Wednesday, May 30, 2012




Thursday April 28, 2011

Materials engineering an important discipline

IN Malaysia, Materials Engineering is not a popular course, partly due to lack of publicity. It is a very important discipline.

In the Materials Engineering course students learn about metallic materials, polymer materials, ceramic materials, materials processing technologies, corrosion prevention, non-destructive testing, materials impact on environment and management.

All these subjects are very useful and relevant in the industrial world.

A graduate in this field can be absorbed into many job sectors besides the material processing industry.

They can be employed in the petrochemical industry as well as power generating industry.

The scope of job is very important for our sustainable development.

Materials engineers were involved in solving the radiation leak at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan following the recent tsunami. They were able to explain why the cooling system, that was cooled through the injection of seawater, needed to be treated with boric acid.

The engineers also detected the cracks and used paint and liquid glass to seal the cracks.

They spread polymer resin in the nuclear plant to control the radiation that was a breakthrough in materials engineering.

Efforts must be made to promote materials engineering to secondary school students.

GOH HOE HOE,
Kuala Lumpur










Monday January 3, 2011

Thank you for your dedication, Mr Chai



TEACHERS throughout the country were back in school to register new students despite Dec 31 being a special public holiday to celebrate the win by the national football team in the Suzuki Cup.

The dedication shown by the teachers should be highly praised. First, the new students will remember teachers as dedicated persons who work hard to ensure a good beginning for them. Second, the registration of students according to schedule means parents do not have to take another day off to accompany them to school for that purpose.

The day also reminded me of Mr Chai, a very dedicated teacher of Hu Yew Seah, Penang. In 1968, my parents decided to transfer me to Hu Yew Seah from another school as I could not cope with my studies in the first school.

After a year of study, I became a better student. I attribute this to the dedication of Mr Chai, who taught me with patience.

Mr Chai was an educationist who practised the philosophy of Confucius of providing education to everyone irrespective of class. He was very concerned about students who performed poorly and always motivated students from lower income families.

After the final exam that year, Mr Chai presented gifts to two students. The presents were not given to the top students in class but to two below average ones who had shown eagerness in study.

One present was given to Loh Ah Seng who sat beside me, another to me. The award had motivated me to study hard and this changed the course of my life. The good conduct shown by Mr Chai always reminds me not to look down upon people. Thank you very much Mr Chai. I shall always remember you.

GOH HOE HOE,
Kuala Lumpur.














Friday September 17, 2010

Developing human capital is crucial

THE scholarships awarded to 50 UEC-holders from Chinese independent schools via 1Malaysia Development Bhd in conjunction with National Day is very encouraging.

It shows that the “1Malaysia, people first, performance now” initiative is not just mere slogan, but something that can be realised.

It also signifies that the Government is serious in developing human capital, taking the best from different communities.

Although the number of students in Chinese independent schools in Malaysia is not that huge, these schools have played an important role in producing political leaders, business entrepreneurs and professionals.

Prime MinisterDatuk Seri Najib Razak knows this very well and he has been very concerned about the development of Chinese independent schools since he served as Education Minister.

We hope this important step will lead to a transformation that will benefit the people and the nation, and eventually strengthen our status as a centre of excellence in education to attract talents from within and outside the country.

Human capital development is an important element in a competitive global environment because it will ensure that Malaysia will continue to develop through innovation and creativity.

GOH HOE HOE,
Kepong, Kuala Lumpur.














Thursday May 31, 2012Adapting building designs

THE proposal by the local government of Kota Baru to include a dome-shaped element in the Kelantan Buddhist Association complex is an act that can hardly be accepted.

This insistence by an officer of the local government reflects his inadequacies on the history of architecture and his lack of professionalism in and understanding of town planning.

Building design is a wide subject and it also has a great impact on the lives of people as well as development of a country.

Factors to be considered in the design of buildings include structural strength, cost of construction, local weather and environment, and cultural aspirations of the people.

For these reasons, many institutes of higher learning throughout the world have renamed their building construction faculty as faculty of built environment to truly reflect the role of building construction in the comfort living of human beings and sustainable development of the world.

Even though the shape and appearance of a building reflects the culture and aspiration of the people, it does not necessary symbolise a religion.

It is a great mistake to generalise a building with a pagoda and Buddha statue as a Mahayana Buddhist temple, a dome-shaped building as a mosque and a Cathedral-style building as a church.

Buddhism, which originated from India, was able to grow in China and blossom in Japan because it was able to adapt to the local cultures and living styles.

Likewise, through adaptation of local cultures including in architecture, science and technology, Islam became more and more influential and a living religion.

The oldest mosque in Malacca does not have a dome but instead has Chinese and Indian architectural elements in it, and this has not made it lose its function as a place of prayer for Muslims.

The National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur features a 16-pointed star concrete main roof that truly reflects the aspirations of the people and the nation, yet it functions very well and efficiently as a mosque.

The insistence on conformity to design based on the religious view of a given group will give rise to confusion, increase in costs, delay in construction and other shortcomings which eventually will reduce the competitiveness and attraction of a city.


Move on and rely less on foreign labour

I HAVE attended several seminars and noticed that the participants were mainly concerned about the shortage of foreign workers and the availability of SMI loans. It is without doubt that labour shortage and liquidity are two major critical issues. However, just addressing these two issues alone is not sufficient.

We must remember that the world is not static but dynamic. Countries where our foreign workers come, such as Indonesia and Vietnam, are now progressing well. Soon, they may also face labour shortages. And, in the long run, our small and medium-sized industries cannot depend solely on foreign workers.

The operating environment resembles an ecosystem chain where the survival of SMIs will depend on a variety of factors such as socio-economic stability and investments from within and outside the country.

The fall in FDI will definitely have negative impacts on the performance of SMIs downstream. Therefore, it is important for us to maintain a conducive environment to attract local and foreign investments.

Recently, Japan’s Ambassador to Malaysia Masahiko Horie mentioned that Japanese companies in Malaysia were concerned over the shortage of labour and knowledge-based skilled workers. If the situation persists, they may relocate their labour-intensive plants to some other countries. We must not take this lightly and hopefully, our government agencies will arrange a dialogue with them to identify their needs.

Malaysia is now facing problems that the Taiwan SMIs faced at the turn of the 20th Century. At that time, Taiwan’s SMIs were very much dependent on foreign workers and many Malaysians went there to work.

But in the 1990’s, Malaysia’s economy improved greatly and Malaysians working in Taiwan returned to work in Malaysia. Coupled with tough measures against illegal foreign workers, the SMIs in Taiwan were then facing a serious labour shortages.

To survive, the Taiwanese government and SMIs took a series of effective measures to adjust themselves to the changes, including the relocation of labour-intensive industries to mainland China, adoption of automation and efficient work-flow system and changing the attitude of youngsters towards blue-collar jobs through certification programmes.It is high time that we take the cue from Taiwan.

GOH HOE HOE,Kuala Lumpur. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?sec=focus&file=/2010/9/14/focus/7027765

Friday November 26, 2010

Chong Eu had courage to make changes

AS a Penang-born Malaysian, I feel very sad over the departure of Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, a former chief minister of Penang. Dr Lim was one of our most outstanding leaders who did not talk very much but worked very hard for the industrialisation of our country.

He showed his unparalleled far-sightedness as a political leader.

After the Gerakan wrested power in Penang in 1969, he travelled overseas to invite foreign investors to set up electronic factories in Penang.

The electronic factories gave Penang a new lease on life when it lost its free port status. The free trade zone provided ample job opportunities for the people. The setting up of these factories also contributed much to the growth of downstream industries in the country. Apart from that, we also benefited in terms of transfer of technology.

I was one of those who benefited from the industrialisation programme initiated by Dr Lim. In the 1980s, chances for young people to further their tertiary education were scarce. However, those who worked in the multinational electronic factories in Penang were given ample opportunities to upgrade their skills and education.

While working in National Semiconductor, I took a City and Guild diploma course in electronic engineering conducted by the company and after graduation, was given the opportunity to go to Japan for special technical skill training under an AOTS (Association for Technical Overseas Scholarship) scholarship.

I will always remember Dr Lim, not only as the Father of Industrialisation of Penang, but also as the person who played an important role in fostering the early “open university” programme in Malaysia.

I only met him once but I was very impressed by his words.

He believed that industrialisation was very important to our country because of its multiplying effects. For instance, a factory of 1,000 workers would create another 6,000 additional job opportunities because the new factory would create demand for food, housing, clothing, education and entertainment.

One important thing that we can learn from him is that courage is a dominating factor in initiating changes. Dr Lim also displayed his wisdom as a political leader by joining the Barisan National because he knew the importance of unity and stability in fostering economic development.


Friday September 24, 2010

Culture and heritage maketh a top class city

I wish to comment on the Economic Transformation Programme under which Greater Kuala Lumpur is listed as one of the 12 NKEAs.

According to this programme, the Klang Valley and its vicinity will be transformed into a modern city with sophisticated infrastructure and facilities by 2020.

However, the upgrading of infrastructure and facilities alone will not be sufficient to make Greater Kuala Lumpur a top class city in the world; preservation of cultural heritage needs to be considered too.

A world class city like Paris is appealing not because of its modern infrastructure only but because of its unique culture and heritage such as the Louvre Museum.

We do not have Louvre but we have a live museum in Kuala Lumpur. For example, the Sentul-Menjelara area is a natural presentation of Malay, Tamil, Sikh, Gujarati, Siamese, Sinhalese, Hokkien, Hakka, Cantonese, Kochow and Hainanese cultures.

Some of the lost customs and traditions in mainland China are still being practised here. This is something we KL citizens should be proud of as it truly reflects our tourism tagline “Truly Asia”.

This is the real asset which can be used to project our image internationally as an attraction.

The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station is also one of the earliest in the Far East and its presence reminds us of the important position of our country in the world since the day of the Industrial Revolution.

We are blessed with our heritage and nature. The unique environment of KL is conducive for movie making and I feel our Government should seriously consider turning Greater Kuala Lumpur into another movie city in the Far East which will in turn serve as a magnet to draw tourists and investors.

GOH HOE HOE,
Kepong.
  










Friday August 20, 2010

Bakun dam a step in the right direction

THE Bakun dam construction work has come to the final stage and the dam is expected to be in operation a few months from now. What are the implications of the project which is capable of generating 2,400 megawatts when in full operation?

Is this a benchmark to show that we have began to move towards the economic transformation based on the New Economic Model (NEM) which amongst others emphasises on innovation and creativity to raise the income of our nation?

As we know, energy is an important element in our daily life, especially for a major manufacturing country like Malaysia. One of our attractions to foreign investors is electricity supply which is not only cheap but also reliable. Malaysia’s electricity tariffs are one of the lowest in the region due to substantial amount of subsidies by the Government.

In time of comfort, we must plan for sustainable development. We cannot rely on subsidies forever. We need to find alternatives to prevent a crisis so that the country can continue to grow.

The construction of the Bakun project has been implemented according to the principle of sustainable growth and green technology. Water is a renewable source of energy because it rains throughout the year in our country.

In the long run, the project will enable us to acquire reliable power supply at low cost. This, in turn, will attract foreign and local investors to establish their industries here. As a result, more jobs will be created to increase our national income. This project has also benefited thousands of Malaysians involved in the construction and in terms of technology transfer. Apart from that, the Bakun dam will serve as a flood mitigation system to protect the life and assets of the people living along the Rejang river bank.

A good government is not only concerned about the daily life of the people, it must also be able to plan through creativity and innovation to ensure that the nation can continue to grow in an era full of competition and uncertainty.

GOH HOE HOE,
Kuala Lumpur.
 






HISTORY: What about other evidence?

By Goh Hoe Hoe, Kuala Lumpur0 comments


I CANNOT accept the comment made by Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim that Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat and Hang Li Po did not exist.

Written historical documents are not the only things to prove the existence of these people; their pictures and diaries written by famous travellers also provide evidence of their existence.

Just depending on written history alone would not enable us to understand what took place in the past.

Other than the Malay Annals, is there any historical record of Hang Tuah? Some people say no, just because they have not read of any historical records by western scholars.

I have seen in a history textbook a picture of a letter in Chinese written by Hang Tuah to the King of Ryuku (now Okinawa in Japan) complaining about the misbehaviour of a group of Ryuku sailors in Malacca.

My friend from Okinawa told me that a kris belonging to Hang Tuah was even found in a temple in Okinawa by those who did restoration work at the temple.

















Emulate the Japanese way

IN less than a month, three serious accidents have taken place in three major cities.

The first was at a shopping mall in Subang Jaya, involving an explosion believed to be due to a gas leakage. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured or died.

In the second accident, a crane toppled at a building site in Penang on Oct 4 which caused loss of life and property.

The third accident occurred at a construction site in Kuala Lumpur a few days ago, where a semi-finished concrete structure collapsed.

Why are these accidents happening? Are those involved following standard operating procedures?

Are employers providing training to frontline workers, such as security personnel and construction workers? Are enforcement agencies efficient in carrying out their duties? Do we realise that safety and security are the concern of everyone? These questions need answers.

I am not an expert in occupational or industrial safety, but I wish to share my experience as a supervisor at a construction site of a multinational electrical firm, owned by a Japanese group.

The main criteria the company looked for when recruiting staff was not academic qualification, but honesty and dedication, because they believe that honest and dedicated staff would always be concerned with the safety and well-being of the public.

Every morning, everyone at the construction site, including the Bangladesh, Pakistani and Indonesian workers, would assemble outside the site office.

Each group leader had to report on the work progress to the director. The director would then ask if anyone found any potential hazard at the construction site.

He would warn us against hiding anything pertaining to work hazards, and advise us to work hard, but not to work beyond our capability.

After the meeting, he would ensure that everyone wore safety apparel before beginning their daily duties. On top of that, time and again, he would instruct the group leader to educate the foreign workers on matters pertaining to safety.

A daily meeting like this, which usually takes less than 10 minutes, is an effective way to ensure that important information is passed to every worker, and that everyone works according to standard operating procedures.

I think it would be good for Malaysian companies to follow the Japanese way of management to enhance safety, security, comfort and productivity in our living and work places. This should be part of the transformation of our country.

GOH HOE HOEKuala Lumpur









































letters@nst.comShare |

Read more: Heritage: History, culture are our strengths http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/19tage/Article/#ixzz1Owcsk9TJ

EVERY Malaysian should support Malaysia's bid to become a member of the Unesco World Heritage Committee.
Our success in the preservation of World Heritage sites is well reflected in the 1Malaysia spirit that encompasses unity in diversity.

Malaysia has been an important trade and cultural exchange centre since ancient times because of her strategic location.


The Bujang Valley historical site in Kedah provides ample evidence of the country's role as a trading centre in ancient times.


In those days, traders from China, India, Persia and Greece came on junks and ships during the two monsoon seasons.

The Bujang Valley civilisation is mentioned in the ancient texts of China, India, Persia and Greece. It should be further promoted.


The Kristang language spoken by the descendants of the Portuguese in Malacca is another heritage that we can be proud of.

The Kuala Lumpur railway station is said to be the oldest railway station in Asia and deserves to be well maintained.

Chinese villages in Malaya that were set up during British times are also unique. The existence of these villages are important because they enabled the Chinese to contribute to the economic growth through tin mining and rubber tapping.


The Minangkabau traditional houses found in Malaysia are not only unique in their design, but also reflect the value and wisdom of the race.

Many think that Ferdinand Magellan was the first to circumnavigate the world. Magellan died two weeks before the team did that and it was Panglima Awang, his assistant, a Malay from Malacca, who took over the role to accomplish the goal.

The success of Panglima Awang is a source of inspiration for the younger generations to work harder and excel in their undertakings.

The longhouse in Sarawak perhaps is one of earliest forms of condominiums where people share resources and work together for the benefit of the community.

Sabah and Sarawak have many ethnic groups with diverse cultures that should be preserved.

Malaysia can, therefore, play an important role in the preservation of world heritage.

GOH HOE HOE, Kepong, Selangor

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/19tage/Article




























GOH HOE HOE, Kuala Lumpur
letters@nst.com.my

ACCORDING to a Japanese press report, a Japanese scientist had, in 2009, pointed to the possibility of a giant tsunami hitting the Pacific coast of the nation's Tohoku northeastern region, but the warning was not heeded by Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), which is now struggling to combat radiation leaks from its tsunami-hit nuclear power plant there.
According to the Jiji Press report, Yukinobu Okamura, chief of the Active Fault and Earthquake Research Centre of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), issued the warning in June 2009 at a meeting of a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry panel on earthquake safety at nuclear power plants.

Okamura had studied the 869 AD Jogan earthquake that jolted the Tohoku region and found that layers of sand driven by tsunami were found inland, including areas around Tepco's Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear reactor plants. He also said huge tsunamis had hit the region once every 450 to 800 years.


Okamura said tsunamis bigger than those anticipated by the power supplier could hit the Tohoku region.


Okamura urged the panel to review nuclear power plants' quake resistance in terms of tsunami. But Tepco argued that it was unnecessary to take the Jogan quake into account in the quake-proof design of nuclear power plants, as the quake occurred more than 1,100 years ago.

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan has given us two messages: monitoring of past earthquake incidents should be an integral part of any nuclear power plan programme, and historical records can provide important data and information vital to planning and development.



Read more: Japanese lesson: Info on quake history crucial to planning http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/22lesson/Article/#ixzz1KVmnpH5G

















Not quite right, Minister


Posted on 12 October 2011 - 05:07am

I DISAGREE with the Tourism Minister’s statement on NTV 7 on Monday, Oct 10 that local Chinese are not very keen on domestic tourism. I am not sure on what statistical basis Dr Ng Yen Yen made the statement. If it is based on hotel stay and theme park entry expenses, it is not precise enough.

A day trip should be counted as a tour activity and not an excursion. Years ago, I worked as a part-time tour guide. Every week, I would take a group out of KL, and when we returned in the evening, the toll stop would be congested, with easily more than 50 buses waiting to pay toll. Most of the buses carried local Chinese visitors who were returning from temple visits or sightseeing.

And they came back with loads of items like biscuits and honey – an indication that the Chinese are indeed keen on domestic tourism, especially on the delicious foods. Their expenses also contribute to growth in tourism and tourism-related industries.

So, contribution to tourism cannot only be based on the business of hotels and theme parks; it must also factor in business generated by small traders. We should also look at tourism not merely as a business activity but also one that promotes unity and integrity among the rakyat.

Goh Hoe Hoe
via email










Unity in diversity


Posted on 10 October 2011 - 05:06am

THE Nine Emperor festival that falls on the ninth moon of the Chinese calendar is a grand festival among Malaysian Chinese. However, not many people know that each year, the festival is celebrated coincidently with the Nine Nights festival of Navratri. I realised this only after having stayed three year in Kampung Kasipillay, Kuala Lumpur.

I had celebrated the Nine Emperor festival by observing a strict vegetarian diet throughout the nine days since childhood, a practice I have not been keeping to after moving to Kuala Lumpur because of work and living circumstances.

The Shree Lakshmi Narayan Temple is just next to the condominium at which I stay. Every year, at the beginning of the ninth moon, large crowds of Hindus would converge on the temple for Navratri prayers. There would also be dances with colourful dress to the beat of drums. Navratri is celebrated for 10 days.
What is the significance of two festivals of different communities celebrated coincidentally each year? It tells the world that unity in diversity is found in this blessed land.

The harmonious human relationship has enabled us to be in a unique place in the world where different cultures can co-exist. This is one of the greatest contributions of Malaysia to world heritage and peace.

Goh Hoe Hoe
via email
























Steer clear of heritage sites

WHEN I was a small child my father used to tell me a story about a conversation between Confucius

and a clever boy. In the story, Confucius was travelling to Qin with his disciples, when their carriage was blocked

by a castle being built by a boy .One disciple asked the boy to shift the castle but the boy refused and told them that the carriage should go around the castle. Confucius agreed and ordered his disciples to use the alternative path.

Confucius has shown a good example of respecting children’s right to play and developing their mind.



Respecting human rights means respecting people’s right of survival, right to education, right to develop themselves, right to

inherit their tradition and so on.



I believe that human rights are important factors that need to be taken into consideration in the structure plan for Kuala Lumpur .Paris is appealing not because of its modern infrastructure but its unique heritage buildings



. A city without heritage is a city that has lost its identity, its soul and itscharm.

For this reason we sincerely appeal to the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) toconsider using the under-used car

park near Jalan Sultan’s heritagebuildings. Please consider this option to minimise the impact caused to the people and to project our nation as one that is highly committed to the preservation and conservation of world heritage.

Goh Hoe Hoe

Kuala Lumpur

































Do we need nuclear plants?


TWENTY-FOUR years have passed since the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident took place in Ukraine, USSR. The accident had claimed thousands of lives, badly damaged the infrastructure of the affected place and caused environmental destruction. It was reported that Ukraine suffered a loss of more than US$300 billion, some are even of the opinion that the tragedy was the main factor that accelerated the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Some attribute the cause of the accident to poor design of older Soviet nuclear reactors while others blame the negligence of the operators and poor communication their organisation.

Whatever the cause the message is clear: Nuclear power plants need to be set up and run in a systematic manner to avoid disasters.

We do not discount the benefits of building nuclear plants in our country, however, the whole process needs to be done according to principles of good governance. If it is done according to good governance, it will benefit the country with cheap and clean energy.

In addition, our scientists and engineers will have a better chance to upgrade their knowledge and skills through technology transfers.

I am not a specialist in nuclear power plants and rarely read about the development of the technology, however, I am concerned about the plan to build nuclear plants in Malaysia. I hope more people will join the discussion on the pros and cons of the move to ensure the outcome is beneficial to the rakyat and nation.

Goh Hoe Hoe
Kuala Lumpur
http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=55679







More to Penang’s investment draw


IN 2010, Penang attracted more than RM12 billion in foreign investment and became the top investor destination in Malaysia.
A great part of the foreign investment is from expansion and diversification projects of electronic firms in the state. The quantum leap in foreign investment is not solely due to efforts by the state government; market forces and the investment climate were key factors.

The electronic and telecommunication industry has entered into the new transformation stage characterised by short product life cycles and wide range of models, high level of customisation and automation.

Penang is not exclusive of this transformation. To survive and remain competitive, it is natural for the manufacturing firms to expand their automation lines and upgrade their manufacturing and research facilities to cope with changes in the market trend. Despite tough competition from countries in this region, investors still make Malaysia their first choice because of its political stability and world class infrastructure. But these two factors alone will not be enough to sustain our growth.

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said during a dialogue with foreign investors that a big concern is the shortage of professional and skilled workers, therefore it is important for us to give priority to human capital development and encourage companies and workers to take part in life long learning programmes. This is to ensure that we remain dynamic and innovative.


Yamato
Kuala Lumpur
http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=56792











Vertical farming the way to go


Goh Hoe Hoe
Nov 9, 10
3:47pm


According to the statistics given by the swiftlet farming industry, swiflet farming is now contributing RM1 billion to the national income and this is expected to increase to RM5 billion by 2015.

Our venture into the bird's nest industry began rather late in the 1990s compared to our neighbouring countries, However, it is growing very rapidly here. Currently there are more than 8,000 swiftlet farm-owners operating 40,000 swiftlet houses in the country.

Shouldn't the success of the bird's nests industry be emulated? The success of this industry reminds us of the potential to developed other agriculture sectors such as in-house farming on a large scale to enable us to exported vegetables to the Middle East countries which currently import most of their food and drinks from the US, Pakistan and Austria

We also cannot discount the possibility of venturing into 'vertical farming' in Malaysia which is believed to be the solution to expanding food production in the future. In fact, vertical farming is not new to us.

When Sanusi Junid served as agriculture minister, he had taken the initiative to experiment with growing rice on the rooftops of buildings and this was considered impractical by many people but
today, with the advances in science, this method can be implemented without much difficulty.

The advances in agricultural science and technology have also provided opportunities for urban dwellers to undertake hydroponic agriculture in limited areas.

For this reason, we should encourage more of the city population to grow their own agriculture plants either to supplement their incomes or as a leisure activity to make the city more lively and healthy.

















TRANSFORMATION IS CRUCIAL

Opposition leader Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim earlier has proposed a minimum salary 1100 ringgit, and two days ago the Selangor Statechief minister Tan Sri Khalid also announced the minimun salary of RM 1500 for Selangor government servants . Apparently this is a very good measure as itwill reduce the burden of rakyat caused by rise in living cost , and also to maintain the vitality of the market. However if we were to analys further this measure may no work in long term and also are not necessarily without adverse effect .For those who has basic economics knowlege a substantial increase in salary not linked to increase in productivity wont help the country's economy, but also cause a vicious cycle.

Because this would result in increased costs, and increase prices of consumer goods and services which in turn will adversely affects the competitiveness of Malaysia .This would also lower down the confidence of domestic and foreign invesor towards our country . Today, there are countries that end up with bankruptcy as a result of decline in productivity and competitiveness of its workers . Therefore, we can conclude that a substantial pay rise y alone can not solve the problem of rising cost of living , and a substantial pay rise will not necessary make the lives of the people happier in long run.

Transf​ormation is a best way to solve rakyat problems which are pertaining to food , shelher , transport and clothes. The transformation should include not only government and economic transformation which are greatly assisted by scientific and technologigy innovation.But must also encompaaes positive mental transformation. Whenever we consume or work we must always ask am I doing things benificial to myself , other and world. If we think in this direction then we would not willing to waste , eat and consumed according to plan to avoid waste. We will alsi think I live and work not for myself but to give back the best I have to the society and to works towards a better world. This wholesome thaught will guid us to live better and prevent us from using unethic way to reap fast profits.





















Use Malaysian building materials

I Am very upset by the foreign consultant company that asked Putraholdings to stop using Malaysian made glass.

            The building construction and infrastructure projects are contributory factors to the growth  of national economy , stimulating the growth of our national economic , stimulating the demand for building materials , hence providing ample job opportunities to those engaged in building materials industries and related service sectors.

            Stopping the use of Malaysian made building materials such as glass means those involved in the manufacturing of building materials are deprived of their growth opportunities.

            Local building materials should always be given top priority because the building industries form an important linkage in our economic eco-system. Depending heavily on imported building materials meaning we are adding more risk factors to our infrastructure development.

            The implementation of infrastructure Construction for economic transformation programmes  such as MRT benefits our people and country not only in terms of efficient mode of transport but will also provide opportunities to Malaysian building materials manufacturers to expand their business and upgrade their technologies.

Goh Hoe Hoe

Kuala LUMPur

No comments: