Have a cookie, Neo

Finally, we witness some remarks being made on the state of the economy by entities that can lay claim to a higher degree of expertise than an inveterate blogger of unknown intellectual pedigree.

MIER

Malaysia's economy may grow at the slowest pace in eight years in 2009 as the global financial turmoil triggers a worldwide economic slowdown, the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research said. As Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy MIER forecasts that Malaysia's growth in 2009 will be in the region of 3.4 per cent compared to the expected growth rate of 5.3 per cent this year.

MIER's report states that, It is likely that growth would deteriorate in late 2008, as the Malaysian economy takes the hit from the knock-on effects of a flagging global economy. The outlook for the global economy is turning increasingly dismal, MIER said.

Bank Negara
Malaysia's economy may expand as little as four per cent in 2009, the slowest pace in eight years, and Bank Negara Malaysia is ready to shift its focus to boosting growth as inflation worries ease, governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said.

What is very vital is the economy should not be allowed to slip into a sharp economic downturn, Zeti is quoted as saying.

She is also quoted as saying, We have the capacity and the capability to implement fiscal, monetary and other measures to prevent such an economic downturn.

Zeti is also quoted as saying that, the government's 5.7 per cent growth forecast was before all these developments that led to the severity of the financial crisis. The next 12 months will be highly challenging, but the recovery could happen by 2010.

The government is reported to have plans to announce an economic stabilisation plan on October 20.

Is that all?

That's pretty much all the information reported in the mainstream media I'm afraid. When reading the stuff that I eventually extracted and posted above, I felt like a pubescent boy in a toilet with a sealed copy of what was thought to be a Playboy magazine and, upon tearing off the seal is deflated that it is only the Time magazine.

I don't want to sound too facetious but, why does Zeti always like to speak like the Oracle in the Matrix?
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Oracle : I think you know what i'm going to say, Neo.

Neo: That the economy is going to the dogs?

Oracle: Exactly.

Neo: But what can I do to help?

Oracle: You know what you can do to help, Neo.

Neo: Do my own research and blog about it as much I can so that general awareness sets in?

Oracle: Exactly.

Neo: But, that's a load of crap, Oracle!

Oracle: Here, Neo, have a cookie. You'll feel much better after having a cookie.

Okay, okay. I'm being unkind. But please excuse my angst. Instead of ending with with Trinity's scorpion kick I think the ending would be better, at this point, with a picture of Morpheus being mentally tortured by Agent Smith.

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