Money and education... or so it would seem.

This was written by Lim Kit Siang:

I asked the Higher Education Minister, Datuk Mustapha Mohamed during the budget debate on his ministry yesterday whether it is true that the government had agreed to give a RM500 million donation to Cambridge University and that Petronas and Khazanah Nasional had each forked out RM190 million.

I said that this would be a extraordinary sum of donation as apart from UiTM, no other local university would be allocated with a bigger sum in next year’s budget.

Mustapha denied that there had been a RM500 million donation to Cambridge University, but he did not completely dismiss the subject, using terms like “premature” and “final decision has yet to be made”.

Such terms could only mean that it is a case of “no smoke without fire”.

When I pointed out that using terms of like “premature” and “final decision has yet to be made” presupposes that the subject was a very active issue and asked why, as well as the reason for the government giving consideration to such an extraordinary endowment to Cambridge University, Mustapha said that this was part of the Ministry’s “smart partnership” with foreign universities to achieve excellence in tertiary education.

Time did not permit the matter to be pursued in Parliament yesterday.

Mustapha owes the nation a full and satisfactory explanation before any step is taken on the RM500 million donation to Cambridge University.

While I have heard rumors of this floating around for the past few months or so (yes, months), I did not truly believe it would come to light (or so I was hoping). Unfortunately, with the Minister of Higher Education using terms such as premature and final decision has yet to be made... it's sad to say that this supposed "smart partnership" will more than likely come through.

RM500 million, for purposes of achieving excellence in tertiary education. That money can be put to far better use. What?

Equip schools and local institutes/colleges/universities with what they need - infrastructure, facilities. Whatever that's needed.
Use the money to train academic staff (teachers/lecturers and the like) - God knows we need it, especially since we moved to teaching Maths and Science in English.
The money can even be put to use in many other ways. Help the rural folk! Subsidize petrol! Or even better.... use it to give scholarships to deserving students all over Malaysia.

There are more ways to put the money to good use - I'm sure you can think of a lot more. What now? If they do finalize this (actually, more of a "when" then an "if"), what should we do? Or maybe the more appropriate question should be: What would we do?

Authority?

It's been a while - we've all been too busy to do anything much due to the final exams being around the corner. But my fingers need a workout. And this article pushed me to start:

MPAJ's use of violence in Kg Berembang condemended

Women's Development Collective (WDC) today condemned Ampang Jaya Municipal Council's (MPAJ's) use of violence to remove settlers in Kampung Berembang.

"It is a gross violation of basic human rights," said WDC executive director Maria Chin Abdullah in a statement via e-mail.

She said MPAJ officers had also thrown chairs and forcibly removed the settlers during the demolition of about 50 houses in the village on Nov 20.

"The 50 families affected by these inhumane and brutal actions have stayed in the kampung for more than 30 years and they are being evicted because of the Selangor government's policy of 'Zero Squatters'.

"The settlers were served eviction notices even before their alternative homes had been completed," she added.

"More importantly, in April 2006, the settlers had taken a court case against MPAJ to halt the evictions and the hearing is only five months away.

"MPAJ's actions clearly show its disrespect for the legal process. It is extremely unfortunate MPAJ has resorted to undemocratic means to assert its powers," she added.

Yesterday, the MPAJ arrested 11 people, comprising settlers and NGO representatives, for preventing the destruction of the village's two-storey surau (prayer hall), the last remaining structure in the village.

She called for an immediate halt to further incursions and violations in Kampung Berembang by MPAJ, the police and developers.

"Any action should only be taken after the court's decision on the case. Immediate housing has to be allocated to the settlers whose houses have been destroyed," she said.

"MPAJ officials who have used violence during the eviction should be taken to task and charged accordingly," said Maria Chin.

Another non-governmental organisation, Sisters in Islam (SIS) and other activists also protested against the evictions by handing over a memorandum to Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo on Tuesday (Nov 28, 2006).

"We understand Kampung Berembang villagers had managed to get written instructions from the Prime Minister's Department and the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), calling for a postponement of the evictions pending a court decision to ensure adequate compensation and reparations for the villagers," said SIS programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi.

"SIS was also informed that Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS) officers were present during the the demolition of the surau. We question the presence of JAIS in this matter, and we are disgusted by the humiliating way in which the surau was destroyed," said Norhayati.

"We understand that the residents of Kampung Berembang had managed to get written instructions from the Prime Minister's Department and the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), calling for a postponement of the evictions pending a court decision to ensure adequate compensation and reparations for the villagers," said SIS programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi.

This is but a small show of what's wrong with today's country - there are greater matters at hand that will show the depth of corruption and problems that this country is facing, but I chose to go with this article because it's a step for those who are not very aware of the political agendas facing the nation - this will be a starting point for you.

This article is just a small showing of how corrupt this country is: it is important to note that MPAJ went against the Prime Minister's Department and the Human Rights Commission, ignoring their instructions to postpone the eviction while waiting for a court settlement on the matter. To those of you who aren't well aware, this is a huge slap in the face to the government and the people - just who is in charge of this country?

An official document from the PM's Department, blatantly ignored by Selangor's MB, Khir Toyo? Huh.

What else of the matter? How can the authorities (MPAJ) actually take physical action on young girls and boys? It is reported elsewhere that two girls lost consciousness due to MPAJ's assault on them (these girls were slapped about by the MPAJ authorities).

I apologize for the lack of an explanation on my part on this matter - it's hard for me to blog when I'm angry over something - and I certainly am angry over the misuse of power that's happening all over Malaysia. Seems like everyone in Malaysia is taking the law into their own hands.

Comments?

Dear readers...

As you know, Random Juice has been lacking updates in the recent weeks. Reason? I can't say for Aliff and Collin... but on my part, it's due to the fact that I lack inspiration for a proper, thought provoking post.

However, be it that the other authors share my dilemma or not, the fact remains that we are lacking in updates, and the best thing for us to do now... is find out what you think would be worth your while, here on Random Juice.

What am I asking of you? I ask that you comment on this post, and tell the three of us of different issues that you would like to see put to light. In fact, if we see that you're passionate enough about the issue, it's very likely that we'll slot you in as a guest writer for that particular issue! :D

What're you waiting for? Get those fingers cracking and those minds thinking.

Proton Satria Neo

This if going to be my first attempt at a car review. Being the car buff that I am, I just can't help it but to try my hands out at this :P So anyways, I'll be doing a review on the rather new Satria Neo. The Neo is the replacement for the ever long serving satria. The new car takes its cues pretty much from its predecessor but with new stylings similar to its brother, the Proton Gen2.

There are a few variants of the Neo, 6 to be exact. Comes with either a 1.3 or 1.6 litre campro engine. Both engines come with either manual or auto. The 1.6 variant comes in either normal ( minus abs & airbags) or high-line ( with airbags & abs )

The version i drove was the 1.6 normal spec auto. I was hoping to test the manual but i guess this will have to do. Seeing the car upclose, I can appreciate more of the design and texture of the body. I noticed the 1.6 cars come with 16 inch bling bling wheels. They look great. Getting into the car, I was rather shocked to find it rather cramped. Or you can also think of it as being snug. The sports seat work great. Holds you in place tight & snug while you take that ever challenging corner.

I would certainly say there are major improvements over the Gen2. Being a Gen2 driver myself, I immmediately noticed afew differences in the Neo. The handling first of all. The first corner you take in the car will certainly blow you away. The car felt confident. You feel like you can just chuck the car into the corner and come out of it looking like a hero. It just feels planted to the road. This is probabl due to stiffer suspensions which brings me to another astonishing feat of the car. The ride comfort is just amazing. You would expect the suspesion to break your back as the car can corner so well, but no. It just feels soft and comfortable going over small holes and bumps.

The main improvement over it's brother is the engine and transmission. I was told that the new campro engine in the Neo is a dual cam engine whereas the Gen2's is a single cam. You can notice immediately that there is more power in the Neo at lower revs, and even more power at higher revs. Mainly at about 4000 rpm, where the max torque of the engine is. The transmission is now much more smoother than before. No more jerks or stutters when the 'box shifts it's gears. There is also no more of the kickdown problem faced in the Gen2 autobox. In the Gen2, the autobox will automatically drop one or two cogs down when going downhill, which makes it rather annoying and noisy. The new transmission also gives a more smoother power delivery throughout the rev band.

Few more minor improvements include better noise insulation from the engine. The cockpit is not as noisy as the Gen2's. The steering wheel has a better feel. Gives you more confidence & comfort while driving.

All in all, I would say the new car is a better car than the old satria, and also better than the Gen2. It would make a great first car for most uni or college students as the sport looks should fit in just right. :)

Letter to America from Malaysia

This open letter was a project initiated by American Christian pastor Brian McLaren who wanted to know what others from the international community thought about Americans. I am only putting the Malaysian portion here. Read more here. Initially meant to be a letter for Christians in the USA only, I felt that this letter would be a great read nevertheless. - Collin

Letter from Malaysia

Dear Brothers and Sisters in North America,

We know that your country, the United States, is one of the most exceptional, resource rich, lands - flowing - with - milk - and - honey of our present day. When the world looks at America today however, it immediately, wrongly and rightly, perceives of disproportionality, in terms of political clout, air - time, military force, or even basic things you take for granted, like opportunity - compared to the rest of the world. Some are legitimate woes, brought about by the workings of a system of national and international economic and political governance that treads on the rights of the poor. But some are woefully inaccurate, as one need only to look at the situation in your Deep South and elsewhere to see the unequal balance still existing between the different peoples and races within your country, as well as the tremendous resilience, at least on the rhetorical level, of attempting to right some very grave historical wrongs.

But our plea, at the present time, from the rest of the world, is that you look beyond your borders, and we don't just mean your physical, geographical ones. Look beyond your borders of class, of race, of creed, of political opinion, of your own little townships and hamlets, of your cities and corporations, beyond your façade of high - school, college, and grad - school, beyond your spiritual myopia, into a reality that you and the rest of the world face. Look towards the destitute, the defenseless, the millions going to a certain death because of war, poverty, disease, and the tens-of-millions already living a crushing mortality through the grind of their mere daily existence. Look towards a world and environment that has witnessed savage brutality. Think of yourselves as citizens of the world, as we are - who groan, as you do, for the righting of wrongs. Make these things, the concerns of the world, your concerns as well. And live it.

Look beyond the introverted world of media and glossy magazines, towards the bleak, stark faces of the world looking back at you. Stand from a viewpoint removed from where you usually stand - detach yourself from your pedestal, destroy it, and attempt to gaze back at the world
as it truly is. Growing up in any strong, overriding culture carries with it a certain habit of under - appreciating the viewpoint of the other, or worse, dressing these opinions around your own. You will realize that the rest of the world understands you better than you understand it, due to your central, prevailing position- so be humble as you speak.

You have much to teach the world and much to give. But we long to see you, brothers and sisters, as that— beloved siblings, but on the same level playing field. Not above us in terms of a self-perpetuating aggrandizement, but as equals, who hold the keys to each other's mutual enrichment, fulfillment, and leadership in the many shared arenas of our common lives. The world does not like to be bullied, have its name sullied, or have causes dropped when their time in the limelight has passed over. So treat us and the problems of the world with honesty, integrity, and we'll protect your names as well. We want to stand by you as brothers and sisters, fighting the battles that matter, on the same turf, for the same reasons. That is, as our wish is for the rest of the world, our hope in these perilous times.

Sincerely,
Reuben Liew
International Civil Worker in Malaysia

Lead! Or Get Out of The Way

I recieved an email from M. Bakri himself last week with this article in it. He had it published simultaneously on Malaysia Today, a very good source for news on our political scene. M. Bakri is a surgeon based in the United States but very vocal from afar. We young ones ought to be as vocal as him, if not more, since we live in Malaysia - Collin

Lead! Or Get Out of the Way
M. Bakri Musa

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi should quit whining. Lead, or get out of the way! He has had three years to make up his mind. If there is any jantan (male) left in UMNO, this is the brutally frank message he needs to deliver to his leader.

There is a place for loyalty to the leader, but not at the price of the followers being led collectively over the cliff.

The singa (lion) in UMNO is long gone; the kittens have taken over. Their meows would be heard loud and clear (and incessantly too!) only when they run out of milk. The ginger has also been long uprooted from UMNO’s garden. What we have instead are Bell peppers; colorful but pepper only in name, it spiciness long ago bred out of them.

At the upcoming UMNO General Assembly, expect effusive choruses of praise and an orgy of adulation for the leader of the day. In spectacle, it would not match what the North Koreans regularly put on for their “Dear Leader,” but the exuberance of the glorifications and the superlatives used would; their intensity matching the desperation of the speakers in being beholden to their leader.

Abdullah’s sycophants have already bestowed him with the glorified title of “Father of the K-Economy,” whatever that means. I suggest he be adorned with a more appropriate appellation, “Bapak Tanah Kayangan!” (Father of Fantasyland!)

Obscenely generous money politics and political patronages have effectively emasculated UMNO. To be sure there will be plenty of gaily - attired putris (princesses) gracing the gathering. They will add color to the otherwise dull background, but nothing more. As for the putras (princes), they will be dozing off, having spent their late nights with the Mat Rempits terrorizing the streets and neighborhoods with their motorcycles.

I long for brave souls along the fashion of the late Sulaiman Palestin. He never hesitated to challenge even the most esteemed leader. If he were alive today, he would courageously introduce a “No Confidence” resolution at the Assembly. Even if it were not successful, it might
just prove to the needed shock for Abdullah to come out of his slumber. The man has been daydreaming for too long.


Pathetic Performance with Mahathir

Abdullah’s performance after (and also presumably during) his one - on - one meeting with his predecessor was pathetic. If Abdullah cannot stand up to Mahathir, how on earth can we expect Abdullah to look after the nation’s interests in even tougher negotiations with foreign leaders?

Mahathir effectively reduced Abdullah to an errand schoolboy guilty of being delinquent in his homework and now has to write down a hundred times, “I must pay attention to my work and not doze off!”

According to Abdullah, Mahathir did most of the talking. Abdullah by his own admission was too polite to interfere. Touching! According to Mahathir (and Abdullah corroborated this), he brought up the very same issues he had been harping on for the past few months.

Abdullah does not need to listen to the details again; presumably he had heard them before and would by now be ready with the answers and rebuttals. Malaysians and the world have certainly heard Mahathir’s litany of complaints. What he and we needed were answers. Yet there was the sorry sight of Abdullah pleading for more time! If Abdullah does not get it by now, he never will.

What Abdullah should have done when Mahathir began to repeat what he had said many times before was to stop him cold and assert, “With due respect Tun, I have heard them all before, and many times over. Let me address them one by one!” With that, Dr. M effectively takes over the meeting. Then we would know who was in charge!

After the meeting, Abdullah should have called for a press conference and publicly invited Mahathir to join in. That of course would take confidence and leadership, the very qualities so clearly lacking with Abdullah.

Instead it was Mahathir who gave not one but two press conferences to let the public know what transpired between them. Abdullah was reduced to whining and complaining that Mahathir was spewing “venom.” He took solace behind the protective but ineffectual barks of his ministers and spinmeisters.

Abdullah forgot that the issues Mahathir raised are also very much in the public mind. He owes Malaysians, not just Mahathir, an explanation. Whining, maintaining an “elegance silence,” or asking his surrogates to answer for him merely exposes Abdullah lack of engagement. What we have in Abdullah is not a chief executive but a pseudo sultan, and not a very regal one at that. Malaysia already has nine sultans; it does not need a tenth.

During this past Ramadan, Abdullah was busy being an imam, dispensing homilies and delivering sermons. Again, Malaysia has no shortage of imams and khatibs, what it needs desperately is a chief executive.


The Issue is Abdullah’s Leadership

Mahathir has long retired as Prime Minister; his legacy is for historians to dissect. Abdullah is a significant part of that legacy.

At issue here however is Abdullah’s leadership, or lack of it. He hides his inability to make the tough decisions by rationalizing that he leads through consensus. That has long been the excuse of the indecisive.

Mahathir singled out Kalimullah Hassan and Brendan Pereira for their sinister influences on Abdullah. Mahathir is being kind to Abdullah. In my view, Abdullah’s faults and weaknesses are his own making. If he had guts, he would have long ago fired the two, not for their presumed bad advice but for their juvenile commentaries, blatant plagiarisms, and inability to stem the declining readership of the once proud The New Straits Times. If the two cannot even run their paper, how can they presume to know how to run the country?

When the issue of conflict of interest with his family’s businesses arose, Abdullah at first denied it. When confronted with the facts, he did not deny the business dealings rather that he did not know about them! He should have been embarrassed by his ignorance; instead he used it as a pretext! Now that Mahathir had brought the issue directly to him, Abdullah’s latest excuse was that Mahathir’s sons too were involved in the past. Soon Abdullah will exhaust his explanations.

Instead of seeking solutions, Abdullah grabs at excuses. Since his advisors and those on the “infamous fourth floor” have not offered him any, I will offer my solution on avoiding future potential conflicts of interest.

Henceforth, any family member (spouse, sibling, children, in-laws) of the prime minister, minister, or any senior government official doing business with the government would have their contracts and bids subjected to a post-decision independent review by a commission to be headed by a former senior judge. That body would have court powers to subpoena witnesses and records. Its deliberations would also be open to the public. Details like the companies’ capabilities and principals, as well the bids of other competitors, would be examined. Let the sunshine in; that is the only effective way to disinfect the current cesspool that is the government’s procuring process.

Related to the issue of conflict of interest is the increasing private use of public assets by Abdullah and other leaders. The Prime Minister is treating the government’s luxurious corporate jets as his private limousines. Someone in Parliament ought to inquire whether the Prime Minister and his adult children and in-laws reimburse the government for using the jet on their recent umrah. When President Bush uses Air Force One for his campaign, his party had to reimburse the government for the non-official use of the plane.

If we do not make an issue of such abuses at this early stage, it would not take long for more egregious patterns to emerge. Soon you would have some sycophantic politicians suggesting tha Sri Perdana be deeded to Abdullah.

Abdullah constantly decries about Malaysians having First World facility but Third World mentality. The government’s fleet of corporate jets is certainly First World, but its current users are not.

Abdullah should draw up clear guidelines of when and under what conditions can members of his family (as well as other leaders) partake in business relationships with the government, as well as when public assets can be used for private purposes. That would go a long way towards satisfying Mahathir as well as other Malaysians.

Selamat Hari Raya!

Kami di Random Juice ingin mengucapkan kepada semua umat Islam & warganegara Malaysia Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Ingin kami susunkan jari-jemari kami & meminta ampun atas segala salah & silap, terkasar bahasa, secara langsung atau tidak langsung. Moga segala perselisihan di ketepikan :) Akhir sekali ingin kami ucapkan moga selamat pergi & selamat pulang dari & ke kampung halaman. Kami berharap anda akan berseronok di hari lebaran ini.

Hari Lebaran kini menjelang,
Mengeratkan sillaturahim di antara kita,
Setahun sekali ia datang,
Ampun maaf ingin di minta.

Tulus Ikhlas dari kami.

Parenting

I have been engaged by Catholic magazine Catholic Asian News (CANews) to conduct a "mass interview" among people in our age group and since we have an ample number of people here, I have been engaged to get you guys to respond to these two questions:-

1) What makes a good parent?

2) What makes good parenting?

Of course, unless you see a difference in these two questions which may lead to similar responses, please feel free to respond to one BUT please be elaborate in your answers. Responses can be made at the "Comments" area. I will publish the full article upon publication and yes, it will be published in CANews' December issue.

Thanking you in advance,

Collin Michael Nunis

o/b The Very Rev. Fr. O.C. Lim, SJ, LLB

Editor,

Catholic Asian News

Waiting On The World to Change

I got this off Youtube, and it is what I would say, a good alternative to the music video. We will not see this on our shore's tellies but rest be assured, we at Random Juice, just like everyone else, and John Mayer included (of which all 3 of us are fans), are only doing one thing:

Waiting On the World to Change

and hopefully what we do will lead to that, in a positive way, of course.

ps: Note the bluesy guitar solo... I like XD!!!