RantingsbyMM
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Benazir and Destiny
UPDATE:
Anyone interested in Pakistani politics may be interested in this article
by Tariq Ali in the London Book Review here.
ORIGINAL POST:
It's really sad that 2007 has to end on such a violent note with the death
of Benazir Bhutto. But in many ways, any keen observer of Pakistan could
see it coming. There was already a bomb which killed 139 people the day
she arrived back in Karachi in October. She escaped then but it was a
matter of time before they got her. So the daughter of one man and the
sister of two men who all died violently also did the same. I have to
wonder if it was worth it.
As also the daughter of a (former) head of government, I have watched
Benazir with some fascination, even though I don't identify much with her.
I read her book Daughter of the East when it came out and was struck by
how little we knew about what was going on in Pakistan at the time and
also by how totally devoted she was to her father, to a point I thought
where she seemed to be blind to his weaknesses. Which is something I try
not to be with my own.
I did get to meet Benazir once when she came on an official visit. She had
brought her mother Begum Nusrat Bhutto ( according to some, so her mother
wouldn't stage a coup while she was away) and her husband Asif Ali
Zardari. I was invited along to the official dinner at Sri Perdana and
beforehand we were given instructions by Protocol that Asif does not shake
hands with women, therefore we, the few women who were invited, were not
to stick our hands out hospitably.
So there I stood with mostly male government officers and assorted
businessmen in the reception room in a semi-circle waiting for the
Pakistani entourage to arrive. First to arrive was the Begum who proceeded
to shake hands with everyone in the receiving line (obviously she isn't as
strict as her son-in-law). But when she came to me, she ignored me
completely!!! Both the men on either side of me turned to look at me
puzzled at the obvious rudeness. She must have thought I was just
someone's wife or some other unimportant underling.
It was only later when I joined my parents in the waiting room before
dinner along with Benazir, her husband and mother, that any of them even
realised who I was. Even then, I can't say that Benazir had much time for
me. I guess I wasn't the one in the seat of power and didn't even look
remotely interested in acquiring it. Which makes me, in Benazir's book, a
nonentity.
I've seen descriptions of Benazir as haughty. I'm not sure if that's a
word that can only be used for her. Certainly it suits her mother, in my
limited experience. And later on, when I met Musharaff's wife,she seemed
the same. So maybe it's just the Pakistani power style.
But...I have been to Pakistan once and I have many Pakistani friends, many
of whom are Benazir supporters. And why wouldn't they be? Mostly they are
the elite educated wealthy, same as Benazir and her family. They are
friendly and hospitable to a fault. But apart from a few, I really wonder
how far any of them will truly make changes in Pakistan that would benefit
the most number of people.
I have a problem with a country that calls itself Islamic and yet has an
adult literacy rate for men which is only 63% and an appalling 36% for
females. These are 2004 figures which means during Benazir's tenure as
President between 1988 and 1996, they were no better and probably even
worse. It is a country where huge gaps between the rich and poor exist,
where the Government spends 2% of its budget on education and 20% on
defence, and where poor women are treated so inhumanely , subject to
violence and even murder with the killers rarely ever brought to justice.
Often these perpertrators and killers are the women's own family members.
I've met Mukhtaran Mai, the poor illiterate woman who decided to speak out
and demand justice after she was raped by men bent on exacting revenge for
something her brother allegedly did. Hers is a story that makes you gasp
in horror, even while you have to admire her courage in speaking out.
Interestingly Mukhtaran believes that if both men and women are better
educated in Pakistan, these appalling acts of violence would be lessened.
As much as I think it's terrible what has happened to Benazir, I have to
wonder how much good she would have done for Pakistan had she won the
elections. She might seem better than Musharaff to outsiders but it's a
pretty thin selection of candidates nevertheless. Every single one of them
is tainted in one way or another. And I don't know if her track record in
governing is all that exemplary.
I'm not sure I buy all these explanations that Al-Qaeda is behind
Benazir's assasination. It seems too convenient and a good way to get more
money from the Americans for the so-called 'war on terrorism'. Is it just
my imagination that things have gotten worse since Pakistan got so much
money from the US to fight the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and assorted terrorists?
Meantime, according to my friends in NGOs over there, the drug problem
along the border with Afghanistan, among Afghan refugees and local
Pakistanis, has increased and along with it, HIV/AIDS.
I feel sad for Benazir's kids who will surely be brought up to believe
that Pakistani politics is their legacy and they have to exact revenge for
their mother's death. The cycle goes on as it does in India and elsewhere.
If entering politics is for the purpose of truly doing something about the
people's problems in Pakistan, that would be something but if it's just
about family name and legacy, I am fearful. Maybe they believe it's just
destiny but can people continue to be so cavalier after so many deaths in
one family?
(For a much more informative analysis on Pakistan and Benazir, do read
Wajahat Ali's excellent piece here.)
Posted by MarinaM at 4:28 PM 41 comments
Labels: Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Weekend in Bandung
(Karya Umbi kerupuk shop, Jalan Cihambelas)
Haven't been posting anything because I'm on holiday with my family and
they complain if I spend too much time on my laptop. We are in Jakarta to
visit my in-laws. Arriving on a rainy evening last week, it took us two
hours to get home..which is good. Actually thus far Jakarta has been
relatively quiet which means the traffic is decent. But it's been raining
a lot and the sea levels in North Jakarta has been rising and submerging
the areas nearest the coast.
We decided to take a trip out of town for a change and drive up to
Bandung. It's a two hour drive past some lovely scenery of padi fields and
mountains. You would never think that Java was so over-populated. That is,
until you hit Bandung. Apparently the rest of Jakarta had the same idea as
us so traffic along Bandung's narrow streets, especially in the main drag
in Dago, was horrendous, crawling at snail's pace if it moved at all. Most
people had come to shop at the many factory outlets. That's fun for about
a day. Then it gets a bit tiresome fighting the hordes for clothes you
don't really need.
Bandung used to be known to the Dutch as Parijs Van Java or the Paris of
Java. Not sure why but it does have a lot of very cute houses that must
have contributed to its charm in a previous era. Now many of these houses
have been converted into factory outlets which rather spoils it.
We took a drive out to Ciumbeluit which is further up the hills to have
lunch at the Malya Hotel which used to be known as the Chedi. The lounge
and dining room looks out to lovely green hills and it's a nice peaceful
retreat from the busyness of downtown Bandung. My kids took a quick ride
on some colourfully-decorated horses outside the hotel which probably cost
more than it should have but the kids were thrilled so it was worth it.
Back down the hill we thought of visiting Lembang and the strawberry farms
there but the sight of the traffic was enough to put us off. So we drove
down Jalan Cihampelas where you can buy any type of jeans and took photos
of the 'giants' on the shop roofs (see photos).
There was also an amazing kerupuk shop where you can find any type of
kerupuk you can think of and even those you haven't thought of.(Top photo)
Bandung is the home of the Institiut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) which is
well-known for its hard-to-get-into art school. My husband tried many
decades ago and didn't succeed. My son's friends had better luck (and
talent) so he came with us to hang out with them for a bit. The art school
vibe is all over Bandung, including in some alternative clothes boutiques
where they sell t-shirts with interesting graphics on them. Strictly for
the young and hip of course.
It also took us a surprising two hours to get home to Jakarta again,
though it was a hazardous trip. (I shall not complain about Malaysian
drivers for at least another four days).
For more information about Bandung, go here.There's a direct flight from
KL to Bandung by Air Asia which accounts for the many Malaysian accents
you hear.
Oh by the way, the food is good. Try Bumbu Desa for Sundanese food and if
you're not picky about where you eat, there's a stall under a tent called
Si Jangkung (The Tall One) which sells delicious beef and mutton ribs
cooked in some oily spicy concoction. Worth queuing up for. I forget the
name of the street but it's famous so any native Bandungite should be able
to point you in the right direction.
Travel tales on Christmas Day! Have a merry one, folks!
Posted by MarinaM at 10:00 AM 20 comments
Labels: Bandung
Friday, December 21, 2007
A Flood Appeal
(Photo from The Age, Sydney of floods in Kota Bharu,Kelantan)
I got an urgent sms from a friend appealing for help for the flood victims
in Pahang. The floods are getting worse especially in Pekan area. 8000
people are stranded and the roads have been cut off. Not sure how they are
going to get supplies to the Pekanites but these are items they need:
diapers
baby milk
sanitary pads
eggs
canned food
rice
sugar
water
other foodstuffs
candles and torchlights
clothing
Those living in KL, please deliver your contributions to the Flood Relief
Centre at Istana Pahang, Persiaran Raja Chulan, KL. Please contact Dato
Nordin at 012-988-9149 or 012-900-7068.
The drenched folks in Pahang and I ( in equally wet Jakarta) thank you!
Posted by MarinaM at 10:26 PM 11 comments
Labels: floods
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
An Anniversary (I Thought)
For some reason I thought I had done my first ever post on Dec 18 2006 so
yesterday I wanted to do a 1st anniversary posting. But my Streamyx
connection was down all yesterday so couldn't do anything. Just as well. I
checked today and my first post in this blog was on December 5 last
year!!! So I missed it!
But never mind. I can't believe it has been year plus plus since I started
blogging. Considering that I thought about it for a year before that and
was finally pushed into it, it's incredible that the time has gone by so
fast.
But what a year it's been. Blogging has been everything I thought it would
be and more. It's really made me feel quite liberated to be able to say
what I want without the space and editorial limitations that my column in
The Star has. And it's been quite an experience to get such immediate
feedback from all of you.
The point of the blog, for me at least, is really to provoke discussion on
the issues that affect us and I hope that I have managed to do that. Some
of you don't agree with me but that's not the point so I thank everyone
equally for taking the time to join the discussion and to give your
opinion whichever side of the fence you may sit on, or even if you sit
right on top of it. Mostly it's been great and I feel that I've gotten to
know some of you just from your style of writing.
Of course the high point was those 50 days when Dad was in hospital.
Writing about that whole experience was really therapeutic for me and your
warm and loving responses helped my family and I through it all so much.
For that we can never thank you enough.
I also can't thank you all enough for the generosity that you showed
towards Melina Jokita. It just goes to show not only that Malaysians are
basically kindhearted but also that blogs can be a very effective way of
helping people.
Talking of which, you might remember that little girl Siti Aisya in Ipoh
who was born with Fraser's Syndrome which means she has no eyelids. Daphne
Ling, who has been helping her out, along with blogger Pi Bani, has some
great news about how she and her family are getting along here. Some real
good news for end of the year.
I also was asked by one of my commenters Dr Muhammad Mohd Isa, who is
doing a survey on the public's perceptions of services at Government
hospitals in the Klang Valley if I would help get respondents. I'm sure
many of you have opinions on our public hospitals so if you would like to
participate in this survey, please go here.
Meantime I'd like to wish all Muslim readers out there Selamat Hari Raya
Haji
Also wishing all Christian readers a Very Merry Christmas!
I am off to visit the in-laws again but will no doubt post some more
before the end of year. Meanwhile enjoy the holidays!
Posted by MarinaM at 3:43 PM 19 comments
Labels: blogging, holidays, Melina, Siti Aisya
Sunday, December 16, 2007
The Denial Declaration
For all those interested, here's the memo that Damai Malaysia gave to the
PM. This took up only 2 pages or so. The rest of the thick document
contained the signatures and stamps of the 395 NGOs whose names we still
don't know. The bold emphases are mine.
MUKADIMAH
Kebebasan, kemakmuran dan kestabilan yang kita kecapi selama ini adalah
aset terpenting hasil perjuangan pemimpin terdahulu yang diasaskan kepada
dasar tolak-ansur, hormat-menghormati berlandaskan kepada budaya Melayu
diikat oleh Kontrak Sosial yang telah dipersetujui bersama oleh semua kaum
sebagaimana termaktub di dalam Perlembagaan Negara.
Dasar tolak-ansur, muafakat dan perkongsian kuasa antara kaum yang telah
terbukti berjaya menyatupadukan semua kaum merupakan teras utama yang
wajib dipertahankan. Sebarang tindakan yang boleh menjejaskan kestabilan
Negara merupakan satu ancaman yang wajib dihentikan segera.
Sebagai sebuah Negara yang mengamalkan sistem Demokrasi Berparlimen ;
. Hak bersuara semua golongan perlu dihormati tetapi perlulah berlandaskan
kepada undang-undang dan saluran yang dibenarkan
. Rakyat boleh menentukan kepimpinan Negara melalui pilihan raya di mana
setiap individu mempunyai hak mengundi. Penggunaan kekerasan serta
tindakan mengundang campur tangan kuasa luar merupakan satu pengkhianatan
kepada Negara.
. Setiap rakyat Malaysia mempunyai kebebasan untuk mencari kekayaan dan
pendidikan tanpa sebarang diskriminasi dan sistem kasta yang membezakan
mereka dari segi keturunan dan fahaman agama serta bebas menjalankan
kehidupan tanpa sekatan
Atas keyakinan ini maka,
.DAMAI MALAYSIA. sebagai sebuah gerakan massa rentas fahaman politik,
rentas perkauman, rentas sempadan dan rentas kepentingan diri mengambil
ketetapan :
1. Terus memperjuangkan hak kebebasan bersuara mengikut lunas-lunas
perundangan yang telah diperuntukkan sebagaimana yang diamalkan selama ini
2. Bertekad memperkasakan semula semangat perpaduan dan kerjasama antara
kaum
3. Komited kepada usaha menolak sebarang budaya dan amalan yang mampu
merosakkan suasana harmoni antara kaum
4. Memastikan Malaysia kekal sebagai sebuah Negara yang aman dan progresif
5. Mempertahankan kestabilan politik dan semangat perpaduan yang terus
membawa Malaysia ke arah kegemilangan pada masa akan datang
6. Menolak sebarang usaha untuk membincangkan isu sensitif yang melibatkan
kaum dan agama secara terbuka termasuk melalui demonstrasi politik jalanan
7. Memastikan Malaysia yang kita cintai akan terus hidup subur
DEKLARASI / KOMITMEN
.DAMAI MALAYSIA.
. Akan terus komited meneguhkan amalan toleransi dan kerjasama antara kaum
untuk masa hadapan Negara
. Akan terus menjadi pendokong kepada budaya .demokrasi yang
bertanggungjawab. khasnya di kalangan generasi muda Malaysia
. Akan terus bersama kepimpinan Negara untuk bersama sama menyumbang
kepada pembinaan Negara
Kami atas nama .DAMAI MALAYSIA. dengan ini bersepakat
1. Terus menjunjung Keluhuran Perlembagaan
2. Menolak sebarang Demonstrasi Politik Jalanan
3. Menentang penggunaan isu agama dan perkauman sebagai alat untuk
menambah kebencian sesama sendiri
4. Mengutuk mana-mana individu/persatuan yang menggunakan penipuan,
fitnah, hasutan dan mengheret kuasa luar untuk mencampuri urusan dalaman
Negara
5. Mengutuk perbuatan biadap yang menuduh kepimpinan Negara yang dipimpin
oleh orang Melayu sebagai melakukan .penghapusan kaum. sedangkan semua
kaum mendapat layanan yang sama rata
I don't know about you guys but I don't see what this has to do with
reality. It's as if there are no issues at all, and certainly none that
can be discussed openly. Also it makes it sound as if anyone who wants to
discuss real issues also doesn't want peace, prosperity and stability for
our country. Excuse me!
For those curious to know who Damai Malaysia is, do read Walski's little
bit of investigation here. We still don't know who the 395 NGOs are. I do
think that the major NGOs that did NOT sign this should also declare
themselves. Do also participate in Walski's poll on the Silent Majority.
Posted by MarinaM at 10:43 PM 22 comments
Labels: dissent, politics
Friday, December 14, 2007
How Dare They Insult Us!!
It isn't often that I start the day feeling angry but today took the cake.
No sooner had I picked up the newspaper when I started to foam at the
mouth in outrage so strong that even an hour and a half torturing myself
in the gym could not quell it.
It wasn't just about the five people who got arrested under the ISA.
Surely there must be a How-to-Govern manual somewhere that says 'Thou
Shalt Not Martyr Thy Opponents Unless Thou Really Is Not Interested in
Winning the Hearts and Minds of Thy People'.
It was this:
Friday December 14, 2007
PM: Silent majority have spoken . we don.t want demos
By ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN
PETALING JAYA: The silent majority of Malaysians have spoken up and they
want a stop to street demonstrations which disrupt people.s lives and
cause disharmony among the country.s multi-racial population.
Representatives of Damai Malaysia . an umbrella body comprising 395
non-governmental organisations . handed over to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi yesterday a memorandum criticising the illegal street rallies.
The Prime Minister said the memorandum was a sign that people were angry
with illegal protests and violent acts.
They want peace: Representatives of NGO groups under Damai handing the
memorandum to Abdullah yesterday expressing their wish that peace be
maintained.
.The country.s successes and achievements didn.t come about due to street
demonstrations or illegal protests.
.We have progressed because we have been able to maintain democratic
institutions which respect the law while the people enjoyed the fruits of
peace and political stability.
.If freedom cannot be respected and used in a responsible manner, the
people themselves will be at the losing end.
.As can be seen from today.s memorandum, the people who remained silent
have now stood up to make their stand. They want peace to be maintained..
He said he was informed that the street demonstrations had caused a 10%
cancellation of hotel room bookings and rental of tour buses, while retail
stores also reported a drop in sales.
Abdullah was speaking to newsmen after receiving the memorandum before
flying off to visit flooded districts in Pahang.
At the outset, the group of about 20 people led by Damai chairman Mohd
Saiful Adil Mohd Daud was not allowed to enter the Royal Malaysian Air
Force Subang airbase but after waiting for the airbase authority to get
back to them, they were finally allowed to go in.
Mohd Saiful Adil gave a brief speech before proceeding with five other
representatives to hand over the memorandum. The group applauded before
they left the place.
The whole episode took less than 15minutes.
Damai represents 1.5 million members and its representatives include those
from 75 Chinese-based and 20 Indian groups and associations.
In the joint declaration read by Mohd Saiful Adil, the members expressed
their disgust at street demonstrations and the use of religious and racial
issues to create hatred among Malaysians.
They condemned individuals and groups who used lies and slander against
the country and asked for foreign intervention in Malaysia.s internal
affairs.
.We also condemn accusations that the country.s leaders had allowed ethnic
cleansing to occur in the country,. he added.
Damai advisor and Bukit Bintang MCA chief Senator Datuk Dr Lee Chong Meng
said the Bersih and Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) illegal
demonstrations last month had caused tourists to cancel trips to Malaysia.
Cheras Hindu Youth Organisation vice-president S. Ariivazhagan regretted
that Hindraf had used religion to protest.
.Hindraf has presented the wrong view to the world that the Indian
community here is being persecuted. This group is not fighting for our
rights,. he said.
On arrival in Kuantan, Abdullah labelled those who solicit support from
outsiders as traitors and the action of Hindraf, which claimed to fight
for the rights of the Indian community in Malaysia, as an attempt to
destroy the country and racial unity, Bernama reports.
.Was there ethnic cleansing? There was nothing about wiping out the
Indians in the country,. he said at a function to welcome him and his
wife, Datin Paduka Seri Jeanne Abdullah at the RMAF base.
*******************************************************************************
I'm sorry, who are Damai Malaysia and who are the supposed 395 NGOs
represented by them? Where is the list of those NGOs? So far the ones
mentioned are all related to political parties which, in my book, don't
count as NGOs.
Secondly, where do they get off saying that they represent the silent
majority? Were YOU asked? I'm sorry, I haven't said much but I am NOT
represented by this Damai lot. Who the hell is Mohd Saiful Adil Mohd Daud
anyway?
Thirdly, what is in the memo? If they are claiming to represent the silent
majority, then don't the silent majority have a right to read that memo? I
haven't seen any report that actually tells us what is contained in that
memo. And I love how thick it is! They seriously expect the PM to read the
entire thing? (Or maybe it just says nothing except 'we love you'
throughout?)
Fourthly, what is the difference between presenting this memo and those
other memos? Just because this one says 'We Think You're Wonderful' and
'People Who Demonstrate Are All Thugs', they get to hand it directly to
the PM? While the ones that say 'Please Can You Listen and Deal with Real
Issues?' have to go through police barricades, water cannons and tear gas?
Is the inability to go shopping the most important issue of the day?
I can tolerate most things but I can't abide being insulted and treated as
if I'm stupid. Since when does peace mean maintaining hotel room bookings
and retail sales? You mean, as long as tourists come and we're shopping
we're OK? How dumb is that?
Peace is not possible without justice and equality. Look at places like
Palestine; without justice and equality for all the people who live there,
there can be no peace. Do we condemn their need to protest, even while we
may not support some of their violent forms of expression?
Just because we don't have violence doesn't mean we have true and
meaningful peace. Peace doesn't mean just being able to go round without
worrying if someone is going to shoot you ( though going by some of the
stories in the papers, we should worry about this too). It also means
living with a clear conscience, that your friend and neighbour is not
suffering from injustice. It means everyone has the opportunity to better
themselves, not just some.
I resent the implication that those who support the right to dissent and
protest do not want peace and want violence. Hey, I have kids too and I
want them to grow up in a peaceful country. But I don't want them to grow
up in place where they cannot say what they think, where they are treated
as if they are retarded if they want to express what they feel, where if
they do not agree with the Government they are immediately labelled
traitors. Excuse me!!! Do you know of any country where whole swathes of
people are called thugs and traitors yet still remain peaceful? It is the
name-calling, accompanied by thuglike behaviour on the part of Government
institutions, that leads to violence, not the other way round.
All it takes is some empathy. I am so appalled that all the discussion is
about what a nuisance demos and protests are when the real issues are
swept under the carpet. Demos are just symptoms, not the real issue. What
is so difficult about saying, "OK, enough already. Let's all be civilised
and sit down and talk?"
One oft-used criticism is that the protesters have not gone through 'the
proper channels'. It is unclear to me what the 'proper channels' are. If
that was so, then why does Damai need to hand over their memo at TUDM
base? Is that the 'proper channel'? Do people have to lie in wait at
airports and places in order to be able to talk about their grievances?
I am so fed-up of being condescended to by intellectual midgets who think
they are smart just because they have power. This, for example:
Friday December 14, 2007
Commission a balanced team, says Nazri
By LEE YUK PENG AND FLORENCE A. SAMY
KUALA LUMPUR: It is a balanced team, said Minister in the Prime Minister.s
Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz in describing the five members of the
Royal Commission of Inquiry into the videoclip of a senior lawyer
allegedly brokering the appointment of judges.
This was so, because one of the members was a woman and two were on the
earlier three-man independent panel to verify the authenticity of the
clip, he said yesterday.
On why social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, who was one of the members in
the earlier panel, was not in the commission, Nazri replied: .I do not
know why he declined..
Asked whether reports by the independent panel and the royal commission
would be made public, Nazri said: .We will see later..
***********************************************************************************
Oh wow, 'balance' means putting a token woman in there? And if Lee Lam
Thye had not declined, then there wouldn't be a woman there and therefore
it wouldn't be balanced? Give me a break!
And what is this ' we will see later' nonsense? Is that the same as saying
'Its depend'? Depending on whether the panel and commission reports the
'right' things or not?
I am so annoyed today that I'm probably not being very articulate. But it
is getting too too much. I read letters to the Editor which are
universally echoing the Government line about demos, and not the issues.
Have any of you written letters that have not been published because they
have not been complimentary about the Government? If so, I'll be happy to
publish them on the blog (no obscenities please!). Also if any of you have
the full list of the 395 NGOs that are part of Damai, please also send
that. I'm pretty sure that none of the ones that I am associated with is
part of it.
Posted by MarinaM at 11:31 AM 110 comments
Labels: dissent, elections, idiots
Thursday, December 13, 2007
The Brand New Hearts Meet
Melina, Dad, Fikri and Hui Yi cut their cake.
Tuesday December 11 was a rather special day for four people. All of them
had been through heart surgery at IJN; one for a bypass, one for two holes
in the heart and two for transplants. All of them are healthy now. It
seemed like a great occasion to celebrate.
My Dad, the oldest of the group at 82, had invited three young people, Tee
Hui Yi, 14, Melina Jokita, 14 and Muhd Fikri Noor Azmi, 17, to have tea
with him at his office on the 86th floor of the Petronas Twin Towers. Also
joining them were my Mum, Hui Yi's parents Mr and Mrs Tee, Melina's other
friends from Timor Leste, Fikri's Mum Puan Fatimah and sister Fatin, Col
Ismet Nayan from Terendak Camp and others from Mindef, Sister Salina, the
IJN Transplant Coordinator, Staff Nurse Sharifah and three of the doctors
who took care of these four patients, Dato Dr Azhari Yaakob, Dr Ezani Taib
and Dr Jeswant Dhillon. Plus me and my two daughters.
The very excited group of young people were taken up three different
high-speed lifts up to the 86th floor where they enjoyed the amazing views
from the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Then they had tea around the
large oval conference table. Afterwards the four Brand New Hearts cut a
heart-shaped cake to celebrate.
To commemorate the occasion, Fikri and his family presented my parents
with framed photographs of the first time they had met almost two years
ago. Fikri was the first person to be given the mechanical heart on July
30 2005 and on December 16 he will celebrate the second anniversary of his
heart transplant. He's just sat for his SPM and is writing a book about
his experiences which will be out next year hopefully. He's also a blogger
and has a blog called Echoes of My Heart.
Then the Timorese delegation gave my parents traditional Timorese scarves
and handicraft which they had made. In return everybody got little diaries
and a card from my parents with their photo in it.
After tea, the entire group went on a VIP tour of the Skybridge on the
42nd floor. Encik Saiful Bahari from Petronas explained the history of the
Twin Towers and its special features including how the Skybridge is able
to swing in the event of an earthquake. Here's the photo of the group on
the Skybridge:
The group on the Skybridge. Hui Yi and Melina (in the middle) have become
friends and email each other all the time.
It was a really happy day for all of us including my parents and me.
Having spent so much time in IJN with all the attendant worries and hopes,
we feel like kindred spirits with other patients especially these young
people who have much brighter futures because of their successful heart
operations. We feel sad however for those who didn't make it like the late
Siti Salmah Jasni and Fauziah (whom I learnt about through one of my blog
commenters). But it was nice to see Hui Yi, Melina and Fikri doing well
after all that they had been through.
Posted by MarinaM at 11:03 AM 25 comments
Labels: Hui Yi, Melina, TDM
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Dig in and Help Out!
Hi folks, it's the year end and with Hari Raya Haji, Christmas and the New
Year all coming in a row, I'm thinking we should up the good news factor,
ignore the bad news (for a while) and collect some merit points by doing
our little bits for charity.
Here's one way you can do it. If any of you are in KL next week and need
to do some shopping, especially for presents, forget about the crazy
crowds at the malls trampling everyone underfoot for dubious bargains and
head to Wisma MAA for the Budimas Year End-Charity Bazaar on December 18
and 19.
What's more, some of the proceeds will go to charity which the Budimas
Charitable Foundation has adopted. These are:
Asrama Damai Anak-Anak Yatim, Kuang, Selangor
Bethesda Children's Mission Home, Kajang, Selangor
Good Samaritan Home, Klang, Selangor
Precious Gift Home, Ipoh, Perak
Hannah Home, Ipoh, Perak
The Children's Protection Society (CPS), Penang
Persekutuan Kebajikan Anak-Anak Yatim Islam (Perempuan), Penang
Pondok Penyayang Raudhah, Gombak, FT
So come and shop folks and help out at the same time!
Posted by MarinaM at 10:58 AM 5 comments
Labels: charity
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Here We Go Blaming Others Again...
(Hi folks, am back. Sorry for late posting of comments but something is
wrong with Blogger which doesn't seem to be sending me all comments to
moderate. Hence apologies if you don't see your comment yet. Am clearing
them soon as I can.)
The Star is running a series of discussions called Cafe Latte Chat and the
latest is in crime featuring the IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan, Ambiga
Sreenivasan, the Bar Council chairman, YB Wee Ka Siong, MP for Ayer Hitam,
Datuk Wong Chun Wai, Acting Editor in Chiff of The Star and Lourdes
Charles, head of The Star's Crime Desk. You can read the whole thing here
.
I just wanted to pick out one thing which the IGP said here. Not sure what
the basis for it is but it seems to illustrate the Malaysian penchant for
a) making sweeping statements b) making prejudiced statements about
foreigners and c) blaming other people for our own faults. So now Mat
Rempits are the fault of Indonesians too?
Busting crime
Wong: How are the police addressing the people's concern about crime and
security?
Musa: The trend of crime has changed. It is not like before (traditional
crime) where crimes only involved local people. Globalisation has brought
in an influx of immigrants and the population has increased; people are
migrating from the kampung to towns and youths are getting into unlawful
activities. Criminals are also not like before because we have people
bringing their culture here. It is normal in Jakarta to see people racing
here and there. Our youths tend to imitate the wrong things, that's why we
see all these Mat Rempits now.
So us poor KL people are blameless. It's only because of Other People
coming here either from other countries or from the kampungs. And is it
really normal for people to be racing here and there in Jakarta? Anyone
who's been there will know that you'd be lucky to find an empty road to
race on.
And our youth are so weak and stupid, they 'tend to imitate the wrong
things' huh? Thanks a lot.
But later on he continues about the Mat Rempits:
Ambiga: The police do not seem to be doing much about the Mat Rempit
problem.
Musa: Our people are doing extensive surveillance on them. There have been
times when they have even crashed through our roadblocks. The Mat Rempit
gangs can be very aggressive and violent. There have been cases when their
members were arrested and the gang threw stones at the police station
where their buddies were held. The parents have a role to play here. These
people are mostly teens, they don't even have licences when they begin
riding motorcycles. They are blatantly going against the law and their
parents should be made accountable for their actions. But people do not
like it when I say this.
I don't get it. If it's a crime, then the police have to do their job. But
why blame parents because their kids have no licenses? It's not the lack
of licenses that's the main crime surely? So if you jail the parents, is
this going to solve the 'imported culture' problem?
I am confused. It would be nice if the authorities didn't give such
convoluted explanations for everything. And surely the existence of Mat
Rempits can't solely be attributed to foreign cultural influence? (And
it's a culture that's part of the heritage of some of us too!!!)
Posted by MarinaM at 6:04 PM 22 comments
Labels: Mat Rempits
Monday, December 3, 2007
A Brief Hiatus
Folks, I am off for a short break so will not be posting anything for the
rest of the week. Apologies in advance if I take a long time to post your
comments but am just not sure about Internet connections where I'm going.
Meantime, here's a photo of my Mum with her two favourite handsome guys
having lunch at The Loaf in Langkawi today:
Posted by MarinaM at 11:25 PM 37 comments
Labels: Angkasawan
Let's Create Panic, Shall We?
What is it about politicians that they constantly need to be alarmist and
distort facts?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday December 3, 2007
Fomema fees to be reduced
JOHOR BARU: Mandatory medical check-ups for foreign workers will be
cheaper in the future.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said they were in the process
of reviewing the medical fees paid by employers to Fomema.
.The current fees can be reduced. Right now, it costs RM185 for a male
worker and RM195 for a female. The Cabinet has agreed that we study this.
We are studying how we can reduce it to a more reasonable rate,. he said
after launching a book fair here yesterday.
However, Dr Chua refused to speculate on the reduced amount.
He also dismissed a call by a non-governmental organisation to abolish
mandatory medical check-ups.
On Sunday, the Coordination of Action Research on HIV/AIDS and Mobility
(Caram Asia) urged the Government to scrap mandatory testing for foreign
workers and to opt for voluntary testing.
Regional coordinator Cynthia Gabriel was quoted as saying that voluntary
testing would help encourage illegal foreign workers to come forward.
Dr Chua said the ministry disagreed with the organisation.s views, as
there was still a need for mandatory testing.
.Every year, the Ministry of Health, through Fomema, conducts tests on
foreign workers one month after they have landed in Malaysia. We find that
2% to 3% are not healthy.
.At the end of the year, they have to take a second mandatory test, and
the results still show that 2% to 3% are not healthy,. he said.
Dr Chua added that there were 25,000 to 30,000 foreign workers, including
maids, with infectious diseases who could spread them to Malaysians.
.Can you imagine 25,000 to 30,000 people walking around with HIV,
tuberculosis, syphilis and Hepatitis B and C?. he asked.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's look at this properly. 2-3% of foreign workers being 'unhealthy' is
not a lot, especially when they deport them almost immediately, often
without telling them the reason why.
The last statement is designed to work on people's prejudices towards
foreign workers as if they are pools of disease just waiting to infect our
people. The fact is , except for TB, most of these diseases cannot be
spread by casual contact to others. Unless Malaysians are in the habit of
sleeping with their foreign employees, including their maids, they are
unlikely to catch any of these diseases. TB can be treated easily enough.
The Minister is misleading us by making it seem as if the workers are
tested twice, when they arrive and then a year later. The fact is, if they
are found with any disease, including pregnancy, at the first test, then
they are immediately deported. Therefore the issue of them 'still' not
being healthy at the second test does not arise. Furthermore, if they are
'still' not healthy, it means that either their employers did nothing to
get them treatment after the first test, or, they became infected with
these diseases in our country.
Please let us have more intelligent discussion of the very real problems
of public health and not have distortions of facts aimed at intensifying
the already rampant prejudice we have towards foreigners who, out of
economic need, have no choice but to come to our country to obtain work.
What's more, it's not the legal workers who have to go through FOMEMA that
we have to worry about. It's the illegal ones who, because of that very
illegality, are unrecognised and are afraid to ever get medical treatment
when they are ill in case they get arrested that we really should be
concerned with. As long as they remain underground, we are allowing public
health to be compromised.
For the full text of CARAM Asia's statement, please see here.
Actually, the Minister doesn't give any reason for the need to reduce the
FOMEMA fees. The tests are mandatory so employers have no choice. Is he
saying there is a problem of employers not getting their workers tested
and hence they need an incentive? Bet FOMEMA will protest as it will cut
into their enormous profits. See Jeff Ooi's story on this.
Posted by MarinaM at 4:39 PM 6 comments
Labels: migrant workers
Sunday, December 2, 2007
A Sad Tragedy
You may have read this story today.
Sunday December 2, 2007
MYT 8:32:53 PM
Military exercise mishap at Lima claims 3 lives
By DERRICK VINESH
LANGKAWI: Strong winds claimed the lives of three paratroopers, including
a woman who drowned during a parachute training exercise at the Mahsuri
International Airport here Sunday morning.
Siti Hajar Yaakub, 24, died at sea while her teammates Nurul Wahida Yusuf,
20, and Raymond A/K Duncan, 25, an Iban, died at the Langkawi Hospital.
They were among 160 paratroopers from the 10th Paratrooper Unit of the
Terendak Camp, Malacca who took part in the exercise in conjunction with
the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (Lima) 2007 event.
Langkawi district police chief Supt Mohamed Ali Jamaluddin said the three
officers and 17 others drifted 200m off course and fell from a height of
about 300m into the sea off Pantai Cenang during the exercise at 10.15am.
He said five women and six male officers were admitted at the hospital for
hypothermia and minor injuries.
One of them, Suraya Ali, 23, was warded in the Intensive Care Unit for
broken ribs and punctured lung. Another officer Zaliza Zakaria, 23, who
also suffered similar complications.
.We called off the 170-member rescue operation at 12.53pm after all 138
officers who jumped off two aircrafts were rescued,. he said.
He added that the marine police together with the armed forces personnel
and fire and rescue services conducted the search and rescue.
Supt Mohd Ali said the team were practising for a performance during the
Lima opening on Tuesday.
.The paratrooper team from Malacca usually performs this exercise every
Lima.
.This year, the Eastern wind has been somehow quite strong,. he said.
__________________________________________________________________
The reason I am mentioning this is not just because it is a terrible loss
of life but also because these young women and man belonged to the same
Terendak Camp Paratrooper unit whose Deputy Commander Col Ismet Nayan bin
Ismail has been so instrumental in caring for Melina and her friends from
Timor Leste.
I'd like to convey my condolences to the families of the three young
paratroopers as well as to Col Ismet and the 10th Paratrooper Unit for
their loss. I also wish the other injured paratroopers a speedy recovery.
Posted by MarinaM at 11:43 PM 10 comments
Labels: tragedy
Thar He Blows Again...!
Sunday December 2, 2007
Ministry displeased over reports on walk
KUALA LUMPUR: An English daily has been criticised by Information Minister
Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin for reporting on the Bar Council.s plan to
organise a .People.s Freedom Walk. on Dec 9 in conjunction World Human
Rights Day. (What?! You can't report on events that haven't happened yet?)
.I have contacted the paper and voiced my dissatisfaction about their
propensity to carry reports that do not show respect to the spirit of
national unity,. he said yesterday. (A walk doesn't show respect for the
spirit of national unity? And racist remarks do?)
He said the ministry would write an official letter to the newspaper to
ask it not to play up such news. (Not report, or not play up?)
.The newspaper gave details like the time to gather and also encouraged
the people to bring posters. (So?)
.This is a sinister action, especially when police are facing pressure
from certain groups bent on using street demonstrations for political
purposes,. said Zainuddin.
Bar Council chairman S. Ambiga said they met with police on Friday to
discuss how to best organise the Human Rights Day march.
.We will get a reply from the police on Monday and we are hopeful that
they will help us make the event a success,. she said at a press
conference.
Ambiga, who said many people had misunderstood the purpose of the rally,
added that it should not be associated as an anti-government protest.
.The march is part of the Festival of Rights and will only last 20 to 30
minutes.
.It is a peaceful march that unites all Malaysians to celebrate
International Human Rights Day, which falls on Dec 10, and to raise
awareness on human rights.
.This is what we have been doing for the past two years,. she added.
Zam hadn't noticed the past two years' walks before, I guess. He probably
didn't even know that International Human Rights Day falls on Dec 10. But
then he'd say human rights are some Western plot anyway. Figures...
Posted by MarinaM at 9:07 PM 20 comments
Labels: idiotic Ministers, Zam
Friday, November 30, 2007
Melina Goes Home!
Dr. Jeswant, me, Melina, Lala and Mada before leaving IJN.
Dear folks, today Melina was discharged from hospital, armed with a newly
repaired heart, a healthy future and lots of new friends. The whole story
of Melina has been really a heartwarming one and I think really shows what
Malaysians can be and do , and how politicians get it all so wrong.
As I have mentioned before, Melina is an orphan from Dili, Timor Leste. In
the past two years Timor Leste has been racked by violence, essentially
civil war, and Melina, her twin brother and two older siblings lost their
parents in the violence. In order to help keep the peace, Malaysia sent
army and police personnel to Dili and these army and police officers came
to know the orphanage run by Lala Noronha, an Indonesian-born woman of
Australian nationality. During their assignment in Timor Leste, these
officers came to care for these orphans and while giving them medical
attention, realised that some of these children were badly in need of
treatment that was just not available in Dili. These ailments included
holes in the heart, thyroid problems and in one case, almost fatal
cryptococcal meningitis.
In October 2006, Lala brought seven of the most ill Timorese kids here to
Malaysia for treatment and over the past year, under the care of the
Malaysian army at Terendak Camp in Melaka and under the sponsorship of the
Society of St Vincent de Paul Melaka Council, which helped to manage funds
raised, each child has been getting the treatment they need. The very last
one was Melina, who, because of some other illnesses, could not be
operated on until now.
You know the rest of the story of how, through this blog, we raised over
RM30,000 and got her operated on at IJN in KL. Throughout her stay at IJN
and indeed here in Malaysia, Melina and her friends have felt the warm
hospitality and generosity of Malaysians over and over again. There's
Colonel Ismet Nayan bin Ismail, Deputy Commander, Briged Para, Kem
Terendak , Melaka and Colonel Dr Malek Faisal b. Dato Seri Hj Ayob,
surgeon at the Terendak Army Hospital, who have kept a watchful eye over
the Timorese children all this time, after having first met them in Dili.
There's Lieutenant-General Datuk Shahron bin Ibrahim, Chief of Staff at
the headquarters of the Malaysian Armed Forces in KL who took the time to
visit Melina at IJN. Also their Pak Tarmizi, who, as part of the Royal
Malaysian Police contingent in Dili, cared for them for one year there and
then continued to show his kindness when he returned to Malaysia by
continually visiting them along with his wife and children. There's also
Helen from St John's Cathedral in KL who has also been very kind in
helping Lala with various things.
At IJN, Dato Dr Azhari Yaakob and Dr Jeswant Dhillon were the two surgeons
who operated on her while Dr Ariffin Marzuki Mokhtar was the consultant
anaesthesiologist and Dr Geetha Kandavello, the consultant paediatric
cardiologist. I want to mention that IJN did their best to keep costs down
so that in the end, Melina's surgery and stay did not cost as much as
expected. For that, everybody is really thankful to IJN for their
kindness.
Then of course, there was all of you who dug deep into your pockets to
help a poor orphan from a foreign country who would never have survived
had she not come to Malaysia. Back home, she would not have had all her
other illnesses treated, let alone have heart surgery. So, from the bottom
of my heart, I thank you all for responding so positively to my appeal on
this blog. Just shows what good things blogs can do.
I think this whole story just shows that when it comes to people in need,
Malaysians are completely race and colour-blind. All these people I
mentioned above came together to help these orphans simply because they
needed help. Not once did anyone ask or mention what religion these kids
were before they helped them, and I think it is significant that so many
Muslims lent a hand to these Roman Catholic children. Melina and her
friends think that Malaysia is the best country in the world because of
the amount of kindness, warmth and hospitality that has been shown to
them.
Melina, the girl with two holes in the heart, meets Hui Yi, the girl who
got two hearts.
Melina made many friends at IJN. But before she left, there was one person
she wanted to meet, Tee Hui Yi, the girl who got a heart transplant after
one year on a mechanical heart. So these two 14-year old girls met today
for the first time, chatted a bit and exchanged email addresses so that
they can keep in touch. A new friendship begins.
Lala, Melina, me, Hui Yi and her mother Dina happy that both girls are
healthy.
Posted by MarinaM at 5:04 PM 19 comments
Labels: Hui Yi, Melina
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Melina the soon-to-be Blogger
Look at this happy girl! Went to visit Melina today and she's getting
better and better . The smile says everything.
Every day she's been getting stronger and going for physiotherapy. Today
she said that she thinks she was doing her exercises next to IJN's second
most famous patient (after my Dad), Hui Yi, the heart transplant girl.
I've promised her that before she leaves IJN, I'll introduce the two girls
to each other.
Today however I thought I would introduce Melina to the wonders of
blogging. So we sat down and set up what is tentatively called Melina's
Diary. It's not quite ready yet but when she does her first post, I'll let
you know so you can talk directly to her. And she would certainly love to
hear from you.
We expect Melina to be discharged from IJN this Friday already. She is
really grateful for this chance to be like any other teenage girl, thanks
to all of you. But she'll tell you that herself soon...
Posted by MarinaM at 8:38 PM 10 comments
Labels: Melina
The Golden Handshake
A friend from abroad sent me this photo of a billboard which, despite
being smack in the middle of downtown KL, has escaped the attention of
everyone. He wonders how come this has survived at all because in Europe,
it would have been defaced in no time.
I dunno, do you?
Posted by MarinaM at 4:42 PM 31 comments
Labels: AAB, Bush
Friday, November 23, 2007
As for That Other Heart Patient...
Meantime....that other heart patient has been feeling a trifle bored at
home and has started to visit his office. This was taken on Tuesday by Mum
when he went to his office at the Petronas Twin Towers for the first time.
Looking spiffy in his grey Nehru jacket, don't you think?
Posted by MarinaM at 4:03 PM 65 comments
Labels: TDM
Melina Has a Whole New Heart
UPDATE:
Hi all, just went to visit Melina and she's doing very well indeed. Not as
chirpy as before yet because she's feeling a bit of pain still but she's
been given medication and she should feel better by tomorrow. The doctors
are pleased with her progress.
We are expecting her to be ready to be discharged mid-next week or so, God
willing. But she will need to come back for follow-up just to make sure
that everything's ticking along nicely.
Meantime,thanks again for all your generosity. Lala Noronha, who is taking
care of Melina, has emailed those of you who donated and gave your email
addresses to thank you and to request for addresses to send receipts to.
Those of you who didn't leave an address and would like a receipt, could
you kindly give them to me via my comment box and I'll pass them on to
her. Thanks a lot.
ORIGINAL POST:
Dear all, very sorry for this late update but I had to go to Singapore
right after Melina went in for her op and then couldn't update on the run.
But anyway...Melina went into the operating room at about 9,30am on Wed
Nov 21 morning and at around 1pm, I got word that the operation to repair
her two holes in the heart and the leaky valve was successful. Here's a
photo of her just before she went into the OT:
Yesterday morning, Thursday, she was taken off the ventilator and by
evening she was already out of ICU and back in the ward! The joys of
youth!! So now she is doing very well indeed. I am going to see her soon
and will take more photos.
Thank you once again for all your help for a young orphan from Timor
Leste. It would not have been possible without you. I also have to thank
the doctors at IJN for their skill and care and for their kindness towards
Melina.
Posted by MarinaM at 10:17 AM 8 comments
Labels: Melina
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Update on Melina
Hi folks, sorry I've been quiet but I'm in China and couldn't get through
to Blogger somehow.
Anyway...you may remember Melina Jokita, the 14-year old East Timorese
girl who has been here for some time waiting to have a heart operation.
The only reason she could not have it at the time was lack of money. So I
set up an appeal for her through this blog to try and get 1000 of you to
donate RM20 each so that we could raise RM20,000.
Well, you responded so generously that we have managed to raise
RM30,653!!! Woo hoo! Thank you all so much!! I knew Malaysians are
kindhearted and you all have proved it.
So now Melina is set to have her heart operation. However she is no longer
having in Melaka as originally planned. During the course of this
fundraising, we found out that her case is a bit more complicated than a
simple hole-in-the-heart. In fact she has two holes in the heart as well
as leaky valve. After consultation with the doctors at IJN, it's been
decided that she should have her op at IJN instead. So Wednesday Nov 21
will be the Big Day for Melina.
Here's a message from Melina for all of you:
Hi, I am Melina Jokita, 14 years old from Timor Leste
I would like to thank you for your thought and your donation now I would
like to ask you to pray for me.
Aunty Marina organised my operation in Institute Jantung Negara (I J N) in
Kuala Lumpur.
I will be admitted in I J N on the 19th Nov and operated on 21st Nov.
2007.
Your donation gave me a chance of a new life. I hope and wish that I will
get better soon and one day I can meet my hero that is you!
THANK YOU!
MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS
And God bless you for your generosity and prayers too from me.
Posted by MarinaM at 12:04 AM 23 comments
Labels: Melina
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Spin, spin, spin...
How about these for an upside-down take on things?
Kids at illegal rally being .exploited.
KUALA LUMPUR: Children involved in the illegal assembly at Dataran Merdeka
last Saturday were exploited by their parents.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said action could be taken
against these parents, as it is an offence under the Child Protection Act.
(uhuh...nothing else you can arrest them under, huh?)
Describing the parents as irresponsible, he said they should know the
danger of getting their children involved in the rally. (Only if the
police start firing teargas and watercannons. Otherwise, perfectly safe.)
The IGP also said that action would be taken against the 245 people who
were detained and later released. (Why? If they are already released?)
.They have been released after questioning. We will take action later,. he
said after witnessing the handing over of duty from retiring Deputy IGP
Tan Sri Mohd Najib Abdul Aziz to his successor Datuk Ismail Omar.
Musa suggested the opposition parties have dialogues instead of getting
involved in illegal assemblies.
.Illegal assemblies inconvenience the public,. he said, adding that shops
and offices in the area had to close on Saturday due to the illegal
assembly. ( Thought the public was inconveniencing the Government?)
Musa also said the roadblocks had to be set up for security checks to
ensure no one was carrying any weapon and to weed out undesirable
elements. (uhuh...50,000 undesirables...)
Police are bracing for another illegal assembly being planned by
opposition parties in Kuala Terengganu in three weeks time.
.Yes, we will strengthen our security and we will see what they have
planned,. Musa added.
And then there's this:
Adnan: Use the ISA to stop those who promote ill will
KUANTAN: Deterrent measures, including enforcing the Internal Security
Act, should be taken against those who promote ill will and hostility,
said Pahang Umno chief Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob. (Is 'ill will and
hostility' an ISA crime?)
Referring to last Saturday.s illegal gathering in Kuala Lumpur organised
by Bersih to demand for .clean and fair. elections, Adnan said national
security took precedence over the demands raised by the opposition.
.National security is of utmost importance, more than legality or human
rights,. he said. ( Funny, that's exactly what George W Bush says...)
.I am not prepared to see a society broken. If they have to use the ISA,
then do so,. he added. ( Gee, society has really broken up since last
Saturday...)
Adnan, who is the Mentri Besar, said there was a need to put to a stop all
the unruly behaviour that only caused hardship to the people.
On the strong protest expected from the international media and opposition
if Malaysia were to impose the ISA, he said: .Why must we take into
consideration their views? Our own survival is more important.
.We can just ignore what they have to say about us.. ( why don't we ignore
them when they say nice things about us too?)
In KUALA LUMPUR, Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said the
international business communities were neither concerned with nor
interested about the street demonstrations held by the opposition.
The International Trade and Industry Minister said the demonstrations had
not altered foreign investors. perception of doing business in Malaysia.
She said that during her many trade trips overseas, the business
communities there had never asked about the opposition. (Of course not.
But they would ask, not necessarily of Government officials, about how the
Government treats its people.)
And the last word from Zam:
Zam slams Al Jazeera.s coverage
KUALA LUMPUR: Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin has
strongly criticised satellite television station Al Jazeera.s coverage of
Saturday.s illegal gathering here.
Describing the coverage as biased, unfair and confusing to people living
overseas, he said he would write to the station stating that the
Government was aware of what the station was trying to do. ( and your
exemplary performance on the interview was really entertaining...)
.They also cited a blogger as an independent journalist when the blogger
is actually a DAP member,. he said.
Thousands of demonstrators under the Bersih coalition gathered at various
parts of Kuala Lumpur on Saturday before marching to Istana Negara to
present a memorandum calling for fair and free elections.
Zainuddin said Al Jazeera.s coverage gave the impression that the police
were violent when they actually took minimum action to control the crowd.
.The police only used water cannons and tear gas and did not shoot
anyone,. he said. (well, thank God for that...)
Zainuddin also quoted the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia which
commended the police for carrying out a good job in controlling the crowd.
.When faced with demonstrators, the police allowed them to march to the
palace,. Zainuddin said. (So maybe should have just allowed them in the
first place...)
Zainuddin said Al Jazeera should use its base in Malaysia as an
opportunity to strengthen bonds with the West rather than to portray
Malaysia as anti-West. (Sorry, what has the march got to do with being
anti-West or not? You mean we are actually pro-West?)
Keep it up, guys! I wouldn't know what to blog about without you.
Posted by MarinaM at 10:48 AM 66 comments
Labels: idiotic Ministers, march, media
Pix You Might Not Find in the Papers
I meant to post these on Sunday but Blogger was being temperamental.
Photos by kind courtesy of Juana Jaafar. Thanks JJ!
Posted by MarinaM at 10:37 AM 19 comments
Labels: march, media
Monday, November 12, 2007
Doesn't He Ever Get It?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to Penarik Beca for the tip. Is this guy a lost cause or what? And
what did Wanita and Puteri do when he said this? Giggled along?
Sabah women slam Umno Speaker's 'tunnel vision'
DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Women's Advisory Council (MPWS) took Umno
Assembly Speaker Badruddin Amiruddin to task over his uncalled-for remarks
about AirAsia stewardesses' uniforms at the party's General Assembly in
Kuala Lumpur.
Chairperson Datin Asnimar Hj Sukardi said Saturday, it was most unbecoming
of Badruddin to make fun of women in such a disrespectful manner.
"Apparently, some men have not learned a lesson from experiences in the
past when MPs degraded women in Parliament. This time around, it happened
during a political gathering of a dominant ruling party.
"We would have expected a man of his stature to give some sound advice on
the dressing, instead of resorting to belittling women.
"We (MPWS) think he had gone too far in criticising women and should have
been tactful," she said when contacted. The Umno Assembly Speaker drew
laughter when he used a crude euphemism to refer to female genitalia. "For
some of them you can even see their tunnel," he was quoted as saying in
Malay.
Asnimar urged menfolk to be more sensitive and not to continue hurting the
feelings of women in the country.
Sabah Law Association's Women and Children Rights sub-committee head
Nilakrisna James said: 'I am appalled, disgusted and speechless. It
becomes increasingly obvious that we need to send to Parliament only
level-headed people instead of ones who love to discriminate.
"In other countries, the people would have demanded immediate resignation
of the person who made such a statement. It must be disgraceful and
embarrassing to Umno."
Zainaba Shukor, President of West Coast Single Mother Association also
regretted Badruddin's comments.
"I don't think this is the right place for them to bring up the matter.
There are also more important matters like the cost of living instead of
making a big fuss about the skirt," she said.
The Umno Assembly heard that the AirAsia stewardesses skirts were too
short and exposed the genitals.
"AirAsia stewardesses expose their calves, thighs and knees and this is
inappropriate," delegate Zaleha Hussin, said. "Malaysia is an Islamic
nation and Islam Hadhari is the basis for our lifestyle and this is
inconsistent with it," she said, referring to the government's policy of
promoting a version of the religion that emphasises economic and
scientific development.
AirAsia stewardesses wear a red jacket, white blouse and above-the-knee
red skirt.
Posted by MarinaM at 7:31 AM 47 comments
Labels: idiots
Saturday, November 10, 2007
In Case You Didn't See This...
Posted by MarinaM at 11:37 PM 50 comments
Labels: Aljazeera, elections, march
Friday, November 9, 2007
Young Women Deserve Better, Don't They?
Hat-tip to Nuraina Samad for alerting us on Puteri UMNO chief Noraini
Ahmad's dimwit speech at the UMNO GA.
At a time when young women are more than 60% of university students and
are facing all sorts of challenges, what they need most are good leaders
and examples. That means women who care about them and who inspire them
with their intelligence and ideas. Noraini unfortunately is not it. Which
disappoints me greatly because I have met her before and she seemed like a
bright enough spark.
One thing I do know about leadership is that you can't come to the table
with absolutely no ideas yourself. You have to have the ideas, you must be
able to articulate and persuade people why you think they are good ideas
and you must be open to criticism on them and work out some solution to
those. You cannot simply repeat what has been said before and even then
with the shallowest of introspection of whether those ideas are worth
anything or not.
I happen to believe that the future of this country belongs to young women
and will be driven by young women. In them I have seen the most eagerness
and enthusiasm to do something good. None of the complacency that you find
in many young men who think that the world owes them a living. There are
many young women who have so much talent, creativity and drive...all they
need is the opportunity to fulfil that potential.
What Puteri UMNO and other organisations should be doing is ensuring that
the space that young women have to achieve their ambitions is constantly
enlarged and made safe. That means ensuring that laws that discriminate
against women are repealed, that violence against women is an issue that
is taken very seriously as a blight on society, that women's voices are
heard in every arena that affects them. Which is pretty much everywhere,
including in politics.
But when a little girl is killed, what does Puteri do but blame the
parents? How simplistic is that, not to mention insensitive?
When many women are bloggers, why does Puteri call on the government to
come down hard on blogging as in this report in The Sun: She said the
Sedition Act, Internal Security Act, Officials Secrets Act and Printing
Presses and Publications Act must be enforced to the fullest as
irresponsible acts by bloggers caused tension among people of different
races and religions. Oh my, my! I'm surprised she didn't mention bloggers
causing tension between the sexes (with her flag firmly planted on the
male side of the fence!).
And how's this for a simpleton's analysis? On the brain drain experienced
by Malaysia, Noraini said if students fail to come back and serve the
country once they completed their studies, they should be penalised with
higher interest on her loans.
"To avoid brain drain, local universities must be strengthened to be on
par with international standards."
My dear, firstly, the brain drain is not caused by people not coming back.
It's caused by people leaving. There is a subtle difference. You have to
look at what's making them leave, not just not wanting to come back. And
how do you even collect repayment of loans with higher interest (eh, isn't
that unIslamic?) from people who aren't here?
Secondly, yes I do agree that local universities need to be strengthened
and be on par with international standards. After all, most university
students are young women and we should expect high standards from them.
But that's not going to be enough to stop people leaving. We need academic
freedom, we need a university environment that supports and celebrates
diversity, we need wholistic university experiences that encourages
students to participate in many activities and sports and one that that
does not segregate by race. What is the point of having students who
graduate with the inability to adapt themselves in a society that is
socially diverse and competitive? One way to make sure there is no 'brain
drain' is of course to make sure that nobody speaks English well. Then
there is absolutely no hope of them leaving the country for greener
pastures. Hey, how's that for a Puteri-worthy solution?
Read the blogs by young women, Noraini. There you will find a whole slew
of different opinions and ideas, not just the type that your pink ladies
will eagerly tell you. There are young women who are keen to change the
world, and not in the Puteri way (not that Puteri wants to change the
world anytime soon by the looks of it.). They are sharp and smart and they
don't need the approval of men to affirm them.
Posted by MarinaM at 10:50 AM 51 comments
Labels: dimwits, Noraini Ahmad, Puteri UMNO
Monday, November 5, 2007
How to Insult the Rakyat in One Fell Swoop
Another gem from our Nazri...
Nation
Monday November 5, 2007
MYT 3:17:13 PM
Instilling integrity will take time, says Nazri
By PAUL CHOO
KUALA LUMPUR: Efforts to instill integrity among the rakyat is still in
its infancy stage, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk
Seri Nazri Aziz.
He said the National Integrity Plan (NIP) was only launched in 2004, and
it would require at least five years before any change could be evident.
"The Malaysia Integrity Institute (IIM) will be preparing a report at the
end of the five-year period to assess its achievements.
"It takes time for this concept to truly sink in. We hope there will be
improvements very soon, especially among those in the public sector," he
said.
Nazri was referring to the Attorney-General's report on mismanagement in
government administration and the waste of taxpayers. income and tax
payments.
He however stressed that the report was not a fair reflection of the
rakyat's level of integrity at present because the mismanagements were
committed two to three years ago by a few black sheep.
Nazri said, "This does not mean that action should not be taken against
them. These black sheep should be held responsible.
"Apart from that, I'm sure that within these few years we have improved
well, but we will have to wait for IIM's report first before we can make
any deductions," he said.
Speaking to reporters after opening the National Integrity Day at IIM here
Monday, Nazri said Malaysians should not be pessimistic of the
Government's efforts to instill integrity.
Such thinking, he said, would only dampen all efforts.
*************************************************************************************
I looked up the word 'integrity' and this was the definition: firm
adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values. So in saying
that instilling integrity among the rakyat will take time, Nazri is
basically saying that right now, the rakyat don't have much adherence to
moral or artistic values. Moral values such as honesty for instance.
I was not aware that the whole integrity issue involved the rakyat as
such. As Nazri himself then goes on to say, it's about public servants and
their integrity. The fact that they are not being honest in their
dealings, as evidenced in the Auditor-General's report. So it's not about
instilling these int eh rakyat, it's about instilling these in the public
service. And he thinks it will take five years! And in the meantime, we'll
have to put up with five more abysmal AG's reports?
Funny that he pre-empts the IIM's report! If the rest of us ever tried to
do that, he'd say we were convicting people before they were found guilty!
Mind you he's not the only idiot. Here's another:
Sparks fly even before start of Umno assembly
KUALA LUMPUR: The Umno general assembly begins today but the sparks have
started to fly with one politician hitting out at the English media for
carrying opposition reports.
Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said some media were
being used by the opposition to highlight their causes now that there was
greater press freedom and transparency. (There is???!!!)
.Since it has been free, there are some mainstream papers which favour
those who do not support the Government. (Which ones???!!!)
.Some are done in an indirect manner and some directly, especially in
English papers,. he said when speaking to student leaders at the Overseas
Umno Club leadership course here yesterday.
Citing the judiciary issue as an example, Information Minister Datuk Seri
Zainuddin Maidin said the media had its own agenda.
.For example, (the Sultan of Perak) Sultan Azlan Shah.s speech talked
about various issues but what was only highlighted was the teguran
(warning) on the judiciary,. he said. (I saw his admonition on lawyers
also reported. But anyway, must tegur those who need to be tegur'dlah
kan?)
Zainuddin also claimed that young Malays such as Azmi Sharom and Amir
Muhammad were being used by English papers to attack the Malays. (I don't
remember anything these two ever did to attack Malays, do you? Guess I'm
not young enough to be mentioned :-()
He said there was one case that raised .doubts over the media.s purpose.
was the recent reporting of Port Klang assemblymen Datuk Zakaria Mat
Deros. new mansion although he had been cleared of corruption.
.The case is already over. He took orphans to his new house but what was
highlighted was how big the house is,. he said. (Oh my my...but Zak said
that these orphans would never have had a chance to sleep in such a big
house otherwise...am sure the orphans were thrilled to then have to go
back to their nice luxurious orphanage afterwards...)
Zainuddin also took a potshot at former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim and claimed that he was not being truthful about the video
clip on the alleged judge-brokering.
.The video clip is creating tunjuk perasaan (protest). This party has
already been rejected by the community and only has one seat in Parliament
yet they are trying to cause trouble.
.During his (Anwar.s) time, there was restrictions and he had his people
in the media Now that the Prime Minister is more transparent, he is using
that to attack the Malays,. he added. (Um, um, um...I can't top this....)
Funny how Zam only mentions English papers. You mean the BM and Chinese
ones all very compliant, are they?
Posted by MarinaM at 4:16 PM 43 comments
Labels: idiots, Nazri, Zam
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Not Another Nightmare...
I can't imagine losing a child. Nurin Jaslin's parents went through a
terrible nightmare. Now Chin Kha Mun's parents are going through the same.
Please, if you know anything about Kha Mun, call Ms Chew 012-5268862 or Mr
Chin 012-6607722. For more information, please see this .
Rocky and Walski are already helping out. Hope other bloggers will also
put out this notice.
Posted by MarinaM at 8:07 PM 14 comments
Labels: Kha Mun
Friday, November 2, 2007
Now now, young man...
This astounding admission came out in The Star today. Young man should
really have come and consulted me, since I am an expert with some 25
years' experience of being up there. Poor show on the part of the reporter
for swallowing whole all these answers. May I suggest some additional
questions?
Khairy: I want to use .protection. to change things
Is that sanitary, Khairy?
PETALING JAYA: Khairy Jamaluddin says that being the Prime Minister.s
son-in-law has provided him .protection. which he wants to use to change
things for the better.
(Hmmm...maybe in-laws get more protection than blood children. I don't
remember feeling in the least bit protected, not even by bodyguards. Maybe
I had less to be protected from...)
The Umno Youth deputy chief said he was able to .push the envelope now.
partly because of that relationship with the prime minister.
("Push the envelope" huh? Really! The PM lets you push the envelope to do
what exactly? I used to have to push the condom envelope but guess my
relationship with the then PM wasn't as good as your relationship with the
current one, since we still can't talk about condoms...)
.There.s a certain extent (to which) these people in Umno will not go
after me. So it gives me .protection. to change things.
(Oh wow! I don't recall them going after you about anything at all. That's
a BIG extent, for certain. Does this mean you can get away with anything
then?)
.If I don.t use this .protection. to change things for the better, then
I.m just wasting time and marking my time to go up the ladder of politics.
That.s not what I am about.
(What things are being changed for the better exactly? So instead of
marking time, we want to use protection to speed up that ladder?)
.I want to use this time that I have while I have this .protection. to
change things, to change Umno for the better,. he said yesterday during a
question-and-answer session at the Kancil Awards Festival Speakers series.
(Oh I see. When are you going to start then?)
Khairy, who is married to Nori, the daughter of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi, said it was true that this relationship meant he knew which
buttons to push and which leaders to pull in to make a particular
programme a success.
(Ahah...and exactly which buttons , leaders and programmes are those?)
He was asked if his MyTeam football project would have received
sponsorship and the wide TV3 coverage that it did had he not been the
prime minister.s son-in-law.
Khairy said that even though he leveraged on the family ties, .it would
have been embarrassing all-round if it didn.t work . I.d be finished..
(So you did leverage family ties! What honesty!)
Thankfully though, he said, the idea was right and its execution worked
well, so much so that viewership for the MyTeam programme even topped that
of Siti Nurhaliza.s wedding.
(Sorry, was MyTeam a private project or some sort of national project?)
He said people opened doors in many different ways and sometimes for him
people opened the door because his father-in-law is the Prime Minister.
(Sometimes...)
.People will tell you connections matter but at the end of the day, it.s
the results (that matter)..
(Still waiting to see what results we're talking about here...)
He said his goal in life was to contribute in whatever way he could to
make Malaysia reach its potential and this was not necessarily through
politics.
(Business I guess...)
.I always tell my friends and family that if everything comes crashing
down in politics, it.s not the end of the world.
.If after one day, my father-in-law retires and all of Umno decide to go
after me, that.s reality ... politics is my profession and passion but I
can live outside it,. he added.
(So you know they'll probably go after you then...)
He said that having a baby had put things in perspective.
(Which is what?)
.I hope to be in politics as long as possible to change as much as
possible and see how things can be improved. But there.s always something
else to life than going up the .greasy. pole of politics,. he added.
(Repeat above question.)
Khairy also said that he felt strongly about wanting to start a genuine
national conversation among people of different backgrounds, ethnicity and
religions on Malaysians as a people.
.There must be a middle ground somewhere,. he added.
(And you've really helped find it, haven't you?)
He also wanted to push for Malaysians to become automatic voters upon
reaching 21, without having to register.
Oh I can see all the MM-hater fingers poised over their keyboards already!
But don't you think that if whoever the journalist was who wrote this had
asked the questions I put up, it would have been a far more interesting
interview?
Posted by MarinaM at 1:55 PM 96 comments
Labels: KJ
Thursday, November 1, 2007
The Tired Ranter
Hi folks, yes I've been quiet for a whole week. (Thank you for your
patience.Also your impatience since it means you want to read what I think
;-)) I can't really specifically say why I've been quiet. Partly it's a
case of bloggers' block I think. After posting almost every day for seven
straight weeks, I just found I couldn't do it anymore. Plus I had only one
subject, my Dad, for all that time, and I really cocooned myself into it
and basked in the love that everyone sent. So it was really hard to pry
open that warm safe shell and wander out into the dangerous world again.
(Well actually I did venture into shark-infested waters here.)
Not that I haven't been keeping an eye on what was happening out there.
But my priorities for a while were smaller things, all to do with human
life at the most basic level. Of course, many of the big things happening
are about our lives too but for the moment I was just concerned about
people who are hanging on to life at its most basic meaning.I'll have to
update you on what's happening with Melina soon.
Meantime my various blogger friends have more than adequately held forth
on many issues so I didn't think I had a lot more to add. I read the
rather incredible interview of Nazri Aziz which my friend Malik Imtiaz
Sarwar has eloquently commented on. I might do my own take on Mr
Incredible later on especially what he's said about blogs and bloggers.
There are some people who really should not do interviews simply because
they virtually give commenters the gift of just so many whips to flay at
them. Nazri ranks among the 'best' of them. Zam would be another. Do these
people listen to themselves? Or are they actually impressed by what they
hear?
Meantime up in Penang, the Bangsa Malaysia event is taking place this
weekend. Here are the details:
Event : Malam Bangsa Malaysia
Date : 3rd November, 2007
Time : 8.00pm
Venue : Room A, Dewan Sri Pinang, Pulau Pinang.
There will be a charge of RM10 per person to cover rental and refreshment
costs.
The event can only accomodate 200 people and attendance is by invitation.
The organising team has also put together a forum entitled 'One People,
One Nation' which is open to all who are registered to attend the
get-together later that night.
The forum is scheduled to start at 5pm. Registration will start at 4.30pm.
Speakers for the forum are :
1. Dato Seri Lim Chong Keat
2. P. Ramakrishnan ( President, Aliran )
3. Khoo Kay Peng ( independent political analyst )
4. Malik Imtiaz Sarwar ( President HAKAM, prominent human rights lawyer )
5. Haris Ibrahim
During the get-together after the forum, the award winning documentary
'Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka ' by Fahmi Reza will be screened. Fahmi
will also be with us to share with us his motivation for the documentary.
To get yourself an invitation, please send your name and ic number to
bangsamalaysiapenang@gmail.com
I won't be there, I'm afraid. But do go and have a listen.
Meantime, those of you in KL who haven't seen P.Ramlee:The Musical, do go
and see it. It's fabulous. Wonderful music, singing and dancing. The set
design is superb, thanks to Raja Maliq who is a great talent.And Atilia
and Liza Hanim have the most fantastic voices. I am really hoping they'll
release the soundtrack soon.
I need to catch up on many things. Go and see Hati Malaya:1957. Talk to
Nuraina re the NURIN Alert. I'm going to see the new movie Flower in the
Pocket by a 28-year old director, Liew Seng Tat. It's his first movie,
made by Amir Muhammad's company, but it's already won two awards at the
Pusan Film Festival earlier this year. Here's the trailer.
I also have to get down to some work, which means writing two papers, one
for a public forum in Singapore later this month and one for the
first-ever National AIDS Conference in KL early next month. Plus my column
in the Star and my blog!!!
One thing I did want to ask all of you was about a suggestion that someone
put to me, and that is to make a book out of all my postings during my
Dad's stay at IJN plus selected comments. Some people felt that those who
could not or did not access the blog missed out a lot. So what do you
think? Should I?
More later, folks.
Posted by MarinaM at 1:05 PM 40 comments
Labels: bloggers, blogs, Melina, movies, musicals, Nazri
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Settling Down at Home
Dad's been home four days now and I realise that it was much easier to see
him when he was in IJN than now that he's home. For one thing, even with
the horrid Jalan Tun Razak traffic, IJN is nearer to get to while home in
Sri Kembangan is far away. Hence why when people ask me for news, I have
to answer, "I have no idea."
But I started to miss him. So this morning I made my way down there and
was rewarded by the sight of him walking confidently out of his room,
fresh and showered ready for breakfast. Mum and I joined him on his big
balcony, with its great view of the golf course and the lake, fresh
breezes blowing in. He seemed happy and relaxed.
Later on, to the delight of his doctors and nurses, he walked 'pretty
fast' to another room for his usual morning checkup. Don't know who felt
prouder, the doctors or himself!
Dad came down the stairs accompanied by his physiotherapist, Datin
Maimunah. He's barefoot because that makes him more stable than if he
wears slippers.
My aunt dropped by for a visit. Since she is unable to walk very well, she
couldn't go upstairs to see Dad as other visitors have. So Dad had to come
down. No problem!
All this progress is really the effect of being at home amidst his own
surroundings, eating well and doing his exercises with his
physiotherapists. Yesterday he walked 400m which is a vast improvement on
what he was doing at the IJN gym. His appetite is great (last night,
several plates of nasi briyani, tosai this morning) and he's watching TV
and doing some reading. He's also had some visitors but these are strictly
controlled by Mum so as not to tire him out.
How's this for a cute story? My daughter ShaSha, upon seeing him on TV the
day he left IJN, exclaimed, "Why did Tok Det cut his hair? He looks soooo
young!!!" Out of the mouths of babes! :-D
Posted by MarinaM at 3:20 PM 72 comments
Labels: TDM
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Where to Send Cards etc
Dear folks, some of you have asked where to send cards and letters to Dad.
The best would be to address them to him at:
Perdana Leadership Foundation,
No 1, Jalan P8H, Precinct 8,
Putrajaya,
62250 Wilayah Persekutuan.
They will get to him, promise.
If you prefer email, you may inundate Sufi Yusoff's inbox at
sufi71@gmail.com. ;-)
Thanks!
Posted by MarinaM at 1:51 PM 19 comments
Labels: TDM
Oh Really, Shaziman?
In The Star today:
Political sites not so hot
At The Dewan Rakyat
Reports by LEE YUK PENG, ZULKIFLI ABDUL RAHMAN, ELIZABETH LOOI AND
FLORENCE A SAMY
A SURVEY has found that political sites command the least interest among
Malaysian surfers.
.A Microsoft survey in Malaysia revealed that respondents preferred to
surf entrepreneur-type websites and sites which provided positive efforts
to improve family relations,. said Energy, Water and Communica-tions
Deputy Minister Datuk Sha-ziman Abu Mansor.
.Political websites garnered the least interest from them,. he told Datuk
Idris Haron (BN -Tangga Batu).
Shaziman said 11 websites, in-cluding those created by bloggers, had been
closed down by the Com-munications and Multimedia Com-mission (SKMM) this
year for contravening rules and regulations concerning the publication of
information on the Internet. He said two cases had also been brought up to
the Attorney-General's Chambers for action.
He added that the Government could take action under the Com-munications
and Multimedia Act 1998 against owners, operators or writers of websites
who misused the Internet to spread slanderous comments, insult the
country's leaders, raise religious sensitivities and issues of race.
.The Government has guaranteed the freedom of the Internet through the MSC
Bill of Guarantee and Section 3 (3) of the Act, but that doesn't mean that
Internet users are given absolute freedom to misuse such facilities.
.However, there is no need for a new Act to deal with bloggers publishing
negative viewpoints, since laws such as the Sedition Act can be used.
**********************************************************************************
Well, well, well...I'd like to see that Microsoft survey and how they
define 'least interest'. Maybe we should go directly to Microsoft and ask
them. After all they can't be protected by OSA, surely?
Also I'm interested to know which 11 sites have been shut down. I can't
really think of any at the moment. And honestly, we get insulted every day
by our leaders so why can't we do it back?
And tell me Shaziman, are 'negative viewpoints' by default seditious?
Posted by MarinaM at 10:42 AM 25 comments
Labels: bloggers, censorship
Sunday, October 21, 2007
50 Days later...
Exactly 50 days after Dad entered IJN to have his bypass, he walked out
the front door today to go home at last. Boy, was it about time!
The day started early. I got to IJN a little after 9am to find the 5th
floor so quiet. Dad was asleep but the nurses said that he had already had
his bath and was just resting while waiting for the doctors to come and
check him one more time. His going-home clothes, a red shirt and black
pants, hung by the door ready for him to put on.
At about 9.30, almost the entire team that has cared for him all this time
turned up, some of them dressed up in suits ( in anticipation of the press
photographers...:-)).I hardly recognised the two women anaesthetists, Dr
Sharifah Suraya and Dr Azlina, because they were out of their usual scrubs
and in their Sunday best. There was a lot of laughing and joking but also
a tinge of sadness, as if a chapter was about to close.
But first they went about their work which was to check on how Dad's heart
was doing using an echocardiographic machine (like an ultrasound machine
but specifically for the heart). There it was, his heart, beating away
strongly as if it had never been touched by anything these past few weeks.
After that, while waiting for Dad to get dressed, we all crowded into the
living room of his suite taking tons of photographs in every imaginable
combination possible. Mum with doctors, Mum with physiotherapists, Mum
with nurses, Mum with whoever happened to be standing next to her.It was
like a big family gathering because that's really what the IJN folks had
become to us in the seven weeks that Dad was there. We saw them every day,
plied them with questions, listened to what they said, asked them more
questions, told them when we were worried or unhappy, smiled when they
told us things were getting better. There were times when their serious
faces or what they were telling us made us completely scared even as we
felt that they were doing their utmost as the trained professionals that
they are. But we had to trust them and do our part for Dad. I just hope
they found us, the family, not too troublesome or demanding.
When Dad was finally ready, he and Mum sat down in two chairs side by side
and one by one, the team formally said goodbye. It was a bit like Raya, my
parents receiving greetings (though in this case, it was goodbyes) from a
much expanded and very affectionate family, but one where so many members
had worked so hard to keep Dad on the road to recovery. Mum had something
to say to each of them while Dad just smiled. A really poignant and
touching moment for all of us, feeling both sad and happy.
Then we had a doa or thanksgiving prayer by an ustaz and with that we got
ready to go downstairs. Dad and Mum had been determined that he would walk
out the front door but we knew that this was not going to be easy. Not
just because Dad is still recovering his strength but because we knew
there would be a lot of press waiting for him. We got out of the lift on
the ground floor and immediately saw the scrum outside. It was completely
mad! Photographers jostling with each other to get THE first photo of Dad
going home.
Flanked by Tan Sri Yahya and Dato Rozali Watooth, the two consultant
surgeons who led the team, Dad slowly started walking out towards the
front door. My brothers and I, plus some of the doctors and staff acted as
'sweepers', trying to keep a clear path ahead for Dad. We were so scared
that someone would knock into Dad in their eagerness and hurt him somehow.
We were also keen that no one took the opportunity to try and get into
photographs just to show they were there. (Believe me, there are people
like that and it was all my brothers could do to shove them out of the way
as gently as possible...).
At the front entrance, Dad had to walk down four steps , stood for a few
seconds to wave to the reporters and photographers and then got into the
back seat of the car. Mum meantime went round to other side. Their driver
opened the door for her and while he was out of the car, some
photographers actually got into his seat in front to get a photo of Dad!
Talk about papparazzi! The driver finally managed to get them out, got in
and finally drove off, almost exactly on schedule at 10.30am.
My brothers sped off to our parents' house in Sri Kembangan where our
children were waiting for their Tok and Tok Det. I had to stay back to
talk to the press a while and then we left to join everyone. At the house,
my sister-in-law had put up banners and balloons to welcome Mum and Dad
home. The kids were on hand to throw rice in greeting at their
grandparents' homecoming though five-year-old Lara's first remark was "You
cut your hair, Tok Det!". ( We had the barber come in on Friday, having
noted all your comments...). A whole spread of pulut kuning, ketupat, nasi
himpit,rendang and serunding awaited us and it really felt that Raya was
happening all over again.
Later on, Dad went up to rest and watch some TV. Here's a photo that
ShaSha took of us:
It is sooo nice to be able to cuddle up to Dad again.
For that singular moment at home this morning, my family and I have so
many people to thank. First of all, words cannot fully express our
gratitude to the surgeons, cardiologists, anaesthetists, perfusionists,
nephrologists, gastroentrologists, radiologists, nutritionists,
physiotherapists, nurses and everyone else involved in caring for Dad. It
was a big production but everyone was so important to how he fared every
day of those 50 days. We are so thankful especially for their many
kindnesses to us and to Dad, including the beyond-the-call-of-duty pep
talks, patient explanations and constant reassurances.
Secondly, and just as importantly, my family are really grateful to the
entire Malaysian public, both those who read this blog and those who
followed the news elsewhere, for their many prayers and well wishes
throughout this very trying period in our lives. You have no idea how much
all that love and support meant to us and kept us going through some very
difficult times. Through your comments in this blog, I have cried and
laugh and just basked in all that affection which I never knew you all had
for Dad. OK, I knew a little bit but not THIS much! What can we say but
just simply, thank you.
Dad is now home but of course still in recovery. There are two nurses and
a doctor there at all times plus he still has to go to IJN for follow-ups.
So he's in very good hands.
Life for the rest of us will have to return to normal. I never thought I'd
say I will miss going to IJN but in a funny way I will. Now I have to go
back to normal routines while at the same time, finding time to go see Mum
and Dad as much as possible. I have no idea what our plans are for the
next few months but the most important thing is for Dad to get 100% well
again. Then life will get interesting again...;-)
Posted by MarinaM at 6:35 PM 83 comments
Labels: TDM
Friday, October 19, 2007
Nothing to Say Today
Hi folks, sorry for not posting anything recently but the thing is there
hasn't been all that much to report. When reporters call to ask how Dad
is, I'm hard put to say anything exciting. On Wednesday he walked 75
metres, yesterday 125 metres and today maybe 200 or more. It's good
progress but hardly riveting news.
Today I sat with him as he ate a whole bowl of lasagna. I asked him if he
remembered the dadeh days and he said yes. It wasn't that long ago but
today feels like aeons since I fed him that first spoonful of dadeh. Of
such small triumphs is recovery made.
I happened to be at IJN early enough this morning to catch Dad's doctors
when they did their usual visit. We stood outside the Bunga Raya suite
laughing and joking and it felt oddly nice. For so long, there were so
many moments when it was hard to crack a smile let alone a joke. To be
able to giggle away with such ease is such a joy.
(By the way I've been wanting to tell this joke for ages. Q: What do you
say to a surgeon who tells a lousy joke? A: Aw..you cut me up!) (To those
who didn't get that, sorry...:-()
The one thing everyone wants to know is is Dad finally getting out of IJN?
The answer to that is "yes". The corollary question to that is "when?". We
are just waiting for the docs to him...though sometimes I wonder if they
are reluctant to, all for non-medical reasons (they just got used to
having him around...). Mum says if nothing happens soon, she and Dad are
going to elope...;-)
Meanwhile I am trying to get back to a normal life too. That includes
blogging on other topics that interest me besides just talking about Dad.
I read my fellow bloggers' posts and feel as if I'm missing out on a lot
of real life.
Of course, Dad's operation and recovery has been very much real life for
me. The one thing I do feel good about is that by blogging about his
operations and recovery process, I know that a lot of new people have been
introduced to blogs. I hope after they visit mine, they then went on to
visit other people's blogs and discover the wonderful, complicated ( and
often confusing) world of blogs. I have, ironically, a lot to thank the
mainstream media for this too. They did give my blog address every time
they quoted or took photos from here and that certainly drew a lot of
people in.
Still I need to go back to regular blogging. And I hope all of you will
stay with me. You may not agree with everything I say but that's OK.
What's important is that we can have a civilised conversation about things
that are current and that affect us. There's precious little space to do
that these days as it is.
(By the way, I need to update you on Melina as well but I am still waiting
for Lala to return. But Col Ismet, who is taking care of Melina meantime,
says there have been numerous calls from people wanting to donate towards
the cost of her operation.Thank you so much everyone!)
Stay tuned, folks! Now I've got to go out openhousing...
Posted by MarinaM at 6:43 PM 21 comments
Labels: TDM
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Dad gets a Workout
Hi people, got back from Jakarta last night and popped in on Dad
today.ShaSha missed him after three days away so gave him some of her nice
big special hugs.
Later in the afternoon, Dad went to the gym down in the physio department
for a workout:
Like the earnest look on the one who didn't go through an operation? ;-)
(physio pix courtesy of Dr E.)
Posted by MarinaM at 8:52 PM 27 comments
Labels: TDM
Monday, October 15, 2007
Enough already! :-)
Look Mum, I know everyone wants to see photos of me all the time but this
is getting ridiculous. Can't a man recover from an operation in peace???
(Photo by Mum, sent by sms to me in Jakarta.)
Posted by MarinaM at 3:53 PM 52 comments
Labels: TDM
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Selamat Hari Raya!
It would really be fair to say that this is our happiest Raya ever.
Although we only had nine out of the 16 grandchildren here, it was still a
noisy joyous day for us. We were meant to gather at the Bunga Raya suite
after prayers but rounding up children took some time for my siblings so
that by the time we were all there, Dad had gotten tired of waiting and
wanted to rest.
Forty-five minutes later we finally got to ber-Raya with both our parents.
Instead of the usual long queue from eldest to youngest baby, we went
family by family so we didn't crowd Mum and Dad. Suffice to say that Bunga
Raya got a bit flooded for a while...:-)
Anyway here are some photos.
Dad, Mum and my little chipmunk ShaSha.
Mum and Dad discussing what Raya food he's going to have for lunch.
And I got dressed up this time..:-)
We shared some of our joy with IJN staff and other patients and families
with a small open house buffet downstairs on the ground floor. Dad
couldn't go downstairs to say hello himself so Mum and my brother Mukhriz
substituted to 'open' it.
Posted by MarinaM at 4:42 PM 47 comments
Labels: TDM
Friday, October 12, 2007
A Hari Raya Present for You!
Dearest folks, on the eve of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, I'd like to present to
you a special treat on behalf of the entire Mahathir family.You are seeing
these photos way before everyone else in the country. This is to thank all
of you for the many many prayers, love and support that you've shown us in
the past 6 weeks or so while Dad was in hospital. Without you, we could
not have gotten to where we are today with an almost healthy again father
and a happy Raya to celebrate. Thank you for holding our hands, sending us
virtual hugs, crying and praying with us.God bless you all!
Mum and Dad send their love.
They are so happy to have each other. A truly matching couple, don't you
think?
I'm happy too, as you can see.
Dad sends this Raya message to you:
Saya dan isteri saya mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir
Batin kepada semua rakyat Malaysia, khususnya kepada yang beragama Islam.
Saya minta maaf kerana pada tahun ini saya tidak dapat merayakan
Aidilfitri bersama-sama dengan mengadakan rumah terbuka seperti biasa.
Saya juga ingin meminta maaf kerana tidak dapat menerima pelawat sepanjang
berada di Institut Jantung Negara atas nasihat doktor.
Bagaimanapun saya dan isteri saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk
mengucapkan terimakasih kepada semua yang telah mendoakan kesihatan saya
agar cepat pulih.
Kami berdua juga ingin menyampaikan penghargaan kepada semua yang telah
menghantar ucapan selamat, yang telah mengadakan solat hajat serta majlis
doa selamat untuk kesihatan saya.
Alhamdulillah keadaan kesihatan saya bertambah baik berkat doa yang
dipohon serta usaha yang dilakukan semua doktor pakar yang terlibat serta
staf-staf perubatan IJN.
Di sini saya dan isteri saya juga merakamkan ucapan terima kasih serta
penghargaan kami kepada kesemua mereka yang telah berkorban masa dan
tenaga sepanjang bulan Ramadhan untuk berusaha memulihkan kesihatan saya.
Tidak mungkin kami dapat membalas segala usaha ini. Namun saya dan isteri
sentiasa berdoa agar semua yang dilakukan dibalas dengan keberkatan dan
dirahmati Allah s.w.t.
Sekali lagi saya dan isteri saya mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri,
Maaf Zahir Batin.
Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad
Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali
1 Syawal 1428 Hijrah
Dan saya memohon maaf kepada semua atas apa-apa kesilapan, terlepas cakap
atau bahasa kasar semasa laporan blog ini. Saya mengucapkan Selamat Hari
Raya, maaf zahir bathin kepada semua pelawat blog ini khususnya dan
masyarakat Malaysia amnya.
Have a great Raya, folks! Drive safely,those who are travelling far. I may
take the weekend off and not update you much til maybe Monday (unless the
temptation to keep talking is too strong, he, he...). Thanks again for
everything.
(Photos taken on Thursday, Oct 11 2007, Bunga Raya suite, IJN, by Tara
Sosrowardoyo.)
P/s Thank you by the way for all the cards, letters and emails that you
sent to us at IJN. Yes we got them all!
Posted by MarinaM at 8:41 AM 135 comments
Labels: TDM
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Two Days to Raya...
Hi folks, this is going to be skimpy because I need to do a few things
today.Just wanted to update you on Melina. Lala has been inundated with
phone calls ever since I put up the appeal, for which she (and I) thank
you very much. Most were asking who to make the cheques out to. Please
write your cheques to : SSVP MELAKA STATE COUNCIL PROJECT FUND. This is a
special account set up by the Society of St Vincent de Paul Melaka to help
these children.
Lala also emailed to tell me that she left today back to Timor Leste for a
week but Melina and the other children are in good hands here, under the
watchful eye of Col. Ismet Nayan bin Ismail from the Terendak Army Camp.
Col Ismet is hanging on to Lala's handphone so if you call and a man
answers, that's him. He knows everything about Melina so will be able to
answer your questions.
Thank you kindly again folks for your generosity towards Melina. Here's a
photo she sent after receiving a little gift from me:
Make sure you stay tuned the next two days, OK? You never know what might
pop up here...
Posted by MarinaM at 2:43 PM 14 comments
Labels: Melina, TDM
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Dad watches the blast-off!
I can't say I was much into the excitement of our Angkasawan going up in
space, having been a bit preoccupied the past few weeks. Today however we
finally caught up with it. Dad of course was very interested since it was
his idea in the first place so after dinner we all sat down in front of
the TV in his room, Mum, two of my brothers and I.
I must say it was an awesome sight when the rockets started and liftoff
began. We were all glued to the screen. You can't help saying a little
prayer for our boy. Here's a pix of Mum and Dad just as the Soyuz started
ascending.
Up and up it went and we sat there, with our hearts in our mouths. I have
to say, no matter what anyone thinks of this whole project, it is a
terrifically brave thing to do.
Here's another pix of two of them unable to take their eyes off the
screen:
And then we see our Angkasawan on the screen! Looking calm and collected!
What a blast indeed! And here's one happy person:
I asked him if he had ever met Dr Sheikh Muszaphar and he said, "Yes,
several times.". Did he think he would be able to do it? "Yes." And with
that, he happily went to sleep.
I guess Dr Sheikh's parents must be very proud of him and I'd like to
congratulate them on their son's bravery. And I guess one person watching
the liftoff with some pride is Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman, who was
Director-General of the Science, Technology and Environment Ministry's
Space Science Studies Division, and then was Head and Director of the
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs based in Vienna. She had
done so much to get this project off the ground but for some reason was
left off the entourage that went to watch the launching at Baikonur. Ours
not to reason why...
Dad released this statement earlier today:
Saya ucapkan tahniah kepada Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha
yang telah terpilih menjadi Angkasawan pertama negara.
Saya berbangga kerana sempena 50-tahun kemerdekaan negara, impian kita
untuk menghantar rakyat Malaysia ke angkasa bakal tercapai.
Berbekalkan semangat serta kecekapan yang diperolehi hasil daripada
program komprehensif Angkasawan yang dituruti, saya percaya Dr Sheikh
Muszaphar akan berjaya menjalankan tugas dan tanggungjawabnya dengan
sempurna.
Sebagai rakyat, saya berdoa agar misi yang akan membawa Dr Sheikh
Muszaphar ke .International Space Station. berjalan lancar dan selamat.
Saya percaya Angkasawan Malaysia yang pertama akan memanfaatkan segala apa
yang dipelajari daripada pengalaman ini. Apa yang akan dikongsi bersama
dengan rakyat akan menjadi sumber inspirasi kepada generasi akan datang.
Kejayaan Dr Sheikh Muszaphar dan Dr Faiz Khaleed menyertai program
Angkasawan ini membuktikan yang rakyat Malaysia mempunyai kecekapan yang
tidak kurang berbanding bangsa lain.
Tidak ada apa-apa yang boleh menghalang kita daripada mencapai yang
terbaik. Hanya kecekalan, keberanian, semangat ingin berjaya dan tidak
mahu tunduk dan mengalah yang akan membawa kita ke mercu kejayaan.
Sekali lagi saya ucapkan tahniah kepada Dr Sheikh Muszaphar, selamat
berangkat dan selamat kembali. Kepada, Dr Faiz, walaupun tidak terpilih
pada kali ini, saya gembira mendengar bahawa beliau akan berpeluang
menyertai program Angkasawan yang kedua di masa hadapan.
Kepada semua pihak dan agensi Kerajaan yang terlibat di dalam menjayakan
program Angkasawan ini saya ucapkan tahniah.
Malaysia Boleh!
Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad
Institut Jantung Negara
Oktober 10, 2007
Go Malaysia!
p/s Mum sent me this photo of her and two handsome men in their Nehru
suits...
Posted by MarinaM at 9:50 PM 71 comments
Labels: Angkasawan, TDM
Getting better by the day...
Hi folks, am in and out of IJN today, doing stuff as well as looking in on
Dad. He's doing even better than yesterday. Cooperating happily with the
physiotherapists. He walked 50m today unaided which is quite an
achievement. Today's lunch was cooked by my sister-in-law, some delicious
looking Mediterrenean dish with rice, meat and other healthy stuff. And he
ate it all himself, no more need for Head Nurse!
The only problem we have is that now that he looks so well, everyone wants
to come and visit. But we still have to be careful of infection. Even when
we , the family, are with him, we still wear masks and disinfect our
hands. It's a precaution but one that we are happy to comply with,
especially having come this long way.
It's not as strict as when he was in ICU of course. Down there, it's
really really important to keep infection at bay. So visitors should be
kept to the barest minimum. I guess we could wield a better blockade than
poor little Hui Yi, judging by photos...
So we are really hoping that everyone out there will understand. Bugs and
germs aren't discriminatory; VIPs get them too!
More later, folks!
Posted by MarinaM at 2:57 PM 16 comments
Labels: TDM
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
A busy busy day...and an appeal
Hi folks, very sorry but have been running around all day getting stuff
ready for Raya, now that we are really going to celebrate. I'm basically
trying to cram a whole month's preparations into less than a week which is
crazy but hey, at least we're going to have a happy Raya! Yay!
Anyway I didn't get to see Dad today but yesterday I got a BIG smile out
of him when I gave him a present, a new shirt to wear for Raya. I'll try
and get a photo of him in it some time. Mum says he's doing well and happy
today. Lunch was prawns and air assam. He's just happier being out of ICU
because he thinks it's less noisy and they aren't constantly prodding him
to do things.And to think WE thought they were manja-ing him too much ;-)
Many people have said to me how special this Ramadan has been because some
really good things have happened and in such dramatic fashion too. My Dad
going through two operations and coming out of them fine, insya-Allah. Hui
Yi getting not one but two donors just a few days after the first
anniversary of her getting the mechanical heart. I really think it's
because of so many prayers, love and energy being directed towards IJN
from all of you that it was bound to be shared by everyone who needed it.
And tonight is Lailatul Qadar too, a very special night during Ramadan
when Muslims believe prayers are especially potent.
With all this goodwill and love around, I'd like to beg your indulgence to
think of one little girl who really needs your help, Melina Jovita. I've
been corresponding with her guardian Lala Noronha and she told me the full
story of Melina in her own words:
I would like to explain to you that acctually, I am here in Malaysia with
7 Timor Leste children who were very ill. Few of them were declared had no
chance to survive in National Hospital in Timor Leste. However I managed
to take them to Malaysia through the financial support of my own family
and freinds. In Malaysia support also given by the ex contingent of
Malaysian Army who served in Timor Leste ( Ex Commander Col. Ismet Nayan
bin Ismail and Col. Dr Malek Feisal now in Terendak Army Camp in Malacca).
One of the girl operated in Terendak Army Hospital, however the others
children couldnt be treated in the Army Hospital as there are no
facilities so we have to access the Putra Specialist Hospital.
The six children went through the operation now monitoried by the Putra
Specialist Hospital. Melina is the last one who need the surgery. There
was complication with Melina in the beginning as she has other illnesses.
Now she is ready to go for the operation.
After I posted Melina's story last week, 19 people called Lala to pledge
support and others sent cheques. When Lala counted up the cheques, the
bank transfers plus some left over from another child, Marcelina's
operation, the total they have so far is (as of today) RM9245. This is
still far far short of the RM30,000 that they need for Melina's operation.
So these are the choices we have, folks. We can let Melina wait and wait
until her time runs out. Or we can let her go back to Timor Leste with no
hope of ever having her heart fixed. Or we can raise the money for her.
Here's what I propose. I know over 6000 people visit my blog every day. If
only 1000 of those donated only RM20 each, we would get the RM20,000 we
need. It's not much at all, is it? So come on, let's do it! Save Melina's
life!
I have also been corresponding with Melina via sms and email and she
sounds like a very sweet child indeed. This is what Lala says about her:
I appreciated your attention and care for her. She is very brights girl.
She can speak English but she is not very confident in writing.
Yeah, definitely will cheer her up as she keep on asking me how much money
we raised now. However she is very aware of what happening to her. She
told me, she leave the decision to God if she would be operated or not or
she would live her life.
So what are we waiting for, folks? We have a child from the poorest
country in Asia on our shores depending on our generosity to be able to
survive. Timorese love Malaysia already (I know because I meet them when I
travel) and this will boost us in their eyes even more. So sacrifice that
extra nasi kandar/pizza/roast duck and send RM20 to the Society of St
Vincent de Paul Malacca, SSVP Melaka State Council Project Fund, 16, Jalan
IKS TB1, Taman IKS, Batu 9, 76400 Tangga Batu, Melaka or credit into
Public Bank, Malacca Branch account number 314 244 7201 or call Lala at
019-6057129.
By the way, for those who have already sent money, Lala would like to know
how she can send receipts and to say thank you to those who did not
include their return addresses.
Melina and Lala in Putra Specialist Hospital, Melaka.
Thank you very kindly, folks. God bless you all.
By the way, last night's blood donation drive at Masjid Jamek, Kampung
Baru went pretty well despite the heavy rain. They managed to get 40 pints
of blood. Thanks to all who turned up and rolled up their sleeves.
Posted by MarinaM at 8:04 PM 31 comments
Labels: Melina, TDM
Monday, October 8, 2007
Monday Morning Treat!
Hi folks, here's something to start your day and even week off on a great
note. It certainly has mine.
Mum sent me this photo this morning via sms (thank God for technology!).
Dad had just had breakfast and was happily contemplating his move up to
Bunga Raya a bit later.
I dashed to IJN and found a whole press scrum downstairs. It seems that
someone had told them that Dad would be discharged today. Not quite true!
But for the moment, the move up to the 5th floor is good enough for us.
Here's me and Dad up at Bunga Raya. Doesn't he look good? Had lunch of
spaghetti marinara, salad, fruit and pudding after that.Things are looking
up!
Talking of good news, Mum visited Hui Yi this morning. She's awake,
looking good and even holding two thumbs up in triumph. Her parents are by
her side and beside themselves with joy. And the Sarawakian lung recipient
is also up on his bed and doing good.
Posted by MarinaM at 1:22 PM 152 comments
Labels: Hui Yi, TDM
An appeal...
Dear folks, one of the things that often happens during Ramadan is that
our blood supplies run low. That's because apparently a lot of blood
donors are Muslims and during Ramadan, they tend not to donate as much.
This means that things get rather scary for people in hospitals especially
when there are major operations to perform. The other night, when the IJN
heart and lung transplant were getting into gear to do the second heart
transplant for Hui Yi, I overhead them talking with concern about the very
low supplies of blood available.
So...if you're healthy and willing, do run down to the Kampung Baru Masjid
Jame from 7.30pm onwards and donate your blood. The blood donation drive
is being run by ANSARA at the behest of the national Blood Bank because it
is really an emergency situation. See Big Dog's blog here for more
information.
Everybody is welcome...and I mean EVERYBODY.
Thanks and God bless you!
Posted by MarinaM at 12:34 AM 10 comments
Labels: blood donation drive
Sunday, October 7, 2007
A Quiet Sunday...
Sorry for the late post, folks, but there hasn't been much to say except
that Mum was feeling 'joyous' because Dad was in a good mood.Ate well and
then asked for his entire CD collection at home to be brought in. Guess
he's tired of whale music or whatever.
Since Dad went into hospital more than a month ago, I haven't thought
about Hari Raya at all and have not done a thing for it.Frankly for the
longest time, i just didn't dare to. So now I'm finally having to think
about what I need to prepare even though of course we will only have a
very limited one in IJN. Really sorry that we can't have Open House this
year but no way that Dad, or any of us for that matter, has the energy for
it.
I'll post again tomorrow because I think there just might be, maybe,
something interesting to report. Wait for it!!
P/s to Mr abs who asked if the lung recipient was from Sarawak or Sabah,
as far as I know, he's from Sarawak.He actually moved from his hometown to
just outside KL so that if a donor ever came up, he would be able to get
to IJN fast enough.
P/s2, Adam Soo, if you're reading this, thanks for the letter with the
recipes for ikan haruan. Trouble is, Dad doesn't eat fish! Hasn't since he
was a child. But thanks anyway. And I have to say that I haven't seen such
neat handwriting in a really long time.
Posted by MarinaM at 10:23 PM 5 comments
Labels: TDM
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Rainy Day ICU observations
It's a rainy day today in KL and all is quiet in the IJN ICU. I arrived to
find Dad's room darkened because he was asleep after having had a lunch of
crab. My brother reported that Dad had walked 20m around the room which is
amazing! We showed him photos of The Loaf which cheered him. But what
really perked him up was a video my brother took on his phone of his kids
wishing their Tok Det a speedy recovery.
The docs tell me that both Hui Yi and the Sarawakian are doing great. The
guy is off the ventilator and is talking and happily doing his exercises
'as per instructions'. (I think this was a hint about less cooperative VIP
patients...:-))
Having spent four weeks going in and out of ICU, I've had the opportunity
to observe a few things. Next to Dad's room there is a white board that
lists out which patient is in which bed plus some other info. (No, Dad's
name is not up there, not even by nickname or anything. Everybody knows
WHO's in there!). But the patients represent everyone in Malaysia because
they are from every ethnic group we have (plus a couple of foreigners).
Which means that heart disease is really non-discriminatory. It happens to
everyone, young and old, rich or poor. As I stand by the nurses' station
sometimes, I've seen babies and children being wheeled passed. There's a
paediatric ICU nearby but sometimes it gets full so they have to be in the
adult one as well. Some people spend only a few days in ICU, some take
longer (like Dad). Some have been known to spend a year in there.
One of the little things I did notice is that in the ICU, there are no
beds numbered 4, 13 or 14. They are instead 3A, 12A and 12B. Interesting
that even in a high-tech scientific environment like this, there's room
for a little superstition.
Of course it's not a quiet place as such. Not that it's noisy, far from
it, but people seem to be always coming and going. It's a bit like a scene
from Scrubs, only less zany as far as I can tell. Maybe more Grey's
Anatomy though I can't say who Dr McDreamy would be. What often strikes me
is how, because they are so used to it, the surgeons, anaesthetists etc
are so casual about going into OT. Not professionally of course, because
they all take their jobs seriously. But they'll just say, "Oh I've got to
go into OT now" in much the same way as we would say we've got to go to
the Post Office. Whereas for us families, 'going into OT' is a BIG deal,
full of drama and emotion. I should know; we've done it twice lately.
Anyway last night, our friend Jiro from The Loaf brought a big basket of
breads and pastries for the OT staff to snack on. Mum thought they all
deserved a treat after the dramas of the past two nights. Meantime I had
gone with hubby and daughter to have dinner at the restaurant. Not bad but
not much pastries left and my croissants were ALL gone. Ah well...I should
have hung out outside the OT!!
Posted by MarinaM at 4:05 PM 27 comments
Labels: Hui Yi, TDM
Friday, October 5, 2007
Another day away from ICU
UPDATE 2.45PM: It should be coming out in the media just about now but
just to tell you that Hui Yi actually went through another operation last
night. She was not taking to the first heart given to her but I guess God
really wants her to have a chance because another donor came up yesterday
evening and that heart also was a good match for her. So in the wee hours
of this morning, they transplanted that heart into her. We now need to
pray very hard that this time it takes.
ORIGINAL POST:
Hi folks, I am sitting at home quietly kicking myself. I had stayed away
from IJN for two days trying to will my temperature away. Yesterday I felt
well enough to get out of the house, first going to Dr Sam Abraham's
memorial service and then on to IJN. But by evening I started to feel warm
again so thought I better heed my much-wiser husband's advice and stay
away and get 100% better first.
The thing is I hate to be away from Dad. I am supposed to be Head Nurse
(Feeding), a post I guard jealously! I have this idea that he won't eat
enough without me, which is probably not true, but I think I do have a
knack for getting him to take that extra spoonful of lunch or dinner. And
I can get the corners of his mouth to turn upwards :-).
But it seems today he prefers to eat surrounded only by the nursing staff.
Even Mum has been discouraged from being around. Haiyo...
Meantime let me update you on Melina. I asked Lala, her guardian, what the
response has been since the story appeared in the papers and in my blog.
She said that so far 19 people have called her to pledge money but she
doesn't really know how much money they have because the donations go to
the St Vincent dePaul Society or to the bank account set up.
The operation has been scheduled for after Raya. This is what Lala said,
"Thank God that Malaysia has IJN.Thanks to your father. Melina's operation
will be conducted at Putra Specialist Hospital (Melaka) by a doctor from
IJN Johor." On Monday she will let me know if the target for the operation
fundraising has been reached.
Back in IJN, I am waiting for IJN to issue their latest update on Hui Yi.
I can't say much until they do but we should all continue to pray that she
is well. I was so touched by what the donor's father said, .Although I
have lost a son, I now feel like I have a foster daughter,.. God bless him
and his wife.
I must say I also sympathise with him wondering how the press managed to
find him. His whereabouts should rightly be kept secret unless he choses
to reveal himself. He and his wife did just lose a son and their right to
grieve privately should be respected.
Posted by MarinaM at 1:50 PM 14 comments
Labels: Hui Yi, Melina, TDM
Thursday, October 4, 2007
A Historical Day...
Sometimes you have to wonder how and why things happen the way they do. In
Malay we say 'mulut masin', when you talk about something and then it
happens. It may seem random but somehow I don't think these are
coincidences.
Just yesterday we were talking about Hui Yi and debating these issues of
who needs more help, her or another teenage girl who, for lack of money,
is not having the two holes in her heart repaired. Whatever the issues,
I'm sure everyone was praying for both girls, one to find a donor heart
and the other to find the money for her operation.
Last night unknown to us all, the prayers for Hui Yi got answered (God
willing). A 16-year old Malay boy met with a fatal accident in Ipoh and
his parents generously consented to have his organs harvested. The IJN
heart and lung team got into gear and his lungs were transplanted into a
30-year old Sarawakian man and his heart into Hui Yi.
I happened to be in ICU this afternoon when I was told that both Hui Yi
and the man were there too, after coming out of the OT. I won't talk about
the medical stuff because I'm sure IJN will issue a statement soon.
But one of the doctors said to me, "Do you know what a historic day this
is?" I said, "No I don't." And she said, "It is historic because the man
who started IJN, your father, is in here at the same time as two
transplant patients, patients who would never have had this chance had IJN
not existed." She went on to say that as exhausted as they were the heart
and lung team were happy to be able to show to my Dad firsthand that he
was right to have faith in them, that Malaysian surgeons are just as
capable of such sophisticated surgery as anyone anywhere. We should all be
SO proud.
I guess fate had something to do with it. Hui Yi had waited a year for a
donor heart and suddenly it came. Apparently the doctors, when my Dad was
in the early stages of recovering from the second op, were a little afraid
that they would have to do a transplant on one of the other patients on
the list. That would have meant diverting a large part of the IJN team
away from caring for Dad to that patient. But as it happened, these
transplant operations happened just when Dad has gotten much much better
so there's no real problem with the stretching of resources.
And you have to admire the dedication of the doctors. After spending the
whole night in the OT and then keeping a watchful eye on their transplant
patients, they still looked in on my Dad. They looked haggard and probably
could use about 24 hours of sleep but still they came in to check on him.
As they say, when it rains it pours. Barely had the team recovered (or set
off to recover) from last night's drama when news came in that there is
possibly another donor. Which means that the next person on the waiting
list may finally get their chance at acquiring a new heart. Which also
means that tonight, the entire heart and lung transplant team will be at
work again.
But who is to complain? After a dearth of donors, suddenly you have two.
As sad as it is for the families who lost their loved ones, their
sacrifice in consenting to donate the organs is a blessing to those
awaiting such a moment. That all these is happening now, during the holy
month of Ramadan, when we are exhorted to be generous to one another,
cannot be incidental. I guess God is granting many prayers this month.
Meantime, Dad is doing fine. He can request for music now (Nat 'King'
Cole, Shar101!) although I do think the choice is limited. Must remember
to bring in more CDs. Testing his will against that of the
physiotherapist's ( and sometimes winning). But all the numbers are going
in the right direction, as the doctors like to so opaquely say.
I'd like however to ask you all to send some extra prayers for Hui Yi and
for the lung transplant recipient. It's still early hours yet and they'll
be monitored constantly. Watch out for news in the papers on how they are.
Posted by MarinaM at 5:30 PM 35 comments
Labels: Hui Yi, TDM, transplants
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Music to sleep by...
I'm still at home today trying to clear whatever bugs I might have.
Drowning myself in Vitamin C as much as I can. It's not the sort of
temperature that's enough to make me stay in bed so I still have to get up
and do my usual work but I'm at least trying to avoid crowds.
Meantime Mum is happily reporting that everything is going OK in ICU.
Apparently she's ensuring Dad gets good sleep by putting on some
'subminimal' music. I think she means 'subliminal'. You know, the sounds
of the sea, whales, running streams, that sort of thing. Apparently it
works so well that she and the night staff tend to nod off even faster
than Dad!
Breakfast also had a very Kedah flavour - kekaras with toasted almond
slices and hot milk. I can't really describe kekaras very well but it's a
kind of crispy biscuity thing. (Can anyone help with the ingredients for
kekaras?) We usually get it from Pekan Rabu in Alor Setar which is the
market where my Dad used to work at as a young boy.
Otherwise everything else is going well. Every day he's looking less like
a post-op patient and more like a regular one which is really really a
blessing.
Meantime, talking about heart patients, I came across this story in the
papers today:
Melina was orphaned when her parents were killed in a 1999 civil war...
Timor Leste orphan needs urgent heart op
MALACCA: Thirteen-year-old Melina Jokita is fighting for her life as she
urgently needs to undergo a seven-hour corrective heart operation at the
Putra Specialist Hospital before the end of the month.
The Timor Leste orphan had arrived here in February, diagnosed with two
holes in the heart.
She was scheduled for the atrial septial defect (hole in heart) surgery
and repair the mitral valve leakage last month but it was deferred because
the required RM30,000 could not be raised.
Melina, who was orphaned when her parents were killed in a 1999 civil war,
had been staying in a home with 30 others in Fundasaun Hadomi Oan in Dili,
the capital of Timor Leste.
Coordinator Lala Noronha, a former journalist who is taking care of the
orphans, said that Melina was prone to frequent fainting spells.
.We referred her to the Dili National Hospital where she was diagnosed
with having a collapsed lung,. she said.
Fortunately for Melina who wants to be a veterinarian, army doctors from
Malacca.s Terendak Camp were part of the Malaysian Peacekeeping force
entrusted to look after the orphans during their stint in Timor Leste in
April 2006.
Melina hopes that caring Malaysians would donate towards her heart
operation soon.
Donations can be sent to the Society of St Vincent de Paul Malacca, SSVP
Melaka State Council Project Fund, 16, Jalan IKS TB1, Taman IKS, Batu 9,
76400 Tangga Batu, Melaka or credited into Public Bank, Malacca Branch
account number 314 244 7201 or call Lala at 019-6057129.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ramadan is a really good month to be generous. I'm sure we can pool
together to help a poor orphan from the poorest country in Asia have an
operation which will help her lead a normal life. And maybe fulfil her
dream to some day be a vet.
Posted by MarinaM at 1:54 PM 34 comments
Labels: Melina, TDM
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
An anniversary...and a birth
UPDATE 9.31PM: I have had to stay home yet again today because my
temperature came back. A bit boring but don't want to risk passing on
anything at ICU.
But Mum's sms report sounded very happy this evening. "He smiled and
joked!" she said. "He even threatened to ban ME if I continue to force him
to eat!" Heh, heh, as if...
Docs said he walked quite a bit and with faster steps too. So all good...
The only sad thing for us today was to learn of the passing of Datuk Dr
Sam Abraham. Uncle Sam, as my kids call him, was their paediatrician and
also a friend. A lovely lovely man who had a special touch with kids.
Going to see him even for shots was not something to fear. We'll really
miss him. Our deepest condolences to Datin Dulcie and family.
UPDATE: Not exactly an update but thought you might like to see photos of
The Loaf, courtesy of Jinggo.
ORIGINAL POST:
Hi folks, today is exactly 4 weeks since my Dad's bypass. No, it doesn't
seem like yesterday. It feels like it's been like a long long journey. But
we are grateful that we are at this part of the journey although we don't
know yet when it will end when he is fully well again.
Dad continues to make progress. His moods can be likened to the seven
dwarfs - grouchy, grumpy, whiny, snarly, whatever-ly, smirky and
sometimes, sometimes smiley. His nurses complain that he only smiles for
other people and not for them and in response, he does a small smirk. I
remind him that a smile means BOTH sides of the mouth have to be upturned
and he gives me a grimace....sigh!
Foodwise though, we are doing pretty OK. Yesterday he managed to cajole
the ward sister to bring him home-made capati and plain dhall today for
lunch. Today it's a request for chicken chop from the Lake Club Putrajaya
and kueytiaw soup from our cook. Funny how people remember food they've
had even when they're unwell. Never mind, as long as he eats.
Talking about food, today is the opening of The Loaf at the Pavillion,
Dad's bakery. I've never actually been to the one in Langkawi but people
who've been there love it and have been waiting excitedly for the opening
of the KL one. I can tell you that the croissants are the best! Plus they
have these coconut slices which are really good. And they do a special
iced coffee which is quite unique. So if any of you are in the area, do
drop by. We've been getting deliveries at the hospital and Dad's enjoyed
the creme caramel for dessert a couple of times.
Posted by MarinaM at 11:47 AM 61 comments
Labels: TDM
Monday, October 1, 2007
Doctors Banned!!!
Monday am: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, recovering heart bypass patient and
former PM, today banned his doctors from standing around watching him eat.
"I want to eat in private," he growled. Having cleared his room of
smirking doctors, he then proceeded to tuck into scrambled eggs and bread,
dadeh, prune juice and coffee.
Analysts say that fervent clapping and cheering following successful
completion of meals has led Dr M to feel like everyone's treating him like
a performing seal. Not exactly a position he's used to. Thus the ban.
Family members, especially daughters who are highly adept at feeding
seals...oops, patients/fathers, are however still allowed to be present.
Such bossiness however is considered a sign that things are almost back to
normal. Woo hoo!!
Posted by MarinaM at 10:48 AM 90 comments
Labels: TDM
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