I had recommended that DS Najib consider dropping DS Nazri Aziz from his Cabinet in his recent cabinet re-shuffle. Whilst this didn't happen as the re-shuffle was more focussed on changes in the MCA leadership and MIC's post-Samy Vellu preparations, there was much disappointment and continued hope that some heads will roll in the near future.
One minister I didn't mention for the chop, current EPU minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (TS NMY), is currently more popular for removal, especially among the GLC, corporate and business conscious bloggers. This follows the on-going spate of scandals among GLCs, from Sime Darby through POS Malaysia, the former an example of a continuous explosive affair whilst the latter a simmering pot of disaster as TS NMY's boys in Khazanah and the GLCs spin a cover-up.
However, DS Nazri, perhaps upset that the limelight of political confusion has been off him, and focussed on the non-politician DS Idris Jala to boot, has decided to seize it back in a dramatic fashion... it seems DS Nazri wants to abolish overseas undergraduate Scholarships! Worst, in an age when many doubt the quality of local grads, especially from peripheral IPTAs, DS Nazri wants to deprive many Malaysians from getting quality education abroad!
For this DS Nazri surely should be sacked! I have had the pleasure of having run through DS Idris Jala's presentation on Subsidy Rationalisation and found it comforting that EVEN DS IDRIS AND PEMANDU DOES NOT PLAN TO HAVE SUBSIDIES IN EDUCATION CUT; i.e. no scholarship cuts planned at all according to government plans before DS Nazri saw the wisdom in opening his mouth! ... did I get that wrong? Hope not ...
Rather than cut our overseas undergraduate scholarship budget, why doesn't DS Nazri think about cutting minister's overseas holidays budgets first? Not enough? Of course. So then lets start with some more real serious stuff to cut first which is on DS Idris Jala's proposal:
- Stop subsidising IPPs for the Gas or Fuel they use to run to produce Electricity! I am sure the YTLs and Malakoffs have by now fully recovered their high cost of capital to start their plants AND THEN SOME. In addition, it is surely unethical to continue to subsidise a private enterprise that is making so much money it is expanding on the back of subsidies instead of giving scholarships...
- Stop giving away APs and instead have all those people who can afford it actually PAY the high cost of these cars! I say it is sick that a rich man can afford to get an AP and hence get a hundred thousand ringgit discount to bring a Ferarri into the country, especially when the same hundred thousand ringgit could pay for 2 years of a Medical Student's scholarship or all of 3 years of tuition fees for an undergraduate Pharmacy student in Australia.
- By all means, stop paying Highway concessionaries to stop them from raising toll rates. If toll Highway users are upset, tell them to learn to car pool - they won't anyway, Petrol is still too cheap from subsidies for Malaysians to want to bother sharing cars or even try public transport! Tell them if they just RM1/day higher tolls, maybe a few talented kids from Bario or Kuala Sepetang will get a chance to study Engineering in the US.
- etc.
- etc.
- et al.
But for gods sakes, don't cut any of our scholarships! DS Najib, please sack DS Nazri before he loses you the election...
4 comments:
Bro
If the govt gives 8,000 o'seas scholarships @ appx. $200K per student, that's $1.6 billion a year.
But the govt claims it only gives 2,000 scholarships a year, which is about $400 million on the high side.
So, wher does foot-in-mouth Nazri get his "billions" a year from?
This is the kind of policy which will see more brain drain and less learned graduates locally!!
Just cut that $8 billion tanks contract to DRB, charge a billion or two for betting licences and APs', remove subsidies for IPPs, tollcos and watercos and we'll be home nice and dry.
dpp
we are all of 1 race, the Human Race
Dpp, you have to multiply by 3 or 4 or 5, depending on year courses. So that should run into the billions. Allocations put aside usually take into account full course completion. The following year will be another billion for another batch of students.
Just keep the fool so that he will be blamed if BN lost in the next general election.
Will scroundrels be fair in their probe?
Why keep the scholarship?
1-To give to less qualified Kelantanese (so call handicap system)?
2-To give to relatives of Tan Sris and Datuks?
3-To give to families of government servants?
4-Local Universities ended up with less qualified students?
5-I have a son in law having to take loan from MARA to do engineering in Imperial College. I a daughter having to take loan from MARA to study madicine in Monash.
Remove undergraduate scholarship dan award to those doing Masters and PhDs (perhaps with CGPAs of 3.5 and above)- that will remove 1,2, snd 3; meaning improve human capital. Those who have better qualification can teach better students and make local universities better, besides helping to produce better educated work force.
The new policy it seems is to stop less qualified cronies getting scholarship at expense of those qualified!
This is how I see it.
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