Voice Out!! it's been a while since i step foot at NEC again. and therefore how can I missed out the chance to check back at our beloved Wave Corner?! *HUGs the wall of City on Air* LOLz. okay, i did not do that stunt in broad day light that day. but i did take photos. and this is one of the few photos taken that day. got so hyper that day that i took some more pics. and then more. LOL
and oh.. i got my blue contacts! :P i am loving it~ lolz. anyways.. i am sorry for being MIA for sooo long. well, i guess i would have to continue my MIA-ing from blogsphere until i find a time to settle down (really) and to bring more fresh ideas for my blog. i would of course still update my blog every now and then, (who knows when? lol)
the fact that I am not an english educated, i do faced some difficulties in putting what i have in mind into words. so here's a note written by Dr Kua himself, as published at Salute to Dr Kua Kia Soong.
the current issue of NEC is being discussed, and of course of how the current grave situation of chinese higher education is at stake.
The Soul of Malaysian Chinese Education, Lim Lian Geok’s well-known exhortation, “To Combat Sabotage, the Best Response is to be Constructive”, was directed at the ruling UMNO party’s oppression of our Chinese school system. Through these many years of struggle for mother tongue education led by our illustrious leaders such as Lim Fong Seng and Sim Mow Yu, we have not floundered in our efforts to be constructive in all our undertakings.
After ten years of hard work constructing New Era College, we have suddenly under the Dong Zong leadership of Yap Sin Tian been confronted with sabotage by, of all people, the Dong Jiao Zong leadership! What would our elders Lim Lian Geok and Lim Fong Seng think of such destructive actions by DJZ leaders? Heaven knows!
We know that our elders Mr Sim Mow Yu and Mr Teo Gah San have asked for the status quo to be preserved and for the college leadership to prevail at least for another year. But somehow, the Dong Zong chairman Yap’s “ultimate objective” since he came into office three years ago has been to get rid of Mr Bock Tai Hee as the Dong Zong Secretariat CEO and to get rid of me as the NEC principal. Incidentally, Mr Bock and I happen to be “thorns in the flesh” of the Barisan Nasional government all these years because of our uncompromising defence of mother tongue education, democracy and human rights. After my recent best-seller “May 13”, the Umno leaders all the more want me out of the Chinese Education movement. Getting rid of Mt Bock and I will be Yap’s greatest achievements since he came into office in 2005!
The Bock Tai Hee episode will be recorded in a chapter of my future book entitled “Black Operation”(莫黑行动)，in which we shall see the machinations by Yap and his goons to discredit Mr Bock who has contributed more to the Chinese education movement than Mr Yap could ever dream of. In this 2008 NEC controversy, we have seen the same shameful attempts to blacken my name. I shall probably name this chapter of my book “Operation Fell Kua”（伐柯行动）！
In this process, Yap and his goons have used unscrupulous methods to try to discredit me without caring about destroying the college which we have arduously built these ten years. This can be seen in their scurrilous document “Zhenxiang” sent all over the country, the published views of directors Gao Mingliang and Zhang Guangming” in the magazine “Haowai” and others.
Throughout this NEC controversy, we have witnessed the most heart-warming surge of support for us in the college who they know have contributed so much to make NEC a truly “peoples’ college”. People from all sections of the community have sent us their passionate support. Intellectuals with a conscience in the community and in truth, justice and democracy have written in the mainstream and internet press to support us and to debate against those who have tried to destroy us.
We will be publishing a compilation of articles by all the righteous people who have written in so passionately to support us and to save new Era College. It is also intended to expose the destructive actions of Yap and his goons whose agenda seem bent on getting rid of me as the principal of NEC at the bidding of their political masters. More importantly, these articles and documents are a testimony to the efforts of all the staff, students and community supporters who have worked these ten years to make “New Era Education” what it is today.
This controversy revolves around the three principles which NEC campus culture represents, namely, campus autonomy, academic freedom and students’ self-government. It started when Yap wanted to set up a committee to hire and fire the college heads of department. This we considered to be an infringement of the college administration’s autonomy. When that failed, he went against a time-honoured DJZ tradition of participatory democracy and inclusive spirit by asking the college heads of department to leave the June 14 Senate meeting. The rest is history…
This controversy is certainly not about Kua Kia Soong being the perpetual principal of NEC. I would like to put on record that ever since I joined the Chinese Education movement in 1983, I have never asked for any appointments. All the appointments have been offered to me. Similarly, I have never asked to continue to be the principal of NEC since I retired in 2005. My contract has been renewed on an annual basis since then. It was my HoDs who asked for my contract to be renewed when this controversy started.
I have since issued a press statement saying that I am prepared to serve the college and community only because the staff and students of NEC want me to continue to lead since they are apprehensive about the DJZHLC directors’ motives and intentions. We have already established a quality management system with an ISO 2001 certification in 2007 and audit approval by two British universities, University of Gloucestershire and University of West of England.
By the way, we welcome any capable academic and administrator who can lead the college. The only condition is that this person should have good academic credentials and uphold the college principles of campus autonomy, academic freedom and students’ self-government. Any principal of New Era College must be prepared to stand up for the principles of the Malaysian Chinese Education Movement and stand up against the shameful sabotage by Yap and his goons.
we gathered. from under the bright sun, till it started to rain.
we stood together.
we held up our hands. we waved, and clapped.
i had never thought i would be this touched by these elderly people, by these supportive parents and students and the supporters of chinese education.
tears almost break its barrier when i talked to DR Kua (our respectful principal).
i didn't know i would be this... this... emotional.
i seldom had opportunity to talk to DR Kua, therefore those moments that we exhanged convo will always be kept in mind.
i admit, i have lesser passion than any of them present today, for local chinese education.
i am an end product of eight years of chinese education, but i do not have the passion as much as those who would raise flags and walk the street in bright daylight and giving strong speeches and all.
BUT
one thing is for sure
i am thankful.
i will never forget those who contributed to the new me.
the place that has given me so much.
the place that is built by the self-less people.
self-less chinese educated fighters.
i am so honoured to be able to listen to every word coming out from the best minds in chinese community.
their words boost through my every vein, my every living cell.
(seriously, it is THAT influencing and touching)
most of the elder speakers bowed to the audience (even at their age!)
they are like our role models, yet they bowed.
then it struck me, they are not bowing to just the audience, they are bowing to the chinese at large.
bowing to the supporters of chinese education.
i am also pleased to see that our juniors are so responsible, strong and confident. and most importantly, they are very independent and critical.
they are awesome!
im touched by their speeches too.
the right to exercise academic freedom, campus freedom is our goal.
i posted this note on Facebook notes as well and tagged lots of people who is related to New Era College, sadly though, i only get one reply from all of my coursemates and friends.
i know, some people hold the thinking that "it is too late to do anything" "there is nothing we can do" "why would they demonstrate anyway" "why causing so much trouble" etc.
it is never too late. it is this kind of strength that we students should have.
in chinese we say 追根究底, which means no giving up till you unearth the truth or understand something.
we as graduated students feel sorry and sad for the juniors.
we feel sorry if we lost this place we once called home.
we feel sorry for our own community that if NEC changed its form, flushing chinese education system out of its new system.
we do not want to lose our remaining stronghold of chinese education.
even now, 10 months since i graduated, i can hardly recognise NEC anymore.
the rapid changes have shaken NEC.
and now shaken even more and it comes in tides.
what can i say? my heart is still with NEC, rise and fall.
with all my heart i hope it will rise back up and for the better.
a lot of chinese people in Malaysia still do not really understand about NEC, especially the younger generations, and also those attended government high school. some, never even heard of it. some, heard of it, but never really try to understand it.
a crisis has landed to the hope of chinese academic .
it has been our dream to set up an university of our own (chinese community) with its own set of academic system.
after years of hard fought, the forefathers had succeeded in building up private chinese high schools, and in later years, fight to set up a university but failed.
years later, New Era College was born, in 1998.
New Era College has been the representative of the strength and is a stronghold of chinese community,the strength to carry on the chinese educational system, a rather different system than the other local colleges and universities provide.
Dr. Kua, the principal of NEC has been onto this daunting task to lead our way to be upgraded into a university status.
As one of the graduated students, i daresay that NEC is very different than any other colleges and universities and thus we are proud of that.
the rapid changes by the board of directors is a threat to the campus democracy of the students, and also the academic freedom (contents of teaching that differs from other colleges).
discontinuing of the principal seem to be the last and bolder move of all by the board of directors. the board of directors in reality do not have the ultimate power to determine the selection of principals. WHY? because NEC is a community college, built up by the financial support of the local chinese community.
without the chinese local nations support, NEC would not have stand till this day.and also without people like those before of us, NEC would never born. and without people like Dr Kua, who is ever so active and ever so bold in voicing out his own oppositional views, chinese higher academic has no more future. (i am sorry to sound so negative but, yet... if you know more about this, you will think the same as we do.)
if Dr Kua has done anything wrong, it is that he is brave enough to stand against those in power. If he is not a good principal, why would the students stand out to support him? why on earth would the 5 head of departments resigned in protest? why would ALL lead of departments all signed to show support to Dr Kua? and WHY... would the elder respected role models for chinese communities, TOO showed support to Dr Kua?may all of this "explosive events" stop soon.
what the students, parents and the chinese communities want, is a solid answer. of WHY the service of Dr Kua is no longer needed. and a solid and appropriate policies and plans for the future of the administration of NEC.
the future of NEC is at stake. so is the student's future.
as a graduated student, i am worrying for the future of my later batch of friends, who is still currently determined to stand up against the powerful DJZ till the last second, until a desired reply is given.
and here i am talking about NEC that we used to know. not the NEC it is about to become.
too bad i can't give a more complete overview here. anyhow... here's a video taken by the students of NEC... they have had their say.. what about you?
Read my blog posts back in 2007, (i have another blog at FRIENDSTER, started blogging in 2005...) I found that WOW my blog back then were so eventful and were such fun to read and look at. But nowadays... *sigh*
it's not that my campus life is very dead or anything.. at least i still get to have lunch with friends (yes, it has become a part of my activity in UCSI now). One may say... there is nothing whatsoever special about lunch! But for me, it makes a great whole deal of importance to me.
WHY?
First, it is the only way i can get to know my coursemates better. Reason: i never stay back for more than 2 hours after class unless i go for lunch with my coursemates. I never hang out in campus that much...
Completely opposite to how i used to be right? ha ha Yeah... in New Era College, I ALWAYS stay back in campus even though i have nothing much to do.. i stayed back for meetings in late afternoon and some at night as well. I never go home, at least not until the sky is getting dark and when the night curtain is starting to work its magic.
WHY?
haha i just like hanging out. yes, hanging out and about doing nothing constructive in any way. but most of the time is for meetings, rehearsals, more meetings, events... (aaahhh, those days.... *smile*)
then WHY not doing the same now in UCSI??
Reason: ...
the people are really nice and easy to talk to... but then... there is something missing. I think it is unity. As we rush from classes to classes, our coursemate changes according to the class you attend to. i know, that is normal in college life. still, i can not feel any sense of unity among the students. unlike in my previous college, that is. Unless you join clubs in UCSI. but then why not joining? well perhaps deep down i know all i want now is the DEGREE.. i have taken part in a lot of activities in my first and second year of campus life. and therefore, i think it is wise to put in full effort to get an A class Bachelor Degree! =P
I am the type of person who can easily adapt to new environment, however, i do not really want to blend in that much into UCSI.. coz there are some part of college campus culture which me and Beverly can hardly think of as wise. xD
probably because we have been to other college before coming here, thus we can see the difference and make comparison. and therefore find it hard to accept the campus culture.
anyhow... i am still glad to know the funniest and friendliest gang: Jane, Joe, Moe, Krobo, Robin, Cindy, Sin Yee, Shane, Yan, Keng Sing and more.. thanks!! =D *group HUG*
the days to remember by... college life in New Era College, Kajang~ the best campus life i ever had... thumbs up for Media Studies!! *yay*
drama 2006
Drama 2007
Me... posing... in my deejay mode. ^ ^
hip hop ^^
and...
culture blender...
looking at old photos... they bring me to tears of joy...
how happy we were... ^ ^ along with our lecturers who are forever young... i miss Media Studies~ i have never regret the days at NEC... a big family that gives warmth and sincerity... great lecturers and greater knowledge we gained the days that can no longer be seek... those familiar happy faces...
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