Forward January 2008

“But if they seek your aid in religion, it is your duty to help them, except against a people with whom ye have a treaty of mutual alliance. And (remember) God seeth all that ye do.�

The meaning of Surah al-Anfal (8) verse 72.

Forward January 2008

January 2008· Issue 18

Ag 56

INTERNATIONAL: Can Pakistan do without Musharraf?

Departments News: Malaysians are getting

demo fatigue according to some N GOs.........................................14

Your Say: It’s about time Muslim scientists make their mark.......... 12

Arches & Domes: The Ffaisal

mosque is all angles and straight lines, but the beauty lies within the walls

26

Cover Story Proton has transformed itself in the last 12 months into a meaner and leaner machine. It is now getting ready to fight the biggest battle of its life. We look at all the roadblocks along the way.

4

62 Forward January 2008

enda NATIONAL:For the poor and helpless, aid comes in black. Meet the legal angels .......................................................38

Science

and Tech: Who’s heard of Nikolai Tesla?

Well if you use electricity, you should.... ............................................. 68

48 54 NATIONAL: A Hindu activists march has thrown the malaysian civil society movement a few steps backwards

SOUL BEAT: Erma exchanges the glamour of showbiz for her children’s sake

the Story: Trade unions struggle to find relevance in Malaysia today. Find out why. .............................................. 18

Landmarks: With so much space in the desert, why would anyone want to build upwards? Because they can.

76

Other Departments: This Month, Look West, Inside The Story,

Living Islam, Review, International,

Gadget, Landmarks, Last Word

NATIONAL

58

Inside

18

TOO MUCH: There have been so many flip-flops in our education policies. No wonder our kids are confused.

Tell us what you think. We promise to read everything you send, really. Write to: The Editor, Forward Magazine, No. 68-B, Jalan Kampung Attap, 50460 Kuala Lumpur or email us at zul@mmpcommunications.com

A Member of:

from the editor

foreword

what’s news terrorists up the ant

I

remember a time when Proton cars were desirable. No really. People actually wanted to own one, and not because every other car were made more expensive either.

It was not the styling, or the technology.

It’s certainly not because it had a catchy name. I remember a time when people wanted to buy Proton because they were proud of it. It may not have the looks or go as fast as anything from GM or Toyota, but it was ours.

Malaysians congratulated each other for being a third world country with a car industry.

The auto industry, spearheaded by Proton, was nurtured not just because Malaysia needed to sell cars. It was part of a grand plan to pull the country into an industrial nation. That is why it was important for Malaysians to support the company.

But somewhere along the line, the people in charge forgot about making good cars for people and thought more how to make quick money in a captive market. They forgot about customer care and making electric windows that worked. They took their eyes off the ball and the world passed by.

Now people look at other brands first before they consider a Proton car, which is a shame because Protons are actually good cars. My first three cars were Protons.

When it was announced that VW was buying a piece of Proton, many people thought the company would be in safe hands. So why did the deal falter?

What happened between the time when all parties had agreed to terms and the announcement that it was called off?

It’s déjà vu, but we examine Proton’s chances in this issue as it staves off competitors from abroad and closer to home.

Zulkifli Othman

6

Selangor Minister hands out SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA: Last November two state government agencies were publicly rebuked when they were presented with a broom each on stage by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo for failing to collect assessment above the 50 per cent mark required for 2006.

Hulu Selangor District Council chief Tukiman Nail received the broom worth RM3.80 at the Selangor Excellence Awards held at the Dewan Jubli Perak.

The other recipient, Hulu Selangor Land Office former district officer Mislan Tugiu who is now Klang Municipal Council president, is overseas and a representative received it on his behalf. He avoided pressmen after leaving the stage.

Earlier, officers had tried to keep the two brooms away, hoping that Dr Khir would forget, but he asked for them despite the unease among the several hundred government staff attending the event. The “broom award” was imple-

mented to motivate government servants to improve their dedication to collect revenue “The broom is not meant to shame the officer but it is a reminder that the government wants all departments to buck up and improve to become results-oriented,” said Dr Khir.

“Many times, we have called for improvement but it has fallen on deaf ears. When agencies knew they would receive the brooms, they automatically collected their revenue, hitting 90 per cent for 2007.

“But the broom was for 2006 and it had to be given so that officers would know that I mean business,” he stressed.

Dr Khir said that agencies which fail to hit the 2007 performance target would also get the broom.

Unfortunately this new motivational technique is said to be the first and the last because it has raised too many eyebrows.

Forward January 2008

e

e in algeria Algeria-- A North African militant group linked with al-Qaeda said it carried out two suicide bombings in the Algerian capital that killed more than 60 people, in the nation’s worst attack since Islamist massacres in the 1990s.

Among the dead were at least 11 United Nations workers, killed when a car bomb exploded yesterday near the world body’s offices in the Hydra district of Algiers. As many as 50 people died when another bomb struck the Constitutional Council building, hospital officials said.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has killed more than 100 people in bombings across Algeria this year, said two of its ``martyrs’’ used

vehicles containing more than 800 kilograms of explosives, the U.S.based group SITE, which monitors extremist Web sites, said by e-mail.

President George W. Bush called the bombers ``enemies of humanity who attack the innocent.’’ The U.S. military says al- Qaeda is becoming more active in North Africa and is using the region to recruit, train and equip insurgents. ``These cowardly attacks cannot be justified under any circumstance,’’ UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today at the UN’s climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia, where delegates held a minute’s silence.

It was the deadliest attack against the UN since the 2003 bombing of its Iraq headquarters killed 22 people. F

brooms to non-performers

FoR coMinG in LaSt: KHiR toYo HanDS oUt tHE BRooM aWaRD

7

this month SUNDAY Saturday,

January 1

31 3

10

4

11

TUESDAY

5

12

WEDNESDAY

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MONDAY

first 1985: The world

l’s learns about Israe ’, in es os M n ‘Operatio Jewish of s nd sa which thou es were Ethiopian refuge t of ou d te been airlif e famine th ing Sudan, flee in Ethiopia.

2000 BC: The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000, years ago. In THURSDAY the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible cresent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring). The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a new year. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new crops, and of FRIDAY blossoming.

January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance.

It is purely arbitrary. The Babylonian new year celebration lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to say that modern New Year’s Eve festivities SATURDAY pale in comparison.

Monday, January 22

7

13

15

2

9

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surrendered to the Japanese after the ba ttle of Port Arthur during the Russian-Japanese Wa r. A peace conference wa s later held in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with President Theodore Roosevelt serving as a mediator.

19

tuesday, January 23

20 21 22

the 1933: The birth of

me Malaysian Army ca deral Fe e th about when d te ra de Fe Council of ally tu en ev s Malay State ay al M passed the nuary Regiment Bill on Ja 23, 1933.

23

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1905: The Russians

1922: In Toronto, Canada, 14 year old boy Leonard Thompson becomes the first person to receive insulin as treatment for diabetes.

Diabetes has been recognized as a distinct medical condition for more than 3,000 years.

8

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GROUP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Wednesday, January 2

ry 5ber 22 uatem y, Jan Sep esdaday, tuMon

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Forward January 2008

Sunday, January 6

25 26 2007: The Eye on Malaysia is the tallest portable observation wheel in South-East Asia. The 60-metre structure is located at Titiwangsa Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

(Coordinates: 3°10’39.20”N, 101°42’15.68”E) The ferris wheel comprising of 42 gondolas (including 1 VIP one) is similar to the London Eye and has been unveiled in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2007 on January 6, 2007 by Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Quotes

a strong economy begins with a strong, well-educated workforce.

—Bill Owens

We are more thoroughly an enlightened people, with respect to our political interests, than perhaps any other under heaven. Every man among us reads, and is so easy in his circumstances as to have leisure for conversations of improvement and for acquiring information.

—Benjamin Franklin

We have repeatedly issued warnings, over a number of years. Following these warnings and these calls, anti-american explosions took place in a number of islamic countries.

—Osama bin Laden

9

letters Dear Editor, The article by Fariza Azmat , ‘Malaysia’s Invisible Street Children “ in your October issue, is definitely something of social relevance.

The article is a tear-jerker at certain points. It is a cry from the hearts of the children and the social workers. Hopefully, it changes the mindset of people and persuades them to be less discriminatory towards the “invisible” children.

These children seem to be left out of the mainstream through unfortunate circumstances of their birth. None of us could ever make a choice as to who our parents would be -- that is determined by the Almighty Himself. And it is unjust for society to deprive them of the welfare needs and a proper future, when the children themselves are not guilty of any crime.

If for one moment we reflect that we are all sinners in some way, we may be less judgemental about these women and their unfortunate children. Strangely, we are more tolerant towards people who commit crimes which rob thousands of people of their rightful dues and property. And sometimes these criminals are glorified and continue to be respected in society. Justice in such cases is so imbalanced.

Nur Salam’s efforts in helping these children, despite the prejudices held by others, is a social and humanitarian service deserving high commendations. I hope that your magazine continues highlighting such issues, and put social issues in their proper perspective.

Kay Arr Petaling Jaya

Dear Editor,

I am writing to say how much I enjoy reading your magazine and appreciate the timely nature of the issues featured.

I applaud 'Forward' for coming up with stories different from other publications. I can truly say 'Forward' magazine is truly setting the news agenda instead of following it.

Dear Editor, I am having difficulty in getting your magazine in regular bookstores. I like reading about the issues presented by 'Forward', but I do hope the magazine can increase its circulation so the public can have easy access to it.

ERROR

Thank you Mohammad Ihsan

Thank you Farhan Khan This is the picture of Datuk Dr. Mohd Tap Salleh the president of Institute of Intergity Malaysia and not Azmi Che Mat as was published in FORWARD December issue.

We sincerely apologise for the techinical error.

0

Forward January 2008

news Israel invades gaza again

GAZA - About 30 Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles pushed into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on December 11, sparking clashes with Palestinians leaving five militants killed, medics and militant groups said

Residents said the raid, a day before Israel and Palestinians are due to hold their first talks since relaunching a U.S.-backed peace push, was the largest in their area since Israel pulled troops and settlers out of the territory in 2005.

Four Islamic Jihad gunmen were killed in clashes with Israeli ground forces and an air strike killed a local commander from the Popular Resistance Committees, a coalition of militant groups, medics and residents said.

Fifteen Palestinians, many of them gunmen, were also wounded in the incursion, which a spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas described as a “heinous crime” that undermined the peace process. F

Majority of Pakistanis want Musharraf to go Washington: An International Republican Institute (IRI) poll has shown that 83 percent of Pakistanis are opposed to emergency rule and 67 percent of them want President Pervez Musharraf to resign, while 70 percent maintain that his government does not deserve to be re-elected.

An 8-member IRI mission was in Pakistan just prior to the declaration of emergency rule on November 3. Barring massive rigging, it is not likely that the government party can win, the IRI said. If it does win, it could result in civil unrest.

60 percent of Pakistanis are opposed to a Musharraf-Benazir Bhutto deal, while 58 percent said they would support a grand opposition alliance. Fifty-six percent said the army should play no role in civilian government. Thirty percent said they would support the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the January elections, while 25 percent said they would back the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Around 23 percent favoured the pro-Musharraf PML-Quaid.

The random sample was based on the responses of 3,520 men and women from across Pakistan. 70 percent said Pakistan is headed in the wrong direction, while 51 percent said their personal economic condition has deteriorated.

The IRI said that its delegation found a commitment on the part of civil society and political parties to democratic elec-

tions, even among those who identified the lack of a level playing field in the pre-election environment. Prior to the emergency, an over-riding concern was the continued decline in law and order within Pakistan. Potential candidates expressed fears for their personal safety while they were electioneering, while the media worried about the vulnerability of reporters and cameramen in carrying out their work to bring information to the public.

A general feeling of insecurity prevailed among most Pakistanis, it said. The concerns of the election period security did not, however, lead the majority of Pakistanis, with whom the assessment mission met to concur with governmental decrees to limit or ban political rallies and gatherings.

The IRI said, “Restoring public, as well as international, confidence in elections will be difficult but the urge among Pakistanis for democracy remains strong.

It is difficult to envision credible elections without the full reversal of the actions imposed by the state of emergency.”

The survey also calls into question the view in the United States of Musharraf as a leader who can effectively rule Pakistan and deliver in the campaign against terrorism, an article published in the New York Times. F

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your say

Where are the Muslim Scientists?

n By Dr. Muzaffar Iqbal

M

odern science and technologies invented through the use of modern science are the only products of the western civilization which have gained widespread and unquestioned reception across the Muslim world. In fact, they are admired and coveted by all—from military generals to the most conservative Mulla who would otherwise shun everything Western. This almost universal infatuation with science and technology has filtered down to the masses. One only has to mention that such and such a study, result, prescription, or statement is “scientific” and all barriers drop; everyone readily accepts it.

This remarkable conquering of the

One result of this success of technology in winning hearts and minds is a resounding cry for science and more science, with no one willing to make any distinction between science and its applications in the form of technologies which produce consumer goods Forward January 2008

hearts and minds has been accomplished by modern science through its rapid utilization in technologies which mass produce consumer goods, transport millions of people around the globe and let them communicate with their dear ones living thousands of miles away. A man living in a remote village in Pakistan’s interior Sindh, who knows nothing about the Western civilization, but who has a cell-phone which allows him to talk to his son in Dubai, is not only using that hand-held little device; he is simultaneously surrendering to this “marvel” of the modern technology, which he knows comes to him from the West by way of China.

This impact of science and technology on the Muslim mind is not new; it is now almost two hundred years old, but it has gained new force in recent decades through

the so-called digital revolution. During the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, Muslims were rather reluctant to adopt new technologies. From printing presses to mechanized farming and from pharmaceutical plants to transportation, Muslims resisted modern technology at various levels, only to turn around in the middle of the twentieth century with an insatiable hunger for it. What seemed to be an impossible battle cry in the nineteenth century is now an automatic process; no one resists new technological products, no one questions their utility or relevance. This turn around has been due to the sheer force of technology itself— everyone can see the benefits of tractors, eye glasses, printing presses, photocopiers, and fax machines.

One result of this success of technology in winning hearts and minds is a resounding cry for science and more science, with no one willing to make any distinction between science and its applications in the form of technologies which produce consumer goods. Since science is inalienably linked with Western education, those clamoring for it automatically advocate Western-style education. They see little worthy in the traditional Islamic education which, according to many half-literate military generals, produces nothing but half-literate Mullas. Thus, what was a hard sell for the nineteenth century reformers is now a hot sell across the Muslim world.

As a result of this demand for science a frantic race has begun. From Iran to Pakistan and from Saudi Arabia to Morocco, all Muslim governments are now obsessed with increasing the number of Ph.D’s they are producing, ministers and advisors are counting the number of so-called research papers which have been published, and in this dizzying rush, there is no concern for quality. No one is interested in asking basic questions about the relevance of what

Without the presence of all those factors, one can only erect buildings and install instruments as many Muslim governments have done

is being done. To be sure, this blind race is not going to produce science, merely its caricature.

Science and scientists do not arise in isolation of the general conditions of a society. Any government can construct a building like the MIT anywhere in its territory, even import all the instruments present in that hub of modern science, but it will not produce science, for production of science is a process built upon a series of interconnected social, political, economic, and cultural parameters. Without the presence of all those factors, one can only erect buildings and install instruments as many Muslim governments have done.

What will produce scientists, who are able to make significant contributions at the forefront of various disciplines, is not something that money can buy; it is not an overnight turn-key operation; it is a process which can only be initiated by critical and capable minds at various levels of decision making, not rhetorical mouths thoughtlessly regurgitating statements of the kind now in vogue: the Muslim world needs to invest more in science; we only invest less than. One percent of our GDP into science; we only produce such and such percentage of scientific papers in the world. These are meaningless statements, for they do not situate production of science in the real-life context of Muslim societies.

Viewed scientifically, that is to say, without the involvement of emotions and egos, one can state that currently there are no scientists in the Muslim world; only technicians aimlessly reproducing their Ph.D thesis ad nauseam and bureaucrat-technicians thoughtlessly demanding more and more money for science. Further, it can be deduced from the present social, economic, political, and cultural conditions of the Muslim world that no Muslim scientists will emerge in this polity until its current infatuation with science goes away and a more mature understanding of the enterprise of science emerges. Science does not grow on trees, it cannot be implanted by money alone, it cannot be franchised, and it is a process integrally linked with the overall state of the society, not a fruit that grows on some island. F [Muzaffar Iqbal is the editor of ISLAM & SCIENCE, a half yearly journal published from Toronto, Canada.]

what’s news

Hands off our nukes - Pakistan gives warning ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s military promised a strong response to any international attempt to seize its atomic

arsenal as the army successfully testfired a nuclear-capable cruise missile on December 11.

Some Malaysians want street demos to stop The silent majority of Malaysians has spoken up for peace.

Fed up with the unrest that followed street demonstrations and illegal rallies, a coalition of 395 non-governmental organisations, calling itself Damai Malaysia, made its stand in a memorandum to the prime minister .

Twenty representatives met Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to hand over the document that rejected street demonstrations and the use of racial and religious issues to incite hatred among Malaysians.

Abdullah appreciated the

4

fact that the silent majority had spoken up, saying this showed that Malaysians were a peace-loving people.

“I appreciate the message of support. The rakyat is angry that some parties have gone overseas to drum up support against our country by making false accusations and stories.

“It is as if they don’t love their country. They are greedy for power, so they do not care about what happens to the country.

“They are so obsessed with their beliefs that they do not think of the damage they

The security of Pakistan’s estimated 50 nuclear warheads has been under global scrutiny since President Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency on November 3 citing “Islamist violence” and political turmoil.

But the chairman of Pakistan’s joint chiefs of staff, General Tariq Majid, blasted reports by “vested and hostile elements in the international media” about the security of its nuclear weapons, an army statement said.

“Suggestions have been made that our assets could either be neutralised or taken away towards safer place to prevent them from falling into wrong hands,” the statement quoted Majid as saying after witnessing the launch of the locally developed Babur (Hatf 7) cruise missile.

“We remain alert to such threats and are fully capable of handling these.”

The statement added: “Though no responsible state in the world can contemplate such an impossible operation, yet if someone did create such a scenario he was confident that Pakistan would meet the challenge strongly.

“Pakistan’s nuclear assets are very safe and secure, and the nation need not to worry on that account. There is a very strong security system in place, which can ward off all threats, internal as well as external.”

Pakistan confirmed last November that the United States was helping it ensure the security of its atomic weapons and shrugged off reports of a secret programme with Washington as nothing new. F

are doing to the country and its people,” he said after receiving the memorandum from Damai Malaysia co-ordinating chairman Mohd Saiful Adil Daud at the Royal Malaysian Air Force base.

Abdullah hoped more Malaysians would see the need to protect public safety and not abuse the freedom to speak.

He also spoke on the negative impact of street demonstrations on retail businesses and the tourism industry, which had suffered losses after cancellation of hotel rooms and tour bookings.

He reminded the people that street demonstrations were not part of Malaysian culture.

“We have been successful so far not because we have such demonstrations, but because we uphold the sanctity of the law and the sovereignty of the Constitution.

“This is why Malaysians have enjoyed peace and political stability for so long, while still being able to voice their opinions and beliefs freely.”

Damai Malaysia is a coalition of 395 NGOs representing 1.5 million Malaysians who have declared their stand against street demonstrations.

It is made up of 75 Chinesebased NGOs and 20 associations which are Indian-based with the rest being Malay. F Forward January 2008

15

national

n By Shamsul Akmar

Why are Malaysians asking the King to Help? n By Shamsul Akmar

Bersih is made up of seasoned politicians as well as those from the legal fraternity, people who are not in the dark about limitations of the King’s power when it comes to playing a role to “correct” the wrong 6

F

ollowing the massive rally by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) on November 10, the royal salutation of “Daulat Tuanku!”, or “Long Live the King!”, seems to have been replaced with “Don’t Drag the King!”

It became a standard phrase by most government leaders when expressing their displeasure with the rally and with the coalition’s attempt to hand over a memorandum to the Yang diPertuan Agong at the palace gates.

Not least among them was Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who argued that submitting the memorandum to the Agong was tantamount to dragging the king into politics.

Obviously, Abdullah and his cabinet members were of the opinion that the King, being a constitutional monarch

styled after Westminster parliamentary democracy, was above politics and should not, wittingly or otherwise, be involved.

How correct such an interpretation is will be a subject of debate. The fact however remains – the Bersih coalition, consisting of non-governmental organisations, opposition parties and civil society advocates managed to gather some 40,000 supporters to present their case to the King.

The size of the crowd, despite strong police presence and roadblocks to prevent any congregation, did not go unnoticed.

The government’s strong reaction reflects how much impact Bersih has made on the national psyche, so much so that calls for firm action against those who congregate and hold assemblies without police permits resonate through the mainstream media.

Forward January 2008

There are several aspects of the Bersih rally which need to be explored. Foremost among them is what prompted the organisers to present a memorandum to the King when they were not unaware that the Malaysian monarchs are titular heads acting on the advice of the executive.

After all, Bersih is made up of seasoned politicians as well as those from the legal fraternity, people who are not in the dark about limitations of the King’s power when it comes to playing a role to “correct” the wrong.

So is the whole exercise a symbolic act to denounce the government which they had deemed to be ineffective and untrustworthy, that the masses had no choice but to turn to the monarch as their last hope?

Such a move can be compared to the Thais who, in their desperation to see the end of prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s rule, turned to their much revered King to intervene, with much success.

It led to the military coup on September 19 last year which saw the Thai army taking over the country, citing lèse majesté or crime to the majesty as one reason for the coup, receiving blessings from the King himself.

Of course it would be far-fetched to expect the Malaysian King to be able to inspire a coup as did his neighbour-

The crisis saw the Malay middle-class, articulated by then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, expressing their disgust with the excesses and misdemeanours of the royalties

coach by the Sultan of Johor, ultimately ending the Rulers’ legal immunity from criminal proceedings.

The crisis saw the Malay middle-class, articulated by then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, expressing their disgust with the excesses and misdemeanours of the royalties.

Such widespread expressions against the Malay Rulers, a subject hitherto taboo, were only made possible because the administration had then a stronger support from the masses as opposed to the royalists.

The crisis turned into an exorcism of sorts of the Malay Rulers’ sins.

Though there were some moves by the Rulers and the royalists to oppose the amended bill, the Sultans finally relented, half-heartedly no doubt, to the move to remove their immunity.

The Rulers may not realise it then but the very act of “exorcising” them had actually made them more relevant today.

Had the monarchs not been subjected to the process, it is doubtful that many Malaysians would look up to them as potential saviours to their plight.

It is indeed ironic that UMNO, which was instrumental in “cleaning” up the Malay Rulers’ institution in the 1990s, now has to face the disaffection of the society which had chosen to turn to the Rulers as their alternative leader.

Apart from that, what made the Malay

Rulers today more acceptable to the masses is the fact that their present generation -- or the princes-in-waiting – consists of a new breed of royalties who are well educated, dignified yet humble.

Compare this to some of the new generation within UMNO who are fast ascending the political ladder, the latter being quite boorish, arrogant and loud, not unlike what the Malay Rulers used to be perceived before and during the crisis of 1993.

In that sense, the situation seems to have come to a full cycle, only this time the Rulers seemed to be on the upper part of the wheel.

While the face-off between UMNO and the Malay Rulers would not come to the fore, given the nature of the latter’s role as spelt out by the Constitution, nothing is going to stop the unhappy segments of the society from turning to the Rulers to voice their displeasure with the present administration.

At the same time, while UMNO have to deal with the emergence of the modern royalists, the opposition should realise that it is also their ineffectiveness which contributed to the creation of the royalists.

To the new royalists, “Daulat Tuanku!” or “Long Live the King!” are expressions of hope. But “Don’t Drag the King!”? It is tinged with paranoia. F

ing counterpart. Neither do Malaysians would ever want such a coup to occur in Malaysia. But when “something is rotten in the state of Malaysia”, the masses do expect the Rulers to back them up.

This affection -- and consequently, expectation -- on the monarch by some segments of the Malaysian society is actually a recent phenomenon. Only two decades ago, not many would have nice things to say about their Sultans.

The height of such disaffection goes back to the 1993 ruler-executive crisis, sparked off by the abuse of a hockey

VoicinG oUt: the need for fair elections.

7

national

are trade

Unions

Still Relevant?

n By Shahfizal Musa

T

he Malaysian Trade Union Congress, the oldest national organisation representing the Malaysian workers, admits that membership to trade unions in the country has declined. Its general-secretary G. Rajasekaran said that although there are new members in certain cases, on the whole their number is dwindling relative to the number of workers today.

In 2002, there were 807,260 members of trade unions; in 2006, it has thinned to 789,163.

The strength of trade unions has been diluted. For example, in 2002 Malay-

8

This shows that although there are more trade unions, they are divided and the ability to have a unified voice on issues of national interest is weakened

Forward January 2008

sia had over 581 trade unions but the number increased to 631 in 2006, even though the number of members per union has dropped.

The MTUC is a national confederation and depends on trade unions to come together on certain issues in order to bring about change. The situation is such that trade unions are bogged down by day to day work. So when it comes to a national issue it is not a priority -- more urgent issues such as collective bargaining, as well as issues like workers being terminated or victimised. “I suppose there are unions that still want to do it the old way like picketing and campaigning on the streets. The unions must finally come together, but of course there are a lot of people who do come forward and do their duty. “I spent 40 years in the trade unions movement and 20 years ago people were very committed. They took trade unionism as a religion, but I guess that passion has died down to a certain degree.� caption:Union strikes are

The increased awareness of corporate social responsibility has also come about as a result of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals

I spent 40 years in the trade unions movement and 20 years ago people were very committed

z MTUC LEADER: SYED SHAHIR

always dramatic but unions are too busy with petty stuff

Much of the declining relevance of trade unions is attributed to better working conditions compared to, say, 30 years ago.

Corporations are also more aware of their responsibilities and realise that happy workers mean healthier profits.

The increased awareness of corporate social responsibility has also come about as a result of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, in which a major goal is the increased contribution of assistance from large organisations, especially multinational corporations, to help alleviate poverty and hunger, and for businesses to be more aware of their impact on society. One of the declarations of the Millennium Development Goals is to provide job security to employees. Workers are now rewarded for their performance, leading to better worker-employer relationship without the need of a union.

While all this have been going on, the labour movement are still entrenched in fighting for working conditions and better wages, but is in danger of becoming irrelevant.

Having said that, the present president of the MTUC, Syed Shahir Syed Mohamad, is outward looking, bold enough to look at the reality and appears to be well informed about the predicament of trade

9

national

caption: Unionists are people committed to helping the worker, unless politics intervene

unions. Syed Shahir said that the trade union movement “must also be willing to look itself in the mirror, and evaluate itself how successful it has been, the restrictions imposed on trade unions have distanced the society from unionism. We must take measures to bring unions closer to the society. Unions must also educate workers and the society on what unions can do for them”.

When asked whether a strike was the most effective method to make the voice of unions heard, he replied, “A strike is very precarious, it has the tendency to backfire, but we have been going to the ground distributing leaflets, creating awareness among the public. What is important is educating the public of the role of the union. We are operating under numerous restrictions, trade union leaders must change their mentality and come together to work towards lifting these restrictions. I fear that if we are forced to continue under restrictions, trade unions will become irrelevant in the next fifty years.”

The relevancy of the trade union movement also depends on its relations with the government. How responsive the government is to the plight of workers will to a certain extent demonstrate the strength of the movement.

“The present government is not responsive to the MTUC, we have sent four memorandums but we never receive

0

The relevancy of the trade union movement also depends on its relations with the government

any acknowledgement for them,” said Rajasekaran.

“We don’t even know whether the Prime Minister has seen any of the memorandums that we have sent. Under the past administration we would receive a response either positive or negative, but now we are completely ignored.”

The reason for this is because Syed Shahir is a member of the opposition party, as such any proposal put forward is seen as the opposition’s agenda. In response Syed Shahir said: “First of all ‘opposition party’ is such a strong word. I would like to view any party other than the ruling party as the ‘other party’. It is a very shallow argument and I don’t see subscribing to ideals of the other political party as a reason for the government to ignore the plight of the workers. The government is wiser than that. I will use whatever I can to leverage the cause of the workers. My priority is workers and I can’t stop other people joining our pickets or any events that we organise. On the other hand, if a person doesn’t have a political stance, what is his principle? That is more worrisome.”

Whatever the reason behind the government’s failure to acknowledge MTUC memorandums, one thing certain is that the labour movement is not seen as a force that can influence electoral decision. F

caption: Wages and better working conditions are increasingly improving in malaysia

Forward January 2008

21

inside the story

trade Union

a labour movement or a club?

M

any employers and public view the trade union as a confrontational institution, made up by workers who demand higher pay and less working hours. This negative perception is because whenever trade union members highlight their rights, there is usually a disruption to day-to-day life and significant amount of revenue loss for businesses.

So was the case last September when London underground train maintenance workers went on a strike to demand better pay. Their action paralysed the London underground transport network resulting thousands commuters stranded on their way to work. One can hardly expect these commuters being sympathetic to the workers for highlighting their plight. Yet the truth is that what

we are enjoying today is partly contributed by the trade union movement.

In Malaysia, the labour movement is not an influential institution that has an electoral clout, as in many countries.

Despite this, its role in the struggle for independence cannot be denied. Even prior to World War II, there was some union activity in Malaya, with the first union, the Selangor Engineering Mechanics Association, having been registered in 1928.

Following Japan’s defeat in 1945, there was tremendous increase in awareness among the Malayan working class, and many rushed to join trade unions.

The Pan Malayan Federation of Trade Unions (PMFTU) was particularly active in pressuring the colonial rulers. In 1946, it co-founded the All Malayan Council of Joint Action (AMCJA) along with a number of disparate groups that included the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC),

then led by John Thivy, and the Malayan Democratic Union (which has been described as a front organisation of the Communist Party of Malaya).

The AMCJA is one of the organisations responsible in holding a nationwide strike known as “Hartal�. On that day, 20 October 1947, Malaya witnessed a political movement that brought together all races against colonial rule.

Consequently the British declared a state of emergency, and it de-registered the PMFTU, which represented over 100 unions with over 300,000 members, and which had succeeded in unionising a large number of work force (21 per cent).

It was in the aftermath of the declaration of the emergency that the campaign to de-politicise the trade union movement began. While it is true that there were many communists in trade unions at that time and some had been advocating a violent struggle, many wanted to work through the democratic system to improve the conditions of the common worker, a right the British denied.

It was at this point that another umbrella body for trade unions was established. In February 1949, the MTUC was established under the presidency of legendary unionist Datuk P. P. Narayanan.

Still, the Malaysian trade union movement is rendered powerless by the Trade Union Act 1958 which was adopted from the Trade Union Ordinance. It was deliberately designed by the British colonial government under the pretext of eliminating communist influence from the trade union movement. Today the communist threat is no longer a problem, but the same dictatorial law continues to rob trade unions of the strength that it should have in championing the worker. F

While it is true that there were many communists in trade unions at that time and some had been advocating a violent struggle,many wanted to work through the democratic system to improve the conditions of the common worker, a right the British denied

Forward January 2008

Zainal Rampak:

i will never go back to MtUc

F

OR over two decades, the trade union movement was synonymous with Datuk Zainal Rampak who was the president of the Malaysian Trade Union Congress, the biggest union in the country.

But almost overnight in 2004, Zainal was no longer in favour of the union and was seen as a man who crossed over to the Government’s side.

Controversy still surrounds Zainal’s exit from the union mainstream, not least on the very public promise he made to step down as MTUC president if his closest challenger withdrew from the 2002 union elections.

We caught up with Zainal at his office at the Transport Workers Union, where he began his union work 40 years ago.

Zainal Rampak came from a poor family. His dad was a fisherman and when Zainal finished school he helped out on the boat. Zainal soon realised that fishermen and other workers lived a hard life and that there usually was no one to defend them against exploitation.

He knew then he wanted to help people like his father. It was not long before he discovered unions.

Zainal found his way into the TWU where he was made Organising Secretary, a grand title for someone whose work was to arrange chairs and looked after the public address system during meetings.

Zainal, always a likeable fellow who was determined to lead from the front, rose through the ranks up to the top post of General Secretary of the TWU – a post he still holds today.

From the TWU platform, Zainal ventured into the national unions and found himself elected Chairman of the MTUC Youth Division in 1972. A succession of higher posts followed until he became president in 1985.

His star shone brightly while he was at the MTUC but a meeting with then Prime Minister Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1998 proved fateful. It was at a time when a falling-out between Mahathir and

his deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was at its peak.

Zainal had gone to Mahathir’s office leading a delegation of other union leaders, but was the only one asked to see the Prime Minister.

The meeting lasted 45 minutes, but in retrospect it was 45 minutes that destroyed his 20 years of union ambitions at the MTUC. The details of the meeting were never revealed but when Zainal was made a Senator at Parliament, eyebrows were raised among union circles. To them, he had crossed over. It

Always a likeable fellow who was determined to lead from the front, rose through the ranks up to the top post of General Secretary of the TWU

inside the story

was a nail in his MTUC coffin.

At his office, Zainal is still clearly defensive about that appointment and questions why he accepted the offer.

“I asked the same question to Tun because I think there is a lot of other persons who is more qualified. Tun said that he wanted workers to have a voice in parliament,” he said.

Even though there was never open accusations of betrayal, Zainal said the conclusion was inevitable.

“In politics you don’t need a proof beyond reasonable doubt, a mere sequence of events is enough to give you a guilty verdict.”

Even now if you asked anybody if Zainal had ever betrayed the movement and was bought by the government, it is hard to find any evidence that he used his position for personal gain.

He could have benefited a lot from his position but he never even asked for a single piece of land in his name for personal use. One can find his outspoken views in the parliamentary Hansard, and which at times sparked heated debate among ministers.

Zainal said his appointment as senator made him a more effective union man.

“I stood firm on the principle matter even when I was a senator … I never compromised on a principle issue. Even though there is some criticism, and here and there people may disagree. I look at it as an opportunity to create a greater consultation with the government. I thought it was a duty to take this advantage for the interest of the worker. I was in the senate speaking about the plight of workers.”

4

Zainal may have foreseen that his close relationship with the Government at that time might have jeopardised his image, but said he would have done the same thing today.

“I always believe in the words of our late Tan Sri P Ramlee when he said ‘lagu dan irama tidak boleh dipisahkan’ (the song and the melody cannot be separated).

“It is the same with politics and the trade union movement. I still stand on that principle but I am playing a different tune.

“Trade unions must use politics to further the interest of the worker because if they don’t, politics will be used against them.”

Whatever his good intentions or ideals were at the time, Zainal’s move increased the feeling of dissatisfaction in the rank and file of the trade union movement.

The unions were divided. Some thought he was no longer fit to speak for the workers.

Things turned from bad to worse for Zainal over his promise he made

“I always believe in the words of our late Tan Sri P Ramlee when he said ‘lagu dan irama tidak boleh dipisahkan’ (the song and the melody cannot be separated).

to MTUC deputy president Shafie BC Mohamad to step down within a year, in return for the latter not contesting the president’s post in the 2002 elections.

But Zainal never stood down after he won the presidential election uncontested.

At least that is what was reported but Zainal has a different version of the story.

“It was not an agreement, it was just a press release, people misunderstood, (that) was not an agreement or even a memorandum of understanding. That was just a tactical ploy of campaigning for our group to catch the votes.

“I did it to support my line-up of candidates. I am a seasoned unionist, I know what the union is doing, I used it to deliver and give support to my line up.

Some people misunderstood it.

“In that press release, I said if our group won, then I was more than happy to hand over, but Shafie could not deliver, he cannot provide majority, then I called him with my group right here in this office I said, ‘Shafie, do you want to contest for the post of president?’ He said ‘you continue as president, I will not contest and I will continue as deputy president’.”

In all fairness to Shafie, he did keep his promise and only defended his position as deputy president in the 2004 MTUC elections.

In December 2004, Zainal’s leadership finally ended. Still it is unimaginable that his influence in MTUC over 20 years can be eroded just like that.

Zainal explains how his exit was engineered.

“I already knew their grand design to expel me, they cannot kill me or oust me.

“They got a few veteran trade unionists and cooked up fictitious allegations and got the opposition political parties involved.”

It is a matter of public speculation that Zainal was given the Senator’s post in return for keeping the unions out of the movement to support Anwar Ibrahim, who was eventually imprisoned on charges of sodomy and abuse of power.

“Anwar and I were good friends. We attended many conferences and forums together but you have to differentiate between your friendship and your leadership of the organisation. I believe when you are a leader, (you) should not use the movement to do a favour to your friend.

All this talk was a grand design to oust me from MTUC.” Zainal still keeps an eye on the MTUC, even if he is no longer in it.

Forward January 2008

“Now after they have ousted me. I am sad to say that there hasn’t even been one term that ends without a power struggle.

It is not good for the workers. I am sad to say the organisation that I built for years is facing yet again a leadership struggle in December. I would like to remind union leaders if there is continued jealousy among the leaders, MTUC could never fight for the workers.”

However, Zainal has had enough of the MTUC, as he explains with teary eyes: “I will never go back and take the leadership. I am deeply hurt; I was humiliated and accused of being the government’s puppet. Of course as human beings nobody is perfect and mistakes do happen; everybody has shortcomings so I am not excluded. But you must compare what (were) the mistakes that I did and the things I have done for the movement. Ask yourself, is it fair to have a grand design conspiracy to kick me out?”

Although Zainal is no longer with the MTUC, he is still a unionist, believes in the cause and fights for workers in his own way.

“But today I am more than happy after leaving MTUC, I serve my union, the Transport Workers Union and then I serve as chairman of Workers Institute of Technology, where we train a lot of people and retrain workers on a part-time basis. You know very well that some of these school leavers, when they leave school, they leave with nothing (and) straight into employment ever after, but the employers still will not recognise them as skilled workers. So the Workers Institute of Technology train them and get them certified as skilled workers. (This way) the employers cannot exploit them anymore and has to pay them higher salary”.

When asked what he thinks about the minimum wage campaign, he said, “I support it, we have been fighting for the minimum wage since 1998 but until today we still have not got it, (but) by certifying workers as skilled workers they don’t have to depend on the minimum wage. Employers have to pay them as skilled workers. The labour movement is working on a very restrictive legal framework. It is now for us to be creative and outsmart the law.”

As for Pertubuhan Pekerja Islam Malaysia (Islamic Workers Organisation), his response is: “I first heard of this organisation in Cairo, but let me make this clear. I will not support. I will never, never support a movement, which is based on religion. There are channels in

the MTUC for Muslims to put forward their grievances.

“But I do support the campaign for minimum wage. Humans are not commodities subject to price fluctuation; they are the backbone of the economic growth, not the capitalist. We love our country … if there is an attack on Malaysia the workers will go to the frontline to defend it but the employers will just move to another country.”

His loyalty to the cause that MTUC is fighting for is still evident in his views, although MTUC’s loyalty to his leadership has faded away for some time. When asked why he did not try to get back into MTUC by contesting, he replied with a look of despair, “I will never go back to MTUC. I am very hurt by the humiliation and the accusations thrown at me.

But I do hope MTUC will continue to champion the right of workers.”

In retrospect, Zainal has taken the labour movement to a new level, with a more consultative approach with the Government. The Government was more receptive to the concerns of the workers during his leadership than the present leadership. For instance, when he object to the use of EPF funds to bail out a company own by a corporate figure, the then Prime Minister Mahathir stopped the proposal from being approved.

Zainal Rampak is a leader who is loyal to the plight of workers. He should not have left the MTUC in that manner and let bygone be bygone. As for the MTUC, the present leadership under Syed Shahir is no less capable than him. After all the contributions in moulding the movement, he should be seen as a father-figure and could not be expected to make the first step in patching up their relationship for the benefit of the workers. F

“But today I am more than happy after leaving MTUC, I serve my union, the Transport Workers Union and then I serve as chairman of Workers Institute of Technology 25

cover story

6

Forward January 2008

AFTER

VW,

IS IT GOODBYE TO

LOTUS

TOO?

27

cover story n By Zulkifli Othman ight at the heels of the 11th hour cancellation of Proton’s partnership deal with Volkswagen AG, there are proposals from interested parties to buy the Malaysian company’s prized overseas subsidiary Lotus Cars UK, it is understood.

Sources familiar with the company said this strange twist to the Proton saga was not unexpected, given the controversy surrounding the negotiations with Volkswagen in the company’s search for a technical partner and its survival as a They can’t be car company.

“Now that Proton is seen to be expected to hand floundering without a partner, we can Lotus on a platter expect moves for the more attractive of the company,” a source familto someone else, parts iar with the development said. not when they have It is understood that the parties interested in Lotus had expressed intermanaged to turn it est soon after the deal with VW fell through. around at last Any sale of Lotus would invite intense scrutiny following the Euro 1.00 sale of another foreign subsidiary – MV Agusta of Italy – last year. That deal is still shrouded in controversy because the buyers have never been disclosed.

R

8

“If the sale was to go on, there had better be a good reason for it,” said an industry observer.

It must be noted though that the proposal comes at a time when Proton has finally made progress in turning around the high–performance British company.

“They can’t be expected to hand Lotus on a platter to someone else, not when they have managed to turn it around at last,” said one source.

That someone else is a matter of conjecture at this time but there are many indications that it would either be a foreign based company or, closer to home, the Naza group, which presently assembles the “national MPV” - a re-badged Kia Carnival - as well the Peugeot 206.

At the home front, Naza has made public its ambition to become a major auto player numerous times in the past.

It had once offered to buy 40 per cent of Proton when the car-maker was faced with falling domestic sales and an uncertain future.

Naza and another bidder for Proton, DRB-Hicom Bhd, presented outline plans to turn around Proton but their offers were never accepted.

The Naza Group, formed in 1974 by Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin, has 14 business divisions including motor assembly and trading as well as

Forward January 2008

transport, machine parts, engineering, plantation, cigarette distribution, credit and leasing and property.

However, Naza is more famous for its automobile business. Naza Group currently holds the Malaysian franchise for South Korea’s Kia vehicles.

Nasimuddin keeps a low-profile in the Malaysian business circles but he knows how to sell cars. Judging by recent reported sales volume, his automotive empire should have registered revenue of RM4 billion. In Malaysia, a highly profitable car company is valued at roughly the same price as the revenue figure.

Since Naza registered interest to buy the sizeable chunk of Proton (about 40 percent), and has built a RM1.2 billion factory in Bertam, it’s predictable that Naza is a very profitable company awash in cash, with some estimates that its automotive and property development being worth about US$2 billion.

Nasimuddin, dubbed “AP King” by local Press, was squarely in the limelight in 2005 when it was claimed that he and three other businessmen monopolised the issuance of Approved Permits for car imports by the Government.

It was a hot topic in Parliament and eventually, the Malaysian cabinet stopped the practice of issuance of APs in favour of the New Automotive Policy.

However, Nasimuddin is keen on becoming the main automotive player in Malaysia and is believed to be still looking for acquisitions.

Why Proton backed-off When the Malaysian Government announced that Proton was walking away from a much-publicised deal with Volkswagen AG last month, many thought “here we go again”.

The deal was aborted after the government had views from the shareholders, management and few senior cabinet ministers.

Sources revealed that the VW would take up 19 per cent of the Malaysian company but in return wanted total board and management control. This control would come without clear assurances on platforms that it would share with Proton, nor detailed commitment to Proton’s future.

Volkswagen also asked that the Government foot the bill for any restructuring it deems necessary in Proton and its vendors, sources say.

The Proton management had explained to the Government that there are positive signs of improvement and that they are making significant in-roads to the export market, sources said.

The company had numbers to show that a lot of good things were happening at the national carmaker under the new management of Syed Zainal.

Over the past year, Proton has trimmed its number of dealers in Malaysia from an unwieldy 400 to just fewer than 300.

This has made him unpopular but the dealers that made the cut are taking in more orders individually.

When Proton launched Syed Zainal has also tackled its Thai the thorny, and politically minemodels in laden, issue of its well-connected dealers and vendors. Vendors mid-December during have been Proton’s Achilles heel from the beginning of its incep- the Bangkok Motor Show – 1,000 vehicles were tion. Part of Proton’s previous bad reputation for poor quality ordered, which is about could be traced to vendors that 200 more than were were selected based on who they expected. knew not on the parts they supplied to the car maker.

One notorious example that every Proton early customer hated were power windows that refused to work. Proton took years to cure that problem and

The light at the end of the tunnel Since his last exclusive interview with Forward soon after he took over the Proton hot seat in 2006, Managing Director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Tahir has been making good his promise.

caption: Proton’s quest for survival will rely on customers acceptance to new models

29

cover story

one that Tengku Mahaleel counted as one of his achievements while he was at Proton.

However, the present management has taken what could be Proton’s biggest step towards being a commercial success. It has made good its promise to build vehicles that the market wants – wherever it may be.

Company insiders said the latest model that Proton unveiled was made after extensive market research were conducted in all of the car-maker’s new focus areas – the Middle-East, India, China and the newly emerging East European countries. “We are serious about putting our emphasis on the customer’s needs,” said a Proton executive who refused to be named.

He said Proton has moved away from making fast small cars and more towards vehicles that are roomy, practical, tough and economical. It is understood that Proton is working on a full-sized Multi Purpose Vehicle that is due to come out within two years.

In tandem with making desirable products, Proton has beefed up its marketing skills in overseas markets as well. Its recent tie-up with a Thai company to distribute Proton cars in Thailand is an illustration.

This was the first time that Proton appointed a dealer in Malaysia’s northern neighbour.

“There were many candidates vying to be Proton’s

0

Forward January 2008

distributor and dealer in Thailand but the company that eventually signed the dotted line was one that owned a finance company. This enabled Proton to sell cars with the customer paying only 10 per cent down-payment, the common practice in Thailand is that customers paid a minimum of 30 per cent down-payment,” says a source familiar with the deal.

This tie-up has already produced unexpected results. When Proton launched its Thai models in mid-December during the Bangkok Motor Show – 1,000 vehicles were ordered, which is about 200 more than were expected.

Company executives are excited about the number of orders because it proved that Proton cars can sell amidst fierce competition from the likes of Toyota, Nissan, Ford and General Motors, all of which are popular in Thailand.

Proton is likely to emulate the same tactics in many neighbouring markets in Asean.

European manufacturer to re-badge Protons?

Proton’s quest for a strategic partner is still crucial for its long-term viability in the auto industry, but it might not necessarily be tied to equity sale.

This will free up negotiations and probably steer partnerships into technical cooperation and marketing alliances.

Proton insiders say the aborted deal with VW AG demonstrated that equity alliances can be detrimental to the Malaysian company because of its small size compared with other partners.

They are confident that Proton has the goods to offer larger partners without sacrificing its domestic market and equity.

It is understood that the market are not discounting even Mitsubishi, the Japanese car manufacturer that kick-started Proton but with which the Malaysian company parted ways under Tengku Mahaleel’s time.

Such strategic partnerships will open up other markets for Proton, even if its products are sold under another name. The way is open for Proton to sell vehicles that will be re-badged by bigger automakers in the future.

The present Proton management understands that the company’s niche markets may be different from what the bulk of its present line-up was designed for.

“Proton needs new models, but not just any type of new models, it needs models that will be cheaper, tougher, roomier and better-made than many of its present line-up,” a source said.

Leave Proton alone Since the new management took over last year, Proton has quietly addressed many of the weaknesses of the company including implementing better customer care service, streamlining its vendor chain as well as its dealerships.

It has also finally listened to what the market

Proton will make cars that the market wants

needed instead of foisting boy-racer cars on markets that are more receptive to cheaper run-abouts than highway-chomping bullets.

Insiders say the Malaysian company’s return to the basics and the infusion of some good old Japanesestyle discipline (Syed Zainal came to Proton directly from Perodua) has raised morale immensely.

“We think that Proton is a different animal than the Proton of even two years ago and the man“Proton needs new agement deserves to be allowed to models, but not just do their jobs professionally,” said an industry observer. any type of new mod“The Government should leave els, it needs models Proton’s management alone when that will be cheaper, they are showing good results are coming. Proton deserves another tougher, roomier and chance.” better-made than Proton’s quarter century journey as a national car project has been many of its present fraught with obstacles but these line-up,” are finally being tackled positively.

It would have helped shape public opinion if Proton’s plans are disclosed but the management is playing its cards close to the chest because there is a sense that it has an uphill road to go yet, with competitors nipping at its heels.

However, as the rumoured plans for the sale of Lotus shows, Proton is also facing some keen competition closer to home. F

31

cover story proton can MaKE it WitHoUt BiG naME paRtnER

(but it will be a long and bloody battle) n By Shamsul Yunos

N

ow that the wedding between Proton and VW has been called off, the future of the national car company is again a matter of public discussion – and most predict that it will be a long and rocky

road ahead.

There is a small number of people, familiar with the details who say the Government was wise in stopping the deal from going through after considering a number of factors, ranging from national pride to safeguarding the nation’s long term industrial interest.

The public reason given for calling off the deal was improving financial health at the national carmaker, with losses being capped and the balance sheet inching closer to black.

In fact the company reported on Nov 30 that it is profitable again after six quarters of heavy losses.

For the quarter ending Sept 30, Proton Holdings posted a net profit of RM3.5 million on revenue of RM1.3 billion, compared with a loss of RM250 million on a turnover of RM1.27 billion a year earlier.

More usefully, the third quarter sales figure of 34,320 units compares favourably with the 28,145 cars sold in the preceding quarter, boosting their market share from 26.5 per cent in the second quarter to 33.1 in the three-months under review.

This was based on the strength of Persona sales.

Persona is the sedan variant of the slow selling Gen-2 model, which was hailed by the local automotive Press as a good driver’s car but found little sympathy from families that are looking for cabin space and a sedan.

Over the last four months since its launch, Proton has received 23,000 orders for the Persona, which is a definite uptrend but it is still behind sales of the Perodua Myvi.

Proton appears to have shifted Proton is a small its focus and is now counting on markets in emerging economies. It company when announced that it would be compared to the top recently exporting cars to Iran (40,000 units five industry giants, a year) and China (80,000 units a year) from 2012. and this would lead The extra 100,000 unit demand even the dimmest first- when coupled with the 250,000 to 300,000 units that they can sell in year economics Malaysia is encouraging if it is a sign student to spout of things to come.

The average Malaysian, who has arguments of supported Proton and gave it the legs economies of scale it needed to become an auto-maker, the swift and controversial end to the negotiations with VW was worrying, especially after being told that it was a make-or-break deal.

Malaysians have a vested interest to know what is to become of Proton and what impact any decisions would have on the automotive industry and the economy as a whole.

For many critics the breakdown of the VW deal portends a demise of Proton because what chance has a small Malaysian car-maker against the big guns of the industry worldwide.

This is certainly an opinion that agrees easily with the accountant’s calculator but it may not necessarily be the most accurate representation of the situation on the ground.

While it is true that Proton is a small company when compared to the top five industry giants, and this would lead even the dimmest first-year economics student to spout arguments of economics of scale, there are other means of measuring competitiveness and efficiency.

Porsche is the most obvious example of how small can be beautiful and its recent decision to swallow Volkswagen shows just how successful a small carmaker can be.

Obviously there are major differences between Proton and Porsche and we don’t propose to draw any parallels between the two.

Whereas the Malaysian carmaker grazes on thinning profits in the highly competitive entry level mass market, Zuffenhausen enjoys generous margins from high-value products that command huge premium from customers.

This may sound like a pitch from a marketing course but brand is nearly everything these days and it can make or break a company.

S.F. Schmidt believes that the pertinent question to ask is this: How does Proton see itself in the future? Does want to continue to be a national carmaker or does it just want to be a carmaker.

Proton may still be only one of Malaysia’s several “national” car makers but it is the only one that is beginning to show an ability to export its products.

However, before it can be a running success or even become a viable car-maker for that matter, first Proton must overcome some weaknesses that had hampered its past: The Numbers Game In today’s market, even luxury carmakers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW are producing around 1 million units a year and there is a very good reason for the high production number – economies of scale.

More and more we are hearing of carmakers rationalising the number of platforms on which they build their cars and the reason they do this is to reduce the total number of components that they Forward January 2008

need to engineer and source.

Common components help to save money and two of the best player at this game is Toyota and Volkswagen which are known for sharing components throughout their entire model range.

Economies of scale is not an abstract idea, it has proven to be a major cost advantage for many carmakers.

Although a car retails for tens of thousands of ringgit carmakers, even those playing in the premium segment are regularly engaged in cost cutting exercise with vendors, shaving a few cents per component, vital in a product that is made up thousands of parts.

Once the cost of materials have been shaved to the lowest possible level without noticeably affecting quality, high volumes will then help make full use of plant capacity and this again helps to spread labour and overhead cost over more units.

Proton’s Tanjung Malim has a design capacity of 250,000 cars although installed capacity is 150,00 units a year while Shah Alam can crank out similar numbers with both the high volume and medium volume plant working at full tilt.

We need to find a benchmark for Proton.

In terms of production volume, Proton is comparable to small hitters like Swedish carmaker Saab and Volvo. Last year Volvo’s annual production stood at 450,000 cars and they are committed to cranking that up to 600,000 units in 2009. Meanwhile Saab

sold 133,000 cars globally in 2006.

Last year Proton shifted 115,538 cars from showrooms, a far cry from their peak of over 200,000 cars.

At these volumes the two Swedish carmakers are still struggling with Saab clearly still facing major financial obstacles. It relies almost totally on General Motor’s charity to come up with new models and even then it most involves re-skinning GM’s existing products.

At its current volume Volvo has to rely on Ford’s extensive resources to develop new platform and they share the cost over several brands. For example the Mazda 3, Ford Focus and Volvo S40 all share the same basic platform although the three companies undertake significant further development to suit their needs.

Without such cost sharing over a large volume, Volvo could not possibly enjoy the number of models that they have today.

Keep in mind that when it was a completely independent company in the 1970s and early 1980s Volvo had the 240 series and the 740 series which they developed entirely on their own.

However the lack of model lineup forced them into a technical collaboration with Renault and Mitsubishi in the late 1980s and this resulted in the 300 series and the acquisition of front-wheel drive technology.

This technical marriage also gave birth to the first

33

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S40, which was a platform shared with Mitsubishi and it also gave them the ability to rationalise all their models into front-wheel drive cars in the form of the 800 series and later the S60 and S80..

But even with this expanded model range they were unable to compete in the market until the arrival of the XC90, which Proton’s oldest model, the helped them regain some footing.

Saga is 22 years old, the The smallest of the Japanese Wira is 15 years old, the carmakers is Subaru and it produces Perdana is also more than around a million car a year and remains relatively profitable although a decade old, the Waja is recently it has found some red ink six years old, the Gen 2 is and had to call in Toyota to buy some nearly four years old while equity and take up production slack.

From these figures we can deduce the Savvy is two years old. that a mass market brand can expect The Persona is a variation to survive it they can produce one of the Gen-2 and it is about million car a year whereas a niche maker can stay afloat at around four months old. half a million units. These should be Proton’s long medium to long term targets, once they have decided on their market positioning.

New Models On average a new model can last in the market between five to seven years with the Japanese, Korean and European mass market brands holding on to their products for half a decade while luxury German and European brands keeping cars going until it gets itchy.

Proton’s oldest model, the Saga is 22 years old, the Wira is 15 years old, the Perdana is also more than a decade old, the Waja is six years old, the Gen 2 is nearly four years old while the Savvy is two years old. The Persona is a variation of the Gen-2 and it is about four months old.

Given the age of the offering and model life cycle, Proton needs to come out with a new model on average about once a year from next year and come up with products for fast growing segments such as multi-purpose vehicles and possibly even sports utility vehicle.

Proton needs a comprehensive product portfolio if it wants to be taken seriously as a mass market producer.

These days even luxury carmakers have a lineup consisting of five models or more while mass market players are known to have more than 30 models built on as many as 12 or 15 platforms.

If we look at Volvo and Saab, both of these companies were on the brink of collapse about a decade ago as

4

they find themselves increasingly unable to compete neither in terms of economies of scale or brand presence.

Today Volvo is part of Ford’s Premier Auto Group while Saab is a pawn in General Motor’s chessboard.

Of the two Volvo is faring better as the clear focus on safety gives it a strong customer base in the premium family segment whereas Saab struggles to attract customers to their aerospace heritage.

Volvo has five models in its lineup, the C30, S40 S60 S80 XC90 and from these base models they also offer variants such as station wagons V50 and V70, as well as the C70 coupe/cabriolet.

Saab has the 9-3, 9-5 and 9-7 SUV and offer a cabriolet variant of their 9-3.

We shall leave Saab out of the comparison because it is clearly not a successful enough model to emulate. The company continues to struggle with sales and is prime candidate for closure. As it is they are simply rebadging GM models.

Volvo’s five platform line-up is jointly developed with other companies within the Ford empire and they are given a certain wide latitude to develop the platforms beyond the initial joint effort. This helps everyone in the group to share the costs of development and it is not entirely unknown for a completely new model to cost car companies well beyond EURO 1 billion (RM5 billion).

With a model’s lifespan extending only seven years, Volvo has to come up with one new model every year and that adds up to hundreds of millions of Euros every year in shared development cost.

Even with cost sharing and a strong brand, Volvo still has a question mark hanging over its brand’s viability in the long run. Volvo is a company that no longer competes on price alone but even with its strong premium the company’s financial performance has not been stellar, despite selling nearly half a million cars a year.

Proton, with sales of less than 200,000 units and slim profit margins would find the going even tougher as it faces a fast changing automotive scene where annual facelifts are the norm and five-year model-life the rule.

The national carmaker has shown one strength in the past few model launch, an ability to develop a new car for a fraction of the accepted global cost.

The Gen-2 was developed for about RM1 billion, which a veritable shoestring budget in the mass market segment.

Forward January 2008

Companies such as Land Rover, Aston Martin and Proton’s own Lotus Cars have been known to spend similar amounts on research and development of a new model but these are specialty models and they are not known for their reliability or durability.

Mass-market models need reliability and durability testing and this is very expensive and time consuming.

The mathematics show that they need about RM1 billion in development cost a year. Can Proton do this?

Technology Issues Proton has yet to develop a capacity to come up with their own cutting edge technology and this can prove to be a critical flaw in their future plans.

Foremost in the minds of the industry is the escalating price of fuel and most carmakers are now finding solutions to the problem through high technology, be it petrol-electric/diesel-electric hybrid drive system, more efficient and cleaner internal combustion engines or even fuel cell technology.

This is considered essential technology and most carmakers are also working on extending their options and specifications list to meet a more demanding market.

Currently Proton’s only claim to technology comes in the form of their Campro engine and that has proven to be an Achilles heel with customers complaining about its driveability which is the result of a peculiar torque curve.

Fuel-efficiency will be a huge component of success for a car-maker and Proton better have access to some new technology if it wants to succeed in markets where customers demand energy-efficient models.

Failure to develop or acquire new technology will mean that Proton is closely tethered to the Malaysian market and will have to compete on price, both of which are serious limiting factors to its growth.

Though there are rumours that Proton is flirting with hybrid engine technology, the company has not announced any new development in this area.

With such limited features, Proton cars will find buyers in less developed markets such as Africa, South America or India but China may prove to be a harder nut to crack.

According to Goldman Sachs, China’s GDP will eclipse Germany this year and become bigger than Japan’s in 2015. Realising this tremendous growth in purchasing power carmakers are already offering better technology to the Chinese market.

Proton will have to work out a technology roadmap to ensure its competitiveness in the automotive market.

If you add the cost of technology research to the money needed every year to develop new models, then the total R&D expenditure for Proton will exceed the RM1 billion mark a year.

If their sales uptrend continues and the much vaunted BLM entry-level model can recapture some of their lost market share and profitability, then

Proton certainly has a fighting chance. The company once had a hoard of RM4 billion when it reigned supreme in the Malaysian market. If it can rebuild that reserve then they should be enough to invest in the appropriate technology.

Emerging Markets Proton is making much of its export programme with 5,000 Waja sent to Iran as taxis and a plan to produce as many as 20,000 units a year there by 2010, then there is the deal to send 30,000 Gen2 to JinhouaYCurrently Proton’s oungman and plans to locally only claim to technolassemble 80,000 cars annually in ogy comes in the form China by 2012.

Commentators say that this is a of their Campro engine big step forward for consumers in and that has proven to China whose choice of non-luxury be an Achilles heel with cars, according to some reports, are limited to Chinese cars that are customers complaining lower in standards than Proton. about its driveability However China is a fast evolvwhich is the result of a ing market and more carmakers are pushing their wares there and peculiar torque curve it will be a matter of time before buyers in the Middle Kingdom get a taste of more modern technology in their cars.

If Proton wants to have a strong presence, it will have to either ramp up their quality and technology or maintain a cost advantage.

Renault had shown the way with the EUR5,000 Dacia Logan, Toyota has a low-cost car programme in place producing models such as the Vios, Avanza and Innova while Volkswagen is testing the waters with their Fox model.

35

cover story Another possibility is Africa which is still relying on decades old French technology in the form of locally assembled Peugeot and Renault cars.

Even here Proton needs to make the move fairly swiftly as Chinese carmakers like Chery are already making inroads offering their models for rebadging as a way of opening up the African market and balancing their trade deficit from oil imports.

Nurturing new markets takes a lot of marketing ingenuity, something that Proton has not had a lot of practice with, given their protected home market advantage.

Proton needs to get up to speed quickly in China and establish itself as a credible player before the market matures, which could be in the next five to ten years as the economy grows.

There is also talk of India as being another market for Proton where they can promote entry level models such as the Savvy and BLM models. BLM is the booted version of the Savvy which is due to be launched in January.

Due to taxation, local assembly is the realistic way forward for any plans of This year they India in a significant way. embarked on a major entering If the Savvy or BLM proves popular price slashing and makes it into the top ten ranking, then Proton could be looking at a volcampaign for the ume of more than 100,000 units a year.

Saga, reducing the Other Proton models do not look price tag to make even like they suit the Indian market which prefers small-sized cars that are more the cheapest in their congested roads.

Perodua Kancil look usable Although some suggest that the Perlike a poor bargain dana may be a worthwhile low volume executive model for the subcontinent, the lack of presence of Korean or Japanese carmakers suggest that there may not be a market for such cars in India.

Proton also has the opportunity to bank on its Malaysian origins and tap the Middle East and Islamic markets.

It should not underestimate the pulling power of the ‘Muslim’ car, especially one that can offer decent technology, styling and driveability as an alternative to entry-level Korean cars.

6

Marketing While many Malaysians complaint about Proton quality, the reality is that most of the cars coming from the Shah Alam company is actually of good quality.

A major weakness at Proton is marketing and up till now, they are still wanting in this department.

This year they embarked on a major price slashing campaign for the Saga, reducing the price tag to make even the cheapest Perodua Kancil look like a poor bargain.

Price cuts are generally considered as a poor marketing technique as it cuts into margins and alienates existing owners who now have to endure dramatic depreciation of their existing cars.

Proton needs to look at its marketing strategy and raise the brand above the entry level and into a more premium category.

This is a major key for their future success and the company certainly needs to ramp it up.

Strong marketing will help them to open up new markets and improve their pricing in existing ones.

Quality Any honest assessment of Proton needs to look closely at their quality levels and for the longest time the company has been pointing their fingers to vendors.

It is strange that suppliers continue to be the quality bottleneck, especially since other local manufacturers and assemblers seem quite able of coaxing better grades of component from the same set of suppliers.

The unspoken problem here is political patronage and industry observers like SF Schmidt believes this is the reason why Volkswagen insisted on management control of the company should they become a partner.

Stories of dismal vendor performance are abound and in the past it has been said that many cannot be rid of due to their political connection and should this problem persist, then Proton’s chances of taking charge of its own destiny will be that much more difficult.

The Government’s decision to call off talks with possible foreign partners is a feather in the cap of Syed Zainal’s management team, as it shows renewed confidence in the local team’s abilities.

However they need to be given a free hand when Forward January 2008

it comes to technical matters concerning vendors.

Those that cannot deliver quality at competitive prices must be taken off the roster without political interference.

As with all the issues raised above, the pertinent question is whether Proton wants to be a national car company or just a car company.

While there is no denying that Proton should take into consideration the national agenda, it should not be a blanket policy that smothers the company and make it difficult to maneuver.

Local or Bumiputra vendors that are unwilling to up their game must be retired from service to allow those with more commitment to grow.

According to vendors that we spoke to, the support industry has matured enough to offer Proton global quality if given the chance but they want some sense of stability and volume in order to grow with the company.

“Many suppliers have diversified outside of the automotive industry when Proton was unable to give us the volume, we were simply forced to look for other revenue stream and those who undertook the exercise are now tougher and leaner.

“The time for mollycoddling vendors is over, we must now dream of becoming global players and leveraging on Proton’s business to expand our capabilities.

The National Agenda Proton was supposed to be the engine driving the country’s move into the manufacturing sector and to date it has been a success story in the sense that it has helped develop a whole array of support industry and has given the country the capability to develop a car from scratch.

There are still gaps in our ability to design a car - a significant portion of the engineering work is farmed out to Korea, whether on technology limitation or cost reasons - but Malaysia is now among the elite band of nations that can come up with its own design.

While selling off Proton will likely have a significant positive impact on the market in the short to medium term as the new partner pumps in money to come up with new products and revamp the company but as with any kind of foreign investment, there is always a danger that they money will migrate to better destinations when we have lost our advantage.

We have seen it happen in the semiconductor industry and there is no guaranteeing that Proton’s foreign partner may not simply pull up stakes and cut their losses when they see greener grass elsewhere.

Selling the national carmaker is tantamount to declaring our defeat but on the other hand the Malaysian market is no longer willing to support Proton purely for the benefit of the national agenda.

Buyers want quality and are now willing to pay for it so Proton needs to up the ante and reward the millions of Malaysians that have been supporting them all these years with good cars at a reasonable

price.

The national agenda has to be moved into a higher gear, away from capacity building and towards generating excellence and becoming world class.

With Perodua ever ready to offer good value and Naza keen to show off their marketing capability with up-to-date nationalised models and locally assembled versions of up to date cars, Proton’s home ground advantage is no longer what it used to be.

Malaysians, like Perodua with its links to Japan Koreans and have shown that they understand the market and is quite willing to work Japanese who hard to win the lion’s share of sales. supported their Naza’s motivation is simple, it is a private company and very focused domestic on the bottom line. manufacturers Apart from being a commercial venture, Proton has the added loyally, understand burden of boot-strapping Malaysia’s this and have always industrial dreams as well as a conduit supported Proton for manufacturing and management know-how for the country.

– and will continue to Malaysians, like Koreans and Japado so nese who supported their domestic manufacturers loyally, understand this and have always supported Proton – and will continue to do so. However, there is a big “but”. Proton must reward that trust and show that it is willing to change and face these problems head-on.

That is the task at hand for Syed Zainal and Mohamed Azlan, and SF Schmidt believes that staying small is simply not an option for Proton, this is why it can no longer stay within its comfort zone as national carmaker but must look to enlarge its horizons. F

37

inside the story

n By Zakiah Koya

W

hen all hope seems lost, these are the angels who come down with a helping hand.

Vivacious, eager, opinionated and determined, many lawyers have taken it upon themselves to provide legal aid to the downtrodden and the poor.

Under the Bar Council, if one is charged in court and is unable to afford legal representation, he or she is then given legal aid with no fee whatsoever charged.

Why do these lawyers, who hold fixed paying jobs, and can rake in money by taking on corporate clients, risk life and limb to help the accused who is a stranger who will not pay a cent?

Is this a new phenomenon of lawyers helping the downtrodden? Do they have an agenda?

Bar Council chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan says that apart from the many lawyers seen providing legal aid work, it must be remembered that there are many unsung heroes who offer aid on their own, go to the police stations and give services pro bono.

“It is not only the young lawyers who often give legal aid.

And legal aid under the Bar Council is not only in Kuala Lumpur but all over the country,” says Ambiga.

8

Senior lawyer Haji Sulaiman Abdullah says that socially committed lawyers are not something new. They have always been there and there will continue to be socially committed lawyers in the local scene.

He states that while it might be perceived that there is a new breed of young lawyers committed to fighting for the downtrodden, the fact is they may be less “shy” now.

“Young lawyers nowadays are not shy and express themselves very clearly on their social commitments and press others to take up the cause as well. This may be the reason,” says Sulaiman.

Sulaiman explains that in the earlier days, many of the lawyers went to do their law overseas – United Kingdom – and qualified at the Inns. Thus, when they return they are not socially involved in the societies and also the pressures of everyday work can be overwhelming that they have no time to take up social commitments.

Forward January 2008

“Also, now the legal education is done locally and local values are being stressed, and there is the break in the greater awareness in the interest of the society at large. Also there is much more political discussion.”

Ambiga, nevertheless, states that it does not matter where they are educated, lawyers should always highlight the importance of human rights.

Sulaiman says that it is a generalisation to say that only now lawyers are more aware of their social responsibilities.

“If you take the lawyers’ walk that was held recently, one must not forget that there was a march by lawyers in 1998 in support of Zainur Zakaria who was held in contempt of court. And 42 of them were charged.

“This means that lawyers have always been socially aware of what is happening around them and passionate for certain causes,” add Sulaiman.

Zainur Zakaria was threatened with a three-month jail sentence for being in contempt of court during the infamous Anwar Ibrahim trial.

Ambiga states that the Bar has always embraced the need for lawyers to make social responsibilities one of their priorities.

part of lawyers, both young and new, we must remember that it was not something invented yesterday. It is part of the human psychic to ensure that being educated, one has the responsibility towards the fellow citizens and the downtrodden,” says Sulaiman.

Ambiga agrees fully, but wishes more lawyers would come forward to take up these causes.

“Some lawyers do not do so because of the money making factor but one must remember that lawyers are compensated under the compensation fund by the Bar Council for services rendered.

“Although there is quite a number of lawyers passionate in taking up legal aid cases, I do wish there were many more,” says Ambiga.

“While we applaud any manifestation of social obligation on the 39

inside the story

angel in

black F

How come we have such an imbalanced life? Is this the way it should be? It is too embarassing

40

adiah Nadwa first saw the need to provide legal aid when she was sent to Belantek detention centre for illegal immigrants as a special observer during her chambering stint in Alor Star.

“It was the first time for me to be visiting such a detention centre and I was with a senior lawyer and a colleague. I saw how the accused illegal immigrants were treated.

There were Myanmarese, Thais and Indonesians. They may be illegals but they are still humans. And I felt that these people did not get their rights to justice. Justice is upon discretion but how could one be given the whip merely for overstaying?”

Fadiah may be “fresh” in the legal practice but this is one woman who believes that justice is all about social justice.

“There should be check and balance in this life. To me, the high rise buildings are blinding people, for at the same time, we have people in Sabah and Sarawak who can’t get an education? Then, there are people still living in wooden shacks without basic necessities in Malaysia. There are people merely eking out a living by selling tiny things.

“How come we have such an imbalanced life? Is this the way it should be? It is too embarrassing,” states Fadiah, getting all passionate about the very fact that she feels lawyers have the duty to ensure social justice.

From her many observations and legal aid duties, she finds that most of the time, the poor do not even know that they are entitled to legal representation when they are charged in court.

She is working on a case, where a leg was broken at the hands of the police during the recent rally in Kuala Lumpur calling for free and fair elections by Bersih.

The man, said Fadiah, was an innocent bystander, who just happened to be at the wrong time and the wrong place.

Forward January 2008

“When I heard of his case, I went looking for him in the hospital.

There I found his wife and children all broken down and when they knew I was a lawyer wanting to provide legal aid, they looked at me as if I was some superpower. At that moment, I knew that they were my fate and that I was there for a reason,” said Fadiaah.

Fadiah also helped many of those that were arrested during the rally, which was attended by some 40,000, according to the media.

“I attended the rally as an observer from the Bar Council. I managed to confront the police when they were assaulting and battering the participants. I went to the police station to get those arrested out, but was denied access. When some of them were released, I accompanied these people to court and these were people I barely or did not know at all.”

According to Fadiah, she is aware of the possibility of being arrested herself when dealing with such cases.

“People will brand you names.

That is not my problem. As long as it

is for justice, I will walk with anyone.”

Fadiah, part of the group called “legal aiders” under the Bar Council, feels that youth should not be wasted.

“I am not worried about missing out on the social scene. The lawyers who fought for social causes such as Abdul Razak inspire me on. It is not the reputation or money. The people will thank you for what you have done. And I am sure God will guide me in this cause and make me stronger each day. God will help me to keep my faith when I help those who are in need,” adds Fadiah, who hopes one day she will be able to provide legal aid full time. F

She is working on a case, where a leg was broken at the hands of the police during the recent rally in Kuala Lumpur calling for free and fair elections by Bersih

41

inside the story

My name is Bon,

H

e seems to have immersed himself fully in the legal practice, despite claiming that he had no inclinations to become a lawyer in his schooldays.

What more, Edmund Bon is today a name often associated with human rights cases needing legal aid.

Among the more known cases that he has been involved with is that of nongovernmental organisation Tenaganita, whose director Irene Fernandez was charged under Section 8A(2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 with “maliciously publishing false news” and releasing a memorandum on the alleged torture and death in immigration detention camps.

(Her trial, which began on June 10, 1996, is the longest criminal trial in the country’s history.)

Fernandez was found guilty by the courts.

Ed Bon

He had also taken up a number of cases involving detainees under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

But one he is extremely proud of is his role in the research, interviews and taking of instructions from ISA “Reformasi” detainees culminating in the landmark Federal Court decision of Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor.

In Ezam’s case, the judge indicted Section 16(A) of the Official Secrets Act 1972 which allows a government official the discretion to classify government documents as confidential, as “meaningless, obnoxious, draconian and oppressive”.

Other ISA detainees Edmund had defended were those accused of being members the terrorist group “Al Maunah”, who gained notoriety when several of its members of carried out an arms heist from a military camp in Perak in 2000.

Edmund says that at one point of time,

to take up human rights cases was just not “sexy” for lawyers.

That perception, according to Edmund, is changing.

“I first started getting interested about human rights during my Christian Fellowship days in secondary school,” says this former Methodist Boys School student and Chevening scholarship recipient.

“I read up on religions and human rights. Then when I started my legal practice, I got roped in by our Bar Council’s Kuala Lumpur Legal Aid Centre in the Urgent Arrest Team to represent the hundreds detained during Reformasi demonstrations. It was unbelievable, being part of the large number of lawyers working round the clock - at police stations, in court, preparing for trial. The camaraderie it generated and the skills learnt was the launching pad for many of our friends at the Bar today leading in their own way and in the Bar’s causes.

“I got involved with the non govern-

We have an informal set-up - a group of lawyers from different firms crazy about rights issues and we work together on cases

4

Forward January 2008

mental organisations (NGOs) such as Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) and National Human Rights’ Association (HAKAM),” says Edmund.

He now sits on many of their boards.

Edmund also plays a very active role in the Bar Council and leads the Human Rights Committee. He has conducted many workshops on human rights advocacy for various sections of the community.

Edmund is also a founding member of a dedicated team of human rights lawyers in Malaysia dealing with human rights advocacy and legal interventions.

“We have an informal set-up as a group of lawyers from different firms crazy about rights issues and we work together in cases. We delineate certain types of issues according to each one’s expertise and interest,” explains Edmund.

Believing that a lawyer has a duty to society, Edmund does not care for the labels heaped upon him.

“At one time, playing up the human rights issue can prove to be difficult for the Bar Council,” says Edmund, obviously a lawyer who lives and breathes the Bar Council.

According to Edmund, human rights issues are normally championed by the opposition parties. He explains that in cases such as civil disobedience cases, the Bar Council used to find it difficult to make a formal stand on these issues.

Edmund insists that the Bar Council has come a long way from those days of being afraid to make a stand on these issues “People would like to paint you with perceptions. There is a need to change that mindset – rather than focusing on the personalities, one should focus on the issues. For me, if Umno says good and does good, I am okay. And if the opposition says good and does good, I am also okay.”

As for his stand, Edmund says that he is nevertheless worried about the rot in the tertiary institutions due to the stifling of legitimate dissent.

“The ‘ISA 7’ case is the symbol of rot in the tertiary. This case has attracted the academia as well as the young lawyers.”

Edmund states that undergraduates are the future of the country and opines that the government does not like to see proper dissent.

In the “ISA 7” case, seven students of higher institutions of learning were threatened expulsion for taking part in an anti-ISA rally.

Edmund comes from a family where the parents were strong supporters of Barisan Nasional. However, Edmund stresses that dissent is allowed in the house. It is legitimate dissent that Edmund would like to see more among the younger lawyers.

To Edmund, justice is fair, but it can be hard to find. He cites one simple case where an elderly woman was charged with stealing colour pencils from a supermarket. The very fact that he had to argue about her mental state and her family situation to get her a good behavior bond stirred in him that justice is hard to find.

Edmund can go on and on about his

activism but one thing is for sure -- he feels strongly for the need for lawyers to uphold the constitution to defend human rights.

“We have a Constitution which is being torn to shreds by our courts and Parliament surreptitiously. What rights do you actually have against the police today for example? Are we living a full life just by having our three meals or do we aspire for more? Our rights as a human person, particularly, not to be discriminated against or treated as a second class citizen in many aspects, are just as important as the money we earn to keep us going,” says Edmund. F

43

inside the story

Renuka reaches out to the hapless

W

When a legal immigrant got whipped and jailed despite proper documentation, 34-year old Renuka T Balasubramaniam knew she just had to take up the case. She went all out to ensure that the authorities apologised to the man.

Nepalese worker Mangal Bahadur Gurung was arrested, prosecuted and whipped before serving part of a tenmonth imprisonment even though he had photocopies of all the valid documents.

“Even then, after having given the apology, when I went to collect his passport from the authorities, I was told ‘Anak di rumah dibiarkan, kera di hutan disusukan’ (Malay proverb which literally means ‘Abandoning own child at home but feeding monkey in the jungle’).”

Renuka said that this remark shows the people’s negative attitude when it comes to defending an immigrant.

“To me, the constitution of Malaysia is to uphold justice for all, Malaysians and non-Malaysians,” says Renuka.

Renuka is one of five siblings in her family, and completed her schooling at Assunta Secondary School in Petaling Jaya. She later went on to become an Industrial Relations Consultant before obtaining a degree externally from London.

“When I was three years old my father obtained a degree in Social Sciences and secured a well paying job as an Industrial Relations Consultant. From there he

moved on to reading law and graduated, later setting up his own consultancy. He was able to catapult himself from middle to upper class through education. When he began to read law he often shared his knowledge with us. Apart from me, three other sisters later read law too. I believe that those early discussions played a part in my decision to become a lawyer,” says Renuka.

A mother of two young sons aged seven and nine, Renuka states that it was easy to take up corporate cases which generate money. However, the fulfillment is lacking.

“I strongly believe in values especially integrity and honesty. For me, everything does have a price. And if someone comes to me and states that they cannot pay for my services, then I would take them to the Legal Aid Centre. There, if it is proven they indeed need legal aid, I am more than happy to oblige.”

While Renuka does not deny that a freelance lawyer like her must be able to get an income, she insists that she charges “accordingly” to clients – big or smal.\ Justice is about compassion, according to Renuka. This is the one reason she is advocating that whipping be removed from all legislations.

“I am a dahsyat (incorrigible) optimist.

I try not to let fiery emotions determine my actions because they too can be obstacles to doing ‘the right thing’. The only emotions I permit myself are happiness and compassion.

“I commenced practice in a large firm

I strongly believe in values especially integrity and honesty.

For me, everything does have a price

44

where I was exposed to a great deal of corporate / capitalist philosophy. It was a wonderful foundation for understanding the corporate mindset. But I quickly became bored with intellectual discussions which were clearly divorced from the human element,” says Renuka.

One recent cause she has taken up was exposing the incarceration of refugees without valid reason.

“They had been punished with two strokes of the whip and four months imprisonment. However, due to some miscommunication within the prison, they had been held unlawfully for more than two months because the administering of the whipping had been suspended.

“This article also received some publicity and although whipping was eventually administered, it is my sincere hope that my active participation and discussions with the persons in charge helped to sensitise them about the injustice of the situation.”

Agreeing that lawyers are perceived as “opportunists”, Renuka states that it is a common perception.

“Lawyers, like everyone else, are trying to make livings and get rich if possible.

Everybusiness man and petty trader shares the same philosophy. People just judge them more because unfortunately a lawyer’s money is usually made during a conflict and so it appears that they areexploiting someone’s hardship.”

She states that through her many assignments in rendering legal aid to the downtrodden, especially the poor as well as refugees and illegal immigrants, she has learnt the power of making a change.

Says Renuka, “If the need comes my way and I can give, it then becomes my duty.” F Forward January 2008

My father and I did not really sit and talk about law but the law books lying around left me with an impression to become a lawyer

Sometimes a thank you is enough for amer

T

o Amer Hamzah Arshad, the embrace of an acquitted poor man means so much more than the thousands of ringgit from a corporate client.

Amer, 32, does not merely provide legal aid to the downtrodden. He takes the effort to document the sufferings of the downtrodden.

Having taken up many refugee and illegal immigrant cases, Amer is recognised as a legal expert on the rights of asylum seekers in Malaysia.

Despite holding a full time job at well known legal firm Zain and Co, Amer has been championing the issue of refugee rights in Malaysia for years. He believes that all humans are the same, citizens and non-citizens.

“I remember taking up this case of a man who was charged for breaking into and abetting and aiding robbery at the house of Tun Fatimah [Hashim, Malaysia’s first woman minister]. I met with the wife and six children and he was the main breadwinner. As soon as he was acquitted, he hugged me in open court. That meant

pen letter by former High Court judge Syed Ahmad Idid, the dismissal of the Lord President, Tun Salleh Abbas and the Anwar Ibrahim saga.

“I went on to offer legal aid because I found that these people who we represent are there standing in court with no representation. Most of the time, they just plead guilty because they do not know their rights.

“It is true everyone has to pay bills, and how many of us can do pro bono. Furthermore, there is no proper legal aid by the government unlike in the UK,” says Amer, who on November 9, was among the four lawyers charged for walking without a police permit in conjunction with World Human Rights Day. Stating that he is lucky that he has a supportive firm and colleagues, Amer insists that he is no politician.

“I am in the opposition – to any form of tyranny, any form of violation of human rights. I am not aligned to any (political) party but I don’t believe I can be truly apolitical,” says Amer honestly.

His dream is to be able to do a test case on the plight of the refugees’ right to education and medical services in the country.

“To me, the geographical boundaries and demarcations are all man made.

And these people (asylum seekers) are in our country as human beings,” says Amer. F

to me more than what money can buy,” Amer recounts his experience.

Amer explains that people will think that these are petty cases but the bigger picture is they have families and “when we get justice, it is not only for the accused but the families as well”.

“Any case that smacks of human rights, I would love to get involved,” says Amer, who hails from Ipoh and learnt advocating for himself during his many “run-ins” with the authorities in secondary school.

The eldest son of a prosecuting officer Amer says that it was during his father’s law studies that he showed an interest in law.

“My father and I did not really sit and talk about law but the law books lying around left me with an impression to become a lawyer,” says Amer.

Amer is a graduate from Leeds University in United Kingdom and qualified at the Inns.

Among the issues that aroused in Amer the interest to look at the judiciary and the system as a whole was the poison

4

inside the story

HELp iS at HanD WHERE pUSpaWati iS...

P

uspawati Rosman, 26, is still a legal assistant but she already knows what kind of lawyer she wants to be. Way before graduation, Puspawati has immersed herself in controversy when she was involved in a group of students in the International Islamic University.

“I took up law because I was offered the course in International Islamic University.

I just went with the flow,” says this petite looking lass.

It was in her second year when she did her internship with non governmental organization (NGO) Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) that she started getting interested in human rights causes and cases.

“In IIU, I was with this group called Tan Sri Ahmad Ibrahim Legal Research Group where we learn to research and write legal articles. Sadly, there was no financial support for that group, from the university or elsewhere, and we ended up using our own money.

“And when we went on to ask for funding and recognition, we encountered AUKU. “It was during this time that I started studying the University and University College Act (AUKU) and realized that there was no justification in legalizing such an act,” says Puspawati.

Under the AUKU, higher learning institution students are not allowed to be politically active.

Puspawati then wrote a very strong article on the AUKU, and made comparisons between universities during campus elections. This did not go down too well with the authorities.

“I then started getting involved fully with NGOs and underground student networks. I felt the call to do my social duty. I realised the need and wanted to perform my social obligation.”

Although a number of people may remember her at the police stations, Puspawati’s first real encounter with those who could not afford legal representation were the Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees accused to be part of the terrorist groups Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and Kumpulan Militan Muslim (KMM).

“I helped out in the watching brief where we visited these detainees in the

46

detention camps and sat in during the disciplinary hearings. Then we hear them saying ‘sambung dua tahun, repot dari SB (special branch), sambung dua tahun’ (extend another two years, report from SB, extend another two years).

“However, when we ask them for the actual report from the SB, they tell us ‘no’,” says Puspawati, clearly furious with the injustice of it all.

Puspawati says that it does not bother her being labeled an opposition member.

“For me, justice is giving a voice for the victimised and them getting their dignity back. It is our duty as a human being, what more as a lawyer.

“I know I will never be rich. If you want to be rich, be a corporate lawyer. I am willing to make that sacrifice,” says Puspawati.

She is among the legal aiders who help out when people get arrested at police stations and liasing with the police in getting them released.

As liberal as she seems, this young woman says that there is a limit.

“I would help where I can, anytime, anywhere but there are a few issues I would be very careful with, such as freedom of religion. This is about faith and I can be quite conservative when it touches my faith.”

For now, Puspawati is happy to learn and provide aid under the Bar Council legal aiders.

However, in the near future, she wants to go full time in providing services to the poor and downtrodden. F

I would help where I can, anytime, anywhere but there are a few issues I would be very careful with, such as freedom of religion

Forward January 2008

LiFE iS pREcioUS FoR niK

H

is passion is taking up criminal cases where legal aid is needed.

“I do not believe in capital punishment. Life is not yours or mine to take. It is God’s,” says Nik Ikhwan Nik Mahamud.

Speaking in hardly audible decibles, one would be surprised to know that Nik had taken up a number of legal aid cases related to drug offences which called for capital punishment.

32-year old Nik says that in clear cut cases, he would plead for a lesser charge so as to avoid capital punishment.

“If the charge is reduced, then it is surely imprisonment at its most.”

A Kelantan boy, Nik says that although he was not an active observer of the judiciary in his first few years as a law undergraduate, he found the infamous trial of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as a turning point.

“I was in my second year at Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara (UiTM). The whole allegations against the former Deputy Prime Minister as well as the way the case was conducted got me interested.

I felt that many of the happenings in that case were mocking the judiciary. I was not into reformasi rallies or anything,

I was interested in the case from a law undergraduate observing point.

“Later, when I started my chambering stint, I was frequenting the courts. I fully realised then that the law should be used to protect the people, not to mask the truth.”

Nik had also taken up Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee cases as well as refugee cases.

“There was one case where two Myanmarese women – one heavily pregnant and another who had just delivered, were rounded up in the immigration raids.

“I had to point this out in court and managed to get them released,” says Nik who seems to be astounded by the very fact that he had to argue their fragile state to get them released.

Believing that lawyers are social engineers, Nik states that the legal profession is about upholding the dignity of man.

“Only though this profession, one can take on the highest authority in ensuring that dignity.”

Nik states that when he does give legal aid to cases involving public dissent such as those involved in illegal rallies, he knows that he might be perceived as working for the opposition political parties.

“As a lawyer concerned with human rights, I stand apolitical. My concern is more with bringing awareness to the public on their rights as human beings,” says Nik. He recalled a time when he followed the non governmental organization Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) to Sandakan, Sabah to meet with the families of ISA detainees.

“We then went on to distribute fliers in the morning market there, and it is amazing that there were all these people who did not know what ISA was at all.”

Nik, who is at the moment with legal firm Chooi and Co, hopes to be able to dedicate more time helping the downtrodden in cases involving criminal offences.

“Among the more senior lawyers who I admire is Karpal Singh, as he used to take up High Court assigned cases involving capital punishment in his younger days.

Then, I look up to lawyers like Kamarul Hisham, who is now with the Altantuya case,” he says.

Nik hopes that young lawyers could be more sensitive to the plight of the poor as well as being more aware of issues revolving around them. F

Among the more senior lawyers who I admire is Karpal Singh, as he used to take up High Court assigned cases involving capital punishment in his younger days

47

national

can we have one education policy please... n By Fariza Uzmat

L

ast year there were 80,000 jobless graduates in Malaysia, according to statistics released in April, and the number is increasing annually. Not long after the release of these figures, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi directed the Human Resource ministry to revive the Unemployed Graduates Training Scheme. The Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Najib Tun Razak said the university’s curriculum will be researched in order to ensure it fulfils market demand besides looking for solution to resolve the graduates’ major problem with the soft skills – English proficiency and communications skills.

After fifty years trying hard to improve

48

the result of its education system, Malaysia still lacks competent graduates for the job market. The number of unemployed graduates, the call for retraining and the lack of soft skills are not surprising. The problem of unemployment has been there for so long because Malaysia’s education system places too much emphasis on examinations. Numerous changes in education policies have not been of much help to improve the situation; in fact, they have added to the list of problems for teachers and students alike.

The secretary-general of the National Union for the Teaching Profession, Lok Yim Pheng, says that government, namely the Education Ministry has failed to carry thorough research during the pre-imple-

mentation stage of any policy shift so that its viability can be gauged.

“We realise that what the government is trying to do is to improve the education system in the country. In the process, there definitely will be change in the policy. I always believe that when it comes to the change of policy, the government must do a thorough research before changing a policy, especially those that involve many groups of children.

“For example the teaching of Methematics and Science in English, no [thorough] research was carried out, suddenly the government said the country needs it so we need to shift the policy. The sudden shift, without preparing the resource people, that is the teachers, will create a Forward January 2008

big problem.

“When we want to do a policy change, it must be gradually done with research and pre-preparation. People incurred will be the human resource. You need to have an ample human resource to ensure any policy change, there are the human resource people who are going to support and ensure we achieve whatever target we have set.”

She is of the opinion that while a policy change is good, it must be done ‘smartly, not foolishly’, as teachers and students are going to live the consequences of the policy.

“I do not deny the fact that policy changes that come in from time to time help to increase the standard of our students and also the education system in the country where we are being recognised in the world. But certain things make the teachers and pupils suffer.

Teachers suffer because when things are carried out on ad hoc basis, they have to undergo all those intensive training that causes a lot of burden and stress to the teachers as well as to the students.

“Sometime certain policies, after certain period of implementation, then it is taken out and replaced by the old one. So new one is taken out and the old one comes in. We cannot allow this. We believe that when you change a policy, it may not be everlasting, but it must be progressive and progressing to ensure it will achieve certain excellent result. Not that when a policy is introduced, after half way we realise it is not suitable for the children, then we stop and replace.

“For example previously we have a

subject ‘Universe and Man’ (Alam dan Manusia) but stopped it and replaced it with Science. Then last time we have civic (education), we have taken out civic but now we introduced it back.”

The frequent policy change is not healty for students and teachers. That is why, she says, a thorough and proper research is crucial in the pre-policy implementation.

Weak coordination among policy making bodies within the ministry is also one reason Malaysia’s education system is unable to come out with a policy that is progressive.

“I see the government has the clear picture of what they want to do. But there are too many people with too many ideas.

I believe they must do thorough research and [get] strong facts [before changing any policy]. The Ministry’s research department, school unit and human resource department must come in, sit together and coordinate with each other.

“The problem now is that individual departments would have different views and they will do different tasking. It will affect like this-here they are creating some posts and there the human resource must train people.

“The three main bodies that have something to do with policy making, especially

Teaching of Mathematics and Science in English, no [thorough] research was carried out, suddenly the government said the country needs it so we need to shift the policy.

pRESSURE: Students are required to memorise facts, formulas and figures so to answer well in exam

the Bahagian Sekolah (school unit) for human resource side, the Bahagian Pendidikan Guru for teachers’ training side and the research side, all must sit together to coordinate with each other with all their research work done and what the feedback they got. Only then the decision comes in based on all of these findings. I dare to say that we are rather weak in the coordination system,” she says.

Students are required to memorise facts, figures and formulas- which are helpful to score as many A’s in national examinations. The more A’s in the exam slip means better for parents, schools and even the Education Ministry. ‘High A’ scores mean the ministry is doing a good job.

When these high scorers (note memorisers) get enrolled in the university, their learning method is no different – committing notes to memory and looking forward to score A’s in the examination.

Upon graduation and when thrust into job-hunting, many fail to impress their interviewers because these ‘excellent’ graduates do not possess the basic requirements looked for by the country’s employers- English proficiency and communications skills. Employers want skilful employees, not straight-A’s graduates without basic skills that will be of use in the real world.

It is unfortunate that Malaysia’s rigid education system continues to produce such students. However, Lok says the rigidity has to do with the exam system which tests students’ memory, rather than creative thinking.

“It is not the system that is too rigid, it is the exam that is too rigid. The exam reminds the children on how to answer the questions. They are not more for testing the ability of the children, but testing the memory of the children on how much fact they can understand and memorise.

That is what we do not want. We want the exam system that is flexible to cater the needs of all groups of children. I also believe the vocational school must come in. So we need more vocational classes.”

The debate about the rigidity of the exam system has been going on for years.

Yet the government still wants to maintain the system that encourages students to parrot everything the textbooks say.

School administrations seem to have no qualms, as they always want the best school award for UPSR, PMR, SPM or STPM exams.

“I do not understand why the government still needs the system. Of course

49

national ministry became aware that the national curriculum that did not help much in sharpening the students’ English language skill. So in 2003 it decided to implement the teaching of Methematics and Science in English. The English usage in both subjects aimed to familiarise students with English, so that they might build confidence to speak English later. This language policy change is also due to the integration of information, communication and technology in education. Since 2004, the Ministry has initiated the Tuition Voucher Scheme for students who are not only weak in English but also Bahasa Malaysia, Methematics and Science.

The language policy is warmly greeted by the education institution. However, it arrived at a time the system cannot provide sufficient well-trained human resource to the school. A research done

by University of Technology (UTM) found that the implementation of English

you cannot run away from exams and assessment. It is all over the world. But sometimes it is not because the government; there are too much competition among school principals.

“Everybody wants to do the best for their school. At the end they put pressure to teachers and teachers put pressure on students. The students are competing with each other because they think they can go to residential school and apply for scholarship. [Having] good results is the only way to get them to all these places.

The parents will push their children to excel because with good results like in primary school UPSR, they can go anyway easily. Like Form Three and Form Five, their good results will guarantee their places (in good schools and universities).”

The ministry, as the responsible policy maker, has changed and introduced fundamental policies, but places too much emphasis on academic marks. The new way, it is believed, would help students to master English language and improve their communication skills. It started with the introduction of a new national curriculum for primary (Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Rendah), and secondary (Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Menengah) levels in the eighties. Following the new curriculum is the new exam format called the Primary School Assessment Test (Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah) for

0

primary level and Sijil Rendah Pelajaran replaced with Lower Secondary Assessment (Penilaian Menengah Rendah) for lower-secondary level.

With the new curriculum and new exam formats, English teachers generally encourage students to speak English and read English-language works such as Robinson Crusoe during class. In addition, they learn new word every day and have quizzes in their English classes. But students do not bother to converse in English or even to understand the story of Robinson Crusoe. Of the average 45 students per class, none care or dare to raise hand and ask questions to the teacher. They coming to school, listen to the teacher and go home with homework. At the end of the year-end exam, the school will see top A scorers receiving their academic reward. If the exam is national, the scorer will earn greater reward and the school gains automatic recognition from the ministry.

There is no emphasis to master the English language other than to pass the national exam with flying colours.

Perhaps teachers are -- partly -- responsible for the lack of this emphasis. But the national curriculum itself is designed to prepare students for the national exam, never mind whether students can converse in English or not, as long as they perform well in the national exam.

47 years after independence, the

Of course you cannot run away from exams and assessment. It is all over the world. But sometimes it is not because the government; there are too much competition among school principals. medium for Methematics was at satisfactory level, 53.4 per cent, as of 2005. The low achievement is due to the teachers’ incompetence to teach Methematics and Science in English. Even so, the educating process cannot be stopped. Some schools instructed Methematics and Science teachers to continue teaching in Bahasa Malaysia or whatever language they used prior to this.

As a result of the not-ready-to-use-English in teaching Methematics and Science, the majority of students performed poorly in the national exam. For example in the 2004 PMR examination, a teacherexaminer made these comments about students’ poor performances in Science.

“Overall, the candidates’ performance (for Science paper code 55/2) was either not satisfactory or very weak. Majority or more than 70 per cent achieved between 0 to 20 marks. Students were unable to master the Science lessons ... Many did Forward January 2008

As a result of the notready-to-use-English in teaching Maths and Science, the majority of students performed poorly in the national exam.

not know how to answer with correct format. Almost 90 per cent of students were unable to draw the scientific apparatus and were confused with question no.8,” says Lim Jit Suan in his Candidate Performance Report to the Ministry.

The same is the case with the English language paper.

“Overall, the performance of the candidates was not satisfactory because many obtained a score of fewer than 35 marks ... The performance of weaker candidates was almost dismal and pathetic. The whole response was littered with errors on almost every line which grossly impeded reading,” says a teacher-examiner for English paper code 12/2, See Ju Kau. Although the language policy change did not meet the Ministry’s target, some academicians as well as politicians are strongly advocating a reversal: to revert to Bahasa Malaysia.

Tan Sri Ainuddin Wahid, former vicechancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, says the teaching of Methematics and Science will be more efficient by using a language that everyone is familiar with.

“Teaching Methematics and Science in English would not benefit more than teaching both using correct national language. Otherwise, students who do not really understand both subjects will have bigger problem as they find the learning process is becoming harder than ever with English,” says Ainuddin. Since the beginning, he has disagreed with the English usage for Methematics and Science.

Khairy Jamaluddin, deputy youth chief of the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) admits that English is very important for any school leavers and graduates who wish to compete in the job market. However, the policy implementation would not help much when Methematics and Science teachers are ill-prepared to use English as a medium of instruction in class.

“Studies conducted by local universities have shown that teachers themselves are not prepared for this policy. It has, to a certain extent, traumatised segments of our children. Now they are left with mastering two difficult subjects by using another difficult subject as a medium of instruction.

“It has proved to be an assault on their confidence, desire to learn and ability to absorb lessons. They begin to lose faith in their own abilities. They lose interest in the important subjects of Methematics and Science. This is especially true in the rural areas, as mentioned by director-

general of Education Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom. “Simply put, the knowledge of Methematics and Science is not being absorbed by the majority of our students because they face the added challenge of learning these already demanding fields in a language that is not their own.

“Their grades in Methematics and Science suffer and they don’t show any meaningful improvement in spoken or written English,” said Khairy in the Star on November 1.

Advocates of the English medium have different opinion. UMNO youth exco, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, said English should be used in teaching Mathematics and Science but new approach is needed to make sure weak students, especially those in rural areas, are not left out.

Mukhriz is right about the need to look for new methods to teach weak students.

However the new way of teaching will be useless if the emphasis of learning is encouraging students to pass exams rather than to earn knowledge for life.

Should the system revert to Bahasa Malaysia in teaching Methematics and Science, students who were learning in English will have to re-learn the equations, formulas and theories in Malay.

They have to use new textbooks and buy new exercise books as well. Teachers will have to carry similar burden as their students. Even though some teachers are not well versed in English, their five years’ effort to master English will be useless if the previous policy took place. Poor teachers.

The infant language policy needs time to grow, flourish and mature. Malaysians cannot simply say it is not suitable or has totally failed after only five years of implementation. There would be a group of unsuccessful students, indeed. But to experiment a policy for a short period of time means the Ministry is wasting millions of tax payers’ money, not to mention everyone’s time – parents, students and teachers.

Whatever the pros and cons of this language policy issue, the final decision will come from the Education Ministry.

As the sole education decision-maker, the Ministry must take time to rethink the cause and effect, the benefits and loss, not only of this language policy, but of any policy implementation. People cannot tolerate the ‘yo-yo’ policy that will affect their children’s future. F

51

national independence(before (before1957) 1957) independence PrePre independence (before 1957) What available : Britain’sdivide-anddivide-andWhat waswas available ::Britain’s available Britain’s divide-andrule encouraged racial based schooling system usrule encouraged encouraged racial rule racial based basedschooling schoolingsystem systemususing either Malay, Chinese, Tamil or English as medium of ingeither either Malay, Malay, Chinese, ing Chinese,Tamil Tamilor orEnglish Englishasasmedium mediumofof communications.

Each school developed its own system of communications. Each communications.

Each school schooldeveloped developedits itsown ownsystem systemofof teaching, textbook and curriculum. The English school was teaching, textbook textbook and curriculum.

The school was teaching, and curriculum.

TheEnglish English was quite selective but opened to all races.

There wasschool only one quite selective but opened to all races.

There was only one quite session selective opened to all There wasschool, only one forbut all type schools.

In races.

1958, an English for session for for all all type type schools.

In 1958, an English school, for session schools.

In 1958, an English school, for example the Sultan Abdul Hamid College (formerly known example the Sultan Abdul Hamid College (formerly known example the SultanEnglish AbdulSchool), Hamidplaced College (formerly as Government only 15 to 16known stuas Government Englishdents School), placed only 15 to 16 stuper class. as Government English School), placed only 15 to 16 students per class. dents per class.

What are the results of Malaysia education system - Follower not thinker – Students have to memorise the whole KBSR (for primary students) KBSM (for secondary students) syllabus to pass major examinations such as UPSR, PMR, SPM and STPM. - Too academic and exams-oriented – students must follow the format as provided in textbooks to answer correctly in exams.

- Students’ disciplinary problems – a research by Universiti Kebangsaaan Malaysia revealed only ONE out of 887 troubled

National Development Plan (1991-2000) What was new : New acts introduced aim to promote excellence in education such as the Private Higher Learning Institution Act, National Higher Learning Council, Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Negara on educational loaning assistance, Matriculation Centres, Community Colleges, National Accreditation Board (1996) for education quality control, bestari School (1999), information technology in education.

The Lower Secondary Assessment (Penilaian Menengah Rendah) replaced the (Sijil Rendah Pelajaran)- (1993) What had been maintained : Malay language as a medium of communications for all subject except English. English remained as second language in school.

What had been revised : The Education Act (1996) had replaced the 1961 act, upgraded vocational schools to technical schools and to teaching diploma.

WHat aRE tHEY tEacHinG MY KiDS noW?

students confessed to having sex. Others are vandalising public places, with gangsterism, and bullism.

- A teacher is responsible to teach 30 – 45 students in a medium size class - Using English to teach Mathematics and Science does not meet the expectation to help students to master English - A research conducted by University of Technology Malaysia found the implementation of English for Mathematics was at satisfactory level - 53.4% (2005).

- 1.1% or 115,000 elementary students cannot master the basic learning skills – reading, writing and counting (2004).

- Dropouts -3.1% primary school stu-

New Economic Policy Era (1971-1990)

What’s new: Civic education, science and technical subjects were introduced. In the 1980’s, the Government began the support programmes to reduce education divide between poor and rich, urban and remote areas such as the Textbook Lending Scheme, educational television, boarding schools, daily and village hostels, scholarship, food programme, and health programme. National Education Philosophy (1988) aims to produce quality and balanced students.

New Examination format – Primary School Achievement Test (Ujian Penilaian

Forward January 2008

Vision 2020 Era (2001-2010)

What was new : New education plan entering the 21st century -Education Development Document 2001-2010 - to face globalisation and information age.

Crucial changes to education system: -established centre school, wawasan school, school special model (8th Malaysia Plan), Tuition Voucher Scheme for poor students and poor performance in Malay Language, English, Mathematics and Science (2004).

-J-QAF programme (2005) expects students of primary school to master the Jawi writing, Arabic language, the Quran and Fardhu Ain before entering high school.

-the National Service introduced to promote unity among students -The Ministry of Higher Learning (2004) has undertaken te MOE’s responsibility of developing preschool education, primary schools, high schools, matriculations and teacher training centres.

What maintained : Two school sessions, Bahasa Melayu remained as a medium of communications for all subjects except English.

What revised : -amendment of Education Act in 2002, to make primary education compulsory, -one counsellor is dedicated for 500 hundred students (2003), -the implementation of the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English through the integration of the ICT (2003), -Kumpulan Wang Amanah Pelajar Miskin (2004) to assist poor students. Institutionalisation of dents teachers’ training schools in order to (1999-2004) and 26% high school students did achieve 2010 target; 50% primary not finish school (2000-2004). school teachers and 100% of high - Shortages of Mathematics and school teachers must have degree Science teachers, especially in remote areas even in their respective field. though more new teachers joining annaully - Upon graduation, students cannot find relevant jobs to their knowledge and skill because the syllabus teach them to memorise facts and figures, not the knowhow-skill to live after school.

80,000 unemployed graduates as of 2006.

Sekolah Rendah) replaced the Standard Five Assessment (Penilaian Darjah Lima What revised : New schools curriculum – Primary School New Curriculum or KBSR (1983), High School Integrated Curriculum or KBSM (1989). Both apply two school sessions, morning session for Standard Four until Six and Form Three until Five, afternoon session for Standard One until Three and Form One and Two. What maintained: Malay language as the medium

Post Independence (1957-70) What was new: One curriculum, one examination for the entire country.

What maintained : One school session.

What revised: Education Act 1961 approved that Malay Language would be the medium of communications of all schooling levels, pre admission examination for high school was eliminated (1964).

national

ONE RALLY TOO

MANY?

n By Shamsul Akmar

E

ven as Malaysians discovered the mass rally as a powerful political tool for change, an obscure claim by a Hindu group is dulling its effective-

ness.

When a group of Hindu activists marched on to the British High Commission on Nov 25 to protest about being marginalised in Malaysia, many Malaysians considered it a legitimate right.

After all, two previous rallies – both deemed illegal by the Government – had proceeded peacefully with seemingly wide support.

However, when the memorandum presented by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf ) was widely circulated, many Malaysians were shocked at the language and the claims it contained.

The Hindraf movement lost whatever wide support it might have had outside the poor Indian community.

What sparked the outburst against Hindraf were the contents of its appeal addressed to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which among others

4

used terms such as “ethnic cleansing”, “Government-backed Islamic extremists” and “armed terrorists” in describing the alleged atrocities committed to Malaysians of the Indian ethnicity.

Some Malays took offence of such accusations and with that, rumours that an anti-Hindraf rally was being organised came to the fore.

It is not uncommon that protests or demonstrations have been met by counter-demonstrations but nothing was as

Some Malays took offence of such accusations and with that, rumours that an anti-Hindraf rally was being organised came to the fore.

quirky as one held in Jakarta sometime in the year 2000, when a group decided to organise a demonstration against demonstrations!

The rationale behind a demonstration to protest against demonstrations was that the incessant street protests had disrupted the daily activities of others not involved in the rallies in which even their livelihood was affected.

The anti-demonstrations group emerged at a time when demonstrations or street protests had become almost a daily event for Indonesians, especially in Jakarta, since the “successful” protests which brought about the downfall of Suharto in May 1998.

Following that, Indonesians or rather those in Jakarta seemed to have taken the meaning of street demonstrations to greater heights, protesting at everything, including some that could have been addressed without taking to the streets.

In some ways, it was almost like a celebration of sorts in which, during Suharto’s rule from 1965 until his ungraceful exit in 1998, streets protests were handled Forward January 2008

firmly by the state apparatus.

Suharto’s departure from the presidency, much attributed to the unrelenting protests, saw others enjoying the fruit of the labour – able to protest without the fear of a clampdown. For that matter, even the anti-demonstrations’ demonstrators were reaping what was sown by the pioneers in 1998.

However, in the case of Hindraf ’s rally, which came after several “successful” ones earlier including the much-touted Nov 10’s Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections rally or Bersih march as well as the Save the Judiciary March in Putrajaya on Sept 26; it seemed to be counter-productive for future public expressions.

Apart from opening the can of racial sensitivities, the Hindraf rally and the contents of its appeal to Gordon Brown, seemed to provide the authorities the much needed moral authority to act on the marches and protests organised in the name of civil liberties in pursuit of a civil society.

A crackdown looms amidst calls by members of the Government and the ruling party urging Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to invoke the controversial Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows for detention without trial.

Thus far, none has been arrested under the ISA but other constitutional provisions had been used to detain and charge, not only leaders and members of Hindraf but also of Bersih.

The other “casualty” was the proposed Human Rights Day Walk which was proposed to be held at the Bar Council on Dec 9 to commemorate the World

Human Rights Day the following day.

The Bar Council seemed to call off the Walk due to “pressure” from the Government. Despite the calling off, lawyers and supporters of human rights movement carried out their walk which ended up with nine people being arrested.

To this end, Prime Minister Abdullah contended that no one was above the law, lawyers included which led, to critics questioning his commitment to such pronouncement when his son-inlaw Khairy Jamaluddin had organised a demonstration and led protesters to hand a memorandum to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she was in Kuala Lumpur in July last year to attend the Asean Regional Forum.

Then, with his supporters, Khairy had stormed the Convention Centre to hand the memorandum but were stopped by members of the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) and only hours later was allowed to enter the premise alone.

The incident is still fresh in the mind of the civil rights advocates and it would

While this is developing, civil rights activists have distanced themselves from Hindraf, though insisting that they believe in the right to assemble, they refused to assemble with Hindraf

be used to compare the double standards practised by the Prime Minister when dealing with the ordinary citizens and his son-in-law.

Despite that, the momentum created by earlier rallies is now being threatened of being doused following the Hindraf rally.

There is much of debate as to what made Hindraf came up with the absurd and ridiculous allegations of ethnic cleansing of the Malaysian Indians by Government-backed Muslim extremists.

If observed, the issue of marginalisation is a factor which could have been debated without raising much racial sentiments but the claims of ethnic cleansing and Muslim extremists as well as terrorists only served to take the issue out of context.

To make it worse, Hindraf ’s memorandum only served to spark protests from Malay Muslims who felt that they were unfairly accused and the threat of holding a rally to protest against Hindraf would be a recipe for disaster.

While this is developing, civil rights activists have distanced themselves from Hindraf, though insisting that they believe in the right to assemble, they refused to assemble with Hindraf.

The police too, at least the top officials, seemed to have found some confidence to ride the moral high groung when the Hindraf issue emerged.

Herein lies the question of cui bono, to whose benefit did the Hindraf rally serve?

Conspiracy theories are in abundance on this but the fact remains – the Hindraf rally and the contents of its memorandum had created doubts to the fence-sitters as to the wisdom of supporting the marches organised by the civil society groups.

Apart from that, some segments of the Umno leadership used the Hindraf memorandum as an issue to rally their supporters and other Malays who might have started to distance themselves from the party due to its perceived failure in addressing the nation’s woes.

To split hairs over such political opportunism is tantamount to not accepting the realities in politics.

For now, it seemed that the Government has managed to gain some grounds it had lost to the civil liberties movements and many are keeping tab of the score.

But such political gains would only benefit the selected elites. F

55

international

paKiStan: cHapati poLiticS tiME to RoRY: Supporters of deposed paki-

stani prime Minister nawaz Sharif stage a rally with a lion in Lahore, 30 august 2007

6

Forward January 2008

T

he stakes are high for Pakistan’s president and Armed Forces chief General Pervez Musharraf when the country goes to the polls in January 2008.

If he is not re-elected president, there is a real danger that he will be indicted for treason. Musharraf is not a very popular man in Pakistan, and the slide began in March when he declared a state of emergency so that he could have more powers to fight terrorism that is spreading from the lawless tribal area of Waziristan.

His emergency order, which is more akin to a declaration of martial law, suspended all constitutional guarantees, allowing him to crack down on the urban middle-class elite which include the judiciary, lawyers, opposition politicians, and the media.

Meanwhile, the militants remain largely untouched in their ever-expanding safe havens.

Indeed, Musharraf immediately struck at his suspected political enemies closer to home, those he feared presented a challenge to his eight-year rule. His first target was the independent-minded judiciary.

What precipitated the crackdown was his increasing certainty that the Supreme Court was poised to rule his ineligibility to serve a second five-year term as president, even though he had promised to resign his commission as the powerful Chief of Army Staff, in a concession to the justices and to a public that desperately wants to separate the military from politics. It was a lightning, preemptive strike. Before the justices could hand down their decision, the police put Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry under house arrest along with a number of other Supreme Court and High Court justices throughout the country.

It was Musharraf ’s second shot at Chaudhry. Last March, his attempt to sack Chaudhry generated nationwide protest in favor of the judge and against Musharraf ’s constant meddling in the judiciary. A court panel reinstated the suspended chief justice last summer. Since then, the Chaudhry court has handed down a number of rulings against the government, including deciding that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the man Musharraf overthrew in his bloodless 1999 coup, be allowed to return from exile in Saudi Arabia; that detainees held without charge by the country’s intelligence agencies be released; and that the Red Mosque, which was seized by the military in a bloody storming last July, be returned to the extremist group that founded it. Musharraf was not going to wait for the men in black to take his

presidency away from him, even though his next term would rest on very shaky legal grounds.

This triggered a wave of anger across Pakistan and the first joint protests held by the parties of exiled former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.

Musharraf is seeking legitimacy through the January 8 election as a civilian leader. However the judiciary have not made it easy for him. In August, the Supreme Court ruled that Nawaz Sharif, who was seeking refuge in Saudi Arabia, could return to Pakistan.

Before Musharraf could change into civilian clothes, he faces two strong opponents in Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. It is interesting to note that Bhutto was ousted by Sharif, while the latter was ousted by Musharraf. Both have now found a common enemy in Musharraf.

In July 2007, Bhutto held a secret meeting with Musharraf in Abu Dhabi on a possible power sharing deal. Now

Before Musharraf could change into civilian clothes, he faces two strong opponents in Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif

it seems that the outcome of the meeting has not been fruitful for Bhutto; she has joined an opposition alliance to denounce what they see as an unfair environment in the run-up to parliamentary elections planned for January. They have threatened to boycott the elections.

Bhutto and Sharif, along with other opposition parties in Pakistan, have drawn up a list of demands that would ensure fair elections.

However, Bhutto backed down on the boycott and registered herself to contest for elections. Sharif followed suit to avoid missing the race. Unfortunately for him, his nomination papers were rejected by the elections commission on the grounds that he was convicted on terrorism charges relating to his futile effort to prevent the October 1999 coup against him.

All this works to Musharraf ’s advantage and facilitates his transformation from a military to a civilian leader. The election will be pave the way for his war on the socalled “Islamic fundamentalists”, this time sanctioned by the people.

While Musharraf ’s heavy handed tactics in fighting terrorism by bulldozing civil liberties have not gone down well with the judiciary and the people of Pakistan especially in the north west frontier, it is difficult to see any leader emerging in Pakistan to defuse the current political tension. F

57

soul beat

ERMa Fatima’s

noble calling

8

Forward January 2008

n By Fariza Uzmat

T

he transformation of Erma Fatima from controversial movie personality to a mother in Hijab is unbelievable for anyone who has not seen her in the last 10 years.

Gone are the glam clothes, the outrageous smile and with it, the gossips that hounded her when she was making films, on the set and off the set.

Instead, appearing in a plain black blouse, pants and that headcover, Erma almost looks ordinary.

She is toning down her appearance to show good example to her five children Ahmad Albab, Ahmad Ari, Ahmad Afin, Citra and Nurul Ain. “I have gone through something beautiful in the movie industry, which has been good to me. That is something I cannot deny.

“But I always wanted to be myself. I want to be able to go to the night market or to the supermarket to buy everyday clothes for my family. I don’t want my children to live like rich people,” she says.

In fact, Erma’s children are the driving force in her transformation.

“I think I changed because I thought it was time to become a better person. I wanted to do it partly for me, but mostly for my children.

“They are my motivation. I send them to the Islamic school because I want them to be good Muslims. To do so, I have to change first. If I don’t show the correct example, how can I educate them to be pious?” she says.

Erma is obviously proud of the family she shares with Badaruddin Azmi or Bada, also an influential figure in movie making and cinematography.

Bada knew Erma wanted to change mainly for the sake of her children, and persuaded her to do it gradually so that it was easier and permanent.

“I was apprehensive. The change is stressful, it was not easy to become better.

I had to train myself gradually, starting with wearing a shawl first until it became routine and I felt uncomfortable being seen with my hair showing.

“One day I felt like the time has come for me to cover my hair completely. Of course I perform the duty for the sake of God. At the same time it was a gift for my eldest son Ahmad Albab as well. He always told me his schoolteacher told him that she believed I would cover my hair one day. He frequently repeated the same words. When I started covering my hair,

“They are my motivation. I send them to the Islamic school because I want them to be good Muslims.

To do so, I have to change first. If I don’t show the correct example, how can I educate them to be pious?”

I can see how happy he was,” she says.

Speaking on what is hijab (covering the body) for a Muslim woman, Erma says it is a way of dressing.

“Hijab for me is a way of dressing.

No matter how you wear it, you have to ensure the cloth covers all parts of your body as required by the religion.”

Erma’s new appearance does not mean she gives up her roles in the industry. She just demands a little respect from her colleagues in the show business.

“People just have to accept the way I dress. No compromise in this matter.

I take quite a long time to change and would not revert to the old me. Covering

the body is not a fashion where you can choose to uncover and cover in selected events. I do not believe with such thing.

If I do something, I will do it right.”

Erma is one of the best talents Malaysia ever produced in acting, winning Best Actress, twice at the Malaysian Film Festival.

In 20 years in the entertainment industry, she was in 23 movies, hundreds of dramas and a bit of theatre. Any movie buffs of the late 80s and 90s will remember her roles in Rozana (1987), Hati Bukan Kristal (1990), Bintang Malam (1991), Pemburu Bayang and Femina (1993) and also a theatre adaptation

9

soul beat from the famous novel by A. Samad Said - Lantai T. Pinkie.

The all-out acting is not the only talent she has. Gutsy attitude, daring to take risk for something new and dedication finally brought her to the other side of the camera where she produced some critically-acclaimed movies - Jimi Asmara, Perempuan Melayu Terakhir and Embun.

The serious genre movie made not for fun or for showing off her woman power to society. It is about fulfilling social responsibility.

“Once after just finishing a movie project in Indonesia, my spiritual teacher told me that if I wanted to be a moviemaker, I must be a responsible moviemaker. So I make movies that can bring about good to the society. That’s what I did with Embun and my other movies,” she says.

On the other hand, Erma shows tendency not to continue directing the similar genre of movie after Embun anymore.

“For the time being, I do not think of pursuing my career to direct serious stuff like Embun. I had enough with Embun but may do an Islamic movie. Now, I’d rather concentrate on producing television programmes because the bigger crowds are watching television compared to the silver screen. It is easier for me to convey my message,” Erma says.

At 39, Erma still acts, directs movies and produces television programmes. She also writes scripts as well as managing three companies. She is also planning an Islamic magazine for children.

“The most important thing in my life now is to prepare for my children’s future.

I hope when I am gone, they will not face any trouble when it comes to money, school and such. I am working hard for them.”

Placing family above all matters, this lady still has time to spend on charity work with her own foundation - Yayasan Seni Karya Prihatin Malaysia which was established in 2002. The foundation is supervising an orphanage called the House of Bakawali housing 15 orphans.

“I established Yayasan after resigning from Puteri UMNO. For nine months I held a committee post in Puteri, I learned a lot about responsibility towards the nation and I feel responsible to do something for the society and the nation I love. I cannot do it using Erma Fatima as the platform to move, so that’s why the Yayasan exists. It made me easier to do charity.

“The Yayasan is responsible for Rumah

60

Bakawali, holding programmes for youth with social problems and other charity programmes.”

Her husband is giving strong moral support for all the efforts but he prefers not to be involved with the activities.

The funding for all Yayasan activities and programmes comes from Erma’s own effort.

“It is very hard to find sponsors for an organisation supported by an artiste.

Basically, people think we are rich even though we are not. So I have to work on my own to find money by making TV programmes or fund-raising events to ensure the 15 orphans’ needs are well attended.”

“In the future, I want to provide a bigger place for the orphans and I want to build a place for abandoned children.

The house at least will provide a proper

“Hijab for me is a way of dressing.

No matter how you wear it, you have to ensure the cloth covers all parts of your body as required by the religion.”

Forward January 2008

6

arches & domes

paKiStan’S anGULaR MoSQUE

6

Forward January 2008

n By Shamsul Yunos

P

erfectly placed against the picturesque backdrop of the Margalla Hills, the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad is one of the most unique examples of Islamic architecture.

The modern interpretation of arches and domes by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay gives it a very progressive feel while maintaining the image of the traditional mosque in the minds of the faithful.

Instead of calling upon the traditional design language onion or moorish domes, Dalokay took the essence of the structure and turned it into a geometric masterpiece with the use of eight faceted concrete shell that creates the traditional high roof of a house of worship.

Inspiration for the form came from the desert tent and it was a major engineering feat to construct.

The shell reaches a height of 40 metres and supported by four giant concrete girders. The outer surface is faced with

white marble while inside it is startingly beautiful thanks to mosaic made of Turkish tiles.

The clean lines and vertical slats on the huge triangular flass facing on the sides are at home against the hilly backdrop and somehow make it more compact than it actually is.

This is the biggest mosque in South Asia but from a distance it does not scar the landscape but complements it.

“I tried to capture the spirit, proportions and geometry of the Kaaba in a purely abstract manner. Imagine the apex of each of the four minarets as a scaled expolision of the four highest corners of the Kaaba, thus an unseen Kaaba is bounded by the minarets at the four corners in a proportion of height to base akin to the Kaaba,” explains Dalokay to a group of students.

“Now if you join the apex of each minaret to the base of the minaret diagonally opposite to it correspondingly, a four-sided pyramid shall be bound by

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arches & domes

these lines within that invisible cube.

“That lower level pyramid is treated as a solid body while the four minarets with their apex complete the imaginary cube of the Kaaba.”

Dalokay also drew inspiration from the many Ottoman mosques that dot Turkey when coming up with the four minaret design and the choice worked beautifully as the slender and pointed minaret forms the perfect foil to the origami-style dome.

One can almost imagine an invisible line holding up the tent that is the main structure of the mosque.

The interplay with lines, geometry and proportions creates a pleasing silhouette that houses a collection of facilities that includes the actual prayer hall, a museum, library, lecture hall and a university of 700 students.

It used to house the International Islamic University but that has since found home in the vicinity of the mosque as it outgrew its original home.

Apart from the mosque, the complex now hosts the Da’wah Academy that promotes the peaceful teachings of Islam and it prints and distributes weekly sermons on Friday.

Those who find interesting read in thelibrary can visit the bookshop which has a decent stock of good books on Islam.

Reflection pools at the base of the outer walls add to the elegance of the mosque and also serves a dual purpose as water storage for the air conditioning system.

While the exterior is impressive enough, Dalokay saved the best for the main prayer hall where the Kaaba wall is lavishly decorated with tiles from Turkey that frames a giant golden crescent in the roof.

A giant chandelier, weighing 7.5 tonnes and decorated with 1,000 electric light bulbs complete the beautiful and serene interior.

64

The large glass facing and transparent slats on the roof joints let in aplenty of sunlight to give the prayer hall enough soft light to make it a very calm place for contemplation.

The mosque was made possible due to the generosity of the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia who not only funded the constuction of the edifice but also showed great interest and enthusiasm in its completion.

It bears the monarch’s name to show his commitment to the mosque and the people of Pakistan.

The idea for the mosque was raised by Faisal on his visit to Islamabad in 1966 and three years an international competition was held to come up with the design of the mosque and architects from 17 countries submitted 43 proposals for the purpose. After four days of deliberation, Dalokya’s design was chosen.

Construction of the mosque began in 1976 by National Construction of

Pakistan, led by Azim Borujerdi, and was funded by the government of Saudi Arabia, at a cost of over 130 million Saudi riyals (approximately $120 million USD today).

King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz was instrumental in the funding, and both the mosque and the road leading to it were named after him after his assassination in 1975.

The mausoleum of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, whose 1988 funeral at the site was the largest in the history of Pakistan, is located adjacent to the mosque.

Many conservative Muslims criticised the design at first for its non-conventional design and lack of the traditional dome structure, but virtually all criticism were eventually silenced by the mosque’s scale, form, and setting against the Margalla Hills upon completion. F

Forward January 2008

ANIQAH A Must Read For Intellectual Muslimah

Tel: 03-2273 542I/24/26/27 Fax: 03-2273 5425

65

review

RUMi anD tHE WHiRLinG DERViSHES n By Nagham Osman

Come, come whoever you are, An unbeliever, a fire-worshipper, come.

Our covenant is not of desperation.

Even if you have broken your vows a hundred times, Come, come again

M

y insight into the life and work of 13th-century mystic Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi began with the opening lines of Shems Friedlander’s Rumi and the Whirling

Dervishes.

Friedlander’s book provides an account of the Sufi order known as the Mevlevis and its founder the poet and mystic. The writings link a past and a present with a brief historical account of the incidents leading to the closing down of the Tekke (dervish prayer lodge) by Kemal Ataturk in 1925.

Based on anecdotes transporting the reader to scenes in Rumi’s life, Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes a richly crafted piece. The encounter between Jalaluddin Rumi and Shamsi Tabriz is rendered vivid in a delightful dialogue.

Friedlander narrates tale after tale beginning with Rumi’s journey with his father, Baha’u-Din Veled,

66

Forward January 2008

a spiritual teacher himself, on to their arrival at Konya where he spent most of his life.

Rumi’s encounter with a dervish wanderer, Shamsi Tabriz (Persian for “the sun of Tabriz”) would mark a turning point and be an inspiration of his words in the beginning of the Mathnawi, the poet’s spiritual cry for his beloved companion who disappeared.

After Rumi’s death – referred to as his “union” - on December 17, 1273, a sema (whirling dance) was held every Thursday in the semahane of the Tekke.

Universal Wisdom Friedlander’s writing echoes the wisdom of Rumi as the spiritual teacher, Muslim, and Sufi mystic poet. A collection of poems that best present the poet’s thoughts on metaphysical love, the natural state of humans, death, and the longing for his friend Shams.

Rumi celebrated both life and death in his poems, referring to death as a “wedding day.” Before he died, Mevlana said, Do not search for me in the grave.

Look for me in the hearts of learned men.

The Garden of Rumi The photographs in Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes evoke a unity with the dervishes twirling at the sema, providing an enhancement to the life and tradition of Rumi. However, they can also be seen as an independent work of art.

Archival black-and-white close-ups of young and old Mevlevis are set alongside 19th-century photographs of Mevlevis, musicians and Qur’an readers taken by Friedlander; the past and the now twirl in unison.

Photographs taken in Konya by the writer provide an intimate oneness with the dervishes. The interference of cameramen was unwelcome at the Tekke following an incident in 1956, when a newspaper photographer interrupted the sema by snapping the photo of a dervish up close.

Taken in the 1970s, Friedlander’s photographs provide an unobtrusive yet intimate glimpse into the sema.

Rumi: The Muslim Poet One view point that is too often forgotten when one decides to seek depth and knowledge about Rumi and his work is seeing him as a Muslim, Sufi, and universal spiritual teacher.

Friedlander presents Rumi in a different light. Otherwise categorically renowned

in the West for love poetry, Rumi and his poetry are seen in Friedlander’s work in the light of the Islamic tradition.

In the words of Rumi:

I am the slave of the Koran While I still have life.

I am the dust on the path ofMuhammad, The chosen one.

If anyone interprets my words In any other way, I deplore that person.

And I deplore his words.

“Sufism (Tasawwuf ) is the esoteric aspect of Islam,” as mentioned by the writer in the early pages of the book. “Its purpose is to convey direct knowledge of the eternal. The Sufis impart knowledge through a silsilah (chain) of beings that goes back to the Prophet Muhammad.”

Bestsellers that I have picked up previously on Rumi have failed to be anything more than just an eye-catcher, leaving one flipping from one grey-inked page to another. Not much was told in such books about the Mevlevi order, its founder, or the sacred and religious practices of the whirling dervishes.

The 164-page read gives time and space for the readers to know Rumi, as they

pause and meditate through the blackand-white presentation of photographs craving more of the poet’s words and wisdom.

Through photography, poetry, and biography, Friedlander provides a thorough glimpse into Rumi, presenting the universally acknowledged spiritual poet in a uniquely Islamic light.

Based on anecdotes transporting the reader to scenes in Rumi’s life, Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes a richly crafted piece

67

science & tech

tHE ELEctRic LiFE oF niKoLa tESLa

n By Shamsul Yunos

N

ikola Tesla (1856-1943) significantly influenced technological development with his polyphase system inventions.

The system is in cornerstone of modern electrical energy production, long-distance transmission, and use of electrical currents. Beside inventing the induction motor, he invented the Tesla coil - a high frequency transformer, which is an essential part of all contemporary high frequency devices. Tesla also pioneered research into other effects produced by his currents, such as the possibility of induction heating, ozone production, and effects on the human organism. His inventions have been crucial to the development of many of today’s technologies including the radio, radar, television, motors of all kinds, and computers.

He is also credited with predicting the emerging energy problem as early as 1900. After the

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Forward January 2008

death of Nikola Tesla in 1943, all his belongings have been inherited by his nephew and transferred to Belgrade where in 1955 the Nikola Tesla Museum has been opened. His ashes are also in the Museum. After his death, the name “Tesla” was given to the unit of magnetic induction.

The Nikola Tesla Archive in Belgrade constitutes a unique collection of over 160,000 pages of the patents documentations, scientific correspondence, scientific papers, manuscripts, technical drawings, scientific measuring data, personal documents, and legal papers as well as over 1,000 original photographs of Tesla’s experiments and inventions, all of which are indispensable to the study of the history of electrification. Nikola Tesla’s Archive in Belgrade joins Memory of the World register.

Recently, the Croatian government declared year 2006, in which we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Tesla’s birth, to be Nikola Tesla year. They also started with the reconstruction of Tesla’s village, the church, his house and the brook he used to play in as a child, where he came upon his first scientific ideas. In the initial phase of the project they will invest $5 million to transform the village of Smiljan into a shrine of Nikola Tesla, with a museum and a theme park.

But, who was this genius who ushered in the age of electrical power? He most definitely adored science and gadgets and was known for his eccentric lifestyle.

Some of his phobias included pearl earrings worn by women, never staying in a hotel room or floor whose number was divisible by three, and insisting on a large number of napkins at every meal with which he would meticulously polish his silverware. Tesla had a good number of friends, one of which was Samuel Clemmons, also known as Mark Twain.

He had a vivid imagination and an intuitive way of developing scientific hypotheses. Here is how he explained his creative process: “Before I put a sketch on paper, the whole idea is worked out mentally. In my mind I change the construction, make improvements, and even operate the device. Without ever having drawn a sketch I can give the measurements of all parts to workmen, and when completed all these parts will fit, just as certainly as though I had made the actual drawings. It is immaterial to me whether I run my machine in my mind or test it in my shop.

The inventions I have conceived in this

Small Tesla coil designed for use by medical profession, 1897in dares to challenge her faith

way have always worked. In thirty years there has not been a single exception. My first electric motor, the vacuum wireless light, my turbine engine and many other devices have all been developed in exactly this way.”

Tesla completed his elementary education in Croatia and continued his schooling in the Polytechnic School in Graz and finished at the University of Prague.

He worked as an electrical engineer in Germany, Hungary and France before emigrating to the United States in 1884.

Arriving in New York City with four cents in his pocket, Tesla found em-

“Before I put a sketch on paper, the whole idea is worked out mentally. In my mind I change the construction, make improvements, and even operate the device

ployment with Thomas Edison in New Jersey. Differences in style between the two men soon lead to their separation.

In 1885, George Westinghouse, founder of the Westinghouse Electric Company, bought patent rights to Tesla’s system of alternating-current. The advantages of alternating-current over Edison’s system of direct-current became apparent when Westinghouse successfully used Tesla’s system to light the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

Tesla established a laboratory in New York City in 1887. His experiments ranged from an exploration of electrical resonance to studies of various lighting systems. To counter fears of alternating-current, Tesla gave exhibitions in his laboratory in which he lighted lamps without wires by allowing electricity to flow through his body.

When Tesla became a United States citizen in 1891, he was at the peak of his creative powers. He developed in rapid succession the induction motor, new types of generators and transformers, a system of alternating-current power transmission, fluorescent lights, and a new type of steam turbine. He also became intrigued with wireless transmission of power. Tesla was at the same time one of the pioneers of radio technology: He discovered the remote control system, light-

69

science & tech

ing system using arcs, and designed high-frequency alternators as the basis of radio station transmission; he generated unsuppressed electromagnetic waves, discovered and patented the radio transmission resonance principle, elaborated his idea of interplanetary communication using ultrashort radio waves, while he also had an idea of how a complex radar system should look like. He postulated the ability to locate objects in the air or in the ground by using radio waves. Today, we call it RADAR, and when used to peer into the human body, the MRI. In 1900, Tesla began construction on Long Island of a wireless broadcasting tower. The project was funded with $150,000 capital from financier J. Pierpont Morgan. The project was abandoned when Morgan withdrew his financial support. Tesla’s work shifted to turbines and other projects,

70

but his ideas remained on the drawing board due to a lack of funds. Tesla’s notebooks are still examined by engineers in

Many texts still credit Marconi with the invention of radio, despite the Supreme Court decision which overruled the Marconi patent, awarding it to Tesla search of unexploited ideas.

Tesla eventually died, literally pennyless, on January 7th, 1943. It is rather sad that

a man who gave the world so much, received so little for his efforts. History books have been unkind as well. Even today, many texts still credit Marconi with the invention of radio, despite the Supreme Court decision which overruled the Marconi patent, awarding it to Tesla. In many parts of this country, people still refer to the electric utility as the ‘Edison Company’, even though they use the Tesla-Westinghouse alternating current system, not Edison’s direct current. At the Niagra Falls power generating station, a small statue of Tesla is purposely left unilluminated at night.

It has been said that Tesla is the Forgotten Father of Technology. Tesla himself once commented: “... The present is theirs. (skeptics of the day) The future, for which I really worked, is mine.” F

Forward January 2008

71

gadgets n Compile By Jaztina Alias

t

LG ‘Viewty’ Phone [LG-KU990] LG’s KU-990 Viewty phone comes with a 5 megapixel camera with manual focus. When taking photos in poor light or shaking moment, users can also benefit from ISO800 & SmartLight and one touch Image Stabilizer for bright and clear pictures. The LG ‘Viewty’ also has a 120fps video recording function and can be shared with a single-click connection through HSDPA 3.6 high speed internet capability to YouTube. The LG-KU990 Viewty is available at RM2,099.

The WiFi enabled model of the Viewty the LG-KS20 will be launched here sometime in January 2008.

t Logitech has expanded its G-series family of PC gaming peripherals, unveiling the Logitech G51 Surround Sound Speaker System, a 5.1 speaker system featuring 360-degree surround sound with dual Matrix modes for a more immersive gaming experience. For gamers who want to bring their games to life, the Logitech G51 Surround Sound Speaker System offers all the benefits of 360-degree surround sound – and makes it available with or without a multi-channel audio source. With Logitech’s dual Matrix technology, gamers can create a 5.1 surround-sound experience from any common two-channel stereo source.

PS3 gets web security from Trend Micro

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Logitech G51 Surround Sound Speaker System

These days even console are not safe from malicious websites. That’s why, Trend Micro has announced a new total Web security service for the Playstation 3. In addition, there would be free “Trend Micro Web Security for PS3TM” to be provided as the first service built for a gaming system to block malicious Web sites using URL filtering combined with Web reputation.The service is already available for use now and is expected to be free until the end of April 2008. There is no indication of how much the prices for the service would be once the free period is up.

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Samsung Cool black printers You might remember us showcasing the two cool and black printers, the ML1630 and the SCX-4500, that Samsung launched a month back. Well Samsung has made the printer available in Malaysia recently so you might just want to check your local IT store if you think your current printer just looks too dull.

The ML-1630 is available at a recomended retail price of RM799 while the SCX-4500 goes at RM999.

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Forward January 2008

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landmarks

a BUiLDinG WitH aLtitUDE n Compile By Jaztina Alias

D

evelopers of a 1,680foot (512 metres) skyscraper still under construction in oil-rich Dubai has claimed that it have become the world’s tallest building, surpassing Taiwan’s Taipei 101 which has dominated the global skyline at 1,667 feet (508 metres) since 2004. The tower has become the world’s tallest building. The Burj Dubai is expected to be finished by the end of 2008 and its planned final height has been kept secret. Only that the tower would stop somewhere above 2,275 feet.

When completed, the skyscraper will feature more than 160 floors, 56 elevators, luxury apartments, boutiques, swimming pools, spas, exclusive corporate suites, Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani’s first hotel, and a 124th floor observation platform.

In Dubai, long an oil-rich Gulf symbol of rapid economic growth, the building reflects the city’s hunger for global prestige.

The $1 billion skyscraper is in the heart of downtown Dubai, a 500-acre

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development area worth $20 billion.

Construction, which began just 1,276 days ago, has been frensied -- at times, one storey rises every three days.

The tip of the Burj’s spire will be seen for 60 miles. But it will not dominate the world’s skyline forever.

The Burj will fulfill the Chicagobased Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s four criteria for the tallest building: the height of the structural top, the highest occupied floor, the roof ’s top, and the spire’s tip, pinnacle, antenna, mast or flag pole.

For now, the unattractive brownish concrete skeleton jutting into Dubai’s humid skies lacks any aura of a masterpiece. Rising 141 floors with a mass of surrounding cranes and girders, it has no windows, glass or steel yet.

The architects and engineers are American and the main building contractor is South Korean. The height of Burj Dubai is being kept private, and will not be told until it is complete.

Scheduled to be opened on 30th December 2008 it will have the fastest elevators in the world with a speed of 700m/min (42.3 kmh / 26.1 mph).

Forward January 2008

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES

BIULDING USAGE

2,000 ft

1,500 ft

1,000 ft

500 ft

area tower podium

465,000 m2 279,000 m2 186,000 m2

Usage Hotel Guest Room 172 unit Residential Hotel 486 unit Residential apartment 354 unit Luxury Residential 486 unit ................................................................................

Boutique Office 37 floors ................................................................................

Communication 4 floors from 156 ................................................................................

Observatory 37 floors ................................................................................ parking 3000 lot More that 2,000 ft.

Eventual height is secret

Scheduled to be opened on 30th December 2008 it will have the fastest elevators in the world with a speed of 700m/min (42.3

DESIGN CONCEPT & CHARACTER

December 6th 2007 - Ground floor to Level 157 - Height 588.02m - now the tallest freestanding structure in the world.

VIEW FROM THE TOP

THE STIFF

the design of Burj Dubai is ostensibly derived from the patterning systems embodied in islamic architecture, with the triple-lobed footprint of the building based on an abstracted version of the desert flower hymenocallis native to the region. the tower is composed of three elements

As the tower rises from the flat desert base, setbacks occur at each element in an upward spiralling pattern, decreasing the cross section of the tower as it reaches toward the sky. at the top, the central core emerges and is sculpted to form a finishing spire. A Y-shaped floor plan maximizes views of the persian Gulf. Viewed from top or from the base, the form

the stiff, six-sided core will reduce twisting to below residents discomfort threshold. Lateral stability comes from pairs of roughly 60 centimetrethick, reinforced concrete shear walls forming central corridors of the three

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last word

By Jamaluddin Mansor

M

ost Malaysians were taken aback when a group claiming to fight for the right of Hindus in Malaysia claimed the Government was practicing a systematic ethnic cleansing against Indians.

The claims by Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force) were filed at the highest court in Britain but targeted the Malaysian Government. They managed to gather thousands who marched on the capital, with predictable results.

The police were on hand to enforce the Malaysian Government’s insistence of not tolerating street protests.

The ensuing clashes between police and protesters were familiar to Malaysians, at least those living in Kuala Lumpur because the news was not widely broadcast or reported locally - just weeks before, the police had clashed with tens of thousands of people who supported the call for a free and fair election. And weeks before that, lawyers in their best black suits marched to call for a free and independent judiciary.

Fair-minded Malaysians can sympathise with popular protests, especially when many feel that the proper channels of protest have proved unsatisfactory.

However the Hindraf-led protests soon lost sympathy because of its many claims and the language with which it made those claims.

Some of the words cannot be repeated here due to Malaysia’s laws on sensitive issues but they have been widely circulated on the Internet.

Hindraf claimed that the Malaysian Government, backed by Islamic extremists, launched an “attack” on a temple and destroyed it.

It wants Britain to move an emergency UN resolution to condemn the ethnic cleansing in Malaysia and refer the country to the world court.

Now this is very surprising, to say the least, in a country where ethnic Indians make up a very significant part of the economy and professional occupations. If Malaysians need to see a doctor, chances are he will be a practicing Hindu.

Hindus are free to practice their religion in Malaysia. Where else outside of India do we see a capital city virtually closed down for a Hindu celebration like we do during Thaipusam?

We normally do not think of this because in Malaysia, we see each other as Malaysians first and religious beliefs second.

The idea of ethnic cleansing or some particular group being persecuted by Islamic extremists is not a language that Malaysians can comprehend.

The sad thing is that I think these words were included by the Hindraf leaders because it is a language that foreign governments and activists will pick up.

Wassalam

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Forward January 2008

Narrated by Abu Huraira r.a. Allah’s Messenger s.a.w.said,

“When the son of Adam dies no further reward is recorded for his actions, with three exceptions: charity whose benefit is continuous, knowledge from which benefit continues to be reaped, or the supplication of righteous son (for him).”

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