Gibberish English


YB Lim

This is found on the pages of our National Registration Dept website. Sigh, what a sad state of affairs, when such atrocious English is held up for display, for practically the whole world to see…..

And we are proud of sending a “space man” above???? A by-product of all the years that UMNO and BN has been in charge of our Education System. Now, it’s not just us M’sians who know that the quality of our local grads is hopeless, but this is being paraded for the whole world to see.

Don’t UMNO/BN have any shame? Hope you will raise this issue up at the righ forum.
Regards
Shanker

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(Note, this page have since been amended by NRD)
http://www.jpn.gov.my/BI/4_5_kadpengenalan.php

1. I’m 17 year old, when should I change my identity card replacement?
A person whose had got first-time identity card namely during old 12 year, are required change again his identity card when have reached the age 18 year. If this change made within life time 18 – 25 year, no any penalty imposed.

2. I already 25 year old and still not have my own identity card. What shoul I do?
To them not yet own identity card although already aged more 16 year are advised to come to any nearby NRD to apply identity card past record. Applicant and promoter must showed up together to be interviewed, bringing with together following documents:-
Applicant Born Certificate / AnakAngkat’s Certificate / W’s Form Or
Applicant Enter Permit / Confirmation Form National Standard(if concerning)
Promoter Identity Card

3. I a foreign citizens and have gotten permit of entry from Jabatan Immigration Malaysia. Whether I qualified to apply identity card? What is conditions for I apply identity card.
You qualified to apply identity card with permanent resident status(Red). Applications requirements is bringing with permit of entry and passport and copy both of them and application fee as many as RM 40.00. Applications can be made in NRD Putrajaya Headquarters and NRD Branches only.

4. Is there any payment am being imposed in case happened damage for chip in my identity card.
Chip damage who is not due to purposely destroyed, misuse and others within one year from the date of submission card is give replacement by free, and if card period has been held by the applicant exceeding one year, payment as many as RM 10.00 imposed.

5. How many payment am being imposed if I loss identity card?
Lost identity card would be charged follow loss number. Please see payment schedule.

6. How long MyKad’s application period can be completed?
MyKad can be completed within 24 hours as applicant whose opted to take MyKad in NRD Putrajaya headquarters. For applicant opted to take MyKad in any NRD branches office in Peninsula of Malaysia, then MyKad would be completed within 10 working day while 30 working day for applicant opted to take MyKad in any NRD branches office in Sabah, a Sarawak or Labuan. MyKad’s charter completed this only involve applications from Warganegara Malaysia and prayer not problematical only.

7. Could I change address without change my identity card? If I can how many rates imposed?
Yes. With payment RM2.00 and new address information would be updated inside chip. If you want change identity card one time, the charge is RM10.00 .

8. Is it NRD receive payment other than cash ?
Yes, NRD comply accept payment electronically namely via credit card, card debit and MEPS.
However, there were limit minimum sum accept to payment via credit card there is as many as RM 50.00

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http://www.jpn.gov.my/BI/3_3_1_pengenalan.php

WHAT IS MYKID

Mykid is identity card or introduction from children’s chip issued to children aged below 12 year.Mykid’s feature is the same as MyKad only it had no picture and fingerprints.

” My ” bring purpose “Malaysia” WHILE ” kid ” also is the abbreviation to ” Personal Identity Card “. Personal identification number that there were to Mykid this will be used in all business from born till the end.

Mykid contains 3 major application contain in chip namely:

* JPN’s Application (presentation data)
* Health information
* Education information

MYKID’S ADVANTAGE

* Current form ease of use deal government or private with the agency
* Are used during deal with the department or agencies as hospital or clinic supply health screening objective, schooling and others .
* Portable because miniaturized
* Have security feature to avoid from misused.
* With technology chip wherein information readable on the card or in chip. Chip in information stated also simple to be updated.
* Strikingly good-looking form

MYKID’S IMPLEMENTATION

MyKid were implemented in all NRD branches in Peninsula of Malaysia and it only to registration of birth just.

MyKid Enquiry, please contact 03-88808066

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http://www.jpn.gov.my/BI/4_1_web.php

1. What is NRD’s website?

NRD website is abbreviation to official web National Registration Department. NRD website make major world to information and national registration department service through Internet.

2. Why this website been created?

Latterly, information and service majority National Registration Department has been prepared by online and NRD website been created to provide convenience to the public find information and service that are provided.

3. Whom were allowed surf and use this website ?

Generally, this website could be achieved by all society. However, there were some information and service that need registration.

4. What is privacy policy for this website? Am I been recorded or not?

All access and your use up on this website shall not be recorded. To further information, please visit to ‘Privacy Policy And Safety Policy’ in bottom of each page.

5. What method for I contact National Registration Department?

You can contact us:-
Public Relations Office
Tel: 03-8880 8206 / 7071 / 7077 / 7067 / 7069
Fax: 03-8880 8288 atau
Email: [email protected]

6. How should I sent my feedback to Goverment Agencies?

You can fill form in the division “Public Complaint System ” In NRD website. It would be channelled to the divisions relating.

_______________

  1. #1 by TheWrathOfGrapes on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 2:25 pm

    Kit, you should ask them to translate all that into English…

  2. #2 by k1980 on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 2:25 pm

    The sorry state of the English Language in this country is the Frankenstein-style end result of Mahatir’s stewardship of the Education Ministry in the early 1970s. Hussein Onn must bear responsibility for appointing that dumpkoff as Edu Minister.

  3. #3 by k1980 on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 2:49 pm

    Under British Colonial rule, this NRD website would be taken down and its operators thrown out of work. This is the result of letting the country’s unemployable graduates into the govt service

  4. #4 by sheriff singh on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 2:52 pm

    Say, does Mukhriz have any comments on this or on our education system?

  5. #5 by bobiee on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 2:56 pm

    I know why this is happening in Malaysia :-
    1. To learn a language you must immerse yourself in the shoe of the native speaker – in Malaysia this is quite impossible where the English learners here mock and scorn the English who were once our colonisers. English is the language of foreigners and infidels to many Malaysians;
    2. The English used in the JPN website shows the couldn’t care less attitude (tidak apa). Never mind the quality;
    3. I can hardly hear a senior minister in Malaysia who can say a complete sentence in English except the respected Dr. Rais and Azlina;
    4. English has been taught to Primary schools for Maths and Science and the result were excellent; sadly many quarters are very sceptical, insecure and very oblivious to their surroundings.

    This is an attitude, not aptitude issue.

  6. #6 by sheriff singh on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 2:58 pm

    Does anyone have a copt of the Englsh examination paper for the recent SPM examinations? I really like to see the standard of this question paper.

    Does anyone have an example of the answer booklet of a candidate who obtained 1A of a past SPM examination?

    Or even from a trial examination of a resonably good school?

  7. #7 by sheriff singh on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 3:03 pm

    Does anyone have a copy of the English examination paper from the recently concluded SPM examinations? I really like to see the standard of this question paper.

    Does anyone have an example of the answer booklet of a candidate who obtained 1A of a past SPM examination?

    Or even from a trial examination from a resonably good school?

  8. #8 by PureMalaysian on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 3:16 pm

    I believe this whole thing must be translated into from Bahasa Melayu into English using some translation program (eg. Google Translate).

  9. #9 by PureMalaysian on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 3:21 pm

    If u read word by word, it must be translated by computer, not human.

    WHAT IS MYKID

    Mykid is identity card or introduction from children’s chip issued to children aged below 12 year.Mykid’s feature is the same as MyKad only it had no picture and fingerprints.

    APA ITU MYKID

    Mykid merupakan kad pengenalan atau pengenalan dari kanak-kanak bercip yang dikeluarkan kepada kanak-kanak yang berumur di bawah 12 tahun.Ciri Mykid adalah sama seperti MyKad cuma ia tidak mempunyai gambar dan cap jari.

    But that’s utter irresponsible action and sheer laziness!!

  10. #10 by VampireBS on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 3:33 pm

    YB Kit, saw this on uncle Patrick’s blog. “really disappointed” is the only sentence i put. I thought my English is bad, but this is beyond bad.

  11. #11 by HB Lim on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 3:41 pm

    Horrendous! Utterly shameful! They should just take all those atrocities out of the website immediately if they have any sense of shame.

  12. #12 by -ec- on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 3:42 pm

    This must be a new language. Definitely our Bolehland’s ability to discover new language is better than Hong Kong, Japan and even Singapore. :P

  13. #13 by dawsheng on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 3:48 pm

    And so I thought my England is bad.

  14. #14 by pizi87 on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 3:50 pm

    oh my, who ever did that translation better go and take english 101

  15. #15 by child of wind on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 3:52 pm

    One of the biggest crime one can commit is betraying our country. And I think to let the country down and put all Malaysians into embarrassment is as serious. Our national universities are out of the world top 200 list and our country has lost the respect from the world as far as academy standard is concerned. Of course, all the present and past Ed ministers should be put into jail for the damage they have done.

  16. #16 by Mr Smith on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 4:06 pm

    Now they will demand that all government websites be only in BM.

  17. #17 by carcinoma on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 4:11 pm

    there are many people can speak english now. but just we dont understand what the malaysians speak. malaysians speak what was called kampong english. even the teachers in school also speak like that LA…! as conclusion, if we want our children to speak well in public, the education system should work harder!

  18. #18 by OrangRojak on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 4:45 pm

    Adoi! Alamak! Aiyoh! Where got such thing, one…

    It’s all ‘English’ to me. As a native of England, I’ve come to realise that I don’t speak English, but British. Nobody understands me. This example is not so bad. Having attempted to visit several Malaysian government websites from results in online searches, I’m impressed they’ve got it online. It’s a rare day I don’t search for something in the gov.my domain and get at least one ‘Site unavailable’.

    When I first came to Malaysia, I saw lots of examples like this one or with broken features on, or even completely unavailable. I emailed and wrote to several government agencies and organisations, offering to fix language and websites for free. I understand that “voluntary” and “charity” are not over-used words in the local English vocabulary, so I did make it very clear what I was offering. I didn’t get a single reply.

    I also considered becoming a cyber terrorist/fairy and fixing these things without permission – it is sometimes possible. Dealing with the frustration that comes from knowing that these services could be better but being prevented from improving them by the very people charged with providing them is difficult. I think I’m coming to understand what it is to be a Malaysian. I’m no longer shocked when people tell me “jus’ accep’ i’ lah” – I see what you’re up against.

    If anybody knows the person advertising “UK English lessons – now opening” at the end of my road, could you tell them it’s “now open” or “opening soon” please? No door is that big that it can continue to open for such a long time.

  19. #19 by Jeffrey on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 4:59 pm

    Feel ashamed of Malaysian English?

    It depends on which Malaysian, whether you’re in Public or Private Sector. They operate in different universes. Talking about a polarised society!

    Private sector decries declining standards in English because it is the de facto global language of trade, learning and technology, important to this sector. So it is ashamed.

    However NRD is a public sector government agency/bureaucracy. What is English to it? The language to be proud is the national language – not english, always a coloniser’s language! To some within this sector, Jawi or Arabic is even more important.

    As a matter of government policy, English was thrown out as the medium of instruction way back in 1970s. Only recently, English was reinstated as the medium of instruction in Mathematics and Science (in addition to being taught as a second language), and even this is subject to intense debate.

    Public sector government agencies/bureaucracies follow government policies. Malaysians there are different from those outside in terms of values, mindset and of course English language proficiency. Whilst the latter is ashamed, those in government sector may not.

    What has been displayed here is already considered English par excellent by public sector standards! To even answer in English to the enquirer’s question is already a big concession. Otherwise the question in English is not even entertained.

    So there is nothing shocking – what appears on the National Registration Dept website.

  20. #20 by rubini on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 4:59 pm

    Practise makes prefect. I am more afraid what kind of language skills my children will inherit when they leave primary and secondary school.
    I did not graduate from any university, but i make it a point to read from magazines, newspapers, internet, books on all subject matters.
    I seek to improve my language skills, be it Bahasa Melayu or English. I writen language is better than my spoken language. Over the years, i also have developed a taste for sacarsm. It is an art, which one must be able to insult another in a well mannered language.
    Sad to say, people fail to understand that one of the keys to success is being able to communicate effectively. Failing to do so, can result in economic loss & lost opportunities for the individual. I am currently employed by an international company.
    Being able to converse in English is more important than having a good qualification.
    The economy of the world is being GLOBALISED, and English is the mainstream language. One only has to look @ INDIA as an example. It’s not impossible to find INDIANS working on everypart of the globle today, not only for the skills & knowledge, but also because they have good command of the English language.
    It’s sad that Malaysians are “LOST IN TRANSLATION”.

  21. #21 by newday on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 5:02 pm

    …and some of those morons in UMNO claim that UMNO is the main component party in BN that has led Malaysia well into the 21st. century !! Malaysia is in the sorry state that it is today due to nobody else except UMNO, which testifies to the kind of idiots this country has for leaders.

  22. #22 by madmix on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 5:35 pm

    Pure malaysian is right. I tried translator at citcat.com. You get English text as in the NRD FAQ. The same in manuals of some Chinese products.

  23. #23 by madmix on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 5:40 pm

    Pengendali dan editor laman blog Malaysia Today, Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin, yang bebas daripada tahanan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) awal bulan lalu, menafikan andaian ramai bahawa beliau telah berubah, malah kritikannya tidak sepedas dulu.

    Ketika dihubungi mStar Online hari ini, beliau yang turut dikenali sebagai RPK berkata, “itu mungkin persepsi (orang).”

    “Ia tidak benar (andaian sudah berubah),” ujar beliau.

    Beliau mengakui bahawa ramai yang mengharapkannya menghentam parti-parti politik apabila muncul dalam Al-Jazeera kelmarin.

    “Saya memberikan pandangan mengenai dasar-dasar kerajaan, bukannya mengenai parti-parti politik,” kata beliau ketika ditanya cakap-cakap bahawa sudah berubah sejak dibebaskan 7 November lalu.

    Translated to English

    Site operator and editor blog Malaysia Today, Petra’s King Kamarudin’s King, free of Internal Security Act’s detainee (ISA) early last month, deny many assumption that he changed, in fact his criticism no sepedas once.

    When contacted mStar Online today, he also known as RPK says, “that maybe perception (people).”

    “It untrue (assumption already changed),” he remarked.

    He admits that many expect its hit political parties when emerged in Al-Jazeera yesterday.

    “I give views on government policies, are not on political parties,” he said when asked talk that already changed since free 7 November

  24. #24 by ahkok1982 on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 5:45 pm

    And Mukhiriz says that he wants to have an all-in-one school so that there will be no racial divide. Tell that Hishamuddin f-er to fix the education system which Najis and he destroyed over the course of their tenure as Education Minister. Only after it is fixed, start talking about having an all-in-one school.

    The main reason why parents dont want to send their children to national schools is because of the abhorrent education level. I can still remember Najis saying something about making the PMR and SPM syllabus easier so that students can score better grades. It is just utter idiocy in line with the usual UMNO motto “quality koyak tak apa, tapi style mesti ada”. More students score double figure A’s but what that means doesnt matter.

    Anyway, back to the abominable English in gov websites… why am i not surprised. having classmates in sec school who cant even answer a simple question such as, “how do you come to school everyday?”, i am definitely not surprised that the people who are supposed to write the English FAQ section is of such sewage quality.

    Congratulations to UMNO for being able to create a truly idiotic generation to keep your strangle hold on power.

  25. #25 by AhPek on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 6:19 pm

    OrangRojak,
    You speak British but we speak England.So how then our 2 worlds can meet?

  26. #26 by ctc537 on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 6:23 pm

    Although we are a member of the British Commonwealth, our previous PM TDM used to condemn the Western powers, especially the English-speaking world for dominating world trade,etc. TDM must have relished for hogging the international political limelight but little did he realise that he could have done an irreparable damage to our country by unwittingly making a large section of the population to dislike the English-speaking countries, and thus their unenthusiasm to acquire English proficiency. There are other reasons for the horrendous state of English proficiency among the people. Anyway, the above is my personal view only.

  27. #27 by madmix on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 6:42 pm

    It is not so much a matter of bad English. It is a matter of plain LAZINESS and bad attitude of the staff entrusted with the translation of the FAQ. The chap just copied and pasted into a translation web site (citcat.com) and regurgitated the result. If he was not proficient in English, that is excusable, after all we are in Malaysia, not england and he is working in the NRD where he need not know any English for that matter; but he could easily have asked someone who knows good English to translate it for him!
    His attitude is cavalier. He is certainly not an asset to the department, not because he knows little English, but because he is plain LAZY.

  28. #28 by monsterball on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 6:44 pm

    hahahahahaha…..I read this at Patrick Teoh’s.. “NIAMAH” blog few days ago…and cannot help laughing.
    I am so fed up to interview so call Muslim graduates men..with so many diplomas from Mara…all bunkum..all bullshit..none can speak a decent sentence of English…supposedly passing Form 5 too.
    Cannot all…have false certificates??
    But some lady clerks..that have some e4xperiences in accounting…do speak decent English!!
    Gone are the days..you can employ a young one.. with no experiences…that have excellent command in the English language…to assist in formating a good business letter.
    In olden days…all must speak and write excellent English to have good chance being employed..in commercial firms.
    It is still in demand…but the government keep ignoring the reasons why..focusing on race and religion politics…so much…bringing us backwards….never forwards.
    The space program is a side show…worth RM1 billion….now backfired again.
    Have they thought about spending that kind of money to cut down floods in Kelantan or Johore??

  29. #29 by yellowkingdom on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 6:55 pm

    We have lost two generations of proficient English-speaking Malaysians, thanks to our “wise” leaders.
    Read below SM Lee’s explanation for our divided society which is not attributed to vernacular schools.
    Muhkriz Mahathir, eat your heart out.!
    Hisap-pudding don’t just speak for political mileage.
    Yes, UMNO go raise hell for SM Lee’s comments.
    Pay heed to his words, “Look at whose wives are dripping with gold
    and diamonds.”

    Subject: Excerpts from Special Lecture by Lee Kuan Yew

    Lee Kuan Yew

    Let me start by outlining how I see the world. Singapore survives and
    prospers only if there is international order, regional peace and
    stability, and growth instead of wars and conflicts. The region has
    grown in the last 50 years because there was an umbrella that provided
    that security and enabled countries to live peacefully together, and
    then Japan, followed by Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore
    blossomed. That spilled into other countries. Henry Kissinger and
    Richard Nixon visited China and opened the door. Deng Xiaoping came to
    Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in November 1978 to have us join
    forces and stand up to the Vietnamese when they were about to capture
    Cambodia.
    ordon Wilson

    Minister Mentor, could I take you back for Singapore itself? Thank you
    very much for your address. For someone who was frequently in
    Singapore in the 1960s and 1970s and returning there now 40 years
    later, the prosperity and dynamism are phenomenal and the change into
    a prosperous city state is extraordinary. Has there been a price to be
    paid? Is there as much freedom of expression as perhaps could be
    allowed in a modern state, as we have today, and is there some
    disquiet that ministers and prime ministers now have salaries
    commensurate with captains of industry? Is that a good thing? Do they
    take their eye off the ball for the rewards they get rather than being
    altruistic political leaders?

    Lee Kuan Yew

    I start from first principles. What did I have to do to turn this
    improbable country into a country and eventually a nation? It took me
    a very long time. We were a disparate group of people rioting with
    each other just a few years before we became independent, because
    Malay extremist forces stirred up problems. You have to work from
    first principles and to pay no mind to what political scientists say
    in terms of doing this or that, following this prescription, with
    free-market democracy according to Fukuyama. I needed a stable,
    peaceful society, so I had strict laws against inciting racial or
    religious tensions. At the same time, I made quite sure that everybody
    was treated equally. Religions were respected but we made all
    loudspeakers in mosques face inwards because we did not want trouble.
    Does everyone need to wake up at five o’clock in the morning? It is
    now an accepted way of life.

    We also mixed everybody up in high-rise buildings, no longer in
    enclaves. We have no ghettoes or qasbas. Every constituency has its
    quota of the less successful.. Everybody has the same chances in
    education and we chose a neutral language – English. Rather than
    legislatinng, we just said that you either go to an English school
    where you learn your mother tongue as a second language, or you go to
    a Chinese, Malay or Tamil school and learn English as a second
    language. After a few years, parents discovered that having English as
    a first language led to better job opportunities, so that solved
    itself. Malaysia went the other way by throwing out English and
    adopting Malay. The Chinese and Indians decided to have their own
    schools, teaching in Chinese and Tamil, and now they have a divided
    society.

    These are basics that you have to get right: a level playing field and
    a meritocracy regardless of race, language or religion. That is part
    of our national pledge. Now we have arrived, why do we not run a
    liberal democracy? Why should we? I got a clear mandate. The lowest
    turnout we had was 60% of the electorate. Nobody alleged chicanery or
    malpractice. People wondered whether the press was controlled.
    Everything can be reported, but no crusading is allowed. The internet
    is there and you can do what you like, but we try to prevent becoming
    sidetracked. Western political scientists, NGOs and even some US
    Government officials believe in a prescribed route for success.

    Our success then becomes a challenge to that, such that we are an
    example to China, which is absurd. The Chinese are not fools. They
    study us as a little cameo in terms of what they can learn from
    Singapore. They then pick and choose and do it their way. China is not
    going to become a liberal democracy; if it did, it would collapse. Of
    that, I am quite sure, and the Chinese intelligentsia also understand
    that. If you believe that there is going to be a revolution of some
    sort in China for democracy, you are wrong.. Where are the students of
    Tiananmen now? They are irrelevant. The Chinese people want a revived
    China. We have a coherent Singapore. Do we want an incoherent
    Singapore and have the whole thing fall apart? Think about it
    carefully.

    At every election, I used to tell people to think carefully: ‘In the
    next five years, do you want your homes to be worth more or less?’ The
    smallest taxi driver or hawker has a home worth S$150,000. They are
    stakeholders. If they vote the wrong government in, property prices
    drop and they are in trouble. If you produce the right government,
    there will be more infrastructure and connectivity, a better
    environment and clean water, thereby allowing you to improve your
    assets. Why should we change that? The western media and political
    scientists say that that is wrong, but is it?

    I have any number of unsolicited testimonials from visitors who say,
    ‘I love your country – I am going to settle here’. Look at the
    peeople
    who are settling there. In the last few years, 30,000 Indian
    professionals have taken up residence and started three Indian schools
    to teach their children in line with the Indian syllabus so that they
    can return to India. We welcome them. We have 4,000 Chinese and 4,000
    Indian companies. They have come to Singapore, not because we are a
    liberal democracy, but because we offer them a platform from which
    they can leap. They can market their wares throughout Southeast Asia
    to China and India, and vice versa. Would we want to risk that?

    What is $1.5 million dollars to our law minister when he gave up a
    practice worth $4 million? Look at whose wives are dripping with gold
    and diamonds. We are the poorest ministers of any ASEAN country. Do
    you want that to change? Am I not worth $1 million? I can earn
    $100,000-200, 000 by giving a talk to a group of bankers who have
    brought their clients together. This is the reality. At every
    election, it is an issue, but we do not dodge it – we justify it. As
    long as we have clean, honest and effective government, it will hold.
    The day we become dishonest, ineffective or incapable, we are out.

  30. #30 by sj on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 6:56 pm

    Good lord !!

    What kind of monster is this? Uncle Lim, bring this up into the parliament and shoot them on it. Now you know why local graduates are unemployed and why Malaysian education sucks big time. No point arguing with them, immediately move a motion to shoot the education minister. Hishammuddin you are an embarassment. Angkat kris lagi la. Otak masih bodoh mahu angkat begitu banyak kris.

  31. #31 by RakishAngle on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 6:58 pm

    This topic has also appeared in Patrick Teoh’s blog. There is one comment from Patrick’s blog that I would like to share here, if the moderator doesn’t find too vulgar:
    Here’s a story that made the email circuit some time ago that may highlight this problem with a bit of humour. It’s quite vulgar, but we’re all in a vulgar mood considering the vulgar things that have been done to our once excellent education system by our vulgar politicians.
    —–
    One of the main reasons why in recent years the Malaysian Government has always ensured that their Miss Universe representative were of tertiary level education or higher was because of the following incident which occurred not too many years ago.
    It is the final round of the Miss Universe Pageant and the 3 finalists, Miss USA, Miss Malaysia and Miss Singapore are being asked 3 simple questions:
    MC: The first question is name me an electrical appliance starting with “L”
    Miss USA : Lamp
    Miss Singapore : Light bulb
    Miss Malaysia : LADIO
    Judge: No, no, Radio does not start with the letter “L”
    MC: I am going to give you 3 more chances; Now, name me an animal starting
    with the letter “L”
    Miss USA : Lion
    Miss Singapore : Leopard
    Miss Malaysia : LABBIT
    Judge: No, n! o, no!
    MC: Your next chance. The name of a famous car that starts with “L”
    Miss USA : Lexus
    Miss Singapore : Lamborghini
    Miss Malaysia : Lolls-Loyce
    Judge: Oh my God!
    MC: I am going to give you one last chance! Name me a fruit starting
    with the letter “L”
    Miss USA : Lemon
    Miss Singapore : Lychee
    Miss Malaysia , with full of confidence, smiles and says: LIEWLIAN!!
    This is not the end of the story, the Judge consulted the
    board of judges to determine if Miss Malaysia should really be
    disqualified ; and they decided that since Miss Malaysia ! was having
    so many problems with the letter “L”, they decided to give her another
    chance.
    Judge: OK, the final question is : Name me a human anatomy starting
    with the letter “L”
    Miss USA : Lung (applause)
    Miss Singapore : Liver (even more applause)
    Miss Malaysia : LAN CIAU
    The Judges fainted..!!!

  32. #32 by ktteokt on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 7:48 pm

    We have to say thanks to our wonderful government for mutilating, killing, murdering, butchering ENGLISH LANGUAGE for so many years while paying attention to some ROJAK LANGUAGE which we claim as BAHASA MALAYSIA!!!!!

  33. #33 by yellowkingdom on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 9:18 pm

    I checked their Privacy Policy page and came up with this. Still needs further improvements. Obfuscation and grammatical mistakes ie. singular/plural, subject/verb agreement, etc prevalent throughout.

    PRIVACY POLICY
    Your Privacy
    This page explain privacy policy encompass the use and information protection proposed by visitor. If you make transaction or pass on e-mail containing personal information, this information may be shall be shared with with other public agency to help service provision more effective and effective. For example in such in settling complaint need feedback from other agencies.

    (Our privacy policy encompasses the use and protection of information provided by the visitor. If you transact or pass on e-mails containing personal information, this information may be shared with other public agencies to provide more effective services. For example, such as settling complaints requiring feedback from other agencies. Isn’t this better?)

    Information Collected
    No personally identifiable information is gathered during the browsing of this web site except for information given by you via e-mail.

    What Happens When I Link to Another Site?
    This web site contains links to other websites. This privacy policy applies only to our site and you should be aware that other sites linked by this web site may have different privacy policies and we highly recommend that you read and understand the privacy statements of each site.

    Changes to this Policy
    If this privacy policy changes in any way, it will be updated on this page. Regularly reviewing this page ensures you are updated on the information which is collected, how it is used and under what circumstances, if any, it is shared with other parties.
    SECURITY POLICY
    Data Protection
    State-of-the-art technology including encryption data is used to protect data proposed and compliance to the standard tight security is used to prevent access who were not allowed.

    Storage Security
    All electronic storage and data transmission personal will be protected and keep by using suitable security technology

  34. #34 by yellowkingdom on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 9:26 pm

    Shouldn’t it be “…achieving our vision…, the Best Service Counter in the Civil Service? ” Unless they are into Counter-intelligence. It is still the Bahasa Melayu mindset. But at least they are pro-active in reading this blog and improving.

    From the Director General’s Message
    http://www.jpn.gov.my/BI/1_4_2_penghargaan.php

    In conjunction with my appointment as the new Director-General of the National Registration Department of Malaysia, I seek the co-operation of all NRD staff to achieve our vision of making NRD the Best Counter Service in the Civil Service. To realise such a vision, much needs to be done in terms of improvement and innovation within the department. Hence, all levels of staff at NRD should have a positive outlook, should not resist change for the better and most importantly, should work as a team. Therefore, in line with NRD slogan Era Baru (the New Era), there should be a change in mindset from the old way of thinking to a new one that is proactive. With globalisation, our environment is more dynamic and requires us to constantly learn new things. In our quest for the best, we should not be afraid of obstacles or the unfamiliar. On the contrary, they should be a challenge and a source of inspiration for us to be more determined in our endeavours. I promise to give my best and am confident that, with your support and commitment, NRD is poised towards excellence, glory and distinction, with the Grace of Allah.

    Wasalam.

  35. #35 by yellowkingdom on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 9:29 pm

    If you noticed the heading on this page :
    http://www.jpn.gov.my/BI/1_4_2_penghargaan.php

    It should correctly read as , “Director-General’s Message” and not as “Director’s General Message”. Isn’t that so?

  36. #36 by yellowkingdom on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 9:34 pm

    http://www.jpn.gov.my/BI/1_2_1_visi.php

    ShortTerm Vision: The National Registration Department as the Best Counter Service in the Civil Service of Malaysia

    better would be :
    “Short-Term Vision: The National Registration Department as the Best Civil Service Counter in Malaysia ”

    Long Term Vision: The National Registration Department as the Best Counter Services in the World.

    more appropriate would be :
    Long-Term Vision: The National Registration Department as the Best Civil Service Counter in the World.

  37. #37 by Ramesh Laxman on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 9:36 pm

    Sorry, I no speak england.

  38. #38 by mata_kucing on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 9:51 pm

    This is one good reason to continue teaching Science and Mathematics in English. I just wonder what is the criteria on selecting staff for the civil service? Being related to those in power?

  39. #39 by undergrad2 on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 9:53 pm

    In Malaysia they politicize everything. From language and education to religion to food! What next? Sex?

  40. #40 by Michael Ng on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 9:59 pm

    Damn those politicians who screwed up our Education System for their own political agenda.

  41. #41 by yellowkingdom on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 9:59 pm

    More atrocious English with “campurisation” of Bahasa Malaysia.

    Check out the first paragraph.
    Next under “Objective” – “adopted son”. “child adoption” is better
    Under “Function” – “…base fixed functions per unit in it which have been identified that this class work was walking with orderly and systematic.”
    What gibberish! I rest my case….

    http://www.jpn.gov.my/BI/1_6_2_dasar.php
    Organization and Division

    Coordinating Policy & Monitoring
    :: Background::
    Coordination of policy part and monitoring was established by 28th of January 2008 after Civil Service Department (PSD) approve restructuring process National Registration Department (NRD). Half the battle entrust is formerly perform by Bahagian Penyelarasan, Perundangan, training and Internal Audit. Role as steadily improving NRD, top management side decide to break Bahagian Penyelarasan, Perundangan, Latihan and Internal Audit that each Bahagian becomes more focused for duties entrust.

    Main focus for Coordination of Policy and Monitoring Division is to plan department policy and monitoring stated policy implementation so it together with the vision, NRD’s mission and objective. Apart from that, this division will coordinate all increase activity service quality and act as secretariat for major meetings NRD meeting as management committee, directors meeting, planning and development committee meeting and implementation coordination meetings manage main business. .
    :: Objective ::
    Collect and maintain birth records, death, adopted son, identity card, marriage and divorce and citizen for all people of Malaysia to meet security needs and national development.
    :: Function ::
    Coordination Of Policy And Monitoring Division, National Registration Department Malaysia (JPNM) undertake the task with base fixed functions per unit in it which have been identified that this class work was walking with orderly and systematic. For stated purpose as many as 2 section was established namely:-

    (A)Planning Section And Coordination Of Policy:
    • Become secretariat for major meetings department as following;
    • Management Meeting ;
    • Planning and Development Committee Meeting JPN;
    • Directors Meeting ;
    • Implementation Coordination Meetings Main Business;
    • Planning Strategic department Meeting ; and
    • Implementation Committee Meetings Quality Programme.
    • Responsible setting working paper (Memo to YB Minister, memorandum, cabinet note, respond cabinet) ;
    • Coordinate business relating law between the parts as law amendment for acts, regulations and methods those governed by the department.
    • Responsible advance and act as secretariat supply programmes service quality.
    • Monitoring development project implementation those carried out by the department.

    (B) Monitoring of and Evaluation Section
    • Managing business relating divisional administration as management file, officer and staff leave and arrival system part.
    • Handle matters in connection with the business divisional level finance .
    • Responsible issue Departmental Annual Report.
    • Responsible issue department bulletin .
    • Coordinate and monitoring quality implementation MS ISO divisional level .
    • Coordinate answer to questions parliament and schedule duty officer in parliament .
    • Update report statisik main business activities accepted department monthly from BSM .

  42. #42 by yellowkingdom on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 10:05 pm

    Can’t stop laughing……lol

    Birth,Death & Adoption

    :: Background::

    Written law on enrolment birth and death in Malaysia started in to which straits settlements law relating was enforced in the year 1869.

    This legislation was introduced in associate states and states unfederated and have started strengthen from year 1886 to 1901. The law is first strengthen in Negeri Selangor.While Sabah and a Sarawak law have been enforced to 1884 and 1910.

    In earlier years, law administration relating with registration of birth and death is responsibility of the government Negeri. Ianya is make part of the overall programme Negeri’s Government.

    Registration task placed under responsibility Medical Department and State Health which was established in every state. This matter make is justified because that service obligation relating health with the programme (vaccination, cholera etc more).

    Medical officer and State Health has been appointed as Registrar Of Births and Kematian Negeri. It will be assisted by Deputy registrar and staff inferior to operate registration task civil. Kelahiran’s registration and Kematian responsible state on the entire organisani and civil registration system administration. While Pendaftar’s Deputy also responsible on the task real registration process where future public and make registration.

    To determine that this civil registration is effective, law have compelled every officer Polis and Ketua Kampong so that report each birth and death that happens in each area.

    Because registration law birth and death in every state is “regional in character” need has arisen to unite all registration system federation when Persekutuan Tanah Melayu achieves independence to 31.8.1957. This requirement have achieved when a legislation to make compulsory birth and death registration including dead birth uniform was introduced in Persekutuan Tanah Melayu. Registration of birth ordinance and Kematian 1957 have started take effect from 1.8.1958. When this ordinance is operative law overall relating birth and death registration was abolished.

    National Registration Department was established when Emergency Ordinance (Registration Area) 1948 was introduced to the meaning control security threat. This regulation have been wanting each inhabitants who attain the age 12 year and up register and issue Identity Card. End of the year 1953 task birth and death registration has been placed under task NRD. When Ordinan birth and death registration make law 1957 task civil registration continued to be placed under responsibility NRD.

    :: Objective ::

    Register, processing and maintain registration of birth one system, death and Adopted Son paragon, update, in accordance with with the properties and law will, methods and directions so each tabular information register exactly and right without prejudice national security aspects and convenience of the public.

    :: Function ::

    Supervise and coordinate registration activity by enrollees birth, death and adoption all over the country .
    Administer, coordinate, authorize, study and update law relating registration of birth, death and adoption.
    Register and to issue birth certificate, death and adoption person against whom concerning.
    Keep and maintain birth rolls, death and adoption and to issue draw / search person against whom concerning.
    Past record process application birth and death, adoption registration applications, birth and death reregistration and correction in register.

    Include birth data are, death and adoption into the computer system.

  43. #43 by AhPek on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 10:26 pm

    Hi yellowkingdom,please spare the agony,don’t you dare give us some of those
    stuff my engrand not good enough lah,don’t you know meh?

  44. #44 by vejay.chin on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 10:37 pm

    Why? We, the Chinese, Indian and other races should worry if the Malays do not want to master English? They wanted to be left out in development. Nobody to blame, they themself. Their selfish attitude towards Malays Supremacy will land them in more trouble in years to come. Who cares any way…..

  45. #45 by waterfrontcoolie on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 11:00 pm

    We shouldn’t be surprised: just compare our overseas trained PhD with say those from China;essentailly from the public sector, they were so much ‘later’ than us. See the difference? As a matter of fact, many of our senior Gomen officers were caught between Bahasa and English; couldn’t handle either with cofidence! They ended up with real ROJAK!
    When you have people inpregnated with false prides, they would have had lost any inkling to learn from others. With more sloganing of Ketuanan Melayu, they would absolutely refuse to change or learn from anywhere. Afterall in this Bolehland, any practice or preaching would be accepted as fact after a while.
    Those leaders thought they have not reach the end of the road of no return. Believe me, they are reaching the very end just like Zimbabwe. With false belief ingrained or embedded in their minds, they will fail to see the bend down the sloping road!
    Someone said that maybe DNA should be used as a guiding principle to allocate jobs or careers. I think this could be true,some just cannot maintain anything, some are good to organise gatherings with opening speeches! Maybe this is a more acceptable way of industry allocation in this country.

  46. #46 by veddy.lum74 on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 11:39 pm

    these are minglish,not english!
    dey refuse to mix with non-malays,bcos we are infidel,even some of them do mix,dey want us to communicate in BM,so how on earth their minglish could be improved?
    just like what we watched in a tv ads dat a group of malay students were asked by a foreign tourist how to go to a destination,the guy just say:belok kiri,nanti belok kanan……………………….kind of stuff!
    yes,most of us might be jack of all sports,expert of non,but not to dis extendkan?(see,typical minglish is appearing again,sorrylah!)

  47. #47 by whorng on Friday, 5 December 2008 - 11:59 pm

    it is so typical of our govt.

  48. #48 by chin on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 12:08 am

    Hey ! This is funny. Of all the years i have read this blog, i found uncle Lim’s sense of humour. Remember the British sitcom “Mind Your Language”? Thats what i have in mind, for a Malaysian version ! Anyone, with me ?

  49. #49 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 12:19 am

    Now this is what I call ‘Manglish’.

    Malaysia, at last, has found its niche in the world of the English language.

  50. #50 by ykcir on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 12:26 am

    Actually this was first highlighted in Patrick Teoh’s blog “NIAMAH!” which attracted lots of comments. I logged in to NRD’s website again and noted that corrections of grammatical errors were indeed already made.

    But when I clicked the links to other pages, it was just as terrible … and I can bet you right now that they must be working their arse off still trying to correct the rest of the pages (OT at the taypayers’ expense of course).

    And yet, our government is still undecided whether to continue teach Maths and Science in English or not !!! I am so damn pissed off … :(

  51. #51 by ongsc1 on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 12:39 am

    The priority is Bahasa Melayu because this is Malaysia and Malaysians should speak Malay as the national language.

    The question is, Is BM a good business language that will attract Foreign Direct Investment? Will Investors look to BM as the stronger language over English or Chinese? Afterall, China and India being economic powerhouses they are today have very poor english language ability, perhaps Malaysia could use this to its advantage?

    If you ask me, the economic disparity between the haves and have nots in Malaysia, is a direct parrallel with those who can and can’t speak english. (As I have mentioned on PKR’s blog before.)

  52. #52 by Kongseemik on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 1:10 am

    I say, man. How to be a Tuan when you can’t even master simple English??

  53. #53 by sinnerconman on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 1:41 am

    Anak Bin Salah U Masuking went for an interview and was asked about his English subject. He proudly answered, “I r sexteen A’s sutudent and I has oso A in me ingelese saabjet. I ies a majar ingelese saabjet. I cammeeng vokking toomoolow cancan.” Can this Anak Bin Salah U Masuking get the job in a MNC even with a letter from the MP of Pasir Salak?

  54. #54 by seana on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 1:43 am

    The whole of Malaysia needs to see this. Definitely, yes.

  55. #55 by disapointed86 on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 2:29 am

    lols…please lah..y u guys highlighted this??..this is M’sia…national language is Bahasa Malaysia..perlembagaaan malaysia did’nt mention that we need to know how to cakap bahasa inggeris..–> u will expect that from our BN MPs’..
    …who cares about bahasa ingggeris..just see some of the Mps’ cant even converse well in bahasa inggggeris..

  56. #56 by katdog on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 2:31 am

    One word: Hillarious.
    Note to all public sector workers. If you can’t speak English just admit it. Then go and hire professional translators to perform the translation for you. This is just a typical sign of an incompetent ‘tidak apa’ organization.

    I am curiously hoping that the UMNO lovers Cintanegara and Melurian would post something in defense of our government service here.

    Maybe they can say that our public sector workers work so hard they don’t have time to learn proper english.

  57. #57 by undergrad2 on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 5:27 am

    Manglish that’s what it is and not English. It’s all mangled.

  58. #58 by chengho on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 5:57 am

    Not only the English but even National language Malaysian speak in bahasa pasar not baku with funny pronunciation. you need only to listen to our MP in parliment.

  59. #59 by kcb on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 7:03 am

    “sinnerconman Says:

    Today at 01: 41.21 (5 hours ago)
    Anak Bin Salah U Masuking went for an interview and was asked about his English subject. He proudly answered, “I r sexteen A’s sutudent and I has oso A in me ingelese saabjet. I ies a majar ingelese saabjet. I cammeeng vokking toomoolow cancan.” Can this Anak Bin Salah U Masuking get the job in a MNC even with a letter from the MP of Pasir Salak?”

    No need letter from MP of Pasir Salak oso can, if he applies for a job in NRD.

  60. #60 by lakshy on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 7:26 am

    Ha ha ha……lol………I find this hilarious!

    But how many of us will still be laughing, if our own kids start writing like this?

  61. #61 by chiakchua on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 7:28 am

    Our English standard is low is already a well known fact but never expect government department website could tolerate such kind of scrap. Our beloved country is really hopeless, lets’ be determined to change it in the next GE! Help out in the coming KT by-election.

  62. #62 by tonysam18 on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 9:18 am

    My superior in my work place once informed my fellow colleague . The way we write and the way we check what we have written is a true reflection of the writer.

    If the writer has a poor command of the language, it will show in his work.

    If the writer is careless and he does not check his work, then it will also be reflected in his work.

    In all of the above work posted on the website, it is clear that the writer do not have a good command of the language and is careless.

    What can we do to our education system to correct these shortcomings ?

    The government is still in dreamland thinking that money will fall from the sky. Business contracts from the Middle East, China, USA and all over the world will drop from the sky and fall into the Malaysian companies in Kuala Lumpur , etc.

    The Minister of Education still don’t realise that Bahasa Malaysia is only applicable in Malaysia and Indonesia. Once you are out of these Malay states and into China, US, Europe, etc you need English to comunicate.

    However, time and again despite the reminders from the rakyat, the government is still not doing anything to improve the situation.

  63. #63 by homeblogger on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 10:31 am

    Come on. This is perfect Ingris from the “jaguh Kampung” mentality borne of 51 years of NEP And still these folks want to revert the teaching of Science and Maths to Malay. While the world marches onwards, we are proud to be taking ten step back.

  64. #64 by AhPek on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 11:05 am

    “What can be done to our education system to correct these shortcomings.”.tonysam18.

    And what do you think can be done,UMNO is still sitting pretty in their kerusis!

  65. #65 by VampireBS on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 11:07 am

    during my Account class in Form 4-5, all in Malay, so the teacher masuk saja open account and never even touch bout the principle, when ask why she reply “dunno, thats the way it is”. Hence when she teach, students all kinda like Gokusen at the back. as a result SPM Prinsip A/c=F9. But when I joined college, and when i start doing account in English text, i find it a lot easier coz the lecturer knows what he’s doing. and i scored A. don’t get me wrong there are lots of bahasa pinjaman in 90’s SPM Account, so got confuse a lot.

  66. #66 by taiking on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 11:18 am

    I strongly urge the umno government to continue the present system so that umnoputras can continue to be educated by their umno government schools.

    I also suggest that the umno government modify the system a little bit to allow all non-umnoputras, if they so desire, to study in either english stream schools or vernacular stream schools.

    That way umnoputras and non-umnoputras would all be happy.

    What a brilliant idea. Any supporter?

  67. #67 by taiking on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 11:30 am

    Hei hei hei. Look at the bigger picture fellas.

    Our umno government cares. They are concerned about our economy and employment. Thats why they decided to engineer employees with poor english. Its a deliberate act.

    See the idea is so that employers would need to employ a few more people to work. The logic: One worker with poor english is only say half productive then get two workers for full productivity!

    Additionally, their effort would create jobs for translators and interpreters. A good by-product could be that we may create a world record as a nation with the most number of translators and interpreters.

    Finally, its good for the country overall because if all our umno government official secrets are written in gibberish english then hacker would not pay unauthorised visits to their sites. No use – cannot understand the meaning.

    So you see. All also got reasons one. Dont simply simply say.

  68. #68 by dragon88 on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 11:31 am

    I am not surprised if it is compiled by M2 Taib…Maybe, her daughter ? Oh yeah !! I forgot he spoke and write no English and he is Malaysia’s Inofrmation Minister. I understand he only has a 3rd grade Cambridge Certificate….

  69. #69 by DingDongBell on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 11:50 am

    After the father screw up English proficiency of Malaysian, now the son is looking into other languages, namely Mandarin and Tamil. When English usage was at its prime 20 – 30 years ago, the father change the medium of instruction to BM, the English usage in court was also terminated. Now when the Mandarin usage started to gain international prominence, the son started to see the need to do likewise.

    With father and son like that elected to lead the majority supreme race in our country, where is our country heading to ?

  70. #70 by vchi on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 12:18 pm

    Wow. At first I suspected this was a product of an automated translator, but the spelling mistakes suggest a human translated it.

    How shameful!

  71. #71 by frankyapp on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 1:13 pm

    Hey guys,that’s why I said these graduates are un-employable by the private sector.Who’s to blame ? TDM and his boys without a shadow of doubt .That’s why also TDM and his boys during their watch,sent most of their children to study even the bodo ones (stupid) to oversea country . Just ask kris Hishammudin why he does not have confidene even through he’s the education minister.It’s not surprising to me at all about the gibberish english being used in all the government departments. Everyone local or foreigners who have been dealing with the government are shaking their heads when english is spoken. And yet our UMNO/BN ministers still say we are successful in our education system . Even our own bahasa malayu is spoken in rojak style.At least our mandarin and tamil languages are spoken properly and this showed the national bahasa education system has failed whereas the chinese and tamil under difference managemt have succeeded.The malay and all other citizen should question the present managment system of implementing the bahasa and english methods of teching or else ,these two languages in our country will go further down the drain.

  72. #72 by dinotim on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 1:50 pm

    Obviously it is a direct translation from Malay. Probably using some translating software.

  73. #73 by paix on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 1:59 pm

    Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha :-)
    Management must have chosen the person in the dept with the best English skills to write up the text for the webpage. You can imagine how the rest of them must fare in their written communication skills.
    Sad, very sad.

  74. #74 by shortie kiasu on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 2:18 pm

    It is known fact that the education system had produced such substandard English, but the fact is that, these products of malaysian education do not feel the shame of putting up ‘malaysian english’ on the webs for people to laught at.

    It is really thick skinned of them, and when they will ever learn?

    Even graduates from malaysian universities attending interviews for jobs in international companies can even speak very elementary English what more writing in correct English?

    But these ‘products’ do not feel the shame at all.

    That is the typical culture of products of malaysian education system.

  75. #75 by homeblogger on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 2:24 pm

    It is probably a combination of both machine (software) translation, then vetted by a human.

    The shameful lacking in English is water off a duck’s back to UMNO and the ultra Tuans. To them, English is still referred to as “cakap orang putih”.

    Malay is a beautiful language, but it is a million light years when it comes to being a universal language. As long as these mono-lingual UMNOputras feed the fears of a certain race that their beautiful language will be obsolete if we embrace English, we will continue to travel backward in time.

    But there is hope. We have an MP from Pasir Salak who prides himself in his English ability by using choice phrases like “bl**dy b*****d”. Surely hearing these word from this amoeba’s neanderthal mouth, we see some semblance of hope for the English language in Melayu-sia.

  76. #76 by pselvams on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 3:19 pm

    YB, This is a good reading material, a good laugh too, but do Malaysians who are proficient in English deserve this .

    Imagine a foreigner with interest in Malaysia as their second home goes through this material, poof there goes our investors and tourist too.

    Please do something to correct the situation in the august house, but looking at the manner English is used in the parliment, I think it is going to be a tough job for anyone.

  77. #77 by max2811 on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 4:57 pm

    The English problem is not just with this department. It’s practically in all Gov depts. I was using a UPSR English workbook last week produced by a Chinese company. It contains numerous grammatical and spelling mistakes. Mistakes were made mainly through Chinese to English translation.

    Many Chinese schools use Chinese option teachers to teach Malay and English. They resort to the direct translation method which they think is easier and more effective. This method of teaching actually restricts the progress of the children making them incompetent during their working life. They cannot express themselves well orally as well as in writing.

    I have been teaching English for 28 years. I can’t change what I see as a weak and outdated method. Everything is so politicised.

    MOE needs better advisers in the planning and not give in to politics. Everytime they want to make a change for the better, they meet with opposition from the left and right.

  78. #78 by tonysam18 on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 6:46 pm

    Hi AhPek

    What can be done to our education system to arrest these shortcomings .

    Very simple . Change the sword wielding Education Minister to a pen wielding Education Minister.

    Remember the saying : the pen is mightier than the sword.

    Secondly, the present BN government need to be reminded , if they cannot do the job, please give way to others who can do it and better. When they can’t do the job doesn’t meant that others also cannot do the job. There are many Malaysians out there who are more capable then those Ministers.

  79. #79 by AhPek on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 7:17 pm

    tonysam18,
    But how?

  80. #80 by forglory on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 7:37 pm

    Dear Shanker,

    The Japanese people in general has a poor command of English. But this did not stop them from become a world power.

    So it’s really not the language.

  81. #81 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 7:37 pm

    With such “atrocious English is held up for display, for practically the whole world to see…..and we are proud of sending a “space man” above????” – Shanker.

    It brings to sharp focus the national problem : it is not good to be in the grip of a collective fantasy — fuelled by hubris – that sending someone to space as a cosmic tourist/visitor, euphemistically touted as “astronaut” is a symbol of the nation having advanced. It has not even by an iota.

    This is exactly what TDM then wanted to do – riveting the collective attention to the tallest twin towers, grandest airport so that third world mentality could admire, take vicarious pride in these ‘achievements’ and be distracted and detracted from pursuing a first world mentality, the very prerequisite for the elite and the privileged to continue maintaining power and engaging in self aggrandizement at the expense of the nation’s abundant wealth.

    To advance, one has to be in grip with reality.

    Reality is not having the easiest course; it is not bull shitting; it is not depending on hand out or affirmative policies because no one owes you a living and you have to fend for yourself.

    Reality is the pursuit of excellence in whatever the person, the group or the nation does : not just in English to keep up with the de facto global language so important for trade, learning and technology for advancement and self betterment but in every field of human endeavour one or the nation is engaged upon, whether education, development of IT and other technologies, commerce and trade.

    And excellence is to Meritocracy like horse to cart, glove to hand, going hand in hand. What we witness is an abandonment of Meritocracy – and with it, the Culture of excellence – in embrace of Mediocrity, or even worse.

    Reality is that which appeals to higher elements of human nature – the willingness to engage in strenuous exertion to attain excellence for a good personal or collective cause.

    It is not collecting rent or toll from the toils of others under hegemony.

    Hubris and false pride can neither compensate the lack of achievement not substitute deserved pride based on achievement and the good that comes from it. It never will.

    The nation will not progress, nay it will regress, if we persist in rejecting meritocracy for mediocrity and compensating the resultant lack of achievement by maintaining an illusion of false hubris and pride to reassure all is well.

  82. #82 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 7:48 pm

    The Japanese have a culture of competitiveness, of hard work and pursuit of excellence (Meritocracy). That more than compensates. We have Mediciocrity or something even lesser. We compensate the resultant lack of achievement by maintaining an illusion of false hubris and pride, Malayia Boleh style.

    Mostly we believe taking the easy way – to get rich from tolls and rent from others who toiled.

  83. #83 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 7:50 pm

    Oops – “Mediocrity”

  84. #84 by waterfrontcoolie on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 10:05 pm

    Tomysam 18. Your first sentence is hangimg in the air!

  85. #85 by Godfather on Saturday, 6 December 2008 - 10:58 pm

    Let’s be “rasional”. The website is meant for Malaysians only, especially those who are not educated in English. I mean, the children of UMNOputras like Kerismuddin, Rafidah and Najis are all foreign educated, and you don’t expect these princelings to go on to a local website, do you ?

    These people move in different circles from the rural Malays, and it is in their interests to keep the standards low. If the rural Malays start reading the Wall Street Journal or the Herald Tribune, then UMNO would really be in trouble !

  86. #86 by limkamput on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 12:39 am

    Jeffrey, you are dead wrong when you said the standard of English in the public sector is expected to be lower than that in the private sector. Granted, the NRD has screwed up big time, but I guess you have not read the marketing brochures and advertisement leaflets routinely dished by private sector companies and individuals. The standard of English has dropped to irreparable level among all our students irrespective of race, perhaps with the exception of those in the Klang Valley where students learned English form their parents or from the older generations. Please check out the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the Annual National Budget, the Treasury Report and the Bank Negara Annual Report. I doubt very much those in the private sector can write those reports any better. If there is any problem, it is this: Malaysia as a whole is fast emerging as a nation without mastering a single language good enough for our intellectual and thinking pursuit.

  87. #87 by cemerlang on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 12:45 am

    Having universities is having first class facilities around. The refusal to learn more comes from a third class mind. May be those in power do not like their citizens to be cleverer than them. So they would do all in their power to suppress them and make them look stupid. How can you communicate with foreigners if you only know Bahasa Melayu ? If English makes you recall about your British Colonial masters, then there are other common, international languages to learn. Japaneses, French, German. Whoever who can master an additional language and pass in the exam should be awarded a good credit point.

  88. #88 by limkamput on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 12:55 am

    If I may add:

    If there is any problem, it is this: Malaysia as a whole is fast emerging as a nation without mastering a single language good enough for our intellectual and thinking pursuit.

    The above statement certainly applies to many here who criticise with their incoherent and horrendous English.

  89. #89 by storm62 on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 1:03 am

    aiya YB LIm, let them be la…..

    in the 60′ & 70’s , we learn how to speak Mat Salleh.

    since 80’s till now, UMNO teaches Mat Rempit.

    try speaking english to a Mat Salleh and a Mat Rempit!!!

    you’ll see the difference that’s for sure.

  90. #90 by disapointed86 on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 4:12 am

    DOnt bother about English as long as BN leads the country…Just look at Pasir Salak(tajudin)..where are all his children..sorry lah not in the country ok??…

    TO all LKS readers…please speak BM when dealing with government department..they will treat u better…There is one incident when a friend of mine losing his I.C..he spoke to the officer in English..Guess what..he told my friend.. INI MALAYSIA la..kenapa lu cakap Bahasa inggeris..u pikir ini US ka??…lmao..and the friend of mine was referred to many guys before getting the I.C done….and honestly i do realize whenever i deal with malay in govt department, i speak BM and everything goes smoothy…

  91. #91 by ctc537 on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 8:34 am

    forglory to Shanker: The Japanese people in general has a poor command of English. But this did not stop them from becoming a world power. So it’s really not the language.

    I agree. The Filipino people have a good command of English, yet the country remains poor and backward. Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and now China have all advanced economically and technologically in the past 50 years without using English as a tool for learning science and mathematics.
    The Japanese are very good at translating English and other foreign language books and publications into Japanese. They can do it very fast and efficiently too. This is because the persons doing the translation are actually themselves the top-notch experts in the field of knowledge. You would be amazed at how many foreign technical and scientific journals they have translated into their language every year.

  92. #92 by AhPek on Wednesday, 10 December 2008 - 2:42 am

    To argue that English has to be a precondition for a nation to succeed economically and technologically,then perhaps forglory and Shanker are both right by citing Japan as a case in point or Taiwan,South Korea and China as cited by ctc537.
    Nevertheless it remains true to say English is an important language not only in international business but in science as evidenced in the prevalent use of the language in research journals of both applied science as well as basic science.It certainly pays to make English either as an important second language for the country or even better as a second official language for the country.Note in Singapore you have 4 official languages and Switzerland 3!It just requires political will to make it so.Just look at India,English is the sole official language
    and the many outstanding computer science experts as well as outstanding engineers and scientists as witnessed by the recent orbiter she sent to orbit the moon,making studies on her!

  93. #93 by AhPek on Wednesday, 10 December 2008 - 2:48 am

    correction: Should be “To argue……………………………then perhaps Forgory and Shanker ……..by citing Japan as a case in point against it ……………..”.

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