Someone: Poverty is no excuse, Me say: Poverty can be an excuse

Referring to an article published on TheStar:
Quote 1:
"Students should not drop out of school due to poverty and parents should not use financial constraints as an excuse to ask their children to stop studying, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. "

True. We should encourage the children of today to gain as much education as we can offer. And I believe we should somehow try and help them by encouraging them to continue to strive and succeed in their studies. Poor families should not discourage their children to drop out of school and get a job in the department stores like Ngiu Kee, 20-Sen, Parkson or Everise before they even complete 11 years of education (which in Malaysia, is Form Five)
But el gobierno is not effective in completing its own task to do their part to help out.

Quote 2:
"The Government would need the cooperation of all parties, especially parents, to meet its objective of getting every child to complete 11 years of basic education within the Ninth Malaysia Plan period. "

Yes we all know this. This is a typical line in students essays. And it is a fact not carried out properly leh.

Quote 3:
"The important thing is to think positive and not let poverty hinder their children's education." All I wanna say is, poverty does hinder their children's education. Touch financial situations put a mental block in some of their minds. They know, that their family won't have they money to send them to Universities if they don't get scholarships. I know that too when I was at MMU (Malacca Multimedia Univ.) and then I got the offer to UTM(Univ. Teknologi Malaysia). My Mom called me about it and asked me if I wanna go to UTM. Heck life's better and livier at MMU. But UTM's school fees are like 40% of MMU's. MMU was like ±RM12,000 per year, UTM was like ±RM4000 per year. A whopping 60% savings. I knew in my heart what would work best for my family. I have 2 younger sisters behind me and I wouldn't wanna be selfish and suck all the money out of my Pop's Standard Charted just because I can live comfortably and have fun at MMU. That my friend, was the money factor in action. I'm lucky that my family and I are not in the poverty bracket, but heck, I was eligible for Skim Pinjaman Buku Teks (SPBT), well only in Secondary school coz the family was doing pretty well before the KLSE stock market slump in the 90's, yep my Pop was part of it, and still is. At one point, my Pop just said my sis's should just buy new textbooks instead of doing SPBT. I was like WTF? He hated the forms, coz you need to have payslip from employer (my Pop doesnt have I think) and also fill in Tax details n shit?. Maybe he didn't like his children to feel poor? Buying textbooks every year for 3 kids going to school sucks, big time. Money flows out. Shoes, school uniforms. PBSM uniforms for my sis's. I know how fast children can outgrow their uniforms. Poverty isn't an excuse? Pardon me?
Luckily for me JPA came into play and offered me a scholarship. I wouldn't be where I am today without it. I swear. Never dreamt of this as well. So those who just took the scholarships and wouldn't wanna go back to repay and serve the country, I am sorry they dont have nilai Kesyukuran in their heart. I really do. Well, sometimes I wonder why these people from very-high-income family get the scholarships. I really hoped that these kinda scholarships be rewarded to those who can really benefit from it, financially and patriotically. I don;t know. Yes they are smart, and maybe they deserve it. What if maybe they don;'t?

Quote 4:
"Poor families, he said, should apply for financial aid through their state assemblymen or MPs, the Education department or other relevant authorities like the Pahang Foundation."

We all know that. However, I know this is hard to accomplish. Maybe easy to apply, but hard to get. Even if they get it, I don't think it's enough. (I'm talking about low-income/poor families in the Poverty case) I have seen it, not all but some. My Dad's decision to "force" me to accept the admission to Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Haji Bujang is a blessing in disguise. (that's my secondary school, Americans call it high school). Many of my close friends come from rural areas all across Sarawak Bumi Kenyalang. From longhouses. From areas only reachable by sampans. Yes they are poor. They don't have air conditioning units or Astro like some of the city kids have. They have many many siblings. And the later years of secondary school are a struggle to many of them due to a lack of support (financial, educational and moral wise). Had I gone to St. Joseph's secondary school, I bet I would just hang out with the Chinese students, as I had in my primary school. I don't mean I totally don't mix with my schoolmates of other races, but it was just at a minimal ratio compared to what I think is the ideal level. Primary 4C, I sat next to my friend Mohd. Afif bin Johan. He's a small boy, pretty much like how I was. 130-140cm, small built. He then transferred coz his family is moving to another city. His father is a car dealer, driving a Volvo. Still Primary 4 (year 1994, 2 years after we won the Thomas Cup), my badmiston partner for the ko-kurikulum was Zacheus Dorus, who I met again in Lower Six A in 2002 after not seeing him for 6 years (after 1996). Boy was I surprised to see him in the class, another one is Natalie John (also from class 4C-6C in St. Joseph's primary school). Primary 5C I sat next to Usmang. Primary 6C I sat next to I don't remember clearly who, but during Kelas Tambahan I sat next to Jennifer Ee (mixed Chinese-Iban) way at the back. 2nd row from the back and near the rear door. See I remember. Form 1 (1 Cekal) I sat next to erm, Albert I think. 2 Cekal and 3 Cekal I sat with David Luhat Ngau, a very funny guy who's very good at BM karangan., somehow in Form 4 and 5 he wasn't preforming very well in his studies. Form 4 Tekun I sat next to Jackson Dandi (a guy transferred from Lutong). They all struggle, financially. Form 5 Tekun we switched places many times, Form 5 bah, I sat with Garit Majang, Wilson Donadus, Wek (Jackson), Albert Lukas, Sandeep Singh, Nicholas Gala Bato, Emily Mabel, etc.

IMPORTANT!!!
The news article's title is misleading. Once I saw it there's a rush in me to say No No No, and all these sentences, which might not relate very well I must admit. Bottom line, poverty is a problem, as I can see in the BN-majority-Sarawak, in places that el gobierno doesn't put focus on, unless there;s a need to.

Again, the news article's title is misleading. So I have written here is just to ease my moodswing and means no offense to anyone mentioned, (or not mentioned) and it's just a public rambling from the humble me. If anyhow you feel disrespected, angered, I apologise for my ignorance. No disrespect nor hatred nor dissent. I am not that kind of person, anf if I really behaved that way, I must have just waken up from my sleep. I cursed at my friends when I was disturbed(and sometimes not) after I just woke up from my sleep. I have no idea why I do that. I remember in Shah Alam I cursed angrily with hatred at MengPeun in front of a lot of people in my room. Last month, I scolded disrecpectfully Steve for the same thing. I called Laura ugly/obscene names through MSN. That's just not me in real. Really sorry about that. Just like how my sis who cries for no reason when she woke up from her afternoon naps. Neither she nor I really have an answer to that. Well, it has stopped now for her. LOL.