PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

In the latest Newsweek, the front cover ‘Asia Rising’ must have warmed the hearts of Asians. Now we’ve arrived. Asian countries have always been led by the West, even to the extent of looking up to the Western nations. According to the writer of the article in the Newsweek, ‘What’s called a global recession is in fact shrinking economies in the West, not the East’. Some of the arguments put forth by the writer are stated below:

1. Emerging giants like China are stronger, more economically competent and vastly richer.

2. The recession is in fact not truly global. It is shrinking the richest economies but only slowing the emerging giants.

3. The BRICs – Brazil, Russia, India and China could overtake the combined GDP of the G7 nations by 2027, nearly a decade sooner than the forecast in a landmark study a few years back.

4. Goldman Sachs projections for the period from 2011 to 2050 show Russia growing at just 2.8 percent, Brazil at 4.3 percent, China at 5.2 and India at 6.3.

5. The grim consumer outlook, unemployment paranoia and general siege that’s taken hold in the West is also largely absent in Asia. In China and India, sales of cars, white goods and many other types of consumer products are still rising.

6. Americans are ceding the role of world’s most resilient shoppers to the Chinese and Indians.

7. The BRICs are better positioned to recover than their richer peers. Broadly speaking, better control of inflation, lower deficits, increasing productivity, etc. have given the emerging giants greater advantage.

Let the world enjoy economic prosperity regardless of East or West.

Worldwide, over 500,000 women die of pregnancy-related causes every year – more than 90 percent live in Africa or Asia, and almost all are poor by any standard. Obscene though it is, death during childbirth isn’t the end of the story. In the poorest parts of the world, a mother’s death often means destitution for her surviving children. Within a few years, many orphaned children wind up in terrible straits, sometimes resorting to desperate or criminal measures for food, shelter, clothes, or school fees. Studies have shown that motherless children, especially girls, are much more likely to suffer from malnutrition. They are less likely to attend school – again barred by user fees they cannot afford.

One solution is to reduce maternal mortality by 75 percent by the year 2015. According to the UN, we are moving too slowly to meet this goal.

Promoting basic health care, including women’s health, requires resources and political will. Addressing maternal mortality can and should be made a top priority, both to put an end to the obscenity of half a million needless deaths each year.

David chose to touch on the history of Rotafom because members need to know the background of the arm of Rotary’s community and vocational service programs in Malaysia. Perhaps he could give a follow-up talk on his vision for Rotafom.

The Yayasan Kelab-Kelab Rotary Malaysia or Rotary Foundation of Malaysia (ROTAFOM in short) is dedicated to support and enhance Rotary’s Community Service and Vocational Service programs in Malaysia. Initiated by the then District Governor of District 330, PDG Dr Philbert Chin of Singapore, it was not incorporated until 24th September 1985 with the name District 330 Foundation. To comply with the rules relating to the granting of tax exemption in Malaysia, the Foundation was restructured to restrict its activities to Malaysia. The name was changed to Rotary Foundation Malaysia (ROTAFOM) on 14th November 1991. On 12th December 1997, it adopted its current name, Yayasan Kelab-Kelab Rotary Malaysia.

Rotafom is registered as a company limited by guarantee and is recognized as acharitable foundation and exempted from tax. The members are all the Past District Governors of Malaysia. Members appoint a Board of Trustees, a maximum of 10. Incumbent District Governor of 3300 and District 3310 are ex-officio.

The objectives of Rotafom is to fund charitable programs of Rotary at Club and National levels that include:

1. The relief of poverty, suffering and distress and to include the following:
   1. The poor and needy, ill-health, misfortune, widows and orphans
   2. Welfare and rehabilitation in moral and social up-liftment of the deprived
   3. Victims of natural and unavoidable disasters
   4. Relief of human suffering and improvement of human living conditions, treatments, prevention and combating sickness and provision of medical surgical and education facilities and services of all kinds
2. The advancement and improvement of human living standards and social welfare
   1. The awarding/giving of scholarships/loans and grants to the needy students at Malaysian Universites, Polytechnics and Colleges by fostering, developing and improving education of all kinds

The funding and income come from various sources that include donations from Rotarians, Rotary Clubs, friends of Rotary and institutions. There is also a Rotafom donor recognition in which donors are officially recognized according to their quantum of donations.

Thank you David for sharing with us about Rotafom.