‘I think every person out there, no matter how old, no matter how young, has a different calling in their lives and different skills and abilities that they can use to make America and the world a better place.’ - Noah McCullough,13, who recently published his second US presidential history book entitled First Kids: The True Stories of All the Presidents’ Children .

Great thought from a youth like Noah. In another corner of the world, on the other hand, we saw 28 youths detained by the police for their participation, even with parental consent, in the ‘Ride for Change’ campaign organised by the Marginalized People’s Network (Jerit).

In other words, the youths were detained for exercising their freedom of speech/expression.

You would be absolutely wrong if you thought that the serious restriction of freedom of expression only applies to the underaged group.

On Dec 11, 2008, Malaysia's parliament amended a law to allow university students to join social groups but still bans them from political parties. The law also states that students are not allowed to express support for any political party.

‘In many ways there is more freedom now, except that they cannot join political parties or express support for them. But they can express their views,’ said Rozaid Abdul Rahman, an aide to Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin.

What does it mean, ‘expressing your views but not expressing your support for any political party’? It’s like saying you are not allowed to eat after you say you are hungry. Or you are not allowed to wash your hands after you clean your butt.

Also, the claim of ‘more freedom now’ is like telling the rakyat ‘sudah kasi makan, duduk diam’, or ‘Are you not satisfied with the stability in Malaysia? Do you want Malaysia to be like Palestine?’

What an illogical statement from the higher education minister’s aide who seriously suppresses the basic human right of expression.

While debating the Universities and University Colleges (Amendment) Bill 2008, Tajuddin Rahman, MP of Pasir Salak labeled undergraduates as ‘intellectually weak’. Reason being ‘plain lazy’.

‘Many have little general knowledge simply because they do not read enough [...] I am not saying politics is not important. I am saying they should concentrate on improving their minds first. This country needs engineers, accountants, industrialists, entrepreneurs,’ Tajuddin asserted.

Plainly blaming studentsas being ‘lazy to improve their minds’ and attempting to correlate political involvement to academic achievement is merely a scatological denial of the actual dilemma the Malaysian education system is in.

We know from the bottom of our hearts that students from kindergarten to college are just taught to memorise the syllabus material. They are never taught to ask why and never encouraged to think critically and creatively. Instead of ‘how to think’, they are taught ‘what to think’.

Consequently, the society is filled with graduates who can’t speak, can’t think, and hence are ‘intellectually weak’ and competitively deficient. This disqualification might have contributed significantly to the alarming jobless rate among local graduates.

Really, what do you expect from those who have been spoon-fed throughout their schooling? Would you expect to get an apple if what you plant is actually a cherry tree?

The curtailment of students’ rights to join any political party while allowed to ‘express their views’ presents an ironically misinterpreted ‘freedom’ in this modern world.

A non-IDEAL education system undoubtedly has created an academic environment with low Interactive, Developmental, Enriched, Active, and Learning experience. Eventually you get a grape from a watermelon vine.

It is indeed heartbreaking when you see how a youth in another part of the world is capable of giving inspiring advice while the rakyat in Malaysia are suffering intellectually and qualitatively due to the deprivation of democracy, justice and freedom in the country.