Retardation of a nation

Retardation of a nation Edmond R Aug 22, 2008 - Malaysiakini Letters Malaysian leaders are hypocrites. On one hand, the ministry of education continues to restrict students' participation in politics through the University and University Colleges Act 1971 and on the other, education itself is used as a political issue and pawn by leaders from both sides of the government. The recent protest by UiTM students in Permatang Pauh to oppose the opening up of its university's enrolment to non-Malays is proof of our government's bias when the situation benefits their own political mileage. To make matters worse, the prime minister vetoed the suggestion almost immediately without so much as giving it a thought. Adding to the hypocrisy, the education ministry approved an allocation of RM1 million to the few Chinese vernacular schools in Permatang Pauh a few days later in an obvious attempt to win the hearts of the Chinese community for the coming by-election. If this is not considered mixing politics and education, then I suppose the world must be flat. It's amazing how the government spends taxpayers' money to achieve their own goals as if it belongs to them entirely. The majority of schools in Malaysia are in serious need of funds and not only those in Permatang Pauh. If every school needs to wait for a by-election before getting due assistance, then this is definitely political blackmail at its worst. In the case of UiTM, this tactic is also being used to retard the progress and development of a single community. This time, the blackmail works in a different way – by restricting the enrollment to a single community, the government effectively limits students from being exposed to real competition and challenges posed by the multiethnic make up of Malaysian society. How do we expect these students to excel in their studies and be competitive in the real world if they have never been exposed to any real obstacles at all? Isn't it true that the government has wasted millions, if not billions of ringgit to produce graduates who are only fit to work as clerks and coffee-boys? The only logical reason I could think of for this illogical education policy is that it has been implemented to produce unthinking and subservient young Malaysians who will forever be indebted to the ruling government. After years of political intervention, our education system has grown into a jungle of malfunctioning institutions deprived of a unified vision. I have always wondered why there is a need for so many different types of schooling system in a country of only 27 million people. Is it part of the ruling party's aim to segregate our future generations so that they will remain polarised and therefore easier to control through communal politicking? It is no secret that the quality of our education system has regressed to such an embarrassing level as compared to our neighbours. Even our ministers and government leaders realise this decline and send their children overseas to be educated. But not many families can afford an overseas education for their children. The large majority of Malaysians have no choice but to accept the mediocre standard of teaching from the various public institutions, which I would label as 'half-way houses' for students with retarded goals. In order to rectify the situation, we should start by voting in qualified leaders who are educated in various fields and not merely half-past six goons who depend on their charisma and racial rhetoric to put them in power. Secondly, our civil service should employ people based on meritocracy to ensure their capability in delivering quality service to the public. Teachers and educators should be properly trained to provide the best education for all our students. They should be fluent in languages, professional and most of all, able to instill a sense of excellence and creativity in our children. The progress of the country depends on our future generation but just look at the abhorrent ways our educators and politicians treat our children. Not only do we produce teachers who are uninspiring and insensitive, but also a few who have no qualms about dishing out ethno-phobic remarks in class. We need leaders in the education field who are brave enough to develop policies and education syllabuses which will enable our students to take over the helm of leadership in the future. Malaysia cannot afford to have selfish sifoos or teachers who only teach half the knowledge to our children in the hope that they do not overpower the teachers themselves. We must come to our senses now and admit that there are faults at every level of our education system – national schools, vernacular schools, smart schools, universities, colleges and religious schools. It is not surprising that national type schools have been very much neglected and more parents are sending their children to vernacular schools. Even the Malay and Indian community enroll their children in Chinese medium schools as these are perceived to be more academically orientated and the students more disciplined. However, Chinese schools tend to emphasise a lot on academic achievement and rote learning, so much so that the faculties of creative and critical thinking are not well developed. The various religious schools in the country might be able to produce students who are well versed in theology but not able to cope with the material side of life. Some of these schools could also be breeding grounds for political extremists cloaking themselves in religious robes to recruit their followers. And of course we have the various government sponsored mono-ethnic institutions such as UiTM which continue to produce students who have not been exposed to the multicultural realities of our country and the world. If we are to assess the situation objectively without looking through our own veil of different political ideologies, race and religion, it is obvious that the national type school education is still the best for the creation of a united, civilised and educated nation. The first thing the policy makers should do is to stop the rot and retardation in these schools. This will require the whole hearted effort by our leaders and their willingness to abandon policies based on racial lines. We need to inject new blood into the education system and create education policies which are based on meritocracy. Teachers should be well trained in their various fields and specialties. Promotions should be based on merit and achievements and not merely on seniority and preference alone. The standard of education syllabus in our national schools should be raised to international standards in order to produce students who are competitive world wide. If we can revive our national schools, students will start to gravitate back to these schools and at the end of the day, fulfill the goal of national unity and progress. If we can provide an atmosphere of fairness in these institutions, then we can get rid of politicians who shout their lungs out upon hearing any sensitive suggestion about education policies. At the moment, the only way to resuscitate our education system is to replace warlord politicians and archaic educators with visionary leaders. Fifty years of political ping-pong have damaged and retarded a few generations of potentially smart Malaysians. Let this be the final year of our regression! Let us hope that a new beginning will dawn upon us soon. ...more http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/88336

Progress instead of fascism

MARA is progress not fascism Azly Rahman Aug 18, 2008 - Malaysiakini Mara means "to advance (forward)". It is the opposite of "retreat" and the declaration of defeat. It does not mean Undur. Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) must live up to its name. So must its younger brother Maktab Rendah Sains MARA. It is in the interest of the public to suggest good ideas for reform - and to advance. In my lifetime I have been affiliated with both organisations. I taught in the former institution and I was schooled in the latter. Whether a product of historical accident or not, I am proud of my experiences in both. There is a reason for things to happen. I came from a poor family and was given the chance to have an education I wish many more Malaysians, my parents included. But I wish to share my view on this troubling phenomenon that is plaguing a certain segment of the Malays. My argument will be largely linguistic. What is the Malay view of the recent protest of UiTM student - of those young "men-in-black" whose are mourning and calling for the death of reason and rationality and for critical sensibility? I think Malays in general are angry at the protesters. I think they are embarrassed that those few thousands of Malay students were displaying their ignorance of what Universiti Mara means. While other universities have advanced (sudah mara ke hadapan) and are proud that they are embracing diversity and sharing resources for the benefit of deserving children of all races, those protesting UiTM students are experiencing the opposite. They are yelling with pride the word "defeat" and "retreat". Instead of Ayuh Mara they are actually saying Jom Undur. While thinking needs to advance, these students are saying that they need to digress (Ayuh… mari mundur ke belakang). Mundur is the derivative word. Should a university embody the philosophy of mundur rather than mara? Should it even be proud of being and embodiment of that philosophy? I doubt it. Only a misguided leader will be proud of being a guide to 'defeat and retreat' while the world around 'advances' and moves. But these students are not entirely at fault. It is the ideology and perpetrators of the ideology of undur itself that's at fault. It is the leaders implementing the retrogressive ideology that are at fault. It is the systematic indoctrination programme of ketuanan Melayu run over the decades that are advancing this UiTM philosophy of retreat. It is an overdose of the work of government-sponsored Biro Tata Negara (BTN) that is making the mass retreat and defeat possible. It is the work of Malay-dominated agencies like these that are imprisoning the minds of the Malays. This is an anti-Malay-progress establishment that is using deformed arguments on race and ethnicity to pursue an educational ideology that has gone bankrupt. ...more http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/88014

A Place Under the Malaysian Sun III

Malaysia a Jurassic Park? Kim Quek 15 August 2008 - Malaysia Today Surprisingly, even the Constitution was brought in to defend UiTM’s 100% racial discrimination policy, displaying wide-spread ignorance of the Constitution. Vice-chancellor Ibrahim specifically referred to Article 153 of the Constitution as legal basis for his refusal to open the door of UiTM to other races. Can those people thumping their chests to condemn Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim’s suggestion to allocate 10% of student admission of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) to non-bumiputra and foreign students please answer one simple question: Is there a single university in the world which practices 100% racial discrimination in its student enrolment? If there is none, shouldn’t these same people start to do some reflective thinking now as to whether it is a plus or minus for Malaysia to have this unique distinction? Should they not contemplate whether they are proud or not so proud of this ‘achievement’? Should they not be concerned of what the rest of the world might think of a country that is still fanatically defending its policy of total racial discrimination in its highest seat of learning when the whole world has either abandoned or criminalized racial discrimination of all kinds? Are they not worried that Malaysia may soon acquire the image of ‘Jurassic Park’ or ‘Lost World’ of this globalised age? Yes, I use the word ‘fanatically’ because the outburst against Khalid’s suggestion was swift, vituperative, irrational, racist and spearheaded by top UMNO leaders and reverberated down to UiTM students who gathered in the thousands to protest in front of Khalid’s office. Vocal assailers include unfortunately the minister of higher education Khaled Nordin and UiTM vice-chancellor Ibrahim Abu Shah; and vitriolic criticisms include ‘selling out Malay special privileges’, ‘insult to his own race’, and ironically even ‘playing with racial sentiments’. Surprisingly, even the Constitution was brought in to defend UiTM’s 100% racial discrimination policy, displaying wide-spread ignorance of the Constitution. Vice-chancellor Ibrahim specifically referred to Article 153 of the Constitution as legal basis for his refusal to open the door of UiTM to other races. Whereas the reverse is true – Article 153 only empowers the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to request for the reservation of such proportion of position as deemed reasonable for the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak in educational institutions funded by the government. Coupled with Article 8 which prohibits discrimination of any kind on the ground of race, UiTM’s 100% racial policy is clearly unconstitutional. The fanatical zeal displayed by the ruling party (UMNO) in condemning even the tiniest opening of its mono-racial institution to others in this multi-racial nation half a century after independence is undoubtedly a terrible indictment on the miserable failure of nation-building carried out by the only ruling power this nation has ever known – UMNO. It should be pointed out that this UiTM fiasco is the latest in a long string of world renowned scandals that have shamed this country in a short spell of time – starting with the Lingam tape that reveals our judicial rot, the Mongolian high-level murder trial that drills on endlessly and aimlessly, the Anwar sodomy frame-up saga II which symbolises the regime’s moral bankruptcy, the violent disruption of Bar Council forum on family problems arising from conversion to Islam that displays religious intolerance. What alarms the public even more is that these scandals seem to roll in with increasing frequency and speed, destroying what little trust and confidence the people may still have with the government. Are we as a nation already in the reverse gear sliding into an abyss? With these self-destructive maneuvers, apparently self-engineered for its own political survival, UMNO is actually stretching the political and social fabric of the nation to danger zone. How then could Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in all honesty announce that the country “is doing quite well in terms of the economic fundamentals” when the economy is already deeply troubled with slumping demand amidst spiraling inflation in an ambience of administrative incompetence, and escalating political turmoil and uncertainty? The latest two incidents – Bar Council forum and UiTM enrolment – appear to be linked to the imminent Permatang Pauh by-election through which Anwar Ibrahim is planning to make his grand return to Parliament. It is apparent that UMNO is hell bent to scrape and exploit every bit of potential religious and racial friction and blow it up to inflame the primordial instincts of the 70% Malay electorate in the Permatang Pauh constituency. Its policy seems to be: There is no price too high for UMNO to retain power, including stoking the fire of racial hatred and religious animosity that may eventually rift the nation apart. The nation must decide whether it can tolerate such an incumbent political power to continue to hold the reign of government. And that collective decision, if in the negative, can be put into effect (to a significant extent) by the electorate of Permatang Pauh by giving Anwar Ibrahim a resounding victory. ...source

A Place Under the Malaysian Sun II

'Non-bumis will be an asset for UiTM' Aug 15, 2008 - Malaysiakini Your Say On PM vetoes call to open UiTM to non-Malays Chin Tu Lan: I'm a Chinese, and if you ask me whether I feel hurt by this whole issue, I would say no. Mara was set up to help bumiputera students get their education in Malaysia. Let them have their own institutions if they think the concept of staying in their own cocoon makes them better. Just allocate more local university spaces for non-bumiputeras. The whole concept of having 10% participation from non-bumiputera and foreigners is to prepare the bumiputeras to be more competitive when facing the global community. It is their loss anyway. What should we non-bumiputera be worried or angry about? However, I'm angry at the Umno politicians who made a fuss out of this whole issue. Umno claims to be the protector of the bumiputera, yet their actions only tell me that what they are doing is for Umno survival, not for the good of the Malay race. They do not want the Malays to progress. You see, as long as they could keep the bumiputera a marginalised race in the country, Umno will still exist and stay relevant. If all bumiputera are well to do, then why do they still need Umno? I hope one day the Malay race will realise Umno's evil ploy and I hope the day will come very soon. Please, let us not be angry with the UiTM students and graduates. They are just tools used by these Umno politicians. I know of many UiTM graduates who are hardworking and honest. They just want an equal chance and opportunity to survive in this world, as do all of us. I'm afraid that their leaders do not see far enough in the future to take them further, and this is making it worse for them. Har Wai Mun: The MB's reasoning for his suggestion is to allow UiTM students to gain more exposure and be friendlier to people of other races. If anyone thinks his reason is not correct, the logical counter-point would be along the lines of either ‘the suggestion would not allow students to gain more exposure and be friendlier to other races,' or ‘allowing students to gain more exposure and be friendlier to people of other races is not beneficial'. Hopefully, the MB's suggestion will be viewed constructively and is not obscured by communal sentiment. Non-bumis will be an asset to UiTM. Quoting a declaration on various placards on parade at the demonstration, the MB's suggestion might not only ‘Selamatkan UiTM' (Save UiTM), but might propel UiTM to be a world-class university that makes all Malaysians very proud! Anti Double-Standard: It is unfortunate that the MB of Selangor's view about UiTM made him become a racial and political scapegoat when all he was trying to do was foster greater racial harmony in the country and encourage better quality bumiputeras to go through an open university system. After all, he was only proposing a 10% allocation for non-bumiputeras and foreign students. In fact, allocating a small percentage of places for non-bumiputera students has already been practised by the present BN government in fully residential schools. (sekolah berasrama penuh) This has happened even though these schools were originally meant for bumiputera students coming from low-income families. Thus, Khalid Ibrahim's proposal concurs with the present government's line of practice - only that he is trying to extend it into the universities. If UiTM remains die-hard on its decision to keep the university as an all-bumiputera institution of learning, then why does it have a programme of study known as 'UiTM International' and why is it scouting for foreign students from abroad to study there? I know that UiTM has even participated in an international exhibition on higher education in China as late as last year in order to enroll students from China to study at UiTM. What has UiTM to say on this matter? We would like to hear from the vice-chancellor on this question. Kaisim: I salute the Selangor MB for having the courage to make this call to open UiTM to non-Malays. This is the type of leader we need to build Malaysia. A leader representing a multi-racial country cannot be narrow-minded and selfish. Schools, colleges and universities are places for our future leaders to mix and become good citizens. Open any religious text - where does it say that you only have to help your own kind? Ibrahim Abu Shah, vice-chancellor of UiTM, has acted like a politician and made absurd statements about Khalid`s good intention. Ibrahim should concentrate more on becoming a politician. Only then he can make drastic changes to universities to suit his whims and fancies. Many politicians forget that Malaysia needs policies that emphasise need rather than race. We must never forget that, just as there are many rich Malays and non-Malays, there are many poor and unfortunate ones as well. We wish there were more good and responsible politicians who could speak the language of peace, fairness and unity at a time when many of us view with concern the deteriorating spirit of tolerance from an ethnic and religious perspective. Richard Teo: When Abdullah Badawi assumed the mantle of prime minister, he vowed he would be a leader for all Malaysians. However, his vetoing the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor Menteri Besar's call for UiTM to be opened to non-bumiputera, clearly showed that what he espoused was not what he had meant and that the PM is a leader of only one race. No leader of a country that is diverse and multi-ethnic can ever perpetuate a policy that favours one race but claims magnanimously that he is a leader for all. The myopic policy of enrolling one exclusive race in an institution of higher learning will result in a generation of Malays growing up without contact with other races. Such a policy will have adverse implications on future race relations, particularly when religion has already created a wide chasm between the three major ethnicities of the populace. This proposal is a legitimate plea to open up UiTM so that some form of competition can be given to the otherwise isolated Malay students. This in turn would also allow some form of integration among the races and facilitate multi-racial identity. It is rather unfortunate that Ibrahim Abu Shah should even oppose such a plan, since you would expect an academic to be supportive of attaining academic excellence by opening its institution to students based on merit. It is ironic that an academic who chooses mediocrity as an enrollment policy should be appointed vice chancellor of an institution that professes to be churning out students who 'now hold top positions in both the public and private sectors'. Adrian CF Ng: To say I was shocked by what was said is an understatement - I was actually dumbstruck. I cannot understand why the UiTM students are so reluctant to accept change. The well-respected former corporate figure, the MB of Selangor has merely suggested opening up 10% to non-Malays. He has a vision, a long term one. Is it really so important that we have to segment our Malaysian society? At this level? Enlighten me, please. In addition to this, the issue is not about Malays or non-Malays. Look at the standards of all of our local universities - where are we now? At a time where global universities are competing for top academics to study or conduct research at their universities, our local students are rejecting competition. What a shame. Look at Cambridge, Oxford, Stanford and Harvard, just to name a few. Why are top students wanting to get a place in these prestigious universities? Think a bit, local grads, think - use your heads for once. These universities are the places where all the top students are and where they can learn from each other. In order to improve, we need to learn, and to learn from the best, if possible. No wonder our local graduate unemployment rates are so high, and are getting higher. Just like what the uncles, aunties, pak cik and mak ciks say - ‘No standard!' I couldn't agree more... Elsie Goh Siew Khim: Once again, this PM has put his foot into his mouth. He did not check his facts and history, and without hesitation exhibited his power to veto the call to open UiTM to non-Malays. Past records of UiTM will prove that two Chinese non-Muslims were admitted into UiTM, and there was no fuss, no protests, no veto, etc. The double standard practised by the BN-Umno regime is obvious. When it comes from them, everything is a non-issue. Could it be that these two girls were admitted because their parents were/are BN supporters? Whatever it is, I demand that the PM explain to the rakyat why non-Malays are not allowed in UiTM. Why were these two Chinese non-Muslim girls allowed in UiTM? If the PM is unable to provide a logical explanation fit for human consumption, then this confirms the perception held by a huge majority of Malaysians that this PM is incompetent and should gracefully resign. Otherwise, we have no respect for this man. Michael Sun: I find the reaction by the UiTM students and the vice-chancellor to be very racist, immature and definitely lacking in wisdom befitting an institution of higher learning. UiTM students screamed that ‘UiTM is Hak Melayu' and that it needs to follow the constitution. Firstly, the constitution only spelt out the ‘special position' of the Malays in respect to jobs in the government service. UiTM has been funded by taxpayers' money, and according to Dr Mahathir Mohamad, 90% of individual taxpayers are non-Malay Muslims. So here you are, using our money to fund a university that is not open to us. Secondly, education is a right under the UN Human Rights Convention. Of course, Malaysia dares not sign it, as we do not practice human rights. Why, then, do we tax the non-Malays to fund a university solely for the Malays? Is this an Islamic Hadhari way of justice? Thirdly, look at the Harvards, Cambridges and Oxfords of the world - do they restrict their student enrollment by race? No wonder the UiTM graduates cannot find jobs, save those taking professional accountancy courses. Unless and until UiTM changes its mindset, the university will remain mediocre. God really has to bless Malaysia and protect us. Yeap Cheng Liang: I am very disturbed by this recent event. When I looked at the UiTM students' demonstration and all the shouting about defending Malay rights and calling Khalid pengkhianat bangsa, I wept. I wept for this country, the country that am I supposed to love unconditionally, and I looked at my little child and asked whether this country still loves me and my family. It is not that non-Malays will immediately accept UiTM's offer if they open up that tiny 10% allocation - there are so many colleges and universities around, the choices are abundant. What makes them think that non-Malays would want to apply at all? For me, it's the betrayal of the promises this country had for my family and for future generations, for my daughter Hannah and many who are born in Malaysia. I am very, very disturbed and sad that, after 50 years of Merdeka, we are still divided by race and religion. Calling your own race pengkhianat bangsa is actually implying that the other races are invaders, that these other races are out to conquer Malaysia and are not fit to be in this country. No doubt this is the saddest day of my life - sad because I realise that I am not recognised as a Malaysian, no matter how good my Bahasa Malaysia is, no matter how long I have stayed here. Sad because my Malay friends will be called pengkhianat bangsa just because they are fighting for a better Malaysia. True Blue Malaysian: For the past 50 years, Umno has made Mara institutions a breeding ground for perpetuating Ketuanan Melayu. Mara graduates will end up with government offices, and this is where policies will be implemented and carried out throughout the country. Many will end up as top government officers and directors. Will they practise sound and fair governance? Are they of the right calibre? Look at the qualities of some of the vice chancellors and professors - you can tell. They do not show the true traces of scholars. True scholars and academics, such as Ungku Aziz and his peers, are all gone and have been replaced by a bunch of party cronies running our institutions of higher learning. The whole country is in a mess because capable people are not given the chance to run the government machinery, and only mediocre, incompetent and untrustworthy people favoured by the current and past government. It is no wonder the education system has gone down the drain, thanks to their ‘under siege' mentality and their imaginary fears of being overwhelmed by ‘others'. The results show - compare us with Singapore. We were on par with them in almost everything 50 years ago. Now we are left far behind, in education especially. I believe we are all aware of it, but to the government, it does not matter. What matters most is the preservation of their own race and religion.. Cinaputra: When talking of UiTM opening to other races, I really wonder whether UiTM students have any pride of their own. Are they too weak to compete with others, with non-bumis? Or do they feel that this university is only for the highly privileged, elite class of people - the so-called Ketuanan Melayu class? They is a Malay proverb that I will never forget - seperti katak di bawah tempurong - that exactly describes those who are not open to challenges. In my opinion, the BN is not helping them. The ministers' children will be sent to the UK, USA, Australia, etc. Why not UiTM? Ipohwood: I'm a non-bumiputera parent and I strongly support the move by some UiTM students to protest the proposal by Selangor MB to allocate 10% of seats to non-bumiputera students. If UiTM is opened to non-bumiputera students, it could lead to serious negative consequences to the non-bumiputera students, such as 1. It is very likely that they will end up to be mat rempit or kaki lepak; 2. They may become unemployable, as UiTM is probably the lowest ranking public university in Malaysia; 3. Instead of making other UiTM students become more competitive, these poor non-bumiputera students may become less competitive, depending on what their potential allows; 4. This will deprive the non-bumiputera students from securing a place in other public universities such as USM, UTM, UM, UKM, UPM and others. Imagine the devastation a parent will have should their children obtain four As for STPM but be sent to UiTM instead of UM, USM, or UTM just because UiTM is now open to non- bumiputeras! Contrary to general belief, UiTM students, in this case, showed how farsighted they are indeed. Truth: I hope Malaysians will understand and treasure the true values of ‘justice and fairness' in our society. One cannot expect a racial discriminatory policy to perpetuate forever in any nation. How do we teach or explain to our children the justification of such a policy? How can we justify that such a discriminatory policy exists long-term in our multi-ethnic, multi-cultural world? (Just look at the ethnic Chinese badminton players representing different countries in the recent Olympics.) If poverty is what we need to address, let's address poverty. If underprivileged people need to be helped, let's help the underprivileged. Race, culture and religion should never be used to discriminate against one community or another to serve one's own self interest. Multi-ethnic, multiculturalism is a fact of life in the world we are living in. The notion of ‘truth, pprightness and fair play' must prevail in every aspect of our daily lives because there is no justice in ethnic or racial discrimination, no matter how you try to rationalise it. You are just kidding yourself if you think otherwise. Sionna: My friend was surprised to learn that UiTM was for bumis alone, as according to her, she has seen plenty of foreign students on the campus, ranging from Bangladeshis to Arabs students, just to name a few. And these aren't students there for a visit; they're there to study. So, one wonders, does the UiTM vice chancellor really know who's studying in his campus? ...source

A Place Under the Malaysian Sun I

The land that my forefathers helped build August 13, 2008 - People's Parliament ... ‘UiTM is for Bumiputeras — that’s the strong message from more than 5,000 Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) student’, reports NST. “Jangan Rampas Hak Kami” What Bumiputeras? What ‘hak’? Someone must tell them that the document that our forefathers left us with, the Federal Constitution, makes no mention of Bumiputera. And Article 153 talks only of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong safeguarding the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak of such proportion as he may deem reasonable of positions in the public service (other than the public service of a State) and of scholarships, exhibitions and other similar educational or training privileges or special facilities given or accorded by the Federal Government and, when any permit or licence for the operation of any trade or business is required by federal law, then, subject to the provisions of that law and this Article, of such permits and licences. Special position. Not rights and privileges. And that special position was envisaged by the forefathers of this nation, as explained in the Reid Commission report, to be reviewable after 15 years. In other words, not in perpetuity. ...more

Crushing An Ant While White Elephant Runs Wild

The country's Cabinet seems to have terribly misplaced priorities. Instead of having an urgent meeting or meetings to discuss the RM 4.6 billion PKFZ fiasco which many are worried will be a gigantic white elephant requiring a government bailout, the cabinet instead had spent an inordinate amount of time discussing about the 6-minute rap video produced by a Malaysian student studying in Taiwan.

Those who have watched the video would recognise that Wee Meng Chee has spent a lot of time and effort to put together the video and has demonstrated his artistic talents and creativity in doing so. Although his choice of words, which may be vulgar sometimes, and the use of the national anthem and flag may not be proper, the video has succinctly capture the sentiments of a Malaysian youth like Wee. This is a mark of good art and this is the reason why the video is so popular as other Malaysians can identify with it.

Responsible leaders of a country should be asking why he has made this video and probe deeper into the message it carries. Are there truths depicted in the video which they should address? Is it the unfairness in education system which has caused the dissatisfactions in youths like Wee? Is it the corruption culture which has become so ingrained in our society that has caused the despair? Are there inefficiencies and poor attitute in the civil service which has caused frustration to people who have to deal with it?

Granted the video may have offended the sensibilities of some but for this Wee has already made a public apology to the government and Malaysians. Although some politicians in the BN have openly stated that his apology should be accepted, it seems like the cabinet has decided to pursue the matter and may take further action. Mohd Nazri stated that Wee "can be charged under the Sedition Act", that "we must allow the attorney-general to investigate and decide whether to take him to court," and will even consider extraditing Wee if he does not come back to Malaysia! Rais Yatim also wants the issue to be investigated to see whether the National Anthem Act has been violated.

Where were these righteous ministers when more blatant racial remarks and threatening gestures were made by other top UMNO politicians? Why were they so silent then? More recently, the ex-Mentri Besar of Selangor and UMNO Information Chief has also made remarks which can be considered seditious resulting in a police report been made against him by members of a NGO. Are these ministers going to "allow the attorney-general to investigate and decide whether to take him to court” in this case?

Instead of focussing on crushing and destroying the future of the young student, Wee, shouldn't the government be concentrating on the white elephant which the RM 4.6 billion PKFZ is in danger of becoming? This scandal has many dubious transactions some of which must be investigated by the police, ACA and the AG and the culprits brought to book. Malaysians have been waiting for an explanation and action but patience is wearing thin. Numerous reports on PKFZ have already appeared in the online media a few months earlier, police reports have been made by an Opposition member as early as 2004 and the mainstream print media has highlighted the story a week ago. However, we still do not have any answers from the country's leaders.

In response to the headline news "Disaster Zone" , the PM said that he wants the Transport Minister to report to him on this. On 15 Aug 2007, when queried by reporters the Transport Minister said a report has already been submitted to the PM. Now can we expect some answers soon?

If the government persists in its persecution of the young Malaysian student it will only reinforce the perception of an uncaring government insensitive to the problems facing its youths and people.

If the government maintains its deafening silence on the PKFZ affair, it will only confirm the suspicions that there will be a coverup of serious inproprieties and a major bailout using taxpayers money. Any talk of transparency, accountability and fight against corruption by the government will sound very hollow indeed.

Dissatisfaction with Mahathir's legacy cause of emigration

Last week, Mahathir who retired as the Prime Minister in 2003 told delegates at the Langkawi International Dialogue that developed nations did not pay a single cent when they “whisked away” brilliant students. He said,

"But our countries spent money educating our people, right from kindergarten to university and after spending that much of money, only a handful are brilliant.
"Yet, they come and grab our IPs to work in their countries without paying us anything, ..."

In Malaysia, many people especially students leave the country not because developed countries come to entice them away. They leave because of the deplorable state of affairs in the country. Mahathir should be reminded that this state of affairs is partly a legacy of his 22 years of iron-fist administration. Perhaps he should read the moving letter reproduced below eloquently-written by a father who has reluctantly sent his son overseas.

Reproduced from Malaysiakini

I bade my son farewell today
A Father's Yoke
Jul 16, 07 5:00pm

My son, Ryan, who is 18, left to further his studies in Australia
today. He goes to embark on his tertiary studies at a reputed
university - ordinarily, something to be proud of. However, it was
more sadness than pride that ruled the day.

I have pondered many a time as to why we come to a point where it
is like tossing your child out of a flaming or sinking ship. We have
many universities here, yet we have to sacrifice so much to send
them abroad. Why? Thanks to the politicised education system, it is
not in his interest to study here - even when we are now a global
village.

Many nations who lagged behind us have closed the gap or gone
ahead. Had he gone through the local universities, his mobility in
terms of employability worldwide would be seriously curtailed. The
major corporations in Malaysia generally prefer the foreign
graduates - especially those from ranked universities.

The polarisation that is systemic ensures that his circle of friends
more likely would be non-Malay or non-Muslim. This would be a
major disadvantage in a multi-cultural society - increasingly the
trend in many progressive countries. When I was a student in the
70s, our friendships were not determined by our race or religion. In
fact, in many cases, we got to know our friends' ethnic origins many
years later when they got married and we attended their wedding
ceremonies.

In today's increasingly common parlance, I am reminded repeatedly
that I am a third generation 'pendatang'. My son therefore will be
the fourth - one who like me, speaks only English and Malay.
‘Pendatang’ nonetheless. Scholarships by and large are a mirage for
folk like us. Just like crumbs and morsels that fall off a dining table.

So what are we griping about in the land of blue skies and 'ais
kachang'? Our land of blue skies could and should have been a land
of milk, honey and plenty. Instead, we have increasingly unfettered
corruption, polarisation, degeneration of our education system right
from Standard 1 to full blown chaos at the tertiary level.

The perception of fair play as played out in the judiciary gives one
little to look forward to in seeking justice. Our sports achievements
- barring a few rare exceptions - have seen a massive slide. Even
this has been politicised. From a feared soccer nation, we are now
below Singapore and Thailand. Sportsmen sell out on their honour
and country. Wonder who they learnt this from. From multi-racial
teams for soccer, hockey and rugby, we put out almost
homogenous teams today. The results speak for themselves.

When my son is ready to join the job market, the civil service would
not even be a considered option. Turn back the clock about 50 years
and one sees the stark difference - when the best brains competed
to join the service.

So, as a 'pendatang', my advice to others like me is that you
cherish and value the limited time you have with your children
because unlike others, you are not guaranteed the opportunity to be
at their side - or even a short distance behind - to see that they
don’t tumble along life's walkway.

When they are packed off at 18, the chances of them returning is so
much less. The plus side is that as parents, we know that we have
given them the opportunity to make their best shot for the years to
come.

Farewell son, the grass may not be greener on the other side, but
the skies are more blue. And even if the grass is not greener, it is
grass you can stand on with your head held high. God Bless.