Latest Asia Editorials
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The best ways to national unity
, social entrepreneur and founder of Zubedy (M) SdnBhdAnasZubedy, Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran and PKR central committee member LatheefaKoya to discuss national unity and what are the best ways to move forward as a nation. The chat was moderated by Star online editor Philip Golingai. Philip: What is your take on National Unity? Rajiv: I think there is definitely room for ...
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Leadership and nation building
Being a leader is not just about holding an important position, but in carrying the amanah or trust, the leader will be held accountable to God. THE 13th General Election has come and gone and the leaders have been elected into Parliament and the State Legislative Assemblies. They have been chosen by voters to represent their interests, care for the welfare of the people and also drive the ...
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A tale of two Islamist parties
PAS is at a crossroads. The loss of Kedah as well as the fact that it has two seats less in the Dewan Rakyat weighs heavily on its leaders. It must surely now be pondering the ...
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A lose-lose situation indeed
I WOULD like to commend The Star’s Isabelle Lai for her excellent articles on the shameful rape of the virgin forests in Cameron Highlands. But if she were to make a root cause analysis, she would realise that all this rape boils down to the basic economic theory of demand and supply. As the population of the country increases, more virgin forests will have to be cleared for agricultural ...
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No real efforts to nab the culprits
I AM horrified to read the reports in The Star on the illegal land clearing going on at Cameron Highlands and the significant impact it is having on the environment. The Cameron Highlands Land and District Office is simply giving excuses for its failure to nab the workers doing the illegal land clearing, which will in turn lead to their paymaster and ultimate culprit. This shows its ineptitude. ...
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Good facility but poor maintenance
RECENTLY, I had the opportunity to use the overhead bridge, which comes with newly constructed lifts, to cross Jalan Tun Sambanthan near the Bank Simpanan Nasional and Poslaju offices to get to KL Sentral. I would like to thank those responsible for installing the lifts. As a senior citizen, I am happy that the Government and the corporate sector know how to take care of the elderly. ...
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Service to the people and nation is paramount
THE first and foremost responsibility of a wakil rakyat is to serve his constituency and, by extension, his state and nation. This includes taking up a government position if he is found qualified and suitable for the task. If service to the rakyat is above all and ';supreme';, then the performance of his or her political party in the elections is secondary and even deemed irrelevant. ...
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Benefits of English schools
I REFER to ';Bring back English schools'; (On The Beat, Sunday Star, May 19). Last year, a group of parents handed a memorandum, MOE19.2, to the Education Ministry. Apart from voicing our support for the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English, we also asked the ministry to consider re-introducing English-medium schools. All in all, it boils down to the realisation ...
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Different outside but deep inside we are the same
I CAME from a typical Chinese village where the chances of meeting people of different races were rare. When I was nine years old, my family moved to a new place which opened up a completely new chapter in my life. The very first taste of putu mayam dipped in mutton curry left a lasting and unforgettable impression on me. I looked forward to Hari Raya and Deepavali where I could enjoy a variety ...
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Not taken for a good ride and not ungrateful
I WAS educated in the national schools right up to Form Six. My results were good but weren’t good enough for a scholarship, so I took up an articleship with the accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand. I worked with them with a starting pay of RM350 per month in 1989, and in turn, they supported my part-time studies to be a certified public accountant. I worked my way up until I became a ...
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English-medium schools needed for nation-building
I MUST congratulate Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai for putting in print via his column (On The Beat, Sunday Star, May 19) what is the stand of probably some millions of Malaysians. The most important point that he has put across is, ';English is a neutral language and that English-medium schools must be brought back to Malaysia.'; We must bring back English schools to save our homeland from ...
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Challenges are many as new Cabinet gets to work
AS the newly-appointed Cabinet gets down to work it has to realise it will come under intense public scrutiny as it grapples with the immense challenges that lie ahead. The Cabinet has to ensure it will be able to deliver the various promises made during the general election and to see through the Prime Minister’s transformation programme. It has to seek more effective ways to address the ...
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S. Korea asking North to return products isnt begging for talks
On May 3, South Korea delivered US$13 million in cash to North Korea and withdrew the last batch of seven South Koreans from the industrial complex in the North Korean border town of Kaesong. The money was for back pay and severance pay to 53,000 North Koreans that had been withdrawn from the South Korean factories in the industrial complex at the height of inter-Korean tensions the previous ...
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Egypt faces social pressure to cease selling of alcohol
CAIRO--Egypt's liquor stores are under growing pressure to stop selling alcohol, they say, not from the country's Islamist government, but from society ...
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Leaving an old self behind in Taiwan
Riding on the back of a scooter is an exercise in letting go. Your ride shows up and leaves the engine idling; they hand you a spare helmet; you throw your leg over and before you can remember what you were so damn worried about it's happening. At some magical point of weaving through choked streets lit by illegible billboards -- up and under narrow one-lane overpasses -- passing ...
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People not ready to go back to party
Open the Firefox browser Click Tools>Options>Privacy<Use custom settings for history Check Accept cookies from sites Check Accept third party cookies Select Keep until: they expire Click ...
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Germany faces big challenges in shift toward green energy
PULHEIM, Germany -- Tense engineers have their eyes peeled on complex color-coded diagrams on a wall-sized screen that makes their control room look like the inside of a ...
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Prospects improve in 6th year of Greek recession
ATHENS -- Data released last week showed Greece entered its sixth straight year of recession, but there is now cautious optimism about the economy's prospects although unemployment is still hitting record highs and consumers are squeezed by pay cuts and tax ...
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After cyclone Myanmar camps face monsoon threat
Myanmar's victims of communal strife were spared the full force of Cyclone Mahasen, but many are now returning to flimsy tents in flood-prone camps with the monsoon just weeks ...
Malaysia Feature
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Malaysia's 10th MP sets focus on education
On the 10th of June, 2010, the 10th Malaysia Plan was revealed to Malaysia’s news media, outlining what is essentially the government’s budget plans for the next five years. The 10th Malaysia Plan will therefore be in effect during 2011 to 2015. Malaysia is a vast country and the plan is therefore vast as well, a thick and complicated document, but one of the most important aspects of the plans announced in parliament were those that involve the education departments of the country.
Malaysia has an extensive public schooling system, operated under the belief that every child has a right to equal and fair opportunity in the country, a right that is enshrined in the constitution. The government spends around RM 7 billion on public education throughout the country, and in the 10MP, extremely important plans were outlined, aimed at increasing pre-school attendance from 67% of the population currently, to 87% by 2012. Read more
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