Star : Why be a patin when you can be a whale?
YF Yap
5 March 2002
Why be a patin when you can be a whale?
I HAVE three anecdotes to share regarding the use of English in our
blessed country. The first concerns a diminutive young girl in a
tudung, at halftime during a netball match, more than a year ago. Her
team was trailing 6-12 and I, as team manager, was shouting my life’s
worth of encouragement – “Come on, you can do it!” – to the players.
This girl then gamely responded, “Yes, must can, must can!”
I did not immediately get what she was uttering. Then it dawned on me
that it was the Malay expression, “mesti boleh”. She was translating
the two words literally into English.
The second incident happened at a restaurant. One person said to
another, “Let’s eat together-gether”, another direct and literal
Malay-to-English translation of “mari makan bersama-sama”.
For the third, you can check out a gym in Ampang Jaya, Selangor, which
has this notice: “Please Wipe Your Sweat After Use.”
Malaysians are now struggling with English; it’s a very difficult and
unforgiving language. If you don’t have a good, minimum command of it,
you can sound bizarre and be worse off for using it.
First, let us examine the sentence structure of this language.
English features the concept of “to be”, which every sentence must
have before it can be complete. This comes in the form of a verb. When
asked, “What are you doing?”, a person may reply, “I am doing my
work.” The “am” is the concept of “to be”, which renders the sentence
“I am doing my work” complete and alive.
In Malay, an equivalent question would be “Engkau buat apa?”, and the
answer would be the simple “Buat kerja”, which is in the form of a
phrase (“doing work”) and has no subject or verb, but which still
stands on its own.
As the presence of a verb is essential and conditional in any English
sentence, it presupposes the subject (the originator of the action)
before and the predicate (the target of the action) after it. So, for
any sentence to be whole, it must have (subject), the action itself
(verb), and (predicate).
The wisdom of a complete sentence is that it evokes precision of
thought. In the case of “I am doing my work”, it is the “I” doing the
work, and not anyone else. The “am” is the verb “to be”.
In the Malay equivalent, the “buat kerja” can be performed by anybody,
since both subject and verb are missing. In practical terms, of
course, we know who is “doing work” and this would be the respondent
to the question. But at the conceptual level, this is an assumption,
an ambiguity.
This assumption is evident in the expression “mesti boleh” or the
Manglish “must can”. Our sports girl was game enough to respond to my
words of encouragement and, in all probability she was positively
saying, “Yes, of course we can”. Her “mesti boleh” is technically
correct; perfectly acceptable. But when this is literally translated
into “must can”, it becomes technically wrong because of the absence
of a subject (“we” or “kita” in Bahasa), as well as a verb.
Precision of thought is the first feature of English, which in turn
offers rich dividends for our thought process, especially when we wish
to communicate with another person. When we have ABC in mind and wish
to communicate that to another person, we wish to say and mean ABC,
not ACB or BAC, or even DEF or XYZ.
To illustrate the importance of precision of thought in the English
language, let us return to the notice, “Please Wipe Your Sweat After
Use”. It exhorts the gym user to wipe his sweat off something – most
probably the gym equipment – after using it. However, the word “use”
has no concluding predicate; it ambiguously leaves the reader to
identify one (which, in this case, is the equipment).
As the notice stands, the omission creates an unintended link between
“sweat” and “use”, and back to “sweat”. Something like, “Please Wipe
Your Sweat After Using Your Sweat”. That’s bizarre. “Please Wipe Your
Sweat After Using Equipment” would avoid any ambiguity.
The precision of the English language would be reason enough for us to
want to master it, especially in the complex and very technical world
we live in today. Its complexity suits our own complex life, with its
laws, social interactions, science and technology.
The English language is also bestowed with the most number of words in
its vocabulary, compared with other languages. This means that if we
were in command of English, we could be in command of a large number
of words.
Some of us might doubt the value of this. But critics who hold this
view might wish to know that a word is more than an assembly of
alphabets. It is the expression of an experience. Take “apple”, for
example. To a person who has heard the word or read about it, or has
seen and eaten the fruit, “apple” would represent the fruit we know.
But for someone who does not know of the apple or has never tasted one
before, neither the word nor the fruit exists. He does not
conceptually experience an apple.
There are at least 500,000 words in the English repertoire. So a
person well versed in English can be privy to at least 500,000
experiences, “apple” being but one of them. These words enable us to
‘experience’ the smallest particles like electrons and quarks, the
furthest galaxy, the deepest universe and everything in-between.
English has a word for everything.
Do we need to know all of the 500,000 words? This is a moot question;
after all, we can get by perfectly well with 100,000 or much fewer –
say, 10,000 words, not only in English, but any language, like Malay.
Not all of the world’s population speak English and many do survive
pretty well regardless, like the Japanese, Swedes, Koreans, Arabs and
Italians.
The answer lies in the analogous size of a fish. A fish from the
Sungai Pahang (representing the largest expanse of water in this
country) may grow to a maximum length of, say, one metre and weigh
7kg. After that, it cannot grow any bigger because of the limited size
of its habitat.
But take a fish from the sea, or better, the ocean, and you see a huge
expansion in size. A marlin from the Indian Ocean can grow to over
three metres in length and 450kg in weight because it can roam freely
in the unrestricted expanse of water.
The analogy is clear. Our intellectual development can be far superior
within the ambit of 500,000 English words, compared with the 100,000
word-pool of another language. We need not know all of them, just like
the marlin need not swim the entire ocean. But words are vital
infrastructure and ingredients for untrammelled intellectual growth.
Word experience is manure for the mind.
We know English is a precise language backed by a vast vocabulary. On
these two counts alone, it is superior to most other languages in the
world. Good things come in torrents sometimes; in this case, the
language enjoys other features as well.
It is a language of literature, boasting classic works by writers like
Shakespeare, Chaucer, Mickey Spillane, Faulkner, Hemingway and even
Enid Blyton. The list of past and present English writers from both
sides of the Atlantic is truly inexhaustible.
It is a language of science and technology as most modern scientific
and technological developments and applications are in English, or
have been translated into it. It is the language of every conceivable
department of knowledge. Future developments in all these areas are in
the main in English.
The British Library has in its collection over four million volumes of
books in English, representing and recording the sum total of the
entire body of knowledge human civilisation has ever known from the
earliest of times until the present day.
When viewed this way, it becomes quite clear why we Malaysians are
exhorted to learn this language. Ignore or dismiss it, and we
unwittingly deprive ourselves of a formidable vehicle for robust
intellectual growth, at the considerable cost of becoming,
intellectually, as big as the ikan patin or ikan jelatek of the Pahang
River, but never half as big as the whale in the ocean.
Statements have been made which indicate that our college and
university students (meaning our future leaders) are hampered from
acquiring knowledge because most, if not all, reference materials for
tertiary education are in English.
Manglish, the language they are familiar with, is, at best, a patois,
insufficient to surmount the complexity and difficulty of English, and
for their thought process to fully benefit from its advantages.
Once upon a time, we were good users of English. Then something
happened and we severed it from our intellectual environment, and
substituted it with Malay.
But Malay is not precise in its sentence structure. Also, it has a
rather limited vocabulary and a lesser store of knowledge in its
language library. These deficiencies were known, but have yet to be
dealt with, in view of some idealistic social or emotional
considerations.
For this reason, Malay is being given massive injections of technical
words (mainly English), e.g. “audit” becomes “odit”, and “ticket” is
“tiket”. Knowledge-based books or texts are translated from English to
Malay.
Two factors immediately hamper this otherwise noble effort – there are
far too many technical words and far too many books to translate. If
we were to translate10 books per week, it would only add up to 520
books per year. It would take 7,692 years to complete the task of
translating the 4,000,000 books in the British Library – assuming we
maintain the rate of translation, and that the total number of books
does not increase in the interim.
The 10 translations per week have not been met, as lamented by our
students, and the number of books of knowledge will continue to grow.
For these very real reasons, it is thus safe to conclude that a
Malay-based intellectual environment will not expand in any
significant size, in any meaningful way. A Malay-based intellectual
environment will not produce intellectual giants.
We must develop the deep, precise inner-thought process that English
facilitates. Precision of thought and wide word experience are two
essential ingredients for our survival in this complex world.
Let us bring back the thought process that produces phrases like “Yes,
we can do it”, “Let’s eat together”, and “Please Wipe Your Sweat After
Using Equipment”. – AB Sulaiman
**************From Uncle Yap**************
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Pan
wrote:
>From The Star
>5 March 2002
>
>Why be a patin when you can be a whale?
[snip]
>English features the concept of “to be”, which every sentence must
>have before it can be complete. This comes in the form of a verb. When
>asked, “What are you doing?”, a person may reply, “I am doing my
>work.” The “am” is the concept of “to be”, which renders the sentence
>“I am doing my work” complete and alive.
But the fact is that in conversation - at least in the U.S.; I can't
answer for Britain - most people would respond: "Work." In a dialogue,
the question often establishes the subject of the answer.
>In Malay, an equivalent question would be “Engkau buat apa?”, and the
>answer would be the simple “Buat kerja”, which is in the form of a
>phrase (“doing work”) and has no subject or verb, but which still
>stands on its own.
It stands on its own as a response, just as "Work" does. If something
other than a mere response was required, it would be normal to say
"Aku buat kerja," wouldn't it?
[snip]
>This assumption is evident in the expression “mesti boleh” or the
>Manglish “must can”. Our sports girl was game enough to respond to my
>words of encouragement and, in all probability she was positively
>saying, “Yes, of course we can”. Her “mesti boleh” is technically
>correct; perfectly acceptable. But when this is literally translated
>into “must can”, it becomes technically wrong because of the absence
>of a subject (“we” or “kita” in Bahasa), as well as a verb.
[snip]
The closest correct English sentence would be "We must be able to!"
but "We can and we will!" would be more idiomatic.
I am generally sympathetic to the tone and content of this article,
though.
Michael
To reply by email, please take out the TRASH (so to speak). Personal messages only, please!
Yap Yok Foo
>I am generally sympathetic to the tone and content of this article,
>though.
I once called the Dean of the English Dept at the University of
Malaya. Her secretary said she was not in. When I asked her at what
time the Dean was expected at her office, she replied
"Ten and a half"
See how this literal translation sounds so corny :-)
*************From Uncle Yap**************
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Pan
wrote:
>On Wed, 06 Mar 2002 03:48:42 GMT, panNO...@musician.org (Pan) wrote:
>>I am generally sympathetic to the tone and content of this article,
>>though.
>
>I once called the Dean of the English Dept at the University of
>Malaya. Her secretary said she was not in. When I asked her at what
>time the Dean was expected at her office, she replied
>"Ten and a half"
>
>See how this literal translation sounds so corny :-)
The Brits say "half ten," don't they? To an American, that sounds
weirder than "ten and a half."
Michael
P.S. We say "ten thirty" or "half past ten."
Yap Yok Foo
>The Brits say "half ten," don't they? To an American, that sounds
>weirder than "ten and a half."
The Brits say "half past ten" very quickly so much so you failed to
hear the middle word :-)
Philip Chee
>On Thu, 07 Mar 2002 01:08:18 GMT, panNO...@musician.org (Pan) wrote:
>>The Brits say "half ten," don't they? To an American, that sounds
>>weirder than "ten and a half."
>>P.S. We say "ten thirty" or "half past ten."
>The Brits say "half past ten" very quickly so much so you failed to
>hear the middle word :-)
Incorrect, the Brits really do say "half ten".
Philip
---=====================================================================---
Philip Chee: Tasek Corporation Berhad, P.O.Box 254, 30908 Ipoh, MALAYSIA
e-mail: phi...@aleytys.pc.my Voice:+60.5.291.1011 Fax:+60.5.291.9932
Guard us from the she-wolf and the wolf, and guard us from the thief,
oh Night, and so be good for us to pass.
... Honey, PLEASE don't pick up the PH$#*&$^(#&$^%(*NO CARRIER
--
* 20474.66 *
Yap Yok Foo
>
Philip Chee
>>Incorrect, the Brits really do say "half ten".
>Aiyah, Philip, another one with defective hearing :-)
So, let's compare. For how many years were you in the UK?
Phil Chee Esq. MA (Cantab)
---=====================================================================---
Philip Chee: Tasek Corporation Berhad, P.O.Box 254, 30908 Ipoh, MALAYSIA
e-mail: phi...@aleytys.pc.my Voice:+60.5.291.1011 Fax:+60.5.291.9932
Guard us from the she-wolf and the wolf, and guard us from the thief,
oh Night, and so be good for us to pass.
--
þ 20487.43 þ "Repent Harlequin!" said the Tick-Tock Man.
Yap Yok Foo
wrote:
>>Aiyah, Philip, another one with defective hearing :-)
>So, let's compare. For how many years were you in the UK?
>Phil Chee Esq. MA (Cantab)
six long years in Brrrrrritain
YF Yap Esq BA Calcutta (failed)
:-)
Pan
wrote:
>On Fri, 08 Mar 2002 12:44:12 GMT, phi...@aleytys.pc.my (Philip Chee)
Uncle Yap, I've _never_ been in Britain, but I knew an English flutist
who _very distinctly_ said "half ten." I undoubtedly commented about
the expression to her, too.
Michael
Yap Yok Foo
10 March 2002
Some people are as they were, regardless of what they are now!
CAN the leopard change its spots or an Ethiopian or Congolese his
skin?Shakespeare, in Romeo and Juliet, states: "What's in a name? That
which we call a rose/ By any other name will smell as sweet." Thomas
Paine said: "Titles are but nicknames, and every nickname is a title."
Five Malaysians made it into Forbes Magazine's latest billionaire list
— Robert Kuok, Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan ("Dick" to his friends), Tan Sri
Lim Goh Tong, Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay and Ananda Krishnan ("Tak" to
subordinates).
The list is not surprising. What is surprising is that the media
continues to call Kuok and Krishnan "Tan Sri", when neither is and
will, the diarist believes, spurn hono-rifics of any kind.
Lesser mortals delight in titles, many laboured and paid for them. Who
needs designations when they are billionaires? There are as many
"Datuks" as they are pebbles on the Beach of Passionate Love. There
are only five billionaires (in dollars, mind you) among 24 million
Malaysians.
The diarist's counterpart in Utusan Malaysia last week asked: "Where
are the Malay billionaires?" He is proud that five Malaysians (one
became Malaysian only slightly more than three decades ago) are among
the richest in the world, but when will there be a Malay billionaire,
he demanded.
He lamented the fact that many Malays had failed to achieve this
distinction despite massive government assistance.
The diarist knows at least one potential billionaire. This person is
opposite in orientation and lifestyle of the failed Malay high-fliers.
Billionaires are perhaps the single most important social force
(outside politics) for good or evil in the countries where they live.
This hack realises there are people into whose heads it never enters
the idea to improve the status of the poor! Oxbridge Boat Race
MALAYSIAN Cantabrigians and Oxonians will hold their annual Boat Race
dinner on March 30 in conjunction with the 148th race, which Cambridge
is expected to win again — if it does, it means nine in the last 10
years.
The Light Blue, which is the diarist's team, may have to work harder
to deny what is described as an in-form Dark Blue which is out to
prove a point — that it can't go on losing. It appears this might be
the closest Boat Race in years.
Be Discreet SOME people seem to have this philosophy of life — if
you've got money, flaunt it! Why not? They had made their pile largely
through their own efforts, in some cases, though, the Government had
assisted.
They are showy, nothing too discreet, of course. That's not their
style. People say royals, old money and pauperised aristocrats detest
such ostentation, but who cares? An acquaintance used to say XY would
end up a millionaire — or behind bars. Well, XY is still feasting,
playing golf and doing all the things that only the rich can afford.
Long life, health and a happy family are some things to celebrate,
which you and the diarist do. Money is not everything, but it does
help. Of course, dough doesn't buy love nor happiness, but that's not
the reason so many are poor! Dirty Money PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Dr
Mahathir Mohamad wants changes to international banking laws to enable
Governments to investigate foreign accounts of suspected corrupt
politicians, civil servants, corporate figures and terrorists. Kudos!
o d...@nstp.com.my
Yap Yok Foo
10 March 2002
Viewpoints
Singapore Minister draws flak for remarks on Malaysian newsmen
By Balan Moses ba...@nstp.com.my
>The NST's answer to The Star's "Other News & Views"
>This Balan Moses seemes to be proficient in 4 languages,
>reading the Chinese, Malay and Tamil papers and summarising
>for an English paper.
A SINGAPORE Minister may have bitten off more than he could chew when
he likened Malaysian journalists covering a recent event in the
republic to wild animals.
Minister of State for National Development Dr Vivian Balakrishnan may
have made the statement in jest, but this was not the view of most
Malaysians quoted in the Malay media.
Berita Harian quoted politicians and a former editor-in-chief of
Utusan Malaysia as saying the Young PAP vice-chairman should have been
circumspect in his views.
Datuk Zainuddin Maidin, a former newsman and now Information Ministry
Parliamentary Secretary, said Balakrishnan's views may reflect the
manner in which Singapore journalists approached their leaders.
The Senator said Singapore scribes were overawed by their political
leaders and, thus, kept their distance.
And this was probably why, he said, Balakrishnan reacted the way he
did in a speech at a luncheon last week for Young PAP leaders which
was hosted by a visiting Umno Youth delegation.
Berita Harian, in a Page 2 report headlined "Singapore Journalists are
Rats and the Basis for Young PAP Leader's Statement", quoted Zainuddin
as saying that the Singapore views probably came from the "open"
manner Umno Youth head Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein treated Malaysian
reporters covering his trip to the republic.
Johor Baru Umno Youth chief Abu Talib Alias, in another report the
same day, said Young PAP leaders at the luncheon clapped in support of
Balakrishnan's statement while Umno Youth leaders kept silent.
Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Balakrishnan's
statement went against the spirit of Young PAP's assertion that it
wanted stronger Malaysia-Singapore ties.
Utusan Malaysia quoted Hishammuddin as saying that Malaysian
journalists had to defend themselves and not expect politicians to
come to their rescue.
It was a week of unwelcome publicity for the Malaysian media with
Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong reproaching them on Thursday
for raising issues that pitted Singapore against Malaysia.
Speaking to The Straits Times of Singapore in Australia during the
Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting recently, he castigated
newsmen in Malaysia for a spate of anti-Singapore articles.
He alleged that the latest Malaysian effort was in relation to the
reclamation of land by Singapore in its waters.
Berita Harian quoted him as saying that "Singapore will not do
anything wrong" in the reclamation issue.
The newspaper said he accused the Malaysia media of raising the sale
of water to the republic and the tudung controversy before this.
It was not all brickbats, however, for the Malaysian media.
Malawi Information Minister Clement Stambuli, on a visit here, was
quoted by Berita Harian on Tuesday as saying that the Malaysia media
was free compared with many countries.
Describing journalists here as professionals, he said the
administration of the media was also exemplary as it did not ignore
the development of the country while pursuing journalistic ideals.
The week that was also saw a debate raging in the local media on the
merits of the reclamation work in the Tebrau Straits.
Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian probably gave Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir
Mohamad the last word on the issue with their page 1 lead stories
yesterday quoting the Prime Minister as asking Singapore for a
guarantee that the reclamation will not affect the waterline.
Dr Mahathir said while Singapore has the right to reclaim land in its
territory, this should not be at the expense of Malaysia.
Singapore was also in Malaysian news for other reasons.
Utusan Malaysia ran a story on Monday quoting statistics published in
The Straits Times which indicated that more poor children in the
republic were not going to school.
A total of 1,921 children were not registered for Primary One in 1999
as parents did not have enough money to pay school fees, the newspaper
said, quoting Education Ministry and welfare department figures.
By-election in Ketari
ALL eyes were on the small town of Ketari in Pahang last week as the
Barisan Nasional and the opposition began the posturing that usually
heralds a by-election.
The Chinese Press went to town with stories on the issue, given the
fact that the State constituency, with its large Chinese base, has
traditionally been held by Gerakan.
With Datuk Loke Koon Kam's death last Sunday, Gerakan has been in the
limelight with stories touching on possible candidates from its ranks
and the opposition.
Nanyang Siang Pau, in an analysis on Wednesday, said Gerakan should
ensure a victory in the byelection as the constituency is the only one
it holds in the east coast.
The newspaper said the party was expected to have a good outing this
time around as there were no outstanding problems to be sorted out.
Last Tuesday, the newspaper also ran a story that urged the Barisan
Nasional to be mindful of the growing strength of the opposition in
Pahang.
The by-election, it said, was probably an early indicator of the
outcome of the next general election.
In this light, it said the by-election, expected to be held sometime
next month, would see both sides pulling out all the stops in their
efforts to emerge victor.
Sin Chew Jit Poh last Tuesday said the by-election would be a good way
to gauge the needs of the Chinese community.
According to a news analysis in the newspaper, the by-election would
indicate the general direction political parties would take in the
future.
This was especially in relation to post-Sept 11 policies, the
newspaper added. It also predicted that the BN would do well in the
polls.
It also said the opposition was sure to lose if there was a
three-cornered fight.
The DAP, which contested the seat in the 1999 general election, has
indicated it will contest again. This is based on a quid pro quo it
says should be practised as it made way for Keadilan in the Lunas
by-election in 2000.
Keadilan, however, indicated it also planned to contest but would make
way for the DAP if the latter agreed to rejoin the opposition pact.
Tamil school woes
TAMIL schools have often tried to shake off the tag of being the bane
of the Indian community.
Time and again, the MIC has come to their support as detractors
identified the schools as being the cause of backwardness among rural
Indians.
In this light, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu was upset with
the Education Ministry last week for not responding to a party request
to turn all Tamil schools into fully government-aided ones.
Tamil Nesan quoted him as saying that 65 per cent of the 520 Tamil
schools were only partially assisted by the Government.
The newspaper said Tamil schools needed greater attention from the
Government.
Samy Vellu, also Works Minister, said that he would meet with
Education Minister Tan Sri Musa Mohamad over the matter soon.
Estate workers and their perennial battle for monthly wages were also
featured by both Malaysia Nanban and Tamil Nesan last week.
Tamil Nesan, in an editorial, said the Malaysian Agricultural
Producers Association should be as serious in looking at the issue of
monthly wages as it was in making profits. It said workers were not
offered their fair share of gains when primary commodities fetched
good prices internationally.
Malaysia Nanban said plantation owners, however, let workers bear the
brunt of the burden when commodity prices sagged.
Yap Yok Foo
>Uncle Yap, I've _never_ been in Britain, but I knew an English flutist
>who _very distinctly_ said "half ten." I undoubtedly commented about
>the expression to her, too.
Why are you and Philip taking this so seriously ?
Didn't you notice my smiley? :-)
Pan
wrote:
>On Sat, 09 Mar 2002 04:11:22 GMT, panNO...@musician.org (Pan) wrote:
>>Uncle Yap, I've _never_ been in Britain, but I knew an English flutist
>>who _very distinctly_ said "half ten." I undoubtedly commented about
>>the expression to her, too.
>
>Why are you and Philip taking this so seriously ?
>Didn't you notice my smiley? :-)
I feel stupid. :-) LOL!
Philip Chee
>On Sat, 09 Mar 2002 04:11:22 GMT, panNO...@musician.org (Pan) wrote:
>>Uncle Yap, I've _never_ been in Britain, but I knew an English flutist
>>who _very distinctly_ said "half ten." I undoubtedly commented about
>>the expression to her, too.
>Why are you and Philip taking this so seriously ?
>Didn't you notice my smiley? :-)
No. What's a "smiley"? :-P
Philip
---=====================================================================---
Philip Chee: Tasek Corporation Berhad, P.O.Box 254, 30908 Ipoh, MALAYSIA
e-mail: phi...@aleytys.pc.my Voice:+60.5.291.1011 Fax:+60.5.291.9932
Guard us from the she-wolf and the wolf, and guard us from the thief,
oh Night, and so be good for us to pass.
--
ž 20441.31 ž I visited cyberspace and all I got was this lousy tagline
Bushido
wrote:
>From The New Straits Times
>10 March 2002
>The diarist's counterpart in Utusan Malaysia last week asked: "Where
>are the Malay billionaires?" He is proud that five Malaysians (one
>became Malaysian only slightly more than three decades ago) are among
>the richest in the world, but when will there be a Malay billionaire,
>he demanded.
Look under the Dime !
They were all hiding underneath.
Ahmad Sayuthi
>>The NST's answer to The Star's "Other News & Views"
>>This Balan Moses seemes to be proficient in 4 languages,
>>reading the Chinese, Malay and Tamil papers and summarising
>>for an English paper.
He was an Assistant News Editor and a significant personality at the
news desk from the early 90's onwards. I don't know what his current
position under the new Dollah Ahmad regime is but the guy has influence
over there.
--
icq23582...@time.net.myasayuthi@softhome.net
alphaque.com star-techcentral.com 17040pasir mas, kelantan
Yap Yok Foo
Cheaper landing fees, perks to woo airlines to KLIA
By EIRMALASARE BANI
MALAYSIA Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is going to dangle cheaper
landing fees and other incentives to woo airlines into moving their
regional headquarters to KL International Airport (KLIA).
Malaysia’s sole airport operator has stepped up efforts to get more
traffic to come through Sepang to take advantage of increasing
passenger confidence as air travel returns to normal since the
September 11 attacks in the US last year. More airline activities will
also help MAHB’s attempt to make KLIA a regional hub for air travel.
Sources and analysts who attended the company’s briefing last week
said MAHB may be eyeing several airlines which are currently based in
Singapore’s Changi Airport.
An analyst said MAHB will offer these airlines discounts on
aeronautical charges, including landing fees at the KLIA.
“One of the major costs to an airline is the landing fee. There is a
possibility that some may have already agreed to shift their
headquarters to KLIA,” the analyst said.
There are currently 42 airlines operating at KLIA compared with 59 at
Changi Airport.
Of the 59 airlines, 24 have set up their base in Singapore but not in
Kuala Lumpur. Among them are Egypt Air, Kuwait Airways, Finnair, Air
Madagascar, Northwest Airlines and United Airlines.
A source said Egypt Air may be shifting to the KLIA soon, following a
more than double increase in tourist arrivals from West Asia to
Malaysia recently.
Tourism Malaysia registered 114,776 tourist arrivals from West Asia in
2001 compared with 53,370 in the previous year. The West Asian
arrivals are from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Jordan,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria and Oman.
In addition, more Arab airlines are flying directly to Kuala Lumpur,
including Qatar Airways which was given the green light to operate
five flights a week from Doha recently.
US-based Northwest Airlines, which pulled out of Kuala Lumpur last
year, said it has no plans currently to return to KLIA.
“The decision to fly to any particular place depends on our head
office,” its general manager for Singapore and Malaysia, Yeoh Hock
Thye, said when contacted yesterday.
He said an airline has to fly direct to any particular place before it
can set up headquarters there. This is to justify the high cost of
managing such an office.
The airline has maintained a general sales agent in Kuala Lumpur after
its departure.
“Our Asian hub is actually in Tokyo. For the US market, Tokyo or Hong
Kong is a more ideal hub in Asia,” he added.
KLIA currently handles about 16 million passengers a year but can
cater to up to 25 million. It received an average of 2,800 aircraft
movements per week.
As for Changi, the airport received 3,222 weekly scheduled flights as
at February 1 this year. It received 28.618 million passengers and
173,947 aircraft movements in 2000. It also handled 1.682 million
tonnes of air freight in that year.
The Singapore airport currently has two passenger terminals capable of
handling 44 million passengers. The third terminal is expected to be
operational in 2006 and can handle up to 20 million passengers
annually.
Yap Yok Foo
11 March 2002
UTM fire: ‘It’s sabotage’
By Carol Murugiah (car...@nstp.com.my)
SKUDAI, Sat. — The fire which damaged part of Universiti Teknologi
Malaysia's Dewan Sultan Iskandar is believed to be an act of sabotage,
Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Mohd Zulkifli Mohd Ghazali said today.
He said the university's investigations indicated that the fire
started at two or three places on the stage.
Although police investigations pointed to a short-circuit, Mohd
Zulkifli said this was unlikely as the fire started between 11pm on
Thursday and 2am on Friday when electricity consumption in the
building was low.
He told a Press conference at UTM that the university's electrical
engineers and experts had conducted their own investigations, and
their findings had been submitted to Education Minister Tan Sri Musa
Mohamad.
He also said if arson was confirmed, it was most likely prompted by
UTM's tough stand against lecturers, staff and students involved in
militant activities and anti-government propaganda.
UTM lecturers Roshelmy Md Sharif, Idris Salim and Dr Abdullah Daud
were among 23 who have been detained for alleged involvement in
Kumpulan Militan Malaysia.
A second-year Management and Human Resources student was also arrested
by police in January for allegedly trying to sabotage the Barisan
Nasional's Indera Kayangan by-election campaign.
The university had suspended the three lecturers, but had not decided
on the action to be taken against the student.
Mohd Zulkifli maintained that the university had to come down hard on
lecturers and students found involved in such activities.
"We do not tolerate any indiscipline especially in respect of
antiGovernment sentiments and lecturers inciting students to rebel.
Lecturers have to conduct themselves with proper decorum and
behaviour," he said.
The staff only discovered the fire on Friday morning when the hall was
found to be flooded with water from the sprinkler system which had
doused the flames.
"Our initial investigations indicate that the fire started from two or
three different places on the stage. It destroyed mainly the curtains
and some stage equipment, causing losses amounting to RM200,000.
"Fortunately, the damage was limited by the sprinkler system which
managed to douse the flames before it could spread to other parts of
the building." The blaze occurred just as the university was preparing
to hold several major events at the hall next week.
The Vice-Chancellor said the damage would be repaired in time for both
occasions.
The UTM fire comes less than a year after the June 29 pre-dawn fire
which destroyed Universiti Malaya's Dewan Tunku Canselor just two days
before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad was scheduled to
give a speech there.
Mohd Zulkifli said security has since been beefed up at the UTM hall,
administration centre and library to prevent similar occurrences.
The police, Fire and Rescue Department and Chemistry Department are
also conducting detailed investigations into the blaze.
Meanwhile, State Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior
Assistant Commissioner (II) Tan Seng Eng said investigations were
on-going although a short circuit had been initially suspected.
++++++++++++++++++++++=
Rais warns ISA can be used against UTM arsonists
VC's claims of saboteurs cannot be dismissed
by Hamidah Atan
ne...@nstp.com.my
The Internal Security Act can be used against arsonists whose actions
are found to be detrimental to national security, Minister in the
Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said today.
Commenting on last Friday's fire at Universiti Teknologi Malaysias
Dewan Sultan Iskandar, he said the statement by University
vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Mohd Zulkifli Mohd Ghazali that the fire
could be an act of sabotage should not be dismissed.
"He is the best person to gauge the reaction of several quarters,
including those of his students. He should pursue that clues and if he
feels strongly about it, he should be assisting the enforcement
authorities in garnering support in term of the evidence."
Speaking after giving away Bakti scholarships to 25 excellent primary
and secondary schools here, he said the act could also be used against
those found to be responsible for creating chaos or causing economic
instability.
Rais said those found to have committed arson involving public or
government property could also be placed under the ISA.
"Such people (arsonists) can be arrested (under the ISA) because their
aim is to create problems for the people and hamper national
aspirations."
Mohd Zulkifli had said the university's investigations revealed that
the fire was believed to be an act of sabotage.
Although police investigations pointed to a short-circuit, Mohd
Zulkifli had said that this was unlikely as the fire started between
11pm on Thursday and 2am on Friday when electricity consumption in the
building was low.
Mohd Zulkifli had added that if arson was confirmed, it was most
likely prompted by UTM's tough stand against lecturers, staff and
students involved in militant activities and anti-government
propaganda.
Rais said the fire should not discourage Mohd Zulkifli from continuing
with his vigilance and action against the university's lecturers and
students involved in militant activities.
"Action against these people must be continued under the rules.
Otherwise, our institutions and universities will be seen as lame
ducks."
He added the university must beef up its security to prevent a
recurrence.
UTM lecturers Roshelmy Md Sharif, Idris Salim and Dr Abdullah Daud
were among 23 who have been detained for alleged involvement with
Kumpulan Militant Malaysia.
A second-year Management and Human Resources student was also arrested
by police in January for allegedly trying to sabotage the Barisan
Nasional's Indera Kayangan by-election campaign.
The university had suspended the three lecturers but had not decided
on action to be taken against the student.
Stephen Lim
wrote:
>On Sat, 09 Mar 2002 10:01:15 +0800, Yap Yok Foo <yf...@pop.jaring.my>
>wrote:
>
>>YF Yap Esq BA Calcutta (failed)
>
>He he! You've seen them too, have you, Uncle?
That kind of qualification will entail a Malaysian salute of a half
past six degree.
---------
To email me : ker...@pd.nospam.jaring.my; You know how to get to me.
Stephen Lim
wrote:
>From The New Straits Times
>11 March 2002
>
>Cheaper landing fees, perks to woo airlines to KLIA
>By EIRMALASARE BANI
>
>MALAYSIA Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is going to dangle cheaper
>landing fees and other incentives to woo airlines into moving their
>regional headquarters to KL International Airport (KLIA).
>
1. Cut MAS fares to everywhere. Be more competitive than SIA and Thai
Airways. You will be the draw factor in coming to KLIA.
2. Link up with a wide group of airlines to make it profitable for the
traveller to gain travel points and offer wide variety of airlines to
link up. eg Star Alliance, One World (but i think MAS is too late in
this game)
3. Free phone calls for whole of Malaysia from the airport (ala
Changi, Bangkok, HK airport etc)
4. Broadband, internet access for travelling businesspeople who are in
transit (if you want to be a hub).
5. Cut the rent in KLIA and ensure shops has the lowest prices in the
region (they are competitive for liquor and cigarettes)
6. Create more space for travellers to hang around - things to do,
different options for different budgets - children playground, movie
theatre (Changi) etc etc
And don't just get the Islamic brotherhood airlines - MAHB is missing
the larger market from Europe, Japan, SEA and China which need to to
East-West and vice versa.
I think KLIA is a far way from what Changi or Don Muan airport is
doing....
Yap Yok Foo
posting from the Sunday Star. Yesterday, if I am not mistaken, I
posted the following
- sailing into troubled waters
- English dailies seek the new in news
- Votes link in move to set up MRT station
- water, tudung & land issues concern us too
As is normal, I post to jaring.general and SCM and to my two
mail-lists, beritamalaysia and bmalaysia
Whilst the mail-lists received the articles, both jaring.general and
SCM did not have the articles.
I have re-send the "water, tudung" article again and will be waiting
to see whether it will appear
What is happening?
Can anyone explain?
Yap Yok Foo
A Reply to Wong Chun Wai:
Singapore's holding in The Star a cause for public concern
by Saifuddin Nasution Ismail
Deputy Youth Chief, Keadilan
saif...@pemuda-keadilan.org
In a vibrant democracy, the mass media plays a vital and strategic
role. While its primary purpose is to present news and analyses, the
power exercised by newspapers and its electronic counterparts is so
great that it can lead to the manufacture of public consent. National
interests therefore dictates that media companies should not fall into
the hands of foreign parties that are directly linked to governments
at odds with internal needs.
With this in mind, the Youth Wing of Parti Keadilan Nasional
(KeADILan) in our press statement of 2nd March questioned the wisdom
of allowing the Government of Singapore to hold direct holdings in two
major newspapers, namely NST and The Star. These holdings are not
ordinary investments by business concerns but direct stakes held by
the Government of the Republic of Singapore.
Many Malaysians are concerned that these newspapers could be
influenced by external governments. In the constrained media
environment of Malaysia, there needs to be some form of control over
such influences. Keadilan Youth believes that safeguards need to be
put in place to ensure that the Malaysian press stays in Malaysian
hands.
We want the government of Malaysia to explain why these holdings -
considered substantial under the rules of the KLSE - have been
allowed. No less a man than Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad himself
has expressed his concern over the "incursion" of foreign influences
in Malaysia's strategic businesses. At the same time, Singapore is
listed by the KLSE as the fourth-biggest shareholder in both NST and
The Star. In fact, in March 2000, the Singapore government was the
SECOND biggest shareholder in The Star.
This is a legitimate issue that concerns ordinary Malaysians. It
cannot be explained away that these shareholdings are mere "ordinary
business". Often these newspapers give lesser returns than other
equivalent companies, but the Government of Singapore continues to
have shareholdings in them. The Government of Singapore with its 7.85%
control of The Star is eligible to request for a director's seat in
that newspaper. Malaysians rightly wonder if this is the thin end of
the wedge whereby a government that is often at odds with our own
interests exercises some form of control over both the newspaper and
the shares.
In The Sunday Star of the 10th of March, journalist Wong Chun Wai
vehemently defends these interests and dismisses its potential
dangers. He does not view Singapore's holdings as being a threat to
the Malaysian public's interest in ensuring that the newspapers
represent Malaysian voices. He does not address the issue that with
these substantial shareholdings, the Singapore government can rock the
market value of these two companies, causing distress to local
investors. More importantly he dismisses the idea that Singapore may
be able to influence the running of the papers through its agents,
Malaysians or otherwise.
In fact Wong's article distorts the concerns raised by Keadilan Youth
in our press statements of the 2nd of March and its follow-up of the
6th of March. In the first statement, we raised the issue of
substantial shareholdings and demanded an answer from the Government
of Malaysia as to why they are allowed in strategic companies.
Our follow-up was published after KLSE sources confirmed that the
Government of Singapore holds shares in the NST and The Star that are
defined as "substantial". The Star's own Company Secretary Ong Wei
Lynn confirmed this fact.
Instead of referring to our press statements, Wong has put words in my
mouth. He said that I have not checked my facts and that FIC rules
"allow investments in media firms if the stake is below 30%". That was
never the issue. Keadilan Youth has always been fully aware of this
rule. However, we question this stand when the investments are in
strategic industries and do not come from private parties but are
direct holdings by foreign governments.
Nor have I ever said that Singapore is represented on the boards of
the NST and The Star, as stated by Wong. What I have said in my
statements (copies of which are enclosed) is that the shares in The
Star are sufficient to demand a board seat. Indeed, Singapore need not
appoint Singaporeans, but can have its interests represented by
Malaysians or even other nationalities. Under Singapore's investment
rules, there is no nationality barrier in the appointment of its chief
managers and representatives. The financial control exercised by the
Singapore government is sufficient for it to influence the running of
companies without appointing any directors, though it may well do so.
It is obvious that Wong has written his article without referring to
the original statements published by Keadilan Youth. As far as
Malaysian journalism goes, his article does not reflect our
statements, but instead saves his employer's "face". We regret that
Wong has "created" new statements which did not appear in our releases
to the press, nor in any interview that we have given on this issue.
Even worse, reading from his article, it is clear that Wong has taken
his so-called "facts" from a news report published by the Straits
Times of Singapore on the 5th of March. In that report the so-called
"allegations" were mentioned for the first time. The reporter who
filed the report wrote his piece without referring to our statements
(we had not sent copies to him) and in his own words, he had not been
able to contact Keadilan Youth for our views. Wong took his "facts"
from a news report that was filed based on made-up assumptions.
The golden rule of verifying sources has therefore been broken. The
very fact that Wong took his "facts" from a Singapore newspaper shows
the influence exercised by that country upon our very own The Star.
Indeed, we should remember that the Singapore Straits Times is largely
owned by the Government of Singapore and often parrots the views of
that republic's leaders. Wong, as a Malaysian chose not to verify his
sources with those Malaysians who made the announcements in the first
place, but relied instead on a foreign news report.
In his article Wong also jumped to the conclusion and said that my
statements were made "for a Malay audience". For his information, my
first statement was made at the Keadilan Convention at the Hock Chew
Hall in Yong Peng, Johor where the audience comprised of an equal mix
of all Malaysian races.
In fact, race does not come into the issue at all. At stake is the
national interest of all Malaysians. As a multi-racial party, Keadilan
continues to believe that the national interest is one that involves
all the races, not just the majority Malays or any other ethnic group.
The article that Wong wrote said that the statements were addressed
"to the Malay audience who may not read the two English newspapers."
Keadilan Youth finds this statement insulting to the Malay readers of
The Star. Wong may not be aware that Malays can often now read English
newspapers as well as publications in the vernacular. The readership
of The Star - if Wong were to check his facts - comprise all the races
of this country. The Malays not only form a substantial number of The
Star's readers, but also that of the NST. The last time we checked,
some Malays were actually chief editors of the NST and held equally
important positions in The Star!
I do not wish to pick bones with Wong over his idea of who the readers
of The Star are. Perhaps he has his own reasons to dismiss his readers
as comprising of only one ethnic group. However, if I were a Malay
reader of The Star (and I too sometimes steal a peek at that
newspaper), I would feel greatly insulted that instead of choosing to
address the issues raised, an editor of The Star chooses to paint
racial colours to a major public interest issue.
The main issue still stands: Singapore has direct interests in
strategic Malaysian companies. The Star is, unwittingly or otherwise,
substantially owned by a foreign government. Under Malaysia's Company
Act, shareholders such as these have rights that are protected by law.
They also have influence, often unseen, over the management of the
company.
We feel that Singaporeans, as private investors should be encouraged
to buy Malaysian shares. Like any other foreigner, they too should be
allowed to participate in Malaysian commerce. However, a certain line
must be drawn where foreign governments are allowed without check and
balance to buy into those industries that serve a social as well as a
business purpose. Newspapers are such businesses.
What newspapers publish often leads to public debate and help to shape
the country's political agenda. This should never be compromised by
any external government. Even the government of Malaysia should not be
allowed to influence the running of newspapers. Freedom of the press
must never be compromised if democracy in Malaysia is to have a fair
chance.
It is perhaps too much to expect Wong to write a fair comment on this
issue. Since the government of Malaysia high-handedly banned The Star
under "Operasi Lallang", the newspaper has lost its way. The free
spirit of its former chairman, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra is now lost,
perhaps forever. The Star, which so often in the past stood for
journalistic integrity, now only counts a few fair and free reporters
among its staff. Certainly the editors do not seem to be as free as
they were prior to 1987.
Let's not make this situation any worse. Let us prevent newspapers
such as NST and The Star from coming under the influence of outside
parties. They should be independent journals and serve their readers
by writing fair and accurate stories. We can help to ensure this by
asking the government to clarify the role of foreign government
holdings in this strategic industry.
As to Wong's article, a politician such as myself can fairly expect a
journalist to write his pieces based on true sources. I am still
awaiting a call from Wong to clarify my side of the story. It is only
fair that Wong listens to both sides before he makes his conclusions.
In this way, both politicians and journalists can cooperate in making
newspapers a true tool of democracy and not a mere instrument of the
powers that be.
* * *
Ahmad Sayuthi
> On Sundays, I will normally find quite a few article worthwhile
> posting from the Sunday Star. Yesterday, if I am not mistaken, I
> posted the following
> - sailing into troubled waters
> - English dailies seek the new in news
> - Votes link in move to set up MRT station
> - water, tudung & land issues concern us too
ALL were in the CIS news server yesterday. Must be a problem with
jaring.
Yap Yok Foo
KUALA LUMPUR: Residents in Selangor and the city have been warned of a
possible repetition of the 1998 water crisis if no precautionary steps
are taken following the continuous dip in the levels of all dams in
the state.
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the Selangor Waterworks
Department began sending out 11 tanker lorries two days ago to several
areas to help provide water supply.
“All reservoirs are facing reduced water levels,” he said.
Citing examples, he said the water level in the Sungai Tinggi dam had
dropped from a maximum of 57m to 50m, while the level in the Semenyih
dam had dipped from a high of 111m to 107m.
“The level at the Sungai Langat dam has gone down by 5m,” he told
reporters after attending the opening ceremony of Parliament’s fourth
term yesterday.
However, Samy Vellu said the situation was not dangerous yet and that
the Waterworks Department had not decided on the need to impose water
rationing.
The Waterworks Department had stated that things were under control,
he said.
“The department submits daily reports to me,” he added.
Areas that have been identified as facing water problems included
Taman Cheras, Taman Billion, Pandan Indah, Taman Cantik, Kg Cheras
Baru, Taman Pertama and Taman Mutiara Timur.
Samy Vellu also said a water reduction exercise had already begun in
the treatment plants.
Selangor is expected to launch a campaign soon to save water.
Yap Yok Foo
12 March 2002
CI at 16-month high on strong buying support
By P.W. THONG
THE KLSE Composite Index (CI) surged 13.38 points or 1.8% yesterday to
close at 761, its highest level in 16 months, thanks to
across-the-board buying by both institutional funds and retail
investors.
It was the ninth consecutive day of gains for the benchmark index,
which has gone up almost 60 points or 8.5% since Feb 25, when it stood
at 701.31.
The market’s strong surge in the past two weeks has left many analysts
and dealers wondering if it can continue its upward momentum.
While analysts and dealers attributed the strong buying interest to
the better economic prospects and positive news flow, many expect the
stock market to take a breather very soon, as the CI is seen to have
gone up too fast too soon.
The broader Emas Index was up 3.13 points or 1.76% to 180.64, while
the Second Board Index gained a good 3.34 points or 2.66% to 128.99.
Gainers outnumbered losers by a massive ratio of 705 to 90, while the
overall volume rose to 494.8 million shares, compared with 343.6
million last Friday.
Top gainers of the day were gaming, banking and construction stocks,
considered prime beneficiaries of a recovery in the economy. They
included Malayan Banking Bhd, Magnum Corp Bhd, Tanjong PLC, Gamuda
Bhd, as well as Road Builder (M) Holdings Bhd.
The optimism spilled over to media stocks such as Star Publications
(M) Bhd and New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd, which went up 50 sen and
30 sen, respectively, as well as to plantation stocks such as IOI Corp
Bhd and Sime Darby Bhd.
However, shares of Commerce Asset-Holding Bhd ended 10 sen lower at
RM9.50, after rising as much as 60 sen to RM10.20 earlier in the day,
as fund managers sold on strength following recent gains.
TA Securities head of research C.K. Ngu said that at current levels,
there were difficulties in identifying any more value stocks, as many
had gone up over the past weeks. He expects the market to undergo some
consolidation soon, as the CI, and many of his top buys were currently
trading at the higher end of his targets, and therefore considered
over-bought.
One senior research manager of a local brokerage house said if the CI
consolidates, it would find support at 756, although 750 would be an
important psychological support level. “On the upside, we expect the
CI to find its resistance at 765. Hence, looking at it, there seems
very little room for more rises in the immediate term,’’ he said.
Another research manager, who declined to be named, also agreed with
this view, adding that it would be risky for retail investors to jump
into the stock market at the current level, as the potential capital
return would be less than the amount of risk involved.
“This year will be a good year for the stock market, there’s no doubt
about it. In fact, we expect the CI to reach possibly 800-850 by the
yearend as prospects of an economic recovery grow stronger.
“However, in the short-term, many stocks, including blue ships, have
been fairly valued, if not slightly expensive over the past weeks.
Hence, there is little scope left for value pickers and serious
investors now.
“Moreover, looking at regional markets that have gone up sharply over
the weeks, one can observe some degree of decline in upward momentum.
“Hence, it would be wise to take profit in the interim, especially if
one is trading on a very short-term basis with limited holding power
in the stocks,’’ the research head added.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Is this market rally for real or is it another false dawn?
Wong Sulong
CAN the current rally on the KLSE continue?
That’s the question many investors and punters are asking.
Understandably, they do not want to miss what could be the start of a
bull run. At the same time, they do not want to get burned again.
Indeed, there have been too many hopes dashed in the past. During the
past three years, run-ups on the KLSE had invariably petered out a few
weeks down the road, leaving many punters nursing losses, and cursing
the day they jumped into the market. Those who bought tech stocks two
years ago should know.
So, is the current run-up another of those false dawns?
To answer the question, one has to look at the domestic and
international scenarios then and now.
I think most readers will agree with me that the domestic situation
currently is a much brighter picture than it was a year ago, both
politically and economically. This has resulted in foreign rating
agencies and funds upgrading Malaysia.
Politically, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad has greatly strengthened
his position, particularly after Sept 11. The fear of Islamic
militancy has led many Malays and non-Malays to re-think their support
and/or sympathy for the opposition. I know of many people (and they
are not fools) who a year or two ago would like to see a change of
leadership now expressing worry if Dr Mahathir were to leave the
scene.
A year ago, the Malaysian economy – after chalking up 8.5% growth in
2000 – was sliding fast. For the full year of 2001, our economy grew
by 0.4%, narrowly escaping recession.
Now, the economic outlook is brighter, as reflected by a number of
leading indicators. The economy hit bottom in the third quarter of
last year, and has since been moving upwards. Increasingly, I read
comments by leading foreign economists talking about a 5% growth for
Malaysia this year. The government itself is sticking by its forecast
of 3%-3.5% growth.
The most recent survey by the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers
(FMM) also painted a more optimistic outlook among our manufacturers.
The FMM survey showed that 37% of respondents intend to increase
production in the first quarter of this year, and 42% intend to do so
in the second quarter. Note that the manufacturing sector had been the
worst hit in 2001, with the collapse of exports in such areas as
electronics and electricals.
The good thing about our current economic recovery (unlike those of
the recent past) is that it appears to be in sync with the world
economic recovery, particularly that of the United States. The US
economy experienced negative growth in the third quarter of last year
but reported positive growth in the fourth quarter, surprising many
observers.
Last week, US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan gave his most
optimistic assessment of the US economy to date. He told a
congressional hearing that recent evidence “increasingly suggests that
an economic expansion is already well under way.’’
The 11 interest rate cuts by the Fed last year, totalling 4.75
percentage points, pump-priming by the Bush administration since the
Sept 11 terrorist attacks and the low price of crude oil have had the
effect of flooding the stock markets and economy with cheap money and
liquidity. US interest rates are now the lowest in more than 40 years.
We now have a stable domestic political environment and the prospect
of a Malaysian economic recovery that is in sync with the global
economic recovery. This is a fortuitous convergence of events that can
only be beneficial.
So can the run-up on the KLSE be sustained? I think so, provided the
above scenario stays in place.
Last Saturday, Kathy Fong and I wrote a story showing how world stock
markets – six months on – have recovered from the Sept 11 events. The
Dow Jones Industrials Average, which had fallen to a low of 8,236
points, closed at 10,572 points, a gain of 28%. The Dow was at 9,605
points before Sept 11. The Taipei market put on a 75% gain over its
post-Sept 11 low; the Singapore market put on a 45% gain, and Hong
Kong was 28% higher by those parameters.
For the KLSE, the gain by the Composite Index (CI) is also about 28%
now compared with its post-Sept 11 low. So the KLSE has not really
over-shot the world or regional markets during the past six months; if
anything, it has somewhat under-performed.
I suspect the CI might take a breather and consolidate at around 760
points before moving forward. Some of my analyst friends tell me they
are confident the CI could breach 850 points by the end of the year,
with the inevitable minor corrections along the way.
The outlook is therefore good for the KLSE, provided of course we
don’t shoot ourselves in the foot, something we are quite prone of.
Yap Yok Foo
12 March 2002
Good laughing stock
I WOULD like to point out a hilarious Chinese-to-English translation
in a leaflet which I found in my letter box. It's really good laughing
stock.
(Wongkie Food Delivery Services order one person only pay cash. Two
person or over can pay cheque you can any day start order.)
We free supply containers can put in microwave or put down in hot rice
steam get hot, or free put, order above three or over three can use
stainless steel containers, one or two person can not use!
Food supply day: Monday To Friday in a month.
Every day three dish: one meal/one seafood or seafood with vegetable
or meal with vegetable, and one vegetable.
Notice: If order must pay one month payment first. Not welcome after
eat and pay payment, we pay you a receipt.
For those haven’t order food from us before, just give yourself a try,
you may like it! –
Bob Yang, Kuala Lumpur
Ed: A few other readers sent us the same leaflet. It must have caused
quite a sensation among those who received it! Would anyone out there
be brave enough to rewrite it in proper English?
Yap Yok Foo
Chisel & Stone
Policies and core values vital to our social cohesion
By STEVEN C.M.WONG st...@insap.org
IN previous columns of Chisel and Stone, I argued that four
requirements were essential in the social bonding of this country.
None were particularly startling but they appear to have resonated
deeply within some.
Today, I would like to recap on these themes, especially as there is
evidence that society is growing increasingly ragged at the edges.
The first requirement is that of investing in social relationships. At
first glance, this seems so obvious as to be hardly worth mentioning.
The reality, however, is that for all the rhetoric, the reality is
that Malaysians actually invest very little time, effort and expense
across cultures and communities. Ours is largely an insulated and
compartmentalised world, one where we only know what we like and only
like what we know.
The second is that of civility. Civil behaviour has become a scarce
commodity and the way we treat one another seems to have fallen into
an abyss. How utterly tragic it would be if our gross domestic product
continues to rise unmatched by gross domestic humanity, trust and
respect.
How much more tragic it is for those who, through arrogance and
pompousness, feel it is their right to deprive others of theirs.
A third requirement is the appropriateness of societal incentives and
disincentives. When we reward bad behaviour or fail to penalise it, we
should not be disappointed to find that it flourishes. To do otherwise
would be illogical.
Rather than correct perverse incentives, however, we many times choose
to justify them and thereby start or perpetuate a cycle of increasing
inefficiency and injustice.
The fourth is the need for strong moral and ethical values. Malaysians
love to moralise for others but few dare claim that we are anything
close to a moral society.
To be one, such considerations have to be foremost in everything we do
and not right at the back, if at all. Unless this is the case and
unless we quit making excuses, we are forfeiting our right to claim
ourselves to be a religious country.
The above are, of course, related and interdependent. Civility, for
example, is conditioned by social capital, societal incentives are
shaped by morality and ethics, civility and social capital are
influenced by moral values and societal incentives, and vice versa.
Underlying all them are some basic building blocks, ones which when we
disregard causes social cohesiveness suffers. They are equality,
objectivity and volition.
Equality is fundamental because without it, we are a nation in name
only. Objectivity is crucial because anything less leads to biasness.
Volition is decisive because compulsion forces inequality and
subjectivity on society. Flouting these values is what makes our
society "thinskinned" and intolerant of opposing views and criticism.
Disregarding them makes our systems opaque and the accountability of
our practices questionable. In a multiracial and multi-religious
country, it is all too easy to overlook these principles because low
logic dictates that one's self, one's family and one's community come
above and ahead of others.
We are caught in a Prisoner's Dilemma where national interests are
boiled down to the interests of the most powerful community's even
though the nation's are far more collective and encompassing.
Ever so often, we hear complaints about ethnic polarisation as if this
was somehow mysterious and disconnected from its underlying causes.
The fact of the matter is that all of us, whether as leader or
follower and either through activity or passivity, contributes to
these outcomes when we violate the three principles.
Malaysian society is the product of both good and bad decisions: we
inescapably reap what we sow.
There seems to be a widespread feeling that we have taken too many
liberties and for too long. One reader wrote, "I fear that the
regression in our societal values has degraded to such an extent that
any changes for the better will be painstakingly slow in coming. I
guess the better Malaysia that you and I would like to see will not
materialise in our generation and I won't be holding my breath for the
next either." While I may not completely share the pessimism, I do
agree with the conclusions. Playing fast and loose with political,
economic, legal and social systems may be politically expedient but
the costs of doing so have clearly mounted and place society at risk.
The silent agreement to instill a degree of social fragmentation may
have reached its limits and we are faced with some sobering options.
We can continue to play communal politics and swing from repressive to
responsive mode. It should be noted, however, that while we may not be
close to similar stages, there are examples of where political and
even military power have not been able to hold together what domestic
social forces are pulling apart.
Where the polity has been a key stabilizer, it has reduced to the
status of mere spectator. The past simply does not guarantee the
future.
The alternative is to act out of enlightened self-interests and to
build social capital before it is called on. Pluralism,
representation, engagement and responsiveness all make unity something
more than the rallying cry when we are besieged and in trouble.
To build social cohesion, policies and policymakers should be
evaluated against the four requirements and three core values before
they are unleashed on to the nation. The choices and their
implications on Malaysia are obvious.
# The writer works for a nonprofit institute dedicated to nation
building. The opinions expressed are his own. E-mail st...@insap.org
Yap Yok Foo
Issue 18 March 2002
Publish And Perish
Thailand has prided itself on its freedom of the press. Now, the
country's (over?)sensitive PM is starting to crack down
BY PHIL ZABRISKIE BANGKOK
When Suthichai Yoon, editor-in-chief of Thailand's Nation Multimedia
Group, picked up the phone last Wednesday, the caller wouldn't give
his name, but said he was a banker with interesting news. He had
received an order to investigate a list of people for possible
violations of Thailand's money-laundering laws. According to the
mystery banker, Yoon had been named, along with members of his family,
editors and columnists of the Nation group and other journalists.
Last week was a notably bad one for Thailand's press, one of the
freest in Asia—and it looks like more trouble is on the way. The
Nation Group came in for the hardest slam: the transmission of a live
interview with a government critic on the company's radio program was
abruptly cut off. The Defense Ministry, which owns the radio station,
offered a series of unconvincing explanations; taking heed, the Nation
Group said it was ending political coverage on its 24-hour cable news
channel. The most recent issue of Britain's the Economist was banned
because of a special supplement on Thailand. And the government
reversed a decision to deport two Bangkok-based correspondents for the
Far Eastern Economic Review, who had been accused of endangering
national security, only after the publication offered a measured
apology. Their sin: to write a tiny article mentioning tensions
between the King of Thailand and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin, a telecommunications billionaire, prides himself on his
CEO-style leadership. He's boasted of his own willingness, when
necessary, to change the rules to achieve desired results. When
elected in 2001, he had the biggest parliamentary majority in Thai
history. He ran as a reformer and an ostensible supporter of
Thailand's pro-democracy 1997 constitution. But Thaksin's first year
in office has been characterized by the sort of top-down management
style that might work in the boardroom but seems autocratic almost
anywhere else. By absorbing other minority parties, his Thai Rak Thai
party now has a two-thirds majority in the assembly, which could allow
constitutional changes after a five-year moratorium on amendments
expires in October. Thaksin has claimed he had nothing to do with the
press crackdowns, but few believe his underlings would be operating
without his approval. "He wants total control," says Senator Somkiat
Onwimon.
Thaksin has been antagonistic to the press since he entered politics
in 1997. Journalists who insisted on probing his business empire got a
taste of Thaksin's vaunted temper. While a candidate for Prime
Minister, he bought a controlling interest in the country's only
independent television station, ITV. Afterward, 23 staffers who had
reported on his problems with the National Counter Corruption
Commission were fired. When Thaksin was on trial for withholding
information about his finances, he requested that reporters refrain
from criticizing the government for six months, saying it would boost
public spirits. Editors have charged that outlets that didn't comply
found themselves deprived of advertising from Thaksin's Shin
Corporation, the largest advertiser in the country. (Government
officials deny this.)
Thaksin's government has responded quickly to any criticism. In late
February, after pollsters at Assumption University released a survey
showing that Thaksin's popularity had declined from 72% to 52%, their
office was visited by senior officials of the Defense Ministry, the
Ministry of University Affairs and the Special Branch police—all on
the same day and without warning. When Chulakorn Singhakowin, head of
the Thai Bankers Association, said in an interview last August that
Thailand could face a 10-year recession, Thaksin exploded in response,
telling him to "shut up."
He's also not above pulling populist levers to achieve his political
ends. In explaining the planned expulsion of the Far Eastern Economic
Review reporters, he suggested publicly they had offended the
country's revered monarchy. (They hadn't, and weren't charged with
violating Thailand's lčse majesté laws.) One of the ways he came to
power was promising to give every Thai village about $23,000. He
did—but now most of that money has been spent. In a by-election last
month, Thai Rak Thai won only four of the 14 House of Representatives
seats contested. Thais knew their leader was adept with carrots. Now
they're seeing how he wields a stick.
Write to TIME at ma...@web.timeasia.com
http://www.time.com/time/asia/
wooky
<ms-ge...@hotmail.com>' in the thread 'Re: What is the average life span
of a muslim ?'
"Yap Yok Foo" <yf...@pop.jaring.my> wrote in message
news:hglq8u0b6vfron9s2...@4ax.com...
Yap Yok Foo
Rediscovering the news
On Politics By ABDULLAH AHMAD
THIS newspaper has been much in the news since I became
editor-in-chief and it underwent a revamp. The New Straits Times had
credibility, authority and prestige, implied Joceline Tan, until it
became complacent, inefficient, a certain oblivion to changing tastes
and even a measure of arrogance beginning in 1993, the year MCA-owned
tabloid The Star reinvented itself and overtook the New Straits Times
(Sunday Star, March 10).
Tan ought to know because until she migrated to The Star (and before
that, The Straits Times of Singapore) two years ago, she was a prima
donna, enjoying close rapport with top editors of the 156-year-old
broadsheet.
I have always stated and shall reiterate that the NST and The Star are
two quite different publications. We have a great history, and wealth
until last year, and the tabloid has lots of money.
At the time I took over, which coincided with the financial year ended
August 2001, the company posted an operating loss of RM173 million. By
August this year, NST is expected to incur only a small loss and,
barring unforeseen circumstances, return to profitability by August
2003.
Make no mistake. NST is a mature and serious daily with its own niche.
It is a quality broadsheet, not a popular tabloid.
In three months since the New Year, NST has evolved away from the
norms set by the previous editor.
I give space to my editors and reporters, and make it clear to them
that there should and must be straight reporting when it comes to
news. That NST is a Malaysian newspaper is clearly reflected in the
letters we publish.
I have emphasised that politics are to be left to the editorial
writers and columnists. They must take risks — there are no holy cows,
only sacred cows. That they must practise constructive support of
policies we agree with, and criticise, in measured Malaysian terms,
when we do not.
I have laid down only one out-of-bounds marker: no news which may
inflame racial, religious and cultural sensitivities. Never play one
race against another. The national interest and that of the majority
take precedence over those of individuals.
There are only two freedoms worth cherishing at all times: the freedom
to worship in his own way and the freedom from want which will
guarantee everyone and every nation a healthy, prosperous and peaceful
life. Other freedoms can follow.
On only two scores, I hope the NST can outdo the tabloids
consistently. One is the quality of our editorials, comments and
letters to the editor. Right or wrong, we dare to have opinions.
The other, which is yet to come, is the quality of our reporting. I
want to make the paper readily understandable.
I have, from personal experience, discovered and you will have noticed
that clarity of writing usually follows clarity of thought.
People ask me why NST appears to be pro-Government. I shoot back: Is
there a mainstream tabloid which is not? Look, I make no apology. I
try to strike a happy balance, be it covering the Indera Kayangan
by-election or the run-up to the MCA leaderhip election. Balanced and
fair reporting shall remain our policy.
Tan and others have noted that NST’s circulation has increased. AC
Nielsen Media Index confirms it. At the time of writing, the sold
copies of NST numbered 150,676 (March 5) and I believe the readers
know we mean business. They will come back to us besides attracting
new readers. Intelligent readers and people will soon be able to
distinguish between reality and perception. Some individuals,
organisations and even newspapers have been pretending to be what they
are not. I am not yet happy though we are on the right track; we will
return to the fast track sooner than we realise if we keep up the
present pace. NST only aspires to be back where it was, before its
decline.
I want to make this a great quality paper again. NST is leaner because
it is not about selling or buying second hand furniture, etc. Nor do I
want people reading their newspapers in a state of virtual collapse,
under the crushing weight of cluttered pages, a perfect symbol of the
triumph of quantity over quality.
Ben Bradlee, a former editor of The Washington Post, says “News is the
first draft of history”. I intend to make what we publish the first
draft of Malaysian history.
NST can regain its previous status only when we acquire discriminating
readers. When we print a sex crime, it’s a sociological study and when
the tabloids do it, it’s obscene!
We have changed and are changing because we know it is time to get
creative and professional. Immensely powerful forces are sweeping the
world and we are not unaffected. The kind of newspaper and society we
have depends on how effectively we embrace this change and maximise
the talent of all Malaysians.
The difference between us and others will remain, because the cultural
gap has not been bridged. The differences are clear in the headlines,
selection of news and choice of readers’ letters published, and the
editorial comments and analyses.
There is no Press freedom as often claimed by the West and its
Malaysian surrogates. Media freedom is the freedom of its owners to
advance their personal, political, class or communal interests.
For as long I am the editor-in-chief, I intend to pursue the policy to
reinforce and not to undermine, the policy that has worked well for
Malaysia while at the same time advance knowledge, skills and
disciplines of the developed nations to the readers.
Without these, Malaysians, Bumiputeras in particular, can never hope
to raise their standards of living nor compete with our neighbours.
Napoleon said the old nobility would have survived if they had known
enough to become masters of printing materials, and I believe Lee Kuan
Yew became an early student of Napoleon.
Ahmad Sayuthi
> THIS newspaper has been much in the news since I became
> editor-in-chief and it underwent a revamp.
Be THANKFUL that people even care to mention it.
> The New Straits Times
> had credibility, authority and prestige, implied Joceline Tan,
> until it became complacent, inefficient, a certain oblivion to
> changing tastes and even a measure of arrogance beginning in 1993,
> the year MCA-owned tabloid The Star reinvented itself and overtook
> the New Straits Times (Sunday Star, March 10).
This isn't implying - she was stating the FACTS which even the average
man-in-the-street is aware of. Unless he has purposely blinded himself
to that by burying his head in the sand.
> Tan ought to know because until she migrated to The Star (and
> before that, The Straits Times of Singapore) two years ago, she
> was a prima donna, enjoying close rapport with top editors of the
> 156-year-old broadsheet.
*prima donna:
- A vain and temperamental person
- A female operatic star
AFAIK, Joceline wasn't a singer although she *was/is* a star. So I
guess Dollah means the first definition - which also means Joceline
must have cut it deep into him with that one and he seems to be taking
a personal dig at her. Hey, the truth hurts, Dollah! If you have such a
thin skin, you should try another line. Or maybe come and thicken it up
at SCuM:)
The truth is there *are* the vain ones at ALL the papers. However, I
wouldn't really describe Joceline as one. Temperamental, maybe. A
bit... But that's because she is a star and is no more temperamental
than the average. You don't begrude M. Nasir for being so at times so
why should you with Joceline? This is, after all, someone easily in the
Top Five when it comes to local journalists.
> I have always stated and shall reiterate that the NST and The Star
> are two quite different publications. We have a great history, and
> wealth until last year, and the tabloid has lots of money.
Ah, reminiscing about the past and getting all misty eyed, eh Dollah?
Anyway, The Star would have slaughtered and left NST to die a long time
ago had it been allowed to continue with its pre-Lallang way of
reporting.
> At the time I took over, which coincided with the financial year
> ended August 2001, the company posted an operating loss of RM173
> million. By August this year, NST is expected to incur only a
> small loss and, barring unforeseen circumstances, return to
> profitability by August 2003.
Hope that will come about through its core business and operations and
not from one-off income like selling off assets in Bank Of Commerce for
instance.
> Make no mistake. NST is a mature and serious daily with its own
> niche. It is a quality broadsheet, not a popular tabloid.
Waa, Dollah sounds like George Bush here! LOL!
Anyway, don't let Dollah try to mislead here when he uses the word
"tabloid", which tries to infer that The Star and Sun thrive on
sensationalist journalism as with the British Sun and the `supermarket
tabloids' like The Enquirer. It's the second definition of "tabloid"
that's true of The Star... its physical format - A newspaper with half-
size pages. Sensible and makes for more comfortable reading, no?
"mature and serious daily"? Oh, okay - that describes a paper for
pensioners and the "old-at-heart":)
> In three months since the New Year, NST has evolved away from the
> norms set by the previous editor.
What norms by Kadir? Elaborate a bit lar, Dollah! But Kadir got a cushy
pension by being appointed Bernama chairman. It pays to be a back-
scratching, tarak malu PR and hatchetman for whoever is in power, eh?
> I have emphasised that politics are to be left to the editorial
> writers and columnists. They must take risks — there are no holy
> cows, only sacred cows.
The unwritten sacred cows in NST used to be Mahathir and selected crony
companies and their bosses. Mind listing the new list publicly, Dollah?
> That they must practise constructive
> support of policies we agree with, and criticise, in measured
> Malaysian terms, when we do not.
"in measured Malaysian terms". That's vague enough and provides a way
to wriggle out when push comes to shove. What are they? Benci dalam
hati BUT keep quiet and suppress it outside?
> The national interest and that of the
> majority take precedence over those of individuals.
Again, this is vague. In fact, we've been hearing two-bit Umno and BN
types parroting this line over the years to justify the suppression of
various issues which smacked of vested interests.
> There are only two freedoms worth cherishing at all times: the
> freedom to worship in his own way and the freedom from want which
> will guarantee everyone and every nation a healthy, prosperous and
> peaceful life. Other freedoms can follow.
<Yawn> Rhetoric.
> I have, from personal experience, discovered and you will have
> noticed that clarity of writing usually follows clarity of
> thought.
True. Some vain dummies try to mask their emptiness in content and
thought by attempting to impress and distract readers with fancy
writings and big words that create a headache than anything else. Write
with the reader in mind - inform him by entertaining. Have some
showmanship a bit lar... this is supposed to be a daily, not an
academic textbook.
> Some
> individuals, organisations and even newspapers have been
> pretending to be what they are not.
Hmm, some `tembak' and pukul curi here... *who* are they??
> Ben Bradlee, a former editor of The Washington Post, says “News is
> the first draft of history”. I intend to make what we publish the
> first draft of Malaysian history.
Say, when can we start seeing the second draft of the Anwar Ibrahim
story... a rewrite of the LIES which had filled the pages of NST over
the years? And that's just a start.
> NST can regain its previous status only when we acquire
> discriminating readers. When we print a sex crime, it’s a
> sociological study and when the tabloids do it, it’s obscene!
Perasan! LOL!
> For as long I am the editor-in-chief, I intend to pursue the
> policy to reinforce and not to undermine, the policy that has
> worked well for Malaysia while at the same time advance knowledge,
> skills and disciplines of the developed nations to the readers.
Okay okay... enough rhetoric. Just do what you had mentioned here and
let the readers decide.
Jaybeez
wrote:
>From The New Straits Times
>13 March 2002
>
>Rediscovering the news
>On Politics By ABDULLAH AHMAD
>
>I want to make this a great quality paper again. NST is leaner because
>it is not about selling or buying second hand furniture, etc. Nor do I
>want people reading their newspapers in a state of virtual collapse,
>under the crushing weight of cluttered pages, a perfect symbol of the
>triumph of quantity over quality.
>
>http://www.nstpi.com.my/
>
>
>
Cut the shit
and print the meat !
jay
>On Wed, 13 Mar 2002 07:37:34 +0800, Yap Yok Foo <yf...@pop.jaring.my>
>wrote:
>
>>From The New Straits Times
>>13 March 2002
>>
>>
>>
>Cut the shit
>and print the meat !
dare we as malaysians utter the words immortalized in a wendy's
commercial, "where's the beef"?
:-)
Philip Chee
>>Cut the shit
>>and print the meat !
>dare we as malaysians utter the words immortalized in a wendy's
>commercial, "where's the beef"?
Your recollection is flawed. It was a BurgerKing commercial taking
the piss at McDonalds.
Philip
---=====================================================================---
Philip Chee: Tasek Corporation Berhad, P.O.Box 254, 30908 Ipoh, MALAYSIA
e-mail: phi...@aleytys.pc.my Voice:+60.5.291.1011 Fax:+60.5.291.9932
Guard us from the she-wolf and the wolf, and guard us from the thief,
oh Night, and so be good for us to pass.
--
ž 20332.41 ž "Repent Harlequin!" said the Tick-Tock Man.
jay
wrote:
>In article <3c8f53ba...@news.purdue.edu> jay writes:
>
>>>Cut the shit
>>>and print the meat !
>
>>dare we as malaysians utter the words immortalized in a wendy's
>>commercial, "where's the beef"?
>
>Your recollection is flawed. It was a BurgerKing commercial taking
>the piss at McDonalds.
bzzt. i don't think so. it was a 1984 wendy's commercial where clara
peller uttered those words at one of wendy's rival.
here's a website that confirms reaffirms my facts:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/index/ad249.htm
>
fairplay
Yap Yok Foo
14 March 2002
Magazine apologises over Feb 11 cover
KUALA LUMPUR: Time magazine has apologised for the problems caused by
the negative potrayal of Malaysia on its cover of its Feb 11 issue,
Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Datuk Paduka Abdul Kadir Sheikh
Fadzir said yesterday.
He said the magazine’s international publisher Andrew Butcher had
expressed regret in a Feb 28 letter and offered a free page
advertisement “as a token of compensation.”
“The letter was read out in the Cabinet. They have accepted the
apology and agreed to accept the bonus advertisement,” he told a press
conference.
In the letter, Butcher said the free page could be used as an
advertorial promoting the wonderful attractions of Malaysia and could
be run in Europe, Asia and South and Latin America.
“This could also coincide with the Pata conference in New Delhi in
April where Time will have a bonus distribution and travel
supplement,” he said.
Time had carried a misleading article, which claimed that Malaysia is
a hotbed for terrorist activities.
It also carried a bad image of Malaysia on its cover titled Inside
Malaysia's Terror Network with a Malaysian flag in the background and
Osama bin Laden’s shadowy profile on the star as well as crossed guns
at the bottom.
Ironically, the back cover of the magazine carried an advertisement by
Tourism Malaysia, promoting the country.
Kadir said the magazine had also agreed to publish prominently an
article that would be written by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir
Mohamad.
“The magazine still stands by its report on Malaysia. It feels it is
balanced and is the opinion of their writer. We did not question
that,” he said.
Yap Yok Foo
14 March 2002
HK folk too busy making money to have sex
HONG KONG: Residents here ranked the least romantic in a survey
yesterday of 29 world cities, claiming that money was more important
than sex.
The survey of 40-to 80-year olds by Pfizer, makers of the
anti-impotence drug Viagra, showed that only 37% of the local people
admitted sex was important in their overall lives – the lowest rating
in the 29 countries.
South Koreans emerged as the most amorous, with 87% saying sex played
a key role in their lives.
Peter Chan Siu-foon, chairman of the Asian Erectile Dysfunction
Advisory Council and Training described this territory as an
“unromantic place” where people spent more time making money than
developing relationships.
He blames it on stress and the economic recession.
The survey was carried out last year on between 500 and 1,500 people
in each of the 29 countries and territories.
In its annual sex survey for 2001, condom maker Durex SSL Healthcare
said only three percent of people here rated sex as their greatest
source of pleasure – ranking it well behind shopping. — AFP
Yap Yok Foo
Shadow over Naluri’s good intention
Adi Satria By FRANCIS FERNANDEZ
NALURI Bhd’s plan to return RM828.6 million in surplus capital to its
shareholders is a good move which hopefully will help shape Malaysia’s
capital return-driven stock market into more of a dividend
return-market.
Despite the speculative nature of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, the
market in general has been very receptive to companies that are
consistent dividend-givers like British American Tobacco Bhd and those
that propose to give out special dividends like United Merchant Group
Bhd.
Naluri’s cash gift to its shareholders would have excited the market
but concern that the capital market regulatory authorities may reject
the proposal has overshadowed the good intention of the proposal
itself.
The concern is mainly on the source of the money which Naluri intends
to pass down to its shareholders.
The money is from Naluri’s disposal of its 29.09 per cent stake in
Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) for RM1.8 billion, or RM8 a share,
to the Government two years ago.
There is currently a police investigation on the former managers of
MAS to ascertain if there were any irregularities during the period
when Naluri was the controlling shareholder of the group.
The Securities Commission had also previously shot down a proposal by
Naluri to use about RM750 million to gain control of Technology
Resources Industries Bhd (TRI). TRI and Naluri are controlled by Tan
Sri Tajudin Ramli, who is at the centre of constant speculation due to
the police report made by MAS’ new management team.
There is also speculation that Tajudin will quit the local corporate
scene, following the footsteps of his former office mate at Peremba
Sdn Bhd, Tan Sri Halim Saad, who at his peak, was in charge of the
Renong group.
Speculation on these issues and the need to support the underdog have
placed the Malaysian market regulators at a disadvantage because
rejecting Naluri’s plan would play right into the hands of conspiracy
theorists that Tajudin is being pushed into the defensive by the
capital market authorities.
Already, local and foreign media have been playing up on how much
Tajudin will stand to benefit if he gives out the special dividend.
Tajudin, who owns about 47 per cent of Naluri, will stand to receive
RM327 million as dividend entitlement. Almost everybody has
conveniently forgotten that shareholders, who own the other 53 per
cent, will also enjoy the benefits of the special dividend.
On the surface, the only real misgiving of Naluri’s cash payout plan
is that after the exercise is completed, the company will have only
about RM20 million to be spent on a new core business.
But it is for the professional managers of a company to decide as to
whether to return unused cash to shareholders, keep it in the bank or
even take the risk of investing the money in a new business.
Giving out unused cash to shareholders is also part of what good
corporate governance is. Rewarding shareholders of a company can only
be good management.
After the mess regarding TRI’s listing of its restricted share issue
last month, we can expect the regulatory watchdogs to treat Naluri’s
hot potato very carefully.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EDITORIAL : A Naluri conundrum
UNDER normal circumstances, a proposed capital repayment exercise by a
company would grab the attention of only the shareholders — not so,
the one announced by Naluri Bhd which looks to be a sequel of a story
fast developing into a saga. In the middle of it all stands Tan Sri
Tajudin Ramli, the individual who — according to the market —
constitutes the single most important factor that will determine the
eventual outcome of the company’s latest proposal. Naluri had on
Tuesday said it intends intended to make a 1-for-1 bonus issue of up
to 828.6 million RM1 par new shares and return RM828.6 million in
capital to its shareholders. As part of the exercise, the share
capital will be reduced and consolidated, and RM1.4 billion from the
company’s share premium account cancelled. The proposal seems good for
Naluri. Upon completion of the exercise, its share capital will rise
to RM828.6 million from RM690.5 million while accumulated losses will
be as good as wiped clean at RM26 million from RM571 million now.
But not unexpectedly, among the first questions asked — by analysts
and market players alike — upon release of the news were how much of
the cash generated would accrue to Tajudin, and more importantly if
the proposal would see the light of day at all. For one thing, the
company’s lack of a core business — a circumstance it has faced since
selling off its controlling stake in Malaysian Airline System Bhd
(MAS) to the Government last year — is not directly addressed. Indeed,
the proposed exercise might run counter to any major plans by Naluri
to acquire a new business, and remain a public listed entity, as it
will be left with very little money. That is naturally not good for
the company, and by extension not in the interest of the minority
shareholders, a point which the regulators could well focus on when
studying the proposal. But then, most small shareholders would welcome
the capital repayment, never mind the future of the company, more so
when it has said its shares have been trading at a substantial
discount to the net tangible assets.
For many it probably makes sense to cash out, forget about Naluri and
look elsewhere, which leads some market watchers to suggest that the
corporate advisers at Naluri might be a couple of steps ahead of the
regulators. They reasoned that by providing these minority
shareholders with an opportunity to receive cash, the company is
trying to circumvent any prospect of the regulators rejecting the
proposal on account of it being “not in the interest of minority
shareholders”. At the same time, it might make the regulators view
more kindly the fact that Tajudin stands to receive more than RM300
million from Naluri. This is a handy sum, considering that talk is
that Tajudin is currently locked in a battle with a suitor bent on
gaining control of his flagship company, Technology Resources
Industries (TRI). He has just pledged to take up a rights issue
entitlement in TRI to maintain his stake at 24 per cent after having
seen it diluted to 19 per cent following a recapitalisation exercise.
Tajudin must come up with RM150 million to take up the rights shares,
and he should have no problem covering that from the RM300 million
although a big chunk of it could go to Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional
Bhd, the national debt reconstruction company with which some of his
Naluri shares are understood to be pledged.
In the end though, all these factors may prove moot. The authorities
could decide that Naluri’s exercise would jeopardise ongoing
investigations into possible operational irregularities at MAS which
were allegedly perpetrated when the airline was in the control of
Naluri. As the probe seems to be still in the early stages, there
might be some basis for ensuring that things at Naluri do not change
too drastically at least for a while so that the investigators could
proceed smoothly with their work. As such, while Naluri’s proposal may
be straightforward as far as corporate exercises go, the circumstances
surrounding the company and its plans are not quite normal. For the
sake of the shareholders, and the market which is showing signs of
staging a rebound, it is hoped that the affair does not get unduly
drawn out. They deserve to be spared another cloud of uncertainty.
Bushido
wrote:
>The survey was carried out last year on between 500 and 1,500 people
>in each of the 29 countries and territories.
>
>In its annual sex survey for 2001, condom maker Durex SSL Healthcare
>said only three percent of people here rated sex as their greatest
>source of pleasure – ranking it well behind shopping. — AFP
One Chu Mei Fong is equivalent to 1 % :-)
Philip Chee
>On Wed, 13 Mar 2002 16:00:46 GMT, phi...@aleytys.pc.my (Philip Chee)
>wrote:
>>Your recollection is flawed. It was a BurgerKing commercial taking
>>the piss at McDonalds.
>bzzt. i don't think so. it was a 1984 wendy's commercial where clara
>peller uttered those words at one of wendy's rival.
>here's a website that confirms reaffirms my facts:
>http://www.usatoday.com/money/index/ad249.htm
OK I sit corrected!
Philip
---=====================================================================---
Philip Chee: Tasek Corporation Berhad, P.O.Box 254, 30908 Ipoh, MALAYSIA
e-mail: phi...@aleytys.pc.my Voice:+60.5.291.1011 Fax:+60.5.291.9932
Guard us from the she-wolf and the wolf, and guard us from the thief,
oh Night, and so be good for us to pass.
--
ž 20419.91 ž I'd love to, but my favorite commercial is on TV.
Hamid Misnan
wrote:
>
>In the letter, Butcher said the free page could be used as an
>advertorial promoting the wonderful attractions of Malaysia and could
>be run in Europe, Asia and South and Latin America.
Hmm wonder why TIME doesn't want the free page to be in the US
edition of TIME magazine..
kai
> Hmm wonder why TIME doesn't want the free page to be in the US
> edition of TIME magazine..
Because the TIME magazine's publisher is not sincere in its apologies.
Ahmad Sayuthi
>>>Your recollection is flawed. It was a BurgerKing commercial
>>>taking the piss at McDonalds.
> OK I sit corrected!
Don't worry, Phil - it happens to all of us. Doctors call it "old age"
heheh!
Jeferi
"Yap Yok Foo" <yf...@pop.jaring.my> wrote in message
news:gpsv8u4rovf5cg89u...@4ax.com...
> From The Star
> 14 March 2002
>
> HK folk too busy making money to have sex
want to have sex with u? It will be more romantic to have sex in a banglo
than a broken old woodhouse.....
> HONG KONG: Residents here ranked the least romantic in a survey
> yesterday of 29 world cities, claiming that money was more important
> than sex.
>
> The survey of 40-to 80-year olds by Pfizer, makers of the
> anti-impotence drug Viagra, showed that only 37% of the local people
> in the 29 countries.
>
> South Koreans emerged as the most amorous, with 87% saying sex played
> a key role in their lives.
>
> Peter Chan Siu-foon, chairman of the Asian Erectile Dysfunction
> Advisory Council and Training described this territory as an
> "unromantic place" where people spent more time making money than
> developing relationships.
>
> He blames it on stress and the economic recession.
>
> The survey was carried out last year on between 500 and 1,500 people
> in each of the 29 countries and territories.
>
> In its annual sex survey for 2001, condom maker Durex SSL Healthcare
> said only three percent of people here rated sex as their greatest
>
> http://thestar.com.my
>
>
Yap Yok Foo
Editorial/Columns: EPF members need to know reasons
THE Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) says workers’ contribution to the
fund will be brought back to the 11 per cent level, as promised a year
after it was lowered to 9 per cent to support the then weak economy.
While it was a good move that the contribution was lowered, it may
also be wise that it be brought back to the 11 per cent level now. But
the EPF and the Government should say more on whether the effort has
really assisted the overall economy in weathering much of last year’s
sluggish conditions. Beginning April last year, the EPF reduced the
rate employees must contribute to 9 per cent of their total income. It
was part of a grand plan, that included some pump-priming measures, to
keep the domestic economy humming ahead of what was projected, and
which turned out to be true, a weaker global outlook. Among others,
the US was facing one of its worst economic periods in decades and was
not importing as much, including Malaysia. A number of foreign
corporations reviewed their investment strategies and some decided to
either close their Malaysian operations, downsize or relocate
elsewhere.
For a while there was the real threat of severe unemployment situation
in Malaysia. Fresh from a rocky period immediately after the
tumultuous 1997/1998 regional economic crisis, the nation immediately
moved to shield its domestic economy. While the foreign sector was
lethargic, Malaysia concentrated on keeping its economy alive by
encouraging domestic spending. The 2 per cent reduction in employees’
contribution to the EPF was among several that were implemented,
essentially to put more money into the hands of Malaysians and
consequently into the economy. Together with the lowering of domestic
interest rates and the increasing availability of financing,
Malaysians felt more confident to spend, so to speak, according to
analysts and economists.
Now that the EPF wants to revert to the 11 per cent contribution by
employees, it attracts the question of whether the effort has achieved
its desired results. Maybe the EPF thinks it has, that the additional
2 per cent of the pay the workers take home has in fact resulted in
more domestic spending, that it does not require an extension. But the
retail figures did not show, as the industry ended 2001 registering a
mere 1.7 per cent expansion against a 10.4 per cent growth in 2000
when employees’ contribution was 11 per cent. It could instead be that
the EPF decided not to extend the lower employees’ contribution rate
because the effort produced negligible results and that the economy in
fact could do without the said 2 per cent. Or that the other stimulus
such as maintaining a low interest rate regime has produced better
results in encouraging spending.
Perhaps too the period requires no extension as the policymakers think
the economy is on its way to the pre-1997 status. Should that be the
case, it is a wise move to return to the 11 per cent level. The past
four years have seen the Government actively promoting domestic
spending. The strategy has been a primary factor that has shielded the
Malaysian economy from the adverse external environment. Now that
Malaysia is increasingly attracting positive feedback from even the
once critical international economists and analysts, the strategy
perhaps requires some fine-tuning to ensure the positive impact is
long-lasting. If the economy has been intentionally flooded with funds
during the weak periods to sustain domestic economic activities,
perhaps the economic policymakers thought it is time for Malaysians to
look at savings again. Too much liquidity in the system is after all
unhealthy, bringing with it undesirable consequences like inflationary
pressures. But these are mere guesses. The EPF and the country’s
economic policymakers have the answers why they have decided not to
extend the 9 per cent employees’ contribution period. It will be good
if the rest of the country be informed of the reasons.
Yap Yok Foo
15 March 2002
Editorial - Singapore swing
CALL it the Tebrau Two-Step. Malaysia and Singapore's bilateral
relations are unique in the world, as befits siblings separated at
birth. Issues arise with a certain metronomic regularity, spanning an
impressive gamut of concerns ranging from water (both potable and
salt), school uniforms and cross-border transportation to differing
interpretations of our mutual history.
Sometimes this constant and, to be honest, not entirely unhealthy
bickering flares up into a momentary barrage of acrimonious
cross-strait cat-calling and raspberry-blowing, but at some opportune
moment leaders of the two nations will meet, chat amiably and emerge
with a new agreement — even if to disagree.
Thus has it been with the issue of Singapore's land reclamation
projects in the Straits of Tebrau, which some Malaysians fear will
jeopardise our important Pasir Gudang port project in southern Johor.
This is one matter perfectly open to a quantitative resolution: either
Singapore's land reclamation will significantly affect Malaysian
hydrography, or it won't. A proper technical investigation will
determine this one way or the other, and that will be that.
Until the experts give us the facts, there's very little left to be
gained from continuing to belabour the point, except insofar as it
helps keep both our nations as attuned and sensitive as ever to each
other's legitimate concerns.
ck_in_sf1
> >
> > Hmm wonder why TIME doesn't want the free page to be in the US
> > edition of TIME magazine..
>
> Because the TIME magazine's publisher is not sincere in its apologies.
What then is sincerity when someone or an institution says s/he (or
it) is sorry, in a public forum?
One may accept or reject the apology but try not to do that
insidiously for it smacks of insincerity of one who is demanding the
apology. See, the logic of insincerity goes both ways sweetie.
CKSF
Yap Yok Foo
Editorial
Languages of mistrust
IT does look like a warped sense of insecurity sometimes. The
countless reassurances from national policy-makers appear to have done
little to wipe away the fear and unease of a section of the Malaysian
community over the perceived future of Chinese schools. Given the
psyche and make-up of the country's population, such an issue always
has that cheeky tendency to flare up into something worse.
Regrettably, this misapprehension rears its ugly head every now and
then, forcing on each occasion another round of rebuttals on the part
of the Government. It seems to be passing this way again, sadly but
predictably with the Ketari by-election around the corner. There may
be instigators and opportunists at work here, but the fact that
feathers can be ruffled by this sort of thing 45 years after Merdeka
says much about the level of mistrust that still remains to muddy
national objectives. Niggling suspicions still break the surface in
spite of guarantees in the Constitution and education policy on the
recognition of schools teaching in the Chinese, Tamil or Arabic
language.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in a meeting with
editors of Chinese newspapers earlier this week, had to respond to
these jumpy vernacular educa-tionists by repeating the Government's
stand for the umpteenth time. To say that the fears are unfounded,
however, is to put it too simply. It is the mindset that must change.
For instance, while Chinese schools continue to exist, they should not
resist measures at getting schoolchildren of the various races to mix
with one another. National unity can hardly be reinforced by fencing
off separate language streams. If their curricula cannot be more
convergent, isn't it desirable at least to have children interact at
the fringes of their education? This lies at the core of the
government's Vision School concept which, because of continuing
agitation by vested interests, remains misunderstood and therefore
loathed by some.
The relocation of schools, especially Chinese ones, is often viewed
with thoughtless hostility. In one case, even when an overwhelming
majority of parents and teachers had agreed to the good reasons for a
move, a handful remains encamped in protest. Such theatrical
demonstrations can be tolerated in a democracy. But they are harder to
forgive should they seek to turn their quibbles into a politically
motivated condemnation of the Government.
Yap Yok Foo
17 March 2002
Ralf Schumacher ends brother's winning streak at Malaysian Grand Prix
SEPANG, Malaysia: Ralf Schumacher broke his brother's Malaysian Grand
Prix winning streak Sunday, leading a Williams-BMW one-two finish that
challenged Ferrari's recent grip on Formula One.
The Williams team profited from a collision when driver Juan Pablo
Montoya, starting from second on the grid, collided with Michael
Schumacher as they jousted for the lead at the first corner.
Schumacher, starting from his 44th career pole position, lost his
front wing and was forced into the pits at the end of the first lap.
But the four-time world champion fought his way back from 21st in the
field to eclipse Jenson Button of Renault the final lap and captured
third place.
It was the fourth career Grand Prix win for Ralf Schumacher, who
started from fourth on the grid and finished the 56-lap race almost 40
seconds ahead of Montoya. - AP
Yap Yok Foo
17 March 2002
Spreading second pair of wings
By SEAH CHIANG NEE
IN a world of declining investments, Singapore – with its restricted
domestic economy – is pressing ahead with its strategy of establishing
an external economy.
The race to sprout a second pair of wings is gathering speed for
several reasons.
Firstly, many of Asia’s recession-struck companies are hitting bottom
because of bad politics or corruption and the republic sees
opportunities in some of them. The second has to do with Singapore’s
small space and restricted market, but there is more.
World competition, even to Singapore’s profitable companies like
airlines, telecommunication, banks and manufacturing firms, is rising,
forcing them to seek strategic partners in mature countries.
Last week, for example, the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), which
is facing rising competition at home, doubled its investment in a port
in Guangzhou, southern China, whose volume growth is 30%.
In Belgium, news came about a long-delayed merger of two terminal
operating giants, which has cleared the way for the PSA to have a 80%
stake in the company. It dominates container handling in Europe’s
third largest business port.
These are relatively baby steps.
By 1999, the government-owned external economy (excluding foreign
reserve holdings) was estimated by Morgan Stanley to be as much as
S$60bil. In 1998 alone, the government directly recycled some
S$15.7bil worth of the current account surplus abroad, its researchers
said.
Since then, the figure has jumped a lot more. In 2000, direct
investments in the United States rose spectacularly to US$7bil from
US$809bil (in 1999).
In 2001, two of the biggest investments were made by Singapore.
DBS Bank, 39% owned by the government, bought Hong Kong’s fourth
largest bank, Dao Heng, for S$10bil. And Singtel paid S$13bil for
Optus, Australia’s second biggest telecommunication company.
As expected, deals of such magnitude have drawn charges that the price
was too high and the timing wrong. The complaints reflect the high
risks in Singapore’s global game.
The executives running government-linked companies are generally
capable, efficient men and women. But they are more “civil servants”
than entrepreneurs with a stake in their own companies.
Another factor is that well-run, profitable companies in advanced
markets don’t come cheap, which means buyers will have to fork out
premium prices and suffer a long gestation period for returns.
In Australia, SingTel paid 50 times earnings for Optus, whose share
price fell – at its worst – to half the value that it paid.
As any investment analyst knows, cheap companies involve high risks
and high returns.
When Singtel paid S$600mil for 22% of Indonesia’s Telkomsel last
November, its chief executive, Lee Hsien Yang, the 43-year-old son of
Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, was asked about regional risks.
Of course, expansion in South-East Asia is risky politically.
“Sure, it’s scary,” said Hsien Yang. “Indonesia has had four
presidents in four years, and the Philippines is a basket case.”
The biggest portion has gone to China’s red-hot economy.
As at October 2001, Singapore companies had invested US$18.6bil in
9,640 projects there. The republic is the fifth largest investor in
China.
Singapore is also the biggest investor in Vietnam and Myanmar, and is
among the top 10 in Malaysia, Thailand, India and China.
Private Singaporean firms, too, have been galloping abroad.
The government and its linked companies account for 60% of the
external economy, foreign MNCs 29%, whereas the local private sector
has 11%.
The foreign multinationals, which use the city as a launching pad to
invest in the region, are crucial in the regional “catalyst” role
Singapore has assigned to itself for mutual benefit.
With more companies venturing out, more Singaporeans are now being
posted abroad or are travelling on business as a matter of course.
The strategy has become a growing provider of jobs for graduates and
professionals at a time when many of them are losing theirs at home.
In June, the universities will put out another 7,000 graduates looking
for jobs and add pressure on an already high unemployment rate, which
is expected to reach 6%.
Young Singaporeans are turning their hopes to working abroad, relying
on the state’s investors abroad.
“This will gradually become a long-term trend,” said a market analyst.
“The domestic market will not be able to provide jobs for all the
graduates. Many will have to work abroad in the future.”
The large government role in the external economy is both good and
bad.
Good in that if it had left things to the private sector, Singapore
will still be a tiny domestic economy.
The bad? It is clear that if the government and link companies fail to
secure a good return, the whole economy will be adversely affected,
according to Morgan Stanley.
“We are somewhat concerned about the apparent low return generated by
the external economy,” it said, adding that these returns had been
declining in the past few years.
Several possible causes were offered for the poor showing, including a
longer “gestation period” in infrastructure or telecommunication
investments and Asia’s financial crisis and severe downturn.
Some 58% of total direct investment abroad is in Asia and of the top
four investment destinations – China, Malaysia, Hong Kong and
Indonesia – three were severely hit by the crisis.
Both the ringgit and the rupiah have sharply depreciated against the
Singapore dollar.
A third reason, said Morgan Stanley, was poor investment decisions.
“We have emphasised in our previous analysis that management of the
external economy has rapidly become the most important economic
activity for the republic.
“The sheer domination of the government in the external economy means
that responsibility for the poor returns must lie with the government
to a large degree,” it added.
For a long-term economic growth of 6.5%, the external economy must
have a return of 8%. It’s a tough act to achieve.
But with the preponderance of government ownership, managed by
non-entrepreneurs who have little ownership in the companies they run,
the chances of this rate of success are slim.
o Seah Chiang Nee is a veteran journalist and editor of the
information website http://littlespeck.com
Yap Yok Foo
Hypermarkets vs sundry shops
By Aniza damis and Sujatani Poosparajah
IT is inconceivable to think of life without hypermarkets. The comfort
of air-conditioned shopping, the wide range of goods (like 18 kinds of
fresh orange juice), competitive prices — and all this under one roof
and on one floor.
The advent of the hypermarket meant that city folk could get their
grocery shopping done all at one go — buying in bulk, and paying far,
far less than they would have had to at supermarkets or sundry shops.
And, of course, the hypermarket has not just benefited the consumer.
It has also brought in large amounts of foreign direct investment.
In the eight years that pioneer Carrefour has been in the country, it
has invested an estimated RM500 million, and provided jobs for 2,300
people at its six stores.
The latest freshman in the hypermarket scene, British giant Tesco,
promises an investment of RM1.2 billion over the next five years, with
the building of 15 hypermarkets (four this year), and employment for
10,000 people.
Yes, it seems there is little to be faulted in these innovative
businesses.
Even so, there are some parties that are less than happy with them.
According to Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Tan Sri
Muhyiddin Yassin, there have been negative effects on small
businesses.
"There is definite truth in that." At the same time, Muhyiddin also
says that some small businesses like hypermarkets because they can get
their supplies from there at lower prices than previously.
Unhappy parties like members of the chambers of commerce, Petty
Traders Association and Bumiputera Traders Association have filed
complaints with the Ministry against the hypermarkets.
To say there is a war between small shops and hypermarkets would be an
exaggeration.
But small shopkeepers don't like what hypermarkets are doing to them.
"Hypermarkets are killing the small shops and other small businesses.
They should not be here in the first place," Federal Territory Malay
Hawkers and Small Businesses Association president Bahrim Abdul Razak
says.
"If their growth continues, it will not only affect small businesses
and hawkers but also farmers and general producers in the country."
Bahrim says 500 of his association members who trade at Pasar Datuk
Keramat have been seriously affected by the Carrefour store nearby.
Also, in the last 10 years, 1,800 retailers in the central city
business districts had to close down due to the hypermarkets located
near them.
Small businesses find it difficult to compete with the low prices that
hypermarkets are able to offer.
Because these hypermarkets buy in bulk and also sell in bulk, the
prices are lower — so much so, the selling prices at hypermarkets are
about the same as the buying prices of small businesses.
Bahrim says that in view of globalisation and the economic slowdown,
Malaysian businesses must be protected against global giants who own
most hypermarkets.
Member of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Citra Spice Mart (M) Sdn Bhd
entrepreneur K.S. Komaghan, whose shop is in Brickfields, Kuala
Lumpur, agrees that the competition has affected small shops.
From 1997 onwards, his shop has suffered a drop in business of between
20 and 25 per cent a year because of hypermarkets and supermarkets.
"It's not just the pricing. Hypermarkets are foreign-owned and can
throw money around. Money talks," says Citra consultant K.S.
Ramalinggam.
However, hypermarkets can't compete with Citra in terms of items
offered like the wide range of indigenous products such as pickles and
spices.
The saving grace of Komaghan's store is that it caters to a niche
market.
Therefore, the only alternative is for it to open more outlets in
order to increase turnover — and set up shops in residential areas —
going to the customers, instead of them having to go all the way to
the shop.
Komaghan believes that the licensing of hypermarkets should be
restricted, but Ramalinggam feels that the Government may not
intervene, since at the end of the day, the issue is how the consumer
will benefit.
However, while this price war does ultimately benefit the consumer,
there is the danger that if the growth of hypermarkets in city centres
goes unchecked, it could lead to an oversaturation which would then
lead to a bigger war, resulting in weaker ones being forced to close
down.
Consumers International Consumer Law and Protection programme officer
Susheela Nair says that competition law and policies are needed to
regulate against monopoly, restrictive and unfair trade practices to
protect the interest of consumers and to uphold the principles of
ethical business practice.
Although competition is healthy for the economy, she says the fear was
that hypermarkets could end up dominating the market and abuse that
position to the detriment of consumers by predatory pricing,
price-fixing by collusion, or refusal to market particular brands.
However, she says Malaysia is in the process of drafting a competition
policy and a Fair Trade Practices Act.
Muhyiddin had said recently that the proposed Fair Trade Act (FTA) is
expected to be ready before 2005.
According to a report presented at a Makro internal board meeting on
March 1, traditional food trade (provision stores) has decreased from
81 per cent of the market share in 1997 to 74 per cent last year.
Conversely, modern trade like hypermarkets and supermarkets has taken
up this slack, rising from 19 per cent of the market share to 26 per
cent in the same period.
Even so, the pie has increased in size for all, because of steady
population growth and rising consumer power.
Makro Cash & Carry Distribution (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Anton
van Gorp points out that AC Nielsen's figures showed that from 1997 to
2001, the number of provision stores went down from 38,064 to 28,659.
Assuming that each store employed five people, the closing down of
these 9,405 stores means the loss of jobs for 47,025 people.
While van Gorp acknowledges that not all the stores may have closed
down because of competition with hypermarkets, he points out that
numbers, even half this, give lie to the logic that new hypermarkets
coming in will provide mass employment, since they also cause mass
unemployment in the small business sector.
These may seem strange arguments coming from a big player in the
hypermarket scene, but it is explained by Makro's decision last year
to move away from the hypermarket concept and back to its original
wholesaler role.
"Makro Cash & Carry has always been a wholesalers' club. That's why,
if you look at our floor, it is very different from hypermarkets. "If
you visit a hypermarket, their buildings are much nicer than our
buildings. We are nothing more than a warehouse where professional
customers can shop very efficiently. "It's very boring. There's no
need for fun," says van Gorp.
Makro's target customer is minimarket and sundry-shop owners,
restaurateurs and caterers. These shoppers would come in several times
a week to buy their goods. In the case of caterers and restaurateurs,
says van Gorp, they would come in two or three times a day to buy
their goods.
This ensures freshness and saves them having to allocate storage space
at their respective premises.
Van Gorp denies that Makro's move away from the hypermarket concept is
because of the economic slowdown and over-saturation of the market.
"You cannot be both a wholesaler and a hypermarket. They are two very
different things. "The amount of an item that you sell and its cost is
different, too. Wholesale is bigger in size and cheaper. "Hypermarket
is smaller — it also caters to people who may want to buy just one or
two cans of drink — so the costs would be higher." Even so, van Gorp
says that people can still come to Makro and buy their goods so long
as they accept the terms of the wholesale business.
"You have to buy things in bulk and there is no service — you have to
get the things yourself and load the cart yourself.
" We don't have many employees — that's how we keep costs down." Van
Gorp does, however, acknowledge that the hypermarket scene in the
Klang Valley is nearing saturation. He believes that the Government
should set rules on the expansion of hypermarkets, because not
regulating this would put small shops out of business.
Using saturation calculations based on the French experience, the
saturation level for Peninsular Malaysia in 2005 is 231,118
inhabitants per hypermarket. Which means that it can sustain 58
hypermarkets.
The saturation level for 2010 in Peninsular Malaysia, assuming 10.8
per cent population growth, would be 195,998 inhabitants per
hypermarket, or a total 85 hypermarkets.
However, though the theoretical maximum is 58 stores in 2005, it is
less likely that towns would have grown and merged sufficiently to
meet a 230,000-inhabitant size. In fact, there would only be 33 cities
with more than 100,000 people.
At the moment, there are 580,924 inhabitants per hypermarket in the
peninsula, but the ratio for the Klang Valley stands at 233,000
inhabitants per hypermarket. While the saturation point for the entire
peninsula is 49 stores, for the Klang Valley it is 14 stores.
Carrefour has four hypermarkets in the Klang Valley (Mid Valley,
Wangsa Maju, Sri Petaling and Subang Jaya); Makro, three (Shah Alam,
Cheras and Selayang); and Giant, two (Subang Jaya and Shah Alam) —
this means the number of hypermarkets in the Klang Valley is already
nine.
Coupled with the three Tesco hypermarkets to be established this year
(Puchong, Klang and Mutiara Damansara), this will bring the number to
12 — just two short of the saturation point.
Saturation point will be hit next year if plans by supermarket chain
Tops come to fruition.
"There has been a big growth in the hypermarket scene, and trends show
that this is the way to move. Malaysian consumer growth has shown that
it has a big basket potential," Tops country manager John Glover says.
Because of that, Tops, too, will be jumping on the hypermarket
bandwagon by setting up two hypermarkets in the Klang Valley next
year.
Marketing information group Taylor Nelson Sofres joint-general manager
of consumer panels Ian McAlister says that hypermarkets have to find a
way to gain spend loyalty.
"Asian shopping habits are quite different — people like to shop
around and get one thing cheaper at one store and another item cheaper
at another store. They don't buy all the items at just one store.
"For as long as there is no spend loyalty, the market is infinite."
One reason why hypermarkets may not be doing very well could be the
basket-size. "On average, Malaysians are spending only RM44.30 per
household per week.
"This, however, only accounted for packaged groceries for home
consumption, and not fresh foods, since Malaysians generally still
obtained these at the wet markets." Even so, the hypermarket sector,
despite being less than a decade old, is already pulling in 11.7 per
cent of total market spend share.
This equates to RM255 million a year (packaged groceries).
And while this is a huge growth, there is still a great deal of
potential, says McAlister.
"Only 46 per cent of all households visited hypermarkets at least once
a year. Sixty-one per cent of hypermarket expenditure is via the
central region.
"So there's still potential for growth in the other regions,
especially since 66 per cent of the population is located in urban
areas." In order to have Malaysian shoppers spend more, hypermarkets
needed to instil the one-stop shopping concept to its customers, get
them to fill their trolleys, and spend more, McAlister says.
Hypermarkets, too, do seem to think that there is more room for
growth.
"The market is still flexible a little out of the city centre,"
Carrefour corporate communications and public relations manager Zalina
Raja Safran says.
Even if there were a large number of hypermarkets, this would not
necessarily mean bad business.
"As long as the retailer continues to develop new concepts and ideas
and to be more efficient in terms of distribution and supply, and
continues to provide lower prices for customers, it will remain
successful." Hypermarkets and small businesses, says Zalina, cater to
different consumers with different needs.
"The survival of any retailer depends on the customers. At the end of
the day, it is not about the existence of the competitors, but how we
adapt to the decision of the customers and how we manage to keep them
coming back to us." Tesco marketing manager Vivian Yap concurs.
"The hypermarkets, supermarkets and small shops can all have a share
of the customers' wallet. It all boils down to knowing and
understanding what their customers want and be able to deliver just
that." Having different types of retailers is a good thing, because
this provides more options. Seen in this light, the existence of
hypermarkets would not push small businesses into extinction.
"We can all co-exist. Just like the Internet, TV and radio
relationship," Yap says.
Retail Group Malaysia director Tan Hai Hsin feels that small
businesses do have a role to play in the retail industry, catering to
quick and small impulse buys.
A consumer, for instance, would not go to a hypermarket to buy a
packet of curry powder, especially when it would take a long time to
drive to the hypermarket, find a parking, walk around the large
shopping area, queue up to pay, and then walk back to the parking lot.
This, then, is the strength of small businesses. Stores located near
hypermarkets are less likely to do well, but those a distance away and
close to high-concentration residential areas can still thrive.
Tan also thinks that there is still room for growth in the hypermarket
scene.
"Unlike developed countries in the United States and the European
Union, the Malaysian economy still has the capacity to enjoy high
growth rates for the next one or two decades. "We are expected to
continue enjoying relatively high population growth rate and high
income growth rate.
"This would then have a flow-on effect on the growth of new townships,
as well as growth outside existing urban centres." Unlike the small
business operators who complain about survival, Tan believes that
being big does not guarantee survival.
"The bigger you are, the higher the risk you take and vice-versa." Tan
advocates letting market forces rule, with minimum intervention from
the Government.
"Retailing is a business, not a social service." o ne...@nstp.com.my
Yap Yok Foo
17 March 2002
The Big Picture
Bumpy Malaysia-Singapore relations
By Munir A. Majid
EVERY once in a while, relations with Singapore hit turbulence, with
worrying regularity. Why is this so, between two close neighbours? Is
it because they were once part of the same country, with all the
attendant negative memory and baggage? A break-up can be bitter. But
that was over 36 years ago. So memories must run long and deep,
already carried into the next generation.
The question remains, however, what drives and sustains these unhappy
memories. It is, I believe, both the force of those memories and the
intercession of numerous unresolved disputes which cause rancour even
as the specifics are being addressed.
Countries with past links can have either the best or the worst of
subsequent relations, defined by the nature both of previous
association and subsequent relations.
Despite a previous historical antagonism, Anglo-American relations
have prospered, and Britain and the US have been on the same side in
most major modern international conflicts. A convergence of interests
and relative cultural homogeneity have helped, but the incidence of
being on the same side has instilled almost a habit of co-operation,
despite the disparity of power between the two countries, which
usually can give rise to animosity, especially if states are
contiguous.
But even in the case of Canada, which shares a common border with the
US, and suffers from a smaller state versus bigger state syndrome in
the playing out of so many common problems between neighbours, there
is no grinding suspicion of the bigger neighbour south of the border.
If we take the case of Australia and New Zealand, there is even less
of a prospect of any serious conflict — despite the passion with which
they battle it out on the rugby pitches and cricket fields. And
despite the Aussies taking the micky out of the Kiwis. (Remember the
Qantas pilot joke as plane approaches Auckland: "Those of you wishing
to adjust your watches, could you put them back 100 years.") There is
no such humour in India-Pakistan relations, which have been
characterised by war and dour hate since Partition into two countries
in 1947 in the bloodiest of circumstances.
Despite a common culture and history that go back to the earliest
times, the two countries have been driven to become implacable foes by
the forces of religious hatred.
There is hardly a meeting point between the two countries except in
mutual disregard.
So quite clearly historical memories may or may not colour subsequent
relations. It depends on the experience. But it will also not help if
those subsequent relations are informed by dissent and conflict.
In the case of Malaysia and Singapore, the nature of previous
association and break-up, and the record of subsequent relations as
independent states, are not as bad as those between India and
Pakistan. But neither are they as good as those between Britain and
the US, Britain and Australia and New Zealand, or Canada and the US.
While part of modern Malayan history, Singapore had always stood
apart, separate and assuredly superior. Since Stamford Raffles founded
modern Singapore in 1819, its development left behind much of the rest
of the then Malaya, including the other Straits Settlements of Malacca
and Penang. Even my Malay cousins, then living in Singapore, bragged
about how Georgetown was a mere backwater compared to bustling
Singapore.
But pride is one thing, a cocky sense of superiority another.
While there is no doubt about Singapore's rapid and remarkable
development, there is no cause to be contemptuous about the rate of
progress of its neighbour, a larger and more difficult country to
govern with so many more interests to satisfy.
And when that neighbour achieves creditable progress, the superior
sneer shifts to Malaysia's internal policies and whether that progress
is well-founded.
Malaysians then rise to the bait, snarl and bark back with comments on
Singapore's own policies, lack of heart and soul, and its concrete
jungle and cultural wasteland.
In these comments and counter-comments, all the pre-independence
stances are taken again as if they are not now two sovereign,
independent states. They become serious stances to take, as both
countries are sensitive and have points to make about each other which
they should not if they truly wish to have good relations on the basis
of mutual understanding and respect.
When Singapore was part of Malaysia between 1963-65, Lee Kuan Yew
tried long and hard to put across his "Malaysian Malaysia" concept. I
remember well his Padang Kota Lama speech in Penang, pushing this
point, during the 1964 election campaign. This gave rise to a lot of
racial ill-feeling, without his achieving the electoral success he
wanted.
But he persisted with this policy objective, which became one of the
main reasons for separation in 1965.
Even after separation, the Malaysian perception is that this line is
still being pushed, leading Malaysia, in response, to think aloud
about the veracity of Singapore's own meritocratic system.
One of the greatest dangers about bad blood in Malaysia-Singapore
relations is how their conduct could have ramifications in the
domestic politics of both countries. It would be ironic if the issue
of management of race relations, pretty well settled in their domestic
politics, were to be reignited by their international relations —
especially as Singapore's separation from Malaysia was precisely
intended to avoid potential racial conflict.
It is incumbent that this point is well understood by both parties. It
is important that relations are conducted with restraint and sobriety.
It would be better still if they were close and neighbourly.
There are three prerequisites to close and friendly relations, which
are not mutually exclusive: l there must be mutual respect. None of
that superior swagger. None of the big brother-little brother lark; l
there must be real acceptance that we are now two separate, sovereign
states, even if to promote mutual confidence there should be
consultation on issues sensitive and important to both countries; and,
l there must be quick solution to the issues and disputes which are a
thorn in the flesh.
The current spate over Singapore's land reclamation in the Tebrau
Straits could have been well-contained, if the island republic had
first discussed it with Malaysia — not as a derogation of Singapore's
right but as an expression of neighbourly consultation just in case it
caused any local difficulty. Also, on the Malaysian side, there is no
need to raise the temperature to a level where cool heads cannot
prevail.
There is a tendency, on Singapore's part, to stick to strict legality
and technicality, especially as it would appear in most instances to
serve Singapore's interest. However, Singapore should also be open to
addressing historical anomalies which must be corrected.
In finding solutions, in good faith, to contentious issues, it is
sometimes more important to come to a common agreement than to score
points over technicalities. This does not imply disregard for
legalities but points to the need to be creative in dispute
settlement.
The existence in Singapore, for instance, of the off-shore ringgit
market and of the CLOB market trading in Malaysian shares, helped to
seriously damage the Malaysian currency and stock market in the
attacks of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis; but there was no
understanding in Singapore of the Malaysian predicament, only to sit
on their hands and say that was how the financial world was.
With no help from Singapore, our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir
Mohamad took clever defensive action to uncouple the links and free
the Malaysian economy from the gridlock.
The water supply problem is seen by Malaysia to be a rip-off, but by
Singapore as sustained by agreement. Any third party would see how
stupid Malaysia looks by its terms, but Singapore is only offering an
unacceptable revision instead of agreeing to a reasonable charge for
the water.
The railway land matter is another example of applying technical
obduracy, instead of coming to a mutually satisfactory deal.
I am not saying it is all Singapore's fault. Malaysia has on occasion
been careless as to details and technicalities, and has been caught
out. There has to be some understanding of the Singapore viewpoint.
In the case of Pulau Batu Putih, both sides have agreed to go to the
International Court of Justice (ICJ). It is good they could agree to
the compromis to place the matter within the jurisdiction of the ICJ,
which means they have agreed to define the dispute in legal terms and
to accept the court's decision under international law.
It should be understood, however, that one or other of the parties
will "win", and the other "lose". Both parties must agree to the final
decision in a real sense and there must be no remonstration at the
outcome that could test relations between the two countries further.
Whatever is done between the two countries, it must be done in good
faith and with goodwill. Not to score points or to steal a march.
There is so much to dismantle from the past without new more recent
grudges being taken on board which would make close and highly
cooperative relations unachievable.
Yap Yok Foo
17 March 2002
Viewpoints from the vernacular Press
Singapore accuses Malaysia of harping on ‘old’ issues
By Balan Moses
AS Malaysia urged Singapore to study its objection to reclamation work
along the Tebrau Straits, Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong
accused Malaysian MPs and the media of harping on "old" issues and
twisting facts.
Berita Harian quoted him yesterday as saying that most of the time,
the Malaysian media and MPs had twisted facts, left some out or were
just wrong when raising issues involving Singapore.
Speaking at a community dinner on the island, he said he was trying to
understand the reasons for the "attack" by the Malaysian media on the
republic, adding that the Singapore media would not reciprocate with a
similar war of words.
Referring to a description of Singapore by a Malaysian journalist as
an "irritating pimple" that just refused to burst, Goh was quoted as
saying that Malaysians were probably irritated by Singapore's refusal
to play the role of younger brother to Malaysia.
Obviously peeved by the report, Goh said it reminded him of an earlier
one that quoted former Indonesian President B.J. Habibie as referring
to Singapore as a "small red spot".
Goh said it was up to Singaporeans to prove that the "pimple" was
actually a sweetener and the "little red spot", a gem.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was
quoted by the Utusan Malaysia as saying that Malaysia would send a
note to Singapore to protest the reclamation of land if an ongoing
study showed that the exercise would adversely affect Malaysia.
He said Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had indicated
that the republic was willing to accept the note.
Lee, he had added, had stated that Singapore would accord suitable
importance to the outcome of the Malaysian study.
On other fronts, the ongoing water shortage and the Ketari
by-elections figured prominently in the two Bahasa Malaysia dailies.
The Utusan Malaysia ran a Page One story on Friday quoting Selangor
Waterworks Department statistics which indicated that the water level
at the five main dams in Selangor had fallen.
The newspaper stated that the water level had fallen at the Sungai
Semenyih, Sungai Langat, Klang Gates, Sungai Tinggi and Sungai Batu
dams. Coupled with the worsening haze due to raging forest fires in
Sumatra besides similar fires and peat fires in Peninsular Malaysia,
the water shortage has hit a nerve with consumers nationwide.
This was articulated by the Utusan Malaysia in a commentary yesterday
which began by stating that the water shortage in the Klang Valey,
Malacca and Negri Sembilan was either fated or self-inflicted.
With a heading that aptly read "A lesson from the water crisis, for
the umteenth time", the article said the time had come to resolve the
issue once and for all.
On the Ketari by-election, the Berita Harian ran an in-depth feature
on Thursday which sent home the point that the kwongsai factor would
decide the outcome of the polls.
The writer, noting that both the MCA and DAP candidates were from the
same clan, said this was also true of all elected representatives so
far in the constituency.
PM on Chinese schools LEARNING the Chinese language has always been
important to the Chinese community with the majority of Chinese
children in the country attending vernacular schools.
And so Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad's assurance last week that the
Government had never planned to close Chinese schools must have come
as a great relief to the community.
The Prime Minister had told a group of editors of local Chinese
newspapers who had called on him that it was also against the law to
do so as the Education Act 1996 specifically catered to the existence
of such schools.
All Chinese dailies played the story on their front pages, with the
Nanyang Siang Pau, Sin Chew Jit Poh and China Press giving it due
importance in editorials as well.
The Prime Minister was also quoted by the newspapers as saying that
the Government did not plan to use the Vision School concept to close
Chinese schools.
Under the concept, government schools will co-exist with Tamil and
Chinese schools in the same compound, sharing common facilities but
maintaining their own curriculum.
According to the newspapers, Dr Mahathir was quoted as saying that it
was unhealthy for the various communities to continue to send their
children to vernacular schools.
The Prime Minister, in a stronglyworded censure, ticked off the MCA's
Team A and Team B for the rift within the party.
All Chinese dailies carried the statement which castigated officials
from both teams for refusing to compromise and constantly insisting on
looking to their own interests.
Team A, led by party president and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr
Ling Liong Sik, and Team B led by party deputy president Datuk Lim Ah
Lek, have met Dr Mahathir on different occasions to express their
sentiments on the rift.
The Prime Minister, the newspapers said, had stated that the
perpetuation of differences between both factions would not benefit
the community at large.
Dr Mahathir had advised leaders of both factions to engage in a
giveand-take policy which would require sacrifices from both sides and
not lead to the winner taking all.
Meanwhile, the Ketari by-election on March 31 took prominence in the
Chinese newspapers with the Sin Chew Jit Poh on Tuesday saying that
the MCA and DAP would concentrate on the Chinese majority areas of
Bukit Tinggi and Ketari.
The news analysis stated that the outcome of the election would be
decided by the Chinese and Malay vote, bearing in mind that the
Barisan Nasional lost Malay votes in the constituency in the last
general election.
Pipes run dry MALAYSIANS have been listening to the same tune from
those responsible for water supply for a number of years — "conserve
water or expect rationing".
Little seems to have changed over the time. The dry spell is always on
schedule in February, ending in September with the onset of wet
weather.
And every year, almost on cue, Malaysians go through the rigmarole of
conserving water with dry taps in areas worst hit by the drought like
Malacca, Negri Sembilan and the Klang Valley.
The Tamil Nesan and Malaysia Nanban, in a broadside against officials
in charge of water supply, urged the Goverment to look to alternative
sources of water besides dams located in catchment areas and rivers.
The Tamil Nesan, in an editorial, suggested that the authorities look
to ground water reserves which had yet to be fully tapped as only two
per cent of current water supply came from the source.
This compared poorly with statistics from countries like the United
States where 60 per cent of water supply was sourced from below the
ground, it added.
The newspaper suggested that the authorities also look into the
sending out of water tankers in the Klang Valley as same areas had not
been visited for as long as four days. Education was the focus of an
editorial in the Malaysia Nanban last week with the newspaper saying
that 4,000 children who should have entered Standard One did not do so
every year.
It added that 20,000 of the 400,000 in primary school dropped out
after the third year.
The Malaysian Nanban, welcoming the move by the Government to make it
mandatory for parents to register their children in primary school
from next year, said this would help improve literacy among the
people.
Both newspapers also touched on the announcement by MIC president
Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu last week that the Government had allocated
RM15 million to Tamil schools nationwide.
The money, he said, would be used to improve 15 schools under
construction and which would be ready by 2005.
The Tamil Nesan also touched on the Ketari by-election, saying that
the MIC had set up five teams to ensure that the 871 Indian votes in
the constituency would go to the BN candidate Yum Ah Ha of the
Gerakan. According to the newspaper, Indian votes should not be taken
lightly as the late Datuk Loke Koon Kam won the seat for the BN with
only a 231-vote majority in the 1999 general election.
Yap Yok Foo
18 March 2002
The man who gave us rubber and wealth
By VANITHA NADARAJ
MALACCA: A Baba in his early 20s had a gut feeling that rubber would
be a good investment and brought in nine seedlings from Singapore to
be planted in a 17ha piece of land in Bukit Lintang here over 100
years ago.
Back then in 1895, many around him laughed and called him a fool, but
nine years later, their jaws dropped when young Tan Chay Yan
(pronounced Chei Yen) pulled out rubber sheets and Malacca exported
its first shipment of 450kg of rubber in 1904.
Rubber began to bring prosperity to Malacca and later became the
country’s highest revenue earner.
The plantation at Bukit Lintang came to be acknowledged by the British
government as the first rubber plantation in Malaya and Asia,
according to records kept by the Malacca Eng Chuan Tong – Seh Tan
Ancestral Temple, which is also the Tan clansmen’s association.
In fact, according to a family member, the plantation still belongs to
the family and there are no plans to sell it.
Tan was born here in 1871 to a prominent Peranakan family which had
land, trading companies and plantations, mostly growing tapioca.
He was a Malacca High School boy who was said to have performed
exceptionally well in his studies.
From young, he showed a keen interest in plants and gardens.
He was probably influenced by his father, Tan Teik Guan, who indulged
in gardening, specialising in the cultivation of orchids.
There is a variety of orchid named Vanda Tan Chay Yan, according to
one of the Persatuan Peranakan Cina Melaka’s annual dinner souvenir
books, but there is no record of who named it such.
Tan’s interest in rubber began when he made friends with an Englishman
while studying in England, a certain Henry Ridley.
When Ridley was made Singapore’s botanical gardens director, he
developed a method of tapping the sap from the rubber trees which were
planted there and in the gardens in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), says Ruud
Spruit in his book The Land of the Sultans.
Tan, who visited Ridley in Singapore at the latter’s request, was so
taken up by rubber that he decided to take the historic nine seedlings
from Singapore and plant them here, convinced that there was great
potential in these trees which were native to South America.
Subsequently, Tan began to convert his ancestral tapioca plantations
into rubber estates.
He fervently asked other planters to follow suit.
“He would carry rubber seeds in his pockets all the time, and when he
met people, he would fish out the seeds and give them away.
“This was his way to convince people to invest in rubber,” says
clansman Tan Mah Seng.
Soon planters here and other states were converting their tapioca,
pineapple and coconut plantations into rubber estates and cashing in
on the new crop. Many became millionaires.
Tan and his family also have a reputation as philanthropists. Tan
himself was known to give plots of land and cash to charity.
He is recorded as having given scholarships to secondary school
students here under his father’s name.
He also gave RM15,000 towards the setting up of a medical college –
but the records did not point out clearly whether the college was in
Singapore or England.
Tan died of malaria at the age of 46. A relative believed he could
have caught it during the long hours spent at the rubber plantations.
His wife, Chua Ruan Neo, a tenth generation Nyonya here, continued
with the family tradition of giving. Apart from donations of land and
money, she even gave an undisclosed large sum of money to the British
government during World War II.
The couple had seven children – six daughters and a son.
In recognition of Tan’s contribution to the state and country, the
authorities renamed Jalan Kampung Empat as Jalan Tan Chay Yan.
Next: Jalan Meldrum in Johor Baru.
NOTE: If you wish to contact us, please write to Down History Lane,
The Star, 15 Jalan 16/11, 46350 Petaling Jaya (for the attention of Dr
Lee Kam Hing or Kee Thuan Chye) or e-mail histo...@thestar.com.my
For information on the roads we have featured thus far, check out our
website: http://thestar.com.my/historylane
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Reminder of our past
I WANT to thank you for all the Down History Lane articles that have
been published. They sure go a long way in reminding us of our
glorious past. I am always taken up by the articles and am most
impressed with the research behind them.
Your article of March 11 titled “Outspoken planter with a heart of
gold” was a pleasant surprise as it mentioned my father, K.L. Devaser
(Kunden Lal Devaser). He was actually the fourth MIC President from
1951 to 1955.
P.K. DEVASER.
(via e-mail)
Calling all Chang’s kin
I THANK you for the article “Chang’s legacy very much alive’’ (March
8).
I am proud to know of my great-grandfather Chang Yin Fatt’s
achievements although I never met him.
I wish to gather a list of family members who are related to Chang Yin
Fatt. They can e-mail me at n...@bloomberg.net
RAJA AMIR SHAH,Kuala Lumpur
(via e-mail)
Yap Yok Foo
Voice, exit and the dynamics of social cohesion
By STEVEN C.M. WONG st...@insap.org
EVERY now and then, a gem of a book comes along that shapes the way we
perceive the world around us. More than 30 years ago, such a book made
its way to bookshelves. Old it may be, but it is certainly not dusty.
An unassumingly thin paperback, it is still required reading in many
universities today and used to fathom behaviour as diverse as
adolescence to divorce and, yes, social cohesion.
Albert O. Hirschman has been called an economist's economist but his
influence extends throughout the social sciences. He has won
practically every award and honour short of the Noble Peace Prize. His
book, Exit, Voice and Loyalty: Responses to Firms, Organizations and
States, published in 1970, is considered to be the most important of
the many impor-tant books he has written, and explores how society
makes choices among basic alter-natives. The answer is neatly
crystallised in the first three words of the book title.
Hirschman developed his thoughts for the book on a rickety train in
Africa where he worked as a development economist. Much of his life
has been devoted to the problems of development although his interests
have since moved to the history of economic thought.
Born in Berlin in 1915, he was educated in Germany, France, Britain
and Italy, before working with French resis-tance fighters during the
Second World War and fleeing to the United States. His longest
association has been with Princeton University.
Exit, the first element of his scheme, means to withdraw from a
relationship over time, whether a marriage, a family, a community or
even a nation. Equally, it might be a customer-supplier or work-place
tie, or it could be mem-bership of a social club or
political-ideological party. Withdrawing one's support and
participation are some forms of exits, made easier, of course, if
there are plenty of alternatives.
Voice, on the other hand, is the expression of everything, from
careful opinions to stinging criticism and noisy protests. Companies
know, for example, that giving good employees and customers voice will
make it less likely that they vote with their feet.
Many political parties too are keenly sensitive to the views of the
electorate, although more so in election years than others. Some civil
servants, on the other hand, can afford to be as arrogant and uncaring
as they like, knowing that con-sequences are unlikely.
Loyalty represents the degree of attachment to the organisation of
which one is a member. It may be psycho-logical or social in nature,
but is, Hirschman argues, the result of a coldly calculated
rationality.
Savvy members of a political party, for example, may not agree with
everything their leaders do but they will still remain loyal so long
as they believe that more good than bad will be achieved.
Hirschman spends a great deal of attention on the exit-voice
relationship and he presents many examples that we, as Malaysians,
will find fascinating.
He asks, for example, why national school systems deteriorate while
those that are private and/or have some degree of autonomy thrive.
Hirschman's answer is that parents who send their child-ren to private
schools are more alert to changes in educational quality and, once
they detect falling standards in govern-ment schools, will be quick to
choose the alternative (i.e., exit the relationship).
They will not bother to exercise much voice given the ease of exit.
This act not only deprives government schools of the participation of
quality conscious parents-students but also the vital feedback they
need to make changes.
When standards of private schools deteriorate, parents are quick to
complain because they cannot return to the government schools they
left. Since they are represented on school boards as active members,
parents views are given a lot of weight and action quickly taken.
What is true of schools is also true of companies, clubs, unions,
governments and countries. Loyalty works by making exit a less
preferred choice over voice. Notice the operational word is less and
not never. Loyalty can delay the exit, especially if one is allowed a
high of degree of voice, but not forever.
Once an organisation's members are convinced that there is no hope
their interests will ever be adequately represented or that the future
is hopeless and irreversible, they will exit in droves.
The voice-loyalty nexus is an important one that bears examination in
Malaysia. As a society, we are generally intolerant of alternative
ideas, let alone dissent and opposition in many areas of life. To be
sure, alternative ideas, dissent and opposition exist but despite, and
not because of, an authoritarian system of governance. In the past,
such control was justified by the fact that it led to communal
violence and aggression. If this is still the case today, it is only
because of political machinations and permitted norms.
In future columns, I will try to show how Hirschman's analysis can
help us to understand, and hopefully remedy, problems of sharing
culture and coalescing a national spirit of collectiveness.
For now, it would be enough to reflect on these three concepts and how
they relate to one another in different circumstances, such as with
regards to a family problem or one where religious ideologues seek to
impose a state that only demands loyalty and prohibits the first two.
# Steven Wong works for a policy research institute dedicated to
nation-building. These opinions are his own. e-mail: st...@insap.org
Yap Yok Foo
Tabung Haji sues to recover RM80m from fund manager
By SHAHRIMAN JOHARI
TABUNG Haji has initiated legal action to recover RM80 million from
local fund manager Metrowangsa Asset Management Sdn Bhd which the
latter had invested on its behalf, sources say.
Tasked with handling RM200 million, Metrowangsa was Tabung Haji’s
biggest external fund manager. Its services have been terminated.
Without disclosing the identity of the fund manager or the investments
involved, the Fund said in a press release yesterday that about 60 per
cent of the money has been recovered.
It is understood that the Pilgrims Fund viewed some of the investments
made on its behalf as overly risky, according to the sources.
Officials of Metrowangsa could not be reached for comment.
“Tabung Haji has made reports to the authorities and investigations
are being carried out. At the same time, Tabung Haji has filed its
claims at court,” the Fund said.
One of the investments made through a licensed fund manager “was not
in line with its (Tabung Haji) overall risk-return profile”, it added.
Speculation is rife that the investment referred to had something to
do with foreign exchange deals.
Coming after the theft of about RM8 million in over-the-counter
transactions last year, the case is expected to raise further
questions about the way investments were handled by the previous
management of Tabung Haji.
In the statement, the Fund’s new chief executive, Mohd Bakke Salleh,
said the lawsuit is being pursued to protect the interests of
depositors.
Investigations have also been launched by the Securities Commission
(SC) following a complaint filed by Tabung Haji.
“We have received the complaint and we are investigating,” said an SC
official.
Sources said SC investigators had visited Metrowangsa’s office
sometime late January or early February as part of the probe.
Chief executive of Metrowangsa Dr Ghazali Atan declined to comment on
the SC visit when Business Times contacted his office late last month.
Tabung Haji had announced its lowest ever dividend payout of 3.25 per
cent just over a month ago. It has also engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers
as consultants to review its entire operations.
The consultants are expected to submit a report by next month.
Tabung Haji has more than four million depositors and total assets of
over RM10 billion. Earnings fell 4 per cent to RM327.8 million in 2001
from RM341.7 million the year before.
The institution has just appointed Mohd Bakke as the new chief
executive and named eight new members to its investment panel, which
is now headed by Amanah Capital Partners Bhd managing director Datuk
Seri Syed Anwar Jamalullail.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
‘Tabung Haji must conduct full probe’
THE Pilgrims Fund Board (Tabung Haji) has been ordered to conduct a
full investigation “without fear or prejudice” to determine the cause
of the RM200 million losses incurred through high-risk investment
managed by a local fund company.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the
findings must be submitted to the Government as soon as possible.
“I hope those conducting the investigation will not hesitate to
interview anyone that may be implicated in the investment which caused
the losses,” he told reporters after chairing the state Umno liaison
meeting in Kuala Terengganu yesterday.
Abdullah was asked to comment on a press report yesterday that Tabung
Haji had lost RM500 million in investments managed by a licensed local
fund and that the status of the money was not known.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Abdul Hamid Zainal
Abidin, however, clarified in Kuala Lumpur yesterday that only RM200
million was involved and that RM120 million had been recouped.
Abdul Hamid said that Tabung Haji was aware of the matter and had
filed a suit in court. The case is expected to be heard within two
weeks,.
The minister said that a review conducted by Tabung Haji revealed that
the investment in the company was not a right move and there was high
risk attached to it.
“As such, Tabung Haji immediately took action to terminate the
investment in the company and we have submitted a report to the
appropriate authority (Securities Commission) to conduct investigation
on the company,” he said.
Abdul Hamid said that Tabung Haji detected the problem during the
review of its investments totalling RM10 billion.
Abdullah said action must be taken to ensure that there is no
recurrence of the incident as Tabung Haji is a very important body to
the Muslims and the Government.
Asked who will conduct the investigation, Abdullah said it is up to
the Tabung Haji management.
“If the management needs the police to investigate, it must inform the
police, if the ACA (Anti-Corruption Agency), then it’s the ACA,” he
said.
Abdullah said the Government takes a serious view of the incident
because the Tabung Haji funds are a trust from the people which must
be administered well by its management.
“There must be investments but when making decisions to invest in
certain projects, professional considerations on all aspects must be
made.
If it’s a high-risk investment, it’s better not to take the risk
because it can endanger Tabung Haji’s position,” he said.
Abdullah advised those who have savings with Tabung Haji not to worry
about their money.
Tabung Haji is now run by a newly-appointed professional and credible
group and it is hoped that the new management will further tidy up its
administration and investments, he said.
In Ipoh, Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Othman, religious adviser to the Prime
Minister, said Muslims need not doubt Tabung Haji’s ability to manage
their funds because it is a strong investment body.
He said that based on his experience when running Tabung Haji, every
investment was made according to a strict process through certain
committees with the final authority being the Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs. — Bernama
Yap Yok Foo
19 March 2002
Residency plan for foreigners
By HAH FOONG LIAN
PORT DICKSON: The Silver Hair Programme to encourage foreigners to
stay in the country will now be replaced with Malaysia My Second Home
Programme, which will see an increase in the period of residence and
have less stringent conditions.
Under the new programme, there would be no age limit imposed on
foreigners who wanted to stay here and they did not need a sponsor,
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung said yesterday.
Formerly, the Silver Hair Programme was open only to foreigners who
were over 50 years old and they needed a sponsor, he said.
Chor said that under the Malaysia My Second Home scheme, the number of
years for foreigners to stay in the country would be raised from three
years to five.
However, successful applicants would have to obtain a yearly
endorsement to renew their social visit pass during the five-year
period, he said.
“The move will stimulate economic growth as foreigners with high
incomes will stay longer and spend their money here,” he said after
giving out excellence awards to Immigration Department staff at the
Immigration Academy here.
Among the conditions that applicants have to fulfil is that they
should have a regular income of RM7,000 a month for individuals and
RM10,000 a month for a couple.
They must also produce evidence that they have minimum savings of
RM100,000 for individuals and RM150,000 for a couple with a local
bank.
Applicants, Chor said, would be allowed to own properties costing
RM150,000 and above, subject to approval from the Foreign Investment
Committee.
Yap Yok Foo
19 March 2002
Feds take over building of low-cost houses in all states
RM1.404bil People's Housing initiative approved by Cabinet recently
By Firdaus Abdullah
fi...@nstp.com.my
The Federal Government will immediately take over the building of low
cost houses from all State Governments under a RM1.404 billion
"Perumahan Rakyat" (People's Housing) initiative.
The scheme, approved by the Cabinet recently, will be implemented by
the National Housing Department (NHD) under the Housing and Local
Government Ministry. This includes land purchase and project
co-ordination and working closely with State Governments.
Of the amount, RM1.14 billion would be in a revolving fund, RM158.8
million for a 100 per cent land subsidy and RM104.6 million to absorb
50 per cent of all low-cost housing infrastructure.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting made the
announcement at a Press conference at Parliament House today.
Ong said State Governments' role would be confined to site
identification, land acquisition and vetting buyers.
"We hope to overcome the various problems faced by State Governments
now," he said.
Among the major set-backs - sky-rocketing city land prices and major
towns.
Under the present set-up, it was almost impossible for some State
Governments to impliment low-cost housing projects within the ceiling
price due to exorbitant land prices.
"But we have to find a way to provide low-cost houses in these areas,"
he said. "There is a dire need for it."
Low-cost house prices would be maintained at a maximum of RM35,000 in
cities and big towns, RM30,000 in city/town limits, RM28,000 in small
towns and RM25,000 in rural areas.
In the past, State Governments also faced problems collecting
repayments from buyers.
To handle the poor repayment, commercial banks would be roped in to
provide end-financing.
"So, State Governments need not undertake collection," he said. "It
would be handled by the banks."
Under existing policy, the Federal Government channels the fund to the
State Governments who would identify the area, acquire the land and
issue tenders.
But under the new arrangement, funds would be channeled to the NHD.
The revolving fund would provide bridging loan until a buyer enters
into agreement with banks for end-financing.
Ong said seven Government low-cost housing projects in Pahang which
failed to take off due to esclating costs would be revived under the
new policy.
"We expect to start these projects soon," he said.
Yap Yok Foo
19 March 2002
A man for the people
THE focus on Sabah in the Millennium Markers continues with this
extract from P.J. GRANVILLE-EDGE’s book, The Sabahan: The Life and
Death of Tun Fuad Stephens. The writer brings to life Fuad’s early
life and examines his role in persuading Sabah to join the entity that
became Malaysia.
FUAD Stephens, first known as Donald, rose to greatness later in his
life. His early life, though, was one of suffering. During World War
II, he suffered physically when he was almost vanquished by a form of
leprosy. Then came the emotional pain of knowing that his father and
his best friend had been executed by the Japanese, and that the rest
of his family – his mother, younger brother and two sisters – suffered
much hardship.
After the war, while isolated from family and friends during the
latter stages of his disease, the young Fuad was confined to a shack
on his family’s land in Likas; it came to be known as “Don’s Sulap”.
From here he would listen to family members and friends who survived
the Japanese and the lady known as the “Black Princess”, Pengiran
Hapsah of Karambunai, who doted on him. Hapsah brought native court
cases to his attention, and with his store of books around him, Fuad
was able to advise and counsel her kampung people. Soon, he was
increasingly seen as a scholar who understood the law and the
intrinsic rights of man. His advice was often sought after when his
coterie had to deal for aid with the post-war administrators.
After years of writing for the North Borneo News and developing a
following with articles that often championed the rights of the
people, Fuad realised his dream of starting his own newspaper, thanks
to financial help from his brother. He and a like-minded friend, Yeh
Pao Tzu (proprietor of the Overseas Chinese Daily), established The
Sabah Times; the first edition hit the newsstands on Jan 21, 1953.
Sabah Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens reading the proclamation of
Sabah on September 16, 1963. According to Kadazan historian Luping,
Fuad felt then that Sabah had to be independent before joinign Malaya
in the new Federation.
Then, in 1954, Fuad felt he had racked up enough experience to take on
more journalistic work. So he took the outrageous step of buying out
his former employer, the North Borneo News! He then merged it with his
own Sabah Times and diplomatically named the new entity the North
Borneo News and Sabah Times. To reach out to the masses, Fuad ensured
that his paper had a page dedicated to Malay readers, and also ran a
Kadazan column, which was edited by his friend Fred Sinidol. Sinidol
was a Penampang man, from Kampung Hungab.
Another vital association was forged by Fuad when, in 1954, he
reported in his paper a major highlight of that year: the opening of
the first Western-style hotel in town, descriptively called the
Jesselton Hotel. Donald covered its opening extensively because it was
the first public act of the new governor, Sir Roland Evelyn Turnbull.
After they had gotten to know each other better, Turnbull nominated
Fuad as a member of the Legislative Council, or Legco. Turnbull’s
rationale was to give the talented newspaperman a first-hand
appreciation of the basic problems in leading and running a country.
Even then Turnbull saw a certain quality about Fuad that marked him
for great things.
Fuad joined the Legco on Jan 8, 1955. In keeping with his deepest
beliefs, and despite his personal regard for Turnbull, Donald soon
became “a vociferous critic of government measures, or lack of them,
in cases where he thought action was necessary”. Despite – or, more
likely, because of – Fuad’s refusal to be a quiet native “yes man”,
Turnbull and he subsequently formed a deep friendship born out of
mutual respect and recognition of each other’s abilities.
In his quiet moments, Fuad continued to ponder the issues raised by
his fellow Kadazans. He understood their plight of being “second class
citizens in their own country”. It was a frustration shared by the
Malays on the Malayan peninsula. Fuad thus became more involved with
the Kadazan community and took an interest in the societies they were
forming.
His Kadazan people desperately needed help. Fuad believed with an
intense passion that just as the Malays were the rightful dominant
race of Peninsular Malaysia, the Kadazans were by right of birth and
history the true “owners” of North Borneo. So, in typical Fuad
Stephens fashion, the tack he favoured was enhanced education. In
February 1955 he ran a series of articles in his newspaper, using his
clout as owner, publisher and editor of a paper read across the
breadth of Sabah, to show the Kadazandusun community in a better
light. These articles explained the traditions and cultural strengths
of these people to Fuad’s readers.
The first Society of Kadazans was registered on Aug 24, 1953. It began
as an offshoot of a local Penampang school sports body. Its objectives
included the care and attention of Kadazan culture and language and
the elevation of the Kadazans’ standard of living. Fuad supported and
attended their meetings and functions over a number of years. Then in
March 1957, urged by Lee Kim Cheong, a Sino-Kadazan friend, Fuad
attended the Annual General Meeting of the society. Lee worked on
Fuad’s newspaper and was the incumbent society president. At the AGM
Fuad was delighted to be made vice-president and adviser. The incoming
committee was fully aware of the local groundswell of support for
Fuad. Plus, it didn’t hurt that he had the ears of the powers-that-be
in the Colonial Government.
With the nascent politician within him taking form, Fuad promised to
use his position on the Legislative Council to take up the matter of
native land reserves and the request for a recognition of Kadazan
culture in the form of a public holiday. Two years later, at the 1960
AGM of the society, Fuad was able to announce that a public holiday
for a Pesta Menuai, or Kadazan Harvest Festival, had been approved.
Soon it would be time for another challenge. His thoughts, encouraged
by his friend, Governor Turnbull, turned increasingly to statehood and
independence.
The outside world was becoming aware of North Borneo. Important
visitors came to the colony. Simultaneously, political awareness was
burgeoning. Britain’s Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, visited
early in 1959. With that visit a certain degree of world attention was
focused on North Borneo. Perhaps as a result of that, the United
States became aware of this generally quiet colonial backwater. Fuad
was then invited by the US Government to tour the United States under
a Foreign Leader Grant. The trip was to last two months, and
introduced the Sabahan to the diverse cross section of communities,
projects and lifestyles there.
The first State Cabinet of Sabah in 1964. Chief Minsiter Tun Fuad
Stephens is seated in the middle of the front row.
On his return to North Borneo in August 1959, Fuad immersed himself in
his newspaper and Legislative Council work – which now included
agitating for a name change for North Borneo. He felt the name North
Borneo was “not only cumbersome but gave the impression that it was a
promontory or lighthouse and of use only to mariners.” Being a “West
Coast” boy, he was enamoured of the old accepted name for the West
Coast, Sabah. Because of his extensive travels throughout the
territory while tagging along with his father during Jules Pavitt
Stephens’s itinerant career, Fuad knew that the inhabitants of major
towns on the East Coast, like Tawau and Sandakan, also accepted the
old name. Fuad deeply believed that Sabah would be acknowledged as a
more fitting name for their land.
Over on the peninsula, events were taking place that would bring up
the notion of uniting different territories to counter the threat of
Communism.
Even with the official end of the Emergency – that had been declared
by the British in 1948 to deal with a Communist insurgency – in 1960,
when Chin Peng (the leader of the Communists on the Malayan Peninsula)
and his ragged followers were pushed into the jungles bordering
Thailand, the possibility of a Communist resurgence never left the
mind of the Federation of Malaya’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul
Rahman Putra Al-Haj. Therefore, some time during the first half of
1961, the British successfully convinced the Tunku that, should
Singapore fall to the Communists, Malaya also would be threatened.
With that in mind, the Tunku would naturally enough have carried out
straightforward ethnic calculations and realised that the natives of
the Borneo territories were a necessity to counterbalance the presence
of Singapore’s largely Chinese population (the Communists insurgency
was led largely by Chinese who were influenced by the Communist
takeover of China).
The Tunku mooted the idea of a union of territories again – this time
seriously – in Singapore at the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of
South-East Asia on May 27, 1961.
After the Tunku’s suggestion was aired, Fuad become less and less
eager to embrace the idea of a union based on the situation then. His
thoughts increasingly centred on a painful, perhaps even embarrassing
reality: the illiteracy of Sabah’s natives and their abysmal level of
political awareness were huge disadvantages when weighed against the
sophistication of the energetic and highly educated Chinese in
Singapore, and the relatively astute and entrenched politicians of
Malaya who had learned their lessons from four years of independence.
What was first needed, he felt, was unity among the three Borneo
territories. For that, Fuad had to seek out leaders in Sarawak and
Brunei. Ong Kee Hui, the founding chairman of Sarawak’s first
political party, the Sarawak United People’s Party (which had been
established in June 1959) was a natural choice for Sarawak. Then there
was a “mercurial Malay-Arab”, A.M. Azahari, chairman of Brunei’s Parti
Rakyat, who was a tornado of colonial dissatisfaction in Brunei. Fuad
met twice with Azahari and Ong in July 1961 with the clear intention
of forming a united front to oppose the new Federation proposal.
Fuad’s own thinking at this time, according to Kadazan historian
Luping, was that Sabah had to be independent first before joining
Malaya in the new Federation.
Singapore’s leader, Lee Kuan Yew, however, wanted the union. And in a
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference held in Singapore in
July 1961, the genius statesman was in a passionate and persuasive
mode. Fuad was also strongly influenced by Lee’s clear articulation of
the demographic composition of the proposed nation. Lee’s message in
essence was that the natives of Borneo held the balance of power.
The upshot of Fuad’s momentous, secluded “meeting within a meeting”
with Ghazali Shafie and his numerous encounters with the Singapore
statesman Lee was that Lee and Ghazali made a crucial convert. With
unassailable logic they managed to allay some of Fuad’s fears for
Sabah, going a long way towards convincing the Sabahan that the idea
of the union was both sound and workable for the entire region.
Fuad was the only North Borneo delegate at this secluded conference.
Despite having travelled quite some way down the path of resisting
Malaysia, Fuad was willing to bend enough to at least explore the
issue. Later during that conference, Fuad and Yeo Cheng Hoe, the
Sarawakian delegate, pushed for the establishment of a consultative
committee to look into the viability of Malaysia.
What then remained for Fuad to do was to return to the Borneo
territories to discuss and spread the idea of the Malaysian proposal.
But before that, he went to Kuala Lumpur to meet with the Tunku. In a
two-hour meeting with the Malayan Premier, the remnants of Fuad’s
fears that Malaya intended a form of neo-colonialism for the Borneo
states were put to rest.
Fuad brought to the merging talks an enthusiasm usually the preserve
of religious proselytes. This enthusiasm was eventually contagious. So
much so, retired Federal Minister Tan Sri Khir Johari says: “Malaysia
would not have been born if not for Donald Stephens.” Others may not
share such a clear-cut view, feeling instead that Malaysia was an
inevitability. At this point it is impossible to be sure. Fuad was,
however, able to ensure that the rights of Sabah and Sarawak would be
protected in the form of the retention of their own separate state
constitutions.
The Sabah and Sarawak delegations to the July 1961 Commonwealth
Parliamentary Association regional meeting in Singapore proposed the
formation of the Malaysia Solidarity Consultative Committee of the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. That mouthful quickly gave way
to the acronym MSCC. Representatives from the five affected
territories, namely Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei,
would form the MSCC. With Fuad fully in favour of the creation of
Malaysia, he was made chairman of the MSCC.
The 28-member committee made no apologies about being pro-Malaysia.
Among the many issues agreed upon within those four meetings was that
the natives of Borneo should be accorded the same preferential
position the Malays held within the context of Malaya, that the
existing Constitution of the Federation of Malaya would serve as the
basis for the Constitution of the enlarged country, and that while
Islam would be the official religion of the new country, there would
be freedom of religion throughout Malaysia. It was a masterful
demonstration of Fuad’s burgeoning ability to leaven the broader
considerations of a genuine statesman with the common touch needed by
a leader of specific race: in the MSCC he worked to iron out problems
so as to benefit all Sabahans, not merely the Kadazans.
To buy copies of P.J. Granville-Edge’s book, The Sabahan: The Life and
Death of Tun Fuad Stephens, contact Florence (088-232 823 / e-mail
to...@tm.net.my).
Millennium Markers is a weekly series that looks at events and
happenings that shaped Malaysia and the surrounding region over the
last 1,000 years; it is coordinated by Dr Loh Wei Leng, Universiti
Malaya.
Feedback can be sent to section2@the star.com.my / fax 03-7955 4366.
jay
wrote:
>From The Star
>19 March 2002
>
>Residency plan for foreigners
> By HAH FOONG LIAN
>
>PORT DICKSON: The Silver Hair Programme to encourage foreigners to
>stay in the country will now be replaced with Malaysia My Second Home
>Programme, which will see an increase in the period of residence and
>have less stringent conditions.
how succesful was the first program? i guess they'll have to keep
trying until they get it right.
CJMPRR
Metrowangsa is also the manager of unit trust (http://unit.trust.tripod.com)
AMANAH SAHAM WANITA, ASNITA.
It is current one of the better performing unit trust
(http://unit.trust.tripod.com) funds in Malaysia.
"Yap Yok Foo" <yf...@pop.jaring.my> wrote in message
news:u81d9ucklbau2vua1...@4ax.com...
jay
wrote:
>Alamak!
>Metrowangsa is also the manager of unit trust (http://unit.trust.tripod.com)
>AMANAH SAHAM WANITA, ASNITA.
>It is current one of the better performing unit trust
>(http://unit.trust.tripod.com) funds in Malaysia.
>
>"Yap Yok Foo" <yf...@pop.jaring.my> wrote in message
>news:u81d9ucklbau2vua1...@4ax.com...
>> From The New Straits Times
>> 19 March 2002
>
>> Tabung Haji sues to recover RM80m from fund manager
>> By SHAHRIMAN JOHARI
if i were the fund manager, i'd declare bankruptcy and tell tabung
haji where to stick it.
Peewee
CJMPRR <pcsh...@pd.jaring.my> wrote in message
news:a78gdl$cba$1...@news4.jaring.my...
> Alamak!
> Metrowangsa is also the manager of unit trust
(http://unit.trust.tripod.com)
> AMANAH SAHAM WANITA, ASNITA.
> It is current one of the better performing unit trust
> (http://unit.trust.tripod.com) funds in Malaysia.
>
FD looks better now. Nope I ain't investing in trusts, so-called trusts.
Ah-hah, so that's where they found the money to pay 37% ROI.
CJMPRR
FD: 4%
Unit Trust: 11%*
* based on data for the past 14 years. Annualised average return from 1986
until 2000 (cant remember the exact details, refer to other post somewhere
here in SCuM or visit http://unit.trust.tripod.com for the exact details)
Past performance does not necessarily reflect future performance and price
may go up as well as down.
However, one need not worry that much. The money an investor pays go to the
TRUSTEE, NOT the fund manager. In a unit trust, the money goes to the
trustee, maybe Amanah Raya or PB Trustee for example. The fund manager, for
example, Metrowangsa, does not hold the money. So there is little risk of
the same thing happening to unit trusts. In addition, there are limits to
what a fund manager can and cannot invest. This is in accordance with the
Trust Deed. So if the investment is not allowed, the trustee will not
release the money to the fund manager.
What I was afraid was the effect on ASNITA. Coz if unitholders get scared,
especially the bigger unitholders, then it would cause them to redeem. A
sudden unexpected surge in redemption would cause ASNITA to have to force
sell their holding in order to convert shares back to money to pay the
unitholders.
Of course, it is questionable why some funds hold suspended and even
delisted counters. Maybe the fund managers had their reasons or the
circumstances were such that nothing much could be done. For example, as far
as I know, REKAPACIFIC had not filed their annual reports for the past 5
years. In 1998 REKAPACIFIC was suspended. In 2002, they were delisted. Yet,
at least 2 unit trust funds hold shares of Rekapacific up until today.
Pretty strange.
Nevertheless, one can still earn pretty good returns via unit trust
(http://unit.trust.tripod.com)
I mean, if we were to take one bad apple, then well, nobody should invest in
shares, especially after the ENRON case.
But then again, banks do invest in shares too, among others.
So what if BNM guarantees?
If a bank indeed fail, the effect on the Ringgit will probably be so great
that the value of the Ringgit will be severely affected.
As such, it is not much of a use having 'banana money'.
What you're saying, pee wee, is the worst of the worst situation. But that
can happen not only to unit trust, but to about everything else as well.
"Peewee" <pee...@focus.net> wrote in message
news:3c993a72$1...@news.tm.net.my...
Yap Yok Foo
24 March 2002
Other News & Views
Row over rubber wood erupts
LOCAL furniture makers are at odds with rubber wood traders over a
recent government move to lift the export ban and lower the export
duty on rubber wood, the prime material for producing upmarket
furniture.
Local furniture makers claimed that unrestricted export of rubber wood
was cutting their supply, while rubber wood traders argued that local
manufacturers had no problems securing supply as long as they were
willing to pay the international market price for it, Sin Chew Jit Poh
reported this week.
The war of words between the furniture makers and the rubber wood
traders erupted following an announcement by the Primary Industry
Ministry on Jan 25 lifting the export ban on rubber wood.
The same announcement also allowed a 50% cut on the export duty of
rubber wood.
In opposing the decision, the Malaysian Furniture Manufacturers
Federation, a body that represents eight furniture manufacturers
associations from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, said that
the lifting of the ban and the export duty reduction did not only
affect furniture makers but also jeopardised the national economy.
The federation said its surveys showed that Malaysian rubber wood was
exported mainly to Vietnam and China, the two countries that proved to
be Malaysia’s toughest competitors in furniture-making.
The federation urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad to
roll back the ruling of the Primary Industry Ministry “in order to
save the country’s furniture industry.’’
In defending the ministry’s ruling, Malaysian Rubber Wood Traders
Association president Lee Choon See denied local furniture makers were
lacking supply as long as they were willing to pay the international
market price and guarantee payments.
Lee, according to the newspaper, said that it was not true that the
export of Malaysian rubber wood had adversely affected the
competitiveness of Malaysian furniture makers because the bulk of
rubber wood in the international market was supplied by Thailand.
In a separate development, Umno, MCA and MIC have asked the Government
to allow three primary schools clustered under the Vision School in
Subang Jaya to be named after the respective founding party leaders.
Umno wanted the Malay school to be named after Onn Jafaar, while the
MCA and MIC proposed that Tun Tan Cheng Loke and Tun Athi Nahappan be
the names of the national type Chinese school and Tamil school
respectively, Sin Chew reported, quoting sources.
Onn Jafaar helped found Umno and Tan was the MCA’s founding president,
while Athi Nahappan was a long time leader of the MIC.
Meanwhile, well-respected Chinese educationist Lim Fong Seng, who died
last week at the age of 77, was given a grand sent-off in a funeral
service attended by thousands.
The success of the Dong Jiao Zong as a Chinese education watchdog body
of the Chinese community was largely because of Lim’s strong
leadership, Chinese press reported.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
All worked up over the word ‘barua’
THE word barua, reportedly uttered by Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik
Abdul Aziz Nik Mat at a ceramah and acknowledged by Rantau Panjang MP
Abdul Fatah Harun as “a normal word to mean a stooge”, got a Malay
daily all worked up.
Utusan Malaysia, which had harped on the issue over the week,
front-paged the opinions of two literary scholars on Friday and, in an
inside page, reported a street-poll among its readers in Kelantan.
The issue surfaced following the screening on prime time over RTM of a
video excerpt of the ceramah where Nik Aziz purportedly used the word
in reference to certain ulamas.
Abdul Fatah, who claimed the PAS spiritual advisor’s use of the word
only meant to say that some ulama had become “stooges” was criticised
by language experts Prof Datuk Nik Safiah Karim and Dr Awang Sariyan.
Nik Safiah, formerly a professor at the Malay Studies Academy of
Universiti Malaya, said:
“In practice, barua has a negative connotation and should not be used,
much less by someone who is educated.
“It is used merely to ridicule another person, nothing more.”
She said there is nothing praiseworthy about the word as it indicates
that a person is an errand boy (orang suruhan) or a “running dog”
(tali barut).
A global issue that caught the attention of the Malay dailies was the
call by Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad for a balance of power in the
world. The Prime Minister made this call during his recent visit to
Russia.
Utusan said the domination of world politics, economy and social
science by the United States was almost complete.
“Considering the role played by the US in the world now, it is better
if we could revert to the balance of power of the past,’’ the paper
said.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tamil media highlight economic recovery
THE two mainstream Tamil papers highlighted the expected strong
growth in the economy over the next few years.
Malaysia Nanban said in the past five years, the nation had witnessed
tumultuous events within the region as well as in countries such as
Russia and Argentina.
A major incident was the Sept 11 attacks on the United States and the
aftermath of the tragedy, it said.
The paper quoted Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz as
saying that Malaysia’s economy was ready to take off on a positive
note and maintain a sustainable growth, powered by higher
productivity, technology and knowledge-based industries.
The central bank chief said after scraping through with a 0.4% growth
last year, the economy should grow by 3.5% this year.
There is also prospect of higher growth rates for the later years.
Tamil Nesan said Bank Negara believed that a solid base had been
formed to yield broad-based, high quality growth.
It said all sectors of the economy are expected to see recovery this
year.
Yap Yok Foo
24 March 2002
With a shout and a song in Ketari
Party flags had begun blowing in the wind way before nomination day
yesterday in Ketari. JOCELINE TAN followed the main protagonists in
this by-election in Pahang and discovered that by-elections are not
only about serious issues but also about having a bit of fun and
games.
TUESDAY in Bentong began with clear skies and cool breezes. It was
ideal weather for the small convoy of Gerakan members making
whistle-stop checks on their operations centres in the six key Chinese
new villages in Ketari, Pahang.
It was then still four full days till nomination, the day when the
parties contesting the Ketari by-election can officially begin
campaigning, but the incumbent party was obviously not leaving things
to chance.
At the head of the convoy of vehicles winding its way from village to
village was a gleaming Proton Perdana carrying Gerakan president Datuk
Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik.
The president, it seems, is throwing in his 101% effort to the
forthcoming campaign.
By the time his party people arrived at Perting new village on the
edge of Bentong town, most of the entourage looked like they had had
too long a day.
Dr Lim’s press secretary, Cheah Cheng Huat, was almost bathed in sweat
but his tall and gangly president seemed to possess the stamina of
most men half his age.
At a meet-the-people session in the Gerakan office in Perting, he
spoke for a lively half an hour and with even livelier gestures –
hands jabbing here and there, hands boxing the air, hands on hips,
hands hitching up his trousers, hands grabbing at an imaginary
opponent, hands pointing accusingly.
Every point made was accompanied by some hand gesture and, at times,
he looked like he was doing tai-chi in fast motion.
His flamboyant speaking style and his, sometimes, outrageous
statements had many of those who turned up rocking with laughter.
An example: “The DAP, they put up their tent over the road, blocking
everybody. Purposely … hoping the majlis daerah will remove it, then
they can say the Government is a bully. Even my car dare not go past.
I had to use a back lane to come to my own bilik gerakan. If I knock
even one chair, habis man!” (as he slapped the back of one hand on the
palm of the other).
Everyone knew it was a gross exaggeration but they laughed
good-naturedly.
These were everyday sort of people – tanned and weather-beaten men and
women with work-worn hands, unpretentious and a boisterous way of
speaking.
They were probably also tickled by his Cantonese. He does not speak
Kwangsai, the prevailing dialect, but his Cantonese is said to be not
bad, considering he is a northern Hokkien.
Dr Lim also urged them not to gamble unnecessarily. There was nothing
moral in this exhortation though, as press secretary Cheah whispered
to me: “You know-lah … Chinese gamble on anything, including
candidates.”
Apparently, the betting can sometimes sway the outcome of the result.
Then someone handed Dr Lim a form regarding his land title and as he
scanned it, he whistled a popular Chinese tune. The lady standing next
to me placed both palms to her mouth and giggled.
When he finished, he looked around asking: “Where is my Salim?”
Everybody thought he was looking for someone named Salim until his
aide came running up with his pack of Salem Lights cigarettes. This
time, the reporters broke into laughter.
This was Dr Lim’s way of touching base with people. And given the
short campaign period – nine days – he is probably anxious to hit as
many bases as possible over the next week.
The Barisan Nasional candidate, lawyer Yum Ah Ha (or “Yamaha” as he is
now known), was not there but Dr Lim had brought along Dr Ng Keong
Chye, one of the short-listed candidates. The slim, bespectacled
doctor, who runs a successful clinic in Bentong, is a local new
village boy made good and he is helping to campaign for “Yamaha.”
The Ketari seat has a total of about 17,000 voters of whom more than
9,000 are Chinese. And of these Chinese, 7,000 reside in Chinese new
villages.
Gerakan is planning to tap as much as possible into this rich vote
bank.
The late incumbent Datuk Loke Koon Kam had won Ketari for a third term
in the 1999 general election, but his majority dropped from 2,900 to a
mere 231. It was nasty shock for Gerakan and a post-mortem showed that
Loke lost badly in some Chinese areas.
The party knows too that to do really well this time, it needs the
full cooperation of the MCA and last week saw Gerakan and MCA top
names like Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Datuk Lim Ah Lek and Datuk Chan
Kong Choy doing a joint walkabout in the markets of Bentong and
Perting.
Bentong is without doubt an “MCA town” and few candidates can hope to
make any headway without the help and cooperation of the MCA and its
intricate party organisation.
Dr Lim has even told his own party workers: “Don’t be sensitive about
going to the MCA headquarters or approaching their members. The first
thing I did after MCA declared their full support was to go to the MCA
headquarters (in Bentong).”
Yum was born and bred in the locality although he has worked and lived
outside of Ketari for much of his adult life.
Both he and his opponent Choong Siew Oon of the DAP are Kwangsai, the
dialect group that dominates much of the social and commercial life of
this area.
Since starting his own law practice in 1995, he has acted as advisor
to a number of local guilds and associations. These Chinese groups
wield considerable political influence in a behind-the-scenes sort of
way and, some suggest, Yum’s ties with them has given him an enviable
headstart.
Choong’s side was not sitting pretty either while waiting for
nomination day. The DAP, careful about not flouting the election
rules, has been organising a number of ostensibly “social events”
ranging from art competitions for children to karaoke sessions, and
even a beauty and skin-care session for the women in the new villages.
The karaoke session was apparently held to commemorate the 36th
anniversary of the party which the locals call Fo-Chin-Tong, that is,
Rocket Party, in reference to the DAP’s logo.
About half a dozen party figures, including secretary-general Kerk Kim
Hock, kicked off the evening with a robust rendition of what seems to
have become the party’s theme song – Ai Pnai Kah Eh Yah (in Hokkien,
it means that you have to give your all to win). It is actually a
popular Taiwanese pop song that the party first used in
Hokkien-speaking Penang during the 1990 general election.
Later on, individual DAP leaders sportingly took to the mike to
entertain the 200-or-so locals who had turned up. Kerk and the stylish
Pahang Wanita chief Leong Mee Meng sang a duet about “opening the eyes
of the dragon,” while the others sang oldies from the 60s and 70s.
“Nowadays, a wakil rakyat has to learn a song or two,” said one of the
“singers” that evening, Tanjung MP Chow Kon Yeow who seems much more
able than the others in carrying a tune.
Kerk and the current batch of DAP leaders are a different breed from
the more ideological generation represented by Lim Kit Siang. No one
in the party has ever heard Kit Siang sing nor would they dare suggest
that he do so at a party function.
The new breed is more flexible about political approaches, and
possibly more imaginative too. They are not above mixing politics with
a bit of good, clean fun.
Kerk is also known among party people for his talent as a lyricist of
sorts. He often takes popular tunes and rewrites the lyrics to inject
political and humorous messages. It is his way of poking fun at the
opponent without causing too much offence.
Asked whether he was planning to adapt a song for Ketari, he smiled
broadly and said: “Maybe.”
But the BN camp is hardly complacent about the DAP’s hitherto soft
approach.
The battle has only just begun and now that the race is officially on,
both sides are likely to come out with their real firepower.
Many of the DAP big guns who arrived for the nomination of candidates
on Saturday have stayed back for the first ceramah of the campaign.
If the pre-campaigning activities of the DAP is any hint, they are
likely to apply a less conventional approach in the next one week,
knowing they cannot match the political machinery or resources of the
BN.
The DAP supporters have already started projecting themselves as the
underdog, telling locals that the BN will win this election and saying
that if they lose, they hope to do so with a respectable margin. It is
a clever spin to win sympathy votes.
But they privately admit that the results of the earlier Sanggang and
Indera Kayangan by-elections have shown that a substantial portion of
Malays have returned to Umno and it worries them.
“We are not even going to yield an inch to the Opposition,” Umno Youth
chief Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein Onn declared during a high-spirited
launch of the BN Youth campaign machinery in Bentong on Thursday.
On the BN’s part, Dr Lim has also begun trying to pre-empt any
cooperation between DAP and PAS.
He knows the DAP needs PAS to reach the Malay votes and he has
relentlessly highlighted the “unholy alliance” between the two
parties. It has put DAP in a bind – the opposition party needs input
from PAS but getting it may affect its support among the Chinese new
villagers.
The Gerakan president was also peeved that the DAP side has been
projecting their boyish-faced candidate as “Oon-chai.” The DAP has
been asking the locals to “please support our Oon-chai.”
Chai is Cantonese for young boy or young son and the term of
endearment is meant to imply that Choong Siew Oon is a favoured son
from these parts.
The BN has reacted by saying: “Yamaha (Yum Ah Ha) is also a new
village boy. Please vote for our Ha-chai.”
Ketari is among the handful of Chinese-majority state constituencies
in Pahang. Although both sides acknowledge the importance of the Malay
and Indian support, it appears that this by-election will be a contest
for the Chinese vote.
And it looks like both sides are prepared to go to great extent to do
that – from settling serious issues like land title problems to
singing their way into the hearts of voters.
Yap Yok Foo
24 March 2002
Same dry excuses year after year
With Wong Chun Wai
IT’S the same old story each year whenever the city has a water
shortage. Having to put up with water supply cuts for a week is bad
enough but city folk, especially those in Cheras, have a right to
complain loudly when water tankers come by at unearthly hours.
Rightly or wrongly, city folk in working class areas have asked why
those in the more affluent areas like Bangsar, Taman Tun Dr Ismail or
Sri Hartamas do not seem to be similarly affected.
For once, many among us wouldn’t mind seeing a Tan Sri or Datuk
holding pails and waiting by the roadside with their children for
these water tankers to show up.
The point here is that the authorities seem to be ill prepared each
time we face a water shortage. It’s almost an annual event; surely by
now we would have learned from the past.
Lack of information from the authorities only builds up anger,
especially among consumers who want to find out the duration of water
cuts and how supply would be restored.
Not being able to cook and wash is acceptable to most of us but it is
a different thing when there is not a drop of water to clean ourselves
or to flush the toilets. For those living in high-rise flats, where
the water pressure is low, their predicament is unimaginable.
And for residents in Semenyih, who live not far from the dam, it’s a
case of so near yet so far. They must have found the water cuts
unacceptable.
With low water pressure, the supply to most homes was murky, which did
not help to pacify the unhappy city folk.
But Malaysia is a lucky country. Barely a week of inconvenience, and
we are told that water rationing will be put off for the time being as
a result of heavy rain since Tuesday.
With water in the dams returning to normal levels, it’s time we stop
depending on divine intervention to solve our problem. The
Meteorological Services Department should continue with cloud seeding
to induce rain (last week, over 21 flights were conducted). To be
effective, cloud seeding is usually done when there are clouds over
dams to induce rainfall at catchment areas.
Other pro-active measures had been taken, including reopening 41 wells
that were dug in remote areas in Selangor during the water crisis in
1998. A filtration plant that was closed in 1998 would be
re-commissioned.
All these measures were announced following public outcry last week.
It’s better late than never but surely these steps should have been
taken earlier.
But it’s no good merely to blame the authorities. For too long, we
have taken water supply for granted. In many European countries, their
water is “hard’’ and impossible to drink from the tap.
Even boiling the water is not sufficient and many prefer drinking beer
and bottled drink for health purposes. In Malaysia, especially in
Penang, the quality of water is still good.
All this is only possible if our rivers are clean because they form
the main source of our water supply. So every step must be taken to
ensure our rivers remain clean.
Surveys have shown that only 27% of the 160 rivers in Malaysia are
considered clean. Not many Malaysians will find this shocking because
for too long factories, in particular, have treated the rivers as
their dumping ground.
All the laws drawn up and passed by Parliament will be meaningless if
we do not punish those who treat our rivers with disdain.
Water is an essential commodity. A year-long campaign to educate the
public on saving water should be started.
At the same time, we expect the authorities to tell us what steps have
been taken before the dry season comes again.
If our politicians want to keep boasting about how advanced we have
become, then it’s time they stop giving us the same old story whenever
the dry season sets in.
o Wong Chun Wai can be reached at onth...@thestar.com.my
Yap Yok Foo
24 March 2002
Insight: Down South
On the hunt for gold medals
By Seah Chiang Nee
NEXT week, Brazil-born Egmar Goncalves will be the first foreign
footballer to take the allegiance oath to become a Singapore citizen.
The popular striker, 32, is one of two players to have scored more
than 100 S-League goals.
The other, Mirko Grabovac, 30, a permanent resident who hails from
Croatia, is expected to follow suit.
Both will then be able to represent the republic, which often lacks
world-class scorers.
Last week, China-born table tennis player Li Jiawei, now a 20-year-old
citizen, won the title “Best Sportswoman of the Year.”
Jiawei was training in Beijing when the news broke. She had won it for
hitting gold for Singapore – and leading the women’s team to victory –
at the recent Commonwealth Championships and Sea Games.
In recent years, contest-minded Singapore has been in a hurry to catch
up in sports, for which the state fared badly compared to its
neighbours.
Great in trade and commerce, with a strong streak to win, this
city-state has succeeded in transforming itself from Third World to
First in just one generation.
But in sports, Singapore frequently ended up in the bottom half of any
table.
Despite a stressful recession, the city will go ahead and spend a
fortune trying to catch up. Half will go towards infrastructure, old
and new, while the rest will be spent on people, training, coaches,
rewards – and luring foreign talents.
Over the years, scores have come from different continents in
response. The biggest number is in football, Singaporeans’ greatest
love.
There are scores of teens skilled in badminton, table tennis,
athletics and hockey. Others have come because of work.
The influx has changed several sports in Singapore, some dramatically.
It may be only the beginning. For the first time, the government is
taking a serious interest in competitive – as distinct from leisure --
sports.
Under Lee Kuan Yew when the nation was struggling with poverty, sports
had meant keeping fit, building a “rugged society” rather than winning
medals.
With higher living standards now, the younger generation of leaders is
putting a lot of resources into making Singapore competitive in sport.
The second strategy is the use of foreign talents.
Officials often scour China’s provinces to spot school or youth
champions in table tennis, badminton, and track and field athletes –
gymnastics could be a future target – offering them training and study
courses in Singapore.
Indonesians with potential in badminton and tennis are also offered.
A comprehensive schedule is laid out for their courses and careers;
their performances watched and analysed.
The good ones are offered citizenship. The failures are packed off.
Relying on foreign sports personalities is a natural consequence of an
ongoing programme to attract talented students, workers, research
scientists and businessmen.
At any rate, ministers argue, emigrating sports stars have long been a
world trend.
Half the players in France’s World Cup winning team, for example, are
immigrants. More than half of America’s national team hail from Europe
and Latin America.
In many table tennis tournaments, former mainland Chinese players
perfunctorily represent Western countries. American gymnasts and
tennis stars come from Eastern Europe, and so on.
Singapore’s population base is too small to throw up its own crop of
world-beaters. The country, with its brief history, has had no passion
or special abilities in sports – unlike medium-size countries like
Australia, Cuba, South Africa or even New Zealand and Malaysia.
It is not only a generation lost to weak interest or official support.
It is the Singaporeans themselves who are to be blamed.
The 3.2 million people are competitive but their energy is channelled
mainly to getting a degree or earning a living, with little time for
sports except maybe to watch it.
One reporter noted: “This is a country where young people spend much
of their weekends with tutors instead of playmates, just so they have
a fighting chance for a slot in a prestigious school and a good job
later.”
Money and sports don’t mix, parents often tell their kids, and they
get annoyed if the young ones spend too much time in sports.
“What will an athlete do when he grows old, say at 35 or 40?’’
sportsmen often ask. Not many can become coaches.
Changes have come thick and fast in the past two years just as
Singapore slid into recession.
The government set up a Sports Ministry last year under Community
Development Minister Abdullah Tarmugi. This week, Prime Minister Goh
Chok Tong launched an initiative that virtually guarantees a top
athlete’s future.
The Athletes Career and Training programme (ACT), set up by the
Singapore Sports Council to train the talented, would now also look
after their non-sports concerns, including paying for their education,
drawing up their careers, and insuring them against premature
retirement because of injury.
To assure parents that career and sports do mix, the ministry is
establishing Singapore’s first sports school that will open its doors
in 2004.
Swimmers, athletes, table-tennis players, shuttlers, sailors and
ten-pin bowlers will form the bulk of the first intake of students.
Abdullah said his ministry had decided to focus on providing training
in these individual sports for the inaugural batch of 150 students.
Building of the residential co-educational secondary school at
Woodlands will begin the middle of this year.
“We will consider football and netball, if there is sufficient intake
to make up the teams,” said Abdullah.
The school will also admit disabled swimmers and athletes.
Ultimately, it is the sportsmen and women themselves and public
support that will decide if Singapore can be a great sports city. Goh
wants it to be among Asia’s top 10 in sports by 2010.
Like qualifying for the World Cup football finals or making the Thomas
Cup final, it is an overwhelming goal that probably can’t be scored
without foreigners.
However, Singapore needs to tread the ground sensitively. Some locals,
including players, are opposed to foreigners donning Singapore
colours.
The government obviously sees sports as a promoter of national pride
and patriotism. If resentment rises among too many people, it may have
an opposite impact.
So far, there is no sign of it. Most people say it’s a good idea if it
means Singapore winning more gold medals.
Yap Yok Foo
24 March 2002
Prophetic debate on Pernas buyout
By Adam A. Kadir
THE intensity with which a senator made his point during the debate on
privatisation in the Senate in 1996 made me become very attentive for
fear that he might be personal at the expense of being conceptual.
The subject matter that he brought to the fore was the privatisation
of Perbadanan Nasional Berhad or Pernas, by way of a management
buyout.
He stressed that Pernas had been formed in 1970 – immediately after
the May 13, 1969, tragedy – with the underlying objective of
facilitating the Malays with practical business practices locally and
internationally, so that in time they would be able to blend with the
long-established commercial concerns.
This, he said, would go a long way towards forging a new Malaysian
identity, in the sense that when one spoke about the goings-on in
business, one did not mean those of a certain ethnic group but of all
Malaysians.
The senator added that he had been quite familiar with Pernas since
the early part of its establishment and therefore knew some of its
serving executives then. According to him, the buyout was quite
discriminatory because some deserving staff members were denied any
share allocation.
This retrospect precisely played in my mind when reading news items in
the media recently about the dire state of Pernas now, only slightly
more than five years following the senatorial debate. It is up for
sale after being buried in an avalanche of debts.
Remembering the debate I chaired, there was a strong urge on my part
to find an excuse to intervene and add a few words of caution based on
the feedback I had received. That was not to be, however. Had I
proceeded, perhaps I would be in a position to utter the usual
ego-satisfying words of redemption in hindsight.
Even then, a number of those who felt slighted in the buyout exercise
seemed to have lost their grammar when commenting on the fate of the
once-enduring employer that has gone kaput.
A news item in a mainstream newspaper on March 14 said that former
Pernas chairman Tan Sri Tunku Shahriman Tunku Sulaiman led the
management buyout that had collapsed in October last year after he and
14 other senior employees failed to pay PNS, a relevant bumiputra
fund, the sum of RM495mil for the 199 million Pernas shares.
Incidentally, Tunku Shahriman featured in the headline last year when
thieves burgled his house and took half a million ringgit in cash and
a few million more worth of jewellery.
“Keeping so much cash at home is unusual,” said a friend. “Anyway, it
says something.”
Tunku Shahriman, in his 40s then, was the head of the Implementation
Coordination and Development Administration Unit in the Prime
Minister’s Department when the late Tun Abdul Razak picked him to head
Pernas in 1975 to replace a fast-rising youthful politician, Tengku
Razaleigh Hamzah, who had chosen to concentrate on the newly-formed
Petronas and Bank Bumiputra.
Thirteen years later, in 1988, it was said that he was to leave Pernas
by the end of the year, but he stayed on supposedly until 1990. By
then privatisation was rapidly becoming fashionable and he found it
timely to jump into it.
With shrewd moves like selling out some profitable Pernas subsidiaries
and associate companies (with government blessings) to be eventually
public-listed on their own, Tunku Shahriman was, in fact, preparing
the ground for his final act: the management buyout of Pernas.
That exercise happened in 1996 as manifested in the senatorial debate
mentioned above. The rest, as they say, is history.
Following the buyout, Pernas spent millions on renovations to its
buildings in Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
This spending and the alleged dividend payout when the company was not
making profits were looked upon in a negative light. All these were
among the visible indicators before the collapse.
It’s timely to say that MPs or senators would do the people a favour
if debates on the fate of this first vehicle of the New Economic
Policy were initiated again. Rewards and punishments should go where
they are due. After all, it’s the taxpayers’ money.
Datuk Adam Kadir is a former president of the Sen
Yap Yok Foo
24 March 2002
Right to be heard on issues
Demand for more political space is being heard and heeded, writes Dr
SHAD FARUQI in the 78th article of the series Facets of Our
Constitution.
IN the last few years, the stream of human rights discourse has become
a rushing torrent. This is most apparent in the law relating to
assemblies and processions where the demand for more political space
is being heard and, some would say, being quietly heeded.
There can be no doubt that along with the right to vote and to form
political parties and associations, the freedom to assemble, to picket
and to parade are essential features of a liberal democratic set-up.
Patricia Hewitt says “the characterisation of demonstrations and other
forms of public protest as a threat to normal community living
obscures the basic fact that protest is part of normal community life
and serves a vital function in a democracy.”
Freedom of assembly is important because it is part of the broader
mosaic of freedom of speech and expression. It is also an integral
part of the right to practise and propagate one’s religion. It figures
prominently in the rights of workers to express common concerns and to
exercise their right to picket under Section 40(1) of the Industrial
Relations Act 1967.
Constitutional approach: Article 10(1)(b) provides that all citizens
have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms. There is no
mention of processions or pickets. Presumably, these freedoms are
included in the constitutional right of assembly because a procession
is an assembly in motion.
The affirmation of the right to assembly, however, goes hand in hand
with the realisation that just as powers have to be surrounded by
restraints, rights too must be qualified by restrictions. Humans are
not always right in the use of their rights.
In no society can freedom of assembly be allowed to threaten public
order, to cause riots, tumult and disorder. History is replete with
examples of political processions that got out of hand and, like
raging torrents, des-troyed everything in their path.
The victory processions after the 1969 general election are widely
suspected of having fanned racial tensions in Selangor. In Britain in
the 1930s, fascist marches in the East End of Lon-don, the inner city
riots of the 1980s and miners’ strike in 1984 caused massive public
disorder problems.
To strike a balance between legitimate political expression and the
need to preserve peace, Article 10(2)(b) permits Parliament to impose
restrictions on freedom of assembly on grounds of security and public
order. Under Article 4(2)(b), the necessity of such a law is for
Parliament, and not the courts, to determine.
In addition, Articles 149 and 150 authorise legislation to combat
subversion and emergency. Legislation under these provisions can
suspend or sidestep the constitutional safeguard for freedom of
assembly.
It is noteworthy that the power to restrict fundamental rights vests
with Parliament and not the state legislatures: Dewan Undangan Negeri
Kelantan v Nordin Salleh (1992).
Penal Code: Under Section 141, participation in a public or private
gathering can amount to an unlawful assembly if a gathering of five or
more persons have the common object of overawing by criminal force a
public servant or the government in power; to resist the execution of
any law; to commit mischief or trespass; to obtain any property by
force; to deprive another of his rights; or to compel any person to do
what he is not legally bound to do.
The Penal Code also punishes unlawful possession of weapons (sections
144 & 148), rioting (Section 147), and affray (Section 159).
Police Act: Section 26 of the Police Act 1967 empowers the police to
erect barriers in any public place in order to control the movement of
persons or vehicles. Section 28 confers power to regulate the playing
of musical instruments in public places. Section 30 permits regulation
of flags, banners, emblems, placards, and loud speakers in order to
prevent disturbance of the peace.
Section 31 authorises the police to make orders to require persons to
re-main indoors up to a period of 24 hours. The Home Minister can
extend this period to 14 days.
Under Section 27(2) all assemblies, meetings and processions of more
than three persons in any public place require a prior police licence
from the Officer in Charge of a Police District. The licence must be
applied for by a registered organisation or by three organisers
jointly. An application must be made 14 days in advance.
The licensee must assume responsibility for the entire conduct of the
rally and its component members: PP v Madhavan Nair (1967).
The OCPD may grant or refuse a licence or impose conditions in the
interest of security or maintenance of peace. A licence can be
cancelled. An assembly or procession in progress can be stopped and
participants or-dered to disperse.
Under Section 27(5), if three or more participants of an assembly or
procession disobey any police order, the entire assembly shall be
deemed to be an unlawful assembly and all persons taking part in the
assembly shall be guilty of a criminal offence.
Regrettably, this means that if three or more hooligans or dissidents
disrupt a lawfully convened meeting, whether in a public or private
place, the police would have the power to order everyone to disperse.
Internal Security Act: Section 3 of this law empowers the Home
Minister to prohibit organisations and associations of a political or
quasi-military character. Once prohibited, an organisation is
incapacitated from applying for a licence to hold an assembly or
procession.
Section 7 forbids training or drilling for the use of arms. Section 8
permits prohibition, in the national interest, of flags, banners,
badges, emblems and uniforms.
Under Section 47, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may proclaim any area in
Malaysia a “security area.” Res-trictions may then be imposed on
en-tering or remaining in this area (sections 48-50). The OCPD may
exclude any person from this area (Section 51) and may put the area
under curfew (Section 52).
Laws of trespass: All land is, ultimately, owned by someone and it is
up to the owners to decide whether to permit a meeting or procession
on their property. Any trespass on their land is actionable as a crime
as well as a tort.
Gatherings on private premises are not immune from the law on public
order. The English case of Thomas v Sawkins (1935) proves that whether
a meeting is private or public, on private premises or public
premises, if the police have reasonable suspicion of breach of peace,
they have a right to be in attendance. In Malaysia this power is
provided in a modified form in Section 27A of the Police Act.
Road transport: Any assembly or procession on a highway is, prima
facie, an unreasonable use of the highway and is punishable. Under the
Police Act, Section 21(1)(c), it is the duty of police officers to
prevent obstruction during assemblies and processions on public roads.
In sum, the freedom to assemble, march and demonstrate is among the
most severely curtailed freedoms in the legal system. Some controls on
police powers are absolutely necessary.
Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi is Professor of Law at Universiti Teknologi Mara
Yap Yok Foo
24 March 2002
A walk down old George Town
By Neil Khor Jin Keong
George Town was conferred city status by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957,
making it the first town in this country to achieve city status.
The street scenes in the following photo essay tell interesting
stories of a bustling metropolis in the 1930s and 1950s. Penang Road
is the main street of the town connecting the then more residential
Northam Road (now Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah) with Prangin Road, then the
natural border of the city.
Along this main street is a network of shophouses that once served as
homes and as business centres. The history ranges from the sinister –
like Campbell Street which was once famed for its prostitutes – and as
meeting points like the Chowrastra Market along Penang Road.
BUSINESS CENTRE: Upper end of Penang Road showing Leith Street and
Chulia Street Junction in the 30s. The building on the left is the old
Leith Street police station which is now occupied by the Oriental
Hotel. Note the George Town Municipal trolley-bus on the right.
Old streets were not as crowded nor were they as polluted as they are
today. Traffic then was mild as most people did not own cars, a luxury
item that only the rich could afford.
But there were already restaurants like the Boston Bar (located at the
junction of Penang Road and Prangin Road), banks (Downing Street) and
theatres – most famous being the recently closed down Choong Lye Hock
Theatre or Cathay cinema.
On April 18, the history of this multicultural city will be addressed
at the Penang International Conference, jointly organised by the
Penang Heritage Trust and The Star. The project is sponsored by the
Japan Foundation, ABN-AMRO Bank and the Penang Government while City
Bayview is the official hotel.
Among the speakers are Dr Tan Liok Ee, formerly associate professor,
Universiti Sains Malaysia; Annabel Teh Gallop, curator, Indonesian and
Malay, The British Library; Geoff Wade, University of Hong Kong; and
Prof Datuk Khoo Kay Kim, Emeritus Professor of Universiti Malaya.
GETTING ABOUT: A flooded Kimberley Street in the 1930s. Jinrikishas
were popular modes of transportation in those days. The houses on the
left are still there now.
Between them, they will discuss a diverse range of topics including
“New Ways of Knowing: The Prince of Wales Island Government Gazette —
Penang’s first newspaper,” “Identifying a Possible ‘Penang Style' of
Malay Manuscript Art,” and “Tanjong, Bidor, Larut and Kinta: The
Penang-Perak Nexus in History.”
Registration fee for the three-day conference that begins on April 18
is RM300 (Malaysian participants), RM150 (Malaysian students), US$200
(foreign or non-Malaysian participants), US$100 (full-time foreign
students).
For more information call Melissa Raj at the Penang Story Project,
tel: 04-2642631/2645487/ fax: 04-2628421 or e-mail:
pht...@po.jaring.my
Yap Yok Foo
Danaharta tells Tajudin to face consequences
Bad debt agency surprised by TRI's lawsuit, will defend rights
by Carolyn Hong
hca...@nstp.com.my
Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Bhd, which is being sued by tycoon Tan
Sri Tajudin Ramli, today said non-performing loan borrowers have to
face the consequences.
It said it was surprised by the Technology Resources Industries Bhd
chairman's suit as it has always treated him professionally and in an
open manner, as it treats all other borrowers.
It said it was a basic principle that borrowers who comply with the
terms of their loans need not fear the sale of their collateral.
However, NPL borrowers have to take responsibility for the conduct of
their account, it said.
It added that it would defend its rights over the TRI shares which had
been pledged to it by Tajudin as collateral for loans which it had
taken over.
Danaharta will defend its rights over the said loan collateral
vigorously and be appropriately represented in any court proceedings.
As often stated, Danaharta's duty is to maximise recovery from its
NPLs, it said in a statement dated today.
Tajudin has applied for an injunction to stop the asset management
agency from selling an undisclosed amount of his TRI shares. The
application will be from selling an undisclosed amount of his TRI
shares. The application will be heard tomorrow before High Court judge
Datuk Vincent Ng Kim Khoay.
Tajudin, who is fighting to maintain control over his flagship TRI,
has reportedly pledged a sizeable amount of his shares as collateral
on an estimated RM1 billion loan taken in the wake of the Asian
economic crisis.
In February, TRI told the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange that Telekom
Malaysia Bhd had approached Danaharta for a possible purchase of
Tajudins TRI shares which are in its custody.
TRI owns Celcom (M) Bhd, a cellular telecommunications operator.
Tajudin, former Malaysia Airlines executive chairman, owns 24 per cent
of TRI directly and indirectly including through his 47 per
cent-controlled Naluri Bhd and private investment vehicle Arah Murni
Sdn Bhd.
TRI is saddled with over RM2 billion worth of debts, and is in the
midst of restructuring to revive its fortunes.
The RM3.8 billion exercise included an issue of new shares to
investors, a cash call and the transfer of its listed status to
Celcom. It is expected to be completed by July.
Originally, Tajudin had intended to use money raised from Naluri's
controversial RM1.8 billion sale of its stake in MAS last year to help
restructure TRI's debts.
But the Securities Commission rejected Naluri's proposal to buy up to
32 per cent of TRI, forcing the cellular firm to hunt for new
investors.
More recently, Naluri proposed to return to shareholders all the
remaining cash from the sale of MAS, estimated at about RM327 million.
Naluri had proposed a one-for-one bonus issue, and a capital repayment
of 50 sen cash out of each RM1 share including the new bonus shares.
It has yet to receive approval from the regulators.
Meanwhile, Bernama quotes Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi as saying that the government would not intervene in this
matter.
"This issue is related to companies, so let them sort it out. This is
not a matter for the Government," he told reporters at the RMAF base
in Subang here, after receiving Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir
Mohamad on his return from overseas.
Yap Yok Foo
25 March 2002
It's History
Malays in the civil service
By KHOO KAY KIM f10...@umcsd.um.edu.my
THE absorption of Malays into the country's administrative service on
a more organised basis began only in 1910. In the early years of the
British administration, the British did appoint a few members of the
aristocracy as administrative officers. The children (Raja Mansur and
Raja Chulan) of Sultan Abdullah who was exiled to the Seychelles were
among the earliest.
British policy favoured indirect government, i.e. Malay leaders
themselves were given the responsibility of administering their own
people but under European surveillance. Such Malay leaders were easily
acceptable to the common people and the use of local leaders had the
advantage of reducing expenditure on establishment.
But it was only in 1905 that the Malay College Kuala Kangsar was
founded, to serve as a training ground in producing more professional
Malay administrators. A more elaborate scheme followed in 1910 "to
give the Malays employment in the higher subordinate class of the
public service." Not all the British officials agreed that training
aristocratic Malays in a special college was the best approach. The
very powerful Frank Swettenham when he was Governor and High
Commissioner (1901-1903) did not agree. He preferred that they should
be trained in an existing school. He had in mind High School, Malacca.
The Malay College materialised only after his departure.
Under the 1910 scheme, the young trainee officers appointed were
styled Malay Assistants. These were students who had passed Standard
VII at the Malay College. After selection, they had to undergo a
further three-year course of study in the college where they had to
"show proficiency in official correspondence, Treasury work and other
prescribed subjects before being appointed as Malay Assistants, Grade
III." On promotion to Grades II and I of the scheme, Malay Assistants
were eligible to serve as Settlement Officers and in other
appointments of similar status. The salary scale of various grades was
the same as that of the General Clerical Service in force at the time.
The outbreak of war in Europe in 1914 made it necessary for the
Government to free as many European officers as possible for military
duty. This resulted in a considerable increase in the number of Malay
Assistants appointed to higher and more responsible posts. In 1917, a
new scheme was introduced, which opened to the Malay officers a
well-paid administrative career. The passing of the Cadet's Law
Examination was compulsory for admission into this scheme for
promotion to the Special Class.
Another major change was introduced in 1921 which provided that boys
educated in English schools other than the Malay College were eligible
to compete for 15 per cent of the annual number of vacancies for
probationships. By then, including Raja Said Tauphy (the son of Sultan
Abdullah) who in 1919 was the first Malay to be absorbed into the
Malayan Civil Service, and Hamzah Abdullah, the second, appointed in
1920, there were 12 Malay officers who were performing the duties of
civil service appointments or of additional appointments open to
cadets. By the end of the same year, the number had risen to 50 and
there were, in addition, 23 probations.
In 1930, the Malay Administrative Service Scheme came into being.
Appointments as probationers in the Malay Administrative Service were
open to Malays who had passed the Cambridge School Certificate
Examination and were over 18 but under 20 years of age. For candidates
who had taken an honours degree at Oxford or Cambridge, the age limit
was waived and they could be appointed on a salary higher than the
initial salary prescribed under the Malay Administrative Service
scheme; overall, a minimum of 50 per cent of the posts were reserved
for boys from the Malay College. By the beginning of World War II,
there was a sufficiently large pool of Malay civil servants to take
charge of the country's administration after the country came under
Japanese rule. The British had successfully transformed the
traditional aristocrats into modern bureaucrats. The door was opened
even wider after the war especially with the introduction of tertiary
education with the establishment of the University of Malaya in 1949.
But it was the pre-war group of Malay bureaucrats who held together
the socio-political fabric of Malay society during the challenging
years of decolonisation. They were the early leaders of Umno and bore
the responsibility of ensuring stability during the transition from
British administration to parliamentary democracy.
Hitherto insufficient attention has been given to the role played by
the Malay administration in the history of this country. Clinical
studies there have been but these tend to gloss over personalities and
the very important element of relationships between these officers and
society at large for, in the past, they were not merely
administrators, they were also community leaders, not just among
Malays, but the entire society at the local level. # The writer can be
contacted at f10...@umcsd.um.edu.my
Yap Yok Foo
25 March 2002
Early trade
Dr LOH WEI LENG looks at the Age of Empire in Malaysian history when
Western multinationals began their rise.
WESTERN commercial entities have sought to partake of the lucrative
trade of South-East Asia ever since the Portuguese found a direct sea
route to Asia in the 15th century. During the subsequent 16th to 18th
centuries – dubbed the Vasco da Gama era after the successful mariner
who rounded the Cape of Good Hope to reach Calicut in India in 1498 –
Europeans vied to capture the highly profitable spice trade, spawning
the early versions of multinational corporations, operating in many
foreign lands far from their base.
The Dutch East India Company, or VOC as it was also known, became the
dominant Western power in Indonesia by the mid 17th century, ousting
all their competitors, while the English EIC was barely on the
periphery of the region, operating out of India.
The British eventually gained a foothold in the archipelagic market
when they acquired Penang in 1786, capping earlier efforts by
individual traders who had been crossing the Bay of Bengal from the
Coromandel Coast, Bengal and Surat, intruding into the Dutch domain.
Enterprising merchants such as Thomas Bowrey in the 1680s, and Francis
Light and James Scott in the 1770s had been conducting trade with
various Malay rulers who were bound by treaties to confine their
commercial exchanges to the VOC. From then on, there was no stopping
British entrepreneurs, backed by their governments, from expanding
their sphere of activities, initially from Penang, thereafter to
Singapore in 1819 and into the Malay Peninsula and locations in North
Borneo, present-day Sabah and Sarawak, in the course of the 19th
century.
While the Imperial project remains the prominent theme for the 19th
century, giving the impression that Westerners called all the shots,
it has to be recognised that Western business had to contend with
Asian merchants – the main groups being Arab, Indian and Chinese –
with long-standing involvement in the East-West Eurasian, as well as
Pan-Asian trade, since the first millennium. In fact, Frank Swettenham
in his book, British Malaya, expressed a commonly-held view among
colonial administrators that, “up to the year 1900 it may be fairly
said that the prosperity of the Malay states was due to the enterprise
and labour of the Chinese...”.
It is against this backdrop that we can identify the evolving nature
of Western enterprise which was largely mercantile in the initial
phase, 1786-1874, firmly entrenching itself in the flourishing Straits
Settlements ports (of Penang, Malacca and Singapore), working with
Asian producers of primary commodities, essentially Chinese who had
migrated in greater numbers, drawn to the opportunities made available
with British rule.
Mercantile companies such as Boustead, Harper & Gilfillan, McAlister,
Sandilands & Buttery, Behn Meyer and Sime Darby, which were still
around in the post-independent period, were among the leading lights
in Singapore, with branches in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. Some of the
major banks of yesteryear, Chartered Bank, Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank,
Netherlands Trading Co (today’s ABN Amro), shipping companies such as
Mansfield, advocates and solicitors Presgrave & Matthews, remain
familiar names to us today.
A few Westerners did venture into planting – sugar in Province
Wellesley in the 1840s, some into coffee further inland, in Perak,
Selangor and Negri Sembilan in the 1870s and 1880s. However, progress
in commercial agriculture and mining by Western firms was slow. It was
Chinese capital and labour that flooded into the hinterland – Penang
being the conduit for the north with Singapore serving the south –
into tin-mining in Larut, Kinta and Kuala Lumpur, and into pepper and
gambier in Johor.
Even after British entry into Perak and Selangor in 1874, with the
inexorable move towards the formation of the Federated Malay States by
1895 and the provision of greater order and hence security of
investment, the pace did not noticeably pick up till the turn of the
century. It was with the introduction of more capital-intensive
technology in tin-mining and the lure of the enormous returns from
rubber to meet the voracious demand of the new motor car industry that
Western firms increasingly made their presence felt. The classic
export economy, with rubber and tin as the twin pillars, supported by
palm-oil and timber, which became more substantial contributors to
total exports in the 1970s, was firmly set by the early years of the
present century. Hence, on the eve of World War II in 1940, the
picture that emerges is the typical one in the popular imagination in
post-war Malaysia: in the main, the Europeans held the commanding
heights of the economy with the Chinese, Malays and Indians on the
lower rungs of the ladder.
With the rise of the rubber industry, Western firms that may have
begun as mercantile companies added on an important function: becoming
managing agencies of rubber companies (agency houses, in short), in
addition to acquiring plantations. They had , of course, held a range
of agencies from earlier days, from banking and insurance to shipping,
transforming themselves into very diversified companies. Mention of
Guthrie or Sime Darby conjures up images of the leviathans in today’s
corporate scene with tin companies, Gopeng, Renong, Pengkalen,
Tanjong, Tongkah and Tronoh not far behind. While a good number of the
names of firms that had their beginnings in the Imperial Age have
managed to endure, the ownership, type and organisation of the
original businesses have changed dramatically – from Western into
Malaysian hands, from mercantile, planting and mining activities into
the conglomerates of present times.
Millennium Markers is a weekly series that looks at events and
happenings that shaped Malaysia and the surrounding region over the
last 1,000 years; it is coordinated by Dr Loh Wei Leng, History
Department, Universiti Malaya.
Feedback can be sent to sect...@thestar.com.my / fax 03-7955 4366.
Yap Yok Foo
25 March 2002
Proud to be with the force
By HISHAM HARUN feat...@nstp.com.my
AS far back as Salim Youb can remember, he had always wanted to be a
policeman. After 17 years serving the police force, he is still very
happy with his choice of vocation. He has no regrets.
Salim, 37, is now undergoing a one-year stint at the Police Training
Centre in Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur. Having graduated in political
science from Universiti Sains Malaysia, he is training to become a
cadet ASP.
He knows he can find a better-paying job outside the force but his
dedication and love for his work are what's holding him back.
On some days however, Salim dreads to even put on his crisp, smart
navy-blue uniform, what more venture outside his home to face the
public. He would leave for work with a heavy heart, laden with an
overwhelming sense of shame and embarrassment.
These are the moments weighted down by stories of rotten apples in the
force headlined in the papers; 'Girl raped by police inspector;'
'Police personnel caught for corruption;' 'Sergeant amongst robbers;'
'Constable on trial for murder;' 'Criminal cop' ...
'These stories affect us you know. Almost everytime when news like
these hit the stands, there will be repercussions. People start giving
us cynical looks. Some pass snide, cutting remarks,' Salim said. 'I
wish the public would try to understand that the crimes were committed
by individuals. It's unfair that the whole force is blamed for such
actions,' he added.
Inspector-in-training Azhar Muhamad, 35, said: 'People tend to forget
about the good deeds the police have done, many of which are
voluntary. They prefer to concentrate on the black sheep of the force
which really saddens me.
'I entered this job 16 years ago because it is one that demands a high
level of integrity and honesty. We are here to serve the people, which
I pride myself in doing. There are many police personnel out there who
feel like me and have applied to join the force for the same reasons.
There may be one or two who may have gone bad, but they do not
represent the whole force. The public should understand this,' he
said.
'Unfortunately, even my siblings have no qualms about attacking the
force... and in front of me too! They would make sweeping statements
like 'harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi' (No point in putting your
trust in someone who would betray you) and say that the police are
hopeless or useless,' said a visibly upset Azhar.
Sometimes, it is the public that is also to be blamed for
'encouraging' members of the police to be corrupt, said Sergeant Jalil
Ariff, who has been with the force for 23 years.
'If you don't want corrupt cops, then stop bribing policemen. If you
have been issued with a summons, settle it at the police station.
Don't start negotiating on the roadside for a lesser fine and end up
paying the cop instead.' Corporal Rosidah Ariffin said: 'When offered
a bribe, a cop with weak willpower, and who might be longing for that
handphone he cannot afford, or who has debts to settle and bills to
pay, might succumb to temptation.' Sub-inspector Abdul Hamid Shafie is
quick to add that the force is always doing everything possible to rid
itself of cops who give the police a bad name.
'If you notice, we don't protect police constables or officers who are
corrupt. When they are involved in crime and are caught, action is
always taken,' said Abdul Hamid, who has served the force for 26
years.
Supt Abdul Wahab Embong said that like every other employer, the
police force recruits its personnel from society at large, which is
very different from society 20 or 30 years ago. 'If we are lucky we
get good people, sometimes we get the wrong kind too. We have a
vetting system, but that is not 100 per cent effective. Unscrupulous
people would do anything to get what they want, in this case a job
with the police.
'Society must realise that many of our staff come in at the age of 18
after completing their Form Five and assume positions of constables.
Of course we train these young people - for nine months - but there is
only so much we can do,' said Abdul Wahab, a former teacher.
Considering the number of personnel in the force, now about
80,000-strong - which makes the Royal Malaysian Police one of the
biggest government agencies - he feels that the police has done
commendably well. 'I am very proud of the force. I think it is still
one of the better-managed and better-performing government agencies.
We have prevailed in times of difficulty and have assisted in
situations where other government agencies have sometimes failed.
'After serving the force for 24 years I am still very proud to be part
and parcel of it,' said Abdul Wahab, who served as Langkawi's OCPD
between 1989 and 1996, and was the OCPD of Nibong Tebal until 2000.
Inspector-in-training Mohd Azhar Alias feels lucky to be among the 200
candidates picked from over several thousand applicants. Having been
in the force for just over six months, he said it is all that he had
ever imagined it to be.
'I joined because I want to serve the country with all my heart. I
have thoroughly enjoyed myself during the few months that I have been
here. I don't think anything can dampen my spirit because I won't let
it.' 'On this special occasion to commemorate the 195th Police Day, I
have one wish and I think I share this with many of my colleagues. I
hope the public will be fair to us. Give us a break.
'The media could also do something for us here. While we can't help
but notice how the Press is often on a roll when running stories about
renegade cops, what about also highlighting the good things we do?
That would be nice for a change,' he added.
Citybeez
wrote:
>From The New Straits Times
>25 March 2002
>
>Proud to be with the force
>By HISHAM HARUN feat...@nstp.com.my
>
>
One recent incident.
The Plentong police, on receiving some false information, probably
planted by their informants (who were actually a party to a gangster
fight), went to a house in Taman Puteri Wangsa in Ulu Tiram, and
arrested a group of innocent people on alleged suspicion of being
involved in gangster fights, on 23rd December, 2001.They were released
without any charges on 3rd January, 2002.
One such person, by the name of Letchumanan, has informed me that, on
his release he was not returned the following items, which he had with
him on arrested and documentedin the lock-up entry, at Plentong police
station:
1 Gold chain worth Rm 200.00
1 Locket worth Rm 80.00
1 Gold ring worth Rm100.00
and in addition, he found that his ATM card was used to withdraw money
from his account (about Rm 200.00 plus), while he was in detention.
He has requested the return of these items from the police but until
now this has been ignored.
These illegal acts by police actually make youths wary and rebellious
towards police and society in general and they must be weeded out.
Believe me, these practices are widespread.
jay
wrote:
>From The Star
>24 March 2002
>
>With a shout and a song in Ketari
>
> Party flags had begun blowing in the wind way before nomination day
>yesterday in Ketari. JOCELINE TAN followed the main protagonists in
>this by-election in Pahang and discovered that by-elections are not
>only about serious issues but also about having a bit of fun and
>games.
>
>TUESDAY in Bentong began with clear skies and cool breezes. It was
>ideal weather for the small convoy of Gerakan members making
>whistle-stop checks on their operations centres in the six key Chinese
>new villages in Ketari, Pahang.
clear skies and cool breezes in m'sia? hmmm.... sounds like we have
fall weather.
>
Yap Yok Foo
Issue 1 April 2002
Always on the Lookout
Taiwanese are spying on each other with tiny video cameras, and the
populace is getting paranoid
BY MARK MITCHELL TAIPEI
SIMON KWONG/REUTERS
Camera shy: ex-politician Chu Mei-Feng is Taiwan's best-known video
victim
With his mop of frizzy hair, thick eyeglasses, and shiny, polka-dotted
shirts, Lawrence Lee bears a striking resemblance to Austin Powers in
The Spy Who Shagged Me. He prefers to think of himself as "the guy
behind James Bond, 007." His ramshackle office in a low-rent district
of Taipei is lined floor to ceiling with spy gadgetry: neckties fitted
with lenses, cameras disguised as Bibles, infrared goggles. If you are
lucky, he will show you his small library of Japanese manuals with
detailed instructions on how to secretly film your neighbor's
underpants.
For 10 years, Lee's company, Singa Takara Enterprises, struggled to
turn a profit selling custom-made spook equipment to clients such as
the Iranian secret police. Then, in December, one of Taiwan's tabloid
magazines whipped up a scandal by distributing free copies of an
X-rated video purported to be of former Taipei politician Chu Mei-feng
as she entertained somebody else's husband. The couple was secretly
filmed with a thumbnail-sized camera hidden in a bedroom. Since the
incident, which became an Internet sensation, Lee can't keep his
shelves stocked—and Taiwan is gripped with hidden-camera hysteria.
No one knows how many jealous spouses, paranoid business managers and
run-of-the-mill perverts have rushed out to buy their own snooping
devices. Miniaturization technology and cheaper electronics have
enabled thousands of Taiwanese to become amateur Big Brothers,
surreptitiously videotaping employees, friends and total strangers
without regard for privacy or propriety. Shopowners retailing tiny spy
cameras (which cost between $30 and $400) say sales jumped tenfold
after the Chu Mei-feng scandal. One of the hottest toys last Christmas
was a Winnie the Pooh plush doll with cameras in its eye sockets.
Chu's ordeal (she denies the woman in the video is her) has left a lot
of Taiwanese with the creepy feeling that the environment is crawling
with electronic eyes. A recent survey found that more than 40% of
Taiwanese women won't use public toilets because they fear hidden
cameras; nearly all of these women say delaying micturition has
resulted in urinary tract infections. To ease concern, some police
departments have been ordered to conduct twice-weekly sweeps of
restrooms. Authorities have been flooded with so many phone calls from
people convinced they are being taped that the government is holding
"how-to" seminars on the de-bugging of homes and offices. Taipei-based
Gi Ya Company claims more than 100,000 customers have purchased a
device that is supposed to detect radio waves emitted by spy cams
equipped with wireless communication capabilities. The $30 appliance,
marketed to women for personal protection, comes fitted with a
whistle, a make-up mirror, and a stun gun.
Business is also booming for Lion Liu, who sells some 300
electronic-device detectors a month to gynecologists, hospitals,
department stores and local police—in competition with Lee of Singa
Takara Enterprises. Not to be outdone by Liu, Lee has been working
overtime, networking with public officials, publicly deriding his
rival's lack of competence and making the rounds of television talk
shows.
Jawboning paid off when female lawmakers demanded that the legislature
be scoured for cameras. Lee was hired for the job. Lugging a metal
case full of spinning dials and blinking LCD read-outs, he waved a big
antenna over every nook, cranny and toilet in the building. At a
subsequent press conference Lee, alongside the speaker of Taiwan's
legislature, pronounced the place safe for womankind. It was, he says,
the crowning moment of his career.
His work should keep him busy. Surveillance cameras are proliferating
everywhere. Police monitor high-crime areas. Business owners keep tabs
on their workers. According to the China Daily, mainland China's
English-language newspaper, spy cameras are a hit with consumers in
Guangdong province, where spouses are tracking their mates and store
owners watch out for shoplifters. After stumbling upon a Tokyo-based
pornographic website showing photos of female passengers on Taipei
subway trains, a Taipei city councilor recently fueled public paranoia
by announcing that the transit system had been infiltrated by Japanese
criminals carrying cameras disguised as briefcases.
And last week, a man who officials have dubbed the "big-footed
pervert" was caught sticking his camera-equipped sneaker under women's
skirts. "Do we have privacy anymore?" asks security expert Liu. "No.
The only safe place is a place without light." Then again, there are
always infrared hidden cameras.
http://www.time.com/time/asia/
Yap Yok Foo
‘No real threat of Sime losing BMW franchise’
By DEBRA MOREIRA and NORZUHAIRA RUHANIE
SIME Darby Holdings Bhd is expected to maintain its share of the
profitable BMW’s local franchise despite the decision by Bayerische
Motoren Werke AG to move its regional operations to Malaysia.
BMW said last week that it would assume full control of BMW operations
here, including the distributorship currently held by Sime Darby
through 71 per cent subsidiary Tractors Malaysia Bhd.
But analysts believe the German company will opt for the model adopted
by other foreign carmakers in Malaysia.
The most logical way to preserve advantage and goodwill is for BMW to
buy into its existing agents, as was done by Ford Motor Co, Volvo AG
and Daihatsu Motor Co did, they said.
“If BMW wants to participate in distributing their cars here, maybe it
can follow the example of companies like Ford Motor Co and Daihatsu
Motor Co,” said an analyst.
Perodua has set up a new joint-venture company in which its Japanese
partners Daihatsu Motor and Mitsui own 51 per cent, while Ford Motor
has raised its stake in its local assembler to 49 per cent from 30 per
cent.
Meanwhile, DRB-HICOM Holdings Bhd, Malaysia’s largest automotive
group, has formalised a joint-venture agreement with Oriental Holdings
Bhd and Honda Motor Co Ltd of Japan to form DRB-Honda-Oriental Sdn Bhd
to set up a manufacturing base in the country.
BMW has no assembly plant of its own in Malaysia, and will surely need
to use the services of current assembler, Amim Holdings Sdn Bhd, at
least for a while, another analyst said.
“As such, discussions will definitely be two ways.”
Amim is owned by Sime.
BMW’s current regional office, which has been in operation for over 15
years, is in Singapore.
The luxury carmaker’s decision has taken its local partners by
surprise, and is believed to be the cause of a slight drop in the
share prices of both Sime and Tractors attributed to uncertainties
over distribution rights.
In Malaysia, Cartrade Sdn Bhd is the importer of completely built-up
(CBU) BMWs while Auto Bavaria, which is 70 per cent owned by Tractors,
is the authorised dealer.
BMW and Sime said they are in discussion on possible adjustment to
their working relationship.
Analysts contacted by Business Times said Sime is also not likely to
lose its distributorship because the company has operations all over
Asia, which would mesh with BMW’s plan to expand sales in Asia to
account for 25 per cent of the group’s worldwide business.
Sales in the region are expected to outpace that in North America and
Western Europe by the next decade, and BMW has plants in Thailand and
Indonesia as well.
“A deal will be worked out... earnings from BMW is significant for
Tractors and vehicle distribution is a very lucrative business,” an
automotive industry analyst said.
BMW vehicle sales contribute about 35 per cent to Tractors’ revenue
and 45 per cent to its profits.
“BMW is a strong brand and there are a lot of rich people in the
country. Prospects are bright for BMW here and in Asia,” the analyst
added.
The company is said to be planning to set up a base in Cyberjaya as
well as in the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in Johor.
Last month, BMW outlined plans to make Thailand its export base to
serve the Asian market in four or five years when its Rayong facility
becomes a full assembly plant.
Thai media reports said exports would start next year to take
advantage of tariff privileges under the Asean Free Trade Area
agreement.
Sime shares fell 32 sen or 6.2 per cent to RM4.88 yesterday, and
Tractors 3 sen to RM2.75.
Sime was the most active counter of the day with some 21 million
shares worth RM102.9 million traded. It traded at an average price of
RM5.40 last week.
Sime has sole rights to distribute BMW cars not only in Malaysia but
also in Singapore, Hong Kong and China.
For the financial year ended June 30 2001, Tractors contributed about
14.4 per cent of Sime’s pre-tax profit, while the conglomerate’s Hong
Kong and Singapore businesses 13.7 per cent and 15.8 per cent,
respectively.
Bloomberg has quoted a BMW Asia Pte Ltd official as saying Sime’s
franchise in Singapore and Hong Kong will not be affected by the
latest development.
Yap Yok Foo
Discard divisive politics
On Politics By ABDULLAH AHMAD
THE only race in which the majority of people pick the winner is an
election. I have very comfortable expectations that voters in the
Ketari by-election on Sunday will return Yum Ah Ha, the 50-year-old
police officer turned lawyer, and he will become a Barisan politician
after the votes are counted.
Besides, I think I know, having stood in three elections (won the
first two easily and lost, as every Umno candidate in Kelantan did, in
the 1990 general election due to the Pas-Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
machinations) that Yum is another man who should be convinced that
history repeats itself. Well, a candidate for re-election often does.
In the case of Yum, a first-timer, he is seeking to complete the term
of BN’s Datuk K.K. Loke who died of cancer. That caused this special
poll.
As for the 17,357 voters, perhaps 70 per cent of them will cast their
votes, and I believe, as we said in our NST’s editorial yesterday,
they will maintain status quo.
Ketari is a Chinese-majority seat (9,388 voters, 54.1 per cent)
followed by Malays (40.2 per cent) and Indians and others (5.8 per
cent) which has always returned (at both state and federal levels), BN
candidates since 1955.
Despite its near-miss in 1999 (DAP lost by a mere 231 votes), I think
it is unlikely to create an upset because the voters in Ketari want
development remedies in their own backyard. The best bet is the ruling
party.
If what I heard via the grapevine is true, then it is sad, and even
dangerous, that DAP should play racial politics: Things such as why
Malays in Kampung Mempaga Felda (1,984 voters) were given land and
Chinese ginger farmers in Bukit Tinggi (1,014 voters) were denied.
They are two different things: Felda is a government settlement scheme
and it is not wholly for Malays whilst the Chinese squatters have been
given temporary permits to continue to farming pending a decision on
their request for titles.
Meanwhile, the State Government has explained why land titles cannot
be considered for the moment. However, their livelihood is guaranteed
for the foreseeable future. They voted for BN in 1999.
Divisive or racial politics is dangerous and must be suppressed early.
I have great sympathy for the ginger farmers and shall find out why
titles cannot be given or alternative land offered them.
The DAP, as I have always suspected, has the notion that Malaysians
are gullible. It’s just like Pas, which DAP detests because of its
Islamic theocratic state stance. At least the Islamists are honest
about what they want. The DAP is not.
It claims to be multi-racial but it continues to harp on racial
politics. It does seem to me DAP keeps principles only as a
horse-dealer keeps horses, to trade. The more it talks about Malaysian
Malaysia the less it believes in it.
Whatever, the slender majority of BN in the last poll will excite DAP
and make BN vulnerable unless the component parties — Umno, MCA,
Gerakan and MIC — act in concert. In the name of continuity, the
ruling party must not only retain Ketari but improve on its
performance. The burden rests squarely on the shoulders of Datuk Lim
Ah Lek, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, Datuk Seri Dr Ling
Liong Sik, Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik and Datuk Chan Kong Choy to
stop DAP’s Choong Siew Oon from going to Kuantan.
I heard, and I stand to be corrected, the 2,632 voters in Genting
Highlands (57.8 per cent are Chinese, 32.5 per cent Malays and 9.2 per
cent Indians and others) are quite disgruntled and great efforts
should be made to keep them within the tent.
The battle for Perting (which provides 22 per cent of the votes) is as
interesting as it is critical. Who wins this under-class area has a
definite advantage (DAP won Perting in 1999, but still lost).
Lim Ah Lek and Adnan, two contrasting personalities and with different
social backgrounds, I believe, working in tandem, can deliver what
everyone expects. All they need to do is to make it hard for Choong to
keep ahead.
Now for the Oscars. To the Indians, Lagaan is a winner!
I am happy for Bosnia and Danis Tanovic, and feel sorry for India and
Aamir Khan. Tanovic’s No Man’s Land is about two soldiers, one a
Muslim and the other a Serb, who end up in an abandoned trench between
the frontlines during Bosnia’s 1992-95 war. It won the Oscar for the
best foreign film. It was the more exhilarating for the war-ravaged
nation and Tanovic because No Man’s Land walked away with the honours
in Bosnia’s first-ever entry. It is Tanovic’s first too.
For India, this is third time unlucky at the Oscars. Lagaan which I
saw in Bombay last week is a humorous anti-colonial movie, and I
enjoyed it tremendously even if it is a bit convoluted. A Hindi movie
fan called me to register his disappointment: Hollywood has voted for
a politically correct story. Well, one thing is certain. Lagaan is a
good movie but it faced tough competition.
That notwithstanding, Aamir Khan, the star and producer of Lagaan,
director Ashutosh Gowarikar and Bhanu Athaiya, who were at Los
Angeles’ Kodak Theatre, impassively applauded Tanovic for the honour
that has slipped by India for more than half a century.
Hitherto, only two Indians have won the Oscar — Satyajit Ray (Lifetime
Achievement Award) and Bhanu Athaiya for costume design in Richard
Attenborough’s classic Gandhi. She also crafted the Lagaan costumes.
It was an anti-climax for Lagaan which cost US$5 million (RM19
million) to make but has, to date, collected in India alone US$11
million and another US$3.5 million overseas.
As disheartened Indians debate that the critics were right to object
against the decision to send Lagaan and not Monsoon Wedding (won
Golden Lion at Berlin Film Festival) which Indian friends highly
recommended to me, I think Bollywood has made a mark internationally.
Indians should be proud that a Hindi-language film has even been
nominated. Bollywood produced 1,013 movies in 2001, an average of
almost three daily!
Malaysians will have the opportunity to see Lagaan and leading actor
Aamir Khan and his leading lady, the beautiful Gracy Singh, during the
Indian Film Awards in Genting Highlands on April 7.
Lagaan has had been nominated for 12 categories, including Best
Picture. I am no movie enthusiast, in the traditional sense. However I
enjoy good foreign movies — Chinese, French, Italian, Arab and Hindi.
For me, this year’s award, like those before it, has been no less
exhilarating. Indeed, it was a memorable night, and of far-reaching
significance for black actors, with victories for Halle Berry, Denzel
Washington and a much-deserved honorary award for Sidney Poitier.
The black actors have fought and won against real, not imaginary,
hardships in Hollywood. They have altered traditions and yet five
decades ago, perhaps less, there was no custom for them to follow.
They fought against white domination and for equal opportunities, and
many of them like Poitier, the trailblazer, lived to see the fruits of
their sweat, tears and perseverance. This year’s award was hosted by
Whoopi Goldberg, an indication of what was to come and came.
We do not need DAP in Ketari but squatters must be given, and soon,
land they can call their own. The complaint of these farmers is not
that they are poor and the others have land, but why their plight
vis-a-vis land continues.
One can generally win if one is careful not to triumph, whether in
Ketari or Los Angeles.
Yap Yok Foo
27 March 2002
YTL Power wins bid for British water firm
By B.K. SIDHU
YTL Power International Bhd has staged an overseas corporate coup by
gaining control of Britain’s Wessex Water Ltd for £1.2bil (RM6.69bil)
in what is believed to be Malaysia’s biggest foreign investment on
record.
The company beat three big international players to the prized asset
by making a slightly higher offer at the last minute.
Owned by collapsed US energy trader Enron Corp, Wessex is a regional
water and sewerage company which provides water supply to 1.2 million
people and sewerage services to 2.5 million in the south-west of
England.
For YTL Power, the purchase of Wessex – its second and largest foreign
acquisition in just over a year – marks its entry into the water
business after having established a strong foothold in the energy
business. Last year, the company had bought a 33.3% stake in
Australia’s Electranet for A$58.5mil.
Besides giving the YTL group a foothold in the European market, the
purchase of Wessex will give a big boost to YTL Power’s future
earnings.
“We are very excited about the deal as we are buying one of the most
profitable companies in Britain. Upon completion (of the exercise),
YTL Power would be a global utility company.
“(In future) about 50% of our turnover and probably a high percentage
of our profit would be non-ringgit. The sterling pound earnings will
contribute substantially (towards our earnings),” YTL Power managing
director Tan Sri Francis Yeoh told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur
yesterday.
Yeoh said Wessex, which was recognised as one of the best-run
companies in the water industry, would enable the YTL group to create
value for its shareholders, as well as continue to provide high
standards of customer service.
In a filing to the KLSE, YTL Power said Wessex was expected to
contribute annual turnover and after-tax profit of RM1.4bil and
RM116mil respectively to the group, commencing from the financial year
ending June 30, 2003. It added that the acquisition would be completed
by June 30.
YTL Power’s wholly owned subsidiary YTL Utilities (UK) Ltd is buying
Wessex from Azurix Europe Ltd, a unit of Enron. Enron said YTL Power
would pay £545mil (RM2.9bil) cash for Wessex and assume the latter’s
£695mil (RM3.7bil) debt.
YTL Power said it would fund the acquisition via a combination of the
company’s internally generated funds, the proceeds of the US$150mil
convertible bond issue raised by YTL Power in July 2001, and if
required, offshore loans raised by YTL Utilities supported by YTL
Power’s corporate guarantee and debt financing to be raised by YTL
Utilities on a non-recourse basis. The company plans to use RM700mil
from its cash hoard of RM3.73bil for the buy.
Analysts attending the briefing gave the thumbs-up for the deal, as
some analysts called for their investors to “accumulate” the stock.
“The deal is very positive for YTL Power, they will earn sterling
pounds,’’ said an analyst.
Another analyst said: “The price YTL Power is paying appears fair and
the impact on the company will ultimately depend on the cash flows
from Wessex Water and the project will provide the group with a steady
stream of recurring income.”
Yeoh did not say how long the negotiations took but YTL Power beat
Enel SpA, Italy’s biggest utility; Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings
Ltd, an investment company owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing;
and Westdeutsche Landesbank, a German state-owned bank. Earlier talks
between Enron and Royal Bank of Scotland stalled, when the latter
could not agree on the liabilities that it had to assume.
Wessex was put up for sale last year, before debts and a loss of
confidence among trading counter parties drove Enron into bankruptcy.
The fallen Enron has had to offer top assets under distress prices as
it struggles with US$17bil of debts.
Asked if YTL Power would be taking over the management of Wessex
Water, Yeoh said the group would not interfere with the day-to-day
running of a company that was already doing well with its current
management.
Moving ahead, Yeoh said YTL Power would be looking for more
opportunities in the utilities sector abroad, especially in Europe,
the US and Australia. But YTL Power was not in a hurry and would only
venture into areas that offered value and stability, and assets that
met the group’s investment criteria.
“Because of the long-term financing (for the Wessex Water deal), it
takes only a little out of our reserves so we still have a lot of
appetite. We have advertised that we are still interested and we have
an appetite for regulated assets, especially in developed economies
where the sanctity of the contract is respected.
“We will be hunting for more quality assets ... at the right price,”
he said, adding that the group was currently not in further talks with
Enron to purchase any of Enron’s other assets.
YTL Power is also eyeing one of the 3 power plants up for grabs in
Singapore.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wessex rated top British water services operator
THE YTL group’s new acquisition, Wessex Water Ltd, was rated the most
efficient water and sewerage services operator in England and Wales
last year by Britain’s Office of Water Services (OFWAT), the industry
regulator.
Indeed, over the past five years, Wessex has consistently been ranked
at the top of its peer group in terms of profitability and operating
efficiency.
Based in Bath, the company provides water and sewerage services across
a 10,000 sq km area of south-west England that includes Dorset,
Somerset, Bristol, Bath, most of Wiltshire and part of Gloucestershire
and Hampshire.
It supplies up to 370 million litres of drinking water to around 1.2
million customers every day. The water is distributed to 500,000
properties via a network that includes 135 water sources, 123
treatment plants, 366 pumping stations and more than 11,000km of water
mains.
The company also takes away sewerage from 2.5 million people in the
Wessex region every day, and the sewerage, together with industrial
waste water, is treated at 392 plants.
Wessex recorded a turnover of £251.5mil for 2001, and its current cost
profit attributable to shareholders amounted to £66.5mil.
Water and sewerage services in England and Wales have been privatised
for a long time and there are now 10 such companies, including Wessex.
In addition, there are 14 other companies that provide water only to
several regions.
According to OFWAT data, these companies together supply 58 million
people with 18 million litres of water everyday, which is enough to
provide everyone on earth with twice the recommended intake.
The average domestic bill for water and sewerage services in Britain
is 64p per day.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Successful bid for British utility raises YTL international profile
BY David Chow
YTL Corp Bhd managing director Tan Sri Francis Yeoh was clearly elated
when I popped into his office for a very quick briefing on the group’s
latest coup – winning the bid for Wessex Water Ltd in Britain with an
enterprise value of £1.24bil (approximately RM6.76bil).
The victory was secured by group subsidiary YTL Power International
Bhd, via its newly-established Bri-tish unit YTL Utilities (UK) Ltd.
This is YTL Power’s biggest foreign investment to date and be-lieved
to be the largest made in Britain by a Malaysian conglomerate.
Yeoh was understandably also tickled by the fact that YTL had pipped a
consortium led by the venerable Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which
had earlier been touted as the preferred bidder for Wessex Water,
owned by bankrupt US energy trader Enron Corp.
Other bidders had included Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings, which
is 85% owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s flagship company
Hutchison Whampoa, and Enel, Italy’s state-controlled energy group,
which pulled out last month.
“This is definitely an example of Malaysia Boleh,” Yeoh said. “It is
an exciting long-term investment for us.”
The deal is interesting and advantageous to YTL Power in a number of
ways.
First, it is a rare opportunity for the group to acquire a privatised
water and sewerage company in a developed market.
Wessex Water provides water supply and sewerage services to a 10,000
sq km area in the south-west of England, serving a total of 2.5
million customers. It is also consistently ranked as one of the most
efficient water and sewerage companies in England and Wales.
Second, the acquisition will obviously give an enormous boost to YTL
Power’s earnings and total assets. Its turnover is expected to more
than double to RM2.76bil from RM1.32bil, while its pre-tax profit
should rise by 34% to RM816mil from RM608mil upon consolidation of
Wessex Water. This means that more half of YTL Power’s revenue will
now come from outside Malaysia.
Wessex Water’s contribution to YTL Power’s income will be regular and
long-term, as it operates as a regulated “ring-fenced” water company,
with tariffs determined by the regulator who has a duty to ensure that
investors are able to finance their operations, the company assures.
And third, the acquisition should raise YTL Power’s profile as “an
international multi-utility provider.”
Yeoh said that since YTL Power’s successful acquisition of a 33.5%
stake in Electranet SA, owner and operator of the South Australian
electricity transmission network, the group had been “actively seeking
opportunities in regulated industries, where there is a high degree of
stability, first-class established management and a steady income
stream. Wessex meets all of these criteria.’’
YTL Power has a number of in-ternational investors, including CLP
Holdings of Hong Kong with a 5% stake.
“We aim to add to the shareholder value. With this acquisition, we are
registering our interest in developed markets like Europe, where
opportunities are opening up,” Yeoh said.
“I think one of the reasons we won is that there are very few
infrastructure companies interested in or set up to do infrastructure
globally, which is a very long-term business,” he noted.
“People prefer to take assets, pay a little bit more, polish it up –
and then sell. We at YTL, however, believe in the long term. We have
learnt the wisdom of having long-term concessions. We are not a buy,
polish and sell company. So we invest in countries which respect the
sanctity of contracts and we find ourselves having a niche in this
environment.”
So, even though YTL Power’s bid is said to be only slightly higher
than the RBS consortium’s, Yeoh believes that the group’s stability is
a decisive factor in its victory.
“The YTL group came in with certainty. It was a simple proposal … we
know what we want and we understand the business very well. I think
that was important to the sellers. So we did not pay a huge premium
for Wessex,” Yeoh said.
Indeed,YTL’s bid can be deemed to be extremely advantageous to the
group as Wessex Water’s total assets are currently worth an estimated
RM45bil. Interestingly, when Enron’s subsidiary Azurix bought Wessex
Water in 1998, it was reported to have paid as much as £1.36bil
(RM8.36bil).
Shareholders and analysts may also applaud the fact that the deal will
not be a strain on the group’s cash reserves.
Yeoh indicated that only about RM700mil of YTL Power’s considerable
cash hoard of more than RM3bil would be used for this acquisition. The
rest would be in the form of project financing via bonds, offshore
loans and other instruments.
All of which should leave the group with ample resources for further
acquisitions worldwide, should the opportunities arise.
No less significant is the fact that YTL seems to have won over the
present management of Wessex Water. YTL has had frank discussions and
reached a consensus with the Wessex management.
Indeed, Wessex Water chairman Collin Skellett stressed that the deal
would bring stability and certainty to the company and he was
delighted to welcome YTL, with its long-term strategic ambitions for
the business.
As some people would say, it’s a marriage made in heaven.
Yap Yok Foo
27 March 2002
More Malaysians dying from TB, says Chua
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS
JOHOR BARU: More people are dying from tuberculosis (TB) in Malaysia
than HIV/AIDS or other diseases.
Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng said TB heads the list of
contagious diseases with 41 new cases and three deaths reported daily.
Its death rate also surpasses deadly communicable diseases like
HIV/AIDS, he said.
Chua said that last year, 1,156 people died from TB while 14,882 new
cases were recorded.
He said the contagion ratio (of people likely to contract a disease)
for TB stood at 62.5 cases for every 100,000 people.
The influx of immigrants, especially illegal ones, had contributed to
the increase in the number of cases over the past few years, Chua said
when launching the national-level World Tuberculosis Day 2002
yesterday.
He said an average of 10% or 1,500 screened foreign workers were found
to have contracted TB.
Chua said that over the past four years, some 5,800 foreign workers
who underwent health screening had their work permit applications
rejected because of the disease.
“The figure represents only a small portion of the larger picture as
there are hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who enter the
country without medical examinations.
“While the government’s ongoing efforts to weed out illegal workers
would contribute to the decline in the number of TB cases in the long
run, my ministry is fighting the disease by eliminating poverty and
increasing public awareness,” he said.
Chua said the disease was closely linked to poverty as poor living
conditions, inadequate nutrition and unhygienic surroundings provided
a conducive environment for the TB bacteria to spread.
He said the disease would affect the nation’s growth and economy as
records showed that 75% of those who contracted TB were between 15 and
54 years old.
“While the ministry plans to reduce the statistics by 50% by 2005, we
do not see the trend changing at the moment because of the physical
(living) conditions and the public’s attitude,” Chua said.
He said if the disease was detected early, those with TB could be
cured within six months if they adhered to a strict medication
procedure.
He said the treatment provided by the Government, under a procedure
known as Directly Observed Therapy – Short Course, was one of the best
in the world with a 95% cure rate as observed by the World Health
Organisation.
However, he said 11% of tuberculosis patients had either refused or
abandoned treatment, making the disease more highly contagious as the
bacteria would be resistant to medication.
“In such cases, patients would have to be given a stronger dosage of
drugs and longer treatment, some stretching to three years,” Chua
said.
The Health Ministry provides free screening and treatment for TB apart
from spending RM1mil yearly to immunise some 500,000 babies.
Chua said RM600,000 was allocated to associations and non-governmental
organisations to spread awareness and help patients obtain necessary
treatment.
Yap Yok Foo
27 March 2002
Midweek
Yoong finds the silence quite deafening
By Rehman Rashid
HANDSOME young Malaysian Formula One racing driver Alex Yoong has been
in a bit of a sulk since the 29th lap of the Sepang Grand Prix a
couple of Sundays ago, according to a Swiss auto-racing magazine.
"In our country people are quick with cynicism," Alex is quoted as
saying by Motorsport Aktuell and the website Formula1.com. "Often it
seems to me that my achievements could be embarrassing for Malaysia."
Perhaps recalling the young ladies in the bleachers with his name
stencilled across their chests, Alex admits that "many people
encouraged me at my home race." Nonetheless, he laments not receiving
the rapturous celebrity accorded his Australian teammate Mark Webber
at the preceding Melbourne GP.
"The Australians know how difficult it is to achieve a good result in
Formula One," Alex tells the magazine. "In Malaysia this knowledge
isn't there." It is possible to sympathise with him. Alex has spent
the last third of his life crawling through the dodgem gauntlet of
Formulae Asia, Renault, 3000, 3 and Nippon to reach the rarefied
heights of F1. The bottom of the F1 heap, where Alex is now, is to any
aspiring young racing driver the heights of Olympus.
He may suspect we Malaysian parvenus don't appreciate this, which is
why he doesn't receive enough credit simply for having reached this
pinnacle of his profession.
This might change if and when Alex actually wins a race, which he
hasn't done since 1995, or it might not. In feeling misunderstood and
unappreciated, he is far from alone among our sportsmen and athletes
Life at the bleeding edge of our national aspirations has never been
easy. Lesser mortals couldn't hope even to begin to comprehend the
lives of those exceptional men and women who do all the hard work in
attaining gold, glory, podium places and official medal-tally targets
at international multi-sport events.
Their sacrifices are rarely appreciated: the physical pain and
discipline; the constant awareness of the limited shelf-lives of
competitive athletes; the stresses of sharing those precious few years
of their athletic prime with the equally pressing demands of life,
family and career.
All for a nation that adulates winners, ignores losers, and insists
that everyone who isn't one has to be the other. The subtleties of how
the game is played are wasted on us, as anyone knows who's ever heard
local TV commentators wind themselves up for every lap of the Tour de
Langkawi's closing Criterium, for example.
Yet, despite our brutish inability to appreciate the finer nuances of
either bicycle or auto racing, both the Tour de Langkawi and the
Sepang GP go from strength to strength each season, boosting
Malaysia's reputation as an enthusiastic and efficient organiser of
international sporting events.
These successes help Malaysia paint itself as a winner more easily
than the performances of individual Malaysians at these events, and so
we ballyhooed the Sepang GP's RM1 billion turnover this year without
even bothering to telecast Alex Yoong's heroic walk back to the pits
carrying his Minardi's steering wheel.
For if sport is to reflect life, it might as well be just as unfair.
Consider the TenPoint-Three Curse left behind by Mani Jegathesan in
1968, which has since haunted Malaysian sprinters from Rabuan Pit to
Watson Nyambek. Running as fast but no faster, they learned how a
personal best would instantly turn to lead in their shoes, impeding
every subsequent run with the knowledge that failing to match that
mark would be seen as precisely that: failure.
Just once in their lives, everything came together perfectly and for
10.3 seconds lent wings to their heels. From that moment on, every
running track became a cloying bog of expectations, with each lost
fraction of a second greeted by the jeers of a cruel public.
Now, over-achievers such as our most talented athletes can have
intense emotional problems with being regarded as failures. It
undermines their dignity and saps their resolve. It can provoke
irrational behaviour ranging from bizarre haircuts and drunk driving
to outright thuggery and experiments in independent badminton.
It often ends up wrecking careers, which is all the more reason to
applaud those of our athletes who remain driven more by the need to
succeed than to be cheered for trying.
Last Sunday at Bukit Jalil, SEA Games gold medallist pole-vaulter Teh
Weng Chang of Perak cleared 5.0m to break his own national record by
10cm. He doesn't even mind that his new record will not be recognised
because the national ratifying body, the Malaysian Amateur Athletics
Union, is at present suspended pending resolution of the current mess
in the management of Malaysian athletics.
But then, Teh Weng Chang at least had the satisfaction of not only
raising the bar but clearing it, which is more than can be said for
almost anything else in Malaysian sport these days.
David Lloyd
>From The New Straits Times
>27 March 2002
>
>Midweek
>Yoong finds the silence quite deafening
>By Rehman Rashid
>
>HANDSOME young Malaysian Formula One racing driver Alex Yoong has been
>in a bit of a sulk since the 29th lap of the Sepang Grand Prix a
>couple of Sundays ago, according to a Swiss auto-racing magazine.
>
>"In our country people are quick with cynicism," Alex is quoted as
>saying by Motorsport Aktuell and the website Formula1.com. "Often it
>seems to me that my achievements could be embarrassing for Malaysia."
What is this guy's problem? Mr Yoong's lack of achievements are more likely to be an embarrassment
to Malaysia.
[clip]
>This might change if and when Alex actually wins a race, which he
>hasn't done since 1995.
Spot on!
[clip]
>Last Sunday at Bukit Jalil, SEA Games gold medallist pole-vaulter Teh
>Weng Chang of Perak cleared 5.0m to break his own national record by
>10cm. He doesn't even mind that his new record will not be recognised
>because the national ratifying body, the Malaysian Amateur Athletics
>Union, is at present suspended pending resolution of the current mess
>in the management of Malaysian athletics.
>
>But then, Teh Weng Chang at least had the satisfaction of not only
>raising the bar but clearing it, which is more than can be said for
>almost anything else in Malaysian sport these days.
>
I hope someone sends a copy to Mr Yoong.
Yap Yok Foo
Benchmark
Build more remand and detention centres
By Harun Hashim
ARISING from the recent spate of detainees escaping from police
custody, the Government is taking measures to improve the structural
facilities of police stations. Many of our police stations are of
pre-World War Two vintage and are not designed to cope with the
increase in the number of detainees. Even new police stations are not
adequately equipped to deal with the problem. The congestion in some
police lock-ups is so acute the detainees have had to take turns to
sleep with the others sitting it out to await their turn! More than 40
years ago, when I was a deputy public prosecutor in the
AttorneyGeneral's Chambers I had to deal with an escape case from a
police lock-up. A few youths had been arrested by the police and had
to spend the night in the lock-up of the Campbell Road (now Jalan Dang
Wangi) police station.
The sleeping accommodation was on a wooden platform (pankin) in the
cell. But it was ridden with bed bugs. So the youths were given
permission to sleep on the cement floor underneath the pankin. They
found a long nail which had been dropped by workers repairing the roof
above the lock-up. Using the nail they started scraping the wall.
Bricks were soon exposed because more sand than cement were used to
build it. They removed the bricks, making a hole large enough for the
boys to crawl through and make good their escape which was only
detected the following morning. In the circumstances I decided not to
prosecute the sentries for negligence.
Perhaps we should now take the opportunity to review our criminal
justice system.
After a person has been arrested, the police must produce him before a
magistrate within 24 hours of the arrest. The police cannot further
detain him without an order from the magistrate which could extend up
to 15 days. The purpose of a remand order is to enable the police to
complete investigations into the case. The remand order enables the
police to detain the arrested person in the police lock-up.
The police have the power to grant police bail to arrested persons
within 24 hours without producing them before a magistrate. Depending
on the nature of the offence alleged, police bail is granted in most
cases.
But we are here concerned with remand cases. Apart from the remand
cases in police custody not exceeding 15 days, the courts also order
remand in cases to await trial or pending an appeal after conviction.
There are also people who have been remanded for failing to obtain
bail pending trial. In such cases, the accused persons are remanded in
prisons.
Two problems arise. Firstly, accused persons on remand should not be
in prison in the first place because the law presumes they are
innocent until proven guilty. Secondly, prisons are intended to keep
persons who have been sentenced by the courts for the crimes they have
committed.
Now one of the objects of a prison sentence is to rehabilitate the
prisoner during his term in prison in order to return him to society
as a useful citizen. Prison wardens are specifically trained to do
rehabilitative and correctional work. There are strict disciplinary
rules in prison which cannot and do not apply to accused persons on
remand. Prison officers find this dual role confusing and frustrating
especially with regard to detainees on remand. It follows that
convicted prisoners and remand cases should not be incarcerated in the
same institution.
The solution is to establish separate remand and detention centres
(RDCs). All remand cases should be sent to RDC including suspects now
remanded in police custody pending completion of investigations under
Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Indeed some police lock-ups are gazetted as "prisons" to accommodate
persons who have been convicted by the courts after 4pm, as the prison
authorities will not accept new prisoners after normal working hours.
With the existence of RDC, police lockups will only be used for the
overnight cases after arrest before production in court.
With modern technologies it is possible to build high-rise RDCs which
do not require much land to build on. The facility will have separate
floors for men, women, juveniles and persons under preventive
detention orders; a courtroom for magistrates to review such cases and
to extend remand warrants; interrogation rooms for the police to
examine suspects; rooms for lawyers to take instructions from clients
and rooms for families to visit detainees.
The RDC should be administered by the Prisons Department to maintain
neutrality and thereby reduce allegations of police brutality, whether
true or false, whilst under police custody.
Funds are being made available to improve police lock-ups. Perhaps the
money could be better spent in establishing RDCs and at the same time
enhancing our criminal justice system.
o Tan Sri Harun Hashim is a retired Federal Court judge and now
professor of law at the International Islamic University Malaysia.
iCEMAn
happens only in m'sia.
"
dol
"Yap Yok Foo" <yf...@pop.jaring.my> wrote in message
news:7882au88u4f6759kt...@4ax.com...
> From The New Straits Times
> 27 March 2002
>
> Midweek
> Yoong finds the silence quite deafening
> By Rehman Rashid
...
> "In our country people are quick with cynicism," Alex is quoted as
> saying by Motorsport Aktuell and the website Formula1.com. "Often it
> seems to me that my achievements could be embarrassing for Malaysia."
more of what he said to motorsport aktuelle (see www.formula1.com):
"In our country people are quick with cynicism...Often it seems to me that
my achievements could be embarrassing for Malaysia. If this tendency will be
going on I might just do something else after one or two years."
quitting in 1-2 years if we don't cheer him up? what a wimp!
.d
jay
wrote:
>From The Star
>27 March 2002
>
>YTL Power wins bid for British water firm
>By B.K. SIDHU
>
>YTL Power International Bhd has staged an overseas corporate coup by
>gaining control of Britain’s Wessex Water Ltd for £1.2bil (RM6.69bil)
>in what is believed to be Malaysia’s biggest foreign investment on
>record.
why isn't this company managed by the so called new breed of
bumiputera entrepreneurs?
jay
wrote:
>firstly he got in just bcos he's the best available driver locally.
>happens only in m'sia.
???? nope wrong. you don't get an f-1 seat just because your're the
best driver in malaysia. you have to prove yourself.
as of alex he was decent and more importantly, he got the job because
he had the backings of a sponsor that was willing to pay for his ride.
but regardless, it is not an easy task that yoong as accomplished. he
came up through the ranks of f-3000 and formula nippon, where he
wasn't the best driver.
>
>"
>
>
Yap Yok Foo
Benchmark
Have laws to stop trafficking of women, children
ne...@nstp.com.my
IT is a paradox of the times that we have comprehensive laws against
the smuggling of goods and trafficking of drugs but no such laws
against the smuggling and trafficking of human beings. Much publicity
is given by Governments through the mass media on the current
phenomenon of illegal immigrants in various parts of the world, their
arrests, prosecution and eventual deportation to their home countries.
What has not been highlighted is the fact that behind these illegal
entries are organised crime syndicates in the country of origin,
transit country and the destination country of the illegals. The
kingpins of crime syndicates in the smuggling of women and children
are seldom prosecuted if at all due to lack of evidence required in a
court of law. The so-called illegal immigrants are regretfully the
victims and not the criminals themselves.
At the recently concluded meeting on the coalitions against
trafficking in human beings in Manila organised by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) in conjunction with the United Nations
Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), we were
given an insight into the problem.
According to UN estimates, between two and four million women and
children are trafficked every single year, consigning them to sex
slavery, prostitution and forced labour, which are violations of human
rights as it denies the humanity of its victims.
Trafficking of human beings is now ranked the third largest
transnational crime, following illegal drugs and firearms. It has been
estimated that its illicit revenues reach up to US$10 billion (RM38
billion) to US$12 billion annually and as such is now becoming one of
the fastest growing and most lucrative criminal enterprises.
For the purpose of the Manila meeting, case studies were presented of
Filipinos in Japan, Malaysia, Italy, and Australia. The Philippines
was chosen because more than seven million Filipinos are overseas, of
whom three million are overseas workers; 2.37 million are permanent
residents overseas; and nearly two million are illegal migrants.
The Philippine Government has recognised that poverty at home is the
main reason why Filipinos go abroad to seek their fortunes. It is
government policy to encourage remittances by Filipinos working abroad
as a source of foreign exchange earnings. The workers remit 80 per
cent of their monthly wages amounting to US$7 billion each year to the
republic.
The pattern of trafficking in women and children is similar worldwide.
The women come from poor homes, are not well-educated and are lured by
promises of high incomes. Some of the sweet-talk are from returnees
who could be their relatives as well. On arrival in the destination
country, they are at the mercy of their employers.
They are told that the cost of transportation, job placement and
documentation is a very large amount and they have to work and pay for
it by deduction from their wages. This is nothing short than debt
slavery. With their passports held by their employers they are put to
prostitution with no means of escape.
There are 800,000 legal immigrant workers in Malaysia and 500,000
illegals of whom 300,000 are in Sabah, which includes Indonesians as
well. The Malaysian case study was confined to Sabah because it is the
main entry point and focused on Labuan because it is a major
entertainment centre where girls are employed.
The women are in a highly vulnerable position because of the nature of
their work and the control exercised by the syndicates combined with
the fact that they were also illegal immigrants.
From Labuan they were trafficked to the peninsula where they were
rotated between different cities and from here to Japan, Singapore,
Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Europe. Malaysia therefore is not only
a destination country but also a transit country.
The problem of trafficking of women and children in a destination
country is that they are foreigners, undesirable aliens even and the
solution of Governments is to deport them to their home countries. The
real villains are the kingpins of crime syndicates who are citizens of
the "host" country with extensive networking to avoid arrest and
prosecution.
It is not outside the scope of the police intelligence network of any
country to identify who the kingpins of crime syndicates are in order
to effectively put an end to human trafficking. As far as Malaysia is
concerned, the authorities could resort to preventive detention of
such people.
In a sense it is a violation of human rights to detain anybody without
a trial but such means could be justified if the result is the end of
another violation of human rights, namely the trafficking of women and
children for sex slavery and forced labour.
In the meantime, there should be comprehensive legislation to
especially protect women and children from being victims of human
trafficking who could turn out to be Malaysians!
# Tan Sri Harun Hashim is a retired Federal Court judge and now
professor of law at the International Islamic University Malaysia
Yap Yok Foo
28 March 2002
Malaysiakini admits receiving funds
By Lee Shi-Ian se...@nstp.com.my
>Uncle Yap wonders why NST angled the article in this way to suggest some
>surreptitious arrangement being exposed whereas malaysiakini
>openly announced the equity participation.
KUALA LUMPUR, Wed. — Malaysiakini.com, which came under fire last year
for allegedly obtaining funding from the George Soroslinked Media
Development Loan Fund (MDLF), has admitted to receiving RM1.3 million
from the organisation.
The money was a private equity investment by MDLF in the portal's
parent company, Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd, to acquire a 29 per cent stake.
The deal was announced by the company yesterday.
The allegations of links with the billionaire financier arose due to
the fact that MDLF has 15 key investors and one of them, happens to be
the Open Society Institute, which is funded by Soros.
Mkini Dotcom chief executive officer Premesh Chandran told the New
Straits Times today that there were no links between the company and
Soros as OSI was merely one of many companies which funded the MDLF.
He dismissed links with currency speculator Soros saying that the
association was made through a long chain of organisations and was
simply a matter which was blown out of proportion.
To assure readers of its independence, the partners also announced the
signing of a separate agreement in which the MDLF agreed not to
intervene with news arm, Malaysiakini.com's editorial policy.
Malaysiakini is independent from the influence of the Government or
any other interest groups. So far, no other Press have signed such
agreements with their investors, said Malaysiakini.com editor-inchief
Steven Gan.
"We insist on the signing of this agreement with regard to all
investors whether local or foreign," he added.
The deal leaves a majority 61 per cent stake in the hands of the
company's founders, Premesh and Gan, with 10 per cent allotted to an
employees share incentive scheme.
"This is a commercial deal which marks a key turning point for Mkini
as we now have the funds as well as an internationally established
partner to drive Mkini towards becoming a global player," Premesh
said.
He said MLDF would be the perfect partner for Mkini as it understood
the company's goals and would be able to assist the company in
penetrating the global market besides providing training.
The Mkini deal represented the first investment by the MDLF in
Malaysia. MDLF first worked together with Mkini via its media division
Centre for Advanced Media Prague to develop new software.
Last year, former Malaysiakini news editor Chong Yen Long revealed
that Malaysiakini received some RM188,000 from the Media Development
Loan Fund (MDLF) believed to be funded by, among others, Soros.
Chong quit because of "fundamental differences" with Gan about the
website's link with Soros saying that he was disappointed and felt let
down that a news service which had been preaching about openness,
transparency, accountability and telling the truth had been telling
only half the truth.
Yap Yok Foo
28 March 2002
Historian conferred doctorate by UKM
LONDON:It was a fitting tribute to a British historian who has great
affections for Malaysia.
On Tuesday in the august hall of the Malaysian High Commission, UKM
conferred on John Gullick an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy for his
outstanding contribution to the knowledge and understanding of the
Malay world.
Its Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Anuwar Ali, said Gullick, 86, a
renowned writer on the modern history of Malaya/Malaysia, specifically
Malay civilisation, had made his mark in the country, both as a
colonial administrator and historian.
He said Gullick’s expertise was borne out in his books, such as
Indigenous Political Systems of Western Malaya, Malay Society in the
late Nineteenth Century: The Beginning of Change and Old Kuala Lumpur.
Gullick, who said he was “deeply grateful’’ for the high honour, noted
that the thrust of modern studies on Malaysia today was based in the
country and the contributions were well-recognised internationally.
In its citation, UKM said students and intellectuals, both locally and
abroad consulted Gullick’s works, especially those who are interested
in Malay society, its systems, structures, organisations and the
changes.
Gullick had served under the late Datuk Onn Jaafar in the Rural and
Industrial Development Authority and the late Tunku Abdul Rahman in
planning the establishment of the civil service for independent
Malaya.
After his retirement in 1956, Gullick joined Guthrie Plantations in
London and was later appointed to its board, became a partner in a
legal firm, lectured on company law and was made administrative
chairman of the London School of Economics.
Gullick, who last visited Malaysia in 1998, told The Star he still
contributed to the Journal of the Malaysian branch of the Royal
Asiatic Society.
In January, he received the Royal Asiatic Society award for 2001 for
his outstanding works on Malay society.
Yap Yok Foo
28 March 2002
The key to three generations
By Dr ONG HEAN-TATT
PEOPLE like to be millionaires. So, there are many modern executives
who want to know how the millionaires make it. It is trendy to try to
emulate the success stories of the millionaires.
Everyone looks at the posh cars, fine buildings, immaculate grooming
and the rich partying and wish they could have such a “wonderful
life.’’ These millionaires would seem to set the trend, or do they?
What really are the icons of success of millionaires? Most
millionaires are not good students. Conventional wisdom says that it
is the students with good grades who go to elite universities.
Or, maybe it is the children born into wealthy families with brilliant
connections.
The average millionaire’s test scores as a student were not good
enough for them to get into many top notch universities and once at
universities they do not excel.
Millionaires choose careers that match their abilities. They may not
have great analytical intelligence, but they are creative and
practical.
They focus on a goal, take calculated risks and then work harder than
most people and almost none of them credit their success at being
smart. They say that the keys to success are being honest and
disciplined, getting along with people, having a supportive spouse and
working hard.
Somehow, they figured what they are good at. They all said, “I will be
the best at this. This is what I really really love to do.’’
You get it, those qualities which go with the millionaire syndrome are
“being honest and disciplined, getting along with people, having a
supportive spouse and working hard.’’
Many modern executives could never make the millionaire class because,
very often, they think of the fast buck and a fast rise to riches and
just do not put in the prolonged hard work necessary for the
achievement.
They just want the fruits of the millionaire syndrome without doing
the work first. Some of these lazy executives may even by luck get
hold of millions only to lose them fast – they could never be enduring
millionaires, who are the true millionaires.
They do not have the drive enough to say, “I will be the best at this.
This is what I really really love to do.’’
There is the modern “So, you want to be a millionaire” TV quiz show.
By correctly answering various questions a person could progress to
win more and more money up to a million ringgit. Great, I support
that, seeing that the show correctly emphasises on adequate knowledge
to win.
There is one major weakness I can see in the millionaires.
The Chinese have a saying that wealth cannot endure three generations.
The grandfather earned the millions. The father spent it. The grandson
has nothing left!Obviously, the millionaire’s children and
grandchildren do not have the sterling qualities to hold on to the
millions.
One fatal weakness of the millionaires is that, in their busy pursuit
of wealth, they often failed to train their successors in the very
qualities that led them to successes.
The millionaires have the qualities of success, but they fail to teach
them to their descendents. The succession is critical to the trend!
In fact, the children often do not see their fathers as delightful
role models. The children would even regard their parents as not
knowing how to enjoy life but being a nuisance in nagging them about
life.
That is, millionaires fare poorly in showing that life should be
enjoyable. So, children could often see these hard working parents as
spoilsports.
It never occurred to these millionaires to teach their children how
much fun it is to make money!
The fun children associate with making money may at the most be of the
gambling type, which is not what millionaires would advocate.
No, millionaires should show their children that the mental game of
making money is a most enjoyable pursuit, like playing chess, or the
modern “So, you want to be a millionaire” TV quiz show.
Millionaires reach their status not only because they love money, but
because they also enjoy the trend game of becoming millionaires.
Their key secret of becoming the trendsetter is that they know that
all those hard work and discipline are the fun of life!
But, millionaires, teach your children that and you will ensure that
for your family, “wealth can endure three generations.”
Yap Yok Foo
28 March 2002
Minorities look to a better future
ONG JU LYNN reports on the rich tapestry of minority history that came
to light during the minorities colloquium held last month as part of
the Penang Story project.
TWO years ago, I interviewed my mother’s mother to find out about my
lineage. My only link to my past was 82 and was recovering from
by-pass surgery; understandably, her memory was patchy. At the end of
an hour, my family tree looked like a shrub that had survived a
municipal council pruning exercise. There were too many branches
ending in stumps.
Despite the sketchy information, I found out something surprising
about my roots, which I had always assumed were entirely Chinese: five
generations before me, there was a Burmese woman who was wooed by a
trader from Canton. He married her in Burma and then brought her to
the growing port of George Town to make a living and start a family.
Sheikh Zachariah Basheer (seated fourth from left) and other leaders
from Penang`s Malay community welcoming the first Malay lawyer from
Singapore.
They were my great-great-great grandparents. Their son married a
Nyonya which probably explains why my grandmother always wears batik
sarongs and cooks excellent Nyonya food. (Nyonyas are from aculturised
Chinese communities living mostly in the Straits Settlements of
Penang, Malacca and Singapore; in the Penang community, the men are
called Babas.) I have relatives in Burma and China, and probably
Sumatra, through my Nyonya great-great-grandmother. A reunion with
them is a possibility I cherish.
The 160-year-old cemetery in Jalan Zainal Abidin, in Penang, with its
neat rows of Hebrew-inscribed headstones, testifies to the existence
of a sizable Jewish community then.
If I had taken for granted that I was “pure” Chinese by virtue of
carrying only my patrilineal Hainanese surname, which is recognised as
my ethnic identity, I would have been ignorant of my colourful past.
The tri-coloured racial lens of bureaucracy in this country reinforced
the “erasure” of my multicultural past every time I put “Chinese” as
my race in official forms.
It made me wonder how many of us have lost our identity and knowledge
of our past by the convenient labelling of Malay, Chinese Indian, or
simply “Others” (lain-lain) – a term that the historical minorities
find offensive.
At the historical minorities colloquium held last month, the final of
four colloquium’s organised by the Penang Heritage Trust (the others
were on the Malay, Indian and Chinese communities), the historical
minorities of Penang were given a platform for their stories to be
heard.
The one-day colloquium heard the voices of nine communities: the
Siamese, Burmese, Filipinos, Eurasians, Ceylonese, Jewish, Chinese
Muslims, the Parsis and the pre-war Japanese. It was an affirmation of
their identities as part of the colourful ethnic landscape that makes
up Penang. Together with others who inhabit the land, they contribute
towards the economic and cultural wealth of the island and the
country.
Penang Heritage Trust honorary secretary Khoo Salma Nasution, the
convenor of the colloquium, cautioned that if we were to look at the
social history of Penang through tri-coloured eye-glasses, we would
only see a limited spectrum rather than the complete rainbow of human
diversity. “It is our choice whether to dilute our multiculturalism,
or recognise it, build upon it and celebrate it.”
“We need to remind ourselves that migration is a continuing process.
Indeed, today’s expatriates and migrant workers may well become
tomorrow’s historical minorities,” she said.
The historical minorities differ from the new wave of immigrants by
the quotient of time. Their ancestors worked and settled in Penang in
the early days when George Town was a thriving port.
They are Malaysians, progenies of intermarriages, and have evolved a
unique home-grown culture quite unlike the cultures of their
counterparts in distant orginal homelands.
Returning to Islam in death
The descendants of the Chinese Muslims from China practised a unique
brand of religion in which one must return to one’s faith, but only
upon death.
The notice that is hung in most Koay clansmen`s home, listing the
names of ancestors and their descendants and reminded the Koays that
their ancestors were Muslims. It also reminded them to observe halal
food at the death of a Koay family member.
The Koay clan of the Hui An province celebrate Chinese festivals,
follow Chinese lifestyles and beliefs, and for all intents and
purposes, cannot be differentiated from the mainstream Taoists
Chinese. But at their funeral, their close relatives must refrain from
eating pork for 49 days.
Historian and researcher Ong Seng Huat, in presenting his paper on the
Koay Jetty: The Social Evolution of the Hui People in Penang, said
that over generations, the ancestors of the Koay clan who were Hui
Muslims had to suppress their religious identity and assimilate into
the dominant Han Chinese culture to avoid persecution.
“If they can’t practise (being a Muslim) in life, than they do it when
they die,” he said.
The Koay clan, who were Hui Muslims of Arabic and Middle-Eastern
descent, claimed that they were descendants of a great Muslim general
who controlled Turkestan and the western part of the Silk Road during
the Tang dynasty. During the Ming dynasty, however, political
exigencies forced the Hui Muslims to suppress their religious identity
in order to survive the hostile environment.
“In order to safeguard their lives, the clan villages suppressed their
Hui identity by allowing their Han wives to rear pigs so that their
village wouldn’t be marked as a Hui village,” explained Ong .
When the Koay clan came to Penang in the late 19th century, they found
that they shared the same language and culture as most Chinese
immigrants from the Fujian province. The only difference was their
religion.
“Because many were so Han-nised, however, the Koay clan community had
problems communicating with other Muslims in Penang. The belief in
keramat (earth spirits) by the local Muslims was something alien to
the Koays , and mosques with onion-shaped domes did not look or feel
like mosques to them.
“They felt alienated from the larger local Muslim community, and
closer to the mainstream Chinese community on whom they had to depend
for support,” he said.
In 1975, the Koay community published an edict that was to be framed
and hung in the house Penang of every clansman. The notice is a
reminder of their religious identity as Muslims. It stated that due to
great differences in human relations and environment, they had
gradually departed from Islamic teachings. To honour their ancestors,
however, they would strictly observe the halal (kosher, meaning no
pork) food.
A prominent politician in Penang with the surname of Koay said that,
as a clansman, the notice was hung in his home. His family, however,
had not practiced the halal food taboo for several generations. “I
think we used to do it in China, but not here,” he said.
Graphic artist Joceline Koay, 50, said that her family still abides by
the decree.
“It is very serious, we all have to follow it. My grandmother told me
that once, a close relative in China died and some of the family
members here were unaware of it. They were eating pork and all of them
developed eczema around their mouths,” said Koay, who refrained from
eating pork for 49 days when her father died more than 10 years ago.
Koay said that she had a separate set of crockery and kitchen utensils
for cooking halal food that are kept separate. They are used not only
during the 49 days of mourning, but during Chinese celebrations, such
as the Chinese New Year, Cheng Beng (All Souls Day), Pai Kong Mah
(Honouring of Ancestors Day), and the Hungry Ghost festival.
Legacies of extinct communities
Once thriving communities, the pre-war Japanese, the Jews and the
Parsis, staked a minority hold on the development of early Penang.
Now these communities are represented by only a a handful of
individuals, but their legacies are commemorated as road names and
areas in George Town that continue to be called by the names of the
communities. For instance, local Hokkiens today still call Cintra
Street Jipuna-hua-kay (Little Japan). A road in Ipoh was named after
Maneksha Mistry, a Parsi trader in Penang who later settled in Ipoh. A
Jewish cemetery on Jalan Zainal Abidin, which was previously called
Jalan Yahudi, signalled the twilight of the Jews of Penang.
Legacies of extinct communities: the Karayuki-san
At the turn of the 20th century, there were 30 or 40 shop houses on
Cintra Street belonging to the Japanese where they operated brothels,
pharmacies and grocery shops, said Clement Liang, who spoke about The
Pre-War Japanese Community in Penang (1890-1940).
The multi-lingual Liang said the flesh trade was the main economic
activity of the pre-war Japanese, with the majority of registered
Japanese residents in Penang being women engaged in prostitution.
A 1910 census showed that out of 207 Japanese registered as residents,
130 were in the prostitution industry, including a staff of four men.
They served local and immigrant men.
“Most of the overseas Japanese prostitutes who came to Penang, or the
Karayuki-san, were peasants from poverty stricken Kyushu, located in
the arid mountains of the Amakusa islands.”
Calling these women “stalwart patriots”, Liang said despite their
difficult lives abroad, they sent money back home to support both
their impoverished families and contributed to the large foreign
reserve of the Japanese economy, critical for its expansionist
policies into China and Russia at the time.
“There is a temple in Kyushu that names among its benefactors the
overseas contribution from Penang,” he said.
In Penang, the Karayuki-san’s local activities generated “spillover”
wealth , which brought prosperity to those who cashed in to cater to
the needs of these women. A number of medical practitioners, doctors,
dentists, and pharmacies that flourished to provide health care to the
women also provided much-needed services to locals as they charged
less than the Europeans.
It was not until 1920 that the Japanese government, in collaboration
with the British administrators, began to abolish the flesh trade for
fear of venereal diseases.
The Karayuki-san were forced to leave the Straits Settlements
(comprising Penang, Malacca and Singapore); those who refused either
went underground, married locals, or tried their luck in major cities
in China, said Liang.
Sadly, the heritage building, the Asahi Hotel, which was once a famous
meeting place for Japanese dignitaries and diplomats before World War
II, has been demolished. The hotel on Jalan Transfer, which began
operating in 1914, was turned into a brothel after the world war and
operated under the name Kong Beng Hotel until its demolition.
Legacies of extinct communities: the Penang Jews
There is a Jewish cemetery nestled in the heart of George Town on
Jalan Zainal Abidin, which was previously known as Jalan Yahudi.
The 160-year-old cemetery, with its neat rows of Hebrew-inscribed
headstones, testified to the existence of a sizable community then.
According to Himanshu Bhatt, who presented a paper on The Jews of
Penang, the cemetery was used largely to bury visiting Europeans and
some indigenous Jews during the British colonial period.
“The first Jews arrived on Malaysian soil in the 11th century to trade
with the powerful Indianised port civilisations of Kedah and
Langkasuka.
“During the post-World War II communist regime in China, much of
China’s Jewish community – comprising of refugees from Soviet Russia
and Hitler’s Europe and descendants of Jews who had existed in China
since the 8th century – fled to Hong Kong and South-East Asia,
including Penang.
Bhatt said that the first general manager of the Casuarina Hotel was a
Jew, and so was the former general manager of the renowned Eastern &
Oriental Hotel.
“The Jews then spoke ‘Penang Hebrew’, which consisted of a mixture of
English and Hebrew, with smatterings of Hokkien, Malay and Arabic,”
said Bhatt.
He said that according to Charles Ephraim, who is possibly the last
surviving Jew in Penang, even the practise of minyan, a custom which
requires a quorum of at least 10 males aged 12 and above, could not be
carried out, and friends from Singapore would come to satisfy the
quorum.
The last synagogue in Penang, on Nagore Road, was shut down in 1976
due to the inability to fulfil the minyan and a lack of religious
knowledge among the emerging generation.
Legacies of extinct communities: the Persians
Unlike most minorities, the Persians possess the singular behaviour of
blending into a community unobtrusively, said Rumi Maneksha, who spoke
about his community at the colloquium.
“Their reticent behaviour is due to their tiny numbers,” said the
third generation Persian.
Maneksha said the Persians, or Parsis, are descendants of an ancient
people of the Zurasthran faith who worshipped fire. You cannot convert
to become a Parsi but must be born as one; it is a hereditary lineage
through the father, he said.
Rumi’s grandfather, Maneksha Mistry, came to Penang in 1932 with the
British East India Company. He kept a low profile, trading in
jewellery merchandise.
“Another Parsi, Dr Homi Mehta, who was known as a consummate doctor,
founded the leper community on nearby Pulau Jerejak and was a constant
headache to the Japanese during the Occupation (of Malaya),” he said.
Maneksha said that the Parsi theatre, performed in Penang at the turn
of the 20th century, influenced and enriched the bangsawan (Malay
theatre) of today.
Preserving minority cultures
The united stand taken by all the minorities at the colloquim was to
work towards the elimination of the term “Others” that is used in
standard forms of all sorts, both in the private and public sectors.
It should be replaced by some other more reflective and politically
correct term.
“We regret the usage of ‘others’ .... as if we don’t have an identity
of our own or that we don’t belong to the Malaysian nation,” said
organising chairman Gerald Green, president of the Penang Eurasian
Association. “Let’s hope that we can eliminate the use of the term and
be recognised as historical minorities on our own terms.”
Each community also called for more work to be done to preserve their
cultures, customs and traditions.
The Penang Burmese Society, which was registered just before the
event, hoped to use the colloquium as a springboard to bring together
Burmese descendants.
“The Burmese have been in existence for the past 200 years but our
identity and culture have not been recognised. We want our younger
generations to know their roots and continue to uphold our religion
and culture,” said Datuk Mary Ritchie, a prominent Penangite who is a
second-generation Malaysian-Burmese.
Datuk Dr M Thuraiappah, who spoke on the Malaysian Ceylonese
Community, made an impassioned plea for people of minority descent to
come together.
“People who have no past have no future. In the face of globalisation,
minority identities will be lost, unless we reclaim our past as
custodians of a living heritage,” he said.
The Ceylonese, like other citizens of migrant stock, had made a
distinctive contribution towards the modernisation of Malaysia during
the past hundred years, he said.
The various communities finally decided that they would work together
for the preservation of their respective cultures. They agreed that
the Penang Eurasian Association, as co-organiser of the colloquium,
would initiate the move by a calling a meeting of the various groups
soon to form a fellowship for the purpose of gathering information.
The minorities colloquium was the last of four colloquiums under the
Penang Story project which was jointly organised by the Penang
Heritage Trust and Star Publications (M) Bhd. The other three were on
the Malay, Indian, Chinese communities of Penang.
The Penang Story project is organised by the Penang Heritage Trust in
collaboration with Star Publications (M) Bhd with the aim of assisting
Penang’s listing in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation’s World Heritage list. The project is sponsored
by the Japan Foundation, ABN-AMRO Bank and the Penang Government while
City Bayview is the official hotel.
The Penang Story: A Celebration of Cultural Diversity international
conference will take place from April 18 to 21 in George Town at the
City Bayview Hotel. Inquiries, contact the Penang Heritage Trust
(04-264 2631 / e-mail pht...@po.jaring.my).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The created community
PRISCILLA DIELENBERG shares a personal slant on the minorities
colloquium that was held last month in Penang.
WHEN I have to fill up forms that require me to state my race, I
automatically tick the little box next to the word “Others” or
“Lain-lain”. Some forms are kinder, there is some space after the word
“Others” allowing me to specify what my race is.
Local jazz musician, the late Jimmy Boyle was a Eurasian.
As Penang Eurasian Association president Gerald Green pointed out at
the historical minorities colloquium held on the island last month as
part of the Penang Story project: “The term ‘Others’ implies that we
are outsiders, that we do not belong. But we are very much a part of
the community.”
One interesting similarity emerged during the colloquium: almost all
the speakers touched on the fact that the minority communities had
diversified through intermarriages. Many ethnic communities lost their
matrilineal culture through intermarriages. For instance, the Burmese,
the Siamese and the Filipinos were assimilated into Chinese culture
through intermarriage. The Eurasians, however, are a “created”
community through intermarriages between locals and Europeans.
In my case, with a surname like Dielenberg, many people assume that I
am a “Mat Salleh” (white), and when they actually meet me in person,
they looked a little disappointed to see a Chinese-Malay-looking
woman!
Green, who looks Chinese, is often “victimised” for not being able to
speak Chinese. “When I speak in English or Bahasa Malaysia in asking a
Chinese salesperson the price of an item, the person would look at me
for a moment before replying in Chinese. Because I do not understand
the language, the price of the item then goes up,” he quipped,
eliciting laughter from the colloquium’s participants. Then there was
the time when he told a woman over the phone that his name was Mr
Green. There was a pause before she replied sarcastically: “And I am
Ms Blue.”
In his paper entitled The Penang Eurasian Community – Past and
Present, academician Dr Anthony E. Sibert said Eurasians existed in
Penang long before the community was classified as “Eurasians” by the
British. Before that, the community was referred to as Portuguese or
Portuguese Descendants or Roman Catholics or Serani, which was the
colloquial form of the Malay word Nasrani (Christian) and a direct
reference to the Catholic community then.
The Portuguese arrived in Malacca around 1511, and their offspring
became traders on the Portuguese trade route of Malacca-Penang-Kedah,
as well as fishermen and odd-job workers in church schools.
The British had first introduced the term “Eurasians” in India in the
1820s to describe progeny of marriages between Europeans and Asians
and to classify the children of British compatriots who were referred
to either as Anglo-Indians, Indo-Britons, and who were descendants of
Europeans, or even Christian natives.
“In India, the term ‘Eurasian’ was rejected outright. It gained
currency, however, in South-East Asia and the Far East, where it was
commonly used to describe people of European and Asian descent even in
the official population census,” he said.
The musicians of yore
The colloquium was not without its share of entertainment. Musician
Catherine Lee Su Sie gave a slide presentation on the Filipino
community who had come to Penang in the early 19th century for
economic reasons, most of them armed with only their musical skills
and an adventurous spirit. One such adventurer was her
great-grandfather Inigo Geronimo, who, among others such as Richard
Andreas, contributed greatly to the early music scene in Penang.
She said the immigrants were, in the beginning, employed by the
municipal council, and this gave them a foot in the door to enter the
musical profession.
Many of these Filipino musicians used to play at the Youth Park before
making a name for themselves singing in hotels and pubs on the island.
James A. Rozells and singer Kathleen Rodrigues presented their paper
on the contribution of Eurasians to that same field. They spoke of the
late jazz musician Jimmy Boyle (James W.Boyle, 1922-1971), and
Rodrigues even sang two of his popular compositions, Putera Puteri and
Jauh Jauh.
Much to the delight of the audience, a recording of another piece of
music by Boyle was also played, featuring the talents of Boyle’s lead
guitarist Larry, Rodrigues’s father.
Rozells spoke of other musicians as well, such as “King of the
Hawaiian Guitar” Joe Rozells, guitarist/singer Stanley D’Almeida,
drummer/guitarist Spencer Rangel, Max Fletcher (bass/ukulele), James
Symons (drums), and William Scully (saxophone/drums/bass).
Rozells and Rodrigues own a pub in Tanjung Bungah where they belt out
oldies and Jimmy Boyle’s hits to an audience “above 40”, said Rozells.
“We are probably the only ones left singing the songs of our great
local musicians. This is our culture and we must continue to sing to
remember them and continue their legacies,” he said.
Another treat was when the Thai community presented a Menora dance
performance during lunch.
Chairman of the religious bureau of the Malaysian Siamese Association
(Penang branch) Boon Laer Aroonratana and his father, a shaman, Nai
Wan Dee Aroonratana who was once a Menora performer, explained the
dance to the audience.
Nai Wan Dee said the dance originated from South Thailand, and was
usually performed at local weddings, at Thai temples or as part of
shamanistic spiritual healing rituals associated with deities .
Yap Yok Foo
28 March 2002
A clan finds its niche
The majority of the people living in Ketari, one of the three state
seats in the Bentong parliamentary constituency, are from the Kwangsi
dialect group. LOH FOON FONG traces the background of one of the least
known Chinese dialect groups in Malaysia.
HISTORIANS often tell us that the Chinese immigrants in Malaya worked
and lived in urban areas and many became traders and businessmen.
That stereotypical picture, however, does not fit the profile of the
Kwangsi people. The dialect group originating from Guangxi Province in
southern China bordering Vietnam preferred to shy away from towns and
worked in rubber plantations and farms.
The Kwangsi or Kwangsai people, as they are referred to in Malaysia,
favoured hilly terrain because they came from a mountainous province.
As such, they flocked to Bentong, Karak, Bukit Tinggi and Raub in
Pahang, Ulu Perak (Grik and Lenggong) in Perak and in smaller
communities in Kota Tinggi, Kluang and Segamat in Johor, says S.M.
Phang, president of the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Kwangsi Association.
Many people of other races who live in the same villages and towns
where the Kwangsi people settled have picked up the Kwangsi dialect,
which is almost similar to Cantonese except that it is spoken at a
slower pace.
The Kwangsi people are believed to be the last Chinese dialect group
to migrate to Malaya, says Phang. The first movement of the Kwangsi
people to Malaya was in the late 19th century. They came in search of
a better life.
The second influx was in the late 1940s during the civil war between
the Chinese communists and the Kuomintang. The Kwangsi people boarded
cargo boats that took about two months to arrive in Malaya, says
Phang.
“Many came as coolies and lived and worked in conditions worse than
the immigrant workers currently in Malaysia. For many years, these
Kwangsi coolies had to work hard and pay back their dues to their
‘agent’ who brought them to this place,” he says.
Today, many Kwangsi people are farmers and they are generally known
for their ginger plantations. The best padi planters in Malaysia are
said to be the Kwangsi farmers in Sekinchan, Selangor.
However, many of the younger Kwangsi folks have left farming. Many of
them are professionals and are in business and trading.
As a result of urban migration of the younger Kwangsi, the older folks
are facing a dilemma as to what to do with their land, says Phang.
The official recognition of the Kwangsi clan was given in 1898 when
the British government gave 8ha of land at Jalan Lapangan Terbang Lama
in Kuala Lumpur as their burial ground. This gesture was significant
for the Kwangsi people as it marked their recognition as an autonomous
clan.
The tombstones have records of the early history of the Kwangsi clan.
The various designs reflect the trends of the old days, says Wong Kam
Leong, the Welfare and Burial Ground Committee chairman of the
association.
The Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Kwangsi Association was registered in
1927. The association was formed to take care of the immigrants from
Kwangsi province while helping them to get jobs.
Through the years, the direction and activities of the association
evolved and events are now organised to enable members to have
companionship, to network with one another and help those who are in
need.
The association’s Education Foundation set up in 1996 offers
interest-free loans for its members and their children.
Meanwhile, the youth wing has an outstanding dance troupe that
performs modern Chinese cultural dances around the world.
At the federation level, the Malaysia Kwangsi Association is one of
the permanent sponsors of the Tung Shin Hospital in Kuala Lumpur and
Chinese schools in the country.
The association is also represented on the board of the Chinese
Assembly Hall.
There are 37 Kwangsi Association branches all over the country.
Current total membership nationwide is 600,000. The Kwangsi people
make up 10% of the Chinese population in Malaysia and is the second
smallest of the seven Chinese dialect groups in the country.
Like Hakka women, the Kwangsi women did not have bound feet for in
China, they had to work in the fields alongside the menfolk. Like many
other cultures, the male child is treated better than the female.
The women are considered to belong to their husband’s family. However,
things are changing and the younger generation are treating children
of both sexes equally, says Alice Lee, deputy chairman of the women’s
section of the association.
“In fact, it was the men who suggested that the women’s section be set
up to look into the affairs of women,” says Lee.
The Kwangsi people are proud to boast about their food. Their yong tau
foo is somewhat different than the other dialect groups’ way of
preparation. The ingredients used in their yong tau foo include fish,
pork, vegetables and groundnuts. Chinese leek is put into the meat
just like the Vietnamese do. Another specialty is stewed meat. The
sauce used is also different.
The steamed chicken eaten during Chinese New Year is garnished with
ginger, garlic and small onions.
“The Kwangsi people were not as enterprising as other Chinese dialect
groups, that’s why it is difficult to find our type of food sold in
restaurants or coffeeshops,” says Lee.
Kwangsi food is sold in Pahang and Perak and is rarely found in other
states. In the Klang Valley, Kwangsi food can only be found at the
Taman Mayang Kwangsi food court.
The most common folklore related to the Kwangsi is the story of Liu
San Jie (Sister Liu San), a folk singer from Kwangsi who led farmers
with her singing in opposing oppressive landowners. The farmers who
worked on the farms often did not get enough to eat and were badly
exploited. The farmers ultimately won the fight.
In China, two Kwangsi generals saved the country from total invasion
by the Japanese during World War II. The Japanese had invaded most
parts of China and the southern states were among the last to be
conquered.
However, due to the wisdom of Generals Pak Choong Hee and Lee Choong
Yan, the Japanese could not penetrate Kwangsi.
Pak Kwai Yin, the granddaughter of the late General Pak, is currently
living in Ipoh, says Wong Choh Man, deputy president of the Malaysia
Kwangsi Association. “She was my chemistry teacher in Yoke Choy
Chinese school in Ipoh,” he says.
The socio-economic problems faced by the Kwangsi people now are
obviously related to land issues. The vegetable farmers in Bukit
Tinggi, for instance, face the problem of eviction because they do not
have permanent titles to their vegetable farms.
(Recently, the Pahang state government legalised ginger farming in
Bukit Tinggi by permitting the farmers to plant ginger on forest
reserve. )
During the Emergency, the government had relocated them in a “new
village” to contain the communist threat. They have lived there for
generations but they still could not get land titles, says Lee, a
lawyer. The Perting village is lacking in basic amenities.
Among the prominent Kwangsi public figures are former Health Minister
the late Tan Sri Chan Siang Sun; current Dewan Negara President Datuk
Michael Chen; former Member of Parliament for Ketari the late Datuk
Loke Koon Kum; Keadilan Youth vice-chief Low Chee Chong; Penang Wanita
Gerakan Chief and state assemblyman Ng Siew Lai and Datuk Poo Yow
Choy, the senator from Bentong.
In the coming by-election this Sunday, Barisan Nasional’s candidate
Yum Ah Ha and the Democratic Action Party’s Choong Siew Onn will
contest the Ketari state seat. Both are Kwangsi folks.
The winning candidates of the Ketari seat have always been Kwangsi
dialect speakers, whatever ticket they stood on and by whatever name
the constituency was known since 1958.
The Ketari seat, then called Benus, was won by a Kwangsi candidate,
Chow Tek Nu, on an MCA ticket in the country’s first general election
in 1958, according to China Press.
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Yap Yok Foo
29 March 2002
Wu Lien-teh, Penang-born doctor who fought plague
By FOONG THIM LENG
IPOH: Dr Wu Lien-teh was a distinguished scientist and
Cambridge-trained Chinese physician who fought the pneumonic plague in
Manchuria in 1910-11 which claimed 60,000 deaths and threatened China.
“The successful ending of this major plague epidemic covering a
distance of 3,200km from the north-western border of Siberia to
Peking, within a short period of four months, brought him
international fame and marked the beginning of almost 30 years of
devoted humanitarian service to China,” says his eldest daughter, Dr
Wu Yu-lin.
Yu-lin, who resides in Singapore, is the author of the book Memories
of Dr Wu Lien-teh – Plague Fighter.
Wu Lien-teh, whose father was a successful goldsmith in Penang, was
born on the island in 1879 and studied at the Penang Free School.
He won the only Queen’s Scholarship of 1896 and was the first Chinese
admitted to Cambridge University for medical studies.
After obtaining First Class Honours in Natural Sciences, he proceeded
to St Mary’s Hospital, London, and won virtually all the available
scholarships and prizes.
He did post-graduate studies under eminent scientists in Europe –
research in malaria at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine under
Ronald Ross, and in bacteriology, in Halle, Germany, under Karl
Fraenkel and at the Institute Pasteur in Paris under Ellie
Metchnikoff.
At 24, he completed his M.D. degree requirements two years ahead of
time.
On his return to the Straits Settlement in 1903, there were no posts
in the Colonial Medical Service for non-British specialists so he
joined the newly established Institute of Medical Research in Kuala
Lumpur for one year, researching into beri-beri, then a killer
disease.
He went into private practice in Penang from 1904 to 1907 and also
became actively involved in campaigns against opium addiction.
He founded and became the president and Physician-in-Chief of the
Penang Anti-Opium Association and organised the first ever Anti-Opium
Conference of the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States,
in Ipoh.
“His anti-opium campaign aroused considerable agitation amongst the
powerful forces involved in the highly lucrative opium trade,” says
Yu-lin.
“When warnings from these quarters went unheeded and promises of
bounteous ‘compensation’ were spurned, a search warrant was issued on
Dr Wu’s dispensary in Penang in 1907, followed by his prosecution for
illegal possession of a ‘deleterious drug’ – one ounce of tincture of
opium that he had purchased from a British lady practitioner three
years earlier, in case he needed it to treat opium patients.”
The Director of Public Prosecution claimed that it was a “test case”,
as Dr Wu technically required a licence to possess the one ounce of
opium, which he did not have.
Dr Wu was duly convicted and ordered to pay a fine of one hundred
dollars. The case attracted wide publicity abroad.
His appeal to the Supreme Court of Malaya was rejected.
Shortly after, he received two unexpected letters, one from London
inviting him to attend an Anti-Opium Conference at the Queen’s Hall
that same year, and the other from the then Grand Councillor Yuan
Shih-kai of the Chinese Government in Peking, offering him the post of
Vice-Director of the Imperial Army Medical College in Tientsin. He
accepted both invitations.
On Dec 19, 1910, Dr Wu was directed by the Foreign Office, Peking, to
travel to Harbin to investigate a mysterious disease that was killing
victims by the hundreds.
Little did he realise that his mission would assume such proportions
as the eradication of a terrifying continental pneumonic plague
epidemic extending from the far west and north of Manchuria, through
the capital itself to the provinces of Chihli and Shantung, and
finally reaching as far south as Nanking and Shanghai.
“Dr Wu acted virtually as Commander-in-Chief of the huge anti-plague
organisation and gave orders to doctors, police, military and civil
officials alike,’ said Yu-lin.
The most dramatic action taken was when he boldly asked for imperial
sanction to cremate more than 3,000 corpses that had been lying
unburied on the frozen ground. It proved to be the turning point of
the epidemic.
In 1912, the Manchuria Plague Prevention Service was established with
headquarters in Harbin, and it was on this foundation that Dr Wu began
to modernise China’s medical services and medical education.
He was instrumental in founding the Chinese Medical Association
(1915), establishing the Central Epidemic Bureau in Peking (1919), and
organising the National Quarantine Service.
He represented the Chinese Government at various international
conferences held in and outside China.
In 1930 he was appointed Chief Technical Expert of the Ministry of
Health to advised the government on important health matters.
He also embarked on work for the League of Nations and became a world
authority of plague.
In 1937, Japan overran much of China after occupying Manchuria in
1931. With the retreat of the nationalists, Dr Wu decided to return to
Penang. He was then 58.
That year, he set up medical practice in Ipoh and quickly adjusted to
living a new life in relative obscurity after a 30-year illustrious
career.
After the Second World War, he declined invitations to participate in
politics.
To encourage the young to share his love for reading, Dr Wu tirelessly
collected donations to start the Perak Library (now The Tun Razak
Library) in Ipoh, a free lending public library.
In his own medical practice at 12 Brewster Road (now Jalan Sultan
Idris Shah), long queues were a common sight, and he was known as the
doctor who gave free consultation and treatment to the poor.
He practised medicine until the age of 80, when he bought a new house
in Penang for his retirement.
He died on Jan 21, 1960, aged 81, barely one week after moving into
his new home.
The Times of London on Jan 27, 1960, wrote that “by his death, the
world of medicine has lost a heroic and almost legendary figure”.
A road named after Dr Wu can be found in Ipoh Garden South, a
middle-class residential area in Ipoh located between Hock Lee Park
and Ipoh Garden East. Along the road are two rows of double-storey
terrace and semi-detached houses. The Kinta City Shopping Centre is
located nearby.
Spelt by the City Council as Jalan Wu Lean Teh, it is one of the roads
motorists would pass while taking a detour to their homes, the
restaurants or the entertainment outlets in Ipoh Garden East and other
residential areas in the vicinity in order to avoid the traffic jam at
Jalan Tasek.
In Penang, a private road named Taman Wu Lien Teh is located near the
Penang Free School.
Dr Wu’s romanised name, Gnoh Lean Tuck, appears third on the Penang
Free School’s plaque in honour of Queen’s Scholars.
NOTE: If you wish to contact us, please write to Down History Lane,
The Star, 15 Jalan 16/11, 46350 Petaling Jaya (for the attention of Dr
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Yap Yok Foo
Sell-off of water utility inevitable to douse rising expenses
THE BLUE COLUMN ... By FOO EU JIN
PRIVATIZATION of the country’s water utility may be necessary amid
rising costs to treat and supply potable water, say analysts, but it
will likely involve a review of the existing tariff structure.
“Placing water management in private hands is inevitable given that
huge investment costs have caused some state water departments to post
operating deficits in excess of RM1 billion each year,” said an
analyst with a local brokerage.
The construction of a treatment plant and connecting pipes can cost
anywhere between RM100 million and RM500 million, and no company will
want to commit that kind of money if it is not allowed flexibility in
charging customers for the water.
But tariff increases are never viewed kindly by consumers.
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu had said on Tuesday that the
Government may have to privatize water management to reduce the
financial burden on state governments.
But he gave an assurance that water tariffs would always remain under
the Government’s purview, and said a report will soon be submitted to
the Cabinet.
In April last year, the water tariff for domestic users in Selangor
was increased to 57 sen per cu m from 42 sen for consumption of 20 cu
m or less.
It caused an outcry among consumers who claimed that the increase was
not justified on account of the poor quality of piped water.
The Government has meanwhile approved 62 major water projects
nationwide, including 47 dams, costing a total of RM51.9 billion, all
of which are to be completed by 2050.
The masterplan covers projects to build larger treatment plants and
facilities to transfer water from one state to another. New catchment
areas will also be identified.
It also represents a move by the Government to reform the water
sector, with the National Water Resources Council being tasked with
drafting a National Water Policy.
Large infrastructure project companies such as Puncak Niaga Bhd and
YTL Power International Bhd are likely to benefit from the
development, but negotiations can be expected to be tough.
Puncak Niaga’s recent experience shows how tough it can be. After
months of talks, pursued through its Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor,
the company failed to acquire the former Jabatan Bekalan Air Selangor
(JBAS).
The State Government eventually decided to corporatise JBAS, and is
now known as Perbadanan Urus Air Selangor Bhd or PUAS.
PUAS still owes Puncak Niaga close to RM500 million for the cost of
supplying water and the construction of water treatment plants.
Puncak Niaga is meanwhile in negotiation for the privatization of the
Negri Sembilan water authority.
So far, water authorities in Johor, Penang and Kelantan have been
privatized, and those in Selangor and Terengganu corporatised.