Book review: Asian Godfathers: Money and Power in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia by Joe Studwell

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The histories of Asia’s business “godfathers,??? traced through the growth of their enterprises and elucidated with interviews with themand their close associates, make for a thought-provoking read. Mr. Studwell excels at providing an insightful description of theconduct of power and its effect on economic and enterprise development in the region. However, important new political, economicand … Read more

Ringgit expected to rally; Political uncertainty bolsters the currency in face of inflation

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Ringgit expected to rally; Political uncertainty bolsters the currency in face of inflationBy DAVID ROMAN, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIAMay 29, 2008 SINGAPORE — Political uncertainty isn’t usually good for a currency, but it’s helping the ringgit since Malaysia has few alternatives to using the ringgit to curb inflation. So as inflation pressures mount, the … Read more

Umno’s jumbo missteps

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Umno’s jumbo misstepsBy Singapore Straits Times senior writer Cheong Suk-Wai SINGAPORE, May 29 – Malays are fond of likening the powerful to elephants, in proverbs such as “gajah sama gajah berjuang, pelanduk mati di engah-tengah” – when elephants joust, the mousedeer caught in the middle die. The United Malays National Organisation (Umno) remains for now … Read more

Truth sought on Project IC

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Truth sought on Project IC By The Star Thursday May 29, 2008   KOTA KINABALU: In just six years from 2002, Sabah’s population grew a whopping 12% and a Parliamentary Select Committee on illegal immigrants is no substitute for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to address this issue, said Upko’s secretary-general Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau. … Read more

Mercy prepares 180 physicians for service in Irrawaddy Delta

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Mercy prepares 180 physicians for service in Irrawaddy Delta By LOH FOON FONG, The Star Thursday May 29, 2008   KUALA LUMPUR: Mercy Malaysia has trained 180 doctors from the Myanmar Medical Association in Yangon for deployment in the Irrawaddy Delta. Mercy president Datuk Dr Jemilah Mahmood   Mercy president Datuk Dr Jemilah Mahmood said … Read more

Of Dilbert and bulldogs

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Of Dilbert and bulldogsBy AZMI SHAROM, Columnist at The Star Thursday May 29, 2008 All the players in the legal profession must work together to come up with a well thought-out and reasoned solution to ensure our lawyers are of the best possible quality. THERE is a Dilbert cartoon in which the pointy-haired boss accuses … Read more

Plugging leaks in fuel subsidies

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Plugging leaks in fuel subsidies By S JAYASANKARAN KL CORRESPONDENT Business TimesMay 05, 2008 KL can take steps to beef up revenue, stop leakages to rich KUALA Lumpur is between a rock and a hard place. Last year, when global oil prices averaged around US$70 a barrel, the government spent almost RM$53 billion (S$22.8 billion) … Read more

The perils of assimilationist politics

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The plight of the Malay-Muslims in southern Thailand is no different from the appeal of non-Malay and non-Muslim minorities in Malaysia and Indonesia: “Listen to us, respect us, recognise our culture, language and identity. And then we will be citizens like any other.” Farish Noor reports for Aliran from southern Thailand.  Author 1 Farish Noor.  … Read more