VOXPOP 'They are asked to lodge a report on their complaint so that the ministry can investigate the matter. This must be the pinnacle of bureaucracy.'

'Dept knows about truancy of SK Bihai teachers'

Anonymous#007: It is the job of the Education Ministry to know what is happening at its schools. Its task is to ensure the education guidelines are properly implemented at all schools.

Now that its been informed - twice - of the teachers' truancy, it should punish the teachers. It should demand for the return of monies equal to the number of days they were intentionally absent.

And they should be sacked - after all, we do have 7,000 unemployed teaching graduates who can fill the vacancies.

And for persecuting the students for being faithful to their own religions, these teachers should be sent to jail for violating the constitution. These will send a clear message to the rakyat on the BN regime's stand on these issues.

Lamborghini: Deputy Education Minister Mohd Puad Zarkashi, you and your officers are all "sleeping on the job" or closing one eye to such misconduct of the teachers.

How is it that after more than two months, when the issue of the teachers' truancy was highlighted at a public dialogue with your district education officer in the presence of a Suhakam commissioner, you can still profess ignorance?

What is the use of another official complaint when the issue has been highlighted to your own officers? Do you think the Orang Asli have nothing better to do than to keep on travelling/walking miles to make one complaint after another?

You and your ministry officers must be more pro-active and sensitive and sensible, especially when dealing with the poor and uneducated who have very limited access to transport facilities and who will normally have to face a bureaucratic jungle before they can even meet a junior officer in their air-conditioned officers in the city.

Laila: The Orang Asli parents are asked to lodge a report on their complaint so that the ministry can investigate the matter. This must be the pinnacle of bureaucracy.

If true, then these teachers lack respect for their profession and lack a desire to help the Orang Asli secure a better future. Imagine a company where employees play truant on two working days every week, but still receive full salary.

Fair Deal: This is common in rural schools in Sarawak and Sabah. I once worked in the Jabatan Pendidikan Bahagian in Sarawak. Whenever we visited the rural schools on Friday or Monday morning, most of them were closed.

When we reported this to the pegawai pelajaran daerah (PPD), no action was taken except a general reminder to the GB (headmasters) during the monthly meeting that the teachers cannot go back until Friday afternoon and cannot come late on Monday.

That is the quality of PPDs heading the Jabatan. No wonder, we often see zero percent pass in many rural schools.

RA 1: SK Bihai cannot even be found on Google maps. It must be so remote that even handphones do not have service. Thus it is an exceptional case. It would be a hardship post for most teachers.

Not Confused: Two months, and nothing has been done. The entire Education Department should be fired without notice.

They obviously don't give a damn about the education of the Orang Asli. It's a national disgrace - someone must pay the price!

'MACC statement does not clear lawyer Cecil'

Anonymous #41809171: At this point, we can't be sure if carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan is telling the truth.

However, the statement by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) operations review panel chairperson Hadenan Abdul Jalil that fellow panelist Cecil Abraham was not present and did not take part in the panel's decision on Nov 8 to stop investigating private eye P Balasubramaniam and Deepak does not clear him of the allegation that he prepared the second SD (statutory declaration).

Similarly, we cannot say PM Najib Razak is not at all implicated in the death of Altantuya Shaariibuu just because he was not present at the crime scene.

Fair Play: The truth is that for over 50 years, the powers-that-be had not been forced into the situation they are presently facing.

As the rakyat know, the alleged falsifying of a statutory declaration is a serious matter, more so as it allegedly involved persons in high places.

Anonymous_3e93: Let us also scrutinise the soon-to-be released Rosmah Mansor's biography which should shed more information about her links to Deepak, lawyer Cecil Abraham, Najib's brother Nazim as well as the RM700,000 payment to Bala. It should be an interesting read.

Mohican: Hadenan's comments about the findings of the panel on the Altantuya investigation is not only unsolicited but totally unnecessary and without any purpose or merit. Clearly, this only goes to show the lack of professionalism of the panel. What an utter disgrace.

Ah Gu, Ah Beh: All is quiet on the western front except the statement from MACC. It sounds suspicious.

Mushiro: Who is most quiet on this issue - Cecil Abraham, Najib Razak, Nazim Razak or Rosmah? The answer is the MSM (mainstream media).

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