Dr Mahathir reaffirmed that Malays are not ready yet to compete on an equal footing with the Chinese in particular.
“I am not ashamed to admit that I cannot compete with the Chinese and Indian students when studying medicine. They had much better results than me and the other six Malay students for entry into the Medical College. I had my chance (because of the handicap system adopted by the British) then. On pure merit I would not be a doctor today, not because I was not qualified, but my qualification was lower than others.
“One has to remember that the Chinese civilisation is more than 4000 years old. No other civilisation has lasted that long. Naturally they have developed a culture better able to survive under all conditions. It is my belief that if the percentage of Chinese in the United Kingdom for example is the same as in Malaysia, UK would be better developed than it is now. It is not surprising that the Chinese excel in developing Malaysia (for which they are amply rewarded).”
He said that it was not shameful to lose out against the Chinese but to just catch up would require handicaps.
“To be given handicaps is to ensure fairness, not discrimination. That is why in golf you have handicaps. That is why in all contests there must be equality between the contestants. It is selfish if having benefited from the handicaps you want to deny others from having them.”
SOURCE: The Malaysian Insider
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hahahahahahaha ...
I cannot stop laughing at the beautiful arguments made by Mahathir. Now we know why; he was granted handicap in medicine and probably he also granted handicaps to his children including APs and handout of Projects.
Malays can't compete with the Chinese? I felt sorry if it is true. I have been taught by philosophers that all human were given brains with the same intellect by the Creator, the Almighty God. I must blame God for making some humans less intelligent than the Chinese.
-------------------------------------
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Friday, November 28, 2008
Bayi's Marketing Concepts
1. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!"
That's DIRECT MARKETING.
2. You are at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, "He's very rich. Marry him!"
That's ADVERTISING.
3. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day, you call her and say, "Hi, I am very rich. Marry me!"
That's TELEMARKETING.
4. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You get up and straighten your tie. You walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her. You pick up her bag after she drops it. You offer her a ride and you say, "By the way, I am very rich. Will you marry me?"
That's PUBLIC RELATIONS.
5. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. She walks up to you and says, "You are very rich. Can you marry me?"
That's BRAND RECOGNITION.
6. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You walk up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!" She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.
That's CUSTOMER FEEDBACK.
7. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You walk up to her and say, I am very rich. Marry me!" And she introduces you to her husband.
That's DEMAND AND SUPPLY GAP.
8. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You walk up to her and before you can say anything, another person comes along and tells her, "I am very rich. Marry me!"
That's MARKET COMPETITION.
9. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You walk up to her and before you can say anything, another person comes along and tells her, "I am very rich. Marry me! And she follows him.
That's LOSING MARKET SHARE.
10. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You walk up to her and before you can say, "I am very rich. Marry me!", YOUR WIFE TURNS UP!
That's BARRIER TO NEW MARKET ENTRY.
That's DIRECT MARKETING.
2. You are at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, "He's very rich. Marry him!"
That's ADVERTISING.
3. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day, you call her and say, "Hi, I am very rich. Marry me!"
That's TELEMARKETING.
4. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You get up and straighten your tie. You walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her. You pick up her bag after she drops it. You offer her a ride and you say, "By the way, I am very rich. Will you marry me?"
That's PUBLIC RELATIONS.
5. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. She walks up to you and says, "You are very rich. Can you marry me?"
That's BRAND RECOGNITION.
6. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You walk up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!" She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.
That's CUSTOMER FEEDBACK.
7. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You walk up to her and say, I am very rich. Marry me!" And she introduces you to her husband.
That's DEMAND AND SUPPLY GAP.
8. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You walk up to her and before you can say anything, another person comes along and tells her, "I am very rich. Marry me!"
That's MARKET COMPETITION.
9. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You walk up to her and before you can say anything, another person comes along and tells her, "I am very rich. Marry me! And she follows him.
That's LOSING MARKET SHARE.
10. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You walk up to her and before you can say, "I am very rich. Marry me!", YOUR WIFE TURNS UP!
That's BARRIER TO NEW MARKET ENTRY.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
God was gracious to Razak
If you follow the law, the law will not hurt you
If your lawyers is competent in law, he may be able to help you
If the prosecutors knows the law, he may be able to serve justice for you
If the judges is competent in law, they will ensure justice is prevailed accordingly
If the judicial system uses the law, justice can be served in accordance with the rules
Go get a law degree! Sign up with Brickfields College or ATC College now! If not, do self study.
Remember: if you fail science and maths, and dislike technology and art, take law as your only choice; it will save you!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
BN policy is fair to all?
I read Jurisprudence at law school.Jurisprudence is my favorite subject and a subject I truly love with the greatest passion.
The greater part of Jurisprudence is about natural justice, fairness and equality for mankind.
But now I had to wonder and ponder. The words: fairness, justice and equality are evolving and most of all, devolving into a new vocabulary, or at times, much more of a vocabulary of the time immemorial.
It seems now that the word "Fairness" must mean "What I say is fair, is fair"; similarly, "what I said is unfair, is unfair." Or, has it begin to mean, what the majority said is fair to them, even though unfair to all others, is thus fair, irrespective, because this is what the jurists called Utilitarianism.
So, if someone says I am doing an act because it is my religion or my race, and this someone has the numbers and might, then might is right? Surely we observed empirically and avidly the bold behaviorism of the mighty.
This is what Aniza Damis has to conclude:
[quote]
The greatest proof of democracy at work that day was this: Might is right. Unlike in other countries where Muslims are the minority and have to patiently engage with the non-Muslims and convince them Islam is a peaceful religion and our God is merciful and just, over here, the Muslim majority can just tell people to shut up.
[unquote]The greater part of Jurisprudence is about natural justice, fairness and equality for mankind.
But now I had to wonder and ponder. The words: fairness, justice and equality are evolving and most of all, devolving into a new vocabulary, or at times, much more of a vocabulary of the time immemorial.
It seems now that the word "Fairness" must mean "What I say is fair, is fair"; similarly, "what I said is unfair, is unfair." Or, has it begin to mean, what the majority said is fair to them, even though unfair to all others, is thus fair, irrespective, because this is what the jurists called Utilitarianism.
So, if someone says I am doing an act because it is my religion or my race, and this someone has the numbers and might, then might is right? Surely we observed empirically and avidly the bold behaviorism of the mighty.
This is what Aniza Damis has to conclude:
[quote]
The greatest proof of democracy at work that day was this: Might is right. Unlike in other countries where Muslims are the minority and have to patiently engage with the non-Muslims and convince them Islam is a peaceful religion and our God is merciful and just, over here, the Muslim majority can just tell people to shut up.
Source: The Malaysian Bar: Despite the protests, democracy wins the day and NST: ANIZA DAMIS: Despite the protests, democracy wins the day
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Ilmu menentukan keselamatan dan maruah bangsa
[Quote]
Saya mengaku bertanggungjawab berkenaan mengajar Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Kerana itu ramai yang menuduh saya tidak bersemangat kebangsaan Melayu, tidak utamakan bahasa saya.
Pendapat saya ialah mereka yang bersemangat kebangsaan Melayu tidak harus utamakan hanya penguasaan bahasa ibunda sahaja tetapi juga melihat bangsanya bediri sama tinggi, duduk sama rendah dengan bangsa-bangsa yang maju di dunia. Hanya dengan fasih bertutur kata dalam bahasa sendiri dengan ilmu pengetahuan yang cetek tidak akan menjadi bangsa kita mulia dan mampu bersaing dengan jayanya dengan bangsa-bangsa maju dan dianggap setaraf dengan mereka.
Kita diberitahu Nabi bersabda "Tuntutlah ilmu hingga ke negeri China". Apakah dapat orang Arab tuntut ilmu orang Cina tanpa mempelajari bahasa Cina, lisan dan tulisan, terlebih dahulu?
Yang jelas daripada sejarah ialah penguasaan ilmu yang ada pada bangsa lain bermula dengan penguasaan bahasa bangsa-bangsa ini.
Sebaliknya jika kita belajar Sains dan Matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris kita akan dapat akses secara langsung sendiri semua ilmu yang diterokai dan dibukukan dalam bahasa Inggeris tanpa menunggu pengalih bahasa kita. Tiap-tiap tajuk yang terkini dan yang lama terbuka untuk kita menguasainya. Dengan itu kita tidak akan ketinggalan daripada segi ilmu pengetahuan berbanding dengan bangsa yang maju.
Bagi saya pejuang bangsa yang betul-betul bersemangat perlu bermatlamat untuk menjadikan bangsanya bermaruah, dihormati oleh semua bangsa lain dan berkebolehan bersaing dalam apa juga bidang dengan kemungkinan berjaya.
Pemimpin dan pejuang yang hanya ingin disukai ramai dan kerana itu sanggup membiar bangsanya menjadi kolot dan hina, bukanlah pemimpin yang sayang bangsanya. Mereka hanyalah oportunis yang sanggup gadai bangsa sendiri asalkan mereka dapat kekalkan kedudukan mereka. Mereka ini bukan nasionalis dalam erti kata sebenar.
Bahasa jiwa bangsa. Tetapi ilmu menentukan keselamatan dan maruah bangsa.
[Unquote]
The above is an excerpt statement by Tun Dr Mahathir regarding the learning of Science and Mathematics in English.
Read his entire article here
***
Pendapat saya ialah mereka yang bersemangat kebangsaan Melayu tidak harus utamakan hanya penguasaan bahasa ibunda sahaja tetapi juga melihat bangsanya bediri sama tinggi, duduk sama rendah dengan bangsa-bangsa yang maju di dunia. Hanya dengan fasih bertutur kata dalam bahasa sendiri dengan ilmu pengetahuan yang cetek tidak akan menjadi bangsa kita mulia dan mampu bersaing dengan jayanya dengan bangsa-bangsa maju dan dianggap setaraf dengan mereka.
Kita diberitahu Nabi bersabda "Tuntutlah ilmu hingga ke negeri China". Apakah dapat orang Arab tuntut ilmu orang Cina tanpa mempelajari bahasa Cina, lisan dan tulisan, terlebih dahulu?
Yang jelas daripada sejarah ialah penguasaan ilmu yang ada pada bangsa lain bermula dengan penguasaan bahasa bangsa-bangsa ini.
Sebaliknya jika kita belajar Sains dan Matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris kita akan dapat akses secara langsung sendiri semua ilmu yang diterokai dan dibukukan dalam bahasa Inggeris tanpa menunggu pengalih bahasa kita. Tiap-tiap tajuk yang terkini dan yang lama terbuka untuk kita menguasainya. Dengan itu kita tidak akan ketinggalan daripada segi ilmu pengetahuan berbanding dengan bangsa yang maju.
Bagi saya pejuang bangsa yang betul-betul bersemangat perlu bermatlamat untuk menjadikan bangsanya bermaruah, dihormati oleh semua bangsa lain dan berkebolehan bersaing dalam apa juga bidang dengan kemungkinan berjaya.
Pemimpin dan pejuang yang hanya ingin disukai ramai dan kerana itu sanggup membiar bangsanya menjadi kolot dan hina, bukanlah pemimpin yang sayang bangsanya. Mereka hanyalah oportunis yang sanggup gadai bangsa sendiri asalkan mereka dapat kekalkan kedudukan mereka. Mereka ini bukan nasionalis dalam erti kata sebenar.
Bahasa jiwa bangsa. Tetapi ilmu menentukan keselamatan dan maruah bangsa.
[Unquote]
The above is an excerpt statement by Tun Dr Mahathir regarding the learning of Science and Mathematics in English.
Read his entire article here
***
Friday, July 11, 2008
Agri Ministry has goats that can mate 80 at one time, says Deputy Minister
Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim was asked by Datuk Ibrahim Ali whether how many goats breed by the ministry was for mating purposes.She answered that a male Boer goat could “service” up to 80 does at one time.
After the goat finishes, it will be rested for one week and will be given tongkat ali, honey and eggs before it starts mating again.
Rohani said: “I call these goats ‘heroes’.
According to Rohani, these great mating "dickheads" are difficult to get and the price are very high. These goats are usually borrowed from one place to carry out mating elsewhere.” [emphasis added]
If any big man can "service" 80 pax a day, you are also classified as 'Heroes'. The goats can be heroes, we human also can be heroes. But then it is surely difficult to get and the price must surely be very high. I wonder whether we have to borrow from elsewhere.
I cannot oh! Pak Lah can ah? Najib can ah?
Maybe we should try tongkat ali, honey and eggs before the assignment.
If God said that Jonah was swallowed by a whale, then the whale swallowed Jonah, and we do not need a scientist to measure the gullet of a whale.
- A.W. Tozer
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Abim questions Govt on Scholarship for non-Bumis
Abim asks Government to explain rise in scholarships for non-bumiputeras
The Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) has called on the government to clarify the necessity for the Public Service Department (PSD) to increase the ratio of scholarships for non-Bumiputeras from 10 percent to 45 percent.
Abim secretary-general, Khairul Arifin Mohd Munir, said in view that the education quota issue was closely related to provisions in the federal constitution like Articles 153(2) and 153(3) it was therefore necessary that Malaysians be given an explanation for the move.
He said the matter was important as till now the percentage of Bumiputeras was much higher than non-Bumiputeras, the poverty rate among Bumiputeras was also higher than other races and the number of professional Bumiputeras was low especially in Sabah and Sarawak.
Khairul Arifin said in resolving the problem of poverty and having social justice, new methods and mechanisms needed to be implemented to reduce and eradicate poverty among non-Bumiputeras.
"Using the scholarship quota in resolving the (poverty) problem is not a proper step and deviates from the purpose in the constitution that the scholarship quota for Bumiputeras is a written special right for Bumiputeras for having social balance," he said.
Khairul Arifin said awarding scholarships to non-Bumiputeras must also be given priority especially to those who excelled and were from the underprivileged group.
"A new approach has to be studied and formulated to help underprivileged non-Bumiputeras without denying Bumiputera rights," he said.
Source: Malaysian Bar Council
The Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) has called on the government to clarify the necessity for the Public Service Department (PSD) to increase the ratio of scholarships for non-Bumiputeras from 10 percent to 45 percent.
Abim secretary-general, Khairul Arifin Mohd Munir, said in view that the education quota issue was closely related to provisions in the federal constitution like Articles 153(2) and 153(3) it was therefore necessary that Malaysians be given an explanation for the move.
He said the matter was important as till now the percentage of Bumiputeras was much higher than non-Bumiputeras, the poverty rate among Bumiputeras was also higher than other races and the number of professional Bumiputeras was low especially in Sabah and Sarawak.
Khairul Arifin said in resolving the problem of poverty and having social justice, new methods and mechanisms needed to be implemented to reduce and eradicate poverty among non-Bumiputeras.
"Using the scholarship quota in resolving the (poverty) problem is not a proper step and deviates from the purpose in the constitution that the scholarship quota for Bumiputeras is a written special right for Bumiputeras for having social balance," he said.
Khairul Arifin said awarding scholarships to non-Bumiputeras must also be given priority especially to those who excelled and were from the underprivileged group.
"A new approach has to be studied and formulated to help underprivileged non-Bumiputeras without denying Bumiputera rights," he said.
Source: Malaysian Bar Council
I actually do not understand nor able to comprehend what Abim is talking about. Abim cried - Denying Bumiputera rights? Oh my god! Why can't the government be transparent and publish the full awards of all the scholarships, not just local public universities; please include those awards to overseas universities and Mara Universities. Please also include those granted to government servants for post-graduates Master Degrees and Doctorate.
I have always maintain that we citizens who are classed below the tuans must learn to take care of ourselves and also that of our children. We should not burden the government in particular Umno and deprive them of what they desire. We must work hard, and doubly hard so that we earn more than what we spent and wisely keep some for our children's education.
We can't depend nor dream of scholarships though Article 153(4) guarantees that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall not deprive any person of any public office held by him or of the continuance of any scholarship or other educational or training privileges. Article 153(5) strictly spelt out that this Article 153 does not derogate from the provisions of Article 136.
Article 136 states precisely and without any ambiguity that: "All persons of whatever race in the same grade in the service of the Federation shall, subject to the terms and conditions of their employment, be treated impartially."
Article 153(7) spelt that "Nothing in this Article shall operate to deprive or authorize the deprivation of any person of any right, privilege, permit or licence accrued to or enjoyed or held by him or to authorize a refusal to renew to any person any such permit or licence or a refusal to grant to the heirs, successors or assigns of a person any permit or licence when the renewal or grant might reasonably be expected in the ordinary course of event."
Article 153(8) states that "Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, where by any Federal law any permit or licence is required for the operation of any trade or business, that law may provide for the reservation of a proportion of such permits or licences for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak; but no such law shall for the purpose of ensuring such a reservation (a) deprive or authorize the deprivation of any person of any right, privilege, permit or licence accrued to or enjoyed or held by him."
Article 155(1) states that "Where the law in force in any other part of the Commonwealth confers upon citizens of the Federation any right or privilege it shall be lawful, notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, for Parliament to confer a similar right or privilege upon citizens of that part of the Commonwealth who are not citizens of the Federation."
Most of all, Article 153(1) states: "It shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provision of this Article."
The King alone is empowered and held responsible to ensure that he acted to:
(1) Safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives, and also
(2) Safeguard the legitimate interests of all other communities
in accordance with the provisions of this Article.
It is the duty and responsibility of the King to act to ensure that the Constitution is applied judiciously and ensure there is no elements of discriminations of any. The King must act!
Article 153(2) states that "The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall exercise his function under this Constitution and Federal law in such manner as may be necessary to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives and to ensure the reservation for Malays and Natives of 'such proportion' as he may deem reasonable of position in the public service, scholarships and other similar educational or training privileges."
Article 153 did not grant any ketuanan to Malays, but granted kedaulatan to Tuanku Agong; that must be realized and accepted.
It also did not provide for such thing as NEP, APs, bailouts, corruptions, discriminations in promotions in public offices of other communities and delegating other communities as second class citizens. It did not provide for the FRU to beat up the innocent by-standers and citizens and then charged them for attempted murder. It did not provide for special privileges to corrupt, to bully and to oppress others.
It also did not provide for such thing as NEP, APs, bailouts, corruptions, discriminations in promotions in public offices of other communities and delegating other communities as second class citizens. It did not provide for the FRU to beat up the innocent by-standers and citizens and then charged them for attempted murder. It did not provide for special privileges to corrupt, to bully and to oppress others.
What is clearly and unambiguously provided is the reservation of such proportion that is reasonable of: positions in the public service, scholarships and educational training privileges; not all kinds of privileges that are desired.
In the aspects of Kedaulatan, the most important of all is that, all Malaysians must respect wholeheartedly the positions of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Sultans and thereon it is the duty and responsibility of the Agong and Sultans to ensure the provisions in Article 153 is exercised accordingly.
In the aspects of Kedaulatan, the most important of all is that, all Malaysians must respect wholeheartedly the positions of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Sultans and thereon it is the duty and responsibility of the Agong and Sultans to ensure the provisions in Article 153 is exercised accordingly.
Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin in his written reply to Loke Siew Fook (DAP-Rasah) states that the public universities enrollment as of 2007 is 80% Bumiputeras, 12% Chinese and 3.2% Indians and the rest are international students.(read here)
The quota system was previously set at 55% Bumis and 45% Others. Does not what had happened violates Article 153 itself? If that is so, what are Abim and Umno leaders shouting about? It should be the others who should be crying...
Beza ketuanan Melayu dan ketuanan rakyat
Oleh Mohamad Khir Toyo
©Utusan Malaysia
Ketuanan Melayu bukanlah untuk menjadikan Melayu ini Tuan dan bukan Melayu sebagai Hamba. Sebaliknya Ketuanan Melayu bermaksud atau simbol kedudukan Sultan-Sultan Melayu sebagai tunggak negara yang menjaga kepentingan agama Islam, adat istiadat Melayu dan Bahasa Melayu.
Sebab itu apabila para pemimpin kita dahulu memutuskan perjuangan mempertahankan ketuanan Melayu adalah untuk mempertahankan kedudukan kesultanan Melayu, agama Islam, adat istiadat orang Melayu dan Bahasa Melayu.
Hanya kerana generasi hari ini tidak memahami makna dan maksud ketuanan Melayu bukan bermakna ia tidak lagi relevan. Apakah hanya kerana ia dijadikan isu bagi menunjukkan UMNO sebuah parti perkauman, maka kita mahu lari dari tuduhan dengan menukar arah perjuangan kita.
Tidak ada salah dengan kenyataan atau laungan mempertahankan ketuanan Melayu sekiranya kita memberi kefahaman yang tepat kepada orang ramai. Mempertahankan ketuanan Melayu merupakan mempertahankan asas-asas Perlembagaan Negara. Apakah perlembagaan negara merupakan sebuah perlembagaan yang berunsur perkauman?
Ketuanan Melayu tidak pernah menindas bangsa lain atau menjadikan bangsa lain sebagai hamba. Selama berpuluh tahun UMNO membawa perjuangan ketuanan Melayu tidak ada satu bangsa pun yang ditindas atau menjadi hamba.
Source: Utusan Melayu and Malaysian Bar Council
Sebab itu apabila para pemimpin kita dahulu memutuskan perjuangan mempertahankan ketuanan Melayu adalah untuk mempertahankan kedudukan kesultanan Melayu, agama Islam, adat istiadat orang Melayu dan Bahasa Melayu.
Hanya kerana generasi hari ini tidak memahami makna dan maksud ketuanan Melayu bukan bermakna ia tidak lagi relevan. Apakah hanya kerana ia dijadikan isu bagi menunjukkan UMNO sebuah parti perkauman, maka kita mahu lari dari tuduhan dengan menukar arah perjuangan kita.
Tidak ada salah dengan kenyataan atau laungan mempertahankan ketuanan Melayu sekiranya kita memberi kefahaman yang tepat kepada orang ramai. Mempertahankan ketuanan Melayu merupakan mempertahankan asas-asas Perlembagaan Negara. Apakah perlembagaan negara merupakan sebuah perlembagaan yang berunsur perkauman?
Ketuanan Melayu tidak pernah menindas bangsa lain atau menjadikan bangsa lain sebagai hamba. Selama berpuluh tahun UMNO membawa perjuangan ketuanan Melayu tidak ada satu bangsa pun yang ditindas atau menjadi hamba.
Source: Utusan Melayu and Malaysian Bar Council
Monday, May 26, 2008
Justice System incompetent
The standard of lawyers, most of whom graduated from local universities, range from the good to the grotesque, says Court of Appeal judge Gopal Sri Ram. "Many of them are bad because of the low-quality training they received at local institutions of higher learning," Sri Ram told the New Straits Times after the launch of a book, Malaysian Employment Laws, by M.N. D'Cruz here on Thursday. (read the full article here)
A veteran criminal lawyer who declined to be named said judge Datuk Gopal Sri Ram's lament on the "low quality" of locally-trained lawyers and his comment that they ranged from the "good to the grotesque" also applied to judges. "It works both ways. The quality of judges has gone down the drain since the 1980s," he added.
The lawyer agreed with Sri Ram's statement that many legal practitioners were a bunch of "broke professionals". (read it here)
A fresh graduate, who is in chambers at a top law firm, said his education did not prepare him for what he was now facing. "Local institutions focus too much on exams. They do not give you the proper picture of the legal profession and there's no exposure to the real industry. "When I started chambering, it was a completely different world. Processes, such as the proper way to address judges and the actual art of advocacy, are not taught and it takes years to master."
"I do think that local institutions can buck up and do better. "The fact that there are no Malaysian universities ranked in the top 200 of the Times Higher Education list says a lot about how much we can improve," he said.
A second-year Universiti Malaya law student said: "It is unfair of Gopal to say that many lawyers these days are of low quality since there was plenty of deadwood in the legal profession even during his time." (Read more here)
Universiti Malaya vice-chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim said "the poor quality of local lawyers boils down to an issue of language rather than training".
Do we need another royal commission of inquiry on this matter?
What was the factual and truthful problem? What was the root cause?
Education system? Bahasa Malaysia? Ketuanan? Corruption? Cronyism and Nepotism? Mahathir?
We can never have a truthful answer; the truth is painful and seditious.
A veteran criminal lawyer who declined to be named said judge Datuk Gopal Sri Ram's lament on the "low quality" of locally-trained lawyers and his comment that they ranged from the "good to the grotesque" also applied to judges. "It works both ways. The quality of judges has gone down the drain since the 1980s," he added.
The lawyer agreed with Sri Ram's statement that many legal practitioners were a bunch of "broke professionals". (read it here)
A fresh graduate, who is in chambers at a top law firm, said his education did not prepare him for what he was now facing. "Local institutions focus too much on exams. They do not give you the proper picture of the legal profession and there's no exposure to the real industry. "When I started chambering, it was a completely different world. Processes, such as the proper way to address judges and the actual art of advocacy, are not taught and it takes years to master."
"I do think that local institutions can buck up and do better. "The fact that there are no Malaysian universities ranked in the top 200 of the Times Higher Education list says a lot about how much we can improve," he said.
A second-year Universiti Malaya law student said: "It is unfair of Gopal to say that many lawyers these days are of low quality since there was plenty of deadwood in the legal profession even during his time." (Read more here)
Universiti Malaya vice-chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim said "the poor quality of local lawyers boils down to an issue of language rather than training".
Many students did not have a strong command of English, which was why they were struggling in court, Rafiah said.
"If the students have a better grasp of English, they would be able to practise advocacy better."
"Language is a tool in law and we need to address the issue at primary and secondary school level, as university is not the place to do it, unless you are studying languages."
"What is being taught in university is not being used by those going into practice," she said. (Read all of it here)
"If the students have a better grasp of English, they would be able to practise advocacy better."
"Language is a tool in law and we need to address the issue at primary and secondary school level, as university is not the place to do it, unless you are studying languages."
"What is being taught in university is not being used by those going into practice," she said. (Read all of it here)
Do we need another royal commission of inquiry on this matter?
What was the factual and truthful problem? What was the root cause?
Education system? Bahasa Malaysia? Ketuanan? Corruption? Cronyism and Nepotism? Mahathir?
We can never have a truthful answer; the truth is painful and seditious.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Ketuanan: What have not yet being given to make them Tuan?
The government finally revealed the truth:As of last year and out of 382,997 students in local public universities, there are 79.7 percent bumiputera students, 12 percent Chinese, 3.2 percent Indians and 1.4 percent of other races and international students.
The figures were revealed in a written reply from Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin to Loke Siew Fook (DAP-Rasah).
The minister said the government was confident that the number of the non-bumiputera students may be increased.
The meritocracy system was implemented in 2002 to replace the quota system in local universities, which had set a 55:45 ratio for enrollment of bumiputeras and non-bumiputeras respectively.
Source: Malaysiakini
There's no discrimination ...
Lest we forget, in last year's Umno general assembly, Umno leaders from Johor had insisted that the playing fields in the local public universities were uneven and they wanted the quota system to be reinstated. I wonder whether they would want that after receiving the truth.
This statement below is from MB Johor Abdul Ghani Othman
[quote]
It was impossible to strive for meritocracy. The system was a form of discrimination and oppression, he said. It did not provide for a level playing field but instead deprived thousands of Malay children in the rural areas, who still lacked access to quality education. "Umno Johor is steadfast in its stand that the meritocracy system must be stopped. "It is not suitable for implementation," he declared. [unquote]
Source: NST: Nov 6, 2006; Prime News Page 10
What is not ketuanan? What hadn't make them tuan?I remember Pak Lah said insisted that he is the prime minister for all Malaysians and he will be fair to all.
I still keep each and every of those news cuttings to remind myself of my prime minister's words.
I still keep each and every of those news cuttings to remind myself of my prime minister's words.
Monday, March 03, 2008
The Indian Muslim Dilemma
Members of the Indian Muslim Youth wants to government to call them as Malays and not Indians.
"We feel uncomfortable to be known as Indians because people automatically think we are Hindus when we are actually Muslims," 24-year-old Syed Osman Mohamed said. Syed Osman is the son of Gepima (Malaysian Indian Muslim Youth Movement) president Mohamed Kader Ali.
Gepima president also said that "Muslims of Indian origin suffered an inferiority complex by being regarded as Indians."
"Our children do not even know how to speak Tamil. They only converse in Malay and our wives wear baju kurung or kebaya nowadays, no more the Saree."
Mohamed Kader said the Federal Constitution states that an Indian is a Malay "if he professes the Muslim religion, habitually speaks Malay and conforms to Malay custom."
"I can safely say that from wedding rituals to the food we eat and the language we speak, we conform to Malay customs all the way."
Epilogue: I'm really sorry to them if they are suffering from inferiority complex because they are regarded as Indians even though they eat like Malays, speaks like Malays, acts like Malays, dress like Malays, practices whatever the Malays do, discard the Saree and wear kebaya or baju kurung.
Gepima president also said that "Muslims of Indian origin suffered an inferiority complex by being regarded as Indians."
"Our children do not even know how to speak Tamil. They only converse in Malay and our wives wear baju kurung or kebaya nowadays, no more the Saree."
Mohamed Kader said the Federal Constitution states that an Indian is a Malay "if he professes the Muslim religion, habitually speaks Malay and conforms to Malay custom."
"I can safely say that from wedding rituals to the food we eat and the language we speak, we conform to Malay customs all the way."
Epilogue: I'm really sorry to them if they are suffering from inferiority complex because they are regarded as Indians even though they eat like Malays, speaks like Malays, acts like Malays, dress like Malays, practices whatever the Malays do, discard the Saree and wear kebaya or baju kurung.
Anyway, there's some comforting news for the Indians.The Indian government has announced a scholarship programme for the children of persons of Indian origin and non-resident Indians.
The Indian High Commission said the scholarships were offered for undergraduate, professional and general courses in India for the academic year 2008-2009. However, the scholarships do not apply for medicine and medical-related courses.
The scholarship is 75 per cent of the institutional economic cost, which includes tuition and hostel fees and other charges, or US$3,600 (RM11,500), whichever is lesser.
And so, the Indians need not grief as the Indian government will assist them. For those Indians who are called Malays, I don't think you are eligible to apply; but you can apply JPA scholarships or others reserved for Bumiputeras.
The Chinese have to stay as Chinese Malaysians as China has not offered any scholarships for Chinese non-residents. The Chinese can apply to UTAR or TAR College for their education but the fees is similar to all other private colleges and universities. So the Chinese parents must work hard and save enough for their children's education.
The Chinese have to stay as Chinese Malaysians as China has not offered any scholarships for Chinese non-residents. The Chinese can apply to UTAR or TAR College for their education but the fees is similar to all other private colleges and universities. So the Chinese parents must work hard and save enough for their children's education.
Previous article in 2005:
Kimma seeks Malay status for Indian Muslims
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
English Language decline
New Straits Times Spell-It-Right contestShafiq Akmal paused only a minute before spelling the word “international”.
As soon as his English teacher announced that the spelling was correct, thunderous applause from his classmates filled the classroom.
“English is my favourite subject ...,”he said.
Shafiq, a Year Five pupil from SK AU Keramat in Lembah Keramat, has been reading up on difficult words ever since the New Straits Times announced its Spell-It-Right (SIR) challenge.
Yesterday, the entire class participated in a mini spelling contest organised by his English teacher, Mahainiza Abd Ghani, to identify representatives for the nationwide spelling challenge.
Congrats to Shafiq for passing the test. But I am sorry to state that it's not a joy to know that, these children are in Standard 5, that is, in their 5th years of formal schooling, and maybe more if these children had attended 2 years of Kindergarten schools.
Arkrit Jaswal was reading Shakespeare at the age of 5. Sofia Yusof, her brother Isaac and Iskandar were doind A-levels at the age of 7. James Harries was doing business at the age of 10 and by 14 had written a book called "From Rags to Riches. Ruth Lawrence entered Oxford University at the age of 12 to study Maths and was a professor at the age of 19. William James Sidis passed an Anatomy exam at Harvard Medical when he was 8-year-old and was lecturing by 11. Is it because they are whiz kids?
I had a friend who had a son age 5 and a daughter age 3. The son reads books on Anatomy and Science, learn and practices arithmetics. The daughter could read many English books intended for children at primary school. The fact is, her two children are not super-kids or whiz kids; they are normal children with normal intelligence. But the difference is that the mother gave her children books to read and write when others gave their children toys and TV.
A baby does not know about toys unless you gave it to them at a very early age and developed their likings and appreciations of those toys from the very beginning. The same child would have love books and writing if the mother had given the child books and exercise books from the age of 2. And if you put a baby in front of the TV to watch cartoons, Batman, Superman or Spiderman, then the child will grow up to prefer them. By the age of 7 or more, it will be too late to re-educate the child and the task becomes onerous.
If you love your child and wants them to be scholars, then ponder what I said. But if you think it is too wicked and unfair to the kids, then go ahead and give them cartoons, toys, and Spiderman, or even toy guns and plastic swords so that they can learn Kung Fu fighting; or let him/her watch Edison Chen to understand pleasure and fun.
As soon as his English teacher announced that the spelling was correct, thunderous applause from his classmates filled the classroom.
“English is my favourite subject ...,”he said.
Shafiq, a Year Five pupil from SK AU Keramat in Lembah Keramat, has been reading up on difficult words ever since the New Straits Times announced its Spell-It-Right (SIR) challenge.
Yesterday, the entire class participated in a mini spelling contest organised by his English teacher, Mahainiza Abd Ghani, to identify representatives for the nationwide spelling challenge.
Congrats to Shafiq for passing the test. But I am sorry to state that it's not a joy to know that, these children are in Standard 5, that is, in their 5th years of formal schooling, and maybe more if these children had attended 2 years of Kindergarten schools.
Arkrit Jaswal was reading Shakespeare at the age of 5. Sofia Yusof, her brother Isaac and Iskandar were doind A-levels at the age of 7. James Harries was doing business at the age of 10 and by 14 had written a book called "From Rags to Riches. Ruth Lawrence entered Oxford University at the age of 12 to study Maths and was a professor at the age of 19. William James Sidis passed an Anatomy exam at Harvard Medical when he was 8-year-old and was lecturing by 11. Is it because they are whiz kids?
I had a friend who had a son age 5 and a daughter age 3. The son reads books on Anatomy and Science, learn and practices arithmetics. The daughter could read many English books intended for children at primary school. The fact is, her two children are not super-kids or whiz kids; they are normal children with normal intelligence. But the difference is that the mother gave her children books to read and write when others gave their children toys and TV.
A baby does not know about toys unless you gave it to them at a very early age and developed their likings and appreciations of those toys from the very beginning. The same child would have love books and writing if the mother had given the child books and exercise books from the age of 2. And if you put a baby in front of the TV to watch cartoons, Batman, Superman or Spiderman, then the child will grow up to prefer them. By the age of 7 or more, it will be too late to re-educate the child and the task becomes onerous.
If you love your child and wants them to be scholars, then ponder what I said. But if you think it is too wicked and unfair to the kids, then go ahead and give them cartoons, toys, and Spiderman, or even toy guns and plastic swords so that they can learn Kung Fu fighting; or let him/her watch Edison Chen to understand pleasure and fun.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Chinese Dilemma
The Chinese people of Malaysia are seen as credulous people, morbid and carpe diem. They had been apathetic towards politics and spent all their energy focusing on the profusion of wealth or accumulation of abundance.
They practice pantheism and readily submit to materialistic subordination. In this life, nothing matter more than enjoyment which is indeed the foremost object and meaning of life. We look for the satisfaction of our desires in the future - to be rich, to be famous, and to be somebody in the eyes of everybody.
The admiration of others or reputation by themselves are their sources of pleasure.
But one of the chief difficulties in satisfying our desires is that we have to make choices, and include the choice of inflicting any amount of pain upon ourselves no matter how great the remote future gain is.
The Chinese had, over the decades preferred commerce and capitalism. Most prayed or adored Fok Lok Sau, the god of Prosperity, Abundance and Longitivity. They do not indulge seriously in politics and in the due course, left the political decisions to fate and destiny and others. They believed that money is far more credible than political influence, and their daily lives are geared towards acquisition of abundance of wealth, for themselves and for their generations to come.
But slowly, they have come to realize that sacrificing their political influence and dictates can, change their whole course of life, take away their accumulations, rights, freedom and opportunities, and even take away their dead bodies. Suddenly, they found themselves living in a world ruled with discretionary arbitrary dictates by coquettish despot who were guile and nefarious. Those who held power could even gerrymander and vacillate the rules, policies and even the constitution. They are found to be capricious, spurious, having puerile mindset, and are imperious.
Now, in order to participate in commerce, these Chinese will have to sacrifice a substantial portion of their ownings to others who contribute nothing, safe their name, creed and linkage. For those who are less prosperous, education for their children had become arcane and they suffers timorous uncertain agitation. Getting their children to universities had become arduous and beyond their ordinary means. But they can only cry, and thus cry in vain.
Under the surface of the current melancholy of peace and economic stability, there seems to be a strong undercurrent of genuine pessimism and disdain. They pout and sulk, and bears the feeling of acrimony.
Have we reach a state of Epicurean life where we have no faith in the past, no hope in the future, but could only await, quietly indeed, the natural dissolution of our body, so as to rest our souls under a stone of obituary?
In realizing this end, one has to use some means which may at some time be tiresome and we cannot be pusillanimous anymore. He who wants to get to some end without any positive and effective efforts defies himself.
Ok, let's get to other talks of the day.
They practice pantheism and readily submit to materialistic subordination. In this life, nothing matter more than enjoyment which is indeed the foremost object and meaning of life. We look for the satisfaction of our desires in the future - to be rich, to be famous, and to be somebody in the eyes of everybody.
The admiration of others or reputation by themselves are their sources of pleasure.
But one of the chief difficulties in satisfying our desires is that we have to make choices, and include the choice of inflicting any amount of pain upon ourselves no matter how great the remote future gain is.
The Chinese had, over the decades preferred commerce and capitalism. Most prayed or adored Fok Lok Sau, the god of Prosperity, Abundance and Longitivity. They do not indulge seriously in politics and in the due course, left the political decisions to fate and destiny and others. They believed that money is far more credible than political influence, and their daily lives are geared towards acquisition of abundance of wealth, for themselves and for their generations to come.
But slowly, they have come to realize that sacrificing their political influence and dictates can, change their whole course of life, take away their accumulations, rights, freedom and opportunities, and even take away their dead bodies. Suddenly, they found themselves living in a world ruled with discretionary arbitrary dictates by coquettish despot who were guile and nefarious. Those who held power could even gerrymander and vacillate the rules, policies and even the constitution. They are found to be capricious, spurious, having puerile mindset, and are imperious.
Now, in order to participate in commerce, these Chinese will have to sacrifice a substantial portion of their ownings to others who contribute nothing, safe their name, creed and linkage. For those who are less prosperous, education for their children had become arcane and they suffers timorous uncertain agitation. Getting their children to universities had become arduous and beyond their ordinary means. But they can only cry, and thus cry in vain.
Under the surface of the current melancholy of peace and economic stability, there seems to be a strong undercurrent of genuine pessimism and disdain. They pout and sulk, and bears the feeling of acrimony.
Have we reach a state of Epicurean life where we have no faith in the past, no hope in the future, but could only await, quietly indeed, the natural dissolution of our body, so as to rest our souls under a stone of obituary?
In realizing this end, one has to use some means which may at some time be tiresome and we cannot be pusillanimous anymore. He who wants to get to some end without any positive and effective efforts defies himself.
Ok, let's get to other talks of the day.
I wish I could speak Mandarin, says MuhyiddinUmno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has a wish – to be able to converse with fellow Malaysians in Mandarin, describing his inability to speak the language as a weakness.
He said he felt awkward when he listened to someone speaking in Mandarin or any Chinese dialect and could not understand what was being said.
He said that for this very reason he hoped the Malays would be more pragmatic when it came to language issues and urged them to learn Mandarin or even Tamil.
He said he felt awkward when he listened to someone speaking in Mandarin or any Chinese dialect and could not understand what was being said.
He said that for this very reason he hoped the Malays would be more pragmatic when it came to language issues and urged them to learn Mandarin or even Tamil.
Muhyiddin said he would like more Malay parents to send their children to Chinese schools, which now had about 60,000 Malay students throughout the country.
More Chinese primary schoolsMore Chinese primary schools will be built in highly-populated areas, said Deputy Education Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim.
Hon, however, declined to reveal the number that would be built or where they would be located (remarks: as probably he didn't even know about it as there was none in the plan too).
“Although I know the details, it should not come from my mouth (remarks: but he claim he knows of the details but his mouth has problem, probably suffering from ulcer)
“Wait a little while longer. The good news will be announced soon,” Hon said (remarks: ya, wait for the election time; that's soon).
For 50 years, the MCA is only capable to voice loudly in the hope of keeping alive the status of Chinese primary school; for all the rest are gone and cremated. You can put small prints of Chinese words on your signboard, but only small prints; the exception is Sarawak, the only state where you can see even road names in Chinese prints and big prints on shop fronts. You can't even built the statute of Mazu at Kudat.
If we can remember way back in the 1980s, MCA with Lee Kim Sai had to fought hard against the oligarchy to maintain the customary lion dance for the Chinese New year; it's absurd, but it's reality.
Some Indians are far luckier, not because they had Samy, but because they changed their name and spiritual affiliation and join UMNO. These groups have become the sons of the soils and had prospered while traveling along on the gravy train. Those others who would not seek such baptism of change had branded themselves under a new name, the Hindrafians.
But many of Chinese never saw a need to change their creed. They believed in the religion of Kautimism and Kantauism. So far they did it reasonably well because the oligarchy shared their core values and shared the same materialistic philosophy. So, they stayed pusillanimous, insouciant and nonchalant, while being desultory towards politics. But soon, they should pay the ultimate price of regression and atrophy.
Hon, however, declined to reveal the number that would be built or where they would be located (remarks: as probably he didn't even know about it as there was none in the plan too).
“Although I know the details, it should not come from my mouth (remarks: but he claim he knows of the details but his mouth has problem, probably suffering from ulcer)
“Wait a little while longer. The good news will be announced soon,” Hon said (remarks: ya, wait for the election time; that's soon).
For 50 years, the MCA is only capable to voice loudly in the hope of keeping alive the status of Chinese primary school; for all the rest are gone and cremated. You can put small prints of Chinese words on your signboard, but only small prints; the exception is Sarawak, the only state where you can see even road names in Chinese prints and big prints on shop fronts. You can't even built the statute of Mazu at Kudat.
If we can remember way back in the 1980s, MCA with Lee Kim Sai had to fought hard against the oligarchy to maintain the customary lion dance for the Chinese New year; it's absurd, but it's reality.
Some Indians are far luckier, not because they had Samy, but because they changed their name and spiritual affiliation and join UMNO. These groups have become the sons of the soils and had prospered while traveling along on the gravy train. Those others who would not seek such baptism of change had branded themselves under a new name, the Hindrafians.
But many of Chinese never saw a need to change their creed. They believed in the religion of Kautimism and Kantauism. So far they did it reasonably well because the oligarchy shared their core values and shared the same materialistic philosophy. So, they stayed pusillanimous, insouciant and nonchalant, while being desultory towards politics. But soon, they should pay the ultimate price of regression and atrophy.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
I seek a nation that is truly one nation.
Penny Wong's Inaugural Speech
Labor Senator for South Australia
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workforce Participation,
Corporate Governance and Responsibility
Abstract of the Speech:
I Ponder! I ponder and ponder and ponder! Wasn't this written for Malaysia and Malaysians?
Wasn't she referring to Malaysia and Malaysians?
Maybe not, for we are Ethnocentric.
Labor Senator for South Australia
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workforce Participation,
Corporate Governance and Responsibility
Penny Wong is an ex-Malaysian who has made it good in Australia and making her inaugural fiery speech on the State of the Nation! It's a speech worth listening to!
Abstract of the Speech:
It is an extraordinary privilege and honour to stand here today in this place, and to have the opportunity to speak in this chamber. To be a member of the parliament of this country is almost beyond my comprehension.
I start by acknowledging the indigenous peoples of Australia. That we stand on their land.
What lies at the heart of any truly civilised society? Surely it must be compassion. Surely compassion must be that underlying principle, the core value at the heart of our collective consciousness.
If not compassion, then what? Economic efficiency? Or the imposition of some subjective moral code, defined by some and imposed on the many.
To call for compassion is not a plea for some bleeding-heart view of the world, or a retreat to weak or populist government. Nor is it to shirk the responsibility of leadership to make hard decisions when these are called for.
But is it to assert that those with power should act with compassion for those who have less.
And that the experience of those who are marginalised cannot be bypassed or ignored or minimised as it so often is.
Compassion is what underscores our relationships with one another. And it is compassion which enables us to come to a place of community even in our diversity.
Yet this country in recent times has been sadly lacking in compassion.
Let us reclaim the phrase one nation.
I seek a nation that is truly one nation.
One in which all Australians can share.
Regardless of race or gender, or other attribute.
Regardless of where they live.
Where difference is not a basis for exclusion.
We do not live in such a country.
We are not yet truly one nation.
But it is the task of political leaders to build one.
We are a nation in which where you live determines your likelihood of success. Where disadvantage has become more entrenched. Where the poor are getting poorer. And where this government fails to act to bring real opportunities to those who have few.
The shared dream of an egalitarian Australia is increasingly becoming a myth. Income distribution over the last decade is characterised by a disappearing middle, but increasing numbers of low and high income earners.
There is a widening gap between poor and rich Australians. Over the last decade the top 10% of income earners in this country enjoyed an increase of around 5.6% of their total income share, the bottom 10% suffered a reduction of 3.1% (Harding and Greenwell, June 2002)
There are many reasons for this phenomenon. One driving force is the increasing openness of our economy to the world.
Much has been written and said about globalisation. We are part of a globalised economy, for better or worse, and that will not change. It presents us with both enormous opportunities and enormous challenges.
The shape of our country in the decades to come will be largely determined by how we deal with the changes brought by globalisation. We must ensure that the benefits are shared. We must equip Australians better for this new world. Allowing the market place to determine the outcome will simply entrench disadvantage and exacerbate existing inequalities. This will undermine the social fabric of the Australian community.
One thing my father always told me was this: “they can take everything away from you, but they can’t take your education”. For him, the opportunity for study he was given, particularly the Colombo Plan scholarship to Australia, defined his life. It gave him opportunities he would never otherwise have had, and enabled him to climb out of the poverty he experienced as a child in Malaysia. It is one large part of how I come to be here today.
We know that when a child is born in our country, that child’s access to learning opportunities, and how much schooling the parents have are factors that will have an enormous impact on his or her future.
Why then do we find it acceptable as a community to remove resources from our public schools and give them to wealthier private schools?
Another dimension to the increasing inequality in this country is a spatial one. Inequality can increasingly be described on a regional basis. And by regions I do not only mean rural areas, I am also referring to metropolitan regions – those areas in our cities and outer metropolitan areas which are vulnerable and disadvantaged. One commentator has described these areas as “islands largely outside the main traffic routes of economic growth”.
I say government has to redirect the traffic.
I say there is. It is the responsibility of the national government to truly govern for all Australians regardless of where they live.
Our cities are not homogenous nor is there equality of opportunity as between different metropolitan areas. You cannot govern with a one size fits all approach. Bringing a more regionally focused dimension to economic policy is fundamentally an issue of equity. It is a Labor agenda.
I seek a nation that is truly one nation. One in which all Australians can share, regardless of race.
Instead, I believe we are in danger of being swamped by prejudice.
Let us speak openly and honestly about race in this country. About what last year’s election signified. And where we are now.
Let us speak openly about the damage that has been done. And let us do it without being subject to the dismissive and disrespectful taunts about political correctness.
In recent years there has been much preaching from this Prime Minister about political correctness. That we had too much of it.
Instead now we have a climate in which someone who speaks out about injustice or prejudice or discrimination is dismissed as simply being politically correct. Compassion has been delegitimised – instead it is seen as elitism.
It is as if we have developed a new orthodoxy. One in which it is correct to defend racism, but incorrect to defend tolerance. We have a new political correctness.
When I and many others speak of the way this government engenders division, not unity we do not do so because it is politically correct. We do so because we believe it. Because we see it. And because it saddens us.
We say that it is wrong, what has been done and said. Not because we ascribe to some obscure elitist moral code, but because we believe it is harmful to our community.
Prejudice and distrust cannot build a community, but they can tear one apart.
Australia is a country of vast distances and open spaces and many different environments. It is no less diverse in its peoples than in its landscape. This diversity can be an aspect of our shared identity, or it can be the fault line around which our community fractures.
I remember returning from Malaysia after visiting my family there during this time. And when the aircraft wheels hit the tarmac, I recall feeling like this was really my country. Not just in my heart, but that I was included, that our national identity was for me as well. Nationhood is so much about a shared history and a belief in a shared future.
When asked to comment on whether Aboriginal and Asian Australians should be protected from people like Pauline Hanson, the Prime Minister said “Well, are you saying that somebody shouldn’t be allowed to say what she said? I would say in a country such as Australia people should be allowed to say that”.
What sort of message does this send to our community? That it is acceptable to rail against people who look different? That these sort of comments are no different from any other sort of political commentary?
Leadership was called for. Not to deny freedom of speech, but to assert the harm in what she said. Leadership was called for, but was not provided.
Who can forget that most enduring image of last year’s election campaign, that photograph of the Prime Minister, in sober black and white, attempting to look statesmanlike, with the slogan ”we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come”.
This is the statement which epitomises Prime Minister Howard’s vision for this country. This is the core of what he offered us at the last election. It is a statement of self evident fact. It is not a policy statement. Of course we decide who comes to this country.
So why say it?
The only reason that you would is because you wanted to strike a chord of discord. Because you wanted to foster division.
What motivates a government to do such a thing?
What underlies this litany of divisive politicking is a lack of compassion. A lack of compassion for the other, for those who might be adversely affected.
There may be some who will say I am being too critical. I ask them this. When has your Prime Minister done or said something that made you feel proud to be Australian?
When can you point to a time when he exercised his leadership to bring Australians together?
I believe the vast majority of Australians are good-hearted people. We have a sense of fairness, and a commonsense approach to the world. It keeps us grounded.
I also believe the factors which most weigh on social cohesion are economic hardship, and political leadership.
People don’t share if they don’t have their fair share. Nor do they listen if they are not listened to. So we must work to create a nation where there is a fair share for all.
And we must listen and discuss, not lecture. But we must never again go down that path that was shown to us last year, where the fault lines within our community were opened up for base political purposes.
Let us hold onto that shared belief, that common purpose that arises at certain moments in our history. Let us truly be one nation.
I start by acknowledging the indigenous peoples of Australia. That we stand on their land.
What lies at the heart of any truly civilised society? Surely it must be compassion. Surely compassion must be that underlying principle, the core value at the heart of our collective consciousness.
If not compassion, then what? Economic efficiency? Or the imposition of some subjective moral code, defined by some and imposed on the many.
To call for compassion is not a plea for some bleeding-heart view of the world, or a retreat to weak or populist government. Nor is it to shirk the responsibility of leadership to make hard decisions when these are called for.
But is it to assert that those with power should act with compassion for those who have less.
And that the experience of those who are marginalised cannot be bypassed or ignored or minimised as it so often is.
Compassion is what underscores our relationships with one another. And it is compassion which enables us to come to a place of community even in our diversity.
Yet this country in recent times has been sadly lacking in compassion.
Let us reclaim the phrase one nation.
I seek a nation that is truly one nation.
One in which all Australians can share.
Regardless of race or gender, or other attribute.
Regardless of where they live.
Where difference is not a basis for exclusion.
We do not live in such a country.
We are not yet truly one nation.
But it is the task of political leaders to build one.
We are a nation in which where you live determines your likelihood of success. Where disadvantage has become more entrenched. Where the poor are getting poorer. And where this government fails to act to bring real opportunities to those who have few.
The shared dream of an egalitarian Australia is increasingly becoming a myth. Income distribution over the last decade is characterised by a disappearing middle, but increasing numbers of low and high income earners.
There is a widening gap between poor and rich Australians. Over the last decade the top 10% of income earners in this country enjoyed an increase of around 5.6% of their total income share, the bottom 10% suffered a reduction of 3.1% (Harding and Greenwell, June 2002)
There are many reasons for this phenomenon. One driving force is the increasing openness of our economy to the world.
Much has been written and said about globalisation. We are part of a globalised economy, for better or worse, and that will not change. It presents us with both enormous opportunities and enormous challenges.
The shape of our country in the decades to come will be largely determined by how we deal with the changes brought by globalisation. We must ensure that the benefits are shared. We must equip Australians better for this new world. Allowing the market place to determine the outcome will simply entrench disadvantage and exacerbate existing inequalities. This will undermine the social fabric of the Australian community.
One thing my father always told me was this: “they can take everything away from you, but they can’t take your education”. For him, the opportunity for study he was given, particularly the Colombo Plan scholarship to Australia, defined his life. It gave him opportunities he would never otherwise have had, and enabled him to climb out of the poverty he experienced as a child in Malaysia. It is one large part of how I come to be here today.
We know that when a child is born in our country, that child’s access to learning opportunities, and how much schooling the parents have are factors that will have an enormous impact on his or her future.
Why then do we find it acceptable as a community to remove resources from our public schools and give them to wealthier private schools?
Another dimension to the increasing inequality in this country is a spatial one. Inequality can increasingly be described on a regional basis. And by regions I do not only mean rural areas, I am also referring to metropolitan regions – those areas in our cities and outer metropolitan areas which are vulnerable and disadvantaged. One commentator has described these areas as “islands largely outside the main traffic routes of economic growth”.
I say government has to redirect the traffic.
I say there is. It is the responsibility of the national government to truly govern for all Australians regardless of where they live.
Our cities are not homogenous nor is there equality of opportunity as between different metropolitan areas. You cannot govern with a one size fits all approach. Bringing a more regionally focused dimension to economic policy is fundamentally an issue of equity. It is a Labor agenda.
I seek a nation that is truly one nation. One in which all Australians can share, regardless of race.
Instead, I believe we are in danger of being swamped by prejudice.
Let us speak openly and honestly about race in this country. About what last year’s election signified. And where we are now.
Let us speak openly about the damage that has been done. And let us do it without being subject to the dismissive and disrespectful taunts about political correctness.
In recent years there has been much preaching from this Prime Minister about political correctness. That we had too much of it.
Instead now we have a climate in which someone who speaks out about injustice or prejudice or discrimination is dismissed as simply being politically correct. Compassion has been delegitimised – instead it is seen as elitism.
It is as if we have developed a new orthodoxy. One in which it is correct to defend racism, but incorrect to defend tolerance. We have a new political correctness.
When I and many others speak of the way this government engenders division, not unity we do not do so because it is politically correct. We do so because we believe it. Because we see it. And because it saddens us.
We say that it is wrong, what has been done and said. Not because we ascribe to some obscure elitist moral code, but because we believe it is harmful to our community.
Prejudice and distrust cannot build a community, but they can tear one apart.
Australia is a country of vast distances and open spaces and many different environments. It is no less diverse in its peoples than in its landscape. This diversity can be an aspect of our shared identity, or it can be the fault line around which our community fractures.
I remember returning from Malaysia after visiting my family there during this time. And when the aircraft wheels hit the tarmac, I recall feeling like this was really my country. Not just in my heart, but that I was included, that our national identity was for me as well. Nationhood is so much about a shared history and a belief in a shared future.
When asked to comment on whether Aboriginal and Asian Australians should be protected from people like Pauline Hanson, the Prime Minister said “Well, are you saying that somebody shouldn’t be allowed to say what she said? I would say in a country such as Australia people should be allowed to say that”.
What sort of message does this send to our community? That it is acceptable to rail against people who look different? That these sort of comments are no different from any other sort of political commentary?
Leadership was called for. Not to deny freedom of speech, but to assert the harm in what she said. Leadership was called for, but was not provided.
Who can forget that most enduring image of last year’s election campaign, that photograph of the Prime Minister, in sober black and white, attempting to look statesmanlike, with the slogan ”we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come”.
This is the statement which epitomises Prime Minister Howard’s vision for this country. This is the core of what he offered us at the last election. It is a statement of self evident fact. It is not a policy statement. Of course we decide who comes to this country.
So why say it?
The only reason that you would is because you wanted to strike a chord of discord. Because you wanted to foster division.
What motivates a government to do such a thing?
What underlies this litany of divisive politicking is a lack of compassion. A lack of compassion for the other, for those who might be adversely affected.
There may be some who will say I am being too critical. I ask them this. When has your Prime Minister done or said something that made you feel proud to be Australian?
When can you point to a time when he exercised his leadership to bring Australians together?
I believe the vast majority of Australians are good-hearted people. We have a sense of fairness, and a commonsense approach to the world. It keeps us grounded.
I also believe the factors which most weigh on social cohesion are economic hardship, and political leadership.
People don’t share if they don’t have their fair share. Nor do they listen if they are not listened to. So we must work to create a nation where there is a fair share for all.
And we must listen and discuss, not lecture. But we must never again go down that path that was shown to us last year, where the fault lines within our community were opened up for base political purposes.
Let us hold onto that shared belief, that common purpose that arises at certain moments in our history. Let us truly be one nation.
I Ponder! I ponder and ponder and ponder! Wasn't this written for Malaysia and Malaysians?
Wasn't she referring to Malaysia and Malaysians?
Maybe not, for we are Ethnocentric.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Public Universities fails test
Today's Headline:
Public universities fail outstanding test
PUTRAJAYA: In a sad commentary on the state of the nation's public universities, a government survey has concluded that none of them are outstanding.
Is this shocking? NO! In fact, we are please that none of our public universities falls below the "Less satisfactory and Weak" Level. Why? Is it true that none is below "less satisfactory"? The participants in the survey were made up of partly academicians and corporate HR. They are public relations officer, preferring maintain harmony and goodwill. None wants to rock the "boat".
However, if another survey can be carried out to cover a wider spectrum of population and to include various segments of people, we could have a much worrying results.
Public universities fail outstanding test
PUTRAJAYA: In a sad commentary on the state of the nation's public universities, a government survey has concluded that none of them are outstanding.
Is this shocking? NO! In fact, we are please that none of our public universities falls below the "Less satisfactory and Weak" Level. Why? Is it true that none is below "less satisfactory"? The participants in the survey were made up of partly academicians and corporate HR. They are public relations officer, preferring maintain harmony and goodwill. None wants to rock the "boat".
However, if another survey can be carried out to cover a wider spectrum of population and to include various segments of people, we could have a much worrying results.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
MPs & Excos - Go buy a Degree
Mentri Besar Mohd Tajol Rosli Ghazali said he will force his State Exco members to get a degree."Without a degree, it will be very difficult for them in politics."
"It is not a question of merely serving the people anymore. Those days are gone."
"If these assemblymen want to be somebody in politics one day and be appointed an executive council member or become a member of parliament, they have to further their studies."
At a certain point, I do agree with Tajol Rosli. Lack of educational qualification is a disadvantage and often can be equated to lack of knowledge and competencies. Knowledge of philosophy, psychology and sociology, including political science and jurisprudence, are a necessary elements for good management and governing. Parliamentarians and State Assemblymen are law-makers, and they have a fiduciary duty to perform, to serve the people, the society and the whole spectrum of the community they represent. At such, lacking in theories and applications of the knowledge areas can be detrimental and often led to discriminative thoughts and myopic discernments, leading to racial and religious segmentation and disintegration.
However, having a degree means nothing if the knowledge is not inculcated and ingrained within the thoughts spectrum. Far worse is the fact that we can "PURCHASE or NEGOTIATE" a degree quite easily in Malaysia. If you can research and observe our Malaysian universities, you may realize that the system is made to generate and mass produce graduates without the basic and fundamental knowledge. The universities basically rush out the production line, passing everyone, making every students happy. We manufacture graduates; they need not necessary have the knowledge. The classes are conducted mechanically; we generate automatons.
This statement seems harsh and "Unbecoming". But the truth is always painful and "degrading". However, a truth is a truth, and as long as our torpid mentality continues to rules our system, our obtuseness will lead us to a moronic state and ultimately, calcified oxymoronicism.
We may have a man in space, and will be landing in moon soon, with a hypervision to land in Mars. But we have only darkness that had prevailed within a dysfunctional system. The saying goes - Only Malaysian believed that we will be the first to land on the Sun, albeit at night.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Indecency or Impudence?
Look at the photo - is this indecent?Mum stops wearing sleeveless tops to daughter's school
This woman, who declined to be named, had been wearing tank tops when she took her 8-year-old daughter to school daily.
Her child is studying in a primary school in Sungei Petani, Kedah, reported China Press.
This young mother, a beautician, recently received two warning SMSes from the principal, prohibiting her from wearing such 'sexy and revealing' clothes in the school.
The mother said: 'My usual attire is spaghetti-strap tops and the school never had any problems with it previously.
'But after the new principal took over, I was barred from wearing such clothes if I wanted to enter the school.'
She said he warned her to 'dress appropriately'.
'The principal also told my daughter to tell me not to wear clothes that are too sexy.
'I should be free to wear what I want. How can the school tell me what to wear? I do not think my clothes are revealing.'
But to prevent the principal from harassing her daughter, the mother said she would comply with the request.
She said: 'Now, when I send my daughter to school, I wear clothes with sleeves.'
The mother alleged that just last week, her daughter was slapped on the hand by her form teacher because she forgot her textbook.
'My daughter's hand was swollen and red, and she was crying,' she said.
When approached by China Press, the principal declined to comment and would only say that the matter had been settled.
Is this what Najib referred to as "Standing few inches taller?"
Is the nation suffering from womanmania or phobiamaniacism?
What is the code of conduct for mothers' dresses when they sent their children to school? Has religion or moral decayed to a state of impotence?
I don't know but I know that "few inches do stand".
(Note: Thanks to Hasilox the news and the link)
Her child is studying in a primary school in Sungei Petani, Kedah, reported China Press.
This young mother, a beautician, recently received two warning SMSes from the principal, prohibiting her from wearing such 'sexy and revealing' clothes in the school.
The mother said: 'My usual attire is spaghetti-strap tops and the school never had any problems with it previously.
'But after the new principal took over, I was barred from wearing such clothes if I wanted to enter the school.'
She said he warned her to 'dress appropriately'.
'The principal also told my daughter to tell me not to wear clothes that are too sexy.
'I should be free to wear what I want. How can the school tell me what to wear? I do not think my clothes are revealing.'
But to prevent the principal from harassing her daughter, the mother said she would comply with the request.
She said: 'Now, when I send my daughter to school, I wear clothes with sleeves.'
The mother alleged that just last week, her daughter was slapped on the hand by her form teacher because she forgot her textbook.
'My daughter's hand was swollen and red, and she was crying,' she said.
When approached by China Press, the principal declined to comment and would only say that the matter had been settled.
Is this what Najib referred to as "Standing few inches taller?"
Is the nation suffering from womanmania or phobiamaniacism?
What is the code of conduct for mothers' dresses when they sent their children to school? Has religion or moral decayed to a state of impotence?
I don't know but I know that "few inches do stand".
(Note: Thanks to Hasilox the news and the link)
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
University Degree by Handphone
I truly love Malaysia!Now, Malaysians of all walks of life can earn a University Degree by handphone.
Malaysia will be the first country in the world with the record of degree holders. All you need is a handphone and you will be able to participate in the tutorials. I believed that they would implement the exam and test using sms too. This way, it facilitates and speed up the process of giving everyone a university degree.
Malaysia Boleh!God help us, please!
Oh sorry, God please help our govt, please!
Oh sorry, God please help our graduates, please!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Najib disappointed with Hishamuddin?
DPM Najib Razak said he is all for sports to return to schools but is not too impressed with the Education Ministry’s programme in making the objective a reality.
Najib asked the Education Ministry to come up with a comprehensive blueprint to ensure its efforts are channeled in that direction to achieve the primary objective in turning around the fortune of sports.
In order to make it a success, Najib wants the Education Minister himself to head the new development programme.
Is this a slap in the face for Education Minister Hishamuddin?
Najib asked the Education Ministry to come up with a comprehensive blueprint to ensure its efforts are channeled in that direction to achieve the primary objective in turning around the fortune of sports.
In order to make it a success, Najib wants the Education Minister himself to head the new development programme.
Is this a slap in the face for Education Minister Hishamuddin?
Friday, July 13, 2007
Dilemma of a School Teacher
She is a beautiful girl. But she would use vulgar words on teachers if she is provoked.That's how students behaved today. They know that they can do it because it would get the teacher angry and lose their cool, do silly things and ultimately be suspended.
They called it student power! Today, we have a different kind of student power. 3-decades ago, the student power is used to deal with political abuses and to protect students'' rights. Now, the students are aware of the attention they get from politicians and PTA. So, they used it and they got the results wanted.
Lim Nien Nie is only 13. She is from SM Raja Lumu in Klang Pandamaran. The teacher scolded her for shouting and using vulgar words at another students. She responded to the teacher with the same "good" manners. Probably, she uses a far "stronger" words on the teacher in order to forward her point to sent clear signals to the teacher. The teacher received her point clearly and unambiguously. The message caused the teacher's nerve to react instantaneously and caught her face. She called it "two punches".
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar immediately instructed the teacher to be suspended and advised the parents to engage a lawyer to sue the teacher if they so wished. Nien Nie's father, Lim Kim Chung, 41, then lodged a police report.
If you are a teacher, how would you deal with such students?(exclude the good students and those who behaved well)
Let them be what they are, garbage, or, educate them till they changed for the better?
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
SEx Education: Instant Result
The sex education introduced this year had been quite successful. It bears instant result.A 39-year-old teacher who is the physical education teacher has volunteered to tutor a consenting 17-year-old form 5 student.
Unfortunately, we may not get to read those news from the Chinese and Indian teachers as there is no such enforcers.
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