Differing views on price policies By The New Straits TimesJune 5, 2008 MALACCA: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam has described the fuel price increase and subsidy scheme as appropriate policy to ensure that the subsidy goes to the needy, reports Jason Gerald. “Although those who do not deserve the subsidy would have to … Read more
Idris: There’s no global fuel shortageBy WONG SAI WAN, The StarThursday June 5, 2008 ISTANBUL: There is no shortage of oil in the world and its present price level was driven up by unreal speculation, said Malaysia Airlines managing director and chief executive Datuk Seri Idris Jala. He said the present oil price … Read more
Editorial: Slashing subsidiesBy The New Straits TimesJune 5, 2008 SUBSIDIES are unsustainable, which is why we should do away with them, say economists. While there are economic imperatives for passing on the increase in prices to consumers for social and political reasons, it’s never easy for policy makers to remove subsidies. Subsidising basic necessities to … Read more
Short-term pain, long-term gain: Economists By The Borneo Post, quoting BERNAMAJune 5, 2008 KUALA LUMPUR: Economists have described the government’s decision to increase fuel prices as good for the nation’s economy in the long-term. “It’s a short-term pain, but a long-term gain, in terms of better economic stability and reducing the imbalances,??? said RAM Consultancy … Read more
Foreign car fuel ban offBy The StarThursday June 5, 2008 PUTRAJAYA: The ban on foreign-registered cars to buy petrol and diesel at border states has been lifted following the fuel price increase. Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said it was no longer necessary to bar foreign vehicles from going to … Read more
The latest results from the governorial elections in the provinces of West Java and North Sumatra, Indonesia, would suggest that a sea-change of sorts is taking place in Indonesia. Shortly after the shock election results following the general election in Malaysia earlier this year, the governorial elections of Indonesia has led to the victory of … Read more
It is puzzling for some why Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who won a landslide general election in 2004, is calling a snap election on March 8 this year, a whole year ahead of the mandatory five years. Much of the reasoning revolves around two factors; the economy and Anwar Ibrahim. Publication: Opinion Asia, 15 … Read more
By proposing the Crawford summit during the APEC meetings in Sydney, Bush responded adroitly to the nervous chatter. A summit at his personal residence, although not as grand a backdrop as the White House, is an unmistakable display of support for the region. Publication: Opinion Asia, 20 Sep 2007. Author: Sim, Edmund. Download
Indeed, terrorism and insurgency were much more acute problems in nearly all the Southeast Asian countries from the 1940s to 1980s. Similarly, religious consciousness and identity began to rise in Southeast Asia from the 1970s. While it is more visually pronounced among the Muslims, it is also evident among followers of other faiths, especially Christianity … Read more
Anyone observing the national unity scene in Malaysia would have noted the signs of decline for quite some time now. Views differ over when the slide began in earnest. I, like quite a few others, would put it in the Seventies, when issues of race and identity became sharpened after a spell when they moderated … Read more