Tuesday, December 20, 2011

MALAYSIA’S WORLD BANK LOANS


1. The accusation that I wrote to the World Bank asking for loans is baseless. But Malaysia had been borrowing project loans from the World Bank since 1958.

2. The last negotiations for the loans were made in 1997. These were for projects in:
a) Education sector USD 244 million
b) Social sector USD 60million
c) Technical sector USD100million

3. The currency crisis also began in 1997. Naturally the loans were not approved until 1999 when the crisis was over. The usual sequence is for application for a loan to be made, followed by negotiations. Approval would be given by the bank later.

4. The World Bank wanted Malaysia to request for loans to tide over the crisis like the other countries affected by currency trading. The loans would be conditional upon Malaysia following IMF advice on economic management. It is well-known that Malaysia refused to seek IMF or World Bank help because the so-called help would worsen the financial situation. Instead, in 1998 Malaysia imposed currency control which helped it to recover.

5. In June 1998 (before currency control and while Anwar was still Minister of Finance) a loan for USD 300 million was signed with the World Bank for;
a) Fund for Food Programme
b) Higher Education Loan Fund
c) Microcredit Programme

6. By 31st March 1999 a loan of USD 100 million was signed for Technical Assistance and for overcoming Y2K problems. However, this loan was stopped after drawing down USD 11.94 million.

7. Of the USD 244 million Education Project which was approved in March 1999, payment was ordered to be stopped after USD 216.7 million was drawn down.

8. Of the Social Sector loan of USD 60 million, approved in March 1999, only USD 600,000 was drawn down before it was stopped.

9. As the whole world knows Anwar was reported in the press and foreign magazines for implementing the IMF policy without the IMF loans. He raised interest rates, reduced the period for declaring loans non-performing from 6 months to 3 months, reduced budget allocation to ministries so as to achieve a budget surplus etc.

10. Although he did not oppose currency controls, his appointees as Governor and Deputy Governor of Bank Negara refused to implement the policy and resigned. Tan Sri Zeti was then appointed as Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia.

11. As stated above, Malaysia stopped the draw down on loans negotiated with the World Bank in 1997 and June 1998. This did not stop Malaysia from recovering from the crisis.

12. At no time did I write a letter or verbally request for loans from the World Bank. If Anwar can show evidence that I did, he should. Failing that he should swear on the Quran in a mosque that he knows what he says is true. I am prepared to swear that I never asked for loans from the World Bank.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

TAKUT

1. Kita semua tahu takut. Kita takut sakit. Kita takut kehilangan mereka yang disayangi. Kita takut dicedera atau dibunuh orang. Kita takut iman digugat. Kita takut mati. Kita takut dan kita patut takut. Sedikit sebanyak ia menyelamat kita.

2. Tetapi kadang-kadang kita takut kepada yang kita tidak patut takut. Kita takut gelap. Kita takut makhluk yang sebenarnya tidak wujud melainkan dalam fikiran kita atau dari cerita-cerita yang kita dengar, terutama semasa kecil.

3. Ramai kita orang Melayu percaya ada manusia yang mempunyai kelebihan tertentu – mampu meresap, menghilangkan diri. Dan kita takut kepada mereka ini.

4. Semasa saya kecil saya dengar kononnya orang Siam mempunyai “ilmu” tertentu. Mereka bukan sahaja boleh meresap tetapi mereka kebal dan tidak boleh ditikam. Ada yang berkata tembak dengan peluru pun tak tembus. Mereka juga boleh membuat perempuan gila kepada mereka.

5. Di Kedah peperangan sering berlaku dengan Siam (Thai) di zaman dahulu. Tentera Sultan amat takut kepada askar Siam. Mereka yakin mereka tidak boleh kalahkan tentera Siam kerana mereka itu kebal, boleh meresap. Kononnya kadang-kadang mereka boleh terbang dan tiba-tiba berada di belakang.

6. Maka anggota pasukan Melayu pun baca doa macam-macam. Namun mereka tidak dapat mengatasi ketakutan mereka. Belum pun bertempur dengan pasukan perang Siam, mereka sudah yakin mereka akan kalah.

7. Dan mereka pun kalah kerana tidak percaya mereka boleh menang. Mereka tidak pun dapat mempertahankan diri mereka. Mereka kaku disebabkan ketakutan. Dan askar Siam boleh menyembelih mereka.

8. Yang lain melarikan diri, tidak berani mengadap orang kebal, boleh meresap, boleh tiba-tiba berdiri di atas pokok di belakang pasukan Melayu.

9. Demikian apabila kita takut dengan “bayang-bayang” kepercayaan kita sendiri. Adalah mustahil sesiapa boleh kebal, atau meresap (menghilangkan diri). Sedangkan Nabi tidak kebal dan luka dalam peperangan Jabal Uhud, apakah Tuhan memberi kelebihan kepada musuh orang Melayu dan orang Islam.

10. Mungkinkah ada makhluk yang berkuasa seperti Allah s.w.t. Sekarang ada orang kebal apabila memakai baju kalis peluru. Tetapi askar Siam di zaman dahulu tidak pakai baju kalis peluru. Jika mereka ditikam atau ditembak mereka akan cedera dan akan mati. Tetapi mereka kebal kerana dengan ketakutan kita, kita tidak terdaya menikam atau menembak mereka. Kalau tembak pun, kerana gigil dalam ketakutan, peluru tidak kena sasaran. Ini kononnya bukti mereka kebal.

11. Tetapi ini cerita lama. Apa guna saya bangkit perkara ini. Sebabnya saya masih dengar askar kita ada menghadapi orang yang berpakaian serba putih yang boleh terbang. Dan mereka jadi takut. Apabila askar diserang ketakutan, mereka tidak lagi dapat menjalankan tugas mereka.

12. Kita juga kerap mendengar cerita orang halus, toyol, hantu, pelesit dan berbagai lagi. Kes hilang akal (hysteria) kerap berlaku di kalangan murid perempuan Melayu di asrama.

13. Apa yang berlaku ialah pada malam hari mereka berkumpul dan mencerita berkenaan hantu atau sesuatu yang menakutkan. Mendengar cerita mereka berasa gerun dan ternampak bayang bergerak seolah ada makhluk di samping mereka. Apabila di pandang tidak ada apa-apa. Seorang dari mereka akan menjerit ketakutan. Dan yang lain akan turut sama. Dan jadilah fenomena hysteria beramai-ramai.

14. Sebenarnya kita biasa melihat gerakan di hujung mata (peripheral vision) dan apabila kita beralih untuk melihat, didapati tidak ada apa-apa. Ini adalah fenomena biasa.

15. Saya malu kenapa hysteria terjadi kepada anak Melayu yang semuanya beragama Islam. Agama kita menegah kepercayaan kepada makhluk yang mempunyai kuasa yang hampir dengan Allah s.w.t.

16. Diwaktu rusuhan kaum 13 Mei 1969, rami orang Melayu yang mencari ubat kebal. Di Alor Star terdapat seorang bomoh Indonesia yang kononnya boleh memberi kekebalan kepada sesiapa hanya dengan memasukan jarun “emas” ke dalam badan.

17. Saya pergi untuk melihat bagaimana bomoh ini dapat melakukan sesuatu yang ajaib. Seorang yang dikenali oleh saya telah “dirawat” dengan memasuk jarum “emas” kepada badannya.

18. Selepas ini dia diuji dengan ditetak oleh bomoh dengan pedang di belakangnya. Terlihat luka yang cetek yang berdarah sedikit sahaja walaupun ditetak dengan amat kuat.

19. Kemudian dia ditetak dibahagian perutnya. Luka yang sama di lihat. Dia kemudian memepak kaca lampu elektrik tanpa mulutnya berdarah.

20. Mereka yang lihat dan saya juga kagum dengan kekebalan beliau. Saya jemput supaya beliau datang ke klinik saya keesokan hari.

21. Apabila dia datang saya bertanya bolehkah saya cucuk jarum kedalam badannya. Dia mendakwa jarum tak mungkin masuk kerana dia tidak mengizinkannya.

22. Saya cucuk dan jarum masuk seperti biasa. Dia tidak kebal.

23. Tidak ada orang yang kebal. Mereka yang berjalan atas bara api dan dicucuk dengan besi tajam pun tidak kebal.

24. Dalam Islam ada jin dan iblis. Mereka merasuk fikiran kita supaya membuat apa yang dilarang. Dalam Islam tidak disebut tentang hantu, pelesit, toyol dan sebagainya. Semua ini berasas kepada kepercayaan di zaman pra-Islam.

25. Kita dapati ramai yang gemar mendengar cerita seram. Menyedari akan kegemaran ini banyaklah filem yang dibuat sekitar hantu, toyol dan makhluk luar biasa yang menakutkan. Filem seperti ini sering ditunjuk di TV dan pawagam.

26. Mungkin pengeluar filem seram ini mendapat keuntungan. Tetapi cerita-cerita seperti ini tidak menolong remaja menolak kepercayaan kepada yang karut yang tidak membina peribadi yang baik. Kes-kes hysteria ada kaitan dengan kepercayaan yang karut.

27. Menjadi penakut memalukan. Bangsa yang penakut tidak boleh dibanggakan. Janganlah kita sengaja menjadikan bangsa kita bangsa penakut. Sebaliknya cubalah supaya bangsa kita jadi lebih berani. Ahli-ahli politik pun tak usahlah cari bomoh kerana ingin menang. Bukan bomoh yang boleh beri kemenangan. Budi yang baik, tingkah laku yang sopan, keperihatinan akan masalah yang dihadapi rakyat yang boleh memberi kemenangan dan kejayaan.

28. Melayu mempunyai banyak sebab-sebab yang menghalang kejayaan mereka. Tidaklah perlu kita tambah halangan terhadap kejayaan mereka dengan kepercayaan kepada yang karut-karut.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

MENGENANG MASA DULU

Pulau Pinang negerinya baru

Kapten Light menjadi Raja

Bila terkenang zaman dahulu

Duduk mengalir air mata


1. Pantun ini dikarang oleh “tukang karut” pasukan boria di Pulau Pinang di zaman British.

2. Kita jarang mendengar pantun ini sekarang, Tetapi semasa saya masih budak belasan tahun, saya sering mendengarnya. Sedikit sebanyak saya rasa sedih juga. Air mata tidak mengalir tetapi ia menghantui fikiran saya.

3. Orang Melayu Pulau Pinang pada zaman itu sudah hilang kedudukan mereka dalam pulau yang membangun dengan pantas hasil daripada pengisytiharannya sebagai pulau bebas cukai oleh British. Sementara deretan kedai dan rumah batu seperti mahligai diduduki oleh orang lain, mereka, orang Melayu terpaksa pindah melarikan diri daripada pembangunan bandaraya Pulau Pinang kerana tawaran untuk menjual hartanah mereka begitu tinggi, dan mereka semua miskin dan tidak mampu membeli atau menyewa bangunan kedai atau rumah kediaman yang didirikan, selepas menjual tanah mereka.

4. Kemudian apabila pembangunan sampai ke kawasan di mana orang Melayu telah lari, mereka sekali lagi menjual tanah dan berpindah jauh daripada pembangunan.

5. Lama-kelamaan mereka tenggelam dalam masyarakat asing yang semakin bertambah dan mewah. Itulah nasib mereka, menjadi kumpulan orang yang terasing di negeri sendiri. Maka mengalirlah air mata mereka.

6. Sukar bagi mereka yang dilahir di zaman ini, zaman peluang bertimbun-timbun, zaman serba mudah, zaman tersohor bangsa Melayu, zaman kuasa di tangan Melayu, sukar bagi mereka menggambarkan kehidupan orang Pulau Pinang di zaman British.

7. Apa perlunya kita diperingati akan kedudukan orang Melayu Pulau Pinang di zaman itu? Sebenarnya tidak perlu. Setelah mencapai kejayaan, tidak mungkin kita ditimpa nasib orang Melayu Pulau Pinang.

8. Sekali berjaya tetap berjaya, sekali merdeka, tetap merdeka. Bukankah Hang Tuah telah berkata tak akan Melayu hilang di dunia. Ini jaminan yang diberi kepada bangsa Melayu. Kita akan terus Melayu walaupun hanya menjadi pemandu kereta, buruh kasar, budak pejabat. Kita Melayu juga. Tak perlu mengalir air mata.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

THE KUALA LUMPUR TRIBUNAL ON WAR CRIMES


1. Not many Malaysians are aware that from 19th November to 22nd November a trial on war crimes was held in Kuala Lumpur.

2. Many would say what is the use of a trial by a tribunal which is not recognised by any Government. And in addition the accused persons were not present although the summons were legally served on them.

3. But think again.

4. It is a legal and moral principle that everyone must be equal before the law. In Malaysia even the reigning Sultans are not above the law.

5. It follows that no one, no country should be above international law.

6. In the charter of the United Nations no country is accorded the privilege or status of being above the laws, rules and regulations of the UN.

7. We frequently read reports of tribunals being set up by the UN and also by the victors in war to try war criminals. In Nuremberg and Tokyo the “war criminals” were sentenced to death by the tribunals.

8. However, it has become obvious that the powerful countries and their leaders have never been tried for the crimes they have committed. They are clearly above the law.

9. Do we accept this? If we do then we would be accepting what is a travesty of justice.

10.The general assembly of the United Nations and the weak nations of the world have found no way for applying the laws, international or otherwise, against powerful leaders of powerful countries who are clearly involved in international crimes.

11. The UN and the international community have failed.

12. The world should not accept this failure. Somehow some punishment should be meted to countries and leaders guilty of international crimes. Their deeds must be put before a court of law and the verdict pronounced, After that the world body would be informed as will the different agencies concerned with the maintenance of world peace.

13. This is the age of the NGOs, the Non-Governmental Organisations. Like it or not the Government must recognise the NGOs seriously and consider their views.

14. The Tribunal set up by the people is an NGO. It behoves Government and international institutions like the UN to take srious note of the Tribunal as an international NGO.

15. The general public also should take note of the verdict of the Tribunal. Otherwise they will, in one way or another, be honouring criminals, international criminals.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

DEMOCRACY AND OLIGARCHY


1. America and Europe are the great proponents of Democracy. It is the greatest system of Government. It will make countries great. Democracy guarantees there will be no oppression of the citizens (oppressing and killing other people is okay of course).

2. But now they have demanded that Italy be governed by an unelected Government of technocrats headed by Mario Monti, an economist.

3. So democracy is not the panacea for all political and economic problems. So the will of the majority cannot always be permitted to wield power. In the end democracy has to depend on oligarchy to rescue it from the capitalist abuses.

4. But then we know democracy has failed when the European democrats are looking at oligarchic China to help them out in the present financial crisis.

5. Now that the West has realised that democracy is not the perfect system it is touted to be, please stop killing people so as to democratise them.

Friday, November 18, 2011

SEKSUALITI MERDEKA

1. Masyarakat mana-mana pun tahu adanya orang yang dilahirkan dengan jantina tidak menentu. Ada yang memiliki tubuh badan lelaki tetapi bahagian-bahagian tertentu lebih mirip kepada perempuan. Mereka dikenali sebagai pondan atau ponen dan ada yang sebaliknya, iaitu tubuh badan perempuan tetapi mirip lelaki.

2. Mereka diterima oleh masyarakat sejak dahulukala lagi tanpa banyak masalah.

3. Tetapi di Barat, kerana gerakan bagi mendaulatkan kebebasan (freedom), mereka ini digesa untuk menuntut hak supaya diiktiraf sebagai sejenis yang berlainan. Mereka juga manusia dan manusia mesti diberi kebebasan untuk melakukan apa sahaja.

4. Yang menjadi masalah ialah mereka yang tidak ada apa-apa kecacatan tetapi menuntut supaya larangan agama dan undang-undang terhadap perbuatan seks di luar tabii seperti meliwat dihalalkan.

5. Dari sini tuntutan diteruskan untuk bukan sahaja dihalalkan seks songsang tetapi juga perkahwinan sejenis, lelaki dengan lelaki, perempuan dengan perempuan. Akhirnya perlakuan seks dibebaskan di Barat sehingga apa sahaja diterima oleh masyarakat sebagai hak seseorang manusia. Anak perempuan dan anak lelaki belasan tahun pun boleh tidur dengan siapa sahaja, melakukan apa jenis seks sesuka hati mereka. Tidak ada lagi anak dara atau teruna semasa berkahwin.

6. Kita banyak terpengaruh dan menerima pendapat dan nilai hidup serta adat resam Barat. Kita hidup dalam dunia yang berpusat kepada Eropah (Eurocentric). Kita terima sistem pemerintahan demokrasi umpamanya.

7. Tetapi perlukah kita turut dan terima segala-galanya yang dilakukan di Barat? Sebenarnya budaya dan nilai hidup Barat sudah runtuh, runtuh kerana terlangsung taksub dengan kebebasan (freedom). Apa sahaja yang hendak dilakukan oleh seseorang individu tidak boleh dilarang kerana larangan bermakna menidakkan hak asasi individu atau kumpulan.

8. Sesuatu yang dilarang oleh agama memang mempunyai sebabnya. Mungkin kita tidak kenal atau tahu sebabnya. Tetapi kita harus ingat penyakit HIV Aids dahulu tidak ada. Ia mula dikenali dikalangan mereka yang mengamalkan seks songsang di California, Amerika Syarikat, secara pilihan walaupun tidak ada kecacatan apa-apa. Sehingga kini tidak ada ubat yang boleh menyembuh penyakit HIV Aids. Mereka yang mengidap penyakit ini bukan sahaja akan musnahkan diri sendiri tetapi juga isteri, suami dan anak cucu. Mereka tidak akan hidup sempurna.

9. Manusia yang bertamadun tidak menurut nafsu semata-mata. Budaya Barat menggalakkan manusia mengikut nafsu. Kebebasan bagi mereka bermakna apa sahaja yang didorong oleh nafsu tidak boleh ditegah oleh agama atau undang-undang manusia.

10. Sifat ini adalah sifat haiwan. Manusia memiliki akal fikiran. Orang yang bertamadun menggunakan akal fikiran untuk menghalang diri dari terikut-ikut dengan nafsu. Sebabnya nafsu perlu dibendung ialah sesuatu yang tidak baik akan menimpa mereka yang mengikut nafsu. Tamadun yang utamakan nafsu akan runtuh akhirnya.

11. Kita sedang melihat keruntuhan akhlak dalam masyarakat Barat. Sementara agama mereka melarang seks songsang, paderi mereka secara terbuka mengamalkan seks songsang. Mereka ditugaskan untuk mengahwini sepasang lelaki dan perempuan. Apakah maknanya apabila mereka menasihati pasangan itu supaya setia kepada masing-masing. Sesungguhnya institusi perkahwinan dan kekeluargaan sudah luput dalam masyarakat Barat. Ramai daripada mereka tidak tahu siapa bapa mereka. Kemungkinan besar akan berlaku perkahwinan atau hubungan seks antara adik dengan abang, kakak dengan adik, bapa dengan anak, anak dengan ibu.

12. Mereka yang taksub dengan kebebasan akan berkata apa salahnya jika ini berlaku. Percayalah, masyarakat selepas ini akan dipenuhi dengan manusia yang cacat tubuh-badan, cacat akal fikiran dan besar kemungkinan aneka jenis penyakit baru akan menyerang msyarakat itu.

13. Sementara kita akui ada manusia yang jantina mereka tidak jelas, janganlah kerana ingin tidak memencilkan mereka, kita terima amalan Seksualiti Merdeka atau Free Seks dalam masyarakat kita. Amalan ini bukan sahaja berdosa tetapi akan runtuhkan masyarakat kita.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

PELAJARAN SAINS DAN MATEMATIK


1. Saya telah cuba menjelaskan berkali-kali bahawa penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris untuk mengajar sains dan matematik bukan untuk mempelajari Bahasa Inggeris atau memperbaiki penguasaan bahasa itu. Tujuannya ialah untuk menguasai ilmu sains dan matematik.

2. Sains dan matematik (hisab) bukan seperti mata pelajaran lain. Fakta sejarah, geografi, sastera tidak berubah dengan pengaliran masa. Fakta dalam sejarah, geografi dan sastera kekal dan tidak bertukar.

3. Sains sebagai ilmu berkembang melalui penyelidikan dan kajian sepanjang masa. Sains yang saya belajar di sekolah dan di universiti tidak sama dengan sains masa kini. Dahulu tidak ada sains elektronik, komputer sains, sains angkasa lepas, “nano” sains, sains pembedahan dada, sains perubatan stem cell dan berbagai-bagai lagi. Semua ini di kenali dan diperkenal dari masa ke semasa melalui penyelidikan oleh pakar-pakar sains.

4. Mereka merekod dan menulis hasil kajian dan kaji selidik, perkataan dan ciptaan mereka sepanjang masa. Hampir tiap hari dikeluarkan kertas baru yang ditulis oleh penyelidik yang memperkenalkan teori dan discovery baru yang perlu diteliti dan difahami oleh ahli-ahli sains untuk mengemaskini ilmu mereka. Tanpa mengetahui ilmu yang terkini maka pengetahuan dan penggunaan ilmu baru ini tidak boleh dimanfaatkan baik semasa mengajar atau untuk diguna dalam ciptaan dan rekaan produk yang baru.

5. Contohnya telefon. Dahulu dawai menyambung alat telefon dengan operator yang akan menyambung panggilan. Kemudian operator diganti dengan memutar dail yang menyambung panggilan secara otomatik, kemudian disambung melalui radio, kemudian diguna disk dan satelit yang mampu menyambung telefon bimbit terus kepada telefon bimbit di mana sahaja.

6. Kita hanya menjadi pengguna kerana tidak tahu teknologi untuk mencipta dan mengeluar telefon bimbit. Yang tahu hanyalah yang belajar dalam bahasa Inggeris. Sampai bilakah kita hanya akan menjadi pengguna semata-mata. Bolehkah kita jadi bangsa maju bertamadun tinggi selagi kita menjadi bangsa pengguna?

7. Kita akan berkata orang Jepun, Korea, Jerman tidak guna Bahasa Inggeris. Ini tidak benar. Mereka perlu ada ramai yang memahami Bahasa Inggeris untuk membaca kertas-kertas dari penyelidik walaupun untuk memahami perkataan-perkataan baru untuk bahagian-bahagian tertentu supaya dapat memahami fungsi dan mengguna perkataan itu sebelum ditulis dalam bahasa mereka.

8. Mustahil mereka boleh memahami makna sesuatu perkataan atau sesuatu proses atau fungsi jika mereka tidak faham secara menyeluruh ayat bahkan rencana berkenaan. Kita faham perkataan “nano” umpamanya kerana kita faham diskripsi dalam Bahasa Inggeris yang menyebut perkataan “nano”. Jika kita jumpa perkataan ini tanpa konteksnya kita tak mungkin faham apa dianya “nano” dan tak mungkin kita gunanya dalam bahasa kita. Demikian jugalah dengan perkataan-perkataan yang dipinjam dari bahasa-bahasa lain termasuk Bahasa Arab.

9. Orang Arab dahulu mempelajari Bahasa Yunani (Greek) untuk menguasai ilmu yang diterokai oleh orang Greek. Ilmu orang Greek tidak banyak dan akhirnya ilmu mereka diterjemah sepenuhnya kepada Bahasa Arab. Untuk mengalih bahasa mereka perlu faham bahasa Greek.

10. Lepas itu orang Arab menambah kepada ilmu ini melalui kajian mereka dalam bahasa mereka. Dalam jangkamasa seribu tahun, orang Arab berupaya dan dapat membuat kajian dan menambah kepada sains yang diperolehi dari orang Greek dan membukukannya.

11. Kemudian orang Eropah semasa Zaman Gelap (Dark Ages) mempelajari dan menguasai Bahasa Arab untuk mendapat ilmu yang dikumpul, diterokai dan dibukukan oleh Orang Arab. Dengan menguasai ilmu sains Arab maka sains dikembangkan pada mulanya dalam Bahasa Latin, dan kemudian bahasa-bahasa Eropah. Proses ini mengambil masa, walaupun jumlah ilmu yang diperolehi dari orang Arab tidaklah begitu banyak seperti sekarang.

12. Kita berada diperingkat mencari ilmu bangsa lain yang dibukukan dengan begitu banyaknya dalam bahasa mereka. Proses penyelidikan dan catitan atau pembukuan ilmu baru ini berlangsung sepanjang masa. Hampir tiap-tiap ilmu baru diperkenalkan dan kadang-kadang ilmu lama diganti dengan ilmu baru kerana yang lama tidak dapat dipertahankan lojiknya.

13. Hampir semu ilmu baru ini diperkenalkan dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Ia terlalu banyak untuk diterjemah kedalam Bahasa Melayu. Tidak mungkin kita adakan penterjemah yang mencukupi yang fasih dalam Bahasa Melayu, fasih dalam Bahasa Sains Inggeris dan pakar dalam bidang sains berkenaan. Jika ada seorang dua, tak mungkin mereka sanggup menghabiskan hayat mereka menterjemah sains yang datang dlam bahasa Inggeris.

14. Sebenarnya universiti-universiti di kebanyakkan negara mengguna buku teks Inggeris untuk pembelajaran perubatan. Sebabnya ialah oleh kerana sukar mendapat buku teks sains diperingkat tinggi dalam bahasa mereka sendiri.

15. Untuk melancar sebuah kapal angkasa dari daratan supaya bertemu dengan Stesen Angkasa Antarabangsa (ISS) memerlukan perkiraan dan perhitungan yang amat kompleks. Ini disebabkan dunia yang menjadi tempat melancar sedang berpusing mengikut axis (paksi) utara selatan dalam 24 jam. Tempat pelancaran ada kalanya siang dan ada kalanya malam. Dimasa yang sama axis itu juga bergerak mengikut musim. Juga dunia sedang bergerak mengeliling matahari.

16. Stesen angkasa juga bergerak dengan pantas supaya lokasinya tetap relatif dunia. Demikian juga kapal angkasa perlu dilancar naik mengikut satu trajectory yang serong dengan kelajuan tertentu supaya dapat bertemu dengan stesen angkasa pada jam, hari dan saat tertentu. Jika tidak bertemu kerana perkiraan tersilap, kapal dan anak kapal akan hilang di angkasa.

17. Semua perkiraan ini memerlukan kecekapan dalam bidang algorithm. Siapakah diantara kita yang menguasai ilmu ini tanpa menguasai bahasa Inggeris yang mampu membuat perkiraan ini?

18. Pelajaran bukan hanya bertujuan menjadi fasih dalam bahasa pengantar – baik Bahasa Melayu mahupun Bahasa Inggeris. Pelajaran adalah untuk memperoleh dan menguasai ilmu. Hanya bangsa yang berilmu sahaja yang akan mendiri tamaddun yang tinggi.

Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa

Ilmu Menegak Bangsa

Friday, November 11, 2011

THE FAILED COUNTRIES


1. At the beginning of America’s war on terror, President Bush categorised several developing countries as failed countries.

2. I wonder whether Bush thinks a country like Greece, which is totally incapable of paying its debts after irresponsible financial management, is a successful country.

3. The debt of Greece has not only destroyed the country but it has dragged down all the European countries as well. Such is the disaster brought on by Greece’s impecunious ways that Europe is threatened with the possibility of financial collapse. So far the great economic and financial minds of Europe have not found any real solution. Instead there is the possibility that the failure would spread to Italy, Spain and Portugal.

4. Why has this happened to Europe? To find the answer one has to look into the European economic history, to look at how the European countries became so rich.

5. In the days of European imperialism, only Europe could make use of their engineering and technological skills to export manufactured goods to the rest of the world.

6. Feeling secure that they would be able to sustain this superiority in industry and trade and often benefitting from cheap raw material from their colonies and captive imperial markets, they allowed wages and profits to spiral up. Accordingly their GDP and per capita appeared to be high and they enjoyed ever higher standards of living. They classify their countries as developed.

7. Democracy and socialism forced the introduction of all kinds of social benefits. They acceded to demands for less work and more pay. They introduced pension schemes, paid leaves and holidays, double and quadruple pay for overtime, costly medical benefits and unemployment benefits. Very early workers were given the right to form unions and to strike. These were to prevent exploitation. But the rights were abused so that the remunerations and perks demanded had nothing to do with being exploited.

8. Soon the demand for higher remunerations and perks spread to the higher grades of workers and then to the executives. Bonuses for all were no longer related to profits made. They became actually delayed salaries, paid half-yearly or yearly.

9. The top executives were given stock options, bonuses exceeding their yearly pay, cars, houses and numerous allowances including golden handshakes even when they failed.

10. Naturally all these cause all their products and services to become very costly. With this comes an increasingly higher cost of living. Wages and perks were revised every now and again. With each round of wages and perks increase, there would be increased cost of living which in turn lead to demands for more increase in wages and perks.

11. All these would have gone on indefinitely but for the emergence of new industrial countries in the East. Japan, followed by Korea and then China industrialised and their low-cost high quality products pushed practically all the manufactured goods of the West off the shelf.

12. Threatened with the possibility of lower standard of living they created a financial market. Non-tangible products were invented for them to speculate and gamble. And they or at least the moneyed people and the game-theory experts made considerable amounts of money. With this no more capital was invested in the real business of producing goods and supplying services.

13. Then, they became very greedy. They started creating money to finance their gambling. To cut a long story short, the bubble burst. They lost all their money. Unable to go back to doing real business, to producing goods and supplying services, they began to fiddle with the monetary and banking systems.

14. They succeeded with Iceland and Ireland. But Greece proves intractable. This country enjoyed high life on borrowed money. Less work, more pay and more social benefits ate into Government revenue. Unwilling to face the wrath of the people the Government borrowed to finance the national budget. Unable to pay or service debts the lenders refused to give any more loans.

15. Actually the country became bankrupt. There is no way for the country to become solvent again. Its bankruptcy would in turn bankrupt European banks. This would be disastrous for Europe.

16. Basically the countries of Europe have failed. Their claim to be the showpiece of capitalism and democracy becomes hollow after they are forced to look at socialist undemocratic China for help.

17. But all efforts will fail unless they admit that they, like the developing countries, are poor. Poor people must live like poor people. Their bonuses, share options, perks, high pay and less work creed etc must be given up. The gambling in the financial market must also be stopped.

18. They have to go back to working, to producing goods and supplying service with lowered wages. They must sell off most of their assets (Greece is trying to do this now). But industrial discipline would be needed for foreign investors to buy the assets and run them.

19. Printing money and writing cheques will not help. They must cease to be in denial. They must admit they have failed, their creed and their systems have failed.

20. Many developing countries have failed. But many European countries including the United States of America have also failed.

Monday, October 31, 2011

ASEAN BUSINESSMEN

*Saya dan isteri mengucapkan Selamat Menyambut Hari Raya Aidiladha kepada semua rakyat Malaysia, khususnya kepada jemaah Haji kita di Tanah Suci, semoga mendapat Haji yang Mabrur dan selamat kembali ke tanah air. Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha*


1. Asean businessmen wants to know about the European Union and the Eurozone and the financial crisis plaguing them.

2. For this they invited Tony Blair – the failed Prime Minister of Britain. Blair is the least educated about Europe and its management.

3. What he did as PM of the United Kingdom was to trot at the heels of President Bush. When Bush lied, he came up with an even more amazing lie. He claimed that Iraq could attack Britain with missiles etc within 45-minutes, using weapons of mass destruction which he declared Iraq had.

4. To prevent this attack Britain must, together with the United States, attack Iraq in a pre-emptive war.

5. Then after occupying Iraq and searching for weapons of mass destruction, none were discovered.

6. Unfazed Blair declared that the attack on Iraq was to remove “dictator” Saddam Hussein.

7. After he was removed as PM, the British set up a Commission to go into the misdeeds of Blair. The British regarded Blair as the worst PM of Britain. They made it clear he was a liar. His lies resulted in British soldiers being killed and wounded. (That a hundred thousand plus of innocent Iraqis were also killed is of course acceptable).

8. This liar is apparently looked upon by Asean businessmen as a sage, as a man whose words must be listened to in order to understand the problems faced by the EU.

9. The only thing they can learn from the liar Blair is how to lie. This man is guilty of war crimes, of mass murder. He should be tried and punished. And businessmen should not learn how to lie.

Friday, October 28, 2011

THE TRAGEDY OF LIBYA


1. One is always shocked when someone one knows suffers a tragic end. Maybe for the enemies of Gaddafi, he deserves what he got. But that does not lessen my sadness over the manner of his demise.

2. As Prime Minister I met Gaddafi several times. He was always hospitable. Much of my time with him was spent in answering questions explaining about Malaysia. He seemed to want to learn about developing a country. I believe he wanted to do the same for Libya.

3. In his early years he had plans for improving the lives of the Libyans. He, it was, who initiated the irrigation of the fertile coastal areas through building the great artificial river. A Korean contractor undertook the job, building a huge pipeline to carry underground water from the distant interior to huge tank storage farms and then to irrigate the land.

4. I was much impressed by this project. Obviously he cared enough for his country and people to do this. But beyond that nothing much was done. Despite huge revenues from oil exports the country remained poorly developed. The people were relatively poor for a country with huge oil reserves.

5. The Western press reported about his alleged cruelty against his detractors and enemies. But I have always been leery of the Western press. According to them I am also a great dictator who imprisoned hundreds of my political enemies. I know this is not true. And so I discounted much of the western press reports about Gaddafi.

6. But he was certainly deficient in understanding the purpose of Government. He had no real plan for developing his country and prospering his people. He did not travel much to see how the other countries were developing. But his house where my wife and I had lunch with him and his wife was no palace. It was not even luxurious.

7. Most of the time he was reclusive and after the western attempt to kill him, he feared for his life. He met visitors in a tent in a walled compound.

8. I do not know about the cruelties perpetrated by him or his people. During his retreat recently I did not read about his prisoners being liberated or mass graves of the victims of his cruelty. Maybe these will be discovered later.

9. In war cruelty is to be expected. In fact war legitimises cruelty, including killings. Still to see the cruelty, the killing inflicted on someone you know, shocks and saddens you.

10. I am saddened by the killing of Gaddafi. He should be arrested and tried for his crime. But I know that is not the way today. Osama bin Laden was also executed by the United States’ soldiers. There are contracts made by “civilised democratic” Governments on several people as there were in the past I fear the fate of Gaddafi will befall others who fail to see the writing on the wall. The powerful, with vested interest in a regime change will ensure that this will happen. They have much to gain.

11. I hope and pray that Libya will get a good Government after this, headed by leaders who truly believe in good Government, who will be prepared to lose in clean elections which will not be manipulated.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

BUSINESS ASEAN

1. One learns from the successful. One cannot learn much from the failures except to know what not to do, and to reject their creed and methods. Certainly one should not learn how to be successful from cheats, from liars, from people who are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands through their incompetence and willingness to lie.

2. It would seem however that there are people in the Asean countries who are willing to pay good money for the dubious privilege of getting advice from a person who is a known liar, responsible for leading his country into a futile war, and has openly been rejected by his own people.

3. Congratulations.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

USE OF ELECTRICITY

1. Today the consumption of electricity is increasing at a rapid rate. We are spending a lot of money on building new power plants. We need them of course. We need the light and the power which electricity provides us. We cannot do without electricity.

2. Many people are however complaining about their electricity bill. It makes a big hole in their pockets.

3. Because of this researchers have worked hard to lower the cost of electricity without sacrificing the brightness that we have come to think is indispensable.

4. Recently I was shown new lighting systems which can save more than half our electricity bill without sacrificing our partiality towards bright lights.

5. We are already familiar with the light emitting diode or LED in our cars and televisions. Now the LED can be used for household lighting, for lighting of buildings and stadiums and for street lighting.

6. LED consumes less than half the electricity needed for the same brightness from the conventional incandescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes. Unlike fluorescent tubes LED light need noballast and the light comes on instantly upon switching on.

7. Supposing all our streets and roads are lit up with these energy saving system we would be saving millions of Ringgits. Actually it has been installed in Langkawi and Karak highway. If all the streets in Malaysia are lit this way, and also all our houses and offices we can do away with some of our power plants. At the very least we need not build too many more.

8. That will be a plan for the nation. But for individual consumers the bill would be much smaller, maybe as low as half the present bill.

9. Besides lighting, there are now air-conditioners and refrigerators which consume less power. These too can reduce electricity bills for householders and restaurants.

10. However the cost of changing to this new system would be higher than the cost of the old system. This makes people reluctant to switch to the new system. On the other hand the savings from the reduced consumption of electricity would, in maybe three years time, cover the extra cost. Since the system can last much longer than three years the user would enjoy quite a lot of savings.

11. The power company may not feel happy at receiving less money for the sale of electricity.

12. For a time the installed capacity would not be fully utilised. But consumption would still grow and eventually the capacity would be fully utilised.

13. What this means is that the power company need not invest in new plants. This would constitute a savings for the power company.

14. The real gainers would be the suppliers of the new energy efficient system and the big users. The nation too would gain.


Friday, October 7, 2011

QE II


1. No. QE II is not short for Queen Elizabeth II. Nor is it about the great cruise ship QE II.

2. It is about Quantitative Easing II, i.e. quantitative easing for the second time.

3. What is quantitative easing? It is about printing and issuing money to overcome a financial problem. Lately Britain has printed 75 billion pounds to help distressed banks and others.

4. It is very innovative. And very easy. When you lose money just print the replacement. If Malaysia had done a Q.E. during the Asian Currency Crisis, what would the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the financial and monetary experts say?

5. We would be condemned. We would be told that the Malaysian economy would collapse. They would make dark predictions about black markets in dollars as the Ringgit would be useless. It would be rejected. It is not money!! etc. etc.

6. But the United States of America did a Quantitative Easing with the printing and issuing of three trillion dollars to help distressed banks and insurance companies. Now Britain is following in the footsteps of elder brother.

7. How nice it would be if our pocket is picked, we are allowed to print some money to replace what is lost. But of course we cannot. Even our country cannot, although our central bank, unlike the Federal Reserve Bank of America, is Government owned.

8. We were told that the best way to handle a financial crisis was to let our banks and businesses go bankrupt. How that would help I do not know. What I could see were people being thrown out of jobs and any number of social problems. But that was the “conventional wisdom”. Why are the great institutions not advising Western Governments to let businesses go bankrupt?

9. Ah! But they did. Lehman Brothers was allowed to go bankrupt. Did it solve the financial crisis? No. As far as I can tell the crisis simply got worse and refused to go away.

10. They resorted to all the things they told us not to do when our financial situation was in a tailspin as the currency traders devalued the Ringgit. They bailed out failed companies and banks with huge sums of money, they stop short selling, they talk of controlling the currency traders, etc. etc.

11. We recovered by doing the forbidden. But they have not recovered. My feeling as an economic and financial ignoramus is that they are not going to recover any time soon. They will not recover because they are still in a state of denial. They still believe they are rich, as rich as before they plunged into the crisis. And believing that they can somehow continue to remain rich, they are unable to behave like poor people.

12. So they have not stopped spending. They are ever prepared to go to war, to produce costly weapons, to do research on more killing machines, to maintain military bases all over the world, operate huge fleets of war ships and military aircraft, updating them etc. etc. They must keep up the big power wealthy country image even if their people have no jobs, riot and protest.

13. The great financial crisis will be with us for a long time. Even when it is resolved the aftermath will see slow recovery for the giants of the west. They will find difficulties in returning to doing real business of producing goods, providing services and trading.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

SUPPORTING MH/AK

1. I have been asked why I support bringing MAS and Air Asia together. Don’t I know that it is a bad deal; that MAS has been cheated by Air Asia?

2. I support MAS/Air Asia cooperation because for years now I have been fed-up with the management of MAS. Government had supported MAS with funds and protection but MAS had never done well.

3. Air Asia is a newcomer but it has managed to sustain itself. Despite giving free seats and cheap fares it is still surviving. And it is apparently making some profits. By right it should close down by now. That it is still around must be because its management knows something that I don’t know.

4. I visited the head office of Air Asia and I flew Air Asia to London and I understand a little how Air Asia operates.

5. Let us take one example. Air Asia Airbus A340 flew into Stanstead, England, with a full load of passengers and I mean full load. The business class was full.

6. I will not mention the VIP treatment that I got. It is not standard and therefore it should not be cited as an example.

7. But what I noticed about the operation is that having flown for 13 hours non stop KL-London, the aircraft flew back to KL one-and-a-half hours later (with a different crew of course).

8. But MAS aircrafts stay on the ground in Heathrow for at least 12 hours. On some routes the air crew would stay in hotels for four days before flying back.

9. When airlines stay on the ground they will not help earn income for the company. Instead they have to pay ground parking charges. Commercial aircrafts should be flying most of the time. Then and then only will they earn money for airlines. And air crews should fly after the statutory rest requirement. Can it be that four days rest is required to certify that crews are fit to fly.

10. This is just one example of not so good management. MAS has a huge staff but Air Asia make-do with a very much smaller staff. They engage in multi-tasking. In fact Air Asia does everything possible to minimise overheads. It would be interesting to compare MAS’ overheads per aircraft against that of Air Asia.

11. Long ago I told a very senior man in MAS to learn from Air Asia its operations and how to cut cost. I don’t know whether he did.

12. When I was told by Azman Mokhtar that MAS was looking into ways of working together with Air Asia, I did not object. In fact I welcome the proposal.

13. How the co-operation is to be carried out was not told to me. That is up to the parties concerned. All I wanted to see is Air Asia’s management playing a role, indirectly or directly in the management of MAS. I believe Air Asia can contribute in this area i.e. unless MAS is not prepared to learn from a “cheap” airline. That would be a tragedy.

14. I hope I have made clear why I support MAS and Air Asia working together.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

RADIATION


1. When X-Ray was first discovered it was used extensively in medicine. X-Rays were taken of the human body to detect diseases. Medical assistants and doctors operate X-Ray machines quite oblivious to the dangers from radiation.

2. After many years it was found that X-Rays cause certain diseases and affect fertility. Now when an X-Ray is taken, the radiologists stay outside the X-Ray room.

3. But we still use the X-Ray on patients because the effect of radiation is only felt when exposure is continuous or very frequent as with the staff in the X-Ray room. I was X-rayed many times during treatment for my heart and lungs.

4. I am against nuclear power plants because nuclear material once activated cannot be reversed. The nuclear wastes keep on radiating harmful rays for a million years. There is no really safe way to dispose them.

5. During the time when I was PM, we had problems with activated tin mining waste or amang, used for colour TV. We had to bury the waste in thick concrete deep in the ground. Now colour TV use plasma or LED and they produce practically no radiation.

6. However, there is now no more radiation at the site where the activated amang was buried. It is now safe to live on the site.

7. Chernobyl is near the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

8. Although the Chernobyl nuclear plant is still dangerous, Kiev is quite safe from the radiation emanating from the damaged nuclear power plant. The level of radiation is very low.

9. There was fear of Tokyo being affected by the accident to the Fukushima nuclear plant. But the radiation level in Tokyo is reported to be quite insignificant. Tokyo is safe.

10. Clearly the danger from radiation is dependant on the intensity of the rays and the duration of exposure. We are all exposed to some radiation from the sun, but it is not harmful.

11. The question is whether the Lynas plant for processing rare earth is a dangerous source of radiation. There are such plants in many countries where rare earth is processed for use in batteries and magnets. There have been no reports of radiation affecting the health of the workers or the people living in close proximity.

12. The proposed Lynas plant has been inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the world authority on nuclear material. They have not reported that Lynas is a dangerous project.

13. But protests are still going on. The only conclusion one can make is that the protests are political. No matter how many investigations and studies are made the protest will go on. It is not about danger to health. It is about defeating the Government in the coming election.

14. We should be careful with radioactive material. But we should not allow political activists and non-genuine environmentalists deprive us of the economic benefits rare-earth offer through unsubstantiated scare stories.

15. Although I am still not in favour of nuclear power plants, I have nothing against the Lynas project. The Government should not be afraid to let the project to go ahead.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

ADVICE UNSOLICITED

1. An online news portal recently reported the Mufti of Perak, Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria, said in a forum that he advised me not to take action against Anwar Ibrahim because I had no witness and I might lose the case.

2. I am sorry but I cannot recall him giving me such advise, not personally or even in public occasions when I met him.

3. I had been convinced by witnesses, but, if by witness the good Mufti meant four sinless people actually seeing the deed, as required in Shariah court, I admit I did not have.

4. The court case was initiated by the officers responsible, not by me. But supposing no court action was taken, how do I explain why Anwar had to be sacked because he was unsuitable to succeed me as Prime Minister?

5. If I drop him, and I had no choice but to drop him because of his immorality, how do I explain to people? The accusation against me would be that it was political.

6. If I said that he was immoral and therefore I had to drop him, people would want to know about the case. Anwar would certainly sue me if I said that be committed sodomy. He would hold rallies all over the country to claim that it was all a conspiracy, a plot to stop him from becoming Prime Minister. Even when the court decided that he was guilty he was still able to convince people that it was all a conspiracy.

7. Even if the Mufti did advise me, and I deny that he did, I would not be able to take that kind of advice. I would be covering up. Let the court decide. Even the special hearing for his appeal after he was found guilty by the courts concluded that he did indulge in sodomy, but not on the day and date alleged by the prosecution.

8. The third judge in that hearing validated the findings of the three courts which heard his case.

9. The learned Mufti may be prepared to accept an immoral person to become the Prime Minister of Malaysia. I am sorry but I hold my responsibility as anamanah, a trust, and I never can be prepared to accept an immoral Prime Minister.

10. I would have ignored the claim by the Mufti that he advised me. But the report is in in the online news portal and that has political implications unfavourable towards me.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

9/11 2001


1. I had written in this blog that the attack against the New York World Trade Centre and the Pentagon on 9/11 2001 was not by Muslim terrorist. It could have been by other groups.

2. In the Star of Friday 2nd September, a report by AFP, date-lined New York has this to say:
“For some Americans, the deaths of nearly 3000 people was not the scariest thing about 9/11. It was realising who carried out the attack: yes, the American Government.”

3. I believe Arab Muslims are angry enough to sacrifice their lives and become suicide bombers. But they or their handlers do not strike me as capable of planning and strategising such attacks so as to maximise the damage to the enemy.

4. More often they would kill other Arabs who may be quite innocent. Frequent targets are mosques at prayer time.

5. But consider the attack on 9/11. The planning must have taken a considerable length of time. The candidates had to learn to fly in tiny aircrafts. Unless they were already airline pilots familiar with big passenger aircraft, their pupil pilot licenses would not be of much help to fly the four aircrafts to their targets which were not an the route of the planes.

6. Planning to hijack four aircrafts simultaneously would require great precision in timing and logistics. One aircraft maybe. But four simultaneously!! I don’t think Arab terrorists from Saudi Arabia can carry out this highly sophisticated operation with such success.

7. Then there was the collapse of the two towers hit by the aircrafts. They came down nicely upon themselves without toppling against the other buildings close by. It looks more like planned demolition of buildings than collapse consequent upon being hit by aircrafts.

8. But a third building also collapsed in the same fashion although it was not hit by any aircraft or by the collapsing twin towers. What is the explanation for this untouched building collapsing upon itself and not damaging other buildings nearby?

9. Then there is the total disappearance of the aircraft which hit the Pentagon building. There was no debris of any kind, no broken parts of the aircraft, no black box, and no human bodies flung into the surroundings. Is it possible for an aircraft to vaporise totally after a crash?

10. And the fourth aircraft which was supposed to have crashed in an open field. Again no sign of any debris. No big crater. Did it vaporise into nothingness also. Did the innocent passengers also vaporise?

11. The American press is great at reporting incidents. They will give full coverage, with great pictures sketches and detailed descriptions. For months they would publish stories with revealing photographs. They would interview the relatives of the passengers who died in the crashes. But the American press was strangely silent about 9/11.

12. It is now the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Bush lied about Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction. As a result hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, Afghans and a few thousand of young American soldiers died, thousands more are wounded, maimed for life, suffering mental breakdowns. Two countries have been devastated and fratricidal wars have become endemic. And still no democracy.

13. This is the legacy of George W. Bush. If they can lie so as to kill Iraqis, Afghans and American soldiers, it is not unthinkable for Bush & Co. to lie about who was responsible for 9/11. Human lives do not seem to mean much to Bush!!
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