Bumiputra's ASM Reserves Not Taken.

It was mentioned on the Radio and TV but not played up in the Press that some 1. 6bil ringgit worth of shares reserved for the Bumis under ASM had not been taken up. Hence it's going to be opened to the free market and anyone can buy up to a maximum or 20,000 shares.In spite of the lack of capacity to absorb all the shares offered to the Bumis, PNB is contemplating on issuing new shares, certainly to attract more savings and investment from the Bumis.

If the Bumis cannot absorb even existing opportunities, how can they respond positively to new ones? Will such move increase Bumiputra equity share which has remained stagnant at 19 or 20% in the last 19 years while the non-Bumi share has shot up to
more than 50%? If PNB was responsible for improving Bumi equity all these while, has it really accomplished what it was set out to do, accepted that it might have accomplished other goals magnificently well?

Equinas has now seemingly taken over the role to improve the equity issue. What assurance is made that the new shares issued will be taken up by the Bumi with their limited resources, unless the shares are bought and held in their interest by resource-rich Bumi companies like MARA, Felda, Felcra etc? Without such assurance the chance for Bumi equity to increase will become just a pious hope.And such a hope, I'm afraid, will not facilitate the achievement of national unity and stability.

PS. "1.6b ASM units sold out in a day" (NST July 23, p.9). The units not taken up by Bumis were sold in a day in the open market.
What a success and what a proud proclamation of success! But is it in line with the main objective of PNB? Or is that objective just to make as much profit as possible irrespective of who is getting richer and what happens to the equity factor in the nation? Raise and sell more shares in the open market PNB, and the stagnant 19 % Bumis' share of the market may yet sink to 0. The Bumis will sell out for a quick profit anytime.

Quest for a Partner Dilemma.

I never thought that seeking for the right life-partner would become the greatest problem of the 21st century. More daunting than getting a university degree, a good job, or a promotion, and more rife with erroneous assumptions, false romantic notions, conservatisms, disilluisonments and frustrations, especially for the smart and beautiful single girls.

I touched on this subject casually in a previous posting. Today the NST (July15, L&T p.2) comes out with the question: So how do you find your special someone? Meera Murugesu writes about the findings of a Survey on dating trends in Malaysia, Singapore and Hongkong and interviewed Violet Lim, the founder of the Dating Agency wihich conducted the survey. All single girls and men should read the article to gauge what's wrong with their own assumptions and hope, and face today's reality.

Let me not try to simplify a complicated matter. How people meet, get acquainted, fall in love and tie the matrimonial knot is a fascinating subject full of surprises, impossibilities and mysteries. The process itself is most exciting, fufilling and edifyng and no two experiece is the same no matter how many times you go through it. So, why not enjoy it as many times as you can? Coz, two or three failed attempts and you can become an 'andatu' or a 'bujang terlajak'.

No prescription to avoid pitfalls can ever be drawn up even by the love experts, who in many cases failed in their own marriage.

My simple advice is: when you meet a person who stirs you inside (never just outside for the good looking girl or guy has many admirers already), imagine yourself living with this person, sharing your bed and waking up in the morning to see his/ her face, spending long hours on a desert with him/her. Would you welcome it? Would the other person welcome it too? If you do, and he/she does too, go for it. Other things can be worked out together. Start thinking how this or that would change you and your life ( remember the other person has to sacrifice his/her freedom too), and the quest will go on without end.

The greatest trouble is when the other party shows a lack of enthusiasm or eagerness. Here comes the need to sacrifice your
time, pride and priorities to appreciate his/her's. Test your patience and cool. If after showing him/her how much you cared,
danced to his/her tune for a resonable period, and do whatever is possible to excite his/her enthusiam you still get no positive response, then it's better to break away clean and start a new hunt.

Don't waste your life blowing on dying embers, even though they were burning hot at one time.

Manik Urai

Like it or not the decisions made by government on the liberization of the economy and equity conditions for foreign investment, together with the use of Bahasa again in the teaching of Science and Mathematics in 2012, will influence the voting atmosphere in Manik Urai. Generally, the former is viewed with trepidation by the Bumis while the later is received with a sense of relief - giving the young Malaysians a common lingual base for building up a national consciousness again.

With regard to the liberalization move, it must be remembered that a lopsided growth for the Malaysian economy will only invite sharper contrast between the rich and the poor and, therefore, generate more tension. On the language issue, while the significance of English for seeking knowledge is indisputable. the pride in its command often diminishes the pride of being a Malaysian national with our own national language. To this is added the traditional employers' belief that an employee who can speak English can work better than one who can't.

Let's face it.No matter how English or American you sound when speaking in their language, you're not one of them. Who are you then, if you're not a Malaysian? Would a foreigner respect you more for your excellent English or for being a proud Malaysian citizen? The Malays used to be derided by other Malays for trying to speak like an Englishman after visiting London for only a few days. Many of us still pinched our nose when a Malaysian speaks English with a simulated English or American accent while the grammar is rotten.

" Apa khabar, Encik?"
" You know, I just return from London and feel the weather too hot over here."
We might laugh at such a scene but when a Minister or a VIP gives an address in English with a simulated accent to a Malaysian audience we never feel insulted at all.

On his 100 days in office the PM also announced 11 gifts to the citizens of Malaysia. Road users, the cabdrivers, the smalltime businessmen and the public in general will be most happy over the gifts. Hopefully that includes the voters in Manik Urai although the gifts were never intended to be a by-election incentive, just like the coming of the durian season to the area. Puteri members are also all over the place to help out parents in distress.

How wonderful if we can have by-elections all the time. All the impossible things requested for development suddenly become possible and urgent.

Serious Discussion with a Tiny Tot

The adults have so many conflicting views about life and the world today. For a change I decided to talk to a tiny tot on what she ( could be a 'he' coz before a year old you can't tell the difference) would like to be when she grows up. She stared at me as if I was stark crazy and that I've terribly embarrassed her. (See pic).
" What do you think is the most money-making job in the world today, Love?"
She kicked her legs out vigorously with a determined look. " Playing football, become a football star?" She laughed as if in agreement.

"Okay, what is the next job that can give you a lot of money and fame?" She stretched out her hands and began to wiggle and twirl. "Dancing, singing, become a movie star?" She laughed again most energetically. It was easy to understand that she agreed wholeheartedly.

"Okay, okay..Don't you like to be a politician?"
She suddenly cried and turned to her mum with a deafening shriek.

Oh well. A tiny tot can't lie.

Bloggers Great Day.....

Well, well, well....... many of the semi-retired,veteran journalists who turned bloggers after being "nudged out"are back on the establishment, filling in elevated positions. That includes Brother's Bru, Nuraina Samad, Ahmad Talib etc. Congratulations are in order.

I hope this is the harbinger of a new era in mainstream reporting - not prolonging the eulogicosycophantic tradition of the past when reporting on public issues, but really analytical and objective. Hopefully, the flavour of bloggish jounalism would carry over into the papers in terms of issues brought up and the pov presented. Tun Dr Mahathir seemed to have promoted that style of jounalism to become the national blogger with the greatest following, now approaching 20 million visitors.

BTW, Pak Kadir Jasin seems to have resorted to poetry to communicate some of his more subtle feelings and emotions against blind liberalization and meritocracy. "Buat Baik Perpada-pada" has of course been followed by a very eloquent defence of the DEB. The architechs of the DEB, which includes the PM's dad, must now feel very uncomfortable about the policy which had saved this nation from a blood bath following May 13.

The papers certainly have a great role in keeping things transparent. Why can't we have a page in the papers devoted to what the opposition say, so that they can focus on 'the murky waters
under the bridge'. There will be so many pages through which government spokesmen can clear up the issues. This would be better than sweeping things under the carpet. Nobody can comment on things that do not appear in the papers. They'd be called rumours.

So, to the reestablished bloggers: Can we be more open this time around? Let's bring the content of the newspapers closer to that of the blogs - the responsible ones of course. Your reinstatement in the establishement should be celebrated on a day that can be called the Bloggers Day.

The Delicate Balance 3 - Equity Stagnation

It has been reported and admitted by the PM that Bumiputra equity ownership had remained stagnent at 19.4% since nineteen years ago (1990). Why so? Because Bumis have been selling their shares. Of the RM54 billion accorded to the Bumis only RM2 billion remained in their hands.

So the new approach is to liberalize the economy: allow foreign capital to come in with no restraining conditions to ensure a fair equity ownership. so that the economy will grow faster and there will be more wealth to share by everyone. This assumes a redistributive mecahnism par excellent, to overcome the failure of existing institutions made responsible, principally the PNB with its subsidiaries such as ASN. ASB, ASM etc.

Liberalization so far took away the 30% equity requirement for Bumis in 27 trade sectors includinghealth, transport, social, education, computer etc. As for water and energy supply, the 49% limit for foreign participation has been increased to 70%. While the FIC's power to control foreign ownership has been curbed ( stripped?), EQUINAS has been created to (theoreticall) take over and oversee the redistributive function of equity sharing.

What secret weapon EQUINAS will use to ensure what FIC and PNB failed to do ( increase the share ownership the local and foreign scis to 30%) is yet to be seen. If it fails while all the old safeguards introduced by the architects of DEB had been removed, we will be heading for faster economic growth where the rich and powerful (within and outside the country) will control the wealth of the nation.

Sure, capable and promising Bumiputra companies will be assisted by Government to become the acquisition arms of Bumi equity. Will they ensure a fair distribution of wealth to the poorer Bumis? Even the 100 Bumi millionaires which Dr Mahathir said would help the poorer Bumis participate more actively in the economic activities of the country failed to deliver. Can a hundred or more Bumiputra companies, going all out to make their own fortune do what the 100 millionaires ( we don't know how many actually emerged) failed to do?

The bolts and screws installed by the DEB architects to ensure Bumi participation would, of course, no longer be there, once removed. So the liberalization policy must work or bust. Stagnation can become a contraction and an illusion, while the rich become wealthier.

Illusive Love for the Smart and Beautiful.

This is a sequel to my post on the dilemma of the smart and beautiful girl in finding a life partner.
The findings herein are based not only on observing my daughter and her friends but also through discussions with some senior bachelor girls and analyzing the characters of of some novels.

I've seen many articles giving hints on how to catch a husband. Written by girls - or rather ladies.
As a man some of the hints given made me laugh. They fail to understand that the man can be smart too!

What I'm laying down is from the man's pov. Plain, sincere and with no holds barred.

Let me begin by quoting a macho friend who said some years ago when he was chasing a very beautiful and smart girl in the University: Only a diamond can cut a diamond! He did succeed in marrying the girl but finally broke up. Why? They were too smart for each other,and none would like to play dumb.

Men do appreciate smart and beautiful girls but a man cannot tolerate being outsmarted too many times. Nor when a girl uses her brains all the time allowing him no opportunity to fool around with her. A smart heroine character from a novel had to pretend enjoying the lousy and humdrum courtship and love-making style of her man to drag him to the alter of matrimony. Only after the marriage did she coax him to try some more exotic approaches.

A cardinal rule for not putting a man off is: never look down or ridicule him on his clumsiness or even stupidity, both in everyday interactions, during the act of falling in love and the more so when fooling around. That's when you've to play dumb ( as if lost or enthralled in his charm) and enjoy the act. You may go wild but don't frighten him especially when he himself is nervous and uncomfortable. Make him feel good and in full command.

Do you allow him to go all the way before taking the oath of marriage? I'll only answer that on urgent request for in many cases, giving such permission too early leaves him no mystery to be explored only after marriage and may raise many questions. Outright rejection, on the other hand, may terminate the fun of fooling around prematurely, and probably the entire relationship.

Enough on that for now. Only one more thing. After you've hooked him, don't go galavanting around with other men unless together with him. Show that you don't enjoy anything as much as when together with him. Good luck.