Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 38, Number 10. 22nd May 1975

News from Malaysian & Singapore

News from Malaysian & Singapore

9-4-75

Chee Khoon: Harsh Measures May Force Students To Go Underground

K.L. —Dr. Tan Chee Khoon (Pekemas MP) opposed the Universities and University Colleges (Amendment Bill). He said: 'These repressive measures, far from curbing students' political activities, will harden their attitude and if they cannot conduct their activities openly they will just go underground. This will entail far more work for the Special Branch'. 'Alas, in Malaysia the National Front Government is mortally afraid of students achieving political consciousness', he added. He also said that the vice-chancellor would be used as a convenient hatchet man for the Minister.

14-4-75

Union's Plan For New Students

The theme of the University of Singapore and Singapore Polytechnic Students Unions' freshmen orientation programmes this year will be on 'Students' role and responsibility in society', said the officials of the freshmen orientation committees of both unions.

The programmes of USSU include:
1. Orientation camp, exhibitions, welfare activities and forums.
2. A survey on the living conditions of farmers in rural areas and a short stint in factories to observe the working conditions of workers.
The aims of the Singapore Polytechnic's orientation are to:
1. Bring About better understanding of the union's policies.
2. Forge a more coherent relationship between seniors and freshmen.
3. Afford maximum exposure to social realities to achieve social awareness amond students.

The programmes include sing-along sessions, film shows, group discussions, talks, a work-camp, exhibitions and outdoor activities. The official said the union would not organise an orientation ball this year 'to save money and trouble'.

15—4—75

Mosque Demo: 60 Freed

K.L. — Sixty students were acquitted without their defence being called by the Sessions Court today on a charge of taking part in an unlawful assembly at Masjid Negera on Dec 3 last year as they had not been positively identified as being members of the unlawful assembly. Court president, Encik Abdul Rashid Manaf said that the prosecution only submitted part of the photos taken during the unlawful assembly; for a fair trial they should have submitted all the photos. He emphasized that there was a possibility that students were being beaten within those unsubmitted ones. The trial of the second batch of 60 students has been postponed until later this year.

16—4—75

Razak Urges London Umno To Preserve Malaysia's Good Image

London — Tun Abdul Razak urged members of the London Umno Club to help preserve Malaysia's good image in Britain. He said certain groups of Malaysians studying had smeared the country's good name by presenting distorted versions of what was happening in the country. He feared that Malaysian students might be influenced and lower their morale in their new environment.

16-4-75

Musa Hitam Calls US To Stabilise Tin Price

London — Primary Industries Minister, Datuk MUM Hitam said the United States should accept the principle that the commercial sales of tin from the General Services Administration (GSA) stockpiles should not be made when the price is within the price stabilisation band or below. He regretted that although the GSA stockpile had been reduced from 369,000 long tons in 1962 to the present 207,000 tonnes, it still represented a high leverage factor in the tin market. The tin price today is around $950 a pikul — well below the price stabilisation band of between $980 and $1,040 a pikul.

21-4-75

Ghafar Call To Bridge Rich-Poor Gap At Once

Ipoh — The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Encik Ghafar Baba said, 'At the moment, there is a wide gap in the distribution of income and property, especially with the Malays and other bumiputras. The Malays only own 1% each of the shares in public companies and industrial sector companies. In modern agricultural sector companies, the Malays and Indians each have 0.3% participation'. He also said that Mara (Council of Trust for the indigeneous people) has so far spent $73 million allotted for it under the second Malaysian Plan. Of the $353 million worth of shares reserved for Malays till the middle of 1973. only half of them were bought up.

Justice Now header

23—4—75

Unions Give NEB A Week To Start Talks

K.L. — A seven day ultimatum was served by three National Electricity Board unions to Use management today to commence negotiations and settle their conditions claims. The Employees Union general secretary, Haji Othman Idris, said the joint action was planned to make their case stronger as well as to impress the management that they meant business.

24-4-75

Americans' $1,100m Business Stake In Malaysia

K.L. — American investment in Malaysia totals US$500 million ($1,100 million) so far with expectations of more than doubting during the coming years, revealed by the Malaysian Ambassador to the US, Encik Mohamed Khir Johari. He said the tax incentives offered by the Malaysian Government gave tremendous cost advantages for American projects in Malaysia, especially with the industrial and social infrastructure already available.

24—4—75

Fair Deal For All Investors, Jamil Tells Japanese

Tokyo — Malaysia has few problems with Japanese investors that have not been able to solve amicably, Malaysian Federal Industrial Development Authority chairman Encik Jamil Jan said here. There were complaints that some Japanese companies did not give full oportunity for Malaysians to be trained to secure senior positions. This problem is compounded by the fact that it is the practice of Japanese companies to communicate between the Malaysian joint venture company and the parent company in Japan in Japanese.

24-4-75

KL To Get $80m French Loan

Paris — Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak said the French Government was prepared to lend his country about 150 million francs ($S80.5 million) for economic development projects. Addressing French bankers, he said Malaysia was stepping up its drive to attract investments and technological know-how from western industrial nations.

26-4-75

Work-To-Rule Holds Up 6 Ships

Port Klang — At least six ships were delayed in their departure fro several hours as the Port Authority's marine crew resorted to work to-rule action. Marine personnel were boycotting overtime and refusing to take out tug boats in support of their claim for a higher travelling allowance than their present $7 a month for each worker. About 800 clerks and forklift drivers are involved in the dispute.

26-4-75

US Arms Export Boom

The world wide arms build-up, particularly in the Middle East, has brought boom times for United States exporters of arms. Military exports by American companies have reached a new high of more than US$8 billion ($S17.6 billion) a year, and deliveries of weapons to foreign customers are growing at the fastest rate in US history. For some American arms manufacturers, the sales of weapons systems abroad has become one of their profitable lines of business. For others, it has compensated for the decline in domestic military sales that followed America's disengagement from Vietnam. Defence experts say that the boom in military sales will continue at least several more years. According to the US arms control and disarmament agency, the US was responsible in 1973 for 54.4% of the world's arms export. The Soviet Union was second with 27.5%.

30-4-75

US and Soviet Union Stepping Up Their Contention For World Hegemony

Hong Kong — The Chinese Communist Party Central Committee sent a message today to the Malaysian Communist Party Central Committee extending congratulations on its 45th anniversary. It quoted in the message that 'at present, the international situation is characterised by great disorder. The two crisis-gripped superpowers are stepping up their contention for world hegemony. The tossing tide of revolution is vigorously pounding at the old world, such an excellent situation is in favour of the Malayan People's revolutionary struggle'.

30-4-75

Drop In External Trade

Singapore's total external trade in the first three months of this year fell by $390.6 million, according to official statistics. This was due largely to a drop in exports from $3,464.6 million to $2,893.2 million. Imports, however, registered a small increase, from $4,640 million to $4,810.8 million.

7-5-75

Pressures Will Build Up: Goh

Singapore's Defence Minister Dr. Goh Keng Swee said that with the recent military disasters in Indochina, pressures through local insurgencies and other means will build up in the South-east states. Non-communists (ailed in Indochina because they and their allies did not understand the true nature of the communist. Their perception of communism was largely in lurid propaganda terms of good and evil, communists being regarded as destroyers of freedom, peace, prosperity and human dignity. Yet if communism is that bad, how was it able to produce in the Soviet Union a modern industrial state and China with an international renown within ten years. He said it is possible to formulate intelligent and successful counter measures by studying communism thoroughly.

10-7-74

Trade Imbalance Between Malaysia and NZ

K.L. — Serious Trade imbalance between Malaysia and New Zealand was reported in 'Asia Trade and Industry'. The following table is Malaysia's balance on visible Trade and Trade Deficit with NZ.

Year Imports Exports Trading Deficit
1971 46.51 21.53 24.98
1972 63.14 21.39 41.75
1973 * 77.80 26.90 50.90

11-17-2-75

According to the government, some 500 guerillas of the underground Sarawak Communist Organisation have given up the struggle. There is no indication as to how many still remain in the jungle. According to earlier White Papers on the SCO there were only about 500 guerillas. If that were so, then the government would have already wiped out the whole organisation. But there is no suggestion even by the Government that it has done so, which leads one to the conclusion that the figure of 500 in both references were inaccurate. Alternatively the SCO has since the publication of the White Paper, expanded its forces significantly to more than 500 members.

If $90 million are spent in Sarawak one can well imagine the amount spent on the counter-insurgency operations in the Malayan jungles which is a more sustained and developed campaign.

* Notes: The 1973 figures refer only to the Malay Peninsular (excluding Sarawak and Sabah). The figures are all in NZ$Million. It was reported that in 1973, trade deficit between the two countries (including Sabah and Sarawak) amounted to M$100million.