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作者：林佳谊《工商时报》07/04/2010 新加坡国营投资公司淡马锡控股看准印度能源发展，准备投资印度GMR集团旗下的「GMR基础建设」（GMR Infrastructure），由此切入需求成长快速的印度能源市场。 淡马锡能源投资部总经理黄锦贤周二在新加坡向媒体表示，淡马锡目前与GMR「仍在进行深入讨论」。他拒绝透露确切投资数额，但是1月时道琼斯社曾经引述知情人士指出，可能投资金额是在1.7亿美元左右。 黄锦贤表示，淡马锡希望能够藉由投资GMR「接触印度国内市场」，并提到淡马锡同时还在与其它「数家」印度能源业者接洽当中。 印度是目前全球成长速度次高的主要经济体，旗下管理 1,720亿新加坡元（约1,230亿美元）资金的淡马锡，就是看准印度政府在未来7 年将会大力提升能源产量，以解决目前电力短缺的问题，避免妨碍了经济成长。 「淡马锡来得可能正是时候，」印度券商Antique Stock Broking分析师阿南德（Abhineet Anand）表示。他指出短期内无论是整体印度能源事业或是GMR基础建设本身，都可提供相当利多。 去年12月印度经济时报（Economic Times）曾引述消息来源谈话，披露GMR集团正与淡马锡以及印度ICICI银行洽谈投资事宜。当时GMR集团财务长苏巴罗（A. Subba Rao）予以否认。 印度财长穆赫吉（Pranab Mukherjee）月前表示，印度煤炭、瓦斯以及电力的供应都令人「忧心」，恐将对该国突飞猛进的经济成长带来限制。印度总理辛哈也呼吁，民间业者应该与政府合作，提升电力产能。 不过黄锦贤指出，「在印度与中国等地，财源主要还是在国内」，如果政府刺激方案喊停，那么资金延续也会出现问题。 来源：http://news.chinatimes.com  Read More →

作者:冀居·谢 李显龙日前在民意处理组的一个活动上，透露政府担心有人卖掉屋子无法养老的问题，所以要加强（strengthen）利用公积金买卖组屋后的资金去向。 虽然他没有明讲和提出细节，但是很多敏感的人马上就嗅出政府要动“卖屋所得”的歪脑筋，要连本带利都强制留在公积金里 (CPF) 养老。这种的直觉是来自对PAP政府40年来的了解，不能说是空穴来风。 总理透露口风，民间积极讨论，然后媒体跟进，这本是好事，政府和民间的互动本来应是如此，但是却让我们观察到新媒体和主流媒体的不同：新媒体马上就探讨如何去公平执行的问题，毕竟卖掉组屋露宿公园仅仅是少数人的现象，怎么只要提出这么一个以偏概全的借口，就足以使政府改变既定政策呢？第二，公积金方面，社会人士无论是雇主或者雇员都按照政府规定的缴交率呈交，如果说政府开始动卖屋子盈利的歪脑筋，是不是说明这个公积金制度其实是不足以养老的呢？第三、政府是不是尊重私有财产权，还是认为国民的组屋都是执政党恩赐的？ 但是主流媒体显然不想人多口杂，只是一味地顺水推舟，马上出现很多配合政府意向的言论，大谈 “最好敲一敲头壳想一想。金窝、银窝，不如家里的狗窝。”——我没看见一个会动脑筋去想一想：诶，总理讲了个云山雾罩，那么如何确保尊重个人自由的同时，又要政策一视同仁？这才是最大的问题嘛。 来源：大马论坛  Read More →

Reuters, 7 April 2010 British Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday launched a month-long election campaign likely to be dominated by the economy and shaping up to be the most unpredictable contest since 1992. Standing outside his Downing Street residence in spring sunshine, with his cabinet arrayed behind him, Brown ended weeks of shadow boxing by confirming the May 6 election date, just a month before the last possible time for the vote. “It’s probably the least well-kept secret of recent years but the queen has kindly agreed to the dissolution of parliament and a general election will take place on May 6,” Brown said, starting his bid to extend his Labour Party’s 13-year grip on power. The Conservatives lead Labour in opinion polls, but the outcome is far from certain as public support for both main parties remains volatile and the opposition faces a big challenge in securing power. “I don’t have a lot of faith in either of the main parties,” said insurance worker Kevin Fisher, 50, in the town of Crawley, south of London, where Labour defeated the Conservatives by just 37 votes at the last election in 2005. Opinion polls point to a hung parliament, one in which no party has an overall majority, because support for the centre-right Conservatives is concentrated in fewer of the 650 parliamentary constituencies. An inconclusive election result is rare in Britain and is the worst-case scenario for financial markets, which want a clear outcome and firm action to tackle a budget deficit running at almost 12 per cent of gross domestic product. The pound fell against the dollar yesterday, dragged down by political uncertainty. “Sterling will now be at the whim of the opinion polls until the election on May 6. Polls showing no clear Conservative majority will be seen as negative for the pound,” said Michael Hewson, an analyst at CMC Markets. Conservative leader David Cameron, addressing supporters on the banks of the River Thames opposite parliament, called it the most important election for a generation. “You don’t have to put up with another five years of Gordon Brown,” said Cameron, 43, a former public relations executive. How to manage an economy slowly emerging from the worst recession since World War Two is likely to be the central theme of the campaign, entwined with issues such as how to manage public services on tight budgets. The Conservatives promise to cut the deficit harder and faster than Labour but have also pledged to exempt most workers from a payroll tax rise Labour plans for next year. Brown, 59, who served as chancellor for a decade before replacing Tony Blair as prime minister in mid-term in 2007, said the recovery was too fragile to be entrusted to the Conservatives. “Britain is on the road to recovery and nothing we do should put that recovery at risk,” he said. With the exception of Labour’s landslide victory in 1997, no party has secured more than a five per cent swing in the national vote at a general election since 1950. The Conservatives require a swing of 6.9 per cent for outright victory. The outgoing parliament has been tarnished by a scandal over MPs’ expenses. One hundred and forty-five members of parliament — just over a fifth of the total — are standing down, many with reputations harmed by the scandal. “The economy is the number one issue, but the aftermath of the expenses scandal still scars the political landscape. It has an impact on things like turnout and the performance of minor parties, which is going to be crucial,” said Andrew Hawkins of pollster ComRes. The Liberal Democratic Party could play a pivotal role if neither of the big parties wins a majority. The new parliament would meet on May 18, the government said. That is later than usual to give new members of parliament more time to prepare for their career change. It would also allow longer for bargaining if no party wins a majority. Adding spice to the campaign will be Britain’s first live television debates — between Brown, Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg. — Reuters  Read More →