Self

You are currently browsing the archive for the Self category.

Will regulation allow progress?

December 21, 2011 in Discourse, Published, Self by Zain

Published in my column today 21 Dec. The Star newspaper.

Malaysians want Malaysia to do well. We often look elsewhere for aspiration and a benchmark of what we should be. Where we want to be is ascertainable but how we get there is not always the case.

Do we seek to achieve great things and then perhaps hope the international media picks it up to recognise and validate that achievement? I don’t think the latter is our objective but a nice present instead.

That said, lately we get upset about these recognitions as they seem to often highlight not so nice things in Malaysia, regardless of the fact that bad news have a tendency to make the news.

When this happens, a lot of people tend to lose sight of what needs to be worked on at hand. As a result of that, we need to focus on ourselves first and recognise the original matter. What are we doing wrong in order to get “there”?

There were three things that took place recently that can’t run away from my mind (thanks to my law studies background) – the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 (PA2011), the Computing Professionals Bill 2011 (CPB2011) and the University and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA).

A Bill is a draft of a law that goes through the process in Parliament before it becomes law. It might not become law at all, or it might get amended in between the debates and voting sessions by our representatives. It has no legal impact until it becomes law (or an ‘Act’ like UUCA), but when it enters the process, the objective is exactly that: To make it become law.

What are the issues with the PA2011? According to the legal experts and practitioners, it basically significantly curbs the ability of Malaysians, to voice our grouses together in a public space, something that is universally accepted as a human right.

No, it’s not a Western concept or culture. It stems from our innate need to express our feelings and concerns. Indeed there are channels like dialogue and complaint letters, but there are times when some people need to cause greater impact in order to be heard.

Then there’s the CPB2011, which got Twitterjaya going crazy as this is, in many ways, their playground.

What this Bill proposes to do is, to regulate the IT professionals and non-professionals of Malaysia.

In a nutshell, you’ll have to be registered and pass an exam in order to legally deal with computers. For an industry that innovates at a ridiculous pace and a technological tool that is so widely used by many at varying levels, this is not practical.

Finally, there’s the UUCA. This is a law that involves students in tertiary education institution, which involves hundreds of thousands of young energetic Malaysians.

The biggest contention is about not allowing students to partake in politics. You might be 21 years old and can legally vote, but you can’t be allowed to be part of party politics even as a member.

The reason why I’m allowed to vote at 21, is because I am entrusted with the capacity to decide as an adult. Therefore not allowing me to actively participate in something that is necessary to govern a country, something that affects my life, is quite contradictory.

In a developed progressive society, such laws like the three mentioned here do not exist. I’m not saying that no form of regulation is required for us to be number one, but to what end do we need to be handheld by law?

Law is only one aspect of influencing the direction of a country. But it does set clear perimeters within which we can and can not do, should and should not do.

Our elders raised us with a set of rules accompanied with punishments, rights and responsibilities. Much like how a country manages its people. At the same time, our elders also give us freedom to think, to decide and to grow.

There are times when we do need support of others to get something done but surely we don’t want a kind of thinking where many of what we want to achieve, requires approval from someone else. It is vibrant energy that moves people forward.

Let Malaysians believe in ourselves. Let Malaysia start here.

* Zain runs Random Alphabets (randomalphabets.com), and tweets at @ZainHD.

Against Maths & Science in English (PPSMI)

November 29, 2011 in Change, Discourse, Ideas, Published, Self by Zain

Some weeks ago I was actively arguing why I was/am against teaching maths and science in English in Malaysian schools.

Below is the article published in my column in The Star on the matter. A similar (unedited) one in BM published in Sinar Harian today, a personal milestone for me as this is my first time my writing got published in a Bahasa Malaysia publication.

Also here are two pieces from friends of mine who wrote on the same matter. One by Shahril Hamdan, and the other by Najmie Noordin. I highly recommend you to read both as they touched on angles I did not include in my piece.http://zainhd.cm/2011/11/ppsmi-maths-science-in-english/

The Star:

Many people find it surprising that I am against the education policy of teaching maths and science in English (PPSMI). This is considering that I am far more fluent in English than I am in Bahasa Malaysia, and went to Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) where everything was taught in English to students who were largely not proficient in the language.

Throughout law school, I was a maths and advance maths private home tutor to students who were sitting for their SPM and PMR exams. Sometimes, I would teach in two different languages as not all the students could understand English well.

I was once a supporter of PPSMI, but have changed my stand since. I’ve come to learn that there’s a huge difference between making a decision and making an informed decision. I changed my mind about PPSMI when I understood the bigger picture.

It started when I saw a draft copy of a World Bank report that looked into the education sector in Malaysia, which is currently being vetted by the Ministry of Education.

In the country’s GDP, we spend 60% more than comparable countries and twice the Asean average for the expenditure of basic education. This is a pattern that covers at least 30 years. Using international comparison, the report finds little or no evidence of a relationship between spending and learning outcomes.

My take from this information and the report as a whole is best illustrated like this: Our education system is like a factory that is heavily invested, well funded, overstaffed and sufficiently supported by stakeholders from the people to their leaders.

Yet its products, the Malaysian students, are not noteworthy.

There is a fundamental problem here. The core objective of this system, which is to educate Malaysians, is not doing what it is meant to do. To implement PPSMI, assuming you think the policy is a good idea, will not be wise. Why ask for a lightweight tyre, when the core structure of your bicycle is falling apart?

If we are going to work on fixing these problems, then we have to be focused.?Implementing something like PPSMI would mean a dillution of energy, time and money towards making the overall system work.

PPSMI has yet to be proven to have significant correlation towards comprehension or results for tertiary science subjects. According to the World Education Ranking conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that measures competency in “Reading, Maths and Science”, the top scorers are Shanghai (China), Korea, Finland and Hong Kong (China). United States ranked 17th, behind Poland and Switzerland.

Here’s another interesting point, assuming that the idea is to make the transition into English tertiary science-based education easier for Malaysian students: Of the approximate 400,000 students who enter Year 1, only 100,000 of them go on to complete their university education. Of that, number, how many of them are actually in the scientific field of study?

Now imagine having PPSMI across Malaysia of which has relevance to a small segment of students.

Imagine the disparity we’re harvesting between the educated, and the non-educated, the employability between the science students and the non-science students. Considering the disparity, caused by the benefit enjoyed by a “selective” segment of our students, can this be good for Malaysia?

If having better standards of English is good for those studying in university and also the country, then improve English as a whole. Japan is ranked 8th in the OECD study and yet, I’m confident that by percentage our population is more exposed to English and understand the language better than the Japanese. Meanwhile, people in Netherlands, ranked 10th, are fluent in Dutch, English and French, too.

Both countries have their education system in their local language.

Education is a national issue that all Malaysians have equity in it. A small school in a rural area where kids live as far as a three-day walk, will not have enough students to make a separate class specially for PPSMI, assuming they even have a teacher who can manage it (well).

Therefore, even if it’s an option, that option is an illusion. They now don’t have access to a portion of our education system, simply because of where they are born. Is that fair?

We have to understand things by tracing back the philosophy of a national education system. Is it meant to give selective special education where the smart will become smarter, and then figure out what to do with those who lack the exposure and opportunities? Is it meant to enable all Malaysians as much as possible to this basic human right? Or, is it purely to produce a workforce or to build a nation of people who are smart and able to articulate?

There’s been a good amount of intelligent people in this world throughout history, who don’t even know English and yet have their knowledge and work transcend beyond their own borders. Let’s work towards a solution for Malaysia. A smart one.

Sinar Harian:

Sudah lepas masa yang cukup, saya rasa, setelah Timbalan Perdana Menteri serangkap Menteri Pendidikan membuat keputusan tentang Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) yang membolehkan kita membincang akan isu ini dengan lebih asas dan objektif.

Ramai yang terkejut apabila mendengar yang saya merupakan antara mereka yang menentang dasar PPSMI. Lebih – lebih lagi saya lebih fasih berbahasa Inggeris berbanding Bahasa Melayu, dan menerima pendidikan lanjut di UiTM di mana semua pelajaran diajarkan dalam Bahasa Inggeris kepada pelajar – pelajar yang majoritinya malah tidak fasih dalam bahasa tersebut.

Sepanjang pengajian saya di Fakulti Undang-Undang UiTM, saya menjadi tutor Matematik dan Matematik Tambahan bagi pelajar – pelajar yang mengambil peperiksaan SPM dan PMR. Acapkali saya terpaksa mengajar dalam dua bahasa kerana tidak semua boleh memahami apa yang diajarkan dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Sebelum ini saya merupakan penyokong PPSMI, tetapi saya telah mengubah pendirian saya. Saya sedar bahawa terdapat jurang yang besar dalam mengambil satu keputusan dan mengambil satu keputusan termaklum. Saya telah mengubah pendirian tentang PPSMI setelah memahami situasi ini dengan lebih jelas.

Ia bermula apabila saya terbaca satu salinan draf penyata yang dikeluarkan World Bank berhubung sektor pendidikan di Malaysia, yang pada masa ini sedang diteliti Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia.

Berdasarkan data Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) Malaysia, kita membelanjakan lebih 60% berbanding negara-negara yang sebanding dengan kita dan dua kali ganda lebih banyak daripada purata negara – negara Asean dalam peruntukan pendidikan. Ini telah berjalan sekurang-kurangnya selama 30 tahun. Dibandingkan dengan negara – negara lain, penyata tersebut gagal merincikan sebarang pertalian antara perbelanjaan dan natijah pendidkan.

Apa yang saya perhatikan daripada penyata ini dapat disimpulkan seperti berikut: “sistem pendidikan kita bagaikan sebuah kilang yang telah menerima banyak pelaburan, mempunyai dana yang mencukupi, tenga kerja yang ramai, dan disokong sepenuhnya oleh pihak – pihak berkepentingan baik dari masyarakat awam ke para pemimpin. “

Namun demikian, hasilnya, iaitu pelajar – pelajar kita, tidak berdaya saing.

Di sini kelihatan wujudnya satu masalah yang mendasar. Objektif utama sistem ini, iaitu mendidik rakyat Malaysia, tidak tercapai. Untuk melaksanakan PPSMI, andaikata dasar ini merupakan satu idea yang baik, adalah tidak bijak sama sekali. Berdasarkan analogi sebuah basikal, kenapa kita ingin menukar tayar sedangkan rangka basikal itu sendiri tidak kukuh?

Jika kita ingin memperbaiki sistem ini, kita mesti memfokuskan usaha kita. Pelaksanaan PPSMI akan mencairkan usaha, dana dan masa hanya untuk memastikan seluruh sistem ini dapat berjalan.

PPSMI sendiri masih belum berjaya dibuktikan mempunyai pertalian yang signifikan terhadap pemahaman mahupun keputusan subjek – subjek sains di peringkat tertiari. Menurut World Education Ranking yang dikeluarkan oleh Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) yang mengukur kemampuan dalam “Pembacaan, Sains dan Matematik,” yang mencatat markah tertinggi adalah Shanghai – China, Korea, Finland dan Hong Kong – China. Amerika Syarikat berada di tempat ke-17, di belakang Poland dan Switzerland.

Satu lagi fakta menarik, andaikata idea kita adalah untuk memudahkan peralihan kepada Bahasa Inggeris sebagai medium pengajaran sains di peringkat tertiari bagi pelajar-pelajar Malaysia: Daripada kira-kira 400,000 yang memulakan pengajian di Tahun 1, hanya kira-kira 100,000 yang berjaya menyelesaikan pengajian mereka. Daripada jumlah itu, berapa ramai yang merupakan graduan daripada bidang sains?

Dan sekarang bayangkan pelaksanaan PPSMI yang hanya memberikan manfaat buat segelintir pelajar di seluruh Malaysia.

Bayangkan jurang yang kita wujudkan di antara mereka yang berpendidikan dan mereka yang tidak, kebolehpasaran (employability) antara pelajar aliran sains dan bukan sains. Apabila kita renungkan jurang ini, yang disebabkan oleh manfaat yang hanya boleh dirasai oleh segelintir masyarakat, adakah ini sesuatu yang baik buat Malaysia?

Jika mempunyai standard Bahasa Inggeris yang lebih baik itu menguntungkan pelajar-pelajar kita di universiti dan juga negara, maka apa yang perlu kita lakukan adalah meningkatkan kualiti pengajaran Bahasa Inggeris itu sendiri! Jepun berada di tangga ke-8 dalam laporan OECD yang sama, tetapi saya yakin yang secara keseluruhan, populasi Malaysia jauh lebih terdedah kepada Bahasa Inggeris daripada Jepun. Manakala masyarakat Belanda, di tempat ke-10, fasih berbahasa Belanda dan Inggeris.

Kedua-dua negara ini mengggunakan bahsa ibunda masing-masing sebagai bahasa pengantar pendidikan mereka.

Pendidikan merupakan satu isu nasional di mana setiap rakyat Malaysia mempunyai ekuiti di dalamnya. Sekolah-sekolah kecil di kawasan luar bandar, tidak akan mempunyai pelajar yang cukup untuk melaksanakan kelas PPSMI secara berasingan, itu pun dengan andaian yang mereka mempunyai guru yang terlatih.

Oleh itu, biarpun PPSMI merupakan satu pilihan, ia lebih merupakan satu ilusi. Pilihan ini akan menyebabkan anak-anak di luar bandar ini akan terpinggir daripada pendidikan kita hanya kerana mereka lahir di luar bandar. Adakah ini akan membawa keadilan sosial?

Untuk itu, dalam usaha kita memahami situasi ini, kita perlu menelusuri kembali falsafah pendidikan negara kita. Adakah ia digubal untuk menyediakan satu siri pendidikan khas supaya mereka yang cerdik akan bertambah cerdik dan kemudiannya cuba memberikan penyelesaian kepada mereka yang kurang bernasib baik? Adakah ia digubal untuk menjamin hak setiap rakyat Malaysia untuk diberi peluang menerima pendidikan yang bermutu? Adakah ia digubal hanya untuk menghasilkan tenaga kerja? Atau adakah ia digubal untuk melahirkan generasi pembina negara dan masyarakat yang berwawasan?

Melihat kembali sejarah manusia, telah lahir banyak cendikiawan di dunia ini yang tidak mahir berbahasa Inggeris tetapi berilmu tinggi dan menghasilkan pelbagai karya yang merentasi batas-batas sosiobudaya. Untuk itu, marilah kita berusaha bersama-sama dalam mencari penyelesaian (yang bijaksana) buat Malaysia.

TED: Why Zain doesn’t call in domestic help

November 28, 2011 in Change, Ideas, Individuals, Self, Video by Zain

Since I moved out of my parents place late 2009, I’ve made it a point to avoid (almost completely), to call in extra help to clean y own place. It is imperative, I believe, that for as much as a person can be and remain independent and/or self-sufficient, he should.

Yes, there is the consideration of practicality and productivity, such as our expensive skilled time better invested elsewhere for better impact, if looked at in isolation. But that should not be veiled against formed complacency and harvested incompetency.

*Disclaimer: I too, struggle to schedule even random cleaning operations at home.

A reason why I take issue on this is two clear examples that are evident to me, the idea that:

a middle class home today cannot function without a domestic worker doing the house certain, most or all chores,
a child is expected to be primarily educated (in an encompassing context), by school teachers, and not the able adults in his reach.

Those two are only an example of what it brings us to. What is between the lines in essence, that makes it damaging, is the distorted outlook and paradigm that we have upon everything beyond ourselves, and worst still, upon ourselves, without actually realizing it. And then, the self-believe that it could be otherwise.

The video is an area of my recent interest. But that aside, at two parts it relates to my point above. What she calls inner-dependancy, and following that the consumerist mindset (for me, that which affects our lives overall, and not just materially).

*Thanks Yasmin for sharing this video with me. A pot of earl gray with some darjeeling, is owed.

- click to watch video http://zainhd.com/2011/11/ted-why-zain-doesnt-call-in-domestic-help

Speaking at TEDxMMU

November 28, 2011 in Art, Ideas, Self by Zain

Thanks to the organizers for having me.

This event is of interest to me as I’ve worked with and spent some time with students and youth, and for the past few months have been discussing the elements and issues around cultivating a climate, an environment, an ecosystem that is more vibrant for the creative scene, the social entrepreneurship scene namely in the context of bottom-up growth progression.

My topic is creative capacity.

Event theme: Nurturing University’s Creative Minds

My likely topic: Creative Capacity

Saturday 10 December , 0900 – 1500

Click here for more info, and click here to see some of the other speakers, that I’m looking forward to see.

*Update: click here to view pictures from the event.

- http://zainhd.com/2011/11/speaking-at-tedxmmu/

Furni Loving

November 28, 2011 in Art, Self, Travel by Zain

Earlier today, I tweeted:

Jst left old furniture shop. In love, did not spend, but hv their email & pics of wht I like. Oh dear..http://lockerz.com/s/159887637

The last time I went on a furniture spree, Jakarta 2009, it caused some damage and no regrets. The same has been the case for the last few outings I’ve had with the shops.

But there are a few realities some must come to face. And the new one I had was, to run away.

By that I mean, not to stay another night in Penang, because if I did, I’d pay this store another visit to confirm purchase of the items I’m interested in.

When I started looking at this, I knew I was getting carried away. So..the wise thing to do was to continue letting that happen.

Aren’t they lovely? Note how the legs are angled, and that there’s only three.

I actually came looking for this. And got excited seeing all the other stuff.

And then I enquired about the price for this gorgeous heavy peranakan beauty. That snapped me back to life and marked my exit.

Khor Antiques, Beach Road, Penang. Near Chulia Street.

That said, here it is for your perusal as I don’t subscribe to this notion of keeping the good things a secret. In essence, no good has ever come out of such selfish behaviour.

- http://zainhd.com/2011/11/furni-loving/

Fall asleep. Not on your bed.

November 20, 2011 in Self by Zain

Explore your home. You’ll find things that did not need seeking. It just required you.

My Article & Video on Entrepreneurship

October 11, 2011 in Discourse, Published, Self, Video by Zain

Some months ago I started reducing speaking engagements because I felt, if I was in the audience, listening to me, I’d be upset with how the speaker just wasted the time in my life, albeit brief. This was indeed how I felt most of the time for the talks I’ve been going to for the past year. That self reflection made me improve in some areas and recently I put it to test.

Few weeks ago I gave a talk at Monash university on entrepreneurship. I wrote about it in my column last week in The Star, and reproduced it below. Last weekend, the Malaysian Students Association in Australia organized a summit that included MAP (Malaysian Aspration Program), their version of TED Talks. I couldn’t go to Melbourne, so I recorded my part on youtube (below) for them to screen and did the Q&A live via Twitter from KL.

For both, I tried to focus on the reality as well as substance and not style. Either way, I thank both organizers for having me and hope I did not disappoint you and the audience. If I did, don’t expect a card and some flowers. Just let me know and I’ll work on it.

http://zainhd.com/2011/10/my-article-video-on-entrepreneurship

Video Part 1 of 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkfo42ezZ0k

Video Part 2 of 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky0dxz_64UE

Video Part 3 of 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuhOPPPenTw

Business Minded

MANY people I know do not actually have a clear idea of what they did in the past that had gotten them to where they are today. I was asked recently to speak to Monash University students on entrepreneurship. Until that point, I was not actually conscious of being an entrepreneur, nor was I aware of how I got “there” in the first place.

In 1995, my father brought home football magazines from an overseas trip, which I photocopied (without legal consent, of course) and sold to my friends at school. That’s a “pirate”, not entrepreneur right?

Years later, I was a performer, getting paid as a rapper and moving with it business-wise such as booking shows and recording with other people. After awhile, when it was not as fun anymore, I left. But that too is being a musician right? Not an entrepreneur I think.

Today, I run a startup company, a business that thinks of, sells and executes ideas. If I have no clients to do business with, there’d be no money. The excitement is fascinating but the risk does make me lose sleep sometimes.

“A person who organises and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.” That was how my laptop dictionary defined entrepreneurship.

So I suppose yes, I’m an entrepreneur although I’m not too sure how I got here. I sure didn’t make any plans, or a conscious choice to be an entrepreneur. I just did what I felt like doing, but let’s set a few things straight.

I don’t mean to discourage anyone but I feel from what little I know so far, certain things about entrepreneurship must be made clear.

First of all, not all entrepreneurs are successful. It’s not always like the stories we hear, where it’s glittered with positive words, romantic elements, big money and at most a difficult beginning. We know this is not true but not many people are that consciously aware of it. For some people the risk they have to take is immense, and when the flowers don’t bloom as they’d hope, the pretty garden they planned for their life can fall apart horribly.

Besides that, there are some who choose entrepreneurship as a way out of something they were unhappy about and not because they wanted it or because they had the characteristics of being one. To illustrate, if you don’t like rock music, that doesn’t mean you might not like another genre.

There are also some people who choose entrepreneurship for the supposed “cool” factor. Your career is also your livelihood and there’s nothing cool about not having enough money to make a living or paying the salary of the people who work for you. It’s a very serious circumstance to be in.

Finally, there’s often a tendency to be inspired when reading the journey of an entrepreneur, but don’t let that devalue your perception of other professions out there.

There are many people out there who hold on to their conventional job while being involved in a business venture.
My company actually started out as a side business while I had a full-time job that eventually didn’t work out for me. At first, the company didn’t work out either, but many lessons learned during my job helped me start the business and subsequently, continue to grow it.

It’s not just about me, myself and I. Apart from the experiences I got at my old job, I also had a business partner who helped make the work smoother by bringing in lessons he learned from his previous work.

On top of that, a supportive staff also made things easier.

So, should you consider going down this path of entrepreneurship, do take into account all the little things you’ve learned along the way. At the end of the day, whatever you choose, make the best out of it.

* Zain runs Random Alphabets (randomalphabets.com), and tweets at @ZainHD.

Warriors Sleepover

October 3, 2011 in Self by Zain

2 days ago, I slept over my brothers place in his tv room, with his son who decided to sleep there with me. The following is a compilation of tweets I put up, some time before we went to bed.

My niece is fun. She’s not on Twitter. She can’t talk. My nephew is lobbying for me to sleep in the tv room.

Me, my nephew and his father will come over to my house to sleep, so the small boy says. ‘Warriors Sleepover.’ And ‘girls are not Warriors.’

Dnt think nephew being sarcastic abt me not having a tv of my own, but he jst showed me how to work his, highlighting Disney channel number.

I told nephew I need a shower n he showed me the bath. ‘Girls use cold water. You must use hot water Ami Zain. Because boys are warriors.’

Nephew also said, perhaps I should not shower but jst ‘bilas badan. Or, you can use soap (and shower) but jst don’t waste water.’

Me n nephew sleeping infront of tv tonight. He is equally talkative when he is tired, watching tv n me on the phone. Fascinating.

‘We sleep aftr this cartoon is it? U kno I used 2 wear pyjamas like u whn I was small.’ He replies: ‘these 2 cars r Hotwheels.W/c 1 u like?’

Sept 16 Pride Without Prejudice Event

September 15, 2011 in Politics & Governments, Religion & Faith, Self by Zain

While I don’t always agree with the organizer’s, Sister’s In Islam (SIS), approach and outlook towards issues and how they tackle things, they do do some good work. But more importantly, it would be wrong for you to disengage yourself with someone who is either you’re in disagreement with, or that is wrong.

To put into context, it’s like you like the colour blue and refuse to talk to anyone who likes yellow. Or refuse to shake hands with someone who is a thief, because he is a sinner in one clear way (like yourself too, in a way that might not be as obvious).

Now back to the poster above, each speaker will focus on one prejudice area, such as age, nationality, caste etc. Mine is on political prejudice. Whether or not you attend the talk or read it’s content afterwards, it’s important to make clear first to yourself, what does prejudice means. It sounds basic, but a good amount of pointless argument and discussion can ensue should something as simple as this, is not understood let alone agreed.

Open – Mukha Cafe TTDI

September 15, 2011 in Art, Self by Zain

Check this joint out. Behind Maybank TTDI on Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, near the TTDI Police station. You’ll be seeing me here quite a bit, nice interior decor to chill bebual kosong or lek one corner to do work. Arty ish place.

PS. Some of the people who work here, were the same people who are responsible for almost all design work for RandomAlphabets as well as my company logo. Many thanks for all that support guys. :)

« Older entries § Newer entries »