Big Disgrace!

I received the latest copy of BBM Point System for Application to Local Universities. It was really a disgrace to see the terribly low standard of points given for proficiency and achievement category. The maximum (5) points is given for the 4th proficiency award. However, the Boys' Brigade Award Scheme has a total of 21 proficiency awards. This means that a boy could easily gained the maximum marks on the first year of joining the Brigade.

What has happened to the prestigious Founder's Award? Isn't the award should be given maximum points? To qualified for the second-highest award, President's Award, a Boy needs at least 7 proficiency awards.

Personally, it is an insult to the entire Award Scheme by awarding the maximum points to only boys with only 5 proficiency badges (including the Target Badge). The maximum points can be easily obtained within one year. Founder's Award being the highest award requires a Boy to be fully committed and worked hard for at least 3 years to achieve that award.

Is this the way the Brigade encourages the Boys to strive for excellence?

Or merely as a cheap and distasteful recruitment method in attracting more members?

What is the signal the Brigade is giving its members?

Why does the standard of award scheme needs to be lower to such self-insulting standard?

I certainly viewed this as a shame to the Boys' Brigade and an insult to all the pass high achievers in the Brigade. Adding to that, it is also humiliating for BB members who are and will be applying to local universities. By merely giving easy points to the application, the standard and good reputation of the Brigade is at stake. I do not think this is helpful for to the members in their application process but rather a hindrance or humiliating factor to be associated with a sub-standard organisation.

I personally appeal for the system to be reconsidered and reviewed for the sake of the Brigade!

Penangites to cycle?

The Chief Minister of Penang urged more Penangites to go around on a bicycle, while attending a campaign to promote bicycle riding. (The Star reports).

No doubt the intention to encourage people to cycle is indeed beneficial for the individuals as well as the society as a whole. It will certainly improve the wellness of an individual and promote healthy living. On top of that, cycling will contribute towards reducing traffic congestion and air pollution.

However, my past experiences of cycling in Penang have been scary and unpleasant. I have cycled around Penang Island in 1997 and and more recently in May 2006. Sadly, the road condition and planning certainly do not encourage cycling. It is extremely dangerous to cyclists due to the narrow road and fast-moving transports.

If the government is serious about encouraging cycling, then building more bicycle parking certainly is not the solution. Parking for bicycle was never a consideration for cyclist. It is the safety that the general public is concerned with. Surprising, cycling was more a pleasant experience in Singapore compared to Penang. It was pleasant due to the fact that I could cycle on the pavement (although I was told it might be illegal but everyone seems to be doing it) along roads and highways, which I do not need to worry about all the fast-moving vehicles.

There were several measures that the local government could take to encourage cycling rather than building more bicycle parking:

1) Building more pedestrian and cycling paths; and
2) Removing unnecessary barriers and leveled certain part of the curb for cyclists to cycle along the pavement

Malaysian Graduates and English

I was reading an article by Stephanie Phang (Bloomberg) about Malaysian graduates and English language problem. Before you continue, please forgive the mistakes and errors in my language as I was also a Malaysian local graduates.

After graduating from UM, I have a short stint working in the government sector before quitting my job to pursue further education abroad. I have been to several job interviews, including some private and multinational corporations. It was indeed vital that English proficiency is one of the most important factor in deciding the success in gaining the job as all these interviews (including the part of PTD interviews) were conducted in English. I have to thanked God that at least I could speak proper English (although my writing skills is bad) as I was taught in a national school with strong British tradition, where the headmaster of the school spoke in English every week during assembly. Sad to say, many Malaysians do not have the privilege to be properly expose to the international language.

From the article and recent development in my former university, I was glad that the VC of UM has seen the problem and suggested several measures for that. Adding to that through my personal experience, I wish to convey the message to the VC that working in government sector (as PTD) also need high level of English proficiency. On her suggested measure in UM, I personally do not think that providing English tuition to all undergraduates will be the solution to the problem. Local undergraduates are already burdened with so many unnecessary courses within their course such as Critical Thinking, Moral and Ethics, TITAS etc. Several more English modules will not be sufficient in raising the standard. In fact this will reduce the students' exposure into learning more in depth of their own subject courses.

However, I was puzzled as why have local universities stopped using the Malaysian English University Test (MUET) as one of the criteria in admitting students. Previously, in UM, students who do not achieved Band 3 and above, will not be able to graduate. When too many students could not meet that requirement, the criteria was abolished. If we could lower the standard of admitting students into local universities for the sake of producing more graduates, then perhaps Malaysia should not be whining about the increasing unemployed graduates in the country who could do not have good English proficiency.

From my experience in applying for post-graduate studies in other countries, regardless of how well you performed previously, if you failed in the TOEFL or IELTS level of requirement, any offer or scholarship will be withdraw without any grounds for appeal unless you met their language requirement. The foreign universities were strict because they want to maintain and uphold their standard and reputation. Even in countries like Japan who has strong emphasis on their own language, English proficiency assumes similar level of importance as their national language when it comes to issue like scholarship. For a Japanese Government Scholarship, the first test for applicants is English test and no Japanese proficiency is required.

On a personal note, if Malaysia is serious in dealing with the problem of unemployed graduates, then the local universities must be bold to ONLY admit students who met the English requirement (at least with MUET). Previously if SPM examination could deny top students from getting Grade 1 merely because the Malay Language does not get credit (C6 and above); I do not see why local universities could not deny admission of those students who do not meet the minimum requirement of MUET. (Please take note that without C6 in Malay Language cannot proceed for STPM or Matriculation, which means virtually impossible to enter local universities). After all those whoever does not performed well in MUET can always re-sit for it 6 months later.

Ideas for Public Transportation

I came across this interesting video about public transportation - highlighting the problems as well as suggesting some solutions. Very interesting video to reflect the direction of which our public transport system is heading!

Moving Forward (Part 1, 2 & 3) - courtesy of Paul Barter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzwH9pme-J8&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsRRXfa9-uo&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AV7s3dFcBA&mode=related&search=

Farewell Milton Friedman

On November 16, 2006, the world bid farewell to one of its most prominent economic scholar and Nobel laureate, Milton Friedman - the grandmaster of free-market economic theory.

To me, this name had been mentioned so frequently for the past one month. During my EC5102 Macroeconomics Theory module a fortnight ago, I was refreshed again with his "Permanent Income Hypothesis". Then last week, I attended the Nobel Exhibition in NUS and the Nobel Economic Memorial Prize talk by A/P Tilak. Milton Friedman was again mentioned!

So when I got the news, I was in the EC5102 macroeconomics tutorial and my first thought was...well, if I could prove the hypothesis wrong, I would never able to tell Mr Friedman personally. What a funny thought!

However, without doubt, he remains one of most distinguished economist in the history of mankind.

"There are four ways in which you can spend money. You can spend your own money on yourself. When you do that, why then you really watch out what you’re doing, and you try to get the most for your money. Then you can spend your own money on somebody else. For example, I buy a birthday present for someone. Well, then I’m not so careful about the content of the present, but I’m very careful about the cost. Then, I can spend somebody else’s money on myself. And if I spend somebody else’s money on myself, then I’m sure going to have a good lunch! Finally, I can spend somebody else’s money on somebody else. And if I spend somebody else’s money on somebody else, I’m not concerned about how much it is, and I’m not concerned about what I get. And that’s government!"

- extracted from Milton Friedman's Master Thesis-
(coutresy of Azad Bali)

BB, GB & Girls' Wing

Two days ago, a friend asked me how could a BB company with Girls' Wing (GW) co-exist together in a church with a GB company. The question caught me by surprise.

My first respond was, "Well, GB and GW cater for different types of girls. The more adventurous will be interested in GW and the more girlish will opted for GB. Furthermore, BB has a school platoon but GB did not enter the school. Therefore the BB needs GW to cater for girls in the school." I'm not certain how convinced he was with my explanation.

This issue has always been closed to my heart. The three most important woman in my life was once a GB member, my mum, sister and girlfriend. However, both my sister and girlfriend eventually joined BB, switching from GB (although in very different circumstances). In addition, I also have the privilege to speak personally with the person who proposed BB to start GW, which was my uncle. Putting aside the biasness, I have to agree his reasons were valid and rational.

Many people who understands both BB and GB well, cited that the GB was not growing in accordance with the development of the generation. In this aspect, I have to agree. In the current fast-changing world, girls are striving for gender equality with boys. Feminine activities such as sewing, cooking, knitting and even wearing skirt does not seems appealing.

I further understand that another reason to start GW in BB was due to the efficiency issue, whereby churches only need to fund one organisation to cater for both boys and girls rather than two separate organisation. Again, this argument seems valid from administrative viewpoint.

However, the relationship of BB and GB should be illustrated as a marriage. In fact, many BB and GB companies were founded together in the same church. Therefore when BB opted to start GW, I illutrate it as taking a mistress into a separating marriage. This will caused more hurt and complication to the already strained relationship. Due to the breakdown in the relationship at the highest-decision making level, the consequences affected everyone in both the organisation. Just like kids suffer the most when families broke down.

Although it has been more than a decade that BB started GW, girls in BB stills struggle with identity problem. God created Man and Woman to be unique. I felt that girls in GW should have their own identity and uniqueness. In BB the only distinction of a female from a male is only an asterisk on the name tag. Other than that, everything is the same. It certainly distorted the differences of boys and girls. In addition, there was even a debate recently in BB trying to regulate that lady officers must only wear pants and not skirts. That reflected the level of tolerance within BB towards the opposite gender, even after more than a decade opening the door to girls.

I wish to add that girls in the GW struggle with identity and recognition problem. There was once, someone pointed out that my girlfriend made a typo error in her resume when she listed Boys' Brigade as an extra curricular activity. In fact, it was hard to associate girls under the name of BB. I always see the strange look on people's face when they hear girls in BB.

When a marriage fails, people tend to start pointing fingers at one another. However, it always take two hands to clap. In this case, I viewed the cause as GB's reluctant to change and BB's aggressiveness and self-centeredness that caused the separation, which ultimately led to the inclusion of GW. Therefore it needed effort now for both BB and GB to reconciliate again. Observing the progress of the both organisation, I am optimisitic that the ideal solution could be achieve.

Lastly, I maintain my stedfastness of perspective that BB and GB should be working hand-in-hand and more ideally, merged into one organisation like the Boys' and Girls' Brigade of Neenah/Menasha in the United States. Therefore, my challenge for leaders in both organisation to humbly come together, putting aside individual interest and self-centeredness, to sort out the differences and worked towards advancing God's Kingdom among the young people of Malaysia.

For more information about Boys' and Girls' Brigade of Neenah/Menasha visit:
http://www.bgbrigade.org/

Dilemma!!!

There is always this dilemma.

• To join or not to join?
• To serve or not to serve?
• To commit or not to commit?

I am sure many people have come across such dilemma such as the above in their involvement in BB. I have also encountered similar experiences throughout the past 11 years in the Brigade.

I struggled with the first dilemma for ages before joining the Brigade. I used to admire the badges on the arms of BB boys since the young age of 5 or 6. I grew up in the church with an active BB company. As I grew older and closer to the minimum age to join, the dilemma of "to join or not ot join" struck me. I struggled for quite a while before deciding to give it a try upon the invitation of two officers. Since then, I never regretted my decision to join the Brigade.

"To serve or not to serve" was a typical dilemma of officers, particularly those with family and busy career. For me, the experience came slightly earlier. While I was a Sergeant, I encountered problems with my company. I decided to leave the company but struggling to with the dilemma of whether to continue in BB or not. Subsequently, I was invited to 1st Penang. Even though I joined 1st Penang after visiting them for only one parade, it took a while for me to decide whether to serve or not to serve in this new company. At that stage, I was already too old to achieve much, BB has become more of serving than receiving. Proud to say, the decision to serve in 1st Penang has changed my whole perspective of BB. No regrets so far in making that choice. I have seen God's wonderful hands building up the company and see boys growing and changing. The experience was wonderful!

The third dilemma, is closely related to the second dilemma. I would think it is difficult to serve yet not committed. Therefore, I believe the decision to serve comes with the commitment to do my best. In BB, I have seen God's abundant blessings on His servants who are commited and dedicated to the ministry. It was such an encouragement to see God rewards them with good health, warm family, successful career, good study results and other success in life.

As I was sharing this article, fresh dilemma began to struck me again. I am now away in Singapore, deciding whether "to join or not to join" the BB ministry. Coincidently, my girlfriend, who used to serve along with me in GB/BB ministry, is also struggling with this dilemma once again, after being away from the Brigade for almost 5 years. I guess, the dilemma is still the same but the surrounding and experiences have made the dilemma more complicated.

Let wait and see how God guides us through!

Second Blessing

What is my second blessing?

Well, I did not really appreciate it when I was growing up. I often took advantage of it. Just take whatever good from this blessing without even thinking of what have I contributed to make it into a better blessing.

I started to appreciate it the first time this blessing was taken away from me briefly, for mere 25 days. I seriously missed it, wept about it and very much wanted to gain it back as soon as possible as well as began to think of its importance to me. Although after regaining it again, I tend to forget its importance to me again.

Then in May 2002, this blessing was taken away from me. Occasionally I was given a taste of it for short period of time. Since 2002, the longest period of enjoying this blessing again was three months. Despite the fact that I could only enjoy this blessing occasionally and for short period of time, I have really learnt to appreciate it and thanking God every moment of it.

My second blessing was FAMILY!

Now being further apart from it, I thanked God for all the wonderful experiences He placed in my family. There were times of argument, disagreement, strife, quarrel, selfishness, self-centeredness; yet God was gracious to continue blessing me with a family.

As I am now in Singapore, my sister in Kuala Lumpur and my parents back home in Penang; I thanked God for it because although we were all apart physically, all of us know confidently that God stills connect us all through Him. What a blessing!

"Thank you God for family in playing the most significant part of development in my life. Thank you for all the past experiences, both good and bad. Help us to cherish all wonderful moments. Help us to love and contribute more to improve the shortcomings and weaknesses. God, continue to shower Your blessings on my family with good health and long lives. Amen."

First Blessing

What inspired me to start counting God's blessing? Well, I was sitting on the evening of 21 Oct 2006, feeling tired of studies, lonely and sad. As I was browsing through some old photographs, I felt so touched by how God has provided all the needs and guided me throughout these 24 years.

It was always easy for us to give thanks and count God's blessing in times of joy. Usually these sweet memories will last long and be cherished. However, as times past, we tend to remember the wonderful memories without the great appreciation of God's involvement.

On the contrary, when we felt dejected, it was difficult to count God's blessing. We tend to whine, complaint and blame God for putting us through these difficulties. No doubt, I was similar in such situation. I guess it's human's nature. However, after pasting through these torrid times, how many times do we actually looked back and give thanks to God for putting us through times of test and tribulation.

This first sharing of appreciation, with counting God's blessings as the focal of the blog, I have to thank God for making and molding me into the person whom I am. I strongly believe that every incident in life so far, is not mere coincident but was placed with careful and detailed planning of God.

"Thank you God for everything I experienced so far. Thank you for all that You provided, imparted and inspired to build me into what I am today. I acknowledge, You are the Potter and I am the clay. The process is ongoing and I believe, little by little, I will be changed and molded into the perfect person You intended for me to be. Amen."

Is NCO needed in BB??

I would say the second most common term used in the Boys’ Brigade is NCO. What exactly is NCO – “Not Committed Officers” or “Non-Commissioned Officers”?

Well, NCO stands for the later definition but how many of BB members, even NCOs, take time to ponder on what exactly is NCO and what is the function of having this position in the Brigade.

NCOs always prided having stripes on their right chevrons and white lanyard on their left shoulder. It symbolizes authority and higher position compared to Privates. NCOs also have the power to punish boys and give instruction to the other members ranked lower than them. This position is the most-eagerly awaited and most-looked forward short-term achievement in the Brigade. However, how many of the NCOs did actually understand and reflect on its actual role and what is expected of them in this leadership position?

A BB Company can be illustrated as a human body.

• Jesus, the Commander of the Boys’ Brigade, is the head and brain of the body. It provides direction, vision and objective for the company.

• The Officers Council is the nerve system, with the Captain being the major spinal cord, linking the Commander with other parts of the company. Every officer is part of the nerve system.

• The NCO Council is then the skeleton of the body. It provides the support for every movement of the body, which is the various section – Junior, Senior – are the other part of the body like hand, leg etc.

Illustrating this human body, we can visualize the importance of NCOs to the company. Company can have the best vision and goals with all the officers transmitting accurate information and motivate the boys to move towards the goal. However, imagine the company with no bone structure or with weak osteoporosis bones, can the objective be met?

NCOs need to understand their crucial role in the company. As leaders for the Privates, Squad Leaders to your squad members, NCOs must display committed level of leadership. You are bestowed with authority and power to execute your duties as leaders for your squad. However, authority and power comes with responsibilities. When I was an NCO, when a private was punished with 10 push-ups for not polishing their belts, an NCO will be punished with 20 push-ups for similar mistake. I viewed the additional 10 push-ups for NCO as a punishment for not being a good example as a leader. So before you punish your boys/girls, always ask yourself whether you will be able to do better than them? If not, then think twice before punishing because with the authority to punish, you also have the responsibility to correct them.

Every single member assigned to you is like a sheep to the shepherd. Being an NCO is indeed a good opportunity to enhance and learn the art of leadership. If you have learned to handle your squad of ten members, then eventually more will be added to you as time progress. One day, NCOs will become officers in the company and leaders in the society. Then you will realize the experiences and skills learned from the NCO days will come handy.

I observed that NCOs of this generation lacks of initiative and motivation to strive for greater heights. It is extremely important for NCOs to have continuous drive to improve your company. NCO Council provides an excellence platform for NCOs to work as a team to make a difference for the company. NCO Councils can provide many wonderful ideas for improvement, organizing exciting activities within the company and as a support group among NCOs to motivate and encourage one another to pledge their commitment to the company.

However, many a times, strong NCO Council within a company has been seen as a threat to the officers’ authority. I was once the Chairman of the NCO Council and I truly understand the difficulties of having officers viewing the strength of NCO Council as a mutiny (pemberontakan). NCOs must learn to the ways to voice out their opinion and viewpoint in a mature way. In fact, this is the best training ground for you to learn to face the reality of the society. It is good that we learn to interact and debate on our opinion respectably to put forth our argument.

Well, having worn the hat of NCO and then Officer, I certainly viewed the strength of NCOs as a blessing to the company rather than threat to the officers. Officers need to realize that when there are opposition voices from the NCOs, we should take time and consider the argument that the young leaders put forward. We should actually take joy because our future leaders are not merely yes-man leaders but leaders with views and perspectives. Therefore, it is a challenge for Officers to guide these young leaders with the right perspective and framework, according to Christian leadership, to work as a team within the company. After all, the ministry of Boys’ Brigade is for young people and not adults.

Back to the NCOs, are you striving for the best as an individual and as a team in the NCO Council? As leader to your squad member, are you a good example for them to follow? Imagine NCOs with long hair, smoked, played truancy (ponteng sekolah); what example are the boys getting from you? Therefore, NCOs must show respectable image as leaders and yet able to connect with the boys. NCO always needs to build good rapport with his or her members and understand their needs and problems. NCOs should be impacting the boys and girls’ live with their own.

When every Squad Leaders and Assistant had strived to do their best, it is where the NCO Council can perform accordingly. All Squad Leaders should share their squad’s problems and everyone in the team will contribute ideas and support the leader to face and overcome the problem as a team. It is through these team efforts, that NCOs can build the team rapport and move forward as a team. I can assure NCOs that if the NCO Council is united and committed, your company will transform positively beyond imagination. In addition to that, NCOs should also encourage and support one another in our Christian walk in times of personal tribulation and temptation through sharing and prayers. I personally had experienced the wonders of God’s guidance and transformation when NCOs come together in prayer and fellowship.

NCOs – past, present and future aspiring NCOS, feel free to share your thoughts whether is NCO needed in BB?

BB, Drill and I

In my humble opinion, the first BB activity back in 1883 is DRILL. I believed what Sir William Alexander wanted when he started BB was to control and instill discipline into the rowdy boys in his Sunday School class. Well, the best method would be to teach them drill so that we he gives command, everyone follows!

Well, after more than a century, is drill still needed in the Boys’ Brigade? Many argue that the weather today is too hot for drill (at least in Malaysia) and exposing too much to the sun will cause skin cancer. That’s scary!

Personally, drill is the activity I enjoyed most. I liked the feeling of oneness within the team and the smartness with accuracy in executing the movements. There was great sense of satisfaction when everyone is the team do their best in unity.

Having taken part in National Drill Competition in 1996 and 2000, I have gone through some intensive training in drill along with many other physical training, team building and mental psycho sessions were conducted to prepare the team for these competitions. I remembered after one training section, about a month before the competition in year 2000, a fellow Sergeant was sitting down with me and shared his concern with me.

“I’m sitting for my SPM at the end of the year. I have been so involved in this drill competition and have not even started any preparation for SPM. What do you think if we don’t win?”

Well, I remembered replying him that the drill competition is important. What is more important for the company and every member is what we gained in the process of preparing for
the competition. My opinion was we should look at the progress of every member and the team as a whole. We have grown stronger, closer and understanding each other better. Isn’t that already an achievement for us?

To cut the story short, the team actually went all the way and won the National Footdrill Competition despite numerous problems and conflicts. It was a joyous day for the team but certainly one of my worst. The day started off with arguments between three Sergeants in the drill squad, went on to win the competition and the last thing I know is that this will be the last time I drill in this team. I was shouting and jumping in joy but the next moment, I was literally crying, knowing very well I will be leaving the company or even BB. Many thought it was tears of joy but it was indeed tears of sadness. The importance here is the process of building the team and not winning the drill competition. The failure of it that saddens me.

Coming back to drill, what is drill? Is it merely turning right and stamping your foot under the hot sun? Is it worth some much of our time to drill, at least 30 minutes per week?

To be frank, I believe drill is an act to instill oneness and unity within a company and more broadly, in the Boys’ Brigade. When BB members talk about drill, it is like speaking a common language so dear to our heart, regardless of whether we come from English, Chinese or Tamil speaking company. Perhaps Sir William might not have thought about that, but certainly, drill has united us beyond our imagination.

However, as BB marched into the new millennium, there have been so much of changes in the drill system. There was this strong wave of reformation in standardizing the drill system. A drill conference was held in order to discuss and synchronize every particular movement in drill. To me, this certainly does not make sense and illogical!

When I said treating drill like a language, can we expect every Malaysian to sing ‘Negaraku’ exactly the same tone and beat? How then can we expect every single BB boy throughout Malaysia to drill exactly alike? Even the army does not do that. What do you expect then of amateur schoolboys? I am rather skeptical about the reformation.

In the 2003 National Drill Competition, an extra component of BB Drill was included into the marking system. When you have that element, who and how the benchmark is set? Isn’t all who took part in the competition are already BB members? Then everyone should be awarded maximum marks. Sadly that doesn’t happen. To this day, participants who took part in that competition do not know what exactly BB Drill is. Is the reformation for the good for the Brigade or is it causing unnecessary confusion?

The existence of drill competitions is to stirrup the interest of boys towards drill and provides an avenue for boys to have friendly competition. Winning or losing should not be the ultimate aim but just a bonus.

After 12 years actively involved in the Brigade, I humbly conclude that drill was, is and will be the most important tool in BB that instill discipline, building teamwork, concentration and espirit-de-corps as well as physical strength.

What Have I Learnt???

I joined the Boys’ Brigade at the age of 12, rising through the ranks from Private to Staff Sergeant and eventually became a Warrant Officer. Throughout my 12 years in the Brigade, I have learnt uncountable amount of life-changing lessons, which I will share the 5 most important ones.

1) Having a Commander-in-Life

The first, foremost and the best lesson is having Jesus Christ as my Commander-in-Life. The personal relationship built with Him through the guidance of Boys’ Brigade was vital. Although coming from a Christian family, it is through the fellowship and incidents happened in the BB that strengthens my relationship with God.

2) Leadership

Although BB is not the only place I learnt about leadership, but it is through BB that I understand what Christian Leadership is all about. I have the privilege of having committed and dedicated officers to guide and mentor me. The approach of leadership is serving the boys by providing them with example and impacting their lives. At the same time, instill in the boys values of self-respect, reverence, discipline and obedient. The greatest example of Christian Leadership is none other than Jesus Christ himself.

3) Overcoming Homesick

I was a Scout in primary school. Whenever I go for camps, I will cry my way home the very first night. Things did not turned better after going to secondary school. It began to change after I joined BB. It was through prayers and warm fellowship of fellow BB members that helped me to overcome this sickness. The first camp that I managed to complete is Drill Camp in 1996 followed by the week-long Golden Jubilee Pesta.

4) Striving for the Best

My dad used to said, “Don’t do well in your exams, then you better quit BB”. I answered, “BB is being involved in church. It got nothing to do with study.” I assume lots of boys in the Brigade will answer that.
However, after finishing my university and worked, my perspective has changed. Boys must first understand their roles and strive to do his best. Playing a multiple role in our daily life, BB members must work hard and strive for the best in everything they do. It’s all about discipline and the success you achieved in life that will reflect the success of BB training in you. I realized no matter how much you achieve in the Brigade, it will remain as only a small part of your life story. Therefore, strive for excellence in every role you play, be it a son, grandson, student, brother, BB, NCOs etc.

5) Understanding Human Beings

This is the most expensive and most bitter lesson I have learnt. Growing up within a warm fellowship of fellow members in BB was sweet and simple. However, when problems propped up and individuals’ interest come into action, friendship will take the backseat. I learnt the hard way of organizational politics by paying the price of losing all the friends. Backstabbing, betrayal and bad-mouthing became the deadliest weapon. Officers can even misuse their authority to manipulate situation according to their interest. It was also in BB that I learnt the hypocrisy of Christians. Certain people might look pious, religious, caring leader with all wonderful characteristics, however, when personal interest is at stake, the dirtiest and most ruthless ways can be used, even towards fellow BB members and within the BB community.
On a positive note, these incidents had taught me to be more observant and cautious towards the people I encountered. It has taught me to handle different people with different characters in different ways. More importantly, Christians are also human being, therefore they also make mistake.

I remembered!

I remembered! It has been almost 12 years that I have joined the oldest youth uniformed organization in the world. The experiences accumulated throughout this period was filled with joy, laughter, sadness, tears and many more feelings that was indescribable by words.

I remembered! I was 12 years old. One Sunday afternoon in November 1994, after church, I was about to go home. On the way out, I met two BB officers, Teh Tiak and Amos Lim. They offered a casual invitation for me to join them for the afternoon BB meeting. Although I was reluctant, nevertheless, I still when for the first BB meeting that afternoon. From that Sunday, every Sunday afternoon is never the same again. Subsequently, I officially joined the Boys’ Brigade in January 1995, with the 6^th Penang Company.

I remembered! The 5½ years with 6^th Penang Company has been remarkable, experiencing the ups and downs that I guess not many teenagers or even adults had experienced or furthermore, understand! No doubt about it, this period of teenage years was filled with many sweet memories as well as bitter experiences that I would never forget.

I remembered! It was also these 5½ years in 6^th Penang Company that I found Jesus Christ as my Commander-in-Life and in addition, Zhi Ling, my girlfriend for the past seven years.

I remembered! In August 2000, I transferred my BB membership to 1^st Penang Company. Since then, I have been with 1^st Penang until August 2006, where I left to pursue my graduate studies overseas. Six years with 1^st Penang Company has transformed and changed my perspective of BB tremendously. I thanked God for the opportunity to witness His great transformation in the company, from a small company to more than 80 boys when the company celebrated its 60^th Anniversary on 6 August 2006.

I remembered! These 12 wonderful years in the Brigade has been great. I have gained uncountable blessings and experiences, but sadly, along with several regrets as well.

Lastly, “Thank you” Lord for this ministry of Boys’ Brigade and for the opportunity to let me be a part of it.

Graduate Unemployment

Background

Before we begin proceed to more substantive discussion on the topic, it is good to ponder on the following data on unemployment rate:

Table 1: Unemployment Rate by Age Group (%)

Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
All Ages	3.1	3.6	3.5	3.6	3.5
Age 20 – 24	6.7	7.7	8.2	8.8	9.9

Source: Malaysian Institute of Economic Research

Table 2: Unemployment Rate by Educational Level (%)

Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Primary	1.9	2.1	2.0	2.0	2.1
Secondary	3.7	4.4	4.1	4.3	4.0
Tertiary	3.3	3.4	3.8	3.9	4.0

Source: Malaysian Institute of Economic Research

The unemployment rate in Malaysia since 2000 has been consistent at the range between 3% and 3.6% (Table 1). This range indeed is not alarming and can be consider normal as the unemployment could be due to transition between jobs or temporary unemployment.
However, the unemployment rate for the age group of 20 to 24 has been increasing significantly. The rate was 6.7% in 2000 rose to 9.9% in 2004. This figure could be viewed positively or negatively. The positive argument could be that the young people are staying away from the labour market because students in tertiary education are increasing. However, the argument could be misleading as the average age of an undergraduate to venture into the labour market is 22 years old. Therefore the increased unemployment rate could be interpreted as graduate unemployment problem.
The second figure reinforced the seriousness of graduate unemployment in Malaysia. The unemployment rate of those with tertiary education is increasing steadily from 3.3% in 2000 to 4.0% in 2004 (Table 2). This increase does not seem to correlate with the economy cycle, unlike the unemployment rate of the secondary level.
Mismatch?
After looking at the statistics and figures, let us revisit some of the arguments concerning the problem of “Graduate Unemployment”. There is much debate on the problem of mismatch between what was taught in universities and what was expected from the job market. On a personal note, I viewed this statement rather negatively. A simple comparison of the course structure taught in the local universities and foreign universities are almost similar. The only difference was the usage of the language. If the course taught in local universities are considered mismatch, then the logic explanation is that the foreign graduates will face the same difficulties in getting a job.
System Downed
I would rather look the argument from another point of view. As a local graduate, I have to admit that the lack of emphasis on the English Language has truly dampened the opportunities of local graduates in competing in a global job market. In addition to that, the quality of the local universities is declining. When the Times Ranking for Higher Education was announced in 2005, the whole focus of the debate was on the declination in University of Malaya’s (UM) ranking. However, I would rather think that the problem lies in the entire tertiary education sector of Malaysia rather than the declination of UM’s ranking. Please forgive me for some element of biasness as a UM graduate, UM still ranked number one in Malaysia. Why was there not much “hoo-ha” as where are the other 16 public universities in Malaysia? There are not even listed as the top-200 universities in the world.
Academic Quality
Furthermore, as the highest ranked university in Malaysia, UM has scored “zero” in the citation category in the similar survey conducted in 2004. What does this have to indicate? Are UM’s professors not producing enough publication? Once again back to the problem of English Language. After the introduction of Malay Language as the medium of instruction in tertiary education, sad to said, majority of the lecturers cannot write and speak English with confidence, especially those trained locally. How could we expect them to produce quality work in English and compete among the intellectuals in the global world?
If the lecturers could not even communicate effectively in English, how could English be used in lectures? I could remember there was an article in one of the local newspaper reported that the students are prepared to use English as the medium of instruction but the lecturers simply could not teach in English. This reflects the quality of the academicians. However, I have to acknowledge there are still many lecturers and professors in local public universities that could speak and write excellent English. However the black sheep seems to outshine the good ones.
English Language
Furthermore, I strongly feel that neglecting the English Language has severely affected the development and quality of tertiary education. One could hardly find references and journals in Malay Language, particularly in sciences and social sciences. Even if the materials are available, they are either locally written or translated. This has limited the capacity for knowledge development of the academia. (Please note that I am not against the Malay Language. I truly acknowledge and respect that Malay Language is the national language of Malaysia).
However, all the undergraduates in Malaysia (prior to 2005) received their secondary and pre-U education in Malay Language. Majority of the undergraduates are unable to understand and communicate effectively in English. Writing skills was even worse. Malaysia introduced an English exam, the Malaysia University English Test (MUET), as a subject in the pre-U (STPM) examination. Initially MUET is supposed to be a requirement to enter into public universities and students must obtain at least Band Three as criteria for graduation. However, the rule was lifted after the large numbers of undergraduates could not graduate because of the English factor. This action was simply sweeping the problem under the carpet. Universities are doing a disservice to the society and the country by allowing these graduates with poor command of English to flood into the labour market. If that is how we solve the problem of graduates with poor command of English; then let us not complaint about our graduates not being marketable.
Bookworm vs Academic Allergic
Besides examining the policy and the overall view of the problem, another focus should be on the undergraduates. Examining the culture in public universities, one would realise two contrasting scenario. There are lots of students whose only focus for the entire three to four years in university is STUDY. They never took part in student activities or sports; but only set their goals in scoring all A’s in exam. I called them the bookworms.
On the contrary, there are also lots of students whose focus is in everything except studies. There are hyper-active in student activities, student politics, sports, arts and even road demonstration; but never seems to achieve even satisfactory level in their academic performance. They might take ages to complete a degree and in certain cases they might even switch to a totally new course in their final year. Their focus seems to be everything, except being a student. No one, except themselves, seems to understand what they are doing in the universities! I would labelled them as ‘academic allergic students’
If the universities do not rectify this imbalance, then we could perhaps forsake and forget about training all-round graduates. The university education should aim to equip graduates with the ability to acquire knowledge rather than spoon-feeding them directly. Like the proverb, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” Universities play an important role in providing the training and abilities in pursuing knowledge. In the meantime, universities also provide a platform or stepping stone for graduates to move ahead in the labour market. Through all the student activities, sports, arts and cultural interaction, students gain experience and insight of the challenging world outside the universities.
Conclusion
By looking at the scenarios, problems, obstacles and challenges, it was not surprising that country is facing problem with graduate unemployment. Merely putting the blame on the universities does not seem to be the solution for the problem. Rather I believe the problem was spiralled from the education system. We might be producing quite a huge numbers of top scorers in the secondary examinations but are they truly knowledgeable or merely A’s producing machine. If majority of them are A’s producing machine, then these top scorers will eventually be our graduates in a few years. The problem does not only lie in the tertiary education but the entire education system, which needs to be revamp and review in order to solve the problem of graduate unemployment in the long-run.