TR EMERITUS

Malaysia stands on the brink of recession as falling demand hits exports and manufacturing with growth expected to reach just 0.5 percent for the year, an independent think tank said today. "We forecast the economic growth for the first half of the year will be negative which will put us in a technical recession but show positive figures in the second half," Mohamed Ariff Abdul Kareem, head of the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research told AFP. "Overall, it will be 0.5 percent growth for this year in the best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is there is a 50 percent chance of a full-blown recession this year," he warned. In January, the institute slashed its gross domestic product growth forecast to 1.3 percent from an earlier 3.4 percent prediction while the government is sticking to its 3.5 percent growth for 2009. Mohamed Ariff said the fiscal deficit could surge to eight percent of GDP if a second economic stimulus package to be unveiled by the government on March 10 was more than RM30 billion. "It could be between six and eight percent depending on the size of the stimulus package," he said. Malaysia last year unveiled a RM7 billion stimulus package to help boost the economy and keep the country out of recession but Deputy Premier Najib Abdul Razak said the second package would be bigger and more comprehensive. The government has already widened its deficit forecast for 2009 to 4.8 percent, from the 3.6 percent predicted in August, due to the additional government spending. Official data released last week showed Malaysia's economic growth slowed to just 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, hit by falling exports and manufacturing as demand continues to evaporate. Source: Malaysiakini  Read More →

By Eugene Yeo While I am no personal friend of the Indonesian student who stabbed his NTU Professor before plunging to his death and neither I do condone his act, I felt compelled to speak out against the apparent misinformation being propagated by the mainstream media in order to attribute the blame for the tragedy entirely on the deceased. There are always two sides of the story and in this case, we have only heard the story from the professor and eye-witnesses. David Widjaja is no long around to verify them. In the aftermath of the stabbing, the mainstream media has been trying desperately hard to exonerate NTU from any blame. From the reports published so far, it appeared that they are trying to mislead readers into believing the following wild speculations: 1. David Widjaja is a loner with few friends in school. He kept to himself and did not confide his problems with others. It is impossible for NTU to detect any signs of trouble in this young man. 2. David Widjaja is an avid computer gamer who spent hours playing WOW3 which caused his grades to slip. He has only himself to blame that his ASEAN scholarship was withdrawn. 3. As he cannot accept the bitter truth that he had missed out on his honors because of his final year project, he snapped and took it out on his Professor. The above train of thought adopted by the mainstream media is completely one-sided, juvenile and ludicrous, stretching one's imagination to its limits. A precious, young life is lost. Why is there a need to delve into the deceased's past and perpetuate all kinds of unsubstantiated speculations about his character and motives behind the attack ? Will it bring him back to life ? The truth is: David was a NTU student and he died at NTU campus. There is no way NTU can absolve itself from any responsibilities. This unexpected tragedy will surely make a dent to NTU's reputation as a respected tertiary institution and derail its ambitions to move up the global university rankings which explains the eagerness of the mainstream media to protray NTU as an innocent party. It's time for NTU to stop giving lame excuses to exonerate itself and reflect on the way the university is run. Is it too narrowly focused on academic grades, scores and pursuits, thereby creating an unbearable pressure-cooker environment for its students ? Now, let us revisit the above three assumptions again: 1. There is nothing wrong in being an introvert and having few friends. From psychology's point of view, it is not a personality disorder. However, it was untrue that David had few friends judging from the outpouring of sympathies for him from his friends both in real life and cyberspace. David had made many cyber-friends in the world who were shocked by what happened. 2. NTU President Dr Su Guanning revealed that David was a "mathematics genius" whose grades slipped recently. Surely this is already a warning sign that something is not right. I knew of many gamers during my university days who still managed to attain first class honors, so as long one knows how to juggle his time well, playing computer games can be an effective means to destress and relax and not necessary an obstacle to one's studies. Why was David so obssessed with WOW3 ? Could it be that he had encountered some problems in real life which caused him to seek refuge in the cyberworld ? Professor Chan, who was David's mentor in his FYP said he was not performing up to his usual standard. Did he spend time talking to David to find out why ? Was there a history of acrimony and ill-will between the two ? There are some tutors who lecture students like dogs with scant regards for their feelings. I am not saying that Professor Chan was mean to David, but there might be some problems in the communication process which led to David feeling hurt, aggrieved and angry. 3. It is possible that David somehow went berserk when faced with the truth that he might not graduate with honors. For a top student who was expected to graduate with first class honors, it must be a terrible blow for him to see four years of his hard work go down the drain. And there lies the problem with our education system. It is not the end of the world if you graduate without honors. What is the big deal ? Life still goes on. It has been almost ten years since I graduated from NUS and I can tell you straight in the face that I don't enjoy my experience there. It was a most stressful and difficult period of my life. My life as an undergraduate revolved around books, lectures, tutorials and exams most of the time. I was active in NUSSU only for the first two years after which I was forced spend more time on my studies. Getting a degree is still foremost on the minds of every NUS student at the end of the day. I am not surprised at the NTU stabbing - it is a tragedy waiting to happen. The question is when and where. For those of you who have been through the Singapore education system from primary school to university, you will understand what I mean. There is so much pressure on us to succeed and the expectations from ourselves, our parents and peers are so high. I had classmates who become depressed just because they missed the A grade by a few marks and it is just a test. They are students who do stupid things because they can't take the stress anymore, e.g. stealing the panties of their female hostel mates. The "school counselling system" is a complete farce. Very few students will dare to make use of its "service" out of fear of being labelled as a nutcase. There is still a lot of stigma attached to mental disorders in Singapore. And so, they keep their problems to themselves, act strong in front of their friends, bite their tongues, pretend nothing has happened and soldier on till one day, they have a mental breakdown. There are many Davids out there. It is just that they have not 'exploded'. During our parents' time, a diploma is all one needs to earn a decent living. When I was in Junior College, a degree is the key to one's future. Now it appears that even a degree is not enough. You need first class honors, Masters and even PhDs ! How much is enough ? To my NUS juniors and students from other universities, never despair if your academic grades are not good enough. Do not judge yourself based only on grades because at the end of the day, it is only a piece of paper which says nothing about your life, your ideals and your personality. You are much larger than this paper which you will receive at the end of your course. There is more to life than chasing blindly over your GPA scores because at the end of the day, what makes you stand out from the rest of your peers in the working world outside is not your academic qualifications, but your attitude, character and PR skills. A university should be a place for learning critical life skills to prepare students for the real world outside instead of simply a route to get a degree. What distinguishes a good university from a mediocre one is not global rankings, but in the number of pioneers it produce in their respective fields. And tutors should be judged not by the number of papers they wrote in a year, but in the achievements of their students after they graduate from the institution. Identity, loyalty and pride in one's Alumni is not fostered through sending out emails to beg ex-students for donations after they have graduated, but is built during the years the student had spent in the university. If our undergraduates spent most of their time on books instead of experiencing and enjoying themselves during their university days, then we really can't expect them to contribute to their alma mater after they left because the sense of belonging is simply not there. The NTU tragedy is one which shouldn't have happened, but had happened. Many lives were traumatized and hearts broken. It is time for healing, not blaming. This page has been viewed 577 times on 5 March 2009 at 2.50pm  Read More →

EDITORS' NOTE: The mainstream media had protrayed David Widjaja, the NTU student who stabbed his professor before leaping to his death as an introvert and loner who cooped himself in his room playing computer games. Gamers who know him online gave a different account of his personality. They described him as a friendly, nice and helpful friend who is very much a part of their lives though they have not met in real life. Below are some tributes to "Majin", as his online moniker is known taken from a gaming forum: IN LOVING MEMORY OF MAJIN diggity: Today is a very sad day. The tears cannot be held back typing this.. This community, This world has lost a very bright soul. It had come to my shock to get on today to learn of the passing of our dear friend Majin (David). He was a 21 years old fourth year engineering student at NTU. Everyone who knew and talked to Majin instantly liked him. He was a carefree person who thought of others before him and would do anything for his friends. His words and involvement in the games community made it a very fun and happy place. The more I think about it the more I wished I could have known him better outside of the game. His personality was 1 of a kind and will truly be missed by his friends here. Lets pray for his family in these dark times and remember the 1 of a kind player known as Majin. As well as the man behind the character David. We Love and miss you bro. Hope to meet you in a better, happier world on the other side.   Mystica: He was such an awesome friend really smart and funny. I known him a long time now and we have spent so much time together. He really did have such a nice personality. He stood for what was right he defended players and his personality have shined through. Even though this game is online I saw his real personality by the way he talked and joked around. I am going to miss him a lot and I am going to pray for him. I feel regret that I didn't talk to him about his problems and tried to help him. Last time I talked to him he was having a friendly match with Maka and asked me if I wanted to duel with him. I wish I could have spent my time to talk to him better and get in a core of his problem because now he is gone and it will not be the same without him. He was a big part of this game to all of us a really loved player. I will never forget him and he will always stay in our soul. We miss and love you David.   Taka: He is a very good friend to most of us here. and I know how long we've been friends for and was a good one since we met, he was a great guy, and a good friend to all of us, and we'll all miss you, Majin a.k.a David. =)  We all will be praying for your happiness in the other side. I'm sorry I don't have much to say at all..   BrianZachery: I am just speechless.  I cannot think of anything to say worth how I feel right now.  I don't even know if I feel like turning the game on right now, but I will turn it on and I will carry on because Majin would have wanted that.  I am sorry he was having problems he didn't know how to deal with and I wish he would have thought things through, but what's done is done and there's no changing it now.  All we can do is carry on and live our lives to the fullest and remember Majin and how much he meant to each of us. I think we should have some kind of memorial for him in the game.  If anyone has any ideas, let's hear them.  I cannot think right now.  That's all I have to say.   ringles: I can't believe he left me just like that, without any signals or even last words. I don't know what else can I do except to tears everyday whenever I think about it. Why didn't he share with me his problems just like how I would do it? I would very much love to counsel and help him to tide over the rough times. He really don't seem like such an implulsive person to me. A smart person with a bright future is gone just like this. How can such an intelligent person think of such a silly way to escape, I really can't understand. There is hope as long as you are alive... Do i really hold such a small significance in his heart? The instant he chose to jump, has he spare a thought for me? or did i even flash across his mind? How about his family and friends? He is such an irresponsible jerk!  I HATE YOU!!! Keeping all your problems to yourself and letting me be notified just when the police called me! Majin, my dear husband. On sunday night, concerned as i am with my studies, I went off to study for my test. You said that you are going to do a homework too, as the submission is on tuesday. Not a little sign, not a single word, the thought that you had already planned something is not shared. The crimeful weapon that you had brought, the road that you had chosen. Scholarship is lost, as results are not up to standard. Perharps its an issue regarding the inability to pay the school fees without the scholarship. A bright future compared to a short term monetary issue, what could been more important? The future in my mind, and the happiness belonging to us, are both shattered. My heart is broken. Nanda: I really don't have any words to write about it, I was with him on saturday, me, light and ringles were playing around at arena, he took a pic of us and now......!! Everyone who knows me well, knows I get a kind of connection to the people too much easily. We talked too much and much more lately. Once, we were talking about universities and how hard is to get good grades and he told me he didnt know why he had chosen this course, he didnt know if he would finish this, so i said, wait a minute, this is your last year, you need to do that and u will do it well, don't worry. He just told me " I hope so". I didn't realize it was more than that. I'm feeling so unuseful cause I think maybe i could say something else, or try to go deeply into his problems. I had terrible nightmares last night, i couldnt sleep well, I'm just shocked, it was so unfair and kinda selfish from him , for dont think about his family and friends doing such nonsense thing 'cause a lot of people  now are suffering, but i wasnt in his soul that time, dont know what was going on his mind, the only thing i know is the world just lost a such great and intelligent person, a good friend and a young person who had a lot of things to do in his life, I'm really sad, im really confuse and dont know what to think .. Jolene, you are very important for him and his predilet subject. I know Im going to miss David too much!! Im praying for his soul and to calm down his family's heart. Rest in peace my friend!! Sorry if i sound nonsense too but im feeling like this, inexplicable!! =( Read other tributes to Majin here  Read More →