Sweet melody to Malaysia-China ties...

Malaysian Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein is not so much into singing but that does not stop him from appreciating music.
"Life without music and culture is no life at all," he said during a visit to a music school in Beijing where he was entertained to an eight-piece performance of age-old Chinese instruments by the students.
Plucking a seven-string instrument known as "guqin" that dates back 2000 years and other treasured musical items like the pipa, yangjin, and erhu, the students skilfully performed a sweet medley of songs.
Mesmerised by their performance, Hishammuddin invited the students to perform before his Asean counterparts when Malaysia hosts the ministerial meeting in March next year.
And in a new beat to Malaysia-China cooperation, he offered the school, which celebrated its 40th anniversary recently, to help draw up the curriculum for the two arts schools which will built in Johor and Sarawak.
Such expected link-up capped a successful trip for Hishammuddin, who broke new ground as the first Education Minister from Malaysia to make an official visit to China in 10 years.

The reverberating sound of 'kompang' in Beijing...

The beatings of the kompang and songs of Siti Nurhaliza welcomed the arrival of Malaysian Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein at the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) today, further cementing Malaysia-China relations.
The visit to the university which offers courses in 36 languages, including Malay Language, is part of the minister's tightly scheduled official visit to China to strengthen bilateral cooperation in education between the two countries.
"We must continue building bridges to face the tide of globalisation," he told the audience in Bahasa Malaysia at the function to welcome him.
"Besides language, bilateral cooperation could also be enhanced through culture and sports," added Hishammuddin who arrived in Beijing on Saturday for a one-week visit.
At the function, he was impressed with the proficiency of the Chinese students taking the four-year Malay Language course and their interest in Malay songs and traditional dances. During a dialogue with the students who were clad in baju Melayu, baju kurung and kebaya, a student expressed interest in learning silat, the Malay art of self-defence.
Hishammuddin brought them good news by inviting them to Malaysia as his guests in conjunction with the country's 50th independence anniversary celebrations in August.

M'sian polar explorer's feat catches UN agency's attention...

Just as the global focus is turning to the changing climate, the amazing feat of a Malaysian polar explorer to conquer the North and South Poles has caught the attention of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The agency's spokesman, Nick Nuttal, said Sharifah Mazlina Syed Kadir's accomplishment as the first Asian woman to complete the Pole-to-Pole mission underlined the interconnectiveness of the planet in the 21st century.
"We now no longer live in boxes but truly, for the first time, as a global village. Climate change for the first time is interconnecting people on this planet because every person will be feeling the impact of it," he told Bernama on the sidelines of the inaugural Global Business Summit for the Environment hosted by the UNEP here in Singapore. Sharifah Mazlina reached the top of the world at latitude 90 degress north at 2.45pm (8.25pm Malaysian time) on Tuesday, exactly two weeks after setting off from Kuala Lumpur. The feat was the culmination of the 42-year-old lecturer's one-and-a-half years of preparation. In April 2004, she was the first Asian woman to reach the South Pole. Bangkok-based UNEP Regional Information Officer Satwant Kaur said that by achieving the feat, Sharifah Mazlina was a good model not just for Malaysians but for young Asian women and men.
"It is interesting that an Asian woman has reached such heights, particularly in the International Polar Year which started in March and lasts until March 2009. It's really a good start," she said. International Polar Year (IPY) is regarded as the largest-ever international programme of scientific research focused on the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

The three-legged chair...

In front of the UN headquarters in Geneva, stands a gigantic three-legged chair. It is a stark reminder of the destruction caused by land mines. The chair was supposed to stand until every country signed the Mine Ban Treaty or the Ottawa Treaty -- the international agreement that bans antipersonnel landmines. Officially entitled The Convention on the Prohibition, Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on Their Destruction, the treaty is sometimes referred to as the Ottawa Convention. In December 1997, 122 governments signed the treaty in Ottawa, Canada. It entered into force and became binding under international law in March 1999, doing so quicker than any other previous treaty of its kind. The Treaty is still open for ratification by signatories and for accession by those who did not sign before March 1999. As of 15 August 2007, there are 157 signatories and 155 ratifications or accessions to the Ottawa Treaty. There are currently 38 countries that have not signed the treaty, but are able now to assent.

Malaysia on right track about English, says Unesco expert

Malaysia is heading in the right direction in using English to teach science and mathematics in schools, says an international expert on curriculum development in Geneva, Thursday.
International Bureau of Education (IBE) project coordinator Dakmara Ana Georgescu said the trend was happening in many other countries.

"It gives learners great opportunity to have access to materials internationally and access to the Internet," she said during a visit by Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to the institute which has been an integral part of Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation).
The IBE's main mission is to function as an international centre for the development of contents and methods of education as well as teaching strategies through curriculum development.
Georgescu, who has been working on education projects in Afghanistan since 2002, said using English as the medium of instruction did not mean neglecting the national language.
"I think you can learn science in your mother tongue as well as I had learned science in my mother tongue which is Romanian.
"But it's also a great opportunity today to be able to have access to concepts and methodologies and to practices in English which is an international language especially in the areas of science and mathematics," she said.
She said choosing English to learn the subjects was a sign of opening to international development and providing immediate access for learners to the most relevant material of worldwide quality.
"While translation takes a lot of time and money, you have to think if it is useful. From what I know , many countries admire you and want to do the same," she said.
She said even in France, a country proud of its language, there had been recommendation for English to be taught in curriculum like mathematics and some aspects of the curriculum should be addressed in English.

Language no barrier as Hishammuddin meets French Senate President...

Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein wraps up a four-day trip to Paris with a lively, warm meeting with the president of the French Senate Christian Poncelet on Wednesday.
So engrossing was their discussion that the minister was able to capture what Poncelet had to say on the various subjects without waiting for the help of the interpreter.

"When you talk on the same wavelength, language is not a barrier," he said after the hour-long meeting with Poncelet, who has been president of the Senate since 1998.
He was accompanied by Malaysia's permanent delegate to the Paris-based Unesco, Kenneth Luis, and two Members of Parliament -- Razali Ismail (Kuala Terengganu) and S.K.Devamany (Cameron Highlands).
Hishammuddin and Poncelet, who was in Malaysia last month for a visit, affirmed the excellent and long-standing bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and France.
They also noted the similar perspectives the two countries shared on global issues.
The minister informed Poncelet of Malaysia's decision to bid for a seat on the Unesco executive board at its 34th general conference this October.
Hishammuddin had met Unesco director-general Koichiro Matsura, who had praised Malaysia's education achievements, and permanent delegates of the other Unesco member countries during his Paris visit.
He also opened an exhibition on Malaysia's education accomplishments over the last 50 years since Independence. The exhibition being held at the Unesco headquarters ends Friday.
Hishammuddin later left for Geneva to visit the International Bureau of Education (IBE), another major agency of Unesco specialising in contents, methods and structures of education.

Malaysia ready for bigger role in Unesco...

Malaysia is ready to play a major role in the 192-member United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).
Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein indicated the matter to Unesco director-general Koichiro Matsuura during their meeting at the agency's headquarters in Paris on Monday.
Speaking later at a dinner with the Malaysian community based in the French capital on Monday night, he said Unesco's recognition of Malaysia's success in education would make him work even harder to address the issues.
"Since becoming Education Minister two years ago, I had nothing but problems day in, day out from leaking roofs of computer labs to issues of bullies.
"But coming to Paris and hearing the (Unesco) D-G saying how well we have done, gives me a renewed sense of commitment and drive to make our system better," said Hishammuddin who met Matsuura barely five hours after his arrival here Monday.
Matsuura had stated during an exhibition to celebrate 50 years of Malaysia's education accomplishments being held at the Unesco's headquarters that Malaysia's success provide good lessons for other countries.
Malaysia is bidding for a seat on the Unesco executive board at its 34th general conference here in October.
Consisting 58 members with a four-year term of office, the board examines the work programmes for the organisation and corresponding budget estimates.
Established in 1945, the United Nations agency's stated purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaborations through education, science and culture.
Despite the glowing tribute by Unesco, Hishammuddin said Malaysia would strive to improve its education programmes.
"Recently we launched our five-year plan from 2006 to 2010 called the National Education Blueprint because it is an on-going struggle.
"We are never satisfied with what we have achieved," said a determined Hishammuddin.
The minister, on a four-day visit to France is scheduled to visit a public elementary school, an international institute for educational planning and meet permanent delegates of Unesco member countries today.
He will leave for Geneva on Wednesday night for a one-day visit to Switzerland before returning home.

Hishammuddin Goes To School To Learn About Special Programme...

Education Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein literally went back to classroom today to learn more about integrating visually-impaired students with their normal peers in a primary school.
Seating on a classroom chair, he enquired inquisitively from teacher Valerie Rouget on the challenges faced in implementing such a programme, the tools required and the kind of flexibility needed to make the initiative a success.

"I always believe visually-impaired students should be integrated with normal children in school," he said during a visit to the Ecole Elementary -- the only public elementary school in Paris with a class for the visually- impaired.
Rouget told Hishammuddin she had eight students, aged between 6 and 12, under her care, learning subjects such as Mathematics and French.
Impressed with what he saw at the school, which was built in 1886, Hishammuddin told accompanying officials and the school principal Thierry Jallerat that he had computed in his mind what to do back home.
While the class must be small with not more than 12 students, the leadership of the school and the classroom with the teacher having an autonomy to decide on the progress of the students, were important, he said.
The school-parent relationship was also crucial for the successful implementation of the programme, said Hishammuddin who was accompanied on the visit by the ministry's Director of Educational Technology Division Yusoff Harun and deputy director of teacher-training division Asariah Mior Shaharuddin.

Also in the delegation were Member of Parliament for Kuala Terengganu Razali Ismail and Member of Parliament for Cameron Highlands S.K. Devamany, a former teacher.
The visit to the school, which had an enrolment of 360, was part of the minister's packed schedule for the day, the second of his four-day trip to Paris.
He was later scheduled to host a luncheon for permanent delegates of the 192-member Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) and visit the International Institute for Educational Planning.

Malaysia's education success good lesson for others, says UNESCO DG

Malaysia's achievements in education provide good lessons for other countries, said Unesco Director-General Koichiro Matsuura.
Describing the success since the country's independence as "great", he said progress was made in many significant areas.

He highlighted the country's primary school enrolment which was well over 90 per cent while the children enrolled had a high school life expectancy of near zero dropout rate.
"This shows the success of not only in expanding access to education but also in providing education of high quality," he said at the opening of an exhibition entitled "Celebrating 50 years of Malaysia's Education Accomplishments" with Malaysia's Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein at Unesco's headquarters in Paris.
He said the week-long exhibition would provide an opportunity for others to benefit from Malaysia's experience and progress in education.
This was in line with Unesco's efforts to raise the profile of good practices and promote the sharing of experience, he said.
"We would like to draw lessons from Malaysia's success in education," he said at the function attended by representatives of Unesco member countries.
"Malaysia now allocates over eight per cent of GNP (gross national product) to education, which is a commitment that other countries should follow," he said.
Malaysia has also been successful in emphasising the need for a holistic approach that integrates education into wider development strategies, he added.
Another major progress made by Malaysia was mobilising new technologies to improve the access and quality of education.
He said Malaysia has also shown the far-reaching advantages that information and communication technology (ICT) could bring even to remote and rural areas.
Hishammuddin, who arrived in Paris today for a six-day visit to France and Switzerland, said Malaysia had always given priority to education.
This would be further enhanced under the National Education Blueprint encompassing a five-year plan until 2010.

Glowing Eiffel Tower...

It was such a beautiful sight. Eiffel Tower, the pride of France, glowed in the dark as it sparkles with light in the cool April night.
From my Hilton balcony, I could see the tower standing tall not far from the hotel.

It's been a long time...

If not for office colleague Anwar who has been pestering me to update my blog, I would have continued to ignore it. I just cannot let him down especially when he has been smitten by the blogging bug. He reminded me that it is almost a year since my last posting. It was really a jolt. Didn't realise that it had been a long time since I last came in. So many things had came and gone. I only wish I could have the inspiration to continue blogging...

An unexpected visitor ...

I had just got into a small chat with a nurse around 4.30pm when all of a sudden, I saw a familiar face approaching me. I just couldn't believe it was Tengku Razaleigh. As he stood by my bed, he looked great in a short-sleeve tailored shirt. He told me he had to come and see me after Shabery had informed him that I was in hospital.
Shabery, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, had visited me yesterday. I didn't expect both of them to come and visit me. I even asked Ku Li to pinch my elbow to be sure that I was not dreaming.

Glut of second-hand cars....

We are told that there are some 750,000 second-hand cars unsold in the country. And we are told that anyone who can afford the car has already got one. With Proton, Perodua, Naza, Inokom and soon Cherry Alado flooding the market with the new offerings, I wonder how Malaysians are going to absorb all these. The only way out it appears is for these companies to export and for our second-hand car dealers to find new markets in lesser developed countries.

Towards building an Asean community ...

An Asean Information Seminar, aimed at promoting a regional community, took place at the Grand Seasons Hotel, Kuala Lumpur today. Managed to get Parliamentary Secretary to the Foreign Ministry Ahmad Shabery Cheek to speak on "Ten Nations, One Community: Issues and The Way Forward".
ISIS Assistant Director-General Stephen Leong touched on "Asean: Challenges and Achievement" and Prof Dr Rahmat Mohamad, Director of Centre of Asean Studies at UITM, Shah Alam elaborated on efforts towards achieving an Asean Community by 2020.

Quitting office Timor Leste style...via SMS

When Jose Ramos-Horta resigned as Timor Leste's foreign minister yesterday, he did so via a mobile phone text message. He told a news briefing in Dili that he had sent an SMS to Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri announcing his intention to quit. He received a reply in the same format from the prime minister. "I explained myself in a subsequent text message," he said. The country -- Asia's youngest nation -- has been embroiled for months in a political crisis and text messaging has emerged as the fastest and most
reliable means of communication. Thousands of protesters clamouring for Alkatiri's resignation have been mobilising themselves via SMS and news of him stepping down today spread rapidly through text messages. Alkatiri said he was giving up the post to avoid the resignation of the nation's popular president, Xanana Gusmao, who had threatened to quit himself unless the prime minister left office.

A 'world-class' aspiration...

Being the first news agency in the world to attain ISO-status is not good enough for Bernama. What it needs to do is to continously improve itself albeit in small steps. The biggest threat is complacency. So, over the last two-and-half days, senior officers converged in the seaside town of Port Dickson, some 100 kms from Kuala Lumpur, to review the organisation's overall ISO procedures. A significant aspect that was re-examined in the quality manual was to upgrade Bernama's aspiration from being a leading regional news agency to a world-class entity. The brainstorming retreat also marked the introduction of the operational procedure for the newly-created Bernama International Service. The formation of BIS had been endorsed by the management having seen the need to split the Features and Foreign News Service to make them more focussed. Features is now back under the General News Service but with an improvised approach. In terms of quality system, continuous improvement will propel an organisation towards excellence. This can be envisioned through the "Deming Cycle" named after American statistician William Edwards Deming, regarded as the Father of Modern Quality Control.

The "Deming Cycle" provides a framework for continuous improvement of business process. It can be summed up in four bold steps:

• Plan: Determine the action you intend to take as well as the steps required to achieve it. Design the new process (the "to-be" state)

• Do: Execute the plan. Implement the new process

• Check: Measure the outcome of the plan. This require identifying measurable outcomes of the new process

• Act: Decide what needs to be done to improve the process.

Deming, also a college professor, author, lecturer and consultant was widely credited with improving production in the United States during World War II. However, he was perhaps best known for his work in Japan where he developed the PDCA approach in the 1950s. He taught top Japanese management better design of products to improve service and higher level of uniform product quality. Deming made a significant contribution towards Japan becoming renowned for producing innovative high quality products. He is regarded as having had more impact upon Japanese manufacturing and business than any other individual not of Japanese heritage.

Face to face with Yvonne Ridley

I finally met her today -- the award-winning journalist who was sort of an enigma to me. Having come across her name during my research on the British media reporting of Islam in Cambridge late 2004, I had hoped to meet her. She had made international headlines in September 2001 when she was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan while on an undercover assignment for a British newspaper. Held in captivity for 10 days, she promised to read the Quran after her release and converted to Islam in August 2003. Currently the political editor of London-based Islam Channel, the first free-to-air English language, Islamic-focussed satellite channel, Yvonne Ridley is also an active Muslim peace campaigner. Known for her outspoken views and defence of Islam since she became a Muslim, Yvonne spoke on Islam and Freedom of Expression at a conference held in conjunction with the International Islamic Fair 2006 in Kuala Lumpur. She smiled when I asked her later how far she thought she had gone in her efforts to get the non-Muslims to understand Islam. “Well, I think it is a very slow drip in process because whenever I speak, they get really upset and offended and then they sit down in a quiet room and a few days later, they quell, maybe…It’s a long process,” she said. “But you know, I learn very long, even before I became a Muslim, you never kneel down in front of the enemy, otherwise they have you,” she said. “They will probably never understand us, but just respect us as individuals, as human beings. We have a right to be treated with equality and justice,” she said in obvious reference to the so-called war on terror.

Greatest show on Earth kicks off...

The greatest show on Earth kicks off today with 1.5 billion people in 200 countries expected to watch the opening match 'live' between host Germany and Costa Rica. With all 64 matches of the World Cup Finals to be shown live over television, die-hard soccer fanatics are bracing for a month-long extravaganza. As the excitement reaches feverish-level, it's a victory of sort for all as the world speaks in one language -- football (although some prefer to call it soccer!). Just as in other major sporting event, the tournament logo plays a crucial part. Instantly recognisable, the logo of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany has appeared on publications, at associated events and on merchandising. The agencies commissioned to design the logo were given an exhaustive list of criteria before they set out their work. As the host nation, Germany had to be instantly recognisable in the logo, as did the light-hearted and relaxed character of the 2006 tournament. It had to be unconventional, without being technocratic, and in keeping with the brand image of FIFA. As the event's organiser, FIFA commissioned London agency Whitestone to produce the logo. The decision to appoint Whitestone was based on their previous, outstanding design for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan logo. The goal was to convey, via a symbol, the incomparable emotions that can only be evoked by football. Dozens of meetings followed after preliminary discussions started in September 2001, even before the last World Cup. There were discussions, deliberations and sometimes arguments. The end result was "Celebrating Faces Of Football".

The Power of Love ...

The love of power could, at times, put to test the power of love. Malaysians woke up this morning to front-paged news of former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's sharp criticisms of the current administration. Between loyalty and respect, this is the day when ministers had to choose between their fondness and gratitude to Dr Mahathir and their duty of speaking up for the leader of the day. Those who had served both administrations found themselves in the most difficult situation. While Cabinet Ministers, Barisan Nasional component parties and the rakyat stood solidly behind him, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi chose not to wade into controversy. "Tun (Dr Mahathir) is free to say anything. It is not a problem for me because our country is democratic," he told reporters after handing-over keys to owners of low-cost flats in Sandakan in the state of Sabah. At a press conference in Putrajaya yesterday, Dr Mahathir poured eveything out on his relations with the government , going so far as to imply that he had picked the wrong person to lead the country.

Friends at heart...

They were supposed to be sworn political enemies, ever ready to seize the slightest opportunity to attack each other. Their once highly-publicised feud were so intense that it led to the split of the party. While one stayed on to lead the organisation, the other left to form his own party. Years have passed and both continue to lead their supporters in separate entities. Time could have probably heal the wound. When one of them sought treatment for his ailing heart, the other put aside their political differences and visited the sick man at the National Heart Institute. It would have been a front-page picture but an aide gave a big 'NO' when told of the possible storyline. Just as the heart triggers the feelings of love and hatred, it does have another important role. Ailing or not, the broken heart will have to keep the meeting between the two men a secret.