General
Fiscal Package Can Spur Growth - Economist
KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 (Bernama) -- The RM15 billion fiscal injection in the RM60 billion stimulus package is a short-term measure to avoid the contraction of the economy, said an economist.
Prof Dr Mansor Jusoh of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) said the fiscal injection would ensure that the Gross Domestic Product (GNP) growth would not be negative due to lower demand for Malaysian products from abroad.
"However, the effect will depend on how the allocation is spent," he said when commenting on the mini budget tabled by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Dewan Rakyat here today.
The RM60 billion package, to be implemented over 2009 and 2010, includes RM15 billion as fiscal injection, RM25 billion in Guarantee Funds, RM10 billion for equity investments, RM7 billion for private finance initiatives and off-budget projects, as well as RM3 billion in tax incentives.
Prof Mansor said the fiscal injection would ensure that the unemployment rate would not worsen and the workers would not be victimised.
He said in the long run the fiscal stimulus would influence the perception of the people and the international communities and create a good investment climate.
National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng said the fiscal stimulus was timely as facilities at missionary schools needed to be upgraded.
"This is good news for schools including those in the interior which needed funds to upgrade their facilities and basic infrastructure like access roads to schools," she said.
West Malaysia Malay Teachers Union president Mohamed Sabri Mohd Arsad said basic amenities in schools ought to be upgraded for students' convenience and safety.
He said technical officers at district education offices should inspect the schools in their areas and recommend repair and upgrading works.
"This will ensure repair and upgrading works can be carried out quickly as schools are rather slow in filing complaints on the maintenance and repair works needed," he said.
In MELAKA, Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the people should participate actively in the economic activities to earn extra income.
"As the package will benefit everybody, it shows that the government is not neglecting the people in facing the economic downturn," he said, adding that, the implementation of the fiscal stimulus should be monitored to ensure its effectiveness.
In IPOH, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the opposition should help make the second economic stimulus a success and cut down on politics.
"It is a comprehensive package that will benefit the people, and the public and private sectors.
"It should not be viewed as a political expediency to serve the interest of certain groups," he told reporters at his residence here today.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S.Subramaniam said the additional RM50 million allocated under the second economic stimulus package would be spent to rebuild 40 Tamil schools.
"With RM50 million allocated under the first economic stimulus package and RM30 million more approved before the last general election, we now have RM130 million to rebuild Tamil schools," he said.
National House Buyers Association (HBA) honorary secretary-general Chang Kim Loong described the RM200 million allocation to build more low-cost houses as a dream come true for the lower income group.
He said the mini budget should have allocate funds to revive abandoned housing projects to help buyers who had become victims.
Federation of Malaysian Consumer Association (Fomca) president Datuk N.Marimuthu said the package would benefit all sectors and hoped it would be implemented effectively.
"More importantly, it will ease the burden of the lower income group as we can be rest assured that essential items like prices of sugar, flour and bread, and toll charges will not be increased," he said.
Fomca secretary Muhamad Sha'ani Abdullah said the package would create confidence among consumers that their purchasing power would not be decreased.
"With more jobs being created, the purchasing power will increase. How strong will it be is yet to be seen," he said.
-- BERNAMA
Nobody takes videogame ratings seriously
Opinion: it is time that parents were properly educated
March 17th | 2009
Does this even mean anything to most parents buying games for their kids?
As we await the outcome of the ongoing debate in the UK as to the best ways of rating videogames – with the industry-sponsored PEGI system currently pitted against the traditional ratings body the BBFC – it seems that the problem is, if anything, far more acute over in the Far East.
According to the Malaysian New Straits Times, the Secretary General of the Malaysian Consumers' Association and Chief Exec of the country's National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC), Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah, said this week that Malaysian game retailers and buyers simply do not take ratings seriously.
"These classifications [ESRB ratings] are given by the producers of the games but when they are sold, traders rarely make it a practice to sell according to the recommended age group. They do not see how serious an impact it can have on children," he said.
Renegade retailers
Much the same can be said of many UK retailers and game consumers and the issue is becoming increasingly more worrying for those of us that consider ourselves responsible adult gamers.
We don't want to see gaming become demonised any more so that it currently is, clearly, but at the same time we really want to see parents and retailers act a little bit (in fact, a LOT) more responsibly than they currently appear to be doing.
While there has been some controversy in the British games industry of late regarding a recent UK Government sponsored campaign to promote healthy lifestyles among children (featuring pictures of young gamers slumped and lifeless) there is obviously the vital need for all parents to ensure that their children don't spend too long gaming at the expense of their health and education.
This is in no way a slur on gaming or the games industry. It is just basic and very obvious common sense.
Fine line of good parenting
It is a fine line, but it is one which the parent needs to learn how to negotiate. Communicating with their offspring about the games they play (and the games they are not allowed to play, and why not) is key.
"It is similar to what happened when junk food and fast food became available to children. We are now seeing many obese children," added Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah
"Similarly, in 20 years, we may have adults who practise the wrong values... Parents must ensure they are not building a generation of fat, violent kids."
By Adam Hartley
Video Games: Fighting violence
NST Online » Frontpage 2009/03/16 By : Lydia Gomez
DO parents really know what they are buying when they pick up video games for their children?
Video games have ratings to warn parents of their contents but in many cases, parents and vendors are not aware of how important these ratings are, or even of their presence.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers' Association secretary-general and chief executive of the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC), Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah, said traders and buyers alike did not take the ratings seriously.
"These classifications are given by the producers of the games but when they are sold, traders rarely make it a practice to sell according to the recommended age group. They do not see how serious an impact it can have on children," he said.
Sha'ani said exposure to negative content at a very young age could affect children later in their life.
"It is similar to what happened when junk food and fast food became available to children. We are now seeing many obese children.
"Similarly, in 20 years, we may have adults who practise the wrong values," he said.
He added that it was important for parents to check the ratings of games bought by their children.
"There is no law on video games. Therefore, these ratings must be actively promoted to parents."
Another consumer advocate said the government should consider imposing rules on the sale of video games, much like the way children were not allowed to watch certain movies.
He admitted, however, it could be difficult to enforce because many of the video games on the market were pirated copies and sold "underground".
"The onus is on parents. Just as many failed to realise the dangers posed by junk food, today's parents are also failing to realise the dangers of violent video games and television shows," he said.
He said the government was doing something about violence on TV by having certain programmes aired only later in the night.
"However, for video games, it is the parents' duty to ensure they don't contain violent content.
"Parents must ensure they are not building a generation of fat, violent kids."
THE Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory body that puts up ratings, advertising guidelines and online privacy principles for computer and video games and other entertainment software in the United States. These ratings are a general guide to the age limit set for various genres of video games available in most countries.
- EC (Early Childhood): Contains content that is considered suitable for children aged 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate.
- E (Everyone): Contains content that is considered unsuitable for children under 6. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.
- E10+ (Everyone 10 and older): Contains content that is considered unsuitable for children under 10. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.
- T (Teen): Contains content that is considered unsuitable for children under 13. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humour, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.
- M (Mature): Contains content that is more suitable for people aged 17 and above. Those below that age must be companied by adult in order to play the games. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
- AO (Adults Only): Contains content that is not suitable for people under 18. These may include adult video games that depict sex and nudity and/or extreme depictions of violence that include blood and gore.
- RP (Rating Pending): Product has been submitted to the Entertainment Software Rating Board and is awaiting final rating. This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a game's release.
