We are Now almost a year into the financial crisis. When we last had the Umno annual general assembly in 1997, the effects of the economic crisis had not yet been felt. Even now, many have not really felt the burning effects of the crisis. Oil-palm growers, for instance, until now have not felf any effect at all; in fact they are happy that the price of plam oil has escalated. Nevertheless, many of the rural people have begun to feel the economic impact by virtue of the fact that the prices of basic necessities have increased.