PAGE says likely to continue PPSMI struggle
By Clara Chooi
November 05, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) will likely pursue its cause to retain PPSMI in schools despite expressing “deep appreciation” to the government for allowing those already enjoying the policy to continue.
PAGE chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim told The Malaysian Insider she was “pleasantly surprised” by yesterday’s announcement by Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin but admitted the decision still fell short of the group’s demands.
“We are in a difficult situation now… we do deeply appreciate what the government has agreed to and we sincerely thank them.
“But at the same time, we want this (PPSMI) policy for our future generation, to go beyond 2020, until we are all dead and gone. We want this opportunity given to all,” she said when contacted last night. Read the rest of this entry »
Appeal against UUCA judgment flies in the face of PM’s political transformation programme
Posted by Kit in Court, Human Rights, Parliament, university on Saturday, 5 November 2011, 6:52 am
by Tony Pua MP
National Publicity Secretary DAP
5.11.11
The decision by the Cabinet to allow the appeal of the Court of Appeal judgement that Section 15.(5)(a) of the University and University Colleges Act1971 (UUCA) is unconstitutional flies in the face of the Prime Minister’s “politicaltransformation programme”.
After a series of calls for the Government to not appeal the Court of Appeal judgement that Section 15.(5)(a) of the UUCA made by top politicians from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat, hopes were high that the Cabinet will abide by and accept the Court’s decision.
The UMNO Youth Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, Deputy Higher Education Minister, Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah and MCA Youth Chief, Datuk Wee Ka Siong have made a show of openly supported the Court’s position that the relevant section of the UUCA is unconstitutional and the UUCA should be amended accordingly.
In the “spirit” of the political transformationprogramme launched by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the eve of Malaysia Day where he announced the proposed repeal and amendment of various draconian Acts such as the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the Printing Pressand Publications Act (PPPA), Malaysians were expecting an enlightened decision by the Cabinet to finally remove the shackles of academic freedom at our institutions of higher learning. Read the rest of this entry »
The deadly sins of Umno
Posted by Kit in Lim Guan Eng, UMNO on Saturday, 5 November 2011, 2:05 am
— Jacob Sinnathamby
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 04, 2011
NOV 4 — Every day a layer of deception is peeled away from the men and women who govern this country and who have a choke grip on our fate. The ongoing Parliament session and the reaction to the Auditor-General’s Report and the campaign of lies against Lim Guan Eng’s son have led me to think more deeply about Umno and what motivates them to behave and think and speak in the manner they do.
For ease of reference, I will list out the characteristics of Umno (and here I mean the leaders of the party) and will call them the deadly sins of Umno.
1) Pride. This characteristic flows through Muhyiddin Yassin to Khairy Jamaluddin. The Umno leader has no or little humility, he believes that he is a self-made person and is entitled to every position, privilege he has, not for a moment stopping to accept that it is through God’s grace that he is an elected representative.
Pride is manifested in this party where NO ONE owns up to a mistake and says sorry. Did Muhyiddin or Khairy say sorry for jumping on the wrong bandwagon and perpetuating an untruth against a 16-year-old boy? Read the rest of this entry »
Has Muhyiddin performed a “coup” against Najib and other non-UMNO Cabinet Ministers and parties?
Posted by Kit in Education, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak on Friday, 4 November 2011, 2:57 pm
Has the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin done a “coup” against the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and other non-UMNO Cabinet Ministers and parties including MCA, MIC and Gerakan in unilaterally and arbitrarily without Cabinet authority declaring as “final” the decision to discontinue the PPSMI policy on the teaching of mathematics and science in English and slamming shut the door of a review?
The Prime Minister had promised before the Sarawak polls in April this year that the government would consider using dual languages as the medium of instruction for mathematics and science in schools, and it is precisely because of such an undertaking that the leaders/Ministers from non-UMNO Barisan Nasional parties have come out publicly in support of the principle that parents should be given the option of deciding on continuing with PPSMI in selected schools.
Although Muhyiddin had dismissed calls from the top MCA and MIC leadership that the government allow schools the option to retain PPSMI, declaring that representatives from both MCA and MIC (which would include Gerakan) in the Cabinet had agreed to its abolition in 2009, the Deputy Prime Minister should explain why he had singly, uniaterally and arbitrarily overriden the powers of the Cabinet to review the 2009 decision – and whether Muhyiddin had the full approval and agreement of Najib to make such a “final” decision on PPSMI when the Prime Minister is away from the country?
Read the rest of this entry »
PAGE: Malays lose most from scrapping of PPSMI
By Patrick Lee | November 3, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Rural students are the biggest losers from the government’s decision to stop the teaching of science and mathematics in English, according to the Parents Action Group for Education (PAGE).
PAGE chairperson Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said rural students, especially Malays, would end up speaking only Malay because they would have no context in which to apply English.
She questioned the wisdom of the decision, saying Malaysia was going against the tide when “countries all over the world are pushing for English”. She said she was now convinced that Barisan Nasional was not the right party to govern the nation.
She was commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s latest statement on the scrapping of PPSMI (the Malay abbreviation for the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English). Muhyiddin, who is the Education Education, said today that the decision was final.
Read the rest of this entry »
Nail in the coffin for PPSMI, says Muhyiddin
Posted by Kit in Education, English, Muhyiddin Yassin on Thursday, 3 November 2011, 3:29 pm
Nigel Aw | Nov 3, 2011
Malaysiakini
Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said today the decision to discontinue the teaching of mathematics and science in English (PPSMI) policy is final.
So, calls for the programme to be retained are two years too late, said Muhyiddin, who is also deputy prime minister.
“In 2009, (when the abolition of PPSMI was announced) there was no negative reaction. The majority accepted it well.
“I presented it in the cabinet, everyone agreed, I brought it to Parliament and everyone, including the opposition at that time, agreed.
“But now, because there are some groups opposed to it, they (the opposition) want to jump on the bandwagon.” Read the rest of this entry »
Alas! They are sinking!
Posted by Kit in Lim Guan Eng, Penang, Politics on Thursday, 3 November 2011, 2:38 pm
Opinion
By LIM MUN FAH
Translated by Soong Phui Jee
Sin Chew Daily
2011-11-03
Ploys are inevitable in politics but it is a different matter whether the ploys are brilliant.
The recent political ploy of accusing Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s teenage son of molesting a girl, who was later identified as 21-year-old chess grandmaster from Britain, has been greatly criticised. It has been expected that the ridiculous allegation would trigger an uproar and that is also why other politicians have drawn a line with it to avoid being dragged into the sewage.
However, if you think that public opinion can deter a repeat of similar incident, then you are wrong. Since they have done such dirty things, what else wouldn’t they do?
As expected, someone took another action. This time, a group of 300 protesters on motorcycles claimed to be made up of members of several non-governmental organisations had staged a demonstration outside the Penang State Assembly building in Light Street. All in yellow shirts printed with political words, the group demanded a racing circuit. Read the rest of this entry »
Poetic justice for Guan Eng
Posted by Kit in DAP, Lim Guan Eng, Pakatan Rakyat, Penang on Thursday, 3 November 2011, 2:15 pm
by Jeswan Kaur
Free Malaysia Today
November 3, 2011
The glowing words of praise heaped by the auditor-general in his latest report stand as proof that DAP is no fluke and has what it takes to turn Penang around.
COMMENT
The recently released Auditor-General’s Report comes as poetic justice for Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in particular and Barisan Nasional’s nemesis, Pakatan Rakyat in general. The report is full of praises as to how the state has successfully improved its financial position.
According to the report, Penang last year improved its financial position over 2009.
“The audit analysis found that consolidated funds of 2010 had improved compared to previous years and is at the highest level compared to the previous five years,” the report stated.
Lim took over the state’s top post in 2008 after DAP, a member of the Pakatan coalition, nudged Gerakan out in the 12th general election and took charge of Penang.
In the three years, despite all brickbats from his BN counterparts, Lim remains steadfastly focused on improving the state’s performance. The result? Words of praise by the auditor-general.
Still, like all hardworking people, Lim faced and continues to experience stinging criticism from Umno and BN which have left no stone unturned in belittling and condemning his efforts in transforming Penang for the better. Read the rest of this entry »
Rahim Noor should crawl back into the woodwork
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Human Rights, Police on Thursday, 3 November 2011, 11:31 am
by P. Ramakrishnan
1 November 2011
A man who infamously trampled upon the rights of others has no right to speak on human rights. He is the least qualified to speak on this subject.
Yet, the former Inspector–General of Police, Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor, emerging as it were from the dead, expressed some startling views on human rights.
He is quoted as having said that the coming of a “human rights wave” would threaten the principles on which this country was founded. Read the rest of this entry »
Prurience and piety: that recent Malaysian case
— by Clive Kessler
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 03, 2011
NOV 3 — Dina Zaman, in her commentary entitled “Let’s talk about (halal) sex” (The Malaysian Insider, October 26) has already commented that: “Like many Malaysians, I was flabbergasted and speechless when I read online accounts of the launch of the [now-banned] book titled, ‘Seks Islam — Perangi Yahudi Untuk Kembalikan Seks Islam Kepada Dunia (Sex in Islam — Wage War Against Jews To Return Islamic Sex To The World)’.
“One, the English titled begged to be deciphered as it made no sense. Two, the title, even when understood, also begged for a suspension of disbelief. They cannot be serious about this: Having kosher sex meant that the Jews would be destroyed? How? What position would help destroy the Zionists for good?”
Not out of prurience, or any love of “raunch” and sexual scandal, nor even to cast much merited ridicule on these pathetic “wannabes”, but to indicate and exemplify the peculiar nature of the “full-on” Islamist “political psyche” — and, more generally, for the contemplation of the depth psychologists and political symbolism “decoders” — attention must be called to this weird variant, or “transformation”, of the 1960s slogan “make love, not war”. Read the rest of this entry »
Sinking deeper and deeper
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Economics, Finance, Financial Scandals on Wednesday, 2 November 2011, 5:26 pm
By S JAYASANKARAN, KL CORRESPONDENT | 31 Oct 2011
Business Times
MALAYSIA should take heed of the problems – the public anger, the social unrest – posed by the solutions offered to tackle rising sovereign debt in Europe. God forbid that we head that way!
The Auditor-General’s recent report pointed out that Malaysia’s national debt rose 12.3 per cent to over RM407 billion (S$165 billion) in 2010. The amount is equivalent to 53.1 per cent of gross domestic product. It’s the second straight year that the national debt has exceeded 50 per cent.
The figure is a reflection of the spending spree the country went on to mitigate the effects of the 2009 global financial crisis. At its peak that year, the budget deficit rose to 7.6 per cent of GDP, the highest in two decades.
It has since come down to 5.4 per cent of GDP and the government projects that it will decline further to 4.7 per cent of GDP next year. But that may be overly optimistic.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Gemas feedlot debacle; half-truths and pertinent questions
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Parliament on Wednesday, 2 November 2011, 2:16 pm
— by Nawawi Mohamad
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 02, 2011
NOV 2 — A RM73.64 million government project in Gemas, Negri Sembilan linked to Minister Datuk Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s family to produce 8,000 heads of cattle in 2010 and ultimately 60,000 heads in 2015 has turned into a mess when production was at only 3,289 heads in 2010 that is only 41.1 per cent.
This was reported by the Auditor-General – and subsequently reported in the media.
In parliament Noh Omar, who is the Agriculture Minister, deemed the project successful because “the total number of cattle brought into the farm between 2008 and 2010 was 8,016”.
But the main purpose of the farm is to produce cows and not to bring in cows from somewhere else and feed them before slaughter! Read the rest of this entry »
Electoral fraud – part and parcel of our election process
By P Ramakrishnan, Aliran president | 31 October 2011
If anything, these allegations have become credible because irrefutable evidence of fraudulent registrations have been unearthed in the electoral roll. What we have seen exposed are not few and minor incidences that may be explained away quite easily. Clearly, these are rampant and, therefore, disturbing.
Dubious voters
The late P Patto who lost to Samy Vellu in the Sungai Siput contest in 1990 by a narrow margin of 1763 votes revealed why he lost that year during a forum at the Penang Chinese Assembly Hall. He explained that Indian voters were registered at Chinese residences when there were no tenants living there; others were registered at non-existent addresses and some addresses attributed to certain voters turned out to be at the cemetery! He also revealed that voters were brought from Klang in buses to cast their votes in Sungai Siput. These are serious cases of electoral fraud.
This is a story that goes back to 1990 – 21 years ago! But the pattern persists even today.
Read the rest of this entry »
At the Commonwealth summit, the human rights proselytisers no longer hold sway
Posted by Kit in Commonwealth, Human Rights on Tuesday, 1 November 2011, 6:03 pm
by John Kampfner
guardian.co.uk
30 October 2011
The Perth summit reveals how compromised western leaders are in their efforts to promote human rights
The death knell of the Commonwealth has been sounded for as long as there have been summits. By accident rather than design, this anachronistic gathering of 54 states may actually say more about the state of global priorities than the participants realise. And the direction of travel is grim.
At their meeting in Perth over the weekend, the leaders rejected many of the recommendations of a report by a team of the great and good, the eminent persons group (EPG), designed to move the Commonwealth’s democratic laggards towards basic norms.
In search of a lowest-common-denominator consensus, the summit accepted some less controversial ideas, such as a charter. The idea of a human rights commissioner, however, proved too much. “There have been a few blips like in any part of the world but I don’t think it demanded a commissioner,” noted Suruj Rambachan, the foreign minister of Trinidad. Under pressure from South Africa and other states, the summit even refused to publish the EPG’s report.
The former prime minister of Malaysia, who chaired the EPG, said the summit would be remembered as a failure. Malcolm Rifkind, the former UK foreign secretary, described the unwillingness to publish the report as a disgrace. This is hardly surprising, as the Commonwealth comprises a veritable who’s who of governments with dubious human rights records – from Nigeria, Cameroon and Rwanda to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Singapore. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib should announce full acceptance and no appeal against landmark Court of Appeal judgment striking down Section 15(5)(a) of UUCA as unconstitutional
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Court, Najib Razak, university on Tuesday, 1 November 2011, 1:57 pm
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, should announce full acceptance and no appeal against the landmark Court of Appeal judgment yesterday striking down Section 15(5)(a) of Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) as unconstitutional in violating the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech.
This will be an early test of Najib’s political will, bona fides and commitment to initiate a sea change of democratization and political transformation which he had promised after the most adverse national and international reactions to the high-handed government crackdown of the July 9 Bersih 2.0 peaceful demonstration for free, fair and clean elections system – with the establishment of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Electoral System, and the pledges of repeal of the draconian Internal Security Act as well as repeal or reform of the arsenal of repressive laws in the country including the Universities and University Colleges Act, the Police Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Sedition Act, etc.
Najib should know that all his promises of “democratization and political transformation” have evoked more cynicism, skepticism and disbelief than hope, expectation and belief – and this is because the Najib government has not demonstrated any change of mindset and mentality that the whole apparatus of government has been attuned and oriented to the new challenges of democratization and political transformation.
It is most refreshing and inspiring that the Court of Appeal, through Justice Hishamuddin Yunus and Justice Linton Albert, have spoken out courageously, loud and clear for human rights and the supremacy of the Constitution at this particular juncture.
Read the rest of this entry »
Our school children as sacrificial lambs
Posted by Kit in Education, English, History, Lim Teck Ghee, Muhyiddin Yassin, nation building on Tuesday, 1 November 2011, 11:00 am
By Dr Lim Teck Ghee | 1 November 2011
CPIASIA
During the past year, there have been three controversies arising from regressive policy decisions of the Ministry of Education which have set our educational system backwards. The three controversies revolve around
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The teaching of Science and Mathematics for Fourth Form students in Bahasa Malaysia instead of English
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The use of the Interlok book as a compulsory text in the schools
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The decision to make history a compulsory subject as well as a pass requirement for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM)
All three – though simmering for some years now – are rapidly coming to a head during the tenure of the Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as the Minister of Education.
Read the rest of this entry »
Bolehland’s Bunch of No-Nos
Posted by Kit in Hishammuddin, Martin Jalleh, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 1 November 2011, 10:33 am
By Martin Jalleh
31 Oct. 2011
Najib has no balls
Muhyiddin has no brains
Hishammuddin has no integrity.
Rais Yatim has no sense
Zahid has no defence
Nazri has no consistency. Read the rest of this entry »
Surcharge who?
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Health, Sabah on Tuesday, 1 November 2011, 8:47 am
Sdr. Lim Kit Siang, You might be interested in my experience in Sabah, trying to save Government/Taxpayers’ Money:
When I was serving in Sabah, in 1989 I think it was, and called for quotations to buy ‘Dental Drills’ for use in the field by Nurses, to fill Children’s teeth. You may not know that the Children in Sabah had really very poor Dental Health, and there was an urgent need to do as much as possible, by way of stretching both equipment and personnel available. Read the rest of this entry »
Seven-billionth human marks demographic change: expert
Posted by Kit in environment, Population on Monday, 31 October 2011, 6:59 pm
by Jim Forsyth
Reuters
Sun, Oct 30 2011
SAN ANTONIO, Tex (Reuters) — The seven-billionth human is expected to be born on Monday, but an expert who helps do the counting says that event comes as the Earth undergoes a demographic shift toward slower population growth.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, the seven-billionth child is most likely to be a boy born in India or China, but the trend of fertility in the longer term is in a different direction, says Dudley Poston, a professor of sociology and demographics at Texas A&M University,
For the first time ever, the human reproduction rate is slowing, in many places slowing significantly, and the slowing growth is not only happening in Europe and Japan, he says.
“Once your fertility rates drops below two, it is very very hard to get it to go back up again,” Poston told Reuters.
“We now have 75 countries in the world where the fertility rate is below two,” meaning the average woman is having fewer than two children.
That is far below the rate of 2.2 to 2.3 considered optimal to hold the population steady, factoring in the number of females who have no children or who don’t live to reach childbearing age. Read the rest of this entry »
GE 13 – “I can DELIVER” talk is cheap!
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak on Monday, 31 October 2011, 6:33 pm
A primary one student can also claim easily that he can deliver. In fact all salesmen, businessmen and any Tom Dick and Harry can promised and said “I can deliver”.
I was disconnected from the virtual and outside world for almost a month and have no idea what the local political scenes have turned into. While eating the bungkus nasi lemak I read from the wrapped star paper headlines “I can deliver – Najib Razak”.
Today after getting connected again and having read most of the political news, I wonder what the PM meant by “I can deliver”. By just giving a salesman type of answer “I can deliver” means nothing if the whole system of manufacturing the product is not working in sync. Read the rest of this entry »
