i Capital will not be published for the issue dated 23 – 29 Jan, 2020. However, during this period, www.icapital.biz will be updated as usual. Apart from the public holidays and the Chinese New Year eve, on which we open half day, our office’s operating hours will not be affected. Volume 31, number 21 of i Capital will hence be dated 30 Jan – 5 Feb, 2020.

Soon, we will enter the Year of the Rat. The Rat is the first of all the zodiac animals and represents the start of a 12-year cycle. According to Chinese myth, when the Jade Emperor organised a race to determine the order of the zodiac, the Ox ran the fastest, but the Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. When they arrived at the finish line, the Rat jumped down from the back of the Ox and landed first. So, the Rat is associated with shrewdness and quick thinking. It also symbolises wealth because of their reproduction rate.

For Malaysians, who have been experiencing a fast deterioration in their well-being, we certainly hope that the Year of the Rat will bring a change of luck. Well, the fortune of Malaysia lies in the hands of all Malaysians. Life is what you make it. As the politicians are failing the people, Malaysians certainly need all the shrewdness of the Rat to fend for themselves.