History Seems to Repeat Itself with Different Actors

Ruslin Hassan, 7th mayor of Kuala Lumpur, currently a politician with Bersatu. On the right is Nga Kor Ming, Minister of Housing & Local Government

MANY YEARS ago, I recall former Kuala Lumpur mayor Ruslin Hassan allocating RM1 million to build a public toilet in Bandar Menjalara. 

        To this day, I haven’t visited the facility, but I have heard it is in poor condition. Unfortunately, such facilities are often not maintained adequately, as many Malaysians fail to care for the public amenities provided to them.

        Vandalism remains a significant issue, one that the current Minister of Housing and Local Government, Nga Kor Ming, is undoubtedly aware of. 

        Spending RM1 million on a so-called “millionaire’s toilet” stands as a glaring example of how public funds can be misused at the whims of politicians.

        From my perspective—and likely that of many other Malaysians—this money could have been better utilized to build or upgrade toilets in schools across the country.

        On a positive note, Nga has made commendable strides in addressing the issue of school toilets. Over the past two years, the Madani Government has allocated more than RM700 million to upgrade toilets in government and government-aided schools, regardless of their streams.

        A total of 10,235 toilets have been repaired or rebuilt during this period. 

Dalam masa 2 tahun, Kerajaan Madani telah memperuntukkan lebih daripada RM700juta untuk menaiktaraf tandas di Sekolah Kerajaan dan Sekolah Bantuan Kerajaan, tanpa mengira aliran persekolah.

10,235 tandas telah diperbaiki.

Tahniah Malaysia Madani!

        Each toilet, for example, costs about RM70,000 like this one at  Kelantan Chung Hwa primary school in Kelantan. 

       This is the first time school toilets have been systematically upgraded, following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's announcement prioritising the improvement of school sanitation standards.  

        I recall my own school days, where toilets even in urban schools were often "scary" and "dark," forcing us to hold in our pee to avoid using the toilet. 

         Like the plight of stateless individuals, the poor condition of school toilets has been a longstanding issue that demanded urgent attention.  

        For this, I want to congratulate Nga for doing a good job. 

Bizarre Spending Must be Curtailed

        But, spending RM4 million to build just four toilets to "welcome" tourists is a questionable decision. Unless Nga is willing to fund the project himself, this amount could have funded the construction of approximately 60 school toilets, benefiting thousands more children, based on the RM70,000 budget allocated per school for toilet upgrades.  

        Tourists may initially express a "Wow!" upon seeing these so-called millionaire toilets, but their opinion is likely to change when they encounter the substandard facilities in other public places. 

        These extravagant toilets fail to reflect the reality of public amenities in Malaysia, leaving visitors unimpressed and reinforcing negative perceptions.  

        Nga should reconsider such spending priorities. His decision to allocate RM4 million for these luxury toilets has earned him the unfortunate nickname "Minister of Jamban," as highlighted in a video by former Deputy Education Minister Chong Sin Woon. 

        While the title may be humorous to some, it underscores widespread dissatisfaction among Malaysians with such misdirected expenditures.

Pot calling the Kettle Black

        However, Chong, who served as the Deputy Minister of Education from April 21, 2014, to April 28, 2018, failed to address long-standing concerns raised by parents. 

       Why did he do nothing about the condition of school toilets, an issue that had been well-known for years?

        Furthermore, he must answer another pressing question that deeply disappointed me during his tenure in the Ministry of Education: What actions did he take regarding the widespread complaints about the 1BestariNet project while he was in government?

        The 1BestariNet project, awarded to YTL Communications in 2011 under a 15-year service contract, was intended to revolutionise Malaysia's education system by creating a cutting-edge digital platform. 

        While the concept was promising, its execution left much to be desired. The Frog VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) offered through the platform contained minimal resources.

        Students were expected to complete assignments using the VLE, but in practice, usage was minimal, even in urban schools. Initially, students were encouraged to log in, but the initiative quickly lost momentum, with no consistent follow-through. 

        Despite having high-speed broadband Interne at home to support our children's use of the Internet to enhance their learning experience, the educational content provided was unimpressive.

        I personally requested to the Education Ministry that Chinese-language books with a "Read Aloud" function be uploaded to the platform to assist my child, and other children who were struggling to learn Mandarin.

        However, no action was taken. At the time, my child needed additional support, either through software or other resources, to improve reading skills, but the system failed to provide any meaningful assistance.

        My confidence in MCA as a political party dipped as a result of people in the likes of Tang See Hang, Ting Chew Pei, Chan Kong Choy, Wee Ka Siong and Chong himself. Others in the past whom I sometimes still maintain good contact with are Dr Fong Chan Onn, the late Chua Jui Meng, and people like Lim Ah Lek, whom I had lost touch for many years. 

        Ultimately, my wife and I decided to withdraw our children from public schools due to the declining quality of education. The school’s headmistress appeared more focused on getting parents to buy additional workbooks to parents than improving the standard of teaching. 

        My son, who was in Standard Three had 29 workbooks, while another girl in Standard Five had 43 workbooks! All complaints to Chong during this period went unanswered.

        As far as I am concerned, Chong lacks the credibility to return as a government minister unless he demonstrates that he has learned from his previous shortcomings.