"There's no way the U.S. can crush us," Zhengfei told the
broadcaster. "The world needs us because we are more advanced. Even if
they persuade more countries not to use us temporarily, we can always
scale things down a bit."
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei describes the arrest of his daughter Meng Wanzhou, the company's chief financial officer, as politically motivated
The UK is set to make a decision on whether it will use Huawei's
equipment in March or April, but the country's National Cyber Security
Centre has reportedly found ways to "limit the risks" of its technology.
Ren said regardless of ban in the UK, Huawei will continue to invest
in the country, and promised the company will increase its focus there
if the U.S. doesn't work out.
"We still trust in the UK, and we hope that the UK will trust us even
more," he added. "We will invest even more in the UK. Because if the
U.S. doesn't trust us, then we will shift our investment from the U.S.
to the UK on an even bigger scale."
On the arrest of his daughter, Ren objected to the actions of U.S., calling them "politically motivated."
"The U.S. likes to sanction others, whenever there's an issue, they'll use such combative methods," he said.
"We object to this. But now that we've gone down this path, we'll let the courts settle it."
What Europe needs is not only the ability to distinguish
between right and wrong, but also the courage to make its own
independent choices. Europe's cooperation with Huawei on construction of
a 4G network is already an established fact, but it seems now that
beneficial collaboration has become one of the biggest risks.
Bureaucratic staying power: While boy band BTS may be going places (no, that Grammy award is not theirs), a government survey shows that one in four middle-school students in South Korea dream of one day becoming not K-pop star or the next Steve Jobs, but that 'adjussi' in the civil service - Reuters
Desire for stability: Many South Koreans worry
far more about jobs and the economy than they do about the nuclear
threat from North Korea, like this jobseeker at a jobs fair in Seoul
last November. — AFP
South Korean Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, third from left, makes
remarks at a meeting on reviving the economy at the government complex
in Seoul on Jan. 9, 2019. (YONHAP / EPA-EFE/REX)
In a tough market, young South Koreans dream for the security of government jobs instead of tech innovation and K-pop success.
For more than three years, Kim Ju-hee has been studying full time for an exam that feels like her only shot at a good life in South Korea.
She’s lost count of how many times she’s taken the nation’s civil service exam and failed — though she knows it’s been at least 10. The 26-year-old is not sure what she’ll do if she fails again, so she figures that spending more than eight hours a day studying for her next try, on April 6, makes sense.
Kim hopes to become a government tax clerk, which offers a starting salary of about $17,000, and work for the government until retirement.
“There just aren’t other good jobs,” she said in a phone interview from her home in Seoul, where she lives with her parents.
The most sought-after careers among teenagers and young adults in South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, are government jobs they can count on to get them to their golden years, not jobs innovating and helping companies grow in the private sector.
Analysts say it’s a symptom of the nation’s slowing economic growth and competition from China in export-driven industries that young South Koreans, about a fifth of the 51 million population, are flocking to what they consider risk-free government jobs not vulnerable to the vicissitudes of the economy. The situation is particularly concerning because it was private companies in sectors like electronics, autos and shipbuilding that fueled South Korea’s rapid growth from one of the world’s poorest nations in the 1960s into an economic powerhouse, analysts say.
Many young people in South Korea say they don’t expect nongovernment job prospects to improve anytime soon despite a host of measures announced by South Korean President Moon Jae-in nearly a year ago to boost employment, including government stipends to companies.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, puts on a safety helmet during his
tour of a hydrogen plant in Ulsan, South Korea. Critics have pointed to
the lackluster economy to say the president should be focusing on
bettering South Korean lives, engaging with North Korea. (YONHAP /
EPA-EFE / REX)
Unemployment among those ages 15 to 29 reached 11.6% last spring — a level Moon called catastrophic, compared with a jobless rate that hovered between 3% and 4% for the rest of the country’s workforce. Taking into account young adults who are working part-time jobs or studying for an employment exam like Kim, nearly 1 in 4 are out of a job. By comparison, in the U.S., unemployment among those ages 15 to 24 fluctuated between 8% and 9% in 2018. South Korea uses a different age bracket to calculate its youth unemployment because of mandatory two-year military service.
The desire for stability and security starts so young that 1 in 4 middle school students say they dream of one day becoming not a K-pop star or the next Steve Jobs, but a public sector bureaucrat, according to a government survey from 2017.
Many South Koreans worry far more about jobs and the economy than they do about the nuclear threat from North Korea. Conservatives in South Korea who are critical of Moon’s efforts at detente with North Korea point to the economy, saying his focus should be on bettering lives in South Korea, not on engaging with the North.
Competition for South Korea’s 1.07 million government jobs is fierce. In one round of exams Kim took last year, more than 200,000 people applied, and the 4,953 highest-scoring candidates were hired for open positions — an acceptance rate of 2.4%. By comparison, Harvard’s 2018 acceptance rate was 4.59%.
Kim Y.H., 22, who is about to graduate from college in February with a degree in Japanese, recently began studying for a civil service exam to become a customs agent. She said the popularity of public sector jobs was a sign that her generation is pessimistic about South Korea’s economic outlook.
“The country won’t guarantee your future, even if you’re a college graduate,” she said. “So of course we want to go with the most stable path that’s out there.”
There isn’t the expectation that you’ll grow or get good treatment in the private sector. People choose stability over risk or challenge.
Joo Won, economist
Share quote & link
One research report published last year estimated that as many as half a million South Koreans were studying for civil service exams full time instead of working. In 2017, the Hyundai Research Institute estimated that the economic cost from the lost work potential of so many young people spending years studying to get government jobs, rather than joining the private workforce, was more than $15 billion.
Moon’s administration has tried to encourage employment among young adults by paying small and medium-sized businesses to hire them, and by offering government-matched savings programs for young workers. He has also pledged to add 174,000 government jobs by 2022 to meet the heightened demand.
Some analysts, however, say the administration’s stopgap measures won’t do much to fix the problems underlying the push for government jobs.
“There isn’t the expectation that you’ll grow or get good treatment in the private sector. People choose stability over risk or challenge,” said Joo Won, one of the authors of the Hyundai study. “There are only so many public sector jobs the government can create. It won’t fix the situation.”
Many analysts point to the widening gap between the behemoth family-owned conglomerates that dominate the South Korean economy, such as Samsung and LG, and other companies. Large corporations including the chaebol, as they are known, accounted for about half of the revenue in South Korea in 2017 but provided only 20% of the jobs in the country, according to the most recent figures available from the government. And while their share of the economy grew, the number of jobs they offered dropped, because of consolidation and downsizing within the corporations amid the economic slowdown.
A Samsung flag and South Korean flag outside the Samsung building in Seoul in January. Analysts say part of problem for young job seekers in South Korea is the widening gap between the quality of jobs at family-owned conglomerates like Samsung and the rest of the players. (Jung Yeon-je / AFP/Getty Images)
That polarisation means stark disparity in
income and working conditions between those employed by the
conglomerates and those employed elsewhere – with starting salaries at
large corporations averaging about US$36,000 (RM 146,370), compared with
approximately US$24,000 (RM97,580) at smaller companies – fuelling
intense competition for a decreasing number of coveted jobs.
“The world was harsher than I thought,” she said.
“If you work for a small or medium-sized company, you become a second-class citizen” with a fraction of the income, long hours and poor benefits, said Kwon Soon-won, a business professor at Sookmyung University in Seoul.
Those without the impressive resumes increasingly needed for jobs at the top companies — internships, perfect grades, proficiency in a foreign language or three — are turning to civil service exams.
Applicants to civil service exams tripled from 1995 to 2016, according to a report by the Seoul Youth Guarantee Center. One online bookseller said it saw a 73.5% increase in sales of civil service exam prep books in 2016 compared with the previous year.
Kwon said South Korea’s high education level is part of the problem — although 70% of those ages 24 to 35 have college degrees, the economy hasn’t kept pace by creating enough quality jobs to meet the increased expectations of those graduates.
Kim Eun-ji, 26, certainly feels that way. With an economics degree from Chung-Ang University, a top-10 college in Seoul, she applied to more than 50 jobs at a wide range of companies big and small but never got past first-round interviews.
“If I think about how many people there are like me in the country, it just feels pointless,” she said, leaving an employment center in Seoul.
She has been studying for a government-issued computerized accounting license to better her employment prospects. Among her friends who graduated around the same time she did in early 2016, only about half are employed full time, Kim said.
Her roommate, who keeps deferring her college graduation, has been making a modest but steady income publishing romance novels online, which strikes her as a more viable option at a steady income than traditional employment.
As a kid, Kim Ju-hee had dreamed of becoming a singer or a teacher. But as an eighth-grader, hearing how hard it was to get a stable job, she set her sights on becoming a bureaucrat.
She’s gotten close to giving up, occasionally applying to other jobs or working part time here and there. But she worries that if she gives up, she’ll have spent years of her life in vain because none of what she studied for the exam will be useful for other jobs.
Victoria
Kim reports from Seoul, South Korea, for the Los Angeles Times. Since
joining the paper in 2007, she has covered the state and federal courts
and the Korean community in Los Angeles. Her work has included
investigations on the cover-up of the sex abuse scandal in the Los
Angeles Archdiocese, killing of unarmed suspects by the Inglewood
police, underpaid workers in the garment district and unaccredited law
schools in California. She has previously written for the Associated
Press in South Korea and West Africa, as well as the Financial Times in
New York. Victoria was raised in Seoul and graduated from Harvard
University.
A growing share of people around the world see U.S. power and influence as a “major threat” to their country, and these views are linked with attitudes toward President Donald Trump and the United States as a whole, according to Pew Research Center surveys conducted in 22 nations since 2013.
As confidence in president, favorable views of America have declined, more see U.S. power as a 'major threat'
A median of 45% across the surveyed nations see U.S. power and influence as a major threat, up from 38% in the same countries during Trump’s first year as president in 2017 and 25% in 2013, during the administration of Barack Obama. The long-term increase in the share of people who see American power as a threat has occurred alongside declines in the shares of people who say they have confidence in the U.S. president to do the right thing regarding world affairs and who have a favorable view of the United States. (For more about global views toward the U.S. president and the country he leads, see “Trump’s International Ratings Remain Low, Especially Among Key Allies.”)
Despite these changes, U.S. power and influence still ranks below other perceived threats around the world. Considerably larger shares of people point to global climate change (seen as a major threat by a median of 67%), the Islamic militant group known as ISIS (cited by 62%) and cyberattacks (cited by 61%). U.S. power and influence, in fact, is not seen as the top threat in any of the countries surveyed.
People see U.S. power and influence as a greater threat in the Trump era
Still, in 18 of the 22 countries, there were statistically significant increases in the share of people who see American power and influence as a major threat between 2013 and 2018. That includes increases of 30 percentage points in Germany, 29 points in France, and 26 points in Brazil and Mexico. And while these shares rose substantially in many countries after Trump’s election, they increased further in several nations between Trump’s first and second year in office.
In Germany and France, for instance, the share of people who see U.S. power and influence as a major threat went up by 14 and 13 percentage points, respectively, between 2017 and 2018. Other notable year-over-year increases occurred in Tunisia (11 points), Canada and Argentina (8 points each), South Africa (7 points) and Brazil and Russia (6 points each).
Other nations bucked this trend, however. In Spain, for example, the share of people who see American power as a major threat fell by 17 points between 2017 and 2018 (from 59% to 42%). Still, people in Spain remain much more likely to see the U.S. as a threat today than in 2013.
Overall, there are 10 nations surveyed where roughly half or more now see U.S. power as a major threat, with the biggest shares saying this in South Korea (67%), Japan (66%) and Mexico (64%).
In South Korea, equal shares point to U.S. power and influence and to North Korea’s nuclear program as a major threat to their nation (each is cited by 67% of the public). However, several other perceived threats to South Koreans outrank U.S. power and influence, including global climate change (named by 86% of South Koreans), China’s power and influence (cited by 82%), cyberattacks from other countries (cited by 81%) and the condition of the global economy (cited by 74%). South Koreans have long perceived American power as a major threat to their country: 66% said this in 2013 and 70% said it in 2017.
In many of the surveyed countries, concerns about American power and influence are connected with views of Trump: People who have little or no confidence in the U.S. president to do the right thing regarding world affairs are more likely than those who have confidence in Trump to see U.S. power and influence as a top threat to their country. This includes several longtime U.S. allies, including Canada, the UK and Australia.
The same pattern appears when it comes to views of the U.S. in general, as opposed to its president. In most surveyed nations, people who have a more unfavorable view of the U.S. are also more likely to say that American power and influence is a threat to their nation.
Topics: U.S. Global Image and Anti-Americanism, Country Image, Donald Trump
John Gramlich is a writer/editor at Pew Research Center.
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THE government is to be congratulated for establishing the new Economic Action Council that will give a better sense of direction and priorities for the nation to overcome the short-term economic challenges, such as rising cost of living, cost of doing business, restoring investor confidence and promoting sustainable economic recovery.
The Council should move with a sense of urgency. Its composition is balanced with a cross-section of representation, including from the orang asli community and consumer associations, which is praiseworthy as it does not just represent business interests. The presence of distinguished economists is also reassuring.
But I propose that the EAC also develops a longer term National Economic Strategy. To move forward, we need to identify the key mega trends that will impact on the nation in the next five to 10 years and then develop a comprehensive and holistic national strategy to address them.
I have identified here 10 strategic shifts or mega trends that need to be addressed.
1. On the international scene, we see a shift from geo-politics to geo-economics, requiring nations to adopt a geo-strategic response. This can be seen from Brexit and the US-China trade war. Geo-economics, including the control over economic assets such as oil and gas, will have a greater impact on international diplomacy. Increasingly, we will see economic and trade diplomacy becoming more important than political diplomacy to maintain global peace, stability and prosperity. We need to be able to step up to this level to analyse and strategise our response to geo-economic and geo-strategic challenges.
2. We also see a shift in the global centre of gravity from West to East with the rise of China and re-emergence of Japan as well as the growth of India and Korea. We need to identify a strategy to succeed in enlarging our presence in these markets and create new opportunities for our entrepreneurs and SMEs in China and Japan.
3. The world is also witnessing a rapid technological shift towards digital disruption and the Fourth Industrial Revolution with growing interest and applications in artificial intelligence, robotics and the Internet of Things. Big Data can be a strategic competitive advantage. The impact of drones and driverless vehicles will make a big impact on society. What is our national strategy to deal with these new technological advances? Hopefully, the EAC will also develop a strategic game plan to deal with these challenges and opportunities.
4. We also see an eco-sustainability shift with growing concern over climate change. This will drive demand for green technology and clean energy. We have a dynamic Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment Minister. More must respond to support this ministry and its institutions. We need to embrace clean energy faster and more comprehensively.
5. Demographic shift will lead to an ageing society and a hollowing out of the demographic middle where we will have more aged elderly and younger cohorts below 30 but fewer of the middle-aged. It has been estimated that 20% of our population will be above 60 by 2040. Hence, we need new strategies and action plans to deal with the changing demographics.
6. Consumer shift will see the rise of e-commerce as we move from bricks to clicks. The rise of online business and e-commerce will not only impact on retail business but also on traditional banking, education and healthcare with the risk of fintech (financial technology), online learning and distance education, and telemedicine (pic). We need to embrace and adapt to these trends.
7. Globally, we also see a political shift from liberalism to the emergence of the right. The rightward shift led to the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States and is also partly the cause of Brexit. Is this era the end of liberalism? What can we do to bring people back to the centre? This trend has also led to a consolidation of the Malay right-wing with the strengthening ties between Umno and PAS. While the immediate focus of the EAC is economic, it also needs a strategy to deal with this phenomenon as it will impact on race relations and religious harmony, which are so essential for peace and stability to facilitate business and economic growth.
8. A shift in wealth and income has caused growing inequalities. The income gap between the highest earning population and the bottom 20% has grown. The income gap and inequalities can destabilise peace and stability. New thinking and new strategies need to be adopted to overcome the growing inequalities in our society.
9. Urbanisation shift arising from continued rural-urban migration will also cause urban poverty to rise. Urban poverty is a challenge that must be urgently tackled. The urban poor is a microcosm of Malaysian society as it comprises all ethnic groups. The rising cost of living affecting the urban poor needs to be prioritised.
10. A freedom shift is very evident after the 14th General Election with Malaysians feeling more free. This is good as it will lead to stronger support and protection of human rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of association.
I believe the above 10 strategic shifts and key challenges are important priorities the government and the people must work on together.
We should have new policies to address these challenges. In formulating new policies, it is important to focus on the 4Cs – consistency, clarity, certainty and coherence.
The new Malaysia also needs the 3Is – integrity, inclusiveness and innovation. Old problems need new innovative solutions and new problems also need new ideas to resolve.
We should work together to address the above key challenges. We need to come together as a nation seeking national reconciliation and unity.
With a common purpose, we can move forward with renewed determination to build a new Malaysia that is sustainable and not a flash in the pan.
As the government has already established the EAC, I propose that it should also consider establishing a National Strategy Commission to plan future scenarios for the nation as well as effective strategies to overcome them.
A National Strategy Initiative should also be established to carry out in-depth Futures Studies for the country.
Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman, who is the
committee chairman, said the MBPP as the owner of the project had failed
in its overall responsibility to supervise the project despite having
appointed Jurutera Perunding GEA as representative of the superintendent
officer. NSTP/MIKAIL ONG
MBPP among four named as responsible in fatal Penang landslide
GEORGE TOWN: Four parties have been identified as being responsible for the fatal landslide at the construction site of the paired road at Jalan Bukit Kukus last October incident, including the Penang Island City Council (MBPP).
A special investigation committee set up by the Penang government following the fatal landslide at the construction site also named the other three parties, namely the contractor Yuta Maju Sdn Bhd, the consultant, Jurutera Perunding GEA (M) Sdn Bhd and the independent checking engineer G&P Professional Sdn Bhd.
Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman, who is the committee chairman, said the MBPP as the owner of the project had failed in its overall responsibility to supervise the project despite having appointed Jurutera Perunding GEA as representative of the superintendent officer.
“By appointing Jurutera Perunding GEA, it does not mean that the council is free from responsibilities to ensure the success of the project from all aspects.
"As such, any actions to be taken against the council will depend on the outcome of investigations by the police, the Department of Occupational Safety and Heath (DOSH) and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) into the incident," he said when making public findings of the investigation committee.
Ahmad Zakiyuddin said as for Yuta Maju, it had failed to ensure satisfactory mitigation works at the project site, and that the temporary slope constructed at the project site was not endorsed or designed by accredited consultants, which was a violation of the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) guidelines.
“It also failed to ensure site safety by removing the empty containers at the project site, where nine bodies were recovered," he added.
As for Jurutera Perunding GEA, Ahmad Zakiyuddin said the party had failed to ensure that the contractor abide by the guidelines set out by the BEM, while G&P Professional had failed to abide by the job scope given by the council.
“Following our findings, we have recommended that the contractor, consultant and independent checking engineer be blacklisted from any tender consideration for projects in the future.
“That said, they will still have to continue their works for the paired road project, until the project completion, slated for May next year,” he added.
The landslide at the Bukit Kukus paired roads project site on Oct 19 last year killed nine site workers and left four others injured.
The search and rescue (SAR) operation was called off after five days. The project's stop-work orders, separately issued by DOSH, CIDB and the council, were lifted up recently.
Ahmad Zakiyuddin said the special investigation committee also identified 10 main factors which had contributed the to fatal landslide, particularly not fully adopting best practices in construction work.
Other factors included:
* heavy rain on the morning of the incident at 55mm
* the contractor was unable to enter the project site to carry out mitigation works as stop-work order was issued by DOSH two days prior to the incident following a worksite accident
* unsafe construction processes
* failure to recognise the significance of an earlier incident (falling beams at another part of the project site two days prior to the landslide);
* lack of supervision
* failure to identify risk due to the change of process
* lack of comprehensive inspection and testing
* failure in risk communication
* poor management of sub-contractors.
Asked on why the services of the contractor, consultant and independent checking engineer were not immediately terminated following the incident, Ahmad Zakiyuddin said from what he understood, the stop-work orders issued on the three were only for one part of the project and not the entire project.
"Also, there was no record of safety issues prior to the landslide," he said.
He called on efforts to protect the remaining part of the project as a resu
lt of a negative perception.
"Any delay will put the project at greater risks."
To another question if the special investigation committee's findings would be made public, he there had been no plans to do so as the report served as a guideline for the state. - By Audrey Dermawan, NST >
‘MBPP hired resident engineer for Bukit Kukus project’
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) appointed a resident engineer and an independent checking engineer even before the start of the Bukit Kukus paired road project, says Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
“If you see the action taken by MBPP, they understand their technical insufficiency in terms of a geotechnical engineer. That’s why in the contract, they required the main contractor to appoint a resident engineer, who was paid by MBPP to monitor the project on MBPP’s behalf.
“The independent checking engineers were also paid by MBPP. So, it was a measure taken by MBPP even before the start of the project, knowing that this is a big project.
“They did not have the capacity to monitor the project as they have only two or three engineers who have to be looking at other matters besides this project.
“So, they took action to appoint a resident engineer as well as independent checking enginners to act on behalf of MBPP,” he told reporters at the Penang Development Corporation Chinese New Year celebration at the PDC office in Bayan Lepas yesterday.
Chow also said the state would wait for the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) report first.
“We will leave it to DOSH’s findings. Let DOSH come out with the report and we will take the necessary action after that,” he said.
Asked if MBPP had to bear necessary compensation for families of the victims of the landslide last October, Chow said MBPP had not received any claim so far.
Chow was asked to respond to the Consumers Association of Penang’s (CAP) call for stern action to be taken against the wrongdoers responsible for the tragedy.
CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris in a statement yesterday said: “While we welcome the investigation committee’s findings as to who is responsible for the tragedy, we are concerned that apart from recommending the blacklisting of the contractor, consultant and independent checking engineer from any tender consideration for future projects, it appears that no further stern action has been recommended.
“In particular, we want to know what action will be taken against MBPP,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman, who headed the investigation panel, was reported yesterday as saying that MBPP and other parties involved in the construction of the Jalan Bukit Kukus paired road project had not adhered to construction and engineering best practices.
Meanwhile, MBPP acknowledged responsibility for the Bukit Kukus landslide tragedy as it is the council’s project.
MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said the council was not pushing away any responsibility or negative comments on the council and project, and that it would be taken seriously. - By Cavina Lim and Intan Amalina Mohd Ali, The Star
Penang landslide report blames contractor, MBPP and DOSH
The special investigative panel report on the Bukit Kukus landslide had not been made public, but excerpts of the findings were made available by the state.
However, it has raised more questions than answers as the state blamed the contractor, Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).
In an immediate response, DOSH Penang director Jaafar Leman denied the department was to be blamed for the landslide.
“We were not even invited to be part of the investigative panel to give our views. How could we be blamed?” he asked.
According to the statement by Deputy Chief Minister 1 Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman who headed the investigative panel, the stop-work order on Oct 17 prevented contractors from entering the site to do maintenance works.
As a result, the temporary toe drain overflowed and water was retained on the reclaimed land contributing to the collapse of the slopes.
“How could a stop order which was issued on Oct 17 contribute to the landslide which occurred on Oct 19?” asked Jaafar.
He said the slopes would have been risky from the beginning as the contractor did not do any mitigation works to strengthen them and it does not make sense to blame DOSH.
The stop-work order was issued on Oct 17 after 14 beams fell in a ravine.
Earlier, during a press conference, Ahmad Zakiyuddin said MBPP and other parties involved in the construction of the Jalan Bukit Kukus paired roads project, had not adhered to construction and engineering best practices.
“The landslide was caused by many factors, which included a temporary construction of a platform to place machinery which was not constructed properly. The temporary platform was created to allow heavy vehicles lift beams for the paired road project.
“MBPP, as owners of the project, had failed to ensure all the hired parties carried out their job.
“MBPP had failed to hire a professional engineer for temporary works to design and supervise the site,” he said yesterday.
Ahmad Zakiyuddin said another factor was the downpour in the morning of the day of the landslide.- The Star
Kudos to Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin for holding the four parties accountable for the Bukit Kukus landslide
tragedy. The inquiry still begs a lot of questions, e.g. why was the
contract given to Yuta Maju from Terengganu? Could the accident have
been prevented if a proper EIA was done? It is not just a "bureaucratic
hurdle" but supposed to identify risks and advise mitigation. If the
authorities wish to go on with the project, it is not too late to
commissi... See more
“This
is no simple incident as nine deaths resulted from it. Very stern
action must be taken against the MBPP, and that includes strong
disciplinary action against the mayor and officers responsible.
“Otherwise, it will be business-as-usual in the MBPP as the officers will be allowed to go scot-free with impunity.
Dubious honours: (Above) Former Penang Island City Council mayor
Patahiyah Ismail with the trophy and certificate for Best Municipal
Manager awards in 2013 while her Seberang Prai counterpart Maimunah
(pictured here with the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his aide Wong
Hon Wai) received the same latter award in 2014
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced the establishing of the Economic Action Council (EAC), which will respond to and take action to address economic issues faced by the public, based on their feedback.
“The main objectives of the council are to stimulate economic growth, ensure fair distribution of wealth and improve the well-being of the people. The council will also focus on issues related to costs of living, labour, poverty and home ownership,” it said in a statement today.
Members of the council include Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as chairman, along with Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Ignatius Darell Leiking and the Prime Minister’s economic adviser Dr Muhammed Abdul Khalid.
Other members of the council include former International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Permodalan Nasional Bhd chairman Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz and Council of Eminent Persons member Prof Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram.
A list of corporate leaders are also members of the EAC, such as Public Bank Bhd managing director Tan Sri Tay Ah Lek, Majlis Amanah Rakyat chairman Dr Hasnita Hashim and Bursa Malaysia chairman Datuk Shireen Ann Zaharah Muhiudeen.
Asean Business Advisory council chairman Tan Sri Dr Mohd Munir Abdul Majid, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Paul Selvaraj, lawyer Bah Tony @ Amani William Hunt Abdullah and MASA institute board of trustees member Nizam Mahshar are also in the EAC. - The Edge
Council to drive economy forward
It will also look into issues related to cost of living, employment and home ownership
The Prime Minister and his key economic and finance ministers feature in a 16-strong committee that will form the Economic Action Council.
It will examine and decide on the economic and financial affairs and welfare of the people.
“The council was formed to respond and act on the feedback of the masses on the problems they face, particularly in the field of economy.
“The main aim of the council is to encourage and stimulate sustainable economic growth, equitable distribution of wealth and further enhance the well-being of the people.
“The council will also look into issues related to the cost of living, employment, poverty and home ownership,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday. (See graphic for list of members)
The move is timely and a positive step in the right direction, said Socio-Economic Research Centre executive director Lee Heng Guie.
He said the council was expected to draw up immediate and medium-term priorities to sustain the country’s economic growth and development.
“Among these include the measures to address cost of living as well as to ease the cost of doing business and compliance costs.
“Structural policies and reforms have to be stepped up, in particular in skilled manpower, public sector delivery and efficiency, exports capacity, develop innovative and creative industries and the digital economy,” Lee told The Star.
Echoing a similar stance, AmBank Group chief economist Anthony Dass said the council was similar to the one formed in 1998 during the Asian Financial Crisis.
“However, this time around, the council will focus on ways to address economic headwinds and how to drive the domestic economy amid the challenges,” he said.
The old NEAC (National Economic Action Council) was formed to navigate Malaysia out from the worst recession in a generation.
Dass added that the formation of the Economic Action Council was timely, considering the current challenges that had affected the macroeconomic conditions and the rakyat.
“The council’s composition is broad and well-mixed, a variety of experience and expertise and the council will have to find measures to stimulate the economy, continue economic expansion and ensure that the machineries of the government can work with the private sector to drive the economy,” he said.
The council, he added, must identify areas that could be areas of growth and also add to public revenue.
“It must also focus on the new key areas such as the digital economy and how can the government encourage the adoption of digitalisation across industries, particularly among SMEs.
“The working group under the council is also important, to ensure the success of the execution,” he said.
The main brickbat the composition of the council has drawn is the absence of younger faces.
“It is the same ministers and academics and where are the business people and entrepreneurs?” asked a political analyst.
Another source who declined to be named said younger people would have brought different perspectives to the council and offered an independent voice in the formation of ideas and policies.
He said such voices would probably be sourced from the working groups the Economic Action Council would have featured at the high-level main committee. - by jagdev singh sidhu and ganeshwaran kana
