- PNB achieved a record income and bonus distribution
- Thailand is making moves to solidify its economy
- Former US President is sick after all
IN Malaysia
Malaysia’s up-and-coming new export – doctors
Revealed by an anonymous Malaysian doctor who is working in Singapore and only wants to be known as Dr. Akram, he stated that Malaysian medical graduates are sought after in the island-nation as they are considered ‘cheap but high-quality assets’, thanks to our holistic training system for junior doctors. Dr. Akram stated that 40% of the medical staff who work at the hospital where he is currently employed are from leading Malaysian universities. Dr Akram also added that, unsurprisingly, our medical graduates choose to work overseas mainly due to the high salary and generous benefits, as well as better work-life balance. Emphasising the last point, for example, a medical officer working in Singapore only treats about 20 patients daily, but a doctor serving in Malaysia treats up to double that amount.
Exporting goods overseas is good for any trading nation like Malaysia, but shipping out highly-skilled talents, while our country still needs such talent, is not good for us. Malaysia is currently experiencing a severe shortage of doctors in the country, as according to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the number of medical graduates is on a declining trend, where we used to churn out 3,899 doctors in 2017, but now it has dropped by 38% to 2,406 doctors in 2022. Not to mention, most of the doctors that studied in public universities are partially or fully funded by the Government. So, not only are we slowly running out of doctors, but we are also subsidising countries like Singapore for their supply of doctors. Malaysia memang baik. Kita suka bersedekah left, right and centre. Another important fact, Malaysia has a significantly lower doctor-to-population ratio, standing at 1:412, compared to Singapore’s 1:270.
Shorts
- PM Anwar Ibrahim said that the exhibition space for the future edition of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition will be expanded as the current exhibition space, the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre (MIEC), could no longer accommodate the increasing demand for space by international companies. The 17th edition of LIMA officially starts today until this Saturday.
- Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) delivered a record income and bonus distribution of RM14.5 bil for FY2024, boosted by an increased net income of RM16.97 bil, a 30.2% bump from FY2023’s performance of RM13.04 bil. However, PNB CEO Abdul Rahman Ahmad cautioned that the future outlook is gloomy, driven by geopolitical developments and a fundamental shift in US trade policies. But, PNB still stick to its guns to achieve the RM400 bil total assets under management (AUM) target by 2027. At the moment, PNB has RM348.3 bil AUM.
Around the S.E.A.
All eyes on Thailand
Thailand, which faces a threat of a 36% tariff from the US, are making moves to make its economy resilient amidst the malapetaka that is happening in the region. Below are the measures taken by the country –
- Bigger tax incentives to small and medium businesses: Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) announced that small and medium enterprises backed by them will now enjoy a corporate income tax waiver equal to as much as 100% of their investment in capability enhancement for a five-year period, compared to the previous three-year exemption capped at 50% of investment. BOI will also suspend investment promotion for sectors that carry oversupply risks or negative environmental impact, such as solar cell and panel manufacturing, certain vehicle parts production, steel pipes, hot-rolled and long steel production.
- Kamceng with Indonesia: Both Thailand and Indonesia have elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership, where the latter is opening doors for the former to invest in its newly established wealth fund Danantara, its energy sectors and potentially form joint ventures in food management and storage. It is a no-brainer for Thailand to be close to Indonesia, as the archipelagic nation is the largest economy in the region.
Despite the measures taken, Thailand will still revise its economic growth projection, from a 2.3%-3.3 % growth to 1.3%-2.3 % growth in 2025, a full percentage point lower. Bangkok will also put a pause on its planned cash handout program and instead it will use about RM20.38 bil budgeted for it to support projects which will generate more jobs and boost the competitiveness of the local industries.
Source: https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/755624
The US missed the bullet on this
The office of the Former US President Joe Biden has confirmed that the former president has been diagnosed with an ‘aggressive’ form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. The 82-year-old Democrat suffers a cancer that has a Gleason score of 9. The Gleason Score goes up to 10, indicating the seriousness of Biden’s disease. Now, it begs the question whether the knowledge of this cancer is just being known now or even way before this, particularly during the presidential election fight with US President Donald Trump. If the cancer is known at that time already, it clearly tantamount to a breach of trust to the US citizen. Biden’s son, Beau Biden, died of cancer in 2015.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2025/05/1218076/joe-biden-diagnosed-aggressive-prostate-cancer
For your EYES only
Jalan tutup alert as six highways and 25 main roads around the Klang Valley will be closed in stages from Friday (May 23) until May 28, in conjunction with the ASEAN Summit. To the bosses, nak WFH boleh during the period?
🚧 Klang Valley drivers, heads up! Major road closures & diversions for the ASEAN Summit from May 23–28, 8am–8pm. 6 expressways & 25 roads affected. Avoid peak hours, use public transport. Dry run happening May 21–22. Full schedule below.
Source: The Star pic.twitter.com/OLjFDRta39
— Fly FM 🇲🇾 (@FlyFM958) May 19, 2025
