KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — Pakatan Rakyat leaders blasted the government for the delay in the dismantling of the teaching maths and science in English programme (PPSMI), claiming it would only worsen the damage already done by the initiative.
The DAP's Lim Kit Siang, in a statement, said the decision to discard PPSMI only by 2012 was an irresponsible and unprofessional decision "as it would turn millions of students into guinea pigs of a failed experiment twice in a decade."
He said students in Form 1 this year will continue to be taught maths and science in English until Form 3 in 2011 after already having spent the past six years in primary school under the PPSMI.
"However, when they come to Form 4 in 2012, they will become 'guinea pigs' a second time, when the medium of instruction for these two subjects is switched back to Bahasa Malaysia in line with the Cabinet decision," lamented Lim.
This means those students will have to cope with maths and science in Bahasa Malaysia when they sit for the important SPM examinations.
" And it's not only this batch of students who will be victimised and made second-time guinea pigs, but an entire generation of school-going children from 2003 to 2013 and beyond," stressed Lim.
The DAP veteran also took a swipe at MCA and MIC for their failure to convince the Umno heads of government to continue with the teaching of the two subjects in English to Form 4 and 5 students despite admitting that it was the best solution.
Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin said two days ago that the programme, which cost RM4 billion to implement, must first complete the second phase of its six-year cycle before the government can discard it.
He said this would give the government, students and teachers ample time to make preparation for the changes.
PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali, backing his PR comrade, described the delay as absurd and irresponsible and said PPSMI should have never been implemented in the first place.
Syed Husin, who leads the left-wing faction in a centralist-dominated PKR, also blasted the government for its failure to give concrete reasons for the delay in jettisoning the PPSMI.
While the political parties bicker about it, society at large remained divided over the subject with those from the urban areas demanding that the programme be continued while those in the rural areas supporting its abolition.
And parties from both sides have so far failed to come up with an alternative that would garner common support from the diversely opinionated public. - malaysian insider
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Khir Toyo is paying a RM15,000 instalment per month for his mansion
SHAH ALAM: Former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo is paying a RM15,000 instalment per month for his mansion in Section 7 here and he says he can afford it as he has gone into business.
“I don’t depend on my state assemblyman’s allowance to service my loan with HSBC as I have other sources of income,” he said.
He was responding to DAP Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim’s query on how Dr Mohd Khir could afford the monthly payments on the house with his assemblyman’s allowance of about RM8,000 a month.
Dr Mohd Khir said he had ventured into business after the general election last year.
“I couldn’t go into business when I was Mentri Besar because it was prohibited. Now that I am only an assemblyman, I am allowed to hold jobs and manage businesses,” he added.
Dr Mohd Khir said he owned a pharmacy as well as a dental clinic.
“I have also ventured into other businesses and the income I get from them is more than enough for me to make monthly payments on my house,” he said.
He said Ng should know better that assemblymen needed other sources of income since he (Ng) owned a couple of grocery shops.
He said he expected the topic of his house to be hotly debated at the state legislative assembly which begins meeting Wednesday.
Dr Mohd Khir also said that the Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives should concentrate on solving problems faced by the people instead picking on non-issues.
“There are many issues they have failed to resolve, especially problems faced by the Indian community in the state. They should look into this first,” he said.
However, Ng told a press conference at the State Secretariat building here that he was prepared to face legal action from the former Mentri Besar.
He said he had obtained the necessary information from several contractors who had worked on the mansion.
Ng also warned that the expose on the house was only the beginning as more information regarding Dr Khir’s wealth would be revealed soon.
On a lighter note, Ng said he had received offers on Dr Mohd Khir’s house and requested for an official letter appointing him to sell the place.
He also asked for the keys to enable him to show potential buyers what they would be paying for.
“I don’t depend on my state assemblyman’s allowance to service my loan with HSBC as I have other sources of income,” he said.
He was responding to DAP Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim’s query on how Dr Mohd Khir could afford the monthly payments on the house with his assemblyman’s allowance of about RM8,000 a month.
Dr Mohd Khir said he had ventured into business after the general election last year.
“I couldn’t go into business when I was Mentri Besar because it was prohibited. Now that I am only an assemblyman, I am allowed to hold jobs and manage businesses,” he added.
Dr Mohd Khir said he owned a pharmacy as well as a dental clinic.
“I have also ventured into other businesses and the income I get from them is more than enough for me to make monthly payments on my house,” he said.
He said Ng should know better that assemblymen needed other sources of income since he (Ng) owned a couple of grocery shops.
He said he expected the topic of his house to be hotly debated at the state legislative assembly which begins meeting Wednesday.
Dr Mohd Khir also said that the Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives should concentrate on solving problems faced by the people instead picking on non-issues.
“There are many issues they have failed to resolve, especially problems faced by the Indian community in the state. They should look into this first,” he said.
However, Ng told a press conference at the State Secretariat building here that he was prepared to face legal action from the former Mentri Besar.
He said he had obtained the necessary information from several contractors who had worked on the mansion.
Ng also warned that the expose on the house was only the beginning as more information regarding Dr Khir’s wealth would be revealed soon.
On a lighter note, Ng said he had received offers on Dr Mohd Khir’s house and requested for an official letter appointing him to sell the place.
He also asked for the keys to enable him to show potential buyers what they would be paying for.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Clear Corruption
The transaction of North Korea’s suspected shipment of weapons to Myanmar, currently being carried on a freighter tracked by the U.S. Navy, was planned to be paid through a bank in Malaysia and the visit by a U.S. envoy to Malaysia this weekend will focus on ways to cut off the payment transaction, Yonhap reported Saturday citing an unnamed “high-level” source.
“Kim Jong-il will have a hard time collecting his money,” the high-level source said, speaking strictly on condition of anonymity. The source declined to identify the bank due to diplomatic concerns.
Philip Goldberg, the U.S. coordinator for the implementation of a U.N. Security Council resolution that punishes North Korea for its May 25 nuclear test, is scheduled to arrive in Malaysia on Sunday.
The visit comes after the White House said late last month that U.S. President Barack Obama discussed North Korea and financial regulations with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razakon by phone.
It also comes as North Korea’s Kang Nam freighter is apparently returning home after being tracked by a U.S. Navy destroyer that suspects it is carrying cargo banned under the resolution.
The U.N. Resolution 1874, which reinforced sanctions that were imposed after North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006, bans Pyongyang from exporting any type of weapons. It also bans nations from making financial transactions with North Korea.
According to another source in Seoul, the Kang Nam is believed to be carrying small Soviet-era arms such as AK-47 rifles and RPG-7 anti-tank launchers.
AK-47s and RPG-7s are two of the most widely traded Soviet-era weapon types that North Korea is capable of producing on its own.
The U.S. believes there are “multiple” North Korean ships used to export weapons.
-- The Korea Times
“Kim Jong-il will have a hard time collecting his money,” the high-level source said, speaking strictly on condition of anonymity. The source declined to identify the bank due to diplomatic concerns.
Philip Goldberg, the U.S. coordinator for the implementation of a U.N. Security Council resolution that punishes North Korea for its May 25 nuclear test, is scheduled to arrive in Malaysia on Sunday.
The visit comes after the White House said late last month that U.S. President Barack Obama discussed North Korea and financial regulations with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razakon by phone.
It also comes as North Korea’s Kang Nam freighter is apparently returning home after being tracked by a U.S. Navy destroyer that suspects it is carrying cargo banned under the resolution.
The U.N. Resolution 1874, which reinforced sanctions that were imposed after North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006, bans Pyongyang from exporting any type of weapons. It also bans nations from making financial transactions with North Korea.
According to another source in Seoul, the Kang Nam is believed to be carrying small Soviet-era arms such as AK-47 rifles and RPG-7 anti-tank launchers.
AK-47s and RPG-7s are two of the most widely traded Soviet-era weapon types that North Korea is capable of producing on its own.
The U.S. believes there are “multiple” North Korean ships used to export weapons.
-- The Korea Times
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
KL scraps bumis equity
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA has announced major steps to liberalise its economy, including the scrapping of a rule that requires publicly listed companies to set aside 30 per cent equity for bumiputeras.
Foreigners will also find it easier to buy property under the measures announced by Prime Minister Najib Razak on Tuesday.
Datuk Seri Najib said the 30 per cent rule - long part of an affirmative action programme for the country's ethnic majority - was not helping poor Malays or the economy. Malaysia's economy is expected to shrink by up to 5 per cent this year amid a global downturn.
'It is not a time for sentiment or half measures but to renew our courage and pragmatism, to take the necessary bold measures to advance the national interests for the long-term benefit of all Malaysians,' he told an investment conference. 'The world is changing quickly and we must be ready to change with it or risk being left behind.'
The liberalisation moves unveiled on Tuesday also crimp the powers of the Foreign Investment Committee (FIC), a government body with wide discretionary powers to vet proposed investments.
One of its tasks was to ensure that the 30 per cent bumiputera equity guideline is complied with. But it has often been criticised by foreign investors for the opaque way in which it operates.
Mr Najib said that he wanted to create a more equitable system. 'We want to be fair to all communities. No one must feel marginalised. It is a tricky balancing act but it is doable.'
Listed companies will still be required to offer 25 per cent of shares to the public, and half of this must be sold to Malays. A private equity fund will also be set up to boost Malay equity, with an initial capital of RM500 million (S$206 million).
Such moves are still seen as necessary as the Malay share of corporate wealth currently stands at 19.4 per cent, a far cry from the '30 per cent by 2010' target envisaged by the government when it launched its New Economic Policy in the 1970s to give Malays a bigger stake.
Despite the expected unhappiness from the Malay ground, the measures come at a critical time as investment inflows have plunged since last year.
Foreigners will also find it easier to buy property under the measures announced by Prime Minister Najib Razak on Tuesday.
Datuk Seri Najib said the 30 per cent rule - long part of an affirmative action programme for the country's ethnic majority - was not helping poor Malays or the economy. Malaysia's economy is expected to shrink by up to 5 per cent this year amid a global downturn.
'It is not a time for sentiment or half measures but to renew our courage and pragmatism, to take the necessary bold measures to advance the national interests for the long-term benefit of all Malaysians,' he told an investment conference. 'The world is changing quickly and we must be ready to change with it or risk being left behind.'
The liberalisation moves unveiled on Tuesday also crimp the powers of the Foreign Investment Committee (FIC), a government body with wide discretionary powers to vet proposed investments.
One of its tasks was to ensure that the 30 per cent bumiputera equity guideline is complied with. But it has often been criticised by foreign investors for the opaque way in which it operates.
Mr Najib said that he wanted to create a more equitable system. 'We want to be fair to all communities. No one must feel marginalised. It is a tricky balancing act but it is doable.'
Listed companies will still be required to offer 25 per cent of shares to the public, and half of this must be sold to Malays. A private equity fund will also be set up to boost Malay equity, with an initial capital of RM500 million (S$206 million).
Such moves are still seen as necessary as the Malay share of corporate wealth currently stands at 19.4 per cent, a far cry from the '30 per cent by 2010' target envisaged by the government when it launched its New Economic Policy in the 1970s to give Malays a bigger stake.
Despite the expected unhappiness from the Malay ground, the measures come at a critical time as investment inflows have plunged since last year.
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