Archive for May, 2011
Laporan kajian tentang penyimpangan dan kelemahan buku teks sejarah
CPIASIA | 27 May 2011
Urutan Power Point di bawah telah disediakan oleh Centre of Malaysian Chinese Studies (CMCS) dan Nanyang University Alumni Association of Malaya (NYUAA, Malaya) and dibentangkan kepada awam yang menghadiri upacara pelancaran kempen A Truly Malaysian History pada Mei 15 baru-baru ini.
Laporan CMCS dan NYUAA membuat ulasan bahawa skop sempit matapelajaran Sejarah tidak berupaya memupuk generasi muda yang “berpandangan global”.
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I will never trade it for another country
Posted by Kit in Brain drain, nation building on Saturday, 28 May 2011
Mohd Elfie Nieshaem Juferi
The Malaysian Insider
May 27, 2011
MAY 27 — If the principles of jus soli were strictly enforced in the country, I wouldn’t even be registered as a citizen of Malaysia. Thirty-one years ago, my father was working for an multi-national corporation based in the Sillicon Valley and he brought his young bride along. I suppose I was conceived during this time. I was born in San Jose, California in the United States of America.
I even have a US birth certificate and a US passport (expired in 1988) to boot. The US recognises dual citizenship so I have no doubt that I am already recognised as a citizen of the US. But because my parents had the foresight to register me at the US Embassy in Washington, DC using Borang W, I became a Malaysian citizen at birth. My father could have made the decision to stay. But he didn’t. He came home to Malaysia with his family in tow.
I grew up in a middle-class family and was for most of my life based in Penang, having been enrolled into a private school (Sekolah Sri Inai). The majority of students were non-Muslim Chinese, I was only one of the very few Muslim students around in the whole school.
Regardless, I had a lot of inter-racial contact and I count a lot of non-Muslims and Muslims alike as among my closest friends during this time period. Back when we were children, the issue of race and religion did not count for much, not even during the 1990s. Read the rest of this entry »
Why I moved to Malaysia
Posted by Kit in Brain drain, nation building on Saturday, 28 May 2011
An American
The Malaysian Insider
May 27, 2011
MAY 27 — An overwhelming wave of civic negativity is sweeping through Malaysia; not a day has gone by for the past two-and-a-half years without one hearing the drums of depression beating throughout the country.
And while the ranks of rejectionists swell, a small but increasingly loud group of people are barking back about the greatness, exclusivity and perfection of Malaysia.
It seems that in the midst of this civic recession and polarisation (a temporary and short-lived one, I hope) the media has failed to highlight the vast middle ground: the real Malaysia.
From my limited exposure to Malaysia, I have found the fabric of the country to be extremely resilient. Countless Malaysians courageously wake up every morning, enduring horrendous traffic jams to attend to their professional obligations in a timely manner. Read the rest of this entry »
‘BN not worried about facing separate polls’
Posted by Kit in Elections, Lim Guan Eng, Najib Razak on Saturday, 28 May 2011
Malaysiakini
May 27, 11
Barisan Nasional (BN) is not worried over the possibility of facing a separate election should the Pakatan-held states refuse to dissolve their state assemblies, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said.
“We cannot determine what they can do; we can only determine what we can do.
“So, I’m not worried about what they will do because I cannot control their actions. I will only give serious consideration to things that I can do,” he told a media conference after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting at the party’s headquarters today.
Najib said that under the federal constitution, state governments could advise the Sultan or the Yang Dipertua Negeri whether or not to dissolve their state assemblies. Read the rest of this entry »
Why I stay, but why my children should not
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Brain drain, nation building, NEP on Saturday, 28 May 2011
Ekompute
The Malaysian Insider
May 27, 2011
MAY 27 — When the New Economic Policy was first launched in 1971, I really thought that it would only be for 20 years, just as what the government had said. But anyway, who can argue against the NEP when its two-prong objectives are to:
1. eradicate poverty, irrespective of race;
2. restructure society so as to eliminate the identification of ethnicity with economic function.
However, as Yogi Berra says, “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is.”
If the two objectives had been pursued honestly and diligently, I think no one will object to the NEP, even if it runs perpetually.
However, the NEP has been turned into a political tool and interpreted to serve only those in power, such that even after double the time frame since its inception, the ordinary Malays are said to be still poor.
How can any wakil rakyat reconcile himself to this fact, that the people he claims to be fighting for are still living in poverty, while he himself, as a people’s representative, lives in a multi-million ringgit mansion? Read the rest of this entry »
No, Perkasa does not represent me
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Brain drain, nation building on Saturday, 28 May 2011
Dr. Kamal Amzan
The Malaysian Insider
May 27, 2011
MAY 27 — This country is in a mess.
Before I begin, let me just say once and for all that Perkasa doesn’t speak for me. Neither does it speak for my family members and colleagues. Come to think of it, it does not speak for most of my patients, their family members and friends either.
Neither do the politicians and media in cahoots with this group of people with “special needs”. They will never represent me, be it in the present or in the future. Ever.
In case you are wondering, yes I am a tanned Malaysian, a group that Perkasa frequently embarrasses by claiming to represent.
Before they start rattling off their empty cans and pick a new fight, let me remind them that our purchasing power is about a third that of the Europeans. Our first-quarter economic growth at a pathetic 4.6 per cent is behind Singapore, Vietnam and even Indonesia, and while other countries woo talented minds into their midst, we are losing ours left, right and centre, replaced by none other than cheap unskilled foreign workers who are prepared to work harder than an average Malaysian.
Other countries are cutting down on fuel subsidies and consumption, searching for alternative fuel and going green. Many are abandoning their cars, motorbikes and taking to the streets on foot and bicycles and the same time finding ways to increase productivity to offset the expensive fuel. Read the rest of this entry »
Understanding the bonds that make a nation
Posted by Kit in DAP, nation building on Saturday, 28 May 2011
Ronald Benjamin
The Malaysian Insider
May 27, 2011
MAY 27 — An article in The Malaysian Insider about the Democratic Action Party (DAP) reaching out to the Malays through its newly created online portal caught my attention. It made me reflect on a fundamental question of nation building in the Malaysian context: What would actually bond multi-ethnic Malaysia and how would such a bond be created?
There are indeed fundamental principles and endeavours that would bridge the ethnic divide in this country and transcend ethno-religious politicking and the constant political debates between the conservatives and liberals.
The first thing that political parties in Malaysia should do if they intend to cross boundaries of ethnic acceptance is that they have to understand the bond that holds human beings together. It is vital to understand the history, religion, language and culture of a nation and take steps to acknowledge that reality through the political dialogue of understanding and action. Read the rest of this entry »
NUJ: Utusan chose to pay subsidiaries over union workers
By Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
May 27, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — Utusan Melayu Bhd funnelled millions in profit into subsidiaries even while claiming it could not pay workers their mandatory bonus, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) revealed today.
Utusan Melayu had asserted there was no need to pay its NUJ members a contractual two-month bonus for 2009 , arguing it had lost RM26 million as an individual company that year.
Article 44 of the collective agreement between Utusan Melayu and its NUJ branch stipulates that union members must be paid a two-month bonus if the company turns a profit.
But the Industrial Court heard recently that the holding company paid out up to RM37.5 million from its operating profit to Utusan Media Sales Sdn Bhd and even gave the subsidiary’s employees a two-month bonus in 2009 despite refusing to pay NUJ members.
Utusan Melayu also did not demand payment from subsidiaries Utusan Printcorp Sdn Bhd and Utusan Publications and Distributors Sdn Bhd, which owed it RM19 million and RM8.4 million respectively. Read the rest of this entry »
Tweetup at Kota Kinabalu and Kuching
@limkitsiang tweetup details:-
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Saturday, 28 May 2011, 10am; Kota Kinabalu
Shangri La Hotel (conference room), Bandaran Jaya -
Monday, 30 May 2011, 7pm; Kuching
Lot 97, 1st & 2nd Floors,
Lorong 5a, Jalan Datuk Abang Abdul Rahim,
93450 Kuching, Sarawak.
All are welcome.
Gov’t to announce power tariff hike on Monday
Malaysiakini | May 27, 11
The National Economic Council (NEC) has today approved an increase in the electricity tariff but details will only be announced on Monday.
The NEC convened today in Putrajaya at a meeting involving several cabinet ministers chaired by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
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Sabah KDM BN parties must be firm on gerrymandering
By Daniel John Jambun (loyarburok.com) | May 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 27 — It had recently been announced that the Election Commission is planning to change yet again the boundaries of the state and parliamentary constituencies throughout the country. And so far, strangely, nobody has made any statement about the matter although we are all very much aware of the serious ramifications of such an exercise.
As a Kadazandusun voter and leader, I see this new redelineation as another opportunity for the Election Commission to indulge in another gerrymandering exercise — the manipulative shifting of electoral boundaries. For all we know, this exercise will be an all-important one in which BN will do its utmost to secure maximum political advantage through various ways.
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Page wants Putrajaya to make stand on English
By Clara Chooi | May 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — Pro-English language lobby group Page today pleaded with the Najib administration to stop delaying its decision on re-introducing PPSMI (Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English) as an option in schools.
Page chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim revealed to The Malaysian Insider today that the group had been invited for a discussion with the Education Ministry on April 29, but said the meeting was mysteriously cancelled at the last minute.
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Let us be blasphemous!
By Zan Azlee | May 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 27 — I am no longer a believer and will burn in hell for questioning Islam. And, by raising and seeking answers to issues that I am in doubt of, my children will even grow up to have sex with animals.
These are some of the things I have been called and accused of by certain people in reaction to the documentary films and articles I’ve written that deal with my religion.
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Of forest spirits and conservation
Posted by Kit in environment on Friday, 27 May 2011
By June Rubis | May 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 27 — The problem with conservation work is this: when you have finally done a right, it feels like a wrong.
I had only been based in central Kalimantan for less than a year, when the first major controversy of the conservation project that I was managing erupted.
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Di antara Gerakan dan DAP
By Wan Hamidi | May 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
27 MEI — Ada sebuah parti politik yang hampir semua pemimpin dan anggotanya adalah dari kaum Cina walau pun ia menegaskan perjuangannya untuk semua kaum. Matlamatnya ialah mewujudkan Malaysia yang bersatu, mengamalkan keadilan sosial dan bersifat sekular.
Ia juga mahu mewujudkan masyarakat yang mempunyai hak dan peluang saksama untuk semua walau pun bersetuju bahawa bantuan harus diberikan kepada mereka yang memerlukan tetapi tidak boleh berasaskan kaum.
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10 Days in May (36)
Tweets @limkitsiang:-
TBH RCI Sabarni’s family has cried out “Justice 4Sarbani” just as TBH family had been crying “Justice 4TBH” for 22 mths http://bit.ly/lMG3DL
11:44am
TBH Sarbani Amirnuddin Kugan latest case 17yr-old MohdJohariAbuBakar shot by police in Dengkil 13May tragic fatal cases put govt in dock
11:51am
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LRT lobbying tests Najib’s resolve to push public tenders
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Transport on Friday, 27 May 2011
The Malaysian Insider | May 27, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — The award of a contract to upgrade the light rail transit (LRT) line to European engineering powerhouse Balfour Beatty has sparked intense lobbying which is testing Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s commitment to public tenders.
According to a report in today’s Singapore Straits Times, the intense lobbying over the contract could also delay the PM’s plans to upgrade the chaotic transport network and inject fresh vigour into Malaysia’s economy.
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Pua: Water bonds premium price abuse of public funds
Posted by Kit in Financial Scandals on Friday, 27 May 2011
By Yow Hong Chieh | May 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — The federal government’s decision to buy back Selangor water bonds at a significant premium is not only an abuse of taxpayers’ monies but borders on the outrageous, Tony Pua has said.
Quoting The Edge Financial Daily, the DAP publicity chief said the RM6.5 billion rescue deal will see Putrajaya acquire the bonds for 94.49 against a mark-to-market value of only 54.54 at the end of last month, or 73.2 per cent above market value.
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10 Days in May (35)
Tweets @limkitsiang:-
DAP-Christian Msia May7 front-page not 1st time Utusan exploited bogey. Its worst example. Y it must be stopped @mpkotabelud does not know?
10:57am
Pathetic.MCA Ministers still dare not teamup w BN moderates 2demand action agnst Utusan though CSL shouts:MCA will stick 2stand! What stand?
11:06am
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