Penanti by-election on May 31 will see a four-cornered fight with PKR's Mansor Othman taking on three independents. Its clear PKR is just a noisy party that is chasing clouds in the air only? How much more have we to buy into their `holier-than thou` attitude ? We have wasted too much time in damaging our country`s economic and political stability.
Mansor, 59, Aminah Abdullah, 56, Nai Khan Ari, 41, and Kamarul Ramizu Idris, 42,
Penanti is a must-win seat for the party's morale because even with a victory gain will not change the equation in the state legislative assembly.
BN is staying out of the by-election, calling it an abuse of the electoral process and a political ploy. PKR have forced two other by-elections previously- the first was when Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail vacated her Permatang Pauh seat to enable her husband, Anwar, to return to Parliament.
Then came the Bukit Selambau by-election where PKR representative and Kedah state exco member V. Arumugam abandoned his seat amid allegations of bigamy.
The Penanti by-election was precipitated by the resignation of former Penang deputy chief minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin following a graft probe. He was later cleared by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
While PKR may supposedly be guaranteed of its `base support`, party insiders are keen to see which way some 2,000 fence-sitters will go.
Penanti voters comprise of 72.6 % Malays, 24.2 % Chinese, 2.4 % Indians and 0.7 % others.
A section of the crowd attending a ceramah in Kampung Guar Jering on Wednesday night
(NST, 27.5.09).
Addressing a large and mostly Muslim audience at a football field in Guar Jering on Wednesday night, Pas spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat repeated his famous "reward from God" campaign line: "I have said this before in Kelantan, vote and you will get pahala (rewards)," declared the revered Tok Guru.
Leaflets were distributed at the ceramah bearing messages from Nik Aziz, Hadi and Penang Pas chief Saleh Man directing Penanti Pas members to come out full force to support PKR candidate Dr Mansor Othman.
Earlier there were threats from some to boycott the by-election.
Local Pas leaders are said to be unhappy with the "forced" by-election, and had even suggested that Pas should field its own candidate.
Another storm stirring is the independent candidate Aminah Abdullah's allegations that PKR had offered inducements for her either to withdraw from the by-election or rejoin the party if she won. The so called `Kak Min` CD scandal is a growing concern for Pakatan leaders.
She has been labelled as a woman of loose character and given names like "Minah Ronggeng" (cabaret woman) in the nightly ceramah that are held in Penanti.
PKR has denied the claims, which the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating.
The question that begs to be answered is why is Pakatan bashing Aminah for the dirty deeds committed by its own leaders?
After all, PKR supreme council member Cheah Kah Peng and state executive council member Law Choo Kiang's special assistant Lim Eng Nam had admitted that they indeed did meet Aminah.
Both have admitted that the conversation took place at Aminah's house on May 13.
However, they remained evasive when asked about the allegations against them.
PKR leaders may want to `shut up` her claims, opting not to respond to them and letting their lawyers deal with the matter, but internal squabbles turning into public spats could be damaging to PKR.
The young party, plagued by a host of leadership problems at various levels, cannot afford to look "small" in the eyes of its allies Pas and DAP in the Pakatan.
Aminah Abdullah has exposed the kind of intense backstabbing and power struggle that is going on in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and in the Penang state administration.
But more importantly, she has laid bare the hypocrisy of Pakatan leaders, in the manner they are dealing with the whole affair.
Instead of living up to their competency, accountability and transparency motto, they have resorted to scathing attacks on their former colleague.
It is also interesting to note the deafening silence from Level 28 of Komtar on this scandalous affair which has implicated a state exco member.
After all, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was among the ones to call for Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam after the latter was barred from contesting the Umno elections, to take responsibility for the actions of his agent who was cited for money politics and to resign as Malacca Chief Minister.
It was a similar scenario. So it now remains to be seen if Lim would initiate any action against his own exco member for the action of the latter's special assistant.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Of Penanti forced by-election-what`s cooking in it?
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
KUGAN-JANGAN SALAHKAN INSTITUSI KEPOLISAN NEGARA
Laporan bedah siasat pertama mengatakan bahawa tahanan mati akibat paru-paru berair, namun ianya segera disangkal oleh keluarga si mati. Ini berikutan terdapat kesan calar di beberapa bahagian tubuh mangsa yang pada mereka amat meragukan. Justeru, bedah siasat kedua diadakan.
Apa yang ingin saya ketengahkan di sini bukanlah bagi mempersoalkan siapa yang bersalah dalam hal ini kerana saya lebih suka menyerahkan hal tersebut kepada pihak yang lebih arif dan pakar dalam hal itu.
Saya sebenarnya ingin menegur perlakuan sesetengah pihak yang dilihat sengaja memperbesar-besarkan perkara tersebut. Pada pendapat saya, tidak perlulah diadakan perarakan, tunjuk perasaan di sana-sini, kain rentang berunsur cemuhan dan sebagainya - hanya merugikan wang ringgit dan mengganggu ketenteraman awam sahaja! Bukankah pihak polis telah menyatakan setiap incian perkara tersebut akan dikaji semula secara telus? Kita juga ada barisan peguam yang ‘cukup handal’ dan diiktiraf di Malaysia, biarkan sahaja perkara tersebut diuruskan oleh mereka.
Justeru, segala macam bentuk penentangan terhadap kerajaan pada hari ini perlulah dihentikan. Sekiranya terbukti benar, terdapat penyalahgunaan kuasa atau salahlaku dikesan dilakukan ke atasnya semasa proses soal-siasat dijalankan, jangan salahkan institusi kepolisan negara, salahkanlah individu yang terlibat, yang menyebabkan perkara sebegini berlaku.
Perlu diingat, Kugan merupakan salah seorang tahanan yang DIKEHENDAKI POLIS berikutan penglibatannya dalam kes-kes samun kenderaan mewah di beberapa negeri di Malaysia; dan bukannya wira yang berjuang berhabis-habisan mempertahankan negara, yang perlu didendang, dijulang dan didewa-dewa.
Friday, May 8, 2009
KUDOS BEING A MOTHER....
BEING A MOTHER...is not an easy task. My dear listerners let me share this story that I picked up along the way as my tribute to all mothers out there..
BEING A MOTHER...
After 17 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, 'I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.'
* * *
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been alone for 20 years, but the demands of my work and my two boys had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.
* * *
That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.
* * *
'What's wrong, aren't you well,' she asked?
* * *
My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.
* * *
'I thought it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,' I responded. 'Just the two of us.' She thought about it for a moment, and then said,'I would like that very much..'
* * *
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last birthday on November 19th.
* * *
She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's. 'I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed,' she said, as she got into the car. 'They can't wait to hear about our date'.
* * *
We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way through the entries, I
lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips. 'It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,' she said. 'Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor,' I responded.
* * *
During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation- -nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.
* * *
As we arrived at her house later, she said, 'I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.' I agreed.
* * *
'How was your dinner date ?' asked my wife when I got home.
'Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,' I answered.
* * *
A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her.
* * *
Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note said: 'I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife.You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.'
* * *
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I LOVE YOU' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till 'some other time.'
* * *
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby.... that somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, 'normal' is history, huh?..
* * *
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct ... that somebody never took a three-year-old shopping, I think?.
* * *
Somebody said being a mother is boring ...... phew! that somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit?.
* * *
Somebody said if you're a'good' mother, your child will 'turn out good'.... nuts! that somebody must think a child comes with directions and a guarantee?.
* * *
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.... really! that somebody must have never helped a fourth grader with his math.
* * *
Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the first ....cos that somebody doesn't have two children..
* * *
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery.... duh! that
somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten
... or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.' ?
* * *
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married....huh that somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in- law to a mother's heartstrings.
* * *
Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home....huh that
somebody never had grandchildren.
* * *
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her..... that somebody isn't a mother. NON-communicative does not work...
Because A MUM JOB NEVER ENDS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tomorrow she will do it again all for the love for us.
Give praise to this MUM SONG and for those who are lucky to be still blessed with a mother, thank God for her .
To all mothers out there, Voicesfromfar wishes you
A BLESSED MOTHER`S DAY 2009
Wishing you all the best of health
Thursday, May 7, 2009
DERMA ORGAN - SAYA?
Semalam saya berpeluang untuk menghadiri seminar ”Pendermaan dan Pemindahan Organ” yang dianjurkan oleh Hospital Putrajaya dengan kerjasama Bahagian Pemindahan Organ Hospital Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur. Jarang sekali saya menghadiri seminar seperti ini kerana jelas ianya berbeza dengan bidang kerja yang saya ceburi sekarang. Namun, bak kata pepatah, ”Jauh Perjalanan, Luas Pemandangan” dan ”Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta” – Ajaibnya, dahulu apabila perkataan ”DERMA ORGAN’ menerjah ke fikiran saya, akan segera saya lupakan.
Ingin saya kongsikan di sini sedikit makluman yang saya dapati daripada seminar tersebut:
1. Terdapat dua kaedah pendermaan organ iaitu Semasa Masih Hidup dan Kadevik (selepas mati). Pendermaan Kadevik selalunya melibatkan organ-organ penting badan seperti jantung, injap jantung dan paru-paru.
2. Selain jantung dan buah pinggang (yang selalu dikaitkan dengan pemindahan organ) kita juga boleh memilih samada untuk mendermakan – hati, paru-paru, injap jantung, kulit, tulang, tisu badan, pankreas, mata, kornea mata(lapisan jernih di bahagian hadapan biji mata) dan amnion (bendalir yang dikeluarkan oleh wanita mengandung, selalunya dibuang begitu sahaja selepas melahirkan anak). Jangan sempitkan pemikiran anda dengan hanya memikirkan organ-organ penting sahaja yang boleh didermakan.
Di Malaysia, kaum Cina mencatatkan bilangan penderma berdaftar tertinggi, ini
diikuti oleh kaum India dan Melayu, ada yang mengatakan dalam agama Buddha, amalan pendermaan organ ini amat digalakkan – mungkin ini ada kaitan dengan statistik ini, saya tidak pasti sejauhmana kebenarannya.
Pemindahan organ atau transplant selalunya dilakukan apabila organ seseorang itu sudah tidak mampu berfungsi lagi – misalnya buah pinggang. Apabila rawatan haemodalisis sudah tidak mampu lagi digunakan untuk ’membersihkan’ buah pinggang tersebut, maka ianya perlu diganti. Penderitaan kesakitan pesakit buah pinggang ini ditambah lagi apabila kos rawatan yang dikenakan sangat tinggi. Bayangkan RM60(saya difahamkan dikenakan oleh hospital kerajaan) sehingga RM 300(bagi hospital-hospital tertentu) perlu dibiayai oleh pesakit ini dalam satu kali rawatan. Untuk makluman, pesakit memerlukan rawatan ini 3 kali seminggu, dan sekiranya satu bulan? Anda sahaja kirakan kosnya.
Perlu diingatkan TIDAK ada sebarang pemindahan atau pendermaan organ akan dilakukan tanpa persetujuan daripada si penderma, si mati atau ahli keluarganya. Justeru, pandangan serong terhadap pendapat sebegini hendaklah dielakkan.
Dalam Islam, terdapat pelbagai pendapat mengenai pendermaan dan pemindahan organ ini bergantung kepada keadaan – HARAM, HARUS, DARURAT dan sebagainya. Untuk makluman lanjut mengenai perihal ini, anda boleh mengunjungi laman web JAKIM di : http://www.jakim.gov.my/ untuk mendapatkan penjelasan lanjut.
Perlu ditegaskan juga di sini bahawa urusan jual-beli organ manusia DIHARAMKAN di Malaysia dan juga agama Islam. Setiap anggota dan organ yang kita miliki amatlah berharga dan ianya tidak boleh dibandingkan dengan sebarang nilai, apatah lagi wang ringgit!
Anda juga tidak perlu takut untuk mendaftarkan diri sebagai PENDERMA ORGAN. Ini kerana, walaupun anda merupakan pemegang kad penderma organ (organ donor card carrier), persetujuan anda akan diminta sebelum pembedahan dilaksanakan.
Sebagai PENERIMA ORGAN (organ recipient) satu upacara mengangkat sumpah akan dilakukan sebelum organ dipindahkan kepada mereka. Merek hendaklah berjanji untuk menjalani kehidupan yang sihat, menjaga organ yang diterima sebaik mungkin – ini termasuklah mengelakkan diri daripada merokok, minum minuman keras dan sebagainya. Saya difahamkan ini bertujuan untuk menghormati dan menghargai jasa penderma yang sanggup menyerahkan organ mereka kepada individu-individu bertuah ini.
Akhir kata, suka saya ulangkan kembali baris-baris ayat yang sehingga kini terpahat di dalam ingatan saya ”Pendermaan organ merupakan satu amal kebajikan yang menjanjikan pahala yang amat besar. Ia juga merupakan satu amalan kebajikan yang terakhir yang boleh dilakukan oleh seseorang individu kepada individu yang lain sebelum meninggal dunia”.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Amid swine flu outbreak, racism goes viral
Anti-immigrant hatred spreads on talk radio, Web sites-it`s an amazement for this to happen in a civilised society .
Brian Alexander, msnbc.com contributor reported:-
`And Thursday, Boston talk radio host Jay Severin was suspended after calling Mexican immigrants "criminalians" during a discussion of swine flu and saying that emergency rooms had become "essentially condos for Mexicans."
“This disgusting blight is because MEXICANS ARE PIGS!” an anonymous poster ranted on the “prison planet” forum, part of radio host and columnist Alex Jones’ Web site. `
There is even talk of conspiracy. Savage speculated that terrorists are using Mexican immigrants as walking germ warfare weapons, " bring an altered virus into Mexico, put it in the general population, and have them march across the border.”
As more than 140 cases of H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, have been confirmed across the United States — from San Diego to New York City — the growing public health concern has also exposed fear and hate.
It has rattled the world's financial markets, pushed oil prices down, caused a run on surgical masks and hand sanitizers, closed schools and churches, postponed sporting events, prompted travel bans, rerouted cruise ships.
Eric Gay / AP-Workers disinfect a classroom at Byron P. Steele High School in Cibolo, outside San Antonio, Texas. Officials at Steele closed the campus and the district's other 13 campuses for at least a week, hoping to stop any more possible spread of swine flu.
Rodrigo Abd /Ap photo- In this April 29, 2009 file photo, passengers wearing face masks as a precaution against swine flu walk inside a metro station in Mexico City. 3:07 p.m. ET, 5/1/0
David J.Philip/Aphoto- In this April 29, 2009 file , microbiologist Gilbert Ortiz handles samples while testing for swine flu at the Houston Department of Health and Human Services in Houston. A toddler from Mexico City who traveled to Texas with family to visit relatives became the first confirmed death in the U.S. from swine flu. 3:06 p.m. ET, 5/1/09
Blamimg `the 0ther`
Fearmongering and blame are almost a natural part of infectious disease epidemics, experts say .
Often, a disease outbreak is an excuse to vent pre-existing prejudices. “It’s fear of people we do not know or who look different,” said Dr. Howard Markel, a medical historian at the University of Michigan and author of “When Germs Travel: Six Major Epidemics That Have Invaded America Since 1900 and the Fears They Have Unleashed.”
“You take the fear of the unknown that already exists and then combine that with a real or perceived threat that is contagious disease and it’s explosive.”
During the medieval Black Plague, Europeans blamed Jews, saying they poisoned the wells. In an 1892 cholera pandemic, the U.S. blamed immigrant European Jews. In the flu of 1918, Markel said, “Italians blamed the Spanish. The Spanish blamed the Italians. For HIV it was gay men and Haitians.”
Americans “have a history of trying to keep ourselves ‘pure,’ ” Fairchild explained. “You saw it after the Civil War when slaves were denied citizenship, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when we were alarmed over southern and eastern European immigrants. There were fears that they would pollute America’s germ plasm, make us a weak nation of imbeciles.”
“People who do not really know anything are creating ideas that don’t really exist,” said Sergio Ornelas, owner of a bi-national publishing and advertising business in El Paso. “I am worried these kinds of articles and comments might create panic.”
Fighting racism with information
Blame-the-victim reactions can be fought with clear, accurate information about the disease and about how it is spreading, said Dr. Larry Kline, a San Diego physician and member of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission.
Please see the previous article to see facts about Swine Flu-it is important to know your facts right and take the necessary precautions .
The number of H1N1 cases worldwide now stands at 787 with two additional deaths reported in Mexico, the World Health Organization announced .Mexico has the largest number of confirmed cases with 506, followed by the United States at 160. So far, 19 people in Mexico and a toddler in the United States have died from the virus.
The WHO has confirmed cases in 15 other countries: Canada, with 70; the United Kingdom with 15; Spain with 13; Germany with six; New Zealand with four; Israel with three; France, with two; and Ireland, Austria, China, South Korea, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Costa Rica, each have one.
It has also reached the shore of Hong Kong and South Korea.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Q & A :- Mexico influenza=Swine flu= Influenza A(HINI)=1918 Sapnish flu
A girl in Mexico City wears a mask outside a church on Sunday.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the swine flu virus has spread from person to person in Mexico and the United States, triggering global concerns as governments scramble to find ways to prevent further outbreak. It has now catch on to parts of Europe including UK.
WHO has also rised the alert to Phase 5,which means that a pandemic is imminent. And experts warn that swine flu could be as big a killer as the 1918 spanish flu if not properly contained.
Q. What is swine flu?
A. Swine influenza, or flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs. It is caused by a type-A influenza virus. Outbreaks in pigs occur year-round. The most common version is H1N1. The current strain is a new variation of an H1N1 virus, which is a mix of human and animal versions.
Q. Does swine flu affect humans?
A. While the virus causes regular outbreaks in pigs, people usually are not struck by swine flu. However, there have been instances of the virus spreading to people -- and then from one person to another. The only difference is, says the CDC, transmission in the past did not spread beyond three people -- as it has done this time.
Q. What is behind the spread of the virus this time?
A. Researchers do not know yet know. People usually get swine flu from infected pigs. For example, farmers handling infected pigs can contract the virus. However, some human cases have occurred without contact with pigs or places they inhabited.
Q. What are the symptoms of swine flu?
A. The symptoms are similar to the common flu. They include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Q. How does the virus spread?
A. The virus spreads the same way the seasonal flu does. When an infected person coughs or sneezes around another person, the latter is put at risk. People can become infected by touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes. An infected person can pass the virus to another before any symptoms even develop. Watch advice on avoiding the swine flu .
Q. Why is this spread troubling?
A. Scientists are concerned whenever a new virus is able to jump from an animal to a person -- and then spread from person to person. When the flu spreads person to person, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight off.
The World Health Organization has said the current outbreak has "pandemic potential," and has urged governments to take precautions to prevent its spread. If the virus continues to mutate, drug makers won't be able to come up with vaccines fast enough.
Q. Can swine flu be fatal?
A. Just like the regular flu, swine flu worsens pre-existing medical conditions in people. So people with already compromised immune systems can die after contracting it.
Q. But doesn't the common flu kill more people?
A. Yes, common seasonal flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people every year. But what worries officials is that a new strain of the flu virus can spread fast because people do not have natural immunity and vaccines can take months to develop.
Q. Have there been swine flu outbreaks in the past?
A. From 2005 to January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the United States, without deaths occurring, the CDC said.
In September 1988, a healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died a week later. And in 1976, a swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey, caused more than 200 illnesses and one death.
Q. What does the World Health Organization mean when it says swine flu has "pandemic potential"?
A. If the virus spreads over a wide geographic area and affects a large segment of the population, it is upgraded from an "epidemic" to a "pandemic."
Q. How deadly have pandemics been in the past?
A. In 1968, a "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed about 1 million people worldwide. And in 1918, a "Spanish" flu pandemic killed as many as 100 million people.
Q. How can one keep from getting swine flu?
A. There are no vaccines available. But several everyday steps can help prevent the spread of germs: Washing hands frequently; avoiding close contact with people who are sick; and avoiding touching surfaces that might be contaminated. Watch how much of Mexico City has come to a halt
Q. Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
A. Yes, the CDC recommends using anti-viral drugs. They keep the virus from reproducing inside the body. And in an infected person, the drugs make the illness milder.
Q. Can one contract swine flu from eating or preparing pork?
A. No. Pork and other pig-derived products, if properly handled and cooked, do not transmit swine flu. The flu virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160°F (70°C).
In Malaysia the government is on high alert but to date there are no cases been reported.The health ministry has two million doses of Tamiflu and Relenza anti-viral medication and is trying to top up the stockpile with an additional 10%.