1. I note that the currencies of a few countries have depreciated so much as to become almost worthless. In fact, in these countries the US dollars are accepted in payment rather than the local currencies.

2. How do these currencies depreciate? As a non-financier and non-economist can I venture to suggest. The experts can tell me that I am wrong. Or they can just ignore me.

3. I believe that currencies depreciate if a Government tries to chase increasing cost (inflation) by increasing pay. Unions and workers generally believe raising the minimum wage would solve the problem of increasing cost of living.

4. What happens when the pay is increased? It will buy only a little more than what the previous pay bought. Over time the cost of living would go up again as the increase in the pay increases the cost of production.

5. Now we are back to square one. The pay increase does not yield the expected increase in purchasing power. In fact the rise in the cost of production due for the increase in the cost of labour etc. will reduce the purchasing power of the increased pay to below the previous pay.

6. Now there will be a demand for another increase in pay. If this is agreed to there will be the same result i.e., the new pay will not increase the purchasing power but would increase the cost of production.

7. The story of the depreciated currencies of these countries is the same-chasing increased cost of goods or services with increases in pay. It should be noted that the purchasing power does not increase much with increases in pay. In fact the effect of the increased pay on cost of production and all overheads would result in higher cost of living i.e., higher cost of goods and services as compared to the previous costs.

8. In other words the cost of goods and services increase repeatedly over the years as income chases increases in cost. This means that more and more money will be needed to pay practically the same amount of goods or services that at the beginning were bought with less money.

9. When I was a boy way back in the 1930’s I was able to buy a small plate of mee (noodles) for just 3-5 cents. Today I have to pay at least RM3-5.

10. In the 1930’s I would get 100 plates of mee for the price of one plate today. There is a thousand percent depreciation of the Malaysian Ringgit. Actually, we are not so bad. But in some countries the attempts to chase rising cost of living by increasing income is so often and so great that the purchasing power of the currency decrease even more. And so we see the currency failing almost completely.

11. But of course, the depreciation of the currency is not only due to increasing income to meet increases in the cost of living. It is also caused by corruption, issuance of bank notes and currency note of higher values, currency trading and short selling and many other factors.

12. Lately Malaysia has been increasing minimum pay frequently. We need to be careful. The Ringgit might suffer the same fate as the Rupiah and Turkish lira.

13. There are ways of reducing the devaluation of currencies. The expert can tell us.

1. Saya kagum dengan kejayaan polis mengesan dan merampas bermillion Ringgit dadah di merata tempat di Malaysia.

2. Tentu polis sudah tangkap pengedar-pengedar dadah ini. Tindakan terhadap pengedar ialah tahanan sehingga dibicara.

3. Jenayah mengedar serius – hukum gantung.

4. Tetapi tidak ada laporan berkenaan tangkapan melainkan kes kecil sahaja.

5. Tetapi saya masih percaya tangkapan dan tahanan akan berlaku, InsyaAllah.

6. Pengedar dadah bernilai ratusan million akan ditahan, dihadap ke mahkamah, dibicara dan dihukum.

7. Inilah yang dikenali sebagai the rule of law yang menjadi pegangan Kerajaan negara tercinta ini.

8. Saya ucap tahniah kepada PDRM.

1. Tun Abdullah succeeded me to become the Fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia. He will always be remembered for the fantastic victory of Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 2004 General Elections. BN won 90% of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat.

2. Unfortunately BN did not do so well in the 2008 General Elections. Five states were lost to the Opposition.

3. The people exercised their freedom of speech to demand the resignation of the Prime Minister.

4. Abdullah listened. And he heeded the views of the public. Without rancour or anger he resigned.

5. It could not have been easy for him. But he puts the country’s interest above his disappointment.

6. I am reminded of the fate of Neville Chamberlain – Prime Minister of Britain at the break of war with Germany.

7. Leo Amery, MP for Birmingham, quoting Oliver Cromwell said, “You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go”

8. Sorry to quote from British History. But so many of what we do are influenced by the British.

9. If I may be allowed, I resigned two times when I felt I was not wanted. Actually, it was my mother who taught me “not to overstay my welcome”.

10. Incidentally, following the calls for Chamberlain to resign 42 MPs who normally supported the Government voted against. Another 36 abstained.

1. Ramai yang mendakwa mereka takut. Saya tanya takut apa?

2. Takut Kerajaan!

3. Kenapa takut Kerajaan?

4. Kerana tidak boleh silap sikit akan disoal oleh Polis.

5. Sekarang tidak boleh cakap 3R.

6. Tetapi masalah yang timbul ialah yang berkaitan dengan 3R.

7. Mereka Melayu.

8. Tidak boleh cakap pasal Melayu.

9. Mereka beragama Islam.

10. Tidak boleh cakap pasal Islam.

11. Mereka nak rujuk kepada Raja.

12. Jangan cakap pasal Raja.

13. Jangan cakap berkenaan Addendum.

14. Jangan tiup whistle. Awak akan disiasat.

15. Jangan politikkan itu dan ini.

16. Wakil rakyat pun tidak boleh cakap dalam dewan.

17. Cakap. Kena gantung tak bertali.

18. Sebab itu mereka takut.

19. Bukan sahaja akan disoal oleh polis.

20. Boleh masuk dalam tahanan pun.

21. Bukan sehari dua, tetapi berbulan.

22. Undang-undang kata kalau salah dakwa di mahkamah.

23. Tetapi tak perlu. Reman sahaja. Atau salah guna undang-undang.

24. Masuk dalam tahanan tidak beza dari hukum penjara.

25. Mahkamah tak perlu.

26. Sebaliknya ada yang sedang dibicara dalam mahkamah tetapi stop.

27. Bukan sahaja itu. Jadi Menteri pula.

28. Sekarang nak tukar cara hakim dipilih.

29. Sudah tukar pentadbiran dewan-dewan.

30. Reformasi – tutup mulut rakyat itulah re-4-ma-si Liau-Liau.

1. Saya terbaca beberapa laporan yang mengatakan bahawa saya enggan tandatangan surat perlepasan tanggungjawab sebagai pemegang amanah sebuah aset pemegang kepunyaaan UMNO.

2. Yang tuduh saya ialah Presiden UMNO Datuk Ahmad Zahid dan selepas itu disambut pula oleh speaker DUN Johor Puad Zarkashi.

3. Saya tak tahu apa nak kata pasal tahap pemikiran mereka ini.

4. Pertamanya, mereka ni tak baca ke saman pemula yang UMNO failkan oleh Setiausaha Kerja nya Mohd Sumali. Saman itu namakan Pendaftar Pejabat Tanah dan Galian Wilayah Persekutuan sebagai defendan dan bukan saya.

5. Keduanya, dalam afidavit sokongan kepada saman yang difailkan oleh UMNO dinyatakan bahawa permohonan kebenaran untuk pindah milik tanah bertarikh 27 Oktober 2015 telah ada surat akuan yang ditandatangani oleh keempat-empat pemegang amanah termasuklah saya.

6. Kemudiannya, pada 28 Disember 2015, Pejabat Pengarah Tanah dan Galian Wilayah Persekutuan menyatakan bahawa Jawatankuasa Kerja tanah Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur telah meluluskan kebenaran pindah milik daripada pemegang-pemegang amanah tersebut kepada UMNO.

7. Bagaimanapun proses pindah milik itu terbantut pada Mei 2017 kerana terdapat nama dalam geran hartanah tidak sama seperti dalam kad pengenalan.

8. Jelas tidak timbul saya tidak mahu lepas harta UMNO. Saya telah buat akuan bersetuju pada tahun 2015 lagi.

9. Selain itu saman ini terhadap Pendaftar Pejabat Tanah dan Galian Wilayah Persekutuan dan tiada kaitan dengan saya.

10. Sebelum ini saya sudah buat saman fitnah terhadap Zahid kerana berbohong untuk nak burukkan nama saya. Sekarang Puad Zarkashi turut serta.

11. Tak malukah berbohong dan fitnah tak berhenti-henti.

12. Tapi kalau fitnah ini kerana tidak faham, mungkin ahli UMNO perlu fikir semula sama ada kaki bohong layak terus jadi Presiden ataupun Speaker DUN, Johor.

1. The news is all about high tariffs, I am not a financial man, not even an economist. But what I understand from Trump’s high tariff is that goods or services imported into the U.S. will pay high taxes.

2. Who will pay? Not the exporters. The American importers and consumers will eventually pay. Presumably they will not buy or buy less. That will hurt the exporters.

3. But the trade between all the other countries are not subject to high tariffs. There would be no tariff barriers by these countries. It may be possible to expand trade with them. Still world trade would diminish.

4. Now what will happen to America. Trump expects American industrialists would rush back to produce in the country.

5. Even if they do this, it would take a lot of time and American cost would be high. Bloomberg says it would take eight years for Apple to move out of China. Apple was shifted to India. America would still have to import. This is not what Trump wants. He wants all industries to be in America. That would take another eight years. He needs to “pause” for eight years.

6. So American consumers would have to pay more than the pre-tariff prices for a long time. In other words there would be perpetual inflation.

7. Now Trump has decided to “pause” the imports of iPhones from China. Why? Almost all American iPhones are made in China. High tariffs mean these phones cannot be sold at pre-tariff prices in America. China may lose the American market. But so will the American companies, perhaps more. In Malaysia we will pay the old prices.

8. The companies just cannot relocate production in the U.S of A. it would take time and higher cost. Even if they succeed the iPhones would be costly. They cannot compete in the world market.

9. So Trump have to pause. How long? I don’t think 90 days is enough.

10. It is not only “iPhones”. Lots of American products are made in China. In fact lots of American products are not made in America. And that includes Malaysia and other developing countries.

11. I wonder how many pauses Trump will have to make.

12. Incidentally Malaysia has a great experience with tariff. Maybe Trump should study Malaysia.

1. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar denounced Macron’s announcement “that France would recognise Palestinian State” as a “prize” for terrorism.

2. So far Israel has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, reduced to rubble the cities of Gaza, blocked humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, bombed hospitals and schools, killed babies, children and women, bombed Beirut and killed Lebanese people.

3. These are of course not acts of terror. Arresting and detaining thousands of Palestinians in the last seventy years are also not oppressive.

4. Clearly to the Israelis right is wrong and wrong is right. Human values have been turned upside down.

5. And the civilised world can do nothing. For behind all these is America the Great.

1. During the Second World War, the Government of the United Kingdom was led by Prime Minister Winston Churchill for the majority of the conflict from 1940 to 1945. He succeeded Neville Chamberlain who was Prime Minister at the start of the war but resigned in 1940. The Government during this time was a coalition that included members from different political parties including those in the opposition. It focused on wartime leadership and strategy.

2. It was effectively a unity Government. All parties, i.e., the Conservative Party led by Winston Churchill, the Labour Party led by Clement Attlee and the Liberal Party led by Archibald Sinclair sat in the cabinet.

3. Clement Attlee served as Deputy Prime Minister, Archibald Sinclair served as Secretary of State for Air. Accordingly the decisions of the cabinet were made by all the parties in the coalition Government.

4. There was no requirement for the parties to be loyal to the Conservative Party or the Prime Minister.

5. Their loyalty was to the nation.

6. The present Unity Government of Malaysia must support the Prime Minister.

7. Criticisms of the Prime Minister may result in certain punitive action being taken.

8. Parties whose members of Parliament do not support the Prime Minister are not accepted in the Government.

9. It is questionable whether the Government is a Unity Government.

10. It is a coalition of the willing supporter – yes.

11. Not a Unity Government.

1. Saya diberitahu bahawa Datuk Jamal Yunos kini sedang dirawat di hospital kerana sakit kanser paru-paru dan kini telah merebak ke otak.

2. Saya terbaca ada yang menyuruh Datuk Jamal meminta maaf kepada saya kerana kata-kata yang tidak wajar dilemparkannya terhadap saya dahulu semasa saya sedang menentang Umno kerana kes 1MDB.

3. Bagi saya tidak perlulah mengungkit perkara itu kepada saudara se-Islam kita yang sedang menghadapi kesukaran.

4. Sebaliknya saya rasa perlu kita doakan semoga Datuk Jamal kembali sembuh dan sihat seperti sedia kala.

5. Saya pula nak ambil kesempatan ini nak minta maaf kepada Datuk Jamal jika ada kesilapan dan kesalahan saya terhadapnya.

1. The Minister for Foreign Affairs says we have no issue with the US. So we must be guarded when criticising the U.S.

2. Does this mean that we do not mind the U.S. backing Israelis with weapons and money to commit mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza and the attack against Lebanon.

3. Please state clearly that it is okay.