Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Malaysia Nanban asked for trouble
- Lahad Datu Resembles A School Drama
- The sovereignty of Sabah rests with its people
- This is How Liberty Dies...With Thunderous Applause
- Jeffrey Asks if Lahad Datu Standoff a Charade to Scare Voters
- Cash Handouts versus Empowering the People
- Responding to Muhyiddin's Confidence of Indian Support
| Malaysia Nanban asked for trouble Posted: 21 Feb 2013 11:44 AM PST
With 5 Tamil dailies in the market, it seems to us that in the race to sustain sales and readership, the Tamil newspapers have compromised on the true ethics and value of journalism. Simply look at the daily news reports, the community benefits nothing from reading news reported, unsubstantiated political news and bickering, rape, murder, pages of India and Sri Lanka news, that is what we see daily. P.M. Sivalingam The near-scuffle at the office of Malaysian Nanban on Thursday was caused by the series of articles on Indians and their support the for political parties in Malaysia. Over the last few weeks, Malaysia Nanban has been carrying pseudonym-signed articles that criticises both the ruling Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat, claiming that both have failed to look into the plight of the Indian community.
In one of the series of the article titled 'Evukanai' or missile, published on 20 February 2013, it carried a section that ridiculed the People Progressive Party or PPP, with the following lines:
"Datuk Seri Kayveas is the President of PPP, a party formed in 1953. The party which was an Opposition party is now with the ruling party. Although it is a multiracial party, it has predominantly Indians as its members. Being part of the ruling coalition, PPP at times is seen as supportive of MIC. PPP only believes in giving empty promises to Indians but has no real intentions to bring permanent solution to their problems. This party is only active during elections. One of their common tactic to attract voters is providing free mutton briyani. This is the only party that uses this tactic of giving free food to attract support. Kayveas himself is a leader who belittles the Indian community that they will vote for free food."
This irked the leaders of PPP that they stormed the premises of the newspaper, demanding an apology.
There can be no justification for the protesters to take the law into their own hands. If they felt aggrieved, they should have made a police report and let the law take its course.
At the same time, Malaysian Nanban should have acted more responsibly and refrained from insulting the Indians. Whatever the political concerns are, as a responsible Tamil daily, Malaysia Nanban should have practiced responsible journalism. Why did the Nanban newspaper mock Indians? The newspaper seems to have taken leave of all journalistic ethics. Their stories on Indians were unsigned, carried no attribution, were exaggerated and one-sided.
With 5 Tamil dailies in the market, it seems to us that in the race to sustain sales and readership, the Tamil newspapers have compromised on the true ethics and value of journalism. Simply look at the daily news reports, the community benefits nothing from reading news reported, unsubstantiated political news and bickering, rape, murder, pages of India and Sri Lanka news, that is what we see daily.
The incident that took place at the Nanban's office today could have been avoided if the newspaper owner and editorial team acted more responsibly and professional. Its owner, Shafee Zaman, who was made a Datuk early this month on FT Day, should control his newspaper rather than giving them a free hand to write anything they want. Number 1 can always go down, Shafee and his people need to realise that.
If the right attitude and responsible journalism continues to be absent, it is rest assured that the extinction of the Tamil newspaper industry in this country is not very far away. We pay RM1.30 on weekdays and RM1.50 on Sundays to buy the Tamil newspaper for quality, so please in return, respect the value of our money and give us something useful and resourceful.
|
| Lahad Datu Resembles A School Drama Posted: 20 Feb 2013 01:10 PM PST
THAT A hundred (or is it 300?) fully uniformed soldiers, said to be armed to the teeth, could just walk into Sabah is unbelievable to say the least. It is as if Malaysia does not have any national security system in place. This is also unbelievable as we know that billions have been spent over the years to acquire modern naval craft including submarines, besides aircraft and helicopters to patrol our shores and skies. Ravinder Singh, Sabahkini So how did this large group of soldiers manage to break through the naval lines and land so coolly without any land based security personnel checking their papers (is there no immigration at the jetty they landed?) and go inland to set up base and raise their flag? It looks like a drama being acted out by school children. Amazing, really amazing. Well, whatever lapses happened that allowed this group to set up base in Lahad Datu, it is sending a pre-election message to the Sabahans. The message is: "vote BN to prevent Sabah from being taken over by the Phillipines". Alternatively, "only the BN can resolve such a critical matter without bloodshed as it believes in negotiated settlements". This could be totally unfounded, but such thoughts could be running through many minds. Across the South Chins Sea, in the hall of the Putra World Trade Centre, another drama took place. The 3,000 Felda settlers who were brought to the hall were given an "amanat" (advice) by the one-time longest serving prime minister that all those who have taken the various "bantuan" that has been and continues to be dished out by the BN government must not bite the hand that feeds them, in other words they must vote for the BN. By this token, practically all voters should vote for the BN and thus give the BN much more than a two-thirds majority – in order to continue receiving more 'bantuan' in the years to come. So the government does not want them to 'berdikari', ever? Having done with the 'bantuan' theme, they were treated to Tanda Putera, a film that was not supposed to be screened before the 13GE due to its racial tones. The Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Felda Ahmad Maslan, said the film was screened due to its historical significance. "So, when else can I gather so many people like this? If we wait till tomorrow it'll already be the general election," the Umno information chief reportedly said. These words let the cat out of the bag, i.e. he was admitting that it was meant to brainwash the Felda folks. The Cabinet decided that the film is not good for public viewing before the 13GE, but the Umno information chief overruled the Cabinet. He felt it was very good for conditioning the Felda settlers' minds before the 13GE so they will vote for 'peace'. Well, if it has historical significance, release it for public viewing immediately. If it is good history for the Felda settlers, it should be good history for everyone. After all it was made with public funds, a cool RM4.8 million. In Najib's 1Malaysia, why show a banned movie to a select few of a particular race and religion in the run-up to the 13GE and not to everyone? Where is the oneness? Before elections prior to this, during Dr Mahathir's governance, it was a tradition to telecast "Bukit Kepong" to the whole nation.
|
| The sovereignty of Sabah rests with its people Posted: 19 Feb 2013 12:50 PM PST
INSANE.....The so-called Sulu Sultan says that his people, numbering 400, will not leave Sabah since it 'belongs to them'. "Why should we leave our own country?" he asked. Using the 'sultan's' logic, all Sabahans should leave Sabah since 'it belongs to him'. Joe Fernandez This sovereignty was never transferred to Brunei, Sulu, Britain, the Philippines or even Malaysia. The Lahad Datu standoff is a good time to re-visit the issue of Sovereignty of Sabah which rests with the people and have never been transferred to Brunei, Sulu, Britain, the Philippines or Malaysia. No referendum was held in Sabah on Malaysia. The Brunei and Sulu toll extortioners never ventured beyond the coasts as they were afraid of the headhunters in the interior. |
| This is How Liberty Dies...With Thunderous Applause Posted: 19 Feb 2013 12:36 PM PST
Alwyn Lau 1. A High-Class Stain, Sex and Lies The movie 'Tanda Putera' is a must-watch. It promises to be high-class and even implies a very special class of players. I mean, we've got powerful people parade their obscenity and stains (tanda) – how can we not learn anything? There is this comic strip in which three men are asked what they enjoy doing in their free time. The comic strip shows each person SAYING one thing (e.g. playing an instrument, mountain-hiking, painting the house) but THINKING the same thing: having sex. Reality, however, is more complex. Given the nature of sexual fantasies, nobody fantasizes by going 'straight' to the act immediately. There's (almost) nothing less arousing than banal sexual intercourse out of the blue. Isn't the truth somewhat more complicated and less straight-forward? Don't we all, for instance, weave a narrative of fiction in our sexual fantasies, be it about seduction at the office, at a friend's house, whilst cooking, or whatever? The point is, the comic strip had it backwards: It should have shown the men SAYING "I want to have sex" whilst IMAGINING different scenarios (e.g. in the park, at the symphony, at the backyard, etc.). This would not only be more faithful to what really goes on inside people's heads but also illuminates the truth that our world cannot survive without fictions. Truths, in fact, require fictions. Consider how businessmen often 'dance around' at the start of negotiations and make all kinds of pointless trivia before casually easing up to the matters at hand. They know that small-talk are not merely siblings – they are twins. And when has any political party ever admitted any of their actions or policies to be politically motivated in the least? Is this because they really think people don't know? Or could it be because they know that any intelligent voter will be concerned should their favourite party admit to even having political motives at all?
2. The Prince's Finger and May '69 Every Malaysian should watch 'Tanda Putera' as there's no better way to expose the truth of how a national leader provoked a crisis in order to maintain power. Lost two-thirds of the parliament? What can the elite do? Simple: Create a national catastrophe, call it a racial riot, declare an Emergency, seize full power and ensure one's rivals cannot rise again. Darth Sidius would be so proud. And now those proud of this legacy want to brag. The descendants of the oppressor can't help but show off. But nobody can say this 'in public'. So they've got to make do with a movie in which the key perpetrator of the violence itself is painted as a compassionate leader making 'tough decisions' about how to govern a society drowning in violence. Watching the trailer, I can just hear the main characters thinking out loud, "Oh, Malaysia is so complex and difficult to govern, hor? We've just survived turbulent times and people are restless and troubled blahblahblah. And the cracks in society have caused these upheavals in our 'beloved' country (and Tunku just won't quit, will he?). And I, the DPM (and the other people in the movie who just happen to look better than the average Malaysian) am faced with an oh-so-critical task of 'stabilising' the country. How painful! How necessary!" Can someone pass the popcorn?
3. His Highness' Thing and the Revenge of Barisan So don't miss the movie. Whislt the guy behind you kicks your back, ask why the security forces were kicking back, relaxing and only showed up on the scene in July i.e. two full months after the start of the riots. When some sub-smart dude loudly answers his smart phone, note how the film will neglect to connect the subtle-smart dots between the riots and the rise of the New Economic Policy - one of Asia Pac's most unassuming tools for wealth and power accumulation by a certain class. Whilst you're finishing your soft-drink, ask how our second PM's hard-edged power squad (also known as the National Operations Council, the NOC, a direct result of the riots) to put in force the concept of 'ketuanan Melayu' (the sugar-coat for institutional racism which has fattened a small group and left most unsatisfied – and some constantly hungry e.g. the orang asli). Finally, when the theater lights come on, reflect on how the NOC made freedom of speech go dark (at least on certain topics) i.e. try to question the rights of certain kings to own multiple palaces whilst thousands live in poverty and you'll know what I mean. 'Tanda Putera' struts the truth of naked power in the form of historical fiction. The present regimes loves it not because it's false but because it hints at the truth of their illegitimate grab for power – and how they got away with it. Even though we're almost six decades away from that event, we can almost hear the Barisan contingent (led by Razak) reciting what the Sith Lord declared towards the end of Star Wars III : "Now the war is over...We stand on the threshold of a new beginning. In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic (i.e. true democracy?) will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire (1Malaysia?), for a safe and secure society, which I assure you will last for ten thousand years..." I'll be surprised if the FELDA settlers are the only ones who'll get free tickets. Because when liberty dies, its killers can't help craving (Tanda-rous) applause.
|
| Jeffrey Asks if Lahad Datu Standoff a Charade to Scare Voters Posted: 19 Feb 2013 12:27 PM PST
"We are talking of an intrusion by military units in full gear and weapons like M-16, the deadliest gun in army warfare. Why can't they treat this as a flagrant criminal act, a breach of national security and a violation of Malaysian sovereignty?" Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, Chairman STAR The State Reform Party suspects that the Barisan Nasional government is trying to gain political mileage from the Lahad Datu standoff, using it to scare the people into voting for the BN in the coming general elections. "It is even possible that this is an elaborate BN military strategy choreographed to achieve that purpose," its state chairman, Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan said in a statement. "This new form of fear mongering makes sense knowing BN's desperation in wanting to hold on to power in the light of the ruling coalition's lowest level of popularity and support at the moment." He said the way the tense situation is handled supports this theory, pointing out to the fact that the Prime Minister appears to be not perturbed by the incident and had not made much effort in explaining the real situation in Lahad Datu in spite of the many inconsistencies on the information received by the people. "The numerous rumours of disturbances like in KK and other areas spreading through social networks like Facebook add credence to the theory of the intrusion being orchestrated to frighten the people of Sabah.
"There are international reports which says the Sulu Sultan recognized by Manila had denied any involvement in the intrusion into Sabah, or that they are his army, while another sultan claims Lahad Datu to be his homeland and he and his people refuse to leave. The news had become an international intrigue while we in Sabah are still being denied the truth. "The federal government has failed to show real seriousness and muscle in dealing with such a problem and we are becoming a laughing stock under the scrutiny of international observation," Jeffrey claimed. "We are talking of an intrusion by military units in full gear and weapons like M-16, the deadliest gun in army warfare. Why can't they treat this as a flagrant criminal act, a breach of national security and a violation of Malaysian sovereignty? "It is shocking that the government has failed to deal with this security issue effectively and quickly by taking the appropriate measures on the intruders. What the government had done is take unconvincing action such as negotiating. By negotiating the government is giving a lot of legitimacy to the intruders as if they have some sort of rights when in fact they have none whatsoever to negotiate for in the first place." "By the successful act of intrusion into Lahad Datu, it shows total failure of Malaysia's security apparatus. The government must explain where were the navy, marine police and its security patrols? Where were the national military intelligence and tip-off of the impending intrusion or invasion so it could be pre-empted? On the other hand if it is not a real intrusion, the failings of the security apparatus shows that it is indeed an orchestrated show and drama because the other components of a real invasion are missing! "We can see that the response of the government is appalling and pathetic. The army, navy and the whole security apparatus with helicopters, tanks and heavy artillery should have been called in. Instead, negotiations are carried out by the police on the so-called no-bloodshed basis. What it was they negotiated about, and why had the negotiation taken so long? How come it is the police doing the negotiating and why was the army excluded? Are the police equipped to deal with the militants who are not normal criminals? "It's not amusing that the story is unfolding to portray the heroic acts of the intruders instead and making the police and army look weak and indecisive. "We haven't heard any report of the police demanding that they lay down their arms. Why? Is it because the whole thing is really a scripted dramatic charade to frighten the voters? If that is the game, it is a double-edged sword because it can backfire and cause the people to vote against the BN for the obvious failure in flexing military muscle for the sake of national dignity and sovereignty. "Another fact that supports the theory this is a fear mongering tactic is that there is little media coverage in the government-controlled mass and mainstream media although the intrusion is bordering on an act of war. Isn't Sabahimportant enough as Malaysians to deserve being kept posted on the developments on the standoff? Why leave to private news and internet portals to carry news about it? Why is there so much rumours of disturbances in other areas in Sabah but the police is not taking action on the rumour mongers. Is it because this spreading of rumours is being fired up by cybertroopers? "The government has proven itself to be not serious about Sabah's security. If the government can prevent an Australian senator from coming into KL, there is no reason the government cannot stop an intrusion by armed militants into Sabah. In sum, the government has clearly failed to give us confidence in our security capability or to give us pride as Malaysians in dealing with an international incidence which has now tarnished our international reputation. "If the government cannot protect our country and deal with this problem in a way that will enhance our standing as a sovereign nation, maybe it's time for Malaysia to ask for international intervention," Jeffrey said.
|
| Cash Handouts versus Empowering the People Posted: 19 Feb 2013 12:18 PM PST
The fact that Malaysians have to resort to be given cash payments as a means to deal with the high living standards does not seem to matter to anyone. Cash payments have in an indirect way poked fun of a persons' dignity. For not it is of a paltry sum but it is in the form of a cash payout. When one resorts to receiving a cash payment it usually is a sign of desperation. It is a sign of a person questioning their self-worth in the ability to achieve anything. Political Studie for Change (KPRU – Kajian Politik untuk Perubahan) The reactions were mixed. Some were exuberant, some were unsure and some were critical against the goodies that was handed out in the 2013 Budget. A recap of the goodies under the 2013 Budget are as follows; RM250 cash payment to single citizens above 21 earning less than RM2,000 monthly, RM500 cash payment to households earning below RM3,000 monthly under the BR1M 2.0, cash payment of RM1—to all primary and secondary school students, and a one-off rebate of RM200 to be given to youths aged between 21 to 30 years old to purchase smart phones. The idea to alleviate the staggering cost of living of Malaysians by handing out cash goodies seemed like a good idea at the time. But the question is; is the government helping to alleviate the monetary burderns of Malaysian citizens or is the Malaysian government buying the votes of the Malaysian citizens? Nevermind those two questions, the subquestion to those two main questions is whether the cash goodies are sustainable against the Malaysian economy or is it not? Whilst the sub-sub question that remains to be answered is whether there are other ways to alleviate the monetary burderns of Malaysian citizens other than handing out cash goodies. The proverb "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime" is something to ponder. The theme for the 2013 Budget was Prospering The Nation, Enhancing Well-Being Of The Rakyat: A Promise Fulfilled. But how does handing out cash goodies enhance the well being of the rakyat other than it is a temporary high with no long lasting positive effects for the Malaysians citizens. In his speech, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak quipped that the RM200 cash rebate for a smart phone purchase was to enable the youths to access the internet. Yet does it lead to the wiser use of the internet by the youths?
Paid or Free Education? Cash handouts may be a plausible good way to a temporary high but it is also pertinent to gather an understanding on the alternatives to a cash handout. One of the many other alternatives than a cash handout is the possibility of introducing a free college education for all in Malaysia or revolutionize the idea of the need of a higher education degree. A Harvard professor, Peter Theil has a view that higher education is broken and that many kids would be better off saving their money and going straight from high school into a trade or developing a business. Under his "20 under 20" fellowship grant, high school students with a sound business idea will be given a grant worth USD$100,000 if they skip college and go right to work their idea.[1] Meanwhile, entrepreneur Vivek Wadhwa believes that online courses will revolutionize higher education and cut the cost to near zero for students over the next decade.[2] While both ideas are radical and could change the education plateau on Malaysia. Wadhwa and Theil has provided us with a window that provides the youth and students alike to choose their future instead of the narrow path of college or dropping out and work an employment with minimum wage. The other alternative as can be seen in Sweden is to provide not only free higher education but a free and quality assured higher education. Sweden until 2011 had introduced tuition fees for foreign students from outside the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA). But, on the other foreign students who cannot afford to pay foe the tuition fees may be eligible for countries in which Sweden has long-term development projects and for foreign students outside the EU/ EEA. The question many quarters may forward is the sustainability of such policy. In Sweden, 85 percent of the funding of Sweden's universities comes from the government, with 65 percent comes from direct government grants. 7 percent comes from other public sources of funding whereas the rest comes from private and financial revenue.[3] Whilst the smartphone rebate allows the youth to surf the internet, it does not teach the youth develop potential internet programming that will revolutionize the internet. There is a stark contrast of education expenditure between Malaysia and Sweden. In 2009, Malaysia spent around 25 percent of our GDP[4] whilst Sweden in the same year only spent 7.29 percent of their GDP on education. Yet in the TIMSSS 2011 report, the average score for mathematics between Sweden and Malaysia are 504 and 440 respectively. In other words, whilst Malaysia is busy spending money on electronic gadgets, the Swedes are spending less money for the lasting quality of their future generations. Is Sweden's method better than Malaysia's attempt to bring the internet to the youth by offering a free meal? In Malaysia the government decides what and how should the students learn whereas in Sweden it is the students that decide their own education. Has this worked? For Sweden it has as shown by the results of the TIMSS reports. Amongst the freedom given to students in Sweden was the empowerment given to students to spend more time on subjects of their own choices, compulsory courses in natural and social sciences were no longer divided into separate subjects. The Swedish Education Act also provides that all children and young people are to have equal access to education, regardless of gender, where they live or social or economic factors. Also in 2006, Sweden appointed its first Child and School Student Representative, whose task is to provide information on any discrimation act, assists the schools in preventing bullying, oversees schools' efforts and represents students who have been bullied. In terms of giving access of the internet to youths, there is an average of six students per computer in town-owned schools and 4.5 students per computer in independent elementary schools. As for high schools, there are 2.5 students per computer in town-owned schools and 1.6 students for every independent high schools. This leads an average of 96 percent of all schoolchildren who have access to a computer and the internet.[5] The bottom line is that in order to give the access of the internet to the youths, the education is to be reformed and not in the manner of the half-baked supposedly refomation of education in the New Education Blueprint that doesn't provide insurance that all youths in Malaysia will be guaranteed a place in schools much less an all-round good quality education that does not discriminate nor leave behind any student.
Community Empowerment Just as Malaysian youths cautiously accepted the smartphone rebate, the young adults were optimistically cautious accepting the RM250 cash payment for those above 21 years old and earning less than RM2,000. RM250 may seem peanuts to certain quarters but to a hopefull young adult living in the city trying to make it big, RM250 means two months of food funds. But, does it help in the long run? The federal government introduced the minimum wage of RM900 in Peninsular Malaysia and RM800 in Sabah Sarawak. Whilst the Selangor state government on the other hand introduced the minimum wage of RM1,500 to it's state employees. Other than donning on the hat of minimum wage or disbursing cash payments, it still does not solve the problem of the ridiculous rise in the living standards and the failure of the wage to match that sky-rocketing high living standards. The fact that Malaysians have to resort to be given cash payments as a means to deal with the high living standards does not seem to matter to anyone. Cash payments have in an indirect way poked fun of a persons' dignity. For not it is of a paltry sum but it is in the form of a cash payout. When one resorts to receiving a cash payment it usually is a sign of desperation. It is a sign of a person questioning their self-worth in the ability to achieve anything. The medicine of the degradation of a person's dignity is to medicate their degradation of self-worth. The federal government or state government needs to encourage the youth to be active in community causes such as being carried out in Subang Jaya Gotong-Royong of catching rats. It activates a sense of one having the capability of giving back to their community and also increases their self worth. Another community project worth mentioned is the Subang Jaya Book Exchange where people would exchange books (old and new) for free. The endorsements of the authorities may it be the municiple council, state or federal is a positive step to a person not needing cash payment to survive high living standards. Other examples are encouraging community exchange of baby/ children products for families receiving the BR1M cash payment. Such exchange programmes may decrease thei need to receive cash payments as also reduce their burden in facing the high living standards. Endorsement by relevent authorities signals to the poor and marginilized that they do not have to depend of cash payments to face the increasing living standards. They will have the power to empower themselves within a community to better themselves through community projects such was mentioned. States such Australia encourages community based programs as a means to inspire young people to set goals in life and enable the youths to be able to achieve them.[6] Whilst in the United States, community based programs have been fruitful in improving the community's health that includes both mental and physical health.[7] The American government also uses community based programs as means to engage the locals to promotw healthy, sustainable and green comunities[8]. As according to this agency under the American government, communities must be the driver for local solutions. The point is rather than handing out cash payments, the communities should be given the encouragement to empower themselves so as to not overly depend on governmental monetary assistanse. Instead of handing out cash payments, the government should encourage the community to become independent. The government must teach the people to fish and not how to eat.
Freedom of Information If information is power, than the power lies within the people of Malaysia to freely gain information concerning decicions made within the office of the Malaysian government. Selangor and Penang both passed a Freedom of Information Bill (FOI). Yet the tenents of the FOI was successfully ignored by the Selayang Municipal Council by not releasing the minute meeting concerning the decicions made on the controversial Dolomite Avenue Park. In order to overcome the power of the dollar sign, one must empower the power of the people. Whilst the FOI enactment is a positif step forward for the socio-political growth of the Malaysian people, it may be wiser to enhance the mechanism. Instead of giving a reasonable access to information, it could be amended to entrenching the right to access information. Instead of limiting the time lapse of twenty years for keeping the information confidential, it should be amended that the time lapse be put away. Another suggested improvement to the FOI enacment was that the government of Penang and Selangor should publish an inventory of the information held by public bodies; appoint and provide adequate training to information officers; undertake routine disclosure of information of public interest; and conduct adequate public awareness activites to ensure that citizens are aware of the law and how to use it.[9] In a democratic state, the access to information is a pertinent tool for the citizens to hold the government accountable for decisions made without the say of the people. One of the principles of a democratic nation is the empowerment of the its people to access government records and decisions. As per the words of Abid Hussein, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, "Freedom will be bereft of all effectiveness if the people have no access to information. Access to information is basic to the democratic way of life. The tendency to withhold information from the people at large is therefore to be strongly checked."
If a government proudly protrays to be a transparent administration, then there should not be any fear to release governmental records to the public. In 2010, the court granted the federal government the right to refuse the disclosure on the water concession signed with the Selangor government and Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor on the basis such disclosure would affect the daily administration of the government's machinery and the public interest as a whole.[10] This is a contradiction as courts in other countries have held the denial of access could not be justified and hence it represented a breach of the respective State's human rights obligations[11]. That being said, what the people need is not cash handouts but empowerment. This right of information has not only be supported in countries such as the US, regions suchs as the EU but also by countries such as India, Sri Lanka and Japan. Yet this basic human right seems to be an alien notion in Malaysia. As opposed to the words of Najib whom guarantees that "Umno is always transaparent as we accept comments and learn to improve ourselves".[12] Those words do not empower the people. Instead those words are justifications by a government of a sovereign nation to run around the bushes trimming the hedges but not cutting the roots of the thatches. In 2010, Malaysia was tied in the same group as Liberia, Zambia, Albania, Afghanistan, Timor Leste, Mozambique and Mali for states with a poor rating for transparency and accountability in its country's budget.[13] Even Thailand and Papua New Guinea has a better transparency with regards to it's budget. They say the pen is mightier than thr sword but in this situation, it is safe to say that information is mightier than the dollar sign. Information gives one the power to change their own future whilst money turns one into a slave of their own creations. Thus making the empowerment through access of information an alternative to cash handouts. To turn Malaysia into a first world state, it takes more than major mega projects to propel Malaysia into that direction. Take for example United Kingdom; the government has published statistics of FOI requests made to the administration since it's introduction in 2005. As can be seen in Figure 1, there has been a steady increase in FOI requests from 2007 to 2012. The rise in FOI requests signals that the government of the United Kingdom believes in the power of the people and the people believes in the power of accountability.
Figure 1 : Number Of FOI Requests From January 2005-2012[14]
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, the FOI is facing its' own hurdles to be passed before the country's election in May 2013. According to news reports, the FOI bill will entail the full disclosure involving the public interest, subject to certain limitations such as information relating to national security and defence. [15] As the world moves forward and our neighbours are opening their administration to the people that voted for them, it is time for Malaysia to follow suit. Selangor and Penang are swimming with the currents while the Malaysian federal government is doing the exact opposite. The British goverment is a good example of a transparent government. Najib should take heed in doing the same. The Malaysian Federal and State government should make it mandatory that statistical data for requests for information be made public as a measure of proactive transparency. Once a government, may it be either the federal or state government move beyond the notion the idea of the government owning information and allows the people to access it to the notion that the government holds information on behalf of the people[16], who have the right to access it, than the wish to access information by the people should not be of a negative notion.
Epilogue The act of the Najib administration in handing out monetary goodies to Malaysians is an act of placing a tiny bandaid on a bleeding stab wound. It fails to medicate the real issues faced by the Malaysian people. It also serves to insult the intelligence of Malaysians. What Malaysians need are ways to improve the community without the help of cash handouts. If the community is happy than the country is happy. If the community is satisfied with it's own creations than wastage of taxpayers money doesn't occur through governmental cash handouts. The questions of ways to counter cash handouts lies in the government supporting community based programs that improves both mental and physical well being of the community. Just as supporting the notion of free education and alternatives such as entrepeneur start-up programs for youths who do not wish to continue their tertiary education is an alternatives to rebates to purchase smartphones that doesn't actually benefit a youth in the long run. Najib seems to forget that the worth of a smartphone depreciates with time but a good education is an investment that lasts a lifetime and more. By placing his trust in money and distrusting the worth of the capabilities of a satisfied community, Najib is mocking the basic rights of the people of Malaysia. And if the recent amount of Malaysian participants in the Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat on 12 January 2013 is of any hint, Malaysians seem to be ready to take back their rights and prove than the empowerment of the people is always better than any cash handout.
[1] Time, Why College May Be Totally Free Within 10 Years, 12 Oktober 2012, http://business.time.com/2012/10/12/why-college-may-be-totally-free-within-10-years/#ixzz2HMuuCeUu [3] Sweden, Higher education and research: Getting smarter in Sweden, Disember 2010, http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Education/Research/Facts/Higher-education-and-research-in-Sweden/# [4] The Star, Malaysia, Thailand Tops In Education Expenditure, 24 Mac 2009, http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/3/24/nation/20090324205521&sec=nation [5] Sweden SE, Education in Sweden: Lessons for life, http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Education/Basic-education/Facts/Education-in-Sweden/ [7] Texas A&M Health Science Cetner, Educational And Community-Based Programs In Rurual Areas: A Literature Review, http://www.srph.tamhsc.edu/centers/rhp2010/Volume_3/Vol3Ch4LR.pdf [8] EPA, Supporting Community-Based Action Programs, http://www.epa.gov/compliance/ej/plan-ej/community-action.html [9] Freedominfo, Three Media Groups Urge Malaysia to Pass FOI Law, 27 September 2012, http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/09/three-media-groups-urge-malaysia-to-pass-foi-law/ [11] Article 19 org, Freedom of Information as an Internationally Protected Human Right, http://www.article19.org/data/files/pdfs/publications/foi-as-an-international-right.pdf [12] The Star, Najib: Umno Accepts Criticisms To Improve, 12 Januari 2012, http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/1/12/nation/20130112225333&sec=nation [13] International Report, Open Budget Survey 2010, http://internationalbudget.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2010_Full_Report-English.pdf [14] Justice, Freedom Of Information: Statistics On Implementation In Central Government, 12 Disember 2012, [16] Huffington, Freedom of Information Comes to Malaysia. 8 Februari 2010, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zac-hill/freedom-of-information-co_b_667864.html
|
| Responding to Muhyiddin's Confidence of Indian Support Posted: 19 Feb 2013 12:07 PM PST
MIPAS would like to know what survey and who conducted the survey that Indian votes nationwide, the majority of them now support BN? S.Barathidasan, Secretary General Malaysian Indians Progressive Association (MIPAS) Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (MIPAS) would like to respond to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's confidence of better support from the Indian community for Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 13th general election, said when he officiated the opening of the Perak Indian Chamber of Commerce's new building in Ipoh recently. MIPAS would like to know what survey and who conducted the survey that Indian votes nationwide, the majority of them now support BN? It's not true and it's a big lie that the majority of the Indian community are now swinging and starting to support BN. MIPAS strongly believe that it's untrue that the Indian community are giving their full mandate to the Barisan Nasional, but may be so from BN's component party's members itself and their family members. The majority of the Indian community are still unhappy and angry with the Barisan Nasional government due to the lack of BN's responsibility and fulfilling the promise to solve the Indian community issues on Education, Economic and Social problems. There is still discrimination based on race, there were no quotas assigned to the Indian community for jobs in GLCs or the private sector, employment opportunities in government sector, civil service ranking and promotion. Less business opportunities for Indians and also the high crime rate among Indians is a direct result of the lack of access to good, high-income jobs for Indians. The BN government has systematically marginalized vernacular education, bad education policies and merit-based admission education system, almost all these Indian students come from middle and low incoming families and applications to enter Matriculation, Local Universities and JPA scholarship were turned down without any reasons. Stateless Indians, citizenship issues and high number of unaccounted deaths in police custody. All this and many more issues will not increase Indian votes for Baisan Nasional (BN). Besides that, the Indian community are not happy with Tun Dr. Mahathir's remark of the RCI on the grant of citizenship for the Indians and non-Malay rights, Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali's racist remarks and recently the threat from Ridhuan Tee Abdullah's insensitive article published in Sinar Harian Daily, page 40 on the 18th February 2013 (Monday) titled "Kesabaran Umat Islam ada had". MIPAS strongly believe that the Indians community will not give their full mandate to the Barisan Nasional (BN) for the next coming 13th general election.
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan