MONTHLY NEWS SCAN
Tinjauan Berita Bulanan
Compiled by IDS
Vol. 14 Issue 12
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(For internal circulation only)
1 – 31 December 2009
IDS Online http://www.ids.org.my
HIGHLIGHTS
FOKUS
Eurozone confirms inflation
return
EU says stimulus to remain until
recovery is ‘fully secured’
Najib: Announcement on new
economic model by end February
2010
Exports improve in October,
going up 15 percent to RM54.28
billion
Ekonomi negeri yang kukuh
mampu tarik pelabur asing
Sabah terima RM16 juta untuk
enam projek R&D
INTERNATIONAL
ANTARABANGSA
Eurozone
confirms
inflation
return: November’s eurozone annual
inflation figure was the first positive
rate for seven months, figures have
confirmed. The European Union's
Eurostat body said consumer prices
in the eurozone in the year to
November rose by 0.5%. The positive
figure, which was slightly down on
an initial estimate of 0.6%, was
widely expected by economists. But
the return to price rises - which is
largely because of a rise in energy
costs - is being seen as welcome
news for the European Central Bank.
(16 December, BBC News)
EU says stimulus to remain until
recovery
is
‘fully
secured’:
European
Union
leaders
say
government measures to stimulate the
economy should stay in place until
the “recovery is fully secured,”
according to a draft of the
conclusions at a Brussels summit that
ends today. “Forecasts suggest a
weak recovery in 2010, followed by a
return to stronger growth in 2011,”
the draft statement by the government
heads of the 27-nation EU shows.
“But uncertainties and fragilities
remain, while the employment and
social situation is expected to
deteriorate further in 2010.” (11
December, Bloomberg)
the global recovery sparked a revival
in exports and manufacturing growth.
The Munich-based Ifo institute’s
business climate index rose to 94.7
from 93.9 in November. That’s the
highest since July 2008 and exceeded
the 94.5 median forecast of 33
economists in a Bloomberg News
survey. The current conditions and
expectations gauges also increased
and the Ifo said the outlook for
exports improved. (18 December,
Bloomberg)
Japan aims for 2% GDP growth in
long-term
strategy:
Japan’s
government unveiled a long-term
strategy on Wednesday aiming for
real GDP growth averaging over 2
percent in the next decade by creating
new demand in sectors such as the
environment, health and tourism. The
growth strategy, which outlined key
targets and policy proposals for the
10 years to the fiscal year starting in
April 2020, focused on six areas,
which also included Asia, science
and technology, and employment. It
seeks to create over 4 million new
jobs. (30 December, Reuters)
China’s industrial output beats
estimates as export slide slows:
China’s industrial production grew
more than economists estimated in
November and exports fell the least
in 13 months, strengthening the
recovery of the world’s third-biggest
economy. Factory output climbed
19.2 percent from a year earlier, the
statistics bureau said in Beijing. That
was more than the 18.2 percent
median estimate in a Bloomberg
News survey of 25 economists.
Exports slid 1.2 percent. Consumer
prices rose 0.6 percent, the first
increase in 10 months. (11 December,
Bloomberg)
Russian will lead gas exporting
alliance: An organization of natural
gas exporting countries informally
known as the Gas OPEC has elected
a Russian as its first secretary
general, underscoring the oversize
role the country is likely to have in
the group that it helped found a year
ago. Leonid V. Bokhanovsky, a vice
president at Stroytransgaz, a wellconnected pipeline construction
company, was elected at a meeting of
energy ministers from the 11 member
countries. The meeting was held in
Doha, Qatar, where the group, the
Gas Exporting Countries Forum, has
its headquarters. (9 December, New
York Times)
OPEC should stay cautious,
nurture economy: OPEC should be
cautious when it meets this month to
decide its oil output policy as it needs
to balance signs of economic
recovery and abundant supplies, the
group’s secretary general said on
Thursday. The Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries,
which pumps more than a third of the
world’s oil, meets in Angola on
December 22. Several members, such
as Algeria, Kuwait and Qatar, have
indicated OPEC may hold output
steady. (3 December, Reuters)
Australian business confidence
jumps to 7-year high: Australian
business
confidence
rose
in
November to the highest level in
more than seven years, underscoring
the central bank’s decision to raise
borrowing costs last week for an
unprecedented third straight month.
The sentiment index climbed 3 points
to 19, the most since May 2002,
according to a National Australia
Bank Ltd. survey of more than 540
companies questioned between Nov.
23 and Nov. 27, and released in
Sydney today.
(8 December,
Bloomberg)
UK interest rate remains at 0.5%:
The Bank of England has held UK
interest rates at the record low of
0.5% in a widely-expected move. It
also announced no changes to its
programme of pumping newlycreated money into the economy - socalled quantitative easing (QE). In
November, the Bank of England said
it would inject another £25bn, taking
the total planned under QE to
£200bn. The Bank cut interest rates
to 0.5% in March in an attempt to
boost the recession-hit economy.
Under QE, the Bank of England
prints money to buy assets from
banks and other companies to
stimulate
the
economy.
(10
December, BBC News)
German business confidence rises
to 17-month high: German business
confidence increased to the highest
level in 17 months in December as
1 – 31 December 2009
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
1
NATIONAL
NASIONAL
Najib: Announcement on new
economic model by end February
2010: The country’s new economic
model is expected to be announced
by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Tun Razak at the end of February
next year. He said the new economic
model will form the basis and
direction of the country’s economy in
the future. “It is a comprehensive
model as it does not only cover the
economy but encompasses all aspects
of a nation's role. (22 December,
Bernama Online)
Exports improve in October, going
up 15 percent to RM54.28 billion:
The country’s exports in October rose
to RM54.28 billion, a strong growth
of 15 percent from September’s
exports. The figure was also the
highest monthly export recorded in
the last 10 months, International
Trade and Industry Minister Datuk
Mustapa
Mohamed
announced.
Electrical and electronic (E&E)
products led the strong growth, he
said in a report released here today on
trade performance in October and
also from January to October this
year. Total trade in October went up
14.1 percent to RM97.09 billion with
imports increasing 12.9 percent to
RM42.81 billion from September this
year. (4 December, Bernama Online)
Manufacturing sales up 9.3 per
cent in October from September:
Manufacturing sales in October 2009
rose 9.3 percent to RM44.6 billion
from a month earlier but declined 3.7
percent as compared to RM46.3
billion in October 2008. The
Statistics Department said the sales
value in September 2009 was a
revised negative 21.2 percent yearon-year to record RM40.8 billion. In
a statement Thursday, it said the
month-on-month increase in October
2009 as compared to the preceding
month was generated by the growth
in the sales value of 91 industries
(78.4 per cent) out of 116 industries
covered in the survey. (10 December,
Bernama Online)
Pertumbuhan positif suku ini:
Malaysia berada di landasan tepat
untuk mencatat pertumbuhan positif
pada suku keempat tahun ini. Menteri
Perdagangan
Antarabangsa
dan
Industri, Datuk Seri Mustapa
Mohamed berkata, sektor eksport
1 – 31 December 2009
telah
menunjukkan
tanda-tanda
pemulihan mulai pertengahan tahun
ini. Menurutnya, tempahan kerja
yang mula menyaksikan peningkatan
dan pengambilan pekerja baru sejak
dua bulan lalu, mencerminkan
pertumbuhan positif pada Oktober
lalu. “Angka positif bagi bulan itu
adalah tertinggi buat pertama kali
dalam beberapa bulan dengan
peningkatan sebanyak 15 peratus
berdasarkan perbandingan bulan ke
bulan
manakala
1.6
peratus
berdasarkan perbandingan tahunan.
(15 Disember, Utusan Malaysia)
Muhyiddin leads trade mission to
Japan: Deputy Prime Minister Tan
Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is leading
a trade and investment mission to
Japan, will have separate discussions
with presidents and chairmen of
several Japanese companies in efforts
to attract increased investments to
Malaysia. The mission aims to attract
Japanese investments in areas such as
advanced
electronics,
green
automotive technologies, transport
equipment
and
components,
petrochemicals
and
chemical
products, as well as medical and food
products. (6 December, Bernama
Online)
Malaysia to register modest growth
of 4.5 percent next year: The
Malaysian economy is expected to
register a modest growth of 4.5 per
cent next year aided by an increase in
external demand and domestic
consumption. RAM Holdings Group
Chief Economist Dr Yeah Kim Leng
said the favourable expectation was
due, in part, to the critical response
by the government in limiting the
impact of the financial crisis earlier
this year. The government, he said,
was fast in implementing measures
such as trimming interest rates and
injecting two stimulus packages,
amounting to RM67 billion, to pumpprime the economy over two years.
(31 December, Bernama Online)
Malaysia sedia insentif khas projek
khusus: Malaysia akan menawarkan
insentif khas yang dibentuk untuk
projek tertentu bagi menggalakkan
lebih ramai pelabur asing terutama
dari
Jepun,
menyertai
dan
membangunkan beberapa projek
khusus. Ini termasuk pembangunan
teknologi hijau dan pengeluaran
kenderaan mesra alam seperti kereta
hibrid dan elektronik pada masa
depan. Timbalan Perdana Menteri,
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, berkata
kerajaan sedia menimbang jika ada
cadangan tertentu daripada pelabur
termasuk dari Jepun, memandangkan
kerajaan kini lebih bersikap proaktif
dalam menarik pelaburan secara
langsung dari luar. (8 Disember,
Berita harian)
Malaysia
alu-alukan
pelabur
Thailand: Malaysia kini merancang
strategi menggalakkan kemasukan
lebih ramai pelabur Thailand ke
negara ini, terutama dalam sektor
pertanian dan makanan, khususnya
industri halal serta perusahaan kecil
dan sederhana (PKS). Menteri
Perdagangan
Antarabangsa
dan
Industri, Datuk Seri Mustapa
Mohamed, berkata sehingga kini
jumlah pelaburan Thailand di
Malaysia adalah kecil iaitu AS$300
juta berbanding negara ini yang
sudah melabur AS$2.3 bilion di
negara itu. (14 Disember, Berita
harian)
ICT industry poised for positive
outlook next year: The outlook for
Malaysia's
information
and
communications technology (ICT)
industry next year remains positive in
line with the recovery in the global
economy, says analysts. They say the
economic recovery would spur
interest in technology among
business corporations and small-andmedium sized enterprises (SMEs) as
they prepare for growth. In its
research note, OSK Research Sdn
Bhd said the economic recovery
would boost mobile spending. (30
December, Bernama Online)
Malaysia jadi pasaran tumpuan
Macau: Malaysia dijangka terus
menjadi
pasaran
yang
giat
berkembang
dalam
sektor
pelancongan Macau, terutamanya
dengan peningkatan baru-baru ini
berikutanterdapatnya
tanda-tanda
pemulihan daripada wabak selesema
Influenza A (H1N1) dan krisis
ekonomi global.Pengurus Pemasaran
Perwakilan Pejabat Pelancongan
Kerajaan Macau (MGTO) di
Malaysia, Ho Yoke Ping hari ini
berkata, terdapatnya penerbangan
terus setiap hari sebanyak tiga kali
dari Kuala Lumpur selain tiga kali
seminggu dari Kuching dan empat
kali seminggu dari Kota Kinabalu
dan Pulau Pinang ke Macau pada
masa ini. (22 Disember, Utusan
Malaysia)
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
2
LOCAL
TEMPATAN
Ekonomi negeri yang kukuh
mampu tarik pelabur asing:
Kekukuhan fundamental ekonomi
domestik, pengurusan dan tadbir urus
kewangan yang berhemah berjaya
mengukuhkan
keyakinan sektor
swasta dan pelaburan asing ke negara
ini, khususnya di Sabah. Ketua
Menteri, Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman
berkata, ia sekaligus akan turut
menyumbang kepada pengwujudan
lebih banyak peluang pekerjaan
kepada rakyat tempatan, termasuk di
negeri ini. “Meskipun persekitaran
ekonomi global masih tidak menentu,
namun sebagai kerajaan yang prihatin
dan bertanggungjawab, kita terus
merancang
dan
melaksanakan
pelbagai agenda pembangunan dalam
pelbagai
sektor
demi
untuk
kepentingan rakyat,” katanya. (22
Disember, New Sabah Times)
Sabah terima RM16 juta untuk
enam
projek
R&D:
Sabah
menerima peruntukan
sebanyak
RM16 juta daripada Kementerian
Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi di
bawah geran ‘Technofund’ bagi
menjalankan
enam
projek
penyelidikan dan pembangunan
(R&D). Technofund merupakan skim
peruntukan
yang
diperkenalkan
kementerian bagi projek R&D yang
mendapat
keutamaan
selain
memenuhi kehendak industri di
negara ini. Menteri berkenaan Datuk
Dr Maximus Ongkili berkata geran
itu diberikan kepada enam syarikat di
Sabah sebagai rakan industri kepada
kementerian dalam melaksanakan
kerja-kerja R&D. (30 Disember, New
Sabah Times)
KB’s petroleum, tourism potential:
The State Government will look into
the possibility of setting up a
petroleum and gas industry in the
district, like in Labuan, besides
developing the long and beautiful
beach as a new tourism destination.
CM Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who
agreed to the requests by Kota Belud
MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan,
said the petroleum and gas industry
can be developed in Kuala Abai
where Yayasan Sabah’s whollyowned Petrosab Logistik Sdn Bhd
recently took over Mamut Copper
Mining Sdn Bhd’s Usukan port. (29
December, Daily Express)
Musa puas hati pembangunan di
negeri ini: Ketua Menteri, Datuk
Seri Musa Haji Aman, berkata beliau
berpuas hati dengan kepesatan
pembangunan dan kemajuan yang
1 – 31 December 2009
sedang rancak berjalan khususnya di
daerah ini yang telah memberikan
sumbangan yang besar kepada
pembangunan dan kemajuan negeri
ini. “Antaranya menjadi daerah
perindustrian dengan adanya Taman
Perindustrian Kota Kinabalu (KKIP,
wujudnya pelbagai pusat pengajian
tinggi dan institusi kemahiran,
destinasi makanan laut yang popular
serta
tumpuan
pelancongan
terkemuka,” katanya. (13 Disember,
New Sabah Times)
Musa: Setiap daerah perlu terokai
potensi pelancongan: Setiap daerah
di negeri ini disaran supaya terus
meneroka potensi dan prospek
pelancongan
termasuklah
yang
berkaitan dengan aktiviti kebudayaan
dan kesenian tempatan. Ketua
Menteri, Datuk Seri Musa Haji
Aman, berkata ianya untuk mencapai
matlamat kerajaan dalam Bajet
Negeri 2010 bagi merancakkan
sektor pelancongan di negeri ini.
Dalam hal ini, katanya, semua produk
dan perkhidmatan yang ditawarkan
hendaklah mempunyai nilai tambah
yang tinggi bukan sahaja untuk
menjana pertumbuhan sosio ekonomi
rakyat, bahkan untuk dikomersilkan
dan dipromosikan ke luar negara. (14
Disember, New Sabah Times)
Projek pembangunan RM500 juta
bagi Kota marudu bawah RMK10: Jawatankuasa Pembangunan dan
Tindakan Daerah Kota Marudu telah
mengenal pasti beberapa projek
pembangunan bernilai RM500 juta
untuk dikemukakan kepada kerajaan
untuk dilaksanakan di bawah
Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh
(RMK-10). Anggota Parlimen Kota
Marudu Datuk Seri Dr Maximus
Ongkili kelmarin berkata, projekprojek untuk menyediakan kemudahan awam dan insfratuktur asas
adalah perlu bagi daerah itu, yang
merupakan antara daerah termiskin di
negara
ini,
untuk
tujuan
pembangunan dan meningkatkan
taraf
hidup
penduduknya.
(8
Disember, New Sabah Times)
8,798 nelayan Sabah terima elaun
sara
hidup:
Kerajaan
telah
membelanjakan sebanyak RM15 juta
sejak Jun tahun lalu bagi membayar
elaun sara hidup kepada 8,798
nelayan di negeri ini. Pengerusi
LKIM, Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail
berkata, beliau berharap para nelayan
di negeri ini dapat memanfaatkan
bantuan yang dibayar melalui
Lembaga Kemajuan Ikan Malaysia
(LKIM) itu dengan sebaik mungkin
bagi meningkatkan taraf hidup
mereka. “Jika dua bulan lalu jumlah
penerima elaun itu kira-kira 6,000
orang tetapi kini jumlahnya telah
melebihi sasaran sebanyak 8,000
orang,” katanya ketika berucap pada
majlis
perasmian
program
penerangan elaun sara hidup nelayan
dan dialog bersama jabatan kerajaan
di dewan perpustakaan daerah di sini
(Papar) hari ini.
(14 Disember,
Utusan Malaysia)
Pineapples for 800 hectares in
Beaufort:
The
Sabah
Land
Development Board (SLDB) has
identified some 800 hectares in
Beaufort and Sipitang as suitable for
pineapple cultivation. It will start
cultivating the first 100 hectares next
month under a five-year project
jointly with the Malaysian Pineapple
Industry Board and landowners, said
SLDB Chief Executive Officer
Jhuvarri Majid, Sunday. He said the
areas where pineapples will be the
main crop are Banting (200ha),
Sindumin/Luagan
(100ha)
and
Mesapol (40ha) in Sipitang as well as
Lumat (260ha) and Banting/Batu 6
(200ha) in Beaufort. (28 December,
Daily Express)
Palm oil millers can help solve
Sabah power shortage: Sabah’s
power shortage can be mitigated if
the government provides better
incentives for palm oil millers to
generate renewable energy. There are
410 palm oil mills in the country, of
which 117 are in Sabah. Mills emit
methane from retention ponds after
oil extraction. “Estate owners can
trap methane from the mill sludge to
fuel up steam turbines and generate
electricity, a renewable source of
clean energy,” said Malaysian Palm
Oil Board (MPOB) chairman Datuk
Sabri Ahmad. (21 December,
Business Times)
Infrastruktur sosial rancakkan
ekonomi Sabah - Musa Aman:
Pembangunan infrastruktur bagi
keperluan sosial rakyat mampu
merancakkan pertumbuhan ekonomi
Sabah, kata Ketua Menteri, Datuk
Seri
Musa
Aman.
Katanya,
infrastruktur moden seperti prasarana
sukan bukan sahaja bagi kemudahan
rakyat mengamalkan gaya hidup
sihat, malah boleh dijadikan tempat
penganjuran pelbagai acara yang
mampu merancakkan ekonomi negeri
menerusi sektor pelancongan, sukan
dan
kebudayaan,
di
samping
memupuk kemesraan dan semangat
muhibbah di kalangan masyarakat.
(23 Disember, Utusan Malaysia)
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
3
SELECTED FACTS AND FIGURES
FAKTA MUTAKHIR
MALAYSIA’S PLANTATION-BASED COMMODITY EXPORTS
(RM billion)
112.43
120
76.05
80
60
90.00
88.70
100
65.32
62.78
55.29
45.84
38.44
40
20
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009f
f: forecast
(Source: 14 December, Business Times)
PETRONAS HIGHLIGHTS (SIX MONTHS ENDED SEPT. 30)
RM bil
2009
2008
% changes
Revenue
98.2
157.2
(37.5)
Pre-tax profit
31.2
63.3
(50.7)
Tax expense
(8.9)
(20.6)
(56.9)
22.3
42.7
(47.7)
After-tax profit
(Source: 9 December, The Star)
JAPAN STIMULUS 2009 (THE BREAKDOWN)
(Trillion, yen)
Employment subsidies
US1$=89.01 yen
0.6
Social welfare e.g. help for elderly
1
Regional spending e.g. infrastructure
3.5
Environment e.g. energy saving incentives
4.1
Economic/financial e.g. business loans
18.6
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
(Source: 9 December, Business Times)
1 – 31 December 2009
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
4
UTILISATION OF THE CEPT SCHEME BY MALAYSIA
No. of
FOB* value
No. of
companies
(RM mil)
companies
Year
% of total export –
Malaysia to ASEAN
Jan- Oct ‘09
117,933
15,242
2,712
n.a
2008
139,894
16,063
2,755
22.1
2007
130,137
13,491
2,661
20.5
2006
116,809
11,264
3,371
20.9
*Free on board
(Source: 28 December, The Star)
MARKET SIZE OF CHINA TEXTILE INDUSTRY
297.26
350
Unit in Bil USD
300
251.52
250
190.03
200
150
149.98
112.61
100
50
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
(Source: 12 December, The Star)
PALM OIL HIGHLIGHTS
Malaysia palm oil exports to India (tonnes)
2006
2007
2008
561,779
511,167
970,734
Malaysia CPO production (million tonnes)
2007
2008
2009*
15.8
17.7
17.5
(Source: 28 December, The Star)
1 – 31 December 2009
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
5