Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, when contacted by the media, said that the matter should be handled by the district education office. – Bernama

THE controversy surrounding allegations that only Muslim students from an all-girls school were invited to an SPM workshop has naturally raised conjecture.

Let’s assume that it was a simple communication blunder and that there was no ill intent or malpractice. If indeed the workshop was meant for all students, regardless of race or religion, then the school could have announced the names of the participants for the two separate sessions right off the bat.

It would have evaded a torrent of accusations and misunderstandings. It would surely be helpful if an advisory was handed to students and parents, too, about another workshop dated Jan 26 and 27 scheduled for after the Chinese New Year celebrations.

If these details were announced, then it would enable the next batch of students to prepare.

It would also immediately dismiss allegations made by disgruntled parents. They would have no reason to make an issue of this.

But now, the second workshop, which should include non-Muslims, would seem like an afterthought or worse, a damage control exercise even if it wasn’t the case.

Last week, the Education Ministry issued a statement that there was no discrimination involved in the SPM workshop organised by SMK Infant Jesus Convent.

“Initial investigations found that the workshop was part of the many initiatives of the relevant parties to ensure that students, regardless of race, were able to make the necessary preparations for the SPM exams.

“The first of the workshops was held earlier on Jan 19 and 20 in a hotel and involved some 30 SPM candidates who had failed their Bahasa Melayu and History subjects as well as those who received ‘gagal-lulus’ (fail-pass) in some other subjects.

“The workshop was held separately based on sessions to avoid disturbing candidates who were preparing for CNY.

“The ministry was informed that the follow-up session for other students was slated to be held between Jan 26 and 27 at the same hotel,” the ministry said.

The Education Ministry is right to state that the school needs to improve communications to prevent such incidents from happening again.

But it shouldn’t just be the school that takes the rap for poor communications. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, the State Exco member for education, information and communications, Norliza Nor and the state education department could have easily done a better job. What’s glaring is they need better crisis management skills and response time.

None of them responded to the issue effectively until His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar made a statement soon after the controversy went viral.

By then, the tweet had made its rounds on social media, garnering more than 800 retweets and over 1,000 likes in less than 24 hours.

While our politicians kept mum and allowed the rumours to flourish, His Majesty the Sultan of Johor swiftly intervened and said no one should be left out of any public programme because of their race or religion.

“If it is true that there was racial segregation, then action must be taken against the organisers,” Tuanku said, adding that “the same can also be said if it is found that these allegations are proven false and spread by irresponsible parties.”

“This is also a lesson to all parties who must deal swiftly and firmly to quell public dissatisfaction,” said His Majesty via the Royal Press Office.

Fadhlina, when contacted by the media, said that the matter should be handled by the district education office.

It was a disappointing statement because it gave the impression that she was passing the buck to the state officials.

In the age of social media, where issues travel fast, we expect our officials to provide quick and convincing responses, and not merely sit on the issues believing they will resolve themselves.

Unfortunately, these issues won’t, and as the Sultan said, they must be dealt with to pacify society’s ire.

The four-paragraph statement posted by Norliza provided no worthy information except to display pictures of herself and officials huddled in a meeting.

If there’s a lesson to be learnt from this episode, it’s the need to be transparent, accountable and to be forthright in providing information, and the importance of engaging with stakeholders, which, in this case, include the students, parents, and the media, too.

In fact, some novice ministers regrettably still remain incommunicado to the media.In 2023, there’s just no excuse for inept communication given the available platforms.

Losing our parents is easily one of life’s most traumatic experiences, so treasure their time with us.

I’VE always left early for my hometown Penang to avoid the festive season snarl, and this Chinese New Year is no exception.

The state, particularly the island side, literally comes to a standstill because the streets are choked with traffic.

It’s not just the returning Penangites living in other states, especially in the Klang Valley, but a flood of tourists, too.

So, last week, taking advantage of a work engagement in Penang, I visited my 92-year-old mother, who lives in our family home in Ayer Itam.

I’m blessed to have my beloved nieces care for her, and we have a good Indonesian maid to cook and clean the house. I’m thankful that my brother has chosen to live next door as well.

Every journey home is an emotional one for me because my mother is visibly ageing. She has become more forgetful, as expected of someone her age, of course.

We just need to summon that much more patience because she would ask the same questions again and again.

Her hearing is another issue, but I’m grateful that she’s healthy for an elder.

A recent fall has forced her to move around the house with a walker.

She complains that the maid “is always with me” and “I don’t have any privacy”. Having her privacy invaded like that is certainly something most of us can understand because the maid is “in her face”. However, she simply must be watched over round the clock at this point to be sure she doesn’t fall once more.

I sincerely hope I won’t be as grumpy as my mother when I reach her age – if I’m even privileged to live that long in the first place.

My wife and I had to coax the maid to be patient and not get upset by her grumblings.

My mother has stopped cooking the past few years and this time, she was in no mood for an early CNY reunion dinner at a restaurant, saying she preferred not to leave home.

My two sisters-in-law are also unwell, which has rendered them unavailable for a meal outside, even though this is the all-important reunion dinner.

Naturally, my dad’s passing in 2020 when he was 95, affected my mother.

Like many women of her generation, she has few, if no friends, and the home has always been her only refuge. Mum has been a housewife all her life.

She’s lonely and the maid says she often gazes out the window, lost in thought of her beloved who’s in a much better place now.

I’ve tried persuading her to live with me in Kuala Lumpur, even if it’s for a short while.

My powers of persuasion haven’t worked, and I’ve also been frequently dealt the last-minute excuses in the instances she had agreed to come.

Previously, it was “you don’t have a room on the ground floor” or “I need a maid” and “I can’t hold my bladder for the long drive to KL.”

Those of us with old folks would understand that it’s the familiarity of the family home that provides them the many memories and comforts. Leaving Penang must be unimaginable to her.

My mother is Peranakan and I miss her cooking the most. She used to take great pride in passionately serving things like curry, jiu hu char (fried jicama with shredded cuttlefish), pork belly soup, perut ikan (pickled fish stomach curry) and other wonderful dishes for CNY. And she made a mean sambal belacan, too.

My dad, although full-blooded Cantonese, lived the life of a Baba because he was born and grew up in Kuah, Langkawi.

We never used chopsticks or common cutlery at home, so we mostly ate with our hands.

Our loved ones, especially our parents, will leave one day, but my greatest fear is that without their presence as our patriarch and matriarch, there will be no one to hold the extended family together. The reunion dinners will then just be with my own family unit.

The CNY get-together is more than just a celebration of spring, but the tradition of giving ang pow to our parents and grandparents and is a gift to display respect and a grateful heart.

As Asians, we are uncomfortable with obvious displays of affection, unlike Westerners, but we have our ways of showing our love and appreciation to our parents who raised us, while they’re still around.

As the saying goes, home is where the heart is.

Wishing everyone celebrating CNY a Happy New Year.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Four of the six dogs from the Fire and Rescue Department’s K9 unit – Blake, Lady, Grouse and Pop – that have been awarded the ‘Golden Performance’ medal for their role in the Batang Kali landslide SARS operation. – Bernama

But it needn’t be, certainly not for the furry friends who were left in abysmal conditions at a shelter recently.

EVEN in ancient times, they were treated better. Here we are in 2023, as sophisticated as mankind has ever been, yet compassion is neither compulsory nor a courtesy. It’s simply unacceptable. Even convicted murderers and rapists in prison are treated better than the dogs at a shelter.

Photographs and videos have gone viral on social media depicting scrawny dogs in unhygienic conditions at a dog pound, which is supposedly under the supervision of the Kuala Langat Municipal Council (MPKL).

Would it be wrong to think that these dogs were left to starve?

Questions have rightfully been raised on whether these canines were even properly fed and cared for.

They may be stray dogs picked up by the council, but these animals surely shouldn’t be left in such a pathetic and deplorable state.

Last week, the MPKL, which earned the public’s ire following the video, said the dogs at its pound were fed daily.

It said contrary to the images in the video and pictures, all the dogs, which were captured and kept at the pound, were fed twice a day, and given special food as well as placed in a suitable place.

“The dog pound is cleaned on a scheduled basis to prevent flea infection among the canines there.

“MPKL has also improved the management of the pound so that it is more organised in terms of the cleaning schedule and handling of the feeding procedures for the captured dogs.

“In fact, it also cooperates with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to take in and care for the canines,” it said.

Let’s give the MPKL the benefit of doubt but its statement is unlikely to paint a different picture for many dog lovers.

The terrible treatment of the dogs in the pound clearly appalled Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali, who has now ordered local authorities to inspect all animal shelters in the state.

Sulaiman, clearly upset and disappointed with the way the dogs were allegedly left to starve, noted: “It’s not the way to treat God’s creations.” He also sent a personal donation to the Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) NGO to buy food for the dogs.

“This is a small contribution from me, and hopefully my gesture will inspire more people to help these poor dogs.”

God’s creatures too: Questions have been raised on the condition of the canines at the MPKL dog pound. – Photo courtesy of The Star reader Austin

MPKL has now promised to review the management of the dog pound under its supervision following criticism over its unhygienic conditions, saying a review would be carried out by the vector unit of the department of solid waste management and environmental health.

It’s good that the public has exposed such purported poor management of the dog shelter, which has, unfortunately, given the impression that MPKL has mistreated, neglected and mismanaged in its duties, even if that’s not the case.

It has correctly earned the attention and rebuke of the Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor.

Expressing sadness and disappointment, she directed authorities, especially the municipal councils, to improve and upgrade management procedures.

We need to remind ourselves that dogs are God’s creations. He surely has a reason for putting them on earth. They aren’t dirty animals that should be culled or mistreated, as some would like to think.

Dog lovers would know the undivided loyalty of their pets. They are known as man’s best friend for good reason.

The recent Batang Kali tragedy displayed their kindness and dedication, as the canines worked to the point that a couple collapsed out of sheer exhaustion in the gruelling and treacherous search operations.

Besides our front-line officials – including one who lost his life and another who had a mild stroke – these dogs were also part of the team of unsung heroes.

It was these highly trained tracker dogs from the Fire and Rescue Department which located the bodies of almost half the victims who died during the catastrophic landslide just last month.

The undeniably cute and lovable purebred dogs garnered much attention from Malaysians for their heroism, but mongrels, abandoned or strays, are just as precious and loving creatures, which ask for nothing but a little kindness from us. After all, they wouldn’t hesitate to come to our aid, given half a chance, as history has shown many times over.

At a media high-tea on Thursday, Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming duly paid tribute to the rescuers and the now-famous tracker dogs, saying dogs should be properly cared for and loved.

Perhaps the hands-on minister should order an audit of all the animal shelters under the local authorities and find out their shortcomings, such as lacking trained personnel and funds, and come up with ways to prevent abuse and cruelty.

There’s obviously a need to encourage spaying or neutering of abandoned animals. Not just dogs, but cats as well.

There should also be an SOP which reflects compassion when council workers conduct stray dog catching exercises.

It’s important for Malaysians to champion the rights of animals and that value must be instilled from a young age.

The way we treat animals reflects our own humanity and who we are as people.

As the late great Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi said – the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

The writer has three dogs and is proud that he has always had dogs in his life, from the time he was a child.

On a mission: Nga hopes to flush out dirty and out of order public toilets. —Facebook

… but somebody’s gotta do it. Malaysians must make sure that our kids are taught the importance of cleanliness from young.

STAND-UP comedian Marissa Wong is known for her jokes on the state of Malaysian toilets. In fact, she’s probably the only one who reviews toilets and shares her findings on social media. Believe it or not, at last count, she has conducted over 100 inspections.

Some find her toilet jokes off colour, but they hit the spot for most of us. The truth sometimes hurts, and in this case, it’s really no laughing matter. Unfortunately, we have many bad public toilets and equally bad personal practices.

Newly-minted Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming appears to have endeavoured to push for clean public toilets and has even conducted checks on these basic amenities. It’s hard to ignore it seeming like a personal crusade.

His first stop was Dataran Merdeka, soon after clocking out from his office on Jan 3.

The Teluk Intan MP deserves praise for his efforts, but we hope he has the stamina, determination and drive to persevere through his campaign.

It looks daunting because he will need the support of the local authorities, which comes under his purview. Those of us who’ve dealt with powerful bodies will know how difficult it is to move them.

There are more than 200,000 public toilets under the jurisdiction of the local authorities.

This initiative could be dead in the water should the Malaysian public not have good practices. Nga could be taking on Mission: Impossible.

For success story references, we don’t need to look too far. The toilets in Taiwan and, naturally, Japan, are always clean and dry. The amenities work perfectly, and cleaners take pride in their jobs.

It wouldn’t be fair to merely pin the blame on local authorities because many of our restaurants and coffee shops have filthy toilets, too.

For reasons only known to these outlet owners, many don’t have toilet rolls either. Disturbingly, sometimes, toilet rolls are placed on tables in some eateries to be used as serviettes. It looks like these food operators can’t tell the difference between them.

Airports, railway and bus stations would probably come under a different jurisdiction, and these are also gateways for tourists.

We wish Nga the best for his noble plan, but he isn’t the first to harbour this desire.

The DAP national vice-chairman is right to say that the cleanliness of public toilets is closely related to the image of Malaysia, especially at prime tourist destinations or gateways to our country.

“Doubtlessly, ‘BMW’ standard public toilets, namely Bersih (clean), Menawan (attractive) and Wangi (fragrant), will go a long way to increase the positive perception of the people towards the local authorities.”

Nga hopes that all the 155 local authorities across the country can establish public toilet hygiene monitoring units to conduct scheduled maintenance work to ensure that public toilets nationwide are always in a clean, well-functioning and orderly condition.

In the early 2000s, the late Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew had the same intentions. He was even nicknamed Malaysia’s “toilet king” and until he became Deputy Transport Minister in 2004, his tireless effort for clean public toilets was described as “unfinished business”, in his own words to the media.

Lau, who was the MP for Sibu, is best remembered for setting up the first toilet association in Malaysia – Quality Restroom Association Malaysia (QRAM) – of which he was chairman since its inception in 2005.

Nga has said he would meet Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah, saying he is committed to finding the best solution so that infrastructure or public facilities built with the people’s money can be looked after and maintained properly.

But he might want to seek support from the Education Ministry too because, ultimately, the education process starts with students in schools.

School toilets are atrocious, so students must be taught from an early age about the importance of cleanliness to instil proper habits. In fact, it should even begin at the kindergarten stage.

That’s how Japanese kids are taught – to be orderly, queue up, and make sure to put your eating trays in the designated spots once you’re done with your meals.

It’s imperative to align with the respective religious bodies because cleanliness is a vital component among all religions.

There’s also no reason why our toilets must always be wet – stop at any rest and recreation area along the highways and the toilets always seem to be wet.

YB, since housing is also under your jurisdiction, Malaysians have often wondered why our toilet faucets have no handles or levers. It should really be compulsory for all developments.

We hope his efforts will put a shine on our water closets, otherwise everything will just get flushed down the toilet.