Archive for March, 2007

Picture of harmony at Vision School party

March 27th, 2007
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Picture of harmony at Vision School party 27 Mar 2007 Rina De Silva
SUBANG JAYA: The Vision School in USJ 15 here which houses a national school, a Tamil school and a Chinese school in one compound, was a picture of multiracial unity yesterday.
The three schools had gathered for a retirement party for S. Subramaniam, the headmaster of SJK (T) Tun Sambanthan.
The other two schools are SK Dato Onn Jaafar and SJK (C) Tun Tan Cheng Lock.
Teachers from the three schools helped organise the event while students from the national and Chinese schools also performed.
In a display of cross-cultural understanding, a Chinese school teacher had helped to choreograph a Tamil dance for the Chinese school students’ performance.
However, the pretty picture was not reflected off stage. Although a handful of students tried to strike up conversations with those from the other schools, most were contented to mingle with their own schoolmates.
Dhivvyaa Krishna Muthy, 11, said she liked talking to students from the other schools but had not established a close friendship with anyone.
“There is a Chinese girl I usually talk to at the canteen but I do not know her name,” she said.
Teacher P. Sivamalar said most students preferred to mix with their own classmates.
She said teachers from the three schools made an effort to set a good example by mingling and sitting with each other.
“During Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Deepavali, the three schools will work together on projects for the celebrations.”
SK Dato Onn Jaafar headmaster Kamarulzaman Zakaria, SJK (C) Tun Tan Cheng Lock headmaster Tan Hock Thiam and Subramaniam are the best of friends.
They will meet up for teh tarik at the school canteen and “argue” over school matters.
The three insist that the Vision School concept is working.
“It works because the students are not fighting,” said Subramaniam.
He believed the concept worked well in Subang Jaya as the community was more open to the idea of racial integration.
He warned that it may not work in other areas where one race formed the majority.
Tan said the students did not harbour any fear or mistrust of those not of their race.
Kamarulzaman said the concept enabled students of different races to spend time together.
It is during games, sports and festivals that racial integration takes place. The three schools will send their best players to form a team to compete against other schools.
Subramaniam said educationists from Britain, Canada, Africa and the Middle East had visited the school to see how it was run.
Vision Schools share common facilities, such as canteen and school halls, and interests, such as club activities and games. The objective is to promote racial integration.

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News:Christian group troubled by verdict on non-Muslim

March 24th, 2007
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Christian group troubled by verdict on non-Muslim
KUALA LUMPUR: The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) has expressed concern over the recent decision of the Court of Appeal urging a non-Muslim to bring her case to the Syariah court.
Its executive committee chairman Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing said in a statement that the federation viewed the decision with great concern as it had urged a non-Muslim to submit to the jurisdiction of the Syariah court.
“It is troubling to note that what is clearly stated in the Federal Constitution – that the Syariah courts shall have jurisdiction only over persons professing the religion of Islam – is now being extended by the court’s decision to include non-Muslims,” he said.
This was in reference to the Court of Appeal decision on March 13, which dismissed R. Subashini’s appeal to stop her Muslim-convert husband T. Saravanan @ Muhammad Shafi Abdullah from going to the Syariah court to dissolve their civil marriage and convert their children to Islam without her permission.
In the majority decision by the three-man panel, Court of Appeal Justices Suriyadi Halim Omar and Hasan Lah dismissed the appeal while Justice Gopal Sri Ram dissented.
Tan said that while the CFM respected the Federal Constitution to be the supreme law of the country, it must guarantee the rights of all non-Muslim citizens.
“Decisions like this impact negatively on the social fabric of Malaysia. We therefore call on all elected MPs to do everything within their means to defend our Constitution and to safeguard the rights of non-Muslim citizens to find remedy and justice in the civil courts in matters pertaining to civil rights and liberty,” he said.
CFM was the latest to express its concern over the issue.
Bar Council chairman S. Ambiga was recently quoted as saying that the Syariah court should have jurisdiction only on Muslims.
The All Women’s Action Society described the verdict as “disturbing” while the Women’s Aid Organisation called it “confusing and raised alarm bells”.
The Court of Appeal judgement can be obtained on the Malaysian Bar website at www.malaysianbar.org.my or the judiciary website at www.kehakiman.gov.my.

NEWS:Kajian dapati gaji tinggi cenderung beri suapan

March 6th, 2007
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The article forgot to mention that 56% of respondents were Malays, 34% Chinese and 10% Indians (refer the Sun today, pg 3). thus:

14% of 56% malays

58% of 34% chinese

23% of 10% indians

if assume 100 respondents:

14% of malays = 7.8 person (malay)

58% chinese = 19.72 person (chinese)

23% of indian = 2.3 person (indian)

Thus, indians are the least earning rakyat ?????

give a thought.


Kajian dapati gaji tinggi cenderung beri suapan

Oleh Magendran Rajagopal
KUALA LUMPUR: Kaji selidik Transparency International Malaysia (TI-Malaysia) mendapati golongan yang berpendapatan tinggi lebih cenderung memberi rasuah kepada pihak berkuasa.

Kajian Merdeka Center, yang dijalankan bagi pihak TI-Malaysia itu juga mendapati masyarakat Cina lebih cenderung memberi rasuah, diikuti India dan Melayu.

Menurut kajian itu, golongan berpendapatan bulanan RM5,000 ke atas didapati paling ramai memberi rasuah iaitu 52 peratus, diikuti kumpulan berpendapatan bulanan RM3,001 hingga RM5,000 (40 peratus), RM1,501 – RM3,000 (31 peratus) dan kurang RM1,500 (18 peratus).

Kajian ke atas 1,025 responden meliputi penduduk pelbagai lapisan masyarakat serta 411 wakil badan korporat itu mendapati, 58 peratus masyarakat Cina cenderung memberi rasuah, diikuti India (23 peratus) dan Melayu (14 peratus).

Sepertiga daripada orang awam dan separuh daripada wakil sektor korporat yang terbabit dalam kaji selidik itu mengaku pernah memberi rasuah bagi mengelakkan kerumitan apabila melakukan sesuatu urusan atau didakwa atas pelbagai kesalahan.

Butiran kaji selidik terkandung dalam laporan Pemantauan Persepsi Ketelusan di Malaysia yang diedarkan, di sini, semalam.

Majoriti yang terbabit dalam kaji selidik itu turut menyokong penubuhan institusi ombudsman, iaitu suruhanjaya penyiasat bebas yang bertindak sebagai orang tengah bagi membolehkan rakyat mengadu mengenai pelbagai hal termasuk salah laku dan penyalahgunaan kuasa.

Di kalangan orang ramai, kaji selidik itu mendapati 92 peratus mahukan ombudsman manakala 77 peratus daripada sektor korporat menyokong cadangan itu. Golongan paling ramai menyokong ialah pemilik perniagaan (95 peratus) dan usahawan (90 peratus).

Dari segi perlindungan kepada pemberi maklumat pula, 92 peratus orang awam dan 82 peratus sektor korporat yang ditemubual mahu undang-undang lebih menyeluruh digubal, terutama dalam kes membabitkan orang kenamaan.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kira-kira Wang Negara (PAC), Datuk Shahrir Samad, dalam ucaptama pada majlis itu, pula yakin peningkatan gaji dan pelarasan kenaikan pangkat, terutama untuk kakitangan kerajaan, yang sejajar dengan peningkatan kos sara hidup dapat menghapuskan separuh daripada masalah rasuah dalam sektor awam.

“Umpamanya, jika kerajaan berjaya memenuhi semua keperluan ini bagi pasukan polis, separuh daripada masalah rasuah negara boleh dianggap selesai. Ini satu jabatan saja, kita belum lagi pergi kepada yang lain.

Bagaimanapun, usaha ini tidak mungkin berhasil dengan kesungguhan satu pihak saja, sebaliknya orang ramai juga harus menjauhi amalan rasuah pada peringkat teratas sehingga ke akar umbi.

Kesanggupan politik dan kesediaan orang ramai bekerjasama mengekang rasuah menjadi unsur penting menentukan kejayaan menghapuskan gejala ini,” katanya pada majlis yang turut dihadiri Presiden TI-Malaysia, Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam.