Financial Literacy, Enlightenment and Wisdom

1.      I hope fans of my writing should notice by now that though I read a lot, any genre that catch my eyes and heart, finance is always the top of the list. How a person who has been groomed to be an engineer since the secondary school could change 180 degree to finance?

2.      It is all started in my great years as student leader in UNITEN. I was given the responsibility to steer Persatuan Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya (PRS) UNITEN for a year by the members. At that time, I was shocked and surprised by the election result. Then, I happened to know that my friends from the previous year administration really lobby for me for the top seat.

3.      Well, the journey started. However, I started to have different opinion on how the society should operate. At that time, I realized I have to become better and knowledgeable. I started to read a lot, seek counsel from professional and UNITEN’s management lecturers on how I can improve the operational aspect of PRS UNITEN.

4.      Slowly I instilled Corporate Governance element in the society. I admit, it was not an easy task. Getting the buy-in from my senior management team and also the former leadership of the organization. They had some reservation and concerns that this modernization might change the society into different entity entirely.

5.      Alhamdulillah, although some of my senior management team opposed the idea, but the ordinary members received it very well and they liked it. Using their power as members, they managed to persuade those who oppose the plan and slowly I have to persuade them to buy-in to the concept.

6.      That year, I found out that, the strongest argument one can made to support his idea or opinion is numbers i.e money, projection, cost, revenue and so on. The buy-in process was a success because we started to use these numbers as basis for our programs and demands to the Management of UNITEN. Therefore, I concluded at that time, these financial number/metrics really powerful. It will help somehow, leaders to be focused and being objective

7.      Another reason my re-direction is I don’t like myself to be not knowing on something. When I read newspapers, magazine related to leadership, business and even the public sector, these financial metrics and numbers keep popping up. Look at the back of business section of any newspaper, tables and numbers of closing share prices for investor’s references. I felt uneasy and unrest. I don’t like myself in the state of ignorance. I know these number are important. Therefore I must do something.

8.      So, I enrolled into MBA program after I spent a year and half as Officer in Arkib Negara Malaysia. I decided to do it part-time, whereby I attend evening classes after working hours for 20 months. I love everything about UNIRAZAK and MBA, particularly Corporate Finance. Finally, I found my niche, my talent, my passion and my forte. I know this course will bring me to greatness, In Shaa Allah.

9.      Now, I have my sight for Public Finance. I believe Public Finance knowledge is essential for all Malaysian, especially the Youth. Alhamdulillah, my professor and my mentor at Treasury always provide me with notes, advices and support for me to be a Public Finance literate. Terms like GDP, National Debt, Sovereign Ratings, Revenue, Expenditure (Operational & Development) Budget, Budget Process, Tax (Direct & Indirect), Fiscal Policy, Fiscal Consolidation and so on are currently on the top of my reading lists.

10.   I wish, I could be a better citizen and share my opinions and knowledge for the betterment of Malaysian, especially the Youth. I would like to advocate more Youth to become financial literate, so that they will in a better position to manage their financial and subsequently they will help, indirectly to make our Nation better. I hope I can help them in understanding all this financial stuffs so that they can achieve ENLIGHTENMENT and WISER in their decision making, including to vote who is going to become the Government in the next general election.

Kerjaya Berpendapatan Tinggi dan Keusahawanan untuk Belia

1. Saya berpendapat diantara isu-isu penting yang menjadi kegusaran anak muda di Selangor dan Malaysia khususnya adalah peluang pekerjaan, kos sara hidup yang tinggi dan pemilikan hartanah.

2. Seperti yang ditulis pada kenyataan yang terdahulu, saya akan mengupas isu-isu sini secara berkala agar kita semua dapat sama-sama membincangkan ia dan sekaligus meningkatkan pemahaman kita.

3. Diharapkan kita semua memperoleh pencerahan dan berupaya membuat keputusan yang bijak untuk kebaikan semua.

Peluang Pekerjaan yang BerpendapatanTinggi

Latar Belakang

• Ramai majikan dari pelbagai sektor di Malaysia berpendapat graduan-graduan pusat pengajian tempatan kita kurang kompetitif berbanding rakan-rakan mereka graduan dari luar Negara. Antara skil-skil yang perlu ditingkatkan adalah kebolehan berkomunikasi di dalam Bahasa Inggeris yang tinggi, keusahawanan dan penyelesaian masalah.

Majikan juga terpaksa membelanjakan lebih peruntukan untuk melaksanakan latihan awal perkhidmatan (on-board training) kepada graduan-graduan tempatan dan ini menaikkan kos operasi mereka.

• Selain itu, majikan juga dibebani dengan kesan ekonomi dalam dan luaran seperti kenaikan kos operasi, perutukan undang-undang (Gaji Minima) dan ketidakstabilan ekonomi dunia. Majikan-majikan di Malaysia mengalami kesukaran untuk mengambil ramai pekerja atas sebab-sebab di atas

• Disamping itu, Komuniti Ekonomi ASEAN (ASEAN Economic Community) yang akan bermula pada tahun 2015 juga akan membuka pasaran kerja tempatan kepada bakat-bakat dari Negara-negara ASEAN. Ini akan memberikan lebih persaingan kepada anak-anak muda tempatan untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan-pekerjaan yang bakal diwujudkan.

• Walaupun Kerajaan melalui program-program merapatkan jurang skil (upskilling) yang dianjurkan oleh pelbagai agensi seperti EPU dan Khazanah seperti Skim Latihan 1Malaysia (SL1M) dan Graduate Employability Management Scheme (GEMS), ianya terhad dan lebih kepada penyelesaian selepas bergraduan. Masih ada rakan-rakan graduan tempatan yang tidak bekerja atau mempunyai pekerjaan yang bergaji rendah.

• Ramai graduan tidak berminat untuk menceburi bidang keusahawanan seperti membuka perusahaan baru (start-up) walaupun Kerajaan telah mewujudkan Malaysian Global Innovation Centre (MaGIC) dan memperuntukan banyak dana-dana permulaan melalui MDEC, Craddle Fund, Teraju dan SME Bank.


Cadangan Penyelesaian

• Memberi penekanan kepada usaha meningkatkan skil sewaktu mereka di dalam pengajian di pusat pengajian (pre-graduation efforts).

• Melaksanakan perubahan-perubahan secara berkala ke atas eko-sistem kehidupan mereka di kampus supaya ianya lebih kondusif untuk membentuk skil.

• Meminda cara pengurusan kelab/persatuan di pusat pengajian kearah eko-sistem yang lebih keusahawanan melalui adaptasi sebahagian elemen pengurusan perusahaan sebenar.

• Memperbanyakkan latihan yang menjurus kearah pembentukan usahawan-usahawan muda dan Pengurusan wajid seperti BUSINESS OPERATION MANAGEMENT, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, MARKETING MANAGEMENT, HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT.

• Menggalakkan pimpinan persatuan-persatuan pelajar menggunapakai latihan-latihan di atas didalam pengurusan kelab/persatuan mereka.

• Menganjurkan kelas lanjutan dalam FINANCIAL MODELLING kepada pelajar-pelajar tahun akhir bagi jurusan sains, teknologi dan kejuruteraan agar mereka dapat menghasilan thesis pengajian yang boleh dipasarkan (Commercial Value)

Rasional

• Memupuk seawal mungkin semangat dan kemahiran keusahawana di dalam DNA pelajar-pelajar di pusat pengajian.

• Pendedahan (Exposure)elemen-elemen perniagaan dan ilmu pengurusan perniagaan diharapkan dapat mengurangkan perasaan takut untuk menjadikan perniagaan sebagai karier selepas bergraduan.

• Mengurangkan bebanan kos on-board training majikan-majikan kerana graduan-graduan telah memahami logik dan dinamik perniagaan selepas hamper 4 tahun mereka di dedahkan di dalam pusat pengajian.

• Mengurangkan bebanan kos bagi kerajaan untuk program-program upskilling dan peruntukan tersebut bolehlah digunakan untuk merancakkan ekonomi Malaysia melalui lebih dana untuk start-up

• Membaiki imej graduan-graduan tempatan kepada modal insan yang kompeten dan ready-made for industry

** Saya pernah menulis dan menghantar esei berkaitan idea ini bagi program Perdana Fellow anjuran Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS).

Rumah Mampu Milik dan Bandar Belia

1.      Rata-rata belia terutamanya yang mencari rezeki di Bandar-bandar utama seperti Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya dan lain lain, mempunyai pandangan yang sama mengenai satu perkara, PEMILIKAN RUMAH.

2.      Rakyat Malaysia sudah sedia maklum, harga-harga rumah khususnya di Bandar saban hari meningkat ke harga yang tidak munasabah. Kebanyakan belia yang sudah bekerja dan baru membina keluarga, tidak mampu untuk memberi komitmen kewangan bulanan yang tinggi, disamping kos sara hidup yang tinggi yang menghakis kuasa beli mereka.

3.      Pelbagai inisiatif telah dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan untuk membendung perkara ini seperti Perumahan PR1MA, Rumah Mesra Rakyat dan RPGT.

4.      Kini, Menteri Kesejahteraan Bandar, Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, Datuk Rahman Dahlan telah mengumumkan bahawa Kerajaan akan membangunkan Bandar Belia untuk membantu golongan belia memiliki hartanah untuk kediaman. Saya amat bersetuju dengan apa sahaja idea yang dapat meningkatkan kualiti hidup belia di Negara kita, khususnya Selangor.

5.      Walaubagaimanapun, cadangan ini harus diteliti dengan lebih lanjut. Kegagalan untuk membuat perancangan rapi dari segenap aspek seperti kadar pertambahan belia, jajaran perkhidmatan pengangkutan awam dan keadah pembiayaan yang mesra belia dan lain-lain akan mengundang pelbagai masalah dimasa hadapan.

6.      Saya mengambil kajian kes yang berlaku di Sweden, dimana Kerajaan Sweden pada 1967 telah melancarkan project perumahan mampu milik dengan skala yang besar di kawasan Husby, Rinkeby, dan Tensta  berhampiran dengan kota utama, Stockholm. Kerajaan Sweden tergesa-gesa ingin membina rumah-rumah tersebut dengan cepat, dan melewatkan pembinaan jaringan keretapi bawah tanah untuk perhubungan.

7.      Kini kawasan-kawasan tersebut menjadi ghetto bagi imigran-imigran yang dating mencari rezeki di Sweden. Mereka telah menduduki rumah-rumah selema beberapa generasi dan kadar jenayah yang tinggi serta tidak dpt dikawal sepenuhnya.

8.      Malah pegawai-pegawai kerajaan dan ahli-ahli Parlimen mereka pernah mencadangkan agar rumah-rumah ini dibinasakan untuk mengawal dari merebaknya masalah dari ghetto-ghetto ini.

9.      Oleh itu, saya mengharapkan agar cadangan pembinaan Bandar Belia ini tidak hanya menjadi projek untuk Kementerian Perumahan dan KBS. Ia harus melibatkan pelbagai pihak yang pakar di dalam kerajaan serta pemaju-pemaju.

Road to Better Future: A Malaysia's Parliamentary Budget Office?

1.      In today’s morning BFM radio, the announcers discussed over an interesting topic. Apparently, the Chairman of Public Account Committee (PAC), Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, the Pulai’s MP advocates the establishment of Parliament Budget Office, aimed to provide advisory services for the MPs in scrutinizing the budget. This office, he said is not under the executive branch of our Government, but solely under the authority and funded by the Legislative, the Malaysian Parliament.

2.      He concocted that, having such office will improve our MP’s debate quality through independent reports and a reference point for MP in the matter of our Government’s expenses and also overseeing lots of mega-projects planned by the Government.

3.      Personally, I applauded the idea and I support whole heartedly. It is an element of mature democracy and provides the people, better information and empower all our MPs to voice up matters that affect their constituency at best. I had this conversation before during my MBA study. One of my classmate, now working as top brass in the Treasury, have actually written his project paper/thesis on this matter. We discussed and talk various models applied elsewhere such as in the UK, US and other Westminster’s styled democracy.

4.      Why Parliamentary Budget Office? Some will argue that having PAC is sufficient and adding more bureaucratic functions in budget process will not improve efficiency and slow things down. Well, first one must understand that the PAC is merely a committee that oversee post-budget expenditure. After a budget resolution is approved by both Houses, PAC will serve as people’s eyes and ears so that, all planned expenses will be done diligently and benefited the people.

5.      However, in our Malaysian styled democracy, a parliamentary office to oversee the pre-budget process does not exist. All pre-budget process is done by the National Budget Division under the Treasury Department of Ministry of Finance. They act as the principal office which conduct last year fiscal assessment, drafting, consultations with stakeholders and expert references. There is no avenue to empower our MP, who are our direct representations in the Government. One must know that the power to withdraw money from the Kumpulan Wang di Satukan is not the Treasury but an act of parliament, approved and passed by our MPs.

6.      Therefore, part of mature democracy is where we empower our MPs to scrutinize the budget. If they rejected the notion, then don’t blame us, the people, who will write in our blogs, social media pages and newspapers. Don’t be mad at us because we do the job that supposed to be yours

7.      According to Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), such office is seen as a way to; Address bias towards spending and deficits, and more generally enhance fiscal discipline; Raise quality of debate and scrutiny and; promote transparency and accountability.

8.      In the US for example, US Congressional Budget Office (CBO), established in 1947 as part of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act by which congress sought to reassert its constitutional “power over the purse” (read: Kumpulan Wang Di Satukan) and create more coherent congressional budget process. It is mandated to provide NONPARTISAN, objective budgetary and economic information to the US Congress. Physically, the CBO offices are separate from the US Congress with 250 strong staff and USD 45.5 Million as budget.

9.      Another good example is the Canadian Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO). It is established in 2008 under the Federal Accountability Act in response to concerns around the credibility of government economic and fiscal forecasts, cost overruns in government programs and transparency issues. Armed with 13 staffs and an internal budget of CAD 2.8 Milion, it is mandated to provide independent analysis to Parliament on the state of the nation’s finances, the Government estimates and trends of the Canadian economy; and upon request from a committee or parliamentarian, to estimate the financial cost of any proposal for matter over which Parliament has jurisdiction.

10.   However, despite the benefits of having our own Malaysian PBO, I have to agree with my mentor/friends at the Treasury that the whole parliamentary budget processes also must be reviewed and upgraded. We don’t have our Ways and Means committee in both of our houses, to approve any proposal for tabling the budget. Put aside the issue of efficiency and fast actions. What we need now is a transparent, prudence and diligent processes since we are dealing with Billions of Tax-Payer money, my money, my parent’s money and my friends, Datuk Nenek, Pakcik Makcik, Abg Kakak’s monies.

11.   Therefore again, I hope such proposal by our PAC Chairman should be noticed and debated at national scale. The Youth, should strongly support this idea. We, the Youth must remember our responsibility as concerns citizens, future caretaker of this great nation’s affairs and protector of our posterity’s future. I as the candidate for Parlimen Belia Malaysia, will pursue this matter diligently as I believe from my knowledge and experience, it will benefit not just me, but my children’s children.

Concerned Youth

Azwan O