LONE

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Doctor Wannabe NoMore

::According to this Star report only a few of those 99 top scoring doctor wannabes given places in IPTSs have taken up their offers. The tuition fees at these IPTSs for the medical course are said to be between RM200K and RM300K. These 99 have been offered loans with low interest rates of 3% and payable over a period of 15 years. In the meanwhile the 29 offered places at IPTAs and Mara scholarships have all taken up their offers.

The deputy HEM (Higher Education MINIster) Fu is said to be very upset by the poor response because the doctor wannabes are said to be unhappy with the terms of the loans. According to MINIster Fu ::

“Nowhere else can they expect a loan with the very low interest rate of 3% and a 15-year repayment period. We have also made it very clear that the loans may be converted into scholarships if their performance is equivalent to a first-class degree."

Aiyah, MINIster Fu, you know why they are worried about, to be saddled with a RM300K loan on graduation is no small problem. To you RM300K is chickenfeed, to them it is not. The other thing they are mighty disappointed is that you all 'cakap tak serypa bikin'. Everyone blah blah that Pak Lah has solved the problem of the 128 top scorers, really ah? Just bluff bluff only, 29 placed in IPTAs and 99 placed in IPTSs. Why 'berat hati sebelah'? Kalau want to solve problem, bring to a proper conclusion, be fair, placed all 128 in IPTAs. After all lecturer:student ratio dropped from 1:4 to 1:6 mah! Surely can accommodate all 128. i am sure HEM Fu is aware of the tuition fees in IPTAs.

Till today the HEM is still unsure of how to define a 'top scorer' or '1st Class Honours' medical graduate, mana boleh. i think what is more important is how many of these medical graduates can really be 'top scorers'. Each batch can at the most produce one lah to my simple mind. So of the 99 (if all take up the loans), only a handful will end up with conversion of loans to scholarships. This is another thing which have them and their parents worried, HEM Fu. Or is what Bernama reports really true, MINIster Fu? It has quoted you as saying thus :: He [meaning you HEM Fu] said the loan would be converted into scholarship if they were able to achieve satisfactory result. Then the Bernama report goes further on and said ::

He added that the ministry was looking into categorising what would be termed as "excellent results" for a medical course which did not offer first class degree with honours so that students' study loan could be converted into scholarship when they obtain such results.
At present, a student in non-medical courses can have their study loan converted into scholarship if they receive first class degrees.
Fu said the criteria of excellent results needed to be established to ensure that students would be able to convert their loan into scholarship based on their academic achievements.

Now isn't it all so confusing ::1st Class Honours, satisfactory results, excellent results:: are the all the same? Or who is bullsh-tting who? Please come clean, MINIster Fu. Are we truly having a TRUTHFUL gomen, or what?

TOP

| ¶ 6/29/2004 12:55:00 PM

Monday, June 28, 2004

Of Interesting Reads at Jeff's and Petrol Prices

::The guest bloggers at Jeff's Screenshots... on the present theme of Malaysians living overseas is proving to be more than just quite interesting reading. To date this by Dr Zain Azrai, London, UK is most informative and interesting. Malaysian leaders , especially the new Tun who earlier claimed that he does not get even one sen, like to tell us that we should all be thankful, especially to the BN which has been the only gomen we know. They also like to let us know how rosy and cheaps thing are really over here, is this true? The latest of course is with regards to the price of petrol. How cheap it is here and how expensive it is in places like Singapore. Of course they expect us to swallow the bullsh-t, unfortunately many of us do. If we have been using our resources and wealth well in the past couple of decades and had not mis-used them for white elephants like the tallest buildings in the world and that Pu...jaya, things would have certainly been better. If here had been better management of the nation there would be no need for this threat to withdraw the petrol subsidies.

This is the nonsense we read of in the papers, from the Star::

At present, prices of petrol, diesel and LPG in Malaysia are among the lowest in this region. For instance, RON97 petrol is sold at 137 sen a litre, RON92 petrol at 133 sen, diesel at 78.1 sen and LPG at 135 sen.
In comparison, consumers in Thailand have to pay 162 sen per litre for RON97, 154 sen for RON92 and 139 sen for diesel while Singaporeans pay 341 sen for RON97, 294 sen for RON92 and 172 sen for diesel.
In oil-rich Brunei, consumers pay 1.197 sen for RON97, 1.173 sen for RON92 and 0.7 sen for diesel.

This type of comparison is of course nonsensical when other factors are not taken into consideration, so are we to be taken in. And when tthey say gomen subsidies, remember it is coming out of the taxpayers' pockets.

Petronas has made lots of money from our oil resources but as long as it remains off-budget and not scrutinised by Parliament, the taxpayers will be kept in the dark and will not be aware whether those Petronas petrol ringgits have been put to good use or not. If the petrol ringgit has been put to good use, who knows, our pump petrol prices may be the equivalent of those in Brunei or even cheaper. The good citizens of this nation should ensure the gomen of the day is more accountable and truly make good use of our resources and wealth.

The gomen appears to be 'letting the cat out of the bag' early this time around. Usually this is done for the usual chous from the other gomen leaders to chip in and support the issue. An important issue like this which can have snowballing effects on joe-public should rightly be debated in Parliament, so that a wider discussion can be had prior to implementation. Once out of the bag, as pointed out by the MTUC, cost of living will rise even before the issue is implemented. Any such rise iin the cost of living will greatly affect the middle and lower income groups greatly. So there has been some backtracking, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Mohamed Shafie Apdal said that the gomen has not made any decision yet on the cut in the subsidies for petrol, diesel and liquified petroleum gas (LNG). Knowing that the gomen would streamrolled such issues with ease and as day follows night, the withdrawal of these subsidies will take place, in one form or another. Some have even gone to the extent of the saying that the gomen's coffers must be going bare for these measures to be thought of. Some pointed to the 'reassurance' recently given regarding the EPF as another indicator of this.

Lets hope that things won't go that bad and lets wise up in the future.

TOP

| ¶ 6/28/2004 01:12:00 PM

The First Class Honours Doctor

::My granddad used to say :: "Live another day and learn something new." Remember those convertible-loans which the Higher Education MINIster was talking about for those 99 doctor wannabes given places in IPTSs. Those loans which would be changed into scholarships if the doctor passes out with 1st Class Honours. Dumbo me, not having met any 1st Class Honours medical doctors or for that matter even 2nd Class Honours ones, me thought the MINIster was talking through his nares. i must apologise to the MINIster as he appears to know better. Today, i came across a news item in the NST entitled :: Top Graduate Pays Tribute to PMC. This item was on the latest batch of 35 doctors graduating from PMC [PenangMedical College]. Among the 35 new doctors, one qualified with 1st Class Honours and 13 with 2nd Class Honours, presumably the remaining had 3rd Class Honours or were plain MB Bch BAO, LRCPI, LRCSI. To find out more regarding all those letters which will appear after the names of doctors graduating from PMC, check out the PMC website. But what i mention earlier that 'top scorers' are a rarity and each batch can only produce one, still stands good.

So on one of my future visits to the outpatient department of the local hospital, i may stand a chance of being attended to by one of these 2nd Class Honours doctors or even the 1st Class Honours one from PMC. Incidentally, the other day when i was at the OPD, i noted that quite a number of doctors were away for an important meeting. On enquiring of a friendly nurse, i was told it was THE meeting, the one dealing with the new Health MINIster orders to half waiting time. That 'new broom' may yet sweep clean and maybe, just maybe, i won't have to warm the seat out in the waiting area for such a long while in the future.

TOP

| ¶ 6/28/2004 01:03:00 AM

Saturday, June 26, 2004

PLKN Shirkers/Dodgers:Najib's Dilemma

::The PLKN, through the retrospectroscope, is obviously poorly thought out and almost all, excepting for a few, thinks so. The woes, problems and disasters faced by the trainees have been documented and the Cabinet Committee, the polis, the courts and some of those PLKN trained are still unravelling them, even today.

The list of names of the pioneer PLKN trainees came out on 9th Dec 2003. Some 87,000 out of our some 450,000 youths aged 17-18 years were selected. During that period when all these youths were busy checking whether they were on the PLKN list, the first controversy regarding who had made the killing on the SMS surfaced. The first batch of trainees started their training on 16th Feb 2004. Transporting the trainees threw up some problems. The rest of the woes, disasters and even 2 deaths faced by the pioneer trainees are now history.

Some 8,559 or 10% of the selected trainees, for reasons best known to themselves, did not report for training. When the first three batches passed out, the Cabinet Committee on PLKN finally decided that it was time to deal with these shirkers. It appeared unprepared and was unsure what to do. Firstly, PLKN Training Council Chairman Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Fawzi Mohd Basri said that the shirkers would be charged in court and dealt with accordingly. Then Pak Lah came out with the decision to give these shirkers a second chance. Now 'D-Day' approaches and all is still not sorted out. Initially, the shirkers were given until 24th June to report. So far only 1,929 of the 8,559 shirkers or 22% have responded despite the gomen making numerous public announcements and according to Najib, going the extra mile to trace them. So when the deadline was up, it looks like the 'carrot and the cane approach' is being introduced. The deadline appears to have been extended to the 25th of July [the day the special PLKN session starts] and you can literally feel the threat, Najib, is throwing at the shirkers when he said :: "summonses would be issued once the special training session commenced on July 25, adding that failure to appear in court would lead to warrants of arrest." In an earlier report the Star said that Najib wants the books thrown at these 6000 plus odd shirkers and that he had recommended the maximum fine or imprisonment or both when the shirkers are brought to account. But the present report has been toned down and it reads ::

“The onus is on them (PLKN dodgers) to argue their case in court and it is up to the court to sentence them. If the court feels that one has a reasonable excuse, then I am sure a more lenient penalty will be handed down,” he said.
Asked if the Government would recommend the maximum penalty, Najib replied: “If you are truly recalcitrant. The court will decide. The law is very clear.”

Legally, a PLKN shirker can only be considered to have committed an offence if s/he has not registered on the first day of the special PLKN session, which is 25th July. After that, summonses would be issued for these recalcitrant shirkers and the polis would be going after them. Najib does not rule out the possiblity of the polis going house-to-house to bring these reclacitrants in. Najib further warns that even after court actions, the shirkers would still have to undergo PLKN training, so be warned.

What puzzles me is why the Cabinet Committee on PLKN has been so lenient so far in its also lackadasical manner of dealing with the shirkers. It should have pounced on those in the first batch who did not turn up and dealt with them effectively. This would have sent a message to the subsequent two batches that the gomen meant business and that they, the shirkers, should not play-play with the gomen. With the early inaction on the part of the authorities, many of the shirkers would have adopted a wait-and-see stance, waiting and wanting to see if the gomen would really act against them and in what manner. They are probably thinking that a second chance may lead to a third.

Acting early would have also given the gomen a chance to find out why there were so many shirkers and the reasons why. But i guess the gomen was not really interested and felt that threats of the RM3,000 fine and imprisonment were good enough. Some of these shirkers may have good, though not valid, reasons for not reporting for training. i feel that a good number of them may not be those who have just left school recently. They would probably have left school earlier (for various reasons) and may actually be by now working, running businesses of their own, and married and even be parents already. Stopping what they are presently doing and reporting for three months of PLKN training may prove disastrous for them. Is the gomen interested in looking into thier problems? Is the gomen concerned regarding the hardship they may face if they report for training? Punishing them for dodging PLKN training would only cause double jeopardy. Or is the gomen only interested in saying :: "Disobey me and you will suffer".

Going after more than 6, 000 of these shirkers will prove not to be an easy task. Even if our good polis force, which presently are shorthanded and already have their hands full with grizzly murders and snatch thieves and what not, can round them all up, the courts would have a field day dealing with all of them. If past experiences with Ops Warta (which is in its third edition) are anything to go by, the polis will deal with these shirkers in a 'engat engat tahi ayam' manner and once the heat is off, things will settle down and then be eventually forgotten. In view of this scenario, the Cabinet Committee might want to reconsider and listen to what advice opposition leader Lim has to say.

TOP

| ¶ 6/26/2004 02:12:00 PM

Thursday, June 24, 2004

So far i have yet to watch any of the Euro 2004 matches live. But as the media has more or less say that the England-Portugal quarter-finals match is the match to watch, i am gonna try to stay up for it. It is said to come on at 245am on TV3.

UEFA Champions League-winning coach José Mourinho who is now with Chelsea, when interviewed on the England-Portugal match, said ratrher diplomatically that he expected "a wonderful match". He further added :: "If I said I want Portugal to win, the English people will not accept it well, and if I say I want England to win, the Portuguese people will say that I've been here two days and already I want them to win," he said. "[The result] is not so important for me. What's important is that I am linked to both teams and I am very proud because of it."

The path taken by England into the quarter-finals:: lost to France [1-2], beat Switzerland [3-0] and beat Croatia [4-2]. The goals scored on the road to the quarter finals :: 4 by Rooney, 2 by Lampard and 1 by Gerrard.

The path taken by Portugal into the quarter-finals, very similar to England's, lost the opening match and won the next two:: lost to Greece[1-2], beat Russia [2-0] and beat Spain [1-0]. The goals scored on the way :: 1 each by Maniche, Nuno Gomes and Ronaldo.

A few more hours to go and we will know, which country gets to go to the semi-finals. Will it be England or the host of Euro 2004? i am for England, what about you?

Update ::
Host Portugal beat England and goes into the last 4. Score 2-2 after extra time. Goals for England came from Owen [3rd min] and Lampard [115th min] and for Portugal from Postiga [83rd min] and Costa [110th min]. In the penalty shoot-out, there were misses from David Beckham and Darius Vassell and Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo nervelessly converted the winning penalty to give Portugal a passage to the next stage. Final score after penalties :: Portugal 6, England 5.

Read about England's misery, rage and grim sense of deja vu as England tumbles out of Euro 2004, check this link

TOP

| ¶ 6/24/2004 11:49:00 PM

The Impossible DreamCrusader?

::Recently whenever i hear or read of Uthayakumar, that Human Rights Crusader, this song comes to mind ::The Impossible Dream, first performed by Andy Williams and more recently by Luther Vandross

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go.

To right the unrightable wrong
To be better far than you are
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To be willing to give when there's no more to give
To be willing to die so that honor and justice may live

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.

i certainly wish him all the very best in his quest and crusade for justice and rights of the oppressed and pray that God will take good care of him and ensure his safety, always, in order for him to continue his crusade, fight the good fight and one day, maybe, make his today's seemingly Impossible Dream possible.

TOP

| ¶ 6/24/2004 03:59:00 PM

Natural Decaf Kopi

::From what RPK and MGG have to say and if they are to be believed, it looks like there must be plenty of kopitiam and warong kopi talk about the forth coming UMNO Assembly which is to be held in September. Presently, there is plenty of actions going on in the divisions where divisional as well as 'factional' elections are being held. Not so very long ago, many had expected the UMNO meeting to be a sedate affair as the actors (those carrying out the duties of the President, the Deputy President :: the Acting President and the Acting Deputy) and other incumbents were expected to retain their posts. This may not exactly be stating it right, at least for the 2 actors, it may be better stated that the 2 actors would be elected unopposed to fill the vacancies of President and Deputy President. (Now have i got it right, still don't sound quite.) But now if what RPK and MGG are saying, the possibility of these 2 acrors being challenged looms. RPK claims that Ku Li will probably mount a 'challenge', this being his last opportunity to do so. RPK points out that as the UMNO Presidency is, actually speaking, vacant or unoccupied at the moment, Ku Li's attempt is not really a 'challenge'; still following me, as there is really no incumbent UMNO President presently. Many have thought before that Ku Li would take a shot at the UMNO Presidency before but earlier this year Malaysiakini reported that Ku Li had quashed talks of him challenging Pak Lah. Only time will tell, so lets be patient and await September, have another cuppa.

Now lets get away from the kopitiam talk and back to the original topic of kopi talk. Ah, yes, natural decaf kopi. As we all know too many cuppa of kopi with all the caffeine in them can only lead us, KopiTiam KokTalkers to problems like :: nervousness and insomnia, palpitations of the distressful kind, elevated blood sugar and cholesterol levels, shaky hands, insomnia, excess stomach acid and gastritis, and heartburns. So in order to reduce or remove these undesirable side-effects, makers of kopi, have tried to reduce the amounts of caffeine in our kopi and produced the decaffeinated versi (does take away some of the kicks but also the undesirables) but even these versi do contain some caffeine. The decaffeination process also removes organic compounds that can affect kopi's taste and aroma. So there have been attempts at genetic modification to have kopi plants producing low caffeine containing kopi beans. This has not found much flavour as genetic modification is presently frowned upon. Now it has been reported that where our scientists have not been so successful, Mother Nature has been able to do so. Scientists in Brazil have discovered three arabica coffee plants collected in Ethiopia that do not produce caffeine in their leaves or beans among a batch of 6,000 wild specimens originally collected in the late 1980s. So in the not too distant future, we may be able to conduct our KopiTiamKokTalkers' sessions in the warongs while sipping cuppa of natural decaf kopi and still get to sleep well and not have those tremors after many cuppa. Pregnant mothers who are kopi addicts will also not have to restrict their kopi consumption and need worry less about little juniors within them suffering ill-effects.

| ¶ 6/24/2004 12:43:00 PM

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Edu MINIster:CyberCafe Stalker

Our new Lower Education MINIster, one Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, turned CyberCafe Stalker aka Enforcement officer recently. He was reported by Bernama and said to have turned up incognito at a cybercafe in Taman Shamelin Perkasa. Not being recognised by the patrons and the cybercafe operator, he was able to observe proceedings and managed to identify 3* [Star report says 2, so who is not good at counting] underaged computer gamers. He managed to identify them as primary school students by their uniforms. But the 3 students were unable to identify the MINIster and carried on gaming. It looks like the MINIster's spin doctors have plenty of work cut out for them, like ensuring their boss is featured as prominently as the Higher Education MINIster by the media, the latter recently was hogging the newsmedia with his involvement and pronouncements on the 128 previously unplaced, now placed perfect-scored STPM-soon-to-be medical students.

The cybercafe operator, unable to recognise the MINIster for who he is, was reported by an observer who was present at the proceedings, as having replied to the MINIster that he was not sure how the 3 uniformed primary school students gain entry into his premises. It was further reported by the observer that the operator when approached was overheard asking :: "Lei hai ping wai ah? Oi kau game mou?" {loosely translated : Who are you, ah please? Wanna play game?]. The operator was shocked when told who the MINIster was.

At the press conference following his unscheduled cybercafe visitation, the MINIster had the following to say, the Star reports ::

He added that he would not hesitate to conduct more spot checks on cybercafés to ensure that schoolchildren in uniform stopped frequenting such places.
“I want to give cybercafé operators this warning – follow the law or the appropriate action will be taken. I have already reported Monday’s case to Kuala Lumpur City Hall,” he said.
[Now it does look like tthe MINIster must be very free and is taking over the duties of City Hall enforcers too, this is the problem when the nation has what is described as a 'streamlined Cabinet which is even bigger than India's'. Apart from issuing wanings to cybercafe operators, what other duties of City Hall will the MINIster be assuming.]

Our too-free MINIster also has some good advice to give to errant parents ::

Hishammuddin also advised parents to make an effort to know where their children were and what they were up to.
“Sometimes we are so caught up with our lives that we do not know what our children are up to. It is unfair for parents to point fingers at my teachers and the police when they themselves sometimes do not fulfil their responsibility.[One just can't expect City hall, the teachers and polis to have all the responsibilties, parents do have their paramount responsibilities too. They just gotta know where their children are heading to after getting them into their school uniforms.]

All said, this incognito stalking by the MINIster may have been a ruse by his spin doctors for the MINIster to make the news and show how caring and responsible a MINIster he truly is.

Back to more familiar grounds, that of the much past completion date computer lab scandal[this was first exposed in July, 2003], the MINIster said that the completion of the labs will be temporarily stalled as the cost has gone up together with the price of steel. He said that the initial sum of RM7mil was not enough to complete the job and another RM12 mil are needed, this fund is awaiting approval by the Finance MINIstry. Once approved the Jasa Kapada Rakyat department would be given 3 months to complete the long drawn out project.

| ¶ 6/23/2004 11:39:00 AM

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

A Sporting Nation

Our new DPM, who is an elected UMNO vice-president and carrying on the duties of the UMNO deputy president, said :: "It's not impossible for Malaysia to be a sporting nation but it needs cooperation from all parties, not only from the government but......."

What's so sporting about a nation many say is keeping her former DPM in Sungai Buloh on trumped charges, uses the ISA to keep traders like BSA Tahir [who was cleared by the polis previously] in Kemta [aka Kamunting Dentention Camp aka Kem Tahanan Perlindungan] amongst other alleged 'terrorists', uses the FRU [aka Federal Reserve Unit] polis to fire water cannons and beat peaceful demonstrators, allow bail for an alleged rapist but denies bail for an alleged sodomite. There is actually a litany of non-sporting activities in this nation but too many to list diown.

Oops! Now TuaKia tells me, the new DPM and elected-unopposed UMNO deputy president wannabe, was actually talking about sports [track and field and soccer lah] when he mentioned sporting nation. Dumbo me. Looks like the new DPM and the new Youth and Sports MINIstress want the nation to make sports her culture. The DPM wants sports writers to pplay their role and the national athletes to emulate heroes of the past for their own future success. Similarly should we also urge the DPM to allow contests in the upcoming grand 'sporting' event in September 2004 and thereby show off his sporting culture and emulate UMNO heroes of tthe past.

| ¶ 6/22/2004 11:06:00 AM

Monday, June 21, 2004

Quotable Quote:UMNO Meritocracy

::From a Bernama report ::

"We practise the principle of meritocracy in other sectors and so in Umno also we should hold to the same principle that leaders should be elected based on their merit," said Najib who is carrying out the duties of the Umno deputy president.

When the 2 top guns in UMNO are said to be have been already 'elected unopposed' even before the UMNO GA which is to be held in September, one wonders if what the DPM, who is an elected UMNO vice-president and is also carrying out the duties of the UMNO deputy president, says carries any weight. See this for context.

In also similar manner, a campaign has been started to see that the UMNO Youth chief and the deputy posts are not contested. Soon it may also be declared that the incumbent UMNO Youth chief has been retained or 'elected unopposed' and that the new deputy chief should be one Khairy Jamaludin.

Meritocracy in UMNO certainly works in mysterious ways, in UMNO being elected unopposed even before nominations are closed appears to be the meritorious way.

| ¶ 6/21/2004 10:44:00 PM

Sunday, June 20, 2004

Snatch Thefts :: Don't Go Overboard

::The recent deaths of snatch theft victims have brought much attention to this crime. But is the media and everyone going overboard in dealing with it. The government leaders, the politicians, NGOs and even the police are all jumping all over in trying to deal with the problem.

Suggested methods of dealing with it ranged from empowering the people with beefing up of the law on citizen's arrest, to longer prison terms for snatch thieves, to installing CCTVs in crime prone public areas to help reduce this crime and the Housing and Local Govt Minister coming out with the concept of a "Safe City". Today, we are told that the polis will be going all out to tackle this Public Enemy No. 1 of the moment :: The Snatch Thief. Bravo! All great solutions to the flavoured problem of the moment. But will it all be anget anget tahi ayam; without continuity and further persistence, all these solutions will come to naught. As many of us are aware, the authorities do have short memories and poor maintenance culture. So don't be surprise when all these solutions are forgotten once the brouhaha is over and we move on to the next flavoured problem.

Everyone has his/her part to play to overcoming this problem. A survey has shown us the modus operandi of the snatch thief, we know who he is, we know where he usually accost his victims and we know who are the victims. Obviously there is a need for the potential victims to take preventive steps and reduce exposure to such crimes. Preventive actions include slinging one's sling bag across the body, not walking alone, be alert of one's suroundings and don't flash one's jewellery. For more tips click here. Knowing who the perpetrators are, the polis can take preventive steps by removing them from the streets and reducing their numbers. The judicial use and installation of CCTVs in crime prone areas can be helpful, but at the same time what is more important is that there must be people monitoring these CCTVs and people available to respond as soon as the commission of a crime is noticed. A bigger visible presence of the polis in crime prone areas is probably the most effective measure to curb this crime and at the same time the commission of other crimes. Heavier and more deterrent sentences on conviction of the snatch thief would go a long way to deter others from considering committing crimes. Whether empowering the people with more citizen's arrest powers will prove effective, the answer would probably be no and there is always the possiblity of it become vigilante law, with the citizens in turn running foul of the law. What is most important is for all to keep on their toes, not let the guard down and maintain all the efforts presently being made to fight this problem.

| ¶ 6/20/2004 09:27:00 PM

Saturday, June 19, 2004

Kegiatan Vandalisme::Peserta PLKN

::After all the praises and the claims of the successful completion of the training for the first three batches of PLKN trainees, the ugly side of the training has surfaced. Some of the trainees wqere definitely not angels while undergoing training. Utusan has this to report ::

Hampir semua 22 kampus institusi pengajian tinggi awam (IPTA) yang menempatkan pelatih Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN) kerugian berjuta ringgit akibat kegiatan vandalisme sebahagian peserta program itu.

Berikutan itu, terdapat IPTA yang enggan membenarkan kampus mereka sebagai pusat latihan kepada pelatih PLKN setelah menamatkan modul pertama di kem.

Perbuatan seperti merosakkan bilik, kunci pintu, meja dan pelbagai kemudahan lain itu menjadi antara faktor cadangan membatalkan modul di IPTA dan sebaliknya latihan hanya akan diadakan sepenuhnya di dalam kem.

According to Chairperson, Majlis Latihan Khidmat Negara (MLKN), Prof. Datuk Dr. Ahmad Fawzi Mohd. Basri, this pergiatan vandalisme is the reason why future PLKN training will not be in IPTAs. Future PLKN training will only be held in camps where there are not much physical structures or facilities for the future trainees to destroy. Millions of ringgit of property are said to have been rendered not useful. Why were effective measures not taken to curb this wanton destruction is anyone's guess. The trainees responsible should be made to cough up to pay for the damage. After all, one of the purpose of their training was to instill discipline and to drill responsiblity into them. So DPM Datuk Seri Najib, where has their training gone wrong. To leave them alone without extracting any compensation will be passing the wrong message. What's going to stop future batches from damaging property in future, even in camps there will still be stuff to damage. Will more taxpayers' money be wasted?

According to the Chairperson MLKN, in future handphones will not be allowed in training camps except during the weekends. This was to ensure that the handphones are not wrongly utilised to spread false information and news to the outside. Will 'Big Brother' be there when the trainees use their handphones during the weekends? May one humbly suggest that all handphones be handed over to the authorities on entry to PLKN camps and that they be used only in emergency situations and even then be supervised. While the authorities are at it, why not curb internet access, don't allow letter writing and maybe even quarrantine those homing pigeons too! To ensure that these rules are followed to the letter, why not have 'embedded spies' to catch those troublesome trainees and 'embedded reporters' to report only the truth of what goes on in the training camps.

(Tua Kia, TQ for the pointer)

| ¶ 6/19/2004 05:46:00 PM

Cakap Cakap seorang PM Berpencen :: Sikit Tak Betul

::Alamak bila diberi tahu cakap ta serupa bikin dan setelah berlapur "saya tidak menerima satu sen pun"; sekarang cakap terbalek. Utusan melapurkan :: "Saya terima elaun boleh cukai dari Petronas - Dr. Mahathir".

Tun Mahathir menjelaskan ::

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad menjelaskan, beliau menerima elaun boleh cukai secara bulanan dari Petroliam Nasional Bhd. (Petronas) walaupun tidak diberikan gaji untuk jawatannya sebagai Penasihat kepada syarikat minyak kebangsaan itu.

Bagaimanapun, kata bekas Perdana Menteri, jumlah elaun yang diterimanya adalah jauh lebih rendah daripada ratusan ribu ringgit yang didakwa diberikan kepadanya untuk jawatan tersebut.

Apa itu perbezaan; elaun bulanan dan gaji bulanan, duit dan money, sama juga. Elaun bulanan bukan duit kah? Sekarang ex-PM, tentu kena bayar cukai lah, maca saya, betul tak. Jika adalah perbezaan, akhir bule ni, saya akan minta elaunan dan tak mau gaji.

Sepuluh tahun dulu, kata, perjanjian dengan orang putih, tak laku. Sekarang pula, kata tak sama. Sudah tak jadi PM mau minta lebih dari Pinang. Porrdah, semua orang tau, perjanjian it tak laku lah, Pak Lah pun mesti tau lah. Sun dan Screenshots pun ada buat lapuran. Pak Lah pasti ada baca, kalau tak Khairy tentu telah suruh membacanya. Itu Tun, beliau mudah lupa, ada cakap cakap dulu, masa ni sudah lupa; 'memori gone lah' nanti orang kekceh. Better jangan cakap cakap lagi, nanti, suspect beliau nyanyuk sikit atau kekok memori pula.

#another monologue overheard @ my favourite KopiTiam
##Tua Kia, TQ for the headup

| ¶ 6/19/2004 04:56:00 PM

Go Sell Potato

Writers’ Alliance for Media Independence (Wami) ::Why SCAH invite the MCA president, Ong KT, to be the guest-of-honour at the SCAH swearing-in-ceremony of new office bearers.

Outgoing SCAH president, Ting Chee Seng, said :: "I regret during that as SCAH president I could not solve the controversial closure of the original SJK(C) Damansara school issue. I am concern of the shortage of Chinese schools in Petaling Jaya."
"We don’t know whether the minister is able to see this problem or not, or whether he is willing or not to resolve this problem"
"If a minister cannot serve the people, than he should [join me] go back and sell potato."

Minister and MCA President, Ong KT, said :: "The reason why I am here today is to serve the people [not SCAH]."
"I believe Ting was not referring to me, so I don’t have to go back to sell potato."

Lone says :: Minister and MCA President got 'kaw bin phui' and probably no go-go-nuts, i hope no one tells the two of them to go back to Middle Hill to do so.

| ¶ 6/19/2004 01:00:00 PM

Friday, June 18, 2004

Cakap Cakap seorang PM Berpencen

::Tun Mahathir memberi tahu bahawa beliau tidak dibayar satu sen pun untuk menjadi penasihat kapada Petronas, LADA, Proton dan lain lain, cuma diberi sabuah pejabat aje. Beliau juga berkata beliau sekarang makan pencen. Boleh tanya sikit kah :: Pencen berapa banyak eh? RM10K sebule aje? Mana bolih?

Lepas bersara juga ada banyak belum habis cakap cakap. Baru baru beliau memberi tahu orang Melayu jangan harap dapat barang percuma, mesti mau bayar. Pelajaran mau dapat free, rumah pun mau free, mana boleh cakapnya.

Dulu bila beliau jadi PM, terima aje 'compensation' dari Pulau Pinang, sekarang tak sama, nak Kerajaan Kedah minta lebih banyak dari Pinang. Apa pasal tak minta dulu, sekarang nak buat Pak Lah susah kah? Sampai sekarang bagi Pinang air percuma, sekarang 'suggest' Kedah minta bayaran. Kemungkinan, Kedah sudah banyak mengunakan wang untuk perkara lain saperti memajukan pulau apa nama itu. Kah boleh jadi Pinang lebih kaya sekarang?

Bila bersara kata tak nak campur tangan, sekarang pula mau kacau sini sana. Cakap tak serupa bikin, betulnya. Tengok masa depan apa lagi mau cakap cakap. Kemungkinan program 'special' sebab UMNO 'elections' akan datan! Lagi mau tanding?

#monologue overheard @ my favourite KopiTiam

| ¶ 6/18/2004 05:12:00 PM

Thursday, June 17, 2004

New Uni Entrance Procedure for Top Scorers

Our new Higher Education MINIster appears to want to make it more difficult for students to gain entry into "critical courses" in the future. These critical courses are said to be medicine, chemical engineering, electronic engineering, dentistry and accountancy. What are the criteria for considering them as critical courses? Really we are in the dark but can presume that they are there because the nation is facing shortages in their numbers and also that they are the popular choices of tthe top scorers coming out of pre-uni classes. So why is he going in the reverse direction by intending to introduce more problems in uni entrance. Does he forsee no future shortages in these sectors? The obvious solution would be for him and his MINIstry to create more places for the future top scoring students as the shortages are unlikely to go away in the near future. 1st world student-uni-entrants, 3rd world thinking Higher MINIstry & MINIster.

A three-tier admission procedure is likely to be introduced for top scorers intending to further their studies in critical courses in public universities. The Higher Education MINIster gave one example :: those seeking a medical seat, the qualified students might be taken on hospital visits and made to undergo interviews to gauge their aptness for the profession. Those students who passed the visit-and-interview phase would be required to sit for and pass phase 3, a proposed Medical School Admission Test. We can presume that students who apply for dental studies would be taken round dental clinics, peep into those smelly malodorous mouths of patients with tartar stains all over, may be given an attempt or two at plucking out a tooth or two. Those who didn't faint or complain will then be subjected to interviews and finally sit for a proposed Dental School Admission Test. The Higher Education MINIstry will similarly cook up some visits for the accountancy students to visit some of the busy accounting firms and etc etc for the engineering ones. What we would like to ask, is there sufficient time for the Unit Pusat to handle all this in the short period of time from the application to the start of the uni year? What would happen to that unique top scorer who decides to list among his/het 8 choices, each and everyone of all the "critical courses" available? Would the poor dear be dragged all over the various hospitals, dental clinics, accounting and engineering firms?

As an aside, i would llike to touch on the offer made by the government of convertible loans for those 99 doctor wannabes who have been placed in IPTSs. To have their loans converted to scholarships, the doctor wannabe would have to be a 1st Class honours medical graduate or equivalent. Can the Higher education MINIster enllighten us which are the medical colleges or faculties which award a 1st Class MBBS or MD? Do we really really have 1st Class Honours doctors, 2nd Class Upper Honours doctors and so on and so forth? Or is the MINIster of Higher Education talking through his nares?

| ¶ 6/17/2004 04:33:00 PM

BlueTooth HP Virus

The first handphone virus to be detected was the Timofonica::Spaminator, this was detected in 2000. Being a worm it only sends unwanted, unsolicited and insulting messages to handphones via computers. Dealing with it was easy, the insulting messages just needed to be deleted and sent to the trash bin. It is more an irritant, like a pesky mosquito which needs a smack. It does no damage to files or to the handphones in any way.

The new handphone virus, the Cabir::Caribe, is something else. The Russians have discovered it sometime ago. It is a worm that runs under Symbian operating system. The worm is able to replicate from one device to another using Bluetooth. That is it can be transmitted from one handphone to another without the need of a computer. the virus had been made by a computer expert called "Vallez", who is thought to be part of the infamous 29a international group of virus writers who specialise in proving that certain concepts - such as a phone-to-phone virus - are possible.

The Guardian has also reported on this ::

The Cabir virus is designed to attack the top-of-the-range models of brands such as Nokia which use the common operating system Symbian.
It is disguised as part of the phone's own security software. Once inside, it activates the wireless information transfer system known as Bluetooth.
Each time the phone is turned on it searches for other phones nearby with Bluetooth and then sends itself to the first of them. While it is active the phone's screen displays the name of its security software, Caribe, and is inoperable.

Although the Cabir does not have any malicious effect of its own, viral experts say it is only a matter of time before programmers adapt it to damage phones or have them call premium rate numbers or send nuisance text messages and it could spark the creation of a series of other really dangerous and damaging handphone viruses in the future. So those of you considering upgrading your handphones, you might want to avoid those using the Symbian system and are BlueTooth enabled and think again.

| ¶ 6/17/2004 02:47:00 PM

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

The 128 Doctor Wannabes Saga Continues

::First, the Disappointment and the Heartaches :: this was when 128 applicants for medical seats in our IPTAs found that they were unsuccessful. There were only 779 places and 907 applicants. All applicants had the maximum perfect CGPA score of 4.0! When the results for uni admission came out there must have been many tearful scenes.

::Then, there was Hope :: as politicians from both sides of the divide and government leaders came out with encouragement and promises of help. The nation was told that the new PM had a solution iin mind.

::Next, came the Salvation(?) :: Bernama reported :: 128 Top Students To Be Absorbed Into Medical Faculties Nationwide. But there was a need to work things out as to how to place the 128, some going to the IPTAs and the est to the IPTSs. Being aware that there were only limited medical places in IPTSs, many expected the IPTAs to absorbed the majority of the 128, if not all. The ratio of lecturer to students was to be lowered by 50% from 1:4 to 1:6. So from 779 seats, at the least, 128 more would be no problems. There were many smiling faces.

What a huge smile!
For those few who had to be placed in IPTSs, there were talks of study loans which could be converted to scholarships if they turn out top performers again. Hopes were raised and there were many happy people. Top BN leaders lauded the solution offered by PM and there were thank yous all round.

::Finally, Reality sinks in, Heartbreaks and Doubts return :: The Star reports :: Top scorers get places to do medicine at various universities.

Ten of them will now get to study there while 99 others have been offered places in four private institutes of higher learning (IPTS).
The other 19 have been given Mara scholarships to further their studies but it is not yet known where they would be studying.
Among the 99 students who would be going to private medical colleges, 50 have been offered places at the Penang-based Allianz College of Medical Sciences, which has a twinning programme with a university in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Thirty-four have been offered places at the International Medical University in Bukit Jalil here, 10 at the Kolej Perubatan Di Raja Perak in Ipoh and five at the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology in Sungai Petani.

How many of the 99 would eventually accept and be placed in these IPTSs is uncertain. Medical tuition fees at IPTSs can be from RM200K to RM300K [these fees at IPTAs are about RM20K]. There are doubts that many can afford IPTSs tuition fees. Details regarding the convertible loans have yet to be released. Details regarding how a "top scorer" will be graded or certified is anyone's guess at the moment. What is certain is that of the 99, now offered placements in IPTSs, only a handful will be able to attain "top scorer" status. What will happen to the rest? Some have also expressed doubts regarding whether the degrees offered by some of the IPTSs are LAN [Lembaga Akreditasi Negara] recognised. Recently a couple of returning medical graduates (JPA scholars, at that) from Japan have found themselves in limbo. Is it back to square one for some if not many of these 128 doctor wannabes? The frowns and the doubts have returned.

| ¶ 6/16/2004 12:22:00 PM

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

The Government Doctor Shortage

:: The shortage of doctors in government hospitals and clinics is not something new. It has been going on for years and years. The government appears not to have a definite policy as to whether it wants to keep doctors in government service or not. To many, the government and its health ministry have appear lackadiasical and ambivalent mostly, this is seen by the fact that it has directly or indirectly encourage the mushroooming of private medical centres and health tourism and the resultant flow of doctors to the private sector. For many doctors who have left government service, the reasons for leaving may not be just about money. There are many other reasons like job satisfaction, unreasonable transfers from one department to another, lack of promotional and further study opportunities and a feeling of a less than caring MoH. Even to this day there are doctors who have worked for 25 to 30 years who have applied and been given optional pension. These doctors can't have left for monetary reasons. On many occcasions in the past, there have been calls to have a separate commission or department to cater to government doctors. This has always been resisted by the government and the JPA. The argument is that other professionals would request for the same. If it be required then let it be so. Such a commission would then be able to deal with the perennial problem of doctor shortage in a holistic manner, from medical student education, training for the newly qualified doctors, further education for doctors, renumeration and promotional opportunities etc.

Recently, following a dialogue with the APHM or Association of Private Hospital Malaysia, the Minister of Health announced that doctors in private practice [DIPP] will be requested to serve in government hospitals for a certain period of time each year. If the response is poor, such a proposal may be made compulsory and tied in with the issue of the Annual Practising Certificate [APC]. The Star reported that the Minister said a joint committee represented by the ministry and the private healthcare sector, including the APHM, would be set up to work out the details for the compulsory service by the DIPP. The Minister has yet to state in which area the DIPP would be required to provide their services. But from my experience and what can be seen from my numerous visits to government health facilities the most problematic area is the outpatient departments where there are just too few doctors, too few paramedical support staff and inadequate and insufficient physical facilities to attend to too many patients in a reasonable time. If the DIPP are to help out this would be the area to do so. But the Ministry must first ensure that there are adequate supporting staff, sufficient rooms and equipments for these DIPP. Presently, in many outpatient departments doctors are sharing rooms, sharing nurses and sharing equipments and of course sharing the huge patient load!

Presently in most hospitals, with the specialist Master programme churning out specialists, there are more than adequate number of specialists to man the specialist units. In some departments some of them have been heard complaining that there is insufficient work to go around. It is unlikely that there is a need for the specialist DIPP to help out in this area. Anyway from what i have heard in the past, when this idea of DIPP helping out in government hospitals was mooted by previous Ministers of Health, often the government specialists felt that their turf was being invaded and their feathers were ruffled. A good number of them were worried that the DIPP were coming to 'steal' their patients, ironic indeed. The other thing, the government specialists were not too happy was the fact that many of the DIPP were their seniors and in some cases even their former bosses. The government specialists were also worried that the DIPP would not be in touch with the latest up-to-date management protocols. So for the DIPP, the specialist units are a no-go area. So where can the specialist DIPP be of help? As presently there is also a shortage of medical lecturers in the medical faculties, such specialist DIPP, especially those who have been teaching before leaving government service and those who also have kept themselves updated, they should be of help in overcoming this medical lecturer shortage. But for the specialist DIPP to serve in lecturer capacities, the Ministry of Education must also be involved.

Surely, renumeration must be the last consideration for the DIPP, but the Ministry must come out with a detailed plan for the DIPP to help out in government facilities. It wouldn't be in anyone's best interest to have arm-twisting and underhand tactics like making the whole exercise compulsory and linked to the renewal of the APC. The new Minister has gone on the wrong footing right from the word go. As mentioned earlier this idea is not new [though the present Minister is and he may also think his proposal is brand new] and it has been mooted many times in the past, but without proper and detailed planning the idea has had many false starts and fizzled out even before getting off the ground. Many toes were 'perceived' to have been treaded on and sensitivities disturbed.

Apparently, the Minister is reported to have fired at the Malaysian Medical Association [MMA] and has told it not to pay lip-service over the proposal that DIPP contribute their services to help overcome the shortage of doctors in government hospitals. He is quoted as saying ::

"I understand that only seven or eight doctors came forward about three years ago when the ministry asked doctors in the private sector to help government hospitals."[please note at that time Datuk Jimmy Chua was the Minister, my friends among the DIPP, pooh-pooh the quoted numbers]
Describing the response as "worst than tokenism", [seem to be the latest catch word for the Ministers] Dr Chua said that doctors in the private sector, "as Malaysians, have a social responsibility" to the nation.[as a Minister, the Minister of Health must also remind himself that he has a responsiblity to the rakyat , equal to if not greater than the DIPP]

Coming out thus with his guns blazing and being confrontational is not going to have the problem of government doctor shortage alleviated and the social and health responsiblities to the rakyat taken care of. Keeping cool heads will help instead. So dear Minister please be cool, have thorough brainstorming sessions with the DIPP and all concerned and come out with a detailed structured plan so that the DIPP will be able to voluntarily help out and address their social responsibility and in the end benefit the rakyat. Surely the Minister does not expect to compel all 8,000 DIPP to descend on the government hospitals and clinics, for then there may not even be standing room for all! The other thing that may happen if all DIPP are compelled to compulsorily help alleviate the government doctor shortage, a situation may arise where the DIPP, when doing this new version of 'national service', be compelled to have government doctors run their practices in their absence. Dear Minister we wish you the very best in ensuring this new old idea take shape ASAP :: Jasa Kapada Rakyat :: Thank you.

| ¶ 6/15/2004 01:43:00 AM

Saturday, June 12, 2004

Malaysians' Gift to Mugabe

When the news first broke regarding the funding of Mugabe's RM34 million mansion, Mugabe told reporters that the 25-bedroomed mansion was funded partly by the Chinese and Malaysian governments. What the Malaysian taxpayers had wanted to know were ::

what was the actual monetary worth of the 'Malaysians' Gift',
was it approved by the cabinet or Parliament,
apart from government's/taxpayers' contribution, was there any contributions from the Malaysian private sector(s)
why the contribution(s) to a known dictator,
what did Malaysia/Malaysians receive in return

When the news first broke, the cabinet, the MINIsters, the BN leaders, all appear not to be in the know. All were in the dark, but an investigation was promised. But now light has been thrown upon this Malaysians' Gift. The Tun, our former PM, has come out to say that timber was given to Mugabe as a gift from the Malaysian Government by virtue of his [Mugabe's] position and was meant to promote Malaysian timber products. The Tun further clarified that the value of the timber was only less than RM100,000 and that giving presents to one’s counterpart is a normal practice among world leaders. We can also therefore assume that receiving gifts from one's counterpart is also normal practice among world leaders. Nothing wrong according to the Tun. He was quoted by the Star as saying ::

“Giving presents to one’s counterpart is a normal practice among world leaders. When I was the Prime Minister, I gave presents to many state leaders and received many in return.

Mindful that he did not want other people to be “burdened and held responsible” for his action while he was in office, he further stated ::

“If that is considered an abuse of power, then I am ready to face the consequences as I have never considered myself immune from the laws of the country.”

.
Obviously, the Tun is one responsible leader and has issue a challenge of sorts and is ready to face the music if deemed necessary. A true responsible leader. But the probability of ever having to face any music is so so remote if the almost immediate response from our DPM is to be used as a gauge. The DPM, who was not long ago in the dark regarding this issue, is reported to have said ::

"I am sure it was done with the best of intentions because we want to build linkages with the African countries. There is nothing illegal. The matter shouldn't be made a major issue."

.
In the next few days, more government leaders can be expected to jump on the bandwagon and come out to proclaim that the 'Malaysians' Gift' was nothing illegal. Truly it is great to have such good friends even when one is no longer PM. Can the taxpayers, over the next few days, have their above mentioned questions answered? Surely no true Malaysian would assume that there was any wrong doing and that there is any need for prosecution. But surely the questions running through his mind should be adequately addressed so that he gets to sleep better at night knowing that his hard-earned money has been well spent in promoting Malaysia and her products.

| ¶ 6/12/2004 08:28:00 PM

Thursday, June 10, 2004

More for Doctor Wannabes

More news for our doctor wannabes. Bernama :: JPA Medical Grad Laments "Worthless Degree". Anything can happen in Bolehland. Obvious the JPA has not learned from the previous fiasco of sending our students to do medicine in an unrecognised Belgian uni some many years ago. Now we have doctors returning from Japan with degrees not recognised by MMC [pls not to confuse with MMA as many have done recently, even reporters of our mainstream papers]. So you have been warned, doctor wannabes, do make sure that the degrees awarded by the uni they send yoou to are recognised by our very own MMC.
Excerpts from the Bernama report ::

The graduate, who has been jobless since returning to Malaysia last year, said he was shocked when the JPA informed him that the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) did not recognize the medical degree from Akita University, despite the institution being among JPA's preferred universities in Japan.....
What had puzzled him was why the JPA, which fully sponsored the medical programme, had sent him to a university which issued a degree unrecognized in Malaysia?....
He said MMC's list of recognized Japanese medical degrees was questionable as the degrees from the country's top universities -- Tokyo University and Chiba University, were not recognized.....
Meanwhile the graduate's father said:" Any parents would be heart-wrenched with what has happened to my son. His hopes of serving as a doctor in his country of birth, which is experiencing acute shortage of medical officers, went up in smoke due to bureaucratic red tape".

The Star reports that the MoH is looking into solving the doctor shortage and has come out with another brilliant ad hoc solution :: Move to make private doctors do (compulsory)government service(again). And how will the Moh do this, the report says ::

The Health Ministry is planning to make it compulsory for the 8,000 private doctors and specialists to do certain hours of compulsory service in government hospitals each year before the ministry renew their annual practising certificate [APC].

So doctor wannabes take note, more compulsory service for you all, on top of the 3 compulsory years mentioned in earlier blogs. Minister Datuk Dr Chua SL sees this as a form of social responsibility from the doctors and specialists in private sector to help ease the workload of those from government hospitals. Social responsiblity to the patients or to the doctors in government service, Datuk MINIster? As for social responsibilty to the patients, many in private practice are aready doing so, surely you are aware of that Datuk MINIster. But like most things in Bolehland, MINIster wants, MINIster gets. The MINIster is said to be working out with the APHM, the details of this further compulsory-social-responsible-service for doctors. No further compulsory service, no APC, no can practise.
Will the other socially responsible MINIsters play follow the briliant leader? Will this recommendation of further compulsory service be extended to other professions where shortages are felt too. We await further actions from the other MINIsters.

| ¶ 6/10/2004 05:27:00 PM

Wednesday, June 09, 2004

Doctor Wannabes Part II

2004 happens to be an unusual year. First there was this sudden increase in pre-university students with magnifico results, the unprecedented number of students with perfect scores in matrikulasi as well as STPM. Then there was this humungous interest or demand for medical seats. The gomen was obviously caught with its pants down at its ankle. Unprepared for the deluge of high scorers and equally unprepared for the interest of these high scorers in medicine. As a result 128 had to be initially turned away. The period between announcement of the pre-uni results and the start of application for uni admission was obviously too short for any remedial measures to be taken, if there was no prior proper planning.
So when the bruhaha created by those 128 who failed to gain admission and their parents and the ever caring politicians, the PM and his merry men in the cabinet had to come out with the brilliant ad hoc solution of taking in all the initially rejected 128. But like all ad hoc solutions, more problems are thrown up by them. Firstly, there are really no concrete plans as to how these 128 will be placed and whether their medical seats will be provided by IPTAs or IPTSs? Secondly, what about those who had great results but were denied the course of study of their choice? Will the gomen deal with them in a similar manner? It is only fair that the gomen do so. All these others should be similarly absorbed and be made happy. Why only for those rejected for medicine? Surely those who applied for dentistry, pharmacy, chemical engineering etc etc should receive similar treatment from a caring gomen.
The MINIsters, BN politicos and joe-public came out in praise of the brilliant ad hoc solution offered by the cabinet. The PM wants all to accept the placement of the 128. The DPM was sure that the solution was not the result of pressure. And to draw attention away from those [other than medicine rejects] denied uni admission due to seat limitation, the mainstream media and the gomen kept joe-public's attention centred on those who initially failed to get into medicine. Now the Higher Education MINIster mulls proposing that those applying for critical courses of study in tertiary instituitions should be screened. Again another sudden thought of a solution to the issues of having insufficient places in tertiary centers for qualified applicants. Or will this screen turn out to be just another obstacle for those seeking admissions to critical courses. Many feel that this screen may not be fairly applied and the applicants receive fair and equitable evaluation.
In order to encourage only those who possess the necessary qualities, aptitude and dedication to put their course of study to good use after graduation, students upon reaching upper secondary level should have career guidance counselling provided by knowledgeable career counsellors who have received sufficient training to do their job. Presently many career guidance counsellors in many schools are chosen on an ad hoc basis and many fail or are unable to do a proper job. Upper secondary students should be exposed to what happens at the ground level and what is the reality when they eventually graduate and work. Screening them when they are about to enter the uni is a bit late. Being a developing nation and presently still facing shortages in many sectors, are we really ready for such aptitude and attitude and psychometric university entry screens ? The gomen, especially now that we have a HIgher Education MINIstry, should also have better plans and strive to provide places for all those who are qualified and interested. It is no point crying that there is a shortage in this field and the next and not really taking steps to reduce these shortages. Better attempts and encouragement and even some 'brain washing' should be given at the upper secondary level to students to take up courses which will be beneficial to the nation.

| ¶ 6/09/2004 11:30:00 PM

Tuesday, June 08, 2004

Think Again Doctor Wannabes

i for one fail to understand why there are so many doctor wannabes in the lastest batch of newly-passed-out-pre-university students [matrikulasi, STPM or those with other qualifications]. Those who applied for the medical course in ITPAs numbered 907 and those applying for the similar course in local IPTS is anyone's guess. On top of that there are those heading overseas to study medicine. Put all of them together and if this trend continues, the nation, in the coming years, may have little to fear regarding the shortage of doctors and the need to hire foreign ones.
What may be the reason(s) for there being so many doctor wannabes? Could it be that the educational system or whatever has managed to inculcate a greater sense in its youth to serve the nation and the youths have decided to answer the government's cry of doctor shortage? Has there been more parental pressure on the offsprings to do medicine? Is doctoring getting more glamourous, of late? Or is it that our youths have just got more materialistic and lucre minded as suggested by this NST letter writer.
Whatever the reason, i hope these doctors wannabes are aware of what is in store for them in the doctoring profession. Not only is the road to a medical degree long and windy, it is also expensive, some RM500K or so at a local IPTS. To begin with is the 5 or 6 years of undergraduate study, of slogging while your fellow undergrads are climbing hills and mountains as you have fewer holidays than others, of more sleepness nights burning the midnight oil while the other fellows are out nightclubbing or dancing the night away and of more time spent on the psychiatric couch than students of other courses. Those who make it through are then faced with that year of "slavery" called Housemanship. i have little desire to frighten off those doctor wannabes with the horrors stories of the houseman year. Those who want to have sleepless nights even before entering med school, can write me privately. You can also view "Housemanship survival tips" here. Then there are two more years of compulsory service, where one gets time to be"ruralised" and enjoy green scenery, listen to the birds and brathe in the fresh rural air and for the urbanites, an opportunity to partake of the other side of living.
So with the completion of the 3 compulsory years, the doctor would have grown older by some 8 or 9 years chronologically but in terms of stress levels, he would have probably aged some 10 to 15 years. At that point in time, he would be paid the handsome sum of some RM3000+. His contemporary who chosed to study law [a shorter and cheaper course] would by then be in a superscale post and probably commanding at least twice his pay. So where is the glamour, where is the lucre and in the present days with patients like the above mentioned NST letter writer, do not expect much thanks for the professional care given.
Once having completed the 3 compulsory years there are more slogging ahead, but that is another story for the future.
So to all those doctor wannabes out there, don't have your eyes wide shut, go ask those who are in the profession or have retired or opted out and find out what you can, before you start on this next passage of your life. Things ahead may not be exactly what you think they will be! Get smart, after all you are all the ones with the "perfect score", the creme de la creme. All the same my best of best wishes go out to all of you as you start on that long and windy and weary journey.
Something just popped up, before i conclude. Some of these doctor wannables may actually be more farsighted than i have assumed and their final target may not exactly be just an MBBS or MD but things further than them. For after having undergone the medical course, one may be better armed and prepared for an even more demanding [and i am told a more glamorous, rewarding, earth shaking and attention catching] profession, that of a ruling politician. One need only to open one's ears and eyes to see the shining examples of medical doctors, like the two new Tuns Drs, one Datuk Seri Dr Lim and one Datuk Dr Chua, who have made such successful switches from doctoring patients to doctoring the nation. This may be the direction some of our present doctor wannabes may be heading in the future.

| ¶ 6/08/2004 04:53:00 PM

Sunday, June 06, 2004

Official: being male is bad for your health

If you are male you gotta read this article by Roger Dobson which can be found in the online versi of the Independent, if you are not but have a male spouse or partner, do also read it.

Masculinity, already said to be in crisis, has now been classed as a disease. A group of international researchers has concluded that men are so prone to illness and premature death that being male in itself is a major health risk. Oh my gosh and they say that woman is the weaker sex.

Men are twice as likely to die early as women, are more prone to cancer and are more liable to be killed by heart disease, strokes, infections and congenital conditions. Men are also more at risk of mental illness, skin, blood and digestive diseases; and more likely to be killed in accidents and car crashes, and to die by suicide. It's never too late to start those "Well Men Clinics"; Datuk Chua SL please take note, even though your MINIstry may be running out of money, remember you are at risk too. Start producing or training those "Man Specialists/Andrologists".

Academics from universities in Leeds, Vienna, and Ottawa and the World Health Organisation spent a year looking at data on nearly 200 million men in 17 countries across the developed world, including the UK. They concluded that, while most health screening is focused on women, it is men who should be the main concern as the sheer burden of ill-health suffered by men needs action. Ditto above mentioned action. Just like ladies have their "Klinik PayuDara" and have breast self-exam taught, Datuk Chua, please set up "Klinik Bola" [i don't mean the soccer variety] and teach men how to self-check their balls monthly.

The results, published in a new medical journal, JMHG[Journal of Men’s Health and Gender], shows big differences between men and women at all ages, from new-born babies to centenarians. There has been increasing concern about the health of men, but the sheer scale of the problem has not been addressed until now. Among men and women under 75, the risk of death among males was twice that of females. Take out a subscription for JMHG, if you are man enough.

The report suggests that there are a number of possible reasons for the differences. It says: "The greater problems with men's health compared with women might be attributable to biological differences; the nature of men's lifestyles, for example alcohol consumption and smoking, which lay them more open to risk, and men's delay in seeking help." So lay off those brain-numbing drinks and cancer sticks.

It adds: "The number of divorced or separated older men living alone has greatly increased over the last 20 years. Men who live alone have been shown to have poorer health than those who live with a partner. We need to consider if there are further elements at play, if men are more 'fragile' than women or if being a man is in itself a 'disease'," says the report. Go get a partner and tell him/her all your woes. You will be better and healthier for that.

Dr Alan White principal lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University, who led the study, said that, until now, there has been no comprehensive picture of men's health. "Being a man is like having a terminal disease that will prematurely end your life," he said. "Fifty per cent of men are dead by the time they are 75," he added. "But we should not see it as being hopeless. We need to make sure that there are changes so that men's health improves." There is still hope, just don't give up and don't take things lying down. At the end of the day, we, men, must start looking out for ourselves too or kaput day will be what is in store for us. We are not finished yet. What will happen to our wo-men without their men?

For starters, do check out the following links for advice and act, act, act ::

| ¶ 6/06/2004 06:51:00 PM

Is This True?

There is this article in the Star online, it is entitled :: Look for ways to overcome shortage of medical places, says PM by Wong Sai Wan.
It starts off with Pak Lah [incidentally he is happy to be called that as there is only one Pak Lah but hundreds (probably thousands) of Datuk Seris, that what he told CNN Hahn, so Kak Fidah forget about your suggestion] saying that the Higher Education MINIstry must look for long-term solutions to overcome the shortage of places for those wanting to study medicine and be doctors.
As you scrolled down this article, there is an alarming report by Elizabeth Looi which mentions Hishamuddin, our lower Education MINIster, as saying that nobody should exploit the issue to claim political mileage. He is also reported as saying ::

On a related matter, he said the achievements of bumiputra students in the matriculation programme had not been good enough since the programme started.
He added, however, that the programme would not be opened to non-bumiputras in the near future because it was meant to give bumiputras a chance in science and accountancy.
“The bumiputra achievements are not good enough, based on the reports I received. We should give them more time to excel in these fields,” he added

Has Hishamuddin been misquoted? If not, does this means that the matriculation programme would once again revert back to being exclusively for the bumiputra students only and the 10% alloted for the non-bumiputra students, in the last two intakes, will be taken back? The question then is :: When will the bumiputra students catch up with the rest? Are they going to be shielded again from taking the challenge to their detriment?

| ¶ 6/06/2004 12:39:00 AM

Saturday, June 05, 2004

The Cupboard is Bare

So soon after the 11th election and at the first meeting of the new Parliament, we are told the government coffers is quite bare. The alternative parties must be having a sigh of relief that they have not won the 11th and inherited a bare government coffers. In Parliament which is presently in session, we are told that 90% of the RM160 billions meant for the Rancangan Malaysia Kelapan[RM8] has been spent and only RM17 billions are left till 2005! Parliamentary secretary to the Finance Ministry Datuk Hilmi Yahaya has also said that as the Government wanted to reduce its deficit, targeted at RM18bil for 2003 to 2004, there will be no further allocation. All ministries have been told to take cost-cutting measures to reduce unnecessary expenditure.
What has happened to cause this mismatched spending? We are told in Parliament that it is due to "too fast" spending by the various ministries, or should it be "over-spending"?
The MINIstry of Health has been in the news lately, regarding the issue of cost-cutting and it has been reported that the MINIstry is facing problems even in paying staff salaries in hospitals across the country if it does not reduce other expenditures. Malaysiakini has also reported on measures the Health MINIstry is taking to do this :: buying of cheaper drugs, cutting down on overtime, with holding filling up non-critical positions and so on. This was initially denied by the apparently misinformed Deputy Health MINIster in Parliament. There is also a report that plans to build 11 new hospitals have been held back. This unhealthy surgery on the health budget would only mean greater misery and a heavier financial burden for the poor who are the main users of government health facilities. For the rich there is always the private health sector to cater for them.
What is remarkable is that the PM-cum-Finance MINIster-cum-Internal Security MINIster is unaware of all these "too fast" expenditure by the various ministries! When asked about what the Finance Parliamentary Sec had to say, the PM is reported to have replied: "90 percent? I have to check first what he (Hilmi) is talking about." He should come clean and be transparent and tell us the truth as to how the government coffer has been emptied so fast and whether there has been any mis-adventure(s) in spending by the ministries. With still almost one and a half years to go before the RM8 runs its course and only 10% of the budget left, the people/taxpayers have reason to worry. Will the "golden geese" namely Petronas and the EPF be once again called to do yeoman national service? Will our hard earned retirement funds go up in smoke? Certainly worrying.
The promised RM30 billion foreign funds waiting to come into this country are just that, waiting to come in. These were according to the PM just dying to come in if the BN won big in the 11th election, what happened. Realising the state of the 'cupboard', the PM has been praising the private sector skyhigh and expects it to be the engine-of-growth. He mentioned this when speaking at the opening the AGM of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia recently. Like foreign investors, local investors are waiting for the execution of the promised reforms made by the PM, before they come up with their investments.
In early March, prior to the 11th election, the then caretaker PM at the launch of a state election machinery had these words to say ::

"Strong support gives strength and confidence to a government. With a big mandate, I will be able to do all that I promised. I will know then that the people are with me." In his first four months in office, Abdullah outlined his initiatives to tackle corruption, improve the delivery of public services, make the award of government contracts more transparent and turn agriculture into a new area of economic growth.

Big and strong mandate he did receive from the 'enamored' voters but has he, in return, delivered?

| ¶ 6/05/2004 03:45:00 AM

Friday, June 04, 2004

Got Gmail Invite

Thought i should let you fellow bloggers (especially those using Blogger) and visitors know, i've just received a Gmail invite. Just login at Blogger and you might be pleasantly surprised with an invite to try out the beta versi.
You can learn more about Gmail here and read the reviews. With 1 Giga of mail storage, the links which come along is a small price to pay.
Those who are interested in a Gmail swap, try this site.
As far as i am concerned, Gmail is worth a go.

| ¶ 6/04/2004 02:49:00 PM

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

More Unity Programme--Humbugger?

The PLKN was touted as a programme, among other things, to promote national unity and integration. Whatever good the youths who have participated in the PLKN recently may have obtained is going to be dissipated soon when they continue with the next stage of their journey in education and life. For a large number of these trainees who have just completed their PLKN training, reality will hit them when they find themselves streamed into matriculation and Form 6 classes for the next stage of their formal education or pre-university education.
Those who join the matriculation classes, [90% bumiputras and 10% non-bumiputras] will find themselves doing a one year course, take internal matriculation school tests, are graded on their course work and accumulate points throughout the one year from tutorials and quizzes by their internal testers. The next year, they get a shot at being selected for entry into universities to do their tertiary education.
Those who are not admitted to matriculation classes, [?90% non-bumiputras and ?10% bumiputras] will have to join the 6th Form for their pre-university education. This takes 18 months or two years if you like. At the end of that period, they take the STPM examination. This examination consists of 4 or for the more adventurous 5 subjects which are taken over a period of days at one go. The exam papers are standardised for all STPM candidates and their papers are marked by external examiners. By the time they get to be selected for university entry, their fellow PLKN comrades who went through matriculation, would have completed their 1st year in university and getting ready to start year two!
Would the sense of enhanced unity and integration gained during the three months spent together while undergoing the PLKN still be there or gone up in smoke? No money for making the correct guess. Post-PLKN training and while going through their pre-university education wouldn't keeping them in one single stream, whether matriculation or 6th Form or even better just call it pre-university allow for the youth to continue and further the interaction, bonding and integration started in their PLKN days.
Now the MINIstry of Education is hoping that the Vision Integrated Camping Programme would further promote unity among students prior to their PLKN days. Apparently this Camping Programme has been around since 1986. The programme this year would involve 61 schools nationwide [damn small number indeed] and would involve students from national schools, national-type Tamil primary schools and national-type Chinese primary schools at state and national levels. Already the Deputy Education MINIster has also indicated that the camping programme would serve as an orientation prequel to the PLKN for the students. Now wouldn't following up the PLKN with the suggested uniform pre-university classes be a sequel to further promotion of student unity and interactions. Best wishes to the MINIstry as far as its hopes and aspirations of further unity are concerned.

| ¶ 6/01/2004 11:52:00 PM

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