Let’s make Malaysia Boleh a reality


By Lim Mun Fah | The Malaysian Insider

I was away from the country when the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) was unveiled. On my return, I took some time to study the document.

At the first look, the 10MP seems like an excellently packaged master plan with an ambitious magnificent vision for the nation.

An in-depth study of the documents, however, uncovered some fundamental flaws, the most glaring, perhaps, is the conspicuous retention and reiteration of certain racially exclusive policies and programmes.

Another unfortunate weakness is surely the lack of a determined and expeditious practical attempt to liberalise and promote a more open education environment, particularly for Chinese education.

The proposed move to gradually end the overseas scholarship scheme is a regrettable myopic policy, lacking foresight and pragmatic insight.

The failure to accept and accord formal recognition to the Chinese school system’s Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) is certainly unfortunate and regrettable. And, graduates of Chinese independent high schools who wish to join the Chinese teachers training will only be considered if they hold the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

It has been reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had promised to “consider” allowing UEC holders to apply for the Chinese teachers training programme if they have a pass in the SPM Bahasa Malaysia paper.

As a father of three UEC holders, I am extremely disappointed with the government’s lack of firm commitment on the matter. It could only pledge to “consider”, not give an absolute validity, meaning that any application for the Chinese teacher training scheme is dependent on the whim, bias or prejudice of whoever process it.

The federal government has publicly declared that having a multiple-lingual society is an asset in the increasingly competitive and borderless world, but it has not matched such an acknowledgement with affirmative concrete measures.

For decades, Chinese independent school-leavers have been marginalised and left on the periphery of the nation-building process, the conspicuous lack of Chinese in the civil service being a very glaring example.

However, the majority of these Chinese independent school leavers have been unfazed by the adverse situation and are able to overcome the unfavourable circumstance that hinders their progress and advancement, becoming shining examples of skilful, productive citizens in their various professional fields. All on their own efforts, too.

The UEC is recognised and accepted as an admission qualification by the top universities in China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and many leading universities of the world, including those ranked among the top 100 and even top 10 in Europe, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Yet, the sad irony is that our own motherland, Malaysia, does not grant recognition to the UEC whose standard is comparable to or even better than most high school qualifications in most of the top schools in the world.

The Chinese community is deeply disappointed and disheartened with such an unreasonable and unjust national education policy, which alienates those who study at the Chinese independent schools.

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese independent school-leavers are asking the same lamentable sorrowful question: “I love my motherland, but does my motherland love me?”

It is certainly unpleasant for the federal government to hear this, but as long as the status of Chinese independent schools and the UEC are not accepted and recognised, as long as matters like the development, teachers and relocation of Chinese schools are not resolved, the issue of Chinese education will forever be the grindstone hanging from the neck of the Barisan Nasional (BN).

If the 10MP is an opportunity for Malaysia to take its first step towards the reform and regeneration of the nation, then all discriminatory and unjust policies must be removed, with the disambiguation of the government agenda undertaken to define and make clear the meaning, purpose and actions of the government.

The fundamental objective must be the elimination of racial exclusivity from the administration and operation of the governing process, with the recognition, acceptance, and promotion of the pluralistic lifestyle and the democratic ideals in our multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-lingual nation being made the norm.

Let us think and strive with a broad, open heart to make Malaysia a great nation where everyone, irrespective of colour, creed, culture or class, will find a comfortable personal niche and enjoy to the fullest the resources and benefits of the motherland.

Malaysia Boleh? — mysinchew.com

  1. #1 by k1980 on Thursday, 22 July 2010 - 11:19 am

    How to achieve malaysia boleh when there are scum such as nik ali, saiful, ibrahem ali, moo and jib around?

  2. #2 by Bigjoe on Thursday, 22 July 2010 - 11:34 am

    Stop the platitudes about how good the document. When you read it, its glaring there is absolutely no real plan to implement it because it does not spell out the MECHANICS of getting rid of institutional rot. Without a plan to correct the broken institutions like judiciary, police, MACC and schools, there is no way it could ever work. How can you get a broken engine car to run faster if you don’t spell out how you are going fix the engine?

  3. #3 by BoycottLocalPapers on Thursday, 22 July 2010 - 11:52 am

    MALAYSIA BOLEH should be declared haram by the Perak Mufti because the concept is stolen from the book “You Can If You Think You Can” by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. See this link http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-If-Think/dp/0671765914

    It is a very good book. I highly recommended it. What is taught in this book and another book “The Power of Positive Thinking” (also by the same author) is better than the craps they taught you in public universities in Malaysia.

    I studied until SPM only but currently I am doing quite well in Singapore.

  4. #4 by BoycottLocalPapers on Thursday, 22 July 2010 - 12:19 pm

    One important thing I would like to add about the books I mentioned earlier that I believe everyone in Malaysia should read and learn.

    If the Chinese and the Indians BOLEH, then why the Malays TIDAK BOLEH?

    The reason why MELAYU TIDAK BOLEH is because UMNO regime is poisoning them with negative thoughts and negative thinking – that is without UMNO regime giving you Malays subsidies & NEP, MALAYS TIDAK BOLEH compete with other races. In order to BOLEH compete with other races, you need UMNO.

    UMNO regime keep on telling you Malays that you Malays are nothing without UMNO regime.

    UMNO regime keep on telling you Malays that without NEP, AP, & other racist policies uphold by UMNO, you MELAYU TIDAK BOLEH compete with other races. They are doing this so that you Malays will continue to rely on UMNO regime and they can continue to be in power and loot & rob this country.

    Malays in Malaysia should put away all the negative thoughts & poisonous thoughts that UMNO had fed them since young through UMNO’s controlled media.

    IN ORDER TO BE MELAYU BOLEH, THE MALAYS FIRST NEED TO BE LIBERATED FROM THE UMNO REGIME.

    If you want MALAYSIA TO BE BOLEH, you should read this article about FIFA World Cup published at TheNutGraph.com

    Fifa, reserve place for Malaysia!

    By Ta’ Melayu Hilang Di-Dunia

    I’M upset that the Malaysian football team is not playing in the Fifa World Cup in South Africa. In fact, Malaysia has never made it to the Fifa World Cup. Ever.

    Doesn’t the rest of the world realise that they cannot expect the Malaysian team to compete on an even playing field? Don’t they realise that they need to give a helping hand to Malaysians, particularly our Malays, who cannot be expected to compete with the rest of the world without some assistance?

    Why, in Malaysia our wonderful government has set up various programs to assist economically challenged Malay [Malaysians]. These “affirmative action” programmes used to have a time limit on them, but now these programmes [seem] permanent as the government cannot foresee a time when Malay [Malaysians] would ever be able to compete on equal footing with other ethnic groups in Malaysia, let alone the rest of the world.

    Similarly, I would argue that Fifa should give special exemption to the Malaysian team to play in the World Cup, but not because we deserve to play there on merit like the rest of the world. Rather, it should reserve a place in the World Cup solely for us, just as the Malaysian government reserves places in university, schools, the civil service, the armed and police forces exclusively for Malay [Malaysians].

    Only then can Malaysians, particularly our politically dominant Malays, take their rightful place in the pantheon of world soccer.

    I don’t think it should end there. If Malaysia is to play in the World Cup, then our team must be given special privileges. For instance, how about widening our opponent’s goalposts just to make it easier for us to score? Also, how about allowing the Malaysian team to play with 15 players, while the opposing team is limited to only nine players?

    If we don’t have sufficient players, Fifa should allow us to use naturalised Indonesians, southern Filipinos and southern Thais for the Malaysian football team. This would assist in bringing about a more equal outcome. Allocating 30% of the opposing team’s goals to the Malaysian team would be a nice gesture, too, in order to be consistent with the New Economic Policy (NEP). Actually, why not go for broke and make it 67%, as Datuk Ibrahim Ali suggests?

    And for the life of me, I don’t understand why the likes of Ibrahim, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Perkasa, Gertak, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Umno are not fighting for our God-given right to play in the Fifa World Cup. They go on and on about fighting for Malay rights here in Malaysia. Why are they wasting their time?

    Why don’t they fight for Malay rights on the international stage, starting with the Fifa World Cup? Only then can Malaysia compete on the world stage. Only then would they truly be fighting for “bangsa, agama dan negara”, and in that order, too.

  5. #5 by frankyapp on Thursday, 22 July 2010 - 12:41 pm

    Why, in Malaysia our wonderful government has set up various programs to assist economically challenged Malay [Malaysians]. These “affirmative action” programmes used to have a time limit on them, but now these programmes [seem] permanent as the government cannot foresee a time when Malay [Malaysians] would ever be able to compete on equal footing with other ethnic groups in Malaysia, let alone the rest of the world/// Ta’ melayu Hilang Di-Dunia.

    The reason is simple,Umnoputras and cronies love this “cash cow “. Though they have squeezed billions already from it, they are still not satisfy because of their never ending greed to have more and much more,hence they find new grounds to fatten the ” CASH COW “and try its best to keep it going on a permanent basis.

  6. #6 by dagen on Thursday, 22 July 2010 - 1:23 pm

    Ask around. I did. And this is the response I inevitably will get. “No. We are sending our kids out of the country.” “No. We dont want them to come back.”

    This is what umno wants to hear and to see happen, only sooner and quicker. Sabarlah dek. Sabar. It is happening. Rest assured. And it is highly unlikely to stop. Soon you can have the rambutan tree all to yourself.

  7. #7 by k1980 on Thursday, 22 July 2010 - 2:56 pm

    Rambutan trees, like other fruit trees, can only bear fruits for a certain number of years. After that, the goose stops laying golden eggs. Like the gas fields which will dry up in 2015.

    http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/years-of-cheap-power-depleting-malaysias-gas-wells/

  8. #8 by k1980 on Thursday, 22 July 2010 - 3:07 pm

    Malaysia Boleh is already a reality. The best example— Saifool the first year university dropout who was boleh to keep someone’s dna inside his anus for 48 hours. Yet his feat has not been recorded in the Guinness Buku of Rekod. And his victim, despite having great intelligence, is likely to enter that buku for having been twice tricked and jailed for sodo

  9. #9 by Bunch of Suckers on Thursday, 22 July 2010 - 3:32 pm

    k1980 :
    How to achieve malaysia boleh when there are scum such as nik ali, saiful, ibrahem ali, moo and jib around?

    All those with attitudes of securing rambutan trees for themselves and their buddies! Oops! I forgot our CintaNegara and Changhole (UMNOputra disguised himself as Chinese by sporting Chinese name)…. Ha ha ha….. Bunch of suckers!!! Yes, sucky suckers

  10. #10 by lopez on Thursday, 22 July 2010 - 8:46 pm

    if it is written in black and white…what more do you want to ask….and perhaps expect a reply that the fault of the hand in not the fault of the mind.

    this has been 50 odd years , round and round , it is not enough to test their intelligence.

    or that you dummines are in denial mode for so lonnng like the m see hair….now no more hair

    why do you want to force the buffalo to drink when it refuse to do so.
    dont play god like them and moreover these other buggers so afraid and kept so persistents preventing your developments and prospect.
    Jealousy or takut kalah or what.

  11. #11 by ktteokt on Friday, 23 July 2010 - 9:53 am

    MALAYSIA BOLEH appears to be an “incomplete sentence”! To complete the sentence in the light of our present situation, the most appropriate word to insert into this slogan to make it a complete sentence would be the word “MATI” after the word BOLEH!!!!!!! And only an “incomplete” PM can ever come up with such an INCOMPLETE SLOGAN!

  12. #12 by boh-liao on Friday, 23 July 2010 - 10:07 am

    N now, NR continues 2 spin d lie of >50 years:
    Equal treatment and opportunities 4 all Malaysians — fr d most remote areas of Sarawak to d urban sprawl of d Klang Valley (clap, clap)

    “All Malaysians, whether they r in Kuala Lumpur or Long Banga, must hv equal opportunities 2 make a better life 4 themselves via d 1Malaysia principle,” NR called his bluff
    Ya, keh?

  13. #13 by ktteokt on Saturday, 24 July 2010 - 9:40 am

    On the one hand, NR professes EQUAL RIGHTS for everyone in Malaysia, but on the other hand his party, UMNO, professes “SPECIAL RIGHTS FOR MALAYS”! How the hell is NR going to reconcile these two???

  14. #14 by boh-liao on Sunday, 25 July 2010 - 3:30 am

    What rubbish! Malaysia Boleh is oredi a reality!>/b>
    Actually, it’s Malays Boleh
    Oredi we hv a Malay skywalker or skytourist; another on training 2 b launched up soon; Malay this n dat – anything under d sun in 1M’sia
    Don’t let others fool U, Malays Boleh sudah ada
    Actually, it’s Non-Malays Tak Boleh, tak boleh this n dat, nak vamoose, jemput lah

  15. #15 by lopez on Sunday, 25 July 2010 - 9:10 am

    now umno malay very affluent aredi, why not throw a big party for every person in malaysia for their kind support and leniency.
    can start donating an Indians temple, a Chinese temple , a Sikh temple , a Church , an Iban Community Centre , a Dayak community centre , an orang Asli community centre , a Kadazan Community centre and Portugese community centre , a Dutch Communcity centre, a Eurasian community and built them in the very heart of our Kuala Lumpur for the whole world to see how ketuanan you can be and not to be instead for trying to others miserables while you prosper forever…..

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