Rombakan Cabinet Yang Melegakan Lagi Mengecewakan

Akhirnya jelas kepada semua, rupa-rupanya, rombakan cabinet DS Najib hanyalah tertumpu kepada parti-parti komponen MCA dan MIC sahaja. Perkara ini mungkin melegakan begitu ramai pemimpin UMNO, terutama penyandang jawatan, terutama sekali mereka yang kelihatan tidak efektif ataupun dicemuh oleh rakyat. Namun atas sebab yang sama, Rakyat juga pasti ramai kecewa yang begitu ramai pemimpin yang ditolak mereka masih dikekalkan oleh DS Najib.

Buat masa ini, jurublog ingin menumpukan perhatian kepada muka-muka baru dalam kabinet secara amnya. Saya sebenarnya gembira mendengar YB Datuk Wira Chor Chee Heung dilantik Menteri Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, kerana beliau dari Kedah. Dengan kedudukan beliau sebagai Naib Presiden MCA yang kini berkementerian, mungkinkah ini akan membantu usaha MCA Kedah untuk menarik kembali undi bangsa Cina ke BN di negeri tersebut?

Malangnya, gembira saya tidak setanding kecewa apabila melihat DS Ong Tee Keat digugurkan langsung dari kabinet. Tahulah beliau kalah, tetapi DS Chua Soi Lek telah mengesyorkan beliau dikekalkan, apatah lagi kerana popularnya DS Ong TK baik di kawasan Parlimennya mahupun di kalangan Rakyat yang mahukan isu skandal PKFZ diselesaikan. DS Ong TK terserlah sebagai tokoh pembenteras rasuah yang meggasak isu PKFZ! Ada apa-apakah disebalik penggugurannya?

Kecewa lagi apabila mendengar akan perlantikan calon DS Samy Vellu, Datuk G Palanivel sebagai Timbalan Menteri. Kecewa kenapa? Di tempatnya sendiri, Hulu Selangor, beliau tak cukup popular untuk dicalonkan bertanding PRK baru-baru ini, apakah perlantikannya akan menguntungkan BN? Mungkinkah ia hanya sekadar membantu DS Samy mempertahankan legasinya kelak?

Akhir kata, saya tak kenal anak DS Chua Soi Lek. Beliau mungkin berbakat benar orangnnya dan layak menduduki jawatan Timbalan Menteri. Malangnya, memandangkan ayahnya merupakan Presiden MCA, ini akan mewujudkan imej nepotisma dilemparkan ke atas DS Chua dan MCA sekali lagi. Ramai faham dan simpati apabila YB Chua dicalonkan mengantikan ayahnya ke Parlimen Labis pada PRU12, tetapi perlantikannya ke Timbalan Menteri mungkin keterlaluan...

Yang kita harapkan adalah rombakan kabinet untuk menyuntik semangat dan tenaga baru kepada kabinet DS Najib menjelang PRU13. Paling kurangpun, pengguguran 1-2 Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri yang ternyata tidak membantu, malah menjejaskan harapan BN menjelang PRU13. Nampak gaya, harapan tak tercapai kali ini. Wallahualam ...

Who To Leave Out Of DS Najib's New Cabinet?

Smses have been flying around about a new cabinet to be announced by DS Najib today or tomorrow. Rather than pitch for any new additions, I would suggest that the following ministers' relevance be reviewed. I would argue that they are primarily vote losers, not vote winners. Even if not dropped, they should be moved from their current portfolio, except no 1 and 2, they have to go:

1. DS Nazri TS Aziz - Much disliked due to his frequent verbal abuse of Tun Dr M, opposition, critics, bloggers... actually, everybody! Being a big shot's son does not help, personafies the image of UMNO 'nobles' at its worst, arrogant and disconnected from the Rakyat. Recent taxi rate hikes backfired with taxi drivers claiming it was 'to his benefit' and saving of BN's blushes at the Budget vote would not have been necessary if he did his job as party whip!


2. TS Koh Tsu Koon - What is the point of having this man, known as an ultra-racist in civilised clothes even among some Penang Chinese, still in cabinet? He lost PRU12, his party lost the state of Penang, the party still struggles for leadership, with BN cringeing at the idea of a Gerakan candidate for the potential Batu by-election, and he cannot do any cabinet work! DS Najib had to appoint DS Idris Jala to do TS Koh's work! Just sack TS Koh already!


3. DS Hishamuddin Hussein - Some would argue it would have been worst leaving him in the Education Ministry, unfortunately, I am not so sure! As the custodian of our police and internal security forces, he may have not presided over as enormous boo-boos as his predecessors, Pak Lah and TS Syed Hamid, but his penchant for seeking the media spotlight does not suit a ministry that works very much in the background... when it is doing well...


4. DS Rais Yatim - As one who supported his bid for UMNO Vice President on the back of his experience, I am actually disappointed at how poorly DS has performed in his 'super-ministry'. He remains cultured and well spoken, but appears to be overwhelmed by the ideas of the day and the media tools now needing to be mastered in the increasingly 'post-digital' era. It's about ideas man... let them roam... don't just tell us... build your message with us...

I am sure to have incited some anger and hatred... again... but then what to do? I'm hardly the only person saying the above.

PS - I didn't mention explicitly about the new 'private' being made a Cabinet Minister as the idea is too moronic to contemplate. DS Najib does still want to win PRU13, I am sure.

At Last, "Satu Sekolah Untuk Semua" Makes An Appearance In Parliament...

OK, seriously speaking, SSS didn't really appear in Parliament, and I am not even sure if the web campaign was mentioned, but kudos to YB Ir. Hamim Samuri from Ledang, Johor, for urging the government to move to a single stream school system when debating the budget in parliament yesterday, the stream obviously being Malay, in the interest of racial unity. The proposal seemed to have cross-floor support in the Dewan, with PAS and PKR reps standing and voicing so.

SSS I believe is actually the most significant effort to move Malaysia more significantly into a united and truly Merdeka nation. In practical terms, it is more significant than 1Malaysia and will bring more lasting repercussions not easily dismantled by changes in the political wind. It is hence brilliant of YB Ir. Hamim to propose a single stream school system that is 'bite-size' and politically easier to sell, by:

1. Restricting the move to Secondary Schools only, leaving Primary education very much in the current state. I seemed to think this is winding back the clock a bit... but you know, sometimes clocks need winding back.


2. Suggesting such a move would be in line, and indeed should be made part of, the 1Malaysia effort - it certainly is in tune with the concept with regards to unity!

This is only a first tiny step though rather than a breakthrough. Real breakthrough would only occur with a change in government policy, and let's be honet, SSS is only worth doing if Primary Schools are made single stream too. Else, we risk the polarisation stemming from the vernacular schools' existing persisting through even the future single stream system. So SSS campaigners must insist on this. Political will and its realities is not really our problem!

PS, a correction on the fact YB Tony Pua gave that the single stream school system had been mooted by Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim. It was actually part of Laporan Razak that was published in 1956 on how our nation's education system should be. Perhaps this is an opportunity for DS Najib to achieve where his father fell short in delivering...

Teaching Priorities To Our Children...

Last week whilst I was driving my daughter and son to school, the daughter complained that our maid had made a mistake. It seems the maid had put my son's tuperware in her bag and vice versa. This appeared to be a repeat offence. This is how the conversation subsequently went:

Daughter: Bibi (the maid) selalu buat macam tu...

Me: Selalu? Every day?

D: No... sometimes... but I don't like it...

M: Is there food in the tuperware?

D: Ummm, yes...

M: So which is more important, that Bibi makes sure you have food to bring to school or that she puts the right tuperware in the right bag?

D: The food is more important.

M: Good. You must realise what a rush it is in the morning for everyone to get ready kan?

D: Ya.

M: So, have you thanked Bibi for making sure you and your brother have food every morning?

D: No.

M: Isn't that more important than complaining about the tuperware?

D: ...

M: I know you are upset about the tuperware, and I know it is important to you, but that doesn't mean it's the most important thing. You must understand what is really important when you choose to do things...

I'm not sure if the lesson was well learned, I certainly didn't ask her to swap tuperwares herself with the brother, hoping they'd figure it out themselves. (Not sure if they did really as we pulled up to the school by the end of the conversation). Nonetheless, how, what, where, when and why to prioritise, is a lesson not easily learned, even for a working adult and perhaps the confusion begins at school!

I won't rant about the physical examples of the poor prioritisation of our childrens' lives at school, such as the big bags heavy with nigh all the books they are using for the year as there is poor clarity on what books to bring! Or the strange celebration of kids scoring 18A's at SPM, when I would have preferred 6A's of higher quality and difficulty to attain that are also the childrens' choice of subjects to study with an eye for the future.

There are bigger examples of poor prioritisation in our school system, such as on medium of instruction. I know of no other nation in the world that has, not just allowed non-national languages as a choice for primary medium of instruction at schools, but also has had its government funding the majority of these vernacular schools! Now these schools have become not just a political football in minority politics but is exceedingly seen as the root causes of racial disharmony!

Opposition parties like to say that BN component parties like to practice race-based politics, however, the DAP themselves play this game and this was proven in Perak when the former PR government helped fund some PRIVATE vernacular schools! Last week, we see nonsense escalating in the education arena when Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat claiming 'merit' to mean just exam grades and not co-curricular activities! Ah, I see, so he wants us to be a nation of exam crammers!

I hence welcome efforts by fellow bloggers to stop politicians of any ilk, but especially racist ones, from messing up the priorities of our schools. I have hence joined the following petition. Join us:

PPSMI Dan Ekonomi Negara

Sebagai seorang pencinta bahasa, saya begitu sedih melihat usaha para pejuang Bahasa Malaysia kini dipergunakan sehingga huru-hara timbul di negara.

Seperti biasa, Pak Lah yang tahu isu ini sudah mendidih begitu lama dan membiarkan ia membuak-buak selesai keputusan Mathematik dan Sains UPSR yang mengecewakan di luar bandar dengan diputar-belitkan berita mengenai 'kejayaannya', kini sibuk pula ingin menyelesaikannya 'dengan segera'.

Akhirnya, saya setuju dengan pendapat yang mengatakan ini permainan politik sesetengah pihak yang tidak ikhlas pun tentang hal ini. Cuma digembar-gemburkan semata-mata agenda perebutan kuasa pihak tersebut. Malah, kalau bukan kerana ada peralihan kuasa dan sudah diketengahkan isu kuasa Raja-Raja Melayu, tentu tentangan PPSMI disyaki agenda mengalihkan fikiran perwakilan UMNO dari krisis ekonomi menjelang Perhimpunan Agung pada akhir bulan ini...

Hmmm... saya lagi jalan-jalan di Sabah sekarang. Akan saya sambung...