Money for Permatang Pauh schools just before by-election

Retardation of a nation Edmond R Aug 22, 2008 - Malaysiakini Letters Malaysian leaders are hypocrites. On one hand, the ministry of education continues to restrict students' participation in politics through the University and University Colleges Act 1971 and on the other, education itself is used as a political issue and pawn by leaders from both sides of the government. The recent protest by UiTM students in Permatang Pauh to oppose the opening up of its university's enrolment to non-Malays is proof of our government's bias when the situation benefits their own political mileage. To make matters worse, the prime minister vetoed the suggestion almost immediately without so much as giving it a thought. Adding to the hypocrisy, the education ministry approved an allocation of RM1 million to the few Chinese vernacular schools in Permatang Pauh a few days later in an obvious attempt to win the hearts of the Chinese community for the coming by-election. If this is not considered mixing politics and education, then I suppose the world must be flat. It's amazing how the government spends taxpayers' money to achieve their own goals as if it belongs to them entirely. The majority of schools in Malaysia are in serious need of funds and not only those in Permatang Pauh. If every school needs to wait for a by-election before getting due assistance, then this is definitely political blackmail at its worst. In the case of UiTM, this tactic is also being used to retard the progress and development of a single community. This time, the blackmail works in a different way – by restricting the enrollment to a single community, the government effectively limits students from being exposed to real competition and challenges posed by the multiethnic make up of Malaysian society. How do we expect these students to excel in their studies and be competitive in the real world if they have never been exposed to any real obstacles at all? Isn't it true that the government has wasted millions, if not billions of ringgit to produce graduates who are only fit to work as clerks and coffee-boys? The only logical reason I could think of for this illogical education policy is that it has been implemented to produce unthinking and subservient young Malaysians who will forever be indebted to the ruling government. After years of political intervention, our education system has grown into a jungle of malfunctioning institutions deprived of a unified vision. I have always wondered why there is a need for so many different types of schooling system in a country of only 27 million people. Is it part of the ruling party's aim to segregate our future generations so that they will remain polarised and therefore easier to control through communal politicking? It is no secret that the quality of our education system has regressed to such an embarrassing level as compared to our neighbours. Even our ministers and government leaders realise this decline and send their children overseas to be educated. But not many families can afford an overseas education for their children. The large majority of Malaysians have no choice but to accept the mediocre standard of teaching from the various public institutions, which I would label as 'half-way houses' for students with retarded goals. In order to rectify the situation, we should start by voting in qualified leaders who are educated in various fields and not merely half-past six goons who depend on their charisma and racial rhetoric to put them in power. Secondly, our civil service should employ people based on meritocracy to ensure their capability in delivering quality service to the public. Teachers and educators should be properly trained to provide the best education for all our students. They should be fluent in languages, professional and most of all, able to instill a sense of excellence and creativity in our children. ...more http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/88336