R&D policy reform to bring about the best outcomes

  In an earlier posting, I posed the following questions: What is the selection process used to determine investment in R&D in the country’s universities? Who are involved and how rigorous are the grant procedures at the university and individual researcher level? Which external body conducts monitoring of scientific and commercial outcomes and deliverables? Are… Continue reading R&D policy reform to bring about the best outcomes

Menangani kemiskinan bandar – satu paradigma baru

  Ketika membentangkan Bajet 2010 pada Okt 23, 2009, Perdana Menteri menyatakan tekad kerajaan untuk mengurangkan tahap kemiskinan di kawasan bandar. Najib Razak berkata, “Landskap kehidupan semasa menyaksikan kadar urbanisasi berkembang pesat dengan 63 peratus daripada penduduk tinggal di bandar. Kita sedar bahawa kehidupan di bandar pada kala ini bukannya mudah.??? Adakah urbanisasi pesat serta… Continue reading Menangani kemiskinan bandar – satu paradigma baru

Seetha’s death reveals hidden injury of the underclass

             picture courtesy of Malaysiakini Bullets can kill criminals but not the social conditions that create shame and violence. The psychological scars of shame derive from racial discrimination and ultimately, it is socioeconomic equity that will reduce this shame and hence the violence. Suicide, of whatever cause, is always tragic. The iconic self-burning… Continue reading Seetha’s death reveals hidden injury of the underclass

Kg Medan: Mangsa belum dapat pampasan

Peristiwa pertumpahan darah di Kampung Medan yang berlaku pada tahun 2001 dibangkitkan semula baru-baru ini. Berapakah jumlah pampasan yang diterima akibat daripada peristiwa Kg Medan, seraya kepada siapakah pampasan itu disalurkan? Soalan lisan tersebut ditimbulkan oleh Ahli Parlimen Kelana Jaya Loh Gwo-Burne (PKR) di persidangan Dewan Rakyat. Loh bertanya kepada Perdana Menteri tentang pampasan yang… Continue reading Kg Medan: Mangsa belum dapat pampasan

MACC: Biting the Political Neutrality Bullet

Several days ago, I received an urgent message from a friend inviting me to a seminar on ‘Corruption Prevention in Business Sector 2009’ organized jointly by the MACC, MACC Consultation and Prevention of Corruption Panel and the Business Ethics Institute of Malaysia. The friend – whose name I need not mention here – is an… Continue reading MACC: Biting the Political Neutrality Bullet