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Malaysia denies curbs on Tamil TV shows
The Times of India
4 Jun 2008, 0601 hrs IST,IANS

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Tuesday denied it had banned Tamil TV shows from being aired on state controlled media, saying the accusation was "baseless".

"Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) through its Family Channel~RTM2 has not banned the airing of imported Tamil drama series... the accusation is baseless," a statement issued here by the director general of the Department of Broadcasting said.

"RTM will keep on airing Tamil films and programmes produced by local production houses as well as imported programmes," the statement added.

"However, there are cases (in which some) programmes cannot be aired because they failed to meet RTM quality and regulations.

"RTM has a quality assessment committee to ensure that the programme meets the requirement of the stations and at the same time all programmes are subject to the assessment of Film Censorship Board under the ministry of home affairs," the statement added.

RTM2 also broadcasts programmes in languages like English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Arabic, and Spanish, among others, the statement pointed out.

Tamil programmes are aired for 14.5 hours, equivalent to 8.63 percent of airtime per week, the statement said, adding RTM2 has three categories for Tamil programmes on the channel.

"RTM will always revise the need and suitability of multi-languages programmes from time to time. However, RTM will increase the local content of Tamil drama series so as to develop the local content industries to become more competitive and it can go to the world market," the statement added.

Quoting the Malaysia Namban newspaper, IANS had Tuesday reported that the information ministry had decided to ban the screening of Tamil TV dramas imported from India.

Former minister and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) president S. Samy Vellu lamented that the decision to ban such dramas was surprising as India was the only country that produced Tamil dramas for Malaysian viewers, Malaysia Namban said.

Vellu said that MIC secretary general and Human Resource Minister S. Subramaniam had raised the matter at this week's cabinet meeting.

Tamil programmes are popular among the 2.6 million Malaysian Indians, the bulk of whom are Tamil settlers.  
 

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Category: Malaysia In The News

Vietnam, Malaysia to strengthen technical cooperation

Vietnam Net Bridge
10:39' 04/06/2008 (GMT+7)


VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam and Malaysia will boost cooperation in technology through enhancing technical knowledge, information exchange and providing training for both countries’ engineers.

An agreement to this effect was signed in Hanoi on June 3 between the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) and the Malaysia Institute of Engineers (IEM).

VUSTA and IEM’s members will have the chance to attend any technology workshops and meetings to be held in either Vietnam or Malaysia.

VUSTA Vice General Secretary Pham Van Tan said the collaboration will provide a good opportunity for both parties to intensify mutual understandings in technology-related activities and engineer training system of each country in order to work out suitable cooperation plans.
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Category: Malaysia In The News
Umno retreat could get heated; Abdullah's rivals attending could be attacked by prime minister's supporters
By S JAYASANKARAN
IN KUALA LUMPUR
Business Times
June 04, 2008
 

A THREE-DAY retreat starting tomorrow for members of the supreme council of the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) - meant to 'brainstorm' the party's future - could get nasty.

The retreat will be chaired by Umno president Abdullah Badawi, who as prime minister has come under relentless pressure to step down following the dismal performance of the ruling National Front in the March 8 general election.

Mr Abdullah, however, has stood his ground and seems to have weathered the storm despite withering criticism from former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who resigned from Umno last week hoping to prompt a chain reaction in the party - which did not eventuate.

But the retreat will bring together other notable critics of Mr Abdullah, who could be attacked by the prime minister's supporters during the meeting. They include two powerful Umno warlords - International Trade Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former Selangor chief minister Khir Toyo, both of whom have openly said Mr Abdullah should go.

Even so, it is unlikely that Mr Abdullah will sack Mr Muhyiddin from his Cabinet because, in his weakened position, such a move could backfire. According to party insiders, Mr Muhyiddin wants to rise, which means he wants to contest Umno's deputy presidency should incumbent Najib Razak go for the top post and the prime ministership in place of Mr Abdullah.

Mr Najib has so far stood by Mr Abdullah, but it is not clear how long his support will last. If he does as Dr Mahathir says and moves against Mr Abdullah, the premier will be stricken, possibly fatally.

If Mr Najib stays true, however, Mr Muhyiddin would have to challenge him to ascend in the party - which Umno officials say would be an uphill battle.

According to his allies, Mr Muhyiddin wants to rise because he believes he has no choice. 'He is already above 60,' says one ally. 'And there is no certainty he can defend his vice-presidency, given there will probably be a mad scramble for posts.'

Candidates who have already thrown their hats in the ring include Malacca Chief Minister Ali Rustam, Foreign Minister Rais Yatim and former Malacca chief minister Rahim Tamby Chik. And more are likely to emerge.

In the background is former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah - the only person so far to say he will challenge Mr Abdullah. The prince's allies say he has been working the ground hard, but it is by no means certain that he will get the requisite 58 nominations to contest the Umno presidency.

The wild card in the game is former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, now de facto opposition leader. According to Razaleigh allies, two senior officials from Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas) approached the prince three weeks ago on behalf of Mr Anwar, offering him the prime ministership if he would cross over to the Opposition with his supporters.

The Razaleigh allies merely said that the prince 'heard them out'. But the proposal isn't completely wild. The Opposition needs 30 more parliamentary seats to form the next government.

Moreover, Tengku Razaleigh was in the Opposition with Pas between 1988 and 1996, and his crossover would maintain ethnic Malay dominance of the Opposition. Even so, his supporters maintain that it is unlikely he will switch sides.
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Malaysian Central Bank Governor Says Current Increasing Inflationary Pressure Is Global Phenomenon
RTTNews
June 04, 2008


(RTTNews) - The current increasing inflationary pressures due to rising international energy and commodity prices is a global phenomenon, the Bank Negara Malaysia's governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz said Thursday.

Speaking at the 12th Malaysian Banking Summit, the central bank governor said domestic inflation in Malaysia has increased to 3% in April 2008 from less than 1% recorded in April 2004 primarily due to higher food and energy prices.

Worsening the condition, Malaysia increased petrol prices by 78 sen to RM2.70 per litre, while diesel prices hiked by RM1 to RM2.58 per litre on Wednesday. Hikes will be effective from June 5.

On this ground, governor said "The Bank's preliminary assessment of the impact of the rationalization of the domestic fuel and energy prices on inflation in 2008, is that it will rise to an average of 4.2% for the year." She added that the initial price impact would be felt in June during which inflation is expected to be in the region of 5%. Further, she said the increases in prices are expected to peak in the first quarter of 2009 before moderating to less than 3% in the fourth quarter.

As international prices of commodities are expected to continue to remain high and as direct influence over prices is limited the central bank governor noted, "Efforts will have to be focused on increasing efficiency and productivity to reduce cost and to shift resources to areas of comparative advantage."

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The half of Kuala Lumpur's budget that was going to energy support is no longer sustainable
Jed Yoong
Business Times
04 June 2008

Driven by skyrocketing fuel prices that the government can no longer afford, Malaysia Wednesday dared the possibility of further political trouble for the ruling national coalition at best and civil unrest at worst and slashed hefty fuel subsidies that would have cost RM56 billion this year, about half of the government's revenue.

The government announced Wednesday evening that petrol prices would rise by 78 sen (US24¢) at midnight -- a 41 percent jump from RM1.92 per liter to RM2.70. That means those spending RM2,000 per month to fill the tanks of their BMWs will now be paying RM2,820. Regardless of income levels, it is likely most Malaysians will feel the pinch.

To soften the blow and possibly to fend off civil unrest, the government is also passing out cash handouts to owners of motorcycles and cars below a certain engine size – thus replacing subsidies with cash. Most Malaysians own cars with small engines from local carmakers Proton and Perodua. The net effect of the subsidy cut remains to be seen.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, already besieged after the National Front, or Barisan Nasional (BN), lost the two-thirds parliamentary majority that it held since independence in 1957, made the unpopular move as crude prices continued to spiral above US$130 per barrel, diverting funds from much-needed development projects.

"It (the fuel subsidy) is five billion ringgit more (than the development budget), we need to look for more money," Badawi told Bernama, the national news agency, on May 10.

"When the prime minister tables the Ninth Malaysia Plan on March 31, and analysts look at the figures, they will find that the biggest amounts are subsidies. So, what is the conclusion? They will see Malaysia adopting a macro fiscal policy that is not prudent, not practicing good governance and not in accordance with a stable financial system. This does not reflect well on our efficiency," Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak told reporters.

The government hopes to channel the savings into improving public transportation, as it promised many years and elections ago but with little to show. In Kuala Lumpur, despite having a light rail train service and monorail, public transportation is expensive and inconvenient. Worse, intercity travel is still being serviced by old and slow trains, and accident-prone buses.

Record crude prices have also pushed other countries to cut fuel subsidies and price controls.

Indonesia has hiked fuel prices by an average of 29 percent, saving about 34.5 trillion rupiah and kicking off a series of street demonstrations. To help the poor who will feel most of the pinch, the Indonesian government will distribute 14.1 trillion rupiah (US$1.52 billion), in cash handouts to about 19 million families. Similarly, after slashing subsidies, Taiwan will distribute US$659 million to middle and low-income families. The latest to raise oil prices is India, whose government announced Wednesday that gasoline and diesel prices will increase by 10 percent.

Analysts have welcomed the end of market-distorting subsidies and controls but also cautioned possible political unrest, especially if price spikes make food too expensive for too many.

"Price caps, government subsidies and bans on food exports can cause other, less obvious, distortions. They reduce the incentive for local producers to increase supply and for consumers to curb demand. This encourages smuggling and hoarding, prolongs the global supply-demand imbalance, and keeps global commodity prices higher for longer. By keeping local energy and food prices artificially low, consumers have no incentive to reduce demand, so the import bill can mushroom," according to the weekly Asia Ex-Japan Economic Monitor for May 30 by the Lehman Brothers investment bank

To curb inflationary pressures, Duncan Wooldridge, an economist at UBS Investment Research, suggests tightening monetary policy -- decreasing money supply by increasing interest rates.

"Loose monetary policy is driving inflation up, in our view. It is not just food and energy prices. The belief that food inflation or energy inflation should continue to be accommodated is misplaced, in our view. There is a difference between food prices or oil prices rising for a few months and rising for a few years," he wrote in a report.

Bank Negara, the central bank, however, has reportedly said that it will not adjust interest rates to curb inflationary pressures and will let an appreciating ringgit do the job instead. So far the ringgit has risen slowly, by 2.4 percent in 2008 to RM3.244/US$1.

Asia has the benefit of robust economies driven by exports while costs increase as fuel subsidies are cut. Things are bleaker for OECD countries like the United States, Japan and some European countries, which includes the biggest economies in the region like United Kingdom, Germany and France. "Several quarters of weak growth lie ahead for most OECD economies. At the same time, headline inflation could remain high for some time to come," according to the OECD Economic Outlook released on June 5.

Most analysts believe that fuel prices will begin to moderate as more supply comes on line and refinery capacity increases and as motorists cut back on car usage. Crude fell to a three week low Wednesday to US$123.15 in London. Consumption in the US fell by 4.7 percent last week year-on-year. Until it does come down, however, Malaysians, whose love affair with their cars has been growing for years, may have to learn to walk 500 meters to the market.

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