Most working women today place more emphasis on their family lives
once they have children, according to a survey conducted by
JobStreet.com. About 64% expect their career goals to change after having children. When asked what their career priority would be if it changes, over 61% cite more flexible working hours as their top priority.
Another 16% want shorter and fixed working hours while 7% want less
traveling. The remaining 15% list a higher salary as a goal.
According to the rest of the survey, Malaysian women are going back to time honored, homemaker values. About 44% plan to stop working after having children.The
most popular options are working part time, flexible hours or
freelance, and taking a break from the workforce before resuming again
later. When asked for the ideal duration if they were to stop working,
38% said less than one year is sufficient. Based on the survey results,
Malaysian mothers’ employment trend is expected to shift in the future
towards more flexible jobs.
But of the married women with children polled, over 80% did not quit
their jobs after having kids. Almost half of the respondents cite not
being able to afford to stop working while only 20% cite continuing
career climb as the reason to continue working. This shows a conflict
between what mothers aspire for and what they can actually have.
When it comes to their employers, there is also a gap between what
employers provide and what women want. 51% felt that their employers is
not sensitive to working mothers’ needs and 74% noted that their
employers do not provide flexible or part time working hours option.
Finally, 66% of the women polled think their company should provide
childcare facilities.
About 550 women participated in the survey, of which 42% are single
and 41% are married with children. Of this, 76% are between 18 and 35.
The survey was carried out in April 2011 to seek the view of women on
work after motherhood
Monday, December 5, 2011
Thursday, July 29, 2010
SHAME SHAME SHAME!!!
Former transport minister and MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik has been charged in connection with the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal. The 67-year-old medical doctor-turned-politician appeared calm when swarmed by press photographers. Ling, clad in a striped shirt, was accompanied by his wife Ena and two sons. He pleaded not guilty to two charges under Section 417 and 418 of the Penal Code for cheating. If found guilty, Ling could face a jail term. Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussin then set bail at RM1 million and mention was fixed for Sept 3. Ling, who requested time to post bail, was released on a personal bond. He will pay the amount at the Sessions Court tomorrow. Asked if he was confident in fighting the case, he replied, "In the Palace of Justice you must feel confident." (WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH!!). Ling, a long-time cabinet minister, was also a close associate of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad. What a joke!!! Utter nonsense and they expect us to believe that these bunch of guys running the government are angels too?? Such a shame on what happening..Best part of the joke is, nothing is published in the mainstream newspapers. But from what I read in The Star today was it was busy filling up pages with articles condemning the opposition parties.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Politics that ruins everything!!!
t seems that ‘reform season’ has arrived in Malaysia, and Malaysians are now being treated to the spectacle of both the ruling party UMNO and the opposition parties of the Pakatan Rakyat racing in the rush to reform themselves. Perhaps the only good thing to come out of this is the awareness and recognition of the fact that both the ruling parties of the Federal government and the opposition parties that control the state governments of four states have to reform themselves to meet the demands of the Malaysian public. For the first time in decades, the political parties seem to have finally realised that power ultimately rests with the people, and not politicians.
However one also needs to look at the reforms that are being attempted, and ask the question of how far they can go and what they are intended to achieve. Malaysians have become somewhat jaded by the spectacle of cosmetic reforms by now, and able to tell the difference between sweet rhetoric of no substance and the real thing.
For this the Malaysian public has to be thankful to the former leader of the country, former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi: Badawi’s election in 2004 rode on the crest of a host of reform proposals that sounded almost too good to be true. (And indeed, they were too good to be true.)
Badawi promised to serve as the ‘Prime Minister of all Malaysians’, and claimed that ‘no Malaysian was more Malaysian than another’. He preached the values of transparency, moderation, progressive Islam, moderate politics, multiculturalism and pluralism like there was no tomorrow; and indeed most of these promises never came true in the end. Instead what the Malaysian public saw during his tenureship was the rise of even more race and religion-based communitarian politics, more inter-communal distrust, more instances of religious intolerance, and the sordid spectacle of members of his own parties waving daggers in public while preaching the cause of an exclusive ethno-nationalism that rendered his own promises of a multicultural plural Malaysia hollow.
Fast-forward to the present and look at the state of Malaysian politics today, where ethno-nationalist protesters can march in the streets with a cow’s head, where the self-appointed moral guardians and morality police of the country continue to enter the private premises of citizens to snoop on their personal life-styles. The headlines are filled with lurid tales of bizarre happenings like prayer-mats that stand up and pray by themselves, bomohs (witchdoctors) casting spells on girls, sex-tapes of politicians and the like. All of this has betrayed the reality that the slogan of a happy harmonious modern progressive Malaysia is mere bunkum and hype.
So the question remains: Can the leadership of all the political parties in the country get their act together and provide some semblance of moderate, mature, adult leadership for once? Or will the Malaysian electorate be lulled yet again by promises of a bright new future that will never come? And are the politicians of Malaysia - both in government and in the opposition - going to demonstrate that they have the spine that is required to transcend the vulgar mode of populist politics that has got the country into the present impasse it is in?
Politicians of any country need to realise that they will ultimately be held accountable for all that happens during their tenure in office, and that history will judge them not only by what they did but also by what they failed to do.
In ethics there exists the concept of ‘negative responsibility’ whereby an individual can be held responsible for not doing the right thing when he or she ought to have done so: It is akin to me witnessing a blind man crossing a road and a car coming headlong to ram into him. If I choose to remain silent and allow the blind man to cross, then I am negatively responsible for not warning him in time. His death is still my responsibility, even though I did not drive the car that killed him.
In politics the same conditions apply, particularly for those politicians who had the power to stop the slide towards a more bigoted, racist, violent and oppositional politics. No, Badawi did not raise the dagger and no, he did not endorse the use of communitarian ethno-nationalist discourse by the members of his own party. But he could - and should - have stopped them from doing so, and he should have made it clear that such juvenile pyrotechnics was not only detrimental to the image of his party but even more so to Malaysia as a whole. By failing to act, he was and is partly responsible for the mess that the country is in now.
The same applies to all the politicians in Malaysia today, be they of the ruling coalition or the opposition coalition; as it applies to all politicians worldwide of any party and any government. Sooner or later, all politicians need to understand that with their perks and status comes the responsibility to act to prevent the mainstream of politics from falling into the hands of extreme demagogues and communitarians. Failure to do so will mean that this generation of politicians will likewise be negatively responsible for the country’s slide towards chaotic politics, and historians like myself will be there to remind them of their failings even if they choose to forget them.
Some things just don't change!!
MALAYSIA'S proud experiment in constructing a multiracial society exploded in the streets of Kuala Lumpur last week. Malay mobs, wearing white headbands signifying an alliance with death, and brandishing swords and daggers, surged into Chinese areas in the capital, burning, looting and killing. In retaliation, Chinese, sometimes aided by Indians, armed themselves with pistols and shotguns and struck at Malay kampongs (villages). Huge pillars of smoke rose skyward as houses, shops and autos burned.
Firemen drew sniper fire as they attempted to douse the flames, and outnumbered police watched helplessly at times as the street gangs rampaged. One man, trying to escape from his burning car, was thrown back into it by a howling mob, and died. By the time the four days of race war and civil strife had run their course, the General Hospital's morgue was so crowded that bodies were put into plastic bags and hung on ceiling hooks. Government officials, attempting to play down the extent of the disaster, insisted that the death toll was only 104. Western diplomatic sources put the toll closer to 600, with most of the victims Chinese.
No Longer Satisfied. From its inception, Malaysia has been haunted by racial divisions. By tacit agreement, the Federation's 4,300,000 Malays under Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman wielded political power. Economic power was largely in the hands of Malaysia's 3,400,000 Chinese. There are also the 1,000,000 Indians and Pakistanis who make up the third major ethnic group. What made it all work was the Tunku's Alliance coalition, in which Malay, Chinese and Indian parties participated. But for some time the Chinese and Indians had feared that eventually they would be pushed out as laws favoring Malays for schools and jobs bore fruit.
The trouble began two weeks ago, when newly formed Chinese opposition parties cut heavily into the Alliance's majority in parliamentary elections. It became suddenly apparent that many Chinese were no longer satisfied with just economic hegemony, but wanted a protective share of the political power as well. Nothing was more surely calculated to frighten the Malays, in particular the Malay "ultras" (right-wingers), who have long preached the doctrine of Malaysia for the Malays. Alarmed, the ultras began to discuss ways of retaining control. At a Malay post-election meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Chinese onlookers began to taunt those in attendance. Infuriated, the Malays attacked. At least eight Chinese were killed and within 45 minutes fast-spreading riots forced the Tunku to clamp a 24-hour curfew on the capital.
Returning to Singapore. Struggling to restore order as the fighting mushroomed, the Tunku and Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak took power into their own hands. Parliament was suspended, as were constitutional guarantees. Total administrative power was taken by the newly formed, all-powerful National Operations Council headed by Razak, which proceeded to suspend publication of all Malaysian newspapers for several days. Arrests began. Ninety-three alleged terrorists were bagged in a swoop on a Chinese apartment building in Kuala Lumpur, and Razak reported that all Communists and known sympathizers were being rounded up. Razak and the Tunku blamed all the troubles on Communist China, which, they charged, had funneled large sums of money to Communist agitators in Malaysia. Later, however, the Tunku backed off slightly, and praised "loyal Chinese elements," adding that he had been mistaken when he blamed Chinese Communists for all the troubles.
As tensions eased late in the week, curfews were lifted long enough to allow householders to go out and buy food. The fires burned on, however, and there were still occasional racial clashes. For some time to come, Malaysia would be a bitterly divided society. Already many Chinese have given up hope: one senior government official spoke of abandoning everything in Kuala Lumpur and returning to his native Singapore. There was no doubt that if many others followed his example, severe damage to Malaysia's once-prospering economy would result. Beyond that was the question of whether the wounds opened last week would ever sufficiently heal to permit Malaysia's diverse peoples to resume their quest for a working multiracial nation.
Firemen drew sniper fire as they attempted to douse the flames, and outnumbered police watched helplessly at times as the street gangs rampaged. One man, trying to escape from his burning car, was thrown back into it by a howling mob, and died. By the time the four days of race war and civil strife had run their course, the General Hospital's morgue was so crowded that bodies were put into plastic bags and hung on ceiling hooks. Government officials, attempting to play down the extent of the disaster, insisted that the death toll was only 104. Western diplomatic sources put the toll closer to 600, with most of the victims Chinese.
No Longer Satisfied. From its inception, Malaysia has been haunted by racial divisions. By tacit agreement, the Federation's 4,300,000 Malays under Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman wielded political power. Economic power was largely in the hands of Malaysia's 3,400,000 Chinese. There are also the 1,000,000 Indians and Pakistanis who make up the third major ethnic group. What made it all work was the Tunku's Alliance coalition, in which Malay, Chinese and Indian parties participated. But for some time the Chinese and Indians had feared that eventually they would be pushed out as laws favoring Malays for schools and jobs bore fruit.
The trouble began two weeks ago, when newly formed Chinese opposition parties cut heavily into the Alliance's majority in parliamentary elections. It became suddenly apparent that many Chinese were no longer satisfied with just economic hegemony, but wanted a protective share of the political power as well. Nothing was more surely calculated to frighten the Malays, in particular the Malay "ultras" (right-wingers), who have long preached the doctrine of Malaysia for the Malays. Alarmed, the ultras began to discuss ways of retaining control. At a Malay post-election meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Chinese onlookers began to taunt those in attendance. Infuriated, the Malays attacked. At least eight Chinese were killed and within 45 minutes fast-spreading riots forced the Tunku to clamp a 24-hour curfew on the capital.
Returning to Singapore. Struggling to restore order as the fighting mushroomed, the Tunku and Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak took power into their own hands. Parliament was suspended, as were constitutional guarantees. Total administrative power was taken by the newly formed, all-powerful National Operations Council headed by Razak, which proceeded to suspend publication of all Malaysian newspapers for several days. Arrests began. Ninety-three alleged terrorists were bagged in a swoop on a Chinese apartment building in Kuala Lumpur, and Razak reported that all Communists and known sympathizers were being rounded up. Razak and the Tunku blamed all the troubles on Communist China, which, they charged, had funneled large sums of money to Communist agitators in Malaysia. Later, however, the Tunku backed off slightly, and praised "loyal Chinese elements," adding that he had been mistaken when he blamed Chinese Communists for all the troubles.
As tensions eased late in the week, curfews were lifted long enough to allow householders to go out and buy food. The fires burned on, however, and there were still occasional racial clashes. For some time to come, Malaysia would be a bitterly divided society. Already many Chinese have given up hope: one senior government official spoke of abandoning everything in Kuala Lumpur and returning to his native Singapore. There was no doubt that if many others followed his example, severe damage to Malaysia's once-prospering economy would result. Beyond that was the question of whether the wounds opened last week would ever sufficiently heal to permit Malaysia's diverse peoples to resume their quest for a working multiracial nation.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Are we as Malaysian's on trial???
If Anwar is convicted, in a case that opened in Kuala Lumpur's High Court on Tuesday, Malaysians can wave goodbye to the best chance of developing a two-party political system in more than half a century.
It will also end any real prospect of Malaysia extricating itself from corrosive race-based politics, and signal the former British territory's continued descent into self-destructive extremism.
Over the past two years, the charismatic Anwar, 62, has achieved what many analysts thought was impossible. He has tacked together three disparate political parties and formed a credible – if still fragile – opposition, representing hope for a multiracial future. Nobody else has the organisational ability, political skills and personal trust to hold them together and provide the People's Front, as it calls itself, with dynamic leadership.
Anwar's legal problems should be seen in this light. In 1998, then-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad sacked Anwar as deputy premier and finance minister because he suspected Anwar was using the turmoil of the Asian economic crisis to challenge him. Beaten viciously in custody, Anwar spent years in jail after being found guilty of corruption and sodomy in trials regarded as fatally flawed by international legal authorities.
He was cleared of sodomy on appeal, but banned from seeking public office for five years. On his return, he galvanised the fragmented opposition into a stunning psychological victory in 2008, capturing five of Malaysia's 13 states and denying the ruling National Front coalition its customary two-thirds majority in parliament.
The opposition was able to make such gains by tapping into the "politics of disgust", winning the support of Malaysians alienated by rampant corruption and cronyism. Significant numbers of them crossed ethnic lines to vote for candidates promising reform. Anwar targeted the affirmative action program called the New Economic Policy, which is supposed to channel economic benefits to native peoples, predominantly Malays.
The policy has been widely abused to enrich better-off Malays, notably members of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the dominant party in the 13-member National Front. In a bold move, Anwar formulated an alternative new economic agenda to assist all poor Malaysians, based on need rather than ethnicity.
Not only did droves of disaffected Chinese and Indians desert the government, but a significant percentage of Malays also switched allegiance.
UMNO, in power since Malaysia gained independence in 1957, has reacted badly to its setback. Faced with the possibility of defeat at the next elections, due in 2013, the party has concentrated on sabotaging the resurgent opposition rather than reforming itself.
Like the rerun of a bad movie, Anwar was promptly arrested and charged again with sodomy, this time on the complaint of a university drop-out who had worked briefly for Anwar. Consensual sex between males is illegal in Malaysia, punishable by 20 years' imprisonment and caning, though the law is rarely enforced.
The public perception in Malaysia is that "sodomy 2″, as the local media dub it, is entirely political, a view shared by the international community. An Amnesty International spokesman has characterised the trial as "the same old dirty tricks" to remove Anwar from politics.
UMNO has also resorted to scaremongering, using race and religion to reinforce the fear among Malays, the majority community, that they are besieged and under threat. UMNO was blamed for fanning racial tension when arsonists last month attacked 10 churches across the country, after a court ruled that Christians could use the Arabic word "Allah" as a translation for "God" in the Malay language.
The government insists "Allah" should be reserved solely for Muslims, despite widespread use of the word by Christians and other minorities in Arabic-speaking countries and places such as Indonesia. Prime Minister Najib Razak, elected president of UMNO last year to replace the discredited Abdullah Badawi and stem UMNO's decline, has talked reform and even made minor adjustments to affirmative action.
But while he promotes an inclusive vision for the country under the slogan of "One Malaysia", an UMNO-owned newspaper often carries racist commentaries. Anwar and his allies in the People's Front have found the going rough in the past two years. Through a mixture of inexperience and incompetence, they have underperformed in the states they control.
Still, if Anwar is jailed for sodomy, it will not only end his political career but also terminate an attempt to open up the economic and political systems of one of the Muslim world's most important countries.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Palawan Island, Behind The Scenes.
Previously in class we watched a documentary on 2 Philippine documentaries about the natives who live on the island of Palawan. I never even heard of this island before but honestly after watching these 2 documentaries, I must say i was amazed with the culture and history behind it.
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the southwest. It lies between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. The province is named after its largest island, Palawan Island. Palawan is composed of the long and narrow Palawan Island, plus a number of other smaller islands surrounding the main island.
The indigenous ethno linguistic groups who live on Palawan Island include the the Tagbanua, Palawanon, Tau't, Bato, Visaya, Bugkalot and Igorot tribes. The Tagbanuan people are known to indulge in bird's nest-collecting activities which generates incomes. Farming, fishing and collecting pearls are widely practiced here.
Many documentaries on indegenous people perpetuate the myth of a "vanishing tribe". They depict tribes losing their land to the relentless invaders of progress, while their traditions are at risk of drowning in the currents of mainstream culture and globalization. This documentary clearly potrayed that sense or in other words content with archiving rituals that will soon disappear in thin air.
In a nutshell, it looks at tribal communities not as a victim but as warriors in a robust struggle to preserve their land and the way there run their lives.
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the southwest. It lies between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. The province is named after its largest island, Palawan Island. Palawan is composed of the long and narrow Palawan Island, plus a number of other smaller islands surrounding the main island.
The indigenous ethno linguistic groups who live on Palawan Island include the the Tagbanua, Palawanon, Tau't, Bato, Visaya, Bugkalot and Igorot tribes. The Tagbanuan people are known to indulge in bird's nest-collecting activities which generates incomes. Farming, fishing and collecting pearls are widely practiced here.
Many documentaries on indegenous people perpetuate the myth of a "vanishing tribe". They depict tribes losing their land to the relentless invaders of progress, while their traditions are at risk of drowning in the currents of mainstream culture and globalization. This documentary clearly potrayed that sense or in other words content with archiving rituals that will soon disappear in thin air.
In a nutshell, it looks at tribal communities not as a victim but as warriors in a robust struggle to preserve their land and the way there run their lives.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
We Belong to South East Asia (SEA)
If I were to give you a task to map out South East Asia region without relying on any source would you be able to do it? Well, this is what my "artwork" of South East Asia and with one glance you would identify mistakes here and there. It's disappointing when I realize that I was ignorant to my own surroundings. Then it struck me that we must not only regard ourselves as merely Malaysians but also members of a much larger community. This statement was also repeated by my journalism lecturer Mr.Kuttan. He went on saying that we are not only citizens of our respective countries but we are also proud citizens of south east asia and i could not agree more on that. So with that motion, Mr.Kuttan has given us task to resarch and explore the history and so many relevant issues that may be useful to a journalist point of view and concurrently brush up my general knowledge about where i belong, South East Asia.
Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia. Southeast Asia consists of Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia while the maritime section consists of Brunei, East Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, and Singapore. The major religions are Islam and Buddhism, followed by Christianity. However a wide variety of religions are found throughout the region, including many Hindus.
Geographical characteristics and politics played a big part shaping South East Asia to what it is today. For instance, British ruled Burma and the 3 French territories which was Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Now Thailand acted as a political buffer mainly because it remained a free land throughout its history. With history behind the British and the French. Both sides fought numerous wars against each other, including the Hundred Years' War and the Anglo-French Wars. Therefore, Thailand which was previously called Siam, was the only country that separated two rival powers that serves to lessen the danger of conflict. Thailand's independence was only ensured when the King of Siam had to sacrifice Laos and Cambodia to the French. This was to grant commercial concessions to France. Therefore, Thailand remained the buffer state ever since the British Raj and the French Indochina era.
Another exciting aspect regarding South East Asia is the formation of Malaysia. The British plotted a political move against the Indonesia's planned expansion to incorporate Malaya, North Borneo and the Philippines and form a massive Malay empire called Indonesia Raya or Maphilindo. Noticing the fact that the geography of Malaysia would provide a strong front against both impending Indonesian aggression and the spread of communism. With Tunku Abdul Rahman at his prime federating states of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore into the Federation of Malaysia; a powerful political figure like himself could easily exert his influence over these states and disregard any attempts made by the Philippines and Indonesia to undermine his effort and indeed was a great asset to the British.
Modern Southeast Asia has been characterized by high economic growth by most countries and closer regional integration. Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have traditionally experienced high growth and are commonly recognized as the more developed countries of the region. As of late, Vietnam too had been experiencing an economic boom. However, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and the newly independent East Timor are still lagging economically. On August 8, 1967, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Since Cambodian admission into the union in 1999, East Timor is the only Southeast Asian country that is not part of ASEAN, although plans are under way for eventual membership. The association aims to enhance cooperation among Southeast Asian community. ASEAN Free Trade Area has been established to encourage greater trade among ASEAN members.
I have learnt so much from this research and believe me there is still tonnes more to realize and grasp more about this region. Nevertheless, this exercise definately has been beneficial and gives me the true spirit being a South East Asia citizen.
South East Asia Map
Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia. Southeast Asia consists of Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia while the maritime section consists of Brunei, East Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, and Singapore. The major religions are Islam and Buddhism, followed by Christianity. However a wide variety of religions are found throughout the region, including many Hindus.
Geographical characteristics and politics played a big part shaping South East Asia to what it is today. For instance, British ruled Burma and the 3 French territories which was Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Now Thailand acted as a political buffer mainly because it remained a free land throughout its history. With history behind the British and the French. Both sides fought numerous wars against each other, including the Hundred Years' War and the Anglo-French Wars. Therefore, Thailand which was previously called Siam, was the only country that separated two rival powers that serves to lessen the danger of conflict. Thailand's independence was only ensured when the King of Siam had to sacrifice Laos and Cambodia to the French. This was to grant commercial concessions to France. Therefore, Thailand remained the buffer state ever since the British Raj and the French Indochina era.
Another exciting aspect regarding South East Asia is the formation of Malaysia. The British plotted a political move against the Indonesia's planned expansion to incorporate Malaya, North Borneo and the Philippines and form a massive Malay empire called Indonesia Raya or Maphilindo. Noticing the fact that the geography of Malaysia would provide a strong front against both impending Indonesian aggression and the spread of communism. With Tunku Abdul Rahman at his prime federating states of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore into the Federation of Malaysia; a powerful political figure like himself could easily exert his influence over these states and disregard any attempts made by the Philippines and Indonesia to undermine his effort and indeed was a great asset to the British.
Modern Southeast Asia has been characterized by high economic growth by most countries and closer regional integration. Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have traditionally experienced high growth and are commonly recognized as the more developed countries of the region. As of late, Vietnam too had been experiencing an economic boom. However, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and the newly independent East Timor are still lagging economically. On August 8, 1967, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Since Cambodian admission into the union in 1999, East Timor is the only Southeast Asian country that is not part of ASEAN, although plans are under way for eventual membership. The association aims to enhance cooperation among Southeast Asian community. ASEAN Free Trade Area has been established to encourage greater trade among ASEAN members.
I have learnt so much from this research and believe me there is still tonnes more to realize and grasp more about this region. Nevertheless, this exercise definately has been beneficial and gives me the true spirit being a South East Asia citizen.
South East Asia Map
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
News Agenda 28/09 - 02/10
It has been a very exciting week. During the past week, there was plenty of news that caught the attention of the Malaysian media. Most unfortunately would be the incident that happened in Sumatra and Samoa that took the world to surprise after shocking death toll increased. The aftershocks of the earthquake that occurred in Padang was really downright sad and emotional as many lost their loved ones. There were even rumours about tsunami being a possible target heading towards Malaysia. Thankfully it did not. The headlines grab the top spot consistently for a good 3 - 4 days.
On the local front, the Government may allow part-time maids if Indonesia still insisted on local employers paying monthly salaries between RM600 and RM800 for their maids, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam. He also stated that reasonably salary would be the key issue to resolve and if there is no agreement, then alternatives such as introducing a system allowing for part-time maids have to be planned out. Datuk Subra also added that the system would include the rates as well as regulations to protect the part -time maids and the employers. Another round of meeting between Malaysia and Indonesia next month is expected to discuss issues relating to maids. The latter said employers could also source maids from seven other countries including Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and India. This was pointed out due to results amounting about 280,000 foreign maids in this country. However, with 90% of them were from Indonesia because of their close proximity and similar religion and culture.
In the world of business, the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, wants to expand in China and India but has no plans to open hypermarkets in Malaysia. In India, the retailer is “just getting started’’ where there will be great opportunities over the longer term. Investing abroad has not always been an easy exercise for Wal-Mart even though it now operates in 15 countries. It has learnt many lessons but the most important was about being respectful to local customers, conditions and regulations. With easily few thousand retail units, and over million customers a week, employs over various associates worldwide and deals with hundreds of suppliers globally, sales remain tough even though with the turnaround of global economy. With this in mind, was the plan initiated to to make Asia lead the recovery. Although no immediate returns will be expected. Nevertheless, sustainability has become a key part of the company and that effort is driven top down.
Moving on to the world news, German police said they had broken up an international child pornography network that exchanged paedophile images on the Internet and sexually abused children. Police raided homes and workplaces of suspected members of the German-language porn network across Germany on Tuesday evening, arresting nine of its suspected leaders. Authorities in Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Bulgaria, Canada and the United States simultaneously carried out raids on 15 further suspected members. Austrian police said at a news conference in Vienna that 22 people worldwide had been arrested. Members of the network had abused their own children or those of their partners and friends, police said. Police said members of the network exchanged pornography online and discussed their own experiences of abusing children. Several members made films and photos of their sexual abuse of children and shared them on the Internet. Germany this year passed a law making it harder to access child pornography online and easier to prosecute those who use it. Hopefully with this law, this unpleasant disgusting activity can stop and start behaving sanely.
Lastly, Malaysian sports has reached new heights by starting up its own Formula 1 team. Its a multi-million dollar project to put Malaysia contending for next year's formula one grid and also a compilation of the 19-race schedule. The project is also collaborating with Lotus which intends to re-enter the motor sport industry and is financially backed by the aviation mogul Datuk Tony Fernandez. Such risk taken by the government to rely on the private sector groups which is Tune Group and Naza Group can only stress on the confidence towards the business plan and the expectancy turning profitable in the first year of operations is highly possible. Such promising project will definately place Malaysia's as an eye opener to other nations that are developing. Such pride we take as Malaysian knowing how we are an example to other nations. Furthermore, Malaysia's image on the international arena not only will be boosted but also generate profit for the country. This I believe will be very beneficial in so many aspects and as a Malaysian I am proud being part of this achievement.
On the local front, the Government may allow part-time maids if Indonesia still insisted on local employers paying monthly salaries between RM600 and RM800 for their maids, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam. He also stated that reasonably salary would be the key issue to resolve and if there is no agreement, then alternatives such as introducing a system allowing for part-time maids have to be planned out. Datuk Subra also added that the system would include the rates as well as regulations to protect the part -time maids and the employers. Another round of meeting between Malaysia and Indonesia next month is expected to discuss issues relating to maids. The latter said employers could also source maids from seven other countries including Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and India. This was pointed out due to results amounting about 280,000 foreign maids in this country. However, with 90% of them were from Indonesia because of their close proximity and similar religion and culture.
In the world of business, the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, wants to expand in China and India but has no plans to open hypermarkets in Malaysia. In India, the retailer is “just getting started’’ where there will be great opportunities over the longer term. Investing abroad has not always been an easy exercise for Wal-Mart even though it now operates in 15 countries. It has learnt many lessons but the most important was about being respectful to local customers, conditions and regulations. With easily few thousand retail units, and over million customers a week, employs over various associates worldwide and deals with hundreds of suppliers globally, sales remain tough even though with the turnaround of global economy. With this in mind, was the plan initiated to to make Asia lead the recovery. Although no immediate returns will be expected. Nevertheless, sustainability has become a key part of the company and that effort is driven top down.
Moving on to the world news, German police said they had broken up an international child pornography network that exchanged paedophile images on the Internet and sexually abused children. Police raided homes and workplaces of suspected members of the German-language porn network across Germany on Tuesday evening, arresting nine of its suspected leaders. Authorities in Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Bulgaria, Canada and the United States simultaneously carried out raids on 15 further suspected members. Austrian police said at a news conference in Vienna that 22 people worldwide had been arrested. Members of the network had abused their own children or those of their partners and friends, police said. Police said members of the network exchanged pornography online and discussed their own experiences of abusing children. Several members made films and photos of their sexual abuse of children and shared them on the Internet. Germany this year passed a law making it harder to access child pornography online and easier to prosecute those who use it. Hopefully with this law, this unpleasant disgusting activity can stop and start behaving sanely.
Lastly, Malaysian sports has reached new heights by starting up its own Formula 1 team. Its a multi-million dollar project to put Malaysia contending for next year's formula one grid and also a compilation of the 19-race schedule. The project is also collaborating with Lotus which intends to re-enter the motor sport industry and is financially backed by the aviation mogul Datuk Tony Fernandez. Such risk taken by the government to rely on the private sector groups which is Tune Group and Naza Group can only stress on the confidence towards the business plan and the expectancy turning profitable in the first year of operations is highly possible. Such promising project will definately place Malaysia's as an eye opener to other nations that are developing. Such pride we take as Malaysian knowing how we are an example to other nations. Furthermore, Malaysia's image on the international arena not only will be boosted but also generate profit for the country. This I believe will be very beneficial in so many aspects and as a Malaysian I am proud being part of this achievement.
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