CONTAINING COVID-19

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 

1. By now everyone should know that the best way to reduce the number of new cases of infection by COVID-19 is to inject vaccines. It does not matter which vaccine, whether Western, Russian or Chinese. Vaccination has reduced the number of new cases in the UK, US and apparently in China.

2. But in Malaysia, so far only 3% of the 32 million people have been vaccinated. It is 40% in the US, a much more populous country.

3. People want to be vaccinated. Yes, there are those who believe in coconut water or that vaccination kills. But there are lots and lots of people who are anxious to be vaccinated.

4. But the process is tedious. You have to make online registration. You have to go to the small number of centres for vaccination.

5. Old people in the kampung may not have mobile phones, may not know how to register online, may not have good transport, may be unwell, etc. So if they cannot go to the vaccine centres why not bring the vaccines to them.

6. I have seen pictures on TV of people driving cars being vaccinated, while still sitting in the driver’s seat. It must have speeded things up. So send the teams to the people. Don’t wait for them to come.

7. The Government has the power to seize property under the emergency. There are properties to be seized for use as a vaccination centre. In Langkawi we have the huge LIMA exhibition centre and several hotels which are empty. Seize them and add more vaccine centres.

8. Malaysia has more public dewan, than any country in the world. Also we have more hospitals, public and private, where there would be space to convert to temporary vaccination centres.

9. Good to reduce the passengers on train but when trips are also reduced the trains are crowded.

10. The Government should stop its monopoly of import of vaccines. Let registered pharmaceutical companies import the vaccines and let them do the vaccination. There are responsible companies which will not cheat. Records should be kept of course. The important thing is to increase by many times the rate of vaccination.

11. The need to vaccinate is urgent. Forget politics. You are killing people by being dilatory. You will not be popular for that.

12. With new cases at 9000 per day there will be not enough beds and other apparatus. People are being sent home and some of them have died. More will die. No matter how you speed up vaccination, the number of new cases will take time to diminish. The reason for easy infection is due to the people not observing social distancing. This is especially so when working, when going to work, when returning and in workers buses. There is no one ensuring that the people stay far apart.

13. Please Government, please do not let so many be killed.

The Sputnik

14. No. It is not the space craft. It is the Russian vaccine. It is used in Russia and in many countries. Germany has approved it. And I believe reputable medical journals have approved it.

15. Why is Malaysia not using it. The Russians have offered 6 million doses. They have been told to answer 400 questions. We want to know if the monkeys have been saved.

16. We will wait for the 400 answers. A few hundred people may die. But that is okay.

SOP

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 

1. Angka kes baru sudah meningkat. Sejak tiga hari dahulu angka kes baru mencecah lebih dari 7000. Besar kemungkinan jumlah akan meningkat lagi.

2. Peningkatan jumlah ini membuktikan SOP kurang atau tidak berkesan. Tetapi ramai orang yang tidak dijangkiti. Kenapa begitu ramai yang dijangkiti tiap hari tetapi ramai yang tidak dijangkiti atau belum dijangkiti. Mungkin mereka yang mengurus wabak ini tahu.

3. Dua hari sudah semasa saya dalam perjalanan balik dari pejabat saya –Perdana Leadership Foundation (Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana) saya lihat pekerja projek – berada ditepi jalan menunggu bas pekerja.

4. Mereka bercangkung sederet. Lebih kurang dua puluh orang beratur. Yang ternampak jelas ialah mereka tidak amal jarak sosial. Boleh dikatakan tidak sedikit pun pemisahan antara mereka disepanjang jalan. Ada yang pakai pelitup ke bawah dagu dan mungkin juga satu dua tak pakai pelitup langsung.

5. Saya tak fikir mereka sudah disuntik. Tetapi yang jelas ialah mereka tidak ikut SOP. Cara mereka dekat diri antara mereka tetap memudahkan jangkitan.

6. Saya percaya ditempat-tempat kerja lain pun cara pekerja abaikan SOP tentu begitu.

7. Tidak ternampak tandil atau overseersesama mereka yang boleh menegur cara SOP mereka.

8. SOP memang baik tetapi cara SOP diamal oleh pekerja-pekerja dan orang ramai juga tidak seperti dikehendaki. Jangkitan memang mudah.

9. Di masjid kita memang menjauhkan diri semasa sembahyang. Tetapi lepas sembahyang jemaah tidak jauhkan diri di antara mereka. Semasa keluar dari masjid, seperti biasa mereka mendekat diri antara mereka.

10. Saya berpendapat pihak polis dan frontliners lain perlu tentukan jarak sosial diamal dengan baik.

11. Memandang bahawa virus ini boleh ditiup angin, adalah lebih baik jarak perpisahan sejauh dua meter.

12. Semasa bekerja, pekerja tidak mengikut jarak antara mereka. Demikian juga ditempat beli belah.

13. Ekonomi akan merosot kerana lockdowntetapi lebih baik kemerosotan ekonomi dari kematian.

14. Saya tak hendak komen bagaimana darurat berkesan dalam pengawalan wabak COVID-19.

DARURAT

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 

1. Ternampak jelas darurat tidak berjaya mengurang wabak COVID-19. Dari 2,000 sehari di waktu darurat diisytihar, jumlah kes baharu sudah meningkat kepada hampir 7,000.

2. Hasil sebenar yang jelas dari darurat ialah kedudukan Perdana Menteri tidak boleh dicabar dan kuasa Perdana Menteri mengatasi Perlembagaan Negara dan semua undang-undang.

3. Namun dengan kuasa tanpa had ini, bukan sahaja wabak COVID-19 tidak dapat dikawal tetapi keadaan ekonomi, politik, dan sosial menjadi lebih teruk lagi. Angka prestasi ekonomi dikatakan lebih baik dari sebelum wabak, tetapi rakyat tidak sedikit pun merasai kebaikan ini.

4. Kononnya sebanyak Ringgit 600 billion sudah dibelanja oleh Kerajaan dalam masa hanya lima bulan. Tetapi di mana pergi duit ratusan billion ini. Bukan mudah untuk belanja duit sebanyak ini. Beli vaksin ke? Tak akan habis 600 billion beli vaksin. Apa harga vaksin? Siapa yang membeli? Kenapa sedikit sangat yang sudah diterima?

5. Lockdown seluruh negara memang mengundang masalah ekonomi dan sosial. Penjual makanan tetap tidak dapat berniaga. Apa kata jikalau mereka diupah sebagai tukang masak public kitchen. Kita perlu bekal rakyat yang dikurung dengan makanan.

6. Sebenarnya di U.K. hanya suntikan sekali sahaja vaksin AstraZeneca sudah dapat kurangkan kes baru sebanyak 70%.

7. Di Amerika 128 million orang sudah disuntik dan angka kes baru amat kurang. Jika benarlah suntikan menyebabkan kematian ramai, dari 128 million yang disuntik tentulah ratusan ribu yang maut. Dapatkah disembunyi jenazah yang begini banyak. Nak simpan di mana.

8. Mereka yang suruh minum air kelapa untuk selamat diri sebenarnya mengkhianati masyarakat. Merekalah yang ingin lihat ramai mati kerana tidak disuntik.

9. Sebenarnya cara terbaik untuk selamat diri dari jangkitan selain dari suntikan vaksin ialah dengan menjauhkan diri dari orang lain. Lebih dari satu meter lebih baik. Kalau perlu kerja, jauhkan diri dari pekerja lain. Bukan sahaja semasa bekerja atau sembahyang tetapi juga semasa berjalan pergi balik ke tempat kerja.

10. Menjauhkan diri dari orang lain menjadi penting kerana virus ini boleh airborne – ditiup angin. Memang susah. Tetapi tidak ada jalan yang senang melawan COVID-19.

11. Mereka yang tidak dijangkiti hingga kini ialah mereka yang amal SOP dengan baik. Tetapi mereka yang berkuasa hendaklah tentukan SOP diamal dengan baik oleh semua. Menentu SOP dipatuhi lebih baik dari mengena denda yang tidak dapat dibayar oleh orang yang sudah miskin kerana tidak dapat bekerja dan berniaga.

12. Inilah sebabnya Kerajaan perlu sediakan makanan untuk mereka yang kebuluran kerana COVID-19.

13. Jika Kerajaan punyai wang, gunakan untuk lawan COVID-19. Membekal makanan, upah untuk tukang masak memerlu peruntukan yang tinggi. Tetapi berbaloi. Tak payahlah kontrak-kontrak diberi di waktu ini.

14. Lockdown tetap akan jejaskan ekonomi. Kita tidak ada pilihan. Ekonomi yang rosak boleh diperbaiki. Kematian kerana COVID-19 tidak ada pemulihan.

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 

1. Whatever may be the cause of the present flare-up of the pandemic, what must be accepted is that dealing with it, attempting to reduce the number of new cases will cost a lot of money.

2. This pandemic is peculiar because it prevents normal work from being done. It requires people to distance themselves from each other. The necessary lockdown means no income and for many no food even. Yet the lockdown is perhaps the only way to prevent exposure to the virus and infection. And infection may mean death.

3. When we first experienced the attack, the whole country had to accept total movement control. There were no cars on the streets and no pedestrian. After one month we congratulated ourselves on the success of the measure. New cases numbered in two digits and death did not exceeds ten.

4. We became over confident. We believed we know how to manage the pandemic. And we held elections in Sabah. And since then, we have seen increases in the number of cases to frightening levels. At the peak there were more than 6,000 a day (May 19, 2021).

5. We did not learn anything. The month of Ramadan is the month of bazaars. Everybody enjoy the bazaars. Certainly many regard the bazaars as a means to make extra incomes. And the Muslims love the food that go on sale at the bazaars.

6. I suppose the Government did not want to be unpopular by banning the bazaars. The Government must know that the crowds would be uncontrollable. And sure, enough as soon as the bazaars open, the cases increased. From under 2000, the daily new cases shot up to more than 4000 a day. Panicked the bazaars were suddenly banned.

7. It was a good example of flipflop that the people cannot accept. The food hawkers had bought the ingredients for their products for the whole month. Now they would lose all their money as there is no way for them to recover their capital.

8. Whatever may be the immediate cause of the spike the urgent need is still to reduce the number of new cases. We are definitely going to be short of bed, apparatus and even oxygen if the number doubles.

9. It is right to reintroduce the Movement Control Order (MCO). But now we are much less strict in doing so. We need to confine people to their homes. There should not be any excuse for crowds to form. Staying apart must be applied even among the frontliners.

10. Confining people at home means they will have no money and no food.

11. The Government must accept the responsibility of keeping people alive. For food there should be public kitchens where food is prepared, packaged and delivered to the homes.

12. It is important that the quarantined people should not come out to collect the food at the kitchens. This will cause crowds to gather. Couriers should be recruited to deliver the food to the houses. There should be no contact between the delivery boys and the householders.

13. Hotel kitchens should be utilised to prepare and package the food. The home quarantine should be for at least one month. The police and the military should be very strict in ensuring the people don’t come out to shop or do anything.

14. The cost must be borne by the Government. It will be costly but the Government must do it.

15. Vaccination must be speeded up. We should accept whatever vaccine that had been used in other countries extensively. A special effort must be made to get kampung people to be vaccinated.

16. Masks must be worn, and hands washed all the time. Frequent tests should be carried out to ensure all infected people are identified and quarantined.

17. In many countries even the first jab of vaccines can help reduce the number of new cases. But even those who had the vaccines need to be tested again and again.

18. The Government claims it has finished more than 600 billion Ringgit in the fight against the pandemic. If so we should have the capacity to deal with the pandemic. But obviously we have not. We must know why. 600 billion Ringgit is a lot of money. It is not easy to spend that money in such a short space of time.

19. We have to be serious about the fight against COVID-19. If not we are going to see a lot of people die who could have been saved.

ACCOUNTING

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 

** This article was published in THE EDGE DAILY , May 10, 2021

1. Business people know well that keeping accounts when doing business is essential. It is the only way to know whether you are profitable or losing money.

2. When I was a boy, I was familiar with Malay padi farmers. They were friends of my mother. Off and on I would go to stay with the farmer’s family in Teluk Chengai. I and my brother had to walk on the muddy track, crossing little creeks on bridges of coconut tree trunks.

3. At night we would set short fishing rods along the bunds. Then next morning some of the rods had fresh water fish struggling after having swallowed the bait of little frogs.

4. The family was very poor. They had only about an acre of land to grow paddy. When I asked them how much they made in one year, they were unable to tell me. They clearly did not know how much they made.

5. I did not ask but it became obvious to me that they kept no records of any kind. Certainly, they had no account of their padi business. They seem to think that the whole of their harvest was their profit. They did not know how much effort and money they had put in to get their harvest.

6. I believe that this is the weakness among Malays when they do business of any kind. They keep no record of their costs and the returns they get.

7. Maybe things have changed now. But I suspect that many Malay small businesses keep no record of what they spend and what they make from their business.

8. I would like to suggest that elementary accounting be taught at all levels in the schools. In fact, if we can, even at the kindergarten level.

9. They need not learn anything complex. All they need is to record their expenditure on their business and their incomes. They might also add the value of the labour they themselves contribute. The items which should be included in their record of expenditure must be detailed in the lessons. And of course, the money that they earn in the course of doing business must be recorded.

10. Every month they should record the balance so as to bear in mind how well they are doing. Obviously if the monthly record shows their expenditure is more than their income, they should try to find out why. If the money is diverted to other things unrelated to the business, they should stop the practice.

11. It is well known that new entrepreneurs who had borrowed money often spend a portion of the loan on cars and briefcases. Others spend the money on entertainments and treating friends. Sometimes as much as 50% of the loan is used for non-business affairs.

12. What this means is that the interest that has to be paid for the 50% invested would be doubled. Doing business with 50% of the loan, to make money to pay on 100% of the borrowed would be extremely difficult if not impossible. And so the business fails.

13. Many Malays are from families whose parents are wage earners. The children are given pocket money to spend. How the money is earned is of no concern to the children. The money is always there.

14. This develops in the children a comfortable feeling. Money will always be there. This attitude is not good in adult life when money needs to be earned. And invariably the amount earned is not enough when money is spent without caring about what is earned.

15. With this attitude invariably the amount spent would exceed the amount earned. This is when resort is made to borrowings including from Along. The end is well known.

16. But if a habit of recording the money earned and spent, the person would become aware when he is overspending. Then he would stop or think hard before spending beyond his means.

17. With this, there will be less problem with money and with the likes of Along.

ISLAMIC EDUCATION

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 

** This article was published in THE EDGE DAILY , May 3, 2021

1. Islam is the official religion of Malaysia. But the Constitution provides for other religions which can be practised freely.

2. Since Islam is the official religion, it is incumbent upon the Malaysian Government to provide Islamic religious education in schools. The idea is to make Muslims knowledgeable of their religion. For those who wish to become Islamic scholars special Islamic schools are provided right up to university level.

3. The curriculum for the religious classes are prepared by the religious scholars. Sometimes they become overzealous and want the students to have deep knowledge of Islam as if they are all going to be religious teachers and ulama’s.

4. Besides this they stress on the compulsory rituals that Muslims must follow. To this they add many rituals which are not compulsory. Some of these may not be in conformity with Islam.

5. The stress on the Islamic way of life is minimal. Yet Muslims like to point out that Islam is not just a religion but is also a way of life. This involve the dos and don’ts, the merit and demerit, the rights and wrongs, the permitted and the forbidden. Together they shape the way of life of the Muslims. If Muslims follow the way of life of Islam they should be successful in life.

6. But as we all know Muslims are not doing well. In Malaysia all Malays are Muslims but the majority of them are poor, not successful in business, and generally in life.

7. Malays are pious. They are seen to be performing their prayers, they fast, they pay zakat (tithes) and they perform the haj. They never neglect to affirm their faith in the one God (Allah) and that Muhammad is His Prophet (messenger).

8. But beyond that what they do in life is not in keeping with the teachings of Islam. If one reads the Quran in a language one understands, (Malay or English) one cannot help but notice that many of the injunctions are not followed by most Malays.

9. Enjoined to regard each other as brothers, we see them deeply divided. They are fond of accusing each other as not being Islamic, not being Muslims even. And politically they fight each other.

10. The Quran forbids Muslims from killing, especially of fellow Muslims. But Malays do get involve in wars fought in the Arab countries.

11. The Quran stresses repeatedly that when you judge you must uphold justice. But there are Malays who disregard justice when they propose that Muslims and non-Muslims be punished differently for the same crimes. For the crime of stealing, they prescribed chopping off the hand for Malays and two-month jail for non-Muslims. Is this just?

12. A woman who has been raped must produce four witnesses or she would be accused of false accusation and punished. Yet in the case of Yusuf and Zulaikha in the Quran, the fact that the shirt of Yusuf was torn at the back was accepted as evidence that it was Zulaikha who was chasing Yusuf even though there were no witnesses.

13. The Quran stresses that you must not cheat in business, that you must be good witness and uphold the truth and be trustworthy.

14. And there are many injunctions and advise in the Quran which would make Muslims good honest people who would be successful in life.

15. If the Malays are unsuccessful in life it is because they don’t follow the injunctions of the Quran. They don’t follow because they are not taught seriously to follow all the injunctions of the Quran or even some of them. They do not follow because normally their parents should teach them. But now both father and mother are working and have little time to raise their children the way advocated by Islam.

16. Since this is no longer possible, the schools must take over the task of instilling in Muslim children the value system of Islam which influences the way of life of Muslims.

17. It is therefore important for the educational authorities to re-examine the curriculum in schools. The best time to instill values is when the children are young. So the teaching of the Islamic values must begin in the kindergarten. Throughout school life the Muslim children must be taught and examined on Islamic values and the way of life of Muslims.

18. The teachers have to be retrained and new textbooks written based on the Quran and the verified hadiths.

19. Just as the early Muslims were able to build the great Islamic civilisation, so will modern Muslims achieve their renaissance and secure Islam, the Muslims, the Muslim nations from being insulted, oppressed and unable to protect themselves as enjoined in the Quran.

20. Malaysia has a chance to reform the teachings of Islam. We should do this now as we still have the capacity. We should teach Islamic values and the Islamic way of life as found in the Quran and the verified hadiths.

21. We must not leave the interpretation of Islam to the teachers alone. Even the great scholars are mere men, and they will be bias in keeping with the version of Islam in their communities.

22. There is only one Quran. It contains the messages of Allah to Muhammad for mankind. Although there are allegories which lend to different interpretations, most of the messages are direct and clear. We cannot go wrong if we follow the clear messages. Thus we cannot misunderstand the injunction for Muslims to regard each other as brothers, nor can we fail to understand that Islam forbids killing a man, be he a Muslim or a non-Muslims.

23. Having read the Quran many times in Malay and English, I feel sure that if Muslims follow the injunctions in the Quran they would uphold peace and brotherhood, avoid wars and be just in the governance of their countries.