Malaysiakini Your Say | Jul 20, 11

‘Is this where our indelible ink from March 2008 went, to black out a report on clean elections rally? Shameful and pathetic.’

Economist report on Bersih rally ‘censored’

Lynn: Other than the obvious stupidity of blatant censoring, this also shows how bloated the civil service is – to have people on payroll sitting around manually blacking out thousands of copies of The Economist. What a waste of time and typical of the inefficiencies of our government today.

Jaguh: These cowardly acts indicate shallow thinking. Whoever suggested it has no brains. There is the Internet. This really reflects on the whole cabinet (they all should be in a ‘cabinet’) and frankly, compared to other countries, they have no class, no standards and no morals. A change is imminent.

Tsc: The reactions of the government post-July 9 Bersih march border on the childish. It shows the calibre of the cabinet we have. These simpletons will not be able to hide the police’s excessive force.

The more they try to hide the truth, the more it proves that this government was bent on holding on to power by hook or by crook. Otherwise, why the over-reaction to black out the ‘unfavourable facts’?

Humored: I have to wonder if they realise that most subscribers/readers to The Economist would likely have Internet access and so this action will spur them to go online to check it out even more.

It’s going to help with increasing the hits on the article online, making it look even more popular than necessary. The PR agency the BN regime has hired to advise them on such matters ought to be given a prize by us as it helps highlight matters that we would otherwise have no access to.

Mohd: In the 21st century, censorship is still practiced by many countries. However, only in Malaysia is there such an outdated and laughable censorship approach by using black ink to censor the paragraphs is just unbelievable and funny.

Seriously, do they really think all Malaysians are stupid and ignorant like their supporters?

Anonymous: What are they trying to prove? Anyone can just read the full text here.

JBGUY: The Home Ministry is paranoid for they are responsible for the mess in the first place. The home minister should resign for his incompetency and sheer stupidity.

He has not demonstrated any sort of competency in handling the job and instead has within a short frame of time earned dubious titles like ‘Kerismuddin’, ‘cow-head minister’, etc. He is a disgrace to his father and grandfather.

Fillio: The BN government shall not decide what the rakyat can read, hear and see. In this cyberage, a government behaving in this manner must be very sick, dumb, silly and have lost almost all senses to govern.

In a way, this government is akin to a retarded person suffering terminal diseases about to die.

Black Mamba: The Home Ministry is either still living in the dark ages under the coconut shell or nonchalantly stupid. Why is there a need to blacken out words when the whole episode can be viewed on YouTube in full colour?

Rais Yatim, you are not doing justice as an information and communication minister by not enlightening the cabinet.

Ghkok: I think the Home Ministry should black out more articles in more publications … so that it will attract even more attention to those articles.

Lim Chong Leong: The more they try to hide, the more is revealed. Those who do not want to face the truth are cowards. We have cowards calling themselves our leaders. We must change them.

Is this where our indelible ink from March 2008 went, to black out a report on clean elections rally? Shameful and pathetic.

Anonymous_40a7: “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth” – Buddha.

Total revamp of local varsities needed, says don

Anonymous_4031: Professor Syed Farid Alattas, I agree with your views on the need for a total revamp of local universities.

Some salient points are as follows:-

1. Entry qualifications: A-level or STPM only, no matriculation or SPM students. Set a benchmark for entry. Minimum grades – two principal and two subsidiary passes.

2. Vice-chancellors to be recruited worldwide. Present vice-chancellors can apply. However, gauge their achievements (if any) since they took over the post. A five-member recruitment panel be picked from among universities overseas to show impartiality. No racial quota, please, if we want to get the best brains.

3. Faculty deans must have done research papers written in recognised journals. Only respectable deans could attract professors and lecturers of high acclaim. Mediocre deans will attract mediocre staff, for no reputable professor or lecturer would like to work under them.

4. Quality lecturers and quality students will produce quality graduates, who will be marketable for high-income jobs.

JBGUY: Politics is the bane of a quality education system in Malaysia. We had a reasonably good system left behind by the British but since the advent of the BN government, the education system has been spiraling down.

Each education minister wants to play to the gallery by proclaiming he is fighting for the sake of the Malays and the Malay language while the quality of the universities suffer. English is so very important and is crucial for the improvement of our universities.

The Malays are at the losing end for most of them are only fluent in one language. Ask the numerous unemployed grads who suffer owing to a poor command of English.

DontPlayGod: Syed Farid, what you stated is already well-known by the academics in all our universities, and it is a relief that now at least someone of your calibre is giving a slap in the face for Umno and its racists.

We all know, too, the reason why local graduates are almost unemployable in this country. Poor standards is one thing, the other thing is their command of the English language. Even now, having a good command in Mandarin is gaining ascendancy. But our local graduates can hardly string a simple sentence in English.

And we all know the reason for the continual fall of standards in our universities, the NEP, which is pervasive in our daily lives. As for the lack of freedom to discuss and partake in the country’s politics by students and academics, one can easily blame this on Umno, headed by the then Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

I share your belief that it would take a Herculean effort to reverse standards in our universities, and I can’t see it happening any time soon.