TwoSen

AS Umno is the backbone of the government, every Malaysian who cares about
the future of the nation would be perturbed by reports of rampant money politics or corruption in the run-up to the party election in March.

Corruption in Umno elections is not new. It is a cancer that has grown over almost three decades. I remember writing an article on this in the Far Eastern Economic Review in 1984 titled “A call for clean politics in Umno”. In spite of the pleas of Umno leaders, it appears that the cancer has got worse. One would have thought that after the March 8 electoral debacle, Umno leaders and members would have learnt a lesson. On the contrary, some h ave come to the conclusion that since the party is sinking, it is better to make as much money as possible before it is too late. Perhaps the move by the Umno disciplinary board to rope in the Anti-Corruption Agency to investigate allegations of vote-buying will have an impact. Perhaps there is something else that Umno can do. All those involved in contests for supreme council seats, from the three candidates for the deputy presidency down to the 73 vying for ordinary council membership, including candidates for the Wanita, Yo u t h and Puteri wings, should take a pledge that neither they nor their agents and representatives will indulge in corrupt practices in their quest for places. The Umno secretariat can arrange for this oath-taking, which should be witnessed by the public and televised. Of course, the real solution to the sort of corruption that prevails in Umno is to eliminate the delegate-voting system in the party, as suggested by a few Umno leaders thems e l ve s. If delegates do not have the power to choose the supreme council, there will be no buying and selling of votes. All Umno members should vote directly for supreme council positions. This would give greater meaning to democracy within the party. Intra-party polls of this kind wo u l d strengthen the grassr o o t s. Delegates can play a role in formulating and debating party policies at the annual general assembly but they will not have the power of the vote. Unless there is the political will to initiate drastic changes, many observers fear that Umno will decline rapidly, and die. Three immediate f actor s make the situation more challenging: there is much more competition for senior positions in the party this time around which could have serious repercussions for intraparty unity; the campaign period on this occasion is longer than before and could aggravate intra-party feuds and factionalism, and a major economic crisis is looming on the hor izon. It would be disastrous if the Umno leadership is distracted by internal political shenanigans.

DR CHANDRA MUZAFFAR, Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – November 13, 2008

OVER the past few weeks there have been letters from the likes of Hassan Talib (“Revert to the old school set-up” —NST, Nov 7) and others who are in favour of bringing back English-medium schools.

Judging from the letters, it seems that there are more people in favour of bringing back these schools than those who are opposed to the idea. At the end of the day, however, it is really the Education Ministr y’s call. If the decision has been made and English is out, then I hope that the re-introduced use of Bahasa Malaysia in Science and Mathematics will be done gradually — in Year One initially and gradually moving to the other classes — r at h e r than having it re-introduced all at once in all classes. I also note that there have been appeals against the introduction of History as that would add a further load to an already overloaded school syllabus. If the decision is to have History, then it should not just be Malaysian history.

SAMUEL PADMAN, Parit Buntar

Source: NST – November 13, 2008

THE Kedah government should rule by law and not by administrative policies. It has introduced a housing policy of setting aside 50 per
cent of every housing development for Bumiputeras.

Such a policy is not new: Se - langor and Malacca have imposed quotas for Bumiputeras of up to 70 per cent in some urban areas. Also, Bumiputeras from Sabah and Sarawak complain that they are being denied discounts when buying properties in Peninsular Malaysia . In implementing the policy, state governments impose conditions in the land title deed, such as endorsing the word “Bumiputera” on the ti - tle deed. This means the property can be owned by and conveyed only to a Bumiputera. However, the expression “Bumiputera” has not been defined either in the National Land Code 1965 or in the Federal Constitution. Even though Section 120 of the code allows the state authority to impose express conditions and restrictions-in-interest upon land alienation, this section also states that they must be done so they are “conformable to law”. In other words, Section 120 does not give a state authority the unfettered opportunity to impose any condition it deems fit as the supreme law which must be conformed to is Article 8 of the Constitution. Article 8 provides that except as expressly authorised by the Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent, place of birth or gender in matters such as the administration of any law relating to the “acqui - sition, holding or disposition of proper ty”. The express authorisation allowed in the Constitution is with respect to the exclusive rights of Malays to hold Malay reser ve land in Peninsular Malaysia and such rights are entrenched in Article 89 of the Constitution. A “M a l ay ” is properly defined in the relevant state’s Malay reserve land enactment. The other express authorisation is contained in Article 161A of the Constitution, which provides that Article 89 does not apply to Sabah and Sarawak and Article 8 shall not invalidate or prohibit any state law in Sabah or Sarawak that reserves land for natives of these states or gives them preferential treatment as regards the alienation of land by the states. Courts have ruled that unwarranted use of administrative measures is no substitute for principles of good governance which enjoin authori - ties to implement laws and policies guided exclusively by equitable and fair principles.

ROGER TAN, Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – November 13, 2008

CHEAPER roti canai and nasi kandar is no big deal. In fact, these foods should not be highlighted or promoted as they are high in fatty acids,
cholesterol and calories and, thus, considered unhealthy.

Increased cases of high blood pressure, diabetes, strokes, and heart and kidney diseases among Malaysians can largely be attributed to eating such food. Just like burgers, fries and other fast food are considered junk food, we should not care too much or feel grateful when the price is reduced. What we need is lower prices for basic food items like flour, grains, fish, chicken, vegetables and fruits as well as agricultural inputs like fertilisers, animal feed, farm equipment and supplies. Today, the prices of fertilisers, animal feed ingredients and other farm supplies have doubled or tripled since last year. For example: urea has increased from RM60 to RM155. The prices remain high even though the price of crude oil has dropped lately. This is the problem facing Malaysian farmers, especially the small- and medium-size groups, who make up the majority of those involved in agriculture. If a subsidy system is the best solution, subsidise agri - cultural inputs, not the produce or the end product.

M.S. IDRIS, Kluang

Source: NST – November 13, 2008

I REFER to the press briefing I gave on Nov 9 about the Royal Kathin held atWat Pikulthong, Tumpat, Kelantan, on Nov 11 and 12.

In respect of your report “Safe to visit south Thailand”, I would like to make the following clarification: During the briefing, I outlined the role and responsibilities of the Thai consul-gener - al in Kota Baru, which include, creating a better understanding among Malaysians about the situation in south Thai - land. By far, we have seen a decrease in the number of tragic i n c i d e n t s. However, the last statement in the report goes far beyond what I have said. Not once during the interview did I say: “We believe other members of the group are still hiding in Malaysia and we hope they will be arrested.” It is neither my authority nor my intention to act as one of the leading agencies in dealing with security matters. There are several bilateral frameworks as well as border cooperative mechanism that monitor these issues. With reference to the report “Tumpat temple to get Thai royal award”, I would like to point out that the Royal Kathin is not an “awa r d ” as indicated in the article. The Royal Kathin is the presentation of Kathin robes and Kathin offerings to monks at the end of the Buddhist Lent period. Secondly, the RM50,000 is just an approximate figure and not entirely from the royal d o n at i o n s. Buddhists from M a l ay s i a , Singapore and Thailand are expected to make additional donations, which could result in a lower or higher total than the amount projected. Finally, this Royal Kathin is the first in the history of Kelantan, not in Malaysia as repor ted. The Royal Kathin ceremonies have, in fact, been organised in other Buddhist temples in Malaysia before.

SURAPON PETCH-VRA, Thai Consul-general, Kota Bharu

Source: NST – November 13, 2008

THE Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination began on Tuesday in the last week of the school term. The Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination was held one month ago and lasted a week.

For all intents and purposes, in most schools, classes for non-examination students stop some three weeks before schools close. School “h o l i d ay s ” star ted long before the school bells ring for the last day of the ter m. Visit any secondary school to verify this for yourself. All this is happening because schools have to ensure an environment that is free from disturbances for their students to sit their examinat i o n s. Schools do not want their other students to come in at this time for they may disturb the peace and tranquillity. So, activities and internal examinations for these classes are scheduled respectively before and during the PMR. After the PMR, that is, three weeks before schools close, there is nothing else for the students to do in schools. This is all because the Examination Board of the Education Ministry is unable to schedule these two examinations into the school holidays, citing shortage of manpower and insufficient computer fac i l i t i e s. The reasons are highly debatable, though. The board should not work in a cocoon, caring only for its interests in PMR and SPM. There are large numbers of non-examination classes which are badly affected in the p r o c e s s. Every year, the ministry announces the school calendar which clearly shows the number of school days that must be followed by all schools. Any incidental holidays have to be replaced. Does the calendar really mean anything? During the PMR and SPM periods, teachers have to struggle to fill in the students’ daily attendance reg ister s. On the other hand, some may want to argue differently. Why the fuss over threeweeks of extra holidays? After all, most schools have worked hard throughout the year. Teachers deserve an earlier break. The three weeks can be fr uitful. Why bother about quality education when you can have quality holidays? It is time the minister himself took stock of what is really happening on the ground.

LIONG KAM CHONG, Seremban

Source: NST – November 13, 2008

Source: Different strokes …

The Sun – November 12, 2008

Source: No need to ask cabbies permission

The Sun – November 12, 2008

Source: Better to use our ports

The Sun – November 11, 2008

Source: Let the buyer beware

The Sun – November 11, 2008