Bank Pertanian Malaysia is now re-branded as Agrobank. Agrobank was incorporated on 1 April 2008, with the original Bank Pertanian started way back in 1969. The bank has a strong paid up capital of RM1 billion.

The move is taken as an initiative to make the bank more competitive by fostering a fresher outlook, and enable it to provide a broader range of services to the market and cater the whole segment of the agriculture industry.

The bank will also be under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry and is still fully owned by the government of Malaysia. Datuk Mustapha Mohamed is the new minister, who replaced Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who takes a new role as the Minister of International Trade and Industries.

The purposes of the Agrobank’s inception are as follow:

• To nurture and encourage the development of agriculture sector in Malaysia
• To coordinate and streamline credit assistance to Malaysian citizens or companies who are running agriculture based businesses
• Provide loan assistance or capital for the purpose of production and marketing of agro-based products and operation

An external consultant is now being deployed to carry out the PR and rebranding exercise for Agrobank, penetrate the market and create awareness among the public. This is aligned with the objective of the new rebranding which is to position the bank as a forward looking, modern and progressive enterprise, and at the same time contribute to the growth and sustenance of agriculture sector in Malaysia.

Cuepacs (Kesatuan Pekerja Pekerja dalam Perkhidmatan Awam) and the civil servants are set to celebrate another round of morale victory with the government agreeing to fulfil most of Cuepacs latest demands.

In the decision, the retirement age for the civil servants will be increased from 55 to 60 years old. The efficiency level assessment (Penilaian Tahap Kecekapan or PTK) will also be abolished as a way to make way for a better and fair promotion exercise. A new method of evaluation and assessment for the civil servants will be announced soon.

Additionally, the critical allowance and housing allowance will be reinstated and the pension payment would be decided based on the actual years of service rendered. However, Cuepac’s request for honorarium or ex-gratia payment of RM2,000 will not be fulfilled. The RM2,000 was demanded as a replacement for not receiving any bonuses in 2007 by the civil servants.

Previously, Cuepacs have given the government ultimatum to meet their set of demands, or else they will boycott major events in conjunction with the labor day – a decision that raised mixed reactions, including some who claimed Cuepacs being immature. With the decision, the body has stamped their commitment to push the civil servants to stop politicking, and strive to give better service quality.

We all certainly hope so, otherwise the Malaysia citizens can stop paying taxes and their salary. You can’t just ask for things and not giving back in return.

Answers for the PTD sample questions (Click here for questions). You should at least try to answer all of the questions first, before looking at the given answers below.

Question 1.

Answer is c, i.e. Abu is guilty for taking the chocolate without paying, i.e. stealing. Regardless of whether he apologized and tried to make amend by paying back the money for the chocolate, according to the law, he is still considered guilty.

Question 2.

2.1. Answer is b – RM825.

RM8500 income falls within the tax bracket of between RM7,500-RM9,999. The first RM7,500 is taxed at RM675. The remaining RM1000 is taxed at 15% i.e. 15% x 1000 = RM150. Hence total tax = RM675 + RM15- =RM825.

2.1 Answer is c – RM900

For income of RM20,000, tax payable is RM3350. For income of RM23,000, tax payable will be RM3350 + 30% x RM3000 = RM4250. So you will need another RM900 for the new tax (i.e. RM4250 -RM3350) = RM900.

2.3. Answer is c – RM3500

There are 2 ways to answer this question. First, is to look at all the 5 answers and calculate the respective taxes for the amount. i.e.

RM3000 -> (RM2500 x 6%) + (RM500 x 9%) = RM195
RM5000 -> RM375
RM3500 -> (RM2500 x 6%) + (RM1000 x 9%) = RM240
RM4500 – > (RM2500 x 6%) + (RM2000 x 9%) = RM330
RM4750 -> (RM2500 x 6%) + (RM2250 x 9%) = RM352.50

Secondly, solution can be made using a combination of mathematics and analysis (slightly more complicated). By looking at the figure RM240, we know that the salary will be less than RM5000 (since the tax for RM5000 income is already RM375. Therefore we can conclude that the salary lies somewhere in the 0-4999 income region. We also know that the income is in excess of RM2500 since 6% of RM2500 equals to RM150, which is RM90 short of the RM240 figure. Putting the RM90 in the equation:

RM90 tax = A x 9%
A = RM90/9% = RM1000

So the total income is RM2500 + RM1000 = RM3500

Question 3.

3.1. What is the Kuala Lumpur Declaration 1971 (Deklarasi Kuala Lumpur 1971) is about? It is the formation of a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality region in South East Asian. So the correct answer is b. You can read more about the Kuala Lumpur Declaration 1971 here.

3.2. The answer is d. When the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is to appoint a Prime Minister (Perdana Menteri), he will need to choose an Ahli Dewan Rakyat which gets the majority of the support, as well as a lawful Malaysia citizen. There is no element in the constitution that says he needs to be a Muslim, or a Malay.

Question 4.

The answer is d – job seeker. A lawyer’s statement is just a statement; which may come without evidence. Furthermore, only judge will decide if the defendant is guilty or not. A nurse cannot make guarantee about recovery of health. The professor’s statement is a prediction and is not a fact.

Image: FSSC