How Malaysia Ranks in Education

Malaysia ranks no. 4 among ASEAN + 3 countries in the Education for All Development Index (EDI), behind Japan, South Korea and Brunei.

The EDI score was based on the improvement of the scores in four evaluated objectives, namely primary net enrolment rate, adult literacy rate, Gender EFA Index and Survival Rate to Grade Five.

Compared to other Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) countries, Malaysia ranked fifth out of the 33 OIC countries that participated in the survey. Among 20 Commonwealth countries, Malaysia is no. 4.

Of the the 20 Commonwealth countries that participated in the survey, Malaysia was among the top five and among the ASEAN + 3 countries, Malaysia was ranked 4th, behind Japan, South Korea and Brunei.

Malaysia’s position in the Education For All Development Index (EDI) has improved - from 56th placed to 45th out of the 129 countries surveyed.

The Global Monitoring Report 2009 (GMR 2009) survey annual report is Unesco’s mechanism to monitor education development in member countries.

The United States, Australia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are not included in the GMR 2009 survey, which ranked Kazakhstan as first, followed by Japan, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom.

The report on the GMR 2009 was tabled at the High Level Group Meeting on EFA in Oslo, Norway on Dec 17. Malaysia was represented by Hishammuddin at the meeting which was held from Dec 16 to 18.

Source: The Star Online.

Settling Penans into misery

Remember when natives were resettled for the building of hydro electric dams in Sarawak? What happened later? Did the natives actually thrive and prosper? Or were they introduced into the cycle of the ills associated with modernization - stressful life, debts, poor healthcare and poverty?

How does the Barisan Nasional government think that resettling the Penans would give them better life? Are the Penans not happy and contented with their nomadic lives? Lets not force unto others what we think is good for us. Have a deep understanding of the Penans first. Most important of all, have respect for them.

The Barisan Nasional people are forever thinking that they know better and smarter than others. What does Alfred Jabu know about improving the livelihood of the Penans when he hasn't had any impact on his own people? But then, what can we expect from someone who has been serving as the Chief Photographer for Taib Mahmud. They're forever arrogant creatures.

Let us see who gets RM566mil

The Federal Gov't Rural and Regional Development Ministry is giving Sarawak RM566.7 mil next year for various development projects in rural areas.

RM420.1 mil would be allocated for rural infrastructure, utilities and social amenities such as roads, power supply and water supply.

Another RM40.5mil would go for poverty eradication projects while the remaining RM106.1mil was for human capital development, rural economic activities, land development and information and communication technology development.

Anyone can have a good guess of who owns the companies that will undertake these projects. Hint: There is only one company that undertakes road works in Sarawak.

Sarawak Rivers Hazardous to Humans

As reported in The New Straits Times, Dr. Pengguang Manggil of Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment Board highlighted that several rivers in Sarawak have high bacterial concentration and are hazardous to humans. Such rivers include Sungai Bintangor and Sungai Sekama. The rivers such as Sungai Padungan and Sungai Maong cannot even be used for irrigation.

These rivers are polluted by effluents ands wastes dumped from food outlets, heavy industries, river-plying vessels and households. Rivers such as Sungai Sarawak are polluted with effluents and wastes from agricultural activities, land clearing and mining.

As the Sarawak continues to have Taib Mahmud and Barisan Nasional in power, our land and rivers will continue to be devastated. And we'll continue to destroy what we should preserve for the future generation.

Now is the time to remove Taib Mahmud and Barisan Nasional. We owe that to our future generation.

Ingenious - Solar-powered slug

Eat a plant and become photosynthetic. That's an ingenious energy efficiency model. And it's green, too.

A lurid green sea slug, with a gelatinous leaf-shaped body, has ability to run on solar power. Mary Rumpho of the University of Maine, has now discovered how the sea slug gets this ability: it photosynthesises with genes "stolen" from the algae it eats.

She has known for some time that E. chlorotica acquires chloroplasts – the green cellular objects that allow plant cells to convert sunlight into energy – from the algae it eats, and stores them in the cells that line its gut.

Young E. chlorotica fed with algae for two weeks, could survive for the rest of their year-long lives without eating, Rumpho found in earlier work.

Through evolution and advances in bio-technologies, could humans be photosynthetic?

Najib Churns Out Another Rhetoric on Education

Source: The Star Online

The Malaysian Smart Schools Flagship Application was created during the time when Najib was Minister of Education. If you read the Blueprint for the Malaysian Smart Schools System, what Najib said in his opening speech at the Seminar on Creating a Blue Ocean in Education and Training Sectors today is no different. He spoke of the need to achieve the same things that were in the Smart Schools blueprint.

Najib just loves to shout rhetorics. After spending a billion ringgit of taxpayers money on the Malaysian Smart Schools project, there is hardly any result to show. What is the status of the project? The project has perhaps died. Last year Hishamuddin, the current Minister of Education introduced yet another Education Blueprint.

Anyone can talk. Our education system will never rise above the level of thinking of our ministers.

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At another function on early education and ‘Each Child is a Gem of the Nation’ (Permata), Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the government had recently approved the Permata curriculum and programme for children ages four and below and there would be a national roll out of the programme next year.

He said RM200mil had been set aside under the 2009 Budget for child early education (from age one to six), adding that the Permata curriculum would be made mandatory for private centres.

Najib said there were 8,814 kindergartens in the country, most of which were privately run.

He also noted that as of 2007, only 10% or 3.1mil children in that age group attended day care centres, which was far below the 80% in developed countries.

He said the government recognised that the first four years of a child’s life were formative years and that 90% of rapid brain development happened during these early years and hence there was a need for a holistic type of early education.

Najib’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor is the chairman of the Permata committee.

Dead Rivers of Sarawak

Twenty five years of Taib Mahmud's rule and Sarawak's many rivers are badly polluted, some classified as "dead".

That's Taib's politics of development. Plunder the land, pollute the rivers. For future generations, Taib Mahmud will leave behind dead rivers and raped land.

Ketuanan Melayu wld not have been if not for Sabah and Sarawak

Led by Gagasan Melayu Perak, this is a group of more than a thousand people marched to the Istana Kuala Kangsar to submit a memorandum to Sultan Azlan. The Sultan spoke of the need for people to respect social contract and Ketuanan Melayu.

Melayu memang mudah lupa. Have they forgotten that without Sabah and Sarawak, UMNO would not be ruling today and that Ketuanan Melayu would have been at ground level?

Why don't Gagasan Melayu march over to Sabah and Sarawak to pay homage and respect to East Malaysians for having protected the downfall of BN last election. UMNO and Malays will forever owe Sabahans and Sarawakians their dignity and morale.

See the pics here to understand why we need to protect these weaker and more sensitive people. Poor guys, they need to run to the Sultan for protection at the slightest provocation.

Apa Itu? Dayaks Insulted by Taib Mahmud

On Saturday, 1 November 2008 at the Sarawak Agro Fest 2008, Taib Mahmud arrogantly embarrassed and insulted the Dayaks saying that the shifting cultivation of the Dayaks created 2 mil acres of native customary rights land. His words, “You see, they (Dayaks) have two million acres under NCR lands just because of shifting cultivation. Apa itu?”

There is more than 7 million hectares of timber concessions which benefit Taib Mahmud dynasty and cronies.

Five companies control more than 5 mil hectares of timber concessions in Sarawak. Apa itu? Read more on Sarawak Headhunter blog here.

Obama - World's Most Powerful Man, 44th President of USA

All Things Are Possible. Similarly, change will come to Sarawak soon. For Sarawak, the long road ahead starts now - the immediate removal of Taib Mahmud, Alfred Jabu, George Chan and all the BN state cabinet members. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but Sarawak - I have never been more hopeful than I am now that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there soon.

Well Put

Source: The Star Online

The Star puts it perfectly - Sarawak is stunning.

But for how long? Some rivers are already so polluted and some are already dead zones. Towns, factories, farming and settlements along the rivers must now switch to eco-friendly practices. We cannot depend on the government alone to conserve Sarawak. It's our personal responsibility to our future generations.

After 50 years, Sarawak is still beggar state

Sadly, Sarawak remains a beggar state, even after half a century of independence and after over 25 years under control of the Taib Mahmud dynasty. So much timber and other natural resources have been extracted from the land for as long as Taib has been in power. Yet, Sarawak is in the same financial state as African countries depending on handouts from other governments.

How many indigenious Sarawak companies export Made-in-Sarawak technologies and high value services? What is the contribution of the value of export of indigenious technologies and services to the State's GDP (excluding natural resources and related products)? For how long can we let Taib Mahmud plunder the land? When can we start focusing on developing indigenious high value-added products and services, and stop plundering the land to conserve for future generation?

Rush the Removal of Taib

Now Taib Mahmud has to insult the intelligence of Sarawakians. How dare he say Sarawakians can only accept and understand change slowly?

The one mother of all changes that Sarawaks want to rush is the removal of Taib Mahmud, Alfred Jabu and George Chan.

So why is Taib calling for slow tempo? To give him and his cronies more time to amass wealth and plunder the land?

William Mawan Still Asleep

The Minister has been drinking and now he is sleeping. How simple issues become complicated problems where in the hands of dumb minister.

Source: The Star Online 21-Oct-2008

Taskforce to look into ICs, birth certs of Sarawak rural folk
By SHARON LING

KUCHING: The state government is setting up a taskforce to look into the problem of rural folk who still do not have identity cards or birth certificates.

Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Datuk William Mawan said his ministry will be the secretariat of the taskforce, which will also comprise other relevant authorities including the National Registration Department (NRD), the Education Department and police.

“There are people who have applied for their identity cards or birth certificates but due to some technical reasons -- in that they could not fully satisfy the requirements of the NRD -- their applications have been delayed.

Thus they are not in possession of legal documents to say that they are Sarawakians.

“The problem here is, if the parents don’t have documents, their children won’t have documents and neither will their grandchildren. It’s a vicious circle,” he told reporters after attending a briefing with NRD officers at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here on Tuesday.

Mawan said there were 3,887 reported cases of people who had not registered for personal documents yet, 4,800 school students without documents and 1,274 cases of documents which could not be delivered to applicants.

“These are the immediate areas that we want to address,” he said.

He added that a collaborative approach involving the NRD, other departments, district officers, elected representatives and village headmen was needed to tackle the matter effectively.

“As such, the taskforce will coordinate efforts to solve this problem,” he said.

More Destruction into Native Land

If you want to feel sick, take a trip to logging areas in interior Sarawak. You thought you would enjoy pristine rainforest country and cool dips in clear rivers. Instead, the sights are sickening.

Now, the beautiful Bario, so remote and undisturbed, is now victim to greedy timber companies feeding the coffers of Taib Mahmud.

Indiscriminate Extraction of Sarawak's Natural Resources

Source: The Star Online 22-Oct-2008

More timber concessions to again rape the land and enrich the Taib Mahmud dynasty and his cronies.

Borneo's Longest Insect

Source: MSNBC

Nearly the length of a human arm, a recently identified stick bug from the island of Borneo is the world's longest insect, British scientists said Thursday.

The specimen was found by a local villager and handed to Malaysian amateur naturalist Datuk Chan Chew Lun in 1989, according to Philip Bragg, who formally identified the insect in this month's issue of peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. The insect was named Phobaeticus chani, or "Chan's megastick," in Chan's honor.

Paul Brock, a scientific associate of the Natural History Museum in London unconnected to the animal's discovery said there was no doubt it was the longest extant insect ever found.

Looking more like a solid shoot of bamboo than its smaller, frailer cousins, the dull-green insect measures about 22 inches (56.7 centimeters), if its delicate, twig-like legs are counted. There are 14 inches (35.7 centimeters) from the tip of its head to the bottom of its abdomen, beating the previous record body length, held by Phobaeticus kirbyi, also from Borneo, by about an inch (2.9 centimeters).

Stick bugs, also known as phasmids, have some of the animal kingdom's cleverest camouflage. Although some phasmids use noxious sprays or prickly spines to deter their predators, generally the bugs assume the shape of sticks and leaves to avoid drawing attention.

"Their main defense is basically hanging around, looking like a twig," Brock said. "It will even sway in the wind."

For Bragg, who works as a schoolteacher and catalogues stick bugs as a hobby, the discovery showed the urgency of conservation work.

"There aren't enough specialists around to work on all the insects in the world," he said. "There's going to be stuff that's extinct before anyone gets around to describing it."

The Phobaeticus chani is now a part of the Natural History Museum's "Creepy Crawlies" gallery. It went on display Thursday.

Who Cares About The Penans?

As reported in The Star Online.

KUALA LUMPUR: Thirty-five non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the Bar Council want Bukit Aman instead of the Sarawak police to investigate the alleged sexual abuse of Penan women and girls by loggers.

They cited non-action over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old Penan girl back in 1994 and other abuses.

The NGOs said in a statement the affected communities had “expressed a serious lack of confidence in the Sarawak police due to their long-standing dealings with them” and the perpetuation of abuse with impugnity.

Referring to the reports of rape, sexual abuse and exploitation of Penan girls and women in The Star on Oct 6, they said that despite the serious nature of the allegations, Sarawak police had been dismissive, insisting a report be lodged before an investigation commences.

They questioned police commitment since the Marudu police had stated yesterday that they had found no evidence of abuse but “temporary” marriages between Penan women and loggers.

On Tuesday, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen announced the setting up of a task force to look into the plight of Penan women and girls. The Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) and Women’s Centre for Change, Penang, will be members of the task force.

At a press conference at the council, its chairman Datuk Ambiga said Malaysia was a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

“One of the strengths of good governance is not how well the Government looks after the majority but its minority and vulnerable groups,” she said.

WAO executive director Ivy Josiah, who said the task force had yet to meet, said WAO would like indigenous women to be represented. in the task force.

“WAO would like the task force to not just devise programmes but go on a fact-finding mission to see for ourselves the situation.”

Centre for Orang Asli Concerns coordinator Colin Nicholas called for investigations to “be conducted by Bukit Aman because the Sarawak police has shown itself by its inquiries in 1994 to be either biased or incompetent.”

Baram MP Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan said he is “shocked” by the claims that Penan schoolgirls and young women had been raped and sexually abused by timber workers in his constituency.

Sagan, who said he had not been informed by anyone of these alleged crimes, said: “This is a serious matter and I support the call by Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam for the truth to be exposed.”

Against Their Will for Politics of Development

As reported in The Star Online

ON a sunny Sunday morning last year, 16-year-old Cynthia (not her real name) boarded a four-wheel drive dispatched by logging company Samling to ferry students to SMK Long Lama from her longhouse in Long Kawi, middle Baram, Sarawak.

However, the driver did not send the passengers ( two boys and three girls ) to the school directly. He dropped by a logging camp and told the students that they had to spend the night there.

“It was around 4pm. Although the school is not far from the camp, the driver didn’t want to continue the journey. The boys and girls were separated into two rooms. I was with my younger sister and another girl. When night fell, the men in the camp were drinking. In the middle of the night, several men came into our room. One of them dragged me from the room and took me to the bushes behind the camp,” Cynthia recalls her ordeal. The other two girls were not harmed.

A life ruined:
Mindy, 21, is saddled with two children after being coerced into having sex by a timber company worker.

The Form 3 student became pregnant and delivered a baby girl a few months ago. Cynthia, who harbours hopes of being a nurse, is now unsure of her future as she has been absent from school due to her pregnancy.

The fair-skinned, soft-spoken girl had previously been harassed by workers from a Samling camp but managed to elude them.

Samling, when contacted, says the camp implicated in the incident may not have belonged to the company and urged those making the allegations to contact the police and provide accurate information to enable criminal investigations.

Samling’s head of corporate communications Cheryl Yong says: “We are very concerned over the latest allegations even though we do not operate in the Temela Camp (where the alleged sexual assault took place). We do not condone any criminal acts within our premises or by employees.”

Yong explains that Samling has a zero-tolerance policy towards alcohol consumption during work hours. Furthermore, alcohol sale is unavailable on its premises and anyone found consuming alcohol while working will be dismissed.

At Long Belok, Rina (not her real name) who was raped in her house and delivered a baby girl in May 2005, is fearful of timber camp workers. “If I see them in the village, I will run and hide in the forest.”

She is glad that she did not have to marry the man who raped her despite persuasion from her parents and neighbours’ unkind remarks.

The youngest in a family of two boys and two girls, Rina, 20, says life is difficult with an extra mouth to feed. At times, she confesses that she feels like running away.

Mindy (not her real name) of Long Item, recounts the intimidation, deceit and harassment of a 40-something man who works for Interhill.

“We know him as Ah Heng. My parents and I got a ride in his vehicle from Ba Abang sometime in 2005. Shortly after that, he came looking for me in the village. He offered to take care of me but I declined. He then said I should give in or he would hurt me and my family,” says the 21-year-old woman who eventually acceded to his demands and has since borne him two girls, one in 2006 and another in February.
Ah Heng now rarely visits nor provides maintenance for the family after his wife found out about his activities and accused Mindy of seducing her husband.

“I don’t want him to come here anymore; I will raise the kids myself. I don’t even love him,” says Mindy.

The Penans Are of No Importance to S'wak Gov't

Source: The Star Online

Monday October 6, 2008
A neglected people

THE Penan’s protracted resistance to deforestation and the international attention the tribe continues to receive must have irked the Sarawak government.

The state government continues to dismiss their concerns over the loss of forest resources brought on by industrial logging that degrades the forest and pollutes the rivers.

At the height of the international anti-tropical timber campaign in the late 1980s, the state set up a Penan Affairs Committee to help the nomadic tribe to lead a settled life with promises of socio-economic development. The state announced allocations worth millions of ringgit.

Two decades later, the benefits remain elusive for many Penans. The rapid expansion of acacia and oil palm plantations eats into their ancestral land. To top it off, the natives are becoming illegals with many not having official documents.

The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has raised the issue of poor MyKad registration which complicates the issuance of birth certificates.

Suhakam has thus far failed in persuading the state government to resolve the land rights issue inflicting every native group in Sarawak.
In recent years, the Penans are turning to the court of law to stop further encroachment.

But the nomadic Penans face a tough battle in claiming native customary rights (NCR) as the Sarawak Land Code 1958 states that one cannot stake a claim for NCR if one had not cultivated that piece of land before Jan 1, 1958.

In May 2007, further restrictions were imposed when the clause “any other lawful method of establishing land claim” in Section 5(2) was dropped. Lawyers had previously used that provision to argue for a broader interpretation of land use.
“When environmental groups suggest setting aside forests for wildlife, the state will agree but when we demand for our forests to be protected, we are ignored. It seems that the wildlife living in the forests are more valued than us humans,” notes a young Penan.

Although disillusioned, the Penans remain hopeful.

As Balan Jon of Long Item puts it: “It’s not only our livelihood but our culture and survi val as a tribe has been affected for so long. We’ll die if we continue to be neglected.”

Ongoing Harassment and Abuse of Sarawak Natives

This is how the Politics of Development championed by Taib Mahmud and Sarawak Barisan Nasional Government works.

As reported in The Star Online:

Friday October 3, 2008
Eviction of 10,000 residents ‘put on hold’

MIRI: The 10,000 residents who have been evicted from their centruty-old villages in northern Sarawak have been given a reprieve for Hari Raya.

The Sept 29 deadline for the residents of the 13 Kedayan-Malay villages in Bekenu district came but there were no bulldozers in sight to demolish their homes.

They had been asked to move out of the land that had been leased out to a Miri property developer for an oil-palm plantation and had sought the help of Sibuti MP Ahmad Lai Bujang.

Ahmad told The Star yesterday that the villagers had been living on the edge, worrying when their homes would be bulldozed.

“Luckily, the Hari Raya proved to be a reprieve. I did not see any Land and Survey Department enforcement teams or workers from the private company attempting to demolish any houses.

“The eviction has been put on hold, it seems. However, I worry what will happen after the Hari Raya.

“The issue has generated a lot of publicity. The dispute is over a big area.

“The villagers have been living there for many generations and yet the company has staked a claim as the rightful owner.

“This is turning into a big dilemma because the developer’s lawyer has issued a letter saying that the villagers are illegal squatters,” he said.

The villages are located some 40km south of here, along the Sarawak Second Coastal Highway near the Miri-Bintulu divisional boundary.

On Sept 27, the desperate villagers staged a public demonstration along the highway to garner attention to their plight.

Asked whether the villagers would get an injunction against the eviction order, Ahmad said they were looking at all avenues.

“They are appealing to the Government first before resorting to any court action,” he said.

Ahmad said that the villagers have a strong claim to the land, as they had been living there continously since 1910 and have native land rights by virtue of their ancestral background.

The Kedayan-Malays are direct descendents of the Brunei Malay and migrated to Sarawak during the British colonial era.

Authorized Abuse of Sarawak Natives

Yet another abuse. This is how Taib Mahmud's Politics of Development works.

As reported in The Star Online:

Friday October 3, 2008
Ministry to probe sex abuse claims by Penans

PETALING JAYA: The Women, Family and Community Develop­ment Ministry will investigate claims of timber workers sexually abusing Penan women and girls.

Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen said she had instructed the womens affairs director-general to meet Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu and obtain more information after the Hari Raya holidays.

“We are very concerned about the matter,” she said.

“I have also talked to the Health Ministry to do something as we want to ensure the health of the Penans has not been compromised.”

Alfred, who is also the chairman of the steering committee on the Penans, had dismissed the sexual abuse claims, saying he had not heard about such complaints from the tribe’s community leaders.

Dr Ng was responding to Suhakam commissioner for Sarawak, Dr Mohd Hirman Ritom, who said on Tuesday it would investigate the sexual abuse claims.

Suhakam commissioner Datuk Dr De­­nison Jayasooria had urged the ministry and federal police to look into the matter since the Sarawak police said that they could not investigate as there was no official report.

The claims of abuse first surfaced on the Bruno Manser Fund website.

MIRI: Village folk from 13 Kedayan-Malay kampungs in northern Sarawak are up in arms over a move by the Sarawak Land and Survey Department and a private developer to evict them from their century-old settlement.

These Kedayan-Malays, who are descendants of the Brunei Malays, are in dire straits after the entire population of 10,000 people from the 13 villages were issued an ultimatum to move out by Monday.

They have received eviction notices from the department, and a letter from the lawyer of the company that will be taking over the land, to vacate their homes by Monday. The affected villages are located some 40km south of Miri City, along the Sarawak Second Coastal Highway near the Miri-Bintulu divisional boundary.

On Saturday, dozens of these affected villagers staged a demonstration at the roadside of the highway starting at 8am to get the attention of passing motorists towards their plight. They unfurled banners and placards denouncing their eviction. The crowd grew as passers-by joined in the protest.

Two elderly Kedayan chieftains, Penghulu Sahar Pusha and Bengkil Bangkol, also joined the demonstration.

They showed The Star the lawyer letters they had received dated Sept 15, this year. The letter states that the villagers must vacate their homes within 14 days from Sept 15. Sahar said the 13 villages affected by the eviction are Kampung Batu Satu Beraya, Kampung Kejapi, Kampung Keluru Jaya, Kampung Orak, Kampung Beraya, Kampung Butir, Kampung Keluru Tengah, Kampung Subok, Kampung Sapaou, Kampung Sebayau, Kampung Tusan, Kampung Uban and Kampung Telud.

“This move to evict us is a huge shock to all of us. We have been living in these villages since 1910. Recently, the State Land and Survey Department and the private developer sent us letters informing us that the land we are living on had been taken over for development purposes.

“We were told that they have plans to develop sawmill and oil-palm plantations. We were informed that 1,800 hectares of our land had already been allocated to a sawmill.

“All the 13 kampungs have a total of 5,500 hectares of land. The total population is about 10,000. This sudden move to evict us is shocking indeed. Where are we to go? This is our ancestral home. We have been here for almost 100 years,” he said when interviewed at the site.

Bengkil said the private developer had already bulldozed four cemeteries in its effort to clear the land to build an access road. The desecrated cemeteries are Kubur Kejapil, Kubur Batir, Kubur Sungai Jalil and Kubur Sungai Payau, he said.

“We have sought urgent meetings with the relevant authorities to help us. We have recently met with the Miri Land and Survey Department officials but they told us we have no rights over the land because we only have provisional leases.

“We protested saying that we have native customary rights because our ancestors have been there since 1910. However, they refuse to withdraw the eviction directives,” said Bengkil.

The affected villagers are now appealing to Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud to intervene and stop the eviction.

Source: The Star Online

Analysis: Anwar's New Malaysia

Analysis: Anwar's New Malaysia (Part 1)

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim shares his vision of a new Malaysia and says "Patriotism, and I will include here racial politics, is the last refuge of the scoundrel."

Accountability, transparency, good governance, the need to eradicate corruption, cronyism, and nepotism--these are the values of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s ‘reformasi’ (social reform) agenda.

Speaking about them has been his platform for the last ten years, for which he has endured a lot.

His words have lit a spark in the people of Malaysia, as a younger generation--free from the fears that plagued the older generation--with access to knowledge and information, began to take his words to heart.

They were exposed to the ways of the world, and saw in his words a hope that was exhilarating in its audacity of promises. The world was passing Malaysia by, and the need for change--for the basic reason of adapting to the changing world--was becoming imperative. Today, the desire for change has grown stronger, as the seeds that Dato’ Seri Anwar’s words planted in people’s hearts 10 years ago have germinated and blossomed.

And in this exclusive interview with Passions magazine, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim shares with us his vision for a new Malaysia.

New economic agenda

Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s words are a refreshing change from the talk of race and religion that is seemingly the wont of so many political personalities in the country. Instead of beating about the old communalist bush, he spoke issues--economic, social, and political issues that affect all Malaysians regardless of colour and creed.

It was therefore apt, considering the current global and local economic climate, that the first thing he spoke about was his New Economic Agenda, which promises to bring about a seismic shift in the Malaysian economic climate. A shift, perhaps, for the better. But are Malaysians and Malaysia ready for such a change?

For Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the question is a no-brainer. As he puts it, "Malaysia has been stuck with an obsolete economic programme, which has led to the loss of competitiveness, the diminishing attractiveness of the nation for foreign investments, which is further worsened by the lack of transparency, accountability, and good governance." The answer to such a "malaise", he puts it, "is to embark on a New Malaysian Economic Agenda, based on market economic principles and driven by Malaysians working together to enhance economic competitiveness. All Malaysians," he said with conviction, "must play a part and be part of this new direction."

And thus he makes no bones about it. "Obsolete policies have to go." And to him, one of the biggest epitomes of a failed and obsolete policy is none other than the New Economic Policy or NEP.

As he puts it, "We need to promote growth, and that can only happen if we are seen to be a market-driven economy." But will scrapping the NEP bring about a doomsday scenario for the Malay community, as so many of the policy’s adherents claim? Definitely not. Because as Dato’ Seri Anwar told us, "market growth is not a zero-sum game at the expense of the poor and the marginalized.

But instead of a race-based affirmative action policy, what we should have is a needs-based policy. In doing so, the majority of the Malays will still be taken care of, and at the same time so too would the needy and marginalized among the other communities in the country, such as the Indian estate workers."

For him, the path is clear. "Economic growth and competitiveness," he told, "come hand-in-hand with good governance, the rule of law, and a free media. I do not believe that such an agenda is the concern of the present ruling establishment, although there have sometimes been some platitudes towards that direction from the establishment."

Nevertheless, to him, the Old Guard are the progeny of failed policies, which is why he believes that it important to "transform the nation and at the same time ensure that the transition is smooth and stable so as to garner hope for all Malaysians."

A new Malaysia

What Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim wants to bring about then is a Malaysian agenda. Of course some parties might be reluctant to see that come into fruition and have appealed to baser instincts such as race and religion to create a platform against him. However, as Dato’ Seri Anwar so nicely puts it--paraphrasing from Samuel Johnson--"Patriotism, and I will include here racial politics, is the last refuge of the scoundrel."

To answer his detractors, he had this to say, "I am a Malay. A very committed and concerned Malay. But I cannot see my relevance if I cannot think as a true Malaysian, and show enough concern for the welfare of all Malaysians"

Wise words indeed, and again it is a sign of how wonderfully refreshing his words are to even the most jaded of ears. Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim talks Malaysia first and foremost. However, he proudly states that he is very much pro-Malay, in a sense where it really matters - in the sense of being competitive and of being able to be proud of their achievements because they know they had earned it in merit.

And this is why he said, "I am convinced that pursuing an obsolete agenda, including race-based politics will ultimately lead, not just to a breakdown of the social fabric, but will adversely affect the morale, confidence and resolve of the Malays." Here he hits the nail right on the head. It is popular to talk about how unfair race-based policies in Malaysia are to the non-Malay communities. Yet the biggest victims of the policies are ironically the very people they try to help.

The real Malay dilemma

He asks, "How many non-bumiputra can understand and appreciate the feelings of self-doubt that has been engendered by being told for two generations that you are not capable of standing up on your own two feet, that your achievements are not based on merit alone but on other more insidious factors? How terribly confidence-sapping it must be to have such thoughts always hovering in the background like a nagging doubt at the back of the head."

"Take my daughter for example," he offered by way of illustrating his point, "she is currently studying mathematics in Georgetown University in the United States. And she is happy because she knows that she managed to get in because of what she did and not because she happens to be of the right race."

"I want to bring about that sense of confidence in the Malays through the New Economic Agenda," he said. "Now, at the same time, we would need--at first--to reassure the Malays that they would not be marginalized by it. And this is important because for the past 30 years, they have been subjected to incessant propaganda, which tells that without the NEP they would not be able to survive."

Hope in the new generation

A new Malaysia such as the one that Dato’ Anwar Ibrahim hopes to bring about would mean having what he calls, "A new generation of leaders." He is hopeful and confident about the future, noting "the younger generation of Malay Malaysians are rejecting the politics of fear, race, and religion." But there is still work to be done, and as he pointed out, "How we view issues like religion, culture, language, and education is still important.

Therefore within the Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance--the combined Opposition forces in Malaysia) leadership, we have already spelt out a clear agenda. And this is based on the Constitution, where Islam is the religion of the Federation with guaranteed freedom of practice for other religions. Because Malaysia is a multi-religious nation, and we cannot have and should not have had high-handed and unjust incidents such as the demolishing of temples."

Dato’ Seri Anwar’s licence to speak about economic affairs comes in part from his previous role as the Finance Minister of the country. So too by being the former Education Minister, he is qualified to speak on matters of education.

And this is an area where he sees a great and urgent need for change, especially when one takes into consideration the fact that the education system is the one that shapes the future leaders of Malaysia.

Being a true Malaysian, he is adamant about the importance of the national language. "As a developing nation," he said, "it is important to have a national language and everyone should be encouraged to be proficient in Bahasa Malaysia. But we should not do this at the expense of English."

"We should," he emphasised, "be committed to enhancing the proficiency of English in Malaysians because it is the international language of business and trade. Otherwise Malaysia will lose out in economic and human development."

"Take for example Indonesia and Thailand," he said. "Back in the 1960s, they were far inferior to Malaysia in terms of English proficiency. But today they are catching up and in some ways have even surpassed us." Dato’ Seri Anwar has no doubts about the direction that is needed.

"We need to have more serious efforts in the teaching of English in Malaysian schools. We cannot afford to continue on in the haphazard and directionless manner of today," he said with firm determination in his voice.

Furthermore, the importance of the languages of the other communities in Malaysia such as Mandarin and Tamil should not be underestimated. It is as he said, "Mandarin is no longer just the language of the Chinese in Malaysia. It has become a very important economic language of the region." He brings up the example of the universities in the UK where elective language subjects are usually Mandarin or Spanish.

Source: The 28 August 2008 edition of www.malaysiakini.com. This second part of this analysis, titled “Good Leadership and Good governance” will be published soon. The above article first appeared in the August edition of Passions magazine.

Malaysian Economic Agenda Set to Propel Growth

Malaysian Economic Agenda Set to Propel Growth

Anwar Ibrahim says that with a resounding victory in the March 8th elections, KeADILan (Justice Party) is set to begin implementation of its economic agenda which will stimulate economic growth, attract foreign investment and ensure that marginalised and poor communities receive adequate attention and support from the government.

--(PR.com)-- KeADILan’s economic agenda received a resounding mandate on March 8th when Malaysians went to the polls and quadrupled the number of seats held by the opposition in Parliament, awarding us with 50% of the seats in West Malaysia. After a decade of economic mismanagement, unchecked inflation in recent years and lagging competitiveness vis-a-vis Malaysia’s neighbours, we are confident that under our leadership and working closely with our partners, we will begin to implement policies to ensure a stronger and more vibrant economy in Malaysia.

Looking to the future, the coalition, using its control of five key states, Selangor, Perak, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan, will implement business-friendly, free-market policies to stimulate growth, attract foreign investment and promote greater accountability and transparency in business dealings.

One of our priorities in the upcoming weeks will be to initiate dialogues with the foreign investment community already present in Selangor, Perak, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan to ensure investor confidence remains strong during the transition period and also to identify areas of concern that our new governments will address in enhancing and improving their operations and performance in Malaysia.

Our no-tolerance policy on corruption will have a major impact in reducing transaction costs and building confidence in small and medium enterprise. We also plan to divorce government employees from doing business with the government thereby reducing incentives for cronyism and insider deals which are plaguing the current administration.

The Malaysian Economic Agenda which was a cornerstone of KeADILan’s election promises can be implemented at the state level to reduce race-based affirmative action policies and begin to implement a more competitive, merit based system. This will immediately increase foreign investment, improve the state’s tax revenue and begin to promote more equity and income parity. Furthermore we will honour our promise to protect the marginalized from each ethnic community.

The unexpected margin of our victory caught the nation and the region by surprise. A short term adjustment in the KLSE and weakening of the Ringgit is expected but will not persist unless Barisan Nasional chooses to pursue a regressive policy of punishment, and withholds its commitments for development allocations to the now opposition controlled states. We would warn Barisan Nasional however, that doing so will further alienate its position with the people.

Anwar Ibrahim

The Malaysian Economic Agenda

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The Malaysian Economic Agenda II

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The 20 Point Agreement

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Some of Taib Mahmud's Doings

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Barisan Bersatu Sarawak Declaration

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PKR Manifesto Pages 20 - 23

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PKR Manifesto Pages 17 - 19

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PKR Manifesto Pages 9 to 12

PKR Manifesto pages 9 - 12. To view, please click on the image.

PKR Manifesto Pages 13 - 16

PKR Manifesto pages 13 - 16. To view, please click on the image.