Interlok issue is not resolved

By
Dr Lim Teck Ghee

Civil society groups and other concerned individuals should not be taken in by Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s statement that the Interlok issue has been resolved. In fact, not only is it not resolved but compliance will mean that Interlok could well be extended from its present Zone 2 (Klang Valley) coverage thereafter to Zone 1, Zone 3 and Zone 4 in the rest of the country.

Interlok is a beach head for the Little Napoleons and other Ketuanan bureaucrats to impose their agenda of educational and cultural seppuku on a young captive audience.

Success in imposing Interlok will only encourage these ideologues to move further upstream and inject their indoctrination into the syllabus for the younger forms, and eventually in the primary school curriculum. The History and Moral subjects have already been tampered with. Currently the focus is on language and literature. What will be next?

Muhyiddin’s statement that nobody should politicize or exploit the issue by using NGOs is made in wilful ignorance. The fact is these organizations have been in the forefront of the campaign from the outset. It is not difficult for the Minister to determine the chronology of events with regard to the emergence and growth of public (but hardly any political) consciousness, concern and agitation on the book.

A quick glance at news and reports from the websites will show that civil society organizations such as NIAT, Hartal MSM, and the Centre for Policy Initiatives have provided analysis and public feedback for several months now on the unsuitability of Interlok.

The NGO concern is in sharp contrast to the lack of criticism on the book by public figures.  Political parties from both Barisan Nasional and the opposition have been slow or reluctant to discuss the appropriateness of the book as a school text. While the Education Minister and his MCA deputy – the career politicians – have been adamant on its retention, why have the educationists and other Education Ministry officials been largely silent?

In NGOs voicing our concerns on key issues affecting our nation, we do not have any political affiliation or political axe to grind. Neither are we racially motivated because Malay and non-Malay, Muslim and non-Muslim groups are equally concerned as to whyInterlok is being retained when it is clearly in contravention of the Education Ministry and the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka’s own guidelines on textbook and literary work. The Minister should welcome our feedback and seek to engage with us rather than try to intimidate us.

Giving up on the campaign to have the novel discontinued as a compulsory SPM reading is the wrong message to send. Capitulating to the Ministry’s insistence will signal that we do not care for our education system to play a positive role in building social cohesion as is implicit in the 1Malaysia slogan.

NGOs and most particularly the parents should continue with even greater urgency and commitment to have Interlok removed from the classroom. The government has might on its side but might does not make it right.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 April 2011, 5:07 pm and is filed under
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Now every crook can fight corruption

by
Tunku Aziz

The Malaysian Insider

1st April 2011

April 01, 2011APRIL 1 — In late 2006 as I was completing my term of office as a Special Advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations in New York, I received an unexpected invitation to deliver a speech at an anti-corruption conference in Jerusalem, Israel. It was an important gathering of academics, senior government officials and NGO luminaries.

The president of Israel, Moshe Katsav, the guest of honour, made a stirring speech about the evils of corruption, enjoining us all to fight it in our society.

Even as he was extolling the virtues of integrity in personal and public life, the police were crawling all over the presidential mansion rummaging through documents as part of an investigation into multiple allegations of rape and sexual harassment by several members of his female staff, over an extended period of time going back to when he was the tourism minister. He was finally sentenced to seven years in prison last week by a Tel Aviv District Court.

I mention all this for two reasons. The first is that I have never known any president, prime minister, chief minister or even a garden variety politician, however corrupt he is known to be, opposing measures to fight corruption. Many are so sincere and convincing that you think a new corruption-free dawn is about to break.

In our case, we have political leaders swearing blind that corruption is evil. They, by any standard, even if you want to be charitable, cannot in all honesty be described as morally upright where corruption is concerned.

The same applies to corrupt civil servants: They would dearly love you to believe that they are all valiant corruption fighters.

So, it seems logical to ask why do we rate so poorly in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, year in and year out?

Corruption is not just about money changing hands. That is common bribery. Corruption is about abusing entrusted power for private gain.

The latest to join the serried ranks of the country’s star-studded corruption fighters’ gallery is Daim Zainuddin, who, in my humble view, is the last person to lecture us about probity and rectitude.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, with his oversized baggage of religious credentials and other feel-good paraphernalia, had me fooled completely and the experience was all the more unpalatably galling because I genuinely like him as a person.

Whether he likes me or not, I dare not say. His intentions were I am sure very good, but then as we all know, the road to hell and moral damnation is paved with good intentions.

One lesson we should never ever forget is that politicians as a breed are pathological liars. There are naturally one or two who are reliable and decent.

But seriously, you would probably be better off trusting a cat with a plate of fried fish. Opposition politicians are no exception to this universal truth. So keep an eagle eye on them too, including me, just to be on the safe side.

They cannot abuse power because for now they have no power to abuse. Many will find the temptation irresistible. Name me one honest politician; I will name you 10 wayward Yang Berhormat, together with a clutch of even more crooked Yang Amat Berhormat.

Now, as for the second reason: My highlighting of the sentencing of Moshe Katsav of Israel is to draw comparison between the justice system of Israel and our own Mahathir-defaced system.

I cannot, figuratively speaking, for the life of me ever hope to see, not in a million years, a similar demonstration of the application one law for all enacted in our Palace of Justice. While we are not yet a failed state, our judiciary has, by general acclaim, failed to justify its existence.

What a stark contrast between a working democracy that is Israel and a thoroughly corrupt country that is Malaysia today.

Najib Razak’s tantalising array of transformation plans are doomed to failure if he continues to show arrogance and disdain for public opinion by putting disreputable, unsavoury and corruption-tainted Umno politicians to head Felda, Felcra and other institutional milch cows.

Let me remind Najib, the self-proclaimed listening ear of the people’s needs, that in the ultimate analysis, actions speak louder than words.

Malaysia cannot achieve wholesome, ethical developed nation status by 2020 or 2099 if Barisan Nasional politics remains stuck in the same groove of careless indifference to basic values and value systems that Malaysia desperate lacks and needs.

Knuckle down to basics and the rest will fall in place. At present the transformation plans sound like so much noise and nothing more because it is inconceivable that they will ever be carried out in a prudent and accountable and sustainable way for the benefit of the long-suffering people of Malaysia.

Discerning Malaysians are not blind to the fact that all the public money being so generously doled out on a daily basis in Sarawak and Selangor is nothing less than advance vote buying.

Money cannot buy the nation’s burning desire for change and change there will be. Try another tack, and save the country from bankruptcy.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 April 2011, 11:44 am and is filed under
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Bishop denounces “divide and rule” policy

Terence Netto

Malaysiakini

Apr 3, 11

Catholic Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing has denounced as “insidious” and “evil” the imposition of two sets of rules – one for Sabah and Sarawak and the other for Peninsular Malaysia – with regard to the dissemination of the Malay Bible, Al-Kitab.

Minister in the Prime Minister Department, Idris Jala, had announced yesterday a formula for the resolution of the controversy over the impoundment since January of thousands of copies of the Al-Kitab in ports at Kuching and Port Klang.

The formula allows for the dissemination in Sabah and Sarawak without conditions of the Al-Kitab, but for Peninsula Malaysia, copies of the Al-Kitab have to be stamped with the cross and have the words ‘Christian Publication’ on them.

Speaking to Malaysiakini in his capacity as the titular head of the Melaka-Johor diocese, Bishop Paul Tan, who is also president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, said:

“If the policy is one for Sabah and Sarawak and another for Peninsula Malaysia, this is tantamount to using the insidious tactic of ‘divide and rule.’ I adamantly condemn and reject such means.”

The Christian Federation of Malaysia, the umbrella body for 90 percent of the denominational congregations in Malaysia, is to meet soon to discuss the government’s latest offer for the resolution of the controversy.

Some Christian groups appear to be leaning in favor of the government’s latest offer while others are loath to accept the differentiation of the rules between the Borneo states and the peninsula.

“There should be one policy for the whole Christian population in the two parts of the country,” said Bishop Paul Tan.

“You can put ‘Christian Publication’ on each copy since this is what was agreed to in 2005 by the CFM with the Abdullah Badawi administration.

“But there should be no differentiation between the rules for Sabah and Sarawak and the rules for Peninsular Malaysia,” insisted Bishop Paul Tan.

Bishop Paul Tan, a past president of the CFM, noted that the latest announcement by Idris Jala made no mention of the term ‘Allah’, the legitimacy of which use is being contested in the courts.

He said any decision by Christian groups on the government’s latest offer must take due note of this uncertainty.

“It is better to stick by a practice already agreed to in 2005 than opt for changes that carry the prospect of being rendered moot by a pending decision of the courts,” he said.

‘Above all, there must be no differentiation between the rule for Sabah and Sarawak and the one for the peninsula,” he emphasized.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 April 2011, 7:09 pm and is filed under
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Christians want Putrajaya to prove sincerity over Alkitab

By
Debra Chong

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 03, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — In Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia, Christian clerics greeted with caution Putrajaya’s latest 10-point formula to resolve the bible impasse, saying action alone — and not words — can convince the community the pledges will be honoured.

Kuching-based Anglican bishop, Bolly Lapok, said he was surprised by the apparent generosity and sensitivity of the federal government’s latest overture to the Christian community’s 30-year-old-dilemma.

“The Christian community here welcomes it even though it is just an ointment for a symptom,” he told The Malaysian Insider today.

In its 10-point resolution released last night, the Cabinet through its minister Datuk Seri Idris Jala, assured the huge Bumiputera Christian population in Sarawak and Sabah they are free to bring in and use their bibles in Malay as well as in indigenous languages; and that no restriction will be applied.

Jala also said that the bible can now be printed locally in any language, including in Iban, Kadazan-Dusun and Lun Bawang.

Lapok said he was heartened to see the federal government showing commitment to resolve long-standing interfaith disputes.

“It’s an assurance, but we have been given such assurances before,” he said, and noted with concern another set of rules for believers in peninsular Malaysia, requiring the holy books here to be stamped with the words “Christian Publication” and a cross on the cover.

According to Jala, this is because Muslims are the majority community on the peninsula, unlike in Borneo where they are the minority.

“We share the sentiments of our West Malaysian colleagues. There should be one law, not two,” he said.

“If this is negotiable, we stand by what we had said earlier and call on the government to repeal the relevant laws,” he added, referring to legislation that continued to bar Christians from using the word “Allah” for God beyond the Muslim context.

Lapok said Christians are praying the level of understanding and harmony among adherents of the different faiths in Malaysia will rise above the root-cause that ignited the dispute.

The Bible Society of Malaysia’s (BSM) general-secretary, Rev Simon Wong, remained doubtful that the federal government would honour its pledges.

“Datuk Seri Idris Jala may be sincere, but how trustworthy is the BN government?” Wong asked, referring to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) administration which has stayed in power since Independence.

He said the Home Ministry already has a record of breaking its word, which includes “harassing” local printers for printing the bibles and detaining bibles even after an agreement was reached.

“KDN has harassed local printers before. Same condition in 2005, but KDN never honoured — March 20, 2009, KDN detained BM Bibles printed with the same words ‘Penerbitan Kristian’ and a cross,” Wong said, calling the Home Ministry by its Malay initials.

Part of what provoked Christian anger has been blamed on the home ministry’s unilateral decision to seize the BSM’s cargo of 5,000 bibles from Indonesia, locking them up for two years and then hastily stamping the books with serial numbers and the Home Ministry’s official seal before they were released to the importers.

The Petaling Jaya-based BSM is one of the two affected bible importers in the present row.

The other importer is the Sarawak branch of global Christian group, The Gideons.

“They’ve made life hard for us for two years. Even before releasing the bibles, they stamped and serialised them unilaterally. This defacement of holy bibles has caused us great distress and loss of RM70,000,” Wong related.

“After the Sarawak state election or GE, we fear the government would revert to its old ways despite the directives,” he said, voicing the general view among Christians that the latest olive branch was a ruse to pacify the community and prevent a possible backlash at the ballot box when Sarawak goes to the polls in two weeks.

Wong echoed Lapok’s call for the federal government to adopt only one policy to prove its commitment to upholding the Federal Constitution’s guarantees on freedom to worship, in line with Prime Minister’s “1 Malaysia” slogan to nation building.

“Better to adopt only one policy for 1 Malaysia. No restriction, no proscription,” he said.

Rev Thomas Phillips of the Mar Thoma church here said Jala’s statement was “encouraging” but questioned the timing of the 10-point formula.

“Why, after all these years?” asked the cleric who is also an executive councillor in the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM).

The umbrella body representing over 90 per cent of churches here had earlier snubbed the Cabinet’s initial overture to resolve the row, saying it failed to address the core problem of religious discrimination.

“There’s a lot the government has to do to win the trust of the people. It should be 1 Malaysia, one policy. Everybody should have the freedom to worship according to their own religion,” said Phillips, who is also president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST).

The priest told The Malaysian Insider the CFM exco will have to hold another meeting to discuss this latest overture before it responds.

“But we are in no hurry,” Phillips told The Malaysian Insider.

Yesterday, the Cabinet initiated a new list of suggestions to put an end to the month-long standoff, in a bid to head off a possible backlash against BN in Malaysia’s biggest and most Christian-dominant state on April 16.

Nearly half the state’s one million population is Christian.

In his media statement, Jala spelled out the government’s 10-point formula to pacify the minority Christians without incurring the anger of the majority Muslims over the religious controversy.

However, he made no mention of the word “Allah”, which both Christians and Muslims view as being the crux of the Alkitab row.

He added that the federal government would reimburse the two bible importers over the markings carried out by Home Ministry officials, which the Christian community regard as a desecration of their holy book.

Jala said that the Cabinet’s decision will be gazetted through the Home Ministry’s secretary-general to ensure the order is carried out and that action will be taken against civil officials who breach these directives.

He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will meet the CFM to look for a way forward on outstanding religious issues beyond the bible row.

He added that Christian ministers in the Cabinet will also hold regular meetings with Christian groups to discuss religious issues.

“I hope this 10-point solution will be received positively by the Christian groups as being fair and reasonable,” Jala said in his statement, adding that the government was committed to a peaceful way out of the impasse.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 April 2011, 7:47 pm and is filed under
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Putrajaya backs down over Alkitab for Sabah and Sarawak

By
Debra Chong

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 02, 2011

The government has retracted all conditions previously imposed on the use of the Alkitab. — File picKUALA LUMPUR, April 2 – Faced with an unyielding Christian community days ahead of a crucial state poll in Sarawak, the federal government has retracted all conditions previously imposed on the use of Malay bibles there, but appear to have separate rules for believers on the other side of the South China Sea.

The Cabinet, through its Christian minister, Datuk Seri Idris Jala, offered today a new list of suggestions to put an end to the month-long stand-off, in a bid to head off a possible backlash against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in Malaysia’s biggest and most Christian state on April 16.

Nearly half the state’s one million population is Christian.

In his media statement, Jala spelled out the government’s 10-point formula to pacify the minority Christians without incurring the anger of the majority Muslims over the religious controversy.

He said Christians in Sarawak and Sabah are free to bring in and use their bibles in Malay and various indigenous languages and no restriction will be applied.

But at the same time, a slightly different set of rules apply to Christians in Peninsular Malaysia.

According to Jala, this is because Muslims are the majority community on the peninsula, unlike in Borneo where they are the minority.

“Taking into account the interest of the larger Muslim community, for Peninsula Malaysia, Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia, imported or printed, must have the words ‘Christian Publication’ and the cross sign printed on the front covers,” he said in the statement.

Jala also said that the bible can now be printed locally in any language, including in Iban, Kadazan-Dusun and Lun Bawang.

However, he made no mention about the word “Allah”, which both Christians and Muslims view as being the crux of the Alkitab row.

He added that the federal government will reimburse the two bible importers over the markings carried out by Home Ministry officials, which the Christian community regard as desecration of their holy book.

Jala said that the Cabinet’s decision will be gazetted through the Home Ministry’s secretary-general to ensure the order is carried out and that action will be taken against civil officials who breach these directives.

He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will meet the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) to look for a way forward on outstanding religious issues beyond the bible row.

He added that Christian ministers in the Cabinet will also hold regular meetings with Christian groups to talk over religious issues.

“I hope this 10-point solution will be received positively by the Christian groups as being fair and reasonable,” Jala said in his statement, adding that the government was committed to a peaceful way out of the impasse.

He acknowledged that the government had handled the bible issue poorly but stopped short of offering an apology.

“I hope the Christians would find it in their hearts to forgive us,” he said.

“The Bible says in Matthew 18: 21-22, ‘Then Peter came to Jesus and asked: Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jala said, quoting from the Christian holy book.

“Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times,” he concluded.

Last month, the Home Ministry drew flak from Christians after stamping and serializing 35,000 Malay bibles valued at about RM140,000, without the importers’ consent.

The CFM, the umbrella body that represents over 90 per cent of churches nationwide, have said they only wish for their constitutional rights to worship to be upheld.

In an immediate response, a CFM spokesman told The Malaysian Insider the Christian body welcomed “the government’s initiative”.

But the CFM executive council will have to hold another meeting to consider all viewpoints before deciding on the matter.

“It’s still a one-nation, two-state policy,” he said, pointing to the separate set of rules for Borneo and the peninsula.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the insider noted that most of the points Jala had spelled out were not new as they were decisions agreed upon by both sides previously.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 April 2011, 8:27 am and is filed under
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10 more deserving RCIs

The Malaysian Insider

April 04, 2011

APRIL 4 — The Barisan Nasional (BN) is apparently seeking to file a parliamentary motion seeking a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate a sex video clip allegedly featuring Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in a sexual tryst with a prostitute.

Perhaps because he is a lawmaker and also the parliamentary opposition leader. Then again, he is already facing his second sodomy charge in 12 years. So why not another trial.

However, if the ruling coalition is keen on holding RCIs to investigate a tape of a man having sex, perhaps it should consider setting up royal panels for the following issues:

1. Corruption involving ministers, senior government officials and other decision-makers

2. Leakage and other distortions in Malaysian policies and initiatives, including the New Economic Policy (NEP)

3. Racial polarisation and discrimination in Malaysia

4. Religious freedom and the rights of minorities to practise their religion

5. Petronas and an in-depth look at how money from the national oil company has been used through the decades

6. Decaying and hollowing out of institutions such as the police, judiciary and immigration

7. Illegal immigrants

8. Use and alleged abuse of the Internal Security Act (ISA) over the decades. It is also a good way to find out more about Operasi Lalang

9. Deaths in police custody

10. Political patronage and the loss of billions of ringgit to taxpayers

Then again, what use are the RCIs if the recommendations are not acted upon. Examples include the RCI on the Lingam video clip and the one on police management.

If anything, BN has been on a good wicket working on reforms and policies to transform the country’s economy. So why waste time investigating a sex tape of unknown origins brought to light by a trio with questionable motives.

The RCI on a sex tape is nothing but a distraction and a red herring to push the opposition into a corner ahead of possible snap polls this year.

Perhaps then, it is the right RCI to pursue. The 10 listed here would not be beneficial to the ruling coalition, would they?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 April 2011, 6:42 pm and is filed under
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Bible impasse: CCM youth reject 10-point proposal

by
Hazlan Zakaria | Apr 4, 11

Malaysiakini

The youth wing of the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) today rejected outright the government’s 10-point proposal to appease Christians in Sabah and Sarawak over restrictions on the publication and import of the Bible.

The movement made this known in a tweet this morning:

“Say NO to 10-pointers. Malaysian Christians want FULL FREEDOM, FULL RIGHTS to practise their faith.”

Contacted by Malaysiakini, CCM youth secretary Daniel Chai explained: “We don’t agree with the suggestions because they represent no firm commitment from the government. We shall continue to observe and see how things develop.”

Last Saturday, the government through Pemandu CEO Idris Jala issued a list of 10 proposals calculated to salve Christian anger after 30,000 imported copies of the Bible in the Malay language were impounded by the customs in Kuching and another 5,000 copies were seized in Port Klang.

But the suggestions delivered by Idris, who is a Christian despite his Malay-sounding name, were met with scepticism by Christian and church groups, which said they have received similar assurances from the BN government before, prior to the seizures of the Bible.

They expressed fears that the government was only trying to “buy them over” for the Sarawak election and that it would and go back on its word after that.

Meanwhile, in a more pointed move, the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia, a coalition of Christian evangelists formed amidst concerns over the right of Christians to have access to the Bible in the Malay language, have organised a prayer session they hope will influence the election of a Sarawak government that will be more favourable to their plight.

The coalition, which also pledged to represent the Christian community on issues and matters affecting the Church and society at large, is made up of more than 15 Christian and church groups. It members include the Salvation Army, Sidang Injil Borneo and the Baptist Church.

Prayers for Sarawak and its people

“As we draw nearer to the Sarawak state election, more calls for prayers have been sounded out. The Sarawak Ministers Fellowship has issued a call for a 12-day prayer,” NECF executive secretary for Prayer, Rev Andy Chi, wrote on the website.

He explained that the body was mobilising churches and intercessors to cover Sarawak in prayer in preparation for their coming state election.

“We would like to stand together with our Sarawak brethren in prayer as they face their state election. We believe through united prayer, we can alter the course of a people,” the reverend added.

Chi said the prayers, to cover all 31 parliamentary and 71 state seats in Sarawak and last 12 days from tomorrow until Sarawakians go to the polls on April 16, will be to:

•Give thanks to God for His love for Sarawak and for blessing us with abundance of resources, no natural disasters, peace and harmony amongst people of many races and religions;

•Pray for the coming state election for a peaceful, free and fair event, with good weather, good voter turnout as our people carry out their responsibilities as good citizens of the state to vote for leaders who are capable, God-fearing, full of integrity and hate dishonest gains;

•Pray for the incoming state government (to be) one that will love and take care of the people, is righteous and just, full of wisdom to bring development and take care of the poor, needy and marginalised;

•Pray for the people of Sarawak, that they will be good and responsible citizens, law abiding, respectful of the government, love one another and live in peace and harmony with one another; and

•Pray for religious freedom in Sarawak and Malaysia, that God will grant our authorities much wisdom, justice and fairness in upholding constitutional freedom of religion for our multiracial, multi-religious nation.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 April 2011, 6:57 pm and is filed under
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Enhancing Human Capital – Charter Schools

by
M. Bakri Musa

Chapter 7:  Enhancing Human Capital

Charter Schools

Another avenue for private sector participation would be a joint private and public partnership to form charter schools.  Charter school is a new concept and becoming increasingly popular in America.  The underlying idea is to empower the ultimate “consumers” of schools – students and their parents – by taking control away from the central bureaucracy and giving it to the schools.  The ministry would be concerned only with monitoring the quality and compliance with rules and regulations, and setting the standards.

            To gain charter status, such schools must meet certain conditions.  Their graduates must demonstrate competency in our national language (Malay) and history.  These schools must also recognize the uniqueness and special sensitivity of Malaysian society.  Thus their student body must reflect the greater community.

            In return, these schools would get state funding – the same amount of funds it would have cost the government to educate these pupils in the public system.  Additionally, the state would guarantee loans for capital expenses.  The actual lending however would be done through private sources.  With the guarantee, the interest rate should be favorable.

            Any private entity, local or foreign, could establish such schools.  Further, parents and teachers must constitute the majority of the governing board to ensure that the school’s mission would not be subverted.  The board would have total control, including choosing the medium of instruction and the setting of fees.  The board would also be accountable to the students and parents; they could monitor the school better than any government official or agency.

            Such schools must have clearly stated objectives.  They can prepare students for Sijil Tinggi Persekutuan, British GCE, International Baccalaureate, American SAT, or any other matriculating examination.  These schools could look to their leading counterparts abroad as their role models.  Schools preparing students for the American system could emulate Groton and Exeter.  Such schools would also attract foreign students and be a source of valuable foreign earnings.

            For the non-college bound, there could be vocational charter schools started by Pernas, for example, to train future workers for its hotels.  A consortium of construction companies may start one to train plumbers, electricians, and other skilled workers.  The schools, not the ministry, would set the curriculum apart from the core requirements mentioned earlier.

            If there is a demand, there could conceivable be schools preparing for Arabic, Chinese, or even French universities.  Such schools must of course meet the enrollment mix mentioned earlier.

            Charter schools would lead to greater social integration of students as they would be taking classes and doing extra curricular activities together, a marked improvement over the present vision schools or the Pupil Integration Plan.  These charter schools must also have adequate ancillary facilities (playing fields, auditoriums) to preclude their being set up above shop lots.

            I have participated both as a parent and at the board level in a charter school.  One innovation we introduced was the senior exhibition as a graduation requirement.  Students write a report as well as put on a multimedia presentation on each subject they take to an audience of teachers, students, and interested community members.  They would do their own research and preparation, with the teacher’s guidance.  To ensure accountability, they are evaluated not by their teachers but by a panel of outside volunteers.  College admission officers are impressed with this innovation.  More importantly, feedback from the students revealed that the exhibition exercises were the one high school experience that best prepared them for university.  Not only did they learn to study on their own but the experience also built their self-confidence.

            Adopting charter schools would require a major shift in the thinking and attitude of the education establishment, a paradigm shift, to use the current cliché.  The mindset must accept the premise that the government is not the only entity that can provide education, and that in education, there is no “one size fits all” model that will satisfy the needs of all Malaysians.

            Malaysia benefited immensely by allowing private sector involvement at the tertiary level.  Unfortunately such institutions, as noted earlier, are currently dangerously segregated along racial lines.  American universities long ago recognized that diversity is good not only for themselves and their students but also for the greater community.  Harvard today is much more highly regarded than it was five decades ago when it was the preserve of White, Anglo-Saxon Protestants.  Diversity in students and faculty is now an important criterion for accreditation.  Malaysia should do likewise.

            Malaysia should start small, by granting charters to about 20-25 primary schools, 10-12 at the secondary level, and a few universities.  After a decade, carefully evaluate the program with a view to enhancing it.

            Even without these major innovations there are still much that can be done to enhance public universities and colleges under the present system without resorting to radical changes.  For one, the ministry could ease the strict control it has on them.  There was much hoopla about the privatization of the University of Malaya (UM).  Unfortunately the governing structure may have been changed, but the same control mentality remains.  Senior appointments are still made by the minister; nothing has changed there.

            The government should consider granting universities a global budget, tied to enrollments, graduation rates, number of science and graduate students, and other explicitly stated goals.  Once that budget is established, let the university run its own affairs.  If a vice-chancellor fritters that money on grandiose graduation ceremonies and other useless extravaganza like first class air travels for their deans instead of buying books and computers, let him (or her) do that.  Trust the students and faculty, as well as the governing board, to keep the vice-chancellor in line.  The minister should be concerned only with selecting the best people to the governing board; they in turn would be responsible for the performance of the university.  There is no need for micromanagement from the ministry.

            There are at least three major glaring deficiencies with Malaysian universities.  First, many have the academic atmosphere of a junior college, at best.  In particular, their commitment to research is minimal.  Nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than in the choice of individuals selected to lead these institutions.  Few have excelled as scholars or researchers.

            Second, Malaysian universities do not have well-developed extension and continuing education programs.  Such programs would enable the universities to reach out into the community.  They also provide avenues of access for non-traditional students.  Additionally, a functioning continuing education program instills a culture of continuous learning and self-improvement.  It is noteworthy that at many institutions, such programs are financially very viable.  Tertiary institutions in my area from Stanford University to the nearby community college have many outstanding community and professional programs.  I have taken many such courses both for my professional development as well as for personal enrichment.

            Third is the isolation of Malaysian universities from the realities of the marketplace and the community.  On many American campuses each faculty, and often a department, has an advisory committee or a board of visitors comprising of potential employers, active practitioners, and supportive alumni.  In this way demands of the marketplace are quickly transmitted to the faculty and changes could be rapidly instituted.  For example, American business schools were quick to develop courses on entrepreneuralism, seeing how important that is to the new economy.

            More recently in the wake of the 9/11 terrorists’ attacks, universities were putting up new courses on Islam to cater for the anticipated demands for greater understanding of this faith.  At UCLA, the university went further and quickly set up a series of undergraduate seminars led by senior professors to deal with the myriad issues triggered by that great tragedy.  The massive Enron scandal was still unfolding and American colleges were already offering courses on business law, accounting, and ethics related to that massive bankruptcy.  Such rapid responses would be unthinkable in Malaysia.

            Malaysian universities are so tightly and rigidly controlled by the ministry that it would take them years to even think of offering new and relevant courses.  Beside being the repositories of the brightest talent, universities also represent the pinnacle of the nation’s universe of knowledge.  If Malaysia desires to join the ranks of developed nations, its universities must also aspire to be on par with the best.

            Schools are the nation’s future in miniature, goes an old Chinese saying.  When I travel abroad, I can tell the state of the nation by just visiting its schools.  Observing Malaysian schools over the years, I have become increasingly concerned about Malaysia’s future.

            The stark deficiencies of the Malaysian system are now obvious.  What is sad and disappointing is that there is very little attempt at rectifying them.  In early May 2002 the Kubang Pasu UMNO division, Prime Minister Mahathir’s own constituency, passed a resolution calling for the setting up of English-medium schools.  Such calls coming from the grassroots indicate how concerned and desperate Malaysians are over the education of their children.  I was extremely disappointed with Mahathir’s response to the resolution.  He essentially said that if that were the wish of the people, then he would comply.  I would have thought that on such a serious matter as the nation’s education, leaders must lead and not wait for direction from their followers.

Next:   Sharpening Malaysian Competitiveness

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 April 2011, 10:33 am and is filed under
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Monitoring the Dirtiest Elections Ever

by
Dr Lim Teck Ghee

CPI

Monday, 04 April 2011

According to Bernama, the Election Commission (EC) has decided not to give accreditation to Mafrel (Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections) to be an independent observer in the Sarawak state election, polling of which is to take place on April 16.

EC secretary Datuk Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria is reported to have said that this was because Mafrel had failed to fully comply with EC’s requirements. “Among them is for Mafrel and its affiliates to be non-partisan in their work,” he said in a statement.

This statement coming from the EC makes it clear that the Government is afraid of –and will prevent – independent observers from monitoring the coming Sarawak election which, in all likelihood, will be the dirtiest one ever since the stakes are so high. Sarawak has to date been the biggest of the BN’s electoral fixed deposit.  If Sarawak goes to the opposition or if the expected landslide for the BN component parties does not take place, it could be a precursor to the BN losing power at the national level in the coming general election.

The EC must be fully aware of what an election setback in Sarawak could mean for the Barisan and of the strong possibility of all types of election malpractices and abuses to be rampant in this election.   Hence it may appear surprising to the casual observer that the EC is standing in the way of Mafrel’s work and preventing the monitoring of the election by a body which many observers see as an independent and credible organization without any political affiliation.

On the other hand, the decision by the EC is not unexpected.  The Commission has long been seen as a political lap dog of the BN Government and analysts have speculated that the Government will use every means possible to prevent any independent monitoring of this watershed election from taking place and to ensuring a favourable outcome for itself.

How will electoral fraud and abuse take place in Sarawak?  Some of the most prominent forms include the following:

Manipulation of voter registration and postal voters

Polling arrangements

Vote counting/tabulation/reporting

Biased electoral authority

Dispute adjudication

Media coverage

Misuse of resources

Vote buying

Voter intimidation and/or obstruction

Candidate intimidation and/or obstruction

Legal framework

Finally, this list includes the blocking of observer access to the voting process – a measure which is right now being implemented by the EC.

Election Commission’s Track Record

The outstanding record of the EC in ensuring elections which are unfair and have little credibility and integrity is clear from the excerpts below of a paper written on the 2004 election by a scholar who has observed elections in the country since the 1970’s.

The only way for the EC to remove any suspicion that the coming elections is truly fair and free is for it to proactively deal with the the abuses identified above as well as those specified below and to permit observers – both local and international – into Sarawak.

Otherwise, the coming elections – predicted by many to be the dirtiest ever in the country – will see the government’s reputation for not adhering to democratic norms  further besmirched and the moral legitimacy of BN rule blackened even more.

Excerpts from John Funston,  “ The Malay electorate in 2004: reversing the 1999 result?” In Malaysia: Recent Trends and Challenges, edited by Saw Swee-Hock and K. Kesavapany. ISEAS, Singapore, 2006: 132-156.

Funston begins by noting that prior to the election the EC carried out an electoral redistribution, and a ‘cleansing’ of the electoral roll, both designed to assist the government.

“An electoral redistribution carried out by the Election Commission (EC) added 26 seats to parliament, most in areas favourable to UMNO in the south (Johor from 20-26, Selangor 17-22), and Sabah (20-25).  The northern states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah had no additions.  Furthermore, several seats in Kedah won by PAS in 1999 were reorganised with a higher proportion of non-Malay voters, making a repeat PAS victory unlikely.  A columnist in the pro-government The Star, noted that constituencies for the PAS secretary-general and the party’s former youth chief, had been redrawn to include a sizable number of non-Muslim voters who were previously in other constituencies.  ‘The Barisan’, he noted, ‘is putting in extra efforts to win back the lost seats because gerrymandering, common in all democracies, has always benefited the ruling parties’.

After 1999 the EC also began a process of cleaning up the election rolls, announcing in January [2004] that some 50,000 had been deleted as a result.   In fact, an even more substantial reorganisation must have taken place  .. [as].. total eligible voters increased to 10,276,173 from 9,566,188, an addition of 709,985 (7.4%).  It should have been much larger.  At the end of 1999 at least 680,000 were on the rolls but not gazetted at the time of the election.  Increased EC efforts to enroll voters after this should in the next four years have added at least 1,200,000, resulting in a cumulative total of 1,880,000 – which even allowing for 50,000 deletions and other routine changes is not reflected in the 2004 electorate.  The NGO Aliran was among those that discovered several anomalies in the rolls, including for example the fact that in Sungai Siput ({Perak), an operations centre for Malaysian Indian Congress leader Datuk Samy Vellu, ‘which is an office, had 12 registered voters. Large numbers of voters were falsely registered at fictitious addresses where there were no houses . In Pandamaran in Klang a one-room flat had 150 registered voters.’

Many such anomalies may have been unintended errors, but several commentators were left suspicious.  An Aliran spokesman commented that in Sungai Siput, for example, ‘we are told that some 5,000 voters from outside this constituency have been registered to vote here’.   The increase in voter numbers in the critical state of Terengganu by 17.7%, against the average of 7.4%, raises further questions about the roll reorganisation.”

Funston then moves to discussing EC election oversight.

“The most controversial aspect of the 2004 election campaign was its management by the EC.  The elections were the most disorganised and contested ever.  In some cases this may simply have reflected incompetence, but EC activities frequently provided direct benefits to the BN, as they had in the revisions of electoral boundaries and membership of the electoral roll.  Some of the highlights were:

• On 4 March [2004] the EC chair Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman announced that three of keADILan’s top leaders would not be able to stand, because they had court convictions. But all three were appealing their sentence, and as recently as Oct 23 2003 Abdul Rashid had declared that ‘an election candidate sentenced to more than a year in jail and RM2,000 fine can still contest if the candidate is allowed a stay of execution pending appeal’.

• The EC then announced the shortest campaign period ever, of 8 days.  Critics were convinced that this reflected the government’s bidding.  Aliran commented: ‘When the EC rushed to hold the election in the shortest possible time, it is clearly meant to favour the BN and put the Opposition and the independents in a quandary… There is hardly any time to print posters and prepare banners and other election paraphernalia. The BN’s arsenal of armoury is already in full swing because they are the ones who knew the timing of the election.’

• Polling stations were not announced until the day before elections.  Many voters went to their usual station and found they had been registered elsewhere.

• Contrary to the electoral law the EC announced two days before voting (19 March) that party-run information booths would be permitted just outside polling stations.  The BN had already constructed their’s, while the opposition had no time to do so.

• Numerous opposition reports cite instances of the EC (and police) turning a blind eye to BN illegalities, while closely policing the opposition.

• The EC provided the BN with names and addresses of 600,000 voters registered in constituencies outside their place of residence, enabling the prime minister to write a moving ‘personal’ letter urging them to vote and have a safe journey.

• The EC claimed to have gazetted all voters on 3 April, but the lists provided to political parties cited gazetting on various dates, including 15 March, 16 March and in one case 23 March.  Moreover these lists were not identical.

• In Selangor state the EC extended the voting for a further two hours, though this was against the electoral law.

• On Election Day thousands went to vote and found their names were not on lists, or that they had been registered elsewhere.  KeADILan claimed that at a conservative estimate 500,000 were denied the right to vote, 250,000 in Selangor alone.  ..  Even the pro-government New Straits Times lamented that ‘The Election Commission’s handling of some constituencies in Sunday’s election caused embarrassment to anyone with any faith in Malaysian democracy’.

• When election results began to appear on the EC website from the eve of 21 March many of the results were greeted with incredulity.  In the Kuala Terengganu parliament seat 98.7% were recorded as having voted.   This constituency also recorded 10,254 ‘unreturned’ ballots, while unreturned ballots for the constituency’s state seats – which should have been similar – amounted to only 124.  A total of 17,960 ballots, or 57.5 percent, were recorded as unreturned in the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat.  And for the state seat of Pankor in Perak state a total of 5,108 ballots were recorded as unreturned out of the 6,712 issued.  When these discrepancies were pointed out in Malaysiakini, the figures suddenly disappeared and new ones replaced them.  Even so, the EC chair said in mid April that more than 67,000 postal votes, 35,190 for parliamentary seats and 31,984 for states, had gone missing.  This represented 17.53 per cent and 15.4 per cent, respectively, of the total 200,712 postal ballots issued.

• Besides such anomalies, voting figures in areas that have generally favoured the opposition were abnormally high.  The increase in voter turnout in Terengganu, for example, by nearly 6% at the federal level and 7% for the state, to 85.5% and 86.9% respectively, is particularly difficult to understand, in an election were overall voter turnout only just exceeded that in 1999.  Such levels had never been achieved in the past.”

Funston concludes by noting that while overall the election was a strong endorsement of the government, and in particular new Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, “The controversial and contested nature of the election did .. cast a shadow over Abdullah’s victory.”

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 April 2011, 10:41 am and is filed under
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Somewhere out there, shampoo is needed

by
Zairil Khir Johari

The Malaysian Insider

These are busy and exciting times. I have less than two days to pack for a two-week adventure in a land full of charm and mystique. Besides the usual necessities — toothbrush, clothes, Blackberry (Heaven forbid I forget that) — I will also be stuffing my luggage with bottles and bottles of… shampoo.

Now, I am not particularly fastidious about hair care, but I have heard that where I’m headed, there is a great need for a very special kind of shampoo. You see, in this land not so far away, I have heard that people are suffering from a chronic attack of a noxious condition known simply as “white hair”.

As far as my research has revealed, this plague, colloquially called pek moh, began to manifest exactly 30 years ago. In the beginning it appeared harmless enough, innocently revealing only streaks of silver.

But soon, without anyone realising, it began to burrow itself deep into the earth, spreading its white roots over every inch of fertile soil. Over the years, as the land and its people showed symptoms of progressive “whitening”, so did its grip tighten and its actions emboldened.

Very soon, it became evident that nothing would be spared, not even the lush tropical forest for which this land is famous. The ancient spirits of the forest were helplessly driven away as trees were felled, ignominiously sacrificed as a source of nutrient for this debilitating disease.

Not unlike cancer, this malignant pathogen displays traits of uncontrolled growth, greedily invading and intruding upon every resource that it can scour, living or otherwise. Such is the nature of its hegemony that it will continue to infest until eventually it will lay waste to a land once proud and green.

White hair or pek moh is not only a ruthless pathogen, it is also a master of deception. In order to beguile its victims, it releases endorphins to create short-term pleasure and a false sense of prosperity while it continues to plunder the land and flaunt a lifestyle of debauchery.

In fact, stories now abound of its plan to secure the future of its genetic legacy. Through an elaborate gestation process, during which all other rival chromosomes were eliminated, it has now spawned progeny that have in turn infected the land and continued its callous tradition of unscrupulous pillaging of natural resources. Not a single inch of soil in this land is safe so long as any trace of this carcinogenic pathogen remains.

But there have been attempts at finding a cure. A famous effort was made by a legendary expert from Switzerland. He was a green warrior, a defender of nature and sworn protector of the jungle and its inhabitants.

He had lived in this land for many years, assimilating himself with the nomadic way of his chosen tribe. Finally, infuriated over the plundering of his adopted land and provoked by the ravaging of his adopted sisters, the nomadic women, he rose up to challenge the formidable might of pek moh and its retinue of sycophantic viruses.

Alas, this warrior was but one and his antibodies were no match to the poisonous germs. He has since been silenced, never to be heard of again. He remains today a martyr in the war against the scourge known as white hair.

However, pek moh’s strength is not absolute, for nothing in nature is so. Though at times seemingly indomitable, it is compelled to renew its powers in a periodic phenomenon that occurs every four to five years.

Such a phenomenon, I have come to learn, is about to take place a fortnight from now. It is an event that enjoins the entire land, uniting and in some cases dividing its inhabitants.

It is an event that puts the fate of the land in the hands of its people, and failure to respond will result in a more severe bout of the plague.

However, caution must now abound, for it is precisely at this time that pek moh’s devious methods are intensified, as it will do everything within its power to maintain its iron grip. Even as I prepare myself to face such a menace, I am ever cautious of the sheer power of its incumbency.

Yet I am also quietly hopeful. I believe the era of the white scourge is nearing its end, because as toxic and contagious as pek moh’s infectious virus may be, it is no match to the collective antibodies of the people. But the key word is collective. The ailing people have long been divided, and the task to unite them requires much assistance.

There is no magical vaccine, but recently, a special anti-white hair formula has been developed and packaged into a shampoo bottle. This 2-in-1 serum is designed not only to cull the white roots, but also to ensure that the disease remains in remission.

If enough people apply this shampoo over the coming fortnight, there is every possibility that white hair will begin to shed and be replaced by a new coat of healthy locks.

A brighter future beckons for this great land and its people. But there is yet much work to do if our friends are to be saved. Meanwhile, I think I need an extra bag.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 April 2011, 10:54 am and is filed under
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Who speaks for the government?

The Malaysian Insider

April 04, 2011

APRIL 4 — All the Christians had asked was for Putrajaya to prove its sincerity over the Alkitab issue. And the government failed the first test.

In the space of two days, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the 10-point solution announced by Datuk Seri Idris Jala last Saturday was not final.

“We’re still in the middle of negotiations. Nothing is finalised yet,” Hishammuddin told The Malaysian Insider.

He stressed that the government was taking a “fair and reasonable” step-by-step approach to address the Malay bibles issue, pointing out that nothing will get resolved if Christians and Muslims get bogged down by details.

“The main thing is that we have to move forward… in a reasonable, non-polemic way,” he said.

While the 10-point solution itself wasn’t a final solution to the myriad of issues connected with the Alkitab, Hishammuddin’s remarks today showed how difficult it is for anyone to take the government seriously when it offers plausible solutions to issues that affect the constitutional rights of Malaysians.

And it begs the question, who speaks for the Government of Malaysia? Indeed, the prime minister is first among equals but what of other ministers?

Jala, who has worked actively on the Alkitab issue, has only locus standi as a Christian interested in ensuring that the government he serves takes care of his co-religionists. But is it his job? He joined the government to work on economic transformation programmes but, of late, has spent his time on the Alkitab issue with pledges that now apparently remain promises on paper.

Hishammuddin, the minister whose agencies have a direct bearing on the import and printing of the Alkitab under law, appears to be the only authority that matters when it comes to the bibles.

His pronouncements mean the issue is not solved and the Christians, who have long sought to worship in Bahasa Malaysia, will have to continue to be patient and turn the other cheek. And according to Jala who quoted the Bible, forgive at least 77 times.

This isn’t a time for forgiveness as the government finds its feet and mouth on this issue. Putrajaya must decide which course it must take rather than vacillate or get two ministers to contradict each other. If this is how the government is run, what about other issues that plague the nation?

Now is the time for hard questions to the government. And for it to answer and decide on the Alkitab rather than leave the Christians to continue begging for their constitutional right to believe in God in whatever language they desire.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 April 2011, 6:17 pm and is filed under
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Malays are still ruled by colonialists called “Umno”

By
Martin Jalleh

Perkasa, described by DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang as an outsource of Umno’s extremist demands, recently declared that for the Malays it would be “Better ruled than walked over” (The Malaysian Insider).

Its president Ibrahim Ali said that the “Malays would be better off living under colonial rule if Article 153 of the Federal Constitution which safeguards the special position of Bumiputeras is brushed aside.

Firing a warning shot across the Najib administration’s bow on the night the PM unveiled the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) annual report, Ibrahim stressed that the national agenda must be driven by Article 153, rather than incorporate the clause in piecemeal fashion.

He urged the government to persist with pro-Bumiputera affirmative action as exemplified by the New Economic Policy (NEP) as “it was impossible for the community to catch up in just 20 years after being sidelined by colonial powers for more than 400 years”.

Ibrahim reiterated that Perkasa’s fight for “equitable distribution” of economic pie was grounded in worries for national stability, which he said would be threatened if Bumiputeras remained marginalised.

How could it be possible that after 55 years of Umno’s existence, 53 years of the country’s independence and 41 years of the NEP – and Bumiputras still remain marginalised?

Blinding the Malay

Surely the patron of Perkasa, Dr Mahathir Mohamed, who was once crowned “The Father of all Racism” by Minister in the PM’s Department Nazri Aziz, will be able to enlighten Perkasa on this.

It has very much to do with the tragic irony that the Malays (and the whole nation) are still being “colonised” till this day by a colonialist power name “Umno” with the Colonial Master being Sir Najib Tun Razak.

The re-colonisation began in 1981 when Dr M donned the mantle of British supremacy and with his Executive supremacy even outdid the white colonial master in many ways during the 22 years that followed!

Dr M and his cohorts who once detested the oppressive laws of the British, brandished a gamut of harsh executive powers during his reign which were deeply and undeniably derivative of authoritarian colonialism.

Najib desperately continues this colonial tradition that he has inherited in order to survive. He waves and wields this power most unabashedly at his own race, especially those who can see through the colonialism of Umno!

Many laws left behind by the British were amended by Dr M and made even more draconian to contain, cripple and crush legitimate dissent by citizens and the Opposition. There were countless examples of this.

British “propaganda” was replaced by a powerful broadcast media owned by the Government (also read as Umno) and allied companies, and regulated by the Broadcasting Act, 1987, which gives the Information Minister vast powers of control and manipulation.

The Sedition Act (1948), a British law used to stifle Malay nationalists (especially those in UMNO, a party born two years before the Act came to be) was amended and made use of by Dr M for selective prosecution of political opponents and to protect UMNO. It is being used with greater frequency by Najib’s government!

The Internal Security Act (ISA) (1960), a relic of colonialism, meant to combat the then communists, was amended more than 20 times to make it more repressive than the original. Its powers were abused to protect the “security” of Umno. Known as ‘white terror’, the ISA was and is still used by Malaysians on Malaysians.

The Printing Presses and Publications Act (1984) originated from the Printing Press Act (1948). Amended in 1987 by Dr M’s regime to exclude judicial review of the Executive’s action vis-a-vis publications it still serves as a stranglehold on the press and opposition publications.

The Official Secrets Act (OSA) (1972) was based on the British OSA of 1911. Amended in 1986 to provide for mandatory jail sentences, Dr M used it to reinforce the cult of secrecy and to hide his many misdeeds. It resulted in self-censorship by the press.

The Police Act (1963) was amended in 1967, 1981 and 1987 to enhance the wide array of police powers, thus making the constitutional right of assembly absolutely “irrelevant”.

The late Tunku Abdul Rahman died a disillusioned man on seeing his Malaysia reduced to, in his very own words, “a Police State”. Till today the police continue to abuse their unbridled power and play politics.

The Special Branch, a creation of Britain in 1887, was meant as a response to Irish anarchist terrorism. It has been perfected by the Malaysian police to “trace”, threaten, torture and “turn over” political dissidents.

Reporting on the coming Sarawak elections, Sim Kwang Yang (former MP for Kuching) wrote that Special branch and Information department are eyes and ears of the BN!

Najib and his Umno-dominated government continue to employ every trick and treachery by Dr M during his 22 years as PM – “divide-and-rule”, purveying a “culture of fear” or creating a “siege mentality”, manipulating ethnic and religious fears, trotting out a bogey – which were all tools of British Colonialism.

Bonsified Malay Mind

No one has echoed this reality with such accuracy and bluntness than renegade artist Hishamuddin Rais  who declared on 7 Sept. 2010 that “the Malay mind has been ‘bonsified’ (shrunk and distorted, like a bonsai plant) by Umno’s political agenda in order to perpetuate the culture of fear against non-Malays.”

The former ISA detainee said that it is typical of Umno to play on racial fears to convince the public that they are the best option for Malays to remain at the forefront of social and economic development in Malaysia.

“This process that ‘bonsifies’, nullifies and stupefies (Malays) goes back to the British time. (Malays) are led by lazy leaders and lazy thinkers,” Hishamuddin said at a ‘Malays are muted too!’ forum.

The activist noted that Malays have been indoctrinated to fear new ideas and ‘ghosts’ of Chinese supremacy, to the point that the Malay public believe that the ‘ghosts’ are real threats to their existence.

Hishamuddin claimed that just like the colonial British in Malaya, Umno realises that a liberated Malay mind is a threat to their existence, hence the ruling party’s efforts to stop the liberalisation of the Malay mindset.

He alleged that Umno would never agree to free the Malay mind as it is all about maintaining the ruling party’s power and control over Malaysia’s wealth.

Hishamuddin stressed that the ruling government is simply working on the premise of “manufactured consent”‘, where it employs public institutions such as the Malayan Sultanate to force people to agree with whatever opinions or policies it makes.

He said that it has perpetuated the culture of ‘lazy thinkers’ among Malays, where the best minds end up being unwilling or unable to contribute to the community’s advancement.

Hishamuddin stressed that it is unfortunate that the best Malay minds have been left out of the nation’s education system, to make way for ‘half-educated’ Malays who are bent on maintaining the status quo.

Bastardised NEP

Another Malay who is free from “Umno’s colonialism” is CIMB group CEO Nazir Abdul Razak who had in August 2010 described the NEP as having been bastardised by deviating from its original purpose.

He declared that the NEP has come a long way from the social engineering experiment originally aimed at eradicating poverty and that it has appeared to enrich small pockets of people.

“Now we need to address what kind of affirmative action we want to have. It is so infused in everything. But we will one day need to confront it one way or another.”

He also advised his audience to ignore extremist groups and not to waste time engaging with the “few noisy people in the corner do not make up the majority or represent the majority”. Was he referring to Perkasa?

Alas, the Malays of today who are still marginalised have to follow good and brave examples like Hishamuddin Rais and Nazir Abdul Razak and free themselves from the devious and oppressive colonial ways of Umno and its agents like Ibrahim Ali.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 5 April 2011, 3:55 pm and is filed under
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Sleight of hand and twist of fate

On a bed of nails Malaysians wait

by
Singa Pura Pura

The impudent, open screening of naked pornography at Carcosa Seri Negara. Think about it – as we lay and wait on our bed of nails – for the police and the public prosecutor to move.

Despite the gathering storm of public outrage and the consternation of an entire nation, the Home Minister, representing UMNO and the ruling coalition, still refuses to do the right and proper thing – which is to bring the persons who have openly, plainly and admittedly broken the laws of the land before the altar of justice. To charge them in an open court and to afford them an opportunity of answering those charges; to see if they have a lawful justification or excuse for possessing and screening pornography at a public place.

It is pertinent here to ask the question: In the Federation of Malaysia, and for all practical intents and purposes, to whom does the Attorney-General or the Inspector-General of Police answer? Is it to His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong? Is it to Parliament? To the Cabinet? Or to the Home Minister and/or the Prime Minister? The answer is common knowledge. Which is why pushing the blame – for the dogged refusal of the Home Minister to act – unto the police and the public prosecutor is akin to the liver apportioning liability upon the kidneys for not filtering out the toxins that are poisoning the body. Are we, seriously, being asked to believe that in this country, the police acts without any reference to the Attorney General who, in turn, acts autonomously from the Home Minister or the Prime Minister?

It simply will not do anymore for the Home Minister to crouch under the wide, discretionary ‘sarong’ of the Attorney-General or the public prosecutor. Despite the preponderance of public opinion, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have been intractably resistant to having any proceedings brought against the licentious trio of  public pornographers. Pornographers are the enemies of the state; the unwilling victims of their pornographic recordings are not.

In these circumstances, one is constrained to come to the reasonably fair conclusion that the actions and inaction of the police and the public prosecutor have led to the irresistible and adverse presumption that the ruling coalition, via UMNO and/or its agents, must have had a prior arrangement or understanding, if not a secret undertaking, with the pornographers to bring the leader of the opposition down by way of a video scandal. Of course, in law, as in life, presumptions, however irresistible they may be, are seldom irrebuttable. Which is why the onus weighs ever so heavily now upon the Home Minister to show, to the complete satisfaction of the Rakyat, that both the ruling party and the coalition to which he belongs are not only unassociated with these pornographers but also that UMNO and the ruling coalition are rightly against such heinous societal elements or ‘pemusnah masyarakat’ that seek to destroy this nation through universally unacceptable ways and means.

The fog of infamy is furiously rubbing its hindquarters on the window panes of UMNO; the Home Minister must make it go away, believably and convincingly. Otherwise, he must slide the panes up, and let the fog in. The ‘Trio of Carcosa 2011’ might have benefitted from an unseen sleight of hand here, but the resulting twist of fate for the country’s reputation is surely incongruous with how the ‘Trio of TAR-TAR-THO’ (Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn) had envisaged the Home Minister would look out for the country from his watchtower and perform the duties with which he has been entrusted by the Rakyat and the founding fathers of Malaysia.

With or without the Home Minister, we say.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 5 April 2011, 4:16 pm and is filed under
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The Christians Win, But For How Long?

By
Kee Thuan Chye

malaysiandigest.com

04 April 2011

IN their stand-off against the Government over the Bible issue, the Christians have won. Especially those in Sabah and Sarawak. Not only will the Bible in any language, including Bahasa Malaysia, be allowed to be imported; it can now be printed locally and in the indigenous languages of the Sabah and Sarawak natives. This shows that when you stick to your guns, you’ll get what is rightfully yours. In this case, the right to practise your religion freely, as is guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.

The Christians have to be admired for standing up and not giving in. But lest they think they had God, Najib Razak and Idris Jala on their side, they might do well to realize that what decided the issue in their favour and even beyond their wildest expectations was obviously the upcoming Sarawak state elections.

This is a politically expedient decision through and through. Otherwise, it would not have been made at such super speed. Prime Minister Najib desperately wants the Christian vote in order for his coalition to win big in Sarawak. The outcome of the state elections there could be a harbinger of the next general election. He needs a morale booster. He cannot afford a break in Barisan Nasional’s (BN) momentum after its recent spate of by-election victories. He wants to keep up the public perception – no doubt as advised by his well-paid public relations consultants – that Malaysian support for BN is returning. He also wants to ensure that Sarawak remains a safe deposit for BN. And Sabah, too, where the Christian populace, like that in Sarawak, is substantial.

The Christian uproar over the Bible issue must have scared him. The huge turnout at the Kuching prayer rally last week – to express Christian unhappiness with the Government and to send out a call for religious freedom – was unprecedented.

Given the dire situation, Najib must have realised that it would not have been enough to just agree to release the 30,000-plus copies of the Bible impounded by the Government, so he added a sweetener – the Bible can now be printed in Malay and indigenous languages locally. It took many people by surprise.

This means that the word “Allah” – which appears in the impounded Bible copies and has been a bone of contention between the Home Ministry and Christian publications – can now be used by Christians without restriction. The one thing that can crush it is if the Court of Appeal overturns the decision made by the High Court in December 2009 that granted Christians the right to use “Allah”.

However, no date has been fixed yet for the Court of Appeal to hear the appeal, even though it was filed by the Home Ministry more than a year ago, in January 2010. Why, indeed, is this so? What is it waiting for? Is the Government holding on to the case like it were a trump card it would unleash only when the time was right, for its own political purpose?

And since the case is pending appeal, the question needs to be asked: What will happen to the Bibles in Malay and indigenous languages if the Court of Appeal should eventually overturn the High Court decision and declare that Christians cannot use the word “Allah” after all?

As we know, this saga concerning the use of “Allah” and the prohibition of the AlKitab, the Malay name for the Bible, is not recent. It has been unfolding since 1981, when the AlKitab was banned under the Internal Security (Prohibition of Publications) Order. Is there any assurance that it will not start afresh when the Sarawak state elections and the next general election are over?

This is where Malaysians can derive a moral from the whole saga: That it is hazardous to give the Government too much power through a strong mandate. It is always safer to keep the Government on the back foot and under pressure so that it will listen to the people. Once they have too much power, they are bound to get arrogant and ride roughshod over everyone.

The people of Sarawak might want to consider this important point and vote accordingly.

As for the Christians in Peninsular Malaysia, they might well wonder why the new ruling discriminates against them. While there are no conditions imposed on the Sabahans and Sarawakians over the importation and local printing of the Bible in all languages, why must there be one for Peninsular Malaysia publications, which have to carry the words “Christian Publication” and the cross sign on the front covers?

Is this 1Malaysia? How can it be when it transgresses the principle of inclusiveness that is at the core of Najib’s concept?

The reason given for these double standards is that the Government has to consider the interest of the larger Muslim community in Peninsular Malaysia, but it only serves to expose the central flaw of the 1Malaysia concept and the questionable sincerity of its architect. It shows that 1Malaysia is half-hearted, and it lacks the will and the courage to overcome the status quo of divisive practices and prejudices. It is to be applied only when it is politically safe and convenient to be applied.

Having a different standard for Peninsular Malaysia over the Bible issue shows even more clearly that the Government’s new decision is merely to win the votes of the Sarawak Christians.

The way forward now is to test the Government’s sincerity. It has come out to pledge that it wishes “to work with the Christian groups and all the different religious groups in order to address inter-religious issues and work towards the fulfillment of all religious aspirations in accordance with the Constitution, taking into account the other relevant laws of the country”. That’s according to Idris Jala, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office who has had to handle the AlKitab issue by dint of his being a Christian even though the Home Minister should be the one doing the dirty job. (Poor man! There were occasions during the stand-off when he was viewed by his fellow Christians as a Judas Iscariot.)

To see if that pledge is true, the Christian groups should next press for easier Government approval to build churches instead of having to wait years for such approval to come, as has been the experience of some. They should ask for real churches to be built, like those in the old days with church-like design and the cross prominently featured on their facades, instead of like those that are not supposed to appear like churches and are housed in warehouses or shophouses, as has been the case in recent times. They should ask for churches to be located in appropriate vicinities instead of in industrial areas among factories, as has also been the case in recent times. After all, in the context of 1Malaysia, churches, mosques, Buddhist temples, Hindu temples and all manner of religious buildings should stand alongside one another to proclaim the religious freedom and tolerance of worship that our founding fathers envisioned.

That’s just for starters. There must be a litany of other grouses the Christians have been harbouring over the decades concerning the unfair treatment they have been receiving, most of it without regard for their rights as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. But now is the time to make Najib walk the talk. They have to strike while the iron is hot. Because when the time for political expediency is over, God knows whether the Government will be as amenable and anxious to please.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 5 April 2011, 11:44 am and is filed under
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Sarawak Election and 2nd MACC falling death

Tweets
@limkitsiang
:

Most important Swak elections in 48yrs begin tomorrow – with far-reaching implications not only 4Swak but also 4Msia w great impact on 13GE

Tuesday, April 05, 2011 11:40 PM

In Sibu 4BukitAssek Pelawan BawangAssan Dudong Nangka nomination. Spirit of PR candidates leaders election workers high hopeful 4change UBAH

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 8:25 AM

DAP Alice Lau submits nomination as candidate Bawang Assan. Can young pharmacist go down in Sibu history 2join gallery of “dragon-slayers”?

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 9:12 AM

DAP Swak Chmn Wong Ho Leng 1st 2submit nomination as BukitAssek candidate 2make another history – first 2b re-elected as BA Assemblyman

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 9:25 AM

With HoLeng @Sacred Heart Sec School nomination centre 4Pelawan Candidate DavidWong. During Sibu b/e DAP won this constituency by 5600 votes

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 9:45 AM

Otw 2 Dudong nomination ctr 2give moral support 2our candidate YapHoiLing who make up DAP foursome 4Sibu g/e contest. Then 2Nangka centre

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 9:56 AM

3-cornered fight in Dudong w ind candidate @SJK ThaiKwang. Nomination closed @10am Objection hour till 11am n Swak g/e battle formally begin

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 10:07 AM

High spirits @Nangka nomination centre manned by NikNazmi 2support young professional candidate engineer PKR Norisham. Good PR slate in Sibu

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 11:20 AM

FLASH – Customs officer under probe for graft, dies after falling off 3rd floor of MACC KL.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 12:54 PM

Another MACC case of falling death even when TBH RCI ongoing?All Malaysians utterly shocked outraged. Heads must roll even b4 outcome of RCI

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 1:00 PM

Details of latest MACC scandal http://bit.ly/d4tsbb Customs officer falls to death during MACC probe (TMI)

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 1:14 PM

Nomination 4 15DAP candidates in Swak g/e completed smoothly w 11 1to1 contest, 3 3-cornered (Padungan BukitAssek Dudong) BukitKota 4corner

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 2:43 PM

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 6 April 2011, 2:34 pm and is filed under
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Longing For A Free Mind (Part 5 of 14)

By
M. Bakri Musa

Liberation Through Education

The crucial role of this second instrument – education – in liberating us from underneath our coconut shell is encapsulated in the wisdom of the Greek philosopher Epictetus (Discourses): “Only the educated are free!” Having been born a slave, Epictetus knew a thing or two about freedom besides philosophizing about it.

Teachers are liberators! Hence my high regards for them, quite apart from the fact that both my parents were teachers. Consider that as a doctor, the best that I could do is return my patients to their pre-morbid state. With a good teacher however, there is no limit to the height of achievements of her students.

As that great teacher Munshi Abdullah noted, “Antara mereka yang berguru dan mereka yang meniru, jauh beza-nya!” (Between those who are taught and those who parrot, is a vast difference!) Those who parrot would merely repeat and follow orders; those who are taught, and taught well, pave their own path. Others would then follow on that path.

The best articulation of the value of education to an individual is captured by Prameodya’s words in Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind), “Seorang terpelajar harus sudah berbuat adil sejak dalam fikiran apalagi dalam perbuatan” (An educated person must be just, first in his thoughts and then in his deeds.)

Education also confers collective benefits to society. It is an accepted wisdom in economics that education is necessary for development. The greatest societal benefit however, is contained in this quote from Horace Mann, “Education cannot make us all leaders, but it can teach us which leader to follow.”

Not all accept the value of education. I once met a senior Brunei official; he did not believe in educating his people. It would only make them dissatisfied and uppity, he assured me, and pointed to the disastrous 1962 rebellion in his country. I suppose if you have enough petrodollars you could bribe or narcotize your people into submission, but do not expect greatness from them. Ponder when those petrodollars dry up! Sometimes you do not have to wait that long; look at Tunisia today.

All these benefits of education are true with one major caveat. Where education masquerades as indoctrination, then the less education you have, the better. Unfortunately, that is the case with Malaysian education; it treats students as dustbins to be filled with dogmas rather than knives to be sharpened, to borrow Munshi Abdullah’s metaphor. This is especially true with religious education, which is compulsory for Malay students.

With a bin all you could possibly get out is what you put in, nothing beyond. With a sharp knife the possibilities would be limitless. To a farmer, a sharp knife would bring meat to the table; to the sculptor, an exquisite work of art; to a surgeon, a tool to cure cancer. To a thug however, it would be a lethal weapon; hence the need to emphasize the “just” and “thinking” components in education, as per Pramoedya.

America’s liberal education aims at producing individuals capable of critical thinking. However, as Allan Bloom concluded in his dense but best selling book, The Closing of the American Mind, How Higher Education has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today’s Students, today’s version with its de-emphasis of “The Great Books” succeeded only in, as asserted by the long-winded title, the closing of the American mind. Bloom lamented the moving away from the “Great Books” traditions and the ensuing cultural and moral relativism.

American universities may have moved away from what cynics refer to as the works of long-ago dead white men, but these institutions have enhanced their core curriculum by adding foreign language as well as science and mathematics. It makes for a truly liberal and broad-based education, well suited for our modern diverse era.

Today’s liberal education, in particular the learning of a foreign language and a spell of study abroad, is much superior to the earlier one with its almost exclusive emphasis on the classics. Learning another language and experiencing a different culture are among the most effective ways of opening up one’s mind.

I appreciate the classics but today you cannot consider yourself properly educated and comprehend the world around you if you do not know the difference between an atom from a molecule, or a gene from chromosome. Likewise your thinking and analysis cannot be rigorous unless you can appreciate the difference between simple gains versus geometric and exponential ones.

Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa surveyed 2,300 undergraduates from 24 American institutions for their book, Academically Adrift. Limited Learning on College Campuses (2010). Despite America’s commitment to liberal education, the survey substantiated and amplified Bloom’s earlier negative assessment. Fully 45 percent of these students did not demonstrate significant improvement in learning at the end of two years (with 36 percent at the end of four) in such areas as critical thinking, complex reasoning, and writing skills. Imagine what the results would be for Malaysian undergraduates and universities!

Count yourselves triply lucky. You have the benefit of the great tradition of modern American liberal education, learning a foreign language (English), and living in a different culture. Those are significant advantages you have over your compatriots back home. Perhaps that explains your initiative, and courage I might add, in organizing this seminar. I doubt whether your peers back home would even think of doing something similar!

You should also count your blessings on another front. With the major traditions of Asia represented in Malaysia, you do not have to leave the country to experience another culture. Few appreciate much less take advantage of this unique opportunity. To many our diversity is a liability, the cause of never-ending strives. It would take a major change in mindset to consider our diversity an asset.

In Kuala Lumpur at Kampong Baru, you have the essence of traditional Malay culture, albeit intruded by pseudo-modernity and blighted urbanity. A few blocks away is Chow Kit Road, the heart of Chinatown. Venture further and you are at Sentul, literally Little India. Far from taking advantage of these splendid opportunities, we erect unnecessary barriers.

I was lost near a Malaysian Indian Congress-sponsored college (TAFE) in Seremban not too long ago. I asked a student for directions, only to get the response, “I am sorry I do not speak Malay!” His air of pride betrayed his pseudo apology. Thinking he might be a foreigner, I asked where he was from. Sentul!

Imagine, a college student, a Malaysian and in Malaysia, not knowing our national language! Before you get angry at that poor soul, consider that we have Members of Parliament who cannot speak our national language! How did their parties dare put them up as candidates? Worse, why did we vote them in? I assert that it would take a great effort on the part of Malaysians not to know our national language, the language of the majority.

Perhaps we need a Voters’ Language Act requiring new voters to demonstrate their proficiency in our national language. Our language nationalists and champions of Memartabatkan Bahasa (Dignify our Language) should advocate this instead of rescinding the teaching of science and mathematics in English. The first initiative would make voters more informed about our national affairs, while the second only disadvantaged our young.

Recently, the head of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a major component of the ruling coalition, and himself a former cabinet minister, expressed his disgust at what he considered to be “an uncivilized” aspect of Islamic culture when a female candidate from the opposition party Islamic Party declined to partake in the usual hand-shaking greetings. To think that this former minister, who was also a physician, was utterly ignorant of Islamic cultural sensitivities! How did he deal with his Muslim patients?

In California, physicians displaying such gross ignorance of the cultural sensitivities of their patients, and then be stupid or arrogant enough to display that ignorance, risk being disciplined by the Medical Board, quite apart from unnecessarily exposing themselves to medical and other liabilities.

At least that TAFE student was smart enough to feign ignorance; the minister however displayed not a hint of embarrassment after he ignited a storm of controversy even with his fellow party leaders of his coalition, specifically UMNO. What a display and best definition of stupidity!

Those ugly exceptions aside, Malaysians have a decided advantage when abroad because of our multiculturalism at home. In the West I can readily separate Malaysian Chinese from their counterparts from Taiwan or Hong Kong. Vancouver, Canada, saw an influx of immigrants from Hong Kong just before the handing over of that colony to China. It did not take them long to run afoul of Vancouver’s zoning laws. They would build the biggest homes on their tiny city lots, and then choose those awful gaudy colors. What would have been acceptable in Hong Kong triggered their new neighbors’ wrath in Vancouver.

If you have a closed mind, you think the rest of the world likes what you like. Step into any mall in Malaysia and you will be immediately assaulted with the blast of the sound system of some Taiwanese starlet intent on bursting your eardrums. Those merchants think everyone else likes what they like. Presumably these are the same idiots who complained loudly about the azzan!

That is what a closed mind does to you. Apart from exposing yourself to unnecessary problems, you will also miss out on the wonderful diverse world that is beyond yours.

Next: Beyond Flipping Over The Coconut Shell

[
Presented at the Fifth Annual Alif Ba Ta Conference at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, organized by UMNO Club of New York-New Jersey, January 29, 2011.
]

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 7 April 2011, 8:27 am and is filed under
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