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PAGE: Malays lose most from scrapping of PPSMI

By Patrick Lee | November 3, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: Rural students are the biggest losers from the government’s decision to stop the teaching of science and mathematics in English, according to the Parents Action Group for Education (PAGE).

PAGE chairperson Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said rural students, especially Malays, would end up speaking only Malay because they would have no context in which to apply English.

She questioned the wisdom of the decision, saying Malaysia was going against the tide when “countries all over the world are pushing for English”. She said she was now convinced that Barisan Nasional was not the right party to govern the nation.

She was commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s latest statement on the scrapping of PPSMI (the Malay abbreviation for the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English). Muhyiddin, who is the Education Education, said today that the decision was final.
Continue reading “PAGE: Malays lose most from scrapping of PPSMI”

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Nail in the coffin for PPSMI, says Muhyiddin

Nigel Aw | Nov 3, 2011
Malaysiakini

Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said today the decision to discontinue the teaching of mathematics and science in English (PPSMI) policy is final.

So, calls for the programme to be retained are two years too late, said Muhyiddin, who is also deputy prime minister.

“In 2009, (when the abolition of PPSMI was announced) there was no negative reaction. The majority accepted it well.

“I presented it in the cabinet, everyone agreed, I brought it to Parliament and everyone, including the opposition at that time, agreed.

“But now, because there are some groups opposed to it, they (the opposition) want to jump on the bandwagon.” Continue reading “Nail in the coffin for PPSMI, says Muhyiddin”

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Alas! They are sinking!

Opinion
By LIM MUN FAH
Translated by Soong Phui Jee
Sin Chew Daily
2011-11-03

Ploys are inevitable in politics but it is a different matter whether the ploys are brilliant.

The recent political ploy of accusing Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s teenage son of molesting a girl, who was later identified as 21-year-old chess grandmaster from Britain, has been greatly criticised. It has been expected that the ridiculous allegation would trigger an uproar and that is also why other politicians have drawn a line with it to avoid being dragged into the sewage.

However, if you think that public opinion can deter a repeat of similar incident, then you are wrong. Since they have done such dirty things, what else wouldn’t they do?

As expected, someone took another action. This time, a group of 300 protesters on motorcycles claimed to be made up of members of several non-governmental organisations had staged a demonstration outside the Penang State Assembly building in Light Street. All in yellow shirts printed with political words, the group demanded a racing circuit. Continue reading “Alas! They are sinking!”

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Poetic justice for Guan Eng

by Jeswan Kaur
Free Malaysia Today
November 3, 2011

The glowing words of praise heaped by the auditor-general in his latest report stand as proof that DAP is no fluke and has what it takes to turn Penang around.

COMMENT

The recently released Auditor-General’s Report comes as poetic justice for Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in particular and Barisan Nasional’s nemesis, Pakatan Rakyat in general. The report is full of praises as to how the state has successfully improved its financial position.

According to the report, Penang last year improved its financial position over 2009.

“The audit analysis found that consolidated funds of 2010 had improved compared to previous years and is at the highest level compared to the previous five years,” the report stated.

Lim took over the state’s top post in 2008 after DAP, a member of the Pakatan coalition, nudged Gerakan out in the 12th general election and took charge of Penang.

In the three years, despite all brickbats from his BN counterparts, Lim remains steadfastly focused on improving the state’s performance. The result? Words of praise by the auditor-general.

Still, like all hardworking people, Lim faced and continues to experience stinging criticism from Umno and BN which have left no stone unturned in belittling and condemning his efforts in transforming Penang for the better. Continue reading “Poetic justice for Guan Eng”

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Rahim Noor should crawl back into the woodwork

by P. Ramakrishnan
1 November 2011

A man who infamously trampled upon the rights of others has no right to speak on human rights. He is the least qualified to speak on this subject.

Yet, the former Inspector–General of Police, Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor, emerging as it were from the dead, expressed some startling views on human rights.

He is quoted as having said that the coming of a “human rights wave” would threaten the principles on which this country was founded. Continue reading “Rahim Noor should crawl back into the woodwork”

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Prurience and piety: that recent Malaysian case

— by Clive Kessler
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 03, 2011

NOV 3 — Dina Zaman, in her commentary entitled “Let’s talk about (halal) sex” (The Malaysian Insider, October 26) has already commented that: “Like many Malaysians, I was flabbergasted and speechless when I read online accounts of the launch of the [now-banned] book titled, ‘Seks Islam — Perangi Yahudi Untuk Kembalikan Seks Islam Kepada Dunia (Sex in Islam — Wage War Against Jews To Return Islamic Sex To The World)’.

“One, the English titled begged to be deciphered as it made no sense. Two, the title, even when understood, also begged for a suspension of disbelief. They cannot be serious about this: Having kosher sex meant that the Jews would be destroyed? How? What position would help destroy the Zionists for good?”

Not out of prurience, or any love of “raunch” and sexual scandal, nor even to cast much merited ridicule on these pathetic “wannabes”, but to indicate and exemplify the peculiar nature of the “full-on” Islamist “political psyche” — and, more generally, for the contemplation of the depth psychologists and political symbolism “decoders” — attention must be called to this weird variant, or “transformation”, of the 1960s slogan “make love, not war”. Continue reading “Prurience and piety: that recent Malaysian case”