Make learning English a joy

I refer to the letter Make learning English a joy, by Joshua Tan, Layang layang Johor, and congratulate the writer for his suggestions to make Malaysians improve on their command of the English language.

However, I think, in the final analysis, it will be up to the individual himself, as no amount of Government coddling and motivational events will help the student if he makes up his mind that English is not in his mind. I would like to use myself as an example of how a serious commitment, in spite of having to face the most adverse conditions, will triumph over all obstacle to master the language.

I was born in a small town in Johor and attended secondary school in the late 1950's. My parents were dirt poor, and I had 9 siblings, all school going. When I was in Form 2, I decided that I wanted to improve my English. I begged money from my mum, and went to buy the best dictionary the town could offer then, and it was the 20th Century Chamber's Dictionary. I treasured the book, and even hid it from my brothers and sisters. I asked my father to buy us the Straits Times, and I made sure I read the EDITORIAL, every day. Believe me, it was no fun doing that, but I stuck to it. I even subscribed to the Listener, from London, and tried to read it from page to page, when a copy arrived. In the lighter vein, I saved my pocket money (then at 10sen a day) to buy my weekly Beano and Dandy comics, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also got addicted to PG Wodehouse books, and twisted my mum's hands to get me the money to buy the latest offerings{i have a collection of not less than 65 of his books}. To their credit, my parents would sacrifice everything else, but I had my story books.

We as parents must change our attitudes first; we must get rid of our distrust of a foreign language, we must not keep holding on to our pride of our own national and/or vernacular languages and think that learning English is making our culture and language second best. Our children must start young, and we as parents must show them that mastering languages and acquiring knowledge is a noble thing to do.

And finally the politicians must agree not to use the study of languages as a means to their political ends. Malaysia have suffered too much already. Don't let our future generation bear the pain of our selfish addiction!

The mind must be willing
English: have the right attitude

Illegal businesses thrive despite enforcement

I REFER to “Robber killed in shootout at cyber cafe” (The Star, Aug 22). The cyber cafe is believed to have been “a front for an online gambling centre which had been previously raided five times by local authorities and the police”.

One wonders if anyone is doing anything to root out illegal cyber cafes in the state, when the police have stated that they have raided the place five times already, and the centre still apparently is doing good business.

The fact that this place is a front for online gambling makes one wonder if hanky panky is also involved in keeping the centre open, such as corruption in the local authorities and the “close one eye” syndrome, as the owners may be well connected.

I believe cutting off the electricity and sealing the premises will be a really effective deterrent.

I am raising this issue as I feel that this is just one of the thousands of examples of illegal businesses continuing to flourish despite “enforcement”, others being massage centres and spas, karaokes, budget hotels, swiftlet farms.

Illegal businesses thrive despite enforcement

Malaysia a haven for illegal workers?

While we commend the Government for taking proactive action in stemming out international militant and terrorist groups from using Malaysia as a hub for radical activities, Indian Nationals held under the ISA ! it nevertheless brings to mind several disconcerting questions regarding our official policy towards foreigners working in the country, whether legally or illegally.

In the news report, the three foreigners arrested under our Security laws were a restaurant operator, a music teacher and a construction contractor respectively. It is amazing to read that foreign nationals find it so easy to either operate a business or to take up a profession here, not being citizens of the country? In most of the other countries in the Asia Pacific region, it is even difficult for foreigners to open bank accounts unless they have approval from the Government authorities to operate a business, or have a work permit. Most small and medium size businesses must be operated through the local citizenry, and all such businesses must have at least majority local control. Professionals like engineers and music teachers require a work permit, no less. And engineering and contracting businesses require that the business must have locally recognised engineers appointed in management positions. In addition, in the Philippines, for example, non citizens and non residents cannot be involved in ANY retail business.

Reading further this news report against the backdrop of the present Amnesty program of the Government, it will look like the Government is in actual fact 'legalising' all such illegal businesses and employment in the country, otherwise why is there a need for amnesty? Where will our own citizens stand against this onslaught?

To me, it is no surprise at all why Malaysia seems to attract foreigners like ants to honey. Once inside the country, they seem to ba able to do anything with impunity. Until they are caught, that is.

Violence in London.....

The spectre of unabated Violence in London..... and wanton destruction of the last three nights sent a chill down the spine. More terrifying is the spontaneous mushrooming of many copycat incidents that threaten to spread all over the country. The police and the Government seem to be woefully unprepared for it with dire consequences to the country's reputation as a haven for good living and multi cultural tolerance. What has gone wrong? Is it police arrogance, high handedness and insensitivity towards the poor and the under privileged? Were there serious problems of unemployment and exorbitantly high living costs which have been swept under the carpet for many years? Has racist practices been a covert practice of the authorities, and there was a trigger for the conflagration? There are many soul searching questions that the Govt of UK has to find answers to, and fast.

On the national front, I can see that our nation is veering into a situation, that, given the same 'triggers' will mirror what is happening in London now. I am thinking about the consequences of our Amnesty Program. By the time we finish the registration process of legal and illegal aliens, including Maids, etc. we may have close to 4 million foreign workers in the country, most of them working for meagre wages, and probably no off days, and little medical aid. The category that will cause the most concern is of course the illegal aliens, now made "legal" by the biometric registration and the Amnesty program.

My confusion of this process is,... though they are legal now, are they better off than before? Are they being paid the same as the originally legal aliens and the maids(that is not saying much anyway), and are they adequately protected from harassment from unscrupulous agents and sometimes corrupt Police officers?

I am aware that even now, in certain locations, 'legal' migrants have rented whole apartments, and they have in turn brought in friends and relatives, most of them by covert means, who do what they can to scrounge for a living. Living more than 10 to an apartment, they loiter around in the daytime, when unemployed, and get themselves drunk on some strong beer(now you can get those beer with more than 12% alcohol for RM5 a 500ml can, eg Bavaria, Kingfisher Strong, etc) at nights, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Some of these aliens may also have come surreptitiously from countries that have made a transition from war to peace, and being ex guerrillas, they have no job and no money, just relatives in Malaysia.

With millions of these youths, underpaid and underemployed, displaced from their mother countries, with no future to look forward to, we are actually having pockets of distressed and disturbed people in many locations all over the country. If, though some reckless policy, or even high handed police action on some transgressions made by these aliens, it maybe easy for a flashpoint to be achieved under incendiary conditions, and the "London Experience" will be repeated here.

Calling for an Amnesty for these aliens is a noble thing to do, and the United Nations will be pleased, but can we look after them the same way as our citizens(that is not saying much again), fairly and equitably?

We need great political leadership soon, with long sighted vision for the country.

Keep eye on flashpoints..

London riots: Are aliens better off?

Water crisis looms in Klang Valley

It is time we take seriously the warning by the Syabas COO that Putrajaya, Selangor and the Klang Valley will be the first to be hit by a water crisis, in the report, Water crisis looms in Klang Valley. It has been obvious since 2008 that the State Government was never serious in promoting frugal water usage; rather the politicians seem to favour encouraging water profligacy by offering the first 20 cubic metres water free of charge.

Short term and long term measures need to be considered and debated now, if we are to avoid a national water crisis in a few years' time, regrettably aided by the uncontrolled influx of foreign workers and migrants into our crowded country.

Short term and immediate measures include offering large incentives for households and businesses to harvest rainwater, by providing steep discounts on the purchase of large storage tanks and ancillary equipment like pumps, and piping, along with basic installation costs. Engineers in Syabas can also come up with basic designs for the implementation of rain harvesting systems in homes and business complexes. The State Authority should also clamp down on the mainly illegal car-wash business that are mushrooming in Selangor and KL. These car wash businesses really waste a lot of water, if one will just observe their mode of operations.

A long term measure that can be considered by the State in the conservation of our limited water resources may be to follow the example of the South Korean Government, which mandates all housing and business complexes to build large underground storage tanks to harvest rain water, and to have reliable systems installed in those complexes to use the 'grey' water for washing and cleaning purposes. These large water harvesting systems are also useful in alleviating flood conditions in times of heavy downpour. At the moment, the frequent heavy downpours in Selangor just mean horrific floods and millions of litres of water literally 'down the drain'

We need to be pro active, and not just always only talk about the problems

Water management: act now before it's too late!