Organization: Arizona State University
Date: Wednesday, 8 Apr 1992 19:40:24 MST
From: C. K. Ng <ASCKN@ASUACAD.BITNET>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asean
Subject: Re: More replies (long...)
Distribution: world



In article <1992Apr7.030548.4552@csc.canterbury.ac.nz>,
chuah@elec.canterbury.ac.nz (DanC) says:
>
>>  Inequlity issue aside, how come more and more of you guys are
>>talking about entering local universities w/o first going thru
>>the vigorous training of 6th form nowadays?  Is it true that
>>it is the new trend these days?  After taking the 6th form myself,
>>I think it was quite a vigorous training for me, especially the
>>GP which helped me to sharpen up my written English as well as
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>the logics of presenting an argument articulately.
>
>FYI, GP is now PA (Pengajian Am) and its not conducted in English.
>
>>  I may be prejudiced, but I sincerely think that those Chinese
>>who have the guts to stay back and fight for a place in the local
>>universities, and subsequently make it, are better than those who
>>run away on mum-and-dad's scholarship.  By "better than" I mean
>>they are more academically oriented, and have higher average IQ c.f.
>>those who take the easy way of surviving on mum-and-dad's
>>scholarship.
>
>You are certainly prejudiced.  Maybe all the overseas students you have
>seen are those hairbrained who get $$$ from parents to study overseas
>as a status symbol.  Let me give some statistics.  The batch of students
>who came to NZ with me was top in every thing we sat for.  For example,
>in the NZ 7th form 1988, all 23 of us who took the scholarhips exam
>passed.  In previous years, the school only managed 2-3.  Bear in
>mind that only 100 scholarships are given out each year, and the
>23 is i ONE school only.  However, overseas stidents are not
>elligible for the scholarship money.  :-(.  Last year, in my finals,
>there were 7 first class honours students among the 15 who were
>awarded.  The top student also is a Malaysian.
>
>>Again, someone may quickly argue that these mediocre
>                                             ^^^^^^^^
>>students can be made into productive workforce too if given the
>>opportunities.
>
>Mediocre?  Huh!  Speak for yourself.
>
>I am not trying to brag but hey, get your facts straight before making
>a sweeping statement.
>
>>   Well, the above are just my opinions which I am entitled to
>>under the spirit of freedom of expression vigorously pursued in this
>>country.
>
>A quote:
>
>"Everybody has the right to be wrong in his opinion but nobody has the
>right to be wrong in his facts".
>
>>Hopefully, such spirit can be in Malaysia soon.
>
>Yeah, when we get a more matured govt.
>
>>As a scholar, I won't want to lose my credibility
>               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>by making unsubstantiated and wild speculation.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Then you ought to know better not to make sweeping statements such as the
>above.

Dear Mr. Chuah,

   All I was trying to say in my earlier posting was that those Chinese who
stay back AND fight their way into Malayan University are statistically
having higher IQ than those who run away, mostly on mum-and-dad's
scholarship.  To substantiate my argument, please refer to the 2nd and 3rd
columns, p 59, Time Magazine, 4/13/92 issue.  You may find some partial
but explicitly strong substantiation to my point made earlier.

   I don't know how many times I've mentioned this:  Your observation in
NZ of your fellow Malaysians in your institution only constitutes a sample
size of unity.  To draw conclusion on a sample size of unity, and to rebut
any suggestion using it is rather unconvincing.

   I may make the wrong judgment, but somehow your tone suggests to me that
you are a cynic.  Nevertheless, there is nothing wrong to be cynical at
times.  In fact, a cynic is said to make a good journalist or opposition
leader who can be very contributive as a watch-dog to the ruling incumbents.
An example in U.S. recent history was the guy who unveiled the Watergate
incident.  However, I still idealize soon Malaysia can be as free as
USA or UK in terms of freedom of expressions regardless of the maturity
of the government.  To me, the maturity of a government has nothing to do
with the freedom of expressions.  It's the maturity of the people that
counts, and the maturity of the people can only come with the proper
exposure which in turn can only be attained by the removal of the numerous
restrictions imposed on them.  Again, the catch here is "proper exposure".
How can we attain this without creating unnecessary and general social
chaos is another critical issue we have to deal with in the implementational
phase.   For example, if freedom of speech is fully allowed, it means that
the recent M$2.1m ALLEGED tax evasion by the Kelantan's Sultan can then
be fully criticised by a layman who stands up in a wooden box in a public
park.  Is our society ready for this?  Will someone, in an attempt to win
some quid pro quo of the Sultan in exchange for ease in procurement of
logging license, FOR INSTANCE ONLY, start throwing eggs at the speaker, and
a whole series of unwanted events be ignited?  Can our society as free as
that in U.K. where John Major was thrown an egg when he was out there
compaigning for the forthcoming election?  Even if Dato' Mahathir doesn't
prosecute the Malaysian who does it to him, how would our people IN OUR
CULTURE view a head of state who exhibits such open-mindedness?  This is
a whole series of critical issues we have to deal with if we want to have
full freedom of speech in our country.  I may sound like an idealist to
you, but I don't mind to be tagged one at all.  As scholar cum researcher,
to be idealistic and making the necessary assumptions are part of my job.
Just an e.g.:  We all know the world is not a frictionless world, and yet
so many physics problems can be solved by assuming away the frictional
coefficient, mu.

   Goodluck in your finals, and may the Lord bless you.

Sincerely,
  Chee-Keong Ng, Ph.D.
  "Anak penoreh getah dan bangga dengannya"
  Assistant professor in finance and banking

p.s.:  Is your university hiring a professor in finance and banking?  I
       almost picked up an appointment at Univ. of Auckland if not of the
       so so remuneration and the high cost of living there.
       Is there a business school in the institution you're at now?