Month: December 2013

Azly Rahman
Malaysiakini
Dec 11, 2013

Malaysia’s most exciting political party of the old, United Malays National Organisation (Umno) just had its general assembly. A ritual of the political blood transfusion and the annual health check and administration of medications and treatments of a body politics ageing and grumbling. Too much good food and good life. Too sedentary of a life after its early years of “winning the war of independence” through a victory presented essentially and arguably, on a silver platter.

With the advent of mega-issues such as the most hegemonic and imperialistic US-imposed proposal of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), the rise of fascist and hate-mongering groups, the disillusionment about our education system, run amuck and latah behaviors displayed in our Parliament, massive growth of the underclass amongst the overpopulated nation on immigrants shipped en masse to build the country to such giddy heights, a daily rise of cases of mindless crimes, a slackening and weakening school system that is criticised for not preparing the next generation for a competitive economy requiring the cultivation of brainpower, resilience, and a sense of economic republicanism with a heart of social-democraticism, the clamour for a sense of unity reminiscent of the 70s – with all these and more, why are the speeches in this party assembly out of focus?

Here are my questions to the Umno delegates:

Why can’t your speeches be about:

•Coming up with strategies to create a better understanding between the races, since we’ve been together for centuries?

•Designing our education system to be inclusive of all Malaysians with each race treated on equal terms,

•Helping any group progress, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation, since we are all lawful citizens and we are not going back to “where we belong”,

•Stopping this nonsense called ‘1Malay’ as a greeting since 1Malaysia is already enough as a meaningless slogan and even 1Mandela would be better,

•Dismantling all systems that will perpetuate hatred amongst us and redesign our lives around celebrating our strength in diversity,

•Find ways to unify all races as one dignified race of Malaysians united against any threats from outside (if there are any real or imagined),

•Coming together as Malaysians to redesign our education system that will truly enhance children’s understanding of concepts, skills, attitude to become good learners, global and transcultural in outlook, and will grow up to see each other as a human race with a common humane destiny, rather than see more divisions and destructions,

•Collaborating with all races to see how best we can help those who are marginalized regardless of race and religion, and how best we can design an economic system that will promote cooperation, collaboration, and the enculturalisation of conscience and conscientiousness amongst us, rather that perpetually create competitions that lead to hatred and warmongering,

•Mediating the differences between Muslims of different interpretive practices, schools of thoughts, ways of leading their ‘Islamic life’ rather than create bogeymen and bogey-women for the purpose of witch-hunting and persecuting each other of the things we cannot fully understand,

•Stopping the total closing of the Malay mind by constantly instilling fear of themselves since time immemorial, since feudal times, so that the Malays can be spared of being called stupid, weak, lazy, and dependent on Umno as savior – all these a perfect model of a Master-Slave Narrative.

We need new speeches, Umno, saner ones. Continue reading “Questions for Umno delegates”

Free Malaysia Today
The Malaysian Reserve| December 11, 2013

Autonomy in schools will allow the resident learning centres to accommodate local needs and allow ownership by teachers, administrators, parents and students.

by Azli Jamil

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs to decentralise its schools, provide feedback to parents on performance and find quality teachers as a crucial step in its race to become a high income nation, according to the World Bank’s Economic Monitor report on High-Performing Education released yesterday.

The report said Malaysia’s education system, which is among the most centralised in the world, makes it difficult to adapt to rapidly changing needs and circumstances.

“Autonomy allows for greater responsiveness to local needs as well as stronger ownership of performance by teachers, administrators, parents and students,” said World Bank country director for Malaysia Ulrich Zachau.

“Schools must have more freedom to hire and fire and also to manage its own budget allocations and curriculum.”

He said autonomy must come with accountability where parents must be more involved in demanding performance from the schools as the parents’ feedback loops and bottom-up pressure are important drivers of systemic improvements.

The quality of teachers is the third priority and is a cause of concern where the key is to recruit and retain the best teachers. Continue reading “Schools should be decentralised, says World Bank”

by Lok Wing Kong
The Malaysian Insider
December 11, 2013

I have predicted long ago that the Education Blueprint 2013-2025 by the Education Minister will not be able to raise the standard of the education.

My prediction is spot on when we were ranked 52nd out of 62 countries for TIMSS and is firmly entrenched at the bottom third place of the Pisa survey, worse than Vietnam.

Singapore is in second place. The young students aged 11 and 12 years from Singapore are better than our 15 years old students in reading, speaking and general knowledge, etc.

I therefore totally agree with former NST editor-in-chief Datuk A. Kadir Jassin that Muyiddin be replaced by the PM’s wife Rosmah Mansor who is more cable and efficient.

Muhyiddin does not fit to be the Education Minister and in fact not fit to be in the cabinet. Continue reading “Our education standard is shamefully low”

The Malay Mail Online
December 11, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 — Education standards that were deteriorating despite Putrajaya spending twice as much as neighbouring countries on schools could stand in the way of Malaysia’s plans to join the ranks of developed nations, according to a recent World Bank report.

In a report titled “Malaysia Economic Monitor: High Performing Education” that echoes criticism over the recent performance of Malaysian schools, the World Bank highlighted the critical role quality education plays in a country’s aims to gain a high-income status.

In 2011, Malaysia spent the equivalent of 3.8 per cent of its gross domestic product on education, or more than twice the average 1.8 per cent within Asean nations.

“A nation’s human capital, which is largely built by its education system, is a fundamental driver of economic growth,” it said in the report.

“The quality of cognitive skills of Malaysian students, as measured by standardized international tests, is not on par with the country’s aspirations to become a high-income economy.” Continue reading “World Bank: Worsening education obstacle to Malaysia’s high-income hopes”

The Deputy Prime Minister and the Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should ask the American consultants McKinsey & Co to answer the question how Malaysia is to become a “wonder nation” and make the double quantum jump from the bottom third to top third of 2021 PISA in four triennial PISA tests which had not been achieved by any country in the world from 2003 to 2012.

If Malaysia can achieve what no other country could do in four triennial PISA tests to make the double quantum jump from the bottom third to top third of the PISA system from 2010 to 2021, Malaysia will become the envy and even poster boy of all countries in the world as a miracle nation which could make a double quantum jump in educational transformation from a nation of mediocrity to become a nation of excellence through four triennial PISA tests.

Malaysia is presently stuck in the bottom third of the PISA system for all three subjects, i.e. 421 for maths, 420 for science and 398 for reading, when Malaysia needs to achieve scores of 450 for maths, 442 for science and 446 for reading to get into the middle third and scores of 532 for maths, 511 for science and 508 for reading to get into the top third of the PISA assessment.

This is based on 2012 PISA as from the four triennial PISA tests of 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2012, the threshold for each third of the assessment rises, for instance, the top performer in maths in 2003 was Hong Kong with a score of 550 while Shanghai topped the 2012 PISA with 613. Continue reading “Muhyiddin should ask McKinsey & Co to answer the question how Malaysia is to become a “wonder nation” and make the double quantum jump from the bottom third to top third of 2021 PISA or reclaim the RM20 million spent on the consultant for the Malaysian Education Blueprint”

By Kee Thuan Chye
msn.com
10.12.2013

When Nelson Mandela died last Thursday, some Malaysian political leaders paid him tribute and expressed their admiration for what he stood for.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, who recently bought back preventive detention, tweeted, “Mandela lives on in the spirit of every human that believes in democracy and freedom.”

Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, the champion of Perkasa, Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy) and the New Economic Policy (NEP), called Mandela a great leader dedicated to the cause of social justice.

Kedah Mentri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir, who in September said he would not entertain any requests for allocations from Chinese schools in Kedah, called Mandela “a true international patriot” for having suffered for the freedom movement against Apartheid.

Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who last year raised the threat of another May 13, extolled his message of unity and called him a “role model for all of the world”.

Weighed against what these people have said, done and been perceived to believe, the tributes sounded hollow. Even hypocritical. It makes one wonder if they truly understand the meaning of Mandela’s legacy. Continue reading “What Our Leaders Can Learn from Mandela”

Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
Dec 9, 2013

The 4Rs – race, royalty, religion and the rural people – have been used by Umno Baru to divide and rule Malaysia.

When Najib asked the rhetorical question, “Where would the Malays be without Umno Baru?”, it was a cry of desperation and an admission of defeat.

Umno Baru’s hold on the Malays is slipping. Najib and Umno-Baru are scared. Without the Malays, where would Umno Baru be? Domination of the Malays is not about protecting their rights. It is all about power and status.

The line that Umno Baru has used for over five decades to divide the nation, is no longer relevant. Malay graduates who return to Malaysia do so because they have to fulfil the terms of their scholarship or loan. Try asking them what they really feel about Malaysia, about Umno Baru and its leaders. Their stories will fill you with hope.

The current clampdown on dissent and the hunt for Malays who speak their minds is because the government is afraid. A thinking Malay is a threat to Umno Baru. A thinking Malay who is prepared to question the leaders and make them accountable for their actions will erode the power of Umno Baru.

Umno Baru knows that one thinking Malay will embolden other Malays and very soon, Umno Baru will become irrelevant. Continue reading “Umno Baru running scared”

By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malay Mail Online
December 10, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 — Umno’s increasing focus on Islam will likely spark inter and intra-religious tensions here, and even affect the country’s development, analysts have said as they warned of the dangers of placing one religion, or denomination, above another.

The political observers noted that in recent months, Umno appears to have entered a competition to “out-Islamise” Islamist PAS, the one opposition party seen as its biggest competitor for the Malay-Muslim vote, the country’s key voting demographic.

Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of libertarian think tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), even said Umno’s 67th general assembly last week seemed very much like a gathering by PAS two decades ago.

“I must say it’s really disappointing to see the Umno assembly becoming like what PAS was 20 years ago,” Wan Saiful told The Malay Mail Online yesterday.

“PAS has moved on. Umno has suddenly become Muslim again… it’s really sad to see the prime minister outside the assembly talking about progressive, liberal views.

“But, in his own party, at the annual gathering, it’s like attending a PAS gathering 20 years ago,” he added. Continue reading “In ‘Islamist’ Umno, analysts see a nation torn by religion”

Sejak dua hari yang lalu, saya meminta Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Pendidikan Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin untuk berhenti membina “mahligai kayangan” dan menggariskan rancangan padu untuk membuktikan bahawa sasaran Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia untuk meletakkan pelajar berusia 15 tahun di Malaysia dalam kalangan sepertiga teratas dalam PISA 2021 bukan angan-angan kosong.

Kini saya faham mengapa Muhyiddin membisu tentang keputusan PISA 2012, ujian tiga tahunan global melibatkan 510,000 pelajar berusia 15 tahun dari 65 buah negara untuk subjek sains, matematik, dan bacaan, yang mendapati pencapaian pelajar berusia 15 tahun di Malaysia dalam ketiga-tiga subjek itu bukan saja di bawah tahap purata antarabangsa, malah mereka ketinggalan empat atau lima tahun di belakang rakan-rakan mereka yang seusia dari negara-negara berprestasi tinggi seperti Shanghai, Singapura, Korea Selatan, Hong Kong dan Taiwan.

Sebagai contoh, untuk subjek matematik, skor 421 yang dicapai oleh pelajar berusia 15 tahun Malaysia adalah lima tahun ketinggalan di belakang rakan-rakan sebaya mereka dari Shanghai (613), empat tahun di belakang Singapura , dan lebih tiga tahun di belakang tujuh buah negara/wilayah lain –Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea Selatan, Macao, Jepun, Liechtenstein dan Switzerland.
Continue reading “Tidak mungkin Muhyiddin mampu mengadakan rancangan untuk melonjakkan Malaysia ke dalam kelompok sepertiga teratas dalam PISA 2021 kerana untuk mencatat pencapaian sedemikian dalam tempoh empat ujian tiga tahunan PISA, Malaysia perlu menjadi “negara ajaib””

In the past two days, I have asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to stop “building castles in the air” or he should outline concrete plans to prove that the Malaysian Education Blueprint for Malaysia’s 15-year-olds to be in the top third of 2021 PISA is no “pie in the sky”.

I now understand why Muhyiddin has been conspicuously silent about the 2012 PISA results in the triennial global test of 510,000 15-year-old students in 65 countries in reading, science and maths, with Malaysia’s 15-year-olds not only falling below the international average in the three critical subjects but ranging from three to five years behind their peers in the top-performing PISA countries/regions particularly in Shanghai, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

For instance, for mathematics with score of 421, Malaysia’s 15-year-olds is five years behind their peers in Shanghai (613), four years behind Singapore, and more than three years behind seven countries/regions – Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Macao, Japan, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

For science, with score of 420, Malaysia is 4.2 years behind Shanghai (580), and more than three years behind six countries/regions – Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Finland and Estonia.
Continue reading “Muhyiddin can have no plans to catapult Malaysia into the top third in 2021 PISA as Malaysia would have to become a “wonder country” to achieve what no nation could do in four triennial PISA tests”

Malaysia mempunyai dua Menteri Pendidikan, namun hal ini tidak menghalang mutu pendidikan dalam negara daripada terus merosot di bawah piawaian antarabangsa, mengubah status kita yang dikenali di tahun-tahun awal Merdeka dulu sebagai sebuah negara cemerlang mutu pendidikan rendah, menengah, dan universitinya, menjadi sebuah negara yang pencapaiannya serba biasa sahaja.

Kita diperingatkan tentang hakikat ini menerusi dua peristiwa pada minggu lalu, iaitu pengumuman PISA 2012 (Programme for International Student Assessment) Selasa lalu dan Times Higher Education BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings 2014 pada hari Rabu lalu.

PISA 2012, ujian global melibatkan 510,000 pelajar berusia 15 tahun dari 65 buah negara untuk subjek sains, matematik, dan bacaan, mendapati pencapaian pelajar berusia 15 tahun di Malaysia dalam ketiga-tiga subjek itu bukan saja di bawah tahap purata antarabangsa, malah mereka ketinggalan empat atau lima tahun di belakang rakan-rakan mereka yang seusia dari negara-negara berprestasi tinggi seperti Shanghai, Singapura, Korea Selatan, Hong Kong dan Taiwan.
Continue reading “Muhyiddin perlu membentuk rancangan padu untuk membuktikan Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia untuk meletakkan pelajar berusia 15 tahun Malaysia dalam kelompok sepertiga teratas dalam PISA 2021 bukan janji kosong”

Sekiranya pencapaian Malaysia dalam tiga subjek matematik, sains, dan bacaan dalam PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2012 adalah sedikit lebih baik daripada ujian PISA 2010, sudah tentu Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Pendidikan Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin akan menyebut perkara tersebut dalam ucapannya sewaktu pembukaan mesyuarat agung tahunan Pemuda, Wanita, dan Puteri Umno pada malam Selasa lalu (keputusan PISA keluar awal hari yang sama) sebagai bukti bahawa Malaysia sedang bangkit untuk menghasilkan sebuah sistem pendidikan bertaraf dunia di bawah kepimpinannya.

Tetapi keputusan PISA 2012 lebih sesuai dijadikan sebab untuk bermuram daripada bersuka ria. Kerana itulah Muhyiddin membisu tentang keputusan PISA – tidak seperti rakan sejawatannya dari Singapura, Menteri Pendidikan Heng Swee Keat yang menyebut pada hari keputusan PISA diumumkan bahawa beliau amat gembira remaja berusia 15 tahun di Singapura telah mencatatkan pencapaian yang “amat, amat baik” dalam PISA 2012, memandangkan pelajar Singapura ditempatkan pada tangga kedua dalam matematik, ketiga dalam sains dan bacaan dalam ujian penilaian global yang melibatkan 510,100 pelajar berusia 15 tahun dari 65 buah negara dan wilayah.

Menteri Pendidikan Thai, Chaturon Chaisang ceria apabila pelajar Thai mencatatkan skor 441 dalam bacaan, 427 dalam matematik dan 444 dalam sains (mengatasi Malaysian dalam ketiga-tiga subjek itu). Menurut beliau, pencapaian pelajar-pelajar Thai membayangkan potensi negara itu dan mampu menarik masuk pelaburan.
Continue reading “Tiga keadaan mendukacitakan untuk Malaysia dalam penilaian pelajar antarabangsa PISA 2012 bagi subjek matematik, sains dan bacaan”

Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan CEO Unit Pengurusan Prestasi (Pemandu) Datuk Seri Idris Jala girang apabila Malaysia mendaki dari tangga ke 54 ke tangga ke 53 dalam Indeks Persepsi Rasuah (CPI) Transparency International (TI) tahun ini lalu mengisytiharkan bahawa Pemandu mensasarkan untuk memasuki senarai 30 teratas menjelang tahun 2020.

Ya, kedudukan Malaysia dalam CPI TI tahun ini meningkat satu anak tangga menempati kedudukan ke-53 dari 177 negara berbanding tangga ke-54 tahun lalu, manakala skor CPI TI negara ini semakin baik pada 50/100 mata berbanding 49/100 mata untuk tahun lalu.

Bagaimanapun, satu hakikat yang tidak dapat dinafikan ialah bahawa untuk tahun kelima berturut-turut di bawah kepimpinan Najib (2009-2013), Malaysia mengisi kedudukan lebih bawah dalam CPI TI berbanding di zaman Tun Mahathir dan Tun Abdullah.

Perkara berkenaan boleh dilihat dalam carta berkenaan CPI TI di bawah (1995-2013):

Perdana Menteri	Kedudukan terbaik	Skor terbaik	Kedudukan paling buruk	Skor paling rendah
Mahathir	23(1995)	5.32/10 (1996)	37 (2003)	4.8/10 (2000)
Abdullah	39(2004)	5.1/10 (2005/7/8)	47 (2008)	5/10 (2004/6)
Najib	53 (2013)	50/100 (2013)	60 (2011)	4.3/10 (2011)

Dari satu sudut, CPI TI 2013 mengesahkan kenyataan Mahathir dua hari lalu yang menyebut rasuah kini semakin teruk berbanding ketika beliau menjadi Perdana Menteri selama 22 tahun (walaupun Abdullah juga boleh menyebut perkara yang sama bagi kepimpinan beliau selama lima tahun).

Bagaimanapun, Mahathir telah mengabaikan satu lagi hakikat – Malaysia mula terjerumus ke dalam rasuah sejak kepimpian beliau, memandangkan di bawah tiga Perdana Menteri pertama, iaitu Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, dan Tun Hussein Onn, rasuah bukan masalah besar dan terkawal.

Malah, sehingga tahun tujuh puluhan, skandal terbesar di Parlimen adalah skandal Bank Rakyat, berjumlah RM65 juta, yang saya bahaskan di Parlimen pada tahun 1979.

Sejak tahun lapan puluhan, rasuah dan skandal kewangan lebih parah, melihatkan jumlah jauh lebih besar, misalnya skandal RM2.5 bilion Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF), RM600 juta skandal pembelian timah Maminco, RM1.5 bilion skandal Co-operative Finance, sehingga kepada skandal pertukaran wang asing Bank Negara yang melibatkan wang sejumlah RM30 bilion serta skandal RM11 bilion Perwaja di tahun 90an. Terkini, kita menyaksikan skandal berbilion ringgit Scorpene dan pemerolehan keperluan pertahanan serta skandal RM12.5 bilion Zon Perdagangan Bebas Pelabuhan Klang.

Akar rasuah – politik wang dalam parti-parti kerajaan – tidak dipangkas dan malah semakin merebak seperti dianggarkan oleh orang dalam Umno yang menyebut bahawa untuk memenangi kerusi Naib Presiden Umno, diperlukan lebih RM10 juta, manakala untuk memenangi kerusi majlis tertinggi Umno, diperlukan lebih sejuta ringgit.

Politik wang besar-besaran juga turut berlaku dalam pemilihan parti MCA dan MIC – sehinggakan Presiden MCA menerima perkara ini sebagai satu hakikat dalam pemilihan parti apabila beliau menasihatkan perwakilan MCA dalam pemilihan parti MCA yang bakal menjelang untuk mengambil sikap seperti para pengundi dalam PRU13, iaitu “Ambil wang; jangan beri undi” (seperti yang dipaparkan terang-terangan dalam judul laporan sebuah akhbar Cina).

Meneliti kedudukan dan skor untuk 177 buah negara dalam CPI TI 2013 serta rekod selama 19 tahun CPI TI (1995-2013), tiada sebab dan tiada asas untuk sesiapa percaya bahawa sasaran Malaysia untuk memasuki senarai 30 teratas dalam CPI TI pada tahun 2020 adalah sasaran yang realistik atau mampu dicapai.

Malah, menjelang tahun 2020, Malaysia mungkin dipintas oleh Cina dan Indonesia dari segi kedudukan dan skor CPI TI. Dalam CPI TI pertama pada tahun 1995, Malaysia ditempatkan di tangga ke 23 dari 41 buah negara, dengan skor 5.28 dari 10, manakala Cina dan Indonesia ditempatkan di tangga dua terakhir, dengan skor CPI masing-masing 2.16 dan 1.94 dari 10 (pada peratusan 90 terbawah bagi skor CPI).

Jika Malaysia hendak menduduki tangga 30 teratas dalam CPI tahun 2020, kita perlu mencapai peratusan 35 teratas skor CPI dan bukan hanya 50/100, memandangkan skor lima buah negara yang berada di tangga ke 26 hingga 30 teratas dalam CPI TI 2013 adalah 69/100 bagi Austria UAE, 68/100 Estonia Qatar dan 64/100 Botswana.

Bagaimanapun, sejak 19 tahun lalu, Malaysia tergolong dalam salah sebuah negara yang kedudukan dan skornya dalam CPI TI merosot, malah telah dipintas oleh negara-negara yang mendapat kedudukan dan skor CPI lebih rendah pada tahun 1995, dan kini berdepan kemungkinan dipintas oleh negara-negara yang berada di kedudukan terbawah dalam CPI pada tahun 1995, iaitu Cina dan Indonesia.

Sebagai contoh, Malaysia berada pada kedudukan ke 23, dengan skor CPI 5.28/10 pada tahun 1995, di depan Taiwan (kedudukan ke 25, skor 5.08), Sepanyol (kedudukan ke 26, skor 4.35), Korea Selatan (kedudukan 27, skor 4.29), Hungary (kedudukan 28, skor 4.12), dan Turki (kedudukan 29, skor 4.10). Tetapi untukCPI TI 2013, Malaysia berada di bawah Taiwan (kedudukan 36, skor 61), Spain (kedudukan 40, skor 59), South Korea (kedudukan 46, skor 55), Hungary (kedudukan 47, skor 54) dan diekori rapat oleh Turki (kedudukan 53, skor 50).

Tidak seperi Malaysia yang mencapai peratusan skor lebih rendah sejak 19 tahun yang lalu, iaitu 5.28/10 pada tahun 1995 kepada 50/100 pada tahun 2013, semua negara Asia yang lain memperbaiki peratusan skor sejak 19 tahun yang lalu, misalnya Thailand dari 2.79/100 kepada 35/100; India dari 2.78/10 kepada 36/100; Philippines dari 2.77/10 kepada 36/100; Pakistan dari 2.25/10 kepada 28/100; China dari 2.16/10 kepada 40/100 dan Indonesia dari 1.94/10 kepada 32/100.

Rakyat Malaysia perlu bimbang kerana berdasarkan trend ini, Malaysia mungkin dipintas oleh Indonesia dan Cina sebelum tahun 2020 dari segi kedudukan dan skor CPI TI, melainkan Malaysia segera bertindak dan menunjukkan keseriusannya membasmi rasuah.

Bagaimana Malaysia hendak menjaga air mukanya jika dunia melihat Malaysia lebih rasuah daripada Indonesia dan Cina sebelum berakhir dekad ini?

Apakah ini nasib yang menanti Malaysia dari segi kedudukan dan skor CPI TI sebelum tahun 2020?

Kelmarin, saya telah mengemukakan soalan sama ada Pakatan Rakyat sanggup bangkit untuk menyahut cabaran bagi menentukan masa depan bukan saja Sabah dan Sarawak, malah Malaysia secara keseluruhan dalam PRU14.

Dalam kenyataan media saya sejak empat hari lalu, saya telah menjelaskan menerusi fakta dan angka bahawa ketiga-tiga parti Pakatan Rakyat DAP, PKR, dan PAS telah mencapai keputusan terbaik di peringkat parlimen dan negeri di Semenanjung, Sabah, dan Sarawak – dan untuk suatu tempoh berjaya menguasai lima negeri, iaitu Kelantan, Pulau Pinang, Selangor, Kedah dan Perak – menerusi kerjasama ketiga-tiga parti itu dalam Pilihanraya Umum tahun 1999, 2008 dan 2013.

Hari ini, saya ingin membentangkan strategi 12 mata berikut untuk Pakatan Rakyat sebagai pelan induk untuk membentuk kerajaan persekutuan dan menawan Putrajaya dalam Pilihanraya Umum ke-14. Continue reading “Strategi 12 Mata sebagai Pelan Induk untuk Pakatan Rakyat menawan Putrajaya dalam PRU14”

Malaysia has two Education Ministers but this has not stopped the country from continuing to slide down international educational standards, transforming our previous status in the early Merdeka years as a nation of excellence for primary, secondary and university education into a nation of mediocrity.

This was painfully highlighted by two events last week, the release of the 2012 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) last Tuesday and the inaugural Times Higher Education BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings 2014 last Wednesday.

The 2012 PISA, a global test of 510,000 15-year-old students in 65 countries in reading, science and maths, found Malaysia’s 15-year-olds not only below the international average in the three critical subjects but four or even five years behind their peers in the top-performing PISA countries/regions in Shanghai, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The inaugural Times Higher Education BRICS and Emerging Economies Rankings 2014 has finally confirmed Malaysia’s removal from the pedestal of the world’s top ranking universities – as not a single Malaysian university succeeded for the third year running to be ranked in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for top 400 universities for 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14. Continue reading “Muhyiddin should outline concrete plans to prove that the Malaysia Education Blueprint for Malaysia’s 15-year-olds to be in top third of countries in 2021 PISA is no “pie in the sky””

By Kee Thuan Chye
Yahoo! News
9.12.2013

Umno President Najib Razak diminished the stature of a great man when he said last Saturday at his party’s general assembly that Umno fought for the “same cause” as Nelson Mandela, who had died two days before.

What same cause? Mandela fought against racial discrimination whereas Umno institutionalised racial discrimination a few decades ago and still upholds it.

Mandela never advocated black supremacy, whereas Umno promotes Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy).

After he became president of South Africa, Mandela proposed reconciliation and sought to bring the races in his country together, whereas in Malaysia, Umno divides the races in order to keep itself in power.

Even at its general assembly, Umno’s delegates lobbied for the ethnocentric ‘1Melayu’ to replace the more inclusive ‘1Malaysia’, bashed the Chinese for not supporting the party at the last general election, and demanded a bigger stake in the economy, totally ignoring the reality that most of the country’s economic development is now already in Malay hands. Continue reading “How Dare Najib Discredit Mandela”

By Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid
New Mandala
7 December 2013

The transmission of Islam in the Malay-Indonesian world remains entrenched in history as one of the foremost examples of peaceful proselytisation of religion on a trans-continental scale. So successful was the continuous process from around the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, that the Islamic faith (agama) became comfortably embedded as a definitive criterion, apart from the Malay language (bahasa Melayu) and rulership (kerajaan), of Malayness – in reference to the broad category of Southeast Asia’s indigenous population who were previously adherents of animism and variants of Hindu-Buddhist religious traditions prevalent in the archipelago. The sources, modalities, timing and other details of the genesis of Islam among the Malays had always been diverse – there were sufis or Muslim mystics and shias; Arabs, Chinese, Indians and Bengalis; sayyids, sheikhs and itinerant missionaries; merchants, traders and political escapees from the flux engulfing their lands of origin or transit.

With its kaleidoscopic provenance as the backdrop, Islam as understood and practised by Malay-Muslims prior to the era of the nation state never bore monolithic traits. On the contrary, accommodation of mores from a variety of civilisational traditions prevailed, as strongly reflected in the assortment of religious practices deriving from various ethno-cultural traditions that eventually assumed the label of being part of Malay-Muslim heritage. Hence we find for instance, in Penang, the boria musical tradition which traces its ancestry to Shiah festivities. Religio-cultural marhaban and berzanji troupes who commonly perform during Malay wedding receptions, in turn, owe their origins to rhythmic salutations of the Prophet Muhammad popularised by sufi congregations. Islam in Malaya, up till independence on 31 August 1957, had remained steadfast to the spirit of wide interpretation, as personified by its perennial willingness to accommodate the intricacies of local customs known as adat, and to tolerate the arrival of new cultural strands such as the Kaum Muda and even the West. The celebrated public debate in Kelantan on whether a dog’s saliva could be considered impure or not in 1937 was indicative of the spirit of tolerance of diversity of views that prevailed in pre-independent Malaya. The differences of views between the traditional and reformist ulama notwithstanding, the terrain of Islam in Malaya was invariably pluralist from the pre-colonial through the colonial epochs. Continue reading “Islamist conservatism in Malaysia”

The Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will be remembered for what he failed to say instead of what he said in the past week.

On the morning of his joint opening of the annual general meetings of UMNO Youth, Wanita and Puteri on Tuesday night, the 2012 PISA results on the global assessment of 510,000 15-year-old students in 65 countries and regions on the three critical subjects of mathematics, reading and science were released, but he did not have anything to say on it although it fell directly under his portfolio.

Although Muhyiddin as Education Minister would have earlier notice of the 2012 PISA results, he continued to keep dumb on the 2012 PISA results, even omitting reference to it in his winding-up speech at the three-day UMNO General Assembly yesterday.

Elsewhere in the world, the 2012 PISA results have created waves. Continue reading “Muhyiddin should stop “building castles in the air” about Malaysia among the top one-third of TIMSS and PISA systems by 2021 when he seems to be comfortable or resigned to the country being a nation of mediocrity instead of being a nation of excellence”

Jeswan Kaur| December 8, 2013
Free Malaysia Today

Refusing to deal with the truth and reality has left Umno in a vulnerable position.

COMMENT

When it comes to self-aggrandization, no one does it better than the nation’s largest political party, Umno. The party whose reputation precedes it continues to be ‘recycled’ by its leaders under the myth of ‘evolution’.

Umno after it was ‘reinvented’ by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is full of vengeance, of hatred towards those who refuse to be cowered in the face of injustices.

Racist, seditious, ethnically intolerant, disrespectful of fundamental rights and selfish – this best defines Umno Baru, the party which continues to be in denial over its marred credibility and warped reason d’etre.

The fact is that Umno has long lost its bearing and left many of its supporters disenchanted. Still, the hands that dictate Umno’s fate continue to be out of sync with the truth, acting instead in their own best interests.

This is perhaps the reason why the 64th edition of the Umno general assembly that kicked off on Dec 5 has turned into a ‘circus’ of sorts, with members trying to outsmart one another by resorting to ‘talking shop’.

While the keris wielding has stopped making its presence felt in the Umno assembly, Malay supremacy and racially-charged speeches continue to be harangued at the party’s gatherings. Continue reading “Umno’s never-ending theatrics”

by Eileen Ng
The Malaysian Insider
December 08, 2013

Two facts were established during debate time at the Umno general assembly – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s much-vaunted transformation programme and his 1Malaysia dream have failed.

His party men clamoured for contracts and projects and continued to see everything through the prism of the Malay race.

From demands for government-linked companies to award public contracts to more Bumiputera firms to the re-examining of the BR1M cash handouts and calls for a 1Melayu slogan, the attitude at the Umno general assembly makes a mockery of the 1Malaysia slogan and talks of national reconciliation.

There was also nothing about inclusiveness in the debates. Nor was there any mention about corruption in the country, wastages, leakages or wrongdoings by those in power – concerns that are shared by other Malaysians.

“The tone of the debates reflected the sentiments of members on the ground and it is a sad situation,” said Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) CEO Wan Saiful Wan Jan. Continue reading “Despite Najib’s much vaunted 1Malaysia, Umno debates show otherwise, say analysts”