History is an interesting subject. It helps fortify one's background knowledge of the rise and fall of a country; for instance, the United Kingdom. It used to be so mighty and strong that it almost colonised a quarter of the land masses by the close of the 19th century. By the middle part of 20th century, she lost most of the colonies as fast as they acquired.
History used to be my pet subject because the teacher who taught our class was very inspiring and impactful in her delivery as well as her enthusiasm and eagerness in making the class understand what she was teaching.
History repeats itself. But I am not too sure with the adulterated version of history, one can really rely on the substance of historical records and facts.
Japan attempted to change her history but there was so much of resistance that she became cautious nd hesitant in trying to blot out some of the unpleasant events that took place during the world wars.
I used to learn about Malayan history - how Parameswara founded Malacca, the sultanate, the visit of Admiral Cheng Ho, the flourishing trade with China, Princess Ling Po, the legends of Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat etc,
But today, I am not too sure whether school chilren are learning the same stuff that I went through. I understand that certain parts of the Malayan history had been taken out.
History should never be changed. It must remain for the future generations so so that they can learn the lessons of the past from history.
I just hope that the Malaysian education ministry should be sensible not to embark on history bashing and have them replaced with rubbish that never took place.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
High Income Economy
What a rhetorical hype from our PM who recently announced the Economic Transformation Plan during the UMNO Assembly
I just could not find any relevance how his proposed ETP could attain the gargantuan vision of creating a high income economy when the plans were not specific and non-directive to meet the goal. All that I could find was builidng the 100-storeyed building and the four highways across the country to improve the communication infrastructure. And our former PM 2M had the temerity to endorse his prodigee's dismal programme of great economic disaster.
I expected the PM to come out strong with concrete plans on human development by improving the general standards of our public institutions of higher learning. History around us does show the significant corelation between sound education and the technological success of an economy. Let us look at Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the wakening dragons of the Peoples' Republic of China and the leaping tiger of India.
The ETP projects are not likely to benefit the country's growing populace of young people. Many of the local products of local universities are already being banished into the pool of unemployed and this number is growing by the year. They just do not possess the employable skills like oral communication in the English Language and the necessary required skills as demanded by the private sector. Our local universities are not just churning our the types of manpower with the necessary industrial skills to meet the demands of the private sector.
I just cannot see the pertinence of engaging 300+ English teachers from England to teach our young to be proficient in the language. Many of our local leachers who are retired are just as good if not better than many of these young English teachers. The latter may be good at speaking but I am not too sure if they write as well as they speak. Why waste unnecessary money when we can benefit the retired local English Language specialist teachers. The Education Ministry perhaps does not want to be seen or criticised for engaging the local non-Malay English Language teachers.
Is the Government of the day so blind as not to see this rot? Is she going to continue practicing her discrimatory economic policy to enrich the select cronies in UMNO and ignore the plight of the masses? Does she realise that amongst the people of Malaysia, there are not only poor Malays and Bumiputras but also poor Chinese and Indians who require care and help. Is she not aware of the economic monster that she has created over the past 53 years? We cannot have the majority ethnic group continue to live on clutches and depend on governmental unending finanical and economic aids funded by the tax-payers. This policy is going to destroy the Malays. in the wrong run.
The mega projects in my view are not going to benefit the locals. I would foresee that jobs created from the said projects are more likely to benefit the alien than the local workers. I would anticipate that when fully operational, the 'Big Five' are likely to deploy around 25,000 foreign workers. This means, the huge monthly financial outflow to the countries of origin of the said workers. Basing on RM1000/- per month per head, we are talking about an outflow amounting to RM25 million per month or RM330 million per year nd RM1.65 bn in five years.
With the number of aliens added to the fast growing population, social services are likely to be compromised. Housing and medical services shall be stretched. Besides, crime rate may escalate.
What will happen to these workers when the mega projects are completed? Many of them will be sent home while many may stay back due to marriages to local people.
The last 35 years saw the mushrooming of screw-driver smoke-stacked industries across the country. The transfer of technology is so minimal. I just dread how many of those who are still working in these industries have acquired adequate knowledge, experience and skills to be able to assemble a TV set, a motor-car, a picture tube, a pump or an electric motor or an air-conditioner on his or her own single effort?
To produce a high income economy, we need high tech. jobs and not labour intensive jobs. Until the authority recognises this factor, we are not going to achieve our visional objective. Let us not kid and continue to pull wool over the eyes of the populace. You can deceive some people some of the time, some people most of the time ; but certainly not all the people all the time.
Cut down the unnecessary expenditure on defence and infrastructure development. Divert the funds to improve on human development and raise general standards of technical education in the country's instututes of higher learning. Stop cheating and reduce the rate of corruption. Unless we do this, I see little hope of earning extra ringgits in my pocket.
Please eradicate corruption at all levels of the Government machinery and try to save for the rainy day. Tighten all the loop-holes through which public money may be or is drained perenially. Just cannot figure out how RM23 million was loaned out to students who never apply for it and who may not even exist in this world.
I just could not find any relevance how his proposed ETP could attain the gargantuan vision of creating a high income economy when the plans were not specific and non-directive to meet the goal. All that I could find was builidng the 100-storeyed building and the four highways across the country to improve the communication infrastructure. And our former PM 2M had the temerity to endorse his prodigee's dismal programme of great economic disaster.
I expected the PM to come out strong with concrete plans on human development by improving the general standards of our public institutions of higher learning. History around us does show the significant corelation between sound education and the technological success of an economy. Let us look at Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the wakening dragons of the Peoples' Republic of China and the leaping tiger of India.
The ETP projects are not likely to benefit the country's growing populace of young people. Many of the local products of local universities are already being banished into the pool of unemployed and this number is growing by the year. They just do not possess the employable skills like oral communication in the English Language and the necessary required skills as demanded by the private sector. Our local universities are not just churning our the types of manpower with the necessary industrial skills to meet the demands of the private sector.
I just cannot see the pertinence of engaging 300+ English teachers from England to teach our young to be proficient in the language. Many of our local leachers who are retired are just as good if not better than many of these young English teachers. The latter may be good at speaking but I am not too sure if they write as well as they speak. Why waste unnecessary money when we can benefit the retired local English Language specialist teachers. The Education Ministry perhaps does not want to be seen or criticised for engaging the local non-Malay English Language teachers.
Is the Government of the day so blind as not to see this rot? Is she going to continue practicing her discrimatory economic policy to enrich the select cronies in UMNO and ignore the plight of the masses? Does she realise that amongst the people of Malaysia, there are not only poor Malays and Bumiputras but also poor Chinese and Indians who require care and help. Is she not aware of the economic monster that she has created over the past 53 years? We cannot have the majority ethnic group continue to live on clutches and depend on governmental unending finanical and economic aids funded by the tax-payers. This policy is going to destroy the Malays. in the wrong run.
The mega projects in my view are not going to benefit the locals. I would foresee that jobs created from the said projects are more likely to benefit the alien than the local workers. I would anticipate that when fully operational, the 'Big Five' are likely to deploy around 25,000 foreign workers. This means, the huge monthly financial outflow to the countries of origin of the said workers. Basing on RM1000/- per month per head, we are talking about an outflow amounting to RM25 million per month or RM330 million per year nd RM1.65 bn in five years.
With the number of aliens added to the fast growing population, social services are likely to be compromised. Housing and medical services shall be stretched. Besides, crime rate may escalate.
What will happen to these workers when the mega projects are completed? Many of them will be sent home while many may stay back due to marriages to local people.
The last 35 years saw the mushrooming of screw-driver smoke-stacked industries across the country. The transfer of technology is so minimal. I just dread how many of those who are still working in these industries have acquired adequate knowledge, experience and skills to be able to assemble a TV set, a motor-car, a picture tube, a pump or an electric motor or an air-conditioner on his or her own single effort?
To produce a high income economy, we need high tech. jobs and not labour intensive jobs. Until the authority recognises this factor, we are not going to achieve our visional objective. Let us not kid and continue to pull wool over the eyes of the populace. You can deceive some people some of the time, some people most of the time ; but certainly not all the people all the time.
Cut down the unnecessary expenditure on defence and infrastructure development. Divert the funds to improve on human development and raise general standards of technical education in the country's instututes of higher learning. Stop cheating and reduce the rate of corruption. Unless we do this, I see little hope of earning extra ringgits in my pocket.
Please eradicate corruption at all levels of the Government machinery and try to save for the rainy day. Tighten all the loop-holes through which public money may be or is drained perenially. Just cannot figure out how RM23 million was loaned out to students who never apply for it and who may not even exist in this world.