Hari Merdeka

31 August 2012 marks the 55th Independence Day of Malaysia (Hari Merdeka). Since gaining independence from the British colonial rule in 1957, Malaysia's economy has grown from low income to upper middle income level.

According to the World Bank, GDP per capita has grown from USD299 in 1960 to USD9,686 in 2011, an annual growth rate of about 7% in the last five decades. It is indeed an impressive performance, but Malaysia could have done even better. Singapore, the closest competitor,  has shown a much better growth performance which has an annual growth rate of  9.8% over the same period. Singapore's GDP per capita is USD46,241 in 2011, which is 4.7 times more than a Malaysian. Also, Singapore ranks 19th in the World Bank's list, which is higher than Japan.

It does not require a nobel laureate in economics to explain the underlying reason for the performance gap between Malaysia and Singapore. The leaders have the answer but unfortunately they are not willing to deliver it. Even worst, a major press media Star which serves as the fourth branch government in Malaysia opines that Malaysians should satisfy with the present outcome instead of complaining that government should have done more (see my posting on 22 August 2012).

While all Malaysians ought to support their government, it is also true that every Malaysia has the right to demand a leadership that would deliver a better economic performance that commensurates to the country's potential.

「正の外部性」を通用しない？

日本の大学・大学院はグロバール経済と国内構造変化の対応に苦しんでいる。質の高い人的資源の供給とその需要となる企業の間にミスマッチが生じているようである。少子化で大学全入時代を直面している学部および専門職の人材を育成する大学院は課題が多い。後者について日経新聞に8月21日〜24日に「沈む大学院」と題する連載があった。確かに大学院の取り巻く環境が厳しい。

経済学では教育は「正の外部性」という性質があり、故に政府（文科省）は積極的に介入してゆくのは正当である。しかし、文科省主導でこの20年間に行った小中等教育と高等教育部門の改革や刷新をみれば、その成果は初期の期待値の半分以下となったのではないかと思わざるを得ない。「正の外部性」という経済学の理論は日本では適用できなかったのかと不思議に思った次第である。

100回を超えた

気が付いたら、当プログは前回で丁度100回目であった。2006年3月にスタートしたのを考えれば、真面目なブロガーではなかった。。。

The Press in Malaysia

I was astonished to read an opinion article in Star Online (19 August 2012) entitled "Let's be honest in assessing our in assessing our achievements." It claims that "As a people, Malaysians tend to be picky and self-deprecating to the point of overlooking our strengths as a nation."

This assertion was based on the fact that the economy has grown 5.4% in the second quarter, which is relatively high when compared with developed and other emerging economies. In addition, Star contends that Malaysians should appreciate the growth benefits instead of complaining that the government should have done more.

On the one hand, from psychological point of view, Star's opinion can be regarded as "my glass is still half full" instead of "my glass is half empty." On the other hand, Star can assert that Malaysian economy could have performed better, and Malaysians have the right or entitlement to choose a new leadership or new government that could deliver a higher growth benefits. I bet that most rakyat Malaysia are demanding the latter.

It is unfortunate that, in spite our level of development, the Star is still the fourth branch of government instead of transforming itself to become the fourth estate.

再開

ブログを再開します。