Letter to NST

AHMAD IKMAL ISMAIL
NAIB KETUA UMNO BAHAGIAN JERAI

WELFARE AID DENIED FOR HAVING ASTRO?

I was appalled when I saw the front page and the ensuing news coverage in the NST today. To quote the NST, “The Welfare Department has a ruling that bars the disabled from getting welfare aid if they have a television set or Astro at home. The rule even applies if one stays in someone else’s house, temporarily or otherwise”.

I could not believe my eyes when I read the story. I believe this particular ruling (if at all justifiable) was made quite awhile back when Astro was seen as a luxury item and was more expensive than it is now. However, given the developments and progress the network and the country have charted in recent years, Astro is no more expensive nor a luxury item. Television is a necessity more than anything now to receive news and information.

Television or Astro services do not only serve as tools to keep the disabled company at home or a diversion for the disabled who could not do work as mentioned by the Disabled Persons’ Integrated Family Services (Kioku). Television or Astro channels such as TV1, TV3, Astro Awani, Bernama News, CNN, BBC and Al-Jazeera to name a few have become a way for these people to access and keep abreast on news and events that are happening all over the world including those that happen in Malaysia.

More so, television and Astro channels such as National Geographic, TVIQ, Discovery and Discover Science channels are what we call as “knowledge based programmes”. These programmes are beneficial not only to the disabled but to all viewers. It would be absurd to think that just because one is disabled or receiving welfare aid, then one must not have any TV or Astro that could help him or his children learn more than just in a classroom setting.
In this regard, television and Astro have evolved from being just for entertainment to a more comprehensive tool including to teach, disseminate information and to give knowledge to the viewers.

We must move away from the mindset of wanting to help those in need “just enough to survive” but find ways and means to assist those in need to “survive and live their lives properly”. We must ensure that these people with their children be given a chance to fight their way out of poverty or the welfare group.

The issue highlighted by NST might just be the tip of the iceberg. There might be many more such rulings or practices in this ministry or other ministries that have problems of the same nature. I strongly urge this ministry to revoke this ruling. The cabinet should also direct all ministries to set up a committee tasked to review other rulings and practices that could be archaic in nature and irrelevant to present times.

We must change with times, and we must change to be people oriented in the Government’s service for the rakyat.


Ahmad Ikmal Ismail
Naib Ketua UMNO Jerai

Masalah keciciran pelajar

Kira-kira sebulan lepas, saya telah melawat satu keluarga di Alor Pudak (bahagian Jerai) kerana mendapat tahu ada seorang anak kecil berumur 8 tahun yang telah tidak bersekolah sejak awal tahun lagi. Saya dapati bahawa anak kecil ini ingin ke sekolah tetapi kerana masalah di mana ibubapanya bercerai dan ibunya telah berpindah balik ke Alor Pudak dari kawasan lain, ibunya tidak tahu bagaimana untuk memasukkan beliau ke sekolah di kawasan baru ini.

Alhamdulillah, dengan kerjasama PPD, kami telah mendapat kebenaran mendaftar anak kecil ini ke sebuah sekolah yang berhampiran. Hari ini anak kecil yang bernama Haikal ini akan meneruskan persekolahan beliau di dalam tahun 2 (sila lihat gambar).

Ini bukanlah kes pertama yang telah diselesaikan di dalam bahagian Jerai. Beberapa kes lain di luar kawasan Jerai juga telah dimaklumkan dan dapat saya bantu selesaikan dengan anak-anak kecil ini dapat pergi ke sekolah.

Adalah amat penting untuk anak-anak kecil ini pergi ke sekolah, mendapat ilmu dan bimbingan, sekurang-kurangnya sehingga tingkatan 5. Jikalau tidak apa akan jadi pada mereka, tanpa pengetahuan mahupun ilmu, merekalah yang akan menjadi mat rempit, minah bohsia, mencuri dan merempat di tanahair sendiri. Jangan kita bercerita yang mereka akan menjadi pemimpin atau korporat yang besar dan berjaya, saya bersyukur jikalau mereka sekurang-kurangna mempunyai ilmu untuk dapat berdikari dan mencari duit yang halal pada masa hadapan. Tentu, kalau semua dapat masuk Universiti dan berjaya, lebih elok.

Saya ingin meneruskan hasrat dan niat saya membantu pelajar-pelajar tercicir walaupun saya bukan lagi Pengerusi Biro Pendidikan Pemuda UMNO Malaysia. Tidak kisah di mana jua pelajar ini berada, tanpa mengira agama, bangsa mahupun fahaman politik, jikalau ada sesiapa yang ada maklumat mengenai masalah pelajar tercicir, saya mohon untuk maklumkan kepada saya.

Sama-sama kita cuba membantu anak-anak kecil ini demi kita membantu masa hadapan negara.

Bad governance

This is just a case of bad governance. The delay has caused nothing but inefficiency in the Government machinery. The longer the delay, the more the Rakyat of penang will suffer. Don't put politics above good governance until the rakyat suffers.


Lim puts off naming deputy CM
Apr 15, 09 12:15pm

The much-anticipated announcement by the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng on who would be the new deputy chief minister (1) did not materialise today.

Lim said that the post would remain vacant until PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim finalises his candidate for the post.Lim said the delay would also allow Anwar to resolve internal party issues first.The post became vacant following the resignation of Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin on April 8."Anwar is unable to accede to my request to make recommendation to fill in the empty exco seat and the appointment of a new DCM1."While I am disappointed with the delay, I fully understand the various political pressures that Anwar is facing in recommending appointments to these positions," he said in a statement today.He added that although he as the chief minister had the prerogative to appoint someone as the exco member and as the deputy chief minister, he believed in consulting and waiting for Anwar to recommend someone from PKR.He said the public were curious as to the delay taken by Anwar in naming his nominee.However he said that as an experienced political leader, Anwar knew that the people were puzzled over the difficulty in selecting a replacement to Mohamed Fairus.The people are puzzled. Lim said that following Anwar's indication earlier that the replacement must be Malay, many questions have been asked by the people, such as:1. Why was the exco position not filled by Maktar Shapee of Sungai Bakap who is the only Malay PKR state representative available?2. Why the delay in choosing as DCM1 from one out of the two state representatives of Maktar and exco member Abdul Malik Abul Kassim?3. Is the delay caused by Anwar to prepare for a by-election in Penanti, whose present state representative was Mohammad Fairus?"I am confident that Anwar will answer and explain fully all questions after he had decided on who he wants to recommend to be appointed," added Lim.

Initially Lim said that he would be making an announcement today on the replacement.

These are excerpts taken from a Malaysiakini report. For the full report, please refer to Malaysiakini.

Freedom of expression?

There was a lot of outrage when the Home Ministry under the previous Minister temporarily suspended the publication and circulation of Harakah and Suara KeAdilan for abusing certain things.

In the first place, all of us know that these two papers are opposition based papers and will definately espouse opposition views. I have read these papers before and nothing that the Government does, although correct and beneficial to the Rakyat will be accepted positively and wholeheartedly by these two papers.

I know that the opposition leaders were harping about feeedom of press to print what they want, that the Government was wrong to suspend temporarily and this it infringed the basic human right to expression and freedom of speech. I also know that many were taken in by these accusations and also condemned the Government for doing so.

It was very nice to hear the opposition leaders giving talks and ceramahs, condemning the Federal Government on the suspension, harping on freedom of speech and expression and on wanting to selflessly fight to ensure that 'no newspaper should be afraid or punished for its writings'.

But can I suggest that the same be applied to the opposition? I doubt many know that YAB Lim Guan Eng, the Chief Minister of Penang, had banned New Straits Times and Utusan Malaysia from covering any of his functions and press conferences due to so-called unfair reporting. And that ban, as far as I know, is still in place even now

At least, the Federal Government has lifted its suspension on Harakah and Suara KeAdilan. When will YAB Lim Guan Eng lift his ban on NST and Utusan and again allow for freedom of speech, expression and that 'these newspapers should not be afraid or punished for its writing'?

What applies to the Federal Government must also apply to the opposition. Can't have two separate codes of ethics for the same thing.