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.

Art Lived, Not Hung

December 7, 2011 in Art, Ideas by Zain

On Saturday, I’ll be speaking at TEDxMMU (click here) where the theme is Nurturing University’s Creative Minds. I recently came across the work of a fellow speaker, Muid Latif, which I admire.

The images here are from his work, which was displayed in the KTM Komuter trains for Merdeka. As a matter of taste, I like the design, but more importantly how he came to sharing with me this project was my belief that art should be lived.

In some sense saying that life that is around us is the canvas for art and creativity. It is neither exclusive to a physical canvas, on a wall at your home or a gallery. Nor is it conclusive to a painting, or a photograph.

This point of view relates to the very first blog post I wrote in 2007, Holier Than Thou Art. To view more of the work by Muid, click here. From my experience, presence of art is quite significant in train stations in Italy, and some countries in South America. I heard France too.

 

Rio’s Christ Turns Red

December 4, 2011 in Art, Discourse, Ideas, Video by Zain

It doesn’t take a lot to get proper publicity, and push for tourism. Actually I’m wrong, it does take a lot. A lot of brains, not cost.

The Christ the Redeemer statue, top right, is lit in red light to commemorate World AIDS Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Dec. 1, 2011. Rio de Janeiro’s city government illuminated several urban monuments in red as part of its actions to commemorate World AIDS Day, from MSNBC photoblog.

Almost all great, big, developed cities, well-known cities, unfortunately need an iconic structure to solidify that status. To some extent it’s understandable and makes sense.

This thinking, was partly what drove the idea to build KLCC, which has to an extent delivered that part of its objective as an icon to KL/Malaysia and prop those two on the global platform, an indicator of progress and development. In terms of economy, this has quite a significant multiplier effect.

The second purpose, I assume, would be the tourism element which also relates to the purpose above.

Since it’s an icon, people take pictures of it, that later gets viewed by many others. But what I want to bring forth is that, such icons need not be as massive as the Kuala Lumpur’s KLCC or Rio’s Christ the Redeemer statue.

Windy city Chicago did something much simpler. They gave the world the Cloud Gate, or what most people just call the Bean. Read up on articles of how much ‘returns’ did Chicago get from the Bean. While what Rio did recently was clever, Chicago takes the cake.

- http://zainhd.com/2011/12/rios-christ-turns-red-for-aids/

Video: Nerdy white kid KILLS “Look at Me Now”

December 2, 2011 in Art, Ideas, Video by Zain

First it was Karmin. Now it’s Mac Lethal, and this is mental. Exciting to see creativity explored, and actioned, in this manner. By regular people, moving something from idea in mind, to something tangible. It sounds simple, but many don’t actually ‘make things happen.’

- Watch the video  http://zainhd.com/2011/12/video-nerdy-white-kid-kills-look-at-me-now/

 

Palestinian Film Festival Malaysia, 2-11 December

November 30, 2011 in Ad, Politics & Governments by Zain

A Job That is Looking for You

November 30, 2011 in WAGO by Zain

I am looking to hire 3 people for 3 different positions, to work in my company, based in Hartamas.

It’s a startup, so to put it one way, it doesn’t have the elements a large company does but if you’re into opportunities, then this vacancy is looking for you.

On the flipside, if you’re looking for a place to be comfortable, not challenging, sweet but not exciting, then this job is not looking for you. Your dancing shoes, meant for another song, not ours.

Someone at:

  • a managerial level, that can lead projects
  • an executive level, that can execute projects
  • an internship level, that can assist projects

The work is communications based, but you do not need to have a communications background. Generally speaking, we’re categorized as a boutique advertising agency.

We don’t work the hours most agencies do because we don’t believe in that. As for pay, everyone is paid according to how well and able they are.

So you have an idea, we started off as an arts group, RandomAlphabets in 2008 doing flashmobs and guerrilla events.

After a string of freelance gigs, in 2009 Wago Sdn Bhd was set up from scratch, and grown it independently without any form of financial support, but just by selling ideas.

What is most important is, this is where people make things happen and get things done. If you have the same attitude, then I look forward to your email.

ZainHD at Wago dot com dot my.

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/

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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.

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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:

  1. a middle class home today cannot function without a domestic worker doing the house certain, most or all chores,
  2. 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.

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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/

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