Finally we have a closure on the Perak Crisis. It was a legally, constitutionally right but morally wrong judgment.
While Pakatan Rakyat leaders threw phrases like 'the end of democracy', 'start of absolute monarchy' etc, the fact remains that they started it all with Anwar's ambition to become Prime Minister and the real crisis or rather circus started when Bota Assemblyman crossed over to PKR in Jan 2009.
Anwar, Lim Kit Siang, MB Nizar and Lim Guan Eng were jubilant when this happened. Only Karpal was silent. When Anwar start counting number of MPs that he claims are crossing over right after the 2008 general elections, no one from Pakatan Rakyat said that the move and strategy was morally wrong.
I can imagine what would have happened if the reverse would have happened in Perak i.e BN retains Perak in 2008 general elections, 3 BN Aduns cross over Pakatan Rakyat. MB Tajol Rosli fails to dissolve the state Assembly, Sultan of Perak asks Tajol Rosli to resign where he refuses, later Nizar is sworn In as new MB from Pakatan. Later BN files case and at the end, MB Nizar is declared the rightful MB.
What would have been the reaction of Pakatan Rakyat leaders? They would have reacted the same way they did when the Bota Assemblyman defected to PKR, they would have shouted 'Gelombang Baru', 'Harapan Baru' etc. They would have criss-crossed the whole of Perak holding thousands of 'ceramah' during the impasse to win over public support for the cross overs.
They would claims that BN is corrupt, racist etc to justifiy their support for cross-over. They would have informally legitimised cross overs in the eyes of public. The would have justified their wins in Bukit Selambau and Bukit Gantang as proof of public support.
In summary, Pakatan Rakyat Leaders would have been certainly singing a different tune if the roles were reversed. Lim Kit Siang should request for formation of Royal Commission of Inquiry to find out the root cause of the fall of Pakatan Rakyat state Government Of Perak. Before he can even start, let me tell him that all fingers are pointed at their great leader, Anwar ' Sivaji the Boss' Ibrahim.
Showing posts with label recap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recap. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Close Down All Tamil Schools
This article was first published by malaysiakini.com on 21st Sept 2000 and not surprisingly, never came in any mainstream newspapers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recent figures released by police on the increasing number of Indians involved in gangsterism is a cause for concern.
While many has commented on the issue and some even blaming government for not helping and taking action, I hold MIC solely responsible for all the ills in the community. After all, it is MIC who claims that they are the only party representing the Indian community.
MIC leaders have been issuing one statement after another, outlining their strategies and proposed activities only after the issue of gangsterism among Indian youth was highlighted and widely debated in the media. What were they doing all the while?!
One of the contributing factors leading Indian youth to gangsterism and other criminal activities is their inability to excel in education, particularly when they enter secondary school.
The new environment and being not conversant in Bahasa Malaysia which is the medium of teaching in secondary school have resulted in students dropping out after their PMR and SPM.
The reason this happens is the poor quality of Tamil schools in the country. Most of the Tamil schools in the country are poorly managed, lack facilities and are helmed by substandard headmasters and teachers.
Is there really a need for Tamil schools in the country? What are the pros and cons of being Tamil-educated in this country?
Indians may benefit if they are in Tamil Nadu but here in our country, the most one can achieve from being conversant in Tamil is to become a Tamil school teacher. Do Indian parents want this future for their children?
I studied in a national school and learnt to read, write and communicate in Tamil without much problem although my mother tongue is Malayaalam. Isn't that enough?
I believe most of the problems would be solved if we were to close all Tamil schools and have children enrolled in the national schools. This will put them on par with students of other races and not disadvantaged due to poor command of Bahasa Malaysia.
Tamil language can still be taught as an alternative but a compulsory subject and classes can be held while agama classes are being conducted for the Muslims. This measure will also help in our aspirations of seeing a united "Bangsa Malaysia" in the future.
MIC should stop pointing fingers and seriously think for the future generations of Indians in this country. It is not enough just to claim to be the only party representing the Indians.
I ask Indians, especially those who are Tamil-educated, to come forward and support this view.
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Recap: This article met with fierce criticism from various quarters including this (http://www.indianmalaysian.com/violence_tamil_school.htm). I would still stick to my assertion that Malaysia should have only one school and that should be the school for everyone regardless of race or religion.
A compromise would be that languages such as Mandarin and Tamil must be taught or even made compulsory.
Educationist (I would rather label them education extremist) may not agree and staunchly defend the need to have mother-tongue education.
That's fine, can the same educationist defend the rights of mother tongue education for minor ethnic groups such as portuguese, Punjabis, Malayalees, telugu and many other ethnics in Sabah and Sarawak. Everyone know that this not possible as it would really bring about various issues and stretch government resources. But these education groups or political parties are not bothered as these minorities mean nothing in terms of votes or influence.
Various groups also opposed to the idea of having Vision Schools mooted by Dr Mahathir, giving lame excuses that they fear losing their identity. What a lame excuse.
The simple idea of having different schools in the same compound has met with fierce rejection. Are their vernacular education quality is so poor that they fear that their children would be easily influenced by kids of other races within the school compound and lose their identity.
As far as physical identity is concerned, I never seen any non-national schools with any different stuctures as compared to a national school. So it's quite baffling to hear their reasons for rejection of Vision Schools even though Dr M promised that government would assist financially.
The recent debate on teaching of Science and Maths in English has also brought about the worst in all of us. Every other group released and published research papers favouring their point of view.
Most of these research papers highlighted the failure of the policy citing recent UPSR, PMR and SPM results and concludes with how well the students education & upbringing and career would be if they are educated in the mother tongue, i.e Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and Tamil.
In a malaysian give and take style, a compromise is apparently being worked on where teaching science and maths would only be in secondary schools. I cannot see what is the benefit of this.
Fed up with the nonsense by education and political groups, a group of Parents (The Parent Action Group for Education-PAGE) has sprung to the defence of the policy and now we have a good fight.
When cornered, everyone runs to hide behind their favourite curtain or kain ; their rights within the constitution.
In the end, race still matters to most in this country. How many actually have Mandarin and proper Tamil as their mother tongue? It's all about the quality and the systems in place and not really language.
Children can be multi-lingual if they are taught various languages at young age. How do we explain the enrollment of thousands of non-chinese in chinese schools? Have they (mainly Malays) lost their identity, faith or even forgot their mother tongue or dialects?
I regret that few non-chinese in Chinese schools and non-malays in national has come forward to defend the policy and strongly espouse the notion that young malaysians can be taught various languages at the same time in any type of school without losing their identity, culture, faith or their mother tongue.
We can do away with insignificant subjects such as history, moral studies or geography in primary schools and replace it with language classes.
Issues relating to racial unity and national intergration will continue to haunt this country generations to come until and unless young malaysian go to the same school, Full Stop...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recent figures released by police on the increasing number of Indians involved in gangsterism is a cause for concern.
While many has commented on the issue and some even blaming government for not helping and taking action, I hold MIC solely responsible for all the ills in the community. After all, it is MIC who claims that they are the only party representing the Indian community.
MIC leaders have been issuing one statement after another, outlining their strategies and proposed activities only after the issue of gangsterism among Indian youth was highlighted and widely debated in the media. What were they doing all the while?!
One of the contributing factors leading Indian youth to gangsterism and other criminal activities is their inability to excel in education, particularly when they enter secondary school.
The new environment and being not conversant in Bahasa Malaysia which is the medium of teaching in secondary school have resulted in students dropping out after their PMR and SPM.
The reason this happens is the poor quality of Tamil schools in the country. Most of the Tamil schools in the country are poorly managed, lack facilities and are helmed by substandard headmasters and teachers.
Is there really a need for Tamil schools in the country? What are the pros and cons of being Tamil-educated in this country?
Indians may benefit if they are in Tamil Nadu but here in our country, the most one can achieve from being conversant in Tamil is to become a Tamil school teacher. Do Indian parents want this future for their children?
I studied in a national school and learnt to read, write and communicate in Tamil without much problem although my mother tongue is Malayaalam. Isn't that enough?
I believe most of the problems would be solved if we were to close all Tamil schools and have children enrolled in the national schools. This will put them on par with students of other races and not disadvantaged due to poor command of Bahasa Malaysia.
Tamil language can still be taught as an alternative but a compulsory subject and classes can be held while agama classes are being conducted for the Muslims. This measure will also help in our aspirations of seeing a united "Bangsa Malaysia" in the future.
MIC should stop pointing fingers and seriously think for the future generations of Indians in this country. It is not enough just to claim to be the only party representing the Indians.
I ask Indians, especially those who are Tamil-educated, to come forward and support this view.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recap: This article met with fierce criticism from various quarters including this (http://www.indianmalaysian.com/violence_tamil_school.htm). I would still stick to my assertion that Malaysia should have only one school and that should be the school for everyone regardless of race or religion.
A compromise would be that languages such as Mandarin and Tamil must be taught or even made compulsory.
Educationist (I would rather label them education extremist) may not agree and staunchly defend the need to have mother-tongue education.
That's fine, can the same educationist defend the rights of mother tongue education for minor ethnic groups such as portuguese, Punjabis, Malayalees, telugu and many other ethnics in Sabah and Sarawak. Everyone know that this not possible as it would really bring about various issues and stretch government resources. But these education groups or political parties are not bothered as these minorities mean nothing in terms of votes or influence.
Various groups also opposed to the idea of having Vision Schools mooted by Dr Mahathir, giving lame excuses that they fear losing their identity. What a lame excuse.
The simple idea of having different schools in the same compound has met with fierce rejection. Are their vernacular education quality is so poor that they fear that their children would be easily influenced by kids of other races within the school compound and lose their identity.
As far as physical identity is concerned, I never seen any non-national schools with any different stuctures as compared to a national school. So it's quite baffling to hear their reasons for rejection of Vision Schools even though Dr M promised that government would assist financially.
The recent debate on teaching of Science and Maths in English has also brought about the worst in all of us. Every other group released and published research papers favouring their point of view.
Most of these research papers highlighted the failure of the policy citing recent UPSR, PMR and SPM results and concludes with how well the students education & upbringing and career would be if they are educated in the mother tongue, i.e Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and Tamil.
In a malaysian give and take style, a compromise is apparently being worked on where teaching science and maths would only be in secondary schools. I cannot see what is the benefit of this.
Fed up with the nonsense by education and political groups, a group of Parents (The Parent Action Group for Education-PAGE) has sprung to the defence of the policy and now we have a good fight.
When cornered, everyone runs to hide behind their favourite curtain or kain ; their rights within the constitution.
In the end, race still matters to most in this country. How many actually have Mandarin and proper Tamil as their mother tongue? It's all about the quality and the systems in place and not really language.
Children can be multi-lingual if they are taught various languages at young age. How do we explain the enrollment of thousands of non-chinese in chinese schools? Have they (mainly Malays) lost their identity, faith or even forgot their mother tongue or dialects?
I regret that few non-chinese in Chinese schools and non-malays in national has come forward to defend the policy and strongly espouse the notion that young malaysians can be taught various languages at the same time in any type of school without losing their identity, culture, faith or their mother tongue.
We can do away with insignificant subjects such as history, moral studies or geography in primary schools and replace it with language classes.
Issues relating to racial unity and national intergration will continue to haunt this country generations to come until and unless young malaysian go to the same school, Full Stop...
Friday, October 31, 2008
Manholes Are Dangerous Too
Away from politics again, this Letter To The Editor was first published in January 2002 in the New Straits Times.
I refer to recent proactive measure taken by the new Datuk Bandar Of Kuala Lumpur to form a pothholes busting team to repair and resurface potholes in roads around the city.
The bold move seems to be a good start for the new Datuk Bandar and also good news to the long suffering motorists. The public wishes more of this action oriented initiatives will be taken with public welfare and safety in mind.
In is the hope of people in the other cities, towns and districts that their respective authorities will emulate city hall's bold initiative in the interest of public.
Although the measure to have a pothhole busting team on standby with information relayed through the hotlines introduced is a good move, the city hall has to look at the actual and overall conditions of the roads in the city where potholes is not the only problem.
Manholes along the roads in the city is also a problem and equally dangerous for both motocyclist and other motorists.
If city hall care to notice, manholes are usually located everywhere on the roads and majority of it were uneven with the road surface. The most probable cause is that the manholes perimeters were not covered evenly with the road surface when resurfacing of roads were done. The contractors or the JKR seems to be ignorant and leaves to manhole perimeters uneven after resurfacing the roads.
Many accidents happened due to motorist's action to avoid these uneven manholes. A very good example would be Jalan Ampang and Jalan Sultan Ismail. The manholes are everywhere and it is impossible to avoid every other manholes.
I would also suggest that the Datuk Bandar and other city hall authorities take a drive along these roads on a normal proton and he would understand that extend of damage these manholes can inflict to vehicles. He should also take a ride on a motocycle and try avoiding all the uneven manholes in a normal traffic situation.
The city folks has been suffering for a long time dealing with this menace and it is hoped that the new management of city hall will take notice and take some concrete measures to solve this problem.
RECAP : Sad to say, after 7 years, the sufferings continue with the problem gone from bad to worse. I am now working in downtown KL and still have problems avoiding manholes along Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Raja Chulan although I should have been familiar, been driving on these roads almost everyday.
I went back to Johor last week and did drive through an estate road. Surprisingly, the road, although narrow and leaves the tyres red, was far more easier on my wheels and to manoeuvre as compared to Jalan Raja Chulan.
Not sure why DBKL personnel don't feel the same. Maybe because they are now driving SUVs and MPVs (not sure why they need them though, maybe they need 4WDs to wade through KL's concrete jungle or even for the same reason, manholes would be easy on their huge wheels).
Again, the reason is development, new development requires additional laying of underground cables, drainage etc and due to this, more manholes are added.
There appears to be no effort to ensure that the manhole covers are on level with the road surface. Contractors who resurfaces the road after adding the manholes are not made accountable for the mess they leave behind.
Anyone still remember the pothole busting team? Whatever happened to them!
The same situation persists in all major and even small towns. Although Malaysia is known to have good road networks and connectivity, the quality is questionable. I would still prefer driving through the old granite roads.
Sounds trivial but these are the basic needs of the people, and these are the things that MPs, Councillors and media should be pressuring DBKL to deliver, not focussing on some road signs, 30% quota, which MP is buta, or even who is the next Mayor of KL. Somehow or rather, it leads to politics!
I refer to recent proactive measure taken by the new Datuk Bandar Of Kuala Lumpur to form a pothholes busting team to repair and resurface potholes in roads around the city.
The bold move seems to be a good start for the new Datuk Bandar and also good news to the long suffering motorists. The public wishes more of this action oriented initiatives will be taken with public welfare and safety in mind.
In is the hope of people in the other cities, towns and districts that their respective authorities will emulate city hall's bold initiative in the interest of public.
Although the measure to have a pothhole busting team on standby with information relayed through the hotlines introduced is a good move, the city hall has to look at the actual and overall conditions of the roads in the city where potholes is not the only problem.
Manholes along the roads in the city is also a problem and equally dangerous for both motocyclist and other motorists.
If city hall care to notice, manholes are usually located everywhere on the roads and majority of it were uneven with the road surface. The most probable cause is that the manholes perimeters were not covered evenly with the road surface when resurfacing of roads were done. The contractors or the JKR seems to be ignorant and leaves to manhole perimeters uneven after resurfacing the roads.
Many accidents happened due to motorist's action to avoid these uneven manholes. A very good example would be Jalan Ampang and Jalan Sultan Ismail. The manholes are everywhere and it is impossible to avoid every other manholes.
I would also suggest that the Datuk Bandar and other city hall authorities take a drive along these roads on a normal proton and he would understand that extend of damage these manholes can inflict to vehicles. He should also take a ride on a motocycle and try avoiding all the uneven manholes in a normal traffic situation.
The city folks has been suffering for a long time dealing with this menace and it is hoped that the new management of city hall will take notice and take some concrete measures to solve this problem.
RECAP : Sad to say, after 7 years, the sufferings continue with the problem gone from bad to worse. I am now working in downtown KL and still have problems avoiding manholes along Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Raja Chulan although I should have been familiar, been driving on these roads almost everyday.
I went back to Johor last week and did drive through an estate road. Surprisingly, the road, although narrow and leaves the tyres red, was far more easier on my wheels and to manoeuvre as compared to Jalan Raja Chulan.
Not sure why DBKL personnel don't feel the same. Maybe because they are now driving SUVs and MPVs (not sure why they need them though, maybe they need 4WDs to wade through KL's concrete jungle or even for the same reason, manholes would be easy on their huge wheels).
Again, the reason is development, new development requires additional laying of underground cables, drainage etc and due to this, more manholes are added.
There appears to be no effort to ensure that the manhole covers are on level with the road surface. Contractors who resurfaces the road after adding the manholes are not made accountable for the mess they leave behind.
Anyone still remember the pothole busting team? Whatever happened to them!
The same situation persists in all major and even small towns. Although Malaysia is known to have good road networks and connectivity, the quality is questionable. I would still prefer driving through the old granite roads.
Sounds trivial but these are the basic needs of the people, and these are the things that MPs, Councillors and media should be pressuring DBKL to deliver, not focussing on some road signs, 30% quota, which MP is buta, or even who is the next Mayor of KL. Somehow or rather, it leads to politics!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
RECAP : Felda Sungai Buaya Residents Are Still Waiting
This letter, highlighting the plight of residents of Felda Sungai Buaya, Rawang was first published in the New Straits Times somewhere in December 2000.
I am writing on behalf of settlers of Felda Sungai Buaya. Currently there are about 300 families residing in this Felda Scheme which began in 1960. Each family was given about 425 acres and 4,845 acres of land for housing and agricultural activities respectively.
Over the years, the settlers of the Felda Scheme (Peneroka) lived moderately by cultivating rubber crops in their designated land areas with the assistance of Felda. In 1986 land titles were given progressively to settlers depending on individual remitance of development fees to Felda. By 1990 almost all settlers were proud owners of their land.
The settlers lived peacefully and moderately until 1990, when a developer (close to state & federal Government) offered to purchase their agricultural and also land where their houses are situated for a massive real estate development.
The promised purchase price would make each Peneroka an instant millionaire. The settlers found the offer too much to resist and agreed to sell their land, which were their life and soul for decades.
With the advice of developer and others, the residents formed a company that would represent all residents in all transactions related to sales and purchases of the land. The company would also handle all payments to the settlers from the developer.
Agreements to sell their land was signed in 1994 and each resident were also given 1,000 shares of the company. The first phase only affected their agricultural land and the residents still maintained their houses in the settlement. According to the agreement, payments for the land was to have been paid progressively for four years and would have been completed by the year 1998.
However, now, six years after the agreement was signed, only about 30% of total payment was made. The reasons given were many including non-payment from the developer and economic crisis.
Some of the directors of the company, who were once felda settlers themselves, still resides in their lavishly renovated homes in the Felda with luxury cars in the compound while few of the directors fled elsewhere to avoid the onslaught of settlers. Demands for explanation from other residents were either not entertained or they were told to wait for announcement by post.
The residents then sought the assistance of the member of parliment, state assemblymen and even the then Menteri Besar but none of them helped to take the cause to the responsible parties. The residents suspects that people in the high places are also involved in what perceived to be an attempt to deceive the settlers. The TV3 even highlighted the issue in the Buletin Utama news back in 1997.
Several meeting held by this company with the residents resulted in heated exchanges between the residents and the directors (ex-settlers).
The latest meeting few months ago ended abruptly with the police arriving at the scene to calm down the situation. A crew from a local television channel were also there to cover the event and even interviewed many affected settlers but strangely, it was never broadcasted.
The settlers also attempted to hire lawyers to take this issue to the courts but it was too costly and some lawyers hesitated to take up the case.
Many residents are struggling to make ends meet with only small plots of land left behind their houses for agricultural activites. Most of the residents are already too old to work and depended on their children.
The residents have exhausted all avenues and can only hope that justice will prevail one day but many worry that they may not be alive to see it happen or benefit from the sale of their precious lands.
Hope that the authorities will look into the plight of these 300 felda settlers who were unjustly treated and manipulated.
After about 8 years, no solutions seems to be in sight. Nothing has changed despite the issue being highlighted in the press and TV channels. The residents voted overwhelmingly to the opposition in the last elections hoping that Pakatan Rakyat will at least fight for some form of compensation.
Many residents and land owners had passed away not enjoying the fruits of their labour while many are too old to enjoy anything anymore.
The developer , Land & General has since gone down after the 97-98 crisis. We are still seeing such manipulations by huge conglomerates and well connected companies. In this case, the previous MP for the area was a deputy minister and he was powerless to do anything.
It's sad that Selangor State government (past and present) is more interested in playing the blame game, filing law suits for defamation for some trivial articles, playing politics over road names etc rather than solving real people issues like this, in Felda Sungai Buaya.
I am writing on behalf of settlers of Felda Sungai Buaya. Currently there are about 300 families residing in this Felda Scheme which began in 1960. Each family was given about 425 acres and 4,845 acres of land for housing and agricultural activities respectively.
Over the years, the settlers of the Felda Scheme (Peneroka) lived moderately by cultivating rubber crops in their designated land areas with the assistance of Felda. In 1986 land titles were given progressively to settlers depending on individual remitance of development fees to Felda. By 1990 almost all settlers were proud owners of their land.
The settlers lived peacefully and moderately until 1990, when a developer (close to state & federal Government) offered to purchase their agricultural and also land where their houses are situated for a massive real estate development.
The promised purchase price would make each Peneroka an instant millionaire. The settlers found the offer too much to resist and agreed to sell their land, which were their life and soul for decades.
With the advice of developer and others, the residents formed a company that would represent all residents in all transactions related to sales and purchases of the land. The company would also handle all payments to the settlers from the developer.
Agreements to sell their land was signed in 1994 and each resident were also given 1,000 shares of the company. The first phase only affected their agricultural land and the residents still maintained their houses in the settlement. According to the agreement, payments for the land was to have been paid progressively for four years and would have been completed by the year 1998.
However, now, six years after the agreement was signed, only about 30% of total payment was made. The reasons given were many including non-payment from the developer and economic crisis.
Some of the directors of the company, who were once felda settlers themselves, still resides in their lavishly renovated homes in the Felda with luxury cars in the compound while few of the directors fled elsewhere to avoid the onslaught of settlers. Demands for explanation from other residents were either not entertained or they were told to wait for announcement by post.
The residents then sought the assistance of the member of parliment, state assemblymen and even the then Menteri Besar but none of them helped to take the cause to the responsible parties. The residents suspects that people in the high places are also involved in what perceived to be an attempt to deceive the settlers. The TV3 even highlighted the issue in the Buletin Utama news back in 1997.
Several meeting held by this company with the residents resulted in heated exchanges between the residents and the directors (ex-settlers).
The latest meeting few months ago ended abruptly with the police arriving at the scene to calm down the situation. A crew from a local television channel were also there to cover the event and even interviewed many affected settlers but strangely, it was never broadcasted.
The settlers also attempted to hire lawyers to take this issue to the courts but it was too costly and some lawyers hesitated to take up the case.
Many residents are struggling to make ends meet with only small plots of land left behind their houses for agricultural activites. Most of the residents are already too old to work and depended on their children.
The residents have exhausted all avenues and can only hope that justice will prevail one day but many worry that they may not be alive to see it happen or benefit from the sale of their precious lands.
Hope that the authorities will look into the plight of these 300 felda settlers who were unjustly treated and manipulated.
After about 8 years, no solutions seems to be in sight. Nothing has changed despite the issue being highlighted in the press and TV channels. The residents voted overwhelmingly to the opposition in the last elections hoping that Pakatan Rakyat will at least fight for some form of compensation.
Many residents and land owners had passed away not enjoying the fruits of their labour while many are too old to enjoy anything anymore.
The developer , Land & General has since gone down after the 97-98 crisis. We are still seeing such manipulations by huge conglomerates and well connected companies. In this case, the previous MP for the area was a deputy minister and he was powerless to do anything.
It's sad that Selangor State government (past and present) is more interested in playing the blame game, filing law suits for defamation for some trivial articles, playing politics over road names etc rather than solving real people issues like this, in Felda Sungai Buaya.
Monday, October 20, 2008
RECAP : Time To Rejunavate Malaysian Soccer
This Letter was first published in the New Straits Times somewhere in July 2001.
Over the last decade, Malaysian Soccer has seen a slump in performance owing to many factors which are some natural and some self inflicted, the second factor being more prominent.
Our own M-Leaque, modelled after the Japanese J-League was quite a success when it started especially when foreign players turned out for almost all the state teams. The presence of Singapore and Brunei only made the leaque more merrier. Singapore, especially, draws huge crowd whenever they play in malaysian states and who can forget the lion's very own 'Kallang Roar'. Droves of Singaporean fans also travels to malaysian states to watch and support their team especially when they are playing arch rivals Selangor and Johor.
The stadiums were always full and even small cities are congested during the M-League match days.
The crackdown of bribery, the ouster of Singapore from the M-League and the departure of foreign players in the mid 90s has made M-League uninteresting prompting fans to stay away from the stadiums. Even live telecast of matches has seen lower viewership. Back in 80s and early 90s, enthusiastic fans would be always waiting till match hours to check whether there are any live telecast, which are always kept a secret until the last minute.
Stadiums are now empty and only the top teams are capable of drawing big crowds but not as huge as before when the foreign players turned out for all teams.
The FAM seems to made a big blunder by stopping the teams from enggaging foreign players.
Malaysia seems to be the only country where their national football association felt that having foreign players in the league was bad. The decision was taken at the same time as UEFA decided to allow players from eroupean union (EU) free to play in any clubs in europe without restictions. Only players from outside of Europe are considered as foreign players.
The real problem faced by the malaysian soccer is the management of the game and lack of consistency and direction from the authority of the game, the FAM.
The FAM is seen to be always changing their plans and also rules and this unpredictable decision making process has led to lack of direction and inability of place long term programs to improve the state of soccer.
The presence of politicians in the FAM and the state football associations has made the situation worse. The politicians, some who hardly have kicked a ball always interferes in the planning and coaching of the teams and always jostles for posts and publicity. It is no secret that these politicians are ever present in almost all state FAs to meet their political agenda. There is no enthusiasm or honesty in them to help improve the standard of soccer in the country.
The lack of knowledge, passion for soccer combined with their political agenda results in poor management of the state associations and also state academies.
Hardly any of the state teams have enough funds to sustain on the own and depends on FAM grants every other year to compete in the M-League. Often the grants given by the FAM are mismanaged and usually not much is spent on youth development resulting in poor quality players turning out for state teams year after year.
These factors coupled with the lack of will by the FAM to taken stern action over mismanagement of state FAs has resulted in poor and sometime shameful performance of the national team.
It is now time to act. The FAM has to do something to correct the situation. The state FAs needs to be scrutinised and probably a professional advisor needs to be attached to state FAs so that their activities, management of academies and also funds are always scrutinised and not be subject of abuse by the state FAs.
The M-League needs to be rejunavated. The inclusion of foreign players is very much welcomed. The youngsters will definitely gain much by playing against the much bigger and skillful foreigners.
The FAM should also think hard on the sponsorship of the M-League. There are many companies out there who are willing to sponsor the state teams and also the league in whole but the the current sponsor's overwhelming presence is seen to be a drawback. Nobody would want to sponsor any teams if three quater of the stadiums are filled with billbords advertising only one particular sponsor.
The same applies when all team jerseys carries the same sponsor's logo. The FAM should take cue from the English Premier League where the main sponsor of the Premier Leaque is not forced upon to be advertised by the premier one clubs and only a certain portion of stadiums are filled with billboards from the main sponsor.
The FAM should also consider inviting Singapore back to M-League. Since now Singapore has their own S-League, FAM should consider proposing the merger of these two small leagues. This could lead to a bigger league and of course more matches all year round. Other proffesional leagues have players competing up to 60 - 80 matches a year. In both M-League and S-League players compete in only about 60 matches a year.
If this materialises, then sponsors from both Singapore and Malaysia will definitely come forward to sponsor and benefit from advertising to a bigger and broader audience. More matches also means more advertising opportunity. Teams should be asked to find their own sponsors while funds from the main sponsor should be strictly chanelled towards youth development. Teams who can't find sponsors should not be allowed to play in the league.
FAM should never neglect youth development. With the help of Olympic Council Of Malaysia(OCM), discussion should be held with the education ministry to encourage the game at schools level. Current education system does not allow students to prosper in sports and parents doubts that sports, especially soccer can promise a bright future for their children. This misconception must change.
FAM should take cue from other sports association like Bowling and Squash on their youth development programs. Perhaps a visit or discussion with these successful sports associations will do a lot of good for FAM.
Doing away from politics once in a while. Unfortunately, there are politics in Malaysian Soccer scene too.
RECAP : It has been a good 7 years since I wrote this article but nothing much has changed. FAM allowed foreign players in 2003 and again, in a shocking 'ala Flip Flop Abdullah' move, banned foreign player for next season.
Grass roots development leaves much to be desired. Parents and schools are not much of a help in this 'education first' society. Squash has produced Datuk Nicol Davids while our keglers has maintained their standing as one of the best in the region, if not the world. These are results of long term grass root development.
Bribery made a comeback recently and Malaysia, instead of becoming a soccer power, has now become famous all over the world for high technology match fixing.
FAM did not change much, just that Tengku Abdullah had since resigned from FAM. A well intentioned man, Tengku Abdullah simply couldn't bring about a change to the patronage-politics influenced state FAs.
When Khairy Jamaluddin joined FAM as it's Vice-President (won uncontested), many thought that Malaysian football will receive a boost and perhaps some Oxford inspired strategies to improve the pathetic state of soccer in the country. It was unfortunate that even with Khairy, FAM decided to go backwards with the ban on foreign players.
State FAs are still managed or rather mismanaged by politicians and they are still bent on putting brakes on club sides, which has shown good potential in recent times.
Singapore has seen reasonable success with their league and has done well in international tournaments.
I would still believe that merger of M-League and S-League would bring about benefits to the standard of soccer in both countries and may well be financially viable.
Over the last decade, Malaysian Soccer has seen a slump in performance owing to many factors which are some natural and some self inflicted, the second factor being more prominent.
Our own M-Leaque, modelled after the Japanese J-League was quite a success when it started especially when foreign players turned out for almost all the state teams. The presence of Singapore and Brunei only made the leaque more merrier. Singapore, especially, draws huge crowd whenever they play in malaysian states and who can forget the lion's very own 'Kallang Roar'. Droves of Singaporean fans also travels to malaysian states to watch and support their team especially when they are playing arch rivals Selangor and Johor.
The stadiums were always full and even small cities are congested during the M-League match days.
The crackdown of bribery, the ouster of Singapore from the M-League and the departure of foreign players in the mid 90s has made M-League uninteresting prompting fans to stay away from the stadiums. Even live telecast of matches has seen lower viewership. Back in 80s and early 90s, enthusiastic fans would be always waiting till match hours to check whether there are any live telecast, which are always kept a secret until the last minute.
Stadiums are now empty and only the top teams are capable of drawing big crowds but not as huge as before when the foreign players turned out for all teams.
The FAM seems to made a big blunder by stopping the teams from enggaging foreign players.
Malaysia seems to be the only country where their national football association felt that having foreign players in the league was bad. The decision was taken at the same time as UEFA decided to allow players from eroupean union (EU) free to play in any clubs in europe without restictions. Only players from outside of Europe are considered as foreign players.
The real problem faced by the malaysian soccer is the management of the game and lack of consistency and direction from the authority of the game, the FAM.
The FAM is seen to be always changing their plans and also rules and this unpredictable decision making process has led to lack of direction and inability of place long term programs to improve the state of soccer.
The presence of politicians in the FAM and the state football associations has made the situation worse. The politicians, some who hardly have kicked a ball always interferes in the planning and coaching of the teams and always jostles for posts and publicity. It is no secret that these politicians are ever present in almost all state FAs to meet their political agenda. There is no enthusiasm or honesty in them to help improve the standard of soccer in the country.
The lack of knowledge, passion for soccer combined with their political agenda results in poor management of the state associations and also state academies.
Hardly any of the state teams have enough funds to sustain on the own and depends on FAM grants every other year to compete in the M-League. Often the grants given by the FAM are mismanaged and usually not much is spent on youth development resulting in poor quality players turning out for state teams year after year.
These factors coupled with the lack of will by the FAM to taken stern action over mismanagement of state FAs has resulted in poor and sometime shameful performance of the national team.
It is now time to act. The FAM has to do something to correct the situation. The state FAs needs to be scrutinised and probably a professional advisor needs to be attached to state FAs so that their activities, management of academies and also funds are always scrutinised and not be subject of abuse by the state FAs.
The M-League needs to be rejunavated. The inclusion of foreign players is very much welcomed. The youngsters will definitely gain much by playing against the much bigger and skillful foreigners.
The FAM should also think hard on the sponsorship of the M-League. There are many companies out there who are willing to sponsor the state teams and also the league in whole but the the current sponsor's overwhelming presence is seen to be a drawback. Nobody would want to sponsor any teams if three quater of the stadiums are filled with billbords advertising only one particular sponsor.
The same applies when all team jerseys carries the same sponsor's logo. The FAM should take cue from the English Premier League where the main sponsor of the Premier Leaque is not forced upon to be advertised by the premier one clubs and only a certain portion of stadiums are filled with billboards from the main sponsor.
The FAM should also consider inviting Singapore back to M-League. Since now Singapore has their own S-League, FAM should consider proposing the merger of these two small leagues. This could lead to a bigger league and of course more matches all year round. Other proffesional leagues have players competing up to 60 - 80 matches a year. In both M-League and S-League players compete in only about 60 matches a year.
If this materialises, then sponsors from both Singapore and Malaysia will definitely come forward to sponsor and benefit from advertising to a bigger and broader audience. More matches also means more advertising opportunity. Teams should be asked to find their own sponsors while funds from the main sponsor should be strictly chanelled towards youth development. Teams who can't find sponsors should not be allowed to play in the league.
FAM should never neglect youth development. With the help of Olympic Council Of Malaysia(OCM), discussion should be held with the education ministry to encourage the game at schools level. Current education system does not allow students to prosper in sports and parents doubts that sports, especially soccer can promise a bright future for their children. This misconception must change.
FAM should take cue from other sports association like Bowling and Squash on their youth development programs. Perhaps a visit or discussion with these successful sports associations will do a lot of good for FAM.
Doing away from politics once in a while. Unfortunately, there are politics in Malaysian Soccer scene too.
RECAP : It has been a good 7 years since I wrote this article but nothing much has changed. FAM allowed foreign players in 2003 and again, in a shocking 'ala Flip Flop Abdullah' move, banned foreign player for next season.
Grass roots development leaves much to be desired. Parents and schools are not much of a help in this 'education first' society. Squash has produced Datuk Nicol Davids while our keglers has maintained their standing as one of the best in the region, if not the world. These are results of long term grass root development.
Bribery made a comeback recently and Malaysia, instead of becoming a soccer power, has now become famous all over the world for high technology match fixing.
FAM did not change much, just that Tengku Abdullah had since resigned from FAM. A well intentioned man, Tengku Abdullah simply couldn't bring about a change to the patronage-politics influenced state FAs.
When Khairy Jamaluddin joined FAM as it's Vice-President (won uncontested), many thought that Malaysian football will receive a boost and perhaps some Oxford inspired strategies to improve the pathetic state of soccer in the country. It was unfortunate that even with Khairy, FAM decided to go backwards with the ban on foreign players.
State FAs are still managed or rather mismanaged by politicians and they are still bent on putting brakes on club sides, which has shown good potential in recent times.
Singapore has seen reasonable success with their league and has done well in international tournaments.
I would still believe that merger of M-League and S-League would bring about benefits to the standard of soccer in both countries and may well be financially viable.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
RECAP : By-elections totally unnecessary
I wrote this just after the bruising Lunas by-election in 2000 and this article was first published on Dec 9, 2000 in Malaysiakini.com. It was also published in the Sun Newspaper with similar title.
By-elections totally unnecessary
The battle between the Barisan Nasional and Barisan Alternatif over the Lunas state assembly seat has finally come to an end.
The whole by-election campaign, which started immediately after the death of Dr Joe Fernandez, has drained both the Barisan Nasional and the opposition.
A lot time and money were spent during the by-elections by candidates, supporters and their senior party leaders. Dirty campaign tactics, name calling, lies and maybe even indirect vote buying made the situation worse.
I believe the majority of citizens in this country would not want this unhealthy situation to continue every now and again.
The Works Minister, S Samy Vellu even camped there for a couple of weeks while some other ministers and also Kelantan and Terengganu state leaders made regular visits to Lunas.
I believe they, both Barisan Nasional and opposition party leaders who assume government posts, should concentrate on their jobs rather than spending their time campaigning for by-elections.
They are not elected by people to campaign for by-elections and neglect their official duties for weeks.
It is about time we re-think if there is a need for by-elections should the incumbent pass away or is disqualified due to other reasons.
Generally the trend shows that the constituents actually vote for the party and not the candidate, therefore the party who wins in the general elections shall retain the seat, state or parliament, should the incumbent assemblyman or member of parliament becomes unavailable.
The incumbent's party shall decide on another candidate to assume the seat.
The opposition parties would of course love to continue having by-elections as they believe that their chances of winning are brighter. But they have to remember that they may also lose their own opposition-held seats in by-elections.
Therefore it is a no-win situation for either side which begs the question - why should we have by-elections in the first place?
K Balan
Kuala Lumpur
2008 now, and we have another by-election in Permatang Pauh, only that the situation is slightly different where the opposition leader gave up the seat for her 'Prime Minister in waiting' husband. Millions of ringgit will be wasted organising the elections alone. This does not include the anticipated huge amount to be spent by both political parties. The nation will also come to stand still for almost two weeks. Resident around the constituency would benefit economically though.
I would still stand by the statement that By Elections are totally unnecessary and the money and time could be well spent where it's needed most and certainly not for the purpose accomodating whims and fancies of some politician or political parties.
By-elections totally unnecessary
The battle between the Barisan Nasional and Barisan Alternatif over the Lunas state assembly seat has finally come to an end.
The whole by-election campaign, which started immediately after the death of Dr Joe Fernandez, has drained both the Barisan Nasional and the opposition.
A lot time and money were spent during the by-elections by candidates, supporters and their senior party leaders. Dirty campaign tactics, name calling, lies and maybe even indirect vote buying made the situation worse.
I believe the majority of citizens in this country would not want this unhealthy situation to continue every now and again.
The Works Minister, S Samy Vellu even camped there for a couple of weeks while some other ministers and also Kelantan and Terengganu state leaders made regular visits to Lunas.
I believe they, both Barisan Nasional and opposition party leaders who assume government posts, should concentrate on their jobs rather than spending their time campaigning for by-elections.
They are not elected by people to campaign for by-elections and neglect their official duties for weeks.
It is about time we re-think if there is a need for by-elections should the incumbent pass away or is disqualified due to other reasons.
Generally the trend shows that the constituents actually vote for the party and not the candidate, therefore the party who wins in the general elections shall retain the seat, state or parliament, should the incumbent assemblyman or member of parliament becomes unavailable.
The incumbent's party shall decide on another candidate to assume the seat.
The opposition parties would of course love to continue having by-elections as they believe that their chances of winning are brighter. But they have to remember that they may also lose their own opposition-held seats in by-elections.
Therefore it is a no-win situation for either side which begs the question - why should we have by-elections in the first place?
K Balan
Kuala Lumpur
2008 now, and we have another by-election in Permatang Pauh, only that the situation is slightly different where the opposition leader gave up the seat for her 'Prime Minister in waiting' husband. Millions of ringgit will be wasted organising the elections alone. This does not include the anticipated huge amount to be spent by both political parties. The nation will also come to stand still for almost two weeks. Resident around the constituency would benefit economically though.
I would still stand by the statement that By Elections are totally unnecessary and the money and time could be well spent where it's needed most and certainly not for the purpose accomodating whims and fancies of some politician or political parties.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
RECAP : Undergraduates Should Be Grateful
Away from Politics (though not entirely) for a while, this Letter to the Editor was first published on 13th August 2001 in The New Straits Times. It was also published in the Sun newspaper at around the same time.
Over the last three years, much has been said and written about the conduct and performance of undergraduates of local universities.
The recent statements by leaders especially both the Prime Minister and his deputy reflects their seriousness in wanting to correct the situation in the campusses in Malaysia.
Undergraduates have to realise that they are grateful lot. They should realise that there are many other students out there who, although with reasonably good qualification but missed the boat to be enrolled in the universities.
Many of these students comes from poor families who can't afford to send their children for higher education at private higher institution of learning.
Just look around us and we will not be suprised that there are many students who works during the day and goes for part time classes to complete their courses at private colleges. Quite a number of students goes the other way, taking full times courses and works at night.
It is not easy to work and study at the same time. I am also one of them. There are times that the work pressure is just too much that on many occasions I have contemplated to give up my studies.
The situation, I was told, is totally different at the university campus. The students are provided with the necessary environment for them to excell in their choice of courses. They have access to library, frequent contact with lecturers, surrounded by coursemates and seniors, even additional lectures when necessary.
This is considered luxury compared to the situation faced by students who work and study at the same time. One hardly has any time to go to libarary, contacts with course mates and lecturers are rare and finally time is always limited due to work committment.
The undergraduates have only themselves to blame if the fail at the university. They have to count their blessings for gaining admission to university. They have to thank the government for providing such an opportunity to many students every other year without fail.The government also looking into building more public universities and colleges which will benefit more students in years to come.
Among developing countries, Malaysia is said to have the best universities, in terms of facilities as well as quality.
Many foreign students enrolled in local universities such as the International Islamic University had many times revealed in press interviews that they are grateful that Malaysian University gave them the opportunity since there aren't such facilities in their own country.
Unfortunately increasing number of undergraduates has become ungrateful and bit the hands that feed them. Their indulgence in activities unrelated to their studies reflects their poor attitude towards gaining knowledge and improving themself.
The undergraduates have this thinking that they are matured and ready to talk about politics, human rights and ISA. The fact is many have never experienced live outside their homes, former schools and now the universities. They have long way to go before becoming a fully matured person. They have yet to face the reality of working, getting married, having children and also building a career hindered by many obstacles. Only then they will know how hard life is and how working adults toil to earn money to support their family. Only then they will realise how hard it is to raise a family.
They do not know how hard life is because almost everything is provided by the government and also their parents to the extend that there are also many that complains that government has gone overboard in helping students, especially the bumiputras.
Political parties has known to take advantage of vulnerability of undergraduates and slowly they brainwash the students to become subscibe to their narrow minded and selfish agenda.
This had resulted in some students taking to the streets protesting government policies and actions. They are also asking for repeal of Universities and Colleges act, in move they call to provide them more freedom.
The undergraduates are admitted to universities to study and nothing else. They should ask themselves, why are they in universities for? What is the society and they parents expecting from them. What would their brothers and sisters think of them? They should always remember that their parents has worked hard to bring them up to where they are today. The undergraduates don't have to excell in their studies to please the government, do it for your parents, society and the nation.
They should be focused on their studies and justify their places. They, especially the bumiputras should prove to public that they are capable of gaining good results despite many gaining admission with the help of quota system. They also should prove that they are just as good as those who were denied of places in the university due to the same quota system. Only then no one can dispute their entry to the universities.
The realisation period will come when they start working but for many it will be too late.
K.Balan
Kuala Lumpur
Recap : Almost 8 years have passed. See how much had things changed.
The goverment now claims that the entry to Universities are now based on meritocracy. Local universities are nowehere near world class while quality of graduates continue to be poor and often criticised.
There is also talk of repeal or amendment of the Universities & Colleges Act which would provide more freedom to both students and staff to enggage in other activities.
If this happens, the quality of our graduates would suffer further. With the current brain drain all the way to the top, yes the very top, don't expect the relaxation of rules to result in birth and surge of creativity among the undergraduates. There would be a gap before that happens, a gap where students get all excited with the freedom leading them to be irresponsible with their acts to the time when they actually realise their follies, appreciate the freedom and finally translate those freedom to creativity. The gap would, however, result in some casualties.
This would also mean that more political activities by students and we may see more and more University and College professors appearing on Television ala CNN as analyst giving their opinion on almost anything and everything.
Having never been to a University, difficult for me to comment on the environment. But having worked with large number of fresh graduates for many years, a great deal of change is required in our universities and colleges before we can proudly proclaim that we produce world class graduates.
Over the last three years, much has been said and written about the conduct and performance of undergraduates of local universities.
The recent statements by leaders especially both the Prime Minister and his deputy reflects their seriousness in wanting to correct the situation in the campusses in Malaysia.
Undergraduates have to realise that they are grateful lot. They should realise that there are many other students out there who, although with reasonably good qualification but missed the boat to be enrolled in the universities.
Many of these students comes from poor families who can't afford to send their children for higher education at private higher institution of learning.
Just look around us and we will not be suprised that there are many students who works during the day and goes for part time classes to complete their courses at private colleges. Quite a number of students goes the other way, taking full times courses and works at night.
It is not easy to work and study at the same time. I am also one of them. There are times that the work pressure is just too much that on many occasions I have contemplated to give up my studies.
The situation, I was told, is totally different at the university campus. The students are provided with the necessary environment for them to excell in their choice of courses. They have access to library, frequent contact with lecturers, surrounded by coursemates and seniors, even additional lectures when necessary.
This is considered luxury compared to the situation faced by students who work and study at the same time. One hardly has any time to go to libarary, contacts with course mates and lecturers are rare and finally time is always limited due to work committment.
The undergraduates have only themselves to blame if the fail at the university. They have to count their blessings for gaining admission to university. They have to thank the government for providing such an opportunity to many students every other year without fail.The government also looking into building more public universities and colleges which will benefit more students in years to come.
Among developing countries, Malaysia is said to have the best universities, in terms of facilities as well as quality.
Many foreign students enrolled in local universities such as the International Islamic University had many times revealed in press interviews that they are grateful that Malaysian University gave them the opportunity since there aren't such facilities in their own country.
Unfortunately increasing number of undergraduates has become ungrateful and bit the hands that feed them. Their indulgence in activities unrelated to their studies reflects their poor attitude towards gaining knowledge and improving themself.
The undergraduates have this thinking that they are matured and ready to talk about politics, human rights and ISA. The fact is many have never experienced live outside their homes, former schools and now the universities. They have long way to go before becoming a fully matured person. They have yet to face the reality of working, getting married, having children and also building a career hindered by many obstacles. Only then they will know how hard life is and how working adults toil to earn money to support their family. Only then they will realise how hard it is to raise a family.
They do not know how hard life is because almost everything is provided by the government and also their parents to the extend that there are also many that complains that government has gone overboard in helping students, especially the bumiputras.
Political parties has known to take advantage of vulnerability of undergraduates and slowly they brainwash the students to become subscibe to their narrow minded and selfish agenda.
This had resulted in some students taking to the streets protesting government policies and actions. They are also asking for repeal of Universities and Colleges act, in move they call to provide them more freedom.
The undergraduates are admitted to universities to study and nothing else. They should ask themselves, why are they in universities for? What is the society and they parents expecting from them. What would their brothers and sisters think of them? They should always remember that their parents has worked hard to bring them up to where they are today. The undergraduates don't have to excell in their studies to please the government, do it for your parents, society and the nation.
They should be focused on their studies and justify their places. They, especially the bumiputras should prove to public that they are capable of gaining good results despite many gaining admission with the help of quota system. They also should prove that they are just as good as those who were denied of places in the university due to the same quota system. Only then no one can dispute their entry to the universities.
The realisation period will come when they start working but for many it will be too late.
K.Balan
Kuala Lumpur
Recap : Almost 8 years have passed. See how much had things changed.
The goverment now claims that the entry to Universities are now based on meritocracy. Local universities are nowehere near world class while quality of graduates continue to be poor and often criticised.
There is also talk of repeal or amendment of the Universities & Colleges Act which would provide more freedom to both students and staff to enggage in other activities.
If this happens, the quality of our graduates would suffer further. With the current brain drain all the way to the top, yes the very top, don't expect the relaxation of rules to result in birth and surge of creativity among the undergraduates. There would be a gap before that happens, a gap where students get all excited with the freedom leading them to be irresponsible with their acts to the time when they actually realise their follies, appreciate the freedom and finally translate those freedom to creativity. The gap would, however, result in some casualties.
This would also mean that more political activities by students and we may see more and more University and College professors appearing on Television ala CNN as analyst giving their opinion on almost anything and everything.
Having never been to a University, difficult for me to comment on the environment. But having worked with large number of fresh graduates for many years, a great deal of change is required in our universities and colleges before we can proudly proclaim that we produce world class graduates.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
RECAP : KL Or Selangor
This letter was published in Malaysiakini.com on 1st march 2001. Also Published under the title 'Much ado over 'correct' home address' in the Star daily on 5th March 2001. Also published in the Sun Newspaper at around the same time with similar headings.
KL or Selangor?
I live in Selayang. However, my official home address and post code says 68100, Batu Caves, Selangor. People who see the address immediately have an impression that I live somewhere near Batu Caves, which is not true. The buses that go to Batu Caves never stop anywhere near my home.
There is more to add to this confusion. The local authority for the area is Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) yet I do not know the existence of any town called Bandar Selayang although there are areas such as Selayang Bahru, Selayang Jaya and Bandar Baru Selayang which are also within the district of Batu Caves.
To my understanding, Batu Caves and Rawang also fall under the jurisdiction of MPS. So rightly, the whole district under the jurisdiction of MPS should be called Daerah Selayang with its own postcode as opposed to the present situation with different districts such as Batu Caves and Rawang and different post codes for them.
To further confuse the people in my area, we pay our quit rent to Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL). Our rubbish and waste are collected by Alam Flora who I suppose was assigned by DBKL.
I do remember when I purchased the property years ago, the land area stated in the sale and purchase agreement (S&P) is the Batu district, which is in Kuala Lumpur. The whole S&P transaction involved authorities in Kuala Lumpur and not Selangor. This is why I acknowledge Kuala Lumpur as the place I live in.
Our water supply comes from a dam within the district in Selangor while the electricity supply originates from Selayang. The police patrol cars in the neighbourhood are from Balai Polis Jinjang and sometimes Balai Polis Selayang.
I remember subscribing fixed line telephone services from Telekom Malaysia in Kepong. Kepong! Now that is further confusing.
And the wholesale market located in the area, the biggest in Klang Valley, calls itself Pasar Borong Besar Selayang when it should have been called Pasar Borong Besar Batu Caves since the address falls within the district of Batu Caves. The signage directing traffic into the wholesale market states 'Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur'. So which is correct?
The signage indicating the existence of a Rukun Tetangga (neigbourhood watch) Unit in our area indicates that the unit is under the jurisdiction of Kawasan Bandar Sentul while another signage just next to it indicates a PAS ( Parti Islam Se-Malaysia) branch under Batu district, Kuala Lumpur.
So can anyone from the authorities tell us exactly where we live and also explain why those inconsistent signages and addresses were approved?
The list actually goes on to further add to the confusion. I will not be surprised if a similar situation is prevalent in other parts of the country. I hope the relevant authorities will take note of this and make the effort to streamline this problem of district and jurisdiction to ease the confusion among the residents and visitors to a particular area or district.
K Balan Kuala Lumpur
Recap : A years later, The National Registration department changed the address of my daughter birth certificate to 68100, Kuala Lumpur and no longer Batu Caves, which means we are, at least officially in Kuala Lumpur. My entire family's Identification Card address had since been changed to 68100, Kuala Lumpur. Now, the postal office would be confused as Batu Caves still carry 68100 as their post code as well. Oh, what an improvement made over 7 years.
I have yet to find where is Bandar Selayang! Nothing else changed and no one, except me, seems to bother or complain. So, I presume that the authorities are not going to do anything, just to please an ordinary resident like me.
KL or Selangor?
I live in Selayang. However, my official home address and post code says 68100, Batu Caves, Selangor. People who see the address immediately have an impression that I live somewhere near Batu Caves, which is not true. The buses that go to Batu Caves never stop anywhere near my home.
There is more to add to this confusion. The local authority for the area is Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) yet I do not know the existence of any town called Bandar Selayang although there are areas such as Selayang Bahru, Selayang Jaya and Bandar Baru Selayang which are also within the district of Batu Caves.
To my understanding, Batu Caves and Rawang also fall under the jurisdiction of MPS. So rightly, the whole district under the jurisdiction of MPS should be called Daerah Selayang with its own postcode as opposed to the present situation with different districts such as Batu Caves and Rawang and different post codes for them.
To further confuse the people in my area, we pay our quit rent to Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL). Our rubbish and waste are collected by Alam Flora who I suppose was assigned by DBKL.
I do remember when I purchased the property years ago, the land area stated in the sale and purchase agreement (S&P) is the Batu district, which is in Kuala Lumpur. The whole S&P transaction involved authorities in Kuala Lumpur and not Selangor. This is why I acknowledge Kuala Lumpur as the place I live in.
Our water supply comes from a dam within the district in Selangor while the electricity supply originates from Selayang. The police patrol cars in the neighbourhood are from Balai Polis Jinjang and sometimes Balai Polis Selayang.
I remember subscribing fixed line telephone services from Telekom Malaysia in Kepong. Kepong! Now that is further confusing.
And the wholesale market located in the area, the biggest in Klang Valley, calls itself Pasar Borong Besar Selayang when it should have been called Pasar Borong Besar Batu Caves since the address falls within the district of Batu Caves. The signage directing traffic into the wholesale market states 'Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur'. So which is correct?
The signage indicating the existence of a Rukun Tetangga (neigbourhood watch) Unit in our area indicates that the unit is under the jurisdiction of Kawasan Bandar Sentul while another signage just next to it indicates a PAS ( Parti Islam Se-Malaysia) branch under Batu district, Kuala Lumpur.
So can anyone from the authorities tell us exactly where we live and also explain why those inconsistent signages and addresses were approved?
The list actually goes on to further add to the confusion. I will not be surprised if a similar situation is prevalent in other parts of the country. I hope the relevant authorities will take note of this and make the effort to streamline this problem of district and jurisdiction to ease the confusion among the residents and visitors to a particular area or district.
K Balan Kuala Lumpur
Recap : A years later, The National Registration department changed the address of my daughter birth certificate to 68100, Kuala Lumpur and no longer Batu Caves, which means we are, at least officially in Kuala Lumpur. My entire family's Identification Card address had since been changed to 68100, Kuala Lumpur. Now, the postal office would be confused as Batu Caves still carry 68100 as their post code as well. Oh, what an improvement made over 7 years.
I have yet to find where is Bandar Selayang! Nothing else changed and no one, except me, seems to bother or complain. So, I presume that the authorities are not going to do anything, just to please an ordinary resident like me.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
RECAP : Stinking service and quality
ublished in Malaysiakini.com
LETTERS : Sept 14, 2000
Stinking service and quality
Recent complaints from consumers on the hassles in booking Proton Waja caused by some unscrupulous car dealers have prompted me to share the harrowing experience I had with our very own "world class" car manufacturer and dealers when I bought a Proton Wira from USPD.
I went to the USPD showroom next to the Federal Highway after being asked to come by the dealer/agent there. I waited for almost two hours for the dealer, who was the one who set the time of appointment.
While waiting, I asked for permission from a sales personnel to view the interiors of some of the Proton models in the showroom. I was asked to only view from the outside as the car was already sold. What is the point of having the cars in the showroom then? USPD might as well call it a storage.
Finally the dealer came, without apologising or offering any explanation. During the discussion, I was told that the car is already available at their store but only those with full accessories and there were only two colours to choose from. He said that the car will be delivered as soon as I get the loan approved from the financial institution of their choice. Since I have already sold my previous car, I decided to book the car and paid the required deposit.
In less than a week, the loan was approved and when contacted, the dealer said that he was waiting for original documents from the financier before handing over the car. For two weeks, I tried contacting him, but never got a reply. I got him on the third week after booking the car and was told that the delay is due to the customs department which has yet to release the car.
What has the customs department got to do with the car, can anyone explain?
I called the branch manager who revealed that they are still waiting for the car to be delivered from Proton!
Finally, after one and a half months, I received a call directing me to JPJ in Wangsa Maju to register the car. After spending almost two hours there, I was directed to the Federal Highway USPD branch to collect the car. I waited at the showroom for almost four hours. There was no sign of the car or the dealer. When he appeared, again, he did not offer any apologies, merely mentioning that the car had been sent for a wash.
It was almost 10pm when I finally got hold of my car at the back portion of the showroom. There a man approached and offered me the bargain of the day which was a security alarm system for my new car. He showed me how he could break into my car in a matter of seconds and offered me a discount if I were to purchase it on the spot. I was shocked and at the same time thankful for the man's "revelation"; otherwise, I would not have known that Proton cars are not secure.But I am surprised that USPD allows others to operate within its premises, selling a security alarm system for Protons. I am also shocked that Proton which proudly claims that it is a world-class car manufacturer can ignore the lack of security in their cars.
The USPD agent/dealer I dealt with was rude, selfish and untrustworthy. In the one and half months, he only called me thrice while I had called and tried calling him at least 20 times (not an exaggeration).
I still wonder why Bank Negara and the government has acceded to the dealers' demand for commission from financiers. They certainly don't deserve a single sen for doing almost nothing.
As if rubbing salt into the wound, I was told that it will take at least a month before my deposit is refunded. What is USPD doing with the money? Isn't the deposit supposed to be refunded the day I collect my car?
I am sure many consumers have gone through similar experiences and were left wondering how Proton, EON and USPD would be able to survive after year 2005 when Afta comes into effect.
Proton and USPD Tak Boleh!
Dissapointed
Recap : 8 years on, Proton lost their market share and no longer the No 1. USPD don't exist anymore. Proton has certainly improved as they are designing their own cars and have their own engine, of course with some help from Lotus Engineering.
I have also sold off the proton in 2004 and have been using Non-Malaysian car ever since and have no plans to own another, for now at least, until they prove they can deliver the same quality and service levels.
Future seems bleak for Proton unless they seek some form of partnership with established car makers and move away from depending on the government. They just don't have the economies of scale to continue investing and developing new models.
LETTERS : Sept 14, 2000
Stinking service and quality
Recent complaints from consumers on the hassles in booking Proton Waja caused by some unscrupulous car dealers have prompted me to share the harrowing experience I had with our very own "world class" car manufacturer and dealers when I bought a Proton Wira from USPD.
I went to the USPD showroom next to the Federal Highway after being asked to come by the dealer/agent there. I waited for almost two hours for the dealer, who was the one who set the time of appointment.
While waiting, I asked for permission from a sales personnel to view the interiors of some of the Proton models in the showroom. I was asked to only view from the outside as the car was already sold. What is the point of having the cars in the showroom then? USPD might as well call it a storage.
Finally the dealer came, without apologising or offering any explanation. During the discussion, I was told that the car is already available at their store but only those with full accessories and there were only two colours to choose from. He said that the car will be delivered as soon as I get the loan approved from the financial institution of their choice. Since I have already sold my previous car, I decided to book the car and paid the required deposit.
In less than a week, the loan was approved and when contacted, the dealer said that he was waiting for original documents from the financier before handing over the car. For two weeks, I tried contacting him, but never got a reply. I got him on the third week after booking the car and was told that the delay is due to the customs department which has yet to release the car.
What has the customs department got to do with the car, can anyone explain?
I called the branch manager who revealed that they are still waiting for the car to be delivered from Proton!
Finally, after one and a half months, I received a call directing me to JPJ in Wangsa Maju to register the car. After spending almost two hours there, I was directed to the Federal Highway USPD branch to collect the car. I waited at the showroom for almost four hours. There was no sign of the car or the dealer. When he appeared, again, he did not offer any apologies, merely mentioning that the car had been sent for a wash.
It was almost 10pm when I finally got hold of my car at the back portion of the showroom. There a man approached and offered me the bargain of the day which was a security alarm system for my new car. He showed me how he could break into my car in a matter of seconds and offered me a discount if I were to purchase it on the spot. I was shocked and at the same time thankful for the man's "revelation"; otherwise, I would not have known that Proton cars are not secure.But I am surprised that USPD allows others to operate within its premises, selling a security alarm system for Protons. I am also shocked that Proton which proudly claims that it is a world-class car manufacturer can ignore the lack of security in their cars.
The USPD agent/dealer I dealt with was rude, selfish and untrustworthy. In the one and half months, he only called me thrice while I had called and tried calling him at least 20 times (not an exaggeration).
I still wonder why Bank Negara and the government has acceded to the dealers' demand for commission from financiers. They certainly don't deserve a single sen for doing almost nothing.
As if rubbing salt into the wound, I was told that it will take at least a month before my deposit is refunded. What is USPD doing with the money? Isn't the deposit supposed to be refunded the day I collect my car?
I am sure many consumers have gone through similar experiences and were left wondering how Proton, EON and USPD would be able to survive after year 2005 when Afta comes into effect.
Proton and USPD Tak Boleh!
Dissapointed
Recap : 8 years on, Proton lost their market share and no longer the No 1. USPD don't exist anymore. Proton has certainly improved as they are designing their own cars and have their own engine, of course with some help from Lotus Engineering.
I have also sold off the proton in 2004 and have been using Non-Malaysian car ever since and have no plans to own another, for now at least, until they prove they can deliver the same quality and service levels.
Future seems bleak for Proton unless they seek some form of partnership with established car makers and move away from depending on the government. They just don't have the economies of scale to continue investing and developing new models.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
RECAP : Privatised bodies not up to the mark
Letter of the day: Privatised bodies not up to the mark
The New Straits Times, 27 September 2000
THE privatisation programme has seen government agencies such as Tenaga Nasional, Telekom Malaysia, Pos Malaysia, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd, MAS, Petronas and many others being privatised.The objective of the whole exercise was to improve efficiency and profitability of the agencies through less bureaucracy enabling self-dependency thus taking the burden off the Government.The privatisation of these agencies can be said as quite successful with some emerging to become large conglomerates reaping billions in profits every year.
All these companies inherited the infrastructure, assets, skilled manpower and expertise developed over the years by the Government which has put them in a strong footing to face the tough and challenging private sector.While some of the privatised companies face competition locally, they remain largely a monopoly in their respective sectors. With the advent of globalisation and the K-economy, their strength, efficiency and profitability will be put to test when free market systems are implemented.
Over the years the inefficiencies of these companies have been regularly highlighted and recently been prominently featured in the media for all the wrong reasons.We still hear complaints from the public of frequent power disruptions. The recent power disruption in the city should not have happened. Further disruptions, which are usually reported in the media, will erode public and investor confidence in Tenaga Nasional Bhd.The leadership crisis in TNB did not help either sending their share prices crashing in the recent weeks.
Telekom Malaysia Bhd too has seen a never-ending stream of complaints from the public on the inefficiency of their fixed line, mobile and Internet services.They are already unable to compete with two other local mobile telecommunications service providers. Although they are still the biggest, their competitors have been slowly increasing their market share and and if Telekom does not improve its services, the public will soon lose confidence and turn to others for better products and services.
Pos Malaysia Bhd's services is also not up to mark. It is baffling to hear of mail going missing, mail not delivered on time (although the destination of the receiver is in the same city or town), slow counter services and stolen mail.Although their intention to pursue e-commerce, announced recently, is commendable, Pos Malaysia should give priority to improving their services locally before venturing into bigger projects.
The worst among these companies seems to be KTMB. The frequent derailment of both goods and passenger trains are worrying. Their explanation that the railway tracks are old and needs to be replaced is unacceptable.KTMB should have anticipated this earlier and planned ahead to gradually replace the old tracks. Taking action after few railway accidents can be perceived as having no regard for the safety of passengers.Its train services are also very unreliable with many unexplained delays.
The complaints and incidents related to these privatised companies has become a norm in our daily lives. Malaysians seem to have no choice but to subscribe to their whims and fancies as some of them have absolute monopoly in their sector.Lately some of these large conglomerates seem unable to compete or face competition from local companies. Soon, when free market system prevails, only companies that provide quality services and superior products will survive.It looks like the Government, which has a golden share in each of these companies will have to be prepared to bail out our inefficient so-called conglomerates if measures are not taken to improve their quality of services.
K. BalanKuala Lumpur
Recap : Fast Forward 8 years, Nothing much has changed. They continue to be the monopoly in their respective sectors. KTM has certainly gone from bad to worse.
These companies had since introduced Key Performances Indicators (KPIs) and their progress against the KPIs, especially in financial terms, has been good. the same cannot be said about their services to customers. They are, while a big as some global conglomerates, still far off from becoming a world class service providers.
The New Straits Times, 27 September 2000
THE privatisation programme has seen government agencies such as Tenaga Nasional, Telekom Malaysia, Pos Malaysia, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd, MAS, Petronas and many others being privatised.The objective of the whole exercise was to improve efficiency and profitability of the agencies through less bureaucracy enabling self-dependency thus taking the burden off the Government.The privatisation of these agencies can be said as quite successful with some emerging to become large conglomerates reaping billions in profits every year.
All these companies inherited the infrastructure, assets, skilled manpower and expertise developed over the years by the Government which has put them in a strong footing to face the tough and challenging private sector.While some of the privatised companies face competition locally, they remain largely a monopoly in their respective sectors. With the advent of globalisation and the K-economy, their strength, efficiency and profitability will be put to test when free market systems are implemented.
Over the years the inefficiencies of these companies have been regularly highlighted and recently been prominently featured in the media for all the wrong reasons.We still hear complaints from the public of frequent power disruptions. The recent power disruption in the city should not have happened. Further disruptions, which are usually reported in the media, will erode public and investor confidence in Tenaga Nasional Bhd.The leadership crisis in TNB did not help either sending their share prices crashing in the recent weeks.
Telekom Malaysia Bhd too has seen a never-ending stream of complaints from the public on the inefficiency of their fixed line, mobile and Internet services.They are already unable to compete with two other local mobile telecommunications service providers. Although they are still the biggest, their competitors have been slowly increasing their market share and and if Telekom does not improve its services, the public will soon lose confidence and turn to others for better products and services.
Pos Malaysia Bhd's services is also not up to mark. It is baffling to hear of mail going missing, mail not delivered on time (although the destination of the receiver is in the same city or town), slow counter services and stolen mail.Although their intention to pursue e-commerce, announced recently, is commendable, Pos Malaysia should give priority to improving their services locally before venturing into bigger projects.
The worst among these companies seems to be KTMB. The frequent derailment of both goods and passenger trains are worrying. Their explanation that the railway tracks are old and needs to be replaced is unacceptable.KTMB should have anticipated this earlier and planned ahead to gradually replace the old tracks. Taking action after few railway accidents can be perceived as having no regard for the safety of passengers.Its train services are also very unreliable with many unexplained delays.
The complaints and incidents related to these privatised companies has become a norm in our daily lives. Malaysians seem to have no choice but to subscribe to their whims and fancies as some of them have absolute monopoly in their sector.Lately some of these large conglomerates seem unable to compete or face competition from local companies. Soon, when free market system prevails, only companies that provide quality services and superior products will survive.It looks like the Government, which has a golden share in each of these companies will have to be prepared to bail out our inefficient so-called conglomerates if measures are not taken to improve their quality of services.
K. BalanKuala Lumpur
Recap : Fast Forward 8 years, Nothing much has changed. They continue to be the monopoly in their respective sectors. KTM has certainly gone from bad to worse.
These companies had since introduced Key Performances Indicators (KPIs) and their progress against the KPIs, especially in financial terms, has been good. the same cannot be said about their services to customers. They are, while a big as some global conglomerates, still far off from becoming a world class service providers.
A RECAP
Begining this week, I would like to revisit some of the articles that I wrote from 2000 to 2003 and was published in the New Straits Times, The Star, The Sun Daily and also Malaysiakini.com.
The purpose of this recap is just to see how much have things changed between then and now, or has there been any change at all. Some are controversial while other articles are basic layman issues.
The purpose of this recap is just to see how much have things changed between then and now, or has there been any change at all. Some are controversial while other articles are basic layman issues.
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