Dr. Richard Teo: Ferrari, money, success, life, GOD

A life story is creating a buzz in the the cyber space.

Watch the video:

Dr Richard Teo - Thoughts of Life, Wealth, Success & Happiness

Read his story in details here @ heavenaddress:

The memorial of Dr Richard Teo Keng Siang (1972 - 2012)

 

 

Jaguar Louis Vuitton LV: Million Dollar Round Table!

 Spotted this fugly car this afternoon.

Well, what the heck.

One man's fugly-ness is another man's beauty. ;)

On closer look, the words 'Million Dollar Round Table' were embeded on the car number plate.

Altantuya murder appeal put off again - at last minute

Altantuya murder appeal put off again - at last minute

Hafiz Yatim 7:28AM Oct 25, 2012

The Court of Appeal has again put off hearing the appeal brought by two police personnel sentenced to death for the October 2006 murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

The hearing slated to be heard in August had been put off as well in July, with the new hearing dates fixed for Oct 31 and Nov 1.

Hazman Ahmad, counsel for Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, when contacted yesterday said the postponement is indefinite, meaning that no fresh dates were fixed.

Hazman did not reply to Malaysiakini's text message seeking the reason for the postponement.

When the earlier appeal hearing scheduled for Aug 27 was postponed in July, the defence lawyers speculated that this was done because of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.

Azilah and Lance Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar have been languishing in jail since late October 2006.
They were in April 2009 sentenced to death for the murder of Altantuya after a 159-day trial.

The written judgment was only released in March this year.

Yesterday's sudden postponement of the appeal is seen as strange because only last week Sirul's lawyers, Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin and Hasnal Rezua Merican, confirmed that the hearing would go on as scheduled.

Hasnal also told Malaysiakini that the court had warned counsel then that no further postponement would be allowed.

At that time, Malaysiakini also sought a confirmation from a senior deputy public prosecutor involved in the case and he replied in the affirmative, saying that the Attorney-General's Chambers was busy preparing for it.

The tell-all session that wasn't

The postponement has added further intrigue into the murder case, which was recently compounded with an invitation posted on the website of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT), announcing a press conference in Bangkok on Oct 22.

The mysterious invitation, titled 'New revelations in the Altantuya murder', said former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan would give the press conference.

Contacted last Saturday, Musa said he was not aware of the event. On Monday, the morning of the supposed press conference, the FCCT issued a notice informing journalists that the event was cancelled. No explanation was given.

The timing of the FCCT invite may have been intentionally designed close to the Oct 31 appeal hearing date, for the Altantuya murder is a politically explosive and increasingly murky case.

At the time of her death, Azilah and Sirul alternated as bodyguards to then-prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and to Najib Abdul Razak, then-deputy prime minister and defence minister, whose confidante Abdul Razak Baginda was charged with abetting in the murder.

Eventually, Abdul Razak was acquitted without his defence being called. However, to many observers, the bigger mystery of the High Court trial was how the presiding judge, Justice Mohd Zaki Md Yasin, had excluded the motive for the murder from his judgment.

The issue of human rights

Politics aside, the delays in the legal processes are also seen as depriving Azilah and Sirul of their human rights, since prolonged incarceration of death row prisoners is cruel and degrading, said a commissioner with the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), Khaw Lake Tee.
"It is a violation of Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," said Khaw (right), who teaches law at Universiti Malaya.

Article 5 of the UDHR states: "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

However, lawyer Andrew Khoo, who is known for his work in human rights, said Malaysian law does not provide a fixed time period to hear appeals in cases where the death sentence has been passed.

He said that in some instances, the appeal process may take many years, causing death row inmates to languish in jail.

"Even after the Federal Court rejects the appeal, the accused have a final chance for clemency before the appeals boards of the various states," said Khoo.

Court can fast-track, if it wants to

Nevertheless, the court can expedite a hearing if it wants to, as seen in the recent case of the Selangor government versus Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Bhd before the Federal Court on Wednesday, in a dispute involving water tariff calculation.

The Court of Appeal on Oct 8 ruled in favour of the Selangor government in the dispute, prompting Syabas to file its notice for leave to appeal the decision in the Federal Court on Oct 15.

Syabas was granted a hearing date for the leave application within a day and the court papers were served on the Selangor government on Oct 17, even before the Court of Appeal handed out its written judgment.

Senior lawyers consulted by Malaysiakini said they have never seen such swift action from the court to decide on hearing dates because such processes will normally take weeks, if not months, and never in a day.

Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim in his affidavit dated Oct 22 complained over this fact, and also pointed out that the written judgment of the Court of Appeal had yet to come out.

Further, Khalid argued, his lawyers had just 24 hours to prepare their submissions.
Despite these arguments, the Federal Court on Wednesday went ahead and granted Syabas the leave it sought.

Like the Altantuya murder trial, the Selangor Pakatan government's legal battles against Syabas have political considerations, albeit to a lesser degree.

However, the question remains as to whether the appeal against conviction by Azilah and Sirul will be heard before the next general election.

View comments (70)

Najib meets Tiger Woods: Mines Resort & Golf Club

Now MCA can accept sex blog couple as members

Sex blogger says he looked up to Soi Lek, sexually

October 22, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Controversial sex blogger Alvin Tan has described himself as a fan of the sexual exploits of Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, unexpectedly dredging up the MCA president’s unsavoury past when he was secretly filmed having sex with his mistress.
“I used to look up to Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, sexually. Funny how things turned out,” Tan (picture) said in a posting on his Facebook page.
While Tan’s suggestion that he is a fan of Dr Chua is clearly tongue-in-cheek, it will be unwelcome news for the MCA president as he prepares for elections already handicapped by the fact that his party remains unpopular among the Chinese community.
In 2007, secretly recorded footage of Dr Chua having sex with his mistress in a hotel in Johor was leaked to the public.
He was subsequently forced to resign as health minister in early 2008 and was not selected as a Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in elections that year.
But he made a comeback to take over as MCA president in 2010 after a prolonged period of infighting in the party.
Despite winning the party presidency Dr Chua has been unable to secure a Cabinet position, largely due to the negative perception surrounding his sex exploits.
Tan is the man at the centre of a controversy after he and his girlfriend posted in a joint blog photographs and videos of themselves having sex.
Tan is a National University of Singapore (NUS) law scholarship holder. After news broke of his joint blog with Vivian Lee, his girlfriend who is also from Malaysia, the university said it would investigate him based on disrepute charges. Tan will face his university’s disciplinary inquiry on October 31.
Last week, he publicised on a Singapore forum the link to his blog.
On the site “Sumptuous Erotica”, Tan and Lee said they loved posting details of their sex life on the web “for everyone to enjoy” and that they uploaded only self-made content.
The blog has since been taken down.
Tan moved to Singapore under the ASEAN scholarship in 2004 and attended Xinmin Secondary School and Raffles Junior College before he went to NUS.
In a separate posting on Facebook, Tan also hit out at his critics and pointed out that media outlets carrying his story were making profits at the expense of his girlfriend and him.
“Shame on me as a businessman. They’re making a fortune out of Vivian and me,” he said.

This bloke certainly cannot see that he is a fool.

He will fall as fast as he rises.

One hit wonder, if you ask me.

Gutter Uncensored Sumptuous Erotica sex blog top

Proof that sex sells. ;)

Alvin Tan, Vivian Lee: Sumptuous Erotica Sex Blog!

Malaysian scholar in Singapore courts controversy with ‘sumptuous’ sex blog

October 16, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — A Malaysian National University of Singapore (NUS) law scholarship holder has stirred up controversy after he posted photographs and videos of his girlfriend — also from Malaysia — and him having sex, on his blog, which he has been forced to remove after it went viral in recent days.
Alvin Tan Jye Yee told Yahoo! Singapore that he had taken down his joint sex blog with his girlfriend “because there’s been too much trouble for this and we want to stay out of trouble”.
The NUS student said erotic photos and videos of himself and his girlfriend going viral was “exciting”, according to Yahoo! Singapore.
On the site “Sumptuous Erotica“, Tan and his girlfriend Vivian Lee said they loved posting details of their sex life on the web “for everyone to enjoy” and that they uploaded only self-made content.
Tan and Lee (picture) are understood to be back home in Malaysia.
According to Singapore’s Straits Times, Tan went to Singapore on an Asean scholarship in 2004 and attended Xinmin Secondary School and Raffles Junior College.
The newspaper said he went on to NUS on an Asean undergraduate scholarship and took a leave of absence last year to start his own firm.
He told the Straits Times that he aims to return to NUS in January to finish his studies.
Tan began posting the photos and videos of himself and his girlfriend, a 23-year-old Malaysian whom he got to know through Facebook, on his private blog last month.
On Sunday, he posted the blog’s address on the popular HardwareZone forum, the Straits Times reported.
“It exploded from there. The last I checked, we had about 20,000 page views when previously we had only about 1,000,” he said.
“What can (NUS) do? Terminate my scholarship or expel me? I can’t say I will be fine with it, but if it happens, I can accept it. I’ve started my company and I have my own savings,” he added.
In an interview with Yahoo! Singapore this morning, Tan talked about why he started the blog and about facing the consequences of his postings.
“One fine day, we were just fooling around and my girlfriend had the idea of taking nude photos, just taking them, not necessarily uploading them. With more and more photos that we took, we started to want some sort of recognition for our work so we started uploading them on FB but we blurred out the critical parts,” he said.
As the photos kept on getting flagged and being taken down, he said they started the blog at the end of September this year.
He and his girlfriend have even been approached by companies in Singapore to endorse sex toys and lingerie, he disclosed.

Chartis (previously-AIG ) RoadRanger 1300-883-933

Last Saturday, on October 13, 2012, my car battery finally died after approximately 2 years, 7 months and 3 weeks in use. It was newly but improperly installed at the Toyota Service Centre Cheras on February 22, 2010, leading to a breakdown on the morning of March 2, 2010.

For the first time, on that unforgettable morning, I experienced the 24-hour breakdown service of the Road Rangers for Chartis (formerly AIG) motor insurance policyholders. Read my post 'O what a morning! Toyota lack of professionalism to blame!'.

Yet again, I experienced the Road Ranger last Saturday when I called the Road Ranger number 1300-883-933 at 2:59 AM and my call was answered almost immediately.

When you call the Road Ranger, do the following:

1. Tell them your car registration number.
2. The location of your car.
3. The problem with your car.
4. Your contact number.
5. Remember the person's name you spoke to.
6. Take note of the time you reported.

After a mere 2 minutes on the line, I ended my call and waited for the tow truck to arrive.

Bufori, fully handmade car, made in Malaysia: Woot

Asia's rich crave luxury hand-crafted cars from Malaysia

Posted on 11 October 2012 - 11:52am

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 11, 2012): The global economic doldrums may have weighed on businesses around the world, but in Malaysia a luxury hand-crafted carmaker struggles to keep up with demand as orders pour in from China and the Middle East.

Some customers are willing to wait nearly two years for their Bufori vehicle, which costs anywhere from US$150,000 to US$350,000 and can contain unique touches at the buyer's request, ranging from built-in vaults to pearl-studded interiors.

One such customer is eHong Tan, a Malaysian green technology entrepreneur and tea connoisseur, who asked for her Bufori to be fitted with tea-making and aromatherapy features.

"I love drinking Chinese tea. The car allows me to make tea and drink it while I'm traveling," said Tan, adding that both are "unique and satisfying" creature comforts that she had always wanted.

The hefty price tag does little to dampen the car's popularity among Asia's rich, whose number of high net worth individuals overtook North America for the first time last year as wealth in Thailand and Indonesia surged almost 10%, according to the Asia-Pacific Wealth report.

Bufori's founder and managing director, Gerry Khouri, said he first started the company in his native Australia in 1987, but decided to move to Malaysia in the early 90s when demand from the region began to jump.

In the past three years, orders for his Buforis, which he says is the only fully handmade car produced in Asia, have steadily risen 15%-20% each year.

"China and Middle East are probably our two biggest markets right now," said Khouri, adding that he also gets orders from Southeast Asian countries, Hong Kong, Japan and Europe.

"There's a lot of promise here -- that's what brought us to Malaysia and kept us here," Khouri said. The country hosts Bufori's only plant where customers can visit to see their cars being made. Showrooms are found in Sydney and Shanghai.

"The beautiful thing is I get to see it built from the beginning to end, like watching a baby growing up," said Tan.

Khouri, who built his first car in his backyard at only 21, says that while the Bufori kept its trademark classic designs, the cars' performance itself is "in a class of its own".

The Geneva, a 4-door luxury limousine with elegant curves and a long running board, is powered by a 6.4-litre V8 engine boasting up to 470 horsepower and 630 Newton meters (Nm) of torque.

"These are exclusive, very elite. You've got to be very special to own one of these cars," he said.

But Khouri admits that the long waiting list can push some customers to competitors such as Bentley and Rolls Royce.

"These cars are made by hand. No machines -- look around you, it's just people," he says, gesturing around the 50,000 sq ft (4,645 sq m) factory in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur where workers are busy fitting custom-made parts and molding the Bufori's classic body.

Upstairs, in the upholstery and interior section, leather is cut and stitched by hand while engineers put together electronic controls.

"You can't speed up people like a machine," he added.

With around a hundred workers, the factory makes only 60 cars worldwide per year -- a fraction of its 300 target, with the limited workforce and the long hours it takes to complete a car dragging down production.

"Our problem is our demand exceeds our capacity. We're not in the situation where we can produce enough vehicles to meet the demand worldwide," says Khouri.

"It sounds like a crazy problem to have - but it's serious because we are losing sales everyday."

Khouri wants to set up more factories to speed up production but is wary, wanting to preserve the quality.

"Bufori cars are very labor-intensive and dependent on people. We might compromise the quality which is something we don't want to do," he added.

The Bufori La Joya coupe takes 3,500 man hours to complete while the Geneva saloon needs 9,000 man hours.

"That's ridiculous in the overall scheme of things. If you look at a mass producer carmaker, even 50 man hours is taking too much," says Khouri.

But customers who chose to be patient have no regrets.

"It is worth the wait," says Tan, whose car took 20 months to finish. "It's more than a car. To me, the Bufori is an art." – Reuters

MACC clears "corrupt" Taib Mahmud & Musa Aman

Taib's son rich from gov't deals, but no proof of abuse

Aidila Razak 1:26PM Oct 5, 2012

While Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's son Mahmud Abu Bekir had richly benefited from the state, provisions in the law are hindering the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) from charging Taib with abuse of power.

According to MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Mohd Shukri Abdull, this is because Taib had either declared his interest or was absent from meetings where the decision to award state deals to Bekir (left) were made.

"Regarding his (Taib's) son, and his (former) daughter-in-law's testimony in court. It is true, he received things like timber concessions, which he could sell, amounting to a lot of money.

"But he had applied for the projects and gotten them. His father did not make any decisions, it was approved by exco members (the Sarawak cabinet). This is the weakness in the law," he said when met in Kuala Lumpur today.

Mohd Shukri was responding to a question  on whether testimonies in the ongoing Syariah Court trial between Bekir and ex-wife Shahnaz A Majid could be used as evidence against the chief minister.

"You said his (Taib's) name, I didn't," he said.

Mohd Shukri (right) added that based on Section 23 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, a person cannot be charged for abuse of power if there is no evidence that he or she had personally made the decision to award a contract where there is conflict of interest.

"He could either leave a meeting (after declaring the conflict of interest), which will be noted in the meeting's minutes, or his name would not be in the meeting's minutes at all because he was not present (when the decision was made)," he said.

This leaves no documentary evidence to link the chief minister to abuse of power, he said.

Big fish and vested interests

Speaking broadly on cases of the same nature, Mohd Shukri said that in such cases, those making the decisions are subordinates to the persons being investigated and could find it difficult to decide against the latter’s interests.

“But unless the person investigated had said something like ‘please consider it’, and it is recorded in the minutes, there is no link,” he said.

He added that subordinates, particularly when it comes to politicians, are also unlikely to provide evidence as there are vested interests.

“If the person had whispered into the ear of his subordinate (to approve the projects), we don’t know as no one is going to admit it.

“They have their rice pots to take care of too, and in some cases, they’re afraid they may not be renominated (in the next elections),” he said.

Correcting PAS’ Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub (left), he said it is Section 53 and not Section 50 as mentioned by the former, which also hampers investigations.

Mohd Shukri said that based on Section 53 of the MACC Act, confessions must be independently corroborated, even if both the giver of the bribe and the recipient of the bribe admit to the act.

“There needs to be either documentation, like bank transaction records, or a witness who can attest to it.

"But bribery usually occurs in private, in closed rooms, with no witnesses,” he said.

He said that while the MACC managed to bring “many” civil servants to court under Section 23, it is the same section which allows“big fish” to slip the net.

“If there is no improvement to the law, (Section 23) can continue to be used to evade action,” he said.

Mohd Shukri said to support confessions, the MACC is following the footsteps of its Hong Kong counterpart to video-record all statements made.

“Three concurrent recordings are made, one for the person giving the statement, one for the court and another for us to keep,” he said.

MACC clears Musa Aman; RM40m was for Sabah Umno

Holy cow Shahrizat not embarassed, blames media

Shahrizat blames media for NFCorp ‘mess’

Shahrizat tells court she’s not embarrassed by NFCorp failure

Two Nissan Skyline GTR: Reckless driving kills four

Monday October 8, 2012

Sports cars go crashing, four killed

By SIMON KHOO
simonkhoo@thestar.com.my

KUANTAN: Four lives were lost when two high-powered sports cars were destroyed after they skidded and hit two trees.
The crashes involving Nissan Skyline cars occurred moments apart at about 4am, fuelling speculation that the drivers were speeding along the Jalan Haji Ahmad Satu stretch here.
The driver of the first car was identified as Tan Kah Yong, 34, a businessman from Klang while a woman from China, Bao Shanshan, 27, was his front passenger.
Firemen had to extricate their bodies from the badly-mangled vehicle.

Mangled wreck: Relatives of the deceased inspecting one of the damaged cars at the traffic police station in Kuantan.

Two other women passengers, Wei Litong and Zhang Hongmei, also from China, have been warded at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital with serious injuries. All three women apparently worked at a karaoke outlet here.
Also killed were the driver of the second car, businessman Go Haw Wei, 20, from Alor Akar, and car salesman Koay Khor Liang, 21, from Bukit Sekilau.
Go died at the scene while Koay succumbed to his injuries with his elder brother by his side moments after being brought to the hospital.
Firemen had earlier taken 40 minutes to extricate Koay from the wreck.

The deceased: (From left) Khor, Bao, Tan and Go were killed in the crash.

His brother Koay Koh Hong, 25, had rushed to the scene after receiving a call from a friend informing him of the accident.
Visibly shaken and traumatised, he stuttered: “I saw him ... barely able to talk and in great pain.
“I knew then that he might not make it. But I had to put on a brave front as I tried to assure him that everything was going to be all right when the firemen were cutting him free.”
It is learnt that Go runs a family-owned business and had just bought his car about two weeks ago.
Pahang traffic administrative enforcement officer Asst Supt Zainal Abidin Othman urged eyewitnesses to come forward.
He said initial investigations revealed that the road was wet due to an earlier downpour.
“We believe both drivers had been heading for Semambu from Kuantan,” he added.
ASP Zainal Abidin said the cases were being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless driving, resulting in death.

Pearl International Hotel: Starbucks, Subway, KRR

Did you know that there's a Pearl Point Shopping Mall adjacent to the Pearl International Hotel?

I came here last month and was surprised to see new F&B outles - namely Starbucks, Kenny Rogers Roasters and Subway (needless to say, these three business entities belong to Berjaya) - located at the lobby of the hotel.

My once-in-a-while lil luxury. ;)

The lobby.

Hong Kong CSL has world’s cheapest 4G data plan

HONG KONG, Oct 6 — Worldwide, 4G data plans are still expensive but competition is slowly bringing prices down.
If you’ve just bought a 4G smartphone or tablet and want to know where to find the best data plan, then research published yesterday shows that Hong Kong is the best place to go. Despite growing popularity, mobile phone networks’ 4G data plans are still on average 20 per cent higher than the equivalent 3G plans.

Not just a fabulous tourist destination, Hong Kong is the place to go for cheap 4G data plans. — Picture courtesy of shutterstock.com

The cross-country comparison study of mobile data pricing by ABI highlights that currently Hong Kong’s CSL, which launched its service in November 2011, is the world’s cheapest. However there is some good news for early adopters around the globe as it appears that prices are starting to be influenced by competition. Because as well as greater download speeds, 4G provides network operators with greater capacity.
“In South Korea, SK Telecom has cut its 4G pricing to remain competitive. Their ‘LTE 62 Plan’ for smartphones used to be priced US$55.04 (RM170) for 3GB of data, but the monthly download quota has now been increased to 5GB. ABI Research has seen similar 4G mobile data quota and/or pricing revisions in Norway, Hong Kong, and the US,” said Jake Saunders, VP for forecasting at ABI Research.
At the moment, the lowest 3G mobile data tariff can be found in Singapore, where M1 offers a 4GB data plan for just US$9.62.
“As 4G devices come down in price, operators will be keen to increase 4G market-share. Cutting tariffs, or boosting data quotas, will be tempting but they need to make sure they achieve greater overall returns,” said ABI research associate Marina Lu.
However, there is still one obstacle to reducing prices further. As the capabilities of mobile devices have evolved, so have using habits, with most smartphone owners using their handsets less and less for making calls or sending text messages, historically two areas where operators could earn more revenue to offset promotions on data.
But as well as upload and download speeds, one of the other advantages of 4G over 3G is VoLTE or Voice over LTE — a vocal equivalent of high definition which makes phone calls clearer.
But so far no operators appear to be offering the feature as a service. That means that despite the incredible Internet connection speeds 4G offers, when not consuming data, the connection drops back to G2 for making and receiving calls. — AFP-Relaxnews

U got served: First subpoena for Scorpene witness

Suaram revealed that a subpoena has finally been served on one of the witnesses proposed by the human rights group to assist in the French judicial probe on alleged corruption in Malaysia's purchase of two Scorpene submarines from French naval defence company DCNS.

Suaram secretariat member Cynthia Gabriel (left) told a forum in Petaling Jaya last night, "The inquiry is progressing and we've been allowed to tell you that the first subpoena has reached the first witness. But I can't tell you who the witness is or when the subpoena was given for now, we have to follow the court proceedings and can only quote the court notes."

Asked after the forum if the delivered subpoena this time was served on Jasbir Singh Chahl, allegedly a point-man in the purchase of the Scorpene submarine, Cynthia merely smiled but declined to reveal the witness' identity though she confirmed that the subpoena was served on one of the seven witnesses which it had proposed to the French courts probing the Scorpene deal.

Suaram had in June said that its French lawyers were in the process of serving a subpoena on Jasbir but Jasbir had then denied receiving any subpoena.

Besides Jasbir, the other six proposed witnesses were Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (right), Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi, private investigator P Balasubramaniam, Najib's confidante Abdul Razak Baginda and the latter's spouse and father - Mazlinda Makhzan and Abdul Malim Baginda.

Without English we'll just be 'jaguh kampungs'

Without English we'll just be 'jaguh kampungs'

May Chee 5:18PM Oct 1, 2012

The first part of the topic above is my belief; the second is espoused by our honourable prime minister himself. I mean what I say and I hope he does, too.


The Malaysian New Education Blueprint unveiled recently has promised to depoliticise the education system, vowing equal opportunities for all. Hmmm...I like how it sounds.


Now, I've nothing against those who support the MBMMBI (the government policy to uphold Bahasa Malaysia and strengthen the English Language).


I do understand that our national language is important to us Malaysians, being the medium of communication that unites. In fact, being an advocate of PPMSI (the teaching of Maths and Science in English) does not bring one in direct conflict with MBMMBI.

I believe PPMSI can aid the noble aim of MBMMBI.

Though English is the dominant global language, it should not dominate every sphere of our lives. That's why both PPMSI and MBMMBI can complement each other.

We know for a fact that those who want to write for a world audience, e.g. to gain international recognition; need to have their efforts published in English.

Though these works have a better chance of being published in their mother tongue in their homeland, but for a global audience, these efforts have to be translated into English.


I can see how for the Arts, e.g. literature, language is not just a means to communicate content.

It, itself, is an essential source of enjoyment and once translated, certain if not most aspects like the sounds, rhythms, images, allusions and evocations of the original can only be approximated and thus, the beauty of these efforts sorely diluted.

So, yes, certain aspects of education must be retained in our national language. After all, great authors only write in one language!


However, I do see the need for PPMSI. The fields of the sciences can be rendered more efficient when their knowledge are transmitted in a common language.

Those against PPMSI have lamely and falsely argued that interest in the sciences have waned because of PPMSI.

One can only have one's interest heightened when one can lay one's hands on materials pertaining to it.

And that, we know, most findings in the sciences are published in English. How can one advance one's interest and competence in a particular field of science if one has to depend only on works published in Bahasa Malaysia?

If one cannot even begin to comprehend the medium in which these works are published in? We know how "potent" knowledge can be when taken out of context, don't we? Or, is it "impotent" where the sciences are concerned?

How can our homegrown bright sparks make a mark in their chosen disciplines if they cannot publish their works in English? By and large, those who stick to their mother tongue except English, of course, have lower ambitions and do less significant work.

In this context, I humbly think, we are doing our homegrown Einsteins a great disservice by not giving PPMSI a chance in Malaysia.

Let's revisit our Education Act of 1996. It says that "the purpose of education is to enable the Malaysian society to have a command of knowledge, skills and values necessary in a world that is highly competitive and globalised, arising from the impact of rapid development in science, technology and information."

Can we be global players or just "Jaguh Kampungs"? PPMSI will enable our very own Malaysian Einsteins to take on the world for PPMSI will render them competitive and globally employable and recogni sed.


The Education Act of 1996 also reiterates this: "AND WHEREAS it is considered desirable that regard shall be had, so far as is compatible with that policy, with the provision of efficient instruction and with the avoidance of unreasonable public expenditure, to the general principle that pupils are to be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents."

If PPMSI has failed certain sectors of the population, I can only say its implementation left much to be desired.

That's definitely not efficient instruction. We have to train our teachers a lot, lot better. Since 2003, some RM5 billion has been allocated and spent in the implementation of PPMSI.
Abandoning it now, surely would mean RM5 billion of public expenditure down the drain! And what about our rights as parents to educate our children according to our wishes?

PAGE has done their homework. A majority of parents, both in the rural and urban areas, would like to have PPMSI continued.

Now PAGE is not asking for PPMSI to be implemented nationally. Datin Noor Asimah, chairman of PAGE, recogni ses the fact that not one size fits all.

So, for PPMSI to be implemented in certain schools, according to the wishes of the majority of the parents there, is plain democratic, realistic and what's more, rather do-able.

For the minister to say that having 2 different streams for the teaching of Mathematics and Science is confusing, is akin to saying. "Malas-lah!"

Hey, Mr Minister, our children are everything to us. What about yours, to you? (Where are they studying, by the way?)

The New Education Blueprint does not set out to politicise education, so it says. Good, I'm counting on that. I'm hoping that the 11 shifts do not shift our focus away from education per se and the 3 waves, do not wave our concerns away.

As parents, we want what's best for our children's future and that includes a relevant and effective education that will equip them to compete in today's challenging world. So, we are telling you now, the powers-that-be, it's our right to choose how our children should be educated.

Since English is the working language of the day, globally, we would like our children to be educated in the English language, especially when it comes to Mathematics and Science.

The New Education Blueprint vows that equal opportunities will be given to all. Fair, wonderful, even.

Since many ministers' children are educated in international schools with English as the medium of instruction, Mr Minister, please reintroduce schools, using English as the medium of instruction.

We are not asking for all schools. Let the parents decide. Please do not allow principals to rig decisions concerning the choice of the parents.
I know, for sure, in a particular premier school, the parents said "aye" to PPMSI, but the principal went to the education department and said, "nay"!

You know what's my beef with education in Malaysia, today? It discriminates! How the policy makers know so well that an education in the English medium, gives an advantage to their children who are not in national schools, yet they deny the masses from one.

Young parents wanting to give their children the best they can, work day and night, to enable their children to go to international schools. What does this say about their quality of life? Worst still, it's always the poor who will lose out. This, I deplore!

How can education not be politicised when it's politicians helming the ministry? How dare you lie into our faces when you say there will be equal opportunities for all when your own children don't go to national schools?

Have you forgotten we parents have the right to determine the kind of education we want for our kids?

Or what we want or need don't matter to you? Do our votes matter?

In case you forgot, Mr Education Minister, the days when the government knows best are over. Now, we parents know best. We always, have.