Until a few years back, there was no such thing as
education insurance, where early planning could be made.

For most parents, the rejection of a university application means having to set
aside a huge sum of money for their children to pursue a degree through
twinning programmes at local colleges.

They understand and accept the fact that there are only so many places in local
universities.

Wealthier parents have the option of sending their children overseas. For
wage-earners, an overseas education for their children is a last choice because
it means using their savings and, in many cases, mortgaging their homes.

Many of us who went through secondary and tertiary education remember filling
up endless applications for scholarship which we knew we had little hopes of
securing.

We accepted the fact that scholarships should go to those with a string of
distinctions or those with an unfortunate background.

The children of a fisherman in a backward village may have an average
scholastic achievement but if given the right opportunity and facilities could
perform brilliantly.

Similarly, the child of a factory worker who earns less than RM1,000 a month
deserves a shot at getting a scholarship.

The rules of the game must be clear. There must also be a level playing
field.

In this context, Malaysians are unlikely to accept the statement by Deputy
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Nazri Abdul Aziz in the Dewan
Rakyat last week.

He had said that students from middle and high-income families were also
considered when scholarships were given out by the Public Services
Department.

"Just because someone is a child of a minister or deputy minister, we
can't say he shouldn't get a scholarship."

Nazri went on to say that "we cannot penalise a student just because his
father is an MP or minister."

The furore began following a debate on allocations under the Supplementary
Supply Bill for RM30mil meant as additional scholarship for Malaysian students
abroad.

Barisan Backbenchers Club president Ruhanie Ahmad, who took part in the debate,
had unwittingly admitted that his child received a scholarship.

He had complained that his child, a PSD-sponsored student undergoing a
matriculation course, was among those affected by the decision to stop sending
students abroad.

Except for a handful of (full-time) MPs, most are professionals and businessmen
who do not depend on their allowances for a living. Their allowances mainly
goes to paying off the rentals of their constituency service centres and
administrative help.

A large chunk also goes to donations and even contributions to weddings of
constituents.

Some MPs had to resign from the civil service to join politics. Because they
were formerly top-grade officers, they now find themselves in a less
financially-secure position.

Unless they get appointed as directors to a few companies, their MP allowance
is unlikely to be sufficient.

But ministers and their deputies are in a different category. They enjoy better
perks and get allowances for a range of needs, from housing to domestic
help.

Certainly their allowances, if added up, would be more than the average wage of
a Malaysian.

Politics, as Nazri or Ruhanie is well aware, is all about perception. When the
child of an MP gets a scholarship, the public will conclude that the MP had
used his clout to secure the scholarship, even if he did not.

A large section of our society would also cynically dismiss claims by
politicians that their sole desire to enter politics is to serve society.

When Malaysians read about the rampant practice of money politics, they are
less willing to accept statements by our politicians on face value.

It will be difficult for a child to convince his college peers that his Datuk
father – a minister, a deputy or MP, with his BMW and posh house – needs a
scholarship.

If a well-heeled politician says he cannot afford to pay for his child's
education, then he should reflect on the position of a struggling
wage-earner.

It will be more honourable for the elite who are politically well-connected to
opt for study loans, rather than scholarships, for their children.

For those of us who graduated because of our "Fa-Ma" scholarships,
there was one thing we learnt: respect for our hard-working parents.

And respect, as we all know, needs to be earned and not demanded

Once the election is over, the  whole pattern repeats itself. More  new parties and more defections.

Sabah, regarded as the wild east  of
Malaysian politics, is not for the 
idealistic and faint-hearted.

Politics in Sabah is about raw  power.
There is no such thing as  political
allegiance. Nothing is impossible.

Next to the drought and food  problems,
which have hit parts of  Sabah, election
fever seems to have  caught the attention
of Sabahans  most.

The scramble for power has  started
because Chief Minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee ends his tenure  on May 28 
slightly more than a  month
away.

There has been no announcement  so far as
to who will succeed Yong  but the general
acceptance is that  it will be either
Datuk Joseph  Kurup, who heads the Parti
Bersatu Rakyat Sabah, or Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, the Parti Demokratik Sabah
president.

It is now the turn of the Kadazans  to
take over the helm of the state 
administration under its unique 
sharing of power among the three 
main communities.

After the 1994 state polls, the  chief
minister's post was held by  Tan Sri
Sakaran Dandai, who later  became the
Yang Dipertua Negeri.

Datuk Salleh Said Keruak then  took over
the helm to represent the  bumiputra,
followed by Yong for  the Chinese
community in 1996.

Going by convention, Kurup is  likely to
succeed Yong as he is also  a deputy
chief minister.

Cynics said Kurup is favoured  among the
Barisan component parties because he is the weakest of  the two, saying his party had only  two representatives  Kurup and 
Datuk Adib Sigoh, who defected 
from Umno recently.

For Kurup, the state assemblyman for Sook, he will have to look  for a new seat if polls are called  tomorrow because under the new  electoral boundaries, the Sook seat  has disappeared.

Dompok, who was regarded as  hawkish
while in PBS, is seen to  have more
political clout with 17  state
assemblymen.

It goes without saying that  Kurup,
should he step into Yong's  seat, can
expect himself to be  strongly tested and
challenged in  his decision-making.

Those who predict a snap polls  have
argued that a Kadazan chief  minister
will only materialise after  the
elections.

The only man who can give the 
go-ahead  Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir
Mohamad  hasn't given a  single clue.

In fact, those who know the  Prime
Minister can testify to his  dislike for
unnecessary politicking.

More so, at this juncture, when  all
resources have to be channelled  towards
the economic recovery.

A state election at this point will  mean
the use of money. And in Sabah, it means big money.

Although the state election is not  due
until March next year, Sabah  politicians
are not letting anyone  put a damper on
their belief that  elections are just
around the corner.

Even if the Barisan Nasional has  to
serve the full term, it's only  about a
year from now before polls  have to be
held.

Excitement has mounted with  former Chief
Minister Datuk Harris Salleh announcing his little known Parti Bersekutu.

In the 1990 state polls, Harris attempted to set up Parti Angkatan  Demokratik Liberal (Adil) but  failed.

The season for defections, meanwhile, has started. Former Parti  Bersatu Sabah (PBS) leader Datuk  Mark Koding, who left to form the  Akar Bersatu, is back in PBS.

So is Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan,  who
left PBS to join Akar after the  1994
state polls. Former state Gerakan chief Datuk Kong Hong Ming  has returned to PBS.

New newspapers have, meanwhile, hit the streets of Sabah. Berita Sabah, said to
be linked to Dr  Jeffrey, appeared about
a year ago,  carrying mainly pro-PBS
news  items.

The New Sabah Times, an English broadsheet, started publication recently. The
previous Sabah  Times strongly backed
Yong's Sabah Progressive Party during the 
1994 polls.

An evening newspaper, Corridor,  has
announced that it plans to come  out by
the year's end.

When Sabah politicians go on  their
ceramah rounds, they have to  constantly
remind themselves what  parties they are
currently with.

Every promise and pledge made  will be in
the name of the rakyat,  but what could
be more embarrassing than a confused politician who  contradicts himself?

We have a water crisis, so a Cabinet committee headed by
Deputy  Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Anwar  Ibrahim is formed.

This high-level committee, with  its
clout, is supposedly to end our  problems
at the crack of the whip.

After all, Works Minister Datuk  Seri S.
Samy Vellu and other relevant authorities sit on the panel.

This is in addition to the countless daily meetings that are presumably being
held by the Selangor  Waterworks
Department and Puncak Niaga Sdn Bhd.

Going by the pledges made following the brainstorming sessions  of these bodies, the days of trickling murky
water from our taps are  to end
soon.

After all, Selangor Mentri Besar  Datuk
Abu Hassan Omar has boldly  said that
water rationing would not  go beyond 24
hours from now.

So far, that doesn't seem to be the 
case. In fact, we are now told that 
water cuts will continue.

There seems to be no end to the 
finger-pointing, as blame is being 
shifted from the JBA to the Selangor state government.

The press, meanwhile, continues  to get
more phone calls from the  angry public.
It's easier, after all,  to get through
to the newsroom  than the JBA.

Perhaps another committee  needs to be
formed to study how  the efficiency and
productivity of  the JBA hotline
operators can be  enhanced.

In Sabah, the drought has led to a  food
shortage in certain parts of  the state's
vast rural areas.

And what do we hear? The state  natural
disaster and relief management committee headed by Datuk  Khalil Jamalul, in another tale of  bureaucratic red tape, says it cannot send
food aid to the 200  drought-stricken
families.

Never mind that the rivers have  dried up
and fires have destroyed  nearly 15,000ha
of crops and forest  reserves.

The committee, according to reports, needs to assess the situation  further. In other words, more  meetings and more committees.

Out of desperation, Deputy Chief 
Minister Datuk Joseph Kurup had 
to use his assemblyman's allocation 
to send food and water supplies to 
the desperate families.

Village development and security leaders have been told to “closely monitor
the drought situation.''

Taking away the euphemism, it  simply
means do nothing, just  watch and send
your reports to the  various
committees.

The relevant committees will  then
discuss whether the state's  emergency
funds for food can finally be used.

Kedah Mentri Besar Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, who spends a lot of time  reading up management books, is  fond of telling his friends that Malaysians
spend too much time at  meetings.

The problem with Malaysians, he  says, is
that we love to talk.

“So at the village level, there is  the
Umno, PAS, Youth and mosque  committee
meetings.

“In fact, at functions, there are  even
jawatankuasa cuci mangkuk  and
periuk  a committee to wash  cutlery and crockery,'' he said in  one interview.

Of course, there will be separate 
committees to handle the bunga 
manggar, lion dances and Indian 
music groups.

Along with all these committees 
sub-committees would come politicking and elections for the various
posts.

Yet, foreigners still tell us that  we
are not democratic enough   despite the
year-round elections  for all
posts.

Just flip through the souvenir  programme
when you attend a typical Malaysian function and look at  the long list of committees.

Never mind our obsession with  committees
and meetings if it leads  to better
co-ordination. What can  be better than
to get all those who  call the shots to
sit down over one  or two afternoons and
make quick  decisions.

Excluding the Prime Minister's 
Department, there are 23 ministries with their ministers, deputies,  parliamentary secretaries, political  secretaries and other officials, all  catering for a population of just 20  million people.

The word in the grapevine is  there will
be additional ministries.  This is
besides the various committees headed by the respective state  executive councillors.

Some mentris besar also double  up as
presidents of their municipal  councils
with the councillors under  their charge.
The MBs and chief  ministers also head
the state-level  National Economic Action
Councils.

Everyone knew that the streets  of Kuala
Lumpur were dirty but  our bureaucrats
noticed the problem only after the Prime Minister  complained.

Another high-level committee  was
subsequently formed. With  other more
pressing matters cropping up, there have been fewer  meetings, presumably.

Numerous committees have been  formed to
tackle the sugar shortage, water shortage, flour shortage  and the economic problems.

Imagine the number of meetings  our
elected representatives have to 
attend.

If they have to be present at every sitting of the Dewan Rakyat   as some constituents demand   nothing will get done. The paper  work will just sit in the trays.

Well, at least, we now know that  there
will be more water tankers,  ultrasource
facilities and possibly  pipes linking
the federal capital  and water-rich
Pahang.

According to Samy Vellu, his proposed National Water Council has  received lukewarm response from  the states.

What more can the thirsty consumers ask for? Could the council  be formed and an inaugural meeting held
soon?

It will be good, however, if someone could come up with a solution  to provide just a day of uninterrupted water
supply.

My parents, who have been reluctant to visit me in the city, have  finally agreed to do so.

Will they be pleased when they  see
familiar surroundings in the  federal
capital  what with home grown vegetables,
roaming chickens, washing at the riverside and 
homes with wells.

There is too much at stake. Malaysia needs to maintain
goodwill with its neighbours and keep its standing in the international
community at the same time.

But it cannot be deaf to the sentiments of the majority of Malaysians, who want
to see the immediate deportation of all illegal immigrants.

Public feelings aside, the Malaysian Government is fully aware of the long-term
political, social and economic implications of allowing in uncontrolled large
numbers of foreigners.

Over the past week, there have been allegations of torture by illegal
immigrants who were sent home after rioting at various detention camps.

Some have even claimed that the authorities tried to poison them.

Detention camps, we must accept, can become tense even in the most reasonable
humane conditions.

The camps are not supposed to be five-star hotels and neither can we foolishly
expect detainees to behave like boy scouts.

To complicate matters, some Indonesian illegal immigrants have now claimed
political refugee status.

Others produced documents to the foreign press to show they had working permits
and were being unfairly sent back to Indonesia.

No one asked whether these documents could be forgeries which, as we know, are
easily obtainable.

In this age of speedy information, we should not pretend that these negative
reports, many of which are based on mere allegations, have not been printed and
broadcast.

A lot of such material have appeared and discussed at length in news and chat
groups on the Internet.

The availability of cable news reports also means Malaysians and their
neighbours have access to breaking news.

They have plenty of options now. Regional magazines are freely available while
international newspapers are printed locally, testing the competitiveness of
the local media further.

Another major item for the international media was the temple-mosque dispute in
Penang.

Singapore's Straits Times, for example, kept referring to the dispute as a
clash between Malays and Hindus.

Such misreporting gave the impression that it was a racial problem when it wasn't
but if we do not correct these factual errors, then they will be accepted as
the truth.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor must be commended for his
handling of the media in both cases.

In the case of the riots at the detention camps, he held two conferences to
update the press on the actual number of casualties.

But that did not stop the foreign press from going to town with premature news
items quoting unconfirmed figures, with one report stating that as many as 30
Indonesians were killed.

Fanning rumours, one political party faxed its statements to newspaper offices,
basing its information on hearsay.

In such circumstances, it has become necessary for us to quickly counter
misinformation in all areas of the media.

We have to point out that Malaysians, including the family of the policeman who
was hacked to death by the armed detainees, have human rights, too.

Let's be proactive instead of being defensive and evasive. There's nothing to
hide here. The foreign media must differentiate fact, rumour, hearsay,
speculation and allegation.

Where do we draw the line if we have to succumb to international pressure on
political affiliations for illegal immigrants?

We will see Myanmars on our doorstep claiming to be supporters of Aung San Suu
Kyi or Chinese illegal immigrants saying they are dissidents.

In Penang, the IGP correctly held a press conference, even after midnight, to
provide details of the incident, quashing baseless talk on the grapevine.

A more efficient public relations technique needs to be found in this era of
information technology.

Our bureaucrats have been a flop when it comes to dealing with the press. They
have been unable to cope with the pace of modern media.

The authorities, in their failure to realise the importance of stopping
rumour-mongers from having a field day, have sometimes unwittingly undermined
the credibility of the more responsible local press in the process.

For example, national news agency Bernama decided to verify the actual number
of casualties in the Semenyih detention camp riot before flashing the
information over the wires.

The foreign press, which based their earlier reports on unconfirmed figures,
broke the news ahead of Bernama. This has jeopardised the reliability of
Bernama as it was seen to have been beaten by foreign news agencies in its own
backyard.

In the long run, people would rather depend on foreign agencies than the local
media.

It's time for the authorities to wake up to the powerful impact of modern
information dissemination through computers and other communication
tools.

Last week, one Kedah executive councillor told the state assembly that he was
"monitoring the operations" of cybercafes in Kedah.

More perplexing was his statementthat the state government was aware that
cybercafes were similar to video arcades.

It's obvious the honourable state exco member doesn't know much about computers
and has never stepped into a cybercafe, where teenagers are more interested in
chat groups than anything else.

The Parliament website, for example, was last updated six months ago. Setting
up a website is one thing; it is equally important to make it attractive,
imaginative, interactive and current.

Welcome to the cyber age where information and misinformation is now available
at the click of the mouse.