可怜的我姐

二十多年前，我姐在华小开始了她的教师生涯。 在华小任教了十多年，她凭着好学不倦的精神，就申请大学继续深造。

自马来亚大学毕业后，凭着大学资格与十多年的教学经验，我姐与她大学同学们原以为薪金待遇会被调到合理的幅度。 可是，很遗憾的，这些资深的教师们的待遇福利竟然远不如那些资浅教师，非常不合理。

因此，当她看到了《星洲日报》刊登的，由一些同病相怜的教师们所著的〈至教育部的公开信〉，觉得他们所写的，与我姐和她同学们所遭遇到的相同情况。 由此可见，遭遇到此等困境的资深教师，不在少数。

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致教育部的公開信

2010-12-15 19:20

教育部執事先生：

眾多在小學服務，具大學資格的教師（DG41），對他們在薪金和升職方面的遭遇十分不滿和失望，而且由來已久，但至今猶未能解決。

要解決問題，就需對症下藥。當然，我們更有需要先瞭解，為甚麼他們感到很不滿，很失望？

其中一些原因如下：

其一，他們是在政府的鼓勵和教育部的批准下去深造，豈知寒窗苦讀多年的結果卻是比不去深造的教師更不如！（薪金更低，且不能升級）既然如此，政府當初為甚麼鼓勵他們去深造？他們難免有被騙，被愚弄的感覺！

其二，他們是在自費，半工半讀，花了許多金錢和時間，以及付出許多犧牲的情況下，歷經千辛萬苦才考獲大學文憑。學成歸來，待遇卻不如中學畢業的教師，情何以堪？早知如此，何必當初？這是誰之過？許多金錢和時間，不是白費了嗎？

他 們默默耕耘，辛勤服務了許久，有些年資超過20年，甚至接近退休。但因為差別待遇，而且年資 更少，資格更低者薪金卻比他們優渥許多，更可升級做他們的上司。將心比心，教師也是人，並不是不食人間煙火，他們也有思想，感受和尊嚴。如此不公和反常， 又一直不受尊重，誰能接受？孰可忍，孰不可忍？（如果造成一些教師心裡不平衡，士氣低落，無心教學，連帶的學生的成績、紀律、校風也受影響，又是誰之 過？）這是其三。

除了薪金更低，他們無論服務多久，資格多高；也不論人品，能力，經驗和各項條件如何皆不能升級 擔任小學正副校長，即使有些空缺多年未補！反觀年級更輕，資格更低，完全沒有經驗者卻可爬頭升級。縱觀世界各國各處，誰能接受如此不合理，不正常的現象？ 這不是開倒車，顛倒來做嗎？這樣反常，荒謬的薪金和升級制度怎可繼續沿用？是為其四。

某些官員說在小學服務，具大學資格的教師（DG41／DG44）人數需過半，甚至需達70%方能升級，這是甚麼邏輯？升級與否，必須看個人的年資、經驗、人品、學歷、辦事能力等等，這是放之四海皆准，全世界公認和通用的準則，怎麼卻要由人數的多寡來決定？

無 論哪一組別教師，具大學資格（DG41／44）或非大學資格者（DGA29／32／34）， 並非人人有興趣和意願升級！當局放著某些學校正副校長空缺多年不填補，任由學校行政受影響，一邊卻硬性規定中學畢業生（DGA32／34）去填補上述空 缺；另一邊卻令數以萬計資格更高，年資更久，條件更充足者（例如DG41級教師）望穿秋水，同時更喊沒有人才，這不是公然的歧視大學生是甚麼？這不是自相 矛盾，自打嘴巴嗎？

一群教師：黃國能、方君璧、陳拼、溫俊宏、謝林燕、王詩音同啟

致 马来西亚 教育部的公開信

致 马来西亚 教育部的公開信

致教育部的公開信

2010-12-15 19:20

教育部執事先生：

眾多在小學服務，具大學資格的教師（DG41），對他們在薪金和升職方面的遭遇十分不滿和失望，而且由來已久，但至今猶未能解決。

要解決問題，就需對症下藥。當然，我們更有需要先瞭解，為甚麼他們感到很不滿，很失望？

其中一些原因如下：

其一，他們是在政府的鼓勵和教育部的批准下去深造，豈知寒窗苦讀多年的結果卻是比不去深造的教師更不如！（薪金更低，且不能升級）既然如此，政府當初為甚麼鼓勵他們去深造？他們難免有被騙，被愚弄的感覺！

其二，他們是在自費，半工半讀，花了許多金錢和時間，以及付出許多犧牲的情況下，歷經千辛萬苦才考獲大學文憑。學成歸來，待遇卻不如中學畢業的教師，情何以堪？早知如此，何必當初？這是誰之過？許多金錢和時間，不是白費了嗎？

他們默默耕耘，辛勤服務了許久，有些年資超過20年，甚至接近退休。但因為差別待遇，而且年資 更少，資格更低者薪金卻比他們優渥許多，更可升級做他們的上司。將心比心，教師也是人，並不是不食人間煙火，他們也有思想，感受和尊嚴。如此不公和反常， 又一直不受尊重，誰能接受？孰可忍，孰不可忍？（如果造成一些教師心裡不平衡，士氣低落，無心教學，連帶的學生的成績、紀律、校風也受影響，又是誰之 過？）這是其三。

除了薪金更低，他們無論服務多久，資格多高；也不論人品，能力，經驗和各項條件如何皆不能升級 擔任小學正副校長，即使有些空缺多年未補！反觀年級更輕，資格更低，完全沒有經驗者卻可爬頭升級。縱觀世界各國各處，誰能接受如此不合理，不正常的現象？ 這不是開倒車，顛倒來做嗎？這樣反常，荒謬的薪金和升級制度怎可繼續沿用？是為其四。

某些官員說在小學服務，具大學資格的教師（DG41／DG44）人數需過半，甚至需達70%方能升級，這是甚麼邏輯？升級與否，必須看個人的年資、經驗、人品、學歷、辦事能力等等，這是放之四海皆准，全世界公認和通用的準則，怎麼卻要由人數的多寡來決定？

無論哪一組別教師，具大學資格（DG41／44）或非大學資格者（DGA29／32／34）， 並非人人有興趣和意願升級！當局放著某些學校正副校長空缺多年不填補，任由學校行政受影響，一邊卻硬性規定中學畢業生（DGA32／34）去填補上述空 缺；另一邊卻令數以萬計資格更高，年資更久，條件更充足者（例如DG41級教師）望穿秋水，同時更喊沒有人才，這不是公然的歧視大學生是甚麼？這不是自相 矛盾，自打嘴巴嗎？

一群教師：黃國能、方君璧、陳拼、溫俊宏、謝林燕、王詩音同啟

One man’s lie is another man’s fact

It is certainly sound advice that Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin gave to Malaysian students overseas. History as taught in Malaysian schools in the 1950s and 1960s was very different from the history being taught today.

The history that I learned in the Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur starts from 1066. I had to research on my own the history of 55 BC when the Romans under Emperor Claudius unsuccessfully invaded England and were sent packing back to Rome with their tails between their legs. The general who suffered this most humiliating defeat was none other than Julius Caesar himself who later on became Emperor of Rome.

It was not until almost 100 years later that the Romans managed to tame England -- but then only stayed for about 367 years before they decided to call it quits and abandon England’s shores for good.

The Romans could not bear the extremely cold English weather and extremely hot resistance from the Britons who never allowed the Romans one bit of peace. England, of course, was thereafter invaded by many regional powers such as the Vikings and the political boundaries of Great Britain were redrawn many times over those 600 years before the Norman invasion of 1066.

For some time England was ruled by France and there were occasions when the English king spoke only French. In fact, the language of the English court at that time was French and not English.

There is no longer any such thing as an Englishman. The term Englishman is a misnomer. What would you regard as an Englishman? For 2,000 years England had been occupied by one power or another, and at times many powers at the same time. The blood of the Englishman has been ‘contaminated’ by almost every known Caucasian.

In short, the Englishman jati (pure) is a fallacy and does not exist.

That is how I have understood history. And that was what we were taught in school back in the 1950s and 1960s.

Malaysian history, however, starts from 1946, the year Umno was born. And Malaysian students are taught that Umno fought for independence. They are also taught that the British tried to undermine the Raja-Raja Melayu (Malay Rulers) by introducing the Malay Union. In speeches by Umno leaders we are even told that the Rulers ‘sold out’ to the British and if not for Umno, who defended the Rulers, the Malay Rulers would no longer exist today.

Some try to downplay the ‘treacherous act’ of the Rulers by saying that the British tricked the Rulers into agreeing to the Malayan Union and it was Umno who pressured the Rulers to abort the plan. Without Umno the Rulers would have kowtowed to the British and would have lost all their powers.

In short, the Rulers had to be saved from themselves and it was Umno that had saved them.

Yes, there are much lies and spinning, as Muhyiddin said. Malaysians are not being taught real history. They are being taught Umno’s version of history. So what Muhyiddin said is true: Malaysians overseas must be careful of these lies and spins.

But it is the lies and spins of Umno that Malaysians must be careful of. What we are being told is not what really happened. Sure, Umno did send a delegation to meet the British to oppose the Malayan Union. But who were these so-called ‘Umno people’?

They were not the rakyat. The rakyat did not care. They were not concerned. In fact, they were not even aware about what was going on.

Those who went to meet the British were the orang istana or people from the royal court, the palace people. Is it any wonder that they all had Raja or Datuk in front of their names? In fact, Umno was ‘born’ in the palace of the Sultan of Johor. For all intents and purposes it was a ‘royal effort’.

So dispel all this talk about the Rulers selling out to the British and that Umno, a party of the rakyat, saved the Rulers who had agreed to the Malayan Union due to their ignorance. Many of the royalty then were well educated and were more English than the Englishman. I remember my grandfather speaking just like Winston Churchill. How more English than that can you be?

The British, then, were good at what they called ‘gunboat diplomacy’. They ‘persuaded’ foreign leaders to agree to the terms of His Majesty’s government with a gun at the head. Did they not use the same tactics on the Chinese Emperor to gain Hong Kong?

Umno, at that time, were not seeking Merdeka. They only wanted the British to abandon the Malayan Union and opt for a Federation of Malaya, which eventually did happen two years later. It was MCA that first broached the subject of Merdeka.

The British, of course, would not talk to MCA unless the Malays too were in the equation. The MIC at that time did not bother about Merdeka. MIC was a communist party that was more concerned with independence for India. Malaya was not their home. India was.

It was not until the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) stepped up the insurgency -- which resulted in the British declaring the Malayan Emergency -- that the British decided it would be prudent to allow Malaya self-rule. Many would not agree with me, of course, but I would dare say that Chin Peng accelerated Merdeka. If not, Malaya would have gained independence much later than 1957.

In fact, Malaysia too came about because of the Communists. Lee Kuan Yew was one smart cookie. He made a deal with the CPM who swept half the seats in the Singapore elections. This frightened the British who saw Singapore falling to the Communists.

Lee Kuan Yew told the British that the only way to stop the march of the Communists was to give Singapore independence so that, together with Sabah and Sarawak, it could form a new country with Malaya that would be called Malaysia. Singapore, on its own, would fall to the Communists. As part of Malaysia the Communists could be stopped.

So, while Chin Peng accelerated Merdeka, Lee Kuan Yew ‘convinced’ the British to give independence to Singapore so that it could join Malaya to form Malaysia. Of course, Singapore was not really interested in being part of Malaysia. It just wanted independence. And not long after that it left Malaysia to become an independent Republic of Singapore, which was what Lee Kuan Yew really wanted.

Lee Kuan Yew then got rid of the Communists by detaining them all without trial. He had used them to frighten the British and now no longer had any use for them. So he rounded them up and locked them away for a long time, the sneaky bugger.

But are Chin Peng and Lee Kuan Yew mentioned in this context? They were significant players in the creation of Malaya and later, Malaysia. What we read is about Umno this and Umno that. We are told that Malaya gained independence and Malaysia was later created because of Umno.

These are the lies and spins that Malaysians overseas and at home must be wary of. The history you are being taught is not the real history. What I have just related is the real history. But rest assured not a single Umno member would admit this. They are too ashamed to admit it. By admitting this they would be admitting that Umno is not really the hero that they pretend to be.

Barking up the wrong tree

Face it, the New Economic Policy and all this screaming about Ketuanan Melayu is frightening investors. They feel that Malaysia is a time bomb waiting to explode. Many have no doubt that May 13 Version 2 is going to happen. They are just not sure when.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Perfect vehicle

Malaysia is all set to make the quantum leap into the future and realise its goal to emerge as a high-income, sustainable and inclusive nation.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the New Economic Model (NEM) laid out by the National Economic Action Council (NEAC) is the perfect vehicle to make the journey.

“However, it won’t be an overnight panacea that can solve all issues. It represents a journey that all of us — the government, the private sector and the people — must undertake together,” Najib said at the launch of NEM’s concluding report here yesterday.

He said the concluding assessment of the NEM by the NEAC would prepare the government to face head-on the challenges to reform the country’s economy.

“The NEM has clearly presented a case of a burning platform in spite of the fact that it may seem fine on the surface.”

“Of course, there are always sceptics and detractors, but actions and results are the best way to sway them. I want to reaffirm the government’s resolute commitment to see through the transformation of Malaysia to become an advanced nation.”

The concluding report outlined challenges and requirements needed to transform the economy into an advanced nation, added Najib, who is also finance minister.

“The NEAC’s economic assessment has identified many areas where improvements must be made if Malaysia is to escape the middle-income trap. Most of these issues are known to the government.”

He noted that piecemeal attempts to address them had proven ineffective, hence the need for concerted and holistic efforts as represented by the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

Among concerns raised in the report are the dismal level of investment in innovation and research and development (R&D), which falls far short of the amount required for a country aspiring to become an advanced nation.

Najib said the country’s outdated business regulations and rules had not created a conducive environment to attract investment.

Many of the manufacturing businesses remained inward-looking, used low-cost business models and distinct lack of drive and incentives to move up the technological ladder.

The prime minister said there were four thrusts under the NEM, with the first three dealing with accelerating growth, while the fourth focused on inclusiveness and social cohesion.

Among the initiatives are the government’s plan to reform insolvency laws, which include relief provisions for companies and individuals with financial problems.

On the private sector, Najib said one of the NEM’s goals was to strengthen Malaysian firms’ capacity to make them competitive internationally and succeed independently.

“Their viability depends solely on market terms, without subsidy and with the adherence to international standards and best practices. Without a doubt, companies will have to restructure their operations and business models accordingly.”

In the coming months, Najib said the government would expedite implementation of the ETP, with the Performance Management and Delivery Unit keeping track of the progress. -- The New Straits Times

*************************************

My classmates went into banks, worked in state economic development corporations, became stockbrokers, and so on. I never served in any of the financial services. I went into motor engineering and did a stint in Volkswagen as an apprentice. My background is in the motor industry so I am probably the least qualified to speak about the economy. But do you really need to go to Harvard to understand the economy?

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak talks about the New Economic Model (NEM) as charted by the National Economic Action Council (NEAC). He talks about the need for concerted and holistic efforts as represented by the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). He promises to transform Malaysia into an advanced nation. He reveals Malaysia’s goal to emerge as a high-income, sustainable and inclusive nation.

These are big words. But what do they all mean? How is he going to achieve all this?

Najib said there were four thrusts under the NEM, with the first three dealing with accelerating growth, while the fourth focused on inclusiveness and social cohesion.

Do any of us understand what this means?

The above statement sounds like it was drafted by an economist. Economists always say things like sustainable growth, cautiously optimistic, and so on, which till today I don’t really know what they mean. But they certainly sound impressive, nevertheless. The fact that we don’t know what they mean is probably why they sound impressive.

Solving Malaysia’s economic problems is not merely about pouring more money into the system. If the life raft is leaking then pumping air into it will not keep it afloat. How long can you keep pumping air into a punctured dingy and hope to keep it afloat? Finally it will sink and you will drown.

You need to plug the leaks first. And in Malaysia’s case there are numerous leaks. Unless the leaks are plugged, more money pumped into the system just means more money down the drain.

In the mid-1980s, when the world-wide recession hit, Malaysia under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad scaled down all the projects and many that were not crucial were put on hold. Singapore went the other way. Singapore accelerated their projects and brought forward projects planned for the future. Singapore pumped more money into the economy to ride out the mid-1980s recession.

But then Singapore could do this because it had tons of reserves. Malaysia did not. And the money Singapore spent went into projects, not get diverted into the pockets of its leaders and disappear like in Malaysia. So, what worked for Singapore would not have worked for Malaysia. Malaysia, therefore, had to do the opposite of what Singapore did.

The first thing Najib has to do is to plug the leaks. If the money spent is misused or diverted then only a portion of it would go into the economy. They need to spend RM200 billion to see less than RM100 billion in development.

The other problem is the confidence level of investors. Malaysia’s reputation has been shot big time. Foreigners do not have confidence in Malaysia. The corruption level is very high. Malaysia’s policies are confusing. The government flip-flops and is inconsistent in its policies. Foreign investors do not know whether they are coming or going when dealing with Malaysia.

There are many things fundamentally wrong with Malaysia. Malaysia practices institutionalised racism. No doubt racism exists in every country but only in Malaysia is racism government-sponsored.

I can go on and on but you have probably already heard whatever I can say about the matter. In short, Malaysia is suffering from a crisis of confidence. And unless Najib first solves this crisis then all other problems can never be solved.

The perception people have of a country is most crucial. And the perception they have of Malaysia is very bad. If it is just about making money then there are many neighbouring countries where they can make money. Malaysia is not the only or best place to make money.

Why talk about attracting foreign investors when you can’t even stop fellow Malaysians from transferring their investments overseas? Over the last 20 or 30 years many Malaysians have been winding down their investments in Malaysia and have been transferring them to other countries. And whatever you announce is not going to make them bring their money back to Malaysia.

Face it, the New Economic Policy and all this screaming about Ketuanan Melayu is frightening investors. They feel that Malaysia is a time bomb waiting to explode. Many have no doubt that May 13 Version 2 is going to happen. They are just not sure when.

Who will invest in a country that is about to explode? And if you say that this will never happen, the screams from PERKASA and Umno give the impression that it is inevitable.

Najib said there were four thrusts under the NEM, with the first three dealing with accelerating growth, while the fourth focused on inclusiveness and social cohesion.

How do you accelerate growth? By spending more money? Is that all it takes? And what the hell does ‘inclusiveness and social cohesion’ mean? Can I say I am ‘cautiously optimistic’ that this can be achieved?

No, impressive slogans and big words will not achieve it. It must first start from the political will. Is there a political will, as Najib says, “to transform Malaysia to become an advanced nation with a goal to emerge as a high-income, sustainable and inclusive nation”? How the hell is he going to do this?

How brave and determined is Najib? For example, is he prepared to set up an Ombudsman and invite members from the civil society movements to participate in it?

First, clean up corruption. And if Najib is prepared to set up an Ombudsman to clean up the country, many from the civil society movements will volunteer to serve in it.

But the Ombudsman must be autonomous. There should be no political interference. The final authority to decide on prosecution should not be the Attorney-General. The judiciary should also be free to initiate legal proceedings if it sees fit like in countries such as India or Pakistan where even the top leaders can be brought to book.

Is Najib brave enough to do this? As long as the MACC is a barking dog with no bite and no criminal can be prosecuted without the Attorney-General’s say-so then expect Malaysia’s crisis of confidence to continue. And as long as Malaysia still suffers from a crisis of confidence the economy will never flourish.

People do not trust the Malaysian government. That is the bottom line. And no amount of money or lovely slogans can change this perception.