Trump's racist tweets

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https://youtu.be/lYqelKm5nqA https://youtu.be/fOVmbD9cGXA

 Malaysians must learn from this ugly episode in the American history and be mindful not to do the same to our fellow Malaysians in any circumstances

PRESIDENT Donald Trump singled out four coloured members of the United States House of Represent­atives in his recent tweets.

He told them to “help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came from”.

He had accused them before of “spewing some of the most vile, hateful and disgusting things ever said by a politician”.

He even told them, “If you hate our country or if you are not happy here, you can leave.”

Trump’s action is beyond the pale of decency in politics.

For someone holding the highest office in the mightiest country in the world, making such a statement shows how the United States has changed since he took office three years ago.

The United States has been a country beyond recognition of late.

Under Trump, it has compromised all the principles it held true – openness, tolerance and magnanimity.

He fanned the anti-immigrant sentiments.

His stand on Muslim countries is worrying, so the “Muslim ban” he imposed isn’t too shocking. The list goes on.

But calling the four congresswomen who criticised him “haters of America” is something else.

Except for Ilhan Omar, a Muslim born in Somalia and a naturalised US citizen, the rest are all US-born.

Other than Ilhan, Rashida Talib is also a Muslim.

In fact, they are the first Muslim women to be elected as members of the House.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came from a Puerto Rican family and Rashida’s family are Palestinian immigrants.

Ayanna Pressley is a black representative from Boston.

The attacks on Ilhan since she was elected have been particularly harsh.

Jeanine Pirro, a Fox News host, was yanked from the air for making an unprovoked attack on Ilhan and her religion.

Tucker Carlson, also of Fox News, called her a “grievance monster who hates the United States”.

Thanks to Trump, we are witnessing a new low in American politics.

To speak ill of sons and daughters of immigrants in a country of immigrants is something else.

For Trump, it is almost a pattern now – making remarks uncalled for as a president.

Naturally, the country erupted in bitter recriminations over those tweets.

But knowing Trump, he will not apologise; in fact, he boldly proclaimed: “I don’t have a racist bone in my body.”

To which Ocasio-Cortez responded in a tweet, “You’re right, Mr President – you don’t have a racist bone in your body. You have a racist mind in your head and a racist heart in your chest.”

In the United States, toxicity is in the air.

Racism is rearing its ugly head. The white supremacists are emboldened. The voice of anti-immigrant groups is getting louder.

Bigotry knows no borders. Immigrants as a whole are facing a backlash in countries where fervent nationalistic sentiments are at play.

In predominantly white countries, the voices of right-wing and supremacist groups are becoming deafening.

Australian-born Brenton Tarrant, who filmed himself on a shooting rampage at a Christchurch mosque, is the kind of right-wing extremist we fear.

As much as the rise of militancy in any religion is condemned, we must be on the lookout for the Tarrants of the world.

But more important is the rise

of ferocious identity contestation based on race and religion the world over.There is nothing wrong with nationalist or religious zeal. But taking it to the level of undermining and marginalising others is something else.

The rise of nationalist parties in Europe is one example.

There is always the argument about the changing landscape of the “European character” with the influx of immigrants.

Immigrants, too, have changed the United States, and not necessarily for the worse.

The talk about “if you are not happy, go back to your country of origin” is nothing new.

We have heard that uttered many times by individuals and groups to minorities. We have seen it happen here in Malaysia, too.

There are some who are taking that path, conveniently telling individuals from the other races to do so.

Those targeted are born here. They have no other place to go. Criticising a policy is not being disloyal.

Speaking their minds as what the four congresswomen in the United States did should not be construed as disrespectful or hating the country.

As much as we must register our outrage against Trump, we must also be mindful not to do the same to our fellow Malaysians in any circumstance.

That is the lesson we should learn from this ugly episode in American history.

By Johan Jaaffar, a journalist, editor and for some years chairman of a media company, and is passionate about all things literature and the arts. The views expressed here are entirely his own.

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Tech war exposes urgent need for talent

Trade war involves science, tech strength: Huawei founder

Chinese students have increasingly become interested in participating in math contests organized by elite US institutions. Photo: IC

The escalating China-US trade war, which has become a new cold war in technology, has made attracting talent an urgent task.

The recent call by the founder of China's Huawei to enhance the country's fundamental education system was echoed across Chinese society, while observers emphasized the importance of science and math.

In a recent interview with China Central Television aired over the weekend, Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, whose company is now in the middle of the China-US trade battle, reiterated the importance of fundamental education and research instead of spending too much time talking about his company's future.

The 75-year-old entrepreneur said that he cares about education the most because he cares about the country. "If we don't attach importance to education, we'll actually return to poverty," he remarked.

Huawei's founder Ren Zhengfei meets the media in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, earlier this month. Photo: Courtesy of Huawei

The country's development relies on culture, philosophy and education, which are fundamental, Ren said. And the escalating China-US trade war involves strength in science and technology, which comes down to the level of education.

His remarks put the focus on basic education.

Wang Lixin, vice mayor of Shenzhen, a city that is often seen as the new Silicon Valley as it gathers hundreds and thousands of high-tech firms, said at a recent conference that fundamental research is important to not only Shenzhen but the whole country.

"In the 1980s, we often said if you learn math, physics and chemistry well, you will achieve anywhere. Then we had doubts, as working in finance, economy or design would earn you more money. Considering the current situation, it's time to bring up that slogan again," Wang was quoted as saying in media reports on Sunday.

As part of broader efforts to strengthen science and technology, Shenzhen, which is now at the forefront of the China-US tech battle, where tech firms such as Huawei and DJI being targeted by the Trump administration are located, has vowed to invest one-third of its science and research funding to fundamental research, to the tune of over 4 billion yuan ($580 million), reports said.

On China's Twitter-like Weibo, net users praised Ren's call and considered improving the country's education system as the most urgent task. "High-tech growth cannot be supported only by a huge amount of money. Only with continuous efforts in fundamental education can the goal be achieved," a netizen said.

A mother surnamed Song, who lives in western Beijing's Haidian district, said she has always insisted that fundamental education should not become a heavy burden for children. However, the escalating trade war, especially the Huawei incident, has made it more urgent to enhance the country's overall STEM education, she believed.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and these academic disciplines are often seen as fundamentals for a country in a race for high-tech supremacy.

"I'm thinking about sending her to an afterschool training course on mathematics this summer," she told the Global Times on Monday, referring to her 7-year-old daughter, who is now living at an increasingly competitive environment.

Fundamental research

As the world's two largest economies spar over tech, Chinese industry representatives are considering enhancing fundamental education, including science and math, as a major task, especially after many Chinese parents have been complaining in recent months about the current dogmatic policies of stifling rising talent.

The authorities' latest move to ease the schoolwork burden on primary and middle school students also weakened science and math education, and the ban on extracurricular coaching for Olympiad-style contests issued in 2018 will seriously affect the cultivation of talented students in STEM, analysts said.

"This one-size-fits-all approach will hurt fundamental education in the country and make our children fall behind their American counterparts in the future, which needs to be corrected," Mei Xinyu, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times.

The Ministry of Education issued a guideline in December 2018 to ease academic burden in primary and middle schools. The guideline says primary and high schools are forbidden from hosting math Olympiads to recruit students. The move follows a change in policy on stopping the awarding of extra points to students who have won academic Olympiads or science and technology competitions.

But parents also applauded the government's efforts to ease the children's burden, while some advocated a happy-elementary-education approach.

Ren said he attaches great importance to fundamental research, and the country should invest more in developing mathematicians, physicists and chemists instead of just pouring money into industries.

The US clampdown on Huawei, as part of the China-US tech battle, will stimulate technological self-reliance while boosting scientific research and innovation, as US sanctions also exposed the country's high-tech Achilles' heel due to Huawei's reliance on American technologies and core components reflecting the overall shortcoming in the sector.

It's becoming more urgent for Chinese tech companies to attract talent, as the tech war will eventually become a battle for more talent, analysts said.

"Our country has to have an awareness of crisis, and to clearly see the real gap between China and the US in education," Chu Zhaohui, a research fellow at the National Institute of Education Sciences based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday.

For instance, American students have a deeper understanding of natural sciences and mathematics, as they learn by following their own interests, he noted. "How to arouse the interest of Chinese students in science and technology, which will lead to better fundamental research, remains a challenge," he said.

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