TwoSen

THE sixty-four-thousand-dollar question which everyone is asking after the recently concluded 59th Umno general assembly is whether the new Umno president and prime minister-in-waiting Datuk Seri Najib Razak is getting the team he wanted.

Secondly, how will the election results influence the choice of his cabinet members. Based on the election results, there appears to be a consensus that although Najib may not get all he wanted, the results should give him a reasonable level of satisfaction and comfort, given the fact that a fair number of new and young faces were elected. After all, politics is always the art of the possible.

What is most crucial now is the choice of his cabinet members to ensure the successful implementation of his reform agenda or the changes that must be made within Umno. The appointment of ministers and deputy ministers is the prime minister’s prerogative. Najib certainly wants to have a new team or, more to the point, his own team.

It would definitely simplify his task if those ministers and deputy ministers who lost in their bids for positions in the Umno elections resigned from their portfolios voluntarily. They should all follow the example of Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, the domestic trade and consumer affairs minister.

What Shahrir did is not only a magnanimous and honourable act on his part as an Umno leader but also, more significantly, in meeting Umno’s reform objective itself — putting party and national interests above personal interest.

We hope those concerned are magnanimous enough to follow in Shahrir’s footsteps as this would definitely be a positive step for the beginning of Umno’s serious efforts to reform itself. And there is no better or more appropriate time to do that than now and for Umno leaders to show leadership by example.

In any case, the vanquished are not all losers. Historically, losers have been retained as cabinet members although with less important portfolios. Those with proven intellectual abilities should continue to play critical and important roles outside the government.

NORAMTAZ ABDULLAH, Petaling Jaya

Source: NST – March 31, 2009

THE Earth Hour campaign last week was a good move by WWF-Malaysia. Unfortunately, the message was not clearly sent to everyone in the country to create full awareness. Only urban dwellers were aware of it.

Although the media had repeatedly shown or broadcast reports on the campaign, the rural folk were mostly ignorant of it.

Posters should have been put up in strategic points at our kampung, and the Information Department should have assigned people to deliver the message to the rural dwellers.

NG CHONG PHEE, Kampung Bercham, Ipoh

Source: NST – March 31, 2009

IT is really good of the New Straits Times to come up with the idea of telling the stories of unfortunate Malaysians who have benefited from the kindness and generosity of the papers’ readers via the NSTP General Fund (”We couldn’t have done it without you” — NST, March 23).

This has never been done before. The NST’s first story on Isma Nabila Ismail who was scalded by boiling water some 17 years ago (”Isma is grateful for the generosity of NST readers”) was a good piece. I am looking forward to many more success stories.

MOHD FAIZAL ABDULLAH, Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – March 31, 2009

I AGREE completely with DAP national chairman Karpal Singh’s view on the banning of the New Straits Times and Utusan Malaysia (”Revoke ban on dailies, Karpal tells Guan Eng” — NST, March 29).

The banning of the two newspapers from covering state functions in Penang by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng totally contradicts his CAT (competency, accountability and transparency) policy.

As far as I know, DAP has always been championing freedom of the press. As a senior member of DAP, Lim should be advocating freedom of the press; yet he seems intent on muzzling the press. This is shocking and shameful.

NST, being the oldest paper in this country, has always given a fair coverage of news. I remember those days when my grandfathers and my father looked forward each morning to reading this newspaper.

I’m sure the newspaper has many loyal readers, even in Penang. So, this ban is an insult as well as a slap in the face to these avid readers.

Let’s face it, as Karpal says, freedom of press involves looking at both the right and the wrong side of any administration. I feel that the chief minister should be able to take criticism and deal with it in a manner that would reflect DAP’s image as a fighter for freedom of the press.

Lately, Lim has been evasive to the press regarding the resignation of his deputy, Mohd Fairus Khairuddin. Is it because of NST’s wide coverage of this piece of news?

He should come out and explain clearly Fairus’ sudden resignation.

I hope Lim heeds the call by Karpal and lifts the ban on NST. He should remember that he is the chief minister of an important state in northern Malaysia.

He should not be afraid of criticism by the press. There are enough laws in this country to deal with any wrong information by the press. Why resort to a ban?

VIJAY SHANMUGAM, Taiping

Source: NST – March 31, 2009

I HAVE just learnt that a boy I know from Puchong, who did brilliantly in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination by obtaining 11As, was beaten up by three boys during National Service training at a camp in Seremban last week.

This has come as a shock to teachers like me and friends who were so proud that a boy from Puchong had scored so well in the SPM.

The family is very upset as they are pinning their hopes on the boy doing well in future and helping his brothers and sisters in their studies. It is not known what damage the beating has done, psychologically and physically.

What I couldn’t stomach was the insensitive and unsympathetic attitude of the camp commandant who told the father: “Ini kecil punya hal pun besarkan-kah?” (”This is a small thing; why make a big issue out of it?”)

These commandants don’t seem to have a heart. National Service trainees are not army recruits. Parents worry a lot when they send their children to the compulsory National Service training. They expect the commandant and the officers there to take good care of their children.

These commandants should be put in their place or fired. They would prefer such cases of violence not to be reported in the press as they would have to answer questions from the top. Probably, they expect the boys and parents to shake hands and forget everything like in some schools, even when a boy had stabbed another in the back with a knife.

In the latest case, the victim says he was hit with a food tray by three boys at the camp but the commandant insists only one boy was involved.

If the victims’ friends had not come to save him from further blows, the boy would have been grievously hurt. Money would then have been little compensation for a person’s life.

The government is spending RM600 million a year on National Service training. It is time to ask what actually are the benefits.

This latest incident shows clearly that the National Service programme has failed miserably to improve racial unity. The money would be better spent educating children in schools on each other’s religions and customs.

The country is facing an economic crisis. Why not suspend the National Service programme until the situation improves and use the money to help the poor who are suffering in the face of high food prices?

Why are brilliant boys being mixed with boys who are not at all interested in education? Why mix the undisciplined children with the well-behaved ones at these camps?

A rethink of the whole National Service programme is necessary. An independent report by a non-partisan body is needed to instil greater confidence in the programme.

One idea to explore is letting the private sector organise holiday leadership and unity courses for schoolchildren. This could be held at the school field, with camping thrown in.

C.V. CHAN, Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – March 31, 2009

Source: Hats off to men in blue

The Sun – March 30, 2009

Source: Keen to settle study loan

The Sun – March 30, 2009

OF LATE, there have been calls to adopt the sports science approach to improve our physical and health education programme in our schools but having observed how the system works over the years, I am inclined to believe that all those components that should rightly be taught in the physical and health education (PHE) subject will likely remain that way – looking good only on paper.

How on earth can the sports science approach be realised when our students have only two periods of physical and health education lessons a week? And out of these two periods, the PE teachers also have to find time for health education lessons in the classroom as well as “Segak”, the recently introduced PE pre-test and post-test to assess the students’ fitness. As a result, students often end up having to make do without any PHE classes for weeks. And then we have certain schools which sacrifice their PHE periods to teach other subjects

If we keep adding more subjects to the bloated school timetable, there will be a trade-off. And it looks like PHE will be one of the subjects which will be sacrificed to make time for other subjects.

All educationists agree that the role of schools is to provide wholesome and balanced education for our children. And this includes not merely striving for academic excellence and building good character, but also to mould our children into healthy individuals – very much in line with our national educational philosophy.

But unfortunately, the harsh reality is that in implementing the “educational reforms and changes”, instead of our schools being made for children, it is more often the case of our students being compelled to fit into schools with inflexible and unimaginative curriculum.

Thus over the years we have more and more unnecessary subjects such English for science and technology, and moral studies, to name just two, that serve to make school life more difficult for our children. And the poor kids often end up being burdened and stressed up with having to cope with more and more academic stuff that matters little to them in real life except to make life more taxing for them, less time for other meaningful pursuits due to time constraints (please don’t forget the many hours they spend each week on compulsory co-curricular activities) and having to lug even heavier satchels to school each day. Which also means that most of our students are even less likely to indulge in serious reading and quiet reflection, more so when they are exhausted by the end of the school day. Our policymakers would do well to bear in mind the timely reminder of Thomas L. Friedman, who in his best-seller, The World is Flat, pointed out that in the truly globalised environment HOW we educate our children may prove to be more important than HOW MUCH we educate them.

And if we reflect on the much debated and controversial moral studies subject, common sense should tell us that children pick up good moral values and habits from good role models, be they their teachers, parents or community leaders. In other words, values are very much caught and not taught and that compelling students to memorise 36 values only to regurgitate them for their exam to ensure that they can secure an “A” for this paper does not necessarily make them better individuals with high moral integrity overnight. And the very fact that the Education Ministry, suddenly saw it fit to yet introduce another subject called civics and citizenship into secondary schools in 2005 is in a way an admission that our moral education subject is not effective in moulding students into solid citizens with high moral standards to help check the rising cases of indiscipline in many schools. But I digress.

Really, judging by the enthusiasm and interest shown by students whenever they are given a chance to get out of the class to enjoy games and activities in the field, and the disappointment registered on their faces whenever they are denied the chance to go to the field during their PE periods, it is both sad and pathetic to see how they long to be released from all stress and pressure getting cooped up in their overcrowded classrooms and subjected to so many tedious and dry lessons in a futile chase for as many A’s as they can possibly get in the academic rat race.

And when there is so little fun in learning and so many unhealthy distractions in life, it is small wonder that we are witnessing more and more disciplinary and bullying cases in schools these days. When students are bored and burdened with so many subjects they, especially the non-academically inclined students who can’t cope with their studies, are not going to sit still in the classroom and watch the world go by. But at least by allowing them to enjoy more PE periods to de-stress, such students may well put them in a better frame of mind to pay more attention in class.

To conclude, having witnessed so many educational changes that somehow failed to achieve their objectives, I get tired of hearing all this talk about the need for a paradigm shift in our education system, the need to liberate minds and all that jazz. I take them with a pinch of salt.

For as long as our education system is politicised and changes made without deep deliberation, foresight, solid planning and effective implementation, the quality of our education system would not change for the better – not when we don’t have enough right people with open and enlightened minds to forge sensible, practical and meaningful changes to the system.

Teacher’s Blues
Ipoh

Source: The Sun – March 30, 2009

BEING a Penang citizen for 59 years, a registered voter and a concerned nature lover, I would like to express my views on the tiger park issue.

Do the two tigers belong to the state? These two animals once belonged to a farm. The owner should be held solely liable for the tigers?

It is absurd to allocate 45ha for two tigers. The tourists will have difficulty finding the animals.

The whole area will have to be fenced with super stainless steel or any other structures to retain these two free ranging animals.

Have any departments made an in-depth study of the plants and animals within the proposed zone. Some of them could be endemic to Penang island only. Tigers being hunters by instinct will hunt whatever animals they find within the park.

K.H.Lee
Penang

Source: The Sun – March 30, 2009

AS A conservationist, I am proud and thankful that so many of my fellow Malaysians have voiced their concern about climate change. By supporting Earth Hour 2009, we are all sending a clear message to the governments of the world that we want them to take urgent action to mitigate climate change. Each supporter’s signature matters, especially as 2009 is a critical year in determining the future of our planet. In December this year the world’s leaders will meet at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen to write and potentially sign a successor to the Kyoto treaty. Earth Hour 2009 aimed to provide a platform for 1 billion people from around the world to express their desire for unified and urgent action on climate change in the lead up to Copenhagen.

With reference to the letter “More to saving the planet” (March 23), WWF-Malaysia is not presenting Earth Hour as a long-term solution to mitigate climate change; this global effort is an important first step in the fight against global warming. People will only be motivated to take effective action against environmental threats like climate change if they are first made aware of the issue through campaigns like Earth Hour. After Earth Hour has raised public awareness about the need to combat global warming, WWF-Malaysia hopes that Malaysians, and the people of the world, will continue to demonstrate their concern about climate change by taking steps towards achieving energy efficiency.

Among the simple steps that everyone can take to help save energy are: switch off unused lights; switch unused appliances off standby; switch to energy efficient light globes; reduce use of hot water; and minimise the use of air-conditioners.

Businesses that would like to explore methods of developing and implementing more environmentally-friendly and energy efficient business practices are most welcome to contact us at corporaterelations@wwf.org.my.

WWF-Malaysia sincerely thanks every person who has taken the important first step in the fight against climate change by signing up and pledging to switch off at www.earthhour.org/malaysia. Hopefully, we can all continue to take action towards energy efficiency and mitigating global warming – not only on March 28, 2009 but every day of the year.

Datuk Dr Dionysius S.K. Sharma
Executive Director/CEO
WWF-Malaysia

Source: The Sun – March 30, 2009