RM110 Million Of Taxpayers Money Lost Due To Flawed National Service Contract

National Service shirkers and a very 'rigid' contract have caused the Government losses of up to RM110.1mil from 2004 to last year, the 2007 Auditor-General's report said.

Over the four years, the audit found that 63,417 people failed to attend the programme for various reasons, which led to the Government having to fork out the money to camp operators due to the way the contract was set out.

The contract spelt out that the Government would pay rent for the use of equipment and facilities for between 690 and 890 trainees for 2004 and between 300 and 400 trainees for 2005 and beyond.

The fee, per trainee, worked out to RM30 in the peninsula and RM41 in Sabah and Sarawak for 2004. In 2005, it cost RM25 in peninsula and RM34.30 in Sabah and Sarawak.

This meant that the Government had to pay for the stated number of trainees in the contract even if the number of trainees turning up was less or more than the figure stipulated in the agreement.

'Every year, between 16% and 23% of those called up to join the programme did not turn up. The ministry must review the contract conditions regarding how many trainees are allocated to each camp,' the report said.

It added that the ministry should also have a backup name list as there had to be a stop to the losses due to people not turning up for training.

'The NS Training Department also has to double-check its name list with the relevant authorities before putting out the roll call,' it said.

Among the reasons those called up did not attend were: a change in address, still studying, sole bread-winners, disabled, did not receive notices, died, overseas, in the army, health problems or have attended NS before.

In its reply, the ministry said it was in the midst of reviewing the contracts, adding that the department would be increasing the number of trainees next year to 140,000 to make up for any shortfall.

The audit also found that RM57mil in arrears had yet to be collected from camp operators for advances they had taken to construct the camps.

The audit also checked on certain camps from various angles such as the suitability of its location, cleanliness, food quality and quality of equipment supplied.

It found that the Beringin Beach camp in Langkawi was unsuitable because high tides often flooded dormitories and left a classroom unusable.

For the Wawasan camp in Sabah, camp operators told the audit team that it was difficult to obtain fresh fish to cook for the trainees but the audit team found it otherwise at the Kota Kinabalu market.

The audit also found that T-shirts, track pants, baseball caps and sports shoes supplied under contracts worth RM41.12mil were of low quality.

***** First the government has to release the names of the operators who have been given the jobs as well as those making a killing from transporting the students and then we will know how many of them are linked to umnoputeras. No one would be surprised if 100% of the contractors have Umno links.

City Hall's 'Gangsters In Uniform' Strike Yet Again With Impunity

Restaurant operators in Sentul alleged that City Hall officers were unnecessarily high-handed when conducting raids last night. Following the raid, six police reports were lodged by both the operators and customers.

The operators, as well as some customers, claimed that a group of 100 City Hall officers smashed several glass panes at the stalls, pulled out the electrical wires, damaged water pipes and even poured food all over the floor during the 11pm raid.

In the chaos, one customer had curry splashed on his clothes.

The officers’ alleged highhandedness had allegedly caused a near riot, claimed Batu MP Tian Chua, who was at the scene last night.

"This is not an isolated case. We have discussed the rough tactics of City Hall enforcement units with the mayor, but nothing has been done to rein them in," said Chua, adding that he would be bringing the matter up with City Hall today.

Angered by the treatment, restaurant operators and customers described the City Hall officers as "gangsters in uniforms".

"We were given no warning, no explanation, no notice. We tried to talk to them but they came in suddenly like gangsters. They shoved tables and chairs where our customers were eating. They chased our customers out. The children were all crying too," said D.Nanthakumaran, a manager of Seri Makhota mamak restaurant.

Nanthakumaran said that he had permits for his business and had applied for permits to put tables on the pavement outside his outlet.

One stall owner at another restaurant, Ariffin Abdul Majid, said: "These people should have come and talked to us. This is against basic human rights. People were eating and they acted harshly." The customer, who had curry splashed on him, said he came to watch the Chelsea-Newcastle match like many others in the large crowd last night.

"It happened so fast. The waiter was coming with my roti canai. The next thing I knew, I was wet," said Low Weng Foon, 52. "Everyone was scared." A mother, whose 11-year old girl had her arm placed in a cast earlier, had been waiting for her food when the raid occurred. "We were so afraid they would knock her arm. The plaster had not even dried," said the mother, adding their food was thrown away as they ran to hide in a corner. (Malay Mail)

***** What a bunch of vicious bastards. They behave as if they are above the law and despite so many complaints and reports, no one wants to take responsibility or rein them in.

DAP Urges Government To Resolve Citizenship Issue

Opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) national organising secretary Tan Kok Wai, who is also Cheras Member of Parliament, said it was time for the Government to resolve the rampant citizenship problems, particularly in Sabah.

He said the Government should now have the formula because for many decades the problem persisted, where the situation was divided into two categories of people, namely citizens and non-citizens, which he described as unfair.

"This situation is common in Sabah, where locals married foreign spouses resulting in their children becoming stateless," he said here.

According to him, the reason is simple because those born in 1963 or before, could automatically acquire Malaysia citizenship and those born after 1963 were issued red identity cards (permanent residents statue), while those born in Malaysia after 1963 were given green identity cards (temporary residents status).

Tan regretted that such people were subjected to frustration over their status due to perennial delays by the National Registration Department (NRD).

He pointed out that a bigger problem stemmed from inter-marriages between Malaysians and their spouses from Indonesia, China and the Philippines, among others, resulting in their offsprings being 'stateless'.

"These children often face problems going to school and in job application," he said. (Borneo Bulletin)

***** The Home Ministry is among the worst performers in government. The ministry is infested with chauvinistic and racist vermin whose only pleasure in life is to inflict as much misery as possible to everyone who deals with them. A thorough overhaul of the officials there as well as a psychiatric assessment of those posted to that infernal department must be done at the earliest.
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Malaysia Facing Suspension From International Taekwondo For Government Interference

Malaysia is facing suspension from international taekwondo because of government interference in its affairs, a senior official said on Wednesday.

T. Kumar, secretary general of the Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA), told Reuters that a dispute with national sports commissioner Elyas Omar could threaten their participation at the Beijing Olympics.

The MTA was deregistered in 2005 because it refused to give voting rights to clubs. However, under an agreement with Sports Minister Azalina Othman Said in July, it backtracked and was allowed to resume operations.

According to media reports, Elyas is still refusing to recognise the MTA.

"The WTF (World Taekwondo Federation) has been very lenient with us," Kumar said. "They have not done anything yet but we know they are concerned about the situation and we never know what will happen in the future. "If they act, then it could threaten our place in the Olympics."

The WTF, which has the right to suspend associations subjected to government interference, has so far resisted moves to intervene.

Two members of Malaysia's taekwondo team, Elaine Teo (57kg) and Che Chew Chan (67kg), have already booked places in Beijing via an Olympic qualifying tournament in Vietnam in November. (Guardian.co.uk)

***** The office of sports commissioner was introduced by the government as a back door attempt to control all sports associations in the country. In the process successive holders of the post have decimated Malaysian sports. Elyas is no exception.
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Allah And Catholic Herald Weekly Permit Issue: PM Must Make His Stand In The National Interest, Says Aliran

Aliran is flabbergasted that the usage of a single word ‘Allah’ could be the basis for the denial of a fundamental right guaranteed under the Federal Constitution. The Catholic Herald Weekly has been warned it could lose its publication permit over its use of the term in its Malay-language section.

Malaysians are truly dumbfounded that the use of a single, widely used term to refer to the Almighty could be used to deny a basic right – the freedom to publish.

The term ‘Allah’ has been used for centuries without any problem or confusion. It has been the common term used by Muslims and Christians alike in the Arab world to refer to God

It has also been widely used in Malaysia to refer to the Almighty. There was no problem, no confusion and nobody got upset by this common term of reference. Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum’s sudden claim to exclusivity for the usage of the word thus does not make sense.

Languages are the common heritage of humanity. Because of this, the various languages developed and grew rich in expression. They absorbed words and expressions from one another and, in the process, languages became expressive, expanded and spread across the world.

Our own Bahasa Malaysia is littered with numerous words absorbed from many foreign languages. We have even stopped using existing words in preference to newly coined terms to reflect modernity and the scientific world. If foreign countries were to claim exclusivity for all these terms, what would become of Bahasa Malaysia?

Aliran also understands that the line, “Ya Allah Yang Maha Kuasa...” forms part of the Pahang state anthem. Does that mean that non-Muslims should not sing the Pahang state anthem? Johari must state his stand in this matter.

In the meantime, Malaysians wait with bated breath for the Prime Minister, who has been preaching tolerance and promoting Islam Hadhari, to clarify this matter and state his stand. Specifically, Malaysians would want to know whether he shares Johari’s stand. (Source - Aliran.com)

***** Sometimes I feel sorry for Pak Lah. He goes out of his way in preaching tolerance, the spirit of give-and-take and the importance of national unity, etc. and just when he probably feels that he has succeeded in convincing the sceptics, BANG, he gets blitzed by one of the nincompoops he surrounds himself with. Take this guy Johari Baharum for instance. He must be a monumental fool for having openly brought up this trivial issue. By his lack of theological as well as general knowledge and with the sole selfish intention of endearing himself to the Muslim masses, he has directly placed the government in a tight spot, a lose-lose situation.

At a time when inter-ethnic unity is on a tailspin, the last thing we need is an idiot to stir the shit with his stupidity. Johari Baharum is not only a dunce, he looks like one too. The PM should sack him at the earliest before he invites more problems for the country.

Which Crook Selected This Arrogant Lowlife?

Two phone calls from his bosses, an empty stomach and poor time management saw the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) president abruptly end a public hearing last Wednesday. Adnan Md. Ikhsan was chairing a meeting to hear public objections on a proposed commercial development in SS15.

Turning up an hour late, he proceeded to vet the attendees, talked about "compromise" and advised them how to conduct themselves. The meeting held on Deepavali eve was scheduled for 10.30am but started at 11.37am. Adnan, who said he had four meetings before that, started the session by trying to get uninvited residents to leave the conference room.

This prompted residents to ask why only 16 of the 31 who submitted forms to be invited to the hearing were allowed in. Quoting the Town and Country Planning Act 1976, Adnan said only those living within 20m of the proposed development could attend. When it was brought to his attention that the council was giving up a community hall without offering an alternative, the council chief spent 20 minutes educating the residents on "give and- take and the virtues of compromise".

"Before we start the session, there must be trust, honesty and fairness," he said. It was then that his cell-phone rang – a call from Housing and Local Government Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail – who was MPSJ’s first president – who had been alerted that residents were kept waiting.

"I am sorry for starting so late. I had four meetings before this. I have not even had a drink!" Adnan said after the call. "I can’t just cancel the previous meetings. I can’t ask them to go home although their time was up," he explained.

He also revealed that he had to cram so many meetings into one day as "I want to finish everything fast before I go on leave next week".

As a resident was presenting his case, Adnan told him to "simplify it because we are running out of time". He caught some by surprise when he appeared unsure of what project was being discussed, asking his officers: "Ada balai raya ke?" He then corrected the residents and explained that balai raya was smaller, while they were referring to a dewan serbaguna (multipurpose hall).

"There is a difference. Dewan is bigger." The meeting ended after Adnan received another phone call – this time from Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan. It was after this call that Adnan lost his cool when a resident chided him for his lack of focus and the constant interruptions on his cell phone. "What do you want me to do? That was the KSU and the KSN. Of course when my bosses call, I have to leave the room.

"I am feeling very hot now and I’m not comfortable with this discussion. I propose that we postpone the meeting to a later date. I’m sorry. I am also human. I also have feelings," he said. When those present objected, he said "Is it fair to me? I want to hear from you, but you see it differently.

"I want to move to another room so that only those invited will be let in. I cannot ask those uninvited who are seated to leave. It won’t be appropriate," he said and left at 12.10pm after shaking hands with some residents. (By Terence Fernandez and Geraldine Choong - The Sun)

***** Not only are our pemimpin generally considered woefully substandard, even the civil servants are as mediocre as their bosses. The Indon immigrant, Toyol must be extremely proud of his selection. Malaysia Boleh!
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e-Kesihatan Scam: Thieves, Crooks And Liars Call The Shots At JPJ

There is more to the eKesihatan saga than meets the eye. A company that bid for the project in February last year was rejected with the excuse that the project had already been awarded.

But Supremme Systems Sdn Bhd, whose director is a former Road Transport Department (RTD) director, only signed the contract this month, 20 months after the bid by the Primary Care Doctors' Organisation Malaysia.

The letter that PCDOM submitted to the then RTD director-general Datuk Emran Kadir on Feb 24 last year contained a detailed outline of the suggested PrimaCare system. The system is an award-winning electronic medical record and clinic management software that can be used under the eKesihatan programme. PCDOM conducted a presentation for the RTD a month later but did not hear from them again.

A follow-up letter to the Transport Ministry on March 10 this year saw a reply a month later where they were told that another company had been chosen.

PCDOM president Dr Molly Cheah Bee Li said her organisation had not only created a computer-based version of the RTD health form, but had also come up with a new form based on a similar model used in the United Kingdom. "All this was provided free of charge for RTD use," she said, adding that the system would have been made available to all clinics free of charge as there were no licensing fees. "The only cost would have been the cost of deployment, training, support and maintenance, which the doctors themselves would be reponsible for.

"Patients would have only had to pay RM5, for gateway charges and processing fees, on top of whatever medical fee the clinic charged. They just ignored us after the presentation. When we wrote a follow-up letter a year later, we received a reply telling us that the contract had been given to somebody else even before we had made our presentation," she said.

When contacted, RTD director-general Datuk Ahmad Mustapha Abdul Rashid said the process of selecting a company to run the eKesihatan project had been ongoing since the late 1990s. "The decision to award it to Supremme Systems was made earlier this year," he said.

He was at a loss to explain why PCDOM had been brushed off with such a lame excuse. "I don't know about it. I'm new," he said. He also refused to clarify the basis on which PCDOM's proposal was rejected.

"I don't want to answer that," he said.

It is believed that another proposal, submitted by Koperasi Doktor Malaysia (KDM), was also rejected by RTD.

When contacted, Supremme Systems executive director Datuk Nordin Yahaya said his company only signed the contract with the RTD on Sept 3 this year. Nordin said another Supremme Systems director, Datuk Kamaluddin Yusoff, was Federal Territory RTD director in the 1980s.

He said that if government clinics were to register under Supremme Systems, those who underwent the checks would only have to pay RM13 instead of the RM80 charged by private clinics. He also said that an earlier report claiming Supremme Systems would make a profit of some RM400 million was not true.

"This is a gross misrepresentation. We would only retain an average of RM10 out of the fees of RM80. This RM10 is our gross income and not gross profit. Gross profit is income less expenses. Assuming there are 500,000 drivers, our annual income will be more like RM5 million and not RM400 million as alleged by certain quarters." (NST)

***** The above report clearly shows that a group of interested parties within the JPJ had cornered this deal with the sole intention of making hundreds of millions in profit. For this windfall, not only were they eager and prepared to reject excellent schemes offered for free and designed to benefit all those involved, but ever willing to burden a million commercial vehicle drivers and rip them off at RM80 per year, every year!

And why did the bloody government keep its trap shut until the media played up the issue for several days? Why? Because some ruling party politicians are involved or were they merely allowing civil servants, both retired and currently serving, to make their fortune as well at the expense of the lower strata of society? After all if politicians can make billions why not allow pegawai2 kanan kerajaan to make a few hundred million on the side? Nothing like a win-win situation to have a satisfied civil service. (Important vote bank, you know.)

Will the super-inefficient ACA investigate this case based on news reports or do they as usual need to be prodded like cattle before they move their sorry behinds and do what they are paid for? What a bunch of specimens we have in government:- graft embracing politicians, corrupt civil servants and an emasculated watchdog with the grand title of Anti-Corruption Agency. May God bless our country real quick.
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Earlier related post: e-Kesihatan Deferred - Good Riddance To Stinking Rubbish.

Tougher Action To Ensure Students Pay Up PTPTN Loans. I Don't Believe It, Do You?

Oh come off it lah!! After the earlier threats of 'severe' action, the authorities have become a laughing stock and their words of warning scare no one, least of all the greedy buggers who took the loans. In late January the PTPTN seat-warming chairman Datuk Razali Ismail warned of dire consequences and even threatened to have the names of the shameless defaulters listed on the database of Credit Tip Off Service Sdn Bhd (CTOS)! What happened? Zilch. Now Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed has taken over the role of Sheriff as you can read in this Bernama report below.

The National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) has taken several steps to ensure students pay up their loans amounting to about RM11.1 billion.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said the steps included tightening loan procedures and sending summonses to those who failed to pay up.

"From this month, we require the loans to be backed by guarantors. There was no need for guarantors in the past but from now onwards, parents can be the guarantors," he said to reporters after launching the Higher Education Ministry Day with the Rakyat at Kampung Bukit Bulat, Machap here, today.

Mustapa was commenting on a newspaper report today which said student had taken loans from the PTPTN, Public Service Department and Mara amounting to RM12 billion.

He said, from January next year, those who applied for loans must have savings in the Skim Simpanan Pendidikan Nasional (SSPN). The minimum savings amount should be RM500 for those with RM2,000 income a month. "We find that parents do not prepare for their children's education. If they have some savings, they will not need to obtain full loans," he said.

He said the PTPTN had annual fund of RM2 billion a year while the number borrowers totalled about 150,000 a year.

****** What a disgrace! RM12 billion of our hard earned money taken from us as income tax has ended up funding ungrateful scum who don't even have the decency to pay up what they owe. What a large bunch of lousy bastards they must be. Add to this the lackadaisical attitude of the saya yang menurut perintah pegawai2 in-charge of the PTPTN and other loan givers. Honestly should we have expected anything better or worse than this situation? And these government servants want a pay hike!

Judging from Tok Pa's statement the authorities must have more or less given up hope of collecting the overdue loans. He speaks about 'tightening' loan procedures and insisting on guarantors. This is for future borrowers. But what about the RM 12billion already disbursed? He only says that summons will be sent! And since when have written demands and summons succeeded? If there is no political will to prosecute a large number of them without worrying about losing votes in the next elections, then we can kiss our money goodbye.

Read here what the PTPTN said in January: Study Loan Defaulters To Be Blacklisted. Oh Not That Lame Threat Again!
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Update 4/9/07: Mixed Reactions To PTPTN's Proposal To Tighten Loan Procedures.

Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Sidek Hassan Is Acting Like An Umno Politician

Well, well, well. It looks like civil servants have also picked up the arrogant, "you shall never ever criticize me and make my bloopers public" bad habit from our politicians! The following report in the Malay Mail explains why.

‘Don't issue a directive if you don’t like the results.’ This was the general sentiment of the public when asked to comment on the reaction by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan to reports in The Malay Mail last week.

On March 28, The Malay Mail had contacted 10 Government agencies from numbers listed on their websites to see if they were adhering to Mohd Sidek’s directive to Government departments to improve services. The paper tested if the agencies picked up telephone calls to their respective departments within three rings, which was one of the directives issued.

Of the 10, six passed the ‘test’ while Social Security Organisation, the Employees Provident Fund, Public Service Department and National Higher Education Fund failed. The Housing and Local Government Ministry, Welfare Department, Road Transport Department, Immigration Department, Education Ministry and the Consumer Claims Tribunal passed the test.

Many cited the large number of calls daily as the reason for operators not being able to pick up the phone by the third ring.

Following the series of reports, a reporter from The Malay Mail was summoned to Mohd Sidek’s office in Putrajaya, where the latter labelled the tests carried out by the paper as “doing a disservice to the country.” He also said highlighting the explanations of the agencies that had failed the ‘tests’ were not beneficial to the public sector.

***** Who does the Chief Secretary think he is? The number one public servant or a cheapskate Umno politician? How dare he summon a member of the press and then demand that the truth about the inefficiency of government departments be not published. And that too with the excuse of “doing a disservice to the country.” If he genuinely had the long term interest of the public in mind, he would have instead thanked the Malay Mail for doing a great public service by exposing bureaucratic shortcomings, as well as opening his eyes to the blatant ignoring of his directive. If his writ doesn't run even in the corridors of the recalcitrant and remarkably fossilized government departments, what hope has he of trying to smother the issue by summoning the press?

The Chief Secretary had better make up his mind and decide once and for all if he wishes to stay where he is or would prefer a different role as a politician. I'm sure the civil service can easily find a suitable replacement even today.

Read the entire Malay Mail article HERE.
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Abuse Of Power By Malaysian Inland Revenue Board. Court Awards UK Man £440,000 Damages.

A British man has been awarded more than £400,000 in damages by a Malaysian court after he was prevented from leaving the country for 16 years.

Ronald Beadle, from Derbyshire, was trapped in Malaysia after the country's Inland Revenue Board ordered that his passport be seized over a tax dispute.

The judge ruled that the Inland Revenue Board had acted arbitrarily and abused its powers.

However, she did not accept that Mr Beadle had been falsely imprisoned. Nor did she allow his claim for loss of earnings, arguing that it was purely theoretical that he could have made a living elsewhere.

Retire

The dispute started out as a simple mix-up over tax, and turned into a 16-year legal odyssey.

In 1981, Malaysia's Inland Revenue Board ordered that Ronald Beadle's passport be seized over a disputed sum of £3,000 ($5,874). But it was not until 1998 that a court ruled it was his employers and not he who had failed to pay up.

In the meantime, Mr Beadle was forced to remain in Malaysia and was unable to return to Britain, even for his father's funeral.

Now the court has awarded him almost £440,000 ($861,551) in damages.

Mr Beadle, who first came to the country as a serviceman in the 1960s, says he would still like to retire in Malaysia. (BBC NEWS)

***** What a great advertisement for our Visit Malaysia Year 2007! I wonder why the authorities didn't realize the mix-up earlier and set the poor guy free. Can the court award compensate for 16 years of living in a foreign country under such stressful conditions especially when he was not guilty? A shameful episode indeed.
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Study Loan Defaulters To Be Blacklisted. Oh Not That Lame Threat Again!

Higher education loan defaulters can forget about seeking financing for fancy cars or dream bungalows. Their names will now come under a blacklist to be supplied to banks and credit card companies.

The first batch of 1,100 defaulters, who have yet to settle their loans with the National Higher Education Loan Fund Corporation (PTPTN) over the past 10 years, will have their names listed on the database of Credit Tip Off Service Sdn Bhd (CTOS).

The remaining 37,484 errant borrowers could face the same action if they continued to ignore the letters of demand (LOD) sent by the corporation, PTPTN chairman Datuk Razali Ismail warned.

“This (blacklist) will affect one’s financial credibility and the defaulter will not be able to secure any other type of loans from local banks,” he told The Star yesterday. CTOS is a private credit reference agency that provides information to financial institutions screening their clients.

Bad loans incurred by PTPTN total more than RM800mil(?) and the corporation hoped to recover 70% through such measures, said Razali.

“These defaulters should get their priorities right. They seem to take us for granted, believing we will not initiate any punitive action.” He noted that many defaulters were already working, with some holding professional jobs. However, they still refused to settle their loans.

Razali said the corporation had been flexible and even offered to accept repayment from as low as RM50 a month but received no response when the second round of LODs were re-issued last year.

He also noted that some defaulters were willing to pay between RM500 and RM700 monthly on their car loans but were reluctant to pay a minimal amount to settle their study loans.

“They should be able to manage their finances like professionals and not test our patience,” he added. (R.S.N. Murali, TheStar)

***** How long is the PTPTN going to issue threats that have no bite? There are RM5 billion worth of loans still pending. (How the devil did the outstanding loans suddenly become reduced to RM800 million? Did PTPTN actually collect RM4.2 billion over the past few months? Come on!!) When is Razali going to get out of his cushy chair and actually DO something about it instead of fudging figures? Make an example of a few of these recalcitrant and selfish fellows and the rest will fall in line. Of course they could appeal to big brother Khairy Jamaluddin, and for all you know KJ may come out with both guns blazing in support of this greedy bunch as he did in the case of Mara loan defaulters.

God bless our country and save us from incompetents and politicians.
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International Schools - Education Ministry Starts To Meddle As Usual.

The Education Ministry has made five subjects compulsory for local students who are studying in international schools, reported Utusan Malaysia.

The subjects are Bahasa Malaysia, Local Studies, History, Islamic Studies and Moral Studies.

Education Deputy Minister Datuk Noh Omar said the introduction of the five new subjects is a new policy that the ministry had come up with for international schools.
“The new subjects will not be taught to international students at these schools because the ministry is only focusing on local students,” he said after launching the 10th anniversary celebration of Mutiara Grammar International School.

“This is to instil national values in local students.”

The ministry would not meddle with the syllabus being used at international schools because the matter falls under the purview of the respective school boards.

Of the 12,405 students enrolled in such schools, 2,977 are Malaysians.

***** I had anticipated that the Education Ministry will come in with burdensome regulations sooner or later. Except for Bahasa Malaysia and perhaps Islamic studies what is the necessity to include the rest of the worthless subjects as compulsory? All it will do is to unnecessarily burden the local student.

The reason parents send their children to international schools is to escape the clutch of the ministry and its mediocre standards and senseless requirements. Looks like even here their kids are not secure from the jaws of the overseers of our archaic education system.

Read this related post (May 18th 2006): Cabinet Decision On International Schools - Good Intentions vs Reality.
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World Bank Slams Malaysia's Civil Service.

Malaysia has vowed to slash away red tape to help along business deals after a World Bank report said the country's bureaucracy is deterring investors, state media said Thursday.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has led efforts to seek foreign investment, said Malaysia had "no choice" but to reduce bureaucratic procedures after the criticism, the Bernama news agency reported.

"These procedures are disturbing. The procedures that we have inherited over the years topped up with various other laws to complicate the existing procedures," he was quoted as saying.

The prime minister cited the World Bank report as saying potential investors would be put off by having to plough through 25 procedures taking some 281 days before setting up a factory.

Investors face fewer procedures which take far less time in neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Australia, he said.

They are also hampered by more bureaucracy when setting up a business in Malaysia, compared to other neighbours such as Singapore and Australia.

"We want to compete with other countries. We no longer compete for kampung (village) championship or national championship but the international league," Abdullah said.

The premier, who has promised to clamp down on corruption, said the amount of bureaucracy was also leading to perceptions of graft in the civil service, which suffers from complaints that workers must be bribed to speed up their work.

He said the government had created a special task force targeting the performance of the public sector to boost competitiveness and "help and not hamper" private sector activities.

***** So now the whole world knows of our super-slow uncivil service. And these blokes want a revision of their salaries! (Channel Newsasia)
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Censorship Goons - Alive And Kicking In Malaysia

An interesting article in TheSun today.

Censors Make Genies Disappear.
(By Husna Yusop}

It seems that reading about genies is inappropriate for local readers, and the authorities have chosen to black out the information -- rather than let readers discern for themselves if it is beneficial to read and know about them.

In the Dec 23 issue of The Economist an entire two-page article has been torn off and two sentences from another article have been blacked out.

The first article, a special report entitled Jinn -- Born of fire is about the belief among Muslims in Somalia and Afghanistan in the existence of the jinn or genie.

In the second article, A child of Bethlehem -- No end of history, an excerpt about Muslim and Christian women visiting a shrine related to the Blessed Virgin Mary has been obliterated with black ink.

When the matter was brought to his attention, Deputy Minister of Internal Security Datuk Fu Ah Kiow said he was not aware of this.

However, he pointed out that the government has the responsibility to censor all imported publications to ensure their contents are appropriate and suitable for Malaysian readers.

"We have guidelines in doing our job. We do not allow certain things such as pornographic materials and writings which are seditious, sensitive to religion and contain subversive elements," he told theSun.

However, in the day and age of the Internet, readers can read the whole version of the two articles in The Economist on its website at http://www.economist.com/index.html -- which makes the ministry's attempt to filter information seem futile.

"That is beside the point," Fu said, adding that while no one can control the Internet, the government has the power to control the kind of books and magazines being circulated in the country.

"It does not mean that if the Internet allows it, we should also allow it. It is just the same logic as nude photos. People can get it freely over the Internet but we do not allow them to be brought in here easily," he said.

While there is a guideline, the interpretation has not been consistent across the different entry points to the country and the ministry is trying to address this.

He said the ministry is improving the procedure and guidelines on the approval of permits to bring in foreign publications.

This includes streamlining the procedure at the entry points and creating better understanding between the ministry and local importers and publishers.

"The ministry's Publications and Quranic Text Control Division will meet book importers and publishers soon and if all goes well, we will have a better standardised guideline by March.

"We want a better understanding so that the industry will not incur unnecessary costs when they bring in books which will end up being banned and our officials will not have extra work for no reason," he said.

At present, he said, although there is a guideline, enforcement officers at different entry points tend to make different judgments when deciding on whether a particular book should be allowed into the country.

That is why we are also training our staff so that everyone will agree on the same thing when looking at a certain picture, he said.

***** When will these foolish dictators learn that censorship especially stupid attempts like the ones above will never work?
Image - Source

Trainees Must Report To NS Camps On Jan 1st. A Heartless Order.

National Service trainees posted to the southern states will have to report to their camps on Jan 1st.

National Service Training Department director-general Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid said the training camps were unlikely to be affected by floods as they were on high ground.

"Since the floods started, we have been monitoring these camps in Johor, Malacca and Negri Sembilan. The camps are safe and have been spared by floods," he said during a Press conference here yesterday.

"We have prepared alternative plans, so there should not be any excuse for trainees not to turn up for registration," he said.

Abdul Halim said the 34,313 trainees doing their three-month stint from January to March must be assembled at their pick-up points on this Monday.

"From there, they will be ferried by bus to their respective camps."

Out of the total, 3,413 will either be those from the peninsula doing their training in Sabah and Sarawak or youth from the two states coming over to the peninsula.

NS Training Council chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye told parents not to drop their children at the training camps.

This was because some of them arrived late during previous stints and had caused a delay in the orientation programme.(NST)

****** This is a thoughtless and heartless directive by the big boys at the National Service Training Department. How do they know what's happening in the home front of each of these young pupils? At this time of stress what with the floods and all, how will their state of mind be? Would they prove more useful helping out at home than spending their time in a camp while being worried sick about what the rest of the family is undergoing?

There should be some leeway for those who have been directly affected by the floods and instead of badgering them to turn up at some faraway camp, it is best to leave the decision for the time being whether to report at the camp now or later to the parents. This to me would seem a more sensible approach than the one-shoe-fits-all order issued by the D-G.

Image - Sam's Digital Shoe Box

Who Runs Our Mortuaries? The Living Dead?

Some shocking details came to light at a KL Sessions Court, hearing the Michael Soosai faked death caper yesterday, about the way things are done at the KLH death registration section. According to Kuala Lumpur Hospital forensics department medical assistant Azhar Junus, not only are corrections made in the death registration book and burial permit not considered forgery or falsifying documents, he added that it was a normal procedure to amend "unknown" on these documents to the real name of a deceased once he or she was identified by family members.

In fact, he agreed with counsel in court, that there were many such cancellations in the death registration book! "In some of the pages, an entire section was erased using Liquid Paper and corrections were written on it," he said, adding that he had even done it himself. "All changes in the KLH death registration book are made in good faith and are not considered forgery," he said.

Azhar also stunned the court when he said he did not check the body to see if the details of the deceased on the identification card were correct. He said the body arrived at the mortuary wrapped in white cloth and he did not unwrap the cloth to see the body. When asked: "So if the body was Malay, Chinese or Indian, you would not have known?" to which Azhar said yes.

"And if the body was that of Michael Soosai, you would also not have known. Agree?" the counsel asked. Azhar replied in the positive and said it was the responsibility of the police to ensure the details on the identification card of a deceased were correct.

***** What has one of the world's 'best' Health Ministries got to say about this sad state of affairs? With so much of hoo haa recently about one Anthony Rayappan's body, we can be forgiven for thinking that our premier hospital has in place an excellent system to register deaths. Alas now we know that you can get some dead body into the morgue covered in white cloth and register anyone, even one's mother-in-law as the deceased and perpetrate any faked death fraud. I wonder if there have been others who have taken advantage of the lack of proper supervision and discipline and engaged in any insurance scams.

With so much of unsupervised areas in its backyard, and you can bet there are dozens of other similar shortcomings throughout the Health Ministry network in Malaysia, the bureaucrats in the ministry now are too busy poking their noses into the business of private hospitals! The private sector and its success is determined by market forces. Why don't the health department lunkheads concentrate on improving the public services?
Picture Source

Which Education Ministry Dingbat's Bright Idea Is This?

From The Star:
Children made to feel like foreigners in own country.

I am a foreigner married to a Malaysian and we have two daughters.

As their father is a Malaysian citizen, they were accorded automatic Malaysian citizenship at birth. Why then are they being treated as foreigners?

My second daughter was supposed to register last March for Year 1 in year 2008. When we went to the school we were told that there was a directive from the Education Ministry stating that children whose mothers are foreigners will only be allowed to register in October 2007.

Why this double standard?

My daughter is a Malaysian and as such, she should be accorded the same rights and privileges enjoyed by the rest of the citizens. My eldest daughter is in Year 3.

Her teacher gave her a form for us to fill up. To our great dismay, the form is entitled “Registration For Foreign Students”. I was told by the school it's because I am a foreigner and it was a directive from the ministry.

Why was my daughter, a Malaysian citizen, asked to register as a foreign student? If it is the intention of the ministry to have a database of all Malaysian students with foreign mothers, then they should be correctly registered as such.

From, A FOREIGNER, Puchong.

**** Since when did the Education Ministry decide to usurp the powers of the Immigration Department? I know that our Immigration chaps aren't exactly very cekap, but neither are the inept officers of the Education Department. This is the type of blind bureaucracy that disheartens a lot of people. School Heads don't have the guts to question a stupid directive like this and thereby put an unnecessary strain on parents.

Why does a Malaysian child have to fill up a form for foreign students? It simply doesn't make sense! Which moron gave a directive like that and why? Will the minister or one of his deputies, if they can find time from active politicking, care to explain the rationale behind this curious decision? Or perhaps you readers could enlighten us on the possible reasons for this.

Biro Tata Negara - A Den Of Blind Chauvinists?

The Biro Tatanegara (BTN) has been recently in the news for the wrong reasons. Several members of Parliament lambasted it for stereo-typing certain student groups and making wild allegations against them at a recent seminar. It alleged that Malaysian student groups are being used by Jewish elements hoping to undermine the nation’s security and that American and Jewish elements were sponsoring certain student groups in local varsities.

All this wild, blind shooting by these Biro guys has not been backed by a shred of evidence. Because it has been an accepted practice in our country to not question any claim, no matter how stupid or far-fetched, as long as it is done on behalf of bangsa, agama dan negara these scumbags have been getting away with it. This time however some Members of Parliament (not the usual band of rabble-rousers though) gave it a dressing down, but I wonder to what effect.

First let us take a look at the reasons for the existence of these zealots:

Objektif
Mencipta semangat patriotisme dan cintakan negara di kalangan semua lapisan masyarakat Malaysia dengan memberikan keutamaan kepada golongan pelajar, cendekiawan dan pemimpin-pemimpin masyarakat dengan hasrat mewujudkan satu negara dan bangsa yang kuat dan bermaruah melalui rancangan latihan dan penyelidikan kemasyarakatan.

Misi
Memberi sumbangan bermakna dalam usaha mencipta kegemilangan masyarakat Malaysia. (Is blindly hurling accusations and screaming of Jewish conspiracies by any stretch of the imagination sumbangan bermakna?)

Visi
Pembina semangat patriotisme negara yang terkemuka dan utama.

Now that we have noted the raison d'etre of this objectiveless, missionless, visionless, ineffectual and worthless entity, let me pose this important question. Do we need the continued existence of relics like the BTN which have no proven use (despite the lofty claims) and have shown to be divisive rather than acting as a unifying force?

**** Here is an interesting 1999 article in Malay regarding the actual politics that the BTN plays: PERIHAL DALANG PAK LAH DALAM BIRO TATA NEGARA