PETRONAS, a giant in Malaysia

PETRONAS, the acronym for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, was incorporated on 17 August 1974 under the Companies Act 1965. It is wholly-owned by the Malaysian government and is vested with the entire ownership and control of the petroleum resources in Malaysia through the Petroleum Development Act 1974, an Act of Parliament. (http://www.petronas.com.my/internet/corp/centralrep2.nsf/frameset_corp?OpenFrameset)

Petronas financial year ended March 31, 2007 net profit is RM48,300,000,000.

If the net profit is give to every Malaysian (include children), how much can a Malaysian get?

Answer:

RM48,300,000,000 / 27,000,000 (population) = RM1788.88 per year.

A Malaysian can get RM147 per month. RM147 can buy 76.56L unleaded petrol. RM147 can buy 980 eggs. RM147 can buy 210 Roti Canai!

While for pre-tax profit (since it is belong to people), each Malaysian can share RM76,300,000,000. Every Malaysian can get RM76,300,000,000 / 27,000,000 = RM2825.92 per year.

(You can refer to http://www.petronas.com.my/internet/corp/centralrep2.nsf/frameset_corp?OpenFrameset)

Unfortunately, the profit is not return to the people.

Selamat Hari Raya kepada semua kawan saya!

Happy Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2007

Noam Chomsky

I read this paaragraph in my friend's blog:

Avram Noam Chomsky:
Again, very often when I do something which the state regards as illegal, I regard it as legal : that is, I regard the state as criminal...

The concept of legality and the concept of justice are not identical; they're not entirely distinct either. Insofar as legality incorporates justice in this sense of better justice, referring to a better society, then we should follow and obey the law, and force the state to obey the law and force the great corporations to obey the law, and force the police to obey the law, if we have the power to do so. Of course, in those areas where the legal system happens to represent not better justice, but rather the techniques of oppression that have been codified in a particular autocratic system, well, then a reasonable human being should disregard and oppose them, at least in principle; he may not, for some reason, do it in fact.