SOON YOU'LL NEED A DEGREE TO CLEAN TOILETS

I've oftentimes dubbed many of the private universities and university colleges in Malaysia as 'graduate factories' cranking out degree holders of all kinds by the score, only for many of them to find themselves unemployable once they apply for jobs.

Interestingly enough, this is a problem also in countries like Australia and other Anglo Saxon countries which have embraced neo-liberal economic policies adopted since the time of Margaret Thatcher in the U.K. and Ronald Reagan in the U.S., as well also in some Third World countries. I have not heard of such reports coming from continental Western or Eastern European countries, from Japan, North Korea, South Korea or Cuba.

In his You Tube video entitled "University Education Is Losing Its Value" You Tuber who goes by the name Daily Rant Australia describes a very similar situation amongst Australia's universities after Australia implemented neo-liberal policies and the once sacred universities fell from grace and were debased by purely commercial profit motives, in competition for students whose fees paid enabled them to survive, whilst they race to the bottom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yijnHjA4JbY

It's also happening in the "almighty" United States of America, according to this almost two hour long video - College SCAM EXPOSED: Declining by Degrees - Higher Education at Risk Documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu60bXXlL3w

So today one needs a degree to get a job which any secondary school leaver with O Levels or what was called a Senior Cambridge in Malaysia or Singapore could get  in the 1960s and then move up the ranks as one gains experience.

And, if one needs some specialised training, such as to be a teacher, a nurse, in accounting, a technical skill, a trade, one could either undergo a formal study programme whilst on the job leading to a certificate, a diploma or license to do a skilled job or through evening or correspondence courses.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, after successfully completing Form 5, teachers in Malaysian schools would have to attend a teachers training college and earn a certificate or a diploma before they could teach and Kirby trained teachers were highly regarded back then and the standard of pre-independence Malaya's and later Malaysia's school education was high and teachers well respected by students and society.

Kirby College was established in 1951 in a suburb of Liverpool, UK by the government of pre-independence Malaya to train Malaya's school teachers in a two year programme. The Kirby Project ended in 1962.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/education/2014/03/23/down-kirkbys-memory-lane/

Two of my aunts and an uncle were teachers and none had degrees, yet both aunts rose to become principal of their respective schools, whilst the uncle rose to become a much feared, yet well respected discipline master in his school in Ipoh.

Besides teaching, other school leavers found jobs in various fields and rose up the ranks. For example, after Form 5 in 1966, one of my cousins got a job with the printing firm Charles Grenier and intended to take a vocational course in printing but another opportunity knocked and he moved on to a job in aircraft maintenance and servicing with Malaysia Air Charter based at the old Subang Airport which flew small aircraft, then moved on to join the Qantas aircraft maintenance facility which maintained large civil airliners, including the Boeing 707. Some of his schoolmates joined too and after having learned on the job and earned their tickets and licenses in various aspects of airframe and engine maintenance, have now moved up the ranks to more senior positions with airlines in Malaysia and overseas. Unfortunately, that cousin passed away in a drowning accident whilst fishing at the young age of 25, which also cut short his career.

Back in 2010, I interviewed several of my St. Michael's Institution alumni who after having successfully completed their Form 5, went on to get jobs as aircraft technicians with what was then called Malaysia - Singapore Airlines and had risen up the ranks in Singapore Airlines today.

In 1972, one of my classmates in Upper 6 Form decided applied to become a pilot with Malaysia Singapore airlines instead of sit for his Higher School Certificate and from what I have heard, he rose to become a Captain of a Boeing 747 with Singapore Airlines before he left to go into business.

In 1968, my Singapore-born cousin who had completed his Senior Cambridge in Singapore, was conscripted into Singapore's military National Service and whilst there, decided instead to enlist for seven years with the naval arm of the Singapore Armed Forces, where he serviced and maintained marine diesel engines, earning certifications and licenses along the way and after completing his seven year term, he found work with several well regarded diesel engine suppliers, firstly as a service engineer and later in engine marketing and is now happily retired, with a splendid home with a swimming pool in Singapore.

Many veteran journalists entered the profession armed with a Senior Cambridge or its successor a Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM since 1970) and moved up the ranks to become editors, whilst some even did not a Senior Cambridge or SPM but learned on the job and rose in the ranks.

Many accountants back then undertook certificate and diploma course in accounting whilst on the job, finally ending up with professional qualifications in accounting.

Those aspiring to be secretaries undertook secretarial course, either on the job or at a college.

Of course, those who aspired to become professionals such as doctors, engineers, architects, economists, physicists, biologists, chemists and so forth had to undertake degree courses at universities and qualify.

After I graduated with a degree in electronics engineering in 1979, I found a job as a process engineer with National Semiconductor in the Senawang Industrial Estate about three months after I returned to Malaysia, so it has always puzzled me as to why today's graduates in IT and other disciplines need to undergo additional post-graduation industry training before they are employable. I later moved on into telecommunications and then into computer servicing, which was one of the longest phases of my career. I also liked writing, so at 40, I joined The Star where I wrote articles on information and communications technology and now in semi-retirement I write about business and economic developments in China, India and Malaysia, as well as the Belt and Road initiative for an online publication called Enterprise TV - 

However today, one needs a degree to get into many jobs, which don't really need degrees and many employers find today's graduates lacking in various ways, so need retraining to be more relevant to the industry they are employed in.

I'm quite sure that if this trend continues, even toilet cleaners will require a fancy sounding degree such as "Bachelor of Science in Public Hygiene Facilities Management" to get the job. Hopefully the graduate factories won't pick up on this idea.

Education used to be sacrosanct, even when governments made education up to university free or very affordable for all but after neo-liberalism kicked in around the late 1970s and 1980s, education has become debased as a commercialised, profit-oriented, money making business.

CHARLES F. MOREIRA

http://aidmap227.blogspot.my/

WELL SAID DR. JEYAKUMAR!

I am glad that Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) Member of Parliament for Sungai Siput, Dr. Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, has said what I have been saying for some years now about the lack of Malaysia's opposition pact's alternative policies which can convince especially rural and lower income voters to switch their vote from the incumbent Barisan Nasional (National Front) to the opposition Pakatan Harapan (Pact of Hope).

Many amongst the opposition still believe they can win by highlighting the wrongs of the incumbent ruling coalition, much like advertisers who advertise their products by highlighting the deficiencies in their competitors' products instead of the strengths and superiority of their own.  

I went up to Sungai Siput during the 1999 general elections to help Dr. Jeyakumar with his campaigning against the incumbent Tun Samy Vellu of the BN and even though Dr. Jeyakumar lost, however he managed to significantly reduce Samy Vellu's majority. In 2004, Samy Vellu beat Dr. Jeyakumar again with a bigger majority but in 2008, Dr. Jeyakumar  beat Samy Vellu to win Sungai Siput and he won again in 2013.

Dr. Jeyakumar, a medical doctor, has always had a concern for the interest of the poor, the marginalised, the labourers and the oppressed and has been active in helping them through community NGOs, pro-bono assistance to the poor and more recently in Parliament and whilst I am not a PSM member nor do I agree with some of its policies but I applaud Dr. Jeyakumar's efforts and work as a man of the people.

In 2012, I attended a protest outside the Ritz Carlton Hotel organised by the PSM against the Free Trade Agreement being negotiated between Malaysian and other governments' representatives inside, and I noticed the absence of representatives from Pakatan Rakyat parties and asked Dr. Jeyakumar why this was so and he said that most Pakatan Rakyat politicians and supporters are neo-liberals who do not oppose such FTA. He then added that more opposition to the FTA comes from BN supporters, despite being "for the wrong reasons". There were representatives from one of the labour unions at the protest against the FTA.

I had seen this very clearly in the statements by opposition politicians and in the comments by pro-opposition people to articles online,as well as in face-to-face conversation over tea; some of which are overtly racist and vulgar especially against the Malays who are the majority and comprise the largest vote base in Malaysia.

Winning elections is a numbers game and Dr. Jeyakumar is right in that whilst the rural and urban lower income voters are just as opposed to issues such as corruption, nepotism and so forth as their economically comfortable urban middle-class counterparts, however their bigger concerns are over their economic survival if their rights and protections are taken away by the opposition if it wins the elections and becomes the Federal Government.

This shows that he has his ear, mind, heart and soul on the ground amongst poor and disadvantaged, unlike the relatively privileged educated, urban middle class elite who are economically secure and comfortable enough to be able to spend their leisure hours sitting on their bums behind their computer screens, on their bums in tea shops or bars, their faces buried in  smartphone screens engaged in WhatsApp group chats, posts on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram or other social media sites - endlessly talking about macro issues such as 1MDB, Altantuya, Scorpene submarines, the cancellation of the Better Beer Festival in Kuala Lumpur, the allegedly high cost of the MRT, making racist comments insulting others' religions and so forth, whilst ignoring local issues on the ground.

Over time, these privileged urban, middle-class types, with too much time on their hands spend hours in endless discussion and debate on social media and in tea shops; eventually began to believe that the opinion of those few within their respective echo chambers are in tune with the many in the wider world beyond. To put it more bluntly, they had begun to eat their own dog food, as the saying goes.

So how can these politicians and opposition supporters expect the opposition to defeat the BN and win the Federal Government when they want to cut civil service jobs, cut subsidies and whatever support to the rural folk and so forth which threaten their economic survival; instead of proposing better alternative policies which will protect these people's livelihoods whilst at the same time being more inclusive of Indian, Chinese and other minority Malaysian ethnicities.

The problem with these sit on bum types is that they see the world as it should be in their minds, whilst people like Dr. Jeyakumar see the world as it actually is and how such realities on the ground determine election outcomes.

We have already seen this in the election of Donald Trump as US president and in the rise of populist far-right parties in Europe and yet these sit on bum urban elite types are blind to the reasons for all this and carry on, business as usual in their respective echo chambers, oblivious to the world beyond.

If the opposition loses the next general elections, despite growing concerns over rising cost of living amongst rural and urban lower income voters, they only have themselves to blame.

The opposition has woken up to this, especially after the survey findings by PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli's crowd-funded INVOKE organisation that most of those surveyed were primarily concerned over matters of economic survival but too late to change course so close to the next general elections. (Though Dr. Jeyakumar thinks it's not too late - well, we'll see for sure at the next GE)

Well, I knew that long before this survey results and I had been saying so in my posts, in comments to articles and in WhatsApp groups (some of which I have since exited from)  but these dumb Pakatoons in their echo chambers apparently did not believe. Well too bad for them.

And mind you, this comes from me who is not pro-BN but I'm sure some dumb Pakatoons who cannot see beyond their smartphone screens, cups of tea or mugs of beer will accuse me of being a "bought and paid for BN stooge", which I certainly am not. I'm still basically pro-opposition but the ignorance, stupidity and short-sightedness of these dumb Pakatoons has put me off them.

Also close to four million youth who became eligible to vote since 2013 have not registered to vote and I understand from a young anti-establishment political activist that many of his young cohorts are fed up with party politics, with all the infighting and fragmentation going on within political parties, so have chosen instead to focus their political activities through NGO work. Whilst I no longer am young like them but old enough to be their father, however I find myself concurring with them about the state of Malaysia's currently puerile and dysfunctional party politics.  

Like Dr. Jayakumar, I try and see opinions in the real world on the ground, not the echo chambers of the urban, middle-class elite, in which the proverbial converted preach to each other.

Free Malaysia Today's article on Dr. Jeyakumar follows below.

CHARLES F. MOREIRA

freemalaysiatoday.com

Jeyakumar: PH risk losing vote of Malays anxious over rights

Minderjeet Kaur 4 minutes

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PETALING JAYA: Sungai Siput MP Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj has cautioned the opposition that it stands to lose out on Malay rural support in the next general election (GE14) unless it addresses the community’s fears about losing its rights.

The PSM leader said there was anxiety among rural Malays that Pakatan Harapan (PH) would be soft on asserting their economic rights if the opposition pact took over the federal government.

He said the coalition should give ample focus on dealing with such concerns, instead of putting more weight on issues related to 1MDB and other corruption allegations against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).

“Corruption and 1MDB are important issues, but aside from talking about those issues, Pakatan should also address the fears of the rural Malays when it comes to their future.

“Umno has a well-defined support system of incentives and subsidies for the Malay poor, so much so that the party is seen as their protector,” Jeyakumar told FMT.

He added that PH has not done enough to allay misgivings about this support system being taken away if the opposition came to power.

Jeyakumar said it was difficult to counter BN’s allegations against PH.

He also cited Prime Minister Najib Razak telling civil servants earlier this week to imagine their future if the opposition came to power. Some opposition members have alleged in the past that the 1.6 million-strong civil service was bloated and should be reduced.

Jeyakumar said many rural and urban poor Malays felt that although Umno might be corrupt, rejecting the party could mean that they would lose their incentives and subsidies.

“They are aware that the government is corrupt and things are not quite right.

“But on the issue of affirmative action, people in Pakatan have given the impression that they are for the free market, where the market would determine the issues.

“Such fears will help Umno retain rural Malay votes,” he said.

PH needs policy statement

Jeyakumar said subsidies implemented by the Umno-led government included RM300 million worth of free fertiliser distributed to paddy farmers, a RM300 monthly payment to small-scale fishermen and benefits for rubber smallholders where the government tops up the rubber price if it drops below RM2.20 per kg of “cup lump”, that is latex collected in tapping cups.

He said it was not too late for PH to come up with a policy statement to address the social and economic programmes targeted at the Malay poor, over and above existing incentives and subsidies, as the Malays also faced a lot of problems.

He cited the example of how rubber smallholders have complained of receiving low-grade rubber seeds from Bumiputera contractors, that resulted in lesser earnings.

“The smallholders feel cheated. They wait for seven years for the tree to grow just to have a lower yield of rubber. This matter needs to be looked into.”

He also said that although fishermen received RM300 on a monthly basis, the government was also issuing licences to foreign boats to fish in Malaysian waters, causing locals to suffer from a lesser catch.

“These are the kinds of issues Pakatan should look at. We need to have measures to overcome these problems,” he said.

“Consult those on the ground. It will convince people that we are aware of their issues. These issues can also be added into the manifesto,” he said.

IRKUT'S MC-21 MAKES IT'S MAIDEN FLIGHT ON 28 MAY 2017, FINALLY

With it's initial design having begun in 2006, Russia's Irkut MC 21 civil airliner made its maiden flight in the city of Irkutsk in Eastern Siberia 11 years later on 28 May 2017.

Click here - MC21 rollout and maiden flight

The MC 21 (MS 21 in the Latin alphabet), is expected to enter commercial service in 2019, when it is expected to provide stiff competition not only to the Boeing 737 (USA) and the Airbus 320 (European Union). which have enjoyed a global duopoly until now, but also newer rivals such as the COMAC C919 (China), the Embraer E190-E2 (Brazil), the Mitsubishi MRJ 90 regional jet (Japan), the TRJ 328 and TRJ 628 regional jets (Turkey) and others, all of which claim significantly improved fuel efficiency and significantly lower operational costs. Irkut claims that the MC-21's fifth-generation turbofan engines consume 20% less fuel. 

The above compilation of videos about the MC 21 on my You Tube channel is courtesy of AINtv, Russia Today, United Aircraft Corporation, Vesti and Sputnik, with the soundtrack - the classic and rock versions of the Russian National Anthem - courtesy of the Ruska You Tube channel. A big spaciba! (thanks) to you all.

THE MALAYSIAN CONNECTION

On 7 June 2010, Russia's Itar-TASS reported that a Malaysian company, Crecom Burj Resources (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Crecom Burj Berhad), signed a contract worth US$5 million (about RM16.65 billion at the time) with Irkut to purchase 50 units of the MC-21 (25 MC-21 200 and 25 MC-21 300 variants) starting from 2016, making Crecom Burj Resources Irkut's first international customer for the MC-21.  The aircraft can be fitted with between 130 to 211 seats depending on variant and seating configuration, and the aircraft has a range of between 5,500 and 6,000 kilometres. The plane which made the maiden flight is an MC-21 300 variant, whilst MC-21 200 which is smaller and the MC-21 400 are in the pipeline.

Crecom Burj expected the MC-21 would enter commercial service in 2014. The company intended to lease the planes to South East Asia airlines, from which it had received some interest. Crecom Burj Resources also signed a memorandum of agreement with IBH Investment Bank Ltd, which will act as lead arranger for funding the aircraft’s purchase.

However, Malaysia Business Directory reported that the holding company Crecom Burj Berhad was winding up as of 24 December 2015.

https://www.mysbusiness.com/company/Crecom-Burj-Berhad

Meanwhile, Irkut reported that it had received 175 orders for the MC-21 at time of its inaugural flight. Fifth of these orders are said to be from Russia's national airline Aeroflot.

Besides the MC-21, China's COMAC C919 which made its maiden flight three weeks earlier is in the same league as the MC-21 and together promise to be a significant challenge to the Boeing 737 and the Airbus 320 in the growing Asia-Pacific air travel market.

Boeing expects worldwide demand for 35,280 new civil airliners between 2013 and 2032, of which 12,820 or over one third, will be in the Asia-Pacific region.

Meanwhile, not to miss out on the party, India's government has revived its SARAS civil airplane programme and a 19 seat SARAS prototype is expected to make its maiden flight this month. The SARAS is expected to pave the way for India's aerospace industry to produce larger 70-seat aircraft, intended primarily to serve India' domestic air travel market, especially the small airports across this vast and populous country.

These initiatives to develop their own civil aircraft are bids by China, Russia and India to wean themselves from reliance on imported western technology.

The 21st Century has been described as the Eurasian Century and and it looks like the world is heading in that direction. 

Charles

http://aidmap227.blogspot.my/

CUBA SUBMITS RESOLUTION TO END OVER 50 YEARS OF FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC EMBARGO TO U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON 26TH OCTOBER 2016

CUBA SUBMITS RESOLUTION TO END OVER 50 YEARS OF FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC EMBARGO TO U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON 26TH OCTOBER 2016

By Charles F. Moreira

KUALA LUMPUR 27 Sep 2016: The Republic of Cuba submitted a resolution entitled “Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade Imposed by the United States of America Against Cuba” before the United Nations General Assembly on 26th of October, 2016.

This is the 25th consecutive time Cuba has submitted such resolution before the U.N. General Assembly and most often, the vast majority of U.N. General Assembly member countries, including Malaysia have voted in support of the resolutions, with the only exceptions being the United States of America and Israel voting against.

When Cuba submitted a similar resolution last year it was supported by 191 member countries, with only the United States and Israel against.

However, news agency Reuters reports that the United States for the very first time abstained in its vote on 26 October 2016 and so did Israel.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cuba-un-idUSKCN12Q259

Whilst U.N. General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, hopefully, this should be an encouraging development in the process of normalisation of U.S. - Cuba relations, since the United States imposed this embargo against Cuba on 19th October 1960, two years after the victory of the Cuban Revolution which deposed the dictatorial, pro-U.S. Batista regime and nationalised U.S.-owned oil refineries, which is Cuba's right as a sovereign nation.

This comes after the United States and Cuba restored diplomatic relations on 20 July 2015 and after U.S. President Barack Obama's official visit to Cuba where on 22nd March 2016 Obama acknowledged that this embargo is obsolete, harms rather than helps the Cuban people and called upon the U.S. Congress to end this embargo.

No real change yet

However, despite all that rhetoric, this economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba continues with continued debilitating effects to Cuba's economy, despite several minor amendments to regulations related to this embargo in 2015 and 2016.

Also, despite what he said in his speech in Cuba, on 11th of September 2015, President Obama again renewed sanctions against Cuba under the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, which constitutes the laws and regulations that make up the embargo, alleging foreign policy interests.

At a media presentation on the 27th of September 2016, Her Excellency Ibete Fernandez Hernandez, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Malaysia said that the U.S. continues to ban exports to Cuba of products and equipment important to key sectors of the Cuban economy, whilst at the same time, the continuation of the embargo prevents Cuba from freely exporting her products and services to the U.S. and cannot have direct banking relations with the U.S. Also, except of U.S. investments in Cuba's telecommunications sector, Cuba cannot receive U.S. investments in other sectors of her economy.

Cuban Ambassador Her Excellency Ibete Fernandez Hernandez briefs Malaysian journalists on U.S. - Cuba relations and the hardships Cuba faces due to the U.S. imposed embargo

Also, Cuba is banned from opening corresponding accounts in U.S. banks and has been unable to make either cash deposits or payments in U.S. dollars in third countries and this hampers trade, since most international payments for goods and services are denominated in U.S. dollars.

Up until the conclusion of the writing of the resolution which was submitted to the U.N. General Assembly, the United States' announced authorisation of Cuba's use of U.S. dollars in international transactions has not materialised, nor the possibility for U.S. banks to provide loans to Cuban importers of authorised U.S. products. Furthermore, finnacial institutions and U.S. suppliers of such products continue to fear being fined for having transactions with Cuba.

Stiff penalties

Worse still, the risk of heavy fines by the U.S. has deterred many non-U.S. banks opening accounts for Cuban companies and handling trade-related financial transactions with Cuba, even in non-U.S. currencies.

The list is long, so only some examples of penalties, blocked or refused transactions since 17th December 2014 are listed below:-

On 6 August 2016, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) levied a fine of U.S.$ 271,815 on U.S. maritime insurance company - Navigators Insurance Company for violating the embargo by paying U.S.$21,736 in interest for a Cuban national.

On 18 and 23 September 2015, an Australian bank refused to make two transfers in Australian dollars to the Cubatur travel agency for for payment of services for a group of 19 travelling to Cuba.

In November 2015, the U.S.-based PayPal online financial payments company blocked the account of German company Proticket, used by its customers to pay for tickets for the musical comedy Soy Cubano and a concert by Cuban singer Addys Mercedes on grounds that it violated the U.S. embargo. Proticket sued PayPal and on 19 April 2016 a court in Dormund, Germany ruled against PayPal, forcing it to unblock Proticket's account, failing which PayPal had to pay Proticket 250,000 euros compensation.

On 12 February 2016 a branch of Standard Chartered Bank in Uganda informed Cuban doctors working at Mbarara University that they had until 15th February to withdraw their money from their accounts with the bank, since as Cubans theye were not allowed to have accounts with the bank. The doctors tried to open an account with the British Barclays Bank but after doing so were informed that they could not make transactions to or from Cuba.

On 18 March 2016, it became known that Japanese bank Mitsui Sumitomo SMBC Trust refused a funds transfer by a Japanese citizen to pay for a tourist card fom the Cuban consulate in Japan.

On 3 May 2016, it became known that funds collected by the Asociacion de Cubanos in the United Kingdom had been retained by the bank of U.S. company Eventbrite because it had sold tickets for a classic music concert organised by the Association whose funds would go towards the purchase and donation of a piano for the Amadeo Roldan Music Conservatory in Cuba.

Cuba is developing her petroleum industry and on 25 February 2016, OFAC fined CGG Services S. A. of France U.S.$614,250 for having supplied spare parts and equipment originating from the U.S. for gas and oil exploration to ships operating in Cuban territorial waters. Furthermore, the Venezuelan subsidiary of CGG Services S.A. had carried out five transactions related the processing of information for seismic research conducted by a Cuban entity in Cuba's Exclusive Economic Zone.

Free medical care for all

As a socialist country, Cuba provides free medical care for all her citizens and this care is said to be the best in Latin America and Cuba is also noted for her internationally respected biotechnology and biomedical industries.

As a result of this embargo, Cuba's public health services have been unable to obtain from the U.S. the required medicines, reagents, spar parts for diagnostic and treatment equipment, medical instruments and supplies necessary for these services to function.

For example in February 2016, the U.S. company General Electric would not sell medical equipment for the study of the peripheral nervous system to Cuba, citing the embargo

Also, the Farmacuba company requested four U.S. suppliers of protection means and chemical and biotechnological products to manufacture medicines in Cuba and amongst the four, the multi-national company Sigma-Andrich refused to entertain the request due to complications arising from this embargo.

This has forced Cuba to source these through intermediaries from further afield which results in higher costs.

Altogether, this since 1960, this embargo has cost Cuba's public health services over U.S.$2.6 billion and over U.S.$82.7 million over the 2014 - 2015 period, an increase of about U.S.$5 million over the 2013 - 2014 period.

Poaching talent as a weapon

Besides these high costs, since 2006, the United States has been waging an aggressive campaign through the “Parole for Cuban Medical Professionals” programme aimed at inciting Cuban medical professionals working at an international mission outside Cuba to defect. Not only does resulted in a brain drain which adversely affects Cuba's medical services but also denies patients in these thir countries from benefiting from their services, and this still goes on despite supposedly improved bi-lateral relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

Biotechnology

In biotechnology, the National Products Centre which comes under the National Centre for Scientific Research was unable to two chromatographs by U.S. company Agilent used for quality control of products being researched and developed at the Centre.

AICA Laboratories Enterprise faced difficulties obtaining spar parts and technical assistance to repair a machine from Bosch Pharmaceuticals Company in the U.S. used fo rthe production of carpules - i.e. injectable vials with an open bottom used in odontology (dentistry and craniofacial research) or for insulin doses. This has had financial repercussions worth close to U.S.$1.76 million.

Impact on food, education and national culture

Repercussion so fthis embargo has cost Cuba's food production sector U.S.$605.7 million in the 2014 - 2015 period due to increase price of seeds, fertiliser, spare parts for agricultural equipment and other consumables due to Cuba having to acquire these items through intermediaries in third countries. In some cases, the longer lead times between order placed and fulfilment has resulted in substantial repercussions on Cuba's food production.

Free education is a right of Cuba's citizens and with not being able to acquire essential educational equipment from the U.S., Cuba has had to sources these from further afield, resulting in losses for Cuba's Minsitry of Education of close to U.S.$ 1.25 million in 2014 - 2015.

The difficulty in obtaining the required equipment for professional sports has adversely impacted Cuba's sports sector and the embargo has cost Cuba's culture sector close to U.S.$29.5 million in the 2014 - 2015 period.

A major aspect of the embargo which seriously affects Cuba's foreign trade is the prohibition of ships from docking at U.S. ports within 180 days of having docked at a Cuban port.

This has been a major deterrent to ships docking in Cuba to deliver or take on cargo, since it is not cost effective for a to carry only one set of cargo types for Cuba, since they will also carry cargo for other destinations in the region, including the United States.

This forces Cuba to resort on trans-shipment through neighbouring countries, which introduces delays and adds to cost.

Since 1960, the embargo has cost Cuba the equivalent of close to U.S.$125.9 trillion and between March 2015 and March 2016, it has cost Cuba U.S.$4.68 million.

Opposition to the embargo

A hopeful sign for Cuba is growing pressure from U.S. corporations, industry associations, chambers of commerce, businessmen of Cuban origin in the United States, respective state governments, groups of legislators, religious leaders, non-governmental bodies, Republican and Democrat politicians  and others, for the U.S. to end its embargo against Cuba.

According to polls of U.S. society conducted by CBS News, AP-GfK, the PEW Research Centre, the Engage Cuba lobbying group, the Atlantic Council think-tank and others, on average 70% of U.S. citizens support the lifting of the embargo against Cuba, with the majority of Democrats supporting President Obama's policy towards Cuba.

Whilst the ending of this embargo and its associated legislation such as the Torricelli Act, the Helms-Burton Act, the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 which prevents U.S. citizens from travelling to Cuba as tourists and the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 which the financing for sales of U.S. agricultural products to Cuba and these can only be repealed by Congress.

Whilst the U.S. President cannot repeal these acts, he however has the executive power to modify the implementation of aspects of the embargo against Cuba, to allow Cuban banks, companies and so forth to open accounts with U.S. banks; end the financial persecution of Cuba; authorise exports of U.S. products to Cuban companies; permit the import into the U.S. of Cuban products and services such as tobacco, rum, biotechnology products, as well as products manufactured in third countries which contain raw materials from Cuba such as nickle or sugar; authorise U.S. companies to invest in Cuba; authorise U.S. citizens to to receive medical treatment in Cuba and end the 180 days prohibition of ships which have docked in Cuba from docking in the U.S.

Despite the promises to mitigate the effects of the embargo in his speeches, President Obama has done very little in this regard and Cuba believes that he can do more.

However, with Obama coming close to the end of his two terms as President very soon, Ambassador Ibete believes that if Hillary Clinton is elected the next President, she will continue with Obama's legacy, though quite probably at a slower pace.

On the other hand, Ambassador Ibete is less certain of Donald Trump's policy towards Cuba should he be elected as president, since during his election campaigning, Trump's has flip-flopped between saying that he will reconcile relations with Cuba and at other times saying that he break relations.

In a post on Twitter dated 28 November 2016, President-elect Donald Trump wrote, "If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate the deal.

During his election campaign, Trump said he planned to reverse Obama's executive orders on Cuba. These include allowing direct flights between the two countries and lifting limits on the amount of cigars and rum that American travellers can bring back to the U.S. for personal consumption, unless the Cuban government grants more political freedom to Cuba's people, including allowing them religious and political freedom and the freeing of political prisoners.

As President, Trump could order the State Department to place Cuba back on the list of "state sponsors of terrorism" and break off diplomatic relations with Cuba but such measures could well come against objections from industries which have already begun to take advantage of the business and trade opportunities with Cuba, such as the restoration of direct flights between the US and Cuba.

According to John Kavulich, the president of the US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, the Trump administration could well face opposition, including lawsuits from the airline industry if Trump were to do what he threatens, since airlines have already made substantial financial investments based upon the new regulations from the Obama administration.

For instance, American Airlines and JetBlue have already begun flights between the U.S. and Cuba, so stand to lose such business.

Also, tour and travel companies such as Airbnb, Carnival Cruise Line, and Starwood Hotels have also begun to expand into Cuba, hoping to take advantage of what promises to eventually become a booming new tourist destination. Trump could also come up against objections to such reversal from fellow Republicans in the Congress.

So it's left to be seen if a President Trump will actually implement such measures which would amount to bullying and a continuation of American hegemonic attempts to undermine Cuba sovereignty and interfere in Cuba's internal affairs.

However, if Trump indeed carries out its threats, Cuba will continue to have the support of the freedom and peace loving people and countries of the world, who have helped Cuba to survive the difficulties imposed upon her during the 50 or so years of this cruel and unjust embargo, whilst U.S. imperialism and hegemony will continue to be condemned.

A legacy of the Cold War

The embargo against Cuba is a legacy of the Cold War and unlike heavily armed Russia, China and North Korea today, as well as the various terrorist groups, Cuba in no way threatens the existence of the United States.

It's known that the continuation of this embargo is very much influenced by pressure from Cubans loyal to the deposed dictator Batista who fled Cuba to the U.S. and they constitute a considerable electoral vote base which U.S. politicians feel they must please, however it is also known that more amongst the descendants of these exiles favour ending the embargo and reconcilliation between the U.S. and Cuba.

So what does the U.S. have to fear from normalising relations with Cuba, unless it fears that with Cuba's determination to continue along its socialist path and its fierce sense of national independence and sovereignty; if the embargo is lifted, one wonders wther the U.S. fears that Cuba's resultant progress and prosperity will serve as an inspiration to other Latin American countries resulting in the U.S. losing its geo-strategic dominance of the people's of this sub-continent south of the United States, many of whom would like to get the Yanquis of their backs.

Malaysia maintains close relations with Cuba and many Malaysian students have studied or are studying in Cuba.

CHARLES F MOREIRA