Just got back from the trip to Tokyo and was pleasantly surprised to see my letter to Malaysiakini published... http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/36809
What to do... had to register my piece what, and many thanks to the Editor for accepting...
Gov’t plays deaf and dumb over Gomez affair
Lrong Lim Jun 8, 05 4:20pm
I applaud malaysiakini for the coverage on the Edmund Terrence Gomez affair. There is so much commotion but the 'servants sitting in the high places' have not made a single move.
Distinguished individuals and academicians from in and out of the country have voiced their trepidation, making pleas to the government to exercise fair play but the government elects to play deaf and dumb.
Then we read that the vice-chancellor of Universiti Malaya had previously put on a similar facade by not responding to a letter from Professor Jeffrey Henderson of Manchester University.
Perhaps it is only me, but I would expect any university vice-chancellor worth his salt to be answerable to the world of academia at large, never mind the basic manners of responding when written to.
And while playing this ridiculous game, these people have the cheek to set up a committee to 'explore ways to build world-class universities'. Throughout this appalling episode, I am reminded of just how immobilised and paralysed our country has become.
We seem to be held hostages by these 'servants' as we helplessly watch critical issues roll by us untouched and unsolved. Come 2020, do we expect our country to be a 'developed nation' at the wave of a 'tongkat sakti' by the prime minister?
Gardening, photography, food, fishing, traveling, scuba diving, life in Japan, plus of course, news and views of being away from home...
I left Malaysia in 1986 and never looked back. Reason being what you have hightlighted .....being held 'hostage' by the so called 'elected' idoits to run the country. First they took away the English language in schools thinking they have a better chance of 'brainwashing' us to become idiots like them from young....then it moved into 'no' scholarships for any non-bumi for overseas studies.....then one of the worst was forced installation of idiotic unqualified incompetent bumis as vice president into all private non-bumi sectors.
ReplyDeleteHow can a country improve...and progress....and compete with such 'communist' rule ?
And now with keeping silent about the Gomez issue just reflects their sheer incompetence. Basically......I think 'they' are sweating in their pants and wish this whole Gomez deal will die down and go away and people like you Lrong, will leave them alone.
But I am glad you are not. 'Malaysia Boleh' my ASS !!!
ak my friend... ah so desu ka... so you left in 1986... I was about to mention the point you said on their 'sweating in their pants and wish this whole Gomez deal will die down and go away'... it is so difficult to imagine otherwise becos it seems so clear that they do not have the 'intellectual' (for lack of a better word) capacity to handle these affairs. It is beyong them. For many years, I told the world that I will be returning home... the only issue was 'when'. But, looks like I am beginning to get the feeling that I have been fooling myself all those while...
ReplyDeleteHi lrong,
ReplyDeleteI'm in UM, and I'm quite upset with the whole thing (and a few others esp. concerning top scientists being denied the extension of contracts, some of them then left the country) but can't say much. And I'm sure everybody knows about the gov. campaigns to bring back Malaysian scientists home, and what have we achieved so far.
My dear Mama22Beas... thank you for your comments... actually, I sometimes feel very pathetic that all I or we as citizens, can do is to write opinions about all these 'crooked' things... our country shouldn't be run this way... obviously we can do better... and it boggles me that we as a country cannot straighten these crooked issues justly, at least 'just' as perceived by 'informed' citizens... on another front, I don't really consider myself a 'scientist' but deep inside me, I would love to return to my secondary school Alma mater (Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Alor Star) to teach the kids even at a 'local' pay... that much I love my school and the environs...
ReplyDeletelrong...scientist ke, academician ka...actually anybody for that matter. I mentioned scientist as I'm in that circle...still can't get over with the fact that my Bio. 'cikgu' (he discovered Nipah virus) during my first year of undergrad studies is currently in NUS. Some voiced their concerns over the U's decision but nothing happen. Looks like we are losing more brains...
ReplyDeleteAnd I was advised to be careful of everything I say or write! But a lot of things I can't just ignore, though I'm quite happy with my job and research.
Your thought about coming back and serve your alma mater is really touching.
Mama22Beas... this episode about your 'cikgu' is new to me although I read about some scientist discovering the Nipah virus some years ago... must have been quite a sad occasion for students like you to see the cikgu leaving, probably with a heavy heart as well... as in that case, same same with the Gomez case also lah... even before the Gomez dust settles, our attention is being pulled to things like the abuse of APs and the list... all a repeat of similar tragedies... well, if you keep your pen-name, probably no one will know your identity...
ReplyDeleteNot only do those bloody idiots not have the intellectual capacity but they also lack verbal and mentaly capabilities, decency and professionalism to acknowledge the issue and do their job. The bloody govt have provided 'them' and 'themselves' a cocoon to hide in and they feel the right to answer to no one.....a sign of sheer arrogance, fear and stupidity.....to me.
ReplyDeleteMaklumlah,people who are no longer in power are making the same complaints about corruption and APs when the same problems also existed when they were in power. Anek betul. Lets see if the same excuses will also be used to justify the problems. No problems can be solved if you are constantly in denial.
ReplyDelete"Anak Malaysia - going to become orang asing if things continue or deteriorate (wonder if it is possible)"
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ak my friend... agree totally with your view, man... actually I sometimes think they are very smart to manipulate the masses to play to their tune... maybe I should add, 'smart' and unscrupulous?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous... wanted to comment on MM's outpour or diarrhea(?) of words... think he cannot tahan keeping quiet lah... like you, I wonder why the heck didn't he reveal the AP list when he was in power... aduuuh, sakit nye telinga I to hear him speak like dat...
interesting that you think that you'd love to give up japan and come home to good old sahc to teach. funny how i have such ideals as well, however that remains nothing more than a romanticised notion, at least for me... while the heart remains where the roots once were, the inertia of postponing means that you'll forever be an observer of what malaysia is and a dreamer of what malaysia could be.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous... you are right on... with the status quo on how things are managed, I and many like me, will certainly remain a 'dreamer'... someone once commented about this quite eloquently... that those of us who left Malaysia dream of the 'romantic' side of Malaysia... but still, better to have 'dreams' than not... hopefully one day, those dreams may come true... if not, you go on with whatever life there is...
ReplyDeleteHorror of horrors. Maybe the APs were given to some non-bumis. Thats why it cannot be revealed. Mustahil kan. Bila ada barang percuma, semua rebut. Apa lagi ada wang !
ReplyDeleteNo need to look at Wawasan 2020. Just look at what happened the past 10 to 15 years. NEP renewed berapa kali. Berapa mudah lagi wang mesti dibagi ? Nasi didepan pun tak tahu makan. Tak akan mesti kunyah untuk dia orang juga. Berapa banyak basir.
Kesal
Possible that some APs are given to non-bumis too... would be interesting to see who these non-bumi cronies are...
ReplyDeleteI have said earlier the gomen will make the tidak apa attitude.(that's noraml for them)
ReplyDeleteWow you live in Japan and you still aware of Malaysia scene... got here from a link in Keatix..
ReplyDeletethquah... ya loh, what to do? They keep quiet, the citizens cucuk here and cucuk there a bit, release some steam... then we proceed to the next snafu... and life goes on...
ReplyDeletesoohk... thank you for dropping by... also thanks to Keatix lah... he's too kind...
ReplyDeleteYes, I live in Japan and nasi lemak and mee goreng and char koew teow still remain my favorites...
'Man with a single kidney'? Really?
For people who knows Malaysia, they knows Malaysian.
ReplyDeleteSome people happily makes money and don't give a s**t about what's happening.
Some people pray for changes that will only get worse.
I think somehow we cannot blame only gorvenment for what is happening.
Finger pointing will certainly not get us anywhere... the pertinent issue is, how 'fair' the government handles critical matters like higher education... as mentioned before, 'fair' as perceived by 'informed' citizens...
ReplyDeleteHi lrong...I'm not quite finished here. Not much hoohah when my 'cikgu' left but words had it that after serving 34 years here, he wished he just could stay. I surfed the net to see what he is up too, now. It seems now he is heading a research centre for genetic studies in the sg...while gov. once wooing scientists to come back, we are also losing the ones that were used to be with us...now sapa yang untung?
ReplyDeleteMama22Beas my friend... 34 years is a long time... good thing that Gomez gets to return to UM... although the way the decision was 'over-turned' leaves a rather odd after-taste...
ReplyDelete