Enabling Self-Employment for Those Who Want It

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Scott Shane, Forbes Contributor

Few people who work for others think that going into business for themselves in the near future is feasible.  A 2009 survey of 26,000 randomly selected people in 36 countries found that two-thirds of those currently working for others don’t believe that being self-employed within five years is viable.

In most countries, more people want to be self-employed than think they can.  The Gallup Organization survey revealed that in the average country in which people were queried, the share of people who preferred self-employment was 12 percentage points higher than the share who said that doing so would be possible in the near term.

But  interest in self-employment wasn’t greater than its feasibility everywhere.  As the figure below shows, more people said that going to work for themselves was possible than actually wanted to do so in the Nordic countries.  In Iceland, for instance, the share of people who want to become self-employed is 33 percentage points less than the proportion of the population that believes that going into business is feasible.

Moreover, the gap between self-employment preference and feasibility varied greatly across demographics.  Among those 55 and older, the share of the population desirous of self-employment was 25 percentage points higher than the share that considers it possible within five years.  Yet for those 25 to 39, there is no gap between the two measures.



Unemployed people are also more likely than those with jobs to believe that acting on their entrepreneurial preferences would be difficult.  The Gallup survey shows a 21 percentage point gap between the fraction of unemployed people that would prefer to be self-employed and the slice that thinks becoming self-employed in the next five years is feasible. For those with jobs, the gap is only two percentage points.

The gap between preference and feasibility was also large for less educated people.  For the least educated group surveyed, a 23 percentage point gap existed between the proportion of respondents who said they would prefer self-employment and the fraction that thought self-employment within five years was possible. However, only a three percentage point gap existed between “preference” and “feasibility” for the most educated people surveyed.

Percent Who Would Like to be Self-Employed Minus the Percent Who Consider It Feasible.

Source: Created from Data in the Flash Eurobarometer

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The Web in 2012: Five predictions

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by Stephen Shankland CNET News 

Given how fast the Web is changing, it can be hard to see what's going to happen next week, much less next year.

After simmering for a few years last decade, the Web has been a frenzy of activity in the last few years. Developers are advancing what can be done, people are spending more time on the Web, and browser makers are locked in intense competition.

Broadly speaking, it's easy to see that Web technology will get more important and more sophisticated. But if for some detail, here are my five predictions for what'll happen next year.

IE10 knocks our socks off

Internet Explorer 9 was the warning shot across the bow for Web developers and rival browser makers, but Microsoft was playing catch-up after years of neglect. Watching the pace of development for IE10 reveals that the company is on fire. It's moved from catch-up to leading-edge. Where IE once was years behind Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Chrome with support for new standards, it's now neck-and-neck, and Microsoft is actively contributing to standards development.

Microsoft has more than pride resting on IE10. It's a foundation for the new Metro-style apps on Windows 8, which means all that work to bring fancy animation effects and hardware acceleration to the Web will carry over to Windows, too. Microsoft has bet the farm on Web technologies, so you can bet IE10 will be strong.

IE10 won't be for everyone. You'll need Windows 7 or Windows 8. IE9 left the legions of Windows XP users behind, and IE10 will add Windows Vista to the discard pile. That'll limit its influence with the mainstream public. But despite all Microsoft's troubles as it scrambles to follow Apple into the tablet and smartphone market, IE10 will be a force. The PC market may have grown stale, in the words of Intel Chief Executive Paul Otellini, but it's still big, and building IE10 into Windows 8 gives it a big presence. Also, if you're on a legacy version of Internet Explorer like IE6 or IE7, watch out--in January, Microsoft will start forcing you to move to a more modern version.

There's one big caveat here: WebGL. Microsoft has very publicly bad-mouthed it as a security risk. WebGL allies believe Microsoft will come around once it realizes WebGL can be made as secure as Microsoft's own new Silverlight 3D interface. But if the programmers in Redmond stay recalcitrant, maybe you'll have to tab over to another browser when it's time for your Web-based gaming.



Web games take off

Games on the Web are nothing new, but in 2012, they're going to look a lot different. Instead of primitive graphics or a reliance on Adobe Systems' Flash Player, Web games will look more like what we're used to seeing on consoles.

The Web grew up as a medium for documents, and it's only gradually become more interactive as browsers' JavaScript performance exploded, JavaScript programming tools improved, and feature such as Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and Canvas improved 2D graphics. Now elaborate Web apps such as Facebook or Google Docs are the norm, and JavaScript programmers are in high demand.

But things are changing with the influx of a new breed of Web developers: those used to programming in the lower-level C or C++ languages. These are the coders who build the console games with advanced 3D graphics and heavy-duty physics engines, and their games are the ones where speedboats splash through transparent, reflecting, rippling water.

There are two hardware-accelerated technologies duking it out to enable this future. First is WebGL, a 3D graphics interface which began at Mozilla, was standardized by the Khronos Group, and is now built into Firefox, Chrome, and Opera. Second is Native Client, a Chrome-only technology that can run adapted versions of the original C and C++ games. WebGL fits into the Web world better and has broader support, but it's tied to JavaScript. Native Client, aka NaCl, has yet to win over any browser makers besides Google itself.

Other technologies will lend a big helping hand, too: the newly finished WebSocket for fast communications and Web Workers for better multitasking.

These technologies will eventually trickle down to the mobile realm, though I expect only baby steps in 2012. Still, that should help fan the flames of the competition between Web apps and native apps on mobile.

I don't expect one to win out over the other (or to squeeze Flash Player off our personal computers, for that matter--the new Flash Player 11 has new hardware-accelerated 3D technology, too). But I do expect WebGL and NaCl will be used to make today's browser look nearly as static as paper.

Chrome surpasses Firefox

When Google's browser first emerged as a stripped-down beta project more than three years ago, people laughed. Not anymore.

In 2012, expect Chrome to pass Mozilla's Firefox for the No. 2 spot in Net Applications' browser ranking. It already is No. 2 by StatCounter's scores, but that measures page views, not people, and I think the latter is a better reflection of the competitive dynamic.

Mozilla has been working hard to shake off the cobwebs and make Firefox leaner, faster, and less of a memory hog. But Google's browser continues its steady rise, and Google under new Chief Executive Larry Page has made Chrome one of the company's new divisions.

Chrome is an important vehicle to deliver Google technology to the world, most notably Web-acceleration ideas such as SPDY, TLS False Start, WebP, and the Dart alternative to JavaScript. Chrome's wide use gives Google a place at the standards-setting table that's crucial as it tries to make the Web into a rich programming foundation.

The risk that comes with Chrome's rise is that Google will fragment the Web. It's had some success getting its browser ideas to catch on. For example, Mozilla is interested in SPDY for faster page loading, and Amazon's Silk browser uses it already. But Google is encouraging developers to create extensions and Web apps that can be distributed through the Chrome Web Store, for Chrome and Chrome OS only. A Chrome-only version of the Web hearkens back to the bad old days of IE6's dominance, when writing to Web standards was a secondary concern.

Google re-ups with Mozilla

One thing I don't expect in 2012 is for Google to cease being Mozilla's biggest benefactor by walking away from a years-old search partnership that ended in November.

With the partnership, people using Firefox's search box send traffic to Google's search engine. When they click on the search ads they see there, advertisers pay Google, and Google gives some of that revenue back to Mozilla.

It's true that Google could seriously hurt Firefox by scrapping the partnership, though Mozilla could certainly hook up its revenue hose to Microsoft's Bing if it did. But I don't think Google will drop Mozilla.
First, Mozilla and Google, despite differences, both are passionately interested in building a better Web. Chrome's purpose is not to vanquish rival browsers, it's to improve the Web, and in that, Mozilla is more an ally than enemy.

Second, paying Mozilla a few tens of millions of dollars a year is peanuts to Google--and Google still keeps its share of the search-ad revenue that Mozilla was responsible for Google generating in the first place.

Last, and perhaps not least, hanging Mozilla out to dry would show Google to be a big bully. That's not an image you want when you're constantly tangling with antitrust authorities. Google and Mozilla might significantly modify their arrangement, but they won't part ways.

Chrome on Android arrives

Chrome is based on the open-source WebKit browser engine project. Android's unbranded browser is, too. I bet that in 2012, the latter will pick up the brand name of the former.

Android was based on WebKit but had been developed in isolation. Now Google is merging programming work again, making the Android browser less of an alien offshoot. That should make it easier for Google to achieve the compatibility requirements that it evidently feels are part of the Chrome brand's promise.

That would match what Apple does, offering Safari for both Mac OS and iOS. Chrome is one of Google's most important brands, and it's not getting its money's worth out of it yet.

One thing I'd expect before seeing Chrome on an Android phone or tablet: sync. Right now, Chrome is ever better at keeping the same bookmarks, passwords, and browsing history across multiple installations.

Moving to Android, though, a Chrome user loses all that. The Android browser's isolation is a poor fit for Google's ambition to keep us all happy in its corner of the Web, with seamless connections between one product and another.

Mobile browsing is getting steadily more important; expect its growth in usage to continue to outpace that of personal computers. Web developers will have to keep up, and now it's important to recognize that tablets are in many ways more like PCs than smartphones.

Because of the iPad's tablet dominance and the fact that iPhone owners seem to use online services more often, though, expect iOS to remain the dominant mobile browser.

Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software and science.

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Top 10 universities in South East Asia, Malaysia not in!

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According to Webometric Ranking of World Universities, the Top 10 universities in South-East of Asia are:

1. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
2. NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY , SINGAPORE
3. KASETSART UNIVERSITY , THAILAND
4. CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY , THAILAND
5. PRINCE OF SONGKLA UNIVERSITY , THAILAND
6. ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY , THAILAND
7. CHIANG MAI UNIVERSITY , THAILAND
8. THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY , THAILAND
9. ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY OF THAILAND
10. KHON KAEN UNIVERSITY, THAILAND

Out of the top 10 ranking South East Asia universities, 2 are from Singapore , and the balance 8 universities are from Thailand . Also, on the Top 100 list, Thailand has 41 universities, Myanmar 18, Indonesia 14, the Philippines 13, and Singapore 7.

In Asia , the Top 10 universities are :

1. UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
2. NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY
3. KYOTO UNIVERSITY
4. BEIJING UNIVERSITY
5. KEIO UNIVERSITY
6. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
7. UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
8. CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
9. NATIONAL CHIAO TUNG UNIVERSITY
10. NAGOYA UNIVERSITY

Out of the Top 10 ranking universities in ASIA, 4 are from Japan, 5 are from China, and the remaining 1 is from Singapore . We are also nowhere near the Top 100 universities in Asia . In terms of Global Ranking, None of Malaysia 's universities are anywhere near the TOP 1000 universities.


Well, the fact speaks for itself ! Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, and Singapore are way ahead of Malaysia . Despite all our constant shouting of Malaysia boleh this and that, and all the emotional rhetoric of shiok sendiri and self denials, we are already an academic backwaters nation in South East Asia , we shake our heads...

We have always personally railed against Man's dependency on numeric evidence as proof of superiority but before we get too ahead with this argument, let us explain. 'Numeric evidence' means the use of numbers to represent one's status. If you have $500,000 and I have $100, you are wealthier than I or so the numeric evidence suggests. If you have a 5-litre engine motorcar, it is definitely a better car than my 1.6-litre car or so the numeric evidence suggests. If you have 10 titles bestowed on your life by the Sultan and the King, you are most assuredly a better person than most of us are. And so it goes that if a student scores an exemplary number of distinctions (A's in Malaysia ) in a public exam, he/she is considered the pinnacle of what the country's education system is capable of producing. He/she is expected to go through tertiary education anywhere in the world with flushing success. So what could possibly have happened if she fails abroad? Malaysia‘s education system has always been a laughing stock. Based purely on numeric superiority and mindless rote learning methods that even the British has long abandoned decades earlier, Malaysia continues to believe that the more A's a student attains, the better equipped he/she is. It doesn't matter how he/she gets the A's so long as the aim is to get them and get as many in the process. So if the student were to labour over numerous past year exam papers in the library, memorise the answers and focus only on what the teacher 'suggests' are likely to come out for the exam, that's alright by everyone. The education system doesn't teach the students to UNDERSTAND the material. It doesn't encourage proactive teaching methods that encourage students to discover knowledge but to merely be taught. When a student with 17 Distinctions fail in the real world, it is not a surprise. Perhaps it is to many Malaysians, but it's a system that is waiting to reward its students with spectacular failure when they leave the shores and compete overseas or when they enter the workforce. Many organisations in the private sector have continued to be horrified at the performance of such students during interviews. Communication skills are absent. Standard ethics are absent. Common courtesy codes are absent. Presentation skills as well as personal grooming are absent. What has the education system taught them? If Malaysia continue to embark on the road of plain numeric superiority instead of to challenge the students to think, provoke them to create their own opinions and to communicate expressively, to eloquently define their standing in the world, there can never be an international leader in any field or industry emanating from Malaysia. It never produced one in the last 20 years. It never will for the next 100 years.    FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009 The Failure of Nur Amalina (who scored 17As) I was really shocked and speechless to be informed about Nur Amalina Che Bakri. Nur Amalina had held briefly the record of the most A's scored in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. Upon the announcement of results of SPM 2004 on 26 March 2005, she received 17 1As - a record for number of A's received by a student in the history of Malaysian education back then. She was sponsored by Bank Negara Malaysia to study medicine in the United Kingdom, and did her A-levels at the Cheltenham Ladies College in the UK. Now I am informed that she had failed her second year medical study at the University of Edinburgh . I really hope this is not true......if it is, what went wrong? Could English language be the problem? We are going back to Malay medium again and that means trouble. God, please save Malaysia...! "Life is a bunch of experiences and I am going to make it as incredible as possible" Food for Thought: Top 10 universities in South-East of Asia ..!  Is it English?

Nanjing Massacre remembered!

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Photos: China Remembers the Nanjing Massacre

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Events were staged Tuesday to remember the victims of the Nanjing massacre on its 74th anniversary. Occupied by Japanese troops on Dec. 13, 1937, China's former southern capital city suffered a six-week massacre in which more than 300,000 were... Edit

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Nanjing Massacre: 300,000 Chinese People Killed, 20,000 Women Raped ... 

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http://RapeofNanking.info Rape of Nanking - Nanjing Massacre. Japanse Atrocities in Asia. Part I of 2. This documentary, by Rhawn Joseph is based on 20 years research and consists entirely of archival photos and film-clips. This film begins with an overview of Japan and China at the beginning of the 20th Century, explains the mind-set of the Japanese and their God, Hirohito, and then continues with the invasion of China, the crimes committed by the Japanese (during the Fall) on the road to Nanjing, Nanjing Massacre, the rape of the Philipines, Unit 731, the Baatan death camps, Japanese denials, and the dropping of the A-bomb on Japan.

The purpose of this film is educational, and to explain the mind-set that led to a horrible crime: the torture and murder of 280,000 civilians by Japanese soldiers who took great pleasure in raping, bayonetting, beheading and burning people alive. We wish to emphasize: These crimes took place throughout Asia, and the Japanese planned the same for the White races as well, including America.

Those who do not learn from the past, are condemned to repeat it. The purpose of this film is, thus, educational. We have no hatred for the Japanese people.

This documentary is an independent production. We are not associated with and never received any financial help from the Chinese government or any group or organization. The film is completely independent. We have no political motives. We have no purpose and no other goal other than to create an interesting, provocative, educational movie that speaks to the mind and intellect, and which can speak to the heart and one'e emotions.

Credits: The English edition is narrated by Rhawn Joseph, Ph.D.. The film was produced, written, and edited by Rhawn Joseph, Ph.D. Additional Credits: Music. The musical soundtrack (all music is identified at the end of the film) was arranged and selected by R. Joseph, Ph.D., and was reproduced in this film courtesy of Arc Music Productions Int., LTD, United Kingdom; Nonsuch Records, Warner Music Group, Rhino Entertainment, New York. Sony Classical Music, New York.

Modern History Sourcebook:
The Nanking Massacre, 1937

---

The Japanese occupation of Nanking, the capital of the Republic of China, lead to one of the greatest horrors of the century . This eyewitness report was filed by a New York Times reporter.

Aboard the U.S.S. Oahu at Shanghai, Dec. 17 [1937]. 

Through wholesale atrocities and vandalism at Nanking the Japanese Army has thrown away a rare opportunity to gain the respect and confidence of the Chinese inhabitants and of foreign opinion there.... 

The killing of civilians was widespread. Foreigners who traveled widely through the city Wednesday found civilian dead on every street. Some of the victims were aged men, women and children.

Policemen and firemen were special objects of attack. Many victims were bayoneted and some of the wounds were barbarously cruel.

Any person who ran because of fear or excitement was likely to be killed on the spot as was any one caught by roving patrols in streets or alleys after dark. Many slayings were witnessed by foreigners.

The Japanese looting amounted almost to plundering of the entire city. Nearly every building was entered by Japanese soldiers, often under the eyes of their officers, and the men took whatever they wanted. The Japanese soldiers often impressed Chinese to carry their loot....

The mass executions of war prisoners added to the horrors the Japanese brought to Nanking. After killing the Chinese soldiers who threw down their arms and surrendered, the Japanese combed the city for men in civilian garb who were suspected of being former soldiers.

In one building in the refugee zone 400 men were seized. They were marched off, tied in batches of fifty, between lines of riflemen and machine gunners, to the execution ground.

Just before boarding the ship for Shanghai the writer watched the execution of 200 men on the Bund [dike]. The killings took ten minutes. The men were lined against a wall and shot. Then a number of Japanese, armed with pistols, trod nonchalantly around the crumpled bodies, pumping bullets into any that were still kicking.

The army men performing the gruesome job had invited navy men from the warships anchored off the Bund to view the scene. A large group of military spectators apparently greatly enjoyed the spectacle.

When the first column of Japanese troops marched from the South Gate up Chungshan Road toward the city's Big Circle, small knots of Chinese civilians broke into scattering cheers, so great was their relief that the siege was over and so high were their hopes that the Japanese would restore peace and order. There are no cheers in Nanking now for the Japanese.

By despoiling the city and population the Japanese have driven deeper into the Chinese a repressed hatred that will smolder through tears as forms of the anti­Japanism that Tokyo professes to be fighting to eradicate from China.

The capture of Nanking was the most overwhelming defeat suffered by the Chinese and one of the most tragic military debacles in the history of modern warfare. In attempting to defend Nanking the Chinese allowed themselves to be surrounded and then systematically slaughtered....

The flight of the many Chinese soldiers was possible by only a few exits. Instead of sticking by their men to hold the invaders at bay with a few strategically placed units while the others withdrew, many army leaders deserted, causing panic among the rank and file.

Those who failed to escape through the gate leading to Hsiakwan and from there across the Yangtze were caught and executed....

When theJapanese captured Hsiakwan gate they cut off all exit from the city while at least a third of the Chinese Army still was within the walls.

Because of the disorganization of the Chinese a number of units continued fighting Tuesday noon, many of these not realizing the Japanese had surrounded them and that their cause was hopeless. Japanese tank patrols systematically eliminated these.

Tuesday morning, while attempting to motor to Hsiakwan, I encountered a desperate group of about twenty­five Chinese soldiers who were still holding the Ningpo Guild Building on Chungahan Road. They later surrendered.

Thousands of prisoners were executed by the Japanese. Most of the Chinese soldiers who had been interned in the safety zone were shot in masses. The city was combed in a systematic house­to­house search for men having knapsack marks on their shoulders or other signs of having been soldiers. They were herded together and executed.

Many were killed where they were found, including men innocent of any army connection and many wounded soldiers and civilians. I witnessed three mass executions of prisoners within a few hours Wednesday. In one slaughter a tank gun was turned on a group of more than 100 soldiers at a bomb shelter near the Ministry of Communications.

A favorite method of execution was to herd groups of a dozen men at entrances of dugout and to shoot them so the bodies toppled inside. Dirt then was shoveled in and the men buried.

Since the beginning of the Japanese assault on Nanking the city presented a frightful appearance. The Chinese facilities for the care of army wounded were tragically inadequate, so as early as a week ago injured men were seen often on the streets, some hobbling, others crawling along seeking treatment.

Civilian casualties also were heavy, amounting to thousands. The only hospital open was the American managed University Hospital and its facilities were inadequate for even a fraction of those hurt.

Nanking's streets were littered with dead. Sometimes bodies had to be moved before automobiles could pass.

The capture of Hsiakwan Gate by the Japanese was accompanied by the mass killing of the defenders, who were piled up among the sandbags, forming a mound six feet high. Late Wednesday the Japanese had not removed the dead, and two days of heavy military traffic had been passing through, grinding over the remains of men, dogs and horses.

The Japanese appear to want the horrors to remain as long as possible, to impress on the Chinese the terrible results of resisting Japan.

Chungahan Road was a long avenue of filth and discarded uniforms, rifles, pistols, machine guns, fieldpieces, knives and knapsacks. In some places the Japanese had to hitch tanks to debris to clear the road.

From F. Tillman, "All Captives Slain,'' The New York Times, December 18, 1937, pp. 1, 10.

This text is part of the Internet Modern History Sourcebook. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts for introductory level classes in modern European and World history.

Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use of the Sourcebook.

(c)Paul Halsall Aug 1997
halsall@murray.fordham.edu 

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Japanese Occupation survivors tell their stories

SP Setia Boss Liew is Malaysian Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011

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Liew named Malaysian Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year

KUALA LUMPUR: SP Setia Bhd president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin has been awarded the Malaysian Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011.

Liew would represent Malaysia to compete for the coveted Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year award at the annual award in Monte Carlo, Monaco next year.

The award was presented at the Ernst & Young awards gala, which was launched by International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed who represented the deputy Prime Minister.

According to the panel of judges, Liew stands out for his innovative thinking – embodying the true spirit of entrepreneurial excellence and commitment to continue making a difference in people’s lives.

Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, President Executive officer of SP Setia Berhad, with the Malaysian Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 award yesterday at the J W Marriot Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Liew stands out for his innovative thinking – embodying the true spirit of entrepreneurial excellence.- Star picture by Shahrul Fazry Ismail.

Liew had demonstrated keen foresight and the entrepreneurial qualities of passion, vision, determination and innovation, with an emphasis on sustainability.

SP Setia is a property developer with a strong brand name.

It posted a 30% year-on-year jump in net profit to RM327.97mil for its financial year ended Oct 31, 2011.

Revenue increased 27.9% to RM2.23bil during the  period.

The group set a new full-year sales record in FY11 of RM3.29bil, a 42% increase from the previous record of RM2.31bil set in FY10.

It was the fourth consecutive year of increase in the group’s sales and represented the second consecutive year that total group sales had exceeded RM2bil.

The group recently launched its landmark integrated green commercial and mixed residential development called the KL EcoCity.

Internationally, its recent launches included Fulton Lane and EcoXuan, the group’s maiden project in Melbourne, Australia and second project in Vietnam respectively.



SP Setia was thrust into the limelight following a takeover bid by Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) at RM3.90 per share and 91 sen per warrant in September.

SP Setia, Liew and PNB had proposed to enter into an agreement to formalise the incentives and management rights relating to the management and general conduct of the business of SP Setia.

The agreement is subject to an approval by the Securities Commission.

PNB might be paying out lucrative bonuses and stock options to SP Setia’s top management in order to persuade them to stay on with the group.

Meanwhile, Ernst & Young Malaysia country managing partner Abdul Rauf Rashid said Ernst & Young believed that entrepreneurship was fundamental and vital in every economy.

“Entrepreneurs help generate employment and industry growth.

“Indeed, driving entrepreneurship in Malaysia augurs well with the Government’s Economic Transformation Programme that encourages and facilitates private sector initiatives to drive our economy to a high-income nation,” he said in statement.

Ernst & Young presented four other awards for entrepreneurial excellence that included Emerging Entrepreneur 2011 to Exabytes Network Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Chan Kee Siak; Technology Entrepreneur 2011 to ViTrox Corp Bhd chief executive officer and president Chu Jenn Weng; Woman Entrepreneur 2011 to HELP International Corp Bhd chairperson/group CEO Datin Chan-Low Kam Yoke; and Master Entrepreneur 2011 to Liew.

The four recipients as well as the overall country award recipient were selected by an independent panel of judges guided by a set of globally-benchmarked criteria.

SP Setia targets RM4bil in property sales

By THOMAS HUONG huong@thestar.com.my

Developer posts 30% jump in FY11 net profit

SHAH ALAM: SP Setia Bhd posted a 30% year-on-year jump in net profit to RM327.97mil for its financial year ended Oct 31, 2011 (FY11). The property developer attributed this mainly to higher selling prices for new launches and the stabilisation in the prices of construction materials. Revenue also increased 27.9% to RM2.23bil.

The group also set a new full-year sales record in FY11 of RM3.29bil, a 42% increase from the previous record of RM2.31bil set in FY10.

It was the fourth consecutive year of increase in the group's sales and represented the second consecutive year that total group sales had exceeded the RM2bil mark, said SP Setia in a Bursa Malaysia filing.

Liew: ‘We target 70% of our product range in Singapore to cater to local upgraders.’>

(The sales figures are based on the retail pricing of properties sold, while revenue is recognised in the accounts when the developer is paid at the point of purchase and also when construction is completed in stages.)

SP Setia has proposed a final dividend of 9 sen per share. Together with the interim dividend of 5 sen per share, total dividend for the year works out to be 14 sen per share, representing a payout of about 59% of the group's net profit.

The group's profit and revenue were largely derived from property developments in the Klang Valley, Johor Baru and Penang.

Ongoing projects which contributed included Setia Alam and Setia Eco-Park at Shah Alam (Selangor), Setia Walk at Pusat Bandar Puchong (Selangor), Setia Sky Residences at Jalan Tun Razak (Kuala Lumpur), Bukit Indah, Setia Indah, Setia Tropika and Setia Eco Gardens in Johor Baru and Setia Pearl Island and Setia Vista in Penang.

President and chief executive officer Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin said the group was aiming to achieve total new sales of RM4bil in FY12.

“This is despite factors such as the external headwinds from the economic uncertainty in Europe, and Bank Negara's guidelines seeking to further encourage prudence in bank lending,” he told reporters.

About 90% of new sales in FY12 would come from Malaysia, with the balance from foreign markets.

Liew stated that the group had strong branding, and offered an extensive range of products that cater to diverse market needs.

The group's recent launch of its integrated green commercial and mixed residential development, KL EcoCity (Kuala Lumpur), is expected to contribute strongly to sales in FY12.

Other recent launches like Fulton Lane and EcoXuan, the group's maiden project in Melbourne and second project in Vietnam respectively, are expected to also help augment sales in FY12.

Meanwhile, Liew said he was not too concerned about the recent 10% increase in stamp duty for foreigners buying homes in Singapore.

“We target 70% of our product range in Singapore to cater to local upgraders. Foreign buyers will be about 30%, so we do not think there will be much of an impact,” he said.

Liew also said SP Setia was interested in making another bid to secure the project to redevelop London's Battersea Power Station. SP Setia had submitted a 262mil (RM1.3bil) offer for the project in November that was turned down, before recently making a a second bid of 324mil (RM1.6bil) that was also rejected.

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Rules for succession to Malaysian Kings

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Rules for royal succession

REFLECTING ON THE LAW By SHAD SALEEM FARUQI

For the first time in royal history, a reigning Sultan ascended the Federal throne the second time. The Sultan of Kedah had previously reigned as Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 1970 to 1975.

YESTERDAY, the distinguished reign of the Sultan of Terengganu as the 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong came to an end and the Sultan of Kedah ascended to the Federal throne.

This draws our attention to the unique rules relating to the election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong as found in Articles 32, 33, 38(2) and the Third Schedule of the Federal Constitution.

The rules are exceedingly complex and constitutional conventions have added to their richness. The salient features are as follows:

> Only the Rulers of the nine Malay states are eligible to contest or vote. The Governors of Penang, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak are excluded.

> Voting is by secret ballot and a simple majority of five out of nine Sultans is needed to disqualify or elect a Ruler.

> Seniority (by reference to date of accession to the state throne) carries some weight but is not an overriding factor.

> Election is on a rotational basis to ensure that every Ruler (who is willing and suitable) has had an opportunity to become the Yang di-Pertuan Agong before any state occupies the Federal throne twice.

> A Yang di-Pertuan Agong cannot be re-elected to continue beyond his five-year term.

Exceptions to rotation rule: Under the Third Schedule, a Ruler is qualified to be elected Yang di-Pertuan Agong except in three circumstances.

First, if he is a minor. Second, if he has notified the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal that he does not desire to be elected.



In 1957 the Sultan of Johor, in 1970 the Sultan of Pahang and in 1975 the Sultan of Johor stood down in favour of the next eligible Ruler. In such a case, the state’s name goes to the end of the “Election List” and the next Ruler in line is offered the post.

Third, if at least five members of the Conference of Rulers have by secret ballot resolved that a Ruler is unsuitable by reason of infirmity of mind or body or for any other cause to exercise the functions of the King.

There is no verifiable record of any such resolution though it is rumoured that there was at least one such precedent.

First election: For the first election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1957, an “Election List” was drawn up to indicate the seniority or precedence that Their Highnesses recognised among themselves. In his book, the late Lord President Tun Suffian Hashim informs us that the list had this precedence: Johor, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perak.

Though Johor and Pahang were high up on the List, the Federal throne was offered by the Conference of Rulers to Negri Sembilan. Johor had declined and perhaps this was also the case with Pahang.

Second to ninth elections: The Election List drawn up for the first election is not permanent and is subject to constant revision in accordance with Section 4 of the Third Schedule which provides that the state that contributed the previous Yang di-Pertuan Agong should be transferred to the bottom of the list.

The state whose Ruler is elected as the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong should be omitted.

Whenever a Ruler dies or abdicates and there is a change in the Ruler of a State, then, due to the juniority of the new Ruler, his State’s name should be transferred to the end of the list.

For example, in 1958 the Sultan of Kedah and in 1959 the Sultan of Johor breathed their last. Their states were placed on the last rung of the Federal succession ladder.

If a Ruler declines or is disqualified, his State is moved to the bottom of the list. This is what happened to Johor and Pahang in 1957.

The above rules governed all elections till April 25, 1994, when the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong completed his term of office and the first rotation among the Sultans was completed.

Under section 4(3) of the Third Schedule new rules and a new election list took over.

Tenth and subsequent elections: When all states have taken their turn to grace the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the election list is then reconstituted in accordance with section 4(3) of the Third Schedule.

States are placed in the order in which their Rulers have occupied the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The Malaysian Kings thus far:

1. Yang DiPertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan: Aug. 3, 1957 to April 1, 1960 (died in office).
2. Sultan of Selangor: April 14, 1960 to Sept 1, 1960 (died in office).
3. Raja of Perlis: Sept 21, 1960 to Sept 20, 1965.
4. Sultan of Terengganu: Sept 21, 1965 to Sept 20, 1970.
5. Sultan of Kedah: Sept 21, 1970 to Sept 20, 1975.
6. Sultan of Kelantan: Sept 21, 1975 to March 30, 1979 (died in office).
7. Sultan of Pahang: April 26, 1979 to April 25, 1984.
8. Sultan of Johor: April 26, 1984 to April 25, 1989.
9. Sultan of Perak: April 26, 1989 to April 25, 1994.
10. Yang DiPertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan: April 26, 1994 to April 25, 1999.
11. Sultan of Selangor: April 26, 1999 to Nov 21, 2001 (died in office).
12. Raja of Perlis: Dec 13, 2001 to Dec 12, 2006.
13. Sultan of Terengganu: Dec 13, 2006 to Dec 12, 2011.
14. Sultan of Kedah: Dec 13, 2011.

Unique features: In an age of egalitarianism and democracy, one would have expected monarchies to wither away. But they remain robust and popular and are symbols of stability, continuity and national unity in many lands including Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The Malaysian monarchy is rather unique because of multiplicity of sovereigns at the state level and the elective and short-term nature of the royal position at the Federal level.

Another remarkable feature is that a time lapse is allowed between the end of one reign and the commencement of another.

In England, the rule is that “the monarch never dies”. On the death, removal or abdication of one monarch, the successor assumes office retrospectively to the date on which the vacancy arose.

This is not so in Malaysia where twice in 1960, once in 1979 and again in 2001, on the death of the Federal sovereign, the new sovereign’s reign commenced a few weeks after the vacancy arose.

Perhaps this is because the Constitution provides for a Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong to fill the breach temporarily till a new election is held.

On the creation of a vacancy, the Deputy King does not automatically ascend to the throne. His term is tied up with the tenure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Under Article 33(3), if the post of the King falls vacant, the Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong acts on his behalf till the office of the King is filled, at which time the Deputy King’s term expires as well.

Yesterday was a unique moment in our royal history. A reigning Sultan, the Sultan of Kedah, ascended the Federal throne a second time, the first being from 1970 to 1975. May all blessings be with our new King and his consort.

Shad Saleem Faruqi is Emeritus Professor of Law at UiTM and Visiting Professor at USM.

Learning from Putin’s reversal

Image via WikipediaTweet

Ceritalah By Karim Raslan

 Slick but cynical power-exchange with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev outraged millions of ordinary Russians who vented their anger whenever former strongman Vladimir Putin appeared.

BECAUSE my work is now so South-East Asia-centric, I rarely follow the news from Europe closely.
Still, I think we can learn valuable lessons from the recent developments in Russia.

On Dec 4, Russians went to the polls to elect a new State Duma – their lower house of Parliament.

Although he was not running in the election, the vote was seen as a test of the popularity of strongman Vladimir Putin, who is seeking to regain the presidency of the Russian Federation after three years as Prime Minister, replacing his former trusted aide Dmitry Medvedev.

Most observers expected the United Russia Party to secure a thumping majority.

Putin’s party had, after all, engineered Russia’s remarkable economic turnaround after the fall of the Soviet Union and Boris Yeltsin’s chaotic tenure.

The brusque St Petersburg veteran was the party’s “killer app” – popular and ruthless: an embodiment of Russian machismo.

However, Putin’s return to the centre-stage wasn’t quite so well-received: the slick but cynical power-exchange with Medvedev outraged millions of ordinary Russians.

As a result, Putin’s standing in the opinion polls plummeted.At the same time, public sentiment turned ugly.

Denied access to the mainstream media, ordinary Russians vented their anger whenever Putin appeared.

On one occasion, he was booed at a mixed martial arts match – an incident captured on YouTube and viewed by millions.

Moreover, Putin’s United Russia fared even worse as voters realised that they would be enduring yet another term of massive, institutionalised corruption and abuse of power by high-handed party apparatchiks.

In the end, Putin received a stinging rebuke as his party ended up winning just 49.3% of the vote – leaving it with about 238 seats in the 450-seat Duma compared to its previous 315.

To make matters worse, allegations of electoral fraud – also immortalised on YouTube – have led to demonstrations in Moscow.

More are in the offing, leading some to wonder whether the world will witness yet another “spring”.

Putin reacted in his tough-guy way, sending police out on a crackdown and insisting that he will still run for president in March next year.

Nevertheless, United Russia’s electoral drubbing cannot help but damage his image as a popular,performance-driven autocrat.



What can we learn from Putin’s (excuse my pun) Russian reversal? First, it again shows the power of the alternative media.

Putin’s control of Russia’s newspapers and televisions may be absolute, but this stranglehold can do nothing to prevent Russians from turning to blogs and social networks to express their disenchantment.

As with the Arab Spring, Facebook, YouTube and Russia’s own VKontakte have emerged as powerful tools to mobilise the masses against autocrats.

Which brings me to my next point: style cannot trump substance, especially when it comes to reform.

Putin’s obsession with spin is legendary – witness the proliferation of photos of him doing manly things like hunting, horseback riding or scuba-diving.

The United Russia party’s website is, likewise, flashy with links to its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Read through the speeches of Putin or his sidekick Medvedev and you will often find them extolling democracy and moderation.

Still, these carefully-crafted images cannot conceal the fact that poverty and corruption run deep in Russia despite its economic successes.

While oligarchs close to the Kremlin enjoy the high life, the number of people living under the official poverty line increased from 20.6 million in the first quarter of last year to 22.9 million this year.

Also, the abuse of civil liberties under Putin’s watch is just as brutal as anything that occurred under the Tsars or the Communist Party.

Erstwhile allies, long-time dissidents and critical journalists were silenced, jailed and, in some cases, even died under highly suspicious circumstances.

Worst of all is Putin’s stubborn desire to cling to power.

Had he stepped down gracefully in 2008 having served two terms as president, he would have been hailed as the man who revived Russia despite the rough methods he used.

As it is, he now risks being just the latest of a long line of leaders who overstayed their welcome and were toppled.

One can detect painful shades of toppled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad in Putin’s blaming of Hillary Clinton for supposedly inciting the protests.

So it’s simply not enough these days for politicians to possess the formal, outward trappings of democracy or social engagement (like Facebook or Twitter pages) if they do nothing to increase the public space and empower their people.

More importantly, they need to realise that they fool no one when they speak of the need for reform but do nothing to change the status quo.

Indeed, such disingenuousness will come back to haunt leaders.

What I find remarkable about the Russian demonstrations against electoral fraud is that most of the protestors were middle-class: urban, young and well-to-do Muscovites who theoretically should have benefitted most from Putin’s management.

They ought to have been, and indeed were, his political base.

However, after years of being lied to, frustrated or simply ignored, Russia’s bourgeoisie (now 20% of the population after the oil boom) are now emerging as the force that could bring Putin down.