KUALA LUMPUR: Parents and family members of children enrolled in reputable government residential schools are questioning what they view as an over-emphasis on religious practices that disrupt the pupils’ studies.

Many find that the practice of religious rituals and activities has reached a point that academic performance is affected.

These activities take up too much of the students’ time and energy, causing them to be tired and lethargic at regular classes and revision periods, they told FMT.

“As far as I’m concerned, we did not send our kids to a tahfiz or pondok school,” said Amir, father of a student who took the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination last year at a branch of the Mara Junior Science College, or MRSM in Johor.

Parents of other children in the same school told FMT that the situation is worse for those who will be sitting major public exams in Form 3 and Form 5.

They said students were frequently asked to attend compulsory sessions to perform congregational prayers, including non-obligatory rituals such as the solat tahajud, solat hajat and tazkirah, special prayers performed by Muslims in times of adversity.

For most of these prayer sessions, students are required to get up as early as 3am.

Complaints to the headmaster have been futile: the parents were told that the rituals were to get “blessings” and to ensure students obtained excellent results in the exams, thus elevating the status and the name of the school, Amir told FMT.

“But the school’s status won’t go up; they are competing on which school is more Islamic instead of being better academically,” he added.

Similar complaints of religious overtones and symbols in non-residential government schools have also arisen, in the midst of a continuing public debate over Malaysia’s polarised education system.

Many analysts and experts have expressed fears that national schools have ceased to be multiracial. There have also been calls for the government to work towards a single-stream school on grounds of fostering national unity.

Amir, 43, is also a product of MRSM. He said he was happy when his child received an offer to enrol at his old school, as he was convinced of its focus on high quality education.

An obsession with the supernatural

Another parent spoke of her daughter’s bizarre experience of her school’s obsession with the supernatural.

She told FMT that her daughter was told to attend a “ruqyah” session, in which Quranic verses are used to treat a sick person, as well as to cure from the possession of “bad jinns”.

Her offence was missing the Talaqqi, or Quranic pronunciation classes, because she had to attend extra classes in Biology.

“My daughter was accused of being too lazy to study (the Quran) and of having disturbances from jinns. So they told her to come for the ruqyah session. It’s simply unbelievable,” said the parent who wanted to remain anonymous.

She said the teacher had insisted that her daughter attend the Quranic recitation classes, even after being told that the biology teacher had requested that she be excused.

“In the end, my daughter dropped the Biology subject when sitting for SPM last year,” she said.

Amir is also aware of the Quranic recitation class, saying it is subject to an additional school fee of RM200.

FMT has learnt that from other parents that Talaqqi classes after school were made mandatory for students from Form 1 to Form 4.

“If they don’t go, they’ll get punished. If they fail the exam, they have to retake the exam,” he said, adding that students who skip class or fail their exams will be asked to memorise verses of the Quran.

Haiqal was surprised when his niece told him of “illogical rules” at her school, such as a requirement that female students wear long pants under their long skirts, as well as gloves and long-sleeved T-shirts during sports and games.

Haiqal said he was told by school authorities that the requirement was avert male gazes on female students.

“We didn’t have rules like these last time when we were in school, but we were still able to take care of ourselves and dress well to school,” said Haiqal, whose niece is enrolled in an MRSM school in Perak.

Amir also questioned the version of Islam being taught in the school.

He said students were taught to question many traditional Malay-Muslim practices as being bid’ah, or innovations in religion.

“When they go home to their families, they would even accuse family members of committing bid’ah through their religious practices,” he said. “Is this what the school administrators call ‘blessing’?”

FMT is awaiting a response from the schools involved and the education ministry.

MADRID: Real Madrid have completed the signing of teenage Brazilian prospect Reinier from Flamengo on a six-and-a-half-year deal, the Spanish giants announced on Monday.

According to reports in Spain and in Brazil, Madrid will pay the player’s buyout clause, amounting to around €30 million, with 80% going to Flamengo and the remainder to his representatives and his family.

The attacking midfielder – whose contract will run until June 2026 – celebrated his 18th birthday on Sunday.

In a statement, Real said Reinier will team up with Castilla, the club’s second team who play in Spain’s third tier, after competing in South American Olympic qualifying with Brazil’s under-23 team. That tournament is currently taking place in Colombia.

Reinier helped Flamengo win last year’s Brazilian league and Copa Libertadores double and has chosen Real Madrid despite reported interest from Barcelona and other leading European clubs.

An unused substitute when Flamengo lost to Liverpool in last month’s Club World Cup final in Qatar, he is just the latest exciting young Brazilian talent to move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Vinicius Junior followed the same path from Flamengo in 2018, while his fellow 19-year-old forward, Rodrygo, arrived from Santos prior to the start of this season.

SEREMBAN, Jan 21 — Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir proclaimed Seremban as a city and opened the Seremban City Council (MBS) Complex (Wisma Majlis Bandaraya Seremban), here last night.

Also present at the event were Tunku Ampuan Besar Negri Sembilan Tuanku Aishah Rohani Tengku Besar Mahmud and their two sons, Tunku Besar Seri Menanti Tunku Ali Redhauddin and Tunku Zain Al’Abidin.

Also present were the four Undang of Negri Sembilan, Tunku Besar Tampin as well as the Negri Sembilan administrative line-up.

The ceremony began when Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin presented a letter proclaiming Seremban as a city to Tuanku Muhriz before it was handed over to Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar, Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.

His Royal Highness later declared that the Seremban Municipal Council (MPS) and the Nilai Municipal Council (MPN) had been merged into the Seremban City Council effective Jan 1.

The ceremony was followed by the reading of a letter on the appointment of Datuk Zazali Salehudin as the first Seremban Mayor by Aminuddin in the presence of Tuanku Muhriz.

Zazali then pronounced his acceptance of the position and declared his pledge of loyalty.

Tuanku Muhriz then consented to hand over a pendant of office and a mace to Zazali.

On November 12, 2008, the state government has approved a proposal to merge MPS and MPN into one entity, besides upgrading it into MBS.

MBS has commenced its operations as an entity beginning January 1, 2020.

Aminuddin, when met by reporters, said that with the formation of MBS, it was hoped that the city of Seremban could handle the changes of the world without borders and maintain the beauty of a clean and green city.

“In strengthening the sustainable development in the Seremban District, one of the strategies is to mould a competitive society in numerous aspects,” he said.

He added that the state government was confident the establishment of MBS would have a positive impact in stimulating the economy and the development of the communities by touching on various aspects and simultaneously upholding the policies planned by the federal and state government.

“With the support and encouragement of all parties, everything planned will be on the right track to facilitate all its administration businesses and end with a good conclusion,” he said. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 — While fighting drug traffickers, the Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) also has to deal with corruption within the department.

NCID chief Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd was candid about the struggle that the anti-narcotics unit has had with graft, and how rooting it out remains an uphill task.

“Like this, Syed, if somebody offers you RM20 million, what would you say?” Mohd Khalil asked during an exclusive interview with Malay Mail in Bukit Aman, here.

This rhetorical question illustrates the temptation of narco money and how it can blunt the war against trafficking syndicates.

For Mohd Khalil, drug money remains the biggest stumbling block not only in the fight against traffickers and the cops on their payroll, but also for reform.

The sheer amount of money involved in narcotics means temptation is ever present, especially when police officers are still paid lowly, he said.

Experts have said low wages within the force is among the chief causes fuelling police corruption, and have recommended increasing it. 

The global illicit drugs trade has an estimated GDP similar to the economy of several rich countries combined, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime whose 2005 World Drug Report valued the size of the drug market at US$321.6 billion (RM1.3 trillion) in just 2003 alone.

“When you are put in that position, it’s always tough,” he said referring to the bribes NCID officers may be offered in the course of duty.

“I think the challenge is how to instil mental fortitude within these officers… it’s not easy, and we, or my officers, are only human.”

Weeding out bad apples

Under Mohd Khalil’s tenure, the police launched Operation Blue Devil last year to crack down on substance abuse among police officers, as part of a wider reform drive to “heal” the force’s public image.

More than 100 officers tested positive up to August last year, a result Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador described as shocking and showed how drug use within the force is at a “critical” level.

For the NCID chief, cleaning up his unit became top priority upon his appointment last year. Several measures were put in place, including the formation of a covert squad that spied on vice cops.

But with just under a month left to his tenure, he concedes that the task is far from complete.

“I did try to (put in place) reform but of course, I can’t say the unit is completely clean,” he said.

“This type of officer will always be around. But I think we did manage to reduce the number through several measures.” 

But Operation Blue Devil remains in force and the police said there is no deadline to its end, which the NCID chief said was testament to his unit’s commitment to clean up.

The police have yet to say if more officers have been caught under the operation. Mohd Khalid, however, told Malay Mail he is confident that the operation had succeeded in driving rogue cops to reform, if not reducing drug abuse within the force.

“It was a problem but don’t think it’s too bad now,” he said.

Target big sharks

For nearly four decades, the government has waged a war against drugs. Yet official data suggests they are nowhere close to winning, as drug-related crimes continue to climb and news reports of large drug busts indicate illegal substances are still finding their way into the country, despite us having some of the harshest anti-drug laws in the world.

Critics say the setback has cost taxpayers millions of ringgit without much to show for it. Instead, it has flooded prisons and state-funded rehabilitation centres with drug-related offenders, many of them minors.

Mohd Khalil said NCID shifted its focus to traffickers under his watch and backed the decriminalisation of addicts, although he remains a believer in punitive laws against what he terms “abusers.” 

“Under me, we focused on the supply,” he said.

“We no longer look at those small timers, the addicts and all. Why arrest them? I wanted my men to make quality arrests, those suppliers (and traffickers). 

“It’s harder of course and more work but it’s more effective.”