ECONOMY IN JEOPARDY

PENANG TEH TARIK FORUM
槟 城 拉 茶 讲 座



Topic:
ECONOMY IN JEOPARDY
Malaysia's New Political Landscape and its
Crisis in Governance

Talk in MANDARIN (华语), Q & A in Mandarin & English

课题:
马来西亚的政治新局
与当前的治理危机

SYNOPSIS:

ECONOMY IN JEOPARDY

Malaysia's New Political Landscape and its Crisis in Governance

The 12th General Election brought forth a new dawn in Malaysian politics; for the first time in history party rotation in government is seen at five state government level. At the Federal level; the Barisal Nasional (BN)-led government is now facing a strong opposition front; signaling the end of its absolute dominance in policy formulation. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has now taken over the reign of five state governments; facing acute challenges of improving on the governance of these states.

Would the setback BN faced in the 12th Election push it towards radical reform of both people and organization? What will change and what will not?

How would BN return to its former path of responsible governance? PK now faces integration at the state level and building consensus on the national agenda; is it realistic for the people to expect that there could be a real alternative?

How much time and how much longer can?

Malaysians wait for the political parties and the government to get its act together? In the meantime, the international conditions continue to pose severe challenges on the Malaysian economy. The policy bottlenecks and mismanagement have put the economy in jeopardy; severely undermined the competitiveness of the nation. Inflation, lack of new sources of economic growth and inefficiencies in the domestic system are pushing the pain index; for both business and citizen to record height.

With the new political dynamics, can Malaysia expect this crisis in governance be speedily resolved? What are the priorities to get the nation onto a path of sustained economic growth?

Speaker :
Ms Fung Jiu Ling
◆ Economics Degree,UM
◆ Partner of MegatrendsAsia
◆ A writer, columnist and speaker for world leading companies.
She specializes in global and Asian business trends

Date : 19th June 2008, Wednesday
Time : 8:00 pm
(Teh Tarik and snacks will be served at 7.30pm)
Venue: Venue : SLC Conference Room
2nd Floor, PGRM Headquarters at No. 139, Jalan Macalister, P. Pinang
Tel. : 04-229 4577 or 012-429 2377

OPEN TO PUBLIC 公开讲座

Penang Teh Tarik Forum is organised by PENANG GERAKAN TRAINING BUREAU and NATIONAL POLITICAL TRAINING BUREAU and supported by SATU ACADEMY,
Tel: 04 229 4577

Norway, Canada, Russia.........

One of the favourite topic for the Supreme Leader of Pakatan Rakyat is the price of petrol and diesel. Last night in Penang City Stadium , he said that Malaysia is the only net exporter country in the world with such a high petrol price(RM2.70 or USD0.84). What a great liar, he intentionally omitted many net exporting countries that have even higher petrol price than Malaysia.

Some of these countries are as followed:-
Norway - USD2.74/liter (use only 10% of their crude oil production); Canada is USD1.45/liter (export oil to US); Russia is USD1.049/liter(world no. 2 net oil exporter), U.K is USD2.26/liter (recently became net exporter), etc

Read for yourself the following profile:
a. Russia energy profile (World No. 2 net exporter)
b. Norway energy profile (World No 4 net exporter)
c. Canada energy profile (World No 16 net exporter)
d. Malaysia energy profile (World No 26 net exporter)

Norway is the world No. 4 net exporter of oil, with a population less than 5 million but the price of petrol is RM8.85. What happened to all the petrol dollars? Is Norway a corrupt country? Definitely, a BIG NO, as Norway is in the top ten of the least corrupt countries in the world.

So why is it so high in Norway? I think it will be beneficial for my blog readers to do some research to understand gasoline prices in relation to development economics policies.

Don't be fooled by Pakatan Rakyat politicians that make cheap statements or promises.

Recommended blog on world energy: http://ergobalance.blogspot.com

Top World Oil Net Exporters, 2006 (thousand barrels per day)
Rank	Country	Exports
1	Saudi Arabia	8,525
2	Russia	6,866
3	United Arab Emirates	2,564
4	Norway	2,551
5	Iran	2,462
6	Kuwait	2,340
7	Venezuela	2,183
8	Nigeria	2,131
9	Algeria	1,842
10	Mexico	1,710
11	Libya	1,530
12	Iraq	1,438
13	Angola	1,379
14	Kazakhstan	1,145
15	Qatar	1,032

P.S. I hate the petrol price increase, but I hate liar even more.

What is even more worst is that the Supreme Leader want Malaysian to sacrifice regional developments (to forgo the regional development corridors) for the reduction of petrol and diesel prices if Pakatan Rakyat takeover. Actually he received lukewarm response for that - either the audience don't understand him or prefer development)

Malaysian Malaysia

PENANG TEH TARIK FORUM
槟 城 拉 茶 讲 座

Topic:

"Creating A Malaysian Malaysia - The Role Of Mediation”

ENGLISH 英语

"如何使用调解方法促成
马来西亚人的马来西亚?"

Our Malaysian Nation was founded on the basis of Inter-ethnic Goodwill and Reconciliation. Many years down the road we seem to have forgotten this. How can we get all the races together again working for a single goal – the formation of a Malaysia for all Malaysians? How to bring back the spirit of give-and-take?

Speaker :
Mr. PHEE Boon Leng
Lawyer, Qualified Mediator with the Mediation Centre of the Malaysian Bar, Conducts Mediation Master courses in University of Malaya and
in the Legal and Judicial Services.

Date : 12th June 2008, Thursday, Time : 8:00 pm
(Teh Tarik and snacks will be served at 7.30pm)
Venue: SATU ACADEMY Training Room
2nd Floor, PGRM Headquarters at No. 139, Jalan Macalister, P. Pinang
Tel. : 04-229 4577 or 012-429 2377

OPEN TO PUBLIC 公开讲座

Penang Teh Tarik Forum is organised by PENANG GERAKAN TRAINING BUREAU and NATIONAL POLITICAL TRAINING BUREAU and supported by SATU ACADEMY,
Tel: 04 229 4577

Run With Hare, Hunt With Hound

For ages, there is a well known and wise proverb -Run With The Hare & Hunt With The Hound.

For those that choose to run with one party and hunt with another different party, they should read the above wise proverb.

It is best they leave Gerakan on their own accord, don't wait to be expelled. For them, I wish them well and have a parting song, a beautiful song by Amy Search - Tiada Lagi. Hope they enjoyed it.

Tiada Lagi

Kita jalin cinta
Bila hati selalu berbeda

Sampai kapan lagi

Aku harus menahan

Rasa kecewa di dalam dada

Seandainya kita masih bersatu
Tak mungkinkan menyatu

Walau masih ada sisa cinta

Biarkan saja berakhir sampai

Di sini

Tiada lagi yang ku harapkan
Tiada lagi yang ku impikan

Biar aku sendiri tanpa diri mu

Tiada lagi kata cintamu

Takkan lagi ku bersama mu

Biar ku simpan semua

Kenangan ku bersamamu

P.S. Sorry to inundate you with songs, I am temporarily in "Song" mode not "Political" mode. Visit my new blog at http://inspirationalsong.blogspot.com/

The River

My favourite song, Garth Brooks' The River. Hope you enjoy it.

THE RIVER LYRICS

You know a dream is like a river
Ever changin' as it flows
And a dreamer's just a vessel
That must follow where it goes
Trying to learn from what's behind you
And never knowing what's in store
Makes each day a constant battle
Just to stay between the shores...and

I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry

Too many times we stand aside
And let the waters slip away
'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow
Has now become today
So don't you sit upon the shoreline
And say you're satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids
And dare to dance the tide...yes

I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry

There's bound to be rough waters
And I know I'll take some falls
But with the good Lord as my captain
I can make it through them all...yes

I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry

Yes, I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
'Til the river runs dry

Nalla, Ezam & Chandra

K.S. Nallakarupan.

The ex-buddies of 30 years for the Pakatan Rakyat supreme leader.

"I went to jail for a year for him. I suffered for him and faced the death sentence for him. I suffered business losses for him and look at how I was treated," said Nalla.










Ezam Md Nor

The ex-right hand man of the Pakatan Rakyat supreme leader. He also went to jail for him.

Ezam seem so happy to be jailed for his ex-boss. I think he probably regret that now.






















Chandra Muzaffar

The ex-advisor and ex-thinktank for the Pakatan Rakyat supreme leader. He would most probably be willing to go to jail for him previously, now he wants nothing to do with him.

P.S. If your best friend, best worker and best teacher/advisor desert you, is the problem with you or with them?

Tips To Reduce Vehicle Petrol Consumption

• 
• Plan your journey to avoid unnecessary, wrong, duplicate or congested routes.
• Poor maintenance can lead to higher fuel consumption such as poor condition of the spark plugs. I have an old car and now use 2 sets of spark plugs, exchanging them after every 2 weeks, also cleaned the air filter at that time. For those that can afford it , service your car according to the manufacturers recommended schedule.
• Check tyre pressure every 2 weeks or earlier, follow the recommended tyre pressure, low tyre pressures increase vehicle dragging and increase fuel consumption. Correct tyre pressure save up to 10% fuel.
  
• Drive as smoothly as possible, if you use a manual transmission vehicles change to higher gear level as soon as engine speed and conditions allow. Maximize the 5th gear for better mileage.
  
• Drive at the optimum speed, fuel consumption increases significantly when driving at speeds over 100 km/hr. Driving at 45 km/hr will save 15% fuel against driving at 65 km/hr and 30% at 80 km/hr. The right speed is the optimum speed for that road not exceeding 110 km/hr.
• Keep your foot of the clutch to save fuel
  
• Reduce weight in the car by removing heavy items if you are not using them. My car boot was like a "warehouse", I removed some of the heavy items, the fuel consumption reduction was drastic
• Use only quality, clean fuels, use of contaminated fuels can result in fuel injection equipment deterioration and increased fuel consumption.
  
• Avoid travelling during peak hours, optimum fuel economy is achieved during steady constant speed driving. Stop-start driving significantly increases fuel consumption.
• Use air conditioning judiciously. When the air-con is in used the vehicle will burn at least 20% more fuel.
  
• Measure the fuel consumption of your vehicle and consider replacing your vehicle with a more modern, high technology, fuel efficient product or like me have to consider using the bicycle or motorbike(not superbike).
• Switch off your vehicle engine, if you have to wait for more than a minute, where practicable.
  
• Car pool if you can.
  

P.S. The rising crude oil cost is source of great concern to many of us. I hope this will help mitigate or help a tiny bit.

Source: Myself, Naamsa, PCRA

Jelutong Sea Promenade - A Wonderful Gift

The Jelutong Promenade is a wonderful gift from IJM Properties to people of Penang.

Visited the Jelutong Sea Promenade this evening. It was a beautiful place. Much more beautiful than Gurney Drive and with even more potential for further beautification.

Kids riding tricycles, bicycles or scooter; teenagers or adults flying or fighting kites, anglers relaxing while waiting for the bites; couples soaking in the atmosphere of the evening, friends immersed in their conversations; hundreds of migrant workers working in nearby factories gaily playing their own games or just lazing around, or like most visitors just taking a stroll along the promenade.

P.S. There is currently a need to manage the many motorbikes that should not be on the promenade, and eventually the control of hawkers, parking touts, activating the traffic lights, and the promenade general cleanliness.

To get to the Jelutong Sea Promenade go straight instead of turning right into Jelutong Expressway, if you enter through Jelutong main road and Sg. Pinang Road junction.

My two postings below are on the scuptures at this site.

Star Online, Saturday, 31 May 2008
Urban park by the sea
By CHRISTINA CHIN

THERE's a new recreational spot on the island's eastern coast Penangites can now heaad for the 3.6km pedestrian promenade by the Jelutong Expressway (JE) for their morning jogs, evening strolls or just to enjoy the scenic view.

Touted as Penang’s longest, the landscaped promenade which is now open to the public, runs parallel to part of the JE stretch from Jalan Sungai Pinang to Penang Bridge and is built on reclaimed land.

Designed as a seafront urban park at a cost of about RM7mil, the promenade at Bandar Sri Pi-nang overlooks the Butterworth port and Penang Bridge.
The 3.6km long promenade, which overlooks the Butterworth port and Penang Bridge.

The 10m wide promenade along Lebuh Sungai Pinang was constructed by Jelutong Development Sdn Bhd – a subsidiary of IJM Properties Sdn Bhd.

The promenade area features a central deck, pedestrian-cyclist pathway, shady trees, hibiscus shrubs and car park.

The promenade where Penangites can go for their morning jog and evening strolls.

At the central deck, the main attractions are the “Celebration of Our Blue Sky”, comprising four 25m high blue posts and another sculpture called the “Rhythm of Light”.

The promenade together with the sculptures were officially presented to the state government on Thursday.....

A Celebration Of Our Blue Sky

A CELEBRATION OF OUR BLUE SKY

There stand four tall posts...
but you see only two of them,
sometimes three and sometimes all fours...
depending on where you stand.

You come to see these posts...
which symbolize nature...
that is continuously changing.

The colour of the posts is blue symbolizing the sky ... true! ...
but watching the sky at sunset or,
at night you'll give up this cliche...
that the sky is always blue.

The blue in this work of mine symbolizes...
man's desire to return to nature.

This sculpture is created by the
renowned Artist NAKAYAMA Hitori
on 25th January 2008

'If you find difficulty in accepting a work of art, it is this particular piece that serves to open your mind."

P.S. I always prefer traditional sculptures and tend to dislike modern/contemporary sculptures, can't really appreciate those sculptures or designs such as the "nutmeg" at Pesara King Edward roundabout and the new "Wave of Prosperity" design at Gurney drive roundabout. Now, I realized that to appreciate a sculpture you need to understand what it symbolize or the message it want to convey.

My poor pix do not do justice to the actual sculpture.

The Rhythm of Life

THE RHYTHM OF LIFE

The musical note reflects rhythm;
When the rhythm of a song is right...
all things fall in place.
it is easy on the ear as it is harmonious.

When it is a happy song, the feeling is happy and pleasant.

This sculpture interprets life as a beautiful rhythm.
The sculpture - a simple note rising high...
with bright vibrant colours.
reflects the basic element of a life synchronized.

Like the vibrantly coloured musical note elevated high,
when life is in sync - it is easy and happy.

In short, it strives to echo the age old truth...
that when you have the rhythm of life...
life is easy, happy and often colourful.

This sculpture is created by our
renowned local Artist HENG Eow Lin
on 25th January 2008