VOXPOP 'Saifuddin Abdullah is perhaps one of the very rare species of Umno leaders. And these people cannot stand such figures in the party.'

Resign now, pro-gov't students tell Saifuddin

Bender: Look, who's the rude one now? Calling your own deputy minister to resign for not listening to you more? What kind of childish attitude is that?

Yes, student activist Adam Adli and his group may have lowered PM Najib Razak's 'flag' for a mere minute as a symbol of protest.

But did they go so far as to call for Najib's resignation? They know the civilised thing to do, even during emotional times.

But look at these people in contrast. They have no respect for their own minister. And these people someday are going to become teachers (those from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris)? God, please help us, I pray none of these racist minds will ever be teaching my kids.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah is perhaps one of the very rare species of Umno leaders who haven't been tainted by any controversy. And these people cannot stand such figures in the party.

Kee Thuan Chye: This is a clear demonstration of the kind of idiots the Malaysian higher education system has been producing.

Any student who protests against academic freedom must be bonkers. Do they seriously prefer to be shackled?

And why say, "Pembangkang manipulasi mahasiswa (opposition manipulates the students)"? It is the ‘kerajaan' that has been ‘manipulasikan' the rakyat for decades.

But, of course, idiots can't see that, can they?

Jedi_Who: Look at their banners and its professional-looking design and you would realise who is funding and provoking these pro-government students.

Ramachandran Muniandy: If somebody protests against the PM, it doesn't mean he is a traitor. The majority may have elected the PM but if a certain sector doesn't agree with a policy of the PM, can you say they are traitors?

I am sorry, we have wasted millions of ringgit creating idiots like these pro-government students who don't know right from wrong.

Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad, during his schooldays, hated the colonial rule. But the British awarded him a scholarship to study medicine in Singapore anyway.

If the British were to think Dr M was a traitor, he would have been arrested and jailed.

Cannon: The pro-Aspirisi students are holding a counter-demonstration and march to protest against Saifuddin and show support for Najib.

They are opposed to SMM's (Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia's) march for academic freedom . They are taking part in politics. The noise and fury of their peaceful demonstration is the sound of democracy.

Yet, these students say they are opposed to the amendment of the UUCA (Universities and University Colleges Act). This is the lost generation of Malay students who have been ‘bonsai' by Umno's rule. They are mixed up and confused.

Saifuddin is the target of, shall we say, friendly fire? Lucky for him, these dumbos are shooting blanks.

Ashoka PJ: I still remember when one my children were studying in UITM and Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim suggested that UITM (Universiti Teknologi Mara) open up its doors to non-bumis to assist to elevate the standards of learning in UITM, and the UITM students protested loudly.

When they tried to get my child involved, she told them off not to waste their time demonstrating as the non-bumis were not interested to join UITM because of its education standards (as compared to the good old days).

So what did you expect from these students now - to use their brains?

Not Convinced: It looks like the knives are out for Najib's men and women - Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Deputy Finance Minister Awang Adek and now, Saifuddin.

Expect more to come as Najib tries to drop those not with him as candidates in the coming GE (general election). For every action, there will be a reaction.

Najib gets bags of petitions to reinstate PPSMI

Docs: The fact of the matter is that non-Malay parents realise the importance of English for their children's higher education, for seeking jobs in the private sector, or even migration.

Even if English is not taught adequately in schools for their children to master English, many non-Malay parents send their students to English tuition or English-language proficiency classes after school hours.

I feel sad that the majority of the Malay community has not realised this and their children will get stuck with bleak job prospects, especially in the private sector where proficiency of the English language is needed in a globalised world.

Nicole: BN and cohorts want your children to only master Bahasa Malaysia so that you can only be in Malaysia, while they send their children overseas for their education and to master the English language so that when their children talk to your children in English, all your children can do is marvel and be amazed at their fluency.

They don't want your children to master English and talk back to them, that's why the flip-flop decision.

Onyourtoes: Why do things at half measure? Petition for full English schools from primary and secondary all the way to the university levels. Is this not what most of you want?

Shanandoah: It's just not the teaching of science and maths in English, there must also be English-medium schools like the Malay, Chinese and Tamil schools. The English-speaking people of this country also want a school in their language. Why deny them, minister?

Anonymous_3hdchd: The problem is that after 40 years of Malayanisation the vast majority of teachers are unable to teach in English.

In my opinion, the main issue is not so much the language but the backward mentality that is fostered by having everything in Bahasa Malaysia where the emphasis is on obedience to authority, religiosity and an inability to think beyond very narrow confines.

Myrights: Those people who oppose PPSMI (Teaching of Maths and Science in English) keep missing the point no matter how many times it has been said. But I will say it again. It is not about using PPSMI to learn English.

It's about learning Maths and Science in the right language, the language that they are universally taught in and documented in most texts as well as in the Internet.

Sure, there are successful countries which don't teach Maths and Science in English, but these are countries already with a huge wealth of knowledge already embedded in their history for them to propel forward independently.

Show me one Nobel Laureate from Malaysia before arguing about teaching Maths and Science in Bahasa Malaysia.

JimmyKL: If it's about learning Maths and Science in the the right language, the language that they are universally taught in and documented in most texts as well in Internet, well, how many Nobel laureates were there since 1901 that came from an English-speaking country?

More than 70 percent of the Nobel laureates especially in the field of sciences and maths, come from the non-English speaking countries. They obviously were not taught in the so-called ‘the right language'.

If English is the ‘right language' then a whole bunch of Nobel prize winners will come from America and Britain. But obviously they didn't.

Cinaputra: JimmyKL, there can be no denying it remains a distinct advantage to be armed with a good command of the English language mainly because it is more international and has been generally accepted as the language of commerce.

Yes, more people speak Chinese than any other language in the world it is claimed, but why is it that my business associates in Hong Kong and I (almost have to) communicate in English rather than in Chinese? Simple. We both know the language.

Then there is the pursuit of tertiary education in institutions of repute (say, the world's top 200 universities) in the disciplines of science and maths. Where do I go if not to institutions where the medium of instruction is in English?

For goodness sake, they are even offering medical courses in Russia conducted in English.

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