A Year Won by Public Relations

by
KeeThuan Chye

MalaysianDigest.com

23 December 2010

IN politics, 2010 has been a year of the triumph of public relations.

Barisan Nasional (BN) played the public relations game to the hilt and scored major points. Pakatan Rakyat (PR), on the other hand, showed a lack of public relations savvy and is now suffering for it. Its public image is experiencing such a severe decline that the coalition may not soon find the road to recovery, much less the road to Putrajaya.

Public relations is about spinning illusions; it’s no substitute for good, honest politics, but unfortunately, its role in creating positive public perception about the party has made it an essential political weapon. Employing the services of Apco, McKinsey and Co, and other public relations companies, BN has wielded the weapon to its advantage.

This year has seen it come out with a series of three-letter abbreviations to sell as dreams to the Malaysian public. Considering how easily some Malaysians have fallen victim to Internet scams, you have to say it’s been clever of Prime Minister Najib Razak to hawk GTP, ETP, NEM and whatever else to make it appear he’ll deliver sure success. Never mind that he has done nothing to bring about the much-needed reforms that are essential to putting our institutions in proper working order again, such as restoring the independence of the judiciary, revamping the police force, freeing the media, making the Elections Commission independent, etc.

BN of course has the means to pay for the public relations advice using taxpayers’ money, and it has the government machinery to showcase the gimmicks. Not to mention the cooperation of the mainstream media as well. PR, however, has none of these at its disposal. It depends quite a bit on the vagaries of luck and circumstance.

In fact, 2010 started on a promising note for PR. When churches were attacked after the High Court allowed The Herald to use the word “Allah”, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim called the attacks “unIslamic” and won approval from moderate Malaysians.

Najib, on the other hand, was hit with the prospect of Christians in Sabah and Sarawak withdrawing their support for BN. And because, prior to the attacks, in the face of impending protests by Muslim groups against the court’s ruling, he himself had said, “We can’t stop people from demonstrating”, he was reviled for sending out a wishy-washy signal instead of a stern warning.

One month later, however, things took a nasty turn for PR when the “frog festival” started. From mid-February to mid-May, four MPs left PKR to become Independents “friendly to BN”. In between, the party sacked another of its MPs for continually attacking the party’s stand within PR.

All the dirt came out in public as the “frogs” croaked about their former party’s doings. Other “frogs” who hopped out were two assemblymen from PKR and one from the DAP. The most steadfast and principled of the partners has been PAS; none of its representatives have defected to the other side.

The developments got worse for PKR when it lost its sixth place in Parliament after the death of its MP for Hulu Selangor and the subsequent defeat of its candidate in the ensuing by-election. To top it all, it merely took a virtual unknown from the MIC to vanquish PKR’s bigwig, Zaid Ibrahim. Zaid took the matter to court, alleging bribery in the by-election, but although the public dubbed it “the buy-election” and criticized BN’s money politics, the judge struck out his petition.

Indeed, although PAS and the DAP had their own in-fighting and problems, and even problems with each other in 2010, PKR was the worst off among the PR partners. Towards the end of the year, it lost much credibility because of its party elections. Ironically, what should have been a historic occasion for Malaysian democracy – the first time a political party was holding direct elections in order to allow every member to vote for the party’s leaders – turned into a fiasco, with allegations of electoral fraud and vote-rigging, and, above all, the exit of Zaid Ibrahim in the most ugly of circumstances. It capped an annus horribilis for PKR.

Zaid’s bad-mouthing of the party was most unbecoming, and his lack of regard for being a team player showed his political true colors. He later joined an existing party based in Kelantan, renamed Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (Kita), and became its president. But it’s unlikely that he will be taken seriously any more, except perhaps by his closest supporters.

In total, there were four by-elections this year, three of which were won by BN. The only PR win was the one in Sibu in which the DAP candidate won against heavy odds, including Najib’s attempt to win votes for BN by offering to “make a deal” with the electorate. His sleazy pitch was caught on video, causing Malaysians who watched it to wonder if he was really a prime minister or a salesman.

The Sibu victory was sweet, but it’s unlikely to be an indicator of a sea change in Sarawak politics. There are pockets of disgruntlement with Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s 30-year reign but these are mainly in the urban areas. Taib and his people know how to push the right buttons and appease the larger populace, so despite the increasing number of exposés alleging corruption and abuse of power by “the white-haired rajah”, the Sarawak state elections that will be held early next year will most likely go his way.

In other parts of the country, the electoral signs are also pointing in favor of BN. Although pundits claimed that BN’s victories in the Galas and Batu Sapi by-elections in November did not necessarily represent the people’s sentiment nationwide, the boost for its morale provided by this double victory could propel BN forward with greater confidence.

Another by-election looms, in the state constituency of Tenang in Johor. This is a BN stronghold, so a BN win with an even larger majority this time will be further reassurance that the coalition is recovering from its 2008 debacle. There’s nothing like winning and winning to draw back the supporters who had strayed in the last general election. For this reason, some PR supporters feel it may be best for the Opposition to refrain from contesting, like BN did in the Penanti by-election of 2009. Better not to find out what the outcome might be than to be trounced and be demoralized and to drop lower in public perception.

Will a general election be called soon? This has been the buzz in the public space the last several months. Much of it has been fed by developments that seem to indicate the affirmative.

In July, former minister and MCA president Ling Liong Sik was charged with cheating the Government. Earlier this month, former Selangor mentri besar Mohd Khir Toyo was charged with corruption. Last week, ex-Immigration Department deputy director Yusof Abu Bakar received a hefty sentence of 56 years’ jail and a fine of RM620,000 for taking RM121,500 in bribes.

This is somewhat reminiscent of the time when the previous prime minister, Abdullah Badawi, tried to mount a campaign against corruption. But, as we know, it turned out to be a flash in the pan.

At the Umno general assembly in October, Najib contradicted his 1Malaysia stand by staunchly defending Malay rights, and ominously talked of crushed bodies and lost lives in defending Putrajaya, “no matter what”. It was clear he was priming Umno’s devotees for battle.

Then at the BN convention in early December, he came out looking like a sleazy spinmeister striking low blows at PR, calling it “anti-national”, “very dangerous” and “despicable”, words aimed at stirring the emotions of the electorate against the enemy.

Samy Vellu finally stepped down as MIC president, which means BN has got rid of a liability, making it even more ready to face an impending general election. Samy was, however, made a special envoy with ministerial status, a move that discerning Malaysians could not see any sense in. Many had been waiting for years to see him leave; instead, he’s been rewarded and kept on the people’s payroll.

Meanwhile, Santa Claus is working hard to dish out presents: memorials will be built for Tan Cheng Lock and V Sambanthan; Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi recently said the armed forces could expect a “substantial” pay rise; the controversial rapper Namewee was suddenly acknowledged by minister Nazri Aziz as a “grossly misunderstood” young man who could look to the prospect of getting some government support. If Namewee does get such support, one wonders where his vote would go at the next general election.

The next question is, when will the general election be held? And will there be enough time for PR to salvage its image and bounce back with a plan to win voter confidence?

To allay its sceptics, PR announced at its convention last week that should it take over the government, it would implement reforms within the first 100 days. Among these reforms:

*Restructuring institutions like the Elections Commission, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Royal Malaysian Police;

*Repealing the Internal Security Act (ISA);

*Abolishing the highway toll system;

*Increasing the incentives for teachers by RM500 a month;

*Increasing oil royalty payments to Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Kelantan;

*Forming a Royal Commission to solve the problem of illegal immigrants and citizenship issues in Sabah and Sarawak.

These look good on paper. If they were to be carried out, Malaysians would see things done that have never been done before. It begs to be asked why BN has not thought of some of them already, as they would surely bring much benefit to the people. However, all Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin could offer in rebuttal was that it sounded like “a supermarket sale”.

Even so, PR needs to do more to get back in the game. Already, other groups are coming in as potential contenders against BN. Apart from Kita, there is the Human Rights Party (HRP), which grew out of Hindraf. It plans to stand in 15 parliamentary and 38 state seats. Now there is also the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM), which proposes to offer candidates of integrity and intelligence who would not sell their allegiance and be able to debate with substance in Parliament.

MCLM will first offer these candidates to non-BN parties, but if they are not taken up, they will stand as independents. The downside of this is that it will bring about three-cornered fights, which invariably cause the Opposition votes to be split and therefore end in BN victories.

To be sure, a fragmented Opposition is certainly not the answer. That had been the curse of the Opposition until 2008. Now more than ever, with every vote being crucial at the next general election, which we know will be a very tough one, there can only be one united Opposition coalition to take on BN. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 24 December 2010, 9:26 am and is filed under
Kee Thuan Chye
,
Pakatan Rakyat
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Most Malaysians against 100-storey project, poll shows

By
Leslie Lau

Executive Editor

The Malaysian Insider

December 24, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 — The majority of voters in peninsular Malaysia are against the proposed construction of the 100-storey Warisan Merdeka project, a recent survey by the independent Merdeka Center has revealed.

The survey, conducted between November 30 and December 11, found that 65 per cent of those polled disagreed with the construction of what would be the tallest building in the country.

Opposition to the project was uniform across all three major communities.

Sixty per cent of Malay voters polled disagreed with the project while 76 per cent of Chinese opposed its construction. Among Indians, 58 per cent were against it.

The findings suggest that a recent online protest on the Facebook social networking site was a fair reflection of public opposition to the project.

More than 200,000 Malaysians registered their protest on Facebook in a campaign launched soon after the project was announced a few months ago.

Last month, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad warned of a property glut that would result from the construction of the proposed tower.

Dr Mahathir had said that the government should consult the public before proceeding with the project, announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak when tabling Budget 2011.

Government investment arm Pemodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) had defended the RM5 billion project, saying that it would neither involve public nor depositor funds.

PNB has formed PNB Merdeka Ventures as a wholly-owned unit to undertake the RM5 billion skyscraper project on the land it bought from Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Berhad in 2000.

PNB paid RM310 million or RM220 per sq ft to buy the land, but the market value of the land has since appreciated to RM800 per sq ft today.

The land was initially given to UEM Berhad in exchange for the infrastructure giant building the National Stadium complex in Bukit Jalil for the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have also derided the grandiose skyscraper project as wasteful and accused Datuk Seri Najib Razak of trying to “out-Mahathir” Dr Mahathir.

Dr Mahathir had embarked on a massive development spree after he took power in 1981 by building highways, the Penang Bridge, opening new industrial estates and oversaw the construction of the Petronas Twin Towers, the KL International Airport, the Sepang International Circuit, intra-city train lines, several ports, and the new administrative capital Putrajaya and its neighbouring Cyberjaya, which was central to the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project.

Najib appeared to distance himself from the controversial tower when he made it known that the project did not originate from him but PNB.

He nevertheless defended it, saying that it would have a “multiplier effect” on the economy and help drive it forward, in addition to providing an attractive commercial centre for Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera businesses alike.

In his 2011 Budget speech, Najib said the rationale for the Warisan Merdeka tower was similar to that of the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, in that it would serve as a symbol of a modern and developed Malaysia.

The 19-acre development area of the mega project — which includes a condominium and a shopping mall — is sited on the car park and land adjacent to Stadium Negara and Stadium Merdeka.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 24 December 2010, 2:50 pm and is filed under
1Malaysia
,
Good Governance
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Selangor Exco should review decision to ban 1Malaysia logo from billboards to prove Muhyiddin wrong that Pakatan Rakyat is afraid of Najib’s 1Malaysia concept

The assertion by Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government has banned the 1Malaysia logo from billboards in the state because of Pakatan Rakyat’s fear of the concept is downright ridiculous.

He further  claimed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia vision is increasingly popular and this scared Pakatan Rakyat.

Muhyiddin’s statement is downright ridiculous as he himself has declared that he does not fully endorse the 1Malaysia concept, whose official objective is the creation of a Malaysian nation where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first and race, religion, geography and socio-economic grouping second.

When I challenged all Ministers in Parliament in March this year to declare that they are Malaysians first and their race, religion or region second, to demonstrate their support  and commitment to the 1Malaysia concept, Muhyiddin had responded that he was Malay first and Malaysian second.

In my speech in Parliament in March, I had pointed out the numerous stances where Muhyiddin had spoken totally inimical to the 1Malaysian concept, including:

His defense of the racist “brain washing” and indoctrination on “ketuanan Melayu” by Biro Tata Negara despite criticisms and expose of its racist, divisive and seditious content for the past two decades;

His attempt to mitigate the Nasir Safar outrage claiming that it could have been “a slip of the tongue” when Najib’s senior political aide labelled Indians and Chinese in Malaysia as “pendatang”, alleging that the Chinese came as beggars and the Chinese women as “prostitutes”; claimed that Umno was solely responsible in drafting the constitution sidelining the contribution of MCA and MIC; and issued the threat to revoke the citizenship of those vocal about the subject cap for SPM examination.

His conspicuous silence at the JAKIM (Islamic Development Department of the Prime Minister’s Office) forum at the end of January for 800 civil servants tantamount to an insurrection against Najib’s 1Malaysia concept – with government speakers making inflammatory and incendiary speeches, blaming Christians for provoking Muslim anger by challenging the ban on the use of the word “Allah” and Umno/BN politicians for failing to defend Islam, with one speaker suggesting that a repeat of the May 13 riots was possible if the Christians, whom he accused of practising “extremism” did not “back down”, uttering the threat: “Who knows, there might be a Feb. 13?”

His conspicuous silence when the racialist rantings of Umno executive secretary Datuk Abdul Rauf Yusoh at an Umno club function in London earlier this month was exposed; and

His hamfisted attempt to aid and abet the inflammatory and incendiary campaign by Umno-controlled media like Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, government television and radio stations, playing the race and religious cards to viciously and falsely paint Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Pakatan Rakyat Penang State Government as “anti-Malay” and “anti-Islam”.

Since March,  there had been even more instances of reckless rhetoric of racist extremism and religious bigotry which attack the very basis of the 1Malaysia slogan – for instance school principals castigating non-Malay students as “pendatang”, telling them to go back to China or India, and derogatory references to the religious practices of non-Muslim students.

The 1Malaysia slogan is in fact the best example of the wide and increasing gulf between words and deeds of the Najib administration – its utter failure to walk the talk of the Najib signature policies whether 1Malaysia, Government Transformation Programme, New Economic Model or Economic Transformation Programme.

This is why Muhyiddin’s claim that Pakatan Rakyat is “running scared” of the 1Malaysia concept is so ridiculous, when the concept does not even get his full support, and why the Selangor Exco should review its decision to ban the 1Malaysia logo from billboards to prove the Deputy Prime Minister wrong.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 24 December 2010, 1:26 pm and is filed under
1Malaysia
,
Muhyiddin Yassin
,
Pakatan Rakyat
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

                This entry was posted on Friday, 24 December 2010, 4:11 pm and is filed under
Announcement
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Celebrating the Challenge of Christmas!

by
Martin Jalleh

Christmas Day, 2010

Christmas is here. For many of us who are Christians, we have allowed rampant commercialisation and the “Walt Disneyfication” of Christmas to reduce our Christian spirituality to mere sentimentality.

By all means, let us enjoy the carols, cakes, cool cards and cozy nativity scenes, but let us also put Christ back into Christmas and remind ourselves that Christ did not enter a world of comfortable spiritual sentiment.

Whilst commenting on what King Herod represents in the Christmas story a Bible scholar describes the real world in which Jesus Christ entered into and why He did: “Herod represents the dark side of the gospel. He recognizes something about Jesus that in our sentiment we fail to see: that the birth of this child is a threat to his kingdom, a threat to that kind of domination and rule. Jesus challenges the very power structures of this evil age.”

“Jesus enters a world of real pain, of serious dysfunction, a world of brokenness and political oppression. Jesus was born an outcast, a homeless person, a refugee, and finally he becomes a victim to the powers that be. Jesus is the perfect savior for outcasts, refugees, and nobodies. ”

This point is equally well put by renowned Catholic priest Rev Fr Richard Rohr:  “What we call the Incarnation, God becoming a human being, becoming one of us, strikes directly at the heart of evil and corruption in the world.

“God becoming human looks evil in the eye and takes it on without flinching. As Bruce Cockburn sang it so brilliantly, it is God ‘kicking the darkness till it bleeds daylight’.”

The domination, darkness, discrimination and diabolical dangers which both authors speak of, exist and are deeply entrenched in our very own country, Bolehland, today. Surely, such suffering and injustice are too great now to settle for any infantile gospel or any infantile Jesus.

Renowned Bible scholar William Barclay describes the lullaby which Mary the mother of Jesus sang her baby in utero (the Magnificat) as “revolutionary”.  He says the song highlights four revolutions that God inaugurated at Christ’s birth – a moral, social, economic and spiritual revolution.

We become partakers of the revolution when we allow God to work a “reversal” in our lives. Reversal is a theme common to the biblical stories. Mary’s Magnificat speaks of reversal. God puts down the mighty and exalts those of low degree. God fills the hungry and sends the rich away empty. God is with the poor and oppressed not with the mighty and powerful of the world. God has done great things for a lowly handmaiden.

During Christmas, Christians are confronted with a choice between comfortable Christianity of Christmas pie, pudding and the perfect paraphernalia or the courage to change personally and allow God to “revolutionize” our priorities, values, thinking and our very being to bring about real, relevant and radical change in our beloved country.

A Very Holy and Blessed Christmas to all Christians on this wonderful Blog of Mr Lim Kit Siang!

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 25 December 2010, 7:28 pm and is filed under
Martin Jalleh
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Winners ignored, 5th placers lauded?

by
Ooi Chin Wah

Letters

Malaysiakini

Dec 22, 10

The World Robot Olympiad (WRO) is an event for science, technology and education, that brings together youths from all over the world in order to develop their creativity and problem solving skills through challenging and educational robot competitions.

Participating teams need to create, design and build a robot model that looks or behaves like human.

This year the task of organising the competition was given to the Philippines. The Ministry of Education and many private companies in the Philippines jointly sponsored the event.

The steering committee consists of well-known academicians from China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Singapore. 250 teams from 22 countries participated.

There are six gold medals on offer as there are two categories in the competition; the Open category and regular category. Each category is further divided into Elementary (primary school), Junior High (Forms 1 to 3) and Senior High (Forms 4 and 5) categories.

Malaysia won two gold medals, one by the Chung Ling High School (Kampung Baru, Penang Island) for Open Category, Senior High school level, the other by SMK Bintulu for Regular Category, Junior High School level.

This piece of news was reported under the title “Champs once again” in the Nov 14 edition of Star.

But the report is about the team that won the fifth place in the Open Category, Elementary Level. Here is an excerpt from the report:

‘Year Five pupil Muhd Syamil Khairi from SK Wan Ibrahim, Kuala Lipis, Pahang, said he and his two teammates Mohd Ezzameer Fitri and Muhammad Hazimuddin Halif took three months to build their robot which performs an orang asli dance known as the “sewang” with the supervision of their robotic club teacher Mahmud Salleh.’

There is no mention that the team highlighted in the report was awarded the fifth place in the Open Category, Elementary Level.

I can’t help but feeling that the author was trying to give the casual reader an impression that the above said team is the team that will put Malaysia at the top of the world.

Was the Chung Ling High School mentioned at all? No.

The SMJK Chung Ling mentioned at the end of the report is in Butterworth. Even SMK Bintulu who won the gold medal was mentioned merely as a participating team. Here is an excerpt from the report”

‘The other teams which represented Malaysia at the olympiad were SMK Bintulu in Bintulu; SMJK Chung Ling, Butterworth; SJKC Chi Man, Kuala Lumpur; SJKC Taman Connaught, Kuala Lumpur; MRSM Kubang Pasu, Alor Setar; SMK Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom, Kuantan; SMJK Jit Sin, Ayer Itam; and Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah, Putrajaya.’

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 25 December 2010, 2:41 pm and is filed under
1Malaysia
,
Education
,
Letters
,
nation building
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Najib is denying the  undeniable when he claimed his 1Malaysia slogan is not political

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is denying the undeniable when he claimed that his 1Malaysia concept is not political but a tool to foster unity among the different communities for nation-building.

Najib cannot deny that in the 20 months since the introduction of Najib’s “1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now” slogan, instead of giving Malaysians a new sense of being Malaysian, the reverse has taken place.

As a result, the brain drain of talented Malaysians regardless of race has again returned to the fore, despite the proposed establishment of a Talent Corporation to attract the best brains in the world to Malaysia.

In the past 20 months, despite Najib’s 1Malaysia concept to create a Malaysia where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second, there had been an unprecedented rhetoric of irresponsible politicking, racist extremism and religious bigotry.

The year could not have ended on a worse note for 1Malaysia when even Malaysia’s religious pluralism came under attack as if it is something anti-national, un-Malaysian and a great liability when the country’s racial, religious, cultural and linguistic diversity are the nation’s greatest assets and keys as to whether Malaysia can achieve inclusive, sustainable high-income developed nation status.

What is worse, those guilty of the worst rhetoric of irresponsible politicking, racist extremism and religious bigotry completely inimical to the concept of 1Malaysia emanate from within Umno, in particular the Umno-owned mass media, Utusan Malaysia – raising serious  questions about Najib’s sincerity and  commitment to the 1Malaysia concept and his political will to promote it.

The  three simple tests which I posed in Parliament in March this year for  Barisan Nasional Cabinet Ministers to demonstrate that they have the 1Malaysia DNA have yet to be fully taken up, viz:

•	establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee on 1Malaysia;

•	declaration  that the basis of 1Malaysia is “ketuanan rakyat Malaysia” and not “ketuanan Melayu”; and

•	declaration by all Ministers that they are Malaysian first and race, religion, geography and socio-economic grouping second.

The Minister for Information, Communication and Culture Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim claims that a survey carried out by his Ministry from June to July showed that  84 per cent of Malaysians understand the 1Malaysia concept, with 72 per cent accepting the concept.

There will have to be an independent opinion poll to establish what percentage of Malaysians believe in the findings of this survey by the Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture.

In the first place, do all the Barisan Nasional Cabinet Ministers and leaders have a common understanding of the 1Malaysia concept?

I said in Parliament in March that “1Malaysia means ‘a thousand-and-one’ different things to the Najib Cabinet and government – both to Umno and non-Umno Cabinet Ministers”.

This applies equally to Umno and non-Umno parties and leaders in the Barisan Nasional.

I am still waiting to be proved wrong.

But before this, the Cabinet Ministers must demonstrate that they fully accept Najib’s 1Malaysia concept, with the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announcing his full fealty to the 1Malaysia concept by declaring that he is Malaysian first, Malay second and not Malay first, Malaysian second as he had publicly vouched in response to my challenge in April.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 26 December 2010, 11:23 am and is filed under
1Malaysia
,
Muhyiddin Yassin
,
Najib Razak
,
nation building
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


A government out of step with public opinion

by

Mariam Mokhtar

Malaysia Chronicle

27th December 2010

When Communication and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim revealed that eighty-four percent of Malaysians understood the 1Malaysia concept, would it be safe to say that Deputy Prime minister Muyiddin Yassin is in the 16 percent group?

Earlier, Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak said that the 1Malaysia concept described how the ‘spirit of togetherness and the ability to rise above political differences’ were important for continued peace and stability in the country.

He said, “Although some might like to think it (1Malaysia) is for political purposes, it is actually for nation-building.”

Would he care to tell us how much he has spent on all the 1Malaysia posters, advertisements, billboards, badges and other paraphernalia where 1Malaysia has been plastered around the countryside?

Instead of spending millions on frivolous projects, why not spend that money on its people? The nation could do with improved healthcare, better infrastructure, quality teachers and schools. At a time like Christmas, several hundreds if not thousands of Malaysians roam the streets because they are destitute. Money could be channeled away from the promotion of 1Malaysia, and be used for a good cause to help these homeless people.

If 1Malaysia has to be continually drummed into us, then it says a lot about Najib’s leadership.

Najib also said that, “In today’s world where a small group of extremists has drowned the voices of reason and common sense and hijacked the agenda of peace and moderation, it is important for the moderates in every faith – Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists – among us to speak up to reclaim our rightful place and the moral high ground.”

Sometimes, even the best of us do not realise that those who are nearest and dearest to us, do us more harm than good and can hasten our downfall faster than our enemies could do to us.

That is perhaps why BN has not banned Perkasa or even censured the Deputy Prime Minister from being Malay first and a Malaysian 2nd.

Najib has failed to deal effectively with ‘extremism’, be it in the form of a non-governmental organisation, a newspaper daily or a public-funded institution. Why does he allow Perkasa, Utusan Malaysia and the Biro Tatanegara to take pot-shots at him or his administration? Is he fearful of these groups or has he no faith in his own 1Malaysia concept?

Catholic Archbishop Murphy Pakiam has warned that a climate of fear will exist if an apostasy law in Sabah is pushed through by the state’s Islamic authorities.

Najib’s 1Malaysia concept cannot even be adopted by all the state Islamic religious authorities. Different states have different rules regarding the enforcement of Islam’s strict code of ethics and behavior.

Pakiam said, “It (apostasy law) will create fear and it is unfortunate that these things come about like that. That is why we need to heed the call of the prime minister for moderates to be counted.”

Najib cannot be that committed to 1Malaysia when government contracts, admission to public universities, house purchases, scholarships, application for civil service jobs, construction of houses of worship and more, have all been exploited by his administration.

Rais might want to conduct another survey. This time ask how much trust Malaysians have in their government.

As DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang pointed out, “Najib cannot deny that in the 20 months since the introduction of Najib’s “1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now” slogan, instead of giving Malaysians a new sense of being Malaysian, the reverse has taken place.”

                This entry was posted on Monday, 27 December 2010, 2:54 pm and is filed under
1Malaysia
,
Mariam Mokhtar
,
Muhyiddin Yassin
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Lessons from WikiLeaks for Malaysia

by
AB Sulaiman

Malaysiakini

Dec 27 10

COMMENT

In the last few weeks, WikiLeaks has been the focus of the world’s attention. Founder Julian Assange has followed the principle that a government might have secrets but these are not to be used to cover abuses. Bad government is bad for the country; that seems to be his credo.

So he leaked out inter-governmental documents despite the ‘secret’ or other similar labels stamped on them. It looks like human rights, open democracy and light-speed push button communication offered by the Internet has combined in a new version of the perfect storm, wreaking havoc to secretive cross-border communications.

Thanks to WikiLeaks we are now able to taste not only more of the spice of the hot curry of international politics but also to know the ‘off the record so please do not quote me’ other people’s views of us.

Is WikiLeaks good or bad; is it morally sound, is it legally tenable? And should we embrace this new communication ‘medium’ with all gusto and enthusiasm?

I am no expert on the question of the morality and legality of this issue. But I am of the view that WikiLeaks is decidedly good for the country.

My reasons are basic. I am in favour of the good old fashioned way of running a country, especially one like ours whose buzzword is ‘nation-building’.

First there should be open democracy. This means that the government is run on the rule of law, on the check and balance between the executive, legislature and judiciary; on power belonging to the people; on the people enjoying their human rights; on the government managed on the platform of transparency, responsibility and accountability to us the people.

Second, the country must develop economic sustainability. The national resources should be managed properly so as to generate good and continuous returns; that markets must be developed.

Thirdly, the human resource must also be developed. The people must be educated, be knowledgeable; that they must be taught or acquire some skills, and that they be professional whenever they perform their economic roles.

Transparency all but gone

In the first two decades after Independence the country has seen a lot of these principles. But at present I see very little of them. So many things have been done behind the cloak of national interest and security. Transparency is all but gone.

Consider the following:

First, the government has this penchant for secrecy in conducting state affairs. To begin with when our ministers are sworn to office they have to take the oath to protect government secrets; not truth, the constitution, or the people’s interest like most other ministers in other democracies do.

Also, many government business transactions like the purchase of military equipment (remember the French Scorpene submarine purchase?) are done on a negotiated basis, citing ‘national security’ for it.

Even civilian affairs would be labelled as such, like the contract terms and conditions given to highway concessionaires. I say that if a harmless highway concessions contract is deemed secret then many thousands of other lesser cases would easily be labelled as one too.

Furthermore, other national transactions like the sale of MAS shares to Tajuddin Ramli that caused the national carrier RM8 billion loss, has been declared as done in the name of ‘national interest’.

What more, even the construction of Putrajaya costing horrible billions was a state secret, with the people not knowing anything about it until the project was well under way.

Invariably these closed-door negotiations, projects and developments were done in the name of ‘national security’ and ‘national interest’. This in turn suggests jacked up prices, deliveries below specifications, huge kickbacks, wastages and total disregard of any economic principles; of corruption at the highest levels and involving obscene amounts.

Secondly, I’d say that our government has this easy tendency to label its affairs and their supporting and recording documents as secret, thereby beyond the people’s reach for discussion.

Third, the government has this practice of dealing harshly with lawbreakers or whistleblowers. Once a case is classified as secret then there are numerous laws to ensure for it to remains so, like the Official Secrets Act and the Internal Security Act.

These Acts are specially designed to protect government secrets (but more ‘abuse’ to me) from being leaked to the people. They are there waiting to pounce on ‘lawbreakers’.

Over-using ‘secret’ label

With this government penchant, it does appear that our government has been over-using the ‘secret’ label, so as to make its activities beyond the reach of citizens: how can a citizen say anything at all without falling prey into the ISA/OSA net?

With all these in mind it is obvious that the elements of transparency, responsibility, accountability are heavily compromised, and hardly visible to the people. They receive sugar-coated information, half-truths, if not downright deceits and lies.

This is where WikiLeaks comes in handy.

The good news is we have enjoyed a fair version of it through the works of people like Raja Petra Kamarudin, the doyen of Malaysian blogosphere (exposing many subjects including the selling of state honours), Barry Wain with his book on Mahathir Mohamad ‘Malaysian Maverick’ and of late Kua Kia Soong’s series of articles (Malaysiakini dated Dec 11, 12, and 13, in turn excerpts from his book ‘Questioning Arms Spending in Malaysia: From Altantuya to Zikorsky’) on defence spending.

There are of course many others too numerous to mention. They have one common message: expose government lies and deception, go for truth.

Put together, I agree totally with Assange that a bad government is bad for our country. So, yes, we need a WikiLeaks exposure.

Another form of WikiLeaks Malaysian-style has also been with us in the recent past. This time they are in the form of official comments and behavior patterns. Malaysian politicians and officials are prone to saying things that are crude, racist and anti-national in nature. I’d quote just some of the familiar ones:

1.Hishammuddin Hussein wielding a kris in an Umno General Assembly.

2.Najib Abdul Razak saying ‘1Malaysia’, but his deputy saying ‘I am Malay first, Malaysian second’.

3.A Malay government or official will say to a Malay crowd: we are dependent on government help so help the government to stay in power.

4.To a Malay leader e.g Najib speaking during a Barisan Nasional convention non-Malays are equals. In Parliament recently he said the NEP is still required.

5.Ibrahim Ali is more specific: he claims the non-Malays are there to rob Malays of their special ‘rights as enshrined in the constitution’.

6.Malay leaders have variously made the trite remarks that non-Malays are pendatang (immigrants), children of prostitutes, si sepet (the slit-eyed), si kaki botol (the boozer), the one wearing a dog leash. The connotation is that non-Malays are here not as full-pledged citizens but as guests – if you don’t like this country or how it is governed, then just take the next Air Asia flight back to the country of your origin.

Double-speak

With all these Orwellian Double-speak and shenanigans, I reiterate, yes WikiLeaks is a Godsend to the country. The following are a few lessons we can learn from it:

1.On the part of the government, keeping things secret from the people is not the best way of running a country. The government would miss a lot of good and solid inputs from the people. The people will get to know them anyway.

2.In a democracy the power they enjoy has been entrusted to them by the people. The first thing that they should do is to have a lot transparency when performing their duties as public servants. In other words, they must do their work with professionalism and integrity, with moral courage.

3.When the people get to know the government’s secrets through leaks, their trust in the government will shrink. The government must learn to respect the very people they govern. After all, political leaders are the people’s nominees in the seat of government, and civil servants are just that – the people’s servants.

4.On the part of the officials, yes, they too have to bear in mind that power is not a one-way principle. It carries with it the element of responsibility.

5.With transparency and responsibility they have to be accountable to the people who put them up there and pay their salaries.

6.On both their parts they have to be aware of the reality that government secrets are all too easy to expose. People are more aware of nasty goings on and can share information at the press of a button.

7.They therefore should develop a fear for such exposures, fear of his integrity and honour (call that ‘mertabat’), plus that of his ethnic origin (‘Malay’) being severely compromised.

In short, nation building is best done with an open democracy, a well-managed economy, and a people committed to contribute their best in the wealth creation of the country. This in turn reflects the need for the government to treat the people as equals. And do away with secrets.

At the present time public opinion says that we are terribly short of these three items. WikiLeaks should therefore be treated as an alarm bell by our leaders.

Should our present crop of political leaders and officials pay heed to their responsibilities as public servants, and perform their duties with transparency, professionalism and moral courage, they need not worry about WikiLeaks, or any leak at all. They will not be accused and be guilty of running a bad government.

They stand tall with an intact mertabat. And, I dare say the present frustrating rate of nation building might then get a catalytic push forward.

AB SULAIMAN is an observer of human traits and foibles, especially within the context of religion and culture. As a liberal, he marvels at the way orthodoxy fights to maintain its credibility in a devilishly fast-changing world. He hopes to provide some understanding to the issues at hand and wherever possible, suggest some solutions. He holds a Bachelor in Social Sciences (Leicester, UK) and a Diploma in Public Administration, Universiti Malaya.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 27 December 2010, 11:42 pm and is filed under
1Malaysia
,
Articles
,
Defence
,
Good Governance
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Pakatan’s 100-day reform plan: Malaysia unbound

by
Terence Netto

Malaysiakini

Dec 27, 10

COMMENT

You could call it ‘Malaysia Makeover Phase 1’ – this Pakatan Rakyat 100-day reform plan, enunciated a week ago at its second annual convention in Kepala Batas.

You could also call it by more grandiloquent terms like ‘National Recovery Plan’ or ‘Malaysia Revival Programme’, as both are appropriate to the necessity of the task and its gravity for our future.

Definitely, the latter two labels have got more oomph if less alliteration.

But they suffer for reason of their ready comparison to such monikers as ‘Great Leap Forward’ and ‘Marshall Plan’ – the former a misnomer for a murderously disastrous plan that brought much grief to China, and the latter a programme of economic aid that helped western Europe revive after the devastation of world war.

No, Pakatan’s 100-day reform plan is less hubristic in its goals, though surpassingly vital for the reform of the Malaysian polity.

Malaysians above 40 years of age know the fear the abuse of the ISA by the government had caused the people from their recall of Operation Lallang in 1987 when more than a hundred political and social activists were detained without trial.

They also know what the police force was before the sharp surge in shooting deaths of suspects 14 years ago led to public expressions of concern that reached a tipping point when Anwar Ibrahim emerged with a black eye while in ISA detention in September 1998.

Thus the rescinding of a baleful statue and the restoration of freedom from executive interference for the police would be a radical departure from the status quo under Umno-BN.

Revitalisation of the teaching profession

One is not saying that with these two steps, all would begin to be well with what ails the country; only that, absent these two measures, the rest of the list of reformatory acts – there is a raft of them that begs attention, ranging from reform of the judiciary to revival of academic standards in public universities – would take more time and could not be as adequately sustained, minus ISA nullification and police independence.

The latter two actions are germane to ‘Makeover Malaysia Phase 1′, which is really all about the country’s essential rescue from Umno-BN’s decades’ old deformations.

Other measures are not as equally critical to the makeover of this country, but they indicate the flight path of a Pakatan administration though Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has already accused Pakatan pilots of ignoring the constraints of gravity.

Giving teachers a RM500 raise across the board is just an early signal of how significant the revitalisation of the teaching profession would be under a Pakatan administration.

We need not advert to what HG Wells said about education as being the race between civilisation and catastrophe for us to recognise that good teachers remain the blood plasma of a country.

Hence the RM500 raise is like an emission from instruments that pick up seismic activity under the sea that warn of an impending tsunami.

Our education system is due for a tsunami of change and the teaching profession will early be primed for the task under the initial propulsions of a Pakatan administration.

Society needs impartial arbiters

The other reforms, outlined in the Pakatan 100-day programme, are necessarily ancillary to the radical two steps of ISA rescinding and restoration of independence to the police.

Without so much as indicating that other agencies for good governance would be similarly freed under a Pakatan administration, the latter two steps would cause peer pressure and generate a healthy sense of competitive rivalry to make the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Election Commission to follow suit as impartial arbiters.

That Pakatan has indicated that they would indeed free these two agencies in the first flush of their reformatory ardour only serves to underscore the urgency of their intentions and their certainty that the public would back them unreservedly.

The Pakatan 100-day reform plan is the opposition coalition’s response to Malaysian society’s urgent hunger for change in areas where such change matters the most.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 27 December 2010, 10:41 am and is filed under
Pakatan Rakyat
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


The LoyarBurok Book Review: “Perak – A State Of Crisis” – An Unabashed Self-Indictment By The BN Government Of Its Undemocratic Takeover Of Perak

By
NH Chan

27 December, 2010

[
LoyarBaca’s first publication Perak: A State of Crisis (PASOC) has been a runaway hit and will soon be in Malaysia’s major bookstores through leading indie, activist distributor, Pak Chong’s GerakBudaya. We have sold out copies at hand for the moment (2nd impressions are on the way), but you may purchase them directly from GerakBudaya here. Here, after a brief hiatus, NH Chan re-appears to pen his thoughts on PASOC. ]

On the cover of Perak: A State Of Crisis, 2010 – the book is described as “Rants, reviews and reflections on the overthrow of democracy and the rule of law in Malaysia”.

On the back cover is this apt but accurate assessment by Marina Mahathir: “The people of Perak voted in March 2008 for a new government, then woke up one day to find that they had an entirely different one in place. A must read.”

Why is this book a must read? It is so because the book is a chronicle and commentary of the events that led to the unceremonious overthrow of the PR Government in Perak. The direct involvement of the BN protagonists who engineered the treacherous takeover – whose actions in that sordid episode spoke louder than words – has demonstrated unequivocally to the people of this country and to the world that they are the unquestionable “bad guys”.

With such unyielding and nefarious mindset in the BN camp, it looks like the choice for the voters in the next elections is between “good and bad”, “right and wrong”, “democracy and oligarchy” etc. The choice is obvious for no one wants to be governed by a group of self-serving people for this is the meaning of “oligarchy”; such an attitude in the psyche of the BN mindset would inevitably lead to “resource-draining corruption and rampant inequity” – to borrow a phrase from Audrey Quay in her “Editor’s Preface & Introduction” (page v) – as the Perak debacle has brought to light.

And who are these rather sinister individuals – whom, for want of a suitable nomenclature, I have called “the bad guys” – who publicly and unashamedly portrayed themselves, in actual participation, as the perpetrators in the dastardly events that followed culminating in the illegal takeover of a democratically elected State Government?

Through the work of Deborah Loh, PASOC gives the “Perak Crisis Timeline”. Here is an excerpt from the Timeline which gives a blow-by-blow account of the coup, at pages xx – xxi:

5 February 2009

At 10am, Najib has an audience with Sultan Azlan Shah, leaving the meeting once and returning to the Palace with the 4 ex-PR legislators. At this meeting, Najib presents letters of support from 28 BN Assemblypersons, and Jamaluddin, Osman and Hee, who aligned themselves to BN. The letters state that they will support whoever is named by Najib as MB of Perak. Their audience ends at 11.30am.

At 11.40am, PR files an application at the Ipoh High Court to declare the 3 seats vacant.

Sultan Azlan Shah meets Nizar at 12.50pm briefly; and issues a statement at 3pm. He deems Nizar to have lost the confidence of the State Assembly, and instructs the resignation of Nizar and all EXCOs, failing which those posts would be deemed vacant. State Secretary Abdul Rahman Hashim issues a letter instructing Nizar, EXCO members and aides to vacate their offices with immediate effect.

6 February 2009

A defiant Nizar clocks into work at 10am but is forced out 45 minutes later by the State Secretary. UMNO Assemblyperson Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir (Pangkor) is sworn in as Perak’s new MB before Sultan Azlan Shah at 4pm. Outside the Palace, some 3,000 protesting citizens are engulfed in tear gas as police try to disperse them.

10 February 2009

6 new BN EXCOs are sworn in. Another attempt by Nizar and PR EXCOs to enter the State Secretariat building is foiled. Nizar says he will continue working as MB operating from the MB’s official residence that he still occupies.

To give you an idea of the tone of the contents in the book, I would like to quote some passages in Chapter One entitled “The Real Question On Perak” by Amer Hamzah Arshad. At pages 1 – 3, he writes:

But the real issue that irks the rakyat is the fact that the capitalists and the royalty have robbed the State Government from the rakyat.

Regarding the legality of the Sultan’s decision to call for the resignation of the Menteri Besar, I am prepared to say that the decision is wrong in law. Based on the Perak Constitution, the MB does not hold office at the pleasure of the Sultan. The only way the MB goes is by way of a no confidence motion in the Legislative Assembly. The Sultan cannot just ask the MB to vacate his office.

…

The questions then are: who decides whether the MB ceases to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the State LA? Should it be the Sultan or the State LA? How and where should such issues be decided?

The answers to these questions are obvious. Matters of grave importance that affect the interests of the State should be decided in the hall of the LA, and not along the corridors or halls of the Palace.

…

The State of Perak was robbed by the capitalists and the monarchy.

The fate of the State should not lie in the hands of allegedly corrupted politicians and a Sultan. It should be in the hands of the rakyat! Let the people of Perak decide the fate of their State through fresh elections.

Another indication of the book’s tone can be found in Audrey’s “Editor?s Preface & Introduction” at page iii:

This book is an attempt to capture the Perak Crisis in print, which we at LoyarBurok hope will serve as a focus point for how the rakyat choose to go forward together. … we explicitly have the rule of law and rational, well-founded behaviour on our agenda. We rue with disappointment the judicial system’s astounding neglect in providing the confidence that people so badly needed in a time of crisis, where equitable decisions and courageous conduct were starkly lacking from the highest echelons of our once esteemed Bench …

…

… if the featured commentaries in this book tolerably record the incidents that transpired in Perak, should they succeed in illuminating the string of events, courageous and disgraceful alike, that led to the removal of a democratically elected State Government – if it sets us all on guard to prevent hijackings of democracy from recurring – we have met our objective.

At page v, she says:

The fact that we have grown as a nation despite the setbacks of resource-draining corruption and rampant inequity is testament to the unique strength that lies in Malaysia, it is the gift of its communal children. We have most of us, mostly, taken care of each other. But it is time to unshackle further. To reject still-existing classism, discrimination, and oppression. If the people are to win, if Malaysia is to win, we must recognise this: that a Malaysia denied to some of us will ultimately become a Malaysia denied to all of us.

I think I have quoted enough from the book to whet your appetite to read more.

Uncannily as it may seem, the book reveals a fatalistic side of the type of personality in the psyche of the BN character. They think they are invincible, so much so that they can confess to or participate in wrongdoing and think they can get away with it. This brings to mind the nursery rhyme:

Who killed Cock Robin

“I,” said the Sparrow,

“with my bow and arrow.”

But unlike the sparrow which got away with murder, these people are accountable; they themselves and all those who are in cahoots (it means “in collusion”) with them. They have been identified and named in the book and they cannot deny it because of their direct involvement as participants in the coup. They will have to answer to the people when the next elections come.

I know we have heard politicians in BN say that they are not answerable to the people, only to the Cabinet or the Government – but don’t they realise that by this remark they are admitting that the country is being ruled by an oligarchy? For being insensitive to the feelings of the people, these politicians seem to have nailed BN’s coffin. And this book, I think, is going to be their nemesis! So do get hold of a copy of the book or buy more copies for your friends.

It looks like the book is a clarion call to us ordinary folk to wake up; “if it sets us all on guard to prevent hijackings of democracy from recurring – we have met our objective” declares the editor of the book. So let us all support the call for justice, for fair play and for integrity among our politicians. We can do this by the power of the vote.

If we do not want our country to be an oligarchy or to have draconian laws like the ISA to muzzle our freedoms, then read this book and use your vote at the next elections to change all the evil that has befallen us. Don’t forget if it can happen in Perak, it can happen again anywhere in Malaysia. For that is the price to pay for having oligarchs to rule over us. Now is an opportune time to act. But we are civilised people. We do not resort to violence to change things. We deplore the methods used by the Government in power to suppress dissent. But we will use the power of the vote.

The intrepid LoyarBurokkers of LoyarBaca (the publication arm of LoyarBurok) has produced a gem of a book. Such an outstanding book has to be a must read. I congratulate them.

NH Chan, a much respected former Court of Appeal Judge, is a gavel of justice that has no hesitation in pounding on Federal Court judges with wooden desks for heads. Retired from the Judiciary to become the People’s Judge. Wrote the explosive “Judging The Judges”, now in its 2nd edition as “How To Judge The Judges”. Once famously hinted at a possible “case match” between lawyer and judge by remarking that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (see Ayer Molek Rubber Company Berhad & Ors v Insas Berhad & Anor [1995] 3 CLJ 359 – note solicitors for one party in that case was Messrs VK Lingam & Co). We need more people like NH Chan. That’s why you should buy PASOC and his book.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 27 December 2010, 4:13 pm and is filed under
Constitution
,
NH Chan
,
Perak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Questionable measures taken to improve the standard of English amongst Malaysian schoolchildren

Letters

by
Mrs. Sheela R

Dear Mr. Lim,

The government has promised concrete measures in improving the standard of English taught to Malaysian schoolchildren, with the demise of the PPSMI. (“Teaching of maths and science in English”) .

As a mother of three schoolgoing children, I have serious misgivings that the government is sincere in its endeavour.

To illustrate further, I would like to produce an extract from a Year 4 primary school English textbook used in Singapore (which incidentally was used by my son in his Malaysian school as a supplementary text, at the equivalent grade level):

“Archeologists use certain ‘clues’ on the surface of the ground to search for the remains of the past. These include mounds, depressions or ancient buildings. On land and under the sea, remains of human civilisations were often buried in layers of mud, dirt and over the years, these have become embedded in rocks. Erosion by wind and rain can sometimes uncover ancient objects- pottery, flint, bones, tools or even coins.”

Now contrast this with the English literature component recommended for secondary schools (Form 1) for the forthcoming year.

A picture book (stylised after graphic novels) based on an oversimplified version of a Sherlock Holmes mystery novel. Questions which are featured at the end/throughout each chapter are rudimentary at best. I reproduce below a question, verbatim:

What job do they do?Use the job titles below to complete the sentences.

   police officer               detective                   doctor

a) Sherlock Holmes is a_______________

b)Dr Watson is a medical _________________

c) Inspector Lestrade is a ___________________

Another “literary” text incorporates the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. My twelve year old boy tells me that fairy tales of this ilk were explored at the pre-school level! Fairy tales in the genre of “Puss in boots”, “Snow White” and the like are hardly age-appropriate reading material for secondary school children.

Has the standard of English in our Malaysian schools deteriorated to such an alarming level that the mandated texts for our secondary school children fall way below the level of  primary school textbooks used in Singapore? Shoudn’t our Malaysian texts at the very least offer topics of interest, that commensurate with the age and mental capacity of our children?

With standards such as these, how can our children be expected to compete globally in time?

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 28 December 2010, 12:18 am and is filed under
Education
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Reconceptualising federalism

By
Azly Rahman

“… Democratic and aristocratic states are not in their own nature free. Political liberty is to be found only in moderate governments; and even in these it is not always found. It is there only when there is no abuse of power. But constant experience shows us that every man invested with power is apt to abuse it, and to carry his authority as far as it will go. Is it not strange, though true, to say that virtue itself has need of limits? …

“To prevent this abuse, it is necessary from the very nature of things that power should be a check to power. A government may be so constituted, as no man shall be compelled to do things to which the law does not oblige him, nor forced to abstain from things which the law permits … .” – Baron de Montesquieu, The Spirit of Laws, Book XI

Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories – Thomas Jefferson, philosopher, statesman, third American president

The current war over the contentious slogan of 1Malaysia, the semiotic battle for the heart and mind of Malaysians over that propagandic tool called 1Malaysia is beginning to rage as yet another development of a general election 13 style of campaigning.

The “Yellow States of Pakatan Rakyat” as I called it, as opposed to “Blue States of Barisan Nasional” (following its association with something called ‘blue ocean strategy’) interests me. At issue, especially circa Perak constitutional crisis and Kelantan oil-royalty claim is the question of the powers of federalism.

How much can Putrajaya subdue these states at the time when the leaders of the Yellow states are seeing the history of the abuse of power of the federal government when it comes to control, domination, divide, and conquer?

The issue of federalism has been around since the early formations of the modern republic. The problem of separation and consolidation of powers have been discussed as early as the writings of Montesquie (see The Spirit of Laws) and early Enlightenment thinkers.

America experimented on it quite well with the philosophy of the formation of the republic, the debate over Bill of Rights, and the writing of The Federalist Papers, Albany Plan, New Jersey Plan, and a relatively stable and reasonable number of amendments to the Constitution particularly the Ninth Amendment, in regard to the issue of centralisation and decentralisation, etc.

Tension of federalism

George Lucas’ Star Wars movie is about this tension of federalism, a very “American sci-fi movie rooted in Americanism”.

Thomas Jefferson did a fine job conceptualising America as a society that is rooted in individualism yet based in prioritising the needs of society – he in fact envisioned a “pastoral, romantic, agricultural America” and not Benjamin Franklin’s “big business, big banks, entrepreneurial America”.

In Malaysia, as long as the current political paradigm prevails, the issue of centralisation and decentralisation will prevail – as long as it is not a republic of virtue, ethics, and progress conceived as how America was.

This might be the single most relevant political-philosophical reality Malaysia is confronted with. America was a colony; it deposed King George and declared itself independent with social contract written well thought of.

As long as the current Malaysian ruling regime do not make a conscious effort to make radical amendments to the question of equality and equal opportunity with regard to the rights of all the races – rights to get access to economic and social services, quality education and advancement via scholarships, etc. – Malaysia will still be grappling with issues rooted in race, ethnicity, and even religion.

Come general election 13 and the possibility of a denying of a two-thirds majority of the current regime, the issue of concentration of power will see some light of resolution. Maybe a stalemate and a period of chaos reigning for some time will be naturally and historically necessary for any nation to “start from Year Zero”. After all, the march of history cannot be stopped when an idea has come to fruition and the system renews itself.

Maybe the emergence of a Thomas Jefferson in Malaysia with the idea of “all Malaysians are created equal endowed by their creator the inalienable rights …” will wake Malaysians up to rise against the current regime to be dismantled and a better system of execution of laws to be done – so that the central is not dictatorial based on the fascist concept of ketuanan Melayu (ultra-Malayness idiotic pride) rooted in some mythical neo-feudalistic construct only a despotic regime is clinging on to.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 28 December 2010, 12:12 pm and is filed under
Azly Rahman
,
nation building
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #46

By
M. Bakri Musa

Chapter Six:   Malaysia:  Assets and Liabilities

Bless Our Geography!

Allah has been generous to Malaysia.  Malaysians are reminded of this every time they read about natural disasters occurring elsewhere.  There are no earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, or devastating floods.  God has spared Malaysia such natural calamities.

            Then there is the climate; it is not visited by extremes of heat or cold.  Whereas Californians have to pay to warm their houses in winter and cool them in summer, Malaysians are spared such expenses.  And if Malaysians were to design their homes well with cross drafts and adequate natural ventilation, air conditioning would not be essential.  It is only for comfort.  In temperate zones heating a home is essential lest you freeze.  Home designs in temperate zones must necessarily be more complex to cope with both winter and summer. Unlike Malaysians, those living in temperate zones need two sets of clothing.

            Roads in temperate countries are subjected to extremes of temperatures and the consequent wide range of contraction and expansion.  Thus maintenance costs are high.  Malaysia is spared such added costs.  Municipalities in cold countries spend substantial sums of money to keep their streets free of snow.

            In Malaysia, construction work occurs year round, except for brief interruptions during rainy season.  I am always astounded at how fast buildings get built in Malaysia.  In America outside work is curtailed during inclement weather and shorter winter days.

            Apart from the climate, Malaysia is blessed with fertile soil and abundant natural resources.  Its earth supports a variety of plants.  We are a major producer of rubber, palm oil, cocoa, pepper, and hosts of other agricultural products.  These are all renewable resources.  The country’s immense old world jungle contains a variety of valuable hardwoods.  It is also a source of alkaloids and other natural products that have wide pharmaceutical applications.  Carefully managed these resources could last indefinitely; unscrupulously treated they will not only be destroyed but in turn create monumental environmental disasters.  Soil erosion, flooding, and smog are just some of the horrors of less-than-wise treatment of the land.

            Malaysia is also blessed with deposits of valuable minerals and hydrocarbons.  The old standby was tin, and just as its market dropped, the country discovered vast deposits of hydrocarbon.  How blessed!

            The country has vast stretches of beautiful beaches bathed by welcoming warm waters.  These are prized tourist destinations.  But compared to Hawaii or Cancun, Malaysia’s tourist industry is not well developed.  Hawaii caters for the large mainland domestic market as well as the equally lucrative Japanese market.  Visitors to Hawaii can enjoy not only the beautiful warm beaches and sunshine but also partake in other attractions that have been well developed – cruises, golfing, and aquatic activities.

            Cancun prides itself in being rationally planned.  In the early 1970’s the Mexican president assembled a group of professionals and asked them to design from scratch a tourist industry for what was then an impoverished fishing village.  Using computer simulations they designed the entire region to cater for tourists from Europe, North America, and Latin America, all lucrative markets.  They built a modern airport to accommodate jumbo jets that could fly the maximum distance.  To ensure the pristine beaches and clear waters would not be polluted, they built modern central sewage and water treatment plants, and instituted strict guidelines for coastal constructions.

            Today Cancun has hundreds of luxury hotels catering to millions of visitors annually.  What was once a sleepy coastal village is now a world-class tourist destination.  Like Hawaii, Cancan also offers many other attractions, in particular the nearby Mayan ruins.  The hotels too offer a variety of options including timeshares and all-inclusive packages.  Cancun is my favorite vacation destination as I can book everything with one phone call (or via the Internet).  With one bill I can prepay for everything:  hotel, food, airfare, and also the taxi to and from the airport! Maximum convenience!  Non-Spanish speaking guests have no difficulty as most of the workers speak English.  Besides, there are ample signs in English.  Very convenient!

            The tourist industry in Malaysia is still very much “work in progress.”  There must be a full scale and comprehensive plan a la Cancun; otherwise we would squander this wonderful potential.  Already we are seeing what were once premier tourist sites like Penang and Port Dickson losing their appeal because of haphazard construction and poor planning; their prime attractions – the fine beaches – soiled by pollution.  When I visit Port Dickson, I dare not dip my foot in the water as it is so polluted.  The stench and the litter on the beach are something else.

            Malaysia’s strategic location between East and West could be leveraged to turn it into an aviation and maritime hub.  Presently Singapore, only a couple hundred miles away, is capitalizing on this fortuitous geography.  It is successful because of its superior services.  If Malaysia can improve its services, given the markedly lower cost structure, it should be able to take business away from that republic.  Already Johore’s Port of Tanjung Pelepas is siphoning traffic away from Singapore because it offers comparable services at markedly reduced prices.  Malaysia’s Sepang airport could do likewise to Singapore’s Changi.

            The country’s unchanging climate can be a liability.  As one day merges into the next, there is no sense of urgency.  It is easy to fall into the trap of continually postponing things and then suddenly, months and years have gone by.  There is no tangible seasonal reminder of a deadline.  As there are no obvious climatic changes to spur Malaysians to a preset timetable and deadline, these must be created artificially to avoid the manana (postpone to tomorrow) syndrome.

            Lastly, it has been claimed that Malaysia’s heat and humidity are not conducive to intellectual activities.  At least that is the convenient excuse.  If that were true it is easily remedied.  Simply air-condition our offices and colleges.  Thus the only downside to Malaysia’s climate is readily solvable.

Next:   Big Government, Big Problems

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 29 December 2010, 10:37 am and is filed under
Bakri Musa
,
globalisation
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Najib’s suicidal slogan

by
Dean Johns

Malaysiakini

Dec 29, 10

It seems to me that the more persistently Najib Abdul Razak propounds his “1Malaysia. People first. Performance now” slogan, and the more desperately he defends it, the more damage he does to himself and Barisan Nasional. So naturally I’m 1 big supporter of the thing.

For a start, the “1Malaysia” part of it is so blatantly false that all it does is remind the hearer or reader of BN’s long-term strategy of dividing the nation’s races and religions, the better to try and ensure its eternal rule.

And this is not just an allegation, but an absolute fact. As evidenced by the BN government’s stacking of the civil services with employees of one particular race, through the wildly unequal allocation of government scholarships and contracts, to its supporting the concept of ketuanan Melayu through official economic policies, racist pressure-groups like Perkasa and publications like Utusan Malaysia.

Thus the “1Malaysia” phrase itself is such an outright and obvious lie that the long-running controversy over its originality appears virtually irrelevant. Yet Najib persists in claiming authorship as though his political survival depended on it. Which I fondly hope it does, given that the version of the concept with which I’m most familiar, “One Nation”, was the name of the notorious Pauline Hanson’s Australian political party, which long ago self-destructed.

Similarly, as far as I’m aware, other previous 1/One/Satu-style names and slogans proven by no means notably successful in Singapore, Indonesia or anywhere else they’ve been created. And as for “One Israel”, who knows whether it was dreamed-up by Najib’s friends at Apco Worldwide, as Anwar Ibrahim alleges and Apco deny, and who the hell cares?

Staking his credibility

Besides Najib, of course, who appears to be staking his non-existent credibility on the claim that he originated the thing. Recently, declaring that he felt “slighted” by the “big lie” that the “1Malaysia” concept had been plagiarised from another country, he claimed that “It is my own creation. Other countries may have a one this and a one that but nowhere in this world is there a 1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.”

As many commentators on this statement have remarked, it would have been very odd indeed if any another country had thought to call itself “1Malaysia”, as Malaysia wouldn’t have been its name, and thus the expression would have been even more false than Najib’s version of it is.

Having read over the previous paragraph several times, I’m not entirely sure it makes sense. But never mind. Nothing about Najib’s slogan makes sense, including his recent remark in its defence to the effect that his government moves forward “on the basis of reality and not any dream”.

“A responsible government needs responsible policies,” he reportedly added, “not promises that are not founded on reality.”

Unfortunately for the case he was attempting to make, “not founded on reality” applies not only, as we’ve seen, to the “1Malaysia” section of his slogan, but even more so, if possible, to its “People First. Performance now.” segments.

Far from convincing anyone that Najib himself or the BN government has the slightest intention of performing on behalf of the people, now or ever, it raises countless challenging questions.

Like what has Najib or BN done, lately or ever, to protect the people of Malaysia from the appalling road toll or the police inaction and corruption that enable vehicular slaughter on such a scale? What have Najib or his government done to stem the slaughter of ‘suspects’ by this same police force? Or to stem the tide of cronyism and corruption that costs the people billions a year in lost and stolen revenue?

What have Najib and his government done, or what do they intend to do to restore the peoples’ rights to transparency, truth and justice that have been so comprehensively eroded over decades of rule by the BN regime?

Absolutely nothing. So that, with the single, solitary exception of the word “Malaysia”, which is undeniably the name of the country, every single additional element of Najib’s slogan is utterly and obviously false.

However, such glaringly obvious falsehood doesn’t prevent BN’s indefatigably sycophantic ‘news’ agency, Bernama and the rest of the so-called ‘mainstream’ media from reporting it as if it was gospel truth.

Illustration of ‘lies, damn lies and statistics’

Just the other day, for example, Bernama quoted Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim as claiming that the 1Malaysia concept “is regarded as good” by 84 percent of respondents to a recent survey.

And in an equally impressive illustration of the well-known expression “lies, damn lies and statistics”, the BN-complicit media recently reported that the ridiculous slogan’s self-procaimed author himself enjoys 69 percent support.

Citing a clearly highly dubious phone poll by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research, Star announced that “broken down into ethnic groups, the survey found 74 percent of Malays, 54 percent of Chinese and 85 percent of Indian respondents were satisfied with the prime minister’s performance, seen as a major boost for Najib as he mulls an early general election next year.”

The fact that these findings were “broken down into ethnic groups” seems to me further give the lie to the fake unity-promoting purpose of “1Malaysia”. But even more significant is the core message these fanciful findings are intended to convey, which is that well over half of the Malaysian people of all races are such idiots as to imagine that Najib’s performance as prime minister is satisfactory.

When in fact, as every Malaysian with even half a brain knows, his only achievement in almost two years as premier is the creation of the world’s most cynical, self-destructive slogan.

A slogan whose obvious falsehood appears to be working so powerfully in his disfavour that, along with memories of the still unsolved murder of 1Mongolian, it could well prove political suicide for Najib personally, and a fitting epitaph for 50+ years of the BN regime.

DEAN JOHNS, after many years in Asia, currently lives with his Malaysian-born wife and daughter in Sydney, where he mentors creative writing groups. Already published in Kuala Lumpur is a third book of his columns for Malaysiakini, following earlier collections ‘Mad about Malaysia’ and ‘Even Madder about Malaysia’.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 29 December 2010, 8:20 pm and is filed under
1Malaysia
,
Corruption
,
Media
,
Najib Razak
,
nation building
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Chief Secretary’s appointment of Selangor State Secretary without consultation with Mentri Besar violation of both the spirit and letter of Selangor Constitution

The appointment of Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi as the new Selangor State Secretary by the  Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan on behalf of the Public Service Commission, without consultation with the Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, violates both the spirit and letter of the Selangor Constitution.

It has been argued that there is no mention in the state constitution that the Mentri Besar must first be informed of the appointment nor that his consent was needed.

This is a flimsy and unacceptable argument, for going by this literal interpretation, Putrajaya should not have involved the Sultan in the appointment of the state secretary as there is equally no mention in the state constitution that the Sultan must first be informed of the appointment nor that any royal consent is needed.

What is pertinent is that constitutional conventions like meaningful consultation with the Mentri Besar and the Sultan on the appointment of the top state civil servant are carried out to uphold the integrity of the state constitution and to fulfill the mandate given by the people of Selangor when they voted for the government of their choice in the last general elections.

Although the Selangor State Constitution is silent on the role of the Mentri Besar on the appointment of the state secretary, just as it is silent on the role of the Sultan on the same matter, the Chief Secretary who has been delegated the constitutional task to make the appointment, should be mindful of the different political coalitions running the Federal and Selangor state governments and the importance of ensuring an appointee who could work as a bridge-builder or at least not seen as inimical to the Selangor state government interests vis-à-vis the Federal government.

This is where the constitutional convention of meaningful consultation with the Mentri Besar on the appointment of the state secretary should have been observed.

The healthy growth of Federal-state relations and parliamentary democracy at both the national and state levels would be greatly harmed if the spirit and letter of the constitution, as in having meaningful consultation with the Mentri Besar on the appointment of the state secretary, could be trampled upon and the state constitution misinterpreted to allow the Federal government to impose the most unpopular officer on the state government –  against the manifest wishes and will of the State Executive Council, the majority of the elected Legislative Assembly members and the voters in the state.

Article 55 of the Selangor State Constitution on “Sultan to act on advice” provides that the Sultan shall act in accordance with the advice of the State Executive Council except for specific instances – and the appointment of the state secretary is not one of the exceptional cases where the Sultan may act in his discretion.

Both the spirit and letter of the Selangor Constitution are violated when the Mentri Besar is shut out from any meaningful consultation on the appointment of the state secretary.

Sidek should remedy this violation of the spirit and letter of the state constitution in the appointment of the Selangor state secretary by carrying out a meaningful consultation process with the Mentri Besar on the appointment of the new state secretary and spare the country and people a constitutional crisis.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 30 December 2010, 9:32 am and is filed under
Constitution
,
nation building
,
Pakatan Rakyat
,
Selangor
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Softening up students to Islam with History syllabus

Commentary

Written by Centre for Policy Initiatives

Wednesday, 29 December 2010

Whose history is the government pushing on our students and to what effect?

On Oct 23, Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that History will be made a must-pass subject for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia beginning 2013. This puts the subject on par with Bahasa Malaysia in its degree of importance.

The ministry will introduce a revised SPM History curriculum in 2017 as in that year the cohort which started Form One in 2013 would have reached Form Five. Fresh elements to be incorporated when the History syllabus begins its new cycle are ‘patriotism’, ‘citizenship’ and ‘the constitution’, which by extension implicates the so-called social contract.

Muhyiddin said the reason for the move to expand the History syllabus is so that patriotism can be instilled in Malaysian youths.

On Dec 16 – responding to objections raised by some quarters on his proposal – Muhyiddin guaranteed that the government does not have any “ulterior motives” and reiterated that the government in its decision “only want to introduce a history education to appreciate [patriotism] to help them [the Fifth Formers] become more patriotic”.

Is this the real agenda of Umno and the Ministry of Education bureaucrats and their support group of academics or is this another Umno political lie?

In response, a middle-rank leader of the MCA (not the party president or deputy president or any of the other non-Malay BN party chiefs who have gone mute, dumb and deaf on this issue) has urged the Education Ministry to review the “imbalanced” account of the country’s history in the school textbooks.

The present national narrative imparted to students – alleges the MCA – favours one race and one religious civilization. According to Loh Seng Kok, the deputy chairman of the MCA publicity bureau, a review is necessary to rectify the shortcomings to “prevent ethnic disharmony in our nation”.

Strong words but from a level of leadership that carries little weight.

Furthering Ketuanan Melayu-Islam interests

Historian Dr Ranjit Singh Malhi, who has written some revision books, recently pointed out that not only do the secondary school history textbooks contain exaggeration and mistakes, but they have also “been used to promote political interests”.

For example, Kapitan Cina Yap Ah Loy played a major role in the development of Kuala Lumpur as a commercial and tin-mining centre but the Form Two history textbook had only one sentence on Yap as “one of the persons responsible for developing Kuala Lumpur”.

The Hindu civilisation of Lembah Bujang in Kedah – which can be traced back to the first half of the first millennium – is dismissed in just two paragraphs whereas the communist contribution to helping Malaya gain Independence is omitted.

Besides the expurgation or omission of key events and developments in Malaysian history in which non-Malay and other civilizational contributions have been prominent, there is a conscious and concerted attempt at propagandizing Islamic elements into the curriculum.

A
concerned parent
complained in her letter to the editor that the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) writers assigned by the Education Ministry have not confined the textbook content to history alone. “Instead they have extended its boundaries seemingly to push a certain agenda. In the process, our history textbooks seem to have taken on a quest of its own – to win the hearts and minds of our children for that particular agenda,” she wrote.

History as Islamic Studies

The introduction to the Four Four History textbook by the panel writers begins with “Syukur kepada Allah s.w.t. Tuhan Yang Maha Agung, selawat dan salam ke atas Rasul utusan yang mulia, para sahabat, dan mereka yang berada di jalan yang benar hingga ke hari kemudian kelak”. Students belonging to other faiths, who Muslims do not consider to be walking on “the true path to the Hereafter”, will apparently have to re-orientate their mindset in order to do well in this subject.

The introduction to the Form Five textbook by the director-general of the Education Ministry starts on the note of “Syukur ke hadrat Allah s.w.t. kerana hasrat dan wawasan Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia untuk menerbitkan semula buku teks KBSM dan KBSR telah terhasil”. The Education D-G Abdul Rafie Mahat found it expedient to thank Allah for the success of his Ministry’s vision to republish the textbooks under the revamped syllabi.

In fact, two out of the four writers of the DBP writers selected to do the job for the Form Four syllabus are specialists in Islamic history. Their knowledge of Malaysian history and the history of non-Islamic civilizations, however, appear dismal.

Not only is an overwhelming proportion of the Form Four history textbook devoted to Islam (115 pages), conversely the other religions are barely given a passing mention; Hinduism gets half a page in Chapter 3 on the early civilizations of southeast Asia.

The concerned mother who wrote the letter, already widely disseminated online, has charged that History in Malaysian schools “seek to influence the young minds of our children who come from various faiths, to follow the prophet [Muhammad] … who is repeatedly praised throughout the chapters”.

“Students are repeatedly exhorted throughout the book to emulate him as a role model in life”, added the concerned parent. It is quite true what the letter writer observed as flipping through the History textbook pages, one comes across the said exhortations which are indeed explicit and in those exact words. (see endnote).

Do they write History in this way in other countries and do national textbooks elsewhere repeatedly exhort impressionable young minds to follow the behaviour of an individual who features overwhelmingly in their History curriculum?

Furthermore, this subject is a compulsory pass – fail History, fail SPM; no credit in History, no Grade I in SPM. Students are thus coerced to memorize the above brainwashing and internalize the indoctrination or else they will be unable to get through their secondary education.

Non-Muslim parents are correct to worry about the five bulky chapters (out of the 10 chapters in the Form Four textbook) devoted to Islamic history and civilization because they have been written “in a way that seems to be conditioning the minds of our youth to accept Syariah laws as the basis of our legal system in the future”.

Schools becoming madrasahs

These concerns of worried parents have found serious academic backing.

Two academics from Australia’s Flinders University in their paper ‘The Islamisation of Malaysia: religious nationalism in the service of ethnonationalism’ similarly noted that the upper secondary History syllabus “is a more traditional celebration of Malay nationalism, with barely a mention of Chinese or Indians”.

Michael D. Barr and Anantha Raman Govindasamy, who co-authored the paper, believed “the overtly Islamic textbook … was not the result of a whim on the part of the authors, but part of a systemic [Islamization] program”.

They pointed out that the term ‘ummah’ in its unqualified use in the context of Chapter 4 of the Form Four History textbook “carries the clear message that the Muslim perspective is being privileged in this history”.

Barr and Govindasamy added: “The imposition of an Islamic metanarrative at this point can be neither accidental nor incidental. It must be regarded as a deliberate attempt to impose a new form of identity on both the Muslim and non-Muslim children. This conclusion becomes even more pointed if we look beyond the teaching of history, and consider that the Islamisation process has permeated the entire schooling experience for those students who attend national schools”.

With the two authors’ permission, CPI will be reproducing their paper in full tomorrow. Barr and Govindasamy’s Flinders University paper was first published in the Australian Journal of International Affairs, Vol.64, No.3 in June 2010.

The paper unequivocally provides evidence that the Malay and Islamization of the school syllabus has been taking place for some time.

Muhyiddin Yassin’s recent announcement of this impending move by the Education Ministry portends the final nail in the coffin. A sane and progressive curriculum that meets the needs of a multi-racial and multi-religious society is thrown to the winds.

Meanwhile the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has similarly voiced its concerns over History becoming a compulsory subject and the potential impact this will have on students.

On Nov 27, NUTP revealed that the present passing rate for History is around 60 percent. That the remaining 40 percent of the batches who sat the paper previously have failed it mean more students than ever will fail the entire SPM when the Education Ministry decision takes effect in 2012.

Make no mistake. If Malaysians do not raise their voices now and stand up for their concerns, not only non-Malay but also Malay parents and students will reap the bitter harvest of this step backwards in our education system.

*******************************

Endnote

Buku teks Sejarah Tingkatan 4 KBSM terbitan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka

Pages

•106: Baginda merupakan ketua keluarga yang patut dicontohi …

•111: Kesemua sifat positif Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. ini menjadi teladan untuk kita …

•124: Sifat positif baginda ini patut dicontohi.

•133: Sifat [Nabi Muhammad] ini patut menjadi contoh kepada kita, bakal pemimpin akan datang.

•137: Prinsip dan nilai murni yang ditunjukkan oleh Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. dapat menjadi pedoman kepada generasi muda yang bakal mewarisi kepimpinan negara.

•138: Inilah ciri dan sifat yang harus dimiliki oleh generasi Islam pada masa sekarang demi menghadapi zaman yang mencabar.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 30 December 2010, 9:23 am and is filed under
Education
,
History
,
nation building
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Struggle to stem ‘brain drain’ as talent departs

Malaysiakini

Dec 30, 10

(AFP) When computer engineer Wan Jon Yew left Malaysia in 2005 for a job in Singapore, all he wanted was to work in the city state for a few years before going home. Now, he says, he will never return.

With a family, a home and a car, he now plans to settle in Singapore for good – just one of the many Malaysians stampeding abroad every year in a worrying ‘brain drain’ the government is trying to reverse.

“I wouldn’t consider going back to Malaysia, I won’t look back. If I were ever going to leave Singapore, I would migrate to Australia,” said the 28-year-old, who now has permanent resident status.

“It’s not about the money. I could have a better quality of life in Malaysia with my pay. I could have a semi-detached bungalow and have a maid there, but I would rather live in a government flat in Singapore.”

Wan, who is ethnically Chinese, is one of some 700,000 Malaysians – most of them highly educated – who are currently working abroad in an exodus that Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government is struggling to reverse.

The ‘brain drain’ has a number of causes. Some have been lured by higher salaries, but others blame political and social gripes including preferential policies for Muslim Malays, who form the majority.

Many feel constrained by life in a country where the ruling coalition has been in power for half a century, and where progress on freedom of expression, the right to assembly and tackling corruption have been slow.

A decades-old affirmative action policy, which hands Malays and the indigenous groups privileges in housing, education and business, has been criticised as uncompetitive and improperly benefiting the elite.

As a consequence, many of those who have left are members of Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, who make up some 25 percent and 10 percent of the population respectively.

Najib in December launched a ‘Talent Corporation’ with incentives to woo back these highly skilled workers, as well as foreign professionals, to live and work in his multi-ethnic country.

Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy with a population of 28 million, has ambitions to transform itself into a developed nation by 2020, but a lack of human capital is a barrier to reaching that goal.

155-fold increase over 45 years

World Bank data cited by the Malaysian press shows that while globally the number of migrants rose 2.4 times between 1960 and 2005, Malaysia’s diaspora registered a staggering 155-fold increase over the 45-year period.

“I don’t want my children to go through the unfair treatment,” said Wan, who believes Singapore offers “fair competition”.

“I’m not proud of being a Malaysian because I think the government doesn’t treat me as a Malaysian.

“I would rather be a PR (permanent resident), a second-class citizen in a foreign country, than to be a citizen in my own country.”

Wan said his wife, an IT analyst, renounced her citizenship in July this year, joining a queue of about 30 Malaysians lining up to do so on that day alone at the Malaysian embassy in Singapore.

Commentators are sceptical over whether the government’s latest effort to reverse the ‘brain drain’ will be successful, warning it will be tough to persuade those in self-exile.

“Money does have a significant role but the most important factor, I think, is opportunity. Malaysia is too politicised and opportunities are not evenly available to everyone,” political analyst Wan Saiful Wan Jan (right) told AFP.

In one example, he said, academicians are reluctant to work in local universities as they must sign a ‘loyalty pledge’ barring them from, among other things, criticising government policies.

“In such an environment, obviously those with talents will find opportunity elsewhere,” said the chief executive of think-tank the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas).

Wan Saiful, who himself returned to Malaysia last year after living in Britain for 17 years, said the newly launched Talent Corporation will be “another expensive failure” if it does not tackle these structural problems.

“When I apply for a job, buy a house, register my children for school etcetera, why does it matter what my race or religion is? This should stop,” said the analyst, himself a Malay.

‘Brain gain’ effort

Ethnic Chinese and Indian professionals who have left the country commonly say they felt a sense of marginalisation in Malaysia.

“When I went back to Malaysia, it was a culture shock in terms of politically how they promote the rights of the Malays over everyone else,” said Chee Yeoh, a stock analyst who migrated to Australia three years ago.

Yeoh was educated overseas from the age of 10 and returned in 1998 to take up a position with a bank, but felt like leaving again “almost immediately”.

“I just didn’t feel at home in Malaysia. I can’t speak the Malay language – essentially I felt like an outsider even more,” said the 35-year-old analyst, who took a pay cut to move to Australia.

Najib has admitted the talent issues are “broad and complex”, and will not set a target on how many Malaysians he hopes to lure back under the new programme.

The initiatives include a ‘resident pass’ which will give foreign skilled workers, and Malaysians who have given up their citizenship, the long-term right to live and work in the country.

But Fong Chan Onn (left), former human resources minister who was instrumental in previous ‘brain gain’ efforts, said the government must tackle the issue holistically.

“The government needs to rectify this sense of marginalisation. We also have to improve the mechanism so it can be more effective to ask these talents to come back,” he said.

“We have a long way to go. It is better late than never.”

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 30 December 2010, 5:43 pm and is filed under
1Malaysia
,
Brain drain
,
Najib Razak
,
nation building
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.