Wednesday, March 09, 2011

One Malaysia: Sarawak schools

1Malaysia is ... when everybody, every state, every child in this country has access to what everyone else has.
In the case of Sarawak, schools and homes in the interior get their electricity supply mostly from generators. Costlier diesel is a problem and some 400 rural schools may have to contend with 14.5 hours of electricity.  The good news is these schools can now have access to 24-hr "green" power. Yes, round the clock. Like your school and mine. Which means soon homes in these very rural areas will also have 24-hr electricity. Like your home in Perlis and mine in Puchong. Something most of us take for granted.
The March 8, 2011 report

Here is where the good news is coming from: A pilot project conducted since last November on a school in Kapit, Sarawak by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Public Works Department, University Malaysia Sarawak and the private sector has confirmed that we now have the technology, the equipment,and  the means** to upgrade all the generators so they can provide round-the-clock electricity to some 400 schools in the state's interior (the school in Kapit's a nearly 10-hr journey from Kuching by road and river). At no extra cost. In fact, if I read the report dated March 8 correctly, the government will save some, including the environment!

** I'm sure we also have the political will do make this happen. But that's for the relevant politicians, like DPM and Minister of Education Muhyiddin Yassin and the Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, to answer.

26 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:26 pm

    Hahaha....go to Endau Rompin, and the settlers there (mostly orang asli) will tell you that the gomen gave them solar cells to supply electricity. After 12 months, the solar panels broke down, and all calls to rectify the damage was not heeded. So now they are back to square one.

    This is the BN way, Rocky. Give a contract to a crony to supply something of PR (public relations) value. Then after all the photo ops are done, the crony walks away, and nothing is heard of again.

    Wanna bet, Rocky ?

    Godfather

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous1:29 pm

    Before you miscontrue my comment, let me tell you that the efforts mentioned in your article are good and noble. As responsible journalists, you must put the gomen on notice that we better have a system of accountability and that those riverine folk better not be disappointed. Put in your own monitoring system, boleh ?

    Godfather

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous1:32 pm

    Dato',

    This is the kind of news that warms the heart. Syabas to all concerned. Nevertheless, jangan cakap tak serupa bikin, yah!

    - A Malaysian -

    ReplyDelete
  4. Skilgannon10663:13 pm

    Yup, and the interior of Sarawak can only be accessed by river or by air - this how many years after joining Malaysia?

    How many children of the indigenous tribes in the interior of Sarawak have to commute more than an hour to get to school?

    How good are the facilities and teachers in these schools compared with those in the Peninsula?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous4:12 pm

    And to imagine, with the barest of facilities, they can communicate with us in Semenanjung using one Bahasa, BAHASA MALAYSIA!

    For TAIB to make this possible,
    I salute him..

    Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa..

    PERWIRA

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous4:15 pm

    After 53 years? Still talk & talk...

    Just take the blardy bakun thing & shove up their ass.

    No wonder the tiny red dot called the leaders here stupid & incompetent.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous4:21 pm

    Dato',

    Solar Hybrid is not new in Malaysia.. Most of the Kepulauan Mersing got 24 hours electricity supply using solar hybrid.. Even Pulau Perhentian is also using solar hybrid.. These projects are funded using "Akaun Amanah Ikhtiar Bekalan Elektrik" which is coming from TNB and IPPs.. Good way to solve electricity supply for those villages far from electricity grids.. As far as the mentioned projects is concerned, no major failure happens... It being monitored on-line by TNB subsidiary, TNB-ES.

    Romano

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hmm, I think political will is in so short supply in Malaysia, its all about political expediency nowadays. Case in point the Satu Sekolah Untuk Semua idea and the studying of Maths and Science in English now reverted to BM.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous5:17 pm

    Sooooo, godfather & romano, which one of you is telling the truth? tnb-es is not picking my calls..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous5:39 pm

    global problem...alternative solution...ako energy, JARIMAS Leader, Sarawak..

    ReplyDelete
  11. Seolferwulf7:58 pm

    Perwira

    Yup, and Sarawakians are working in Singapore as unskilled labour. Where they have to communicate in broken English because that's the sum total of their academic achievements.

    That's progress Taib-style?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous1:59 am

    If PR rule Sarawak, you know what they will do? They will not even give electricity to these people, because it a waste of taxpayers money. It gives low return to electrify remote areas.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Skilgannon10664:00 pm

    Anon 1:59 AM

    And maybe the logging companies won't be given carte blanche in Sarawak!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous4:22 pm

    Boleh lah mintak the beloved wife of pm to jenguk-jenguk sarawak schools and make changes instead of sibuk-sibuk berucap kat negara orang tapi habuk pun tarak. Ada ke tadika `permata' dia set up kat sarawak. Start with your own country first kalau betul-betul ikhlas nak tolong.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Seolferwulf7:00 pm

    The daughter-in-law of the Sarawak CM is claiming RM400 million in settlement - RM100m in alimony and RM300m in matrimonial property - in divorce proceedings against the CM's son.

    Which means that the son could be worth at least RM800 million or thereabouts.

    Or maybe a lot more, as reports have said that he could be a billionaire.

    Quick question: what is the per capita income in Sarawak?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous9:36 pm

    Yet another project from your caring
    government! We are so touched!
    Ho! Ho!

    ReplyDelete
  17. PitythePenans1:56 am

    The Sarawakians may learn a thing or two from the Egyptians.

    The people are still using sampan while Taib is marrying an arab woman half his age. Why not marry Bidayuh girls? They are beautiful too.

    Imagine his sons being sued for 400 million in divorce by Sheila Majid sister, this shows how filthy rich Taib and families are.

    I pity the native of Sarawaks. all their logs are taken by taukey China while they depends on Malay teachers to teach in pendalaman.

    Some action must be taken to stop these greedy people from benefiting from the rainforests of Sarawak.

    Should we Peninsular Malays just allows these to happens. Let Taib be riched while we do the dirty work of educating the natives of Sarawak?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous3:44 pm

    Seolferwulf

    Fast Question here;

    Who is richer, Taib Mahmud or Lee Kuan Yew?

    Faster faster..give answer..

    PERWIRA

    ReplyDelete
  19. Seolferwulf6:33 pm

    Perwira

    Easy answer, lah.

    Who has a daughter-in-law who is claiming hundreds of millions of ringgit in divorce proceedings? Hundreds of millions of ringgits worth of assets manufactured out of thin air?

    Good try, but no cigar.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Seolferwulf6:39 pm

    Oi, Perwira

    Quick question for you: what was the growth in Sarawak's per capita income from the time Taib became CM, compared with the growth in Singapore's per capita income over the period when LKY was Singapore PM?

    Easy-peasy, right? No bonus points if you ask Dr M for answers!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous12:21 pm

    Seolferwulf

    Fast answer here..

    Seoferwulf cannot answer on LKY because surfed WIKI nothing wan! Search ebeliwear aloso cannot find annithin info wan..

    LKY haid ebelithin pelom Skilly.. dont like after she nosey2 go tell ebelione wan..

    hahahaha

    PERWIRA

    ReplyDelete
  22. Skilgannon10663:18 pm

    Perwira

    Wow, u very good elak action. Like Ronald Reagan teflon, is it?

    Maybe, LKY ain't got anything to hide!

    Did that thot cross your peabrain?

    How about answering the question on the growth in Sarawak's per capita income during Taib's tenure as Chief Minister? Is the info protected under the OSA?

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Skilgannon10666:23 pm

    Since Perwira has apparently gone MIA when faced with issues requiring academic rigour, here's what I found on the Net:

    Taib Mahmud became CM of Sarawak in 1981. He remains, to date, CM.

    LKY became PM of Singapore in 1959. He stepped down in 1990.

    Dr M became PM of Malaysia in 1981. He stepped down in 2003.

    Sarawak per capita income:
    1987 RM6,516
    2004 RM16,047
    (I am unable to find GNI stats for Sarawak from 2005 onwards).

    Malaysia per capita GNI at current prices (source: Malaysia's Statistics Dept):
    1981: RM3,900
    1990: RM6,298
    2003: RM14,877

    Singapore per capita GNI at current prices (source: Singapore Statistics Dept):
    1960: S$1,334 (US$436)
    1990: S$22,869 (US$12,617)
    2010: S$57,603 (US$42,246)

    So, when LKY stepped down as Singapore PM in 1990, per capita GNI was S$22,869 (US$12,617).

    When Dr M stepped down as Malaysia PM in 2003, per capita GNI was RM14,877.

    The differential is obvious.

    Taib Mahmud???

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous9:34 am

    Waaa, Skilly,

    Getting so hysterical allealy..

    A round of applause for Skilly ebelyone!

    Haiyaaa,
    Why so silent wan? No one interested in Singapore laaaa.. Waste time only..

    hahahaha

    PERWIRA

    ReplyDelete
  26. Skilgannon10662:06 pm

    Perwira 9:34 AM

    Yeah, but we are focussing on Taib's record as Sarawak CM.

    What better way to KPI his hold on power by tracking the growth in Sarawak's per capita income from the time he took office as CM to end-2010?

    Since you seem to be knowledgeable on the subject, why not come up with the relevant statistical info for our edification?

    Heck, maybe you could even ask your contacts in the Statistics Dept to program their computers to do a special run on the growth in Sarawak's per capita GNI from the time it joined Malaysia.

    I threw in the Singapore stats as a little light relief to KPI LKY's tenure as PM against Mahathir's tenure as PM.

    Any objections to what is a valid basis of comparison?

    ReplyDelete