14
INTERVIEWS VIEWS
MORNING appointments at the heart
of KL scare me. As soon as a 9am ap-
pointment is scheduled, alarm bells
start to ring and feelings of panic, worry,
anxiety, trepidation creep up. Maybe it’s
just the whiner in me but I find myself
in a Hamlet moment. In times like these
I wonder …
“To ride or not to ride, to drive or
not to drive, to taxi or not to taxi, to bus
or not to bus?” That is the question. I
know it’s not a matter of living or dying
like in Hamlet, but in some ways it is
because the potential of death is quite
real ... snatch theft, crazy drivers, scary
taxi and bus experiences all have the
risk of death as a common factor.
So I mull … what to do, what to
do? If I were to take the LRT to work,
how would I get to the nearest station?
I could wait for the feeder bus. After all
there is a bus stop 50m away from my
bed. But one can wait hours before the
bus actually comes and it’s probably not
the right bus. I could wait but I’d prob-
ably have to get there a couple hours
earlier to ensure a seat on the bus – if it
actually comes.
letters
letters@thesundaily.com
A top scorer’s only failure
IT was a shock to learn that my
daughter, who is an STPM 2008
national top scorer with excellent
co-curriculum records, failed in
all her government scholarship
applications to study actuarial
science abroad.
She did not even get a
chance to be interviewed. In
the STPM, besides obtaining all
A’s (5A’s), her detailed papers
are also all A’s (total 13A’s). This
result was only achieved by five
students from among 53,638
candidates. Her SPM result was
11A1’s (12A1’s including GCE
English 1119) and A2 in Chinese
Language.
She has an excellent co-
curriculum record. She was a
prefect, president of the Science
and Maths Society, treasurer of
the prefectorial board, secretary
of the Basketball Club, holds a
black belt in taekwando, winner
of state and national quizzes,
member of Mensa etc.
The reasons for her rejection
I was told are as follows:
» For Securities Commission
scholarships.
My 9 o’clock in KL
While I wait for the
bus, I’d be clutching my
handbag and laptop bag
tightly making it hard to
pay the irate bus driver.
So that would take over
an hour. Then I’d get to
the LRT station and join
in the hustle and bustle of
the morning work crowd.
Hopefully I don’t miss the
train. It’s not just a seven- On Pointe
minute interval between by Natalie
trains, it’s a seven-minute Shobana Ambrose
difference of a more
crowded train. Now to line up for a train but not close enough to walk. Another
only to be cramped like sardines. I must hour just to get a metered taxi only to
be careful that my belongings are close join the massive traffic jam and pay a
to me and make sure I don’t answer the hefty fare. I’ll probably reach my desti-
mobile phone if it rings, but hey, who nation haze-struck, drenched in sweat
am I kidding? I wouldn’t have any more or wet from the rain due to the lack of
The course chosen was not
being offered. I failed to get an
explanation on their unfair criteria
– discriminating against STPM in
favour of A-levels. The minimum
academic requirement of STPM
was 4A +1B (five subjects) while
that for A-levels is 2A+1B (three
subjects).
Besides the common opinion
that it is easier to score in A-levels
than in STPM, their requirement
for STPM is more stringent. Also,
only about 7% of STPM students
took five subjects.
» For Bank Negara Malaysia
scholarships.
BNM has its own criteria to
assess candidates. Sports is an
important criteria.
» For PSD scholarships.
The prestigious London School
of Economics (LSE) was not on
its new prestigious university list,
dated March 30, 2009. In fact,
foreign university applications for
the 2009 intake closed before the
date on the list.
I explained to its officer
that the approved University of
Melbourne, which my daughter
theSun | THURSDAY JULY 16 2009
covered pedestrian walking areas. My an accident on the opposite side of the
mental state cluttered while I looked road or an earth mover caterpillaring
deranged from trying to protect my during rush hour traffic. Destination
belongings and reeling from a deroga- reached just over two hours of strate-
tory whistle from a passer-by. All in all gic-defensive driving, but where will
probably be wise to get a three-hour I park? Parking rates are pretty steep
head start. in town and parking lots are far from
hands to answer a phone So maybe it’s better to drive to KL my meeting venue. Can’t triple park on
because I’d be concentrat- for my 9 o’clock. I’d probably have to the road unless it’s Friday, so RM10 an
ing on my balance. Also I leave my home before 7am for a 30km entry will have to do even after all that
might have to stare down drive into town. Morning traffic is a petrol wasted in the jam. Well, now to
irky characters that try to killer though. Also I think many road- cross the road and get to that 9 o’clock.
brush up on unsuspecting users wake up on the wrong side of the Clutch the bag, and let’s hope my heels
passengers. bed and can be quite nasty on the road don’t give way on the potholed roads.
If I’ve not fainted from or maybe they too are half awake from Where’s that pedestrian crossing?
the lack of oxygen during battling traffic the day before. So two A few hours later, I’m back in the
that long hour’s ride, I’d hours in the car, paid some tolls and office, physically fine, emotionally
rush out like everyone else got into another jam. I’m hoping no one exhausted. Now to actually get some
at my stop. Swap trains and rams their car into mine or causes me work done before the balik rumah jam
repeat. Now to get a taxi or a to hit someone and most importantly, and another day of Hamlet questions. I
bus to my destination which that I remain calm and don’t cause ac- wonder how everyone else copes.
is about a five-minute drive cidents myself.
Praying that there are no broken-
down cars needing to be towed or that Natalie might not feel the pain if she had
a container/ lorry has not gone through a personal driver? Though on a serious
an area with height restrictions and note, the consensus is that transport in
caused a massive jam. And please, KL is beyond dreadful. Comment: let-
please let there not be a VIP motorcade, ters@thesundaily.com
New highway skirts forest park
had rejected earlier, was much
easier to enter. My daughter said WE refer to “Highway threat to forest park” Kundang to Taman Rimba Templer is 1km away
LSE is famous for actuarial sci- (July 13). KL-Kuala Selangor Expressway Berhad from the park.
ence and is one of the top three (KLSEB) thanks WCM for his concern that “the We acknowledge the importance of the
universities for social science, new highway will cut through the Commonwealth protected forest, its wildlife and plants, and its
ahead of Oxford, Cambridge, and Forest Park (CFP), inevitably destroying the flora contribution to commemorate the 14th Com-
Melbourne. and fauna of the protected forest” and “would ef- monwealth Forest Conference in Kuala Lumpur
The officer said that PSD fectively cut the park into half, thus depriving free in 1993.
based its selection on overall passage for the movement of wild animals.” We thank WCM for his concerns.
university ranking, not on specific We would like to assure WCM that KLS
courses. Expressway will not cut through the Common- Surati Sujor
The officer added that all the wealth Forest Park or destroy the plants and Senior Manager, Group Corporate
20 students chosen in this round animals of CFP or deprive the animals of their Communications
were Chinese and there was no free passage as the highway’s alignment from KLSEB
issue of racial quota. As a national
top scorer, my daughter lost to 20
students of the same race.
My daughter is disappointed
and has lost her confidence. She
is confused on what is defined as
Single parent by choice
achievement. by Yap Mun Ching death or abandonment by one par-
As a parent, I am unable to ent. Certainly, there are reasons
explain to her what is fair and “I AM thinking of freezing my eggs,” for society to be concerned about
justified. I am also unable to my friend X informed me over a cup single-parent families created by
tell her whether our national of tea one day. It flashed through these circumstances. From various
education system is inferior or if my mind that I had entered one of surveys, single parent families are
the scholarship award process those surreal Sex and the City scenes found to be at higher risk of poverty
is faulty? where single, successful women take and often suffer from poorer health.
independence to new frontiers. Not Children from these households are
Disappointed Malaysian that I am complaining. Ever since also associated with increased risk
Petaling Jaya the first test-tube baby was born in of negative social, behavioural and
Manchester in 1978, we were set on emotional outcomes.
an inevitable path where changes in Freespace The family that X may create
social structure and technological Where young views rule one day is of a different mould.
advancements would eventually If she proceeds with her plans
lead us to this new phase of individual freedom. for parenthood without a partner, she would
From my reckoning, X had made a measured become a choice parent – people who decide
choice to hedge her options. Let’s consider her cir- voluntarily to become single parents to a child
cumstances. She is successful career-wise, loves from the beginning. As experience in Western
children and would make a wonderful mother. European countries shows, children raised in
She is also determined that with or without a these households do not suffer from any particu-
partner, she wants to have her own children. lar form of deprivation. Indeed, although choice
So why not save some viable reproductive cells parenthood is often associated with women, it
now when she is in the ideal age bracket? As we is increasingly an option considered by men
come across more and more reports of couples through surrogacy or adoption. Michael Jackson
facing infertility problems, this seems the surest is a prominent example but there are others. I
way of managing the uncertainties of life. The had a male colleague who adopted two baby
preserved eggs would come in equally useful boys who would otherwise have been sent to
whether her personal relationship develops into orphanages.
a permanent relationship or whether she decides Whether or not society is prepared, these
to be a single parent. new social trends will be boosted by advances
Decisions such as X’s will undoubtedly in reproductive technology. Two recent press
provoke outrage and heated debate. As we are reports give us a glimpse into the future. The
a society that still cherishes traditional notions first is the announcement earlier this month by
of marriage and parenthood, practices that chal- British scientists that they have found a way to
lenge these beliefs may not find easy acceptance. artificially grow sperm in a lab. This discovery
If the objection is due to religious or moral prin- sparked off an amusing flurry of debate in British
ciples then it may be time to realise that that ship columns and blogs over the dispensability of the
is leaving dock. One of the features of the indus- male sex.
trialised society is a change in family structure The second is the “fertility crisis” warning
as practical considerations and individualism made by Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong
increasingly displace traditional values. Just as Lai as he inaugurated Klang Valley’s latest repro-
cohabitation is commonplace now in our city, so ductive clinic. Liow claims that one reason for
would single-parent families be one day. Malaysia’s drop in fertility rate is the increasing
However, if we regard these decisions as reproductive challenges faced by women. If
being irresponsible, then it is necessary to so, the government should seriously consider
make a clear distinction between different supporting and subsidising the decisions of far-
types of single-parent households. The type of thinking women such as X.
households that most people would associate
with single parenthood are those caused by a
breakdown of family structure, ie due to divorce, Comment: letters@thesundaily.com