OUR education system is in a mess, isn’t it? We now have a situation where our children will study almost all subjects in Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese or Tamil in primary schools.

Then, they study mostly in BM at secondary level including Maths and Science, if the nationalists have their way, and at tertiary level, the lectures are in BM but almost all the reference books are in English.

We are told the Government has abandoned the teaching of Maths and Science in English because our teachers and children cannot cope.

The logic is that it’s bad enough that our students are failing in English, despite the low grades for passing, but they are now falling behind in Maths and Science because of the medium of instruction.

So the panic button has been pressed. The Malay nationalists and Chinese educationists who have never seen anything eye to eye suddenly have a joint stand.

So have the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat leaders. Despite the anger directed against the Government by many urbanites who advocate the use of English, the fact is that most oppositionists also share the same sentiments.

From Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, who proposed a motion to halt the use of English at the recent PAS general assembly, they have pushed the same line.

PKR MP Zulkifli Nordin, who is a member of the PR’s Higher Education Committee – its version of the shadow cabinet – has expressed his jubilation at the decision. In fact, the Kulim Bandar Baharu lawmaker has questioned the relevance of English, pointing out that the mostly English-speaking Filipinos have become domestic maids and the Japanese did not need English to achieve what they did. Both sides have had their say, with the nationalists even taking to the streets, where they were joined by PAS and PKR leaders, to make their stand known.

The reality is this – the advocates of English, mainly in urban areas, have lost their case. Thus, the great deal of unhappiness and even anger over the past few days.

There has been talk of punishing the Government in the polls, forgetting that the Opposition has taken the same position.

From the traditional kampung to the new villages, the findings have shown that our students are struggling.

Many do not have the opportunity to be exposed to English or to have tuition to help them. It does not help that they are not in an English-speaking home environment .

It is this group of people who will lag behind eventually, not the middle class and elites in the cities, who would have other alternatives. It’s a Catch 22 situation – either they fail in Maths and Science, together with English, or they pass in at least two of these crucial subjects, if BM or Chinese or Tamil is used.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who speaks English mostly, understands this better than anyone else. So does Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who studied in the United Kingdom.

The Government and Opposition have both denied that this is a political decision but education in Malaysia has always been politicised, which is most unfortunate.

In Hong Kong, despite being under the rule of mainland China, the educationists have reverted to the use of English to teach Maths and Science. But they are practical people with a clear understanding of the economic value of English and Mandarin.

But here, narrow nationalism seems to be the overriding concern. We bypassed the need for competitive edge without giving much thought to the future of our children.

It’s rubbish when politicians and nationalists equate the promotion of English to the legacy of the British colonial masters. English is the language of the sciences, economics and the Internet.

It is the wish of the majority, no doubt, to abandon English but we have essentially postponed the problem.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has spoken passionately against the decision, but he only found the political courage to use English for these two subjects at the tail end of his 22-year administration. He continued the same national language policy which has killed the standard of English among young Malaysians.

The majority of respondents who rallied to his blog supported English but such a survey in Malay, Tamil or Chinese newspapers would have the same majority supporting mother tongue. This has been a politically, if not emotionally, disturbing issue. There would be a heavier price to pay for this in the long term.

The level of English has already gone down the drain with the majority of teachers almost incompetent to use the language, let alone teach it. It has been revealed by Muhyiddin that only 19.2% of secondary school teachers and 9.96% of primary teachers are sufficiently proficient in English.

Grades have been compromised in our school exams to the point that a student with a distinction in English is treated suspiciously by employers in the private sector and international universities.

It would come as no surprise if more stringent rules on English proficiency are imposed on our students in future by foreign universities. The high number of unmarketable local graduates who cannot speak or write English efficiently will increase as the public sector would be unable to absorb them.

This could be a potential political flash point and there are already signs of it as many cannot get an interview once their application letters and e-mail have been read.

It is reassuring that the Prime Minister has said that the focus on English would continue with only the methods changed.

There has to be more teaching hours in English and asking retired teachers to come back can only be a short-term measure as its practicality is questionable.

A decision has been made but for our children’s sake, please keep English for Maths and Science, at least at the secondary school level.

In other words, he is now an independent and will no longer support the Pakatan state government following the Kedah DAP’s decision to pull out of it.

As much as Pakatan Rakyat leaders want to put on a brave and united front, this is a serious blow to the coalition. The implications are enormous and the damage is highly explosive.

The Kedah state government has certainly not collapsed over the pull-out but feelings and pride have been wounded.

DAP leader Lim Kit Siang has rightly described the latest crack as the “second crisis of confidence”, with the first being PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang’s attempt to hold unity talks with Umno.

The contentious issues that led to the split in Kedah are the demolition of an illegal pig abattoir and the 50% bumi quota for houses in the state.

The DAP and PAS have had a patchy relationship for a while as the secular party is aware that it would have to deal with personalities who make erratic statements in the name of religion.

They realised the need to work together with PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim holding the glue, and the results were the extraordinary performance in the March 8 polls.

True colours

DAP leaders are also aware of the compromises they have made as a result of the alliance with PAS, who is bent on setting up an Islamic state.

Except for a few reformists who made the occasional speeches in churches, such as Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, the reality is that the men in green will never change.

Even Khalid supported a resolution calling for the banning of Sisters in Islam, but then claimed it was wrongly worded. But the point is the resolution was never retracted. It was adopted and Hadi even defended the party’s right to make that call.

Popular as Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin may be with many Malaysians, that does not stop him from calling for an end to the use of English to teach Maths and Science.

To top it all, Hadi has now opposed the Prime Minister’s announcement to abolish the 30% equity requirements for companies seeking public listing.

He has cited the same, tired argument put up by those insisting on such a policy to be maintained by claiming that bumiputras are not ready to face many economic challenges.

But Hadi, playing the racial card, has chosen to forget the fishermen and farmers in Terengganu who would certainly not be the beneficiaries of these equity rules. His statement was intended to make Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak look bad in the rural heartland.

Najib’s decision, ahead of his 100 days in office, is bold and courageous. None of his predecessors dared to take this step despite being in office much longer than him.

The result was that Malaysia lost its attractiveness as a place for investment and with few companies seeking public listing now, even before the global financial crisis, the bumiputra equity has become irrelevant.

Najib’s decision is practical but it also demonstrates the level of leadership he has commanded in the party.

His decision has made Malaysia headline news around the world. I was in London last week when the Financial Times published a prominent article on the move.

I do not think Hadi does not understand the economic impact of Najib’s liberalisation policy. He is a clever man, even if his credentials are just on theology. But he has opted for political expediency at the expense of the country’s economy, and that is hardly divine.

Hadi’s attempt to abandon his Pakatan Rakyat partners, in the name of unity talks, must have shaken his DAP and PKR partners.

In the case of Kedah, the 50% bumi quota for houses will hurt both bumi and non-bumi developers, who will end up paying more for these additional allocations, even if one claims that the state is predominantly Malay.

In the March 8 polls, there were many non-Muslims who gave their votes to PAS, not because they supported the Islamist party but because they wanted to punish Barisan Nasional.

Many voters could not accept the arrogance of some Umno leaders and the corruption in the party.

A strong message was sent – we can no longer tolerate policies and practices that are perceived to be discriminating to non-Malays. They chose the elections to punish the Barisan, particularly Umno.

But as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. It may be a case of deciding on the devil and the deep blue sea for some, but moderation and accommodation must not be ignored.

Umno leaders should not be overly worried about how the Malays feel about their policies as their concern should be the middle ground – the majority of Malaysians, regardless of their race, who will vote in the general election.

There’s little point in winning the party elections as communal champions, but then be wiped out in the general election.

It’s the voice of moderation and accommodation, as early Umno leaders like Tunku Abdul Rahman adopted and which made them revered until today, that works.

At the end of the day, the wishes of Malay­sians are simple. They want fairness, transparency, justice and accountability. These values transcend all races.

The last thing they want is a patchy federal or state government that is weak or in danger of collapsing any time because of ideological differences and the inability to forge a working relationship.

By WONG CHUN WAI

IT’S an unfinished war for many older Malaysians but for the young generation, it is a war that they never knew.

As for those who fought against the communists, especially members of the security forces, they still have the physical scars to show for it.

The children of soldiers and estate owners speak bitterly of their parents who left home and never returned.

As such to allow Chin Peng, the head of the CPM, to return to Malaysia would be unimaginable; not in their life time, at least.

Following the court rejection of Chin Peng’s application to return to Malaysia, the Malay newspapers have highlighted this issue with stories of Malay veterans who suffered in the fight against the communists.

The impression, unfortunately, is that it is the Malays who cannot forget the Emergency.

We seem to have forgotten that the same sentiment is shared by many Chinese too as the campaign against the communists would not have been successful without the effective infiltration of the CPM by the Special Branch, comprising mainly Chinese policemen.

Secret wars

Until the 1970s, not many realised that secret wars were being fought between the police and CPM, even in suburbs like Petaling Jaya.

In 1974, Tan Sri Rahman Hashim, the Inspector-General of Police, was assassinated by CPM terrorists and an attempt was made to blow up the National Monument.

Those who remember these events would have to be in their late 40s and 50s – they are not even mentioned in our history books in schools.

The late Tan Sri CC Too, the head of psychological warfare for 27 years, refused to attend the Haadyai Peace Accord in 1989, to mark the end of the 41 years of armed struggle.

Until the last days, he was suspicious of the intentions of Chin Peng and CPM, saying the peace accord was not a CPM surrender but a truce and merely “temporarily suspending” its struggle.

The late Aloysius Chin, a former deputy director of Special Branch (Operations), reminded this writer that “Malaysians must remember that the final victory over the CPM is not yet over.” It was the same line he wrote in his book The Communist Party of Malaya: The Inside Story.

He wrote that “the avowed aim of the communists all over the world is to destroy the existing political and economic systems in non-communist countries and to replace them with a World Union of Communist Republics.”

Many of the key strategists in SB are no longer around. Chin Peng, or Ong Boon Hua, would be 85 years old this year.

The house where he was born, in Sitiawan, is said to be a Sports Toto outlet now. He expressed regret over this in his book Chin Peng: My Side of the Story.

In short, the world has changed. The Cold War – the continuing state of tension and competition between the Western world led by the United States and the Communists led by the Soviet Union – ended in the 1990s.

For the young generation, they only know of Coldplay – the British rock group led by Chris Martin, not the Cold War.

The Soviet Union has collapsed and the Russians have embraced capitalism. So has communist China – which ironically, is expected to rescue the world from the effects of the financial crisis.

No country including Malaysia can ignore China because it is one of the largest markets. Nearer to home, our investors have kept themselves busy in Vietnam, technically a communist state.

In Cuba, the days of Fidel Castro are numbered while Bolivian leader Che Guevera is certainly more iconic than Castro.

But if you ask the young Malay boys hanging around Pertama Complex who wear T-shirts with Che on them, they think he is a rock star or equate him with Bob Marley.

Today, most of the ex-CPM members who are still alive live in the Peace Villages in south Thailand.

Instead of the guns they once toted, they carry handphones. Many depend on small businesses and tourism for a living.

Academics specialising in alternative history have given them a lease of life over the past few years with books recording their side of the stories.

A blog has even been set up with blurry videos of their activities.

In many cases, it was abject poverty and alienation, and even failed love relations, which made them join the CPM.

It was not all about abstract ideology and the new generation of leftists would have to admit that Karl Marx, the father of Communism, got it all wrong in his 1848 The Communist Manifesto – he failed to see the birth and expansion of the Middle Class, which embraced consumerism and all things capitalist.

In short, the CPM veterans are people of a different generation and political setting, who were caught up in the world of colonialism and class struggles, which have no relevance to us.

World of black-and-white

Their world was of just black-and-white – like the classic movies of their era.

Today, Islamic radicalism has taken over where communists have left off, with security agencies tracking the likes of Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorists.

Courses in communism would probably be offered in the history faculty instead of the political science classes, where Islamic radicalism would be a compulsory subject.

The Malay CPM veterans – who would have once regarded themselves as atheists – have returned to religion, realising that they would soon be meeting their Creator.

In their last days on earth and for all the killings they have committed, it is best they seek peace and forgiveness.

They are probably too proud to admit that it was a serious mistake to chose the revolutionary path and too late to talk about “what if.”

Contrary to public perception, many ex-CPM members of Chinese origin have returned to Malaysia.

Some veterans become Thai citizens and have no problems returning to Malaysia as tourists.

In many cases, it was reported that their first visits were to pay respects to their dead parents’ graves in Malaysia and soon, they went on holidays to Europe, as a preferred destination.

In his book, Chin Peng said 330 ex-CPM members opted to return to Malaysia immediately after the peace agreement.

In the case of Chin Peng, he said he made applications in 1990 to return to Malaysia but the authorities disclosed that he did not show up for the interview.

Eventually, it became a court battle, which must have made it more difficult for the Home Ministry to meet his request. It is not clear what passport he is holding as he has made Bangkok his base.

Ironically, come December, it would be the 20th year of the Peace Accord in Haadyai, where the architects of the agreement are still alive.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his Thai counterpart, Chavalit Yongchaihudh played the leading roles while the police representatives were former IGPs Tan Sri Rahim Noor and Tan Sri Norian Mai, with retired Gen Kitti Rattanachayam representing the Thai army.

Chin Peng, in his book, said he wanted to die in Malaysia, which he said he was “more than willing to die for”. But for families of those who died in the fight, they have still not forgiven him.

It is a price he has to live with, even in his twilight years.

For the public, the question is: What next? We have seen similar reports made, headlined and followed with demands for actions but pretty soon, such reports usually gather dust and are quickly forgotten.

We have heard statements by officials from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) before, promising tough action but only seen these statements turning into nothing.

That’s why Malaysians are sometimes cynical about high profile cases involving public money and powerful figures who seem untouchable.

The PKFZ report has wide implications, both political and business, and the readiness of the Government to release it is highly commendable.

It is probably for the first time, in a such long time, that the opposition has actually openly given credit to the Government.

For this, we must salute Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

It might have taken a little longer than expected but it was essential to tie up the loose ends, especially the crucial legal requirements.

At least one newspaper which reported this case has received a legal letter and it would be no surprise if lawyers are scrutinising every word written by the press on the PKFZ issue.

The point is that the report has been made public, as promised by Ong. The public has every right to know because the costs to be incurred are very big, ballooning from an estimated RM7.453bil mainly due to interest costs and could go as high as RM12.5bil should the Port Klang Authority (PKA) default on its loan repayments in the years ahead.

It’s a staggering figure – six times bigger than the RM2.5bil scandal involving prominent personalities who diverted the money from Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF) into private accounts in 1983.

The case which went through the courts in London, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur unveiled the loss of RM660mil of taxpayers’ money. One auditor sent to investigate the case in Hong Kong ended up being murdered.

The PKFZ and BMF are two separate cases and we have no intention of making any comparisons but the crux of the issue is the need to protect public money.

It is a refreshing bold start by the Najib Administration which has advocated transparency and accountability with the people’s interest first.

The MACC has revealed that it has completed its initial investigations and would compare what it has gathered with the findings of Pricewaterhouse-Coopers Advisory Services.

The MACC said its preliminary report had been submitted to its Legal and Prosecution Division for the next the phase of action.

The public want to see serious follow up action so that questions will be answered.

They want to know, and certainly have the right to know, how mismanagement had taken place, resulting in the fiasco, and whether there had been possible potential cases of conflict of interest. How extensive was the disregard for transparency and accountability, and who else were involved in the decisions?

The Transport Ministry has taken immediate steps such as seeking professional advice on the restructuring of PKA’s financial obligations, improving and tightening governance at PKA’s management and board levels and beefing up day-to-day management of PKFZ.

It is understood that PKA is already working with legal advisers and financial consultants to carry out the minister’s directives.

That is on the part of the Transport Ministry. As for the MACC and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Malaysians want them to pursue the case without fear or favour.

The dogged determination by the leadership to uphold transparency and accountability would mean nothing if it remains just a report with no real action taken at the end of the day.

It could even backfire if the public feel that the probe was merely to appease them but with no intention of punishing those who mismanaged public money either because of incompetency or for other reasons. Justice must not only be done but seen to be done.

A tough decision has been made by Najib and Ong and they can be assured that the public fully support them, especially if blatant abuses of power and disregard for governmental procedures and guidelines are exposed.

Ong, for example, has said: “It has been a long journey for me personally. It is one that is fraught with challenges and hurdles both from within and without.”

Only the MCA president himself would know the difficulties, anxieties and pressure involved. Even any private company with limited resources would have their company rules and governance and in the case of PKFZ, the report has made some shocking revelations.

We expect the authorities, particularly MACC and PAC, to act accordingly and swiftly too, That’s what the “People First, Performance Now” slogan is about, isn’t it?

By WONG CHUN WAI

THERE’s no middle ground left in Malaysian politics – that’s how divisive politics have torn the people apart.

You are either with the Barisan Nasional or the Pakatan Rakyat: there’s no room for those who want to choose the middle ground.

You are either left suffering from political fatigue as a result of this endless round of politicking since the March 8 general election, or you just want to have more fights with more by-elections.

By-elections used to be held because the elected representatives passed away but now it is forced – in the name of democracy.

Defections, which should be condemned if one is genuinely principled, are now treated differently.

The planned Sept 16 massive defection exercise was perfectly acceptable and anticipated with glee by some sections of Malaysians, even when a democratic government had been elected.

But when a few Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen declared themselves independents, resulting in the collapse of the Perak state government, a different set of moral rules was applied.

Political circus

Never mind that the whole political circus we saw last week started with a Barisan Nasional assemblyman who crossed over to Pakatan, was welcomed ceremoniously, but before you could even remember his name, he was back in the Barisan.

Worse, can we still remember that two of the independents were charged with corruption? Before they jumped ship, his PR colleagues had claimed they were framed by the Government but the minute they quit, they were branded as opportunists.

In fact, last week, PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa told the press that PAS was wooing a Barisan assemblyman in Kelantan. We don’t recall Husam being criticised by anyone, particularly those who see themselves as righteous political leaders.

Even as we call for fresh elections in Perak, we have not heard any politician say we should enact an anti-hopping law first. What is there to prevent another round of defections after the elections?

In short, your political integrity now depends on which colour you are wearing. In the case of last week’s fiasco, black was the wrong colour as far as the police was concerned.

Peaceful protesters wearing black T-shirts were reportedly hauled up at a coffee shop. Five lawyers, who probably wore black suits, were arrested at the Brickfields police station when they turned up to defend their clients for allegedly taking part in an illegal gathering.

It was a classic case of over-reacting and the result was the police ending up with a black eye as far as public image was concerned. The Government was blamed for this, the result of some over-reactive police officers’ actions.

Transparency has also become the most abused word. The Government deserves its share of criticism for the lack of transparency, particularly in awarding massively expensive projects.

Direct negotiations seem to be the preferred method instead of open tenders, where the information should be put online for everyone to scrutinise.

The lack of proper information and denial of access to information fuel speculations and even rumours, resulting in bloggers earning more credibility than journalists. Malaysians are seeking more information because they want to know more about what’s happening in the country and, as stakeholders in the country’s future, they ought to.

Democracy does not merely mean voting in an election every five years. We have a right to have a say in how government and the relevant institutions function. That’s how democracy works.

But transparency seems to mean different things to different people. Some politicians can still talk about transparency and credibility despite having a record of making “expose” which never took place.

One Member of Parliament produced an amateurish doctored picture with outlandish claims, attempted to pass off the picture as the real thing but seems to have been quickly forgiven. He is still talking of transparency and is perceived to be a hero in some circles.

Intelligent debate needed

Consistency is lacking in Malaysian politics, with principles giving way to political ambitions and expediency. There are not many leaders like Karpal Singh, who are prepared to speak up even if it means incurring the wrath of his colleagues.

He has become the lone voice in the opposition when it comes to the topics of Islamic state and party defections. This is both sad and dangerous.

In the blogosphere, many still cannot debate intelligently or remain focused, preferring to pick an argument over a simple word or sentence of the blogger and ignoring the context of the entire blog.

Name-calling, mudslinging and condemnation seem to be the preferred mode with the commenters hiding behind anonymity.

There should be respect for different political opinions and inclinations but one is quickly condemned if one does not adhere to a certain leaning. Such frightening intolerance often comes from those who see themselves as fighting for freedom of speech.

It has been pointed out that Malaysia is now entering a new stage of democracy, infant in its own way, but the growth process should take its course and then participation in democracy would be done in a more mature way. Perhaps, when that happens we may then see greater maturity and rationale in political discourse.