With the impending arrival of Federal Budget 2019, StarProperty.my invites the public and stakeholders of different industries to contribute their thoughts on how should the government spend or save the money.
Budget 2019 Wishlist 001: Malaysians want cheaper homes
Budget 2019 Wishlist 002: A property wishlist for the new government
Contributed by Stephen Chin
7th Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (second left) with other Pakatan Harapan component leaders during the press conference at Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya last night. IZZRAFIQ ALIAS / The Star.
THE Pakatan Harapan-led government will be revealing its maiden budget for the country. However, judging by the state of the nation’s coffers, the prospect of a rakyat-friendly budget seem remote.
Nonetheless, there is hope that austere measures to cut costs and reduce funds wastage will enable the country to recover.
Each year, my sifu Professor Master David Koh and I conduct an exercise to calculate and forecast events and trends in the coming year. The computations have been quite accurate. We used to publish our annual report with the Malaysian Institute of Geomancy Sciences, but these days, our reports are for private consumption.
We are in the midst of preparing next year’s forecast. Based on preliminary calculations, the outlook for Malaysia and the world is relatively positive. Industries associated with the Wood element, which is next year’s element, shall thrive, as will Fire and Water-based industries.
Sectors involving education, creative arts, food and beverages, finance, sales, fisheries, medicine, computers and telecommunications, petroleum and petrochemicals will do well next year.
The national budget will not go wrong by a wide margin if it focuses on these industries, providing the appropriate stimulus. Unfortunately, certain sectors such as construction, property, agriculture, automotive, aviation, mining, tourism and transport may go through a slow or difficult time in 2019.
Our neighbours to the north, namely Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar will also do well. This represents opportunities for investment or business collaboration.
However, things may not be as smooth sailing for the rest of our ASEAN neighbours such as Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, as well as Australia and New Zealand. There may be a rise in cases of embezzlement or theft.
Malaysia falls within this category, but there are mitigating factors within its calculation model that alleviates the impact. If anything, we can expect more revelations of funds mismanagement and corruption throughout the year.
There is also a spectre of fighting or armed conflict which may break out in this region next year. It could be a rise in fighting against insurgents or terrorists. Our country may want to increase its vigilance in the coastal waters of Sabah and along the borders of Thai. However, territorial disputes and freedom of passage claims in the South China Sea may also lead to skirmishes.
We can only hope and pray for sanity and diplomacy to prevail in situations like this. It also helps if we stay clear of potential flashpoints this coming year.
Since we are talking about Malaysia’s outlook next year, perhaps we should take a look at how quickly our country’s premiership has been changing hands. When Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the fourth prime minister, he remained in power for 22 years.
When the federal government moved from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya in 1999, Dr Mahathir stepped down in 2003, just four years later. His successor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, held the post for almost six years before he was ousted by Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, who himself lost the job in nine years.
Dr Mahathir’s return as the seventh Prime Minister will be short, as a pact was agreed upon for him to hand over the reigns of power to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in two years. Will the musical chair continue?
Part of this reason could be due to the alignment of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Putrajaya. Located in Precinct 1, the complex sits at the foot of a small hill on which sits Istana Melawati. The hill is ringed by Persiaran Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah. Several roads branch out like spokes to the north, east, south and west.
The PMO complex is located at the southwest of the hill, and the Putrajaya Lake sandwiches it to the west. If we take the hill as the centre of Putrajaya, the ideal location for the head of government should be to the northwest.
The same principle applies to an office or home. The northwest is a position of authority and whoever occupies this space will be the “boss.” If a subordinate or the maid occupies this sector, he or she will be the one running the show at the office or home, respectively.
Fortunately, to the northwest lies Putrajaya’s Botanic Gardens, and thus, no subordinate ministry rises to challenge the top position.
Within the southwest sector, the most suitable orientation is one where the rear is higher than the front. Thus, the complex should ideally have the hill at its back and the lake in front. It should face southwest or south. The lake forms a beautiful embrace of this sector, and conducive, harmonious and homogenous energy is collected here.
The Ministry of Finance also has an excellent orientation. Its west orientation allows it to face the embracing shape of Putrajaya Lake and is enhanced by a second embrace formed by Lebuh Wawasan. At the back of the building, there is a small hill and park. The hill generates earth energy, and the lake reflects it back towards the building.
This may explain why the nation’s finances remained relatively resilient despite challenging times and circumstances.
About the Contributors
Stephen Chin
Stephen Chin is a consultant and director at Environology dot com Sdn Bhd.
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