Pemasalahan Melayu Pulau Pinang.

Masalah Melayu Pulau Pinang tidak bebas dari rantau ini, dan sejarah kedatangan Inggeris ke Persekutuan Tanah Melayu pada tahun 1786. lanya bermula dengan kebenaran yang diberikan kepada Inggeris (Francis Light) oleh kerajaan Kedah untuk menyewa dan meneroka Pulau Pinang pada tahun 1800 melalui satu perjanjian diantara Dziauddin Mukaram Shah dengan George Leith (Gabenor Pulau Pinang diwaktu itu): Bermula dengan majoriti Melayu dipulau sehinggalah Melayu menjadi minoriti keseluruhan negeri Pulau Pinang. Masalah-masalah ekonomi yang timbul adalah akibat dari putar belit pihak penjajah Inggeris, kedudukan strategik Pulau ini, kedatangan pendatang elite luar, ketiadaan reseb melayu dan penerusan tradisi sewaan dari negeri Kedah selepas merdeka 1957. Sikap dan perlakuan orang-orang Melayu dari golongan biasa sehinggalah kepada golongan pemimpin yang tidak prihatin terhadap bangsanya sendiri. Keengganan dan sikap sambil lewa yang ditunjukkan oleh pihak yang dipertanggung jawab untuk melaksanakan arahan kerajaan pusat,dan strategi domenasi melaui nilai tanah oleh kerajaan dan agensi negeri, serta ketidaksungguhan yang ditunjukkan untuk mcnjaga kepentingan Melayu dinegeri ini menyebabkan melayu semakin pupus disini (dari majoriti menjadi minoriti). Masalah ekonomi Melayu Pulau Pinang masih mempunyai peluang untuk dipulihkan (masih belum terlewat) walaupun ianya agak berat. Masalah Melayu dapat diselesaikan sekiranya kita semua yakin dan bertanggung jawab,berganding bahu mengembeling tenaga dengan satu tujuan iaitu menjaga minoriti yang ada sekarang dan menjaga imej Malaysia serta identiti negara di negeri yang amat popular (Pulau Pinang) dikalangan pelancong luar dan dalam negara. Dihari ini kita telah berjaya menunjukkan masyarakat Malaysia yang pelbagai kaum tanpa wujud golongan tempang atau terbiar. Penyelesaian boleh dibuat dari sumber tempatan. peringkat pusat dan Masyarakat Melayu tempatan. Adalah lebih baik kita kurangkan bcrcakap dan kuatkan strategi kita secara "silent'. Semakin banyak kita bcrcakap semakin terdedah kepada kcmusnahan

The importance of good aquaculture practices in improving fish farmer’s income: A case of Malaysia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the level of good aquaculture practice (GAqP)among aquaculture farmers; and to analyse the factors influence the level of practice and the importance of GAqP in increasing farmer’s income. Design/methodology/approach – Primary data were obtained through a survey conducted on 216 aquaculture pond fish farmers. The descriptive study was employed to identify the profile of respondents and their level of GAqP practices. The structural equation modelling (SEM) method was applied to analyse the factors influence the level of GAqP practice, and the influence of GAqP on the total income of aquaculture farmers. Findings – The results showed that the pond management by brackish water fish farmers is better than freshwater fish farmer, indicated by 77 per cent of them adopt GAqP at a level of 60 per cent and above, as compared to only 20 per cent by freshwater farmers. Physical and human assets were revealed to be most significant factors influence the practice of GAqP. The results also proved that GAqP was among the significant factor contributes to increasing in farmers’ household income; in addition to their other livelihood assets. Originality/value – To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the very first study that employs SEM method to analyse the relationship between GAqP with livelihood asset and farmer’s income simultaneously in Malaysia. Furthermore, since the empirical studies related to GAqP is very few, the study will contribute to development of knowledge in the field of aquaculture. Keywords: Sustainability, Income, Fish farmer, Good aquaculture practices, Level of practice, Livelihood asset

An econometric analysis of food security and related macroeconomic variables in Malaysia: A Vector Autoregressive Approach (VAR)

Food security is a concept originated in the mid-1970s. According to the definition of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food security is a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.At the national level, food security is a situation whereby a country is able to cover the food requirements of its population on a continuous and stable basis. Malaysia, although a middle income country, has been a net food importer in the last four decades.In fact, the country has grown to depend more on imports for most important food especially rice. With these trends lurking, understanding the determinants of food security is important because it will help the policy makers keep abreast of the main variables for food security in Malaysia. This paper thus analyse the dynamic relationship between selected macroeconomic variables (biodiesel production, exchange rate, government expenditure on rural development, Malaysia's GDP, food price index and Malaysia's population) and food security in Malaysia using VAR approach.The variance decomposition also shows that biodiesel production, exchange rate and government expenditure on rural development variables will give the highest shock to food security in year ten.Whereas exchange rate and population in year five and finally GDP in year six. This model is a useful tool and reacts as an effort to better understand how food security reacts and is affected by the integration of domestic and global markets. It could also provide a more quantitative means of assessing food security, and in particular to pinpoint specific variables that explain the highest shock to food security at the national level.It would also benefit to consumers and policy makers

Risk and poverty in agriculture: expanding roles for agricultural cooperatives in Malaysia

The inter-relationship between risk, poverty and agriculture in development economics has gained increased attention. Agriculture in which the poor predominantly operate is a fragile and risk-prone sector. The risks range from the large (aggregate) ones to the small (idisyncratic).Aggregate risks such as droughts,cyclones,floods, and market fluctuations tend to affect the whole community simultaneously, while idisyncratic risks affect a particular household or individual such as with respect to illness, death, and disability. The contribution of Agricultural cooperatives as instruments of development has been widely acknowledged. This study highlights the role of agricultural cooperatives in tackling both risks and poverty in the Malaysian agriculture sector. It was found that with 5.685 million members, share capital amounting to RM 6.849 billion and total assets worth RM 34.868 billion the Malaysian agricultural cooperatives were well placed to manage poverty related risks afflicting local paddy farmers, fishermen and smallholders through their diverse functions in credit/finance, plantation, housing, consumer, transport and services. Nevertheless, in conclusion, to better harness their strength these cooperatives must be less dependent on government funding to gain better freedom from undue interferences

The total factor productivity in strategic food crops industry of Malaysia

Total Factor Productivity (TFP) may indicate the long-term economic growth of a country. In addition, it is also a comprehensive measure of the level of productivity in the economy. Therefore, these study attempts to investigate the TFP for Malaysia paddy sub-sector. The study was conducted in four Muda Agricultural Development Authorities (MADA) regions and employed a seasonal the series of data from 1996 to 2011. Result has found that the actual TFP growth is below than 5 percent for each season. The study also found that the actual TFP trend has been volatile over time. Study has further investigated the factors affecting TFP growth in the Malaysian paddy industry for the entire period. Seven selected factors are found to be associated with striking TFP growth. The result has discovered that all the selected factors are important in influencing the paddy production in Malaysia. However, the magnitude is different for each region

Rivaroxaban with or without aspirin in stable cardiovascular disease

BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether rivaroxaban alone or in combination with aspirin would be more effective than aspirin alone for secondary cardiovascular prevention. METHODS: In this double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 27,395 participants with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease to receive rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin (100 mg once daily), rivaroxaban (5 mg twice daily), or aspirin (100 mg once daily). The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, stroke, or myocardial infarction. The study was stopped for superiority of the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group after a mean follow-up of 23 months. RESULTS: The primary outcome occurred in fewer patients in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group than in the aspirin-alone group (379 patients [4.1%] vs. 496 patients [5.4%]; hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66 to 0.86; P<0.001; z=−4.126), but major bleeding events occurred in more patients in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group (288 patients [3.1%] vs. 170 patients [1.9%]; hazard ratio, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.40 to 2.05; P<0.001). There was no significant difference in intracranial or fatal bleeding between these two groups. There were 313 deaths (3.4%) in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group as compared with 378 (4.1%) in the aspirin-alone group (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.96; P=0.01; threshold P value for significance, 0.0025). The primary outcome did not occur in significantly fewer patients in the rivaroxaban-alone group than in the aspirin-alone group, but major bleeding events occurred in more patients in the rivaroxaban-alone group. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease, those assigned to rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin had better cardiovascular outcomes and more major bleeding events than those assigned to aspirin alone. Rivaroxaban (5 mg twice daily) alone did not result in better cardiovascular outcomes than aspirin alone and resulted in more major bleeding events