How Are You Treated In Your Own Country?

It's a tricky situation.

China wants to be taken seriously as an emerging power. For the most part, China is heading in the right direction; it is leading where the West is declining, thanks to the UK's parochial bickering over Brexit and Donald Trump's America First policies.

Unfortunately, in its zest to attract foreign investment and international respect, it has sidelined its own.

One massively glaring example is Wuxi Institute of Technology that gave overseas students preferential treatment, by forcing the local Chinese students to give up their rooms to foreigners and move to inferior accommodation.

That is a constant gripe in Malaysia; the Malays frequently complain that they are 'lost in their own land'. This is their basis for instituting affirmative action, or preserving their special rights.

I sympathise with Malays being treated badly in their own land. Actually, I sympathise with every other Malaysian as well, who was born in this country, paid their taxes, contributed to the well-being of the nation and still remains sidelined despite their best efforts.

In the case of the Wuxi students, they were not merely given older, less fancy accommodation to live in, the facilities were also inferior, in that the bathrooms did not have hot running water 24 hours a day. That, in most countries, is a basic human right. To send off students in your own country to less adequate accommodation is just miserable behaviour and most unbecoming of any country that wishes to take itself seriously.

A teacher was seen in a video, urging students to move out of the building, and quarrelling with them as they refuse to leave. "This is the school’s property," yells the teacher in the video. "Who are you?"

I hope this will never happen in Malaysia and that whatever befalls, however we seek to progress, we will, at the very least, protect our own.

Being Demoted

Two bits of news caught my eye this week.

The first is that Malaysia has been downgraded by the United States for human rights abuses, namely in the trafficking of people.

From the Guardian:

The US has downgraded Malaysia to the lowest ranking in its annual human trafficking report, relegating the southeast Asian nation to the same category as Zimbabwe, North Korea and Saudi Arabia. The move could result in economic sanctions and loss of development aid.

Malaysia's relegation to tier 3 in the US state department's Trafficking in Persons (TiP) report – published on Friday – indicates that the country has categorically failed to comply with the most basic international requirements to prevent trafficking and protect victims within its borders.

Human rights activists in Malaysia and abroad welcomed the downgrade as proof of the government's lax law enforcement, and lack of political will, in the face of continued NGO and media reports on trafficking and slavery.

"Malaysia is not serious about curbing human trafficking at all," said Aegile Fernandez, director of Tenaganita, a local charity that works directly with trafficking victims.

"The order of the day is profits and corruption. Malaysia protects businesses, employers and agents [not victims] – it is easier to arrest, detain, charge and deport the migrant workers so that you protect employers and businesses."

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't give two shits about what the US govt thinks or does not think of Malaysia. The US has Guantanamo Bay, privatised prisons for which there is a must-fill quota; conveniently resolved by the arrest and incarceration of ethnic minorities over minor offenses. They are in no position to moralise.

However, what rankles is that in this instance, they are right in putting Malaysia in the same category as .... Zimbabwe, North Korea and Saudi Arabia. Yuck.

What's the deal with Malaysia then?

"When you Google 'Malaysia', it's among the five worst countries for refugees," said Lia Syed, executive director of the Malaysia Social Research Insitute, which supports refugees.

"There is no policy for refugees in Malaysia at all. They are not recognised, they do not have legal status, they are just considered illegal migrants.

It doesn't matter what country they come from, what their story is, they do not get any support officially from the government."

It looks like we're a country deeply lacking in compassion. Ironically, do you know what's happened? The government has become the Malaysian version of America's GOP or better known as the Republicans whose main aim in life is to figure out new ways to line their pockets at the expense of everyone else.

Number one on the GOP agenda is THEMSELVES. Malaysia is turning into them. No thought could be more revolting than that, in my honest opinion.

And then, the second bit of news is that we have been demoted in university ranks. According to the Times Higher Education rankings, we don't even make it to Asia's top 100!

What?! Where are we going??

That is disheartening, since I am a proud graduate of one of Malaysia's once esteemed universities.

I am not even going to dwell on Singapore's placings (which used to be part of Malaysia) but even territorially unrested Iran's Sharif University has made it to rank number 37, so we should thoroughly be ashamed of ourselves!

Rip Van Winkle has a point: the value of Malaysian education is questionable.

Our education is going down the drain and it is no wonder that parents are sending their children to private institutions/academies.

Perhaps instead of doing that, we should be more firm with our government?

It is after all, their role to keep the standard up if not to improve it.

18 Months

It's a long time.

9 months is the period of gestation for the average human baby. 18 months is double that.

18 months is the age at which a child, from birth, has learned to roll, sit, crawl, walk, run, eat solids and maybe even talk.

A lot of learning can happen in that span of time, be it for a baby or a university student.

Adam Adli is having 18 months of his formal education put on a hold by the authorities for disapproving of the Prime Minister.

For purely political reasons, a young man is being punished.

Because at the end of the day, the university authorities are at the behest of UMNO and are at its beck and call.

Politics and democracy gone very wrong in Malaysia.

Related: Opinion: Let them sing their songs of change

Withdraw Disciplinary Charges Against Adam Adli

To:
PROFESOR DR. ZAKARIA BIN KASA
Naib Canselor UPSI
Pejabat Naib Canselor
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris
35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak

Tel : +605-4506777 / +605-450 6380
Faks : +605-4582773
Email : ncupsi@upsi.edu.my

Withdraw Disciplinary Charges Against Adam Adli Abdul Halim Immediately

Malaysians oppose the action of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris authority on Adam Adli Abdul Halim as he was merely practising his right to freedom of expression by lowering Najib’s flag on 23rd December 2011.

2. We strongly feel that the disciplinary charge should be withdrawn because:

a) Adam Adli Abdul Halim was exercising his right to freedom of expression which is guaranteed under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution and Article 19 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
b) He has not endangered public order as alleged by UPSI’s disciplinary body -- if so, Royal Police Malaysia is the body to take action -- but he has not broken any law in the country.
c) The disciplinary action against university autonomy and democracy which was allowed by Section 4, 15 and 16 of University and University College Act. UPSI has utterly disgraced itself, by toeing the government line and choosing to persecute Adam.

3. We urge UPSI authorities to:

a) Withdraw all pending disciplinary charges against Adam Adli Abdul Halim.
b) Preserve freedom of expression and academics of students as universities play a central role in the development of humanity and modern society.

Yours faithfully,

Crankshaft and like-minded readers

Bringing Shame

It is impressive that university students have finally discovered and exercised their rights.

But guess who is discouraging them by claiming they bring shame to him?

Would he prefer they go out to some foreign country and protest?

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — The Johor Sultan warned students of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) in Batu Pahat today that they would be disrespecting him by joining illegal rallies, according to a Bernama report today.

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, who is chancellor of the university, said that such activities will threaten national stability.

“We will not hesitate to resign as chancellor should any of our students be involved in such activities as it is better than having our name tainted by such acts that also shames the university’s reputation,” the state news agency quoted the monarch as saying at UTHM’s 11th convocation.

Shame is an interesting word. It is something that UMNO and by extension, BN absolutely does not possess, unfortunately.

What brings shame to this country is corruption, waste of tax-payer funds, religious extremism and racist rhetoric. Not an exercise of civil rights.

Why hasn't anyone spoken out or resigned in protest of that?

PAGE Warns BN

If you don't already know who PAGE is, they are the advocates of Science and Mathematics being taught in English.

It is frankly, a good cause. Malaysian school children need to be taught in English, not in Bahasa Malaysia, to be able to compete with the rest of the world.

Besides, when they get to their tertiary education, they will be forced to switch to English as most textbooks are written by scholars and academicians of the English-speaking Western world.

The fact that the BN administration wants to switch back to Bahasa Malaysia is testament of their sheer stupidity.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Barisan Nasional (BN) risks losing votes in upcoming polls if it continues barring students from learning science and maths using English in schools, a parents lobby group said today.

The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) wants the 10-year-old policy of teaching science and maths in English at national schools (PPSMI) to be made an option for students in primary and secondary schools.

“If it is political (decision on PPSMI) give us the PPSMI option in national primary and secondary schools, and we will give you the two-thirds majority, which you are making increasingly difficult for us to do.

“Do not make us give the opposition our vote,” said PAGE chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said in a statement to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today.

I only have one issue with PAGE: Is the decision to revert to Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of education the only reason why they would say no to BN??

If you ask me, there are already so many reasons, and education is one of the least of them.

Read the rest: PAGE warns BN of polls backlash from PPSMI snub by Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

On The Topic Of English In Education

I like this kid.

She tells Najib exactly what the problem is.

Click on image to enlarge

Good for her. There is no reason why her formal education should be ruined just because of Malaysian politics.

That being said, I do commend her personal education -- i.e. her upbringing by the parents -- as they have evidently taught her to speak up for herself.

That is something to be proud of indeed.

Smart Election Gimmicks

1. Hijack poor DAP's efforts to improve the facilities of the Chinese schools :-)

2. Pretend to work hard to raise money by cycling

3. Claim to take "great pride in the role and contribution of the Malaysian Chinese towards the betterment of education in the country"

4. Claim - even more ludicrously - that the BN government supported and gave assistance to the Chinese schools since independence.

5. Kiss Chinese ass by saying that the ability to speak Mandarin would help Malaysians remain competitive in the current global environment, that even his son learns it, and that his father had established links with China.

The smart Chinese that I know hardly give two hoots about China. They consider themselves Malaysian now.

But this was probably spun to glory for the stupid ones. And believe me, they will buy this -- hook, line and sinker.

Cambridge Syllabus In Malaysia?

One of my pet peeves is the state of education in Malaysia.

This is the reason why BN ministers can systematically deny that tear gas was shot into Tung Shin hospital when heaps of videos can be found on youtube, proving otherwise.

This is the reason why Malaysians cower in fear, afraid to speak out, frightened to stand up to authority.

They have been taught not to think, but merely to accept what the authority (in this case, the teacher) tells them.

So when someone tells me that they are going to revamp our education system, I get excited.

I start thinking that there is hope for Malaysia after all. But as usual, my hopes are dashed.

Apparently, this education is solely for Mara colleges.

Like Sarojini, I want to know why.

Cambridge syllabus: Why only in 45 Mara colleges?

August 15, 2011
FMT LETTER

From Sarojini C, via e-mail

The article ‘Cambridge curriculum at Mara colleges’ in the ‘In Brief’ section of the NST on Sunday spoke about the offering of the Cambridge International General Certificate of Education in 45 Mara Junior Science Colleges nationwide by 2016.

As it is one of the most recognised qualifications in the world, I, as a fellow citizen of Malaysia, am thrilled at the prospect of such world-class education, but at the same time cannot help but wonder why such syllabus cannot be offered to government schools as well, as this appears to suggest a double standard in our education syllabus.

I understand that there may be a lack of resources to implement such syllabus on a national basis, and more time may be required for such a big move, but at a time where national schools are bickering over the usage of English in the teaching of the Math and Science subjects, such a move to implement the Cambridge syllabus, which I assume will be fully in the English medium.

Why only in the 45 Mara Junior Science Colleges? It his seems to suggest that there would be inequality in the education offered in such Mara colleges and national schools. As education is a basic right for every child, be it a child in a Mara college or a child in a national school, it would only be fair if the same syllabus is applied in both Mara colleges and national schools alike, be it the Cambridge syllabus or the current syllabus.

Read the rest on the web.

Turncoats And Village Idiots

Before you get to the proper content of this entry, I would like to put out a disclaimer that this is not one of those "nation-building" type of posts that I am always being asked to write.

I'm not good at writing those types of posts, to be honest. The "nation-building" posts are always hopeful, inspiring and forgiving of the simple-minded of this world.

I don't suffer fools gladly. I believe fools are fools, not because they are victims of their circumstances, but because they willingly parade their ignorance instead of using that vital bit of grey matter that hides abashedly somewhere in their skulls.

Today, I am annoyed. Pretty annoyed, actually.

I was told a couple of days ago about vicious comments flying around at The People's Parliament. I forgot about it until today, when I read Farida Ibrahim's piece called When good people, petrified, swallow poison and stumbled upon some of those comments.

In the beginning, some of those comments amused me. It was like reading satire or a spoof of what might have once been serious.

Only after scrolling down for a bit did I realise that some of those fools pimping the oxygen in this part of the world were serious in their opinions.

The overriding opinion appears to be that Haris and RPK have become turncoats and are under BN's payroll. This is a result of RPK's ill-advised interview with TV3 which resulted in a mega-spin by the mainstream media.

It was such a spin that there are still tornados ravaging Kansas and New Mexico as a result of the vortex caused by this.

I am not going to go into detail on what RPK said and what he didn't. Malaysians with a reasonable level of intelligence may find it beneficial to read this for some comprehension of the subject matter at hand.

Those who are more self-effacing (and have plenty of reason to be) should refrain from tainting that link by clicking on it. In fact, I don't even know what you're doing on my blog.

I digress. Back to Haris and RPK.

The point is not whether Haris and RPK are upright, morally-conscious men. The point is whether what they are saying is agreeable and if it makes sense.

From the beginning, I have noticed that the focus of both men revolve around the rights and needs of the people, the citizens. They have held up to standards basic human rights and have fought consistently against tyranny.

Perhaps the only thing I do not see eye-to-eye with them is the issue of HINDRAF (or Human Rights Party or whatever it is they call themselves these days). I felt that HINDRAF had legitimate issues.

From what I recall, Haris and RPK both felt that the approach - somewhat communal in nature - was wrong. Yet, in some cases, I recall Haris rallying to HINDRAF's cause. This is a marked difference from Ahiruddin Attan of Rocky's Bru, who ran HINDRAF down as a worthless cause when they had the massive protest on 25th November 2007.

Of course, back then the gullible masses dove like lemmings off the cliff to agree with Rocky and vilify HINDRAF. Rocky was the icon back then. Today, most people are aware of his ulterior motives and his allegiance to his real boss - BN.

The very heart of the problem is that Malaysians are unable to understand issues. So what do they do? They create icons and idols whom they agree with wholeheartedly and unreservedly.

RPK and Haris became one of those icons. When what they said did not match the script that the public had mentally written out for these two, public anger and distrust was unleashed against them.

We have a deplorable standard of education which had steadily deteriorated, to add salt to injury. Also, when the education system was introduced to Malaysians by the British, the unspoken command was that students should learn and absorb, but not question.

Things have changed in education systems throughout the world to encourage critical thinking. Heck, forget critical thinking. Just plain simple thinking would suffice, but unfortunately Malaysians are not even capable of that.

Books and magazines are one of the tax exemptions. But I don't think Malaysians read much, because comprehension is evidently not one of their strong points.

Losing All That Talent

It is always gratifying to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, and this time, the mainstream media (and Bernama at that) does not disappoint when it acknowledges that Malaysia is losing a lot of talent to the rest of the world.

This, of course, is something that the average Malaysian has known for a very long time.

It is only the BN government that is too busy putting its 1Malaysia plan (People First, Performance Now) into action to notice the great exodus.

"We are not developing talent and what we have is leaving," the NEAC says.

The report says industry players often lament the absence of right skills in the market, suggesting mismatch between the skills provided by the education system and those demanded by firms.

The most recent assessment by the World Bank suggests that firms have become increasingly concerned about information technology (IT) skills, technical and professional skills of Malaysian workers and complaints about inadequate creativity and proficiency in the English language.

It is hardly surprising.

Talent generally decides to depart for greener pastures when the political climates gets unstable.

With the racial and religious issues like the cow-head and church-burning issues, the numerous deaths in custody, usage of the Internal Security Act on political opponents, I believe Talent is highly motivated to leave.

The majority of those who are left behind are the twinkling stars of affirmative action.

This affirmative action is what allows a faction to enter the shorter and simpler pre-university matriculation programme, while others are either forced to go through the STPM (Higher School Certificate) for two years or wing it on their own through private colleges.

Obviously, there is going to be a difference in standards.

The quick-fix matriculation programme could hardly be expected to provide superior technical and professional skills.

And it would be an exercise in futility to elaborate on the issue of proficiency in the English language when it has been ruled that the education system has reverted to teaching Maths and Science in Bahasa Melayu instead of English.

The government, hand-in-hand with the MSM may attempt to reach into complicated and sophisticated-sounding solutions like 'revert to sustained and systematic programmes' and 'better collaboration between private sector employers and universities'.

However, the simple truth is, abolishing discriminatory practices would go a long way in retaining and building up Talent.

Chaining The Children Of The Poor

By Bakri Musa

The ancient Chinese bound the feet of their baby daughters so they would grow up with deformed tiny feet, thus limiting their mobility and participation in life outside the little world of their homes. These women would then be totally dependent on their men.

In rescinding the policy of teaching science and mathematics in English, the government is likewise binding the intellectual development of our children. They and future generations of Malaysians would grow up with warped intellect. They would then be totally dependent on the government, just as ancient Chinese women with tiny feet were on their men.

My friend and fellow commentator Azly Rahman has a more apt and colorful local metaphor; we are condemning future generations to the Pekan Rabu economy, capable only of selling pirated versions of Michael Jackson albums. That would be the extent of their entrepreneurial prowess and creative flair. They are only subsistence entrepreneurs and ‘copy cat’ creators.

Make no mistake about it.

The government’s professed concerns for the poor and those from rural areas notwithstanding, reversing the current policy would adversely and disproportionately impact them.

The rich and those in the cities have a ready escape; the rich through private English classes, urban children from the already high levels of English in their community.

The most disadvantaged will be the poor kampong kids. That means Malay children.

Thus we have the supreme irony if not perversity of the champions of Ketuanan Melayu actively pursuing a policy that would ensure Malay children be perpetually trapped economically and intellectually.

I thank Allah that I grew up at a time when the likes of Muhyyuddin were not in charge of our education system. Otherwise I would have been trapped in my kampong.

The idiocy of the new move is best illustrated by this one startling example. In 2012 when the new plan will be implemented, students in Form IV will be taught science and mathematics in Malay, after learning the two subjects in English for the past nine years. Then two years later when they will be entering Sixth Form or the Matriculation stream, they will again have to revert to English.

Pupils in the vernacular schools would have it worse. They would learn the two subjects in their mother tongue during their primary school years, then switch to Malay for the next five while in secondary school, and then switch again, this time to English, in Sixth Form and university!

Had these policymakers done their homework and diligent downstream analysis, such idiocies would not crop up. Then again this is what we would expect from our civil servants. They have been brought up with their minds bound up; they cannot think. They have depended on others to do the thinking for them.

Najib Razak’s flip-flopping on this major national issue eerily reminds me of similar indecisiveness and lack of resolve of his immediate predecessor, Abdullah Badawi. No wonder he supports Najib in this policy shift. Najib should not take comfort in that, unless he expects a similar fate as Abdullah’s. Abdullah was kicked out by his party; with Najib, it would be the voters who would be kicking him out. Public sentiments are definitely against this policy switch.


Failure of Policy Versus Failure of Implementation

The cabinet reversed course because it deemed the policy did not produce the desired results. However, in arriving at this pivotal decision the cabinet failed to address the fundamental question on whether the original policy was flawed or its implementation ineffective.

It just assumed the policy to be flawed. Muhyyuddin and his senior officers relied heavily on the 2005 UNESCO Report which suggests that “‘mother tongue first’ bilingual education” may (my emphasis) be the solution to the dilemma of members of minority linguistic groups in acquiring knowledge.

Muhyyuddin and his advisers seriously misread the Report. It was concerned primarily with the dilemma at the societal level of members of a linguistic minority having to learn the language of the majority (“national language”) versus the need to maintain linguistic diversity generally and minority languages specifically.

UNESCO was rightly concerned with the rapid disappearance of languages spoken by small minority groups. The report was not addressing specifically the learning of science and mathematics.

Malay language is not at risk of disappearing; it is the native tongue of literally hundreds of millions. To extrapolate the UNESCO recommendations for Malay language is a gross oversimplification and misreading of the report.

The UNESCO Report does not address the issue of when and how best to introduce children to bilingual education. Later studies that focused specifically on the pedagogical and psychological aspects instead of the sociological and political have shown that children are quite capable of learning multiple languages at the same time.

Even more remarkable is that the earlier they are exposed to a second language the more facile they would be with that language. They would also learn that second language much faster; hence second language even at preschool.

The acquisition of bilingual ability at an early age confers other significant cognitive advantages. These have been documented by clinical studies with functional MRIs (imaging studies of the brain).

Malaysia should learn from these more modern studies and the experiences of more advanced societies, not from the UNESCO studies of backward tribes of Asia.

The other basis for the cabinet’s decision was ‘research’ by local half-baked and politically-oriented pseudo academics. They should be embarrassed to append their names to such a sophomoric paper. The quality is such that it will never appear in reputable journals.

As for the Ministry’s own internal ‘researchers,’ remember that they came out within months of the policy’s introduction in 2003 documenting the ‘impressive’ improvements in students’ achievements!

The one major entity that would be severely impacted by the cabinet’s decision is our universities. Yet our Vice-Chancellors have remained quiet and detached in this important national debate. They have not advised the cabinet nor lead the public discussions.

Again that reflects the caliber of leadership of our major institutions.

Had the cabinet decided that the policy was essentially sound but that the flaws were with its implementations, then measures other than rescinding it would be the appropriate response. This would include recruiting and training more English-speaking teachers and devoting more hours to the subject.

What surprised me is that when Mahathir introduced the policy in 2003, he was supported by his cabinet that included Najib, Muhyyuddin, Hishamuddin, and over a dozen of current ministers who now collectively voted to reverse the policy.

Likewise, the policy was fully endorsed too by UMNO’s Supreme Council then. Like the cabinet, many of those earlier members are still in that body today. Yet today the Council also voted to disband the policy.

Muhyyuddin, Hishamuddin and the others have yet to share with us why they changed their minds. The conditions that prompted the introduction of the policy back then are still present today. This reversal will do not change that.

Najib, Muhyyuddin and Hishamuddin are “lallang leaders,” they bend with the slightest wind change. Unlike Margaret Thatcher’s famed resolve of “This lady is not for turning,” with Najib, Muhyyuddin, et al., all you have to do to make them undertake a U turn would be to blow slightly in their faces. Blow a bit harder and they would scoot off with their tails between their legs.

These leaders will never lead us forward.

This reversal will not solve the widening achievement gap between urban and rural students. The cabinet has yet to put forth new ideas on ameliorating that problem. So, just as ancient Chinese women were physically handicapped because of their bound feet, rural or more specifically Malay children will continue to be intellectually handicapped by their warped and small minds, the consequence of this policy shift.

Perhaps that is the real objective of this policy reversal, the shackling of the intellectual development of our young so they will forever be dependent on their ‘leaders.’

The Mother Tongue Education Debate

A few of you may know that I've travelled a bit.

When I travel, I make it a point to experience the culture and everyday routine of the people in the country I visit.

I'm really not into visiting popular places of interest.

Those kind of tours require one to offer a frozen smile for the camera at each stop so that when one returns, one has mountains of photos to bore one's long-suffering friends and relatives with.

That's just not me.

So when I was visiting my colleague Tim in Australia, his wife Chris was obliging enough to arrange for me to come around and visit one of their playgroups for toddlers (which Chris organises).

That was where I met Evie and John.

Evie is an Indonesian Chinese woman who migrated to New South Wales about nine years ago. Her youngest son John, is two years old and Australian-born.

She speaks halting but almost conversational English. But what struck me most about her was that she told me that she'd insisted on bringing up her children to be bilingual.

Fair enough, I thought. Most Chinese ensure their children have a decent command of Mandarin or another local dialect.

But it wasn't Chinese that I heard Evie speaking to John. It was Bahasa Indonesia!

Coming from Malaysia, I was shocked.

Because top on the Malaysian-Chinese priority list of education is Maths and Science. And if Dong Jiao Zong has its way, it should be taught in Chinese, apparently.

These people have gone to the extent of threatening to launch a massive protest. I wonder if that would merit the water-cannon and tear gas. Perhaps someone ought to warn them.

Now I'm not claiming that the current national type education system is the answer to the solution. Frankly, this is a system that ensures that its students don't learn how to think, debate or be critical.

Sure, the Chinese vernacular schools probably build a solid foundation of knowledge in Maths and Science, while no amount of cramping students together is going to create national unity.

In fact, KTemoc gives an insightful opinion on why vernacular schools have flourished.

Unfortunately, I have noticed that in vernacular schools, the emphasis on Chinese culture and perpetual glorification of China is detrimental to the products of its education system who mistakenly walk around thinking that the world revolves around China or Chinese.

It does not.

I have met Chinese who pride themselves in not being able to speak Malay fluently. "It's not important lah," they say.

Which is why it's such a far cry from Evie who has chosen to relocate to a foreign country but still takes pride in the country she grew up in.

Not the country her ancestors came from.

Rox For PM

Remember I once asked, Who Can Lead Us?

I didn't exactly expect a response, but Rox has offered herself up as a living sacrifice. Well, sort of. :)

It's a hoot! You absolutely HAVE to read it!! Now!

Rox's offering should rightly take responsibility for evoking consternation and some very startled expressions in my office. I do derive a significant amount of amusement from the stuff I read online.

But rarely do I bury my nose and mouth in the palms of my hands, to unsuccessfully muffle the snorts of laughter that did escape eventually.

She has a way with words, Rox does. But more importantly, she also has some very salient points, 3 of which I highlight below.

1. The New Economic Policy

The NEP is just so taboo, that no one really wants to address it. Especially the politicians (with the notable exception of Lim Guan Eng) because at this point, saying anything could lose you some precious votes.

But you know what's wrong with us non-Malays? We tend to curl up in a corner and lick our wounds because we think the nation is doing us such an injustice by perpetuating the implementation of the NEP.

To an extent, it does border on unfairness. But it's nothing compared to what it's doing to the Malays. How it's crippling those it claims to "help" and ensuring that they are eternally buried under their mountain of insecurity.

Guess which despot owns this.


By the way, it's official - I have bad taste. Both Rox and GobloKing, among others, think that this mansion is garishly furnished. But I sure love the pool.

Rox has a penchant for documenting stories of people who live in strange places, bless her heart. The stories about these Malays, I believe, were highlighted by the mainstream media to validate and justify the implementation of the NEP.

But I think they serve as a solid reminder of why the NEP is such a failure. Compare the splendour of the mansion, with the abandoned toilet and the chicken coop.

Same country, different world. Product of the NEP.

2. Corruption

People I have spoken to in person always disagree with me, but I believe law-enforcement officers must be given better wages and working conditions so that "they won't be tempted by pittance/duit kopi".

It's not so much about the money as it is about instilling pride and integrity in carrying out their duties.

Honestly, it's very distressing to see that the police and militarymen have no more zest for what they do, which happens to be a very important role in our society. They have exchanged their noble calling for the errands of a running dog, that's what they've done.

They have been bribed into doing the bidding of the evil despots in our country. That desperately begs for change.

As for the despots themselves:

Any minister/administrator found guilty of making lucrative deals with foreign operatives at the expense of the rakyat, and civil servants of accepting bribes in any form or amount, will be tarred, feathered and hanged by their schwanz/kitzler to fry under the sun in front of Parliament from midday to sundown.

Good to know she doesn't practise gender discrimination. Equality for all, baby.

3. Education

This is so relevant, in the face of sub-standard institutions of higher learning.

Forget about UiTM. Our children are being educated in schools, where they are taught not to question authority. Or ask why something is done without being told, "It's tradition."

We have the memorise-and-regurgitate rote system that does not enhance creativity or inspire critical thinking. Simply put, we don't think.

The Indians follow the rote system as well. But if you worked in Cyberjaya, you would know that international servers and computer systems for MNCs are manned not by Malaysians but by expatriate Indian systems and software engineers.

Where did we go wrong?

We obviously haven't moved along with world trends when it comes to education. But Rox does a fine job of hashing it out; anything else I say would be redundant.

I feel sorry for all those top students in my class who graduated only to find, that the working world is the complete opposite of life in school.

And I'm sorry for those bored students who never bothered to put in any effort because the education system frankly undermined their intelligence.

I was lucky. I had maths and physics, the only two subjects I shone at, apart from English.

Oh, and I had Candide. :)