I have been following Prof. Jeffrey Sachs' 2007 Reith Lectures on the BBC Radio and had just watched two life changing movies: Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and another Sundance's movie "Who Killed the Electric Car".
Really, at the way we are "developing" by raping the Earth reminds me of a scene in the Lord of the Rings' movie where Saruman's war campaign spike up the production of weapons that sucks up vast amounts of energy from felled timber.
The scene is one of utter environmental devastation: destruction of the eco-balance.
Are we already in or at the brink of the no return road of unsustainable development?
I honestly think so.
Look at the pressure on fresh water.
Next it will be food, shelter, services and even the very air we need for survival.
The law of Nature is Equilibrium, Nature will sustain to the point of sustainable balance.
In other words, when we tip the balance, death and destruction will naturally occur until a new balance is attained.
If we take a moment to think, Earth is a self contained sustainable and renewable entity floating in sterile Space.
The eco-system of the Earth is self sustainable and renewable: the hydrological cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle or death to sustain life of one's organism waste as another organism's food etc and the original source of energy powered by the Sun.
If, say at an instance all human life on Earth is wiped out, will other life forms continue to prevail on Earth. The answer is a resounding "YES".
But not the other way round.
The Earth needs no Homo Sapiens to keep it viable and sustainable, but we need the Earth to live.
Strange that even when we know there is no other Earth near us that we can shift to in case life on planet Earth becomes unsustainable and yet we keep on destroying it for short term economic gains.
Unless we are of the persuasion that we need to destroy Earth to hasten the advent of Heaven, we ought to preserve the only heaven that we know of that exists on planet Earth.
The Kingdom of Heaven will come in God's perfect timing, it is the sole prerogative of God, as for us mortals, we are to be His good and faithful stewards in managing Earth well, which is our duty and responsibility.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
National Disgrace
I have the utmost respect for Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye personally and for his leadership to the team of people running the Malaysian National Service (NS), but what he wrote and was published in the STAR today (Sunday, 28Jan07) perturbs me to the core!
What is the matter really with the whole NS concept, planning, implementation and review?
After a good many years of running the program, anyone would have expected the basic teething problems to have been tackled, yet we see basic failures still persisting, from transport arrangements to food and accommodation blunders.
Also, the recruitment of girls for the NS. What's the basis and necessity? It is challenging enough to keep an eye on boys under group behavior in training, combined this with girls in group behavior, and a pair of eyes is not even sufficient!
The last straw that broke my back and compelled me to write is the Chairman of the National Service Training Council's clever reliance on the Health Ministry's "pointing" that, I quote, "...a majority of our youths are actually healthy (more than 95%)" and that it is why it is not viable to conduct medical examinations on all potential trainees.
How unimaginative, uncreative and lacking in "thinking out of the box initiative" with a tinge of irresponsibility that statement and attitude is, if you like.
Safety, security and the avoidance of sickness, injury or death to any and all participants and trainers ought to be paramount priority because human life is priceless!
Please do not insinuate the caring and compassionate intrinsic attributes of us Malaysians!
Medical examination for all potential NS candidates not only protects the individual participants, it also benefits all, provided the relevant parameters are correctly selected and tested. The last thing any NS participant wants is to catch a high contagious and communicable disease (like tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis etc) from living and training in very close proximity and quarters where injuries with open wounds makes it viable for diseases to be passed on from one to the other.
For potential participants who already know they are not healthy, this is not a problem, they would have applied for an exemption with supporting medical certificates, the hidden dangers are for those who are not aware that they are not medically fit for NS training and have not the resources to undergo voluntary medical screening.
If we do not have the resources (which all of us know is untrue, we are not a poor country), then we should not even bother to have a half baked NS programs.
There are so many clinics well distributed all over the nation offering medical screenings and I am sure every General Practitioner will be more than happy to be of service for a reasonable fee. I am also confident that if called upon, the medical profession will be more than willing to contribute their part of the national service. I am confident that all doctors are doctors because they first felt a call to serve. With a little "thinking out of the box", I am sure esteemed organizations like the NS Council would have thought of offering opportunities to doctors to contribute their services to the National Service Program. MMA and individual doctors, please feel free to comment.
The point is simple, if something is worth doing, it is worth doing right, can you disagree on this, Mr. Chairman and members of his Board of Council?
What is the matter really with the whole NS concept, planning, implementation and review?
After a good many years of running the program, anyone would have expected the basic teething problems to have been tackled, yet we see basic failures still persisting, from transport arrangements to food and accommodation blunders.
Also, the recruitment of girls for the NS. What's the basis and necessity? It is challenging enough to keep an eye on boys under group behavior in training, combined this with girls in group behavior, and a pair of eyes is not even sufficient!
The last straw that broke my back and compelled me to write is the Chairman of the National Service Training Council's clever reliance on the Health Ministry's "pointing" that, I quote, "...a majority of our youths are actually healthy (more than 95%)" and that it is why it is not viable to conduct medical examinations on all potential trainees.
How unimaginative, uncreative and lacking in "thinking out of the box initiative" with a tinge of irresponsibility that statement and attitude is, if you like.
Safety, security and the avoidance of sickness, injury or death to any and all participants and trainers ought to be paramount priority because human life is priceless!
Please do not insinuate the caring and compassionate intrinsic attributes of us Malaysians!
Medical examination for all potential NS candidates not only protects the individual participants, it also benefits all, provided the relevant parameters are correctly selected and tested. The last thing any NS participant wants is to catch a high contagious and communicable disease (like tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis etc) from living and training in very close proximity and quarters where injuries with open wounds makes it viable for diseases to be passed on from one to the other.
For potential participants who already know they are not healthy, this is not a problem, they would have applied for an exemption with supporting medical certificates, the hidden dangers are for those who are not aware that they are not medically fit for NS training and have not the resources to undergo voluntary medical screening.
If we do not have the resources (which all of us know is untrue, we are not a poor country), then we should not even bother to have a half baked NS programs.
There are so many clinics well distributed all over the nation offering medical screenings and I am sure every General Practitioner will be more than happy to be of service for a reasonable fee. I am also confident that if called upon, the medical profession will be more than willing to contribute their part of the national service. I am confident that all doctors are doctors because they first felt a call to serve. With a little "thinking out of the box", I am sure esteemed organizations like the NS Council would have thought of offering opportunities to doctors to contribute their services to the National Service Program. MMA and individual doctors, please feel free to comment.
The point is simple, if something is worth doing, it is worth doing right, can you disagree on this, Mr. Chairman and members of his Board of Council?
Bridge Over Troubled Water?
In the Malaysian STAR newspapers of 25Apr2007, the MP for Johor Bahru was reported to have commented that it is a matter of time Singapore would acquiesce to a bridge to replace the Causeway, inter-alia when Singapore has amortized the capital investment in their CIQ infrastructure.
With due respect to one of the wiser and more learned MPs of Malaysia, and speaking from the position of a common citizen who is born and bred in Johor Bahru and also a frequent user of the Causeway, Datuk Shahrir, has missed the point.
The political vision, mission and culture in Singapore vis-a-vis Malaysia is almost in opposition.
Lest we forget, the latest Singapore CIQ was designed and built on the premise of an earlier agreement with Malaysia that the KTM will terminate at Woodlands, Singapore.
Not a single notion was even hinted at having a common Bridge to replace the Causeway.
When Singapore does something, she has to justify her actions with cost and benefit based on purpose, the guidance has always been on the basis of purpose, justification, value, equity, accountability and responsibility.
So what is the whole real purpose of replacing the Causeway?
What is the single most important reason for still having the Causeway when there is already the Second Link Bridge somewhere beyond the yonder from Johor Bahru city itself?
The Causeway is the life-link for hundreds of thousands if not millions of people in Johor Bahru and Malaysia.
Hundreds of thousands of people commute daily on the Causeway, to work, to study, to seek medical treatment, to visit friends and relatives, to shop, to dine, to catch an international flight because our so called international airport in Senai is only international in name! and etc.
To me, I see the whole issue in a very simple paradigm: the purpose of the link be it a bridge or a causeway or even a ferry crossing is communication, transport and logistics.
Therefore, the justification for any changes to the status quo ought to be if the replacement adds value.
What is it in a Bridge (straight or crooked) that can achieve but a Causeway cannot?
Ought not the priority be in the fast and cost effective mass rapid transit of people, goods and services across the Link?
A rethink is needed here.
We need no new bridge, just the will to serve the rakyat better.
Start with a common centralized CIQ processing (common in many European borders), one in JB and one in Singapore where customs, immigration and customs clearance are commonly cleared at a single location.
Another is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system to transport people traffic from JB to Singapore and vice-versa.
All the infrastructure in Singapore is ready to extend its time tested MRT system to Johor Bahru, but as usual, the business lobby in Malaysia will oppose this to protect their own pockets at the expense of the rakyat.
I can clearly see that if the MRT is extended to Johor Bahru, many motorists would give up their motorbikes and cars and take public transport and coupled with the efficient CIQ processing system, the issue of the Bridge to replace the Causeway would be a thing of the pass.
There will be win-win-win for all, the rakyat wins, governments win and the environment wins in terms of the better energy efficiency and less pollution.
Would wisdom prevail? Not, I guess, unless and until Malaysians are ready to change our mindsets and shift our paradigms.
Until then, Singapore will surge forward while we remain stagnated in our own parochial darkness.
With due respect to one of the wiser and more learned MPs of Malaysia, and speaking from the position of a common citizen who is born and bred in Johor Bahru and also a frequent user of the Causeway, Datuk Shahrir, has missed the point.
The political vision, mission and culture in Singapore vis-a-vis Malaysia is almost in opposition.
Lest we forget, the latest Singapore CIQ was designed and built on the premise of an earlier agreement with Malaysia that the KTM will terminate at Woodlands, Singapore.
Not a single notion was even hinted at having a common Bridge to replace the Causeway.
When Singapore does something, she has to justify her actions with cost and benefit based on purpose, the guidance has always been on the basis of purpose, justification, value, equity, accountability and responsibility.
So what is the whole real purpose of replacing the Causeway?
What is the single most important reason for still having the Causeway when there is already the Second Link Bridge somewhere beyond the yonder from Johor Bahru city itself?
The Causeway is the life-link for hundreds of thousands if not millions of people in Johor Bahru and Malaysia.
Hundreds of thousands of people commute daily on the Causeway, to work, to study, to seek medical treatment, to visit friends and relatives, to shop, to dine, to catch an international flight because our so called international airport in Senai is only international in name! and etc.
To me, I see the whole issue in a very simple paradigm: the purpose of the link be it a bridge or a causeway or even a ferry crossing is communication, transport and logistics.
Therefore, the justification for any changes to the status quo ought to be if the replacement adds value.
What is it in a Bridge (straight or crooked) that can achieve but a Causeway cannot?
Ought not the priority be in the fast and cost effective mass rapid transit of people, goods and services across the Link?
A rethink is needed here.
We need no new bridge, just the will to serve the rakyat better.
Start with a common centralized CIQ processing (common in many European borders), one in JB and one in Singapore where customs, immigration and customs clearance are commonly cleared at a single location.
Another is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system to transport people traffic from JB to Singapore and vice-versa.
All the infrastructure in Singapore is ready to extend its time tested MRT system to Johor Bahru, but as usual, the business lobby in Malaysia will oppose this to protect their own pockets at the expense of the rakyat.
I can clearly see that if the MRT is extended to Johor Bahru, many motorists would give up their motorbikes and cars and take public transport and coupled with the efficient CIQ processing system, the issue of the Bridge to replace the Causeway would be a thing of the pass.
There will be win-win-win for all, the rakyat wins, governments win and the environment wins in terms of the better energy efficiency and less pollution.
Would wisdom prevail? Not, I guess, unless and until Malaysians are ready to change our mindsets and shift our paradigms.
Until then, Singapore will surge forward while we remain stagnated in our own parochial darkness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)