There are two good news for Malaysians recently. The first one is the further reduction of the petrol price effective yesterday. This reduction is inline with the continuous decline in global crude oil price.

That means now I can have more petrol and that would be really nice for my RM200 per month budget. Of course it would be nicer if it keeps on coming down.

Anyway, premium unleaded petrol (RON97) is now priced at RM2 per litre, while unleaded petrol (RON92) now costs RM1.90 per litre (from RM2.05). Diesel has been lowered to RM1.90 per litre, from RM2.05.

I say petrol should go down further! What do you say? By the way, this is what Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said:

Shahrir also said the pump petrol price might fall back to RM1.92 or lower by the end of this month, or by Dec 31 at the latest if the downward trend of global crude oil price continued. The previous fuel reductions were made on Nov 1, Oct 15, Sept 24 and Aug 23.

The next item that goes down is the ceiling price for rice. Malaysians consume a lot of rice and some Malaysians can go mad if they could not eat rice even for a meal. They have to have rice with whatever that they are eating…

The new ceiling prices are RM2.60 a kg for ST5, a reduction of 20 sen, while ST10 will be cheaper at RM2.40 compared with RM2.70 previously.

So, this one should go down and has gone down and that is good!

Read the full news at GLAD TIDINGS FOR CONSUMERS: Double joy with reduced fuel and rice prices.

However, this last item has been going down almost everyday since last month and this is something that should be going up and not down. It is none other than our KLSE Composite Index.

Can somebody or something push this up! It has been staying below 900 for a long time now and my unit trust investments are affected by this.

This one should not go down!

Poem of friendship: It is good to have blogging friends and the great things about this is that I do not know most of my blogging friends in person but that this the beauty of blogging. We can all be friends no matter who and where we are.

Imagine blogging without any friends. We will be reading our own postings and there is not much fun in doing that. In the end we would just give up blogging and thought that it was just a big waste of time.

Today, Kisahberuang.com received a great friendship poem from Bonoriau and here is the poem to share with you!

We need friends for many reasons,all throughout the season.
We need friends to comfort us when we are sad,and to have fun with us when we are glad.
We need friends to give us good advice.
We need someone we can count on,and treat us nice.
We need friends to remember us
one we have passed sharing memories that will always last.

Thanks to Bonoriau for tagging me with this meaningful friendship poem.

Feel free to spread the poem of friendship.

1. Everyday Life 2. Words of Love 3. Sheng’s Simple Thoughts . . . 4. Pinay Mom Blogs 5. REALITIES 6. Glossa~licious 7. A Great Pleasure 8.The Spirit of Blogging 9. Kisahberuang.com 10. YOU

Pak Lah: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would not defend his Umno post and that means the transition of power is taking shape. Infact, he said that he would only stay on as the Prime Minister until March 2009.

So the original plan to hand over the power to Najib by June 2010 is now scrapped and some people can now shut their mouths and stop filling up the daily news about it. Details at PM will not defend Umno post (Update 5).

Here is the press release from Pak Lah:

PRESS RELEASE FROM YAB PERDANA MENTERI

1. I have been in public service for over 45 years. I have served this country as a civil servant, and as an elected representative of the people. I have served as a member of government and feel blessed to serve in the highest office in the land. I have seen this country grow from a small, poor nation into the modern, prosperous Malaysia that we live in today.

2. Despite our successful track record, for the past few years I have firmly believed that our nation is standing at an historic crossroads. We must reform some elements of our nation, we must evolve and mature, or we risk losing all that we have gained in over 50 years. Throughout this time of reform and transformation, we Malaysians need to be united now more than ever before.

3. In all my years of service, I have always been guided by my conscience. I have always placed the interests of the nation above all else. It is with this in mind that I announce I will not stand for the Presidency of UMNO. I do not want a divided party and governing coalition, but one that is united and harmonious. A united Barisan Nasional is vital in order for the country to face the global challenges ahead and for Malaysia to become a fully developed nation, with prosperity and fairness for all.

4. My current term as President of UMNO ends in March next year. There are several initiatives I intend to see through before I leave office. These initiatives are important because they are necessary to move our country forward. These initiatives are needed to regain our country’s competitiveness. They are necessary to enable our nation and our society to face the challenges that the world has in store for us. I ask all Malaysians to unite and join me in working towards making Malaysia a better place.

5. First, our institutions need to be reformed and strengthened.

i) The judiciary needs to enhance its stature and credibility in the eyes of the public. Before I end my term, I will table a Parliamentary Bill to establish a Judicial Appointments Commission. Such a Commission will propose judicial appointments in a transparent and merit-based manner.

ii) We also need a strong and effective anti-corruption body that can combat the cancer of corruption without fear or favour. Before the end of the year, I will table a Parliamentary Bill to establish the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, with greater powers of investigation and enforcement. The Commission’s oversight structure has been modelled after the successful ICAC in Hong Kong.

iii) I also intend to complete the establishment of a Special Complaints Commission to enhance the integrity and effectiveness of enforcement agencies

6. Second, I have long spoken about the need to ensure that the fruits of growth are more equitably distributed. In the recent Budget, I explained the government’s commitment to strengthening and enlarging the Social Safety Net.

We will speed up work on this front to help poor and disadvantaged Malaysians, regardless of background, race or religion.

I will also work to ensure that tangible results can begin to be enjoyed in Iskandar, as well as the development corridor initiatives around the country.

7. Third, I would like to see the Government and Barisan renew their commitment towards building a united and harmonious nation.

Society has seen an alarming decline in inter-racial and inter-religious relations. Various issues have cropped up which threaten to tear the very fabric of Malaysian life.

We need to tackle these issues head-on, through dialogue; deal with the issues constructively and even-handedly; ensure greater clarity and certainty for the people; and focus on the points that unite us, rather than the points that divide us.

For this reason, I will convene a BN Convention early next year. This is a long-term effort that I hope to kick-start and continue to contribute towards.

I fully intend to see through my mission, and I am sure that my successor will carry on this agenda.

I want to hand over to my successor a Malaysia that is capable of weathering the challenges of a dangerous global economy, a Malaysia not of rich and poor, of young and old or of the city or the kampung (village), not of south and north, and not of one religion or another but of unity and harmony.

This is not the time for infighting and narrow politics but for greatness, unity and cooperation.

KLCI: It has gone down again yesterday! What now?