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Challenge to SUPP Sibu chief Wong Soon Koh to a public debate on Friday night on his allegation that “A vote for Rocket is a vote for Islamic State”

The SUPP leadership has unveiled its “killer weapon” for the Sibu by-election, with the SUPP Sibu chief and Sarawak 2nd Finance Minister Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh opening the “killer” attack, declaring that a vote for Rocket and DAP/PR candidate Wong Ho Leng is a vote for PAS and an Islamic State.

The SUPP strategists believe that this is a “killer weapon” which could “finish off” the chances of Ho Leng of ever winning the Sibu by-election “Battle of the Century”, frightening off the Chinese and non-Muslim voters in Sibu, when Ho Leng is already the underdog in the by-election, starting off with a 40% to 60% against him.

In the past two days, as a result of the intensive campaigning by the candidate, Ho Leng, and DAP and Pakatan Rakyat leaders, members and supporters throughout the Sibu constituency, we are beginning to narrow the odds.

The sentiments in Sibu are clearly in favour of change because of the triple importance of the Sibu “battle of the century” – for Sibu, Sarawak and Malaysia.

In the past 48 hours, Ho Leng has perceptibly gained ground and I would roughly estimate that odds after two days of campaigning as 44% to 56% still in favour of the BN candidate.

However, this is already causing panic among the SUPP strategists which have unsettled the SUPP by-election strategy, as could be seen by three examples:
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Quality, Quantity, and Equity in Malaysian Education #1

By M. Bakri Musa

[First of Three Parts]

Quality Education and Economic Development

In referring to the low quality of our labor pool, the New Economic Model Report cites statistics showing that 80 percent of our workers have only SPM level (11 years) of schooling. That surprises me, not the figure rather the fact that the SPM is now viewed as inadequate.

That observation reflects more on the quality of our education system than it does of our workers. For had our education system maintained its quality, and today’s SPM is of the same caliber as the old Cambridge School Certificate “O” Level, then I would argue that our workers are among the most highly educated.

Members of the National Economic Action Council (they wrote the NEM Report) are old enough to appreciate that when they obtained their O-level certificate, they were in command of sufficient intellectual and other skills to prepare them well for life. The same cannot be said of today’s SPM, as the Report clearly implies.
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