VOICE OF MALAYSIA

Be a better judge Malaysian!

2006-09-25T11:33:00.000+08:00

Reality television is a genre of television programming which, it is claimed, presents unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people instead of professional actors. It could be described as a form of artificial or "heightened" documentary. Although the genre has existed in some form or another since the early years of television, the current explosion of popularity dates from around 2000.

Here in Malaysia, reality TV has showered the country with the popularity and high rated viewers in the entertainment industry. Last couple of nights, I watched One In a Million , the first local talent-search reality programme that allows viewers to vote for or against their favourite and least likeable contestants. At the end of the show, we can actually see how Malaysian differentiate the good and the bad. I was suprised with the announced winner who was clearly lost to the other contestants the first time she open her mouth and sing. But it was normal I think when It was started before with other reality singing competitions when fellow viewers have wrongly selected the not really talented star-to-be as the winner.

In my opinion, the outcome of the misjudgement by the voters will end up with low rating for the next season and for the music production company, they gonna bet their money to the album which can't even sell in the market. We have seen it ourselves before, and its proven! I can't remember the last time I ever listen to his/her voice in the local radio station( I don't know about overseas, may be they are popular outside ).

Mosyaf: Singing reality TV? Nah, I dont think so......

Prevelance of Weight Problem In Malaysia

2006-09-20T12:36:00.000+08:00

Ministry of Health Malaysia conducted a National Health and Morbidity Survey II on 80,000 adult subjects between 1996 and 1997. They found that 4.4% and 16.6% of the population were obese and overweight respectively. Based on the adult population (males and females) aged between 20-59 years old of 10.4 millions (1996 Population Consensus, Statistics Department), it is estimated to be about 450,000 obese and 1.72 million overweight adult Malaysians respectively. The survey also found that 25.2% or 2.62 million adult Malaysians were underweight (based on BMI < 18.5).

Malaysia has the highest obesity rate in Asia. Guess why? WE ARE SO RICH WITH FOODS! what are going to do then? Weight management is the answer guys. Check out this blog: myweightmanagent to know how you can kurus in Malaysia.

MERDEKA!!!

2006-08-30T17:22:00.000+08:00

Happy National Day to all Malaysian!!!!

MERDEKA! (7X)

Flush it Malaysian!

2006-08-25T09:54:00.000+08:00

Have you ever came across of World Toilet Organization? Some of us may think its funny to have such organization on this earth. Like many countries placing great emphasis on the economic advantage of tourism, the provision of infrastructure supporting tourism is of paramount importance. Good toilets are a necessity as part of any tourism infrastructure in attracting good supportive comment and visitation by tourists. The size, appearance, design and maintenance of toilets will also be related to other infrastructure at the particular site as well as its surrounds.

Malaysians must see clean, comfortable and beautiful toilets at home and in public areas as a way of life for all, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in The National Toilet Expo and Forum (Natef 2006)organized yesterday by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government with the support of various ministries, City Hall and Subang Jaya Municipal Council, and organised by the Quality Restroom Association of Malaysia. The Government sees the provision of quality public toilets as a high priority and recognises the vital contribution this well-managed service can make to foreign visitors. Well guys, It is time to flush dirty toilet habits down the bowl.

If TPM giving us 5 five-prong plan to change dirty habits, I suggest you guys more than that, just for us to share:

- Do not flick water on the floor after washing your hands. Instead, dry them with the hand dryer or hand towel available.
- Flush the toilet thoroughly after use.
- Dispose all unwanted stuffs into the bins instead of conveniently throwing them on the floor.
- As restrooms can serve as a breeding ground for odors caused by body fluids, bacterias and mold spores, hence they must be well ventilated with regular exchange of air.
- Hand basin is only meant for hand washing. Thus, it shouldn’t be used to wash other materials.
- When using the toilet paper, just pull the exact pieces so that they would not litter the floor.
- Public toilets should be supervised permanently or checked at very regular intervals to maintain the highest level of hygiene and cleanliness.
- Vandalism is a common problem in public toilets and it often makes the toilets appear unsightly. Thus, one shouldn’t vandalize the toilets and should uphold the clean image.
- For guys using the toilets, do aim properly at the urinal so as not to dirty the floor.
- Ladies should not set their foot on any part of the toilet bowl so that the toilet bowl will remain clean for the next user.
- Adjust the tap level properly so as to ensure water do not splash onto the ground and thus causing it to be slippery and inconvenient for the next user.
- Do not choke the toilet bowl or the hand-washing basin. They are only used for their purposes and not the other reasons.
- Do not smoke inside the toilet as the fallen ash will dirty the floors.

How about that? Whatever it is, just think about the next person eho going to use the toilet. For parents, do educate your kids on hoe to remain toiletically hygiene at all time. Everyone needs to visit the restroom several times in the course of the day. By providing public toilets for all, it will encourage more people to travel by transport, to walk, and to cycle, without having the fear of being caught short. The government had done their role implementing it, but we as a citizen should always be the caretaker of own nation.

Farming? Are we going back to the future?

2006-08-22T10:29:00.000+08:00

Recently, Government had driven to rejuvenate the agricultural sector and transform it into a growth engine. PM also called for more local and foreign investments to boost small- and medium-scale agro-industries in the country. While at the same time, some of us have different view that concentrating on agriculture is regressive as though the country is going backwards. But do we realize that manufacturing and ICT sectors were already self-sustaining and their growth was being propelled by their own momentum? Furthermore, I dont think we need to concentrate on emphasizing those profitable sectors when we have agro-industry as another bag of money. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the Government had allocated RM255mil for this and hoped to attract 10,000 or more participants to the industry by 2010. He also stated that we (agro-industry) are going to focus on high-powered commercial development in this new corridor.

In the past, farmers could only grow and sell their products by the roadside, now they will be taught to add value to their products. Its definitely not possible for us to see poor farmers becoming owners of food production factories. On the other hand, Pak Lah indirectly had exposed the latest tool of overcoming unemployment. We as a Malaysian, should give our 100% support on enhancing this new sector to be the biggest contributor of the nation's economic development.

Sex Education in school?

2006-08-21T09:52:00.000+08:00

The survey reported that only 5.4% of the adolescents said they had ever had sexual intercourse. But sexual activity covers a wide spectrum of behaviours, intercourse being only one. This is always the perceptions when people tend to raise this subject. Actually, I’m referring to the results of the 2001 International Medical University survey of 4,500 Malaysian adolescents that was featured in the Sunday Star.And something would definitely suprise me on the results show that some of our teens are not the clean-scrubbed well-behaved children we’d like them to be. They smoke, they drink, they take drugs, they have sex, they sometimes try to kill themselves, and sometimes succeed.

Asians generally live in conservative surroundings. They do not know how to react when the subject of sex is brought up, more so when a woman is talking about it openly.I the west, sex education starts at the age of 13 for young people. But is that applicable to be implemented in Malaysia? There are a lot of argument when it comes to the topic of implementing the subject to be accumulated with the current education supplement. All these years, our culture and tradition have been a stumbling block, with parents and teachers shying away from the realities of sex education, which should have been given emphasis long ago. But now, several ministries have taken the preliminary steps introducing sex education to school and urged the parents to support and share the same view. Instead of getting wrong information on sex from friends, it is better for children to know the facts through proper sex education in school.

Ministry of Education is now in process of finalizing the guidelines for the subject. Covering six components – human development, relationships, marriage and family, interpersonal skills, sexual health and behaviour, and society and culture – the guidelines are age specific and meant for preschoolers to adults. Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the guidelines were a good start as they would give everyone concerned some idea of the direction to follow. While in the mean time, it was also reported yesterday that the Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil want it to be implemented as soon as possible. Again, the question is, are we ready? What about the spreading of pre-marital intercourse among the youngsters after this been implemented? Or increasing stats of HIV infected among the IPTA/IPTS students was due to a lack of moral and religious upbringing and not because of they are not sexually educated? Are we letting ourselves being dumped with Western approach of education? It is back to the government to impose or not to impose the subject, but with a careful analysis, a good result can always be achieved. Parents must also play a part in giving the right guidance and don't just wait and let the burden to the hand of our government.

Mosyaf: Do as I said not as I do............

Jamal & Saleem. Congrats!!!

2006-08-18T14:46:00.000+08:00

While having my precious TV time with my wife on Wednesday night, I got shocked when I saw 2 legendary singer been interviewed in RTM 1. It may not electrified to some of you out there, but It was really something good for the nation. These 2 pop stars ( Jamal & Saleem)with a unique voice and tumultuous past, being brave to appeared in nationally televised forum to reveal on the experience and thought for public's good. “I’ve tried many ‘roads’ like going to the rehabilitation centre and traditional medicine. For some people it’s faith in God,” said Jamal, relating his experience in fighting drug addiction. Being asked on the challenge that he had faced, jamal said,"For me, to get down, its normal, but to get up, its not normal!" (Can see a drop from my wife eyes). Jamal also in the process of launching of his self-published book, Jalan Lain Ke Sana (Another Road To Get There). “By sharing my experience, I hope the dark past will be a reminder to my fans. Families who want to learn about the ins and outs of this (drug addiction) can check out my book as well,” he said.

To Saleem, nothing in this world can compare the effort of his wife in getting him back on track. He also answered a question related to controversial statement by an actor in one of the reality show. In my view, they have done a very good job to share their experience with everybody on the effect of being addicted to drug. Many who kicked the habit became addicts again because family members turned their backs on them, this is what explained by the panelist that night. Family support is very crucial to help them get back on the right track. For Malaysian, it is our job to make sure that ex-addict to give them a second chance, so as to prevent them from returning to their old habits.

Unspeakable 'Bahasa Melayu'

2006-08-16T13:21:00.000+08:00

Bahasa Melayu (Malay Language) or Bahasa Malaysia, is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people who reside in the Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, central eastern Sumatra, the Riau islands, and parts of the coast of Borneo. It is an official language of Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. Malaysians are easily identified due to the fact that they change their speaking styles in accordance with the person being spoken to. They may adopt a completely different slang and accent when speaking to someone of a different race, or of a similar race. This is not, however, a form of discrimination -- it is considered casual and endearing.

Nowadays, not many Malaysian really use this language as their day-to-day communication icon. We can even meet Malay who can't really communicate via their mother language. Why is this happening to us? Couple of days ago, the Award Winning Actress, Sharifah Amani had been criticized over her speech of I sound like stupid if I speak malay in the Malaysian Film Festival. Well, it's really not neccessary for us to blaim youngsters of being over reacted and their forgetfulness in using Bahasa Melayu but we should blaim ourselves whose everyday tend to beautify other language more than ours. Infact everyday we can see Politicians appear in TV speaking in other language, businessman talking about profit using other language and an artiste tend to speak in other language (trying so hard). Why can't we just proud of using malay? Sometimes, Malaysian (including me)feel like speaking in other language will make them look reputable, hence earn more respect from the listener.

Believe me, this language will become like other ancient languages which had been vaporised from this world if we keep on fading it away from us. Upon rediscovering the Malay Language, certain imported words came up. First, it was “previu.” After that, “bajet” came up out of nowhere. Later, the word “polemik” came to surface. As if those words aren’t enough, like rabbits, a whole gamut of them started to jump out from their burrows. One naughty rabbit is called “akauntabiliti.” Another impeccable furball is known as “integriti.” That black rabbit is named “transparensi.” And don’t forget, our little cuties - “profil,” “kontroversi,” “emosi,” “posisi,” “cif,” “propisi,” “kondisi” and “ambisi.” And who knows what else in the store (taken from cicak.com). Do all these words neccessary? It won't make people proud through importing foreign language to be used in bahasa melayu. Something that government should give their concern more in Ninth Malaysian Plan.

Mosyaf: I myself blogging in English........

Domestic Tourist Index, 1st in the world

2006-08-16T11:04:00.000+08:00

It is believed to be the first of its kind in the world, Tousrism Ministry is expected to introduce a domestic tourist index set to be launched by the year end. This index will essentially tracks site attractiveness and inter-state tourist flow within Malaysia. It is also understood that the Ministry is busy conducting a pilot study to gauge tourists main attraction as neccessary promotional activities can be done. This index (also defined as attractiveness index)from my point of view will eventually solve the current Ministry's stastitical methods which are heavily dependent on hotel occupancy.

Malaysia known as a country with a lot of heritages but Malaysian sometimes unaware that there are lots of places to visit in our country. We want our people to spend their vacations in Malaysia as we are worried that there are more Malaysians visiting other countries than foreign tourists coming to Malaysia. Recently, relevant authority had announced from Sept 1, tourists from countries that require visas to enter Malaysia will be able to get visas on arrival at the international airports in the country. Look at how government trying to catch the world's eyes to come and visit Malaysia. We, as malaysian should have taken our own initiatives to visit all those interesting places that we have in our country. For example, Gua Tempurung is for the adventurous travellers. If you want a change of weather, you can go to the highlands such as Bukit Tinggi, Genting Highlands, Cameron Highlands and Fraser’s Hill. If you want to spend your time at the beach we have Pulau Langkawi, Tioman and many more. I am sure that we had not yet visited to all these places.

According to industry observers,Malaysian are more inclined to spend their holidays at the beach and islan resort. With the index introduced, it will surely make it easier, not only for foreigner, but also for Malaysian to identify the most attractive places for us to look for.

Somebody eyeing Proton?

2006-08-15T10:14:00.000+08:00

Several analysis had been made by few parties on the future of the National Car Manufacturer. There are some reports that Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary (I always admire this guy) may take up up the stake in Proton holding Bhd. As always, the speculation has emerged to test the government's reaction when in reality, no proposal has been made. I think we all know that Tan Sri Syed has a 15.8% controlling stake in DRB-HICOM. But until now, it is also reported that neither him (Syed Mokhtar) nor DRB-HICOM could be reached for comment at this time. It was believed that any potential investors must have at least RM 1.6 Billion to capture the shares mostly held by government investment arm Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

Looking at the previous deal done by Syed Mokhtar, it is possible for him to get hold on the later takeover. I also came accross by the news of Naza would make the a better fit than anybody else to partner Proton as they have been in the industry for several years. Wander, could it be something like acquiring DRB-HICOM (Syed Mokhtar VS Nasimudin) few years ago? As my point of view, government would certainly look into a number of consideration especially when they have not yet finish strimlining the Malaysian Automative Policy. And plus, DRB is also not in the state of acquiring another company as they are also posted a net loss of RM204 Million last year. To Proton, just concern on the operational enhancement and improving quality as it may lead to a better volume of profit.

Mosyaf: Its always my ambition to see PROTON become a global automative brand.

Malaysian can produce good movie

2006-08-14T10:23:00.000+08:00

It's another feather in the cap for the Malaysian film industry. Gubra, the second feature film by writer/director Yasmin Ahmad won the best film award in the 19th Malaysian Film Festival last night. Congrats also to Afdlin on his title of Best Actor Award through the movie Buli balik(good movie). At least we have seen a solid changes in the industry. Nowadays, Malaysia Film industry is no longer representing a typical subject of love and humor, but more towards life and being realistic. Actors and actreesses have another step of new acting dimension, as they are now performing a non-script following kind of art.

Remember back in 90's, malaysian had primarily accepted 'love' as a theme in their movies, but it was really a slump in the industry by doing so. It is also mirroring Malaysian film producer as not being creative and similarly having shortage of ideas. The films that I can be proud of are something like Perempuan. isteri dan ... and Perempuan Melayu Terakhir. These two had made a tremendous impact to the industry eventhough it had baan bombarded with a lot of criticism among the people. Part of being bored, viewers at last choose to accept more realistic art regardless of the themes selected for the movies.

Movies like Buli, Buli Balik, Gubra, Sepet and many more had at least left the viewers a small thought of appreciating life for being meaningful and full of greatness. And again, those movies did not require for a big RM, but still progressed a good impact to Malaysian as a whole. The most precious thought, That's not a Malay movie or a Chinese movie or an Indian movie, "That's a Malaysian movie".I felt the Malaysian films speak volumes for themselves without need for explanations or elaborations. The malaysian elements also provided various insights and filming stories that gave the audience a more memorable and meaningful experience. I think it's time for the people to open their minds especially the authority for always being close and skeptic. They don't have to like it or endorse it, but at least allow people to decide for themselves. For Movie Goers, let's hope for an even greatest feast of movies in the future!

Mosyaf: To all movie makers, audience can think...

KL : Cheapest City in The World?

2006-08-10T14:24:00.000+08:00

Kuala Lumpur is the cheapest city in the world to live in says a report compiled by Swiss bank UBS. Oslo and London are the world's most expensive cities, while Zurich and Geneva residents have the highest buying power, according to the report released on Wednesday (source: The Star). Europe dominates the list of 71 cities compiled by Swiss bank UBS, while Asian cities - including Kuala Lumpur, followed by Mumbai - are among the cheapest places to live, based on the cost of a basket of 122 goods and services.

What does this really mean to us? It is good to know that we're living in a country which explained as economically ok to live in. How about a view from the eyes of the world? Still ok, expatriates can always come and make a living or plan their retirement in KL as the demand of living standard practically low. How about looking it through the eyes of the people living in KL? Not really that easy. It just like living in the jungle, it's about survival. YOu gonna have to be smart and strong for you to live longer. But I think it implies to all the cities the world. It's actually a fact of life.

Mosyaf: Looking for some place to settle down when Im old.....

Dr M - Not finish yet?

2006-08-10T10:29:00.000+08:00

Over the past few months, Dr Mahathir had accused Abdullah of reversing his policies, compromising on national sovereignty and running a Government with "no guts". It’s unclear what Dr Mahathir wants undone by Pak Lah. The former prime minister said he had evidence of corrupt practices of a minister who served in his Cabinet. "He was in my administration... I have some evidence but whether you can report to the police and expect proper investigation or not, is of course something else... I know the agency had investigated one person but there was no follow up. During my time, I thought that action was going to be taken, but no."

Dr M is undeniably a great leader at his time. The question now, is it right for him to get involved in the current leadership of Pak Lah? Tun Mahathir’s strong criticisms – made through the media, on the issuance of Approved Permits for car imports, the non-renewal of Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff’s contract as Proton chief executive, the scrapping of the Johor half-bridge project, and the sale of motorcycle maker MV Agusta SpA for one euro – was discussed heavily these days. All these issues raised by him related to whatever done in his period of administration. Tun also has to admit he had done few mistakes but nobody has bring it over the media. Not to forget what he has done to his no. 2 in 1997, anybody care about it? For me, that the Ninth Malaysia Plan is important for the people and the nation’s future. Thus, Pak Lah’s leadership is vital in realising the objectives of the Plan. Nowadays, people are looking for somebody that we can trust, not somebody who always with his/her own agenda. Until now, Dr M still the greatest of all, but if he still disturbing the current government's jobs, he might end up to be unpopular among the legend.

Mosyaf: You have done a great job yesterday, let me do mine today, ok?

Q & A with Pak Lah

2006-08-09T16:32:00.000+08:00

I was watching it nationally televised via TV3, our no. 1 leader was answering a no out-of-bound areas of questions from Bernama Chairman Datuk Annuar Zaini. When asked about the Ninth Malaysia Plan, he told that "the money is there and the government will spend the money". He also stated that when he took over, the deficit was quite high and if he had ignored it, it could have brought about negative effects. Attention was given to matters relating to the deficit. But he has succeeded...He managed to reduce the deficit. From year to year, we have reduced it. Now that everything is under control, and the deficit has been reduced, we are ready to spend. Through my point of view, the Prime Minister has done a good job organizing the government spending. As far as the national economic is concern, reducing the deficit through the control of unnecessary spending will lead to a better consumption of budget for the benefit of Rakyat.

When being asked question concern on his style of governing Pak Lah said:"This is not about being gentle, or being hard. It is about being firm, on what we think is fair, on what is true, what is good. What is important to me... first, truth and justice. If what is done is true and fair, then there is firmness in that decision. No need to be gung-ho. Just do it. No need to show off, that’s my style". From here we can see what differentiate him from others when everybody is trying to compare him with Lee Kwan Yew and the former no.1. His leadership style is undeniable different, some people may potray it as 'slow', but this doesn't mean that the government he leads is moving slow. As to promote visionary leadership style, he has promptly shown that his decision is taken from a round table.

When asked about he himself and the family being used by interested parties he answered: "Maybe. Maybe there are people who want to use him. These people will look for everyone to use. They will look for the son, for the son-in-law, for the wife, everyone. They will look for your best friends, look for your schoolmates, look for the kampung people that I know. In Kepala Batas, all kinds of people have gone down there. But what is important here is that I’m the one who will make the decision. Many people are angry at me...(They say) what is this, we don’t get anything. Pak Lah has become the PM for so long but I haven’t got anything. There are also those who got what they wanted, but they keep quiet. Those who didn’t get will complain endlessly. But we have to be fair". Like what i have wrote earlier in my view towards KJ, those people won't stop doing harm towards one who has the power and again, good people like Pak Lah always be the victim. So, get strong Pak Lah! it just another journey for nation's success.

Mosyaf : Pak Lah, may be.......may be you can consider to have great people within you....how about the former No. 2? ( No question, He is good!!)
"When the people fear the government, you have tyranny. When the government fears the people, you have freedom." - Thomas Paine

146th? FAM do something.

2006-08-09T15:18:00.000+08:00

While we can understand why the 146th ranking drew the wrath of Kalabakan Member of Parliament Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh, and why he even called for the resignation of the council. Never in the history of malaysia that number became the sole owner of this country at this time.
Whats wrong anyway? The development of our young at home at the grassroots level – schools, clubs, academies, colleges, universities? Not sending the really talented ones abroad? Or maybe, the management? As for that response from Larut MP Raja Datuk Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar, who is also a FAM vice president, to offer citizenships to foreigners who are "highly talented". This is the same to what our southern neighbour had done, recruiting foreigners (picture below)and yet they had changed drastically. But, I dont think Malaysian want it to be that way? We belive on our strength and history had told us about how proud we were at 70s and 80s. FAM general secretary Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad said everyone will have to work together if Malaysia are to rise again as a football power. He was answering to criticism against the FAM. He also said many individuals who hurled criticisms at FAM did nothing to lend support to develop the game (We always support even ranked 146th). But another question for him to answer: Didn't you suppose to make at least a small change to the nation's football as you are the Assosiation's secretary? Again, Malaysian had seen much, not only qualifying the world cup finals nor winning any of the asean title!

Did FAM really do the scout thing? Have they search for the best among the best? What happen to million of RM spent for the development of this sport? We have witnessed the national team struggled to win with a team built for only 3 months (Myteam). As a concern supporters, I believe that we are waiting for something that we can be proud of like having Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun and Ghani Minhat back in the team.

Mosyaf:The FAM have declared that they want to be in the World Cup in 2018. There’s a lot to be done to get there. Will be waiting.....

Siti, the most Googled Malaysian?

2006-08-09T09:58:00.000+08:00

First and foremost, I am not the fan of her! I am writting this after wondering why my fellow Malaysians are really obsessed on her story of getting married (with that K guy, he is old, handsome? I dont think so). I believe it is our collective inquiristic instinct that makes us crazy that way. We are all consumed by the celebrity culture, be it artistes, sportsmen, politicians, corporate leaders or criminals. People like to read about people, and we assume some are worth more of our attention than others (taken from Zainul's Blog). From Siti to Mawi, celebrity amore (or the end of it) has everyone talking. The World Cup may be inspiring high stakes in betting, but in the local entertainment industry, the two biggest names are inspiring some high odds of their own. First of all, fans of pop princess Siti Nurhaliza are counting down the seconds to 21st August, to ascertain whether the diva will actually tie the knot with that K guy. Secondly, Mawi was breaking up his engagement. Who cares what United Nations has to say about the Middle East, or that Israel invading Lebanon and extend the war to Iran or Syria, or that there was another tsunami killing hundreds in Java. We care, of course, but Siti is getting married! That is the most important hit to know!

Wow.....well that is the scenario. I do think that media has to lower down the theme of the uniqueness of being a celebrity. Those in rural area for instant, there are all depending on the media to supply them with all the stories happening around the world. If the media still potraying the greatest story of all is about Siti, than we Malaysian will always be in the midst of getting nowhere. We are also not creating a highly knowledgeable person or an up to date concern citizen which adoring more and more good knowledgeable contents. Again, the 100% blaim is not to the media afterall. The fact that someone is marrying someone is not going to change our life, but a war in lebanon or the 9th malaysian plan would. Its people, everybody....people, we should be in the state of enlightenment, not to view artiste as an icon (particularly Siti, just an SPM leaver and dont even know how to judge for her own future....again everybody, get yourself educated) and get rid of all the craps flying around them.

Mosyaf: Let’s hope both Siti and her beau in Datuk Khalid Muhammad Jiwa learn a thing or two from past marriages of other popular celebrities so that the wedding will be one to remember, apart from the dominating headlines.

EPF Withdrawal. Betting your retirement away?

2006-08-09T09:16:00.000+08:00

Scheme that allows members to use EPF withdrawals to invest in unit trusts was introduced in 1996 after some EPF members asked for it due to the favourable share market at the time. Things like this happened in the US back in 1980's, where everybody was talking about doubling up their retirement money through the
Unit Trust market. This also remind me when I was the Unit Trust Agent for one of the reputable Trust Company here in Malaysia. At that time I learn a lot (eventhough I graduated with Accounting Degree) about financial market and its insruments especially investing in unit trust. As an agent, I was brainwashed with all the strategies to influence my prospect, which include the benchmarking of the investment after some years compare to other form of investments. While at the same time, I have a thought of what would happen to all this people (particularly veterans and those who has more than 50k in their EPF) if the market is not going well as what been expected before. This will create despair among them and they'll be pissed off knowing that they had lost their retirement. For all of your information, Unit Trust market is depending directly to the share market (KLSE) eventhough not as violatile as the share market placement, but it is still dangerous and comparibly the same as betting your money into the share market.

Last few days, we have been shocked by the news of 80% of those investing in unit trust through the EPF withdrawal seriously had suffered losses. At the same time now, the EPF is also studying the overall performance of unit trust investment made by its members. As for my view, it is clearly not the Fund Manager's fault, but the investors. I won't put a 100% blaim to the investor but still what they have really to be aware of is getting the right knowledge in the area of investment, which in this case, Unit Trust. In addition to that, government has to be also play the role of bringing the medium of educating our people in choosing the right fund to be invested. Among the EPF recommendations to the Federation of Malaysian Unit Trust Managers (FMUTM) are that fund managers tighten the investment process, procedure and risk management, and the investment products meet the EPF objective of old-age savings, which will not be exposed to high risks. The agents of fund managers should also promote products that match the risk profile of EPF members as well as provide clear explanation on the risks faced by them. The EPF wants the fund managers to tighten the investment procedures, introduce low-risk products, provide better explanation on the risks involved and lower the cost of managing investment (Why now?). So people, think of it wisely, EPF savings are guaranteed by the Government with a 2.5 per cent dividend per annum, compared with unit trust investments which are not Government guaranteed. Don't bet your retirement away...

Mosyaf: Now I wonder why I didnt do well as an agent last time. Good part of it; I didn't lie to my prospect!

Khairy. What's wrong?

2006-08-08T10:52:00.000+08:00

He's been struggling to answer all rumors and allegations against him in the last couple of days. As the concern follower of Malaysia political issues, I would like to say that he got to set no worry about the various accusations levelled against him and it is a high time for him to move on into the next step of his political career. As far as Im concern, it is clearly not easy for us to be the son-in-law of Nation's no. 1 leader.

Who does not aspire to get a higher post within the party? I do think that there are various possible methods of getting yourself to the next level of your political career. But those of accusing him had actually used a wrong channel of climbing the ladder. History has told us many times, you can't really slash the post that one has ( particularly in politic ) with just pouring an allegation of misconduct or corruption, but you can do it via such accusition regarding his/her personal behaviour which in his case marrying the pontianak. People like him, is described as country most important asset, which is true. He is really the guy who know to stratigize, expert in planning, plus, he is the great business owner and the most visionary young leader in Malaysia. For Khairy, keep it going man, there's more national and global issues that we should give our concern to. Don't you ever think of quitting, you had just been on the right track!

Blog Monitoring. Action Against the Blogger?

2006-08-08T10:30:00.000+08:00

Recently, government had received mixed response on the proposal to closely monitor web Sites and blogs that have published seditious content. As a blogger, my personal opinion towards this is crystal clear. We should understand how human and technology have progressed and how far does the world has evolved. What we need to do now is tightening enforcement of the existing laws. It will be a waste of money and time to have total control on monitopring thousands of Webs and Blogs in the net. Hence, there are hundreds of blogs that support and host freedom of expression.

Governemnt's proposal is a protective move, which is good, especially relating blogs that published certain sensitive issues such as race and religion.It is practically ok of publishing a sensitive related blogs, provided that it is done reponsibly. Obviously its right for the government take an action where necessary when the Web Sites or blogs has the ability to incite hatred against the authorities. I do believe that most of us ( internet users ) are capable of filtering and assessing the content we access. Anyhow, it is our responsiblity to promote good use of the internet.

Mosyaf