Salam Aidilfitri 1426H

Teman akan bercuti lebih kurang sebulan daripada mengemaskini weblog ini.

Di kesempatan ini teman ucapkan Salam Aidilfitri khasnya kepada pengunjung-pengunjung Cetusan Minda dan semua muslimin amnya. Mohon maaf zahir dan batin.

Jika ingin kirimkan e-kad raya, peti e-mel ibnu_shairy@yahoo.com menanti 24 jam.

Read more!

Lagi lagi PTPTN

“Kementerian Pelajaran bertindak menyiarkan nama kira-kira 50,000 bekas pelajar yang gagal membayar balik hutang pinjaman pendidikan berjumlah kira-kira RM50 juta, dalam laman webnya.” (Berita Harian, 24/10/05, muka depan)

Bicara tentang isu PTPTN membuatkan kita melihat masalah bayaran tertunggak ini daripada pelbagai sudut; dari sudut kerajaan, pihak PTPTN sendiri, dan tidak ketinggalan graduan yang terlibat. Semua pandangan perlu diambil kira.

Teman lebih selesa berbicara daripada sudut graduan yang terlibat. Mengapa?

Kerana daripada sudut lain, kita mengetahui bahawa sudah menjadi tanggungjawab penghutang untuk melunaskan hutang. Tidak kira apa cara. Jika tegar, tindakan mahkamah diambil jika itu jalan yang terbaik. Malah, antara hujah PTPTN suatu ketika dulu, kegagalan peminjam membayar dalam tempoh waktu ditetapkan akan memberi kesan kepada generasi peminjam yang baru.

Ya, memang betul. Teman tidak menafikan.

Namun perlu dilihat juga faktor-faktor mengapa graduan gagal membayar hutang mereka selepas tamat belajar. Sikap malas, tidak ambil peduli, kita ketepikan. Itu masalah sikap yang negatif. Adakala sikap itu perlu di‘lunak’kan dengan hukuman yang wajar.

Mengikut prosedur PTPTN, peminjam mesti mula membayar 6 bulan selepas tamat belajar.

Masalah kerjaya

Tetapi, itu terma dan syarat dalam perjanjian ketika pelajar tersebut tandatangan di awal tahun pengajiannya. Tanpa memikirkan kemampuan untuk membayarnya apabila tamat belajar kelak.

Keadaan berubah selepas tamat belajar. Bagi yang bernasib baik, belum habis belajar sudah ada bakal majikan yang mengintai. Bagi yang tidak, setahun menganggur tiada pekerjaan tetap, itu perkara biasa. Lihat saja angka graduan menganggur ketika hangat dibincangkan dahulu. Puluhan ribu.

Jadi, bagaimana mungkin graduan yang belum bekerjaya tetap ingin melunaskan hutang bermula 6 bulan selepas tamat belajar?

Bayangkan jika jumlah bayaran bulanan RM200-RM300 dengan pendapatan tidak tetap RM900 sebulan. Itu pun jika berpendapatan. Akhirnya, melalui ibubapa atau penjaga, terpaksa meminjam lagi (double burden) daripada sumber lain seperti bank untuk membayar hutang PTPTN tersebut.

Apabila memberi alasan pengangguran, teman yakin dan pasti akan ada pula pihak yang menyalahkan kembali graduan. Tidak fasih berbahasa Inggeris, tiada ketrampilan, tiada keyakinan dan bermacam-macam lagi ciri-ciri negatif yang akan dipatahkan kembali kepada graduan. Seolah-olahnya graduan inilah semata-mata punca segala masalah.

Bukankah tanggungjawab pemerintah menyediakan peluang pekerjaan yang luas?

Atau, tidakkah kita melihat bahawa isu PTPTN ini tidak menjadi terlalu membebankan apabila dasar pengkorporatan Universiti dihentikan?
Yuran pengajian dan kos-kos lain di universiti akan dapat dikurangkan.

Read more!

Kebebasan media di Malaysia

Antara faktor yang mencetus kepada kebangkitan aktiviti blogging ialah tahap kebebasan media di sesuatu negara.

Ramai bloggers yang lahir disebabkan mereka kecewa dengan media-media arus perdana yang terlalu bias, berat sebelah dan tidak telus 100% dalam melaporkan berita. Kerana apa?

Kerana media-media arus perdana dikawal oleh pemerintah negara tersebut. Di atas kesedaran untuk menjadi media alternatif maka ramai bloggers (tidak semua) tampil untuk merealisasikan freedom of press dan freedom of information. Mereka mengkritik isu dan hal ehwal negara dan antarabangsa. Mereka meluahkan pandangan mengikut lunas undang-undang namun dengan gaya yang lebih bebas.

Ketika teman menghadiri bengkel bersama Jeff Ooi tidak lama dulu, dia menyatakan bahawa dia bukannya aktivis hak asasi manusia, bukannya pemerhati politik. Dia hanya mengutarakan isu-isu yang mengecewakan masyarakat. Isu yang tidak didedahkan oleh media, isu yang kurang diberi perhatian oleh pihak berwajib.

Di Malaysia, beberapa akta yang mengawal kebebasan media. Antaranya Akta Cetak dan Mesin Cetak, Akta Rahsia Rasmi, Akta Fitnah dan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri.

Mari kita lihat kedudukan terbaru Malaysia dalam aspek kebebasan media yang baru dikeluarkan semalam. Ada peningkatan dari tahun-tahun sebelumnya. Namun masih berada di takuk yang bawah-bawah.

Read more!

Puasa Ramadhan vs. Solat Fardhu

Di kampung baru-baru ini, teman berbual dengan makcik teman pasal trend ibu bapa yang suka memberi ganjaran kepada anak kecil apabila si anak berjaya menunaikan ibadah puasa. Upah puasa. Sehari seringgit. Sebulan penuh RM50.

Teman pun pernah melalui zaman umur yang sebegitu. Bezanya, ibu teman tidak pernah menjanjikan apa-apa ketika Ramadhan sebaliknya setiap pagi raya ibu akan hulurkan angpau berisi sejumlah wang yang sangat besar nilainya bagi seorang kanak-kanak berusia 7 ke 10 tahun waktu itu. Awal era 90-an.


Seakan-akan trend ini semakin meresapi adat Melayu Muslim di Malaysia. Ataupun ianya adalah salah satu parenting skill dalam mengasuh si anak melakukan ibadah puasa sejak kecil?

Melalui pemerhatian teman, ada juga baiknya daripada cara ini. Bukan lagi sesuatau yang asing di negara kita bila anak-anak sekecil 6 tahun boleh menghabiskan puasa mereka sehari-hari. Malah baik juga jika boleh diadaptasi oleh ibu bapa Muslim di negara lain.

Namun, ketika menanti bas untuk pulang ke kampung baru-baru ini, teman sempat melencong ke Suria KLCC. Hajatnya hendak ke pustaka buku Kinokuniya dalam menanti waktu tiba bas 2 jam lagi.

Bagi mereka yang biasa ke tingkat tertinggi Suria KLCC tentunya akan menempuhi food court terlebih dahulu di aras ketiga. Teman terserempak dengan seorang remaja Melayu yang sedang makan bersama beberapa rakannya dari pelbagai ras. Rasa malu ada, nak marah pun ada. Maka terfikir, siapa perlu dipersalahkan? Ibu bapa atau remaja tersebut? Jika pernah diamalkan trend upah puasa ketika dia masih kecil, maka terbukti kesan metodologi popular itu tidak berpanjangan. Tetapi jika tidak, mungkin elok remaja itu jika ketika kecilnya diasuh dengan upah puasa.

Tanya makcik teman, “antara puasa Ramadhan dengan solat fardu, mana lebih utama?”

Jawab teman, “Kedua-duanya sama utama. Wajib fardu ‘ain. Terang dan jelas dalil dalam Quran dan hadis.”

“Kalau begitu, kenapa tiada kaedah terbaik yang orang Melayu buat untuk asuh anak solat? Untuk puasa, ada pula,” tambah makcik teman lagi.

Teman jawab juga walaupun hati mula mengakui kata-kata makcik, “Dah sebab Nabi memang ajar kaedah asuh anak solat. Umur 7 tahun perintahkan si anak solat. Umur 10 tahun jika enggan solat, boleh dipukul si anak tu. Puasa tiada kaedah khusus”

Melayu Muslim di Malaysia ini adakalanya terlupa keutamaan. Antara yang wajib pun keliru keutamaannya, inikan pula antara yang sunat dan wajib. Keadaan ini yang perlu kita perbetulkan.

Jika tidak kita akan melihat golongan Melayu Muslim yang tidak pernah tinggal solat sunat Aidilfitrinya tetapi sewenang-wenang meninggalkan solat fardhu Jumaat. Terutama di KL. Alasan meninggalkan solat Jumaat: banyak kerja, tak sempat sampai masjid kerana jalan sesak dan bermacam-macam alasan lagi.

Maka, tiada syak lagi. Tindakan segera perlu kita ambil.

Read more!

Apa lagi cerita graduan menganggur?

Baru-baru ini teman berbual dengan kawan lama satu sekolah dulu. Kami sebaya, bezanya dia sudah bekerjaya. Terlanjur berbual, teman bertanya pada dia, apa kurangnya graduan Melayu sehingga ramai sangat kes menganggur?

Dia jawab, "your CGPA is second thing! The prospective employer will look at your potential to boost their business. Your soft skill, critical thinking, interpersonal skill, confidence and your appearance. These are the first thing they will examine you..even your academic is excellent but without all of these criteria, you are useless."

Sim Kwang Yang pula mempunyai pandangannya tersendiri dalam artikel terbaru beliau:

Exactly how many recent graduates are unemployed is anybody’s guess. A minister’ announcement a few weeks ago put the figure at 57,000, with all kinds of qualifications attached to his statistics. Since numbers and figures are slippery entities in opaque Malaysia, we will simply rely on a broad stroke, and venture an educated guess that there are tens of thousands of graduates out of a job...

Exactly how many recent graduates are unemployed is anybody’s guess. A minister’ announcement a few weeks ago put the figure at 57,000, with all kinds of qualifications attached to his statistics. Since numbers and figures are slippery entities in opaque Malaysia, we will simply rely on a broad stroke, and venture an educated guess that there are tens of thousands of graduates out of a job.

Hoards of young Malaysians, having struggled through numerous examinations at various stages of their childhood and youth, suddenly discover that there is nothing but idle unemployment at the end of the rainbow.

The pressure from peers and parents for them to be gainfully employed must be frightening. The family has gone through great sacrifices to put them through school, and they are expected to contribute to the family coffer, now that they have come of age. Times are hard, and another income in the family would be desperately needed perhaps.

In any case, everybody is expected to cari makan. A steady good paying job is the hallmark of useful adulthood, and a stamp of respectability and independence. Prolonged unemployment must be causing havoc to the self-worth of these unemployed graduates.

The captains of industry and the HR heads of large corporations will no doubt throw their arms up in the air in exasperation, and complain that graduates nowadays are unemployable. It has something to do with the quality of graduates these days, they declare. They do not have the right skills, and they know little English, so essential in the world of trade and commerce these days.

They must be right in part, of course. The quality of our tertiary education has long been in decline. The honest academics know about this, and occasionally will whisper this piece of bad news to those who will lend an ear.

Poor professionals

One university head of department grumbled to me about having to grade students on a curve, and passing students who have no business in an institution of higher learning in the first place. Another complained about these students who cannot string a single English sentence together. Without English proficiency and therefore access to international journals and publications, they make poor professionals.

They may scream at the top of their voice, but their pleas for reform will not be heard. Politics has permeated the campuses through and through. The universities and colleges are first and foremost a powerful instrument of the state for social engineering towards the nebulous objectives of nation-building, and not crucial institutions for preparing youthful Malaysians for life.

More then three decades of the NEP and the National Language Policy must have taken their toll on the quality of university education. A career in the academia, both as a profession and a vocation, must have suffered. The ideal of the university as a community of scholars in search of and producing knowledge must be sacrificed for the sake of a political agenda designed by people who know next to nothing about education anyway. For one thing, meritocracy, and therefore the pursuit of excellence, has to be sidelined. That should tell you what “they” think about quality.

Like all things in the public domain in Malaysia, universities are also bureaucratised and standardised. This is done by the examination system. The skill that any university student would have mastered, more than any skill that is relevant to his area of expertise, is to pass exams. Learning by rote, with all the passivity of a sponge soaking up unrelated facts, must have taken away the students’ imagination, innovativeness and creativity nascent in every child. The curiosity and the life-long urge for discovery must have gone through rigor mortis by the time the student receives his graduation parchment.

When they find employment, is it any wonder they behave like robots, doing only what they are told, and badly? Are we to be surprised that employers find them poor at communication, problem-solving, taking pro-active actions, and offering solid forward-looking suggestions to improve their organisations?

Something is certainly not right with our tertiary education. Our universities and colleges, from the little contact that I have with them, feel almost like mere super secondary schools. You always get a small number of bright students at the top, the cream of the crop, and they would excel anywhere in the world. The average - ones they form the majority - really do not know much about the world, or about themselves. For one thing, they do not seem to read much, or even seem to be interested in reading in general.

The pegawai job

And of course they are choosy about their jobs. Why should they not be, having been told by parents and educators all through childhood and youth that indeed a university degree is a ticket to a good job? Perhaps, for Malay parents and students, having been reassured by the Big Brother through half a century of election rhetoric that the whole government policy is to lift the socio-economic status of the bumiputeras, is it too much to expect a juicy job as an unearned right?

You cannot blame the Umno politicians for not trying. The burgeoning bureaucracy in the government departments and agencies, and the various giant corporations that have links with the government either directly or indirectly, has absorbed these university graduates over past decades. But government revenue is always limited, and there must come a time when saturation means that massive absorption of new graduates is no longer feasible, without incurring serious economic consequences.

And that is the dilemma. Those graduating from the professional courses would probably still have no problem finding a job, even though the market conditions are such that they may not be as well paid as they have expected. For the bulk of those graduating from the social sciences, for instance, they are probably suitable only for cushy administrative work, pushing document, poring over forms, steeping in a sea of papers according to a whole kaleidoscope of rules and procedures.

Indeed, it is not an uncommon aspiration among Malay youths that all they want is a job as a pegawai, an official. A study has indicated that half the graduates interviewed expressed their interest to work for the government. When the door of the government is shut, they are pretty helpless. Thrust them into the dog-eat-dog world of the private sector, where merciless competition and pressure to deliver tabgible results rule the day, they would be stripped of their false sense of security and confidence. No wonder they find work in the private sector unsuitable!

It is just too easy to blame our young graduates for being choosy and not possessing the right skills in the work place. But it is not fair to them.

After all, they have been cast in rigid moulds for their entire life, shaped according to a prescribed educational philosophy, and thrust into a social and cultural strait-jacket from which their ability to think on their own feet can find no escape. They are the products of our system. They have become victims of our faulty simplistic educational values.

Then again, you must look at the demand side of the employment equation.

Employer's market

Despite the rosy picture painted by the available numbers of figures on our relatively robust growth rates, trade surpluses, relatively low inflation and unemployment rates, it still does not hide the fact that ours is a small open trade dependent economy, vulnerable to the vagaries of market forces in the world, and dominated by low or medium scale of industrial and commodity production. It is not an economy conducive to job creation in general.

Eventually, this has made it an employer’s market, with depressed wages and salaries being the norm, and stressful demand on long hours and multi-tasking. Training is not emphasised, because the employer expects high turnover in their staff anyway, and investment in training would have been wasted. In short, the market climate is not suitable towards job satisfaction for the employees. Can we blame them for switching jobs often?

Fortunately, we have a social system in which family support would be the anchor for the masses of unemployed graduates, to keep their body and soul together and alive, while mooning over their predicament of hanging in limbo for months or even for years on end. They will continue to send out hundreds of applications, with the hope of getting a few invitations for an interview. They will continue to walk away from interviews full of futile hope, and some may resort to seeking help from the numerous job agencies some of which will merely exploit them for quick profit.

The programme put into place by the government for these unemployed graduates to learn the art of employability, with a bit of pocket money on the side, is meant to stem out all possibilities of social discontent that may arise from prolonged unemployment. As usual, the colleges and institutions entrusted with this training programme will be the only beneficiary in this windfall of extra government expenditure.

The government need not have worried about social discontent though. These young people who have been programmed for life – like a computer – would have lost their ability to analyse the root cause of their pitiable plight. Worse still, being disciplined for so long in the various educational institutions, they would have lost their capacity for anger and rage.

Read more!

Thailand melatah

Ketika solat Jumaat baru-baru ini, teman tertarik dengan flyers untuk sebaran umum yang diletak di pintu masjid. BOIKOT produk THAILAND, tertulis pada kertas-kertas kecil tersebut. 3 produk yang diboikot, antara yang utama ialah ubat gigi Colgate.

Siapa yang ketuai boikot? Majlis Pemuafakatan NGO Malaysia (MAPAN), Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia dan Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS).

Teman sokong boikot produk Thailand selagi mana kerajaan Thaksin tidak melayan minoriti Muslim di Selatan Thai dengan baik. Thaksin pernah mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa "Melayu adalah terrorist".

Mereka menekan kerajaan Malaysia tentang isu boikot ini. Letih Pak Hamid Albar menegaskan berulang-ulang kali bahawa kerajaan tidak menyokong usaha boikot tersebut.

Walaupun kerajaan Malaysia tak sokong, Zikri sokong!

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar has called on Thailand to
be "mature" over a boycott of Thai goods by Malaysian activists, suggesting
Bangkok had overreacted.

Thai leaders reportedly lashed out at the boycott of two Thai
products and a demonstration by Malaysian activists earlier this month at
Thailand's embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

But Syed Hamid said late Saturday that Thai goods were still
entering Malaysia in spite of the boycott and called for a more measured
response from its northern neighbour.

"We should not be narrow-minded and jeopardise economic
and trade relations each time we have a political dispute. We need to be
mature," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

The Malaysian government has said it does not support the
boycott - initiated over the treatment of Thai Muslims - but that it cannot stop
the action, and Syed Hamid said he was taken aback by Thailand's reaction.

"I am surprised by the harsh reaction by Thailand. We cannot
restrict people as we practise democracy and the rule of law, and this sort of
thing sometimes happen," he said.

"As long as they do not contravene the law, we will not take
any action," he said of the boycott.

Read more!

Mengajar dalam bahasa ibunda lebih efektif?

Ketika mengaji di Petaling Jaya dulu, teman pernah menghantar e-mel kepada Encik Irmohizam Ibrahim (Pegawai Khas kepada Tan Sri Musa, Menteri Pendidikan waktu itu) melontarkan pandangan teman tentang hasrat kerajaan memperkenalkan pengajaran sains dan matematik di sekolah dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Teman kurang bersetuju. Kasihan kepada anak-anak di kampung pedalaman. Sudahlah hendak memahamkan pelajaran sains dan matematik itu berat bagi mereka. Ditambah lagi dengan bahasa penghantarnya dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Mudah respons Pegawai Khas tersebut, dia meminta teman mengatur pertemuan agar dia dapat berjumpa dengan teman. Teman tidak membalas e-melnya.


Berbual dengan seorang rakan dari fakulti Kejuruteraan tidak lama dulu, dia mengatakan antara rahsia mengapa Jepun dan beberapa negara lain sangat advance dalam bidang sains dan teknologi adalah kerana mereka mempelajari pelajaran tersebut dalam bahasa ibunda sendiri. Betul, teman akui.

Tapi timbul pula masalah kerana kebanyakan rujukan dalam bahasa Inggeris. Maka, lebih baik belajar terus dalam bahasa Inggeris. Ini antara pendapat orang yang menyokong pelaksanaan polisi pendidikan tersebut.

Baca artikel dari Malaysiakini di bawah:

Teaching in mother-tongue more effective
by Ng Ling Fong

It is internationally acknowledged that teaching in one’s mother-tongue is
the most effective way to help students in learning, said a renowned linguist.

Professor Awang Sariyan, the chairperson of the Malaysia Linguistic
Association, argued that his assertion was not based on ethnic prejudice or
racial sentiments.

“There is enough research to prove this point, including studies carried
out in Japan and US,” said Awang when contacted today.

Awang was responding to the statement by Chinese education movement Dong
Jiao Zong urging the government to abolish the controversial use of English to
teach Science and Mathematics in primary schools, which was implemented by the
government two years ago.

Dong Jiao Zong believed that the government should revert to its previous
policy of teaching these subjects in Bahasa Malaysia or the pupil’s
mother-tongue language.

Awang also reiterated the Malaysian Linguistics Association’s stand that
the school should use national language to teach Science and Mathematics.

“The old policy has proved effective for the past 30 years, but the English
teaching policy has created many problems for both teachers and students. This
does not help to promote our education standards,” he said.

Not the way to improve English

He stressed that he did not object to efforts to improve the standard of
English among students.

“To improve English, it must start from the subject itself. This include
solving problems involving of the lack of qualified teachers and inadequate
teaching materials,” said Awang, a professor in Universiti Putra Malaysia’s
faculty of modern languages and communication.

He conceded that many scientific and mathematical terms are in English and
added that even in universities, these subjects are taught
in English.

Awang regretted that the status of the national language has been sidelined
as government officials are more inclined to use English at public functions and
meetings.

He agreed with Rais Yatim, the minister of culture, art and heritage, who
said that the national language should be “repackaged”, and that government
functions which do not required to be conducted in English should instead be
done in the national language.

Awang denied that the usage of the national language will hinder the
progress of the nation.

“Take Europe and Japan for example. These advanced countries know that they
should preserve one’s language while mastering English as the international
language at the same time.”

Read more!

Pentingkah untuk mendapat segulung ijazah?

Lain orang, lain pandangan. Kita lazim mendengar orang-orang tua kita berpesan, "belajar rajin-rajin, lulus nanti senang dapat kerja besar-besar." Agak kasar jika kita mengatakan bahawa itu adalah persepsi yang konservatif. Kerana hakikatnya memang benar.

Ironinya segulung ijazah tidak menjamin kita mendapat pekerjaan berjawatan besar, bergaji mewah. Ramai sahaja jutawan dunia tidak memiliki ijazah tetapi mereka tetap berjaya dalam karier mereka. Kenapa? Kerana mereka punyai added value yang membuatkan diri mereka lebih dari orang lain.

Mari kita baca pandangan Farah Fahmy dalam artikel di bawah. Apa pula pandangan dia?

Do university degrees matter?
by Farah Fahmy

Early last month, one of my cousins flew into London for an overnight stop
before continuing her journey back to Malaysia. As I hadn't seen her for a
while, we agreed to meet for dinner, and over the course of dinner, she asked
what I do for a living. She was surprised when I told her I'm a software
engineer.

"But Farah," she said, "I thought you studied international relations. How
come you're not doing something related to that?"

This is a question I frequently face whenever I tell people what I do, and
what I studied. But whilst in Britain this question is accompanied by polite
interest - it is, after all, normal in Britain for people to study one thing but
forge a career in a different field; in my own workplace, there are former
physicists and at least one English graduate working as software engineers - in
Malaysia this question is usually accompanied by incredulity.

Do something you didn't study for? Why? How come? In Britain, my
explanation of how I got where I am today is usually accepted without much
question. In Malaysia, I get the inevitable follow-up: so did you do another
degree?

Whilst in Britain (and to a large extent, the Western world) a university
education is seen as not just specialisation but also a broadening of minds, in
Malaysia a university education is merely a stepping stone towards one's career
and making money. This is not a good situation, because it means subjects that
deserve further study are neglected (when was the last time a Malaysian did a
PhD in Malaysian history in a Malaysian university?).

It also means employers will automatically overlook a graduate without a
‘desirable’ degree. If I wanted to do IT in Malaysia when I graduated, nobody,
in all likelihood, would have hired me because I had the ‘wrong’ degree for the
industry. Yet in Britain you could spend three years studying Chaucer and
Shakespeare at university and still work in investment banking, whilst back in
Malaysia a degree in Kesusasteraan Melayu, it would seem, puts you at the top of
the unemployment heap.

There is also, in Malaysia, a snobbish attitude towards certain degrees.
The preferred degrees are medicine, engineering, law and accountancy. Social
sciences? They're for those who aren't up to studying for the ‘proper’ subjects.
When I was filling out my UPU (Unit Pemprosesan Universiti) forms all those
years ago, I was tempted to put down anthropology at UIA (Universiti Islam
Antarabangsa) as one of my degree choices. I talked it over with a friend of my
brother's who was a UIA student at the time.

"Anthropology? Why would you want to do that? That's what all the
matrics students who can't get into law do you know."

This was a viewpoint I was to encounter again and again. Why study
anthropology when you can do law? In the event, I went on to study international
relations, and yes, I was asked many times why I chose that subject when I had
the grades to study law, accountancy, finance or economics. I would usually say:
"because it interests me"; I would get the same statement back each time: "well,
I suppose you could join the Foreign Ministry and become an ambassador
somewhere".

Why study history?

Which brings me to my next point. Malaysians seem to think that studying a
degree because the subject matter is of interest a complete waste of time. You
go to university to get a job that pays well. Why study history? Historians
don't make money, and anyway there aren't many jobs for them. Ditto
anthropology, archaeology, geography, languages, music, literature, religious
studies and many other subjects. As far as (many) Malaysians are concerned,
these subjects are a waste of time, and a waste of money.

So what if we are ignorant of our history, have a complete lack of
interest in our geography and environment and allow its exploitation, and lack
any interest whatsoever in our literary and cultural heritage (who cares if
nobody reads works like Hikayat Malim Dewa and Sejarah Tanah Melayu anymore?)?
After all, the only thing that matters is making money, and as for culture, well
we've got Akademi Fantasia, haven't we?

Of course, merely having the ‘right’ degree by no means guarantees a good
job. No, you also have to be a graduate of the ‘right’ university - and not
necessarily a local one, either. In recent months, a spate of letters have
appeared in a Malay language newspaper complaining that employers are
discriminating against graduates from local universities. Why, some of these
letters ask, should employers continue giving preference to foreign graduates?
After all, our local universities are just as good as foreign ones.

Except of course, this isn't quite true. According to the highly respected
index of universities compiled by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, none of our
universities made it into the top 500 worldwide, or the top 100 from the
Asia-Pacific region. It is bad enough that our universities have not made it
into the list (the rankings are based on factors like academic or research
performance by staff, alumni and students, articles published in distinguish
journals like Nature and Science and research that is highly cited), what is
worse is the claustrophobic control exerted by university officials over the
teaching staff.

Earlier this year, Professor Terence Gomez had to
resign his post at Universiti Malaya after the latter refused to release him
to take up a post at the UN's Research Institute for Social Development. In any
other part of the world, an appointment like this is an honour to the
institution, but not in Malaysia. If a university would deny its own staff the
freedom to carry out his or her work, why should it grant this privilege to its
students?

This is a grave mistake, because in a competitive, globalised world,
employers want workers with initiative and the wherewithal to think for
themselves. An environment that does not encourage freedom of thought will not
be able to produce the workers that employers want; it will also not produce the
kind of work that would attract the best students and academics. Our
universities will never produce Nobel laureates if the staff and students aren't
given full support in the pursuit of their academic interests.

Do degrees matter? Even though the likes of Bill Gates and Richard Branson
have become extremely successful without degrees, a recent survey of job
advertisements in Malaysia's five leading daily newspapers in July found that
19.8 percent of adverts offered jobs to those with a bachelor's degree, so it
would seem that the answer to this question is yes. But of course, things are
not as clear-cut as they may seem. In Malaysia, it is not just having a degree
that matters, but also what and where you studied.

Read more!

Bertubi-tubi serangan ke atas Rafidah

1. Penjelasan Isu AP: Dr M masih tidak puas hati

Bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad masih tidak berpuashati
dengan penjelasan yang diberikan oleh Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan
Industri, Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz di Dewan Rakyat minggu lalu berhubung isu
Permit Import (AP) kereta.

"Kebanyakan soalan tidak dijawab. Dan malangnya ahli-ahli Parlimen juga
tidak bertanyakan soalan yang betul," keluh beliau.

Dr Mahathir berkata, beliau juga hairan kenapa soalan-soalan penting
mengenai AP tidak ditanya atau dijawab.

Beliau juga mempersoalkan kenapa majoriti AP diberikan dua atau tiga
individu apabila beratus-ratus yang lain turut memohon.

Terdapat soalan-soalan lain yang mungkin tidak ditanya atau tidak dijawab
(dengan mencukupi) dan ini termasuk kenapa terdapat kategori-kategori kereta
baru dan kenapa konsep francais AP diperkenalkan, katanya.

Dr Mahathir turut mengulangi kenyataannya bahawa bukan beliau yang
memberikan status kereta nasional kepada Naza Group dan sebaliknya menuding jari
kepada Kementerian Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri (MITI).

Zikri: Bagaimanakah Dr. M tangani isu Rafidah ini jika ianya berlaku ketika zaman pentadbirannya? (Tentu tak berlaku sebab isu ini pun dibangkitkan sediri oleh Dr. M)

2. Don’t dilly-dally, quit now, Rafidah told

Ministers who cannot discharge their duties well should relinquish their
posts before Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi asks them to do so, Parliament
heard today.

Tiong King Sing (BN-Bintulu) told the Dewan Rakyat this on a sarcastic tone
in reference to the remark by International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah
Aziz’s recently that she would only relinquish her post over the AP (Approved
Permits) scandal if the PM asked her to do so.

“Don’t emulate Rafidah who said she will only resign on the instruction of
the prime minister. When that time comes, not only she is ashamed, but all
members of parliament will feel shameful too.

“If ministers are incapable, give others like Sri Gading (MP, Mohamed Aziz)
or Kinabatangan (Bung Moktar Radin) a chance,” Tiong said in his debate on the
Budget 2006.

Zikri: Yes, I concur!

Read more!

Bloggers jailed for racist remarks

"Two men became the first bloggers in multi-racial Singapore to be punished today under the city-state’s tough anti-sedition legislation for posting racist remarks on the Internet." (NST, 8/10/2005)


Ketika teman menghadiri bengkel bersama Jeff Ooi tidak lama dulu, menurut beliau, di Malaysia belum ada blogger yang dikenakan tindakan undang-undang. Jeff Ooi nyaris-nyaris. Itu pun angkara pengunjung yang menamakan dirinya 'Good Man'.

Sama yang berlaku kepada Mack Zulkifli. 'Good Man' juga yang meninggalkan komen yang menyentuh sentimen perkauman. Laporan polis dibuat.

Beware. There is freedom of speech not freedom after speech.

Read more!

Penangan rokok

Dipetik dari Malaysiakini:

Cigarettes or newspapers? Now, that’s a real difficult choice to make. At least, according to former Utusan Malaysia editor-in-chief Johan Jaffar.

He said whenever cigarette prices go up by at least 20 sen, the sales of Malay dailies are adversely affected.

He added that circulation can plummet up to 10,000 copies as Malays consider smoking more important than reading.

“In view of cigarette prices passing the RM7 mark (following the 2006 Budget), there will be a reduction in Malays buying newspapers,” he told Bernama today.

Based on his observation, Johan said the situation has become even worse because the Malays themselves look down upon these dailies.

“Do you know that 20 percent of Chinese newspaper buyers are not fluent in Mandarin but they still buy the dailies to support the Chinese newspaper industry,” he noted.

He said Malay newspapers have a bleak future because the Malays have no concrete reasons to read them.

With the policy of prioritising the English language, Johan said readers would be more inclined to buy newspapers such as the Star and News Straits Times.

He also lamented that the advertising industry appears to be sidelining Malay newspapers.

“Imagine, the total advertisement revenue for six Malay mainstream newspapers was RM421 million in 2003 compared to the RM572 million earned by the Star alone,” he said.

Johan also called on Malay newspapers to be more critical, balance and objective in its content.

Zikri: Bulan Ramadhan ni semua orang nak cepat. Teman ke ofis fakulti semalam 10 minit sebelum jam 4 petang, semua staf dah bersiap-siap nak pulang cepat. Ketika nak ke kelas tutorial 10 minit sebelum jam 5 petang, berbondong-bondong siswi berjalan ligat menghala ke bazar Ramadhan. Malah, ada orang nak solat terawih pun pilih mana surau atau masjid yang habis cepat.

Read more!

Budget 2006

Additional benefits for the civil servants and the police force, and measures to cushion the people from the oil price hike are some of the key policies announced by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in a 90-minute speech in Parliament yesterday.

Deficit reduced to 3.5 percent

Government expects growth to remain strong - at 5.5% in 2006. The budget deficit, the ninth in a row, will be reduced to 3.5 percent in 2006.

The budget deficit was slashed from 5.6% of GDP in 2002 to 3.8% for 2005. The reduction of the deficit has been achieved without sacrificing economic growth. A narrower deficit may help Malaysia win a higher debt rating, reducing borrowing costs for the government and companies.

Per capita income is expected to increase to RM17,741 in 2005 compared with RM16,616 in 2004. Our purchasing power parity increased from US$9,630 to US$10,323 during the same period.

The government will spend RM136.8 billion in the 2006 Budget, an increase of 5% compared to 2005.

Four-prong strategy for 2006

The 2006 Budget strategies will focus on:

1. Implementing pro-active government measures to accelerate economic activities.
2. Providing a business-friendly environment.
3. Developing human capital.
4. Enhancing the well-being and quality of life of Malaysians.

RM1 billion for maintenance work

To supplement the allocation of RM4.3 billion provided to agencies for maintenance, the government will provide a special allocation of RM1 billion for the maintenance of public facilities for next year.

In 2005, the government has provided RM500 million, enabling nearly 9,000 maintenance works to be undertaken by class F contractors, in addition to the allocation to government agencies amounting to RM4.1 billion.

Reducing cost of doing business

There will be provisions of group relief for companies within a group, with a minimum of 70% ownership between them. The group relief allows 50% of a company's current year losses to be offset against the profits of other companies in the same group.

To attract more investments to the Eastern Corridor, including Sabah and Sarawak, the existing tax incentives for projects located in this corridor will be extended for a further five years until 2010.

To encourage mergers and acquisitions, stamp duty and real property gains tax on mergers and acquisitions of companies listed on Bursa Malaysia will be exempted for firms approved by the Securities Commission from Oct 1, 2005 to Dec 31, 2007.

To provide skilled managers and directors with integrity, especially for government-linked companies (GLCs), a Management Leadership and Directors Academy will be established as a centre of leadership excellence. The academy will produce competent directors and senior management who possess effective leadership qualities.

Focus on agriculture

The agriculture sector is allocated a sum of RM2.8 billion for development expenditure, primarily for agriculture, animal husbandry, fishery and forestry.

The Fund for Food (3F) will be further increased by RM300 million to ensure sufficient funding for the food production industry. A major portion of the fund will continue to be provided for commercialisation of food production activities, including processing, packaging and marketing.

A sum of RM160 million is allocated for the development of fishery programmes, including upgrading of extension services, research and training, fish farming, fish breeding, deep sea fishing and ornamental fish.

A new company with an initial funding of RM200 million will be established to develop forest plantations commercially. This is in line with the government's strategy to produce timber on a sustainable basis.

An additional RM400 million will be allocated to finance agricultural projects of GLCs.

A special fund, Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund - with a RM100 million contribution from the government - to be set up for investment in biotechnology. The fund will pool investments from various institutions, such as GLCs.

Improving the Multimedia Super Corridor

To further enhance the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), there will be changes to guidelines to facilitate the construction of more affordable homes and improvement of public transport.

To encourage more office space for MSC-status companies, a Industrial Building Allowance for a period of 10 years will be given to owners of new buildings occupied by MSC-status companies in Cyberjaya.

An ICT Development Institute will be established to increase the supply of knowledge workers by providing the skill sets required by the ICT industry, especially shared services and outsourcing companies.

Pioneer Status of 50% income tax exemption for five years or Investment Tax Allowance of 50% be given to qualifying companies operating outside cybercities.

RM 868 million for research and development

An allocation of RM868 million is provided under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. The R&D (research and development) Grant Scheme will focus on biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, ICT, nanotechnology and alternative sources of energy, including solar, to encourage innovation among local companies and developing new products.

Assistance for small and medium-size industries

The SME Bank which has been established will commence operations on Oct 3, 2005. To finance the expansion of Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad's lending activities, including the SME Bank, a sum of RM9 billion will be raised from the capital market. Part of this financing will be used to increase the paid-up capital of the SME Bank to RM1 billion.

SMEs will be given stamp duty exemption of 50% on documents for loans not exceeding RM1 million.

Exim Bank will be placed under the Finance Ministry. It will be strengthened and its scope expanded to play an important role in assisting and encouraging local entrepreneurs, especially bumiputera entrepreneurs, to venture abroad. The facilities provided include trade financing, overseas projects financing and credit insurance guarantee. For this purpose, a fund totaling RM1 billion will be established.

Supporting bumiputera entrepreneurs

A bumiputera property trust foundation, Yayasan Amanah Hartanah Bumiputera, will be established with an initial capital of RM2 billion for purchasing commercial properties, especially in major towns, with the objective of increasing bumiputera commercial property ownership in strategic locations and providing greater opportunities for prime business locations for bumiputera entrepreneurs.

Further incentives for education

A total of RM5 billion is allocated for education and training under development expenditure, including RM1.3 billion for pre-school, primary and secondary schools and matriculation, RM1.4 billion for higher education, RM1.1 billion for training and RM1.2 billion for ICT, curriculum development, hostels and teachers' quarters.

Tax relief of up to RM4,000 for each child studying in local institutions of higher learning based on actual expenses will now be given automatically. This relief will also include:

-Children studying at recognised institutions of higher learning abroad.
-Disabled children studying at institutions of higher learning.Taking into account the current tax relief of RM5,000 for each disabled child, parents will be eligible for a total relief of RM9,000.

To encourage lifelong learning, the scope of courses that qualify for tax relief of RM5,000 to individual taxpayers will be broadened. Presently, tertiary level courses in technical, vocational, industrial, science and technology skills are tax exempted and this will be extended to professional qualifications and for courses in accounting and law.

The expenditure for the development and regulatory compliance for new courses by IPTS (private institutions) will be given tax deduction to be amortised over three years.

To increase the number of local scientists, the government proposes that IPTS specialising in science courses be given Investment Tax Allowance of 100% for 10 years.

Cushioning the oil hike

Without tax exemptions and subsidy, the domestic price of petrol would have been RM2.80 per litre, RM2.15 per litre for diesel and RM2.50 per kg for cooking gas. These prices are about 70% higher than current retail prices.

With the exception of Sarawak, private diesel vehicles exceeding 1,600cc will be given a road tax reduction of 40% effective Oct 6, 2005.

Assistance for the old and the needy will be increased from RM135 to RM200 per month. The assistance for orphans and poor children will be increased from RM80 to RM100 per month per child. The maximum assistance per family is increased from RM350 to RM450 per month.

Poverty eradication

An allocation of RM700 million is provided, including Housing Assistance Programme to build and repair 4,000 houses for the hardcore poor in rural areas, upgrading and renovating rural schools, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.

Full coverage of electricity and water supply for schools, with the focus on supplying electricity to 550 schools and water to 260 schools.

RM104 million to be allocated to improve the standard of living of Orang Asli .

A sum of RM2.1 billion will be allocated to provide houses for low-income families. Of this, RM1 billion is allocated to build 21,600 units of low-cost houses.

More housing for teachers and uniformed personnel, such as the armed forces, police, firemen and customs officers. A sum of RM1.1 billion is allocated for the provision of 26,000 units of quarters in 2006. In addition, the government will also implement the PDRM 3-bedroom quarters project nationwide costing RM2.5 billion on a build-lease-transfer basis. The construction work will mainly be undertaken by bumiputera small local contractors.

Equal treatment for women

To ensure equitable tax treatment, the option for Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) exemption will be given to the owner of the residential property, irrespective whether it is the husband or the wife. Instead of only one claim for each married couple, a husband and wife can each claim one property for exemption of RPGT on a once in a life-time basis.

Enhancing culture

Tax exemptions on income derived from royalty or payment in respect of artistic works or recording discs and tapes be increased from RM6,000 annually up to RM10,000 annually.

Exemptions on import duty and sales tax be given to equipment used in the performing arts industry.

Income derived by non-resident professionals who train Malaysians in the fields of performing arts and creative crafts as well as related technical fields be exempted from withholding tax.

Tax hike in cigarettes, liquor

Tax on cigarettes and liquor to be increased by an average of 13% for cigarettes and 9% for liquor.

Rukun Tetangga to be revived

Rukun Tetangga in all residential areas will be brought back to curb crimes.

An allocation of RM101 million is provided for Rakan Muda programme and RM600 million for the National Service Training programme. A total of 95,000 youths will be trained under the National Service Training programme in 2006 compared to 65,000 in 2005.

To carry out prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programmes as well as the management of 29 rehabilitation centres, RM207 million is allocated for the National Anti-Drug Agency.

A sum of RM138 million is allocated to assist non-governmental organisations in implementing these activities, including welfare organisations for the elderly, children, disabled as well as associations for sports and youths.

Encouraging gas as fuel

To facilitate vehicle owners to use gas, the number of retail gas stations currently totalling 51 will be doubled by 2007.

Import duty and sales tax exemption to be given on chassis with engines of monogas trucks and buses as well as conversion kits.

A grant of RM50,000 per bus will also be provided for each monogas bus acquired until the end of 2008. Tax incentives will be given for the expansion of the gas reticulation network.

Companies generating energy from environmental-friendly renewable resources, such as biomass, hydropower not exceeding 10 megawatts and solar energy are eligible for tax incentives.

Bakun project to continue

Bakun hydro-electric project will proceed as planned and it will cost RM6.1 billion for the period 2006 to 2009. Sabah has been allocated RM2.3 billion in the 2006, while Sarawak has been allocated RM2 billion.

Goodies for police, civil servants

Reimbursement for the cost of tailoring of uniforms for lower ranked police personnel up to RM100 per uniform for three uniforms per year.

Increase in incentive payments for bomb disposal unit from RM50 to RM100 per operation.

Incentive for divers currently enjoyed by the Armed Forces of Malaysia, Fishery Department, and National Science Centre will also be extended to PDRM as well as Fire and Rescue Services Department personnel. The incentive will be increased from RM50 to RM100 per month for divers and from RM150 to RM250 per month for clearance divers.

Assistance for living expenses for government servants in Grades 1 to 54, except for those living in quarters or receiving regional allowance, will be as follows:

-RM150 a month for those working in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Ampang Jaya, Kajang, Klang, Selayang, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Johor Bahru, Georgetown and Butterworth.
-RM100 per month for those working in 26 other towns.
-RM50 per month for those working in other areas.

Bonus for civil servants

Civil servants earning up to RM1,000 a month will be paid a bonus of one and a half months salary and those earning more than RM1,000 a month will be paid a bonus of one month salary subject to a minimum of RM1,500.

The bonus will be paid in two equal instalments in October and November 2005. In addition, the government will make a special payment of RM200 for pensioners in October 2005.

Read more!