Does Guan Eng dare to cut allocations for 4 'undignified' universities?

Star Online:

Make TAR UC a true people’s university

By Professor Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi

In this article, once again, I am writing to support that TAR UC should be allotted appropriate funding by the Pakatan Harapan government.

In the latest budget, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong lamented that the PH government was still being extremely unkind to the Chinese community and those who voted the PH into power.

Lim Guan Eng, on his part, turned the matter around and said that the government will help TARUC if MCA relinquishes its ownership of the educational institution.

Last year, many would applaud Lim Guan Eng's stolid principle of non-interference of political parties in universities. Now, I am afraid, the joke is on PH and Lim himself.

After the disastrous Kongres Maruah Melayu organised by four public universities that showed clear support for racism and bigotry at an unprecedented level in the history of Malaysia, the rakyat would be scratching their heads asking, what the devil is Lim talking about?

Where is the lofty principle of 'non-interference' by political entities?

papa, he is talking 'bad' about my 'boe-laan-hood'

just eff-ing focus on your sudoku - semua olang mulah lupa one 

The nyonya from the pasar malam knows that the congress was supported by one enthusiastic party from the PH.

The "aci" can see from her YouTube smart phone that it was attended by Amanah, PPBM and a few sprinkling of leaders from PKR.

I did not see any Malay DAP representatives. So clearly, DAP is absolved of this "dosa" of racism and bigotry. But the PH now bears the responsibility. It was extremely lucky that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in his statesmanship wisdom turned the table on the racist academics and university leadership and reprimanded the Malays for their own self woes.

If not, we would have seen the last of the New Malaysia that the rakyat desperately wanted to see in this new government.

So, in my book, MCA scores one point above PH. MCA and TAR UC did not and, I think, will never organise a Kongres Maruah Cina as opposed to the four delinquent institutions that were UM, UiTM, UPSI and UPM.

I was hoping that the leadership of these four universities might receive a letter or a word of reprimand from the Education Ministry (MOE), the Agung or the Sultans but none seemed forthcoming.

I was hoping that there might be rumours of leadership changes but there is no movement. I was lastly hoping that there might be budget cuts of these four universities but the MOE has its budget increased significantly above others.

I hope the money goes to poor schools in Sabah and Sarawak instead of public universities, especially the racist four. To hope that the budgets of the four universities be cut by RM15mil and given to TAR UC instead would be too much of a fantasy to even be dreamt of.

Here is a question for Malaysians, if TAR UC were to give up their ownership, who would it give it up to?

Would Malaysians accept that MCA transfer ownership to the MOE?

Let's say the Federal Government buys TAR UC by paying whatever balance that is due after investing for four decades in the university, will the MOE take over then? Should Malaysians allow such a thing to occur?

Do Malaysians want another public university with an all Melayu leadership and a quota for Malays increased to 60%?

After the Kongres Maruah Melayu, no Malaysians who love this country as a Malaysian would even consider giving away TARUC to the PH government.

The PH government now has a negative balance sheet of trust, particularly in education. After the khat incident, the matriculation issue and now the Kongres, how can we fault the voters for feeling betrayed?

To me, reading the country's history of how UiTM became the bastion of Malay education supported and funded by the taxpayers, I say let TAR UC remain with MCA as a safe haven of educational excellence and impartiality.

MCA can increase this trust of the people of Malaysia by appointing trusted civil society members from various races and faiths to guide the university and proclaim an important point about making the university "owned" by the people.

I have made a similar suggestion about public universities having board members from civil society, but I am almost sure that my suggestion, like many others I have made, will be ignored. I hope that MCA might not ignore this suggestion as it is easy to implement.

If MCA can appoint the civil society members to its board, then the civil society should campaign for funding that may aid the university and let it be an affordable "people's university" producing quality graduates that have the "maruah Malaysia" and not be part of a racist and bigoted educational institution of our country.

If MCA can "relinquish" this symbolic sense of partial ownership by the people, then the PH should release at least 50% of the allocated budget for this year and the next.

That gesture may send a strong signal to the other public universities whose reputation has now been eroded by the four universities participating in the Kongres Maruah Melayu.

In 20 years' time, Malaysians must consider a trust fund for the people's university like an endowment system that would free universities 100% from either the clutches of pure capitalism and political interference by the MOE.

That way whichever political party takes the reins of Malaysia, we can be assured that at least one institution is left to save Malaysia from the racism and bigotry that seems to have no end in our system of governance. – Sin Chew/ Asia News Network


Professor Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is a professor at a local university

Racist VC (UM) and Racist Minister should both go

Star Online:

Suaram calls for UM VC to resign

VC of UM (paid by taxpayers including non-Malays) ranted undignified racial message at Malay Dignity Congress

PETALING JAYA: Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) has called for the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaya (UM) Datuk Abdul Rahim Hashim (pic) to resign if he is unable to take criticism from students or is unwilling to provide a safe space for students to engage in discourse.

Saying that they were perturbed by the police report lodged by UM following the protest by Wong Yan Ke during a convocation ceremony, Suaram believed that others should lead and develop UM as an academic institution that promotes critical discourse among its students.

“University Malaya and all universities are supposed to be a safe space where students and youth are given a safe space to learn, debate and develop their ideas.

“As part of this process, any critique against policies through protests or civil disobedience is to be expected and welcomed, so long it does not promote violence against others, ” Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 16).

On Monday (Oct 14), UM lodged a police report against Wong after he staged a solo protest calling for the resignation of the varsity’s vice-chancellor, Datuk Abdul Rahim Hashim.

Wong had allegedly shouted “Ini Tanah Malaysia” while carrying a placard with the words “Tolak Rasis” (reject racism) and “Undur VC” (step down VC) on stage during his graduation after he received his degree scroll.

Wong Yan Ke 

He said it was done to protest the vice-chancellor's recent speech at the Malay Dignity Congress in Shah Alam and claimed that the speech was racially charged and as a graduate, he had a right to criticise and call for the individual to be courteous.

The Malay Dignity Congress was organised by four public universities - Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) - to discuss and find solutions to problems faced by the Malays.

Sevan said the position adopted by University Malaya only shows that the management of the university has not progressed at all, despite the change of policies by the Ministry of Education.

He said that Suaram has previously stood as a witness for Anis Syafiqah and others when they were penalised by University Malaya for organising the Tangkap MO1 rally in Kuala Lumpur.

“It would seem that the management still aims to paint students’ act of civil disobedience as a deplorable act, irrespective of the reasons or motivation behind them, ” he said, while calling for UM to retract the police report.

Lawyer Siti Kasim asked UM if they could come up with a press statement on condemning a Malaysian who is standing up for his right, why they were silent on the action of their VC's extremely racist statement.

“The action of your student is a consequence of your VC's racist statement. This is an educational body. You should be ashamed to have a VC who is obviously racist. Is this what you teach in UM? It is this student's right to respond to his VC in this manner, so as to get the attention of many.

“The only good thing I see is that you have a student who is still able to use his brain, instead of kowtowing to the racism apparently prevalent in your university. Shame on you, UM, ” she said in a Facebook post.

Minister of Ed also racist 

Will bloodbath consecrate birth place of a God?

MM Online:

End in sight for India’s epic temple-or-mosque dispute

The Ayodhya site has been fiercely contested by both Hindus and Muslims

Reuters pic 

NEW DELHI, Oct 16 — The future of a site that has sparked thousands of deaths in inter-religious violence is set to be decided in coming weeks after India’s top court wrapped up hearings in one of the country’s longest-running cases.

Hindus believe that Lord Ram, a major deity, was born at the site in the northern city of Ayodhya, and that a Muslim conqueror destroyed a temple there in the 1500s and built a mosque in its place.

In 1992 a Hindu mob reduced the mosque to rubble, triggering some of the worst inter-religious violence since independence in 1947 and in which 2,000 people perished.

In 2002 Hindu activists were burned alive in a train returning from Ayodhya, sparking riots that left upwards of 1,000 people dead, most of them Muslims.

The hearings ended in drama today, as Rajeev Dhawan, a lawyer for one of the Muslim parties in the case, tore up a map purportedly showing the temple existed in ancient India.

Another lawyer, who is in his 90s, has been representing the infant Lord Ram in the case. Under Indian law, a Hindu deity is considered a “juristic person”.

The five judges in the Supreme Court are due to decide how the 2.77-acre site should be divided in a verdict expected by November 17.

The ruling Hindu nationalist party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has vowed that a temple will be built there.

Security measures have been enhanced in Ayodhya as the case nears its end, with assemblies of more than four people banned. — AFP

*********

kaytee notes:

I wonder what Lord Rama would say?

No Dignity by Malay VC

Abdul Rahim Rashid, VC of UM, Malaysia's presumably premier university (wakakaka), made a speech during the Malay Dignity Congress in which he warned Malays were losing political dominance in the country and that the non-Malays must adhere to the nation’s social contracts.

If Abdul Rahim Rashid desires to be a Malay Supremacist and says what he had said at above, that's okay with me so long as he has the "Malay dignity" to not makan gaji in a public service job paid by taxpayers including non-Malays. But alas, he lacks the "dignity" to NOT have "two bites of the cherry".

Podah you mafulat tambee, 'nak makan gaji yang mungkin haram?

Wong Yan Ke, the student activist who had protested, placard inclusive, against the mentioned university’s VC for racism displayed at the Malay Dignity Congress, during the convocation ceremony on Monday, has had a police report by the university lodged against him. Then to add insult to injury he was denied his degree certification and academic transcript.

What a university - more precisely, what an eff-up university, (mis)using 'city-hall' authority to bully a graduating student.

And the graduate's sins?
For calling out the VC's public display of Ketuanan Melayu racism.

Malay Dignity?

Pakatan's humongous no-GST Eff-up

FMT:

PKR man tells how his proposal for 3% GST rejected by a ‘PH leader’

Minderjeet Kaur

 -

October 16, 2019 5:01 PM

Wong Chen said he was instructed to amend a proposal to bring down GST rate from 6% to 3%.

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR’s Wong Chen today revealed that he was instructed to amend a proposal to halve the goods and services tax (GST) from 6% to 3% – to 0% – in Pakatan Harapan’s shadow budget three years ago.

But the Subang MP said the instruction came too late as some 200 copies of the budget book had already been printed.

Wong Chen did not reveal who gave the instruction, but merely said it was from a “leader”.

“I still remember clearly, all my officers and my interns worked hard to replace the figure from 3% to 0%.

“I was told to defend the zero-rated GST,” Wong Chen, who was instrumental in preparing the coalition’s shadow budgets, said while debating the Supply Bill 2020 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

GST, introduced in April 2015 at 6%, was replaced with the sales and service tax (SST) on Sept 1, 2018.

Wong Chen further said that following PH’s election victory last year, he had hoped that the new government would reduce the GST rate to 3%, and carry out a detailed review before reverting to the sales and service tax (SST).

He said he wanted the incident to be put on record.

“In today’s world, where history can be rewritten and policies can be changed, I would like to put in record that the GST policy that was written in my office in 2016 was reduced from 6% to 3%,” he added.

*********

kaytee notes:

This explains why Nurul Izzah made a pre-GE14 call for a (bizarre) zero-rated GST, wakakaka.

I wonder which PH leader made that idiotic decision but I am fairly sure he/she was NOT Mahathir who in all fairness did voice (immediately after assuming government) his reluctance to remove Najib's GST.

But alas, 'big mouth' boasting about no GST before the election left PH with no choice but to have it removed.

I have always supported GST on the basis all would NOT be allowed to slip through the porous 'tax net' of SST. More than 160 nations around the world cannot be wrong.

Now, hearing Wong Chen (PKR) making such a confession means that GST may be on its way back, wakakaka, unless he is punished for saying unauthorised stuff, wakakaka again.

What use is Mahathir-created JAKIM?

Malaysiakini:



Jakim has too much money

by Zaid Ibrahim


I am not going to be too critical of the Budget 2020 because I am not financially well versed in matters of government, nor am I familiar with fiscal or monetary policies generally.

But its a disappointing Budget, and this has nothing to do with the finance minister.

He is a hard-working man trying his best in very difficult circumstances. It has to do with the lack of vision of this 5 out of 10 Cabinet.

They don't see beyond the next election although they were elected on the promise to save this country.

Let's start with Jakim. I know it's hard to say no the request of a department in the Prime Ministers Office; but what can Jakim conceivably do to save this country that it warrants such a big allocation from the Treasury.

This big allocation is just another confirmation that religious politics are here to stay.

Jakim cannot possibly make Malays "better Muslims", because we can only be better if we decide to be one; and no government incentives can change what we want to be.

What value creation that is measurable can Jakim offer? By that I mean how will Jakim make the people high-income earners, more united as Malaysians, and more educated.

If the value Jakim offers is to safeguard Muslims interests, what are they? Can the Minister explain? Don't tell us about saving our soul or protect the people from deviant teachings.

If the money is to prevent the spread of Syiah teachings in the country, then its a waste of money.

Nowadays you just go on YouTube to learn many things.

Zaid Ibrahim 

If the purpose is to encourage more Muftis to dabble in political matters, then the government may succeed but how can Muftis in politics add value to the country as a whole.

The government has limited resources, so it is always a question of priority.; The priority given to Jakim shows the direction the country is taking.

If this country continues to give priority to the so-called "religious matters" we will not progress an inch because religious matters in this country are by nature political and therefore divisive.

This PH government has not seen fit to reduce the power of religious bureaucracy despite clear evidence that they undermine democracy, divide the people with their narrow and restrictive understanding of religion.

They undermine human rights because they could not understand the difference between culture and essence of God's message. Yet they get huge allocation.

Even if Jakim received 10 billion ringgit, what do we use as a measure of its success? Just more religious preachers, perhaps more nice-looking mosques, more religious publications, more Syariah courts that are comparable in look to those civil courts.

It will not show the worth of the true Muslims in this country. In fact, too much money will spoil the Muslims for good.

They get greedy for material things and they use money to perpetuate their hold on power. Where are those Muslims lead leaders who live life with simple needs?

Where are they who are guided by right values as human beings; who care for universal justice and global warming?

Government giving religious departments more money than they need is doing a great disservice to the welfare of Muslims as a whole.

They are elected to solve practical worldly problems, and the less they spend on religious bureaucracy the better for the country.

Anyway no matter how seemingly pious or compliant the Malays seem to appear, they may not be "religious" in the eyes of God.

That is something Malays as individuals must resolve with his maker. So any priority given by an elected government by spending to please Muslim sentiment is probably tied to garner political support.

I would not have minded if Jakim is going to spend on genuine reforms in matters of Islamic administration in the country.

Where is the promise for uniformity of Islamic laws, that we heard at the last election? Where is the promise for reforms on laws of inheritance?

Malay land ownership is seriously fragmented, mainly because the" Faraid "dictates the way inheritance is apportioned.

What is clear is that unless Malays can resolve land fragmentation issues, more and more Malay lands will be uneconomic and abandoned in the process.

If Jakim can add economic value to the lives of Muslims along with these economic reforms, then asking for more money makes sense.

Will Jakim do something concrete to make sure the wakaf lands are properly administered; so that the wishes of good Muslims who "wakaf" their lands are observed and honoured.

WIll Jakim has the willingness to compel state religious administration under the Malay sultans to carry out far-reaching reforms for the benefit of Muslims?

I hope next year, whoever is the finance minister or prime minister, please help Muslims in ways that will truly benefit them.

For too many years we spend huge sums of money to pay for salaries of bureaucrats who use religion to make them relevant by supporting political incumbents.



ZAID IBRAHIM is a former law minister.

Kerbau-ish Mahathir wants to buy kerbau meat from India

finance-twitter:

Trade War – Malaysia’s Plan To Buy Sugar & Buffalo From India May Be Too Little, Too Late

As expected, India has retaliated.

Indian refiners have stopped buying Malaysian palm oil for shipments in November and December. They don’t have to wait for any official statement from their government that New Delhi would raise import taxes or use other measures to limit – even boycott entirely – imports of palm oil from Malaysia. They could read between the lines.

Only a genius like Mahathir Mohamad, the world’s oldest prime minister, would assume everything was alright since he had not received “anything official” from India about reports that Malaysian palm oil was about to get a hit. Actually, the Malaysian leader knew that he had screwed up after he accused India of having invaded and occupied Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations last month.

Unlike his first stint as the prime minister where he ruled the country for 22 years from 1981 to 2003, this round, Mahathir didn’t receive the anticipated applause or cheers from Muslim countries after he whacked India. But the damage was already done. He could only hope and pray that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be too busy to remember the insult.





India does not need to give “anything official” to Malaysia before officially punish the country with a restriction or a total boycott of its palm oil. What they needed to do was to leak to international news media like Reuters about the Modi government’s desire to send a strong signal of its displeasure to Malaysian government over its interference in the internal affairs of India.

And that was precisely what the Indian government had told Reuters. Besides leaking that New Delhi was considering slashing imports of Malaysian palm oil, the “sources” had also revealed that India, the world’s biggest importer of edible oils, was planning to substitute Malaysian palm oil with supplies of edible oils from countries like Indonesia, Argentina and Ukraine.

The unofficial news also created confusion whether India is about to slap any new tariff on Malaysian palm oil. Such uncertainties have forced Indian buyers to switch to buy from Indonesia to avoid unnecessary problems due to the possible impact of higher taxes. After all, Indonesia and Malaysia are producers of palm oil and they are neighbours so there’s little problem with changes of shipping logistics.





The writing is on the wall. India has started a mini trade war with Malaysia, thanks to PM Mahathir’s toxic mouth. On Sunday, Mahathir said his government will “study the impact of the action taken by India” – suggesting that he was absolutely concerned about the impact. But he said – “They are exporting goods to Malaysia too. It’s not just one-way trade, its two-way trade.”

Yes, Mr. Mahathir knew India was about to launch a trade war against Malaysia. But there was nothing he could do except to act brave (give him a medal) – reminding India that it will lose as well in a trade war because the country also exports its goods to Malaysia. Perhaps he should stop hallucinating that Malaysia is an economic superpower like China.

Did Mahathir realize that two days ago, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping spent nearly 6 hours over fresh coconut in one-on-one meetings in the seaside town of Mamallapuram, India, both leaders maturely steered clear of thornier matters such as Kashmir and the 5G data prospects of Chinese tech giant Huawei?





China and India, two countries that have a direct military confrontation near their disputed border in the Himalayan mountains, were wise enough not to talk about a territorial dispute during their trade talk despite India’s trade deficit of US$54 billion with China. Who is Malaysia to lecture India about Kashmir, when the small nation has a trade surplus of US$4.4 billion with the economic powerhouse?

India is the world’s fifth biggest economy with GDP worth a staggering US$3.16 trillion, while Malaysia is ranked 11th with its GDP at US$402.61 billion. According to India’s trade ministry data, Malaysia’s exports to India stood at US$10.8 billion in the 2018/19 fiscal, while imports from New Delhi totalled US$6.4 billion – hence the US$4.4 billion surplus in favour of Malaysia.

In short, Malaysia’s total import of Indian products only constituted 0.2% of India’s GDP. However, India’s total import of Malaysian products was 2.7% of Malaysia’s GDP. This means even if Malaysia stops buying Indian products altogether, New Delhi would most likely won’t feel a pinch. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Malaysia.





Malaysia’s palm oil exports to India in 2018 were valued at US$1.65 billion – just 0.052% of India’s GDP, but account for more than 15% of total Malaysian exports to the country. You don’t need a rocket scientist to see why a trade war should be the last thing on Mahathir’s wishlist. The country simply cannot win a trade war with India, while it’s still facing the effect of US-China trade war.

Like American soybeans being targeted by the Chinese in the US-China trade war, Malaysian palm oil is Mahathir’s Achilles Heel which could be targeted by the Indian government. And like American farmers, the Felda settlers who happen to be almost 100% ethnic Malays are the vote bank of Mahathir’s Malay-based political party – PPBM (Bersatu).

Lower purchases by India, the biggest buyer of Malaysian palm oil in 2019, could lead to higher inventories and put pressure on Malaysian palm oil prices, which in turn would make 110,000 “unhappy” FELDA settlers and their children against Mahathir government. And it appears that Mahathir has just blinked in the poker game.





After the news broke that Indian refiners are avoiding Malaysia like a plague, Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok was sent to do damage control, saying Malaysia is exploring the possibility of buying raw sugar from India starting next year to enhance bilateral trade with the country. Buffalo meat from India is also on the menu to reduce the trade imbalance.

Obviously, Mahathir administration is sucking up to India, offering to buy more sugar and buffalo to pacify Modi government. But such a trick had been used by Indonesia. Jakarta was willing to open up its market access for raw sugar from India (Indonesia imports raw sugar from Thailand and Australia) if India cut its tariff on palm oil to match the levy faced by rival producer Malaysia.

As a result, India reportedly has agreed to reduce import duties of Indonesian processed palm oil to 45%, similar to the rate imposed on Malaysia. The burning question is the real objective of New Delhi in cutting the import of not only palm oil, but also other products from Malaysia. Was Modi trying to correct the trade imbalance between both countries in the first place?





What is there to stop India from fully dropping Malaysia as a supplier of palm oil and substitute it with Indonesian palm oil – just to teach Mahathir a lesson? Surely Jakarta would be more than happy to buy more sugar from New Delhi to capture the market share in the region. India is the largest importer of Malaysia’s palm oil, followed by China and Pakistan.

Can Mahathir convince China (imported 1.61 million tonnes) and Pakistan (imported 821,591 tonnes) to absorb the 3.9 million tonnes of palm oil if India decides to go full-blown into a trade war with Malaysia? The 94-year-old premier can scream all he likes about no winner if a trade war erupts. But Malaysia is neither China nor has a huge trade deficit with India that it could use as bullets in negotiations.

Teresa Kok should tell her boss that it would take more than sugar and buffalo to fix the problem caused by the stubborn and defiant prime minister. Exactly how much sugar or buffalo meat that Malaysia can consume? Early of this year, Malaysia agreed to buy 44,000 tonnes of sugar from India after import duty on crude and refined palm oil were cut.





That was before Mahathir offended India with his remarks about Kashmir being invaded by India. Now, things have gotten quite personal. India wanted to send a strong signal of its displeasure. As a start, perhaps Mahathir could start exporting Zakir Naik back to India to ensure New Delhi would not stop importing Malaysian palm oil while both parties negotiate.

As long as Mahathir is around, no UEC, period

FMT:

UEC recognition, a comedy of errors

Kua Kia Soong

 -

October 1, 2019 7:25 PM

The procrastination by the Pakatan Harapan government over the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) of the Malaysian Independent Chinese Secondary Schools (MICSS) is fast turning into Malaysia’s comedy of errors.

We have been told the summary findings by the UEC which was supposed to be submitted to the government today, has been postponed – the planned meeting between the task force and the minister did not take place after weeks of hype.

Apparently, according to a Sin Chew Daily report, Education Minister Maszlee Malik is on medical leave although he managed to attend a Tamil film screening:

“I’m on sick leave today but it so happens that the screening is today so I was brought here by my officers. There are many teachers attending the screening today,” he was quoted as saying.

Honour the PH GE14 election promise now

The UEC has not been recognised since Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad refused to even allow Dong Zong to hold the exam in 1975. It is clear that PH won the vast majority of the Chinese votes during GE14 mainly because among other promises, the PH manifesto and the PH leaders pledged to recognise the UEC, the school leaving certificate of the Malaysian Independent Chinese Secondary Schools that has been maligned by Umno all these years since 1975. Voters were given the impression that such recognition was part of PH’s reform in a new and inclusive Malaysia.

The truth is that through the years the UEC has become a political issue since Umno refuses to recognise the MICSS system because of their “Malay Agenda”, a policy that is holding back creative development of our human resources. The pussyfooting we see now from the PH government is nothing more than the lack of moral courage and political will to break from the years of Umno bigotry and racism. This is the price we pay for adhering to race-based political parties.

There seems to be no end to the UEC recognition farce. The prime minister has told us that “the recognition of UEC needs to consider the feelings of Malays.”

Isn’t it amazing that the Cambridge O levels and A levels have been held in our country since Independence but we don’t hear anyone voicing consternation about how these foreign English-language examinations can hurt the feelings of the Malays or compromise the unity and harmony among Malaysians or threaten the status of the national language!

It was clear from the start that the prime minister and PPBM had no intention of recognising the UEC, the school leaving certificate of the Malaysian Independent Chinese Secondary Schools. We now know that their party exists to champion the “Bumiputera Agenda”. As Mahathir has admitted, these election promises were made because PH never thought they would win anyway.

UEC Special Committee is merely a delaying tactic

Mahathir’s statement about “Malay sensitivities” having to be considered was made after the education minister had set up a special committee “…to gather views on recognising the Unified Examination Certificate”.

The justification for the selection of the committee members was never spelt out nor were the terms of reference clear from the start.

Instead of this so-called special committee, the education ministry should reveal the results of the MQA’s assessment of the UEC all these years. This is the only missing piece in this whole UEC recognition comedy. Thus, if the MQA is a professional accreditation institution without political constrictions, it would spell out in no uncertain terms what its audit of the UEC has concluded.

Has the new PH government consulted the MQA on this? It does not matter if the requirements of the MQA are far more stringent than the National University of Singapore’s – it just has to spell out in no uncertain terms what the results of that audit are! The government cannot simply suspend a purely professional decision for more than forty years!

It’s academic, stupid!

In 2015, then Sarawak chief minister, Adenan Satem said that the education ministry was stupid not to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) of the sixty Malaysian Independent Chinese Secondary Schools (MICSS), a certificate that has been recognised by the top universities in the world since it has led to a brain drain of our talented human resources.

“Stupid” – That was the exact word he used. Imagine the ministry of education which is the main institution for nurturing wisdom and far-sightedness and propagating knowledge and rationality being called that!

Does the PH government want to see out their term in office embroiled in this needless comedy of errors and flip flops over a simple academic question of the recognition of the UEC?

Kua Kia Soong is the adviser to Suaram.

Pakatan must get rid of King Minus

Malaysiakini:

Yoursay: The PM's post is not Mahathir's to give away

Yoursay  |  Published: Today 10:16 am

YOURSAY | Mahathir should stop listening to himself, and listen to the views of others.

If Anwar is not going to be PM, say it! Dignity means speaking sincerely

Harjit Singh Rattan Singh: The people have the right to know about the transition between Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Why is it so difficult to come up with a specific date? Why are the leaders of Pakatan Harapan creating uncertainty regarding the transition?

The leaders of Harapan are not even brave enough to speak up against the politics of race and religion. The fear is due to the perception that they will lose political support. For them, retaining political power is more important than nation-building.

In many ways, Harapan is similar to the previous government.

Unspin: Considering Mahathir's poor track record in selecting prime ministers - Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Abdul Razak were disasters - he should stop listening to his inner voice, and start listening to the views of the majority for a change.

Anonymous_1548727643838.24631548726807520: The prime minister's post does not belong to Mahathir, and therefore it is not his to give away when and to whom he chooses.

When the two years are up, he must hand the post back to PKR, under whose flag Harapan parties contested in the last general election.

There is already an understanding and consensus that the post will go to party leader Anwar.

If Mahathir does not want to hand it over, then PKR, DAP and Amanah will have to do what is needed to get rid of him.

Mat MD: Mahathir should stick to and honour his promise on the transition of the prime minister’s post to Anwar within two years by specifying the date of the transition, in order to clear any doubt and uncertainty in people's minds.

As age is catching up, Mahathir is becoming less agile and slow in his reflexes.

Therefore, it is fitting that Anwar, who is younger and more agile, and bold enough to take risks, handles these challenging duties.

Anonymous_1399778124: If Mahathir can say that, then this is no more ‘wayang kulit’ (shadow play). Malay politics is the art of wayang kulit, and Mahathir is true to form.

Does this mean there is no more dignity in Malay politics?

I think Musa Hitam, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and former prime minister Abdullah, though not geniuses in Malay politics, were only prepared to play wayang up to a limit. There is dignity in them that supersedes the confusing art form that is wayang.

Mahathir is a different kettle of fish. It seems quite obvious to any keen observer of Mahathir, the end justifies the means.

The Analyser: “I find it baffling that this coterie of reformist leaders is not able to sit down and tell the people what they have agreed,” said former law minister Zaid Ibrahim.

Coterie: noun; a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people.

An interesting choice of words there. But not a good one. There is no shared interest among the remnants of Harapan. And there is absolutely nothing reformist about this coalition. They have abandoned the election manifesto.

Why look for any consensus on the next prime minister, when you know the decision will be made unilaterally? And there will not be a peep of dissent from the plastic replicas of human beings who make up the rest of the government.

MS: Zaid has set an impossible task for these Harapan leaders - as impossible as it would be for Zakir Naik to embrace Shintoism.

"They can start by explaining what is the actual understanding among Pakatan Harapan leaders of the transition of power from the current leader to the future leader. Harapan leaders must collectively behave and act with more dignity on this subject, and this requires them to speak with frankness and candour."

If they could do this, they would not have embarked on this succession ‘sandiwara’ with mendacious Mahathir dispatching his Bersatu snipers to annoy the others in this coalition of convenience.

Anonymous 2405371458107314: Dignity is not something that can be given. Hence, nobody can take away your dignity, if you conduct yourself with dignity.

Only you can take away your dignity by acting and responding in an undignified manner.

Bright Morning Star: Spot on, Zaid. Is this some kind of a sick joke? A congress on 'Malay Dignity'? You mean they must hold a seminar to give themselves some form of dignity?

Absurd! Dignity is something you make of yourself, something you have in you, your pride, your self-respect, your integrity, your honesty, your principles, etc. All these define your dignity.

It's a willingness to work hard and earn your money, not cheating, robbing, stealing or grabbing from others. Clean money earned from your own sweat and blood, not dirty money from crime or corruption.

It's all about who you are and what you stand for, which no one can take away.

Unless and until you understand its true meaning, it's utterly foolish and undignified to call for such a meeting. An exercise in futility, a chasing after the wind. Meaningless.

Anonymous Malaysia2018: Yes, be sincere, be dignified. Have the guts to do what is right.

Explain the failure of Umno leaders in helping the Malays to be better educated and to be less dependent on government aid.

Why did the leaders fail? Is it because they keep on harping on the old issues of race and religion?

It is convenient to blame others for your wrongdoings or wrong thinking. Giving cash to the people is tantamount to giving fish for the people. They eat fish for one day, then they will come back for another fish the next day. How many fish can you give to the people and for how many days?

Instead of giving fish to them, teach them to fish so that they can be independent and learn to fish for themselves.

People must throw away the crutches. If they do not learn to walk without crutches, their limbs will be weak and they have to depend on walking sticks all the time.

They must learn to be competitive, Learn English, or Mandarin, if the job requires a knowledge of the language. The employer is not biased; he is practical and pragmatic. The employer is not doing charitable work; he is doing business for profit.

Get real. We are living in a globalised world and there is competition for jobs and for business. Those who cannot compete will have to close shop.

It is the same competitive spirit in sports. You must train for hours. So, throw away the walking stick and walk.

Clever Voter: There seems to be a habit among political opportunists to demand everything or anything under the Malay label. Successive governments have given in to such political extortion.

Recent cuts have hurt some, the Treasury is probably at its lowest level, and here we have a gathering of people with an opportunity to make their anger known as change has hurt.

It is time someone has the courage to say 'No' to such demands, and do the right thing in not giving in.

A majority are decent people having to work to earn their three meals. Zaid is right - they know the truth, but they just do not have the guts to say so.

Dr Syed Husin: Guli-less PH Presidential Council should make Mahathir retire

Malaysiakini:

PKR founder slams Harapan, questions if leaders can no longer stand up to Dr M

Syed Husin Ali, one of the founding leaders of PKR following the merger of Parti Keadilan Nasional and Parti Rakyat Malaysia, has criticised Pakatan Harapan and questioned if its leaders are now incapable of standing up to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"The people are asking if Anwar Ibrahim, Muhyiddin Yassin, Mohamad Sabu and Lim Kit Siang have been stymied (dibonsaikan) by Mahathir?

"Will Mahathir, who has been proven to be a sly leader and skilled at twisting facts, be allowed to continue to deceive the people?

"We direct these questions to the Harapan presidential council. If political anarchy happens due to Mahathir's actions, they will be held responsible," the former PKR deputy president said in a statement today.

He criticised Mahathir for refusing to outline a clear transition plan.

Syed Husin, a political veteran who started out with Parti Rakyat Malaysia in 1974, said the country's rot started with Mahathir that culminated with the "kleptocrat" Najib Abdul Razak.

"The fighters and leaders of the past who fought day and night to defend the people and save the country has now fallen silent.

"The voice that lit the people's uprising has now turned into a voice that praises and apple polishes the old prime minister.

"Their noses have been pierced, therefore they follow the prime minister from behind wherever he goes," he said.

Syed Husin also criticised Mahathir for downplaying his successor's ability to lead, calling it a betrayal and insult to Harapan.

The prime minister had, during a dialogue session in New York on Thursday, said: "I cannot guarantee that somebody who succeeds me will do well, or maybe not too well".

Mahathir, who did not specifically name PKR president Anwar (above) as his successor during the interview, also said that he would stay as prime minister for "at most three years".

Syed Husin warned that Mahathir manoeuvring would ruin Harapan.

"The fact is the Harapan presidential council can ask Mahathir to retire now as it is the highest authority that can determine when Mahathir should go.

"Mahathir has no authority to decide when he hands over power.

"If he is a leader with honour and loves this country, he should immediately retire and hand over power to Anwar who is 22 years younger to take on the task of rebuilding this country," he said.

Mahathir's nomination as prime minister in the last general election was based on an agreement within Harapan that he will eventually hand over power to Anwar.

Mahathir had initially said he will do so around two years but has in other interviews also suggested that this could take up to three years.

PAS cleric sermonised 'Brimstone, Fire and Tsunami'

Quite belated but interesting enough for posting, to show you the mentality of a PAS cleric who lacked compassion of Allah swt but instead wished ill on others:

MM Online - PAS cleric berated for mocking Indonesian rockers swept away by tsunami.

By Azril Annuar

Ahmad Dusuki Abdul Rani also made a similar post on Facebook

Facebook/Ahmad Dusuki Abdul Rani 

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 25 — A PAS leader has been excoriated by hundreds of Instagram users for posting an insensitive comment ridiculing the death of Indonesian band Seventeen's members during the recent Sunda Strait tsunami.

Selangor PAS Ulama wing deputy chief Ahmad Dusuki Abdul Rani had posted a video of the Indonesian band's performance before the stage collapsed as it was hit by the tsunami, and had instead pointed out that people should stay away from vice as "it courts suffering".

However, the post which has had over 41,000 views and more than 1,000 comments received condemnation from various users who questioned the cleric’s faith and attempt to “dakwah”, or evangelise.

Ahmad Dusuki’s attempt to take advantage of the situation by listing three bank account details requesting for donation for his tahfiz school also backfired.

User @johnlemmonn called the preacher out, saying that he was chasing popularity and using a tragedy to promote and request for donation for his own tahfiz school.

"Looks like you can't wait to be the first to ‘dakwah’. That man was in tears because he lost his wife, his best friends, hundreds died. You are so busy chasing popularity while promoting one of your paid talks. Is this your version of ‘Our way is the Prophet's way’?” he asked.

Meanwhile, musician @opiyusof sarcastically asked Ahmad Dusuki whether his bandmates can get a “free pass to heaven” if they donated to his tahfiz school.

"Ustaz, are my bandmates and I hellbound? Or if we donate to you we can enter heaven without going through Judgement Day?" he said.

User @desitaa13 who claimed to be Indonesian said it was painful to read the caption since her fellow countrymen had lost their lives and many have lost family members.

Another user pointed out that it was a natural disaster and even if an Islamic nasyid group was up on stage performing, they would have perished too.

With no warning, the powerful, volcano-triggered tsunami swept over popular beaches on southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java and inundated tourist hotels and coastal settlements.

In March this year, Ahmad Dusuki had reportedly led a “solat hajat” prayer session during its 10th anniversary of being in the Selangor administration, in which the congregation had prayed for the destruction of Pakatan Harapan.