Malaysia Book of Crooks
Most of us are aware about the Malaysia Book of Records.
The web site says:
There are currently 9 categories available. But most links on the site are dead. It shows the cheap site is hardly impressive to be a hit.Intriguing, impressive records keep pouring in, the new beginning embarked upon is an unending journey. Hopes, aspirations, inspirations are ignited bu act with uncommon haste.
Our country still gains much admiration for its beauty; awestruck at the grandeur of the immortal records and unconventional accomplishments set by our country folks
Most so-called records are just nothing much to shout about, like in 'Inspiring The Nation' section, the first entry is 'Longest Jalur Gemilang on the Great Wall of China'. What is that to inspire our nation? Why not the longer Jalur Gemilang on the moon?
Pak Lah who is running the country on sleep mode and after the election fiasco, on borrowed time, appears smiling with this sentence - One never underestimate the human mind, it can transform thoughts into spectacular results.
He may tell that to himself, never underestimate the rakyat, they can change the political map in a spectacular act of no-confidence to you!
We have a lot more interesting records to be compiled into a book which can be a best-seller as well as reference to past 'achievements' of BN leaders-cum-crooks in their glory days.
There are a lot of crooks out there who are well known, some with well documented cases, some with living proof (remember the infamous Istana in Klang) and with recent change of governments are easy to be discovered even though a lot of confidential files are either missing of shredded from the cabinets.
Lim Kit Siang wrote in his blog, Malaysian crooks are the smartest in the world. And Malaysian policing authorities are the dumbest.
Trillions ringgit gone into thin air, literally into bank accounts. We have to bring the crooks to book. It is not witch hunting exercise as in recent Sun interview with Anwar Ibrahim:
Terence: But you are not going on a witchhunt, are you?
Anwar: I think it will be a problem for us, because it is endless. Then we will spend the next two years just doing this instead of running the states that we won.
STAR today reports:
Land fraud cases took place in 2003, says CM
Saturday, 29 March 2008
(The Star) - PENANG: The “land improprieties” involving “tens and tens of millions of ringgit” here which is under probe by a special state exco committee occurred back in 2003, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
He said although the previous state administration and the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) had completed investigation into the matter, the present administration was not happy with the outcome of the probe.
“There are many parties involved,” he told a press conference yesterday.
R. Nadeswaran in his Citizen Nades column mentions:-
In Selangor, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim says he is going to review a water supply agreement entered into by the previous state government with twoLatest from kudaranggi on Mat Taib dan hartanya
companies on the eve of polling day, all because the agreement – to operate, manage and maintain the raw water intake and the treatment plant at Sungai Sireh, Tanjung Karang – is lopsided in favour of certain quarters with an interest in the concession agreement.
"I have noticed there is some imbalance between the revenues (that would have been accorded) to the state and the people. It may have enriched the people who got the concession," Khalid was quoted as saying. "Because of this, I will review this agreement," he added.
There are thousands more similar misdemeanours among the BN leaders, families, cronies and little napoleons.
Yes, we really need bring the crooks to book, 'Malaysia Book of Crooks'!
Dubai's World Cup costs less to stage than Trengganu Monsoon Cup!
Unlike previous years, I did not receive a pair of VIP tickets to Dubai World Cup this year. It could be the person that used to invite me had returned to UK and his successor does not know me. Well, I may have missed those glamorous hats as I am not into horse racing.Gulf News reports that the entire racing world will be watching today as the best horses on the planet face off in a battle to claim the honour of winning the sport's richest race.
Reputations are made and broken on the turf of Nad Al Sheba, venue for the world's richest race meeting. The moral fibre of the world's best thoroughbreds is put to the test in March every year. This is the site for them to meet and push each other's engines to the limit. The perfectionists refer to it as horsepower.
This is the setting in which unsung novices try to achieve instant notoriety. This is the turf where legends bid to endorse their reputations further. This is the racecourse where owners and trainers gather aiming to get their hands on a share of the huge purse, which at $6 million (Dh22.5 million) is the highest on offer. 
Saturday 29 March, as every March, is the day which has been equated by some to an equine world summit. And all roads lead to the vibrant, pulsating, progressive city of Dubai that will host the rest of the world with a seven-card race menu. Each contest promises the best and is closely intertwined with the spirit of Dubai, which believes in taking ownership of nothing but that, which is unparalleled.
Saturday 29 March, as every March, is the day which has been equated by some to an equine world summit. And all roads lead to the vibrant, pulsating, progressive city of Dubai that will host the rest of the world with a seven-card race menu. Each contest promises the best and is closely intertwined with the spirit of Dubai, which believes in taking ownership of nothing but that, which is unparalleled.
It is no small wonder, and in keeping with the quality race field, that the bookies are forecasting a new track record in the feature race today.
Blink and you will miss it.
Equally, the World Cup is not just a race meet. It is an extension of the dreams and aspirations of the emirate and its inhabitants. The realisation of one such vision will be the birth of the world's first racing city, Meydan, in 2009. Dubai showcases the best that is on offer. The speed of its growth is equivalent to that of the 13 magnificent animals who will try to be on top of the world today.
What Monsoon Cup?
What Monsoon Cup?
Well, did I mention about comparing Dubai World Cup to Pak Lah's Terengganu Monsoon Cup? Idris Jusoh or Patrick Badawi or Khairy, or whoever related to Pak Lah had claimed arrogantly the annual yatch race was watched by billions of people around the world. It costs wang ehsan about RM300 million to run.
How come there was not even a single news on Monsoon Cup here?
I can guesstimate that even billed as world's richest race, Dubai's World Cup costs less to stage than Trengganu Monsoon Cup!
(My BIG boss is at number 3)
The World's Most Influential Arabs
(My BIG boss is at number 3)
NAME
1 HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud
2 Younes Mahmoud
3 Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem
4 Abdalla Salem El Badri
5 Nadine Labaki
6 Mohammed Alabbar
7 Dr Michel Obeid
8 Wadah Khanfar
9 Elie Saab Lebanon
10 HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum
The rest of the list and report, go HERE
Welcome to the Power 100 2008 - The World's 100 Most Powerful Arabs. The list, claimed to be the most comprehensive compilation to date, includes influential Arabs who have had the greatest impact in the past year as sportsmen, doctors, scientists, academics, poets and artists - and many more.
But first, how was the list chosen, you may ask?
Anil Bhoyrul, Group Editor of Arabian Business magazine, explains further:"For the purpose of this year's list (as with every year), we have defined it simply as influence - the ability to influence the thoughts and actions of others," Bhoyrul said. "Or put crudely, if one man dyed his hair green, how many others would follow? The more that did, the more powerful that man is."
Continue here
Dr. M, Vincent and That Tengku had a same Tok Guru
I could not help but to feel a bit amused to read about so-called one prominent corporate leader meeting Anwar Ibrahim recently. The same Vincent who was deemed to be a part of the conspiracy team to topple and sham Anwar late 90s as claimed by Anwar thousands times.
The article reminded me of someone that I used to know in Dubai few years back. A friend introduced to me a spiritual Tok Guru or ahli Sufi . We call him BN who was one of few that Dr. M had sought for advice before pegging RM to USD during financial crisis a decade ago.
The late BN hailed from Pakistan and highly regarded among those who knew him as a great spiritual leader. His world wide network was extensive including Dr. M, Benazir and surprise, surprise, Vincent and his corporate buddy as well partner-in-crime as mentioned during Lingamgate Royal Inquiry, that Tengku (who was not born as Tengku but later named himself a Tengku even before his father became a Tengku).
I am not sure whether that 'It looks like and Sounds like' Lingam was also one of BN's anak murids. I would not be shocked now to know if he was indeed a member of the spiritual circle.
Personally, I was also impressed with BN with his capability to tell about my life and family tree even it was our first meeting. According to my friend, BN was known to give accurate predictions to a lot of things and events that occured. Hence his closeness with certain world figures.
Everytime he was in Dubai, I would join my friend to chat with BN who did not read newspapers or watch TV but still was very up-to-date with the latest happenings in the world. He spoke in urdu so I had my friend to translate our conversations. I was curious to know a lot of things from the other side of the supernatural world and a lot of questions raised but not necessarily answered.
The story is more interesting as once I was in KL with BN and my friends from Dubai. It was 2003.In KL, Vincent and that Tengku came over to the hotel to meet their tok guru and even they kissed BN hands humbly. I was informed earlier that those two buddies were also anak murids or followers of this BN but did not really believe it. I would never believe Vincent had a muslim tok guru...would you?
Interestingly, I got to know that both 'It looks like and Sounds like' Lingam friends were not really liked by BN due to their tainted images and activities. However, both had had high regards to BN and I assumed both had also received a lot of spiritual guidance from BN.
It is amusing that these two tokeh judi had a same Tok Guru with our former PM and wonder why this conection was not mentioned during Lingamgate hearing. I am also waiting for Dr. M's biography if he ever writes about BN's influence in his life and how close these three well-known guys are over the years, even to share a same tok guru.
It could be EXPLOSIVE indeed!
P. Ramlee was a genius and he did mention about UMNO = Circus long time ago in Bujang Lapok movie.
False malaise of Kuwait's politics
By Abdullah Alshayji
On March 19, the Emir of the State of Kuwait used his constitutional rights and suspended the Kuwaiti National Assembly (the Parliament) for the second time in less than two years because of the endless bickering and acrimonious relations which dominated the relationship between the two branches of the political system.
Such tense relations resulted in a record number of interpolations for seven ministers. It also set a record for the number of ministerial resignations and paralysis of the Kuwaiti political system since the fall of 2006.
Over the past 50 years, Kuwait has been a prototype for what happens to a tiny entity which has mastered how to harness its oil wealth and survive in a hostile environment and put to great use its oil wealth to benefit its own little population and share it through mega development projects with less fortunate countries and peoples.
Kuwait has implemented a reverse of the adage of "no representation without taxation" to "representation without taxation" which set the trend and became a harbinger for much of the region to look upon and emulate as an indigenous prototype for what these countries, leaderships and intellectuals would like to see implemented in their own societies.
Kuwait was not interested to serve as a model, but found itself being a model by default for lack of any other viable model to serve as a yardstick and an acceptable model in a region in which democracy and representative politics are not in vogue.
It is important to point out here that the Kuwaiti experiment in representative politics did not start with the advent of the new independent state in 1961.
In addition, the Kuwaiti evolving representative experience did not occur in a vacuum either; it was the direct result of various socio-political processes of pushing, hauling and compromising between the Al Sabah family who has been ruling Kuwait uninterrupted since 1756 and the merchant elites and later the intellectual elites after independence.
The Kuwaiti rich and vibrant representative politics dates back to the 1920s and 1930s with the appointment of the Majlis Al Shura and the election of the legislative council.
In the post-independence era, Kuwait was the first to gain full sovereignty from Great Britain in 1961 among the littoral states of the Gulf countries which later formed the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1981.
Kuwait quickly embarked on nation building and institutionalised its political system by electing a constitutional assembly to draft the first constitution in the region.
In 1962 the first written constitution was promulgated and in 1963 the first National Assembly in the Gulf region was elected with 50 members of parliament elected by an all male suffrage.
Thus Kuwait entered the era of constitutional monarchy and representative politics in less than two years since its full sovereignty, which is a remarkable achievement for the small but determined country which continues to live in a tough and inhospitable region.
Since then, the Kuwaitis widened the suffrage to women in 2005 and elected 11 parliaments and formed 24 cabinets and interpolated 40 ministers, many of them belonging to the ruling family and forced more ministers to resign or the whole cabinet to resign more than any other country in the Arab world.
The parliament was itself dissolved by the Emir five times, in 1976, 1986, 1999, 2006 and 2008 because of its feistiness, vigour and over-zealous role.
Victim
Now, Kuwaiti politics has become the victim of its own success.
There is a feeling of malaise setting in due to the continued showdowns, distrust and ongoing tensions between the cabinet and the parliament which is dominated by independent MPs, with various stripes of Islamists being the majority.
The eternal problem in Kuwaiti politics is the lack of majority by either the cabinet or the parliament. Kuwait is neither a parliamentary nor a presidential system. It is a mish-mash of hereditary-parliamentary system where political parties do not exist.
In the final analysis, the false malaise should not be exaggerated. Moreover, the negative image which some Kuwaitis and other Gulf and Arab intellectuals feel about Kuwaiti representative politics should not take away from its pioneering and its indelible prints.
For Kuwaitis, and for all others who dream of living in a country where the final saying is for us, the citizens, where all powers rest and start, the Kuwaiti experience will continue to be the harbinger, the indigenous model after 50 years of its inception, to be emulated. That by itself, is a testimony to its resilience and saliency.
Dr Abdullah Alshayji is a Professor of Political Science and Head of the American Studies Unit at Kuwait University.
Abuya Is Back - The PM in Waiting
Like our former PM, the one and only Dr. M, yes, politicians never die, they just become annoying and irrelevant, now maybe they just become glamorous bloggers.
They make noises to be heard. Dr. M for example wanna be a modern day maverick superhero. He claims thousand times that he is innocent and clean from any wrongdoings while 22 years in power. Except of putting that Imam Hadhari as his successor and not putting Anwar in jail for the rest of his natural life.
Most old, retired or dropped politicians have to be seen vocal and macho regardless of irrelevancy. Otherwise, people or rather mainstream media just ignore and forget about them. The rest who once walked arrogantly in corridors of power are faded into oblivion or lavishly enjoying the loots with millions to spend before going to hell.
Sometimes, with a lot of hard bargains, persuasions, ampuism and begging, some of these never-say-die buggers may make a sudden comeback and return to the limelight. You'd never know that people like notorious ZAM might return to haunt our lives with vengeance, either as a blogger or attention beggar in the media-that-he-used-to-charge-like-his-father's.
After the political tsunami that consequently wrecked havoc in ruling party, who'd guess that the former MB with 2 Muhammads in his name (who was famously detained in OZland for carrying millions in sack and did not understand any English) has returned to political mainstream with a bang.
Another supposedly rebel, Shahril Samad who had been there, ups and downs, out and in, had also returned to the cabinet after lapse of 2o years or so.
Here we go again, there is another former mainstream and high-flying leader who was detained and had confessed live on TV for his deviant activities is now returned to shape the future of our nation with strong political statements.
He may be in bad shape but he will thrust again into prominence as prophecy says he is gonna be the one.
Move Anwar, Tengku Razaleigh or Najib Al Tantuya aside, we have another candidate as a PM in Waiting.
Abuya now speaks perfect ENGLISH (Mat Tyson and ZAM may have to learn from him)! 
There were some big news about Arab investments in Malaysia few months ago. First was in IDR and then several more property developments in Penang and other investments in Selangor.
They make noises to be heard. Dr. M for example wanna be a modern day maverick superhero. He claims thousand times that he is innocent and clean from any wrongdoings while 22 years in power. Except of putting that Imam Hadhari as his successor and not putting Anwar in jail for the rest of his natural life.
Most old, retired or dropped politicians have to be seen vocal and macho regardless of irrelevancy. Otherwise, people or rather mainstream media just ignore and forget about them. The rest who once walked arrogantly in corridors of power are faded into oblivion or lavishly enjoying the loots with millions to spend before going to hell.
Sometimes, with a lot of hard bargains, persuasions, ampuism and begging, some of these never-say-die buggers may make a sudden comeback and return to the limelight. You'd never know that people like notorious ZAM might return to haunt our lives with vengeance, either as a blogger or attention beggar in the media-that-he-used-to-charge-like-his-father's.
After the political tsunami that consequently wrecked havoc in ruling party, who'd guess that the former MB with 2 Muhammads in his name (who was famously detained in OZland for carrying millions in sack and did not understand any English) has returned to political mainstream with a bang.
Another supposedly rebel, Shahril Samad who had been there, ups and downs, out and in, had also returned to the cabinet after lapse of 2o years or so.
Here we go again, there is another former mainstream and high-flying leader who was detained and had confessed live on TV for his deviant activities is now returned to shape the future of our nation with strong political statements.
He may be in bad shape but he will thrust again into prominence as prophecy says he is gonna be the one.
Move Anwar, Tengku Razaleigh or Najib Al Tantuya aside, we have another candidate as a PM in Waiting.
Abuya now speaks perfect ENGLISH (Mat Tyson and ZAM may have to learn from him)! Click Here, if interested to read!
The Arabs SKIP Malaysia for Singapore and China
There were some big news about Arab investments in Malaysia few months ago. First was in IDR and then several more property developments in Penang and other investments in Selangor.Anyway, these minor investments are nothing to shout about comparing with other mega and not-so-mega investments in Singapore and China.
Today, the UAE's Vice-President and Prime Minister, HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum flew for a historic trip to China with 150 delegates, marking the importance of the economic and commercial aspects of the visit.
UAE has made more than 400 investments in China with trillions in value. China is of course a world power where everybody is going to be for future strategic stakes. To date, bilateral trade between China dan UAE has grown by an impressive annual average of 40 per cent from $4 billion in 2003 to $20 billion in 2007.
China has been growing at an annual average rate of more than 10 per cent for more than 30 years, making the country the fastest growing in East Asia, and the UAE's economic growth in the past five years far exceeds that of all its neighbours.
China exported $17 billion worth of goods to the UAE in 2007, ranking the country as China's most important trading partner in the region, whereas 70 per cent of these exports were re-exported to countries in the GCC, Africa, and even Europe, which reveals the growing importance of the UAE as the region's trading hub.
There are about 200,000 Chinese citizens living and working in the UAE, of whom only about 30,000 are labourers. The majority are businessmen and executives, according to the embassy.
Irrespective of perceptions, the Arabs are smart investors and businessmen since long time ago. Islam was expanded into this region through trades. It is obvious why nowadays the Arabs skip Malaysia, the 'most-developed' muslim brother state in favour of the Chinese.
We need to throw the current weak pathetic PM out into history bin and reform the whole system for a BETTER MALAYSIA. Otherwise, we are going nowhere with recycled rhetorics.
It is not only China that has gained from Arab wealth and funds. Our neighbouring state, Singapore has been a strong partner to the Arabs. Even Arab tourists are known to throng Thailand and Singapore since years ago and only found Malaysia as another holiday and shopping destination recently.
Pak Lah, Khairy or Kali Riong may be right, as alleged by Dr. M of selling IDR to Singapore masters.....make no mistake that Singapore expertise is sought after!
Read some recent news:-
Saudi seeks Singapore partners to boost competitiveness
BY HABIB SHAIKH 13 February 2008
JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia wants to become one of the top ten competitive destinations in the world by 2010 and the kingdom is keen for Singapore partners to help make it happen, according to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who visited Saudi Arabia accompanied by senior government leaders, to witness the progress being made in the kingdom's new cities.
The King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) is hailed as the second Singapore, largely due to the advice Lee gave during his previous visit to the kingdom in 2006.
Maktoum receives Lee Kwan Yu
WAMPublished: March 03, 2008, 00:47
Honouring the guest: Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, received the former prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kwan
Yu, at the Emirates Towers Hotel yesterday.
They discussed a number of issues, including information technology revolution and investment in the current globalisation world. Shaikh Maktoum held a luncheon in honour of his guest, who was honoured on Saturday by the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) for being the secret behind Singapore's development.
Abu-Dhabi - Singapore Partnerships
Abu Dhabi: A number of major partnerships were announced yesterday as part of the inaugural Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum held at the Emirates Palace.
The forum was co-chaired by Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, and Lee Yi Shyan, Singapore's Minister of State for Trade and Industry.
They oversaw the signing of major deals between Abu Dhabi Department of Civil Service and the Sing-apore Civil Service College to establish a public service training institution; the Maritime Authority of Singapore and Abu Dhabi Transport Department to facilitate cooperation in maritime policy and planning, port regulation, vessel safety and maritime environment protection and between Gisco Bin Ham-oodah of Abu Dhabi and CBM of Singapore to establish a facilities management joint venture in Abu Dhabi.
Dubai International Capital acquires stake in True Group
Staff ReportPublished: March 30, 2008, 20:24
Dubai: Dubai International Capital LLC (DIC), the international investment arm of Dubai Holding, on Sunday said, it has acquired of a significant stake in the True Group, a leading provider of wellness services in South East Asia.
The investment will support the group's international expansion drive into new markets.
The True Group was established in 2004 as Singapore's largest wellness centre at Pacific Plaza in the heart of Singapore's downtown shopping area.
Rosmah Who? and Bernard Chandran in Dubai
There were two separate events involving Malaysian Fashion celebrities in Dubai this week.
One was The Islamic Fashion Festival (IFF), under patronage of Rosmah Mansor and graced by Raja Permaisuri Agong (Queen) Tuanku Nur Zahirah.
However, there was no news on this IFF in local English papers or TVs. I do not know whether the news appeared in Arabic papers or TVs but surely this is a big news in Malaysia, as per reported by BERNAMA here.
Somebody remarked: Why Rosmah's tudung is so BIG? Is her head so BIG? Is she wearing wigs? I do not care but I heard that The PM's-wife-in-Waiting-No-More seemed enjoying shopping sprees in Dubai, well, as anywhere else.
Someone told me last time she was here (well, definitely not with Altantuya), she needed a few containers to ship her clothes and other shopping bags. I hope it was only a joke as her husband, our PM-in-Waiting-No-More had urged rakyats to 'change life styles' due to the inflations and rising cost of living in Malaysia.
I have not seen her in actions so I dare not to accuse her of being kaki shopping no.1.
And another one was on fashion designer extraordinaire, Bernard Chandran whom made it to all leading newspapers and TV channels in town! But then again, comparing to those models walk on the aisle to Rosmah, then we can understand why Rosmah is insignificant and SIZE does not matter.
Impressing the best
By Kelly Crane, Staff ReporterPublished: April 01, 2008, 00:41
Fashion designer extraordinaire Bernard Chandran has drawn inspiration from the Style Stakes at this year's Dubai World Cup. Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the designer said he didn't have enough time to take in the "breath-taking" amount of style at the annual race event.
'Best research'
Having graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts from the Paris American Academy and at L'Union Des Chambers Syndicales Parisiennes, Paris, Chandran is over-qualified to comment but says he "just couldn't believe his eyes".
He said: "Going to the Dubai races was the best research I have done in a long time! The ladies were outstanding and the outfits and style options were simply breath-taking.
"It was great for me because it allowed me to get a real sense of what works in the Middle East and specifically in Dubai and the UAE."
Chandran designs and produces clothes for customers all over the world but said he was particularly interested in what is happening in the UAE because it is so international and exciting.
Challenging
He said: "Designing clothes for a Muslim country always adds an extra element. Of course it is slightly more challenging as you have the culture to understand and interpret."
Chandran is a prominent Malaysian designer and is often referred to as Malaysia's "Prince of Fashion".More HereSurat Mufti Perlis ke TV3
Berikut merupakan kenyataan mufti perlis Dr. Mohd Asri bin Zainul Abidin yang telah difakskan ke TV3Surat berleter-head Jabatan Mufti Perlis ke TV3.27hb. Mac 2008Penerbit Buletin Utama TV3,
Sri PentasNo.3 Persiaran Bandar Utama,47800 Petaling Jaya,Selangor Darul EhsanAssalamualaikum wbtTuan,KEPERLUAN BERITA YANG SAHIH LAGI BERSIH DARI SEBARANG PROVOKASIIslam menuntut agar setiap insan bersifat adil dalam semua perkara. Kebencian, tidak puas hati dan permusuhan ke atas seseorang, atau sesuatu golongan tidaklah membolehkan kita membuat laporan yang tidak adil terhadap mereka. Firman Allah dalam Surah al-Maidah:8:(maksudnya): Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, hendaklah kamu semua sentiasa menjadi orang-orang yang menegakkan keadilan kerana Allah, lagi menerangkan kebenaran; dan jangan sekali-kali kebencian kamu terhadapsesuatu kaum itu mendorong kamu kepada tidak melakukan keadilan. Hendaklah kamu berlaku adil (kepada sesiapa jua) kerana sikap adil itu lebih hampir kepada taqwa. Dan bertaqwalah kepada Allah, sesungguhnya Allah Maha Mengetahui dengan mendalam akan apa yang kamu lakukan".Dalam suasana negara sedang mengharungi kerencaman aliran politik dan pemikiran pada mutakhir ini, saya mengharapkan agar sumber-sumber berita sama ada TV, atau internet, akhbar dan seumpamanya bersifat adil dalam menyiarkan sesuatu berita. Sampaikanlah berita yang benar sekalipun mengenai pihak yang berbeza aliran dengan kita. Jauhi unsur-unsurprasangka dan provokatif. Janganlah kita mengulas secara negatif setiap berita pihak yang kita tidak bersetuju dengannya. Biarlah rakyat yang matang membuat penilaian setelah mendapat maklumat yang sahih. Jika tidak, para penyiar akan menjadi sumber fasik yang membawa berita bohong, atau melaga-lagakan antara manusia.Sifat amanah dan telus dalam penyiaran berita adalah dituntut oleh agama dan menjadikan penyiarnya itu lebih berwibawa, dihormati dan mendapatkepercayaan umum.Sekian,DR. MOHD ASRI BIN ZAINUL ABIDIN
We May Learn From Kuwait's Politics
False malaise of Kuwait's politics
By Abdullah Alshayji
On March 19, the Emir of the State of Kuwait used his constitutional rights and suspended the Kuwaiti National Assembly (the Parliament) for the second time in less than two years because of the endless bickering and acrimonious relations which dominated the relationship between the two branches of the political system.
Such tense relations resulted in a record number of interpolations for seven ministers. It also set a record for the number of ministerial resignations and paralysis of the Kuwaiti political system since the fall of 2006.
Over the past 50 years, Kuwait has been a prototype for what happens to a tiny entity which has mastered how to harness its oil wealth and survive in a hostile environment and put to great use its oil wealth to benefit its own little population and share it through mega development projects with less fortunate countries and peoples.
Kuwait has implemented a reverse of the adage of "no representation without taxation" to "representation without taxation" which set the trend and became a harbinger for much of the region to look upon and emulate as an indigenous prototype for what these countries, leaderships and intellectuals would like to see implemented in their own societies.
Kuwait was not interested to serve as a model, but found itself being a model by default for lack of any other viable model to serve as a yardstick and an acceptable model in a region in which democracy and representative politics are not in vogue.
It is important to point out here that the Kuwaiti experiment in representative politics did not start with the advent of the new independent state in 1961.
In addition, the Kuwaiti evolving representative experience did not occur in a vacuum either; it was the direct result of various socio-political processes of pushing, hauling and compromising between the Al Sabah family who has been ruling Kuwait uninterrupted since 1756 and the merchant elites and later the intellectual elites after independence.
The Kuwaiti rich and vibrant representative politics dates back to the 1920s and 1930s with the appointment of the Majlis Al Shura and the election of the legislative council.
In the post-independence era, Kuwait was the first to gain full sovereignty from Great Britain in 1961 among the littoral states of the Gulf countries which later formed the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1981.
Kuwait quickly embarked on nation building and institutionalised its political system by electing a constitutional assembly to draft the first constitution in the region.
In 1962 the first written constitution was promulgated and in 1963 the first National Assembly in the Gulf region was elected with 50 members of parliament elected by an all male suffrage.
Thus Kuwait entered the era of constitutional monarchy and representative politics in less than two years since its full sovereignty, which is a remarkable achievement for the small but determined country which continues to live in a tough and inhospitable region.
Since then, the Kuwaitis widened the suffrage to women in 2005 and elected 11 parliaments and formed 24 cabinets and interpolated 40 ministers, many of them belonging to the ruling family and forced more ministers to resign or the whole cabinet to resign more than any other country in the Arab world.
The parliament was itself dissolved by the Emir five times, in 1976, 1986, 1999, 2006 and 2008 because of its feistiness, vigour and over-zealous role.
Victim
Now, Kuwaiti politics has become the victim of its own success.
There is a feeling of malaise setting in due to the continued showdowns, distrust and ongoing tensions between the cabinet and the parliament which is dominated by independent MPs, with various stripes of Islamists being the majority.
The eternal problem in Kuwaiti politics is the lack of majority by either the cabinet or the parliament. Kuwait is neither a parliamentary nor a presidential system. It is a mish-mash of hereditary-parliamentary system where political parties do not exist.
In the final analysis, the false malaise should not be exaggerated. Moreover, the negative image which some Kuwaitis and other Gulf and Arab intellectuals feel about Kuwaiti representative politics should not take away from its pioneering and its indelible prints.
For Kuwaitis, and for all others who dream of living in a country where the final saying is for us, the citizens, where all powers rest and start, the Kuwaiti experience will continue to be the harbinger, the indigenous model after 50 years of its inception, to be emulated. That by itself, is a testimony to its resilience and saliency.
Dr Abdullah Alshayji is a Professor of Political Science and Head of the American Studies Unit at Kuwait University.
Andainya Pak Lah Pergi Dulu Sebelum UMNO
Menurut Bernama, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi hari Rabu menafikan spekulasi yang beliau akan meletakkan jawatan sebagai Perdana Menteri. Abdullah mengulangi pendiriannya yang beliau tidak akan lari daripada tanggungjawabnya sebagai Perdana Menteri.
"Saya masih di sini. Saya masih di sini. Saya masih di sini. Mereka semua membuat spekulasi. Saya larilah. Saya letak jawatan. Kenapa perlu saya letak jawatan!"
Pak Lah tidak perlu lari. Hanya tunggu untuk dijatuhkan. Resipi UMNO untuk dikuburkan semakin terserlah hari ke hari. Manusia merancang tetapi Allah jua yang Maha Mengetahui.
Bak kata Hishamudin Rais dalam kolumnya di Malaysiakini;
Ada baiknya, Pak Lah yang terus mencari Ghazali dan Shafie pergi sahaja menemui Ghazali Shafie sambil menyanyi lagu hit Alleycats. Berdendang bersama isteri tersayang di hari-hari terakhir beradu romantis di Sri Perdana.
Semakin ramai yang berteriak meminta Pak Lah berundur dan pergi jauh-jauh. Suara-suara yang tidak boleh lagi dipendamkan oleh media perdana.
Untuk Pak Lah, lagu ini buat hiburan.
"Saya masih di sini. Saya masih di sini. Saya masih di sini. Mereka semua membuat spekulasi. Saya larilah. Saya letak jawatan. Kenapa perlu saya letak jawatan!"
Pak Lah tidak perlu lari. Hanya tunggu untuk dijatuhkan. Resipi UMNO untuk dikuburkan semakin terserlah hari ke hari. Manusia merancang tetapi Allah jua yang Maha Mengetahui.
Bak kata Hishamudin Rais dalam kolumnya di Malaysiakini;
Baca seterusnya di sini.Semua ini tidak jauh bezanya daripada apa yang terjadi kepada United Malays National Organisation. Parti yang didukung dan disokong oleh kuasa kolonial British ini, selama 50 tahun, telah menjadi begitu merosot sekali. Kalau di USSR, parti yang dipimpin oleh Gorby sekurang-kurangnya cuba bersandar dengan teori an falsafah Marxisme dan Leninisme.
Bayangkan betapa merosotnya United Malays National Organisation yang tidak memiliki apa-apa ideologi atau garis politik yang tepat. Beberapa ketika parti ini mengakui menjadi parti nasionalis. Tiga empat hari kemudian menjadi globalis dan sebulan kemudian menjadi parti Islam pula. Kemudian menjadi parti Melayu kembali. Parti ini semakin tidak tentu hala tujuan.
Pada April tahun ini, ahli-ahli United Malays National Organisation sedang melihat bagaimana telah terlucutnya kuasa politik dan kuasa ekonomi (baca: rasuah) mereka yang selama 50 tahun ini dianggap harta turun-temurun pusaka datuk nenek moyang mereka. Hasilnya, suara-suara menuntut Abdullah meletakkan jawatan semakin lantang kedengaran. Suara-suara siapakah ini?
Ada baiknya, Pak Lah yang terus mencari Ghazali dan Shafie pergi sahaja menemui Ghazali Shafie sambil menyanyi lagu hit Alleycats. Berdendang bersama isteri tersayang di hari-hari terakhir beradu romantis di Sri Perdana.
Semakin ramai yang berteriak meminta Pak Lah berundur dan pergi jauh-jauh. Suara-suara yang tidak boleh lagi dipendamkan oleh media perdana.
Untuk Pak Lah, lagu ini buat hiburan.
Andainya aku pergi dulu sebelum UMNO
Janganlah Jeanne meninggalkanku
Andainya aku tiada lagi di Sri Perdana
Janganlah Anwar jadi pengganti
Bayangkanlah masa-masa bahagia
Semasa pilihanraya 2004
Cemerlang, Gemilang, Terbilang
Di waktu berkuasa temberang
Andainya UMNO pergi dulu sebelumku
Menantu kroni akan melarat
Andainya UMNO tiada lagi di dunia
Tentunya Melayu lebih hebat
Ku percaya UMNO sudah semput
Goyang kelam kabut
Bila-bila UMNO boleh terkubur
Nasi sudah jadi bubur
Sebelum pilihanraya rakyat dicabar
Bulan, roket dan mata bersinar
Berguguran keris jatuh terpelanting ke bumi
Rakyat meraikan kemenangan
Di sini ku berjanji disaksi rembulan
Andainya ku pergi dulu
Jikalau ku pergi dulu
Ku pastikan UMNO terjun sekali
The China Diaries
From Dubai to Shanghai in 72 hours, a reporter joins the business delegation accompanying His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum on a tour of the world's fastest growing major economy.Sunday March 30,Royal Wing, Dubai International Airport7.30am Being in the Royal Wing is a special experience. There are no announcements, no check-in desks, no queues, no passport control. Luggage problems? Forget it. My luggage was collected four days ago and I am told it is already in a hotel in China waiting for me.What is clear is that the 20 people sitting in front of me, between them, control over US$150bn of revenues a year. You name it - everyone including the bosses of DIFC, Istithmar, Etisalat, DIC and Masdar - are here.I just follow the crowd, who all seem to be heading in the same direction, towards the only plane at the terminal - a Dubai Air Wing specially converted Boeing 747-400. I am ushered to the upper deck.Inside, there is no such thing as economy class. It is literally a flying palace, with several wide open spaces everywhere. Strangely, there are no announcements on board either, no safety display, nobody to tell you to put your seat upright.9.15am The plane starts moving, and three minutes later, having jumped the huge take-off queue, we are in the air. Confirmation that we are going to Beijing comes in the form of a card I am handed which reads "China World Hotel, Room 1421, Vehicle M7".The in-flight map is switched on which reveals it is a seven-hour flight to the Chinese capital. It transpires that His Highness is not actually on this plane, but a second one following soon after.Somewhere over China1pm I like the way they serve lunch on board: a spectacular international hot buffet trolley appears, and you just help yourself.Time for a wander around this flying palace to see just who else is on board.I bump first into Jumeirah Group executive chairman Gerald Lawless. Jumeirah is rumoured to be planning a new hotel in Shanghai, and Lawless seems hard at work on the details. Next to him is Dubai International Capital boss Sameer Al Ansari.We get into a lengthy discussion about this week's Champions League clash between Liverpool and Arsenal. Al Ansari is not only a huge Liverpool fan but also failed to get his hands on the club earlier this year in a takeover bid that didn't quite come off. I suggest he should buy Arsenal instead - he could use DIC's cash."No chance," he says.Arsenal shares are too expensive and in any case Arsenal has already reached its full value. There are actually very few clubs in the world that are worth buying, and Liverpool is one of them," he says.Al Ansari is heading to Shanghai, and there is much speculation that the DIC will set up a fund to invest purely in Chinese companies. This could be a fund worth over US$2bn. He is giving nothing away though, explaining: "I'll make sure you are first to get the press release."4pm It's starting to bug me that Al Ansari and his pals are talking about being in Shanghai tonight, whereas my hotel card definitely says Beijing. I run into Istithmar CEO David Jackson below deck, but he isn't much help."I'm just going wherever the plane is going," he says jokingly.8.38pm (local time) It is dark and we have landed, and everyone says it is definitely Beijing. I follow the crowd on the upper deck and we get off the plane, straight into a waiting fleet of black Mercedes cars.Amusingly, one of the UAE business delegation joins us, before realising he is in the wrong town and rushes back onto the plane before it heads off for Shanghai. Half an hour later we are in the spectacular China World Hotel, told to go and relax.
6pm It's amazing how long you can spend doing nothing. I have been hard at it for 10 hours. HH has, it is being reported, arrived in Beijing and is holding talks with the Chinese president. Suddenly though, there is a rush of activity and I am told to be in the hotel business centre at 7pm. Could this be the moment?Tuesday, April 1China World Hotel12.45pm I think I have been away for around 48 hours now, and apart from meeting some very rich and very successful people (who have all since disappeared), nothing has happened. I need a lot to happen in a hurry. I'm not about to be disappointed...1pm Luggage packed and sent off to I don't know where, I get into a convoy of VW 3.0 V6 People Carriers, that makes its way through the streets of Beijing at high speed. It's difficult to see much: Beijing is like Dubai with twice the smog and three times the cranes.The pace of growth here is nothing short of staggering. We drive past the new Olympic Stadium, built in the shape of an egg basket. It's just two miles north of Ikea in case you want to go there.1.25pm We arrive at the Tsinghau University - the "Harvard" of China, supposedly the best management and economics school in the country. His Highness will also be here shortly, for a round-table with the students.2.49pm It's time to go - and this time, we are definitely getting closer to Sheikh Mohammed.I can see in front of me a convoy of around 50 cars, and a police escort in front and behind us. We head at over 160km/h down the main highways of Beijing towards the Great Wall of China. It is a surreal journey - every other road has been cordoned off, every traffic light we pass has been turned to green.There is not another vehicle moving (outside our convoy) for miles. Traffic everywhere else is at a standstill, and hundreds of locals gather on the sides of the streets to find out what exactly is going on. I can't lie - I like travelling like this. George Bush would be impressed.
3.30pm The convoy comes to a sudden halt just outside the Badaling Hotel, and I head up to an open tourist area on the Great Wall of China. There is a tap on my shoulder, and the now familiar "what are you doing here?" question. It is Emaar chairman Mohammed Alabbar. Behind him, is His Highness.At long last. "So, your Highness, what do you think of China," I ask."I like China," he says, adding: "We can learn a lot from China and China can learn a lot from us."This is Sheikh Mohammed's first visit to China in 18 years, and he looks pretty impressed, taking in as much detail as he can of the Great Wall of China. Below us, crowds are looking up at the royal party, though His Highness notices many of them have stopped in their cars."I came here in 1990 and all I saw were bicycles. Now look around and see the difference for yourself. It's all because of hard work that we see these results. If you sit around idle in life then nothing happens in your life," he says.It isn't just HH who is impressed. Dubai Holding boss Mohammed Al Gergawi and Dubai Ports chairman Sultan Bin Sulayem are deep in conversation with Emirates Airline chairman HH Sheikh Ahmed, marvelling at everything around them."It is special, something very special being here. I am finding out how they do business and they are seeing how we do business. It is good to share our knowledge," says His Highness. Equally impressed is Mohammed Alabbar. Could Emaar have built the Great Wall?"Hmm. I'm not sure," he says. "You see the Chinese people, they are amazing people. I look at what they have achieved here and I wonder if Emaar could have done this. It shows us that moving at a normal pace is not good enough."So what makes the Chinese so special?"Do you have children?" he asks."Because if you do you will know that it is in your genes how you perform in life. And the Chinese, I realise that it is about they way they have been brought up. These people you see here, they work very hard and they work very fast. And all the success they are now having, you know what, they deserve it."4pm We're off again, doing close to 200km/h as we head towards Beijing International Airport. I really do like travelling this way - being in the middle of Sheikh Mohammed's convoy means we again have no traffic or traffic lights to worry about. The cars pull up right next to the private jumbo jet and we get on board, ushered upstairs again.5.15pm We take off for the journey to Shanghai, which should take around 90 minutes. This plane is like the other one except a bit nicer. Daveham Fine Bone China plates are put out on the table as that amazing international buffet prepares to make another appearance. 300 miles North of Shanghai, 31,000 feet high5.45pm Suddenly His Highness appears on the upper deck of his plane, with Mohammed Al Gergawi, Sheikh Ahmed and Reem Al Hashimi. All four of them look extremely happy with the progress of the trip so far."You must travel between London and Dubai a lot," Gergawi says to me."And how far is that? Several thousand kilometres? Well, so is the Great Wall of China. Isn't that amazing?" he says.His Highness sits down, and is also still marvelling at the Great Wall trip."Amazing," he says.Then I get straight into it. With the current valuation of the dollar, and the dirham, and what's happening in the US, and with inflation rising, does he...."He interrupts me."What you are trying to ask me is if I am going to stick with the dollar. Why are you running around the bush asking different questions? Of course I will stick with the dollar," he says.So that's clear enough. But for how long will he back the dollar?"Up to now we are still with the dollar. Dropping the dollar peg is not easy. However, a committee is studying the benefits of staying with the dollar or not," he says.But what about the US mortgage crisis? Surely that is going to affect the Dubai property boom at some stage. He totally disagrees, saying: "It will affect many countries but it will not affect us. We have made arrangements to enable our property market to avoid such negative impacts," he says.We get back to the dollar again somehow, with HH adding that his special committee is looking carefully at what the impact of dropping the dollar peg would be, and will report its findings back to him.It is clear is that the Ruler of Dubai is not going to make any knee-jerk reactions. We then skirt around several subjects - he reveals he is interested in making a bid for the Olympics, having been impressed by what he has seen Beijing.We have been chatting a while and the plane is clearly making its final approach into Shanghai. HH gets up and heads back to the lower deck.Emirates Airline chairman Sheikh Ahmed is still upstairs. "I'm just relaxing, don't ask me anything!" he says. Just one question I insist."What is the name of the new low-cost airline that Dubai is launching?""I don't have one. Do you have any ideas?" he asks?"Emirates Express", I suggest."No, no. This is not being run by Emirates. We can't use the word Emirates," he says."What about Gulf Express?""Gulf Express? I like that. Yes, I like that," he says, before rushing back down as we land.6.45pm We land in Shanghai, as usual storming through the cleared streets en route to the Shangri La hotel. It will be difficult, I know, to ever drive my own car again.Wednesday, April 2Shangri La Hotel1.30pm The great and good of the UAE are assembling on the third floor for the main event - the reason we are all here - the UAE China Business and Economic Cooperation Forum. Just as I am about to enter the room, I run again into Emaar chairman Mohammed Alabbar."What did you make of the trip?" he asks me."There is passion everyone here has. A really strong passion," I reply."Yes," says Alabbar.There is passion. You see a lot of people that jump around, and actually a lot of what they are jumping around about is hollow. But for every 10 people that are jumping for hollow things, one or two are doing concrete things. And they are the ones who make a difference."
Our education system: Time for radical change
(The writer was in UAE for two years before leaving for greener pasture in Qatar. This is his piece as per published in Malaysiakini)
Our education system: Time for radical change
Mohamed Zain Apr 3, 08 1:31pm
Our education system: Time for radical change
Mohamed Zain Apr 3, 08 1:31pm
Malaysiakini.com
It is quite obvious now that Malaysia is heading towards a two-party system. This is certainly good for the country. There will more checks and balances. The winning and ruling party cannot do things according to their whims and fancies without worrying about the possibility of losing the next election.
It is quite obvious now that Malaysia is heading towards a two-party system. This is certainly good for the country. There will more checks and balances. The winning and ruling party cannot do things according to their whims and fancies without worrying about the possibility of losing the next election.
Thus, as the country is heading towards a political maturity some drastic changes in our education systems are called for and perhaps are becoming inevitable. It does not matter which of the two eventual political parties rules the country. But the changes that I would like to suggest here are for the benefit of the country.
It is imperative that in this era of globalization and the fact that we want to make Malaysia more competitive as well as to make it a regional educational hub for attracting foreign students, we need to improve the quality of our education so that it is comparable if not better than the best in Southeast Asia.
Let me start first with our school systems. The outputs of the schools are the inputs of the universities. Thus, if we want to produce good products the raw materials must be of good quality as well. Every citizen of the country must have access to education. Hence, it must be made mandatory that every child attends school at least up to the lower secondary level. Thus, the school education in this country must be free for all. And it must be fee all the way up to the high school level.
Next, we need to have good and qualified teachers for our schools. Thus, most if not all the teachers, must have a bachelor’s degree in education. Those without a degree majoring in education need to also have a teaching credential such as the one-year diploma in education offered by some of the local universities.
Lately, we have heard a lot about the need for the country to have a meritocracy system. This can only happen if we have a level playing field for all our school children. Thus, if we are really serious about implementing such a system facilities of the rural schools must be comparable to those of the urban ones.
All schools – whether urban or rural-based - need to have, among others, good Internet access, instructional aides, library, sport, and other facilities.While there is a need for us to have a common national language so that all our citizens can communicate with each other in our multi-ethnic country, it makes a lot of sense that our children are multi-lingual as well. The current situations that most Malays can speak Bahasa Malaysia and perhaps English, but most on-Malays can speak at least two and perhaps three or more languages.
Hence, this imbalance needs to be addressed. Malay students should be encouraged to learn Chinese or another local language as well. Once our students have the choice to choose their additional language (especially their mother-tongue) in addition to the national language in the national schools, then the need to have he separate Chinese and Tamil schools (vernacular schools) in the country will disappear.
The presence of these vernacular schools in the country goes against he spirit of national integration. Of course, the offering of other languages for our students must be based on demand and it must be cost effective. More third language teachers must also be trained.
Bringing back EnglishLater, I will talk about the need to reintroduce English as the medium of instructions in universities. Thus, to prepare for this, the teaching of the English Language in schools need to be upgraded so that when the students enter universities, they will not be handicapped. Hence, more English language teachers need to be trained in the country.
Last, but certainly not the least, we need to introduce a semester system in all ur schools. This system needs to be standardized and synchronized with those of the developed world. In other words, our schools should have fall, spring and summer semesters where most students will go to school during the fall and spring semesters and they will take a vacation during the summer semester.
During the summer the older children, particularly those in cities and towns can start learning to earn money by taking up part-time or short-term employments in such places as fast-food restaurants or shops in the shopping malls. Of course, the system needs to be synchronized with the university system as well, so that on graduation, they will not be idle too long while waiting to enter universities.I will now talk about the required reforms for our universities.
Universities are excellent places for our country to train its citizens and future leaders in its efforts to fulfill the needs for skilled and knowledgeable human resources. University students are excellent change agents for the country. Thus, first and foremost we need to amend the Universities and Colleges ct of 1971 (UCA). The clauses that prohibit or restrict the independence of cademics and students must be removed.
There is also an urgent need for us to abolish the mandatory requirement for the employees to sign the ridiculous and silly “Akujanji”. University employees, particularly the academics, should not be made to obey the instructions of the overnment or political masters’ blindly. Instead, intellectual discourse should be encouraged because it can be a good source of creativity and innovation for the country.
Top and senior management are crucial to the success of any organizations. In the past, the appointments of university vice-chancellor and his/her deputies re made or at least required the approval of the minister.
This practice has not to stop because most appointments were based on the candidates’ political affiliations or inclinations rather on merits. Appointments of someone to these posts should be made based on the suitability and the capabilities of the candidates for the jobs. They should be made by a search committee instead.
Revise salaries
In a big company or a corporation the appointment of the chief executive officer is made by the board of directors. Therefore, the appointment of the vice-chancellor or the president of a university should be made by the board of regents or a similar body. Ofcourse, some of the members of the committee can be appointed by the minister.
Similarly, the appointment of deans can also be made via a search committee. Vacant positions for deans or even departmental chairs could also be advertised and relevant media such as newspapers or websites like the Chronicle of Higher Education to invite more capable candidates.
The salaries of academics should be revised. The current salaries for academics, articularly the starting salary for an assistant professor (someone with a PhD) s pathetically low and very unattractive and need to be increased to a level that is comparable to those in Singapore.
The salary scales of academics should also be different from those of other government servants. After all, the nature of their jobs and the required cademic qualifications are different. The current practice where the salaries or academics are decided by the Public Service Department officers always favour the civil servants, particularly the so-called PTD (administrative and diplomatic services) officers and not the academics.
Attractive salaries will not only attract the best candidates but it will also attract more top graduates to be interested in becoming academics by opting to become tutors after their first degree and to pursue their graduate degree leading to a PhD in their field. Otherwise, as the saying goes, “if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.”
Government should also set aside funds to enable our best graduates from universities who are interested in becoming tutors to get enough stipends and scholarships to carry out their graduate research at the research universities in the country. This will help the country save money by not having to send them to foreign universities.
Nevertheless, top graduates should also be sent to study abroad but they should only be limited to those who manage to secure laces in the top universities of the world or in those areas of expertise that are lacking in the country.
If we look at the list of academics in all our universities, we cannot help but otice that a substantial percentage if not the majority of them are holders of only a master’s degree instead of a PhD. This deficiency needs to be urgently ddressed. Once the salary scheme is revised appropriately, this problem can be overcome gradually as more top students will be interested in pursuing research which culminates in a PhD degree.
We should be aware that before anyone, especially a prospective foreign student, begins to apply for a place in a university, s/he will first visit the niversity’s website and among the first information they will seek is the list of academic staff of the prospective department where s/he plans to study.
Thus, well qualified teaching staff will attract more students. Hence, this should bode well towards making Malaysia an education hub for the region by attracting more foreign students from all over to enroll in our universities, particularly the private ones.The academic ranking of positions in universities should also be standardized across all the universities in the country. It should be based on academic qualifications and experiences in teaching, research, and community work.
A person with a master’s degree should only be given a position of a lecturer. Those with a PhD should start as an assistant professor. As s/he gains more experience and produces more outputs in those three areas of work s/he can gradually climb the academic ladder to associate professor and eventually to the rank of a full professor.
The English language is now regarded as the international language. Just look at he availability of television networks across the world which broadcast free rograms in English via the satellites in their efforts to reach international udiences.
The major and common ones from among the countries whose native language is not English includes Al-Jazeera International (Qatar), DW TV Germany), Euronews (European Union), France 24, Russia Today, CCTV9 (China), and Arirang TV (Korea).
Thus, there is no doubt that our citizens now need to be proficient in English. And the best way to do just that is to revert the teaching of our students in our universities, especially in important fields of specializations such as business, economics, sciences, and engineering to English. After all, most of the text books in these fields are in English.
Here, I am assuming that our school children who graduated from high schools are lready proficient in our national language, in addition to one or two more of ther languages. We cannot compromise on this for the sake on peace and harmony n our country.
Malaysia needs to improve its competitiveness level in order to face the challenge of globalization and to remain relevant in this world. In this globalize world our citizens need to participate meaningfully in whatever international activities, be it business, economic, social, political, legal, or governmental. Thus, they must be proficient in English. Period.Many universities in the Middle East and the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain) countries have already switched heir medium of instructions, especially for programs in business, economics, sciences, and engineering, from Arabic to English. It is not too late for us to do the same.
Exchange of academics
The current practice in the country of allowing private universities to offer academic programs in English while not allowing the government ones to do so is ot only discriminatory but it is also disadvantageous to those who graduate rom the government universities since they will be less conversant in English and thus making them more difficult to find jobs in the industry where English is very much in use.
The current practice in the country of allowing private universities to offer academic programs in English while not allowing the government ones to do so is ot only discriminatory but it is also disadvantageous to those who graduate rom the government universities since they will be less conversant in English and thus making them more difficult to find jobs in the industry where English is very much in use.
These graduates will depend more on the government for jobs. The current situation where there are many unemployed undergraduates is probably the result of this practice.
Last, but again certainly not the least, there is a need to for the country to introduce the semester system into our universities. Just as I proposed for our school system above, our universities need to adopt a semester system as practiced by the universities in other countries.
Most universities in other, particularly developed countries have a tri-semester system comprising Fall September-January), Spring (February-June), and Summer (June-August).By having a standardized and synchronized system with other countries it will facilitate exchange of academics between our universities with their foreign counterparts. It will also enable foreign students to enter our universities ithout having to wait too long after they graduated from their high schools. This will again help promote making Malaysia as the education hub.
During the summer holiday, summer classes can be offered to those students who want to graduate faster and the academics who are willing to teach classes during that time can earn extra income. Those students who do not take summer classes can take part-time or short-term employments in the town and cities, just like the case for older school students mentioned above, giving them anopportunity to earn and save some money before returning to their school.
Those are some suggestions which I would like to propose to the government in order make Malaysia a better and a more competitive country.
DR MOHAMED ZAIN, PhD is Professor of Technology and Strategic Management in the College of Business and Economics of Qatar University, Doha. He can be reached at mzain@qu.edu.qa or mzmohamed@yahoo.com.
Refleksi
Waktu meminjam ruang
menganjak peredaran musim
sepanjang perjalanan hayat
menjadi imej-imej kehidupan
warna-warna yang melontar
jejak gelombang perasaan
memenuhi potret hari
Waktu merentas refleksi
mengimbau bayangan memori
kembara menjadi sentimental
saujana rindu mengimbau
pelarian terus membina mimpi
dari berkat pengorbanan ayah ibu
seindah kristal di padang pasir
waktu mengundang kesempatan
datang dan pergi, jauh dan dekat
merantai paksi putaran alam
sepanjang nafas dan langkah
mengalir suci dalam darah
kasih sayang yang subur mekar
sebagai warisan rahmat
rezeki dari kurnian Ilahi!
menganjak peredaran musim
sepanjang perjalanan hayat
menjadi imej-imej kehidupan
warna-warna yang melontar
jejak gelombang perasaan
memenuhi potret hari
Waktu merentas refleksi
mengimbau bayangan memori
kembara menjadi sentimental
saujana rindu mengimbau
pelarian terus membina mimpi
dari berkat pengorbanan ayah ibu
seindah kristal di padang pasir
waktu mengundang kesempatan
datang dan pergi, jauh dan dekat
merantai paksi putaran alam
sepanjang nafas dan langkah
mengalir suci dalam darah
kasih sayang yang subur mekar
sebagai warisan rahmat
rezeki dari kurnian Ilahi!
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