Zero household savings is staggering, and true – Kamal Salih, Muhammed Abdul Khalid and Lee Hwok Aun

Kamal Salih MHDR2013 MHDR 2013 UNDP

Kamal Salih, Muhammed Abdul Khalid and Lee Hwok Aun - We refer to statements by the Governor of Bank Negara (BNM), Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, reported on various print media on November 28, 2014, on portions of the Malaysia Human Development Report (MHDR).

She disputes our finding that over 90% of Malaysians have no savings, claiming that the analysis is "partial" and "misleading".

We thank Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz for engaging with the MHDR, and for providing this opening to reaffirm our findings. Allow us to clarify the points raised by Tan Sri Zeti.

She is quoted as saying, “The report published by UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) is partial and misleading, as it relies heavily on data by the World Bank, which track household savings via banking accounts.”

In calculating household savings, the MHDR does not rely on World Bank data. We clearly explain that the source of the data

The First Malaysia Human Development Report (MHDR) 2013

Kamal Salih MHDR2013 MHDR 2013 UNDP

Text of Keynote Address at the Official Launch of The Malaysian Human Development Report, by Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Kamal Salih, at Pacific Regency Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, at 9am 25^th November 2014.

Ms Michelle Gyles-McDonnough

Resident Representative,

United Nations Development Programme,

Malaysia,

My two distinguished co-authors,

Dr Muhammed Abdul Khalid and Dr. Lee Hwok-aun,

Tan Sri Tan Sri, Datuk Datuk,

Members of the Media,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Assalamualaikum and a very good morning to all,

I am pleased to deliver the keynote address this morning on the occasion of the double Launch of the UNDP Global Human Development Report 2014 and the first Malaysian Human Development Report (MHDR), and would like to thank the UNDP Representative Office in Kuala Lumpur, particularly Ms. Michele McDonough for this honor. While the Malaysian Report was to all intents and purposes completed a year ago, it was destined perhaps that editorial and other circumstances had intervened and led to this timing of its release today to coincide with the launch of the Global Human Development Report.  Fortuitous perhaps, but in this way it makes it possible to locate the findings of the Malaysian Report against the comparative framework of the current state of global progress in human development.

I feel the release of the MHDR today could not come at a better time; the current debate in Parliament on Budget 2015 which coincidently is coming to a vote later today, the launch of Dr. Muhammed’s book entitled the Color of Inequality last week, the continuing round of dialogue and consultations both within government, the opposition parties and civil society on the state of the economy in the context of national unity, and the work of the EPU to frame the Eleventh Malaysia Plan to be introduced sometime next year as the final leg of the national mission to achieve developed status by 2020, together with this Report all should contribute to a better understanding of what needs to be done by all stakeholders and ordinary citizens concerned with the future direction of the country. 

My sense of the state we are in Malaysia today and of the unfolding scenario is that we are now facing a critical juncture

Kamal Salih - UKM Convocation 2nd November 2014

Kamal Salih MHDR2013 MHDR 2013 UNDP

Streamed live on 2 Nov 2014
SIARAN LANGSUNG MAJLIS KONVOKESYEN UKM KE-42 SIDANG 3 (Ahad – 2 November 2014 Sesi Pagi)
• Fakulti Ekonomi dan Pengurusan
• UKM-Graduate School of Business

Speech Text:

Teks Ucapan Balas

YBhg. Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Kamal Mat Salih

Ijazah Kehormat Doktor Falsafah 

(Pembangunan Sosial dan Ekonomi)

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim
Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
dan Salam Sejahtera.

Yang Amat Mulia Dato’ Seri Diraja Tan Sri Tunku Puteri Intan
Safinaz binti Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah,
Tunku Panglima Besar Kedah
Ahli Jemaah Pemangku Sultan Kedah
Pro-Canselor Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Yang Berbahagia
Prof. Datuk Dr. Noor Azlan Ghazali
Naib Canselor UKM

Pengerusi dan Ahli-ahli Lembaga Pengarah Universiti
Naib Canselor dan Rektor Institusi Pengajian Tinggi
Timbalan-Timbalan Naib Canselor
Pegawai2 Pengurusan Utama Universiti
Ahli-Ahli Senat dan Ahli-ahli Akademik UKM
Para ibu bapa, dan ahli keluarga yang dihormati
Serta para graduan yang diraikan.

Dengan penuh kesyukuran dan takzimnya, saya mengucapkan setinggi penghargaan dan terimakasih kepada Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia atas anugerah Ijazah Kehormat Doktor Falsafah (Pembangunan Sosial dan Ekonomi) di Majlis Konvokesyen Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Ke-42 pagi ini.  Saya amat terharu dengan pidatu umum Datuk Naib Canselor UKM tadi memperkenalkan hidup dan kerjaya saya selama ini, dan hanya dapat membalasnya dengan doa Saydina Ali radhiaallahu ‘an: “Subhanallah, jadikanlah aku lebih baik daripada apa yang diperkatakan mereka, tetapi jadikanlah aku sekecilnya di hatiku.”  Sepanjang ucapan Prof. Datuk Noor Azlan tadi terkenang saya kepada rakan seperjuangan yang  disebut dan beberapa yang tidak disebut oleh beliau yang telah kembali kerahmatullah; antaranya Allahyarham Professor Mokhzani Abdul Majid, Allahyarham Profesor Ismail Salleh, Allahyarham Mahani Awang, Allahyarham Zainal Aznam Abidin, Allahyarham Prof. Osman Rani, Allahyarham Prof. Ishak Shari, Allahyarham Prof. Zainal Abidin Wahid, Allahyarham Dahlan Ismail; dan ramai lagi termasuk Profesor Diraja Ungku Aziz, Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Suleiman Mahbob, tidak tertinggal Hamzah Kassim diantara mereka di barisan hadapan di atas pentas ini, yang masih bersama kita dan yang lain yang mungkin para graduan di sini tidak kenali.  Sumbangan dan perjuangan mereka harus dikenang oleh anda dari generasi milenium ini kerana peranan yang mereka telah mainkan untuk membangun masyarakat dan negara-bangsa Malaysia ini yang tidak terhingga nilainya.