Aarvidi’s Weblog

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, has surely been inflicted by mental block, being away from Ministerial duties for some time now. First it was Parental Approval, an approach that smelled to high heaven and now Interpol. Come on Rais you can do better than this. Are you pretending to believe that the 119 women were naive, pure stupid, without direction, silly to be just taken up by promises of lucrative jobs. Your assessment of Malaysian women, to say the least, is beyond compare. Parental approval, being cheated by international syndicates are only your imagination at top gear. Women are much more smarter than you think. Do you imagine a woman travelling overseas, intend on landing a lucrative job, is so stupid, that she will carry substance that is illegal. You don’t know women do you. They are not gullible, stupid, and innocent to carry something illegal. They cannot be forced.

Have you checked on the backgrounds of these 119 women, how often they have travelled overseas, and for what reason, and then decide whether they are innocent as you believe.

International syndicates don’t operate the way you believe they do. They don’t wait at the airport, eying single woman travelling, or meet them elsewhere promise them a good job, and then viola, pass on the drugs to them. These women are experienced carriers who have benefited from earlier trips, and if they are caught, it is because of the vigilance of the authorities or because of informants.

Please do some homework before making statements which comes under the category of uneducated guesswork.

LONDON: Malaysia will seek Interpol’s help to track down international syndicates that have tricked local women into smuggling drugs into foreign countries.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the Government wanted to find the masterminds and intermediaries or agents involved in such activities.

“We also want to know how the women were duped into accepting lucrative jobs but ended up violating the laws,” he said after meeting 24 heads of Malaysian missions in Europe over the weekend.

Dr Rais was commenting on reports that 119 Malaysian women were being detained in foreign prisons, mostly for drug trafficking.

He confirmed that 10 of them were in Spain, adding that most of them were unsuspecting young women who were lured into get-rich-quick jobs in foreign countries.

The minister reminded parents to pay more attention to their children’s welfare, especially young women who travel abroad on their own.

Dr Rais said the women, particularly those below 25, were easily attracted by promises of high-paying jobs but ended up getting involved in illegal activities.

“We want to create greater awareness among the people to be wary of such job offers and not to be taken in by empty promises,” he added.

He said Malaysian missions abroad would continue to provide advice and assistance to those detained.

M’sia seeking Interpol’s help, says Rais

Najib the Defense Minister, Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil, the NS Director General, or Lee Lam Thye the Chairman, National Service Training Council cannot at this stage still defend the National Service programme, which basically treats the trainees indifferently thus causing 17 or 21 deaths. These people are morally and ethically responsible for the tragedies. They may just pretend they are not responsible, but, if they have a conscience, these deaths will long remain in their minds and will disturb them. Innocent children were killed by the negligence of the whole bunch of National Service caretakers.

Beside this letter there are another 4 more in Malaysiakini:

http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/82782

http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/82781

http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/82780

http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/82779

If this is not a public outcry, then Badawi’s assurance that he has big ears, is just blowing a trumpet for the deaf man to hear. Najib just can’t run away by saying, there are too many parties involved, a clear cut confirmation lots of commercial interests will be jeopardised. Hence, death is not painful, but money making is more important. Please decide.

I would like to thank Lee Lam Thye for his excellent letter. I would like to offer my comments and suggestions as to what I think is a very sincere piece of writing coming from a person that shows some indication of a conscience.

Unlike the letter by Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil, the NS Director-General, Lee’s letter has cleared the air on a number of very important issues that had parents like me losing sleep over worrying about our children.

Lee has made three major points in his letter. The first is that all NS camp officers must treat the trainees as their own children. This is clearly lacking in the programme as not a single trainee I met ever mentions or remembers fondly any of their instructors.

Secondly, Lee clearly makes a damning criticism of the management of the camps. Lee explains that the advisory council which he heads has no power over management which clearly shifts all responsibilities to the team headed by the NS Director-General, Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil.

Now I know who to actually blame. If, as Lee points out, there is such a standing Operating Procedure such as sending an ill trainee to a hospital if his/her condition has not improved over 24 hours, then from the news reports I have scrutinised, gross negligence has occurred.

Abdul Hadi and his team must bear responsibility. Finally, Lee has echoed my call for a public inquiry on all the deaths, an inquiry which must be transparent and made public. Thank you once again Tan Sri.

This public inquiry should have one simple objective - it is to ascertain whether the trainees who have died had complained of illness for three or more days to camp officials, friends or parents. Through an interview method, one can establish this fact quiet easily. If gross negligence has been proven, I recommend the following immediate action:

1. Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil must be dishonourably discharged as he appears to be an uncaring manager of our children. He should thank God that we parents are not thinking of prosecuting.

2. All the officers from the camps at which the trainees have died must also be removed and never allowed to step anywhere near a National Service camp ever again.

3. All the medical units at the camps which have recorded a trainees’ death must be dismantled.

4. All trainees with any form of sickness must be immediately referred to a nearby private clinic or a well-staffed government hospital. If it is possible, the government should pay for a doctor to be at all the NS camps at all times.

Finally, I wish to alert Lee that some of my colleagues whose children have gone through the NS have told me of the devastatingly poor water quality in the camps to the point that their children have suffered many diseases. These parents have resorted to sending their children huge bottles of good quality water to drink and even to bathe in.

What the devil is going on? NS officials from these camps with poor water quality should also be removed from their management posts.

Unlike many of the calls to abolish the National Service, I want it to continue but with its curriculum being reviewed and parents like me being allowed to have a say in the development of the programme.

There is an excellent article by Malaysiakini columnist Dr Azly Rahman on what the National Service should have and I recommend all to read it.

NS deaths: We know now who to blame \

Another state unrepresentative who is a sheep in wolves’ clothing as far as the Jelapang voters are concerned. A traitor who will change her clothes to suit her own preferences. I don’t understand how she can take her personal problems to spite the people who voted her in. She is unprincipled and undignified as an unrepresentative. She thinks of her own glory and I think her political life is coming to a natural end. I am sure the Jelapang people are relieved there wont be any black legs amongst them. She is good riddance to bad rubbish.

Jelapang state assemblyperson Hee Yit Foong from DAP neither confirmed nor denied rumours that she would be defecting to Barisan Nasional.

MCPX

“I don’t want to be drawn into this discussion, if it is real, the truth will reveal itself in time… Time will tell,” she said when quizzed repeatedly on this today.

Hee, who is also deputy speaker of the Perak state assembly, told Malaysiakini that she was aware of the rumours but claimed to be in the dark as to who were behind it and what were their motives.

“Rumours are just rumours. We cannot stop people from making rumours … I have no time to find out where they come from,” she added.

Hee created history on April 26 when she became the first female and disabled person to take up the role of deputy speaker of a state assembly.

Her appointment was however marred with controversy as she had repeatedly told the Chinese dailies of her unhappiness regarding the allocation of state executive councillor (Exco) posts in Perak.

Among the contentions of the three-term state assemblyperson was that there were no females in the 10 member exco line-up revealed late March, of which half was made up of first-time state assemblypersons.

Hung assembly?

About two weeks before her appointment, China Press reported Hee’s suggestion for Perak exco for local government, housing and transportation Nga Kor Ming to be made either speaker or deputy speaker due to his legal background and three-term experience in the state assembly.

She said that even a female deputy speaker would not be able to speak up for women’s rights while chairing the state assembly.

Rumours of Hee’s defection has been making the rounds since then but this fizzled out with her appointment as deputy speaker.

However, the rumours were reignited again after a blog posting today by Hee’s party comrade and Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi who claimed that defections from the Perak Pakatan government would take place within the next few days.

Ooi however did not provide any details nor was Hee’s name mentioned.

Should Hee defect, Barisan and the ruling Pakatan Rakyat would have 29 state assemblypersons each thus causing a hung state assembly.

Defection rumours: Jelapang rep keeps ‘em guessing

This is a letter from Lee Lam Thye, Chairman of the National Training Council in the Star Newspaper. He can give a thousand excuses, a thousand suggestions, yet he cannot convince the public that the National Service is safe for our youths to attend. Healthy, young candidates just don’t die unless the management cares a hoot as to what happens to the trainees. 17 deaths is unbelievable, and while every death is purported to have a report, I am afraid these reports are gathering dust in files that people don’t know about. Has any commandant been disciplined for negligence, I wonder.

He laments he has no executive powers, and therefore he is just there for window dressing, and should be called an advisor and not chairman. Such being the case, even this letter is not necessary, the person who should comment is the Director General and not Lam Thye. He has been making comments all these while as if he has the power, but now we know he is just a patron and not a go between the council and the parents who are sending their children for training. Comments should only come from the Director General. This man has not said anything about the latest death or has he. Or, Lee Lam Thye is the spokesman for the council?

In any case, as usual in our government, finger pointing is a good form of good administration. Lee Lam Thye has said, those given responsibilities are not discharging their duties as expected. That is the crux of the problem. Deaths occur because of negligence and only such tragedies can be avoided if the people responsible are dealt with severely.

In any case Lee Lam Thye has got another month in his contract. He is unable to take responsibility for the deaths, because he has no executive powers. Let us see if he wants continue, as Chairman without powers or just quit and show he is ‘devastated by the deaths’.

THE National Service Training Council, acting as an advisory body to the Defence Minister, cannot be unconcerned over yet another health-related death of a National Service Trainee Too Hui Min from the Geo Cosmo National Service Training Camp in Selangor.

Every time an NS trainee dies while undergoing training, I am devastated. I put myself in the position of the parents concerned and fully understand their sense of loss, anguish and suffering.

Since I accepted the appointment of Chairman of the National Service Training Council for a three-year term in June 2005, I have served with commitment and do my utmost best simply because it is a responsibility and a trust and I spend almost 90% of my time doing National Service duties.

I go to the office almost daily to assist the National Service Training Programme by providing feedback, complaints, suggestions and mete out advice to the National Service Training Department. I also spend a considerable amount of time listening to and attending to parents and needs of trainees who approach me from time to time.

In the course of two years, I have visited some 60 National Service Camps, giving motivational talks to the trainees while at the same time reminding the camp commandants and their staff to ensure the proper management of the camps.

I constantly emphasise the need to be caring to all trainees and treat them as if the trainees are their own children. I had also called on all camp commandants to take all the necessary steps within their powers to ensure camps are problem-free and strive towards zero-deaths.

There is only so much I can do as a non-executive chairman given the fact that I do not have executive powers. I am never directly involved in the administration and management of the National Service Training Programme and the camps which falls squarely on the shoulders of the National Service Training Department’s Director-General and his officers. Camp commandants take directives and instructions from the director-general and his officers.

The health and safety of trainees are among the many issues brought up by the council members each time the National Service Training Council meets. In fact the idea of mandatory medical check-ups for National Service Trainees prior to their participation in the programme was recommended three years ago but it could not be implemented by the Ministry of Health.

Just two weeks ago, I met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence to discuss the need to revisit the suggestion of compulsory medical check-ups for National Service trainees. I even recommended recruiting full-time doctors to be stationed in all camps.

But even with compulsory medical check-ups, there is no assurance that trainees, who have been certified healthy, will not fall ill in the course of their three-month stay in the camps. Hence, what is necessary is for all medical complaints of trainees to be properly investigated and attended to.

If sick trainees show no signs of improvement after 24 hours, they must be sent immediately to the nearest hospital for further treatment as stated in the Standing Operating Procedure. Camp commandants and the medical personnel in the camps must never take risks when it comes to the health of the trainees. Every illness must be treated seriously no matter how trivial it may be.

Calls from the public for each death to be thoroughly investigated, the results to be made public and action taken against those responsible must be carried out in line with transparency.

As chairman of the council I am compelled to state that each time a death occurs in the camps, it nullifies all the good work and efforts put in by the council and the Department to promote the National Service.

Although many improvements have been introduced since 2004, what really matters is the implementation of these improvements by the people in charge of the camps. In the final analysis, what is crucially important is whether all those given responsibilities and the trust to manage the camps discharge their duties with care, honesty, integrity and a sense of commitment.

To me the caring approach, attitude and culture towards trainees needs to be further reinforced if we are to prevent any more mishap. I maintain that National Service training is a good programme for building discipline, character and unity as has been testified by the vast majority of former trainees and their parents but it has to be properly managed by committed and truly caring people.

TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE,

Chairman, National Service Training Council.

Technorati Tags: Lee Lam Thye,National Service,Deaths

NS is good for youths

knock knock

wtf are u doing out side my window!

u have any spare change?

no stupid beggars!

This is nothing new. Lim Keng Yaik, Ong Ka Thim, Samy Vellu and Kayveas were all beggars for a long time, their bowls provided enough for themselves, who cares for others. These educated beggars knew all along how every crumb must be begged for, but did they have any shame to stop begging, and assert themselves; no, why - their begging bowls will be empty.

What a shame.

GERAKAN adviser Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik has said Barisan Nasional component parties were treated like beggars.

In an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily, Dr Lim said Barisan failed to treat all its component parties fairly.

He also said that although the rights of Malays were protected in the Constitution, other races also had their rights.

As shown from results of the recent general election, Dr Lim believed that the people wanted a multi-racial party that treated all races fairly.

He warned that parties like Umno, MCA and MIC would have to dissolve if they failed to adopt a multi-racial approach.

On Gerakan, Dr Lim said that although it was a multi-racial party, it still lost in the recent general election.

He blamed the outcome on Barisan sending Gerakan candidates to contest in non-Malay majority areas.

“Why are the non-Malays angry with Barisan? It is because they see that Umno has become proud. Some are also unhappy with the racist remarks of certain Umno leaders,” he said.

Keng Yaik: BN didn’t treat all parties fairly