Wild animals may have tickled the palates of the adventurous, but the spread of another deadly global disease should conclusively put paid to unnecessary dietary requirements.

THERE is a well-known Chinese joke that the community has no qualms eating the meat of anything that has four legs other than a table, anything that flies other than an airplane, and anything that swims other than a submarine.

Yes, the Chinese are certainly an adventurous lot when it comes to food.

For sure, Chinese food isn’t just fried rice, sweet and sour fish, dumplings and fried noodles – the standard fare for most Westerners when it comes to Chinese cuisine.

And certainly, experimenting with Chinese food isn’t just about chicken feet, century eggs, stinky tofu, boiled blood cubes and less “desirable” pig body parts.

Common in China is the sight of street food encompassing scorpion, pupa, grasshoppers, lizard, starfish and crickets on skewers, especially in the Wangfujing area in Beijing.

These creepy-crawly snacks are apparently the norm, even if tourists cringe, joke and take bragging right photographs for Instagram purposes.

But in the lesser known, dark market areas in some parts of China, the harsh and sad reality is that there is a demand for exotic meat – those of snakes, dogs, cats, civet cats, bats and now, even wolf pups.

It’s unclear if the novel coronavirus’ source is a bat or snake at the Wuhan market, but we can conclusively agree on one thing – there is absolutely no need to consume such meat.

Not all Chinese have this persuasion for something different, though. Remember, China is a country of 1.3 billion people.

But the recent outbreak of the virus has given rise to racist and xenophobic displays towards this community, and even ethnic Chinese in other parts of the world.

It doesn’t help that there is a widely circulated video of Chinese social media influencer, Wang Mengyun, tucking into a bowl of bat soup. Here’s the clincher though – the video was filmed three years ago in Palau, a Pacific island nation where bat soup is a delicacy.

Regrettably, the video has been used in the United States and Europe to renew an old narrative about the supposedly disgusting eating habits of foreigners, especially Asians.

However, perception is always an issue, whether we like it or not. So, the time has come for the Chinese government, with all its might, to put a stop to the trade of exotic meats.

It isn’t just cruel to eat these animals, but the Chinese simply don’t need to eat any of this in the first place. Most don’t and there is no reason to fear a backlash, really.

Let’s face it, tiger penises are not going to improve the sexual prowess of anyone in China. It’s preposterous to even think that.

No one there is dying of hunger either, and there is no famine in the republic which could warrant eating wild animals and tree bark, like what was reported in North Korea at one time.

China is self-sufficient when it comes to food, since it produces half of the world’s pig population and 37 million tons of farmed fish, which is more than 60% of the world’s total, according to a report.

It’s not good enough that China has ordered a temporary ban on the trade in wild animals as the country struggles to contain a deadly virus believed spawned in a Wuhan market that sold exotic creatures as food.

A government directive says that raising, transporting or selling all wild animal species is forbidden “from the date of the announcement until the national epidemic situation is over.”

Conservationists have long accused China of tolerating a shadowy trade in exotic animals for food and as ingredients in traditional medicines, including highly endangered species such as the pangolin and tiger. Experts say the trade poses a significant and growing public health risk as potentially dangerous animal-borne pathogens that people would normally not be exposed to, make the jump to humans.

According to a news report, the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus that killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in 2002 to 2003, was also traced to wild animals; scientists say it likely originated in bats, later reaching humans via civets.

“Civets, a cat-like creature, were among dozens of species listed on an exhaustive price list for one of the animal-trading businesses at the Wuhan market that emerged online last week. Other items included various rats, snakes, giant salamanders and even live wolf pups.”

The announcement said all businesses, markets, food and beverage outlets and e-commerce platforms are “strictly prohibited from trading in wild animals in any form”.

It added that “consumers must fully understand the health risks of eating wild animals, avoid wild game, and eat healthy, ” according to AFP.

The so-called bushmeat trade, along with broader human encroachment on wild habitats, is bringing humans into ever-closer contact with animal viruses that can spread rapidly in today’s connected world, scientists reportedly say.

A study by the Global Virome Project, a worldwide effort to increase preparedness for pandemics, estimated that there are nearly 1.7 million undiscovered viruses in the animal kingdom, nearly half of which could be harmful to humans.

Peter Daszak, a virology expert with the project, said its research also indicated that we could expect around five new animal-borne pathogens to infect humanity each year.

China has previously cracked down on the wildlife trade, including after SARS, but conservationists say the trade typically resumes over time.

This is a good time for the Chinese government to launch a massive education campaign against the consumption of such exotic meat, in the foolish belief that they cure health problems or even function as an aphrodisiac. On the contrary, in some cases, it has been proven that they are even harmful to health.

As the Chinese population becomes more affluent and sophisticated, it’s clear that they will stay away from such eating habits.

Many Chinese now rear dogs as pets, which, during China’s early days as a struggling communist country, was dismissed as bourgeoisie behaviour to flout wealth. It has been reported that China is home to 130 million pet dogs, so it’s no wonder animal rights activists there have emerged in protesting the sale of dog meat.

China’s animal-protection movement is growing among young people, especially with those in urban areas and on the Internet. In April 2012, activists rescued 505 dogs headed for slaughter from a truck on which they had endured harsh conditions.

It is heartening to note that the state linked China Global Television Network has also called for a ban on the sale of exotic meat.Wild animals are not meant to be traded for their meat, fur or, as in the case of the Asiatic bears, their bile. It’s also no longer acceptable to keep animals in cages in zoos, which are mere animal prisons.

This is the right time for China to impose a complete ban on the sale of wild animals as food, as well as implement animal protection laws.

Only the Chinese government has the power to shut down an entire city three times bigger than London. No government in the western world has that kind of clout to do the same, and it shows the kind of will that China has in fighting the virus.

It has stopped the people of Wuhan from travelling out of the city, because it wants to contain the virus.

China has done tremendously well economically over the last decade and has surely stunned and impressed the world with its growth. But it’s time now to take further steps.

As the late iconic Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi said, “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Basically, what that means is a civilised society is recognised by its ability to take care of the oppressed and helpless.

I am confident China will do what is right to win the fight against this virus and make things better. This is the time to stand together with the people of China (especially those in Wuhan) for a common cause.

Fear and prejudice will heighten with the declaration of a global public health emergency, but this is a humanitarian issue, and certainly not about race, trade wars or rivalry.

If there is one thing we can be sure of, it’s that most of us will have less money to spend this CNY, and that will translate to lighter ang pow packets for the kids. — Filepic

FOR those of us who frequent the wet market, it would be obvious how much the value of the ringgit has shrunk.

Buying essential food and household items has become an expensive affair.

For proof, ikan kembung (mackerel) used to be animal feed for our cats, but now it costs about RM20 per kg, while chillies are around RM15 per kg.

If you live in Kuala Lumpur, it means paying about RM6 for a plate of mixed rice, or economy rice (or chap fahn) as it’s commonly known, and that doesn’t even include a cup of coffee.

I’m not sure if our elected representatives know the price of food items because I reckon they barely step into markets, until they need to canvass for votes during election time, of course.

If they do, then they would know how much the cost of living has soared. Hopefully, they gain a greater appreciation for what ordinary Malaysians go through every day.

This Chinese New Year, we are feeling the pinch hard, as things have become pricier. A container of kuih kapit (love letters) is going for RM30.

No one takes seriously the optimism expressed by our leaders about the state of our country’s economy, with their bold predictions that we will do better this year.

Across the Causeway, Singapore leaders are more cautious, realistic and guarded with economy forecasts.

The year 2019 has been rough for the island republic, but they’ve had a greater haul than they expected. However, while growth indicators show the worst may be over, they are still advising their people not to expect a dramatic turnaround story.

The difference here is that our ministers tell us that all is hunky dory. The only problem is, none of us feel their exuberance, simply because we know they lack credibility.

Malaysians feel poor when they travel out of the country. Many of us who have business meetings in Singapore now find it more economical to fly back to Malaysia the same evening and return the next day than to put up in a Singapore hotel, because it is far more expensive these days.

Yes, we have come down to that because a Singapore dollar is now worth RM3.02. Those of us in our 60s would recall it being dollar for dollar once upon a time. In fact, we even used those Singapore coins to pay for our drinks at coffee shops. They were used at sundry stores, too.

Malaysians who have been to Shanghai would surely have felt instantly poor because the wealth disparity between these Chinese mainlanders and us is stark.

Shanghai is a shiny example of what an international city should be, with its glitzy skyscrapers and efficient public transport system. One can easily tell how cities like New York and London have deteriorated, yet amazingly, these Western cities are oblivious to how far they are lagging.

Let’s not go further. Just visit Thailand – the nearest city being Hat Yai for most of us, and Golok, on the east coast, though Bangkok is likely to be the choice pick.

These were our favourite Thai towns because food and lodging were inexpensive, but not anymore.

One ringgit will only get us 7.5 baht, which means that our ringgit has weakened more than 37% against the baht. At one time, the exchange rate was 10:1, or 10 baht for every ringgit.

According to Pankaj C. Kumar, who has written about our weakening ringgit based on Bank Negara’s monthly statistical bulletin, the end of August 2014 was about the last time the THB/MYR exchange rate hovered at the 10 ringgit mark, to be exact, at 9.8780 per 100 THB. At that same time, the USD/MYR exchange rate was at 3.1570, and the SGD/MYR conversion stood at 2.5270.

The economist wrote that the ringgit has also weakened against the US greenback, and likewise with the SGD. Both the USD and the SGD were last seen at 4.0913 and 3.0297, which basically means the ringgit has weakened respectively almost 30% and 20% against them.

So, what has caused the ringgit to depreciate so much against the THB, while the THB has gained ground on the greenback and the mighty SGD?

“Economic books tell us that the strength of a currency on a long-term basis is driven by a few factors, and this includes, and in no particular order, economic growth, trade and current account balances, management of a country’s debt profile, international reserves, interest rates and inflation.”

While Malaysia’s economic growth has been stronger than Thailand’s over the past five years, we have had a higher inflation growth, and even as the rates fell, we failed to ignite interest in the forex market.

“Hence, from here, we can conclude, while interest rate is an important factor in a currency’s strength or weakness, the impact on the ringgit (well, at least as far as when compared with the baht) was rather muted.”

“Third, one of the determining factors in terms of strength of a nation’s currency is its international reserves, ” he wrote, pointing out that Thailand’s reserves had been rising over the past few years to record levels while ours went south.

“… Thailand has not only a superior current account surplus, but a growing surplus, and this strength, when measured against the GDP, shows that Thailand’s current surplus is effectively more than three times of Malaysia’s surplus. It is not to say that Malaysia’s surplus is insufficient, but rather, our northern neighbour has a superior surplus than we do.

“How did Thailand generate such significant increase in its current account surplus? Textbooks tell us that current account is simply the difference between what a nation earns from what it receives via exports of goods and services, income from overseas investments or remittances it receives and what it pays for imports of goods and services, repatriation by foreign investors’ income from the country and outgoings in terms of remittances.”

A weaker ringgit means our import prices going higher. Malaysia remains a net importer of food, with figures showing that the nation’s food and live animal imports have gone up from RM38.9bil in 2013 to RM51.3bil in 2017.

It also means that parents with kids studying overseas would have to fork out more for their children’s fees and living expenses.

For employers, their operating costs will spike if they need to purchase materials in USD, and if they face a weakening demand for their products, it will generate lower revenue and profits, too.

That would affect their bottom line and, ultimately, the employee will be impacted. It means few increments, less bonuses or, worse, being laid off to mitigate the company’s problems.

No one is spared when the country isn’t doing well. If a politician tells us we are doing great, it means he’s bluffing, or being overly positive to the point of seeming ridiculous. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them are on the good stuff, too.

The cop out would be to blame the US-China trade war and its impact on the world, but really, even before the two giants clashed, the ringgit was already sliding.

If there is one thing we can be sure of, it’s that most of us will have less money to spend this CNY, and that will translate to lighter ang pow packets for the kids.

More than ever, we need to wish everyone Gong Xi Fa Cai, or may you amass greater wealth!

There are a multitude of reasons that bring us together as Malaysians, yet there are those who spend inordinate amounts of time finding divisive ones to separate us instead.

IT’S preposterous that a school that has put up Chinese New Year decorations has found itself in a controversy because of a complaint from a fledging political party.

The protest came from Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) vice-president and lawyer Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz, who threatened to report a public school in Puchong recently over its supposedly “religious” Chinese New Year decorations.

The lawyer, in his own warped interpretation of the law, said the decorations were “unconstitutional” and claimed that Muslim parents had complained against what they saw as an attempt to propagate a non-Islam religion to students in SMK Pusat Bandar Puchong 1 in Pusat Bandar Puchong.

“The complaints we’ve received show unease at the excessive Chinese New Year 2020 decorations in your school. Some parents say the school looks like a Chinese-owned market with religious elements on display that are other than Islam.

“This is distressing for the Muslim students and is also against Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution, ” Mohd Khairul said in a letter sent to the school’s principal Rohani Mohd Noor, while also sharing it on his Twitter account.

Mohd Khairul is the same person who had challenged the constitutionality of vernacular schools in the country, though the Federal Court dismissed the application. He had claimed that the existence of such schools was against Article 152(1) of the Federal Constitution, because they don’t use the national language as their medium of instruction.

It’s clear where he stands. His hard-line approach seems to be based on unfounded prejudice and ignorance. It’s unacceptable that the school principal had to be intimidated and bullied into having to remove the decorations.

We are told that such practices – celebrating all major festivals – have been a tradition in the school. Principal Rohani should be commended rather than pressured for her efforts to instil such a Malay-sian sense of togetherness among her students.

We hope that Rohani and the school will not be discouraged by the views of one unelected politician and even one or two implicated teachers.

No one should let the bigoted minority force their views on us because most rational and moderate Malaysians want to keep our country the way it is.

We must never allow them to take charge of the agenda and narrative, and it’s heartening that leaders from both sides of the divide swiftly slid into action to defend the school.

Moral support from the majority is essential in thwarting such offensive threats.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated by ethnic Chinese from all faiths, and like in most countries, including Malaysia, it is celebrated by everyone.

It’s a gazetted national public holiday and accorded prominence by the government, with national-level events attended by our leaders. Our Rulers have also made it a point to join in the festival when needed.

Chinese Muslims also celebrate this spring festival, which began 4,000 years ago to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

I am a Christian and I celebrate Chinese New Year with similar decorations put up at that school. My Chinese Muslim relatives do likewise.

In 2017, Datuk Dr Zulkifli Mohamad explained that CNY celebrations held in this country were allowed under Islam. The Federal Territories mufti said the celebrations didn’t infringe on Islamic principles since they were meant to preserve cordial ties within Malaysian society.

“We find that the Chinese New Year celebration held by most ethnic Chinese leaders and participated by Muslim national or state leaders, are still within the prescribed space allowed by Islam.

“This is because they are meant to take care and preserve societal ties and are more towards living in a celebrated social contract without auctioning religious principles, ” he said in a statement.

Last year, Dr Zulkifli even donated cakes to his Chinese neighbours during CNY and said that “living religiously is beautiful and easy if we understand the religion” and that “the life of Prophet Muhammad Himself showed that the walls of race and religion can be cast aside through politeness and moral values.”

Then there is veteran journalist Datuk Kadir Jasin, who has made it a point to host CNY open house celebrations since he gained a Chinese daughter-in-law. It’s highly commendable of him to do so, truth be told.

Moderation advocate Anas Zubedy, who speaks excellent Hokkien, puts up full page ads in newspapers to celebrate major festivals and explain their significance.

And publisher Hussamuddin Yaacub, who campaigned incessantly against extremism in this country.

We don’t believe this is beyond Mohd Khairul’s knowledge, but the bottom line is, no one should attempt to stir racial and religious matters unnecessarily, and certainly, Malaysia doesn’t need such toxic controversy at this time. It’s certainly disturbing to most of us as race and religion should not be used for political mileage.

The festivals of all major ethnic groups are eagerly anticipated by all Malaysians, and in a unique Malaysian practice, many of us open our doors to friends during such auspicious occasions.

This is unlike Western practices, where most celebrations tend to be more private and involves only family members, and often only lasts a day.

But festivals in Malaysia, such as Hari Raya and Chinese New Year, can be month-long affairs.

In fact, all schools must be allowed to put up decorations for all festivals.

It’s crucial that all sides take a step back because the racial mercury is steadily rising. This is the time to hold back on any and all forms of hurtful remarks or actions which benefit no one.

This is not a zero-sum game. Malaysia has been successful in managing race relations. More than ever, much compromise is needed now. Let the voices of moderation, reason, acceptance and good grace prevail.

Ironically, extremism has no prejudice – it afflicts all races and religions here, let’s be clear about this. Ultimately, it’s best for the media to ignore these fringe figures, and better still to starve them of publicity as it’s akin to pouring fuel on the fire for their pathetic stunts.

So, let’s not allow one or two disrespectful people spoil the CNY festival. This may be the Year of the Rat, but we shouldn’t let political rodents ruin this occasion.

Cutting edge: Schools in China have begun to emphasise the teaching of coding, robotics and AI in the great push to produce the best engineers and digital experts. — AFP

We once had a vision of a future, but now that it’s here, we still seem stuck in the past.

WE are already into 2020 and it’s the dawn of a new decade. But if we buy into the endless narrative of race and religion, it’s as if we haven’t moved.

Six decades after Malaysia’s independence, and we are still trapped in this blinding obsession with ethnicity, which has done nothing but consume so much of our time and energy.

When rationale flies out the window, and reasoning fails, some politicians and self-declared communal champions resort to bigotry ways.

And of course, the most unscrupulous sometimes tell our citizens they should leave the country if they are unhappy, although incredulously, some of these characters conveniently overlook how their forefathers came to Malaya nearly the same time as the rest.

If Malaysia is caught in the middle income trap now, with our inability to reach a higher level of income, that’s down to not having changed in how we’ve functioned economically for the past 40-odd years.

The middle-income trap concept refers to the transition of low income to a middle income economy.

We have failed to achieve the Vision 2020 objective of becoming a developed nation, and the architect of that plan, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has blamed his successors for the failure.

Now, the Pakatan Harapan government – also led by Dr Mahathir – has unveiled the Shared Prosperity Plan for 2035. It remains to be seen if we will reach that goal, either.

But at the rate we are moving, it’s hard to ignore how the voice of hope has somehow hushed.

In fact, Vision 2020 set off bigger expectations and optimism, but now there seems to be a lack of purpose and leadership.

If Malaysia is facing a middle income trap, then we are also snagged in a political status snare because we are heading nowhere as a nation, as we recklessly hand racial and religious hardliners the wheel of the nation.

Unelected religious activists seem to be speaking more boldly than many elected representatives, who seem content to let these fringe personalities hog the headlines.

In the digital age, the decibel level has been cranked in social media, and comments posted by their fans to support these hawks have become more seditious and disturbing.

It’s hard to break free from that gnawing sense that they are allowed to continue because the government fears putting a leash on them.

Our Pakatan Harapan leaders, especially those from Bersatu, seem to lack the will to take on a centrist role, and worse, have attempted to compete with those playing the race and religion cards.

While these political shenanigans may gain domestic mileage, it doesn’t help Malaysia one bit because many see it as part of the inability to get our act together.

They see the vibrance and innovations of Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, and want a slice of that pie. But anyone who has been to the cities of these three Asean countries will understand why they are selling their stories much better to investors.

Let’s be blunt – they are telling investors to forget Malaysia as they highlight our continuing basket case political mentality and actions, with its cyclical scripts in tow.

Who can take us seriously if we believe a group of retired communists in wheelchairs can threaten national security over a reunion, which looked more like their farewell dinner?

Even the communists in China and Vietnam – countries which have good diplomatic ties with Malaysia – have embraced capitalism unlike those in other established free markets. The only thing communist is their political structure, that’s all.

And we still hear some small-minded chauvinists calling for the closure of vernacular schools, claiming they are the root to disunity.

The cause of our fragmentation isn’t these schools (which have produced many great talents), but the resident bigots and extremists.

Framed against this backdrop, it has become even more pertinent for those in significant positions of influence to speak up against these tyrants.

In November, Singapore launched its National AI Strategy, with three objectives to ensure it becomes a global hub for developing, test-bedding, deploying and scaling AI solutions, as well as learning how to govern and manage the impact of AI.

Schools in China have begun to emphasise the teaching of coding, robotics and AI in the great push to produce the best engineers and digital experts.

But our school system continues to be weighed down by politics, religion and language.

For just awhile, can we ask ourselves why we have been so preoccupied and emotional over so many superfluous issues that do nothing to propel Malaysia to become a developed nation?

It’s a small world after all, and in 2020, the world has become increasingly inclusive and is culturally more open and dynamic. But if we continue the way we are, we will remain in the lower tiers of national progress.

THEY were once heralded as brave, articulate and outspoken leaders, always weighing in on issues concerning the people, but they seem to have gone mute, or just disappeared.

The public used to count on these MPs to speak up for the people against the government for its abuse, corruption, wastage and disregard for laws.

The people called them the voices of conscience, and even when these politicians weren’t solicited by the media for their views, they voluntarily sent out press statements.

That resulted in newsrooms collecting similar press statements from many different people from the same political parties, or their component partners.

But a year later, and the transformation is finally becoming apparent. Some of them have transformed into “mute” politicians, who seem more concerned with not offending their colleagues in federal and state governments.

They are more worried about the feelings of their Cabinet members and the state executive councillors than that of the people, whom they promised to represent.

But an expanded waistline, a deeper pocket, adulation and praises that are often heaped on these powerful politicians, have disconnected them from the everyday man.

Perhaps they’ve been consumed by their own glory? Whatever it is, many have lost their voices. We can’t be sure if they even care anymore.

The outcome of the recent Tanjung Piai by-election was a wake-up call for the Pakatan Harapan government, and although many PH leaders said they got the message loud and clear, there’s scepticism as to whether lessons have been learned.

It’s unlikely they have, probably buying into the logic that the next general election is three years away. But a week is a long time in politics.

Throw in a few religious and racial issues into the ravenous pit of fodder, and the people will start feuding and be distracted from the real issues affecting the country. What economy problems? All is well and fine – our economy is stable.

“Education concerns? No way, we intend to be a world class education hub.

“What coding, what robotic syllabus? AI? You mean Anwar Ibrahim? No? Don’t worry about artificial intelligence, as the government is currently studying the matter”.

In the wake of several contentious issues, some touching on race and religion, professional journalists would insist on verifying the authenticity of letters or statements that become viral on social media.

The media’s experience now is, it’s almost impossible to get reactions from most Cabinet members or their deputies, and yet, often, the media gets blamed for inaccurate reporting.

On a recent issue of a letter, said to be from the Ministry of Education, that went viral, no one chose to reply. Perhaps they were on holiday, or perhaps I am a nobody who warranted their time and reply. Guess it must get harder for the average, faceless Malaysian.

My business contacts, who have direct access to ministers, have also expressed similar sentiments, saying their texts were read but not replied. The blue ticks – which denote read texts – have now been re-set, so no indication is generated if messages have been read. Only received messages are acknowledged.

Well, these assuring agents of promise of a New Malaysia have certainly lost their voices.

As writer Clement Stanley aptly wrote in Free Malaysia Today recently: “They were the voices of hopes, dreams and promises of better days ahead if the opposition did the impossible and came to power.

These voices were eagerly waited upon as they bred new life into what was thought to be a forgone conclusion. These voices united a nation, hitting the very nerve of all Malaysians who voted for change. In such orators and fighters lay our trust.”

He added, “but now, like obedient little children at bedtime, they are content to listen to bedtime stories with a happy ending.

“Today, these people on whom we once pinned our hopes, have become mute, a pale shadow of their former selves, toeing the line rather than resisting it.”

Worse, some have even become arrogant by dismissing doubt and concern of the people, while responding confrontationally (as if in opposition mode) to silence differing views. And this isn’t even criticism or dissent.

There are also reform groups which used to busy themselves writing to editors with their lengthy views and speaking at forums, but they too, have disappeared.

A few have transformed into apologists and have attempted to defend some policies while others have taken up government positions, thus putting them in a spot.

“Bro, I hope you understand – I share your views, but I am sure I can’t speak openly now, so please carry out your moderation stand, because I am behind you.”

The challenge for 2020 and beyond is to hope for the emergence of fresh voices to challenge conformity and convention, and to take politicians’ promises with much more than a pinch of salt.

They’ll be busy jostling for positions among themselves even as they tell us, with a straight face, that they are fighting for us, the ordinary people.

When one is in power, it’s safer to play the role of the three monkeys who see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil, as the saying goes.

It’s simply easier that way. After all, why rock the boat and lose it all, having waited so long to be in government?

THERE was a time when honour meant everything. A firm handshake between two persons was enough to seal a deal that would be upheld.

It’s known as the gentlemen’s agreement, and while it was informal and legally non-binding, the details were expected to be implemented.

There’s even a proverb that tells of honour among thieves, about how they won’t steal from each other because there is supposed to be some code of honour.

Well, that’s all gone now, and even contemporary movie makers will tell you that honour no longer exists. Even friendship and loyalty can lead to treachery of the unkindest. Where politicians, their henchmen and operatives are concerned, don’t expect honour of any kind.

It’s common knowledge that taking oath to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, with the hand on holy books in places of worship, means little these days when people don’t fear retribution in the afterlife.

The culprits are more concerned about saving their own skin, and other vital parts of their bodies, in the present life. Anything to escape punishment!

Perhaps, one day, they will feel remorseful and ask for their sins to be forgiven when they finally find God.

Last week, Malaysians found out that statutory declarations were back in business. It was a hot debate about a decade ago, but it has come back to taunt us.

Like old political tricks and plots, the SD script has been recycled in Malaysia.

In 2008, a private investigator, P Balasundram, appeared in public having signed an SD alleging, amongst other things, that Abdul Razak Baginda told him Datuk Seri Najib Razak had introduced Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu to him in Singapore.

That was SD number One, signed on July 1, 2008, and of course, we were expected to believe that it had to be the truth, or bear some semblance of it.

But three days later, on July 4, 2008, Balasundram retracted those parts from the first SD, and submitted a second one, saying the first was signed under duress.

He then disappeared, purportedly leaving the country, but he reappeared in November 2009, and claimed it was the second SD that was false and that the contents in the first were true.

Balasundram, a former Special Branch officer, suffered a fatal heart attack in 2013. He had sworn he would make sure the Pakatan Rakyat would come to power.

Although a third SD was supposed to surface upon his return home, there was none.

It’s debatable which of his SDs were true, or if at least one was true, or both even, but ultimately, they were conflicting.

It’s hard to tell if those who have made SDs are aware that according to the Statutory Declarations Act 1960, making a false statement contravenes the Penal Code’s section 199, but we know how the allegations were later dismissed as a pack of lies.

Now, the Altantuya case has come back to haunt us, so SD is now back in fashion.

Five years after the Federal Court upheld his conviction and death sentence in 2015, former police special action force personnel Azilah Hadri has made an appearance via SD.

In his SD, Azilah claimed that Najib and Abdul Razak ordered the killing, claiming that Altantuya was a foreign spy and threat to national security. The former Prime Minister brands the story a lie.

Before that, there was another controversial SD. Former researcher Muhammad Yusoff made a statutory declaration, accusing PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of sexual misconduct on Oct 2 last year, claiming the abuse took place while he was still working for the party about a year ago.

It isn’t clear why he only decided to make these allegations a year later, and more so, so near the PKR party congress.

But he has taken a polygraph test to determine the veracity of his claims against Anwar. His lawyer said the polygraph test was one of the things he wanted to do to prove his claims. Anwar has denied the allegation and has given his statement to the police.

While SDs can be made and retracted, putting its value on the line, a polygraph test is another story all together.

According to a report, studies have shown that a well-trained examiner of a polygraph test can detect lying with relative accuracy, but a polygraph is not perfect, and an examiner’s interpretation is subjective, and the results are idiosyncratic to the person being tested.

Writing in the New Straits Times, Datuk Seri Akhbar Sattar said it was impossible to cheat in polygraph tests conducted by certified examiners, but said that “even so, the instrument is not truly a lie detector. It produces only graphs. The polygraph examiners are the lie detectors and they determine whether the person is deceptive or truthful.”

The American Polygraph Association has conducted over 250 studies which showed the accuracy of the polygraph at 98% when examined by certified examiners, and added that the polygraph is widely used in more than 80 countries, as it is regarded the best choice, rated highest in terms of widespread use by government as well as the private sector to detect lies, especially in security situations.

“In Singapore, the police, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Ministry of Manpower, Prisons Department, Customs, Central Narcotics Bureau, Security and Intelligence agencies and the military use it for personnel screening and investigations.

“The prosecutor’s office also uses it to decide whether or not to file charges. Agencies like the CIA, FBI, National Security Agency, US Secret Service and the US Department of Defence and most US police departments use polygraph tests in investigations or to determine links with terrorist activities.”

But the director general of the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption, Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed, stressed that while the polygraph test can be used as evidence in a court case when administered by qualified examiners, it’s up to the judiciary to accept it.

President of the Shariah Lawyers Association, Musa Awang, said based on existing law, the polygraph test may be used as evidence in court, but ultimately, it’s the judge’s decision to allow it.

“Currently, there is no precedent on the admissibility of polygraph evidence in Malaysia and Singapore,” wrote Akhar, who holds the professorial chair at Institute of Crime and Criminology, HELP University.

But the law has a clear warning for those who’ve made false SDs – a jail sentence awaits.

It stipulates that “whoever intentionally gives false evidence in any stage of a judicial proceeding, or fabricates false evidence for the purpose of being used in any stage of a judicial proceeding, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine; and whoever intentionally gives or fabricates evidence in any other case, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.”

It’s clearly stated, so it won’t even take a lawyer to decipher the warning. It’s time those who flout the law and abuse the legal system for a political fix, including making false SDs or committing perjury, be made to face the consequences of their actions.

We need our leaders to set the tone and directions right, as no one should experiment our children’s future as the whims and fancies of our ministers.

Education has kicked into high gear in most parts of the world, yet in Malaysia, we’re still aimlessly cruising the neighbourhood.

A FEW years ago, I visited a school in Guangzhou where I was privy to the scenes of a robotics lab where students were busy trying their hand at operating some of the models. In the class next door, the teacher was guiding teenage students on 3D printing processes, which is used to create three-dimensional objects from a computer-aided design model.

The school administrator also impressed upon me that they were using the STEAM education approach to learn the uses of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue and critical thinking. By no stretch of the imagination was the modern education facility a representation of schools in China, because it’s an elite school in an urban setting. However, I was told the Chinese government is very focused on what they want, and this is the way things are taking shape.

It’s refreshing to see that’s the kind of education reforms China has been working on. They spend little time on irrelevant education issues like Malaysia is famous, or infamous for.

So, it comes as no surprise that a global education study has revealed that Chinese students in most of the country’s cities have outstripped their counterparts in nearly all parts of the world, as far as important skills in the information age is concerned.

According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) ranking in 2018, some 22% of the 15-year-olds surveyed in Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, showed they could handle abstract concepts and discern facts from opinions in what they read by achieving a reading level of at least 5 out of 6. Only Singapore fared better, with 26% of the city state’s students reaching the mark, while the overall average was 8.7%, according to test results released recently.

Pisa says this skill is becoming increasingly important as technology allows easy access to information. Reading, on the other hand, has become more about building knowledge, thinking critically and making well-founded judgments, rather than extracting information.

By now, most of us have read about Malaysia having moved up into the middle-third of the international assessment for participating countries, having advanced from being in the bottom-third in previous cycles.

Thank goodness we have improved, and it’s commendable that we are vying to improve our ranking by the next two cycles.

Education director-general Datuk Dr Amin Senin said Malaysia is headed in the right direction of education system reform.

According to him, its performance in the 2018 PISA was deserving of a significant improvement in ranking for all three domains – Science, Mathematics and Reading literacies.

Based on results released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), he said Malaysia scored 440 in Mathematics, 415 in Reading and 438 in Scientific literacy in PISA 2018.

This charts a course of improvement for Malaysia from PISA 2012 and 2015, when our country achieved below the global average score.

“Overall, Malaysia’s achievement showed significant increase in all three domains.

Some of us have found pride in that, but when looking at how Malaysia has ranked in the overall list, it shows that we’re barely at the races, and that we have an uphill battle ahead, even as we do all we can to catch up. Honestly though, it’s simply not good enough.

The Malaysian media conveniently omitted the entire ranking table of the participating countries, which would have given us a proper perspective of where we stand in the world.

We were quite content to report these findings for having walked the talk. It’s not wrong, of course, and we should encourage our educators as they connect the dots of our education system, while doing their absolute best under such testing circumstances.

But in Australia, the media was outraged that it’s falling behind other countries, lambasting themselves for their ranking and even branding themselves dumb. It was the hottest news, and that’s understandable because Australia prides itself as a global education hub attracting students from around the world.

In Malaysia, it isn’t Maths and Science that we’re struggling with, but English proficiency at global level.

Last week, it was reported that Malaysia has fallen four places in this year’s annual Education First (EF) English Proficiency Index, which measures the development of English proficiency in the world.

It was revealed that while it’s third in Asia, behind Singapore (66.82) and the Philippines (60.14), Malaysia’s score of 58.55 has seen it slide from the 22nd position to 26th in the latest edition of the rankings produced by international education firm EF Education First.

While it didn’t elaborate, the report stated that in Malaysia, men outscored women in English proficiency by a significant margin.

The index, currently in its ninth year, was created after analysing the EF Standard English Test scores of 2.3 million adults from 100 countries and regions.

The future is in robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, all of which are inextricable from various occupations.

In Singapore, driverless vehicles are seeing trial runs in campuses. Malaysians, though, have been left to wonder when such scenes will appear in our many local universities, since some have been pathetically engrossed in allowing racists to rant insensitive communal remarks with no real economic programme produced in academic form.

Is our education system, be it in schools or universities, preparing our students for the next stage, where job demands have changed, or, are the same teaching modules and lecture notes being recycled?

Is it surprising when we read about our graduates being jobless, and we know that many of them lack the soft skills required in the private sector – proficiency in English, and now Mandarin, talent in leadership, creativity, innovation and communications, and even ethics?

Those of us who studied for the Malaysian Certificate of Education (MCE) and Higher School Certificate (HSC) are aware that standards then were high, and a distinction was equivalent to the O and A levels, which are still intact in the UK.

Today, we have compromised, and some would even say, tampered with our grading system to the point that the string of distinctions obtained by our students at SPM and STPM levels are unceremoniously ignored by international institutions. An “A” in English is probably a “D” by UK standards.

And so, we have a false sense of achievement, and worse, unrealistic expectations, whether as students or parents, for believing we’ve done well and deserve rewards in return, when, in truth, we haven’t done enough at all.

Sarawak announced that it will now use English for Maths and Science, but does it help when state Education, Science and Technological Research Minister, Datuk Sri Michael Manyin reportedly said that students should not bother about English grammar.

Of course, it matters. It’s the basics in learning English. We can’t accept compromises with such comments like “don’t bother about English grammar. Don’t bother about the Queen’s English, just use Sarawak English.” So, let’s nip this in the bud from the start.

We need our leaders to set the tone and direction right, as no one should experiment with our children’s future based on the whims and fancies of our ministers. When we should be emphasising the importance of science, maths, AI and robotics, why are we, instead, telling students in schools to wear black shoes, or learn martial arts, regardless if it’s silat or kung fu?

Sure, more peculiar things may have happened in this country, but this ranks up there in the strange stakes.