Thursday, June 01, 2006

How come my Pot is blacker than your Kettle ?

Mandarin Demand Is Discriminatory !” So shouts in the May 31st 2006's New Straits Times by a Encik Datuk Seri. The question is, is the requirement of proficiency of language constitutes a discriminatory practices by employer ? I am amazed that a Encik Datuk Seri, with his political maturity, claimed that this request for language proficiency is discriminatory practice. I am also equally amazed with the simplicity of his comments on unemployment problems in Malaysia.

Encik Datuk Seri, let me say this to you :
  • Let us face the fact. As long as we are required by law to fill in any official form stating our racial origin, religion, and sex, then we can safely assumed that this information requirement is in itself a tendency for potential for discriminatory practices. Has the government take any initiative to put a stop to this requirement and lead by example ? You want to Talk the walk, but can you walk the talk ?
  • If a private company has ascertained that Language proficiency is a requirement, please learn to respect and support this business requirement. Likewise, if the public sector or GLC ascertained that “Only Certain Race is encouraged to Apply”, then so be it. We have learned to respect this practice as honouring the social contract and affirmative actions. So, face it, depending on who using it, the word “Discrimination” mean different things to different idiots. Some cried wolf all the times and practised it with no sense of guilts !
  • Depending on nature of the jobs, some jobs required proficiency in English language, some required proficiency in Bahasa, some required proficiency in Tamil, some required proficiency in Mandarin ( or Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, etc). This is part and parcel of the acquired unique competency and competitiveness of private businesses. So let's not burden or make it anymore difficult for the private sector with prejudiced and biased rhetorics. As it is, if you are not helping the private sector businesses, please refrained from giving incompetent demands. Perhaps, it would be wiser to look into how public sectors and Government Linked Companies' personnel policies first. Do what you preached !!! Stop meddling with the honest affairs of private businesses.
  • Stop using the word “Discrimination” to force private sector businesses to participate in the employment of personnel with mismatched skills. This is tantamount to forcing private companies to degrade its competitiveness by wasting resources to feed parasites. I understand and can smell “discrimination” miles away. Requirements of proficiency in certain language is definitely not discriminatory but a business requirement. However, requirements of racial origin, religion, and colour of the skin is definitely a discriminatory practice. Am I politically correct enough to make this assertion !
  • The private sector does not contribute to the unemployment problems in Malaysia. Unemployment is a complicated situation arising from formulations and implementation of government's policies against real market requirements.
  • If the unemployed graduate are not passionate enough to equip themselves with relevant skills to be employed, what makes you think that they can be successfully trained to be passionate as an entrepreneur. What I fear most is, the unemployment problems may be levitate to higher level of not having enough projects to be awarded to all these “young entrepreneurs” few years down the road...
  • Sometimes, it is easy for politically bankrupt politicians diverting political responsibilities by making irresponsible political statements to gain political popularity. But please bear in mind that this irresponsible sweeping statements tend to cultivate a culture of hatreds among Malaysians.
  • Stop diverting the responsibilities of the unemployment issues to the private sectors. Stop spoon feeding the unemployed graduates ! They should be matured enough to equip themselves with the necessary skills to get real employment. They should be passionate enough to make practical changes to adapt to changing business environment. Don't burden the private sectors anymore. The milk has been unneccessarily spilled too often. Crying babies get the milk ? There are basically not enough milks to be given to all these parasitic crying babies !
So do the right things. Take a hard look at yourself, stop making incompetent political statements all over the place. I just simply can not understand why there are so many unconciously incompetent people.........

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mandarin may be needed for certain jobs

I REFER to the letter “Mandarin requirement is discriminatory,” by Sincere Malaysian (The Star, June 2).

I believe it is not right for us to label any firms that require Mandarin speakers as discriminatory.

I believe when firms place employment advertisements, they would have first considered the skills essential for the successful and smooth running of their business organisations.

Therefore, any requirements by such firms for candidates to know Mandarin should be seen as a sincere attempt to find the best man for the job.

Furthermore, being able to speak in the native language of the clients can help to increase rapport and chances of securing business deals.

Unless we can prove beyond reasonable doubt that these firms are putting up such requirements due to the ill-willed purpose of excluding certain groups of people, I do not think it is right for us to accuse them of being discriminatory.



LCY,

London.

Anonymous said...

Stop spoiling undergrads

I REFER to your report, “Varsities must help the weak” (The Star, May 6), and find alarming the statement made by the Higher Education Minister that universities have 20% to 25% of students who are weak in their language and interpersonal skills, thus, affecting their marketability in the tight market place.

Much has been said about the competency and preparedness of our university students.

We have been hearing suggestions on how to improve their (English) language and human relations skills in order to improve their marketability.

Implementation of various training programmes, dangled with attractive allowances at a cost to the nation, were carried out to help them, too.

I do not think there is any university in the world that has gone out of the way like we do for our students.

Many of our students in public universities are either full or partial scholarship holders, or at least eligible for loans, apart from those who have to pay the full fees.

In many countries, students have to fight for limited places in universities, coupled with great financial sacrifices from their parents to see them through.

A few would commit suicide or contemplate suicide if they fail to make it.

Within the Asian region alone, for example, in many universities such as in China, Japan, South Korea, India and Bangladesh, potential university students have to sit for an entrance or qualifying examination to gauge their eligibility and attitude to undertake undergraduate programmes.

But in Malaysia, students with the barest minimum entrance qualifications can gain entry for tertiary education without sweat or fuss.

Thus, the onus on the universities to make sure they produce qualified graduates, as stated by Datuk Mustapa Mohamed is, by all counts, a tall order.

I perceive our university students are a very privileged lot as they are well protected and insulated from financial woes and certainly very well cared for by taxpayers who laboriously are adding to the Government’s coffers.

There is certainly a limit the universities can do for these “bottom-placed students”, in the words of the Higher Education Minister.

Students have themselves to blame if they do not improve, as we have different avenues where weak students can improve, and sharpen their language and inter-personal skills.

The issue here is attitude, and unless they cultivate good, positive attitudes of wanting to improve themselves, whether language or skill wise, they are in no way going to change their adverse situation and predicament.

The question is how passionate are they in wanting to improve as far as their weaknesses are concerned?

Without drive and hunger, they will still be where they are, say, 10 years from now.

It is time the powers that be stopped pampering and showering these students with all sorts of help if they do not show signs of improvement.

Their seriousness must be reflected in their commitment in wanting to better themselves.

The ultimate test of their years of education is their marketability, competitiveness, competency, and contributions to the nation.

In short, their tertiary education must not be suspect when they enter the job market.



Dr TAN ENG BEE,

Kajang.

Anonymous said...

Catering to what the job needs

I REFER to the concern about companies asking for Mandarin-speaking job applicants.

Although it may be discriminatory, it is no different from asking language proficiency in English, French or Japanese as the job may need that sort of expertise.

And, there are also so many other criteria that are sought including race, age and gender in job applications these days, so why just pick on Mandarin only?

Surely language proficiency is not a discrimination; but race is.



R.V.,

Kuala Lumpur