THE FREE MARKET 2

Salam pertemuan sekali lagi Tun;

Amerika memang hipokrit, mahu negara lain lakukan atas apa yang dia sendiri tidak boleh/mahu lakukan. Tapi paksakan keatas orang lain.

Tun; Sudah menjadi resmi Amerika, iaitu hipokrit, suka memandang rendah produk keluaran Negara lain khususnya negara membangun. Mereka akan mencari sebab dan alasan kecacatan walaupun sekecil-kecil kecacatan untuk tidak membeli dan menyekat kemasukan barangan dari Negara membangun yang akan menggugat dan bersaing dengan barangan buatannya.

Selogan Sistem Perdagangan Bebas yang dilaung-laungkan mereka sebelum ini ialah kerana untuk membolehkan barangan mereka masuk menembusi pasaran Negara-negara lain yang mengamalkan perlindungan. Apabila mereka gagal bersaing(barang tidak laku) atas faktor harga, maka berbagai alasan pula diberikan terhadap barangan Negara lain yang masuk ke Negara mereka.

***Daripada memasuki pasaran Amerika ada lebih baik Malaysia menumpukan pasaran serantau seperti Asia(China, India, Asean, Timur Tengah, dan Asia Tengah), Negara Afrika, Amerika Latin dan Rantau Pacifik lain secara menyeluruh dengan melakukan usaha pemasaran yang inovatif dan proaktif secara yang lebih agresif.

***Proton umpamanya, harus melakukan aktiviti pemasaran yang lebih inovatif dan proaktif ke negara-negara yang disebutkan di atas sepertimana dilakukan oleh Jepun satu ketika dulu, iaitu semasa Jepun mula memperkenalkan kereta buatannya ke luar Negara 5 dekat yang lalu. Kini ditiru oleh Korea yang mengambil pendekatan cara sendiri iaitu menjual pada harga terendah sebagai promosi jangka panjang.

Walaupun berbagai tanggapan dan ejekan NEGATIF YANG TERUK dilemparkan keatas kereta dan motosikal buatan Jepun ketika itu, namun Jepun tidak putus asa. Malahan telah membuat berbagai langkah jangka panjang sistem pemasaran dan promosi cara inovatif terutama di Negara-negara sedang membangun.

Dengan melantik agen-agen pengedar(antaranya Boon Sew di Malaysia) dan dalam masa yang sama memberikan hadiah secara percuma, iaitu beberapa unit percubaan untuk kegunaan AGENSI KERAJAAN termasuk Malaysia yang pernah menerimanya(seperti Kegunaan Polis dan Tentera) dan pada beberapa Negara yang disasarkan.

Selain dari itu Jepun mendirikan Industri Pemasangan di negara tempat syarikatnya ingin bertapak. Tq.

Assallammualaikunwarahmatullahiwabarokatuh..

Salam Tun..

Minta izin pada Tun dan moderator..( Boleh ka boss?? )

Mr..Andrewtay..

You are good man..Good lad?..And what we say about a good man?

A good man is hard to find..

What it is actually all about?
Education..yes it is..But we the older generation have been through all that..Some like Kamal Ahmad and even samuraimelayu just smile in reading your 'intelligent' feedback..It is smart though..honest..

Unfortunately..we have ourselves echoing the sentiment..your's are in detailed moment..

After the education,your 'analysis' did not mentioned the person or persons involved in the mechanism.It is what we called the human factor.Human are the best asset..Not the technology,nor mechanism not even the application.You need human to drives them and this is the very core of argument actually..

Thing's are not what it seems..

When a bright student..Adiputera as example needs more than formal education,he could not obtain it here..but as you were saying if he happened to be raised in Singapore that option is readily available..

You can see the same pattern elsewhere..Rot is everwhere..and why?

Because we have people in "poly" tics ply their trade and get away with it..Instead of serving us, they serves themselves..

The bone of contention is honesty in service provider..We lacked them and not because education hampered them but actually this kind of education is sorely lacking in containing the "beast in them"..

WE tried our best in our respective field Mr Andrewtay..and yet we have yet to see the result of what we sow..Are we going to stop planting then??And do you know that a mature "Garcinia Aviridis" took hundred year's to be at it best adult tree? Providing the fruit for the Malay cuisine?

And we may see our best result's for Malaysia in hundred year's if we keep planting the seed proprely and rightly so!!

Consequently Mr Andrewtay..Let's play our own part and forget about other's..

In thee I provoke..But nay..Forgoes flogging the dead horse..

We keep our small contribution for nation building and we hope you do too..Our diferrences is..In war of attrition..

I have yet to lose..

Terima kasih Tun.

Dear Tun,

I may agree with you on a lot of things and might even disagree with you a lot more of things. But there is none that resonates like your view on the education policy, from PPSMI till today's post.

It seems like our education standard is in tatters now despite your last act of wisdom to get things right. Would you consider the post of the minister of education?

All will be happy with that choice. Trust me.

Ohh Mr Wajaperak

I am pretty sure that Malaysia can never, i mean never be a high income country if the standard of governance is what that governs us today. You see, economy is relative. Your country is only "poor" because it is surrounded by "rich" countries.

So how do we be rich? Building a high-value economy . How do we do that? Simple, create more high tech products.

Why high tech products? Because it creates moolah. How do they do that? Duh! Because a raw material if just sold as a raw material has not much value in it but if it is transformed into a product, it may cost 6 to 100 times of its value. Wait, are you telling me we can create wealth from thin air? yes!

But sir, we have been doing that, what about turning sand into silicons? Dude, that is shit! That is crap. That is like making a millon of transistors and only profiting 10 bucks. Waste of time!

So how should be do it? Im saying lets turn steel in to alloy and alloy into say, aeroplane turbines!

But we make cars! Yea sure, a care weighs 1000kg and cost probably, say RM 40,000. 1kg of a good cut of beef will cost you RM30 per kilo, 1000kg of RM30 is RM 30,000. Why dont i just put more money into the cattle industry! Where's the value in investing billons but earning so little out of it while risking so much competition?? Ptui

So how do we get high value economy? Dude, simple, R&D.

But our government wont spend so much money on R&D and we have to attract smart asses from abroad to lead our R&D industry. With so many other countries offering higher pay and benefits to those researchers, how could be afford to compete with them?

Simple, education dude! Thats the core. Education is a fairly cheap and it yields sooooo much more benefits than its cost.

The core of a strong economy is not how much incentive or tax cuts you give to a international firm to set its R&D arm in Malaysia, its whether it can sustain the company in terms of man power and expertise. A good example, Singapore (again...so boring keep mentioning their country)

Why are international car manufactures setting up factories in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam rather than in Malaysia? Because it doesnt take a genius to assemble cars. Why do they have to pay double for an idiot to assemble cars where another idiot can do it for half the price in Thailand?

But sir, we dont only manufacture cars, we actually design them and build them, its our indigenous industry I say F that. Have you seen the quality that comes out from Tanjung Malim? Its shit! Thats shit R&D with lousy low quality researchers. They know they make shitty cars and thats why they are going back with the Mitsubishi collaboration.

There is where we are loosing our footing. We are not cheap neither are we smart. So where do we stand now? No where! We are unattractive, useless and dispensable.

We can either be like Singapore (high value) or Thailand/Indonesia/Vietnam (cheap). Being in the middle is like being the middle kid in a family, you get shit from both you older and younger sibling.

Once again it all boils down to the government of the day. We were once good (back in the 80's and early 90's) with out manufacturing industry. Now, in the 21th century, our 80's and 90's industry still playing a big chunk in our export but their profit is diminishing slowly. We have to make like RM100 millon worth of semiconductors to only earn a fraction of those exports as profits. i say F that shit.
I want to make RM100 millon worth of something and earn RM 600 million from it because i know there is a demand for that product and not everyone can make that product.

Im pissy, im tired and im sleep, good nite and good bless Malaysia

Very concise but good comments on the education system there, Tun.

Thank you.

Salam Tun.

Moga sudi diiznkan ruang.

Good point Mr Andrewtay.

What actually it is all about?

Thing's are not what it seem's..

It is easy when you sit at the armchair and being a specialist.Easier still if you don't have to bear any responsibility of any act by being in the chair.But Mr Andrew..sad to tell you..

When it comes to realizing "stuff" and "matter" that is where the real problem lies..

Grow and get up from those chair.Gives us something like the teacher Kijang,Anakbudu,Hajar,Ridhuan On and many other's..This people are

Service Provider..

By the way..I didn't catch your profession..

A Service Provider??

Terima kasih Tun.

what is a good driving force behind education? i'l tell you what, inspiration!

Malaysian education simply lack inspiration. I think the content of our education is not that bad compared to the likes of the Singaporean or Australian education. But its the way our education is presented which is a grave concern.

Most importantly, the learning environment. I find Malaysian public school classes uninspiring. The environment itself has hardly change probably since the 80's or something? Its very pedantic. Everything is by the book, all the times.

Getting kids out of school at least once a week. Bring them places, maybe a tour to a warehouse, business premises, factories, gardens, lakes, waterfalls, anywhere but the school. Yes yes, i know, the problem is with money. But they need to have a break from all that is dull in the school. Besides, field trips are a great way to inspire.

Teaching methods. I have to be blunt, our teachers are shit. Some are just dumb. Its not their fault, but the government's. Teachers should not only teach but also inspire. I hate listening to teachers talking for 2 periods. They should talk for 1 period and listen to us for another period. Have discussion. It not only makes us less shy to publicly speak but it helps to get some of the hidden ideas out there. Another thing, some teachers are smart but they cant teach. Teaching techniques amongst teachers varies by experience and gender. Shouldn't they stick to a prescribed teaching methods "approved" by the Kementerian (if there is any at all. i wont be surprise if there is none).

Sports. Damn, you want to know why asian's are generally short? Because we dont exercise! Let the kids play sports more often in school (like everyday?) for fun but at the same time, get some qualified trainer to actually teach kids about sports. Not just kicking the ball for the sake of kicking it but kicking it with technique and with a purpose in mind. Drill these in their fragile minds.

More hours in school. yes you heard me. More hours so they wont lepak, maksiat, hisap gam, hisap rokok, minum beer, pergi rumah urut, main snooker, pergi judi, jadi samseng after school.
The government can spend so much less on advertisement (all the stupid kempen that never work but still the government soldiers on with it) on how to moralised kids if they spend it wisely and more sustainably/efficiently.

On the long term, we have:
a) less smoking kids
b) healthier taller kids (more school hours to play sport)
c) savings on utility bills and the environment because the kids are at school and no one is home watching tv, surfing porn or playing PS3s. Please dont tell me "Owh, my son always studies at home" F that.
d) healthier kids means less fat kids therefore in the long run, a healthier nation with less diseases, therefore less spending on the health sectors = more money in the coffers for the politician to plunder.

This is efficiency in my book!

Im pretty sure people in the government has thought about what i have just tabled. How about the government stop being a puss(having the "if i dont try, i cant fail" mentality, please la, people put you in power to make changes in our lives not to takut jadi kambing korban) and actually have a pilot trial? GEt a commission to undertake studies! and please do what the commission recommends for the love of god.

BN has been a pondan government for 60 years, time to become a man and take on real responsibilities.

If access to ‘free-er’ trade is tied to some conditions, this only evidenced that free-trade is highly vaunted and prized. It only becomes hypocritical when the advocates of free-trade do not and, in fact, disallow ease of imports into their economy and at the same happily export to everybody else, who pays.

But to call for trade sanctions against a country while at the same time suffering the deprivation of not exporting to it or benefitting from its imports, is not being hypocritical. The sanctions are just policy initiatives in politics. To paraphrase Clausewitz: a trade sanction is a political act, also a political instrument, a continuation of political relations by other means.

Iraq, while selling their oil for needed essentials during UN imposed trade sanctions, chose to prioritise other imports rather than more medicine. And their children suffered. I knew parents who prefer to buy narcotics rather than food for their children. Yet, there is no hypocrisy on the part of the drug dealers, who could be also financially supporting themselves and their families.

UN is not a ‘democratic country’; it is an international organisation, the only thing democratic about it, is that every member can say what they like. It always tickled me to see yesterdays’ communist countries’ UN representatives lambasting the Western democracies, but, not allowing their own citizens to say just about anything, the citizens like. UN Membership also means accepting the veto powers of the more well-endowed ‘senior’ members. If any country does not like it, quit and be like Switzerland who never ever considered joining. And I do not see Switzerland suffering from this.

If Malaysia is not being hypocritical and never promise and aspire to be a “liberal democracy”, than, castigating so-called ‘liberal democracies” for not being democratic enough is just plain silly. It is like laughing at a high-jumper failing to cross the bar when one does not desire or qualify as a high-jumper.

This is the internet age, catchy sloganeering does not work, because of its condescending presumption that the audiences’ intellect is low.

Dearest Tun,

1) We surely must have examinations.The whole purpose is to see if we understand the knowledge that have been imparted to us.So that we are ready to use this knowledge for our betterment to survive in 'jungle out there' world and will be able to benefit others too.No question about it.

2) But does that system we are having now serve this purpose?Is academic excellence everything?One of my worst officers before have 9 straight As and graduated fro a prominent U in Australia.Because of that she doesn't listen to others.Our education system seem to be creating the people to be information storers and think they are smart.

3) When it comes to scoring many A's Malaysians/Singaporeans will always be tops anywhere.But in real life though we are way behind in thinking as compared with the Americans.Just look at all the American programmes the whole world keep imitating.In fact we can't think very well because our brains are in my opinion already too jamned up with lots and lots of unnnecessary information.There is no more room to think.

4) Make our education system simpler with only a focus to teach Malaysians on how to think.And how to create leaders and teamplayers.The things they will be hearing all so often once they join the survival world.This is the role of SPORTS.We seem to have ignored and wasted this all important sector.

5) These are the things Sports can teach us :-Learning up Skills and techniques,strategizing,goodwill,teamwork,emotional
control,competition,leadership,discipline,result orientation,thinking,persistence,determination,etc,etc(all that success mumbo jumbo) and of course most important of all it makes you tough and fit.For the nation we will also have the opportunity of identifying the good players from a bigger pool to set up our world cup soccer team.Not to forget the bond in relation of all the races as they involve themselves in sports at a young age.

6) On the academic sector Exams should be less on the expectation of students to memorize facts and figures but rather train them on how to extract information through open book examinations.Because in true life its all about how efficient you are to extract information from books or the awesome internet anyway.

7) So should anyone score 100 A's or what please do not make it a big issue anymore,the PM doesn't have to reduce himself to call up the student to congratulate them.At the end of the day this 100 A student will at best be only a proffesor like Azmi Shahrom and nothing more.If you don't believe go and trace back all those A scorers since time immemorial and see how many of them have become prominent figures today.

8) That's what I think.Well if I can't think very well don't blame me .I am a product of the current education system.

Thanks Tun.

Dearest YAB & di Kasihi Tun,

EDUCATION

Examinations must be designed in such a way that they correctly “EXAMINE” the students’ knowledge and abilities; and, also test them on “critical thinking”.

We are producing too many “PARROTS”. That’s the reason why we have many leaders who cannot think critically.

Thanks Tun.

** May Allah SWT bless Tun & family **

Dear Tun,

I agree with you wholeheartedly on this subject of so called "free markets" and "open borders." They want us to open our markets and our borders for their industries, backed with funds from their multinational operations to come in and crush our fledgling industries.

Many people criticised you for your currency controls but there are three people I know who benefited or would have benefited from the currency controls and the pegging of the ringgit to the U.S. dollar which you instituted to thwart the currency speculatirs and manipulators.

One was my late cousin who ran a small company supplying imported equipment to projects by local industries. He had to quote for projects based on the prevailing exchange rate and the wildly fluctuating exchange rate in 1998 made it impossible for him to do so and he commented, "Oh I hope the government would fix the exchange rate. Any rate will do as long as it makes it predictable for me to quote," or something to that effect.

Another businessman supplying communications equipment imported from overseas also voiced the same opinion.

A former colleague whose small company supplied imported communications equipment to Telekom Malaysia lost RM140,000 on a deal when he quoted to Telekom based on RM4 to the pound sterling and had to pay his principal when it was RM6 to the pound.

These three were just simple small businessmen struggling to make a living and none were your cronies, yet they benefited, much like many of Malaysia's many SMIs did.

Thank you sir!

Salam Tun dan pembaca semua,

1. Saya setuju dengan pandangan Tun tentang UPSR dan PMR tak perlu di hapuskan.

2. Objektif peperiksaan diwujudkan adalah untuk menyaring murid / pelajar yang berkelayakan sahaja yang patut dinaikkan ke kelas atau tingkatan yang lebih tinggi.

3. Saya masih ingat lagi pada masa saya mula bersekolah tahun 1953 dulu (menggunakan papan batu dan kalam sahaja). Murid-murid dikenakan ujian. Jika tidak lulus / tak capai tahap kepandaian yang ditetapkan murid berkenaan tidak dinaikkan darjah.

4. Ada seorang kawan tu tak naik darjah selama dua (2) tahun sebab tak lulus ujian. Tahun ketiga baru dia naik darjah.

5. Pada tahun-tahun berikutnya ia tidak lagi gagal dalam ujian dan dinaikkan darjah seterusnya. Hinggalah akhirnya ia berjaya belajar di menara gading dan mendapat kelulusan yang cemerlang.

6. Pada masa belajar mengaji Mukaddam (Alif, Ba, Ta..) dulu Tok Guru akan mendengar sendiri bacaan murid. Jika didapati murid itu sudah pandai baru dialihkan kepada bacaan yang lebih tinggi. Jika tidak boleh murid itu dikehendaki mengulang bacaan sama pada esok harinya. Apabila telah benar-benar betul bacaannya maka barulah dinaikkan bacaannya. Hasilnya, murid-murid yang diajar semuanya boleh dan pandai membaca dengan betul walaupun masa tamat belajar masing-masing tidak serrentak.

7. Zaman sekarang sistem persekolahan tidak begitu. Murid darjah satu akhir tahun automatik naik darjah 2. Murid-murid darjah 2 automatik naik darjah 3 dan seterusnya. Walaupun pada hakikiatnya ada murid darjah 3 yang masih tidak pandai mengeja seperti yang sepatutnya mesti lulus dalam darjah 1. Amalan ini melahirkan ramai murid darjah 5 tak pandai membaca dengan betul.

8. Kelemahan pendidikan sekarang ialah kita utamakan umur untuk menentukan tahap pelajaran darjah berapa yang mesti dilalui oleh murid.

9. Hakikatnya Allah cipta manusia dengan kemampuan belajar yang berbeza-beza. Walaupun umur mereka sebaya tetapi ada yang cepat belajar (fast learner) dan ada yang lambat belajar (slow learner). Namun yang lambat belajar tak semestinya tidak pandai. Dengan mengadakan sistem pendidikan yang betul, ia-itu selagi sesuatu pelajaran asas tidak lagi difahami maka pelajaran yang lebih tinggi tidak patut dipaksakan kepadanya.

10. Buku-buku yang diguna pakai pula banyak dipengaruhi oleh penulis dan pencetak yang mencadangkan kepada sekolah untuk mendapat keuntungan. Berorientasikan komersial. Itu sebabnya sentiasa bertukar-tukar yang akhirnya membebankan kepada ibu bapa. Pada zaman dahulu sebuah buku teks yang diguna oleh abang / kakak boleh digunakpakai juga oleh adik-adik pada tahun berikutnya. Kalau berubah pun selepas 2 atau 3 tahun kemudian.

11. Apa yang saya nak tekankan ialah jangan benarkan nawaitu perniagaan buku dan bahan pembelajaran menguasai nawaitu mendidik anak bangsa. Kalau ada buku baru yang benar-benar lebih baik (isi kandungan pun tak banyak beza kecuali pendekatannya) biarlah dijadikan bahan rujukan untuk beberapa tahun dahulu sebelum diwajibkan menjadi buku teks.

Dear HBT

What makes you think i cabut to Australia? Maybe my stay in Australia would be beneficial to my country in a later time.

Even those who mengasaskan Federated Malaysia (the royal elites) went to London for an education, bringing back knowledge to be utilised for the formation of Malaysia.

Although my mindset may differ vastly from yours, it doesnt mean i have malice in my views. I share the same concern with all of you, i can never come to terms with the way our country is nosediving in regards to civil liberty.

I see greed rampant, i see politicians being served like Lords, i see inequality in the treatment of certain classes of the Malaysian society, i see poverty and appalling living conditions of native Malaysians (dont get me started on who is the rightful owners of the land) and i see how the issue of environment concern is taken lightly by Malaysians.

Most of the issues above are shared by those Malaysians (and believe me, there are more Malays here than there are Chinese and Indians from Malaysia) living abroad for many reasons. I do not dare to collectively speak on their behalf in regards to their political views but i dare to say that we do not think of ourselves as arrogant little bastards, we are just privileged little bastards.

We are able to get out from Malaysia and to compare and learn from different cultures and societies. Knowing that everyone here fends for themselves regardless of their backgrounds, sex and age. These policies are what that make a strong country with productive and efficient workers.

The government here favours no one. Theoretically, one is discriminated based on their political believes, sex, age, race, religious believes or whether they are in a union (OMG! a trade union! why cant be have that in Malaysia?)

On the contrary, Malaysia is full of lazy civil servants, bureaucracy red tapes and is lead by an ineffective government who is complacent.

On average, hundreds of thousands of people like me are migrating abroad yearly. And im going to be brave and say that at least half of them are Malays too (by using common sense, Malays are 60% of the population plus they get alot of scholarships, loans and incentives from the government).

No all Malays here worship the government. Some of them are idealist, some are realist but they are not orang kampung thats for sure. I have the pleasure mingle with them, pleased to know that they see the inequality and they are far from being caged in with the stereotype that all Chinese are rich, Indians are drunks and Malays should only vote for UMNO.

Therefore, we are happy where we are right now and at least in the near future we could see ourselves establishing our lives here and to come back to Malaysia someday in white, okay scrap that, in black shinny armour and help develop Malaysia.

Assalammualikum
Yang berbahagia Tun,
Saya amat setuju bila Tun nyatakan bahawa kita tidak perlu memansuhkan UPSR dan PMR. Kedua-dua peperiksaan tersebut adalah untuk menilai sejauh mana pengajaraan dan pembelajaran telah berlaku dalam bilik darjah dalam masa yang tertentu. Tiada salahnya kedua-dua perperiksaan itu dikekalkan, perbaiki pelaksanaannya. Saya ingat satu masa dulu, peperisaan untuk menilai murid darjah 3 diadakan, tetapi mati dipertengahan jalan. Bukan penilain itu tidak baik tapi ibubapa dan guru-guru menjadikan penilaian tidak baik, begitu juga dengan UPSR dan PMR.

Saya ingat satu ketika dahulu sibuk Pengarah,PPD dengan sibuk dengan kenyataan "back to basic" tapi at the end of the day, cerita serupa juga; Pengarah tanya PPd berapa orang dapat banyak 'A' di sekolah
you, dan cerita yang sama berulang saban tahun. Sebagai bekas pendidik saya selalu ingatkan kepad guru-guru . "There is no commercial value dalam "UPSR dan PMR" yang pentingnya guru-guru kena mendidik dengan seberapa ikhlasnya agar apabila anak-anak didik mereka ke peringkat yang lebih tinggi mereka lebih bersedia. Jangan serahkan masaalah yang dilakukan kepada orang yang berikutnya.
Selalu diingatkan bahawa di sekolah rendah, kita menyediakan murid-murid untuk ke sekolah menengah bukan untuk UPSR. Sekiranya murid-murid ini tidak dibekalkan dengan ilmu yang mencukupi, murid yang cicir akan terus tercicir. Baik Guru Besar, Pengetua, PPD dan Pengarah, terus menerus mengagungkan jumlah A yang diperolehi. Perbaiki pelaksanaannya jika tidak buat macam mana pun, cerita yang sama akan berulang.

Satu lagi contoh ialah The Teanching of Science and Maths in English. Kerajaan telah berbelanja begitu banyak untuk memastikan peningkatan bahasa ilmu ini.Kedua subjek ini telah sedikit sebanyak membantu meningkatkan penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris, dan secara tidak langsung membantu guru Bahasa Inggeris di sekolah. Guru ini diberi elaun untuk tujuan ini. "IF" ketiga-tiga guru ini boleh 'get together' dan berbincang untuk mengatasi masaalah kelemahan, saya yakin perbelanjaan yang banyak yang telah dilaburkan tidak hangus begitu sahaja. Sekali lagi saya katakan, baiki pelaksanaannya.

USA like any other state are pushing for their own interest in this world. Saying and using the words like "for democracy and freedom" is just one of the tools to do it. It put a sense of purpose for the US public. Malaysia on the other hand lack purpose other than preservation of its own sovereignty and regional peace. Criticizing on the US for its ill is fine but discussion also needs to be mix with issues of other emerging power and its growing influence to Malaysia such as China and India. Our strategy to remain sovereign is to be able to allied ourselves with the weaker force to fight the stronger one preferably in politics and economics rather than military.

When China and India reach a point where they start to show more direct influence to Malaysia, what then? we need to discuss this issues too.

Dear Tun,

There was a TV documentary program educating people about the hazards of so called free market ( produced by Duestche Welle ). A certain country whose farmers produce milk for the local market could no longer sustain their family lives, their income totally lost because the public buys imported milk from the local supermarket, mass produced by large diary companies in Europe. The government of that country then took action and banned imports of milk, enabling the local farmer to again make a decent living. The supply of milk was not in no way affected at all times, it is just that the public prefers to buy the cheaper imported milk.

Now, such a move is of course unpopular amongst the business community, whose objective is simply to make money, and more money. Had the government bowed to the business group lobbying, the farmers of the country would be marginalized and even totally eliminated. Such is the effect of a free market unregulated free market. Businessmen generally have total disregard for the interest of other communities.

The general argument i always hear is, "they ( the locals ) should learn to be more efficient, to produce better and cheaper, should invest in high tech methods" and so on. This is what i call arrogant arguments. Just because the farmers are unable to compete with a very large industry with big budgets does not mean they are any less efficient, and less productive. What they do not have is the economics of scale. And this not their fault at all, the produce only for their own people, whereas the industry players produce for world market.

So free market ? It is another form of ideology to invade the world, much like a "new world order". Any government buying this idea without realizing what it actually is or being corrupted into agreeing with it will lead the people of the country into poverty. There is no such thing as a free lunch and we all know it, except we forget it sometimes or maybe perhaps quite often.

If we stop to think for a moment, there is nothing we need to do today anymore, as everything we need can be produced outside of our country. Only perhaps land could not be imported, but then again some countries proved that that too can be imported.

So again we need no do anything. Just print money, and send it all to foreign countries to buy imports. Since we are blessed with many trees from the jungle, we are then quite safe as there are lots of natural resources still to make paper for the money to be printed.

Or better still, just invite those large industries to built their factories here. Since we are an 80% working class nation, most people will be happy as everyone has jobs, and choices of too. Everyone will work enthusiatically, and get their end year bonuses and life could not be better. We can take pride in being a "global citizen" ourselves. Whats wrong with this idea ?

Well, imagine one day the all the industries decide to pack up and leave ( for whatever reason ). When 80% is jobless, i doubt very much the other 20% ( who are usually owners and businessmen and lobbyists alike ) will consider feeding the majority. The accusation made will "you were too lazy, too inefficient, too slow". Sounds familiar, yes ?

My message is simple. Stop the imports. Import only the absolutely necessary items. The rest we make. Maybe we cannot yet make as good as the giants industries with huge resources some larger than whole countries. Well so what. It does not impress me much when a large industry can perform. It is no surprise. I would be more impressed and happy if we can produce all that we need ourselves. That's independence.

JJJ,
You want to call names why not come to my blog (kalau jantan). I have no comment on this article and am only posting this becos u mentioned my name. Tun did not answer any of my points, but congrats to him for publishing peoples comments unlike the u-know-whos.

Salam Sejahtera Yang Berbahagia Tun Sekeluarga,

U.S always use their veto power to make decisions in United Nation, there is no democracy in U.N.
online streaming movies

Ayahanda Tun,

Copy-paste for your information on the Sg Besi airbase project....

1. Friday July 30, 2010
Low dispels talk he received RM500mil airbase job EXCLUSIVE
By WONG CHUN WAI, WONG SAI WAN and LESTER KONG

2. Low: ‘I have been getting good feedback from Arabs who have invested in Malaysia’
KUALA LUMPUR: Well-connected businessman Jho Low has dispelled talk that he is involved in the redevelopment of the TUDM Sungai Besi airbase.

3. “I am not involved – that part I want to make clear. I understand that there are some allegations that I received a RM500mil contract for the Sungai Besi project. That is absolutely not true. I have no involvement whatsoever in the Sungai Besi project and from what I was made to understand, it is a project by 1MDB,” he said in an exclusive interview.

4. Low also spoke extensively about Middle East investments in Malaysia and what the country needed to do to get more Arabs to invest here.

Q: What do you think Malaysian companies can do in the Middle East?

A: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had great vision when he was Prime Minister with a lot of money that was spent building Malaysian infrastructure which also resulted in Malaysian-based construction companies that have gone on to be leaders in the global construction arena.

There are now many Malaysian companies doing sophisticated construction work in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and all over the Middle East. Overall, Malaysian companies have gained a good reputation there.

Q: What was your first involvement in a government-type project in Malaysia?

A: My first was actually the Iskandar Development Region investment. A friend from Khazanah called me and mentioned that they were looking to invite some Middle Eastern investors to be the core investors and asked if I knew of potential blue-chip investors.

So that is where it started. Eventually, both Mubadala and Kuwait Finance House’s USD1.2bil entry into Iskandar was a big boost for Malaysia.

They have shown their commitment as long-term investors and it is my view that Khazanah and Iskandar Investment Bhd have done a good job.

I have heard some arguments that projects in Iskandar are behind schedule. However, I have been told by a lot of major Middle Eastern developers that it is very important that large development projects are sustainable in the long term. It is better to take your time to be prudent with careful planning and proper execution as opposed to a rush job.

The Iskandar project so far has paced itself well as a long-term project, and the critics sometimes need to appreciate the fact that the objectives of Iskandar is to achieve long-term sustainability.

Q: Have you also been asked about other Malaysian investments?

A: I had also been asked by the previous chairman of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) for my input and opinion on RHB Bhd and its potential which I was very bullish on for the long-term. ADCB eventually invested a significant amount in the Malaysian bank. That is one of the key investments Abu Dhabi made in Malaysia which continues to show that Abu Dhabi is investing in Malaysia for the long-term.

Q: What about 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and what was your role in the Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA)?

A: I was involved in the setting up of TIA from January 2009 to mid-May 2009. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Mizan (Zainal Abidin) was kind enough to ask me to assist, given my relationship with the Middle East and insight I had on how they had set up their sovereign wealth funds.

In addition to me, there was an important committee comprising key Malaysians such as Tan Sri Azlan Zainol amongst others, who provided important guidance. There was also input from blue-chip foreign consultants and advisers.

Subsequently, as I understand from news reports, TIA was federalised to become 1MDB. I don’t play any role in 1MDB, and I did not get compensated by 1MDB or any other government-owned entities although some blogs have mentioned that I did. That is untrue.

However, I do from time to time speak to friends in Khazanah and 1MDB to get their input and ideas on how to better facilitate investments from the Middle East to Malaysia or vice-versa.

Q: How did you get to know the Yang di-Pertuan Agong?

A: His Majesty’s sister Tunku Datuk Rahimah introduced us. She is the chairman of Loh & Loh Corporation Bhd, whom I met as a fellow shareholder of Abu Dhabi-Kuwait-Malaysia Investment Corporation (ADKMIC).

Q: How did you get involved in UBG Bhd and what is the latest on the sale to Petro Saudi?

A: In January 2008, I was invited to participate as a shareholder of ADKMIC. The other investors included Sheikh Sabah, Yousef Al Otaiba, and few other prominent Middle East and local investors. I had a 10% share.

This private investment company was set up for investments in Malaysia, and it participated in the UBG transaction because we saw UBG as a good company in terms of growth and the construction business. Un-fortunately, the world was hit by the financial crisis and infrastructure jobs in UAE slowed down.

We subsequently received an offer from Petro Saudi and we decided to exit this investment. We were informed by Petro Saudi that they believed that companies like Loh & Loh and Putrajaya Perdana had good potential to expand in Arabian markets.

Q: One of the biggest problems Malaysia has is attracting FDIs. What are the things we need to do?

A: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s recent announcement on liberalisation have been tremendously helpful in building investor confidence for Malaysia. However, there are some investors who are taking a wait-and-see attitude to be convinced of actual implementation.

Previously, there had also been complaints about bureaucracy but this has improved tremendously. I have been getting good feedback from a lot of Arabs who are investing in Malaysia and thus I am bullish in the long-term on our ability to attract FDIs.

Attracting FDIs is not just about going abroad and doing roadshows to sell publicly-listed shares. The FDIs that Malaysia should be pushing hard to attract are those which clearly indicate a commitment for the long-term which result in real multiplier effects and benefits the country.

Malaysia can also be more effective in locking in FDIs by having a more streamlined, coordinated and systematic approach in which heads of states, government officials and private businesses target key investors and offer attractive investment propositions in strategic areas for Malaysia which maximises the short-term economic impact for Malaysia, but also fits the bill of sustainable development in the long-term.

It is also important that all Malaysians make the extra effort of explaining to investors about the potential of Malaysia and clarify some of the negative perceptions of our country.

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Have a pleasant day, Ayahandaa Tun.

assalamualaikum Tun,

sedih sgt tgk komen2 yg masih tak faham agenda2 amerika dan sekutu-sekutunya. kalau tak ada tindakan dari negara luar membantah dasar amerika ini, lambat laun negara kita juga menjadi mangsa.

salam buat tun sekeluarga

saya pelajar UKM...akan kami akan men0nt0n persembahan teater muzikal tun nanti di istana budaya...harap dapatlah berjumpa dengan tun disana....excited! :)

Tun M

pls allow me to respond to one of your regulars - JJJ

JJJ - hypocrisy means say one thing, do entirely another OR
conflicting statement means say one thing and then say entirely another which goes against the philosphy of the first statement.

So which did you mean when you were making reference to me bro?

Hypocrisy - now let me show you an example.

Tun M made a statement where he expects bloggers to be ethical and tell the truth or base their statements on facts.

Some of the statements he has recently made:
a/ Tun Abdullah is corrupt and has mismanaged Malaysia and policies during his tenure.
b/ US manufactured "9/11"

Both the above has not been substantiated...and Tun M has conveniently stated these without showing evidence or basing these on facts.

Now, is that hypocrisy?

Peace man...dont get led blindly will ya...you could get led into a wall...

(Ravi)

Dear Tun,

Those who strongly advocate free market are those market dominant minorities like the Chinese in South East Asian countries, the Indian in eastern Africa, the Lebanese in western Africa, the Jews in the US and some of the ethnic market dominant minority groups of African and Latin American countries.

There is an interesting book written by Amy Chua titled "WORLD ON FIRE" which touches on this subject of free market.

The US has used trade sanctions or have limited access to countries that threatened their industrial base, e.g. Japan was forced to shift some manufacturing to US , the Japanese expansion was contained by the US using trade restrictions.
In California bidders to a fast train project are required to submit proof that they were not involved in transportation of Jews to the camps during World War II.
Trade access go Korea , Singapore and Taiwan resulted in the economic development of these countries this of course was a part of the American game plan to contain China .Similar access to say Pakistan is denied although US is willing to gave aid (most of which is filtered away buy US and local venal elements anyway )

Dear Tun,
How are you sir?...Hope you are in good health.

Just want to clarify this...About the PKFZ scandal which now former transport minister being charged in Session court, could you explain how this got out of control during your tenure as PM and why no one notice this even you sir?

Thanks.
Rgds/Harimau 1900

Dear Tun,

I believe sanction on military hardware and equipment is appropriate in order to curb countries having the tendency of creating wars for their own political agenda. The US is no exception. Other countries can also impose sanction on the US on military matters. For example, other countries could avoid having military pact with the US or by not providing military support such as airport bases and other weapon installations and also soldiers to wedge and facilitate wars against other countries.

With regard to economic sanction, it is totally abuse of human rights when a country tries to impose its policies or ideologies on other countries by applying such action. It is completely inhumane when it affects the well-being of the citizens of other countries which are affected by economic sanction. IT IS UNCIVILISED OF THE FIRST ORDER. Make no mistake about it.

We can simply draw into conclusion the US adminstration is the greatest bully on earth. Shame on them claiming themselves to be champion of liberal democary. Bullshitt!!!!

With regard to education, I suggest the govt. should look into other countries education systems which can be incorporated into our education system. Find the best system in other countries and and then tailor it according to our national education needs.

The govt. should have a target to make a classroom with students not more than 25 by year 2020 or earlier in every school all over the country to be ideal. Such limited students in a class of 25 will make the teachers more focus to attend to each student's needs. Use simple logic if we are really serious to upgrade the quality of eduction.

Having examination is of course important. To have formal examination for schoolchildren at tender age is not good. It negatively affects the children emotion and psychology. I think the govt. should do away Std. Six examinations and just replace it with monthly test set by Ministry of Education and standardise the test to all schools. The Ministry should use the ICT widely to achieve this purpose to be practical and efficient.

QUOTE: "I just wanted to show the hypocrisy of America. We do not go around the world preaching free market, so if we are not so free as alleged, we are not being hypocritical. I had always been sceptical of ideas coming from the rich. They are all self-serving."

Ummmm.... everyone says that Tun's family is a billionaire family. Wonder how true it is, given that the Malays, the very race you are championing, is still said to be poor. Me thinks a real champion should not have more than those whom he is fighting for... or at least, not much more, otherwise that would look hypocritical to me.

Salam bahagia YM Tun dan sihat sejahtera hendaknya

FREE MARKET
1-There is no such thing as FREE MARKET in this world, and i totally agree.Look at MAS and look at AIR Asia and look at Firefly and look at many more..

EDUCATION
1-Saya pun sudah lupa berapa lama kita merdeka..we dont have to pay for education before..long long time ago, because all being sponsored, yes we are considered weak because we need subsidy and we took it..now as we grow and grow and the nation grows too we need to pay for almost everything including our basic needs which we dont have to pay before, including education..Saya pun sudah lupa berapa lama kita merdeka..yes we are considered weak because we need subsidy and we took it..

YABhg Tun,

...I think education is bigger than any personality, minister, bigger than any party...
Who are they.....to make drastic changes that can effect so many...

/// By amin tan on July 29, 2010 10:43 PM
Dear Tun,
Please dont be angry with the rich nations. God creates individuals, peoples and countries unequal. Let's emulate them, learn from them and be their friends. ///

Spot on amin - one of the few sane voices here. In fact God has been tremendously kind to Malaysia - endowed her with oil, gas, rubber, palm oil, bauxite, tin, timber, etc. etc. And protected her from natural disasters such as volcanoes, typhoons and earthquakes.

And what did Malaysia do with such humongous advantages?

...... sedangkan naik ke tingkatan 1 masih ramai tak lancar membaca, menulis karangan, mengira kombinasi + - x ( ) = dll, inikan pula nak mansuh peperiksaan peringkat nasional... dah tentu terlewat nak buat penilaian dan pembaikan selepas SPM. Ramai yang jadi mangsa, seperti yang terjadi bila pelajaran jawi 'dipinggirkan' pada satu ketika dulu.

With Ling Liong Sik's getting charged for cheating your administration in 2002's Cabinet is some proof that there is freedom for justice in this country. We should be very proud considering we are a small, still struggling democracy.

Question is, how did he get past all the checks and balances in the government? Anyway, take care.

Redhuan D. Oon
PendAtang Dengan Izin

Dear Tun,

1. I am referring to a part of paragraph 3: "I had always been skeptical of ideas coming from the rich. They are all self-serving."

2. The National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) consists of many big shots who have been getting high incomes. In addition to that, Performance Management & Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) as well as the subsidy labs comprise the profit seeking industry players and well paid senior civil servants. None of the three has included jobless graduate who can also be referred AS the brightest poor.

3. As you mentioned, the ideas coming from them are suspiciously self-serving. For instance, the projection of becoming a high income nation neglects the historical and statistical fact that a recession or an economic crisis is bound to occur in every ten years. The recent crisis happened from 2007-2009. This means that the next is likely to occur before 2020. If there is a recession before 2020, our goal to achieve a high income status will be gone. I wonder how those economic experts could ever exclude a recession in their projection.

Dear Tun,
Corruption is rampant Msia and you are talking about free market.

Ling liong sik, monster created by you, will expose everything. All corrupt leaders must return billions they stole, to the RAKYAT.

Tun and family,please return billions to thr rakyat. You KARMA will improve and ALLAH will pardon you.

salam tun

i agreed with your opinion about educational. but im greatly against the idea to abolish UPSR and PMR.
some ppl said that these exam are no longer "good", but come to think about having no BIG exam at all is even worst.

thanks and salam

untuk membentuk sesuatu masyarakat yang bertamadun dalam erti kata sebenar adalah bermula dari pendidikan melalui sistem pendidikan. pendidikan adalah jauh lebih baik dari pelajaran kerana pendidikan merangkumi pelajaran.

sistem pendidikan yang mengarahkan kepada hafalan dan politik sekolah termasuk guru-guru di anugerahkan atas dasar pandai ambil hati guru besar, guru-guru yang pandai berpolitik sekolah dianugerahkan kenaikan pangkat, sekolah sekolah yang berusaha mencari jalan mengajar murid-murid cara skor peperiksaan supaya sekolah dapat nama yang sekolah dan guru-guru akan dapat kemudahan yang pelbagai seperti anugerah kesenangan dapat bantuan dan sebagainya.............akan menjurus mendapat quantiti pelajar cemerlang tetapi tiada qualiti....mind set yang lemah dan sebagainya.
memang bukan semua begitu, tetapi percayalah kebanyakkannya begitu.
malang sekali buat guru-guru yang benar benar guru iaitu guru yang benar benar mendidik kebanyakkanya terpinggir dan di sekat oleh guru besar dari keikhlasan guru-guru yang ikhlas ini dan sayang sekali bilangan guru-guru sebegini amat kurang sekali bukan kerana tiada tenaga kerja tetapi kerana sistem pemilihan guru itu sendiri pun amat lemah maka dapatlah kita guru-guru yang lemah tetapi kelayakan kelulusan guru-guru yang dipilih oleh sistem yang ditetapkan amat cemerlang.
saya percaya kebanyakan menteri-menteri pun tak mau hantar anak-anak mereka ke sekolah dalam negara yang menggunakan sistem yang betul-betul betul-betul sama seperti sekolah kebanyakkan dalam negara tanpa pertolongan graf special kerana mengkategorikan sebagai sekolah kebangsaan anak-anak menteri yang sudah tentu tidak sama dengan sekolah biasa termasuk gurunya sekali.........tak begitu?
saya henti di sini sebab siapalah saya hingga ada yang akan ambil berat apa yang saya taipkan ini.....sedangkan apa yang Dr. Mahathir katakan atau taipkan pun susah orang atasan mau timbangkan.
saya ada hantar permasalahan ini di sertakan dengan cadangan-cadangan/cara-cara/langkah-langkah kepada PM ketika itu pak lelah PM kita kerana dia cakap kerja bersama-sama dengan dia dan menggalakkan rakyat beri info dan buah fikiran tetapi hampeh betul.

saya sedar seperti kata-kata KJ dalam suatu temubual dalam tv suatu ketika dahulu; sesiapa yang tidak sertai sesebuah parti atau NGO sememangnya tidak layak menyuarakan pendapat (sb bg KJ mereka hanya mahu beri pendapat tapi tak mau buat kerja.)
apa salahnya orang itu bg pendapat sb kita jgn terkejut kekadang pendapat dari seorang kanak-kanak sekali pun kekadang tak terfikir oleh orang dewasa itu sekali.

sedih menyaksikan negara semakin tenat.................
-kaufsohddal / kadzdar.

Tun,

US dan sekutu-sekutu mereka sama...

NATO = No Action, Talk Only

Salam hormat Tun.

The late Ayatollah Khomeini had declared and echoed repeatedly by many Iranian leaders that USA is the GREATEST SATAN of the world. How true and what Tun has written on these topics are indeed proven facts beyond reasonable doubt.

Yet and still millions remain staunch and loyal supporters of this Orang Puteh PENIPU.

We, Malays must not forget history of Tanah Melayu where the Orang Puteh conquered and colonized us for hundreds of years through fraudulent means. Deceiving our Sultans to submit to them via deceitful treaties. Our present leaders must approach things vigilantly when dealing with the new generations of Orang Puteh. Their forefathers had cheated us. What's there to stop them from deceiving us again in the future. Their crook genes are still circulating in their veins. So, don't trust them. They are liars before and liars forever. Recent good example; Bush and Blair on the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. How they both talked in tandem to defamed the world on Iraq.

However, I dread to see the trends shown by our new elite Malay girls whom seems so proud hanging around and marrying them. What the hack.

Dear Tun,

I hope the government listen to Tun on education, dont abolish examinations but improve on subject matter of the examination. When they revert the teaching of Maths and Science from Englsh to Malay, they make us backward. I should say if the government abolish PMR, it must be a weak and mediocre government. Every student has a report card to manifest his grade in first, second and third term examination for every year of his study in school. Now they are discussing big public examination to be abolished. They are going to perform worse than under pak Lah. Under Pak Lah, it was all corridors and double patrol and toll charges 2 months before election. Now the present government shocks and awes the rakyat by abolishing examinations. Myhidin Yassin really outdoes Pak Lah in terms of big pronouncement.

amin tan

Dear Tun,

Please dont be angry with the rich nations. God creates individuals, peoples and countries unequal. Let's emulate them, learn from them and be their friends. Let's not put up bamboo curtain, iron curtain or religious curtain and isolate ourselves like Burma and China before they open up. It is no good for us if we continue to criticise and talk bad about them. One day we might just end up like Iraq and we can be proud of ourselves because we are brave and we stand by our priciple even though thousands of people die and our country is reduced to ashes like Iraq. Let's not antagonise and oppose the rich and powerful countries like Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh oppose the government all the time and they have been treated like Iraq, meaning detained and locked up under ISA for years, so to speak.

A minister has big salary, free car, free servant, free body guard, free telephon and hugh pension. They are the Americans. Whereas ordinary folks like us have to sweat and toil to earn a meagre income to make ends meet. We are Malaysians and Karpal Singh.

Hope we can tone down a little bit and not behave like Sadam Hussein or Karpal Singh. We are definitely courting trouble.

We should not go and look up all American and British enemies like Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Hamas, Zimbabwe and endear ourselves to them so that The American and British become more suspicious of us and they are so provoked that they might literally use nuklear weapons to annihilate us and we can only say they are unfair, cruel, hypocrite or celaka. The same thing with Tengku Razaleigh and Anwar Ibrahim, when they failed to unseat Tun to be PM, they went to seek out PAS and DAP and form Pakatan Rakyat or collusion against the BN.

amin tan

salam Tun,

many commentators here try to show off they are clever by venting their anger on you in commenting your articles but they only succeed in showing off their hypocrisies...(gunse007,pakpandir,ravi,wenger khairy etc...you people know who you are!Stand up and take a bow!)

typical small minds at work...this article is self explanatory.

Jeng3

Assalamualaikum Tun Dr M,

In my opinion with regard to our education, the root of the problem is our teachers. First of all, are they dedicated to teach. How many of them are dedicated to educate the pupils. Is it their choosing profession that they want to teach or is it that they want a monthly paycheck with good retirement benefits.

I believe in examination. It is a process to determine whether the teachers has perform their duties to the standard required.

Ayahanda Tun,

Copy-paste from Malaysian Insider.....

Thursday, 29 July 2010 Last Update: 07:37pm

1. Pakatan ‘unconvinced’ by charges against Ling
2. No one’s above law, says Tee Keat
3. Ling charged with cheating over PKFZ
4. Paying PKFZ bondholders will further erode FDI, claims PKR treasurer
5. PKA meeting called off
6. Tee Keat questions PKA bond repayment
7. Dr Chua should deal with PKFZ first — The Malaysian Insider

1. MCA in shock over Dr Ling’s PKFZ charge By Clara ChooiJuly 29, 2010KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 – Today’s prosecution of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik over his role in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, has sent shockwaves through the MCA, leaving party leaders stuttering in response.

2. MCA’s usually calm and collected president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek himself appeared shaken by the news and admitted that it was unexpected.

3. “MCA leaders are shocked by this,” he told reporters who surrounded him for a response after he opened the Perak MCA Youth convention at the state liaison body’s headquarters in Ipoh.

4. He added, however, that he was confident that Dr Ling, 66, who had served as the party’s president from 1986 to 2003, would be given a fair trial.

5. When contacted later in the evening, MCA secretary-general and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha fell silent for several moments when informed of the news.

6. When asked if he was surprised, Kong said: “Of course I am. Why do you only call me when there is bad news?”

7. He added that he was “concerned” about Dr Ling’s prosecution, especially since the latter was a prominent figure in the MCA.

8. Dr Ling was slapped with charges under Section 418 and alternatively, under Section 417 of the Penal Code, for an offence concerning land valuation.

9. Section 418 concerns “cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may be thereby caused to a person whose interest the offender is bound to protect” and Section 417 concerns the punishment for cheating.

10. If convicted under Section 418, Dr Ling faces a maximum jail term of seven years, or a fine, or both, and if convicted under Section 417, he faces a lesser sentence of five years jail, or fine or both.

11. He claimed trial to the charges and the case has been fixed for mention on September 3.

12. Dr Ling, believed to be the first Tun in the country to face such prosecution, is the most influential personality to date to be brought to book over the controversial PKFZ scandal.

13. When contacted, many MCA leaders chose to keep mum over the issue, pleading for more time to study the charges before issuing any comment.

14. MCA vice-president Datuk Donald Lim told The Malaysian Insider that the matter should only be addressed by the president.

15. “I would rather not comment. I just heard about it too,” he said.

16. A fellow vice-president Gan Ping Sieu also declined comment but chose instead to seek information from The Malaysian Insider over the details of the charges against Dr Ling.

17. “What did they involve? What were the specific charges,” he asked, before saying that he would need more time before speaking on it.

18. Another vice-president Datuk Chor Chee Heung told The Malaysian Insider that careless comments on such a shocking piece of news should not be made.

19. “I barely just heard about it myself. I do not know the details, so it would be unfair to make any comment for now. It is a big issue,” he pointed out.

20. Other MCA leaders could not be reached via the telephone.

21. On micro-blogging site Twitter, MCA Youth chief Datuk Wee Ka Siong, who is usually active, was uncharacteristically quiet. His last post was at about 4pm, on an unrelated matter.

23. MCA presidential council member Chua Tee Yong tweeted that the PKFZ case needed transparency if the government wanted to revive the people’s trust in them.

24. “Give a chance 2 clear d air instd of guessg and hypthosg,” he said in his tweet.

25. The PKFZ project, Malaysia’s biggest port investment, was initially kickstarted in the early 2000 with a budget of RM1.8 billion.

26. The amount ballooned, however, allegedly due to mismanagement and corruption, and is estimated to likely cost a whopping RM12.5 billion now, including interest charges.

Comment:

This is what happened to Toyota, thanks to these so-called American way of democracy in name of Justice and National Issues.....no chickens, eggs how????

Practice 1st, then talk..........

......and to andrewtay, he got the wealth, cabut la to Australia pun blh ma.....in the name of globization, and that is why Mr Lee Kuan Yew is very dissapointed and angry with his bunch of democractic Singaporeans with the attitude of not appreciating what the country has done for them, and 'Vendetta' labels these goons as mat-hitrun....

Goodnight Ayahanda Tun....

Salam Tun,

Nothing is free in this world. Everything comes with a price or condition. Except of course if one is a politician of the ruling party in Malaysia or Zimbabwe. Then one is free to do whatever they like and make as much money as one can.

Many thanks for your response on the 'abolishing exam' debate Tun.

Regarding your posts, I believe your intention is clear - to expose the hypocrisy of an economic giant supposedly championing free trade and democracy, but has itself forgotten to practise what it preaches (rather fervently).

However, I hope people might also be interested to find out why those sanctions and veto calls in the UN are made by the US in the first place. Then only can we have a good discussion about those issues.

And by the way, if we hold that liberal democracy is not our way, and that we have our very own 'better' system; maybe it's time to show how it's done, and how good it really is. If our system is really that good, I don't see why other countries wouldn't aspire to follow us.

But if we're apt to retreat into the comfort zone of blaming 'external factors' for our failures and crises, we will never prosper beyond what those 'external factors' permit.

But we cannot say that Democracy is futile because we are kononnya a democratic country too. Our democratic hierarchy is alleged to have enriched those at the helm of the country. We know it is defective but still we embrace it. The theory behind democracy, by simply stating that it gives power to the people to decide their own destiny, resonates with every human being, us and the Iraqis. That mantra itself is so powerful that we are all blinded by the defective qualities of democracy, shutting an eye on it.

Education

Our education is crap. We have gone backwards on our education just to please certain sectors of the majority population in the country.

Where is Bahasa Malaysia going to take us? Its speakers are less than 40 million people in this world. Most of them are from third world countries such as Malaysia and Brunei. Indonesia dont even speak Bahasa Malaysia although Bahasa Indonesia is somewhat similar to BM.

Why has the government fail to take into account the wishes of ordinary Malaysians where polls have indicated that the majority of malaysians do not agree with the removal of english as medium to teach science and maths (except for Utusan Melayu's poll for obvious reason). Shouldn't we have a say in our future at least instead of letting it to be decided by incompetent people who has no credibility to run a country? We gave them a mandate to improve our lives but not to screw us from behind.

Why do we constantly take this matter lightly? why is it not in our interest to punish a government who does not listen to our wishes instead of handing them another term to run this country?

Why is Bahasa so important? im still baffled! Besides being a tool to showcase Malay supremacy, why do we need it? You want to showcase supremacy, do it in style, with money and awesome wives. Little kids are not going to be impressed with a race by the language it speaks. Dont deprive them little kids.

This country does not need to end up like France. We are not arrogant slimes

SALAM BUAT TUN BERDUA MOGA DIRAHMATI ALLAH S.W.T.

1) DISAMBUNG AKAN MEREKA-MEREKA YANG CURANG DIDALAM JUAL BELI AKHIRNYA AKAN MEMBENTUK HATI MEREKA MENJADI KERAS.UMPAMA HATI-HATI ITU DI PENUHI BINTIK-BINTIK HITAM YANG MAKIN LAMA MAKIN TEBAL.

2) HATI-HATI YANG KERAS LAGI HITAM PEKAT MENYEBABKAN NEGARA INI MENJADI DEGIL HANYA JAWAPAN BAGI PERBUATAN INI ALLAH S.W.T TANGGUHKAN PADA HARI AKHIRAT NANTI.

3) WALAU PUN BEGITU NABI MUHAMMAD S.A.W MENGGIGATKAN KITA AKAN GOLONGAN MUNAFIK YANG TETAP BERKELIARAN UMPAMA MUSOH DALAM SELIMUT YANG ZAHIRNYA SAMA SEORANG ISLAM TETAPI ROH YANG TERLINDUNG DARI KACA MATA KITA BILA BERJAYA MENDAPAT KUASA BERTINDAK TIDAK MENGIKUT HUKUM-HUKUM ALLAH S.W.T.

4) LIHATLAH SIAPA YANG DIBUNUH ! YANG MENENTANG PENGARUH KUASANYA SANGGUP BERSAMA AMERIKA BILA ADA SESAMA ISLAM MENENTANGNYA DAN KEMUDIAN BILA AMERIKA PULA HENDAK MENYERANGNYA DICUBA MENPENGARUHI UMAT ISLAM LAIN SATU PERJUANGAN MENGHANCURKAN MUSUH ISLAM.(YANG MATI RIBUAN RAKYAT TIDAK BERDOSA AKIBAT TERPENGARUH HASUTAN SADDAM HUSSIN)

5) YANG TERLALU TAKSUP DENGAN PIMPINAN SADDAM HUSSIN INI SANGGUP PULA MENJIHATKAN DIRI SEBAGAI PENGEBOM BERANI MATI YANG SIA-SIA. (AKIBATNYA RAKYAT BIASA YANG TERBUNUH)

6) KITA RAKYAT PERLU BERFIKIR SECARA WARAS AKAN LAHIR PEMIMPIN-PEMIMPIN YANG MENYELEWENG SEPERTI BUSH,BLAIR,SADDAM HUSSIN YANG DIBENTUK OLEH PEMBANTU-PEMBANTU PEMEGANG PEMERINTAHAN YANG MENGHALALKAN PEMBUNUHAN YANG TIDAK BERDOSA .

7) ADAKAH SEORANG ITU ISLAM ATAU PEJUANG ISLAM KALAU TINDAKANNYA BOLEH MENGAKIBATKAN KANAK-KANAK, WANITA , ORANG TUA TERBUNUH.

8) SUNGGUH MEMALUKAN KALAU SESUATU KAUM MENJERIT MENARIK PERHATIAN DUNIA MENDAPAT SIMPATI UNTUK MENUNJUKKAN KEKEJAMAN BANGSA YAHUDI SEDANGKAN CARA NABI MUHAMMAD S.A.W SEPERTI BERHIJRAH SANGGUP MENINGGALKAN HARTA,TANAH MILIK SERTA CARA BERPERANG BERSTRTEGIK TIDAK DIIKUTI.

9) PERNAHKAH TERDENGAR AKAN KEMATIAN PULUHAN ORANG AWAM BILA NABI MUHAMMAD S.A.W BERPERANG ?

10) KITA WAJIB MENYELAMATKAN NYAWA (MENJAGA KESELAMATAN) WALAU PUN AJAL TELAH TIBA DARIPADA BERJIHAT YANG TIDAK LENGKAP BAGAI MEMBUNUH DIRI YANG HARAM HUKUMNYA.

WALLAHU'ALAM

Tun,
You are a strong advocate of MALAYSIA BOLEH and LOOK EAST and BUY BRITISH LAST all for the sake of putting Malaysians into a self-reliance mode and be free from foreign dependance.

One of your top brilliant policies was to ask the govt to use Open Source rather than foreign expensive software. But today, the govt has reverted back to using more of foreign software not that they do not like what you preached. But it is more comfortable to get entertainment from these foreign software companies.

The US buy their way into all countries this way. They entertain by many ways including but not limited to free trips, gifts, and preliminary investments from their side. Then when our well entertained officers signed on the dotted line, they signed away millions in the long run.

But the greatest insult is not that we feel at a lost. Rather we feel proud to have signed off with the likes of greats from Stanford and Harvard that clearly cannot even solve their own financial crisis.

Redhuan D. Oon
PendAtang Dengan Izin

Dear Tun Dr M,

Yes, you are quite true about the Western hypocrisy. Not only on Free Trade but also on other issues like the Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Choice, Liberation, Basic human rights (which they only seem apply in their country and not in Iraq and Afghanistan, where their soldiers killed thousands of innocent lives!), The "wonderful" treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay etc etc.

The obvious problem with those countries is that, they find it difficult to market their products internationally as it is too competitive. Further more, they do not want to reduce the prices of the goods and services. Thus they resort to dirty tactics like this. When I checked for the richest countries in world I was surprised to note that China and India are no 2 and no 4 respectively. The number of rich nations amongst the west has dropped significantly.

This means, they are desperate and focused to regain their economic and financial status by every which way they can. Yet, they try to portray a different picture to us thinking that we are as naive as before.

As for the examinations in schools, I totally agree with you that examinations in schools should not be abolished. If abolished then the students have no realistic targets to meet and would not any realistic standards to attain. Knowing Malaysian students well, it would be disaster (especially the male students who are very much lagging behind the female students).

As you have suggested, the standard of examinations should be reviewed and also the standard of teaching and learning should be enhanced to meet the standards of developed nations.

It is very much disappointing that most of our university graduates lack command in English and are obviously weak in public relation and general knowledge.

Salam Tun,

U.S always use their veto power to make decisions in United Nation, there is no democracy in U.N.

Tun,

Hypocrisy is supposedly having a global peace organisation but going around waving the kris.

Best Regards

Ataturk

The Americans 'freedom' is a joke.

Glad to hear your stand on our examination issues but true though, its the kind of examination we should restructure.

Assalam alaikum

YABhg Tun & all of chedet's fellow

The foremost; I totally agree about the hypocrisy of America. Not even me agree on it but Mr. Glenn, Greenwald too who wrote GREAT AMERICAN HYPOCRITES - ISBN 1059305. This is the "Pandora Box" of it.

Market whether free, open, global, or extreme the American always want to be the single player. They create rules and regulations which favour them and their counterparts. But not the developing countries.

To become single player American being hypocirites in the name of free market and democracy in market.

American Implement bias protectionism where any rivals particularly from the developing countries could not compete it even in play-fair.

But when America coming to the land of developing countries they preached that deregulation is stray away from modern economic doctrine because there is no play-fair in it.

But the American of course being otherwise when they in their homeland. Is America stray from "gesta non verba?"

Wassalam

Salam Sejahtera Yang Berbahagia Tun Sekeluarga,

Dasar/Sistem Pendidikan negara kita, bagi saya, memang terlalu amat sangat memerlukan perubahan besar lagi drastik. Kempen Satu Sekolah Untuk Semua (SSS) menyeru kerajaan supaya melihat semula dasar ini dan melakukan suatu rombakan yang bermakna.

Our Early Education System

Salam.