Scrapping of PPSMI - What say you?

The scrapping of PPSMI - teaching of Science and Mathematics in English has sparked off another round of public discourse. It's a contentious issue from Day 1 and there are contrast opinions on this subject. Language activists irrespective of Chinese and Tamil mother tongue education groups or the nationalist Bahasa Malaysia "defender" hailed the decision as a moral victory as they have launched massive opposition to the policy in the last few years.

However, many urban parents seemed dissapointed with this flip-flop policy as they preferred the current method of using English in both subjects. DAP's position on this issue has always been clear. We opposed it, not that we are against the mastery of English but we do not believe that this approach is workable. We must strive to return to the standard of our English in the 70s, no doubt about that. But if even the teachers who teach Maths and Science can't master English, can we expect any success in such policy?

The other option is to let some selected schools which are well-prepared to continue the current method and give the parents a choice.

Well, we would like to hear your views on this issue. Read more!

Office Assistant urgently needed

I'm urgently looking for an Office Assistant to be based in my service center in Jalan Tuanku Munawir (junction to Lobak). The tasks are manning the service center from 9-5 daily (Mon- Fri, Sat 9-1), handling public complaints and general office admin.

If you are looking for an office job, well-versed in spoken and written BM, computer- literate and most important of all willing to listen and friendly, please contact me at 016-668 6165 for an immediate interview or email siewfook@gmail.com

If you have friend or relatives who are interested, please pass them this message.

No gender bias here, but I think a female can handle this job better. Read more!

DAPSY's resolution on Kedah and UMNO Youth

Media statement by DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) National Chairman and MP for Rasah Loke Siew Fook on Wednesday, 8 July 2009, at Petaling Jaya:

Kedah State Government and Kedah DAP Must Find the Best Reconciliatory Solution; UMNO Youth Reaffirms its Status as the De-facto Party of Hooligans

DAPSY National Executive Council in its meeting last night at DAP headquarters discussed at length various current political issues and resolved that;

1) The DAPSY national leadership urges the Kedah Pakatan Rakyat state government to be serious about finding a reconciliatory solution for the ongoing rift between itself and DAP Kedah.

DAPSY understood the circumstances that led to DAP Kedah pulling out of the state Pakatan Rakyat but we are of the opinion that both sides shall seek the best solution to resolve their problems with each other, and that breaking up the coalition is not a solution.

DAPSY wishes to remind Pakatan Rakyat governments that they have been entrusted by the Rakyat to serve people of all religious, cultural, social and ethnic backgrounds as an effective coalition. Therefore, Kedah state government must be sensitive to the needs of the non-Malays community in Kedah.

2) The DAPSY national leadership also passed a unanimous resolution to condemn in the strongest possible term the UMNO Youth hooligans who assaulted a number of people including DAPSY NEC member and State Assemblyman for Ayer Keroh Khoo Poay Tiong, DAP Malacca Chairman and State Assemblyman for Kesidang Goh Leong San and a bystander at a DAPSY voter registration booth in Malacca when trying to stop the activity.

UMNO Youth members have no right to stop other parties from providing voter registration services and to resort to violence when they don’t have it their way. DAPSY will not bow to such barbaric act. We fully support DAPSY Malacca and all other state DAPSY to be even more active in our voter registration campaign as we are doing a national service for our democracy.

After rudely confronting Karpal Singh in Parliament, UMNO Youth members were once again putting their gangster roots on display in Malacca. UMNO Youth has hence reaffirmed its status as the de-facto party of hooligans in Malaysia.

UMNO Youth Chief Khairy Jamaludin should make an open apology for its members’ unruly behavior and the police should immediately charge the culprits.

-Loke Siew Fook- Read more!

MCA = sour grapes

When I hold the press conference 3 days ago regarding the top SPM scorer who got JPA scholarship, I knew our friends in MCA will jump. They have always thought that they have the monopoly over the issue of JPA scholarship and gave the impression that all Chinese students who failed to get one must go through them to have any chance to appeal for it. Well, somehow when a parent came out openly to thank the DAP for helping her daughter, this must upset MCA people.

The local edition of Chinese press today reported that my counterpart from MCA who was also my rival in the last GE, Dr. Yeow Chai Thiam claimed that it was MCA who helped Mo Ye Vonn to get the JPA scholarship. He said that it was MCA's "effort" of fighting in the Cabinet to increase the number of scholarships and "systematically" placed those who failed to get overseas scholarship to study locally. In short, it was MCA's effort who helped the student. DAP and me has nothing to do with it. We were just out there to claim "cheap political mileage". Sour grapes, isn't it?

I held a press conference to rebut him and told him that if he wants to claim credit for it, then I can give him all the credits he wants. Take it. But don't pressurize the student and her poor mother for not thanking the MCA. This is MCA. They have yet to realize why the voters dumped them in the last GE!

And for the information of Dr Yeow, I actually helped another student who was in the same predicament like Mo Ye Vonn and she also got JPA scholarship to study medicine in AIMST university. Her father is a MCA member in Yeow's Rasah division. And he just treated me lunch this afternoon with his wife and daughter as a kind gesture to thank me :) Read more!

JPA scholarship

As an elected rep, the biggest satisfaction is when we are able to give hope to someone. Well, I held a press conference this morning with a JPA scholar Mo Ye Voon and her mother as she succeeded in getting a scholarship from JPA to study medicine in AIMST university. She was one of the many top students nationwide who failed to get JPA scholarships in the first round. She appealed through various channels but did not get it too during the appeal period.

However, she was very determined to be a doctor and did not give up for the scholarship and came back to seek my help. Again, I wrote and brought her to meet the JPA director in-charge of scholarship and even brought her to meet up with Minister in the PM's department Datuk Seri Nazri. Her determination paid off and finally she got an offer from JPA to read medicine locally. She's quite happy with that.

I'm happy for being able to help a young girl to be on the right path to realize her own dream - to become a doctor! Now, it's all depends on her own hard work in the years ahead to pass in all the exams and serve the society one day.

Even though i feel satisfied, i really hope that i need not do all these "appealing" work for top students in the coming years. If they deserved it, they should get it right away.

Our dear PM, it's time for you to show your political will to implement the "National Scholarships" based on merit now! Good luck to all the scholars. Read more!

DAP NS building

Finally, we have officially launched our DAP NS building last Sunday. This is a dream comes true for many DAP comrades and supporters in NS. We have launched the fundraising for the building 3 years ago and we managed to raise about RM400k. The cost of the building in Kemayan Square was RM345,000 and we have fully paid it. The balance was spent for some renovation, furniture, fittings and expenses for the opening ceremony.

Well, it was considered a grand ceremony for our standard. I saw many of you that day especially regular readers of this blog like wee tak, P130, etc. I'm sorry for not able to say hello to each and everyone of you. However, many thanks for your support.

I'm down with bad flu in the last few days and hopefully not that la... Read more!