theSun | WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26 2009 TELLING IT AS IT IS

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Malaysia’s moderate image threatened

Bahasa Malaysia
can hold its own
MANY of us are still unaware of
the dual functions of education in
this country. Going to school or
university not only enables young
Malaysians to acquire knowledge
but also allows them to develop
racial goodwill, a qualification for
nation-building. This is especially
so if they go to the same school
or university with the national
language as the medium of in-
struction.
Almost certainly we do not
appreciate this because we
continue to live in a conducive
environment and thus take
peace for granted. We think it is
God-given and never think about
how it came into being in the first
place.
But to the well-informed, they
will acknowledge the wisdom
of past leaders who decided on
Bahasa Malaysia as the national
language to ensure that future
generations are able to progress
and live in harmony, even though
most writers mention the
special position of the national
language as inferior to English in
this globalised world.
One major complaint of
the language is its perceived
deficiency when used in science
and technology. This is misguided
and must be corrected. If we
continue to translate all English
terms accurately and system-
atically and use them constantly,
they will subconsciously become
acceptable to everyone, just as
English.
I have always believed that
the national language is capable
of becoming a language of
knowledge if properly ex-
ecuted. Like the evolution of
English, Malay will be able to
enrich itself and become useful
if the right approach is employed.
Malaysians will be united and
have a language to call their
own and continue to move for-
ward in this globalised world with
English as their second language.
We should therefore work
diligently towards making
the populace capable of
speaking and writing both in
good Bahasa Malaysia and
English. Being proficient in both
will be an asset to the country.
Sharina Azirah Ismail
Shah Alam
KARTIKA Sari Dewi Shukarno is now an international
media personality, not just because of her striking
name, but because she wants to be caned. She did
It is
because
of the
not know at the time of her arrest two years ago for
drinking beer at a nightclub in Pahang that she would
be catapulted to such international fame.
many She attracted media attention last month when
stolen she was ordered to receive six strokes of the rotan by
the Syariah High Court in Kuantan, making her the first
marches woman in Malaysia to be handed down that punish-
that it is ment. She was also fined RM5,000 which she paid but
now no refused to appeal against the caning. Had she appealed
longer she would probably have been spared the lashes and
she would have slipped back into her mundane exist-
correct ence as a model, a wife and a mother and the world
to say would not know of her. Instead the Muslim woman
that the said she had repented and wanted to be punished
various for drinking alcohol which is prohibited by Islam. She
state requested that the punishment be meted out in public
so that she would be an example to others. Since then
consti- she has been under the glare of local and international
tutions media where some commentators expressed surprise
are truly that it was happening in “moderate Malaysia”.
secular. On Monday, while being transported to Kajang Prison
where she was to be caned, the religious authorities
decided to postpone her caning to after Ramadan. It
was not a reprieve for her but it was for the authorities
who are responsible for the state of affairs to have
reached this far and which now threaten the image of
Malaysia as “a moderate Muslim country” where Islam
Hadhari (civilisational Islam) rules.
If Kartika was striking back against the syariah
administrators for making public her indiscretion she
could not have done it in a better way than by refusing
to appeal. The media glare that she has attracted is
now more focused on the country’s lawmakers, who
through being inattentive, have allowed such laws to
be enacted without much scrutiny and debate. It is
as if those who are in favour of those laws that had
caused much anguish to Kartika had stolen a march on
them. It is because of the many stolen marches that it
is now no longer correct to say that the various state
constitutions are truly secular.
The postponement should provide the authorities
time to deal with the situation, without sacrificing too
much of the moderate standing that Malaysia had been
building on over the years, should Kartika maintain her
refusal to appeal. For the future everyone should be
vigilant against attempts to enact laws that can be a
source of inconvenience to all Malaysians.

Scarred by train
seat infection
ON June 26, I took the train to
office from the Wangsa Maju LRT
station. The moment my thighs
touched the seat, they began to
itch.
When the itch persisted, I
reached out to scratch. In the
process, my hand came in con-
tact with the seat and a few small
bumps on my thighs.
I thought I was bitten by
something as the itchiness got
more serious. I finally stood up
and tried wiping my thigh with
tissue. I glanced at the seat and
saw a thin line of black stuff on
the lining of the seats.
The next day, I woke up to find
the back of my thighs red, swollen
and itchy.
My doctor prescribed an oint-
ment and medication for allergy.
The itchiness and swelling per-
sisted for another two days after
which I consulted a skin specialist
at a private hospital.
The specialist took a swab
for tests and prescribed an oint-
ment.
After a week, the itchiness
and swelling were gone, but I was
scarred. The lab report showed nil
for fungus growth but could not
identify the cause of the itch and
swelling.
I related the incident to a friend
and to my shock, she said she had
a similar experience.
Is RapidKL doing enough to
maintain the cleanliness of its
coaches?
Scarred
Kuala Lumpur

Make room for young

physicians
MONEY is the main factor for
switching jobs in any profession.
It is a fact that once a medical
student completes his/her train-
ing, individualism takes over. The
target is to pass the MBBS exams,
proceed to postgraduate studies
and be a clinical consultant. There
is no thought of serving the na-
tion.
One reason for the brain drain
in the medical-health sector is
the lack of post graduate op-
portunities in Malaysia. A rigid
hierarchical system hinders the
ambitious from quickly climbing
up the career ladder.
Opportunities are denied even
more with the increasing number
of doctors that we produce each
year. What happens is these doc-
tors resort to overseas collegiate
programmes which are designed
to be “people-friendly” – meaning
anybody from anywhere can take
the exams. One should realise
that these programmes are in-
ternationally recognised because
of history, past reputation and
numbers, not quality.
After spending a lot of money
to get the coveted qualification,
it is logical to reclaim the money
by working there. Unfortunately,
due to the financial stability and
being in a system which recog-
nises one’s talent; the thought of
contributing to the country is lost.
In fact, applying for PR or even
citizenship comes to mind.
It is the thick colonial thinking
we have which encourages the
brain drain. This is exacerbated by
the Health Ministry’s rigid policy to
not recognise talent. There should
be a paradigm shift to change this
mindset and formulate a thorough
plan to keep the talent pool in the
country.
We’ve lost a lot of our talent to
Singapore; look at their medical
health system which has many
Malaysian doctors.
Dr Mafeitzeral Mamat
Shah Alam