Overlooking principles

 

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China: Democracy that Delivers

 

Unification Church linked to Abe’s death, sounds alarm in China over cult group’s infiltration

What is the Unification Church and could it be linked to former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s assassination?

A bride poses for a photo before a giant image of the late founder of Unification Church Sun Myung Moon and his wife Hak Ja Han before a mass wedding ceremony in Gapyeong on September 7, 2017. Photo: AFP

 

 The curtains have come down on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after the sobering end of his funeral. But the cloud of suspicion surrounding his assassination still looms large in the minds of many around the world. Sentiments of shock continue to be expressed at the fact that Japan's worst political assassination since World War II is related to a cult.

On July 8, Abe was fatally shot while addressing a crowd at a campaign stop in Nara by a 41-year-old man identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, who confessed to the police that he "did not resent Abe's political beliefs," but that his resentment toward the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the Unification Church, a religious movement founded in South Korea, turned into a desire to kill the former national leader.

Yamagami believed Abe had promoted a religious group to which his mother made a "huge donation," Kyodo news agency has said, citing investigative sources. His mother subsequently went bankrupt.

The police investigation into the assassination prompted the head of the Japanese branch of the Unification Church to confirm on July 11 that Yamagami's mother is a member.

Looking back on the history of the Unification Church, people have seen the specter of an extremist religious group looming over the political arena of Japan, South Korea, and even the US.

In the mid-1960s, Abe's maternal grandfather and former Japanese Prime Minister, Nobusuke Kishi, would never have imagined that his association with Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, would sow the seed that eventually led to the death of his grandson.

Expansion of a cult

Moon founded the Unification Church in South Korea in 1954. Within a year, about 30 church centers had sprung up. Moon began organizing the Unification Church on a large scale in the US in the early 1970s. He also sent his church emissaries to Japan in the early days when the Unification Church developed fast. He settled in the US in 1972.

One of the activities that the Unification Church likes to practice is Tetsuya Yamagami. Moon claimed that he can complete the unfulfilled task of Jesus: To restore humankind to a state of perfection by producing sinless children, and by blessing couples who would produce them. According to media reports, thousands of couples often attended such mass weddings. But those couples would only meet each other weeks prior and they went into marriage based on Moon's arrangement. Many had to remain separated for several years doing church work. 

Thousands of couples attend a mass wedding held by the Unification Church on August 27, 2018 in Gapyeong, South Korea. Photo: VCG

At the same time, Moon was particularly interested in politics. Church leaders plotted a strategy to defend former US President Richard M. Nixon for his role in the Watergate crisis and held rallies in support of him. In the late 1970s, Moon was embroiled in many scandals and was under investigation by US federal authorities mainly over allegations that he has ties to South Korean intelligence and was involved in bribing members of Congress to support President Park Chung-hee, according to a New York Times report.

Moon liked to court world leaders and politicians to advance the Unification Church and sometimes he behaved quite oddly.

Moon, who spoke fluent Japanese, launched an anti-communist group in Japan in the late 1960s, the International Federation for Victory Over Communism, and built relations with Japanese politicians, according to the church's publications, Reuters reported.

Nobusuke Kishi, Abe's maternal grandfather and a former prime minister, was an honorary executive chair at a group banquet hosted by Moon, the International Federation for Victory Over Communism said on its website.

In 2004, Moon had himself crowned "humanity's savior" in front of members of Congress at a Capitol Hill luncheon, read the New York Times report.

Prominent people including the US president were paid to appear at Moon-linked conferences. "The first President George Bush did so after he left office. Others, like former President Gerald R. Ford, Bill Cosby, Mikhail S. Gorbachev, and Jack Kemp, attended banquets and gatherings, sometimes saying later that they had not known of a connection between Moon and the organizations that invited them," said the New York Times report.

The Unification Church has a long history of courting Republican officials as part of a propaganda campaign, according to media outlet The Independent. In September 2021, former US President Donald Trump appeared in a virtual address linked to the Unification Church. He praised the founders of the Unification Church. Abe also participated in the same event.

The Financial Times reported that for decades, close ties between the Unification Church in Japan and prominent figures in the governing Liberal Democratic Party have been an open secret in Japanese politics.

"The Unification Church has a strong capacity for brainwashing with propaganda and external expansion. Through the establishment of personal worship and an emphasis on donations for purposes of enrichment, meddling in private property distribution and marriage autonomy of the congregation, the group has garnered a loyal following," an Beijing-based expert on Japan studies surname Zhou told the Global Times.

On the other hand, Zhou pointed out that, through generous political cash and mutual exploitation, the Unification Church has gradually gained a strong foothold in East Asia and the world.

Along with the expansion of the Unification Church was the growth of Moon's business empire. He was involved in many industries in South Korea and also had various commercial interests in Japan. Right-wing nationalist donors in Japan were said to be an important financial source. In the US, he had business interests in a range of fields including jewelry and construction, and bought properties including the New Yorker Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

"In addition to spreading extremist ideas, the Unification Church also has a strong sense of modern business management, operating the religious group as a company, investing and expanding extensively in industry, finance, culture, education, media, and other industries, providing the basis for a 'virtuous' cycle of development for the expansion of its extremist ideology and political infiltration," Zhou said.

The church has about 600,000 members in Japan, out of 10 million globally, Reuters reported.

Thousands of couples attend a mass wedding held by the Unification Church on August 27, 2018 in Gapyeong, South Korea. Photo: VCG

Conservative tone

During the Cold War, the Unification Church movement was criticized by the mainstream media for its anti-Communist activism.

In 2010, Moon bought the US-based media publication the Washington Times into the New World Communications, an international media conglomerate similar to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which owns Fox News. The conglomerate was directly affiliated with Moon's Unification Church, the US News reported.

The newspaper often plays up claims that the Chinese mainland will "invade" the island of Taiwan, for example, citing US officials who accuse the Chinese military of posing an "acute threat" to the island

The New York Times reported that Moon acknowledged that in the two decades since the founding of The Washington Times in 1982, he pumped in more than $1 billion in subsidies to keep it going.

In 2002, during the 20th anniversary party for the Washington Times, Moon said, "The Washington Times will become the instrument in spreading the truth about God to the world," the Washington Post reported in 2009.

Unification is a political concept, and the Unification Church, which uses this concept as its name, has always been a heretical religious organization with distinct political positions and intentions, Zhou noted.

Unification Church followers hold a memorial service mourning the death of their leader Sun Myung Moon in the church's Seoul headquarters on September 3, 2012.? Photo: AFP 

Alarm bells

The cultist elements behind the Abe assassination have set off alarms in China, which has maintained a zero-tolerance attitude toward cults through various efforts.

The Unification Church has been classified as a cult since the 1990s in China. In May 1997, the Ministry of Public Security listed the Unification church as a cultic organization, according to chinafxj.com, a website promoting China's anti-cult policies under the State Council.

The chinafxj.com website states that the Unification Church has been infiltrating China since as early as the country's Reform and Opening-up in 1978 in the name of investment, sponsorship, and tourism, in a bid to take root in China and expand its influence.

In recent years, the cult's infiltration efforts have become more active in China. Its affiliated organization "International Education Foundation," for instance, carried out penetration activities in some cities in the name of cultural exchange and educational cooperation. The church also set up branches secretly in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Xi'an, and other major cities to carry out illegal missionary activities. Sunmoon University also tried to absorb Chinese believers via cooperation with China's universities, said the website.

Currently in China, the Unification Church is among the list of 18 defined cultist organizations masquerading as Christian churches, according to chinafxj.com.

The cults share similar traits and modes of operation, such as deifying leaders or founders, promoting inhumane, antisocial, and immoral theories, and inciting the public to confront the larger society, Yan Kejia, director of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Religious Studies, told the Global Times. "The cults could easily confuse the public by taking advantage of religious beliefs and feudal superstition."

China has been cracking down on cults, especially since the late 1990s, Yan noted. "The efforts have been greatly beneficial. The campaigns against cults are widely understood and supported by the public and have brought a breath of fresh air to the society."

"The Abe incident proved that governments should pay great attention to issues surrounding cultic activities. It also reminds China that the work to fight cults should be consistently enhanced," he said. 

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 In this file photo taken on April 21, 2015 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waves as he headed for Indonesia at the Tokyo International Airport. Photo:AFP 

 
 

 

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Worshippers at the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary hold weapons at a service in New Foundland, Pa., on Feb. 28, 201

 

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China has lifted 700 million out of poverty over 70 years, set to eliminate its last poor very soon

 

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Helping hand: President Xi Jinping (second from left) has a complete portfolio of poverty relief plans, despite the sudden onslaught of Covid-19. — Xinhua

 

BEIJING: China is making a final sprint to eliminate absolute poverty as it marches towards a moderately prosperous society.

Leading this anti-poverty effort is President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

The Chinese leadership has set 2020 as the deadline to eradicate poverty. Every CPC leader in the past had worked towards this target, but the work by Xi has impressed many people.

Last March, Xi convened a televised symposium on poverty alleviation. He reiterated the deadline and vowed to lift the remaining five million-plus people out of poverty by the end of the year, despite the sudden onslaught of Covid-19. In September, Xi said China has “every confidence” of achieving the goal.

The nation will meet the poverty eradication target (set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) 10 years ahead of schedule, Xi told the 75th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly then.

In his latest instruction made public in mid-october, Xi said there should be no letting up until a complete victory has been secured.  

 Millions climb out of poverty trap

Poverty has plagued China for thousands of years. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the anti-poverty war has lifted over 700 million rural people out of poverty.

Great strides had been made under the reform programmes and opening up of China in 1978, started by Deng Xiaping.

Xi assumed the historic responsibility of leading this anti-poverty fight, after he was elected general secretary of the CPC in November 2012. At that time, About 99 million Chinese lived under the poverty line, earning a per capita income of less than 2,300 yuan (about US$1 dollar) a day.

To meet the 2020 anti-poverty deadline, over 10 million people have to be lifted out of poverty every year. This equates to about one million people every month, or 20 people every minute.

President Xi goes to the ground

About one month after taking over the helm of the CPC, Xi braved winter cold to visit poor villagers in Hebei Province. Sitting down with them, Xi asked about their income, if they had sufficient food and enough quilts and coal to stay warm.

In November 2013, Xi went to Shibadong, a Miao ethnic minority village nestled in the mountains of central China’s Hunan Province. There, he put forward the concept of targeted poverty alleviation.

Across the country, all impoverished people and the factors that have led to their poverty are identified. Each household or individual is given a customised poverty relief plan.

They might get help to start a small business, be relocated out of mountains or receive training to find jobs in cities.

Their children will be given education. And there is a system to keep track of progress to ensure the measures are having their desired effect.

Xi has put poverty relief work under the leadership of the CPC of 90 million members. Party chiefs at all levels are required to take up a role.

Over 2.9 million public sector officials are sent to villages to fight poverty “at the front line.”

The leader has convened a series of meetings on poverty alleviation. Before every meeting, he would visit impoverished regions to learn about local situations and listen to suggestions of grassroots officials and members of the public.

Xi has a complete portfolio of poverty relief plans. He sets basic targets at meetings: rural poor people must not worry about food and clothing, and have access to compulsory education, basic medical services and safe housing.

A lot of emphasis is given to the role of education to stop repeat of poverty from one generation to the next.

He has advocated relocation as an effective anti-poverty solution, and repeatedly warned against needless formalities, red tape.

Yuri Tavrovsky, a sinologist and professor at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, noted China’s anti-poverty fight has obviously gathered pace under Xi’s leadership.

No single poor to be left behind

Xi is no stranger to poverty. As a teenager and young adult, he spent seven years with peasants on the Loess Plateau where he lived in cave-like adobe houses and slept on a flea-infested bed on clay stove.

He joined the CPC in the village of Liangjiahe, and had his first experience as a grassroots-level CPC secretary there.

Xi once said his biggest dream back then was to make it possible for the villagers to have meat on their plates, which was a luxury during those days before the rise of China.

In his 80 domestic inspection tours over the past eight years, he has seen some of the most remote and impoverished areas in the country.

Xi has stressed that “no one should be left behind”. In the first four years as CPC chief, he had visited China’s 14 “contiguous impoverished areas.” At times he had to travel by plane first, and transfer to train and car before reaching the remote villages.

“What impresses me most is that Xi always puts people’s well-being first,” said Zhao Ruqi, an official who worked with Xi in Fujian.

In 2016, when visiting a village in Ningxia, Xi was seen checking the shower facilities in a villager’s home, and was happy to learn that the family had a solar water heater.

Recalling his early trips to some poor areas, Xi once said his heart sank when he saw the bumpy and rugged roads, harsh living conditions of the locals and heard stories of children dropping out of school, and patients not getting timely medical treatment and attention.

“But when I went to poor villages in recent few years, I saw substantial changes,” Xi said at the March symposium. “Seeing the smiles of the people, I feel delighted.”

The number of Chinese living in poverty has dropped from 98.99 million to 5.51 million in the seven years since 2013.

UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres has remarked that China made the greatest contributions to world poverty alleviation in the past decade.

In China, the per capita net income of the poor has more than doubled – rising from 4,124 yuan in 2016 to 9,057 yuan in 2019, registering an average annual growth of 30%.

Rural people are seeing a significant improvement in their lives and standard of living. The development of rural industries has changed lives, as has relocation of villages. In the past five years, more than nine million rural poor in China have been moved out of inhospitable areas.

Yang Qingzhong recalled that his family of six had to cram themselves into a tiny mudbrick house in mountainous Guizhou Province.

In 2018, the family moved into a spacious modern apartment in town, allocated by the government. And he found a job in a workshop near his new home, making rattan chairs.

All over the country, rural infrastructure, education and health-care have improved. Some rural hospitals partner with their metropolitan counterparts to offer high-quality medical services to rural residents.

“Illness-induced poverty is one of the toughest problems in rural areas,” said Hu Yi, head of the public hospital in the county of Zhenxiong in Yunnan Province. “Now they don’t have to travel far to get treated, not even for serious illness.”

Benefiting from the poverty eradication programmes, some ethnic minorities – residing in the country’s remote areas in southwestern corners – have also experienced positive changes in their life.

But China under Xi’s leadership is not going to stop at poverty eradication. “Poverty eradication is only the first step; better days are still ahead,” Xi said in a letter to the Dulong ethnic minority group, congratulating the Dulong people for collectively shaking off poverty.

Xi has reminded his people that shaking off poverty is not the finishing line, but the starting line of a new life and new endeavour.

Revisiting Hunan in September, Xi said China must establish a long-term strategy to prevent any relapse into poverty. Among the plans being implemented in China are rural revitalisation programmes and economic development to build a moderately prosperous society. — Xinhua (Compiled by HO WAH FOON

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US invites reprisals by harassing CPC crew members

It's not accidental that the current US administration has played stupid tricks to deal with the CPC. See how it withdrew from the Paris agreement and how it found fault with the WHO. When it questioned those on board whether they are CPC members, its behavior is too weird to be true.

 

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Malaysia's Tax Budget 2020 highlights

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KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 11): The following are the highlights of Budget 2020:

Malaysian economy

• Budget 2020 has four thrusts including boosting economic growth in new economy and digital era, investing in people.
• Approved foreign direct investment has inreased to RM80.1 billion in 2018 from RM54.1 billion in 2017.
• Proctrated trade war offers Malaysia unique opportunity to become choice destination for FDI with high added value
• Overall debts and liabilities ratio to GDP lowered to 75.4% in 2018 from 79.3% in 2017, but is expected to rise to 77.1% as at end-June 2019. This is largely due to the increase in the committed government guarantee to continue to MRT and Pan Borneo Highway, and RM20 billion bailout of Tabung Haji. Govt saved at least RM46 billion in capex from rationalising megaprojects including LRT3, MRT 2 and ECRL.
• Malaysian economy to grow at 4.8% in 2020 vs 4.7% in 2019
• The government revises Budget 2020 deficit target to 3.2% of GDP, which is slightly higher than the 3% originally announced in Budget 2019.
• Lower public revenue in 2020 in absence of Petronas special dividend
• Government expects RM26.8 billion SST collection in 2019
• Government's tax revenue up 3.4% to RM180 billion in 2019
• With weakening growth in government revenue, tax reforms necessary
• Higher development expenditure of RM56 billion
• Only 1% growth on exports in 2020
• Malaysia’s current account surplus to narrow to 1.9% of 2020 GNI
• 2% inflation in 2020, to be lifted by the introduction of targeted fuel subsidy
• Unemployment rate to remain healthy at 3.3% in 2020
• Service sector to be the fastest-growing sector of the economy
• 4.1% growth in the manufacturing sector in 2020
• Agriculture sector to grow the slower pace at 3.4%
• Stronger growth of 3.7% in construction sector in 2020, vs 1.7% in 2019
• Mining sector growth to moderate to 0.3%
• Govt will sell assets (approved previously) via competitive bidding to realise their potential; this is expected to generate more than RM3 billion revenue in 2020.

Government

• The Bureau of Public Complaints will be replaced by the Malaysian Ombudsman to enhance govt's governance and delivery systems
• Govt to move forward with the formation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to increase public confidence and trust in police.
• Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) offers to guarantee additional tranche of Samurai bonds with lower interest rate of less than 0.5% compared with 0.63% previously. The federal government plans to issue the bonds early next year. Issuance size to be determined after further discussion with JBIC.
• Home Ministry to receive RM16.9 billion boost for 2020.
• Allocation for Islamic affairs under PM's Dept increased to RM1.3 billion from 1.2 billion in 2019
• Govt has set up National Committee on Investments (NCI), chaired by Minister of Finance and Minister of International Trade and Industry
• Allocation for Defence Ministry raised from RM13.9 billion in 2019 to RM15.6 billion in 2020

1MDB

• Bandar Malaysia  project will now proceed and include a People's Park, with 5,000 units of affordable homes and greater Bumiputera participation. Proceeds from the project will be valued and announced in due course, and will be used to reduce 1MDB's debts.
• Govt to pay RM2.4 billion to service 1MDB and SRC International's debt interest in 2019, and a further RM2.7 billion in 2020

Corporate, finance and fintech

• Govt will continue to ensure at least 30% of tenders of each ministry are reserved for only Bumiputera contractors
• 50% matching grant of up to RM5,000 to increase the digitalisation of operations for Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SME)
• RM50m allocation proposed to encourage SMEs to engage in more export promotion activities
• Govt to provide extra RM50m for SC's My Co-Investment Fund (MyCIF) to assist SMEs that have difficulties in getting financing
• Govt to merge Bank Pembangunan Malaysia, Danajamin Nasional, SME Bank and EXIM Bank Malaysia to restructure development financial institutions (DFI)
• Govt allocates RM1 billion in investment incentives to attract Fortune Fortune 500 companies and global unicorns
• Govt to offer special investment incentive package worth RM1b per year for five years to local companies capable of penetrating overseas market
• Additional RM10m allocation to be set aside for MITI to increase monitoring to ensure approved investments are realised
• Government evaluating Carey Island development feasibility for next growth phase
• Govt intends to develop a 100-acre logistics hub at Special Border Economic Zone at Kota Perdana in Bukit Kayu Hitam to strengthen trade relations with Thailand
• National Fiberisation & Connectivity Plan will adopt public-private partnership approach involving total investment of RM21.6b
• RM20m allocation for Cradle Fund to train and offer grants to high-impact technology entrepreneurs
• Licensing for digital banks to be opened for public consultation by year end. A framework is expected to be released in 1H2020
• Digital bank licensing framework will be finalised by Bank Negara and open for application in the first half of 2020
• Govt to allocate additional RM50 million to Malaysia Co-Investment Fund (MyCIF) to benefit equity crowdfunding platforms and peer-to-peer (P2P) financing platforms.
• Ceiling on Market Development Grant (MDG) by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) raised to RM300,000. Cap on entry to export exhibitions also raised to RM25,000. RM50 million allocated to encourage SMEs to join promotional activities.

Entrepreneur

• RM445m Bumiputera entrepreneur development grant for access to financing, provision of business premises, entrepreneurship training
• Govt to provide loans worth RM100m under Small Industries Entrepreneurs Financing Scheme for Chinese community
• Govt to provide RM20m in loans under entrepreneur development scheme for Indian community Govt to allocate RM500m as guaranteed facility for women entrepreneurs via Syarikat Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan Bhd (SJPP)
• Skim Jaminan Pinjaman Perniagaan will be enhanced, with the government guarantee raised to 80% of the loan amount while the guarantee fee is reduced to 0.75%. A RM500 million guarantee facility has been set aside especially for women entrepreneurs.
• SME Bank will introduce two new funds: a RM200m fund specially for women entrepreneurs, and a RM300m fund to support SMEs with potential to become regional champs
• Ministry of Entrepreneur Development to give RM10 million for advisory services and awareness for the halal industry
• Tax incentives for venture capital and angel investors will be extended until 2023
• Govt jobs worth RM1.3b dedicated for Bumiputera contractors

Internet and tech

• Mandatory Standard on Access Pricing (MSAP) has successfully reduced broadband prices by 49% and increased speeds by three times
• RM250m will be set aside by MCMC to prepare broadband access via satellite technology to increase connectivity in rural Malaysia, especially Sabah and Sarawak
• Matching grant fund of RM25m will be set aside to encourage more pioneer digital projects that benefit fibre optic infrastructure and 5G
• RM20m allocated to MDEC to groom local champions in producing digital content
• RM50 million grant to develop 5G ecosystem to prepare for  5G transformation worldwide
• Smart automation matching grant (up to RM2m) for 1,000 local manufacturers and 1,000 services companies to automate business processes
• To boost use of e-wallets, govt to offer one-time RM30 digital stimulus to qualified Malaysians aged 18 and above with annual income less than RM100,000
• 14 one-stop digital improvement centres to be set up in every state to faciltiate access to financing, development of business capacity
• RM10m to be set aside for MDEC to train micro-digital entrepreneurs and technology experts to leverage e-market places, social media platforms
• Digital Social Responsibility (DSR) is commitment from business sector to enhance workforce with digital skills needed by society. Contributions from the private sector to the DSR will be given tax
• R&D in public sector to be intensified with RM524 million allocation to ministries, public agencies exemptions.
• Government to up e-sports allocation to RM20m due to high potential
• Green Investment Tax Allowance (GITA) and Green Investment Tax Exemptions (GITE) extended to 2023 in line with sustainable development

Palm oil

• Govt has launched palm oil replanting loan fund worth RM550m for smallholders
• Govt to implement B20 biodiesel for the transport sector by end-2020. This is expected to increase palm oil demand by 500,000 tonnes per annum.

Rubber

• RM200m set aside for 'Bantuan Musim Tengkujuh' to eligible rubber smallholders under RISDA, Lembaga Industri Getah Sabah
• RM100 million allocated for Rubber Production Incentive in 2020 to enhance income of smallholders faced with low rubber prices

Agriculture

• Allocation for Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry increased to RM4.9 billion, including RM150 million to support plant integration programmes such as for chilli, pineapple, coconut, watermelon and bamboo.
• RM855 million allocation under Federal Government Padi Fertilizer Scheme to boost padi yield

Civil servants

• Civil servants’ emoluments to exceed RM82 billion
• Civil servant pension will cost RM27.1 billion
• Civil servants' cost of living allowance or COLA to be raised by RM50 a month starting 2020 for support group, with an additional RM350 million a year
• Civil servants will be allowed early redemption of accumulated leaves (gantian cuti rehat) for up to 75 days as replacement pay for those who have served at least 15 years
• Govt announces RM500 special payment for civil servants Grade 56 and below. Govt retirees to get special payment of RM250, also extended to non-pensionable veterans
• Govt to allocate RM330 million to the Property and Land Management Division under the Prime Ministers Department to repair and maintain the public service quarters. Meanwhile, RM150 million and RM250 million is set aside to repair and refurbish Malaysian Armed Forces family housing units (RKAT) and PDRM quarters.
• Fire fighters to get a special allowance of RM200 a month, which will benefit 14,400 personnel under the Fire and Rescue Dept, amounting to RM35 mil.

Highway and tolls

• The Cabinet has approved the proposed offer to acquire four highways in the Klang Valleyy – Shah Alam Expressway (KESAS), Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP), Sprint Expressway (SPRINT) and SMART Tunnel (SMART) to be funded via Government-guaranteed borrowings.
• Citizens to enjoy average 18% discount on all PLUS highways
• Effective Jan 1, 2020, toll rates for cars at the Second Penang Bridge will be reduced from RM8.50 to RM7.00.

Public transport

• RM450 million proposed to acquire up to 500 electric buses for public transport in selected cities nationwide
• Govt intends to proceed with the Rapid Transit System (RTS) between Johor Bahru and Singapore.
• It will also invest RM85 million beginning 2020 to ease congestion at the Causeway and 2nd Link by enhancing vehicle and traffic flow through the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex.

Fuel subsidy

• Individuals owning not more than two cars and two motorcycles can get fuel subsidy for one vehicle. The qualifying criteria are:

• A passenger car with 1,600cc engine capacity and below, or
• Any car above 1,600cc must be more than 10 years old, or
• A qualified motorcycle must be 150cc and below, or
• Any motorcycles above 150cc must be more than 7 years old.

• From January 2020, the targeted fuel subsidy or PSP will be launched in Peninsular Malaysia with two eligible categories as follows:

• For eligible recipients of the BSH, the petrol subsidy receivable will be RM30 per month for car owners and RM12 per month for motorcycle owners. This subsidy will be in the form of cash transfer, deposited into the recipient's bank account every 4 months. The first payment will be made in April 2020 for the period January to April 2020; and
• For all other motorists who are not BSH recipients, they will receive a special Kad95 which allows them to enjoy the fuel subsidy at a discount of 30 sen per litre limited to 100 litres per month for cars or 40 litres per month for motorcycles when purchasing RON95 at the petrol station. The Kad95 will be implemented progressively during the first quarter of 2020.

Taxes

• Govt will merge Special Commissioner of Income Tax and Customs Appeal Tribunal into the Tax Appeal Tribunal, to be operational in 2021. Through this, taxpayers unhappy with the decision of IRB director-general or the Customs D-G can appeal
• Govt proposes that a new band for taxable income in excess of RM2 million be introduced and taxed at 30%, up 2 percentage point from the current 28%. This will affect approximately 2,000 top income earners in the country.
• Govt has repaid GST refunds amounting to RM15.9b to more than 78,000 companies, and income tax refunds of RM13.6b to 448,000 companies and 184,000 taxpayers

Medical and Healthcare

• To support local medical device industry, government will introduce an initiative to encourage local producers to upgrade equipment and tools used in public clinics and hospitals, based on a minimum allocation of 30%.
• RM227m to be set aside to upgrade medical equipment, and RM95m to renovate infrastructure and medical facilities, like in Hospital Pontian
• RM1.6 billion to build new hospitals and upgrade existing ones. The hospital includes Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Klang, Hospital Kampar, Hospital Labuan and the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Sabah Heart Centre.
• Govt to allocate RM60m for pneumococcal vaccination for all children
• RM319m to build and upgrade health and dental clinics and quarters facilities; new clinics will be built in Setiu, Sg Petani, and Cameron Highlands, as well as Kudat and Tawau in Sabah, and Lon San and Sg Simunjan in Sarawak
• Health Ministry to get RM30.6 billion allocation, compared to RM28.7 billion under Budget 2019

MySalam

• MySalam to be expanded so that those with critical illnesses will get RM8,000 cash; those being treated in govt hospitals can also claim RM50 wage replacement a day for up to 14 days

Islamic finance

• Islamic Economic Blueprint to be formulated to position Malaysia as centre of excellence for Islamic finance
• Special Islamic Finance Committee to be set up to develop the Islamic finance ecosystem

FELDA

• An allocation of RM810 mil for Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) settlers, including boosting their water supply and roadwork upgrades, and programmes to increase their earnings.

Property and housing

• RPGT base year for asset purchase revised to Jan 1, 2013 for asset acquired before that date
• To reduce supply overhang of condominiums and apartments amounting to RM8.3 billion in the second quarter of 2019, govt will lower the threshold on high rise property prices in urban areas for foreign ownership from RM1 million to RM600,000 in 2020.
• Govt to extend Youth Housing Scheme administered by Bank Simpanan Nasional from Jan 1, 2020 until Dec 31, 2021. The scheme also offers a 10% loan guarantee via Cagamas to enable borrowers to get full financing and RM200 monthly instalment assistance for the first two years, limited to 10,000 home units.
• Public Sector Home Financing Board to offer free personal accident insurance for up to two years to new government housing loan borrowers
• To help those who can't come up with 10% deposit or get financing to buy homes, govt will collaborate with financial institutions to introduce the rent-to-own (RTO) financing scheme, where up to RM10 billion will be provided by the financial institutions, with the governnment supporting via a 30% or RM3 billion guarantee.

• This RTO scheme is for purchase of first home up to RM500,000 property price.
• Under this scheme, the applicant will rent the property for up to 5 years and after the first year, and the tenant will have the option to purchase the house based on the price fixed at the time the tenancy agreement is signed.

Gaming Industry

• To curb illegal gambling, govt proposes a higher minimum mandatory penalty of RM100,000 for illegal gamblers, along with a minimum mandatory jail sentence of six months.

• For illegal operators, a higher minimum mandatory penalty of RM1 million and a 12 month minimum mandatory jail sentence will be imposed.

• To curb illegal gambling, govt proposes a higher minimum mandatory penalty of RM100,000 for illegal gamblers, along with a minimum mandatory jail sentence of six months.
• Starting 2020, total number of special draws for Numbers Forecast Operator (NFO) will be reduced from 11 to 8 times a year..

Employment

• Hiring fresh graduates: Two-year pay incentives of RM500 a month. Hiring incentive of RM300 a month.
• Incentives to get women into the workforce:

• Two-year pay incentive of RM500 a month
• Hiring incentive of RM300
• Tax exemption for women returning to work will be extended until 2023.

• Govt revises Employment Act, including increasing maternity leave from 60 days to 90 days from 2021
• Govt proposes to raise minimum wage in urban areas to RM1,200 a month in 2020
• Govt to launch Malaysians @ Work initiative aimed at creating better employment opportunities for youth and women, reducing over-dependence on low-skilled foreign workers
• Malaysians who replace foreign workers will get a monthly wage incentive of RM350/RM500 for two years, depending on the sector. Employers will get a monthly incentive of RM250 a month throughout the same period.

Tourism

• RM25 million allocated to Malaysia Healthcare Tourism Council to strengthen Malaysia's position as the preferred destination for medical tourism in Asean for oncology, cardiology and fertility treatments.
• Govt to contribute RM100 million towards construction of new cable car system to Penang Hill
• RM1.1 billion allocated to Ministry of Tourism and Culture, of which RM90 million is specifically for VMY2020 promotion and programmes

Sabah and Sarawak

• Govt plans to double special alowance for Sabah to RM53.4m and Sarawak to RM32m; this to be doubled further to 106.8m for Sabah and RM64m for Sarawak in five years
• RM587 million allocation for rural water projects, of which RM470 million will be for Sabah and Sarawak
• RM500 million for rural electrification benefiting more than 30,000 rural households, majority in Sabah and Sarawak

Aid and subsidies

1. Govt to spend RM24.2 billion on subsidies and social assistance
2. RM100 million grant proposed for Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (MITRA) of which 80% will be programme-based
3. RM57 million provided to Orang Asli Development Department (JAKOA), in addition to RM83 million allocation for the community’s economic development, education and infrastructure.
4. RM575 million proposed for socio-economic assistance to senior citizens benefiting 137,000 seniors whose household income is below poverty level
5. RM25 million allocated to manage, administer and expand food bank programme
6. Allocation for subsidies and social assistance increased to RM24.2 billion, including welfare aid such as Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH). BSH scheme expanded to cover 1.1 million single individuals aged above 40 earning less than RM2,000 per month.

Rural development

• RM10.9 billion allocated for rural development projects in 2020, from RM9.7 billion in 2019
• RM738 million provided for Risda and Felcra to implement income generating programme
• RM1 billion set aside for rural roads throughout Malaysia, primarily targeted at Sabah and Sarawak

Education and training

• Allowance for KAFA teachers increased by RM100 a month, to benefit 33,200 existing teachers
• RM735 million proposed for school maintenance and upgrading works
• Government allocates RM210m to expedite digital infrastructure establishment in public buildings like schools
• Education Ministry to receive largest allocation of  of RM64.1 billion in 2020 from RM60.2 billion in 2019
• Allocation for TVET programmes raised from RM5.7 billion in 2019 to RM5.9 billion in 2020
• RM1.3 billion proposed for education institutions under MARA, a further RM2 billion for student loans benefitting 50,000 students

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