Our Wushu Exponents Get Olympic Medals

The following is extracted from 'Wushu exponents wrap up campaign with credible show' (The Star Online, 24/08/08). See also 'Wushu: Another silver for Malaysia' (NST Online, 23/08/08):

MALAYSIA wrapped up their campaign in the Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008 with two silvers and a bronze in the taolu (barehands and weapons) categories at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium yesterday.

Chai Fong Ying handed Malaysia the first silver in the women’s taijiquan and taijijian combined events in the morning before Lim Yew Fai grabbed the second in the men’s jiangshu (sword) and qiangshu (spear) combined events in the evening.

The 22-year-old Fong Ying, who is also the Doha Asian Games gold medallist, was trailing Japan’s Miyaoka Ai in third spot by a marginal difference of 0.2 after the taijiquan discipline on Friday. But she put up a better performance in the taijijian (taijisword) discipline to earn 9.70 for a combined total of 19.34 points. She received the silver medal from action movie star Jet Li.

Yew Fai finished just 0.1 point ahead of Vietnam’s Nguyen Huy Thanh with his total of 19.32. Chai Fong Wei delivered a bronze in the women’s gunshu and daoshu combined events with 19.16 for Malaysia’s fifth medal of the world meet.

Note: There was not much fanfare or publicity given to the success of our wushu team. The medals are not counted in the Olympic tally. I wonder whether they will receive the cash rewards (like Lee Chong Wei) and the Datukship.

Pak Lah Should Do It More Often

If it is not a political gimmick - given the upcoming Permatang Pauh by-election - then PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's decision to take time off to take rides on the Komuter and the LRT last week probably indicates that he is not particularly happy with the performance of the Transport Ministry. Badawi didn't say it but if the public transport service is in top shape, he need not have to personally see the state of affairs.

Beside the Komuter and LRT services, there are obviously other public services and amenities that need his attention. The lay people will be observing whether the PM will come down from his Putrajaya tower office more often and not during run-ups to by-elections.

Read 'Rail bad! LRT, Komuter not meeting expectations' and 'Mobility woes within the city' (NST Online) and 'PM unhappy with city rail services' (The Star Online).

Pak Lah Does It Again

Our PM had earlier said that there would be a (downward) revision to the pump price of fuel in September, and that an announcement would be made on 31 August. Then on 22 Aug - 10 days earlier than expected - he announced a reduction in fuel prices. This is, of course, not the first time that the PM did something contrary to what he said. But being the PM, he has the prerogative to speak and act in a manner he deems fit.

As expected, the government refuted claims that the earlier-than-expected move was linked to the Permatang Pauh by-election. More need not be said and you be the judge.

Interestingly, the price reduction coincided with the Statistics Department announcing that our country's inflation rate for July 2008 had risen to 8.5% from a year ago, and up 1.1% from June. As a consumer, what's more important is whether cost of living will come down in tandem with petrol price reduction. It is a long shot to see a decline in food prices and other consumer items.

Read 'Cut comes 10 days early' and 'DAP questions timing of petrol price reduction' (The Star).

Time to Rethink on NS Programme?

As crude oil prices go up, as our nation's oil reserves deplete, as fuel, power and food prices go up, as the people combat the rising cost of living, as...the list goes on and on. Aptly, the country will need to review its priority and channel precious resources to areas of greater need.

One thing that comes to mind immediately is the so-called National Service programme. It really falls into the MEGA category, considering that the government, via the Defence Ministry, has so far spent a staggering RM2.37 billion since the programme's launch in 2004 to 2007, covering 339,186 NS trainees. OMG, this works out to RM6.9 million per trainee. News reports say that the 2008 NS allocation amounts to RM500 million.

Yet, despite the wish of many Malaysians to scrap the NS programme, NS Training Council chairman Lee Lam Thye said on 6 June that the NSTC would propose to DPM/Defence Minister Najib Razak to increase the number of trainees from the present 110,000 to 140,000 in 2009. (Some 490,000 born in 1991 will be eligible for NS training in 2009.) Of course, Najib would have to ask the government for an extra budget allocation to accommodate the increase in trainees.

By its own account, the government's decision to introduce the NS scheme is an admission of the country's education system's (from primary to tertiary levels) failure to promote national unity. One really wonders how this 3-month scheme can realistically achieve what the 6-year primary and 5-year secondary education failed to deliver. Furthermore, the NS training only targets less than 30% of the Form 5 student population.

The money allocated to the NS scheme could well be used for more fruitful and worthwhile cause. For example, use the fund to give out more scholarships. Of course, the NS trainers and other service providers contracted by the Defence Ministery - and perhaps some NS trainees - will not be too happy.

Read also Steve Oh's letter on 'NS a reflection of education system's failure' in MalaysiaKini (3/6/08).

NS Training - Cons Outweigh Pros?

Did you read yesterday's The Star on 'A trainee's account on the NS programme' (7/6/08)?

While the government is strongly sticking to its story that the National Service programme is achieving its objectives, here's one trainee who thinks otherwise. Here are some excerpts:

...First of all, I would disagree if anyone were to ask me whether it was a waste of time spending three months completing my service stint. However, I do not think that I have greatly benefited from the programme either.

...However, it has failed to achieve its main objective – to instil patriotism and promote racial unity.

It is a frail attempt to inculcate these virtues in a short period of three months. I would not deny that to some, it may have succeeded, but to most of us, it has failed.

...Furthermore, I was saddened because inter-racial friendship merely existed superficially for most of the trainees.

He/she also commented on the firearms training:

I seriously hope that the government would review the firearms training. I think that it is only a gimmick to please teenagers such as me. It merely provides few minutes' surge of adrenalin at the cost of hard-earned taxpayer’s money.

Walk Your Thoughts, Mr Ministers

There have been calls for our elected leaders to walk their thoughts just as they have asked the people to change their lifestyles and spending patterns in the wake of rising fuel prices and electricity tariffs. I fully sokong (support) the call that the government should display exemplary leadership by eliminating unnecessary and wasteful expenditures. Most Malaysians would want to see the government adopt a more prudent (and even frugal) financial management style. Please, no more extravagant projects and (mega)events that see little or no ROI.

For a start, how about cutting down on your travel in those fuel-guzzling (and expensive) Mercedes, BMWs, SUVs and MPVs? Use them only for official or state functions. For daily travel, make do with our national cars, like the Proton Perdana or the Executive Waja.

Come to think of it, these elected Yang Berhormats are supposed to stand for office with the noble aim of serving the rakyat. I'm sure the rakyat do not want to see precious resources being splurged on luxury cars.

Also, given the country's current financial position, people will not take it light if it sends another angkasawan to space. We don't need to spend another RM39 million on such space programme unless it can be proven that it can bring economic benefits.

And yes, there should be report cards on those so-called rombongan lawatan sambil belajar. In fact, those in the rombongan should even be given KPIs to prepare action plans.

While on the subject of 'serving', read IR Aziz's letter 'Time for politicians to move on and serve' in The Star (6/6/08).

Is Our CPI a True Indicator?

Conversations with senior economists indicate that actual CPI is higher than the official figure. Read The Star reader Anwarudin's views on this...

 Inflation figure must reflect the actual CPI

WITHIN a month, world food price (especially rice) has increased sharply. In Kuala Lumpur alone, most of the restaurants and food stalls raised the price of rice from RM1 to RM1.20 or even RM1.40.

Now do the mathematics. Do you think this is merely 3% inflation as reported by Bank Negara?

Let’s be more practical when it comes to determining purchasing power and inflation. The impact of coming out with a low inflation number eventually jeopardizes our life.

Most companies use this number to adjust their staff’s annual increments although some have their numbers based on personal and company performances.

Thus, Malaysian workers will get increments of between 2% and 2.5%.

Bank Negara’s inflation rate only measures basic foodstuffs that are subjected to price control and fails to reflect the true situation. The real inflation reported by many groups of public interest is as high as 20% according to the “real” CPI (Consumer Purchase Index), also referred to as cost-of-living index.

We can maintain our lifestyle if we get an increment that equals real inflation, i.e. 20%, which means to say that we will be able to convert our whole income into a quantifiable amount of goods and services that we could obtain in the previous year.

I hope those involved in monitoring inflation will visit shops patronized by average Malaysian consumers and share our pain.

ANWARUDIN

(Source: Views, The Star, 5 June 2008)