The response by the Selangor Government proxy to my first letter:
"Of students and sexual encounters"
New Straits Times (08/03/2007) Letters
By : NORIZAN SHARIF, for Institut Perkembangan Minda, Kuala Lumpur
I REFER to "Time for leaders to face up to reality" (NST, March 6) by Azrul Mohd Khalib of Kuala Lumpur.
Allow me to clarify some of the points highlighted in his comments on the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s high-risk female youth profile.
I feel obliged to do this because it was Institut Perkembangan Minda (Inmind) which commissioned the study.
I believe the writer formed his opinion based on reports which (mis)quoted Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo’s statements during a Press conference last week.
Firstly, the menteri besar never said "we picked 54 and called them up. They told our officers that they had never had sex and that they are virgins".As a matter of fact, Dr Khir never mentioned that his officer had questioned the respondents.
What happened was a group of reporters spoke to me after the Press conference and I said the percentage contained in the draft report could not be true as, based on the 54 questionnaires in the possession of Inmind, all of the respondents said they had never had sex.
Kindly take note that Inmind, which commissioned the study, assisted the researcher in distributing the questionnaires to the respondents.
Secondly, the menteri besar never said that 68 per cent of the contents were lies. What he said was if the figures given in the draft were correct, the percentage of respondents who said they lied at least once should be higher than 68 per cent.
He argued that a school child would lie to his or her parents if they were to have sex, to steal, to gamble or to join a secret society.
Dr Khir pointed out that the draft report mentioned that more than 95 per cent of respondents said they were involved in these activities.
Thirdly, I wish to clarify that the menteri besar did not say "I have spoken to him (the researcher) and told him to correct it".
What happened was that after the Press conference, a group of reporters spoke to me and I told them that the researcher had telephoned in the morning and apologised to me because he had spoken to the Press before submitting the full report.
Friday, 9 March 2007
Thursday, 8 March 2007
Thinktank falls on sword for Selangor MB
I refer to the letter titled "Sex survey: Selangor MB misquoted" (7 March) which responded to my earlier comment "Teen sex: Time for Khir Toyo to confront reality" (6 March). It is gratifying to see that the spirit of sacrifice is very much alive whereupon a thinktank, Institut Perkembangan Minda (InMind), appears to take the blame or at least taking responsibility for being the source for an alleged misinterpretation of the Selangor Menteri Besar Dr. Mohd Khir Toyo recent comments on the issue of teenage sex. Though I am grateful to Norizan Sharif's clarification of what the MB said or did not say, I find his response strange in its content and disappointing in addressing fundamental issues raised in my letter.
In defending the MB, the writer stated very clearly that Dr. Mohd Khir had been misquoted and that there were factual errors in the report. The strangest thing is that these articles, supposedly misquoting the MB, are displayed on the Menteri Besar's website (http://www.mbselangor.net.my/modules.php?name=English) with the English version actually having the tabloid article front and centre to the frontpage. If they were factually wrong and misrepresenting the MB as claimed by Norizan, why on earth would they be published so prominently on the MB's website in the first place? The MB's office may not even have considered or treated this article as a misquotation nor a misrepresentation of what was said in last week's press conference.
It also seems strange that information obtained by the media from Norizan during the press conference could be attributed incorrectly or, to use the convenient term, instead become a 'misquote' of the Menteri Besar. For several newspapers and the national wire service, to all get it wrong or 'misquoting' together is a little tough, I think. Is this another case of somebody else taking the blame and conducting damage control for what one of our politicians said or assumed?
In addition to that, though Norizan stated that the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) study was requested and commissioned by InMind, the fact is that this study is used to develop a programme module for youths titled Bina Insan supported and financed by the Selangor State Government as stated in InMind's own press release on its website (http://www.inmind.com.my).
It is also unfortunate that the writer did not deign to address the fundamental issues of gender bias in the development of social policy and the need to address the reality of sexual activity and vulnerability among young people.
The inability of InMind itself to accept the reality of the research is clearly reflected in the press release available on its website. By stating and treating interpretations of the UKM study results as tantamount to slander (fitnah), InMind has failed to maintain objectivity and implies failure to maintain the confidentiality of the research respondents. I maintain that it is also not impossible for school students to be involved in sex, stealing, gambling or secret societies without their parents having any idea of what's going on in their children's lives. To all parents out there: Put your hands up if you've asked your son/ daughter lately whether they have had sex (a few brave hands raised I'm sure), stealing, gambling or secret societies. What your parents don't ask, you won't have to lie about.
I certainly welcome the invitation from Norizan for me to have a look at the data and discuss the research with him.
In defending the MB, the writer stated very clearly that Dr. Mohd Khir had been misquoted and that there were factual errors in the report. The strangest thing is that these articles, supposedly misquoting the MB, are displayed on the Menteri Besar's website (http://www.mbselangor.net.my/modules.php?name=English) with the English version actually having the tabloid article front and centre to the frontpage. If they were factually wrong and misrepresenting the MB as claimed by Norizan, why on earth would they be published so prominently on the MB's website in the first place? The MB's office may not even have considered or treated this article as a misquotation nor a misrepresentation of what was said in last week's press conference.
It also seems strange that information obtained by the media from Norizan during the press conference could be attributed incorrectly or, to use the convenient term, instead become a 'misquote' of the Menteri Besar. For several newspapers and the national wire service, to all get it wrong or 'misquoting' together is a little tough, I think. Is this another case of somebody else taking the blame and conducting damage control for what one of our politicians said or assumed?
In addition to that, though Norizan stated that the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) study was requested and commissioned by InMind, the fact is that this study is used to develop a programme module for youths titled Bina Insan supported and financed by the Selangor State Government as stated in InMind's own press release on its website (http://www.inmind.com.my).
It is also unfortunate that the writer did not deign to address the fundamental issues of gender bias in the development of social policy and the need to address the reality of sexual activity and vulnerability among young people.
The inability of InMind itself to accept the reality of the research is clearly reflected in the press release available on its website. By stating and treating interpretations of the UKM study results as tantamount to slander (fitnah), InMind has failed to maintain objectivity and implies failure to maintain the confidentiality of the research respondents. I maintain that it is also not impossible for school students to be involved in sex, stealing, gambling or secret societies without their parents having any idea of what's going on in their children's lives. To all parents out there: Put your hands up if you've asked your son/ daughter lately whether they have had sex (a few brave hands raised I'm sure), stealing, gambling or secret societies. What your parents don't ask, you won't have to lie about.
I certainly welcome the invitation from Norizan for me to have a look at the data and discuss the research with him.
Sunday, 4 March 2007
The UKM study, sex and the Selangor MB
Referring to the recent report concerning the UKM study titled “High-Risk Female Youth Profile” commissioned by the Selangor State Government, I am amused, dismayed and disgusted at the reaction of the Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd Khir Toyo to the results of the research.
Though unsurprising and amusing in his dismissal of the results (he was quoted in several reports as saying that the findings were lies and the study being rubbish), he is symptomatic of how bad our politicians and policy makers have become ostriches with their heads stuck in the sands of ignorance. Despite this research (which the State Government itself commissioned) being only one of many different studies over the years which have examined, among others, the issue of premarital sexual intercourse, his reaction indicates that he, like many others, continue to be blissfully unaware and dismissive of the many challenges faced by both young Malaysian women and men growing up in today’s society. Our country’s young people continue to be deprived of proper sexual reproductive health information needed to protect themselves as a result of society’s and politicians’ need to be seen as morally pure. Sex education is often deemed ‘inappropriate’, ‘giving ideas’, ‘not necessary because we have religion’, ‘Western’ and countless other excuses for which the subject is not properly taught in school. Not too long ago, a Director General of the Ministry of Education dismissed the need for this subject because he felt that our students didn’t have sex and thus it was irrelevant to teach the topic. The price we pay for this neglect is the increasingly vulnerable situations faced by young people of which early sexual activity is only one. Sexual violence, such as gang rape, which seems to be on the increase, is another.
Even the current framework for sexual reproductive health education which is soon to be implemented in the Malaysian education system, is, I believe, doomed for failure. After many long years of waiting and several generations of students, what has been proposed instead of a single dedicated syllabus is the integration of this issue into several other subjects such as science, health, Islamic studies and biology subjects. It is already hard enough to find one teacher for each school who is equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge as well as with the right attitude, objectivity and most importantly, being non-judgmental. Try training several teachers of different subjects (who must overcome their own shyness, prejudice and inadequacies in the subject) and you can see that, in reality, the whole exercise will be ‘lost in translation’.
Listening in dismay to our politicians and community leaders speak of the need for chastity belts, enforcement of women’s wear covering ‘areas of temptation’ (e.g. hair), of indecent clothing resulting in denial of access to government services, and of why girls are themselves to be blamed for sexual criminal acts such as rape, I am certainly not surprised that politicians have a somewhat simplistic view concerning the perceived deterioration of values in Malaysian society. Somehow, boys and men don’t appear very often, if at all, in this view. Rights and responsibilities in issues such as sex education involve both boys and girls. The fact that a study was commissioned by his State Government to only examine the behaviour of girls implies and is indicative of the mentality and mindset that the perceived “deterioration of moral values” and the problems of society are one sided affairs with the finger of blame conveniently pointed at the targets of this study. Where are the boys in this picture?
I can assure our Selangor Menteri Besar that the results and analysis are very much true and is the reality which is faced by countless of school counselors desperate for proper assistance in providing psychological and emotional support to the hundreds of girls and boys considered delinquent or high risk. If he had done his homework, the Menteri Besar would have discovered the findings of the Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health 2003 report by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN). They indicate that the lack of knowledge and awareness of sexual reproductive health information among teenagers in Malaysia has resulted in 27 percent of youth (boys and girls) already having had premarital sex. Young men have been found to be actively looking for sex workers for their first sexual experience and individuals as young as nine have had sex. The Second National Health and Morbidity Study (1996) found that two percent of 30,000 secondary school students from 708 schools surveyed have had sexual experience. Another national study on reproductive health of adolescents in Malaysia conducted by LPPKN in 1994 found that 20 percent of young people had their first sexual intercourse between 15 – 18 years old. Narrowing the sample of research to only those classified in the category of ‘high risk delinquents’ will dramatically increase the percentage. Whether as an act of rebellion against social and religious norms or even one’s parents; discovery and exploring of one’s body and sexuality; seeking pleasure or comfort; sexual abuse by family members, friends or strangers; sexual activity among young men and women in Malaysia is a fact and today’s reality.
However, our politicians are used to believing and enforcing their own versions of reality. Whether it is analysis of equity in the national economy or the understanding of social problems, it seems that when they don’t like the results of the research, they change it and the perception of reality to suit their assumptions and beliefs. There is a trend of politicians disbelieving research and evidence (and proud of it!) in the development of our national policies. The report of the Menteri Besar ordering the UKM researcher to ‘correct’ his findings is an example of this disappointing attitude.
However, most importantly, I was disgusted and alarmed at the action taken in response to the announcement of the findings whereupon the State Government took upon itself the task of ‘verifying’ the results of the research in an effort to prove the analysis wrong. Government officers were reportedly ordered to contact the respondents of the study to determine whether or not they in fact had sex. This action represents a violation of research ethics and a desecration of the sanctity of confidentiality under which such studies are conducted. The fact that the officers were able to get hold of the contact details and later interrogated the girls who were part of the study is despicable. This action should be condemned by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, other institutions of higher learning, and all individual researchers whose work depends on ensuring the confidentiality and identity of those who partake in any kind of research, particularly concerning those who are marginalized by society.
Though unsurprising and amusing in his dismissal of the results (he was quoted in several reports as saying that the findings were lies and the study being rubbish), he is symptomatic of how bad our politicians and policy makers have become ostriches with their heads stuck in the sands of ignorance. Despite this research (which the State Government itself commissioned) being only one of many different studies over the years which have examined, among others, the issue of premarital sexual intercourse, his reaction indicates that he, like many others, continue to be blissfully unaware and dismissive of the many challenges faced by both young Malaysian women and men growing up in today’s society. Our country’s young people continue to be deprived of proper sexual reproductive health information needed to protect themselves as a result of society’s and politicians’ need to be seen as morally pure. Sex education is often deemed ‘inappropriate’, ‘giving ideas’, ‘not necessary because we have religion’, ‘Western’ and countless other excuses for which the subject is not properly taught in school. Not too long ago, a Director General of the Ministry of Education dismissed the need for this subject because he felt that our students didn’t have sex and thus it was irrelevant to teach the topic. The price we pay for this neglect is the increasingly vulnerable situations faced by young people of which early sexual activity is only one. Sexual violence, such as gang rape, which seems to be on the increase, is another.
Even the current framework for sexual reproductive health education which is soon to be implemented in the Malaysian education system, is, I believe, doomed for failure. After many long years of waiting and several generations of students, what has been proposed instead of a single dedicated syllabus is the integration of this issue into several other subjects such as science, health, Islamic studies and biology subjects. It is already hard enough to find one teacher for each school who is equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge as well as with the right attitude, objectivity and most importantly, being non-judgmental. Try training several teachers of different subjects (who must overcome their own shyness, prejudice and inadequacies in the subject) and you can see that, in reality, the whole exercise will be ‘lost in translation’.
Listening in dismay to our politicians and community leaders speak of the need for chastity belts, enforcement of women’s wear covering ‘areas of temptation’ (e.g. hair), of indecent clothing resulting in denial of access to government services, and of why girls are themselves to be blamed for sexual criminal acts such as rape, I am certainly not surprised that politicians have a somewhat simplistic view concerning the perceived deterioration of values in Malaysian society. Somehow, boys and men don’t appear very often, if at all, in this view. Rights and responsibilities in issues such as sex education involve both boys and girls. The fact that a study was commissioned by his State Government to only examine the behaviour of girls implies and is indicative of the mentality and mindset that the perceived “deterioration of moral values” and the problems of society are one sided affairs with the finger of blame conveniently pointed at the targets of this study. Where are the boys in this picture?
I can assure our Selangor Menteri Besar that the results and analysis are very much true and is the reality which is faced by countless of school counselors desperate for proper assistance in providing psychological and emotional support to the hundreds of girls and boys considered delinquent or high risk. If he had done his homework, the Menteri Besar would have discovered the findings of the Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health 2003 report by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN). They indicate that the lack of knowledge and awareness of sexual reproductive health information among teenagers in Malaysia has resulted in 27 percent of youth (boys and girls) already having had premarital sex. Young men have been found to be actively looking for sex workers for their first sexual experience and individuals as young as nine have had sex. The Second National Health and Morbidity Study (1996) found that two percent of 30,000 secondary school students from 708 schools surveyed have had sexual experience. Another national study on reproductive health of adolescents in Malaysia conducted by LPPKN in 1994 found that 20 percent of young people had their first sexual intercourse between 15 – 18 years old. Narrowing the sample of research to only those classified in the category of ‘high risk delinquents’ will dramatically increase the percentage. Whether as an act of rebellion against social and religious norms or even one’s parents; discovery and exploring of one’s body and sexuality; seeking pleasure or comfort; sexual abuse by family members, friends or strangers; sexual activity among young men and women in Malaysia is a fact and today’s reality.
However, our politicians are used to believing and enforcing their own versions of reality. Whether it is analysis of equity in the national economy or the understanding of social problems, it seems that when they don’t like the results of the research, they change it and the perception of reality to suit their assumptions and beliefs. There is a trend of politicians disbelieving research and evidence (and proud of it!) in the development of our national policies. The report of the Menteri Besar ordering the UKM researcher to ‘correct’ his findings is an example of this disappointing attitude.
However, most importantly, I was disgusted and alarmed at the action taken in response to the announcement of the findings whereupon the State Government took upon itself the task of ‘verifying’ the results of the research in an effort to prove the analysis wrong. Government officers were reportedly ordered to contact the respondents of the study to determine whether or not they in fact had sex. This action represents a violation of research ethics and a desecration of the sanctity of confidentiality under which such studies are conducted. The fact that the officers were able to get hold of the contact details and later interrogated the girls who were part of the study is despicable. This action should be condemned by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, other institutions of higher learning, and all individual researchers whose work depends on ensuring the confidentiality and identity of those who partake in any kind of research, particularly concerning those who are marginalized by society.
Bernama report: Laporan Kajian Remaja Perempuan Pernah Lakukan Seks Tidak Tepat
BERNAMA: Laporan Kajian Remaja Perempuan Pernah Lakukan Seks Tidak Tepat
Date: Saturday, March 03 @ 11:27:20
SHAH ALAM, 1 Mac (Bernama) -- Laporan kajian Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) yang mendapati kesemua 887 pelajar perempuan yang menuntut di sekolah menengah di sebuah negeri kecuali seorang, mengaku pernah melakukan hubungan seks adalah tidak tepat, kata Menteri Besar Selangor Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.
"Itulah yang kita lihat satu tindakan yang ambil mudah sahaja dan akhirnya akan timbulkan kekecohan dan masalah...jadi saya tak gembira dengan kajian tersebut," katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Hotel Carlton Holiday di sini.
Beliau diminta mengulas mengenai hasil kajian yang dijalankan Pakar Psikologi Kanak-Kanak dan Remaja dari UKM Dr Khaidzir Ismail melalui "Kajian Profil Remaja Perempuan Risiko Tinggi Atau Bermasalah".
Kajian itu dilakukan berdasarkan inisiatif kerajaan Selangor yang menyedari mengenai kemerosotan moral golongan remaja di negeri itu berdasarkan kepada pendedahan yang sering dibuat media.
Katanya setelah beliau meneliti hasil kajian itu sendiri dan menerimanya daripada pengkaji tersebut didapati ada beberapa fakta seperti jumlah populasi penduduk di negeri ini tidak selari dan tidak tepat serta tiada definisi tepat mengenai perkataan "seks" dalam penghuraian kaedah kajian itu.
"Dia sepatutnya kena bincang dengan kita dulu sebelum buat kajian itu...dia punya jumlah penduduk pun tak betul...muka surat pertama tulis 4.1 juta, muka kedua pula kata 4.7 juta...tu belum buka muka surat ketiga lagi.
"Dan soalan mengenai seks...ada orang kata tersentuh mulut dah buat seks ...dan laga hidungpun dah seks...jadi kita kena tengok...definisi seks pun tak betul," katanya.
Melalui kajian selama tiga bulan yang berakhir Disember tahun lepas itu membabitkan pelajar menengah terdiri daripada tingkatan satu hingga lima, sebanyak 20 orang pelajar berisiko tinggi daripada setiap sekolah dipilih kaunselor sekolah masing-masing sebagai responden.
Kajian itu juga mendapati 98 peratus daripada mereka mengaku mengambil dadah, terlibat dalam kongsi gelap (98 peratus), bahan lucah (97.3 peratus), berjudi (96.8 peratus), vandalisme (85.4 peratus) dan ponteng sekolah (77.2 peratus).
-- BERNAMA
Date: Saturday, March 03 @ 11:27:20
SHAH ALAM, 1 Mac (Bernama) -- Laporan kajian Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) yang mendapati kesemua 887 pelajar perempuan yang menuntut di sekolah menengah di sebuah negeri kecuali seorang, mengaku pernah melakukan hubungan seks adalah tidak tepat, kata Menteri Besar Selangor Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.
"Itulah yang kita lihat satu tindakan yang ambil mudah sahaja dan akhirnya akan timbulkan kekecohan dan masalah...jadi saya tak gembira dengan kajian tersebut," katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Hotel Carlton Holiday di sini.
Beliau diminta mengulas mengenai hasil kajian yang dijalankan Pakar Psikologi Kanak-Kanak dan Remaja dari UKM Dr Khaidzir Ismail melalui "Kajian Profil Remaja Perempuan Risiko Tinggi Atau Bermasalah".
Kajian itu dilakukan berdasarkan inisiatif kerajaan Selangor yang menyedari mengenai kemerosotan moral golongan remaja di negeri itu berdasarkan kepada pendedahan yang sering dibuat media.
Katanya setelah beliau meneliti hasil kajian itu sendiri dan menerimanya daripada pengkaji tersebut didapati ada beberapa fakta seperti jumlah populasi penduduk di negeri ini tidak selari dan tidak tepat serta tiada definisi tepat mengenai perkataan "seks" dalam penghuraian kaedah kajian itu.
"Dia sepatutnya kena bincang dengan kita dulu sebelum buat kajian itu...dia punya jumlah penduduk pun tak betul...muka surat pertama tulis 4.1 juta, muka kedua pula kata 4.7 juta...tu belum buka muka surat ketiga lagi.
"Dan soalan mengenai seks...ada orang kata tersentuh mulut dah buat seks ...dan laga hidungpun dah seks...jadi kita kena tengok...definisi seks pun tak betul," katanya.
Melalui kajian selama tiga bulan yang berakhir Disember tahun lepas itu membabitkan pelajar menengah terdiri daripada tingkatan satu hingga lima, sebanyak 20 orang pelajar berisiko tinggi daripada setiap sekolah dipilih kaunselor sekolah masing-masing sebagai responden.
Kajian itu juga mendapati 98 peratus daripada mereka mengaku mengambil dadah, terlibat dalam kongsi gelap (98 peratus), bahan lucah (97.3 peratus), berjudi (96.8 peratus), vandalisme (85.4 peratus) dan ponteng sekolah (77.2 peratus).
-- BERNAMA
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