM925,000.

The 45-year-old suspect was arrested at the Putrajaya ACA headquarters on Wednesday.

Investigations showed that the suspect committed the offence on July 31, 2003 when he was a deputy director in the Fire Department headquarters.

The suspect was accused of accepting RM925,000 from a man in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

The money was meant to support the man’s proposal to create an office building and workshop for the Sarawak Fire Department.

It was learnt that the suspect had been living beyond his means for several years and owned several luxury cars and apartments in Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak.

The ACA would also be investigating his bank accounts.”

One down, many tens, (even hundreds) of thousand still to go?

There must also be many much bigger fish still awaiting the ACA hook.

Beneficium accipere libertatem est vendere




- To accept a favour is to sell freedom.

Malaysian Palm Oil Exports Fall 4% in May

More bad news.

Malaysian palm oil exports fell 3.8% in May 2008 compared to the previous month, according to a Reuters report.

A marine publication noted that Independent cargo surveyor Société Générale de Surveillance estimated that 1.26m tonnes of bulk palm oil shipments were tracked through Malaysian sea ports in May compared with 1.31m tonnes in April.

The largest importer of Malaysian palm oil was China, at 352,500 tonnes, followed by the EU at 234,000 tonnes, the US at 116,000 tonnes and Pakistan at 74,000 tonnes.

Shipments to China were down 10% while shipments to the EU were up by 11% and to the US up nearly 8%.

Not everything in the garden is lovely, me thinks that the federal government are using dubious statistics regarding many many things, including the inbound tourist arrivals. Ask any travel agent how his inbound business is!

The Malaysian economy may not be as robust as people are made to believe?

Tighten your belts folks, things, it seems, can only get worse!!!

"A politician is like a drunk who walks into a bar, sees a sign that says “All you can drink for $1", and orders $2 worth."

- Cafrman

"Everything the government touches turns to crap."

- Ringo Starr

"Some politicians actually work their butts off. But it's usually in just a frantic, futile attempt to justify their neurotic parasitic existence."

- Bert Rand

"But I want you to LOVE ME!!!!"

- Franz-Josef, Emperor of Austria-Hungary, as he screamed at a subject while having him horsewhipped.

Subsidies are Oppressive

232 years ago, a Scottish Gentleman wrote a tome, which is still enlightening, relevant and forward looking.

Here in Malaysia, we still have an artificial, skewed economy in which many daily necessities are subsidised, and thus these are unrealistically low priced.

Some think that this is beneficial, but it fact it is detrimental, unhealthy and oppressive.

If wages were fair and equitable everyone could afford to buy goods and services at the market price.

Malaysia needs someone with the foresight and wisdom of Adam Smith - picture to the left- (born 1723, died 1790) to rejuvenate and regenerate the economy into a free market economy, and not as it is now a patronisingly pathetic subsidy orientated one.

Below is a brief outline of Adam Smith’s great work.

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is the magnum opus of Scottish economist Adam Smith; it was first published on 9^th March 1776, during the period known as the Scottish Enlightenment

It is a clearly written account of political economy at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, and is considered by many to be the first modern work in the field of economics

The work is also the first comprehensive defence of free market policies; it is broken down into five books, contained in two volumes.

The Wealth of Nations was written for the benefit of average educated individuals of the 18^th century, rather than for economic specialists, mathematicians, or academics

There are three main concepts which Adam Smith expounds upon and these form the foundation of free market economics:

· division of labour,

· pursuit of self interest, and

· freedom of trade.

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

Contents:

Introduction and plan of the work

Book I:

Of the Causes of Improvement in the productive Powers of Labour, and of the Order according to which its Produce is naturally distributed among the different Ranks of the People

• Chapter 1: Division of Labour
• Chapter 2: The Principle which gives Occasion to the Division of Labour
• Chapter 3: That the Division of Labour is Limited by the Extent of the Market
• Chapter 4: Origin and Use of Money
• Chapter 5: The Real and Nominal Price of Commodities, or of their Price in Labour, and their Price in Money
• Chapter 6: The Component Parts of the Price of Commodities
• Chapter 7: The natural and market Price of Commodities
• Chapter 8: The Wages of Labour
• Chapter 9: The Profits of Stock
• Chapter 10: Wages and Profit in the different Employments of Labour and Stock
• Chapter 11: The Rent of Land

Book II:

Of the Nature, Accumulation, and Employment of Stock

• Chapter 1: The Division of Stock
• Chapter 2: Money considered as a particular Branch of the general Stock of the Society, or of the Experience of maintaining the National Capital
• Chapter 3: The Accumulation of Capital, or of productive and unproductive Labour
• Chapter 4: Stock lent at Interest
• Chapter 5: The different Employment of Capital

Book III: Of the different Progress of Opulence in different Nations

• Chapter 1: The Natural Progress of Opulence
• Chapter 2: The Discouragement of Agriculture in the Ancient State of Europe after the Fall of the Roman Empire
• Chapter 3: The Rise and Progress of Cities and Towns, after the Fall of the Roman Empire
• Chapter 4: How the Commerce of the Towns contributed to the Improvement of the Country

Book IV:

Of Systems of Political Economy

• Chapter 1: The Principle of the commercial, or mercantile System
• Chapter 2: Restraints upon the Importation from foreign Countries of such Goods as can be produced at Home
• Chapter 3: The extraordinary Restraints upon the Importation of Goods of almost all Kinds, from those Countries with which the Balance is supposed to be disadvantageous
• Chapter 4: Drawbacks
• Chapter 5: Bounties
• Chapter 6: Treaties of Commerce
• Chapter 7: Colonies
• Chapter 8: Conclusion of the Mercantile System
• Chapter 9: The Agricultural Systems, or of those Systems of Political Economy, which represent the Produce of Land, as either the sole or the principal Source of the Revenue and Wealth of every Country

Book V:

Of the Revenue of the Sovereign or Commonwealth

• Chapter 1: The Expenses of the Sovereign or Commonwealth
• Chapter 2: The Sources of the General or Public Revenue of the Society
• Chapter 3: Public Debts

'Slainte, here's tae ye' to Adam Smith