Economist confident Sarawak will recover
KUCHING: The recovery in oil prices will provide Sarawak with financial resources for economic recovery in the coming years, said economist Datuk Dr Madeline Berma. “The oil price recovery after the massive fall in 2020 will have a positive and long-term impact on Sarawak’s economy. “In addition, with the Moody’s Investors Service changing its outlook […]
Pandemic to have long-term effect on economy
KUCHING: Covid-19 continues to have a long-term effect on the economy despite the relaxations announced by the state authorities, opined Datuk Dr Madeline Berma. The economist said that most full-service restaurants are operating but at small fractions of capacity. “This is because some will respond immediately by dining in while the majority will delay and […]
Focus on job creation to eradicate poverty
KUCHING: Poverty can be eradicated through creation of jobs to enhance the resilience and long-term sustainability of the country’s development in the future. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak’s (Unimas) Prof Datuk Dr Madeline Berma said there was growing concern that the aspirations of the country’s middle class were not being met. “This is an issue that is […]
Implement targeted MCO only in red zones
KUCHING: Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) Sarawak commissioner Datuk Dr Madeline Berma is of the view that the government should implement the targeted movement control order (MCO) only in red zones, not the whole country. She said in the meantime, the government needed to think of other ways to reduce the spread of Covid-19 as the […]
Increasing subsidies hurting country financially
KUCHING: The rise of crude oil prices has resulted in additional revenue for Malaysia but expenditure to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic will put a strain on the country’s finance, says an economist. Datuk Dr Madeline Berma pointed out that the government had allocated RM340 billion for the purpose. “The allocation is a […]
Best to continue with targeted only moratorium
KUCHING: In the current pandemic situation, it is best for the government to continue with a targeted only moratorium, and not introduce the deferment of loan payment or blanket moratorium at all, said economist Datuk Dr Madeline Berma. She pointed out that banks were already providing the Targeted Repayment Assistance (TRA) programme during this critical […]
Vital steps needed instead of MCO
KUCHING: The Sarawak government is advised not to implement the movement control order (MCO) despite the worrying Covid-19 situation. Datuk Dr Madeline Berma, the Sarawak commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), said important steps needed to be taken instead of imposing MCO. “For example, an area in a district that has high […]
MCO could cause economic standstill
KUCHING: The implementation of movement control order (MCO) will cause a standstill in the state’s economy, opined economist Datuk Dr Madeline Berma. “When the government implemented the MCO last year, it greatly affected the Malaysian economy as a whole. “It resulted in an economic standstill where both the production and consumption were affected,” she said. […]
State of emergency will help flatten two curves
KUCHING: The newly declared state of emergency will help flatten the curves of both the Covid-19 pandemic and that of economic recession. Economist Datuk Dr Madeline Berma who pointed this out, applauded the economic stimulus package rolled out by the government during the first movement control order (MCO) in March last year. She said the […]
Be kind to one another
KUCHING: Fellow at Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Datuk Dr Madeline Berma’s hope for the new year is for Malaysians to be kinder and more understanding. She hoped that people would be more empathetic now that everyone had all gone through the Covid-19 pandemic together. “I hope it will bring Malaysians closer, to share our experiences […]
