If this is the new Malaysia, I prefer the old
Published on: Sunday, September 22, 2019
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Let’s look at these issues in a broad sense. On the sex video, after the events beginning with the shock release of the videos into the public sphere via social media, investigation by the police and decision-making by the Attorney General’s Chambers on whether charges are in order, all we know is that many weeks have passed and still there is no inkling of whether there is a case or not.
In spite of the best efforts of the authorities to leave no stone unturned, it must be realised that the public are not fools and that the court of public opinion will not adjourn until the majority believe that the case has been fairly managed and there has not been any railroading or hidden hands at work.
As a supreme example, the results of GE14 were decided in the court of public opinion. The decision was not lightly formed but the collective rationalisation by the majority of a long series of events, characters and behaviour, integrity and truth, performance and results, to list a few.
On the khat issue, as a first observation, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was slated to become Education Minister before it was pointed out that it ran contrary to the coalition’s manifesto not to have the PM take on another Cabinet portfolio. Perhaps we will live to rue this decision.
In any case, the introduction of khat to the syllabus of Years Four, Five and Six students in all national schools, including vernacular schools, has sent many people’s heads into a spin.
We are not a homogeneous society and have to contend with multiracial and multireligious segments. Forty-odd years of the New Economic Policy (NEP) with no end in sight have caused major fissures among Malaysian citizens who find themselves on either side of the divide.
Our education system makes a mockery of the very word “system” because we have none if we wish to be honest. What we have is a patchwork of ill-conceived ideas and reactionary decisions born out of vested interests and political gain.
With national schools, national vernacular schools, private national schools, international schools and so on (some flying under the radar of the Education Ministry), how can we have coherent policies, ensure that best practices are followed and safeguard the interests of students?
On the other hand, who exactly are tasked with continuously reviewing the syllabus and revamping or making momentous decisions when the course of education worldwide is constantly changing due to technological or other criteria? Are the correct people on the advisory council? Are the decision makers above board and have only our students’ best interests at heart?
As before, the court of public opinion (perhaps a tad more emotional in the khat issue) will be quick to judge. But turmoil will result because the system is broken.
Emotive rather than rational thinking will hold sway; what is deemed tradition and culture by some are considered anathema to others, what is art to some can become subliminal messaging with insidious intent to others.
These two recent hot topics are just a continuation of other issues that have arisen since GE14, such as African foreign workers being considered to work here, black shoes for students, the Zakir Naik issue, embarrassing attempts to force a date of handover from our current PM to the next before GE15, and the attempt by a senator to introduce a law to protect men from being seduced by women into committing rape and incest.
JJ
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