|
The Malaysian Insider
Way back in 1958, issues like racial harmony, loyalty and even "ketuanan Melayu" were on people's minds. The late Tun Dr Ismail, who was our country's first ambassador to Washington DC and the first permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, met Malayan students studying there who wanted nothing more than to return home to work. From September 1957 to January 1959, Dr Ismail sent regular reports on his experiences back to Tunku Abdul Rahman, the country's first Prime Minister. Ooi Kee Beng and Tawfik Ismail collected these reports, annotated them for clarity and the result is Malaya's First Year At The United Nations published by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore (ISEAS). Here is an illuminating excerpt from the book. Priced at RM60 each, copies of Malaya's First Year At The United Nations will be available at major bookstores this weekend. American customers can get the book by ordering through Amazon.com in January or at http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg. Saturday, March 15, 1958 We stayed at Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago. This hotel is the largest in the world, surpassing in size the famous Waldorf Astoria of New York, which has accommodation for 1,200 guests and which incidentally is also owned by Hilton. Chicago shatters the image which I have of it. I had imagined Chicago as a densely congested city, with disorderly traffic and the air filled with dust and grime. However, from the window of our suite we had a lovely view of Lake Michigan in the distance, with beautiful boulevards spread before our eyes. Our tour of the city first took us to the suburb of Evanston. Here lives the well-to-do. The houses are varied in architecture and the beaches are strewn with yacht clubs and bathing facilities. We were told that the beaches are privately owned and one has to get a season ticket to be able to swim along the beaches. In the evening I gave a dinner to the president and committee members of the Malayan Students Association. This august body is called the Cabinet. During dinner they were especially interested to hear my views on American degrees. I told them that I had read the memorandum, which their association had sent to the Federation Government. In general, I personally agree that American degrees should be recognised and that I shall make my recommendations accordingly. I also reminded them that the Federation had been independent only for the last 6 months and what with the shortage of staff and the number of matters to attend to, the Government could not possibly deal with their petition faster than it is doing now. The Government had set up a committee to investigate into and make recommendations on American degrees. The committee will undoubtedly take some time in its task. I was told by them that quite a number of Malayans who have American degrees in Engineering and Medicine are anxiously waiting. They wanted to go home and render their services to the country either in Government service or in industry, but they could not do so because their degrees are not recognised; on the other hand, they have been given tempting offers to join American firms, which if they accept would make them American citizens in the long run, and this latter prospect they are not very keen to do. They are Malayans and they want to render their services to independent Malaya. I was moved by their loyalty. I told them that for those who had qualified and were prevented from going home because they would not be allowed to practise, I would be prepared to examine their cases individually and make my recommendations to the Government. After talking to the "Cabinet" members of the Malayan Students Association, my conclusion is that the problems facing American degrees as far as Malaya is concerned can be divided into the following categories: (1) Recognition of Degrees; (2) Registration of Degrees; (3) Employment in Government Service. Recognition of American Degrees Recognition of degrees is usually accorded as between one university and another, and it is usually reciprocal. Registration of Degrees This is done by a body set up by the Government of a country on a law passed by Parliament. Members of the profession concerned are invariably represented on the body. The registration body, unless there are reasons to the contrary, always registers degrees which are recognised by the university or universities in the country. It can be empowered to register degrees that are not "recognised" but which have attained a standard of proficiency. It may grant exemption from registration to meet special needs. It may grant registration for a special purpose. Employment in Government Service Government can employ persons with degrees which are not "recognised" and may ask the registration body to register them for that specific purpose, and if the existing law does not provide for it can amend the law. Since the Federation is short of men with the necessary qualifications, the Government must discard the policy, introduced during the time when it was a colony, of registering only British degrees and adopt a new policy of recognising foreign degrees. The Government is now about to employ German doctors, who are not Federation citizens and whose degrees are not recognised and registrable under present laws. What is more logical than to do the same for its nationals? A further argument for recognising and registering American degrees is that America is easily the most industrialised country and leads the world in many branches of science and it is also a country where competition is very strong and therefore it is inconceivable that an American with an inferior degree can earn a livelihood in America. Unfortunately, false propaganda abroad has earned a bad reputation for American degrees. After dinner we went to International House to meet the other Malayan students, one of whom had travelled 400 miles to attend the gathering. I was asked to give an impromptu speech. I talked to them of the history of our independence movement and the new Constitution. I emphasised the need for racial harmony in order to build a united nation; the special position of the Malays, which was unanimously accepted by the non-Malays, because it was realised that equal opportunities for all in Malaya could only be practised if all were appropriately handicapped [2]; the danger of unscrupulous politicians making use of racial prejudices to gain power; the importance of leadership by all educated men of all races in Malaya, especially those who were fortunate enough to have their education abroad, in promoting racial harmony. I also mentioned of the talk, which I had had earlier with their "Cabinet" on the question of American degrees. I was asked several questions on much the same lines as those I had encountered on this tour, but the question which seemed of particular interest to them, as was to be expected, was the question of American degrees. I was very much impressed with the students. They appeared to be hard-working, to have initiative and very loyal to Malaya. They did not give me the impression of being Leftists as the students I had met in Malaya Hall. The thing that moved me was their loyalty and their pride in our independence. All this, coming from students, who are all Chinese, augurs well for the future of Malaya. [2] Ismail's consistent view on equal opportunities, which he retained until his death in 1973, was that affirmative action should be conceived of as a golf handicap system, where the weaker party is given an advantage in order that he or she could be allowed on the course, as it were. This use of the term "handicap" is sometimes misunderstood in general discussions to mean equality through hindering the stronger party.
 |
The Blogs 
"Golf is a good walk spoiled" - Mark Twain
xxx