The measurements include a 10% reduction on entertainment allowance and restrictions on paid vacation for ministers and deputy ministers, which would be limited to the Asean region only and the duration should not exceed one week. Previously, the paid vacation is borne by the government to any destination once a year.

It’s a step forward for the government to cut wasteful spending, kudos for that… but they could really try a bit harder. 10% cut on the entertainment allowances mean nothing much; the ministers (and deputies) will still get a decent allowance to spend on I-don’t-know-what entertainment purposes.

Besides, why should we pay for their overseas vacation when we can’t afford to bring our family for overseas holidays? It’s not like the ministers are not getting paid… their monthly salary is higher than 70% (probably close to 90) of the Malaysians for goodness sake.

The paid vacation should be scrapped completely; and unless there is a good reason for the entertainment allowance, it should be scrapped as well. There are probably some other dubious expenses not mentioned in the plan… and there are definitely rooms for further improvements.

If the government has the determination to cut the petrol subsidy and forced the people to change our lifestyle, at least show their own determination to make a strong cut. It’s a good start, but not good enough.

Would you choose to save billions of dollars from the subsidy to improve infrastructures (schools, hospitals, public transports etc.) or to continously using it to make Malaysians happy?

Ask me anytime, and I will tell you that we should abolish the subsidy system completely… probably not in one shot, but definitely in near future. The money could be better spent elsewhere than to pamper Malaysians with cheap petrol.

The problem with our government is always on how they would spend those extra moneys… the wastage and corruption have given them some bad reputation in recent years; and it’s understandable that lots of Malaysians no longer have faith with them.

But let’s say Anwar has took over the government, and let’s assume he is an absolutely clean and capable politician… do you think he should abolish the subsidy and use the money to build something else, or to reduce the petrol price instead?

So, same question to Anwar too, who constantly promised to reduce the petrol price. Does he believe that it’s the right thing to do to reduce the petrol price, or is it just a gimmick to gain popularity so that he can become the Prime Minister? Would he not prefer to use those money to build the future instead?

Politicians are never clean… an absolute honest man can never be a politician.

My friend is a smart guy, I have no doubt about that. The only problem is that lots of his time is spent on watching porns and downloading anime torrents… yes, that’s how easy it is to study PhD in our universities (or perhaps my friend is really a genius lol).

Can’t imagine how our government has managed to choose this fella to represent our country to meet with the best scientists around the world… well, have a nice trip regardless, my dear friend.

“Police investigations reveal that there are irresponsible people who bought ink from foreign countries in order to persuade those not familiar with the procedure to have the ink applied (to a voter’s forefinger or nail) before polling day,” he told a press conference at the EC headquarters, Putrajaya. [Bernama]

Abdul Rashid also said that the use of indelible ink would not be effective as the country’s constitution allows those who refuse to have their fingernail marked with the ink to still be issued with a ballot, and that the use of the indelible ink could infringe the constitutional right of a voter to cast his vote, especially if the commission tries to bar someone from voting for having an ink marked in his finger. [Malaysiakini]

The last minute reversal is not well received by the opposition parties and the public. DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and PKR’s deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali have both criticised the cancellation of indelible ink of favouring the ruling party’s cheating and abuses in the election.

Frankly, I can see the point of cancelling the use of inedible link… I have thought of some possible downside for using the ink, for example some ladies might not know about the plan somehow and have applied nail polish and not allowed to vote etc… it could create unexpected chaos.

Questions are however… why using it at the first place? The indelible ink has cost the country million of dollars, shouldn’t the EC think twice before deciding to use it initially?

I have never thought of the violation of constitutional rights for using the ink, stupid me… but I am just a common citizen after all. However, what’s the excuse for EC for not considering about the constitutional factor back then? Shouldn’t they be thinking of the legal issues before spending millions for the ink?

Now, what will happen to the ink? Shouldn’t someone be held responsible for the earlier decision? Should we continue to allow incompetent people like Abdul Rashid to continue leading the commission? And what’s next… cancelling the use of transparent ballot box because it violates privacy? How about cancelling the poll all together?

FYI, Monsoon Cup is the last stage for this season’s World Match Racing Tour, a Grade 1 event recognized by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). Although sailing is not popular in Malaysia, the event is not as insignificant as some politicians claimed.

I can remember the criticism about organising F1 in Malaysia prior to the first race in Sepang, but organising the F1 race is probably one of the best decisions Malaysia has made in the 90s. The return is not just the financial gain during the race, but involves global branding which could help attracting foreign visitors (and probably investors) constantly.

The popularity of sailing is probably far behind motor racing, but it does attract a special niche of people, and the impact of the Monsoon Cup should not be taken lightly. Thousands of foreigners will be flocking to Terengganu, and the event will be covered by foreign press and shown in popular sport channels like Sky Sports, Eurosport and ESPN etc. It does put Malaysia on the global map for good reasons.

Is it worth spending RM300 million for Monsoon Cup?

The arguments however, are on the cost of organising the event, and how the money was spent. It’s said that the event would cost RM250-300 million, funded by Wang Ehsan i.e. the royalty from oil and gas for the state of Terengganu. [Read more from MP Kit and MP Ronnie]

RM300 million might be worthwhile investment for Monsoon Cup if the fund is spent at the right places, but the biggest problem with government funding issues is the lack of transparency… Malaysians are constantly kept in the dark on how the money was spent, thus speculation about possible corruption is inevitable.

- Does the RM300 mil involved the building of public infrastructure, or does most of it went into the pocket of the organizers and some rich and (in)famous?

- How the organiser is profiting from the event? Does the organiser have to face any financial risks running the event or that they are guaranteed to make money from the government funding?

- What’s the backing behind government’s decision to release the fund? Was personal relationship involved (hint: KJ, son-in-law of Badawi)? Was there any proper research to backup the proposal of organising the event?

Many questions will remain unanswered. Yes to Monsoon Cup… but nay to government’s fund management.

“Why should we give subsidised petrol to the already rich, who drive luxurious cars with high capacity engines? It should be meant only for the man riding a kapcai (low-cc motorcycle).”

He added that billions of ringgit could be saved and the money used instead to develop village roads, build more public infrastructure and construct schools.

His statement is half true. Malaysians have been pampered with all kind of subsidies all these years… perhaps it’s time to let the petrol price roamed freely and save the money for other benefits, to help the poor for example.

I would applaud if the billions Ringgit saved could be used to develop our villages… but I am afraid that we might use it for something else… paying for a crook bridge (that was never built), spending on new toys or sending a traveller to space. Who can guarantee that the money saved from the cut subsidy would be well spent?

In my words…

“Why should we spent money to send a man to space, who rides on a billion dollar spaceship with super capacity engines? It should be meant only for the men riding on wheels.”

Al Jazeera Children’s Channel (JCC) and Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) recently formalized their partnership in content development and distribution.

The collaboration consists of the co-production and global marketing of the 26 episodes of Saladin 3D Animated Television Series, which is planned for broadcast on Al Jazeera Children’s Channel in the last quarter of 2008. [Middle-east-online]

MDeC has claimed that the animation has gained global attention since releasing the 6-minute trailer (below) in early 2006, but I think this is their first successful deal in marketing the project outside of Malaysia.

The project itself has garnered some critics previously, particular in its mismanagement of funds. It’s alleged that the animation has cost RM20 millions and most of the spending were rather wasteful. [Teresakok]

Set aside the financial controversies, I think we are heading the right track at the moment. The 6-minutes trailer shows good qualities and decent story plot; if we could keep the level of consistency for all the episodes, it’s going to be a job well done.

Entertainment industry is a huge global business, and Malaysia is lagging far behind at the moment. Besides the profit from the core venture (movies, music, anime…) itself, other industries like tourism, merchandising etc. will also benefit from it.

The success of Korean drama in the past decade is a great example of how influential the entertainment industry could be in lifting a countries’ international status. The tourism of the country is also largely boosted thanks to their dramas’ success.

It’s not too late for Malaysia to catch up; Koreans take just 10-years or less from virtually unnoticed to the major player in Asian entertainment market… we can do that too with proper planning and government support.

Saladin makes a decent start at the moment; I hope that it is not going to be a one off project, and that government will have plans to work with local talents and private investors to produce strings of successful animations and possibly real-life series.

What are we paying for actually? Even though the contract is cancelled, Gerbang Perdana could not possibly lost nearly RM300 million for a project that they barely started… seems like some idiots will be getting really rich for no good reasons.

Marks (and stars) will be given according to performance…

4 stars – Excellent (90% – 100%)
3 stars – Good (70% – 89%)
2 stars – Satisfactory (50% – 69%)
1 star – Not Satisfactory (49% and below)

The Auditor-General’s idea is quite a bold one, but what’s the point? What would happen if some influential leaders get a 1 star rating? Samy Vellu should be a hot favourite, but can the cabinet fire him? What if Badawi or Najib get a 1 star… what can be done?

(I am not too sure if the ministers themselves will be accessed, just my thoughts)

The ministries and various bodies are not stupid; they might be managed by some of the brightest people in the country… they know how to manage public funds, a bit too well perhaps. Most of the funds are not simply wasted; the money has to go somewhere, into some bank accounts. The question is… whose accounts has the money got into?

Whenever there is some scandalous stuff exposed, there will be criticisms here and there… vowing this, swearing that… but in the end, nothing happens. The money is gone like the Bermuda Triangle mystery, no people is penalized accordingly, and no solutions are provided for every cases.

It’s not about mismanagement of public funds, it’s about corruption… from top to bottom.

We need some drastic methods to fight against corruptions; the Auditor-General’s star rating is not going to work well. Besides, if Mr Ambrin Buang is to publish something that could really harm the government leaders, do you think he will be allowed to hold his current position for long?

• 146 sets of screwdrivers bought for RM 224 per set when the market price is only RM 40 per set;
• 82 sets of Staedler Mars technical pens bought for RM 225 per set when the market price is only RM 120 per set;
• 90 sets of Faber Castell technical pens bought for RM 1,147 per set when the market price is RM 160 per set;
• 17 sets of technical books consisting of 10 titles priced at RM10,700 per set when the market price is only RM 417 per set;
• 5 units of 3.1 megapixel digital camera that was bought for RM8,254 per unit when the market price was only RM 2,990 per unit.
• 650 sets of plastic vases bought at RM 42.80 per set when the market price is only RM 5.20 per set:
• 3 sets of settee bought between RM 8,250-RM9.075 per set when the market price is only RM 1,500 per set;
• two tower cranes bought for RM 5.72 million when the market price is only RM 2.98 million
• 60 used cars bought at a price of RM 4.24 million when the market price is only RM 2.8 million an excess of RM 1.44 million;
• 152 desktop computer packages bought for RM 4.5 million when the market price is only RM 1.4 million, an excess of RM 3.1 million;
• 420 sets of cement mortar boards bought at RM 1,027 per set when the market price is only RM 150 per set;
• 3 cabins bought for RM 141,900 per cabin when the market price is only RM 20,000 per cabin; and
• 2 units of two-tonne car jack bought for RM 5,471 per unit when the market price is only RM 50 per unit.

This is how Malaysian government is spending our tax money. [Hat tip to Wengsan]

Most people were not sharing the same idea as mine, they do feel that it’s something special for a golden jubilee… and our government obviously thinks the same way too. In fact, the government is so excited about the 50th Merdeka Day that they dumped over RM100 million for the celebrations. [Details]

I am not sure how they spent the money… RM100 million is one huge sum. Imagine the schools and infrastructures that can be built, or the needed people that can be helped using those money.

With 26 million population, the RM100 million tag worked out to about RM4 per person; I would rather see the government distribute all those money to everyone… at least all Malaysians can enjoy a nasi lemak and teh tarik with that, which could be a real happy Merdeka Day celebration for everyone.

1. With immediate effect, greater autonomy for universities the chance to upgrade the institutions and source for funds for projects.

2. Introduction of Apex University – to be identified from the existing 23 public universities – would even be allowed to recruit their own faculty and students. Only the best students will be admitted into the apex universities.

3. Audit assessment committees, comprising experts, will be established to evaluate and rate academic achievements in higher institutions of learning.

I don’t think Badawi’s plan is going to work; he has no idea on what is happening with our local universities at all. His plans are based on his own perception without researching into the problems… his plans provides no solutions at all. Malaysia will be lucky if his plans are not worsening our current education state.

Political Issue

Giving more autonomy to universities sounds good; but Pak Lah should know that the politics within local universities (public U in particular) is nothing less than the country politics. Lots of the lecturers are not interested in teaching, but seeking their own agenda for higher post and influence.

Besides, the racial bias of public universities’ top management is one of the worst in any sectors in Malaysia. There was a mass exodus of non-bumiputera academicians when Malaysia started introducing private universities in the 90s… money was one of the main reasons, the unfair treatment from public U is another major factor.

When I was in UM some 7-8 years ago; they were some lecturers from India and Pakistan. Set aside their English accent, they were great lecturers, but were treated with no respect at all by other local lecturers.

[Read Lim Kit Siang's story on the bias issue]

Research Funding and Credibility

Our universities are never short of research funding; it’s just that most funds are not properly managed and wasted needlessly.

I have a friend that works in the intellectual property (IP) field… I was told that the local universities are spending hundreds of thousands (probably millions) monthly in hiring IP agency to file their ‘creation’. The thing is, most of those creations are worthless and won’t bring any academic or commercial value.

I have a few friends that are doing (or have done) their Master and PhD degrees in local universities… I always laugh at how easy their postgraduate degrees could be obtained, and they know that it is a fact.

One of my friends is graduating as a PhD holder from USM, he was paid by the university to be a research assistant while obtaining his PhD, but all he did for the past 5-6 years was watching porn and playing online games. Bravo!

Apex University? We had that in the 80s

It’s tough to get in local universities prior to the 90s, for non-bumiputeras in particular. We didn’t need to identify a specific ‘Apex University’ back then, the university go-ers were capable of evaluating the best university of their own, and because spaces were limited, only qualified students were admitted to the best university.

The whole ‘best university getting best students’ scenario was crashed when Malaysia decided to open university after university in the last decade without considering the quality of both the academicians and the in-take undergraduates.

If I remember correctly… early 90s we have 7 public universities; late 90s we have 9 public and a few private; and less than a decade later, we have 23 public universities and countless private universities. Malaysia doesn’t have the pool of qualified academicians to maintain the level of all the universities we have… some of the universities have to resort to sub-standard academicians.

What’s the point of having bunches of unqualified graduates?

One of the biggest mistakes Philippines has made in the 80s was producing large number of graduates while not having enough working opportunities… and it seems like Malaysia is heading the same direction by giving out degrees too easily.

What’s the point of producing large numbers of graduates if we don’t have enough relevant job opportunities for them? Besides, the large intake has jeopardized the academic level or local universities… some of the students shouldn’t be allowed in universities at all. On the other hand, some graduates shouldn’t be allowed to graduate. Large number of graduates are allowed to graduate due to other factors, and not based on academic achievements.

The dilemma for some private sectors these days is that they are not capable of finding enough good fresh grads to fulfill their vacancies.

They have problems in finding good candidates to fill in positions that don’t need a degree holder as well, because they are simply too many degree holders… and this created a large gap of qualification to fill in positions like typists and office admins etc. SPM graduates are not good enough for that, and degree holders don’t want to do that; most of them rather stay unemployed.

Language barrier

We have undergraduates that are poor in English, we have lecturers that have bad English as well, and we have lecturers that can’t understand BM at all.

The language issue is a huge problem for local universities. We have to resort to bilingual learning, but that’s not efficient. We certainly can’t go for all BM teaching at the moment because we don’t have enough local academicians to support the cause. We can’t go for all English teaching as well because some of students and lecturers are so bad at it.

In my days I had course-mates that had to finish their thesis in BM while their supervisors were foreigners that couldn’t understand most of the words. My course-mates still managed to graduate somehow… I am still wondering how on earth did that happened.

We need to define a definite language medium for our universities in future plans… BM or English. Either way will take a long journey, but we need to start somewhere. Bilingual could still work, but it’s rather ridiculous… I am an engineering graduate; I forget how to say ‘pengamiran’ in English, and I am not sure how to say pneumatic in BM. Shame on me, but the university teachings are partly blamed for this.

Basic Knowledge

Back then I had friends that had never touch a computer before entering university, but I guess the situation has improved a lot these days. However, lots of graduates are still lacking in some basic computering knowledge that is so essential these days.

English, Powerpoint, word processors, spreadsheets, email etiquette, typing etc. are basic requirements for most graduates. The universities are not responsible for teaching the undergraduates about these, but the undergraduates should be made aware and to take the initiative to improve themselves.

Badawi has no clue at all

Period.