PPSMI

I read from The Star newspaper that the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin would announce the mechanism for the changeover to the teaching of Mathematics and Science in Bahasa Malaysia. However Muhyiddin said that Mathematics and Science would continue to be taught in both English and Bahasa Malaysia until 2015 until the final batch of students had completed their secondary education.
I believe that we have to make concrete decisions whether these two subjects to be taught in English or Bahasa Malaysia. It had been drag on for too long which will affect the students performance and morale in these two subjects.
I would prefer that these two subjects to be taught in English so as to allow the students to have the elementary grasps of the English Language. The students would gradually improve the language skills as they go along studying these two subjects in English.
The English language is the international language today and it's no denying that to be proficient in English is an advantage for students. They will be marketable in the job market and offer greater opportunities in their career paths.

PROVIDING HEALTH CARE TO THE GENERAL POPULATION OF MALAYSIA.

My son, Wilson Ngoh, was rushed to the Tengku Afzan Ampuan Hospital,Kuantan, at 1.00 a.m on the 3rd. of July 2010, after complaining of the presence of fresh blood in the motion. He was duly attended by the staff at the emergency room upon arrival. He was examined thoroughly and immediately put on drips and one pint of blood transfusion as his physical disposition was pale due to loss of blood from his bowels.
He was immediately admitted to the third class ward (Kiambang Ward) 0n the 5th. floor of the hospital and was closely monitored at the ward by the nursing staff and doctors. He was administered one pint of blood transfusion at the ward and was continuously on drips for the five days warded at the hospital.
I has the opportunity to witness the attention and prompt medical care given by the nursing staff and the doctors on call attending to the needs of the patients. The nursing staff and the doctors attending the patients were very conscientious and very caring at this surgical ward. There were endless medical care and attention throughout the night attending to the patients.
This Kiambang ward was filled to the brim with patients. Even the walkways and corridors had to be made way for additional beds for new patients during the night. There were more than seventy patients at any one time and it was supposed to have a maximum of 50 patients at any one time! I supposed that the nursing staff and the doctors on-call were under tremendous pressure to attend to the needs of the patients.
Great admiration and appreciation for the sacrifices of the nursing staff and the team of doctors who were on call for 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to attend to the needs of the patients. These are the unsung heroes of Malaysia which the general population are blissfully ignorant and seldom put on print to highlight the caring attitudes and loving care of the health community.

VISIT TO RUMAH SAKIT AL-ISLAM BY ALP-HTAA, KUANTAN.

Eleven of the Visitors Board of Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan and nine of the nursing staff had the opportunity to visit Bandung from 7th. to 10th. May, 2010, on a study cum holiday tour which the Visitor Board sponsored RM 500.00 for every individual and the remaining amount of RM 1,000.00 being paid by each respective individual.
Day 1 : We departed from Kuantan by express coach and reached LCCT, Putrajaya, at 12.30 p.m. and waited and boarded AirAsia flight no. QZ 7697 and arrived Soekarno Hatta International Airport at 3.55 p.m. After immigration and custom clearance, we met our our representative, that was, our tour guide and boarded the coach and proceeded to have dinner somewhere at the outskirt of Jakarta. It was a sumptuous sudanese dinner and the food was delicious because most of us were hungry after three hours plane flight. We proceeded our journey to Bandung by coach and it took us for than five hours to reach Bandung even though the distance from Jakarta to Bandung is less than 150 kilometers because of the back to back traffic jam all the way to Bandung. We checked in at the 5 star hotel by the name of Bandung Grand Preanger Hotel at about 12 midnight.
Four of us, Liyu Tuck Fatt ,Chuah Chong Hwai, Fong Wan Kok and myself went out for a stroll at the surrounding area in search for hawker stalls. We managed to find a row of hawker stalls by the the street and ordered supper minus any soft drinks. We were entertained by one young street singer barely 15 years old and he could strung and sing a few requested songs to entertain us whilst we ate our supper by the side of the street. The food fares were about 35,000 rupiah and the remainder, gave to the young street singer.
Day 2 : After breakfast at the hotel, we proceeded to visit Rumah Sakit Al-Islam. We were welcome and had a meeting with some of the senior staff of the hospital. The hospital staff showed us around the hospital wards, clinics, maternity rooms, patients wards and x-ray room. It was a private hospital funded by the generosity of the general public. On looking back, we are very fortunate that we only have to pay RM 1.00 to get out patient treatment in Malaysia and at no cost if the patient could not afford the RM 1.00 for out patient treatment. At the end of the briefing, we raised 1.1 million rupiahs to donate this hospital. After lunch at the local restaurant, we went for the city tour and went visiting Rich & famous and Grande factory outlets, Natural Batik house and lewis jeans outlet. After dinner at the local restaurant, and proceeded back to the hotel and the evening was free. Some of the adventurous ones, went out to taste the night life in Bandung.
Day 3 : After breakfast at the hotel, we took the coach and visit an active volcano, Tangkuban Perahu. We also visit Ciater hot spring. After lunch in Lembang, we continue our journey to Jakarta using the same highway. We were supposed to continue our journey via Puncak but had to use the same highway due to the slight malfunction braking system of the coach. The journey to Jakarta took us 5 hours and had dinner at the end of the journey in a restaurant by the side of the highway. We checked in at the Orchardz Hotel at around 11.00 p.m.
Day 4 : After breakfast, we went sight seeing at the national monument, MONAS and again, went to do last minute shopping at down town Jakarta. After lunch, we were heading for Soekarno Hatta International Airport and and boarded AirAsia at 6.25 p.m. and fly home with sweet memory and touched down at LCCT at 9.25 p.m. and board the express coach, waiting at the parking lot and sent us home to Kuantan at 3.30 a.m.

MCA EGM ON 28TH. MARCH 2010

with leaders from 3 factions. I have to accept the majority decisions even though I am surprised with the results, for the Party comes first. We have to move forward to revamp the party to be good shape for the next 13th. General Election. I hope we have enough time to fine tune the Party to be put in good shape to face the electorates in the next General Election. It will be an herculean task to reshape and reform the Party after the bitter infighting amongst the leaders. The damage had been done and it would take a mammoth effort to revitalise the Party.

CHINESE NEW YEAR EVE AND THEIR INFORMAL BUSINESS ENTERPRISES.

The chinese all over the world would try their best to go back to their hometowns or places of birth. Most of them would meet their family elders, siblings, close and distant relatives, to have a reunion dinner together, to catch up with the latest news and gossips that concerned them.
In Malaysia, most of them would normally travel back to their elders homes one or two days before Chinese New Year.

Most of the chinese are involve in small and medium sized trading and light industries with a sprinkling of big conglomerates in their midst. There are the 'third force' of the economic system and a potent force to drive the free enterprise system in their country of adoption. Most of them are without government largesses and operated with only a shoe-string budgets without any formal or written business missions and plans. The weak informal business management system can become opportunities in disguise for the ultra fast delivery of goods and services with long working hours for 6 working days a week. They thrive in the cut throat business competitions amongst themselves with very small profit margins by having volume sales of goods and services.

In the nutshell, because of the forced circumstances, they would take the journey home, one or two days before the lunar Chinese New Year because of the opportunities of brisk business during this festive year-end session or cheap sales.

The Chinese New Year family dinner usually commenced in the early evenings at their elders' homes or at numerous chinese restaurants. The family reunion dinner are usually boisterous and happy affairs with the chinese greetings of Gong Xi Fa Cai ( Kong Hei Fatt Choy in cantonese ) and the different varieties of traditional chinese menus of meat consisting of chicken, fishes and pork, and the many types of vegetables, chinese tea and alcoholic drinks. They usually started off with the tossing of 'Yu Sheng' ( 'Yu Sang' in cantonese ), to signifies prosperity and wealth for the coming new year. They would usually discuss about the welfare of the family members, the birth and death of family members, the business successes and failures of their family members and close relatives, their current and future business ventures and so on. In one way or the other, the Chinese New Year reunion dinner is something like the 'Annual General Meeting' in the westernised modern organization or corporation. There were a free flow of brain storming of ideas, questions and answers and everyone presence will have a say in everything under the sun with laughter and battering amongst themselves with occasional toasting of "Yam Seng" in between the dinner course. Normally, the elders of the family would keep a discreet silence and dignified presense amongst the family members and to keep the peace if necessary. He is accorded the respect for his position as the head of the family. The head of the family will normally settled the bill after the dinner and usually headed for the elder's home.

The family members would settled down and chit chat or played mahjong at their elders's home until the wee morning.

The elders would perform prayers by lighting joss sticks and hell monies and prayed for health and wealth to the dieties and to welcome the "God of Wealth" into their home so that bountiful blessings and prosperity will be bestowed to every family members for the coming year.
This informal chinese reunion dinner brought about the cohesiveness and unity of the family members and smoothens the process of the formation of small and medium sized businesses, business partnerships and business joint ventures with little frictions and minimun law suits in the operations of the businesses. Most chinese do not believe in long drawn business court battles in the civil courts. They knew that they could waste resources and time when the disputes are in the courts of law.They would rather settled outside the court presided by the trusted elders of the chinese community. The strategic business units are usually headed by one of the better educated family members and trusted and faithful relatives, neighbours and close friends. No outsiders could penetrate the inner circle of the family busineses. When the times are good, this inner cycle of family members, are greatly rewarded for the hard labour and long working hours. When the times were bad, such as recession, the family members were still be employed in the business, elbeit with low pays, and waiting for better times to come.

Recently, the small and medium sized business enterprises were managed and helmed by young educated chinese malaysians and a structured and formal form of business corporation were put in place with various strategic business units with few layers of management, normally headed by the head of the family.

They could survive due to frugal living, hard work and sacrifices, and take a long term plan in their business strategy, waiting for any opportunities that come on the way.

NEP CHINESE

In the 1970's, most of us Chinese did not have the opportunity to pursue the tertiary education after Form 5 or Upper 6 due to the quota in the intake of university students under the NEP, financial difficulties to raise monies for further education, unavailability to get scholarship or loans, few universities and colleges, and family commitments with many school going siblings to take of . Most of us would go for any jobs available after Form 5 or Upper 6. Most of them started of in our career at the bottom of the company's hierarchy with minimal monthly income. Most of us contributed a large portion of our merger income towards the family's expenses as most of our parents were relatively poor. Most of us contributed about 30% to 50% of our take home pay towards the monthly expenses of the family. We had no choice then as there were many family members to feed that included our grandparents.
We were mentally prepared and resolved to work hard to earn a decent living and to learn any trade in order to prepare for any future opportunities that might arise one day. Many of us worked 6 days a week with 1 day off day. Some of them even worked 7 days a week in the service, construction and plantation sectors. The working hours were long - from 8.00 a.m. or 8.30 a.m. to late in the evenings at 6.30 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. We were willing to work for 10 to 12 hours a day with 1 hour lunch break. But it was the most memorable and meaningful experiences as we were learning a trade and at the time, earning our keeps. We were willing to make sacrifices to hope and prepare for a better and bright future.
After many years of hard work, hands-on learning, experience and fugal living, some of them went in search for better earning jobs dued to work experiences and some of them went to set up small & medium enterprises with their hard earned savings. We were a tough and hardy generation then and most of us were street smart and tough mentally to deal with difficult situations then. A few of them became wealthy dued to diligence and political and business connections. Many of them gradually acquired some measure of wealth and most of them moved up from lower income group to middle income group despite all the disadvantages imposed onto us.
In restropect, the NEP, produced a mentally and tough generation of young Chinese who were willing to work hard and to look for opportunities to make good in life despite the handicap imposed onto us. In looking back, the NEP was the blessing in disguise for it toughened a whole generation of chinese to strive even harder in this country of opportunities despite all the difficulties and road blocks in the business and social environment.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

I used to attend church during Christmas Eve when our church organised Christmas Cantatas during Christmas Eve and Watch Night Service during New Year.

CHRISTMAS EVE

The congregation would arrive early in the evening and would have pot-luck dinner together at the annexe of the church. The senior members of the church would contribute one or two dishes each to make this occasion a memorable and joyous occasion in order to celebrate Christmas Eve together in the church. Then, We would proceed to the church and attended the Christmas Eve Celebration. The MC for the celebration would commenced by leading the congregation in singing Christmas songs and Christian hymns. The MC would introduced the church choir to the congregation. The church choir would present the Christmas Cantatas on stage. The younger members of the church would present Christmas Sketches which usually tell the story of the birth of Jesus Christ at the manger and the arrival of the three wise men from the East and the offering of gifts to the babe Jesus Christ. The MC would call the church elders to close the celebration in prayers and supplication. Then the church elder would ask any church members from the floor if there are any prayer requests and supplication and thanks givings during these joyous occasion. The Christmas Cantatas ended with joyful and memorable celebration and felt assured of the saving grace the our Lord Jesus Christ.