Remember, many leaders of today were once active ‘politicians’ and even student leaders back in the days when students were not barred from politics. What type of leaders do you think the students of today are going to become when it is time for them to take over in future?
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister said that quality education is not just about money. It is about the development of the mind, personality and enhancement of each individual's potential for the development of a learning society that recognises cultural diversity, democracy, human rights, moral values, equity of access to knowledge and life-long learning.
This is probably the most sensible thing he has said thus far. The problem is:
(1) does he mean what he says?
(2) he also said many silly things alongside this such as Umno’s struggle is not about racism. If one does not call Umno’s policy racism then what do you call it?
I have said this before and I shall say it again: a good or quality education policy is one where you teach the young how to think, question, debate, analyse and whatnot. If you stifle the minds of the young then do not expect them to excel.
Let me take one example. When I was in school back in the 1960s we read Indian history and one of my favourite subject matters was The Indian Mutiny of 1857. This is also known as India's First War of Independence, the Great Rebellion, the Indian Rebellion, the Revolt of 1857, the Uprising of 1857, the Sepoy Rebellion or the Sepoy Mutiny.
Of course, whether it is called a mutiny, a rebellion, or a war of independence, would all depend on who is writing that particular history book. The British writers would certainly use mutiny or rebellion, which are negative words, while the Indian or Asian writers would call it a war of independence, something more positive.
Nevertheless, because Malaysia in the 1960s had an English education system, and since the history books were written by Englishmen or Malaysians such as Joginder Singh Jessy (who were recipients of an English education), it was always referred to as The Indian Mutiny. And that was how we knew it throughout our school days -- The Indian Mutiny.
Today, I do not know whether Malaysian students still read Indian history. Nevertheless, the history lesson today has been reduced to simple questions like: what was the date of The Indian Mutiny? And you are given three answers to tick against, only one being the right answer.
In our days it was very different. You were not asked to choose the right answer from three. You had to write essays with a minimum of a certain number of words. And the question was not about what date The Indian Mutiny occurred but what your opinion or thoughts about it are.
You would probably have to write a long analysis to a question such as: what caused or triggered The Indian Mutiny of 1857, what was its impact on the Indian independence movement that came later, and how has it shaped Indian society today?
Now, to answer that question you need to be a thinker. And to be able to be a thinker you first must need to be taught how to think. But does Malaysia’s current education system allow the students to think? How do you analyse and rationalise and think critically when your mind has been stifled and you have never been allowed to think?
The government is afraid of people who think. So the government would rather Malaysians become mental slaves. And the affect is worse for Malays because, being Muslims, Malays have been educated from very young not to question too much lest your akidah (faith) gets eroded. Thinking too much and questioning is the work of the devil, the Muslims are told. So better you just accept what you have been taught and not question whether there is any truth in it.
Malays also always talk about the zaman gemilang Islam (the glory days of Islam). This was the age of invention and innovation where the Middle Eastern region surpassed the West in science and technology. This is of course a fallacy. The glory days of the Middle East was not because of Islam per se. It was because the Middle East opened itself to learning from the other more developed societies of that time such as India and China.
Yes, the Middle Eastern region did invent many things and they were leading in many areas. But they picked up technology from the non-Muslims and improved upon it. It was like Japan, Korea and Taiwan soon after the Second World War. These countries never invented anything, at least in the beginning. They just did ‘reverse engineering’ and improved upon what the West had already invented.
So the same happened in the Middle Eastern region that flourished around a century after Prophet Muhammad. Many of the inventors, mathematicians, astronomers, physicians, architects, engineers, chemists, etc., were actually non-Muslims. But the Muslims allowed invention and innovation and that was why the region moved far ahead during the time when the West still thought that brain tumours were the result of the devil entering the brain -- while the Muslims were already performing brain surgery to remove the tumour.
In fact, the Western thinkers went to the Middle East to learn and they translated many of the Arabic books into Western languages. And that is why many Western ‘scientific’ words are Arabic in origin. Even alcohol is an Arabic word. But when the Middle East closed its doors and shunned ‘imported technology’, it began to revert to the dark ages and the West surged ahead and left the Muslims far behind. The same thing happened to China as well when it embarked upon a closed-door policy.
If we want to learn from history and talk about the glory days of the Islamic Empire that is well and fine with me. But we also have to analyse what made them great and what eventually caused them to go into decline. Of course, corruption, abuse of power, injustice, etc., were also factors for this decline. But the greatest factor of all was when the rulers (government) no longer allowed its people to think and declared that innovation is bidaah or heresy.
This is the only way forward. Even the West managed to move forward only when its people fought against mental slavery and demanded they be allowed to think. Is Malaysia prepared to do this in the interest of, as the Deputy Prime Minister says, quality education?
I remember back in the 1960s, when I was in school, we had mock parliament and mock United Nations debates. The entire school would turn out to watch ‘Members of Parliament’ and the ‘delegates’ to the ‘United Nations’ debating issues. There were no sacred cows. Nothing was sensitive. Where do you think people like Anwar Ibrahim acquired his oratory skills if not in school where debates, ceramahs, and whatnot were not only allowed but also encouraged and organised?
Is the government prepared to abolish the law that forbids students from getting involved in politics? Even the Umno Youth leader, Khairy Jamaluddin, thinks that this law should be abolished. Give the students a free hand. Let them decide for themselves what they want to do. Let them think and ponder about which direction they wish to go even if that direction is opposed to ours.
Remember, many leaders of today were once active ‘politicians’ and even student leaders back in the days when students were not barred from politics. What type of leaders do you think the students of today are going to become when it is time for them to take over in future?
As what the deputy Prime Minister said, quality education is not about money. Yes, I agree. Quality education is about developing the mind. And the mind can never be developed if you subject the people to mental slavery. This is the first thing that needs to be removed, the shackles of the mind that the government imposes on its people.
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DPM: Quality education not just matter of budget allocations
(Bernama) - The enculturation of quality in the education system is not just a matter of increasing budget allocations, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said on Tuesday, Oct 19.
He said quality education, in fact, was about the development of the mind, personality and enhancement of each individual's potential for the development of a learning society that recognised cultural diversity, democracy, human rights, moral values, equity of access to knowledge and life-long learning.
"It is about how we collectively through concerted action enhance the image of Islam as a religion of peace, enhance the perception of Muslims as people of integrity, improve the perception towards the role of our wives and daughters in nation building and human capital development, and how we can improve the engagement of our youths in social and economic development.”
"Through these, we can improve the quality of life for all and make the world a safer place for everyone," he said in his opening address at the Fifth Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research, here, on Tuesday.
"As policy makers, we are accountable to the public that our policies have current relevance, are effective in addressing socio-economic issues and that we are efficient at delivering the products.”
"However, we need to be aware that this perception of the role of education as the driver of socio-economic development could undermine some of the basic values of education and reduce the role of providers of education to that of factories.”
"Let us remember as providers of education, especially at the higher levels, that there are certainly broader contributions that education makes to the wider society such as social cohesion, better health, character moulding, and the development of critical and creative faculties essential for the building of learning societies so needed in a complex, fast changing world.”
"The development of character along with knowledge and competencies must be part and parcel of an extended definition of quality education which is also consistent with the Islamic concept of a holistic education."
According to Muhyiddin, education without emphasis on character formation has practically no value in Islam.
"The Islamic concept of harmony in education includes the formation of a certain type of character rooted in humility towards Allah, lover towards fellow human beings, perseverance in times of affliction, honesty, decency, uprightness, courage to say the truth, a balanced attitude towards issues that involve human emotions and so on."
He said with the glorious past behind, Muslim leaders must consciously motivate the people to regain the glory of Islam and encourage research and promote innovation as part of the culture of their institutions of higher education.
At the same time, he said, they must ensure that their educationists, researchers, scientists and innovators were guided by ethics.
Muhyiddin also mentioned that Malaysia had taken several innovative strategies to become a high-income nation by 2020 that would not only provide material prosperity but also a sense of purpose and belonging for its multiracial citizens.
"We have identified the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure and improve our efficiency and quality in six major policy areas.”
"Besides this, we are mindful that the quality of education must start from a solid foundation. Policies have been put in place to streamline the curriculum for all preschool centres, including private centres, to ensure quality pre-school education," he said.
The conference is aimed at providing an opportunity for Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) member states and relevant organisations to discuss various important issues pertaining to higher education and scientific research in the Islamic world.
It is also to evaluate and follow up on the implementation of the Strategy for the Promotion of Science, Technology and Innovation in Islamic Countries.
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2010/10/blog-post_21.html
written by capricorn, October 24, 2010 22:26:57
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written by onnetline, October 23, 2010 16:03:20
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written by justice seeker, October 22, 2010 10:04:30
Now the DPM is talking sense
(1) does he mean what he says?
(2) he also said many silly things alongside this such as Umno’s struggle is not about racism. If one does not call Umno’s policy racism then what do you call it?
I have said this before and I shall say it again: a good or quality education policy is one where you teach the young how to think, question, debate, analyse and whatnot. If you stifle the minds of the young then do not expect them to excel.
ERRRR..... U MEAN COW SENSE. AND NON SENSE. IT IS ONLY 1MALAYSIA 2 STANDARDS SANDIWARA.
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written by batsman, October 21, 2010 08:34:38
This is now Malaysian culture, courtesy of UMNO. Forget the bullshit about caring society, 1Malaysia, etc, etc.
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written by Davy McChester, October 21, 2010 06:31:32
Well said ! Which is the gist of all the problems that retards the curious mind ,but like Mahathir who harp and prefer dictatorialship ,so the vast majority of Islamic leaders.They cunningly use religion whenever expedient and do it more often when they perceive they might be exposed for their hypocrisy and corrupt activities/practises by a formidable group including non Muslim population. They would rather have "yes-man" than one with a thinking brain. Such leaders groom & favor the teeth-clenching easily agitated quantity, but fear quality:the thinking man
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written by educationist, October 21, 2010 04:30:04
He's been education Minister for more than 2 years now!!
But, it's another 'cakap tak sama bikin' for this chap!!
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written by Semuaok, October 21, 2010 00:33:00
RPK It's call broad day light robberies in the name of race/Malay
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written by doitanyway, October 21, 2010 00:16:52
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written by cpchen, October 21, 2010 00:06:33
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written by Motherchell, October 20, 2010 23:43:55
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written by Atheist, October 20, 2010 22:35:11
Why??? Because in my opinion, those days, they prayed to live and now .... they live to pray !!! for all their sins as well.
Take away their oil and gas .... and they will be working for the Africans ..... that is all they are good for !!!
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written by arazak, October 20, 2010 22:20:51
I have only this to say. . ., blame it to your mentor, Tun Mamak Kutty. He was the one stifling and slaving the students' mind with AUKU!
That was one of his legacy. . .; besides others such as screwing the judiciary syztem, farktup the law enforcement agencies, muzzling the media, etc, etc! And that senile man said he enjoys being a dictator!
I rest my case!
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written by temenggong, October 20, 2010 21:13:06
Malays also always talk about the zaman gemilang Islam (the glory days of Islam). This was the age of invention and innovation where the Middle Eastern region surpassed the West in science and technology. This is of course a fallacy. The glory days of the Middle East was not because of Islam per se. It was because the Middle East opened itself to learning from the other more developed societies of that time such as India and China.
.Even alcohol is an Arabic word. But when the Middle East closed its doors and shunned ‘imported technology’, it began to revert to the dark ages and the West surged ahead and left the Muslims far behind. The same thing happened to China as well when it embarked upon a closed-door policy.
Not patronising but one of the better articles written by rpk, deserving of consideration as a thesis.
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written by Better My, October 20, 2010 21:02:45
KOTA KINABALU: Tomorrow several PKR national leaders are expected to meet with local leaders from Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) to broker a deal to ensure a one-on-one contest with Barisan Nasional in the upcoming Batu Sapi parliamentary seat by-election.
This last-ditch effort is seen as necessary following the call by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim for SAPP not to contest in Batu Sapi to pave the way for the PKR to take on BN in a straight fight. xxxxxx"
PKR victory in this stand alone Batu Sapi has MORE psychological impact value to all Pakatan & friendlies and grassroots workers and aid future Pakatan electioneering value than a SAPP victory.
The value that we derive from Hulu Selangor (chinese stand for PKR including the many Malay votes) , despite our loss, and the great victory for DAP in Sibu. These are spoken on today, referenced in some comments of the heavyweight victories.
Ii is only appropriate that Batu Sapi is be a showcase contest between PKR/PR & bn heavyweights, an indication of the health of the bn deposit in the East by the major parties. Your seat allocation will come in due time. This is one big one for impact value to Pakatan that they should have ownership.
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written by Better My, October 20, 2010 20:43:52
Here goes again "Something is wrong about Zaid" again.
re: " He also rejected outright Anwar’s warning to bypass Umno-owned media like Utusan Malaysia and insisted that the paper’s relentless attacks against the PKR de facto leader could have stemmed from the boycott."
What?? What crap is this chap trying to sell again to to us? Dont this guy know how to shut up? Just when we show some warm to him from his previous speech to this one, which is about future plans, and this writer sing 2 lines of praises for him, then he throws it all away.
Does this fellow has any minders at all?? If he has, they ought to be "lined and shot He must be close to pain the butt for more PKR members/party at this moment, and sure look like going the way of an embarassment, so sad for a seasoned poltician to sink with his outrageous statements, not once, twice, but more. He has never been contrite on this error of judgement because he feels he is not in error, 100%. You ARE in error. Even if you disagree, SHUT up on this ever again.
Re " Zaid had once warned that PKR would turn into a second Umno if its present pool of leaders were not changed" This deja vu sppeches all over again from day 1 of the election. You have gone close to bonkers, with this kind of statements, quick shooting from hips without thinking of the ramification.
Re: “It is unworthy of us to reduce this party to a one-issue party. It is unworthy for those we seek to represent" There is only one person who is saying what you are saying - that is you. We will give Anwar every support for his present predicament of sham charges. If you were in his position and proven warrior like Anwar, we would accorded the same support to you as well. As Nurul said today, this is the symbol of the struggle. I agree. Think before talking, Zaid.
Your probation in PKR has just lengthened. The best you can do in PKR/PR is to hold some meaningful cabinet post in Pakatan government after you sign with your blood on some blank documents for PR to use for your resignation purpose anytime they wish if you get terribly out of line consistently, like what you are doing now.
It is appearing this is your last throw of the dice with these "thrashing about tint the pool to avoid drowning" speeches to stir up sentiments to your favour, regardless of the negative impact your statements to the PKR and their unity. You got to clock up many more constructive hours, NOT disruptive hours, compared to the status 24 hours back. Get yourself elected as an PKR MP. post direct election first before you talk more.
Zaid speech's 20-10-10
http://www.themalaysianinsider...ing-anwar/
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written by justice6, October 20, 2010 20:32:41
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written by by2020, October 20, 2010 20:12:05
So how the students of the day can take over in the future? Well, the best is they will never ever...! That is what this bunch of corrupt leaders thinking...
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written by Vivarium, October 20, 2010 19:23:42
Ask Muhyiddin to make an impromptu remark, you will know what I mean.
The word " idiot " is indeed too generous to describe him.
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written by Ocassey, October 20, 2010 19:23:41
All of you just need a good education so that you understand the laws we put in force !
Yeah , right !
Once you are educated to an "optimum" level you will NOT want to foul up with the laws !
Yeah , right !
Educated enough to enable you to earn a living and plenty of extras for your "future" !
Yeah , right !
It should not be all about money , money , money for you ! BUT Let us handle the money part for the nation because we know where to stash them away from "harms' way" ! MAS ! SIME ! EPF ! PETRONAS ! TABUNG HAJI ! KHAZANA ! PRIVATIZATION ! BAIL-OUTS ! Got what I mean ? Huh ! You don't ? Then the national education policy so far is applied at the right dose !!!!!!!!
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written by red1, October 20, 2010 19:09:42
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written by Nixcloud, October 20, 2010 18:59:05
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written by Stupid me, October 20, 2010 18:37:28
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written by Tompios, October 20, 2010 18:21:55
...Tompios is good British Bulldog and Rottweiler breed product....
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written by Admiral Tojo, October 20, 2010 18:21:20
FROM NOW ON, WE, THE RAKYAT WILL DO THE THINKING FOR YOU. Do visit http://mentalbondageinthenameofgod.w*******s.com
Shalom
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written by jokersland, October 20, 2010 18:17:19
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written by aryn, October 20, 2010 18:05:04
Just look at our current crops of mostly lowly educated politicians who think only about themselves and their own race. And Malaysia as a whole.
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written by hellosunshine, October 20, 2010 17:51:55
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