Fast forward to the new millennium. In 2003, the Ministry of Education announced that Math and Science would be taught in English to ensure that Malaysians would not be “left behind” in a world that was becoming borderless.

Now, the latest story is that the Government wants to switch back to Malay for a number of reasons that I wouldn’t even comment on lest I risk sounding…”insulting”. State assemblyman Dr Khalil Idham Lim Abdullah yesterday had this to say about why we should make the switch AGAIN.

“The teachers themselves have a poor command of English. How do we expect them to teach their students?” he asked in his speech after a briefing on the subject at the state PAS headquarters in Jalan Air Kuning on Tuesday.

Some teachers, he said, “have simply gone crazy” because of this, likening the matter to the blind leading the blind. He claimed the minimum passing mark for both subjects were lowered to ensure that only a rosy picture was painted of the move.

His remark drew the attention of a reader who had much to say about it but at least the man was more polite than I was.

I doubt this will see print but I’m still happy I got it out of my system…

In reference to the issue of the possible switch from Malay to English for Maths & Science as well as this article “Teachers going mad teaching subjects in English, claims rep” published today, I would like to share my thoughts on this matter. I must first apologise for a long letter but I feel too passionate to just say a few words.

For me, the problem is not so much what language these subjects should be taught in but that the Ministry sticks to their decision once it is made. Changing every so often is not advisable and in fact, does more harm than good to our children and future generation. We have seen what these changes have done to the teaching staff who started off learning the subject in Malay only to end up teaching it in English. Remember the 80s when we switched from English to Malay? Well, we are reaping the results now.

This is a generation that grew up learning everything entirely in Malay, like myself and sadly, a generation that has gone through an education system that places emphasis in a local, regional language rather than an internationally used language. Please allow me to share an interesting story that I was privy to when discussing this decision with my husband’s uncle who works with the French Education Ministry.

Being a former colony of France, Algeria started off their education system entirely in French which is normal after 130 years of colonization. There are widely available materials in French and so the students did just fine. Then one day, the government decided to switched to Arabic and immediately, there was a decrease in the scores, especially in the field of maths and science. One of the reasons was because there were limited materials in Arabic for science and maths and the available materials were outdated in some aspects. Also the teachers were not all that proficient in Arabic compared to French. Does their situation sound familiar?

A remark my uncle-in-law made in reference to all this switching to and fro was this – “a country that keeps changing the language of its education’s medium of instruction is one that will never move forward”.

Each decision we made as a society and nation has an impact on our young people and ultimately our future as a nation. We don’t need studies and surveys to tell us that young Malaysians are no longer proficient in English as compared to our neighbour, Singapore. When Lee Kuen Yew made the decision to stick to a former colony’s language (English) as a medium of instruction, it was because he had the foresight to see that he needed a pool of labour that could communicate efficiently and effectively with foreign investors. Hence why he made sure that English for the medium of instruction AND stuck to it. As a result, people overseas automatically assume that if you can speak English and you’re from South East Asia, you must be Singaporean. Everywhere I go be it Asia or Europe or Australiasia, people especially Europeans and Americans are surprised that I speak English well, especially more so when they discover that I am a Malaysian.

To be frank, Malay is a language that is little known outside of the country, let alone the region, and only spoken by 26 plus million people. There is minimal worldwide exposure and precious little reference materials. You cannot compare this with another Asian language like Mandarin when the language is spoken by 1.3 billion people, and enjoys worldwide exposure because of migration, media exposure and cultural movements. Even then, you find many Chinese nationals going for English language classes. Why? Because the Chinese government sees the importance of being multilingual and not just being able to speak but being fluent in an international language like English.

Look at it this way – if a foreigner were to come to Malaysia, they can get away with speaking just English when buying things or ordering food. However if you go to overseas countries, can you get away with speaking just Malay? I doubt it.

I am saying all this NOT because I am unpatriotic. On the contrary, I am saying this because I love this country too much to put up with such fickle-mindedness being displayed by our policy makers!!! This is the reality of the world that we live in. We either move with the times or we get left behind. Also, patriotism cannot be measured in what language you learn in or speak in. It is an emotional state which only you can know. Other people have little right to say that you are unpatriotic just because you speak a non-national language fluently.

Take the French. Many people say that the French are proud people because they only speak French BUT lets ruminate a little about this – while it’s true that in France, everything is in French, French children HAVE to learn at least two languages in school (Spanish, German, Italian or English). At work, French companies look for people who are bilingual or multilingual. When it comes to interacting with non-French people, French people don’t mind speaking in another language – if the need arises. I know of so many French (hubby’s friends, relatives, their friends and relatives) who speak beautiful English (if not sometimes broken) to me without me even asking. It is not because they are unpatriotic but because it is practical. Even the French themselves struggle with French grammar and vocabulary because it’s hard (trust me, I know what I’m saying) so you can’t say that it’s because they speak in other languages or learn other languages. The language itself IS hard and takes a lifetime of learning to perfect.

BUT at least their medium of instruction is consistent – French in schools throughout their schooling years and so forth. None of this “I don’t like French so lets teach everything in English” one day and the opposite another day. Really, what is the use of learning just ONE language so well when you can’t even use it outside of Malaysia or Indonesia? Also, if “old” countries like France, China, Japan, Britain and so forth have been sticking to one language of medium of instruction for centuries, don’t you think that there must be something right about what they are doing?

So please, don’t be fickle-minded. It’s not just policy that you’re playing with. It’s the future and the lives of our children that you risk.

Sincerely,
Mabel TEOH
Neuchatel, Switzerland

UPDATE: With regards to the situation in Algeria, the current update is that Algerian schools are now introducing French into the school curriculum around the time children start learning Arabic. Also, please refer to these reports for an insight into the relationship between the language of instruction and quality of education.

I would have written more but I figured that this was enough…

Dear Editor,

I thought I would share some experiences and thoughts that I was privy to when discussing about the experiences of breastfeeding working mothers. These ladies are heeding the advice of doctors and of the government by breastfeeding their babies. To them, every drop of breastmilk is precious and important for the health and well-being of their children. However, many of them, though supported by doctors and the government, are not supported by parts of society, namely companies and businesses as well as members of the public.

One lady mentioned that she was told off by the management of her company for wanting to express breastmilk. Their words were that they did not pay her to express breastmilk at the office. Other ladies were told that they would be disturbing their colleagues. Another was told that the company policy did not allow for breaks for breastfeeding because it was unproductive. I find the attitude taken by these companies to be shameful, to say the least!

These are unfounded excuses and I ought to know because I have worked with colleagues who express breastmilk at the office for over a year. I even sat next to one! She would express breastmilk under her table, away from prying eyes for 10 to 15 minutes and at four hour intervals, which amounts up to three times maximum through her working hours. Those of us who sat around her or next to her had no idea that she was expressing milk. In fact, there was an incident where one of us thought she had gone to the toilet when a voice called out from under her table stating that she was there doing what we all knew she was doing. Our male colleagues have no problem with this. In fact, they were supportive of her wanting to breastfeed her baby despite working full-time.

When a breastfeeding mother travels out of the comfort of her home to a shopping mall (for example), there are little to no public amenities catering to breastfeeding. So some women resort to having to breastfeed in public in front of people. Now, there is nothing wrong with suckling a hungry baby but unfortunately, the Malaysian public stare at these women and some even berate these ladies for their actions. A lot of breastfeeding mothers I know remark that they feel uncomfortable breastfeeding in public because people stare and talk.

What is wrong with something that is natural, good AND promoted by the government? All of us have suckled from our mothers’ breasts before so why do we find it so offensive when a woman wants to suckle her baby? At least half the population has breasts and the other half has seen them, so why do we find it offensive when a woman bares part of her breast, and not even her entire breast, for her baby? In fact, some even cover up their chest while breastfeeding in public, yet people still find it offensive.

In Europe, NO ONE stares at a woman when she breastfeeds in public. Toilets in malls and public places are well equipped for breastfeeding mothers. Companies allow women to express breastmilk. Why? Because it is ridiculous to go against something that is sanctioned and promoted by the government to be good for children.

Apparently, this is not the case in Malaysia. Our government says one thing but businesses and the people do the opposite. Can our female politicians please do something about this considering that most of them are mothers as well?

Sincerely,
Mabel TEOH
Neuchatel, Switzerland

UPDATE: This letter (edited of course) was published on Sunday, 8 February…a first for me (on Sunday) and my longest…so far. XD

But, too many of these breaks will disrupt the study atmosphere and learning momentum in schools.

As it is, the school calendar already prescribes two major term breaks and two minor mid-term breaks.

If we are to add the two festive breaks mentioned above, we would have six school breaks in one school year for the normal, non-boarding schools in towns and in the suburbs. And this has not even taken into count other shorter breaks that the schools have during the school terms.

Saturday replacement classes are also a point of contention.

More often than not, schools use these Saturdays for educational activities rather than actual teaching and learning classes.

Even if normal lessons are scheduled, they are done in shortened periods or in reduced times. Saturdays are faithfully kept as half-days and this is particularly true for schools that need to replace both their morning and afternoon sessions on the same Saturday.

Moreover, teachers and students tend to switch-off mentally and physically on Saturdays. Consciously or unconsciously, we have been conditioned for a five-day working week.

Some school bus drivers are not running those days.

As such, Saturday schools always record a high absenteeism rate.

Another negative effect of official long breaks is that the not-so-disciplined students – and there are many of them – tend to take “unofficial” breaks.

If a public holiday falls on Thursday, these students will not go to school on Friday.

If the public holiday is on a Tuesday, they may not appear on Monday.

I believe this students’ behaviour and attitude have directly or indirectly contributed to the woes of disciplinary problems in schools.

Too many long school breaks may also force teachers to engage in a fast-track approach to finish their subject syllabus in time for examinations.

This is bad for the average students and may also explain partly the need for outside tuitions for many students.

It’s time that the Education Ministry and school authorities seriously rethink the need to have extended festive holidays for normal, non-residential schools in towns and in the suburbs.

Our children need more learning time in school!

I’m sorry, Liong, but I feel that the issue will not be solved by jailing children in schools – to be honest, when it comes to holidays, Malaysians don’t have it as bad as the Europeans. They get anywhere from a month to two months’ break during summer and then two to three weeks for Christmas & New Year. This excludes other public holidays and so forth. In total, that already has exceed the six weeks that Liong feels is too much.

Yet, do people here complain that the holidays are too long? No. In fact, people over here use the holiday period to do things together as a family. I remember Nil’s uncle who works with the Ministry of Education telling me that France is a social country, one that values the importance of spending time with family.

Personally, I feel that Malaysian children are already under too much pressure from the constant studying which can make A LOT resent the education process and hate learning. Learning is lifelong and can take place even during holidays. It’s just up to parents to figure out how to do all those things. It’s not very hard.

Instead of taking your child to the movies or the shopping mall, how about an educational trip to the musuem or science gallery?

Instead of taking pictures of a holiday, why not incorporate some cultural education in your trips around Malaysia, like visiting historical or cultural landmarks?

Instead of sitting around watching TV in the evenings, why not buy some education games like Scrabble and such and play with your children?

Bonding time is also a time of education – children can learn a lot from their parents’ wisdom and experience of life. Being closer to one’s child allows for that to happen easier and easily. I firmly believe that until today, I learnt the most from my parents simply because I am close to them…

Anyway, here is a snapshot of my letter to the editor as a rebuttal to Liong’s (you can click on it for a bigger, readable version)…

UMNO Bukit Bendera division chief Datuk Ismail Ahmad was quoted by the media a few days ago to have called Malaysian Chinese population as pendatang (immigrants) and was also reported to have said that “as the Chinese were only immigrants it was impossible to achieve equal rights among races” during a ceramah in Permatang Pauh on Aug 25.

People have filed police reports against this man, demanded for public apologies but today, after days of keeping mum, he comes up with a refusal and worse, a lame justification for his shameful words.

…

“Why should I apologise? I didn’t do anything wrong. Those who do wrong should apologise but I haven’t done anything,” Ahmad said, when met outside his Bayan Baru office Thursday.

…

More here.

To be honest, an apology from a lowlife like him would be meaningless as it would be done not out of sincerity but force. If anything, what I want from this man is a jail term and a fine. We have put people in jail for less so why not for someone who spouts demeaning and seditious words?

Dear Editor,

Being abroad, news reaches me slightly late and thanks to a friend, I was informed of the recent misgivings of a Datuk Ahmad Ismail. I read your reports on the Bukit Bendera Umno division chief with much disgust and anger. No, I am not ashamed that a man like him spouts ignorance whenever he opens his mouth and why should I be when it is obvious that he has little idea of what made this country and him ultimately.

Studies worldwide have shown that countries and continents like the US, Australia and Europe were built on the backs of immigrants. Without these “strangers” or pendatangs, the local population and economy would have collapsed years ago. Also, antropological studies have shown that not only did the Chinese move to Malaysia, the population which makes up the Malays came from other places to reside in this country that we now call Malaysia. So this is really the case of the pot calling the kettle black. Make no mistake about it – unless Datuk Ahmad Ismail’s ancestors were Orang Asli, he is just another pendatang or immigrant like my ancestors (and myself).

I cannot believe that even after 50 over years of independence, people like him are still allowed to trawl and populate this country without a care in the world! Granted I may not have been in Switzerland for long, only six months but I have never EVER read of anyone telling a citizen who’s ancestors immigrated a long time ago that they do not deserve equal treatment because they were still being considered as immigrants despite the real fact that they hold a Swiss passport. In fact, even people like myself who are not citizens are warmly welcomed, not being told that we don’t deserve any equal rights.

During the Olympics ceremony in China, does the good Datuk think that the Chinese people in Malaysia were rooting for China? In fact, I got angry at people who think that I should. I should and have been rooting for Malaysia, a place my family has called home for the past seven generations!

I believe that the time for public apologies are long over – more often than not, these public apologies come out half-hearted at best and usually forced. Why demand a public apology from someone who absolutely isn’t repentful or doesn’t see the error of his ways? Why excuse such behaviour and apologize on his behalf? If we can come down hard on criminals, what makes the crime of racism any less of an offence that corrected only by an apology? Like murder, words, when uttered, will never and can never be taken back. I feel that we should punish people who make racist or sexist remarks with a fine. Too long have we taken these offences lightly, resulting in more and more cropping up every year with the perpetrators thinking “Aiya, why worry? I’ll just apologise and people will forget about it after a while.”

Sorry, Datuk but this Malaysian isn’t about to forget the travesty that you’ve just committed. Beyond an public apology, I demand that the authorities fine and jail him for his disgusting words!

Sincerely,
Mabel TEOH

After reading the article (and her note), I was prompted to fire off a couple of missiles at Bernama’s way – namely for the horribly self-righteous, inaccurate and utterly slanderous piece!

Dear Editor,

I refer to a recent piece by one of your journalist entitled “Homosexual’s Life Of Moral Decadence”, written by Melati Mohd Ariff.

It is beyond comprehension how a national new agency is able to publish an article that is so obviously slanted and judgemental. Your article goes against every journalistic creed. Whatever happened to research, neutrality, and objectivity?

Or as Bernama turned into the mouthpiece-blog of a pompous and self-righteous individual?

“In the West, the morally wrong and corrupt homosexual act has turned into a sort of plague, spreading its tentacles far and wide, engulfing individuals with the tendency of adopting this immoral self-indulgence.”

A person’s sexual orientation is their private choice – if that is self-indulgence, then why not? Should anyone tell another person who they can or cannot fall in love with, spend the rest of their lives with? The writer shows little knowledge to the actual workings of a human psyche when it comes to relationship. Homosexuality isn’t just about sex; it is also about the heart.

“This act, which is like a malignant cancer, should not be allowed to spread its tentacles, as it threatens to bring destruction and devastation to the society.”

For your information, cancer is malignant so your sub-editors are not doing a very good job. That aside, has Europe been destroyed and devastated? On the contrary, in countries like Netherlands, Belgium and now, Spain where gay marriages and relationships are approved legally, people enjoy a high standard of life, good public transportation, low crime rate and excellent education/culture exposure.

Can we say the same for Malaysia where our crime rate has increased over the years, our education is lacking in many ways (to say the least) and our public transportation is almost non-existent? This coupled with the fact that we don’t have a very high standard of living, more of a high inflation rate.

“Not everyone wants to see the country to be overwhelmed by the influx of moral decadence that erupt from those who are out to draw the people into the dark ages of morality.”

So a homosexual who is God-fearing and law-abiding is morally decadent compared to a rapist, a drug addict, a man who rapes his granddaughter, a wife beater…?

We are living in the dark ages of morality but it isn’t because of homosexuals. As far as I know, many homosexuals in Malaysia are still closeted and they are law-abiding citizens. The dark ages of morality your writer speaks of comes from self-righteous and overbearing individuals who ignore the real cause of the problem and choose innocent people as scapegoats.

Also, I have this to add – can you please send your reporter, Ms Melati Mohd Ariff back to journalism school and a reputable one at that? She lacks objectivity, and her article is poorly researched. Has she lived in the West? Has she encountered or spoken to homosexuals? Or is she writing this article based on stereotypes and what religious men out there say? Perhaps the article was written to slander homosexuals in light of the recent arrest of a prominent man accused of sodomy.

Still, it lacks many things and as such, this article of hers is an embarrassment to all journalists, even one was trained like myself. What’s worse is that people abroad reading this laugh at how ridiculous and extreme we sound…extreme like those fanatics who scream for jihad at any sign of provocation – big or little.

Your news agency has become a huge disappointment over the years and particularly now, with such articles. Wake up and smell the coffee. As a news agency, you have a code of ethics to follow or have you lost sight of that as well? If you have, your agency is only contributing to the “dark ages of morality” in Malaysia.

Sincerely,
Mabel Teoh, Switzerland.

So I did what was naturally – I wrote to the papers. It is one of the longest letters I have written so I don’t know if they’ll cut it or even publish it. O’well…

I read with interest the many articles relating to the reactions to the recent fuel and electricity hikes in Malaysia. I used to think that the fuel hike was a joke, that I was a suffering middle-class worker, and that we as a producer of oil should not have to deal with increases but I was wrong in many ways.

Over the years, the demand for oil and natural gas (read: consumption) has increased more than twofold. In 1965, the world consumption hit 31,240 barrels daily (refer to this website for more details – ). In 2006, globally, we consume 83,719 barrels daily. Compare this with the oil production of 31,802 barrels daily in 1965 to 81,663 barrels daily in 2006.

It is very clear, we consume more than we can produce. The increase in fuel prices is and was inevitable. Oil is not a commodity that lasts forever. It is only a matter of time before we see a drop in production and before our natural resources run out. Do we want to wait till then to do something about it?

Isn’t it time we stop whining and complaining about how unfair life is treating us and do some serious soul searching about our lifestyle and how we approach fuel & energy consumption?

For those of us who complain that “fuel is expensive, electricity rates are crazy, and because of that, we are suffering”, ask yourselves this:

…is your car fuel efficient?
…do you eat out all the time at moderate to expensive places?
…do you waste energy by leaving the lights on all day long, turning your air-conditioning on to its maximum capacity for hours on end, buy non-energy efficient appliances?
…have you considered car pooling or public transport?
…have you spoken to your employers about getting fair pay and fair benefits?
…do you patronize unethical business owners and hawker stalls?
…have you demand that your government expand their budget to include research and development on alternative fuel and sustainable energy sources?
…do you drive even though you can walk?

To those who say that people living abroad are not affected by this, think again. Yes, cars here may be cheaper in Europe but in the long run, I pay more for fuel, maintenance, tax, insurance, toll charges, and parking than any Malaysian ever will in Malaysia. It can cost up to 100 CHF just to get someone to change the oil for my car, and 500 CHF per month for just for parking my car in front of my house. Recently, my trip to Marseille (South France) cost me nearly 150 euroes of fuel for 500 km. So what do people here do about that? They only use a car when it’s necessary! I don’t even own a car for that matter because it’s simply better to not have one. If we really need one, we borrow from my hubby’s relatives. Public transport is the way to go here – buses, trains, trams, and even ferries. Either that or I walk which I did precious little in Malaysia because I was like everyone else; “it’s simply faster to drive”. It isn’t and it’s a waste of fuel.

Yes, public transportation in Malaysia is horrid, to say the least in comparison to the Swiss network. But understand that Malaysian public transportation is mostly privatised and thus relies on profit & demand to make improvements to the system, service as well as network. If the people avoid using public transportation and demand that the Government step in and pump money into public transportation, then why privatize it in the first place? Wouldn’t it be better if the Government took back everything? Even then, are we going to encourage the whole “the Government will bail you out if you’re not making a profit” attitude among service providers?

Also, once that is done, how many of us do take the public transport to work every day? For those who complain that it’s still not doing anything to improve it – they expect timetables, better routes and networks, punctuality – I have a little tidbit for you. Rome was not built in one day. Instead, choose to direct your complaints to the right people and while you’re at it, give some suggestions to improve the system. Don’t just complaint. Be patient and bear with it. The Swiss train network wasn’t always at its best. But like everything else, it had to start from somewhere.

As for increase in other items now that fuel has gone up, well, I think it’s a blessing in disguise. Instead of eating out and the whole famous mamak culture we are known for – which is rather unhealthy given the high fat, high salt, high sugar “goodies” that they afford – Malaysians can now opt, with real reason, to eat at home more often. This gives them a chance to cook healthier meals (if not learn how to cook) and spend more bonding time with the family as well as friends. If you think I’m advocating 100% eat at home, no, I don’t mean that. You can still eat out, just don’t do it so often and be more selective. If the hawker stall owner is charging you an arm and a leg for a bowl of noodles with nothing, then why are you even going to that hawker stall?

And no, being abroad, I do not have it easier. Dollar to dollar, I pay about 50 to 90 CHF per kilo of meat, 15 to 30 CHF per kilo of vegetables and fruits, and 20 to 40 CHF per kilo of dairy goods. Eating out for two people can cost between 16 to 30 CHF (more if we decide to go to a posh restaurant which we haven’t). All this on one person’s income. So yes, the fuel increase globally affects me as well. Rice here costs just as much as pasta and in general, everything has gone up but we deal with it and cut costs wherever we can. If you want to talk about who is affected most by this fuel hike, speak to the poor and those in the lower echelons of society.

At the end of the day, what I really want to know is this:

- What are you going to do about it as a citizen and consumer?
- What is the Government doing with the savings?

21st century and I’m being told that my child can’t be a citizen just because I’m a woman!

Dear Editor,

It has become obvious that our Government cares nothing for the welfare and rights of Malaysian women – abroad or local. Just today, I received a confirmation on something that I’ve known about for a long time but didn’t seem important until now.

I am on my way to becoming a first time mother and as such as interested to know what the Government thought of me wanting Malaysian citizenship for my child. The Malaysian embassy in Bern, Switzerland confirmed my thoughts and they were shocking as well as shameful.

In today, the 21st century, it is widely accepted that women have equal opportunities and rights as men – the opportunity to participate in the workforce, political and social arena and basically be included in what used to be deemed as “solely for men”. So what was I to think when I was told that my child cannot be a citizen because I’m a woman but if I was a man, it wouldn’t be an issue?

In much of Europe, citizenship is given to a child with at least one parent who is a citizen IRRESPECTIVE of gender. However, according to Malaysian law, a child born abroad can only be registered as a citizen if the father is a Malaysian. Well, what about the mothers? Aren’t we citizens as well? Do we not have the same value as men?

Or is the Government trying to solidify the Asian (specifically Chinese) notion that when a woman marries, she “belongs” to her husband and not her own family anymore? That she is just an “object”? That she would embrace her husband’s new home without any qualms and forget all about her own home?

Is that how we women are thought of in reality – socially and politically? Do we really forget about our home country even though we’ve married foreign men and gone overseas? Perhaps this is just the opinions of shallow-minded people but it should NOT be taken as a reflection of reality.

There are many women out there who are living abroad with their husbands and families yet still hold onto their citizenship and return on a regular basis, as tourists or just to visit their loved ones in Malaysia. There are others like myself who go around sharing and telling people about the beauty of my beloved country, encouraging people who have never left Europe to brave a trip halfway across the world just to experience what I have growing up as an Anak Malaysia.

Much has been said about the things that has been done for the women of this country – equal opportunities, equal rights – yet in its most basic right – citizenship as promised by the constitution – we women of Malaysia have lost it.

Gender discrimination. I never thought I would have to tell people around the world that my child can never be a Malaysian because my Government practices gender discrimination.

So as usual, I decided to drop a little note about it with my new address. *beams*

Behaviours displayed have been shameful, to say the least…and accusations have been hurled, feathers ruffled but no one dare comment on the real issue behind it – the truth.

So this is Malaysia.

Perhaps very few people share my view but I must say it anyway. I have been reading about the whole drama involving Wee and the government and it amazes me that the Government has gone to such huge lengths to demand this and that from a young man who speaks nothing but the truth.

In his song, he sang of corruption and the many daily realities that we, the common people, had and have to go through. To him, this is Malaysia not the Twin Towers, not the flags and etc. And you know what? HE IS RIGHT. We live in a corrupt land. So how can the truth be insulting? Did the Ministers bother looking at the video in its original form or did they merely base their accusations on hearsay? Did they probe into the realities and look between the lines before they cast the first stone?

Yes, he is 24 years old. Yes, he is a university student so he should know better but you know, the Minister who said those offending words about the Batu Gajah MP was nearly 60! HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER. He broke the law so he should face the music. Well, what about Zakaria who failed to pay his summons? Is he in jail now?

Every day, Ministers go about their business offending the people of this country and the country instead with their trivial debates, with their corrupt and lacksadial attitudes. How come WE can’t stand up to them?

“Never challenge the government” said one MP over national TV yesterday.

My loyalty and allegiance is to God and country NOT to one leader or the government – please get that right. When the people pledge their loyalty, they pledge it to the state NOT the government. His words only go to show that the government today has become pompous and arrogant, disrespectful of their rightful duty and responsibility to the people. THIS is insulting. So where are the apologies?

And to think, we are turning 50 and yet the leaders of our country still behave like children. If anything, I am angry that I’m being lead by people like this…and we tell our young ones to lead by example. Disgusting and hypocritical really.

MPH, Popular, Times and Harris bookstores have decided to withdraw the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows novel from their shelves in protest against Tesco and Carrefour’s move in selling the novel at a much cheaper price of RM69.90. The retail price of the book is RM109.90.

…

Asked if their decision was to pressure the book’s distributor, Penguin Books, to remove the books from the hypermarkets, she said: “It’s not fair to allow hypermarkets to sell such a popular book when they are not in the book business.

…

More here.

I find this Harry Potter saga between bookstore giants and the hypermarkets amusing…and even shocking. Having been part of the publishing line with some knowledge of trade practices law, I’m appalled to see that bookstore giants have the audacity to demand that a price be fixed for a certain non-controlled item like a book. (Would it even had been an issue if it was some other non-selling title like (insert any book title here)?)

If a publisher or supplier demands that their customer (Mr Retailer) place a fix price (hence called a ceiling price), that demand contravenes the practice of trade practices and the trade practices act (if it does exist in Malaysia). Part and parcel of being in a free market is this: you will have competition and you will have people who will sell the same items at a lower price. This is a free market. If hypermarkets want to fix a lower price and make a loss OR not, that is their given right as a participant in the free market. A publisher’s duty as a supplier is just that: is to supply the book at the best price possible to ensure fair pricing FOR ALL in the market.

Whenever a product is grossly overpriced, it means that the cost of advertising and promotion is being passed onto the customer. Never mind the percentage of profit or the overhead cost or just paying for the label. In other words, we are being taken for a ride when we choose to purchase something more expensive when there is a cheaper alternative.

Crying foul is the part where I find amusing because at the end of the day, bookstore giants STILL make a killing with these books. At RM100 per book per person and if more than 100 people buy the title, which they will since it’s Harry Potter we’re talking about, well…you do the math.

This isn’t really a case of price wars, people…it is a case of being caught with your hand in the cookie jar – for “overpricing” your product. Do watch out! Not every consumer out there is stupid. I reckon I’ll just wait for the hype to die down and make a trip to my good old hypermarket (or whichever that offers me a BETTER price).