TwoSen

FURTHER to my letter that was published as “Revise Komuter timetable” (Oct 1),  in view of the large portions of my original letter having been edited, I feel a need to emphasise that at no time did I intend for it to say that KTMB should revise its timetable. That is highly misleading. I merely offered revision of timetable as an option if shortage of trains is the reason that KTMB is unable to dispatch its trains on time. The main point of my letter is, KTMB does not seem to be doing anything to rectify the situation, thus the same cancellation daily.

Source: The Sun – October 2, 2009

 
I REFER to “Multi-racial hostel” (Sept 29). I am proud when I say that I am a product of a multiracial hostel from 1968 to 1970 (Form 3 to 5) in Tapah, Perak, while studying at the Government English Secondary School.

Looking back, those three years were memorable. Memorable because we were like a big family living together with Malay, Chinese and Indian students.

We had a hostel master and hostel prefects to ensure order and discipline. Study hours in the evenings from 7pm to 10pm were strictly observed.

A sense of brotherhood with no racial flavours prevailed. Breakfast, lunch and dinner (strict timing) were  much looked forward to as we had great cooks.

Source: The Sun – October 2, 2009

 
I REFER to “KTMB needs funds” (Letters, Sept 28). I would like to say that the delays and cancellations of Komuter trains are caused more by inadequate planning.

If shortage of trains is an issue, why not revise the timetable to make it more realistic. Why stick to the 20-minute interval? I am sure commuters would better appreciate trains which arrive every 30 minutes as scheduled instead of trains which are scheduled to arrive every 20 minutes but do not even after 30 minutes.

The writer further stated that KTMB needs 60 more train sets to offer a decent 10-minute service frequency but who is asking for it? The commuters would be happy if trains arrive every 20 minutes as scheduled. We just want to get to work and home in time.

Does the writer know that it is always the second train in the morning (from Rawang) that is cancelled? And this happens everyday without fail. Can this be attributed to shortage of trains alone? I had been updating my Twitter page of the delays and cancellations until I got tired because the same thing happened every day. Often, the hybrid train with limited stops would be dispatched but it would only appear about 15 minutes later, by which time, the third train would be close behind. This is what I mean by bad scheduling.

Source: The Sun – October 1, 2009

Source: The Sun – October 1, 2009

RECENTLY, there has been some urgency by the Health Ministry to buy vaccines for the influenza A H1N1 pandemic, in view of the threat of a second phase. 

While this move is with good intentions, it may be wise for the ministry to proceed with caution as this Influenza A H1N1 vaccine is not entirely harmless.

The treatment must not be worse than the disease itself. If the flu virus A H1N1 remains as such, is there a need to mass vaccinate? Is it not better to maintain good health and personal hygiene. 

Furthermore, vaccines prepared in a hurry may not have been well tested to make sure that it is safe enough. There is also the issue of the target virus, which at the moment is still not obvious, so that at the end of the day, the vaccines may not protect against the offending virus and may in fact give a false sense of security.

So far, there are more than 20 reported cases of resistance to H1N1 vaccines and this number is rising, especially in Australia, Denmark, Canada, United States, China and even across our shores in Singapore.

Most of the cases have occurred in people who were given the drug either to prevent infection after exposure to the virus or as treatment.

There are also many documented accounts of side effects from flu vaccines. In 1976, Washington rushed in a mass immunisation programme against a similar swine flu outbreak that was confined to a military base.

Several hundred cases of a rare, lethal, paralysing neurological disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) were reported afterwards from previous experience of mass vaccination as well as the Gulf War Syndrome.

Although the H1N1 vaccine now close to completion is different from the one used in 1976, the British Government’s Health Protection Agency said the earlier incident nevertheless highlighted a possible area of concern.

Similarly with the vaccine for cervical cancer. Though initial results with this vaccine are impressive in the reduction of pre-cancerous cervical lesions after three years of clinical trial, its long-term side effects are yet unknown. One has to only Google HPV vaccine deaths to know of the short-term risks present with mass immunisation programmes.

At the same time, vaccinating 13-year-olds in the prevention of a sexually transmitted disease has its social implications, not excluding promiscuity and a false sense of security, therefore indulging in more sex? 

Is there a need to vaccinate 13-year-olds against pre-cervical cancer? Is it not better to improve cancer awareness and educate the females in the risk group to undergo the time-tried pap smear in the prevention of cancer of the cervix. 

In any case, at the end of the day, it should the patient’s choice of how they wish to be treated or protected but as physicians, we must always remember, first do no harm.

Source: The Sun – October 1, 2009

I REFER to the home minister’s statement that he was sad over Noordin Mohd Top’s death and that he had hoped that Noordin would be “rehabilitated”.

While I am in agreement that our government has successfully rehabilitated extremists, a distinction should be made between individuals who have not committed murder and someone who has committed mass murder.

Obviously, different penalties must apply. The punishment for murder in Malaysia is the mandatory death sentence, not rehabilitation. I believe that the punishment is the same in Indonesia.

So while a life may be a life, perhaps we should also think about those victims murdered by Noordin and his cohorts. I am sure that the families of the victims also have a thing or two to say.

FKYS
Via email

Source: The Sun – September 30, 2009

I AM a retired government officer. I read Terence Fernandez’s meaningful article “Mixed signals send dangerous message” (Down2Earth, Sept 25) on the burial of Noordin Mohd Top in Malaysia and the likely consequence it may have on certain groups.

I cannot agree more with his views. I support the notion because he has presented the facts clearly and in an acceptable manner. Of course it is not surprising we feel that way because we love our country very much and we want peace and prosperity to prevail always for the betterment of the country and the people, unlike what’s happening in many other countries.

Well done theSun and keep up the good work.

Ragunathan
Petaling Jaya

Source: The Sun – September 30, 2009

I REFER to “The real enemy is fascism” (Comment, Sept 29). The article was nothing more than a rant that we should disown Noordin Mohd Top.

Noordin was a brutal and despicable terrorist but it is obligatory for Muslims to give him a proper burial. If his family wants his remains back to bury him then the least we could do is not object to it.

Demeaning Noordin’s family who only want to bury him is not conduct becoming of a lawyer and former Abim vice-president.

Azlan Roni
Kuala Lumpur

Source: The Sun – September 30, 2009

TOURISM Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen should know that it is wrong to call the recent event at Central Market/Petaling Street a lantern festival.

There is no lantern festival in Chinese culture though Chinese hang lanterns in their houses as decorations and for good luck, and children play with them on various occasions. That’s why over time people have mistaken it for some sort of tradition.

People hold lantern parties, shows, displays, carnivals, celebrations, or parades to celebrate a good harvest, good fortune, or a joyous occasion.

Thousands of years ago, people in China went to temples to pray, make offerings and give thanks to the divine and the deities during the Mid-Autumn Festival. They would offer flowers and fruits at the altar. There were neither lanterns nor mooncakes.

Playing with lanterns was introduced or rather added much later as something for children to play with, to keep them busy, awake and around, while elders waited for the full moon to come up.

As for mooncakes, the Chinese in ancient China chose the 14th day of the eighth lunar month to send a secret message in a poison cake, one each to every home, to give it to the Tartar soldiers, who were standing guard in front of their houses. The soldiers were to be fed at the stroke of midnight on Mid-Autumn Day.

When the folks woke up the following morning on the 15th day, all the Tartar soldiers were missing. That was how China won the Tartar war. And, this is how the Chinese started to use mooncakes to celebrate the Mid -Autumn Festival and subsequently in remembrance of the victory.

It is wrong to say lantern festival or a mooncake festival. It is the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Lau Bing
Singapore

Source: The Sun – September 30, 2009

“THEY don’t make ‘em like they used to” (CitizenNades, Sept 28) refers. Our Rennie Martin was Vincent Fernandez, St John’s hockey coach extraordinaire. His sacrifices will be remembered and cherished by students who were fortunate to be under his guidance.

A few of us paid him a visit in his home in Bangsar a few weeks back and we were full of admiration for his zest for life even though he had his stomach removed a few years back due to cancer.

He was only too happy to reminisce about the good old days and the topic of discussion eventually moved to what Nades covered in his article. The loss of an era of dedicated and sacrificing teachers who were well aware that they were moulding future generations and who had the foresight to know that to be successful in life, students would need to be trained to be well-rounded individuals via the classroom and on the playing fields.

We all long for the return of the good old days.

Ron Pickering
Hongkong

Source: The Sun – September 30, 2009