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Foreign varsities swoop amid Malaysia’s brain drain

By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 07, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — Malaysia will face another brain-drain threat when some of the world’s best-ranked universities descend here this Wednesday to lure more local talent abroad, London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) cautioned today.

The data-gathering firm predicted Malaysian students “will be taking the opportunity to study abroad” during the QS World University Tour, which will see universities offer them attractive education packages aimed at addressing their financial concerns.

“With approximately 80,000 Malaysian students studying overseas, the country may be seeing signs of brain drain as an increasing number of students are looking overseas to pursue their higher education in Germany, France, the UK and other EU countries,” QS public relations head Simona Bizzozero said in a media release today.

The release noted that the universities recognise the students’ financial concerns in receiving overseas education and are ready to offer them scholarships and practical advice on how to apply for different aid schemes.

“Parents and students will also have the chance to have in-depth conversations with the various schools,” QS said. Continue reading “Foreign varsities swoop amid Malaysia’s brain drain”

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Malaysians caught in a cultural gridlock

Terence Netto
Malaysiakini
Nov 6, 2011

COMMENT

At least, we have the MRT, the biggest infrastructure project in Malaysian history, on the cards to ease the traffic jams that have been building up on our roads, particularly in the Klang Valley, over the past three decades.

But what solvents are there for the cultural stalemates we increasingly encounter these days, those that threaten to render public discourse in the country an exercise in which the argumentative appear to be talking to the deaf.

Strident Muslim groups, aided and abetted by a ham-fisted police force, frowned on an annual rite of commiseration for gays, lesbians, transgender and transvestites because, they asserted, it would promote an alternative lifestyle considered repugnant in some religious traditions.

People of unconventional sexuality are outraged and their sympathisers appalled because the police have moved in to stop Seksualiti Merdeka’s annual workshop on the grounds that the project is a threat to national amity.

The ban supposedly placates Muslim sensitivities, thought to have been rendered taut by the suspicion that proponents of unconventional sexuality are pushing to have their orientation given public respect.

Muslim sensitivities are Muslim sensitivities, but in a plural society they are not the only sensitivities extant. Continue reading “Malaysians caught in a cultural gridlock”

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Pengalaman graduan tempatan di negara asing

— Wong Tan Kim
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 07, 2011

7 NOV — Sedang saya duduk berehat di sebuah hotel di kota Shenzhen, China teringin saya untuk menulis untuk bacaan The Malaysian Insider akan kehidupan seorang graduan tempatan di negara asing.

Saya dihantar oleh majikan saya di Malaysia untuk bertugas di kota Shenzhen. Setelah beberapa tahun berulang-alik di antara Malaysia (Johor Baru), Singapura, Hong Kong, Shenzhen dan Guangdong, saya dapati ada sesuatu yang tidak betul dengan sistem pelajaran di negara kita.

Saya seorang graduan lepasan UKM dalam tahun 80an. Saya mengikuti sepenuhnya dunia pendidikan saya di dalam Bahasa Malaysia. Saya mengikuti kuliah yang dikendalikan oleh profesor seperti Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, Dr Sanusi Osman, Allahyarham Rustam Sani, Dr Noraini Othman, Dr Ting Chew Peh dan ramai lagi pensyarah yang saya sudah lupa namanya.

Saya seorang bangsa Cina yang tidak boleh membaca tulisan Cina dan menulis tulisan Cina. Saya hanya boleh bertutur Bahasa Mandarin yang ringkas. Dengan latarbelakang yang sedemikian, boleh bayangkan cabaran saya di negara China. Saya melihat saya sebagai seorang rakyat Malaysia dan bukan warga China walaupun nenek-moyang saya berasal dari China. Continue reading “Pengalaman graduan tempatan di negara asing”

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Muhyiddin is “flip flop Minister who denies that he flip-flops” on PPSMI

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s denial that he had been inconsistent on the government policy on the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI) has only made him a “flip-flop Minister who denies that he flip-flops” on PPSMI.

That Muhyiddin had “flip-flopped”, there is no need to go further than to quote the chairman of Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim who told the Malaysian Insider that she was “pleasantly surprised” by Muhyiddin’s announcement on PPSMI last Friday, “pointing out that until Thursday, Muhyiddin had appeared bent on pressing on with the government’s original decision to scrap PPSMI completely next year”. (The Malaysian Insider). Continue reading “Muhyiddin is “flip flop Minister who denies that he flip-flops” on PPSMI”

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Malaysians Abroad Should Not Vote

by M. Bakri Musa

Malaysians abroad are misguided and plain wrong in agitating for exercising their right to vote in Malaysian elections.

I can the see the validity for students, diplomats and others on temporary assignment abroad demanding such rights, but then they already have them. For others, especially those who have acquired permanent resident status elsewhere, their clamor for retaining their right to vote in Malaysian elections is misplaced for at least three major reasons.

The first and most important is that since they do not live in Malaysia, they would not have to bear the burden of the consequences of their voting decision. Second, those Malaysians are essentially seeking representation without taxation; that is presumptuous. Third, since they had sought permanent residency status abroad, their focus should now be to prove to their new host country that they are deserving of such a status. Meaning, they should focus their attention, indeed loyalty, to their new adopted land. Continue reading “Malaysians Abroad Should Not Vote”

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Tunisia’s Islamist-led government rejects laws to enforce religion

Al Arabiya News
Saturday, 05 November 2011

Tom Heneghan
TUNIS REUTERS

Tunisia’s Islamist-led government will focus on democracy, human rights and a free-market economy in planned changes to the constitution, effectively leaving religion out of the text it will draw up, party leaders said.

The government, due to be announced next week, will not introduce sharia or other Islamic concepts to alter the secular nature of the constitution in force when Tunisia’s Arab Spring revolution ousted autocrat Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January.

“We are against trying to impose a particular way of life,” Ennahda leader Rachid Ghannouchi, 70, a lifelong Islamist activist jailed and exiled under previous regimes, told Reuters.

Tunisian and foreign critics of Ennahda, the moderate Islamist party that won 41.7 percent of Tunisia’s first free election on Oct. 23, have voiced fears it would try to impose religious principles on this relatively secular Muslim country. Continue reading “Tunisia’s Islamist-led government rejects laws to enforce religion”

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When will four MCA Ministers make the formal proposal in Cabinet to make English a compulsory pass subject for SPM?

I welcome the proposal by the MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek to make English a compulsory pass subject for SPM, although it was a decade after I had made such a proposal.

On 18th May 2002, in expressing the DAP’s full support for the then Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s call to Malaysian students to master English as “necessary for communications essential to keep abreast of developments in the technical fields such as engineering and science”, I had gone one step further in proposing making pass in English compulsory in SPM, STPM and matriculation.

This is what I said some 10 years ago:

“The government has been talking about the decline of the standard of English language in the past two decades and the urgent need to arrest it, but it had nothing to show for the results. Continue reading “When will four MCA Ministers make the formal proposal in Cabinet to make English a compulsory pass subject for SPM?”

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Mozilla, Microsoft Withdraw Trust in Malaysian Intermediate CA

By John Ribeiro, IDG News
PCWorld

Mozilla and Microsoft said Thursday they are revoking trust in all certificates issued by Digicert, a Malaysian intermediate certificate authority (CA) , after it was found that it had issued 22 certificates with weak 512-bit keys and missing certificate extensions and revocation information.

The Malaysian company was issued an intermediate CA certificate in July, 2010 by Entrust in Dallas, Texas, which was licensed for distribution with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) certificates.

Entrust said in a bulletin on its website that it had been discovered that Digicert Malaysia has issued certificates with weak 512-bit RSA keys and missing certificate extensions. Entrust has revoked the 512-bit certificates issued by Digicert and made them available to major browser vendors to blacklist if found appropriate, it added.

Digicert in Malaysia does not have any relationship with DigiCert, a CA based in Utah.
Continue reading “Mozilla, Microsoft Withdraw Trust in Malaysian Intermediate CA”

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Nazri talking through his hat!

By P. Ramakrishnan, Aliran’s President
4 Nov 2011

Nazri has given expression to the saying, “Talking through the hat!” That was what he was doing when he rather foolishly commented on the majority decision of the Court of Appeal which ruled in a landmark case that Section 15(5)(a) of the Universities and University Colleges Act was unconstitutional.

In spite of the Court of Appeal’s ruling, for the Minister of Law to insist that “it does not invalidate the Act” and to dismiss the Court’s decision as “an opinion in passing” is appalling and shocking, exposing his alarming ignorance of the judicial process.

Section 15(5)(a) has been invalidated as unconstitutional by the Court of Appeal ruling – which means that the provisions of that section are no longer applicable and cannot be enforced. That section, as a result of the Court’s decision, is void and invalid.

It is a binding decision and cannot be dismissed merely as “an opinion of the Court” without any consequence. Until and unless the Federal Court overturns or sets aside this ruling – thus upholding the High Court decision – no power on earth professing the democratic tradition can ignore this decision. It is as simple as that!
Continue reading “Nazri talking through his hat!”

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PAGE says likely to continue PPSMI struggle

By Clara Chooi
November 05, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) will likely pursue its cause to retain PPSMI in schools despite expressing “deep appreciation” to the government for allowing those already enjoying the policy to continue.

PAGE chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim told The Malaysian Insider she was “pleasantly surprised” by yesterday’s announcement by Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin but admitted the decision still fell short of the group’s demands.

“We are in a difficult situation now… we do deeply appreciate what the government has agreed to and we sincerely thank them.

“But at the same time, we want this (PPSMI) policy for our future generation, to go beyond 2020, until we are all dead and gone. We want this opportunity given to all,” she said when contacted last night. Continue reading “PAGE says likely to continue PPSMI struggle”

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Appeal against UUCA judgment flies in the face of PM’s political transformation programme

by Tony Pua MP
National Publicity Secretary DAP
5.11.11

The decision by the Cabinet to allow the appeal of the Court of Appeal judgement that Section 15.(5)(a) of the University and University Colleges Act1971 (UUCA) is unconstitutional flies in the face of the Prime Minister’s “politicaltransformation programme”.

After a series of calls for the Government to not appeal the Court of Appeal judgement that Section 15.(5)(a) of the UUCA made by top politicians from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat, hopes were high that the Cabinet will abide by and accept the Court’s decision.

The UMNO Youth Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, Deputy Higher Education Minister, Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah and MCA Youth Chief, Datuk Wee Ka Siong have made a show of openly supported the Court’s position that the relevant section of the UUCA is unconstitutional and the UUCA should be amended accordingly.

In the “spirit” of the political transformationprogramme launched by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the eve of Malaysia Day where he announced the proposed repeal and amendment of various draconian Acts such as the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the Printing Pressand Publications Act (PPPA), Malaysians were expecting an enlightened decision by the Cabinet to finally remove the shackles of academic freedom at our institutions of higher learning. Continue reading “Appeal against UUCA judgment flies in the face of PM’s political transformation programme”

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The deadly sins of Umno

— Jacob Sinnathamby
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 04, 2011

NOV 4 — Every day a layer of deception is peeled away from the men and women who govern this country and who have a choke grip on our fate. The ongoing Parliament session and the reaction to the Auditor-General’s Report and the campaign of lies against Lim Guan Eng’s son have led me to think more deeply about Umno and what motivates them to behave and think and speak in the manner they do.

For ease of reference, I will list out the characteristics of Umno (and here I mean the leaders of the party) and will call them the deadly sins of Umno.

1) Pride. This characteristic flows through Muhyiddin Yassin to Khairy Jamaluddin. The Umno leader has no or little humility, he believes that he is a self-made person and is entitled to every position, privilege he has, not for a moment stopping to accept that it is through God’s grace that he is an elected representative.

Pride is manifested in this party where NO ONE owns up to a mistake and says sorry. Did Muhyiddin or Khairy say sorry for jumping on the wrong bandwagon and perpetuating an untruth against a 16-year-old boy? Continue reading “The deadly sins of Umno”

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Has Muhyiddin performed a “coup” against Najib and other non-UMNO Cabinet Ministers and parties?

Has the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin done a “coup” against the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and other non-UMNO Cabinet Ministers and parties including MCA, MIC and Gerakan in unilaterally and arbitrarily without Cabinet authority declaring as “final” the decision to discontinue the PPSMI policy on the teaching of mathematics and science in English and slamming shut the door of a review?

The Prime Minister had promised before the Sarawak polls in April this year that the government would consider using dual languages as the medium of instruction for mathematics and science in schools, and it is precisely because of such an undertaking that the leaders/Ministers from non-UMNO Barisan Nasional parties have come out publicly in support of the principle that parents should be given the option of deciding on continuing with PPSMI in selected schools.

Although Muhyiddin had dismissed calls from the top MCA and MIC leadership that the government allow schools the option to retain PPSMI, declaring that representatives from both MCA and MIC (which would include Gerakan) in the Cabinet had agreed to its abolition in 2009, the Deputy Prime Minister should explain why he had singly, uniaterally and arbitrarily overriden the powers of the Cabinet to review the 2009 decision – and whether Muhyiddin had the full approval and agreement of Najib to make such a “final” decision on PPSMI when the Prime Minister is away from the country?
Continue reading “Has Muhyiddin performed a “coup” against Najib and other non-UMNO Cabinet Ministers and parties?”

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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”

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Sinking deeper and deeper

By S JAYASANKARAN, KL CORRESPONDENT | 31 Oct 2011
Business Times

MALAYSIA should take heed of the problems – the public anger, the social unrest – posed by the solutions offered to tackle rising sovereign debt in Europe. God forbid that we head that way!

The Auditor-General’s recent report pointed out that Malaysia’s national debt rose 12.3 per cent to over RM407 billion (S$165 billion) in 2010. The amount is equivalent to 53.1 per cent of gross domestic product. It’s the second straight year that the national debt has exceeded 50 per cent.

The figure is a reflection of the spending spree the country went on to mitigate the effects of the 2009 global financial crisis. At its peak that year, the budget deficit rose to 7.6 per cent of GDP, the highest in two decades.

It has since come down to 5.4 per cent of GDP and the government projects that it will decline further to 4.7 per cent of GDP next year. But that may be overly optimistic.
Continue reading “Sinking deeper and deeper”