Croconomic Potential
16 - 22 February 2026. Issue 77
A (Chinese) friend once stopped by the roadside when the mileage of his car reached 99,999, just so he could admire the number before it turned 100,000. This prompted another friend (Malay) to remark that the Chinese are obsessed with money and numbers. He forgot to mention the colour red. Which brings us to this week’s infographic about the economics of angpows. The numbers are simulated based actual data and some assumptions, but they could easily, albeit unlikely to, be verified by Malaysian banks.
This week’s headline news is about Sarawak Tourism Minister considering crocodile farming for leather production, like what Thailand has been doing for decades. I get that it’s controversial but I think it’s not as exotic as it sounds. We already have a craft industry, and the crocodile population needs to be managed. A recent estimate by Sarawak Forestry says we have about 25,000 crocodiles in the wild. That’s nearly 14 crocodiles for every doctor in Sarawak. Too many crocodiles, too few doctors - this has been the story of Sarawak for too long and it needs to change.
In A String of Thought, I look at the more sombre aspect of poverty - how so many of our people, locally as well as in the wider region, are living with an unintended inheritance over generations.
We have entered the holy month of Ramadhan, after all. Selamat Berpuasa.
You can read A String of Thought here:
