Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| Posted: 03 Nov 2011 05:18 PM PDT In an interview with FMT, P Uthayakumar states that the Umno regime which has been in power for too long should be ousted. Asked why Pakatan leaders are giving Hindraf and HRP the cold shoulder, he replied: "We cannot be controlled unlike the Indian mandores in DAP and PKR. Similar to the Indian parties in or linked to BN, they can be controlled by Umno. But we speak our minds without fear or favour. We take a principled position. The bottom line is we want equality and equal opportunities for the Indians." RK Anand, Free Malaysia Today The tinted glass door, which conceals the operations within from the outside world, slides open and a beaming P Uthayakumar emerges to welcome FMT into his lair. Nestled in a shop-lot in Bangsar Utama here, this is the nerve centre of both Hindraf and its political offspring, the Human Rights Party (HRP). Outside, sits an antiquated Volvo, which the 50-year-old lawyer purchased in 1993. "It's my first car," he said, conceding that the road he has chosen is anything but profitable. Inside, the former Internal Security Act detainee has created a replica of his cell at the Kamunting Detention Centre, which includes a figurine of himself. Sporting a blown-up image of Uthayakumar with long beard and unkempt hair, the figurine, clutching a food tray, is dressed in the same tattered clothes which he wore during his detention. The enclosure is littered with the books he had read during his incarceration and other items, including the toothbrush and toothpaste he used. "You see, there is no brand," he said, picking up the plain white toothpaste tube. "I believe it comes from China and when you use it for a long period, your teeth actually fall off," he added, laughing. The walls of the cell are plastered with photographs depicting Hindraf's struggle throughout the years. In his private chambers, a computer screen wired to the CCTV, allows Uthayakumar to keep a vigilant eye on the front door just in case the police come knocking. Racist, extremist, threat or hero?
Mention the Hindraf leader's name and it is bound to draw mixed reactions. To some, he is a threat, racist and extremist. The harsher critics believe he has lost his marbles or is nothing more than an Indian clone of Perkasa's Ibrahim Ali. But to some, he is a hero who has suffered for the betterment of the Indian community in Malaysia. In his defence, Uthayakumar said Hindraf and HRP voice the truth; and the truth knows not political correctness. As a result of this, the feathers of those on both sides of the political divide are ruffled. "Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat want the Indian votes but not their problems," he added. Bouquets and brickbats aside, the irrefutable fact is that Hindraf forced the government to take notice of the Indian community's plight and caused a vote swing in the last general election. Within a few hours on that epochal November morning four years ago, Hindraf managed to do something which MIC was unable to do for decades. Even the once-critical MIC leaders acknowledged this. There are also those who claim that Uthayakumar has transformed into a BN operative based on his scathing criticisms against the opposition. 'Ultimate struggle is to end Umno's rule' But the Hindraf leader makes it crystal clear that his beef with Umno is greater and therefore the movement is willing to extend a conditional olive branch to Pakatan in order to vanquish a common foe. "Our ultimate political struggle is to end Umno's rule in Putrajaya. It is one of the last few remaining regimes in the world which has ruled this nation for 54 years. We want an end to Umno's rule and there are no two ways about it," he stressed. Underscoring the importance of dismantling governments that remain in power for a protracted period, he said: "The problem of the Indian poor is due to Umno's rule. So we feel that at any cost, the rule must end. When there is a change of regime… like in India, BJP came in and after that, when Congress returned to power, it became a better government." However, Uthayakumar said this does not mean Hindraf will give Pakatan a blank cheque. "We want to be the internal check and balance vis-à-vis Indian issues but they (Pakatan) don't like this idea. We have seen their dismal performance in the states they control with regard to this issue. "The argument is that 'we only control the states'. Fair enough, but licences, land for schools and Yayasan Selangor scholarships are within the respective state's jurisdiction. "The other excuse is that they have only been in power for three years. But my question is simple, do you need 50 years to make changes? To give land to all Tamil schools in Selangor does not need years, just a few minutes to sign the required paperwork is sufficient," he added.
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| Posted: 03 Nov 2011 05:04 PM PDT Opponents of what is being touted as 'DAP's Putrajaya' are also looking at the possibility of legal action, while BN demands answers from the Penang CM. The state BN has claimed that is set to be the biggest land scandal in Penang and the sum involved could even reach RM500 million. Based on a population of 700,000 on the island, BN claimed that each islander would end up paying RM697 for the project. Athai Shankar, Free Malaysia Today The opposition against the RM300 million subterranean Penang International Convention and Exhibition Center (sPICE) mega project is getting hotter. Opponents of sPICE, including local community groups, are now exhausting all avenues, even legal recourse. Bandar Bayan Baru Residents' Association secretary Chan Kim Beng said his association was contemplating lodging a series of police reports and initiating court action to stop the project. Describing Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's pet project as a "waste of money", he said his association was discussing with other community organisations in the neighbourhood to explore all avenues to halt the project. "If other organisations agree with police reports and court action, we would go ahead," he told FMT after a joint press conference by residents and Barisan Nasional here. Today was the first time some 20 local residents had joined forces with the state opposition BN to demand the Pakatan Rakyat state government to drop the project. BN state working committee chairman Dr Teng Hock Nan indicated that the opposition coalition would back the local residents' court initiatives to halt the project, touted as DAP's Putrajaya. "We are listening to the people's grouses against the project. Some suggested legal action. BN would give support in all ways to safeguard the people's interests and rights," he told reporters. Among those present were state PPP chief and BN information chief Loga Bala Mohan, state Umno deputy chief Musa Sheikh Fadzir and state BN youth chief Oh Tong Keong. 'Biggest land scandal'
Under the sPICE pipeline, the 24-acre public recreational and sports centre PISA in Relau would be dismantled and refurbished into an exclusive recreational, an international convention centre, an aquatic centre and a posh hotel. The state BN has claimed that is set to be the biggest land scandal in Penang and the sum involved could even reach RM500 million. Based on a population of 700,000 on the island, BN claimed that each islander would end up paying RM697 for the project. Under the project agreement, a 1,500 housing units leeway would be given to sPICE developer Eco-Meridian Sdn Bhd (EMSB), a subsidiary of SP Setia Bhd, to build any project, anywhere, on the island. Critics said the developer could sell each unit for more than RM1 million. EMSB/Setia is also being allowed to build and sell 450 affordable house units priced at RM72,500 and above on a free land and pocket all the proceeds from the sales. The current multi-storey car park complex sitting on a 3.1 acre would be renovated into an international class hotel. Local council (MPPP) would lease out the PISA land to EMSB/Setia for 30 years only for RM100 per square feet when the market price was RM300 psq feet, thus saving some RM27 million for the developer. MPPP is also handing out RM50 million to the developer to carry out the project. The quit, assessment and development charges for the project have all been waived.
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| PPSMI: Taking a page from history Posted: 03 Nov 2011 01:49 PM PDT Our education system should be looking at broadening the choices to cope with mother tongue instruction for our indigenous people; special education to cope with slow learners, autistic and disabled children. I remember when my wife had to write the answers for a child with muscular problems who was sitting for his O-levels at the British Council. Another sightless friend of ours told us about how computer programs were being developed to enable people in her situation to follow lectures online. By Kua Kia Soong via The Malaysian Insider In the raging controversy over the continuance of the PPSMI option, there seems to be at least two main arguments put forward for not allowing it, namely, (i) it is too troublesome to have two options in the same school, and (ii) English is not the mother tongue of Malaysians. I believe that choice and flexibility must be a fundamental principle in education policy and that we should take a historical perspective of the development of our present situation. Mother tongue as a right and a facility First, we should be thankful that the right to mother tongue education and the fact that every child learns best in the mother tongue is a principle that has been established in Unesco and is now widely accepted in our country. Mother tongue education in Malay, Chinese and Tamil in our country has seen a staggered progress. Chinese-language schools have existed in this country for more than 200 years. The first Chinese school was set up in 1819! Tamil schools have also had a long history and they developed mainly through community support during the colonial period. Thus, at independence there were already 1,350 Chinese primary schools and 78 Chinese secondary schools, while Tamil primary schools numbered more than 800 in 1957. Under colonial rule, Malay vernacular schools were built but they were certainly insufficient. During the colonial era, Lim Lian Geok, the "Soul of the Malaysian Chinese", never failed to encourage the Malay community to call for development of Malay mother tongue education, including to secondary level. That was why Utusan Melayu would ask Lim Lian Geok to write a column in its newspaper during Hari Raya Aidilfitri. The English-language schools were of course the preferred system by the colonial power and they enrolled the elite and the middle class, although theoretically they were open to all. Certainly there were also children from poorer classes in the English-medium government schools I studied at in the Fifties and Sixties. As a result of this history, English language can now be considered the mother tongue of these middle-class Malaysians where English is the "family language" with which children communicate with their parents. We should appreciate that colonial societies like ours (including India, Jamaica, Nigeria, Kenya and other British colonies) have this peculiarity and that we acknowledge and respect this reality and move on… Right up to the 1961 Education Act, the school leaving certificate for the Chinese-language secondary schools was a government-administered examination. Our education system managed well and you did not hear any grumbles about how "troublesome" it was to have that provision. We had inherited that system from our specific history and it served the purpose of providing mother tongue education for students in these schools. The Education Act 1961 did away with the Chinese-language secondary schools and they were then forced to become "independent" which meant they had to be supported by the community. After that, the government only provided teachers and some financial support for Chinese-language primary schools. Is it "troublesome" to ask for the reinstatement of the Chinese-language secondary schools into the national system? Ever since 1975, the Chinese community has administered the Unified Examination Certificate of the 60 independent Chinese secondary schools which have a total enrolment of some 60,000 students. Tuition fees are a burden for the many parents who choose this educational route for their children and the Chinese community has been subsidising these schools since 1961. It is like paying double taxation! The National Language Policy The former "Government English Schools" had to convert to teaching in Bahasa Malaysia when the national language policy was implemented after 1969. Any protests were muted in the aftermath of "May 13" and under the assertive Malay-centric ideology of the new ruling class. And so this system of BM as the medium of instruction has been implemented with no leeway for dissent for at least three decades. Then nine years ago, Dr Mahathir decided to implement the PPSMI, or the teaching of maths and science in English. PPSMI has provided the precedent for this breach in the national language policy. The justification was that it was the only way to master the international language, English. If we bear in mind all the arguments used by the Mahathir administration to justify PPSMI, we really cannot fault the parents' organisation PAGE for asking for the CHOICE of having PPSMI for their children using the same arguments. Sorry, the government cannot have its cake and eat it! Is having a choice of PPSMI "troublesome"? Some opponents of PAGE's demand have said that having two media for teaching maths and science in the same school is too "troublesome" and unreasonable to impose on the Government. I beg to differ. Education is about having a choice. I remember when my eldest brother was in secondary school during the Sixties and he was very focused about choosing Arts subjects even though he was in the top class made up of mainly Science students. He stood his ground against the school administration. My parents did not even come into the picture. Then my second brother refused to do additional maths even though he was in the top Science class because he was focused on doing medicine later on. Again, he was adamant about his choice and the school administration had to give in. I made the same choice as my brother and did not choose additional maths even though the school administration wanted uniformity. The principle we were fighting for was choice and flexibility. At the time, we simply could not see why it should be "troublesome" to have that choice. If it is troublesome to have the choice of maths and science in English, what about the choice of having "pupils' own language" in Chinese or Tamil or Kadazan or Bidayuh, etc? Although I do not agree with the pedagogical wisdom of this, some students of independent Chinese secondary schools even have the choice of doing the SPM (in Malay) during their fifth year, the UEC (in Chinese) and A-levels (in English) in their final year! It is not considered "troublesome" for these schools. It is not as if Malaysians are asking for something so difficult to implement. Our national education system has had a long history of English-language teaching and we have just had nine fresh years of PPSMI so teachers and resources are not a problem. Our education system should be looking at broadening the choices to cope with mother tongue instruction for our indigenous people; special education to cope with slow learners, autistic and disabled children. I remember when my wife had to write the answers for a child with muscular problems who was sitting for his O-levels at the British Council. Another sightless friend of ours told us about how computer programs were being developed to enable people in her situation to follow lectures online. "Troublesome" seems to be the hardest word in the education vocabulary…
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