Controversial policy: A schoolgirl walking home from school in the Fayzabad district of Badakhshan Province. Afghanistan is the only country in the world that does not allow girls and women to attend secondary school and university, and forbids women from working. — AFP

EDUCATION Minister Fadhlina Sidek found herself in a tight spot over the move to host officials from the Taliban-led Afghanistan government here last week.

Some MPs queried her over the visit and their reservations are understandable given the oppressive and extremist nature of that government.

It is the only country in the world that does not allow girls and women to attend secondary school and university and forbids women from working in many jobs.

Kabul has very few friends, but the reality is that the Taliban are in power and while many countries are dragging their feet to recognise them, they are running the government.

DAP MP Lim Guan Eng raised concerns that Malaysia might be seen as condoning Afghanistan’s policies, particularly the ban on women’s education, but several defensive PAS MPs criticised the Bagan MP.

Kuala Kerian MP Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, the PAS deputy president, said the current Afghanistan administration is “not a Taliban government.’’ He is wrong. Of course it is a Taliban government, but meeting Taliban leaders and officials is not tantamount to agreeing with their policies, just like meeting Communist Party of China leaders does not mean we support communism; or engaging with openly gay foreign leaders does not make us advocates of their lifestyles.

If only some of our lawmakers could think with their heads instead of just wanting to score points. There is no doubt that there is global concern over how the Taliban run their country. Unless they change, the world will continue to shun Afghanistan.

Since 2023, funds to develop the country from international aid organisations have been put on hold because of its policies, which has put its 15.8 million people in continued misery. It has been reported that over 25 government-run hospitals lost their international funding and the World Food Programme has also cut its assistance to 10 million Afghans.

That aside, the people in rural areas have had to deal with the drastic implications of flooding, droughts and earthquakes, which have decimated their produce.

The United States, which fought against the Taliban, had been the largest international donor to Afghanistan having provided over US$2.6bil (RM11.6bil) via the United Nations and other non-governmental organisations.

However, after the fall of Kabul in 2021, the Biden administration froze the funds as it said it was unclear who had the legal authority to access the account.

The Taliban government, which is said to be divided among various factions, has been insistent on continuing its policy of banning women from formal education, but its willingness to meet a female Malaysian education minister should be seen as an opportunity.

The MOE’s statement on the matter has certain key words – “we showcased an inclusive education system focused on increasing access and equity across socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, and geography.

“This includes eliminating gender disparities and ensuring equal and inclusive access at all education levels.

“The MOE’s commitment aligns with the statement last year by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who expressed readiness to enhance cooperation with Afghanistan. At the same time, education rights cannot be denied.

“Malaysia is committed to and fully supports the right to education and access to education for girls.’’

During the week-long visit from Nov 4, the Afghans visited SMKA Putrajaya, Institut Pendidikan Guru Perempuan Melayu in Melaka, Bukit Jalil Sports School and Sekolah Seri Puteri, Cyberjaya. It was an eye-opener as the visits included co-ed institutions.

”They saw how Islamic Studies and English, together with sciences, can be taught in proper Islamic schools,” one official said.

He said the Afghans were open to all “except for music classes.” The Taliban have banned music and all forms of entertainment since taking over in 2021.

The Malaysian stand, however, is clear. Meeting these Afghans enables us to convince them that providing education to females is important – surely, these Taliban, too, have daughters, sisters and mothers.

Do they want to deprive a whole generation of females of proper schooling because of their extreme interpretation of religion, or a fear that their authority will be challenged?

According to news reports, the delegation was led by Shahabuddin Saqib, the director-general of the Afghan education ministry. Fadhlina said the delegation also took part in several discussions with MOE, where her ministry “shared insights on education.’’

Rather than frown upon their visit, I feel it is good that they chose Malaysia as a place where they could learn.

Perhaps, the delegation can convince the hardliners back home to have a rethink. It could perhaps start off by allowing females in the urban areas to attend classes online.

If that can happen, although it sounds like a long shot, it will enable Kabul to negotiate for the resumption of funds.

A harsh winter is coming, and the Taliban will have plenty of time to think although unfortunately, the people will be facing tough times. But these are resilient people. They have defeated the British, Russians and Americans in wars.

It doesn’t help that the people in power are mostly war veterans not trained in the subtleties of diplomacy, finance and economics, skills needed to turn the country around.

Malaysia no longer has an embassy in Kabul while the Afghan embassy here was established before the Taliban government was formed. Its representatives are invited to functions and no one can miss them in their traditional clothes.

However, Putrajaya continues to take a “cautious approach” on its relations with Afghanistan and waits for signals from international bodies like the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) before deciding on whether to resume official diplomatic ties.

The US has a “interest section’’ in Kabul which it operates under the Qatar government. Normally, if a country does not have diplomatic relations with another, it will have an “interest section” run by another friendly country. In some cases, it could be just a one-man show “liaison office.”

In Baghdad, during the United Nations sanctions against Iraq under the late Saddam Hussein, the US had its interest section under the Polish embassy.

In short, no matter what happens, the engagement remains. At least a listening post stays open. Intelligence gathering is sometimes carried out via an existing “humanitarian NGO” operating in Afghanistan or through a third-party, particularly Muslim countries which still have embassies there.

Most countries have continued their engagement with the Afghans in unofficial capacities and these, even on a personal level, are beneficial.

China, for one, is among the strongest supporters of Afghanistan. It has an embassy in Kabul and has extended economic aid and multi-dollar loans to develop the country, with which it shares a 92km border.

Chinese tourists to Afghanistan have grown since 2021 after the Taliban took control with over 7,000 Chinese tourists in 2023, a remarkable increase of 913% from 2012, according to the Tourism Directorate in Kabul.

Indonesia has shut down its embassy in Kabul but its ambassador in Islamabad, Pakistan, is also accredited to Kabul. That means Indonesia still has full diplomatic ties with Kabul.

As much as my writings have been critical of the Taliban, it has not prevented me from making friends with journalists who work at Bakhtar News Agency, the official news agency of Afghanistan.

If the Afghans want to come to Malaysia to learn and open their eyes and ears – we lose nothing by using this window of opportunity to convince them to let their girls and women have a proper education.

UPNM should not tolerate even one incident of bullying, let alone another one in such a short period of time. — The Star

IT has happened again. Yet another bullying case has been reported at the National Defence University (UPNM), with a 19-year-old cadet allegedly stomped on by a senior.

The victim reportedly suffered cracks in his ribs and on his spine as a result.

This is unacceptable. How can bullying continue in a military college that is supposed to instil discipline, care, and patriotism with the aim of producing potential future leaders of the armed forces?

To put it mildly, it’s pathetic.

Such blatant physical assaults have happened too often. These bullies are not the only ones to be blamed, though. The supervisors of this institution must take the rap too.

Surely there is a need for accountability and responsibility.

These administrators should have given advance, if not continuous, warnings to the trainees. Each time there is a fresh intake, such intimidations by tyrants can be expected to occur. We would have expected pre-emptive action to be taken.

The public, especially the parents, cannot be blamed if we feel the superiors have a lackadaisical attitude about this issue. When parents send their children to these institutions or other similar set-ups in the hope that they will become officers and gentlemen, they surrender the parenting duties to these superiors.

Repeated promises to act are of no use if such unfortunate physical abuses continue to take place.

Last week, Amirul Iskandar Norhanizan, 22, claimed trial to assaulting Salman Saiful Surash, 20, by placing a hot iron on his chest at the UPNM hostel on Oct 22. The victim suffered second degree burns on his chest.

Amirul faces a maximum jail term of 10 years or a fine, and could also be whipped if convicted.

These two cases have come just months after the courts handed the death penalty to six former students over the killing of a fellow cadet at the institution.

The UPNM case gripped the nation in 2017 after the death of Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain, 21. Six course mates had taken turns to press a steam iron on the victim’s body, including on his private parts. Zulfarhan succumbed to his injuries 10 days after these cruel and beastly actions. The accused – Muhammad Akmal Zuhairi Azmal, Muhammad Azamuddin Mad Sofi, Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi, Muhammad Afif Najmudin Azahat, Mohamad Shobirin Sabri, and Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali – now face the gallows for their despicable actions.

We would have expected UPNM to have learnt a painful lesson from the tragedy of Zulkarnain, a promising young cadet with high hopes of a bright future. He suffered extensive bruising and burns on his chest, hands, and feet as a result of the torture using the iron.

The New Straits Times, in an editorial in June, wrote that “the tragic incident was more than just a personal loss. It poses troubling questions about values within our military institutions in their effort to forge leaders of courage, integrity, and compassion.

“It is unfair to lump all military institutions as facing the same issue, but the tragedy has exposed a culture of cruelty, intimidation, and a complete disregard for human life.

“Generally speaking, this incident raises profound questions about our military education.’’

UPNM has failed in all these aspects. I am sure it has produced many brilliant officers, but it should not tolerate even one incident, let alone another one in such a short period of time.

As soldiers, even at university level, there should have been watchful and alert eyes to weed out such bullies. Bullies are often known and feared by other students. Gathering intelligence is part of military training, and we would expect the university to haul them up and tell them off. Bullying fellow university mates isn’t about physical and mental toughness, let’s not try to justify any possible excuses for these pathetic actions.

We expect UPNM and other military schools to churn out potential heroes – not cowards acting tough. These are just people picking on students who are weaker than them physically, or a group attacking one individual.

As expected, there has been a promise of a probe. Isn’t that already obvious?

In fact, it may be necessary to have a comprehensive review of the curriculum, training programmes, the overall culture, and even how interviews are conducted.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took it a step further, saying bullying has become a culture in the country, as it is tolerated and at times, defended.

He said it was “sickening’’ that bullying is generally accepted and that “it [bullying] cannot happen if such a culture is rejected’’.

The university has promised to take strong disciplinary or legal action against those found responsible.

The fact is: a crime has taken place. The police must be called in, and the culprit – or culprits – be arrested and face charges. They should also be suspended immediately, pending being sacked from the university.

Over the years, there have been other bullying cases.

They include T. Nhaveen, 18, and his friend, T. Previn, 19, who were attacked at a burger stall in Penang. Nhaveen was brutally beaten, burned with cigarettes, and sexually assaulted. He succumbed to his injuries, which included blunt force trauma.

More recently, social media influencer Rajeswary Appahu took her own life on July 5 this year, after filing a police report detailing threats and defamation.

But look around – we are also seeing political bullies who have made threats on social media against minorities. Can the minorities be blamed if they feel they are being targeted? Just because these people hold positions in political parties, or even serve as a Yang Berhormat, it does not mean they are not bullies.

They may not even think they are one, and consider themselves heroes, but this is the kind of culture we have allowed to become prevalent.

They are not role models. The last thing our youth should emulate are these politicians.

As for the repeated bullying at the UPNM, there is relevant advice from the late French philosopher Georges Calguiham, who once said: “To err is human, to persist in error is diabolical.”

Big shock?: Election results being broadcast on news tickers in Times Square, New York, last Tuesday night. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

IT’S a repeat of what happened in 2016. Then, the United States media predicted – wrongly – that Donald Trump would lose the presidential election. Trump went on to beat Hilary Clinton, the Democrat candidate.

The US media, particularly CNN and the other national media in the country, were caught flat-footed.

Fast forward to 2024 and history has repeated itself.

The same US media, which the world relied on for information, convinced us that it would be a neck-and-neck contest between Democrat contender Kamala Harris and Trump.

Even until election day, the world was told that it was an election that would be too close to call. They were so wrong.

In the end, Trump won convincingly and decisively, and Harris was left far behind with the US map almost completely covered in red, the colour of the Republicans.

The Republicans have captured the Senate while the fight continues for the House of Representatives, which has become another cliffhanger.

CNN continuously painted Trump as a politician who constantly lied and shamelessly heaped insults on his opponent.

He was made out to be an unstable person who was not fit to run the world’s most powerful country. In short, he was a danger and the voters shouldn’t gamble on him.

Voters were reminded that Trump was a felon with more charges coming up.

It didn’t work. The powerful media wasn’t covering the polls – it was actively campaigning for Harris.

It would appear that the media was not listening hard enough to the people. It missed the heartbeat of the nation, especially those struggling in their daily lives.

The economy is what matters most for the working class.

Why would they care if Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez or Beyonce, multimillionaires in Hollywood, decided to endorse Harris?

The biggest surprise has been the reports that black working class people and youths were going to vote for Trump, which had been early red flags.

These were ordinary workers having a hard time putting food on the table and paying the bills, or even just finding jobs.

Trump’s final message was simple – Americans don’t have to live this way. It was a message that must have resonated with the voters.

So what happened in 2016 when Trump won and the media lost?

“The distance between the nation’s political press corps and its people has never seemed so stark.

“The pundits swung and missed. The polls failed,” journalist David Folkenflik wrote at npr.org then.

He said the nation’s journalists “have come off as petty, grasping, and out of touch, all part of the great establishment party from which many Trump voters felt excluded.”

The reality is that most of the US media’s national offices are in Washington DC, New York City, and Los Angeles.

It is not wrong, as the powers-that-be are concentrated in these cities, plus their mostly urban audiences also live there.

But like most media – including those in Malaysia – they neglect the voices of the heartland.

In the United States, the national media – including the so-called experts, analysts, and pollsters – again ignored the sentiments of the mid-West.

The media only spoke to politicians, who were supposedly informed and reliable, but not the real voters, especially in the farmlands.

Worse, such voters were often written off as rural, ill-informed simpletons, as voters “with no college degrees” in surveys, or perceived as people who cannot make correct political decisions.

This time, the Republicans even won many urban votes, which stunned the Democrats.

Judging from the tone of the US media this time around, none of them learned from the fiasco of 2016.

In 2016, the defeated Clinton called supporters of Trump “a basket of deplorables” and in 2024, president Joe Biden dismissed them as “garbage”.

The Malaysian media, too, has had its share of misses. Most of us, including this writer, didn’t see Barisan Nasional’s defeat coming in the 2018 general elections.

We didn’t listen hard enough and our credibility took a beating.

Like the US media, the mainstream media no longer has a monopoly on news.

But news portals and podcasts are not viable options either, as they are often tainted with the suspicion that they are politically financed.

The lesson to learn from the US election is that the economy matters the most.

When the voices of the working people are ignored, the populists and right wingers will fill the gap. For Malaysia, the thoughts of religious-based politicians winning is more frightening.

What is clear is that voters will not tolerate condescending politicians who talk down to the very people who elected them into office.

THE discovery of a MyKad and driver’s license – apparently belonging to a youth from Padang Besar, Perlis – that was found in Levadne, Zaporizhia, a conflict zone in Ukraine, has garnered much interest.

The family of the 20-year-old Malaysian said he was a student, but Wisma Putra was unable to confirm its authenticity and is seeking more information from relevant authorities for confirmation.

The found documents were among the “trophies” taken by Russian forces.

In January, Free Malaysia Today reported the Ukrainian military as claiming that Malaysians were among those serving as mercenaries alongside Russians in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

The report claimed that mercenaries from Malaysia, accompanied by a translator, were spotted in the region, a large area under the control of Russian forces and their proxies since 2014.

The Malaysian in question is said to be associated with the 16th Rifle Battalion of Ukraine, which is engaged in combat against the Russian army.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain told Bernama that Special Branch officers from Bukit Aman have reached out to the Russian Embassy on the matter.

Paid foreign mercenaries and adventure seekers have been part of the ongoing war since it broke out in 2022.

There have been numerous reports of Britons who showed up in Ukraine to fight the Russians after answering President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to foreigners. There have also been reported fatalities involving these Britons.

At least 50 Americans, mostly US Army veterans, have died, according to the list published by the Task & Purpose portal, which reports on US military matters.

It reported that most of the Americans were killed in battle while others died while providing humanitarian assistance.

The first wave of foreign fighters, reportedly over 17,000 of them, came in from 2014-2019 during the war in Donbas, with a second wave starting from 2022.

Since 2022, foreigners supporting Russians include those from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Latvia, according to reports. Some are members of the Russian diaspora, who signed up for ideological reasons, while others are said to be mercenaries.

The BBC reported on Sept 18 that 91 Indians joined the Russians – but the Indian fighters later claimed they had been duped and asked to be rescued.

Al-Jazeera reported in April that the Russians were paying Indians, Sri Lankans and Nepalese to fight in the war, which had the approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It also quoted a Nepali mercenary saying that Tajik and Afghan fighters had been sent straight to the frontline.

What about Americans and Europeans? The official line is that no US Army marines are involved in front-line combat but one report said there were 97 special forces fighters from NATO countries operating in Ukraine, including 14 from the United States.

When asked by the Guardian newspaper for confirmation, the US Department of Defense (DOD) said: “We are not going to discuss or confirm classified information due to the potential impact on national security as well as the safety and security of our personnel and those of our allies and our partners.” The Pentagon has not issued any denial either.

While 14 special forces fighters sounds like a drop in the bucket, these revelations are just a drop in the trickle of other information over the last year that, when added up, leaves more questions than answers. The bottom line, says military analyst (Ret) Lt Col Daniel Davis, is that Americans have a right to know.

”It is entirely appropriate that the American people know, authoritatively,” reported the Responsible Statecraft, the online magazine of the Quincy Institute.

The US Department of State has officially said it has provided more than US$64.1bil in military assistance since Russia launched its premeditated, unprovoked and brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022, and approximately US$66.9bil in military assistance since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

”We have now used the emergency Presidential Drawdown Authority on 55 occasions since August 2021 to provide Ukraine military assistance totalling approximately US$31.7bil from DOD stockpiles,” it said.

Now, we read of about 8,000 to 10,000 North Koreans, paid or otherwise, in Russia near the Ukraine border.

It’s a large number and the world can assume that they are well trained. Unlike the rickety combatants from poor South Asian countries, US veterans or mercenaries, the appearance of the North Koreans, if true, is a different game altogether.

The outcome of the US presidential elections will also be another factor. If Trump wins, he may stop having any interest in Ukraine as he does not see it as a US problem. The plus side is he may push for an end to the war by bringing both Putin and Zalesky to the negotiating table.

It’s raining men: The Great British Circus, which has toured Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam for the past 10 years, has little choice but to adapt to local conditions to stay afloat. — Great British Circus

WITH important matters like Budget 2025, the economy, and the rising value of the ringgit gripping the country, it was a news item that went almost unnoticed.

Malaysia is staging what is, presumably, the world’s first male- only circus performance – in Kelantan – which will run until Nov 17.

It made global history and the news received the attention of Singapore’s The Straits Times, the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, and various online news portals.

The Great British Circus, which has toured Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam for the past 10 years, has little choice as it attempts to adapt to local conditions to stay afloat.

The cash-strapped modern circus no longer has animals, as they are costly. Also, they are no longer acceptable.

That must have come as a relief for the circus. Otherwise, the PAS-led Kelantan state government may have insisted that animals must fall under the gender restriction ruling and that only male animals could be used.

The condition was set by the Kelantan government, according to the state’s Local Government, Housing, Health, and Environment committee chairman Hilmi Abdullah, the media reported. The Kota Baru Municipal Council gave the circus’ organisers the licence to perform in the city.

“Other circus shows feature female performers who expose parts of their bodies and do not cover their aurat, which is against Islamic law,’’ he was quoted as saying.

The Great British Circus agreed to the conditions set by the council, in compliance with a 2002 ruling, and we presume the female performers will have to stay back as helpers or make up the audience.

We know the Kelantan government does not allow hair salons to display posters of women with uncovered hair or risk having their licenses revoked. But an all-male circus sets new standards.

In 2013, the council even acted against salon owners who put up posters of non-Muslim women who did not cover their heads. This is exactly what has happened in Afghanistan.

In the case of Kota Baru, the ruling also applies to non-Muslims, which is clearly against the Federal Constitution and infringes the rights of non-Muslims.

In August, the Terengganu government prohibited the Guan Ti temple from holding a concert in an open space and also banned female performers.

State executive councillor Wan Sukairi Wan Abdullah said the council had approved the application from the temple for a celebration which included compliance with the state’s guidelines on such events.

“’According to the guidelines, performances involving female artistes are only allowed for female audiences. However, exceptions are made for performances by male and female artistes for non-Muslim audiences,’’ he reportedly said.

Last month, as Pahang PAS leaders called for the closure of the Genting Highlands casino if it captures the state government, its national information leader Ahmad Fadhli Shaari played down fears, saying “such decisions fall under the Federal Government’s jurisdiction” and that the party would not impose a “Taliban state’’ on non-Muslims.

The reality is that most non-Muslims, including those from Sabah and Sarawak, are not going to be convinced.

In fact, the push by PAS to implement its extreme approaches has probably become more hardline in recent years.

PAS can open its doors to non-Muslims, but that will not remove their negative perception towards the Islamist party.

The only one who seems convinced is Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau, what’s left of Gerakan, and some opportunistic partners.

It makes no difference because PAS has run a contradictory agenda all along. On the one hand, it says it wishes to win over the non-Muslims, but on the other, its religious and even racial rhetoric keeps getting louder.

Selangor PAS, in hopes of winning more seats in the state, is now regurgitating the party’s old “PAS for All’’ slogan of the Nik Aziz era, but it cannot hope to convince non-Muslims with a mere slogan.

It has a poor record – if not a non-existent one – of being fair, respectful, and tolerant of a multi-racial Malaysia.

PAS leaders have continuously ask non-Muslims to visit Kelantan, believing it is a shiny, exemplary state government when most of them think that it is one of the worst-run state governments.

Many talented Kelantanese have moved to the federal capital because the PAS government has little to offer despite having been in power for decades.

The thing is, many PAS leaders have actually started to believe in their own propaganda.

But most non-Muslims do not see PAS – a religion-based party – as one that can run a modern economy.

Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar has been touted as an upcoming PAS leader with an impressive track record, but he has little engagement outside his state.

Most senior journalists in Kuala Lumpur do not have any real interaction with PAS leaders as they choose to turn down invitations for meetings to exchange views, apparently because of their distrust of the mainstream media.

PAS politicians may be able to win in states which are predominantly Malay, such as Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis, and Terengganu, but they cannot run Malaysia without the non-Malays in the peninsula, and Sabah and Sarawak.

It’s the same for Umno firebrands like Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who continues to play the Malay hero persona – but he would eventually have to realise that many parties, including Umno, would have preferred that he stayed low-key during recent by-elections.

In short, he is a liability as far as non-Muslims are concerned. His arrogance and presence simply turn them off.

Even in his own Merlimau state constituency in Melaka, he would still need the support of non-Muslim voters, but at the rate he is overplaying his masculine image with his outrageous racist remarks and posturing, it could come back eventually haunt him.

It is easy to be the champion of our own race and religion but much harder to be a hero for all Malaysians of all beliefs.

A ‘royal hustle’: The King of Borneo scam (top) was recently exposed by the MCA Public Service and Complaints Department and Majlis Datuk-Dato Malaysia. — TheStarTV screen capture

NOT too long ago, a Mandarin-speaking person was proclaimed the King of Borneo, Sulu, and Mindanao.

Preposterous as it may seem, it actually did happen.

The man accepted the position in a well-attended ceremony which included another person dressed up like a British judge in a big red robe to give the impression that it had legal recognition. The act also included a Caucasian couple to lend an air of pomp, and possibly an international presence.

Several other individuals at the ceremony claimed to be representatives of the indigenous people of Borneo and there was also a “vice chairman of the United Nations peace foundation’’.

All were smartly attired, with the purported investiture properly recorded on video.

Malaysians have grown accustomed to people accepting titles, possibly after paying large sums of money, from so-called royalty from the Philippines, especially from Mindanao, but the King of Borneo award beats them all.

The exposé of the fake installation was made by MCA Public Service and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong and Majlis Datuk-Dato Malaysia (MDDM) secretary-general Datuk Samson David Manan.

The fake Datukships, as well as unrecognised foreign awards, run against articles in Act 787 of the Laws of Malaysia.

In simple language, it is an offence to use the honorific of Datuk or Tan Sri if you are not one. It is also punishable to use an unrecognised award from Mindanao, for example.

Recently, at a forum on “Act 787 – Preserving the Dignity of Honorary Titles” organised by MDDM in Kuala Lumpur, participants were told of a case where two individuals, proclaiming themselves to be Datuks, drove to the office of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Putrajaya in a car bearing the MACC crest.

They were in the building to lodge a report, but the crest caught the eye of some MACC officers, who felt something was amiss. The two men did not lodge reports. Instead, they were nabbed on the spot.

As it turned out, they were not Datuks. It was bizarre.

During the forum, Samson also talked about three individuals, all Malaysians, who passed themselves off as Tan Sris.

They included a woman, who has since been arrested for cheating; she used her social media platforms to proclaim her title brazenly, assuming that no one would know.

Dressed up smartly and looking every inch a professional in her picture, she offered financial advise and branded herself a speaker, entrepreneur, and investor.

What the MDDM would like to do is to have her charged for using a fake Tan Sri title, too.

Another man, an insurance salesman, passed himself off as Tan Sri Datuk Dr, which was an easy way to detect him. It was just too much, to put it simply.

There are also many who were actual Datuks but upgraded themselves to be a Datuk Sri, a title from Pahang. When confronted by MDDM, they claimed they had been cheated by scammers who told them they had been promoted.

A Datuk Seri is different from a Datuk Sri but to avoid complications the media has standardised these titles, which can differ from state to state.

There are also so many variations of the Datuk titles – Datuk Seri, Datuk Sri, Datuk Paduka, Datin Paduka, Dato’, Datuk Wira, and Datuk Patinggi (depending on the states) – that it has become confusing, even for the media.

Samson said the council deals with an average of 30 cases a month involving fraudulent honorary titles, adding that “almost every day, I receive reports from people asking for help”.

“We guide them on what to do and one of the steps is to lodge a police report,’’ he said.There was also a case where an entire family – the father, mother, sisters, and brothers – claimed to be Datuks.

Then there is a well-known speaker, in his early 30s, who also called himself a Datuk, but a simple check showed he was fake. After being exposed, his social media was filled with negative comments.

One reason why these people want to be titled is because they believe it would add value to themselves and help to scam and cheat the public, who believe they are honourable people. Many of us perceive that these titles could be bought.

After all, we have rightly questioned why certain people are being awarded a Datukship when they had not contributed to society, or worse, some have dubious backgrounds.

It is common for MDDM to receive complaints involving businessmen with fake Datukships, but now there are allegations that some lawyers and accountants tried to pass themselves off as Datuks.

Then there is a high profile chiropractor who has a Datuk title but advertised himself as Datuk Sri. A simple check showed there are no “records” of him getting a Datuk Sri. He received a call from MDDM to take it down.

MDDM president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz said the council has submitted a proposal for improvements and amendments to Act 787 to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Legal and Institutional Reform) and the Attorney General, aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and enforcement of the Act.

Among the proposals is to increase fines and penalties for certain offences under the Act as a deterrent against the misuse of honorary titles, with Awalan saying “this would also enable specific legal cases to be escalated to higher courts”.

The MDDM has even come across two commoners who claimed to have the Darjah Kerabat (DK) awards, which are only conferred on the Malay Rulers.

There is also a need for the Rulers to automatically revoke the titles of anyone who has been convicted of a crime or, worse, already serving a jail sentence. Surely it will be odd for prison wardens –even as a mockery – to still address a prisoner as Datuk.

Even gangsters are Datuks.

In 2017, it was reported that a notorious gang of 60 hardened criminals included four low-level politicians with the titles of Datuk and a Datuk Seri. The Gang 360 Devan gang, involved in murder, drug pushing, luxury car theft, and hijacking, must be the gang with the greatest number of title bearers.

Then there was the leader of the notorious Gang 24, who was a Datuk Seri. He was among 22 men held in another spate of arrests.

There should also be a minimum age for recipients as it does not make sense for a teenager to be conferred a Datuk title, for example.

The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has set the example. He has imposed strict conditions, including a minimum age of 45, for a person to be conferred the state’s Datukship.

It’s bad enough that there are already so many titled Malaysians, now we have so many more fake ones as well.

There is a need to protect the value and sanctity of these awards which are conferred by the Rulers, and to ensure these awards are not made a mockery of.

These cheats can be easily verified with a click via www.istiadat.gov.my, and they should be exposed and shamed.

These scammers and cheaters need to be stopped. The reason they dare to be impostors is because they believe they can get away with it as the police have more urgent cases on their plate.

Much to love: Visitors taking a boat ride in a scenic lake at Gunung Lang Recreational Park. Its 260-million-year-old limestone hills make Ipoh a gem with beautiful natural surroundings. — Filepic/The Star

LET’S face the facts about Ipoh. Perak’s capital is still struggling to reinvent itself after having lost its shine following the collapse of the tin mining industry.

It didn’t help that the opening of the North-South Expressway in 1981 saw most people choosing to bypass Ipoh and drive straight north or south.

But there are still many who have chosen to move to Ipoh for what it offers: a slower pace of life, cultural offerings such as food, affordability, the hospitality of its people, and its cleanliness.

Certainly, the nightlife and shopping are not reasons to keep going back to Ipoh. Instead, it’s the centuries-old shophouses in the Old Town, natural and historical sites, especially its 260-million-year-old limestone hills, caves and jungles, that visitors want.

The relaxed life is the attraction. Many of my friends from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor have chosen to retire in Ipoh, also because of its lower cost of living.

It has become a gem in its own way with beautiful natural surroundings while being just about a two-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur.

So the last thing people want is for Ipoh to become another concrete jungle like New York City. What on earth was Ipoh Mayor Datuk Rumaizi Baharin thinking when he said recently that Ipoh could become another Big Apple?

He reportedly said residents of Ipoh must have the right attitude to reflect the international recognition the city is receiving.

“People are looking at Ipoh; therefore, we need to do better,” he said.

Ipoh should not be a New York, not even a Kuala Lumpur or a version of George Town.

The silver state has its own strong distinct character.

The comparison with New York is far-fetched and impractical. The comparison is also a bad one because New York is not well-run. It may look glamorous in the movies but its transport system, especially the subway, has long been in shambles, with a host of well-known issues from homeless people to drugs and crime.

The New York Times reported that “New York City, for all its glory, is facing many problems: record levels of homelessness; a budget teetering on the brink; stubborn crime rates. But it also has a problem small in size too: rats. Millions of them.”

The Big Apple is also one of the world’s most expensive cities in the world, with an acute housing problem. Ipoh’s Mayor could have made a much more humble and practical comparison: Adelaide in Australia is a possible example to emulate. In comparison with Sydney and Melbourne, it is always dismissed as a sleepy hollow, but there is really nothing wrong with that.

It has excellent education facilities with most parents believing their teenage children should be sent to universities there without big city distractions.

Supported by good facilities and a well-run administration, Adelaide is in many ways like Ipoh, with plenty of greenery around, and hidden gems to be found a short drive outside the city.

Perak can also promote itself more as a preferred choice for tertiary education as there are at least 12 universities in the state, with four in Ipoh itself.

It should also push to have more branch campuses of international universities.

Another possible Australian city to benchmark against could be Perth, which is probably the nearest to Malaysia, and is known for its quiet and laid-back lifestyle that provides opportunities for work-life balance.

There are also plenty of Chinese cities which have already bypassed New York, London, and Paris in attractiveness and their vast network of public transport.

These are also safer in comparison with big cities in the United States and Europe but the drawback in these Chinese cities is their huge population and competitiveness.

Ipoh needs to sell itself better. In fact, Perak needs to sell itself better.

As Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah said in his book, Globalisation: Perak’s Rise, Relative Decline, and Regeneration, the state’s biggest problem is that it has not progressed as much as Johor, Penang, and Selangor, experiencing slower structural transformation, while those other states have seen rapid industrial development.

Penang, for example, had already set up a free-trade zone as early as 1970, and started setting up assembly plants then, creating jobs on a large scale and attracting workers from neighbouring states, including Perak.

Penang has gone up in value as it has become the centre for the production of semiconductor microchips.

“As gaps in income and job opportunities with neighbouring states widened, Perak began to lose population. A negative-feedback loop has been created in which a shrinking base of human capital has narrowed economic opportunities and has propagated further out-migration of talent that the state so badly needs,’’ the Asia-Europe Institute said.

Perak began to start relying on the export of agricultural and manufactured goods, tourism, and education but this was not sufficient.

Sultan Nazrin Shah has compared Perak with the town of Cornwall in Britain and Pittsburgh in the United States.

Cornwall’s last operational tin mine closed in 1998, leaving it as one of the poorest counties.

Between 1961 and 2011, it had one of the highest levels of emigration in Britain but Cornwall has worked hard to rebrand itself. It has a university with research strengths in engineering, the sciences, and renewable energy through the University of Exeter’s branch campus in west Cornwall.

Mining companies have begun exploring for lithium and copper there.

Perak, especially Ipoh, needs to capitalise on what it has, in terms of tourism.

Day trippers will not help the state in terms of supporting the hotels and restaurants in a big way. They are merely visitors, not tourists who spend money and stay in hotels.

Its activities are not sufficiently publicised although 2024 is Visit Perak Year. There seems to be a lack of coordination among stakeholders.

Mayor Rumaizi, however, was right to point out that China has leaped very far in the past two decades, and there is no reason why Ipoh cannot do the same in terms of mindsets and development.

And Ipoh must be commended for its “Doughnut Economics” ambition.

It received the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award recently for its efforts to transition from a resource-intensive economy to a regenerative model focused on health, waste management, and ecotourism, aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The “Doughnut Economy” is an alternative economic system for a future that meets every person’s basic needs while safeguarding the health of the living world. The visual framework for such sustainable development is shaped like a doughnut according to the book by Kate Raworth, Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist.

Ipoh is the first city in Asia to receive this accolade. Well done.

There is still a silver lining for the state. It just needs to sell its narrative better and more effectively.

One thing it does not need to be is another New York, that’s for certain.

All hands on deck: Volunteers Farah Ismail (right) and Christina Yoong joining the Malaysia Clean-Up Day 2024 event in Petaling Jaya last week. However, every day should be a clean-up day, says the writer. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

IT’S not a pleasant job but someone has to do it. Since assuming the post of Housing and Local Government Minister, Nga Kor Ming has made cleaning up our toilets and streets among his key priorities.

He isn’t the first to do so, as previous officials from the ministry have also tried. The late Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew, then Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister, took his job so seriously that he was nicknamed the Toilet King during his term from 1990 to 2010.

He was even inducted into the World Toilet Organisation Hall of Fame for his contribution towards improving and promoting the clean toilet culture.

In 2008, the Sarawak politician was quoted as saying that the days of dirty toilets were numbered. But while it sounded good in the media, it was too much of a tall order.

Until his demise in 2010, he failed to flush away these dirty toilets.

To be fair, there have been improvements at most shopping malls, upmarket restaurants, and to some extent, even the rest and recreation stops along our highways, but most of our coffee shops remain an embarrassment.

It is common to walk into these eateries to find toilet rolls missing with spider webs on the walls and grills.

We brag much about our Malaysian food but unfortunately many of the toilets in these food outlets are in disgraceful condition.

There is even a Malaysian social influencer, @marissa.wwc, who does reviews of our toilets on Instagram. It’s called “Berak Bersama Marisa Wong” – our local authorities should check out her videos. They may spot some familiar places, including tourist sites.

We are coming to the end of 2024 and Nga is now a man on a mission. He wants public toilets to be clean, attractive, and fragrant by next year, to improve the country’s image, especially among foreign tourists. For him, a clean toilet must meet the criteria of BMW – Bersih, Menawan, Wangi.

It’s all part of his preparations for Visit Malaysia Year 2026, which is just 15 months away.

Nga must be commended for his efforts, not just to clean up toilets but the country as a whole.

As part of his zeal to fight litterbugs, his ministry is in the process of amending the 1976 Local Government Act to incorporate community service as a form of punishment for serial litterbugs.

“If we receive approval from the Cabinet and Parliament, the new laws will mean that repeat offenders will not only be fined but will also be required to perform community service.

“Those facing these penalties may be required to wear special uniforms and sweep the streets, or even clean toilets for a minimum of two to four hours,” the minister told reporters after launching Malaysia Clean-Up Day: Mega Cleaning Programme in conjunction with World Clean-Up Day 2024 at Central Market in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Malaysia Clean-Up Day is a joint initiative by his ministry, the Federal Territories Department, and Kuala Lumpur City Hall, with strategic cooperation from PR1MA Corporation Malaysia and Malakoff Corporation Berhad through Alam Flora Sdn Bhd.

The mega cleaning and community service programme has been conducted at 649 locations nationwide, involving various levels of organisations, including state governments, local authorities, ministries, schools, fire stations, PR1MA Residences, People’s Housing Project areas, public parks, neighbourhood associations, and non-governmental organisations.

Nga has rightly said that any form of littering is unacceptable, regardless of whether it is done by a child or the elderly.

The big question, though, is how these laws can be effectively enforced given that local governments, especially in the cities, simply do not have the manpower to carry out the checks? There are laws for almost everything, but many exist only on paper.

Haven’t we all seen rubbish piled up right under a council sign declaring fines for littering?

Most people who stay in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor will also tell you that many neighbourhoods, especially their back alleys, have become dirtier due to negligence.

If Nga is not to end up as another minister who failed to achieve his target, even with community service punishment, he needs a whole-of-society effort, and solid backing from all Malaysians. It must be a collective responsibility.

It doesn’t help that contractors working for our local authorities are slacking on their jobs. These contractors, who are paid to clean up our streets, are doing a real lousy job.

It is common to see our drains clogged up and strewn with rubbish, while the gutters stink. Malaysia gets a good amount of rain and there is no excuse for smelly and clogged-up gutters.

So why are our alleys and streets dirty? Blaming the local authorities is the easy part but we are all responsible for this pathetic situation.

The fingers should not just be pointed at local authorities but also the residents, restaurant owners, and workers who treat their neighbourhood as a dumping ground.

I really doubt if our elected representatives and local authority officials have taken the trouble to walk along our streets. And how many of us would take the trouble to file a report with the councils, although it can be done easily online now, but prefer to whine or let the media do the job for us?

Malaysians are too polite, and we avoid confrontations.

None of us would walk up to a restaurant owner or cashier to tell them if their toilets are bad, even though we have the right to give them a stern ticking off as we are the customers.

Malaysians take for granted that coffee shops need not provide toilet rolls. The local authorities must enforce all these rules as part of the annual health requirements for their business licence renewals.

Surely this is not too hard to enforce. We also want to make sure that corrupt health and local officials do not use this as an opportunity to make a quick buck on the side.

Nga should also seek the support of mosques, churches, and temples to back his campaign to clean up our streets and toilets because it is the right thing to do – not just to impress tourists.

These places of worship can help campaign for the need for waste management and environmental cleanliness as it is a requirement in all religions.

We could even take a leaf from Rwanda’s playbook.

In the east African country, the people are required to take part in a national clean up on the last Saturday of every month. It is one of the reasons that the country is renowned for its cleanliness. It was one of the first countries to ban single-use plastic bags and bottles, way back in 2008.

In 2018, I visited Rwanda and saw how they keep the country clean and the strict enforcement against rubbish – visitors are searched for plastics in their luggage at the entry points.

Nga’s mission must also get the support of the schools, and start on our young people.

Our children must be involved in collecting rubbish on school grounds to highlight the point that it isn’t just the job of the cleaners.

School toilets remain nightmares because there are culprits who don’t flush while urinals are often overflowing. Nga has rightly said that “everyone may be educated and have good manners, but personal awareness stems from responsibility”.

There are certain realities that we must face – with rapid urbanisation, the waste generated will increase sharply and there must be proper and efficient waste management systems in tandem.

With VMY2026 coming, we will see an upsurge in visitors but are those who manage our tourist spots ready to keep their places clean? They should not wait for 2026.

Awareness campaigns, stricter regulations, and better waste management practices must be an ongoing process. Let’s clean up Malaysia.