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Cameron Highlands

/* January 2nd, 2011 by poobalan | View blog reactions No comments »

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Cameron Highlands was wet during the last few days of 2010. We went to the usual places like the pasar malam Brinchang (nothing much to shout about for locals), Sg Palas Boh Tea Center, Kea Farm, Raju Hill Strawberry Farm, Tanah Rata’s row of food shops, and Big Red Strawberry Farm. Didn’t cover the jungle trails nor the rose/cactus/butterfly/insect farms.

This time around, we also managed to visit MARDI’s Agritech Park in Tanah Rata. Entrance fee is RM3 per person. The strawberries and plants sold here are cheaper than those sold in the shops, but you have to be early (before noon if possible to get them).

The place is in Tanah Rata, you can find signages aplenty.

The flower varieties were quite good. They have about 20 over Rose varieties.

From MARDI Agrotech Park Tanah Rata

Also saw locally grown apples and vegetables.

From MARDI Agrotech Park Tanah Rata

91 year old pensioner fighting 39 years for pension

/* December 23rd, 2010 by poobalan | View blog reactions No comments »

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I pity this old grandpa who’s been fighting for 39 YEARS to get a higher pension amount. However, I’m not sure if the pension authorities can arrange some leeway as it may open the floodgates for other pensioners to make claims. Grandpa have to get an official letter from his previous employers about his job status. Letters from ex-bosses in personal capacity won’t count. Problem is, we are looking at paper records which is few decades old. It most likely won’t be in existence due to various reasons like termite attack, destroyed in natural disaster, misplaced, not readable, lost etc.

I think many of us will admire his preseverance. I hope some in his ex-employers firms can help him.

From the Star:

For 39 years, a 91-year-old for-mer civil servant has been fighting for his pension rights and has vowed not to give up until his last breath.

M. Alagan from Kampung Raja Uda in Port Klang is a familiar face at the Pension Department for he has visited the office many since retiring in 1971.

Despite his appeals, Alagan claimed that the department had underpaid him on his monthly retirement benefits.

He said he had written numerous letters and submitted supporting documents and was unsuccessful in his bid to convince the department that he was being underpaid and deserved to be compensated.

Alagan alleged that the department had underpaid him by RM105 a month all these years on his pension.

Although he has been working as a high portal (portable) crane driver in Port Klang since 1956, he said, he was only receiving the salary of a low carriage crane driver until he retired in 1971.

“I was driving the high portal crane all my years of service after I was seconded by the then Malayan Railway Authority to Port Swettenham where I worked for the Port Swettehham Authority.

“Before this, I was working in Prai with the railway authority since 1938 when it was under the British India Company and I am considered a British subject,” he told The Star.

Alagan said he was an active trade unionist and responsible for staging the country’s first railway workers strike involving 4,000 workers in 1962.

He said the strike went on for 24 days and it was one of the longest in the country’s history and he felt that was the reason that he had been victimised by the government by not upgrading him accordingly.

Alagan said he was still an employee of the railway authority, during the time of his retirement, although he was working with the port then.

“Although I was given the high portal crane driver’s job, they did not pay me accordingly and I was still fighting to get rewarded after retiring from service,’’ he said.

Alagan said his monthly pension which started with RM255 had increased to RM720 now due to several salary adjustments carried out by the government over the past years.

However, he said, his pension had been reduced by RM105 per month due to the department’s failure to upgrade his pension to a high portal crane driver.

“Merely based on this simple calculation, I have been underpaid by not less than RM45,000 and it does not include the salary adjustments,’’ the father of six, who had kept with him a file, with a compilation of the correspondence between him and the pension department.

Alagan, who also had with him a certificate of competency as a first grade engine driver, said the document was a concrete evidence that he was a high portal crane driver.

He said he had written numerous letters and met pension department officers on many occasions and had been unsuccessful in his bid to get justice.

“Recently, I received the biggest blow to my struggle when my appeal with a supporting document from a former KTM deputy superintendent from Port Klang was also rejected by the department.

“In his written testimony, my former boss has confirmed that I had worked under him during his tenure between June 1963 and October 1969 and he also stated that my job required me to operate both the high portal crane and low carriage crane,’’ he said, adding that this appeal was forwarded in June this year.

With the supporting document from his former boss, a dejected Alagan, said he thought that he would be finally rewarded for his persistence and felt hurt when he received the news that his recent appeal was also rejected.

He said he was finding it hard to take the rejection especially after it took his family and him a lot of efforts and time to find his former boss.

“I am feeling sad but it does not mean that I have been defeated in my struggle. I have been on it for about 40 years and not going to stop here,’’ he said.

His struggle, Alagan said, was not solely aimed at getting himself rewarded but it was about justice for a sincere citizen of the country.

He said he had been unfairly treated and it was unacceptable that the government had failed to acknowledge and appreciate his service.

“I hope the department will reconsider its decision and I am confident that something positive will come from this open appeal,” he said.

As pointed by JPA (PSD) below, need to have the correct supporting documents:

The Public Service Department is unable to upgrade Alagan’s pension to a higher grade due to lack of information that the former Railway Authority employee was working as a high portal crane driver before retiring in 1971.

Its senior deputy director (development), Sadiah Abu Samah, said the department had not been provided with relevant documents by KTMB or the Port Klang Authority (KPA) to support Alagan’s claim.

Sadiah, who confirmed that Alagan had made several appeals since his retirement, said the department had contacted both the authorities and had not received any documents to prove Alagan’s claim.

“Without any proof on his appointment as a high crane driver, it will be impossible for us to increase his pension.

“We are more than willing to increase his pension and pay him his arrears from the date of his retirement only if there was documental evidence that he was a high portal crane driver,’’ she said.

Sadiah urged Alagan to prove to the department that he was working as a high portal crane driver by getting a letter from KTMB or KPA.

Without such a letter, she said, it was impossible for her department to do anything.

“I feel sorry for Alagan who has been involved in this struggle for almost 40 years and admire his grit. His file is the oldest in the pension department and we have not closed his case yet,’’ she said.

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Posted in Indian

Blackmailed after posing for boyfriends

/* December 21st, 2010 by poobalan | View blog reactions No comments »

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This article below was forwarded by Novinthen today. It also appeared in NST. I have to admit that I have not come across any cases so far, but seem to recall reading about one such case in the newspaper recently. We can’t get rid of the bad guys whom will be looking to prey on hapless victims. We should step up effort to “wake” these girls from their “dreamland”. Any guy asking to “proof the love” or other such crap is not fit to be a partner. We must remember that our lives are not like in the movies nor do we allow ourselves to be pressured by our friends to do something.

The other problem nowadays is the influence of new generation of entertainment, fashion, culture, values and morals. Nowadays, there’s not much respect for modesty; no sense of shame, no idea of humility. There’s self-confidence but in the wrong areas – doing things to challenge others, to irritate, to protest, to show off and so on. People looking towards escapism, short term happiness, oneupmanship.

Parents and teachers can only do so much. Unless the boys and girls have that maturity, the ability to think, to have self-esteem and respect, you can’t do much. And this is happening to all, regardless of race or religion.

Its good that MIC Youth has highlighted this problem, but I wonder if the youths are willing to listen to advice after advice from elders.

Local syndicates are targeting Indian girls as young as 16 by luring them to take pictures or videos of themselves naked, and then blackmailing the girls into having sex with them.

The syndicates were mostly based in Rawang, Selangor, with one or two in Johor, said MIC Youth secretary C. Sivarajah.

Based on its findings, the youth wing said that some of the groups were targeting schoolgirls as young as 16, as well as factory and girls working in supermarkets, promising them love and marriage before duping them into posing naked.

“After taking their nude pictures and videos, the girls were made to do whatever the guy wanted. Otherwise, their pictures would be uploaded on the Internet or circulated to others,” he told the New Straits Times in an interview.

The youth wing had also received cases of girls being forced into prostitution after their nude pictures were taken.

He recalled a case last year where a 17-year-old girl was asked by her boyfriend to pose naked, for a person said to be a loan shark, as payment for money loaned.

“The girl, wanting to prove her love, agreed. The guy who had pretended to be a loan shark, later blackmailed her to have sex with him if she did not want her pictures to be circulated. It was only after he made her have sex with five other men that the girl realised that her boyfriend was part of the syndicate. When she refused to do it any more, they released her pictures.”

He related another case early this year where three Form Five girls were befriended by a man from one of the syndicates, promising them love and marriage and persuaded them to pose naked.

“He later took them to Penang for a holiday and there threatened to distribute their pictures if they did not engage in sexual acts. He later sold them to a prostitution ring there.”

Sivarajah said the youth wing had tried to help the victims by approaching and negotiating with the men who took the pictures.

“But by the time the victims came to us for help, it would have been too late and their pictures would already be circulating via MMS (multimedia messaging service).”

He added that there have been cases of parents complaining that police allegedly did not take their complaints seriously.

“We urge the police to take this matter seriously. We are willing to work with anyone who can help solve this issue, which is increasingly becoming a big problem among young people today.

“It is not difficult to trace or hunt the men behind the pictures and videos. The question is, are the authorities willing to do it?”

He said amendments needed to be made to Sections 211 and 233 of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Act 1998, and Section 292 of the Penal Code.

“We need heavier punishments like a longer jail term or even caning for those charged under these acts.”

He said parents also needed to warn their children of such dangers and tactics by unscrupulous men who prey on vulnerable women.

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Posted in BornInMalaysia, Indian

Tags: Crime MIC

Justice for Johnny the Dog

/* December 21st, 2010 by poobalan | View blog reactions No comments »

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I’m not sure if anyone remembers the story of Johnny the dog. He’s the one who was shot dead while being in the compound of his owner’s house by some criminals hiding behind their position as staff of Tampin Municipal Council. Its going to be 4 full months now and still the 55 year old Singaravelu is being made to go around looking for justice. Will justice be served? Can we still believe in excuses like “officer on long leave”?

Singaravelu is losing hope as the authorities are keeping pushing the buck. Whatever happened to “no wrong door” policy? Maybe he should complain to Public Complaints Bureau headed by Senator Murugiah. He shares his story below:

SEREMBAN: Security guard S. Singaravelu is losing hope the authorities will provide justice to the unlawful killing of his licensed dog, Johnny, shot inside the compound of his son’s house in Tampin allegedly by Tampin Municipal Council enforcement officers on Aug 24.”It has been nearly four months and the Tampin Municipal Council seems to be washing their hands off this case,” Singaravelu, 55, told The Malay Mail.

“Last month, I approached the Negri Sembilan Veterinary Services Department for help. A staff at the department listened to my woes patiently for almost two hours. She then advised me to write a letter to both the council and the department to explain my situation as well as to seek justice and compensation for my loss.

“I did that three weeks ago, and my letters to the council and department included my police report which I lodged after my dog was killed. I also sought compensation of RM1,800, including cost of burying Johnny. I am still waiting for a response from both parties.”

Over the past week, The Malay Mail tried to contact the council’s president, Razali Bakar, and council secretary Zulhilmi Marzuki, but to no avail.

Last month, Zulhilmi said a decision on whether the officers involved in the shooting of Johnny had erred would be made by Razali by this month.

Zulhilmi had earlier told The Paper That Cares that a committee comprising three division chiefs, appointed by Razali, was set up to probe Singaravelu’s allegation, and if the officers involved in the operation were found to have gone against the council’s rules, disciplinary action would be taken against them.

The council had, however, forwarded its investigation report to the Tampin Veterinary Department and Tampin District Office for action, too.

But the Tampin Veterinary Department revealed that it did not receive any such document from the council.

However, an officer at the department, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the department carried out an investigation into the matter and that its role in this case was just as an adviser.

“Our department’s regulation states we are not allowed to shoot dogs kept inside the compound of a house. We are also not allowed to shoot licensed dogs. Our investigations found that these officers had informed the dog-shooting team from the other two bodies about the regulations,” the officer told The Malay Mail.

“In fact, our officers even warned them not to shoot when they are about to carry out the act. Despite their best efforts, the shooting went on. I do not know whether their regulations allow them to shoot licensed dogs inside house compounds. We are definitely not involved in the shooting.”

On Aug 24, Singaravelu was dismayed to find Johnny, which he found two years ago at a market near his house at Taman Minang in Tampin, missing.

His suspicion was aroused when he saw three Tampin Municipal Council vehicles leaving the area at about 12.40am that day. He trailed them and when they stopped in Taman Batu Belang, he saw Johnny’s bloodied remains inside one of the vehicles.

The 10 men in the vehicles, one of whom had a gun, refused to let Singaravelu take away Johnny’s carcass, except to remove the dog licence and also allegedly challenged Singaravelu to lodge a police report.

The men also claimed they shot Johnny because of complaints by neighbours.

“I was traumatised and could not stop crying,” Singaravelu had said before lodging a report at Tampin police station.

The next day, he was shocked to find Johnny’s carcass in a jungle near Taman Batu Belang. He then brought the remains back and held a small funeral.

Singaravelu travelled to Ampang in Selangor to meet with officials of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Selangor on Aug 26.

The next day, SPCA animal inspectors Danny Thang and V. Murugan visited him in Tampin to investigate the incident.

Earlier, this is the reason given by the council:

SEREMBAN: There will be more waiting before we know whether the Tampin Municipal Council’s enforcement department has violated regulations by allegedly shooting Johnny, a two-year-old licensed dog, on Aug 24.

The council’s secretary Zulhilmi Marzuki told The Malay Mail yesterday a decision whether the officers involved in the dog-shooting operation had indeed erred was to be made by council president Razali Bakar next month.

“He will be back early next month and only then a decision can be made,” he said, adding that only Razali, who was on his pilgrimage in Mecca, could make a decision.

Zulhilmi had earlier told The Paper That Cares that a committee comprising three division chiefs, appointed by Razali, was set up to probe the allegation, and if the officers involved in the operation were found to had gone against the council’s rules, disciplinary action would be taken against them.

He had also said disciplinary action, if taken, would not involve the other two bodies which were also responsible for executing the dog-shooting orders as both were beyond their jurisdiction.

The council had, however, forwarded their investigation report to the Tampin Veterinary Department and Tampin District Office for their action.

The Veterinary Department revealed they had not received any such document from the council and seemed to have washed their hands off the matter.

A veterinary officer from the department, who asked for anonymity, said the department had carried out internal investigations into the matter.

“Our department’s role in such operations is as an adviser. Our department’s regulation states we are not allowed to shoot dogs kept inside the compound of a house. We are also not allowed to shoot licensed dogs.”

The officer said two of their officers were involved in the dog-shooting operation on Aug 24 and statements had been taken from them.

… The officer said numerous complaints were often received by all three bodies regarding stray dogs in the neighbourhood where Johnny’s owner, S. Singaravelu, stays.

“We received complaints from the neighbourhood of dogs attacking and biting people.”

Its hard to imagine that some things have to wait until the boss comes from the holiday, but it does happen, as in this case. Earlier than that, Singaravelu said that he will pursue his cause for as long as it takes.

S. SINGARAVELU said he will ensure that justice is served to his beloved dog Johnny no matter how long it takes.

“The council is simply dragging the issue. I don’t care if it takes months or even years. I will still pursue this case.”

Singaravelu said three officers from the Tampin district veterinary department visited him about two weeks ago and asked him to retract the police report he had lodged.

“When they asked me to do so, I refused to budge. I asked them whether they admitted to being at fault and they said yes. They also said they will give me a new dog to replace Johnny,” he claimed.

However, a veterinary officer from the department — who asked for anonymity — said they had not asked Singaravelu to retract his police report.

“We did not ask him to retract the report. We just told him it was wrong to include our department’s name in the report as we were not involved with the actual shooting.

“Singaravelu said he did not know as he is illiterate. We did, however, tell him if he is sad with what happened to Johnny, we could get him another dog. To that, he said he will speak to our District Officer about it.

“But when we followed up with him, he refused to speak to our District Officer. We are not sure why.”

In fact, two months ago, he said he plans to sue those involved:

SEREMBAN: Emotionally tormented S. Singaravelu, who lost his two-year-old licensed dog Johnny to shooting by the Tampin Municipal Council officials two months ago, is planning to sue the council to seek justice for his pet’s brutal death.

“If the owner failed to take action, only then can they consider shooting the dog,” he told The Paper That Cares last week.

The 55-year-old security guard told The Malay Mail: “I don’t care about money. In fact, if I win the court case, I will donate the money to animal shelters such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

“What I want is justice for my beloved Johnny. I do not want anyone else to go through such misery and injustice. No one should go through what I am going through.”

Since the death of his dog, SIngaravelu has forked out money, especially to travel to Ampang to meet up with officials of the SPCA Selangor, but felt the extra financial burden would be worth it if he managed to get justice for Johnny’s death.

“We humans know a lot of people, but it is not the same with dogs. The only people dogs know and love are their owners. Their owners are everything.

“Johnny’s world revolves around me. I am deeply saddened by his death. I still cannot believe he is gone. The emptiness inside me is indescribable. No other dog could replace Johnny.”

Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Wira Chor Chee Heung, who was disgusted with the way Johnny was killed, had asked Singaravelu to take legal action against the council as “the authorities or those involved had no right to shoot a dog inside a house compound”.

Chor had said even if Johnny was a nuisance and many had complained about it, shooting the animal was not the solution as the council should have issued a notice to Singaravelu to explain the problem and gave him time to do something about it.

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Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags: Crime Negeri Sembilan

Teacher Transfer Saga

/* December 19th, 2010 by poobalan | View blog reactions 4 comments »

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I’m sure you are aware of the refusal by some 100 language teachers in some districts in Selangor to be transfered to other districts within the state. Same problem occurring in Penang as well. According to one reader’s letter to the Sun:

Many of those involved were English and Bahasa Malaysia teachers. The letter was dated Nov 25 and was effective Dec 1.

This showed that the redeployment was done in a haste and not thought of properly. This is only the first phase and I heard that the whole process, in three phases, will involve nearly 1,000 teachers.

Some comments from Malay Mail:

Some 100 teachers involved in a redeployment exercise have refused to be transferred to other districts in Selangor.

National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) president, Hashim Adnan, said the 84 English Language and 16 Malay Language optional teachers were redeployed under the programme to strengthen Bahasa Malaysia and English 2009–2010.

“Mismatch of teachers was among factors that gave rise to this problem. Transfer of teachers will cause more problems rather than solve existing ones,” he told a Press conference at Wisma NUTP here today.

Hashim said the ministry should consider factors like age, health and family when considering appeals from the 100 teachers redeployed.

Meanwhile, NUTP secretary Lok Yim Pheng, said the transfer of teachers to districts involves high transportation cost.

“They have to leave their families and only get to meet them on weekends, thus creating problems. Transfer on short notice is inhuman.”

Lok urged the government to increase the age of teachers pursuing the ministry’s long distance study to 48 years from 45 presently.

“The age for those studying on their own should also be increased from 50 to 53 years. We need to create professional teachers,” she added.

The problem in Selangor:

The redeployment of teachers announced in Selangor recently has drawn flak from the 100 affected by the exercise.

National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Hashim Adnan said the teachers were upset at being transferred to schools which were too far from the schools they were currently based in.

“For instance, a teacher who is teaching in Klang is being deployed to Sabak Bernam,” he told a press conference at the NUTP headquarters.

Hashim said 84 English option teachers and 16 Bahasa Malaysia option teachers were involved in the redeployment exercise in Selangor.

Teachers are transferred be tween the districts in the state to meet the shortage of language teachers in the rural areas, in support of the policy on Upholding BM and Strengthening English announced by the Government.

According to Hashim, more than 20 teachers have lodged complaints with NUTP to express their dissatisfaction.

“Teachers who are unhappy with their transfers are advised to appeal to the state education department,” said Hashim.

NUTP secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng urged the Education Ministry to look into the complaints of the teachers as many of them had to leave their families behind when they move to the new schools.

“Some of the teachers were given very short notice. Teachers with young children are the ones who are badly hit by this redeployment exercise,” she said.

“These teachers also have to fork out extra expenditure to pay for rent and the long distances travelled.”

A teacher who was at the press conference said she had to travel more than 100km every day in order to get to her new school.

NUTP suggested the ministry look at other measures, such as holding conversion courses to retrain the non-option teachers so that they could teach the subjects.

On another matter, NUTP appealed to the ministry to increase the age limit for teachers applying for the distance learning programme from 45 to 48.

The State Education Department says teachers can appeal and only 20 had appealed so far:

Teachers who are redeployed to schools far away from their current base are allowed to appeal to the Selangor Education Department.

“Each appeal will be looked through and given due consideration,” the Education Ministry said in a statement yesterday.

It has been reported that about 100 teachers in Selangor are upset about the transfers. Some of them were apparently sent to places that were 100km away from their present schools.

The ministry said in the statement that there was an imbalance in the distribution of teachers within schools in a district and within districts in the state.

“The redeployment is mostly to Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam as both districts are facing a critical shortage of English teachers.”

Other districts especially Klang, Petaling Perdana, Petaling Utama and Hulu Langat have a surplus of English teachers.

The redeployment also involves Bahasa Malaysia option teachers as there was a surplus in Sabak Bernam and Kuala Langat. Thus, these teachers would need to be sent elsewhere to minimise the mismatch, the ministry said.

In Shah Alam, a group of teachers held a demonstration in front the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) office yesterday to voice discontentment over their transfers to schools about 100km away from their current location.

The transfers were implemented on Dec 1. However, many have not reported at their new schools yet.

“Most of the teachers are from Klang but they now have to move to Sabak Bernam,” said a secondary school English teacher who identified himself only as Vijay, 47.

“We don’t want to leave because we’ve settled down here for years. We have our families to think of.”

Another teacher who wanted to be known as Anamalai, 47, urged the NUTP to fight for their welfare.

“We pay the union RM72 a year. What are they doing to protect us?”

They suggested that the NUTP appeal to the ministry and send fresh graduates to the rural areas instead as the older ones had been through transfers before.

“I taught in Sarawak for five years when I first became a teacher. Young graduates have fewer problems being redeployed,” said a teacher known as Bala, 46.

The teachers said that they were not against the ministry’s orders but being sent so far away would pose a major inconvenience.

Helmi Che Raus, 32, a Bahasa Malaysia teacher from Kapar, expressed concern over his transfer to Bukit Rimau.

“Travelling will require a lot of petrol and we were told to find our own accommodation. Think of our financial pressure. Our salaries are not increased,” he said.

Din, an English teacher with two children, said she had appealed for help from the NUTP.

“I have not heard from them yet.” .

Similar problem in Penang (hmm..earlier Selangor and now Penang? I guess its just a coincidence):

More than 100 teachers on Penang island are unhappy that they have been transferred to the mainland, including Sungai Petani and Kulim, from this month.

It is learnt that the group only received their transfer letters dated Nov 26 on Dec 13 at their respective schools.

An English teacher in Air Itam said he was transferred to a school in Bukit Mertajam, which is about 40km from his house.

“I will have to fork out an extra RM25 per day for the journey and toll charges which equals to RM500 per month,” he said yesterday.

He said about 80 teachers had submitted their appeals to the state Education Department.

He claimed that some teachers had decided to apply for six months unpaid leave while others had taken forms to apply for optional retirement.

State Education director Ibrahim Mohamad said the redeployment was necessary as there were excess teachers on the island.

He said a meeting would be held before the opening of the new school term to look into the matter and also to consider the appeals submitted by the affected teachers.

NUTP secretary-general Loke Yim Pheng said the Government should pay for the travelling expenses of the transferred teachers.

This is what the state education officer said:

According to The Star, state education director Ibrahim Mohamad said the redeployment was necessary as there were excess teachers on the island.

He said a meeting would be held before the opening of the new school term to look into the matter and also to consider the appeals submitted by the affected teachers.

Now, the Public Complaints Bureau has stepped in. However, I’m not sure how the PCB can interfere in the internal affairs of an organization. This isn’t a public complaint, but employee against employer. Should be handled by Human Resource Ministry. Unless of course parents complaint that education quality dropped or something.

Come Wednesday, the public complaints bureau will meet education ministry officials to seek a solution to the grouses of teachers in Penang and Selangor, who have received transfer letters.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk T. Murugiah, who is also in charge of the department, said he had received many complaints on the matter from the teachers concerned.

He said, if the teachers were unhappy over the transfers, it would affect their performance, and this in turn, would impact the students.

As the teachers had asked for the department’s assistance for a solution, Murugiah said he would speak to Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi on the matter.

“Some were transferred too far away. They need to rent a house and some had to spend extra for the petrol due to the far distance from their homes. All these will burden them with additional living costs,” he said on Sunday.

Murugiah was commenting on a report which highlighted the plight of more than 100 teachers on Penang island who expressed unhappiness over their transfers to the mainland, including Sungai Petani and Kulim, beginning this month.

My take – Shifting teachers around is merely hiding the actual problem. Why did the “excess” occur in the first place? These things don’t happen overnight. Who approved the posting of teachers? Who allowed for teachers to pursue bachelor/postgraduate in those fields and end up overqualified for current position? Who does the allocation of seats for teaching colleges for future need? Who come out with these policies? Is there any element of corruption or negligence in these procedures? I think accountability is important. When things go well, everyone wants to take credit. When things fails, try to cover up or blame others. Some people must take responsibility for the excess, be it previous or current ministers, top management, senior officers or junior executives. Its easy to say that as civil servants, the teachers must serve wherever they are ordered to. But that’s just hiding the real problem. Yeah, some may have established own tuition centers and earning handsomely. Shitfing will cost a big loss for them. But is this the right “punishment”?

As for solution, I think we need a better system of keeping track of available teachers and future needs for each subject. Secondly, probably there should be some allocation for those travelling more than 50km per day to cover their expenses. The government provides for relocation cost but still there’s issue of relocating the children’s school, the spouse finding a job, and also renting a house. If given more time (like 2 months), then it may be acceptable.