Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced in the 2016 Budget that Malaysia agrees in principle to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. He said the text of the trade agreement would be tabled in Parliament, following which the cabinet would decide about signing. We can be certain that those who are opposed to it on ideological grounds will remain adamant that Malaysia should not join the TPP, irrespective of the conclusions of the cost-benefit analysis or the wishes of the business community. The ideologists will cling to their arguments that the TPP is a United States-led treaty; it is not just a simple trade agreement; it is in fact a strategic move by the world super p

THE Prime Minister announced in his Budget 2016 speech that Malaysia agrees in principle to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). He also said the text of the trade agreement would be tabled for debate in Parliament, following which the Cabinet would make the decision about signing. We can be certain that those who are opposed to it on ideological grounds will remain adamant that Malaysia should not join the TPPA irrespective of the conclusions of the cost-benefit analysis or the wishes of the business community. The ideologists will cling to the arguments that the TPPA is a US-led treaty, it’s not just a simple trade agreement, and that it is in fact a strategic move by the w

Malaysia envisages reaching developed nation status by 2020, expounded in Vision 2020 launched by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in 1991 and in the New Economic Model launched by the Prime Minister, Dato Seri Najib Abdul Razak on March 20, 2010. What defines developed status goes beyond per capita income. Developed nations are defined by good governance and the supremacy of the rule of law. It is defined by strong institutions with integrity of its leadership and people, able to practice the highest level of governance in performing their functions. Bank Negara Malaysia was established in January 1959 based on the time tested traditions of the developed economies of England and Australia, with the

In 1990, Dr Loga Mahesan Baskaran, an academic expert and long-time advocate of English as a second language (ESL) who was then attached to Universiti Malaya, presented a paper at a Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) seminar. This seminar was the crossroads from which we looked at strategies to improve ESL teacher training in Malaysia and the need to admit as ESL students those who were sufficiently proficient in English. Fast forward to 2015 and we are still frozen at the crossroads, waiting to cross some 25 years on. A recent Johor English Language Teaching Association conference saw Dr Loga talk about the same dilemma. How can we improve our command of the English language?

It’s been nearly a year since the G25 group of eminent Malays was formed. Now, two of its members remind Malaysia that there are many moderates out there. FOR a son and a daughter of former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, joining the group of prominent Malays which have expressed concern about “continuing unresolved disputes on the position and application of Islamic laws in this country” was a natural thing to do. Tawfik Ismail, a former banker and Sungai Benut MP who later set up IGB International School, was invited to join what is now known as G25 soon after their open letter calling for a review of syariah and civil law, recognising the supremacy of the Federal Constit

THOSE who understand how the global economy works in this modern age of high-speed technology will understand the vital role of English in economic development. There are some countries which realised early on that with the advent of the global, borderless economy and the wide coverage of high-speed communications, modern technology was making irreversible changes in the pattern of production of goods and services, where multinational giants like Apple, Microsoft, Boeing, and GE can own the intellectual knowledge of their products but the actual production of the component parts is farmed out to distant lands at a far cheaper cost than making them in, for example, Silicon Valley or Detroit.

1) We, the members of G25, a group of concerned Malaysians, would like to express our whole-hearted support to the statement issued by the Council of Rulers regarding the 1MDB, in which Their Royal Highnesses call for the investigations into the management of its funds to be expedited and carried out in a manner that is transparent and fair to all concerned and that the findings be made available to the public as soon as possible. Their Royal Highnesses have correctly emphasised on the urgency for early completion of the investigations as the delay is causing unhealthy levels of uncertainty in the country and creating opportunities for various groups using race and religion to create fear an

While politicians come and go, the civil service remains the engine of a nation’s administration. How does Malaysia’s current bureaucracy compare with its former self of decades past? ________________________________________________________________________ The Malaysian civil service had been accused of many things over the years – suffocating preponderance of a bloated bureaucracy, inefficiency and overly pandering to politicians. Is the quality of the administration really declining? KINIBIZ talks to former Ministry of Finance boss Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim for an inside perspective. You have been in a unique position to have some perspective on how things have developed over the years sinc

Having discussed the Constitution, rising religious extremism and corruption among other things in the previous parts of the interview, the conversation with former Treasury secretary-general Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim turns to education and racial unity in this part of the series. ________________________________________________________________________ More than 50 years since the nation was formed, there is a feeling that racial tensions have grown amid increasingly racial politics. Does the education system, much-lamented in terms of standards, have had a contributing factor to that? Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim shares his perspective. What do you think about the educational standards now and t

PETALING JAYA: One of Malaysia’s highly regarded former judges has joined the G25 group, saying he wants to stand up and be counted in the fight against extremism in the country. Former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Yunus, who retired last month, said he was invited to join the G25 group of eminent Malays and said yes after mulling it over for a few days. “I’m not really prepared for difficult questions,” said Hishamudin with a laugh when asked why he joined, although he was quick to add that he had faith in the group’s cause. “I believe in what G25 stands for. It promotes moderation and is against any type of extremism, either religious or racial, and one of its objectives is

In the third part of the KINIBIZ interview with Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim, the former Treasury secretary-general shares his perspective on corruption, the freedom of Malaysians as well as the independence of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. ________________________________________________________________________ As a RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal erupted from July this year revolving around the prime minister himself, a sequence of incredulous events saw investigations into the affair effectively halted. This reignited public anger against corruption, spurring talk of regulating political funding and raising further doubt on the credibility and independence of public institutions.

In welcoming him to the fold, G25 spokesman Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin said Hishamudin had served the judiciary with distinction. “His courage, independence and fearless integrity in upholding his oath of office will be long remembered and has earned him the respect of not only his peers but of all Malaysians,” Farida said in a statement on Wednesday. Hishamudin is known for delivering landmark decisions on several human rights cases including deeming as unconstitutional a provision in a Negri Sembilan Islamic religious enactment that criminalised cross-dressing for Muslims. G25, comprising mostly former top civil servants, ambassadors, academicians and civil rights activists, have call

The Malaysian Constitution guarantees religious freedom, but how much freedom especially for the Muslim individual? Meanwhile the clashes between Syariah law and civil law grow despite clear constitutional boundaries, requiring urgent resolution lest the nation slip into a downward spiral. ________________________________________________________________________ A prevalent debate over the past few years had been the position of Islam vis-a-vis the Constitution and how that should shape the governance of the nation. In particular, increasing conflicts emerge between proponents of a more Islamic approach to things and those who stand by the constitutional perspective. KINIBIZ asks Mohd Sheriff

Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim gave an extensive interview to both Khairie Hisyam Aliman & P Gunasegaram of Kinibiz. Entitled “Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim Calling for Sense and Sensibility’ we reproduce here the interview in parts.(Sept 29- Oct 12, 2015) "Malaysia today faces myriad issues, from rising religious extremism and racial tensions to increasingly entrenched corruption and growing overstepping of constitutional boundaries. In a time when the 
nation urgently needs to take stock and face painful realities, former secretary-general of the Treasury Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim is among prominent figures calling for a return to our collective senses” A constitution, as well as the fundamen

THE public is much relieved that the race-motivated red-shirts rally did not take place largely due to firm police action in discouraging the organisers and warning them that they would face the consequences if they proceeded to march on Petaling Street. There must have been other behind-the-scene pressures from the top to make the organisers realise that the rally was not good for the country as it would strain race relations and cause the already weak economic and market sentiments to deteriorate. It would raise questions among investors and the international community on whether Malaysia was heading towards being a failed state. We thank God that common sense prevailed on all sides. Altho