TwoSen

IT cannot be denied that, despite some hiccups, the Barisan Nasional government has run the economy well.

Despite the financial slump of the mid-1980s and 1998 Asian financial crisis, the nation managed to hold its head above water.

This was not due to good luck, or chance, but prudent financial planning Bank Negara, for example, is properly managed and conducts policy based on strong fundamentals.

During the last crisis, a unique debt-restructuring scheme was launched, which saw the country through, while others suffered.

The Securities Commission and Bursa Malaysia are equally well administered. Incidentally, the market has performed well in recent months.

Economic indicators have been released by the prime minister from time to time.

Growth rate is between six and seven per cent. Gross domestic product is on the rise, while inflation and unemployment remain low.

The budget deficit is narrowing steadily and foreign reserves are high. Malaysia remains admirably competitive in world trade, with a record RM1 trillion trade conducted last year.

Contrary to popular belief, foreign investment continues to come in. There is no need for scepticism over these figures, as one only needs to compare them with other Asean or Asian nations.

A look at the price of essential items such as cooking oil, flour and petroleum will show that they are among the lowest in the region.

To ensure people are not burdened, the cost of cooking oil is maintained by a cess collection from big producers of palm oil, while petrol and diesel prices are subsidised by the government.

The opposition claims that Petronas’ substantial revenue should be used to further reduce the price of petrol. This is not prudent fiscal planning, as oil and gas reserves will not last forever.

The future of a developing country such as Malaysia depends on sound governance and political stability.

When these are assured, not only will it generate the local economy and instil confidence in investors, it will also accelerate the nation towards fully developed status.

The good life can be sustained and appreciated by all.

This is an appeal to voters to choose wisely.

DATUK DR S. VIJAYARATNAM, Seremban

Source: NST – March 6, 2008

LIKE it or not, a strong government is what we need today.

But that can come about only if we are pragmatic and vote right. We should use our heads instead of our hearts when casting the ballot.

We should not succumb to vague perceptions of having been wronged or excluded.

This is all no good. Nobody in Malaysia gets all. But we do get our share and this is how things are distributed.

Look at the big picture. Stop these petty squabbles. There is no perfect government in the world. There is no utopia here or anywhere else in the world. Be real and practical.

It is we who make a government good or not. Let us make it good, strong and friendly.

We need to have strong government at the national and state levels.

And this would be good for the rakyat.

We should strive to not rock the boat or we will all sink.

Please bear this in mind on March 8 when you vote.

BULBIR SINGH, Seremban

Source: NST – March 6, 2008

WE request and hope that whoever is elected in the 12th general election will serve with accountability, compassion, transparency, integrity and honesty to bring even more progress to Malaysia over the next five years.

Our country is a lovely and beautiful nation. Treat her well and we will be well.

C.K.H., Ipoh

Source: NST – March 6, 2008

LAST Friday, I was lunching with some friends. Inevitably, the discussion was centred on the general election.

I was shocked to discover that only five of the 10 in the group were registered voters.

The rest, in their late 30s and 40s, had never registered.

These are no ordinary people. They are mostly middle and upper-category civil servants.

How can civil servants stay away from voting? Although voting is still voluntary, it is unthinkable how some civil servants cannot be bothered to register as voters.

It is understandable for civil servants to be neutral on issues related to politics but that does not mean they should stay away from voting.

Civil servants who have not registered as voters after several years in the government service should do some soul-searching.

Cuepacs should look into this matter seriously as this does not reflect well on the civil service.

S.P., Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – March 6, 2008

THE RHB Bank-New Straits Times Spell-It-Right (SIR) challenge should be given serious attention and thought by schools in each state.

The challenge is open to all primary and secondary schools and each school is allowed to send four participants. Each state is allowed to have a maximum of 36 schools for each category and entry is on a first-come-first-served basis.

The state-level SIR Challenge will be held from next month until June and the winners will participate at the national level to be held at the National Museum auditorium in Kuala Lumpur in August.

The RHB and New Straits Times should be commended for organising the SIR challenge on such a massive level.

Writing is the most difficult language skill for pupils to acquire. And the most common form of error in writing is spelling. Therefore, it is an important component of the writing exercise as it exposes pupils to new vocabulary, meaning, pronunciation and the written form.

As to the manner of conducting the SIR challenge, would it not be better for the pupils to write the word on a piece of paper than to spell out the word verbally?

This would allow the challenge to be done on a wider scale and the same words could be used all over the country, instead of using different sets of words for each state. This is to ensure uniformity and equality so that it will truly reflect the top speller in the country.

This way, the state-level challenges can be held simultaneously on a particular date at the different state venues, instead of stretching it over a period of three months.

It is also commendable that the SIR challenge specifies that British English will prevail during the challenge.

One common problem in conducting spelling sessions is that certain words have the same sound and pronunciation. Homophones are words that have the same sounds but differ in spelling and meaning, for example, “knew” and “new” and “weather” and “whether”.

To avoid problems of uncertainty in the spelling of such words, it would be wise to use the words in context so that the pupil can distinguish and spell the required word.

Spelling tests should be held regularly in primary and secondary schools during English lessons. Teachers should conduct spelling sessions of 5-10 minutes for every lesson. Apart from spelling tests, dictation should also be revived in the classroom.

Both the spelling and dictation exercises would enable pupils to distinguish the correct contextual use of words in a sentence.

I hope that the spelling challenge organised by RHB/NST will be emulated at the school level, district level, state level and national level by the Education Ministry to improve the standard of English in this country.

SAMUEL YESUIAH, Seremban

Source: NST – March 6, 2008

YEARNING to return to home soil after a couple of days overseas, a colleague and I boarded MH783 bound for Kuala Lumpur. As we were scheduled to land a little after eight in the evening, we welcomed the sight of the in-flight crew serving food after take-off.

At first glance, it looked like a child’s meal. It was packaged like a popular fast-food meal, complete with a brightly coloured confectionery packet. A brief wrestling match ensued to subdue the package and to force the “meal tray” to yield its contents.

All hunger sensations disappeared when I saw the contents.

It was a handphone-sized baguette stuffed with some meaty goo and some vegetable wrapped in a mysterious looking bread.

Here’s the fast-food concept rearing its head again. And it was cold. Gone are the days of: “Would you like chicken or fish, sir?”

There were no menu cards to explain this discovery, nor was it appetising.

I was presented with a choice none-theless: to eat or not to. Why would a company sell its services as Malaysian hospitality and not serve Malaysian cuisine? I would have been very contented with any Malaysian fare for dinner.

I understand this “gift box” offering is simplifying the in-flight crew’s service delivery. But the cost-cutters have outdone themselves this time.

I was not impressed with the glitzy packages or the fusion-cuisine nonsense. All I wanted was safe, point-A-to-point-B travel, coupled with a decent meal on board.

At least your competitor makes me pay for my meal and I know what I’m getting, never mind its punctuality issues.

J.C.G., Puchong

Source: NST – March 6, 2008

AS a regular user of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd’s Komuter service, I am impressed with the spanking new building at its Bank Negara hub. It is good that the management has improved the surrounding areas.

It would also help to improve KTMB’s image if the trains arrived on time, commuters were not packed like sardines during rush hour and the air-conditioner did not break down during journeys.

Many people have raised the issue of sub-standard services before but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

It goes without saying that more people would use public transportation if they were reliable, thus reducing private vehicles on the roads.

There is no point having first-class infrastructure if the service continues to be bad.

KTMB, please improve your services. People are suffering because of the many technical problems which cause train delays.

HAMDAN IBRAHIM, Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – March 6, 2008

DEAR Editor, I WITNESSED an embarassing incident on Feb 1 at 2pm at Kuala Lumpur Sentral.

While waiting for my friend, I was shocked to see two teenagers hugging and kissing in full view of the public.

Though there were many people watching, they simply ignored them.

To aggravate the situation, the authorities did nothing to stop or warn the couple.

I wonder why such an incident can still occur in this country.

Regardless of what religion one practices, one must obey the laws of the country.

Just because you are a non-Muslim does not give you the licence to misbehave or do whatever they feel like.

I hope that the authorities can do something to stop such incidents from occurring as our country’s reputation and image are at stake.

As for the couple, shame on you. Grow up and think thor oughly before you decide to act on your impulses.

Angry citizen
Kuala Lumpur

Source: Malay Mail – March 5, 2008

DEAR Editor, WHAT will happen to the flags, banners and posters put up after the election?

Who will clear the mess?

Will the candidates take them back and recycle it?

It is important is that they clean up their mess.

I believe many of us would like to see our neighbourhood free of flags and posters and back to normal.

Some of these banners and flags are hung at traffic lights, bus stands and other places.

The flags hung above traffic lights are hazardous to drivers.

I understand that this is election season and that the candidates and their supporters are excited about the election.

However, I believe the candidates should also be concerned about cleaning up their mess.

I hope things will go back to normal after the election.

I wish all the candidates the best of luck.

Concerned citizen
Gombak

Source: Malay Mail – March 5, 2008

DEAR Editor, SEVERAL years ago, the Malaysian public were treated to a public service announcement featuring the antics of actor Adlin Aman Ramlee as an in considerate LRT passenger.

In the 2005 TV commercial, Adlin played a man who went through great lengths to avoid giving up his seat in the crowded cabin.

It begins with Adlin placing his things on an empty seat next to him and grudgingly re moving it only after an old wo man asks him to.

He then pretends not to see a pregnant woman standing in front of him, leaving the old woman to give up her seat in stead. When a blind man boards, Adlin pretends to be asleep. The pregnant woman then gets up to offer her seat to the blind man.

The clincher comes when the selfish man’s plastic bag falls to the floor. He has trouble picking it up so the blind man next to him helps him. An embarrassed Adlin is left feeling sheepish as he earns the dagger-like stares of the other passengers.

The Yasmin Ahmad-directed clip was part of the nationwide campaign, Kempen Budi Bahasa dan Nilai-Nilai Murni, initiated by the Culture, Arts and Her itage Ministry. When it was aired, it was well received by the public for its dark humour and spot-on assessment of the ‘ugly Malaysian’.

Adlin’s acting was so effective that he confessed that when he went out after the clip was aired, he was berated by members of the public who had mis takenly thought that the events were real.

However, that was three years ago. If the authorities believed that the clip would go a long way towards educating the public on how to treat the less-for tunate, they were mistaken.

Having lived in Kuala Lumpur all my life, I have witnessed the gradual decline in moral values of today’s youth. I remember riding buses as a teenager and offering my seat to women, the elderly and children without be ing prompted to. I had been drilled by my parents and teachers that it was the right thing to do. After a while, it became second nature to me.

Now, such sights are hard to come by. Take a ride in any public transport and chances are, if you haven’t been offered a seat the moment you board, you have to resign to standing for the whole journey. During the evening rush at the Masjid Jamek LRT station, there is no time for niceties — it’s every person for himself, regardless of whether you’re old, pregnant or disabled.

In Brickfields, where you come across many blind people due to the Malaysian Associ ation for the Blind’s headquarters being located there, you’ll find that most members of the public ignore their plight.

More often than not, they are left to fend for themselves when at tempting to cross the street.

No one will bat an eyelid at the sight of a blind person struggling to determine whether it is safe to cross the road or not.

The extent of a country’s pro gress should not only be measured in terms of economic growth, rate of development and declining poverty level.

It is also measured by how its young treat their elders and how com passionate its people are to wards the less fortunate.

These are things which cannot be calculated in numbers or displayed in pie charts and spreadsheets.

Progress, they say, is man’s ability to complicate simplicity. Perhaps as a nation, we have forgotten the things that matter most.

If the loss of our moral values is the price we have to pay for the sake of progress, then I’ll have none of that.

A. Karim Khan
Subang Jaya

Source: Malay Mail – March 5, 2008