Archive for category Dr. Chen Man Hin

The last days of Umno are beginning

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

UMNO shows no signs of genuine reforms despite claims by PM Najib that UMNO is on the reform road as shown by the verdict of freedom for Anwar over the Sodomy 2 conspiracy. If there are no signs of reforms than UMNO will collapse in time, similar to what happened to the Soviet Union which collapsed in 1990.

Like Najib, Mikail Gorbachev tried to save Russia with his policies of ‘glasnost and perestroika’ but these failed to save Soviet Russia, because he could not introduce democracy and economic restructuring as there was no policies or infrastructure to modernise Russia.

Najib is also claiming that he has great plans to reform the country, ever since he introduced his 1 Malaysia program. However, all he had to deliver are just promises. Nothing concrete he promised to cut down corruption, but every day corruption is the rule in government departments, judiciary and the police. Events have overtaken Najib and there is no way he could reverse the corruption cancer pervading the country.
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TIMSS study show students from progressive high tech countries score high marks in science and maths

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

The 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows that students from developed countries are the top scorers and they are the movers and engineers responsible to make their countries progressive and prosperous.

Hogging the top places are Singapore, Taipei, S. Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, England, United States and Russia, with scores from 10 and above.

Unfortunately Malaysia had low scores of 3 and are seen in the company of Indonesia, Colombia, Georgia, Ukraine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Botswana, Algeria, etc.

Malaysia at independence was as rich as Japan and had a high per capita income. But now Malaysia has been overtaken by Singapore, Taipei, S. Korea and Hong Kong. They progressed faster because of better education in science, maths and engineering.
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Why Malaysia is not a member of the Asia Tigers Club of Singapore, Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taipei

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

Can PM transform Malaysia to become a high income nation in 2016. When he cannot improve the economy to join the Asia tigers club of Singapore, Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taipei?

When became PM in 2009, Najib announced his proposals to transform the economy with his Economic Transformation Program (ETP) by injection of tens of billion ringgits promised largely by government related companies. His predecessor Tun Mahathir also injected billions but the economy scarcely moved and the FDIs did not come in.

But money is not the primary mover of the economy. More importantly it is manpower.

Since 1970, the NEP has been a negative factor to drive the economy. With the NEP the GDP of Malaysia began to fall far behind those of Singapore, Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan. Even now, the NEP has been a major factor in chasing away hundreds of thousands of our skilled manpower overseas, and this has affected the economy. While the four tigers leaped ahead to high income economies, while Malaysia stagnated.
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Towards a modern IT, High Tech, and High Income Malaysia

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

PPMSI since its launch in 2002 to achieve a modern IT society has not made progress because of lack of purpose and unity. It was the product of the Mahathir dynasty, when PM Mahathir was pushing the idea of Bangsa Malaysia or Vision 2020.

His target of a progressive Malaysia could be achievable if the people were well versed in Mathematics and Science and they could make the country progressive like other high tech countries in Asia, like Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, S Korea and Taiwan. And as English was the language of Science and Maths, so the quickest way was to educate our youths to speak and write in English. Hence his cabinet pushed the policy of PPMSI (teaching and learning maths and science in English). That was in 2002.

The year now is 2011, what are the results? Are the students competent in English and well versed in Maths and Science?

Unemployable graduates, with deplorable English. The results have not been encouraging. It is well known that most of the university graduates are not equipped or trained to work in the commercial and business world. They have no communicating skills and could hardly write a letter in English. The businessmen coined these graduates as ‘unemployable graduates’.
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After 54 years independence, Malaysia still sufferring in the middle income trap

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

There is not much to celebrate after 54 years of independence, as Malaysia is still caught in a middle income trap, where 60% of our households are living below the poverty line of RM3000 per month.

In the past few weeks, PM Najib made some moves calculated to impress the people that the economy is resurging and well on the way to full recovery.

The first plan was to announce that FDIs (foreign direct investments) inflow was spectacular. He admitted that the FDI dropped to a low of US$1.5 billion in 2009 but in 2010 it had rebounded by over 500 per cent to US$9 billion. It looks impressive, but the increase was large only because it rebounded from a very low baseline.

However, the US$9 billion was minuscule compared to a FDI of US$38 billion in 2010 for Singapore, US$15 billion for Indonesia and US$105 billion for China.
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Jais acting like Gestapo

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

JAIS should be open minded and not act like a Gestapo arm of Umno.

Since when did the constitution allow an organisation to barge into a religious building (church, temple) and boss around in the name protection of Islam?

It is the tradition that a religious building is open to everyone who wishes to pray, to seek advice or just to seek solace and respite. There is no compulsion for a person to enter or to leave.

So why was Jais so steamed up as to gate crash a social gathering in Damansara Utara Methodist Church, just because a few Muslims were present and having a conversation with other friends?

Jais inspectors could have joined the gathering and participated in the discussions to find out what was is going on. they could have left quietly if satisfied it was a social gathering, and not a meeting to preach to Muslims to convert them to a different faith.
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Religious bigotry on the rise again under Najib’s 1 Malaysia policy

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

The seizure of 30,000 Christian Bibles printed in Malay and imported into Malaysia is a serious breach of religious freedom. This is a glaring example of the failure of Najib’s promise of a better Malaysia for all, irrespective of race, culture and religion.

Reliable sources say that the Bibles do not contain any philosophy or teachings which are any different from the Bibles used in the country for centuries, since Christianity came into the country whether in the Peninsula or in Sarawak and Sabah.

It would appear that the Bibles were seized because the authorities consider the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the bibles was prohibited and therefore seditious. This is religious bigotry on the part of some fanatics in the muslim community.

ALLAH is the name of the God of the Christians and Muslims in Arab countries for centuries. They invoke the name Allah when they pray and, freely when they greet each other.
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FYT – a legend is born

by Dr Chen Man Hin
DAP life advisor

At the memorial services in honour of the late FAN YEW TENG, hundreds of friends who had fought with him for human rights, democracy and justice gathered at the memorial services to pay tribute to a great Malaysian. FYT spent most of his life in the service of Malaysia and mankind.

As a teacher, he was editor of the publication of the teachers’ union and leading trade union leader and was instrumental in getting pay increases and equal pay without gender discrimination.

As a political leader, he was acting secretary general of the DAP and served as a Member of Parliament until he lost a sedition case after being charged for printing an article about the injustices of the day.

After politics he opted to struggle for human rights in the world arena. He was in the vanguard of world NGOs to campaign for freedom for Aung San Su Ki, the imprisoned leader of Myanmar, and other oppressed peoples. Read the rest of this entry »

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Removal of crucifixes and banning of hymns – violation of religious freedom guaranteed under Constitution

Media statement by Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP Life Advisor in Seremban on 3rd January 2011.

PM aides’ orders to St John’s Cathedral to remove crucifixes and banning of singing hymns at St John’s Cathedral constitute a violation of religious freedom guaranteed under Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution

The orders border on the ridiculous. The excuse given by PM aides that the cruciffixes would be offensive to the Prime Minister while visiting the church and grounds.

Malaysia have diplomatic relations with many Christian countries in the West, South America and the Phillipines. Crucifixes decorate many public buildings in these countries. Would the aides issue orders to Christian countries in the West and South America to take down or remove the crucifixes when the Prime Minister of Malaysia visit the said countries?

Church buildings and grounds are sacred areas to Christians especially Catholics. Crucifixes are sacred. So are the religious rites and singing of hymns. Forcible removal of crucifixes in churches would constitute an act of sacriliege. The orders by the PM aides are therefore sacrilegious.

The prime minister is most welcome to visit churches and meet the priests and parishioners. No conditions should be imposed, as freedom to practice religion is guaranteed under the Constitution. Read the rest of this entry »

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Funeral fit for a king

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

On December 16th, about 10 DAP members attended Fan Yew Teng’s funeral, which was held at the Church of the Redeemer in Bangkok.  Sdr  Lim Kit Siang, Sdr Fong Kui Lun, Sdr Lee Kow and Dr Chen represented the DAP.  Five other, members from Selangor drove all the way from KL to Bangkok for the funeral.
 
There was also a second service, this time in a Buddhist Wat.  Fan Yew Teng found the chants, prayers and psalms very soothing when situations were stressful. He requested for buddhist rites, according to his wife, this service was well attended.
 
At both services, there were crowds of people. Among those present were Thais and members of the diplomatic corps representing countries of the world. You could say that  Sdr Fan Yew Teng had a funeral fit for a king.
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“Plum Blossom Spirit” has spread the Malaysian Malaysia movement to build a united, democratic, just and prosperous Malaysia

by Dr. Chen Man Hin

The concept of a Malaysian Malaysia has caught the imagination of the people, ever since the struggle for a more just and equal society by the newly formed DAP in 1965.

With the departure of the PAP of Singapore because of the separation from Malaysia, a group of people led by Devan Nair formed a committe to build a new party – the Democratic Action Party.

The first test came when the dap (as yet unregistered) participated in a by-election in Rahang, Seremban. As Dap was waiting for registration, the symbol of Plum Blossom was chosen to be the by-election symbol. Read the rest of this entry »

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NEM 2 a big disappointment to the people

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life adviser
NEM 2 unlikely to attract investors to help create a high income economy for Malaysia

When NEM 1 was presented to the people, it showed promise, and there was hope that this time, there is a chance to have an high economy that is dynamic and booming. The report talked about liberalisation of the economy and that it would be inclusive, meaning that NEM would cater to the interest of all the the people whether Malays, Chinese, Indians and the natives of Sarawak and Sabah. So people waited expectantly for announcement of NEM 2.

Unfortunately, there were rumblings of dissatisfaction from a group of extremists – Perkasa. They vehemently opposed the proposal to dump the NEP (New Economic Policy) with its bumi equity quota. PM Najib attended a meeting with Perkasa, and because of their objections, Najib agreed to rescind the proposal to drop NEP.

Against this background, analysts and economists waited for the announcement of NEM 2, hoping for the best but fearing for the worst.
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Ketuanan Rakyat to empower Malays and Malaysians

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

Anwar Ibrahim by pushing ketuanan rakyat as a top objective of the PR agenda has show that he is a man of vision and a born leader.

Soon after the announcement, he immediately summoned a meeting of all heads of the five PR states for a discussion of the plan to tell the people of the importance of a ketuanan rakyat for the country.

Anwar is a man of principles and he practises what he believes in.

Critics say that this move was calculated to gain support in preparation for the coming general elections. This is not quite true, as the principle of ketuanan rakyat was proposed by PR some two years ago as a counter to Umno’s ketuanan melayu.

It is also an idea which is not familiar yet with the Malay community, and it will take patience and lots of explanation to win the people over. There is big task ahead to win support from the kampongs and rural areas. Umno will mount an attack on ketuanan rakyat. The battle in the kampongs will be intense.
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Wan Azizah has a dream of a ketuanan rakyat to build a united progressive Malaysia

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

Wan Azizah policy speech at the recent PKR congress was a breath of fresh air into politics in the country. She did not introduce some policy of the nature of 1 Malaysia. What she gave was a dream of building a united and progressive Malaysia with a policy designed to change the political landscape.

Wan Azizah has a dream for Malaysia where all Malaysians whether Malays, Chinese, Indians or Kadazanas are considered as masters and equals in their own country. Her dream is to spread the concept of KETUANAN RAKYAT which means that all Malaysians have the same status and equal opportunities in all the fields of human endeavour.

This is a bold step by Wan Azizah, and just as Martin Luther King had a dream which unleashed a new era for the blacks of America, so will Azizah’s dream open up a new world for Malaysia to be as progressive, compeitive and a high income economy as the tigers of Asia like Singapore, Hong Kong, S Korea and Taiwan.
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ETP without the NEM cannot achieve a high income economy

by Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life adviser

The ETP (Economic Transformation Programme) without the New Economic Model (NEM) cannot achieve a high income economy for the people of Malaysia

Immediately after the UMNO assembly where the delegates unanimously rejected the NEM proposal to liberalise the economy beginning with the removal of the 30% bumiputra equity. There was alarm that this would mean the end of the NEM which was promoted Najib since he became Prime Minister.

To assuage the fears of investors and the economic and business world, PM Najib quickly assembled a coterie of 10 foreign investors before a gathering of a few thousand people, PM Najib presented them as multi-billion investors who are investing in the country. They were the pioneers of the ETP which is expected to harvest some US$444 billion of projects to propel the economy from a middle income to a high economy status by the year 2020.

This translates to bringing in investments averaging 1,300 billion ringgits a year. The government expects 99% of the money to come from the private sector.
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Najib should first ensure religious tolerance is practised at home in Malaysia before offering advice on religious tolerance to President Obama

by Dr Chen Man Hin

In the first place, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should not assume that Malaysia is a Muslim country. Malaysia is a multireligious society. while Malays who form 55% of the population are Muslims, the other 45 per cent are Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, animists, atheists, etc.

Religious tolerance – there is limited religious tolerance in Malaysia. Islam is favoured by the government and is regarded as the ‘big brother’ of religion.

There is a consultative council for religions but Islam is not a member – , although invited to join. Islamic leaders prefer to stay away.

Dialogue between Islam and other religions is limited. The attitude is that Islam is superior.

The word ‘ALLAH’ is regarded as sacred and is not allowed to be invoked or used by religions other than Islam. This is religious intolerance as the word Allah is freely used in the Middle East by all religions, which has been the practice even before the advent of Islam. Read the rest of this entry »

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Will PM Najib Razak push through an effective NEM to transform a failed problem ridden Malaysia?

by Dr Chen Man Hin, life adviser DAP

IT WILL TAKE A LIBERAL NEW ECONOMIC MODEL AND A STRONG PRIME MINISTER TO PUSH MUCH NEEDED REFORMS TO TRANSFORM MALAYSIA INTO A HIGH INCOME COUNTRY WITH DEMOCRACY, JUSTICE AND PROSPERITY FOR ALL REGARDLESS OF RACE OR RELIGION.

The political and economic outlook for the country is critical. We are riddled with multiple problems of corruption, lack of judicial independence, racialism, brain drain, with 40% of households living below the poverty level of RM1,500, and four out of five poor households are bumiputras.

All these things are happening even after two years of PM Najib rule since April 2008. His 1 Malaysia and mediocre attempts at reforms have failed.

WORLD RANKINGS OF MALAYSIA

The sorry state of political and economic development is reflected in the world ranking status of Malaysia on areas which indicate whether a society is honest, democratic, transparent,and just.
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Denying Anwar Natural Justice

By Dr Chen Man Hin

IT IS NATURAL JUSTICE FOR ANWAR IBRAHIM TO HAVE ACCESS TO ALL EVIDENCE IN SODOMY 2 TRIAL

Denial of clinical evidence from Anwar Ibrahim to defend himself to face a charge of sodomy is a denial of natural justice for Anwar. Before this, he was also denied of evidence several times on previous occasions in the course of the trial.

In any trial, any one charged with a crime, surely has a right to ask his accuser (the prosecution) to produce the evidence. To deny the accused of the so called charge is surely a denial of natural justice for the accused.

This is substantiated by a clause in the INTERNATIONAL COVENANT IN CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS passed by the United Nations, ‘which guarantees the accused the right to have adequate time and facilities to the preparation of defence. Article 14 (3) (6) of the Covenant guarantees that legal representation of the defendant should have access to all relevant material and evidence.’
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The world has spoke “yes to economic freedom, liberal market, no to NEP and corruption”

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

UNCTAD, a UN body has issued its World Investment Report (WIR) 2010 on Foreign Direct Inflows (FDIs) of world countries.

The report on the 2009 FDIs into the Asean region are as follows

Singapore US$16.1 billion
Malaysia 1.38 billion
Philippines 1.95
Thailand 5.95
Indonesia 4.88
Vietnam 4.56

The FDI for Malaysia in 2008 was US$7.2 billion, which meant that there was a 81% precipitous drop for the year 2009.
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Whole country shocked into eerie silence by Najib’s marriage of NEW and NEP, but we must object strongly

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

WE ARE SHOCKED BY PM ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE BUMI 30% QUOTA WOULD CONTINUE, BUT WE MUST OBJECT STRONGLY FOR THE SAKE OF OUR COUNTRY, THE POOR AND OUR CHILDREN

The proposal by Najib that the 30% bumiputra corporate equity would be maintained together with the NEM. Surprisingly the astounding marriage of two conflicting policies has not raised much reaction.

Are the people so shocked that they have lost their power of speech or writing at the amazing reversal of Najib’s crusade for reforms when he became Prime Minister, to become also a promoter of cronyism and rent seeking policies.

There seems to be absolute silence in Parliament from the honourable members, when they should be debating vigorously on the reckless decision of the Prime Minister to discard the recommendations of the NEM commission to dump rent seeking policies promoted by the NEP, which caused the economy to stagnate for 40 years, from the time it was introduced in 1971.
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