IS DATO' SERI G PALANIVEL AND FOUR OTHERS STILL MEMBERS OF M.I.C.?

Surely, not a difficult question to answer.

I am convinced that based on Article 91 of the MIC constitution, Dato' Seri G.Palanivel and four others who instituted a judicial review application against the Registrar of Societies (ROS) have ceased to be members of the party.

Article 91 of MIC’s constitution reads: "Every member shall be bound by the decision of the Central Working Committee in matters relating to his rights, obligations, duties and privileges as a member of the Congress.

RMK11 & MALAYSIAN INDIAN COMMUNITY - THE WAY FORWARD

I am humbled and happy to share with you the concern and kindness offered towards the Indian community by our beloved Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak when announcing the 11th Malaysia Plan (RMK 11) recently.

Humbled, because a few of us from the community were able to provide good suggestions for the prosperity of the community, and happy because the Honourable Prime Minister listened to the feedback from the Indian community when he was developing the RMK 11.

Many of our proposals were considered and included in the RMK 11 by the Honourable Prime Minister. This proves that the government is committed to listening to solutions and ideas that originate from the Indian community.

In fact, the RMK 11 proposal is an extension of the Special Cabinet Committee on Indians Affairs initiative that delves deep into the areas that most impact and affect the Indian community in Malaysia. The committee which is chaired by the Honourable Prime Minister himself and ably assisted by Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam, the Minister of Health and Deputy President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), is responsible and accountable in managing the multiple dimensions of mainstream development in the country.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY INDEX 2014 (MALAYSIA)

I refer to the numerous comments that have been circulating in the social media on the standard of our English which has been taken out of context.

I was specifically referring to the EF English Proficiency Index for Companies (EF EPI-c) which is an evaluation of global workforce English skills.

The EF English Proficiency Index for Companies (EF EPI-c) is an evaluation of global workforce English skills. This is the second edition of the study, following an earlier report in 2012. It measures English proficiency levels in 22 industries and 63 countries, in companies with an annual turnover ranging from under $1 million to over $100 billion.

The report aims, first, to set national and international benchmarks for workforce English, against which individuals and companies can evaluate their communicative competitiveness; and second, to assess why companies in some countries and sectors perform better than others, and to highlight examples of best practice.

In their latest rankings for English Proficiency, Malaysia was ranked higher than Singapore under the High Proficiency category.

Please refer to this link for details of the rankings -> www.ef.edu/epi

MIC SHOULD NOT CONDONE DISSENT

The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) has been on the forefront of the Malaysian political news for the wrong reasons.  However, I beg to differ that everything is negative about the ongoing tussle, disputes and interpretation of the MIC constitution by legal experts from both sides of the divide.

 

To put things in perspective, it is the party that matters and no individual is larger than the party.   It is refreshing to see that many people believe that they have the expertise and capability to lead MIC.  This is a healthy trend for the party and a truly democratic process that we can all be proud off.  MIC surely is not a dying party as seen by the many leaders who are eager to serve the community, in particular the Indian community here in Malaysia.  This is a positive environment and as a soccer coach would have termed it, “I have a complete team with capable players in all departments, including the reserves.”  With ample talents waiting to serve the party, it can only take the party to greater heights with the needed transformation to meet current needs.

 

As we take stock of this long ongoing issue, we can see that it has not destroyed the party but both the leaders have used their wisdom to come together to resolve the issue.  At a meeting attended by both Dato’ Seri G. Palanivel and Dato’ Seri Dr S. Subramaniam in the presence the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the Home Minister, it was amicably agreed that both feuding parties will adhere to the order given by the Registrar of Society (RoS) to conduct fresh election for all positions, including the President and Deputy President.  I am sure both leaders had put the party before self to come to this decision to resolve the impasse.  Only true leaders have the wisdom to come to such decisions.

 

I strongly believe that when both the leaders have made a decision, it is only appropriate and respectful for all members aligned to the leaders to conform to the decision made.  Any act otherwise will be a direct insult and disrespect to both the leaders.

 

It is therefore very sad that a member of the party had filed a court case against RoS only days after this truce was agreed upon.  Any such action by any member of the party should be strongly condemned by both the leaders.  It is highly unethical for any member of the party to act against the decision made by both leaders.

 

In fact, the MIC constitution does not condone any court action by a member before referring the matter to the Central Working Committee (CWC).

Clause 91 of the MIC constitution reads ; Every member shall be bound by the decision of the CWC in matters related to his rights, obligations, duties and privileges as a member of the Congress.  If he resorts to court proceedings in respect of his rights, obligations, duties and privileges or on behalf of any other member or in respect of the rendering or meaning of the provisions of this constitution without first referring to the CWC or in violation of any decision or directive of the CWC he shall be ipso facto cease to be a member of the Congress and shall not be entitled to exercise any of the rights of a member.

 

It is therefore very clear that the MIC constitution does not support dissent and it is now up to both the leaders to decide if they will be in agreement to uphold the constitution and act accordingly in the interest of the party.  The party constitution is the single most  important document that protects the existence and smooth operation of the party and the well-being of the Indian community in Malaysia.

 

I call upon both the leaders to show the same level of resolve in the interest of the party to address this suit filed against RoS as it will divide and create further disunity among members.  The implication of this legal recourse can be very damaging to the party.

 

As true leaders, I call upon them to act without fear or favour in the bigger interest of the party!

WELCOME BACK 2015

With year 1 students from SJKT Kalumpang, Hulu Selangor.

With Form 5 students from SMK Bukit Sentosa 2, Hulu Selangor.

2015 is here and after a delayed period schools all across the country are ready to get back to the serious business of educating Malaysian students all across the country. 

My heart goes out to those brave parents and schools that have to deal with the horrid after effects of the floods and yet still find the ways and means to ensure their children are prepared and ready to begin schools.

I’d like to extend my warmest welcome to all stakeholders in the nation’s education system. 

The students from various age groups and schooling streams, the PIBG of all schools, and of course the dedicated and pivotal teachers who are the molders of our children’s futures. 

I must also welcome the efficient officers from the state and district officers who will be the catalyst for the transformation of our education paradigm. 

All stakeholders have a part to play in ensuring the year is a milestone one for our countries education quality. The National Education Blueprint culminates with the end of the first wave this year and all parties have to work in a cohesive, united and integrated manner to achieve the aims and goals of the blueprint.

Dear students, no matter what your achievements or failures in your academic endeavor last year it’s a new clean slate this year and past achievements have to be built on for greater success and for those who didn’t do so well its another opportunity to start anew and turn the corner. Hard work and determination is the surefire way to success and each and every one of YOU have the potential within to achieve greatness if you apply yourself with grit and steadfastness.

Its my humble prayer to the Almighty to bless all students, teachers, parents, officers in Ministry of Education. and state/district offices to have a great 2015 full of progress, improvement and success. Welcome Back to School 2015

TOGETHER, LET US PUT A STOP TO BULLYING IN OUR SCHOOLS!

I was on my working visit to some schools in Kedah and decided to pay a personal visit to the home of school bully victim, Muhammad Ridzuan bin Mohammed Ismail from Sekolah Kebangsaan Iskandar, Alor Setar. The incident took place in December 2014. I am deeply saddened with this incident and incidents of bullying in our schools.  This is a dangerous culture and behaviour that we need to put a stop to!  It requires the combined efforts of all involved and not just the school or the Ministry of Education.

 

There are many facets to bullying including verbal, emotional, physical and even cyber bullying. However, it is human tendency to only take matters seriously when it is our children who are the victims or perpetrators of such acts. Instead of reacting to the issue, I wish to appeal to all parents to work together with the school and the Ministry of Education to prevent such incidents from happening.

 

More often than not, we find that victims of bullying do not report the matter to the school authorities.  The Ministry of Education is committed to change this attitude and provide channels for victims of bullying to feel safe and protected when reporting a bullying incident.  The school should be a place where the students feel safe, with an environment that supports social and intellectual growth.

 

Though the cases of reported bullying is only 0.05% of the total student population of more than 5 million, it is a still a worrying trend that we wish to eradicate completely.

 

The Ministry of Education is very concerned about the act of bullying in schools and will not compromise in taking stern action against those caught in this act.   All schools have been given clear guidelines on this matter and we have also taken proactive measures to address this issue in schools.

The ministry has taken the following measures to address and mitigate the existence of a bullying tendency among students ;

i.                    Appointment of a professional teacher counselor for every 500 students in a school

ii.                  Identifying and providing dedicated counseling for problematic students 

iii.              Providing an effective platform in schools  for students to provide feedback or complaint

iv.           Organising orientation programs for new students to get to know the school, teachers and students better

In addition to the above, since 2014, the ministry has started a program called Healthy Mind (Minda Sihat) to help students in secondary schools to manage stress, anxiety and the feeling of low morale due to environment, family or personal matters.

I wish to again appeal to the parents and students to play a critical role in this issue by coming forward to report any form of ragging or bullying that they may have information on inside the school.  The school is duty bound under our Standard Operating Procedure to report such matters to the state education department and the ministry, and at the same time take immediate action, wherever necessary.

Let us together put a stop to bullying in our schools!