1963: Swatches of history

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

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

Selamat Hari Raya

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Some perspectives

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

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.

MCA: Malaysian Communities Association

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

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

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

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

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.

Let teaching of Maths and Science in English be a choice for parents and schools

Like many Malaysians I am heartened that there are more public moves within the Barisan Nasional establishment to support the maintenance of the teaching and study of Maths and Science in the English language.

Now we have PM Najib being quoted-

Najib had said that the Goverment would study the possibility of using two mediums of instructions in the teaching of Science and Mathematics in schools.

And, MCA Chairman Chua Soi Lek saying-

Parents should be given a choice to select the language for these subjects in schools where adequate qualified teachers are available.

“The teaching of the two subjects in English is a must if we are moving towards a developed nation status and want to compete on the global front,” he said yesterday.

My views on maintaining the teaching of Maths and Science in the English language is clear. Keep it.

But, I'm okay with where BN is taking this matter. Now they are framing it as a matter of choice. Parents and schools may be given the choice of whether to have Maths and Science taught in English or in Bahasa Malaysia.

This outcome will be sensible and, I dare say, it should be well-received by all sections of the Malaysian community.

-----------------------

On the matter of choice, it is interesting to see the slightly more sophisticated positioning of the MCA in public issues of late.

On the matter of the lottery ban in Kelantan, the MCA said the choice should be given to non-Muslims whether or, not, to buy lottery tickets.

On this matter of the teaching of Maths and Science in the English language (or, alternatively, in Bahasa Malaysia), the MCA wants parents to have a choice.

MCA is clearly trying to become the political party "of choice", if you'll pardon the pun.

It's a good trend that the MCA should keep at. 

Saturday Night

The Scottish band, Bay City Rollers' 1976 hit song Saturday Night may be more popular as far as radio play goes.

But, for me, it's the Aussie band, Cold Chisel's 1984 song, Saturday Night that deserves more airtime.

As the well-written description of the Cold Chisel song goes-

"Saturday Night" was a 1984 single from Australian rock band Cold Chisel, the second released from the album Twentieth Century and the first to be issued after the band's official break-up. The song is a picture of late-night city life written by organist Don Walker based on his observations of Sydney's Kings Cross district. The track features ambient noise recorded in Darlinghurst Road, including the sound of motorbikes, strip club spruikers and crowds of drunks. The vocals are shared between Ian Moss and Jimmy Barnes.

It's a great song about Saturday night. It resonates with gritty big city ambience late into the night when the stragglers and nocturnal life-forms crawl around and thrash about. Those of you in KL, JB and Georgetown may understand what I mean.

I like it.