Friday, December 25, 2009

Chinese Schools and Societal Development

By Fong Chan Onn

Since my days as the Deputy Education Minister in the 1990s, I have heard many debates on the vernacular schools; ranging from they being the source of racial disunity, for stifling creativity, for their inability to produce outstanding scholars, to even espousing communism. Let me try to debunk some of these arguments.

Preamble

At independence in 1957, it was agreed by our forefathers that vernacular primary schools should continue to operate with government assistance; the aim being the children study in primary schools in their own mother tongues, but merge in government secondary schools using Bahasa Malaysia (BM) as the medium of instruction. However, the 1961 Education Act specified that the Minister of Education can convert the medium of instruction of vernacular schools into BM at any time the Minister deems fit (clause 21.2). This clause was removed in 1996 by Dato Sri Najib Razak, the then Minister of Education, under the 1995 Education Act; making vernacular schools a permanent component of the education system.
In 1970, the Chinese primary student population numbered 439,681 in 1,346 Chinese primary schools (SJKCs). Today, the number of SJKC has fallen to 1,285 but they provide primary education in Mandarin to over 700,000 students with about 70,000 (10%) being non-Chinese.
In 1957, the number of teachers in the Chinese schools was 10,984 compared with 14,366 teachers in the national schools. Since then, the teacher population in the national schools has grown six times, whereas the teacher population in the Chinese schools has only increased two-fold despite the overwhelming demand for teaching resources.

Issues

One might ask what drives the present X-generation parents, who are middle class and are likely to be IT savvy, to send their children to an over-crowded and painfully competitive environment. Presently, over 90% of Malaysian Chinese send their children to SJKCs.
Prior to Independence, the death knell had already been sounded for Chinese schools in Malaysia yet, they have risen and thrived even in the face of globalization.
Perhaps, we have been myopic about how Chinese schools are viewed.

Racial Disharmony

Some have said SJKCs do not give students the chance to interact with students of other races, and therefore induce some extent of racial disharmony.
The vernacular schooling system is not a source of racial disharmony. How can it be when they use the same curriculum and teaching methods as the national schools? Negara Ku is sang passionately, and the Rukun Negara emphasized at every assembly. Vernacular schools, of course, also emphasis strongly BM and English from Standard One. In fact, when we listen to them speaking in BM we can’t differentiate them from other students.
SJKC students also have many opportunities to mix around. Besides interacting with the non-Chinese students in their own schools, SJCKs are required to organize regular activities with the other stream schools (such as sports, and open days) by the Ministry of Education under its Program Integrasi, so students and parents can inter-mingle. Moreover, over 90% of SJKC students go to Government secondary schools where they then spend their most formative years (age 12 to 17 years).

Furthermore, our primary education system is a diverse system including national, national-type, religious, and private schools. Erasing the vernacular (ie national-type) schools does not automatically imply that all students will study then under the same roof at the primary level.

Creativity or Lack of it

Is the creativity in our young ones really stymied by the so-called rote learning or, by our stereotyped image of a disciplinary master with black-rimmed glasses, carrying a cane at SCKCs?
It must be pointed out that all SJKC teachers are the same products of the Teachers’ Colleges that any other school teacher-trainee is sent to. They are taught to use the same teaching methodologies, and of course the same contents.
If rote learning is a flaw, it is a flawed part of the Malaysian education system not limited to vernacular schools. To change this requires a transformation of the entire teaching regime and pedagogic approaches, and yes, definitely also in the SJKCs.
In fact, many SJKC school boards have realized this, and on their parts have assisted the formation of computer clubs. SJKCs such as Lai Ming in KL, Kwok Kwang in JB, and Machap Baru (in my constituency), and many others, are using computers to teach, and foster creativity, in the class-rooms. It is the overwhelming integration of computing teaching methods in the class-rooms that have enabled the SJKCs to excel in Science and Mathematics, and not rote-learning as expounded by my ex UM colleague Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim.

If it is the Chinese education that is to be baggaged with the past of being the language of the imperial courts and deemed irrelevant and non-creative in the modern world (as suggested by my good friend Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing), how is it that the Silicon Valley is filled with engineers and inventors of IC (Indian and Chinese) orgins? How is it that many of the new inventions associated with the IT world, such as the sound card (created by Sim Wong Hoo, a Nee Ann Polytechnic Graduate) and the pen-drive (created by our own Pua Khein Seng) have amongst their inventors engineers who were Chinese educated? And how is it that some of them have gone on to win Noble Prizes; including Lee Yuan Tseh in Chemistry (1986) and Charles Kao Kuen who just a month ago won the 2009 Noble Price for Physics for his pioneering work in fiber optics.
Surely we cannot ignore the fact that classical Chinese education has long changed from its emphasis on Confucian ethics to modern science and technology since the early 1900s.
And are the products of Malaysian Chinese schools as undistinguished as claimed by Khoo Kay Kim? Has he forgotten that his own esteemed UM colleagues such as Professor Tan Chong Tin (neurology), Professor Saw Aik (orthopedic) and Prof Cheong Soon Keng (hematology) were from Chinese schools, and are respected members of the Malaysian Medical Profession?
As a Council Member of TAR College I can testify that TAR College has, since 1960, groomed many Chinese school students into professional accountants, engineers, builders, IT personnel and managers so much sought after by the employers. In fact 70% of Malaysian professional accountants are TARC graduates; and they have contributed towards the profession into what it is today.
And has he also forgotten the entrepreneurial contributions of YTL, Genting and the KLK (Yeoh Tiong Lay, the late Lim Goh Tong and the late Lee Loy Seng)? Lest we forget, these founders were from humble backgrounds, but raised in a predominantly Chinese-educated environment. Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew (a product of Batu Pahat Chinese schools) has been praised for his success in winning the international bid for the London Millennium Dome and completing it inspite of the financial crises in 1999.
Over 80% of owners of Chinese-owned SMEs in Malaysia are from Chinese schools. Many of them have ventured far and wide around the globe (such as Green Packet, and Kurnia Asia).
I think we should not underrate these Chinese school products as being non-creative.

Attracting Non-Malay Students to National Schools


I agree that more parents should be encouraged to consider the national schools as their choice. To make the convergence happen, the pull factor must come from a choice made in the quality of education that the national schools provide, rather than compulsion.
Consider the case in the 1960s when over half of Chinese primary students attended missionary schools. This was not because the parents wanted them to study Christianity, but because these schools have dedicated teachers, and they provided the education (mostly in English) deemed important for subsequent employment. The Ministry of Education’s new approach of enhancing the image of national primary schools should be applauded. There is no shortage of parents (including non-Malays) who want to send their children to national schools such as the Bukit Damansara, or the Sri Petaling , or the PJ Convent Primary School.
At present Chinese (and some non-Chinese) parents prefer to send their children to SJKCs not just for the learning of Mandarin, but also because these schools have dedicated school boards where the parents are actively and purposefully involved in the running of the schools - such as fund raising, sports and speech day organization - and this greatly motivate the teachers to go the extra mile to look after their children better.
The variety of choices for primary education should be our strength instead of our weakness. The competition amongst the various school streams will only results in more commitment amongst the teachers to teach their students better and more effectively.

Impact of Vernacular Schools on Societal Development

The presence of vernacular schools, with the continued assistance of the government and the various communities, gives meaning and support to our motto Unity in Diversity. From independence, this has enabled Malaysia to evolve into a peaceful plural society, proving wrong the prediction of many international pessimists. This also demonstrates that a plural society can be developed through interaction and integration, as opposed to assimilation once strongly advocated by nations such as US and Australia.
SJCKs have also resulted in a substantial number of Malaysians (including non-Chinese) being fluent in three languages - BM, English and Mandarin - since the 1960s.
These trilingual Malaysians have contributed to enhancing Sino-Malay understanding. I can still remember the occasion when I applied for my first passport in December 1963 for overseas study. The officer (a Malay) asked me to write out my name in Chinese characters as well. I was amused; but he explained he was from a Chinese school and conversed with me in Mandarin. Imagine the assistance he would have given to (and the gratitude he would have derived from) many other applicants who could not converse in fluent BM or English then! Of course, now in government front-line offices non-Chinese officers conversing in Mandarin (or at least Penang Hokkien) with applicants is not uncommon.
These trilingual graduates have enhanced the competitiveness of our domestic environment. Many FDIs from Taiwan (such as Acer), Singapore (like Creative Technology etc), Hong Kong, China and even Japan were attracted to Malaysia because of their flexibility and employability.
These Malaysians have also enabled many Malaysian enterprises to successfully venture into the China and East Asia markets. The success of enterprises such as Hai-o, LBS, and Parkson speaks volumes of their contribution in expanding our export base.
Many Multinational Corporations such as Intel, Motorola, and Dell have actively sought out these trilingual graduates and placed them to be in charge of their subsidiary offices or plants in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and even in London or US because of their ability to work in a multi-cultural environment. Singapore and Hong Kong companies are especially keen to recruit our trilingual graduates to help them to entrench themselves as front-liners to the China market.
Certainly, Malaysia benefits from their international presence as it demonstrates globally the quality of our workforce. Ultimately many of them can be attracted to return, and with their experience help to propel our country out of our current middle-income trap.

____________________________________________________________________

Dr Fong Chan Onn was Professor of Applied Economics and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, in the 1980s. He served in the Government as Deputy Minister of Education (1990-1999) and Minister of Human Resources (1999-2008). He is currently the MP for Alor Gajah.

End.

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华校与社会的发展

冯镇安

我在上个世纪90年代担任教育部副部长期间,就听到许多针对母语学校问题引起的争论;议论的内容从母语学校是导致种族分裂的根源,妨碍创造,不能培养出杰出的学生,甚至到信仰共产主义不等。让我解读其中一些争论性的问题。

前言


我国在1957年取得独立时,我们的先辈就同意让母语小学继续在政府的援助下运作;目的是让学生在小学就读自己的母语,而在中学进入采用国语作为教学媒介语的政府学校就读。 不过,1961年教育法令说明,教育部长可以在任何时候,只要他认为是适当的时候,把母语学校的教学媒介语改为国语(第21.2 条款)。然而,当年的教育部长纳吉在1996年撤消了这项条款。1995年教育法令规定,所有的母语学校是教育体系中永远不變的部分。
1970年, 全国共有1,346 所国民型华文小学,学生人数是 439,681。如今,国民型华文小学减少到 1,285 所,不过,这些学校却为超过700,000 名学生提供华文教育,其中大约70,000 名是非华人,占了总数的 10%。
1957年, 华校的教师人数是 10,984, 而国民学校的教师人数则是 14,366。之后,国民学校的教师人数不断上升而增加了6倍。反观华文学校,虽然它们对师资的需求日益殷切,但是教师人数只增加两倍。

问题

也许有人会问,如今的中等收入以及可能懂得资讯科技的新时代父母,为什么都竞相把子女送进过于拥挤,而且充满激烈竞争的环境求学呢?目前,超过 90% 的马来西亚华人把子女送进国民型华文学校就读。
在国家独立之前,马来西亚的华文学校曾经宣告消灭。然而,华校现在强势崛起,甚至在面对全球化时刻更为兴盛。
到底人们怎样看待华文学校呢?也许,我们缺乏了解。

种族不和谐

一些人说,国民型华文学校没有给以学生与其他种族学生互动的机会,因而在一些程度上产生种族不和谐的现象。其实,母语教育制度并不是造成种族不和谐的原因,因为它们所采用的课程纲要和教学方法,和国民学校是一样的,所以怎么会产生这样的问题呢?
华文学校在每一次的集会上都激昂的唱国歌,并且强调 国家原则。当然,母语教育学校从一年级开始就着重于教导英文和国语。实际上,当我们听华校学生讲国语时,根本无法区别他们和其他学校的学生有什么不同。
国民型华文学校也提供许多让学生互相交往的机会。学生除了和自己学校内的华人学生互动之外,在教育部推行的融合计划下,华文学校也必须和其他源流的学校一起主办各项活动,好比体育项目以及开放日,以便学生和家长能够互相交往。尽管如此,超过 90% 的华校学生升上政府中学,接受中学教育,这个时期是最影响他们成长的年代(12 至 17 岁)。
此外,我们的小学教育体制是多样性的体制,包括了国民、国民型、宗教和私立学校。消灭母语(国民型)学校并不能直接地暗示,所有的学生届时将会在同一个屋顶下接受小学教育。

创造力或缺乏创造力

是不是所谓的填鸭式教育,或者我们过去经常在华校看到戴黑色框架眼镜、手拿着藤鞭的训导主任而留下的深刻印象侵袭了我们儿童的创造力?
我必须指出的是,所有国民型学校的教师,和其他学校的教师一样,都是经过师训学院培训出来的。他们所学习的都是同样的教学法,当然,教学内容也是一样的。如果填鸭式的教学是侵袭学生创造力的因素,那么,我们只能怪马来西亚的教育制度有缺陷,而不是母语学校出了问题。要在这方面做出改变,就必须对整个教学体制和教育采用的方法进行转型,当然,国民型华文学校也需要改变。
实际上,许多国民型华文学校的董事部了解到这点,他们扮演了分内角色,协助成立电脑学会。吉隆坡的黎明,新山的国光,马接新村(位于我的选区)以及其他许多华文学校已经使用电脑教学,促进学生在课堂的创造力。在课堂采用结合电脑教学的方法,使得国民型华文学校的数理科表现更加杰出,而不像我的前马大同事丹斯里邱家金对填鸭式教育所作的诠释一样。
如果华文教育因为华语是过去宫廷使用的语言而被视为在现代世界中不适用,而且没有创意(我的好朋友丹斯里林国荣这么认为)。那么,美国矽谷为什么汇集了这么多印裔和华裔的工程师和发明家呢?许多和资讯科技有关联的新发明物,例如音效卡(由新加坡义安理工学院毕业的沈望傅发明)以及U盘(由我国的潘健成发明)的发明者和工程师,为什么都是接受华文教育的?
此外,接受华文教育的人,为什么也能赢取诺贝尔奖呢?他们包括于1986年获得诺贝尔化学奖的李远哲,以及刚刚在一个月前因为发明光纤而赢取2009年诺贝尔物理奖的高锟。
肯定的,不容我们忽视的事实是,自20世纪初叶,古代华文教育已经做出改变,从过去只着重于儒家道德,改为了如今也侧重于现代科技。
我国华文学校培养出来的学生是否像邱家金所言那么不出色和平凡? 难道他已经忘了我们在马大的出色和受尊重的同事,例如陈忠登 教授 (神经专科医生)、 苏毅 教授 (矫形专科医生) 以及 张顺景教授 (血液专科医生) 都是华校出身,而且是马来西亚医药专业协会受尊重的会员?
身为拉曼学院的一名理事,我可以证明,拉曼学院自1960年成立以来,已经把许多华校生造就和栽培为专业会计师、工程师、建筑师、电脑专才和管理人员。他们都是雇主竞相聘用的人才。其实,目前在我国的专业会计师当中,70% 是拉曼学院的毕业生,而他们对会计行业所作的贡献是有目共睹的。
此外,难道邱家金也忘了扬忠礼集团、云顶高原集团和KLK的创办人扬忠礼、已故林梧桐和已故李莱生对企业领域所作的贡献?这些企业家来自贫寒的家庭,但是,他们是在以华文教育为主的环境下长大。丹斯里李金友(巴株巴辖华文学校的学生)的成就受到赞赏,而获得角逐国际奖项 - 伦敦千禧顶奖,并且在1999年金融危机期间赢得这个奖项。
我国80% 以上华人经营的中小型企业的业者毕业自华校。其中许多企业不断扩展以及遍布世界各国 (例如绿驰通讯公司和 天安亚洲公司).
我认为,我们不应该低估华校生,而把他们视为没有创意的人。

吸引非马来学生到国民学校就读

我同意,应该鼓励更多的家长考虑选择国民学校作为他们的子女就读的学校。然而,要吸引学生到国民学校就读,首先,国民学校必须改善质量,而不是实行强制性措施。
回顾上个世纪60年代,半数以上的华人学生在教会办的学校就读小学。这并不是因为家长要子女学习基督教,而是因为这些学校拥有真正献身精神的教师,而且它们提供的教育(多数是以英文授课)对以后的就业起了非常重要的作用。教育部目前采取新的方法,去提升国民学校的形象,应该受到赞赏。一些国民学校,例如武吉白沙罗国小、 大城堡 国小,以及八打灵 修道院小学,出现了不乏家长把子女送进就读的情形。.
目前,多数华人(当中也有非华人)喜欢把子女送到国民型华文学校就读,原因不只是为了要学习中文,同时也是因为这些学校拥有献身精神的董事部,而董事部内的家长都积极和投入地参与管理学校的工作,好比参与筹募基金、体育和主办恳亲会等活动。这些活动有助于激发教师提供额外的服务,更好好地管教他们的子女。
为小学教育提供各种选择,应该是展示我们的实力,而不是显露弱点。各源流学校之间的竞争结果,将会促成教师做出更大的承诺,以更好及更有效的方法教导学生。

母语学校对社会发展的影响

母语学校在政府和各社团继续提供援助下得以生存,发挥了我们的座右铭“异中求同”的意义,而且受到认同。自我国独立以来,这个座右铭使我国得以发展为一个和平的多元社会,证明了许多国际消极者对我国做出的预言是错误的。这也说明,一个多元社会可以通过互动和融合加以发展,因为美国和澳洲等国家一度大力鼓吹的同化受到反对。
自上个世纪60年代以来,国民型华文学校也培养了大量能够讲流利的三种语言- 国语、英语和华语的马来西亚人 ( 包括非华人) 。 这些能操三语的马来西亚人对促进华人和马来人之间的谅解,做出了不少的贡献。我还记得,当我在1963年12月第一次为出国深造申请护照时,一名官员(马来人)叫我写下自己的中文名字。我当时感到高兴,而这名官员解释说,他是受中文教育的,过后就以华语和我交谈。可以想象到,他当时为很多不能操流利国语和英语的申请者提供(他也从中得到许多激赏)了协助!当然,目前在政府提供柜台服务的办公室,非华人官员以华语(至少以槟城福建话)交谈的情形,已经司空见惯。
能够掌握三语的大学毕业生,提高了我国环境的竞争力,为我国引进许多来自台湾(例如宏基电脑公司)、新加坡(如创新科技公司等)、香港和中国,甚至日本的外来直接投资,因为这些大学毕业生具备弹性和可雇性的条件。
此外,这些马来西亚人也推动我国很多企业,成功地向中国和东亚市场进军。其中已经取得成就的企业,包括海鸥、 LBS 国际货运和百盛 。这些成就显示,它们对扩大我国的出口基础做出了大量的贡献。
许多跨国机构,例如英特尔、摩托罗拉和戴尔都在积极地物色能够掌握三语的大学毕业生,并且调派他们在中国、新加坡、香港、台湾,甚至伦敦或美国的分公司,负责当地的业务,因为他们有能力在多元文化的环境中工作。新加坡和香港公司特别渴望聘请能够掌握三语的我国大学毕业生,以协助推动公司成为中国市场的前线公司。
马来西亚在国际市场占一席之地,肯定能够从中获得利益,因为我国向全球展现了我国的优质劳动力。当中的许多员工最终会被吸引返回我国,而他们所吸取的经验,将有助于推进我国,使它摆脱目前的中等收入处境。

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冯镇安博士在上个世纪80年代出任马大应用经济学教授以及经济与行政学院院长。1990 至1999年,他加入政府部门服务,担任教育部副部长。1999至2008年出任人力资源部长。它目前是亚罗牙也区国会议员。


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Monday, July 20, 2009

Mourning of Teoh Beng Hock Passing Away

As the member of Parliament for Alor Gajah, I join the nation in mourning the unnecessary passing away of Teoh Beng Hock, a bright young man born, educated and brought up in Kelemak, Alor Gajah. I visited the family on Saturday morning (18th July 2009), and paid my respects to Beng Hock together with MCA members of the Alor Gajah Division. The untimely passing away of Beng Hock is not only a great loss to the family, but also a sad loss to Alor Gajah.

I agreed with Beng Hock’s mother when she said nothing can bring back her son. To lessen the grief of the family, I request the government to immediately set up an Independent Royal Commission of Enquiry to uncover the circumstances and the whole truth leading to the tragic death of Beng Hock. The Royal Commission should be mandated to start his work immediately.

It is important that the whole truth be revealed and necessary actions taken to rectify the situation, including due punishment to those responsible and due compensation to the family as an expression of our remorse and sympathy.
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Saturday, May 16, 2009

PSD Scholarships

Each year, at this time, we will hear the complaints from parents and students of their failure to secure a scholarship despite having excellent results. The Public Service Department (PSD) must be transparent and clear in the awarding of scholarships to Malaysians. The issue of deserving young Malaysians not getting scholarships to pursue a course in a university of their choice has been occuring for far too long. These include those who obtained 13 A1s and 14 A1s in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination who failed to get scholarships under the Foreign Degree Programme despite having secured places at foreign universities. The PSD should act firmly to ensure that the criteria used to select students for scholarships are consistent and strictly adhered to. There is absolutely no reason why a student who obtained excellent results and are among the top students in their respective states and the country should not be given scholarships to study overseas upon securing a place in a foreign university. Failure to honour these best brains in the country will only encourage them to work in other countries upon their graduation and this will put a damper on the government's efforts to encourage Malaysian professionals and experts to work in the country.
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Perak Impasse

There is an urgent need to settle the political impasse in Perak to that normalcy can return to Perak. Allowing the uncertainty to continue will not work well for the state in particular and the country in general. This has and will continue to affect the administration of the state's affairs, including administrative matters pertaining to trade and investments such as the approval of permits and projects involving the state administration. At the end of the day, the people will suffer. In a democratic system like Malaysia's, there is definitely a defined role for the Constitutional Monarchy as well as the courts. Their roles are enshrined in the Constitution and therefore must be respected and accepted. Having said that, it is best to let the people decide on the government they want so that the government of the day can act confidently with the support of the people. We are a democratic society and the people should be allowed to decide on who they want to lead in the state.
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Influenza A H1N1

Malaysians should not panic following the Health Ministry's announcement of the country's first two confirmed cases of Influenza A H1N1 victims. Although they should take all the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their families, they must also be confident of the government's efforts to contain the outbreak. The government has taken, and will continue to take all the necessary measures to stop the spread of the disease in the country and will remain vigilant.
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Friday, April 3, 2009

Welcoming YAB Dato Sri Naji Tun Razak as PM

I welcome YAB Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak as the new Prime Minister of Malaysia. I have every confidence that under his dynamic leadership, Malaysia will continue to prosper and become a developed country. Although YAB Dato Sri Najib has taken over the leadership at a challenging time, I am confident that his vast experience and profound knowledge will help steer Malaysia out of the current economic slowdown. I am also confident that as UMNO and Barisan Nasional leader, YAB Dato Sri Najib will continue to enjoy the full support and loyalty of all Barisan Nasional component parties and the various communities in our continued efforts to make Malaysia a role model of ethnic cooperation and respect. My heartiest congratulations to him.
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Friday, March 13, 2009

My views on the Mini Budget

The RM60 billion stimulus package is bold but I feel that more could be done to increase the confidence of the business community as well as the people in general, especially the vulnerable groups. In short, the government needs to bring back the “feel good feeling” to boost consumer spending and investor confidence – a situation where the people is not too scared or worried to spend and the businessman is confident of better times ahead.

Greater efforts must be done to rectify the unemployment situation. While I laud the government’s move to help retrenched workers by offering companies tax incentives to employ retrenched workers, I feel that the focus should be directed more on helping employers to retain their workers. At this time of uncertainty, few companies would be able to afford to take in new workers. The challenge is more to retain their existing workers and not have to retrench them. For this, I feel that the government should help employers by giving them cash rebates for contributions to the Employees Provident Fund, similar to Singapore’s Jobs Credit Scheme. The MCA had proposed that the government pay 10 percent of the 12 percent contribution by employers to the EPF. I urge the government to seriously look into this so as to preserve jobs in the current economic downturn.

I agree that preserving jobs and helping the unemployed and new entrants to the employment market get jobs is a tall order for any government. The DPM has pointed out that the unemployment rate for this year is expected to be 4.5 percent compared to 3.7 percent in 2008. Since October 2008, when the crisis first hit us, 25,000 workers have been retrenched and nearly 31,000 have been temporarily laid-off. The challenge for the government is to ensure that the local workers are not asked to leave before the foreign workers. I agree that this is a very fragile situation. It is a fact that locals have long shied away from certain jobs which they considered dirty, dangerous and demeaning – commonly known as the 3Ds. And employers from these sectors have no choice but to take in foreign workers or they risk having to stop operations. With Malaysia having enjoyed a technical full employment rate for years, Malaysians can afford to be choosy. Some have even opted to work in other countries which offered higher pay to do the same work. But Malaysian workers have to know that times have changed. Jobs are scarce not only here but in other countries as well. Maybe it is time for employers and workers to find an equilibrium that would encourage Malaysians to take over such jobs from foreign workers.

Measures outlined in the Mini Budget put emphasis only on the demand side with little focus on the supply side. I feel that to strengthen consumer confidence, more should be done to liberalize the economy. For this, I hope the government will come out with more specific guidelines on the new role of the Foreign Investment Committee as announced by the DPM. Removing any doubts or hindrances will make Malaysia a more investor friendly place for FDIs. The government should also help to ease the setting up of new businesses by short circuiting the process of obtaining licenses, possibly by capping the period between application and approval, similar to what the government had done for the issuance of Certificate of Fitness for buildings.

Finally, of utmost importance is that the measures outlined in the Mini Budget must be implemented swiftly and effectively.Hidden text
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Thursday, March 5, 2009

Mini Budget

I welcome the announcement of the Second Stimulus Package (Mini Budget) at the Dewan Rakyat today. There is however talk that the Mini Budget could go as high as RM40 billion. The higher allocation will be most welcomed as it would give the economy the much needed boost. However, I feel that the injection of the extra capital to the economy should be accompanied by increased efforts to improve three main areas of the economy:

· The government should facilitate the employment/intake of more experts in various sectors. This can be done by attracting foreign experts in areas which Malaysians do not have the expertise as well as relooking at efforts to reenergize the “brain gain” policy with a view of getting more Malaysian professionals to come back.
· Expediting the issuance of business licenses by further liberalization and by removing conditions that may hinder the process ie. equity requirements and cumbersome application process.
· Encouraging the flourishing of entrepreneurship especially small and medium scale entrepreneurs through credit facilities and other incubator services.

I am confident that if such measures are adopted quickly and efficiently by the government, they will greatly help in ensuring the effectiveness of the second stimulus package.
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Monday, February 16, 2009

Wong's resignation not necessary

The circulation of nude pictures of Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong constitutes a gross violation of her private life and those responsible for such a despicable act should be punished according to the law. I hope the police will investigate the incident thoroughly and swiftly. The circulation of the nude pictures is done with bad intentions. As such, I would disagree with any calls for Wong to resign her post as this does not reflect her work as an assemblyman. I hope all those who have the pictures will come forward and help the police in their investigations. They should also stop circulating these pictures and not be a participant of this despicable act.
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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Facing the Economic Realities

The comments by executive director of the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), Samsuddin Bardan that 10,000 Malaysians have lost their jobs since 1 January 2009 due to the global economic slowdown show that the economic situation in Malaysia is not as rosy as pictured. Malaysians should face the reality of the situation and take the necessary steps to face the challenges ahead. There is nothing wrong with Malaysia as the current economic situation is a consequence of the global economic crisis as Malaysia can’t be isolated from the effects. I agree with the call of the MEF to the government to release the second economic stimulus package as soon as possible to keep the hard-hit companies afloat. At the same time, the government should urgently remove any hindrances or red tape that might be a dampener to the setting up of new enterprises. With an expected drop in consumption, now is a good time for the government to pump in funds to develop and upgrade schools, health clinics and other construction projects. This will stimulate economic activities and inject back confidence amongst contractors, retailers and other supply chains.
Despite the fact that the Year of the Ox started off on a pretty pessimistic note – with the MEF comments, the International Labour Organization reporting that up to 51 million jobs worldwide could disappear by year-end and the collapse of the Irish government due to economic worries – all is not lost for Malaysians. My hunch is that as the Year progresses, we will begin to see positive signs. The Malaysian government has already taken urgent steps to address the situation through the economic stimulus packages aimed at various sectors and the US and China governments have undertaken urgent measures to stimulate the economy. The results of these concerted global efforts will soon kick in. I am confident that the current situation would not be as bad as the Deep Depression in which the world took ten years to recover.
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Saturday, January 24, 2009

Investigate A. Kugan’s death without prejudices

I welcome the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan’s assurance that police will carry out a full investigation into the death of A. Kugan who died while he was in police custody. The IGP’s comments that there will be no cover up are important in reassuring the public of transparency in the police investigations. I urged the police to carry out a thorough and fair investigation into what happened, without any prejudices. The quick, transparent and affirmative action by the police in getting to the bottom of what led to A Kugan’s death and to mete out the necessary punishment for the culprits (if any) will reflect the professionalism of the Police force in carrying out their duties without any discrimination or biasness and thus increased the confidence and perception of the people towards the Police.
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Gong Xi Fa Cai

I wish all Chinese in Malaysia Gong Xi Fa Cai. I wish you and your loved ones health and prosperity in the Year of the Ox. The Ox symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work and perseverance. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character that exercises resolution and fearlessness when accomplishing a task. Although we are in the midst of economic uncertainties, I am confident that if Malaysians will adopt these characteristics, we would be able to override the effects of the current situation. With this, we can certainly look forward to a better year ahead. I also take this opportunity to urge Malaysians to drive carefully when commuting to and from their home towns as well as during their visitations. Let us all celebrate this time together by renewing ties with our families and friends, including those of other races in the true Malaysian spirit of Muhibbah! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
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Aye to a new KLIA East@Labu

I fully support Air Asia’s move to build a new low cost terminal in Labu. The KLIA East @ Labu project is timely as the current low-cost terminal, LCCT at Sepang is unable to cope with the increased volume of passengers using Air Asia. The congestion at the current LCCT in Sepang does not augur well for the image of the country, especially to tourists. With the increased number of passengers opting for low-cost carriers, it is important that these tourists have a good ‘first impression’ of te country when they arrive. The new terminal, when in 2011, is projected to be able to accommodate 30 million passengers which AirAsia and AirAsia X hope to carry by 2015. With a larger volume of traffic expected over the next few years, the KLIA East @ Labu project is very much needed. The project is also consistent with the government’s aim to make Kuala Lumpur a regional air transportation hub as well as efforts to popularise Malaysia as a tourist destination.


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Sunday, January 11, 2009

New Year Greetings

I wish all Malaysians a Happy 2009. Although 2009 is expected to be filled with challenges as a result of the global economic situation, I believe we can override these, taking into account the stimulus package undertaken by the government as well as the country’s strong economic fundamentals. We need to continue to be resolute and strong and remain united in helping the country overcome the economic uncertainties by making Malaysia a preferred choice of investments, especially in the wake of competition from regional countries. I am confident that with the full support of all Malaysians and the commitment of the leaders, the country will see a better economic future that will translate into a better tomorrow for the rakyat.
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