theSun | TUESDAY AUGUST 11 2009 5

news without borders

Himanshu Bhatt, Opalyn Mok and Bernard Cheah at the Penang State Assembly yesterday

DR M reiterates need
to teach science,
maths in English
Jagdeep suspended from
by Eva Yeong
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr

Mahathir Mohamad reiterated
yesterday his unwavering stand
on the teaching of science and
mathematics in English.
The former prime minister
said there are ways of teaching
these subjects in English even in
the rural areas.
“You can’t teach science in
English using the present teachers
because they don’t understand
the language. You can use com-
puter software which will not only
teach the students, but teach the
teachers also,” he said.
“I agree that we don’t have
enough teachers but that’s not
the way to teach. I told the Educa-
tion Ministry to use that system
but they are still saying they don’t
have enough English teachers.”
According to him, the need
to teach science and maths in
English is not to improve the stu-
dent’s command of the language
but to better learn the subjects,
which use a different type of
English.
He also said the national
language would not be compro-
mised even if these two subjects
are taught in English.
On the three million students
who scored bad grades because
of their poor command of English,
Mahathir asked if investigations
have been made to find out if
they have been allowed to con-
tinue studying in English despite
their poor performance and if so,
why.
He also said political parties
“tend to lose quite a lot of support
because they’re playing around
with the future of our children for
political reasons”.
Mahathir, who spoke to re-
porters after a talk on “Instilling
Entrepreneurship Culture Among
Malays: A Paradigm Shift”, said
more can be done to improve the
Malay economy. “I feel we can
always do more if we’re willing
to practise a culture that is in
line with success in business and
entrepreneurship,” he said.
Commenting on Amanah
Saham 1Malaysia, he said non-
bumiputra investors are not only
quick at taking up the units but
also investing a lot.
As for Internet censorship,
Mahathir said the government
promised not to censor the Inter-
net when the Multimedia Super
Corridor first started, but he felt
there is a need for censorship
because of the content available.
“Not because of politics but
because there is so much filth
and violence coming out of the
computer. A child can access the
filthiest film through the compu-
ter,” he said.
morning session BACKBENCHER Jagdeep Singh Kampung Buah Pala residents of the
assembly hall that the Speaker’s
decision was unfair. “I was only
asking Ramasamy a question and
not attacking anyone, so it is unfair
that I was asked to leave.”
Jagdeep Singh is the first state
assemblyman to be suspended
Deo (Datuk Keramat-DAP) land. This ‘robber’ is even inside this from the assembly after the DAP-
led Pakatan Rakyat government
was ordered by the Speaker to assembly now,” he said, gesturing
leave the Penang state legislative to the Opposition row and looking took over Penang last March.
assembly when he refused to retract at state Opposition Leader Datuk Earlier, in answering ques-
a statement in which he called a Azhar Ibrahim (Penaga-BN). tions on Kampung Buah Pala,
former Barisan Nasional executive Azhar immediately protested, Ramasamy said the state govern-
MCA councillor a “robber” in reference and using a point of order, said ment had formed a committee
return to to land on which Kampung Buah Jagdeep Singh was supposed to headed by Deputy Chief Minister I
Ling-Lim Pala sits. be asking Ramasamy a question, Mansor Othman (Penanti-PKR)
Jagdeep Singh refused to with- but had instead stood up to make to look into the sale of the land and
era? draw the statement when asked to accusations against him. whether there had been corruption
pg 8 by Datuk Abdul Halim Husin, on “He does not know the rules or abuse of power.
the ground that he had not specifi- after having been a state assembly- He also said former deputy chief
cally named anyone. man for more than one and a half minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rashid
Jagdeep Singh had initially years. He is being rude. Who is Abdullah had been behind the
stood to seek the clarification of he calling a robber? I want him to reduction of the land premium from
Penang Deputy Chief Minister II retract the statement,” Azhar said. RM6.4 million to RM3.2 million.
P. Ramasamy (Prai-DAP) on the When asked by the Speaker to “The question is, why is the
Kampung Buah Pala issue, but had leave, Jagdeep Singh said: “I was premium so low and why was
started his question with a long not referring to anyone in particu- (the land) sold to the co-operative
statement accusing the former lar. It’s not my fault that he wants to (Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau
state government of complicity in admit to being the ‘robber’.” Pinang)? What’s so special about
the land controversy. Jagdeep Singh, who had to sit the cooperative? This is what our
“A former BN exco was there out the rest of the morning’s pro- report to the Malaysian Anti-Cor-
when they got together to ‘rob’ ceedings, told reporters outside the ruption Agency is about,” he said.
Hill railway plans near completion
PLANS to upgrade the Penang Hill railway government body to manage, operate and socio-economic development to promote
service at a cost of RM60 million are in the maintain the service and related matters. the hill as a tourist destination, he said.
final stages, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng He said the corporation was in tandem The corporation will be developed in
(DAP-Ayer Putih) said. with the finalisation of the project, adding such a way as to make it self-financing in
The project will provide enhanced facili- that it was necessary for the purpose of the future, Lim said.
ties and increase the railway’s capacity to proposing policies and advising the state He said policies would take into account
transport tourists up the hill, he said. government on the promotion, develop- the hill’s natural eco-system, heritage and
Lim said this when tabling a bill to enact ment and preservation of the hill. water catchment, to ensure its sustainable
Penang Hill Corporation to provide for a It would also facilitate infrastructure and development.

‘Temple committee revamped after delay’

The accused are
brought to court.
Datuk among five
charged with trafficking
GEORGE TOWN: Five men
including a businessman car-
rying the title of “Datuk” were
charged in a magistrate’s court
yesterday with trafficking in
300kg of nimetazepam pills.
Datuk Koay Khay Chye, 52,
Ang Choon Beng, 24, Neoh Soon
Par, 41, Mohamad Ziraldean
Md Tanzi, 35, and Ramli Abu
Hassan, 34, are alleged to have
committed the offence behind
the Suew King building on Jalan
Sungai Dua, Gelugor at 11.30pm
on July 28.
Nimetazepam is a hypnotic
drug marketed under the brand
name Erimin.
The five are charged under
Section 39B of the Dangerous
Drugs Act 1952 (revised 1980),
which carries a mandatory death
sentence.
Koay, Ang and Neoh were
represented by counsel Datuk
Hanif Hashim, while the two
other accused were unrepre-
sented. Deputy Public Prosecutor
Mohd Faisal Md Noor appeared
for the prosecution.
Magistrate Noor Fadzila Ishak
fixed the case for mention on
Sept 10, pending a chemist’s
report.
No plea was recorded and
bail was not allowed.
by Opalyn Mok
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: The Hilltop Murugan Tem-
ple Building Committee was revamped by
the Penang Hindu Endowment Board as a
result of a long delay in the construction of
the new temple.
The board’s chairman A. Tanasekharan
said in a statement yesterday the previous
committee chairman Datuk R. Rajasingam
had been removed because the board
wanted a fresh team in charge of the
project.
“We don’t have any personal agenda
against Rajasingam and we even appointed
Clear understanding of KPI and KRA required: Rais
KUALA LUMPUR: Information, Communi-
cation and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr
Rais Yatim said yesterday the ministry’s de-
partments and agencies must understand
what Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and
Key Result Areas (KRA) mean to make the
1Malaysia concept a success.
He said a recent retreat with heads of
department had shown that some were still
confused over the terminologies and had
the tendency to combine the two.
him chairman of the temple management
committee when we took over the board
last year,” he said.
Tanasekharan said Rajasingam was first
appointed to see to the construction of the
new temple in 2000, but that the board had
been shocked to find that structural work on
the temple had started only last year, with
just 50% of the work completed to date. “It
was the unanimous decision of the board
that the building committee be revamped
to oversee the project’s completion.”
He said the board would have to be
answerable to donors to the project in
the event of a further delay. “The people
will blame the board and not Rajasingam.
“To achieve the 1Malaysia concept, we
have to be serious in the matter of KPI and
KRA,” he said at a monthly meeting of the
ministry.
Rais said the determinant of the minis-
try’s KPI would be the number of people in
the country who understood the 1Malaysia
concept. However, this also depended on
the KRA, he said. “The Information Depart-
ment for instance, should find out how
many people in the country understand the
Moreover, it is within our right to carry out
the necessary and required changes.”
He said the board was committed to
completing the temple by 2012 and had
set up an advisory committee towards this
end.
Tanasekharan, who is also Bagan Dalam
assemblyman, said Rajasingam had not ap-
pealed to the board against his removal.
He was responding to a call by the
Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party and several
Indian non-governmental organisations to
reinstate Rajasingam. The groups claimed
he had been removed without justification
and had threatened to stage a protest if he
was not reinstated soon.
1Malaysia concept. If the number surpasses
55%, then we have succeeded.”
Rais called on Radio Televisyen Malay-
sia to broadcast the Rukun Negara and
1Malaysia at the end of programmes, and
heads of department to provide a copy of
the “1Malaysia: People First, Performance
Now” booklet in their offices and put up
1Malaysia posters. “The more frequently
we see these, the more easily can we as-
similate these practices.” – Bernama

Murder, incest accused fit to face charges

by Bernard Cheah
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: An odd-job worker
who pretended to be mentally ill
when charged with murdering one
daughter, and committing incest with
another, has been found fit to face the
charges.
Deputy Public Persecutor Tan
Guat Cheng told a magistrate’s court
yesterday that this was the finding of
a psychiatric evaluation report pro-
duced by Hospital Bahagia in Tanjung
Rambutan.
The accused had been under ob-
servation at the hospital for a month
from May 12.
Magistrate ‘Ainul Bashirah Dona
Don Bijayid fixed Sept 11 for mention
of the murder case, pending DNA and
post mortem reports.
In the sessions court, judge Rosilah
Yop set Aug 24 for mention of the
incest case, pending the victim’s medi-
cal report, and to allow the accused
time to record his plead.
On May 12, the 41-year-old was
charged with murdering a daughter
on Nov 11, 2004, and with committing
incest with a teenage daughter at a
men’s toilet in Air Itam in February
this year.
The birth of the girl he is alleged to
have murdered was never registered.
The girl’s age was not stated in
the charge sheet, but newspapers
had earlier reported that she was a
disabled seven-year-old whose body
was found buried in a shallow grave
in an open field in Kampung Pisang,
Air Itam.
The man was also charged with
committing incest with a teenage
daughter at a men’s toilet in Air Itam
at 12.30pm on Feb 7.
The charge under Section 376B of
the Penal Code crime is punishable
with imprisonment of between six and
20 years, and whipping.