On 16 December 1944, a Nazi Germany besieged by its enemies on two fronts and facing inevitable defeat, launched a desperate offensive in the Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France and Luxembourg on the Western Front.
Wikipedia states: Germany's goal for these operations was to split the British and American Allied line in half, capturing Antwerp (port in Belgium) and then proceed to encircle and destroy four Allied armies, forcing the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis Powers’ favour. Once accomplished, Hitler could fully concentrate on the eastern theatre of war.
It was not only a desperate offensive but basically a salvage operations for Germany's interests. But it caught the Allies by surprise and provided the American military its bloodiest battle in Europe in WWII.
The German termed their offensive as Ardennenoffensive(Ardennes Counteroffensive). The US military also officially designated the battle as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, but due to a few technical-geographical anomalies and the preference of the American press, the conflict became more popularly known as The Battle of the Bulge, a description of how the Allied lines bulged inwards under the German offensive through the forested regions of the Ardennes.
Flash forward 70 years.
On 30 April 2013, a BN besieged by its enemies on several fronts and facing inevitable defeat, will launch a desperate offensive in the halls of Han Chiang College (HCC) in Penang on its North-Western Front.
The Malaysian Insider reported:
Wikipedia states: Germany's goal for these operations was to split the British and American Allied line in half, capturing Antwerp (port in Belgium) and then proceed to encircle and destroy four Allied armies, forcing the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis Powers’ favour. Once accomplished, Hitler could fully concentrate on the eastern theatre of war.
It was not only a desperate offensive but basically a salvage operations for Germany's interests. But it caught the Allies by surprise and provided the American military its bloodiest battle in Europe in WWII.
The German termed their offensive as Ardennenoffensive(Ardennes Counteroffensive). The US military also officially designated the battle as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, but due to a few technical-geographical anomalies and the preference of the American press, the conflict became more popularly known as The Battle of the Bulge, a description of how the Allied lines bulged inwards under the German offensive through the forested regions of the Ardennes.
Flash forward 70 years.
On 30 April 2013, a BN besieged by its enemies on several fronts and facing inevitable defeat, will launch a desperate offensive in the halls of Han Chiang College (HCC) in Penang on its North-Western Front.
The Malaysian Insider reported:
Najib, who is also BN chairman, is expected to grace the April 30 dinner event and to make two announcements to provide a fillip to the slow-starting Penang BN campaign.
“Najib will make two important announcements on Tuesday — restore Penang’s free port status and the approval of HCC as a university college,” Han Chiang’s honorary principal Datuk Dr Cheah See Kian was quoted as saying by theMalaysiakini news portal yesterday.
The PM had in February said Han Chiang’s application for the university college status will be considered, during the BN’s Chinese New Year bash on the grounds.
But Tan said today he was unable to confirm that Najib would be presenting Han Chiang with the promised university-college status.
“So far, we've not received any confirmation from the federal government, I only heard people talking about it,” he said.
If true, then the expected announcements will be very attractive. But the first issue that we should consider is whether the caretaker government under Najib can make these two announcements, namely, restoring Penang's free port status and approving Han Chiang College as a university college?
I am not a lawyer but I checked up on the practice of a couple of Commonwealth countries like Australia and India, besides what Rocketkini publishes. There's not much difference as we may expect from our common Westminster democracy, but I choose to highlight the Australian code for caretaker government as it seems to be the clearest laid out, as follows:
Major policy decisions. The Government will cease taking major policy decisions except on urgent matters and then only after formal consultation with the Opposition. The conventions apply to the making of decisions, not to their announcement. Accordingly, the conventions are not infringed where decisions made before dissolution are announced during the caretaker period. However, where possible, decisions would normally be announced ahead of dissolution.
Significant appointments. The Government will cease making major appointments of public officials, but may make acting or short-term appointments.
Major contracts or undertakings. The Government will avoid entering major contracts or undertakings during the caretaker period. If it is not possible to defer the commitment until after the caretaker period, for legal, commercial or other reasons, a minister could consult the Opposition, or agencies could deal with the contractor and ensure that contracts include clauses providing for termination in the event of an incoming government not wishing to proceed. Similar provisions cover tendering.
International negotiations and visits. The Government ordinarily seeks to defer such major international negotiations, or adopts observer status, until the end of the caretaker period.
Avoiding APS involvement in election activities. (APS or Australian Public Service is equivalent of our Malaysian Civil Service but not politically partisan like the Malaysian version, wakakaka) The Australian Public Service adopts a neutral stance while continuing to advise the Government. There are several cases, notably the pricing of Opposition election promises, in which the APS conducts an investigation and report for the benefit of the electorate at large.
Incidentally, read the part on '... in which the APS conducts an investigation and report for the benefit of the electorate at large'. That's what public (or civil) servant means. Here in Malaysia it's likely to be '... in which the MCS conducts an investigation and report for the benefit of UMNO', wakakaka and eat your hearts out Malaysians.
Anyway, let's start off with one of the two expected announcements, namely, Penang's free port status.
I believe the issue of Penang's free port status would fall under 'major policy decision' because it will involve taxes (government revenue), legislation and considerable resources to bring about and manage/control the free port.
Obviously Najib can't promise that. One question however - will it be within a caretaker government's right to slyly say 'I promise you that I will restore Penang's free port status ... with the agreement of Pakatan who I will consult as soon as possible and definitely after the election'?
Wakakaka, that will certainly put Pakatan, especially Lim Guan Eng, on the back foot. Maybe some legal experts can help here!
Just for discussions, let's assume it won't infringe the limitations of a caretaker government, and Najib makes the announcement about the free port status, insofar as Penangites are concerned, they will still assess how definite or how vague he presents the proposal, and with what strings attached.
They won't buy it if Najib says the free port status will only come with a BN state government, and believe me, that sort of 'lu tolong wa, wa tolong lu' announcement will be considered by Penang voters as insulting and thus rendering such a campaign offer politically counter-productive.
But while the free port status will be something nice to have, and even if true and can be implemented, it will only benefit Penangites. BN has a nation-wide problem, especially with the Chinese voters, so the free port promise will not have much value in boosting BN's prospects.
The more value-added promise will be the approval of Han Chiang College as a university college. Even then, it will be limited in its appeal, but let's not doubt that it may sway a few Chinese voters, especially the parents and students of HCC. I don't propose to discuss whether this approval will contravene a caretaker government's limitations for the obvious reason it's beyond my legal knowledge.
But look, if Najib really wants to break out of his 'Ardennes' like the German Army of 1944, and win over Chinese voters on both sides of the South China Sea, then he ought to arm himself with a powerful weapon that will shake Pakatan to its core, and give MCA orgasmic delights to no ends, if ...
... he were to announce that the government will, effective from 01 May 2013 [has to prior to the election otherwise the Chinese won't believe him, wakakaka) recognize the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) of the Chinese independent high schools.
I am not joking. Najib will win one hell of a backswing to the BN by many Chinese voters.
This is what Wikipedia has to say about the UEM:
The Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) is a standardized test for Chinese independent high school students organized by the UCSCAM* since 1975. The UEC is available in three levels: Junior Middle (UEC-JML), Vocational (UEC-V), and Senior Middle (UEC-SML). Examinations for the UEC-JML and UEC-V are only available in the Chinese language. The UEC-SML has questions for mathematics, sciences (biology, chemistry and physics), bookkeeping, accounting and commerce available in Chinese and English.
* The United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM, the association of Chinese school teachers and trustees, 马来西亚华校董事联合会总会, also known as the Dong Jiao Zong 董教总 coordinates the curriculum used in the schools and organizes the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) standardized test. Despite this, the schools are independent of each other and are free to manage their own affairs.
The UEC-SML is recognized as a qualification for entrance into many tertiary educational institutions around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Australia, Canada and many others. It is not recognized by the government of Malaysia for entry into public universities, but most private colleges recognize it.
Because the UEC is not recognized by the Malaysian government, some Chinese independent high schools opt to teach the national secondary school curriculum (in Malay) alongside the independent school curriculum (in Chinese) and require students to sit for the government standardized tests (PMR, SPM or even STPM) as private school candidates, providing the students an opportunity to obtain government-recognized certificates.
Why do you think the Chinese have been pissed off with the BN when The UEC-SML is recognized as a qualification for entrance into many tertiary educational institutions around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Australia, Canada and many others except the country of its origin Malaysia.
You work out the reason why the Malaysian authority choose to be the exception, and if you have difficulties doing so, just wait a wee while to read the case of the Indians and their problems with the Malaysian Medical Council in regards to their studies at the Crimea State Medical University.
According to Dr Kua Kia Siong in his book, Protean Saga: The Chinese Schools of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir as Education Minister must have hated the idea and existence of the UEC so much that when he heard about Dong Jiao Zong's plans for it, he summoned the Chinese educationalists to parliament and told the leaders "... that UEC had better not be held or else ... He did not ask for any response and dismissed the Chinese educationalists with a curt ... 'that is all'."
That was in 1975. Obviously Dong Jiao Zong didn't give two hoots to his nonsensical warning, and correctly so as the 60 independent Chinese high schools in Malaysia (with 23 in East Malaysia) have been funded privately by the Chinese community and philanthropists like the late Lim Lean Teng, who was Han Chiang's long time benefactor.
As for the Indians, note that in 2006 an UMNO Minister went to Ukraine to visit the Crimea State Medical University where many Malaysian students were studying there. He was reported to have said (words to the effect) “So many blacks here”.
Next, before we can say “Aiyoyo, black is beautiful lah”, our MMC issued a de-recognition of the Crimea State Medical University, just barely 4 years after it recognized it.
Malaysiakini reported that: Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek cited rape and threat incidents as grounds for the de-recognition but failed to furnish any details.
Chua said the government will not entertain appeals from CSMU as the university had not bothered to reply MMC’s earlier queries.
But the university has since denied all the allegations and provided Malaysiakini copies of a series of correspondence with the MMC since last August (2006).
In other words, the college was saying Dr Chua was 'not correct'.
So? Who’s bullsh*tting?
But the MMC couldn't explain why the de-recognition was not across the board. Certain parties’ degrees from the medical university were recognized whilst others (who came latter and were, according to the visiting UMNO minister, 'black') weren't.
Yes, what was the difference? Well, many suspected it was just pre and post “So many blacks here”.
For more, read:
But regarding the UEC, I afraid poor Najib has to overcome his mentor Dr Mahathir's bitter objection if he wants to take up kaytee's suggestion and recognize the UEC, wakakaka.
But by tackling what warms the cockles of the Chinese hearts, namely education, Najib will be on the right track. His only problem is credibility, to wit, how reliable will the Chinese view his promise? Thus it can't just be a promise to be effected only after the election, especially a conditional one.
As I mentioned, if he really wants to win over many of the Chinese (I dare not promise all Chinese, but certainly many Chinese, even if some Pakatan supporters may not agree with me), then he must make the recognition effective prior to the election.
Mind you, the Chinese voters can still play him out, wakakaka, but that's another issue and a risk he has to take.
I think he has some advisors who have guided him along this way because I read in TMI that In Kedah, BN ditches hudud for education, graft fight to win over Chinese.
Now, as far as Chinese voters are concerned, that's more sensible where we read caretaker Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin saying before a crowd at Keat Hwa, a private secondary school in Kedah: “In Kedah, how many Chinese schools did the state government build and how much did allocation did they give? The federal government gave a lot, only last year it was RM500 million.”
Better still (because today financial inducement won't work with the Chinese), he should have said: "We will recognize the UEC with effect from 01 May 2013", and he would have been far more popular with the Chinese than Najib or Anwar Ibrahim, though he would have to face Dr Mahathir's wrath, wakakaka!
It's not so much Chinese vernacular education per se that the Chinese had wanted in earlier years but GOOD education, education that was of a HIGH RELIABLE STANDARD. Today they still want education of a good and reliable standard, and they believe with the nonsense in national type schools including BTN-ized racism, they can only ensure their children receive those in Chinese vernacular schools.
That's right, to Chinese parents then, the medium of the learning/teaching itself was irrelevant. The Chinese just wanted and still want quality education for their children.
The belief that Chinese Malaysians have been/are chauvinistic in supporting vernacular education is incorrect. If so, why would most Chinese Malaysians in the 50s and 60s send their children to English medium schools?
You know, whenever we hear about Malay unity, the proposal invariably comes with mentions of Malay nationalism and Islam and possibly the position of the rulers, to wit, bangsa, agama dan raja. As for Indian unity, you work it out with Waythamoorthy and his brother and if you wish, MIC.
But with Chinese political unity, there was, is and can only be one topic - EDUCATION!
I believe the last and ONLY time Chinese Malaysians got together ‘politically’ was on 11 October 1987, just prior to Ops Lallang, and which event unfortunately led to that draconian ISA exercise.
So I come to my final bit, my dear Najib - if you want to be like Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt conducting the German offensive in its breakthrough the Ardennes, you will be on the right track if you announce at the BN gala dinner in Han Chiang on 30 April 2013 that the UEC will be recognized with effect from 01 May 2013.
End note: The German offensive Ardennenoffensive failed, but gave the Allies a great fright and a bloody experience.
If true, then the expected announcements will be very attractive. But the first issue that we should consider is whether the caretaker government under Najib can make these two announcements, namely, restoring Penang's free port status and approving Han Chiang College as a university college?
I am not a lawyer but I checked up on the practice of a couple of Commonwealth countries like Australia and India, besides what Rocketkini publishes. There's not much difference as we may expect from our common Westminster democracy, but I choose to highlight the Australian code for caretaker government as it seems to be the clearest laid out, as follows:
Major policy decisions. The Government will cease taking major policy decisions except on urgent matters and then only after formal consultation with the Opposition. The conventions apply to the making of decisions, not to their announcement. Accordingly, the conventions are not infringed where decisions made before dissolution are announced during the caretaker period. However, where possible, decisions would normally be announced ahead of dissolution.
Significant appointments. The Government will cease making major appointments of public officials, but may make acting or short-term appointments.
Major contracts or undertakings. The Government will avoid entering major contracts or undertakings during the caretaker period. If it is not possible to defer the commitment until after the caretaker period, for legal, commercial or other reasons, a minister could consult the Opposition, or agencies could deal with the contractor and ensure that contracts include clauses providing for termination in the event of an incoming government not wishing to proceed. Similar provisions cover tendering.
International negotiations and visits. The Government ordinarily seeks to defer such major international negotiations, or adopts observer status, until the end of the caretaker period.
Avoiding APS involvement in election activities. (APS or Australian Public Service is equivalent of our Malaysian Civil Service but not politically partisan like the Malaysian version, wakakaka) The Australian Public Service adopts a neutral stance while continuing to advise the Government. There are several cases, notably the pricing of Opposition election promises, in which the APS conducts an investigation and report for the benefit of the electorate at large.
Incidentally, read the part on '... in which the APS conducts an investigation and report for the benefit of the electorate at large'. That's what public (or civil) servant means. Here in Malaysia it's likely to be '... in which the MCS conducts an investigation and report for the benefit of UMNO', wakakaka and eat your hearts out Malaysians.
Anyway, let's start off with one of the two expected announcements, namely, Penang's free port status.
I believe the issue of Penang's free port status would fall under 'major policy decision' because it will involve taxes (government revenue), legislation and considerable resources to bring about and manage/control the free port.
Obviously Najib can't promise that. One question however - will it be within a caretaker government's right to slyly say 'I promise you that I will restore Penang's free port status ... with the agreement of Pakatan who I will consult as soon as possible and definitely after the election'?
Wakakaka, that will certainly put Pakatan, especially Lim Guan Eng, on the back foot. Maybe some legal experts can help here!
Just for discussions, let's assume it won't infringe the limitations of a caretaker government, and Najib makes the announcement about the free port status, insofar as Penangites are concerned, they will still assess how definite or how vague he presents the proposal, and with what strings attached.
They won't buy it if Najib says the free port status will only come with a BN state government, and believe me, that sort of 'lu tolong wa, wa tolong lu' announcement will be considered by Penang voters as insulting and thus rendering such a campaign offer politically counter-productive.
 |
| Ah Jib Gor, wakakaka |
But while the free port status will be something nice to have, and even if true and can be implemented, it will only benefit Penangites. BN has a nation-wide problem, especially with the Chinese voters, so the free port promise will not have much value in boosting BN's prospects.
The more value-added promise will be the approval of Han Chiang College as a university college. Even then, it will be limited in its appeal, but let's not doubt that it may sway a few Chinese voters, especially the parents and students of HCC. I don't propose to discuss whether this approval will contravene a caretaker government's limitations for the obvious reason it's beyond my legal knowledge.
But look, if Najib really wants to break out of his 'Ardennes' like the German Army of 1944, and win over Chinese voters on both sides of the South China Sea, then he ought to arm himself with a powerful weapon that will shake Pakatan to its core, and give MCA orgasmic delights to no ends, if ...
... he were to announce that the government will, effective from 01 May 2013 [has to prior to the election otherwise the Chinese won't believe him, wakakaka) recognize the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) of the Chinese independent high schools.
I am not joking. Najib will win one hell of a backswing to the BN by many Chinese voters.
This is what Wikipedia has to say about the UEM:
The Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) is a standardized test for Chinese independent high school students organized by the UCSCAM* since 1975. The UEC is available in three levels: Junior Middle (UEC-JML), Vocational (UEC-V), and Senior Middle (UEC-SML). Examinations for the UEC-JML and UEC-V are only available in the Chinese language. The UEC-SML has questions for mathematics, sciences (biology, chemistry and physics), bookkeeping, accounting and commerce available in Chinese and English.
* The United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM, the association of Chinese school teachers and trustees, 马来西亚华校董事联合会总会, also known as the Dong Jiao Zong 董教总 coordinates the curriculum used in the schools and organizes the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) standardized test. Despite this, the schools are independent of each other and are free to manage their own affairs.
The UEC-SML is recognized as a qualification for entrance into many tertiary educational institutions around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Australia, Canada and many others. It is not recognized by the government of Malaysia for entry into public universities, but most private colleges recognize it.
Because the UEC is not recognized by the Malaysian government, some Chinese independent high schools opt to teach the national secondary school curriculum (in Malay) alongside the independent school curriculum (in Chinese) and require students to sit for the government standardized tests (PMR, SPM or even STPM) as private school candidates, providing the students an opportunity to obtain government-recognized certificates.
 |
| says some UEC subjects not up to SPM standard yet UEC recognized as a qualification for entrance into many tertiary educational institutions around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Australia, Canada etc only Malaysia doesn't recognized it, hence above news headlines |
Why do you think the Chinese have been pissed off with the BN when The UEC-SML is recognized as a qualification for entrance into many tertiary educational institutions around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Australia, Canada and many others except the country of its origin Malaysia.
You work out the reason why the Malaysian authority choose to be the exception, and if you have difficulties doing so, just wait a wee while to read the case of the Indians and their problems with the Malaysian Medical Council in regards to their studies at the Crimea State Medical University.
According to Dr Kua Kia Siong in his book, Protean Saga: The Chinese Schools of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir as Education Minister must have hated the idea and existence of the UEC so much that when he heard about Dong Jiao Zong's plans for it, he summoned the Chinese educationalists to parliament and told the leaders "... that UEC had better not be held or else ... He did not ask for any response and dismissed the Chinese educationalists with a curt ... 'that is all'."
That was in 1975. Obviously Dong Jiao Zong didn't give two hoots to his nonsensical warning, and correctly so as the 60 independent Chinese high schools in Malaysia (with 23 in East Malaysia) have been funded privately by the Chinese community and philanthropists like the late Lim Lean Teng, who was Han Chiang's long time benefactor.
As for the Indians, note that in 2006 an UMNO Minister went to Ukraine to visit the Crimea State Medical University where many Malaysian students were studying there. He was reported to have said (words to the effect) “So many blacks here”.
Next, before we can say “Aiyoyo, black is beautiful lah”, our MMC issued a de-recognition of the Crimea State Medical University, just barely 4 years after it recognized it.
Malaysiakini reported that: Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek cited rape and threat incidents as grounds for the de-recognition but failed to furnish any details.
Chua said the government will not entertain appeals from CSMU as the university had not bothered to reply MMC’s earlier queries.
But the university has since denied all the allegations and provided Malaysiakini copies of a series of correspondence with the MMC since last August (2006).
In other words, the college was saying Dr Chua was 'not correct'.
So? Who’s bullsh*tting?
But the MMC couldn't explain why the de-recognition was not across the board. Certain parties’ degrees from the medical university were recognized whilst others (who came latter and were, according to the visiting UMNO minister, 'black') weren't.
Yes, what was the difference? Well, many suspected it was just pre and post “So many blacks here”.
For more, read:
(a) Malaysiakini's Samy to meet CSMU students.
(b) MMC checks race of Malaysian students at CSMU
(c) The Big Medical Lie and because Indians like to be lawyers, also
(b) MMC checks race of Malaysian students at CSMU
(c) The Big Medical Lie and because Indians like to be lawyers, also
Can you see why very few non-Malay parents trust the government with their children’s education?
But regarding the UEC, I afraid poor Najib has to overcome his mentor Dr Mahathir's bitter objection if he wants to take up kaytee's suggestion and recognize the UEC, wakakaka.
 |
| Ni men hao ma? wakakaka |
But by tackling what warms the cockles of the Chinese hearts, namely education, Najib will be on the right track. His only problem is credibility, to wit, how reliable will the Chinese view his promise? Thus it can't just be a promise to be effected only after the election, especially a conditional one.
As I mentioned, if he really wants to win over many of the Chinese (I dare not promise all Chinese, but certainly many Chinese, even if some Pakatan supporters may not agree with me), then he must make the recognition effective prior to the election.
Mind you, the Chinese voters can still play him out, wakakaka, but that's another issue and a risk he has to take.
I think he has some advisors who have guided him along this way because I read in TMI that In Kedah, BN ditches hudud for education, graft fight to win over Chinese.
Now, as far as Chinese voters are concerned, that's more sensible where we read caretaker Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin saying before a crowd at Keat Hwa, a private secondary school in Kedah: “In Kedah, how many Chinese schools did the state government build and how much did allocation did they give? The federal government gave a lot, only last year it was RM500 million.”
 |
| many sweeties were educated here wakakaka |
Better still (because today financial inducement won't work with the Chinese), he should have said: "We will recognize the UEC with effect from 01 May 2013", and he would have been far more popular with the Chinese than Najib or Anwar Ibrahim, though he would have to face Dr Mahathir's wrath, wakakaka!
It's not so much Chinese vernacular education per se that the Chinese had wanted in earlier years but GOOD education, education that was of a HIGH RELIABLE STANDARD. Today they still want education of a good and reliable standard, and they believe with the nonsense in national type schools including BTN-ized racism, they can only ensure their children receive those in Chinese vernacular schools.
That's right, to Chinese parents then, the medium of the learning/teaching itself was irrelevant. The Chinese just wanted and still want quality education for their children.
The belief that Chinese Malaysians have been/are chauvinistic in supporting vernacular education is incorrect. If so, why would most Chinese Malaysians in the 50s and 60s send their children to English medium schools?
You know, whenever we hear about Malay unity, the proposal invariably comes with mentions of Malay nationalism and Islam and possibly the position of the rulers, to wit, bangsa, agama dan raja. As for Indian unity, you work it out with Waythamoorthy and his brother and if you wish, MIC.
But with Chinese political unity, there was, is and can only be one topic - EDUCATION!
I believe the last and ONLY time Chinese Malaysians got together ‘politically’ was on 11 October 1987, just prior to Ops Lallang, and which event unfortunately led to that draconian ISA exercise.
And by getting together ‘politically', I meant a congregation organized by Dr Mahathir’s bête noire, wakakaka, the Dong Jiao Zong {comprising the Federation of Malaysian Chinese School Boards Associations (Dong Zong) and the Federation of Malaysian Chinese School Teachers Associations (Jiao Zong)} which brought together the MCA, the MCA's then real nemesis Gerakan, the opposition DAP and other Chinese-based parties (presumably SUPP etc).
 |
| Ops Lalang round up I recognize Chandra Muzaffar and Bhai Karpal |
As mentioned, nothing gets more under the skin of a Chinese Malaysian than their children's education, which I had often termed as one of the central pillars of Chinese culture.
Thanks then to a Minister of Education – aiyah, me no name him, OK? so no get mad with kaytee lah wakakaka – the Chinese community was really annoyed, nay, not just annoyed, but damn bloody furious with that minister's (wakakaka) appointments of around a hundred senior assistants and principals to vernacular Chinese schools.
Now, what actually infuriated the Chinese community, raising a 'storm of protest’, was the fact that those appointed were not Mandarin language educated. The Chinese community saw that as a deliberate attempt by that UMNO Education Minister, wakakaka, to dilute the high standards of Chinese vernacular schools.
Chinese community meant votes to MCA, Gerakan and the DAP, thus they united for a while in October 1987, not because of Chinese-ness but for Chinese concerns about their children's education.
Chinese community meant votes to MCA, Gerakan and the DAP, thus they united for a while in October 1987, not because of Chinese-ness but for Chinese concerns about their children's education.
Ironically the Chinese vernacular schools in the late '50s and early '60s were almost driven into extinction by the lack of Chinese support. That, the diminishing need by the pragmatic Chinese community for vernacular Chinese education and its eventual extinction or at least, near extinction, would undoubtedly have occurred except for the unpleasant fact of successive UMNO Education ministers and wannabe Education ministers (Dr Mahathir being one, and guess who’s the other? Wakakaka) turning Malaya/Malaysia's once-famed education system into a dirty political football, one that was kicked and thrashed around for their grubby political interests.
For more on how UMNO Education ministers had ‘saved’ Chinese vernacular education from extinction read my letter to Malaysiakini titled Chinese educationists must thank UMNO. Now, don't get angry with me wakakaka because that was written more than several years ago.
I concluded that letter with “The truth has been out there all this while”, meaning today's Chinese Malaysian obsession with Chinese vernacular education had its Genesis, not so much in ethnocentric cultural parochialism but more in ensuring good solid educational standards for their children - which is why, no apologies for evoking that phrase again, education has always been a central pillar of Chinese culture.
Yes, UMNO's repetitive nationalistic kicking of the education football had ripped the guts out of our once-famed national education system until Chinese parents have come to see the vernacular education system as the remaining hope for their children.
To cut a story short, thanks to UMNO Education Ministers pushing Chinese vernacular educationalists and Chinese parents together as a result of the country's worsening national education system, they ‘fell in love’ with each other. And the rest is history.
Thus it was UMNO which actually provided a vital lifeline to Chinese language schools, mind you, not directly or consciously but as a consequence of their Education Ministers' monumental f* up in our national educational system. Ironical, isn't it?
But from there, the Chinese vernacular system has incrementally metamorphosed from a purely issue of 'standards' into one of a cherished cultural identity, given the siege mentality the Chinese community has been indoctrinated with over the last 40 years.
But from there, the Chinese vernacular system has incrementally metamorphosed from a purely issue of 'standards' into one of a cherished cultural identity, given the siege mentality the Chinese community has been indoctrinated with over the last 40 years.
The rejection of English as the language for Science and Maths was also been driven by a perception of fear and suspicion that the UMNO-led authority has planned to sabotage the high 'standards' of the Chinese vernacular system, especially on the teaching of Science and Maths subjects. It doesn't help when virtually everyone knows Science and Maths aren't exactly the ideal or correct vehicles for the learning of English language.
So I come to my final bit, my dear Najib - if you want to be like Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt conducting the German offensive in its breakthrough the Ardennes, you will be on the right track if you announce at the BN gala dinner in Han Chiang on 30 April 2013 that the UEC will be recognized with effect from 01 May 2013.
End note: The German offensive Ardennenoffensive failed, but gave the Allies a great fright and a bloody experience.
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