L'examen de Mathematiques

J'ai eu un test de mathematiques aujourd'hui à 4h 00 du soir. Il a été très difficile. L'exercise 1 et 4 ont été très très difficile. Je ne sais pas ce que je fais, mais je crois que je vais échouer en Mathematiques. Demain, j'ai une classe de français pour la préparation de DELF. DELF est une examen de françaisque je dois passer si je veux aller au France. J'ai peur de la présentation orale parce que je ne peux pas parler français très bien. Après, j'ai beaucoup d'examens pour deux semaines prochaines. haiz.

Malaysia must include our own diaspora as well

Source: http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=diplomaticallyspeaking&file=/2009/11/12/columnists/diplomaticallyspeaking/5076053&sec=Diplomatically%20Speaking

Diplomatically Speaking by DENNIS IGNATIUS

THERE are no concise figures as to how many Malaysians are now living abroad. Some reports suggest that there are about 200,000 Malaysians living in the United States, 50,000 in Canada, 95,000 in Australia and more than 300,000 in Britain. Add to that the smaller number of Malaysians who are scattered all across the five continents and my guess is that there are more than a million Malaysians living abroad today.

Many have done well for themselves. Among the more well-known overseas Malaysians are Professor Chin See Leang (a world renowned laser specialist at Quebec City’s Laval University), Professor Danny Quah (of the London School of Economics) and Jimmy Choo (fashion designer, London).

Less well-known are the thousands of other Malaysians from the Grand Caymans to Kenya who have distinguished themselves in their adopted lands. They are sportsmen and journalists, film-makers and artists, doctors and dancers, safari operators and fund managers, highly skilled professionals and academics.
Some have even been agents of change. Baltej Singh Dhillon, a Sikh from Malaysia, was instrumental in changing the famed Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) uniform to incorporate a turban so that Sikhs could join up.

They are an amazing bunch of people. They never fail to turn up at receptions hosted by our embassies or greet visiting Malaysian leaders. They come dressed in fading and ill-fitting batik shirts or kebayas from their past. They sing the national anthem with gusto and pride and even a tear or two. Many visit Malaysia regularly.
They may have lived abroad for decades but they know in their hearts that they are Malaysian. And they are proud of it! For them, Malaysian is an attitude of heart rather than a nationality.

They reluctantly gave up their Malaysian citizenship because Malaysia does not recognise dual citizenship, and the demands of their new homeland necessitated acquiring its citizenship.

Many in Malaysia consider them traitors who had abandoned their nation; in truth their nation had abandoned them.
They left their homeland for many reasons. Some fled in the aftermath of May 13th, traumatised by the fury of ethnic violence.
Others left with great sadness when they concluded, rightly or wrongly, that their children did not have much of a future in their own country because the tide turned against ‘immigrants.’

Still others were lured abroad by better and more exciting opportunities that the age of globalisation brought. We live in an increasingly borderless world and sometimes to chase your dreams you have to go abroad.
Whatever the reason for leaving, most never stopped serving the land of their birth. They served as goodwill ambassadors, telling and re-telling the story of Malaysia.

And they stood as examples of that dream in that they always thought of themselves as Malaysian first instead of Malay or Chinese or Indian.

They founded associations to promote Malaysia and its culture. They established radio stations (e.g. Toronto’s Radio Kampung Ku) to brag about their country. They opened restaurants featuring the wonderful food of our land. And they established business and professional linkages between their respective adopted homeland and Malaysia. They helped define the image of Malaysia abroad more than our politicians and diplomats.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s vision of 1Malaysia excites them because it rekindles hope in the founding dream of Malaysia, of a nation where all citizens are treated with respect and fairness, where all can expect a reasonable opportunity to find happiness and fulfill their aspirations.

It has been a long time since a prime minister has championed the founding principles of our nation. The naysayers at home may deride the whole 1Malaysia idea but abroad they pray that this time it will see reality.
The government is examining ways to encourage more overseas Malaysian professionals to return home to contribute to the nation’s development with programmes like ‘Brain Gain Malaysia.’

I have no doubt that many overseas Malaysians will answer the call to contribute with their talent and expertise. All they want to know is that they will be welcomed back, treated with dignity and respect, and given equal opportunities to serve their country. They want the assurance that their talent and expertise will matter more than their ethnic or religious background.

I fully endorse the recent comments of our ambassador to the United States, Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis, that the government should offer some kind of status to overseas Malaysians.

Perhaps the example of India might be instructive. Seeking to connect with its highly influential diaspora, India created in 2004 a special class of citizenship – Overseas Indian Citizenship – just for its diaspora.
Overseas Indian citizens enjoy all the rights of regular Indian citizens except the right to vote, hold elected office or join the public service.

There should be something similar for our diaspora.
Our diaspora represents a huge pool of committed and talented people that have much to contribute to our nation. They too are a part of 1Malaysia and should be welcomed and appreciated.

As our Prime Minister continues to expound and develop his 1Malaysia concept, I hope that our diaspora will not be forgotten.

Three weeks of exam

Finally, two tests which are Physics and Malaysian Studies is over. Now that is over, i have to sit for Mathematics next week. After that final exam and DELF, here i come. Haiz, have to train speaking french ore often before the oral test.

Physics test was ok but Malaysian Studies was interesting as the essay gives me the opportunity to "shot" the politicians. Hehehe.

After the 3 weeks of torture, I will be coming home to Melaka. Yippeee. Still waiting for freedom cause i am chained by French and the other subjects. haiz

Le Test De Français

Aujourd'hui, j'ai un test de français 2 de 2h 00 jusqu'à 3h 30 de l'aprés midi. Ce n'est pas facile à la différence de test de français 1. 

Dans le test, il y a la compréhension orale, la compréhension écrite, la grammaire, et deux essais dans le test. Pour moi, la compréhension orale est l'essai est difficile. Je ne sais pas si j'ai bien fais. Haiz. 

De plus, j'ai beaucoup le devoir à la maison de français et les mathématiques. D'ailleurs, j'ai deux examens le semaine prochain. Ce sont le Malaysian Studies (Mercredi) et le physique (Vendredi).

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 Pour ils qui ne comprends pas le français:

Today, I had a French test 2 at 2.30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. . It is not easy unlike the French test 1.

In the test, there are listening comprehension, reading comprehension, grammar, and two tests in the test. For me, listening comprehension and essay are difficult. I do not know if I'm doing fine. Haiz.

Moreover, I have a a lot of French and mathematics homeworks. Besides, I have two exams the next weeks. These are the Malaysian Studies (Wednesday) and physical (Friday).

Let’s not forget the value of the rule of law

Source: http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=bravenewworld&file=/2009/10/29/columnists/bravenewworld/4995302&sec=Brave%20New%20World

BRAVE NEW WORLD
By AZMI SHAROM

Those who should know better are forgetting the values enshrined in our Constitution, thus the Bar Council’s education campaign.

DO you remember VK Lingam? You don’t? Let me refresh your memory.

He is a lawyer who, at least at one point, was said to have had a lot of influence on the judiciary. So much influence in fact that he was found to have been brokering judicial positions.

Normally I am coy about making blunt statements like this, due to memories (vague and sleepy as they are) of my classes on the topic of defamation, but this is not me making a bold statement. This is the finding of the Royal Commission established to investigate the authenticity of a videotape which had VK Lingam in it.

The video shows Lingam talking to a judge and promising to ensure his promotion. The Commission found that the tape was real; the person talking on the tape was VK Lingam; he was talking to Judge Ahmad Fairuz; and indeed the appointment and promotion of judges do appear to have been open to manipulation from private citizens and members of the Cabinet (in the case of that video, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor).
Do you remember now? Correct, correct, correct, he is the man in the scandalous Lingam tape.

Well, it seems that the Commission’s proposal that these men be investigated under several laws (such as the Anti-Corruption Act) is not going to be taken to the logical conclusion of a trial, because the government has decided there is not enough evidence.

Bizarre, isn’t it?

You have a tape with serious implications about our judiciary and prima facie unsavoury activities authenticated by a Royal Commission, and they say there is not enough evidence.

Come on, just last week Tian Chua the Pakatan MP was found guilty of biting a policeman on, at least as reported in the press, little more evidence than the policeman in question basically saying “he bit me, honest he did, he bit me.”

How much evidence do you need?

Why is this a serious matter? Well, the judiciary is a crucial part of our system of government; a system of government which, according to the Constitution, practices a separation of powers.

That is to say, to ensure that despotism does not rule, the people who make the laws (Parliament), the people who enforce the laws (Cabinet) and the people who decide on any question of law (the judiciary) are kept apart to avoid any one body or person from having absolute power.

The judiciary must therefore be as independent as possible so that they can do their job without fear or favour, and so that the citizens of the country can have faith in the system.

If we do not want to live in a dictatorship, then an independent judiciary is a fundamental element of our system of governance that must be protected.

Having lawyers brokering positions in the judiciary along with Cabinet ministers in the tawdriest manner imaginable does not bode well for the independence of the judiciary or its dignity.

This matter is important to the founders of this nation, which is why you find it enshrined in the Constitution.
The Constitution is the document that lays down all the basic principles required to run our country in a particular manner. Ours has determined that our country is one which practices a secular, democratic system with separation of powers.

Without this foundation, the governance of this country will be rudderless and its citizens bereft of important protections spelt out in the Constitution.

The importance of this document cannot be emphasised enough, and in this light it is heartening that the Bar Council’s Constitutional Law Committee has decided to launch a first-of-its-kind awareness programme called the My Constitution Campaign (Kempen Perlembagaan Ku).

I really dislike campaigns. They usually smack of lip service and sometimes are embarrassing (1Toilet anyone?), but this is one campaign that I think is necessary.

It will basically be about spreading information regarding the Constitution to the Malaysian public in a style that is easily understood and digested.

This will take the form of booklets, citizen service advertisements and public forums.The campaign begins at 3pm on Nov 13 at the Bar Council (open to all), and hopefully they will enjoy some success.

Now, I do not for one second believe that the My Constitution Campaign is going to create an entire population well versed in the Constitution.

I have no delusions that people will be talking about it with the same vigour as they do about whatever reality singing and dancing programme on the telly right now, but what I hope it will achieve is to ensure that those of us who do care about our lives and our futures; those who think that good governance and justice are important aspects of life, will at least have a better understanding of this, the supreme law of the nation, which was created with those values as its ideals.

It is an understanding that those who have decided to drop the Lingam case seem to lack.
> Dr Azmi Sharom is a law teacher. The views expressed here are entirely his own.