Buy a University place?

Want a pace in varsity? Buy a number

Reported at The Star
page N23
25 February 2009

Students who want to apply for a pace in public universities (IPTA) must buy an ID number to forward their applications.

From March 3, 2009, they can buy the number for RM10.60 - RM15.60 at Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN).

According to Higher Education Department Director-General Datuk Prof Radin Umar, those who bought the number would then be given 3 chances to make changes.

Note: the unique number purchase is not intended to be like Magnum or Sports Toto or BigSweep. It's necessary because there are too many applicants (139,207) and only 40,500 places available for grabs.

Note: This is not about buying degrees; it is buying a privilege to make changes on their applications before the closing date.

Note: Those who cannot afford may have to apply for loan from banks or their political representative - MP or ADUN.

Source: The Star

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

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.

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.

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

College Students & UMNO Politics

Higher Education Minister Mustapa Mohamad had warned university students not to be involved in politics and if found involved, they would be expelled from the university.

It is interesting to note that these two 20-year old students from Community college, Siti Norhanura Halim (right) and Siti Hajar Hamdan were recruited as volunteers by UMNO-Barisan Nasional Perlis to lend a helping hand, packing asam jawa and misai kuching drinks for party election workers who is deployed by UMNO's campaign tyeam for Kangar MP Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad.

There were about 100,000 bottles of drinks for all election operation centres.

So, is it okay for college and university students to be involved with UMNO and Barisan campaign team? Does this reflect a two-standard system for university; one for students involved in Barisan and another for others; that it is okay for students to be involved with Barisan politics but not for others?

That's the dilemma for Malaysian students; they cannot be allowed to be involved in politics with an exception evidenced here.

Varsity: A smooth ride down, down, down!

Deepavali is over. Hari Raya had passed almost one month. The next festival for celebration will be Christmas, which is one and a half month away.

Each year passed by with a few blinks of the eyes. Time flies and is gone forever. At each passing day we will have to ponder what we had achieved in life, and what had happened to our lives. Have we become better? Have we made the world a better place to live in? Have we provided the foundations of education for our children such that they will become an asset to society and thereof be able to provide for themselves?

Many moan, not because we didn't try. Many moan because they couldn't get their children to public universities because more than 400,000 students are vying for 50,000 places available in our public universities.

I won't moan... because there's no difference; there's nothing to cheer or be happy about whether my children goes to university or not. This is because each year we had more than 50% of the graduates struggling to find jobs with their degree. The corporate sectors are suffering from nausea; they just can't get "good" graduates. By 'good', we meant those who have the basic requisite knowledge of the science of management and a good background of management theories where they then apply to their works, and derive deliverables. So, the term "unemployable graduates" were coined; many are not unemployed, they are unemployable. They can't communicate, they can speak proper English, they can't design, they can't even write simple letters. They can only do daily office administrative cores like delivering mails or sending documents, sorting and filing documents, drive their colleagues to work or meetings.

Do we blame them? No! I won't blame them. They were victims of circumstances. The educational system developed them to be what they are. They remembered Confucius saying, "We reap what we sow", "for we sow, thus we reap". We now reap what we had sowed. Mahathir started the educational evolution downtrend. He changed Science and Mathematics to Bahasa Malaysia and downgraded the English syllabus. English literature was abolished in school lessons. All subjects except for the subject of English was converted to Bahasa Malaysia. This was done in the name of patriotism and nationalism. By the time Mahathir decides to retire, he regretted that. But it was too late. Now, we reap the fruits of that labor.

Now, Khairy, the Prime Minister's Son-in-Law, is telling the government it is no shame to go back to the basics (science and mathematics be taught in Bahasa Malaysia) as English has proven to be a barrier for the pupils to acquire knowledge.

What a profound statement! An Oxfordian, a man who graduated from an Ivy league university who prided himself of such, declares that English has proven to be a barrier to acquire knowledge. I leave you to ponder over this profound statement.

So, is it surprising that the THES World Universities Ranking results are published? Last year (2006), UKM ranked 185th. It was an improvement from 289th in 2005. They were so happy that they had move up to the Top 200. This year (2007), UKM is ranked 309th. UKM is now not even in the Top 300. What had happened? What had made them such?

University Malaya was ranked among the Top 100 in 2004. In 2005, they ranked 169th but MU prided itself over being listed among the top 100 in three of the five academic categories. MU then erected billboards, buntings and banners to mark its ranking. Despite being listed among the top 100 in Arts and Humanities, Biomedicine and Social Sciences, UM’s overall ranking in a survey published by The Times Higher Education Supplement fell from the 89th to the 169th position. Lim Kit Siang said the banners should be taken down immediately as they were “a clear case of misguided waste of money.” MU had launched the next phase of its “campaign of self-jubilation” by distributing leaflets with an article by vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Hashim Yaacob highlighting the university’s success.

Then in 2006, MU was ranked 192nd. dropping 23 position. Well, the minister said they are still within top 200. And now inn 2007, MU achieved 246th. position, surpassed by 54 other lower ranking universities. USM falls from 277th to 307th.

Do we have a good reason for the poor performance? Yes, always YES! UKM and MU vice-chancellors attributed their fall to the methodology used to calculate ranking. "Even NUS has dropped to 33rd spot when it was within top 10," they said. "Smaller Countries like Malaysia are bound to lose out as THES has introduced new criteria which is peer review," they blamed. Is it true or justified? Hong Kong is a small country. Singapore is a fraction of Johor state. Taiwan is even smaller. Is small the reason? Our leaders like to believe so. We find reasons to justify so as to satisfy. We can do no wrong. It's others, it's not our fault. We are always blameless. The crime rate in Johor Bahru rises; we blame the Singaporean gangsters. Nurin's death, we blame the parents for being negligent. Lingham's scandalous video, we blame the opposition. PKFZ fiasco we blame Jafza, Malay poverty, they blame the Chinese businessmen, Police corruption and organized crime, they blame internal conspiracy within the police force. We will blame everything or anything except ourselves.

Pak Lah said at the UMNO general assembly:

"We have received international acknowledgment for our success..."

We have put one Malaysian in space, and we are going to sent him to the Moon soon. In fact, Malaysia's National Space Agency and the Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis is planning for the mission to Mars and buying the Soyuz rocket costing more than US$65 million for display to attract tourist and tell them about our achievement. Our Cosmonaut-space participant, Muszaphar concurred with Jamaluddin on the purchase of the rocket.

UKM Professor Shamsul Amri shared his concern of the current alarming issues such as inter-religious harmony, the rising crime rate, inflation, rising oil prices, which he rightly state as the bread and butter concerns and needed special urgencies. "For the man in the street these worries have over the past years created feelings of uncertainty."

UMNO Youth Azimi Daim said while most voters knew about the issues, the tougher fight was in convincing them of the government's determination to resolve their worries.

I agree with Azimi. How to convince ordinary Malaysians that there is affirmative actions to resolve these worries when, each passing day, we hear of abuses, corruptors and gangsters being incarcerated, billions of dollars poured into failed projects, sending a passenger to the international space but claiming to be the pilot of the rocket and further claiming to have done scientific experiment with kuih and ketupat and playing tops in zero-gravity, and what was actually achieved and paraded is a Malaysian flag with a signature was endorsed by the cosmonauts at the space station - that's what was achieved!

According to Pak Lah, "The presumption that the Iskandar Development Region will harm Malays is an insult to the ability of Malays to compete on the global stage.

I agree Mr Prime Minister. But the other presumptions are also analogous to your assumed presumption. The presumption that NEP has still not achieve it's target of 30% was fictitious and a ploy. The presumption that the NEP has to create a group of Malays to be in the top 10 of the world riches listing is a fallacy. The presumption that we can manufacture an Apex University with the current academic administrators are fallacious and a malaprop. The universities' standards of education is driving smoothly and rapidly downhill - that's a reality! Another reality - UMNO has become the most corrupt organization - that's a hypothesis to be confirmed in a survey.

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.

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.

Another UPM Fracas

Did you see how government officers acted as if they are big time gangsters?

You can see them in UPM.

In Malaysia, it isn't just police brutality. The bullying culture and values are ingrained and adopted by the governmental department officers as a way to intimidate the citizens and to pressurized them to be subordinated and become pagans.

In the previous episode, it was the student union members who was bullying the other students. This time it is the officers from the student affairs department (HEP) in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), raided the hostel room of the student, confiscated his laptop, handphone, MP4 player, pen-drives, leaflets and personal documents.

How is it that the law now can be exercised arbitrarily and with powers unlimited by basic officers? Has Malaysia now become a police state? It is observed that we now have become far worse than the communists in the way power had been exercised and citizens being intimidated till they are subdued and machinated.

It is about time the people of the nation wakes up to explicitly and expressly indicate to the government that we would not accept a police state in whatever form and clothes they dressed up with. We are fed up with all these form of intimidation, suppression, and oppression. This message must be clear and unequivocal.

Read more at:


Jeff Ooi
Malaysiakini TV

A Father's Dream (Part2)

In my earlier article I mention of my eldest son William's graduation. I didn't have his graduation photo. Today, he posted it in his blog. So, I stole one of them to post it here.

The boy is my son William. The girl is his girlfriend Pauline.

In my earlier post, I really do not know whether the girl was Henry's girlfriend or wasn't, as I have not met her till today, and my children are not staying with me. I think some of my esteem readers had misconstrued it as some kind of repulsion or *who knows what*... I have always allowed by children the choice and freedom to choose their friends or partners, and they know I wouldn't interfere with their decisions.

Reading William's article, I was caught by his statement that he intends to go for his Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA). I remembered when he completed his first degree I had asked him to do his Master Degree. He did not agree initially as he said he wants to work (and tired of studying, and would only consider doing his masters at a much later stage. Less than 6 months later, he told me he is willing to sign up for an MBA at University Utara Malaysia (UUM). I was of course delighted to hear of it. Now, he said he wants to do his doctorate... oh!!!! I am so glad, son! It is the pinnacle of your academic achievement and surely more of a self-actualization.

William is only 25, and has a reasonably successful career life. An added doctorate to his academic achievement would surely be the most meaningful dream. Son, you made me proud and I would be with you at the next graduation; I promise!!! Nothing will stop me next convocation, even if I had to be sacked by my bosses.

Today's News in Brief

JKR and Project News

Samy Vellu says contractors' whose project are delayed must buck up or be terminated.

Samy, did you know why so many projects delayed? Did they tell you?

Many projects were delayed because:

(1) Construction design and drawings were not issued to the contractor as scheduled;

(2) Too much changes to design, modification and alteration of design and quality, and changes requested by Clients (requests by the ministries themselves);

(3) In adequate design and lack of information due to consulting engineers fault;

(4) Late payments and delay in certification of payments and under-certification of claims that resulted in contractors facing cash flow problems;

(5) Late appointment of Nominated Sub-contractors and delay in the approval of shopdrawings by the consulting engineers, largely due to the inadequate design information and changes;

(6) Incompetent contractors selected by the Ministry or EPU who bulldozed the award even though JKR had objected to the appointment;

(7) Incompetent Minister and gross interference from him; etc, etc.

Samy, bad apples must go...

It must also apply to ministers, too!

Of course there are quite some incompetent civil servants, most of whom are politically well-connected, and well-connected to Samy himself.

There are also a few high ranking senior officers who refused to learn, refused to accept criticisms and suggestions of improvements, and worst of all, take actions to marginalise those who made critical comments of their weakness. I was one of them, sir.

Reshuffling the national school curriculum

Dear Hisham, keep tinkering...

You will not find the answer to our educational problem.

The problem doesn't lie just with the curriculum. It lies with the administration. Look at the headmasters and teachers... you can discover the profound knowledge there!!!




Oh, BTW, cheating in schools have improved and advance with the need to reshuffle the curriculum.

This is the Paradox!

The ministry wants to manufacture more graduates...

The school also have to assist in generating them; and if they can't, there is always an innovative way, something similar in our universities... assistance.

You too, Mr PM... & your SIL too!

Big News from Khairy for Unemployable Graduates

Prime Minister (sil) Khairy Jamaluddin called on graduates from Malaysian public universities to be prepared to work in fields unrelated to their professional qualification.

According to Khairy, graduates should not be fussy and choosy when picking their first and second job. Khairy felt that the unemployment problems of graduates is due largely to mismatch of qualification and skills required by employers.

Khairy is right. It is observed that 80% of the engineering graduates can't do engineering design works. I have personally interviewed many graduate civil and mechanical engineers and so far, none has shown confidence that they understand and are able to apply structural engineering design basics, even a simply-supported reinforced concrete beam. To add to the woes, they don't even have a copy of the design criteria and standards such as the BS code. I am not sure what the university lecturers had done for these graduates but I am certain they lack knowledge in engineering design and the application of the engineering design code. In fact many are working as site clerk (SC) and clerk-of-works (COW). We may also find many of these engineering graduates working as salesmen for multi-level marketing products and insurance clerks. The only fortunate thing is that a large portion of those graduates who got employed are absorbed into the civil service and GLCs. The government had help to reduce the number of unemployed and unemployable graduates. According to Khairy, UMNO Youth Education Bureau would be offering more than 8,000 jobs soon. That's good news but the only stale factor is, the news was the same as announced a year ago and I hope it won't be the same news in another years time.

University Degree by Handphone

I truly love Malaysia!

Soon, earn a degree via handphones

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!

Rating Malaysian Uni the Malaysian Way

Good News, Malaysian!

The Higher Education Ministry will direct Lembaga Akreditasi Negera (LAN) to start the rating process for Malaysian Universities. The criteria used will be similar to those used by THES (Times Higher Education Supplement) BUT Adapted to suit our Malaysian political needs.

The rating would consider 3-Categories - research, comprehensive and niche.

Research means intensive. Those U that do research on subject matters never dealt with by world-class U will get higher score; example: leaking parliamentarians, top-spinning at outer-space, teh-tarik in zero-gravity, etc.

Comprehensive means offering many disciplines. Universities who offered many, many many types courses will get higher ranking.

Niche means specific area. Universities are encourage to offer courses that are innovative and unknown such as garbage management, toilet management, sex management, managing votes and elections, bloggers management and control system, etc.

Once again, we will prove to the world that we have far superior and ultra modern unoversities unparalleled and distinguished, or at least distinguishable.

PTPTN & Unitar Drama

Rick Low Lup Fai studied part-time at Unitar for an I.T. degree. He paid his tuiton fees. The University acknowledged receipt of the fees.

But PTPTN also disbursed a loan of $26,250 on Mr. Low's behalf to Unitar, purportedly on application by Mr. Low and 11 other students, totalling $214,000.

Unitar also acknowledged receipt and kept the money.

The Rick receipt a letter from PTPTN threatening to take legal actions against him to recover the loan sum. He was baffled. He had not sign any agreement with PTPTN for the loan; how could there be a contract? Rick seek the National Consumer Complaints Centre's help.

The matter is settled. What baffled me is the way it was settled:

Unitar returned back to PTPTN a sum of $26,123.31 after deducting $117.69 for stamp charges. PTPTN said they had "graciously" waived the outstanding sum of $117.69 owed by Rick for the reason that Rick did not sign the agreement. Funny? Fallacious and vexatious! Since PTPTN had acknowedged that there was no agreement, and a fortiori, no contract, how is it that they had waived their rights to a debt from Rick? They never had that right in the first place and could never demand that right; how could they be so gracious to waive such a right? Unitar has a few legal academicians who would have advised them on such contractual issues. What are they trying to prove; that they can have any form of legal rights over any individual because they are NEPed?

Secondly, how could PTPTN released a total sum of $214,000 purportedly on behalf of 11 students if they had not sign any agreement nor make any application for a loan. Even if they had make an application, unless there is a contract, no intelligible organization would have release the loan sum without finalising the contract agreement.

Thirdly, what is unexplainable is the fact that Unitar had received the monies since 2002 wrongfully as they had also received the fees from the students. That means they had collected twice the amount and if fairness and reasonableness, that is, honesty, is to prevail, they should have refunded the money back to PTPTN or to the students. They did not and withheld the money for nearly 5 years. Was there dishonesty? Unitar explained that it was the university's policy to keep the money for 8 years to allow students the flexibility to return and continue their studies after leaving. To me, that's excuses without fundamentals and an abuse. The Law of Limitation states that no one can take any legal proceedings to court to recover any property or debts on expiry of 6 years lapse. 8 years means, neither the students or PTPTN can seek legal redress to recover their property or monies.

More read: NST, Prime News, pg 14, April 28, 2007.

MBA from CIDB

MBA in Construction Business?
Conducted by lecturers who had not been in construction business?
Is CIDB in Construction Business or in the Business of collecting monies from Contractors?

Malaysia Boleh Lagi

Bachelor Degree in Death Technology

Earlier, I wrote: Malaysian University to teach Toilet Management.

Now, Malaysia may have to consider a international twinning programme with a British University.

The University of Bath in UK will be offering a bachelor degree Funeral Directorship. The degree course will cover everything from bereavement counseling to disposal of remains. The university said that this course has become necessary as funerals now involves ceremonies featuring quirky rituals like motorcycle hearse, and ashes launching and fireworks. Una MacConville from the University said that there was a growing need to understand death as a social experience. Other unusual course offered by British universities include, psychology of paranormal at Coventry U and Cultural significance of David Beckham at Staffordshire U.

In fact, the funeral course is not new except that it was offered by an institution, Chit Sin Tong (CST), situated along Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur (it's now defunct). The difference is that CST do not offer a degree as it did not apply to the Education Ministry for approval. If they had, it will not be approved. But if they do it now, probably, the government may consider affirmatively because of the greater needs of today's society and also partly due to the British connexion. At CST, the participants are taught how to dress up the deceased body, cosmetics technology, dress code for funeral participants and stakeholders manners. Optional subjects include grieving and crying skills, food procurement and placement technology, and funeral accessory management.

Would our ministry of education also conduct this course soon? Maybe, CST would be revived and renamed Malaysian University of Sudden-death Technology (MUSdT) and be given MSC status (The current Malaysian University of Science & Technology (MUST) may be restructured and become MUSdT as they are dying through gradual death process)

RM120,000 Research Grant

Big News, Big News!

ExxonMobil has donated a total of RM120,000 to 4-Universities as grant to help the universities to pursue researches.


Each of the university will receive RM30,000 (USD8,500). The four universities are: Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

Malaysians must be thankful for such a generous donation from an international oil corporation who earns more than USD20 billion profit per annum.

Esso said the grants would help in the pursuit of high quality research and development activities. "From an initial 12 proposals from local universities, four of the best, relevant to the oil and gas industry in Malaysia, were selected."

Em, USD8,500 to do research....em, relevant to oil and gas researches... ???


Schools get grant from Exxon-Mobil program.

Nov. 2, 2006--Exxon-Mobile had provided US$3,000 in grant money for six Bay County schools.

Exxon-Led Group Is Giving a Climate Grant to Stanford

Published on Thursday, November 21, 2002 by the New York Times

Four big international companies, including the oil giant Exxon Mobil, said yesterday that they would give Stanford University $225 million over 10 years for research on ways to meet growing energy needs without worsening global warming.

Exxon Mobil, whose pledge of $100 million makes it the biggest of the four contributors, issued a statement saying new techniques for producing energy while reducing emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases were "vital to meeting energy needs in the industrialized and developing world."


Greening the World or 'Greenwashing' a Reputation?

January 10, 2003, Friday
By GOLDIE BLUMENSTYK
Copyright 2003 The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Exxon pledge looks like a lot of money, but to a company of that size, it's like "the paper-clip budget," says Peter Altman, director of Campaign Exxon Mobil, an investor group created by religious organizations that is pressuring the company to deal more directly with global warming. The sum promised to Stanford, he notes, is just one-tenth of one percent of the $100-billion Exxon says it plans to spend on oil exploration in the next decade.

"A Humble Start. A Powerful Entity." (www.exxon.com)

As of 1998, Exxon had a business presence on every continent except Antarctica, employed some 79,000 people and had ownership in 31 refineries in 17 countries. The company operated coal mines in the United States, South America and Australia, as well as copper mines in Chile, while being managed by a group of officers who are also the major shareholders.

With the merger with Mobil, the powerhouse combination would make Exxon-Mobil the 18th largest economy in the world, with revenues of more than US$180 billion a year. In simpler terms, if "Exxon-Mobil were a nation it would have a larger economy than Denmark, Finland, Austria and Greece. Exxon-Mobil will be 50 per cent larger than the next largest oil company, giving it unprecedented power to squash competition and it will have operation in more than 150 countries. In over 125 of those countries, Exxon-Mobil's revenues are bigger than the country's Gross Domestic Product, making it almost impossible for governments to regulate Exxon-Mobil's activities." (www.citizen.org) Exxon-Mobil will have enormous economic and political power and will slash between 9,000 and 15,000 jobs in the merger. "Combined, Exxon and Mobil gave over $700,000 to Congressional candidates in the last election and together the two companies have history of human rights abuses and opposition to environmental standards--together they could effectively block any environmental or human rights laws in many countries." (www.citizen.org)

Lecturers lack English Fluency

There is at least one V-C would dared to accept the truth and admit it and such attitude will surely lead to improvements of the system management of universities. The other V-Cs are still in a state of denial.

University Malaya (MU) vice-chancellor Rafiah Salim admitted and openly called on all public universities in Malaysia needed to accept the fact openly and overcome the problem of lecturers who are not proficient in English.

According to Rafiah, the problem of the lack of proficiencies of English language of many lecturers is directly attributed to the educational system that had focused only on Bahasa Malaysia over the past decades.

"Only recently had English been given priority," she said.

It's about 30 years since Mahathir who was then education minister decided to level the playing fields of the various races in universities by abandoning English as the primary language of education. This way, the Malays from the rural schools will be able to compete based on meritocracy. However, the Indians and Chinese who were generally weaker in Bahasa were quick to adapt and adopt the language. Today, most Chinese and Indians in schools have compatible competency in Bahasa and at such, the competitive advantage diminished.

Before Mahathir retired, he knew he has to right the wrong as he had seen how most Malaysian graduates from local universities are floating below par excellence in the face of globalisation, the ICT global revolution and the effect of the open economy. So, English was re-introduced into Schools for Science and Mathematics, and other subjects. But the collateral damage was done and it will take at least 20 years to rectify the situation and return the system back to ground zero, from where we left behind. Unfortunately, the other countries had gone so far ahead and catching-up becomes onerous and sapping. Even China with decades of closedoor policy had placed greater emphasis on English. It is now compulsory for taxi drivers in China to pass the English test.

The difficulty is not about students inability in English; it's the lecturers inability to teach the subjects in English at universities and that students are complaining that they didn't understand what the lecturers are saying because their English is spoken in African slang.

Until the lecturers are competent to do so, the system will continue to generate graduates with English baked in African pizzas.

Malaysia Boleh confuction

5th September 2006, NST Report:

Malaysia plans to push the boundaries of space travel by making a cup of tea.
Malaysia will send its first astronaut into the heavens abroad a Russian rocket next year and attempt for the first time to make the nation’s favourite hot drink, the tarik in space.

"The physics experiment is to see what happens to the tarik in space,” Tun Hanir Omar, head of Malaysia’s astronaut selection programme, told reporters.

Making the teh tarik in space would bring Malaysian customs to the attention of a worldwide audience, said Dr Faiz Khaleed, one of the astronaut candidates - Reuters

Excellent! The physic experiment? To see what happen to the tea in space? So what is the tea gets smelly and frost? What do we learn that can be useful to future scientific research? Sell teh tarik to the aliens in the moon or sell it to the Americans from Apollo?

More interesting is the fact that Dr Faiz Khaleed said: making the tea in space would bring Malaysia to the attention of worldwide audience. Wow, to tell the world that the tea can be made in space? Stem cell research is already condensed and excelled. The worldwide audience is going to be amused of the fact that Malaysia spent RM80 million just to make a cup of tea and eat roti canai.


Finally, a sensible message is spoken and reported in The Star today - There will be no teh tarik-making or roti canai-tossing experiments in space for our Angkasawan when he blasts off in October.

Instead, he will carry out at least 10 laboratory tests for serious research designed by 10 universities, institutes of higher education and government science agencies.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said “All the experiments done in space so far are for the benefit of the countries that sponsored their scientists to fly to space. There have been no scientific studies in space on any Asian interest, in terms of medicine or food technology."

“The Americans do experiments for their own industries and they do not share their findings. It is the same with the Russians or Japanese; they will not share. This is why it is important for our Angkasawan to carry out these tests,” he said.

At last we hear someone who talk something that comes from the head, not from the thinking kidney.

Malaysia’s astronaut programme was part of a package deal arising from Malaysia’s purchase of 18 Sukhoi SU-30MKN fighter jets from Russia. Najib added that the Russian Government had offered in return a place for a Malaysian to join Russian cosmonauts on the expedition to the ISS in October.

So, Malaysia proclaims that the trip to the moon is free of charge - it's paid by the Russian Sukhoi guys: some kind of exchange, goodwill, or, built-into the purchase price.

It had been propagated that Altantuya was the interpretor that assisted in the Sukhoi deal. It's coincidence and more so for the fact that she was ashed to a permanent disappearance. The conspiracy theorists had been expounding extensively on the connectivity between Sukhoi team of negotiators and decision-makers. Read more at Susan Loone's Blog. I won't dare and have no balls to propagate more than insidiously unsafe. In her article today, Susan was been passionately and mercifully advised. This is what she ascribed:

[Quote]"Since I started blogging on Altantuya Shariibuu’s, I’ve received several comments, all but with one message: “Be Careful”.

A veteran journalist friend shot me an email, saying very briefly “Can we go slow on the Mongolian juice?”. Other send words of caution: “Take care ...”.

The one closest to my heart was even more dramatic: “Please remember, there is someone here who loves you very much. Be cautious”.

But the best of all comments came from a dear fellow journalist, who suggested, probably tongue in cheek: “It’s time you hire a bodyguard, it’s much cheaper in Bangkok, anyway”. [Unquote]

Read more at Howsy's Rant:Here, here, and here

M.I.T. Malaysia Gone

Malaysia University of Science and Technology (MUST), which was established in 2002 by the government with the aim of boosting Malaysia’s R&D capacity and who boasted to have strategic partnership and participation of world renown Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is gone down under. The research ties with MIT have been. discontinued.

"Whatever ties are left are mainly on a personal basis between the professors and not officially through the university," the source said.

The university is operating with about 10 students. You believe it? World renowned university has only 10 students?

MUST, at its peak, has an average of 20 students in each of the seven programmes offered.

Now, the government has to take a hard look at the future of the Malaysia University of Science and Technology (MUST).

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamad said the government had allocated RM3 million in scholarships for 75 athletes to study at the university to keep it alive.

Datuk Mustapa said the government had asked a group of experts to assess and make proposals for the future of MUST, which is privately-owned but indirectly sponsored by the government through scholarships for the students.

"We are waiting for the recommendations," Mustapa said.

No students interested to study there? Why? Even the 10 students are sponsored by the government.

Malaysia sungguh boleh!

Engineers can't write report

Making professionals more marketable?

According to Ong Tee Keat, the deputy higher education minister, "Engineers are highly regarded professionals but they find it difficult to write good reports."

Ong Tee Keat says that poor communication skill is the reason.

"Engineers have a hard time writing their reports because they lack the necessary skills to communicate their ideas.

"Their presentations are often weak and non-technical people are left in the dark," he said at the launch of the Engineering Invention ‘N’ Innovation Challenge (EINIC) 2007.

"This is why the Ministry of Higher Education has introduced soft skills modules to be conducted in public universities and polytechnics."

I agree that poor communication skill is a reason. But why is it so? Why do graduates have poor communication skill? Is it the syllabus problem or that the lecturers themselves are also facing poor communication problem?

The ministry should evaluate the lecturers and their competency to determine whether it could have contributed to the same old song.