2010 New Year Presents to Rakyat?

No No No......

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar the new Sugar King in Malaysia is given the biggest  presents by the Government when they raised sugar price to RM1.65 per kilo in Peninsular Malaysia and RM1.75 in Sabah and Sarawak effective yesterday. The new rate is 20 sen more compared to the previous price.

 When more and more excuses were given to rationalise the increase, we know that our 1 Malaysia government is shoratge of cash now and hence they have to raise more tax from Rakyat ranging from credit card tax, real property tax , goods and services tax.... and everytime we will listen to the same excuse again....."OH OUR PRICE IS STILL CHEAPER COMPARING TO NEIGHBOUR COUNTRY"

Ask yourself, for the past few year ,how much your boss has increased your salary compares with the price rises in other necessity items like foods and transportation costs?



Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary
Controlling shareholder, various listed companies
YOU can’t afford to take your eyes off the corporate sprawl that forms part of Syed Mokhtar’s business empire. There’s always something happening somewhere, and this year should be no different.
Also, because several relatedparty transactions in the last few years involving his companies have drawn criticism and angered minority shareholders, people are eager to know if the tycoon’s next moves will gain from the lessons of the past.
The year kicks off with questions about what’s next for Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas). Tradewinds (M) Bhd’s general offer for Bernas shares closed on Dec 9, with the former having slightly more than 50% in Bernas.

Tradewinds Malaysia will acquire a further 22% from Gandingan Bersepadu Sdn Bhd, a Syed Mokhtar private vehicle, which means he will end up with 72% in Bernas. Previously, his interest in Bernas was via Gandingan Bersepadu subsidiary, Budaya Generasi Sdn Bhd, which has just under 31% in the rice company.
Tradewinds Malaysia said it wanted control of Bernas because of the latter’s “strong competitive advantage” as a rice supplier to the whole country. Tradewinds also pointed to the synergies offered by Bernas’ distribution and marketing networks and the two companies’ combined size.
That makes business sense, but Bernas has a political dimension to it because of its central position in Malaysia’s rice and paddy industry. Will Tradewinds have a free hand in leveraging on Bernas’ strengths?
Another Syed Mokhtar storyline worth following in 2010 is the ties between his businesses and the Felda group. In November, Felda Global Ventures Holdings Sdn Bhd acquired Tan Sri Robert Kuok’s sugar assets, including a 20% stake in Tradewinds Malaysia. That makes Felda a partner of Syed Mokhtar.
And there is room for more tie-ups because both Syed Mokhtar and Felda are in areas such as commodities and logistics.
Syed Mokhtar’s other listed companies, such as MMC Corp Bhd and DRB-HICOM Bhd, are equally capable of making the news because of their diverse businesses, and his contacts and deal-making prowess.
Through private companies, he is also working with partners on large projects such as an aluminium smelter in Sarawak, gas fields in Iran, and refineries in Iran and Malaysia. He does indeed seem to be everywhere