Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Amaran Jepun - gaji kilang, harga minyak mesti rendah

Takut juga membaca berita ini.
Cerita dari akhbar The Edge Malaysia - lihat di bawah.
(maaf tak dapat kasi link, sebab server depa rosak agaknya).

Sejak berpuluh tahun, banyak negara kecil di dunia, termasuk Singapura, Malaysia dan negara Asean lain, mengharapkan pelaburan Jepun untuk mengembangkan ekonomi.
Barangan elektronik Sony, Panasonic, Matsushita, Sharp, pemasangan kereta Toyota, Suzuki dan Honda, dan sebagainya.
Jadi bila orang setinggi pegawai No.1 kedutaan Jepun di Malaysia kasi warning seperti ini, tentunya ia menakutkan.
Pada masa yang sama, jika kita nak 'jahat', kita boleh kata mamat diplomatiq ni masuk campur ehwal politik Malaysia. Tetapi mengapa tidak?
Kalau wartawan yang duduk kat Temasek boleh sibuk komen tentang isu dari Perlis hinggalah ke Sabah, apatah lagi negara pelabur besar?

Dalam era hari ini, Malaysia adalah negara middle-income. Iaitu status 'middle class' dari segi gaji tetapi belum boleh mengaku negara kaya seperti Singapura.
Pulau kecik Singapore dah masuk First World, Malaysia masih lagi negara Third World, negara dunia ketiga, jika diukur dari pendapatan setiap kepala/per capita income.
Jadi apabila negara pelabur kata kamu boleh hilang pelaburan dari kami (foreign direct investments = FDI), tentunya semua orang kena bangun dan cuba nak selesaikan.



AMARAN No.1: Tak cukup pekerja kilang.

Beliau tanpa segan silu kata: Syarikat Jepun nak pakai pekerja asing, sebab orang Malaysia tak suka kerja kilang.

Saya rasa salah tu kalau kata orang Malaysia (atau Singapore pun) tak suka kerja kilang. Orang biasa macam kita, kerja mana pun tak kisah, jika gajinya lumayan.
Kalau kerja di sektor pembinaan tu bayar RM10,000, saya pun hendak, walau kerja panas terik (Tak kena matahari pun, kulit aku dah hitam).
Tapi kalau setakat gaji RM1,000-RM2,000, baik aku jadi wartawan - sama gaji dan duduk dalam bilik aircon.
Atau baik aku jadi security guard, kerja rilek, gaji sama.

Jika gaji di sektor perkilangan hanya setakat RM1,000-RM2,000, susah nak dapatkan mamat atau minah kilang kena kerja 3 shift, duduk pasang barang yang sama setiap hari. Ramai lebih suka jadi receptionist atau kerani di office.

Sebenarnya, diplomat ini membandingkan Malaysia dengan pesaing FDI hebat Malaysia di Asean = iaitu Indonesia, Thailand dan Vietnam. Dan juga mungkin Cambodia dan Filipina. Kalau dimasukkan China dan India, lagi menakutkan, sebab gaji mereka semuanya rendah.
Dengan RM300-RM600 boleh dapat mamat dan minah kilang beribu-ribu.

Di Singapore, jika tak silap, gaji pekerja kilang kalau tak lebih dari S$1,500 (RM3,500), tak ada orang datang. Itupun banyak kilang di sini, sebab ramai pekerja Johor, dan pekerja Singapore yang tak berpelajaran (guna bahasa kurang ajar = budak Melayu yang kecik-kecik tak mahu belajar, sekarang buat susah diri sendiri).
Tetapi kilang sanggup bayar sebab mudah dia nak eksport produknya - kerana airport dan pelabuhan Temasek adalah No.1 di Asean.
Bukan sebab besar dan megah, tetapi CONNECTIVITYnya baik. Nak eksport direct ke mana saja, boleh.

Jadi warning ambassador itu untuk Malaysia sebenarnya ialah - kalau kamu tak mahu kalah FDI kepada Indonesia dan Vietnam, China dan India, kena terima gaji kilang yang rendah.
Kena pakai terus pekerja Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar dan sebagainya.

Macam mana nak galakkan pekerja Malaysia terima gaji RM300-600 ni? Kalau campur overtime pun, tak lebih banyak dari RM1,000 mungkin. Baik aku kerja jadi salesgirl dan waiter kat mall.

Nak marah beliau kerana campur ehwal politik-ekonomi Malaysia, tak boleh. Sebab dia hanya menyampaikan luahan hati pekilang Jepun.
Dan FDI dari Jepun adalah No.1 untuk Malaysia selama lima tahun yang lalu ini!


AMARAN No.2: Jangan naikkan harga minyak.

Waduh, Pak.
Ini lagi masuk campur bab politik tempatan.
Tapi tak boleh marah beliau, sebab kalau harga nak transport barangan mahal, mereka akan lari ke negara lain.
Sebelum membuka kilang, mereka dah buat costing.
Bukan saja gaji pekerja, tapi berapa harga nak keluarkan setiap produk, dan dikira dalam jangka 10-20tahun. Cost to produce each.
Harga letrik di sini, nak sewa lori, nak bawa masuk barangan yang akan disiapkan (seperti kena beli besi keluli, kaca/silica sand, misalnya, kalau nak buat TV)
Nak buat satu televisyen, atau fridge kat Malaysia ni berapa, jika dibandingkan dipasang di Pulau Jawa atau di Hanoi. Atau di Gurgaon (kawasan industri di luar New Delhi di India) atau di Guangdong.
Ini termasuk berapa jauh kilang itu dari pelabuhan yang boleh dihantar product itu terus kepada customer.

Kenapa si Coca Cola tu buka kilang kat Nilai?
Bukan sebab dia nak tengok F1, atau dekat dengan Pantai Port Dickson.
Atau kerana si KJ pujuk, maka lutut dia lemah.
Coke kat situ sebab dekat dengan KLIA.
Dan tak jauh dari pelabuhan Port Klang.
Nak dibuat kilang di PJ, Klang (lebih dekat dengan pelabuhan), tapi tanahnya mahal sangat.
Sewa/beli tanah di Selangor semuanya mahal. Jadi tanah Negeri Sembilan murah lagi.

Sama seperti kenapa bandar Kulim di Kedah tu sekarang banyak factory.
Sebab sewa/beli tanah di Kedah lebih murah dari tanah di Pulau Pinang, termasuk tanah di Seberang Perai.
Dan Kulim tak jauh dari pelabuhan Penang dan airport Penang, hanya 45 minit gunakan highway.
Saya tahu banyak detail tentang Kulim ni sebab pernah beberapa kali membuat story tentang pembangunan pesat di situ, sebab ada beberapa kilang syarikat Singapore di sana.
Dan pada 2004, ada syarikat besar melabur US$1 billion di Kulim. Akhbar Malaysia tak pandai spin cerita ni besar-besar, yang puji Malaysia dengan tulisannya, AKU JUGAK.
Baca kat sini - ah, pandai tak saya naikkan bendera Malaysia Darul FDI?
Itu pun tak dapat jadi datuk, macam mana nak beli X6 (Heehee, jangan marah Tok Rock).

Pelabur tak tahan harga tanah dan gaji mahal pekerja di Penang, lalu lari ke Kulim nak turunkan kos.

Macam mana nak resolve benda gaji dan harga minyak ni?
Saya pun pening. Baik Barisan Nasional, atau Pakatan Rakyat jadi kerajaan esok pun, masalahnya sama. Baik kamu semua duduk semeja nak selesaikan. Agar rakyat terus makmur.
Bukan setakat menghentam saja. Tapi tak bagi jalan keluar.
Kalau kau tanya dia, emak aku pun boleh kalau jadi pengkritik ekonomi Malaysia.


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Japan envoy cautions Malaysia over manpower shortage, impact on FDI

Written by Regina William
Wednesday, 17 March 2010 15:42


GEORGE TOWN: Malaysia could lose out in foreign direct investments from Japan if the manpower shortage faced by the manufacturing sector prolongs and coupled with the threat of removal of fuel subsidy by the government, Malaysia may not be on the radar for new investments for Japanese companies.


Japanese ambassador Masahiko Horie said on Wednesday, March 17 these two elements would weigh heavily on FDIs and Malaysia may lose its advantage to other countries.

Speaking to journalists during his visit to Penang here, Horie said these were among the main grouses raised by Japanese companies located here. Also present were consul general Tetsuro Kai and deputy consul
general Hiroko Matsuo.

Japan was the highest contributor in terms of FDIs in Malaysia over the past five years, topping the list in 2006 (RM4.412 billion), 2007 (RM6.523 billion) and 2009 (RM7.041 billion). For 2005 and 2008, Japan contributed RM3.67 billion (second on the list) and RM5.60 billion (third), respectively.

Horie said Japanese companies, especially those in the electronics and electrical (E&E) sector were having a hard time employing production operators who were crucial to their operations.

"Since the Malaysian government has disallowed the intake of foreign workers, many Japanese companies are finding it difficult to employ production operators.

"This scenario is not only prevalent in Penang, but also nationwide, and not only limited to Japanese companies," Horie said.

Citing the example of Sony Malaysia in Shah Alam, which had advertised to employ between 1,000 and 2,000 production operators in September last year, Horie said after one day, only 36 locals responded to the
advertisements.

"After some assistance from the government, they managed to bring in some foreign workers. One of the companies in Penang wanted to hire 100 workers, they only managed to employ 30.

"This is the same predicament faced by the manufacturing sector all over Malaysia," he added.

Horie said it was understandable that the Malaysian government was keen to move up the value chain in the manufacturing sector, but some processes were not meant to be high-tech and would require labour.

"We have met the ministers of human resources, international trade and industry and the deputy prime minister and explained why the E&E sector needs these operators.

"We are very supportive and we understand the Malaysian government's aspiration to move upwards into a high technology and knowledge-based economy but no where in the world can the processes for E&E appliances and products, automobile and audio industries be automated.

"These processes will always be manually operated as it requires patience as the work is mostly repetitive and relatively low-wage income.

"However, these processes are indispensable and without this part of manufacturing, no company can achieve production of first-class high precision products," he added.

On the impending removal of fuel subsidy, Horie said many of the Japanese companies had moved to Malaysia due to the low and attractive prices which enabled them to carry out their operations competitively.

"Now, with this increase looming, many are worried if they would lose their competitiveness to operate in Malaysia," he said. Other grouses raised by Japanese companies in Penang, especially in the manufacturing sector, include the erratic power supply.

Horie said a manufacturer had lamented the frequency of such incidences which, even if it lasted for one or two seconds, would result in huge losses due to the operations being disrupted by at least an hour.

He said due to these circumstances, existing manufacturers were also mulling over a relocation to elsewhere. Currently, there are 120 Japanese companies in Penang, out of the 1,200 nationwide and there
were 1,600 Japanese residing in Penang.

There were also 500 Japanese living in Penang under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.

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