Most of us tend to whine and complain about trivial problems, so why don’t we pause awhile and take a leaf from Siew Hui’s book?
I can only imagine the trials she must have faced from people who have difficulty accepting those who look different or are special.
While most people in similar circumstancess would shy away from the public eye, she has instead put herself forward to achieve her goals.
Let us learn from her:
> Not to complain about challenges and obstacles in our paths;
> Not to wallow in self-pity;
> Not to allow other people’s scepticism to hinder our dreams;
> To be grateful for our health and every blessing in our lives;
> To appreciate the loved ones who support us;
> To press on and not give up in spite of life’s hurdles;
> To make the most of every opportunity we’re given; and,
> To bless others with what we ourselves have been blessed with, be it time, love, experience, monetary help, kindness, etc.
To Siew Hui, I want to wish you all the best. You are a very strong girl and I believe you can achieve anything you set your heart on.
It may be a tough road ahead but do soldier on as you’ve already come this far. There’s no limit to what you can do.
I ADMIRE Hong Siew Hui’s courage and tenacity of character in pursuing her tertiary dream (“Elephant Girl” set to pursue degree – The Star, Aug 16).
REBECCA CHIENG,
Kuching.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Friends in good and bad times are priceless
THE MAS-Air Asia alliance remains very much the talk of Corporate Malaysia. In the many analyses so far, the recurring theme seems to be about how erstwhile enemies are going to work together as friends.
My colleague used the Sun Tzu quote, “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,” to lead off the cover feature on the deal in StarBizWeek on Aug 13. Somewhere in the story, there is this quote by Tony Fernandes: “You don’t have to be an enemy forever, life is too short.”
Actually, there is not that much that separates the corporate world and politics as far as alliances are concerned.
In politics, it is said that there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. Politicians are fond of referring to their adversaries as “strange bedfellows” but will not hesitate to climb into the same bed if it suits their interests.
In the world of high-finance, bitter rivals can easily sleep on in the same bed, so long as it is good for the bottom line.
For some business people, however, friendship is not a word that exists in their vocabulary. Many good friends who go into business together learn the hard way that years of friendship count for nothing once the business issues get into the way.
A friend told me once that he will never hire me, or ask me to be his business partner, simply because he values our friendship too much.
I once met a man at a hospital as he was dying. He told me how he had pursued wealth and success at any cost. If a family member or close friend went against him, he would not spare them any mercy.
“But look at me now. I do not have long to live. But if I recover, I will surely be a different person. I will seek the forgiveness of those I have hurt. I will forgive others. I will give back to society. I will try not to be so nasty to people,” he said.
I was there to bring him a message from a former business partner who was somehow not able to bring himself to see him personally. He told me to tell him that he did not hold anything against him and to wish him well.
Tears came to his eyes. “I wish he would come and tell me this personally. I have done so much harm to him and his business. But he still thinks of me and is concerned for me.” I told him, “I hope and pray that you will both meet up and forgive each other.” They never did. He died one week later.
I was thinking about friendship this past week after a friend posted on his Facebook this simple reflection: “It has been said that everlasting friends go long periods of time without speaking and never question the friendship. These friends pick up like they just spoke yesterday, regardless of how long it has been or how far away they live; they don’t hold grudges. They understand that life is busy and know that you will always love them.”
Whether we want to admit it or not, sheer numbers of acquaintances in itself is no reflection of the number of real friends we have. Just ask anyone previously in a high position who has retired and he will tell you about the sense of “abandonment” that one feels sometimes.
Suddenly, no one is free for lunch or for teh tarik, one such person told me recently.
This is not to say that it is not possible to have real friends within working relationships. But it can only come about if we are genuinely concerned about the person, and not just the title he or she holds.
And the test of that friendship will come when you are going through a difficult journey, and he is there for you.
● Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin is thankful for friends, near and far, new and old, who bring that special touch into his life, through good and bad times.
My colleague used the Sun Tzu quote, “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,” to lead off the cover feature on the deal in StarBizWeek on Aug 13. Somewhere in the story, there is this quote by Tony Fernandes: “You don’t have to be an enemy forever, life is too short.”
Actually, there is not that much that separates the corporate world and politics as far as alliances are concerned.
In politics, it is said that there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. Politicians are fond of referring to their adversaries as “strange bedfellows” but will not hesitate to climb into the same bed if it suits their interests.
In the world of high-finance, bitter rivals can easily sleep on in the same bed, so long as it is good for the bottom line.
For some business people, however, friendship is not a word that exists in their vocabulary. Many good friends who go into business together learn the hard way that years of friendship count for nothing once the business issues get into the way.
A friend told me once that he will never hire me, or ask me to be his business partner, simply because he values our friendship too much.
I once met a man at a hospital as he was dying. He told me how he had pursued wealth and success at any cost. If a family member or close friend went against him, he would not spare them any mercy.
“But look at me now. I do not have long to live. But if I recover, I will surely be a different person. I will seek the forgiveness of those I have hurt. I will forgive others. I will give back to society. I will try not to be so nasty to people,” he said.
I was there to bring him a message from a former business partner who was somehow not able to bring himself to see him personally. He told me to tell him that he did not hold anything against him and to wish him well.
Tears came to his eyes. “I wish he would come and tell me this personally. I have done so much harm to him and his business. But he still thinks of me and is concerned for me.” I told him, “I hope and pray that you will both meet up and forgive each other.” They never did. He died one week later.
I was thinking about friendship this past week after a friend posted on his Facebook this simple reflection: “It has been said that everlasting friends go long periods of time without speaking and never question the friendship. These friends pick up like they just spoke yesterday, regardless of how long it has been or how far away they live; they don’t hold grudges. They understand that life is busy and know that you will always love them.”
Whether we want to admit it or not, sheer numbers of acquaintances in itself is no reflection of the number of real friends we have. Just ask anyone previously in a high position who has retired and he will tell you about the sense of “abandonment” that one feels sometimes.
Suddenly, no one is free for lunch or for teh tarik, one such person told me recently.
This is not to say that it is not possible to have real friends within working relationships. But it can only come about if we are genuinely concerned about the person, and not just the title he or she holds.
And the test of that friendship will come when you are going through a difficult journey, and he is there for you.
● Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin is thankful for friends, near and far, new and old, who bring that special touch into his life, through good and bad times.
Enslavement of our mind continues despite the coloniser having long gone
Malaysia has successfully used education as a tool of social engineering and upward social mobility.
Primary and secondary education is free and open to all irrespective of race or religion. Tertiary education is highly subsidised.
Though the Government is unable to meet the aspirations of all who seek higher education, the opportunities for upward mobility through higher education are exhilarating.
However, how far our tertiary educational system emancipates us from servile dependence on and mental slavery to Western education is another question.
As we celebrate National Day it must be remembered that the stains of cultural and intellectual imperialism do not end with the attainment of political freedom.
Freedom is a state of the mind and, regrettably, the enslavement of our mind still continues long after the coloniser had gone back home.
Most of our universities blindly ape European curricula and European paradigms.
We ignore the knowledge systems and traditions of the East.
Our books, syllabi and intellectual icons are mostly from the West. Our list of experts, external examiners and guest speakers are mostly European.
Towering personalities of our own region are shunned. Decades have passed, but our servile minds have not woken up to the damage done to our psyche.
While parochialism and narrow chauvinism are not called for, we have to take pride in our own heritage and draw sustenance from it before supplementing it with wisdom from elsewhere.
Nevertheless, as the commemoration day of our independence draws nigh, we must count our many blessings.
There is much in Malaysia’s struggles and successes that is worthy of emulation by friends and foes alike.
This is not to say that we should be complacent. As we celebrate 54 years of independence, our laws and institutions, our values and our views cannot remain impervious to the changes and challenges all around us.
In the realm of law and politics, there are always new challenges and opportunities that beckon the human spirit.
> Shad Saleem Faruqi is Emeritus Professor of Law at UiTM and Visiting Professor at USM.
Full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp? col=reflectingonthelaw&file=/2011/8/24/columnists/reflectingonthelaw/9353953&sec=Reflecting On The Law
Primary and secondary education is free and open to all irrespective of race or religion. Tertiary education is highly subsidised.
Though the Government is unable to meet the aspirations of all who seek higher education, the opportunities for upward mobility through higher education are exhilarating.
However, how far our tertiary educational system emancipates us from servile dependence on and mental slavery to Western education is another question.
As we celebrate National Day it must be remembered that the stains of cultural and intellectual imperialism do not end with the attainment of political freedom.
Freedom is a state of the mind and, regrettably, the enslavement of our mind still continues long after the coloniser had gone back home.
Most of our universities blindly ape European curricula and European paradigms.
We ignore the knowledge systems and traditions of the East.
Our books, syllabi and intellectual icons are mostly from the West. Our list of experts, external examiners and guest speakers are mostly European.
Towering personalities of our own region are shunned. Decades have passed, but our servile minds have not woken up to the damage done to our psyche.
While parochialism and narrow chauvinism are not called for, we have to take pride in our own heritage and draw sustenance from it before supplementing it with wisdom from elsewhere.
Nevertheless, as the commemoration day of our independence draws nigh, we must count our many blessings.
There is much in Malaysia’s struggles and successes that is worthy of emulation by friends and foes alike.
This is not to say that we should be complacent. As we celebrate 54 years of independence, our laws and institutions, our values and our views cannot remain impervious to the changes and challenges all around us.
In the realm of law and politics, there are always new challenges and opportunities that beckon the human spirit.
> Shad Saleem Faruqi is Emeritus Professor of Law at UiTM and Visiting Professor at USM.
Full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp? col=reflectingonthelaw&file=/2011/8/24/columnists/reflectingonthelaw/9353953&sec=Reflecting On The Law
Cannot be compared with others
If you read up on Malaysian policies and statements on various issues, the one striking factor is our insistence on exceptionalism. That is, we are different and therefore cannot be compared with any other country.
In the early years of the AIDS pandemic, we thought we were protected because we were different. If non-Muslims in other Muslim countries use the word “Allah” for God with no fuss, ours can’t because we are different. We are apparently unique and incomparable to anyone else in the world.
Which is why it puzzles me that all of a sudden our citizens, or at least the ones who want to voice their opinions with peaceful assemblies and marches, are being compared to British rioters and looters.
If we are always different, how come suddenly we are the same?
Going by the statements of our leaders, basically we are nothing more than savages who would rob, rape, loot and pillage given half the chance. Therefore, we need all sorts of laws to keep us in check and not venture in groups of more than five outside our homes.
Now, this is why that schizophrenic inability to think logically comes into play. Despite evidence that none of the 30,000 or so peaceful marchers last July robbed, raped, looted or pillaged, our leaders insist that we would have. They must be looking at mirrors.
Just a few days ago the fellow who demonstrated how inconvenient a protest is by inconveniencing everyone in Penang declared that he would burn down two online news portals whose reports he disagreed with. Now if that’s not London rioter behaviour, I don’t know what is.
More disturbingly, after already having insulted all the good citizens who exercised their right to peaceful assembly, our leaders go on to insult them some more.
Instead of being proud that we did not have the type of violence that the UK experienced, instead of talking about how so much more civilised our people are, our leaders liken us to rioters who have vandalised, stolen and killed.
Talk about the inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
A certain amount of hypocrisy also rears its ugly head. What if Mark Duggan, the man who was shot by police in London and whose family’s peaceful protest became the original rallying cry for the rioters, was Mohamad Duggan?
Between 1987 and 1993 and 2000 and 2005, the Palestinian people went through two uprisings against the Israeli government, known as the First and Second Intifadas, respectively. Both Intifadas involved demonstrations, protests and, yes, a certain amount of violent rioting.
They were met with an even more violent response from the Israelis that resulted in many deaths and the eventual blockade of Gaza, still in force today.
Our government supported the Intifadas then. Does that mean that our government supports the right of Palestinians to demonstrate, protest and riot, but refuses its own people’s right to do much less, that is to just march peacefully?
Or is the logic that when governments are democratically elected, its people then lose the right to protest against them?
Conveniently ignored, too, is the fact that in the UK, protests and demonstrations are held all the time without the type of violence we saw recently.
One of the biggest was in 2003 when hundreds of thousands of people marched against the Iraq war. At the time we looked benignly at this because we had the same stand. Did we tell the Brits and others round the world that they should not demonstrate against the war?
So what is the message here? We may be trusted to peacefully protest as long as the subject of our protest is in sync with the Government’s. Otherwise, if we should protest for free and fair elections, against corruption or anything else that the Constitution gives us the right to, we are labelled as unpatriotic thugs out to disturb the peace and destroy the economy and image of our country.
Looking at the UK riots, are we even talking about the same thing? What cause was the UK rioters espousing?
Some wide reading instead of political posturing might be more beneficial here. The UK rioters did not loot bookshops, and some have suggested it’s because they don’t like to read.
Perhaps they are not unlike some of our politicians.
Read full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=musings&file=/2011/8/17/columnists/musings/9301335&sec=Musings
In the early years of the AIDS pandemic, we thought we were protected because we were different. If non-Muslims in other Muslim countries use the word “Allah” for God with no fuss, ours can’t because we are different. We are apparently unique and incomparable to anyone else in the world.
Which is why it puzzles me that all of a sudden our citizens, or at least the ones who want to voice their opinions with peaceful assemblies and marches, are being compared to British rioters and looters.
If we are always different, how come suddenly we are the same?
Going by the statements of our leaders, basically we are nothing more than savages who would rob, rape, loot and pillage given half the chance. Therefore, we need all sorts of laws to keep us in check and not venture in groups of more than five outside our homes.
Now, this is why that schizophrenic inability to think logically comes into play. Despite evidence that none of the 30,000 or so peaceful marchers last July robbed, raped, looted or pillaged, our leaders insist that we would have. They must be looking at mirrors.
Just a few days ago the fellow who demonstrated how inconvenient a protest is by inconveniencing everyone in Penang declared that he would burn down two online news portals whose reports he disagreed with. Now if that’s not London rioter behaviour, I don’t know what is.
More disturbingly, after already having insulted all the good citizens who exercised their right to peaceful assembly, our leaders go on to insult them some more.
Instead of being proud that we did not have the type of violence that the UK experienced, instead of talking about how so much more civilised our people are, our leaders liken us to rioters who have vandalised, stolen and killed.
Talk about the inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
A certain amount of hypocrisy also rears its ugly head. What if Mark Duggan, the man who was shot by police in London and whose family’s peaceful protest became the original rallying cry for the rioters, was Mohamad Duggan?
Between 1987 and 1993 and 2000 and 2005, the Palestinian people went through two uprisings against the Israeli government, known as the First and Second Intifadas, respectively. Both Intifadas involved demonstrations, protests and, yes, a certain amount of violent rioting.
They were met with an even more violent response from the Israelis that resulted in many deaths and the eventual blockade of Gaza, still in force today.
Our government supported the Intifadas then. Does that mean that our government supports the right of Palestinians to demonstrate, protest and riot, but refuses its own people’s right to do much less, that is to just march peacefully?
Or is the logic that when governments are democratically elected, its people then lose the right to protest against them?
Conveniently ignored, too, is the fact that in the UK, protests and demonstrations are held all the time without the type of violence we saw recently.
One of the biggest was in 2003 when hundreds of thousands of people marched against the Iraq war. At the time we looked benignly at this because we had the same stand. Did we tell the Brits and others round the world that they should not demonstrate against the war?
So what is the message here? We may be trusted to peacefully protest as long as the subject of our protest is in sync with the Government’s. Otherwise, if we should protest for free and fair elections, against corruption or anything else that the Constitution gives us the right to, we are labelled as unpatriotic thugs out to disturb the peace and destroy the economy and image of our country.
Looking at the UK riots, are we even talking about the same thing? What cause was the UK rioters espousing?
Some wide reading instead of political posturing might be more beneficial here. The UK rioters did not loot bookshops, and some have suggested it’s because they don’t like to read.
Perhaps they are not unlike some of our politicians.
Read full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=musings&file=/2011/8/17/columnists/musings/9301335&sec=Musings
True meaning of independence
..... through democracy and diplomacy, our forefathers paved the way to independence.
Finally, on Aug 31, 1957, we won our independence.
That was then. Here and now, serious questions remain. How much independence did we win, really? How much good did independence bring to our lives? And when we say “we”, who are “we”?
Independence means freedom. Our Constitution bestows upon us many freedoms, such as personal liberty, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. But our Constitution also takes away as much as it gives, by bestowing on our government wide powers to restrict such freedoms.
If you think that our liberty is safely protected by the court of law, think again. In Malaysia, a person can be arrested and detained without trial indefinitely. “National security” is the reason often used, but this is rather odd considering that the last remnants of communists hiding in the jungles have been wiped out, and the threat of terrorists hiding in the mountains and caves plotting to crash an aircraft into the Petronas Twin Towers is very low.
Instead, such draconian laws are frequently used on political dissidents, especially those involved in demonstrations. Oh, yes, in Malaysia we aren’t free to hold peaceful gatherings in public.
Neither are we free to express ourselves. There are certain forbidden subjects that thou shalt not question, such as the sovereignty of the monarchy or the special rights of a certain race.
Try saying “Who made you king of anything?” loudly, and you risk suffering the same tragic fate as Socrates who had questioned the existence of the
Olympian pantheon of Gods, or Galileo who spread heretical ideas about how the sun does not spin around the Earth.
Thus, what freedoms we have are actually hollow and illusory. Malaysia may have gained independence as a country, but as Malaysians we have gained little independence as individuals.
Until today, it can be said that corruption exists in officialdom. It even spills over to the commercial sector, where individuals with connections but without competence often get the first and largest piece of the cake.
During elections, many battles are won and lost purely through character assassination, rather than through debates on national issues.
Betrayals and counter-betrayals are another common feature. In Malaysia, party loyalties shift like the monsoon winds. Shakespeare would have enjoyed living here in these interesting times. Et tu, Ezam? Et tu, Nasarudin? Et tu, Zaid? The possible story lines are endless.
And what about racial equality? Oh wait, remember the Special Rights Club? You do not talk about it.
There cannot be unity without equality. There’s no “we” or “us” in Malaysia, but only “I” and “my”.
So how did it all go so wrong? It’s perhaps down to the post-independence syndrome faced by victorious revolutionaries everywhere bestowed with new-found power and wealth overnight.
What history teaches us is that Independence Day is simply the day on which a white knight disposes of a tyrant. Whether after that he becomes a benevolent king sworn to protect his people’s freedoms is a totally different story altogether.
A change of regime may be nothing more than a change of jailors. There may be an extra meal or longer visitation hours, but otherwise the people remain in shackles. They can check-out anytime they like, but they can never leave.
After independence, it’s another day, another dawn. The journey ahead is long and hard. We Malaysians may have escaped from colonialism, but even till today, we are still lost in the desert, taking more steps backwards than forward, and no closer to the Promised Land.
Here and now, what we need is not just one country, but to share one love, one blood and one life. What we need is faith and courage to leave this dream world where there is no spoon, and reach a place high in the desert plain where the streets have no name.
Once upon a time, we won our independence. Now it’s time we win our happy ending.
The writer is a young lawyer. Putik Lada, or pepper buds in Malay, captures the spirit and intention of this column – a platform for young lawyers to articulate their views and aspirations about the law, justice and a civil society. For more information about the young lawyers, visit http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/.
Finally, on Aug 31, 1957, we won our independence.
That was then. Here and now, serious questions remain. How much independence did we win, really? How much good did independence bring to our lives? And when we say “we”, who are “we”?
Independence means freedom. Our Constitution bestows upon us many freedoms, such as personal liberty, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. But our Constitution also takes away as much as it gives, by bestowing on our government wide powers to restrict such freedoms.
If you think that our liberty is safely protected by the court of law, think again. In Malaysia, a person can be arrested and detained without trial indefinitely. “National security” is the reason often used, but this is rather odd considering that the last remnants of communists hiding in the jungles have been wiped out, and the threat of terrorists hiding in the mountains and caves plotting to crash an aircraft into the Petronas Twin Towers is very low.
Instead, such draconian laws are frequently used on political dissidents, especially those involved in demonstrations. Oh, yes, in Malaysia we aren’t free to hold peaceful gatherings in public.
Neither are we free to express ourselves. There are certain forbidden subjects that thou shalt not question, such as the sovereignty of the monarchy or the special rights of a certain race.
Try saying “Who made you king of anything?” loudly, and you risk suffering the same tragic fate as Socrates who had questioned the existence of the
Olympian pantheon of Gods, or Galileo who spread heretical ideas about how the sun does not spin around the Earth.
Thus, what freedoms we have are actually hollow and illusory. Malaysia may have gained independence as a country, but as Malaysians we have gained little independence as individuals.
Until today, it can be said that corruption exists in officialdom. It even spills over to the commercial sector, where individuals with connections but without competence often get the first and largest piece of the cake.
During elections, many battles are won and lost purely through character assassination, rather than through debates on national issues.
Betrayals and counter-betrayals are another common feature. In Malaysia, party loyalties shift like the monsoon winds. Shakespeare would have enjoyed living here in these interesting times. Et tu, Ezam? Et tu, Nasarudin? Et tu, Zaid? The possible story lines are endless.
And what about racial equality? Oh wait, remember the Special Rights Club? You do not talk about it.
There cannot be unity without equality. There’s no “we” or “us” in Malaysia, but only “I” and “my”.
So how did it all go so wrong? It’s perhaps down to the post-independence syndrome faced by victorious revolutionaries everywhere bestowed with new-found power and wealth overnight.
What history teaches us is that Independence Day is simply the day on which a white knight disposes of a tyrant. Whether after that he becomes a benevolent king sworn to protect his people’s freedoms is a totally different story altogether.
A change of regime may be nothing more than a change of jailors. There may be an extra meal or longer visitation hours, but otherwise the people remain in shackles. They can check-out anytime they like, but they can never leave.
After independence, it’s another day, another dawn. The journey ahead is long and hard. We Malaysians may have escaped from colonialism, but even till today, we are still lost in the desert, taking more steps backwards than forward, and no closer to the Promised Land.
Here and now, what we need is not just one country, but to share one love, one blood and one life. What we need is faith and courage to leave this dream world where there is no spoon, and reach a place high in the desert plain where the streets have no name.
Once upon a time, we won our independence. Now it’s time we win our happy ending.
The writer is a young lawyer. Putik Lada, or pepper buds in Malay, captures the spirit and intention of this column – a platform for young lawyers to articulate their views and aspirations about the law, justice and a civil society. For more information about the young lawyers, visit http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/.
To re-introduce English to key areas in the education system
To improve English standards generally:
1. Stress the importance of English. A recent survey by a networking group called Jaringan Me-layu Malaysia said that 55% of some 15,000 parents of school-going children in rural areas prefer Maths and Science to be taught in English in schools. Only 32% felt that teaching of the two subjects should go back to Bahasa Malaysia while 66% felt their children would be able to build a better future if the two subjects were taught in English. It’s clear that even the general populace now feels English is important.
It is time for the Government and its officials to recognise this, stress the importance of English and take concrete measures to ensure its rightful place in the curriculum.
2. Realise that it’s easier to keep up with knowledge using English. English is now the undisputed de facto language of knowledge in the world. Even those from other countries who have a history of strong know-how, publish their work in English. You need to know English to get to the primary source of information. It is impossible to translate this knowledge into Bahasa Malaysia or Mandarin.
3. Prepare to overcome objections from some quarters. When a change is proposed to reflect the importance of English in the educational system, it will only be natural that language champions will oppose these changes. But the overriding decision criteria should be whether such a change is beneficial to students and the country. It is strange how many language champions send their own children to international schools.
4. Don’t pander to parochial issues. We must avoid pandering to the voices of a vocal minority at the expense of the majority who are now prepared to see the usage of English widened by teaching some subjects in English.
Some pressure groups are notorious for turning the most innocuous issues into emotional ones. The Government must not fall into the trap they lay and be unwavering in its stance.
5. Have a uniform system for English education. It will be better that whatever system is used for improving English applies across the board to all schools whether national, religious or vernacular. That will avoid further polarisation of a fragmented education system which is posing serious questions over national unity.
6. Teach some core subjects in English. The best and easiest way to improve usage of English is to teach some core subjects in English starting with science and maths. This can be increased to more subjects such as economics, commerce, accounting and other specialised and technical subjects at a later stage.
7. Have the majority of tertiary courses in government universities taught in English. It should be a given from the change in the secondary school system that the science and mathematics courses in universities should be in English straight off. But serious consideration should be given to having more courses in English and making this the norm for post-graduate courses. That will make it easier for us to link with the worldwide knowledge diaspora.
8. Project number of English teachers needed and train them. Obviously, we need to do all of these over a number of years. A rolling five-year plan should be put up and the number of qualified English teachers required projected. The necessary training, if necessary overseas, can then be implemented. In the interim, there are retired English teachers who can be hired and foreign teachers as well.
9. Train teachers to teach in English. Measures should be taken to teach science and maths teachers to conduct their courses in English. By preparing for the class in advance, it is possible to switch languages especially if you already have a basic knowledge of the language. Intensive courses for this can be taught during the long school breaks.
10. Give the system a chance to work – it takes time. Finally, even if every right effort was taken, it takes a while before results can be seen. The Government did an about turn after the teaching of science and maths was done in English for six years on a stage-by-stage basis. It must now turn around and move forward again.
Read the full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=questiontime&file=/2011/8/24/columnists/questiontime/9354897&sec=Question Time
1. Stress the importance of English. A recent survey by a networking group called Jaringan Me-layu Malaysia said that 55% of some 15,000 parents of school-going children in rural areas prefer Maths and Science to be taught in English in schools. Only 32% felt that teaching of the two subjects should go back to Bahasa Malaysia while 66% felt their children would be able to build a better future if the two subjects were taught in English. It’s clear that even the general populace now feels English is important.
It is time for the Government and its officials to recognise this, stress the importance of English and take concrete measures to ensure its rightful place in the curriculum.
2. Realise that it’s easier to keep up with knowledge using English. English is now the undisputed de facto language of knowledge in the world. Even those from other countries who have a history of strong know-how, publish their work in English. You need to know English to get to the primary source of information. It is impossible to translate this knowledge into Bahasa Malaysia or Mandarin.
3. Prepare to overcome objections from some quarters. When a change is proposed to reflect the importance of English in the educational system, it will only be natural that language champions will oppose these changes. But the overriding decision criteria should be whether such a change is beneficial to students and the country. It is strange how many language champions send their own children to international schools.
4. Don’t pander to parochial issues. We must avoid pandering to the voices of a vocal minority at the expense of the majority who are now prepared to see the usage of English widened by teaching some subjects in English.
Some pressure groups are notorious for turning the most innocuous issues into emotional ones. The Government must not fall into the trap they lay and be unwavering in its stance.
5. Have a uniform system for English education. It will be better that whatever system is used for improving English applies across the board to all schools whether national, religious or vernacular. That will avoid further polarisation of a fragmented education system which is posing serious questions over national unity.
6. Teach some core subjects in English. The best and easiest way to improve usage of English is to teach some core subjects in English starting with science and maths. This can be increased to more subjects such as economics, commerce, accounting and other specialised and technical subjects at a later stage.
7. Have the majority of tertiary courses in government universities taught in English. It should be a given from the change in the secondary school system that the science and mathematics courses in universities should be in English straight off. But serious consideration should be given to having more courses in English and making this the norm for post-graduate courses. That will make it easier for us to link with the worldwide knowledge diaspora.
8. Project number of English teachers needed and train them. Obviously, we need to do all of these over a number of years. A rolling five-year plan should be put up and the number of qualified English teachers required projected. The necessary training, if necessary overseas, can then be implemented. In the interim, there are retired English teachers who can be hired and foreign teachers as well.
9. Train teachers to teach in English. Measures should be taken to teach science and maths teachers to conduct their courses in English. By preparing for the class in advance, it is possible to switch languages especially if you already have a basic knowledge of the language. Intensive courses for this can be taught during the long school breaks.
10. Give the system a chance to work – it takes time. Finally, even if every right effort was taken, it takes a while before results can be seen. The Government did an about turn after the teaching of science and maths was done in English for six years on a stage-by-stage basis. It must now turn around and move forward again.
Read the full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=questiontime&file=/2011/8/24/columnists/questiontime/9354897&sec=Question Time
Living dangerously
..... researchers have calculated the effect that TV can have on life expectancy.
Actually, it’s not so much the TV as the sedentary lifestyle that’s the killer. If an hour of watching, say, washed up celebrities attempting to survive in the jungle will fast-forward your heart attack, so will reading for hours on end. But the health authorities won’t tell you to get rid of your books and go for a walk instead.
One of England’s Chief Medical Officers, Sally Davies, said: “The UK’s Chief Medical Officers recently updated their advice on physical activity to be more flexible, right from babyhood to adult life. Adults, for example, can get their 150 minutes of activity a week in sessions of 10 minutes or more and for the first time we have provided guidelines on reducing sedentary time.”
Right from babyhood? I wonder who among us began exercising so young. Babies are supposed to be sedentary. They’re supposed to lie back and guzzle their milk and take long naps. What do the experts expect? Twenty pushups every morning?
And who needs guidelines on reducing sedentary time?
Instructions: Remove derriere from sofa at least five times every day. Put one foot in front of the other. Repeat.
Are we getting dumber as well as lazier? And if we are getting dumber, it might be because we’re taking way too many holidays.
Another piece of research, this time by Siegfried Lehrl of the University of Erlangen in Germany (see story on Page 5), indicates that sunbathing and relaxation can cause your frontal lobes to shrivel. So if you’re planning a two-week trip to the beaches of Penang, or Nice, or Australia, you can expect your IQ to fall by 20 points – the difference between a bright and an average student – or an average and a dull student.
It seems that all that lounging around can reduce the supply of oxygen to your brain, causing certain nerve cells to degrade. Throw in some mild dehydration brought on by the heat and/or too many shots of tequila, and your brain cell volume may “decrease by up to 15%.”
Your vocabulary will also shrink, and you might experience changes in your personality. So if you see your husband ogling bikini-clad bodies on the beach, downing way too much alcohol at the bar, talking to everyone about his haemorrhoids (a condition that he can no longer pronounce properly, never mind spell), and generally acting like a total moron, it’s probably because he is a total moron.
But there is a solution to this temporary problem: physical exercise and mental stimulation.
But if going for jogs on the beach and playing a game of chess are not part of your holiday vocabulary another simpler solution is at hand: gum.
“The part of the brainstem that keeps us alert is constantly stimulated by chewing, as a result of which the attention level rises, as does the flow of blood to the brain,” claims the good Professor.
So all you have to do is lounge around like a cow in Speedos chewing cud. Or you can lie back, soak up the rays and enjoy your stupidity, confident in the knowledge that four days after returning from your vacation, your IQ will return to normal.
This information might also prove to be helpful if you have to undergo major surgery of any sort. I mean to say, the last person you want performing open-heart surgery on you is a physician who has just returned from two weeks on a sun lounger in the Indian Ocean. I mean to say, after such a holiday, he might not be able to tell his ventricles from his testicles.
Read the full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=butthenagain&file=/2011/8/22/columnists/butthenagain/9325890&sec=But Then Again
Actually, it’s not so much the TV as the sedentary lifestyle that’s the killer. If an hour of watching, say, washed up celebrities attempting to survive in the jungle will fast-forward your heart attack, so will reading for hours on end. But the health authorities won’t tell you to get rid of your books and go for a walk instead.
One of England’s Chief Medical Officers, Sally Davies, said: “The UK’s Chief Medical Officers recently updated their advice on physical activity to be more flexible, right from babyhood to adult life. Adults, for example, can get their 150 minutes of activity a week in sessions of 10 minutes or more and for the first time we have provided guidelines on reducing sedentary time.”
Right from babyhood? I wonder who among us began exercising so young. Babies are supposed to be sedentary. They’re supposed to lie back and guzzle their milk and take long naps. What do the experts expect? Twenty pushups every morning?
And who needs guidelines on reducing sedentary time?
Instructions: Remove derriere from sofa at least five times every day. Put one foot in front of the other. Repeat.
Are we getting dumber as well as lazier? And if we are getting dumber, it might be because we’re taking way too many holidays.
Another piece of research, this time by Siegfried Lehrl of the University of Erlangen in Germany (see story on Page 5), indicates that sunbathing and relaxation can cause your frontal lobes to shrivel. So if you’re planning a two-week trip to the beaches of Penang, or Nice, or Australia, you can expect your IQ to fall by 20 points – the difference between a bright and an average student – or an average and a dull student.
It seems that all that lounging around can reduce the supply of oxygen to your brain, causing certain nerve cells to degrade. Throw in some mild dehydration brought on by the heat and/or too many shots of tequila, and your brain cell volume may “decrease by up to 15%.”
Your vocabulary will also shrink, and you might experience changes in your personality. So if you see your husband ogling bikini-clad bodies on the beach, downing way too much alcohol at the bar, talking to everyone about his haemorrhoids (a condition that he can no longer pronounce properly, never mind spell), and generally acting like a total moron, it’s probably because he is a total moron.
But there is a solution to this temporary problem: physical exercise and mental stimulation.
But if going for jogs on the beach and playing a game of chess are not part of your holiday vocabulary another simpler solution is at hand: gum.
“The part of the brainstem that keeps us alert is constantly stimulated by chewing, as a result of which the attention level rises, as does the flow of blood to the brain,” claims the good Professor.
So all you have to do is lounge around like a cow in Speedos chewing cud. Or you can lie back, soak up the rays and enjoy your stupidity, confident in the knowledge that four days after returning from your vacation, your IQ will return to normal.
This information might also prove to be helpful if you have to undergo major surgery of any sort. I mean to say, the last person you want performing open-heart surgery on you is a physician who has just returned from two weeks on a sun lounger in the Indian Ocean. I mean to say, after such a holiday, he might not be able to tell his ventricles from his testicles.
Read the full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=butthenagain&file=/2011/8/22/columnists/butthenagain/9325890&sec=But Then Again
A helmsman's tragedy - T K
TAN Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon turned 62 yesterday and he looked fit and even rather young for his age. ...... A day earlier, ... at a dinner in a Kuala Lumpur hotel.
The sign on the stage read, “Malam Penghargaan Media Senator Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon” but some of those invited had thought they were going for a buka puasa event whereas several of the Gerakan politicians present thought it was their party president’s birthday party.
Not many media people could make it and even fewer of his Gerakan colleagues turned up. But his vice-president Datuk Mah Siew Keong and secretary-general Teng Chang Yeow were there, looking rather lost in the mixed crowd.
..... His leadership position in the party and the Government is being questioned and he is doing all he can to hold on to power. He is out to reach out to his party folk, the media and perhaps even the people out there.
Last weekend, the party threw a dinner for members at its Jalan MacAlister headquarters in Penang. It was themed “Malam Mesra Parti Gerakan” and even though it was a Chinese course dinner, fewer than 200 people turned up.
Dr Koh does not go back to Penang very often these days and his dinner appearance was considered a rare opportunity to meet him and hear him out. The Penang members knew their president has been under siege and they were keen to know how he intends to fight back.
Everyone thought he would use the occasion to reassure the party and blast at his opponents. To their disappointment, he seemed more interested in setting the record straight on his 18-year track record in Penang and defending the policies and projects he had implemented as Chief Minister. They had heard it all before.
Besides, this was a Penang crowd and they were more than aware of the developments in the state and it did not make sense to tell them what they already knew.
A journalist covering the event noted: “There were no guns blazing. He was quite defensive, the strongest word he used on the current Chief Minister was ‘crafty’. That is not what I call attacking.”
.......
Two days later, he was back in Penang to chair the state Barisan Nasional meeting. Again, there was a big media turnout, including the TV stations, waiting outside the meeting room. Unfortunately, he was not feeling talkative and declined to take questions, resulting in one journalist telling him: “Tan Sri, you ask us for support, but how can we help you if you are like this?”
Three years after the political tsunami, Dr Koh is again big news in Penang although for all the wrong reasons. His problem is that he is still an issue in Penang after all this time.
To compound matters, he has also become an issue of sorts in his own party. Members compare their party to the Barisan’s other parties and they are not happy with their own lack of progress. The blame has landed squarely on Dr Koh’s head and this is what he is struggling with.
The petty arguments over the aborted Penang Hill project and his 18 years as Chief Minister are all sideshows which he should not be distracted by.
Six states have completed their delegates meetings and tomorrow will be Malacca’s turn. The rumbling on the ground is undeniable. At several of these meetings, members have spoken frankly about the problems they are facing, they do not see changes in the party and they are concerned whether the leadership has what it takes to save the party.
They do not demand that their president resign but they are impatient that he has not made full use of his status as a president who is also a minister. That is basically the underlying sentiment of the majority of the state delegates meetings.
Only Kedah seemed delighted with him and state chairman Dr Cheah Soon Hai had enthusiastically endorsed Dr Koh’s leadership.
His position in the party is quite safe. No one is prepared to take him on for the presidency and there are no moves to move an EGM to topple him.
Members are not up to the task of requisitioning an EGM because the Gerakan constitution requires the approval of 50% of the members for an EGM. Moreover, they want to avoid an ugly contest in these critical times.
The sentiment in the party is that he should remain a minister and president for now.
But they feel he should not contest the next general election and that he must decide soon and announce it so that the message will sink in among the old guard at the state levels. Otherwise, the old timers will also not let go and they will pull the party down with them.
There is also the idea that the party should field mainly candidates who are less than 50 years old. That way, they will have little baggage and they can project a new and fresh image for the party.
“Promoting younger leaders and new blood is the way forward. It would put the party on a strong moral high ground to face the elections,” said a national party leader.
Party leaders say Dr Koh is fully aware of the sentiments but has chosen not to address them, preferring instead to lash out at “outsiders” for interfering in the party.
But the ball is in his court and it depends on how he kicks it. He still has a chance to score a goal.
Read full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=joceline&file=/2011/8/27/columnists/joceline/9379291&sec=Joceline
The sign on the stage read, “Malam Penghargaan Media Senator Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon” but some of those invited had thought they were going for a buka puasa event whereas several of the Gerakan politicians present thought it was their party president’s birthday party.
Not many media people could make it and even fewer of his Gerakan colleagues turned up. But his vice-president Datuk Mah Siew Keong and secretary-general Teng Chang Yeow were there, looking rather lost in the mixed crowd.
..... His leadership position in the party and the Government is being questioned and he is doing all he can to hold on to power. He is out to reach out to his party folk, the media and perhaps even the people out there.
Last weekend, the party threw a dinner for members at its Jalan MacAlister headquarters in Penang. It was themed “Malam Mesra Parti Gerakan” and even though it was a Chinese course dinner, fewer than 200 people turned up.
Dr Koh does not go back to Penang very often these days and his dinner appearance was considered a rare opportunity to meet him and hear him out. The Penang members knew their president has been under siege and they were keen to know how he intends to fight back.
Everyone thought he would use the occasion to reassure the party and blast at his opponents. To their disappointment, he seemed more interested in setting the record straight on his 18-year track record in Penang and defending the policies and projects he had implemented as Chief Minister. They had heard it all before.
Besides, this was a Penang crowd and they were more than aware of the developments in the state and it did not make sense to tell them what they already knew.
A journalist covering the event noted: “There were no guns blazing. He was quite defensive, the strongest word he used on the current Chief Minister was ‘crafty’. That is not what I call attacking.”
.......
Two days later, he was back in Penang to chair the state Barisan Nasional meeting. Again, there was a big media turnout, including the TV stations, waiting outside the meeting room. Unfortunately, he was not feeling talkative and declined to take questions, resulting in one journalist telling him: “Tan Sri, you ask us for support, but how can we help you if you are like this?”
Three years after the political tsunami, Dr Koh is again big news in Penang although for all the wrong reasons. His problem is that he is still an issue in Penang after all this time.
To compound matters, he has also become an issue of sorts in his own party. Members compare their party to the Barisan’s other parties and they are not happy with their own lack of progress. The blame has landed squarely on Dr Koh’s head and this is what he is struggling with.
The petty arguments over the aborted Penang Hill project and his 18 years as Chief Minister are all sideshows which he should not be distracted by.
Six states have completed their delegates meetings and tomorrow will be Malacca’s turn. The rumbling on the ground is undeniable. At several of these meetings, members have spoken frankly about the problems they are facing, they do not see changes in the party and they are concerned whether the leadership has what it takes to save the party.
They do not demand that their president resign but they are impatient that he has not made full use of his status as a president who is also a minister. That is basically the underlying sentiment of the majority of the state delegates meetings.
Only Kedah seemed delighted with him and state chairman Dr Cheah Soon Hai had enthusiastically endorsed Dr Koh’s leadership.
His position in the party is quite safe. No one is prepared to take him on for the presidency and there are no moves to move an EGM to topple him.
Members are not up to the task of requisitioning an EGM because the Gerakan constitution requires the approval of 50% of the members for an EGM. Moreover, they want to avoid an ugly contest in these critical times.
The sentiment in the party is that he should remain a minister and president for now.
But they feel he should not contest the next general election and that he must decide soon and announce it so that the message will sink in among the old guard at the state levels. Otherwise, the old timers will also not let go and they will pull the party down with them.
There is also the idea that the party should field mainly candidates who are less than 50 years old. That way, they will have little baggage and they can project a new and fresh image for the party.
“Promoting younger leaders and new blood is the way forward. It would put the party on a strong moral high ground to face the elections,” said a national party leader.
Party leaders say Dr Koh is fully aware of the sentiments but has chosen not to address them, preferring instead to lash out at “outsiders” for interfering in the party.
But the ball is in his court and it depends on how he kicks it. He still has a chance to score a goal.
Read full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=joceline&file=/2011/8/27/columnists/joceline/9379291&sec=Joceline
Similar concerns
We do...have similar concerns with the already-developed countries: we have made it a priority to have material things rather than striving to be good, decent people.
It has become unfashionable to talk about moral values, integrity, spirituality and all other things which we may or may not possess but which cannot be seen or touched physically. We struggle with all things intangible. We prefer to have possessions which we can see, touch and hold.
As Hisham Hellyer said during his lecture titled “Islamisation in the 21st Century: Islamic Renewals”: “For despite the wailing and moaning about the ‘evil West’ and its corrupting influences that one so often finds within the Muslim world, the Muslim world at large is rushing to become Western as much as humanly possible. And it is not rushing to imbibe those laudable aspects of Western civilisation that do continue to exist through the grace of God, despite the many problems that exist in the West ... The Muslim world sees the technological advancements of the West, and rushes to be like the West ... forgetting that actually, the mark of progress according to the Islamic worldview is an increase of taqwa, not material wealth.”
So, do we, in Malaysia, also have that “universal culture of selfishness and greed” which Oborne wrote about when describing society in Britain? I would like to think that we don’t but a part of me knows that we do. I don’t see much effort at giving back to society or of wanting to learn about those who live wretched lives. It is hard for me to ignore that despite our rush to be a developed country we still have many social issues which need to be addressed, if not solved. I cannot look the other way and ignore the poor who live in deplorable conditions in some parts of Johor Baru. Our cities have grown but together with this growth is the increase of the urban poor. If they are filled with anger or frustration, it is because we have not made enough efforts to listen to them, or to help them.
One of the things I saw, and which I will never forget, was of men and women queuing up to get their wang ihsan after the floods of 2006. They stood patiently in the grounds of a mosque as a government officer wrote down their names and addresses.
A couple of years ago, I was flipping through one of those glossy society magazines and I saw a designer handbag that cost RM90,000. Would I have asked my husband to buy it for me? No, because the sight of those flood victims standing in line to receive just RM500 makes such a purchase sinful. How many families would the cost of that handbag help feed? Thinking about this, I would like to understand more about taqwa, and what it truly means. I don’t need to know about wealth because I already live a privileged life.
For Malaysians, the London riots should not be seen as something that would never happen here or that we do not have young people who are frustrated by life’s unfairness. We should instead realise what we should do because it is our responsibility towards the young people of this country. They deserve a chance at a better life. And they shouldn’t have to be part of a riot for us to realise that.
RAJA ZARITH IDRIS is Chancellor of UTM; Royal Fellow, School of Language Studies and Linguistics, UKM; Royal Adviser of the Malaysian Red Crescent Society, and holds a B.A. in Chinese Studies from the University of Oxford.
Read full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=mindmatters&file=/2011/8/14/columnists/mindmatters/9299479&sec=Mind Matters
It has become unfashionable to talk about moral values, integrity, spirituality and all other things which we may or may not possess but which cannot be seen or touched physically. We struggle with all things intangible. We prefer to have possessions which we can see, touch and hold.
As Hisham Hellyer said during his lecture titled “Islamisation in the 21st Century: Islamic Renewals”: “For despite the wailing and moaning about the ‘evil West’ and its corrupting influences that one so often finds within the Muslim world, the Muslim world at large is rushing to become Western as much as humanly possible. And it is not rushing to imbibe those laudable aspects of Western civilisation that do continue to exist through the grace of God, despite the many problems that exist in the West ... The Muslim world sees the technological advancements of the West, and rushes to be like the West ... forgetting that actually, the mark of progress according to the Islamic worldview is an increase of taqwa, not material wealth.”
So, do we, in Malaysia, also have that “universal culture of selfishness and greed” which Oborne wrote about when describing society in Britain? I would like to think that we don’t but a part of me knows that we do. I don’t see much effort at giving back to society or of wanting to learn about those who live wretched lives. It is hard for me to ignore that despite our rush to be a developed country we still have many social issues which need to be addressed, if not solved. I cannot look the other way and ignore the poor who live in deplorable conditions in some parts of Johor Baru. Our cities have grown but together with this growth is the increase of the urban poor. If they are filled with anger or frustration, it is because we have not made enough efforts to listen to them, or to help them.
One of the things I saw, and which I will never forget, was of men and women queuing up to get their wang ihsan after the floods of 2006. They stood patiently in the grounds of a mosque as a government officer wrote down their names and addresses.
A couple of years ago, I was flipping through one of those glossy society magazines and I saw a designer handbag that cost RM90,000. Would I have asked my husband to buy it for me? No, because the sight of those flood victims standing in line to receive just RM500 makes such a purchase sinful. How many families would the cost of that handbag help feed? Thinking about this, I would like to understand more about taqwa, and what it truly means. I don’t need to know about wealth because I already live a privileged life.
For Malaysians, the London riots should not be seen as something that would never happen here or that we do not have young people who are frustrated by life’s unfairness. We should instead realise what we should do because it is our responsibility towards the young people of this country. They deserve a chance at a better life. And they shouldn’t have to be part of a riot for us to realise that.
RAJA ZARITH IDRIS is Chancellor of UTM; Royal Fellow, School of Language Studies and Linguistics, UKM; Royal Adviser of the Malaysian Red Crescent Society, and holds a B.A. in Chinese Studies from the University of Oxford.
Read full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=mindmatters&file=/2011/8/14/columnists/mindmatters/9299479&sec=Mind Matters
‘People First Performance Now’ for the peoples' demands
For over three decades, Malaysian academics, civil society activists and opposition leaders have been calling for major reforms of Malaysia’s electoral system to level the playing field, and for an independent Elections Commission that would engender public confidence.
Studies, reports, and journal articles have been written about Malaysia’s electoral system which, through a series of reforms and re-delineation exercises since the 1970s, has led to an ethnic and political bias that has privileged the ruling party.
Thus, many long unresolved issues continue to mar the ability of the Elections Commission to deliver and supervise free and fair elections in Malaysia.
The most important is the re-delineation of constituencies which, since 1974, has persistently advantaged the ruling party through practices known as mal-apportionment (unequal constituency sizes in terms of population or electorate) and gerrymandering (drawing constituency boundaries to favour a particular party or group).
Other issues include the persistent allegations of “phantom voters” and “missing voters” in the electoral rolls; the grossly unequal access to the mass media, be it the newspapers which are controlled by components in the ruling coalition, or over radio and television; the inadequate supervision of postal votes; the short campaign period which was reduced from just over a month before 1970 to eight days in the 2004 elections; the use of government facilities and employees for campaigning ... and the list goes on.
Re-delineation of constituencies often tends to benefit the party in power in many parts of the world.
In Malaysia, the Elections Commission is guided by a list of constitutional principles in the Thirteenth Schedule which includes ensuring approximate equal numbers of voters within each constituency in a state, weightage to rural constituencies, and taking into consideration inconvenience resulting from alterations to constituencies and to the maintenance of local ties.
In 1962, the maximum allowable difference between voters in a rural and urban constituency was 50%. As the rural areas developed over the decades, Malaysia’s electoral system should increasingly move towards the constitutional principle of equal size constituencies. But this limitation was removed by 1973, resulting in a consistent increase of Malay-majority state and parliamentary constituencies between the 1959 and 1999 general elections.
This excessive rural weightage erodes the principle of “one person one vote”. Effectively a vote in an urban constituency is of much less value than the rural one. Given the rapid urbanisation of Malaysia, urban citizens are effectively under-represented electorally.
For example, in 1986 the largest constituency in Peninsular Malaysia had 81,005 voters and the smallest 23,979. By 2004, this disparity increased to 104,185 voters in the largest constituency and 23,061 in the smallest, a 451% disparity! If Putrajaya with its 5,079 voters is included, the disparity is even bigger.
Since the rural seats were dominated by Malay voters and urban seats by non-Malays, a common criticism is made that the persistent rural weightage was meant to benefit the ruling party.
But the 1999 general election results saw their popular votes dropping by almost 10%. This led the government to undertake the most extensive electoral engineering since 1974 – designed to protect the Barisan Nasional’s dominance and to strengthen Umno in the Malay heartland against the PAS onslaught.
The delineation exercise of 2002 was seen as highly politicised, as it appeared designed to address the loss of support in the Malay heartland of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. Strongholds of Johor and Sabah were given the most number of additional seats, while opposition-controlled Kelantan and Terengganu got none.
Kedah saw extraordinary redrawing of constituencies to address the fall of popular votes to 45% in parliamentary seats and 39.8% in state seats in the 1999 elections. The solution was gerrymandering.
Re-delineation saw the moving of “safe voters” in traditional Umno strongholds into constituencies won by PAS or by Umno with small margins.
In “safe state seats”, non-Malay voters were shifted into different parliamentary seats to strengthen Umno and weaken PAS.
This redistribution of non-Malay votes occurred not just in Kedah, but also across the country, thus reversing a long-standing trend of creating Malay dominant constituencies (over 60% of voters are Malays) in favour of more mixed constituencies where the Malays make up no more than 60% of the electorate.
The conventional wisdom was that the non-Malays would vote for Umno rather than the Islamist PAS, recognising the pivotal non-Malay support in delivering victories to the Barisan Nasional in the 1999 general election.
Thus creating more mixed seats would deliver better likelihood of victory to the Barisan in future elections, so the thinking went.
This exercise actually made for a more equitable representation of Malays, Chinese and Indian voters in the electoral system, reversing the ethnic bias of past re-delineation exercises.
As designed, the 2004 general election saw the Barisan making significant gains. In Kedah, Umno won back seven of the eight parliamentary seats it had lost to PAS in 1999 and gained seven more state seats.
At the national level, the trend of Barisan winning best in mixed seats continued. But data analysis done by academics showed that the significant gains, especially in popular votes made in 2004, could not just be due to re-delineation as they were considerably more than the numbers of “safe voters” reallocated into different constituencies.
Other factors, especially the promise of hope and change brought in by a new Prime Minister, swung the popular vote back. Thus, at best, the transfer of “safe voters” and the shifting of “safe state seats” between parliamentary constituencies could only help to increase the margins of victory.
By 2008, the public mood swung again. All the gerrymandering and mal-apportioning of constituencies were not enough to save the Barisan from losing control of four more states, the Federal Territory, and losing its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Mixed seats fell to the Opposition with non-Malays voting for PAS candidates, and Malays voting for the DAP and Keadilan.
All these brought only short-term gain. In the longer term, these moves may have bitten back the hand that conjured them.
This government truly will be better served if it concentrates on delivering its promises of change to regain public support instead of spending its energies and exhausting its state apparatus enacting and re-enacting policies to reinforce its power base, and portraying every challenge to unjust laws and policies as a threat to everything under the midday sun.
The challenge is for the Prime Minister to use all his influence to bring his supporters on board his mission of ‘People First Performance Now’ and translate that into real deeds that respond to the people’s demands for change.
Read full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=sharingthenation&file=/2011/8/7/columnists/sharingthenation/9247162&sec=Sharing The Nation
Studies, reports, and journal articles have been written about Malaysia’s electoral system which, through a series of reforms and re-delineation exercises since the 1970s, has led to an ethnic and political bias that has privileged the ruling party.
Thus, many long unresolved issues continue to mar the ability of the Elections Commission to deliver and supervise free and fair elections in Malaysia.
The most important is the re-delineation of constituencies which, since 1974, has persistently advantaged the ruling party through practices known as mal-apportionment (unequal constituency sizes in terms of population or electorate) and gerrymandering (drawing constituency boundaries to favour a particular party or group).
Other issues include the persistent allegations of “phantom voters” and “missing voters” in the electoral rolls; the grossly unequal access to the mass media, be it the newspapers which are controlled by components in the ruling coalition, or over radio and television; the inadequate supervision of postal votes; the short campaign period which was reduced from just over a month before 1970 to eight days in the 2004 elections; the use of government facilities and employees for campaigning ... and the list goes on.
Re-delineation of constituencies often tends to benefit the party in power in many parts of the world.
In Malaysia, the Elections Commission is guided by a list of constitutional principles in the Thirteenth Schedule which includes ensuring approximate equal numbers of voters within each constituency in a state, weightage to rural constituencies, and taking into consideration inconvenience resulting from alterations to constituencies and to the maintenance of local ties.
In 1962, the maximum allowable difference between voters in a rural and urban constituency was 50%. As the rural areas developed over the decades, Malaysia’s electoral system should increasingly move towards the constitutional principle of equal size constituencies. But this limitation was removed by 1973, resulting in a consistent increase of Malay-majority state and parliamentary constituencies between the 1959 and 1999 general elections.
This excessive rural weightage erodes the principle of “one person one vote”. Effectively a vote in an urban constituency is of much less value than the rural one. Given the rapid urbanisation of Malaysia, urban citizens are effectively under-represented electorally.
For example, in 1986 the largest constituency in Peninsular Malaysia had 81,005 voters and the smallest 23,979. By 2004, this disparity increased to 104,185 voters in the largest constituency and 23,061 in the smallest, a 451% disparity! If Putrajaya with its 5,079 voters is included, the disparity is even bigger.
Since the rural seats were dominated by Malay voters and urban seats by non-Malays, a common criticism is made that the persistent rural weightage was meant to benefit the ruling party.
But the 1999 general election results saw their popular votes dropping by almost 10%. This led the government to undertake the most extensive electoral engineering since 1974 – designed to protect the Barisan Nasional’s dominance and to strengthen Umno in the Malay heartland against the PAS onslaught.
The delineation exercise of 2002 was seen as highly politicised, as it appeared designed to address the loss of support in the Malay heartland of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. Strongholds of Johor and Sabah were given the most number of additional seats, while opposition-controlled Kelantan and Terengganu got none.
Kedah saw extraordinary redrawing of constituencies to address the fall of popular votes to 45% in parliamentary seats and 39.8% in state seats in the 1999 elections. The solution was gerrymandering.
Re-delineation saw the moving of “safe voters” in traditional Umno strongholds into constituencies won by PAS or by Umno with small margins.
In “safe state seats”, non-Malay voters were shifted into different parliamentary seats to strengthen Umno and weaken PAS.
This redistribution of non-Malay votes occurred not just in Kedah, but also across the country, thus reversing a long-standing trend of creating Malay dominant constituencies (over 60% of voters are Malays) in favour of more mixed constituencies where the Malays make up no more than 60% of the electorate.
The conventional wisdom was that the non-Malays would vote for Umno rather than the Islamist PAS, recognising the pivotal non-Malay support in delivering victories to the Barisan Nasional in the 1999 general election.
Thus creating more mixed seats would deliver better likelihood of victory to the Barisan in future elections, so the thinking went.
This exercise actually made for a more equitable representation of Malays, Chinese and Indian voters in the electoral system, reversing the ethnic bias of past re-delineation exercises.
As designed, the 2004 general election saw the Barisan making significant gains. In Kedah, Umno won back seven of the eight parliamentary seats it had lost to PAS in 1999 and gained seven more state seats.
At the national level, the trend of Barisan winning best in mixed seats continued. But data analysis done by academics showed that the significant gains, especially in popular votes made in 2004, could not just be due to re-delineation as they were considerably more than the numbers of “safe voters” reallocated into different constituencies.
Other factors, especially the promise of hope and change brought in by a new Prime Minister, swung the popular vote back. Thus, at best, the transfer of “safe voters” and the shifting of “safe state seats” between parliamentary constituencies could only help to increase the margins of victory.
By 2008, the public mood swung again. All the gerrymandering and mal-apportioning of constituencies were not enough to save the Barisan from losing control of four more states, the Federal Territory, and losing its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Mixed seats fell to the Opposition with non-Malays voting for PAS candidates, and Malays voting for the DAP and Keadilan.
All these brought only short-term gain. In the longer term, these moves may have bitten back the hand that conjured them.
This government truly will be better served if it concentrates on delivering its promises of change to regain public support instead of spending its energies and exhausting its state apparatus enacting and re-enacting policies to reinforce its power base, and portraying every challenge to unjust laws and policies as a threat to everything under the midday sun.
The challenge is for the Prime Minister to use all his influence to bring his supporters on board his mission of ‘People First Performance Now’ and translate that into real deeds that respond to the people’s demands for change.
Read full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=sharingthenation&file=/2011/8/7/columnists/sharingthenation/9247162&sec=Sharing The Nation
Drama for Political Muscle
Thursday August 11, 2011
The land acquisition exercise for lots in Jalan Sultan earmarked for the multi-billion development of the MRT MY Rapid Transit will proceed as planned. The affected stakeholders of the said project were told by Syarikat Prasarana Nasional Berhad (SPNB) Project Development Division group director Zulkifli Mohamed Yusoff that the land acquisition process is in accordance with the existing National Land Code 1965.
The stretch meant for land acquisition is between Jalan Sultan and Jalan Hang Jebat. It will make way for the 700m underground MRT track connecting the Merdeka Station and Pasar Seni Station which is part of the RM30 billion public transport network upgrading.
Zulkifli said the office of the Director-General of Lands And Mines (Federal) Department had served the E Form notice, which is the document that states the government's intentions to acquire land for public development.
"The served notice is to call upon all the affected parties to a scheduled hearing during which the affected landowners can address issues relating to compensation, loss of business, renovations and other reparation factors.
"All these will be taken into consideration when compensation is being determined," said Zulkifli during a special meeting with the affected property owners held at the group's headquarters in Wisma UOA, Bangsar, yesterday.
Zulkifli said during the hearing, the affected property owners can state the valuation of their property via a consultant before the hearing committee.
He added in cases where the landowners do not agree to the amount of compensation awarded by the authorities, they can appeal within six weeks.
"A notice will be sent to the Prime Minister's Department for the release of the compensation once it is confirmed and payment would be issued within three months from the date the notice was served.
"After payment is settled, the authorities will then proceed to take possession of the land," he said.
Zulkifli said a reasonable timeframe will be given to the affected parties to vacate the acquired property, adding that the tunnelling project in Jalan Sultan will start early next year.
Read more: IT’S FINAL http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/2ht/Article/#ixzz1WEAN1sjT
FACELIFT POSER By Halim Said streets@nstp.com.my 2011/08/15
Plans for the redevelopment of B-P House, the scouts’ headquarters, have hit a snag as part of its land may be acquired for the MRT project
Recently, Streets reported that a row of post-World War 2 colonial buildings in Jalan Sultan will be making way for the underground MRT My Rapid Transit tracks.
Now, it has emerged that they will not be the only British heritage buildings slated to be demolished.
The Malaysia Scouting Association (PPM)'s four-storey headquarters, the "B-P House" in Jalan Hang Jebat, which was built in May 16, 1954, and named after the initials of the founder of the scout movement Lord Robert Baden-Powell, is also earmarked to be demolished for a RM35 million redevelopment project.
Under the redevelopment plans, the old B-P House will be demolished and rebuilt as the new PPM headquarters with a 15-storey hotel room, a banquet hall, multi-level parking bays, office lots and a coffee house on the 870 square metre site belonging to the association.
However, the proposed project hit a snag and may not take off this year as planned as a portion of the association's land is being acquired for the MRT underground tracks from the Merdeka Station to Pasar Seni Station. The Merdeka Station is near the 100-storey Menara Warisan Merdeka project.
PPM chief executive secretary Mohd Zaki Nuruddin said the development of the new headquarters and the hotel was envisioned by the Malaysian Scout Federation honorary president Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he was prime minister.
Zaki said the association had yet to be served the Notice E Form as stated in the National Land Code 1965. The document cites the government's move to acquire any land required for public purposes.
"We found out that a small portion of the land was marked with red during the three-month MRT project public display.
"We were told that the markings showed the affected properties which may be acquired for the project. Subsequently, we submitted an objection against the proposed land acquisition exercise due to our redevelopment plans," he said.
Zaki said the new headquarters will maintain the same facade design as the old B-P House. The hotel, he said, will cater to both scouts and the public.
PPM headquarters redevelopment project developer Trans Excel Corporation Sdn Bhd director Zulkarnain Sulaiman said the development order for the project had been submitted to City Hall before the association was aware of the plans for the land acquisition.
KUALA LUMPUR: The city's colonial buildings are fast disappearing.
He said the development plans sent to City Hall for approval were put on hold pending further review by its Land Use Committee.
Zulkarnain said 50.4 square metres of the land has been earmarked for acquisition and this would make a huge difference to the actual construction plans in terms of the space for the building and it would also incur additional costs.
"We will be meeting with the MRT project authorities on Tuesday (tomorrow) to discuss the matter and we hope that they will not proceed with the land acquisition."
The MRT My Rapid Transit project will be built along a 51km electrified track between two ending stations in Sungai Buloh and Kajang.
There will be 31 stations along the route and the 9.5km underground track will begin from the Semantan Station and resurfaces at the Maluri Station.
Now, it has emerged that they will not be the only British heritage buildings slated to be demolished.
The Malaysia Scouting Association (PPM)'s four-storey headquarters, the "B-P House" in Jalan Hang Jebat, which was built in May 16, 1954, and named after the initials of the founder of the scout movement Lord Robert Baden-Powell, is also earmarked to be demolished for a RM35 million redevelopment project.
Under the redevelopment plans, the old B-P House will be demolished and rebuilt as the new PPM headquarters with a 15-storey hotel room, a banquet hall, multi-level parking bays, office lots and a coffee house on the 870 square metre site belonging to the association.
However, the proposed project hit a snag and may not take off this year as planned as a portion of the association's land is being acquired for the MRT underground tracks from the Merdeka Station to Pasar Seni Station. The Merdeka Station is near the 100-storey Menara Warisan Merdeka project.
PPM chief executive secretary Mohd Zaki Nuruddin said the development of the new headquarters and the hotel was envisioned by the Malaysian Scout Federation honorary president Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he was prime minister.
Zaki said the association had yet to be served the Notice E Form as stated in the National Land Code 1965. The document cites the government's move to acquire any land required for public purposes.
"We found out that a small portion of the land was marked with red during the three-month MRT project public display.
"We were told that the markings showed the affected properties which may be acquired for the project. Subsequently, we submitted an objection against the proposed land acquisition exercise due to our redevelopment plans," he said.
Zaki said the new headquarters will maintain the same facade design as the old B-P House. The hotel, he said, will cater to both scouts and the public.
PPM headquarters redevelopment project developer Trans Excel Corporation Sdn Bhd director Zulkarnain Sulaiman said the development order for the project had been submitted to City Hall before the association was aware of the plans for the land acquisition.
KUALA LUMPUR: The city's colonial buildings are fast disappearing.
He said the development plans sent to City Hall for approval were put on hold pending further review by its Land Use Committee.
Zulkarnain said 50.4 square metres of the land has been earmarked for acquisition and this would make a huge difference to the actual construction plans in terms of the space for the building and it would also incur additional costs.
"We will be meeting with the MRT project authorities on Tuesday (tomorrow) to discuss the matter and we hope that they will not proceed with the land acquisition."
The MRT My Rapid Transit project will be built along a 51km electrified track between two ending stations in Sungai Buloh and Kajang.
There will be 31 stations along the route and the 9.5km underground track will begin from the Semantan Station and resurfaces at the Maluri Station.
There's light at the end of MRT tunnelMOAZ YUSUF AHMAD for TRANSIT Petaling Jaya, Selangor letters@nst.com.my 2011/08/16
The MCA has urged premises owners in Jalan Sultan and Jalan Petaling, who are affected by the MY Rapid Transit (MRT) projects, to officially highlight their concerns to the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD). Party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said he would also help the 31 owners in the area to set up a meeting with SPAD.
"I have suggested that they set up a committee and prepare a memorandum for SPAD on the matter," he told reporters after having a dialogue session with six representatives of owners of Jalan Sultan premises at Wisma MCA here today.
Dr Chua said he had also brought up the issue during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday. He added that SPAD chief executive officer Mohd Nur Kamal, who was present at the meeting, had agreed to look into the possibility of realigning the track or continue the plan without the need to acquire any land.
Today's dialogue was set up, following grave concerns from the owners that the MRT project which runs underground through the famous heritage-rich Chinatown in Jalan Petaling, would bring about negative impact. The premises owners, among others, had urged the government to realign the MRT track and opposed the land acquisition in that area. They were also concerned about the short notice issued by the Land Office on land acquisition.
One of the representatives at the dialogue, Judy Tan, proprietress of the 70-year-old Lok Ann Hotel, said the owners' losses incurred from the projects were not just monetary. She said the area was also a heritage site that represented the identity of the Chinese in the country. "We are willing to be evacuated temporarily, but we are not willing to give up our land," Tan told reporters later.
Another affected owner, Daniel Wong, who has been operating a souvenir retail and wholesale business in the area for more than 20 years, said the area was already well-connected by the rail systems.
There are two LRT stations, namely Pasar Rakyat (Ampang Line) and Pasar Seni (Kelana Jaya Line), and a monorail (Maharajalela station) nearby. -- Bernama
Friday August 19, 2011
LAND Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said he was willing to talk and listen to anyone regarding the My Rapid Transit (MRT) project.
Syed Hamid said his job in SPAD was to listen and take into account the feedback during the public display of the plan.
“We have submitted the feedback to the Prime Minister and he has given his approval,’’ Syed Hamid said.
As far as possible they had made sure that historical and heritage sites were not affected and the public must also realise that the project was for their convenience, Syed Hamid told reporters after handing over prizes to winners of the MRT logo contest at the SPAD office yesterday.
“There was a lot of interaction with the public during the three-month display period and we listened to what they had to say,’’ he added.
Syed Hamid said he had received feedback from Jalan Sultan traders.
“We cannot say if there is going to be a realigment of the MRT in Jalan Sultan. As a commission we will hear what the traders have to say and we will inform them how the process and decisions were made,’’ he added.
Monday August 22, 2011
Traders along Jalan Sultan who are affected by the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project will have a dialogue with Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar tomorrow.
The delegation, led by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, would also submit a memorandum to Syed Hamid.
Dr Chua, who disclosed this yesterday, said: “The traders understand the benefit of having the MRT system, but they need a better solution from the authorities so as to minimise the losses they have to bear.”
In another development, Dr Chua said he would take halal food manufacturers and exporters to meet Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, who is in charge of religious affairs, to discuss the rules and regulations on producing halal food.
This meeting came about after complaints from industry players that the rules imposed by the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) were too strict, he said.
Earlier, Dr Chua, who opened the Xiang Lian Youth Association Malaysia’s annual general meeting, urged Chinese-based youth non-governmental organisations to interact more with their non-Chinese counterparts in a bid to promote better understanding of racial harmony and other issues.
“Racial harmony is very fragile and easily jeopardised, hence, Chinese youth NGOs should play an important role in enhancing interaction with other non-Chinese groups to improve racial harmony,” he stressed.
Tuesday August 23, 2011
31 buildings near Jalan Sultan will not make way for the construction of the Klang Valley MY Rapid Transit (MRT) project.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the shops would remain during the construction period of the project.
He said the location would retain its Chinatown identity and would be maintained as an important tourist and historical landmark in the city.
Dr Chua announced the breakthrough solution after a closed-door dialogue with five representatives of the affected 31 owners, SPAD (Land and Public Transport Commission) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar, SPAD chief executive officer Mohd Nur Ismal Kamal and Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad officials, at Wisma MCA here yesterday.
"We have reached an agreement and understanding with the government. The government will proceed with the MRT project by acquiring the land beneath the affected shops for the underground tunnels on condition that buildings affected by the tunnelling will be strengthened."
Dr Chua said Prasana would take six months to complete the tunnel construction and only those affected need to be evacuated.
"After that, it will be business as usual. This way, the Chinatown identity will be maintained.
"I thank the 31 affected owners, SPAD, Prasana and representatives of traders of Jalan Sultan for their cooperation to reach the agreement for the good of both parties."
Lee Shan Too, president of the Yen Keng Benevolent Society, one of the affected properties, said they were happy that the government only needed to acquire 30.5m of land beneath the shops for construction of the tunnels.
Lee said details of the compensation for the six-month evacuation and costs had yet to be discussed.
Another owner, Thomas Tan of the historical Lok Ann Hotel, said it was a win-win situation, adding that they "accepted in principle" the agreement reached yesterday.
The 31 owners at Jalan Sultan had voiced their unhappiness when the MRT project sought to acquire their buildings and land for the project.
Read more: 31 shops in Chinatown spared http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/24spa/Article/index_html#ixzz1WE7CD3J0
THE members of the Association for the Improvement of Mass-Transit (Transit) have been following the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) proposal since it was mooted. One of our biggest complaints about public transport projects is that we have public displays, not public consultation.
The MRT project must follow certain "fixed points" (many of which are put in place without public consultation) and the operator is required to only share the optimal alignment with the public.
This was the way the LRT and KL monorail were designed, according to the Railways Act.
The issue over land acquisition along Jalan Sultan in Kuala Lumpur for the MRT project is a clear example of weaknesses in our laws, namely the Railways Act (and its replacement, the Pengangkutan Awam Darat or PAD Act under the Land Public Transport Commission) and the National Land Code.
More importantly, they show us what happens when public consultation is rejected in favour of public display.
No one is against development, so generally the public does not pay attention to government projects unless they are directly affected.
In this case, the issue came to light only when the Form-E notices of land acquisition were delivered in the affected areas, even though the station diagrams and maps had been on public display for three months in government offices and online.
Many people are asking why land must be acquired if the station is underground. A look at the map of the MRT station alignment shows that Jalan Sultan is narrow and curves just east of Jalan Petaling. As a result, part of the station box and the tunnel come under buildings.
According to the National Land Code 1965, to build an underground passageway, the land must be acquired as you cannot simply acquire the underground or aboveground portion.
Some of those who object are suggesting that the MRT station be placed across the river (between KL Railway Station and Pos Malaysia headquarters), or under the parking lot west of Jalan Panggang. Unfortunately, in either case, the MRT would still run under buildings, necessitating land acquisition.
Of course, we could amend the section of the National Land Code to make land acquisition unnecessary, but that should have been done many years ago as it would have saved a lot of headache and got us a better public transport system.
The problem is that it would also place the government in a tough situation if any land located above an underground tunnel were to collapse.
The other issue that people must realise is that the MRT is passing through Jalan Sultan because of what are described as "fixed points" at KL Sentral and the proposed Warisan Merdeka development -- the 100-storey tower that many have objected to.
Also, what Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (Prasarana) is giving us is the "optimal" alignment between those two points. Perhaps, there are other options that may not be as optimal, but could still be reasonable choices. But Prasarana does not have to share the other options with the public, thanks to a quirk in both the Railways and PAD legislation that has not been addressed.
In the spirit of compromise, we take a look at those options.
One option would be to route the MRT along Jalan Kinabalu instead. This would require it to pass under the northwest corner of the Federal Territory Syariah Court, cross under Jalan Sultan Sulaiman and the east parking lot of KL Railway Station, and in front of Wisma Tun Sambanthan.
This would allow a station at KL Railway Station (providing an important interchange with KTM services). There would also be an interchange with the Pasar Seni LRT station.
The MRT would pass near the Maharajalela monorail station (another interchange), then follow Jalan Stadium to link with Jalan Bukit Bintang as originally planned.
Another advantage of this proposal would be to improve public transport access to Klang Bus Station by opening up the Jalan Kinabalu roundabout to buses without having to use Jalan Petaling and Jalan Sultan.
The other option is a simple and effective one, and would probably not require any land acquisition, simply route the MRT under Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, placing the Pasar Seni MRT station on the west side of Sungai Klang just south of the Pos Malaysia headquarters and Menara Dayabumi.
The MRT would then travel under Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock to Jalan Pudu, and then tunnel below the LRT alignment to a new interchange at Plaza Rakyat and Puduraya bus terminal. From Plaza Rakyat, the MRT would turn towards Jalan Bukit Bintang as originally proposed.
Transit would much rather see the government revive Plaza Rakyat instead of building the Warisan Merdeka.
Since the government had said it intended to use Puduraya bus terminal to replace Kota Raya, this will also allow the MRT to interchange with KL's current and future main bus terminal. And, most importantly, an important piece of KL's heritage would be preserved.
Tuesday August 16, 2011 This was the way the LRT and KL monorail were designed, according to the Railways Act.
The issue over land acquisition along Jalan Sultan in Kuala Lumpur for the MRT project is a clear example of weaknesses in our laws, namely the Railways Act (and its replacement, the Pengangkutan Awam Darat or PAD Act under the Land Public Transport Commission) and the National Land Code.
More importantly, they show us what happens when public consultation is rejected in favour of public display.
No one is against development, so generally the public does not pay attention to government projects unless they are directly affected.
In this case, the issue came to light only when the Form-E notices of land acquisition were delivered in the affected areas, even though the station diagrams and maps had been on public display for three months in government offices and online.
Many people are asking why land must be acquired if the station is underground. A look at the map of the MRT station alignment shows that Jalan Sultan is narrow and curves just east of Jalan Petaling. As a result, part of the station box and the tunnel come under buildings.
According to the National Land Code 1965, to build an underground passageway, the land must be acquired as you cannot simply acquire the underground or aboveground portion.
Some of those who object are suggesting that the MRT station be placed across the river (between KL Railway Station and Pos Malaysia headquarters), or under the parking lot west of Jalan Panggang. Unfortunately, in either case, the MRT would still run under buildings, necessitating land acquisition.
Of course, we could amend the section of the National Land Code to make land acquisition unnecessary, but that should have been done many years ago as it would have saved a lot of headache and got us a better public transport system.
The problem is that it would also place the government in a tough situation if any land located above an underground tunnel were to collapse.
The other issue that people must realise is that the MRT is passing through Jalan Sultan because of what are described as "fixed points" at KL Sentral and the proposed Warisan Merdeka development -- the 100-storey tower that many have objected to.
Also, what Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (Prasarana) is giving us is the "optimal" alignment between those two points. Perhaps, there are other options that may not be as optimal, but could still be reasonable choices. But Prasarana does not have to share the other options with the public, thanks to a quirk in both the Railways and PAD legislation that has not been addressed.
In the spirit of compromise, we take a look at those options.
One option would be to route the MRT along Jalan Kinabalu instead. This would require it to pass under the northwest corner of the Federal Territory Syariah Court, cross under Jalan Sultan Sulaiman and the east parking lot of KL Railway Station, and in front of Wisma Tun Sambanthan.
This would allow a station at KL Railway Station (providing an important interchange with KTM services). There would also be an interchange with the Pasar Seni LRT station.
The MRT would pass near the Maharajalela monorail station (another interchange), then follow Jalan Stadium to link with Jalan Bukit Bintang as originally planned.
Another advantage of this proposal would be to improve public transport access to Klang Bus Station by opening up the Jalan Kinabalu roundabout to buses without having to use Jalan Petaling and Jalan Sultan.
The other option is a simple and effective one, and would probably not require any land acquisition, simply route the MRT under Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, placing the Pasar Seni MRT station on the west side of Sungai Klang just south of the Pos Malaysia headquarters and Menara Dayabumi.
The MRT would then travel under Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock to Jalan Pudu, and then tunnel below the LRT alignment to a new interchange at Plaza Rakyat and Puduraya bus terminal. From Plaza Rakyat, the MRT would turn towards Jalan Bukit Bintang as originally proposed.
Transit would much rather see the government revive Plaza Rakyat instead of building the Warisan Merdeka.
Since the government had said it intended to use Puduraya bus terminal to replace Kota Raya, this will also allow the MRT to interchange with KL's current and future main bus terminal. And, most importantly, an important piece of KL's heritage would be preserved.
The MCA has urged premises owners in Jalan Sultan and Jalan Petaling, who are affected by the MY Rapid Transit (MRT) projects, to officially highlight their concerns to the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD). Party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said he would also help the 31 owners in the area to set up a meeting with SPAD.
"I have suggested that they set up a committee and prepare a memorandum for SPAD on the matter," he told reporters after having a dialogue session with six representatives of owners of Jalan Sultan premises at Wisma MCA here today.
Dr Chua said he had also brought up the issue during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday. He added that SPAD chief executive officer Mohd Nur Kamal, who was present at the meeting, had agreed to look into the possibility of realigning the track or continue the plan without the need to acquire any land.
Today's dialogue was set up, following grave concerns from the owners that the MRT project which runs underground through the famous heritage-rich Chinatown in Jalan Petaling, would bring about negative impact. The premises owners, among others, had urged the government to realign the MRT track and opposed the land acquisition in that area. They were also concerned about the short notice issued by the Land Office on land acquisition.
One of the representatives at the dialogue, Judy Tan, proprietress of the 70-year-old Lok Ann Hotel, said the owners' losses incurred from the projects were not just monetary. She said the area was also a heritage site that represented the identity of the Chinese in the country. "We are willing to be evacuated temporarily, but we are not willing to give up our land," Tan told reporters later.
Another affected owner, Daniel Wong, who has been operating a souvenir retail and wholesale business in the area for more than 20 years, said the area was already well-connected by the rail systems.
There are two LRT stations, namely Pasar Rakyat (Ampang Line) and Pasar Seni (Kelana Jaya Line), and a monorail (Maharajalela station) nearby. -- Bernama
Friday August 19, 2011
LAND Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said he was willing to talk and listen to anyone regarding the My Rapid Transit (MRT) project.
Syed Hamid said his job in SPAD was to listen and take into account the feedback during the public display of the plan.
“We have submitted the feedback to the Prime Minister and he has given his approval,’’ Syed Hamid said.
As far as possible they had made sure that historical and heritage sites were not affected and the public must also realise that the project was for their convenience, Syed Hamid told reporters after handing over prizes to winners of the MRT logo contest at the SPAD office yesterday.
“There was a lot of interaction with the public during the three-month display period and we listened to what they had to say,’’ he added.
Syed Hamid said he had received feedback from Jalan Sultan traders.
“We cannot say if there is going to be a realigment of the MRT in Jalan Sultan. As a commission we will hear what the traders have to say and we will inform them how the process and decisions were made,’’ he added.
Monday August 22, 2011
Traders along Jalan Sultan who are affected by the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project will have a dialogue with Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar tomorrow.
The delegation, led by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, would also submit a memorandum to Syed Hamid.
Dr Chua, who disclosed this yesterday, said: “The traders understand the benefit of having the MRT system, but they need a better solution from the authorities so as to minimise the losses they have to bear.”
In another development, Dr Chua said he would take halal food manufacturers and exporters to meet Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, who is in charge of religious affairs, to discuss the rules and regulations on producing halal food.
This meeting came about after complaints from industry players that the rules imposed by the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) were too strict, he said.
Earlier, Dr Chua, who opened the Xiang Lian Youth Association Malaysia’s annual general meeting, urged Chinese-based youth non-governmental organisations to interact more with their non-Chinese counterparts in a bid to promote better understanding of racial harmony and other issues.
“Racial harmony is very fragile and easily jeopardised, hence, Chinese youth NGOs should play an important role in enhancing interaction with other non-Chinese groups to improve racial harmony,” he stressed.
Tuesday August 23, 2011
31 buildings near Jalan Sultan will not make way for the construction of the Klang Valley MY Rapid Transit (MRT) project.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the shops would remain during the construction period of the project.
He said the location would retain its Chinatown identity and would be maintained as an important tourist and historical landmark in the city.
Dr Chua announced the breakthrough solution after a closed-door dialogue with five representatives of the affected 31 owners, SPAD (Land and Public Transport Commission) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar, SPAD chief executive officer Mohd Nur Ismal Kamal and Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad officials, at Wisma MCA here yesterday.
"We have reached an agreement and understanding with the government. The government will proceed with the MRT project by acquiring the land beneath the affected shops for the underground tunnels on condition that buildings affected by the tunnelling will be strengthened."
Dr Chua said Prasana would take six months to complete the tunnel construction and only those affected need to be evacuated.
"After that, it will be business as usual. This way, the Chinatown identity will be maintained.
"I thank the 31 affected owners, SPAD, Prasana and representatives of traders of Jalan Sultan for their cooperation to reach the agreement for the good of both parties."
Lee Shan Too, president of the Yen Keng Benevolent Society, one of the affected properties, said they were happy that the government only needed to acquire 30.5m of land beneath the shops for construction of the tunnels.
Lee said details of the compensation for the six-month evacuation and costs had yet to be discussed.
Another owner, Thomas Tan of the historical Lok Ann Hotel, said it was a win-win situation, adding that they "accepted in principle" the agreement reached yesterday.
The 31 owners at Jalan Sultan had voiced their unhappiness when the MRT project sought to acquire their buildings and land for the project.
Read more: 31 shops in Chinatown spared http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/24spa/Article/index_html#ixzz1WE7CD3J0
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Datuk Mukhriz could have been misinformed or he is ignorant on some job prospects
"Malaysia is not accepting investments from companies that plan to open up calls centres here anymore."
Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said when such an offer arises, they now recommend them to go and set up such centres elsewhere like in India, for example.
"Such investments where it requires low paying jobs are not suitable for Malaysia because we cannot fill in the low income jobs like how some other countries can.
"Instead, what we are looking for is capital intensive technology investments from companies such as Shell," he told reporters after launching the Shell Business Service Centre in Cyberjaya, yesterday.
Does the minister realize, good conversationists at call centres take home four figure pay weekly? Could it be due to the fact that he does not speak effectively as his sister, Marina, not to mention his father, he is not able to appreciate that unique talents are required at call centres. Typical advertisements for call center executives are appended below to provide a proper perspective:
The Role:
Responsibilities:SPM / STPM / Diploma / Degree from a recognized university or college
Highly initiated and responsible, good analytical thinking, able to work under pressure and overtime, hardworking and able to meet tight deadlines.
Fluent spoken and written English. Additional languages such as Mandarin or Cantonese are an advantage
A good team player and committed to self-development and growth Fresh graduates are encourage to apply - FULL TRAINING PROVIDED
Want to exceed performance expectations while having fun doing so
Able and willing to embrace the following work values consistently, every time, and be measured on it: Responsive, trustworthy, international, creative and courageous
Required language(s): Chinese, English Applicants should be Malaysian citizens or hold relevant residence status.
In another aspect, it is reported that Shell has reduced its presence in Malaysia against which the minister may have to explain.
If you think you have what it takes, we would like to hear from you.
An attractive remuneration awaits the right candidate.
Responsible to receive process and respond to customers inquiries in a professional and prompt manner.
Responsible to take incoming telephone enquiries or through emails, on problems or complaints from customers relating to a range of specified products or services, with the objective resolving the customer's issue as quickly as possible.
Following up on the feedback, escalation within internal department and customers.
Responsible to receive process and respond to customers inquiries in a professional and prompt manner.
Transaction in accordance with customers' instructions and in compliance with The company operational instructions.
Enthusiastic and self motivated with a desire to achieve excellent service
Good command of spoken and written English Language, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin. Ability to speak in local Chinese dialects is an added advantage
Good interpersonal and problem solving skillsCustomer Care Consultant (MYR 1700 - 3200)
Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said when such an offer arises, they now recommend them to go and set up such centres elsewhere like in India, for example.
"Such investments where it requires low paying jobs are not suitable for Malaysia because we cannot fill in the low income jobs like how some other countries can.
"Instead, what we are looking for is capital intensive technology investments from companies such as Shell," he told reporters after launching the Shell Business Service Centre in Cyberjaya, yesterday.
Does the minister realize, good conversationists at call centres take home four figure pay weekly? Could it be due to the fact that he does not speak effectively as his sister, Marina, not to mention his father, he is not able to appreciate that unique talents are required at call centres. Typical advertisements for call center executives are appended below to provide a proper perspective:
The Role:
You understand the importance of customer service excellence and enjoy working as part of a team. You appreciate the customer service challenges and seriously regards it as a career.
For this role, you must have at least two (2) years working experience in the service industry. You must be pleasant, patient, have empathy and good listening skills. You derive job satisfaction by providing solutions to customer's problems. You are able to conserve clients and can supervise and train staff to achieve customer service excellence.
For this role, you must have at least two (2) years working experience in the service industry. You must be pleasant, patient, have empathy and good listening skills. You derive job satisfaction by providing solutions to customer's problems. You are able to conserve clients and can supervise and train staff to achieve customer service excellence.
Our Requirements:
Responsibilities:
Requirements:
Highly initiated and responsible, good analytical thinking, able to work under pressure and overtime, hardworking and able to meet tight deadlines.
Fluent spoken and written English. Additional languages such as Mandarin or Cantonese are an advantage
A good team player and committed to self-development and growth Fresh graduates are encourage to apply - FULL TRAINING PROVIDED
Want to exceed performance expectations while having fun doing so
Able and willing to embrace the following work values consistently, every time, and be measured on it: Responsive, trustworthy, international, creative and courageous
Required language(s): Chinese, English Applicants should be Malaysian citizens or hold relevant residence status.
In another aspect, it is reported that Shell has reduced its presence in Malaysia against which the minister may have to explain.
If you think you have what it takes, we would like to hear from you.
An attractive remuneration awaits the right candidate.
Ensure consistent delivery of high quality services to customers through preparation of documents and
handling calls from customers. Responsible to receive process and respond to customers inquiries in a professional and prompt manner.
Responsible to take incoming telephone enquiries or through emails, on problems or complaints from customers relating to a range of specified products or services, with the objective resolving the customer's issue as quickly as possible.
Following up on the feedback, escalation within internal department and customers.
Responsible to receive process and respond to customers inquiries in a professional and prompt manner.
Transaction in accordance with customers' instructions and in compliance with The company operational instructions.
Enthusiastic and self motivated with a desire to achieve excellent service
Good command of spoken and written English Language, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin. Ability to speak in local Chinese dialects is an added advantage
Good interpersonal and problem solving skillsCustomer Care Consultant (MYR 1700 - 3200)
Call Centre Executive
MRT: We must not lose soul that ties buildings together
OUR built heritage is what gives us a distinctiveness and a sense of history and patriotism.
The shophouses in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown make up part of the original township of modern KL, with roots going back to the 1850s.
Until as recently as the 1970s, this was the town centre, a vibrant commercial district serving all the needs of the people who lived and worked in the area.
The (Draft) Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2020 recognises that the built heritage is important and this area has been designated a heritage zone.
Decisions on new development, especially within historic environments, must not be isolated from the historic, cultural, social and physical fabric.
Removing or destroying any part of this will damage the cultural significance of a place.
The approach to new development should recognise the totality of the site, the development phases and significance of the links between these layers.
Any intervention should be inclusive and engage the residents, who are the inheritors and custodians of that heritage.
Badan Warisan Malaysia is concerned that what will be lost in this is not just heritage buildings, but the intangible heritage, namely the soul that ties these buildings together, or the trades that have been there for generations, the uprooting of businesses and individuals who call this "home".
The question that needs to be answered is: how will this new development affect the historic setting, the tangible and intangible heritage of the area?
Badan Warisan Malaysia believes that the retention and future sustainability of the authenticity and integrity of one of KL's historic neighbourhoods can be determined only through a cultural heritage impact assessment by the authorities.
TUN AHMAD SARJI ABDUL HAMID, President Badan Warisan Malaysia
Read more: MRT: We must not lose soul that ties buildings together http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/18mrt/Article/index_html#ixzz1VZahJwEX
The shophouses in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown make up part of the original township of modern KL, with roots going back to the 1850s.
Until as recently as the 1970s, this was the town centre, a vibrant commercial district serving all the needs of the people who lived and worked in the area.
The (Draft) Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2020 recognises that the built heritage is important and this area has been designated a heritage zone.
Decisions on new development, especially within historic environments, must not be isolated from the historic, cultural, social and physical fabric.
Removing or destroying any part of this will damage the cultural significance of a place.
The approach to new development should recognise the totality of the site, the development phases and significance of the links between these layers.
Any intervention should be inclusive and engage the residents, who are the inheritors and custodians of that heritage.
Badan Warisan Malaysia is concerned that what will be lost in this is not just heritage buildings, but the intangible heritage, namely the soul that ties these buildings together, or the trades that have been there for generations, the uprooting of businesses and individuals who call this "home".
The question that needs to be answered is: how will this new development affect the historic setting, the tangible and intangible heritage of the area?
Badan Warisan Malaysia believes that the retention and future sustainability of the authenticity and integrity of one of KL's historic neighbourhoods can be determined only through a cultural heritage impact assessment by the authorities.
TUN AHMAD SARJI ABDUL HAMID, President Badan Warisan Malaysia
Read more: MRT: We must not lose soul that ties buildings together http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/18mrt/Article/index_html#ixzz1VZahJwEX
An excellent candidate for the independent member of the Parliamentary Select Committee
http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=questiontime&file=/2011/8/17/columnists/questiontime/9311563&sec=Question Time
The managing editor cum columnist of the Staronline, Mr P. Gunasegaram, has wide embracing ideas to contribute towards the impending election reform, as presented in the above reference. For those who have not read the column, the gist of the article is appended below:
It is necessary for the Election Commission (EC) to come up with a system which clearly shows that there is no hanky-panky. It has to work closely with all parties – the Government, opposition, observers, civil rights groups etc – to show that its systems are beyond reproach barring the occasional human mistake.
But really, there is a simpler way – do away with voter registration altogether. We have one of the most sophisticated identity cards in the world with all relevant information contained in one single chip. All we have to do is to use this for voting.
It kills two birds with one stone – there is no need to register which means more people become entitled to vote and you don’t have to worry about electoral rolls anymore. If you have an identity card and you are old enough, you can vote.
To improve greater participation of the public in elections, it would be necessary to consider some other measures as well in addition to automatic registration. These include making voting compulsory for those eligible and to lower the voting age to 18 from 21. If people can go to jail for offences at 18, it stands to reason that they should be allowed to vote as well.
Then there is the voting process and ensuring that this is done with no doubt as to the accuracy of the results. For voting at the polling booths, the EC has already implemented a system with observers from all parties which is pretty watertight. Counting takes place at the polling station immediately after voting is finished making it impossible for boxes to be stuffed.
This is a simple, effective system that should be emulated throughout Malaysia. Ballot boxes must not be moved from the voting stations. In elections in some places in Sarawak recently, it was reported that ballot boxes were moved. That should not be permitted under the procedures.
Of greater concern perhaps are postal votes, especially those from uniformed services such as the army and police. The select committee should look at this process carefully because lots of allegations have been made in the past.
It would also be necessary to see how voters who are abroad at the time of elections – students and those working overseas for instance - can participate in the election process without compromising safeguards and without abuse of the process.
A key issue to consider is that of proportional representation. If one constituency has one-tenth the voters of another, that is not proportional representation and may result in some of the populace effectively getting greater representation and others getting less.
If a person or party loses after obtaining 49% of the votes, it does not mean he has no support but the first-past-the-post system ignores this. Ways and means have to be sought to ensure that there is some sort of proportional representation for political parties, perhaps in the Senate where representation can be given to political parties based on the percentage of the popular vote they garner.
Other issues centre on election spending. It would be necessary to impose spending limits for the various candidates and for everyone to disclose their funding and how they raise it. That would help to ensure that elections are not excessively tilted in favour of those who have a lot of money.
At every election, parties and candidates are interested in getting across their views and positions to voters. That means candidates and parties need to have more equal access to media coverage and a longer campaign period. This will be among the sticking points the select committee will have to look at.
Some post-election issues should also be considered as well. The committee has to look at the problem of party hopping and answer honestly the question of whether this should be allowed because the one who hops disregards the voter’s original intentions.
Clearly then, there is much for the select committee to discuss and some of the issues involved are rather contentious and will take some fixing.
But if some broad parameters are agreed, such as promoting free and fair elections among an informed public, then it will not be too difficult a task to agree on some solutions at least.
This is an opportunity for reform and it is time for the politicians to put aside their alignment – difficult, yes, but not impossible.
The managing editor cum columnist of the Staronline, Mr P. Gunasegaram, has wide embracing ideas to contribute towards the impending election reform, as presented in the above reference. For those who have not read the column, the gist of the article is appended below:
It is necessary for the Election Commission (EC) to come up with a system which clearly shows that there is no hanky-panky. It has to work closely with all parties – the Government, opposition, observers, civil rights groups etc – to show that its systems are beyond reproach barring the occasional human mistake.
But really, there is a simpler way – do away with voter registration altogether. We have one of the most sophisticated identity cards in the world with all relevant information contained in one single chip. All we have to do is to use this for voting.
It kills two birds with one stone – there is no need to register which means more people become entitled to vote and you don’t have to worry about electoral rolls anymore. If you have an identity card and you are old enough, you can vote.
To improve greater participation of the public in elections, it would be necessary to consider some other measures as well in addition to automatic registration. These include making voting compulsory for those eligible and to lower the voting age to 18 from 21. If people can go to jail for offences at 18, it stands to reason that they should be allowed to vote as well.
Then there is the voting process and ensuring that this is done with no doubt as to the accuracy of the results. For voting at the polling booths, the EC has already implemented a system with observers from all parties which is pretty watertight. Counting takes place at the polling station immediately after voting is finished making it impossible for boxes to be stuffed.
This is a simple, effective system that should be emulated throughout Malaysia. Ballot boxes must not be moved from the voting stations. In elections in some places in Sarawak recently, it was reported that ballot boxes were moved. That should not be permitted under the procedures.
Of greater concern perhaps are postal votes, especially those from uniformed services such as the army and police. The select committee should look at this process carefully because lots of allegations have been made in the past.
It would also be necessary to see how voters who are abroad at the time of elections – students and those working overseas for instance - can participate in the election process without compromising safeguards and without abuse of the process.
A key issue to consider is that of proportional representation. If one constituency has one-tenth the voters of another, that is not proportional representation and may result in some of the populace effectively getting greater representation and others getting less.
If a person or party loses after obtaining 49% of the votes, it does not mean he has no support but the first-past-the-post system ignores this. Ways and means have to be sought to ensure that there is some sort of proportional representation for political parties, perhaps in the Senate where representation can be given to political parties based on the percentage of the popular vote they garner.
Other issues centre on election spending. It would be necessary to impose spending limits for the various candidates and for everyone to disclose their funding and how they raise it. That would help to ensure that elections are not excessively tilted in favour of those who have a lot of money.
At every election, parties and candidates are interested in getting across their views and positions to voters. That means candidates and parties need to have more equal access to media coverage and a longer campaign period. This will be among the sticking points the select committee will have to look at.
Some post-election issues should also be considered as well. The committee has to look at the problem of party hopping and answer honestly the question of whether this should be allowed because the one who hops disregards the voter’s original intentions.
Clearly then, there is much for the select committee to discuss and some of the issues involved are rather contentious and will take some fixing.
But if some broad parameters are agreed, such as promoting free and fair elections among an informed public, then it will not be too difficult a task to agree on some solutions at least.
This is an opportunity for reform and it is time for the politicians to put aside their alignment – difficult, yes, but not impossible.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Chua raps Heng over endorsement
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has ticked off Wanita MCA vice-president Heng Seai Kie for supporting a candidate for a village chief election.
He said it was not right for Heng to show her support based on the candidate's gender.
“This is not logical, because if a particular female candidate is fielded by the Opposition at a constituency in the general election and her opponent is a male from Barisan Nasional, would she support the female candidate?” he said.
Recently, Heng, who is Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister, urged female voters to vote for Low See Mee, the only female candidate in the Pandamaran village chief polls.
Low is a former MCA municipal councillor who has left the party to join PKR.
Chua could either be a man of discrimination or he has less respect for women. No wonder, not too long ago, he had been spotted in committing sexual activity with a woman in a hotel in Segamat; thus having poor respect to his spouse. Is he fit to lead a major political organization?
He said it was not right for Heng to show her support based on the candidate's gender.
“This is not logical, because if a particular female candidate is fielded by the Opposition at a constituency in the general election and her opponent is a male from Barisan Nasional, would she support the female candidate?” he said.
Recently, Heng, who is Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister, urged female voters to vote for Low See Mee, the only female candidate in the Pandamaran village chief polls.
Low is a former MCA municipal councillor who has left the party to join PKR.
Chua could either be a man of discrimination or he has less respect for women. No wonder, not too long ago, he had been spotted in committing sexual activity with a woman in a hotel in Segamat; thus having poor respect to his spouse. Is he fit to lead a major political organization?
Expert: 24°C is just right
The directive to all government offices in the country to set their air conditioner temperature at no lower that 24C is spot on, says Dr Choong Weng Wai of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
The thermal comfort zone for government officers is between 24C and 25C.
Dr Choong said this was the result of his research with Kedah Public Works Department engineer Mohd Suharizal Muhamad Subri entitled Thermal Comfort Study in Government Office Buildings.
“The results of the research are concurrent with the government's suggestion that the temperature level is set at 24C,” said Dr Choong.
Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin had announced on Thursday that government offices have been directed to set their air-conditioner temperature at no lower than 24C in a bid to decrease electricity usage.
This directive ought to be extended to all offices in the private sector, as it would be comfortable for all since it suits all government officers.
The thermal comfort zone for government officers is between 24C and 25C.
Dr Choong said this was the result of his research with Kedah Public Works Department engineer Mohd Suharizal Muhamad Subri entitled Thermal Comfort Study in Government Office Buildings.
“The results of the research are concurrent with the government's suggestion that the temperature level is set at 24C,” said Dr Choong.
Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin had announced on Thursday that government offices have been directed to set their air-conditioner temperature at no lower than 24C in a bid to decrease electricity usage.
This directive ought to be extended to all offices in the private sector, as it would be comfortable for all since it suits all government officers.
Insurance for travel a must-have - This is an overdue matter
All travel agents will have to offer travel insurance to their customers flying overseas by year's end.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun said the association had been conducting road shows to brief members on the importance of providing travel insurance.
“Travel insurance is already compulsory for those who are travelling to Mecca to perform the Haj since 1992. Now, we want to make it mandatory for all outbound travels and we hope to achieve this by year's end,” said Mohd Khalid during a press conference after the launch of the MATTA Fair August 2011 yesterday at the Putra World Trade Centre.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun said the association had been conducting road shows to brief members on the importance of providing travel insurance.
“Travel insurance is already compulsory for those who are travelling to Mecca to perform the Haj since 1992. Now, we want to make it mandatory for all outbound travels and we hope to achieve this by year's end,” said Mohd Khalid during a press conference after the launch of the MATTA Fair August 2011 yesterday at the Putra World Trade Centre.
Common sense begins to prevail
KAJANG: All Malaysians who reach 21 years of age should be automatically registered as voters, said Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah on Saturday.
In fact, he said he was in favour of reducing the voting age to 18.
"Though these are not possible for the next general election, nevertheless, a road map needs to be in place to realise these matters.
"To have a great democracy, we need as many people as possible to come out and vote. To achieve this, we must make it easier for the people to do so (vote)," he said at the Electoral Reform and Purification of Democracy Forum organised by the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) and the Abim Lawyers Group (GPA) at Kolej Dar Al-Hikmah here Saturday.
Saifuddin, who was a panel member at the forum, also suggested that legislation for referendums be instituted because this was also part of a maturing democracy. - Bernama
More in Sunday Star
In fact, he said he was in favour of reducing the voting age to 18.
"Though these are not possible for the next general election, nevertheless, a road map needs to be in place to realise these matters.
"To have a great democracy, we need as many people as possible to come out and vote. To achieve this, we must make it easier for the people to do so (vote)," he said at the Electoral Reform and Purification of Democracy Forum organised by the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) and the Abim Lawyers Group (GPA) at Kolej Dar Al-Hikmah here Saturday.
Saifuddin, who was a panel member at the forum, also suggested that legislation for referendums be instituted because this was also part of a maturing democracy. - Bernama
More in Sunday Star
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Arm Yourself with Knowledge to Protect Your Healthcare Freedom
It doesn't help that the FDA as well as other "official cancer medicine" agencies have a swinging door of employees going back forth between the agency and Big Pharma to work. In a new book, "National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society: Criminal Indifference to Cancer Prevention and Conflicts of Interest," former Cancer Prevention Coalition president Dr. Samuel S. Epstein shows just how bad the conflicts are.
Quoting former NCI director Samuel Broder, Epstein says "the NCI has become a government pharmaceutical company." And the ACS, Epstein says, is more interested in "accumulating wealth than saving lives." With close ties to cancer treatment businesses, the ACS has a track record that "clearly reflects conflicts of interest" when it comes to cancer treatment policies and prevention strategies, Epstein alleges.
And so it goes… So, what you can do to protect yourself from getting cancer, or what can you do if you already have it? The good news is that knowledge is power, and there are things you can do for yourself, right now, not to only to prevent cancer, but to make sure you have the right cancer treatment if you do get it.
Because cancer is almost wholly a man-made disease, it's especially important to recognize that you do have power over many things that could cause you to get cancer. Taking control of your health will put you in a position to make the best health decisions possible if you do get cancer.
Here's a list to get you started on a cancer prevention plan:
Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. This works primarily by optimizing your vitamin D level. Ideally, monitor your vitamin D levels throughout the year.
Control your insulin levels by limiting your intake of processed foods and sugars/fructose as much as possible.
Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats.
Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.
Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.
Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. My particular favorite tool for this purpose, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.
Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. Cruciferous vegetables in particular have been identified as having potent anti-cancer properties. Remember that carb nutritional types may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than protein nutritional types.
Maintain an ideal body weight.
Get enough high-quality sleep.
Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
Reduce your use of cell phones and other wireless technologies, and implement as many safety strategies as possible if/when you cannot avoid their use.
Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.
You also can help by voicing your opposition to the FDA's censorship of alternative cancer treatments by sending a letter to your Congressional representatives and asking them to support H.R. 1364, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act concerning the distribution of information on legitimate scientific research in connection with foods and dietary supplements. Call or write your Congressman now, and stop the censorship of your right to alternative cancer therapies and possibly a cure.
Source: The Stunning Effect of This Single Vitamin on CANCER...
Posted By Dr. Mercola
Quoting former NCI director Samuel Broder, Epstein says "the NCI has become a government pharmaceutical company." And the ACS, Epstein says, is more interested in "accumulating wealth than saving lives." With close ties to cancer treatment businesses, the ACS has a track record that "clearly reflects conflicts of interest" when it comes to cancer treatment policies and prevention strategies, Epstein alleges.
And so it goes… So, what you can do to protect yourself from getting cancer, or what can you do if you already have it? The good news is that knowledge is power, and there are things you can do for yourself, right now, not to only to prevent cancer, but to make sure you have the right cancer treatment if you do get it.
Because cancer is almost wholly a man-made disease, it's especially important to recognize that you do have power over many things that could cause you to get cancer. Taking control of your health will put you in a position to make the best health decisions possible if you do get cancer.
Here's a list to get you started on a cancer prevention plan:
Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. This works primarily by optimizing your vitamin D level. Ideally, monitor your vitamin D levels throughout the year.
Control your insulin levels by limiting your intake of processed foods and sugars/fructose as much as possible.
Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats.
Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.
Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.
Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. My particular favorite tool for this purpose, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.
Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. Cruciferous vegetables in particular have been identified as having potent anti-cancer properties. Remember that carb nutritional types may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than protein nutritional types.
Maintain an ideal body weight.
Get enough high-quality sleep.
Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
Reduce your use of cell phones and other wireless technologies, and implement as many safety strategies as possible if/when you cannot avoid their use.
Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.
You also can help by voicing your opposition to the FDA's censorship of alternative cancer treatments by sending a letter to your Congressional representatives and asking them to support H.R. 1364, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act concerning the distribution of information on legitimate scientific research in connection with foods and dietary supplements. Call or write your Congressman now, and stop the censorship of your right to alternative cancer therapies and possibly a cure.
Source: The Stunning Effect of This Single Vitamin on CANCER...
Posted By Dr. Mercola
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