MONTHLY NEWS SCAN
Tinjauan Berita Bulanan
Compiled by IDS
Vol. 16 Issue 4
(For internal circulation only)
IDS Online http://www.ids.org.my
HIGHLIGHTS
FOKUS
‘see
two-speed
• Eurozone
economic recovery’
• Foreign direct investment in
China rises to $12.5 billion
• Malaysia dipilih pusat tadbir
Tabung Infrastruktur ASEAN
• MIDA
to
attract
RM55b
investments
• KKIP tarik lebih RM1.7 bilion
pelaburan – Musa
• Sandakan poised to become
business hub in Sabah’s east
coast
INTERNATIONAL
ANTARABANGSA
Eurozone ‘sees two-speed economic
recovery’: The eurozone bloc of
countries is on track for sustained
economic recovery, but there is
growing evidence of a two-speed
revival, a survey suggests. Germany
and France are outpacing the 17nation bloc, but periphery nations
like the Irish Republic and Greece are
struggling, said research group
Markit.
Its
closely-watched
purchasing managers index was 57.8
in April, up from 57.6 in March. But
economists said April's data was
flattered by France and Germany.
Any score above 50 indicates
economic expansion. (19 April, BBC
News)
Foreign direct investment in China
rises to $12.5 billion: Foreign direct
investment added $12.5 billion to
China’s economy in March, swelling
inflows of capital that may encourage
the central bank to keep ratcheting up
lenders’
reserve
requirements.
Investment rose 33 percent from a
year earlier, the Ministry of
Commerce said in a statement in
Beijing today. That compares with a
29 percent gain in the first quarter as
a whole. Chinese officials aim to
prevent excess cash in the financial
system from fueling inflation that
accelerated to the fastest pace in
almost three years in March.
Liquidity
remains
“excessive,”
Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said in
Beijing last night, a day after the
central bank announced the fourth
increase in lenders’ reserve ratios this
year. (19 April, Bloomberg)
three months of the year, official
figures have shown, reducing the risk
of a double-dip recession. The
chancellor welcomed the return to
growth, which followed a contraction
of 0.5% at the end of 2010. But
Labour said the economy was flat
and the recovery had been “choked
off”. The manufacturing and services
sectors had performed well, the
Office for National Statistics said, but
construction output had fallen
sharply. (27 April, BBC News)
G20 agrees guidelines to measure
economic imbalances: Finance
ministers and central bankers from
the G20 have agreed a set of
“indicative guidelines” to measure
potential risks to the global economy
posed by national economic policies.
All members of the G20 will be
monitored under the new system. In
addition, members who account for
more than 5% of total G20 economic
output will be subject to a deeper,
second-stage analysis of imbalances.
They include the US, China, Japan,
Germany and France. (15 April, BBC
News)
Japan’s government downgrades
its outlook for growth: The
Japanese
government
has
downgraded its assessment of the
economy in the wake of the
devastation caused by last month’s
earthquake and tsunami. It said key
areas of the economy would suffer,
including industrial production and
exports. The decision marks the first
time in six months that the
government has downgraded its
assessment.
On Monday, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
cut its forecast for Japanese growth.
“The economy is showing weakness
recently due to the influence of the
Great East Japan earthquake,” the
Japanese government said in its
monthly economic report. “It remains
in a severe condition.” (13 April,
BBC News)
Singapore allows further currency
gains as GDP grows twice
estimated
pace:
Singapore’s
economy grew more than twice the
pace economists estimated in the first
quarter and the central bank said it
would allow further gains in the
currency in the third tightening of
monetary policy in a year. The
Singapore dollar jumped to a record
after a trade ministry report showed
gross domestic product rose at an
annual rate of 23.5 percent last
quarter from the previous three
1 – 30 April 2011
months. That’s up from 3.9 percent in
the fourth quarter, and compares with
the 11.4 percent median estimate in a
Bloomberg News survey of 14
economists. The central bank said
separately it will allow the Singapore
dollar to appreciate more. (13 April,
Bloomberg)
Asian economic recovery solid but
inflation a risk: Asia’s developing
economies are expected to grow by
just under 8% in 2011, according to
the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
In its annual Asian Development
Outlook it predicted that the region
would expand solidly over the next
two years. However, growth rates
would be slower than in 2010, it said.
And it warned that inflation would
pose a challenge for many Asian
countries and could lead to social
tensions. The ADB also said that
stronger economic links between
developing countries could offset
reduced demand for goods and
services from recession-hit richer
countries. (6 April, BBC News)
Gas prices rise, and economists
seek tipping point: Gas prices are
approaching record highs, but so far
most Americans do not appear to be
drastically cutting back their driving
or even their spending as they did in
2008. The question, economists
agreed, is what happens if prices
continue to go up and remain high.
Prices for a gallon of regular
unleaded gas are topping $4 at more
service stations nationwide, revisiting
the bleak territory of three years ago,
when the average price for a gallon of
regular gas reached a peak of $4.11
on July 17, 2008, according to the Oil
Price Information Service. (11 April,
New York Times)
Australia, N.Z. disasters slow GDP
before
rebound,
IMF
says:
Australia and New Zealand will grow
at a slower pace than previously
forecast this year as floods and
earthquakes disrupt their economies
before higher investment spurs
expansions in 2012, the International
Monetary Fund said. Australia’s
gross domestic product will increase
3 percent in 2011, half a percentage
point lower than an October estimate,
the IMF said in its semi-annual
World Economic Outlook. New
Zealand’s GDP will rise 0.9 percent,
down from last month’s prediction of
1 percent and last year’s 3.2 percent,
it said. (12 April, Bloomberg)
UK economy grows by 0.5% in
first quarter of 2011: The UK
economy grew by 0.5% in the first
1 – 30 April 2011
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
1
NATIONAL
NASIONAL
Malaysia dipilih pusat tadbir
Tabung Infrastruktur ASEAN:
Malaysia dipilih sebagai pusat
pentadbiran Tabung Infrastruktur
ASEAN (AIF) bernilai AS$485 juta
(RM1.46 bilion) yang dilancarkan di
Kuala Lumpur, bulan depan. Menteri
Kewangan Kedua, Datuk Seri Ahmad
Husni
Hanadzlah,
berkata
persetujuan
itu
dicapai
pada
Mesyuarat
Menteri-Menteri
Kewangan ASEAN Ke-15 di Bali,
Indonesia, Jumaat lalu. Katanya,
struktur organisasi
AIF
yang
diwujudkan untuk membiayai projek
negara ASEAN yang dikenal pasti
akan diputuskan bulan depan
termasuk dari segi pengurusan,
lembaga pengarah serta matlamat
khas tabung berkenaan, selain
perjanjian yang akan dimeterai pada
Oktober depan. (11 April, Berita
Harian)
MIDA
to
attract
RM55b
investments: Malaysian Investment
Development Authority (MIDA)
aims to attract RM55bil of
investments in the manufacturing
sector this year from RM47.2bil in
2010. Director-general Datuk Jalilah
Baba said MIDA was currently
negotiating with several serious
investors. “We have about RM14bil
worth of investment in the pipeline
that will be realised this year,” she
told reporters after delivering her
presentation on The RM1.4 trillion
Question: Strategies To Attract and
Boost Private Investments. In 2010,
the RM47.2bil worth of approved
investment in manufacturing sector
entailed 910 projects and is 44.8%
higher than in 2009 when 766
projects worth RM32.6bil were
approved. (14 April, The Star)
February
IPI
lifted
by
manufacturing and electricity
output: Lifted by increases in
manufacturing and electricity output,
Malaysia’s industrial production
index (IPI) expanded 5% in February
from a year ago after gaining a
revised 0.5% year on year (yoy) in
the preceding month. According to
the
Department
of
Statistics,
manufacturing output rose 7.9% yoy,
while electricity output rose by a
marginal 0.7% yoy in February. The
increase in manufacturing output was
attributable to increases in the
following groups – petroleum,
1 – 30 April 2011
chemical, rubber and plastic products
(17.1% yoy); non-metallic mineral
products, basic metal and fabricated
metal products (26.3% yoy); and
food, beverages and tobacco products
(10.1% yoy). (12 April, The Star)
Halal players urged to tap agri
sector: The agriculture sector,
including palm oil, offers numerous
opportunities for the halal industry to
expand. Domestic Trade, Cooperative
and Consumerism Minister Datuk
Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said
developments in the agriculture and
palm oil areas present opportunities
for the halal food manufacturing
sector and related downstream
activities. “The trend towards
promoting halal food and non-food
sectors is gaining traction in many
countries and more companies are
open to the idea of participating in
this halal sector,” he said at the
launch of the International Halal
Showcase (Mihas 2011) and World
Halal Research Summit here (Kuala
Lumpur) yesterday. (7 April,
Business Times)
Malaysia set to exceed investment
target: Malaysia is on track to
achieve or exceed its investment
target this year based on the value of
potential and planned projects that
have been earmarked by the private
sector. “Based on the indications so
far, we can confidently say that the
private investment target of RM83bil
for 2011 is achievable,” Minister in
the Prime Minister’s Department
Datuk Seri Idris Jala. Speaking at the
Invest Malaysia 2011 conference
here in Kuala Lumpur yesterday,
Jala, who is also the chief executive
officer of Performance Management
and Delivery Unit, said Pemandu’s
data showed that the country had
planned investment projects with a
combined value of up to RM127bil
this year. (13 April, The Star)
MIER says growth to pick up in
2012: Weaker exports will drag down
gross domestic product (GDP)
growth to 5.2 percent this year, from
its 7.2 percent expansion in 2010,
Malaysian Institute of Economic
Research (MIER) says. “Economic
growth is projected to decline this
year before picking up momentum in
2012,” said its executive director
Zakariah Abdul Rashid. The figure is
still in line with Bank Negara
Malaysia’s forecast of between 5
percent and 6 percent growth.
Although exports will grow slower,
domestic demand is likely to remain
strong this year on low borrowing
costs and government plans to push
for private investments. At MIER’s
corporate
economic
briefing
yesterday,
Zakariah
said
the
country’s inflation rate could climb to
3.2 percent this year. (15 April,
Business Times)
Malaysia-UAE trade to grow 10pc
this year, says Mustapa: Malaysia’s
trade with the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) is expected to grow by as
much as 10 percent this year,
Minister of International Trade and
Industry Datuk Seri Mustapa
Mohamed said here in Abu Dhabi
yesterday. “That’s a modest target,”
Mustapa told reporters at a press
conference after the launch of the
fourth Malaysia Service Exhibition
(MSE) here. He said last year,
bilateral trade between the two
nations grew by 21 percent to US$5.6
billion (RM16.91 billion). (18 April,
Business Times)
RM73
bilion
bakal
masuki
Iskandar: Pihak Berkuasa Wilayah
Pembangunan Iskandar (IRDA)
menjangka kemasukan pelaburan
berjumlah RM73 bilion dalam
tempoh lima tahun akan datang
dengan menjadikan sektor pembuatan
dan hartanah sebagai penyumbang
utama. Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif
IRDA, Ismail Ibrahim berkata,
sasaran itu bertujuan memastikan
pihaknya mencatatkan pertumbuhan
lapan peratus setahun melebihi dua
peratus berbanding unjuran kerajaan.
“Kedua-dua
sektor
tersebut
merupakan
antara
penyumbang
utama kepada pertumbuhan Iskandar
Malaysia dan sentiasa mendapat
perhatian daripada pelabur dari dalam
dan luar negara. (23 April, Utusan
Malaysia)
Inflation up by 2.8% in first
quarter: Inflation, as measured by
Consumer Price Index (CPI), for the
first quarter of this year increased by
2.8%, according to the Statistics
Department. For March, inflation
rose to 3% compared with a year ago
while it rose a marginal 0.1% over
February. The 2.8% increase was
brought about by increases in the
indices of all main groups except
those of clothing and footwear and
communication. Notable increases
among these main groups with high
weights were transport (4.4%); food
and non-alcoholic beverages (4.3%)
and housing, water, electricity, gas
and other fuels (1.5%). (21 April, The
Star)
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
2
LOCAL
TEMPATAN
KKIP tarik lebih RM1.7 bilion
pelaburan
–
Musa:
Taman
Perindustrian Kota Kinabalu (KKIP)
yang diwujudkan sejak enam tahun
lalu sudah berjaya menarik lebih
RM1.7 bilion nilai pelaburan dari
dalam dan luar negara. Ketua
Menteri, Datuk Seri Musa Aman
berkata, sejak ditubuhkan pada
November 2005, sebanyak 213 buah
kilang dan 14 institut latihan
penyelidikan dan pembangunan
(R&D) sudah beroperasi di pusat
perindustrian itu. “KKIP dijangka
terus berkembang dengan pembukaan
lebih banyak tanah perindustrian bagi
memenuhi permintaan yang semakin
meningkat. “Dalam lima tahun akan
datang, 550 ekar kawasan tanah
perindustrian akan dibuka untuk
dijual dan saya percaya lebih ramai
pelabur akan membuat pelaburan di
situ,” katanya. Beliau berkata
demikian ketika berucap pada majlis
Makan
Malam
Tahunan
Jawatankuasa perunding pelabur
KKIP di Kota Kinabalu, malam
semalam. (4 April, Utusan Malaysia)
Sandakan poised to become
business hub in Sabah’s east coast:
Sandakan is poised to become a
business hub in the State’s east coast.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji
Aman said the east coast is a vital
contributor
to
economic
development, mainly through vast
hectarage of oil palm estates, and its
numerous eco-tourism sites like the
Kinabatangan River, Danum Valley
and closer to Sandakan, the Sepilok
Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre
and the Rainforest Discovery Centre.
Tourism and agriculture which are
part of the State government’s
development agenda, he said, offer
jobs, businesses and investment
opportunities, all of which depend on
a reliable and efficient banking
sector. (12 April, New Sabah Times)
189 rumah PPRT dibina di Batu
Sapi tahun ini: Sebanyak 189 rumah
bagi Program Perumahan Rakyat
Termiskin (PPRT) akan dibina di
kawasan Batu Sapi, Sandakan pada
tahun ini. Ketua UMNO bahagian
Batu Sapi, Datuk Samsudin Yahya
berkata, pada masa ini pihaknya telah
menyenaraikan kawasan yang dikenal
pasti untuk pembinaan rumah-rumah
tersebut. “Pembinaan PPRT ini
adalah
untuk
menyediakan
1 – 30 April 2011
kemudahan rumah yang lebih baik
kepada rakyat miskin. “Kita mahu
mereka
menikmati
kemudahan
tempat tinggal yang lebih selesa hasil
program dirancang oleh kerajaan,”
katanya selepas merasmikan program
Juara Rakyat Batu Sapi di sini,
semalam. (4 April, Utusan Malaysia)
RM43.9
juta
subsidi
bantu
penternak:
Kerajaan
telah
membelanjakan sebanyak RM43.9
juta dalam tempoh 2006 hingga 2010
bagi membayar subsidi untuk
membantu penternak di negeri ini
meningkatkan daya pengeluaran
daging tempatan. Pembantu Menteri
Pertanian dan Industri Makanan
negeri, Datuk Bobbey Suan berkata,
peruntukan berkenaan disalurkan
dalam pelbagai program bantuan
yang
dilaksanakan
Jabatan
Perkhidmatan
Haiwan
dan
Perusahaan Ternak Sabah. (29 April,
Utusan Malaysia)
Lima
program
atasi
pengangguran: Kerajaan negeri
telah mengenal pasti lima program
yang akan diberi tumpuan dalam
usaha
mengatasi
masalah
pengangguran
di
negeri
ini.
Pembantu Menteri Pembangunan
Sumber dan Kemajuan Teknologi
Maklumat negeri, Datuk Jainab
Ahmad berkata, ia termasuklah
Program Penempatan Pekerjaan
(Program
3P)
yang
telah
dilaksanakan pada masa ini. “Kita
juga akan menjalankan program bagi
meningkatkan perkhidmatan Jobs
Malaysia Point dan menggalakkan
majikan di Sabah mengusahakan
peluang-peluang bekerja di rumah.
“Selain itu, kita turut menganjurkan
program bimbingan kerjaya dan
menggiatkan
pameran
latihan
kemahiran ke seluruh negeri,”
katanya pada Persidangan Dewan
Undangan Negeri Sabah ke-13 di
Kota Kinabalu hari ini. (28 April,
Utusan Malaysia)
Projek bina Jalan Poring-Tebobon
dijangka siap sepenuhnya akhir
tahun 2012: Pairin: Timbalan Ketua
Menteri Tan Sri Joseph Pairin
Kitingan berkata, projek pembinaan
Jalan Poring – Tebobon, Jalan
Mantob-Gonipis dan Jalan GonipisTebobon, Kiulu, dijangka akan
dimulakan pada Jun ini dan dijangka
siap sepenuhnya sebelum akhir tahun
2012. Beliau yang juga Menteri
Pembangunan Infrastruktur berkata,
kos projek bagi Jalan Poring Tebobon
(enam kilometer) ialah RM14.025
juta, Jalan Mantob-Gonipis (tujuh
kilometer) RM17.79 juta dan Jalan
Gonipis-Tebobon (10 kilometer)
RM18.5 juta). (27 April, New Sabah
Times)
Rumpai laut sumbang RM1.4
bilion menjelang 2020: Pengeluaran
rumpai laut di negeri ini disasarkan
memberi sumbangan yang signifikan
kepada ekonomi negeri dengan
sumbangan Keluaran Negara Kasar
bernilai RM1.4 bilion menjelang
2020. Timbalan Ketua Menteri,
Datuk Yahya Hussin berkata, industri
yang berpotensi itu juga dijangka
berupaya
mewujudkan
12,700
peluang pekerjaan menjelang tempoh
tersebut. “Pengeluaran rumpai laut di
Sabah pada 2010 adalah sebanyak
15,500 tan metrik dan kementerian
saya menyasarkan pada 2020
pengeluaran rumpai laut akan
meningkat kepada 150,000 tan
metrik. (29 April, Utusan Malaysia)
More than 1,800 medium cost
houses under 10th MP: The Local
Government and Housing Ministry
through Sabah Housing and Town
Development Authority (SHTDA)
has planned to build 1,873 medium
cost houses under the 10th Malaysia
Plan. Assistant Minister Datuk
Edward Yong Oui Fah said the
ministry also planned to build another
4,236 units of affordable homes
under the “My First Home”
programme. He was replying to
Luyang Assemblywoman Melanie
Chia during question and answer
session at the State Assembly sitting
here in Kota Kinabalu yesterday. (27
April, New Sabah Times)
Putatan dapat sekolah baru:
Kerajaan negeri akan membina
sekolah baru iaitu Sekolah Menengah
Kebangsaan (SMK) Petagas bernilai
RM60 juta bagi
menampung
pertambahan bilangan pelajar di
daerah itu setiap tahun. Timbalan
Ketua Menteri, Datuk Seri Yahya
Hussin berkata, sekolah berkenaan
akan dibina di tapak seluas enam
hektar di daerah itu. “Kerja-kerja
pembinaan
sekolah
itu
akan
dimulakan dalam tempoh terdekat
manakala jalan masuk ke kawasan itu
yang sedang dalam pembinaan
dijangka siap akhir Jun ini,” katanya
kepada pemberita selepas menghadiri
mesyuarat Tindakan Daerah Putatan,
di Putatan hari ini. (19 April, Utusan
Malaysia)
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
3
SELECTED FACTS AND FIGURES
FAKTA MUTAKHIR
JAPAN TRADE SURPLUS (BILLION YEN)
(bil yen)
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
-200
1,602.60
1,096.20
939.1
931.9
196.5
2006
2007
2008
-5.4
2009
2010
2011
(Source: 21 April, Business Times)
CRUDE PALM OIL 2011 STATISTICS (MILLION TONNES)
January
February
March
Production
1.06
1.09
1.42
Stocks
1.42
1.48
1.61
Exports
1.21
1.11
1.23
(Source: 12 April, The Star)
PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED ASIAN CURRENCIES VS US DOLLAR
(3 JANUARY 2010 TO 25 APRIL 2011)
(%)
12.62
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
12.11
10.29
9.57
8.3
6.39
6.04
4.33
Malaysia (RM)
Philippines
(Peso)
Thailand (Bath)
Indonesia
Singapore
South Korea
(Rupiah)
(Dollar)
(Won)
Taiwan (Dollar)
China (Yuan)
(Source: 26 April, The Star)
1 – 30 April 2011
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
4
CHINA GDP QUARTERLY GROWTH (%)
(%)
14
11.9
12
10.3
9.8
9.6
10
9.7
8
6
4
2
0
Q1 2010
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1 2011
(Source: 16 April, Business Times)
PERCENTAGE SHARE OF PROPERTIES TRANSACTED BY SUB SECTOR 2010
Industrial - 2.6%
Development & Others5.1%
Commercial - 10.6%
Agricultural - 21.5%
Residential - 60.2%
(Source: 21 April, The Star)
1 – 30 April 2011
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
5