Human Development the Wrong Way

Most Malaysians may not really realise that our BN Government have sent 11,000 students to the famous Al Azhar University to study either the Arabic Language and or Islamic Studies.

The primary objective of the Government is to produce as many uztazs or imams as possible so as to cater to the increasing muslim population. With so many thousands returning to Malaysia each year, I just wonder there will be enough mosques or religious schools to absorb them.

One salient point that I would like to mention in this blog is that can we not send our bright students to our local UIA. I am sure the standard will be just as good if not better. In so doing, our Government would have saved millions of tax payers' hard earned money.

The general public is questioning how these religious graduates are going to contribute back to the national economy since they have not acquired nor learned any useful skills that will put them in stead to fan the unknown and dark future. The manpower wastage is blatant and glaring.

What can these 11,000 students learn while in Egypt? It is not very developed or industrialised. They cannot come back with the skill to build a pyramid. Socially it is backward and I cannot imagine how educated or forward looking will our graduates from Egypt be when they graduate.

Coupled with the local graduates being churned out by the thousands each year, many if not majority of these religious graduates are likely to join the rank of the unemployed. There will be unrest, disappointment and frustration if they stay unemployed for a year or two.

The BN Government is not doing fulfilling the aspirations of the nation. We need technocrats to propel the country foward towards attainment of an industrialised economy by 2020.

The BN Government must buck up. It is not doing the country a good and effective service to our muslim brethren and sisters who will be left behind.

The recent announcement of the ETP was impressive on the surface of it. To spend RM67 Bil on infrastructural development and the 100-storeyed building to create 35,000 jobs is just crazy. How many local workers can the BN source to meet this project manpower requirement? From the rule of the thumb, more than 30,000 aliens may have to be brought in to meet the skilled manpower shortfall. The bulk of the money will flow out of the country benefit countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Southern Thailand and Philippines.

It has been estimated by some economists that to spend RM2.0 Mil to create a job is really crazy but to spend RM20.0 Mil for a job is madness of the highest order. In the end only about 10% of the projected manpower requirements will be taken up by Malaysians.

The non-Malays would like to see better, more effective and affirmative actions being taken by our BN Governmment or whichever Government that comes into power to train our muslim brethren and sisters in fields that will help the country to progress and at the same time to fortify their careers in the name of future prosperity of the nation.

While religion is important to instill appropriate social and moral values in the growing youths, we need to emphasise more on technical educations. Hence, science and mathematics will continue to have an important place in the education system.

Religious bodies should avoid coming out with ridiculous stiffling regulations or 'strangulations' to restrict and limit their conduct as if they were school children. The society is already very polarised and divided according to race, religion, politics, business and employment. We have had sufficient bigots around.

Let us not enhance and aggravate the apatheidic divide any wider.