Will Kampung Buah Pala be demolished today ?

As at 1st August 2009, Developer has not demolished huses at Kampung Buah Pala......

Will they do it on 2nd August 2009?

More photos courtesy of Kwong Wah taken on 1st August 2009........

Drawing property investors with police reforms?

Although Malaysia property is still much laggard compare with Hong Kong and Singapore, I really do not see much upside unless true reform carried out by the government....

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — Malaysia aims to sell RM20 billion in domestic real estate to foreigners over the next decade, three times more than the current average of RM600 million or 2 per cent of the RM30 billion annually transacted in the residential market.

It hopes a newly incorporated public-private initiative Malaysia Property Inc (MPI) can successfully brand the country as 'as an international property investment destination.'

Indeed, selling an average RM2 billion a year to foreign buyers ought not to be too onerous given that the local currency is increasingly buying less against major foreign currencies. MPI has also commended recent moves to liberalise the property sector, which makes it easier for foreigners to purchase commercial real estate.

Those who invest cite many reasons for doing so: the warm and mild climate, centrally located geographically, wide English-speaking population, general political stability, excellent food, and reasonably good quality build.

But although Malaysian properties sell at only a fraction of those in the region — especially Singapore and Hong Kong against which they are commonly compared — the MPI acknowledges crime and poor public transport are major turn-offs to investors, one widespread, the other sorely lacking.

Because it is more insidious, crime is the more immediate problem. According to news reports, the total reported cases of crime last year was 211,648 or a 35.5 per cent increase over 2004's of 156,648.

Crime had begun to rear its ugly head in the late 1990s — in 1997 total crimes reported was 121,176 cases — but because fighting crime was never a priority, it has emboldened criminals and made it necessary to be vigilant, even at airports, restaurants, and hotels, given the many syndicates preying on the unwary.

Whether the country has become known for the “easy pickings” there have been reports of syndicates flying in for a week or two to loot before flying out again.

The proliferation of “gated” communities — questionably illegal because residents have decided to close entry points to public roads with drums and bars — reflects the insecurity. In the extreme, some consider themselves prisoners in their own homes.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last week set the Home Ministry the target of reducing crime by a fifth by the end of next year as part of its key performance index.

Only in recent times has he conceded crime to be a major problem. Many found his comments last year that crime in the country was actually lower than in Japan and Hong Kong and that it was only public “perception” that it was on the rise, incredulous and out of touch.

To upgrade the police force, the government has provided RM8 billion under the current five-year Malaysia plan to 2010, triple the amount in the previous plan. The whopping increase, notwithstanding, 97 per cent of 6,678 respondents in a recent poll by the Home Ministry said they do not fee safe because of the high crime rate.

The National House Buyers Association has projected communities will be increasingly gated and guarded until residents feel more secure.

Or as a concerned citizen observed in a letter to the editor of a local newspaper: “The ever increasing number of gated residential communities points clearly to two conclusions: the public do not feel safe from crime, and the public has given up on the police for protection.”

The government ought to seriously consider instituting the police reforms suggested by the royal commission set up in 2005 as this would not only help restore public trust in the police but also inspire confidence that Malaysia is serious about tackling crime.

That would arguably be a more effective selling aid than planned international road-shows. — Business Times Singapore

We just do not understand.................

How good if our ever efficient police force use their 100% effort to combat crime...instead this is what they good at ....This is just a peaceful demonstration with harmless citizens trying to hand over memorandum to DYMM.......

a sensible rakyat will not be able to understand why they have to be treated like this............

More photos on Anti ISA Rally 1st August 2009

Picture courtesy of The Malaysian Insider,Malaysiakini,Kwongwah

May I ask you, Mr Khir ... ?

AUG 1 – There are two notable figures today in Malaysian politics – one young and one old – who love to juggle with the issues and repeatedly stun the nation with their incendiary remarks.

Even if I don’t go any further, you know them, right?

Exactly, the senior one is our most revered former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. As for the younger chap; he is nowhere near Dr Mahathir in stature, just a dentist who has acquired a multi-million ringgit mansion by pulling out teeth.

Although Dr Mahathir does not seem to like Datuk Seri Mohd Khir Toyo, the former Selangor menteri besar’s gossipy style is beginning to look increasingly Mahathir-like, and perhaps much more annoying.

Pardon me for putting things so crudely: to get these two big guns to shut their mouths is next to impossible!

Although these two left office in different styles – one departing of his own accord, the other tossed out by the voters – they nevertheless have something in common: they both have a strong lingering passion for their glorious past.

They even share an identical fate: directly or indirectly implicated in scandals after relinquishing their official duties.

The judicial scandal that has shocked the nation has invariably dented Tun Mahathir’s reputation, eroding his seemingly formidable status in the nation’s history.

Khir is similarly entwined in scandals involving the former state administration. A good deal of old sores have been dug out, and to top if off, a multi-million mansion that almost puts his glamour on par with that of the former prime minister.

Talking about strength and prowess, Khir is barely comparable to Dr M, who is that kind of leader who glows with overpowering charms. Khir is but a distant backseater!

But in terms of spewing nonsensical remarks, Khir is by no means inferior. He seems to enjoy his old antics even though each time he opens his mouth, he has invited drones of negative responses and nothing else.

For instance, he openly accused Selangor menteri besar Khalid Ibrahim of absue of power and misappropriation of public funds.

After the Elizabeth Wong incident came to light, he was the first to hop out and urge Eli to resign.

In the more recent incident of Teoh Beng Hock’s tragic death, where MACC was the obvious target of public wrath, Khir was among the very few to back the anti-corruption agency in totality.

Khir opened his mouth again several days ago. This time, he seemed to have developed a special passion for the gang issue. He “disclosed” that a “secret society” was at the back controlling the sand quarry, massage parlour and illegal betting activities in the state, even helping some of the candidates win the elections last March so that they could go on their evil trades.

Corruption, immorality, secret society activities must indeed be weeded out. That said, many people in the street fail to understand why Khir has remained tight-lipped over the threats received by MCA president Ong Tee Keat from “secret society” people.

Why Khir, even when he was still in power, failed to wage full-scale war against the dark forces, yet grew so passionate about an Utusan report on “secret society sponsoring YB”? – mysinchew

It is time to boycott Utusan Malaysia........

Pakatan assemblyman says Utusan must apologise for suggesting Teoh’s guilt

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

PETALING JAYA, July 29 — Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San wants Utusan Malaysia to apologise over an article that appeared to suggest political aide Teoh Beng Hock, whose suspicious death has sparked public outrage, was aware of alleged misappropriation of funds by Selangor executive councillors.

In the article “Selangor Oh Selangor 2: Apa ada dalam notebook Beng Hock” ( Selangor Oh Selangor 2: What was in Beng Hock’s notebook), the unnamed writer speculated that Teoh was nervous when his computer notebook was accessed by the interrogators.

“It was understood that Beng Hock was a bookworm and a soft-spoken young man. He started getting nervous when his notebook was open at around 1am. It was not sure what was in the computer but it caused him to become very agitated. But what was certain was that the contents in the notebook were very important for the investigation,” the newspaper reported.

Lau told reporters that the article was highly speculative and misleading because it suggested that Teoh was guilty of a crime.

“I think they should withdraw the statement and offer an apology to the family of the late Teoh Beng Hock because it has implied that Beng Hock is guilty of something. I think the police should investigate whether the article is true or not. If it is not true then Utusan should take responsibility,” he said.

He also wants the writer of the newspaper lodge a report to help with the investigation into Teoh's death if he has exclusive information which could help the police.

Lau today lodged a police report here and confirmed that more reports against Utusan would be lodged soon in relation to other articles.

“There will be more reports made against Utusan Malaysia, not only on this article but also other articles with racist remarks. I think Utusan has been notorious in this issue and therefore I think it is time for us to continue to press them to be more ethically responsible,” he added.

Teoh, the political aide to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on July 16 outside the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Shah Alam. The 30-year-old was earlier interrogated as part of MACC’s investigation into the alleged misuse of state allocations by Selangor assemblymen.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have accused the MACC of being a political tool of the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno in the ruling coalition's attempt at toppling the Selangor state government.

The Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia and other newspapers controlled by the party have also been accused of publishing stories with a racial slant or which suggest guilt on the part of PR leaders.

Distorters of truth

Let me start with a story:

Once upon a time, there was this scholar hired by a rich man to be his family teacher.

In order to retain his job, the scholar tried all means to please his boss.

One day, an idea suddenly struck the rich man's mind. He wanted to know the progress his child had made in study, so he came to the class and posed a couplet question: "Umbrella."

The child was cracking his head but could not come up with a right answer. Suddenly, he saw a crab crawling at the corner of the room and mutterd, "Crab."

The rich man was stunned. Standing on one side, the scholar bursted out, "Excellent!"

Perplexed, the rich man asked, "How on earth could an umbrella match with a crab?"

The scholar explained, "The umbrella stands upright, and the crab walks sideways. Aren't 'upright' and 'sideways' perfect match?"

The scholar was not really knowledgeable, but he excelled in making up stories and "turning things sideways."

This reminds me of how some of the Malay newspapers have interpreted the tragic death of Teoh Beng Hock in recent days.

The NSTP group managing editor Zainul Ariffin Mohammed Isa lashed out at the criticisms aimed at the MACC in Berita Harian.

He said, "The accusation against MACC by non-Malays is a blatant act of challenging a Malay institution."

As for the criticisms against MACC by Selangor menteri besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, he questioned, "Why as a Malay should Khalid question the capability of people his own race?"

Oh Lord! The death of a young man could be twisted this way into a racial thing! And a national organ could be depicted as an institution of one specific ethnic group!

I'm really puzzled how someone with this kind of brain and conscience could be offered such an important post.

Utusan Malaysia is not to be outdone as well. The newspaper objected to the forming of a royal commission to probe Teoh's death, saying it was unnecessary.

It cited an example. There was a Malay undergraduate falling to his death from the hostel, and no one said anything. But Teoh's incident has incited such widespread protest among the public simply because he was not a Malay.

Oh my God! How could anyone compare a student falling from the hostel with a young man under investigation falling from the building housing the MACC office?

Utusan senior editor Zaini Hassan (the same guy who accused Teresa Kok of banning the use of speakers at mosques, resulting in the latter's detention under ISA), meanwhile, said when Beng Hock was under investigation, and his notebook was being switched on, he appeared to be "grossly uneasy."

Good Heavens! Even such details could be observed by Encik Zaini. Was he standing by Beng Hock's side when the MACC people stormed in? Such an important clue and witness must be summoned by the police to facilitate the investigation!

Otherwise, he could be the person "making wild guesses whom the police will deal with under the appropriate law," as in the words of IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

Of course, Zaini's motive has been to smear the reputation of Teoh Beng Hock.

But then why should anyone make such malicious accusations against a dead person unable to open his mouth and defend?

Perhaps, that is the mentality of the scholar in the story, but ten thousand times more destructive! (By TAY TIAM YAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)

'You stupid China man'

KUALA LUMPUR - Victims of torture by a government commission revealed the “mental and physical” pressure that they underwent following the death of an opposition member last week allegedly in the hands of the same group.

Tan Boon Hwa was forced to stand for four hours by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission that threatened to assault him repeatedly, according to Malaysian opposition members, which appeared in a report by Din Mericin, a Malaysian-based independent news correspondent.

"They kept calling me stupid China man. They said that if I don't 'tell the truth', they will take away my wife and there would be no one to care for the children. But I did not give in," Tan said.

Ramon Navaratham, an adviser to the MACC, grudgingly admitted that "no normal person can withstand the mental and physical pressure" of the MACC interrogation tactics and called for a review of the agency procedures. "Teoh's death is tragic and unnecessary," he said.

Navaratham referred to Teoh Beng Hock, 30, who was found dead on Thursday at the balcony of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission building in Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor state controlled by the People's Alliance coalition of Anwar's Justice Party, the Democratic Action Party and the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party.

Well-placed sources and officials close to the MACC said Teoh was "manhandled and threatened" by investigators during a 10-hour interrogation as part of a political conspiracy to bring down opposition leaders, led by Anwar Ibrahim, and to implicate them for alleged misuse of funds.

"When he refused to do so, the officers dragged him to a window on the 14-story building and threatened to throw him out," the said the source who was not authorized to speak to media.

Teoh was to get married on the day his body was found. His fiancée is expecting their first baby and has vowed to raise the child as a symbol of her love for Teoh.

MACC officers claim that Teoh was not a suspect in any crime. But officers declined to answer why he was interrogated beginning late evening until the early hours of next day and that his lawyers were not allowed to be present.

The government pledged a thorough investigation on Teoh's death but few were willing to believe in that assurance. "They are all the same, the police can investigate but how many suspects have died in police lockups and nothing has been done. It will be no different this time," said Kesavan Munusamy, a 32-year old businessman.

Liew Chin Tong, an MP from DAP, said Teoh's death has revealed "the most sinister elements of the National Front government."

"In its attempt to implicate elected members of the opposition for corruption which would later pave the way for a coup d’ etat, the MACC has started killing our young."

“It is now our obligation to see that Malaysia is freed from the National Front misrule and justice is restored in our beloved nation,” he said. (The Inquirer, Manila)

Malaysia MACC ..........memalukan......

MACC you owe rakyat an answer.......memang memalukan

MACC — old whine in new bottle — The Malaysian Insider

JULY 16 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was supposed to be better than the disgraced Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) when it took over at the start of the year.

After all, months before that former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said, “It is my fervent hope that by restructuring the ACA, its effectiveness, transparency and accountability will be considerably raised while public trust in its integrity and independence be quickly renewed.”

Today, we can call that statement and the MACC, "old whine in new bottle" as we did seven weeks after it was created when The Malaysian Insider declared MACC dead on arrival.

Because today, we can't find a reason to change our view. And we doubt many Malaysians can too.

For the biggest corruption allegation in the last few weeks is the palatial mansion of former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Khir Toyo. Some call it Kraton Toyo, in reference to his Javanese roots, but the Balinese design bungalow would be termed a pura in the Isle of Gods — and in Bahasa Malaysia, double the pura would mean to pretend (pura-pura).

And that would be true of the MACC. They are pretending they haven't heard about it.

Their absolute silence on the matter is deafening. And the silence from Khir's party leaders such as prime minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak is equally deafening.

Only the man who promoted Khir to lead a state, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has raised issues with the bungalow, saying it does appear to cost more than Khir's modest RM3.5 million claim.

Of course, the MACC has also been silent on other allegations.

For example, its investigations into corruption, or money politics in Umno parlance, within Umno Youth. Victorious Khairy Jamaluddin's supporters were called in after the party elections but precious little has been heard since then.

Khir too has been smeared with such talk but he remains free to enjoy his mansion.

Yet, the MACC has been quick to investigate Umno's rivals.

It had earlier swooped on current Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim over claims of impropriety in using his private car and donating cows — earning the agency early in its life the moniker Malaysian Agency for Cars and Cows.

Truly, not much respect has been given to one of the most important agencies in the country.

But it has yet to earn it. This week, it went for several Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state lawmakers in Selangor ostensibly on a complaint of misappropriation of allocations for their constituents.

Yet, as the PR politicians themselves claim, MACC has not gone to probe lawmakers from Barisan Nasional who hastily spent all their allocations in a two-week period before the historic Election 2008 that toppled Barisan from Selangor.

So it still comes back to perception that there is one rule for the untouchables of Umno and another for the rest of the country.

That too is old whine in new bottle.

The latest....

Ean Yong’s political secretary dead at MACC HQ

UPDATED

Teoh (right) with Ean Yong and an MACC officer at the executive councillor's office yesterday.

By Neville Spykerman

SHAH ALAM, July 16 — Teoh Beng Hock, the political secretary of Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, who was taken in for questioning by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday, was found dead at the MACC headquarters today.

It is unclear if Teoh, a 30-year-old former journalist with Chinese daily Sin Chew Jit Poh, fell or jumped from Plaza Masalam, where the MACC has offices on the 14th floor. His body was found on the roof of the five-storey building next door.

Ean Yong and several other DAP lawmakers are at the scene now, including M. Manoharan, Gan Pei Nee and Teresa Kok.

DAP's Ronnie Liu said the police has confirmed that the body is that of Teoh. He added that he does not understand how this could have happened.

At a press conference, the MACC director of investigations Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdul said Teoh was questioned from 5pm yesterday to 3.45am and was released soon after.

However, Teoh said he was tired and so he rested on a settee in the lobby. He was seen sleeping on the settee at 6am.

At about 1.30pm, Shukri said, they heard that a body had been found on the 5th floor of the adjacent building and when one of the MACC officers went to investigate, he realised it was one of their witnesses.

Shukri said Teoh was not a suspect but was questioned as part of their investigations into the misuse of state allocations.

Forensic investigators examine the body of Teoh Boon Hock for clues. Teoh was found dead next to the MACC’s office today, after being taken in for questioning yesterday.

Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said the deceased was found lying in a pool of blood clad in a white shirt, black pants and jacket. Police are trying to contact Teoh’s family members to help identify the body.

In an immediate reaction, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang expressed shock and asked in his twitter account, “Is there now the first case of death in custody, not police but MACC? If so, heads must roll!”

The DAP leader is in Penang and said he was waiting for a full report about the tragedy.

“What has this country come to?” he asked.

Teoh was taken in for questioning yesterday after MACC officers raided Ean Yong’s office in the State Secretariat as they were investigating complaints about the failure of state allocations to reach the people.

Selangor State Assembly Speaker Teng Chang Khim weighed in by saying the MACC is responsible for the incident.

The Great Malaysian brain drain

By Koon Yew Yin

JULY 11 – There is a boy I know who scored 10 A1s. His mother is a primary school teacher and Andrew has two younger brothers. His father, a civil servant, had already passed on by the time the son sat SPM in 2006.

Armed with his excellent result, Andrew applied for a scholarship to study mechanical engineering. The government rejected his application. Petronas rejected his application too. Can you imagine how disappointed and frustrated he was?

As soon as I learned of Andrew’s difficulty, I offered him financial assistance to do accountancy in Utar. He has been scoring top marks in every exam to earn a scholarship from the university. Although Andrew is now exempted from paying fees, I still bank him RM400 a month to cover cost of living.

I have given assistance and allowances to more than 40 poor students to study in Utar in Kampar, Perak. Andrew is typical of their calibre; he prefers to get what is his due on merit, and his university has seen fit to waive his fees.

On my part, I expect nothing from those that I’ve supported except for them in future to help young people in similar circumstances, and to hope that they will all stay back in Malaysia so that they can lend their talents to building up our nation.

There are others with deeper pockets who have extended a helping hand to our youngsters. One of them offers the cost of school and exam fees, hostel accommodation, RM5,800 a year for expenses, RM1,200 settling-in allowance, and transport/air ticket. Furthermore, the recipient is not bonded. In other words, the giver asks for nothing back.

I’m talking about the pre-university Asean scholarship extended to Malaysians by ‘the little red dot’ Singapore.

Of course, Singapore is not doing it for purely altruistic reasons. The country is giving these much coveted Asean scholarships to build up her national bank of talent.

Some Malaysians accuse them of ‘poaching’ the creme de la creme of our youngsters. I don’t look at it as poaching. Their far-sighted government is doing it in their national interest.

And why not? Singapore can afford it. It has three times our GDP per capita. On another comparative note, the GDP per capita of Taiwan and South Korea are 2.5 times and double ours respectively. Before the NEP’s introduction in 1970, the four countries were at parity.

The big question is why are we surrendering our assets which Malaysian parents have nurtured but the state neglected?

Tens of thousands of young Malaysians have left our shores on the Asean scholarship. I am not sure if Singapore is willing to give out the figure.

But I am pretty sure the Malaysian authorities do not give two hoots about this, whatever number they may have arrived at. If they do, there seems to be no policy change to stem the outflow.

Malaysia is optimistically indifferent to the continuous brain drain, little caring that it is detrimental to our aspiration of becoming a developed country (I hate to say this) like Singapore.

Behaving like a failed state

Consider this startling statistic: There are more Sierra Leonean doctors working in hospitals in the city of Chicago than in their own homeland. More Malawian nurses in Manchester than in Malawi. Africa’s most significant export to Europe and the United States is trained professionals, not petroleum, gold and diamond.

The educated African migration is definitely retarding the progress of every country in Africa. Today, one in three African university graduates, and 50,000 doctoral holders now live and work outside Africa. Sixty-four per cent of Nigerians in the USA has one or more university degrees.

If we carry out a study, we are likely to find a very large number of non-Malay graduates emigrating to Singapore, Australia and other countries that is proportionately similar to the African exodus.

However the compulsion is different, seeing as how some African countries are war-torn and famished, which is certainly not the case with Malaysia.

The push factors for our own brain drain lie in NEP policy and this needs to be addressed with urgency.

State Ideology: Be grateful you’re Malaysian

Try putting yourself in the shoes of an 18-year-old. This young Malaysian born in 1991 is told that Umno was very generous in granting citizenship to his non-Malay forefathers in 1957. Thus as a descendant of an immigrant community – one should be forever grateful and respect the “social contract”.

Gratitude is demanded by the state while little is reciprocated. Under the NEP – and some say this policy represents the de facto social contract – every single Vice Chancellor of every single Malaysian public university is Malay.

Promotion prospects for non-Malay lecturers to full professorship or head of department are very dim, hence we have the dichotomy of non-Malays predominant in private colleges while correspondingly, the academic staff of public institutions proliferate with Malays.

The civil service is staffed predominantly by Malays, too, and overwhelmingly in the top echelons. The government-linked corporations have been turned into a single race monopoly.

Hence is it any surprise that almost all the scholarships offered by government and GLCs seem to be reserved for Malays?

Youngsters from the minority communities see that Malays are the chosen ones regardless of their scholastic achievement and financial position. Some are offered to do a Master although they did not even apply (but the quota is there to be filled, so these disinterested Malays are approached).

Our lesson today is ...

How the government apparatus conducts itself and the consequences of its policy implementation will upset an individual’s innate sense of justice.

The government pays about RM1.8 billion in annual salaries to teachers. A child is taught moral studies in class but he learns in life that adults condone and conspire to immorality by perpetuating the unfairness and injustice which impacts on Malaysia’s young.

On the other hand, the favoured group is given more than their just desserts without either merit or need. When one is bred to think that privilege is only his rightful entitlement, we would not expect this young person to pay back to society in return.

Our Malaysian education system has been flip-flopped, pushed and pulled this way and that until standards dropped to alarming levels. The passing mark for subjects in public exams have fallen notoriously low while the increasing number of distinctions have risen fatuously high with SPM students notching 14As, 17As and 21As.

With top scorers aplenty, there will not be enough scholarships to go around now that the Education Ministry has decided to put a cap on the SPM, limiting takers to 10 subjects.

The human factor

It’s unrealistic that the education system can be effectively overhauled. Even tweaking one aspect of it, such as the language switch for Math and English, created havoc.

It’s not that our educational framework is so bad as, after all, a lot of study and planning did go into it.

It’s only when the politicians dictate from on high and overrule the better judgment of the educationists – Dr Mahathir Mohamad being case in point – that we slide deeper into the doldrums.

The politicisation of education and the hijacking of the country’s educational agenda has clearly cost us heavily in terms of policy flip-flops and plummeting standards, and the loss of a good part of our young and talented human resources.

Matters become worse when Little Napoleons too take it upon themselves to interfere with teachers. For instance, the serial number assigned candidates when they sit public exams. Why is a student’s race encoded in the number? What does his ethnicity have to do with his answer script?

There is further suspicion that the stacks of SPM papers are not distributed to examiners entirely at random (meaning ideally examiners should be blind to which exam centres the scripts they’re marking have originated from).

A longstanding complaint from lecturers is that they are pressured to pass undergrads who are not up to the mark, and having to put up with mediocre ones who believe they are ‘A’ material after being spoilt in mono-racial schools.

Letting teachers do their job properly and allowing them to grade their students honestly would arrest the steep erosion of standards.

And, unless we are willing to be honest brokers in seeking a compromise and adjustment, the renewed demonising of vernacular schools is merely mischievous.

Either accept their existence or integrate the various types of schools.

But are UiTM and its many branch campuses throughout the length and breadth of the country, Mara Junior Science Colleges and the residential schools willing to open their doors to all on the basis of meritocracy if Chinese, Tamil, and not forgetting religious schools, were abolished? Not open to a token few non-Bumiputera but genuinely open up and with the admission numbers posted in a transparent manner.

Finally, there are teachers genuinely passionate about their profession. There are promising teachers fresh out of training college who are creative and capable of inspiring their students. It’s not only Form 5 students who have been demoralised. Teachers are human capital that we seem to have overlooked in the present controversy.

Conclusion: Ensuring fairness for the future well-being of our young

A segment of Johoreans cross the Causeway daily to attend school in Singapore. Many continue their tertiary education in Singapore which has among the top universities in the world. Eventually, they work in Singapore and benefit Singapore.

Ask around among your friends and see who hasn’t got a child or a sibling who is now living abroad as a permanent resident. I can’t really blame them for packing up and packing it in, can you?

It’s simply critical at this juncture that we don’t let our kids lose hope and throw in the towel.

The system might be slow to reform but mindsets at least can be changed easier.

It starts with the teachers, the educationists and the people running the education departments and implementing the policies.

Please help Malaysian youngsters realise their full potential. Just try a little fairness first. – cpiasia.net

KL, Penang property markets looking good

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — Always a favourite, landed real estate is receiving more interest in the current property lull. According to property agents, there has been a slight pick-up in the past two months, mainly in primary sales and landed properties located in popular suburbs.

Zerin Properties' chief executive Previn Singhe described April and May as “surprising months with very strong interest in landed properties”, centred mainly in the Klang Valley as prospective purchasers act on the premise that prices are unlikely to slip because of the limited supply.

In some places, demand continues to outstrip supply, he said, citing Bangsar, Bukit Damansara, Damansara Heights, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Seputeh, Taman Desa and Jalan Ipoh where prices — which had held steady — have started to inch up as investors turn to property as a hedge against inflation.

“If you want to buy for owner occupation, any time is a good time. If it's for investment, you need to be looking now,” advised CH Williams Talhar & Wong managing director Goh Tian Sui.

Singhe lists those on the property hunt: the first timers attracted by low interest rates; investors in the 30-55 age group who are acquiring for their children; professional investors looking at Kuala Lumpur landed real estate for capital appreciation or condominiums for rental yields; and non-resident Malaysians.

There are also foreigners who have started to look at condos in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre and Mont Kiara areas since the price of some units have dropped by 20 per cent. Location-wise, Penang is another hot-spot, popular with Penangites and other northerners, as well as KL-ites looking to retire there.

“There are more opportunities in the secondary market because the primary market development costs have gone up.”

Across the South China Sea, Kota Kinabalu real estate has received a boost from the oil and gas boom, as well as tourism which has led to numerous Koreans and Europeans succumbing to its charms, Singhe said.

In the south of the peninsula, Johor's Iskandar Malaysia remains a major point of interest. Central to Iskandar is the Nusajaya area with its strategic location across the Straits of Johor. Nusajaya's jewel is the 687-acre Puteri Harbour with its planned integrated waterfront and marina development.

The precinct is to be gradually developed and because of its geography, has attracted the attention of a number of foreign builders which are keen to be involved. One of them is Limitless Holdings, a unit of Dubai World, which plans to jointly develop luxury residences with Nusajaya's master developer, UEM Land.

Another planned joint venture between UEM Land and the Middle East's Damac Properties was scrapped recently after Damac — which was to buy 43.5 acres in the enclave for nearly RM400 million — did not fulfil conditions for the sale to proceed.

Still, most believe Puteri Harbour's location, quality of build, management, and security will prove a big attraction to investors — especially foreign ones — just as they have in places slightly further afield such as Leisure Farm, Horizon Hills and Ledang East in Nusajaya.

Singhe is of the view that the better quality products in Iskandar have allowed Johoreans to “upgrade”. Indeed, many property consultants believe branded developments or designer buildings are what discerning investors increasingly desire and could make a difference in a project's “sell-ability”.

KGV-Lambert (M) executive director Samuel Tan agrees that the higher-end developments in Iskandar have drawn the most interest in Johor. The rest of the market has been softer.

“People think that Nusajaya is Iskandar Malaysia,” he observed wryly, pointing out that it is only a fraction of the special economic zone which is three times the size of Singapore. He highlighted new developments in brownfield areas as well as mature ones in the Tebrau Corridor, Skudai and Pasir Gudang which have been under-promoted but which might be worth a second look. “There are more opportunities in the secondary market because the primary market development costs have gone up.”

For those considering the lower- to mid-range of the market, bad debts have created a “sub-market” of auctioned properties in Johor, he revealed, with auctions held weekly. Each auction offers 20-50 properties and they go for about 30 per cent less than their market value.

Despite the global financial crisis, Iskandar investors remain committed, the biggest to date being Middle Eastern firms which plan to develop the area called Medini, located near the Second Link.

Still, property developers caution that the pace of construction could be slowed. On the bright side, the state government has already moved into the new administrative buildings in Kota Iskandar, and overall infrastructure works are continuing.

Singhe believes the 2003-04 pattern of funds sniffing for deals which resulted in a property boom in 2006-07 is being repeated now based on the number of funds that are making inquiries. Accordingly, he expects a property upswing to materialise in 2011-12.

The Quill Group of Companies, which designs and constructs purpose-built offices, confirms growing interest in Malaysia. Its property director, Ng Chee Kheong, said that multinationals were showing keen interest in the area of shared services, particularly in the Klang Valley and Penang.

Of late, Malaysia has started to speed up its liberalisation of many sectors of the economy to attract more investments. Should it succeed, the expatriate market ought to increase which would in turn stimulate demand for rented properties and help arrest some of the decline in yields.

Because of the downturn, a number of developments had been put on hold, including one by Singapore's Kwek Leng Beng who was to have launched a 42-storey luxury condominium last year in the Kuala Lumpur golden triangle.

A prospective buyer expressed disappointment at the delay as he had been looking forward to purchasing a unit in the Carlos Ott-designed building which is to be constructed next to the tycoon's Millennium Hotel.

Kuala Lumpur high-end condo prices have dipped to an average of RM1,000 per sq ft although the more prestigious ones still command a premium. Because of the weak ringgit, prices remain very affordable, especially for foreigners.

Ferrari team's ex-boss Jean Todt, who is engaged to well-known actress Michelle Yeoh, recently revealed he had acquired a unit in OneKL, which sits opposite the iconic Petronas Twin Towers. — Business Times Singapore