Can You Afford It?
Can you afford it?
Natalie Shobana Ambrose
The face of Malaysia’s urban poor has evolved and now includes different segments of society. Imagine if Adam were on a tight budget, what other Malaysians earning less are living without.
The experts and politicians say we need to live within our means and save 30% of our income. In Adam’s case, saving RM1,500 is next to impossible unless we cook the books and he stops eating.
Imagine how much better Adam’s classmates working overseas are doing – and we wonder why the brain drain figures are so high in this country.
...instead of just pumping more and more money from a deficit budget, greater efforts are concentrated on curbing corruption and frivolous spending, so that the real benefactors of the budget would be the people.
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/167775
Reluctant to lead
Yap Mun Ching
...unless Asia is able to muster the leadership and innovativeness to respond to the new environment, we cannot expect a painless transition from the shift in global balance of power.
... it is this lack of leadership that will hinder the ability of future generations to find global solutions to global problems.
Is this a manifestation of Asian humbleness or have we become so set in the Confucian/Asian-values hierarchy of authority that we are now good only as followers?
...recent developments in the Middle East also hint at what could be the flip side of the coin if not enough jobs are generated to accommodate the large numbers of young people entering the work force annually.
...leadership and innovation are two sides of the same coin that Asia must embrace if global leadership is to come from this region.
The democratisation of Asia at all levels of society must take place in order for the region to fulfil its growth potential. And unless Asian leaders to today can loosen their grip on authority and allow true creativity to grow, we may as well prepare ourselves for many years of hardship ahead.
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/167781
Natalie Shobana Ambrose
The face of Malaysia’s urban poor has evolved and now includes different segments of society. Imagine if Adam were on a tight budget, what other Malaysians earning less are living without.
The experts and politicians say we need to live within our means and save 30% of our income. In Adam’s case, saving RM1,500 is next to impossible unless we cook the books and he stops eating.
Imagine how much better Adam’s classmates working overseas are doing – and we wonder why the brain drain figures are so high in this country.
...instead of just pumping more and more money from a deficit budget, greater efforts are concentrated on curbing corruption and frivolous spending, so that the real benefactors of the budget would be the people.
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/167775
Reluctant to lead
Yap Mun Ching
...unless Asia is able to muster the leadership and innovativeness to respond to the new environment, we cannot expect a painless transition from the shift in global balance of power.
... it is this lack of leadership that will hinder the ability of future generations to find global solutions to global problems.
Is this a manifestation of Asian humbleness or have we become so set in the Confucian/Asian-values hierarchy of authority that we are now good only as followers?
...recent developments in the Middle East also hint at what could be the flip side of the coin if not enough jobs are generated to accommodate the large numbers of young people entering the work force annually.
...leadership and innovation are two sides of the same coin that Asia must embrace if global leadership is to come from this region.
The democratisation of Asia at all levels of society must take place in order for the region to fulfil its growth potential. And unless Asian leaders to today can loosen their grip on authority and allow true creativity to grow, we may as well prepare ourselves for many years of hardship ahead.
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/167781
