Week That Was: May 21 - 27, 2006
Week That Was Compiled By ANTHONY LIM
BN RETAINS SARAWAK: (May 21) A Barisan Nasional wish for a clean sweep in the ninth Sarawak state elections ended in a surprise for the coalition, which lost eight seats to the Opposition and one seat to an Independent. It was the best performance by the Opposition in the state, which also saw an increase in the popular votes for it. The Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) lost eight of the 19 seats it contested, bringing the final tally to Barisan 62, Opposition 9.
POWER UP! (May 24) Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik announced a 12% average rise in power rates from June 1. This is the first increase in the electricity tariff since 1997, and is to offset escalating fuel costs. Dr Lim said low-income households would not be badly affected, as the rates would be based on the amount of power consumed. The majority of domestic users – 59% of about three million households – use less than 200 kilowatts (equivalent to a bill of RM43.60).
MAS CUTS: (May 23) Malaysia Airlines expects between 3,000 and 5,000 of its staff to accept its mutual separation scheme (MSS), projected to cost a maximum of RM850mil and targeted for completion at the end of July. The scheme will be the largest in Malaysia and will give the highest compensation to its lowest-paid employees and those with the longest tenure of service.
CHICKEN, ANYONE? (May 25) Chicken meat has hit the ceiling price, following a surge in demand and higher operating costs. In the last week, prices have gone up twice, by a total of 65 sen. Dressed chicken without shank, head, liver and gizzard now costs RM6.70 a kilo while that with shank, head and gizzard is RM6. The industry lost RM1.5bil in March and April, following a drastic drop in demand at the time of the bird flu scare.
PM WILL MEET PEOPLE: (May 22) Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will meet the people every month at community gatherings nationwide beginning July. Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin said Abdullah would meet the people from all walks of life to explain current issues, particularly the Ninth Malaysia Plan, adding that the first such gathering would be held in Port Dickson in conjunction with the Smart Community Convention.
LOOK FOR PARTNERS: (May 23) Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has advised national car manufacturers to look for powerful foreign partners. He said the reality was that the domestic market was too small to ensure the survival and success of the Malaysian automotive industry, and while support would continue to be given, it would be targeted, finite and transitional, not open-ended and unconditional. To continue indefinitely with a policy of shielding the domestic market in favour of the national players is not a viable long-term strategy, and would serve neither the Malaysian economy nor Malaysian consumers, he added.
KEEPING THE PEACE: (May 25) Malaysia will send troops to serve as peacekeepers in Timor Leste after agreeing to the Timor Leste government’s request for help in the form of peacekeeping troops to quell growing unrest in the new nation. A defence ministry official said the troops would leave for Dili, the capital, as soon as possible. Timor Leste is the world’s youngest nation and has been plagued by unrest since March when a third of its armed forces were fired after going on strike to protest alleged discrimination in the military. The unrest spread last week, prompting the government to ask for international troops to quell the violence.
SAND SHORTAGE: (May 23) Selangor and the Federal Territory are facing a serious shortage of sand, which could disrupt the construction and manufacturing sectors. To compound the problem, the Perak, Negri Sembilan and Pahang governments have issued circulars to their sand miners to halt inter-state exports. Selangor had banned sand mining in many rivers in the state since early 2004 to prevent water pollution and damage to the ecosystem, and although the state permits limited sand mining, supply can only meet half the monthly demand of six million tonnes. The rest has to be imported from neighbouring states.
CARS GALORE: (May 26) The biggest-ever Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) began, and the exhibition, which runs till June 4, has much to offer car enthusiasts. Attractions at KLIMS 2006, which cost over RM60mil, include futuristic concept cars. The show features 121 exhibitors from 16 countries exhibiting 134 cars, motorbikes, trucks and buses and has road safety education as one of its central themes.
PERFORM, OR ELSE: (May 21) Chief executive officers of government-linked companies who fail to perform have been advised to retire early. Finance Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said the CEOs of several top GLCs with unsatisfactory performances had been given such advice. He added that four of the 15 largest GLCs in the country suffered losses last year, these being Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd, Malaysia Airlines System Bhd, UEM World Bhd and Proton Holdings Bhd.
AUTOMOTIVE ASSISTANCE: (May 27) An automotive training centre to be set up by the Japanese Government as part of the Japan-Malaysia Economic Partnership Agreement will help Malaysia realise its aim to be a major automotive hub in the region. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the centre would provide training for workers from the entire automotive industry to upgrade the quality of production.
FOREIGN NEW IDOL: (May 25) Taylor Hicks, the mop-topped manic dancer who wooed TV audiences with his raw singing style and boisterous personality, was named the winner of this year’s American Idol singing contest in a pop star-filled finale that included Prince and Mary J. Blige. The 29-year-old Hicks of Birmingham, Alabama, became the latest in a string of Southern and Midwestern contestants to win the widely-viewed talent contest after collecting more viewer votes than runner-up Katharine McPhee. More than 63 million votes were cast.
OUT IN FOUR YEARS: (May 22) Iraq’s new Prime Minister said his forces could be in charge in most of the country by December and aides of visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair said all foreign troops might be gone within four years, though Blair himself would not be drawn on deadlines. Three years after the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, the United States has some 133,000 troops in Iraq while the British troop strength is around 7,000, mainly patrolling Iraq’s south. At least 2,450 US soldiers and 111 British troops have been killed in Iraq since 2003, and both countries are keen to start drawing down their military presence
THAKSIN RETURNS: (May 23) Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra formally took back the reins of power, chairing a Cabinet meeting almost two months after he came under fire from critics and announced he was taking a break. High on the agenda was getting approval for some of the US$43bil of infrastructure projects put on hold after the election left parliament unable to meet to choose a new prime minister. Thailand has suffered economically from the political chaos that has prevailed since an inconclusive April 2 general election was declared unlawful.
TEMBLOR HITS JAVA: (May 27) A powerful earthquake rocked Indonesia’s Central Java province, flattening buildings and killing at least 309 people, while scores of other people were injured. The 6.2-magnitude quake also triggered heightened activity in the region’s deadly Gunung Merapi volcano, which has been spewing out clouds of hot ash, gas and lava for several weeks. The quake struck at 5.54am (2354 GMT), 25km southwest of the city of Yogyakarta, causing damage and casualties there and in at least two other nearby towns.
