theSun | TUESDAY JUNE 2 2009
speak up!
Pandora’s box
of subsidies
SUBSIDY. To
industries it is
manna from
heaven as they
have an injection
of funds to ensure
their profits are
not compromised
in social efforts
to reduce the
financial burden
on the people. To Down2Earth
the consumers,
by Terence Fernandez
it means that
they pay a lot
less for certain
essentials.
To the government,
though it is akin to a dirty
word, as more subsidies
mean less money for its cof-
fers. The oft-stated mantra
of the administration when
pulling back subsidies is
“we need to channel the
money for better use in
development projects”.
Critics of the way our
economy is handled have
often said that if we manage
our resources and wealth
well, there will be enough
for everyone and Malay-
sians may not even have to
pay taxes.
That view may be a little
too out of the park for me,
but I do believe that the cost
of living would be more
manageable if certain poli-
cies are reviewed.
We ran a front-page
report yesterday on the
removal of subsidies for
standard loaf bread, sugar
and processed flour.
This would mean we
will be paying at least 22 sen
more for a loaf of Gardenia,
60 sen more for sugar and
65 sen extra for flour.
The effect of this would
be colossal as more than half
letter
letters@thesundaily.com
Revamp evaluation system in schools
THE cabinet decision to limit
the number of subjects for
SPM to 10 from next year is
a wise move. The education
minister must stand by this
decision and not be swayed
by the 10% of students and
their supporters who think
that genius is quantifiable.
These young Malaysians,
encouraged by enthusiastic
parents and teachers and
boosted by media attention,
have grown to believe that
the 20 As mark them as supe-
rior academic achievers who
deserve more than a special
consideration in the queue
for tertiary education. It has
become the bargaining point
for financial aid and scholar-
ships.
These exam geniuses and
paper chasers are threatening
to sideline the average fifth
former who sits for the nine or
10 subjects recommended in
a balanced school curriculum.
Those who score nine or 10 As
are no longer regarded as out-
standing because the others
of everything
you put in your
mouth is made
up of one, two
or all of these
items – noodles,
pastries, breads,
etc.
Moreover to
bake bread, you
need flour and
at times sugar
as well, so do
not be surprised
if the cost of a
regular loaf rises
more than others.
But the question to be
posed to the government is
this: That by opening up the
industry to market forces,
are we jumping from the
frying pan into the fire?
This is because with only
a handful of hand-picked
players in the market, this
could spell a recipe for
disaster. There are 11 flour
mills in the country. What if
there is a consensus among
them to hike the price? The
same with sugar. By award-
ing the monopoly to just two
players, consumers will be
at the mercy of the four re-
fineries to dictate how sweet
consumers can afford their
coffee to be.
While one can look for
alternatives to the standard
loaf which can cost as little
as RM1.60 from micro-
bakeries and mum-and-pop
shops, can the government
guarantee that it can cap
the price of flour and sugar
at reasonable rates? If that’s
the case, then it would
negate the government’s
intention to allow market
forces to dictate the price of
these goods?
Herein lies the problem.
have given more of their time
and effort to double their As.
The danger in subscribing
to the belief that excellence in
education is quantifiable will
only perpetuate an educa-
tion philosophy and teaching
methodologies where the
assessment of academic
performance is done purely
by examinations.
As a beneficiary of the
Malaysian education system I
would like to say that my peers
and I have fully benefited from
a system that provided a good
balance between the aca-
demic and the co-curricular.
We went through a system
where academic subjects
were handled as expertly in
the classroom as physical
education was in the field.
There was of course the
school loyalty and pride when
students did well both in the
academic and co-curricular
arenas but there was none of
the glamour and sensational-
ism that accompanies the
release of UPSR, SPM and
11
We are paying for policies of
the past which in most cases
have only gone towards en-
riching industry players at
the cost of lethargic consum-
ers, ignorant of their rights
and indifferent to care.
Why must rice come only
from Bernas? Why must one
company monopolise the
distribution of medical sup-
plies and pharmaceuticals
to government hospitals?
Why must a popular pain-
killer cost 20 sen more, just
because a company was
awarded the contract to
place “security seals” on all
medicines?
Why should the interest
rates for a Proton or Perodua
– supposedly cars meant for
the masses – cost 2% more
than an imported model?
Why must the same fellow
who operates the feedmills
also run chicken farms?
On Saturday, B. Braun
president Dieter Gemmer
said the company was
considering moving its
pharmaceutical operations
from Penang to Indonesia
as it could not compete ef-
fectively in an environment
where it needs to deal with
middlemen.
If the Germans were to
flee, it would mean losing
RM65 million in investments
and 500 jobs. But even more
profound is that Gemmer’s
frustration echoes those
of millions of Malaysians
who have to fork out more
money due to policies that
benefit a handful.
Back to the issue of
subsidies, while the govern-
ment may have very valid
reasons to remove them, one
cannot blame the people for
being sceptical as they have
too often witnessed and ex-
perienced policies that are
selective with regards to the
end beneficiaries.
Terence says all policies
should have the people at
heart. He is deputy editor
(special reports & investiga-
tions) at theSun and can be
reached at terence@thesun-
daily.com
STPM results today.
There were of course the
smart alecs and geniuses
among us who went on to
achieve excellence in their
post-graduate studies and ca-
reers but they have remained
grounded and well-balanced
individuals.
As a retired educationist
involved in language educa-
tion in secondary schools for
seven years and in a public
university for 24 years, I would
like to add that excellence in
education does not lie in the
string of As one collects but
in the thinking and rational
beings that the education
system nurtures.
It is time to revamp the
evaluation system in schools
to include classroom assess-
ment and project work, and
co-curricular activities where
students are given ample
opportunities to interact with
their teachers and peers.
Halimah Mohd Said
Kuala Lumpur