You cannot possibly get the lyrics to totally be in sync with what Malaysia just went through. There are enough parts in these songs for us to sing with gusto.
Tag: Malaysia election results
Singapore My Friend
Singapore, you are our sibling. By proximity, by the number of Malaysians working there, by the number of brain drain cases, and many of us have relatives living in each other’s country. We thought that maybe you would be happy for us now that we have changed government, but there are things said and done that maybe you wanted a weak Malaysia to deal with. That you may continue to siphon the brains and resources.
The Straits Times interview: Just come out and be clean.
https://www.malaymail.com/s/1637629/the-edge-keeps-up-war-with-singapore-paper-over-justo-interview?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan today (June 1) openly threatened Malaysia vowing to make Malaysia pay for expenses in addition to the contracted compensation clause of US$125 million:
“Should Malaysia cancel the project, Singapore will study the implications and exercise its rights – including any right to compensation for expenses – in accordance with the terms of a bilateral agreement signed in 2016.”
Wh can’t you be happy for us? I am reminded that most of the pronouncements and reforms undertaken by the new government ARE EXACTLY the things many Singaporeans are craving for Singapore. Are you afraid that the new lease of people power and democracy in Malaysia will cause more Singaporeans to “demand for the same”?
Pragmatism is fine. But above pragmatism are fairness, justice and human rights. Why be so vigilant with the HSR cancellation? Singapore would immediately win a lot of goodwill just by scraping any penalty on that case. Its such a small amount but it pays strong long term dividends for both countries. Its an acknowledgment that the contract was undertaken by questionable motives by the previous government. Its not like we want to cancel HSR to spite Singapore. Just roll with it. Its a small price to Singapore.
Ideas For Harapan Fund
When I heard the formation of Harapan Fund, I thought it must be a joke. It would take a lot from Malaysians to even get to RM1bn, and we are talking of RM1,000bn here. After mulling for a while, I think its a splendid idea:
a) we need to stop any other fake funds from duping the public for the same cause
b) no matter how little each of us contribute, we need to feel we have the same vision and hope to “right” the government finances
c) if we say, my one contribution will not matter… thats the same as saying my one vote won’t matter … it is our every “one vote” that carried democracy and brought about a change in government in spite of outrageous gerrymandering and other obstacles stacked against us
d) we are reminded of the great outpouring of support by the South Koreans during their financial crisis… they netted over US$2bn… its not the sum, its the solidarity
There was a cunning snippet suggesting that each TanSri contribute RM10m, and each Datuk RM1m each. I would go further and suggest that all official billionaires in Malaysia contribute RM100m.
We can make this a joyful task. Some F&B outlet has started already. Do a promotion… if you eat at XYZ, the outlet will contribute RM1 for each patron to the fund. Malindo has started a similar scheme for 3 months, RM1 for every passenger.
Marathons and half marathons should be sponsored for the Harapan Fund cause. When we have dinners/reunions/birthdays, do a special round of fund raising for Harapan Fund.
I am thinking of roping a few to shave our heads bald. If each person can get 100 sponsors RM10-100, its a fun way to raise funds.
Let’s all try and make this a merry, muhibbah event.
Should We Buy "Tainted" Counters
There’s basically no better way to describe these counters. Tainted might be least offensive word. To all investors, again many will go back to the crudest, simplest form of decision making – anchor and adjust. We anchor on what we know, and adjust for new information.
Hence something that was 3.60 before the election and now stands at 1.60 looks mighty tempting. But we also know the new paradigm will also means that to get back to the 3.60 is almost inconceivable.
Glory to the risk takers. These counters will have a lot of volatility, downs and rebounds. Rumours and newsflow will be flying like fake news in a thunderstorm of hope and lies. Day traders and prop traders will love these counters, hence beware of getting caught by them.
What Might Happen To Them
– These counters while tainted, are not like BN appointees whom you can just fire. If they are found to be in cohorts with previous government in doing “illegal activities” such as: collusion, bid rigging, over pricing, rebates, unjustified commissions, bribery, circumventing laws or approval processes, cosy monopolies, highly preferential awardment of contracts, etc. Hence construction firms, if hit, will be gravely affected owing to the large sized contracts and.or dependence on certain personalities/unit. The trouble with construction firms is that there is little in ways of differentiation. Most can do most type of construction. Unless you have specific expertise (deep tunneling etc..).. the more you will be at the mercy of the new paradigm.
– There are some counters that have a decent business model going. Even if they were tainted, the business might still be good. To that end, there will be no need to reinvent the wheel, but if the owners are not deemed as “suitable owners” going forward, one sense that these counters may be “persuaded” to sell to a GLC. However, let’s not kid ourselves, the price won’t be fair or high.
Conclusion
I will stay away from tainted counters till there is a firm hint of change in ownership. Otherwise if you must, treat them as quick punts… and be good at trading.
Malaysia’s Debt – Deconstructed
Nobody is spooking anyone by revealing the level of debt the country is facing. Before we can properly address the debt, we have to be honest and come clean. No point pussyfooting here. Some said that that jolted the markets. While the stock market is an important aspect for a open trading country like Malaysia, volatility in the market cannot be minimised at the expense of the greater good. I believe most Malaysians would not mind suffering over the short term as long as the good of the country is being prioritised.
There are rules in placed where federal government’s debt-to-GDP ratio should be lower than the 55% self-imposed debt limit. If the previous government deliberately misled or went over that limit, as it appears to be so, there should be “censures” and a deliberation on possible legal consequences for the mismanagement and misinformation.
(the key is to look at the colour representing each country)
To date, MOF (Inc.) holds direct majority shareholding in 66 companies as below:
| MOF (Inc.) Majority Shareholding Companies | |
|---|---|
| # | Company |
| MAJORITY | |
| 1. | 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) |
| 2. | Amanah Raya Berhad (ARB) |
| 3. | Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB) |
| 4. | Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad |
| 5. | Bank Pertanian Malaysia (Agrobank) |
| 6. | Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd |
| 7. | Cyberview Sdn Bhd |
| 8. | Export-Import Bank of Malaysia Berhad (EXIM Bank) |
| 9. | FELCRA Berhad |
| 10. | Halal Industry Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (HDC) |
| 11. | IJN Holdings Sdn Bhd |
| 12. | Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd (IWK) |
| 13. | Inno Bio Ventures Sdn Bhd (IBV) |
| 14. | Institut Terjemahan dan Buku Malaysia Bhd (ITBM) |
| 15. | Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd (JKSB) |
| 16. | JKP Sdn Bhd |
| 17. | Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) |
| 18. | Khazanah Nasional Berhad |
| 19. | Kumpulan Modal Perdana Sdn Bhd (KMP) |
| 20. | Malaysia Debt Ventures Berhad (MDV) |
| 21. | Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation Sdn Bhd (MDeC) |
| 22. | Malaysia Kuwaiti Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd (MKIC) |
| 23. | Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd |
| 24. | Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation Sdn Bhd |
| 25. | Malaysian Venture Capital Management Bhd (MAVCAP) |
| 26. | Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT) |
| 27. | MIMOS Berhad |
| 28. | MyCreative Ventures Sdn. Bhd. |
| 29. | MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd |
| 30. | Pembinaan BLT Sdn Bhd (PBLT) |
| 31. | Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB) |
| 32. | Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PNS) |
| 33. | Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) |
| 34. | Prasarana Malaysia Berhad |
| 35. | Prokhas Sdn Bhd |
| 36. | Rangkaian Hotel Seri Malaysia Sdn Bhd |
| 37. | Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd |
| 38. | Sepang International Circuit Sdn Bhd (SIC) |
| 39. | SIRIM Berhad |
| 40. | Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Berhad (SME Bank) |
| 41. | SRC International Sdn Bhd |
| 42. | Suria Strategic Energy Resources Sdn Bhd |
| 43. | Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd (SPNB) |
| 44. | Technology Park Malaysia Corporation Sdn Bhd (TPM) |
| 45. | UDA Holdings Bhd |
| MAJORITI – SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLE (SPV) | |
| 46. | 1Malaysia Sukuk Global Berhad |
| 47. | AES Solutions Sdn Bhd |
| 48. | Aset Tanah Nasional Bhd |
| 49. | Assets Global Network Sdn Bhd |
| 50. | DanaInfra Nasional Berhad |
| 51. | East Coast Rail Link Sdn Bhd |
| 52. | GovCo Holdings Berhad |
| 53. | K.L. International Airport Bhd (KLIAB) |
| 54. | Malaysia Development Holding Sdn Bhd |
| 55. | Malaysian Sovereign Sukuk Sdn Bhd |
| 56. | Pembinaan PFI Sdn Bhd |
| 57. | Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Berhad |
| 58. | Perwaja Terengganu Sdn Bhd |
| 59. | Piramid Pertama Sdn Bhd |
| 60. | Pyrotechnical Managers Holding Sdn Bhd |
| 61. | SDE Solutions Sdn Bhd |
| 62. | Syarikat Jaminan Kredit Perumahan Berhad |
| 63. | Syarikat Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan Berhad |
| 64. | Syarikat Tanah & Harta Sdn Bhd |
| 65. | Turus Pesawat Sdn Bhd |
| 66. | Wakala Global Sukuk Berhad |
Subsidiaries owned by MOF (Inc.) companies such as Khazanah and PETRONAS are also considered MOF (Inc.) companies through indirect ownership.
Diary Of An Election – Malaysia Boleh?
Malaysia Boleh?
I will be honest here. I used to cringe .. a lot… whenever I hear shouts of “Malaysia Boleh”… anywhere, even at sporting events. I mean, its actually a meek war cry .. imagine soldiers shouting that while charging the enemy. Doesn’t quite cut it.
That is until 9 May 2018. Don’t even need to shout it because in our hearts of hearts, those two words were emblazoned and burned into our memory and conscience forever.
Malaysia Boleh – we not only did something for our country, we are actually the shining light of democracy to the world now. No other nation can say they have a change in government, without bloodshed or riots.
Even in the eye of blatant bias all along the voting process, negative bias treatment of candidacy and opposition parties, excessive gerrymandering, hastily enacted rules and laws to frustrate all on the opposing side …
Despite.., in spite of …, Malaysia changed the government by muscling democracy to more than just bare popular vote threshold. With odds so stacked against us, we not just prevailed… we faced it hard, looked them in the eyes, doubled down, and …we did not just win, WE TRIUMPHED. Malaysia Boleh… oh yes, we can, and we did.
Like another writer said, now we are a beacon for democracy for the rest of the world to follow. Malaysia, a population of less than 30m…, showed the world you can achieve proper democracy with non-violence, if you want it hard enough, and you need to unite in ONE VOICE.
THE DIARY
It’s been an exhausting yet exhilarating 12 hours. My thumb has never had such a workout. I felt like I was holding Beyoncé’s and Taylor Swift’s handphone. The number of messages might indicate that I was in running for the most popular person on earth.
What was most exhausting was trying to ensure the messages were roughly true. Even more exhausting was trying to pacify friends who were losing heart. It was all so busy, I forgot to eat.
Then half an hour ago, a close cousin asked via WeChat about the progress. As I changed tack to type a personal response, tears flowed freely as I typed “my country has changed government”. I don’t know why, maybe I do. I am sure many of you do too. This is not like winning Thomas Cup joy .. this was a struggle by so many for our country for so long.
I cannot thank the legions of opposition leaders and members enough who had to endure so much for so long. The general public just stood under the umbrella they provided. The umbrella of justice and fairness, they had a voice for us as we went along our lives. Hidup Malaysia!
thestarmalaysia.news.blog 