Dr. Cheah’s Pages

Racial integration : a fallacy?

In Malaysiakini, letter section

The tone of desperation of the above parent is evident. Racial discrimination in schools, why is it still happening? It appears that teachers remain the main culprits in the above scenario. It reminds me of another letter in a local paper, where a policeman candidly commented that the chinese should go back to China. So it appears that this mentality is not confined to teachers.

But this is sad as teachers should be the strongest advocates for racial integration. They are the educators of our future generations. They are to shape the mentality of our young children’s minds. Children that will one day be our leaders. Thus a teacher’s important role is undeniable. Unfortunately, they themselves are plagued with skewed beliefs and persecutory complexes.

How then are we to racially integrate? Will it remain a distant dream? It should not.

Being a multi-racial country is in itself challenging. The thoughts of many races being able to live together baffles others. We pride ourselves with this fact. Nevertheless, many deny and refuse to accept that there are cracks. Such denials will certainly be catastrophic if these cracks are left unrepaired and unchecked.

Swift action by the Education Ministry with regards to the above case should be delivered. It would be the first step in mending such cracks. Teachers who racially discriminate should be removed. They should not corrupt an institution that serves to educate the contrary.

Malaysians, in my opinion, requires a total change in mindset. We should no longer see along racial or religious lines. These are only arbitrary variables. We should treat each as an individual with equal rights as ourselves. We need to break down the barriers that have been put before us for centuries. Then only can we be fair and non judgemental.

These are monumental tasks. But not impossible. It requires commitment and sacrifice. It will be a journey that will be fraught with unexpected obstacles. But for the continuing existence of humanity, it is a necessary journey. It is only hoped that at the end of the day, cooler heads will prevail.

Finally, i believe racial integration starts in our education system. Let us only pray that this education system will keep its end of the bargain.

Proton’s commitment to customer safety??

This is from a recent advertisement by Proton. Their first line is “Customer Safety Comes First”. They also claim that independant tests showed 80% of Gen-2’s cabin remained intact (after collisions). But that is not the whole story. What was shown is a full frontal test which is best for evaluating the performance of seatbelts and air bags. If customer safety really came first, Proton would have installed airbags in all of its cars. IN actual fact, they should recall all its previous versions for ann installation of an airbag. That is the meaning of CUSTOMER SAFETY COMES FIRST!

In this picture, it clearly shows the presence of an airbag in the car. Proton still refuses to introduce air bags to local cars. So i assume that local cars are made different and these test will only apply to cars meant for export. Thus a lower quality of safety, perhaps.

A check of its website did not detail the results of such sites unlike some car manufacturers that would produce results of such safety tests to the public. It is our right to know if we are buying cars with a good safety profile.

The other thing is when they mentioned that 80%of Gen-2 cabin remains intact, which 80% is that. That 20% could spell danger if in the wrong places!. How about the results of an offset crash test??

More questions than answers. So Proton don’t fool us with pictures of so called tests. Be specific. We deserve that much!

Daihatsu’s tests

Exuberance of Med students

An opportunity was presented to attend the IMU Ball. It has been some time since the last contact with my alma mater. It presented me with a chance to step back in time and reminiscent.

The evening began with views of students gloriously dressed. They appeared years ahead of their chronological age. It was full of elegance and style. The excitement and enthusiasm was immediately felt. It was about 10 years since the first Ball with 60 plus students. It has now swelled to 400!

Meeting up with former lecturers and staff was refreshing. Sadly, the majority of the faculty and staff decided to opt out.

Representing the Alumni as its president was my ex classmate which whom I have not met since we departed to our respective partner schools. It was a fruitful exchange of ideas and thoughts.

But the night belonged to the medical students. Their display of talents were awesome. Their organisation of the event commendable. It was indeed their night to strut their stuff.

Their exuberance was astonishing. It reminded me of years gone by. But more importantly, it created a sense of belonging to an alma mater that continues to grow from strength to strength despite unrelentless trials and tribulations. Perhaps it is such exuberance that provides the impetus for its successes.

trusting the devil

In the Star today,

Wrong move Datuk Dr Chua! Are you really getting the best advice? You are putting your trust in organizations that love to sensationalise issues. Dr Chua should take heed from Najib’s lament that the press has blown the National Service issues out of proportion!

This will definitely set a bad precedent and gives the green light for the public to bring their issues immediately to the press. This should not be encouraged. Instead proper channels should be made available for such greviances to be addressed in a suitable and fair manner. Taking issues directly to the press may distort and smear the image of the Ministry of Health(MOH) disproportionately. It is like digging their own graves! Looks like the election of Datuk Dr Chua has thrown the MOH from the frying pan into the fire!

The media is also allowed to control the funds collected and it is the media that decides which patient gets the cash available from such donations. Where is the logic in allowing a media organisation to manage such funds? Who will monitor its management? Are you really sure media organisations can perform in a just manner? Dr Chua mentioned that accountability of such media organisations should not be questioned as they have helped patients before!. I have never heard such irresponsibile and naive remarks before! Proof to the people that media organisations have no hidden agendas and can be fully trusted. They are after all profit and private organisations and will have certain vested interests.

“Bureaucracy must be at a minimum in health matters for quick decisions and treatment,” Dr Chua continued! This has nothing to do with bureaucracy. Patients have always been treated according to the urgency of individual cases. There is no bureaucracy! This only opens the door for non-urgent cases to gate crash. So now the media decides on which patient they feel needs urgent treatment and thus a media highlight. This is unacceptable.

The MOH should set up an independant , non profit organisation to run this donation campaign. Such organisation can then liase with the press and the MOH to ensure patients needing urgent donations can be suitably addressed.

The immaturity of Datuk Dr Chua’s administration is showing. This decision is regrettable and will not augur well for the future of healthcare in Malaysia. In chess terms, he has sacrifised the queen to save a pawn!

For the fun of it!

This graphical picture appeared on the website of The Star when they featured news on contraception. I was just tempted to reproduce it here as I found it humourous!. Perhaps it should be hung on the bedroom door when contraception is desired!! Don’t you just feel sorry for all those cute looking sperms??!! :D

Woes of a specialist

In the NST letter section,

Another area to look at for sure. Government specialists are indeed poorly paid as compared to their private counterparts. It does not take a genius to discover the reason for a shortage in specialists in government funded hospitals.

This letter says it all! The Government has to look seriously into the matter. They can no longer close an eye to this growing problem of brain drain. Doctors cannot be compared to other professions in public service. Doctors spend a lot of time studying for the medical degree and even more sacrifice to pass postgraduate examinations. They need to feel rewarded just like any human beings. All those years of sacrifice, should be translated into a better payscale.

At the end of the day, it is about monetary benefits. Doctors have to take care of their own backyard as well. If the Government is not prepared to look seriously into this matter, then I am afraid that more doctors will leave!

I am sure we will be seeing a wave of doctors “coming out” to voice their greviances, that have been kept pretty much under wraps before this. Someone in the current administration should take heed. Perhaps, Dr Chua himself.

Hitting back

Hmmm… I guess some do have strong words. Unfortunately , most hide cowardly behind pseudonyms and thus showing in their bravery to express such profanity! Judging from his/her grammatical errors, he/she has not fully understood the contents of my blog. Furthermore, reading my blogs require a good general knowledge of current affairs which the writer above obviously lacks.

For his/her benefit, a non-Muslim couple was caught at KLCC park for holding hands. The 2 City Hall officers actually asked for a bribe in return for their freedom for which they refused and were given a summon!… The 2 officers are now undergoing the process of law. UNfortunately, the summons that was issued remained and the couple now has to go to court to answer these charges! So my question is, “is holding hands in a public park an offence, especially for non-muslims!!????”

Internet profanity is rife , unfortunately , as these barbarians can now operate in the cover of darkness!!. How low should they stoop to get at somebody? Just like the anonymity of spammers , these uncivilised minds are hard at work! Many still cannot deal maturely with the freedom of expression that the Internet brings!

Lastly, just as i respect Islam as a religion, its followers should equally respect others in their own right, as stipulated in their religion! So Maz’s utterance has inadvertantly degraded himself and his religion by such uncontrolled anger! But I forgive such poor souls and this will be my last comment on this matter!

Super Sapiens : Hellboy

Synopsis

When a Nazi mystical experiment goes awry in 1944, the target of a wizard’s spell, the child of Satan, Hellboy, is wrenched from his home, and adopted by the U.S. agents who intercept his arrival. Raised as a force of good, Hellboy grows up to be a full-fledged demon in the form of a man, complete with fierce red skin, a tail, a giant armored glove, and two large circles where his horns should be (if they ever grow back, Hellboy is quick to break them off). Now, the adult Hellboy, an investigator of the paranormal, is sent on a mission that brings him back in touch with the evil genius that started it all… that Nazi wizard (and just who is *he* anyway?). Accompanying him along the way are other agents, including Liz, a pyrokinetic woman Hellboy has feelings for, and Abe Sapien, a mysterious amphibian hominid…

A highly entertaining movie. Hellboy is a lovable character despite his devilish looks! He has charm, humour and character! He brings life to a show that otherwise would be mediocre. I would recommend this and give it a 8.5 out of 10!

Hellboy Movie

Are we moving forward?

First, the ridiculous rule of not allowing couples to hold hands at the KLCC park and now this. I think we are getting overboard with such nitty gritties! What are we hoping to achieve here? Or do we want to emulate Singapore with their rule of social dictatorship!? It puzzles me!

I am bewildered by such incomprehensible decisions. Is using another language in a song diluting the national language? I do not think so…. Bahasa Malaysia itself has plenty of borrowed words. It remains a fact that B. Melayu is a young language and the power of its vocabulary remains much to be desired. But that is besides the point.

A song is an artistic expression of the artiste. It is not about the language but the emotions and the messages that a song hopes to express and relay to its listeners. Barring the use of certain languages can stunt the expression of an artiste.

The other question is why only English? As mentioned in the article, why not arabic or chinese? Why English?

I can offer no explanations except that these idle policymakers have wandered off into another world. There is no logic in their actions. This will certainly pull Malaysia back a few steps in our forward direction towards being a developed nation!

Outsourcing : the solution?

In a letter to The Star

Outsourcing will benefit everyone, will it? Most probably the General Practitioners! I disagree with Dr Mahendran that outsourcing is the way to go. For a start, if GPs want a greater role in alleviating the long waiting lines, then they must be prepared to give free services or at least rock-bottom prices. It would cost the Government $25 per patient as meticulously calculater by Dr Mahendran, but how much would it cost the general public if they were to visit a GP?. Mind you not many in the rural areas will be able to fork out even $10, let alone $25!

Secondly, the practice of certain GPs are not in line with the latest in clinical practice guidelines. This creates a problem if outsourcing is allowed. There will no longer be uniformity in the treatment patterns and the Government has no control over them except perhaps through the Malaysian Medical Council. I have come across several GPs that prescribe exotic and at times experimental treatment. Some even prescribe traditional medications to their patients!

However , noble the intention, i believe outsourcing is not the answer. It would only solve matters in the short term! The strategy is to maintain and improve the current resources that are available. There is a need to improve human resource and administrative skills in the Government. We need individuals trained in business administration to help run the Ministry and hospitals. Doctors do not know how to manage people in a corporate manner. This is the main reason why many government employees are not happy and thus showing in their declining productivity. The Government needs to take the cream of the crop not the discards, as is happening today!

IN short, we need an overhaul of our administration. Our current system is weak , thus our current predicament. But will this be possible? *shrugs*