JG’s ARTICLE APPEARS ON POPULAR REGIONAL MAGAZINE!
January 31, 2009 on 9:53 am | In General | Comments OffPublished Article - “A Multi-pronged Approach to Protect Consumers”
I am surprised to receive so many e-mails on this article which I wrote late 2008 which was published by ASIAVIEWS MAGAZINE – the regional magazine which I believe belongs to Malaysian Business!
Honestly, I really forgot about this article nor that it was published in the said magazine in November 2008 until the feedbacks came with invitations to present papers and participate in 3 regional Consumer Conferences and one in New York late 2009 the last 3 days!
I have yet to receive my complimentary copy too as I have two hardcore fans in my two children, Reuel (16) and Talitha Jacob (12).
Anyway I have asked their administrative staff Ms. Yonna in India for a copy to be sent to me.
| AsiaViews, Edition: 43/V/Nov/2008 |
| A Multi-pronged Approach to Protect Consumers |
| THE Malaysian press continues to expose stories of environmental disasters, destruction of rain forests, hillside development and more recently, the melamine scare in food products.
Sometimes we are forced to ask ourselves, is Malaysia a country without adequate laws and legislation to protect us from these challenges? The truth is we have countless laws and statutes - more than 30 - which cover many aspects of consumer and environmental interests and needs. Among these, however, only 7 are enforced and monitored by Malaysia’s Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs: the Price Control Act 1946, Control of Supplies Act 1961, Trade Description Act 1972, Hire Purchase Act 1967, Weights and Measures Act 1972, the Direct Sales Act 1993 and the Consumer Protection Act 1999. As a consumer advocate with a track record of over 37 years I have being crying in the wilderness, calling for a comprehensive and exhaustive re-examination of the existing provisions of all the Acts pertaining to consumer and environmental protection, with a view to introduce provisions which are not dealt with by current legislation. I have always felt that among the pertinent and important aspects that need to be addressed are protection against unsafe products and services, product liability provisions, protection against unfair and unethical contract terms and provisions on misleading advertising and pricing. CASSA has repeatedly said that consumer protection can be further enhanced by encouraging competition among businesses and making sure that trade practices are as fair as possible. It is a fact of business that true competition increases production, choice and a reduction in price. And it is also a fact that healthy competition benefits the manufacturers, traders and consumers. The creation of monopolies and anti-competitive actions and abuse of market forces undertaken by companies with a sizeable market share should be regulated. Research by CASSA echo a Bank Negara study which concluded that the manufacturing sector in Malaysia is characterized by a high degree of concentration which has increased during the period of study 1979 - 90. As a result, oligopolies represent 80% of manufacturers. Unless this situation is monitored, oligopolies can change to monopolies, which in turn may breed inefficiency in the manufacturing sector due to complacency and barriers to entry. The result will be a reduction of our competitive edge in the export market, a fact already staring us in the face at the present moment. A recent incident denote this reality, namely when Malaysia ordered the immediate closure of a biscuit factory after two of its products were found to contain high levels of melamine during a laboratory test by the Hong Kong government. Consequently, the Malaysian Health Ministry has periodically released statements notifying the public of products tested and found free of melamine. Its website has a list of food and food products certified as safe for consumption while health officials are advising consumers to stop buying unlabelled biscuits from markets. This incident shows there are far too many loopholes and irregularities in the marketplace and that apathy, incompetence and a lack of auditing procedures and detailed enforcement, as well as the absence of punitive sanctions, have resulted in this fiasco threatening Malaysian consumers. And this was not the first time this has happened. There have been cases when our neighbors Singapore has banned our vegetables and meat products due to either excessive pesticides or the presence of banned substances contained in them. Instead of punitive sanctions and proactively addressing the issue, our response was an immediate appeal to lift the ban instead of punishing the perpetrators of this crime against consumers, be they Malaysians or foreigners.
As a result, we are initiating numerous programs that assist consumers of all walks of lives; from students, teachers, trade unions, fishermen, farmers, women groups, the civil society, estate workers, marginalized communities and victims. We have introduced consumer awareness into major subjects, both in the schools and institutions of higher education, to create a curriculum that encompasses the issues and spirit of consumer protection. It has always been our hope that as a result of these activities and endeavors, a new generation of more mindful, discerning, and responsible consumers with a more critical attitude towards consumption will be developed. Consumer education involves acquiring the knowledge and skills needed in managing consumer resources and taking the necessary action to influence the factors which affect consumer decisions. To be a responsible consumer we believe three consumer concepts are critical: decision making, resource management, and citizen participation. As far as CASSA is concerned, consumer education addresses four major issues. These are: Consumer decision making: This issue covers critical thinking skills related to consumers’ goals, needs, wants, and the effects of attitudes, advertising, information and opportunity costs on consumer behavior. Economics: Economics examines the allocation of scarce resources among competing wants and explores the principles of supply and demand and how prices are determined. Other topics include growth and productivity, global interdependence and the inter-related roles of consumers, producers, and government in the economic system. Personal Finance: We want consumers to be able to have the knowledge to manage their personal budgeting, record keeping, income and net worth statements, credit, saving and investing, retirement and estate planning, insurance, and taxes. Rights and Responsibilities: Responsible citizenship involves knowing one’s rights and responsibilities concerning consumer protection laws and regulations and redress mechanisms. It also means being aware of issues such as environmental protection, safety, health care and affordable goods and services. Clearly, consumer education is multi disciplinary by design. It is our hope that those in the legal profession, lawyers in the attorneys general’s office, law professors, industry leaders, and consumer advocates can offer assistance in identifying areas of concern and in designing appropriate consumer education programs. We can only hope that educators, legislators, and government officials have the courage, vision, dedication and boldness to make the necessary changes to protect the rights and interests of the Malaysian consumers. * |
| By Datuk Dr Jacob George, President, Consumer Association of Subang and Shah Alam Selangor (CASSA) |
| Asiaviews, Vol.II No.7 November - December 2008 |
But the publishers tell me that you can order direct for a copy of the November 2008 edition to ASIAVIEWS MAGAZINE.
To have your copy of ASIAVIEWS delivered, please email to editor@asiaviews.org or fax to +62-21-3916021.
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST – WAR ON DENGUE TIMELY!
January 31, 2009 on 5:54 am | In General | Comments Off
KEEPING THEM HONEST – WAR ON DENGUE TIMELY!
My earlier blog on this issue received many a feedbacks and calls from health policymakers and others that they were now doing all they can to address this problem.
‘All they can’’ may not be enough it needs to put all resources – and the operating word is ALL – to address this problem!
They tell me quite honestly that they are addressing Malaysia’s worst-ever outbreak of dengue fever, with 14 deaths and some 5,062 cases of the mosquito-borne disease so far this year.
The crisis, which is centered on Kuala Lumpur and populous Selangor state surrounding the capital, compares to just five deaths and 2,855 cases in the same period a year ago.
All the stakeholders must work together – policymakers, enforcement, NGO groups, and householders must allow authorities to enter their premises to conduct pesticide “fogging” to kill the aedes mosquito which transmits dengue fever.
We must all keep our environment clean and remove rubbish and pots that collect water where mosquitoes can breed.
We must come together to destroy the mosquito breeding grounds!
It is also important that all construction grounds and areas where construction workers are sited/housed are also looked at as I believe this is the prime area that has been over looked!
Dengue fever is endemic in Southeast Asia and cases in Malaysia have surged since 2003.
Last year there were 49,335 cases in Malaysia with 112 deaths, compared to 48,846 cases with 98 deaths the previous year.
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST SERIES - TIME TO WORK WITH GOVT NOT CREATE TURMOILS!
January 30, 2009 on 3:18 pm | In General | Comments OffThe stimulus package debate (Part 2)
We must be fair and patient!
There is a time to question, drill and challenge or fight as there is a time for networking and working towards solutions in a peaceful and cordial manner!
This is such a time – a time for ‘all hands to put hand to wheel’ to assist the nation move forward!
The government has already stated quite clearly that its 2009 budget deficit will be higher than the forecast 4.8 percent of gross domestic product, because of a new stimulus package aimed at averting a recession!
And in all fairness our deputy premier Najib Razak has in all openness stated publicly that the size of the deficit “depends on the fiscal pump-priming that we are going to do” but that the government was aware of the need for it not to be “too high”.
For the record, we all know that Malaysia announced a RM7 billion stimulus package last year but has said that a second one will be launched soon.
I am certain Najib being a ‘no nonsense man’ is working on it and when things are ready an announcement would be made!
Let us not politicize the issue any further!
The new measures have been billed as being focused on helping companies and workers affected by the global slowdown.
I am advised by senior MOF Officials that more than 70 percent of the initial seven billion ringgit stimulus programme has been disbursed, mostly on improving roads, schools and low-cost housing.
That means they are doing all they can to help and we should thus let them do their job in peace!
For the record, the government had already widened its deficit forecast for 2009 to 4.8 percent, from the 3.6 percent predicted in August, due to the additional government spending.
What we are facing is not just our own but a global happening!
So please, leave ‘Najib and the treasury team’ do their job in peace!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST SERIES – ‘VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN TAKES NEW FORMS!
January 30, 2009 on 2:41 pm | In General | Comments Off
KEEPING THEM HONEST SERIES – ‘VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN TAKES NEW FORMS!
Case No: 1 – Involving America’s Brightest and Best?
Just when you thought ‘the World’s Caucasians’ had learnt their lessons, we have a stunning affidavit filed in the US federal court by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, a copy of which was emailed to me (for reasons I cannot fathom?) where a young, educated lass – the first alleged victim who claimed that she was raped by a high ranking, educated CIA officer in September 2007 after being invited to a party with US embassy employees at his residence!
She said that while there, she was served mixed drinks of cola and whiskey that were prepared out of her sight.
Later in the evening, after the final drink served by the officer, she suddenly felt ill and vomited, and woke up in the officer’s house the next morning nude after being apparently raped, according to the affidavit. She said she had no recollection of having intercourse.
If you thought that was all fabricated a second alleged victim described a similar incident that occurred in February 2008, according to the affidavit.
According to the report pills and other evidence, including about a dozen videotapes showing the officer engaged in sexual acts with women, some of whom are believed to have been in a semi-conscious state on the videos, turned up when a search warrant was executed on the officer’s residence.
Now amidst the embarrassment taking place on US President Barrack Obama’s watch – US prosecutors have broadened the investigation to Egypt because the date on some tapes matched the time when the officer was posted in Cairo.
The affidavit said Valium and Xanax, drugs my toxicologist friends described as “commonly used to facilitate sexual assault,” were found in the officer’s home in Algiers.
According to police intelligence officials, I am told that these drugs commonly referred to as date rape drugs are difficult to detect because the body rapidly metabolizes them!
In fact, the sad part is that many occasions women victims are not aware they were even assaulted until the next day!
The irony is ‘this great American’ when interviewed by diplomatic security investigators had the audacity to claim that he had engaged in consensual sexual intercourse!
This is despite the drugs and tape recordings found in his residence – perhaps he wants to rewrite the definition for rape in the law statutes!
Case No: 2 – ‘Malaysia Boleh takes new form!’
’If this was happening abroad – Malaysia was not outdone when a Malaysian Muslim wife handed over a hand-phone of her husband @A which according to her not only contained numerous numbers and sms of alleged married women preys but also recording of sexual acts and conversations between them!
According to the wife’s record made public in police reports and carried in a local vernacular tabloid that has the highest circulation her husband indulges in ‘black magic’ and films these sexual rendezvous hoping to manipulate and blackmail his very educated female companions/victims at a later stage!
I was shown the hand-phone and the contents and this is one educated but sick character on the prowl and all I can ask is why in the first place did these women all of brilliant profile and standing ever put themselves in this compromising and embarrassing situation?
The story carried under the title – ‘Mangsa Kasanova’ has been making hits since the story went public the 22 January 2009!
Since then, many victims have come forward including one of the wives of this predator whose story was carried 28 January and since then the news room I am told, is flooded with feedbacks and @A is on Malaysia’s top cop’s radar!
Case No: 3 - ‘Murder Most Foul!’
As if all this was not enough we now have another tragic tale of the finding of the skeletal remains of A. Fairos Ahmad Sulaiman, 37!
The deceased was found in a cemented septic tank of the house where she had lived with her Dutch husband Lambertus Den Dulk @ Mohd Lufti Abdullah, and their three-year-old son, Johan Sebastian.
The family of three had been living in Ranong since 2004. Fairos was listed as missing in November 2007.
Her remains were found recently, but there has been no news about her husband and son.
According to friends in Bukit Aman she was from Kuala Kangsar, had married Lufti in Satun, Thailand, in 2004.
Her Dutch husband and son are missing and believed to be back in Holland!
I am certain INTERPOL will be invited to pursue this matter!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST - TIME WE STOPPED UNQUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS PERFORMING COSMETIC SURGERIES IN MALAYSIA!
January 29, 2009 on 12:37 pm | In General | Comments OffI was deeply saddened to hear the death of a young vibrant young man in his early thirties!
He was not obese neither having any health problems but according to close relatives was obsessed by an urge to have liposuction!
And he did just that – and – that caused him his life!
Like him, many others attempting various forms of cosmetic surgery and procedures have either lost their lives or have suffered various forms of disfigurement in Malaysia or during their stints in Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, China and other dubious ‘hang-outs’ of these dubious ‘fly in-out’ medical practitioners!
Which brings consumer advocate - JG into the scene as I zoom in on those performing these medical procedures and seeking answers from the powers that be as to safeguards, checks and balances and why anyone with just a medical degree or mere post graduate credentials (without the cutting experience let alone having being endorsed by another expert in that field) is allowed to perform all manners and sorts of cosmetic surgeries in this country?
As you can see I am now diverting all my energies and resources to get answers from the powers that be and to expose these individuals for what they really are – ‘an embarrassment to a noble profession!’
That is putting it quite mildly as I can use more superlatives and among them, some very vulgar ones!
As you can see I am also upset with this lad’s death!
Among those who are hurt and saddened by his death is his cousin, who is my dearest friend, a ‘brother’ that I never had, ‘an uncle’ to my two children and they love him too despite knowing him only lately but whom I have know for over thirty years from my Penang days and who is a very senior member of the medical profession, a dedicated and caring individual who does credit to the medical profession!
I am now seeking feedbacks from the Ministry of Health and asking them to immediately put a stop to these forms of cosmetic surgeries in the private sector unless the person (s) performing has been endorsed!
If this is not so – then I will ask the Attorney General’s Chambers to initiate investigations into deaths and disfigurement on all cosmetic surgeries performed in Malaysia and to institute manslaughter or murder chargers against them!
Tomorrow I meet a few medical consultants who I have deep respect for over tea to discuss and receive their feedbacks!
They want this stopped as well!
The private hospitals that facilitated these operations would also be roped in to face chargers under Malaysian laws in ‘aiding and abetting’ the said individual in this criminal and heinous act!
Having said that let us look at liposuction to greater detail!
I agree that liposuction is performed in great detail in the West!
And like any surgical procedure, liposuction has its risks.
I am told by experts in this field, for instance, there is a small chance of the cannula piercing an organ instead of sucking the fat.
According to a legally trained mind that has had enough exposure to medicine and its various practices is simply that a consumer/patient must make certain he/she verifies the credentials of the cosmetic surgeon before you undergo the procedure!
And not just for this surgery but for any surgical procedure and not just liposuction.
You minimize your risks when you make certain to choose a surgeon that has performed the procedure numerous times and knows exactly how to conduct the procedure.
Does that mean accidents don’t happen? Of course there is always that possibility but choosing your surgeon carefully will minimize the possibility.
There may also be the possibility of liposuction causing nerve damage or blood clots.
The more fat the surgeon removes during liposuction the higher the risks are of complications developing.
I am advised that there are risks in any surgery but with elective surgery such as liposuction you want to minimize the risks as much as possible not just because you want to avoid complications but because many times the patient is paying out of their own pockets.
You can also minimize your risk of complications by making sure you are as fit as possible before you have liposuction.
That means you want to be in control of your weight through a program of strict diet and exercise in order to assure that you minimize the amount of fat pockets.
You should not be fearful of the risks associated with liposuction as long as you proceed with caution. Like any surgical procedure you need to follow the doctor’s order before, during and after liposuction.
Do not attempt to return to work or resume normal activities until your doctor tells you it is safe to do so. You are an individual, and even if your friend had liposuction and returned to work in a week, you must go on the advice of your doctor.
There are many different complications that may develop when you have liposuction, and your doctor is attempting to reduce those chances by making certain you fully recuperate before you resume your normal activities.
There is no way to prevent the risk associated with liposuction but if you follow the guidelines your doctor provides you will have little fear of complications.
You may also want to obtain a second opinion before you undergo liposuction to be certain your doctor is providing the soundest advice for you.
Anytime you contemplate surgery of any kind whether elective or medically necessary it’s a good idea to obtain a second opinion.
Sometimes doctors differ in the way they choose to treat the needs of patients, and this is in the best interests of the patients.
Before you agree to have liposuction, even if you have requested the procedure, talk to another doctor.
There are times a doctor may recommend surgery for reasons of his own rather than what is best for the patient!
Obtaining a second opinion from a doctor that is not connected to your medical team can provide you with information that is unbiased!
My children read this article and they were surprised to see that I was being ‘extremely pleasant and diplomatic’ in this article and ‘knowing me as they do’ – my son/daughter remarked that this should put more fear in those ‘medical professionals’ who are not really ‘qualified in the field’ but still undertaking this in various private hospitals!
My daughter Talitha sarcastically said – ‘hey Dad - they must remember this is your subtle advice to them before you conduct a nationwide blitz hunting them all down one by one!’
That makes me feel like Van Helsing!
Got my drift!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST SERIES - A LOOK AT THE NATIONAL HEALTHCARE FINANCE (NHCF)!
January 28, 2009 on 9:29 pm | In General | Comments OffI am deeply moved and happy to read the statement by the Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Malaysia , Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican that the proposed National Health Care Finance system must provide universal coverage with healthcare costs for the poor and needy being financed by the government.
That was the line of argument that I presented at the recent Healthcare forum and the ASTRO Healthcare Discussions which would be televised over the national and international networks in a week or two!
The program where my 16 year old son, Reuel Jacob made his debut on national and international television and made an impact with all the learned medical professionals and policymakers when he raised several pertinent questions on healthcare financing and duty of care!
Not forgetting the invitation he got to lunch and a tour of a leading private hospital in Bangsar from a leading and respected cardiologist!
Now back to the issue on National Healthcare financing!
Based on the presentation of the DG I believe what he was proposing was that a health insurance system should be egalitarian, community-rated and based on solidarity.
The three principles:
1. being egalitarian
2. Community rated or as I put it community driven and
3. Based on solidarity and trust!
I fully agree with Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican that the NHF must provide universal coverage, be acceptable and affordable.
We cannot have a policy driven by greed and by corporate business vultures, the kind that we see taking over many an government run schemes through privatization!
We must have a system where the marginalized and underprivileged and as DG Tan Sri Dr Ismail stated - the disadvantaged groups such as the poor, the disabled and also government servants being financed by the government!
For the record you must known that the interim report on the NHCF was first submitted in August 2006, and subsequently, Karol Consulting Pty Ltd provided consultancy services to the project!
However, the NHCF never took off due to ‘teething problems’ which is putting it rather mildly, or being ‘politically polite’, despite the money spent!
But it is certainly positive that the Health Ministry has since set up a special unit to handle NHCF with the Economic Planning Unit but the latter in my analysis, have yet to deliver!
No one denies that the National Healthcare Finance if implemented eventually must be efficient and be able to manage the rate of growth of healthcare spending while providing flexibility, freedom of choice and improvement in quality.
Like Tan Sri states it cannot be totally based on a ‘free fall or subsidy mentality’ for it must be viable, reliable, and sustainable, as well as create an impact on the desirable outcomes for health status improvement and encourage innovation in delivery!
The only way this is possible is for the said scheme to be uniform for the population.
But with the opportunity for users of the scheme, be they contributors, their spouses and dependents to be able to upgrade the benefits if they chose to do so by paying more!
The NHCF must be able to support new services with various new cutting-edge science and innovative technology of the ever evolving medical our industry.
It must also be in line with the MOH’s -Vision for Health and Vision 2020.”
I sincerely hope that with the advent of the NHF the present existing inequality between ethnic groups, income gap and the poor, the rural/urban divide, gender gap and the older generation will be bridged.
And those who are stakeholders, be they the government, the consumers, the regulatory agencies, the healthcare financing and insurance companies - all have a role to play to protect the rights and interests of Malaysian consumers!
At the end of the day – there must not be a chasm between the rich and the poor and marginalized and if that happens it only means, once again, we have failed and that ultimately means, we all need to go back to the drawing board!
I sincerely believe this will not happen as long as Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican is on driving seat!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST – THE DENGUE OUTBREAK – HOW MANY MORE MUST DIE?
January 28, 2009 on 5:47 pm | In General | Comments OffKEEPING THEM HONEST – THE DENGUE OUTBREAK – HOW MANY MORE MUST DIE?
FLASH BACK - MY ARTICLES ON THIS SUBJECT!
Local Authorities Fail in Fighting Dengue (Posted on 12.39pm Jan 04, 2003)
I am saddened that several people in my neighborhood have contracted dengue.
It does not end there.
For the record, we have also had fatalities and noted among them is a Subang Jaya resident, also a former Universiti Hospital Eye Specialist and Associate Professor, who has served with dedication and distinction. She is a shining beacon and friend to both her colleagues, and post and undergraduate medical students!
And for this reason alone, I cannot but be angry and upset that the information that dengue fever has claimed 54 lives in 2002, with 10,753 confirmed cases reported nationwide was kept from the public.
And to add salt to wound, neither was there a concentrated effort in mobilizing a nationwide effort to neither combat this outbreak nor take punitive sanctions against those who aid and abet this situation to exist, be they individuals, developers or the local councils!
Despite all the “hype, propaganda and publicity on how e-savvy Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) is, the township has the distinction of been singled out as the “dengue capital of the nation”!
And noted among them are the “high demand residential areas in USJ!”
Perhaps, those who have received their “political appointment” as MPSJ councilors with the various perks should tender their resignation for failing miserably to monitor act and protect the rights and interests of residents here!
And the heads of the MPSJ health enforcement units should be immediately replaced!
It is a pity that a township which was planned as an “environmental haven” four decades ago has turned into a “nightmare concrete jungle”, thanks to incompetent enforcement, questionable and arbitrarily construction approvals and with construction and developers running amok.
INSENSITIVE
Today, Subang Jaya can be best remembered for the symbiotic relationships between certain developers enjoying a monopoly in construction approvals and “people in the corridors of power” despite failing to surrender titles meant for parks, public areas and usage and for an obsession for “Manhattan styled skyline”, excessive signboards, abandoned projects, traffic jams, flash flood, contaminated water and a quality of life that is suspect!
And these very authorities instead of mobilizing a massive campaign to contain the outbreak are rather insensitive by telling us to be calm and that we are “currently experiencing an increase in the number of cases compared to 2001, but it has not reached the epidemic stage!
As a consumer advocate, may I ask both the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and Ministry of Health, how many “body bags” must we fill before it is to be classified “an epidemic” and worthy of a national alert and effort?
For the record, in 2001 alone, Malaysia posted 50 deaths and reported 8,669 dengue cases.
I am also aware that the World Health Organization (WHO) had issued an alert about five months ago warning all countries in the tropical region, including Malaysia, to be prepared for an increase in the number of dengue cases in view of present weather conditions. It is a pity that our local authorities have not adequately responded to the alert!
Ironically, the problem is not in some rural unreachable corner of Malaysia but in several areas that boost of their “bandaraya status”!
Time here is of the essence and it is of utmost importance that both the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and the Ministry of Health put away their “petty squabbles and ministerial tussles” and address the outbreak.
It is also important that the Ministry of Information instead of spending too much time on “political propaganda” go on an offensive media blitz, utilizing the private television stations too, to conscientize the masses on the dengue problem.
This article below was written in 2006 and repeated in 2007 and 2008!
It was disturbing news to consumers when we learn that Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Penang saw an increase in suspected dengue cases while the other states recorded a decline in the past week.
Deputy director-general of Health (Public Health) Datuk Dr Ramlee Rahmat has stated that Selangor recorded 441 cases over one week ending Dec 23 (329 cases previously), Kuala Lumpur with 276 cases (242), and Penang with 93 cases (88).
We are also told that Perak, Johor, Kedah, Sabah, Pahang and Terengganu recorded between seven and 49 cases last week, a drop of between six and 30 per cent compared with the previous week!
He also said that of the 1,167 suspected dengue cases last week, some 290 cases were positive. No death was reported.
The suspected cases were reported in Setapak, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, Cheras, Petaling Jaya, Kajang, Kelang, Ampang Jaya, Gombak, Kuala Lumpur city centre, Jalan Kelang Lama, Johor Baharu, Kepong, Hulu Selangor, Kuantan, Melaka Tengah, Damansara, Selayang and north-east and south-west Penang.
To check the problem, the Health Ministry has distributed mosquito larvae killers, educate the public and conduct activities to eradicate Aedes mosquitoes.
What disturbed me again was that several close friends and relatives of mine who worked in Bukit Aman were also alleged to be down with dengue!
It all boils down to keeping our environment clean which is all our responsibility!
Today, January 28 2009, I am advised that in 2008 there were 49,335 cases in Malaysia with 112 deaths, compared to 48,846 cases with 98 deaths in 2007!
So policymakers and others entrusted to protect Malaysian consumers - Just how many more must die?
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
JG NOMINATED FOR WHO CONFERENCE!
January 27, 2009 on 9:12 am | In General | Comments Off
My late grandfather, Perak, Penang and Kedah’s educationist George Philip – the man who initiated all the ‘moves’ to start ‘All Saints School in Kamunting, Taiping, Perak, the ‘High School in Sungei Petani, Kedah, St. Marks Schools in Butterworth, always told me that ‘in every cloud there will be a silver lining’ and how true!
I want to thank those behind my nomination for this World Health Organization (WHO) conference in Malaysia and the sequel to it in Geneva later in the year.
It is an honor and a privilege to be nominated!
I am grateful that my contribution to ‘Healthcare issues’ in this country and the region has been recognized and that in itself is a rare honor that none can take away from me!
More than me - my two children, Reuel and Talitha, who I love so dearly, are so very excited to learn of this!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST – FOOD RECALL!
January 27, 2009 on 8:47 am | In General | Comments Off
KEEPING THEM HONEST – FOOD RECALL!
Thank you ‘SW’ and sorry, I forgot, ‘Dr KH’ from New York’s Consumers Alert network for alerting me that Starbucks Corp had yesterday pulled all products containing peanut butter from its stores in the United States and Canada as a safety precaution!
(See my earlier blog)
I am certain this move has come amid the U.S. salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter and peanut paste from the Peanut Corp of America’s Blakely, Georgia processing facility.
I am deeply saddened to learn that there have been seven deaths tied to the contamination, which has made hundreds of sick, according to U.S. health officials.
However, I am advised that the coffee chain said its products are not affected by a massive recall of peanut butter products and that Peanut Corporation of America is not a Starbucks supplier.
Some of the pulled products include the company’s protein plate, granola bars and peanut butter cookies.
I am now awaiting confirmations from our local players and franchise holders of the said brand to respond failing which, I will initiate a crackdown through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs, first thing, Wednesday morning!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
CNY GREETINGS FROM JG!
January 26, 2009 on 10:39 am | In General | Comments Off
WISHING ALL A BLESSED CHINESE NEW YEAR 2009!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST SERIES – FOOD RECALL IN THE US!
January 24, 2009 on 7:21 pm | In General | Comments OffKEEPING THEM HONEST SERIES – FOOD RECALL IN THE US!
Yes, I had received the alert a week ago and again, this afternoon after being brought into the loop since being appointed ‘special adviser’ to MOH, ‘Joint Chairman for Selangor State Consumer Council and as a member of the National Consumer Council!
I am advised (through e-mail alerts) by our counter parts abroad in the US that the company that sells Little Debbie snacks announced a recall Sunday of peanut butter crackers because of a potential link to a deadly salmonella outbreak!
This was a voluntary recall after the US government advised consumers to avoid eating cookies, cakes, ice cream and other foods with peanut butter until health officials learn more about the contamination.
In addition, if I am correct the announcement by McKee Foods Corp. of Collegedale, Tenn., about two kinds of Little Debbie products was another in a string of voluntary recalls following the most recent guidance by health officials.
The South Bend Chocolate Co. in Indiana was recalling various candies containing peanut butter from Peanut Corp. of America. In suburban Chicago, Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products recalled several brands of peanut butter cookies it sells through Wal-Mart stores.
McKee since has gone on record stating that it had not received any complaints about illnesses from people who ate any size peanut butter toasty sandwich crackers or peanut butter cheese sandwich crackers.
The recall covers crackers produced on or after July 1.
I am told that officials are focusing on peanut paste, as well as peanut butter, produced at a Blakely, Ga., facility owned by Peanut Corp. Its peanut butter is not sold directly to consumers but distributed to institutions and food companies. But the peanut paste, made from roasted peanuts, is an ingredient in cookies, cakes and other products that people buy in the supermarket.
The Kellogg Co., which listed Peanut Corp. as one of its suppliers, has recalled 16 products. McKee said Kellogg manufactured the Little Debbie crackers covered by the recall.
The Kellogg products recalled include Austin and Keebler branded peanut butter sandwich crackers, and some snack-size packs of Famous Amos peanut butter cookies and Keebler Soft Batch Home-style peanut butter cookies.
As far as statistics goes, I am advised that more than 470 people have gotten sick in 43 states, and at least 90 had to be hospitalized. At least six deaths are being blamed on the outbreak.
Late Saturday, the Midwest supermarket chain Hy-Vee Inc. of West Des Moines, Iowa, said it was voluntarily recalling products made in its bakery departments with peanut butter because they had the potential to be contaminated with salmonella.
The recall covered seven states: Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota.
Perry’s Ice Cream Co., based in Akron, N.Y., said it was recalling select ice cream products containing peanut butter because of the PCA investigation. Its recall covered New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.
But the FDA state that most peanut butter sold in jars at supermarkets appears to be safe!
But I can understand the anxiety nationally and to countries receiving these exports that since over 30 companies out of a total of 85 are being the focus of this probe caution is the call!
For the record, CASSA doctors say that Salmonella is a bacteria and the most common source of food poisoning in the many parts of the world whose symptoms are diarrhea, cramping and fever!
I will issue a statement urging a voluntary recall in Malaysia if these brand names are already here! There is no need to raise a panic!
I will call Director General of Malaysian Health Services, Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican on his mobile since he is a dear friend and a proactive individual who tolerates no idiots, neither nonsense and one who seriously protects the rights and interests of Malaysian consumers!
I am certain he will issue an executive order on this matter as well!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
CASSA LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING WITH BFM 89.9 -BUSINESS STATION!
January 24, 2009 on 10:04 am | In General | Comments Off
BFM 89.9 is a new radio business station with a difference!
And I am glad that they comprise of individuals whom I have worked with for several years in my consumer portfolio when they worked in other media institutions - individuals, I know personally and are people of faith, integrity, dedication, calling and deep rooted sense of responsibility to the national inspiration for holistic change!
From the onset, they are interested to tackle the ‘hard issues’ with a deep sense of ‘no holds bared’, dedication and consumer commitment - qualities that I have always held with my CASSA Team!
So it is with much gladness, we announce our involvement in the daily consumer talk show program beginning February 9 2009 at 2pm!
There will be a call in session as well!
So stay tuned and be part of this new drive to create awareness, major policy and mindset change in Malaysia!
The change starts with us and it should be a ‘change that we can all believe in!’
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST SERIES - LABU!
January 24, 2009 on 9:05 am | In General | Comments Off
The Malaysian public know all so well that there is ‘no love lost’ between Sime Darby and I, after their (the then known as Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) now SIME DARBY HEALTHCARE) unceremoniously carried out a ‘retrenchment’ of one single employee – me - under the auspices of ‘economic downturn’ during the late nineties!
I took the matter to the Industrial Court and after seven long painful years won reinstatement with no loss to seniority, with two years of back pay but they filed an appeal to frustrate the Industrial Courts decision which is expected to be heard in March this year!
The industrial courts judgment was uplifting as I broke down in tears in front of my learned counsel!
That was four years I am still struggling and suffering and only my deep involvement in policy and social concerns has kept me afloat from sinking into ‘deeper depression!”
But such matters will not cloud my judgment and the Malaysian public know that based on my track record in public policy issues!
Now enough of that let us get to the real issues of Labu!
First t
he facts - Sime Darby told Bursa on Jan 5 that the Government had given it the go-ahead on the RM1.6 billion Labu low-cost carrier terminal.
But yesterday, our deputy premier Najib Tun Razak stated that the government has yet to decide!
So by all counts – you do not have to be a ‘rocket scientist’ to know that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak threw a twist to the ongoing saga over the building of a new low-cost carrier terminal in Labu!
He said that the government has yet to decide on a new airport in Labu, located less than 10km away from the KL International Airport’s (KLIA) and to be exclusively used by budget carrier AirAsia.
Najib’s exact words - “We are looking at it but have yet to make any decision. I cannot pre-empt the decision by making an announcement,”
His statement was a stark contrast to a disclosure by Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat on Dec 21 that the government has indeed approved RM1.6 billion airport.
If you remember OTK then stated that new airport - to be called KLIA East @ Labu - would be jointly built by AirAsia and conglomerate Sime Darby on a 2,800-hectare site in Labu under a private finance initiative.
But then there was an outpouring of public outcry over the necessity of four airports serving Kuala Lumpur with many critics saying AirAsia should just make use of the present LCCT in Sepang as it will soon be expanded and incorporated with the KLIA, with possibility of a new runway added.
This matter has being badly handled so far as are many public issues and it is clear lessons have not being learnt from past such fiascos!
I have always advocated the need for clarity, consistency, transparency, accountability and substance when dealing with such issues!
We need to look at the bigger picture and pay attention to business proposals if they indeed make ‘ringgit and sense!”
I am told that I may be roped in a ‘select committee’ looking at this issue and if indeed this is true I look forward to such a task!
Like I said we need - clarity, consistency, transparency, accountability and substance when dealing with such issues and if indeed it makes sense let us not allow ‘politicians - ‘past and present’ and others with their personal and private agendas’ derail a worthy business proposal!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST SERIES - DPM’s CALL FOR PARADIGN SHIFT IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TIMELY!
January 23, 2009 on 10:32 pm | In General | Comments OffDPM’s CALL FOR PARADIGN SHIFT IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TIMELY!
No one can disagree that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s call for a paradigm shift in the construction industry, is timely when he stated that this sector needs to become more competitive by utilising new technology.
He said the industry was an important sector in generating the country’s economy.
I fully agree with Najib that if Malaysia wants to be more competitive, there should be changes that lead to higher productivity as we compete with regional economies that are fast growing like Vietnam and Indonesia!
Najib, who is Finance Minister, had stated that the government had recently introduced new policies pertaining to the application of the industrial building system (IBS) which helped boost productivity in the construction sector.
If I am not mistaken the IBS, among other things, involves the pre-fabrication of construction components before being shifted to construction sites, thus minimising the need for a large number of labour force and this will have a immediate result on our over dependence on foreign workers!
DPM Najib also confirmed that the government had issued a directive making it compulsory to adopt at least 70 per cent of the IBS technology in all government projects.
I am advised that as of Jan 8, a total of 303 government projects nationwide, valued at RM9.2 billion, were using the IBS technology” which is remarkable!
Furthermore, it is note worthy that we intend to adopt of the IBS technology to enhance the country’s image as a place where good builders flourished!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST SERIES - UTILISE STIMULUS PACKAGE WITH TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY!
January 23, 2009 on 2:09 pm | In General | Comments Off
UTILISE STIMULUS PACKAGE WITH TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY!
Dear friend and incoming Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak (see left) as expected unveiled the much talked about “stimulus package” to spearhead further economic growth and development after recent anxieties over the world and national economic situation!
The introduction of this “stimulus package” is no doubt, to uplift, bolster and safeguard our economy, in the wake of various international economic upheavals and happenings, that has a direct and indirect impact on our shores!
This move by the government, is timely, and sends a clear signal that the Barisan Nasional government would do everything within its power, to bolster and assist “players and dependents” of the Malaysian economy.
However, it must be pointed out that “due care and concern” must be embedded into the whole process, to prevent and avoid any major “spending spree” under this “lifeblood attempt.”
The last time, we had a similar package, there were allegations of “sheer imprudence and lack of objectivity” in spending patterns and therefore, this time around, it is crucial that all attempts and strategic safeguards must be put into place.
We cannot deny, that our “development efforts” has run up high deficits and this adds more support that all attempts must be undertaken, that due care, merit and prioritizing be the mode of the day!
The writer is made to understand, that the said “stimulus package” was originally due to be announced much earlier but our intelligentsia decided to re-look and re-examine the total package to avoid earlier pitfalls!
This move must be lauded and is no doubt being one of calculated prudence.
But again there is no denying that we can still make re-adjustments to suit changes and needs and one area which we may need to re-look is the tourist sector!
As a consumer advocate, monitoring the issue, it is hoped that the financial package introduced by the government would contain ’specific measures expected to have an immediate impact on the economy, while laying the foundation for more stable growth in the medium and long-term’.
It would also be hoped that the measures introduced would speed up existing projects and focus on sustaining consumer spending.
However, these efforts may be inadequate if there are no measures put into fast track to further liberalize the economy and cut red tape to boost competitiveness and woo foreign investors.
The corporate sector must be made more competitive and draw in more foreign investment to sustain its growth’.
The government should also ‘restructure and deregulate’ the economy in its upcoming package to counter stiff competition from China, India, Vietnam and regional economies.
One would also caution the government against overstretching its finances!
As such, multi billion ringgit projects that depend on foreign borrowings must specially be caveat and sent for rigorous reexamination and review.
For the record, it must be pointed out that several years ago the government spent RM7.3 billion to “pump prime” the economy amid the US slowdown and the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in the US.
The result then was, it kept the recession away, prompting an anemic 0.4-per-cent growth.
But, the good news is that we are not on the brink of recession now, so there is no need to break or pressurize the banks to push growth.
However, the federal government needs to be extremely prudent and it will certainly help if certain state governments, noted for their “lavish spending” be advised by the deputy premier to be of “extreme thrift” in the long term interest, of the nation.
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
WISHING ALL A BLESSED PONGGAL 2009!
January 14, 2009 on 1:19 pm | In General | Comments OffPLEASE ACCEPT MY WARMEST PONGGAL WISHES!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST - WHEN HEALTHCARE STAKEHOLDERS THEMSELVES ARE MISGUIDED!
January 13, 2009 on 1:29 pm | In General | Comments Off
KEEPING THEM HONEST - WHEN HEALTHCARE STAKEHOLDERS THEMSELVES ARE MISGUIDED!
I am advised a healthcare symposium is being organized by a group of medical practitioners in Selangor!
I am told that the purpose of an organized healthcare symposium is to foresee, discuss and formulate answers to the challengers that the healthcare system in Malaysia is likely to encounter as the nation push forward to achieve the status of a developed nation by the year 2020?
You will not be wrong to feel that the objective stated seems more like a propaganda ‘spin’ rather than a thought out program with clear cut objectives and along stated time lines for achievement!
Based on my ‘intimate knowledge’ of the Malaysian Healthcare system and the behavior of its many practitioners who should all have become ‘businessmen and women’ rather than doctors, this meet like others prior to it will have ‘the trims’ of been held in a five star hotel setting, will have a number of topics discussed even if several are of no relevance to the issues and challengers faced today by the ‘common man in the street’, it will presented by policymakers and practitioners, many of whom may have never worked in a rural setting, let alone served the interior of several towns in Sabah or Sarawak!
Certainly to impress on others that it is a serious meet, the program content will have topics like globalization and healthcare, managed care organizations, the dead horse topics of national healthcare financing and ‘idiotic and non relevant issues’ like ‘general practice of the future’ though one wonders just why are we continuing to rerun these topics repeatedly and in the name of the nation’s consumers!
Perhaps, they are more to ‘beef up a program’ but not to move forward, let alone change mindsets or address the real primary needs and concerns of consumers instead of the ‘bullshit agenda of certain doctors and their multinational sponsors!’
A simple glance at the program will show several disparities, loopholes and glaring weakness and a fundamental ‘conflict of interest’ in one:
Now who speaks for the people? All I see is a set of ‘practitioners and policymakers’ but do they really articulate the issues, and to be specific speak for the real intentions, needs, rights and interests of Malaysian consumers?
Secondly, the issues and topics are ‘far too wide and diverse’ and quite clear that ‘nothing tangible’ is going to be achieved!
Thirdly, the ‘ground planned to be covered’ to the ‘eyes of even a novice’ will denote just been too exhaustive to be ‘result oriented!’
Several of these doctors have the audacity to criticize ‘conflict of interests’ everywhere else but why is there a ‘multinational - business entity’ involved in a ‘sponsored talk?
What are they doing in this symposium? Are they financing part of this symposium? And why? Is it because they have the ‘love of Jesus in their hearts?’
Healthcare stakeholders must realize that we are now in a arena where the consumers do not want ‘half measures’, they are fed up of the ‘spins’, they want change and progressive healthcare which takes into account the primary interest of all stakeholders and players in the healthcare paradigm!
They become suspicious of the ‘real motives’ of these ‘sponsors’ and organizers - not that it is not already been speculated!
It is a pity when those who claim that they want to change the system, want a ‘change that all can believe in’ refuse to change themselves and look for ‘handouts’, ‘sponsorships’, ‘door gifts’ or what have you from multinational business interests thus compromising many who may want to participate in the said forum but feel uneasy knowing that there are ‘many agendas’ being played out in this meet!
The real challenge the organizers should know is to do things without the assistance of ‘big business’ but they already know this – don’t they?
Perhaps, is this why a fundamental topic namely – A Code of Ethics, of Reforms and Accountability – The Real Challenge for Malaysian Healthcare is not on the program?
I trust you got my drift!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST SERIES – 16 YEAR OLD WINS HEARTS AND MINDS SETS THE THEME FOR LIVELY TALKSHOW ON HEALTHCARE REFORMS! (PT5)
January 11, 2009 on 9:46 pm | In General | Comments OffKEEPING THEM HONEST SERIES – 16 YEAR OLD WINS HEARTS AND MINDS SETS THE THEME FOR LIVELY TALKSHOW ON HEALTHCARE REFORMS! (PT5)
The country’s leading personalities, leading policy-makers, practitioners, members of the Malaysian health ‘hall of fame’ and the nation’s leading consumer advocate, who has a track record on such issues over 37 years were all there in the studio!
There were the audience and not forgetting that thousands of home and office viewers who will be seeing the debate over healthcare reforms and issues pertaining to it at least three times over a week!
There will be a sequel to this with two parties – namely the Director General of Health Malaysia and I!
But let us analyze the talk-show that took place on Saturday January 10 2009 at ASTRO!
The truth is, a young 16 year old first-timer, a form four student from Sekolah Menengah TTDI Jaya, Shah Alam, Selangor set the talk show theme in its proper perspective when he asked a rather pertinent question:
“Sir – Western and developed countries spend around 10 per cent of their GDP for their healthcare services while we spend less than 2.3 percent. Is this not shortchanging the rights and interests of Malaysian consumers?’
It was a brilliant question and well put winning the hearts and support of all those in that TV auditorium notably the practitioners and policymakers!
I saw many smiles from two leading cardiologist friends when the question was put and during lunch they took turns to explain to this young lad (who is my son Reuel) why this disparity is taking place!
This young lad won ‘many a praise’ and received invitations to return to ASTRO to participate in similar programs on current affairs to a personally conducted tour of a private hospital and ‘work of a specialist’ in the Klang Valley and to lunch with them at a leading eatery in Bangsar!
The talk show was a ‘no holds bared discussion’ on the many issues surrounding healthcare reforms, problems in our hospitals, rising costs and profiteering by private healthcare institutions and hospitals, the lack of direction of health tourism, medical negligence issues, the ill-advised attempt at privatizing IJN, the dangers of privatization and corporatisation, brain-drain, national healthcare financing, corruption and unethical business practices and related issues!
I was surprised that I was thrust into defending the track record of the Ministry of Health, Malaysia which I did with a clear conscience having the data!
But I was shocked and ‘tears filled my eyes’ when the learned members of the panel called for me to ‘drive and lead’ the call and attempt at ‘healthcare reforms’ through a MOH/EPU Select Committee and that they will all mobilize support for my efforts!
It was heartwarming to receive recognition for one’s work!
It is MOH’s call - truly but it is clearly recorded on camera and I will brief DG Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican this week when I hand him my report!
What were my other contributions during this program?
I spoke extensively about taking care of our care givers in the hospitals – doctors, nurses, administrators, Para-medical staff and nurses by re-looking at the salary structure, continuing education and other benefits!
For doctors, I suggested the following which internationally recognized institution of Medicine recommends:
- Doctors/Residents who complete a 30-hour shift may treat patients for only up to 16 hours, followed by a 5-hour protected sleep period between 10 PM and 8 AM, during which time patient care would be managed by other non sleeping residents or additional staff members.
- Supervision of work hours should be increased because of frequent, often underreported lack of compliance with international limits. I had recommended periodic independent reviews of hours worked by doctors/residents, as well as increased protections for those who report failure to comply with current work hour restrictions.
- ‘Moonlighting’ restrictions should be increased so that both internal and external moonlighting counts against the ACGME 80-hour weekly limit. Only internal moonlighting, defined as additional paid healthcare work at the same healthcare facility, is currently considered to be part of the 80-hour weekly limit. Because moonlighting outside residency training affects strategically designed periods for rest and sleep and may hinder residents’ abilities to complete their primary duties! But realize that this is difficult to monitor or entrench!
- To facilitate recovery after working long calls/shifts, I did recommend guaranteed 5 days off per month, with 24 hours off each week and one 48-hour period off each month.
- Hospital on-call periods for residents should be limited to no more than every third night.
- Because the risk for motor vehicle accidents more than doubles when residents drive home after working extended shifts, hospitals should provide safe transportation to residents who are too fatigued to drive home.
- Doctors/Residents should receive more training on better communication, using a structured team approach, during change-of-shift handovers. These handovers will increase as resident shift duration decreases, possibly increasing the risk for adverse events unless training and team communication improve.
- Doctors/Residents should be more involved in patient safety activities and in adverse event reporting not only to improve quality of care but also to enhance their educational experience.
To put it clearly - Patient safety is a top priority for educators, administrators, and clinicians!
I strongly believe that the challenge will be how we the stakeholders/policymakers develop a strategy to ensure that these changes don’t impact the continuity of patient care and the quality of the educational experience!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST – WILL A FORMER MALAYSIAN PM NEVER SHUT UP?
January 8, 2009 on 1:58 pm | In General | Comments OffKEEPING THEM HONEST – WILL A FORMER MALAYSIAN PM NEVER SHUT UP?
No one in the right mind will approve what is happening in GAZA?
We will never tolerate the kind of carnage that we are seeing taking place but we must be focused and pragmatic and allocate blame where it should be rightly!
So why blame America because Israel has decided to address what they conceive as an action in ‘self defense!’
Though all right thinking minds will not accept it as such, as you see the in-balance and brute military strength hurting civilian populations more than enemy combatants!
But why then not address Israel’s action and call on the international community to deal with her!
Why drag America and Americans into the fray?
Americans – the average Americans (not the hawks in Washington!) are decent people and they have contributed to the welfare of the world without any reserve!
So the call or any statement to boycott the US or its goods is mere plain stupidity that must be avoided!
The facts are clear and over bearing – the United States of America is our main trading partner and any attempt to ‘attack the American interest’ would be simply stupid, counter productive and basically committing ‘hara-kiri!’
Of course, those advocating this (look at their lifestyles in the society pages of certain magazines – got my drift!) will not bear the blunt response but the thousands of Malaysian workers, the economy and basically Malaysian interest!
So who made the call?
‘Boycott US products and their currency’ was a statement made by a former PM!
Perhaps, as a man who has ‘never made a mistake’ and who is ‘speckles’, we can expect him to keep this record clean by openly showing Malaysians that he is not a hypocrite in his call to boycott things American.
We can therefore expect the ‘same man’ to stop using all forms of computers (laptops, servers, etc) as they are largely the creation of Americans and are enabled by American technologies and products such as Intel/AMD microprocessors, Microsoft Windows operating system, Linux/Unix servers, routers (Cisco), Internet Explorer, Fire fox and Microsoft Office!
Now we can expect him to shut down ‘his blog’ as its continued operation would contribute to the coffers of firms such as Microsoft, Intel/AMD, Cisco and HP/Sun/Dell!
If he continues to run his blog - he would be proving to all Malaysians and the world that he is nothing but a hypocrite who says one thing and does another. This man certainly will not want to tarnish his speckles record – nor does he?
In fact, the he can be expected to go beyond merely shutting down his site.
His next call/move should therefore be for the rejection of American firms such as Intel, Motorola, Microsoft, DHL, Exxon Mobil, Computer Associates, IBM, Unisys, British American Tobacco, Oracle, Lucent Technologies, Sun Microsystems, Compaq, etc from the Multimedia Super Corridor and free trade zones.
Their continued operation in Malaysia will help them to prosper and contribute to the US economy and the strengthening of the US dollar.
As ‘advisor to Petronas’, he can also be expected to call for the termination of contracts with Exxon-Mobil, Caltex and Chevron and to expel these American firms from oil explorations and petrol/diesel retailing in Malaysia - no more Esso petrol stations.
I am sure he will also ensure that Petronas’s oil will no longer be sold in US dollars.
He should now call for the expelling of Americans such as Bill Gates from the International Advisory Panel of the Multimedia Super Corridor, his brainchild (which should no longer be referred to as the Silicon Valley of the East but something else).
Going further, the he can be expected to call for the conversion of all the billions of US dollar reserves held by Malaysia into ringgit or perhaps into the currencies of poor Islamic nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia to help to shore up the economies of Islamic brother nations while punishing the ‘evil Americans!’
No more reserve in US dollars for Malaysia. No more sending of Malaysian students to the US. No more Malaysians (certainly no one from his family or his supporters) will be visiting US.
No more buying of anything American!
In fact, even no more selling to America - why sell something to someone who you hate?
Will he do all these things to back up his call to boycott the US or is he going to openly prove to all of us once and for all that he is nothing but a mere hypocrite and a political opportunist at best and at worst?
Got my drift?
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
KEEPING THEM HONEST - HEALTHCARE AND CORPORATE PREDATORS! (PT3)
January 7, 2009 on 11:30 am | In General | Comments Off
More than ten years after I had addressed the issues pertaining to the need for a comprehensive and holistic healthcare program in Malaysia and healthcare finance over TV3’s ‘Face to Face program, I am again thrust into a national and international media program addressing the same issues on Saturday 10th of January 2009!
I am told that I am among four from Malaysia’s policymaking and practicing demograph who will be tasked over the live media to address these concerns in a ‘no holds bared style!’
Last night, I had a long discussion with five key members from Malaysia’s ‘Hall of Fame’ - individuals who had contributed to the state of primary, secondary and tertially medicine, policymaking and many a medical ‘breakthrough’ program here!
But our discussions were very cordial and it was done in an atmosphere of sincere respect and admiration of the role played and stake all of us have in the state of Malaysia’s healthcare!
These men and women I met were very senior practitioners and policymakers and one among them to be retiring in six months time and the target of many a distasteful allegation and private character assassination plots!
But in these discussions, we were all equals and all they wanted to do was to equip me with the facts, documents, information and data so that I could be an ‘ambassador for change’ that we can all believe in!
They have all being following ‘my career and contribution’ in consumer advocacy and public policy issues from 1979!
They told me how as young policymakers, specialists or doctors they could not but admire the manner I took on the Ministry of Health ‘head-on’ putting fear in many, but offering those (sincere practitioners) an avenue/outlet to make public many a disturbing trend and practice against public interests!
They tell me of their utmost respect for my views but could not ignore that in recent times, I had become softer, moderate and a player rather than to do the ‘kamikaze attack’ that I am so famous for in the late seventies to early nineties – a reputation that put fear in many!
They were pleased when I briefed them on the ‘proactive and moderate’ approach that I will be taking in this panel discussion!
I am deeply indebted to them for taking time to meet me the night before they were either about to make plans to harvest organs for transplant, conducting interviews for the post graduate programs or just pursuing a very busy morning of clinic sessions and post cabinet briefings!
I am humbled and I pray that the trust and confidence they have put in me will be justifiable when I address the many issues on healthcare reforms, financing, policy, training, salary structure and the structure of intake and medical education/training in Malaysia!
Our campaign against RACISM of all forms!
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