vox populi small thumbnail 'The quality of the students in Malaysian schools is reflective of the quality of Malaysia's political leadership.'

Fruits of education policy flip-flops

P Dev Anand Pillai: Well said, Senator S Ramakrishnan, the problem is that the people will yet again vote for BN again and again in return for a few ringgit, some food, T-shirts and perhaps some fancy shows. So Malaysians deserve what they get.

It is not that the system that has gone to the dogs, it is the dogs have come to the system. Most Malaysians who vote for money just couldn't be bothered. It won't be long before Malaysian girls go overseas as maids and the boys as labourers, just like what we now take for granted our Southeast Asian neighbours.

We were once a sports powerhouse when it came to the Asean schools athletics meet. Now we can't even hold a candle next to our neighbours. The pitiful fact is that our government just refuses to accept this.

Malaysians Are Not Stupid: The quality of the students in Malaysian schools is reflective of the quality of Malaysia's political leadership.

When you have ministers that behave like samseng (gangsters), who cannot engage in a proper debate without getting emotional and turning every issue into a racial issue, who care more about their own and their cronies' welfare instead of the country's welfare and who cannot think nationalistically but racially, what other outcome do you expect?

That's why the country is slowly but surely becoming a failed state. The high crime rate, people's lack of respect for the law (look at the number of people beating the traffic lights and ignoring traffic rules) and the attitude of politicians who believe that as long as you have money and power you can do what you like.

I fear for the future of this country and the future of our next generation.

Lim Chong Leong: There is an Umno grand plan to dis-educate the masses (Malay masses, mainly), by letting them think they are highly-educated.

The reason to dis-educate them is so that they are easier to control, and when given high positions in government-linked companies (GLCs) and government agencies, they feel like they owe their life to Umno as they will be the only people who hire them through our GLCs and civil service. These 'slaves of higher learning' will do Umno's bidding without shame.

So the education system is not a failure, but an absolute success from Umno's point of view.

Shanu: The rot cannot be halted. Those who can, just save yourselves. I should know, for I was in the system for 30 years and was horrified at the direction things was going. There is nothing one can do when the powers-that-be refuse to be credible with their decisions.

Can you imagine the teachers of today go into a class and do nothing, saying that the kids are not disciplined enough to be taught? These people should not be given the job in the first place.

Anonymous: Privatising our education system to people who want to do it in an non-profit way is the only way out of this mess. The country is caught in a culture of taking money and spending it for hedonistic purposes ... nobody seems to care about where the next dollar will come. This is a culture bred by the politicians.

Cikgu: Primary education system is going down to the drain where innocent children are becoming the victim of the politicians' idiotic and racist behaviour. The school administrative system sucks where most headmasters and senior assistants are given preference to Malays. Well, what you give is what you get in return.

Anonymous: I agree with Senator Ramakrishnan. When the country is managed by mediocre politicians from a mediocre racist party harping on religious and racial tendencies, then we will get mediocre policies and mediocre results.

It is the fault of these political goons, who think highly of themselves and who serve their self-interests instead of the long-term vision for the country.

If the situation is not checked, the standard of public education in Malaysia will decline further. The only way to stem the rot is a total revamp of the education policies, which can only be undertaken by a new regime.

Switched to postal voter without being told

Bernard Phillips: When I left the Armed Forces, I expected my details to be transferred to the electoral rolls in Ipoh, being my permanent address. Not so.

Instead it was transferred to Kuala Ketil, Kedah - a place which I hardly knew existed, much less lived or worked in. And when I confronted the Election Commission (EC) official in Ipoh, he could not give me any explanation.

The fraud that takes place with postal votes is widepread and carried out with unscrupulous officals in the EC and MOD (Ministry of Defence), but it is difficult to detect and any complaint will take forever to be investigated, in which time the individuals involved would have moved elsewhere.

That is why people in the EC must have impeccable credentials and be above suspicion. We can only hope, but the opposition parties must remain vigilant.

Ghkok: Is this part of a grand plan to "defend Putrajaya at all costs" as declared by Umno president Najib Razak in his speech at the Putra World Trade Centre? Are we seeing the "fruition" of several parts of that plan as Najib considers a snap election?

Voice: The fact that regular voters are silently been transferred out to be postal voters means that trick will be done using postal votes. Postal votes are the magic tool box for BN where electoral manipulation can be executed according to their wish.

Faz: It's a wishful thinking to appeal to reasonable masses to vote for change as 53 years of divide and rule had left very deep divisions among even the reasonable people.

The well-fed and those who feared repercussions will not be with the opposition masses. Those who had been cheated and lied to won't be there either because the ruling elite does reward them every now and then, and for this group, the hope for a pay day later will ensure that they do not burnt the bridges.

Kit Carson: Let the whole world know how this country is governed and how the PM and his cronies manipulate the election results. In their desperation to win and rule again, the government machinery is employing all kinds of dirty tactics.

Dev: It's time for Bersih 2.0 to act. Please start here. There is manipulation and there are witnesses. We can't go on bringing evidence to the fore and yet no action is taken. Bersih 2.0, you've got our support. We will make noise if you need us to. Bring this to international attention. Let's bring about change once and for all.

BN okays two-tiered direct membership

Hopium: With PKR showing so much of rubbish, BN seems to be moving ahead in the game. Bad luck for Malaysians. Pakatan Rakyat's march to Putrajaya looks bleak, and bleaker if Pakatan shows greater disintegration and disunity. Malaysian politics on both sides stinks to the core.

Black Mamba: This is BN's strategy to gauge ground support. No voting rights, and it's a waste of time for non-bumiputera political aspirants. It's better join PKR, at least you would get better representation through a (truly) 1Malaysian party.

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