On The Beat
By WONG CHUN WAI

IT’S a big deal – the RM50mil direct financial assistance to Chinese schools under the government’s economic stimulus.

The decision is unprecedented as the money will go straight to the boards of directors.

With a stroke of the pen, the move means cutting down the layers of red tape and allowing school managements to have a greater say in the running of the schools.

The unprecedented move means greater democratisation for these school boards as such an allocation is tantamount to “the biggest test of trust” given by the Government to the Chinese schools.

But more importantly, it is a reaffirmation of the Government’s stand to protect vernacular schools.

No doubt, there will be criticisms surrounding the timing of the announcement on Thurs­day, so close to the Kuala Terengganu by-election. But the point is this – regardless of the outcome of the contest, the money will still go to these schools.

Last week, Najib said a total of 237 Chinese schools nationwide would receive a total of RM27mil, adding that the rest would be given out in due time.

The funding includes various payments for development, improvement works and equipment purchases.

Najib went a step further – the money must be used by the end of the year. That means more funds should be coming next year.

More to benefit

Next on the list would be missionary schools, Tamil schools and schools in Sabah and Sara­wak.

In fact, many reporters missed an important point – for the first time, the RM200mil package for schools announced by Najib in Novem­ber would be split equally among the national schools, vernacular schools, Islamic religious schools and missionary schools.

The direct funding also means schools would no longer have to depend on the Works Department (JKR) and relevant authorities who appoint their own contractors to carry out renovations and expansion in schools.

There have been plenty of complaints of delays, cost overruns, use of shoddy material and sub-standard work in the past. In all these instances, the schools have little or no say at all, even if at times they suspect possible waste and corruption.

In 2005, a teacher in SJK (C) Keat Hwa, Alor Setar, was killed when the wooden flooring on the school’s second floor gave way as it was heavily infested with termites.

Two years ago, for example, Datuk Seri Hisham­muddin Tun Hussein Onn, expressed his disgust that the JKR took 10 years to build a school in Rawang.

In fact, MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat was censured in 2006 for speaking up against shoddy work by a contractor at the Kung Yu school in Muar, Johor, when he was Deputy Higher Education Minister.

The school was billed RM30,000 for work valued at only RM3,000 and worse, it was a patchy job.

No one should put up with this nonsense as our students and teachers should not be exposed to these risks in schools.

It is good that the problems have been pursued and a proper solution identified as it now means the schools themselves can select the best contractors who can offer the best prices.

For a long time, many Chinese schools preferred to rely on the community, businessmen and the MCA for fund raising but the direct funding is a shot in the arm.

It is pertinent also to note that the funds will go to the board of directors instead of the Parent Teachers Association, as accountability is important since money is involved.

In small schools, where such boards do not exist, obviously some form of mechanism needs to be worked out.

Despite the occasional erratic outbursts by some politicians on vernacular schools, the latest commitment by Najib shows that the working relationship between Umno, the MCA and the MIC has been consistently strong.

There are bound to be hiccups and unhappiness even in the best marriages, but it has been tested partnership.

Moderation works

At times, the method of working has been put to the test with component parties reluctant to shout about their inputs and work in closed-door Cabinet meetings.

The result is that the MCA is sometimes seen as subservient but while the politics of consensus has worked, the political landscape has changed radically over the past years.

The young electorate expect their leaders to speak up and MCA leaders in the mould of Ong Tee Keat, Datuk Liow Tiong Lai and Dr Wee Ka Seong who dare to speak their mind are needed in the party.

The Chinese schools, with their high standards of teaching and discipline, have produced some of the best leaders at political and corporate levels.

MCA leaders have had to balance the demands of Chinese educationists and the pressure of Malay nationalists but moderation has succeeded again.

The direct funding would be to help all schools equally, and not just Chinese schools. For example, missionary schools, which have a strong tradition and history, need all the help they can get.

 

IT’S sheer madness. The Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip which have killed more than 400 people and wounded 2,000 others are a shocking start to the new year.

Something is tragically wrong when innocent people in homes, places of worship, schools and even ambulances are hit.

We are told of the sophistication of the Israeli intelligence and its precise targets against Hamas fighters. They talk about the so-called safe targets and the use of drone planes, detailed maps, balloons fitted with cameras and up to the minute phone calls.

Yet, the casualties of the attacks include children coming out from schools and women in their homes.

At the last count, over 25% of the deaths have been civilians, and not quite the targets the Israelis wanted. But we will hear the same defensive res­ponse – Hamas fighters hiding inside mosques.

The United States has reportedly demanded the disarmament of Hamas, which Israel says has been smuggling weapons through tunnels under Gaza’s border with Egypt, as the first step to a truce.

The threat is the air attacks, the deadliest over the last 30 years, is just the first stage. Ground attacks, using tanks, could roll into the Israeli blockaded Gaza Strip.

The White House has reportedly said the ground offensive is entirely an Israel option and for many, it would mean approval. The only condition set is to avoid civilian casualties and the free flow of humanitarian aid.

It’s really pathetic and laughable because the world knows that’s not going to happen.

President-elect Barack Obama has stayed clear of the issue, using the logic of “one president at a time” but it would be naive for the world to expect Obama to react differently.

Let’s remind ourselves that his constituency is the US, and its powerful Jewish lobbyists, not the rest of the world.

Personally, I find it disappointing that he has not come out with a strong condemnation of the attacks. Politicians always have something to say and his excuse is pretty pathetic.

Despite the outcry by the Arab world, the harsh reality is that these Arab countries, with their national self interests and rivalry, have not done enough to help the 1.5 million Palestinians stuck in the conflict.

For the rest of the world, the organised killings must be condemned. It is not just about Palestinians and Hamas fighters. It is about the killing of innocent people and, certainly, it is an issue that transcends all races.

In fact, there should be more protests involving all faiths as this is not merely a Muslim issue.

THE year will go down as a roller-coaster in history with extraordinary dramas that have altered the country’s political landscape.

It has left many of us in the media exhausted and dazed. With days before the year finally closes, it won’t be a surprise if there are more dramas waiting to unfold.

The year opened with the resignation of MCA senior politician Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek from all party posts for his involvement in the sex DVD scandal.

It was one of the biggest scandals to hit the country but it was more stunning when Dr Chua made a strong comeback as MCA deputy president after his political obituary was written.

It appears that the story hasn’t quite ended and political analysts peering into their crystal balls have not ruled out related political turbulence in 2009.

Ringing in changes

The year saw the election of a new MCA president, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat. History was also created when his predecessor Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting stepped down under a system which limits the tenure of a party chief.

Tee Keat, who is known for his outspokenness, is expected to bring dynamic changes to the party.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was another big newsmaker for 2008. He found himself embroiled in yet another sex controversy but got himself elected and returned to Parlia­ment in spite of it.

The comeback kid had led an opposition coalition in the March 8 general election, winning an impressive number of seats in Parlia­ment, with his Pakatan Rakyat capturing Penang, Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Kelantan.

For the first time in the country’s history, the Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat. Even during the 1969 election, the results were not this bad for the ruling party.

This year’s general election witnessed the booting out of many big names, in some cases by mere unknowns from the Opposition.

The biggest victors were our democracy and electoral system. Despite questions raised by the Opposition against the Elections Com­mission, the results showed that any party can win an election and that outcomes can be accepted, no matter how painful.

Like it or not, Anwar is certainly a dominant force in Malaysian politics today. But his political fortune and future will be on the edge in 2009 when the trial for his alleged homo­sexual acts begins.

It will certainly be one of the most explosive court dramas. Malaysians will be looking out to see whether the prosecution can put up a stronger and tighter case against the opposition leader in Round Two of the battle. The stakes are high because it could mean Anwar going back to jail.

If the prosecution fails and he walks away, the political backlash would be disastrous for the Barisan.

Passing the baton

The 2008 political tsunami also signalled the premature exit of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. In a case of hero to zero, he led the coalition to its worst results despite having won the biggest victory for the Barisan in 2004.

Pressure mounted within the ranks of Umno and 2009 will see the leadership baton passed on to his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Najib is expected to take over the helm in April after Umno’s general assembly in March. The results of the party’s polls will also reflect Umno’s new leadership profile.

A new Cabinet line-up is also expected when Najib becomes the Prime Minister. Eyebrows won’t be raised if certain personalities make way for new appointees.

But it waits to be seen whether he will cut down the size of the administration as it would not be easy.

Battling crisis

The main story for 2009 will be the impact of the global financial crisis on Malaysians. No other issues, however much they grab the headlines, deserve more attention.

Malaysians are already feeling the effects of the shocking oil price hikes and the subprime mortgage fallouts that led to the financial crisis in 2008, The impact will certainly be felt much harder in 2009.

Jobs will be cut along with retrenchment of workers in the electronic sector. Many employers are also expected to give only mini­mal increments or none at all, as they brace for the tough year ahead.

But taking strong decisions to cut wastage will help keep companies intact and save jobs during hard times.

As we celebrate the year end, let’s reflect and review its lessons. If 2008 was a nerve-wracking year, 2009 looks like a year for which we need plenty of prayers.

It should be a year for Malaysians to put aside political trivialities and focus on economic issues.

More than ever before, political stability is of paramount importance to the survival of Malaysia.

With the elections of the major parties set to be concluded by the first quarter of 2009, let’s hope that we can finally see the end of communal heroes who are only good at playing to the gallery.

It’s time that political leaders focus on what matters most – enabling ordinary Malaysians to put food on the table for their families.

IT is a touchy subject and one that probably crops up only in Malaysia. Where else could the teaching of Maths and Science in schools possibly develop into an issue with political and racial implications?

Malay and Chinese educationist groups are unhappy with the use of English to teach these subjects, saying it has not helped improve English among our students.

Malay nationalists and politicians argue that rural Malay students are suffering because they cannot understand the language.

Chinese educationists, particularly the Dong Jiao Zong (DJZ), have threatened to stage a nationwide protest against the continued use of English.

The DJZ, which comprises the Dong Zong (United Chinese School Committees Association) and the Jiao Zong (United Chinese School Teachers Association) from our 1,200 Chinese primary schools, has stood firm that the Government should revert to using mother tongue languages in teaching Maths and Science.

The protest was originally made by Jiao Zong president Ong Chiaw Chuan but the group’s officials have since reportedly distanced themselves from the threat.

Caught in the middle is Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, who will be holding a fifth round of meetings with the DJZ.

He has the Umno party elections ahead of him, and he has to balance the interest of the Chinese-based parties in Barisan Nasional and the future of our Malaysian students.

No one can deny that the teaching of Maths and Science, especially in Chinese, has been effective. These schools have produced the best students in these subjects because of the teaching method which relies on the language.

But Hishammuddin cannot adopt different rules for different schools or he will be accused of practising double-standards.

The decision to use English to teach these two subjects – the brainchild of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his last years in office – has been decisive, and much emotion has been generated by it.

Emeritus Prof Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim found himself on the firing line following his statement that non-Malays needed to compromise and give up Chinese or Tamil education in favour of a single-school education system.

MCA information and communications chief Lee Wei Keat said the MCA was offended, saying Khoo’s stand revealed his gross misconception of history and the foundation of vernacular schools in the country.

Dr Khoo is entitled to his views but he certainly has little inclination of the Chinese community’s pulse. In fact, most times he is out of touch. Prof, read the Federal Constitution, please.

Asking the non-Malays to give up their schools is unconstitutional and would be unacceptable.

But what is missing from the whole debate is this – the standard of English among our students has gone to the dogs. So, too, has that of our school teachers and university lecturers.

While Chinese and Malay groups fight over the issue, the reality is that our children continue to suffer on a massive scale.

It has affected children of all races but the rural Malays would suffer the most from the Government’s decision to abandon the use of English as a medium of instruction.

Go to any shopping complexes now and you will find young Chinese salespersons who cannot speak anything else except Cantonese or Mandarin.

We have a situation where schools have become mono-ethnic by design or simply by circumstances. National schools are predominantly Malay because non-Malays think they are too religious while in Chinese primary schools, it’s almost entirely Chinese because the perception is that the teaching standards and discipline are much better.

So, we have the young Malays and Chinese going back to their respective homes speaking their mother tongue, watching Malay or Chinese channels on TV and having only friends of their own races.

We dream of the days when there were English medium schools where real friends, not functional friends, of all races were made.

The standard of English was high and all you needed were five As in the MCE, not 16 or 17As in the SPM, to prove your capability.

Chinese schools then paled when compared to English schools. The Han Chiang High School in the 1970s had to depend on Thai and Indonesian students to survive and was almost on the verge of shutting down because of falling attendance.

Parents, especially Chinese, sent their children to English schools because they had good teachers and, of course, it helped that England was a powerhouse then. It had nothing to do with history or heritage.

But now, many English-educated Chinese parents are sending their children to Chinese primary schools because they want their children to acquire the ability to speak and write Chinese. They do this because of the emergence of China as the economic superpower.

You can be a lawyer, banker, businessman or journalist but if you cannot speak Mandarin, you would experience more difficulties in China.

But having said that, don’t forget that Chinese nationals are learning English the American way, not our flat intonation ala Malaysian or Singaporean English, which the former think is bad English.

Malaysians who are better off are sending their children to private and international schools where English is used. At college level, they go to private universities, locally or overseas.

So what about our graduates in local universities who are deprived of these opportunities? We can argue until the cows come home about nationalism, culture, race and heritage but the reality is that without English language skills, they are not marketable.

They will pay the price for the fallacies of our selfish and narrow-minded politicians, nationalists and educationists who, for all their bravado, may even be sending their children to private and international schools.

IT has to be the most sensible statement of the week by a politician as Malaysians cringed with embarrassment at the ludicrous remarks made by our legislators.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak told Malaysians there was no time for politicking but to focus on overcoming the economic challenges ahead and to create opportunities for the people.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the general election was over and “this is the time when we, as a nation, must come together and unite to face the grave external economic challenges”.

Opening the Malaysian Capital Market Summit organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) last week, he echoed what most Malaysians are saying but we hope the politicians got his message. The impression among the people, and by that we mean the man on the street, is that ambitious and selfish politicians are too busy playing communal heroes ahead of the party polls.

Unfortunately, the perception is that some of these politicians belong to his own party – Umno. Ordinary people are too busy trying to feed their families and pay off their household bills.

We don’t have time to indulge in politicking because we have work to do, unlike politicians who can find time and afford to criss-cross the country to garner votes.

They are shooting themselves in the foot and losing more votes for the Barisan Nasional with their sometimes ill-conceived statements, and we are worried that this silly season will drag on until March.

This does not come as a surprise. It is the job of politicians to be involved in politicking although many claim they want to serve the rakyat and are not politicking. But the Pakatan Rakyat politicians are just as guilty. Changing road signs should hardly be a priority for a state government that’s hardly eight months old.

With factories cutting production and retrenchments in the pipeline, the last thing on the Penang state government’s mind should be changing these signs, which won’t help increase tourist arrivals for sure.

But it did create a storm in a tea cup, which is a good political distraction. Whatever the merits of putting additional languages, which is actually a harmless exercise, the point still remains if it would help us solve our economic problems. Investors in the region are concerned, if not alarmed, at our seeming lack of concern in dealing with the global economic issues, which would be felt even more in months to come.

The perception is that except for a few senior leaders like Najib, there is a lack of interest among our MPs. How many of them have taken the trouble to speak about it? Instead, they grab media headlines by acting dumb and dumber. It has come to a point where some have to be offensive and foul-mouthed in the Dewan Rakyat to get national attention.

Now, that’s serious politicking – and a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. Najib is right in saying that Malaysians must unite. Politi­cians and vernacular newspapers, especially, should not be raising issues that disunite the nation.

While some of the Rulers have become more progressive in their statements, some politicians, on the other hand, have become more insular and backward, unable to grasp the changing political landscape.

They have become political dinosaurs, whipping up racial issues when there is none and creating insecurity among the people. Najib, as the Prime Minister-in-waiting, has pressed the right buttons so far. He has come out as a fair-minded person who speaks for all Malaysians and has handled a few recent controversies by dousing the fire quickly.

He has been careful in dealing with the perception of people supposedly close to him, as the media speculates on the membership of his inner circle. Names like Rohana Mahmood and Omar Mustapha Ong have cropped up but these talented people have actually moved on.

Mustapha was a special officer to Najib and remains in touch with the office, helping out in certain areas, while Rohana has more interest in the corporate sector now. In short, she is not a member of the elite club.

Najib has kept tight his choice of advisers around him, preferring not to favour anyone and is certainly upset, if not angry, with people who use his name as well as that of his family members.

There will be businessmen and political analysts who claim to be close to Najib or are perceived to be so but they need not necessarily be beneficiaries of his administration.

Malaysians will back him if he can lead us through the rough economic challenges ahead. But please crack your whip on recalcitrant politicians who do not give second thoughts to using the race card to advance their political careers.

ON THE BEAT
By WONG CHUN WAI

WE are just a week away from December and usually by now, I would have received a few diaries and calendars. But not this year.

I have only one diary and my colleagues tell me I am lucky because they don’t even have one. We figured companies are cutting back on expenses and giveaways are almost certain to top their list of cost-cutting measures.

Traditionally printed Christmas and New Year greeting cards are expected to be replaced by e-cards this season as well.

It takes a little getting used to for most, particularly if there are no bonuses, and workers are told that they are lucky to keep their jobs as the global economic crisis takes its toll.

In Malaysia, most of us have not been seriously bitten by the credit crunch as its impact would be clearer only by the middle of next year.

But in Penang, US-owned factories have already cut down production and workers have been told to go off during the holiday season.

Previously, this would have been the busiest time of the year as workers rush to meet the deadline. And now, there could be retrenchments eventually.

The buzzword today is cost cutting. From a ban on staff recruitment to travelling on budget airlines for company trips to closing down unprofitable branches, employers are taking tough measures to keep their expenses down.

It’s simple – when the patient is bleeding, you have to stop it before it worsens. Then, the treatment begins.

For obvious reasons, salaried workers would not like cost cutting measures. Nobody likes changes, particularly if it means changes to their lifestyles and working habit. Sometimes, it could even mean sacrificing basic items for the family, including college education for the children because of a salary cut.

But cost cutting can also lead to reinvention and restructuring. It need not be disruptive but innovative as it means cutting away the fat and making the company leaner. The same is applicable to the public sector, which has more reasons to apply these austerity measures as they use taxpayers’ money.

There is a Chinese saying that in times of crisis there are also opportunities. One of the most uplifting comments I have read of late, in the midst of gloom and doom stories dominating the media, must be from Forbes magazine editor-in-chief Steve Forbes.

He believes that the world is still flush with cash, unlike the generally-held belief that the world has run out of liquidity.

“It’s frozen because of fear, but the cash is there. Productivity gains are burgeoning,” he wrote in his latest commentary “How Capitalism Will Save Us” in the magazine’s latest edition.

He even predicts that the global boom “will resume next year, slowly at first and then with increasing momentum” but warns that it would depend on the “political aftermath.”

That means political leaders need to pursue policies that promote growth, including cutting tax rates, as “taxes don’t just raise revenue, they are also a price and a burden” and that the “tax you pay for income is the tax you pay for working.”

Certainly a lot of middle class, salaried Malaysians would share their frustrations over the tax regime we have.

But as in previous financial crises, when jobs are hard to come by, or young people do not find it attractive working with reduced wages, many have become successful entrepreneurs.

In the same issue, Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard pointed out that in the 1970s, when the economic outlook was eerily similar as stocks took a beating, names like FedEx, Microsoft, Genentech, Apple, Oracle and Southwest Airlines were born.

It was high income tax and a lousy stock market, he wrote, that drove bright young people into unconventional careers.

Recently, I met a group of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia graduates of 1984. It was a bad time to leave university then as jobs were scarce and many jobless graduates were paid allowances to just sit in government departments.

The circumstances drove many to become businessmen and to create jobs. We met for the first time in 25 years and I was pleased to learn many were running their own companies, and doing better than those who secured jobs.

Over-reliance on the government by graduates, especially those who are not marketable because they lack language and social skills, would complicate matters in a financial crisis.

Start-ups with lower pay could in the end be more financially rewarding. Risk-taking and innovation are what the nation needs.

In times of difficulties, there can still be a silver lining as new ideas would emerge to ensure survival.