"Up": Mengembara itu ialah bercinta lagi!

Baru-baru ini, saya telah menonton ulasan filem Pixar terbaharu, "Inside Out" oleh Chris Stuckmann. Berdasarkan gambarannya, "Inside Out" banyak mempersoal krisis dan dilema perasaan dalaman yang diahapi, secara spesifiknya adalah ketika mana kita mula melonjak remaja memasuki alam dewasa, alam yang banyak mendedahkan kita menjelajah makna kewujudan dan menilai erti diri ini.

Studio animasi milik Disney hampir konsisten dengan kemampuan membuatkan penonton berfikir dan mengunjungi lubuk emosi yang mengubah cara kita melihat situasi selepas menonton karya-karyanya. Sudah tentulah semua maklum, Pixar juga antara studio animasi terbaik per teknologi dan kemahiran rekaan animasi mereka sendiri. 

"The Incredibles" antara adiwira yang saya kagumi. Mungkin kerana kurang terdedah dengan watak DC dan Marvel ketika itu. [Kredit]

Filem Pixar pertama yang saya tonton ialah "The Incredibles"; ketika itu saya berumur 10 tahun.  Mungkin kerana masih kanak-kanak, maka ketika itu saya sekadar menikmatinya sebagai animasi yang hebat, sedikit komedi dan sudah tentunya gandingan keluarga adiwira Bob Parr yang begitu mengagumkan.

Meniti usia remaja, karya animasi masih lagi saya nikmati kerana sifat animasi itu sendiri hampir jarang membosankan, mungin juga kerana masih dalam transisi kanak-kanak - remaja - pradewasa mka masih lagi minat kartun-kartun. 

Cuma ketika remaja pada Tingkatan 3, ketika itu di Putrajaya, saya telah berjinak-jinak menoton wayang. Ketika itu saya sendirian menonton filem "Up", satu lagi karya Pixar yang saya tonton.  

Lazimnya, karya animasi dan karya yang mempunyai kesan khas jarang dapat menduduki pencolanan akhir Filem Terbaik untuk Academy Awards kerana mungkin keunikan itu sukar diletakkan dalam filem animasi dan selalunya dikaburi dengan kesan khas berbanding nilai itu sendiri. Namun begitu, "Up" berjaya menduduki kategori ini dan bergandingan bersama calon-calon agung yang lain seperti "The Hurt Locker", "Avatar", "District 9", dan "Up in The Air" selain memenangi kategori Filem Animasi Terbaik dalam Academy Awards ke-89. 

"Up" membawa pulang Anugerah Filem Animasi Terbaik di Academy Awards ke-89 selain bergandingan bersama "Avatar" dan "The Hurt Locker" sebagai calon Filem Terbaik. [Kredit]

Seperti biasa, jika karya itu berjaya menduduki pencalonan Filem Terbaik Oscar, sudah tentunya adalah kerana kemampuannya membuatkan penonton mendalami emosi pencipta karya-karya tersebut. Dan sememangnya "Up", untuk rekod saya sendiri merupakan Filem Animasi Terbaik yang pernah saya tonton setakat ini.

Walaupun ketika itu merupakan musim cuti dan minggu pertama tayangannya, dewan tayangan di GSC Alamanda Putrajaya ketika itu tidaklah penuh; jika ada pun yang dewasa menontonnya, tidaklah begitu ramai kanak-kanak. Filem ini sendiri, jika ditanya pada rakan-rakan seusia saya ketika itu tidaklah masuk koleksi kegemaran mereka pun. Tetapi satu yang saya tidak akan lupa ialah kemampuannya menyentuh hati sekian ramai penonton dalam dewan itu dan saya sendiri. Takkan saya lupa ada kedengaran agak keesak-esakan apabila tiba babak akhir yang memaparkan Carl dan Rusell. 

Mengisahkan tentang Carl Fredricksen yang ingin meneruskan cita-cita yang dikongsi bersama isterinya, Ellie yang telah meninggal dunia untuk mengembara ke Paradise Falls. Pengembaraannya yang sangat imaginatif dengan mengapungkan rumahnya mengunakan beratus-ratus (malah mungkin ribuan) belon secara tidak sengaja disertai bersama Rusell, seorang murid sekolah yang bersemangat mahu mengumpulkan koleksi pin dan sebelumnya telah mendekati Carl bagi menuntut pin bagi "membantu warga emas". 

Pengembaraan mereka pada mulanya hanyalah diniatkan Carl sebagai suatu dedikasi cinta terhadap isterinya. Setelah krisis melanda mereka apabila mereka bertemu pengembara lagenda, Charles Muntz yang dipulaukan setelah memalsukan rangka sejenis spesis burung yang dinamai Kevin oleh Rusell, di situlah Carl, pada usia tidak kurang 60-an itu menggagahkan dirinya untuk bersama-sama Rusell menyelamatkan Kevin daripada menjadi mangsa pengembaraan Muntz yang kejam dan akhirnya mencipta memori baharu bersama Rusell.

Jika anda banyak mennton filem indie Hollywood, anda akan dapat mengesan banyak sifat-sifat sama yang digunakan dalam filem ini. Tidak terlalu banyak dialog, skor muzik yang memberi suasan penuh emosi dan penelitian terhadap momen-momen bagi mendalami perasaan pelakon itu sendiri. Lebih mengagumkan ialah lakon layar ini merupaka sebuah animasi!

Selain menghargai idea karyawan mengilhamkan rumah diterbangkan ratusan belon helium, filem ini memberi banyak ilhma dan mempersoal posisi kita dalam hidup ini; tentang perasaan kita terhadap orang yang aling kita sayangi, tentang pengorbanan, kesucian cinta dan peluang kedua, ketiga dan peluang-peluang lain yang terbuak untuk kita yang tak terhingga banyaknya dalam kehidupan kita.

Babak permulaan ringkas filem ini iaitu perkembangan hubungan cinta sepanjang hayat Ellie dan Carl sudah cukup memberi "amaran" bahawa filem ini lebih matang berbanding apa yang kebanyakan kita akan sangkakan. Walaupun mereka dipertemukan atas minat pengembaraan pada masa kanak-kanak, namun cinta mereka yang membuatkan hubungan mereka berkekalan dan realistik mengikut kematangan mereka. Walaupun tanpa dialog, mesej yang ingin disampaikan iaitu kedalaman cinta Carl terhadap Ellie cukup meyakinkan kita memahami kedegilan Carl dalam babak-babak seterusnya walaupun babak-babak awal ini adalah tanpa dialog.

Dipaparkan secara tidak langsung, Carl yang makin tidak keruan atas sebab kerinduannya yang teramat sangat terhadap Ellie "dicabar" oleh Rusell, seorang anak kecil yang secara membuta tulinya amat optimistik dan sentiasa ingin tahu dan amat dahagakan kasih sayang dan manusia (malah binatang lain) untuk disayanginya. 

Sepanjang pengembaraanya yang banyak disakat Rusell, mereka secara tidak langsung mengikat ikatan antara satu sama lain dan mengisi ruang kosong kesunyian mereka; seolah masih ada lagi untuk diambil berat oleh Carl setelah Ellie.

Sememangnya atas alasan fitrah manusiawi, Carl pada awalnya sedaya upaya menyelamatkan Kevin daripada menjadi ratahan rakus Muntz, mula bertarung dengan niat asalnya yang ingin merealisasikan impian Ellie dahulu. Tewas dengan niat asalnya, dia telah meninggalkan Rusell bersendirian yang masih optimis dan tegar mengorbankan diri bagi menyelamatkan Kevin.

Mengingati kembali Ellie, Carl membelek semula buku skrap pengembaraan Ellie sejak kecil lagi. Bahagian separuh belakang yang ditinggal kosong selama ini oleh Ellie iaitu bahagian pengambaraan yang diimpikan Ellie selama ini ditinggal kosong, sebenarnya telah ditampalkan dengan banyak kenanangn hidup bersama Carl, menggambarkan kebahagiaan yang dikecapinya bersama Carl itu sendiri sudah cukup menjadi "pengembaraa" bermakna sepanjang hidupnya, walaupun bukan impian asalnya iaitu memindahkan rumah kelabnya di Paradise Falls di Amerika Selatan. Diakhiri dengan "Teima kasih atas pengembaraan ini. Pergilah, carilah pengembaraan yang baru!" memberi semangat aru buat Carl untuk sekali lagi mencintai dan sekali lagi berkorban selain membuatkannya percaya masih ada lagi insan di luar sana pengembaraan; pengembaraan yang Ellie inginkan hakikatnya bukanlah seliteral pengembaraan hutan dan gunung-ganag meredah bahaya. 

Itulah dia, "pengembaraan" meneganl manusia dan mempercayai wujudnya seseorang dan sesuatu yang berbaloi kita habiskan seluruh hayat bersama mereka, dan kerana mereka. Dengan semangat inilah Carl membantu Rusell menyelamatkan Kevin dan akhirnya dibayar dengan peninggalannya iaitu rumah tempat tinggalnya bersama Ellie yang juga rumah tempat mereka menjalin ikatan kasih seumur hidup mereka. Hal ini juga menjadi simbolik kepada Carl yang kini telah mampu meneruskan hidup  tanpa dibayangi kesedihan menrindui Ellie, pada masa yang sama masih membawa bersama cinta dan semangat "pengembaraan" Ellie.

Dalah hidup kita, banyak yang kita impikan ketika kecil, seolah-olah segalanya mampu dicapai. Kita jarang bersedih malah boleh berangan-angan menjadi Superman, bercita-cita menjadi Perdana Menteri dan doktor, mengubah dunia dengan tangan sendiri dan banyak lagi impian imaginatif yang lain. Walaupun kita mungkin tidak ingat, kita sebagai kanak-kanak dahulu sangat menyayangi dan ingin disayangi walaupun pemahaman kita terhadap kepentingan kasih itu tidak seperti kita dewasa.

Anehnya, meningkat dewasa, kiat semakin matang dalam pertimbangan namun seolah-olah keinginan kita terhadap cinta tidak semekar sewaktu kanak-kanak. Bagi golongan tua pula, kasih antara suami dan isteri amnya tidaklah seperti mana ketika muda remaja dan ketika mula-mula berkahwin dahulu,

Kita makin mempertimbangkan betapa pentingnya hidup dalam realiti ini setelah "kecewa" mengetahui bahawa diri ini bukan dari Krypton yang mampu menahan asakan dari segenap penjuru dan setelah mengetahui betapa sukarnya ingin mempengaruhi manusia bagi memperoleh tempat di mata masyarakat.

Dalam menjalani realiti, kita seolah-oleh terlupa bahawa pengembaraan itu tidak semestinya melakukan sesuatu yang luar biasa yang jarang dilakukan. Dalam hidup sehari-harian juga, setiap keputusan dan risiko yang kita ambil juga hakikatnya ialah pengembaraan. 

Fitrah jua ialah kesedihan yang sering melanda tatkala kehilangan sesuatu dan seseorang yang kita amat kasihi. Mencari ganti seolah-olah mustahil, setelah apa yang kita korbankan demi apa yang telah diambil atau hilamg daripada kita. 

Sungguhpun begitu, dalam kita cuba mengisi ruang kosong dalam hati yang tak mungkin mampu terisi kembali, ramai lagi di luar sana yang ruang kosong mereka masih belum pernah diisi pun malah mereka sendiri masih mencari. Dengan sentiasa mencari cinta yang wujud di depan mata kita, kiat tidak pernah pun meninggalkan kasih yang telah pergi.

Benar, kasih itu telah pergi, tapi hanya jasadnya, bukan rohnya. Membenarkan sesuatu atau seseorang yang lain mengisi ruang kita, walaupun tidak sama dengan sebelumnya bukan sahaj memberi ketengan diri malah menguatkan lagi kasih terhadap yang telah pergi. 

Kerana hakikatnya yang telah pergi itu, andai dapat mereka memberitahu kita yang bersedih di sini, akan mengucapkan pada kita yang kecewa ini, "Pergilah, bercintalah sekali lagi!"

Jika anda menonton Up ketika sekolah dahulu dan berasa bosan kerana kurang kesan lawak mahupun animasi aksi yang mencabat, cubalah tontoni sekali lagi apabila anda yakin telah cukup memahami betapa payahnya mencari erti kewujudan ini dan betapa peritnya mencari ruang cinta daripada yang telah pergi mahupun yang masih hidup. 

Maka tidak hairanlah jika pada tahun 2009, karya ini dinobatkan setanding dan sama handal dengan filem lakonan pelakon mantap dalam "The Hurt Locker", "Up in the Air" dan "Avatar"; bukan semata-mata kerana animasinya naun kerana kemampuannya membuat kita merenung kembali dan menyelami perasaan yang jauh tersimpan dalam lubuk hati kita.

Nantikan karya terbaru Pixar, "Inside Out" di pawagam Malaysia Ogos ini!

Lessons learnt from “Burmese Bin Laden"

Two boats were just rejected by Malaysia, a non-signatory member of UNHCR refugee’s convention. Many of commented the action (or “inaction”) as rather inhumane and selfish. Whilst agreeing that lives must be saved regardless of colours and faiths, long term affecting factors must be addressed – employment in jobs and socio-economy, mainly – because as witnessed in Myanmar currently, Rohingya’s refugees are not to be sent back to their home in a month or two given the current condition.

Pondering deeper into the root of the conflict itself, the Myanmar’s politics and public perception towards Muslims there, there are so much to learn on inter-religion and inter-faith perception and relation.

It’s stereotyping, or worse, with remote “tales”, that have endangered Rohingya and possibly (but not hopefully) the Malaysians minority in the future.

It is interesting to relate to Malaysia when Alan Strathern, an Oxford fellow writing in his column (http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22356306) in BBC News Magazine pointed out that it is a fear of being converted to Muslims, the ones they claim “radical” and destructive to the whole world by building Islamic States that drives their “defense mechanism”.

A dejavu is felt there, isn’t it?

In Malaysia, though have not experience civil war between faiths, we have long experienced the generalized labeling and stereotyping towards members of opposite faiths, especially ones driven by the fear of conversion.

Does labeling DAP as a party that aims to convert Muslims to Christianity ring a bell? As for my record, I remember receiving a pamphlet of a propaganda to reject DAP because most of the Chinese DAP members are Christians, implying that DAP – directly or indirectly – reject membership from Buddhist Chinese, quite explicitly.

Of course there are more things like the fear of the cross sign, the holy water mixed with some brands of drinking water to convert you to Christianity within days as well as the “Allah” claim.

But to be fair, members of other faiths are do get unjustifiably sensitive when non-Muslims are given free copies of Koran.

Unlike in the UK for example, Malaysian’s public are too afraid (or shy, if you prefer) to engage with one another in inter-faiths talk and discourse. While there was once a forum titled “Memeluk Islam” got banned here, BBC had taken an initiative to televise a talk show to discuss the acceptance of LGBT community in Islam, nationally!

We, bearing the “traditional Asian minds” are to fearful of knowing new things and addressing things we rarely discuss. So what did we do is we strictly confine ourselves in our own side of knowing things. We never consider what the others think of Jesus. Heck, some Malay Muslims might even get confused upon knowing the English translation of the Prophet Isa in Koran is written as “Jesus”. And they will go “Is this a Christian-sabotaged copy?”.

We have never given our kids more choices to know more things outside of our own belief in principles of lives and interaction between different races. What we do are shouting racist stereotypical curses towards people different from us from inside a car while our kids are sitting at the back. Now we wonder why the racial relations never get better. Surprise, surprise!

It is now the time for us to man up and start talking and more importantly, listening to what the others got to say, not simply putting them in “hell residents” category.

If one believes that his faith is the most righteous one, then what he got to do is to prove it, not to smear dirt on it; give more reasons why people should join you, not to stay away from you.

Now we already heard someone said that some of the non-Muslims community here in Malaysia are “kafir harbi”, the ones considerable to be executed in the name of Islam. If you ever consider that, do consider this one as well; are you Burmese Bin Laden wannabe?

The Government and its "Premature" Education Policies

Besides being critical of the Najib administration, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is seen not to have lost his sense of humour when he recently mentioned that he would want to be the prime minister again if he has a chance.

One of things he would want to do is to bring back the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI).

PPSMI is something he brought to the nation while in his last year as the PM.

Having also introduced the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and the new administrative capital, Putrajaya, he is sometimes referred to as Malaysia's Father of Modernisation.

In summary, his period of administration was mostly about modernising Malaysia with mega infrastructures, mega projects, investments and bringing forward education to the "next level", hence PPSMI.

It was intended that PPSMI will globalise the students early in schools by having them learn Science and Mathematics in English so as to complement the need to empower the fields in the current lingua franca.

But things didn't really turn out as well as it should have.

It was already a problem in rural areas where opportunities to get extra materials and classes to reinforce learning is less than in urban areas. This is an important factor of the education gap happening now.

To worsen the situation, the language education, particularly English, in rural areas is also a major disadvantage to the students there. It is an open secret that in schools with around 90% Malays – even secondary schools – the English-language teachers speak Malay more than English during lessons.

Is this supposed to help them have more chances to communicate the language, let alone enhance their skills?

As far as we're concerned, this may only help the kids to pass standardised exams rather than learn the language.

At the end of the day, they essentially don't learn anything, have problems in understanding the basics of Maths and Sciences, in English.

If this is just to widen the gap of enhancing the students' skills in Maths and Sciences, what good has been brought about here?

In my opinion, this was a problematic and rather "premature" education policy brought forth by Dr Mahathir.

A few years after Dr Mahathir retired, the PPSMI policy was reversed and the teaching of  Science and Maths was back to being taught in Bahasa Malaysia. A problem may have been solved. But yet, another one arises.

In 2014, the Education Ministry introduced a more thorough implementation of School-based Assessments (PBS), which was formerly implemented to mostly oral tests for language subjects.

It is actually good that we have finally found a way out of an extremely exam-oriented system and taking a step forward. But yet, the "pre-conditions" were not yet satisfied beforehand.

Generally, a classroom with a teacher usually holds some 40 students. This would mean that the teachers would be burdened with the workload of updating the current students' achievements in the system, thus adding another burden beside the job of teaching.

Different from being a university lecturer, a school teacher, when he or she teaches, must get to know their students one-by-one and constantly have a personal touch in order to do so.

Now that the workload is burdening them more, they have less chance to actually teach and nurture the kids.

In addition to that, it was reported that there are some 29.7% of schools in Malaysia categorised as schools with small number of students, with 90% of these schools also very poorly-funded; some of them even reside in other schools' facilities and buildings.

These schools, due to having a small number of students, practise multi-grade teaching.

As far as we can see from the environment of these schools, this is not a plausible condition to implement that kind of system.

And if that is not bad enough, the PBS management system (SPPBS) would just complement the compilation of the "worsts" of PBS. The system keeps hanging and lagging, it would make a perfect match with the tons of workloads the teachers have to face.

Add to that the slow internet speed that just makes this task of updating the system all the more difficult.

According to Asean's report on internet speed index of the member nations, Malaysia's average internet speed is only around 5.5 Mbps, far from the global average of 17.7 Mbps, let alone our neighbour Singapore's 61 Mbps. Even Vietnam beats us!

With the implementation of PBS, both teachers and students are expected to make use of ICT. But from the research carried out at a rural school by a team from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), almost 80% of the students in that secondary school don't have a computer at their home, with more than 50% of them not being competent enough to utilise them. In fact, 70% of them only get to use the computer for just around an hour a day.

Besides that, a good 42.9% don't know how to use Microsoft Word and 60% of them reportedly don't really know how to use email.

PBS ends up being just another "premature" policy brought forth by the Education Ministry.

So if Dr Mahathir or anyone from the current Umno really want to be the PM, could they please consider making education policies that would better meet the current conditions?

Because if not, what is the real use of education policies if they only benefit certain groups of people?

*First appeared on The Malaysian Insider on 16th of February, 2015 ()

Fix the After-Anwar

The after-effect of the now-out Anwar’s Sodomy II verdict won’t seem to ease up in a month or so. Anwar’s supporters will continue to push for  Anwar’s release. Prayers in mosques and suraus continue to be organized despite Nur Jazlan’s skepticism over them.

Of course many of us are still puzzled by the Judge’s statement of Saiful Bukhari being a credible witness. Off court, it’d just make more sense to say that Saiful has got no gentlemen’s balls, playing the game as if he’s the one having the most dignity lost upon being sodomized by Anwar.

We may think it’s the worst it could be. But let’s face it, is Anwar getting at least the same amount of support as he did during the first time he was jailed back then?

If anyone from back then recall how massive the demonstration led by Fadzil Noor of Pas were, will the one now be comparable to that? If yes, is the social media now reflects it?

As far as we know, from one of the component party from Pakatan itself, Pas’ Hadi seemed to use this verdict as leverage for the sharia law they’re fighting for. This is neither to discredit Hadi’s disappointment over the verdict nor rejecting sharia law. But we can see here that without Anwar, Pas may lose focus on what the problem really is.

If that’s the logic being used, we might as well join the jihadis of ISIS and die martyrs thus obtain heaven. But yet, it doesn’t work out that way.

This is just the very beginning. How about the fate of Pakatan after-Anwar? Will Pas be willing to stay with DAP and PKR? It’s an open secret that Anwar glues Pakatan’s components all this time.

As observed in the Kota Putera seat which was supposed to only have PKR representative from Pakatan, people there still prefer Pas’ candidate even though Pas break the promise. In simple words, Pakatan still needs Pas.

Not only Pas will be problematic; we can see how DAP will progress as a moderate party as they claim to be. Up until now, we cannot really see how sincere DAP is in championing freedom of speech and expression. Their representatives repeatedly push for Malay extremists to be charged under the Sedition Act.

Not that we support the Malay extremists, but if the freedom of speech you champion will only favour you, you don’t get the credit of championing one. After all, what is the difference between selectively charging a person under the draconian act with fighting to abolish it but asking a person who go against you be charged under the same act?

And of course, we are yet to see whether DAP will ever get to be seen as more than the “only-Chinese” party, in full, especially by the more conservative rural Malays.

All in all, it’s PKR that would have the greatest effect of after-Anwar if nothing is being done to curb it. During the last Selangor MB crisis, it’s known that they are camps in PKR itself. One of the factors maintaining the stability of the party despite having a number of camps is the de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim.

Will Azmin Ali survive his term or the next given this verdict? Will PKR find the new “Anwar factor”? Will they ever find a way out of being a wreak havoc during its party elections?

While it’s reasonable for Anwar’s supporters to pursue any way possible in pursuing justice, Pakatan components got to plan ahead what would be for them to run their business after-Anwar. With the petrol price reducing and Anwar being charged quite early in the term, Pakatan would not afford to lose influence in the upcoming elections.

Not that Anwar is no longer meaningful to fight for. But if Pakatan is really worth saving for the sake of rakyat (as they claim all the time), have each component consider this?

While fighting for Anwar’s way out, DAP and Pas especially must deal with their respective antihudud and anti-PBT elections issues immediately. The hudud factor have once tore Barisan Alternatif apart. Unless DAP and Pas didn’t learn their lessons from the 2004 election, they must start working on a deal and making it look as peaceful as possible. Mom and dad fighting is not a pleasant scenery for the voters.

Last but not least, Pakatan will be running out of time each second they waste not planning of what will be of them. If Anwar really is your maker and hero, you hero wouldn’t want you to lose yourself after all the effort he did to make you possible. - @wsalmanwsallam

#32: MUET, English and the dilemma at IPTAs

Point 95 from Measure 8 in the 2015 Budget from Najib Razak's Faceebook page

First of all, if you guys thought that this would be some kind of poem of literary work, I’m sorry that this is not any kind of those.

This is of course, as the header suggests, about the issue that interests me and my fellow friends in medical undergraduate programme especially; the proposal to set a higher minimum band of Malaysian University English Test (MUET) for intake and graduation.

Based on the full text of The 2015 Budget , under Measure 8: Enhancing Graduate Employability, Point No. 95; starting 2015, the minimum MUET band for IPTA medical and law programmes admission is 4 while that for graduation is 5.

While I might be quite critical later on the proposal, I do not deny the importance of English and its usage in professional communication in many fields. Everyone have to admit that the medium of science and technology as well as business and many other professional fields is English; the lingua franca of the time. Well, I don’t think I have to explain further how important English is for medicine, specifically.

The thing on whether we should reconsider PPSMI should be of separate discussions as it relates to other issues such as primary education quality, national language capability and whatnot.

As long as we get the idea of the importance of English, yes, the point is hit.

As it is still on proposal level and the debate is still ongoing in the House, up until now we are not ascertained yet whether it is going to be effective on the current batches of undergraduate students or it will only be effective on the batches starting the 2015 intake onwards.

One way or another, the issue will still be there; how well prepared MOE is to cater the new requirement? All of us know that it is rare for annual Budget to not be approved.

One might say I’m trying to be blindly speculative. Well let’s bring a case to ponder; in USIM for example, for medical programme admission, the minimum band currently set for admission is 3 while the graduating band is 4. For undergraduate admission for medicine, not more than 20% actually achieved more than 3. 

But it’s still okay for medical programme as the drive and environment to learn and practice the language is there; we are ought to use it even outside of our lecture halls, say when we bump into our lecturers, not mention numerous case presentations to medical specialists that would make us master the communication skills in no time before we even realize it.

Aside medical, dental and law programmes, USIM is one of the public universities that set a minimum band for MUET (Band 3) in order to qualify for graduation.

In case the people are uniformed of this, the minimal SPM requirement for admission to any programme in USIM resulted in USIM having most of the students coming from religious school. Not trying to be provocative here, but Islamic religious schools, although some of them being prestigious and High-performing School (SBT), do not really offer an English-friendly environment, leaving the students merely mastering the English paper and the fate of communication skills of students onto their own.

People reading this might think that USIM students are spoilt brat for complaining on the minimal MUET band requirement set by USIM, but the reality is that every year, the issue plays on loop; there is a good number of undergraduates not able to graduate due to failure to obtain Band 3.

Don’t get me wrong, I celebrate USIM’s and other universties’ initiatives as well as the proposed point 95 in the 2015 Budget to set a higher minimum band as this would at least  make the students, teachers and lecturers treat English more seriously. And if it’s going to be effective on my batch, I’ll keep myself positive about this and take enhancing my English a challenge, I would say.

But the thing is that, what would MOE do in turn in order to provide the students to meet the requirements?

In USIM, again, for example, the Centre for Core Studies do provide Language Support Programme (LSP); for English, it’s ELSP. ELSPs are series of support programmes that are aimed to provide additional room and space for more English lessons and it is hoped that by the end of the programme, the language empowerment would be enhanced hence helping them to meet the graduating requirement.

What happens every year is that the ELSPs done are merely the same as book-based lessons; the only difference is that it is done during semester breaks.

Another thing is consider is that how, after at least 11 years of learning English from primary schools until SPM and witnessing many students achieving A in English, we do not see satisfactory reflection in communication skills.

The question that hence would be asked is will we see major difference in quality of English when one can obtain his desired grade by inherited “techniques” and “templates”?

At individual levels, if it’s going to be effective to my friends and I or just the upcoming juniors, I would say “bring it on”.

The thing is that, when we are too obsessed with measuring achievements quantitatively, it is possible for ourselves to play tricks and not actually achieve the aim intended, like what happened to our per capita income, for example.

Last but not least, we really hope that MOE will come up with proper strategic plans in order to make the minimum requirement applicable and pratical, not just implementing short-cuts.

After all, we want the students to both empower the desired communication skills and graduate hence serving the nation.

Pos ke-17: Permulaan Baharu

Hari ni penulis bermula semula dengan wajah baharu, semangat baharu dan tekad baharu. Membincangkan isu serasional mungkin dan seneutral mungkin untuk terus memastikan idea dibincang dengan matang dan bermaruah.

Pos ke-17 ini hanyalah pos selamat datang setelah sekian lama penulis meninggalkan penulisan. Penulis amat berharap agar permulaan baharu ini akan membuahkan ilham baharu hasil terjemahan pengalaman dan fikrah penulis di sini. 

Penulis amat berbesar hati dengan idea yang bakal dikongsi. Ada idea? E-melkan ke wanizzudinsalman@gmail.com . Peringatan, penulis tak suka dispam.

Assalamualaikum.

Pos ke-16 : Luar Biasa yang Klise Mencetuskan Klise Luar Biasa

Bermula tahun lepas, kita dapat lihat senario baharu di Malaysia yang mana berlaku lambakan filem bergenre yang lebih kurang semuanya, dari seram, komedi seram, rempit hinggalah ke gangsterisme. Tapi entahlah kenapa industri kita seolah-olah terhad pada genre-genre ini sahaja. Fenomena ini, secara intelektualnya, jelas menonjolkan kemandulan minda pengarah dan penulis skrip, dan yang menyumbang idea (kalau idea yang diulang-ulang itu masih boleh digelar idea). Atau mungkin bagi mereka itu sesuatu yang masih luar biasa pada pandangan rakyat marhaen yang menjalani kehidupan normal. hai


LUAR BIASA BAGI ORANG BIASA-BIASA, MUNGKIN...


Berkaitan dengan "orang biasa tak tahu benda mistik/ganas macam ni" atau "dia orang ni orang luar, tak tahu dunia kita", saya juga sebenarnya ada mengalami situasi yang lebih kurang serupa.


Sewaktu bekerja sebagai pengawal keselamatan sementara menunggu keputusan SPM, saya boleh dikatakan sempat 'membuat kawan' dgn beberapa rakan sekerja yang kononnya banyak mengetahui tentang dunia mistik dan dunia gelap masyarakat Malaysia, khususnya berkaitan orang muda. Walaupun saya kurang berminat, namun secara jujurnya saya agak berminat tentang sesetengah ceritanya, dan salah satu yang saya ingat adalah tentang rantai babi tunggal.


Rantai babi tunggal ini katanya, kalau dipakai, buat si pemakai itu jadi kebal, secara fizikalnya. Rantai itu sebenarnya maya, namun dapat dilihat ketika babi yang dikatakan memakai rantai itu menanggalkannya untuk mandi Seterusnya, biasalah, ada la hidangan yang perlu dijamu sama ada hidangan hakiki mahupun rohani,mungkin. Saya tak bertanya lanjut tentang itu.

Selain itu saya juga ada mengenali rakan sekerja saya yang pernah melakukan hubungan seks seawal Tingkatan 5. Ada juga Tingkatan 1. Malah, yang dari sekolah rendah pun ada. Yang pernah memotong jari dan tangan orang sampai kudung, rempit dll. Sebagai orang yang selalu terperap kat asrama dan rumah macam, saya menganggap hal-hal seperti itu amat luar biasa kerana biasanya perkara sebegitu saya hanya dapat tahu melalui akhbar seperti Harian Metro dan Kosmo. Saya begitu tak sangka hal-hal sebegitu rupa-rupanya begitu dekat dengan saya. 


Apa-apapun, pokonya, mungkin ada segelintir pengarah menganggap pendedahan perkara ini adalah sesuatu yang kononnya mampu membuka mata rakyat dan penonton betapa kerosakan akhlak, mistik, gangsterisme dan berbagai-bagai lagi aneka genre klise filem Malaysia ini sebenarnya telah berleluasa, namun mungkin sesetengah golongan belum dan tak nak ambil tahu.


Boleh jadi juga.


SEMUA PENGARAH NAK BUAT CERITA LUAR BIASA, KATANYA

Secara peribadi, saya tak tahu siapa sebenarnya yang memperkenalkan cerita-cerita sebegitu, ataupun pendedahan kehidupan sebegitu. Namun, pengarah-pengarah tempatan seolah-olah tidak pernah serik memberikan 'pendedahan' tentang betapa dekatnya kita dengan dunia gelap dan mistik. Entah apalah tujuan mereka, nak menakutkan kita ataupun memberi kesedaran sosial kepada kita. Saya sendiri tak tahu setakat manalah kesan 'pendedahan' tersebut berguna kepada kita dari segi sosiobudaya. Yang nampak cuma 'pendedahan' bahagian badan yang tak sepatutnya. Dan kesudahan filem-filem seperti ini biasanya, "inilah balasan aku,' ataupun "aku cuma mampu meminta ampun pada ibu bapaku dan kapada Allah". Berpengajaran sekali karya mereka, ya?


Tidakkah sebenarnya pengarah-pengarah yang mencipta karya-karya sebegini berasa telah banyak orang buat cerita yang sebegitu rupa? Mungkin juga sebenarnya, mereka masih berasa isu-isu seperti ini masih luar biasa dan perlu didedahkan. Kuat betul nampaknya naluri golongan pengarah ni untuk terus "memberi kesedaran". Terima kasih pengarah filem Melayu.


Memang tak tertahan dan terlawan. Saya teringat sebuah filem arahan Namewee, Nasi Lemak 2.0. Ramai yang menggelabah bila dia buat filem, lagi-lagi ada '2.0' di belakang. Siap ada yang buat demonstrasi lagi bantah filem itu ditayangkan. Namun akhirnya, dialah antara segelintir pengarah yang menunjukkan betapa sayangnya dia terhadap Malaysia. Orang Melayu pun tak teringin nak buat cerita macam itu.


Walaubagaimana mandulpun minda pengarah-pengarah ini, mereka masih mampu mengumpul ratusan ribu malah kini mencecah lebih sejuta penonton untuk menonton filem-filem idea streotaip tahap dewa ini.


ORANG SUKA TENGOK, KITA BUAT LA!



Agak sukar nak menghadapi golongan karyawan pencipta karya klise. Namun sebenarnya, lagi sukar nak mengubah minat dan persepsi penonton sendiri. Penonton tempatan umumnya, masih menggemari genre ganas, seram dan romantik. Namun yang penting, filem-filem tersebut mestilah tak membawa mesej berat dan penting, kalau tidak, jangan harap kutipan tayangan nak dapat besar-besar.


Mudahnya macam nilah, berapa ramailah sangat orang kita suka tengok filem macam Children of Heaven, Slumdog Millionaire dll? Jelaslah sekarang betapa minda rakyat kita masih belum cukup berkembang lagi untuk menerima dan mengikuti isu semasa. Pemikiran rakyat kita sebenarnya belum lagi matang, ditambah pula ego yang tidak berasas.

Kesudahannya, kita akan terus 'menikmati' sajian filem klise oleh pengarah-pengarah dan penulis skrip tempatan. Sampai bila? Sampailah orang kita terbuka hati dan minda untuk menonton karya yang lebih matang. Barulah penerbit mata duitan sanggup melabur untuk menerbitkan filem sebegini rupa.

Mulakanlah sokongan kita dengan menunjukkan kematangan sejati dalam memilih.