What Is Actuary?

Assalamualaikum.

While taking a break, I searched for “actuary” in YouTube and found this nice video about actuary. It’s pretty cool and articulate in explaining all the things people need to know about actuary. I assume this career is not a popular one and lots of people out there still do not have clear idea about it. Moreover, students too usually do not put it on their list when selecting their majors. So, I post the video here.

Yet, it’s still not a complete video for a muslim to know about this career since most actuaries today deal with riba. But, as Islamic financial products and institutions are growing rapidly nowadays, I’m not consider riba a big issue unless financial institutions make use of the Islamic terms with their products when the products actually are not completely follow the muamalat law. A simple analogy for it is when Dr M proclaimed Malaysia as an Islamic country during his tenure, but based on jumhur ulama’s definition of Islamic country, Malaysia is still far away behind the title.

Sekian Wasallam.

Lessons From Syeikh Khalid Yasin. (II)

Assalamualaikum.

Terlebih dahulu pohon maaf kerana mengambil masa terlalu lama untuk menyambung cerita saya tentang ceramah Syeikh Khalid yang saya tulis di sini.

Jika sebelum ini sata tumpukan apa yang diperkatakannya di dalam khutbah, siri ini akan cuba sedikit berkongsi apa yang diperolehi dari ceramah utamanya di sebelah petang yang bertajuk “Developing Social Awareness”. Tidak dinafikan kebenyakan ceramah dan khutbah di sini banyak menyentuh mengenai hal dalam sebuah komuniti kecil Islam di Amerika yang hidup di tengah-tengah kumoniti besar non-muslim. Saya berpendapat, ceramah ini juga mempunyai ‘rentak’ yang sama.

Pada awal ceramahnya, Syeikh Khalid menyentuh sedikit menjadi warganeraga dan tinggal di Amerika. Walaupun pernah menjejakkan kaki ke 38 buah negara yang kebanyakannya ‘negara Islam’, beliau tetap merasa bersyukur dan memilih Amerika Syarikat sebagai rumahnya. Berpeluang hidup dalam dua realiti masyarakat adalah satu nikmat yang begitu dihargainya yang telah memberikannya satu peluang untuk lebih memahami manusia. Masyarakat yang dimaksudkan masyarakat Islam dan masyarakat yang ketamadunannya telah jatuh ke tahap yang paling randah walaupun kemajuan teknologinya adalah yang paling terkedepan didunia. Kebebasan bersuara juga adalah satu lagi perkara yang perlu disyukuri menurutnya. Di so-called ‘negara Islam’ yang lain, anda mungkin tidak dapat kebebasan bersuara sebegini, mengatakan apa yang benar atau salah, mengkritik apa yang tidak kena dalam negara anda dan bergerak dengan lebih luas dalam medan dakwah.

Untuk mengekalkan kemakmuran di sekeliling masyarakat non-muslim yang dominan, seseorang muslim perlulah melihat sesuatu yang terjadi disekeliling mereka di luar kotak pemikiran. Cuba memahaminya tidak setakat dalam konteks bangsa dan agama mereka sahaja kerana kesedaran sosial adalah isu moral, bukan setakat isu keagamaan. Walaubagaimanapun, itu tidak bermakna seseorang muslim perlu meninggalkan al-quran dan sunnah dalam membina kesedaran sosial. Malah menurutnya, mengambil apa yang dari al-quran dan contoh tauladan yang ditunjukkan oleh Rasulullah saw cukup untuk membina satu komuniti Islam yang benar-benar dirasai di kampus ini.

Rasulullah saw diutuskan untuk menyempurnakan 2 misi utama iaitu tauhid dan akhlak. Ini menunjukkan akhlak merupakan satu elemen yang sangat penting dan akhlak la yang akan digunakan untuk kita berinteraksi dengan manusia tanpa mengira sama ada dia muslim atau non-muslim. Akhlak juga la yang akan memantulkan ajaran Islam kepada seluruh manusia. Akhlak yang baik boleh menjadi satu method dakwah yang berkesan seperti apa yang berlaku pada Rasulullah saw dimana akhlak mulia baginda telah menarik ramai umat manusia kepada Islam. Pengaruh daripada ketinggian akhlak Rasulullah memang diperakui sehingga nama baginda diletakkan di kedudukan pertama dalam buku Michael H. Hart- The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History.

Satu lagi perkara untuk dikongsi, menurut satu hadith(tak dapat tangkap matannya), seluruh umat manusia berkongsi 3 perkara-air, api(tenaga) dan tanah(pertanian/makanan). Ini bermakna kesemua manusia berhak mendapat ketiga-tiga sumber ini dan memang akan cukup jika kesemua sumber ini diurus dengan amanah dengan penuh kesedaran tanpa perlu ada sebarang monopoli atau eksploitasi. tapi, apa yang berlaku dalam dunia hari ini terutama di Afrika dan Asia Barat cukup menyedihkan. Jika sumber itu diurus dengan baik, tidak akan ada manusia yang mati kebuluran di Afrika. Dan jika manusia tidak mendahulukan sikap tamak, tidak akan wujud peperangan yang mengorbankan ribuan nyawa di Asia Barat hanya kerana mahu menguasai sumber tenaga dunia.

Perkara terakhir yang dapat dikongsi di sini adalah tentang memberi dan menerima. Adalah satu yang menyedihkan jika satu komuniti Islam itu telah wujud di satu kawasan selama bertahun-tahun, tetapi hanya menyerap dari pada komuniti besar yang mereka duduki bersama. Terdirinya sebuah masjid di tengah-tengah komuniti non-muslim adalah satu perkara penting, tapi apa yang lebih penting lagi adalah berapa banyak lagi institusi yang dapat lahir daripada masjid itu. Kerajaan Amerika memberi kebebasan seluasnya untuk masyarakat Islam bergerak dan membina institusi-institusi mereka sendiri seperti sekolah, hospital, klinik, rumah kebajikan dan lain-lain. Peluang inilah yang sepatutnya dimanfaatkan sepenuhnya untuk menonjolkan sebuah komuniti yang dapat memberi dan bukannya selama-lamanya menyerap dari orang lain.

Dan amat tidak patut jika wujud walau seorang yang susah, memerlukan tetapi tidak dibantu dalam jika masyarakat muslim wujud di situ kerana itu bukanlah sesuatu yang dianjurkan oleh ajaran Islam dan sesuatu sikap yang ditunjukkan oleh Rasulullah saw. Mengenangkan kata-katanya, aku memikirkan betapa jauhnya kita di Malaysia dengan ajaran Rasulullah saw. Lihat saja la. Duit zakat dan sumber kewangan berlambak-lambak, tapi setakat mana usaha menghapuskan kemiskinan. Usahkan hendak menolong non-muslim, saudara seagama sendiri pun masih ramai lagi tidak terbantu hinggakan golongan artis sahaja yang sanggup untuk menjenguk ke rumah mereka.

Kesempatan ini juga saya ambil untuk berkongsi 2 video tentang Umma Clinic yang baru ditonton semalam dari web Iluvislam. Satu sikap yang perlu diambil contoh oleh umat Islam tanpa mengira mereka di Amerika atau di Malaysia. Benarlah apa yang diperkatakan oleh seorang pesakit di situ-”your actions speak louder than words”.

Sekian Wasallam.

Trade With China: Threat or Opportunity for Malaysia?

Trade between countries in the globalized world is inevitable and Malaysia also depends a lot on it. In 2006, the total number of Malaysian exports and imports was worth 26.7 billions US dollars. The main trade partner of Malaysia during the early age of its independence was Britain, but now the trade has extended to other countries, including the United States, Singapore, Japan, China and Hong Kong. In the future, trade with China is predicted to rise as the country is growing to become the world’s superpower in economy. Many Malaysians believe that China competes with Malaysia’s economy as it has more attractions for investors and the Chinese products are cheaper compared to domestic products. After doing research on this topic, I found that China actually does not pose any threat to the Malaysian economy. This statement is based on four reasons. First, trade with China has given local investors the chance to set up their business in China. Next, Malaysia can also export its high-skilled workers and natural resource products to meet the demand in China. Third, cheaper products that come from China will also give Malaysian consumers advantage and at the same time encourage local industrial players to be competitive. And the last reason is the strategic location of Malaysia on the route of China and the west, making it a potential place to set up a stop center for trade and products exchange.

The first reason why Malaysia should continue having extensive trade with China is that it will create more chances for Malaysian investors to go abroad particularly to China and open business there. FTA (Free Trade Area) agreements that have been signed by leaders in most east Asian countries have broken the economic barriers between them. This is because the FTA agreements generally will require countries to abolish the quotas, tariffs and taxes that are normally used to protect their local industry. With this abolishment, it is now easier for Malaysian investors to step to other countries and extend their business. According to Dr Hummels, an economics professor at Krannert School, China is still the best place since it has a constant supply of natural resources and a high population, which means a big market for investors. Moreover, Dr Hummels added that the economic zones equipped with the best infrastructure along the Chinese coast and the country’s liberalized economic policies are the other reasons that make China one of the preferable places to start a business. Malaysian investors should grab the opportunities in China to extend their business abroad as there are not so many countries in the world who have all the advantages mentioned earlier. Moreover, advice from the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi that Malaysians should be brave and go abroad must be taken seriously by them.

Besides giving a chance for Malaysian investors to invest in China, another reason why trade with China is opportunity for Malaysia is that Malaysia can export its high-skilled labor and natural resources to China. Micheal Elliot, in his article from Time magazine- “The Chinese Century.” states that in order the meet the outsourcing demand for natural resources especially oil, the fast-growing country has started exploring African continent (33). China wants to ensure that it gets a constant supply of oil from the continent. However, it is costly for China to transport the oil from the African continent. Therefore, Malaysia can help China to meet its demand for oil since Malaysia is one of the nearest oil suppliers to China and it will certainly lower the transportation cost. High-skilled labor is another field that Malaysia can take advantage of. The Malaysian educational system produces thousands of unemployed graduates every year. Most of the students who graduated from professional courses are unemployed because there is a lack of employment available in Malaysia itself. Meanwhile, according to Dr. Hummels, China is transforming from a labor-intensive industry into a high technology industry that requires a lot of high-skilled and knowledgeable labor, which Chinese tertiary education might be unable to meet for the time being. Malaysian graduates can take advantage of working in China and not just depend on the employment available in their home country.

Trade with China is not only beneficial for the Malaysian investors and high-skilled labors mentioned earlier. It also gives an advantage to consumers in Malaysia to get cheaper Chinese goods that invade Malaysia, which is my third reason why I say trade with China is positive for Malaysia. The goods are varied, including clothes, silverware, decors, rice, citrus fruits and some electronic gadgets. Even though this scenario might not last forever, it certainly helps low–income families in Malaysia to cut their household budgets. Besides that, the cheaper products that come from China will encourage local industrial players to improve their products and win the market back. In other words, the cheaper products will create a healthy competition in the Malaysian market. Moreover, local industrial players cannot always rely on government help in facing the competition from China. Dr. Hummels said, “Such policies like protecting firms, setting up quotas and tariffs are generally disastrous for a country’s economy.” What the government can do to help them is just to provide the best infrastructure and set up competition-promoting policies. This same idea is promoted by Peter J Llyod in his article, “A Competition Policy For Malaysia”. According to him, the main objective of the policy is to create better competitive environment in Malaysia’s economy and the policy should be comprehensive, promote competition and run by an independent agency.

Last but not least, Malaysia can also take advantage of extensive trade between China and European countries as it is located on the strategic way main way between China and Europe. In fact, the Malacca strait on the west of peninsular Malaysia is the busiest strait in the world and receives the highest number of ships annually. Malaysia has taken a step forward by establishing several ports along the coast of peninsular Malaysia like Tanjung Pelepas Port and Pasir Gudang Port. These ports are specially built to be a transshipment hub on the major shipping route of the world. There, ships that come from China or from the European continent can exchange their products with local products or having maintenance operation after long journey.

Despite the advantages discussed earlier, we should realize that trade with China still has some negative impacts on Malaysia like the waning of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Malaysia. Even though Malaysia records a high FDI every year, the numbers actually have declined in recent years. Moreover, Malaysia’s neighbor, Indonesia has overtaken Malaysia in terms of the FDI and not to mention China, which is the world’s top recipient of FDI. This proves that Malaysia has lost its competitiveness with China and has failed to attract international entrepreneurs to set up their businesses there. Therefore, the Malaysian government should deal with this issue seriously and should not be complacent with the fact that Malaysia always scores billions of FDI annually.

Trade with China should be perceived in positive ways as it will provide more opportunities for Malaysian entrepreneurs to extend their business abroad. It also enables Malaysia to export its high-skilled labor and natural resources to China. Moreover, trade with China will benefit Malaysian consumers as they will have cheaper goods from China in the market. Malaysia also can be a transshipment hub as it located in major route between China and the west. Even though Malaysia lost its attraction among foreign investors as they prefer to go to China, Malaysia still can win foreign investors if it emulates China’s actions like setting up special economic zones that provide the best infrastructures and economic system for investors. Therefore, Malaysians should realize that trade with China give more opportunities for them in economy.