RUMAH TRANSIT UNTUK BELIA MALAYSIA

Panel Pemikir peribadi saya, pada hari ini telah mengangkat satu isu yang amat dekat dengan belia. Seperti yang semua sudah maklum, perumahan belia akan menjadi isu utama bukan sahaja di peringkat Parlimen Belia. Ia juga akan menjadi isu pokok bagi Pilihanraya Umum yang ke-14 kelak.

Kos sara hidup yang meningkat, kadar kenaikan gaji pekerja yang rendah, pembayaran PTPTN yang dikatakan mengganggu gugat aliran wang bulanan dan kekurangan pekerjaan yang bergaji tinggi adalah contoh mengapa belia-belia, khususnya yang baru bergraduan dan berumah tangga menghadapi kesukaran untuk memiliki hartanah pertama.

Panel Pemikir saya berpendapat, pelaksanaan Rumah Transit bagi belia-belia yang baru berkahwin dan berpendapatan rendah harus diperhalusi dan tidak dilaksanakan sambil lewa tanpa mengambil kira impak jangka masa panjang. Perkara seperti gaya hidup dan mentaliti belia-belia khususnya bumiputera harus diberi penekanan kerana rancangan ini akan menghasilkan "adverse effect".

Saya bersetuju dengan mereka, walaupun niat baik Kementerian Perumahan, Kerajaan Tempatan dan Kesejahteraan Bandar harus dipuji. Usaha Rumah Transit ini dilihat sebagai penyelesaikan jangka pendek sahaja. Kerajaan harus memberi perhatian khusus bagi meningkatkan pemahaman belia yang baru berkahwin untuk lebih BIJAK menguruskan kewangan masing-masing.

Konsep Sewa-dan-Keluar ini pada rohnya adalah untuk membantu belia-belia baru berkahwin/bekerja untuk menyewa dan pada masa yang sama mengumpul dana untuk "Down-Payment" pembeliaan hartanah selepas mereka tamat kontrak sewaan dengan Kerajaan. Model ini akan berhasil sekiranya, semua peserta benar-benar mengikut saranan Kerajaan untuk mengumpulkan dana.

Salah seorang Panel Pemikir saya berkongsi pengalaman keluarganya sendiri yang membina beberapan unit rumah seluas 700 psf, 2 bilik dan 1 bilik air, untuk disewakan 10-15 tahun yang lepas dengan kadar sewa bulanan RM 200. Berdasarkan rekod beliau, daripada 8 penyewa, hanya 3 telah memiliki rumah sendiri, 2 masih kekal menyewa dan 3 berpindah/menyewa rumah-rumah lain bagi menampung saiz keluarga yang bertambah.

Data ini amat memeranjatkan. Perbincangan mendalam dibuat, kami menyimpulkan, pihak Kerajaan juga harus mengambil kira mentaliti peserta program rumah transit. Harus diberi pendedahan mengenai pengurusan kewangan yang bijak, bagi mereka benar-benar mengumpul dana. Kita tidak mahu melihat kes tersebut berulang lagi.

Walaupun sistem kontrak sewaan itu jelas menunjukkan mereka harus keluar selepas tamat tempoh, kita tidak harus lupa yang kita insan, pastinya akan ada yang memohon untuk mendapatkan lanjutan sewaan melalui pelbagai cara waimah kaitan politik, kaitan dengan DBKL dan bermacam lagi.

Oleh yang demikian, disebalik sokongan prinsip saya dengan kaedah Rumah Transit ini, saya berharap agensi-agensi yang berkaitan termasuklah pemimpin-pemimpin belia dapat memberi penekanan kepada program Literasi Kewangan bagi membantu belia-belia kita memahami kepentingan pengurusan Kewangan bijak. Mereka dapat menghormati niat baik Kerajaan dengan mengumpulkan dana "Down-Payment" yang diharapkan, serta keluar pada masa yang ditetapkan untuk membantu adik-adik mereka yang bakal keluar bekerja dan berkahwin kelak.

Jangan jadikan ini sebagai "permanent solution", untuk pemilikan hartanah belia, tetapi salah satu alat membantu mengurangkan bebanan kewangan belia. Disiplin dan kesedaran supaya berusaha lebih kuat dan TIDAK mengharapkan bantuan KERAJAAN SEMATA-MATA. Jangan kita didik belia-belia kita khususnya belia BUMPUTERA sebagai belia yang MANJA.

Big Banks and Small Banks

1.      In today’s Financial Edge Daily, Affin’s Deputy Chairman, Tan Sri Lodin Wok Kamaruddin commented that despite the hype of mega merger between CIMB-RHB-MBSB and possibility of more consolidation of banking groups, there is still a relevancy of having smaller banks to serve the Rakyat.

2.      I’ve discussed this matter with my think tank and I believe that consolidating the remainder banks is bad for the Rakyat, in particular the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Reason being is bigger banks have their own market segment to cater and with such capacity, bigger banks can compete at regional and world stage.

3.      If we’re looking back at the Financial Market Blue Print, having a mega bank can help us securing more deals that before this too far for our local bankers to touch, such as the Ali Baba listings and many exotic securitization of assets and M&As. In the Blue Print, Malaysia envisioned itself as global financial hub with Kuala Lumpur has the same status as Singapore, Hong Kong, London and New York.

4.      Perhaps, we can become one by leveraging the fast growing demand of Islamic Finance and Islamic Capital Market. Both Bank Negara Malaysia and Securities Commission are continuously reviewing current regulations and working hard to create a conducive and nurturing eco-system for the big financial players to see Malaysia as irresistible place to create value.

5.      Having said that, one should not forget the impact to local businesses and credit market for our own Rakyat. Two of the smallest local banking groups, Affin and Alliance have declared their intention to not involve in any further mergers. They believe in their unique positioning and serving highly niche market segment. Obviously, they can’t compete with the big guns like merged CIMB-RHB-MBSB and others like Maybank, Public and Hong Leong, in terms of domestic investment banking deals, but their existence provide hope for the smaller businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs.

6.      Being small also give them an advantage of being efficient and fast. Rationalizing and upgrading their internal process could be done fast and manageable compare to trans-countries operation.

7.      I am for more banks in the local market. In matured economy, banks provide liquidity and provide credit to the Rakyat. Referring to the film “Too Big To Fail”, Paul Giamatti, who played The Fed’s Chairman, Ben Bernanke “The depression may have started because of a stock market crash, but what hit the general economy was a disruption of credit. Average citizens unable to borrow money, to do anything. To buy a home, start a business, stock their shelves. Credit has the ability to build a modern economy, but lack of credit has the ability to destroy it, swiftly and absolutely”

8.      I am not saying that I am supporting the bankers. I believe the power to create money by the privately-held National Banks like the Federal Reserves and Bank of England is an abomination to the world economy. But in Malaysia’s context of banking sector, having more banks, community banks, smaller banks are better for the Rakyat. They will compete in the domestic markets, provide interesting packages with competitive rates to woo clients. Access to credit is high and economy will get bigger.

9.      Let the smaller banks cater the domestic market and the merged CIMB-RHB-MBSB, the mega Islamic bank, Maybank and Public Bank ramp up their capabilities to become regional champion and one day side by side with big names like JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Citibank, HSBC and ICBC of China. Let the smaller banks grow organically.

The Debt We Took and for Them to Settle.

1. I had a chat with my brother last weekend during our family luncheon. He pointed up the fact that we are currently jeopardizing our posterity’s sustainability to live, in the name of development, economic improvement and quality of life.

2. We have to admit the fact that we, the Malaysian is currently borrowing lots of money for our nation’s sake. The culture of taking debt for our current consumption is a norm and applied by the lowest income to our leaders, the people who run the country. I am not talking about bonds, sukuks or any commercial notes issued by the Government to fund the nation’s budget, but also how we use the debt at our nucleus level of family, such as credit cards, housing loans, personal loans and so on

3. Nevertheless, some of our generation defended the notion that, such debt need to me made for our economy to grow, improve the quality of life and subsequently prepare for our posterity in terms of assets and financial capacity for them to benefit later.

4. Based on the latest economic metrics, our nation’s debt is still below the ceiling point of 55% of GDP. But not many know that the figures just involve direct debts and not include the contingent liability, government guaranteed loans & bonds and future commitment from various concessionaires through Private Financing Initiatives (PFI)

5. I personally agree with the PFI’s concept. I had an experience working as PFI Consultant before, though it is short, but I learned quite a good deal of it. It is one of the way our Government to save lots of money and the savings could be used for other means such as Education, Healthcare and Security. For example, the PFI project for infrastructure, we have to acknowledge that the Government is not in a business of building, constructing infrastructure per se, it is better the Government to hand it over to experts in construction industry to do it and the Government pay them in staggered basis over the next 20-30 years. Again, I reiterated, it is a good mechanism, it will lower high CAPEX cost and put the Government in a better position to manage their cash.

6. However, in our country, despite talking about the commitment for our children’s children, we are busy criticizing on the select few who benefited from the PFI contracts. We are busy fighting, shouting, demonstrating on how this “politically-related” group reap millions or billions on Ringgit Malaysia. We are busy proving the lack of transparency and accountability in the due process for the PFI contracts.

7. I am not saying it is NOT IMPORTANT. I do believe in high accountability and stringent process for any Government’s procurements and contracts. Such tragedy will distort the market and made the wealthy richer and richer.

8. I am in this post, feel it is better we put our thoughts on the responsibility of as a parent. I urge we as parent, a caretaker of current government, a generation that run the nation, put the RESPONSIBILTY issue back at the main debate table.

9. ARE WE A RESPONSIBLE PARENTS? ARE WE HAPPY TO PASS DOWN THE DEBT THAT WE CREATED TO OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDEN? ARE WE SATISFIED WHEN WE WATCH OUR POSTERITY TO BEAR THE BURDEN THAT WE TOOK SO WE CAN LIVE BETTER AND THEY WILL PAY FOR IT?

10. Friends, family and learned Malaysian citizens. I just want to highlight the fundamental responsibility or Amanah, given by God to us, that is we must take care our children and give them better than we have.

11. I am a avid observer of US and UK politics. There, regardless whether you are Republicans or Democrat, Labor or Conservative, Socialist or Liberal, any candidates for any offices, be it the President, Senator or the Congressman, they will speak about the Posterity’s Financial Dilemma. Watch any stomp speeches, debates, they will said that they and the party will not made the children’s children bear all the burden.

12. I hope, in this coming Budget 2015, the Government will put serious efforts in their Fiscal Consolidation exercise. I hope the Government will put their utmost attention in reducing the federal deficit and work diligently with Bank Negara Malaysia and industry to trim down both National Debt and Household Debt. I believe in our PTD’s in Ministry of Finance to come out with great plans and I pray our politician regardless parties will put their differences aside and start act together and become a responsible guardian and caretaker of this great nation.

13. Please, just put the issue of being a responsible parent back in the national debate agenda. I don’t want to be called a ruthless and irresponsible parents, surely I don’t want to see my children’s children suffer a financial difficulty and by God not, the financial calamity in the future.

Regards

Azwan O