Najib Mansuh 30% Ekuiti Bumiputera

1 Julai 2009 , akhbar the Star menyiarkan berita muka depan bertajuk "Quota free" manakala akhbar The Sun menyiarkan berita muka depan bertajuk "Freer economy".Anda tahu mengapa Berita Harian menyiarkan berita muka depan bertajuk "Rangsang pelaburan" manakala NST menyiarkan berita muka depan bertajuk "Sweeping changes to boost growth"?

Lebih hebat lagi, anda tahu mengapa berita muka depan Utusan Malaysia bertajuk "Ekuiti Nasional ditubuh" dan berita bertajuk "Pemilikan 30% ekuiti bumiputera dimansuh" tak berani muncul di muka hadapan akhbar itu?

Tahu kenapa berita utama jadi berita muka dalam dan berita sampingan jadi berita utama akhbar itu?Di mana pahlawan-pahlawan Melayu sebelum ini begitu garang menunjuk perasaan? Di mana hulubalang-hulubalang Melayu yang sebelum ini begitu bengis menjerkah tempik si boneka DAP?Atau hanya sekadar hulubalang bantut dan pahlawan kontot?

Govt does away with 30% bumi equity requirement

The Star (1/7/09): The 30% bumiputra quota requirement for companies seeking to list on the Bursa Malaysia has been done away with under an overhaul of the Government's economic policies.In his most important announcement since taking office on April 3, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said there was a need for a new economic model.He said the Foreign Investment Committee (FIC) would effectively "no longer exist" as it had failed to achieve its objectives.Saying that the emphasis now was on participation instead of equity, Najib also announced the setting up of Ekutinas (Ekuiti Nasional Bhd), a private equity fund to make strategic investments for bumiputras, especially in companies with high-growth potential.The other announcements, which are to take effect immediately, were:* All property transactions, except for those involving a dilution of government or bumiputra interests for property valued at RM20mil and above, would no longer require FIC approval;* All Malaysian companies seeking listing would have to offer 50% of their public offering to bumiputra investors, which would work out to 12.5% of the total stake;* A 100% ownership would be allowed for qualified and leading fund management companies to set up operations in Malaysia;* Foreign equity in existing stockbroking companies would be increased to 70% from 49%;* All transactions on mergers and takeovers by local or foreign companies will no longer need FIC approval; and* All listed companies need not maintain 30% bumiputra equity as required previously.

Rangsang pelaburanKerajaan longgar garis panduan FIC untuk tingkat daya saing negara

Berita Harian (1/7/09) : Kerajaan semalam mengumumkan beberapa pendekatan baru bagi meningkatkan daya saing Malaysia sebagai pusat pelaburan dan pada masa yang sama menggalakkan pemilikan berkesan serta berkekalan ekuiti Bumiputera dalam sektor korporat.Ia antara lain membabitkan kelonggaran terhadap Garis Panduan Jawatankuasa Pelaburan Asing (FIC) berkaitan pembelian kepentingan, penggabungan dan pengambilalihan; kegiatan meraih dana oleh syarikat senaraian awam serta pembelian hartanah.Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak ketika mengumumkan perkara itu pada Persidangan Invest Malaysia 2009 di sini, berkata berkuat kuasa serta merta kerajaan menghapuskan garis panduan FIC yang membabitkan pembelian kepentingan ekuiti, penggabungan dan pengambilalihan tanpa menggantikannya dengan peraturan baru.Berikutan itu, beliau berkata FIC kini tidak lagi memproses urus niaga saham atau mengenakan sebarang syarat ekuiti ke atas urus niaga berkenaan.Bagaimanapun, katanya, bagi memastikan kepentingan negara dalam sektor strategik terus terpelihara, syarikat dalam sektor berkenaan masih lagi tertakluk kepada syarat ekuiti oleh badan kawal selia sektor masing-masing.Najib yang juga Menteri Kewangan, berkata bagi meningkatkan daya saing Bursa Malaysia sebagai pusat penyenaraian syarikat, kerajaan memperkenalkan garis panduan penyenaraian yang baru.Di bawah garis panduan baru itu, syarikat senaraian awam tidak lagi tertakluk kepada syarat pegangan ekuiti Bumiputera seperti yang ditetapkan FIC sebelum ini, sebaliknya hanya perlu menawarkan 50 peratus daripada jumlah 25 peratus saham tebaran awam kepada pelabur Bumiputera.Perdana Menteri turut menjelaskan urus niaga hartanah hanya perlu mendapat kelulusan FIC jika ia membabitkan pengurangan kepentingan Bumiputera atau kerajaan bagi hartanah yang bernilai lebih RM20 juta.Najib menegaskan, di sebalik langkah melonggarkan FIC itu yang dijangka akan meningkatkan dengan ketara kedudukan Malaysia sebagai tempat menjalankan perniagaan dan melabur, kerajaan kekal komited dalam melonjakkan penyertaan Bumiputera dalam ekonomi.Namun, katanya, kerajaan akan melaksanakan pendekatan baru yang memberi tumpuan menggalakkan penyertaan Bumiputera dalam ekonomi secara lebih berkesan, bermakna dan berkekalan menerusi perkongsian tulen dan meritokrasi.Menjelaskan mengenai keperluan melaksanakan pendekatan baru itu, Perdana Menteri berkata, ketika FIC dibentuk pada 1974, ia adalah komponen utama strategi pertumbuhan dengan ekuiti, namun ia kini bukan lagi instrumen berkesan bagi tujuan berkenaan."Pada 1970-an, ekuiti Bumiputera adalah hanya 2.4 peratus. Berdasarkan jumlah kecil itu, maka adalah sesuai melaksanakan dasar sedemikian bagi menangani ketidakseimbangan. Ketika itu juga, adalah praktikal dilaksanakan susulan kekurangan persaingan bagi mendapatkan pelaburan."Bagaimanapun, kini dasar pelaburan itu telah mewujudkan ketidaktentuan dalam pembentukan peraturan dan tidak sejajar dengan amalan antarabangsa, justeru menjejaskan potensi pertumbuhan," katanya.Najib juga menegaskan, FIC sebagai instrumen penyusunan semula dilihat kurang berkesan kerana peratusan pemilikan ekuiti Bumiputera tidak berubah sejak 1990 hingga 2006 dengan masing-masing pada kadar 19.3 peratus dan 19.4 peratus.Daripada RM54 bilion ekuiti yang diagihkan kepada Bumiputera di bawah FIC pula, hanya RM2 bilion kekal, manakala selebihnya dijual semula untuk memperoleh keuntungan segera.Perdana Menteri turut menegaskan walaupun berlaku perubahan dasar pelaburan, ia tidak bererti matlamat pertumbuhan dengan pengagihan dan sasaran 30 peratus pegangan Bumiputera berakhir."Yang berbeza adalah kita anggap ini sebagai sasaran makro bukan sasaran mikro. Kita masih komited untuk mencapai kewujudan negara yang mencerminkan keadilan sosial," katanya.Selain kelonggaran dalam FIC, Perdana Menteri turut mengumumkan menaikkan had pegangan asing dalam syarikat broker saham dan segmen runcit pengurusan dana saham amanah kepada 70 peratus daripada 49 peratus ketika ini.Pemilikan asing dalam segmen runcit industri pengurusan dana pula dibuka bagi pegangan sehingga 100 peratus.

Sweeping changes to boost growth

NST (1/7/09): Malaysia has eased investment rules, including one on Bumiputera equity ownership, in a major move to attract foreign investments amid a slowing economy.Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he was scrapping a rule that requires companies seeking a public listing to reserve 30 per cent of its stock for Bumiputeras.Besides that, he raised the foreign ownership limit on unit trust companies and brokerages, and vastly reduced the powers of the Foreign Investment Committee (FIC), a body that had closely monitored the 30 per cent ownership rule in Malaysia.The FIC has "outlived its usefulness", Najib said, adding that its approval would no longer be required for property transactions, except for those where Bumiputeras are the sellers.He said all these changes were ecessary to transform Malaysia into a high-income nation within the decade."We have become a successful middle-income economy, but we cannot and will not be caught in the middle-income country trap.We need to make the shift ... or we risk losing growth momentum in our economies and vibrancy in our markets," he said in his keynote address at the Invest Malaysia conference here yesterday.Making the transition to a high income economy has become his key priority and he will continue to "modify or eliminate policies thatinhibit growth", he added."I am convinced that failure or hesitation to act now will have long-term ramifications for the nation."The measures to boost foreign investment come as Malaysia faces its first economic contraction in a decade.The government expects the economy to fall by as much as five per cent this year as exports slow amid the global recession.On Malaysian companies seeking a listing on Bursa Malaysia, he noted that they would previously had to sell a 30 per cent stake to Bumiputeras and also ensure a quarter of the shares were held by public investors.From now on, however, with the 30 per cent rule scrapped, companiesonly need to offer half of the public spread to Bumiputera investors.This effectively means that Bumiputeras will hold at least 12.5 per cent in initial public offerings."I think this is a good, bold move. It should bolster market sentiment and in the mid- to long term, small investment banks will benefit from doing more fundraising exercises," said Chris Eng,head of research at OSK Investment Bank, of the new move.Najib stressed that he remained committed towards enhancing economic participation by Bumiputeras."While the government remains fully committed to the goals of equitablegrowth, our approach will be to implement these goals in a market-friendly manner."He said the new policies were designed to be a win-win situation for all and that no one should feel marginalised."It is a tricky balancing act, but it's do-able."He also said that as at June 19, projects worth RM9 billion had been awarded under the government's RM67 billion stimulus packages, of which RM3 billion had been paid.