High Income Nation

Malaysia needs rm600bil investments to achieve high income status and 90% of the investment must be from the private sectors.

The government had launched 131 projects to generate rm1.3 trillion in GNP and 1.3 millions jobs.

That is the message campaigned by Muhyiddin in Brunei. It sound too simplistic and ambitious. It is logical, in economic sense, a developed nations produced certain amount of per capita income.

Looking at the wikipedia chart of per capital, Malaysia is at number 65 with usd7,700 per capita. Other countries in the region are Brunei 28,340 nbr 26, Singapore

15

Singapore

42,653

26

Brunei

28,340

65

Malaysia

7,775

89

Thailand

4,620

109

Indonesia

2,963

I think the per capita is a useful indicator, it should not be the aim of development. The development should focus on the people and not the ranking.

This is where Malaysia had failed, and the leaders had mislead the mass population. The Deputy PM had done this, either intentional or out of ignorance. I think it is intentionally, as it is easier to chase the number than the develop the Malaysian.

Changing Focus
If you were reading the history of early Malaysia, the approach was different. Razak wanted to develop the people, when the people generate the extra income it will be counted as the additional to the per capital.

NEW APPROACH is different, do not be mislead, what Najib wanted (and Mahathir too), we want to be a developed nation, the per capital need to be this level. That will require 600bil investment. The investments will generate the income and part of the GDP and divide that by the population, you get the per capital... What is so difficult about it?.

Issues
1. Malaysia is unique, as the majority population, the Malays are not strong in economy. You bring the idea of targeting per capita, you can have islands of factories and development with a large desserts of poverty. It will unstabilize the nation.

2. Look at Brunei, at number 26 with 28,000 usd per capital, does it make it a developed nation. Hardly so.

3. The issues of corruption is a rampant. The more MACC you have does not seem to reduce, it is ingrained in the very fabric of the certain group of people. It is the easiest mean to get rich in Malaysia.

Conclusion

Targeting to be a high income nation is made in a grave error. We should target development, and income will come a the result of development.

Human Trafficking or Smuggling

Malaysian Parliament had recently made amendment to the act on human trafficking. This is the follow up action from the visit by US secretary of state, Ms Clinton. To my mind, I imagine a picture of Clinton opening up her big book, like a teacher in a classroom full of standard 1 students, and Hishamuddin, was one of the willing student taking notes of what Ms Clinton want him to do.

Suhakam is not happy with the ammendment, as it is too focused to make the distinction between the human trafficking and human smuggling.

Lat Sunday, I was shocked by the news from Mstar on the stories of the foreigners being forced to prostitution by sheer torture. Hundreds were taken to the rehibitation centers and thousands more are suffering in the dark rooms in the back street.

Malaysia is unfortunate for not making a stand on this issues. This reflect on the ministers mindset. May be he was too busy sharpening his keris reading to draw it on the next congress of the powers.

It is so unfortunate, that external power such as the US, who are not clean themselves, has to be the big daddy telling the Malaysian what to do. Hishammuddin knew about the problems. Almost every week, we had the raid and the capture of foreigners caught with immoral activities. The were fined due to "doing something against the visa restriction". This is becoming a joke of the day. Has anybody are able to think beyond. I wonder why Singapore can come up with the sort of comment of the Malaysian leadership.

Pulau Jerejak failed development

The Penang Barisan Rakyat Chief Minister is asking for explanation on loss of 30 millions incurred by the previous state government under Barisan National under the project to develop Pulau Jerejak.

Lim said the people have the right to know and the loss and why the project did not take off.

The previous Chief Minister of Penang from BN was Dr Koh. It seem that the project was handed to UDA Holding and after the hand over it incurred the loss.

The project was developed by UDA, and a holiday resort called Tropical Island Resort was in the making.

The PAC deputy chairman Tan Seng Giaw said that the project will be brought up in the Public Accounts Committee meeting.