Digest on Malaysian News

Connecting to Internet using Streamyx from home is slow. Connecting to the Internet from Office using Streamyx is slow. Cybercafe Streamyx slow, college Streamyx slow, kopitiam Streamyx also slow, warung mamak Streamyx lagi slow. Don't fret. Don't grumble. The submarine cable (or undersea) telco cable linking Malaysia and Europe is undergoing restoration until Jan 04, 2009.

As usual, press statement from Talikom Malaysia (TM) is also vague as the slowness of their Streamyx line. TM does not states whether the submarine cable is belong to them or cable sewa.

Don't bother to call their 100 number either because it will be too busy. You won't get the answer. So the most you can do until Jan 04, 2008 is to bear with the slow connection. But remember, don't put all your blames to TM. It's Malaysian surfer who hog the line.

Biasa lar orang Malaysia suka sangat download file percuma. Like ripped songs, pirated movies, pirated series and video streaming 24hr a day even if they are not in front of their computer. That's my friends, is the typical habit of Malaysian Internet users. Using Streamyx line to the fullest to download illegal files and caused the bandwidth to be insufficient (even during normal days).

Related posts:
* TM Streamyx slow syndrome (Jul 2008)
* TM Net complaints
* Slow Streamyx connection update for today
* Streamyx broadband troubleshooting

From TheStar

TM: Full recovery of Internet services on Jan 4

KUALA LUMPUR: Telekom Malaysia Bhd said on Tuesday there was a delay in the restoration of Internet services following technical problems in repairing the submarine cable network linking Malaysia to Europe.

“Due to the delay, full recovery of Internet services is now expected to be on Jan 4, 2009,” TM said in a statement.

On Dec 20, TM said the disruption of its Internet services was due to circuit fault on the Southeast Asia – Middle East – Western Europe 4 (SMW4) submarine cable network between Palermo (Southern Italy) and Alexandria (Northern Egypt) linking Malaysia to Europe.

TM said there was a delay in the restoration of Internet services due to technical problems at the repairing stages.

It added that customers using Internet services might continue to experience slow browsing while accessing websites hosted in Europe.

Customers using other IP services such as Virtual Private Network (VPN) and other critical business applications linked to Europe may also experience some service degradation.

“To alleviate the problem, some of the links have been rerouted to alternate routes to ease the congestion,” it said.

TM assured its customers that it was undertaking all necessary measures to restore communications services for its customers as soon as possible.

Customers can call TM at 100 and select “Internet Services” or e-mail us at help@tm.com.my for any Internet related problems.


malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

For the past few days, reports on the issue of anti-Islam, anti-Muslim, anti-Prophet Mohammad, blogger insulting the Muslim and even anti-Hindu has been sketchy due to absent of facts from the authority (read: the Police or the Home Ministry). Maybe they are still in cuti-cuti mood, huh.

What exactly is Bigotry Of Islamophobia

How it all started

Apparently, a particular blogger decided to do some research on a sensitive topic, i.e. negativity of a faith and posted an article with detailed compilation including link(s) to offensive images and videos. Many have the opinions that the blogger shouldn't posted that kind of material in the first place even though those texts, quotes, links are not his but a work of compilation (or copy pasting).

That particular blogger is now in an awkward position to say that the sensitive article does not come from the horse mouth or his mouth. His work of compilation is the word of his mouth.

Anyway, all the compiled contents are actually not new. It has been in the Internet since DAY 1. It just happened that the blogger compiled it, posted it, his blog got a sudden surge of traffics and BOOOOM, too many readers came across the post (include those offended) and the things became an issue. That blogger is suddenly in the limelight (or sudden fame) but maybe on the wrong circumstances until he proved otherwise.

Who started the fire

The mentioned blog is addressed at surind dot blogspot dot com. One of his article titled "The Hajj: The Most Shameful Journey in History?" despite being edited multiple times, has been kicking up a big storm. For the original post, check out their archived content extracted from Google Cache. Due to the nature of the post, he is receiving flakes from both sides and there is even a police report lodged against him. Obviously there are three parties looking at his articles, 1) his supporters 2) the offended Muslims and the 3) neutral Malaysians who think that his post is too extreme and provocative.

Who fueled the fire

When there is fire, there is smoke. Obviously, Malaysia do have their own band of Muslim Champions who are watchful over this issue. Of those champions is Zainol Abideen a.k.a MAHAGURU58. He has lodged a police report against Surind. Zainol also claimed that he is a peace loving Malaysian Muslim but still called non-Muslims as Al Kafirin dan Munafiqin.

Who try to calm down the storm

Some bloggers like the The Might Of The Pen (TMOTP) tried to calm the situation by advising Surind to take a step back but at the same time, TMOTP also lambasted MAHAGURU58 as being a Kafir.

Religious issues being politicized

Meanwhile, the Opposition Group (or Pakatan Rakyat) take the opportunity to blast the authority namely, the Home Minister, Information Minister and MCMC for being too slow (read: tardy, siput) in taking action and nipped the problem earlier.

Lim Kit Siang commented that "While all right-thinking Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, agree that stern action should be taken against those responsible for the blog which insults Prophet Mohammad, many are asking why the authorities have been so tardy and laid-back in acting when complaint was first made many weeks ago." Read more at his post ... Anti-Prophet Mohammad blog - Hamid, Shabery, MCMC should explain why so tardy in taking action

Blame it on Malaysia poor education system and close minded mentality

Another long standing problem with Malaysian is their poor patience in dealing with criticism and provocation, especially when it concerned insulting and ridiculing Islam. This is largely due to Malaysia poor education system.

In addition, if the extremists or our authority for that matter really want to show their power, they should consider closing down the following sites (run by non-Malaysian), if they can.
* Pedestrian Infidel -- Anti-Islam
* The Root of All Evil? - Human better off without God
* The Enemies of Reason - Science rules
* Islam Watch - Telling truth about Islam, or is it

What is faith

"We may define "faith" as the firm belief in something for which there is no evidence. Where there is evidence, no one speaks of "faith." We do not speak of faith that two and two are four or that the earth is round. We only speak of faith when we wish to substitute emotion for evidence." - Bertrand Russell

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

A good advice from Perak Mufti, "Be sensitive to other religions". We just hope that there are more Muslim like him. In addition, it would be great if other fanatic Muslim in Malaysia have equally fair view on other religions. After all, there is only one Earth and like it or not, we all are stuck in one planet and we are neighbors.

From TheStar

Mufti: Respect other faiths
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

PUTRAJAYA: Islam does not teach its followers to look down on other religions and their believers, but respect those of other faiths, says Perak Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Harussani Zakaria.

Dr Harussani, a recipient of this year’s Tokoh Maal Hijrah award, said:

“We do not condemn Jesus because he, too, is a prophet in Islam. Neither do we destroy the many temples and places of worship because our religion refrains us from doing so.”

He said religious and racial tolerance has been Malaysia’s strength and unique quality for the past 50 years, adding that if the country wanted to prosper, such a trait must be maintained.

“The rest of the world has always looked at Malaysia as an example where this is concerned,” he said when asked to comment on the existence of a blog that insulted Prophet Muhammad.

He said the racial and religious harmony enjoyed by Malaysians would end if irresponsible parties stopped being sensitive towards other people’s beliefs.

Dr Harussani, 69, said such actions would spark religious tensions as no one would tolerate it if their religion was to be condemned.

“This kind of behaviour is rude and uncalled for. I liken it to someone greeting another kindly but getting slapped or shouted at in return. Sooner or later, the person who greets will stop greeting and will retaliate,” he said yesterday.

Dr Harussani has often been criticised for being too frank, but he continued to speak what he felt was right.

“Sometimes, the truth hurts and can be rather bitter to stomach. But I cannot say otherwise because what is hak (right) is hak and what is wrong is wrong.

“I will continue to point out the wrong because it is my duty to do so, not only as a mufti but also as a Muslim,” he said.

For winning the Tokoh Maal Hijrah award, which is presented annually in conjunction with the Maal Hijrah celebration, he received RM100,000 from the Federal Government, RM20,000 from the Ubaidi Foundation, and a plaque and a gold medal from the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah of Kedah.

Dr Harussani said the honour would encourage him to work harder, especially in getting those of other beliefs to understand Islam better.

“I am grateful and the recognition has humbled me. It has also given me new strength to continue with what I do because there are times when one feels that one is unappreciated,” he added.

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

We would like to wish all our Christian readers,supporters,allies and friends a wonderful time this Christmas.

To non-Christian, happy holiday.

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

The current debacle whether Mathematics and Science subjects for Primary School should be continue to be taught in English or reverted to Bahasa Malaysia is stemmed from teachers who refused to improve their own English language skill.

Utusan Malaysia is quick to point out that the lack of preparation, including having teachers who are not proficient in English, has foiled the Government’s plan to train students who are good in Mathematics and Science.

Ask teachers who are comfortably teaching Maths and Science in English and they will tell you that the students can take it. The main problem is the teachers who are assigned the task is not proficient in English. Most of those teachers are Malay who refused to take the initiative to improve their English.

If the teacher is not capable of understanding English, how do we expect the Government plan to succeed. The government has spend billion of Ringgit on behalf of the Ministry of Education to purchase IT equipments, preparing English courses and materials but those egoistic Malay teachers refused to attend those courses. They still want to teach in Bahasa Malaysia instead of progressing to teach in a second language. All the government spending going the drain yet no result was achieved.

From TheStar

No decision yet on Math and Science in English policy
By LEANNE GOH and KAREN CHAPMAN

PUTRAJAYA: The wrangle over the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English continued with seven proposals put before the final roundtable meeting yesterday.

The proposals are:

> Stick to Mathematics and Science in English;

> Revert to Bahasa Malaysia;

> Let primary schools teach both subjects in the mother tongue and secondary schools use English;

> Let primary schools decide for themselves;

> Mathematics and Science be taught in Bahasa Malaysia and mother tongue for Years One to Three and in English from Year Four onwards;

> A combination of mother tongue in the first three years and a choice of mother tongue or English after that; and

> The two subjects will not be taught in Years One to Three and instead be integrated into other subjects.

These proposals were summarised from four roundtables organised by the Education Ministry since July to gather feedback from a spectrum of stakeholders.

However, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, who chaired the fifth and final discussion yesterday, cautioned that the purpose of the dialogues was to gather feedback from all parties.

No decision on the issue would be made at this juncture.

“We will put together a report for Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, who will then study it and submit the ministry’s findings to the Cabinet for a decision,” he told a press conference.

What was disclosed for the first time and of great interest to the 180 participants present was the analysis of the recent Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR), based on the performance of the first cohort of Year Six pupils who have gone through six years of learning Maths and Science in English.

“Overall, the trend has been positive. Pupils have actually done marginally better in many instances. More pupils in both urban and rural schools scored A, B and Cs in the two subjects.

“Even their performance in the English language has shown a rather big improvement of 4.4%, while the performance in Bahasa remained stable,” said director-general of education Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom, who presented the analysis.

Another encouraging sign was that the number of pupils opting to answer the two subjects in English had increased significantly, reflecting greater confidence in using the language.

In Tamil vernacular schools (SJKT), 62.76% of pupils answered in English for Science and 89.11% for Maths.

It was a totally different scenario in Chinese national-type schools (SJKC), though. Only 2.86% answered in English for Science and 1.29% for Maths.

----------------------------------------
From TheStar

Split right down the middle over language

PUTRAJAYA: There are as many advocates as there are detractors to the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said participants were free to speak their mind.

“This is why we are here ... we are listening to the views of all stakeholders,” he said after chairing the ministry’s fifth roundtable discussion on the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English.

Senator Lee Chee Keong from MCA said the party wanted Science and Mathematics to be taught in the mother tongue in primary schools.

“The statistics show that very few students in Chinese primary schools are answering in English. In fact only 2.86% answered in English for Science and 1.29% for Maths,” he said.

He said this showed students were either not able to understand or unable to answer in English. At the same time, Lee said there should be more English periods in schools in order to ensure students were not left behind.

“Students should be able to study the two subjects in English at secondary-school level,” he said.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk S.K. Devamany said the MIC did not have an official stand on the issue yet.

“We want to get stakeholders to put forward their views before we make a stand,” he said during a break at the ministry’s fifth roundtable discussion.

He said the MIC education bureau had met Tamil school headmasters and those from the teaching fraternity, adding that the feedback received was mixed.

Devamany, who is an MIC central working committee member, said the party planned to meet with parents next.

“Parents have the right to decide what they want for their children,” he said.

Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) chairman Noor Azimah Abd Rahim said it represented parents in both urban and rural areas who wanted the subjects to continue being taught in English.

“As parents, we feel that the students’ English will improve if the policy is able to continue. It will also give students a competitive edge,” she said.

Dong Zong (United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia) chief administrative officer Kuang Hee Pang said the ministry must be clear on whether it was English or Science and Mathematics which was important.

“Students should be able to use the mother tongue to study the two subjects,” he said.

----------------------------------------
From TheStar

Poor preparation marred teaching of subjects in English
Other News & Views
Compiled by TAN SIN CHOW, NG CHENG YEE AND A. RAMAN

THE lack of preparation, including having teachers who are not proficient in English, has foiled the Government’s plan to train students who are good in Mathematics and Science, said Utusan Malaysia.

In its editorial, the daily said the problem had also resulted in students who were “lucky” enough to benefit from the teaching of the two subjects in English.

“The main objective of implementing this policy is to train students who are talented in the two subjects while improving their English.

“However, we do not want the policy to only include students from urban areas while those in the rural areas, especially Sabah and Sarawak, do not benefit from it,” it said.

The daily said the round-table discussion, which was held yesterday, must provide substantial evidence to show that the policy was able to improve the students’ competency in the two subjects.

It said that if relevant parties believed that it was still not the right time to implement the policy, they would have to clearly explain the reasons.

“The decision on whether to continue implementing the policy should not be taken lightly as it will affect the future of the education industry.

“A small mistake can affect the life of the rakyat, especially those who are marginalised and deprived of various facilities,” it said.

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

Come January 2009, and more factories workers and executives will be out of jobs. Expect also more phrases of "closure", "layoff", "winding down", "retrenching", "retrenchment", "downsizing", "shutdown", "tutup kilang", "kilang likup" to monopoly the newspaper frontpage in the coming weeks.

Employee layoffs have been long planned by major factories in Malaysia, probably as early as January 2008. Of course the Government as well as the factories owners vehemently denied those rumors, until now.

But make no mistake, all employees who worked at factories will be fearful of sudden termination and layoffs as early as January 2009. And what has our Government did to counter this critical issue?

The latest causalities are such as:
* Western Digital (KOMAG) factory in Kuching

From TheStar

Factories warn of layoffs

PUTRAJAYA: Several companies have indicated to the Government they will be retrenching workers in January and February.

Human Resources Ministry secretary-general Datuk Thomas George said all were in the manufacturing sector, which was extremely dependent on exports and overseas demand.

“Our labour officers have been told to focus their monitoring on areas in Penang, Selangor and Johor, where the manufacturing sector is the strongest.

“We have also been told to expect a significant increase in lay-offs in the six months ahead,” he told reporters at a briefing on Malaysia’s employment outlook on Wednesday.

However, Thomas stressed that the current situation was still healthy compared to 1998, at the height of the Asian financial crisis when there were 80,000 lay-offs.

“Normally it is around 30,000 or less. And we still have over 77,000 active vacancies registered with JobsMalaysia,” he said.

To an accusation by trade unions that reports of retrenchment and a possible slowdown had been exaggerated and exploited by unscrupulous employers, Thomas said: “This is real and we are not overdoing it. We are not shielded from it.”

He said the ministry would implement a “train and place” programme for those retrenched without compensation or benefits.

“While undergoing training, these workers will also be paid an allowance to help them tide over the crisis.”

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

Unofficial news has been circulating that Western Digital (formerly KOMAG Kuching) factory in Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone in Kuching is winding down. Closing down. Close shop. Tutup kedai. Gulung tikar.

The winding down process will takes about 3 months from now and by late March 2009, expect their gates and facilities to be in total state of shutdown.

The winding down of Western Digital factory in Kuching will resulted in another 1,000 jobless people.

UPDATES:
* Jan 25, 2009: Hitachi - Western Digital deal off

In March 2008, Western Digital (WD) said that it will cut about 800 employees from its global workforce of 42,500. The reduction is said to be primarily a result of a restructuring following the acquisition of disk maker Komag. 770 people in Malaysia and "approximately" 30 in the San Jose, California, will lose their jobs, WD stated. This news is now turning into a nightmare for the 1,000 employees in WD Kuching.

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

PPP is still with the Barisan Nasional coalition, for now. However, PPP reiterates its call for Internal Security Act (ISA) amendment before the next general election. Otherwise it would have “no reason to remain” in Barisan Nasional.

The above was the decision reached during their emergency supreme council meeting today which suppose to decide if PPP will pullout from BN coalition. Apparently, their decision is a "safer" approach with wait-and-see factor.

From The Star

PPP reiterates its call for ISA amendment

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB

KUALA LUMPUR: The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has reiterated its call for the government to amend the Internal Security Act (ISA) before the next general election. Otherwise it would have “no reason to remain” in Barisan Nasional.

PPP supreme council which held an emergency meeting on Thursday voiced its full support for party president Datuk M. Kayveas.

The deputy president Datuk Lee Heng who chaired the meeting said Kayveas had urged the government to amend the ISA following calls from the party’s Wanita and Youth wings recently to abolish the act altogether.

“The president’s response to that was to meet half way that is to ask for an amendment. If there is not even an amendment, then PPP would have no reason to remain in Barisan,” he said at a press conference.

Kayveas was not present at the emergency meeting as he was overseas.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he had no plans to amend the ISA and that PPP was free to leave Barisan if it wanted to.

Earlier, Kayveas had called on the government to amend the ISA or PPP would pull out of Barisan.

Lee Heng said PPP’s stance was very clear that the government should amend the ISA to prevent it from being used against civilians who posed no security threat.

“This is line with the desires and sentiments of the rakyat. We feel there is no point in us staying in Barisan if the ISA is not amended before the next general elections,” he said.

He said there was still a lot of time before the next general election and thus PPP would only cross the bridge when it comes to it.

“We will not give up. There is still time. We have already seen some changes (in the government),” he said citing the upcoming Barisan Nasional convention in February and the Anti-Corruption Commission Bill and the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday as examples of some of the changes the government was making.

Lee Heng said Abdullah never asked PPP to leave Barisan, adding that the Prime Minister’s comment that PPP was free to leave the coalition was merely in response to questions from the media.

PPP also announced Thursday that it had sacked former president S.I. Rajah from the party for calling on Kayveas to step down as president.

The disciplinary board chairman Datuk Maglin D’ Cruz said Rajah could not appeal against the decision.

He said he had initially thought that Rajah was no longer a PPP member but upon checking found that the former president had rejoined the party in March 2007.

“For him to approach the Prime Minister and say that PPP is not leaving Barisan and for him to ask the party president to step down is a serious matter,” he added.

Maglin said the decision to sack Rajah was unanimously endorsed by the supreme council.

On Wednesday, Rajah, claiming to be an adviser to the party said he had met the Barisan chairman and secretary-general at Parliament and gave them the assurance that PPP would not pull out of the coalition.

He called on Kayveas to step down instead of issuing an ultimatum to Barisan to amend the ISA.

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed