Categories
Economics Environment Kitchen sink Liberty

[983] Of let us be honest

Let’s be honest to ourselves this once.

You can’t expect more subsidy and expect taxes not to go up.

You can’t expect the government to give you everything and not expect taxes to go up. You can’t both have your cake and eat it too. Well, George Carlin might disagree but he’s a comedian.

C’mon.

You really want to satisfy your conscience by helping the poor by using somebody else’s money.

And c’mon.

You are more interested in jealousy rather than wealth inequality.

Let’s be honest.

You can’t expect others to grant you justice when you commit injustice to others.

You can’t expect to conserve your liberty if you would violate others’ liberty, every single chance you had.

Honestly, freedom is a two-way street.

You can’t expect a person to respect you when you disrespect others. Respect is reciprocal.

You really can’t expect people to trust you when you lied to them. Trust is reciprocal.

Let’s be honest. Let’s be true to ourselves this once.

You can’t prove that a supreme being exists. Or do not exist for that matter. You may believe or disbelieve in but but knowing and believing are two very different verbs. For all we know, theists and atheists are fighting over something that both of them can’t prove.

What does honesty mean to you?

How is it that your religion claims to monopolize everything that is good in this world but seems to produces only hate?

Let’s be honest. Goodness is larger than religion.

Be honest.

Could you advocate racism but in the same breathe, talk of unity across communal groups? How honest could you answer that question?

Be honest.

Do you call a person as racists but unwittingly realize that you’re a racist too?

Be frank.

Do you sway freely with populism or do you stand firm with your priciples? Have a backbone for once. Please.

Be true to yourself. In your little heart, answer this.

Do you really think you could consume everything today and still expect there’s something left for tomorrow?

And let be honest this one time.

As far as this entry is concerned, honesty is a cliché.

Categories
Activism Economics

[982] Of Malaysia-US FTA talk with US Ambassador

I got this from a friend. And sharing is good. Well, not always.

Dinner Talk: “US-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) – What’s in it for Malaysia”

The President of the MIT Club of Malaysia, Dr Christopher Shun and the Executive Committee wishes to invite you to reserve your seat(s).

Speaker: HE Christopher J LaFleur, US Ambassador

Day / Date: Friday, 15 December 2006

Venue: Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel

Function Room 7 & 8, New World Lower Ground Floor, Jalan Ampang, 50450 K.L.

Other details:

7.30 p.m.: Pre-dinner drinks

8.15 p.m.: Dinner begins

9.15 p.m.: Talk by HE Christopher J LaFleur

9.45 p.m.: Q & A session

10.30 p.m.: Presentation of gift of appreciation by the President of MIT Club.

Dress code: Formal (Lounge suit for men)

Cost: RM150 per person

Payment must be made in full by Monday, 4 December 2006 for your reservation to be confirmed. Admittance is strictly by payment confirmation. No cards issued; there will be a seating plan.

Cheques payable to ”MIT Club of Malaysia”. Please mail cheques to Ms May Lim, Signium World Executive Search Sdn Bhd, Pusat Dagangan Phileo Damansara II, 306 Block A, Jalan 16/11, 46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Payment can also be made directly into Maybank Current A/C No. 514196 214125, and receipt faxed to the fax no. below.

Details/Reservations: Debbie (T 03-79575882 / 79521388, F 03-7952 1399, E admin@signiumasia.com).

Thank you for your interest and kind support.

Executive Committee

MIT CLUB OF MALAYSIA

I’m thinking of going, if my trip to Cameron Highlands is canceled. Anybody interested in tagging along with me?

Categories
Economics Politics & government

[981] Of Anwar Ibrahim calls for more subsidy

Anwar Ibrahim calls for a reduction of retail prices of gasoline. I’d imagine such call would introduce greater subsidy to already heavily subsidized prices in Malaysia:

Kerajaan sepatutnya merendahkan harga runcit petrol di Malaysia berikutan penurunan harga minyak mentah sedunia, keuntungan Petronas yang meningkat dan kadar inflasi yang tinggi.

It roughly translates to:

With respect to global price drop of crude oil, rising profitability of Petronas and high inflation rate, the government should lower the retail price of gasoline in Malaysia.

There goes half of the support I had for him.

Categories
Economics

[978] Of Golden Sime Guthrie

One word: whoa!

Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) — Malaysia’s government may combine Sime Darby Bhd., Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd. and Golden Hope Plantations Bhd. into the world’s top palm-oil producer, analysts said after the companies received notice of an approach.

But if it had involved real private entities, it would’ve been this: WHOA!

Categories
Economics

[977] Of the Malaysian economy in 2007

How would the Malaysian economy perform in 2007?

It would most likely depend on several major issues.

First, in no particular order, is the spur of government spending due to the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

Second, the Visit Malaysia Year.

Third, a slowdown of demand for electronics.

I can’t think of a fourth factor but I’d be grateful for reasonable suggestions.

Here, I’d like to make a connection between government spending and the reduction in demand for electronics good.

The Malaysian government spending, which includes the second Penang bridge, a number of highways as well as a new city nearby Port Tanjung Pelepas, should provide students of economics some interesting natural experiment. Why?

It will test the Mundell-Fleming model.

According to the model, an increase in government spending has a negative effect on the net export component of the GDP. Let me explain.

A government spending increase will temporarily increase the GDP. This makes sense because government expenditure is one of the four components of GDP and as such, it directly affects the GDP. That increase however will cause the local interest rate to go above the world interest rate. Higher local interest rate vis-a-vis global interest rate will cause capital to flow into the local economy. That inflow will make the local currency, the Malaysian Ringgit in this case, to appreciate. Such appreciation will encourage import and discourage export. In other word, net export should see a reduction once the economy reaches some sort of equilibrium.

Earlier this week, the New Straits Times talk about the possibility of a bull run. In its reports, several analysts predict that the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange would hit 1,300 in 2007:

The KL Composite Index is expected to hit 1,300 points next year — a high last reached in 1994. Analysts say the stock market can sustain its rally on the back of a positive economic outlook, implementation of the 9MP projects and a stable interest rate…

What do I think of that?

I haven’t made up my mind yet but I’m more interested to see how the Malaysian net export component would behave in 2007 and 2008. According to Mundell-Fleming and keeping in mind that there’s a demand slowdown for electronics — Malaysia is a big export of electronics — we are set to see a reduction in Malaysian trade balance. Ceteris paribus, of course.

p/s – somebody pointed out to me that instead of just testing Mundell-Fleming, it would also test a variety of other things. True. But here, I’m interested in this particular subject.