Are Dr Khoo Kay Kim and Dr Ridhuan Tee pulling BN’S leg?

It is ironic that the Chinese community always paid the honor to a person who earnestly contributed to the Chinese education in the country and otherwise.

Academician Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim who claimed that the Chinese education system produced copycats while Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah criticized the vernacular education system in the country.

In response to these criticizes, the Chinese community can not find any possible reason that could justify the claimed especially taking into account that Malaysia is a role model of multiracial country.

The Chinese community especially the educationalists not only condemn them but describe them as naive, arrogant and disgrace to Malaysian Chinese’s history in the country. It is reported that the Chinese education supporters were very angry and disgusted and to the extent that their names have term synonymous with the word traitor.

Undeniably, language is the bridge to understanding. It is claimed that Dr Khoo Kay Kim is married to an Indian of Ceylonese Tamil creed while Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah is a Chinese convert married to Malay, they were not Chinese educated or never a Chinese medium educated. They were unable to understand the Chinese community situation, thought, feeling and the driving political sensitivity behind.

Indeed, the views expressed by two prominent academicians seem to be a particular challenge to Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

In a statement, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that national schools might adopt the Chinese school model in the teaching of Mathematics and Science as the Chinese schools had done well in the two subjects in public examinations.

It is often claimed that many academician are anti-establishment and not surprisingly well planned overt or covert anti-establishment viewpoints unfavorable to the government especially targeted to severely tarnish the image of MCA seems to be happening regularly.

Intentionally, they present distorted views. This will not only weaken the credibility of MCA, but will probably fail MCA to keep the support for the Barisan Nasional.

At the end of the day, the move will threaten the political stability at times when political support is deteriorating. The strategy to usurp BN political power is the hidden agenda and a symbiotic relationship between academicians and opposition.

While the ruling party takes full advantage of its position to gain support and maintain power, it is not justify supporting the academicians to jeopardize the power of the ruling party.

Is Khoo Kay Kim skillfully manipulating Chinese educational issue?

There is a need for extra sensitivity when proposals are based upon education, race and religion in multiracial society.

Ironically, a society can be ripped apart by the unwise handling of sensitive issues and causes political instability and the fall of the regime.


Khoo Kay Kim

Academically, it is not wrong for Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim to propose a restructure of the national education system to introduce a single stream system but the act can be seen as systematic usurpation of ultimate BN political power.

Undeniably, the calls for a single-stream school system would mean that vernacular schools would cease to exist and it will generate political turmoil or cause MCA especially UMNO to lose its grip on power.

Ironically, Chinese education issue is a sensitive issue of the Chinese. It remained a taboo subject since independence.

Historically, vernacular schools have existed for more than half a century and there are about 1,000 Chinese primary schools and about 500 Tamil schools in the country.

Politically, the vernacular school system in this country is an area that is extremely sensitive. Even MCA championing the cause of Chinese schools but it is claimed that due to ineffectiveness of handling the issues, the Chinese have lost confidence in MCA. Many Chinese have felt betrayed and taken advantage of by its leaders and it caused MCA lost in the general election.

Unfortunately, it is claimed that the opposition and academician have done everything they could to discredit MCA as well as BN. They know fully well that the proposal contradicted the spirit of the Federal Constitution, which guaranteed the freedom to promote and develop the vernacular school system.

In fact, it is often seen that many academician are anti-establishment and not surprisingly anti-establishment news and viewpoints can be regularly heard.

The consistency of their overt or covert anti-establishment viewpoints that can threaten the stability and usurpation of political power is most welcome by opposition.

While BN had hoped for popular support from the local population, what right do we have to help someone to usurpation ultimate political power of the BN government?

Wise decision to pullback End-of-Life Vehicle policy

The Government on 6 November 2009, has announced to pull back the End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) policy, with immediate effect after taking into account the people’s views and feedback.


In other words, the New conditions under the National Automotive Policy (NAP) that makes mandatory inspection for vehicles above 15 years at Puspakom that will enforce on Jan 1 is being pull back by the authority.

It is a wise courageous and well balanced approach that the government has made to stop implementing the End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) policy.

What would the political scenario be like if the authority had decided differently? What if the government were consistently able to make the wise decision?

Initially, the suggested regulation will involve about a million vehicles, is among 18 new measures in the revised NAP to enhance the local automotive industry’s competitiveness and make for safer, more environmental-friendly and technologically sound vehicles.

Malaysia currently has 2.7 million cars on the road that are 10 years or older and the country has a very low vehicle scrap rate instead a relatively high average vehicle age.

Undeniably, to keep ill-maintained and not road worthy vehicles off the road is the responsibility of the authority, but not old ones that work perfectly especially those good roadworthy classics collector cars.


The new regulation is good for automotive industry as new car sales will go up as most people will consider it as being a longer period of ownership and resale as well as financing.

On the other hand, it is claimed that the mandatory yearly inspection in order to get the road tax renewed is affecting the lower income group especially burdens used car dealers and affects their business.

Based on strategic reason and unfavorable economic times, the expensive law is being deemed expendable.

Why support a policy which would have appalled to lower income group?

Dr Mahathir blamed educationists do not want Chinese students to mix with Malay or Indian students

Malaysia has the unique system of having different streams of education and most of the students from Chinese primary schools graduated from government secondary schools.

Ironically, it was reported that there are about 70,000 non Chinese students studying in Chinese primary schools.

The question remains: Should the unique system of our country be preserved or otherwise?

Former premier Dr Mahathir said that only Malaysia has the unique system of having different streams of education as other countries have only one stream despite having large migrant population.

He cited United States, Canada and Australia as examples. However, he blamed the educationists for not wanting Chinese students to mix with Malay or Indian students.

He also pointed out that even Switzerland, which has three official languages, has an education system which provides for students to learn all three languages in the same school.

“That is why I introduced the vision school, which comprises three streams in one campus. That way, students of different races can at least meet each other,” he said.

However, he said that the system was rejected and that was the reason why Malaysians cannot achieve unity.

New reward system for civil servants

Rewarding and retaining high performing worker is fundamental to higher productivity continues remains to be the greatest challenges for the government.

Civil servants being rewarded unfairly can be a huge de-motivator. On the other hand, rewarding high performance equitably should encourage higher performance.

Ironically, impact of globalization increased competition in the government sector and it is the greater part of the problem troubling in getting the best civil servants into civil services.

The government will introduce a new reward system to motivate civil servants and inculcate the culture of high performance in the public sector have clear impact enhancing governmental performance.

It clearly shows that the government is a government of words and could not tolerate mediocrity or abuse of power.