Written by Rockettan
“Keep your face to the sunlight and you will never see the shadow”. This is one of my favourite quote and reminded me the need to focus on good things around me and remain positive in the face of any adverse situation.
However, every morning, browsing through the websites that feature Malaysian news, I could not help but wonder whether I can still remain positive and overlook the negativities portrayed.
Besides petty and dirty politics, the recurring theme of the news revolve around crimes , some too horrendous that took me awhile to regain my composure.
I ask myself and try to convince myself that no matter how bad things are, there is still a better future for Malaysia. No matter how hard I try, pessimism always seeps in. I could not overlook the fact that snatch theft, rape cases, murder and all sorts or crimes are so rampant in Malaysia.
Contrary to the claim by the authority that crime rates are reducing, the general sentiments are clouded by fear and worry.
As if it is not bad enough, high crime rates is just one of the multifaceted and multifarious problems that are facing Malaysia. Further compounding my worry are the entrenched problems of corruption, inflation, bad public transport, high debt amounting to 53% of GDP, failing education, gutter politics, racial and religious polarisation…
Against these backdrops, the critical question is how did we arrive at the dire state that we are now? Trailing down the memory lane, Malaysia used to me more developed than other Asia countries such and we are even ahead of South Korea and Japan. We used to have the most robust economy, world class University and even our football team can compete on international level. We are endowed with rich natural resources from palm oil, rubber tree, god to petroleum. Put it simply: What went wrong in the past and what continue to go wrong in the present?
Some will point out that high rate of corruption and inefficiency is the real cause. Others will argue that the main reason is our racial policies than shun meritocracy and stymied the economic and social progress of our nation. Even though these are good reasons that shed the light on our predicament; the root of the problem, in my opinion, is the lack of check and balances on the system of governance. This can be gleaned from institutional and normative perspectives and the chain effects that subsequently follow.
The chain effect theory is first propounded from an observation that the tiny swing of the wing by a butterfly may cause a hurricane in faraway place.
I will try to illustrate the chain effect of the lack of check and balances from institutional and normative perspective. From the institutional perspective, due to weak opposition, the government in the past can decide and implement any policies at its whims and fancies. Further, there is a lack of independence among many institutions that are supposed to function to check on the government. The Anti-Corruption agency, Attorney General Chambers and the police force are perceived to be dictated by the executive and engaged in selective prosecution. The judiciary system was weakened in the 1988 judicial crisis which ended in sacking of five judges and since then is seen as paying deference to the executive. As a result, corruption is rampant.
In addition, the media are controlled by the government. From a normative perspective, this resulted in low level of civic consciousness among the public. In short, the public did not dare to rise up and voice their opposition on many government policies. Apathetic and inaction become the prevailing norm of the society
Correspondingly, much government’s action such as bringing in foreign workers, white elephant project, and race-based policies went unopposed.As a result, economic progress stalled.80% of Malaysian households live below RM 4000 per month and 30% live below RM 1500. Many felt the heat of rising cost of living and the difficulty to make ends meet. Coupled with the rise in number of foreign worker, is there any surprise that many will resort to committing crime to make a living? Due to the lack of effective opposition against the failing education system and policies, many younger generations lack the moral guidance and hence stumble into seedy underworld or vice. As a staunch Buddhist, I believe in the concept of cause and effect. We only reap what we sow.
However, all is not lost .There are now signs that things are beginning to improve. This started with the political tsunami in previous election which saw the opposition rose to power in five states and portrayed itself as a rivalry to the federal government. This provides much needed checks and balances on government policies. Alternative policies as evidenced by Buku Jingga have been provided by the opposition. This spurs the government to initiate the transformation program (even though it yields minimal effects). The judiciary system starts to regain its rightful role and assert its independence. This can be demonstrated by the ruling by the court that the University and University College act that prohibited students from involving in politics is unconstitutional followed by the dismissal of sodomy charges brought against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the de facto leader of the opposition.
The rise in alternative media has spurred a new level of civic consciousness.The people are no longer solely relying on government controlled media for information. The public now dare to rise up against any injustice and bad policies as evidenced by the success of Bersih demonstration and the mass opposition against Lynas .Many youngsters also involve themselves in politics such as Ong Kian Ming , Aspan Alias and many more.
I find myself titillating between pessimism and optimism at times. I now realise that this is not the right thing to do. I guess the right mind-set for me is to be mindful of the problems facing our countries but at the same time remain optimistic that things are getting better. For my own good and the well-being of many around me, I chose to be positive and believe that there is a better future for Malaysia. Let’s hope that I am right. Finger crossed for the next election.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
when law goes wrong
I would commence my article by a fictitious illustration :
"We all know that students have to hand up their homework to teachers. There is a boy who handed up his homework as usual. When he got his homework back, he found out that there are scribbles of coarse language and drawing depicting the teachers as ' fat lady who like to wear expensive hand bag despite her ugly look' . The teacher required the student to come in front of class and to prove that she is 'fair and just', she required the student to prove that he did not write and draw on the pages'. The bewildered student could not go back to time to recollect evidence . Further, being a young student with limited knowledge, and his timid nature in face of the 'all-mighty' teacher, there are no way he could prove his innocence and hence he has to admit that he is guilty , albeit innocent at heart".
Since the inception of world wide web (WWW) , the world has been caught in a paradigm shift in term of the lifting the floodgates of information and citizens mobilisation and interconnection. In other words, every ordinary citizens can now access to a wide variety source of news and information and thereby formulating his or her own perspectives regarding certain issues. In particular, a person can share his ideas and information with the public with minimal restraints, at least until recently. The proposed amendment to the evidence act set off a firestorm of controversy. Under the new section 114 A, a person who publish, facilitate the publishing, or whose name appear in the publication is presumed to publish the contents until 'the contrary is proven'. Not only that, even a person who registered or subscribed to a network service provider on which the publication originates from is presumed to be he person who publish or republish. In the same vein, her or she has to prove the contrary. What this mean in lay man term is that you have to prove that you did not do something.
A fictitious example will illustrate this :This fictitious example, even though is not entirely accurate, serve to illustrate the helplessness of normal citizens when facing with the state's prosecution which is equipped with wide resources. Just how a person could prove his innocence, under such harsh circumstances - even republish or subscription to network provider is enough to implicate someone- is unknown to many. Worse of all, the amendment come in the ' speed of light' without any formal public consultation and debate within the parliament. This not only undermines the accountability and principle of representative democracy, but also contradicts the statement by the prime minister that ' the era where government know best is over'. Already we have seen mass opposition from the public with one of the activist groups proposing massive internet blackout.
In possible fear of further backlash from the public, the prime minister had asked the cabinet to review the law. Even though this direction from prime minister shows that he is concerned with the plight of the people, this direction come a bit too late. If proper consultation has been carried out before the proposed amendment, the government will not need to carry out such damage control when the damaged had already been done.
One of the possible justifications by the government in amending the law is to tighten the control over political dissent on the web. The more the government try to exert grip over possible dissent, the sooner it will lose power. This can be understood from a simple analogy: When there is imminent flood, the best way is not to block the water and it will eventually break the blockage, but to channel the water to other area. Similarly, government can best hold on to power by allowing freedom of speech and respecting human rights. This will channel the dissent and resentment into useful public participation in decision making.In the end, the common law presumption of innocence until proven guilty must be upheld to ensure sufficient protection to human right. The prosecution always carry the burden to prove that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
In the word of Lord Sankey the golden thread in English Criminal Law is that the burden of proof always fall on the prosecution. It is really heart- warming to see that the public has taken proactive role in opposing the draconian law. Long live people’s power.
Since the inception of world wide web (WWW) , the world has been caught in a paradigm shift in term of the lifting the floodgates of information and citizens mobilisation and interconnection. In other words, every ordinary citizens can now access to a wide variety source of news and information and thereby formulating his or her own perspectives regarding certain issues. In particular, a person can share his ideas and information with the public with minimal restraints, at least until recently. The proposed amendment to the evidence act set off a firestorm of controversy. Under the new section 114 A, a person who publish, facilitate the publishing, or whose name appear in the publication is presumed to publish the contents until 'the contrary is proven'. Not only that, even a person who registered or subscribed to a network service provider on which the publication originates from is presumed to be he person who publish or republish. In the same vein, her or she has to prove the contrary. What this mean in lay man term is that you have to prove that you did not do something.
A fictitious example will illustrate this :This fictitious example, even though is not entirely accurate, serve to illustrate the helplessness of normal citizens when facing with the state's prosecution which is equipped with wide resources. Just how a person could prove his innocence, under such harsh circumstances - even republish or subscription to network provider is enough to implicate someone- is unknown to many. Worse of all, the amendment come in the ' speed of light' without any formal public consultation and debate within the parliament. This not only undermines the accountability and principle of representative democracy, but also contradicts the statement by the prime minister that ' the era where government know best is over'. Already we have seen mass opposition from the public with one of the activist groups proposing massive internet blackout.
In possible fear of further backlash from the public, the prime minister had asked the cabinet to review the law. Even though this direction from prime minister shows that he is concerned with the plight of the people, this direction come a bit too late. If proper consultation has been carried out before the proposed amendment, the government will not need to carry out such damage control when the damaged had already been done.
One of the possible justifications by the government in amending the law is to tighten the control over political dissent on the web. The more the government try to exert grip over possible dissent, the sooner it will lose power. This can be understood from a simple analogy: When there is imminent flood, the best way is not to block the water and it will eventually break the blockage, but to channel the water to other area. Similarly, government can best hold on to power by allowing freedom of speech and respecting human rights. This will channel the dissent and resentment into useful public participation in decision making.In the end, the common law presumption of innocence until proven guilty must be upheld to ensure sufficient protection to human right. The prosecution always carry the burden to prove that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
In the word of Lord Sankey the golden thread in English Criminal Law is that the burden of proof always fall on the prosecution. It is really heart- warming to see that the public has taken proactive role in opposing the draconian law. Long live people’s power.
when law goes wrong
I would commence my article by a fictitious illustration :
"We all know that students have to hand up their homework to teachers. There is a boy who handed up his homework as usual. When he got his homework back, he found out that there are scribbles of coarse language and drawing depicting the teachers as ' fat lady who like to wear expensive hand bag despite her ugly look' . The teacher required the student to come in front of class and to prove that she is 'fair and just', she required the student to prove that he did not write and draw on the pages'. The bewildered student could not go back to time to recollect evidence . Further, being a young student with limited knowledge, and his timid nature in face of the 'all-mighty' teacher, there are no way he could prove his innocence and hence he has to admit that he is guilty , albeit innocent at heart".
Since the inception of world wide web (WWW) , the world has been caught in a paradigm shift in term of the lifting the floodgates of information and citizens mobilisation and interconnection. In other words, every ordinary citizens can now access to a wide variety source of news and information and thereby formulating his or her own perspectives regarding certain issues. In particular, a person can share his ideas and information with the public with minimal restraints, at least until recently.
The proposed amendment to the evidence act set off a firestorm of controversy. Under the new section 114 A, a person who publish, facilitate the publishing, or whose name appear in the publication is presumed to publish the contents until 'the contrary is proven'. Not only that, even a person who registered or subscribed to a network service provider on which the publication originates from is presumed to be he person who publish or republish. In the same vein, her or she has to prove the contrary.
What this mean in lay man term is that you have to prove that you did not do something.A fictitious example will illustrate this :
This fictitious example, even though is not entirely accurate, serve to illustrate the helplessness of normal citizens when facing with the state's prosecution which is equipped with wide resources. Just how a person could prove his innocence, under such harsh circumstances - even republish or subscription to network provider is enough to implicate someone- is unknown to many.
Worse of all, the amendment come in the ' speed of light' without any formal public consultation and debate within the parliament. This not only undermines the accountability and principle of representative democracy, but also contradicts the statement by the prime minister that ' the era where government know best is over'.
Already we have seen mass opposition from the public with one of the activist groups proposing massive internet blackout. In possible fear of further backlash from the public, the prime minister had asked the cabinet to review the law. Even though this direction from prime minister shows that he is concerned with the plight of the people, this direction come a bit too late. If proper consultation has been carried out before the proposed amendment, the government will not need to carry out such damage control when the damaged had already been done.
One of the possible justifications by the government in amending the law is to tighten the control over political dissent on the web. The more the government try to exert grip over possible dissent, the sooner it will lose power. This can be understood from a simple analogy: When there is imminent flood, the best way is not to block the water and it will eventually break the blockage, but to channel the water to other area. Similarly, government can best hold on to power by allowing freedom of speech and respecting human rights. This will channel the dissent and resentment into useful public participation in decision making.
In the end, the common law presumption of innocence until proven guilty must be upheld to ensure sufficient protection to human right. The prosecution always carry the burden to prove that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt. In the word of Lord Sankey the golden thread in English Criminal Law is that the burden of proof always fall on the prosecution.
It is really heart- warming to see that the public has taken proactive role in opposing the draconian law. Long live people’s power.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Schools Kill Creativity
By rockettan
Study week before semester final exam can be dull and boring. I was trying to find ways to relieve myself from such boredom when I stumbled across an interesting talk by Ken Robinson on Ted.com. The title of the talk ‘schools kill creativity’ captured my attention and what he said resonate well with my perception of current predicament facing Malaysian education system.
Ken Robinson observed that a child has no fear of making a mistake. To illustrate his point, he told a story of a girl as having learning disorder by her teacher due to her inability to concentrate in class. However, she seems to be able to concentrate by preoccupying herself with drawing. Hence, one day, the teacher decides to ask her what she is drawing all these while and the girl replied that she is trying to draw the face of god. The teacher finds it amusing and told her that no one knows the face of god and it is pointless to try to sketch it. She was awestruck when the girl replied: ‘you will know when I finished in a short while.’
There is no way of determining the truth of the story. But the important message that it conveys is that our education system discourages our students to be creative or try something unprecedented. This is reflected in our examination systems which penalized students for making mistakes in exams or homework. I remembered being chided by teachers for not getting the right answer in class and feel bad for it. It is the fear of making mistakes; imbued by our education system; that will prove to the stumbling block towards creativity and innovation.
It should be borne in mind that the great inventors in history had to go through many failures before their invention become successful. I could not imagine what will happen if Thomas Edison give up when he failed in his experiments. We could be still living in darkness if not for his perseverance and courage in pursuing his dream.
In the context of Malaysian Education system, it is common knowledge that our students are bogged down by route memorization of subjects that bear little relevance to real life. Out teachers do not encourage independent learning or questioning in class. Students are expected to be passive and obedient recipient of what is being conveyed by the teachers. To make matter worse, students often confine themselves to learning what in the textbooks, particularly only to what will potentially be in exams. As a result, they are oblivious to what happens around them, be that national or global issues. This is a worrying sign in light of globalization which make the world more interconnected. Our students are not able to be ‘ global citizens’ who can engage in people around the world confidently.
I am not trying to generalize that all students are shortchanged by the falling education standard. I am sure there are bright students who are able to defy all obstacles and shine in their own ways. My only concern is for the majority students who are unable to cope with the rapid changes around the world due to their limited general knowledge and myopic views.
The failure of Malaysian Students to gain admission into Harvard University is perhaps a testament to the abovementioned. I believe many of us are wondering what are the main reasons for this failure .The interview conducted by BFM (Business radio station) with Malaysian Harvard Alumni and interviewers shed some light on these issues. One of the Harvard Alumni and interviewers lamented about the lack of critical thinking skills and general knowledge among our students. She mentioned that our students are not used to question things around them and are very likely to accept the status quo. She observed that maybe this is due to the lack of flexibility in the choice of subjects in high school and tertiary education. It is common that our bright students are automatically being placed into science stream with no chance whatsoever to choose art subjects. As a result, they are not able to think or see things from different perspectives.
Besides, the other reason is the applicants’ lack of communication skill and their inability to form their own opinions or engage in general discourse confidently. She suggested a revamp of the whole education system which focuses on allowing our students to explore a wide range of subjects according to their own interests without any pressure to conform to the majority. She used the example of how Harvard students are given two years to explore any subjects before making a decision on their major.
It is my greatest hope that Malaysian Education system will be modeled on the basis of fostering creativity, soft skills, and dynamism. However, my hope was dashed when the Education Ministry of Malaysia announced a new scheme to increase the lessons for Malay in schools at the expense of subjects like physical education and music. Moreover, ‘kemahiran hidup and geography in primary school will be scrapped and will be replaced by history subject. . I am not trying to be a doomsayers or naysayers and I am not trying to be cynical. However, in the age of innovation, creativity grounded in practical skills rather than academic knowledge, our students will be severely disadvantaged by the current changes in the syllabus
Perhaps we will have a deep conviction in what Ken Robinson said if we view them in Malaysian context.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Striking a balance
Written by Rockettan
It is said that monotonous and repetitive event in everyday lives can sometimes be a source of inspiration ; if we bother to pay close attention to details and things around us. Surprisingly, my source of inspiration comes from my predicament from taking my shower . In Australia- at least in my house- there are two control knob for adjusting the temperature of the water. It takes delicate skills and patience to adjust the two knob together for the right temperature of the water to get warm shower, something I still could not fully grasp even in my second year in this foreign country. Turning either one of the knob more than the other one will surely get you jumping out from boiling hot water or shiver from the cold .
In this sense, against the backdrop of the initiation of Government Transformation Program spearheaded by PEMANDU, I believe it is imperative to get the right blend of policy planned and implemented to achieve the objective of transforming Malaysia into a high income country. Taking too extreme a policy is analogical to too much a turning to the hot shower knob and vice versa.
In the political context, with the emergence of strong opposition coalition under Pakatan Rakyat, the government needs to be able to allow space for dissent. I believe democracy work best when there are checks and balances among various government institutions as well as strong monitoring and criticism from the opposition. People must be given the basic freedom of expression through various channels. Stifling and clamping down opposition and people’s voice with full force will only backfire whereby anger and dissatisfaction among the public will risk boiling over. In a similar fashion as the boiling hot shower , the government risk hurting its credibility and legitimacy from taking too extreme a measure .
On the other hand, allowing too much dissent and unmonitored freedom of expression might risk inciting racial and sectional dispute. It is instructive to bear in mind the racial and religious sensitivities when expressing one’s view as Malaysia has a complicated social demography made up of different races with diverse cultural and religious practices. Hence, The right balance has to be struck whereby people must be given the rights to express their view regard to various issues without touching on religion and cultural sensitive areas.
In the economical context, the economic transformation program ( ETP) has been instrumental in striking a balance between government and private investment to boost the economy of the country. Through extensive collaboration with the private sector, the 12 NKEAs were determined and receive prioritized public investment and policy support. In this regard, the ETP is designed to be led by the private sector while the Government will primarily play the role of facilitator. This is perhaps a good way of rectifying the weaknesses of Keynesian economy theory – which encourage government intervention in the economy – which is seen to be crowding out private investment while at the same time also prevent free market system advocated by classical economy from jeopardizing consumer and ordinary folks’ interests
In addition, in the midst of encouraging private investment, there is a need to control the level of inflation rate that are at risk from spiking due to ‘ overheating ‘ the economy , by controlling and setting appropriate interest rate. In this regard, it is commendable that one of the NKRA’s aims is to address the cost of living. However, the government should not be too overzealous in cutting cost of living by providing higher subsidy or giving money to the poor. This measure will only fuel more demand in the economy and lead to higher inflation rates. The best way is to control the price level at appropriate level by curbing speculation among business and investors. In addition, the 1 Malaysia grocery shop is a right measure to help to tackle the rising cost of living, provided that the quality and safety of the groceries and food sold are monitored.
Besides, the New Economic Model ( NEM) had been unveiled by the prime minister which aims to replace the new economy policy and shift affirmative action from being ethnically-based to being need-based hence becoming more competitive, market and investor friendly. Even though this shift in policy should be applauded, there is a need to be cautious that in the attempt to create a level playing field, the Bumiputera economical rights and interest are not phased out altogether. In this regard, I believe the NEM has taken this issue into account in its formulation by attempting to encourage proactive participation by bumiputera business and provide real incentive for them to improve their business performance instead of the old way of handing out cash and business contracts with no string attached.
From social perspective, with the advent of globalization and modernization, there is a need to preserve traditional values from being eroded. Good values such as ‘gotong royong’ kind of community spirit, traditional courtesy need to be preserved from being subsumed by the culture of individualism, materialism and hedonism and uncontrolled sexual freedom propounded by western culture.
Moreover, in the aspect of education, another National key results area is in improving student outcome. Even though there is a need to improve academic excellence and literacy rate among students, students should not be bogged down by excessive workload and pressure to perform well. In addition, students who perform well academically should not be pressured to involve themselves in the science stream. A balance can be struck by encouraging student to think creatively and allow them to explore their interest and innate potentials. In this regard, bright student should be encouraged to take a combination of science and humanity subject in secondary school and university level to allow them to develop into holistic individuals. . Society can only flourish in long run when science and humanity both has an equal place. Moreover, school ranking and reward for top performing school should be done in a moderate manner so that no schools and students are sidelined or suffer from inferiority complex. Society can only flourish in long run when science and humanity both has an equal place.
Besides, the area of social welfare and equality is also one of the National Key result area identified by PEMANDU. Government aims to create a long term system that helps create opportunities for the underprivileged. This will be done through creating job opportunities, increasing basic wage, finding business opportunities and providing welfare assistance. While these initiatives should be applauded, it should be borne in mind that provision of welfare payment should not be too excessive to the extent of burdening the government and fuel the lackadaisical attitude among the underprivileged. We should take heed from the economic turmoil suffered by Greece and Spain from too large social welfare payment and benefits without improving the economic productivity. The underemployed and underprivileged people should be encouraged to improve their skills through various government funded courses and education opportunities. Technical education should be provided for them to allow them to improve their prospect of obtaining better paid jobs.
In conclusion , the ‘ voice of moderation ‘ propounded by the prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak need to be taken seriously and be the pivotal concern to be taken into account in any policy formulation and implementation. I believe that when a right balance has been struck and moderation and objectivity precede extremism and subjectivity , the government transformation program will be able to achieve great success and propel Malaysia to become a high income nation .
It is said that monotonous and repetitive event in everyday lives can sometimes be a source of inspiration ; if we bother to pay close attention to details and things around us. Surprisingly, my source of inspiration comes from my predicament from taking my shower . In Australia- at least in my house- there are two control knob for adjusting the temperature of the water. It takes delicate skills and patience to adjust the two knob together for the right temperature of the water to get warm shower, something I still could not fully grasp even in my second year in this foreign country. Turning either one of the knob more than the other one will surely get you jumping out from boiling hot water or shiver from the cold .
In this sense, against the backdrop of the initiation of Government Transformation Program spearheaded by PEMANDU, I believe it is imperative to get the right blend of policy planned and implemented to achieve the objective of transforming Malaysia into a high income country. Taking too extreme a policy is analogical to too much a turning to the hot shower knob and vice versa.
In the political context, with the emergence of strong opposition coalition under Pakatan Rakyat, the government needs to be able to allow space for dissent. I believe democracy work best when there are checks and balances among various government institutions as well as strong monitoring and criticism from the opposition. People must be given the basic freedom of expression through various channels. Stifling and clamping down opposition and people’s voice with full force will only backfire whereby anger and dissatisfaction among the public will risk boiling over. In a similar fashion as the boiling hot shower , the government risk hurting its credibility and legitimacy from taking too extreme a measure .
On the other hand, allowing too much dissent and unmonitored freedom of expression might risk inciting racial and sectional dispute. It is instructive to bear in mind the racial and religious sensitivities when expressing one’s view as Malaysia has a complicated social demography made up of different races with diverse cultural and religious practices. Hence, The right balance has to be struck whereby people must be given the rights to express their view regard to various issues without touching on religion and cultural sensitive areas.
In the economical context, the economic transformation program ( ETP) has been instrumental in striking a balance between government and private investment to boost the economy of the country. Through extensive collaboration with the private sector, the 12 NKEAs were determined and receive prioritized public investment and policy support. In this regard, the ETP is designed to be led by the private sector while the Government will primarily play the role of facilitator. This is perhaps a good way of rectifying the weaknesses of Keynesian economy theory – which encourage government intervention in the economy – which is seen to be crowding out private investment while at the same time also prevent free market system advocated by classical economy from jeopardizing consumer and ordinary folks’ interests
In addition, in the midst of encouraging private investment, there is a need to control the level of inflation rate that are at risk from spiking due to ‘ overheating ‘ the economy , by controlling and setting appropriate interest rate. In this regard, it is commendable that one of the NKRA’s aims is to address the cost of living. However, the government should not be too overzealous in cutting cost of living by providing higher subsidy or giving money to the poor. This measure will only fuel more demand in the economy and lead to higher inflation rates. The best way is to control the price level at appropriate level by curbing speculation among business and investors. In addition, the 1 Malaysia grocery shop is a right measure to help to tackle the rising cost of living, provided that the quality and safety of the groceries and food sold are monitored.
Besides, the New Economic Model ( NEM) had been unveiled by the prime minister which aims to replace the new economy policy and shift affirmative action from being ethnically-based to being need-based hence becoming more competitive, market and investor friendly. Even though this shift in policy should be applauded, there is a need to be cautious that in the attempt to create a level playing field, the Bumiputera economical rights and interest are not phased out altogether. In this regard, I believe the NEM has taken this issue into account in its formulation by attempting to encourage proactive participation by bumiputera business and provide real incentive for them to improve their business performance instead of the old way of handing out cash and business contracts with no string attached.
From social perspective, with the advent of globalization and modernization, there is a need to preserve traditional values from being eroded. Good values such as ‘gotong royong’ kind of community spirit, traditional courtesy need to be preserved from being subsumed by the culture of individualism, materialism and hedonism and uncontrolled sexual freedom propounded by western culture.
Moreover, in the aspect of education, another National key results area is in improving student outcome. Even though there is a need to improve academic excellence and literacy rate among students, students should not be bogged down by excessive workload and pressure to perform well. In addition, students who perform well academically should not be pressured to involve themselves in the science stream. A balance can be struck by encouraging student to think creatively and allow them to explore their interest and innate potentials. In this regard, bright student should be encouraged to take a combination of science and humanity subject in secondary school and university level to allow them to develop into holistic individuals. . Society can only flourish in long run when science and humanity both has an equal place. Moreover, school ranking and reward for top performing school should be done in a moderate manner so that no schools and students are sidelined or suffer from inferiority complex. Society can only flourish in long run when science and humanity both has an equal place.
Besides, the area of social welfare and equality is also one of the National Key result area identified by PEMANDU. Government aims to create a long term system that helps create opportunities for the underprivileged. This will be done through creating job opportunities, increasing basic wage, finding business opportunities and providing welfare assistance. While these initiatives should be applauded, it should be borne in mind that provision of welfare payment should not be too excessive to the extent of burdening the government and fuel the lackadaisical attitude among the underprivileged. We should take heed from the economic turmoil suffered by Greece and Spain from too large social welfare payment and benefits without improving the economic productivity. The underemployed and underprivileged people should be encouraged to improve their skills through various government funded courses and education opportunities. Technical education should be provided for them to allow them to improve their prospect of obtaining better paid jobs.
In conclusion , the ‘ voice of moderation ‘ propounded by the prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak need to be taken seriously and be the pivotal concern to be taken into account in any policy formulation and implementation. I believe that when a right balance has been struck and moderation and objectivity precede extremism and subjectivity , the government transformation program will be able to achieve great success and propel Malaysia to become a high income nation .
Friday, March 2, 2012
Stop Lynas , Save Malaysia !
I bet nothing could catch the eye of Malaysian more than the recent controversies surrounding Lynas’ controversies. Tempers flared, nerves wrecked, anxiety mounting as Malaysia braces itself for the dawn of the rare earth plant – which bring Malaysian down a nostalgic trip to the Tanah Merah incidents which caused thousands to suffer from leukemia and high rate of birth defects- after Lynas corporation obtained a two year temporary operating license from the Malaysia’s atomic Energy Licensing Board.
It is announced by Lynas Corporation that the Malaysian Plant will process rare earths mined in Australia at its Mount Weld project. The granting of temporary license is a boost to Lynas corporation as it seek to galvanize its operation to offset China’s dominance of the supply of rare earth material which is crucial to manufacture a range of products from smartphones to wind turbines.
The announcement spark fear among residents surrounding the area designated to build the plant and subsequently the rippling fear reached wide section of the society as it is well-known that radioactive leakages do not confined to certain areas whereby a large area of peninsular Malaysia is at risk of suffering from the dire consequences of radioactive rays should accidents happened.
In order to fully comprehend the reasons why people are so fearful when It come to radioactive material and to throw some light on the extensive damages that might ensue from radioactive leakages , it is imperative to bring to attention some of the worst nuclear accidents .
In the early morning hours of 26 April 1986, a testing error caused an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in northern Ukraine. During a radioactive fire that burned for 10 days, 190 tons of toxic materials were expelled into the atmosphere. The wind blew 70% of the radioactive material into the neighboring country of Belarus. Almost 20 years later, the people of Belarus continue to suffer medically, economically,environmentally and socially from the effects of the disaster. The explosion of the reactor at Chernobyl released 100 times more radiation than theatom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (1) At the time of the accident, about 7 million people lived in contaminated territories,including 3 million children. Until today, c ontroversy still rages over the number of deaths that should be attributed to the accident, with estimates ranging from as little as 62 all the way up to 985,000. In the Gomel region of Belarus, incidence of leukemia has increased 50% in children and adults. In addition to thyroid cancer and leukemia, UNICEF reports that between 1990 and 1994, nervous system disorders increased by 43%;cardiovascular diseases by 43%; bone and muscle disorders by 62%; and diabetes by 28%. Moreover, Swiss Medical Weekly recently published findings showing a 40% increase in all kinds of cancers in Belarus between 1990 and 2000.
I am not here to incite fear and fear mongering is not my intention. Even though rare earth plant is somehow different from nuclear plant, one stark reality stand out : that is they both are at risk of radioactive leakages. Despite the fact that Lynas and BN government has promised that the rare earth plant is safe and accident will not occur, the promises are not sufficient to pacify the general public.
The deep seated distrust toward government and Lynas is perhaps due to the flashing memory of the Tanah Merah incidents approximately 20 years ago. In the year 1992, Mitsubishi Chemicals shut down its rare earth plant in perak after residents there blamed the plant for birth defects and a high rate of leukemia cases.
Moreover, accidents are sometime unavoidable due to human error or mother nature. While Chernobyl accident can be blamed on human error, the earthquake in japan has resulted in radiation from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant which cause extensive damages. Even when the risk of accident is low, it is not worth the risk considering the potential calamities that will be caused by radiation.
It is clear that the BN government is oblivious to its mistake in allowing Mitsubishi chemical to operate the rare earth plant in Perak by citing the overriding economic benefits that such investment will bring to Malaysia. It is commonly accept that foreign investment must be accepted with open arms to fuel the economy. However, that is not the case in Lynas’s investment. Due to the fact that Lynas will enjoy a 10 year tax break and its likelihood to employ foreigner to operate the plant for the very reason that Malaysian are not well-trained in nuclear field, the investment will only result in minor to none job creation to locals and zero tax benefits to government in a decade. Such a small benefits could not be used as a justification to allow such risky investment at the expense of human’s health and environment.
In addition, not only the temporary permits was issued by the ministry without proper consultation with the public , the public was not permitted to study the relevant documents. Moreover, opponents have raised concern the government did not give the public enough time to examine and comment on Lynas's safety plan before the Atomic Energy Licensing Board granted the temporary operating license.
It is, in my opinion, that due to the fear of radiation and lack of proper consultation that act as catalysts that spark wide protests from the people . In Feb 26, 2012, The Sun daily reported that at the Kuantan Municipal Council field here as more than 5,000 supporters of Himpunan Hijau 2.0 gathered to protest against the construction of Lynas Corporation's rare earth processing plant .
Despite the clear indication of widespread rage and anger over the granting or the license, the BN government has attempted to paint a rosy picture over the whole issue whereby the National Atomic agency has announced that 97 % of the public support Lynas’ investment from its survey while Utusan Malaysia has reported that Himpunan Hijau failed miserably from low pubic participation.
The unwillingness to listen to the people’s grievance and ignorant nature of the government is in conflict which the democratic system of government which is the pillar of Malaysia’s political system since independence and undermine the credibility and relevance of the BN government . What has happened to the maxim of governance by the people, of the people, and for the people? In democratic country, people’s voices should be heard and respected, and freedom of expression must be honored. The political tsunami in the 2008 election should be a wake-up call to the BN government that people want the government to be more transparent and accountable to the people. There are gleams of hope when the administration under Najib has announced has make a series of announcement to transform Malaysia, from the Government Transformation program to Key Performance Indicator. However, the refusal of government to listen to the people in the Lynas’ controversies shows that slogan remain slogan and has not been translated into concrete action.
People’s patience has a limit and when it come to a boiling point in the coming election, BN government will regret their action and the only remedy at that time is to lick its wound and hope that it has not acted in the way it had.
It is announced by Lynas Corporation that the Malaysian Plant will process rare earths mined in Australia at its Mount Weld project. The granting of temporary license is a boost to Lynas corporation as it seek to galvanize its operation to offset China’s dominance of the supply of rare earth material which is crucial to manufacture a range of products from smartphones to wind turbines.
The announcement spark fear among residents surrounding the area designated to build the plant and subsequently the rippling fear reached wide section of the society as it is well-known that radioactive leakages do not confined to certain areas whereby a large area of peninsular Malaysia is at risk of suffering from the dire consequences of radioactive rays should accidents happened.
In order to fully comprehend the reasons why people are so fearful when It come to radioactive material and to throw some light on the extensive damages that might ensue from radioactive leakages , it is imperative to bring to attention some of the worst nuclear accidents .
In the early morning hours of 26 April 1986, a testing error caused an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in northern Ukraine. During a radioactive fire that burned for 10 days, 190 tons of toxic materials were expelled into the atmosphere. The wind blew 70% of the radioactive material into the neighboring country of Belarus. Almost 20 years later, the people of Belarus continue to suffer medically, economically,environmentally and socially from the effects of the disaster. The explosion of the reactor at Chernobyl released 100 times more radiation than theatom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (1) At the time of the accident, about 7 million people lived in contaminated territories,including 3 million children. Until today, c ontroversy still rages over the number of deaths that should be attributed to the accident, with estimates ranging from as little as 62 all the way up to 985,000. In the Gomel region of Belarus, incidence of leukemia has increased 50% in children and adults. In addition to thyroid cancer and leukemia, UNICEF reports that between 1990 and 1994, nervous system disorders increased by 43%;cardiovascular diseases by 43%; bone and muscle disorders by 62%; and diabetes by 28%. Moreover, Swiss Medical Weekly recently published findings showing a 40% increase in all kinds of cancers in Belarus between 1990 and 2000.
I am not here to incite fear and fear mongering is not my intention. Even though rare earth plant is somehow different from nuclear plant, one stark reality stand out : that is they both are at risk of radioactive leakages. Despite the fact that Lynas and BN government has promised that the rare earth plant is safe and accident will not occur, the promises are not sufficient to pacify the general public.
The deep seated distrust toward government and Lynas is perhaps due to the flashing memory of the Tanah Merah incidents approximately 20 years ago. In the year 1992, Mitsubishi Chemicals shut down its rare earth plant in perak after residents there blamed the plant for birth defects and a high rate of leukemia cases.
Moreover, accidents are sometime unavoidable due to human error or mother nature. While Chernobyl accident can be blamed on human error, the earthquake in japan has resulted in radiation from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant which cause extensive damages. Even when the risk of accident is low, it is not worth the risk considering the potential calamities that will be caused by radiation.
It is clear that the BN government is oblivious to its mistake in allowing Mitsubishi chemical to operate the rare earth plant in Perak by citing the overriding economic benefits that such investment will bring to Malaysia. It is commonly accept that foreign investment must be accepted with open arms to fuel the economy. However, that is not the case in Lynas’s investment. Due to the fact that Lynas will enjoy a 10 year tax break and its likelihood to employ foreigner to operate the plant for the very reason that Malaysian are not well-trained in nuclear field, the investment will only result in minor to none job creation to locals and zero tax benefits to government in a decade. Such a small benefits could not be used as a justification to allow such risky investment at the expense of human’s health and environment.
In addition, not only the temporary permits was issued by the ministry without proper consultation with the public , the public was not permitted to study the relevant documents. Moreover, opponents have raised concern the government did not give the public enough time to examine and comment on Lynas's safety plan before the Atomic Energy Licensing Board granted the temporary operating license.
It is, in my opinion, that due to the fear of radiation and lack of proper consultation that act as catalysts that spark wide protests from the people . In Feb 26, 2012, The Sun daily reported that at the Kuantan Municipal Council field here as more than 5,000 supporters of Himpunan Hijau 2.0 gathered to protest against the construction of Lynas Corporation's rare earth processing plant .
Despite the clear indication of widespread rage and anger over the granting or the license, the BN government has attempted to paint a rosy picture over the whole issue whereby the National Atomic agency has announced that 97 % of the public support Lynas’ investment from its survey while Utusan Malaysia has reported that Himpunan Hijau failed miserably from low pubic participation.
The unwillingness to listen to the people’s grievance and ignorant nature of the government is in conflict which the democratic system of government which is the pillar of Malaysia’s political system since independence and undermine the credibility and relevance of the BN government . What has happened to the maxim of governance by the people, of the people, and for the people? In democratic country, people’s voices should be heard and respected, and freedom of expression must be honored. The political tsunami in the 2008 election should be a wake-up call to the BN government that people want the government to be more transparent and accountable to the people. There are gleams of hope when the administration under Najib has announced has make a series of announcement to transform Malaysia, from the Government Transformation program to Key Performance Indicator. However, the refusal of government to listen to the people in the Lynas’ controversies shows that slogan remain slogan and has not been translated into concrete action.
People’s patience has a limit and when it come to a boiling point in the coming election, BN government will regret their action and the only remedy at that time is to lick its wound and hope that it has not acted in the way it had.
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