The Dr.Khir Toyo Broom Award

Public humiliation of officers not the way

Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo’s frustrations over poor productivity of his state agencies is understandable but his way of publicly rebuking two state government agencies for failing to collect assessment above the 50% mark required for 2006 is deeply regrettable.

Dr.Khir awarding the broom to Hulu Selanbor District Council chief,Tukiman Nail(picture from Star)

It is distressing to realize that Dr.Khir had to resort to such unethical means to punish civil servants who do not perform well. Isn’t it humiliating to award brooms to such high-ranking government officers? Doesn’t this demeaning act amount to showing total disrespect for the posts held by these senior officers? How will the Klang Municipal Council president and the Hulu Selangor District Council chief go back to face their subordinates after being publicly humiliated by such a derogatory treatment by their Mentri Besar? Dr.Khir’s contention that the broom is not meant to shame the officers but a reminder that the government wants all departments to buck up is unacceptable.

We are all for increasing the efficiency of our civil service which of late has adopted a lackadaisical attitude to work. However humiliating a senior officer publicly in front of his staff is not the way to improve the efficiency of any department. On the contrary such high handed, demeaning and humiliating tactics will only be counter-productive as they would adversely affect the morale of the officers and staff of the affected departments.

In this modern era, there are better and more humane ways that are more effective than awarding brooms to humiliate them in public. This is best achieved by instilling love and passion for the job not fear of authorities. There is a need to inculcate a sense of pride and belonging to one’s working institution. Productivity can only be improved by the concerted efforts of all categories of staff. Better working environment, caring, considerate and occasionally compassionate bosses go a long way to improve the morale of the workers. Those who excel must be appreciated and rewarded appropriately without favour or prejudice.

Above all there is a need to lead by example not by the maxim “Do as I say, not do what I do”. Political leaders must take the lead to demonstrate proper attitude in serving the rakyat.They should put the interests and welfare of the people before theirs. They should ensure that the all civil servants truly serve that rakyat and not the politicians. Politicization of the government machinery is the single most deterrent factor to their efficiency and productivity

Despite all these measures, there may be still those recalcitrant employees who need to be disciplined. There are definite provisions stipulated in the General Orders to initiate disciplinary action against those civil servants who do not perform up to expectations. These include warnings, transfers, denying salary increments, withholding promotions and so on. I am certain that conferring “Broom Awards” is definitely not a recommended method.

Dr.Chris Anthony

Malaysian universities continue to slide

PM concerned over slipping ranks

Malaysiakini
Nov 12, 07 11:02am

Malaysian universities have crashed out of the top-200 in global rankings, jeopardising the nation's attempts to lure foreign students, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

Malaysia's no-show in this year's World University Rankings has been branded a "national shame" by the opposition which said it showed the country was becoming less competitive.

"Three years ago, we had Universiti Sains Malaysia among the first 100 and another two universities in the top 200. Now, none of the Malaysian universities are in the top 200," Abdullah said, according to the state news agency Bernama.

"People will ask - if (foreign) students come to Malaysia, is it because it is cheap? If it is cheap, we must still have quality. We cannot accept cheap education but of low quality," he said.

Parlimentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang rejected other ministers' explanations that the poor results on the university rankings were due to the use of new methods to rate institutions.

He said that while the National University of Singapore had dropped from 19th to 33rd spot, Universiti Malaya had plummeted 54 places to 246th.

"Why is this so when both universities had started off on almost the same footing half-a-century ago?" he said this week, referring to Malaysia's independence from British colonial rule.

Malaysian Indians at crossroads

Plight of Malaysian Indians

We were overjoyed when at last MIC strongman, Datuk Seri S. Samy Velu spoke out strongly on an issue that has been plaguing the Indian community for so many years – indiscriminate demolition of temples. To Hindus, demolition of deities and temples that house them are acts of desecration and are considered sacrilegious. Our joy and hopes were very short-lived when he quickly regained his posture and returned to his “fold”, the BN.

Of late this practice of demolition of places of worship has become so rampant, with little or no consideration for the sensitivities of the Hindus. The latest of these is the demolition of the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kampung Rimba Jaya in Padang Jawa, near Shah Alam.

The 100-year old temple may need to be relocated alright but couldn’t it be done in a more civilized way? Why has it to be done just before Deepavalli,an important festival for the Hindus? Can’t the local authorities give in to the requests of a very senior cabinet minister? Do they need to use so much force against unarmed civilians? Do they need to arrest and manhandle lawyers at gunpoint? Why the arrogance and display of power against devotees in a temple?

In his strongest criticism so far, Samy Velu warned that the BN government risks losing the Indian votes if it does not stop this discriminate and inconsiderate action against the Indian community.

As the leader of the Indian community his comments are long overdue. In fact I am afraid it may now be too late to stop this discriminative actions against the Indians by the UMNO-led BN government, of MIC is a major partner since its inception.

The MIC,by its docile and submissive stance, has long lost its voice and power in the coalition. Its leaders, including Samy Velu who had ruled the party for over 2 decades, have allowed the opportunities to slip by a long time ago. Is threatening with denying the Indian votes now going to work? The Malacca Chief Minister,an UNMO stalwart,has recently even gone to the extent to reiterate that they do not need our votes as they can win without us.

A number of incidences recently have highlighted the deplorable attitude of the government towards the Indian community. These have prompted the Hindu Action Front (Hindraf) to resort to legal action against the British government for being the indirect cause of their pathetic state in Malaysia today.

As Samy Velu said the vast majority of Malaysian Indians had stood by the Alliance and subsequently the BN in thick and thin. They are still loyal and would continue to be so if only they are treated with due dignity and respect. Their loyalty to the government was unquestionable. In fact this blind loyalty of the Indians, that was occasionally a pain for the opposition, has contributed to a great extent for their pitiful state today.

From the beginning, it is undeniable that the Indians had contributed much to the development of the nation. They served at all levels in estates and the civil service, from the highest positions as managers and directors to the lowest as manual labourers.The medical, legal, railway and PWD were in fact monopolized by Indians whose exemplary services we still treasure till today. As directors, doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers and even as manual workers and union leaders, they had given their relentless services to the nation of adoption they considered their motherland.

The blind loyalty to the BN is being repaid today in the form of discrimination, denial of educational and job opportunities, denial of land to erect places of worship, demolition of existing temples, passing of derogatory remarks and so on. On the whole they are being treated as second or even third class citizens in the land they toiled to develop.

It is very extremely sad and disgusting to see the way Samy Velu,a very senior cabinet minister being snubbed by the menteri besar and other government officers in his attempts to stop the demolition of the temple in Padang Jawa.We understand he was even pelted with stones when he went to mediate the ongoing standoff between the MPSA authorities and the devotees at the temple.

We are also deeply disturbed by the way the lawyers were treated by the police when they went to the defense of the rights of the people who were unarmed and peaceful. They were manhandled by machine gun-bearing police, handcuffed and beaten. Imagine professionals being treated like criminals without any respect whatsoever as lawyers representing the affected residents.

The Malaysian Indians are now at the crossroads, uncertain of what the future holds for them as the path for the future is very obscure. The only encouraging sign that this Kampung Rimba Jaya tragedy produced was the reaction of the MIC leader. Does his outburst indicate that he and the MIC have finally come to face reality under which the Indians live? Has the MIC the political will to swim and sink with the Indians?

We were better off at the time of independence than now,50 years later.We have lost almost all we once had – positions and employment in estates and the civil service. With that we seem to have also lost the respect that we once commanded especially from the other races. Poverty and its accompanying social ills are still a big problem among Indians. Unemployment and crime rate are highest among them.

We have brought up a younger generation of Indians with all the problems of the previous one minus the positions and respect. There are no opportunities for education, jobs and even in sports and recreation for the young. With the escalating cost of living, many are finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet let alone having access to proper housing, education and quality basic medical care.

The Indians have nowhere to turn to for help. They try turning to God but even that they are prevented from doing so as they demolish their places of worship and the deities.

Samy Velu and the MIC leaders have a serious problem in their hands and they must search their conscience deeply to see whether they have brought any real benefits to their community. Do they sincerely believe there is a bright future for the future generations of Indians? All in-fighting for power and self glory must stop as we unite in our endeavor to uplift the morale and zeal of the Indian community.

We salute the younger leaders of the Hindu Action Rights Force (Hindraf) and lawyers like P Uthayakumar, P Waythamoorthy, M Manoharan, S Ganabathi Rao, Gengadharan and many other social workers and activists for their relentless work in protecting the rights and attempts to uplift the poor Indians. Samy Velu and the MIC must get down to the masses to tap the potentials of this capable and brave younger generation of Indians.

We must get rid of the so called “Crab Syndrome” that had inflicted our community and is the major cause of our failure. There is a need to change our mindset from one of dependence on the government to that of self-dependence. We need to maintain our traditions and culture but at the same time acquire modern scientific knowledge and skills to be competitive in society. Unless we act now to take charge of our destiny, even God will not be able to help us.

Dr.Chris Anthony

Peacefull rally for electoral reforms

Adopt a conciliatory attitude

It's unfortunate the PM has taken a confrontational attitude to people who are expressing their views on something so important - free and fair elections,the basic prerequisite for a true democracy.

Nobody is challenging the PM or the government.Nobody is trying to topple the government that has been elected.All we ask for is to ensure the elections are conducted in a fair and free manner,where the opposition is treated equally as the ruling party.Equal opportunities should be given to them to reach the rakyat.Is asking for these rights as provided for in the Constitution a unfair demand?

If only the government can meet the people's demands in a spirit of cordial dialogs,there would be no tension whatsoever.The police instead of ensuring thIe people's gathering goes on peacefully,has unfortunately also taken a combative attitude against the very people whom they are tasked to protect.

We pray that all parties concerned would abide by the laws so that law and order will be upheld and the gathering will go on peacefully as planned.We hope the police will come hard on those out to create trouble and not those participating peacefully.

Patriotism is doing something for the love of the nation.There can be nothing more treacherous to our nation than being silent when faced with blatant injustice.

God bless Malaysia

Dr.Chris Anthony

Guiding the young to act with restraint

Respecting the sensitiveness of others I refer to “Let's be tolerant” (Star,November 6). The advice by the Prime Minister and UMNO president, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to delegates to be cautious when raising sensitive issues at the current UMNO General Assembly is timely. It was further encouraging that similar advice also came from other party stalwarts like its deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Wanita chief Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz and supreme council member Seri Dr Rais Yatim. We hope all delegates heed their advice to refrain from over-playing on sensitive issues. This is particularly important now at a time when ethnic relations are under tremendous strain. As the Prime Minister says the nation had achieved great success because the people had lived in unity for 50 years but now religious and racial issues have crept up, causing a great deal of anxiety among all. The increasing ethnic polarization is threatening the peace and harmony we used to enjoy and which was the envy of others. The younger generations of Malaysians may not understand the trials and tribulations of the earlier generation to bring the nation to where it is today. It was no easy task as the nation was built by the sweat and blood of all the races. Many had even sacrificed their lives in the process. The peace and comfort we enjoy today are the fruits of their sacrifices and labor. The greatest legacy they left us was the racial unity, without which we cannot be where we are today. It is our duty to teach our children to value the contributions of all those before us. It is vital for us all to convince our children the importance of preserving the racial harmony and unity that we have inherited from our forefathers. The most important prerequisite for maintaining this unity is tolerance for each other’s cultures and believes. There is a need for restraint on what we say and do especially when they touch on the sensitivities of others. Children must be taught to understand and respect the sensitivities of other races. Free mingling of people of all communities from young, freedom of expression and open dialogue in a civil manner must be actively encouraged as these would help instill tolerance towards others. There is a need for greater and more sincere commitment from the government, politicians and the people in general to step up the integration of the future generation. Racial unity does not freely fall from the skies nor can it be obtained by wealth and power, rather it has to be carefully and diligently nurtured and nourished. It is extremely sad that after 50 years of independence we are still not able to accept each other unconditionally as fellow citizens in our country. We are still held back with racially based parties, each championing its own community. Isn’t it time to emphasize on a Barisan Nasional General Assembly instead an UMNO,MCA or MIC General Assembly? Isn’t it time for us to champion the needs of all Malaysians regardless of their ethnicity? Our ethnic diversity is here to stay and as Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz says “We are all Malaysians. If we develop, we develop together. Similarly, if the country collapses, we collapse together. We have something good going on here. If it is good, let us not rock the boat”. Yes, in the long run our restraint and tolerance of diversity would determine the stability of the nation. Our diversity was the basis of our national strength. Whether we build on this diversity or destroy it, depends entirely on us and we alone can determine our destiny. Dr.Chris Anthony

M'sia belongs to us, not the gov't

M'sia belongs to us, not the gov't

Steve Oh
Malaysiakini

Nov 2, 07 7:56pm

Concerned Malaysians will find it hard to disagree with many of the sentiments raised in Madhatter's epitome (May the force be with you) on the state of the nation.

Surely the administration should also be concerned because never in the history of the country has so many top officials in positions of public trust been thrown into the negative spotlight in such quick succession.

From the head of the ACA to the top cop in the country and now judges, not to mention ministers and other high officials, all these very important people have been or are embroiled in scandals and allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

Even if the government is not worried, many Malaysians are, and rightly so. What will attract foreigners to the country is when they know that the judiciary is upright, the government is fair, the police are trustworthy, the people are friendly, the country is safe and honest and so on.

In a nutshell, while investors are attracted by economic considerations, political integrity is also important because today many investors subscribe to the rules of ethical investments. I have read before in some business journal that some investors would have considered Malaysia but bypassed it because of possible complications with corruption.

To suggest that foreigners will be put off by royal commissions is to think that foreigners are as naive as some Malaysian politicians. In fact, the opposite will be truer. When foreigners know that if something goes wrong in a country and that the country's government will act swiftly to redress the problem it reassures them because that is what they have seen in their own countries. They are used to the rule of law, not cronyism.

We see the most scandals in American society yet they have the most foreign investments. Why? Because the system of checks and balances ensures that the crooks will be caught and expeditiously dealt with. They don't mince their word. Even a president with his pants down gets into hot soup. No one is above the law. But in a country where everything gets swept under the carpet and nepotism thrives, that is what drives away the investors.

In a more democratic country, the government would be fighting to stay in office. But one thing it should not do is to browbeat all those who want to help. The prime minister has asked people to work with him so he should not contradict himself by coming down strong on those who are merely performing their duties and fulfilling their moral and civic obligations as much as he is doing his job. It is odd to scold people for doing what you asked them to do.

Malaysia belongs to all Malaysians, not the government, who is only acting as 'trustees' for the citizens to ensure that the country is properly administered. It was never meant that a government is above the people and can create havoc or hardships for them, nor do they have the right to unfairly intimidate the people. Such is an abuse of power.

The people are more important than the government because the people will be there for a lifetime but the government is made up of elected people paid to do a job for a salary from the public purse for their term in office.

The government exists not for itself but the people hence the notion of a parliamentary democracy, something which many politicians have yet to understand, and more importantly practise, if what we see in Parliament is an indication. Ordinary people are elected to posts of responsibility and power so that they can carry out their duties with the people's mandate. That power is not to be abused.

The day the judiciary is seen to be clean, efficient and trustworthy and free of judge-fixing then the people can decide for themselves if they would challenge the executive in many of the policies it has undertaken that are simply unconstitutional. This is the true test of a mature democracy.

All those poor young Malaysians being taught to be responsible in compulsory national boot camps - and some dying from accidents - is indeed subjecting the youth to a lesson in contradictions. "Do as I tell you but don't do as the adults do" is not the lesson they need. Sometimes I wonder if the tall twin towers are a symbol of that folly, that the nation is slowing sinking in a quicksand of double standards.

It is not that adults commit wrongs that is the problem. It is when they are not being punished that sends the wrong message to our young people. We teach young people to be responsible and warn them that they will be punished for their misdemeanours but don't apply the same standard in real life when adults in public office are alleged to have done something wrong.

When police investigate only the government's enemies but not the people's then that too is disturbing and another reflection of this double-standardness.

If found guilty, the assets of the corrupt should be confiscated. In fact, there should be a law to confiscate all the proceeds of crimes and corruption. This will send a strong message to everyone that crime does not pay, and if it does, those found guilty will be doing all the paying - paying back to the government all they have stolen, and paying for their crimes in spending time in prison.

Now we learn that poll reform group Bersih wants to hold a rally but it appears that their plan may be scuttled because a permit may not be given. It will be a sad day for the country if law-abiding citizens who merely want to improve a pivotal institution of the democratic process, the all-important electoral commission, by making their point at the rally, should be obstructed.

It will only prove to the government's critics that indeed it is afraid of changes that will remove its unfair electoral advantage because of unfair electoral boundaries. It makes nonsense of the ballot box if it is not fair. It puts paid to the people's hope of fair elections. Bersih is doing the Electoral Commission a favour and deserves our support.

Years ago it would be unthinkable to imagine that any other political party could form government but today a Malaysian has gone into space, a former prime minister accuses the government he left behind as "rotten" and "a police state", a former deputy prime minister has been sent to jail for sodomy though we all know it was a conspiracy, etc, and in the light of such unexpected and unimaginable events - anything is possible, even the change of government, if only for the better.

In a proper democracy, opposition is not a dirty word. It is a crucial check on the government to ensure it does not go astray. A democracy without a strong opposition is like a boxer with only one arm. A strong democracy needs two arms - one of the government and the other of the opposition.

It is time the government restores the rights of the opposition so as to improve the democracy Malaysia deserves. By repressing the opposition, the government is also repressing the rights of the citizens who need their representatives to bring their concerns to Parliament. There is a dire need to change the false perception that being against the government is synonymous with being against the country. Fortunately, this is gradually happening as political groups like PKR, which is Malay-dominated, become more influential.

That we have a law like the Internal Security Act used on innocent people like Abdul Malek Hussin is utterly incredible and reprehensible. It exposes the decadence of our political culture and our souls. The use of torture by the police is against international conventions and our sense of human decency. Those who tortured Abdul should have been charged. The ISA should be dumped.

It is such cruel acts of the government against their political opponents that will deter the investors, not the just decisions of the courts that redress the wrongs. The ramifications of Anwar Ibrahim's kangaroo court case still reverberates around the world in informed circles. They are what destroy confidence in the country.

The ill and unfair treatment of the opposition and dissidents in Malaysia must be seen as an attack on the democratic process of the country. When their voices are snuffed out by a biased speaker of the House, when the media blocks out their message, when they are put in jail, democracy is a farce. The unfair treatment of foreign labour will also attract bad publicity for the government.

If we fear God we should not fear man, who is but his agent to instil law and order in society. All temporal high officials are nothing more than the people we have placed to do a job. They are not 'gods' that pop down from the sky with special divine powers that we should fear them. Even if they are 'gods', they should know that a Higher God watches over them.

There are no gods in our midst, only demons. We should not be demonised by bad governance because Malaysians were not raised in a bad culture of evil but the good culture of truth, honesty and justice enshrined is so many public declarations such as the Rukun Negara, etc. Malaysians are not violent or evil people but kind and hospitable, generally law-abiding and family oriented, and deserve to live in a society that reflects their positive communal values and features.

I guess when the community has exhausted all lawful means to conduct its activities and the authorities continue to exasperate and obstruct their efforts they have no choice but to resort to what all peace-loving reformers have done - peaceful civil disobedience. I doubt the jails will have space for 10,000 peaceloving Malaysians who merely want to exercise their democratic rights to improve the political state of their country.

"Give me liberty or give me death," is a well-known saying. Is that not why not every politician, judge, policeman, journalist, and many others including ordinary citizens will never be corrupted because they value high moral values more than power, prestige and money, and will not join the company of the corrupt. They value their independence and freedom. Some principled judges, many Malaysians, are above cronyism and don't need the shelter of patronage.

Those drunken with power and the mad pursuit of money and pleasure-seeking that their offices afford them and renegade in the proper administration of their country will ultimately pay the price for their folly. It is a reminder for those in power that if they push the people beyond a certain breaking point, they will rise up in opposition.

Sukarno and Marcos squandered the chance to inscribe their names in history's hall of fame and instead today we see what they have left behind - impoverished societies, where their young women have to go abroad to slave for others and be abused. Today, in Zimbabwe there is no cooking oil, no water, no flour - only a slow lingering death among the people, thanks to Robert Mugabe. Such is the legacy of corrupt leaders. They leave behind a trail of suffering.

We must avoid falling down the slippery slope as they have. Our safeguard is a pure judiciary, a good government, a sane parliament, a free media and citizenry of courage and vision.

Indeed, God bless Malaysia.

Openness would act as restraint

We must cultivate a culture of openness and dialogue

The decision to stop the live telecast of the debate of the coming UMNO General Assembly is deeply regrettable. The reason given is that opinions and sentiments expressed by delegates at the assembly may be misinterpreted to cause uneasiness among other communities.

To my mind there should not be any issue that needs to be discussed in secret by members of any particular community. This would only be counter-productive to ethnic integration as it would only breed suspicion and hatred one another.Each community should be encouraged to air their grouses in a open and civil manner,bearing in mind the sensitivities of others.It is sad that after 50 years of independence we are still not able to accept each other as fellow citizens in our country.

Live debates,if moderated with restraint, would have positive effects in our multiracial country where ethnic relations are on the decline. It would act as a restrain on members from raising issues that would hurt the feelings of fellow citizens. Instead of educating our youth on the importance of tolerance and restraint, we would be doing a great disservice if we isolate them to discuss sensitive issues. This would only create fanaticism and intolerance to those alien to them.

This was clearly revealed at the last General Assembly when the debate was telecast live.It might have caused a lot of controversies but if the proceedings were not telecast live, it would not have received so much adverse reactions from the public and our leaders will never realize that race relations in the country is not that rosy as had been painted all these while.

Some of the delegates especially from the youth wing were oblivious to the likely ill effects that their statements could have on other communities. They were least bothered that what they utter at the meeting could deeply hurt the feelings of fellow Malaysians of other ethnicity. This is the result of a system that encourages living cocooned within their own community with little or no interaction with others.

Openness in the form of live telecast, could in fact restrain the delegates from uttering words and phrases that would be offensive to other races.Such live debates should be encouraged to cover not just UMNO but all political parties,including the opposition and even parliament and state assembly proceedings. What else can be a better restraint to our politicians than being aware that they are being watched by millions of fellow Malaysians?

Our leaders of all political parties must impress upon their members that the Federal Constitution guarantees the right of all the citizens and that all races are here to stay, in the land they consider as their motherland. Nobody is threatening to rob others of their rights as all they ask for is their own rights as enshrined in the federal constitution. We should not over-react to imaginary threats as that would only create chaos.

The increasing ethnic polarization is threatening the peace and harmony we used to enjoy and which was the envy of others.The only way out of our present predicament is open, rational and civil dialogue, bearing in mind the sensitivities, fears and anxiety of all the races. This may not be easy, and may take a long time, but with full commitment and the might of the government machinery we have a reasonable chance of achieving a certain degree success.

In the meantime, steps to educate the future generation should also be implemented now without any delay. Children from all races must be taught to understand and respect the sensitivities of other races. Free mingling of people of all races from young, freedom of expression and open dialogue in a civil manner must be actively encouraged as these would help instill tolerance towards others.

Our ethnic diversity is here to stay and in the long run only openness will act as a restraint on our words and deeds. Our diversity was the basis of our national strength. Whether we build on this diversity or destroy it, depends entirely on us and we alone can determine our destiny.

Dr.Chris Anthony