Ever since the Barisan Nasional MPs approved the Universities and University Colleges Act, all knew that the final effect of the Act is to reduce all our universities to degree factories, which will produce automatically the same product - a product the government wanted and not what the country needed.

A country which hopes to make industrial and economic progress cannot afford to produce graduates who cannot think or analyse what is good or bad for our country. Consequently, our graduates are now only good enough to do line work in a factory. But then they are over- qualified.

The trouble with our politicians in power is that they cannot see beyond the tips of their noses when it comes to having such high objectives as Vision 2020. Being a developed country is not just a matter of being an economic and industrial power but also the quality of the citizens in the way of social graces, intellectual honesty, belief in justice for all and the noble virtues as prescribed in all the religions that we belong and abide to.

Can the powers-that-be have the political will to not take 360 degrees turns, but just half of them for a start? We have built enough iconic buildings for the country's tourist brochures. We should now concentrate on making better thinking Malaysians to ensure the future of our country.