To my Post topic yesterday -- Who Weeps for the YoungOnes? --I note a partial answer -- via The Chief Minister of Penang, which is the traditional stronghold of Gerakan, the small brother to bigger brother MCA within the Barisan Nasional.
TheSun page 4 of June 9, 2005 carries the happy headline SPM top scorers get Koh's help, and it reads:
PENANG: The chief minister has taken it upon himself to help SPM top scorers who were not given scholarships.His political secretary Mark Ooi said Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon promptly made a call to the Public Services Department director-general Tan Sri Jamaluddin Ahmad Damanhuri soon after he saw a report about it in a Chinese newspaper on Tuesday night.
"The PSD director-general was also surprised to hear such a thing, and has promised to look into the matter," Ooi told a press conference yesterday.
Last year when 128 STPM top scorers could not obtain places at public universities for Medical studies, the helpful MCA also offered to arrnge bak financing to assist these students puruse Medical courses at private universities. What happened is that just about 10 percent proceeded to the privavte medical studies as at the end of the six-year course, the bill could amount to RM750,000, a debt which any normal youth would shudder to incur for his "sacrificing" family! After that, there was a deafening silence from the BN political parties.
Here I relate a media story I read (the details might be a little out as I base on my memory recall). In one provincial town in a land not BolehLand, thefire department had been really idle as most of the residents were very safety conscious and did not allow any fire to break out. So a "bored" fireman deliberately set fire to some forsaken building, and the alarm went off.
The fire brigade dashed to the scene, and bravo, the fire was stopped from spreading. Thanks to the local fire brigade and the chief!
Desiderata: So often in Malaysian politics the powers-that-be creates a problem, and a minion component party rushes in as the knight in shining armour. Hey presto, the problem is resolved after some sandiwara.
This sad refrain is played out year after year. Do we wait for another "encore" soon when the entrance results for Medical courses are announced.
JeffOoi of Screenshots fame again weeps for Malaysia; I join in the weeping. But who weeps for the YoungOnes? Waiting for MCA -- maybe UMNO -- to join Gerakan in the cast?
Meanwhile, have the cows come home yet? Who, indeed, weeps for the YoungOnes?
2 comments:
This is the same tune every year. Beginning to sound like an old record. What is glaring is the obvious racial bias of these unsuccessful top scorers. Does anyone question why only a particular race of the top scorers failed to get JPA scholarships? What is the real acceptance and rating criteria instead of just saying they are not meeting the points?
Same tune for umpteen years, but journos like Desiderata try to remain vigilant, though it's tiring and energy-sapping some times. Frankly, with Petronas revenue running some RM20-30billion annually, just take out 10 percent ie RM2-3billion and the country can finance/invest on ALL of these Bright YoiungOnes, regardless of race, colour and gender --- and bind them to maybe 3-5years' bond to serve the Government. Do we really want to pay EXPAT salaries to all these foreign doctors, etc?
I continue to weep, Ginger,I hope you have some tissue to spare.
Meanwhile, I remember some emperor was strumming some musical instruments while Rome was burning down...Are Our leaders countig USD in their foreign bank accounts while our YoungOnes bow their heads in sorrow? Those better informed, pls tell, I'm weary!
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