Friday, August 08, 2008

I'm "BODOH", it seems

I sent a previous post on the UUCA as a letter to Malaysiakini. Apparently, someone took it seriously (other than no name) and called me the most "BODOH" citizen in Malaysia and said that my mother should have been banned from giving birth to me.

I don't hold anything against EC for not getting satire but instead I applaud him for feeling incensed that someone would actually think like this. I'm sure that there are those within the Ministry of Higher Education who would prefer that students don't touch anything that smells 'political' with a 10 foot pole. The point I was trying to make was that if we follow the Minister's line of reasoning to its logical conclusion, we'd be banning students from doing 1001 things and in ways which are obviously absurd. In a way, EC's reaction (as well as noname's) was perhaps the exact kind of reaction I was looking for, from those who didn't get that it was satire, that is.

On a more serious note, Prof Shad Faruqi pointed out that Article 10(3) of the Federal Constitution, allows laws to be written that prohibits students from joining political parties.

Article 10(3) reads as follows:

(3) Restrictions on the right to form associations conferred by paragraph (c) of Clause (1) may also be imposed by any law relating to labour or education.

This means that the government has the right to pass laws which prohibit all members of trade unions, for example, from being members of political parties. In addition, the government also has the right to prevent employees of any educational institution, be it at the primary, secondary and tertiary level, from being members of political parties. Think about that.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh god, if any member of the ruling elite reads your blog, there'll be discussions tonight itself on which trade union to start controlling.

Anonymous said...

19, it's still a little too innocent for him to get what is satire and what's not.

Eason Cheah said...

yes it's me...so?

feel fun to keep condemning? go ahead...

like i care actually...

can't get the meaning of PERSONAL BLOG...

I think that way...so what?

everyone went to my blog and sounded like i just criticized a highly popular man for being smart...

mind u, if really popular...i wud have known u too...get the point?

but nevermind...i still think sarcasm has many ways to be seen...

ppl hu visit ur blog was the ones bombing me...of coz...they noe wads going on...

seriously try giving the letter to those hu had no idea wad kind of sarcasm it is pointing towards...

i see much doubt that so many wud support u...

u guys really can't accept other views huh?

anyway...now that i FINALLY KNOW what the heck was that...thanks for pointing out the mistake...

and hey it's a free world...i accept being stupid for this time...and also...dun bloody noe how as well u got my blog...my god...

now everyone knows it...and now I KNOW YOU...adui...

keep it up...hands down if i knew the situation...it is a good SATIRE letter...

I dun write in such ways...so...yea...straight to the point it is...

i wud hv deleted the post to be sorry but nah...guess i'll let more comments pour in...

and also...nearly none gave constructive ones?

wud u just use EC nx time?? instead of SOMEONE...since u noe hu posted it...I had ur name in ur letter...so yea...i seriously stand up to my mistakes...

can u stop ppl for making my personal blog too public now??

Anonymous said...

I think this episode tells us quite a bit about the diversity of the people who read what's posted up on the internet.

When KM first wrote the piece, I bet very few would've predicted that there would be such a huge misunderstanding.

The big lesson out of this is, IMHO, there are different ideas on thinking about the best way of affecting change. The majority of people who read Education In Malaysia are very used to a certain way of thinking, and when someone presents something different, it's brushed off as immature and superficial, or even worse 'local student'.

What matters is - now we all know that there are people who think differently. And if are really sincere in affecting change, these peeople need to be engaged too.

Not slagged off as opinions from lowly-educated minorities who speak bad English.

Anonymous said...

Yo EC, maybe you should remove your post on the "bodoh" issue then...

Eason Cheah said...

another Anonymous trying to teach me a lesson by portraying his Ph.D in English...

I won't remove the post.

BECAUSE, LIKE I CARE.

I'm liking nobody's a**. You ppl licked too much here. Hence, in the same line of fire.

Go on. Bad English yes? Look who's talking. Appearing as anonymous.

Played too much golf? Had your balls hit 500yards away at least in a game? Can't even disclose your own name. Then come commenting like a Ph.D holder in English and Satire Understanding. Afraid being found out you are just boot licking and no better in English anyway?

You all look like that. Cut using anonymous and I respect you.

Ph.D to me for you is like Philosophy Doughnut in English.

Anonymous said...

Contrary to his multiple "like I care" declarations, EC seems to care enough to keep coming back and responding to comments. I don't get it.

Clearly, anger/humiliation switch is on; humour switch nowhere to be found.

Relaks ah brudder...

Anonymous said...

well said,EC. I'm rooting for U!!!

Anonymous said...

With all due respect EC, stop bombarding this section with your constant display of arrogance! Why are you so exercised?? In no way did Anon 8/09/2008 12:31:00 PM and Anon 8/09/2008 04:35:00 AM suggested that you have a bad command in English so your response is absolutely uncalled for. Didn't you request for a truce? Why the constant defensive comments? Regardless, maybe you should now know what a humble pie taste like and stop your incessant scoldings.

Anonymous said...

Kian Ming

What has a person who disagrees with your post had to do with "Education in Malaysia"?

Taking a personal issue on a shared blog sphere? Are you bullying another fellow blogger with the backing of your mess readership?

I think you have taken this issue too far?

Unknown said...

I don't think that Kian Ming is "bullying" EC, eventhough EC made some very personal comments on how he felt about the Article and the Writer of the Article.

Nevertheless, we must always agree that we have the right to disagree on various issues. That's what a democracy is all about.

However, EC must be faulted for making some very "personal comments" about how he felt about the Article notwithstaning that it is his personal blog but when you put your personal blog in cyberspace, its no longer personal.

Its good that EC did not delete the comments against him, unlike a certain Chief Minister with a no-comment Blog and is his Blog even up any more.

Kian Ming, perhaps you want to put this issue to rest by saying that you habour no ill feelings about what EC said and we can move on again on how to improve the standard of education in Malaysia.

Marc Ng said...

im not 'suprised' ec is from tarc