Is this how far gone our Maths standard?

You will have to first read the news report in the Malaysiakini on April 3 2012 than take a look at the video below.


A written parliamentary reply to DAP’s Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching may shows that something does not add up in the Home Ministry.

The March 29 reply from Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein states that, in 2009, 14 people had died in custody.

But curiously, the 14 "consist of three who died in prison, seven in police custody and 17 at Immigration detention depots".

"I am totally confused after reading the written reply: 14 = 3 + 7 + 17?" Teo (right) asked on her Facebook page, where the written reply is also posted.

The mind-boggling arithmetic continues with the minister noting that 13 people had died in custody in 2010 - "one in prison, nine in police custody and 18 at Immigration detention depots."

Iin 2011, it was a case of "17 dead in police custody and 18 at Immigration detention depots" making it a total of "21 deaths".

The causes of death were given as "HIV/AIDS and other diseases such as tuberculosis, Hepatitis C, asthma and heart disease."

The written reply, which had been shared by 22 people on Facebook as at yesterday, were met with incredulous comments, with some wondering if the minister had been using Google Translate to calculate the numbers.

A Facebook user commented: "(The deputy prime minister) just declared that we have the best education system, better than UK... YB, you need to calculate again."

Earlier this year, the Defence Ministry has been left red-faced when numerous mistakes were found on its website after it used the free Google Malay-English translation service.

The website published translations from its Bahasa Malaysia website, including advising visitors against wearing "clothes thatpoke eye"", a literal translation from the Malay language term for 'revealing clothes'.

‘Rectify this outside House’

Teo today raised the matter in the Dewan Rakyat, citing Standing Order 36(12) and accusing the ministry of trying to mislead the House.

"The calculation doesn't tally. Instead of 27 deaths in 2009, the ministry stated that there were only 14.

"It is just simple mathematics... even those in Year Six will not make mistakes like this. I appeal to the home ministry to rectify their mistakes.”

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, however, pointed out that the issue raised does not fall under Standing Order 36(12).

"I've read the Standing Orders from 1 to 100 many times... if only there is a provision that allows for arbitrary action against YBs (yang berhormat) who misuse Standing Orders just to delay proceedings.

"I don't know if they don't understand or they don't want to understand," complained Pandikar.

He explained that Standing Order 36(12) is specific to misleading the House with intent and that any such matter must be raised immediately after the fact.

Saying there must be a reason for the mistake, he instructed the Home Ministry to rectify it but said this does not necessarily have to be made in the House.

"YB Serdang could have rectified the error outside the House. It could have been corrected while having coffee too," remarked the speaker.





Fast forward to 3:40, you will notice that the police officer warned the Pakatan leaders that he would give them 3 minutes to disperse.  Then he started counting, 1 ..... 2 ....... 3 .... tangkap.  Did that look like 3 minutes to you?  Three minutes would mean 180 seconds, but he counted only 3.  Now we can see how far gone our educational standards that even police officers do not know the difference between minute and second.  Shocking, isn't it?