At a seminar on innovation and initiatives last week, the common theme among the speakers, all successful businessmen who had no subsidies and government contracts to rely on, was about the comfort zone which many Malaysians are still trapped in.

They were concerned, even alarmed, that while China and India – with their huge pool of trained and hardworking workers – were already competing strongly, many Malaysians had still not  woken up to face the changes.

Air Asia group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes, who took over a debt-ridden airline and turned it into a profitable company within five years, is certainly someone our economics and business management students should listen to.

The accountancy graduate spoke about how he had to mortgage his house and borrowed from friends to start a dream – owning an airline – even though he knew nothing about aviation. But the difference was that he dared to take risks.

More important, Fernandes is a prudent man and he runs his company like his no-frills flights. He does not put on a necktie and he often rolls up his sleeves to sit at the check-in counter to keep track of the situation on the ground.

Easily one of the richest men in Malaysia, Fernandes does not have a driver and he jokes about how the security guards still stop him occasionally, thinking that he is a Bangladeshi worker.

With no political connections, Fernandes relates how he  had to face the bureaucracy, powerful competitors, an unhappy Singapore government, SARS and the effect of the Sept 11 incident. But his company is today listed on Bursa Malaysia – all in five years.

Then, there is low-profile Penang businessman Chan Hong Saik. The e-Business Sdn Bhd chief executive officer travels around the world selling his homebred technology system to international clients like IBM, Citigroup and Deutsche Bank.

He has to convince the big clients to buy his products. He has done all this alone, with no assistance from anyone and certainly no subsidies.

But he lamented about the mindset of our graduates, especially the lack of competitive spirit and, worse, their poor command of the English language. Many e-mail and letters, he said, contained serious grammatical errors.

He shared an anecdote of how he called for a  meeting with a group of  fresh graduate workers. After his motivating words, he told his listeners "to get the ball rolling". One young man quickly put up his hand and asked, "Sir, where is the ball?"

"During my student days, when someone had three or five distinctions in an exam, it was considered very good. Now, we have people with 15 or 16As but where are they?" he asked.

Similar sentiments were expressed by scientist Dr Ishwar S. Parhar, who now teaches at the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo and Rockefeller University in New York. He spoke about the lack of personnel and expertise, questioning the wisdom of retiring scientists and academicians at 55 years old when Malaysia was facing a serious shortage of scientists.

He urged the scientific community to compete to have their findings published in international journals if they wanted recognition. The St Xavier's Institution old boy was too polite to say it but the fact is that it would be useless for any Malaysian university to publish a journal, for any discipline, if they were only read at home.

Worse, there is little point in winning awards, whether local or international, if these competitions were not recognised by the international academic community. It would merely be a case of syiok sendiri and pulling the wool over the eyes of Malaysians who have little information on these competitions.

The timing could not have been more perfect. Last week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi correctly said that for Malaysians to be a developed nation, it must rid itself of three addictions – cheap foreign labour, subsidies and favours or connections.

Malaysians, he said, seemed to think that someone else, at the very least the government, owes them a living but he warned that the government could no longer sustain the cost of maintaining such "props" to competitiveness.

In what has been regarded as his strongest speech so far, the often diplomatic leader said that "the treasury's coffers were limited and with other countries becoming more competitive and innovative, it would be more difficult to rely on such strategies for incomes to grow".

But Abdullah has a huge task ahead to convince those who do not see these as "bad habits" but as "privileges". Some of our contractors have been so used to relying on government contracts that they do not even think of competing overseas. Worse, they then sub-let their contracts, which only inflate the costs of construction but some of them are so powerful politically it is difficult to see how Abdullah can change their mindset and attitude.

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad spent two decades cajoling, threatening and even crying, but nothing has changed. He was bold and direct, hurting the feelings and sensitivities of many, but he could afford to do so because he was already politically entrenched.

A year after his retirement, my colleagues and I met Dr Mahathir. When we asked him about unemployed graduates, he asked why this situation only affected the Malay graduates. The reasons, he said, were simply because they chose the wrong courses and also because many could not speak English.

"I remember we got companies to hire unemployed graduates and pay them RM400 each but when they got the job, they refused to do anything because it was not their line and they didn't want to learn. They were just marking time. Obviously, these people do not have the right attitude towards work," he said in that interview.

Abdullah is certainly aware of the problems. He has identified the ills but it would not be easy for him to eradicate these addictions. And he has to do this without risking his political hold.

Getting rid of the crutches is difficult but trying to stop these addictions is going to be even tougher.

Last week, Abdullah cleared whatever doubts Malaysians may have by vowing to press on with the campaign against corruption through a two-pronged strategy.

He said the government would continue the anti-corruption campaign through "preventive" and "punitive" measures. From the preventive aspect, it means closing the gaps or opportunities for corrupt activities to occur by improving the public service delivery system and by increasing the transparency and accountability in the public sector, namely through the use of an open tender system.

For example, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Lim Keng Yaik has just revealed that all bids submitted for new power plants, including those by Tenaga Nasional, will from now have to go through open tender. Although this will only apply to new tenders, it is a change from the previous system where selected companies submit their bids to the Economic Planning Unit which then makes its recommendation to the government.

On the punitive aspect, he said that he had given a free hand to the Anti-Corruption Agency to carry out its tasks, pointing out that the agency had made more arrests last year.

Abdullah emphasised that he would not make more arrests and prosecutions to raise his popularity as he subscribed to the doctrine of "innocent until proven guilty" and he could not interfere in the power of arrests of the ACA.

While public opinion is more concerned with arrests and convictions, it cannot be denied that elected representatives have never been so closely watched. The media has published prominent reports on indiscriminate development of land and, in some cases, questionable approval of land for powerful political individuals.

During a recent discussion with editors, Abdullah said leaders were aware that they were being "watched and scrutinised", and that he believed they would be careful with their actions.

But at the same time, it would also be wrong to go on a witch-hunt against politicians or businessmen on the premise of unproven allegations.  Abdullah has correctly cautioned the media about being quick "to capitalise on the public's curiosity and fascination".

In cases where the ACA has cleared those being investigated, it should be made known to ensure that the media and other interested parties have an accurate picture. That would also be helpful to the reputation of the person being probed.

But I beg to differ with the Prime Minister on the question of offering better wages to civil servants to help fight corruption. Abdullah said that if a person was corrupt, he would always be corrupt, even if he had millions in his pocket.

The civil servants in Hong Kong and Singapore are among the best paid in the world. Both economies have a reputation of having a clean and efficient civil service.

By offering better wages to our civil servants, it will attract the best to join the service. A well-salaried officer is unlikely to jeopardise his career and dignity by taking bribes.

Many of our enforcement officers, including police constables, earn less than RM1,000 a month. And the honest ones, especially those in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru, have to take a second job to feed their families. A trip to a fast-food outlet, which many of us take for granted, is regarded as a luxury for some policemen and their families.

The temptation for the lower and middle ranking civil servants, who have to deal with the public, will always be there.  Some of these officers have even asked sarcastically whether it was wrong to accept a small amount when "big fishes" seemed to have escaped, in their bid to justify their actions.

The government must certainly examine the root problems faced by our civil servants, especially those in the lower ranks, if we wish to tackle corruption effectively.

But Malaysians must be realistic about the fight against corruption. Let's not expect the Abdullah Administration to change the system overnight after just one year in office but we will back him to push his agenda.

For a start, the ministry will draw up a list of schools which are
100 years and above and which have produced students who have excelled
both in the classroom and outside.

The announcement has sparked
off a lot of excitement among former students of well-known schools
like St Xavier's Institution in Penang, the Methodist Girls School in
Malacca and the St Michael's Institution in Ipoh.

Unlike the
newer schools which are now named after districts and roads, old
schools like these had history and tradition and the students show
their loyalty and pride. The St Francis Institution in Malacca, for
example, is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.

My alma
mater, SXI, started off as an attap hut which was destroyed
during  World World II. The 153-year-old school brings fond
memories to many.

We had much respect for the brothers despite
their uncompromising emphasis on discipline. We never dared complained
to our parents after a good whack from the fearsome Brother Michael
Paulin Blais, nicknamed lau hor or "tiger" in Hokkien.

The teachers were a committed lot and they gave us an all-round education where we were encouraged to develop our own potential.

Many
of us used to distinguish ourselves from our friends in the Chinese
schools because of our strong command in English and, most of all, the
freedom to express ourselves.

Despite being a Catholic school,
the brothers never stopped students from dancing to pop songs in the
annual talent show organised by the school's Literary, Drama and
Debating Society.

The school even had an editorial board which
produced a monthly newsletter. We were allowed to write critical
articles on the school. Many of the writers went on to become
journalists.

SXI produced distinguished sons such as the late
Tan Sri Wong Pow Nee, the first Penang Chief Minister, the late
composer Jimmy Boey and the late The Star journalist Datuk Khor Cheang
Kee.

The contemporary leaders include Finance Minister II Tan
Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Deputy Heritage Minister Datuk Wong Kam Hoong
and DAP leader Karpal Singh.

Many of us can still recall the
rivalry we had with the Penang Free School, another premier school. The
intensity of our rivalry sometimes broke out into fights during
football and hockey matches.

But many of these schools have
suffered much neglect over the years, especially due to the lack of
funds. The roof in many parts of SXI, which is the first in the country
run by the La Salle Brothers, is leaking and there is a need to improve
the infrastructure.

Many fund-raising projects have been carried out by the old boys but it has not been easy.

Beyond
the physical problems, there is also the issue of the character and
tradition of these schools. In some schools, with the brothers and
sisters no longer in charge, changes are sometimes made for the
flimsiest of reasons or worse, the prejudices of the principals.

The names of sports houses, usually named after distinguished La Salle educators, for example, have been replaced by "colours".

But
the one thing that makes these schools stand out is the environment
that allowed us to make many good friends of all races and religions.

The brothers never made any attempt to convert us. All they wanted was to make us become educated, loyal and honest Malaysians.

Those of us who have watched the debates in the British Parliament on television, even for just a few minutes, must have wished that our wakil rakyat could do the same.

Last week, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib announced that 10 researchers would be appointed this year to help the MPs study the  issues raised, thereby enhancing the quality of the debates. He said priority would be given to masters degree holders with at least 10 years' experience in conducting research and in writing research papers.

These researchers would certainly be useful but the Dewan Rakyat may want to engage more part-time researchers as there are 219 MPs in all. Even if the MPs may not want to use the work of these researchers in full, the background and relevant points would help the MPs debate more intelligently.

But such support would be meaningless if our representatives cannot refrain  from making silly remarks, especially sexist ones, against women MPs.

Many of these remarks uttered over the past week are not only offensive but reflect badly on the MPs. For some strange reason, women MPs Chong Eng (DAP – Bukit Mertajam) and Fong Po Kuan (DAP – Ipoh Timur) are always targeted, presumably because they always fall into the political trap of reacting aggressively to such provocation.

Recently, one MP implied that Fong's assertive character was a reason why many Malaysian women prefer to remain single. The uproar had started innocently enough with Kota Melaka MP Wong Nai Chee talking about the rising number of divorce cases in Malaysia.

Not long after that, Datuk Badruddin Amiruldin (BN-Jerai) sought clarification from Wong, asking "what type of man would last with someone like the MP from Batu Gajah".

That was enough for the MPs from both the government and opposition benches to turn the Dewan upside down, with abuses being hurled as they shouted at each other. Yes, like rowdies in the school yard. The next day, the theatrics continued until Badruddin apologised and withdrew his remark.

The MPs presumably had a good time and a good laugh over it at the canteen while the reporters would have enjoyed the lively exchange of words. But Malaysians in general must have wondered what the point was about.

No one was left any smarter on how to cope with the rising number of divorce cases and why many Malaysian women chose not to get married but many would just remember the fierce verbal clash.

Another backbencher suggested last week that the Government abolish the Dangerous Drugs Act and instead provide free drugs to addicts, noting that the present death penalty had not deterred drug abusers.

Baharum Mohamed (BN – Sekijang) said drug pushers would be out of business if the Government started giving out free drugs, adding that the government could be the supplier.

We do not know the tone of this MP's suggestion and whether it was made in jest or in a sardonic manner but it is certainly mind-boggling. Surely Baharum is not suggesting that we follow the liberal stand of the Dutch government in dealing with drugs, including legalising marijuana.

Then there are the elected representatives from Penang, where the debates in the state assembly have always been lively even during the days of DAP representative Yeap Ghim Guan, notorious for his marathon speeches, and lawyer Karpal Singh, who once sent his pencil flying in the direction of then Chief Minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu.

Last week, Batu Uban representative Goh Kheng Sneah suggested that a casino be built in Penang, saying he spoke with a clear conscience, as such a move would woo tourists to the state.

His proposal is unlikely to become a reality from a political, religious and social perspective. In the same speech, however, he also suggested that Penang set up a theme park, similar to the ones in Genting Highlands and Sunway.

It is good to know that Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has tried hard to make Penang shine again after the criticism against the state leadership. He has organised workshops on tourism and conservation, as well as made promotional trips overseas. Due credit must be given.

But Penang must be cautious about theme parks. Many state governments start off with great plans but along the way realise that cool weather is crucial to the success of such parks, as in the case of Genting, while in Sunway, it is a wet theme park.

The elected representative of the week must surely be Ariff Shah Omar Shah of Seberang Jaya who suggested that George Town be renamed Bandar Datuk Abdullah Fahim, the grandfather of the Prime Minister. He also suggested that Gurney Drive be renamed Tan Sri Wong Pow Nee Drive, after the former Chief Minister.

There is nothing wrong with his proposal but it is outdated for Ariff Shah, in this age, to talk about changing the road names in order "to get rid of the colonial past, for the sake of our future generation".

As a Penangite, I hope that Ariff Shah will not suggest next that we tear down the heritage buildings in Penang, as those too would remind us of our colonial past, or to stop speaking English, the language of the colonialists.

Maybe we should even discard the western suit and tie that elected representatives wear to meetings as this would also be emulating the West too much.

Instead of  normal classrooms, they are kept in a room with iron bars, as in any prison cell. The only luxury they enjoy are two fans. The warders, like protective fathers, have put them together.

At a meeting last week, these juveniles, being the teenagers they are, spoke about their hopes, dreams, ambitions and frustrations. Some of these feelings are expressed in their drawings. It is clear they have accepted the fact that they must face the consequences of their action.

There is a painting of a mosque, which is on display on the class-cell wall, and the boy responsible spoke of his hope to pray at his village mosque once he has served his jail sentence.

His fellow prisoner, the boy who killed a  teacher's child, imagined an encounter with aliens. He loves science fiction and idolises Harry Potter. Despite being in jail, he harbours hopes of becoming a Federal Reserve Unit officer. He passed the PMR despite the odds against him. He scored A1 in English and B1 in Bahasa Malaysia and C4 in four other subjects.

The nine former schoolmates appeared jovial last week as they were still in celebratory mood after passing the SPM. They had  help from five teachers from their previous school who came to prison to teach them twice a week for two to three hours each time.

Then, there is a girl who is being remanded as she awaits her case to be heard for allegedly killing her stepfather. She wants to be an accountant when she walks out a free person.

Additional Mathematics is her favourite subject but she has missed the SPM because she was not confident of taking the exam. Luckily for her, a lecturer has volunteered to teach her. Sitting next to her was another girl who is facing drug trafficking charges; her adult boyfriend faces a similar charge.

A colleague of mine promised to get her a job if she passed the SPM or STPM with good results, promising to keep in touch with her. A radiant smile broke out as she heard that. Her sister, also under remand on a similar charge, is in the same prison and preparing for the PMR.

There are currently 56 juvenile convicts at the prison, but only 19 are pursuing academic courses. Their convictions range from drug possession, murder to rape. The rest are either not interested in studying or are just serving out their jail terms.

Kajang Prison director Alzafry Mohamed Alnassif Mohamed Adahan has appealed for books, stationery, chairs, tables and personal computers for these young prisoners.

The prison, originally built for 2,500 people, is overcrowded with over 5,000 inmates. With space a major problem, Alzafry can only spare limited space for these youngsters, who study in a dormitory with a few tables.

Their families bring in textbooks and workbooks but there is no allocation from the prison for young prisoners who have no access to such things. For science subjects, they have to use their imagination to understand what they read from their textbooks; there is no practical session in laboratories.

Alzafry used to spend his free time in Kajang as a student in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in Bangi but never imagined that he would end up running the town's prison.

The 44-year-old social science graduate from Kedah talked about his hopes to do more for these students, including having a juvenile learning centre that allows teachers and trainers easy access without feeling intimidated.

"I am touched by their courage and determination to study. They don't know if they will ever leave prison but they want to do well. They still talk about their ambitions," he said.

As the visit came to an end, the prison officials and journalists talked about how they had to push their children to study while these teenagers want to study badly but have been deprived of the facilities and support.

That is human nature as we often take for granted our daily little blessings in life.

He was trained in the Aramaic prayers and marked out as a promising candidate for the priesthood and was ordained as a deacon.

But as fate would have it, Gabriel is today using his knowledge of the Bible not to preach from the pulpit but to guide pilgrims instead. Leaving school at 16 to join the British Army in 1942, this colourful character runs a profitable tour agency.

I met Gabriel during my recent trip to Jerusalem with other Malaysian pilgrims. We were invited to his house, located on the lower slopes of Mount Scopus.

Among the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities, he is a highly respected man with plenty of stories to tell.

Two days after Israel was created in 1948, Gabriel and his family were forced out of their home in Bethlehem at gunpoint.

He had to take refuge at a church with about 50 other families before his family fled to Madaba, an old Arab town in Jordan. That traumatic experience proved too much for his father who fell ill. It was nearly 19 years later that the family was able to return to Bethlehem but the house they used to live in at the Musrara Quarter had been destroyed. And Jerusalem had become a divided city.

In Bethlehem, the place where Jesus was born, the Khanos lived next door to Khalil Iskander Shahin. Khalil became famous and rich after he bought the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest and largest collection of Bible manuscripts.

Gabriel might have been in a similar situation but he was not so lucky. He too went to search for the scrolls in one of the caves but gave up after seeing thousands of bats. He also could not stand the stench of guano. Unfortunately for him, a search party later found more scrolls in the cave that he had turned his back on.

Today, Bethlehem, where the Church of Nativity is located, has become a compulsory stop for Christian pilgrims. It is under the jurisdiction of the Palestine Authority.

Despite the past, there is no sense of bitterness at all in Gabriel, a man who has seen much. Over tea and sweet Arab cookies, Gabriel shared his experiences with the Malaysians, praying that the Palestinians and Israelis would live in peace soon.

The peace process had just started when we arrived and there appeared to be much optimism in the Holy Land. Many believed that peace would be a reality finally.

For Gabriel, who landed in prison once after his many brushes with the law, there is only human tragedy – not national or political tragedy. There is only human frailty because we cannot forgive. Most of us are also quick to be angry.

He feels that many people, especially those in the West, cannot understand the plight of the Palestinians, contributing to Arab antagonism and racial and religious prejudices.

Similarly, he is unhappy with those who sympathise with the Palestinian cause only from a religious angle, forgetting that there are Palestinian Christians who share the same sentiment. There were also Jews I met during the trip who support the Palestinian cause.

Gabriel's English wife, Delia, has written a book about her husband and the Palestinian issue, in the hope that Christians would understand their problems better, describing the Palestinians as God's chosen people too.

After I finished the book last weekend, I thought about the timing of my trip to the Holy Land. It was a time when the peace process had started and I felt very blessed that I had the opportunity to "feel and see" the Bible coming alive.

More than that, like the Malaysians in my group, we had the opportunity to meet Palestinians like Gabriel and our tour guide, an Arab Christian who holds Israeli nationality.

Like most Malaysians, some of us had assumed that all Palestinians are Muslims and all Jews hate Palestinians. As we walked through Jerusalem, our eyes, minds and hearts opened.

Politicians sometimes want us to see things their way for their own interest, but all of us are just ordinary people. Regardless of our faith, we only want to live simple but peaceful lives.

Day Four – March 1, Chinese food at Haifa, Mt Carmel,
Caesarea

AFTER days of Middle Eastern food, we had lunch at the "Taiwan Restaurant" in
Haifa. Owned by a Jew, the restaurant cooks looked like Thais to me but the
cooking was quite authentic.

Before that, we had to climb the hilly ancient site of Megiddo, where many
ancient and bitter battles had taken place.

It is mentioned in the Bible as one of the cities that Solomon built. Two
fortresses from the period of Solomon had been uncovered there.  This site is also believed to be the last
battlefield between Good and Evil (Revelation 16, 12-16), the Armageddon in
bible prophecy.

Our journey continued to Caesarea, once the capital of the Roman province.
Pontius Pilate, who ordered Jesus' crucifixion, lived here. It was also from
the harbour here that St Paul was taken to Rome to be tried (Acts 27, 1-2) and
sentenced to death.

Then it was straight to Jerusalem, the old capital of Israel, but we had to
pass Tel Aviv, the present capital of modern Israel, first. We drove past rows
and rows of impressive-looking shopping malls, clubs and pubs. I wished we had
spent a night there but we reminded ourselves that this was a spiritual journey
and not a tour. So Tel Aviv did not warrant a stop.

Day Five – March 2, Bethlehem

We entered Bethlehem, where Jesus was born 2,000 years ago. It was the place
where Joseph and his pregnant wife, Mary, came to register as ordered by
Emperor Augustus (Luke 2:2-7).

The highlight of the visit was the Church of Nativity. There is neither stable
nor manger here but a series of grottoes where we are told Christ was
born.

Tradition has it that Mary stayed here in fear of King Herod, the vicious
regent of Jerusalem, who was determined to kill the child. The church was built
circa 324, by Helena, the mother of Constantine I, the first Roman Emperor to
become a Christian.

We prayed and took our turns to kiss the holy star symbol on the spot where
Jesus was born. It was really emotional for all of us.

The Church of Nativity is the oldest church in Israel and in 2002, it made
world news when Israeli soldiers fired into the church, where about 200 people,
including Palestinian militants and policemen and clergy, had sought refuge in
a standoff with Israel. During the two-week standoff, Israel ringed the church
with tanks, armoured personnel carriers and snipers.

For lunch at Bethlehem, we stopped at a Chinese restaurant where, to my
surprise, the chefs were all Palestinians. Either they were good cooks or we
were terribly hungry.

The journey of faith continued with a trip to Shepherd's Field. Tradition has
it that this was where angels announced the birth of Christ.

It is an open, rocky wooded field. Our two pastors conducted Holy Communion in
a church, where a grotto, the typical home of a poor shepherd, once
stood.

The trip continued to the Place of Ascension, where 40 days after Jesus'
resurrection, he rose to heaven (Luke 24:50-51, Mark 16:19).

The Church of St Peter in Gallicantu on Mount Zion, one of the day's stops, was
interesting. What was once the house of Caiaphas the high priest, and the site
to where Jesus was brought after he was arrested, is now a church dedicated to
Peter, the apostle, who denied Jesus three times. Gallicantu is the Latin word
for "when the cock crows."

Just a stone's throw away is the Upper Room, where the Last Supper is said to
have taken place. It is a large hallway with Gothic architectural elements
built by the Crusaders in the early 14th century, on top of a much older
structure.

This was also where 120 people – the apostles, other disciples and Jesus'
mother, Mary – gathered after the Ascension to wait for Pentecost.

Another important stop was the Pater Noster Church, where Jesus taught the
Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Tradition has it that Jesus stayed here on his
last journey to Jerusalem.

On the walls of the church is the Lord's Prayer in over 100 languages, set in
mosaic. I looked for but could not find a Bahasa Malaysia version. But there
were translations in Bahasa Indonesia and Kadazan. The latter was a pleasant
surprise indeed.

Day Six – March 3, Via Dolorosa and the Wailing Wall

There is high expectation in the air. Today, the Malaysians would be carrying a
wooden cross – just like Jesus had done.

This took place along the 500m Via Dolorosa, the route along which Jesus
carried the cross on his back from the Antonia Fortress to Calvary, which winds
its way through the Old City's Muslim and Christian Quarters.

When we began our religious ritual at about 8am, the many Arab shops selling
everything from Christian religious items to Persian rugs had yet to
open.

Rubbish was strewn along the way, making the Fourteen Stations of the Cross an
unwelcome sight. The stalls, which lined the route, reminded me of the Kek Lok
Si temple in Penang.

We were not the only pilgrims who carried the cross. The others we met were
Indonesians. A few wept openly as they carried the cross, which touched many
hearts.

We ended at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, regarded as the most sacred place
on earth for Christians. It was here that Jesus was said to have been nailed to
the cross, suffered and died. From here, he was lowered from the cross and
placed in his tomb.

Next stop: the Wailing Wall, also known as the Western Wall. Many of us were
fascinated at the sight as we had only watched it on television. The wall is
the Jews' holiest shrine as it is the last accessible relic of the temple built
in 20BC that was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.

Outsiders are permitted to enter the area and even touch the wall. The only
condition is that we wear a  "yarmulke",
the skullcap worn by Jews. We made do with paper stapled ones that are
available to visitors.

During lunch at an Indian restaurant, we met an Indian Jew, complete with his
Jewish skullcap. He was a businessman and could not resist talking to our
fellow pilgrims from the Mar Thoma Syrian Church on hearing them speak
Malayalee, his ancestral tongue. They chatted happily about their Indian home
province, Kerala, and how he became a Jew.

Day Seven – March 4, a brush with pickpockets

What a day! On the way to the Garden Tomb, another possible site where Jesus
was crucified, I had my wallet picked by two teenagers who, on the pretext of
selling postcards, had followed me closely. I was tired and obviously not
alert, so they seized the opportunity.

This took place at around 4pm in front of a police station.

I felt a hand slip into my front pocket of my tight jeans. It was done within
seconds and I quickly let out a loud yell.

My shouts created a commotion, with my fellow pilgrims and locals wanting to
find out what had happened. Still in shock, I told the guide to use his "street
contacts" to get back my credit cards and MyKad.

But before we could decide on what to do next, a man walked up to us and
returned my wallet. Still in a daze, I did not even thank the man. The money –
US$80 (RM304) – and cards were intact. Praise the Lord!

Our Malaysian tour manager reminded us that "in the holy land, not everyone is
holy".

At the Garden Tomb is an outcrop that looks like a human skull outside the
northern wall of Jerusalem. This is said to be place where Jesus was crucified
and where the Bible says, "there was a garden, a new tomb where no one had ever
laid", although not all archaeologists agree.

Not far is the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus went with his most trusted
disciples to find solitude and pray. The garden at the Gethsemane Church, also
known as the Agony Church, contains olive trees thousands of years old.

Day Eight – March 5, the

Qumran and the Dead Sea

After having read so much about the Dead Sea Scrolls, I saw the caves in Qumran
where they had been found.

The scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves on the northwest
shore of the Dead Sea, east of Jerusalem. They contain early copies of the
Scriptures and other writings.

It was fun time next. Just a short distance away from the caves is the shore of
the Dead Sea, one of the most spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes in
the world. It is the lowest point on earth at 417m below sea level and the
world's richest source of natural earths.

As the name evokes, the Dead Sea is devoid of life due to an extremely high
content of salt minerals but there have been recent findings of some bacteria
and algae in the water.

We changed into our bathing suits quickly and plunged into the water. Both the
men and women quickly smeared their faces and bodies with black mud, said to
have curative powers and therapeutic qualities. Everyone wanted to look young.
Even the senior citizens from the Mar Thoma Syrian Church sportingly went into
the waters in their saris.

Day Nine – March 6, Mount

Nebo and flight home

This was the last leg of the journey. We were tired and homesick but we all
agreed that it had been spiritually fulfilling trip.

At a thanksgiving service the night before, I spoke about my transformation
from being a Christian hater and how I struggle with my regrets, mistakes and
continuing sins daily.

I accepted the Lord only five years ago and amazingly, here I was in the Holy
Land. I recalled how I cried as I carried the cross and how the Lord must have
watched over me, not once but many times, the latest sending a passing angel
who ensured my wallet was returned to me.

As we headed towards the Jordan border, we sang Christian songs and naturally,
Shalom, Till We Meet Again.

We prayed for our Muslim driver, Ahmad Badawi, a 63-year-old Arab, and our
Indonesian-speaking guide, Jeries Farra.

We were the first bus to cross the Allenby Bridge and this time, the Israel
Immigration was efficient and even cheerful. We were practically waved through.
We entered Jordan with great relief.

The trip ended with a visit to the "original baptismal site" and a trip to
Mount Nebo, where God showed Moses the Promised Land. At the top of the hill is
a metal cross with a serpent, symbolising the bronze reptile that Moses made so
that those who were bitten and looked on it were healed. (Numbers 21:9)

A quick lunch of 20 minutes followed next, after a short visit to Madaba, along
the 5,000-year-old King's Highway where Moses had travelled. The Arabian town
of mostly Christians is known as the City of Mosaics as it boasts a Greek
Orthodox Church of St George with a 6th century Byzantine mosaic map showing
the entire region from Jordan and Palestine in the north to Egypt in the
south.

A funny thing happened on our way to lunch. I was stopped by a group of
youngsters who, probably taken by my black leather jacket and sunglasses, kept
calling me "Jackie Chan" – a reference to the Hong Kong superstar.

To these young Jordanians, the kung fu actor was obviously their link to
Chinese. As I sat down for lunch at a nearby restaurant, the owner and his
waiters were still excitedly talking about Jackie Chan.

Strangely, more than 10 years ago, when I was in Sarajevo in Bosnia, shortly
after the war ended, some adults shouted "Bruce Lee" at me as I walked past.
It's the sign of the times, I guess. It's in with the new and out with the
old.

We reached Queen Alia airport just in time to catch the flight to Dubai, where
we had a five-hour wait for our flight home to Kuala Lumpur.

 *For enquiries about Christian pilgrimage tours, contact: World Discovery
Travel, Ground Floor, Wisma TK Tang, No. 4 Jalan Yap Ah Loy, 50050 Kuala
Lumpur. Tel: 03-2026 1128.

I had just returned to Jordan after spending eight days in Jerusalem and other religiously significant areas.

With the approval of the Malaysian Immigration Department, my church members and I managed to enter Israel. Our journey, led by two pastors, also took us to Jericho, Nazareth and Bethlehem – towns that came under the jurisdiction of the Palestine Authority.

In Bethlehem, I met Sibly Kando, the grandson of a Palestinian shopkeeper, Khalil Iskander Shahin, who first bought the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest and largest collection of manuscripts with references to the Bible.

Sibly, who runs a souvenir shop selling Christian items, was pleased to meet us because we were only the seventh group of pilgrims to enter his shop over the last five years.

"It has been really hard for all of us because pilgrims and tourists stopped coming when they heard of all the trouble," said the 35-year-old trader.

Sipping tea with me, he talked fondly about his famous grandfather. Khalil was jailed for 10 days after buying the scrolls from a Bedouin shepherd boy who discovered them at the Qumran Caves in 1947 near the Dead Sea.

"I hope such stories will attract more pilgrims. The peace process must succeed. Ordinary Palestinians and Israelis don't care about the politics; we just want to earn a living like everyone else," said Sibly.

We travelled to Jerusalem, the focal point of our trip, where we met Jews and Muslim and Christian Arabs. Listening to them helped me understand their hopes and frustrations.

Jerusalem means "city of peace" but it is a hotly contested city despite being just a mass of white stone dwellings.

It is a holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. It is holy for the Jews because their Temple, destroyed in 70AD, was thought to be here.

For Christians, Jerusalem was where Jesus Christ was crucified and rose from the dead while for Muslims, Prophet Muhammad was closely associated with the city and because of its over 1,400 years of Islamic history.

In Palestine-controlled Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, we were the only ones staying at the huge hotel. It has been like that for years – the conflicting sides paying a high political, economic and social price.

Tourism has collapsed, depriving the Palestinians of visitors to many of the biblical towns, while Israel has had to pour money into its security system, resulting in a lowering of the standard of living.

Huge amounts have been spent to build Jewish settlements in areas that Israel confiscated from the Palestinians. Now, these settlements have to go if the peace process is to succeed.

The economy contracted from an 8% growth in 2000 to just 1% three years later as foreign investments dried up. Health service, social security and education budgets for the Israelis were severely cut as a result.

While Palestinians have grappled with unemployment for years, the Jews are now facing a situation unknown before in Israel. In 2003, about 19.2% of Israelis were living below the poverty line.

The wall erected along the West Bank has also been a costly and unproductive project, attracting much criticism.

Our tourist guide Jeries Farra, an Arab who speaks passionately for his brethren in Palestine, said the community could do with more pilgrims.

"Besides Americans and Europeans, the largest number of Asian pilgrims are from Indonesia and South Korea. Please come again," he said.

Jeries, who taught himself Bahasa Indonesia, harbours hopes of visiting Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore after meeting Christians from the region.

He sings the tune from the hugely successful commercial "Malaysia – Truly Asia" and had once signed up for a Superstar Cruise from Singapore via Malaysia to Thailand.

But his visa to Malaysia was rejected. Jeries is an Israeli citizen of Arab descent, a Christian who supports the Palestinian cause.

That is hardly the standard picture of an ordinary Israeli, who is usually perceived to be Jewish and practising Judaism.

We must pray for the wall in the West Bank to come down, just like the Berlin Wall. I would like to meet Jeries in Malaysia one day, and show him how Malaysians of different faiths live together in harmony.

Lest we forget, we must always learn to forgive those who have hurt us as much as we learn not to hurt others. That should be the spirit of Easter.

As I boarded an Emirates Airlines plane, an air
stewardess asked me whether it would be safe to travel to Jerusalem. Like my
fellow pilgrims, I told her we would be safe as we have faith in God.

Since last month, with the start of the peace negotiations between the Israelis
and the Palestinians, many have felt encouraged by the lull in fighting.
Religious tours have started again.

Through my church, the Emmanuel Methodist Church in Petaling Jaya, a group of
us applied to the Immigration Department to make the pilgrimage to the Holy
Land.

The arrangements were handled by World Discovery Travel Sdn Bhd, a Kuala Lumpur
travel agency which specialises in Christian pilgrimages. The rules are simple
– the travellers must be certified Christians. Approval procedures included
submitting letters from the church to verify membership as well as baptism
certificates. The group must also be accompanied by a pastor or a priest.

The Immigration Department takes about two weeks to vet the applications before
stamping the Malaysian passports to state that permission has been granted for
a single trip to Baitul Maqdis, the Arabic name of Jerusalem.

Malaysians are not allowed to travel to Israel as Malaysia has no diplomatic
ties with the country. But thanks to the understanding, tolerance and
flexibility of the Malaysian Government, restricted trips are allowed to
Jerusalem for religious purposes.

Other Muslim countries, like Indonesia, have similar arrangements which allow
their Christian citizens to perform their religious obligations. The
Indonesians make up the largest number of pilgrims from South-East Asia.

An eight-day trip to Jerusalem and other towns of Christian importance costs
over RM5,000, inclusive of accommodation and food.

Although some might be tempted to make the trip since Israel is out of bounds
to ordinary tourists, the fact is that a visit like this would be meaningless
for them.

It is, after all, a pilgrimage and, as the name suggests, a journey of faith
made up of visits to churches and other religiously significant spots, daily
prayers, hymn singing and religious ceremonies.

Even a Christian who does not know his Bible would find himself overwhelmed
because the names of the characters and places would be lost on him.

Our guides, Muslim driver Ahmad Badawi and Arab Christian guide Jeries Farra,
were superb. They spoke excellent English and in Farra's case, even excellent
Bahasa Indonesia. The Bible-quoting man had taught himself the language as he
handles many Indonesian groups.

The US currency is widely used in Israel. Change given is either in US dollars
or the Israeli shekel, which is slightly less than our ringgit in value. A
visit to the toilet costs a shekel.

For Malaysians visiting Israel, it is indeed an eye-opener. First, many are
able to draw the distinction between a Judaism-practising Jew and a Christian
better. Despite certain similarities, there are vast differences as the Jews do
not accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

The word used by our guide, in modern computer terms, was "deleted" – the ultra
orthodox Jews dismiss Jesus while the secular, modern Jews regard him as
nothing more than an important figure in their history.

Next, the 40 years of unjust occupation by Israel of Palestinian territories
was glaring. Farra was emotional at times when he spoke against the unfair
practices, alerting us to the wall being constructed on the West Bank.

But most frustrating were the checkpoints, manned by Israeli soldiers, outside
towns such as Bethlehem, Jericho and Nazareth – all important Biblical towns –
under the control of the Palestine Authority.

I saw how many Palestinians, including those with children, were sometimes made
to wait for hours as their documents were checked. Hence, the simple act of
entering their hometowns can become a six-hour ordeal, affecting their
productivity and hampering their movements.

Deprived of funds, real autonomy and economic growth, the Palestinian towns are
dirty and poor.

In contrast, the Israeli-run areas are clean, affluent and, in many places,
reminded me of Los Angeles, with its manicured lawns, rolling hills and palm
tree-lined roads.

Then there are the smartly dressed and blonde haired men and women, as well as
the ultra orthodox Jews with their black hats and jackets.

For the Palestinians, they need the dollars of the pilgrims badly. The people
work in shops that produce religious items and many individuals sell these to
eke out a living.

Our Malaysian tour manager, Inbam Solomon, repeatedly appealed to us to buy from
the Palestinians, saying they needed our help and many of us bought more than
what we wanted to lend support to the Palestinian cause.

And in many of our daily prayers, we prayed that there would be peace forever
in this land – the Israelis and the Palestinians alike need it.

With China having emerged as the world's biggest economy, we realised that our daughter must have good grounding in Chinese studies. It would be different if she were to have just an hour daily of Chinese language class in primary school.

During my primary schooldays at St Xavier's Institution, I signed up for Chinese studies under the Pupil's Own Language programme. As far as I can recall, it was a flop because many of us did not take the lessons seriously – there was no compulsory examination. Until now, I cannot write my name in Chinese.

If we want to study any language well we have to spend time on it, not just an hour or two a week.

My parents, both Chinese-educated, decided to send their three sons to a Christian missionary school during the 1960s also for economic reasons.

England was an economic powerhouse and it was probably the only country then where Malaysians could send their children to university. Degrees from Taiwan were not recognised then and not many school-leavers from Chinese-medium schools could enter British universities because they lacked proficiency in the language.

So, England was the number one choice. In the 1980s, the United States and Canada opened their doors to Malaysians; a decade later, as the strength of our currency depreciated, we shifted our education opportunities to Australia.

Again it was for pragmatic reasons.

Like my parents, my wife and I think about how our daughter will excel in her studies and what she would grow up to be. We think of what she can accomplish for Malaysia.

She, too, wants to stay in Malaysia and help the country that we are all proud of. Irrespective of what schools we go to, we are loyal to Malaysia.

Today, more and more foreigners, including many Westerners, are sending their children to study Chinese in Beijing universities. They want their children to speak Chinese the Beijing way and to understand the locals better. That aside, many value the importance of networking.

Malaysia and Singapore, for example, have a business edge over other Asean countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia when it comes to doing business with China because of cultural and ethnic links.

Similarly, the Indian business community in Malaysia and Singapore has the advantage when it comes to India, another emerging global player. But in the case of India, English is widely spoken.

The cultural diversity should be regarded as an asset. In a globalised world, multi-culturalism has become the keyword. For some nationalists who want to "keep a round world in their square peg", they would be left behind.

The demand for Chinese mother-tongue education is natural, especially in urban areas like Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Negri Sembilan and Selangor because many Malaysians see its importance in the global context.

The request by the MCA for more mother-tongue allocation under the 9th Malaysia Plan is nothing unusual. It has always been an MCA agenda and Barisan Nasional, through its tolerant leadership, has always supported it.

It is not an issue drawn up by Chinese associations and organisations. I can say, without any prejudice, that this is the sentiment of the majority of the Chinese community.

But we must also examine the importance of quality education in schools.

Learning a language because it is good for business should not be the only criteria. In the past, if many of us studied in English-medium schools, especially the missionary schools, it was because our parents believed that the standard of teaching was good. They were right.

Those who have spoken up against vernacular schools seem to have ignored the fact that almost 90% of Chinese primary school students entered national schools at Form One. Only a small percentage joined private schools.

From the manner in which some reporters posed their questions and the replies from some politicians, I gathered that some of our media and politician friends do not realise this.

I share their concern about our children mixing with one another more and certainly our national education system should reach greater heights. More resources should be channelled into national schools to make them attractive to students of all races.

We must also support the Students Integration Programme, mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he was Education Minister in 1987. Under the programme, vernacular and national primary school students would have joint extracurricular activities to boost interaction and mutual understanding.

Similarly, Chinese educationists should stop talking about building more Chinese schools if there is no corresponding increase in the number of Chinese teachers.

There may be a demand for Chinese schools in urban areas but in some villages, there are more Malay or Indian students than Chinese. In these cases, the schools should be relocated.

Education should not be politicised and our politicians and editors should not be reactionary and make baseless accusations. It would not happen if we see issues from a Malaysian angle.