de minimis

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2012-01-22T00:34:00.001+08:00

To everyone celebrating the Chinese Lunar Dragon Year, I wish you Gong Xi Fa Cai.

To everyone else, I wish you Happy Holiday.

Those of you who are driving long distance, please take care to get rested from time to time.

Malaysia: Headlines for the wrong reasons

2012-01-11T13:37:00.000+08:00

Much as I hate to say it, Bloomberg columnist, William Pesek has made a pertinent point in his latest piece on Malaysia.

Malaysia has been hitting the international headlines for the wrong reasons for some time now.

This grates on me like an itch that is buried in the subcutaneous layer. It's bad and self-wounding.

Where good ideas come from

2012-01-10T13:36:00.001+08:00

I'd like to think that my mind has sufficient complex creativity with sparks flying in the way that Steven Johnson's YouTube displays below. But, in mock humility, I should say that I'm not so sure my mind is this good.

What about your mind?

Happy 2012

2011-12-31T11:25:00.001+08:00

Happy 2012 to everyone.

I know the Mayan calendar suggests that this may well be the last solar cycle for us.

That said, I suspect that in spite of such a profound prospect most of us will still soldier on to do the things that we need to do instead of just staring at the sky or watch endless repeats of the DVD of John Cusack racing toward an ark in the Himalayan range.

Happy 2012!

What is the Chinese language?

2011-12-25T03:57:00.000+08:00

First of all, I wish everyone celebrating, a very Merry Christmas. And, to everyone else, Happy Holidays.

Being an illiterate, albeit an earnest inquirer, I found this piece in the Economist to be highly informative and interesting. In particular, the robust comments for the piece are very instructive.

I HAVE exercised Chinese commenters with a few posts that were seen as either simplistic or biased. So let me offer two competing visions of Chinese that help explain what the two sides disagree on. These are archetypes which few partisans may agree with every word of. But they are the basic poles of thinking about Chinese, I think. I submit them for the good of commenters, who should debate them to shreds.

In brief, Chinese traditionalists believe-

1) Chinese is one language with dialects.

2) Chinese is best written in the character-based on the Hanzi system.

3) All Chinese read and share the same writing system, despite speaking in different ways.

Western linguists tend to respond-

1) Chinese is not a language but a family; the "dialects" are not dialects but languages.

2) Hanzi-based writing is unnecessarily difficult; the characters do not represent "ideas" but "morphemes" (small and combinable units of meaning, like the morphemes of any language). Pinyin(the standard Roman system) could just as easily be used for Chinese. Puns, wordplay and etymology might be sacrificed, but ease of use would be enhanced.

3) Modern Hanzi writing is basically Mandarin with the old characters in a form modified by the People's Republic. Everyone else (Cantonese speakers, say) must either write Mandarin or significantly alter the system to write their own "Chinese".

There are so many arguments packed into these two ideas that it's hard to start, much less finish, in a blog post.

PPSMI: Best PMR results in last four years

2011-12-22T15:26:00.000+08:00

Now that we've got further proof here:

Best PMR results in last four years

WHAT WAS THE REASON GIVEN FOR REVERSING PPSMI?

WHAT?

The sensation of being naked in public

2011-11-23T16:52:00.001+08:00

I am quite certain that every Malaysian who owns an email address and a mobile phone has been receiving politics-laced messages from both sides of the political divide.

Some messages are well-articulated. Others are emotive. Some are sensible. Others, outrageous. Many are well-meaning. Equally many are downright abusive and libelous.

I'm not sure how other Malaysians react to these messages. I usually glance at them before deleting or, just delete them with nary a further thought.

The point of this post is directed at the remarks I receive from ex-Malaysians who have uprooted themselves to live elsewhere.

These ex-Malaysians invariably have a haughty tone that exhibit 2 characteristics. First, thank the stars I am no longer living in Malaysia. The situation is chaotic. Second, what's wrong with YOU people in Malaysia and all your politicking and race-laced views.

I find these types of remarks tiresome, boring and annoying.

We, who live in Malaysia, are enjoying greater democratic space. We are having some fun.

The best metaphors for what Malaysians are experiencing are-

Standing naked outside your house in broad daylight.

Bungee jumping for the first time.

It's the democratic equivalent of a dopamine rush.

Some of us hits a downer faster than others. We slow down. Others appear to be on permanent speed.

The point is that this is OUR game to play; for Malaysians who choose to live in Malaysia.

I love Malaysia. I love Malaysian democracy.

I am amused by Ibrahim Ali and Wee Ka Siong. They add colour and texture to the Malaysian political batik fabric. I may not believe what they say, and I really don't. But, I enjoy their utterances. Sometimes I mock exasperation and indignation. But, at heart, they provide a perverse form of enjoyment and distraction.

If people don't understand the cacophony of Malaysian politics (which is at freshman level), then how could they appreciate the higher level banality offered by Aussie politicians (for example) arguing emotionally about carbon tax and the finer points of the Kyoto Protocol?

I'd much rather that people who are residing permanently or, worse, who have become citizens, in another country engage the issues in that land and, if they so desire, quietly read about the colours of political Malaysia and, refrain from making haughty and condescending remarks to Malaysians who choose to live and contribute to Malaysia.

Lest I be misunderstood, none of the above applies to Malaysians studying or working abroad who will be returning in future.

A smile from the Heavens

2011-11-11T15:09:00.001+08:00

Someone emailed this among other photos to me. It's such a great shot that I simply had to post it. I'm not sure whose copyright it is. But, when I find out, I'll be sure to attribute it. It really is a great "one-in-a-million" shot that every photographer must dream of.

Update: Thanks to flyer168 for referencing the URL where the photo originated from here.

PPSMI and the Malaysian education malaise

2011-11-05T00:23:00.003+08:00

One of the part that worries me about the PPSMI saga is the claim by the Minister of Education that the matter of reversing the PPSMI policy has been given deep thought by all and sundry in the Cabinet.

What worries me is that the Malaysian education system is too fragmented to the point that it now mirrors Astro programming.

And, what do I mean by that?

It is disturbing to see that Malaysian children are being shafted into different directions in the name of seeking quality education, culture and/or just plain, affordability.

Parents who perceive that the quality of education in national schools (sekolah kebangsaan) have deteriorated precipitously have been sending their children to national-type Chinese schools or international schools.

Other parents who doubt the quality of national schools have been sending their children to private schools using the national syllabus.

Parents who believe that their children need to maintain their perceived "cultural identity" have been sending their children to Mandarin-medium or Tamil-medium schools. Let's not forget that there was also a time when Malay parents would send their children to Malay-medium schools with the same intent.

Parents who believe that their children should be at the apex of society with a fighting chance of being entrenched as the elite of Malaysian society and/or be competitive at a global level, have been sending their children to international schools based in Malaysia!!!!

That's what I mean by the Astro-programming parallel.

And, I believe this to be the major issue.

This is the pink elephant in the room that the Minister of Education and the Cabinet has chosen to ignore.

Granted that this issue is a delicate and complex one, someone still has to address the issue.

Or, maybe this is the precise point.

It is NOT a political issue because no one, on either side of the Parliamentary divide, be they Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat, have bothered to deal with the matter.

Yet, everyone who has school-going children and anyone who has undergone any of the education routes I have outlined above should know or recall, the educational anomaly that exists in Malaysia.

Who amongst the political leaders of contemporary Malaysia has the courage to raise this issue? Who dares to bell this cat?

No one.

All we have are parochial and chauvinistic gallery-pandering politicians and educationists who champion their own little causes.

Will no one stand for the Malaysian nation?

Yes. Lest we forget, we are a nation. We live under the same sky. We drink the same water. We eat almost similar food. And, our urinary and fecal matter have been flowing into the same streams and rivers for over a century.

And, here we are.

Why do many of us argue in favour of preserving PPSMI?

Well, it isn't because we believe that our national school's quality has improved. It hasn't. And, yes, the quality of education needs serious improvement.

But, we don't believe that having Maths and Science being taught in Bahasa Malaysia will improve the quality of education.

We don't believe it simply because language is NOT the issue in the matter of quality of education.

We merely believe that having our children being taught the technical subjects of Maths and Science in the English language will make it easier for our children to tap into the great reservoir of knowledge that currently exists in the known Universe which is very, very substantially written in the English language.

Our children, who have been taught since 2003 under the PPSMI are articulate and conversant in BOTH Bahasa Malaysia and English. Their teachers can vouch for this.

And, no, Mr Education Minister, we parents are NOT satisfied that our current school-going children will remain with PPSMI until the end of their school life.

We want PPSMI to be maintained for the future cohorts of students.

And, we want you, your Cabinet colleagues and the entire Ministry of Education to focus on improving the quality of teachers.

Stop tampering with language and syllabus.

Just focus on improving the quality of education.

Is this clear enough? (Sorry, just quoting Mr Essau, my Form One teacher who carried a big rotan in his day).

PAGE: Malays lose most from scrapping of PPSMI

2011-11-04T01:07:00.001+08:00

Sourced from here-

PETALING JAYA: Rural students are the biggest losers from the government’s decision to stop the teaching of science and mathematics in English, according to the Parents Action Group for Education (PAGE).

PAGE chairperson Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said rural students, especially Malays, would end up speaking only Malay because they would have no context in which to apply English.

She questioned the wisdom of the decision, saying Malaysia was going against the tide when “countries all over the world are pushing for English”. She said she was now convinced that Barisan Nasional was not the right party to govern the nation.

She was commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s latest statement on the scrapping of PPSMI (the Malay abbreviation for the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English). Muhyiddin, who is the Education Education, said today that the decision was final.

“Through PPSMI, the kids would have had an opportunity to practice the language,” Noor Azimah said.

Muhyiddin said the government would go ahead next year with its MBMMBI (Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening the English Language) policy, which would cover a “soft landing” programme for students currently studying science and mathematics in English.

He derided PAGE and other supporters of PPSMI for “being out of touch”, saying the decision to abolish the programme had been made in 2009.

Noor Azimah retorted that PAGE had been fighting to keep PPSMI in the system for “the last three years”.

“I think he is out of touch,” she said.

She also said, without elaborating, that PAGE would “support” students hit by the policy change, especially those currently in Primary 3 and Secondary 3.

“They have the right to finish science and mathematics in English under the soft landing.”

Test scores

Noor Azimah claimed that next year’s MBMMBI syllabus was not new, but a direct translation of the current PPSMI texts.

In an earlier statement, PAGE said national test scores improved following the introduction of the PPSMI in 2003.

Citing the Millenium Development Goals 2010 report, it said both rural and urban students had benefited from PPSMI.

“They (rural students) all showed improvements in English, no reduction in Bahasa Malaysia, and improvements in Science and Mathematics in the last few years,” it said.

Through an online petition initiated by PAGE, more than 100,000 parents have protested against the scrapping of PPSMI.

Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero

2011-11-03T08:50:00.000+08:00

Chris Matthews host of MSNBC's show has published a new book on John F. Kennedy. The video clip below is interesting not just for the little nuggets that Matthews throws in on JFK but, also the continuing relevance of JFK in the American political psyche about what it takes to be a political leader.

As always, Malaysians should take all this in in the context of Malaysian politics and leadership.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

___________________________________________________________

Here is a nugget about how JFK is likely to have got his impulse to use the now famous phrase, "Ask not, what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."

JFK's 'ask not' line traced back to prep school

Nov 1 (Reuters) - John F. Kennedy's most famous turn of phrase was inspired by the headmaster of his New England prep school, according to a new book on America's only president to have won the Pulitzer Prize.

In his 14-minute 1961 inaugural speech, which addressed the United States' role in the Cold War, Kennedy told Americans to "ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country."

Kennedy, it turns out, had heard something like it before.

Two documents unearthed by MSNBC television host Chris Matthews in his book "Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero," show that the future president's headmaster at the elite Choate boarding school in Connecticut in the early 1930s had used a similar exhortation.

"The youth who loves his alma matter will always ask not 'What can she do for me?' but 'What can I do for her?" the headmaster said, quoting a Harvard University dean.

The book says that Kennedy, who was nearly expelled from Choate for his rebellious hijinks, boosted his 1960 presidential bid with small but well-timed moves.

For instance, ahead of a televised presidential debate between Kennedy and then vice president Richard Nixon, both candidates agreed not to use makeup.

But at the last minute, unbeknownst to his opponent, Kennedy applied a thin layer of makeup, Matthews' book says.

Kennedy's 1957 Pulitzer Prize for "Profiles of Courage," a credential that helped bolster his prestige as a candidate, was "no happy accident," the book says.

In fact, Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy, had lobbied members of the Pulitzer screening board one at a time.

Kennedy was assassinated less than three years after taking office. The book is being published this week by Simon and Schuster.

___________________________________________________________________

'Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero'

By Chris Matthews

Wed Oct 26, 2011 11:16 AM EDT

Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero

Read an excerpt from Chris Matthews’ latest book.

Chapter One: Second Son

"History made him, this lonely, sick boy. His mother never loved him. History made Jack, this little boy reading history."
—Jacqueline Kennedy, November 29, 1963, from notes scribbled by Theodore H. White

Certain things come with the territory. Jack Kennedy, born in 1917 in the spring of the next-to-last year of World War I, was the second son of nine children. That's important to know. The first son is expected to be what the parents are looking for. Realizing that notion early, he becomes their ally. They want him to be like them—or, more accurately and better yet, what they long to be.

Joseph Kennedy, a titan of finance, whose murky early connections helped bring him riches and power but never the fullest respect, had married in 1914, after a seven-year courtship, Rose Fitzgerald. The pious daughter of the colorful Boston mayor John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, she launched their substantial family when, nine months later, she presented her husband with his son and heir, Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. For the proud couple, he would be their bridge to both joining and mastering the WASP society from which they, as Roman Catholics in early twentieth-century America, were barred.

Such stand-in status meant, for the young Joe, that he had to accept all the terms and rules put forth by those whose ranks he was expected to enter. The idea was to succeed in exactly the well-rounded manner of the New England Brahmin. Above all, that meant grades good enough to keep up at the right Protestant schools, and an ability to shine at sports as well. In this last instance, there was no doubt about the most desirable benchmark of achievement. The football field was not just where reputations were made and popularity earned, it was where campus legends were born.

Joseph Kennedy's handsome eldest boy would prove himself equal to the task. Entering Choate, the boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, where he was a student from the age of fourteen to eighteen, he quickly made his mark. A golden youth, he became the headmaster George St. John's ideal exemplar. Transcending his origins—which meant getting past the prejudices St. John was said to hold for his kind, the social-climbing Irish—Joe Jr., with his perfect body and unquestioning, other-directed mind, seemed to embody the Choate ethos without breaking a sweat.

A second son such as Jack Kennedy, arriving as he did two years later, finds himself faced with that old familiar tough act to follow. And, of course, embedded in the soul of any second male child is this Hobson's choice: to fail to match what's gone before guarantees disappointment; to match it guarantees nothing.

You have to be original; it's the only way to get any attention at all—any good attention, that is.

Jack Kennedy, almost as soon as he got to Choate, quite obviously put himself on notice not to be a carbon copy. He was neither a "junior," nor would he be a junior edition. He would be nothing like the much-admired Joe, nothing like the Choate ideal. What he brought, instead, was a grace his brother—and Choate itself—lacked. Even as a child of the outrageously wealthy Joseph Kennedy and his lace-curtain wife, Jack soon showed himself well able to see the humor in life. The wit he displayed cut to the heart of situations and added to life an extra dimension. He was fun.

Here, then, is where we begin to catch a glimpse of the young man who would stride decisively up to that convention stage a quarter century later, leaving behind the indelible image. Even though he's very much still a boy, he's preternaturally aware of the way life demands roles and resistant to stepping into one preselected for him.

There's the wonderful irony that comes with those surprises that second sons—Jack Kennedy included—are driven, and also inspired, to produce. Unlike his older brother, bound to a more conventional blueprint, Jack wasn't under the same pressure. There was a lightness to him, a wry Irishness that blended with the WASP manner rather than aspiring to it. With that combination, he could enter where his father, mother, and brother could not.

What happened to Jack when he got to Choate in the fall of 1931, by then already a victim of persistent ill health, was that, first of all, he had to find himself, and, to a daunting degree, simply survive. His brother Robert—the seventh Kennedy child, younger than JFK by eight years—later said of that period that any mosquito unlucky enough to bite Jack would surely have paid the ultimate price. Jean, his youngest sister, told me it was his bedridden youth that made all the difference. "I remember him being sick. I remember that he read a great deal, and why he was so smart was because during those formative years he was reading when everyone else was playing baseball or football or something like that."

So it was in the sickbed, it turns out, that he became a passionate reader, thrilling to the bold heroes of Sir Walter Scott and the tales of King Arthur. At Choate, he may have wound up the holder of a title he never trumpeted: the record for most days spent in the school's Archbold Infirmary.

The appalling reality is that no one—no doctor, nor any of the top-drawer specialists to which his father sent Jack—could tell the Kennedy family or the young patient why he suffered so. He'd had scarlet fever, and his appendix removed, but what continued to plague him was a knot in his stomach that never went away. Frighteningly, too, his blood count was always being tested. Leukemia was one of the grim possibilities that concerned his doctors, and Jack couldn't avoid hearing the whispers.

What seems clear to me is that, both at home and away, this fourteen-year-old—a big-eared, skinny kid nicknamed "Ratface"—wasn't marked for anything in particular, as far as his father was concerned. The succession was taken care of. There was only one dukedom.

For Joseph Kennedy, his determination that his kids not be losers counted as a one-rule-fits-all. Nor did Jack seem to be of any particular emotional interest to his mother. Rose Kennedy kept her distance geographically as well as emotionally. Hard as it is to believe, she never once visited Jack at Choate, not even when he was ill and confined to the infirmary. "Gee, you're a great mother to go away and leave your children alone," he once told her at age six, as she was preparing for a long trip to California.

Sent away to school, Jack Kennedy was a spirit marooned. Choate, from the first, caused him to feel trapped. Chilly and restrictive, overly organized and tiresomely gung-ho, it was a typical Protestant boarding school based on the classic British model, and as such, more suited to his brother's nature than his own. Perhaps because he suddenly was more aware of his Catholic identity in that setting, he faithfully went into Wallingford to church on Sunday mornings. At night, he knelt next to his bed to say his Hail Marys and Our Fathers.

However serious were Jack's fears about his ultimate medical prognosis, he kept them to himself. There was no one yet in whom to confide his secrets. What he really needed to figure out for himself was a way to be happy there. He understood, too, the necessity of putting forth his best effort to prove himself at the sports at which he stood a chance of excelling—swimming and golf were his choices—while doing his best in the rougher ones, football and basketball. With that covered, he was free to make his name in more inventive ways.

His great success was to find ways to have fun. Jack Kennedy knew how to have—and share—good times. Watching The Sound of Music decades later, a classmate was reminded of him. Like the trouble-prone Maria, he "made people laugh."

But even before he'd gotten to Choate, Jack was forming and nurturing an interior self. He had survived, even thrived in his way, as a bookish boy who soon would tolerate no interruptions when reading. While at the Catholic school where he'd boarded before coming to Choate, Jack had devoured Churchill's account of the Great War, The World Crisis 1911–1918.Soon he was getting the New York Times each day. After finishing an article, it was his habit, as he once told a friend, to close his eyes in an attempt to recall each of its main points.

There would come over his face an expression of almost childlike pleasure when he'd worked through something difficult and figured it out. We all remember those kids who knew things, and cared about them, that weren't taught at school. Jack was one of them. And it wasn't the knowledge for its own sake, it was the grander world he glimpsed through it. Such habits of mind as thinking about Churchillian views of history were the glimmerings of the man he was shaping himself to become.

Yet, early on—and this habit, too, sprang from the many solitary hospital stays, lying in bed waiting for visitors—Jack had developed a craving for company. Left to himself so often for periods of his young life, as he grew older he never wanted to be alone. Even the companionship of any single person for too long never suited him. New people, and new people's attentions, energized him, bringing out the seductive best in him—all his quickness, wit, and charm.

It was close to the end of his sophomore year at Choate that he met the first person he felt he could truly trust, and this allowed the first real crack to appear in his wall of solitude.

Boys in closed-off environments such as boarding schools are caught by the dilemma of needing one another while recognizing they must stay wary. The easily popular types and their followers don't suffer; the quirkier, harder-to-classify ones are left to feel their way more carefully into friendships. Kirk LeMoyne Billings, a year ahead of Jack, would become, to the bewilderment of many, the absolute enduring stalwart of Jack's life. Their relationship was a natural affinity that could never have been described until it happened.

Also a second son—his older brother, Fred, had, like Joe Kennedy, been a Choate superstar—Lem was a big kid, a 175-pounder. His father was a Pittsburgh physician. With all the strength of his instantly faithful devotion, Lem Billings quickly began to tend to the needs of his new pal, whom he'd met in the offices of the Choate yearbook, the Brief. Looking at the support this friendship quickly began to provide for Jack, one could even see it as counterbalancing the neglect by his mother. He would confide in Lem that he cried whenever his mother sent word that she was heading off on yet another extended trip. He would be equally open with Lem about his health situation.

Jack was willing to divulge to Lem, a doctor's boy, descriptions of those periods he'd spent captive to medical procedures and tests—even at their most graphic. "God, what a beating I'm taking," he wrote once to Lem from one hospital over a summer break. "Nobody able to figure what's wrong with me. All they do is talk about what an interesting case. It would be funny . . . if there was nothing wrong with me. I'm commencing to stay awake nights on that."

The thought that even the experts were stymied by his symptoms tore at him, and came to haunt him. However jaunty he might have tried to sound, it was the fears they'd planted of a shortened life that he really wanted to share with Lem.

Sidekick, confidant, and traveling companion, and, above all, a touchstone, Lem was always to be a cherished constant. When his friend became Mr. President to the rest of the world, it wasn't long before Lem Billings had his own room at the White House. As Joseph Kennedy, Sr., wryly observed at the beginning, he "moved in one day with his tattered suitcase and never moved out."

Lem's loyalty changed Jack's notion of himself. It taught him he could have followers, which he soon did.

Jack had entered Choate a vulnerable and often lonely boy, a seemingly negligible younger brother with no constituency. He would depart four years later a practiced ringleader. If his adventures before then had been vicarious ones, enjoyed among knights and princes in the pages of books, when Jack left, fealty had been sworn to him much as it would have been to Robin Hood or King Arthur.

His Merry Men were called the Muckers.

To begin with, there were just the two of them, Jack and Lem. Their chemistry was the center from which the circle grew around them. Next came Ralph "Rip" Horton, the son of a wealthy New York family. The rest followed, until there were thirteen in all. Credit, or blame, for the way the Muckers chose that impudent name must be laid directly at the door of the very authority figure to whom they were setting themselves up in opposition.

It was during one of his daily sermons in evening chapel that headmaster George St. John had gone on the attack against those students displaying what now would simply be called "bad attitude." The background is this: It was Jack and Lem's final year. Lem, a class ahead of his best friend, had elected to stay on in order to graduate with Jack, and they were uproariously, and very chaotically, rooming together. The instructor overseeing their dormitory wing was not amused by their shenanigans. Fed up not only with their mess but also with the noisy gang of disciples who gathered there each day to listen to Jack's Victrola, he complained repeatedly to the headmaster.

St. John, when he went on the attack, was clearly directing his words at Jack and Lem's little band, and it was one of those you-know-who-I'm-talking-to moments. What the headmaster couldn't anticipate, though, was the way one expression, in particular, that he chose to use—to refer to the "bad apples" he pegged as a small percentage of the student body—soon would come back to haunt him.

Mucker, the label he hung on the Kennedy-Billings gang, has several meanings. A mucker can be someone who takes important matters too lightly, who mucks about to no particular purpose—in this case, the sort of boys unwilling to uphold the time-approved, gold-plated Choate standards of decency, cleanliness, sportsmanship, piety, politeness, and, above all, respect for the powers that be. In short, the kind exemplified by Jack's and Lem's older brothers.

Yet there is another, secondary definition of mucker that would have been well known to a Boston boy of Irish extraction. That meaning addresses itself directly to those who traffic in muck, which is to say, mud. And in Boston, this sense of mucker had evolved from being a derisive term applied to Irish-Americans put to work shoveling up horse manure from the city streets during the era of carriages, to becoming an all-purpose epithet for their immigrant countrymen.

Without realizing it, then, George St. John had thrown down a gauntlet. Sitting in front of him was Honey Fitz's grandson, whose own Irish ancestry was a source of pride to him and for whom the insult hit home. But the headmaster's choice of words also, Jack realized, provided an opportunity for a memorable stunt, perhaps the cap to his career at Choate.

Troublemaking by kids at school escalates. They compete to come up with outrageous schemes, each trying to top the other. Strategicallyastute, Jack and Lem—already known as Public Enemies Number One and Two on the Choate campus—had recruited their followers, the ones who now were the regulars in their room, from among the "wheels." That is to say, their pals were the sons of rich fathers upon whose deep pockets the school's endowment and building programs depended. That night, after chapel, back at Jack and Lem's room, they agreed to be henceforth known, as dubbed by Jack, the Muckers.

It was a thumb in the eye to old St. John.

Then Jack was clever enough—when further inspiration struck—to conjure up a reality out of the metaphor. Here was the plan: The dining hall had been decorated for an important school dance. Just imagine, he proposed, the faces of their classmates if a large quantity of manure, imported from a nearby field, suddenly got dumped in front of them and their dates. Cue the Muckers, shovels in hand, to scoop it all up and save the day.

Glorious a prank as it was, it didn't happen. What kept it stillborn was the killjoy who'd caught a whiff of what was going on and ratted them out to St. John. All thirteen would-be culprits were instantly called from their classrooms and onto the carpet of the headmaster's office, where they were reminded the punishment for forming an illegal club was expulsion. They were told they could count themselves as Choate students no longer; they would have to pack their bags and arrange for transportation home.

Almost as quickly, Joseph Kennedy, Sr., was also summoned from his office in Washington, where he was chairing Franklin Roosevelt's new Securities and Exchange Commission. Jack's fifteen-year-old sister, Kick, alarmed at hearing the news from Lem—he adored her and stayed in close touch—telegrammed her support: DEAR PUBLIC ENEMIES ONE AND TWO ALL OUR PRAYERS ARE UNITED WITH YOU AND THE ELEVEN OTHER MUCKS WHEN THE OLD MEN ARRIVE SORRY WE WON'T BE THERE FOR THE BURIAL.

However, Jack's father, a ruthless rule-breaker in his own right, seemed far more impressed than angry once he heard the story. Pretending to share the headmaster's anger, he waited until he had his son alone to tell him that if he'd founded the club, its name would not have begun with an M.

For the first time, I imagine, Joe Kennedy was forced to take a good look at his second son. He'd devoted a great deal of his attention to imbuing Joe Jr. with the style he wanted, but now, I think, he saw in Jack essential qualities that he recognized only too well. Just as he, Joe Sr., had been a corsair defiantly mapping his own way, now Jack was revealed to be similarly audacious.

When the furor died down and, somehow, they weren't expelled after all, the failed stunt only left Jack and Lem with a zest for defiance. On the night of a different dance, they and their dates drove off campus, chauffeured in a convertible by a friend who'd already graduated. Such behavior was strictly forbidden: no students were to leave the grounds, ever, during a Saturday-night dance.

Off they went—Jack and Lem in white tie and tails, the girls in long formal gowns, the Connecticut country lanes opening invitingly before them. But to their shock, just as they confidently assumed they were getting away with it, they glimpsed a car following them. Panicky, and sure it was campus security, they swerved into a farmhouse driveway, leaped out, and scattered. Jack, Lem, and one of the girls sought cover in a barn. Lem's date stayed in the car and pretended to neck with the driver. When the coast seemed clear, Jack suddenly was nowhere to be found, so the others headed back to campus without him.

A half hour later he turned up at the dance. In the end, it was all a false alarm: no one from Choate had been after them, and they were never found out. The tale is a fine example of the sort of risk Jack Kennedy enjoyed taking—dangerous on the downside, with very little on the up, except for the tremendous sensation it gave, short-lived but long-savored. It offered the promise of deliverance. It was his way of coming alive, and it would never change.

As Jack's time at Choate was drawing to an end, he and the Muckers changed course. Legitimate concerns now occupied them: directed by Jack, they began to invest their wit and energy in securing for themselves the "Most" tags featured in the senior yearbook. Jack wanted "Most Likely to Succeed" for himself, while Lem would get "Most Likeable." The rest would divide the allotted spoils. However they managed it—and the historical record persists as a bit murky about whatever vote-swapping went on—Jack's budding skill as a strategist-with-defined-set-of-goals successfully came into play.

This exercise may have involved only prep school popularity, forgotten in the crumbling album of time—except for the identity of the intelligence masterminding it all. In this long-ago microcosm, Jack, the leader, created the first of what Tip O'Neill later dubbed the "Kennedy Party," a political faction united by a personality. Their success sharing the yearbook spoils, as JFK might later say, had a hundred fathers.

Speeches do, too.

Perhaps the most significant legacy from Choate was his likely memory of a familiar refrain of George St. John. As with all the other well-loved mottoes, maxims, and homilies the headmaster delivered into the ears of his youthful charges during evening chapel, he expected this one to sink in. It's a portion of an essay by his beloved mentor, Harvard dean LeBaron Russell Briggs. "In and out of college the man with ideals helps, so far as in him lies, his college and his country. It is hard for a boy to understand that in life, whatever he does, he helps to make or mar the name of his college. As has often been said, the youth who loves his alma mater will always ask not 'What can she do for me?' but 'What can I do for her?' "

Though Jack Kennedy had rebelled against that call to higher duty in his youth, it would come to define him.

PAGE: Listen to parents' plea, Govt urged

2011-10-31T07:41:00.000+08:00

Sourced from here-

The online plea from tens of thousands of people shows that the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) policy needs to be re-looked, said Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE).

Its chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said there was a huge support for the policy to continue on the Facebook group “1M Malaysians say YES to PPSMI as an OPTION”, as well as related blogs and websites.

The Facebook group has registered over 94,000 people as at 8.30pm yesterday.

Noor Azimah said she acknowledged the concern expressed by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin over the lack of proficient English teachers.

“However, teachers should be able to teach in both languages as they have been teaching the subjects in English since the introduction of PPSMI in 2003,” she said.

Noor Azimah said that if the number of schools that chose English was small, then it would be easier to provide the teachers.

She added that the reasons should be addressed head-on and not swept under the carpet.

PAGE has also started a “Yes to PPSMI option” on its website.

PAGE will be handing an appeal letter on the matter to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at his office in Putrajaya today, and the movement urged parents to turn up for support.

Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) president Azwanddin Hamzah said Muhyiddin should have called for a discussion with JMM and PAGE before making a final decision.

“We (JMM and PAGE) are not doing this for personal interest, but for all parents in Malaysia,” he said.

National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng said that while she did not deny the importance of English, there would be many constraints in having a dual system in schools.

“Implementing both the Uphol-ding Bahasa Melayu and Strengthening the English Language (MBM-MBI) policy; as well as PPSMI, in schools would involve massive cost and a lot of changes to the school structure.

“I support the fact that we have to enhance English proficiency among our students, but in this case, we have to look at the statistics and feedback from the ground which shows that not all children can cope with learning Science and Maths in English,” she said.

PAGE warns BN of polls backlash from PPSMI snub

2011-10-31T07:31:00.000+08:00

Sourced from here-

Barisan Nasional (BN) risks losing votes in upcoming polls if it continues barring students from learning science and maths using English in schools, a parents lobby group said today.

The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) wants the 10-year-old policy of teaching science and maths in English at national schools (PPSMI) to be made an option for students in primary and secondary schools.

“If it is political (decision on PPSMI) give us the PPSMI option in national primary and secondary schools, and we will give you the two-thirds majority, which you are making increasingly difficult for us to do.

“Do not make us give the opposition our vote,” said PAGE chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said in a statement to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today.

“We would not like the Najib administration to be remembered for abolishing PPSMI, for not regaining the two-thirds majority and for making our children yet another lost generation,” she said bluntly.

Noor Azimah stressed that the government’s past decision in introducing PPSMI in schools was not “flawed”, adding it would empower students with the skills and knowledge needed to compete with other countries should the policy be retained.

She criticised Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for saying yesterday that the education system will turn chaotic if parents were allowed to freely choose the medium of instruction for their children.

Calling it “unacceptable”, Noor Azimah charged that all science and mathematics teachers should be able to teach in either Bahasa Malaysia or English as the PPSMI policy had previously been in place for nine years.

“If the number of schools that choose English are small, then it would be even easier to provide the teachers. The reasons should be addressed head-on and not swept under the carpet after spending RM3 billion of the rakyat’s hard earned income. We want an explanation,” she said.

Noor Azimah said that the current education system only divided children according to race-based schools, a split that was slowly incorporating class differences as seen in the growing popularity of private and international schools.

She stressed that PPSMI was not about learning English through science and mathematics, but to provide the context to put the language into practise.

Opposition parties like the DAP have thrown their weight behind PAGE’s cause, demanding the Education Ministry be more flexible and give students the option which will enable the country to retain its best talents.

The growing row over the education policy has split the country along racial, political lines ahead of national polls likely to be called early next year.

Vocal fundamental groups are using the issue to champion their version of nationalism.

Several non-partisan civil societies have recently banded together to counter this tide but the powerful Malay-dominant political parties appear to be reluctant to commit to this hot potato issue ahead of the 13th general election.

Noor Azimah said that PAGE will be sending a letter of appeal to Najib on the matter tomorrow morning in Putrajaya.

PAGE hits back: Don't twist the facts for "political expediency"

2011-10-30T11:44:00.001+08:00

Sourced from here-

Written by Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim , PAGE

GMP (Gabungan Mansuhkan PPSMI), led by PAS members is pushing the Government to stand firm on abolishing PPSMI (The teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English) yet again, and claiming that only 3% of pupils benefited from PPSMI.

Evidence to support the continuance or abolishment of PPSMI, should be based on the achievements in UPSR, PMR and SPM. That should be the benchmark. The test results of these three national examinations, proved to be very encouraging, clearly supporting the continuance of PPSMI while contradicting all statements that have been brought against PPSMI.

Results are telling

Bear in mind that PPSMI started in 2003. Let’s evaluate the results.

UPSR chart – Passes in BM, English, Science and Mathematics 2001 – 2009, SK & SJK (Source: The Millenium Development Goals 2010)

a) Science and Mathematics passes were the highest in 2007, but took a dip in 2008 then picked up again in 2009, at the same level of 2007. The lowest result in Science and Mathematics was in the year 2001, when Science and Mathematics were still in Bahasa Malaysia.

b) The best achievement in English was in the year 2008, and the trend is on the incline ever since the start of PPSMI.

c) In SK Bahasa Malaysia result was constant, showing that PPSMI has no negative effect on Bahasa Malaysia. In fact, the highest achievement in Bahasa Malaysia was recorded after the implementation of PPSMI. On the other hand, achievements in Bahasa Malaysia in vernaculars schools (Chinese & Tamil) show a declining trend from year 2006/2007.

PMR chart – Passes in BM, English, Science and Mathematics 2001 – 2009, SK and SJK (Source: The Millenium Development Goals 2010)

a) PMR results were the most affected by the PPSMI switch. It showed a dip in the early years of PPSMI in all main subjects except English; however the trend showed improvement from 2007 onwards for Science and Mathematics

b) English improved, evident in year 2003 -2009 with PPSMI in operation. Bahasa Malaysia remained constant throughout.

SPM charts – Passes in BM, English, Science and Mathematics 2004 – 2010, Rural & Urban students (Source: MOE)

a) In Science, the rural students constantly outperformed the urban students throughout the seven-year trend. Clearly the rural students were able to cope with PPSMI contrary to the perception that rural students do not fare well with PPSMI. The highest achievement in Science recorded in the year 2008 by the rural students.

b) In Mathematics, the rural students were beginning to show improvements from the year 2008 onwards. The best percentage increment took place between the year 2009 and 2010, recorded by the rural students. The best performance by rural students was in 2010. The urban-rural gap showed narrowing trends with the 2010 performance.

c) In English, both the urban and rural students showed improvement throughout the years, best performance in 2010.

d) In Bahasa Malaysia, both urban and rural students were at par with each other. The results were constant throughout the seven year trend. It suffers no damage under PPSMI.

English works even for Rural students

PPSMI is working, even for the rural students. That is the conclusion that can be derived from the three examination results under the PPSMI policy. They all showed improvements in English, no reduction in Bahasa Malaysia, and improvements in Science and Mathematics in the last few years.

GMP has joined the bandwagon because they have nothing to lose to push for the abolishment of PPSMI. It is good for them since the parents who cannot get PPSMI could ironically vote for PAS at the coming election.

Parents with national school going children and concerned citizens must come together to ensure that their voices are heard. It is not about politics. It is about the children, and parents want what is best for their children. The Education Act 1996 stipulates that “pupils are to be educated according to the wishes of their parents”, not teachers, not principals, not PTAs and most definitely, not politicians or deluded national language linguists.

This may well be our last ditch attempt to urge the government to offer the PPSMI option to parents who want their children to continue with it indefinitely. Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) urges all parents who support PPSMI to speak up NOW. Parents should do the right thing in the name of their children and the future.

In large numbers, parents voice matter. To date we have 100,000 phone numbers of parents who support PPSMI. Make the voices heard for the sake of the children and for the future of this beloved nation. Yes to PPSMI option. Register at www.pagemalaysia.org .

PAGE is an educational lobbyist that aims to serve as a channel between concerned parents, the Ministry of Education and other educational stakeholders

Khan Academy

2011-10-19T00:28:00.002+08:00

My sister and her American family visited Malaysia during the Summer. Her eldest son, having completed his freshman year, will be entering his sophomore year soon.

He is a top-notch student. In my proud avuncular eyes, he's likely to graduate with a magna cum laude or. at the very least, summa cum laude.

But, he was home-schooled. That intrigued me. So, I interviewed him intermittently.

My nephew said that in the first few months it was tough going because it felt strange to be sitting at home and listen to recorded teaching. Eventually he got used to it.

More importantly, I asked him how he got by without any tuition (a popular past time for young Malaysians with kiasu parents). He said he relied on the Khan Academy website.

"What?", I thought.

I furtively moved toward the iMac and googled "Khan Academy".

The website and its YouTube video tutorials blew me away. I, later, found out that it also blew Bill Gates away when he also found out that his daughter (I think it was) was also using the Khan Academy's tutorial resources.

Unlike impecunious me, Bill Gates got the Bill and Melinda Foundation to use its considerable resources to provide financial support for the Khan Academy.

So, back to the story...

I excitedly whispered to my 16-year old son that he should check out the Khan Academy website for video tutorials on any subject that he needed more help on (in addition to the tuition he was getting .... yes, mea culpa my children attend tuition classes too!).

He looked at me impassively and replied that he WAS already using the Khan Academy resources.

Since my son turned 13, I have been having this discomfiting feeling that my stature has shrunk in his eyes from that of a god to a demi-god to a mere human and, now, close to a cretin (probably already one).

Mind you, I'm beginning to surreptitiously listen to specific tutorial topics in the Khan Academy, particularly on areas that I was such a dud on, like geometry, calculus, algebra and other branches of mathematics.

So, those of you who have school-going children may wish to get them to check out the Khan Academy website.

And, no, there is no upper-age limit. So, you, too, can get on it and learn something!

The only catch is that EVERYTHING IS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!

What ails the GLCs?

2011-10-17T12:32:00.001+08:00

I have been reading all the chatter about GLCs (both Malaysian and elsewhere) and their travails. Many who take a macro view are peeved that GLCs, being large corporations with the backing of sovereign governments, have an inside track to plum projects and deals. These inside tracks and opportunities have a perceived cost because they are done at the expense of depriving privately held corporations (as opposed to those that have government or statutory shareholding ownership) of the opportunity to bid for the plum projects and deals.

Another peeve is that GLCs are often in serious and earnest asset-shuffling mode. Often, these asset-shuffles aka "mergers and acquisitions", result in 1+1=1 instead of 1+1=3 or more in value creation. In other words, there are seldom any true synergistic benefits arising post-merger or acquisition.

Truth be told, this applies not just to GLCs, but also to many large corporations.

There are many examples of these disastrous corporate exercises. The Time Warner and AOL deal is probably the all-time classic example. Closer to home, the example would be the great Sime Darby merger.

So, here we have 2 basic issues-

First, the allegation that GLCs "crowd out" the private sector.

Second, GLCs are merely shuffling assets and playing a game of stacking numbers i.e. shuffling assets and cashflows between and amongst different corporate entities to produce a financial result that shows higher profits and greater valuations.

The first issue is obvious. So, I'll just leave it there.

The second issue is more interesting to me. Let's try to taxonomise them.

I see 2 types of large publicly-listed corporations, GLC or privately-held.

Type A is a corporation that thrives on asset-shuffling and, mergers and acquisitions.

There are 2 kinds of Type A corporations.

Type A-1, are corporations that conduct asset-shuffling, mergers and acquisitions within a clearly defined core business. These corporations try not to stray outside their field of expertise. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is a good example of this. That said, News Corp screwed up big time with Myspace, acquiring Myspace's parent company, Intermix Media for USD500 million in 2005 and recently selling it for a paltry USD35 million. Nevertheless, the constant asset-shuffling, mergers and acquisitions give market investors paroxysms of orgasmic highs and cold turkey lows. It's a combination of thrills and fear. Like riding on a roller-coaster.

Type A-2, are corporations that conduct asset-shuffling, mergers and acquisitions with an assortment of businesses. There are many Malaysian privately-held corporate groups that do this. I shall not name them. And, then, there are the institutions that own the GLCs such as Khazanah Nasional and PNB.

Type B corporations are more honest-to-goodness, stick-to-what-you-know-and-grow types. Apple is, of course, the sexy example. Another is IBM.

Most of the criticism is levelled at Type A-2.

The key issue is how well the drivers of corporate deals understand the core business of these corporations.

Throughout the world, not just in Malaysia - many, many large corporations, not just GLCs - are now led by finance men. These are numbers-crunchers. These are people who only look at numbers and how they stack together. These people do not see businesses, business history or people. They only see numbers. They are like the evil twin of Neo in the Matrix Trilogy.

Why is this a concern?

Well, the concern is that these finance men do not know how to manage core operations. Many of them don't believe that it is necessary for them to learn business operations. Many of them believe that the numbers are all that matter.

What is the market share today? How does it compare with the last quarter? What is the projected market share in the next quarter?

What is the pre-tax profit today? How does it compare with the last quarter? What is the projected pre-tax earnings in the next quarter?

What are the trade receivables today? How does it compare with the last quarter? What is the projected collections in the next quarter?

What is the inventory today? How does it compare with the last quarter? What is the projected inventory in the next quarter?

Reams of excel spreadsheets are generated. Lots of score cards are prepared. Numbers. Digits. Plus. Minus. Percentages.

To be fair, the same questions that the finance men ask are equally asked by business leaders who worked their way up from operational ranks.

But...

But, the comprehension and insight offered by these numbers differ markedly between the finance men and the business leaders who were involved in the core business - whether from the production side or the sales department.

I have nothing against finance men. Some turn out to be great business leaders. Many others turn out to be the investors' greatest nightmare.

It may be that the excessive presence of finance men - who have no clue about the core business, the human capital in these businesses and the future potential of the businesses - is the factor that ails the GLCs.

I may be wrong.

But, I don't think I am.

The remedy?

Don't discard willy-nilly the homegrown career managers. Give them a fair shake at leading the core businesses.

Malaysians Say "YES" To PPSMI

2011-10-14T13:49:00.000+08:00

I received the message below from PAGE Malaysia. Please support this worthy cause to alert the Malaysian Government and, in particular, the Ministry of Education that it must respect the rights of Malaysian parents on the choice of PPSMI-

Dear parents and friends,

The quality of Malaysian education has deteriorated to an alarming level, with our schools and local universities churning out TOO MANY unemployable graduates who possess a severe lack of ability to communicate or correspond in English despite numerous A's scored in examinations, and producing ‘professionals’ of worryingly poor calibre especially in the fields of science and mathematics.

The former Prime Minister took steps to rectify the situation by implementing the policy of English for the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics and Science (Malay acronym: PPSMI) in 2003. The policy was fully embraced by the Government of the day, and ICT, hardware and software were acquired and designed and teachers were trained. Parents were greatly relieved that finally something concrete was being done to arrest the decline of the Malaysian education system.

Shortly after that, the general election was held and a new minister took over the Education Minister’s portfolio.

Shockingly, after only 6 years of implementation, without even allowing the first cohort of students who started with PPSMI in Primary 1 to complete the full cycle of schooling, the new Education Minister decided to abolish PPSMI in 2012, mainly for political reasons, despite

huge public outcry and protests from parents and students alike;
a massive number of letters and articles in newspapers and cyberspace from people in support of PPSMI, far outnumbering those against PPSMI;
support for PPSMI from various professional bodies, business concerns and numerous concerned groups both local and international; and
solid evidence that PPSMI has improved student outlooks and is advantageous for the future of our children and the country.

The Education Minister has IGNORED the pleas of parents and has blatantly disregarded the provision of the Education Act 1996 which stipulates that pupils are to be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents.

The world is moving forward but yet Malaysia is going backward. We are going to remain stagnant in terms of progress and development.

Students in Form 1 next year will have to study Mathematics and Science in Bahasa Melayu after learning these subjects in English in primary school. Worse, for those who are going to Form 4, after learning Maths and Science in English for 9 years, they will be forced to switch to Bahasa Melayu for 2 years and then back again to English for their tertiary education!

Parents and friends, enough is enough. We are the Rakyat. The days of ‘the Government knows best’ are OVER! A democratic government must abide by the wishes of the majority.

We believe the majority of parents in Malaysia would choose PPSMI for their children if given the option. Unfortunately many choose to remain silent. Why? WE MUST MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD! Our numbers must be significant so that the Minister has no choice but to heed our wishes!

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. CLICK HERE AND SAY YES TO PPSMI OPTION !

If you want your children’s school to be given the option of continuing PPSMI in 2012, attached is a simple form for you to REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT. It will take only a few minutes of your time to fill in. We urge you to register immediately as 2012 is just around the corner.

Please also help to forward the email to as many people as possible.

Please be assured that all information you provide will be carefully guarded and we will take great care to ensure that your personal information remains confidential.

Thank you for showing that you care about your children's future AND the future of Malaysia!

Parent Action Group for Education (1266-10-WKL)pagemalaysia@gmail.comwww.pagemalaysia.orgFor Our Children. Demi Anak Kita

-- PAGE Parent Action Group for Education (1266-10-WKL)pagemalaysia@gmail.comwww.pagemalaysia.orgFor Our Children. Demi Anak Kita

Referendum on PPSMI (updated)

2011-10-13T19:42:00.003+08:00

I wish to offer my congratulations and my wholehearted support to PAGE and JMM for their joint call upon the Government to hold a nationwide referendum on whether PPSMI should be reversed.

Think about it. This proposal de-politicises the whole PPSMI issue.

No political party will win.

Only the rakyat wins.

Is that a bad thing?

____________________________

Sourced from The Star-

Two groups are calling for a referendum to determine if there is enough public support for the option of having Science and Mathematics taught in English in schools.

The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) and Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) are appealing to the Education Ministry to consider the voices of parents who want the option to have PPSMI in schools.

PAGE chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said this at a joint press conference with JMM president Azwanddin Hamzah yesterday.

The PPSMI policy was initiated by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and implemented in phases, beginning with Year One, Form One and Lower Six students in 2003.

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassinannounced in 2009 that the Government would reverse the PPSMI policy and revert to Bahasa Malaysia in national schools; and Chinese and Tamil in vernacular schools, while more emphasis would be placed on English.

However, he said in August that the Government was keeping its options open on the matter.

Noor Azimah said to date, PAGE had handed over six memorandums three each to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Muhyiddin but added she had not received any reply.

Noor Azimah said a letter requesting to meet with Najib was handed to him in late August, appealing to the Prime Minister to intervene in the long-standing issue.

Azwanddin said JMM and PAGE were not asking for a change in the official language.

“We are only asking for our children to be given the opportunity to study Science and Mathematics in English,” he said.

Noor Azimah said parents wanted their children to be educated according to their wishes as stipulated in the Education Act 1996.

She said students heading into Form One in national secondary schools in January next year were the ones most affected by the policy reversal.

Noor Azimah advised parents whose children will go to Form Four next year to urge principals to continue with PPSMI in their schools.

“It should be the parents who decide on the medium of instruction, not the principals.”

PPSMI - An election issue?

2011-10-11T17:02:00.001+08:00

If ever there was even the remotest possibility of the existence of a Silent Majority, it would have to be Malaysian parents whose children are in the Primary and Secondary schools that are subjected to the National Syllabus.

Education is a perpetually hot issue in every country anywhere in the world. Malaysia is no different.

The Education Ministry has sought to offer free text books. Under the 2012 Budget, it is seeking to remove school fees. All these, in an effort to pander to parents.

In the life of Malaysian parents, we wear many hats, of course. At work, we wear one hat. With friends, we wear another hat.

Surely the most important hat that we wear must be that of a parent to school-going children.

Children are a constant reminder to parents that there is a need to protect the future. The future of our children are the future of Malaysia. Malaysian children embody the future of Malaysia. They personify the Malaysian future.

So, it is not hyperbole when I say that I am angry with the Minister of Education. Yes, I'm very angry.

When Najib ascended to the Prime Ministership of Malaysia he was quoted as saying that the era of Government knows best is over.

Obviously the Minister of Education didn't read about it. Or, maybe he doesn't believe that statement to be true. Possibly, he thinks the Prime Minister was making a lighthearted, jocular remark. Maybe he doesn't care what that statement was intended to mean.

Whatever.

The fact is that the position of the Minister of Education is that PPSMI is a policy that will be revoked.

This is the thing that pisses me off.

WHY was a policy change made, in the wake of a strong electoral message in 2008, without prior consultation with all stakeholders in Malaysia's Primary and Secondary education?

WHY was the consultation restricted to some doctrinal and dogmatic and myopic few, whoever they may be?

There is recent evidence to show that so-called experts or academics in Malaysia are wobbly in their reasoning. An immediate example would be the Council of Professors who declared that Malaysia was never colonised. They did not understand the difference between a de jure position and a de facto reality.

Were these some of the people that the Ministry of Education consulted with in deciding to reverse the PPSMI?

The revocation of the policy on PPSMI is, to my mind, a clear and unequivocal sign that the ruling coalition or, at the very least, the Minister of Education, believes that the "Government knows best" philosophy is still the way to go.

I, for one, am making PPSMI an election issue.

In this coming GE13, I am voting as a PARENT.

I'm not going into the polling booth with any other hats. I'll only be wearing the hat of a PARENT.

I can only hope that the rest of the Silent Majority of PARENTS (and all other concerned Malaysian voters) will do likewise.

When is enough, enough?

2011-10-10T23:07:00.007+08:00

When you're already a tycoon the acquisition of additional assets is a mere intellectual challenge in a game where winners are measured objectively in the form of dollar value.

The problem arises when in chasing for superlative success in this game the tycoon's normally excellent judgment is clouded by the hunger to beat out the competition and grab the trophy.

And, suddenly, unwittingly(?), the line is crossed.

In the test of character, it is a fail.

In the measure of success, it is still a win because the desperate moves that crossed the line from being competitive and skillful to one who is felt to use underhand tactics that crosses the legal line, still results in the increase of net worth in dollar terms.

Sadly, in ethical and moral terms it means bankruptcy.

Which is to be treasured? High net worth in dollar terms? Or, high regard and a sterling reputation to take to the grave?

Which is better? The ignominy of being the richest S.O.B. who ever lived? Or, to be the greatest pillar of integrity that is held up forever as the ultimate role model of business leadership?

These are questions that should haunt those of us who have any pretension of ambition.

A "sweet" Budget 2012

2011-10-07T20:57:00.000+08:00

I will say this, Najib is nimble.

Big Dog has declared it an Election Budget. I am in agreement. The Budget contains a lot of sweets for many categories of Malaysians; from the civil servants to parents.

The fact that the "kaya" of goodies is spread quite thin must surely be because Treasury is mindful that one of the greatest concerns of financial observers, local and international, is the fiscal deficit. Well, the deficit is not expected to increase in spite of the goodies. In this sense, Najib is nimble.

Neither corporate tax nor personal income tax was touched. This, to me, is a prelude to the expected rollout of the GST after GE13. In this sense, Treasury has to hold the keel steady until more revenues can be extracted from the Malaysian economy when GST is rolled out.

Real Property Gains Tax

The part I quite like is the tweaking of the Real Property Gains Tax. From next year, anyone who buys a piece of property and flips it within 2 years must pay 10% of any gains. If he or she sells the property between 3 to 5 years later, the tax is 5% on any gains. There is no RPGT if the property is sold more than 5 years later.

I like it because a reversion to the much earlier 3-tier structure where the top RPGT rate was 30% is likely to have created a bubble-bursting effect (yes, I believe there is a bubble or, if you like understatement, then, "excessive frothiness" might be a substitute phrase).

So, this is an attempt to effect a controlled release of air from the property bubble.

Liberalisation of 17 services subsectors

An interesting matter is that among the 17 sub-sectors that will be liberalised include private hospital services, medical and dental specialist services, architectural, engineering, accounting and taxation, legal services, courier services, education and training services, as well as telecommunication services.

The one subsector that stands out is legal services. This is one sector that has been cloistered forever. The other one is architecture. These 2 service areas will see major structural changes.

I foresee that the immediate impact is not so much that a lot of foreign lawyers will literally parachute into Malaysia so much as foreign law and architectural brands will become more prominent. They will hire lots of Malaysians and a sprinkling of expat (remember, there's still the issue of work permits...aha!!!).

I see this as a good thing because the work processes for the legal and architecture professions will be immeasurably improved over time.

No, I don't see the loss of too much market share by local players to foreign service providers because, from my observation, foreign service providers are mainly interested to handle international work entering Malaysia in the form of foreign investments, direct or indirect. And, they are also interested in doing work for Malaysian companies investing or exporting overseas. This is their cachet...the international reach.

Malaysian-based clients can't afford to pay these international firms anyway!

The accounting firms won't feel a thing with this liberalisation because Malaysian accounting firms from Tier-1 to Tier-3 are already under foreign brands and varying legal ownership structures.

Anyway, this move has been a long time coming. Some say, it's overdue.

To borrow Stan Lee's expression, "Nuff said".

BN: Downsizing to be nimble and true

2011-10-05T08:27:00.001+08:00

While most people like to plunge into the rough and tumble of cat-calling and invective of happenstance events such as movies with food themes that contain socio-political commentaries, I find it more useful to examine our key political players for structure and process.

The 3 major components of the BN are facing a spot of bother.

They each have bloated memberships.

I use the word "bloated" most deliberately because, I dare say, two-thirds of their membership are filled with passive "hangers-on" who became members in the hope of material gain.

I have experienced several times, a situation where prior to meetings with certain MCA Ministers, I was asked whether I was a party member.

Such a question typifies the 3 major BN component parties.

This is based on the paradigm established in the 1980s when BN's hegemony writ large and the patronage game was all the rage.

It is likely that in that era (which may have ended in March 2008), the leadership perception was that a large membership base will guarantee a large base of human capital that can be tapped whenever required.

The question that should rightly haunt BN leaders is, what happened to the millions of members in March 2008?

Malaysia has changed from the times when it was important for political parties to enter into business directly to institutionalise the warchest to fight all future political battles. Such a move is now questioned by all and sundry - from the rarefied air of the corporate suites of GLCs to the warungs.

Malaysia's population has become better educated and, some say, wealthier. And, there is also that Pandora's Box that will never ever close again, the Internet and social media.

Troglodytes in the BN ranks, particularly those in charge of multimedia, see the Internet and social media as a threat. They constantly attack the medium with appalling results. For, the Internet and social media behaves exactly like the mythical Hydra.

So, what to do?

I will provide a simple example that will address both the issue of bloated memberships (and, therefore, the need to downsize) and the strategy to engage the Internet and social media.

Just study the wildly successful Obama Presidential Campaign of 2008. That's the key.

The other is, to slowly pare down the bloated "inventory" that are the passive memberships.

The third key takeaway should be to discard the treasure chest - yes, discard it by making earnest and sincere gifts of these valuable assets, such as controlling stakes in publicly-listed companies - and makes gifts of them to established and credible non-profit and charitable institutions - give it back to the people, so to speak.

Then and, I believe, only then, can the BN components re-engage the body politic with positive outcomes.

The key is how to engender the spirit of volunteerism in the mass of voters.

There are many, many, many examples of political parties with small membership bases that attract throngs of volunteers in the run-up to each political election - usually young voters - who are attracted to and, buys into the platform and manifesto of the political party in question.

The irony is that it is difficult for BN to find volunteers because everyone called upon by the BN expects to be paid. That used to be a good thing. Post-Match 2008, it's become a shitty situation.

A volunteer internalises the choice to support you. They are invested in you and your cause.

Paid party hacks and their fellow travellers have no heart because they're only in it for the money.

If BN components cannot see the difference, then, they're cooked.

This is a tough and stark choice.

MCA: Get the emotional connection going

2011-10-04T23:04:00.006+08:00

The MCA almost lost its underpants in the General Elections of 2008.

With GE13 looming its luminaries are attempting (belatedly) to enter into cyberspace more aggressively.

The MCA has also offered to buy Menara Multi-Purpose in KL as a long-term investment.

What do these two disparate actions mean?

Let's not forget the cat-calling and trading of barbs between the ex-President and the sitting President.

I'm not about to psychoanalyse the MCA. That would be the stuff of serious academic analysis. I will not presume to trivialise a political institution as important as the MCA.

Yes, the MCA is a political institution. It has a long and distinguished history. Hell, "renegade" MCA guys like Ong Yoke Lin in the KL Branch went against Tan Cheng Lock in 1951 to tie-up with UMNO at a time when Onn Jaafar's Independence of Malaya Party was the preferred flavour of the British colonial administration. Historical records confirm this.

So, how the heck did MCA's leaders lose the plot? How did they get the party so emasculated that it is now a mere eunuch?

During the 1974 General Elections (yes, the one where all Chinese Malaysians were entreated to the photo-op of Tun Razak shaking hands with Chairman Mao), my father's car was festooned with mini BN flags. My father was an MCA Branch Chairman.

Where is this leading to?

I think I read somewhere that the MCA has a net asset worth in excess of RM2 billion (or, maybe more).

With that kind of deep pockets, the MCA can spend on some serious marketing and advertising campaign.

This is no time to be parsimonious.

Come GE13, the MCA will be fighting for its political life.

It's time to sprinkle some magic dust.

My humble suggestion to the great egos at the MCA (yes, I've met some of them. And, yes, I did have to look up to the heavens for some of them. Though, to be fair, many MCA leaders were suitably modest...which is one of the minor reasons why I'm even bothering to write this.) is to consider an advertising and public relations campaign.

MCA has the financial resources. It has deep enough pockets to execute a good pre-GE13 campaign.

Whatever MCA has been doing to-date is too little and too lost in the cacophony of Malaysian politics.

And, by the way, getting nubile young Wanita MCA lasses to do tweets won't be enough. They'll either be too cheesy and effusive or, worse, become tweet-bitches if they are too aggressive.

What the MCA needs is to tell its story.

The MCA story needs to be told at several levels.

To the mature demographic, the emotional connection is to MCA's role in the founding of the nation. Hearken back to the days when the MCA had Ministers holding substantive portfolios such as Trade and Commerce and Finance. Apart from the populace, there's no harm reminding big brother UMNO that when there was an MCA guy in charge, the Finance portfolio was well-run.

To the middle-class demographic, the MCA needs to create an emotional connection.

To the entry-level voting demographic, the MCA needs to provide an edgy message beyond just whacking the DAP and whacking hudud. The MCA has to go beyond making lame appeals to UMNO. The MCA has to realise that saying that there will be no MCA Ministerial representation if it gets less than the number of seats it currently has won't cut it with the voters.

The entry-level voting demographic needs to get an emotional connection with the MCA. They need to get beyond the cynical view that everyone who joins the MCA is in it for the money alone and, everything else are platitudes.

I don't have the answers as to what emotional messages need to be created. Nobody is paying me to think that hard about the MCA!

I can only give clues.

By the way, although my father was an MCA Branch Chairman many, many moons ago, I don't have any emotional connection to the MCA. I felt something momentarily in the late 1980s. But, since then I've lost it. Nada. Nothing.

But, wait a minute, the fact that I constantly write about the MCA, UMNO and BN, less about the DAP and Pakatan, should give you a clue.

Needless to say, I am jaded with BN as a whole because of Perkasa and PPSMI. Both matters reek of manipulative opportunism by a desperate BN machinery. The rakyat can see through the ruse and, they ain't buyin.

My humble view is that there was never any need for BN "to go there" - to the darkest recesses of the Malaysian psyche.

So, back to the MCA.

The MCA needs to ratchet up its emotional connection to Malaysians, Chinese or otherwise.

That's the key...the emotional connection.

Get the message right and Malaysians like me may give it a real, hard look.

Federation of Europe

2011-10-04T10:12:00.000+08:00

The EU has 2 stark roads to take. It is at the fork in the road.

One road leads to the dismantling of the EU itself, starting with the break-up of the common currency, Euro. It's a bad outcome.

The other road is further integration. The formation of a federation. Or, a confederation.

The second road emerges because of the need for the stronger EU members to support (bailout) the weaker ones.

The second road is consistent with the vision offered by Bertrand Russell many, many years ago. Lord Russell wrote (which I have extracted from his essay, Political Ideals)-

The whole conception of trade, which has been forced upon
us by manufacturers who dreaded foreign competition, by trusts which
desired to secure monopolies, and by economists poisoned by the virus
of nationalism, is totally and absolutely false. Trade results simply
from division of labor. A man cannot himself make all the goods of
which he has need, and therefore he must exchange his produce with
that of other people. What applies to the individual, applies in
exactly the same way to the nation. There is no reason to desire that
a nation should itself produce all the goods of which it has need; it
is better that it should specialize upon those goods which it can
produce to most advantage, and should exchange its surplus with the
surplus of other goods produced by other countries. There is no use
in sending goods out of the country except in order to get other goods
in return. A butcher who is always willing to part with his meat but
not willing to take bread from the baker, or boots from the bootmaker,
or clothes from the tailor, would soon find himself in a sorry plight.
Yet he would be no more foolish than the protectionist who desires
that we should send goods abroad without receiving payment in the
shape of goods imported from abroad.

............

Our economic system is topsyturvy. It makes the interest of the
individual conflict with the interest of the community in a thousand
ways in which no such conflict ought to exist. Under a better system
the benefits of free trade and the evils of tariffs would be obvious
to all.

Apart from trade, the interests of nations coincide in all that makes
what we call civilization. Inventions and discoveries bring benefit
to all. The progress of science is a matter of equal concern to the
whole civilized world. Whether a man of science is an Englishman, a
Frenchman, or a German is a matter of no real importance. His
discoveries are open to all, and nothing but intelligence is required
in order to profit by them. The whole world of art and literature and
learning is international; what is done in one country is not done for
that country, but for mankind. If we ask ourselves what are the
things that raise mankind above the brutes, what are the things that
make us think the human race more valuable than any species of
animals, we shall find that none of them are things in which any one
nation can have exclusive property, but all are things in which the
whole world can share. Those who have any care for these things,
those who wish to see mankind fruitful in the work which men alone can
do, will take little account of national boundaries, and have little
care to what state a man happens to owe allegiance.

................................

What is to be desired is not cosmopolitanism, not the absence of all
national characteristics that one associates with couriers,
wagon-lit attendants, and others, who have had everything
distinctive obliterated by multiple and trivial contacts with men of
every civilized country. Such cosmopolitanism is the result of loss,
not gain. The international spirit which we should wish to see
produced will be something added to love of country, not something
taken away. Just as patriotism does not prevent a man from feeling
family affection, so the international spirit ought not to prevent a
man from feeling affection for his own country. But it will somewhat
alter the character of that affection. The things which he will
desire for his own country will no longer be things which can only be
acquired at the expense of others, but rather those things in which
the excellence of any one country is to the advantage of all the
world. He will wish his own country to be great in the arts of peace,
to be eminent in thought and science, to be magnanimous and just and
generous. He will wish it to help mankind on the way toward that
better world of liberty and international concord which must be
realized if any happiness is to be left to man.

.................................

The principle espoused by Lord Russell, if you didn't catch the drift, is that, in the current context, EU members need not fear the loss of nationalism or local culture as they gravitate towards a federal formula. It is akin to having a sense of being part of a huge village. It's going back to the roots of why people chose to live close to each other in the first place.

Mental masturbation on the socio-economic Catch-22

2011-10-04T02:09:00.000+08:00

I'm writing about something that has bothered me for a long time. I've actually blogged about it intermittently when I started blogging, particularly in 2008 when the U.S. sub-prime crisis unfolded.

It's about the Catch-22 of modern capitalism.

As with all things, there's a Yin and Yang view (how wise the ancient sages were).

From the perspective of the leaders of modern large corporations, the KPI is the mantra of "shareholder value".

Shareholder value

What is shareholder value? It's about generating profits. Not just profits, mind you. The target is profit growth year-on-year.

Just read the financial news. Just watch the financial media. Just read analyst reports.

If a large corporation made a billion last year and made another billion this year, the watchers and analysts and, yes, shareholders start decrying the zero profit growth year-on-year. This makes the company boring. The only consolation is if the company declares some higher dividend payout than from the year before.

Hell, unlisted companies have serious orgiastic parties if they record good profits every year. But, no, it's just not good enough for the shareholders of modern large corporations.

Flat is bad?

Flat growth is decried...even if it is still a highly profitable enterprise.

And, who are these shareholders?

Well, it's you and me.

Even if you hold up your hands to sanctimoniously cry aloud that you have never bought a single share of a publicly-listed company in your entire life, you would still be wrong.

We've all got money stashed away in pension funds, superannuation, or whatever one call it. So, indirectly, we're all complicit.

We bitch about poor returns, poor yields.

Where does that yield come from? Why, from the modern large corporations, of course.

Whether we like it or, not, we're in a carousel that is spinning out of control.

I have no idea how to stop the carousel. Do you?

Changed social values

All I know is that the correct social values as it existed in a village or kampung has disappeared in the era of modern capitalism.

Countries like our own Malaysia are caught in this awful carousel.

Our government is told that we need to reduce taxes in order to attract FDIs. FDIs are typically in the form of modern large corporations looking for cost-effective venues to produce goods and services at competitive prices. Competitively-priced products are attractive to consumers. Consumption of these products generate revenue and profits to the modern large corporations whose KPI is to generate growing year-on-year profits. And, the cycle is complete and, it repeats itself, year-on-year.

If only there was a better way to harness these great surpluses to plough into public amenities like more parks, community centres, welfare, public health, education, and so on.

We know that public finance comes in the form of tax revenues. But, wait a minute, aren't governments being told that taxes must be reduced in order to ensure competitiveness to attract FDIs?

If we peer across the Pacific Ocean to the U.S., we will see President Obama struggling to convince the American public that a tax regime that attempts to extract greater public revenue from modern large corporations and high net worth individuals is a good thing. Many believe that he is committing political suicide, because the U.S. is the citadel of modern capitalism.

Voluntary tax

Another equally ironic situation is when a bunch of tycoons in Malaysia buys out a lottery company owned by another tycoon in order to distribute welfare to non-Muslim Malaysians.

A lottery is what economists call a "voluntary tax".

I've blogged about this before.

The irony is that the Malaysian government was very enlightened up until the 1980s when Islamism and privatisation policies became the rage.

That spelled the death knell for the Social Welfare Lottery (remember that?) and Toto (remember that?).

As I said, it's ironic.

So, where does all this meandering lead to?

It leads to the one key takeaway that is good to mentally masturbate over.

The futile hope

A significant portion of the surplus of modern large corporations should be extracted for the public good.

If there were better social amenities, like public parks, sports complexes, sports programmes, academic instituions, vocational training institutions, better roads and pavements, better maintenance of public facilities all around ... and better public institutions to help farmers grow better fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meat (which is an excellent way to control food inflation)... then, we may not need to fret so much about savings and investment returns.

Then, we may leave the leave the modern large corporations to do more R&D on products and services that improves the human condition instead of generating the desire to consume at an irrational rate.

Maybe....

As I declared earlier, it's mental masturbation. But it does have some pleasurable side effects...

Govt revenue from taxes unch over 3-4 yrs

2011-09-21T02:58:00.000+08:00

It's always useful to capture vital statistics. Sourced from here-

The government's revenue from taxes has not been increasing for the past three to four years, Deputy Finance Minister Senator Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai said.

He said on Tuesday, Sept 20 the amount was around RM160 billion a year even though expenditure was on an increasing trend.

He said one third of the government's revenue came from oil and gas, one third from taxes from companies and individuals while the remaining one third from indirect taxes such as stamp duties and Customs duties.

"There is a need to increase the number of skilled labour so that the government would be able to collect more taxes and increase its revenue," he said at the launch of a new Malaysian Financial Planning Council (MFPC) secretariat office and signing of a memorandum of agreement between MFPC with UCSI University and UMSLink Sdn Bhd on registered financial planner (RFP) programmes here.

In Malaysia, Lim said, out of the 12.8 million workers, only 29% were skilled labour as compared to developed countries where 40% of their workers were skilled labour.

"Out of the 12.8 million workers in Malaysia, only 1.65 million pay taxes," he said.

The finance sector, he said, was one sector which has a lot of potential to create skilled professionals with its certification standards.

He said the government was looking at ways how Form 5 school leavers could gain certain skills such as to be a mechanic.

Federalism in Malaysia

2011-09-15T12:43:00.003+08:00

Tomorrow, we celebrate the 47th Anniversary of the formation of Malaysia. All Malaysians know that Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and the Federal territories. But, what is a "federation"? What does it mean?

Daniel Elazar has described it as follows-

“The contractual sharing of public responsibilities by all governments in the system appears to be a central characteristic of federalism. Sharing, broadly conceived, includes common involvement in policymaking, financing, and administration of government activities.

In contemporary federal systems, it is characterized by extensive intergovernmental collaboration. Sharing can be based on highly formal arrangements or informal agreements.

In federal systems, it is usually contractual in nature. The contract – politically a limited expression of the compact principle – is used in formal arrangements as a legal device to enable governments responsible to separate polities to engage in joint action while remaining independent entities.

Even where government agencies cooperate without formally contracting to do so, the spirit of federalism that pervades an ongoing federal system tends to infuse the participating parties with a sense of contractual obligation."

This view permeates the Cobbold Report (1962) and the Inter-Governmental Committee Report (1962) which formed the basis for the formalisation of the Federation of Malaysia in the Malaysia Agreement 1963, the Malaysia Act 1963 and the 1963 amendments to our Federal Constitution.

Going back to Elazar's description, we are reminded, from time to time, by various communities and groups in both Sarawak and Sabah that the central government has short-delivered its end of the contractual bargain.

Is this sentiment a fair appraisal of the federal experience of Sarawak and Sabah?

This question is a most difficult one.

In the past decades, there has been substantial vocalisation on federalism by the likes of the late Datuk Amar James Wong of Sarawak (one of the founders of the now defunct Sarawak National Party or SNAP) and Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan of Sabah.

Fairness in allocation of economic resources

Many of my Sarawak and Sabah friends privately express cynicism about the fairness in allocation of economic resources by the central government to their states.

This sentiment is precisely the matter that dogs the federal centre. This sentiment is also a source of frustration for the federal centre.

There is a perception, rightly or wrongly, on the part of many Sarawakians and Sabahans that their state governments have been under, what Gordon P. Means called, "federal tutelage" from the inception of Malaysia.

Is this a true and fair view? The jury is still out.

What cannot be denied is that such a perception colours the sentiment of Sarawakians and Sabahans.

This is especially true when the topic of petroleum resources comes about.

The perception is that the petroleum largesse is transferred to the federal centre and trickles back to the states of Sarawak and Sabah in the form of capitation grants and road grants.

Is this a true and fair view? The jury is still out. But, the perception is strong.

Race and community relations

All my Sarawakian and Sabahan friends are aghast at how separate the communities are in Peninsular Malaysia. They are fearful that such a way of life will infect the happy inter-ethnic and inter-communal ambience that still exists in Sarawak and Sabah (though signs of invisible walls being built are growing).

This is not the federal influence they want.

The challenge for the federal centre

Apart from the acculturation issue (which all Sarawakians and Sabahans should rightly reject), the core issue must surely be whether Sarawak and Sabah can lay claim to a fair share of the economic resources generated from within their states.

I recall being told by a Sabahan friend some time ago that when they watch the tv and see the images of sparkling skyscrapers of glass and steel and well-lit multi-tiered highways in KL, they cannot feel any sense of excitement or share the pride that such images were intended to inspire. Such images actually engender an opposite emotion.

So, beyond the temporal politics of today, the federal centre must renew and redouble its efforts to win the hearts and minds of the people of Sarawak and Sabah that their forebears did the right thing when they signed on to the Malaysian adventure; not a nightmare.

The importance of consultation

I have written extensively (in an academic context) about the importance of consultation as a feature of federalism. Consultation is, in fact, the MAIN feature of federalism.

Our Federal Constitution has many references to the need for consultation. Some of it are formal on issues such as-

Appointment of judges
Land
Local Government

Others are informal but, still, constitutionally necessary. These include the issue of natural resources such as water and minerals.

The importance of federalism for Malaysia's democracy

Malaysians have a narrow view of the democratic process as something that we eat kuaci and sip teh tarik over when any political elections loom.

We also should be aware and be constantly reminded that each of the thirteen states, particularly the states of Sarawak and Sabah, are sovereign in their own right and, they chose to form the Federation of Malaysia. In any way that we may wish to look at it, the undeniable fact is that we have a set of contractual relationships between the federal centre and its 13 partners.

This is as it should be.

For the states of Sarawak and Sabah, they signed onto the federation with stronger conditions than the other 11 states. It gives Sarawak and Sabah greater say over many aspects of the affairs of their states.

But all 13 states have residual sovereign rights. These sovereign rights may be limited by the Federal Constitution; but they still exist.

This is what Malaysia is.

British Malaya: Balik ke pangkal jalan

2011-09-12T18:21:00.001+08:00

Better hit the iron on the anvil while the metal is still hot. In this instance, the hot topic is our history involving the role of the British. As with all things historical, one must approach the matter with full objectivity and free oneself as far as reasonably possible from the taint of bias.

We are fortunate to have reprints of the source documents from which the British sought and obtained a legitimate legal presence in Peninsular Malaysia.

Among the more significant treaties entered into between the British and the Malay Rulers was the Treaty of Pangkor that was signed in 1874. The preamble to the Treaty is an interesting read-

Whereas, a state of anarchy exists in the Kingdom of Perak owing to the want of settled government in the Country, and no efficient power exists for the protection of the people and for securing to them the fruits of their industry, and,

Whereas, large numbers of Chinese are employed and large sums of money invested in Tin mining in Perak by British subjects and others residing in Her Majesty's Possessions, and the said mines and property are not adequately protected, and piracy, murder and arson are rife in the said country, whereby British trade and interests greatly suffer, and the peace and good order of the neighbouring British Settlements are sometimes menaced, and,

Whereas, certain Chiefs for the time being of the said Kingdom of Perak have stated their inability to cope with the present difficulties, and together with those interested in the industry of the country have requested assistance, and,

Whereas, Her Majesty's Government is bound by Treaty Stipulations to protect the said Kingdom and to assist its rulers, now,

His Excellency Sir Andrew Clarke, Governor of the Colony of the Straits Settlements, in compliance with the said request, and with a view of assisting the said rulers and of affecting a permanent settlement of affairs in Perak, has proposed the following Articles of arrangements as mutually beneficial to the Independent Rulers of Perak, their subjects, the subjects of Her Majesty, and others residing in or trading with Perak, that is to say:-

(I have just selected the pertinent Article for you)

VI. Sixth. - That the Sultan receive and provided a suitable residence for a British Officer to be called Resident, who shall be accredited to the Court, and whose advice must be asked and acted upon on all questions (emphasis mine) other than those touching Malay Religion and Custom.

The next extract that I offer you is the Treaty of Federation that was signed in 1895. This treaty created the Federated Malay States comprising Perak, Selangor, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan.

I reproduce two pertinent paragraphs of the Treaty-

1. In confirmation of various previous Agreements, the Sultan of Perak, the Sultan of Selangor, the Sultan of Pahang, and the Chiefs of the States which form the territory known as the Negri Sembilan, hereby severally place themselves and their States under the protection (emphasis mine) of the British Government.

4. The above-named Rulers agree to accept a British Officer, to be styled Resident-General, as the agent and representative of the British Government under the Governor of the Straits Settlements. They undertake to provide him with suitable accommodation, with such salary as is determined by Her Majesty's Government, and to follow his advice on all matters of administration (emphasis mine) other than those touching the Muhammadan religion.

Everything needs a proper context. The Treaties mentioned above and the background to which each of the Treaties were arrived at has been studied and, is being studied by historians as they should rightly be.

Does the language of the Treaties effectively make the role of the British that of a colonial master?

What is the difference between a "Protectorate" and a "Colony"?

I have my views. But, some times it is more fun to leave rhetorical questions.

Body and Soul: Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse

2011-09-09T22:32:00.000+08:00

No need for intros...here's Tony and Amy...Amy's last recorded song. Sadly we have to wait for the full version in October:

How the hell did you get here? - Prof Khoo Kay Kim on Malaysian History

2011-09-08T01:55:00.007+08:00

The level of dumbing down of Malaysia's education system is beginning to take its toll. Ignorance and indolence are now worn as badges of honour.

So-called political leaders are confidently screaming out statements that are completely wrong when set against historical records.

In the wee hours that I am writing this blog entry I am unable to wax lyrical nor am I able or inclined to show indignance.

I prefer to lead you to the video below where there the venerable Malaysian historian, Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dato' Khoo Kay Kim, continues his noble quest to remind Malaysians about the wealth of our heritage, the meaning of our polyglot society, the danger of ignorance, the despair of indolent minds, the frustration of having lazy historians, and the list goes on...

I have had the immense pleasure in having met Prof Khoo some time ago. And, every time I have the opportunity to read his writings or listen to his lectures, I am reminded of how utterly ignorant I still am about so many aspects of Malaysia's history.

In a sense, this realisation gives me great motivation to dig a little deeper.

But, being an armchair history buff makes me reliant on the efforts of historians. And, if, like me, you browse the bookstores around Malaysia, you will find so few works on Malaysian history that provide any real depth of research or analysis. The sad truth is that there are more republished materials and works on Malaysian history done aeons ago by British scholars and historians than there are recent works that are of any significance or objectivity or depth.

I hope this situation will change. Otherwise, we will still have to depend on British scholars (or, *shock* *horror* *shudder* Singaporean scholars) to conduct research and write about us and how we are suffering from collective societal amnesia and how mockingly amusing it is for non-Malaysians to observe how we Malaysians look at each other and wonder how the hell the other guy got here... because whatever our level of amnesia, we are unanimous on the fact that it is the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia and the numerous suku kaum in Sabah and Sarawak that were here before the rest of us.

So, unless we're happy to call ourselves bastards, we should pause before calling others that and, more importantly, start reading REAL works on Malaysian history.

Credit Growth v Asset Bubble

2011-09-05T12:19:00.001+08:00

I am bothered by a report in Star Online containing this statement, "Analysts expect property loans to maintain their position as a key growth driver of credit expansion with some estimating them to grow between 10% and 12% this year due to the low interest rate environment and ample liquidity in the banking system.".

Where does "credit growth" end and "asset bubble" begin?

This is something that should trouble Bank Negara Malaysia and Malaysia's economic planners.

I have always believed that property-led credit growth implies asset-bubble formation since there are really no material salutary effect from property booms to the wider economy.

And, why do I say that?

If housing property booms are linked to genuine economic growth led by, say, manufacturing or commodities, then, we can safely assume that there is a growth in income to the nation's workforce who can then invest their surplus income to buy their dream home or invest in property.

If there is loan growth from borrowings by businesses to fund expansion, then, there is some real economic action going on.

But, if loan growth or credit growth is led by property purchases, not led by business expansion, then, alarm bells should be ringing in the head of all rational people.

This phenomenon strongly suggests that Malaysians with savings are fed-up with low yields from fixed deposits. They are desperately looking for alternative things to park their savings with.

These people seem to have found that buying properties in recent years gives them better financial returns in the form of capital appreciation.

Because of this series of transactions between and amongst these people, there is a perceived demand for properties above and beyond the norm.

People are buying properties, expensive properties, purely for investment in expectation of capital gains. They don't intend to live in these residential properties. They look down at the rental yields, which are paltry. They only want the capital gains. But, how long can this game go on for?

Banks are fueling this mania.

This is just my humble opinion.

1963: Swatches of history

2011-09-02T22:03:00.000+08:00

By now any reasonably regular visitor to this blog would know how much of a history buff I can be. This is especially so at this time of the year, every year. It is the most important fortnight for our nation.

Here's 2 articles on Malaysia written in 1963 for Time magazine. It has an immediacy that I find very appealing. And, it's interesting to bear in mind that in 1963 the Cold War was raging in its full frozen fury. The feeling that there were Commies under every blade of grass was very real.

Nations were being formed, including Malaysia.

There was much concern in the U.S. as to whether the enlarged Malaysian nation could withstand the domino-effect that Communism could catalyse from Beijing to Hanoi to Vientiane to Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta. This was the nightmare scenario.

As an aside, writing the sentence above reminded me of the late Nordin Sopiee's Ph.D thesis on the formation of Malaysia, which, made pretty cogent arguments along the above lines as one of the primary motivations for U.S. and British support for the formation of Malaysia.

It is in this context that the 2 articles below should be read.

Malaysia: Tunku Yes, Sukarno No

Friday, Sept. 06, 1963

In steamy, palm-shaded Kuching, capital of Sarawak, the day's biggest excitement is the firing of the 8 p.m. cannon on the lawn of government house. "What a dull place," said a United Nations official. "I don't know how we're going to survive three weeks here." At the insistence of Indonesia's President Sukarno, an eight-member U.N. team is present to "ascertain" whether Sarawak and North Borneo really want to join the Federation of Malaysia, which Sukarno bitterly opposes. As the U.N. ascertainers began to sample opinions around Sarawak, they were nearly stoned, not bored, to death.

In the Chinese-dominated town of Sibu, the Red-infiltrated Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) staged a demonstration that turned into a 90-minute, stone-throwing riot. Only after police fired warning shots to disperse the mob could the U.N. team sit down —amidst broken glass in a Methodist schoolhouse—to interview local councilors. In Miri, Sarawak's oil-refining center, 3,000 Chinese-SUPPorted youths, wielding stones and bottles, screamed anti-Malaysia slogans until the police opened fire, wounding two, and tear gas forced them to scatter.

Date Set. Such outbursts will slightly delay but not derail the formation of Malaysia, originally scheduled for Aug. 31. In last summer's general elections, voters in both Sarawak and North Borneo decisively defeated anti-federation parties.

Although Indonesia's shadow looms large, the Borneo people know they have nothing to gain from Djakarta but economic chaos and demagoguery. Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and British Colonial Secretary Duncan Sandys, who hastily flew to the scene, last week set Sept. 16 as the new birth date for the federation —two days after the U.N. mission's findings will be made public. Both are sure that the U.N. will find a clear majority in favor of Malaysia, but they insist that the federation will come into being regardless of the report. The British last week also turned over internal self-government to Borneo and Sarawak.

In a wrangle over details with the British, Indonesia failed to send observers to the U.N. mission, thus giving Sukarno an excuse to question the U.N. findings later. But faced with British determination to defend Malaysia by force, if necessary, Sukarno said: "If the Borneo peoples agree to join Malaysia, we will have to bow our heads and obey." But, added Sukarno, in an unbowed postscript: "Indonesia maintains its opposition to Malaysia."

Book Learning. An Indonesian guerrilla campaign against Borneo and Sarawak may well continue, since Djakarta always needs a foreign diversion to draw attention from domestic difficulties. In Indonesian Borneo, which adjoins Sarawak, Sukarno has set up guerrilla camps along 200 miles of border, and is training 1,000 Red-lining Chinese from Sarawak, following the guidelines of Indonesian Defense Minister General Abdul Haris Nasution, an expert on guerrilla warfare who has written his own book on the subject. Bands of his guerrillas pushed across the border to raid Dyak villages, clashed with patrols of British-led Gurkhas and Sarawak police. In a fire fight ten miles inside Sarawak, the Indonesians killed a British lieutenant and wounded several Gurkhas before being routed with heavy losses. Meanwhile, British officers are studying Nasution's book for clues to stop further Indonesian incursions.

So far, Indonesian terrorist attacks have only served to create a surge of pro-Malaysia feeling in Borneo and Sarawak. Almost nightly, the Indonesian embassy in North Borneo is plastered with slogans reading "Tunku Yes, Sukarno No." Although his people stopped head-hunting years ago, one Dyak chief told the U.N. fact finders that "if any more Indonesian bandits come into our territory, they may lose their heads."

Malaysia: Hurray for Harry

Friday, Sept. 20, 1963

When pretty Catherine Loh was elected Miss Malaysia last April, the pert beauty from the oil-rich British protectorate of Brunei fully expected to preside over the independence ceremonies of the newly formed Federation of Malaysia. But that was before Brunei withdrew from the planned federation in a state of pique, leaving Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo to go it alone. Brunei's defection not only left this week's joyous celebrations without a beauty queen but it also took Malaysia out of the running for the Miss Universe contest.

The beauty queen flap was low on the list of last-minute labor pains attending the long-awaited birth of Malaysia. At the insistence of Indonesia's belligerent President Sukarno, who bitterly opposes the federation, Malaysia's independence had been postponed two weeks beyond the original Aug. 31 starting date, while a United Nations team investigated whether or not North Borneo and Sarawak really wanted to join. Hoping to influence opinion against federation, Sukarno began moving paratroopers into Indonesian Borneo along his 900-mile-long border with the two territories. Some Indonesian guerrillas even sneaked through the jungles into Sarawak to stir up trouble; they were relentlessly hunted down by tough little British army Gurkhas, aided by half-naked Iban tribesmen, who hung up at least one Indonesian head in the rafters of their longhouses.

Fearful that Indonesia might extract further delays out of Malaya's easygoing Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, the architect of the federation, Singapore's brilliant, shifty Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who regards Sukarno as "an international blackmailer," swung into action. Flying to Sarawak and North Borneo, "Harry" Lee picked up the chief ministers of both territories and brought them back to Kuala Lumpur to stiffen up the Tunku. Britain's Commonwealth Secretary Duncan Sandys was also on hand, working hard to get agreement. Threatening to declare Singapore an independent state, Lee pressured Abdul Rahman into holding firm for the federation's Sept. 16 deadline.

Last week the final obstacle to independence was cleared away when the U.N.'s Malaysia team reported that both North Borneo and Sarawak favored the federation. As the new nation prepared to unfurl its red-and-white-striped flag, Harry Lee was quick to capitalize on the occasion. With his popularity at its zenith for his major role in bringing the federation about, he scheduled immediate elections in Singapore.

Merdeka

2011-08-31T05:06:00.001+08:00

To all Malaysians near and far, I wish you SELAMAT MENYAMBUT HARI KEMERDEKAAN.

Selamat Hari Raya

2011-08-29T21:37:00.001+08:00

To all my Muslim brothers and sisters, especially Malaysians, I wish each of you-

SALAM AIDIL FITRI

MAAF ZAHIR DAN BATIN

And to all Malaysians, happy holiday week.

I am at my happiest when all my loved ones are with me and, this stretch is at the apex of happiness because everyone is home right here with me. These are the best times of my life. I wish for all Malaysians to feel the same level of happiness as I am feeling during this time.

(Updated) DPM: Teaching of Maths, Science in BM and English still under study

2011-08-16T21:54:00.002+08:00

As always, I get a stir of positive energy when I hear the probable possibility of a reasonable likelihood of an inclination towards a circumspect consideration of the maintenance of the use of the English language as a medium of instruction in the subjects of Science and Mathematics.

So desperate am I that I am prepared to sacrifice the teaching of the English language in English. I am prepared to concede that the subject of English language can be taught in a non-English language if the teaching of Mathematics and Science can be taught in the English language.

In a nutshell, I am encouraged by this reported statement in The Star.

And, while we're on this subject please visit the PAGE website. PAGE is the acronym for the Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia.

PAGE is a group of concerned and responsible Malaysian parents who are trying to get the attention of the Government, Parliamentarians, other NGOs and, just about anyone who is prepared to listen, lend an ear, lend a hand or, lend anything - to support the basic proposition that parents and schools should be given a choice over whether the teaching of Science and Mathematics should be taught in the English language.
_________________________

I just read this at the Malaysian Insider-

Page accuses Putrajaya of ‘buying time’, wants English-language option restored

The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (Page) wants Putrajaya to restore ‘teaching science and maths in English’ option before it kicks off a new policy next year.

Its vice-chairman, Sulaiman Mahran, ticked off Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for saying the Education Ministry will study further the possibility of using two languages to teach the two subjects in national schools, as reported by state news agency Bernama yesterday.

“It’s only buying time until 2012 when the MBMMBI will be fully implemented,” Sulaiman said in a statement, referring to the “Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening Command of English” policy that is to take over the existing language policy for science and maths (PPSMI).

The English-language lobbyist pointed out that the long-term advantages of English had been identified during the Mahathir administration but that its implementation was miscarried during the Abdullah administration.

“Datuk Seri Najib’s administration should repair its implementation, not dismantle it,

“What should be studied deeper is MBMMBI, which is clearly defective because it reduces the students’ exposure to English by 50 per cent,” Sulaiman said.

Prior to the Sarawak polls on April 16, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had also announced he would consider using dual languages as the medium of instruction for Mathematics and Science in schools.

PPSMI was first introduced in 2003 but the Education Ministry decided last year to stop it by 2012 after consulting with teachers and parents around the country.

In the uproar that followed after PPSMI was abolished, Putrajaya introduced MBMMBI, which will see the teaching of Mathematics and Science revert to Bahasa Malaysia from 2012 while more contact hours for English would be offered in order to improve students’ skills in the language.

In May The Malaysian Insider reported that the Najib administration had not decided on switching back to English for Science and Mathematics (PPSMI) because several Cabinet ministers felt any change would be another embarrassing flip-flop.

The Education Ministry has also announced it would hire 10,000 teachers to teach English in local schools.

Najib has also got a promise from the United States to send Peace Corps volunteers to teach the language in the country.

Euro: The downside of common currency

2011-08-14T22:28:00.000+08:00

I'm not sure if the architects of the Euro could have envisaged a widespread economic contagion that covers Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain (hence the porcine acronym of PIIGS).

Were it not for the Euro, I would imagine that if any nation goes into economic turmoil for whatever reason, say, the bursting of asset bubbles, the national currency will depreciate because that nation's debt will invariably increase. The conventional response to economic crisis is the printing of money to finance fiscal deficit.

Where a common currency is in play, which is the case of the PIIGS, there are many more variables.

One such variable is the obvious differences in the economic health of member countries sharing the common currency.

Unlike the PIIGS, leading member countries like Germany and France are in relatively robust economic health. They would cherish a stable currency at a reasonable value relative to other currencies so that their cross-border trades within and outside of the European Community are predictable.

But, the dilemma of the economically robust member countries is that they are now reluctant participants to bail out (or, to be politically correct, support) the PIIGS.

The common currency has become the unintended tether that threatens to pull down the healthy economies as they bailout the ailing ones. The awful metaphor is that of the mountaineers who have to deal with fallen colleagues whose lives are, literally, hanging by a thread.

Without the Euro, the PIIGS would have taken a depreciation of their currencies. Such depreciation would have made their exports cheaper. It would have made their tourist attractions cheaper relative to other destinations. Thus the natural ebb and flow of economics would have taken place.

With the Euro, the dilemma of the PIIGS is that their exports remain at a higher value than otherwise. And, visitors would still find the price of hotels, restaurants and trinkets still relatively expensive.

This scenario validates the stubborn resistance of the United Kingdom and many of the Scandinavian countries that resisted the pressure to join the Euro.

Perhaps it is time to consider the dismantling of the Euro.

UK Riots: Crowdcrime

2011-08-10T20:46:00.005+08:00

The spark may have been an unfortunate shooting incident involving the Police in Tottenham. But nothing, nothing can excuse the outbreak of lawlessness in London and other cities in England.

It's not about poverty or lack of opportunities. I just heard on the BBC that the first culprit that was brought before a Magistrate was a teaching assistant!

No, the outbreak is about the phenomenon of what I will term, "safety in numbers". Aided by modern mobile communications and social media, hundreds of energetic youth have been executing the criminal equivalent of "flash mobs", or rather, flashmobs gone awry - I call it "Crowdcrime".

There must have been a realisation in the wake of the initial Tottenham riot that where the number of participants exceeded, say, 50 to 100, the law enforcement adopts a playbook stance that plays right into the hands of the hooligans.

I was flabbergasted when I watched a BBC clip showing 3 pairs of policemen in riot gear (carrying "Captain America" type round shields instead of the head-to-toe height shields that the Malaysian FRU carry) approaching the hooligans tentatively. Needless to say, the hooligans won that round.

I am amazed that in the wake of the London bus bombing some 6 years ago, the law enforcement strategies in the UK is still so inept.

As a matter of interest, I recall a remark made by a Queen's Counsel with whom I was having a beer. The QC was in KL to deliver a paper at a symposium. He marvelled at how much effort us Malaysians put into these symposiums - with the banging of the gong - music - fanfare - I digress.

The QC was musing about how soft the UK Government was about many matters.

This round of random riots throughout the length and breadth of England is confirmation that, not just in the UK, but also places like Norway and throughout the West - a serious review of where Western notions of law enforcement and the rights of criminal suspects need to be made.

There is a need for law enforcement to ensure that we can have quiet enjoyment of our lives.

Anyone that crosses the line drawn by the Law must be brought to book.

In an exigent event such as a riot or acts of hooliganism, law enforcement officials must be allowed to inflict pain - in the form of tear gas, water cannons and, yes, even rubber bullets.

And, I should also suggest that the police use paint guns - oil-based or permanent dye not water-soluble - to mark the culprits so that after the event, the police can conduct house-to-house searches. Or, conscientious parents and friends can report these "stigmatised" persons.

Worried about innocent bystanders being shot with paint? Don't be. I would not want to be present where a riot was happening. Would you? So, if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time your instinct would have been to run or walk away. If you have stayed as a busybody and got shot with paint, then, you've got some explaining to do. That's all.

If anyone feels that this view is extreme, just ask that poor chap whose 100-year old furniture store in Croydon was burnt to cinders.

The UK riots are not about any socio-economic or socio-political matters.

The UK riots are a terrible new phenomenon - Crowdcrime.

Rating the U.S. and S&P

2011-08-09T00:05:00.000+08:00

It is tempting to gloat. "Told ya!", our minds scream while we sip our caramelised teh tarik to wash down the roti canai at our favourite warung.

It is an ugly, awful spectacle that has unfolded in the U.S.

For those of us of a certain vintage, our minds may have wandered to the possible range of sarcastic remarks that our dear erstwhile leader, Dr M would have spewed at the frail, fratricide that is unfolding in the democratic political process that the U.S. has so earnestly and ideologically promoted over the past century.

Our minds would also have wandered back to the difficult, challenging insults and invective hurled against Malaysia in the despairing days of 1998.

Every orang utan has its day.

We have now witnessed a troubled giant continue an implosion that started in November 2008.

Flashback to 1998. They said that we, in Malaysia, were in denial.

Flash forward to 2008 and, again, to 2011. We see the U.S. printing money to support its government's pump-priming efforts since 2008. They don;t call it "pump-priming", of course. It's nebulously called "Quantitative Easing".

Mind you, I'm not gloating. I'm not gleeful.

These are troubling times.

The U.S. is finding that the pump-priming is not working at the level of Main Street. The pump-priming appears to have only favoured Wall Street and selected Fortune 500 corporations. The average U.S. worker is in economic danger.

The U.S. Congress is practising partisanship politics in a leaking vessel. The U.S. President is floundering in a hamstrung attempt to lead on a populist line. They call it brinksmanship.

The unkindest blow came when Standard & Poor downrated the U.S. economy, ironically, because of the political chicanery that took the U.S. Government to the brink of bankruptcy (many say it is already bankrupt anyway...or, at least, technically insolvent).

This meandering post is meant to lead to one point.

I am impressed with how quickly the U.S. eco-system rallies around a perceived threat. This time the threat comes from within. It comes from the S&P downrating.

The amount of criticism heaped at S&P from the U.S. politicians, media commentators and intelligentsia is quite breathtaking.

This leads me to the second point.

Who's the conductor in this cacophonic symphony?

Is it a grouping of vested interests who have designed the greatest economic coup imaginable?

Might the coup be the sovereign default on U.S. Treasury Bills to the extreme detriment of China? (Japan, South Korea and the others will be collateral damage)

This would be one way to re-boot the downward spiralling U.S. economy.

The other would be war.

Think about it.

Al-Fatihah YM Raja Aziz Addruse

2011-07-12T19:33:00.001+08:00

I read that Yang Mulia Raja Aziz Addruse, passed away peacefully earlier today at the age of 75.

The Malaysian Bar's website had this statement on Raja Aziz who was a Past President-

Allahyarham was called to the Malaysian Bar on 8 Jan 1966. From Lincoln’s Inn, Allahyarham was the first President of the Malaysian Bar to serve three terms — 1976-1978, 1988-1989 and 1992-1993. A leading advocate, Allahyarham continued to be active in Bar Council work, and appeared regularly in the Appellate Courts as a senior counsel. He had led and argued many of the difficult and controversial cases for the Malaysian Bar.

I am wistfully reminded of this poem by Wordsworth which, in my humble view, does some justice to a life fully lived by one of Malaysia's great sons-

Character of the Happy Warrior

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

Who is the happy Warrior? Who is he

That every man in arms should wish to be?

—It is the generous Spirit, who, when brought

Among the tasks of real life, hath wrought

Upon the plan that pleased his boyish thought:

Whose high endeavours are an inward light

That makes the path before him always bright;

Who, with a natural instinct to discern

What knowledge can perform, is diligent to learn;

Abides by this resolve, and stops not there,

But makes his moral being his prime care;

Who, doomed to go in company with Pain,

And Fear, and Bloodshed, miserable train!

Turns his necessity to glorious gain;

In face of these doth exercise a power

Which is our human nature's highest dower:

Controls them and subdues, transmutes, bereaves

Of their bad influence, and their good receives:

By objects, which might force the soul to abate

Her feeling, rendered more compassionate;

Is placable—because occasions rise

So often that demand such sacrifice;

More skilful in self-knowledge, even more pure,

As tempted more; more able to endure,

As more exposed to suffering and distress;

Thence, also, more alive to tenderness.

—'Tis he whose law is reason; who depends

Upon that law as on the best of friends;

Whence, in a state where men are tempted still

To evil for a guard against worse ill,

And what in quality or act is best

Doth seldom on a right foundation rest,

He labours good on good to fix, and owes

To virtue every triumph that he knows:

—Who, if he rise to station of command,

Rises by open means; and there will stand

On honourable terms, or else retire,

And in himself possess his own desire;

Who comprehends his trust, and to the same

Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim;

And therefore does not stoop, nor lie in wait

For wealth, or honours, or for worldly state;

Whom they must follow; on whose head must fall,

Like showers of manna, if they come at all:

Whose powers shed round him in the common strife,

Or mild concerns of ordinary life,

A constant influence, a peculiar grace;

But who, if he be called upon to face

Some awful moment to which Heaven has joined

Great issues, good or bad for human kind,

Is happy as a Lover; and attired

With sudden brightness, like a Man inspired;

And, through the heat of conflict, keeps the law

In calmness made, and sees what he foresaw;

Or if an unexpected call succeed,

Come when it will, is equal to the need:

—He who, though thus endued as with a sense

And faculty for storm and turbulence,

Is yet a Soul whose master-bias leans

To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes;

Sweet images! which, wheresoe'er he be,

Are at his heart; and such fidelity

It is his darling passion to approve;

More brave for this, that he hath much to love:—

'Tis, finally, the Man, who, lifted high,

Conspicuous object in a Nation's eye,

Or left unthought-of in obscurity,—

Who, with a toward or untoward lot,

Prosperous or adverse, to his wish or not—

Plays, in the many games of life, that one

Where what he most doth value must be won:

Whom neither shape or danger can dismay,

Nor thought of tender happiness betray;

Who, not content that former worth stand fast,

Looks forward, persevering to the last,

From well to better, daily self-surpast:

Who, whether praise of him must walk the earth

For ever, and to noble deeds give birth,

Or he must fall, to sleep without his fame,

And leave a dead unprofitable name—

Finds comfort in himself and in his cause;

And, while the mortal mist is gathering, draws

His breath in confidence of Heaven's applause:

This is the happy Warrior; this is he

That every man in arms should wish to be.

SMEs

2011-07-02T08:24:00.000+08:00

In terms of its importance and market size, SMEs at the moment contributes about 32% of the country’s gross domestic product and makes up 59% of total employment. In totality, this segment accounts for 99% of business establishments and contributes 19% of Malaysia’s exports.

Sourced from here.

Biofuels

2011-06-30T07:55:00.000+08:00

This is just a resource reference. Sourced from The Economist-

MAKE something people want to buy at a price they can afford. Hardly a revolutionary business strategy, but one that the American biofuels industry has, to date, eschewed. Now a new wave of companies think that they have the technology to change the game and make unsubsidised profits. If they can do so reliably, and on a large scale, biofuels may have a lot more success in freeing the world from fossil fuels than they have had until now.

The original 1970s appeal of biofuels was the opportunity to stick up a finger or two, depending on the local bodily idiom, to the oil sheikhs. Over time, the opportunity to fight global warming added to the original energy-security appeal. Make petrol out of plants in a sufficiently clever way and you can drive around with no net emissions of carbon dioxide as well as no net payments to the mad, the bad and the greedy. A great idea all round, then.

Sadly, in America, it did not work out like that. First, the fuel was not petrol. Instead, it was ethanol, which stores less energy per litre, tends to absorb water and is corrosive; people will use it only if it is cheap or if you force them to through mandatory blending. In Brazil, which turned to biofuels after the 1970s oil shocks, the price of ethanol eventually became low enough for the fuel to find a market, thanks to highly productive sugar plantations and distilleries powered by the pulp left when that sugar was extracted from its cane. As a result Brazil is now a biofuels superpower. North American ethanol is mostly made from corn (maize), which is less efficient, and often produced in distilleries powered by coal; it is thus neither as cheap nor as environmentally benign. But American agribusiness, which knows a good thing when it sees one, used its political clout to arrange subsidies and tariffs that made corn-ethanol profitable and that kept out the alternative from Brazil.

This still left the problem: using corn limits the size of the industry and pits it against the interests of people who want food. Boosters claimed that cellulose, from which the stalks, leaves and wood of plants are made, could if suitably treated become a substitute for the starch in corn. Both starch and cellulose consist of sugar molecules, linked together in different ways, and sugar is what fermentation feeds on. But cellulosic biofuel has so far failed, on an epic scale, to deliver. At the moment, only a handful of factories around the world produce biofuel from cellulose. And that fuel is still ethanol.

This is what companies working on a new generation of biofuels want to change. Instead of ethanol, they plan to make hydrocarbons, molecules chemically much more similar to those that already power planes, trains and automobiles. These will, they say, be “drop-in” fuels, any quantity of which can be put into the appropriate fuel tanks and pipelines with no fuss whatsoever. For that reason alone, they are worth more than ethanol.

Appropriately designed drop-in fuels can substitute for diesel and aviation fuel, which ethanol cannot. That increases the size of the potential market. They also have advantages on the production side. Because crude oils from different places have different chemical compositions, containing some molecules engines won’t like, oil refineries today need to do a lot of careful tweaking. The same applies to the production of biodiesel from plant oils. Genetically engineered bugs making hydrocarbons more or less from scratch could guarantee consistent quality without the hassle, thus perhaps commanding a premium with no extra effort. Meanwhile the feedstock could be nice and cheap: Brazilian sugar. Tariffs that block Brazilian ethanol from northern markets do not apply to drop-in hydrocarbons.

Scale models

If this approach works, it will not only be beneficial in its own right—modestly reducing greenhouse-gas emissions while making money for its investors—it will also provide a lasting market incentive to scientists to devise better ways of turning cellulose into sugar. This gives the prospects for this generation of biofuels a plausibility that was missing from its predecessors. The drop-in firms are starting to come out of the laboratory, float themselves on the stockmarket, team up with oil companies and build their first factories. The dice, in other words, are rolling.

One of the leaders of the drop-in drive is Alan Shaw, the boss of Codexis, a firm based in Redwood City, California, which makes specialised enzymes that perform tricky chemical conversions. In Dr Shaw’s opinion, the industry’s problem has not been bad products so much as a failure to think big.

Dr Shaw proposes to remedy that. In collaboration with Shell, an Anglo-Dutch oil company, and Cosan, Brazil’s third-largest sugar producer, he plans to build a factory capable of producing 400m litres (2.5m barrels, or 105m gallons) of drop-in fuel every year. The other companies will provide money, reaction vessels and sugar. He will provide the enzymes and genetically engineered bacteria needed to make a drop-in fuel.

The project is part of a joint venture by Shell and Cosan; with a capacity of more than 2 billion litres a year, it is the world’s largest biofuel operation, and it owns a 16.4% stake in Codexis. At the moment, the joint venture’s business is based on fermenting cane sugar into ethanol, but the new plant would start changing that. Codexis’s enzymes and bacteria can turn sugar into molecules called straight-chain alkanes which have between 12 and 16 carbon atoms in them. Such alkanes are the main ingredients of diesel fuel.

In April Codexis became the first start-up involved in drop-in fuels to float itself on a stockmarket—which in this case was NASDAQ, America’s main market for high-tech stocks. But it is not the last. Another firm that recently completed its NASDAQ flotation is Amyris, of Emeryville, which is also in the San Francisco Bay area. Amyris started off using large-scale genetic engineering, also known as synthetic biology, to create bugs that make a malaria drug. But now it, too, has a product that it claims is a drop-in biodiesel. And it, too, has hooked up with an oil company: Total, of France, which owns 17% of the firm.

Amyris’s biodiesel is made of more complicated molecules than Codexis’s (they are known, technically, as terpenes), and the firm employs genetically engineered yeast, rather than bacteria. But Brazilian sugar is again used as the raw material. Amyris has formed a joint venture with Santelisa Vale, Brazil’s second-largest sugar company, and is busy refitting some of that firm’s ethanol plants in order to make drop-in diesel.

The Codexis-Cosan-Shell partnership and the Amyris-Santelisa-Total one are the furthest along of the drop-in fuel businesses, but others are coming up on the rails. LS9, which is based in South San Francisco (a separate municipality that has a cluster of biotech companies), also uses bacteria to make straight-chain alkanes. It is converting a fermentation plant in Florida into a test facility to see if what works in the laboratory will work at scale. And Virent, based in Madison, Wisconsin, is making alkanes out of sugars using a chemical, rather than a biological, process.

Gevo, of Englewood, Colorado, which filed for flotation on NASDAQ in August, is planning to make another type of post-ethanol fuel: butanol. Like Codexis, it will use enzymes and genetically engineered bugs to do this; like Amyris and LS9, it will retrofit existing ethanol plants to keep the cost down. The aim is to turn out an annual 2 billion litres of butanol by 2014. BP, a British petroleum company, is building a butanol pilot plant to do this near Hull in the north of England and also has big ambitions for the fuel.

Like ethanol, butanol is an alcohol. That means each of its molecules contains an oxygen atom as well as the carbon and hydrogen found in an alkane. Butanol, however, has four carbon atoms in its molecules, whereas ethanol has two. That gives butanol more energy for a given mass and makes it more alkane-like in its properties; nor does it absorb water as readily as ethanol. Moreover, the production process for butanol is more efficient than the processes that produce alkanes; proportionately more of the energy from the feedstock (various crops for Gevo, wheat for BP) ends up in the final fuel. And BP will certainly be able to bring to the party the ambitious scale that Dr Shaw praises.

The last of the Bay-area drop-in contenders is, in many ways, the most intriguing. Solazyme, another firm based in South San Francisco, wants to use single-celled algae to make its fuel. This is not a new idea. Craig Venter, who led the privately financed version of the Human Genome Project, is trying it too, through his latest venture, Synthetic Genomics, in San Diego. Synthetic Genomics is backed by the biggest oil beast of them all, ExxonMobil—and several other firms have similar ideas, if not the same heavyweight backing. Solazyme’s approach is unusual, though. Instead of growing its algae in sunlit ponds it keeps them in the dark and feeds them with sugar.

At first sight this seems bonkers. The attraction of algae would seem to lie in the possibility that, since they photosynthesise, they could be engineered to contain the whole sunlight-to-fuel process in one genetically engineered package. Sunshine being free, this looked a brilliant idea. But looks can be deceptive. If you keep your algae in ponds the rays do not always strike them at the best angle and the algae sometimes shade one another if they are growing densely. Photobioreactors—complicated systems of transparent piping through which alga-rich water is pumped—overcome those problems, but they cost a lot and are hard to keep clean. Solazyme tried both of these approaches, and almost went bankrupt in the process. Then its founders, Jonathan Wolfson and Harrison Dillon, asked themselves whether it might not be cheaper to ignore the photosynthetic step, buy the sugar that photosynthesis produces instead, and concentrate on getting the algae to turn it into oil.

Which is what the firm now does. It also has a nice little earner in the form of a contract with the American navy. The navy intends that, by 2020, half the fuel it uses (over six billion litres a year, mainly diesel and jet fuel) will be from renewable sources. Over the past year Solazyme has been providing it with trial quantities of both from its production facilities in Pennsylvania and Iowa. The algal oils are not themselves good fuel; but a refinery in Houston takes care of that, producing shipshape alkanes of the sort the navy likes.

High-fibre diet

The success of all this obviously depends on the price of sugar, which is rising. Historically, the cost of making Brazilian ethanol has been about 26 cents a litre. Diesel will cost more, but petroleum-based diesel sells in America for 57 cents a litre before distribution costs and tax, so there should be room for profit. Nevertheless, if drop-in fuels are to become a truly big business they need a wider range of feedstocks.

Until recently, the assumption has been that cellulose would take over from sugar and starch as the feedstock for making biofuels. Making cellulose into sugar is technically possible, and many firms are working on that possibility. Some are using enzymes. Some are using micro-organisms. Still others have a hybrid approach, part biotechnological and part traditional chemistry. And some go for pure chemistry, breaking the cellulose down into a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide before building it back up into something more useful.

The reason for this enthusiasm has been government mandates: America’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS-2) and its European equivalent. On pain of fines, but with the carrot of subsidies, these require that a certain amount of renewable fuel be blended into petroleum-based fuels over the next decade or so. RFs-2 calls for a 10% blend of cellulosic fuel by 2022.

The targets in RFS-2, though, represent a huge climbdown. Its predecessor, RFS-1, called for 379m litres of cellulosic ethanol to be produced in 2010; RFS-2 mandates only 25m litres. The industry in fact has a capacity of about 70m litres today, according to the Biotechnology Industry Organisation (BIO), an American lobby group.

The reduced expectations reflect the fact that making fuel out of cellulose turns out to be hard and costly. Today’s cellulosic ethanol is competitive with the petrol it is supposed to displace only when the price of crude oil reaches $120 a barrel. In Dr Shaw’s view, a lot can be done by scaling up (and using the appropriate enzymes, of course, which Codexis will be only too happy to sell you). And big plants will, indeed, bring the price down—probably not to the point where cellulosic ethanol can compete in a fair fight, but quite possibly to a level at which fuel companies will make or buy the stuff rather than pay fines for not doing so.

Phil New, the head of biofuels at BP, says his firm is determined to comply with RFS-2. To that end it is planning a plant in Florida that will have a capacity of 137m litres when it comes on stream in 2013. It is one of seven cellulosic-ethanol fermentation plants with annual capacities above 38m litres (that is, 10m gallons) which BIO says should be running by 2013, with a further seven making ethanol using syngas conversion. However, such claims are not that different from those made three years ago—which singularly failed to bear fruit.

Grassed up

If things work out better this time, it still leaves the question of where the cellulose is to come from. The answer is likely, in one form or another, to be grass.

Though they look very different, sugar cane and corn are both grasses. So is wheat, which is corn’s counterpart as the starch source of choice in the EU. A simple way of garnering cellulose is to gather up the leftovers when these crops have been processed—bagasse from sugar cane, stover from corn and straw from wheat.

That is a start, but it will not be enough, Wood is a possibility, particularly if it is dealt with chemically, rather than biologically (much of the carbon in wood is in the form of lignin, a molecule that is even tougher than cellulose). But energy-rich grasses look like the best bet. Ceres, which is based in Thousand Oaks, California, has taken several species of fast-growing grass, notably switchgrass and sorghum, and supercharged them to grow even faster and put on more weight by using a mixture of selective breeding and genetic engineering. Part of America’s prairies, the firm hopes, will revert to grassland and provide the cellulose that biofuels will need. The Energy Biosciences Institute that BP is funding at the University of Illinois, in Urbana-Champaign, is working on hybrid miscanthus, an ornamental grass that can produce truly remarkable yields.

If the price were right, such energy crops might take America a fair bit of the way to the “energy independence” that early proselytisers for biofuels crowed about. A study carried out last year by Sandia National Laboratories, an American government outfit, suggests that in theory 285 billion litres of cellulosic biofuel a year could be extracted from the country’s agriculture and forestry without breaking too much sweat. That is 1.8 billion barrels, compared with American oil imports of 4.3 billion barrels in 2009. Europe’s higher human-population density leaves less space for energy crops. But there is clearly some room for expansion in the Old World as well as the New.

Beyond the rich countries, capacity is greater still. In a fit of enthusiasm a few years ago Steven Chu, now America’s energy secretary, floated the idea of a global glucose economy to replace oil. That is going a bit far. Brazil is a well-governed country, but other parts of the tropics, though endowed with sunshine and cheap land, are not always the sorts of places that the wise investor would pile into. And Brazil’s blessings in terms of oodles of land that can grow cane with no irrigation are not widespread. Nevertheless, the country’s success shows that international trade in biofuels is a possibility. If it brought economic development to less favoured lands, that would surely be welcome.

Drop in or drop out

Such a future, though, depends on cars continuing to be powered by liquid fuels. A large shift to electric cars would put the kibosh on the biofuel market as currently conceived by most of its supporters; but it would not necessarily kill the principle of using plants to convert sunlight into car-power. The goal of reducing emissions needs low-carbon generators to power the grid the electric cars draw juice from. Put the energy crops in generators instead of distilleries and off you go.

Richard Hamilton, the boss of Ceres, says he is indifferent as to whether his grasses end up in petrol tanks or power stations. Others think making them into electricity might be a better answer anyway. A study published last year by Elliott Campbell, of the University of California, Merced, and his colleagues suggested that turning crops into electricity, not fuel, would propel America’s cars 80% farther and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions even more. Electrons are easy to transport and burning uses all of the fuel value of a plant—including that stored in the lignin which current processing methods find hard to deal with.

The electrification of cars, however the electricity might be generated, would be the end of the road for ethanol. But not necessarily for drop-ins. There is no realistic prospect for widespread electric air travel: the jet engines on aircraft need the high-energy density that only chemical fuels can provide. So if you want low-carbon flying, drop-in biofuels are the only game in town. And civil aviation alone is expected to use 250 billion litres of fuel this year, is growing fast and could pay a premium if its emissions were subject to a cap or a tax. Over the long run, the future for biofuels may be looking up.

Some perspectives

2011-06-28T02:50:00.001+08:00

These are interesting times for Malaysia. For the many who trawl the cyberspace for alternative news the hunting must be deliriously good. There is no shortage of negative views.

This gives rise to an interesting question. Many people blame the media for propagating sensational and negative news. But, then, why do cyberspace trawlers, who have the power to decide what websites to click on, decide to visit sites and blogs that spew bad news and negative views?

We would think that people who abhor sensational news would actively avoid it. But it never happens.

Let's face it. There is a dark, voyeuristic tendency in all of us. If there is a hole in the fence cladding that has a sign, "Do not peep", most of us will not be able to resist the temptation of a peek.

This is where things stand.

Malaysians read the mainstream news and Malaysians read the alternative media.

Too much information (not necessarily knowledge) results in information overload. Those who have no perspective and who do not read books and rely chiefly on the internet for reading material will suffer from a form of vertigo.

It is not easy to remember good news. It is impossible to forget bad news.

So, it is likely that you will forget this posting because it's about good things.

I have been associated in an advisory capacity with a European multinational for some years. They've had a sales office outpost in Malaysia for several years. The brands and products they sell reaches the retail level. So, it is likely that you would have had contact with their range of brands and products. Since this is not a paid advertorial, I will not give you any names.

Two years ago, this MNC decided to acquire a Malaysian SME based in Johor. The gross annual revenue for the SME was about RM20 million a year. It had good manufacturing and production practices that impressed the MNC.

Post-acquisition and fastforward to today, this SME is no longer an SME by definition. It's gross annual revenue has ballooned to nearly RM100 million a year. The SME is now part of the MNC's global supply chain.

Mind you, the MNC's Asian footprint is very large with a natural gravitation centred in its production bases around the coastal manufacturing hubs of mainland China.

But, after the successful experience of acquiring a Malaysian SME this MNC continued to scour Malaysia to look for more gems - more diamonds in the rough.

And, you know what?

They found not one, but two more SMEs that met with their high production and manufacturing criteria. One is in Selangor,the other in Malacca.

So, the acquisition process is in earnest progression.

The good news, my fellow Malaysians, is that there are many Malaysian SMEs that are capable of becoming world-class.

Having said that, our challenge as a nation is to nurture these SMEs to go beyond making products for international brands (OEM - original equipment manufacturing) to creating and establishing their own brands.

In this way, Malaysian SMEs will be able to sustain its Malaysian ownership.

Although I am proud to have seen three Malaysian SMEs being highly regarded by my MNC associates, I will be prouder still if it is our Malaysian SMEs that can hold their own and grow themselves into partners of equal standing with the MNCs.

Chua Soi Lek: Ruling M’sia is a racial balancing act

2011-06-14T01:27:00.000+08:00

Below is the interview that MCA President Dr Chua Soi Lek gave to The Edge Financial Daily.

TEFD: How has it been since you were elected as MCA president over a year ago?
Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek: It has been a busy one and a half years trying to ensure that the party is united and more stable with what we call Unity in Purpose and that we can then move forward.

Has it been easy to pull everyone back together?
I would say that I have managed to pull most of the people back but in any political party, there can never be 100%.

What is the single thing that has been most challenging in your tenure?
Uniting the various members and factions.

Chua: We want the goverment to transform as fast as what the rakyat wants.

Recently you tweeted that there are some unhappiness in the Kulai division.
All political parties, at every division, have its own internal conflicts. That’s what makes politics very challenging and interesting. To project a party to say it has no factions and no cliques, that is the biggest lie in the world.

At the central and state level, I would say MCA is very united. It is at the divisional level that we still see a lot of people problems where people cannot put aside their differences in opinion. They are at loggerheads over minor things.

But the divisions are crucial for the party, aren’t they?
Oh yes! It is at the division that things get done.

So you will have to settle the conflicts before the general election?
You can never settle all these internal conflicts. The important thing is to choose a candidate who is acceptable and winnable.

What is your proudest achievement in this period as party president besides uniting the party?
I would say some of the long standing educational issues have been resolved one by one, slowly. An example is the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC). It used to be a ‘no go’ situation, but now at least there is some breakthrough. They [students] can get loans from the Higher Education ministry, they get 50 [scholarship] awards every year with no condition attached and this year it is the first time they can get admission into the teachers’ training college based on the UEC results.

On Chinese education, at least we managed to convinced the minister that the [schools’] water and utility bill should be paid by the government although they capped it at RM2,000 per month. That could have settled most of the Chinese schools’ problems.

In a multiracial country, the rakyat has to accept the fact that no race gets everything it wants.

We also ensured that all development grants to Chinese schools are in cash terms. It is given to the board and all the relocations and new Chinese schools are paid for by the government.

Finally, there is this mutual recognition between China and Malaysia on the university degrees. Mutual recognition means that whatever is recognised by the education ministry in China is also recognised by Malaysia and vice versa.

I am trying to work on UEC being recognised by local universities, now that they can be admitted to teachers’ training colleges. But the problem (with UEC) is there is no way to evaluate their standard because the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) felt that they are not following the national syllabus. They (the MQA) have to look into the details, so we will take it step by step.

What is MCA’s role in representing the people in the light of the political climate today? Is MCA out of touch? Is there a disconnect between MCA and the people, especially the younger set?
No, it is not true that there is a disconnect between MCA and the people. It is the people that have rising expectations, which the government is unable to meet. When they are unable to meet (these expectations), MCA being a component party (of Barisan Nasional) is blamed. It is said that we are out of touch with the Chinese community.

DAP’s role is very simple. They will just raise the expectations of the Chinese community and when MCA cannot deliver, then they say MCA is irrelevant. It is very simple. And this role they have been playing, I would say for 40 years in the opposition, they are now playing this role to perfection.

A very good example, which is very dear to the heart of the Chinese community, is education and Chinese schools. But if you look at Pakatan Rakyat (PR), in their so-called Orange Book, which lists what they will do in the first 100 days if they are in power, you just have a look at it on the educational issue. Whatever DAP tells the Chinese community that they will do, is not inside (the book). So what does that convey to you?
Soon if DAP is in power, MCA will be singing what DAP is singing.

Don’t you think that because people are more educated now, so they question…?
It cannot be denied that as a country develops, the level of education goes up, people are more demanding, people are more sophisticated, people are more critical and people come to value not just development but intangibles, as they call it. Things like freedom, fairness, transparency, that sort of thing.

The Public Services Department (PSD) scholarships…
The PSD scholarship issue is a very unfortunate incident where the government actually honoured everything. The DAP did nothing. We collected everything. I think no political party collects information they way we collect.
I don’t think people are being fair to MCA. People believe in rhetoric, political posturing, not doing work. If this is what the community wants, then it is rather unfortunate.

You said our expectations are rising and the government cannot meet…
The government’s response has not been in tandem with the rising expectations.

Then how do you/MCA work out this imbalance?
That is why it is a challenge to the party. We want the government to transform as fast as what the rakyat wants.

And how do you do it with your component partners?
I interact with the prime minister and deputy prime minister very often. We meet very often on very focused issues. Some of the issues have been sorted out but not all issues.

But that does not seem to be enough to satisfy the peoples’ expectations.
People expect a big change. But the changes that are happening are small steps. People expect as if it is a revolution. People forget that this is a multiracial country. There is this perception that whatever is given to the Chinese will be at the expense of the Malays. It’s as if it is a zero sum game, which is rather unfortunate (because) it is not very true.

So how do you manage this?
Managing the different expectations of all the different races is something the BN have been doing since the day we achieved Independence. If there is any political party that can claim to have the experience, I would say it’s BN.

You choose to look at Penang. In Penang, the Chinese may feel very happy. They feel Lim Guan Eng looks after them. But if you talk to the Malays and Indians, they will tell you a different story.

Why is that so? Project it to the national level. What will then happen? What does that mean? It is the same... this government has to practise the politics of balancing. Balancing the needs and expectations and considering the sensitivities of all races.

But the Chinese community don’t see that balance.
I think it’s a dangerous trend that I see. After March 8 (2008), people were very excited that you have a two-party system. And this two-party system has now degenerated, gone downhill into a two-racial system, and DAP is at the forefront of this.

It will come to a stage where the government will be made up of a mono-ethnic race. This is slowly developing, which is rather unfortunate. And you cannot just blame the politicians. The rakyat also has to take the blame because the politicians respond to the rakyat in order to play the populist tune. And the easy way out is going back to race and religion.

So what should the rakyat do?
The rakyat has to accept the fact that this is a multiracial country. No race gets everything it wants. That’s why we subscribe to the 1Malaysia concept that we have to accept that this is a multiracial society and race has its own identity, sensitivity, value systems and needs. And we need to work with each other to keep this country going.

And no particular race can monopolise everything.

You said hopefully everyone can think out of the race box.
When our PM propounded this idea of 1Malaysia and the fact that it has been only two years and we have not achieved it, people just rubbished it as part of BN’s empty slogans. Of course it cannot be achieved overnight.

You are talking about race, peoples’ ethnic identity. How can it be achieved within two days or two years? So I said hopefully, if it can be achieved by 2020, we should be happy. So everybody should start. The PM has to start somewhere to drum into all Malaysians that they must think out of the racial pigeon hole.

But we still have racial based parties. So how does that jive?
The race-based parties started because there was a need at that time before Independence. Nowadays people just rubbish all the race-based parties, forgetting that it was these race-based parties that worked together to achieve Independence.

At that time, there were people who tried to talk about multiracial parties. It didn’t work. So everybody grouped according to their own race. And today some bright people suddenly say ‘you people who are race-based are all rubbish’.

Are race-based parties still needed here?
I would say that right at the very moment, it is still needed. But all of us have to take it out of the box. We cannot remove the fact that today you are sitting in front of me and I know you are a Chinese. I cannot deny that I am a Chinese. But I cannot think everything Chinese.

MCA may be a mono-ethnic Chinese-based party but if you look at our services and what we do, it was meant for everybody. When we started Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, it was meant for everybody. We never said that it was meant for Chinese.

When we launched the 1MCA Medical Foundation, until today about 20% of grants are given to non-Chinese and it is based on their needs. Last year we launched the Mobile MCA Service Unit, it serves everybody.

Post March 8, what have you done to reclaim Chinese support? The numbers seem to have come back in the last few by-elections.
I would say that we have become more focused on issues, which are very central to the Chinese and Malaysian community.

A very good example is the minimum wage, which we have been pushing very hard. We felt that this country needs to implement a minimum wage so that everyone’s wages will rise in tandem, slowly, together with productivity. Until and unless we do that, we will continue to have the problem of brain drain because our salaries are just too low. The rate of increase is just too low, something like 2.6% in the last 10 years. How can we survive? The lower [income] level people cannot survive.

The PM has agreed that it should be implemented but it is very slow. I hope the human resources minister is pushing hard for it.

I am the one who raised the issue that the government needs to look into the welfare of the estate workers in the National Economic Council. Today I am very happy that this was taken up seriously by the PM and Sime Darby Bhd will set the benchmark for general plantation workers’ salary. We hope this will really lift up the salary, the standard of living and hopefully attract more Malaysians to work (in the plantations). It is a very sad condition. Despite the rise of commodity prices, people are living in abject poverty.

Traditionally MCA is very connected with the business associations and guilds. Is that still a good relationship?
We just had a big dialogue. I believe in facing people. A lot of leaders try to avoid dialogues. I always have dialogues everywhere I go. I don’t worry about people scolding me or scolding the government.

The younger generation do not identify themselves so much with the guilds and associations. They are moving away from this because they have no interest.

I just had a dialogue with young people in Batu Pahat and I will be meeting my Facebook fans in Ipoh tomorrow (June 8). I have 105,000 Facebook fans, and now and then I meet them.

How do you find these meetings?
I would say interesting. They are more articulate but the level of ignorance about government policy can be quite glaring.

Why is it important to Chinese to have representation in the government?
Because this is a multiracial country and the way that politics have been organised, you cannot have a mono-ethnic government, a government that is made up of just one race. I said earlier that you cannot deny the fact that expectations, sensitivities, value systems of the Chinese and Malays are totally different. So don’t be naïve to say that I know everything about the Malays although I was born and bred in a Malay kampung.

You championed the rights of the estate workers. Shouldn’t it be issue-based instead?
That would be the very ideal system. That’s why I said, don’t be politically naïve. I am very frank. I have been in the government long enough to know that this is the idealism that people are talking about but in practice it is not.

For all Chinese problems, it is still MCA bringing it to the local authority, state government and federal government. When Chinese guilds and associations have problems, they still come and see us.

This is not good for us to think outside our racial box?
Well, we didn’t ask them to come and see [us]. They can go and see Umno. But everywhere in the world there is such a thing as the herd instinct. When you go out for supper who do you call? Let’s be honest. Why talk about idealism when you don’t even practise it yourself? Do you call your Malay friends or Indian friends or normally you look for your Chinese friends?

For me, when I am here, I always call a Chinese friend to go because of the question of the food to eat. It’s convenience, that’s all. It does not mean that I am anti-Malay. I’ve got many close Malay friends.

Why is it important to Chinese to be represented?
If you think it is not, [so be it]. That’s why we have made the decision that if we cannot get the support of the voters, we are not going to join the government.

There are some who perceived that as a threat.
No, it is not a threat. How can people be threatened into voting for you? That is a stupid statement to make. That is spinning by DAP to rubbish whatever MCA is doing.

We have to make this decision because we want to uplift the integrity of MCA. DAP will go and spin that whether MCA is elected in or not, they will have ministers. ‘Don’t worry about no ministers. There will always be Chinese ministers. MCA will go by the back door.’ They will quote the example of Gerakan. ‘The president lost and he is appointed senator and he gets in by the back door. Don’t worry about them. Just support DAP. MCA and Gerakan will be appointed.’

So this time we say that we don’t want to be appointed if we don’t receive [support]. Don’t you think that is integrity? Don’t you think we are respecting the decision of the voters? Don’t you think that whoever is perceived to be threatened are my members and leaders that if they don’t do well, they have no job. The number involved is 11,500.

So I hope this is clear. Whoever feels threatened are my own ministers, deputy ministers, exco members and councillors. They feel threatened because if they don’t do well, they have no chance to be appointed.

The Chinese are definitely not threatened. We also want to prove a point that MCA’s existence is not because of the four ministers.
When we say things, people don’t believe but when DAP says things people believe. Because they are men of honour and we are men of rubbish. That is the perception that the Chinese have of parties in government.

How do you get rid of this perception then?
I cannot get rid. I can only do my best. And the best is not good enough. I know. So we make the decision that the time has come that we should be brave enough that if we are not in, we get out.

Don’t you think this is an honourable thing? But it will be construed as a threat.

The perception outside is that this government can never do right. That includes MCA. Opposition party can never do wrong. This is the perception. Thank God. Congratulations. If this is the perception that people have, by all means [vote as you like].

But people never think that this is the same government that developed this country from Independence until today. And if this is a rubbish government as some people project it to be, do you think we [could] have achieved what we have achieved? Of course we can do better.

What have they done to convince the rakyat that they can do a better job? They have been in power and they have the chance to prove themselves. Have they proven? Have they lived up to expectations? You look at Kelantan. They have run Kelantan for over 20 years. Has Kelantan had an outstanding success? Has Kedah been an outstanding success in the last three years? Has Selangor been an outstanding success? Has Penang been an outstanding success?

People are tired over issues such as corruption and the inefficiency of the government. It is something that has to be rectified.
Yes. Are you telling me that there is no corruption in the PR state governments? Corruption exists everywhere. It is whether the government is doing anything about it. Reducing corruption is part of the government’s transformation programme.

Have not some of the biggest fish been arrested in the past one year, including two of my very senior leaders? But when they were arrested, they said its just for show. Do you think a person who is a Tun likes to be arrested for show? Come on, you have to fair to people. The government cannot arrest a Tun just for show. You know how much of honour and work he has done for the country and the party, and suddenly he is arrested and charged. Do you think it is for show?

People can be enchanted with the Opposition. Let it be. They have the right to choose. And the type of government and leader is decided by the people. You choose the type of government and leader that you want.

But before you choose, have a very rational, in medical terminology, we call it clinical, evaluation. And I always tell the people that when you vote BN with all its imperfections and weaknesses, at least you know the one vote you cast for BN, the one who is the PM is Datuk Seri Najib Razak, not the perfect man but at least he is trying to do his best.

If you vote for PR, can I ask you who is the PM, please? Can you tell me? Is it Lim Kit Siang? Is it Lim Guan Eng? Is it Nik Aziz? Is it Hadi Awang? Or is it Anwar Ibrahim? Which is which now?

So are Malaysians willing to cast their dice so to speak to vote for a party after they win, they will have a big meeting to decide who is the PM. Don’t you think that Malaysians have not done a proper evaluation? The PM is the one who will set the tone and direction of the country. He is the most powerful man. You don’t even know who it is and yet you are so gung-ho that it will be good.

It is just like you are going to marry a man. You have a dream that you have a good husband but you don’t even know who he is. And you are so excited that he will be the best husband. But you can’t even put a face and name to him.
This is not political spinning.

Let’s talk about Huaren Holdings. It has a big pile of cash now, so what is it going to do?
Since I became president, all party assets and investments have been run by an investment company. We don’t look after it anymore. They will come out with recommendations as to what we should do and based on the recommendation, we will make decisions.

Why is MCA linked to the Pan Malaysian Pools which is up for sale?
Because Malaysians like to feed on rumour mills. They enjoy rumour, spinning, exciting stories. So let it spin. Let it be. I would be very honoured if they write that MCA is interested to take over Genting Bhd.

But MCA had a hand in the gaming business previously.
That was many many years ago. That is ancient history.

Is it political suicide for MCA to own a gaming business now?
I don’t think so, except we have never looked at it. We are not interested to buy. So why should we even comment? I already denied it. The story should end there.

There were reports that Genting was buying it on MCA’s behalf.
Thank you. We should thank Genting for being so kind and generous.

The Star is gearing up. What are its plans?
I don’t know. We let Star run as a professional body. That is why it is not an organ of MCA, and MCA should not interfere with Star. We are very firm on this.

But you have just appointed Tan Sri Fong Chan Onn as chairman.
What is wrong with that? He is a non-executive chairman. He brings to the board a wealth of experience in the government and academic world. When it is non-executive position, they say it is like ribbon cutting.

When I was active, the previous president tried to appoint me, I said ‘no’. Because when I am active I should [say no]. Fong is active as an MP, and not politically active, aspiring to hold office. He is not. And I feel he is an asset to the party because it is not easy to find people with administrative and academic credentials.

This article appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, June 13, 2011.

MCA: Malaysian Communities Association

2011-06-01T14:32:00.001+08:00

In spite of being far removed from the rarefied air of politics in Malaysia, there is one clear view about the necessary direction that the Malaysian Chinese Association needs to take if it wishes to avoid the certainty of becoming less and less relevant to all but a select few well-heeled Chinese Malaysian businessmen.

The MCA has to be less about race and more about the Malaysian community.

The present tactic of the MCA in appearing the meet provocative views tossed out by the likes of Perkasa rings hollow.

Worse still, the views offered by the likes of Dr Chua Soi Lek are stymied by the parameters of race.

I hope that there will be an urgent reassessment by the MCA leadership to earnestly and concertedly frame all issues within the framework of the needs of the Malaysian community as a whole instead of spewing points that are of supposed importance to the Chinese community in Malaysia.

Why deprive MCA of the ability to transcend the racial paradigm?

If the polemics are caught within the framework and agenda of race, it is ALWAYS going to give the appearance of a zero-sum game. If there are 10 units of resources and 4 racial groupings with an average ratio of Bumiputra 5, Chinese 3, Indians 1 and Others 1 the resources will be arguably distributed based on the 5:3:1:1 ratio.

But such a mindset is stupid, myopic, troglodytic and wrongheaded.

The correct perspective should be how to increase the units of resources from 10 to, say, 20 or, even 50?

Even my poorly educated grandfather knew this perspective way back in the 1950s. His metaphor was that of changing the size of the kuali or wok to an ever-increasing size and capacity in order to properly feed a growing family.

Almost everyone knows that it is an easy and lazy and mischievious tactic to harp on race.

It is foolhardy for the MCA to fall into such a trap.

So, I call upon the MCA to reassess its political strategy and rework its paradigm in order to stay relevant and to win back support.

Otherwise, it will be giving more business to the undertakers.

Malaysia's Third World maintenance culture

2011-05-11T09:05:00.001+08:00

Recently I have been attending meetings at buildings owned and largely occupied by some of Malaysia's largest institutional investment and pension funds.

The first thing that struck me was the poor state of the buildings that house these billion-ringgit funds.

It may be that the people managing these funds want to project the image that they are thrifty, even parsimonious, because they are handling funds belonging to large sections of the Malaysian public.

But, that is a silly mindset.

I'll tell you why.

My impression was that the management of these funds are inept and identifying true value.

It felt like they were locked away in a time-warp created one or two decades ago.

The ambience was that of staleness and decay.

It reflected an overly defensive state of mind that did not dare to engage change.

If the management of these funds cannot understand the need to maintain their Headquarters, how can they understand and be alert to changes in the nano second pace of the world of investments?

How can their staff be proud to go to work when their workplace is filled with signs that the urinal is not functioning or that the lifts are under maintenance.

For good measure, my point is that there is a serious need for awareness in thinking and a serious need for mindset change in many of our institutions.

The starting point is the awareness of the importance of proper maintenance and regular renovations and upgrades to buildings and amenities.

URGENT! Malaysia needs leadership

2011-05-04T09:57:00.002+08:00

It is easy to be negative. It is easy to criticise.

The difficult task is to be constructive.

To be constructive, one has to be sincere. And, one has to think harder.

Now, more so than ever, Malaysia needs leadership.

We need political leaders who can challenge us to be better.

Racial polemics in the wake of the 2008 General Elections and the 2011 Sarawak Elections are destructive to Malaysia.

It is frustrating to experience the erosion of support. But creating Chinese Malaysian bogeymen will not help our country.

In the 1999 General Elections the Malay vote was split right in the middle. Objective political analysis of the 1999 General Elections showed that it was the Chinese Malaysians who stuck with BN.

Bogeymen would not have done that.

So, what was the reason for Chinese Malaysian support for the BN in the 1999 General Elections?

My own view is that the reason was Dr M and the clarity and certainty of his leadership and vision.

In the preceding years leading to the 1999 General Elections, Dr M had challenged all Malaysians to be better.

He told us that we could be world-beaters if we tried hard enough. This is the type of leadership and challenge that Chinese Malaysians crave for. And, not just Chinese Malaysians, I'm sure.

It is this manner and substance of leadership that Malaysia is missing at the moment.

We need a leader who will challenge us to be better Malaysians, not leaders who make us feel lousy about ourselves.

We need a leader who dares to rise above the partisanship and irrationality of racial politics, not leaders who can only tell us that the colour of our skin is different.

Invictus

2011-04-28T13:02:00.000+08:00

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

By

William Ernest Henley

New twist in PPSMI saga

2011-04-15T19:30:00.000+08:00

Long piece from The Star on PPSMI but has a highly relevant perspective-

The reversal of the policy in the teaching and learning of Mathematics and Science in English two years ago left many dismayed, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

ADIB and Haikal have been studying Mathematics and Science in English since they were in Year One and can’t imagine learning the subjects in Bahasa Malaysia.

To Adib who is in Form One, the transition from one language to another is going to be difficult.

Mathematical terms like multiply and divide come easily to him but its Malay versions of darab and bahagi will be more alien.

“The terms in Bahasa Malaysia are not so recognisable to us especially since we are not taught in the language,” shared Adib.

He foresees more problems with Science as students have to write out in full sentences in the subjective section.

Noor Azimah (middle) discussing how PAGE can help the government seek input from parents with Sulaiman (left) and honorary secretary Tunku Munawirah Putra. Inset: Mak.

“Most teachers teach students a certain ‘format’ to answer these questions, but all that will be redundant once the change takes place. “Once again, back to square one,” he added.

Haikal who is in Form Three, faced a problem when he scored a place in a residential school after his excellent UPSR results.

When he studied in a national primary school, he was taught both subjects in a mixture of English and Bahasa Malaysia.

“But at the residential school it was only taught in Bahasa Malaysia so the transition was hard for me. There was also less emphasis on English,” added Haikal, who is now studying in a secondary school near his home.

Understandably both boys are worried since they are the direct stakeholders affected if the reversal of the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English (better known by its Malay acronym PPSMI) goes ahead.

Chan Siew Mei was in the pioneer batch of Lower Six students who studied the two subjects in English in 2003.

She said she was actually relieved that the subjects were taught in English because it provided a good foundation for Form Six students before entering university,

“It was absolutely fantasic to study the subjects in English and we had more reference materials — from the Internet and A-levels textbooks.

“However, I must say that my classmates and I were lucky because our teachers were able to teach the subjects very well in English. There were positive vibes among students to learn the subjects in English,” said the homemaker who feels parents should be given the option to decide on the medium of instruction for the two subjects.

But there just may be light at the end of the tunnel if the Government decides that the subjects could be taught in English in selected schools without interrupting the teaching and learning process.

Although the news is welcome by many who have been asking the Government to either reconsider the reversal in 2009 or provide them with an option of choosing the medium of instruction — English or Bahasa Malaysia — in national primary schools, a thorough study of the matter and viability has to be carried out soon.

Are schools able to offer two mediums, are there enough competent teachers and more importantly, parents and students who want the two subjects to be taught in Bahasa Malayia or Chinese and Tamil as stated after the reversal of the policy should be able to do so.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Education Ministry would study if it was possible for the subjects to be taught in English in selected schools without interrupting the teaching and learning process. (see table for chronology of events)

Eager learners: Parents want the option of deciding if their children should be taught Mathematics and Science in English. - File photo

An official who previously served with the Education Ministry believes that it should be possible for this to be carried out as long as the minutes and teaching materials on PPSMI are still archived at the Curriculum Development Division.

The ministry, she added, would have to monitor the situation carefully and redeploy English teachers to weaker schools if there was a need.

“The Government has invested so much in this policy that students who are able to cope with the subjects in English should be given the option to do so while those who can’t cope or are weak in the language can opt for Bahasa Malaysia in national primary schools and Chinese or Tamil in vernacular schools.

“We cannot stifle performing students and drag them down,” she explained.

Concurring, Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (Melta) president Dr Ganakumaran Subramaniam said it was a sensible move for the Government to study the possibility of the use of dual mediums for the teaching of the two subjects in English.

The PPSMI policy was initiated by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and implemented in phases, beginning with Year One, Form One and Lower Six students in 2003.

Thanking the Prime Minister and his deputy for considering the use of the two mediums, Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said PAGE hoped Bahasa Malaysia and English can be made an option for parents to choose from, in national primary and secondary schools.

“We suggest that the Education Ministry offer the options available to every parent as is provided for in the Education Act 1996 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations which states that ‘children are to be educated according to the wishes of their parents’,” she explained.

Malacca Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) chairman Mak Chee Kin said parents should take this opportunity to discuss and take a stand on this issue at their parent-teacher association (PTA) meetings.

“We hope the school authorities and education officials will not be overzealous and allow parents to do so. In this way, we should be able to gauge the actual response of schools which are for it, or vice versa,” he said.

PAGE deputy chairman Sulaiman Mahran suggested that each parent should indicate the preferred medium of instruction to the schools their children go to. “The school will collate the preference which will determine the number of Science and Mathematics classes to be conducted in Bahasa Malaysia and English,” he said.

Agreeing with Sulaiman, Dr Ganakumaran suggested a model that involved the use of a bilingual approach which offered some level of flexibility.

“Ideally, this should start from Years One to Three, adding that the schools could review whether they want to go fully in English or continue with the bilingual approach according to the pupils’ needs when they enter Year Four,” he said.

Noor Azimah suggested that every national primary and secondary school offer a minimum of one Bahasa Malaysia and one English option class at every level.

“It should be acknowledged that children learn best when they are young,” she said.

The sovereignty of Bahasa Malaysia, she added, will continue to remain protected as the national language since it is sanctioned by the Federal Constitution.

The English policy had never advocated the learning of English through the subjects of Mathematics and Science, she added.

“It had instead intended to acquire the knowledge that is found in Mathematics and Science through English, its lingua franca.

“There is a vast difference between the two,” she explained.

Since the announcement that the Government is considering using two mediums, The Star has received many SMSes, thanking the Prime Minister for listening to the people’s pleas on the matter and suggesting ways to seek parents’ input.

Viable concerns

Having taught in rural schools where she witnessed English become a crippling factor for students to learn Mathematics and Science,StarEducation columnist Nithya Sidhu said students need to be comfortable in the medium of instruction in order to do well in the subjects learnt.

“It was an uphill task to teach Mathematics and Science in English in the rural area because the students could not grasp the language,” said Nithya, now a retired Science teacher.

The problem, she added, was compounded by the lack of teachers adept at teaching the two subjects in English as unlike senior teachers, the younger crop of teachers did not learn the subjects in English when they were in school.

However, she points out that it is unfair to blame teachers as they would be better if they are allowed to teach in the language that they are well-versed in.

“The suggestion to use two mediums of instuction is a ‘win-win solutions’ to both camps who have opposing views on which language Science and Mathemactics should be taught in,” said Nithya, adding that those who want to learn the subjects in English should never be labelled as being unpatriotic.

Nevertheless, she pointed out that many issues need to be ironed out before the policy is put in place.

One suggestion was to start the dual medium of instruction policy in cluster schools during its initial period of implementation.

Another StarEducation columnist Mallika Vasugi feels strongly against the reversal of the PPSMI policy.

“We have made a lot of progress and the PPSMI policy has started to show some results. Reverting to teach Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia is just taking a step backwards,” she said.

Mallika said the “progress” and “results” she mentioned refers to the better grasp of English demonstrated by teachers and students who were weak in the language previously.

“I am very happy to see that my students are now more confident to converse in English, even teachers who were not fluent are now able to teach the subjects in English,” she said.

She stressed that the reversal of the PPSMI policy was making a mockery out of the effort put into implementing it since it was first introduced in 2003.

Ultimately, she said the objective of PPSMI was to provide students with a better headstart.

“Students are able to access the wide variety of reference materials in English. PPSMI also prepares them to write research papers in English when they enter college,” she explained.

Experienced English language teacher Jugdeep Kaur said the bigger problem was in identifying teachers who were able to teach these two subjects well in English.

“PPSMI failed because we did not have the right people to execute the policy. If teachers are not proficient in English, how can you expect them to teach Science and Mathematics in English?” she asked.

However, Jugdeep contends that either PPSMI or its reversal presents a dilemma to students and teachers.

“The majority of students in the rural area who are weak in English will struggle if the subjects are taught in English.

“It is also unfair to make students who are unhappy with the reversal of the PPSMI policy to learn Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia, forcing many of them to transfer to private schools which will create a different set of problems in itself as there are others who cannot afford to do so,” she said.

Sounding a note of caution, Dong Zong (United Chinese School Committees’ Association) president Dr Yap Sin Tian said the Chinese group maintained its stance on the use of the mother tongue to learn Mathematics and Science.

“The decision to switch back to Bahasa Malaysia and the mother tongue has already been decided back in 2009. Any changes in the policy will affect the children,” he said.

National Tamil School Headmasters Council president P. Doraisamy said it was important for the Government to study the matter thoroughly before introducing any new policies because any changes would affect the children’s future.

“It does not matter if it takes four or five years to come up with a decision, as long as it is a sound decision. Such changes incur cost, time and energy,” he said.

Although no time frame has been given on when the study is likely to take place and when parents’ views will be sought, Sulaiman hoped that the issue could be brought to the Cabinet for a decision soon.

As one parent said, his children were already struggling with Mathematics as it was now being taught in Bahasa Malaysia adding that he hoped the policy would return soon.

“It is a win-win situation,”said Noor Azimah pointing out that parents with children in national schools would at least be given the options to choose.

“After all, children are very precious to parents,” she added.