OPPOSITION ARE NOT PARIAH’S!-They are Malaysian Citizen

I refer to the article in The Star with the headlines D-G: Only ministry officers allowed at school functions on the Sunday Star 30^th March 2008 where the DG of Education where he was quoted to say that only officers from the Education Ministry are allowed to officiate at school functions to prevent such functions from being politicised. In the statement he says if other people are to be invited then, special permission must be obtained from the State Director of Education.

For the benefit of the readers, there is a circular to that effect that was issued by the Ministry (SPI 5/1999 dated 11 Mei 1999) where it says that government servants are not allowed to be involved anti government activities.

While I agree to some extent the directives from Dato Allimuddin, I felt that the instruction is rather lopsided and reflects a poor professionalism in the part of the Government Service. However based on my experience of being a former government servant, I could understand his and his officer’s position in issuing the directives. They are just government servant. They just want to do their job and protect their rice bowl. Please spare them a few inch of space when you make any criticism.

What I am about to say is nothing to do with Dato Allimuddin or his officers. I want to touch on the issue of professionalism and independence of the Federal and State Government Machinery. Since the issue of Education is close to my heart, I am going to use the recent issues as the basis of my discussion.

Should Politician’s be Involved in School

In a very short sentence – The answer is NO! I feel politicians on both side of the fence should not come into schools. Their involvement has a major impact on the teachers and indirectly on the children. What has happen previously, any UMNO or BN rep has an easy access into schools. Some of them get to sit on PTA. Some use “Yayasan Pendidikan” or “Yayasan Pembasmian Kemiskinan” as their platform to enter schools. In their speech, it is always slanted to politics and support of certain politicians and their policies. Even many HM’s has become UMNO stalwart’s members. This is not good for school. When I refer to SPI 5/99, I felt very sad that a lopsided regulation was in place. To be fair, all politicians cannot hold post nor do any official opening ceremony of any function in schools.

There is no need to make life difficult for State Education Director where he is put in a spot to approve applications by the school. It is quite obvious he too has to protect his own rice bowl and will only approve BN/UMNO people only. If this is done, we can be sure that many schools or PTA will submit an application to invite the appointed state leaders in both in KL and Selangor. It is no so much they want to come; they just want to prove a point. Then what will happen if this matter is further publicize. We need to take a long term approach. We need to show professionalism. In this aspect, I was very happy to see the picture of LGE and his people greeting the PM in today’s paper at Penang Airport. That is what professionalism is about. LGE as the Penang CM had shown significant professionalism with his respect to the PM.

In some State Education Dept that I know, the local UMNO leaders have almost free access to the dept. I have seen and personally experienced on how a local UMNO leader got involved in cahoots with the School and Education Dept Officers in hand trying to make sure the “Right PIBG” is appointed to school. This is not good and not healthy for the school and the community. I cite another example where several UMNO people forms an organization named “Majlis Permuafakatan PIBG WPKL” where they tries to bring their political influences into the PIBG.

The office bearers are all Malays and the key people are top state level UMNO leaders. They even get State Education Directors to grace their meetings ( in 2007 and 2008) despite a very clear law that PIBG from one school cannot unite with another and to form a state level or national level organization (Please read Education Regulation 1998 item 57 – it is as clear as the sky on a sunny day).They even collect RM200 from each PTA as a payment to the Majlis via the State Education Department. Isn’t this is interference by the politicians.

I beg you, Dato Allimuddin, please don’t allow this to continue. Nothing will stop the Alternative party members from doing the same and if this happens then, things will turn ugly in schools. We must be fair and show professionalism. We must protect the interest of our children and nation. It will start with the Chinese and Tamils Schools calling themselves “Majlis Permuafakatan Ibu Sek Tamil dan China” and this will spread to other schools in the 5 other states. Believe me – it will happen. I pray and hope that it won’t happen. Once it happen, I can tell you that you or your officers cannot control it because they are just copying what UMNO is doing. If UMNO can do it, why cant they do it. If they go to court, I can bet you the opposition will win. No amount of law and pressure can undo the damages.

Government Servants must show impartiality.

A professional government service must show impartiality. It is there to serve the people be it from the pro BN or pro Opposition. It must be neutral to its core. This is the only measure to ensure that racist interest is protected. In many states, the State Government agencies who are used to the BN being the ruling government today finds it hard to adjust. They now find it hard to accept that BN is now the OPPOSITION. Government servant must respect both the pro BN and pro Alternative party the same. Opposition are NOT PARIAH’S! They are human being too. They are Malaysian with different views. In Malaysia for the past 50 years, BN has been painting a picture that opposition are PARIAH’S, UNTOUCHABLES, DISLOYAL to the country. There is a saying, What Goes Around Comes Around (Song by Alicia keys). For their own doing now they are treated as PARIAH’S, UNTOUCHABLES, DISLOYAL in the state of Penang, Selangor, Kelantan, Kedah and Kuala Lumpur. It doesn’t feel nice does it!

I urged the KSN, Tan Sri Sidek to take measures to inculcate the conduct of professionalism in the government service and not be a tool to any politicians. Government servant must be loyal to the COUNTRY, the laws and policies and NOT THE politicians. While they are required to answer to their political masters, they too must obey the various laws, SOP’s and etc . Government servant must be loyal to the country and to good values. I know it is tough especially because this their rice bowl might be affected but I believe if majority of the government servant are united and maintain this good values and professional conduct then no one can touch them.

I am for one are NOT a member of any political parties. I do not have a BLIND loyalty to any politician be it Pak Lah,, Najib, Anwar,Anuar and what ever their name maybe. I can meet both the UMNO people as well as the PKR / DAP people and many of them have no problem meeting me. They do not feel uncomfortable. I respect them for what they have done and I am loyal to country. For the same reason I have my respect to Shahrizat, Dato Noh Omar, Shahrir Samad and people like Tan Kok Wai,Lee Lam Thye and many others. For the same reason, I felt sorry for country if the country lose the services of people like Shahrizat, Tan Kok Wai, Teresa Kok and many more professional politicians. By respecting them it doesn’t mean I am BLINDLY loyal to any of them or their political party. I only support them for their contributions and they earn have my respect.

Tan Sri KSN (and many other MOE officials who hate my guts and who has been trying to get rid of me from the PTA) , please read trough what I have said here many times before coming to a conclusion. Put the country and its people first and politicians second.