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Centre for Research, Advisory and Technology chief executive officer Ng Yeen Seen (pic) said Malaysia will be sidelined by China from the Belt and Road Initiative.
She said the Opposition will cease all China-linked projects such as the East Coast Rail Link, Tun Razak Exchange and the Country Garden Forest City development.
Malaysia’s palm oil industry problems will then be compounded with a boycott by China, she said.
She said many will be expected to lose their jobs if China decides to use another route to bypass Port Klang.
The abolition of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) will also result in a huge loss in revenue for the Government, she said.
According to her, government employees will be expected to lose their jobs as Petronas is no longer a formidable force like it was in the 80s, 90s and in the first decade of 2000.
“The Government will have to find alternative sources,” she said in a statement yesterday.
She added that this will result in national debt rising as it did in the 80s and 90s as privatisation will see a significant increase to sell more assets to “friendly parties” via cheap loans guaranteed by the Government.
Furthermore, as the Opposition has vowed to abolish tolls, Ng said the Government will have to borrow money from the United States, for example, in its plans to buy back these assets.
Ng said this was because the Government no longer had the oil money it once had in the past, coupled with China and the Middle East not being as strong as they were due to falling oil prices.
Although the abolition of BR1M will result in the B40 group being encouraged to work in newly privatised companies, she said this will hamper the nation’s dreams of becoming a high-income nation.
“To be globally competitive, these privatised companies will have to keep costs low and our high-income nation dreams will be destroyed,” she said, adding that foreign workers will return to compete with locals.
She pointed out that this will result in Industry 4.0 modernisation not happening and the country falling behind nations such as Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia by 2023.- The Star
FMT - GEORGE
TOWN: The Penang Forum has repeated its call for all hillslope
development to be stopped immediately, following deadly
hillslope collapse ...
Geotechnical engineer Aziz Noor says the new project puts the people and the place in danger
Engineer: Lives at risk in Penang hill project
GEORGE TOWN: The DAP-led state government has turned a blind eye on the imminent danger of hill slope development, said a Tanjung Bungah resident.
At a forum-cum-press conference yesterday, geotechnical consultant Aziz Noor (pic) said building the proposed multi-storey mixed development behind the Miami Green Resort Condominium would pose a danger to the condo and its residents.
The development which has been approved on the class four hill, comprises five 29-storey building blocks, two 34-storey serviced apartments with 336 units each and one block of affordable apartments with 197 units.
Meanwhile, former Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari, who is the Tanjong Bungah candidate for Pakatan Harapan, said the state government would review the guidelines on hill slope development. – Bernama
GEORGE TOWN: An engineer has sounded a warning about “imminent danger” from a new hillside development of eight tower blocks of apartments planned in an environmentally-sensitive area of Tanjung Bungah.
Geotechnical consultant Aziz Noor, speaking at a forum-cum-press conference today, accused the DAP-led state government of turning a blind eye on the imminent danger of hill slope development.
The proposed mixed development behind Miami Green Resort condominium puts the existing residence and its people in danger, he said.
The development has been approved on a 12-acre plot with a 35-degree slope on a Class Four hill, which exceeds 250 feet above sea level.
It comprises five 29-storey tower blocks, two 34-storey blocks of 336 serviced apartments each, and one block of 197 units of affordable apartments.
Aziz said that the project was not only in an environmentally sensitive area, it also contradicts the 2007 Penang Structure Plan that forbid any development above a gradient of 25-degree gradient and 250 feet above sea-level.
The design of one development does not guarantee safety. A Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment must be conducted and reviewed. This development puts the place and people in imminent danger,” he said.
Residents of the area said they had vented their frustration multiple times since November but had not received any response from the state government and Penang Island City Council.
The residents, together with the Tanjung Bunga residents association, had spoken on the matter many times, but no one seemed bothered, said one of the residents, Lim Liew Ming.
“Our lives are at risk. The upcoming development is a ticking time-bomb. Are the authorities waiting for a tragedy to happen, and only then act on it?,” she asked.
State Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow, who is also BN candidate for the Tanjong Bunga state seat in the general election, said the project should have been shelved from the beginning.
“We will put a stop to this. Even if we need to pay compensation,” he said.
The Barisan Nasional has pledged to declare all highland and hill slope areas of 250 feet above sea-level as permanent forest reserve.
Former Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari, who is the Pakatan Harapan candidate for Tanjong Bunga, said the state government would review the guidelines on hill slope development.
Source:FMT.Click here to get live updates throughout the GE14 season
GEORGE TOWN: An MCA state leader has criticised Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng over the latter’s statement that more stop-work orders have been issued against hillside development by the current state government.
State MCA Wanita chairman Tan Cheng Liang said Lim, who is also the DAP secretary-general, had “conveniently avoided” revealing the increase in number of protests in the state since 2008.
“He boasts about more stop-work orders being issued now compared to when Barisan Nasional was helming the state government.
“However, he failed to reveal that there have been more protests by Penangites against hillside development since Pakatan Rakyat took over.
“The latest is the chorus of dissatisfaction by residents of Mount Pleasure in Batu Ferringhi, objecting against approval accorded by the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) for the construction of 21 four-storey villas and 80 two-storey bungalows there,” she said.
She said the 2008 DAP general election manifesto unveiled by Lim promised to “preserve our forest, wetlands and bio-diversity” while Pakatan Rakyat’s common policy framework stressed that the “environment must be preserved for the sustainability of future generations.”
“Just six weeks ago, Lim said in a speech that the Pakatan government was proud of its record of not approving any hillside development.
“However, the voices of disapproval by Penangites are evidence that Lim, the DAP and Pakatan are deceptive,” she claimed.
Citing examples, she said on April 8 this year, Sungai Ara residents protested against approval issued by MPPP Planning Department for two hillside development projects and in February 2009, Tanjung Bungah residents protested and submitted a memorandum calling on the state government to ban all current and future Class III and Class IV hillslope development projects.
“In view of these protests and to deliver the DAP and Pakatan’s pledge to protect the environment, I challenge Lim and the state government to issue a stop-work orders against all hillside development projects approved by MPPP,” she said in a press release yesterday.
Tan also took a swipe at Lim for focusing on luxury residences but allegedly had no regard for the poor.
“Approvals are given for exclusive housing and condominium projects on hills, but scant attention is given to low-cost housing for the poor where no low or medium cost units were constructed between 2008 to 2011,” she claimed.
On Tuesday, Lim said more stop-work orders had been issued by both local councils since 2008 compared to previously.
He said this proved that the state government was “more stringent in upholding the rule of law, demanding strict compliance with technical requirements and more unforgiving than Barisan.” - The Star
Aug 26, 2016 - This
is apparently for a condo and semi-detached housing project by a major
property developer. The site lies along Lebuh Bukit Jambul, on the hill-slopes
just north of Inti College and near Equatorial Hotel in Bukit Jambul.
The irony is that such 'back to Nature' projects are being advertised as
'green ...
The DAP state assemblyman for Tanjung Bungah has hit out at state authorities for approving another hillslope project on the ... They were concerned about the possible violation of law related with hillslope development guidelines by either the developer or the state government, or both.
'The outcome of such a strategy will deprive the Chinese community of some good politicians' - Tan Sri Pheng Yin Huah
Leaders against rocking the boat
This Saturday’s nomination day, DAP is facing increasing pressure from Chinese society to drop its strategy to jiao mie (wipe out) outstanding Chinese leaders within the Barisan Nasional.
In the past two weeks, several Chinese guilds – which claim to be apolitical – have come out openly to oppose this DAP stunt which will see the DAP fielding its strong candidates against leading Chinese politicians from Barisan’s MCA and Gerakan.
Many commentators within the community have also published their views in Chinese media arguing against the DAP plan.
Most Chinese newspapers have also voiced their stand against this strategy.
In essence, many see this “king versus king” plan advocated by DAP as wiping out the limited number of outstanding political talents within the community.
Whoever wins or loses in the election, the Chinese community will lose a talent and the ultimate loser is the community, they argue.
The decision by DAP to transfer its political strategist Liew Chin Tong from Kluang to the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat to collide head-on with MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Seong has not been well received from the start.
Neither is the move to send Perak DAP chief Nga Kor Ming from Taiping to Teluk Intan to rock the parliamentary seat held by Gerakan president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong.
Among the Chinese associations that have made their opposing stand known are the Federation of Chinese Guilds in Malaysia (Hua Zong), the normally low-profile Federation of Kwang Xi clans and the Federation of Heng Hua clans.
Hua Zong’s president Tan Sri Pheng Yin Huah tells The Star: “We cannot interfere with DAP politics, but as a community leader I hope DAP can consider our views to change this election strategy.
“The outcome of such a strategy will deprive the Chinese community of some good politicians – whether they are from Barisan or Opposition, and this is a loss to the community.”
Last Monday, Pheng issued a media statement to this effect. But in response, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng alleged that Hua Zong was an “external organisation” of MCA.
Lim, in justifying the DAP strategy, said it would help the Opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan to win more parliament seats so as to take over Putrajaya to rule the country.
It appears that DAP is unlikely to change this unpopular strategy.
While Lim can ignore Pheng and the other Chinese community leaders who are not voters in Ayer Hitam and Teluk Intan, he should listen to the voices on the ground.
A professional in Ayer Hitam, who was my high school classmate in Batu Pahat, told me in my recent trip down south: “I normally support the Opposition, but this time I am going to vote for Wee Ka Siong.
“He is a good minister and has done so much work for the people. Everybody here can see.”
His feelings are shared by my other former Batu Pahat high school friends.
Prominent commentator Tang Ah Chai, who is normally more pro-Opposition in his analysis, has warned DAP to handle the discontent from Chinese society with caution to avoid backlash in the coming election.
“The Chinese community is worried that if there is little or no representation in government, their aspirations and voice cannot be effectively channelled to the top and their interest will be undermined. They experienced this when MCA did not join the Cabinet,” Tang commented last Friday.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has warned that there will be a cut in the number of Chinese ministers, in the event Barisan wins the election, if Chinese support for MCA and Gerakan dwindles.
While Pheng does not expect Lim to change DAP’s strategy, which has also been employed in Sarawak, other leaders hope Lim can turn a page on DAP history.
“Look at what happened in 1982 when Seremban sent a strong message that voters wanted MCA leader to stay on,” said one.
In the 1982 general election, in response to a taunt by DAP to contest in a Chinese-majority area, the then MCA president Tan Sri Lee San Choon contested in Seremban to face DAP chairman Dr Chen Man Hin, who had held that parliamentary seat since 1969.
Not only did Lee win in the battle, MCA scored a landslide victory – winning 24 out of 28 parliamentary seats and 55 out of 62 state seats it contested.
DAP was nearly wiped out in that general election.
One of Lee’s projects that have benefited many Chinese is TAR College to expand tertiary education opportunities for the Chinese at the time.
While the 1982 election has come to pass, the sentiment of Chinese against “king versus king” is still present.
This photo taken on April 19, 2018 shows the ZTE logo on a building in Nanjing in China's eastern Jiangsu province.AFP/Getty Images
Ban on ZTE offers much food for thought
The US ban on sales of chips and components to China's telecommunications company ZTE shocked Chinese society. Some Chinese people are furious at US behavior, others think ZTE deserves it, while some advocate Beijing take it as a warning and boost the country's domestic semiconductor industry. Some are more pessimistic and feel China cannot beat the US in a trade war.
The ZTE case can be argued as a show of high-tech hegemony by the US. It is absurd for Washington to pull this maneuver at the eleventh hour simply because ZTE failed to cut bonuses for its 35 employees as promised. The logic works for US society and the West is watching the case for fun. But certain Chinese people are also taking pleasure in it. This is the reality.
It must be admitted that the US is powerful and it has started to punch China hard. The rise of China has reached a juncture where Beijing has prompted Washington to ponder its status as the world's No.1 and provided a somewhat disjointed West with a reason to strengthen its solidarity. The impulse to contain China's rise is emerging among Western elites. Radical and even risky policies toward China are gaining increasing support.
China needs a strong will, an open mind and the capacity to fight back. Through political solidarity and a robust economy, Beijing should be tough enough to withstand the slings and arrows. China needs to incubate and shape strategic technology research and development.
The reason why chip technology has experienced such limited progress despite years of advocacy is that the Chinese system has not yet formed a key driving force for it.
Beijing must develop its "nuclear weapons" in the field of economics to make the outside world fear strategic confrontation with China.
China should also make friends worldwide, including Western nations, so as to unite all the forces that can be united. It must not overly focus on gains and losses in friction with others. Beijing must protect its interests, but in the meantime it cannot isolate itself doing so.
China needs to accept diverse opinions on the internet, governing them but also adapting to them so as to prevent online opinions from impacting on society's overall judgment and confidence.
It is hoped that China will develop a greater core competitiveness which other countries cannot match. This is an expectation of all Chinese people.
American business to pain together in ZTE case
https://youtu.be/XgbspspyfLQ
The US government sales ban of American components to the ZTE Corporation will surely inflict significant damage to the company. However, the pattern of globalization shows that not only will the US not secure a victory, it will also suffer a harsh blowback. The US stock market came to a similar conclusion, and media from around the world calculated that the US' future losses will be significant.
Qualcomm is a major mobile chip supplier for ZTE mobile phones. According to Reuters, Qualcomm will be harmed during this strike because ZTE is an important client, and its competitors could benefit from ZTE choosing alternative manufacturers. Furthermore, Qualcomm might suffer more setbacks when China retaliates on the US for this ban.
According to studies by various media organizations, the full implementation of the seven-year sales ban on ZTE will amount to combined loss of $6.8 billion for Qualcomm, Acacia Communications, and Oclaro Inc. It will also affect more than 32,000 employees. Due to this estimation, Acacia Communications stocks dropped 35.95 percent this week. Additionally, Intel and Microsoft will be hit by shockwaves in the tech industry.
Over the years, China has grown to become the largest sales market for US electronic chips, providing US companies with substantial funds for research and development. Losing the Chinese market might cause these US companies to decline in quality, which could result in a bleak financial future.US semiconductor companies are facing real threats as they will likely be taken over by their opponents.
The US will also be hurt from increasing suspicions to its business environment. The US government ended ZTE's business dealings with American companies by force, due to "35 employees' bonuses issues" for the company with 80,000 employees. Is the American business environment still trustworthy? Does this not imply that the US government can bully whoever it wishes? Cooperation with American companies is already difficult and being reviewed by the US government for political correctness will not make matters easier.
Some Westerners criticize the risks of doing business with Chinese companies, but not one multinational company has experienced the same mistreatment ZTE has been subjected to. The proper name for ZTE's case could be called "35 people bonus crisis" and if this is what starts the cooperation breakdown between the US and China, or globalization in general, it will be one of the most bizarre jokes in history.
China will hit back in the best way it knows and inflict losses for American companies in China. Washington should not have any delusions of tolerance from China after causing such damage to its businesses.
With China and the US trading blows in this situation, the US economy and trade relations will delve into chaos. Investments of American companies in China far exceed Chinese companies in the US, meaning that the US has more to lose since these investments will not be spared during this fight.
Most importantly, Chinese society will lose faith in cooperation with American high-tech companies. The "35 people bonus crisis" will also serve as a push for China determination to develop its semiconductor industry to replace America's components.
China will endure a sting in the high-tech sector confrontation, but the US will suffer lasting pain. China has been slow to develop its semiconductor technology because it is cheaper to purchase American products in the past. Developing chips and operating systems will require massive market support and China's yearly import of $200 billion can definitely cover the funding for this research.
The consequences of punishing ZTE is now out of Washington's control. The intertwined economies of China and the US are like "conjoined twins" and separation will cause major pain for both sides. Washington's thinking that this is a unilateral punishment is naïve, and this short-sighted judgement will be paid at the expense of American companies and enterprises. - - Global Times
Washington has unrealistic fantasies about “balancing
China-US trade.” It tries to solve US economic issues with sticks and
threats rather than painstaking reforms. Simply put, it attempts to make
a hard sell. The world is required to buy whatever the US produces at
its convenience, and developing countries like China cannot make
technological progress in the process.
If Washington thinks China's upgrade of its opening-up
was triggered by US menaces, it is making a historic mistake in its
relationship with Beijing. Whether the Sino-US trade war is aggravated
depends on Washington. It is hoped US actions accord with Trump's
pleasant tweets rather than more old carrot-and-stick
The community with shared future for mankind is a goal of
China to lead the world forward into the future. The Belt and Road
initiative is one of the paths toward it. The world has never seen a
major power emerging with a peaceful and cooperative manner. Some people
say that China is only pretending to rise peacefully. After Beijing's
new measures were announced at Tuesday's forum, the world should have
gained a better understanding of China.
With the development of China's economic growth and
strength of science and technology, further opening-up and lowering of
tariffs will be the future trend. But how China will do this will be
decided based on WTO rules and China's own interests. This is China's
sovereignty. Beijing will never listen to the command of Washington.
People-centric logo: The Chinese character for ‘people’, rén, dominates the entrance to its office.
The growing usage of technology can help human resource achieve better performance
IT IS often said that managing people is a combination of art and science. But the increasing dominance of technology in workplaces opens up a new perspective and opportunities in how organisations most valuable resource – its human capital – is being employed.
One of the most obvious changes that can be observed among employers, says Accendo HR Solutions group chief executive officer Sharma KSK Lachu, is the realisation that maintaining the traditional functions of the human resource (HR) department – such as processing payroll and employees’ rosters – is not the way forward to excel in the digital age.
New approaches emphasising efficiencies and talent development are needed to excel in people management, he adds.
“The process of recruiting, retaining and developing talents within organisations has to be changed to meet the expectation of both employers and employees, which in turn could help translate into outstanding performance standards,” he says.
Sharma notes that rich data insights are the best tool to help organisations deliver more engaging content and meet growing customer expectations for highly relevant and targeted information in the workplace. He calls it the democratisation of data and information to help workplaces function more efficiently. This could also help employees lead a more satisfactory work life as functions and responsibilities can be streamlined with the help of data, enabling them to focus on higher-level work.
Bigger reach: Sharma says the company is also looking at expanding into other Asean countries.
Today’s workforce is different. There needs to be more incentive for employees to stay on in their jobs.
Citing the example of his own father, who stayed with a single company throughout his entire working life, Sharma says it would be a wonder for organisations today to have employees who would dedicate their entire working life to a single entity without asking much in return.
“He never complains about the lack of a pay raise, promotion or other perks from the management. But today’s working adults, especially the gen-Y and -Z, don’t share such values anymore,” he says.
Accendo relies heavily on technology, data and behavioural sciences in its approach to providing the right HR solutions for its clients to manage their manpower. The consultancy company is currently developing several tools, including artificial intelligence (AI) and HR management systems, for its corporate clients.
However, Accendo, which specialises in services such as talent acquisition, performance management, talent analytic and secession planning, puts the human element on the forefront of how organisations’ HR should function.
Technologies and people form the backbone of Accendo. A walk into its corporate office gives you the feel of a tech startup with open spaces and programmers in casual attire. But a reminder that people comes before technology is apparent in the form of a corporate logo, Rén – the Chinese character for ‘people’ – which dominates the entrance to its office.
Talent development: Accendo’s team consists of people with various skills to support client’s human resource needs.
New HR challenges
There is a need for a sharper and faster decision-making process, and the HR department has to be equipped to handle this. The aim is to help them to understand and grow their employees. This includes helping people who are pursuing career development opportunities at every age and are working longer than ever before.
Individual business leaders as well as business units should be looking at HR to provide support and strategic advice on everything from upskilling, motivating employees and future workforce planning to managing multiple generations of employees under one roof.
Therefore, specific solutions that are tailor-made and offer personalised learning opportunities for employees of all types will become the norm.
“Many organisations today still view manpower as a tool to maximise profit. But our mission is to promote a culture where companies develop the talents of their employees to contribute towards the growth of the company.
“We have turned down projects worth millions of ringgit because of the different viewpoint on how to develop and maximise the potential of employees. For us, our clients have to share our values, which is about organisations allowing their employees to own their career. We developed processes that would enable organisations to understand their people, and help develop their skills,” says Sharma.
Casual space: Accendos corporate office gives you the feel of a tech startup with open spaces and programmers in casual attire.
Prior to his return from Sydney, Australia, where he had his start in the HR industry, Sharma was exposed to how technology and data science could help in efficient decision-making processes.
One of his motivations to move back home 10 years ago to start his own business here was partly to prove a point that developing technology-based HR solutions using data science can be done successfully in Malaysia.
Founded in 2009, Accendo is majority-owned by Sharma, while his two other co-founders have minority interests in the company. The company has morphed from being a HR solutions provider to an integrated HR consulting company with their own their technology solutions.
It has since recorded an impressive growth rate and is now considering strategic partnership with either a financial or strategic investor as it seeks to scale up its operations internationally and fund its technology research and development.
Sharma says it is also looking at expanding into other Asean countries, as this region could benefit from data science.
As the profile and success of Accendo increase, the company has been attracting potential investors and is receiving an average of about one investor approach per month. It has held talks with one potential strategic investor but has not reached any agreement as yet, he says.
Accendo, however, will only consider an investor who shares the company’s values, in which human capital is considered as an asset to be developed and not as a commodity to be used in achieving corporate financial goals, Sharma adds.
A help mate: Amid concerns over the rise of technological unemployment, machines can help people work better. – Bloomberg
It has not seriously engaged with any party currently, but will do so if the right strategic or financial investor comes along.
The timing of a potential listing will also depend on the company’s capital requirements. Sharma says the company has been preparing for a possible listing by 2020, including making sure its financial reporting standards and company’s organisation structures are in line with that of a public company.
The majority of the company’s tech talents are local, but the company will not shy away from hiring foreign talents if necessary. Accendo currently has around 35 full-time staff members, but this will grow to over 50 by year-end as the company plans to hire more AI and other tech-related personnel, says Sharma.
Accendo is expected to record more than RM20mil of revenue this year. It has recorded an annual growth rate of 40% to 45% since it restructured its business model four years ago.
Its corporate clients include some of the most recognisable brand names in the market such as Astro
image: https://cdn.thestar.com.my/Themes/img/chart.png
, Maybank, KPMG, Nestlé, Bursa Malaysia and other financial institutions and large multinational corporations in Malaysia.
In the longer term, Sharma says Accendo aims to be the platform for all things related to work technologies and solutions, from HR staffing technologies to meeting specific needs and reinventing performance in the workplace for optimum efficacy and maximum success. - by C. H.Goh, The Star
