The BN government has turned into a 'Santa Clause' with a permanent clause: bribe as many people as possible before the next general election.

Over the past few months, we have seen them handing out money left, right and centre. Some of them were long overdue, especially the pay increase in the police force. We have been fighting for this for so long - now they have given the police some crumbs, in the hope that they will vote for the BN.

Even the corporate sector is being bribed. Look at the double tracking electric railway contract - what a turkey! The computer building fiasco of the education ministry, the EPF computer scheme...the list goes on. Do they seriously believe that they can buy people with money?

Now comes the RM200 million bribe to school children/parents. What a laugh! We wonder whom they have as advisors, and if this is the quality, then 'God save us'. Previously, they have threatened us with education. Only if people voted BN would schools be built (Entrepreneur Development Minister Nazri Aziz said in March 22, 2003 that new MRSM colleges will be built only if the people in Terengganu vote BN)

Recently, they gave RM4 million to Chinese schools - it is another bribery, whatever way you look at it. We hope the community is not blinded by these but look at the bigger picture.

If the government is not under pressure, then why this sudden love affair with mother tongue schools? We must remember that it is the tremendous lobbying by the opposition parties that people gain in the end.

We promise to keep up the pressure till the reforms needed for an open, transparent and credible system is in place.

Let us be frank: how good is our educational system? Don't we have to rethink and reformulate some policies? The future of our children and the country is at stake. The quality of our universities have deteriorated to the level where fresh graduates from local universities are finding it difficult to secure jobs.

We have lost our sense of direction. Rather then making use of their thinking and creative minds, we have created a docile, subservient and frightened (threatened) class whereby they only work on instructions for personal incentives.

There seems to be a lack of personal integrity and achievement generating self-belief. University students should be regarded as adults rather then school students. If they are not responsible at this stage, then they do not deserve to be in the universities. The first step is to repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act, and for heaven's sake, tear up the 'Aku Janji' agreements.

Vice chancellors should be in charge of curriculum and administration, pay attention to developing minds, and look after the welfare of the staff. Promotions should be fully transparent and on merit. It is high time these people stop being the stooges of the BN government. Their business is not politics, but to build a healthy and vibrant campus atmosphere nurturing critical and constructive policies. Education is to free the mind and to express oneself, not imprison it.

Rather than thinking narrowly, we should restructure the whole education policy. Be sincere, look at the long-term goals and be brave to make the necessary changes. These changes should include improving the vernacular schools. Cramped classes with overworked and underpaid teachers will not help the development of young minds.

If we do not buck up or make changes for the better, we are going to find ourselves left behind and at the bottom of the ladder in the not so distant future and this is only in this region.