Second class upper

By Ng Eng Kiat

Most Malaysians have no notion of class. Which is sad, really, because there are those who claim to understand class but actually only see in shades of race and religion.

For them, class division is more about whether one is Malay, Chinese, or Indian than about the Mercedes S-Class. In reality, however, it’s the Mercedes (or kapchai) in your porch that counts, not your skin colour.

Unless, of course, one goes as far as to say “what car you drive depends on what race you belong to!”

Then, my friend, you probably belong in an era still fighting Hitler.

Learning and Internships, have we learned enough?

By Yeoh Li Ying

Come the long holidays, all 2nd year Communication student shall be interning in company’s around Malaysia, be it a well-known or ‘unknown’, everybody will just want to have time to learnt something from the organisation. I, for once also am anticipating to be an intern in a production house located near Petaling Jaya. I am also excited but at the same time wondering what the company will prepare for us. You know that you are scared and bracing on what the company will be expecting from you after 4 semesters in higher institution. Have you learned things and got the “IT” factor to be a successful intern in the said company? What will they expect from us? Have “the know how” factor to operate a video camera, to do post-editing and planning for a production? Or what about paper work? Preparing the company news release, creating an advertisement, doing a work plan? Or covering event? Writing a scene of what has happened? Writing an article to-be-published in the newspaper?

There are so many things. Yet have we really learned enough? Have the 4 semesters taught us well enough and push us to the right direction heading towards working life? Are we well familiar with functions lets say, Photoshop or etc.? We certainly don’t, but if we have the right attitude and mentality and show willingness to learned new things, I am sure we will be heading into a right direction in the company. My point is, as much as we might have learned in these four semesters, it is just not enough to make it to the working life just yet. Even with 3 years studying, it will not be enough for us. We ourselves, have to go out and work to know if we are capable in our career. That is why the opportunity for doing an internship is a good opportunity for us to brace the working world and learn from it.

Adakah saya seorang yang bermaruah?

Oleh Sitinurul Zahra

Setiap kali aku membuka blog-blog popular yang ada semuanya mengenai politik, politik, dan politik. Nak muntah rasanya. Bagaimana dengan golongan belia seperti aku yang menuntut perhatian. Hanya berita sensasi Sufiah sahaja yang dilaporkan untuk meraih populariti. Kami di lupakan sehinggakan segalanya disalahkan kerana kami masih muda, darah muda kata mereka. Kadar jenayah makin meningkat dan juga pesakit mental dikalangan remaja.

Baru-baru ini ketika semua orang asyik menulis jawapan , mata aku terlihat sesuatu yang luarbiasa dan aku tahu ramai yang tahu apa aku maksudkan. Meniru. Sejak peristiwa itu berlaku aku sering sahaja ‘mengelamun’. Banyak persoalan yang bermain difikiran. Dari situ aku simpulkan perkara penting mengenai maruah.

Guna duit baik-baik

By Aaron Rao

Recently I had a pretty interesting talk with one of my close acquaintance. She said “why do Malaysia try like to create record breaking ‘achievements’?”

The answer to that question is pretty debatable. I for one am more on the pessimist side.

Let us look at the latest record Malaysia or the government has set. The Angkasawan Programme. As much as it could be applauded to aspire young Malaysians to venture into rocket science, many argued that it is actually a gigantic waste of tax payers’ money. A whopping USD 45 million was used to fund the project and from the looks of it, Malaysians got nothing out of it except for some newspaper headlines, and a good looking spaceman who didn’t actually get far in space. USD 45 million could be much better used for already on going government projects. For instance building the Penang Monorail years ago, improve road infrastructure or helping the country reduce poverty.

A news organisation

By Shamala Suresh Kee

“A news organisation should be free to espouse any cause it wishes on the basis of that most fundamental of liberties, namely freedom of expression…..So, if a newspaper wishes to endorse one party, ideology or political alliance over another, that is its unquestionable right. On the readers’ part, they are free to accept or reject the newspaper’s position by choosing either to read its messages or not. This is simple enough a matter in a society that lives by time-tested democratic ideals.”

These are the exact words from the Sun’s editorial March 4 2008, written by the newly appointed editor, Chong Cheng Hai. One would expect a newly appointed editor to reach out to his audience and increase the readership of the publication as a response to the challenge posed by his chair. But, from what I read, the editor is rather unscrupulous over readership, according to him; readers can choose to read or not to read. Maybe it is because the Sun comes free, and people like me don’t have to fork out money for news, we are beyond consideration. I assume this came as a response towards the hammering received by the mainstream media over its slanted, one sided coverage of the election, that the The Sun claims that newspaper publication has the right to endorse one party, ideology or political alliance over another. That is its unquestionable right. As defiant as it sounds, it also sounds childish, and like a stubborn kid saying that it would have want it wants, and no one can say anything about it.

Keluar dari tempurung

Oleh Siti Nurulzahra

Seperti yang kita maklum pusat pengajian tinggi seharusnya melahirkan golongan yang mampu berfikir dan meneraju perubahan bukan mengekalkan budaya lapuk yang dipegang oleh golongan ‘tua’. Dengan apa yang kita lihat kini merupakan budaya lapuk yang dipegang oleh golongan yang ‘senang’ dengan apa yang mereka amalkan seperti membazir duit untuk aktiviti yang tidak berilmiah. Gejala seperti ini tidak dapat kita lihat jika kita berada di Amerika Syarikat, Australia, India dan jiran kita Indonesia. Apa yang berlaku kini memang menakutkan sehingga ‘urat saraf’ kita tidak lagi menunjukkan respon. Mengapa terjadi begitu sehingga tiada lagi respon?

Mungkin kerana kita sedar adanya tali-tali yang mengikat kita. Tali-tali itu sudah semestinya anda tahu dan sedar kewujudanya. Contohnya pihak berkuasa, media, persatuan dan juga pihak individu yang dekat pada kita. Lihatlah saja jika kita ungkitkan mengenai politik ada saja suara sumbang yang mendendangkan lagu keroncong mengatakan ini bukan masanya. Aduh!