Category Archives: Economics

What’s in the Budget for State Governments? (Federal 2012 Budget)

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Tricia

Every year when the Federal Government tables the budget in Parliament, the focus tends to be on national benefits. But here in my column for the Penang Monthly in December 2011, I write about what’s in it for state governments … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Public Administration, Selangor | Leave a comment

The Vicious Cycle

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Tricia

Economics and Education – why one needs and contributes to, the other. First published in theSun on the 21st October 2011. The vicious cycle  For the last two weeks, all eyes have been focused on the 2012 budget (themed “National … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

Malaysia the Welfare State?

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Tricia

Are we a welfare state, or are we not? I’m not sure even our government knows how to classify us, since there have been conflicting remarks on the matter in the past. This was first published in the Penang Monthly … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

Same rules of the game

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Tricia

In October 2011, the Occupy Wall Street movement was rife, infecting many other cities in the US and England. We had a similar movement, although ours started even before theirs began, interestingly enough. A version of this was published in … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Human Rights, Outside Malaysia | Leave a comment

Making housing affordable in urban states

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Tricia

Affordable housing is likely to be a key election issue. First published in September 2011 in the Penang Monthly. Making housing affordable in urban states The government that manages best in providing affordable housing of good quality is a popular … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Public Administration, Selangor | Leave a comment

Setting the Tone with Selangorku

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Tricia

I have a soft spot for everything Selangor of course, having worked in the Selangor State Government for 2 and a half years under its very hardworking Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. In this piece published in September 2011 … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Selangor | Leave a comment

How Far the Economic Reform?

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Tricia

Recently there has been an interesting Teraju clip being circulated on Facebook. I mentioned Teraju in my article here, comparing it against what Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib Razak initially wanted to do with the New Economic Model (NEM) but … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Ethno-Religious Politics | Leave a comment

Why Everything is Political

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Tricia

Why Everything is Political There is a tendency for people to complain in loud groans how everything is oh-so-political these days. The fact is that, yes, everything is in fact political. Especially so in a country like Malaysia where decision-making … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Society, Economics, General Politics, The Cause | Leave a comment

Manage Water Demand instead

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Tricia

The water issue is constantly being played out in the media. I’ve written numerous articles on water, and here was the first one published in theSun on 29th June 2011. Manage Water Demand instead  In the Malaysian water story, two … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Selangor, Water | Leave a comment

Reversing the brain drain requires a paradigm shift

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Tricia

In this piece, I explored what roles state governments ought to play in reversing brain drain and attracting talent. It’s not enough to rely on the Malaysian Talent Corporation. First published in the Penang Monthly in June 2011. Reversing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Education, Selangor | Leave a comment