Water problems in Selangor

I refer to the very informative report on the quality of our water, Do not filter water from Syabas and am very happy to know that Syabas is in firm control of the situation of providing safe and potable water for the residents of Selangor and elsewhere. But I am somewhat confused by the statements made by the officials in the user awareness program in Putrajaya today. Let me quote them for clarity.

• A..For instance, fluoride is needed by babies for their teeth. But all of them {including chlorine and other minerals}are trapped by the filters and form a layer of yellowish or brownish residue on the filter.
• B..She said the water-treating process got rid of mud particles and hence, it was impossible for the treated water to contain mud {thus brown in colour}.

I have lived in Petaling Jaya (Section 11) for more than 40 years, and I have also installed a exterior type of filter for my water supply in the garden, and has been using the system for more than 15 years. In addition to the exterior system, I have also installed a small kitchen filter for drinking water purposes. For the maintenance of the exterior system, I backwash the system once a month, and without fail, the first 4 buckets of water collected from the cleaning process will be brown. Likewise I have to clean my kitchen filter once in 3 months, or it will be blocked by a brown sludge. My questions to the officials are:

1. Re the statement A above, Do you mean to say that the dirty brown water that I collect and then use for watering my plants, actually comprise of chlorine, fluoride and other valuable minerals? Do you mean to say that it is safe to drink the brown water?
   
2. Re the statement B above, I would love to welcome the Syabas officials to visit my home anytime, and I will do the backwash filter cleaning process for them to look at the brown water. I think the statement that "it was impossible for the treated water to contain mud" is a little inaccurate, to put it mildly.

I appreciate the efforts made by Syabas and other officials to enlighten and reassure the public of the safety of our water, but I stand to be corrected when I say that there is no way that I will drink that brown water, even after boiling.

I also know for a fact that the water we get in some quality condominiums in TTDI are brown too, the brown sludge on the kitchen filters have to be seen to be believed.

Water problems in Selangor

Health for All..

I must, first of all, applaud Dr ONG HEAN TEIK, Dr HANIFFAH ABDUL GAFOOR & Dr S.P. PALANIAPPAN for taking up so much of their time to write this very informative column.. Health for All..(Sunday Star 24 April, Health at large). The views espoused by them are so important for the public to know and to consider and ruminate upon, that I am appealing to The Star to disseminate this column again in other forms so that it will reach other audiences, and those who do not normally read this paper. This is a matter regarding our health and the cost of healthcare, and is literally a matter of life and death. The President of the United States was elected on his campaign promise to reform the Health Care system of the country, so important is this issue to all.

I would just like to draw our attention to the more important points that have been raised by the good doctors, though I feel the whole feature should be used as a forum for public debate.

It has been suggested that rather than implementing a financing scheme for primary care to be again administered by, what is now a popular practice by the Govt., an ubiquitous private company, akin to a Master Insurance company, which will dictate, among other things, number of patients for each doctor, type of medicines to be prescribed, restrictions on other outpatient services and medication to be given, restriction on patients seeing other than the designated doctors and vice versa, prohibiting the patients' freedom to have a choice of their own home doctors, etc. The column has opined that all such mandatory measures will just add to the inefficiency and cost of Primary health care, and not otherwise.

The column has also suggested that it's the shortage of public hospitals and public health care that is the cause of our problems, and improving and adding public hospitals must be the first step towards improving health care to the public.

The column is very sober reading indeed, and I would like to end by quoting from it... "No other country in the world has started a financing scheme for outpatient clinics before dealing with the more expensive, and more important, problem of hospitalisation costs".... The poor must not end up the big loser, as we saw recently when the Private Healthcare Act was used to close down charity dialysis centres.It is our duty as responsible citizens to try to look after the sick, irrespective of income level. Since the Government derives its revenue from all tax payers, it must not seek to profit from its activities, but develop a system to protect the health of all, especially those unable to pay for their own needs.--"

In ending my appeal, I would like to give an example of my wife's medical insurance(Pacific Insurance) and how unilateral increases in the annual premium was forced upon her, to either cover the costs of unscrupulous medical increases made by others, or to force her to abandon her insurance cover just when she may need it the most. The annual premium increased from RM1800 in 2010 to RM5423 in 2011, and there were no prior claims made on the policy.

We need the Government to provide its citizens with adequate and dignified health care, and not to think of profiteering from it, either directly or indirectly.

That much is owed to us,

Provide adequate healthcare..

Tricubes shares soar 300% in a matter of days!!!

Reading the news that the Tricubes shares went through the roof (almost 300%), Tricubes shares soar on news of working with Microsoft, brought back some memories of the time I was working in Manila, when a similar event almost brought down the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), and also brought allegations of insider trading and even murder against the owners. It was headlines news for weeks. Let me try to recollect here.

Sometime in 1999. when Joseph Estrada was the President, one of his known cronies at the time, (let's call him DT) was awarded a licence to implement a lottery project called the 'Online Bingo'. No tenders were ever called, and a next to impossible deadline was given to to complete the project. Nobody knew exactly what was going on, but the company which was linked with the Bingo project rose from 1peso to an astounding 107pesos when the market almost collapsed.

The Bingo lottery made a show of starting for a while, but did not last for more than a year at the most. Naturally, many who held the now worthless Bingo shares pressed for investigations, and even the President (and some senators)admitted that he held some shares as obviously he could not offload them in time.

The investigation was ongoing, when the event took a tragic turn. A PR Consultant of the Bingo company, who supposedly wanted to 'talk' to the ex President Ramos was found murdered with his driver, and their vehicle burnt and thrown into a ravine. The owner of the Bingo company, DT fled the Philippines, and was last rumored to be somewhere in the Asia Pacific region.

Can we see some similarities in Bingo story and Tricubes? Of course we are not talking about murders and assassinations, but is there anything wrong with a company, when its share value can soar 300% in a matter of days? Will this trigger an investigation by the Sec Comm., or will this be classified as another 'close one eye' episode by our weary citizens.... We will have to wait and see...

Think about it

Powerless Government? (or corrupt)

I refer to your report, Powerful figures behind vices and cannot help but feel that there is a lackadaisical attitude among the police authorities and the local Government in trying to stamp out vice and corruption in the island State. I am saying this because, I remembered having commented several times in the past that the police and local authorities seem to "close one eye" on vice activities in the State, via my letter to your paper, 'why no action against outlet" published on November 17, 2009! In that letter, i expressed my amazement at the fact that an illegally operated entertainment outlet has been closed by Police 11 times but were still caught operating illegally. I will not be surprised if the police were to tell me that this entertainment outlet is "still in business" at the present moment.

To me, it is quite embarrassing for the police to have to report that their hands are always tied when allegedly 'powerful figures' are involved in the crimes. It goes to show us that corruption and a lack of personal integrity still hold the upper hand in the administration of the affairs of the State.

The public cannot help but be concerned....

'Powerful figures' above the law?

little effort made to re-forest??? [Forest plantation operators told to submit funding request]

Your business report on the Gov't's efforts to aid forest plantations, Forest plantation operators told to submit funding request] clearly showed that such measures have been put in the 'back-burner' and are considered low priority in the Gov't's overall efforts to transform the economy. From what I can glean from the report, it would seem that less than 15% of the available acreage of de-forested areas have been replanted, and officials have admitted that efforts have at best been desultory. More than this, it has also been reported that some of the earliest forest plantations in Bintulu "were supposed to supply raw materials to a proposed pulp and paper mill project but the project has yet to take off although it was planned more than 15 years ago".

If the Govts efforts to develop forest plantations are to "relieve the pressure of harvesting timber from natural forests", I think the efforts have failed miserably as the reality of the situation is that Virgin forests and reserves have been continually allotted by State Governments to big timber concerns for purely profit motives. Furthermore, overt and covert encroachment into forest areas protected by law are still frequently reported, as surveillance and monitoring by sometimes indifferent authorities have been found seriously wanting.

If we are serious in our efforts to support sustainability issues in our transformation programmes, and also to contribute towards the greening of the World, we have a lot to do in this area, and soon......

Much work remains to be done...

Tourism Ministry should be careful when endorsing eateries.

Referring to the news, Mine the tourism potential of Gopeng.. Min of Tourism it reminded me of a trip to Bercham Ipoh last Friday with some of my friends.It was a day outing and was also in response to a feature in the Star metro sometime in February, regarding a nice eating place there. After much searching, we found "Kedai Makanan Rasa Lain"** in time for early dinner. We found to our surprise, this establishment was awarded a certificate of commendation by the Minister of Tourism, but was quite disappointed that the Ministry chose to award certificates to places where the toilets don't come up to scratch. Though the food was reasonably good and inexpensive, we would not recommend that a prospective customer use the toilet facilities BEFORE his meal.

I feel that proper value must be attached to places that are recommended by the Ministry, and for the Ministry to accord praise to places that they have not thoroughly checked out will give our country a bad name, as tourists will literally "thumb their noses" at the credibility of our efforts..

Endorsed eatery not up to the mark

Just say no to shark’s fin soup

With reference to the news, 80% HongKies back weddings without shark fin soup, which also appeared in The Star today, it is a sign of hope that, Hong Kong, long a bastion of Chinese culture and culinary habits, is finally waking up to the fact that eating the celebratory shark fin soup is endangering the survival of the species.

It would be a great deed indeed, if we Malaysians can get our act together, and get all 100% of Malaysians to avoid taking sharkfin soup, whether it's for weddings, birthdays and anniversaries, or for winning the Jackpot.

Let's Just Do It

Just say no to shark’s fin soup

Businesses and Corporate Social Responsibility

In the business report that Malaysia's 2nd largest palm oil company is under scrutiny "following allegations about land disputes and illegal deforestation" it is a sign that the world is paying attention to industries that covertly destroy the world's remaining forests, and though I have no doubt that the company in question will clear its name, it is nevertheless an encouraging sign that our Govt has openly accepted such scrutiny.

The industry group has advised that it would consider further sanctions, including the suspension of licences for new certified sustainable transactions, if the company cannot satisfactorily respond by a certain deadline.

It would certainly do Malaysia a lot of good too, if the Timber industry will come under a similar scrutiny, and be issued licences for certified sustainable transactions, for their products to be internationally recognised as causing minimum harm to the environment. At the moment, I am not sure if anyone in the world is concerned if the timber exported from Malaysia has been extracted illegally from encroached forest reserves and native lands..Moreover, the re construction of Japan after the quake and tsunami, will be a prime motivator for more encroachment.

Socially Responsible Industries

Is Malaysia the dirtiest nation in SE Asia??

Reading this bit of news, 11 police trainees treated for flu like illness really made us wonder if Malaysia is not the dirtiest country in the region. At first it would seem like only all the Police and Army training centres are dirty, as according the Minister of Health, the adenovirus and the H1N1 viruses are everywhere and he has emphasised that only clean and well ventilated premises will help check the spread of this scourge. The frequency of trainees getting dangerously ill at these training centres make us wonder if those responsible for the maintenance of the training centres know anything about cleanliness and the prevention of disease.

However, when such negligence is viewed against the larger picture of our dirty eateries, the incidence of leptospirosis in rubbish laden camping sites, and the frequent complaints by local and foreign tourists of our faeces filled toilets, these 'facts' give justification to our notoriety.

It is difficult for academics and cultural analysts to explain why Malaysians have such dirty habits. Could it be that all of us, at one time or another come from another country, and except for the Orang Asli, cannot feel sufficient "ownership" to the land we now call Home, or as one of my learned friends has postulated , it's because of our dependency on foreign workers that we have 'inherited' a mentality that is uncaring and indifferent. For example, what sort of future generations that will inherit Malaysia, when in their formative years, they are looked after by maids who have not even seen a flush toilet, or who think that monsoon drains and the floor are places you can throw your garbage in?

Retirement Homes?

I read this letter from Lily Fu, Plan for your Golden years..... and agree with her that in the current "Age of the Rat Race", leaving your aged parents in Good nursing homes is not a sign of decreasing filial piety but borne of out dire necessity. However, she rightly emphasized on "Good" nursing homes, as from experience, almost all of the homes currently in operations in the country are usually places where you would not even wish upon your enemies! I do visit homes on a fairly regular basis, and from what I have observed even in the "best" of them, we really would be heartless thinking that such places are really those abodes that we want to leave our cherished parents and relatives to see out their remaining part of their lives in some form of dignity. Most of these homes are guilty of one or more of the following:

• Caregivers are usually underpaid and UNTRAINED foreign workers, some of them even working illegally.
  
• Almost half of them hold down two jobs, to make ends meet, and as such their performance suffers, I have seen one foreign 'cook' who doubled up as a night shift caregiver, and sleeps most of the time, leaving the inmates unattended
• To prevent the demented, or the depressive residents from making nuisances of themselves, they are tied up most of the time, to the beds, except during "feeding" time
• To manage time, as the homes are always undermanned, caregivers normally bathe the residents very early, and sometimes even bathe them in groups, with cold water
• Dinner is usually given between 5 to 6 pm, and the residents are packed off to bed immediately after that, leaving the caregivers free to rest, or to take on the second job.
• There is no interaction between the caregivers and the residents, most of whom are left in front of TV sets, or tied up in bed, in between meals.
  
• Even the elderly who are mobile, but need assistance or a walking frame, soon become disabled and wheelchair ridden, once they move to the nursing homes, as they will be forced to wear diapers, and not allowed to 'move on their own'. Caregivers don't have the time or the patience to look after the stronger ones individually
  
• Exercise equipment and walkways are just for show, as without assistance most of the residents soon become too weak to use them on their own
• The food given to the residents in most of these homes are pitiful and tasteless. I know of a 'classy' home that offers a blind resident, fried meehoon the whole day
• Most of the homes are also converted from old residential houses, and are not purpose built to care for the elderly. I have seen homes where the elderly and the sick are just left lying in lobbies of such homes, just next to a reception counter.
  

Some children will use such homes to "abandon" their parents, other will use hospitals.

Unless there is a conscious effort to 'humanise' geriatric nursing care in the country, by giving generous tax incentives/holidays for the setting up of proper nursing homes, and by initiating proper training for professional caregivers on a large scale, to me, sending your parents to the care of a nursing home in Malaysia at the present moment, can be a very traumatic experience for either party, and one which you will not want to wish upon yourself when the time arrives..

Good nursing homes only with incentives!

Don't shift the blame to Alam Flora

I refer to your report, Alam Flora told to axe errant contractors, and while I feel that some Alam Flora contractors have been indifferent in their jobs, the 'couldn't care less' and totally selfish attitudes of most residents need to be addressed. How would you expect the Alam Flora contractors to do a proper job, when they are already undermanned and under equipped, and on top of that the residents and businessmen do not cooperate to make rubbish collection a more methodical chore. Examples of the selfish attitudes are:

• Residents NOT using proper dustbins, and just scatter their rubbish in loosely tied plastic bags all over the place, especially at corners of quiet areas
• Residents NOT doing their bit to separate their waste into recyclable, non-recyclable and food waste
• residents who deliberately throw their Rubbish next to the bins allocated for the purpose, and not inside the bins themselves,
• Residents who don't take out the rubbish according to designated collection days,
• Residents, businessmen, foreign workers, and students who use drains and roadways as rubbish dumps for their empty plastic bags, Styrofoam containers, cigarette boxes, etc
• people who throw rubbish out of moving vehicles
• Hawkers who use backlanes to wash and throw away food waste, attracting rats and cockroaches
• people who leave old mattresses, side tables, broken chairs, fans, etc., along the roadside, expecting Alam Flora to pick them up,
• and many other ugly habits

We need also ways to inculcate caring attitudes into our residents, people who appreciate others who do the 'dirty' work for them, and not treat the whole country side like a landfill

Residents should cooperate in getting rid of rubbish