Disappointed and disheartened by PM's response to student

savemalaysia

Publish date: Tue, 08 Aug 2023, 11:31 AM

Two nights ago, when my granddaughter Anita Balasubramaniam came for dinner, she showed me something on her phone called a TikTok. It showed a young Indian girl in Penang at a forum, only slightly younger than Anita, who was asking our prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, a question.

The child on the phone explained that she needed time to ask her question and proceeded to place it in context with an explanation as a commentary, as would be the right thing to do.

To my shock and horror, the prime minister cut her short several times and told her to cut to the chase. This is a young student in a hall full of people who has had the courage to prepare a question for the prime minister and ask it. What harm would it have caused for the prime minister to reciprocate with courtesy and listen to her? The forum was called a dialogue, and in my book, dialogues are discussions between people. Not a one-way street.

However, my real source of distress and disturbance was how the prime minister lectured the child during his reply. Instead of answering the question directly and moving on, he gave a political answer that ranged from the unconstitutional social contract (the social contract he was referring to is not in the constitution) to how his political party would lose the election if the quota system were to be abolished.

My grandparents moved from Ceylon to Malaya for a better life. I grew up in Petaling Jaya, and I am proud to say that my children, their children, and I have good lives, relatively speaking. The child on the phone also wants a good life, has the right to ask questions, and has the right to fair answers. Lecturing her and then assaulting her with politics opened old wounds in me and deeply hurt me to the core. I dare say the poor child is now traumatised and possibly even terrified of ever speaking in public again.

At tea this late afternoon with my fellow retirees, the hot topic was about this child. Someone mentioned an NGO called the Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia, or PAGE, which has been promoting meritocracy in educational scholarships and university entrances. The ladies were aghast that this group now defends the prime minister's cutting the child short and lecturing her and has the gall to prescribe rules and etiquette for how to question and answer.

I may have only taught Science and Mathematics in a school in Section 4, Petaling Jaya, but I know enough that there is no such etiquette that questions posed in a dialogue cannot be prefaced with an explanation. For this PAGE to contradict itself on what it has been championing smacks of total hypocrisy, too.

What transpired in Penang and how a liberal NGO is now defending the prime minister, whom we all thought would make a difference and be a better man, disheartened, depressed, demotivated, and demoralised me and the ladies at the tea.

Once again, we are reminded by the prime minister, no less, that we are a minority he can ignore and vilify at his whim. We will sit out this state election to teach the current administration that you cannot traumatise a young student so nonchalantly and not pay a price. The price is our vote, or lack of it, and now we ignore you.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.

https://www.malaysianow.com/opinion/2023/08/08/disappointed-and-disheartened-by-pms-response-to-student

Discussions

1 person likes this. Showing 21 of 21 comments

Income

Political parties are always aiming for survival and to get popular votes. How to undone more than 60 years of bad practices??? It takes at least 10 years to redo all the things that is done in 60 plis years.

2023-08-08 17:08

xiaoeh

what can we do? there are lack of understanding among us in between each other.

2023-08-08 17:14

xiaoeh

our Malay frens know us only through politician whose care abt their own interest rather than country interest

2023-08-08 17:16

xiaoeh

only if we our own take initiative to let each understand each other well rather than through policians

2023-08-08 17:19

The_JQuestion

That is jsut one part... what is good is that qualified student is finally recognised. if they scored stragiht As, they will be given the slot by Anwar... It was not so before where nobody took any action. Now, Unity Gov is taking action.That is a fact , if ur result SO-SO dont expect gov to help u LAH !! got PTPTN as reported in the news portal...
Here too many anti PH macai already, still dont want to chacne but expect ur PM to save ur economy :)) very funny ... wan moodin to give his crony projeK only, work HARDER !

2023-08-08 17:23

OnTime

there's more than 1 way to skin a cat.

2023-08-08 18:29

ahbah

Please no hit a small little girl with a big blow. She cant take it lah. She sure kolap to the floor !

2023-08-09 10:45

VIinvestor

I watched the video and honestly, Anwar was stressing out that the quota system cannot change yet because there are many left behind in rural areas, and most of them are bumiputeras. The Quota system is there to provide them a fair chance, or else all matrikulasi will be filled with all City students who had access to better materials and resources. I understand the equity system Anwar is trying to pursuit and I think its fair. And he did mention, which the young audience had also mentioned, the appealed rejection got overturned.

2023-08-09 11:16

BursaGolfer

if the girl is traumatized, take this positively as a lesson. this Author is opposition trying to create chaos by writing this asking ppl to sit out of election.... what an id10t

2023-08-09 11:57

BursaGolfer

changing any policy isnt easy like switching on a light switch. everything takes time, give the current administration sometime....

2023-08-09 11:59

The_JQuestion

u know what funny ,,, i know many that dont pay their PTPTn and mara loans. They angry Pmx dont give them free.. some of them paid highly , dont even wanna pay kacangs after succeeding in being high income
I no eye see , very wonderful attitudes in this country ... there are plenty

2023-08-09 12:13

Integrity. Intelligent. Industrious. 3iii (iiinvestsmart)$â¬Â£Â¥

PMX gave a very good and considerate reply to the student's question, though he could have done it more gently.

2023-08-09 12:57

fl888

Reading a prepared speech by somebody out to sabotage PMX...

2023-08-09 15:13

Hotstuff

if PAS take over as government you won't feel disappointed and disheartened because what lies ahead are FEAR, HORROR, HELPLESS, HOPELESS, TERROR, POVERTY

2023-08-09 15:39

The_JQuestion

haha speculation by the PN media team... to strike fear and horror .. Imagine if they take power , crony and corruption in thier mind only to make the Poor Poorer :)

2023-08-09 15:58

PassionateInvestor

Do not be disheartened. In fact on the contrary, all Malaysians who dislike racial politics should come out to vote in full force. Once the politicians know that they have adequate support to from government with the support of like-minded people who dislike racial politics, then we would start seeing a change in landscape for a brighter Malaysia.

2023-08-09 22:54

DickyMe

The problem with politicians who play along racial line is they think they can solve all the problems. Each year the number of "privilege recipients" increases. How? Reproduction. There will come a TIME when you cannot feed everyone and that will be the volcanic moment.
This country will remain a loser and dependent.

2023-08-10 00:04

baramundi

Do you think you abstaining is punishing the unity govt? You judge the performance and ethic of our PM merely just from his reply to this student? Please be more broad minded in your decision. We have fought so hard to win changes in our country and here you are willing to throw away just on this matter. Not voting on your side and calling others to follow your action is utterly selfish and ignorance as the outcome could just handed over the power on silver platter to the bigger evil...then you see what you get at the end. Think carefully.

2023-08-10 10:31

AdCool

Am sure the PM has been bombarded with such questions for hundreds of times if not thousands. When the PM requested the student to go straight to the question, it shows that he already knew the context and what the student trying to say. No point to go through a big round and beat around the bush to sound as if you are sensitive and not hurting others feeling. The question itself is already sensitive enough and controversy enough. There is no question that we need quota. The question now is the implemenation and enforcement of it so it won't be misused while at the same time derive others of their deserved opportunities. What the PM was saying actually was about social mobility. Yes, that s the right and modern term to use instead of quota. We need to consider the social mobility of the B40 group. Abolishment of quota all together is impossible but a uplift and enhancement of it to encourage and promote social mobility for the B40 is what should be the move forward.

2023-08-10 14:01

chon99

I think we should not give a lopsided view or biased view on this topic.

Let's be in the shoes of our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
As a Prime Minister, he is on tight schedule, every minute is precious to him especially during the election campaigns. He is kind enough to give the students an opportunity to ask questions.

The student should be well prepared and should not statter in asking questions. The student should practise many times at home or in some other places before asking .What would happen if the same kind of situation occurred in a job interview ? The student should regard this question and answer session even more important than the job interview. I think the job interviewers would be unable to tolerate and stopped the interview if the same thing would to happen.

However, the Prime Minister still has the courtesy to answer the questions.

Hopefully next time when a student were to ask questions, he/or should be well prepared or seek someone who is more articulate to help instead of doing it all on his/her own.

2023-08-10 14:55

speakup

takde cuti besok? how lah my wife go back Penang vote?

2023-08-10 21:27

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