Zairil Khir Johari
Malaysiakini
Sep 29, 2012
Outrageous defamation of Guan Eng in the STPM trial examinations is nothing more than a malicious personal attack based on fabricated lies and a shameless attempt at brainwashing students.
According to press reports, state-wide STPM trial examinations in Johor contain an inflammatory question-and-answer scheme that asserts the implication that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s “warning” to schools in Penang not to subscribe to Malay mainstream newspapers is “racist and impeding integration among races”.
The essay question requires students to discuss the hypothesis that “integration among races can be achieved through national education system, but various challenges have to be overcome to realise this objective.”
According to the alleged answer scheme, one of the answers to this question was:
“The warning of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to 84 Chinese primary schools in the state to stop subscribing to Malay language mainstream newspapers is a racist action that impedes integration among races”.
Such an attempt to implicitly accuse the chief minister of a racist action is outrageous because not only is it a malicious personal attack based on fabricated lies, it is also a shameless attempt at brainwashing students through politicising education.
In early April this year, the chief minister had in jest asked Chinese schools not to subscribe to Utusan and Berita Harian but to replace them with Sinar Harian instead, a national Malay daily that is more respected and objective in its scope.
This is based on the fact that the BN-controlled media such Utusan Malaysia and the official Umno website Umno-Online have repeatedly fabricated malicious lies and accusations against the chief minister, including allegations that his underaged son had assaulted a female classmate.
The arrogance of money
Even though such and many other allegations have been proven to be untrue, no apology or action from the authorities have been forthcoming.
As a result of this inaction, the chief minister had no choice but to bring the matter to the courts by filing two defamation suits against Utusan.
In both cases, the chief minister won and was awarded RM200,000 in damages.
However, RM200,000 appears to be loose change for Utusan for they have continued to defame the chief minister, safe in the knowledge that they can afford such damages.
With a proven history of defamation and lies against the chief minister, is it even right for schools to continue to subscribe to such a rag?
For the chief minister to be implicitly called a racist for this comment is both injudicious and misleading, when the chief minister had also “suggested” that the schools subscribe to Sinar Harian instead.
Is the latter not a Malay newspaper as well?
Finally, the politicising of education has to stop. In addition to the above, another examination question listed “joining the opposition” as one of the choices to the question, “Which of the following will cause a person’s citizenship to be stripped?”
Clearly, there is a concerted attempt to malign and influence young students against the Opposition.
This shameless case of brainwashing students is repugnant and akin to propaganda tactics used in Nazi Germany.
ZAIRIL KHIR JOHARI is special officer to the Penang Chief Minister.
#1 by boh-liao on Wednesday, 3 October 2012 - 11:57 pm
Under NR, what else but NAJIS politics n governance
Even schools n school kids r not spared NAJIS
#2 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 12:28 am
Now LGE has to sue the Ministry of Education and Muhyiddin in his capacity as the Minister. But that would be moot, after all, the moo-man would have to vacate his office come GE 13.
#3 by monsterball on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 4:45 am
Umno B keep trying to poison young minds with half truths with Utusan…and Lim Guan Eng advised students not to read Utusan…and Malay papers.
The fight goes on.
Truthful Man Vs Liars.
#4 by monsterball on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 4:45 am
And Truth always win.
#5 by Bigjoe on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 10:39 am
Nazi Germany? Nazi Germany was serious, systematically thought through although evil. Its freaking North Korean if you ask me..Its the stuff of mad crazies… and still evil.
They do these stuff and THEN ALI RUSTAM goes abuse his power to get govt agencies to pay for his son’s wedding AND lied as well as got it wrong that its OK to be ‘corporate sponsored’.
These people are stuck in the Dark Ages. What ‘TRANFORMATION’?
#6 by yhsiew on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 11:09 am
Innocent students should not be dragged into feuds between politicians. Hope the people who set such questions for the STPM trial examinations can be more mature.
#7 by Albert Choong on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 11:17 am
This really show their (BN and UMNO b) desperation, deceit, cheating and everything Malaysia Boleh in order to win another term of vaunted power for the sake of money and aggrandizement, not to serve the RAKYAT!
Since their BTN has failed to brain wash the students, civil servants and Malaysians in general, they have now infiltrated His Majesty’s Malaysian Examination Syndicate and posed biased political Qs and smuts in our local run public examinations to brain wash the young minds!
#8 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 11:36 am
If I am not wrong, NONE of Malaysia’s universities made it to the top 400 of the 2012-13 THES list released early this morning. Again Singapore and East Asia’s universities continue to be well represented in the top listing.
Maybe it is because of these types of questions that appear in our national examinations that does not do our education system any good. These questions and our poor academic standards will no doubt lead to our universities being banana universities.
#9 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 11:47 am
On the ‘racist question’ in the trial examination, it might appear that candidates who do not tow the accept line of argument or debate would probably fail their coming examinations. No other views or differing arguments would be acceptable to the examiners who would probably fail the candidate. Brainwashing is definitely the word.
Our students are not allowed to think but have to tow the acceptable line of arguments if they want to score good grades and to get the elusive scholarships. You must have a BN-tracked mind.
#10 by dagen wanna "ABU" on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 1:59 pm
Bodoh punya umno.
#11 by dagen wanna "ABU" on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 2:07 pm
BTW, a tsunami swept through the Min for Higher Education and swallowed all our universities. Now we have none left on the 400 top universities ranking chart for 2012/13.
#12 by Godfather on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 4:45 pm
To UMNO, fighting for survival means anything is fair game. Hiring melayus to throw pigs’ heads into mosques is fair game. Changing history is fair game. Brainwashing through education is fair game. What do you expect ? Gentlemanly conduct when they could be hauled up for treason, corruption, theft, etc should they lose the elections ?
#13 by Godfather on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 5:00 pm
It’s going to get a lot worse.
#14 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 4 October 2012 - 5:18 pm
Aren’t State-wide STPM trial examinations (Moral Studies papers for eg) set by senior teachers of schools designated by State Education Dept officers based on seniority?
Trial exams papers are set by individual teachers (I know of one) – I don’t think the questions set are vetted or edited by State Education officers who are not qualified in the subject to do so.
The teacher who set that question may be pro BN or anti PR but that does not tantamount to saying its one of the orchestrated Nazi like attempts by govt or Ministry of Education to poison young minds.
I am sure the propaganda machine of BN govt does take young minds into purview for propagnda purposes but I am questioning whether it is the case in this particular instance & eg of moral study questions for trial exams set by individual teachers, and not ministry officials.