By FATIN BUNDAGJI
On May 17, 2003, in his annual address to the National Consultative Council, the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia reaffirmed his will to work toward political and economic reform.
"We will work to improve our system of government and the performance of the public sector and broaden popular participation in the political process." During that speech, he called for the widening of women's participation in the political, economic, social, cultural and educational fields, and for reinforcing their rights and status in society; and the importance of promoting the family and the need to protect Arab youth.
The same year, the then Crown Prince Abdullah presented a bold initiative entitled the "Charter to Reform the Arab Position." In it he proposed measures to bring about more democratization in the Arab world as a means to promote peace and stability in the region. Regionally and locally Saudi Arabia was aware of the obvious fact that the prerequisites to political stability are social equality, civic engagement, and good governance.
Following that in 2005, during the Third Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference, the global Muslim community reiterated the above-mentioned Saudi political intentions in the OIC's "Ten-Year Program of Action to Meet the Challenges Facing the Muslim Ummah in the 21st Century." The Plan of Action states in Article VIII and under the title, "Human Rights and Good Governance" that: "Muslim states need to seriously endeavor to enlarge the scope of political participation, ensure equality, civil liberties and social justice and to promote transparency and accountability, and eliminate corruption in the OIC Member States."
It seems as it were, that all our leaders were aware that the "The Muslim World faced grave political, socioeconomic, cultural and scientific challenges with implications for its unity, peace, security and development" and as such, a unified strategy was the only safeguard against such a calamity.
Going from the global Muslim community to the local Saudi one, I have to justifiably admit that several initiatives have borne to bear in Saudi Arabia as a means to achieve the above ambitious statements. Cases in point are the Saudi National 5-Year Development Plans. Ever since the 70s, the Kingdom has systematically used these plans to road-map its way to development, modernization, peace and stability. But insofar as results, these ongoing plans (9 to date) have yet to prove their success in realistically achieving what they proclaim to do.
From a citizen's perspective, and based on the basic assumption claimed by these plans to "improve the standard of living and the quality of life of Saudi citizens," I dare to ask the burning question: As we advance into our 9th Plan, has anyone been tracking the successful accomplishments of the former 8? If yes, then why the deep divide between what is strategically designed on paper and what is realistically being achieved on the ground?
The achievements of former plans may be many. No one can deny that Saudi Arabia has grown from a desert land to a seemingly modern high-tech nation. The growth of major cities, the creation of hospitals, schools, and public utilities may all indicate visible achievements - but also by comparison, they highlight major shortcomings as a result of short-sight during the planning process.
Equitable development is mentioned in several of the plans but achieved by none so far - the fact that chronic migration from rural areas to major cities is still ongoing; the fact that we are still trying to build the basic infrastructure that should have been in place 40 years ago; the fact that we are still trying to figure out ways to diversify our economic base as a means to reduce our dependency on oil; the fact that we are still stuck in the field of privatization and unemployment reduction... all these prove that our National Planning Process was never accurately estimated nor strategically designed.
2012 is a year of change. In 2011, we witnessed the "Arab Spring." However, a "spring" it was not; for it was not an innocent birth; instead the events of 2011 are the fermentation of long brewing consequences. The fast growing chaos we are witnessing today is nothing more than the natural outcome of a people demanding for a better quality of life for themselves and their families... a basic right, promised to them by their leaderships and officially communicated in 2006 during the OICs Summit in Makkah.
A promise the payback time of which has come.
Dipetik dari - Arab News
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Philippines ready to validate claim to Spratlys in UN forum
By Jerry E. Esplanada
The Philippines is prepared to validate its claim to the Spratlys and other territories in the West Philippine Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and is inviting China to do the same with its own claims, according to Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.
All conflicting claims should be resolved based on the rules-based regime of the Unclos if the disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) are to be peacefully and finally settled, Del Rosario said in a press statement Tuesday.
The foreign secretary was reacting to a Chinese foreign ministry statement which dismissed as “groundless” the Philippines’ claims that the Chinese Navy had entered Philippine waters.
‘Groundless’
China “will not accept the groundless accusations from the Philippines side,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Liu Weinin, who added that he “[hoped] the Philippines will not create something from nothing and cause disturbances.”
In his statement, Del Rosario said the Philippines considered “our valuable and long-standing friendship with China to be one that is based on mutual respect and equality.”
“The Philippines prepared to validate our claims under Unclos and we cordially invite China to join us in endeavoring to validate its claims,” he said.
China, the Philippines and four other claimant Asian countries have been locked in a tense dispute over potentially oil- and gas-rich areas in the Spratly island chain.
Escoda Shoal
The Philippines and Vietnam have separately accused Chinese vessels of repeatedly intruding into Spratlys areas under their control and sabotaging oil explorations in their regular territorial waters in the first six months of last year.
In the latest flaring of tensions, the Philippines last weekend protested to Beijing the alleged intrusion of three Chinese Navy ships near the Sabina (Escoda) Shoal on December 11 and 12.
Escoda Shoal lies within the Philippines’ internationally recognized 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and is “within Philippine sovereignty and maritime jurisdiction,” Del Rosario said.
However, China claims all of the South China Sea, including the entire Spratlys island chain.
Insisting that the Escoda Shoal lay within its territory, China said it saw nothing wrong with the passage of three Chinese vessels near the sandbar in the West Philippine Sea, said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
According to DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez, the Chinese charge d’affaires in Manila had “verbally said that Sabina Shoal has a Chinese name and is within their territorial jurisdiction.”
Hernandez did not say what the foreign office planned to do next after it filed a diplomatic protest against the latest intrusion by Chinese ships into the country’s EEZ.
Del Rosario called the Chinese intrusions “clear violations of the 2002 Association of Southeast Asian Nations-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, as well as the United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea.”
Dipetik dari - Inquirer Global Nation
Posting berkaitan --> Manila protests Chinese ships' presence in Spratlys
The Philippines is prepared to validate its claim to the Spratlys and other territories in the West Philippine Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and is inviting China to do the same with its own claims, according to Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.
All conflicting claims should be resolved based on the rules-based regime of the Unclos if the disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) are to be peacefully and finally settled, Del Rosario said in a press statement Tuesday.
The foreign secretary was reacting to a Chinese foreign ministry statement which dismissed as “groundless” the Philippines’ claims that the Chinese Navy had entered Philippine waters.
‘Groundless’
China “will not accept the groundless accusations from the Philippines side,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Liu Weinin, who added that he “[hoped] the Philippines will not create something from nothing and cause disturbances.”
In his statement, Del Rosario said the Philippines considered “our valuable and long-standing friendship with China to be one that is based on mutual respect and equality.”
“The Philippines prepared to validate our claims under Unclos and we cordially invite China to join us in endeavoring to validate its claims,” he said.
China, the Philippines and four other claimant Asian countries have been locked in a tense dispute over potentially oil- and gas-rich areas in the Spratly island chain.
Escoda Shoal
The Philippines and Vietnam have separately accused Chinese vessels of repeatedly intruding into Spratlys areas under their control and sabotaging oil explorations in their regular territorial waters in the first six months of last year.
In the latest flaring of tensions, the Philippines last weekend protested to Beijing the alleged intrusion of three Chinese Navy ships near the Sabina (Escoda) Shoal on December 11 and 12.
Escoda Shoal lies within the Philippines’ internationally recognized 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and is “within Philippine sovereignty and maritime jurisdiction,” Del Rosario said.
However, China claims all of the South China Sea, including the entire Spratlys island chain.
Insisting that the Escoda Shoal lay within its territory, China said it saw nothing wrong with the passage of three Chinese vessels near the sandbar in the West Philippine Sea, said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
According to DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez, the Chinese charge d’affaires in Manila had “verbally said that Sabina Shoal has a Chinese name and is within their territorial jurisdiction.”
Hernandez did not say what the foreign office planned to do next after it filed a diplomatic protest against the latest intrusion by Chinese ships into the country’s EEZ.
Del Rosario called the Chinese intrusions “clear violations of the 2002 Association of Southeast Asian Nations-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, as well as the United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea.”
Dipetik dari - Inquirer Global Nation
Posting berkaitan --> Manila protests Chinese ships' presence in Spratlys
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Now is 'the golden opportunity to craft peace accord': Manila
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Monday, January 9, 2012
Manila protests Chinese ships' presence in Spratlys
Jan 8 (Reuters) - The Philippines accused China of intruding into its "maritime jurisdiction" after three Chinese ships were spotted last month in disputed areas in the South China Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday.
China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan have conflicting claims in the Spratlys, an area believed to contain huge deposits of oil and gas in the South China Sea.
A Philippine foreign ministry statement said it had summoned the Chinese embassy's charge d'affaires on Thursday to convey "its serious concerns over recent actions of the People's Republic of China in the West Philippine Sea".
Manila refers to the South China Sea as West Philippine Sea to strengthen its claims on parts of the Spratlys. Philippine troops occupy nine islands and shoals in the Spratlys.
Citing reports from the defence and military establishments, the foreign ministry said two Chinese vessels and a Chinese navy warship were seen around Sabina shoal in the Spratlys on December 11 and 12, respectively.
"These intrusions of the Chinese are clear violations of the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea as well as the provision of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," the foreign ministry said.
Sabina shoal is around 124 nautical miles from the western island of Palawan and is within "Philippine sovereignty and maritime jurisdiction".
In May 2011, Manila accused China of intrusions into its territory, citing six instances, including one in March when two Chinese patrol boats tried to ram a survey ship.
The disputed ownership of oil-rich reefs and islands in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in trade sails annually, is one of the biggest security threats in Asia.
Beijing says it has historical sovereignty over the South C000hina, superseding claims of other countries.
Dipetik dari - Reuters
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Africa eyes nervously Arab Spring's effects
By DAVID KODE
THE Arab awakening, with its inspiring uprisings and historic elections (most recently in Tunisia and Egypt) has been seen by citizens in other African countries as a model of how to instigate change.
So far, it has triggered public demands for similar reforms from several African countries, such as Senegal, Malawi, Uganda and Swaziland.
At the same time, governments throughout Africa are becoming increasingly apprehensive about the influence the North African revolutions may have on their countries. In the immediate aftermath of the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings, for example, the government of Zimbabwe arrested close to 45 activists and initially charged them with treason for watching videos on the revolutions in Egypt and discussing the implications of these events for Africans. Similar experiences have been highlighted in Malawi, Gabon, Uganda and other African countries.
There is a clear lesson: No matter how repressive a regime may be, it can be toppled by committed citizens. Another lesson of the Arab uprisings for Africa is that people from different political and religious affiliations can converge for a common cause: To demand much-needed reforms. New rulers can replicate such cooperation at the national level by creating governments that include citizens from different spheres in order to improve collaboration, accountability and the manner in which future leaders are elected.
As Zimbabwe moves closer to its next election we may see an increase in repressive acts against civil society, human rights activists and those aligned with the political opposition. But the elections also present an opportunity for citizens to decide who should lead the country using the ballot box rather than violent street protests. Free, fair and transparent elections could provide an alternative to violence and a smooth transition to a new political arrangement.
What is very clear from the uprisings in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia is that the demise of leaders previously seen as "unassailable" presents opportunities and unique challenges. Opportunities are evident in newly-opened democratic space, after decades of civil society working in restrictive environments where elections, when conducted, were merely a facade to legitimize regimes in power. The challenges include: Rebuilding infrastructure destroyed during the revolutions, improving social and economic conditions and preventing an influx of unwanted actors into these newly opened political spaces - including the military or those with hidden agendas.
As observed in the Arab Spring, social media and a collective realization that democratic and political reforms are long overdue present clear opportunities for joint government-citizen partnerships. But as change occurs, we must beware of replicating past experiences in Africa. We should not forget about new rulers who took over when old governments were replaced and soon forgot the cautionary tales of their comrades and are now no different from the regimes they overthrew.
With the benefit of hindsight, it is time for us to attempt a completely new model of governance. This will entail empowering citizens and providing them with more responsibilities - using a model in which governments and civil society act as partners, both holding each other accountable. After all, a commendable aspect of the Egyptian struggle was that, in the midst of the mayhem of the revolution, security and some basic services continued to be provided to citizens by other citizens.
The Arab Spring has clearly portrayed the need for a paradigm shift in which power is decentralized and citizens are allowed to participate actively in shaping their destiny.
Dipetik dari - Arab News
THE Arab awakening, with its inspiring uprisings and historic elections (most recently in Tunisia and Egypt) has been seen by citizens in other African countries as a model of how to instigate change.
So far, it has triggered public demands for similar reforms from several African countries, such as Senegal, Malawi, Uganda and Swaziland.
At the same time, governments throughout Africa are becoming increasingly apprehensive about the influence the North African revolutions may have on their countries. In the immediate aftermath of the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings, for example, the government of Zimbabwe arrested close to 45 activists and initially charged them with treason for watching videos on the revolutions in Egypt and discussing the implications of these events for Africans. Similar experiences have been highlighted in Malawi, Gabon, Uganda and other African countries.
There is a clear lesson: No matter how repressive a regime may be, it can be toppled by committed citizens. Another lesson of the Arab uprisings for Africa is that people from different political and religious affiliations can converge for a common cause: To demand much-needed reforms. New rulers can replicate such cooperation at the national level by creating governments that include citizens from different spheres in order to improve collaboration, accountability and the manner in which future leaders are elected.
As Zimbabwe moves closer to its next election we may see an increase in repressive acts against civil society, human rights activists and those aligned with the political opposition. But the elections also present an opportunity for citizens to decide who should lead the country using the ballot box rather than violent street protests. Free, fair and transparent elections could provide an alternative to violence and a smooth transition to a new political arrangement.
What is very clear from the uprisings in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia is that the demise of leaders previously seen as "unassailable" presents opportunities and unique challenges. Opportunities are evident in newly-opened democratic space, after decades of civil society working in restrictive environments where elections, when conducted, were merely a facade to legitimize regimes in power. The challenges include: Rebuilding infrastructure destroyed during the revolutions, improving social and economic conditions and preventing an influx of unwanted actors into these newly opened political spaces - including the military or those with hidden agendas.
As observed in the Arab Spring, social media and a collective realization that democratic and political reforms are long overdue present clear opportunities for joint government-citizen partnerships. But as change occurs, we must beware of replicating past experiences in Africa. We should not forget about new rulers who took over when old governments were replaced and soon forgot the cautionary tales of their comrades and are now no different from the regimes they overthrew.
With the benefit of hindsight, it is time for us to attempt a completely new model of governance. This will entail empowering citizens and providing them with more responsibilities - using a model in which governments and civil society act as partners, both holding each other accountable. After all, a commendable aspect of the Egyptian struggle was that, in the midst of the mayhem of the revolution, security and some basic services continued to be provided to citizens by other citizens.
The Arab Spring has clearly portrayed the need for a paradigm shift in which power is decentralized and citizens are allowed to participate actively in shaping their destiny.
Dipetik dari - Arab News
Friday, January 6, 2012
Superyachts - Motor Yacht Dubai
Launched in 2006 by Platinum Yachts, Dubai is the world’s second largest private yacht, measuring 162 metres. Dubai’s incredible size is disguised by the elegant lines of her steel hull and aluminium superstructure – the work of renowned designer Andrew Winch. Her stunning interior was designed by Platinum Yachts.
The construction of this megayacht began for Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei more than 10 years before the yacht’s launch. The construction, then a joint project between Blohm + Voss and Lurssen shipyards, was halted until 2001 when the hull was acquired by Platinum Yachts for His Highness Sheik Mohammed Rashid al-Maktoum. The project, previously named Platinum, Panhandle and Golden Star, was renamed Dubai.
--> Baca seterusnya - http://www.superyachts.com/motor-yacht-2611/dubai.htm
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Report warns of heightened risk of new recession
On 17 January, the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2012 (WESP) will be launched in multi-city locations around the world. The first chapter of the report on the “Global economic outlook”, pre-released on 1 December 2011, reveals that persistent high unemployment, the euro area debt crisis and premature fiscal austerity have already slowed global growth and factor into the possibility of a new recession.
The forecast has been significantly downgraded compared to six months ago and predicts that the global economy will “muddle through” with the growth of world gross product (WGP) reaching 2.6 per cent in the baseline outlook for 2012 and 3.2 per cent for 2013, down from 4.0 per cent in 2010.
2012 is projected to be a make-or-break year in terms of proceeding with slow economic recovery or falling back into recession. “Failure of policymakers, especially those in Europe and the United States, to address the jobs crisis and prevent sovereign debt distress and financial sector fragility from escalating, poses the most acute risk for the global economy in the outlook for 2012-2013,” states the report.
“The developed economies are on the brink of a downward spiral enacted by four weaknesses that mutually reinforce each other: sovereign debt distress, fragile banking sectors, weak aggregate demand and policy paralysis caused by political gridlock and institutional deficiencies.”
Slower growth in developed countries affects developing countries
Developing countries and economies in transition are expected to continue to stoke the engine of the world economy, growing on average by 5.4 per cent in 2012 and 5.8 per cent in 2013. This is well below the pace of 7.1 per cent achieved in 2010. And even as economic ties among developing countries strengthen, they remain vulnerable to economic conditions in the developed economies. From the second quarter of 2011, economic growth in most developing countries and economies in transition started to slow notably.
Persistent high unemployment in the US at a rate of more than 9 per cent and low wage growth are further holding back aggregate demand and, together with the prospect of prolonged depressed housing prices, this has heightened risks of a new wave of home foreclosures, especially in the US.
Growth in the euro zone has slowed considerably since the beginning of 2011 and the collapse in confidence displayed by a wide variety of leading indicators and measures of economic sentiment suggest a further slowing ahead. Even with an optimistic assumption that the debt crisis can be contained within a few countries, growth is expected to be only marginally positive in the euro area for 2012.
Japan was in another recession in the first half of 2011, caused largely, but not exclusively, by the disasters of the March earthquake. Among the major developing countries, growth in China and India is expected to remain robust, however. Brazil and Mexico are expected to suffer more visible economic slowdown. Low-income countries have experienced only a mild slowdown.
A 64 million jobs deficit
The rate of unemployment averaged 8.3 per cent in developed countries in 2011, still above the pre-crisis level of 5.8 per cent recorded in 2007. Almost 1/3 of the unemployed in developed countries had been without a job for more than one year, affecting about 15 million workers. Prolonged unemployment tends to have long-lasting detrimental impacts on both the affected workers and the economy at large, as skills of unemployed workers deteriorate, leading to lower earnings for affected individuals and lower productivity growth.
In developing countries, the employment recovery has been much stronger. For instance, unemployment rates are back to pre-crisis levels or below in most Asian developing countries and in Latin America employment has recovered in most countries. However, developing countries continue to face major challenges owing to the high shares of workers that are underemployed, poorly paid, have vulnerable job conditions and lack access to any form of social security. At the same time, open unemployment rates remain high, at well over 10 per cent in urban areas.
The UN estimates that there was an employment deficit of 64 million jobs worldwide in 2011. This is the number of jobs needed in order to restore pre-crisis employment levels and absorb the new labour entrants.
Fiscal austerity part of the problem
The harsh fiscal austerity measures implemented in developed countries and elsewhere in response to relatively high levels of fiscal deficit and public debt are further weakening growth and employment prospects, making fiscal adjustment and repairing financial sector balance sheets more challenging.
The sovereign debt crises in a number of European countries worsened in the second half of 2011 and further weakened the balance sheets of banks sitting on these assets. Even bold steps by the Governments of the euro zone countries to reach an orderly sovereign debt workout for Greece were met with continued financial market turbulence and heightened concerns of debt default in some of the larger economies in the euro zone; Italy in particular.
The possibility of failure of the bipartisan “supercommittee” of the US Congress to reach agreement on medium-term budget cuts was already contemplated in the baseline assumptions of the UN forecast. Downside risks have heightened, however, in particular what could happen with regard to two stimulus measures expiring on 1 January 2012, namely, the 2 per cent payroll tax cut and emergency unemployment benefits. If not extended, GDP growth in the US would slow further in 2012.
The EU and the US form the two largest economies in the world and they are deeply intertwined. Their problems could easily feed into each other and spread into another global recession. Developing countries, which had rebounded strongly from the global recession of 2009, would be hit through trade and financial channels.
More vigorous, concerted policy responses needed
Existing national policies and the Cannes Action Plan of the G20 do not add up to a scenario of stronger employment growth and do not sufficiently address the downside risks.
The WESP calls on developed country governments not to embark prematurely on fiscal austerity policies given the still fragile state of the recovery and prevailing high levels of unemployment. Even with high levels of public indebtedness, many countries still enjoy very low borrowing costs and have fiscal space left for additional fiscal stimulus.
The report further recommends more forceful international coordination of additional stimulus measures across countries and refocused policies to stimulate more direct job creation and investment in infrastructure, energy efficiency and sustainable energy supply, and food security, paving the way for unwinding indebtedness and enacting needed structural reforms over the medium run.
Dipetik dari - DESA News - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
The forecast has been significantly downgraded compared to six months ago and predicts that the global economy will “muddle through” with the growth of world gross product (WGP) reaching 2.6 per cent in the baseline outlook for 2012 and 3.2 per cent for 2013, down from 4.0 per cent in 2010.
2012 is projected to be a make-or-break year in terms of proceeding with slow economic recovery or falling back into recession. “Failure of policymakers, especially those in Europe and the United States, to address the jobs crisis and prevent sovereign debt distress and financial sector fragility from escalating, poses the most acute risk for the global economy in the outlook for 2012-2013,” states the report.
“The developed economies are on the brink of a downward spiral enacted by four weaknesses that mutually reinforce each other: sovereign debt distress, fragile banking sectors, weak aggregate demand and policy paralysis caused by political gridlock and institutional deficiencies.”
Slower growth in developed countries affects developing countries
Developing countries and economies in transition are expected to continue to stoke the engine of the world economy, growing on average by 5.4 per cent in 2012 and 5.8 per cent in 2013. This is well below the pace of 7.1 per cent achieved in 2010. And even as economic ties among developing countries strengthen, they remain vulnerable to economic conditions in the developed economies. From the second quarter of 2011, economic growth in most developing countries and economies in transition started to slow notably.
Persistent high unemployment in the US at a rate of more than 9 per cent and low wage growth are further holding back aggregate demand and, together with the prospect of prolonged depressed housing prices, this has heightened risks of a new wave of home foreclosures, especially in the US.
Growth in the euro zone has slowed considerably since the beginning of 2011 and the collapse in confidence displayed by a wide variety of leading indicators and measures of economic sentiment suggest a further slowing ahead. Even with an optimistic assumption that the debt crisis can be contained within a few countries, growth is expected to be only marginally positive in the euro area for 2012.
Japan was in another recession in the first half of 2011, caused largely, but not exclusively, by the disasters of the March earthquake. Among the major developing countries, growth in China and India is expected to remain robust, however. Brazil and Mexico are expected to suffer more visible economic slowdown. Low-income countries have experienced only a mild slowdown.
A 64 million jobs deficit
The rate of unemployment averaged 8.3 per cent in developed countries in 2011, still above the pre-crisis level of 5.8 per cent recorded in 2007. Almost 1/3 of the unemployed in developed countries had been without a job for more than one year, affecting about 15 million workers. Prolonged unemployment tends to have long-lasting detrimental impacts on both the affected workers and the economy at large, as skills of unemployed workers deteriorate, leading to lower earnings for affected individuals and lower productivity growth.
In developing countries, the employment recovery has been much stronger. For instance, unemployment rates are back to pre-crisis levels or below in most Asian developing countries and in Latin America employment has recovered in most countries. However, developing countries continue to face major challenges owing to the high shares of workers that are underemployed, poorly paid, have vulnerable job conditions and lack access to any form of social security. At the same time, open unemployment rates remain high, at well over 10 per cent in urban areas.
The UN estimates that there was an employment deficit of 64 million jobs worldwide in 2011. This is the number of jobs needed in order to restore pre-crisis employment levels and absorb the new labour entrants.
Fiscal austerity part of the problem
The harsh fiscal austerity measures implemented in developed countries and elsewhere in response to relatively high levels of fiscal deficit and public debt are further weakening growth and employment prospects, making fiscal adjustment and repairing financial sector balance sheets more challenging.
The sovereign debt crises in a number of European countries worsened in the second half of 2011 and further weakened the balance sheets of banks sitting on these assets. Even bold steps by the Governments of the euro zone countries to reach an orderly sovereign debt workout for Greece were met with continued financial market turbulence and heightened concerns of debt default in some of the larger economies in the euro zone; Italy in particular.
The possibility of failure of the bipartisan “supercommittee” of the US Congress to reach agreement on medium-term budget cuts was already contemplated in the baseline assumptions of the UN forecast. Downside risks have heightened, however, in particular what could happen with regard to two stimulus measures expiring on 1 January 2012, namely, the 2 per cent payroll tax cut and emergency unemployment benefits. If not extended, GDP growth in the US would slow further in 2012.
The EU and the US form the two largest economies in the world and they are deeply intertwined. Their problems could easily feed into each other and spread into another global recession. Developing countries, which had rebounded strongly from the global recession of 2009, would be hit through trade and financial channels.
More vigorous, concerted policy responses needed
Existing national policies and the Cannes Action Plan of the G20 do not add up to a scenario of stronger employment growth and do not sufficiently address the downside risks.
The WESP calls on developed country governments not to embark prematurely on fiscal austerity policies given the still fragile state of the recovery and prevailing high levels of unemployment. Even with high levels of public indebtedness, many countries still enjoy very low borrowing costs and have fiscal space left for additional fiscal stimulus.
The report further recommends more forceful international coordination of additional stimulus measures across countries and refocused policies to stimulate more direct job creation and investment in infrastructure, energy efficiency and sustainable energy supply, and food security, paving the way for unwinding indebtedness and enacting needed structural reforms over the medium run.
Dipetik dari - DESA News - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tainted ‘symbiotic partnership’ between Brunei regime and Shell
By John Donovan
On Sunday 1 January, the Borneo Bulletin published a gushing article under the headline "Oil & Gas continues to shower Brunei with benefits, opportunities".
It described a claimed lovefest relationship between Royal Dutch Shell and the Brunei Royal family, which the Sultan of Brunei has summed up as: "the extraordinary symbiotic partnership between the Sultanate and the global oil giant… Royal Dutch Shell…"
The so called symbiotic relationship is between a scandal-tainted Brunei royal family and a scandal-tainted oil giant, which attracted international attention when it gave a $500,000 gift for a lavish Brunei royal wedding in September 2004. Many would view such a large sum as a bribe.
The relationship between Shell and the Sultanate has not been as deliriously happy as the article suggests. It was for some time mired in acrimony regarding the controversial subject of Brunei hydrocarbon reserves, which featured prominently in a massive securities fraud surrounding Shell, that came to light early in 2004. The huge wedding gift may have been designed to placate the regime.
Confirmation of the lengthy acrimonious debate between Shell and the Brunei regime on the reserves issue and related accusations made by the regime against Shell, can be found on page 43 of a sworn 965 page video taped deposition by Royal Dutch Shell Group Reserves Auditor, Anton Barendregt.
The Brunei reserves manipulations, designed to defraud Shell shareholders, also featured prominently in an independent report prepared by Davis Polk & Wardell for the Shell Group Audit Committee, and in reports issued by (1) the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission which fined Shell $120 million for securities fraud and (2) the UK Financial Services Authority, which found Shell guilty of "Market Abuse" and issued a fine of £17 million pounds.
The news of the scandal made global headlines and resulted in the forced resignations of Royal Dutch Shell Group Chairman Sir Philip Watts, and his executive director colleagues, Walter van de Vijver and Judith Boyton. Shell also settled several major class action lawsuits.
In February 2010, news broke of a "series of massive fraud investigations against more than 10 senior oil company officials" of Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP). Some officials had already been dismissed and others suspended as a result of the fraud probe by the Brunei Anti Corruption Bureau.
Strange how none of these sordid events were mentioned in the love fest article published on 1 January 2012.
Dipetik dari - Royal Dutch Shell plc .com
On Sunday 1 January, the Borneo Bulletin published a gushing article under the headline "Oil & Gas continues to shower Brunei with benefits, opportunities".
It described a claimed lovefest relationship between Royal Dutch Shell and the Brunei Royal family, which the Sultan of Brunei has summed up as: "the extraordinary symbiotic partnership between the Sultanate and the global oil giant… Royal Dutch Shell…"
The so called symbiotic relationship is between a scandal-tainted Brunei royal family and a scandal-tainted oil giant, which attracted international attention when it gave a $500,000 gift for a lavish Brunei royal wedding in September 2004. Many would view such a large sum as a bribe.
The relationship between Shell and the Sultanate has not been as deliriously happy as the article suggests. It was for some time mired in acrimony regarding the controversial subject of Brunei hydrocarbon reserves, which featured prominently in a massive securities fraud surrounding Shell, that came to light early in 2004. The huge wedding gift may have been designed to placate the regime.
Confirmation of the lengthy acrimonious debate between Shell and the Brunei regime on the reserves issue and related accusations made by the regime against Shell, can be found on page 43 of a sworn 965 page video taped deposition by Royal Dutch Shell Group Reserves Auditor, Anton Barendregt.
The Brunei reserves manipulations, designed to defraud Shell shareholders, also featured prominently in an independent report prepared by Davis Polk & Wardell for the Shell Group Audit Committee, and in reports issued by (1) the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission which fined Shell $120 million for securities fraud and (2) the UK Financial Services Authority, which found Shell guilty of "Market Abuse" and issued a fine of £17 million pounds.
The news of the scandal made global headlines and resulted in the forced resignations of Royal Dutch Shell Group Chairman Sir Philip Watts, and his executive director colleagues, Walter van de Vijver and Judith Boyton. Shell also settled several major class action lawsuits.
In February 2010, news broke of a "series of massive fraud investigations against more than 10 senior oil company officials" of Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP). Some officials had already been dismissed and others suspended as a result of the fraud probe by the Brunei Anti Corruption Bureau.
Strange how none of these sordid events were mentioned in the love fest article published on 1 January 2012.
Dipetik dari - Royal Dutch Shell plc .com
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
KEROSAKAN BANGUNAN MASJID MENGUNDANG TANGGAPAN YANG NEGATIF JIKA TIDAK SEGERA DITANGANI.
Kuala Belait 3 Januari 2011:
Setiap Jum’at, masjid yang boleh menampung lebih seribu jama’ah ini akan menjadi tumpuan umat Islam yang terdiri dari berbagai kaum dan bangsa datang ke sini untuk menunaikan solat Jum’at. Ini termasuklah jama’ah yang berkhidmat dengan Syarikat Brunei Shell dan syarikat-syarikat swasta yang diantaranya terdiri dari pekerja dari luar Negara.
Namun keindahan kawasan dan kecantikan bangunan masjid ini yang dapat kita gambarkan seketika dulu sudah tidak dapat dinikmati ketika ini. Jama’ah yang berkunjung kesini sering mengeluh dengan keadaan kerosakan yang menjejaskan keselisaan pengguna terutama di bahagian kawasan tempat berudhu.
Hal ini sedang hangat diperkatakan oleh warga Facebook Kelab NDP di internet dan dijangka akan mengundang berbagai persepsi negative dan mengundang berbagai persoaalan jika ianya tidak segera diambil perhatian oleh pihak berwajib.
Selain Masjid Kampong Pandan ini, Masjid utam Daerah Belait juga mengalami kebocoran yang sudah lama dan belum dapat dibaiki hingga sekarang.
Monday, January 2, 2012
The year that changed the world
By AIJAZ Z. SYED
The eventful 2011 did not just change contours of Middle East, it leaves behind a world transformed
The world is supposed to end in 2012, if we are to go by the ancient Mayan calendar. Hollywood’s Doomsday pundits and some Christian groups in the US seem to agree that we are truly living in the end times. Hallelujah! Of course, how 2012 would eventually end would become starkly clear by year end Insha Allah.
For most people in the Middle East, it’s 2011 that changed the world. What an extraordinary, truly game-changing year has it been! Who would have imagined this time last year that hope would break out of the darkness of a dying year? Who could have known that a faceless fruit seller would spark a series of revolutions when he put a match to himself in utter despair?
A new Tunisia and a new Middle East rose from the ashes of hope that died young. The ostensibly invincible empires of tyranny collapsed like a house of cards within weeks. It’s still hard to believe three are already down with more on the way. By the time the Arab Spring comes to a close, we may have a region transformed beyond recognition.
What is most exhilarating about this season of change is the fact that it’s inspiring and has already spawned similar movements across the world, from America to Australia. Which is remarkable for a region long derided as a black hole for freedom, democracy and civil liberties.
For too long the Arabs have been stereotyped as the folks who have a natural propensity to tolerate tyranny and are incapable of embracing Western ideas of progress, liberty and empowerment.
No wonder the self anointed champions of democracy and freedom have had to join hands with men like Mubarak, Ben Ali and Qaddafi to govern the ungovernable natives.
This is why it’s so gratifying to see the Americans march on to the Wall Street and “occupy” New York and Washington while unprecedented protests against the unfair and disastrous economic policies across Europe set the continent on fire. It’s not the same thing, you would say. But like the people of the Middle East, Americans and Europeans are also fighting tyranny and corruption — tyranny of the economic elite and fattening up of the two percent at the expense of the rest.
While millions of jobless and starving people in the world’s richest country are out on the streets demanding their due, their government spends trillions of dollars on absurd, vainglorious wars and to bail out the corrupt and criminal of the Wall Street. Things are so bad that for the first time in its history America is witnessing a brain drain. Today, more US citizens than ever before — as many as 6.4 million, according to the latest Gallup study — are living outside the country. Why some of them are going down to study and work in India!
Things are little different across the pond. The Year 2011 has proved equally eventful for Europe. Until last year the continent was the ultimate model of benign Western capitalism. Euro was almost as much as valued and in demand as getting a toehold in the European Union.
Today, one formidable EU economy after another is unraveling, clouding the very future of the elite club as people take to streets against the long decades of exploitation and abuse. Even Putin’s impregnable fortress stands breached. And it is not just the West; the scent of the Jasmine revolution has reached South Asia too with both India and Pakistan going through a great churning.
In both India and Pakistan, as in the Middle East and West, it’s not conventional politicians and opinion leaders but ordinary people who are leading the movements for change.
As much as I admire and adore Imran Khan, it’s not the cricket legend who has generated the groundswell sweeping Pakistan today. The craving for change of ordinary Pakistanis has created this momentum.
Khan, who has captured the imagination of the nation and is attracting hundreds of thousands to his rallies from Lahore to Karachi, is a creation of the circumstances that have made Pakistan such an unhappy place for its people today. Battered and abused by its “allies and friends” and plundered by its elites, the land of the pure has once again managed to end up with the lowest of the low at the very top. They sign away the nation’s sovereignty and dignity to foreign masters all in the name of democracy and “making a nation.”
When the loud calls demanding change were rocking the Tahrir Square and much of the Arab world, many of my Pakistani friends wondered when and if their own spring would arrive. Well, Pakistan is almost ready for the long due spring cleaning. And so is India.
Again, the crusade against corruption roiling the great democracy isn’t entirely a creation of Anna Hazare and his team. Popular anger and frustration, simmering over the years, had reached a boiling point long before the septuagenarian activist arrived on the scene.
The public outrage over the all-pervasive corruption with one scam after another billion rupee scam blowing up in the government’s face was palpable to even distant observers like us while the honest and incorruptible Singh slept on the wheel.
It’s as though the government was driven by a death wish, choosing to do nothing even after senior ministers like Kalmadi and Raja were caught with their hands in the till.
Indeed, even after the media went to town with the grisly details of the royal ride India had been taken for by Kalmadi in the name of the Commonwealth Games, it was business as usual. He remained part of the Cabinet and still headed the CWG organizing committee. Ditto Raja who has to his credit the Rs. 1.76-trillion telecom scam, said to be the biggest in history. They were sent to prison much later only after a relentless media campaign made it impossible to protect them.
All this was too much to swallow even for a stoical people long accustomed to abuse in all walks of life. Hazare, the rebel forever looking for a cause, stepped forward to tap into this reservoir of cold fury reproducing India’s own Tahrir Square in New Delhi.
Hazare’s my-way-or-the-high-way approach and his audacity to dictate to the government and Parliament is of course breathtaking. He has also managed to turn the nation’s yearning for change into an anti-Congress crusade, often targeting Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. No wonder the Congress sees him as a BJP-RSS conspiracy.
Yet if India has decided to take on corruption today, notwithstanding the Lokpal fiasco in Parliament on Thursday with all parties trying their best to derail the legislation, some credit goes to a very obstinate old man — and perhaps also to the westerly winds of change blowing from across Arabia. And it’s not end of the world. Hope lives on and Year 2012 promises to be anything but dull. Happy New Year everyone!
Dipetik dari - Arab News
The eventful 2011 did not just change contours of Middle East, it leaves behind a world transformed
The world is supposed to end in 2012, if we are to go by the ancient Mayan calendar. Hollywood’s Doomsday pundits and some Christian groups in the US seem to agree that we are truly living in the end times. Hallelujah! Of course, how 2012 would eventually end would become starkly clear by year end Insha Allah.
For most people in the Middle East, it’s 2011 that changed the world. What an extraordinary, truly game-changing year has it been! Who would have imagined this time last year that hope would break out of the darkness of a dying year? Who could have known that a faceless fruit seller would spark a series of revolutions when he put a match to himself in utter despair?
A new Tunisia and a new Middle East rose from the ashes of hope that died young. The ostensibly invincible empires of tyranny collapsed like a house of cards within weeks. It’s still hard to believe three are already down with more on the way. By the time the Arab Spring comes to a close, we may have a region transformed beyond recognition.
What is most exhilarating about this season of change is the fact that it’s inspiring and has already spawned similar movements across the world, from America to Australia. Which is remarkable for a region long derided as a black hole for freedom, democracy and civil liberties.
For too long the Arabs have been stereotyped as the folks who have a natural propensity to tolerate tyranny and are incapable of embracing Western ideas of progress, liberty and empowerment.
No wonder the self anointed champions of democracy and freedom have had to join hands with men like Mubarak, Ben Ali and Qaddafi to govern the ungovernable natives.
This is why it’s so gratifying to see the Americans march on to the Wall Street and “occupy” New York and Washington while unprecedented protests against the unfair and disastrous economic policies across Europe set the continent on fire. It’s not the same thing, you would say. But like the people of the Middle East, Americans and Europeans are also fighting tyranny and corruption — tyranny of the economic elite and fattening up of the two percent at the expense of the rest.
While millions of jobless and starving people in the world’s richest country are out on the streets demanding their due, their government spends trillions of dollars on absurd, vainglorious wars and to bail out the corrupt and criminal of the Wall Street. Things are so bad that for the first time in its history America is witnessing a brain drain. Today, more US citizens than ever before — as many as 6.4 million, according to the latest Gallup study — are living outside the country. Why some of them are going down to study and work in India!
Things are little different across the pond. The Year 2011 has proved equally eventful for Europe. Until last year the continent was the ultimate model of benign Western capitalism. Euro was almost as much as valued and in demand as getting a toehold in the European Union.
Today, one formidable EU economy after another is unraveling, clouding the very future of the elite club as people take to streets against the long decades of exploitation and abuse. Even Putin’s impregnable fortress stands breached. And it is not just the West; the scent of the Jasmine revolution has reached South Asia too with both India and Pakistan going through a great churning.
In both India and Pakistan, as in the Middle East and West, it’s not conventional politicians and opinion leaders but ordinary people who are leading the movements for change.
As much as I admire and adore Imran Khan, it’s not the cricket legend who has generated the groundswell sweeping Pakistan today. The craving for change of ordinary Pakistanis has created this momentum.
Khan, who has captured the imagination of the nation and is attracting hundreds of thousands to his rallies from Lahore to Karachi, is a creation of the circumstances that have made Pakistan such an unhappy place for its people today. Battered and abused by its “allies and friends” and plundered by its elites, the land of the pure has once again managed to end up with the lowest of the low at the very top. They sign away the nation’s sovereignty and dignity to foreign masters all in the name of democracy and “making a nation.”
When the loud calls demanding change were rocking the Tahrir Square and much of the Arab world, many of my Pakistani friends wondered when and if their own spring would arrive. Well, Pakistan is almost ready for the long due spring cleaning. And so is India.
Again, the crusade against corruption roiling the great democracy isn’t entirely a creation of Anna Hazare and his team. Popular anger and frustration, simmering over the years, had reached a boiling point long before the septuagenarian activist arrived on the scene.
The public outrage over the all-pervasive corruption with one scam after another billion rupee scam blowing up in the government’s face was palpable to even distant observers like us while the honest and incorruptible Singh slept on the wheel.
It’s as though the government was driven by a death wish, choosing to do nothing even after senior ministers like Kalmadi and Raja were caught with their hands in the till.
Indeed, even after the media went to town with the grisly details of the royal ride India had been taken for by Kalmadi in the name of the Commonwealth Games, it was business as usual. He remained part of the Cabinet and still headed the CWG organizing committee. Ditto Raja who has to his credit the Rs. 1.76-trillion telecom scam, said to be the biggest in history. They were sent to prison much later only after a relentless media campaign made it impossible to protect them.
All this was too much to swallow even for a stoical people long accustomed to abuse in all walks of life. Hazare, the rebel forever looking for a cause, stepped forward to tap into this reservoir of cold fury reproducing India’s own Tahrir Square in New Delhi.
Hazare’s my-way-or-the-high-way approach and his audacity to dictate to the government and Parliament is of course breathtaking. He has also managed to turn the nation’s yearning for change into an anti-Congress crusade, often targeting Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. No wonder the Congress sees him as a BJP-RSS conspiracy.
Yet if India has decided to take on corruption today, notwithstanding the Lokpal fiasco in Parliament on Thursday with all parties trying their best to derail the legislation, some credit goes to a very obstinate old man — and perhaps also to the westerly winds of change blowing from across Arabia. And it’s not end of the world. Hope lives on and Year 2012 promises to be anything but dull. Happy New Year everyone!
Dipetik dari - Arab News
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