8/14/2019 TheSun 2008-12-09 Page12 Jiao Zong Warns of Mammoth Demo

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news without borders12 theSun | TUESDAY DECEMBER 9 2008

by Terence Fernandezterence@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: The gloomy weather reectedthe feelings among the 400 mourners who paidtheir last respects to hockey great Datuk GregoryHo Koh Chye ( pix ) yesterday.

But while there were tears, therewas also laughter as those who knewand loved him shared anecdotesabout this true gentleman who diedat 66 years on Dec 3 from suspectedcomplications following prostatesurgery.

Mourners at the St Ignatius Catho-lic Church in Petaling Jaya comprisedthe who’s who in Malaysian sports,especially hockey.

They included 11 members of the 1975World Cup team, coached by Koh Chye. The

team achieved Malaysia’s best showing ever ininternational hockey coming in fourth.The hockey fraternity was represented by

players from various World Cup and Olympicsquads who had either played alongside KohChye or were trained, managed or chaperonedby him. They include Franco De Cruz and PhangPoh Meng who ew in from London and Canadarespectively; Brian Sta Maria, Datuk Poon FookLoke, Stephen Van Huizen and K. Embaraj.

The eulogy was delivered by Datuk R. Yo-geswaran. Koh Chye’s best friend for 49 years;they had played in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.

Yogeswaran, described Seremban-born Koh

Chye as a gentleman who managed his achieve-ments with humility. He said Koh Chye was theonly athlete to complete the Olympic circles asplayer, coach, administrator, ofcial and nallychef-de-mission to this year’s Beijing Olympics.

“He raised the bar for chef-de-missions in thiscountry. He was not a mere passenger on afree ride. He knew every athlete personallyand spent time with them,” Yogeswaransaid. He added that among the most en-during things about Koh Chye was how hemade everyone feel they mattered.

Others who paid their last respects in-cluded Asian Hockey Federation secretary-general Tan Sri P. Alagendra and ex-nationalshuttler Datuk James Selvaraj. Also presentwas Olympic Council of Malaysia deputy

president Datuk Dr. M. Jegathesan, the last personto speak to Koh Chye the night he passed away.

Among those who paid their respects during

the three-day wake were Sultan Azlan Shah,Malaysia Hockey Federation president TengkuAbdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Youth andSports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The funeral which culminated at the NirvanaCrematorium in Shah Alam was also attended bya host of journalists. As the casket was carried outof the church, about 20 former internationals per-formed a nal salute with their hockey sticks.

Koh Chye leaves wife Datin Karen Lee SiewChan, children Adeline and Ian, six grandchildrenas well as six siblings; and a huge vacuum insports that will be impossible to ll.

A champ on and off the eld

JIAO ZONG (UnitedChinese School Teachers Association)president Ong Chiaw Chuan warns that Dong Jiao Zong will launch a massiveprotest action should the government decideto continue with its policy of teachingScience and Mathematics in English, theChinese press reported yesterday.

Dong Jiao Zong, which comprises DongZong (United Chinese School CommitteesAssociation) and Jiao Zong, has maintaineda rm stand that the government shouldrevert to the use of mother-tongue languagesto teach the two subjects in primary schools.

Education Minister Datuk SeriHishammuddin Hussein is expected to makea decision after chairing the fth roundtablediscussion on whether or not to continueteaching Science and Mathematics inEnglish.

“The Chinese community has to act if theissue is not resolved,” Ong said on Saturday.

He believed the majority of peoplefrom the various communities wish to

see a reversal to the use of mother-tonguelanguages to teach Science and Maths.

He urged Chinese-based political partiesand Chinese ministers, especially thosefrom MCA, to be rm in ghting for the useof Mandarin as the medium of instructionfor Science and Maths in Chinese primaryschools.

“They also need to be mentally prepared,as once the government decides to carry onwith the policy, Dong Jiao Zong will launcha massive protest action,” said Ong.

He said Dong Jiao Zong feels that theteaching of Science and Maths in Englishis currently the greatest threat to Chineseeducation.

He disclosed that at the second and fourthroundtable discussions held on Aug 27 andOct 21 respectively, most of the participants,including Dong Jiao Zong and educationaland cultural groups from other races,political parties, academics and formereducation ofcers, were not in favour of the“go English” policy.

“Studies by various educational groupsand universities, and even the EducationMinistry’s own survey, showed that theimplementation of English for Science andMaths policy has not produced the desiredresults,” he said.

MERDEKA University Bhd is out to winthe support of Chinese organisations totake control of the New Era College to enda months-old controversy that stemmedfrom the non-extension of the college head’scontract.

According to a report in Nanyang Siang Pau yesterday, the company is ready tocall for a meeting of all Chinese guilds andassociations in the country to seek theirsupport to achieve its aim.

The report said Merdeka University Bhdhad earlier planned to hold a joint meetingwith Hua Zong (Federation of ChineseAssociations of Malaysia) to resolve the NewEra College controversy but had to abort theplan as Hua Zong’s central committee didnot give the go-ahead.

A source told the daily that MerdekaUniversity Bhd was the vehicle for DongJiao Zong to set up the proposed MerdekaUniversity in the 60s and 70s.

The university did not materialise but

Dong Jiao Zong managed to set up the NewEra College.

For this reason, the source said MerdekaUniversity Bhd is best suited to run New Eraand not Dong Jiao Zong Education CentreSdn Bhd.

It is learnt that Merdeka University Bhdwill move a motion at its coming annualgeneral meeting for the implementation of

various development plans, among them thestrengthening of its staff with more youngprofessionals.

Meanwhile, Dong Zong general secretaryKao Ming Liang questioned MerdekaUniversity Bhd’s move, saying the company,like Dong Zong and Jiao Zong, is just one of the stakeholders of New Era and only entitledto have ve representatives on the board of Dong Jiao Zong Education Centre Sdn Bhd.

He said all matters related to New EraCollege should be the joint responsibility of all the stakeholders and no single party is tomake any unilateral decision for the college.

Jiao Zong warns of

mammothdemoASSOCIATION TO TAKE ACTION IF GOVT DOES NOTREVOKE USE OF ENGLISH FOR MATH AND SCIENCE

Press Digestby Kong See Hohnewsdesk@thesundaily.com

Chinese guilds asked to supportNew Era College takeover bid

PETALING JAYA: An inaugural lecture inmemory of Abdullah Yusuf Ali, the most rec-ognised translator of the Quran, will be held atthe International Institute of Advanced Islamic

Studies (IAIS) this Sunday.Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Islamic BookTrust, the lecture will be delivered at 2.45pm byLondon-based Dr M. A. Sherif who wrote Search-ing for Solace – Biography of Abdullah Yusuf Ali .

Admission is free and details are avail-

able at www.ibtbooks.com/lecture or from03-77813197.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, who spent most of lifetranslating the Quran, died in London on Dec

10, 1953 and was buried in the Muslim sectionof Brookwood cemetery, Surrey.His The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an: Text,

Translation and Commentary , first publishedin 1934, remains the most widely circulatedtranslation in the English language.

Lecture on renowned Quran translator

Ex-internationalspay their lastrespects toKoh Chye.

» See also Page 20

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