Must everything have a candle light vigil?

The death of a political aide, some politicians calling for a Royal Commission of Investigation and a very certain candle light vigil. Now this is the pattern of the opposition. In whatever the issue may be when one thing is suggested the rest will follow suit. It is like a package. If you ask me it is all bollocks.

I offer my condolences to the family of the departed and the lovely bride (now no more) and mother to be. But as usual everyone is taking cheap shots to thwart their enemies at every single opportunity. Why must there be a candle light vigil when someone gets thrown into the ISA, died, or held for questioning by the authorities? Isn't it such a waste of time?

Their emotions supersedes their gumption and most naturally would cause trouble of some sort. Most of the time more arrests and disruption of public peace. These people should act like the adults they are. You want to have a mass gathering holding candles for what purpose? Has it helped in any way? It is just stupid sympathy and the public would not really be paying that much of attention. Grow up and put the candles away, save it for your blackouts instead.

BN wins in Manik Urai. Morale booster ka?

True~ BN won. But the losers are sore and calling that the win was because of money politics. Put it simply they cant believe that they lost by a slim margin. Hmmm.... even if they lost by 2000 votes also they will cry foul anyway. So what else is new? But for BN winning in Manik Urai is a big thing. They have boasting rights for the next month or so and the BN camp can go on doing whatever it is they do feeling good.

But it does not change anything really. So PAS should just concentrate on keeping what they have and try to fit into PKR's plans. I seriously think this PKR thing is not really working well for all sides. That fuss in Kedah proves a point.

So it is back to business as usual and it is just a by election.

100 Days of Najib.

Critical thinkers will never think alike. By right they never should. It is perspective that holds the bigger picture but the argument is that the details are important as well. The plan is always perfect but execution is the failure. Well, I could sense that many were critical on Najib's first 100 days in office. However I do suspect it was not as critical as how many pressed their noses in on Tun Pak Lah on his first 100 days.

Critiques will be just critiques (me included). But I somehow do feel that Najib has a better grasp of things than his senior. It is either that or the way how the public is deviated from the main issues was cunningly done. What I do think is right is that the PM should be rated by the people as well as the corporate world. I mean it is only fair to do so and Najib can keep his KPI up as much as he is particular about the KPI of the public services.

I heard a host cum producer of a talk show being assigned a desk job since the audience of her show rated Najib a "D". Was it really necessary? I mean a talk show is just a talk show. It was the audience which voted not the producer. So what is really 100 days in office, did it make a difference? Somehow it does.

What this means is that Najib won't be a passing phase. The ruling party has lost ground because Tun M gave Tun Pak Lah a shot at running the country which I seriously do feel that it should be Najib all the while. Still Najib is not perfect and from my past posts I have mentioned that I hope Najib won't be PM. But it is substantially better now than when Pak Lah was PM.

So, Najib has pretty much got the basics covered in the sense that the people can see a silver lining in the clouds. Provided there are looking at the right cloud. Could Najib last another 500 days and improve his ratings? Could BN slip down a notch while Najib holds office? Enough tiny discounts and freebies. Now everyone has to work.... since there wont be anymore easy money after the 2nd stimulus package is used up. Now pray that the government wont change hands in the next elections. Because what this government now has promised can only be rewarded if they win in the next one.

Of course blame the execution, not the policy.

This matter that concerns English is pointed with the wrong finger. Education of Math and Science in English was first of all not planned properly in terms of resource. Now we have the PM saying that only a tiny number of teachers teaching Math and Science are comfortable teaching in English. Now... this is not the case that the students are having a hard time coping but it is the fact that teachers have a tough time coping.

Here I would like to raise the question on what is actually the content of teacher's training? If the training had a complete and comprehensive syllabus there would not be a problem where teachers are not comfortable teaching in English. We cannot blame the quality of students without first peeling the causes on the teacher's account.

Why is that teachers in the old days can converse very well in English? The current crop of teachers too can't be blamed. It is the execution of the education policy and the various programs that are not given much thought. The KPIs are not followed and a blind eye is given in regards of being lenient which now directly translates to the cause of the teachers themselves are not properly capable.

Having more hours for the English subject in school is not enough. Establishing an English Club for extra curricular activities cant do much because participation is not compulsory. Fine teach Math and Science in whatever mother tongue. Why not substitute it for History or Geography? What about Accounts and Economy? Moral Studies and Islamic Studies? Why not consider this?

Believe me the only way to master a language is to speak, read and write it as often as possible. Not relegate it into it's own subject of study. I bet you this, I can throw a coin randomly in a crowd of undergraduates and 9 out of 10 of them can't tell the difference what is past tense and present tense let alone speak good English. Honestly I worry with great disgust on the probability that my children and grandchildren will go to public schools and not being able to master the English language. Just to safe-guard the family and their future I might just resort to teaching them English myself.

50% carrot for selling Khir's House?

Ng Sue Lim surely knows an oppurtunity when he sees one. But a 50% commission upon selling the house of ex-MB of Selangor is too much. Now if truly one is a politician and is loyal in serving the public he should declare that the excess will be funnelled back to the state government for charitable cause or some community project funding for the less fortunate.

But what house of Khir's that could possibly be worth RM24 million? Really if anyone were to have property of that value it should be a commercial centre of sorts. On what basis was that figure calculated? Inclusive of furniture and fixtures? Or including everything that is of personal belonging of Khir's family? I have seen mantions in and out of it~ on what extravagence could a house be RM24 million? To me it could only be a castle and that house in question is not a castle by a long shot.

This is what we see when we see one politician who is trying to lay low versus one that wants to be noticed. Lim should be better off concentrate on his constituency rather than some other politician's house / hut / mansion / castle.