Tee Keat VS Evil Forces

MCA president Ong Tee Keat

Ong Tee Keat declares that he is a follower of the Buddhist faith. He religiously wears a prayer beads on his left hand wherever he goes to protect himself from negative forces. The rosary was given to him by his spiritual master some years ago. It seems to work so far. He had gone through the Team A and Team B political wars. When he was MCA's Youth chairman he went through unscathed during the 803 Incident. The incident during the Youth AGM held on Aug 3, 2001 at the Flamingo Hotel in Ampang saw the youth supporters of the rival teams throwing chairs at each other. Ong Tee Keat just sat firmly on the stage during the fracas and later took control of the situation.

The blogger with Ong Tee Keat during a function when he was still the Deputy Youth Minister. The rosary is on his left wrist.

Tee Keat is known as a politician that strike things on his own disregarding whose tail he steps on. He openly demands explaination from the MCA leadership when Ling Liong Sik was the then president regarding the Chang Min Thien Foundation issue. He even criticized his own party leaders in 2002 for acquiring the Nanyang Press Holdings Bhd. At one time he even claims there are hidden black hands involved within MCA. He was elected as MCA's vice president in 2005 and subsequently as the president in 2008, standing on his own platform without openly alligning himself with any factions in the party.

Winning the MCA presidency

His recent claims that there are negative forces which are trying to bring harm and dethrone him from the MCA presidency cause alarm at least within MCA and the Chinese community if not the nation. The message he is trying to convey to the public is that he is besieged from all corners, from internal and also external forces. The situation must be so serious that it entails all MCA ministers and deputy ministers to issue a joint statement to support his leadership, of course minus his estranged deputy president who is not a minister.

Other then providing a united stand for their besieged president, the supporting statement also implies that Ong Tee Keat is not getting the necessary open supports from his non-MCA cabinet ministers. Umno ministers has been eerily silent on Tee Keat's handling of the PKFZ issue which creates an impression something is brewing within Umno's inner circle. Even Prime Minister Najib Razak had announced all matter related to PKFZ will be handled by Tee Keat. Wow! how statesman-like.

Maybe non-MCA ministers or deputy ministers are washing their hands off from the PKFZ issue because they are in the position to know it involves many big guns within the BN family. These politicians are just playing it safe i.e. do not throw stones if you are staying in glass houses. It seems Tee Keat will have to do it alone in facing the PKFZ debacle. Even if his comrades openly gave their open support it will not means anything if his other cabinet colleagues are just watching from the sidelines. Furthermore the open support from his comrades can be suspected knowing that his downfall will provide an opportunity for his comrades to move up the party hierarchy. That's the reality in poltical parties.

It looks like Tee Keat is fighting the war alone and need to watch his back more seriously. Maybe his prayer beads will protects him from the evil forces, just as it has been all this while. - Loka

Leadership in plagiarism

Nowadays it is so easy to search and retrieve information from the internet. Any primary school children can submit pages of assignment within a day or two. If the little kid can do wonders with the click of the mouse, imagine what the adults can do. Just googled or wikipaediaed, wallah, all the information will be there - to be cut and paste!

Plagiarism is a non-entity and respect for intellectual property seems only exist in the past. Even if the information is easily available, it will be a courtesy to at least acknowledge the source or author of the article or references used.

Recently I received a forwarded email from a friend with an attached short article. The original writer of the article was actually me but in the email, the writer's name of the article has been changed to another person. It seems this plagiarist has been doing this sort notorious act of article hijacking for sometime already.

I told my friend this is not the first time my writings has been plagiarised. Sometimes copycat is the highest level of flattery. Frankly, I am getting used to it. But then sometimes plagiarism can be very notorious and makes us dumbfounded when we found out the background of the person who did it. There was one case which was actually very shocking and sad for me at the same time.

Some years ago I wrote and presented a paper for an international leadership training program for youth leaders. The paper was distributed to all participants and soft copies were available freely to all who wants to download it. I was not sure how many people downloaded the file but certainly there are people who did it.

Fast forward to a couple of years later where I was sitting attentively in a convention room in downtown Tokyo. I was attending an international seminar for Buddhist leaders. As one speaker after another presented their paper, I was enjoying the sharing of intellectual discourse from different continents. Then it's the turn of a speaker from the same country of origin as me to present his paper. As he presented eloquently line by line, it comes to a point where I felt very familiar with the text projected on the screen. Those points were written by me! Word by word. Line by line.

I was flabagasted!

I should be proud of myself since someone who is the president of a national level organisation was unashamedly presenting his "view" using exactly the text which I presented earlier.

At the end of his presentation there were applauses throughout the hall and the speaker basked in the atmosphere. But one thing was clearly missing. Throughout his presentation, he never once mentioned that he uses somebody else's points as his!

Usually I would have taken this lightly and forgets about it. But the problem lies in that was a conference for Buddhists and I think all speakers are Buddhists who should know plagiarism is also one type of stealing which is tantamount to breaking one of the Buddhist precepts. Or maybe the plagiarist concerned knows it was plagiarism but do not think he was breaking the precept by stealing intellectual property of others.

I dread to think what will be the direction and future of the organisation the plagiarist leads. I only can wish all the best to the organisation members. - Loka

A brother's call

Last weekend I attended a dinner organised by the Young Malaysians Movement (YMM) in conjunction with their 37th AGM. No doubt one of the hottest topic discussed around the dinner table is the tragic death of DAP's Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC Selangor headquarters.

Amongst the guest was Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai (3rd right) and many YMM former leaders and advisors. Even though Liow Tiong Lai did not comment on the tragic incident in his speech, the link between Teoh Beng Hock with some of us present at the event is always there. Liow, YMM president Ng Chin Long (2nd right), former president Lim Joo Kiat (3rd left) and myself were educated at UKM, just like the deceased.

The YMM during their AGM supported the called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the shocking death of Teoh Beng Hock. Many groups has been calling the government to establish the Royal Commission of Inquiry. Liow Tiong Lai being a Cabinet Minister and also a university senior of Beng Hock should use his good office to press for the commission and to uphold justice for his fallen junior, disregards of political affiliation. - Loka

Will justice dies too

Life is Uncertain, Death is Certain.

Always reminded on this,
no one can escape death.
Not then, now or ever,
Death calls anytime, anywhere.

Life is precious,
regardless size, color or status.
How much humans worth,
without dignity, love or care.

Love for others,
beyond lines, shapes or color.
When a life lost tragically,
wondered why it need to happen?

If Death already Certain,
will justice died with it too?
When Life is so Uncertain,
will truth still prevails?


Loka SK Ng
17/07/09

PPSMI - another rally?

Gapena and Dong Zong must have felt a sense of glory and victory. Both organizations campaigned vigourously for the teachings of Mathematics and Science in English in schools to be scrapped and revert to Bahasa Malaysia in national primary schools and Mandarin and Tamil in national-type primary schools. The policy has now been reverted to pre-2003 by the government.

The government can now claimed they listened to the voices of the people while both the organizations can declare they are the rakyat heroes. Really? Are the views of the actual receipient stakeholders, the parents and students has been really taken into consideration when decision on this matter was made.

The policy to teach Maths and Science in English was launched during Tun Mahathir's tail end term as PM. He was very eager to get the policy implemented as fast as possible. Leaving no stones unturned, his machinery works to the fullest to ensure all system goes as planned in time.

There were opponents to this policy change but I can't recalled Gapena as one of them or even those in the Gerakan Mansuhkan PPSMI (GMP). The more vocal opposition to the PPSMI came from the Chinese educationist group Dong Zong.

To neutralised the opposition from Dong Zong, a mammoth gathering to show the Chinese community supports for the PPSMI was organised in 2002 at Stadium Putra. The crowds were there but the audience consists mostly those mobilised by Malay-based organizations. The so-called Chinese community's support was all-over the indoor stadium - but in the shape of standard banners and buntings with names of many unheard of Chinese-based guilds and clans. These banners parade was actually coordinated by a Chinese clan leader. C0-incidentally he was awarded a datukship months later for his service to the nation.

Now the policy is already reverted and expected to be fully executed by 2012, voices of dismayed especially from parents who are in favour of PPSMI are getting louder by the day. The question is why these voices of concern were not heard or taken into considerations by Gapena and Dong Zong when both organizations campaigned against PPSMI? Can it be these organizations are just speaking for themselves, meaning the committee members, without the imvolvement of the real stakeholders - the parents and students.

Maybe it's the parents themselves that have to take the blame. They did not voice out loud enough to be heard. Maybe they should have rallied all parents and marched to the Agong's istana to submit a memorandum in favour of the policy. Is it too late to have one now? From previous incidences, it seems that's how one get noticed and have the ears of the government nowadays if you have any issue that need the government's attention.

Or maybe other than the online survey, Mahathir can get the Chinese clan guy to organized a rally at the stadium? Maybe not, Mahathir is no more the PM and do not have the clout and power as in 2002. Those NGOs which supported his policy the last time had turn against him this time around. Maybe the real stakeholders, the parents and students affected by the turn around policy might attend in person to rally behind him and bring along banners of support too. - Loka