Of schooling and media blasting...

Life is much easier for easygoing kids. No school means more free time with friends... be it PKP, PKPP, PKPB and whatever abbreviations that they can think of.. For the rest of us, schooling may be in the form of media blasting to fit the mould of the paymaster.

Budget 2021? Nothing to be proud of. RM 6000 from EPF account 1 is not exactly something to be joyous of. It is, afterall the workers fund for old age, which can be withdrawn early for a period of 12 months. That comes to RM 500 per month. Not enough to relieve the burden of those whose employment were terminated...

Back to our topic. Education Minister called for special live announcement to announce :-

1. The year end holidays start effectively from 8th November 2020, instead of the scheduled 18th December 2020;
2. School will re-open on 20th Jan 2021 for new academic year and secondary schoolers will be confined to home-based learning until 8th March 2021;
   
3. SPM will be rescheduled to 22nd Feb 2021;

Early school holidays or is it additional burden to the parents? Consider these :-

1. Parents were given short notice to react to the announcement. Those with boarding schoolers were advised (encouraged) to take their children home soonest possible. I guess the government of the day thinks all parents can afford to immediately arrange to bring their children home. What about those rural parents who needs to fly the children back? Do they have sufficient fund during this pandemic times to bring them home?
2. Working parents need to immediately arrange for nannies to cater for younger school goers. Formerly. some may opt to send them to be with their grandparents or special arrangement made to place them in "after school" care centres. Not done within such short space of time..
3. Parents with more than 1 school going children will be burdened with the need to cater for the childrens' online requirement
4. Parents may need to cough up more money for their children who will be sitting for their SPM, STPM next year
5. There are teachers who will be retiring by the end of the year. There will be no continuity for the students having new replacement bridging teachers to cover January and February 2021. 

Former Minister, Maszlee Malik, also commented negatively on the Ministry abrupt announcement to close the schools. For him :-

1. The fate of some 600,000 schoolchildren rely on the Supplementary Food Programme (RMT), which provides free food to children from poor families (B40). How do these more than half a million students get their needed nourishment now that school is out?;
   
2. Nearly 70,000 canteen workers will not see a whole month's worth of income with the closure of schools. Where can they turn to with their livelihood cut off? Mind you, that this has been on and off since March 2020 when Klang valley suffer the most during this stretch whilst other states are relatively in green zone ie can operate as usual; 
3. What about connectivity? More than a third school students are struggling with home-based learning as they cannot afford a laptop to get online. This situation worsen if siblings have online classes at the same time. The government-aid and measures to overcome this problem may only come in place early next year. Will it not be too late?;
4. Budget 2021 pointed out that GLCs will sponsor 150,000 laptops next year managed by Yayasan Hasanah. What about 2020? What about the missed online classes because they could not afford computers nor can they afford internet connectivity?;
   

It seems that Malaysia is going back to the old practise. Things are done on ad-hoc basis. No proper planning and no proper scheduling. In short, stakeholders views and problems are not taken when decision are made. Over to you Radzi Md Jidin... I hope the Minister has thoroughly thought out all consequences before making press conferences. By the way, did Radzi take into account the possibility of using schools as polling centres for the much anticipated early GE 15 early next year?

Budget 2021 is not rakyat-friendly. At least not for those working in the private sector. Yet, Finance Minister allocate RM 85 million (read : RM 7 million per month) and revive JASA? What is the basis and is it really necessary?

Consider these :-

1. JASA (which is under PM department) is IT-based unit to "disseminate information". What information? Cant Jabatan Penerangan do the job? If it is IT-based, is it meant to counter and manage Government reputation on social media?;
2. Or is it another front for "influencers" to make good money spewing half truths to demonise opposition and at the same time "painting good pictures" on their bosses? Mind you that there are bloggers who banded together to roam the social media for the benefit of their sponsors. Names? Just surf the internet and you might get much more... Me? I am not one of them...
   
3. Budget 2021 should tailor for the rakyat in facing pandemic COVID 19. It is not another stage for Finance Minister (read : Perikatan Nasional) to carve RM 85 million for their cybertroopers. That RM 85 million can be use more effectively elsewhere.
4. No political motives? Do you believe that statement? If you believe that, then you have no problem believing cows can fly... JASA former Director-general believes otherwise
   

Puad Zakarshi (ex JASA boss) gives his views on the "new JASA" :-

1. The Special Affairs Department (Jasa) by nature is political despite BERSATU's assurance that it is not. Who can believe what a politician say, more so if it spews from BERSATU members?;
2. No need to be defensive because JASA is actually a propaganda outfit. This time, the dressing and make-over is managed by BERSATU whilst before this is an UMNO (read : Barisan Nasional) propaganda machine;
3. Puad's dissatisfaction is the quantum of allocation. At RM 85 million, that is more than double the allocation provided under Najib's JASA. During Najib's time, JASA was allocated RM 30 million annually before the unit was disbanded under PH rule. What is your defense, Saifuddin Abdullah? What about retraining retrenched employees to be under JASA instead of banding "guns for hire"?
4. Is JASA a special purpose vehicle for International Trade and Industry Minister Azmin Ali? Afterall, Azmin and his group of ex-PKR leaders need to merge with Abah Din's BERSATU for GE15. BERSATU does not have strong grassroots and further does not posses well-oiled political machinery to be mobilise during General Elections. Thus, the need for over-gloated JASA to compensate for the lack of political machinery;
5. Is Azmin and BERSATU making use of JASA to sow distrust towards UMNO and other political coalition members for BERSATU to continue heading Perikatan Nasional?

Latest : Minister Saifuddin caught off guard by RM 85M JASA budget. Never mind the "I don't know the amount excuse". That's normal in Malaysian politics. But when his deputy, Zahidi Zainul, claimed that he had briefed Minister Saifuddin - then something is just not right. Who is actually the Minister? Or is UMNO's Zahidi the real Minister and Saifuddin is the puppet? If that is so, the RM 80M is for UMNO's propaganda or is it for Azmin"s purpose? Somebody is trying to screw big time and in the end the rakyat got screwed all the same...

Me? As said earlier, I am not a paid cybertrooper and has no intention to be one. We need to relook and strategise on education for our younger generation who will be our leaders in the future. On top of that, the government should cease from carving chunks of allocations for personal political agenda (read : Azmin and/or abah Din).

The ground swell is not in favour of abah Din and Azmin is seen to be a traitor par excellence. Those under 30 and first-time voter may teach a hard lesson, come GE 15. I don't mind if PN lose GE 15 but am more concern where the ground swell will push Malaysia. We are a young nation, compared to US, Look at the recent US election... it should serve as a reminder and a lesson to our politicians.... so stop politicking every single issue...

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...