Time to correct the imbalance

Last two weeks,i went to 1Malaysia seminar organised by the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN).The speaker is Prof Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi,and he highlighted the unhealthy racial composition in the civil service.According to him,the lopsided racial composition of the civil service is the result of ignoring the provisions in the Federal Constitution that prohibit race discrimination.In my view,these provisions have been conveniently forgotten for obvious reasons.This sentiment which was once held solely by the non Malays is now increasingly being shared by more and more Malays as well.This is a positive and encouroging development that came into being after the last general elections.The civil service is an important instituition as it forms the backbone of the government in its servivce to the people of diverse ethnicity and must be seen to be fair and independent.It is vital that its racial composition reflects of the country for a healthier,impartial and more professional service to the people.The racial imbalance is not healthy and must readressed as failing to do so may have far reaching implications on the peace and harmony in the country.In fact this lopsided racial composition in the civil service,including public universities and other government controlled instituitons,can be said to be main contributing factor to the deteriorating race relations in the country and the fundamental cause of many socio political ills that plague us today.The Federal Constitution is very clear in providing for the special status of the Malays and other bumiputra groups from Sabah and Sarawak and it equally guarantees the legitimate interests of the other races in the country.It further stipulates that job opportunities and promotions in the public service should be awarded fairly to all deserving Malaysians.Of late,the effects of this monopolisation of the civil service by a single ethnic group have been manifested in the many unhealthy incidents that have shocked the nation in recent times.The civil service is seen to be a Malaysian instituition and any action taken by its staff against non malays is perceived to be racially biased ,which may not be the case in many instances.We have come a long way since independence and it is time to regard all citizens as equal,with equal opportunities to serve the nation without discrimination.Unless we tap the potential of all based purely on merit,there is no way we can move forward in today's highly competitive global community.We must believe and propagate that belief to all around us that what brings us together as Malaysians is far stronger that what pulls us apart.i hope that my opinions are not offencing others.This is just my personal views.

PPSMI

Having read Prof Dr Nor Hashimah Jalaludin commentary on this newaspaper today(berita harian,Oct 23)'Why PPSMI reversal makes sense',i concede that for the benefit of the majority of the students expecially those in rural areas,it makes sense for Science and Mathemathics to be taught in their mother language.However there are several points I disagree with.

She stated that having English and Malay medium schools divided our nation into separate halves,creating a very wide gap and that one of the main reasons for the use of Bahasa Malaysia as the single medium of instruction in schools was to unite Malaysians.Unfortunately,Bahasa Malaysia has failed to unite Malaysians because our school system is not only divided into halves but also consists of Chinese -Tamil medium school.Therefore why not have english medium schools for those who wish it,expecially in urban areas.She also said there was a wide gap between English and Malay medium schools of the past.

Is she then suggesting that English medium schools should not be allowed to exist as the children there would progress farther and faster than those in Malay medium schools?

Malaysia hopes to attract foreigners to invest here or award jobs to Malaysian companies looking to venture overseas.

We have professionals who are competent in their respectives technical fields,but many are unable to communicate well in english.Does that make good bussines?would foreigners want to hire or work with people that they have difficulty understanding?She also stated that the decline in the command of english has nothing to do with the use of Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instructuon for science and mathematics in schools.That may be true,but to improve English proficiency you must get students to think,explain and communicate in English.

One of the problems associated with the implementation of PPSMI is in the inability of science and mathematics teacher,who were taught and trained in Bahasa Malaysia to make the switch to English.I am not saying that teachers are not good enough but it creates difficulties to them to teach science and mathematics in Eglish.I always believe that PPSMI should not be reversed as it brings so much of benefits to our generation.