It is a small village in the kecamatan of Tambusai, Kabupaten Rokan Hulu in the Province of Riau, Sumatra. During the Padri Wars of 1830's , Tuanku Tambusai (aka known as Fakeh Hj Muhammad Salleh ) fought the Dutch forces together with Imam Bonjol and Tuanku Rao in West Sumatra and in Northern Sumatra .The last defence was in Benteng 7 Lapis,Daludalu which fell in 1838. He escaped capture and came to Malaya. He was buried in Rasah in 1882.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
PSD Scholarship, An Annual Nightmare.
Almost every year without fail we read in the news, especially the Star newspaper highlighting the issue of high achievers not getting scholarships to further their studies overseas. No matter how much adjustments on the way selection of candidates had been made over the years and the announcements by the PM on merit scholarships, this annual problem always get highlighted in this daily. In the past the question of PSD's method of awarding the scholarship did not attract much attention because those who could afford to send their children overseas for further education did it with their own money, or they had other bodies giving the scholarships. But ever since the costs of overseas education went up astronomically and the opportunity for sponsorships are getting less, the issue has been turned into a political one. I recalled the days when I had to contend with demands from the MIC on a 10% quota for the Indian community for places in local universities. Their demands were so vocal that the then Vice-Chancellor of University Malaya had to be called to the PM's office to resolve the matter, but fortunately he could rebut the arguments put forward by the MIC on their demands so well that even the PM could do much to make him budge. So was the autonomy enjoyed then by my alma mater. When I was Director in charge of scholarships in PSD in 1994, there were a few who tried to intefere in our decision of giving the awards but I managed to keep them at bay unlike today. Once I received a note from the DPM and the Minister in PM Dept's office but I gave the feedback as to why the applications were rejected and there were no further query. But it is so much different now where the PSD had to be put under duress annually whenever an announcement were to be made on the awards of the coveted overseas scholarships. There has to be a stop to all this and politicians should not be allowed to hold the PSD to ransom and meddle with administrative decisions to the minutae. If this goes on, we might as well legislate an Act where in accordance with the Federal Constitution we should define what scholarships are meant for whom and should not be used as a political trade-offs to earn political mileage.
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Since we don't have any political agenda up our sleeve, Akhi AHS, we deplore any interference by the political bosses in the process of awarding scholarships according to approved policy guidelines. I'm sure PSD is doing its best to be fair as you had been when you were there. But now the criteria for selection had to be more complex, Who is more deserving: a 4A STPM student from a wealthy family which can afford private tution with a Professor father and MP mom, or a 3A 1B
village boy who is the son of a rubber tapper? By merit alone the 4A excels. But the 3A1B kampung boy must have done a lot more work to achieve that grade.
So, I think the debate, dissatisfaction and interference will go on for as long as there are politicians and a high demand for scholarships and
other awards. It will only end when getting assistance from the govt is looked down upon as an admission of the parents' failure in life and is therefore an ignominy. Americans for example now looked down on people living on welfare. The bureaucrats cannot, of course, stop political bosses from interfering.
The subjects of this posting and the earlier one are real and most troubling to me. I live by the sea but the sea is getting scarce of fish. Yesterday a fisherman neighbour came back with six ikan kerisi. The fuel for his boat cost more than that. Some of my Almanar pupils worked damned hard to get whatever the number of A's they got in the recent SPM exam. One of them is that fisherman's son. But his result cannot match those from wealthy families who can efford tuition for all the subjects on earth. Who wants to hear what my fisherman friend moans about, his catch and his son? No blooming wakil rakyat has ever popped his big head to say hello to me and see what on earth has been happening at Almanar for the last 16 years!
Akhi Norzah and Pak Cik Hassan,
Our concern is actually the fate of our future generations in this plural society. While the politicians are only interested in their political survival the people are the ones getting the brunt of their shortsightedness. There must be a way out for our grandchildren and their children to make sure of their future is not in jeopardy.
They say that time and tide waits for no man and especially Pak Cik who lives just a stone's throw from it sees how the coastal erosion and the plight of the poor fisherman affects their lives. When politics screw up the country this does not augur well for our future. Going by what the writer of "The Confessions of the Economic Hit Man" we are probably being conned by the same people. Education must not only be a social leveller but the vehicle to save this country from bankruptcy. Pak Cik, your service to the people in need is the most apt contribution for the future generations. Let the wakil rakyats drown in their petty agendas and dig their own graves but what you have done far outweigh the Monsoon cup and other grand projects in Trengganu which is a waste of taxpayer's money.
Dear Hal,
Like everything else, whatever or whenever spoils are handed out, there's always the dissenting voice. Why or how is it that he gets it and I didn't.
Comparisons based on isolated cases were then put forward to deride the supposedly glaring unfairness.
Invariably it'll be viewed with racial overtones.
Politicians not having all the info on decisions made would clamour and rant they had been had.
The powers that be in wanting to appear fair 'politically', skewed the selection process ( when fair decisions had already been finalised)
In the end those not deserving ended up getting more to be given to their kind but shouting hoarse every year they were discriminated against.
The civil servants who tried to do a good job got bashed every time.
This is what happens every year.
The way to go is:
1) to be transparent so that no politicians would meddle.
2) to award on MERIT the top scorers
3) to award those disadvantaged based on MERITS & NEEDS ( to cover the dependents of farmers, estate tappers, hawkers' or the Sabah & Sarawak interior)
This will not appease everyone still, but will knock off a major portion of the rantings, I gather!
Dear Hank,
The PSD had taken the following steps in making the awards:-
1. The criteria used in the selection of candidates, such as subject scores,points for the non scholastic variables, had been given wide publicity in the local press.
2. A separate scheme for merit based scho;arship had been implemented as announced by the PM, something the equivalent of Agong's or King's Scholarship. The number is however quite limited.
3. The other background factors like what you had mentioned had also been built into the selection process.
Now the issue here is not transparency or equity but the question of credibility. The MCA politicians do not have trust in the PSD simply because more than 90% of the officers there are Malays. The PM must put his foot down and not give in to the annual duress.
Dear Hal,
That is right. The govt wants to appear to be fair by bending backwards. A case in point, glaringly obvious was the amount of funds extended to Chinese interests, schools etc in the last 2 by-elections which had different outcomes. The same thing appears to be in the issue at hand.However much more is given/received by them is still lamented as pittance.
The political will on the part of the govt as you rightly said has to be made more decisive.
Dear Hal,
That is right. The govt wants to appear to be fair by bending backwards. A case in point, glaringly obvious was the amount of funds extended to Chinese interests, schools etc in the last 2 by-elections which had different outcomes. The same thing appears to be in the issue at hand.However much more is given/received by them is still lamented as pittance.
The political will on the part of the govt as you rightly said has to be made more decisive.
Dear Hal,
It happened again. A double posting. Let it be.
Akhi Norzah,
Hank and I cannot lay claim to be competent to evaluate tactics on infiltration and commando operations because our military training was only good to qualify as to be awarded Cert A part 2 only. So it would be proper if the competent authority like the Panglima Tentera Darat comment on this. As for the EU like organisation I would support your proposal except I have my reservation whether Saudi Arabia would agree on this.
Thanks, Aklhi AHS. My reply is through gmail, personal to u.
Akhi Halim, I've just made connection with Gen, Mind No Evel Pak Chad, whose blog you follow. You might want to drop in onto his space and welcome him aboard yourself, hehehe.
Akhi Norzah,
I am a regular visitor to Pak Chad's blog. He is a committed guy in the war against corruption. As a soldier and a gentleman, he towers above those much higher in rank when he was in active service.
Akhi, AHS. I had suggested the plan that I intimated to you, to Che Det through his blog. He had published it in the comment column under Gaza Aid Convoy. No counter-comment of course but I'm sure he vets all
comments and must have read it. That's good enough for now.
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