"I is from Malaysia. Where is you from?"

So Manek Urai still goes to PAS despite the razor thin 65 votes it obtained against its arch rival, Umno.

In the general election last year, the Islamist party obtained an overwhelming majority of 1,352 votes and the result then had some sort built the confidence of the PAS that it would again topple Umno with similar or even bigger majority in the by-election.

But the prediction went a little bit too far and the 65 votes majority may have sent shivers to the opposition front by now after its sterling performance in last year’s general election and seven by-elections with the exception of Batang Ai.

Kudos definitely must go to the new Prime Minister and his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for engineering various positive changes which may have turned the votes against the opposition front in Manek Urai.

The scrapping of the 30 per cent bumiputra equity for companies seeking listing on Bursa Malaysia and the 11 gifts dished out by Datuk Seri Najib in conjunction with his 100th day in office may turn out to be working in favour of the ruling coalition.

Ok, enough praises for the BN in this case as my column today is not about how well BN had done in denying a comfortable victory for PAS in this by-election.

The more pertinent issue other than the Manek Urai or the 11 gifts is the scrapping of the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English

Immediately after the announcement by Tan Sri Muhyiddin who is also the Education Minister on the reversal of the PPSMI policy, it earns immense wrath from the majority public who remains silent.

SMSes were circulated like wild fire few days ago urging the public to cast their opinion on the policy change on the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s popular blog.

A quick check on the blog while I am writing this piece reveals that 82,792 respondents were against the reversal of the policy initiated by Tun DR Mahathir before he stepped down in 2003.

Another 13,221 on the other hand said yes to the policy change.

With the decision to switch the teaching of both subjects to Bahasa Malaysia in 2012 with the Chinese and Tamil national-type primary schools entirely in Chinese and Tamil respectively, what would become of the future of the Malaysian kids?

I am not worried about those rich kids whose parents can afford to send them to private schools or English tuitions or even overseas to continue acquiring the English language.

But how about those kids coming from poor family background who have only the national education system to rely on to prepare them for their future?

Well, fair enough that the government realizes the importance of the English language as an international lingua franca.

But how on earth can the hiring of 13,933 teachers and additional teaching time for English in both primary and secondary schools improve the proficiency in the language when the government admitted that many teachers are not even proficient or comfortable with the use of English.

Shouldn’t we be worried about the standard of the new English teacher recruits who went through the Bahasa Malaysia medium with no knowledge of English grammar or structure to teach the kids?

And how the increase of the time allocated to teach the English language can improve the proficiency of the language when a pass in the language is not even required?

I feel extremely outraged by this decision made solely because of political mileage at the expense of the future of Malaysian kids and what Tun Dr Mahathir stated recently that he felt sorry for the Malaysians will be stupid without the English proficiency.

While our neighbouring country, Singapore has long realized the importance of English and prosper with it, our government of the day on the other hand is pedaling backward with such a decision.

Politicians from both divides, I beg to you all to not playing politics in this case as it means the future of the country is being played by you for your selfish reason.

Do the honourable thing by bringing back the English education system at least at the secondary level.

The future of the Malaysian kids is not for you to politicize and theirs is as important as yours who have the privilege to go to private schools and overseas.

“I is from Malaysia. Where is you from?”

That’s the future Malaysian for you.

Quota free announcement sends shiver to PR

As I settled into my hotel bedroom in Jakarta last Friday while on my trip there, I watched the CNBC 30 minutes interview with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak by chance after switching channels few times for the right programme for the night before I hit the sack.

The interview show came after the major announcement by Datuk Seri Najib three days earlier to do away with the 30% bumiputra equity which wins accolade from all strata of the society as well as foreign investors.

The move comes at the right time when the whole world is bracing for the hard economy which requires more foreign investment into the country to remain steady on the economic front globally.

No country is an island by itself if it wants to survive in this borderless world or what Thomas L. Friedman calls it a flat world.

So the timely announcement for a more liberal economic approach by Datuk Seri Najib is a move in the right direction.

The important announcement by the Prime Minister that the 30% bumiputra quota requirement for companies seeking to list on the Bursa Malaysia would be done away with is definitely great news for many companies which are looking to invest in this country.

The previous requirement of 30% bumiputra equity in fact is doing more harm than good to the country’s economy, resulting in many of these major companies shifting their investment to countries like Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam where economic approach is more liberal and friendly to investors apart from the cheap labour cost.

The Foreign Investment Committee (FIC) which dictates regulations governing the foreign investments into the country, instead of attracting foreign investors had in fact chased them away with those unfriendly policies which made Malaysia not economically conducive for investment.

The scrapping of the FIC as announced by the Prime Minister must be pleasing to the ears of many foreign investors who are hoping to invest in this country.

With FIC no longer in existence, the emphasis would now be on participation instead of equity as announced by Datuk Seri Najib.

There is no point to make it unfriendly to these foreign investors with various controls and regulations which are meant to protect the bumiputra interest when at the macro level, our country is bound to lose out to the so-called third world countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia which are offering even more attractive packages to foreign investors.

As I was In Jakarta, my tourists guide by the name of Teddy was telling me that the incumbent President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or fondly called SBY is well liked by most Indonesians for his neo-liberal economic approach.

By the time I write this column, SBY has been reported to be on an unassailable lead to continue his second term in office compared to his two rivals, Megawati Sukarnoputri and Jusuf Kalla.

His popularity among the Indonesians is understood based on his five years of steady economic growth, slow but even handed reform of bureaucracy and security forces and a tough anti-corruption drive which has netted several senior officials.

SBY, according to Channel News Asia had weathered the global financial meltdown with strong domestic demand underpinning growth at around 4% this year, the highest in the region and third only to China and India among the G20 countries

“Saya sokong SBY sebab di bawah pemerintahannya, semua rakyat Indonesia senang cari makan dan ekonomi pun baik,” Teddy told me as he chauffeured me on a three hours drive amid the massive traffic jam to Bandung.

So Datuk Seri Najib who has barely assumed office for about 100 days is definitely on the right track despite him facing resistance from within Umno for his liberal approach.

Such protectionist policies which have been done away with are akin to taking away the crutches from the bumiputra who have enjoyed the privileges for decades.

But the slumber is not forever in this case as the hard fact is that the world outside is already moving leaps and bounds leaving our country way behind if such myopic outlook of the bumiputra remains, resulting in our country becoming uncompetitive internationally.

Kudos must go to Datuk Seri Najib for his bravery in coming out with this tough decision which may stir the hornet’s nest among the Malays but the Prime Minister is definitely wise enough to know that he will do injustice to Malaysians of all races if he continues with the populist measures meant only for political mileage.

Najib, you’ve sent shiver to PR by now!

What a relief that Umno-PAS unity talk failed!

What a real big sigh of relief now that the supposed unity talk between Umno and PAS does not take off.

At least the March 8 so-called political tsunami which swept across the country with the whole nation waking up the following day feeling revitalized and full of hope for a change for the better still lives on.

The unity talk regardless of who initiated the move, be it Umno or PAS does not really do any good in the first place for this nation of multi-racial and multi cultural diversity.

But alas, the message from the voters seems to have fallen on the deaf ears.

Many of these politicians are simply ignorant or refused to accept the reality that the racial cards, which had been played for so many elections seem to be not workable or enticing to the voters, especially the urbanites anymore.

Since the March 8 general election, we have seen chorus of calls from politicians to discard racial politics but so far, this seems to be a very reluctant call than from the bottom of their hearts.

Before the Umno or PAS went into the failed clandestine unity talk, do these politicians know exactly what a unity government is supposed to be?

It seems from news reporting that the unity talk between these two Malay dominant parties was focusing very much on Malay unity.

Fifty two years into independence, I believe Malaysians should be more than matured to realize that for a nation to move on, we have to discard the communal feelings among us and concentrate on pulling our weight together to achieve a common goal, which is a nation for one Malaysia regardless of whether you are a Malay, Chinese or Indian.

If we look into history, a unity government was formed only when there were national disasters or wars when the ruling and the opposing parties came together to face the crisis.

For instance, in the United Kingdom, the electoral system is often said to discourage coalitions, but nonetheless National Governments were formed during World War I and II.

During the Great Depression, a coalition termed National Government was formed in 1931 between Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald and the Conservative and Liberals.

So looking into the unity talk between Umno and PAS with the sole agenda of uniting the Malays, would it be a right idea for this country which since the general election last year is slowly moving towards a right direction?

I guess it is not as the unity talk was more than meets the eyes and was very much of a political motive rather than for the overall benefit of this nation.

The only option for Umno to remain politically relevant is to form an alliance with PAS to weaken the Pakatan Rakyat which is riding high at the moment.

But such an effort may not go down well with most Malaysians who are hoping to see the emergence of a political party which cuts across the racial line.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak should revamp Umno and like what Karim Raslan stated in his column, Ceritalah that Umno should take a middle ground and stand not only for the Malays but also the Chinese, Indians, Ibans or Kadazans.

I would have no qualms for the formation of a unity government between BN and PR to sincerely sit down together to do something for the country in a larger picture.

A unity government to look into the sorry state of the rule of law and the separation of powers in this country is almost welcome by every Malaysian.

The current economic recession requires politicians from both divides to come together and find ways to weather the economic storm.

The rising crime rate all over the country needs the attention as well from both the ruling party and the opposition.

On-going debates on the medium of instruction used for the teaching of Science and Mathematics and whether English should be made a compulsory pass for all SPM students needs urgent intellect and pragmatic solution from the politicians.

Formation of a unity government to look into these matters rather than of racial political tone should be the top agenda.

There is no time for any of these politicians with myopic view to keep raising the racial bar if this country were to move forward.

But lucky we that the timely announcement by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to do away with the 30% bumiputra equity requirement may continue to give Malaysians renewed hope for a better governance in this country.

At least for now, the racial overtone is silent.

Political will for ultimate top notch civil service

I must admit that I never like to deal with government departments or agencies.

For one and I believe most of the people would readily concur with me is that it is a troublesome affair especially when we deal with some incompetent civil servants and are made to run around just to settle trivial matters .

Worse still, we may end up at the departments only to find the civil servants nowhere to be seen taking their much “deserved” tea break.

Of course there are some real good competent and more than helpful civil servants whom we must acknowledge and give them their due credit.

When Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak proposed three structural reforms for the civil service two months ago, many people may cast their doubt on whether such reforms could mean anything other than just a mere rhetoric.

But let us look at the three reforms.

First, there must be a multi level entry into government service, meaning to say the civil service will open up its key positions to talents from the private sector and the government linked companies (GLC).

Najib had said during the 10th Civil Service Premier Assembly at Putrajaya International Convention Centre on April 28 that this was necessary as it would yield benefits of “cross fertilisation”.

Second, the civil service will adopt an open door policy with GLC to allow exchange of officers between civil service and GLC.

This means that civil servants would be seconded to GLC or vice versa for mutual exchange of knowledge.

Third, the civil service would recruit top talents and adopt recruitment plan similar to big corporations like Petronas, Bank Negara and Permodalan Nasional Berhad where there is a systematic career development and talent scouting plan.

According to the Prime Minister, the best civil servants would also be sent to world renowned institutions such as Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Wharton Business School at University of Pennsylvania to gain knowledge in a good effort by the government to improve the civil service.

So far so good as far as what the Prime Minister had said and no doubt about his initiatives.

Four paradigm shifts were also outlined by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to deal with the much needed facelift of the civil service.

First, civil service must be more flexible and the Prime Minister had said that the civil service should realise that it is the private sector that creates wealth and it cannot be the stumbling block to that pursuit.

Second, the civil service must move away from the culture of output and expenditure to one which values aspect of holistic outcome or result oriented, for instance the civil service should not emphasise on the number of meetings or overseas trips but the outcome of such effort.

Third, the civil service must move away from bureaucracy and finally, it must move away from mere productivity to a combination of productivity, creativity and innovation.

Well said and that is what is needed for a better civil service though this should have been done ages ago but again, nothing is too late.

I take what had been drafted out by the Prime Minister as a renewed hope for many Malaysians who are yearning for a better civil service which has over the years earned more criticism rather than praises from the taxpayers.

The civil service must justify that it is worth the huge amount of emolument allocated to it by rendering a top notch service to every single Malaysians.

Otherwise the emolument of RM28 billion in 2006, RM32 billion in 2007 and a whopping RM41 billion last year as stated by the Prime Minister may just not worth a single cent.

One former Member of Parliament and former deputy minister, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad stated in an interview with Off The Edge recently that the ideal figure for the civil service should be capped at 600,000.

But today, he said the number of civil servants in the country had reached a whopping 1.2 million and that the government is going to hire another 56,000 civil servants.

Do we really need such many civil servants to serve the 25 million Malaysians in this age of information technology when everything can be done in an instant speed with just a tab on the keyboard?

I leave that to all to judge.

What is important if the government is serious in improving the civil service is that it must put down its feet and say enough is enough.

There should not be any further rhetoric which is only pleasing to the ears but not the eyes and whatever policies which have been made must be ensured to have been implemented without delay.

Of course there must not be a racial bias when it comes to hiring as what we yearn for is good talented qualified people and the half baked ones who would only tarnish the civil service.

Above all, there must be political will without which everything planned or suggested may just end up as yet another rhetoric.

Speak out or speak not?

Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar dropped a bombshell recently when he commented that Sarawak MPs are debate shy and his comment needless to say has incurred wrath from his fellow colleagues in the BN.

And just before he made that statement, I happened to attend an informal discussion of which the topic was centred on politics with a group of professionals.

A senior lawyer who was present together with us agreed when someone in the room opined that an elected representative must always speak out as his role is to represent the people.

So could what Datuk Wan Junaidi say be akin to washing the dirty linen in the public as his criticism has exposed the “incompetency” of the BN elected representatives?

Before we go any further, it is best that we look at what the politicians have to say on the matter.

The Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud had commented that there were better things for an elected representative to do other than just speaking out in Parliament as he believes that action is always speaking louder than words.

The state BN chief being a seasoned politician also revealed the many obstacles state elected representatives, especially those from the rural areas, have to face due to the geographical factor. Fair comment I guess.

One thing that we have to understand is that it is not always easy to get the opportunity to speak in the Parliament or State Legislative Assembly due to limited opportunity as stated by Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam.

Therefore, he said BN MPs must arrange among themselves for the opportunity to speak in the august house.

SUPP Organising Secretary, Datuk Peter Chin meanwhile opined that debate is only one of the many yardsticks to measure an elected representative’s performance.

The revelation by Datuk Wan Junaidi was picked up fast enough by state DAP chairman and state assemblyman for Bukit Assek, Wong Ho Leng when he wrote in his blog that BN MPs must resign for not speaking out.

He said MPs should get themselves noticed in Parliament by speaking out the grievances and plight of the people.

Remaining mute, as he stated would give the federal a wrong impression that all is well in the state.

So there you are some of the comments made by politicians when they were asked by the press.

But how about we, the people who voted for these politicians to be in the so-called higher up and what is our expectation of them?

First and foremost, I believe the utmost duty of an elected representative is to speak out in the august house.

I am not parroting what the DAP chairman had said but an elected representative is a person who writes and passes law and therefore, it is incumbent upon him to speak out in the august house whenever necessary.

In order to be able to debate constructively, an elected representative is supposed to be well read and knowledgeable for his ignorance may cause the people to suffer in the long run due to poorly drafted law.

But the sad thing is that most of the politicians instead of debating on the laws have resorted to using the gallery for mudslinging to score political mileage.

The way I see it, much of our elected representatives’ time has been taken up to serving the ground literally, resulting in them having less time to do the much needed research into their debates.

A friend of mine lashed out at most of our politicians when he said that their duty had been reduced to seeing drainage problem.

But I tend to sympathise with our politicians and we should not be so quick to blame them for such a cheap publicity as it is the people who expect them to come personally to do the inspection when this could be done by the relevant departments.

What needs to be done is political education and awareness among the people on the rightful duties of an elected representative.

While I agree that an elected representative must make sure that he delivers his work such as making sure the infrastructure is in good condition, he must also bring up the issues or plights affecting the people to the august house.

Speaking without fear or favour is essential and is requested of an elected representative and failure to do so is tantamount of betraying the trust of the people who elect them.

As whether Datuk Wan Junaidi is washing the dirty linen in the public, I guess BN backbenchers must take the criticism positively and should not be sulking over such a trivial matter.

Move on and tell the truth when it is expected of you or the people will judge you come the time.

To all the YBs, speak out you must but speak not if you are unprepared.

Umno-PAS unity talk a test of PR's cohesion

I have never immersed myself into PAS politics but the recent development which took place in this Islamist party has somewhat caught my attention.

It all started with just a mere talk albeit secretive one between PAS and Umno on the possibility of forming a unity government soon after the March 8 general election last year.

While the talk remains just a mere talk as claimed by both parties and nothing concrete has yet taken its shape, the intention of few PAS leaders which includes its President, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and his newly elected deputy, Nasharuddin Mat Isa has generated much debate within the PR coalition.

The intention of these top two leaders in PAS nevertheless does not go down well with some of their colleagues within their own party including its spiritual leader, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and what more to say their partners in PR coalition.

The defeated PAS deputy presidential candidate, Datuk Husam Musa may decline the offer to sit in the central working committee while effort is being made to entice another defeated deputy presidential candidate, Mohamad Sabu not to join the new line-up as a sign of protest.

PKR President, Datuk Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in response to comment made by Abdul Hadi on the possible unity government with Umno during the party’s muktamar recently is looking for a clarification on the issue and this is echoed by DAP secretary general and Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng who claimed the party was kept in the dark on the matter.

With the PR three parties coalition expected to call a meeting soon, political observers will definitely keep a watchful eye on the outcome of the meeting where PAS would have to explain its intention to its two partners.

To many in the Opposition front, the unity talk may not augur well for the coalition which is hoping to wrest the federal government from the BN in the next four years after a strong showing in March 8 general election last year where it denied BN of its two third majority.

The subsequent by-elections where the PR won five out of six has renewed its hope and confidence of toppling the BN government which has ruled the country since independence.

But the secret talk has some sort damaged the trust among the three parties within the coalition which may dampen the cooperation and spirit in the PR.

For the voters who have put their trust in the PR, their hope of seeing a culmination of two party systems to provide check and balance to the BN or even as an alternative government to BN may just vanish into vapour should the secret talk on the unity government evolve into a reality between the two Malay dominant parties.

The spirit among the voters has been high since the political tsunami last year that Malaysians are ready for a new dawn of politics which cut across the racial line but this clandestine move by the two parties may curtail the effort of PR to present a change to the people.

During the PAS muktamar, there were also calls among the delegates that its president, Abdul Hadi Awang be made the Prime Minister should the Opposition grab the power in the next general election.

And all this while, the focus has been on the charismatic Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to assume the premiership should the Opposition come into power since he was the inspiring force which put together the three parties- PKR, DAP and PAS into a coalition.

The call for Abdul Hadi Awang as an alternative premier to Anwar will definitely put much distrust and power jostling between the PKR and PAS with the DAP, being a Chinese dominant party knowing full well that the time has yet to come for a Chinese to be a Prime Minister in the country of Malay dominance.

Former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when asked on the formation of unity government said Opposition was needed as a reflection of the government and it seems from the statement that the former premier is sceptical of the idea.

But his son, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir sang a different tune when he said Umno-PAS talk was crucial for the nation’s economy.

But one thing for sure is that the Opposition front, in its coming meeting must sort out the matter among themselves and be truthful to each other if they were to stick on together.

Should the meeting end up without any concrete solution and the distrust among the coalition partners still exists, then the only sure thing is that a new beginning of Malaysian politics may come to a halt.

Whether PAS will fall to the enticement remains to be seen and it takes great understanding and trust among the PR leaders to keep the coalition intact to face the BN in the coming general election.

It's a game of perception

There are only two dominant types of creatures in politics as far as I am concerned.

Those who really want to serve the people and contribute to the betterment of the society and the other being those who involve themselves solely for the reason of business opportunities.

I still remember when I used to emphasise on this point with a former political secretary that if a political organisation is infested with the second type of creature, then this may not augur well for the overall development of that organisation and it is just a matter of time before the people vote them out.

In politics, perception really matters and it is the perception that shapes the people’s mind and influence the way votes are cast.

In the aftermath of the 2006 state election, a political scientist from renowned John Hopkins University in Washington conducted a talk on the factors leading to the disastrous outing for SUPP when it lost eight out of 19 seats it contested.

One of the factors mentioned by this political scientist who came all the way from Kuala Lumpur, much to the chagrin of the party leaders present I guess, was that the party candidates were generally much older at an average age of 60’s compared to the Opposition candidates who averagely stood at 40’s.

Another factor was of course the perception that certain leaders were dealing in some business opportunities which was in direct conflict of interest.

So it is these two factors coupled with few other reasons which formed the perception of the people towards the party despite the many explanations given during election campaign ceramahs to quash such notions which led to the overwhelm support for the Opposition especially in Chinese majority seats.

In an online poll conducted recently, BN was overwhelmingly perceived to be practising excessive cronyism, corruption, money politics and abuse of power.

This could well the reason why the ruling coalition was denied its first ever two third majorities since 1969 as well as losing five states to the PR which was perceived to be an alternative better government.

The point here is politicians need to have integrity when it comes to the so-called “serving the people” which has become a common phrase among politicians.

But do these politicians know or understand exactly what does it mean by “serving the people” when the majority of people perceive them as being up there just to grab business opportunities?

In Penang, when its new Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng came out with the new idea of open tender for government projects and it was well received not only by the business circle but also the people.

This practice has definitely put the DAP secretary general in the good book of the people despite the fact that the open tender system may still subject to certain abuses.

But it does not matter whether it is subject to abuses or not as Guan Eng has done what is ought to be done and it is furthermore seen to be done as well, thus winning the hearts of the people.

In a survey conducted by Global Corruption Barometer (GCB), two third of those surveyed had no faith in the ruling government’s effort to fight corruption despite the setting up of Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC).

Contrary to our neighbouring country, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s popularity has surged ahead of the presidential election as the Indonesians value the perceived integrity of their President and this perception may well give him another term to lead the country.

Politicians from both divides cannot run away from public scrutiny as they are the servant of the people drawing taxpayers’ money.

The British MPs expenses scandal may well ring an alarm bell to our politicians here that old time politics is well gone and the people are hot on their heels as they become more educated and well travelled.

If they are in only for business opportunities, then it is better for this bunch of people to leave politics and leave it untainted and remain noble so as to give renewed impression or perception to the people.

The coming state election which is due in 2011 may well be another game of perception where PR, with its battle-cry of People’s Supremacy will be eyeing the state after its successful outing in five out of six by-elections thus far.

BN on the other hand must ensure that Sarawak remains its stronghold while trying to impress people with its Politics of Development.

Whoever is perceived to be the best choice to rule the state will definitely win the game.

No single system that pleases everyone

It is that time of the year again when scores of top students find it hard to accept why they have been rejected outright for the prestigious Public Services Department (PSD) scholarships.

Comparison is a norm in this case between a better and an average student who may, by pure luck secures the scholarship which will see him or her packing to go overseas to pursue tertiary studies.

I understand how hard it is to comprehend when you see your classmates who may not be academically better than you could end up luckier than he should be.

For the top students who have been rejected, accusation of unfairness will definitely be levelled against the government of the day for practising favouritism and non accountability in the awarding of the scholarships which may worth up to RM1 million each.

Having worked for a political organisation before, I had come across the predicament of these top students who came in droves seeking help to secure the scholarships during the appeal season.

I could still remember how a mother who came to me broke down as the son who was unsuccessful in his bid to be a PSD scholar had pressured the family so much that the mother could not take it anymore.

But the mother was lucky enough not having to undergo such immense pressure from her son when he was eventually given the scholarship to go overseas to do a professional course.

I understand how the scholarship means so much to these students who come from poor background as it is the only hope for them to go to prestigious universities overseas.

Of course politicians from both divides have made various statements regarding the criteria in the awarding of the scholarships.

MCA president and Minister of Transport, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat for instance had called for the government to review the existing selection criteria which is based on merit (20%), race (60%), Sabah and Sarawak (10%) and the underprivileged (10%).

But his suggestion was met with criticism from Perkasa, a Malay non-governmental organisation of which its president, Datuk Ibrahim Ali had accused the former of trying to score political mileage among the Chinese electorates.

Political mileage or not, I must say when it comes to education, politicians from both divides must close rank and come together to find the best way to retain the best brain in the country.

It is an irony as some people say that our government spends so much in providing education from primary school up to the upper secondary level only to see those top students being pinched over by other countries and eventually becoming their permanent residents.

Politicians have called for the awarding of the PSD scholarships to be based purely on meritocracy but would this be the best solution to keep everyone happy? I doubt it though.

We have to go back to the basic of how our education system works.

As of now, it seems that as long as you have more A1’s, one would stand a better chance of securing the scholarship.

We have students who scored A1’s in an incredible feat of more than 20 subjects which is unheard of in the past.

But would this be fair to those students who come from a school which does not offer so many subjects due to shortage of teachers and facilities? Again I doubt it.

This is exactly the point made by PSD director general, Tan Sri Ismail Adam who defended the current criteria in the awarding of the scholarships.

While meritocracy is the ultimate goal eventually, what the government must do now is to review the current education system by capping the number of subjects to say, eight or nine core subjects only to be fair to every student.

I do not understand the logic in allowing students to sit up to 20 subjects when what matters most is a student’s performance in core subjects.

Second, the PSD ought to make clear the guidelines and requirements of the scholarships so as not to leave everyone in the dark.

With clear guidelines and requirements, it would save the PSD and the government of having to face the wrath of the public as well as the politicians.

Then, the PSD must ensure that it does not practise favouritism in the awarding of the scholarships and must uphold that only the best students are selected for the scholarships.

But again, would this be fair to students who come from poor background who do not have the privilege of going to tuitions or buying reference books compared to their richer peers? I beg this is not.

We do not want to see dropouts among the PSD scholars as this would indirectly put our country in shame in the eyes of the world for these scholars are the country’s so-called ambassadors overseas.

To come out with a system which is fair to everyone is almost impossible in this country of multi ethnicity when everyone is selfishly fighting for himself.

Meritocracy is ideal but I guess at the end of the day, we have to acknowledge that sometimes we do not always get what we want.

To those who failed to make it in the PSD scholarships, it could be a blessing in disguise as there could be silver lining somewhere else.

The right to rule is legitimacy

All this while I have restrained myself from commenting on the Perak political crisis.

For one, there have been lots of analysis and commentaries, both in the conventional or new media either for or against the BN.

But this week, I have finally decided to pen my thoughts on the on-going political saga in this state which I must say is shot to fame all but for the wrong reason.

March 8 general election is well over a year ago now and one thing for sure is that the PR was legitimately elected by the people of Perak to rule the state.

But the legitimacy was dealt with a harsh reality of party hopping when the PR state government woke up one fine day only to find that its mere one year old government was short-lived and robbed.

The despised act of three state assemblymen to become independents created a ruckus in the state when PR was robbed of its legitimacy as the rightful choice of state government.

With both the BN and PR holding to 28 seats each in the State Legislative Assembly with the three independents friendly to the BN, the mayhem eventually begin.

Yeah, remember the hype of the September 16 takeover plan by the PKR de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last year?

I see the logic on the side of the BN in the coup against the PR akin to the Chinese saying- “you celebrate the first day and I’ll celebrate the 15th.”

Well, who says two wrongs make it a right and I beg to differ gentlemen.

The fracas in the Perak State Legislative Assembly a couple of days ago has become a worldwide laughing stock.

There was not any sitting at all literally on May 7 as the lawmakers from both sides were “standing” throughout the session which is seen to be more like a circus in play.

And now there is this deadlock in the argument on who is the rightful Mentri Besar of Perak and the legal tussle in this case is yet to end any sooner I predict.

To end this fiasco, I join the chorus of many people out there in the like of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the Bar Council and even the Senate President, Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Pawanteh that the best solution is to dissolve the state assembly to pave way for a snap poll.

Going back to the people will be the only way to solve the crisis which has reared its ugly head and no one, including both parties are benefitting from this stalemate which has drained out the energy of everyone, including the general public whom has grown tired of immense politicking.

The PR which has been calling for the dissolution is playing its card right by championing the right of the people to elect the government.

With Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak becoming the Prime Minister just not long ago, the Perak crisis I strongly believe has tainted his image in the eye of the people.

Blatant disregard of the rule of law and separation of powers will erode the people’s confidence with the government of the day.

If this is not corrected immediately, what the BN can expect will be more bruises in the next general election as people will vote overwhelmingly for the PR.

There could even be a change of government if BN continues to be so arrogant with its approach without executing the change which has become nothing but a mere slogan.

While the damage is already done in Perak, it is still not too late to remedy the political mayhem and bring back the normalcy to the political landscape in the state.

Going back to the people via a fresh poll is the only way to solve the saga as legitimacy is of paramount importance in this case.

Ruling without legitimacy is akin to giving birth to a child out of wedlock.

The Perak crisis will definitely be an issue in the yet another by-election in Penanti end of this month and the PR will be out to prove a point that it is gaining popularity or even sympathy from the people.

Legitimacy is what it takes to rule and respect must be earned from the people.

Dissolving the Perak State Legislative Assembly and going back to the people is the only way to legitimise the rightful Mentri Besar, the Speaker and the State Government.

Reform now, Najib!

The 1 Malaysia concept coined by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as soon as he assumed the office from his predecessor, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is a new buzz word in politics now.

In less than 100 days after assuming the highest office in the country, Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has won accolades from Malaysians for his bravery and far looking vision.

The Prime Minister has decided to open up the economy i.e. lifting of 30% bumiputra equity in 27 sub sectors and the decision to raise foreign equity for investment banks and insurers to 70 per cent but retained a 30 per cent limit in local commercial banks in a mixed bag of incentives to boost the financial services industry.

This decision despite long overdue is very much welcomed by everyone in the business community in particular for it means that there would be an even level playing field which will definitely augur well for the overall development for this country.

Despite not totally opening up our economy, I must say this is a move in the right direction and a good policy is definitely coming the way albeit slowly but surely.

There are even talks among the higher ups that the New Economic Policy or NEP should be re-looked as this policy which has been in existence since the 1970’s to help uplift the living standard of the bumiputra may not be relevant anymore today.

A survey conducted recently suggests that the new generation of Malays are ready for the meritocracy system to be enforced and this latest development should be a point for ponder for the new administration.

There may be argument that whether the survey conducted truly reflects the sentiment on the ground which warrant the abolishment of the NEP as it may only apply to certain segment of the Malay community.

To me, the 1 Malaysia concept should be the term of reference for any policies to be implemented by the new administration as the Prime Minister must know exactly what he wants to achieve for this country of over 20 million population of various races.

While some may cast doubt on whether the new Prime Minister would be able to turn his words into actions, I myself would take a more reasonable outlook and try to uphold my optimism that things will get better from now onwards.

The NEP must include the whole spectrum of the society regardless of whether one is a Malay, Chinese or Indian for if our country wants to be steadfast and move ahead with time, inclusiveness is the only way forward.

The BN administration cannot afford to exclude any single race in implementing policies if it wants to regain the confidence of the people, especially the non bumiputra whom have openly revolted against the BN in the elections.

There will definitely be some pressures from within Umno for Datuk Seri Najib to be the guardian of the Malay special rights as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

But in this new century of Malaysia and as shown in the survey where the new generation of Malays are ready for even playing field, the new Prime Minister must know how to manoeuvre carefully not to ruffle the feathers of his fellow Umno members who have been the champion of the Malay rights.

At the same time, Datuk Seri Najib must ensure that no other races other than Malays are left behind as the country moves forward.

Definitely this is a mounting task for anyone, not only Datuk Seri Najib who sits up there for a single wrong move may cost political downfall for BN.

The Prime Minister must strike a balance to ensure that every Malaysian benefits from whatever policies and that no single race is offended in return.

It takes the whole team of administration to work together in good faith to push forward the “inclusiveness” policies for the betterment and future of this country.

Procrastinating on this matter will further delay and make Malaysia uncompetitive in the eye of the world.

The time is now and not later for Datuk Seri Najib to push for the much needed reform and he should walk the talk to regain the lost confidence of those who voted against BN.

On the right track, I wish!

As I was looking at all those nostalgic photos uploaded on a former classmate’s Facebook album, it reminded me of the good old school days when we were all still naive and oblivion of hard fact in life out there.

Back then, what we knew was just to study and play hard and nothing else, to ensure a brighter future just as many parents would often tell their kids.

More than 10 years after, with many of my batch now contributing to the income tax, the naivety and oblivious self of ours during school days have grown into hard fact which at times is hard to chew.

In this country which is made up of multi ethnicity, the fact is that no single ethnic group can get the best of both worlds.

I still remember the dejected look of some of my former classmates who were unsuccessful in their local public universities application right after our Form Six despite scoring good results.

As expected, these classmates were so disappointed that they lost hope and direction in their own homeland with some of them leaving for greener pasture in neighbouring country.

Fast forward and today. In less than a month after assuming office as Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has won accolades from Malaysians for his bravery and far looking vision, I would say, to open up the economy i.e. lifting of 30% bumiputra equity in 27 sub sectors and the decision to raise foreign equity for investment banks and insurers to 70 per cent but retained a 30 per cent limit in local commercial banks in a mixed bag of incentives to boost the financial services industry.

Then the Cabinet decided that minors will remain in the common religion of their parents when they married, even if one parent later became a Muslim.

Not bad I must say, at least this is a good start for something better provided this so-called change can be sustained and further accelerated and not susceptible to political pressure.

Few days ago, a deputy minister reportedly caught some doctors reading newspaper and doing own stuff while patients making a beeline waiting for consultation in a public hospital.

This is not an uncommon sight I must say in public sector for anyone who has ever gone to any government departments for whatever purpose.

The mere four per cent Chinese representation in the civil service is something the new premier must address sooner than later to show his sincerity in the 1 Malaysia concept.

But let us not stereotype into Malays, Chinese or Indians for we are all Malaysians who have pledged unquestionable loyalty the King and the country.

What I wish to see is a civil service which comprises of qualified and dedicated staff only and not the ones seen by the said deputy minister who may be oblivion of the people’s predicament dealing with public sector.

Why doesn’t the government see the beauty in the array of colours in a rainbow and try to make civil service more versatile and of better quality which Malaysians have long yearned for?

It is most heartening when the Prime Minister said the civil service must give value added services to the taxpayers and that they should not be short changed.

Come this July when the local public institutions result is announced, do not be surprised to see top students being turned down by universities for some unexplained or X-file reasons.

While meritocracy has been the practice for the public universities intake, many of us still have doubt over its implementation due to the low intake of the so-called pendatang.

If Datuk Seri Najib can liberalise the civil service and public universities intake, I am sure he meant what he said by 1 Malaysia.

But if he doesn’t, then perhaps the politicians from the ruling coalition may just well be prepared for another political onslaught in the next general election, except that this time it may be disastrous or even fatal politically for the BN.

The time is still on the BN’s side to make the necessary amends to the many flawed systems in this country.

The time for brainstorming is long overdue and what is urgently needed at this point of time is for the government to walk the talk.

The PR led state governments I must acknowledge are doing just fine with its support level still remain intact judging from its winning streak in 4 out of five by-elections.

If the PR isn’t good as claimed, then it must be the BN which is so bad that people just want to teach them a lesson by simply voting for the opposition.

While what I hope for here is easier said than done, but if the politicians have the political will to bring this country forward, not backward, then I believe what Datuk Seri Najib is doing now is on the right track and a new beginning may have just begun.

I wish, yes I wish it may come true but if it doesn’t, life still goes on and we just have to treat it as yet another political theatrical.

Time for a new party- BEBAS or FREE?

“...there’s only you in my life, the only thing that’s right...”
Hmm, this could be the most belted out lyric by our politicians that they just can’t get away from having endless by-elections.
Why the heck of having so many elections when the general election is just over for a year ago?
When other nations are trying hard to find solutions to tackle the dwindling economy, it seems that our politicians are keeping themselves busy finding strategies to keep them in power.
Sigh, how I wish I could lash out at these politicians for wasting the taxpayers’ money when the fund could be channelled to help those who really need it more than for the holding of elections.
I was taken aback when national English daily, The Star published a front page story last Saturday on the whopping sum wasted on five by-elections.
Five by-elections costing RM33.4 million with RM31 million being expenses incurred by the police force while another RM2.4 million by the Election Commission.
We must be wondering why there is a need to spend so much money on the election and if we are talking about transparency and accountability, yeah transparency and accountability, it will be good if the two agencies list out its expenditures for the public to scrutinise.
We do not want our hard earned money to go to waste unnecessarily for sure.
I would not mind if the government disburses cash to all Malaysians to stimulate the economy, just like what is being done in Taiwan and Australia for this can really spin the economy as a whole rather than using the public coffer to hold elections which only benefits some crooks.
And now what? Penanti by election is in the waiting.
But Prime Minister and Umno President, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the BN may opt out from the by-election for the reason that it is a waste of public fund and that focus should be to revive the ailing economy.
Well said Najib I must acknowledge.
But critics may say BN is fearing defeat for another stretch after a 4-1 defeat to PR with BN only winning the rural heartland of Batang Ai a couple of weeks ago.
A friend of mine who is being cynical wrote on his Facebook on why there is a need for a walkover when it is the people who decide in the name of democracy.
And then former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is so fired up that BN should contest the Penanti by-election and he even offers to lead the BN team to take on his once protégé and PKR de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Malaysia For Free and Fair Elections or Mafrel said by-elections are the necessary evil and it is part of democracy that we cannot do away with.
Well, that is the price to pay if we want democracy to prevail that we just got to spend money just to ensure that the election process goes smoothly.
But my point here is how that money is being spent must be made known to the public as it is the taxpayers who pay for it, not BN, PR or EC.
We should not let the police or the EC to spend as they wish without being accountable to the people.
RM33.4 million is a whole lot of money which could be well spent on other things such as to eradicate poverty or to improve the healthcare services.
Do not simply say the amount is needed to spend on paying election workers, staff allowances, printing costs, transportation which includes helicopters and accommodation.
We deserve to know more how that money is spent to prevent some opportunists from making quick bucks out of it.
A lot of people, including me have grown tired of the endless by-elections as we have been fed with the same flavour of political mudslinging almost everyday.
A quantity surveyor said nowadays he would rather read business news rather than home news as it makes him sick every time he sees politicians ranting at each other.
So sick and frustrated with the way Malaysian politics is being played that this quantity surveyor said he would rather not cast his vote for either the BN or PR but Independent.
Hmmm, good point here I guess if we want to get both parties’ mouth shut.
Time for a new party, let’s just call it BEBAS or FREE, exclusive only for the non-partisan?

We are watching you, Najib!

So what is this One Malaysia concept that our new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is trying to promote?

While the concept is still very vague, many political analysts and academicians have already started to come out with their own interpretation.

If in the past, we had Bersih Cekap Amanah under Tun Dr Mahathir and Work With Me And Not For Me under Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, then I guess Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has no choice but to come out with his own to give Malaysians from all walks of lives a new sense of direction.

I guess many would be sceptical about this One Malaysia concept in this time of political upheaval against the Barisan Nasional (BN) for the critics would argue that it is the BN politicians who often fan the racial hatred in the hope of gaining some support.

But such approach by some BN politicians seems to be futile when Malaysians in this age of communication technology where information is readily available on the internet have long discarded the stereotyping mindset.

The four by-elections in Peninsular where BN lost to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has shown that Malaysians do not buy the idea racialism anymore and this definitely augurs well for our multi racial country.

There is only one country which we all belong to and not China or India but Malaysia which we have pledged our undivided loyalty.

We have seen how the PR which promotes Ketuanan Rakyat or people’s supremacy is being accepted widely by Malaysians who believe that this is the way to go if our country were to move forward in this century.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has called for the people to discard the silo mentality and urged Malaysians to stand together, think and act as one people under One Malaysia.

He also called for Malaysians to break away from operating in the ethnic prism as we have done over so many years and to respect each other and go beyond tolerance and build the trust among each other and also between the various ethnic groups.

I would love to see Datuk Seri Najib to make good what he has promoted to his Cabinet but the whole Malaysians.

The very first thing he has to do is get his priority right and not to coin bombastic slogan for people, including me have grown tired listening to rhetoric.

One Malaysia concept must make sure that it includes all Malaysians in any policy making and its implementation and that no single race should be sidelined.

In the current economic downturn, no single race is spared from hardship and Datuk Seri Najib must make sure every Malaysian is guaranteed of his or her three meals.

While the government ought to uphold the Federal Constitution which guarantees the special rights of the Malays, it also has to ensure that other races are treated equally if not better.

When it comes to serving the people, there should not be a racial boundary for any politicians who only serve a particular race will definitely fail in his duty as an elected representative.

As I had my morning breakfast at a popular coffee shop at Tabuan Laru on Wednesday, I was so delighted to see few state assemblymen from PBB sitting together with their Chinese and Iban friends in their most cordial and relaxed manner.

That is the bonding among us, the Malaysians which I would love to see in this country which Datuk Seri Najib must ensure it continues and not being violated by some politicians who wish to seek political mileage.

I am most grateful when Datuk Seri Najib said poverty eradication should encompass all races and that the new Cabinet must be people oriented in order to gain the people’s trust.

Malaysians are looking at how all these could be translated into action and opportunity is now given until the next general election.

The key performance index as announced by him to keep an eye on the performance of the ministers is most welcomed but it must not only be done but must be seen to be done.

Always remember the four things you are stressing after assuming the top post in the country, Datuk Seri- integrity, ability, loyalty and commitment.

We are all watching you.

Sarawak still BN's fortress

So it’s 2-1. This is neither the result of any of the final lap of the on-going English Premier League games but the result of the three by-elections or tri-elections held on Tuesday.
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) retained the two seats- Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat and Bukit Selambau state seat it won in March 8 general election last year with increased majorities while Barisan Nasional (BN) retained the Batang Ai state seat by doubling the number of votes it garnered in 2006 state election.
An English national paper called these results a status quo but what could we expect from it? Is this just as simple as a status quo or could it ring an alarm bell on the BN side that PR is holding ground in the Peninsular at least.
The results show one thing- that the wind of change akin to great typhoon is blowing hard over in Peninsular but it has yet to reach the shore in Sarawak which is still having a breeze of cool air.
While some may want to see a 3-0 result in favour of the PR but the fact is that Sarawak is still the BN’s fortress hard for the opposition to penetrate.
In March 8 general election last year, the state BN, led by Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud won all the seats except Bandar Kuching, thus giving BN which lost its two third majority in the Parliament the much needed numbers to form the federal government.
With the state election due in two years time from now, and with the boisterous PR zooming in on Sarawak as its next target after capturing five states in Peninsular last year, the Batang Ai result could well put a damper on PR’s hope to seize Sarawak from the might of state BN.
The seat had been seen as a launching pad for PR to gain inroads into the state but the increased majority garnered by BN’s Malcom Mussen Lamoh over PR’s Jawah Gerang may have some sort affected the confidence of the opposition to put up a good fight in the coming state election.
While the by-election in Batang Ai could not be a yardstick to show the support for state BN like what the BN politicians across the South China Sea said the result in the two Bukits should not be seen as a referendum for the Perak political stalemate and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s popularity, it is still anyone’s guess how the state BN will fare in the state election.
Toppling BN would be a Herculean task judging from the voting trend among the rural electorates as shown in Batang Ai.
A political observer said it right that rural folks do not really care about brainy issues such as the violation of rule of law or separation of powers or human rights as what these folks know is that as long as there is the so-called development fund or instant noodle projects coming to their way, they are all for the ruling coalition.
But the same cannot be said about the urban electorates who are more educated and well exposed as they do not simply rely only on mainstream media which is very much seen as mouthpiece of the government.
With the availability of new media, these electorates would double check the facts on internet news portal or blogs and thus making it more difficult to convince them.
This entails that BN coalition parties, especially SUPP will have to face the wrath of these urban electorates whom are largely Chinese for any shortcomings.
Going by the normal practice, SUPP is expected to contest in 19 state seats with majority of it being Chinese dominant while PBB will contest in more than half of the 71 state seats and SPDP and PRS sharing the remaining seats.
Political observers are not optimistic that BN will fare any better in urban seats which the SUPP was dealt with a serious blow in 2006 state election when it lost eight out of 19 seats it contested.
To them, the party which is still led by leaders, most of whom are already in their 60’s and still cling on to power not wanting to let go, does not appeal to younger voters who do not share the aspiration of these leaders who are still playing to the tunes of the 1960’s politics.
The coming state election may see the urban electorates taking the lead to effect the change in the state political landscape while the rural voting trend may still remain a status quo, thus benefitting the BN which is expected to remain politically untouchable and thus rule the state for the next five years.

Where are my true politicians?

If there is one politician who can really earn my respect in the recent time, he must be the Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Datuk Shahrir Samad who is also the MP for Johor Bahru.

Datuk Shahrir had decided to relinquish his ministerial post after losing his bid for a seat in the powerful supreme council in the just concluded Umno General Assembly.

And previously, he also resigned as an MP under Umno ticket and stood as an Independent to seek the reelection from the electorates of which he again won the seat.

It is normally a convention that a politician who loses his or her position in the party may have to relinquish his or her Cabinet appointment, as he or she does not have the majority support in the party members.

But again, this convention may only apply in Peninsular Malaysia but not in Sarawak where this practice is still yet to take its shape.

Try to tell our politicians here to follow their brethrens across the sea and you may well end up being tongue lashed.

One may argue why a particular politician, who is also an elected representative has to do so as he is representing the rakyat and not only his party and thus put party politics above all in this case.

My whole point here is that a politician ought to uphold principle at the highest level and put aside personal interest regardless of whether such practice of submission to the party wish is healthy for political development or not.

The other way round perhaps would be for those politicians who lost in the general elections to relinquish party post and let the new blood to take over for rejuvenation process.

Whenever we chat over a cup of coffee on political topics, often than not we end up listening to men on the street condemning certain politicians for abusing their positions for self economic interest rather than fighting for the people.

Such has been the way people perceive some of our politicians and I must say to take another politician to emulate the like of Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King is an almost impossible dream to realise.

The sad thing is certain politicians instead of talking sense are so engrossed with fanning hatred rather than debating issues objectively.

Just flip through any newspapers during parliamentary or state assembly or ceramah sessions and we could end up being fed with reports of our politicians quarreling over what they may term as “sensible” but not to us.

Politics after all is about ideals where politicians are supposed to be passionate about their ideals and willing to sacrifice for the sake of realising their ideals for the betterment of the people.

While rhetoric may be part of the game, politicians must make sure that what they preach is exactly what they are upholding to.

People are watching closely and with the emergence of new media, politicians cannot get away from their gaffes or stupid stunts as it will for sure be shown on YouTube.

Being in the public office, politicians are bound by public scrutiny and whatever their conducts may be will be watched closely by the people who will then decide whether these politicians deserve to be where they are.

A lawyer whom I had lunch with before I continued writing this piece enlightened me that the Opposition candidates seemed to be more passionate with their political cause which won them the support of the people as shown in last year’s general election.

Certain political parties ought to quickly re-examine their approach in selecting candidates as the state election is approaching in 2011.

I would definitely loathe candidates who are put up by the party leaders just because they know how to rub shoulders with their bosses, with the people’s interest being secondary in their political cause.

The parties also ought to nominate only those with integrity and principle with high aspiration fighting only the best for the people.

We ought not to have politicians up there only to seek personal wealth and try to fool people with their rhetoric and with due respect, these politicians should be taught a hard lesson when the time comes.

While a lot of people have been pouring cold water on me for my ideals in seeing the emergence of true politicians of near perfect, I still have not lost my confidence that we will be seeing one emerging.

Restore confidence, not rhetoric

Thaksin Shinawatra and Abhisit Vejjajiva are the two most talked about politicians in Thailand at the moment.

As I took a cab from the new Suvarnabhumi Airport to the downtown Bangkok for my week long holiday last week, the taxi driver who is in his late 30’s is no doubt a Thaksin diehard supporter as he showed his thumb up when I asked who does he support.

Despite news of street protests in Bangkok, I just nonchalantly went for my holiday as I had not been to this sprawling city that never sleeps with people still thronging the night markets till the wee hours in the morning.

Life goes on for the Thais despite the political chaos which has since very much cooled down recently with street protests changing hands between anti and pro- Thaksin groups.

I could not really gauge who the Thais really support- the ousted Thaksin or the new good looking Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva.

In this trying time of economic uncertainty, I guess Thais do not really bother who rules the country as what matters to them is bread and butter issue.

Maybe like most of us do in Malaysia, Thais just love to talk politics as a pastime interest.

Over in our own homeland, coffee shop talks are all set on the on-going Umno general assembly as the party, being the backbone of Barisan Nasional will set the political direction for the next few years before the 13th general election.

Incoming Umno President, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is expected to be sworn in as the sixth Prime Minister, taking over from Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sometime in April by virtue of him being the Number One in the party.

Najib will certainly have no honeymoon period, as he readily admitted once taking over the premiership as he assumes the highest office in the country when BN’s morale is at its lowest, losing its two third majority in Parliament and five states last year before making a coup in Perak recently.

Furthermore, the current economic uncertainty will definitely make Najib’s job not the most sought after as Malaysians are bracing for the worst with many economists predicting bleak outlook in months to come.

The foremost thing that Najib should do once he is officially sworn in is to restore the confidence of the people from both inside and outside the country.

So why confidence?

The recent few cases which happened have cast many doubts on many of us, what more to say foreigners on the way things are handled, thus making many of us to be skeptical.

The Perak constitutional and political crisis which has yet to be resolved has left a big question mark on the independence and impartiality of our judiciary system.

One needs not to be a lawyer to understand the great negative implication this crisis has set on the Malaysian legal system and thus instilling fear among the people that the separation of powers in this country is dead

The rule of law and separation of powers must be restored as I believe none of us would like the politicians to wield too much power, thus destroying the sanctity of a responsible good governance.

Then come the most talked about subject- corruption.

While we cannot get rid of this evil which is the root of all problems, Najib must prove himself that there will be no tolerance in fighting corruption when he takes over.

The just set-up Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) must not remain just a name changing effort by the government but it must wield sufficient uncompromising power to nab the culprits without fear or favour.

Malaysians have long loathed the rhetoric of the politicians as what we want to see now, and I repeat NOW is just a simple word- ACTION as the old saying says, action speaks louder than words.

With new batch of leaders taking over the Umno leadership, all eyes will definitely turn on to Najib and his team on how he can best turn what he said into reality or it may just turn out to be just another usual rhetoric.

Are we Malaysians who have grown extremely tired of such rhetoric anticipating another tsunami, bigger or perhaps fatal I guess, if no real action is taken to remedy the already chronic situation?

I would still give these politicians ample time to do what they have to do until the next general election.

Like the Thais say, mai penrai (never mind) as life still goes on.

After all, I am a registered voter!

No other language but English

I have always restrained from making any comments when it concerns the religion or education matters.

The only time when I do so is perhaps during my leisure hang-outs with friends, from both the political and social circles, that I daringly do so because of the immense wrath that I may earn if I go public for the fact that these two subjects are ultra sensitive which could touch one’s nerves.

So this week I finally decided to pen my point of views concerning the issue of teaching of Science and Mathematics in English language which has caused endless debates since its inception six years ago.

Now that the final decision is yet to be made by the Cabinet which is still awaiting report from the Ministry of Education, with facts and figures I supposed, on whether to continue the teaching of the two subjects in English, it is just fair for every concern Malaysian like me to voice out on the issue.

I am deeply enraged by a group of protesters whom had taken to the street in Kuala Lumpur recently to protest the use of English in Science and Mathematics as this group of protesters does not represent the majority Malaysians whom have remained silent.

The only thing that this group of protesters could earn my little respect is when they knew how to exercise their universal right of freedom of expression albeit for the wrong reason as far as I am concerned.

Former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was a visionary and far looking statesman who earns every Malaysian’s respect for building a nation to what it is today and for his final moment decision as a Prime Minister in implementing the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English despite the many criticisms leveled against him.

I agree with many out there who keep silent and whom I have spoken with on this issue that the government ought to continue the use of the international lingua franca as a medium of instruction in these two subjects.

Many friends of mine have acknowledged that the English language standard among the younger generation is deteriorating if compared to the yesteryears when the medium of instruction was in English before it was eventually switched to Malay language.

Just ask any employers on the standard of the English among jobseekers and you may hear the common laments on the deplorable standard which does not need my further berating.
I must count myself lucky that my parents decided to send me to the La Sallian mission school throughout my primary and secondary level that I enjoyed the privilege of having a conducive environment which allowed me to use English language extensively.

While the arguments on the right approach will continue, I kind of agree with a friend who is an Australian graduate in his 40’s that the government should go back to the previous education system where mother tongues were used to teach Science and Mathematics at primary school level.

As these students go to the secondary level, all the subjects will be taught in English language and I must say this is the best way to address the stalemate which has kept the government being indecisive for too long for fear of political backlash.

Of course efforts must also be taken to encourage the use of other languages such as Chinese due to the fact that China is an economic super powerhouse now which requires one to master the language.

But the government and politicians must understand that whatever decision made would have repercussions in the long run and should any decision made is based solely on political consideration, then these politicians are just being selfish and not fit to occupy the higher up for they cannot see what the future lies if such wrong decision in made.

I must stress that the use of English in the education system does not make us less Malaysian nor disloyal to the country.

I am amassed but not surprised when I was having long conversation and discussion with two diplomatic officers from Singapore who were in the city last year who speak impeccable standard English with confidence.

But the same cannot be said of some of our civil servants who struggle to construct even a simple grammatical correct English conversation.

But who are we to blame for this sorry state of English standard if we, for any selfish reasons, object to the use of English in our education system?

The fingers of course cannot be solely pointed at politicians as we too should bear the responsibility for we all know that politicians are only concerned about getting their most treasured votes to stay in power.

I rest my case that English is the way to go.

Stop it please, YBs!

The immense politicking among our politicians has taken on the nerves of almost all Malaysians.

A business consultant in Kuala Lumpur for instance had forked up more than RM30,000 from his own pocket recently for a full page advertisement in a widely circulated national English newspaper, calling for our politicians to focus on the economy as life is getting harder with the economy expecting to turn from bad to worse this year.

Like many columnists, one of my previous articles had also called on the politicians to focus more on pertinent issues like economy instead of bickering and jostling for powers even when there is no election taking place.

But alas, our lament seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

But for us in Sarawak, we should thank our lucky stars that the situation here is not that bad though, with only few leaders in a state BN component party still bickering over the protracted issue of setting up of one of its new branch which has yet to be resolved.

Then there are some of our local politicians who seem to be so engrossed with barb trading over petty issues once in a while when the time should be well spent to find ways to effect the so-called change that the people have been yearning for.

The intolerable politicking was started with the euphoria of the general election last year where the Opposition was swept into power in five states and denied BN its first ever two third majorities since 1969.

No one could believe, including seasoned political analysts on the political tsunami which swept the country in the March 8 general election last year.

With the BN now being denied its two third majorities and the PR gained its footing in five states, Malaysians have finally woken up breathing a fresh new hope for the better for this country of multi races.

With the world economy taking a sharp dive with the worst yet to come, Malaysians to date are still very much entertained with nonsense politicking by our politicians from both divides despite the general election is well over a year now.

It all started with the federal government takeover threat by PKR de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who claimed to have 31 MPs from the BN in his bag who were ready to jump ship for a regime change in this country after more than 50 years under BN.

September 16 came and gone with Malaysians still waking up as usual trying to make the ends meet despite political sandiwara by our politicians.

Then while Malaysians were fighting hard to survive in this volatile economy, we were again treated to by-elections fever almost every now and then.

With the Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu by elections now over, we will see another four more by elections in Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selamba, Bukit Lanjan and Batang Ai where BN will be trying hard to fight for its political survival and relevance while the PR to prove that Malaysians want change.

Add in the Perak political fiasco where both the BN and PR leaders are jostling for the power, Malaysians should really pray hard that the country’s economy will remain steadfast in this trying time where almost all industries are facing hardship.

With job security being a major concern now that thousands of employees have been laid off, our politicians seem to be so engrossed with politicking that they have forgotten that their duty is to serve the people.

What Malaysians want to see is responsible politicians who can put behind politicking and reserve it for only during election time.

Making sure Malaysians, regardless of race have stable three meals on the dining table everyday while assuring better and brighter days ahead are the core duty of our politicians.

Providing better education and healthcare while ensuring a corrupt free nation with sustainable development are the aspiration of all Malaysians who yearn for a better tomorrow.

Not at once we want to see how the resources of this country are spent without any check and balance.

Malaysia belongs to everyone of us and it is therefore our responsibility to ensure a nation handed over to us in good faith by our forefathers does not fall but move forward.

This can only be achieved when time and energy are focused on improving the country, not for politicking.

New politics via internet

I was introduced to the social networking website, Facebook prior to the March 8 general election last year by a renowned local professional photographer.

As he demonstrated to me how this website can do wonders in term of hooking up with people from all over the world, I was amazed at how at this age of information technology, we could access not only any information on the internet but also connect us with people, especially our friends or relatives whom we have lost contact and have been abroad for years.

This photographer friend of mine showed me a reply from Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd who thanked him for his congratulatory message sent via Facebook for Rudd’s election as the Prime Minister.

A personal reply from personalities like a Prime Minister of course would send anyone of us into seventh heaven.

Likewise, my friend was so proud that he showed everyone of us the reply.

The point is here. Politicians nowadays can not only rely on mainstream media for publicity purposes as people, be it old or young have started to rely on the internet to know their elected representatives or aspiring politicians better and to find alternative source of news.

If in the past, politicians needed to walk miles and miles for house to house visit, then in this age of digital technology, a click on the mouse is what it takes to connect with the people.

I must acknowledge that the Opposition had utilised this technology to the fullest in the March 8 general election and the result garnered by them is a proof of how effective and efficient the tool is.

We need not look far at West Malaysia but at our very own yard where DAP Bandar Kuching MP, Chong Chieng Jen whose daily campaign ceramahs during the general election were uploaded on the YouTube and one could just sit at home and look at the YouTube to listen to what he has got to say.

And then there is state DAP chairman, Wong Ho Leng, the Bukit Assek state assemblyman whom I consider as one of the most active in the blogosphere in the state for writing his thoughts on many issues affecting the people.

This is indeed a smart move by the Opposition politicians whom have claimed that they are being denied publicity by the mainstream media.

The Malaysian Insider news portal which has turned one year old recently meanwhile has attracted a large number of followers for alternative news source apart from the Malaysiakini.

A news editor who happened to be in my office for a chat recently told me how fast this alternative news media could disseminate its news which is being updated every single minute to the extend that the printed media has lost out.

Former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has even created his own Facebook account to connect to the people whom I have noticed have added Dr Mahathir as their political fan, apart from other well known politicians like Taiwanese President, Ma Ying Jeou and US first black President, Barack Obama.

Dr Mahathir’s chedet blog for instance has registered million of hits where his blog has become one of the most popular blogs around.

One thing noticeable is that most of the state Barisan Nasional politicians have really yet to concur this internet hype to reach out to the people.

The urgent thing to do now is for these politicians to find ways of how to utilise tools like Facebook, YouTube and blog to send their messages across to the wide spectrum of society as well as to connect themselves to the people.

Relying on the mainstream media alone is insufficient and furthermore, the mainstream media is very much hand tight with strict regulations and filtration by the various authorities, resulting in the people sourcing for alternative news on the internet.

Nevertheless, as one seasoned assistant minister once said, while we could obtain almost everything and anything on the internet, there must still be a discerning ability on our part and we should not assume that everything reported on the internet is the gospel truth.

Whatever it takes, the only choice left for politicians from both divides if they want to effectively reach out to the people, especially the younger generation which will be crucial in swaying the votes, is through the internet.

Failure to do so may spell trouble for these politicians who will be left behind in this era of technology.

Sex, lies, money and politics

Welcome to Malaysian politics.

That is the most I could reply every time someone lamented to me the state of our country’s politics which has become perhaps a laughing stock to outside world.

While the rest of the world is focusing on economy revival and job security, we have been entertained almost daily to political circus in our home yard, no thanks to some of our politicians who seem ignorant of the plight faced by the people who are already affected by the world economic recession.

Sex, lies, money and politics may best to describe the political development in our country.

Early last year, we were caught by the brouhaha for the revelation of a sex scandal involving the former Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek who is also the MCA deputy president.

His sexual tryst with his alleged lover in a hotel was widely circulated on the You Tube as well as MMSes almost instantly, thus ended Dr Chua’s political career albeit briefly.

But the fighter he is, Dr Chua went against all odds when he beat the other two contenders to assume the MCA Number Two post.

Just when we thought that Dr Chua’s scandal could perhaps be the only sex-driven political massacre and with lovebirds who had just celebrated the Valentine’s Day last weekend, we again were treated to another scandal.

This time, the Bukit Lanjan state assemblywoman and Selangor executive council member, Elizabeth Wong was caught in the nude with her semi-naked photos in compromising position circulated on the internet and widely reported in newspapers.

Even a major portion of the nightly Evening Edition on Astro channel has been focusing on Elizabeth Wong’s indecent assault with other news taking the back seat.

The “political rape” as one of the political scientists called it has resulted in the former national swimmer tendering her resignation despite the fact that she is victimised for whatever reasons only privy to whoever behind this evil act.

While she has been asked to take a long leave by her political master and to reconsider her decision to quit, how far this setback would cause Elizabeth or the Pakatan Rakyat for that matter is yet known.

Lies? Well, I guess everyone of us could still remember the private investigator, Balasubramaniam Perumal who went missing until today after making a statutory declaration last year concerning the Mongolian model, Altantuya murder case which is very much politicised.

And there was this former personal assistant to PKR de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of whom I have forgotten his name for God’s sake, who suddenly disappeared after he claimed he was sodomised by his employer.

And then there you are the Changkat Jering assemblyman, Mohd Osman Jailu who failed to turn up in court for his graft trial and remains elusive together with the other two assemblymen, Behrang’s Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Jelapang’s Hee Yit Foong after their defection which caused the Pakatan Rakyat to lose its grip on the Perak state government.

The Bukit Selambau assemblyman, V. Arumugan who quit his state seat and executive councilor posts and went missing recently has added to the list of how Malaysian voters have been cheated again and again by certain irresponsible politicians.

Well, I guess the only thing we can find solace is that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called for the civil servants to do more to speed up the implementation of projects under the RM7 billion stimulus package announced by the government in November last year.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is expected to table a mini budget soon and come out with a second stimulus package with estimated amount of RM10 billion to stimulate the economy.

The Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary general, Lim Guan Eng meanwhile has called for the federal government to consider giving unemployment benefits to those retrenched as part of fiscal stimulus with each one of those retrenched given RM800 a month from three to six months.

And just recently, the mission schools and conforming schools in Sabah and Sarawak were given a total of RM21 million funding during a visit by Datuk Seri Najib to the state capital.

While disbursement of funds have always been greeted with cheers from the people, politicians must bear in mind that engagement with money politics would not be tolerated by the people as it is the root of all the evils.

It is heartening at least to see the call by Minister of Environment and Public Health, Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh for municipal councilors to declare their interest but this call must be translated into action and extended to all elected representatives as politicians are supposed to be clean and not involved in any conflict of interest in any business dealings.

Ah ha, Malaysian politics is not so bad after all. Just sit down and enjoy it while we do the assessment for the politicians who will receive their report cards come every election.

What could be the by-elections results?

At this point of time when all of us are bracing for the hard times ahead, as economists predict that the whole world will see further economic catastrophe, we will be witnessing yet another two election battles in Peninsular Malaysia.

The sudden death of PAS Member of Parliament for Bukit Gantang, Roslan Shaharum and the abrupt resignation of state assemblyman for Bukit Selambau, V Arumugan have resulted in the Election Commission having to call for the by-elections within 60 days.

These two by-elections will be closely watched as it will be a referendum of sort to Barisan Nasional (BN) which pulled the carpet under Pakatan Rakyat (PR) when PKR state assemblymen for Behrang, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Changkat Jering, Mohd Osman Jailu and DAP state assemblywoman for Jelapang, Hee Yit Foong quit their respective parties to be independents, causing PR to lose control of the state government which it governed for a mere 11 months after March 8 general election last year.

With the former Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin failed to get the consent from the Sultan of Perak to dissolve the state assembly in the hope of preventing the seizure by BN, the BN now governs the state with equal numbers of state assemblymen as PR at 28 with the three independents friendly to the coalition.

There are of course many arguments whether the act of hopping of these elected representatives is acceptable or not with some in the BN accusing the PR de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of starting the whole brouhaha when he declared last year that there would be massive defection of at least 31 Members of Parliament from the BN to PR.

Now that the two by-elections are bound to be held, the timing could not have been any better for the PR to prove itself as the people’s choice and that it is the legitimate Perak state government.

The BN will definitely have an uphill task to win both seats in view of the political wind of change currently blowing in the country.

Two losses in the previous by-elections in Permatang Pauh end of last year and Kuala Terengganu recently will be haunting the BN in the coming by-elections which must prove its worth to the people and that the way it won over the Perak state government via defection is not only legally right but also endorsed by the people.

In 2004, V Saravanan of MIC won the Bukit Selambau state seat in Kedah with 7,695 votes majority but lost it to PKR’s V Arumugan who obtained 2,362 votes majority on March 8 last year.

In the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in Perak, the late Roslan Shaharum beat Umno treasurer, Datuk Seri Azim Mohd Zabidi and an independent, M Murganan with 1,566 votes majority.

A news portal reported that 87.8% of its readers who took part in a survey on the Perak political imbroglio disagreed with the Sultan’s decision in the transfer of power in the silver state with 9.8% stood by the decision while another 2.4% being fence sitters in the survey.

If this survey is to hold any truth to the sentiment on the ground, then my bet will be BN will suffer further casualties in the two by-elections which may hold some bearings to the political future for incoming Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The by-election heat is yet to be felt now but when the D-days are near, but we can expect to see yet another mud-slinging taking place during ceramahs with both divides hurling accuses at one another with of course the Perak incident taking the centre stage.

I myself have at many times condemned and loathed the practice of defection among politicians, not only during the Perak fiasco but also during the September 16 takeover claim by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as I take it as an act of betrayal by these politicians against the wishes of the people.

As some analysts have said the short gain by BN in Perak may perhaps be a long suffering for the coalition if it does not yet wake up to the political reality and still plays to the old style of politicking which does not appeal anymore now.

Unless PR falls itself up and BN not taking any serious effort to revamp for the better, I guess the people would know deep inside their hearts who to vote for not only in these two by-elections but also the next general election.

But again in politics, a day is a long time and what more to say we have another 60 days to go for the by-elections.

In the meantime, let us enjoy the good fine weather after weeks of rain and cloudy sky.

Don't betray the voters, YBs!

“It’s so hard to believe but it’s all coming back to me now.”

There you are the song, It’s All Coming Back To Me Now by Celine Dion which made it to the billboard in the 1990’s.

The current political fiasco in Perak, a reminiscence of what happened in Sabah in 1994, has made the headlines these few days, no thanks to the three state assemblymen who deserted their parties to be independents.

The three, PKR state assemblymen, Mohd Osman Jailu and Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and DAP’s Hee Yit Foong who played hide and seek eventually showed up at the press conference on Tuesday by incoming Umno President, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who claimed that the BN had the enough numbers to seize power from the mere 10-month old Pakatan Rakyat led state government.

In 1994, the PBS led government managed to secure only a razor thin majority of 25 state seats against the BN’s 23 and with the defection of few PBS state assemblymen to BN, the BN eventually seized power from the PBS.

So the question now is- is it alright for politicians to hop parties as they wish when the voters voted them for who they represented (meaning the parties they represented) during the elections?

While the law on anti-hop is yet there to stop politicians from deserting parties, I guess this million dollar argument, if we were to take public polls, may come to a conclusion that it’s a no-no for majority of us.

While the Federal Constitution guarantees one’s right and freedom of association, being responsible and people’s conscious politicians with high credibility and integrity, such hopping culture should not ever be in the practice for the politicians are where they are for the trust and faith entrusted by the people.

I guess everyone of us could still remember vividly how the PKR de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who tried so hard to engineer defection among the BN lawmakers last year which resulted in a big group of BN lawmakers having resorted to a retreat in Taiwan in the name of study tour.

But the attempt by Datuk Seri Anwar failed despite him declaring that the Pakatan Rakyat would form the government by September 16.

The table is now turned against the Pakatan Rakyat with rumours that there would be more defection to the BN camp.

And now as the Chinese are still celebrating the new lunar year of the Year of the Ox, Malaysians are awaken to find a change of state government in Perak within days, not via ballot boxes but defection of few politicians who were claimed to be offered a whopping millions of ringgit just to cross over.

As the Sultan of Perak holds the key to whether allow the BN to form the state government with a simple majority or to dissolve the state assembly, the voters in Perak may feel betrayed or sick with the conduct of their politicians.

There are some legal aspects involved in this political fiasco but I agree with what a senior lawyer who was quoted as saying in a national daily that the best way to solve the problem was to dissolve the state assembly and let the people decide.

If such defection or “frogging” is the way Malaysian politics is being played, then what is there to guarantee that these very same politicians may not hop again in the future for selfish reasons?

There is an urgent need for the enactment of anti hopping law to prevent this political melodrama from repeating in the future.

But alas, the effort by the former Law Minister, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim who resigned only after few months in office was futile.

Former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has a second thought of Umno accepting the PKR state assemblymen- Mohd Osman Jailu and Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi into its fold for the two, he said still have court case pending.

Dr Mahathir had said even if the party were to accept anyone, it must do some checking on the person’s background and not to simply accept any Tom, Dick and Harry.

But I have this advice to politicians. Do not betray the faith and trust given by the people to you because the consequences may be detrimental in time to come for the voters will definitely vote you out.

Remember this line from Celine Dion’s song- “There were empty threats and hollow lies, and whenever you tried to hurt me, I just hurt you even worse, and so much deeper.”