The other end of the blow by Joceline Tan,

Serendipitously, this feature >>> The other end of the blow by Joceline Tan, was published in Sunday Star, just after our "lively" discussion on the subject on Friday night, after some voluminous drinking :-) . We may not agree totally on the subject, but read through this column for a more sober analytical view, {which may also be not agreeable to some of us}

.. Cheers!

Quotes from the column:

1. Perkasa and Dong Zong should merge because they are best friends. They may look like enemies from the outside but they actually have a lot in common. Don’t believe me? Check how they behave in public. The only difference is their ethnic background and language but the rest of their mannerism is pretty much the same. Please think of a suitable name when they merge later,” said one Kuala Lumpur blog.
2. Normally, a rally of this sort would have been done under the umbrella body of Dong Jiao Zong. But Jiao Zong could not agree with all of the four resolutions that Dong Zong was trying to push through. For instance, Jiao Zong disagreed that even English and Bahasa Malaysia in Chinese primary schools must be taught by those with Chinese school qualifications.
3. As one Chinese businessman put it: “I’ve never seen a Chinese scold another Chinese the way they scolded him (Dr Wee). I felt sad for both sides.”
4. Saifuddin is from a multi-racial party; he could not understand a word of what was being said at the all-Chinese-speaking affair but he would surely know that this sort of event would send the average Malay voter straight into the arms of Umno.

As I have written in The Sun, >> Chinese groups ask wrong question  I strongly believe that we fight relentlessly against injustice, corruption and cronyism that is rampant in the present Govt., but we must be objective in our approach to the battle, and not stoop to belligerent tactics that are used by the others.. It will backfire, and will also demonstrate that we are in it for the same nefarious ends..

Till then, until next Friday, have a blessed week..

Chinese groups ask wrong question

Hello Dr Wee,
I saw the news on TV7 >> Dr Wee: My duty to listen to problems of the community and I admit I was saddened by the behavior, and the bigotry and immaturity of the Chinese who were present. I do not know the exact 'semantics' of the issue, ie the removal of non Mandarin teachers in Chinese vernacular schools, and/or the shortage of Mandarin speaking teachers.  I think those Chinese who propound that view are too narrow minded and arrogant. WE must fight relentlessly for injustice that has been served on our community, but in Malaysia, if we truly want to live graciously,and in harmony, the question to ask is not for the removal on non Mandarin teachers from Chinese schools, BUT to raise the question on why the number of non Malay teachers fall so far short of the National  ethnic ratio. If the recruitment of teachers have been impartially made in accordance of the racial composition of the country, we would have sufficient teachers for any scenario. So let's address the issue in the right way, and not behave so perversely.

Additionally, I do not agree that a Bahasa Malaysia teacher in a Chinese school must be Mandarin speaking, nor even a Mathematics teacher, if the teaching medium is in English.

We protest and cry when the UMNO provocateurs stir up the racial and religious emotion at every turn, but are we any better?

I am happy for the restraint shown by Dr Wee.

 Chinese groups ask wrong question

Fighting crime using LED lights

On reading your report, Fighting crime using LED lights I could not help but 'rolled on the floor, laughing out loud' {ROFLOL} as I felt that MBPJ is having another one of its hare brained schemes again. I have already commented on the wastefulness of the "prototype" parking bay project in PJ New Town which is apparently rusting away, and also from my email below, I have asked MBPJ why they are not continuing to MAINTAIN the Solar Panel Backlane Streetlights that they have installed in Section 11, PJaya, and elsewhere.

Attached are some pictures of the Solar panel back lane street lights installed at the BACKLANE of Jalan 11/10 PJ. Despite numerous complaints no action has apparently been taken to fine tune the lights. At the moment, all the lights shown in the pictures turn on approximately at 7.30pm, and turn off before MIDNIGHT. The streetLight behind house no 52 Jalan 11/10 has its solar panels hidden by on overgrown tree, and so does not turn on at all. In spite of numerous phone calls and emails to Aduan MBPJ, no action has been taken to trim the tree, as the MBPJ staff claimed that since the roots of the tree originated from a house, the overhanging branches are the responsibility of that house owner {no 10 Jalan 11/4}. So the residents of Jalan 11/10 are left with backlanes without lighting after midnight, and any right thinking person would agree that the times from midnight to dawn are the most 'dangerous' times in terms of criminality.

So my question, this time, to MBPJ is, are we now supposed to join the LUA program and install the beautiful Korean made LED lights, at our own expense? My next question is, will this be another hare brained scheme of MBPJ, and then left to 'rot' without maintenance, just like the hundreds of solar panel street lights that have been installed in many sections of PJ?

Millions spent to clean up rubbish which cause clogging

On reading this report, >Millions spent to clean up rubbish which cause clogging I have to agree wholeheartedly with what PJ City Council public relations officer Zainon Zakaria said that "about RM1mil was spent in cleaning up drains as well as repairing broken ones last year. She added that the city council had to deal with commercial waste, such as cooking oil, which was dumped into the drains. People must change their habits. If not, no matter how much cleaning up we do, the problem will continue,.."

I fear she is right in saying that no matter how much cleaning the Councils continue to do, the problem will persist, as long as people's attitudes remain. I also fear that the problem of rubbish clogging our drains and rivers will increase tremendously in spite of super efforts made by these local authorities, as our nation continues to depend significantly on "imported" labour for our basic cleaning needs.

For cost and availability reasons, the foreign workers all come from depressed countries in the regions around us, and due to extensive poverty, the citizens and the governments there do not have the time and resource to practise and maintain a culture of keeping the environment and the neighbourhood clean and hygienic. In certain countries that we 'extract' our labour from, it is well known that toilets are 'where and when the need arises' and in those areas, often drains do not even exist. Garbage bins? Who needs them!

Fast forward to Malaysia, where we have {in spite of difficulties with the Indonesian Govt relating to the 'import' of maids}, close to 5 million foreign workers performing basically cleaning services in homes, restaurants, factories, offices, plantations, construction sites, old folks nursing homes, and rubbish collectors, and who have indifferent ideas to the disposal of rubbish, what can you expect from such a workforce? And if they observe that their employers also have dirty habits and attitudes, how can we hope to keep our streets and drains clean and unclogged?

We have a huge problem on our hands, and continuous Govt corruption and 'tidakapathy' will only see it getting worse.

An end to modern medicine?

An end to modern medicine? by Martin Khor is indeed a timely feature, and serves to warn us of the perils of complacency and greed in the use of antibiotics as medicine and as a 'vitamin' for livestock. In Malaysia there are several reasons why we are also contributing to the increasing ineffectiveness of modern antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases. Among them are:

• Doctors like to use the 'sledgehammer' approach to the treatment of even the simplest of colds and sore throats. Antibiotics are prescribed the moment a patient complains of body aches and a sore throat, even though antibiotics are ineffective for viral infections.
• Poor patients who have to pay for the medication, skimp on its usage. For example, I know a dear friend, who only takes his antibiotics until his illness improves, and then keeps the remainder for use, the next time he has similar symptoms.
  
• Chicken and Pig farmers who indiscriminately use antibiotics as a prophylactic measure against illness among its livestock.

Earnest Education of our public, our medical practitioners and the farmers should be ongoing..

Timely Caution 

abuse and mistreatment of Indonesian maids in Malaysia

I have to disagree with the statement made by our HR Minister in your report, Subra: Not for embassy official to advise govt on suspension in which he said, "it is “out of place” for an Indonesian Embassy official to advise his government to suspend the sending of maids to Malaysia."
I think the Honourable Minister, in making that remark is showing his naivety and in my opinion, the Indonesian official has every right to speak up and advise his Government, if he knows that his people staying and working in a foreign country have been abused and mistreated. The Embassy official would be remiss in his duties towards his country and his people, if reports that his fellow citizens working in our country have not been paid salaries, and are also abused by, shockingly, Malaysian senior Government officials, are NOT acted upon expeditiously.

I would certainly hope that Malaysian Embassy officials serving in foreign countries would not hesitate to do the same for Malaysians who are in distress overseas, as that would be the minimum that we expect them to do.

It would be more appropriate if the Government made a positive statement to investigate such cases that have arisen, and not give statements that it cannot guarantee that all salaries will be paid, and that no foreign worker will be abused.

Does it mean we Malaysians condone such acts???

New Rubbish Contractors, MBPJ

Saturday March 3, 5.50pm.
At the time of writing of this email, I wish to inform that the household rubbish contractor has still not come to collect our household rubbish, accumulated since Tuesday 28 February

This morning, I also received calls from my neighbours, complaining to me that there is no sign of the rubbish contractor in our areas, ie. Jalan 11/10 and 11/5, but they were reportedly going around in Section 12/12A and Section 11/12.

I also made a call this morning to Richard Yeoh, the Councillor for Section 11 and 12 PJ and he said he will check. I am not sure what is meant by that, though it means that the rubbish were left uncollected. I also made a call to Dr Chitra, in charge of the MBPJ Environmental Health, who proudly informed me that her own house rubbish was also NOT collected in Jalan 11/6. She also informed me that the contractor for Section 11 has informed her that they have lost their way, and even with maps provided by MBPJ, they are still lost. Dr Chitra also informed me that she has activated the 'backup' team and our household rubbish will be collected today.. I am still waiting as I write this email.

I have no recourse but to highlight the ineptitude of the officials in charge of implementing the "new contractors" for the household rubbish collection, since revoking Alam Flora's contract. I am sorry but I do not agree with Datuk MBPJ that the contractors be given a 3 month grace period to be efficient. In the meantime, are all the food waste from households and restaurants in Section 11 PJ be allowed to fester and leave a stinking smell around the neighbourhood??

Planning, and implementing a plan are two different things, and I am speaking as an experienced project manager of International projects. Managers must 'turun padang' in the early phases, and not sit around cushy making phone calls with their I-phones, and then think they have done their jobs.

In the meantime stray dogs tear into the plastic bags of food leftovers, and we residents have to bear with it.

What's wrong with the Selangor State Government?