RULE OF LAW

Adalah menjadi prinsip Rule of Law bahawa tidak ada sesiapa pun yang bebas daripada tindakan undang-undang. Di Malaysia, Raja juga berada di bawah undang-undang. Semua orang di Malaysia, rakyat dan raja adalah sama tertakluk kepada undang-undang negara. Sudah ramai pemimpin UMNO yang dihadapkan ke mahkamah dan dihukum apabila didapati bersalah.

Tidak ada siapa di negara ini dan di mana Rule of Law dikuatkuasakan yang boleh mendakwa ia tidak bersalah sebelum ia dibicarakan atas tuduhan yang dibuat terhadapnya. Menerima Rule of Law bermakna sanggup tunduk pada proses undang-undang. Mendakwa diri sendiri tidak bersalah awal-awal lagi tanpa menghadiri proses undang-undang adalah satu ketidakadilan. Tidak ada sesiapa yang layak atau berhak menjatuhkan hukuman tidak bersalah ke atas diri sendiri. Perbuatan ini tidak banyak berbeza daripada kaedah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) yang mana undang-undang membenarkan tahanan tanpa perbicaraan.

Jika sebagai contoh konspirasi boleh diterima sebagai alasan kenapa dakwaan tidak boleh dibuat, maka tidak ada siapa yang boleh dibicarakan dan dengan itu Rule of Law tidak boleh dilaksanakan. Secara prinsip sama ada konspirasi ada ataupun tidak, jika jenayah dilakukan dan hakim menerima dakwaan adalah berasas, maka yang tertuduh tetap salah juga. Konspirasi bukan alasan untuk menghalalkan jenayah sepertimana tuduhan Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim terhadap konspirasi kerajaan menjatuhkan beliau.

KHAIRUL IDZWAN IDRIS

Timbalan Pengerusi
Biro Ekonomi Dan Pembangunan Usahawan
Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO Bahagian Setiawangsa
Wilayah Persekutuan

HAK DAN BATIL

Apakah UMNO harus menamatkan DEB supaya orang Melayu kembali menderita dan dengan itu kembali insaf dan bersatu padu semula? Kita ingat, kejayaan UMNO menyatupadukan orang Melayu di pertengahan abad ke 21 ialah kerana orang Melayu berasa terancam menghadapi bahaya hilang negara dan hilang bangsa. Bahaya dari luar ini menekan orang Melayu sehingga mereka terpaksa merapatkan barisan melalui UMNO untuk mempertahankan diri. Mereka tidak lagi menganga diri mereka sebagai orang Kedah, orang Perak, orang Johor dan seterusnya. Buat pertama kali mereka secara bulat dan padu menganggap diri mereka sebagai orang Melayu. Hanya sebagai orang Melayu yang bersatu padu sahaja barulah mereka dapat menyelamatkan diri dan harta pusaka warisan mereka.

Jika dahulu UMNO berjaya menyatupadukan orang Melayu, apakah UMNO kali ini tidak boleh menyatupadukan mereka semula? Sebenarnya kita tidak tahu. Mungkin boleh, mungkin tidak. Tetapi boleh atau tidak, kita mesti mencuba. Itulah semangat UMNO. Kita tidak boleh mudah kecewa dan menyerah kalah. Kita bertanggungjawab kepada bangsa Melayu. Sama ada orang Melayu akan menyambutnya atau tidak, tanggungjawab kita mestilah kita pikul. Jika gagal apabila dicuba, kita mesti cuba lagi.

Sebenarnya percubaan telahpun kita mulakan. Jika perubahan dalam budaya Melayu yang menyebabkan mereka mula menggelungsur ke arah kemusnahan, maka langkah yang perlu di ambil ialah mencuba mencipta dan menyemai budaya baru yang lebih mampu melawan nafsu dan mengatasi cabaran hidup sebagai penduduk bandar yang mewah. Sudah tentu benteng yang terkuat sekali ialah agama Islam dengan nilai-nilai murninya. Malangnya budaya yang terbentuk apabila Nabi Muhammad SAW membawa Islam kepada Arab Jahiliah sudah diketepikan oleh kebanyakkan orang Islam. Persaudaraan dan perpaduan dalam Islam tidak lagi diamalkan oleh orang Islam. Di mana-mana sahaja mereka bermusuhan sesama sendiri, malah sanggup bersubahat dengan musuh-musuh Islam untuk mengalahkan orang yang seagama dengan mereka.

Hari ini di Malaysia kita melihat bagaimana galakan dan sokongan diberi kepada parti serpihan supaya menentang parti tunjang majoriti orang Islam. Walaupun kita tahu media barat dan pihak-pihak tertentu begitu benci kepada orang Islam yang digambarkan oleh mereka sebagai pengganas, tetapi mereka cuba membayangkan PAS sebagai parti sederhana yang perlu disokong oleh bukan Islam untuk menjatuhkan kerajaan pimpinan UMNO.

Ternampak seolah-olah mereka ingin melihat PAS mendirikan negara Islam di Malaysia. Apakah benar mereka suka negara Islam? Besar juga kemungkinan mereka suka, kerana kepercayaan mereka ialah negara Islam yang diperintah oleh apa yang mereka kenali sebagai fundamentalis Islam akan membawa perasaan tidak senang hati di kalangan penganut agama lain, akan menghalang pembangunan dan kemajuan Malaysia, melemahkannya sehingga dapat dijajah semula.

Jika kerana musuh-musuh Islam ini, sokongan kepada UMNO merosot, maka UMNO tidak dapat menumpu kepada kemajuan orang Melayu/Islam, bahkan mungkin UMNO akan cuba menjadi lebih Islam dari PAS, menolak apa yang PAS cap sebagai sekular sehingga Malaysia terus mundur, lemah, tidak lagi dapat menegur negara barat dan alat-alat mereka apabila mereka melakukan ketidakadilan kepada negara-negara membangun.

Hari ini hanya Malaysia sahaja yang sanggup mengkritik barat. Tentulah mereka berasa lega apabila UMNO sibuk bergelut dengan PAS sehingga lupa terhadap penganiayaan ke atas umat Islam di Sudan, Iran, Palestin, Afghanistan dan Iraq.

Tugas UMNO ialah mencuba menyeru orang Melayu kembali kepada persaudaraan dan perpaduan seperti yang di ajar oleh agama Islam sepaya strategi mereka yang benci kepada orang Islam tidak akan berjaya. Untuk ini parti-parti serpihan orang Islam mestilah disedarkan bahawa mereka sudah dipermain dan diperalatkan oleh musuh-musuh Islam. Dalam usaha UMNO untuk menyedarkan puak serpihan ini, UMNO mestilah berpegang kepada kebenaran. Jelaskan, ceritakan hal dan keadaan sebenar.

Ini adalah mudah , kerana kita berada di pihak yang benar. Hanya orang yang tidak bermodalkan kebenaran yang terpaksa melemparkan pelbagai tuduhan, membohong dan memfitnah. Hanya orang yang tidak berpegang kepada ajaran agama Islam yang murni yang mudah memburukkan orang Islam yang lain, membohong, melabelkan orang lain dengan nama-nama yang buruk. hanya orang yang tidak ada maruah sahaja yang tidak berasa malu apabila diketahui membohong tetapi tanpa segan silu membohong lagi.

InsyaAllah jika UMNO terus berusaha menyuarakan yang benar, akhirnya walaupun mungkin tidak ramai, akan ada juga mereka yang akan menolak kemungkaran dan menerima kebenaran. Ini jelas sepertimana frman Allah dalam Surah Al-Isra', ayat 81 yang bermaksud:

"telah datang kebenaran dan hilang lenyaplah perkara yang salah; sesungguhnya yang salah itu sememangnya satu perkara yang tetap lenyap."



KHAIRUL IDZWAN IDRIS

Timbalan Pengerusi
Biro Ekonomi Dan Pembangunan Usahawan
Pergerakan Pemuda Bahagian UMNO Setiawangsa
Wilayah Persekutuan

MISSING THE BOAT

Now that the stock market has moved convincingly into its bullish phase, there is no lack of comment or lament by some investors that somehow they may have 'missed the boat'. If they think they have missed buying shares when there were being sold at rock bottom prices at the height of the economic crisis, then obviously they have 'missed the boat' as defined in their own terms. However if they feel frustrated for having missed the great buying opportunity in those dark, gloomy days of yesteryear, they have more specifically missed the point of the whole investment game.

To begin with, the stock market is always there for anyone to jump in and if you don't get into the boat yesterday or day before yesterday, you can always get in today. The boat is always there for anyone to get in and out and there is no way anyone can stop an investor from getting in, provided he has an interest in getting in and he has the money to by his way in. Nobody therefore, should consider himself 'missing the boat' because it is the future of stocks that an investor should be looking at and not brood about the past that is long gone and there is nothing that anybody can do to bring it back.

The stock market bottoms of 1998 and 2008 are seen as buying opportunities of a lifetime only because we have the wisdom of hindsight. Many of the market participants who went through the baptism of fire that time, were either too cash strapped to buy much or too fearful that the market has yet to hit the bottom. Most of us are wiser after the event but in the midst of personally experiencing a major episode such as a stock market crash or a super bull run, our emotions could exert a stronger influence on our decisions than our rational self. This is quite a natural phenomenon and that is why we have the repeated behavior of investors that gives rise to stock market cycles.

KHAIRUL IDZWAN IDRIS

Timbalan Pengerusi
Biro Ekonomi Dan Pembangunan Usahawan
Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO Bahagian Setiawangsa
Wilayah Persekutuan

HOW MUCH SHOULD I INVEST?

Do not put all your eggs in one basket - make this your guiding principle. No matter how attractive the stock market is right now, you should not put all your money there. It is not worth sacrificing the benefits of the diversification for the sake of quick returns when things do not go according to plan. It is also important to set aside a portion of your money for the rainy day.

Typically, an emergency fund should be able to sustain you for three months worth of expenses - payment on mortgage, other scheduled payments, insurance premiums and essentials. This fund should be placed in a bank account or as a fixed deposit so that you can use it when the need arises. Although the rates are low, capital security for your emergency fund should be given the highest priority. Remember, your debtors will still come after you regardless of how the market is doing.

After you have set aside an amount for the fund, you may have additional funds available for investment. These funds could be significant amount of your assets. they may include the funds that you will only need to tap into in the long term such as funding your child's education 15 years from now, and your retirement fund.

Having said that, you might choose not to put everything into the stock market. It depends on the level of risk that an individual is willing to take. If you are an aggressive investor with high risk tolerance, you will commit more funds into equities. Conversely if your risk tolerance is low, you should be more conservative and commit less to equity investments.

One rule is to invest the amount that you can afford to lose. I am not saying that you will lose everything when in equities. This rule serves to put you in the right perspective when considering your options. Also investors should not be ultra conservative as the cost of financial security in the long term will be very expensive.

I have highlighted the risks associated with direct investment in the stock market and the necessary level of exposure to be considered. It is important to remember that no one can afford to lose everything. Investment selection is an integral part of an individual financial plan. One wrong step can prove devastating. For first time investors, consider your options carefully and see it as your big 'financial picture' because no investment is worth losing sleep over. For seasoned investors, you have seen it happen. So do get it right this time.


KHAIRUL IDZWAN IDRIS

Timbalan Pengerusi
Biro Ekonomi Dan Pembangunan Usahawan
Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO Bahagian Setiawangsa
Wilayah Persekutuan

CONSIDER THE RISKS BEFORE INVESTING

The economic crisis which started in 2008 was devastating experience for many retail investors in the stock market. Many sold their investments at a huge loss, while those who held on to them, it was a long waiting period.

The market is bouncing back now and there will be many first time stock investors. Some old hands are also making a comeback despite having told themselves they would not dabble in shares again. As the markets moves leaps and bounds, it is easy to get caught up in the euphoria. You hear people saying " this stock is going to run in the coming weeks', 'this company is going to announce an internet venture, restructuring or merger' and so forth.

All this will no doubt cloud your judgment . Greed may start talking over your rational mind. I will not try to teach you stock-picking techniques, but will highlight the potential risks and level of exposure to be considered when investing, directly or indirectly in shares.

What are the risks?

There are many types of risks. A simple definition, in the context of investment, is the chance of the investment making losses or earning lower than expected returns. It is important that we going through investment options, we find a match between our risk tolerance and the inherent risk of the securities or investment we are considering.

Risk tolerance is basically the level of 'psychological discomfort' we are willing to endure from the investment. If you have high risk tolerance, you will be fairly comfortable investing in stocks or futures contracts in which values can fluctuate fast. Conversely if your risk tolerance is low, opt for more conservative investments that will not be subjected to wild swings like fixed deposits and money market securities.

When you have direct investments in the stock market, you are expose to both systematic and unsystematic risks. Systematic risk (market risk) is inherent in the market and cannot be diversified. Market risk is macro in nature and can include inflation, change in interest or changes in the country's economic policy.

Unsystematic risk (company risk) is risk that is unique to the specific company. Company risks include a rise in oil prices, special levies on tobacco or alcohol consumption or a drop in palm oil prices. Company risks can be reduced with a portfolio that consists of stocks or other investments that tend to move in the opposite direction in response to changes in the economic environment.

It is not easy to build a portfolio of stocks. You will need to spend time researching companies and come out with a significant amount of money. For retail investors, these will be the main hindrances - time and money. Therefore retail investors are normally subjected to higher company risks due to their restricted diversification, not to mention the market risk which is already inherent. This is an area where professional fund managers will have the upper hand, given the resources available to them.



KHAIRUL IDZWAN IDRIS

Timbalan Pengerusi
Biro Ekonomi Dan Pembangunan Usahawan
Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO Bahagian Setiawangsa
Wilayah Persekutuan