Aware of the challenges

Written by John Lim

Friday, 27 March 2009 15:58

“If you found out that your girlfriend is seeing someone else, you'll do everything to find out what she likes to win her heart back, right? That's what we're doing,” says Ng Yeen Seen, the director of media & communications of Sedar, Gerakan's independent political think tank. It's a peculiar analogy Gerakan's plight, but it fits. Like other component parties of the Barisan Nasional (BN), Gerakan is undergoing a soul-searching time as it struggles to be relevant and attractive again after March 8. After being ousted from Penang together with MCA in favour of Pakatan Rakyat parties, Gerakan, one could say, is the unkempt and overweight ex-boyfriend that hasn't fully recovered from being dumped. “Our job is to make the party look slim and attractive again,” Ng says. Working together with Sedar's Executive Director, Khaw Veon Szu, she isn't expecting the easiest job in shaping up the party who lost all their contested seats in their Penang stronghold. Regaining relevancy is one big task, but where does one start when you don't even have a foothold? Or, to put it in the context of Ng's analogy, how does one win the girl back when you lost her phone number? Ng on her analogy Repackaging Gerakan (L-R): Sedar's director of media & communications Ng Yeen Seen and executive director Khaw Veon Szu Started in 2001, the Socio-Economic Development and Research Institute (Sedar), is a think-tank for Parti Gerakan Malaysia, which was founded in 1968. The party is known for its middle-ground approach to politics, emphasising a commitment to stick to the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara. In 2004's general election, Gerakan were riding on high, having won 10 out of 12 contested parliament seats and 30 out of 31 contested state seats. In Penang, they won three out of four parliament seats and all 13 state seats. That all turned sour four years later when the nominally non-racial party failed to field a single non-Chinese candidate. Gerakan only managed to win four State seats, two in Kedah and one each in Pahang and Johor. On the parliamentary level, it only won two seats, one each in Perak and Johor. “The downfall started in 2004,” says Khaw, a lawyer by profession and who lost in his bid for the Tanjong Parliamentary seat. “Arrogance stepped in, which we failed to see and BN became increasingly detached from the people. It's difficult in hindsight to say that Gerakan was 'kicked-out'—the people in Penang wanted to teach BN, in particular, Umno a lesson. Because of that the component parties were punished too.” Khaw on BN's problem of negative public perception Khaw on the Opposition's campaign strategy It has taken them almost a year before Sedar could restructure itself in preparing for a post-2008 era of Gerakan. Khaw has only stepped in last February, while Ng was an education councilor with Wawasan Open University prior to joining SEDAR in August last year. The eight-man strong think-tank now comprises of two main divisions that Khaw oversees: Communications & Media, and Public Policy research. “We needed some time to reorganise and restructure Sedar—it's been in the pipeline for much longer, but it was hard to find the right people with the right mindset and passion for the party,” says Ng. Three Points Considering that they are a year late, they're on a tight schedule if they want to achieve their goal. For now, says Khaw, they have a three-point plan in making Gerakan the attractive party it was: the message, the platform, and party members. The coalition’s outdated message, he explains, is part of the reason why Gerakan fared badly in the last elections. “The younger generation doesn't want to hear about 'stability' and 'peace',” he says. “They are more ideological, and are attracted to more abstract concepts like civil liberties, human rights and freedom of speech.” “We're not saying that what they want isn't practical,” Ng says. “What we have to understand is that this new generation and the generation that experienced 1969 are totally different—and we can't approach these two groups in the same way. It's just not marketable,” she adds. Khaw and Ng on what the new generation of voters want The platform of public policies, strategies, speeches, and events is another part that needs to be revisited, but they emphasise that the party's ideologies of “placing nation before party and race” is still the focus. “The idea is the same,” says Khaw. For instance, Gerakan's Project Anak Malaysia, which aims to generate a proactive attitude, especially among the younger generation, to fight for citizen rights has been well-received. “That shows that the ideas still appeal to the younger generation. It's just a matter of how we spread that message.” For the final point, things get a little vague. He says that a “radical change in mindset” must occur within the party, but how they intend to achieve that goal—without committing to change the party's leadership line-up—is something they haven't figured out yet. “The main task for us now is to keep the Gerakan's base in Penang intact by sticking to the three points  to stay relevant,” he says. “It's not that we can't do anything—through speeches, events, and programmes we can spread ideas that we believe can capture the people Executive director Khaw Veon Szu 's imagination, and from then on let the people decide on which ideas are better. Essentially, our goal remains the same, it's just how we approach the people.” “Still Asleep” For Sedar, that previous statement is easier said than done. It's not great to admit, but Gerakan is still perceived as an ineffective party that hasn't stood up enough to Umno. “We are aware of the negative perception, but not every party in the BN has woken up to that fact yet and time is running out,” Khaw says. The inertia of such a long legacy is there, he admits, but regardless of what Umno does or doesn't do to reform itself, he is adamant that Gerakan must take steps to change. “To us, our immediate concern is to do something about the party so that we can still be relevant and be a constructive force, regardless of what Umno does.” It can't be denied that Sedar's mission to turn Gerakan 180 degrees before the next General Election looks slimmer with each passing day. Khaw, however, places hope in the fluid nature of politics: “All political parties have to realise that they will lose power one day,” he says, adding that “change is the only constant.” A double-edged statement that questions BN's future, while offering hope that Gerakan might regain a foothold in their former Penang fortress. "What may work for the Pakatan in the last election might not work the next time around,” Ng says. “We do see a light at the end of the tunnel, we do have hope. If not, we wouldn't be here.” ========= Hope last GE going to be our last wake up call to gerakan leaders. HIDUP GERAKAN !

さようなら日本..selamat datang Malaysia

My last week here in nippon.no more research and gonna have to focus on my work and company. woa..bursa up 2.5%. so happy looking other people can make a lot money today. :) 

hope TMI will fly higher this week. amen

bw, fuyoh to parkson. im such a loser.. switched parkson to TMI few weeks ago. :p

温泉旅行。。。最高ぜ!!!!

 

Just returned from my onsen trip..saiko. :p

I'll post more pics later. 

woa TMI.

p/s=above not my pic

Off Topic...Fuyoh to YTLs

Nice home they have. :D

Bloomberg with WB

Open for Business



Cash is King



Picking Up the Economic Pieces



Goldman and GE

Update

Nothing much to report .. my holding still in longkang. Pelikan looks very bearish . Still waiting for a coma state before any action. I like their business ^. According to sam, 2nd financial tsunami is on the way..so i've decided to stay sideline before upgrading my portfolio. The only good news for me is my business in Malaysia still doing ok. So long i still can generate money to survive, thats more than enough atm. :(

Anyway, Aminvestment offers my favourite investor's warrant..woa. Since i'm not so good with warrant, not going put any in this warrant. Burnt my money in 2007, thanks to Dr.Kim :p.

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AmInvestment offers Berkshire zero strikes
Published: 2009/03/13



AMINVESTMENT Bank Bhd is launching up to RM100 million of zero strike warrants that will track the performance of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc in the US.

Priced at RM1 per unit, the underlying share of the zero strike warrants is the Class B shares of investment firm Berkshire Hathaway, which holds stakes in Coca-Cola, American Express and Wal-Mart, among others.

Unlike other call warrants, the strike is set at zero, hence the name, and it will always be "in the money" unless the underlying share price goes to zero, AmInvestment Bank head of equity derivatives Ng Ee Fang said.

At maturity, the zero strike pays the entire share price value of the underlying share after adjustment for currency and the exercise ratio.

The zero strike will be listed on Bursa Malaysia and can be traded like any stock or warrant.

It has a maturity of five years and is automatically converted upon maturity to pay out the performance of the B shares during the life of the zero strike.

One board lot is 100 shares, which means that the minimum investment is just RM100. This gives small investors a chance to invest in one of the most expensive stocks in the world.

Every Class A share of Berkshire Hathaway costs US$83,700 (RM308,853) at the last closing price, while Class B shares were last traded at US$2,740 (RM10,111) each.

"The zero strike also allows investors to participate in the consumer recovery story over a comfortable time frame of five years," Ng said.

Over the past year, Berkshire Hathaway's Class B share price has fallen to its record low, or more than three times as much as the decline in the company's book value in that period, she pointed out.

This allows investors to buy the Class B shares at among the cheapest price-to-book values on record.

The offer will end on April 10 and the zero strike warrants are scheduled to be listed on April 22.

Spending may not affect Malaysia rating:S&P

Published: 2009/03/11

SINGAPORE: Standard & Poor’s said Malaysia’s latest economic stimulus package, worth RM60 billion (US$16.3 billion), may not affect the country’s sovereign rating despite a widening budget deficit. 

Malaysia yesterday unveiled the new spending plans, which will be put into action over two years, in an attempt to save jobs and prop up an economy teetering on the edge of recession. 

“They have some capacity to allow the budget to weaken in this downturn to an extent that would be consistent with the present rating,” David Beers, S&P’s global head for sovereign ratings, said in an interview today. 

“For most governments, the deficits are going to be wider this year but we are not downgrading everybody,” he said, adding that he was more concerned about a country’s ability or willingness to rein in spending once the economic crisis had passed. 

The new package, which comes on top of a RM7 billion plan announced in November, could widen Malaysia’s budget deficit to 7.6 per cent of gross domestic product from 4.8 per cent, analysts at OCBC in Singapore said. 

Beers also said he did not foresee India keeping its budget deficit in check due to a lack of political will. 

He said weakness in currencies such as the Korean won and British pound was positive because it cushioned the impact of the global economic downturn on those countries. 

Malaysia has an A-minus foreign currency rating from S&P with stable outlook, while India’s rating is BBB-minus with a negative outlook, which meant the rating agency could downgrade the country in coming months. - Reuters

TM soars with new stimulus package

Published: 2009/03/11

TM International Bhd climbed the most in a month after the government announced an additional RM3 billion spending (US$814 million) for investment in the industry. 

The shares rose 3.9 per cent to RM2.65 at 11.47am on the Malaysian stock exchange, set for their biggest gain since Feb 13. The stock jumped as much as 5.5 per cent earlier. 

Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the biggest shareholder of TM International, will invest the additional spending for the telecommunications sector this year, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced yesterday as part of the country’s RM60 billion second stimulus package to prevent a recession. 

Kuala Lumpur-based TM International would be one of the companies that will benefit from the new package, analysts Clare Chin and Chee Wei Loong at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets wrote in a report today. The brokerage has a “sell” recommendation on the stock. 

TM International shares have slumped 17 per cent over the past month on the company’s plan to raise RM5.25 billion from a rights offer to repay debt. 

Khazanah, Malaysia’s state- owned investment company which owns 45 per cent of TM International, will take up its rights offer portion and subscribe to as much as 20 per cent more, the company has said. 

Najib said yesterday the RM3 billion allocation will also be spent on a national broadband project. Telekom Malaysia Bhd, the state-controlled fixed-phone operator, is leading the project that may cost RM11.3 billion over 10 years. The stock was unchanged at RM3.5. - Bloomberg 

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going into longkang again..sigh

Highlights of RM60b stimulus plan

Datuk Seri Najib just annouced our latest stimulus package. these are among my top favourites due to direct exposure to bursa malaysia. The rest i will leave it to economists since i'm not an economist.

# RM10 billion equity investments

# RM1.6 billion fund to promote investments

# To raise state investment firm Khazanah Nasional’s investment funds by RM10 billion

# To improve companies' cashflow, the government proposes that their current year losses be allowed to be carried back to the immediate preceding year. The total losses allowed to be carried back is RM100,000

# RM7 billion private finance initiative and off-budget projects.

The Bailout Game

Interesting game.

http://www.thebailoutgame.us/