The least the ministers could do when it comes to the issue of starving university students is to bite their tongues or tape their mouth shut. Each statement they make confirms the lack of empathy and cleverness of whoever it is in our Cabinet.
Yes, the Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh has said he will look into the problem, and even asked the students to take on second jobs, much to the amusement of many.
What takes the cake, however, was Minister of Youth and Sports Khairy Jamaluddin who proudly made the statement that the news is exaggerated.
Unfortunately, he has caught the disease of “putting foot into mouth” which normally afflict ministers who sit on a high throne.
"I'm not saying that all varsity students are doing well, but I doubt that there are starving students. [...] Yes there are some facing hardship but not that bad.
"Even the homeless in Kuala Lumpur are given free food by Umno Youth. This (starving students) is hard to comprehend. I hope this story is not sensationalised, and is verified,” he was quoted to have said inMalaysiakini.
For a person who is supposed to be one of the more educated ones in the Cabinet, Khairy amazes even the most stupid of us with his nonsense.
Although student leader Fahmi Zainol was right in stating that Khairy was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, the fact that he fails to comprehend the matter as a youth minister just puts one off.
Furthermore, he is the MP of Rembau, a rural area which is still made up of low-income earners and is still very much a kampung by all standards.
When one is homeless, it is normally assumed he or she is starving. When one is a university student and starving, it is not assumed that he or she can starve.
If an undergraduate is starving, normally no one else would know of his predicament. Being a university student, public knowledge of this comes with a certain degree of shame. They would not tell but try to make do by going hungry or surviving on biscuits and plain tea.
This is why the issue of starving university students has taken the nation by storm, as no university student should have to go hungry. Even one hungry university student is news which the government should take full responsibility for.
Again and again, need we remind ministers and authorities that education sector has the biggest allocation in the budget year in, year out. And yet, the main problems of this country seem to be found in the education sector.
It is a shame on the country when the Umno Youth chief, who is also a minister for youth, says the ruling party feeds the homeless, thus there should be no case of starving students.
It is time Khairy and his fellow ministers take the feet out of their mouths and start fulfilling their responsibilities to the youths of this nation. Or resign.
The survey by Muslim Volunteer Malaysia Association (MVM) on 25,632 students from six public universities found 57 per cent of them saying that they allocate RM5 a day for food.
About 44 per cent survive on instant noodles while 41 per cent eat only rice with fried egg and sauce. - http://www.theheatmalaysia.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.