Kanang anak Langkau passes away

Malaysians lost their very own war hero, Kanang anak Langkau, who died earlier today. He was said to be watching television before collapsing at his home in Sungai Apong, Kuching. He was pronounced dead at the Sarawak General Hospital.

Students in primary and secondary school will remember the name Kanang anak Langkau well from the curriculum, as he was hailed as one of the many heroes during the communist insurgence between the 1960s and 1970s, not long after the country achieved its independence. Sri Aman (formerly Simanggang), not far from his home, was once a communist fortress before its fall in 1973.

Raised from the Iban community, Kanang was prominently known for his ability to expertly track down the enemies’ whereabout, facilitating the search and destroy mission for the Malaysian army. Throughout his service, he was shot a number of times but managed to survive all the ambushes and killed many members of the insurgents.

Kanang anak Langkau left the army after more than 20 years in service with his last post as first warrant officer for the 8th Battalion of Royal Rangers. He was the final surviving recipient of the country’s highest bravery award, the Sri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP).

Kanang once declined a Datukship award, claiming that he was “not a rich guy” to receive such award. After two years, he eventually accepted the award by the Governor of Sarawak after being conferred the Panglima Gemilang Bintang Kenyalang accolade.

Non-pension workers are entitled for EPF (Employee Provident Fund) account contribution as part of their retirement plan. Employee will contribute a certain percentage of their monthly salary (11%), while the employer’s contribution stands at 13% now (effective Jan 2012). For example, if an engineer earns RM4,000 per month, his total monthly EPF contribution is RM440+RM520 = RM960.

An EPF contributor’s account is divided into 2: Account 1 and Account 2. Account 1 is safeguarded for full/partial withdrawal upon retirement, while Account 2 is a more flexible fund which is accessible for certain withdrawals. Such withdrawals include down payment for housing loan, studies fee, settling housing installment and so on.

How to Withdraw Money from EPF to Buy a House.

This article explains how withdrawal of money from EPF can be made to pay the down payment for house purchase. By default, one EPF account (Account 2) can only acquire one house at a time. An EPF contributor can use this fund to buy a second house provided the first house has been sold or lost in ownership. Losing house to auction (lelong) or a house transferred to another person on compassionate ground (even the EPF withdrawal has been made for this first house) is considered “lost in ownership” and therefore you can still apply for another withdrawal.

Types of houses applicable for purchase through EPF include bungalow, terrace, semi-detached, condominium, apartment (service or studio), townhouse, SOHO (Small Office Home Office) or shop-lot premise (with accommodation, i.e., rumah kedai). Only in-country properties are considered, and buying only a piece of land or a house lot will similarly disqualify you. If your house acquisition is through hire-purchase, allowed institutions are banks, the federal government, your employer, Koperasi and licensed insurers. If your purchase funds come from another institution not listed above, check with the EPF office to verify the validity.

Continue reading →

Who is the richest man in Malaysia, now?

Well, it is still the same guy: Robert Kuok. Kuok is also known as the “sugar king”, which refers to his sugar business that makes him a fortune. Today, other than sugar and plantation, Kuok’s businesses include property & real estate, hotel chains, investment and so on. He currently resides in Hong Kong. Kuok has been the richest man in Malaysia for a number of years running.

Kuok suffers an 8% drop in his fortune, but yet it’s still RM45.7 billion, an amount unimaginable by most Malaysians. Last year, his net worth was valued at RM50.04 billion.

The second richest person also goes to the last year’s same person. It’s Ananda Krishnan. The two are trailed by Teh Hong Piow (founder of Public Bank) and Lee Shin Cheng (founder of IOI Corporation). Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary is at fifth, making him the richest bumiputera in the country.

Another prominent profile on Malaysia’s rich list is Tony Fernandes, the main guy behind Air Asia. He is listed at number 15, quite far away in making himself as the richest man in Malaysia at the moment. Altogether, they are 30 Malaysians who are ranked as “billionaires.”

Tony Fernandes has his base in London, while the rest of the richest men lives in Malaysia.

The rich list is produced by the Malaysian Business magazine, which published the yearly list of 40 richest people in Malaysia.

Today, Karam Singh Walia celebrates another milestone in his career as a journalist. The Sultan of Pahang, in conjunction with his 81st birthday awarded the prominent journalist with the Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang (DIMP) which carries the title ‘Datuk’.

What makes Karam Singh Walia so famous and well known?

You can’t get mistaken when you see Karam Singh on the TV. His voice tone, his gestures, his issues and most well known of all, his penchant for Malay proverbs. The combination of his gestures and use or the peribahasa is awfully stiff and weird—some went to say it was incredibly funny when they first saw it— but this is what makes him different from others. He has his own trademark. Some say he’s got style.

Karam Singh offers entirely different and unique approach in his career. He chooses a niche that sounds rather boring and can turn a certain raised issue into something everyone would care for. He unravels things. He discovers the undiscovered. His coverage of news put environment and conservation issues firmly in the eyes of the public. He raises awareness. He puts bad people and bad practices in the limelight.

Whenever he roams around covering news, he carries with him a 5-inch thick book comprising a few thousand lists of Malay proverbs as he looks for the next one to air. Now, that’s commitment.

So if you want to be a journalist, be like Karam Singh Walia.

[Image: usm.my]