Anyway, it is an undeniable fact that most Malaysians, Chinese in particular, are only concern about their rice bowl when it comes to life. So, it doesn’t matter who win in the coming poll, as long as you can have 3 meals a day, drive a non-proton car and have a decent apartment, you’re fine. Or… you are just not interested in all these dirty stuff; you just want to make a living, right?But what if… just what if… this coming election will have a significant impact on your pocket… on your rice bowl… on your $$RM££?
I think it does… and this is why…
It has been in the speculation for some time now. It is supposed to be here, but it’s not here yet. Some say it will never come, but a lot of analysts are saying that it will come… with a vengeance. I am talking about the dreaded… global recession.
If you are sitting there reading AZAIG right now, there is a 70% chance that you belong to the group of people who did not feel the full impact of the 1997 financial crisis. I am one of them. If you are in this group, then there is a 70% chance that you will feel the pain in the next version of the recession.
Statistics have shown that recession is a 10 year cycle, with the last being in 1987 and 1997. Since we are already in 2008, the statistics are either wrong, or the recession is already here. A quick look at the results announcement of all major corporations, you will note a very common statement, that 2008 will be a very challenging year. Though this is quite an annual common statement, this year; it brings about a different tone.
I will not go into the details as it will probably bore you to the maximum…
All I remember is that a few of my friends suffered immensely in the last 1997 recession. One lost his chance to further his studies overseas at that time while the other, his father sold a corner-lot property in Bangsar for a huge discount just to make ends meet. Entering the modern slavery world in late 2000, I remember hearing my then seniors telling me about the hardship they had to go through. It was bad, a lot of us were just lucky enough not to feel it.
So… if… just if… the recession is to happen, what do you think will happen to you?
I strongly believe that if the recession is to land on Malaysian shores, all the more we need capable leaders; all the more we need qualified individuals to lead this country. When the going gets tough, and if our country still has leaders who can't even speak proper English, we are in for some really deep shit.There were also rumours and speculation (which means I am not sure if you should believe) that our country’s oil rigs will run dry in the year 2011, which effectively put a big dent on the country’s revenue source. What do you think will happen to us if we have incapable leaders?
And all you care about is your rice bowl and not voting huh…?
P/S: Comments count has been going downhill since I went uphill on election related entries while traffic hit thousands in 3 days running. Sigh… Malaysians…
38 comments:
Sad aint it. More traffic but no comments. Shows how on the fence some people are on this.
All I hope is that those who can vote, to come out and vote. It is the responsibility of everyone. Don't shy away from that responsibility, because our future, and our children's future depends on what we do today.
In the spirit of the elections, is this proof enough?
http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com/2008/02/27/can-rashid-explain-these/
This will be my first time as a voter and I'm looking forward to it. Sadly many of my friends who are eligible are not voting merely because they have not registered or they don't care at all. I pity them honestly. It's their rights and they are saying it's their rights not to vote. I would say that if you choose not to vote then you have no rights to complain about our country. Period.
see see!! that's wut i mean..ppl dare not speak..because they're scared..of the i-ass-a!
we should vote, we should talk too! we should make them make more headlines saying "we are not afraid of bloggers", when infact they're loosing sleep over us! hahahahha
about ricebowls..with the cunt-tree's condition..i don't think we can put anymore rice in the bowls! proton cars? soon, we won't even be able to afford petrol! proton cars will be useless!
One of our valued clients is going on a cost-trimming exercise this year so as to minimise expenditure and maximising cash deposits (cash at hand). Their prediction is a global recession and Malaysia will not be spared.
I was lucky to have graduated in 96 but the stock market crash just prior to that nearly resulted in me having to forgo my plans to study in the UK. In the end, my dad refinanced the house.
I applied for Kojadi scholarship, PSD, etc but not a single one gave me a scholarship, let alone a loan. Not a place. I was deemed not good enough. Well, I proved them wrong and am now working as a lawyer. I don't mean to boast. My point is that all these election promises are nothing but sales pitch. The fact remains that BN had been spending money without true accountability and transparency and the 2/3 majority that they had was a passport to doing things at their whims and fancies.
I'm a first time voter too and I'm glad to have registered with some of my friends last year, just in time for the election. but there are many more who are not, and sadly, some of my cousins even. and I suspect that this is because their family (my aunt and uncle) are not planning to vote as well. how pathetic this could get, I wonder.
The recession is already in place actually.
Zewt, your post reminds me how tough it was during recession. My husband was out of job for 8 months. We had a little girl to support. I had to help babysit to lighten our financial burden. We had little savings as we were a young family starting out. Luckily we had my mum to fall back on. We persevered and worked hard till things got better.
Yet this experience has helped us grow. We always make sure we save enough for rainy days.
As for those who have registered but chose not to vote, perhaps we could all do our part to convince them to vote. Both my hubby and I have been "lobbying" our senior friends to vote. Most of them are registed but are reluctant as they feel their votes don't make much difference. We had even offered to send them to the voting centers and NO we are not from any opposition parties. We just feel we should fight for our rights as we were all born and bred here. Malaysia is still a wonderful country with a lot of good people. We must not lose hope and give up so easily.
Poor bugger!
I shall leave a comment to entertain you. Recession? this time around we have the China factor, dishing out cheap stuffs to cap the inflation. For all u know the recession is already here. We have the 'energy' factor to cushion this, OIL, as in mineral & palm oil. These formed about 50% of national revenue now, if I remember correctly. The industry, manufacturing, electronics, already in its doldrums. Property sector is a yawn! and construction section??? well, more of umnoputra business, how it is going to be messed up we will see, follow by bail out, this will really drag us down the tube. We are not talking a few projects... like...er....Port klang FTZ (40++billion?). Look at all the corridors for money to drain, frightening!!!
bro i only surfaced during election post hahahah as opposed to other readers hahaha........
my advice is those who can vote pls make a wise choice.....dont just choose a person who can solve clog drains n etc...we need ppl who can manage the economy and look at the big picture and understand it.....
chinese r fuckers...really. they only, as u said know their own rice bowls. while we can make a living...a comfotable living in so many places, cities in countries all over, we actually belongs to no where. china is the only place, but overseas chinese r great fucks. and i would say that includes myself. but i do vote, never miss one and i make sure peopl, ard me knows what's happening ard them.
bdkbkk
i vote for the different but the clown in the politics and their statement in the news-buat aku jadi gila!
I guess most are just as exasperated as you are but taking actions many are not.
And I think the authorities are making it difficult by not allowing Malaysians overseas to vote when they know their opinions do threaten their already shaky postions back home. All the great lenghts they go through are just to further secure their places in the cabinet.
Some may have their reservations on the opposition like if they are capable of doing a better job than the current ruling party or if it's wise to hand over the country to an inexperienced party when the current situation isn't that rosy. But hey, everybody's gotta start from somewhere aite? Maybe a breath of fresh air is what the country really needs after 50 years of ruling by increasingly moronic bigots.
Pardon my pessimism, I think hard times ahead are pretty inevitable. So brace yourselves...
zewt, well, if ppl don't comment 'cos of your election posts, doesn't matter.
at least they read it. whether they agree or not, it's up to them.
that's the indiv's freedom and right.
but at least do take pride that you informed them about this.
you'll find that Chinese everywhere around the world is concerned about their ricebowl.
Not sure if you read a recent Time mag article, a lot of the Chinese in US were (not sure if they still are) supporting Hilary Clinton bcos the Clinton era provided them with economic stability.
They're not sure if this Obama-black-fella will be able to provide them with the same amt of stability.
It's sadly a CHinese culture that we just take care of our own ricebowl and let the other ppl fight for the other things.
Our responsibilities as bloggers is to only create awareness. We can't change their minds (but we do thank God immensely if we managed to change ONE person's mind).
So keep writing. Keep saying, I encourage you to.
Not only rice bowl, as a matter of speech, the mee bowl as well. Remember the hawker food hike during the CNY? Well, the CNY has gone but the price increase stayed. Even the drinks.
Haiyoh, I bet after election there'll be plenty of price hike. For those who are reaping the benefit of newly paved roads and installation of lamp posts before the GE, it's payback time AFTER the election. lol
biasalah tu zewt, more traffic if it is a socio/political post, but lesser comments you will get. people are scared to leave any comment, or they just have no idea what is it about, or they just do not know how to response :) my blog also like that. to the extreme! one post i talk about me getting parking summon or went for a birthday bash wow.. so many comments, one post talking about election, 1-2 comments and it's lucky if they comment on the post itself. Imagine, I sourced the article from Facebook, they end up commenting 'I also got Facebook' instead of talking about the article. Ha ha ha!
Zewt, 1987 and 1997 alone not considered statistics la. Only two data. :P
Recession is inevitable, its part of the economy cycle. Every boom will be followed by a recession and vice versa.
In the case of 10 yrs as the economic cycle, its only an estimate. In fact, text would say its about 7 years.
In 1997 recession, it was followed by the recession in 2000. This was dubbed as the double dip recession. In this case, should we want to add 10 yrs, I think its more appropriate to add it to 2000, making it around 2010. As its only an estimate, might as well have a +1, -1 making the estimate to be around 2009-2011.
Our gomen policies has made many FDI shied away. We relied on exports - but our goods are not as cheap as China. Our population is not huge - so domestic consumption cannot spur the economy.
Gomen spending is a factor according to Keynes. But then, what is this Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern Corridor development? It would seemed to be that the gomen has no idea how to develop the country. You dont just develop everything overnight or everything at the same time over a span of years. It doesnt work.
Think of it as in a business expanding factories everywhere without considering the demand of its products. What happens is that when all the factories are built, production capacity is very high - but no demand. HAHA. Reminds me of the Proton Plant :P
Another point - development is not the only way to spur the economy. Tourism is another - but what are the jokers doing about it? Think the Arab Square - http://patrickteoh.blogspot.com/2006/06/stay-home.html
Its all wrong - we should be building a BRAND of Malaysia - why ppl should be coming to Msia for its uniqueness - NOT for something they could see elsewhere or could have in their own home...
And yes - a country can be a brand. Think Mauritius, think Hawaii. Little island - many who would want to go there for a holiday.
*fast fast leave comment after reading the p/s*
i cant vote yet cos i am not 21!
and the boyfriend only went to register for voting last week. the lady there informed him that he can only vote for the next election as they will need 3 months to process his application to be registered.
O_O
I didnt know that!
personally, i dont think the recession will come this year. however, it is imminent that it'll come...
i agree with you... do we have capable leaders to help us out of it when it hits us? The Tun did well during his term to guide us out of it twice once in hte 80s and the other during the financial crisis... and he did this without the help of foreign intervention... he even showed his middle finger to IMF and the World Bank... and in the end... he proved them wrong and they apologised... he may have started the whole malaysian mess with his Malay Dilemma which effectively set the foundation of the NEP... however, he was a strong leader, fluent in English and a man with balls...
what can i say about our current leader who will probably remain in power?? i think he's just a very sleepy man...
great post bro'
Well, it starts with the vote. I'm heading back to Melaka, and picking up a friend on the way. Of all my Malaccan friends, only the TWO of us are voting!
The rest can't even be bothered... they don't understand why we'd drive down when we are so busy with work, etc. Yeah, but if we don't make time for this... next time, we may not even have work to be busy with. :(
Say until like that, how can I not leave comment?
Anyway, you are right, I didn't lose money in 97 cuz I was still in high school. But in the case of a recession, cash is king, so I hope I played my cards right ;)
Well... 22 zewtpinions already so far, not bad, right?
You're right. Chinese have this mentality of, each for his/her own. It's much more noticable here overboard, when it comes to community based projects... even though the chinese student population here is the biggest, it's also the MOST INACTIVE ONE!
Sigh...
frostee - yeah, it's not only our future but our childrens' future...and we certainly dont want it to be bad...
zwei - hey! yeah, i think i read about such thing already. need to warn everyone.
Jennifer - well done and truly, you are doing the right thing. it's all about our right and we certainly dont want to give it up...
huei - did u read the paper, they say no petrol increase woh.. u believe or not?
pablopabla - that's a pretty good life story there my friend. it teaches us to be independent isnt it? and at the end of the day, we learn a whole lot from it too. we showed we can stand on our own.
_butt - do they complain a lot? or are they just too rich to be bothered with anything...
jam - we have not feel it yet... wait for he paaaiiinnn to arrive...
hmm ... i think the recession is already here but the US Federal Reserve will still deny until after their presidential elections. Then, Obama will have a hard time dealing with it. Speculation oni. This will be my first elections (I'm 29 oredi ... paiseh) and the opposition (PKR and PAS for my constituency) has my family's votes.
anon @ 10.39am - yeah, those who were in the working world then faced a lot of challenges. some even took their lives. and we certainly have to be vary of what is ahead of us. kudos to your family this time round... and am glad you made it through the last recession.
william wang - that is truly frightening isnt it? well, i think china will not be able to sustain everything ler... by the way... dont la say entertain me :)
economist - well said... and i am glad you 'po tau' at this stage hahahahaha...
anon @ 11.59am - damn right... damn right.. we belong to nowhere. we are the ones with an identity crisis...
j or ji - which clowns bro?
Shi Wei - yeah, we just have to give the opposition a chance. after all, they have not screwed up yet.... the other party screwed up big time already. indeed, we have to brace ourselves.
pavlova - well, i have said it before... awareness without fruit or action can be quite futile. but then again, at least we satisfy ourselves... right?
Helen - damn right... blardy chinese, we are all crooks la... sigh...
bongkersz - damn right... sigh... but then again... blogging is like that la. it's discouraging sometimes.
maxforce - malaysia certainly has a brand too... but it aint that good. so you think it will be 2010 huh... well, it's still within the next 5 years and if nothing is done... we are in deep shit.
rabbit - yup... that's true. but at least he register... which is good.
slacker - thanks bro. for now... china is still sustaining it... wait till after the olympics and see...
kennymah - hahahaha... that is true... and it's scary eh?
Klaw - hahaha.. dont la... still can choose not to comment wan la...
Aleckii - well... cos chinese just wanna have fun and only wanna pass their exams and start working and make money right?
Jennifer - hmmm... so many jennifer... :) anyway. PAS has your votes huh... well done. truly... we know what we want...
Well, like I said, its inevitable - but question is how much or rather how hard will it hit us? And of course, how long?
With the manner the gomen is handling the spending, I m not too optimistic.
As for the timing, bro, give and take one year la :P
Hey, Zewt! Ur P.S.!!! U talking about me hor!!! Well, I've no interest in sports, politics etc etc etc...! Gee! What am I interested in? Not much left, it seems. LOL!!! Don't worry! As Arnold Schwar...how u spell his name...would say, "I'll be back!!!"
We don't have capable leaders; we have plunderers and burglars.
hello...didn't see your post earlier. anyway, been keeping up to date with the news from the frontline.
might be going to a ceramah tomorrow. not sure yet. don't worry, my motto is to vote for anything not alligned with the scale logo.
have written to lee hwa beng the second time. still didn't hear anything from him...hahaa...
oh yeah, i almost wanted to e-mail and ask why the comments are dropping until i see your P/S. haha... it seems a trend is developing with each cycle.
as for recession, i am very worried too but i know it is do or die if we want a good govt. if we have a good govt, perhaps we can cushion through with lesser pain.
either malaysians are too chicken to say anything, or they are too paranoid to leave an anti-govt comment from their work computer.
either way, keep up the election entries. this election will affect all aspect of our lives in the next 5 10 years!
Actually it may affect us longer than that... if our competitiveness is not increased now to the level on par with other countries, we may be left too far behind...
UK Earthquake... ada rasa gar? seems abit serious to whack in midland..
maxforce - well, i believe it will hit us real hard...brace yourself.
suituapui - hahahahha... u terkena ka? well.... i have full confidence you'll be back.
maverick sm - time for a change.
myop101 - i will be heading to italy soon... i will certainly miss the updates...
rational thinker - another dismal 5 years... this country will be doomed...
-=Sin=- - sikit sikit saje... :)
i believe..there'll be no petrol increase..YET
i don't know how long the YET will last..lets see..at most 1 month??
ok i'm being too optimistic!
Purple Mushroom and I once had a conversation:
"If it's not because of our family, friends, and yummy malaysian food, there's really practically no reason for us to come back"
"yah.......... it's too "messy" politically..... Shall we open a malaysian restaurant here??"
:-)
Yes, we are all doomed. Tiu lah.
hi zewt. very interesting thoughts put forward for the coming elections.
i agree a recession is surely in sight in not already here which I guess makes this election very significant to determine to 'right' party to lead the country into a more stable economy.
if our oil rigs do run out of oil..we are definitely in big big trouble..
huei - i think petrol must increase... it's unavoidable.
elizabeth DL - hahahaha... open... i go there be the chef.
melissa - well.... rumours will remain as rumours until it happen... which could be too late then..
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