Malaysia: Painting a Rosy Economic Picture

A Blooberg report encapsulates the positivism of the political masters of Malaysia on growth potential for 2010.

The International trade minister said in an interview today (27 February 2010) that Malaysian export data for January, due out on March 5, could exceed expectations after the country emerged from its first recession in a decade.

“The preliminary figures are quite bullish as far as I am concerned,” he said,adding that,  “the January numbers, are beyond his personal expectations.”

Malaysia emerged from recession in Q4,2009 with gross domestic product rising 4.5 per cent from a year earlier. Asian economies are paving the way for a recovery from the worst global recession since the Great Depression, prompting central banks around the region to start removing some of the emergency steps they took to counter the slowdown.

Full-year exports will probably outperform the official government forecast of 3 per cent growth, said the  minister.  He also said a rosy growth of 5 per cent to 8 per cent is potentially achievable in 2010.

“From my interaction with the business community in electronics in the last quarter, there has been a very sharp revival,” he said. “Going forward, it appears 3 per cent is well within reach. Of course, we are talking about a low base.” [At least he knows this!]

Manufacturing Swells

Malaysia’s manufacturing industry grew 5.3 per cent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier and exports of goods and services gained 7.3 per cent, according to a central bank report on Feb. 24. Private consumption increased 1.7 per cent, it said.

Economic growth is likely to be “higher” than the government’s official forecast of between 2 per cent and 3 per cent this year, the trade minister , without giving a target.

Thailand also emerged from recession last quarter, while Singapore has raised its growth estimate for this year as the global recovery strengthens.

Looks like all is going to go 'great guns' this year, don't you notice the tone?

Graduate Unemployment: The Five Reasons

 

Why are local graduates unable to find jobs? This is a Bernama Report on the issue.

According to a study conducted by the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM),the lack of industrial training and poor English are among these five factors.

The other three factors are low problem-solving skills, job-hopping and lack of self-confidence. This was the reasoning of  Higher Education Ministry student development and affairs director Prof Dr Mohd Fauzi Ramlan.

He said as graduates were bogged down with poor communication skills in English, they should improve their command of the language.

“They have themselves to blame if they fail to convince employers on their potential,” he said when closing a two-day graduate etiquette programme at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu here today.

He said graduates should also avoid being choosy about jobs and shrug off bad attitude of preferring to work in ones’ hometown.

The last reason of preferring to work in their own town is a laugh.......

Flipping Fantastic: Tristan's Backtrack

Tristan  has been having two minds about going to Chesterlea Grange. He felt less safe and secure after leaving Peter Hill Primary. He also has doubts about his new school and how he can cope with it as most of his friends from Peter Hill Primary are going to Highfields along with James.

So, he became uncertain of his decision to go to Chesterlea Grange. He felt sad that he had to leave Peter Hill Primary and bad because he will also be leaving James.So during the summer holidays, he put on his thinking cap to re-evaluate the decision. He considered the position of James whom he felt will continue to be dependent on him because James lacks  confidence and is shy. He feels that James will encounter problems in Highfields without him to help him along.

When James spoke to him, he realises that his brother would love him to be at Highfields. There were many reasons for doing so and most of them had to do with their co-dependence on each other.To Tristan, it would be a carry-over from Peter Hill Primary.

In influencing him to join him at Highfields, James also spoke about the benefits of Chesterlea Grange. Through his discussion with James, Tristan finally realizes and understands why his mother has chosen the school for him; and  after weighing the pros and cons, Tristan is finally convinced that he will go to Chesterlea Grange after all.

Tristan is thankful to James for helping him see the issues more clearly which helped him to make up his mind to go to Chesterlea Grange.

Tristan's backtrack may not initially be welcomed by James but it was the best decision for all.

Flipping Fantastic: Relief and Reckoning

James somehow managed to convince Tristan to change his mind and joined him at Highfields. In a way, it was a coup for him. Let us look at the following passage.

James:

I am so relieved. Tristan has just told Mum that he doesn't want to go to Chesterlea after all. That means he will be coming to Highfields with me. Thank goodness for that!I don't know how I would have managed without him. I was already thinking up a million excuses not to go to school on the first day.I've thought of every illness from bubonic plague to yellow fever. Somehow I don't think that Mum would have believed any of them!

I know that Highfields probably won't be half as bad as I think but I'm still very glad that Tristan will be there with me. He can look after me and I can look after him. I can help him with his wheel-chair up all the ramps in the corridors and I can hold back the automatic doors when they start to close too soon. I can make sure that he can get to the toilet when he needs to, and I can tell the teacher what he can and can't do in PE.

Hang on a minute! That's not right! Mum said that the best thing about Chesterlea was that Tristan wouldn't have anybody to do all those things for him. " I know you're clever and confident," she said to Tristan when we first talked about him going away to school, " but you still rely on other people to do too much for you and it's time you stood on your own two feet!"

Stand on your own two feet! Tristan thought that was hilarious. The next  best thing about Chesterlea Grange is all those  great games and computer equipment that they have. Tristan was really excited about those. So what's happened? Why has he changed his mind? I 've been so busy thinking about all the problems that I might have at Highfields that I haven't taken much notice of Tristan, even though he's been a terrible grump lately. Perhaps its time I talk to him. If he wont' tell me what's wrong,then he won't tell anyone.

From this passage, we can clearly see what goes in the mind of James. Undoubtedly, he was glad of the new development when Tristan told Mum he doesn't want to go to Chesterlea Grange. All at once, he started visualizing all the help he could help Tristan in the new school. Before long, he realised what Mum said about Tristan's need to be independent and Chesterlea Grange is the place for him to start becoming independent. On top of that, he remembered how excited Tristan was over the great games and computer equipment at that special school.

James then decided to find out from Tristan who was very grumpy lately, what was troubling him. According to James, Tristan will confide in him. He knew Tristan so well as to say," If he won't tell me what's wrong,then he wont' tell anyone."

This passage shows the immediate satisfaction and relief  to the concerns of James if Tristan is to come to school with him to Highfields. At the same time, he realises that Tristan needs to become more independent and only Chesterlea Grange can help him to do so.

With that in mind, he sought out  Tristan to find out what is troubling Tristan.