Farewell to Dr Khurshid

It was after Isyak prayer that few Malaysians-Dr Saiful, Azman, Ramzan, Nubli and I were told to stay back. We were listening to the stories from Dr Saiful who just got back from Hajj. To my surprise, it happened to be a farewell party organized by few brothers for Dr Khurshid who has just finished his PhD for Comparative Law. Allahuakbar, Allah is the Greatest.

Bro Jamal, the former president of Belfast Islamic Centre started his short speech to congratulate him for the success. He said ‘We know him in the mosque, and we always see him as a regular comer to the mosque’ ‘As he is going back, we will lose a usual makmum, this is a big loss’

Then, he mentioned a hadith about the seven type of persons that will be in the shadow of Allah in the hereafter, ‘Two of them are person who his heart is attached to the mosque, always look for the mosque to pray anywhere he goes and another one is two persons who meet and separated for the sake of Allah, loves each other only for Allah’s sake. We have no business, money dealings whatever, but love each other for Allah’. We pray for him the best and may the situation in Pakistan will be better.

The celebrated one, Bro Khurshid thanks all who were there. He told us about the judges in Pakistan which are under house arrest, when a brother wished him to be the Chief of Justice in Pakistan.

To be honest, I was not very close to him, but it really is a big loss. People come and go in our life. One thing I can remember was that we discussed about Malaysian political system and the current situation in Malaysia, and he said that he would like to talk more about it later which we never did. Perhaps, I can gain a lot of knowledge from him about things in Pakistan, one of the crucial Muslim countries which is the big factor of stabilisation in Kashmir and Afghanistan.

It was even sadder to know that Bro Jamal Iweida, Palestinian Jordanian and bro Faisal from Holland are also leaving Belfast. It is funny that he thinks that he can sense that I feel very homesick. He even advised me to finish my studies as soon as possible and go back to Malaysia. Whether it is true or not, the truth is not out there, but inside me. Enough said the conclusion is we all need to appreciate everyone around us, especially all of our brothers in Islam.

A sense or spirit of brotherhood between brothers is very important which determine your faith as Allah says in the Quran which means

“The believers are but brothers” Al-Hujurat [49:10]

Allah also says “O, mankind! Surely we have created you of a male and female and make you tribes and families that you know each other, surely the noblest among you unto Allah is one who fears him .Lo! Allah is Knower Aware” Al-Hujurat [49.13]

We all hugged him and I wished him all the best in Pakistan. Ameen.

Kami tidak pernah lupa

7 November 2007, bersamaan 27 Syawal 1428H. Dah lima hari aku berpuasa sunat Syawal. Sekarang muslim luruh, di mana daun-daun kuning dan coklat dah meluruh hampir semuanya. Kegelapan malam semakin panjang mengatasi cerahnya siang. Bayangkanlah waktu maghrib, atau terbenamnya matahari pada pukul 4.41 petang dan matahari hanya akan terbit semula pada jam 7.36 pagi. Kesejukannya yang serendah 9 darjah Celsius makin terasa menyebabkan pemanas perlu dipasang lebih kerap dan lebih lama.

Di dalam kepenatan minda mengulangkaji syllabus perubatan tahun dua dan menyemak untuk tahun tiga, menelusuri sehari-hari di perantauan ini, sempat juga aku meluangkan masa menjalar di pautan-pautan dan sesawang labah untuk update dengan suasana sosiopolitik tanah air tercinta. Isu-isu pendidikan, jenayah, rasuah, kehakiman dan pilihan raya menjadi kegemaran. Kadang-kadang membaca isu-isu ini di media arus perdana, dan arus alternatif atau rakyat, lebih mengisi dan memuaskan berbanding hanyut di alam khayalan bersama anime seperti naruto, one piece; series seperti Prison Break, Heroes, House, Friends; ataupun movie yang berlambakan di joox. Tidak lupa juga dengan kipas susah mati permainan seperti Pro Evolution Soccer, Championship Manager, Warcraft DOTA, CounterStrike dan lain-lain. Al maklumlah dengan kemudahan internet jalurlebar dan rapidshare yang mampu dilanggan oleh setiap pelajar, semua maklumat yang sampah, toksik mahupun penawar dan pencerah semuanya ada di hujung jari. Semua yang disenaraikan di atas adalah sangat popular di kalangan kami yang juga pelajar biasiswa tajaan MARA, JPA, PETRONAS, TNB, TELEKOM dan yang terbaru Yayasan Terengganu. Untuk pengetahuan semua, kami jugalah bakal teknokrat, profesional yang akan mencorak masa depan negara dalam masa 20 hingga 30 puluh tahun lagi.

Namun begitu, aku beranggapan dan percaya bahawa tidak semua mereka ini bersikap tidak pedulisme, tetapi kebanyakannya hanya bersikap ambil tahu dan beranggapan tiada apa yang dapat atau perlu diperjuangkan di alam mahasiswa (kalau layak digelar sedemikian). Penulis yakin bahawa ada sekelumit rasa peduli dan mahu mengubah keadaan ini dalam darah muda dan panas perantau-perantau ini.

Walaupun kenyataannya, apa yang sedang berlaku di Malaysia sangat mendukacitakan, dan membarah ke akar umbi, namun semangat idealisme perjuangan mahasiswa luar negara akan terus membakar. Siapa lagi kalau bukan kita yang telah melihat dunia- United Kingdom, Republic Czech, Spain, German, France, Holland, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, India, Indonesia dan Malaysia dari segenap perspektif dan kaca mata. Semoga semangat kita tidak mendung dan suram seperti awan autumn dan winter di United Kingdom, dan biarlah ia secerah summer dan semekar bunga spring, dan sentiasa sehijau rumput biar apa pun musimnya.

Malah, dengan kenaikan biasiswa kami yang tidaklah setinggi 97%, kami tetap tidak akan lupa betapa kami berhutang dengan negara, seluruh masyarakat Malaysia, untuk pulang berbakti kepada watan, berjuang membela nasib rakyat miskin dan tertindas, tak kira Cina, Melayu, India, Kadazan, Dusun, Iban mahupun Melanau. Betapa kami akan dipertanggungjawabkan nanti, dan pastinya akan ditanya apakah telah dipenuhi semua itu atau tenggelam dalam nikmat dunia?

Walaupun jauh beribu batu, ketahuilah kami sentiasa mengiringi kalian semua dengan doa semoga berjaya dalam perhimpunan BERSIH nanti. Penulis mencari-cari juga baju berwarna kuning untuk dipakai simbol solidariti dan semangat kebersamaan dalam perjuangan rakyat. Akhir sekali, kalau boleh penulis katakan, KAMI tidak pernah lupa.

Al-Qaradawi Menolak Penjenamaan Islam Dengan Pelbagai Nama

من التعبيرات التي يُشنِّع بها العلمانيون والحداثيون تعبير (الإسلام السياسي)، وهي عبارة دخيلة على مجتمعنا الإسلامي بلا ريب،

Ertinya : Antara slogan-slogan yang dipelopori oleh puak sekular dan kumpulan modernisme adalah slogan 'Islam Siyasi', iaitu satu bentuk slogan asing yang telah memasuki masyarakat Islam tanpa ragu lagi.

وهم يطلقون هذه الكلمة (الإسلام السياسي) للتنفير من مضمونها ومن الدعاة الصادقين الذين يدعون إلى الإسلام الشامل؛ باعتباره عقيدة وشريعة، وعبادة ومعاملة، ودعوة ودولة.

Ertinya : Gelaran yang mereka berikan ini iaitu "Al-Islam As-Siyasi" sebenarnya untuk menjauhkan orang ramai dari kandungan islam yang sebenarnya dan bagi menghambat dari para pendakwah ikhlas yang sentiasa mengajak kepada pelaksanaan Islam secara sepenuhnya, aqidah, syariah, ibadat, muamalat, dakwah dan kenegaraan.

وقد كنت رددت على هذه الدعوة، وفنَّدت هذه التسمية في فتوى مطوَّلة، ظهرت في الجزء الثاني من كتابي: (فتاوى معاصرة)، ويحسن بي أن أقتبس فقرات منها فيما يلي:

Ertinya : Sejak dahulu aku telah menolak ajakan (slogan) ini dan aku juga telah menolak penamaan (gelaran) sebegini dalam fatwa yang panjang lebar yang boleh dilihat dalam juzu kedua dari kitabku "Fatawa Muasiroh", maka eloklah aku memetik beberapa perenggan darinya sebagaimana berikut :-

هذه التسمية مردودة وخاطئة:

وذلك لأنها تطبيق لخُطة وضعها خصوم الإسلام، تقوم على تجزئة الإسلام وتفتيته بحسب تقسيمات مختلفة، فليس هو إسلامًا واحدًا كما أنزله الله، وكما ندين به نحن المسلمين؛ بل هو (إسلامات) متعدِّدة مختلفة كما يحب هؤلاء.

فهو ينقسم أحيانًا بحسب الأقاليم: فهناك الإسلام الآسيوي، والإسلام الإفريقي.

Ertinya :

Ini adalah penamaan (istilah) yang tertolak dan salah

Ia sebenarnya adalah satu bentuk pelaksanaan perancangan yang diletakkan oleh musuh-mush Islam. Dibina atas asas ingin memecah-belahkan Islam dengan pembahagian- pembahagian yang berbeza sehingga seolah-olah ia bukan Islam yang satu seperti yang diturunkan oleh Allah s.w.t, dan seolah-olah ia juga bukan sebagaimana (Islam) yang umat dianuti oleh kita umat Islam. Mereka (telah wujudkan) banyak Islam yang berbeza mengikut kesukaan mereka.

Antaranya mereka bahagikan Islam kepada pembahagian sempadan seperti : "Islam Asia" dan "Islam Afrika"

وأحيانًا بحسب العصور: فهناك الإسلام النبوي، والإسلام الراشدي، والإسلام الأُموي، والإسلام العباسي، والإسلام العثماني، والإسلام الحديث.

Ertinya : Kadangkala mereka bahagikan menurut waktu " Islam Nabawi", "Islam Rasyidi (zaman khulafa)", "Islam Umayi", "Islam Abbasi", "Islam Uthmani", "Islam al-Hadith (moden)"

وأحيانًا بحسب الأجناس: فهناك الإسلام العربي، والإسلام الهندي، والإسلام التركي، والإسلام الماليزي... إلخ.

Ertinya : Adakalanya mereka namakan menurut jenis kaum seperti : "Islam Arabi", "Islam India", "Islam Turki", "Islam Malaysia "(1) dan lain-lain.

وزادوا على ذلك تقسيمات جديدة: فهناك الإسلام الثوري، والإسلام الرجعي أو الراديكالي، والكلاسيكي، والإسلام اليميني، والإسلام اليساري، والإسلام المُتزمِّت، والإسلام المُنفتح، وأخيرًا الإسلام السياسي، والإسلام الروحي، والإسلام الزمني،!.

Ertinya : Dan mereka juga menambah pembahagian baru yang seterusnya : sehingga ada "Islam Thawri (revolusi), "Islam Radikal dan Klasik", "Islam Al-Yamini (Haluan Kanan)", "Islam Al-Yasari (Haluan Kiri), "Islam Al-Mutazammit (Rigid), "Al-Islam Al-Munfateh (terbuka) dan akhirnya wujud pula "Al-Islam As-Siyasi" , "Al-Islam Ar-Ruhi ( ruh), "Al-Islam Az-Zamani (semasa)

تقسيمات مرفوضة للإسلام:

والحق أن هذه التقسيمات كلَّها مرفوضة في نظر المسلم، فليس هناك إلا إسلام واحد لا شريك له، ولا اعتراف بغيره، هو (الإسلام الأول)، إسلام القرآن والسنة.

الإسلام كما فهمه أفضل أجيال الأمة وخير قرونها، من الصحابة ومن تبعهم بإحسان، ممَّن أثنى الله عليهم ورسوله.

Ertinya : Semua penamaaan dan pembahagian ini ditolak dalam Islam. Tiada Islam kecuali hanya satu Islam dan tiada sekutu atau pelbagai jenis baginya. Tiada harus memberi pengiktirafan kepada selainnya, yang diiktiraf hanyalah Islam yang terawal yang bersumber dari Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah. Islam yang difahami oleh sebaik-baik generasi dan kurun dari kalangan sahabat dan tabien yang telah dipuji oleh Allah dan RasulNya.

فهذا هو الإسلام الصحيح، قبل أن تشُوبه الشوائب، وتلوِّث صفاءه تُرَّهَات المِلَل وتطرفات النِّحَل، وشطحات الفلسفات، وابتداعات الفِرَق، وأهواء المُجادلين، وانتحالات المُبطلين، وتعقيدات المُتنطِّعين، وتعسُّفات المُتأوِّلين الجاهلين.

Ertinya : Inilah dia Islam yang benar, sebelum dicemari kekotoran dan kekarutan ideologi, falsafah, rekaan puak-puak, hawa nafsu para pendebat, penyusahan oleh puak pelampau, dan salahguna puak pentakwil yang jahil.

Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

Rujuk artikel asal

Hantu Altantu-dari Mongol meletup di Malaysia

assalamualaikum. ...

rasenye pasti ramai yg aware pasal kes warga mongolia yg kini sedang hangat perbicaraan nya di malaysia.esok, insyaallah perbicaraan bersambung kembali...mungkin ramai yg follow dan mungkin ade yg setakat tau je.perbicaraan ni penting sebab ianya melibatkan negara asing serta boleh menjejaskan kredibiliti negara dan juga institusi kehakiman... ...

ape2 pun,saya sekadar nak berkongsi dengan rakan2,sedikit analisis yg saya buat dan ingin juga berkongsi sedikit ilmu undang2 berdasarkan pengetahuan cetek undang2 yg ade di dada ini.juga ingin berkongsi beberapa fakta menarik (pada pendapat saya a) sepanjang perbicaraan ni berlangsung. mase final year aritu,ade belajar pasal criminal evidence and kes altantuya ni sgtlah relevant dengan ape yg saya dah belajar.

antara dilema paling utama dalam criminal evidence (bukti2 semasa perbicaraan criminal) adalah "real truth" vs "trial truth" ataupun "ape yg sebenarnye terjadi" vs "kejadian seperti yg digambarkan di dalam court". untuk pengetahuan semue,malaysia mengamalkan system adversarial.

adversarial system ni bermaksud due pihak akan berlawan menyampaikan kes masing2 di hadapan seorang umpire atau hakim (kire macam main bola,boxing, lawan pedang atau yg sewaktu dengannya) pihak yg berjaya meyakinkan hakim akan menang...jadi, as a result,maka timbullah dilema seperti mane yg saya nyatakan di atas. pihak pendakwa dan peguam bela x semestinye akan cube menyampaikan kebenaran yg mutlak,tetapi kebenaran yg di reka seolah2 nampak mcm kebenaran yg mutlak untuk memenangkan anak guam masing2....

kirenye,seseorang tuh maybe bole menang di court,tp x semestinye dalam realiti die x bersalah and vice versa.antara faktor yg menjadi pemberatnye adalah bagaimana pendakwa atau peguam bela menyampaikan kes tersebut bagi mempengaruhi hakim...

so,skang ni berbalik balik pada kes altantuya.ape yg menariknye?skang ni,biasenye akan jadi pertentangan 2 penjuru sahaja.ape yg cube di sampaikan oleh pendakwa vs peguambela.

dlm kes altantuya ni,skang ni dah jadi seolah2 3 penjuru!!!!!

pendakwa vs peguam bela vs keluarga altantuya!!! (ini hanyalah inference saya semata)

kenapa saya berkata sedemikian? ini penaakulan nye :-

1) terdapat msg2 yg ingin di sampai kan oleh pihak saksi dari keluarga altantuya yg munkin x relevant pun utk kes. cth, rekod imegresen yg terpadam....

2) bapak altantuya yg keciwa tidak di panggil oleh polis utk memberi keterangan sedangkan die ingin sgt memberi keterangan.mcm banyak bende je die nak cerita lagi.....

3) gamba altantuya dengan seorang lelaki "najib razak" yg lagi a xde kaitan dengan kes tp di sebut juge dengan selambenye oleh saksi dari pihak altantuya..

4) saksi PENDAKWA RAYA sendiri (teman wanita tertuduh pertama) mengakui ade "lelaki misteri" bertopi hijau pada malam tersebut yg tidak diketahui identitinye. pendakwa kemudiannye mencabar balik kredibility saksi (jadikan die sebagai adverse witness @ witness yg bole dipertikaikan ) mereka sendiri untuk mempertikaikan fakta tersebut!!!! jarang (tapi ade je) di dalam sesebuah trial,pendakwa atau peguam bela akan mencabar kredibiliti saksi sendiri.

inilah antara bukti dilema real truth vs court truth td.katekan a mmg wujud lelaki misteri tuh,die akan lenyap begitu sahaja once pendakwaraya dapat menjatuhkan kredibility saksi tersebut.maka, lagi susah a "real truth" untuk di cari....

5) terdapat bukti2 yg di bantah bukan sahaja oleh pendakwa raya, malahan oleh PEGUAM BELA!!!!!!!! ini jarang berlaku sbb jarang peguam bela hendak mempertikai kan bukti2 yg bole menunjukkan "something fishy" (eg kehadiran pihak ketiga) yg mane,untuk kes bunuh, kalu ade sedikit je karaguan (reasonable doubt),kes tersebut boleh di buang dan tertuduh boleh terlepas.... ..pelik kan?

nampak SEOLAH2 ade perkara yg masih lagi tersembunyi di dalam trial ni tetapi, ianya di halang oleh pendakwa dan peguam bela....inilah kelemahan adversarial process.mcm mane sesuatu kes tuh nak di sampaikan,terpulang ikut lawyer2 tersebut.suke hati dieorang a mane evidence yg dieorang nak tunjuk,and mane yg dieorang nak sorok....... biasanya dieorang akan produce evidence yg membantu dieorang..tp, dalam kes altantuya ni,evidence yg mungkin membantu pun dibantah.... pelik.... ...

selain tuh,terdapat juga beberapa fakta "menarik" yg keluar setakat ni.antaranya: -

1) rekod imegresen yg terpadam.rekod imegresen tuh....gile ganas sesiapa di sebaliknye yg berkuasa untuk memadamkan atau mengarahkan memadam rekod kedatangan seseorang di negara ni.kalu xde orang suruh pun,cuai gile mamat or minah yg kerja imegresen tuh.patut dikenakan tindakan tuh....

yg peliknye, bile tunjuk tiket kapal terbang dan boarding pass,boleh lak diterima sebagai bukti mase rakan altantuya tuh ingin pulang. sampai sekarang ni,masih blum ade laporan polis di buat mengenai rekod yg ilang tersebut.

2) gamba altantuya bersama seorang yg bernama "Najib Razak" yg dikatekan adalah TPM kite (yg ni x berapa pasti.gamba tersebut blum di jumpai.so mungkin bukti palsu) nevertheless, TPM kite kata mase pilihanraya Ijok kate die x kenal pun altantuya.hanya tgk gambarnye di dalam surat khabar.namun, kawan altantuya mengatakan die penah melihat gambar altantuya bersama razak baginda dan juga seorang yg berjawatan besar bernama "najib razak".

hingga ke hari ini,wakil TPM kite masih mengatakan "no comment" dan masih lagi stick dengan press conference di Ijok dahulu. sekali lagi ingin saya nyatakan disini,bukti ni masih lagi belum di prove kan.mungkin palsu,mungkin benar.....pendakwa kate akan pergi amek gambar tersebut.Wallah hu alam.......again, sebenarnye x penting pun gamba ni.x membuktikan ape2.just pelik kenapa ianya di brought up......

3) "lelaki misteri" yg di dakwa oleh kekasih kepada Lans Koperal Azilah.mcm mane pendakwa raya tidak mengetahui mengenainye dan kenapa kekasih Azilah tuh x ckp awal2 mase beri keterangan? mungkin juga lelaki tuh x wujud,nevertheless, pihak pendakwa patut siasat dulu sebelum membuat laporan polis terhadapnye. kalu x wujud,tangkap a kerana mereka (fabricating) bukti.tp,kalu wujud camne?

dah panjang sgt ni.so,to wrap it up,menarik a kes ni.really encourage rakan2 untuk mengikutinye. .....harap rakan2 akan dapat sedikit ilmu undang2 evidence dari tulisan ini.kalu x pun,at least dapat summary kes ni sedikit....

namun,bile berakhirnya trial ni nanti,adakah the "real truth" akan keluar,ataupun hanyalah the "court truth" yg akan come up,susah untuk di pastikan.... ..ape2 pun ingatlah, segala perbuatan kite ni akan di catit.

mungkin kite akan lepas di dunia,namun tidak di akhirat..... .

lihat,dengar dan berfikir.... ....

wassalam

Originality preserved, from a graduating law student

Our 'Boleh'land Health System

May 16, 07 1:42pm

Once upon a time, I vowed as a naive medical student to serve fellow Malaysians with my utmost sincerity. Despite much disappointment with the mediocrity of our local university, I was determined to repay the rakyat for the subsidy they provided me with. It has finally dawned on me that it is practically impossible to provide optimum healthcare in a pathetic healthcare system like Malaysia’s. Indeed, ours is a system that is flawed at its very roots, and top. Instead of putting in concrete efforts to overcome simple problems with simple solutions, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has instead chosen to busy itself with efforts of vanity and exhibitionism. Penning a rosy Piagam Pelanggan and a lofty misi dan visi (mission and vision) for every single sub-department will not translate into better services. Putting our healthcare personnel through time-wasting, brain-washing Kursus Induksi (induction courses), Biro Tatanegara (BTN) and Penilaian Tahap Kecemerlangan (PTK) programmes will not produce more skillful and knowledgeable staff. Holding weekly perhimpunan pagi hospital (morning assemblies) and singing patriotic songs will not miraculously make anyone serve their fellow Malaysians with greater commitment and efficiency. Forcing our doctors to don bacterial-laden white coats and equally lethal neck ties is the perfect example of style without substance. Seeking and attaining MS ISO accreditation is far from reflective of the quality of services our patients are receiving. These fanciful so-called recognitions have instead added unnecessary red tape and rigidity to a clumsy, obese system already burdened and bloated with excessive bureaucracy and paperwork. The MOH’s misplaced obsession with ISO recognition and protocol is holding everybody back – doctors, nurses, lab technicians, radiographers and everyone else trying to fulfill their duties in a system that frustrates. While healthcare in much of the rest of the modern world is cruising ahead, Malaysia’s is so very wedged in the medieval ages, with no signs of any prospective improvements under a greedy government more concerned about serving the interests of its cronies in the money-loaded field of medicine. Arrested in medieval ages The typical government hospital has no computer networking system to store and track patients’ records and investigation results. When a patient is readmitted, there is no inkling what was done in the previous admission. Crucial investigation results are rarely returned to the respective patients’ notes. Almost everything is traced by phone in an age when people across the globe are downloading music, movies and any form of data at the click of a mouse. Doctors and nurses are kept crazily busy tracing investigations taken weeks and months ago, instead of seeing and attending to patients like they were trained for. Elsewhere in the medical laboratory, lab technicians are answering relentless phone calls from their clinical colleagues stationed throughout the hospital instead of performing chemical tests and analyzing specimens like they were trained for. Sending specimens and collecting results are all done by foot, resulting in senseless delays in a field that requires a constant sense of exigency. At a time and age where information transfer has never been much easier, our doctors, nurses and hospital attendants are still scurrying about like messenger pigeons chasing after scraps of paper that could be anywhere in a hospital of 600 beds. Consequently, a simple two-minute test like a full blood count can be delayed up to hours. Receiving its results can take an eternity. Not uncommonly, some important investigations can never be successfully traced which in bulk, translates to wasted millions as tests are repeated merely because the first ones were nowhere to be found. All that is needed to address this crippling deficiency is a cheap, simple networking system any computer-savvy secondary school kid is capable of setting up. Time is golden they say, and this is particularly true in cancer, where the difference between a week and a month may mean the difference between survival, morbidity and death. The histopathology services in our government system squirm along at a sluggish pace. It is totally not uncommon for one to wait months for a tissue diagnosis of a suspected malignancy, by the time which the cancer would probably have metastasized. Occasionally and not surprisingly, diagnostic reports disappear altogether, leaving the patient without a final diagnosis. Frustrated with this gaping weakness of our healthcare system, most doctors choose instead to convince patients to perform their tests in private laboratories and hospitals - at a costly sum, needless to say. The patients’ loss is the cronies’ gain, as friends of Barisan Nasional (BN) in healthcare businesses stroll gleefully on their way to the bank. Medical wards or refugees camps? Fifty years of merdeka and liberation from colonialists yet our medical wards are still very much like overrun, pre-war, post-disaster refugee camps. Sixty patients with a spectrum of ailments are packed like solid popiah into a single ward no larger than a badminton court. The immunocompromised HIV patient lies beside the old man with active tuberculosis who is coughing towards the immunosuppressed cancer patient on chemotherapy opposite his bed. There is hardly any observation of barrier nursing or isolation. It is far from surprising that our ill patients are succumbing to multiple infections. There is zero room for privacy in the typical general ward. Screens are scarce and often impossible in an overcrowded ward. Clinical procedures are performed in full view of other patients and relatives, putting the patient through untold embarrassment and loss of confidentiality. Unless the health minister desires to undergo a digital rectal examination with a strong, curious audience of 60, there is no reason why our mothers and fathers should be put through such ordeals. The general appearance of our wards is a shame. Rusty beds with broken wheels, faulty drip stands held in place by cheap plaster, blinking fluorescent lamps, and noisy mini-wall fans are the norm of the day and make good for a scene in Dark Water. Our febrile elderly patients become dehydrated, and literally fry in the seething heat that epitomizes the current state of our hospitals. Septic patients with high fever, chills and rigors waste away in crammy, stuffy, noisy general wards, while the crooks they elected as representatives recuperate from a simple ankle sprain in spacious, air-conditioned single bedded rooms, oblivious to the sufferings of the simple-minded folk who put them in power in the very first place. As BN-putras plunder the nation even as one is reading this article, ill and sick Malaysians are wasting away in shoddy wards so deficient in so many aspects. ECG machines so crucial in diagnosing acute cardiac events are sometimes shared between two wards of 80 patients. In times of emergencies, doctors and nurses run helter skelter hunting for elusive ECGs, pulse oximetries, ventilatory bags, oxygen tanks, arterial blood gas machines and heck, even blood pressure sets. Not uncommonly, life-saving intubation sets are incomplete or faulty and cardiac monitors are so ancient that the readings cannot possibly be taken seriously. Our patients wait months to undergo CT scans, ultrasounds and MRIs. Ineveitably, some patients meet their Maker way before their appointment date. In one large state in East Malaysia, there are merely two CT scans to serve two million people, one of which is low-grade and substandard. With the rise in vascular diseases, most government hospitals still do not offer CT angiography. In an oil-rich nation, is this beyond our means? In our existing miserable state, doctors, nurses and attendants do not even have working counters of their own and are instead wrestling for limited space to do the ridiculous paperwork bestowed upon them, in stark contrast to the posh, cooling office that the minister sits in. Pitiable corrective measures Some hospitals, in a vain attempt to deal with the overcrowded wards, transfer “stable” patients to so-called extension wards which are commonly separated from the main hospital. Not infrequently, these supposedly stable patients deteriorate and require urgent intervention – elusive help which would not arrive as there is usually no resident doctor on-call in these peripheral units located far away from the main hospital building. Many needless deaths occur due to delayed help in these “recovery units” and “extension wards”. Our clinics are not any better, if not worse. With the massive wealth of Tanah Melayu, it is beyond belief that most of our wards and clinics are not equipped with a computer and printer. Referral letters are hand-written, resulting in unquantifiable confusion, communication errors and disastrous consequences. Specimen tubes have to be labeled manually instead of cheap and convenient printed stickers. Up to five patients undergo consultations simultaneously in a room no bigger than a Proton Perdana. Malaysia Boleh? Government ambulance services are reasonably renowned by now – for the wrong reasons. While the public may decry the unnecessary deaths of Mohd Yusry and Yusnita Abas due to alleged ambulance delay, much more nonsense does not reach public knowledge. Poorly equipped to begin with, most of our ambulances serve as nothing more than a modified human transporter, with no inbuilt oxygenation, no ready supply of emergency drugs, no intubation sets, no communication services save for the driver’s handphone. Patients’ running out of oxygen supply during an ambulance ride is a daily occurence. Essentially, our ambulances serve only to transport an ill patient from one place to another in the shortest time possible. Whatever happens along the way is solely left to God, and beyond the control of any medical personnel, who has few tools to work with. The sad state of our ambulance services is seen beyond emergencies. In many rural districts, ambulances serve as perhaps the only form of transport for poor patients to travel to a general hospital. Our ambulances fail miserably even in this undemanding task. Recovering patients end up stranded for weeks awaiting ambulances from the district hospitals to send them home to their anxious families. Ward beds are occupied unnecessarily. Some patients waited so long that by the time an ambulance is actually available, they developed severe hospital-acquired infections due to an unnecessarily prolonged stay in the ward. Here in Malaysia, the field of emergency medicine is one that lacks a sense of urgency. Uncannily however, such lackadaisical attitude is cleverly hidden during by-elections. Unsupportive support services Our sad state stretches far beyond the clinical scenario. Our hospital support services are equally, if not more pathetic. Faulty elevators lie in ruins, unrepaired for months, causing delay in almost everything and to everyone. The elderly lady with severe osteoarthritis is forced to walk up seven flights of stairs to visit her ailing husband. Is this humane? Far from it. Urgent phone calls lose their very adjective as doctors wait 10 minutes for calls to be answered and a further 10 minutes as operators flip through prehistoric, dog-eared antique phone books instead of an ultra-convenient computerized directory. What could have been achieved in minutes and seconds takes hours and days instead. Replacing a burnt bulb takes a mere four minutes but getting the personnel to actually do so may take up to four months. So much for privatisation of hospital support services. Improvements to our healthcare do not require fanciful slogans so characteristic of the Badawi administration. We do not need more time-wasting, money-consuming kursus (courses) or more standard operating procedures (SOP) that make everything so rigid and methodical. As it is, everything is already moving at snail’s pace. With that statement, I am of course guilty of insulting the snail. We need wisdom and sincerity if we are to improve our healthcare. Both unfortunately, are not synonymous with the BN regime.

UN calls for mass circumcision of men to tackle Aids epidemics

· Trials find procedure reduces infection by 60%
· Programmes expected to focus on African nations


The United Nations yesterday urged all countries with devastating Aids epidemics to launch mass male circumcision programmes following evidence that the surgical procedure can protect against HIV infection.

The World Health Organisation and UNAids, the joint UN programme on HIV/Aids, made the official recommendations after a meeting of experts in Montreux, Switzerland, to consider the evidence from three trials in Africa, which were stopped early when it became clear that men who had been circumcised were up to 60% less likely to get HIV than those who had not.

Experts accept circumcision is a sensitive issue, tied in to social and religious traditions. During sectarian fighting in India, Muslims and Hindus at one time would tell friend from foe by pulling down their trousers - all Muslims were circumcised.

But research suggests men and women in Africa would accept male circumcision if it lowered the risk of Aids, and WHO experts yesterday held out the prospect of cultural change over a decade or more. Catherine Hankins, associate director of the WHO, said that within about a decade in the 1980s and 1990s, South Korea went from no circumcision of boys to circumcising 90%, influenced by the example of the US.

WHO and UNAids recommend that all heterosexual men should be offered circumcision in countries with severe Aids epidemics. "We are talking largely or most importantly about countries of sub-Saharan Africa and to a lesser extent eastern Africa," said Kevin de Cock, director of the Aids department at the WHO. But he said it was for countries to decide whether and how to implement the guidance. He expected discussions would now take place on the implications in countries in Europe and the US. However, there is no evidence yet that circumcision offers any protection to men who have sex with men.

Circumcision could bring many benefits in the long term - it is estimated that universal male circumcision in sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV/Aids is most prevalent, could prevent 5.7 million new infections and 3 million deaths over 20 years.

But the WHO's experts yesterday tempered enthusiasm with considerable caution. Circumcision, they say, must not be seen as a magic bullet. It is only partially protective, and they fear some men may assume they can sleep around with impunity and no longer need to practise safe sex techniques, such as wearing a condom.

"We haven't had news like this in an extremely long time," said Dr Hankins. "It is an exciting development, but it is partial protection for men. Circumcised men can still become infected and can still transmit the virus to their partners."

The logistics of rolling out circumcision are formidable for impoverished countries burdened with Aids and already struggling to test, counsel and treat all who arrive at their clinics. The WHO is recommending they first focus on adult males, even though the procedure is easier in babies, because it is most urgent to reduce infections in the sexually active age group.

It emphasises the importance of sensitivity, counselling and a lack of coercion when offering circumcision and that those who perform it are trained and perform the procedure in a hygienic setting. The WHO also wants donor governments to help fund programmes.

Dr de Cock said the meeting of experts that decided on the guidance disagreed on little, although "there are people who are very concerned that male circumcision has such heavy social and cultural connotations that they would want more data from the world of social science before making any recommendations".

Some spoke in terms of "symbolism and assault on the body's integrity", he said. But set against that was the weight of the disaster that Aids represented in Africa. "The thing to me that comes closest to the Aids epidemic for its assault on African culture is slavery," said Dr de Cock.

At a glance: Circumcision

Circumcision is almost as old as mankind. The first evidence of the ritual removal of all or part of the foreskin as a rite of puberty comes from aboriginal tribes around or before 10,000 BC, followed by communities in north-eastern Africa and the Arab peninsula some 4,000 years later.

The Jewish tradition of male circumcision dates back to the book of Genesis, part of the Torah, which told of God's command to Abraham that he should circumcise himself and his sons. Circumcision was considered a sign of the Covenant.

Jesus was circumcised, but St Paul ruled that converts to Christianity did not need to undergo the operation. In 570, Muhammad was born "already circumcised" which is said to have given rise to universal circumcision among Muslim men.

As the centuries moved on, arguments raged over circumcision. The foreskin was identified as the most sensitive part of the penis by the Italian anatomist Jacopo Berengario da Carpi in the 15th century. In the 1800s removal of the foreskin became widespread in Britain and the US to prevent boys masturbating. About a quarter to a third of the world's males are circumcised, most of them Muslim or American.

Sarah Boseley, health editor
Thursday March 29, 2007
The Guardian

The tip of the iceberg

As the famous motivator and author of the seven habits of a highly effective people, Dr. Covey said “be Pro-Active” and not reactive or just active.

Proactive in everything, means you are three to four steps ahead when you are doing something. It is also said as a pre-emptive action or to prevent something from happening from the beginning which is definitely better than curing or solving it. At the same level, the principle is applied in medicine “Prevention is better than cure”.

Referring to the tip of the iceberg theory, what you see or know is superficial and there are a lot of things that you don’t know or you don’t even expect to find it in something.

For instance, in every statistics, the reported cases are not the only cases available; there are possibilities that there are a lot more cases remain hidden or unreported. Another application is in the way we see and understand people. The action is the surface, but the belief systems and ideologies are deeper.

Therefore, don’t be surprised one day, when you meet or involved in an unexpected situation or argument. For instance, when your family or friends could not understand or agree with you on the responsibility of a Muslim to act against the ‘taghut’ and to be involved in PAS as the first and leading organisation in the way of Allah in Malaysia. On top of that, don’t be frightened to know that they were all from Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR) under Yayasan Islam Kelantan (YIK). This is just an example, of which might happen if you do not act to dispel all the misconceptions within the beliefs of those people around you. The lesson for today is never assumes anything to be a general knowledge which everybody knows and understands about. Act proactively to explain and remind everybody about it.

How do we that? There a few suggestions for this problem. Read, Question, Discuss, and Ponder.

Do you have to lose something to appreciate it?

What a good weather? Persoalan cuaca sangat penting di sini. Tidak lengkap berita tanpa ramalan cuaca bagi esok harinya. Boleh dikatakan, ramalan yang dibuat selalunya menjadi kenyataan dan sangat jarang tersalah.

Hari ini sungguh cerah dan hangat (about 10 degree Celsius) jika dibandingkan hari-hari sebelumnya. Mungkin menandakan betul-betul ketibaan musim bunga yang ditunggu-tunggu. Lagipun, jarang-jarang sekali bumi Belfast ini dilimpahi sinaran cahaya matahari sepanjang hari. Burung-burung juga makin hebat berkicauan dan bersiulan, galak beterbangan. Banyak kali juga terserempak dengan burung-burung yang cantik. Northern Ireland memang terkenal di kalangan bird-watcher, sehingga ahli-ahli persatuan pengendap burung dari Bristol pun sanggup datang ke sini. Segala puji hanyalah bagi Allah di atas segala ciptaanNya.

Di sini, saya belajar bersyukur dengan nikmat cahaya matahari yang jarang-jarang dirasai sepanjang sesi pembelajaran- autumn semester and spring semester. Semasa musim sejuk, matahari terbenam seawal jam 4.00 petang dan terbit semula selewat-lewatnya jam 8.45 pagi. Bayangkan, hanya lebih kurang tujuh jam anda dapat melihat matahari dan selebihnya adalah malam yang sejuk dan panjang (about -5 Celsius). Pergi kuliah matahari baru nak keluar, dan habis kelas matahari dah terbenam. No wonder some calls the cold winter a depressing season.

What a cloudy, windy, gloomy and rainy day? Di sini, tak cukup dengan sejuk, tambah pula wind chill iaitu angin yang kuat dan hujan. Payung murah-murah tak mainlah, silap-silap terbang dengan tuannya sekali. Kekadang tue sampai berjalan pun tak bergerak atau tersasar halatuju.

Faktor-faktor tersebut seterusnya menyumbang kepada sejenis penyakit yang dipanggil seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Ubatnya ialah cahaya matahari. Di waktu inilah teringat kepada kampung, panas dan lembap sepanjang tahun.

Manakala pokok-pokok hanya tinggal batang-batang dan ranting-ranting sahaja selepas habis daun-daunnya luruh semasa autumn. Lagilah depressed, tiada lagi kehijauan. Maybe you can take this as the the disadvantage of living in a temperate region of the world. For the native people, it is not an issue at all. So, you can say that is the price you have to pay to study abroad. It is quite an invaluable experience, though.

Walaubagaimanapun, alhamdulillah, spring has sprung. Pokok-pokok bunga mula berputik dan berkembang, walaupun pucuk-pucuk daun pepohon besar belum keluar. Manusia-manusia yang bertebaran di atas bumi ini juga semakin ceria, dengan bermulanya daylight saving time (DST) or summer time.

Do you want to hop in and join us? I'll get you a chair.

It is the convention of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn which gives “Spring forward and fall backward”.

Most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and reverts to standard time on the first Sunday in November. In the U.S., each time zone switches at a different time.

In the European Union, Summer Time begins and ends at 1:00 a.m. Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time). It begins the last Sunday in March and ends the last Sunday in October. In the EU, all time zones change at the same moment. Quite funny and confusing as well when I started to count the clock backward or forward and playing with the term “the actual time” in my mind. The more important thing is the prayer times never changed. Confused?

Ini semua membuktikan ayat-ayat Allah dalam ‘final testament’ yang berbunyi

“Di tanganmu Allah segala kebaikan dan kekayaan. Sesungguhnya Engkau berkuasa untuk berbuat apa sahaja terhadap apa sahaja. Engkau menabirkan siang dengan malam dan menabirkan malam dengan siang. Dan Engkau menerbitkan suatu yang hidup dari suatu yang kaku/mati sebagaimana Engkau melahirkan yang kaku/mati dari sesuatu yang hidup. Engkau memberi rezeki tanpa berhitung kepada siapa sahaja yang Engkau mahu”

(Surah ‘Ali Imran: 26-27)

Malaysia: a racist nation

Malaysia is currently led by a race-based party i.e. United Malay National Organization (UMNO). Undeniably, discriminating policies which favour the Malay people have been implemented ever since her independent in 1957. A question whether all Malays are racist or not is another story?

Untuk siapakah keris itu dihunus?

Recently, after the victory of Malaysian men's double-Koo Kien Keat & Tan Boon Heong in the All England, the Minister of Youth & Sports was asked about their incentives. She, Datuk Azalina Othman then answered angrily 'Biar mereka main dulu'.

Some said that we have learned our lessons from the gradual slippings of Hafiz Hashim and Lee Chong Wei.

Akhbar semalam melaporkan, pasangan itu tidak layak untuk menerima Skim Hadiah Kemenangan Sukan (Shakam) kerana Seluruh England tiada dalam senarai kejohanan diperakui, berbanding ganjaran yang pernah dinikmati pemain perseorangan, Muhammad Hafiz Hashim ketika menjuara acara perseorangan kejohanan yang sama pada 2003 (Bharian).

Kejayaan mereka bagaimanapun menerima penghargaan dan ucapan tahniah daripada Dewan Pemuda Pas Pusat-Jabatan Sukan dan Kesenian PAS Pusat melalui liputan di TvPAS.com.

The young duo then proved themselves again by winning in Swiss Open in Basel. Indeed, i think they deserved all the credit for winning four titles in six tournaments is not an easy task and have carved a new record for Malaysia, under Rexy Mainaki as national doubles coach.All the best for them in Beijing Olympics.