2. Why did we reject nuclear power?
3. I am not a nuclear scientist but I believe I know enough of the dangers of using nuclear (fissionable) material.
2. At one time Lee Kuan Yew labeled me as a Malay ultra. After that caught on, I could do nothing that would not be labeled as extreme. Even if I make the most innocent statement, it would be considered as extreme, as racist.
3. It took me decades to live it down. When I was appointed Deputy Prime Minister there was consternation among the Chinese. What was going to happen to Malaysia when this Malay ultra took over the Prime Ministership?
(Ini adalah rencana bersiri
mengenai aliran semasa yang membawa kepada krisis kewangan masakini. Rencana
asal di dalam bahasa Inggeris telah disiarkan di dalam blog ini pada Mei 4,
2009)
1. Perniagaan
yang dilakukan oleh dana lindung nilai (hedge funds) adalah lebih kompleks.
Tetapi mereka juga boleh meminjam dari bank sehingga 30 kali ganda nilai wang
pelabur yang mereka pegang. Dengan itu mereka mampu memberi keuntungan kepada
pelabur hasil dari melabur 30 kali ganda dari wang yang dilaburkan. Selepas
membayar faedah kepada bank dan komisyen pengurusan, pulangan kepada pelabur
dari 30 kali ganda pelaburannya tentulah amat besar – jauh lebih besar jika
pelabur sendiri melakukan pelaburan secara terus dengan modalnya sahaja.
2. Adalah dianggarkan 8,000 dana lindung nilai (hedge funds) menguruskan
sejumlah 620 ribu billion dollar (620,000,000,000,000 dollar Amerika).
Begitulah permainan mereka sehingga pelabur diyakinkan dengan keuntungan besar.
Cara mereka melakukan pelaburan kerapkali diselubungi rahsia. Pusat kewangan
bebas cukai luar negeri (offshore) kerap digunakan dimana mereka tidak perlu
menyerahkan akaun mengenai perniagaan mereka yang meragukan.
3. Negara-negara miskin tidak begitu terlibat didalam perniagaan yang meragukan
ini dan petunjuk-petunjuk ekonomi mereka adalah lebih tepat.
2. Pinjaman yang besar oleh pedagang matawang membolehkan mereka memanipulasikan pasaran; menolak naik atau turun nilai matawang. Apabila nilai matawang bertukar peniaga mengaut untung. Kerana peniaga matawang mengawal beribu billion dollar, keuntungan mereka amatlah besar, dan begitu juga dengan dividen yang dibayar kepada pelabur.
3. Perniagaan matawang dianggarkan 20 kali lebih besar daripada jumlah keseluruhan perdagangan dunia. Pulangan ke atas setiap dolar yang dilaburkan akan lebih tinggi berbanding dividen daripada pengeluaran dan perdagangan barangan dan pemberian perkhidmatan. Dengan itu pelabur dan peniaga akan mendapat perolehan yang lebih tinggi daripada jangkaan sekiranya mereka melabur hanya modal yang ada pada mereka.
2. Mereka telah mengadakan pelbagai petunjuk untuk menunjuk tahap kekayaan yang telah mereka capai. Dengan riaknya mereka membandingkan petunjuk-petunjuk ini, terutamanya pendapatan per kapita dan Keluaran Dalam Negeri Kasar (KDNK), dengan negara-negara miskin, untuk menunjuk bagaimana cekapnya mereka dalam menguruskan ekonomi mereka. Yang miskin tetap miskin kerana tidak belajar bagaimana untuk uruskan ekonomi negara mereka. Mereka ini boleh dianggap negara mundur.
3. Dakwaan negara kaya bahawa mereka begitu cekap dalam mentadbir dan mengurus hanyalah separuh benar. Benarlah mereka pengeluar barangan, pembekal perkhidmatan dan berdagang di dalam dan di luar negara. Tetapi kekayaan mereka daripada aktiviti-aktiviti ini tidaklah sebesar sebagaimana yang mereka gembar-gemburkan. Jika per kapita dan KDNK mereka berdasarkan hanya kepada perniagaan yang sebenar ini, mereka tidaklah sekaya seperti yang didakwa. Sudah tentu Amerika Syarikat dan Britain akan hampir bankrap.
2. Kita telah beri sedikit bantuan yang amat dihargai oleh orang Bosniak. Mereka anggap orang Malaysia sebagai sahabat karib mereka. Ramai juga yang menuntut di Universiti Islam Antarabangsa dan mereka memegang jawatan penting dalam Kerajaan BiH, termasuk Duta Besar Bosnia ke Malaysia.
3. Orang Bosniak adalah orang bangsa Eropah dan bukan orang keturunan Turki. Di Eropah hanya orang Albania dan Bosniak sahaja yang beragama Islam. Mereka memandang tinggi terhadap Malaysia.
2. These money make money schemes are huge and the earnings of those who manage and invest in these schemes are equally huge.
3. They are not business because they produce nothing and they supply no services. They also create hardly any employment, nor spin off other productive business.
(This is the fifth instalment in a series on the
trends that led to the present financial crisis)
1. Then there is the pyramid or
Ponzi scheme. Bernard Madoff was only exposed after he lost 50 billion dollars of
the money invested with him.
2. The operation is simplicity
itself. The operator simply gives back a percentage of the money
“invested” with him as dividends. If he pays a dividend of 20 per
cent he would finish the money in five years.
3. But as more and more new investors invest with him, he would be able to pay
the dividends long after the earlier investors had got back all the money they
had invested. Besides the investors would continue to invest more as they
receive the high dividends.
It had been an exciting journey to be able to share my thoughts with so many who had taken time to visit and comment on my postings.
When I first started blogging, I was merely trying to find ways of expressing myself after being blocked by the mainstream media.
I did not expect to receive such high hits (to date it is 18,710,769) and such thoughtful comments. I have tried my best to respond to these comments. But the commenters must know there are too many.
There had been times, especially when I was travelling, when I found it to be quite difficult to keep up with the postings but I am glad that I had managed to ensure my blog remains active.
I have to thank visitors and commenters for their continued support. Without that, I would not be inspired to continue blogging, at least not at the pace that I do.
I hope to be able to continue with my blogging and I also hope that your support will keep on coming.
Thank you.
2. It is estimated that the 8000 hedge funds manage a total of 620 trillion dollars. Such is their game that the investors are assured of high profits. How they invest is often shrouded in secrecy. Much use is made of tax haven where they need not submit accounts of their shady business.
3. The poorer countries are not much involved in the shadow businesses and their indices would reflect their economy much more accurately.