Reining in household debt by Bank Negara Malaysia

The responsible lending guidelines, among the pre-emptive measures by Bank Negara to contain surging household debt, have made a strong impact on most people. Will the guidelines be effective to control the alarming levels of household debt and put the brakes on loan growth? 

THE responsible lending guidelines, which came into effect on Jan 1, created quite a stir in the banking industry with leading indicators signalling further signs of loan growth slowing in the coming months.

There is some discontent among consumers in terms of having their loans approved based on net income compared with gross income previously, in addition to which is the need for more documentation.

Some automotive players and property developers are not too happy either as they feel the move will be a dampener to their business moving forward. Loan growth for January was lower at 12.1% year-on-year (y-o-y), probably the slowest since 2010, compared with 13.6% y-o-y in December last year mainly due to slower growth in the household and business segments.

Total application and approval for loans in January was down almost 3% from a year ago although those disbursed rose by 5.6% y-o-y.

Loans in the household sector, which has a high level of indebtedness, was dragged down by slower growth in auto, mortgage and personal loans. But some quarters argue that this could be attributed to shorter working days in January due to the Lunar New Year break and other holidays.

Officials say that a loan growth in the region of 12% appears to be fine and much stronger growth may be a problem if left unchecked.

Indications are that loan growth to households, which was lower in 2011 than 2010, will normalise in February this year after the dip in January.

Whatever the arguments are, this trend, if it does continue, can be seen by some quarters as worrisome. Will loan growth then continue to slide? Some industry observers and analysts think so.

Loan growth mixed signals

Under the guidelines, banks are, among others, required to apply the net-income calculation method instead of gross income when computing the debt-service ratio for potential borrowers. The lending guidelines cover housing, personal and car loans, credit cards, receivables and loans for the purchase of securities.

Malaysian Rating Corp Bhd chief economist Nor Zahidi Alias says based on indicators, the rating agency feel that loan growth will likely moderate this year to a single-digit figure compared with a 13.6% growth recorded last year.

Nor Zahidi says the stricter guidelines is a step in the right direction.

This is due to the fact that some potential borrowers will no longer be eligible for certain types of loans, he says. This, he adds, is evidenced by a steep drop in the volume of passenger cars sold in January by 25% compared with the same period last year following stricter hire-purchase loan processes.

Total vehicle sales, however, rebounded by 9% in February with industry sales hitting 44,013 units from 40,387 units in February 2011.

Going forward, Zahidi says he foresees further decline in the banking sector loan growth as banks continue to be extra prudent in their lending practices, adding that there are also declines in loan applications for cars, credit card and residential properties based on latest indicators.

Loan applications for purchases of passenger cars contracted by 15.5% in January from 7.8% growth in December 2011. Another significant drop was the application for the amount given to the credit card segment which fell by 50.9% in January from a decline of 10.2% in December 2011. Applications for loans for the purpose of purchasing residential properties contracted 6.3% from a growth of 11.3% in December 2011.

Approvals for loans categorised for “personal uses” declined by 29.8% compared with a 42.4% growth in December 2011 while the amount of loans approved for the purchase of passenger cars and residential properties contracted by 18.4% and 20.9% respectively in January (December 2011: 0.3% and 1.8% respectively).

The Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) says the implementation of the guidelines will not have a direct relation to its member banks' loan growth. Factors like global economic conditions and its impact on the regional economy as well as developments on the external and domestic front will be the more pertinent factors that will have an effect on loan growth, it says.

“The guidelines merely set out to better define the expectations of banks to act responsibly and transparently when lending. The policies and practices envisaged are not entirely new as they underscore the existing approach taken by our members. While it will ensure that the debt commitments of individuals and households are within their repayment capabilities, customers who can afford to repay will not be denied access to financing,” it says.

A robust retail finance market, ABM says, cannot be measured by loan growth alone as the obligations (financial and contractual) to repay, sound personal financial management skills and responsible financing practices are more important to the stability and sustainability of the market in the long run.

Weaker numbers

The occurance of non-performing loans and loans in arrears appear to be falling, and they are what bankers and regulators are paying close attention to. That will indicate that the responsible lending guidelines, even though they may crimp the longer-term trend, is not having an impact on the quality of existing loans.

Wong expects loan growth to taper to 8%-9% after clocking in a strong 14% last year.

 

CIMB Research says in one of its notes that it expects a slowdown in loan growth this year due to weaker numbers from all major loan segments including residential mortgages and auto loans.

RHB Research Institute considers that on the whole, the new guidelines will have some impact on household loan growth, but the extent of the impact remains to be seen.

As for demand for loans from the household segment, the research outfit does not think the growth will fall off the cliff, but rather will be at a more moderate pace relative to recent years.

Jupiter Securities head of research Pong Teng Siew feels that with the strict adherence to the lending guidelines, loan growth may hit 8% or less sometime later in the year but may pick up in some months.

OSK Research is maintaining its loan growth projection for this year at 9% despite the guidelines which it says will play a part in slowing loan growth. The projection was underpinned by Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) projects.

RAM Ratings head of financial institution ratings Wong Yin Ching expects loan growth to taper to 8%-9% after clocking in a strong 14% last year.

This, she says, will be supported by expectations of a real gross domestic product growth of 4.6% in 2012 (2011: 5.1%) and a more moderate household loan growth due to various prudential measures introduced since late-2010. Loans growth is said to be correleated to economic growth and with the Government seeing growth to come in at 4%-5% this year, expectations are that the pace of loans given out will accelerate at a slower pace.

Wong says the loan growth will be partly balanced by stronger financing demand from the corporate and commercial sector in anticipation of the rollout of projects under the ETP and 10th Malaysia Plan gaining momentum.

Meanwhile, Maybank IB Research, with a neutral call on the banking sector, says it expects domestic loan growth of 10.5% this year, up from its previous forecast of 9.4%, adding that mortgage lending is expected to hold up better than anticipated.

According to Bank Negara's Financial Stability and Payment Systems Report 2011, the growth of household debt to gross domestic product (GDP) increased last year but the pace was slower with outstanding household debts expanding by 12.5% to 76.6% for the year compared to 2010 when debt grew 13.7% to 75.8%.

It adds that signs of stabilisation in household debt relative to GDP was seen from the second half of last year after a continued upward quarterly trend observed since 2009 with borrowing continuing to be concentrated on residential properties and motor vehicles, which together account for 64% of total household debt.

The report states that bank lending to individuals earning more than RM3,000 per month accounted for about 80% of total loans to households by the banking system.

Choo says the guidelines will not have any adverse impact on those with genuine capacity to repay.

It adds that bank exposure to borrowers with monthly incomes of RM3,00 or less was relatively low representing less than 13% of total banking system loans. “Based on historical experience on the level of impairment and provisioning, any impairment losses to banks are not likely to exceed RM2bil or less than 8% of pre-tax profits of commercial and Islamic banks,” it notes.

The growth in household debts had also been accompanied by a corresponding expansion in household financial assets, it says, adding that stronger growth in household deposits which expanded by 12.2% balanced the slower increase in financial assets.

Timely move?

Despite the brouhaha surrounding the pre-emptive measure, many feel the introduction of the guidelines is timely and justifiable.

RAM's Wong views it as one of the many measures to contain the growth of household debt.

The banking system's household financing has been rising steadily over the last five years and currently constitutes about 55% of the system's total financing, she says, noting that the growth has stemmed mainly from home and personal loans.

As a result, she says, Malaysia's household debt-to-GDP ratio has trended upwards from 69% in 2006 to 77% in 2011. Compared to other countries in the region, this figure is considered high especially when looked at in relation to GDP per capita, she adds.

Some of the other pre-emptive measures which Bank Negara had earlier imposed to control rising household debt include tighter criteria for residential property financing, such as a 70% loan-to-value (LTV) cap on a borrower's third housing loan and beyond, as well as raising the income eligibility criteria for credit cards.

Some analysts concur that the lending guidelines are vital to ensure quality loan growth and some form of control is necessary. With ringgit deposits slowing, analysts expect banks to start pulling back on lending even in the absence of the guidelines.

Zahidi says the guidelines are introduced to ensure that the consumer segment will not be overstretched for too long. While it will take a few years before Malaysia's household debt can be reduced to below 60% of GDP, the stricter guidelines is a step in the right direction, he says.

However, he adds that this will have some adverse effects on the banking sector's loan growth as well as on private consumption.

OCBC Bank (M) Bhd country chief risk officer Choo Yee Kwan says credit assessments under the guidelines are done holistically by taking into account the total debt obligations of an individual borrower and will not have any adverse impact on those with genuine capacity to repay.

At the same time, he says, it will help to deter borrowings for speculative purposes and align debt burden more closely with repayment capacity.

 

Cavale says the long-term impact on banks is yet to be determined.

“While the guidelines are relatively prescriptive on the lending approach, they are really complementary when viewed from the vantage of a bank with more advanced risk assessment tools and portfolio screening and early warning triggers for sustainable loan portfolio health,” Choo explains.

A banking analyst from MIDF Research, on the other hand, thinks that while the guidelines on the whole are good, some details are vague and not properly spelt out. For example, there is no mention of specific details on liability as well as on debt servicing ratio, and is left to individual banks to assess the risk appetite of loan applicants.

Citibank Bhd managing director for cards and consumer lending Anand Cavale feels that while the guidelines will strengthen the control for lending, the long-term impact on banks is yet to be determined.

Although it will help reduce the level of household debt, this will depend on the state of the economy, as household debt is directly linked to the performance of the country's economy, he says.

While the guidelines will strengthen the overall ability to lend prudently, Cavale believes there should be proper infrastructure in place. For example, banks having accessible ways to the customer income information will help the process to implement the guidelines more smoothly, he points out.

Other areas of focus

Some analysts feel the stringent lending guidelines may cause banks to shift their focus to other areas to boost their bottomlines.

The MIDF Research analyst says banks may, for example, look to increase high net worth individuals or affluent customers for their credit cards as in the case of Malayan Banking Bhd. This, he adds, will include cross selling of cards to this segment.

For the mortgage side, banks may look into issuing more financing for landed properties in selected locations and for the auto business, they may source for stronger dealership, the analyst says.

Choo says OCBC Bank's objective is to derive 30% of its income from non-interest income sources, noting that it is keen to diversify and strengthen its deposit base to ensure it is not overly concentrated in any one specific segment.

According to Cavale, it is likely that banks will add other products or services that will support additional streams of income to mitigate potential reductions in the lending area.

Another area which banks are aggressively pursuing currently is the small and medium enterprise (SME) segment. This segment, according to an analyst with an investment bank, will provide better margins and probably make up for the shortfall in slower loan growth from the stringent guidelines.

Those banks which were not focusing on the SME segment will now have to employ strategies to capture this growing segment, he adds.
  
By DALJIT DHESI daljit@thestar.com.my

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American Student Loan Debt: $1 Trillion and Counting

Day 3 of the protest Occupy Wall Street in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Whatever happened to the American dream of going to college, landing a great job and living happily ever after? College is supposed to be about getting off to a great start, but it’s a financial noose that threatens to kill our young and everybody else too. The U.S. has the dubious distinction of now having more than $1 trillion in outstanding student loan debt.

 The crisis has the full attention of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which in a recent blog , presented its sobering findings. “Unlike other consumer credit products, student debt keeps growing at a steady clip. Students borrowed $117 billion in just federal student loans last year. And students continue to borrow private student loans, which lack the income-based repayment and deferment options of federal student loans. If current trends continue, there will be consequences not just for young people, but for all of us,” wrote CFPB’s student loan ombudsman Rohit Chophra.

Worse still, he writes, according to data from the Department of Education, federal student loan debt isn’t growing just with new originations — with so many borrowers unable to keep up with interest payments, debt is growing even for many who have left school. Too much debt means too much risk for a generation of young people, many of whom are struggling in today’s economy.

What’s the impact? Excessive student debt slows a recovery still trying to find its sea legs. Study after study has shown that young people are delaying the traditional rite of passage of launching out on their own and starting families. With so much debt, on average about $26,000 for undergrads, and many unemployed or underemployed, they are running back home, instead of looking for their first apartment or home.

 A decidedly grim picture could get worse. In July, if Congress doesn’t get its act together and takes some of the momentum of a crisis with explosive potential, a 2007 law that kept federally subsidized Stafford loan interest rates low will expire this summer, meaning the rates will double from 3.4 to 6.8 percent. This is more bad news on top of the real possibility that proposals to financial aid may become reality – the Pell Grants could move from mandatory to discretionary spending, meaning who knows what will happen, but likely none too good. There is also a bill to repeal the expanded Income-Based Repayment program, that lessens the sting of college students by letting them pay back what they own in proportion to their salaries.

The CFPB is working with the Department of Education, and launched a Know Before You Owe project , to solicit input on a “financial aid shopping sheet”. The sheet is designed to help students understand the debt implications of their college choice. CFPB is supervising private student loan providers to ensure they comply with Federal consumer financial protection laws and CFPB is providing tools for borrowers to help them navigate their student loan repayment options. A newly established student loan complaint system will help ensure that private student lenders and servicers are responsive to potential mistakes and problems that borrowers encounter. This summer, the CFPB will release the full results of its private student loan market.

Where is the outrage over the continue increase in tuition at a time when some colleges are raising salaries for their presidents?

 Just this week a plan was approved to give pay raises to two university presidents in California. This comes at a time when the California State University system is grappling with a $750 million budget shortfall and is considering limiting enrollment for the spring semester.

There’s something so wrong with this picture. Students will pay the price, families will pay the price, society will feel the ramifications for some time to come.

By Sheryl Nance-Nash, Forbes Contributor Newscribe : get free news in real time 

Malaysian Consumer Protection (Amendment) Act 2010 deals with unfair contract terms

Remember our series of articles on unfair contract terms? Well, it now seems that the Malaysian Parliament is set to finally come up with a law addressing the issue in the upcoming Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2010.

Preferring the approach of amending an existing statute to enacting a wholly new one, the Bill inserts a new Part into the existing Consumer Protection Act 1999, namely Part IIIA intituled Unfair Contract Terms. This Part contains new sections 24A to 24J all intended to address the issue of when businesses seek, via standard form contracts, to impose on consumers terms excluding or limiting their liability when they arise, as well as other terms thought generally considered unfair. Section 1(3) provides that the Part applies to contracts entered into after the coming into force of the Bill.

Section 24A deals with general interpretation in connection with the Part. The definition of a contract in section 2 of the Contracts Act 1950 is retained and a “standard form contract” is defined as a consumer contract that has been drawn up for general use in a particular industry, whether or not the contract differs from other contracts normally used in that industry. An “unfair term” is defined as a term in a consumer contract which, having regard to all the circumstances, causes a significant imbalance in the rights and obligations of the parties arising under the contract to the detriment of the consumer. Section 24B states that notwithstanding the Contracts Act 1950, the Specific Relief Act 1950 and the Sale of Goods Act 1957 as well as other provisions of the law for the time being in force, the Part shall apply to “all contracts”. This presumably addresses implied terms regarding sale of goods in the Sale of Goods Act 1957, specifically sections 14 to 16 of that Act regarding transfer of title and issues of merchantability and fitness for the purpose for which goods are bought. The section fails to mention the Hire Purchase Act 1967, of which section 7 also deals with implied terms in hire purchase agreements. Also should the Part really extend so broadly so as to include all contracts? Presumably if such is the case, a contract or contract term proscribed by law, such as those in the Schedules to the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Regulations 1989, or financial or securities contracts, or contracts or bills of consignment or lading, be included as well?

Section 24C and 24D are probably the most important sections in the new Part. The Malaysian Parliament has preferred to split the question of unfair terms into two, dealing with terms that are procedurally unfair (section 24C) and substantially unfair (Section 24D). Section 24C(1) proscribes that a contract term is procedurally unfair when

i. It results in an unjust advantage to the supplier (ie. the business relying on the term in question) and/or;

ii. It results in an unjust disadvantage to the consumer;

iii. On account of the conduct of the supplier; or

iv. On account of the manner or circumstances that the contract is entered into between the supplier and the consumer.

Section 24D(1) holds that a contract term is substantially unfair when;

i. it is in itself harsh;

ii. it is oppressive;

iii. it is unconscionable;

iv. it excludes or restricts liability for negligence;

v. it exludes or restricts liability for breach of express or implied terms of the contract “without adaquate justification”.

The approach of splitting the dealing with such terms into procedurally unfair and substantially unfair is rather unique and this author knows not of any other jurisdiction within the Commonwealth that has chosen this approach. It is also, in this author’s view, rather needless and unneccessary. A substantially unfair contract term is neccessarily procedurally unfair as well. The two are not mutually exclusive. There is also the troubling question of what would about to inadaquate justification for breach of express or implied terms of a contract. When is the justification adaquate and when is it not? Presumably this follows the approach of determining if whether the exclusion of such terms are fair and reasonable or not, but for this to work the statute itself must give an account of what “adaquate justification” amounts to rather then just simply leave the matter for the courts. Such an approach would be in tandem with those used in other jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom in their Law Commission’s proposed Unfair Contract Terms Bill 2005, specifically clase 14(1) which provides a test on how contract terms are deemed not fair and reasonable. It is also noted that Malaysia has decided that exclusion or limitation of liability for negligence is to be disallowed outright rather than having it hang on whether such an exclusion or limitation is fair and reasonable or as the Bill puts it “without adaquate justification”.

Sections 24C(2) and 24D(2) at least partially follow the approach of Clause 14 of the UK Bill  (specifcally Clause 14(4) )when they list the considerations to be had when determining when a contract term is procedurally or substantially unfair. The considerations are mostly the same between the soon to be Part IIIA of the Consumer Protection Act 1999 of Malaysia, and Clause 14(4) of the Unfair Contract Terms Bill 2005 of the United Kingdom, and again the latter does not contain needless distinction between what is substantively and what is procedurally unfair. The new section also fails to provide an example of a list of terms that can be thought unfair unlike the corresponding Clause in the UK Bill.

Section 24E states that it is for the supplier (ie the business) to prove that the contract term is with adaquate justification. This is the same as Clause 16(1) of the UK Unfair Contract Terms Bill 2005. Section 24F provides that a court or the Tribunal established by the 1999 Act may deal with any issue of any unfair contract term even if none of the parties has raised the matter, again similar to Clause 21 of the UK Bill.

Section 24G(1) enacts that a court or the Tribunal may declare an unfair contract term under sections 24C and 24 D to be void and subsection (2) is not unlike Clause 24 of the UK Unfair Contract Terms Bill which provides that other clauses of the contract affected are to continue in force without the offending term. Section 24H further provides that a term of a contract can still be held void even if it has been partially or wholly executed. This is a novel idea as it provides more certainty as to the position of the parties in the midst of a continuing contract.

Section 24I makes the contravention by “any person” (as defined under subsection (1)) of the Part an offence. The section is silent on how exactly is the Part contravened. First of all, why “any person”? Is it possible for the consumer to commit an offence under the Part? Or is the inclusion of any unfair contract term by a supplier/business to be made an offence? If this is so, it should have been clearly spelt out. There is also a host of other matters that arise by making unfair contract terms an offence, for instance, it could inhibit freedom of contract. The high penalties involved (RM 250,000 for a first offence and RM 500,000 for a subsequent offence, as well as RM 2,000 a day in which the offence continues) could also be pontentially crippling for small businesses. Other jurisdictions have so far not seen the need to make any inclusion of an unfair contract terms an offence and while the merits of such a move are debatable, it is suggested that a comprehensive study on the move be done at first.

Section 24J empowers the Minister to make Regulations in connection with the Part. This section could provide an avenue to remedy two important defects discovered so far, namely the failure to indicate the extent of the application of the Part and the types of contracts involved and secondly, the failure to provide an list of examplary contract terms that might be thought unfair.

The proposed new Part IIIA of the Consumer Protection Act 1999 as will be introduced by the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Act 2010 contains many weaknesses, all of which could and should be addressed by enacting a single comprehensive piece of legislation on unfair contract terms, rather then by simply amending an existing statute. It does not, for example, include unfair notices. Thus while a consumer can now worry less about whether he or she may claim under a defective contract, the same might not be said for a notice, for example, one notice excluding liability for negligence when using a swimming pool or car park, for example, is not covered by the new Part on a plain reading of the Bill, which clearly limits its scope to standard form contracts, and does not mention notices. This is in spite of Domestic Trade and Cosumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Sabri Yaakob’s claims to the contrary.

The Bill also makes an unneccesary distinction between procedural and substantive unfair contract terms. It fails to make provision as to what types of contracts exactly are covered by the Part and extending the application to “all” contracts could possibly have unexpected and unfavourable ramifications. It crucially also fails to address the issue of application taking into account where the contract is concluded (ie whether in or outside Malaysia) or what happens when a contract applies foreign law. A test for determining what amounts to “without adaquate justifiaction” is absent, as well as a list of examples of unfair contract terms. What offence created is not clearly defined and the potential effects not carefully studied.

On the other hand, initiative is demonstrated by providing that a term of a cotinuing contract can also be struck down on account of being unfair. On the whole, it is remarked that some form of bulwark against unfair contract terms in consumer contracts is better then nothing but there is room for improvement. It is hoped that those that be can revisit the issue in the future and consider seperate, more comprehensive legislation on the matter instead. It would be interesting, however, to see how the Malaysian courts react to the new legal provisions on unfair contract terms, especially concerning if they would follow the approach of their foreign counterparts in deducing unfair terms, or create their own notions based on the new provisions.

5 July 2010 by Alistaire 

THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE CONSUMER PROTECTION
Consumers Association of Penang

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Dos and don’ts when leaving for a new job

 EVERYONE has heard of Greg Smith. After all, it's not every day that a top executive at Goldman Sachs resigned in such a public and high-profile way. He told the whole world, via an op-ed piece in The New York Times, that he could no longer stomach the company culture which he described “as toxic and destructive as I have ever seen it”.

Hailed as a hero by many, especially on the social media sites, Smith was nevertheless also castigated by commentators who questioned his real motive. “The reason he's been at Goldman Sachs for 12 years is that he liked the name and probably liked the money,” one wrote.

We all learn, from day one, that we should never burn our bridges when we part ways with our employers. After all, we no longer live in an era where we serve only one employer throughout our working life.

Rolling stones do gather a lot of moss these days.

So while employers do understand when we move to greener pastures, they are unlikely to be sympathetic to you if you decide to badmouth them on your way out.

And bosses do talk to other bosses, more so if you work in a niche industry where everyone knows, well, everyone.

A Goldman Sachs sign is seen above their booth on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, in this January 19, 2011 file photo. A Goldman Sachs executive director published a withering resignation letter in the New York Times, saying the investment bank is a "toxic and destructive" place where managing directors referred to their own clients as "muppets." - REUTERS

 

As much as I salute Greg Smith for his courage to place his resignation letter in the public domain, I think the rest of us mortal souls will prefer more down-to-earth advice on how to quit a job.

I am no expert on this but here is a short list of dos and don'ts which may be useful.

1. Don't bash your boss, or your company, on social media or anywhere else

It is amazing how people on FaceBook share so openly about the goings-on in the office, including all the nasty stuff about the bosses. Hello there! If stupidity is an acceptable reason for you to lose your job, the boss will show you the door straight away. Sometimes, even private conversations in public places, like restaurants, can have ramifications beyond your control.

Someone who intends to hire you may have second thoughts as chances are if you say bad things about your previous boss, you are more likely to say the same about him. A good principle to follow is: Don't say anything about anyone in private what you would not say in public.

2. Don't play poker with your offers

After you get an offer, you may be tempted to check if your boss would make you a counter-offer. The people who play poker with their offer letters are those with huge egos who think that the office cannot run without them.

Although some employers may play along and give you the raise you demand, you can be sure that the relationship will never be the same again.

3. Do keep your options open

It has been said that no one leaves a company but a boss. So, while a situation may arise where you no longer find it easy to work with your immediate boss, always remember that circumstances may change which may make it possible for you to return to the company in the future.

So you may have to eat humble pie if your exit remarks are vicious and harmful to the reputation of the company. I can't imagine Greg Smith getting a job at Goldman Sachs again, unless he buys the company.

4. Do be professional to the last day of employment

All of us have to give notice before quitting. It's not as dramatic as what we see in the movies when you are immediately told to pack up and go. So from the time you give your notice until the official last day, conduct yourself with full professionalism. If there are things to pass on, do so in an orderly manner. Say your goodbyes without being too emotional about it.

5. Do stay away from your old office

I got this advice from a friend many years ago. He said it is natural, when you move into a new job, that you will actually regret having made the move. In a new environment, you suddenly yearn for the old job where you are comfortable with friends.

Many make the mistake of going back to hang out with their former colleagues and this only adds to their frustrations. His advice: Make a conscious effort to keep away from your former colleagues for at least six months. Concentrate on your new job and build up new relationships first. Then hanging out with old friends after that won't be so traumatic.

Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin is glad that a new column, Talking HR, is now available on StarBiz every Tuesday. All of us in the working world will benefit from the good advice given by the professionals. 

CYBER bullying, a worldwide big problem

CYBER bullying has become more widespread among people today, especially with the emergence of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter (“Vengeance via the Net” – The Star, March 21).

Social networking sites offer people the chance to jot down the happenings in their daily lives, express opinions and share ideas, besides venting their frustrations.



However, cyber bullies take it a step too far when posting nasty and derogatory comments about others. The reason for their action is that they are prejudiced towards others.

Their prejudice stems from the fact that they think that the other person is not sociable and less outspoken. Due to jealousy, cyber bullies also target those who are popular.

Their methods of bullying include stealing other’s pictures or writing unpleasant remarks in order to attract attention.

Some work in groups so that they seem powerful, and the victims have no chance to turn the tables on them.

Cyber bullies will even use electronic means to superimpose the targeted victim’s face on a nude photo to destroy that person’s reputation.

The main motive is to hurt the other party, and cyber bullies are aware of their actions.

Cyber bullies are actually craving for attention. They lack confidence and they boost their pride and ego by destroying other people’s image. They enjoy the thrill of publicly shaming others in the mistaken idea that it will make them look good.

In actual fact, they are cowards hiding behind technology and using it as a weapon to humiliate others. They do not realise that their actions can have serious consequences.

The person they hurt may be harmed emotionally and psychologically. The victims suffer in silence because they do not know where to turn to for help. It will affect their daily routine.

It is advisable that victims of cyber bullying do not retaliate but instead inform their parents or the authorities.

Cyber bullies may say they are doing it for fun, but their actions will backfire should they be caught.

They are actually the ones who are in need of help. They may even take their bullying ways to the extreme, such as physical violence, if they are not stopped.
Counselling is the proper way to handle cyber bullies. Social networking sites are good outlets to voice opinions but one should not abuse the privilege. Use it right and one can eventually lead a fulfilling life.

By YANG CHIEN FEI, -Use social media right
Ampang, Selangor.

Are antibiotics an end to modern medicine?

A warning by the head of WHO that antibiotic resistance is so serious that it may lead to an end to modern medicine should alert health authorities to contain this most serious health crisis.

A schematic representation of how antibiotic resistance is enhanced by natural selection (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LAST week, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) sounded a large alarm bell on how antibiotics may in future not work anymore, due to resistance of bacteria to the medicines.

Antibiotic resistance has been a growing problem for some time now. From time to time, there will be news reports of the outbreak of diseases, old and new, that cannot be treated because the bacteria have grown more powerful than the antibiotics used against them.

And experts have been warning about how the wrong use of antibiotics has given the bacteria the opportunity to develop resistance, enabling them to become immune to the medicines.

What is needed, of course, is a multi-prong strategy to prevent the abuse and wrongful use of antibiotics. Drug companies should not over-market their products. Doctors should not over-prescribe. And antibiotics should not be used on animals that are not sick but to fatten them and thus enable higher profits.

Now, the Director-General of the WHO has given a big warning that the growing threat of resistance may mean an end to modern medicine, and the entry of the post-antibiotic era.

Speaking at a meeting of infectious disease experts in Copenhagen last week, Dr Margaret Chan said there was a global crisis in antibiotics caused by rapidly evolving resistance among microbes responsible for common infections that threaten to turn them into untreatable diseases.

Every antibiotic ever developed was at risk of becoming useless.

“A post-antibiotic era means, in effect, an end to modern medicine as we know it. Things as common as strep throat or a child’s scratched knee could once again kill. For patients infected with some drug resistant pathogens, mortality has increased by around 50%,” she said.

“Some sophisticated interventions, like hip replacement, organ transplants, cancer chemotherapy and care of pre-term infants, would become far more difficult or even too dangerous to undertake.”

Dr Chan called for action to restrict the use of antibiotics in food production. “Worldwide, the fact that greater quantities of antibiotics are used in healthy animals than in unhealthy humans, is a cause for great concern,” she said.

She called for measures — doctors prescribing antibiotics appropriately, patients following their treatments — and restrictions on the use of antibiotics in animals.

These actions have, in fact, been suggested for many years, including by the health group REACT, based in Sweden, by health networks such as Health Action International, and locally, by the Consumers’ Association of Penang.

The WHO itself has the scope to do much more in alerting health authorities and in building the capacity, especially of developing countries, to act.

There are forms of TB that have become untreatable because of multi-drug resistance. The TB pathogen has become immune to many antibiotics. This has resulted in a resurgence of the deadly disease. The story is the same for many other pathogens causing other diseases.

As Global Trends reported in June 2011, a worrying development is the discovery of a gene, known as NDM-1, that has the ability to alter bacteria and make them highly resistant to all known drugs, including the most potent antibiotics.

In 2010, there were reports of many such cases in India and Pakistan and in European countries. At the time, only two types of bacteria were found to be hosting the NDM-1 gene – E coli and Klebsiella pneumonia.

But it was then feared that the gene would transfer to other bacteria as well, since it was found to easily jump from one type of bacteria to another. If this happened, antibiotic resistance would spread rapidly, making it difficult to treat many diseases.

These concerns have been proven to be justified. In May 2011, the Times of India published an article based on interviews with British scientists from Cardiff University who had first reported on NDM-1’s existence.

The scientists found that the NDM-1 gene has been jumping among various species of bacteria at “superfast speed” and that it “has a special quality to jump between species without much of a problem”.

While the gene was found only in E coli when it was initially detected in 2006, now the scientists have found NDM-1 in more than 20 different species of bacteria. NDM-1 can move at an unprecedented speed, making more and more species of bacteria drug-resistant.

Since there are very few new antibiotics in the pipeline, when the resistance grows among the whole range of bacteria to the existing drugs, human beings will be more and more at the mercy of the increasingly deadly bacteria.

In May 2011, there was an outbreak of a deadly disease caused by a new strain of the E coli bacteria that killed more than 20 people and affected another 2,000 in Germany.

They were affected by a new strain of the already rare 0104 type of E coli. There are other common types of E coli which normally cause only a mild ailment. The WHO said the variant had “never been seen in an outbreak situation before”.

Although the “normal” E coli usually produces mild sickness in the stomach, the new strain of E coli 0104 causes bloody diarrhoea and severe stomach cramps, while in some of the more serious cases so far, it also causes haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS), which damages blood cells and the kidneys.

A major problem is that the bacterium is resistant to antibiotics. Eradication of these kinds of bacteria is impractical partly because they are able to evolve so rapidly, according to medical experts.

Now that the WHO chief has sounded the alarm bell, health authorities should redouble their efforts to contain the crisis. An “end to modern medicine” and a “post-antibiotic era” are predictions too horrible to imagine.

By  GLOBAL TRENDS By MARTIN KHOR

Related articles

• Antibiotic resistance is a fight we will never win (bio230fall2010.wordpress.com)
• New Delhi NDM-1 superbug: Indian scientists nail British hoax (quicktake.wordpress.com)
• Compound May Help In Fight Against Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Team discovers how bacteria resist a 'Trojan horse' antibiotic (eurekalert.org)
• Antibiotic Resistance (and other falling skies) Part One (huntgathermedicine.com)

Cyber-attacks on China

  By Phil Muncaster

China is claiming attacks on public and private organisations from outside of its borders have rocketed in the past year - from five million computers affected in 2010 to 8.9m in 2011.

Attacks on Chinese websites are on the rise, according to a government report >>

State-run newspaper China Daily reported the figures from (deep breath) the government’s National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team and Coordination Center.

They revealed that machines behind 11,851 IP addresses from overseas took control of 10,593 Chinese websites during 2011. Other attacks involved the destruction of servers and stealing of personal data from web users in the People’s Republic.

Some 1,116 sites were defaced by overseas attackers, and just under half of those government sites, Wang Minghua, deputy director at the centre, told a news conference on Monday.

“This shows that Chinese websites still face a serious problem from being maliciously attacked by foreign hackers or IP addresses," he is quoted as saying.

Surprisingly, Japan is alleged to be the source of most attacks on China, supposedly landing 22.8 per cent, followed by the US with 20.4 per cent and then the Republic of Korea with 7.1 per cent.

The attacks were both financially motivated and targeted at stealing sensitive information from government departments, according to the report, although tellingly there is no breakdown for each.

China has swung from being a country frequently accused of launching cyber-attacks on Western nations to one finding itself on the business end of hackers' keyboards. Although it has been frustratingly difficult for investigators and politicians to prove, everyone from Hillary Clinton to William Hague and Google’s Eric Schmidt has pointed accusing fingers at the Asian nation as a source of malicious net traffic.

Most recently, a detailed report from US defence contractor Northrop Grumman revealed that the People’s Liberation Army is tooling up with advanced information warfare capabilities, and warned that academia and commercial technology firms are helping to provide it with significant R&D resources.

However, despite the threat that Western governments believe Chinese hackers pose, it’s also likely that as China increasingly becomes an affluent web-connected nation, international cyber-criminals will look to target its web users. There are after all more than 500m users online in the People’s Republic, and almost one billion mobile subscribers, while a growing middle class is spending increasing amounts of cash online - China’s internet GDP will grow at a CAGR of over 17 per cent through to 2016, according to new research.

It would be naïve to think that the US, UK and other nations are snoozing while China-sponsored attackers target their data. The UK’s Cyber Security Strategy announced in November explained that a Cyber Defence Operations Group will be installed at the Ministry of Defence next month, for example.

Overseen by Air Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, the group will have a mission to develop "new tactics, techniques and plans to develop military cyber capabilities”.

The latest stats from the Chinese government may be slightly exaggerated but shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. ®

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India, Asia #1 world's top weapons importer!

 A study has found India to be the biggest weapons importer.

STOCKHOLM AFP— Asia leads the world when it comes to weapon imports, according to a study released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

 World arms trade (AFP Graphic)

Globally the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons was 24 percent higher in the period 2007-11 compared to the 2002-06 period, the report said.

Over the past five years, Asia and Oceania accounted for 44 percent in volume of conventional arms imports, the institute said.

That compared with 19 percent for Europe, 17 percent for the Middle East, 11 percent for North and South America, and 9 percent for Africa, said the report.

India was the biggest arms importer in the period covered, 2007-11, accounting for 10 percent in weapons volume.

 India is the world's largest arms importer (AFP/File, Raveendran)

File photo shows Indian soldiers firing a Bofors gun 

It was followed by South Korea (6 percent), China and Pakistan (both 5 percent), and Singapore (4 percent), according to the independent institute which specialises in arms control and disarmament matters.

These five countries accounted for almost a third, 30 percent, of the volume of international arms imports, said SIPRI.

"India's imports of major weapons increased by 38 percent between 2002-06 and 2007-11," SIPRI said.

"Notable deliveries of combat aircraft during 2007-11 included 120 Su-30MKs and 16 MiG-29Ks from Russia and 20 Jaguar Ss from the United Kingdom," it said.

While India was the world's largest importer, its neighbour and sometime foe Pakistan was the third largest.

Pakistan took delivery of "a significant quantity of combat aircraft during this period: 50 JF-17s from China and 30 F-16s," the report added.

Both countries "have taken and will continue to take delivery of large quantities of tanks," it also noted.

"Major Asian importing states are seeking to develop their own arms industries and decrease their reliance on external sources of supply," said Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme.

China, which in 2006 and 2007 was the world's top arms importer, has now dropped to fourth place.

"The decline in the volume of Chinese imports coincides with the improvements in China's arms industry and rising arms exports," according to the report.

 File photo shows Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) …

But "while the volume of China's arms exports is increasing, this is largely a result of Pakistan importing more arms from China," it added.

"China has not yet achieved a major breakthrough in any other significant market."

China is however the sixth largest world exporter of weapons behind the United States, Russia, Germany, France and Britain.

In Europe, Greece was the largest importer between 2007 and 2011, the institute said.

Between 2002 and 2011, Syria increased its imports of weapons by 580 percent -- the bulk supplied by Russia -- while Venezuela boosted its imports over the same period by 555 percent, it reported.

Throughout the Middle East as a whole, weapons imports decreased by eight percent over the period of the survey.

However SIPRI warned "this trend will soon be reversed."

Tunisia, where mass protests ousted strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali early last year, launched the so-called Arab Spring and inspired similar movements in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere.

"During 2011, the governments of Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Syria used imported weapons in the suppression of peaceful demonstrations among other alleged violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

"The transfer of arms to states affected by the Arab Spring has provoked public and parliamentary debate in a number of supplier states," the report said.

The volume of deliveries of "major conventional weapons" to African nations increased by a massive 110 percent in 2007-2011 over the previous five-year period, with deliveries to North Africa up by 273 percent.

Morocco saw its own imports increase by 443 percent, the report added.

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