ALL BECAUSE OF THE 'A WORD'
By : Yin Ee Kiong 2010

Even as we condemn UMNO for the recent fire-bombing of churches, the other component parties of BN are not totally blameless. While UMNO has consistently played the race and religion cards the other parties have consistently failed to stand up against it.

By allowing UMNO to have its way the other parties have abetted the crime.

The issue is simply this: Should the use of ‘Allah’ be allowed?

The court has delivered its verdict on this (even though a higher court has exercised a stay order which to its credit the Catholic Church has agreed to). But that aside, while we know UMNO’s stand on this matter, what is the stand of the other non-UMNO component parties in BN? In the past we have seen them turn tail in the face of UMNO displeasure; will they find their spine this time?

My own take of the matter is as follows:

Whatever the final ruling on this matter, we cannot continue to give in to extremists. It’s gone beyond the A word. It’s about mob rule and whether we should again give in to religious bigots and extremists.

Unfortunately because the government has always given in to the extremist elements (most of it from UMNO it must be said) this has set a pattern.

Examples:

¨The APCET Case (which the court has now awarded 30,000 ringgit each to the plaintiffs)

¨ The threat to burn down the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall by UMNO Youth

¨The Article 11 incident in Penang where instead of arresting the demonstrators (which the police would gladly have done were they Opposition members) ordered the meeting to be ended.

¨ The Cow Head Demonstration and before that issues of conversions, demolishing of

temples, obstructing the building of churches etc.

With all that kind of track record, should anyone be surprised with what has happened. It is a matter of sooner or later, and now it has happened.

In the past UMNO, if not openly encouraging extremists, has at least given them a nod and a wink. This invariably happens whenever UMNO wants to up the ante in the face of its eroding popularity, it sends in its storm troopers from UMNO Youth.

Over the years there have been many other instances where the government has pandered to these extremists. The government has often argued that (as Najib has done) “you can’t stop people from protesting”. This when it suits them. The freedom to protest unfortunately is reserved only for BN.

I never understand the logic that the way to respond to a bully is to give in to him. As we know giving in to bullying only encourages more bullying.

Had the government applied the law fairly and without bias, and nip such actions in the bud – whichever quarter it comes from - then I believe we won’t have seen the fire bombings of churches that we have today.

We cannot rule by shifting and wavering according to where the government perceives the votes to be coming from. The government cannot say that because of the threat by certain Malay or Muslim religious extremists it will therefore not apply the law. A country cannot be governed like that. We have the constitution and we have laws and those who flout them must be dealt with accordingly.

This is not to say that we should not apply the law wisely, but ultimately extremist elements must learn that they cannot have their way.

Is there a danger of widespread racial/religious unrest a la May 13?

I don’t think so.

2010 is not 1969.

There is a very large middle class of educated and liberal Malays. There is better access to alternative media – people are better informed. This trouble is started by only a very small section of the Malays (albeit with UMNO’s tacit approval). Most Malays have nothing to do with these protests. Unlike 1969, the Malays today have much to lose and they will not tolerate a few hooligans spoiling it for them.

More importantly Malay leaders from the Opposition are not supporting this ‘jihad’. PAS has in fact backed the court’s ruling – contrary to Najib’s calculations. And not every UMNO member is in support of it either, although I suspect there are those who are desperate enough to do anything to save their sinking ship – including risking racial strife.

The non-Muslims are not going to make trouble – they are too preoccupied with making a living. Malaysians, whatever their ethnicity or religion are by and large peace loving. They are more interested in ‘cari makan’ than ‘cari gadoh’.

However there are those who call for the non-Muslims to abandon the use of ‘Allah’ for the sake of peace. If only it were so easy. Do the Sikhs now have to remove ‘Allah’ from their holy book? Would Christians who have been using the word all these years (without any trouble) have to stop using it just because lately it has become taboo?

More to the point, when do we stop appeasing the bullies? If not ‘Allah’ then it will be something else. At some point we must draw a line in the sand.

If UMNO had hoped to gain leverage by exploiting this situation it has seriously miscalculated. It has now virtually lost Peninsula Malaysia. More than ever it now depends on Sabah and Sarawak to survive. The majority of the population in both our eastern states are non-Muslims. In fact the majority are Christians and they are not going to take this sitting down.

Time will tell if the extremist bullies UMNO has nurtured will become uncontrollable.

Like the parent whose spoilt child has finally gone too far and now refuse to take responsibility, Najib is denying UMNO’s part in raising a monster. It won’t wash; the extremists we have today have not just popped up overnight. Najib himself was the poster boy of the extremist elements in UMNO Youth during his kris waving days as President.

He now asks that fingers not be pointed at him and UMNO.

Why not? Did he and Hishamuddin not encourage the mob albeit indirectly?

For the government to continue to block the use of ‘Allah’ and to withhold the Bibles even when the Islamic party PAS has agreed to its use, is tantamount to condoning what has happened.

Treat the Problem, Not the Symptom
By : Mariam Mokhtar

So now, women, single mothers in particular, should be viewed as a product or commodity, like a prized car, or maybe in the rural areas, the prized cow. They are to be treated as mere chattels. And men will be awarded for marrying them.

And for the single mum? Will being married (or remarried) be consolation enough for the woman? Will she have any say in this?

Wan Ubaidah Omar, is the Women, Family and Health committee chairman in Kelantan. Her attention grabbing suggestion, at the Kelantan assembly, was for men to be given awards for increasing their quota. Incidentally, quota is her definition for the men’s religious entitlement to four wives.

Unsurprisingly, all who agreed, were men.

Her intention to assist the plight of single mothers is good and genuine. However, she is deluded into thinking that they can be treated as mere trophies.

Her statement has only reinforced harmful attitudes towards women. It is also discriminatory, degrading and objectionable. Her suggestion coupled with the reaction of the men in the assembly, is a mockery of the responsible position and the office of which she chairs.

But why only treat the symptom, and not address the cause?

It is a fact that there is an inordinately high divorce rate among Muslim men, when compared to the other races.

Why?

It is because of the Muslim man’s unilateral right to divorce his wife at will and for any reason. His right, as far as he is concerned, is to have four wives, to demand obedience, to beat his wife, to have sex on demand and to divorce his wife at will.

To him, she is the perfect hostess, the guardian of his children, the cleaner of his house, the whore in bed, the cook in the kitchen. It is the ease and impunity that men can pronounce a divorce, under whatever pretext that they choose, that is shocking. ‘Use ’em, abuse ‘em, leave ‘em.’

Yes, we did have laws to halt this apparent ease to divorce. But when certain sections of society objected to the amended Family Law, the lawmakers buckled under pressure.

And the result? A proliferation of divorce.

There will be some who consider my views anti-Islamic even anti-God. Did HE not grant all Muslims the right to be treated as humans being of equal worth and dignity? All I can say is listen to the many thousands of women who have suffered, who have been denied the right for consultation, who have no prior knowledge, no means of prevention, no room for discussion nor the ability to negotiate terms of divorce. Some of these are close friends, family or acquaintances who have had no redress, several years after the divorce.

Sure, there are laws to prevent ‘easy’ divorce. Few adhere to them and the irresponsible men who were unlucky to be caught out were only given the most minimal of fines. Deterrent enough? Hardly.

Others will remind me of the Kursus Perkahwinan. Of what use is this course where men are told how to beat their wives so it does not show, where to go for a subsequent marriage where the laws are lax, and their rights as a man are extolled, without taking into account respect, consideration and equality for the woman, his wife-to-be? All of these are laughable.

Wan Ubaidah was asked what was being done to reduce the number of divorce cases and what efforts were being taken by the state government to help single mothers.

Her idea of awarding men if they were to marry these single women is no solution. It might even add to the problem. A marriage of convenience, for this is what it sounds like, will have no solid foundation based on mutual respect, trust and communication.

Wan Ubaidah claimed that there were 16,500-registered single mothers below the age of 60 in Kelantan and this figure did not include those who had been left in the lurch by their husbands. She added that one dilemma facing some single mothers in Kelantan and the country as a whole was that many of them could not register at the Welfare Department or related agencies because their husbands had left them without filing for divorce.

So tell me, how are these women (who have been abandoned) to remarry because then they might be considered committing bigamy? These women are not the problem. It is the men.

Furthermore, this problem is not a recent phenomenon and whipping is not going to be the panacea of all evils.

The answer is to treat the problem and not a symptom of it. Ours is a traditional patriarchal society. It would be prudent to look at the problem as a whole, and in the context of the twenty-first century.

In today’s society, family is important, but so are money, education and skills. Women are now more educated, more financially independent with more opportunities are open to them. In comparison, some of the men she speaks of are poor, less well educated, unskilled, have few social bonds, few social skills and turn to vice and violence easily.

We need to change the way we bring up and educate our little boys, and turn them into mature, responsible, caring, law-abiding, brothers, fathers and husbands who will respect their fellow woman and treat them with equality.

We also need to focus on building strong, long-lasting, happy relationships with a solid foundation based on trust, mutual respect and effective communication. Love, not mistaken for lust, might be a helpful ingredient.

The reasons for family breakdown are well-documented. The testimony of the ex-wives and the despicable plight of the children left behind by errant fathers is evidence enough.

Focus on the upbringing and education of the males in our society. Amend the laws so that irresponsible men who mistreat their wives will think twice about doing so. Introduce effective deterrents, not minimal fines. And amend laws that do not discriminate women in our society.

Don’t take the easy way out and tell men to take on single mothers. Why create more problems? Just go right to the source and treat the problem. There is such a thing as ‘prevention is better than cure’.

And stop using religion as a means to justify a man’s right. Remind them that with rights, come responsibilities.

Postcard From Shenzhen

By Yin Yee Kiong

It’s much cooler, much, much cooler. The afternoons are still warm but not humid. The mornings pleasant and the evenings rather cool. One can sleep without airconditioning now. The days are shorter – dark by six – and will get shorter still. This is the pleasantness of seasons. Of course in the south of China we don’t get the extremes or the contrasts they have in the north where I am told autumn (the golden season) is really beautiful. But we also don’t get the bone-chilling cold of winter nor the scorching summer too.

One can tell the seasons by what is in the market too. Vegetables I have not seen before have appeared. As for fruits, persimmons are in season – lots of it in the market and on the streets. Do you know you can’t pick persimmons off the tree and eat them? I was told this when I saw strings of them hung out in farm houses in Japan. They have to be ‘cured’ or something like that before they are ripened and marketed. Hey I could be wrong or have not understood the German/Japanese of Akiko. Don’t take it as gospel.

Other fruits are disappearing – water melons, rock melons etc. And no more rambutans, mangosteens (such as they are – we throw those away at home). You know what, the Chinese are as ignorant about coconuts as the kweiloh. One sees coconuts as old as my grandfather – which one sees in the coconut-shys of old English fair grounds.

Something else has also appeared on the streets. I saw these three big burly guys in funny clothes and hats squatting on the pavement. In front of them were exotic stuff – bears paws – the whole arm actually. There was of course the inevitable bears’ penis and bile and every part of the poor animal. I reckon if we put them all together we can create a Frankenstein bear.

The biggest guy levered his massive arm upwards from his waist suggesting the masculinity I can attain if I buy his stuff. The blank look I gave him probably disgusted him. His friend was more honest, he sized me up, stuck out his small finger and wiggled it. We all laughed. How did he know?

I have never seen a bear’s penis before and have no way of knowing what that thing is. It could be anything – a goat’s, a dog’s, a buffalo or just an old twig. Or, and this is not too far fetched, a human one. Why not? An American guy (an executive with a big firm) has been sentenced to six years in prison for dealing in human skulls (according to the Global
Times). He exports these skulls which he buys for 23 rmb to America for lots of money. When the police raided his house they found over a thousand skulls. If skulls why not penis?

Anyway these ‘mountain men’ (that’s what they looked like) gave up on me. There are some things you can’t do anything about.

Oh yes, there are other new stuff on the street – small reddish crabs, buckets of them – which had lots of takers. A lady questioned the seller about the meat and he immediately deshelled one and showed her the fleshy inside. Anyway he needn’t have bothered with her, he has enough customers.

One thing has not changed however, the old lady who sells rotten seafood. Yes rotten. Come rain come shine she is there. You can smell her a mile off. The legs and claws are practically falling off the crabs. The fish are dull eyed and stinks. She also has mangy cats in cages. Around her are several mutts who follow her everywhere. I have seen this lady push her cart across the busy road from the Old Qtr where she lives. I say she sells seafood but I have yet to see anyone buying her stuff. Well what she can’t sell she will bring back tomorrow and the day after and so on. It actually doesn’t stink as much these days, either because I have grown accustomed to it or because it is not so hot.

What else is new?

The Shenzhen authorities are talking about banning electric bicycles. The reason is that they are clogging the roads. One laowai has commented (in a column in the SZ Daily) that these electric bicycles users are ‘lawless’ – they ride on the pavements, don’t wear helmets and often carry more than one passenger.

I couldn’t resist by replying that it’s easy for a high paying expat to pontificate from his airconditioned ivory tower when he can spend in one night’s carousing what these poor guys spend on food for the family in a month. Helmets cost money. They can’t afford a car so what do you expect them to do when they are a family of three or four? Public transport costs money. In any case the metro does not cover the whole of SZ (yet).

Lawlessness? What about drivers who don’t stop at pedestrian crossings, bully other road users and park on the pavements? What about the almost exponential growth of cars?

Cars are noisy, they spew fumes, they consume lots of fossil fuel (draining the country’s foreign exchange) and most cars do not have passengers so the cost per person is much higher than that for electric bicycles which are by the way, silent, clean and efficient.

What will these poor guys do if electric bicycles are banned? Will the government buy their bikes? How are they going to bring their produce to the market (espy if the distances are long) or carry their wares to sell all over SZ? The buses and metro will not allow livestock nor will they allow stoves and pots and pans which food hawkers need to make a living. How will these guys live?

Why should the poor be the ones to sacrifice?

Why not enforce limited access into the CBD, or encourage car pooling by charging drivers who have no passengers. Why not raise the tax on cars to reduce its numbers?

Until the government has tried everything to contain the explosion of car ownership and has done all it can to make car owners more responsible road users, it should not pick on the small guy.

Isn’t a socialist government supposed to look after the ‘small guy’?

Going by what one sees in SZ one would not think so.

The Utterly Useless Food Guide

Decided to skip the local fare and instead go for something nearer home. Thai.

We have passed Thai Elements before in Coastal City. It looked nice and judging with the number of customers, must be good.

Well Thai it was last Friday.

We ordered the ‘green curry’, veges with salt fish and seafood tomyam and a couple of other stuff.

We asked for rice which never came.

The tomyam came first – small bowl, two prawns and rather insipid.

Then the green curry. It didn’t look like any Thai green curry I have ever seen. It’s green all right like a sick green parrot, or rather a sick green parrot’s vomit. Looked like mashed avocado infused with a sprinkling of spices, really, thick and goey. I couldn’t eat it and sent it back to the kitchen with the threat that I would report the chef for flouting the Trades Description Act. Or better still report him to the Thai Embassy for insulting Thai cuisine. Of course the waitress did not understand my impeccable Chinese which was a good thing.

The veges with salt fish had no salt fish and tasted more Chinese than Thai.

I looked around, everyone (or almost everyone) was having a good time. However my neighbour and his partner did not finish their food – I hope not because of me. But otherwise every plate went back empty. Shows how much the Chinese know about Thai food – just like the English know about vindaloo or the American, Chinese food.

And if the food was not authentic Thai, neither was the décor (other than the mandatory Buddha carving on the wall). The ceiling was decorated with distinctly Inca drawings.

Inca, Thai, same difference, in any case no one was the wiser and no one cared.

We left in a hurry to look for another place to fill our stomachs. A simple wonton noodle in a simple café simply hit the spot when the pretentious restaurant did not.

The best food is still from the humble cafes or roadside stalls. They do one thing and do it well.

All this talk of food and all I am having for lunch is sweet potato. Well our elders tell us it was the staple during ‘Japanese Time’. Here’s to the humble sweet potato without which many of us would not be here today.

What’s the smell? Bloody burnt rice, my second pot today! Must get rid of it before the boss returns, open all windows, air the place!

Can’t write and cook rice at the same time . . .

Comments from a foreign writer Bryant on Mahathir's article : Kaki dalam Kasut where he says Chinese is the real master of Malaysia.

(This article was sent to me by a friend. I would like to share it with my readers. - ks)

The highly respected Tun,

China is coming up, India is coming up, Vietnam is coming up and now even Russia is on the rise. In this flat world that is all wired up and regardless whether we are Malaysian Malay, Chinese or Indian, and if Malaysia does not progress, all of us would become history of this country! Without the Malay, Chinese could not do well in the country and without the Chinese, Malay would not do well. Both have to work
together to bring up Malaysia and mitigate the ascute impact that is being brought about by the globalisation. For me, a true leader is someone who has the foresight that not only focus on one particular group in the country but take care of the future of everyone. A good leader is someone who know what is the biggest threat the country is facing and direct the people to fight off the threat. A leader is also someone who is impartial that has the ability to promote harmony in the country for a long period of time.

UMNO is a political looser that leads the country to nowhere. They do not understand what is going on the outside world. They have no clue where Malaysia will be in the next 30 years. With the 3 new superpowers, i.e Indian, China and Russia standing tall and high together with USA and the Europe Union, they do not know what kind of world it would be and how Malaysia is going to compete and share the ever smaller slice of cake of the world economy. They only know how to
get the Malays to fight with other Non-Malay on tiny issues within Malaysia, while the two races know jolly well that the issues they are fighting are trivial and is totally self-satisfying. UMNO does not give a damn to how the poor Malay is going to live in the future and they do not care about the real benefits of the poor Malays. They only want the votes from them. The NEP is a good evidence on how they
benefit the cronies, instead of the poor Malay. Despite all their despicable acts they are still in the power.


The highly respected Tun,

As you are aware, the Malays control the rights to all the lands and all other natural resources in this country. They control all government institutions, GLC and State owned companies. The Malays dominate the lawmaking process in Malaysia; The Malays control the decision making process in formulating the economy policies. The Malays own the largest national assets and the Malays are given shares in the public listed companies for free. The Malays have also been given all kind of priorities when it comes to buying properties, awarding of public contracts, tertiary education opportunities, awarding of scholarships and even getting a job in government departments. With all these privileges and rights enjoyed by the Malays, you are saying nothing has been done enough to help the Malays to catch up with other races, mainly the Chinese. Then what else should Malaysia do to satisfy the Malays? Did the Chinese seize or rob anything away from the Malays or all their wealth was a result of their hard work? If it is all due to their hard work, why do you say it is unfair? I don't quite get your point here.

May I humbly ask you what do you expect the Chinese to do if your so-called NEP did not achieve the desired result? Would the Malays be happy if the ethnic Chinese in this country do any of the followings:

- surrender their assets and hard earned money to the Malays unconditionally;
- not to engage in any business activities;
- not to score As in all sort of examinations;
- not to make money that is more than the Malays are earning;
- not to advance to higher education; or
- renounce their citizenships and go back to China or migrate to some
other countries?

I am a foreigner but I am surprised that your intention is to divide your own country. I think you are mainly targeting the Chinese. Frankly, tell us, what do you expect the Chinese to do in order to achieve what is so called "equality" meant by you?


Tun, after all these criticism you have against the present
government, I feel that you are starting to loose your rationality on your arguments. You have run out of good reasons to convince us. I guess it could be due to your accumulating jealousy of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, your former counterpart in Singapore. But reality is always hard to accept. No matter how, you have to accept the fact that he is regarded the Father of Singapore but you are not regarded the Father of Malaysia; you have to accept the fact that Mr Lee is able to influence the government of Singapore until he the day he dies but you have not been able to influence the government from the moment you stepped down as PM. You must also accept the fact that he is still very popular on the world stage and a leader respected by many but you are not quite. Because of these jealousies, you are starting to
accumulate imbalances in yourself that lead you to embark on a series of action to attack your successors. It is very obvious that you are not happy when your successors are more popular than you. Is there any good of doing that? What is your intention? Can't you take it easy? During your time, you criticised most of the developed countries especially the Western Countries out of jealousy and after stepping
down as PM you criticise every single soul remained in the cabinet for not listening to you. When will you ever stop criticising any people? Can't you respect the decision of others?

Back to your recent blog, is there anything wrong with Chinese in this country? Did they seize or rob the money away from the Malays? Did they have the ability to come out with any policies to marginalise the Malays? Did they dominate the lawmaking process of this country? Did they formulate the economy policies in this country? Did they control
the government departments in this country? Did they control the state owned companies and GLC in this country? Did they control the country's largest oil companies and banks? You know the answer right? Malays are the one who dominate the the lawmaking process of this country; Malays are the one that formulate the economy policies in this country that favours the Malays. Malays are the ones that control
the government departments, state owned companies and GLC. Malays are the one the control the funds in this country. Malays are also the ones that control the largest oil companies and banking industry in this country. With all these rights enjoyed by the Malays, what else do you want the Chinese to do? Surrender their houses and savings and
their wealth that they earned with their hard work to the Malays, for no reason? or ask all the Chinese to renounce their citizenship and go back to China? Have you ever thought of after 30 years of implementing NEP, why it does not achieve the desired result? Don't forget under the NEP there are a series of policies that favors the Malays. The obvious ones would be the distributions of APs and awarding of contracts. If with all these policies, it still dose not give the Malay what they want, what else do you want the Chinese to do? Is the
Chinese to be blamed because they are too hard working? Or the Malays to be blamed because they do not treasure the opportunities given? You know very well the NEP has been misused and it only benefits the cronies. So if you have designed NEP to only benefits the cronies, please don't say it is the problem of Chinese that NEP does not achieve its result. It has nothing to do with the Chinese but NEP and the Malay themselves.

This is a globalised world, Chinese and Malays should not be fighting against each other because Malaysia is competing with other countries. China used to be backward and lagging behind Malaysia but now they have caught up and have even surpassed Malaysia.. Can we ask them to slow down their development? If they refuse to listen can we make a
complaint to the United Nation that China is developing too fast and this is very unfair to Malaysia, which adapts a more a passive approach? Who give you the right to prevent others from progressing? Who you think you are? This is a flat world (Obviously Tun did not read the book named "The World is Flat"). Don't be so narrow minded to only focus on the Chinese or Malay in Malaysia. We should now look at the world as a flat world. If Malaysia does not progress, no matter we
are Malay or Chinese, we would be extinct one day!

Have a God-blessed day.

Rationale for my scholarships offer

(Many people wrote to ask if this is genuine and not a hoax and I had to explain. I wrote out my rationale - Koon Yew Yin)

Since I circulated my scholarship offer to needy students, many people have asked if the offer is genuine or a hoax because there are so many scams. I have had to explain that I am in a position to undertake this charitable work.

I am a retired Chartered Civil Engineer and was one of the original founders of IJM Corporation Bhd, Gamuda Bhd and Mudajaya Group Bhd, 3 of the leading listed construction companies. As an entrepreneur, I have always wanted to use minimum capital to produce maximum benefit.

I wish to explain why I have chosen this way of doing charity through this particular scholarship offer in which the scholarship recipients are not required to work for me after graduation or to pay me back the money they have been provided.

But they all have to promise me that they will help other poor students after they have graduated and are financially solvent.

I believe most recipients will not break their promise if the charity culture has been instilled in them when they are young and in need of aid. As a result, I expect that they will continue to do similar charity work long after I am gone.

Through my contribution, we can expect a meaningful human resource product graduating from a very creditable University, U TAR for a relatively small outlay and contributing to the nation’s development.

Some have asked if I would consider them studying in other more expansive university. In fact, one girl has applied while she is currently doing the foundation course in accountancy in Nilai University College which charges Rm 138,000 for the 4 years course, according to her. U TAR, a non profit University charges Rm 32,000 for the same 4 years course. Of course, the question is: which is the better University for finance and accountancy. All I know is that most practising accountants in Malaysia are graduates from Kolej TAR or U TAR.

I believe an accountant can find employment more easily and is likely to have a higher income than those from many other professions. An accountant graduate will be able to help the people around him, besides taking care of his own family through his higher educational and financial standing.

I also hope that this example will encourage other successful entrepreneurs who may have wanted to do similar charitable work to use their money in a cost-effective way and to help others and generate a positive multiplier effect on society.

For those who have not read my scholarships offer, I reproduce it here below.

Scholarships for poor young Malaysians

I will be providing scholarships to 50 poor students for the next academic year to study finance and accountancy in University TAR, Kampar, Perak.

The scholarships will be given subject to the following conditions:-

1. The applicant’s family combined income should not be more than Rm 2,000 per month.
2. The letter of application should be accompanied by a simple letter from the Form Teacher of the student certifying that the student is from a poor family. The contact details of the teacher and school should also be included.
3. Students will be selected more on the basis of their financial need though their academic achievements will also be taken into account.
4. Each scholarship is worth Rm 20,000 which should be enough for each student to cover the cost for the first year foundation course and the first semester of the degree course in finance and accountancy until he or she secures the PTPTN loan. This Government PTPTN loan (National Higher Education Fund) is given to all students doing a recognised degree course, irrespective of race and financial position.
5. Students who receive financial aid from me are not required to pay back the money or work for me after they graduate.
6. However, I want them to promise me that they will help other poor students when they have graduated and are financially solvent.

U TAR takes in students in January and June every year. Students who are currently doing their SPM can submit their applications to U TAR this October with their forecast results and they can enrol in January 2010.

Needy students who are currently doing their SPM or have passed the SPM can submit their applications directly to me at:

Koon Yew Yin,

yewyin@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

A copy of the letter should be sent to

admin@cpiasia.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

attention: Dr. Lim Teck Ghee

Centre for Policy Initiatives

All applications should be written out in English

Koon Yew Yin

2^nd Aug 09

FANNING THE FLAMES

- Yin Ee Kiong

Two flames burn in the hearts of Malaysians:

1. Anger Against Injustice.
2. Hope For A Better Malaysia.

The Malay masses are angry that the NEP which is supposed to lift them have been hijacked so that those who are politically connected are the major beneficiaries. These UMNOputras have benefited disproportionately from those who voted for them. How else do you explain that despite 39 years of robust affirmative action they still lag behind. The system has been abused; their leaders have cheated them. While there is now a large Malay middle class there are also many who still struggle to make ends meet. Many live in slums or low cost housing in the shadows of the palatial residences of the people they put in power. Many rural Malays still do not have the amenities and infrastructures that are found in urban areas. The only time they get anything quickly is when there are by-elections. They know it’s not because the country is poor. The glaring and increasing economic disparity within the community has raised the ire of ordinary Malays.

The non-Malays are angry that despite being second or third generation Malaysians they are still treated as second class citizens and with all that it entails. They too feel that affirmative action has been abused to benefit the select few – including those from their own communities. The thinking of many is that if the NEP (as it was intended) had been implemented efficiently and honestly the Malays would be on par, or thereabout, with the rest and there would be no need for race bias discriminatory policies. To support poor Malays is one thing, but to feed the greed of the rich Malay elite sticks in the craw of most people.

The natives whose land this is, remain at the bottom of the socio-economic heap. They are angry but unfortunately they are the least organised. They depend on the rest of us to give them a fair deal. But the majority have other priorities and so they are largely ignored.

Malaysians across the board are angry with the pervasive corruption in the ruling party and our institutions.

They are also angry with unjust and draconian laws like the ISA; with institutions that have no integrity and have sold their independence to their political masters. They are supposed to safeguard public interests but often serve only the party in power. Malaysians are angry with a justice system which is flawed; with the lack of press freedom; with the inefficiencies of its institutions and the low standards of its schools and universities.

THERE IS A LOT OF ANGER IN MALAYSIA!

BUT THERE IS ALSO HOPE!

Malaysians are no longer prepared to tolerate corruption, racial discrimination and injustice. They spoke out in the election of 2008 and at every by-election since.

Recently Malaysians have demonstrated against the Constitutional Crisis in Perak, the ISA, the death of Teoh Beng Hock an opposition political operative, and many others who have died in police custody.

This kind of open outrage would have been unheard of even 15 years ago when Malaysians seemed so docile and subservient. Then, many did not believe that an individual can make a difference. Worse, anyone who rocks the boat is labeled a recalcitrant, a misfit, a malcontent, a troublemaker.

That all seems a lifetime away, but was only yesterday.

This change in public attitude is a measure of their anger.

The silent majority is no longer silent.

This is cause for optimism.

There is hope when Malaysians today are increasingly focused on issues rather than race. Even five years ago it would have been political suicide for any politician, more so a Malay, to say that he will abolish the NEP and replace it with a colour-blind affirmative action programme which is based on needs and not race. Or to debunk the idea of “Ketuanan Melayu” and instead talk of “Ketuanan Rakyat”. And to say this in Malay constituencies is a measure of how much the political climate has changed.

Malay leaders like Zaid Ibrahim and Tunku Abdul Aziz, disgusted with what is going on have decided to join the opposition. It won’t be long before UMNO veteran Tengku Razaleigh follow suit.

Justice and fair play is colour blind, no matter what our race, we all want it.

But it’s not only opposition politicians who are making waves.

In their own quiet ways ordinary Malaysians have been doing their bit to make Malaysia a better country.

Aliran has been championing the cause of social justice for decades and still does, without wavering.

Yasmin Ahmad’s ‘Sepet’ has done more for race relations than all the rantings of politicians. She has also pushed the boundaries of religious freedom and tolerance in her films. In her own way she was a first class activist.

Then there are those volunteers in the National House Buyers Association who fight against an unjust and unfair system that exploits house buyers. This may not grab the headlines but it affects every house-buyer or aspiring house-buyer.

And then there are people like Steven Gan whose Malaysiakini offers an alternative news source to the government owned and controlled media.

Or Nadeswaran who is not afraid to take on the vested interests.

Colin Nicholas with his NGO (COOAC) who champions the cause of the natives which most of us ignore.

Raja Petra risks his freedom every time he takes on the establishment. He and the thousands of bloggers do it because they are angry – they want justice and fair play.

There are many more – businessmen, housewives, workers and students - who are not afraid to protest against injustice in one way or another. These are ordinary Malaysians who owe no party allegiance but who just want to do their part to make the country better.

They are part of the civil society that has finally woken up.

All this happened in the space of fifteen years – a blink of an eye in historical terms.

So despite the corruption, the oppression, and shenanigans of the ruling party, I remain optimistic. I see a half full glass.

But we are not there yet. Although we have come a long way, Malaysians are in general, still reluctant to stand up and be counted. It’s still the minority who are at the coal face of instigating changes.

Until we have a transparent, accountable government (by any party) with institutions that serve the people rather than the ruling parties; until we have a more equitable society and until racial discrimination is buried; our work is not done.

There’s still a lot of fanning to do if we are to keep the flames burning.

KPIs for MACC advisory members

Columnists

Written by Koon Yew Yin

Saturday, 25 July 2009 16:04

Commentary by Koon Yew Yin We can see clearly that the Government is getting worried about the views of Malaysian voters on the highly suspicious death of Teoh Beng Hock. However, the announcement by the Prime Minister of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) with limited terms of reference and the convening of a coroner’s inquest is, in my opinion, still not sufficient to address the many worries and concerns that the ordinary citizen has, especially with regard to the MACC’s independence and integrity. Various options have been put out by civil society leaders on how to correct the fundamental weaknesses of the MACC, including a radical proposal that the advisory members of the MACC resign en masse. This is to show to Malaysians that advisory members take responsibility for the death and to send a strong signal to the Government that they are not willing to be party to the wrongful conduct of a disreputable and untrustworthy organization. The proposal by Dr Lim Teck Ghee that the MACC advisory members resign en bloc seems to be based on the principle of civil disobedience and moral protest which has a tradition in some countries but not, apparently, in Malaysia. In the blogs and websites, we can read that the great majority of readers agree with Dr Lim’s proposal. According to this majority view, these resignations would also convey a powerful message to the government and the public that these MACC panellists are not prepared to be used as a cat’s paw in political machinations aimed at preserving power by all possible means – especially when it leads to the death of an innocent young man. I have observed that the few members of the advisory bodies who have spoken out in public on the tragic event have maintained that they still have an important and continuing role to play in reforming the MACC. In my view, the distinguished members cannot avoid taking a proactive stance in light of the broad swathe of negative public reaction. It is salient to note that the public harbour expectations that these members – as public watchdogs – have a duty to take steps independent of the Government’s stance. All Malaysians will agree that with high status comes great responsibility and hence it is incumbent on the advisory members to act promptly and vigorously. Failure on their part to take the initiative will be construed as an act of subservience to the Government and impact on their integrity and good standing in the public eye. In a worst case interpretation, the public at large will conclude that this unwillingness of the MACC advisory members to act is symptomatic of an acceptance of what is perceived as an attempt at cover up and protection of the MACC. To help the advisory members out of their dilemma, and recognizing that they (as with all of us) do have limits to their patience, I have prepared a list of deliverables or in the popular parlance – KPIs, which are badly needed. For the uninitiated, KPIs refer to key performance indicators. These are goals with target dates that organizations set for themselves so as to reflect the success or failure of the organization. We have been reading a great deal in the newspapers of the way in which KPIs are being used to assess and track the progress of Prime Minister Najib’s administration. Hence this proposal should be perfectly appropriate for the MACC advisory members to adopt. Implementing the suggested KPIs below will help convince me and many other members of the public that the advisory members are not warming their council seats solely due to self-interest. KPIs for MACC Advisors: 1. Seek a suspension from duty of the key officers of the Selangor office as well as the national level office that sanctioned the investigation of the case against Ean Yong (Beng Hock's boss) and his staff. 2. Ensure that no interrogation of witnesses or suspects be permitted by the MACC without a lawyer being present. 3. Ensure that no interrogation be permitted outside of working hours (8am to 5pm) to hinder the use of sleep deprivation which is a form of torture. 4. Ensure that all interrogations be videotaped (a practice common in most developed countries). 5. Ensure that investigations are initiated on the basis of trustworthy information that is not politically tainted or motivated. 6. Review the use by MACC and related law enforcement agencies of ethnicity as a factor in conducting stops, searches and other investigative procedures. 7. Establish clear parameters for MACC investigation of cases (individuals or organizations) so that the MACC does not concentrate its investigations on ikan bilis or political opponents of the ruling system solely but goes instead after the ikan jerung or sharks/powerfully connected who have clearly amassed wealth/assets/resources through dubious means or have engaged in big-time corruption affecting national interests. All these KPIs are urgently needed because for now, there is very widespread public perception that the MACC is acting as a shield to protect the hingh ranking corrupt elite whilst at the same time engaging in destabilization of the opposition. Besides this list above, I am sure that the advisory members will have their own list of proposed reforms of the MACC, drawing on their hard work since their appointment as members and especially following the traumatic events of the last week. Members of the public will also have many useful KPI suggestions for the MACC advisory members to consider and perhaps a telephone hotline can be manned for the duration of a week to record public feedback. Finally, it is not clear how the RCI to be established can play an important role in determining the reform measures needed to ensure that the MACC does not function as a rogue institution. It is absolutely critical that the RCI has relevant terms of reference and the best possible membership to ensure that it is not compromised even before it begins its work. I realize and appreciate that the advisory members have close links to the Government which provides them with the opportunity to help influence the setting up of a credible and effective RCI. Hopefully, this commission can bring about the reform of the MACC which all previous efforts seem not to be able to do so. Finally, we should all recognize that the tragedy of Beng Hock's death has far-reaching implications for the nation as a whole. Each and every one of us must help to put right what is wrong. The distinguished advisory members are uniquely placed to play a vital role and I respectfully suggest that they show some accountability.