Make Malaysia into an Open-Source Software hub
The prevailing system of proprietary software that is commonly used by Malaysians is not beneficial as Malaysians have to pay high costs if they use the licensed software or otherwise run the risk of being criminalised if they use pirated software.
Most Malaysians are not aware of the Open-Source Software (OSS) that has equivalents of commonly used applications and is available for free.
A Tale of Two Classes: Inequalities in Malaysia
The Government’s aim is to achieve a high income economy by 2020 must equally benefit all Malaysians.. We can not have a society where one small elite group living in luxury, while one big part of the society is struggling to survive.
The high price of materialism
Psychologist Tim Kasser discusses how the culture of consumerism undermines our well-being. When people buy into the ever-present marketing messages that "the good life" is "the goods life," they not only use up Earth's limited resources, but they are less happy and less inclined toward helping others. The animation both lays out the problems of excess materialism and points toward solutions that promise a healthier, more just, and more sustainable life.
Boom spells doom in capital flow
The present rise in capital flows to developing countries is having destabilising effects on currencies and asset bubbles that could eventually bust, warns a new South Centre paper.
By Martin Khor
Huge funds at near-zero interest made available by the United States and other developed countries to boost their flagging economies are instead fuelling booms in capital flows to developing countries and in commodity prices.
Both booms are already having destabilising effects on many developing countries. And they will also end in a bust, as has happened with previous booms, and this will have an even more damaging impact.
Put a hold on FTAs with the US and EU
The Malaysian Government last week has been negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs) with the United States of America (via the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement or TPP) and with the European Union (EU). These negotiations were taking place, simultaneously in Auckland, New Zealand (from Dec 6 to 10) and in Brussels, Belgium (Dec 6 to 9).The Consumers Association of Penang is deeply concerned about the implications of these FTAs on the various aspects of Malaysia’s development.
