A sudden emergence of brilliance

A’s galore – Is this for real? 

(Aliran) So many students these days obtain a string of A's in public examinations. And yet, most people who were in school, say 50 years ago, can recall how difficult it was in those days to obtain an ‘A’ for any subject in the study syllabus, observes Inhindsight.


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written by anon, April 03, 2010 11:51:05

Why is everyone so shocked that students are getting straight As? This is 2010 not the 1950s, 60s or even 70s. In the 50s and 60s there were exams in Standard 6 and if you fail you're out - which has its disadvantages too, then LCE and MCE (before this SC). Finally, HSC - to toughest exam before you get into (if you do) a University.

Remember our names appeared in the newspaper for all to see?

Degrees were world recognized. Then came the 80s and 90s. By this time of course degrees were not recognized outside this country except for perhaps some Univs where millions were 'donated' ( I was told) to hand the degree on a silver platter. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Indon Univs, some Russian ones, Ukraine for example.  

Veteran Malays who had post-Form Five (TTC?) qualification were sent to Leeds and York to do their Masters programme! From Form 5 - to Masters! They lived in their own little 'kampong' in Leeds and York (as related to me by them) and returned as Lecturers in Universities! They come back and spoke like they never stepped outside their local kampongs. And that is the language they teach - and it's not B. Melayu of course. I mean, why go all the way to England to study BM? The Brits speak English.

These kampong Malays kept to themselves - they never wanted to mix with the locals (the Brits)...you know, come Hari Raya, it's 'All in the Family' - ketupat and rendang, syrup and karaoke. 


The wiser Malays mingled with the locals and these Malays came back, served their 7 year mandatory stint (some paid it off) then migrated ...to England and the U.S. 

People like me on the other hand had to struggle to get good results in the HSC exam then obtain a degree, followed by a Diploma in Education and only then go on to do Masters.

In other words, my good Bumi friends, skipped all and did their Masters Programme (which by the way was a 9 month programme) - skipping 'A' levels or HSC AND a basic degree - conveniently get their Masters degree. 

These 'Masters' churn-outs did not learn much as their knowledge of the language was about the same prior to leaving for England.

So what is their Masters degree equivalent to?

My point now is simply this: Why is everyone shocked at students getting 10As or 15As?

This is the 21st century and it is also 1Malaysia - where everything is possible

CHERATING RESORTing to beer

 Malaysian model who drank beer escapes caning sentence  

 A Muslim woman sentenced to be caned for drinking beer has had her punishment commuted, in a surprising turnaround for a high-profile case that raised questions about Malaysia's Islamic laws.                  

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a 33-year-old mother of two, received a letter yesterday from the Pahang state Islamic department informing her that the state's sultan has decided to spare her the caning.

The order is likely to cool down a fiery debate over whether Islamic laws should intrude into people's private lives in this Muslim-majority country. Many people had condemned the punishment, saying it shows conservative Islamists are gaining influence over the justice system.

Her lawyer, Adham Jamalullail, said: “As a substitution for the caning, the sultan has ordered Kartika to perform community service for three weeks”. 

Sultan Ahmad Shah is the guardian of Islam in the state, and its titular head. Most of Malaysia's 13 states are ruled by sultans who usually play a ceremonial role in governance but have the power to rule in Islamic matters.

Ms Kartika, a part-time model and nurse who was caught drinking in a hotel bar, said she has been ordered to present herself at the office of the religious authorities in Pahang, which is in the middle of the country, tomorrow.

"Right now I do not know what sort of punishment it will be," she told AFP. "I am waiting for clarifications from the religious authorities."

Ms Kartika was sentenced in July last year to six strokes of the cane and a fine of 5,000 ringgit (£860) for drinking beer in December 2007 at a beach resort in violation of Islamic laws. Islam prohibits Muslims from drinking alcohol.

Officials had said the caning would be very different to the corporal punishment administered on male criminals under secular civil laws. Drug offenders, kidnappers and others are caned with a thick rattan stick on bare buttocks that break the skin and leave lifelong scars.

Ms Kartika's punishment under Islamic laws would have been delivered with a thin cane on the back with her clothes on.

Ms Kartika, whose case has fuelled a debate over rising "Islamisation" of the multi-ethnic country, could have been the first woman to be caned under Islamic law in Malaysia.

But in a surprise move, three other women were caned in February for having sex out of wedlock.

Alcohol is widely available in Malaysia but is forbidden for Muslim Malays, who make up 60 per cent of the population. They can be fined, caned, or jailed for up to three years, but prosecutions are extremely rare. 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/

.... this is the result of local and world pressure.... I personally believe that this whole issue was blown out of proportion by hypocrites who claim and proclaim abstinence.

 Kartika, you have shown the world what 1Malaysia is.