Tamil Schools and marginalisation of Indians

With the advent of indentured labour from what is today known as Tamil Nadu in India by the British came the Tamil Schools in the plantations.
The schools were nothing more than nursery facilities to look after the children of the labourers.
Even in the seventies when I had a brief spell working in an estate I noticed that children of up to three classes were all placed in a single classroom, and the the next three classes in another classroom, there was effectively no learning the teacher just kept the children in the class to ensure they did not go out and run about unsupervised. That environment in itself was a breeding ground for a dull mindset.
The teachers were ill equipped, and the children hardly got anywhere with their studies, and this was not for want of trying the whole system was ill equipped, it was a vicious circle in which they were all trapped.
A cycle perpetrated by the British to ensure a continuous supply of Indian labour. Although these days the schools are more impressive, with better buildings, the teachers more qualified, the quality of teaching and learning is still backward when compared with other National and national type schools.
Today more and more Indian and Malay parents are sending their children to Chinese Schools, however hardly any child of other races go to these Tamil schools, that alone speaks about the quality of these schools.
During the time I spent working in Bangalore I noticed that there is a sizable number of Tamils in Karnataka and this is especially so in Bangalore, but I also noticed that there were no Tamil schools in Bangalore, and I asked myself this question, "why is it here in India the Tamil is not seeking to send his children to a Tamil schools, and why is it so important in Malaysia?"
I think we will all have to sit up and ask ourselves this same question.
I am of the opinion this continuation of Tamil education amongst the Tamil community here in Malaysia has similar objectives, albeit on different platforms, and this time it is not perpetrated by the British Government but by the Malaysian Government, on the insistence of the Malaysian Indian politicians.
If Tamil schools are really that important, why is it that the Indian elite shy away from these schools when it comes to educating their children?
Yes! some children in Tamil schools make the cut, most of these, are children of Tamil School teachers, and others the very few who make it, come from the middle class, but the great majority fail to make the cut,and this continues.
It will be good if we could have the statistics about the dropout rate of Tamil school children during their secondary education in national schools, the breakdown of the background of those who succeed in making it to the Universities, and the outcome as whole of Tamil education in Malaysia, for it is here that the issue of marginalization actually takes root.
The Tamil schools create Tamil students who are only comfortable in the surroundings of Tamils, they do not mix freely with people of other races, assimilation is a huge problem, the, "I Tamalan, you Tamalan" attitude is a huge hindrance to their own progress.
Any community that is inward looking will not benefit from the progress taking place around them and this is the case with the Tamil school educated Tamil communities, those that make it are in traditional Indian businesses.
In the early nineties I was plant manager of a Company producing chocolate enrobed Candy Bars. One of the directors of that company was a Trinidadian, one *Errol Edward Mahabhir, a man of Indian origin.
One day Errol came up to me asked me this question, "hear, tell me, why is it that at every turn I make I find the cleaner is an Indian, I land in your blasted airport, (Subang at that time) and your cleaner is an Indian, in the hotel, the cleaner is an Indian, in the shopping malls the cleaners are mainly Indian, and now I come to this plant, run by an Indian plant manager, and the cleaner is an Indian, why?"
I replied, "well Errol in Malaysia it is very different, the Indians are not given to much opportunity," he cut me short immediately, he said, "s**t you maan (man) in Trinidad Tobago, we went there as indentured labour, today we are part of running that country, many of the big businesses are run by us many of the professionals Indian, no one gave a damn for us, we did it ourselves.
Take a look at Fiji, take a look at East and South Africa, take a look at England all have Indians there and they are thriving communities, so don't give me this silly excuses."
He was right, he was very right, Errol and the Trinidadians of Indian origin do not know their roots in India, they are Trinidadians first and they are very much less Indians. They eat Indian food they'll make the best parathas, they will make tandoori chicken, they cook good dhall and dhall purees, they have Hindu Temples in Trinidad but they are more Trinidadian and less Indian.
My immediate superior in the Company Rudy Bowman who is still here in Malaysia once looked at me and asked me what nonsense I was speaking when I told him I am a Malaysian Indian, he really thought I was stupid to tell him that, and I know he still feels that way and I am beginning to see his point of view. He'd ask, "hey tell me how can you be Malaysian and Indian at the same time, you are one or the other, that's how it is period, no such stupid thing as 'Malaysian Indian' - huh."
Our ability to assimilate is nurtured from the time we are young, we are trained into our adulthood and if we are trained right from childhood to remain and be comfortable with only a certain group that is actually how we turn out in the end.
In plural societies like ours, and in the modern world where integration, assimilation and networking is what determines our ability to mix with others and move ahead, the children of Tamil Schools will find it hard to assimilate, will eventually be marginalised and that is not anyone's doing but a result of their inability to assimilate.
These children always feel left out in non vernacular schools where they go to for their secondary education, where the drop out rates among them are especially high, and eventually they get sidelined and as a result marginalised.
Who benefits from such ignorant masses? Politicians of course, they can tell these people all kinds of tales, they can twist and turn issues, they make these poor folk believe that they must stay united as Tamils or they will loose their language, their culture and their identity, and that the only people who can give it to them are these glorified politicians, who even if they send their children to Tamil schools have the financial means to fortify this with home tuition and later send them to elite schools for further education.
Tamil schools keep these politicians in place, ensure their survival, and to really get rid of Tamil schools is a "sensitive issue" to them and it is time we know why.
To all if not most Indian political parties it is their backbone, it is their never ending platform for continuous supply of supporters, to the Barisan it will keep intact racial politics, so why not?
To the Indians who send their children to these schools unwittingly, it is the scourge that causes marginalisation.
If the Tamils are really keen on culture and language they should take a lesson form the Sikh community.


Toffee

*Errol Edward Mahabhir was at various times, Minister of Labour, Minister of finance and Minster of Industry and commerce of Trinidad and Tobago and he told me they did not have or go to any Indian medium school in that country, I forgot to ask him if there were any.

Time for the Tamils to break loose

"The Naan Tamilan nee Tamilan attitude has to be discarded now!!!"

Yes it is time for the Tamils to break loose, break loose from the shackles of MIC and the many Indian politicians who claim to represent the "Indian Cause" including HINDRAF and it's Hindu Rights Party.

The  "Indian cause" these people talk about is in India maybe but not here and no one in this country really represents that cause for the good of the Tamils.

If there is a Tamil cause it is the cause of one individual or another who uses it and for some of the  Tamils who support him for his own cause.

The real Tamil cause in this country is to be less Tamil (Indian), and be more Malaysian.

When a Malay uses the work keling it is taboo to all Tamils, I realise the Malay will not tolerate anyone saying something about his race, it is taboo and he will not have it, the entire race will not have it.

The Malaysian Tamil has to go to other countries where Indians have gone to in similar circumstances as they were in Malaysia and see the difference.

The Trinidadian Indians are not afraid to own up to their indentured labour status, they say it with pride, because from those beginnings they evolved into a force in that country made up of Europeans, Syrians, Chinese and Africans, they play a major role in the economy and government of that country, they never looked inward they were Trinidadians first and last, they are proud of their heritage but ask them what they are and they'll say it loud, "Trinidadians."

Take a look at the South African Indian, who was subjected to apartheid rule, he does not know his roots, he'll tell you maybe Madras, he's not really sure, it does not matter anymore, because as far as he is concerned he is African. there are the Fijians, the East Africans, the Hong Kong Indian community, the communities of Indians in other parts of the world who have pride of place, they do not see themselves as Indians first,  and those who do not make it are those who'd still cling on to their roots, and if you are one such person go back, go back to India.

The Malaysian Tamil has to be more Malaysian and less Tamil, more Malaysian and he must integrate. To do so he has to shun the Tamil School that is the root of Indian marginalization, it is there plainly because it serves the interests of the Indian politician, the Samy Veloos, the Subramanaims and the Uthaykumars, without it these people have absolutely no power, it is because there are Tamil schools that issues of marginalization arise and the Indian politician thrives at the expense of the Tamil educated Indian in Malaysia.

Tamil schools in this country lack the excellence,  the underprivileged Tamil school student requires to be  pulled  out of the doldrums. It is bad enough that these children come from very difficult backgrounds, their parents most of whom do not even understand what good education is all about have hardly any time to focus on eduction as bringing food to the table for these underprivileged children is the priority.

This is the breeding ground of Indian politics, this is the advantage the Indian politician sees to enrich himself, the middle class Indian who enters the fray with a sincere intention to serve is fast side tracked with some land grant, or some other material incentive and his direction immediately changes, he gets sucked into the web of the opportunists, or he moves out and wants nothing to do with the system.

The answer lies in getting rid of Tamil schools, teach Tamil as a language in schools where there is a sizeable Tamil student population, or take Tamil language classes elsewhere if the Tamils are really keen on their children learning the language in preference to everything else, take a lesson from the Sikhs, they teach their children Punjabi.

Finish the Tamil schools, and finish the MIC and other Tamil based political parties and the Tamils will be far better off being Malaysian first and Tamil second with the "Naan Malaysian nee Malaysian" attitude.

To Bring in ICERD peacefully we have to first get rid of Venarcular Schools.

 THERE MUST BE A MINDSET CHANGE FROM ALL QUARTERS.

Recently there has been a spate of provocative incidents involving mostly UMNO and PAS influenced groups about ICERD.

The people at large are asking why the police are not taking action,  criticisms abound  on the PH government  and no one is spared.

The way I look at it there is a massive amount of ignorance on both sides of the divide, it is communal and it has been developed since the days of the British and advanced not only by the BN but the political system by and large, it reflects on both sides of the house the government and the opposition since independence.

Has he found a way of getting out of the trouble he is in?

The  UMNO/PAS leadership's  fanning of  discontent and discord  over ICERD among  their members, the majority of whom  do not have clue of what ICERD is, but go on and get incited by this leadership on the premise of what is told to them that it is a threat to the Malays, the Royals and Islam, that is what they have been told, they accept it  and it  only goes to show how ignorant these grassroots are.

Making the grasroots ignorant seemed to be UMNO's strategy in the NEP to control them. 

Mahahtir has said and even Zahid and Hadi should know it is  an impossibility to Ratify ICERD, as we'd require to amend the Constitution first  and to do that the government has to have a two third majority voting in favour, which means PAS and many UMNO MPs will have to vote for it and to make matters worse there are even people in PH who are against it, so how are we going to get there.

 Why the Hurry?

I think the real issue of ICERD has to be discussed and understood across the board and as Anwar has put it very rightly:  why the hurry? 

After all  Rome was not built in a day, and I really think that P Waytha Moorthy has jumped the gun. The new government has not even setteled in and he brings out such a controversial issue, it reflects on his political abilities.

Why the Hurry

I'd like to ask him if we can do away with Tamil schools, and Chinese Schools too?
 

If we are to be one people should we not have a single single school system, so that our children grow up together and and foster racial unity first?

I remember writing in an earlier article about HINDRAF that the Tamils who are marginalised are marginalised the day they go to Tamils schools. 

Why, even when they come to the secondary schools where it's no longer a Tamil school they find it difficult to even associate with the Tamil boys who have spent all their primary education in the normal Government schools. They stick to themselves, talk Tamil among themselves an eventually get more marginalized. 

Well I'll admit the situation is improving in Tamil schools but that is not the answer, getting out of the Tamils schools and putting a stop to this segregated educational system  is.  

I am sure there will be many who will come and ask why?

Why?

Because we need our children to begin mixing and learning and playing together in close harmony with Malaysians of all races in one school system so that the  the mindset changes to that of Malaysians and not Chinese, Indian and Melayu,  they grow up as one and learn to appreciate each others point of view, then things will become more cordial. 

Over time they'll learn to live as one. Over time of course if we began that from Independence we'd be there today. Lets start now so that our children's children will enjoy that one day.

This is where the education policy has to be seriously  looked into and revamped, turn the present thinking upside down, the changes have to be drastic.  

I am sure we can gain  useful contributions to this from the present crop of Tamil and Chinese School boards too  and this can be done if there is a real will to unite everybody in this country as one people and one nation.

There is certainly a lot to learn from the Chinese schools to improve the quality of education for the children as much as  the Chinese Schools can learn from National Schools as well and the current crop of Tamils schools which have improved leaps and bounds in the quality of their students and curriculum now,  use that learning experience from all the types of schools to come out with a  single efficient and dynamic system led by a value system like the Rukun Negara.

Our biggest problem stems from the education system that allows the vernacular an Tafiz Schools to  segregate our students,  it  fosters division to the extent that it is almost enmity among Malaysians of different races from a very young age, what are we trying to do? 

That is the root cause of all our problems.

If we can get that right,  we'll get this (ICERD) right then we are certainly on the road to unity and a unified country.

Excellent single stream education should  be our topmost priority. education cannot be discriminatory, equal opportunity should be given to all students with special care for rural schools.

Religion should be the domain of the various religious groups and there should be no coercing.coveting  and forcing minors with religious education not of their respective religions. 

I am not talking about the Muslims alone, I am talking of the Christians too as it does happen in some cases.

After 61 years of Independence we are a  divided nation, more so now then at the pre-independence era and all this can be attributed to the educational system we fostered and promoted all these years, and all of us have to take the blame not the BN alone we allowed it to happen by bickering and promoting the vernacular system.

Pupils own language:

There are two sides to this coin, and I'd like to take the Sikhs as the example.

There are no Punjabi schools in this country, I mean regular Punjabi schools as there Tamil and Chinese Schools. 

They have classes in their Gurduwaras where the language is taught, the parents who are keen that their children know their mother tongue make sure they attend and they learn the language well supervised..

There may be  some who may not be keen but they are not forced to do so, it is their choice of the parents, but going by percentage in population more Sikhs are committed to their Children learning Punjabi then Tamils having their Children learning Tamil and Chinese learning Chinese. 

Any Introduction needed?

The Sikhs have made it a point to have Punjabi education for their children and they have catered for it, they even provide teacher training for Temples who require and do not have Punjabi teachers, All Sikhs speak Punjabi, Most in fact almost all speak Malay, many English and even Tamil and are Malaysians thru and thru and although a small community are very visible in the country, from the Courts to Parliament to Hospitals, the Police Force, Other branches of Government Service and of course the Bars all "Big Strong and Friendly."

Distinctly visible

If the Chinese and Tamils are really interested in their respective languages for their children they should make the necessary options available, based on demand the government could cater fo a third language .in the country, or leave it at two and let them choose between Bahasa which will be compulsory,  then English, Chinese or Tamil, this will strengthen the Bahasa.

If we are sincere about ICERD this is the route we have to take. 

The poor education system in the country, the divisive nature of the system is what has brought this negativity about ICERD and where we are today in race relations.

Our History has to be really looked into and it should be focused on the truth too.

On the other side of the divide we see the ignorance of the UMNO and PAS influenced Masses, they are so narrow in their thinking that UMNO and PAS are actually using them the way the instigators of suicide bombers get innocent young people including children to blow themselves up with bombs.

This has become possible because UMNO with its NEP actually churned out not second class but fourth class graduates from universities, not all of them but a significant portion that you can tell them any nonsense and they'll buy it, as long as you tell them that  race and religion are a threat they will jump and start reacting they have made sure that Race, Religion and the Royalty are the flash point.

These people do not have an inkling about what they are talking about, in the first place they do not even understand what ICERD is but are effectively used by the leadership of these provocateurs, and as Mahathir rightly put it there will be no trouble unless Zahid starts it.

The likes of Zahid, Najib and even Hadi are keen to see the investigations into corrupt practices, money laundering and Criminal Breach of trust disappear and the one way they now probably see that as possible is by creating trouble - Big Touble.

The Police rightly are not acting they do not want to give these trouble makers the opportunity to start trouble on a big scale, all responsible Malaysians from both sides of the divide  have to keep calm and not give trouble makers the opportunity of inciting trouble.

Don't give them that Opportunity

It is therefore not surprising that some of the agitators we see today are even threatening people with the recurrence of May 13th and to me that is to be expected, this kind of talk and behavior because we are dealing with.   After all we know the architect of May 13th don't we?

If we are serious and show we are serious about improving our education system and if we are prepared to make the sacrifices of nation building then surely there is a possibility of a non Malay Education Minister as well in the future, it will take time,  people who  are truly qualified because once that trust is built,  the Malays will only be too happy to have the best man on this job after all it is eduction.

Are we ready for Nation Building?

HRH SULTAN OF JOHOR CALLS FOR UNITY VIA SINGLE STREAM EDUCATION

CAN MALAYSIANS REALLY RISE TO THE CHALLENGE?

OR 

WILL ALL THREE MAJOR SEGMENTS  SELFISHLY PROTECT THEIR OWN TURF?

Today I posted the Star's interview with His Royal Highness the Sultan of Johor on my facebook page.

" STOP POLITICKING WITH EDUCATION SAYS THE SULTAN OF JOHOR."

Almost immediately it attracted responses from readers and all seemed to be very excited about it, responses came from almost every racial segment in our country and this shows that there is an anxious need for improvement in our education system.

To see this improvement as suggested by HRH the Sultan of Johor, Malaysians have to rise to the challenge, a challenge that will demand sacrifices from every segment of our society. Are we prepared for it?

The Sultan of Johor Touching the Hearts of All Malaysians.

I will deal with those challenges and sacrifices in the later part of this article.


As Technology picks up, we Malaysians are being left behind because our educations system has deteriorated to such low levels that even the IndonesianS and Thais are gaining on us to the extent they are now rated and our education system is out of the rankings, now if this is not cause for concern amongst us Malaysians I do not see what will be.

One thing for certain through my years as a Human Resource Professional the standard of graduates in general churned out by our schools has deteriorated to such low levels that most of them will not get decent  jobs overseas if and when the time comes, (it is almost certainly coming) when our children will have to seek greener pastures elsewhere like the Bangladeshis, the Indonesians and even the Thais are doing here currently.

Our Industries have gone abroad and now some of the lower end ones are showing signs of returning to Malaysia, while the higher end operations move elsewhere. Our education system is not geared to create innovators, people who can invent, if there are Malaysians capable of doing such things they are overseas, their inventions benefit those countries and why should  this be the case.

Our pseudo socioeconomic policy has resulted in a backward Malaysia  we placed our priorities in the wrong baskets and this has resulted in our backwardness.

A very good example was the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia the foremost centre of Natural Rubber Research  in the world then headed by BC Shekar, a Scientist,  a Malaysian Scientist he was shunned.

If our Politicians and in particular Mahathir himself had seen it more worthwhile producing a Malaysian made automotive tire industry rather than a car  (Proton), we would have had more success there, it was certainly the better bet, even today after all these years our cars are yet to be rated  "indigenous technology" so much  is still borrowed.  We could have been one of the best tire manufacturers in the world but we chose to be one of the worst car manufacturers.\ in the world.

Take the Electronics Industry, we stared in mid sixties with Matsushita starting a plant in Shah Alam making finished consumer goods, this was followed by the semiconductor industry in the early seventies and by the eighties we had become the world's largest Semiconductor manufacturer, the largest manufacturer of domestic Air Conditioners, and among the top 20 exporting nations in the world, then all failed.

All failed because we did not produce enough  sufficient local graduate of the quality required to innovate, invent and make and export Malaysian technology like the Koreans and Taiwanese have done even though they began long after us and all this can only be the case because Malaysia lacked sufficient talent, caused mainly by our education system.

Some of our best talents from the semiconductor industry  emigrated to the Silicon Valley where they made their riches, and in an effort to try a quick fix the government brought back a sprinkling of talent tried in their own haphazard way to create a Malaysian semiconductor industry,  it and failed miserably.

There are the great examples of our domestic Electrical  products manufacturer MEC a huge flop, then there was this Company where a conman took the Government of Mahathir Mohammed for a ride, the firm called InventQjaya,  Mahathir's brainchild, I called the number today and I got a frightening reply, "the number you just called is not in service." Whatever happened to the millions pumped into this organization by the government?

We failed because the politicians were "politicking with education" as His Royal Highness the Sultan of  Johor so rightly put it. They really do not care, it is a ignorant mass that will keep them in power and so they are busy making mine and your children ignorant, it is their assurance of remaining in power.

HIS HIGHNESS PRESENTS A ROYAL SOLUTION, 
BUT ARE WE AS MALAYSIANS READY TO TAKE IT?

Yes, his highness has presented us with a right royal challenge one that should get this nation moving and one that will unite us with purpose as a nation of, one people in all our diversity.

The question is are we prepared to make the sacrifices to pursue this challenge? Real sacrifices, sacrifices that will  really challenge every Malaysian from every segment of our society. Are we prepared to cast aside our own selfish objectives of race and think of one people in all our diversity? Can we do that?

Can we say No tho this?

To do this there must be a genuine will among Malaysians of all races, let us renounce our Tamil and Chinese Schools, let us like His Highness suggests have only one medium of schools and that is English Schools where Tamil and Chinese will become compulsory in the sense that it will not be

Can we say No to this?

deprived to a  student of any race wanting to study it, it will not be compulsory as a subject to pass, but compulsory as a subject to be taught to the highest of levels to those who choose to do so regardless of race.

Bahasa Malaysia must be made compulsory, compulsory enough that one should get a credit in the language to pass the exam, it is the prerequisite for entrance into local Universities.

English too will demand the same standards, so that our students will excel no matter where they go to further their eduction.

If we have Tamil and Chinese educators stubbornly refusing to  trade these age old practices then there will be no sincerity in the system, it will be a clear indication that they are not serious about National Unity and all they care about is their own selves and that is a real fear,as this

Can we say No to this?

has been the case all this while, educators backed by racial political parties.

The only way to get over this is to make it clear to all that the corrupt and selfish politicians who benefited from such schemes had all sent their Children overseas to the best Schools in English speaking countries, whist the continued to promote vernacular schools here in Malaysia only for their own selfish purposes.

Take a look at Najib's children, take a look at Hishamuddin's children and you'll find the answers there of course they are not the only ones it has been happening for generations.

Can we see more of this?

Some of the  Chinese and Tamil elite send their Children to elite English schools but when it comes to local education they want Chinese or Tamil schools as the case may be.Schools.

The local schools are the breeding grounds for local politicians especially the BN kind to create generations of ignorant people who will continue to support them.

The Sultan has come out with a fantastic suggestion if the people can grasp and appreciate what His Royal Highness has said, if they value the education of their drench,  we should be able to take it from there and I am sure he will not grudge us  his moral support.

Ambiga and Irene - A case of selective bullying of Indians

The  UMNO led government is now selectively targeting Indians to demonstrate their powers and try and create a significant divide in an effort to force Malay unity, it has always been the cornerstone of UMNO to  portray a race as the bogeyman and then try and get the rest to unite under their radical racialist  banner so that they can win elections, rule the nation and rob the rakyat.

The selection of Ambiga and Irene are significant cases, why use the sedition act against Irene and not against Ibrahim Ali?

The reason is so obvious Irene does not serve their purpose, Irene makes things rather difficult for them, in fact extremely difficult, it is hard to face the truth and when faced by the truth, this UMNO led politicians just can't accept it.

How can they anyway? When UMNO  thrives on cheating, cheats are always against the truth so Irene is seen as sabotaging their cheating activities and that is what it is all about with almost everyone who points out their wrongdoings even people in their own camp and Ong Tee Keat is a classic example.

On the other hand Ibrahim Ali is serves their purpose he does just what they want, he is the main driver of the  so called, "Ketuanan Melayu" which is actually, "Ketuanan Umnoputra."

With Ambiga it is because she is an Indian as well, if they  take on the Malays leaders and supporters or berish they will face the wrath of all the Malays, and they are already threatened by loss of Malay support, the pen they say is mightier than the sword, so to take on Pa Samad will be political suicide, he is respected by aqll quarters of Malays his literary works are respected by the whole cross section of Malaysians, he is an icon of pride to the Malays, and none of the present day living UMNO leaders can match him in that depratment.

Having said that I am not saying they should take on  the Malay leaders of Bersih, they have no case  against these people, again here it is a case of feeling terribly uncomfortable with the  exposition of  the truth, so to make an example to stifle any further revelations from any party  they pick on Ambiga  and Irene both Indians, because they know that neither the MIC or the HINDRAF will dare raise the issue, these tow parties are literally fed by UMNO and let me now go into the details.

MIC of course as we all have known for a very long time works under the direction of UMNO, it has no voice, no voice at all, if it seems to have a voice it is UMNO's voice echoed by Indian men who are supposedly Indian leaders clad in White Vaishtees who claim to represent the Indians.

In the case of HINDRAF we have to dig a little further to understand the issue.

Everyone knew that Samy's days were coming to an end, every Indian also knew that whoever succeeds Samy would come from the MIC aqnd he would literally be nominated and elected by Samy, that was the extent of Samy Veloo's control on MIC.

Anyone else hoping to take control of the Indians via MIC had sub zero chances, and that is no exaggeration
so the best way to do it was to demonstrate to the government that they indeed had the support if the Indians in the country, and that is what set the HINDRAF machinery into action.

In the pipe dream was a plan to push Samy and his supporter aside and fill that vacuum with  their ranks.
\
HINDRAF was responsible in a very big way for the poor showing by the BN at the last elections, it exposed Badawi, it made many people believe  that the Indians were the only marginalised community in this country without even realizing that the real natives who are termed "Bumiputra" were more marginalised then the Indians.

Look at the natives of East Malaysia, look at the Senoi, the Orang Laut and the rest they are significantly marginalized and when you compare them with the Indians no one can really and honestly claim that the Indians are marginalised in this country, that there are segments of Indians who are marginalised is true but this marginalisation is due to the Indians themselves and their representation in the Barisan Nasional.

Look at rural Malays in Kelantan, Kedah and many other states who choose to differ with this government and you'll see the Malay marginalised as well.

In ratio of population if one were to consider professionals in Malaysian societym  the Indians are equal if not better off than all the the other races, look at the doctors, engineers, lawyers, CEO's of Companies Indians stand out.

There are pressing needs in this community that no can cares a damn about, Tamil schools being the most glaring of all, it is  the cradle of Indian marginalisation,  and who is it that wants it there?

I have dealt enough with this topic on this blog, I'll not go into the details, except to ask if HINDRAF or MIC has the ability to turn at least fifty percent of the Tamil Schools into independent schools going up to upper secondary level like the Chinese schools.

Are there sufficient Tamils in this country willing to walk the talk?

That is not the solution anyway, it will only breed division amongst the races closing the schools down will be the best option, concentrating on teaching Tamil in regular schools will be the best option for the Tamils who feel so much about the language.

The Tamils in this country must realise that the sooner they become more Malaysian and less Tamil the better it will be for them and the nation as a whole.

Najib has read the HINDRAF plan,he very well coudl have been behindthe plan all this while, now he  is wooing HINDRAF, as soon as its members applied to register a political party it was registered, the 'Makal Sakthy Party," dubbed by it's leadership as the, "only Indian based multiracial party," it was apporved.

Indian based "multiracial party?

Today with that registration of  the Makal Sakthy party, parliamentary seats are the objective of the party.

HINDRAF's  big plan to get the British to compensate the children of Indian indentured labourers one million ringgit per head as long been cast aside, that was the magic that brought the Indians to HINDRAF, it has served it's purpose, the leadership has won the confidence of that sector of Indians and now they are using it for the political mileage - using that support to blackmail Pakatan into political suicide by demanding Parliamentary seats.

To get into favour of UMNO and the BN they are now being used by Najib as the spoiler for the Pakaktan vote, this excercise is clearly a BN strategy, as the HINDRA leadership calls on Anwar to meet  the Indians to demand seats.

Their demand of seats not one or two but much more that 10 from Anwar is a clear indication of their intent- sabotage.

How do they expect to win on the ticket of an "Indian" party? There is not one single constituency in the entire country with an Indian majority and at the last elections the number of Indians who secured both Parliamentary and state seats in Parliament set a record since Independence, not because they were Indians but because they were Malaysians, they stood on as members of multiracial parties.

Whilst the Pakatan is talking about a multiracial platform the HINDRAF pretending to align itself with the Pakatan is coming in on  a racial platform, they should not be welcome.

Now leaving all that aside these champions of Indian marginalization have been very quiet in the wake of what has happened to Ambiga, and the selling of Beef burgers at her doorstep, the Police tacitly supported this act of intimidation so too did the Prime Minsiter  by his very silence.

The Kuala Lumpur CID chief's statement that Irene Fernandez may be probed under the  Sedition Act, when everything else said by the likes of Ibrahim Ali, and even others in government that could have easily fallen under this category when unnoticed proves this selective intimidation and bullying of Indians by the Police and the government.

There is selective  Indian bashing practiced by UMNO and that is no joke and almost every Indian in politics today knows that, but what happened to the the two parties who are supposed to represent the Indians.

Would UMNO have been quiet if  Indian's went in front of Najib's house and started preparing hamburgers? Incidentally "ham" is pork? 

 

IT'S TIME TO RECOGNISE THE UEC QUALIFICATIONS - WITH CONDITIONS.

 by toffee
1 Aug 2020

EDUCATION AT THE CROSS ROADS - TIME TO MAKE THE CHOICE.

It is important that we recognize that the Chinese Independent schools in Malaysia have a very high standard of education, recognizing them will only enhance the standard of education in the country, and the government should seriously study this proposal.

However we must look at other ares of  National Policy and the recognition must come with general acceptance by all quarters of society.

In the UK there are  five awarding bodies for examinations and schools can choose between them, they are:

i)   AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) 
ii)  CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment) 
iii) OCR  (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations) 
iv)  Pearson, under its Edexcel brand 
v)   WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee), under its WJEC and Edugas brand.


Similarly we can have the UEC and the Government type which has the PMR, SPM and the STPM and the UEC can continue with the the Junior Middle and the Senior Middle  exams continuing to be in place.

The government and most Malaysians will will find it beneficial for their Children, many of our senior UMNO ministers themselves have found the UEC beneficial for their children so let us not be hypocrites.

We have to get one thing straight first, the syllabus should be retained but the medium of instruction has to be in Bahasa Malaysia, with English as a compulsory Language and the schools of both streams offering languages of choice which shall be Mandarin, Jawi and Tamil.

I know that may be the obstacle  but if that is the obstacle then all I'll say is it confirms what I said in my last article "All Malaysian are racists or to drive home the point let me state what Nazri once said in Parliament "Bloody Racists" to drive home the point.

Another option would be the teaching of Mathematics and Science in  English, in both mediums.

The change of the Character of the Chinese schools is a must, we can't have our children being  racially segregated from the cradle stage and then complain of racism  in the country. That is totally hypocritical.

If we take a careful look at what is happening in this country we have no alternative then to admit that we are by and large a racist society, all of us the Indians, the Chinese and the Malays. We tend to always be pointing the finger just in one direction but we do not seem to recognize the racism in ourselves.

If we can do a mea culpa  and admit that we have over the years allowed our selves to become more racist and now take notice and do what is right we can overcome the biggest hurdle f our nation, racism.

There is a lot the Government educators can learn from the UEC system and that we should do to enhance the current Government type education in the country, there is also a lot that the UEC systme can do to learn from the Government end, allow the setting up of good and high standard Teacher training colleges, to ensure the teaching profession is highly professional, teachers should be accorded the mobility to move from the UEC stream to the National type stream and vice versa.

Make teaching at all levels a degree qualification, with only the best qualified being positioned in teaching, let's not settle for less, for that is tantamount to a trade off off our children's rights to the best opportunities for education.

Teachers going to rural schools must be given attractive allowances for the best to want to go there and we should conduct Personality tests to ensure that those responding to the teaching profession are seeking that profession as vocation and are not just there for the money.

Make it possible for teachers to switch streams for better opportunities for themselves and  also for the systems, there must be cross breeding, it improves the pedigree.

Teachers should be paid in accordance with their performance and to do this there must be proper performance indicators taking into consideration the types students the teachers are teaching against the performance.

Students must be able to drop a year if they can't make a grade and similarly for those outstanding students there must be an express stream.

I have written before that we should not leave education to a Minister or a Ministry but properly accredited boards  of professionals and we need to get the best, if we need source them form other countries we should.

The job of the minister of Education at best will be to  get the funds needed for education, ensure a good budget we can cut our defence spending by t lest a third if not half to spend more on education. 

Finally do not allow language,or race to come in to fault our education system, leave sentiments aside start thinking as Malaysians, and if the Chinese and Tamil Schools can't agree to a unified schools system with two streams  looking at the welfare of all, where the children are admitted not by race but by choice in a system that allows for fairness for all  shut down in vernacular schools, after so many years since independence we are still confused as to who we are, its time to start changing that.

ONE STREAM EDUCATION, BE SERIOUS, LIGHT IT UP!!

Those who follow my articles know that I am almost totally anti UMNO.

 But I'l call a spade a spade when i see one, and I'll support UMNO's Razlan Raafii  who has echoed the wishes of Many Malaysians including me and even the Regent of Johor Tenku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim on a "ONE STREAM EDUCATION SYSTEM".

DON'T END IT THERE, AND DON'T TRASH IT HERE EITHER, BE COMMITTED TO IT BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT WE NEED.

 

Malay College Kuala Knagsar -It has to be opened for the good of the Malays

 Dwell on our Strengths

To do this we have to use our strengths, and one of our our biggest strengths which we must recognise  is,  the UEC system of education,  again calling the spade a spade.

I am not saying to make others learn Chinese, although that may be a good thing to encourage, because that language alone drives your brain into analytical mode, it is a language that is made of characters rather than alphabets so we must give thought to it, serious thought, ever wonder why Chinese are so good at Mathematics? .

 BAHASA HAS TO HAVE ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE
Of course Bahasa will not only be the compulsory language but we must get our young to love Bahasa it is our language and it should continue to be compulsory.

On the other hand Tamil is the oldest language in the world not Sanskrit, and Bahasa has its roots in that language not Jawi or Arabic   so we have the best of all the worlds and English in Malaysia though it has deteriorated leaps and bounds to the extent that a growing number of Indonesians especially Javanese are speaking the language very well these days we have to bring back focus on this language, it can be added as a choice if one chooses not to do POL.

Reintroduce the Bulan Bahasa Kebangsaan, the competitions,  the Songs etc, bring into light and let them celebrate our language - Celebrate BAHASA KEBANGSAAN KITA..

As far as the UEC system goes  I am saying use the expertise,   teaching methods, curriculum learning and teaching culture into the one stream of our education system, call on the Chinese Educationists to contribute, and contribute they will.

They will not only contribute but become active proponents to the idea of one stream as long as they are not threatened and their inclusion to learn from them will be seen as great milestone in our education history.

Malays are already flocking to Chinese Schools they'll accept if politics is out.

 Use the best resources.
To drive the people, the Education at National level, have   the UEC stream and the current Examination stream and allow pupils to choose from both like the AEB and the Cambridge streams in the UK. The UEC stream has earned it.

Let Schools choose one stream or the other, let it be managed at the national level by separate administrators  then it will result in competition at that level the very top, the government only funds the two systems, and we'll see a real healthy growth of education in Malaysia via competition, two systems one Examination if that is possible to be set by the Examinations syndicate based on a common  syllabus.
 

Send selected teacher trainees of all races to China to learn Chinese and other subjects to become teachers, pick those who have a genuine and sincere desire to cultivate their fellow Malaysians regardless of race and creed, so they can not only teach Chinese but Science and Mathematics, learn why the Chinese (not Malaysians) are so entrepreneurial, and develop our future generations.

Send successful teacher trainees with the right qualifications, attitude and aptitude to countries like the US, Germany, UK and France to learn how they develop their children, be like Japan before world war 2.

On the cultural front involve everybody the Malaysian culture is evolving, Nasi Lemak, Roti Canai are on the Nasional breakfast  menu, we eat mamak mee, mee Melayu and so on, we have the equivalent of Ang Paw with the Malays as Duit Raya, Chinese use kebaya annd kubarong we also pray in Malay,  it is evolving for  truly Nasional Malaysian culture we have to involve everyone.

Stop segregating pupils according to race,  encourage the Malays pupils who form the majority to mix with other children as we used to do before and to this end Sports and other cultural activities play a huge part.

Bring in Educationists from India and the UK to seriously look and help manage our Teacher training programmes and if need be let them head thesew Institutions.

We have to look at our strengths and even the Tamil School (that I have been very critical about in the past ) have now improved their standards tremendously, their students are winning the National and International awards, and their levels in Bahasa, English Mathematics have even surpassed the other type of National Schools. How did they do it given the great disadvantageous positions these schools were in less than a decade ago. 

There are still some remnants of the  Mission Schools, how effective they will be is hard to tell, they contributed f=very effectively to our education system before.

Take politics and race out of education

The quest for one stream must come by tapping the resources of all people in our society and there is a real possibility of that being achieved if,  the Ministry of Education involves all the parties involved in Education system and stop playing a racial game here.

We must be focused here on what is best  for the development of the country into a first world country.

Take politics out of education, Malay parents who know and are not easily politically misled send their children to Chinese and Indian Mathematics  and Science teachers to get them to improve their

Have more of this.

standards in these subjects, 

Disregard race, take politicians out of the equation, make it a crime to criticise and gain political advantage on race and religion in National Education, if we are serious about making our young quality graduates who can really positively and effectively  contribute to the nation and our development.

If we continue with our "tiga suku" politically driven education system we have today, this country is doomed to be a failure.

2020 Missed  2030 in danger of going he wrong way
We have already missed 2020 and I dare say with our focus on unimportant issues in our education system, our total lack of insight into what is really needed of our graduates for development of the country economically, technologically and the needs of enterprise a situation we have been in since  at least the early 80's,   by 2030 we will successfully sink into world nation. and that will be thanks to our politicians, our so called technocrats, and our leaders, who to this day insist on playingthe race card even with education our children.

Why? and the only reason one can attribute this to is that they can't be bothered, just find out ewhere their Children are being educated.

We can't have people like Mazlee heading education, please Mahathir, I think you have done that on purpose to spite everyone else since we did not let you take the portfolio of education with your Prime Ministers you put this man who seems not to have an inkling of really improving education and the core issues regarding that and National Development there.  

Russia can bring in the best Areo-space technology in the world into to Malaysia as Putin has just said, but all we will be able to do is to continue to be followers and not innovators and leaders,  we'll forever, be followers at this rate . take a look of how we fared with your favourite project in -the Auto Industries,   we are still reliant on foreign models, foreign technology and lack the ability to design, innovate and create new technology and a big part of that blame was to have Proton be led by inadequate people since its inception. 

 Made in Malaysia or China?

Proton for all its present worth is driving high because of China, Chinese technology  and Chinese Management, is that what  you planned for? Do want to continue to do just that?

Don't blame the Malays blame yourself, you allowed bureaucrats lead the industry, people without any experience in cars,   although we had people who owned and managed motor assembly plants successfully and they would have been the logical choice for progression bt you played the race card and see what has happened.

You could not have insulted us more.

We are calling a made in China product assembled in Malaysia a Malaysian product, how nice.

Education  should be the domain of the best,  the educators and policy makers must come of the crème de la crème of our society in this field and if that is not available buy them from Singapore, India, Finland anywhere where we can find the really best. 

Teachers, policy makers and and other educationists must be rewarded well enough that they do not have to look for other means of earning money like becoming private tutors which is so commonand so lucrative these days.


One Session Schools
One Session schools from 8.30 a.m to 4.30 pm.with break-times in the aggregate of one hour.

Build more Schools, have a only one session in schools, reintroduce sports at a serious level, and school hours should be stretched longer with breaks.

No morning school and afternoon school. only one session, one serious session. Reward teachers well and have performance driven incentives fo them, level the playing field.

Regulate class sizes, .

 Ban Homework
Ban home work for children like they have done in  Finland even China espouses to do so.
Children should not be burdened to the extent they find school a bore, or something weary.
Allow them to have a say on the subjects they'd like to pursue make them part of their education

Bring in sports seriously into the school curriculum, inculcate the spirit of competition, sports also gets students into the mindset of being competent and we need it to develop   well balanced educated young men and women  not to mention good sportsmen and sportswomen.

The authorities must show that they are serious, by involving all parties and if on merits another race will provide the best candidate to lead such initiatives it should go to that person, it is not race we are talking about we are talking about a truly and sincerely Malaysian system of education - one stream.
This is not NEP or privileges it is getting the best for our children all our children

Politicians should stay away let this body set up to do it decide and come out void of all political involvement are we matured enough to do that.

We need almost a total revamp of  our educational systems.

The Education Ministry will be the custodian of Education policy but the setting up of the policy must be the work of the Educationists, this will minimise  political interference. 

The Education minister will secure the budgets required prepared by the System administrators and managers, there should be no interference other than if it involves issues other than education.

Infrastructure could be the responsibility of the Ministry and mechanisms and rules must be in place to ensure that the Minister or any politician does not use his position to get the administrators to do their bidding.   

Why Politicians  Should be out 
Since Independence we have not really improved our education system, it has gone from bad to worse, and if it continues we are really going to become the sick man of ASEAN and maybe Asia.

Even Vietnam will supersede us  soon if they haven't already. 
Whilst our other ASEAN nations are improving leas and bounds we can't say the same for ourselves.