A bond too strong to break

I look forward to every Ramadan. I have to confess that I have never attempted to join my Muslim colleagues and friends to fast in this holy month.

But it is the sense of camaraderie and brotherhood that I enjoy every year.

It has become an unwritten rule at the newsroom every year that the evening meeting would have to be held an hour earlier so that our Muslim – and non-Muslim – colleagues can attend the breaking fast functions.

The call to end the meetings early, interestingly, often comes from the non-Muslims. This is the best part of working in an office with a multi-racial staff. Jibes are made at each other over fasting patterns or the lack of it without any prejudices.

The rule at every Ramadan is to pick the newest member of the newsroom to interview the food sellers at Section 14 in Petaling Jaya and to buy for us the mouth-watering popiah, a crowd favourite.

For the full reflection of my On The Beat column, click here.

The reality hits home: Coping with the AH1N1 virus.

You know the AH1N1 problem has struck home when your loved ones, colleagues and friends are hit by the influenza. There are already 67 fatalities and the likelihood is the figures will increase. A fellow editor is now being quarantined at home after a bout of bad flu but she is recovering at home. The workaholic MStar journalist is filing news from her home.

Last week, another editor from MStar, the Bahasa Malaysia portal of The Star, and his family were kept at home after his fever refused to come down. After checking at a hospital, it was relief to know that the fever was caused by viral infection and not AH1N1.

A colleague from the In Tech section was also a suspect after his son was confirmed an AH1N1 victim. But thank God, both have recovered. Two Penang reporters, covering the Permatang Pasir by-election, have now been quarantined.

The series of sickness affecting my colleagues have been worrying. A reporter at a business publication was confirmed a virus victim last week and the entire multi-media section was shut down. Newspaper offices are now making emergency plans of working from home if the situation worsens. Visitors to our office have been asked to clean their hands with hand sanitizer at the lobby reception before making their way to the various departments.

For reporters attending functions at crowded places, we have handed out facial masks for them but it is probably more difficult for reporters covering the hospital beat. It's an occupational hazard. I remembered when the Nipah Virus hit in 2000, many of us had to visit pig farms where thounsands of the sick animals were culled. Some reporters fell sick after a while.

The fear is that with summer over in Europe and the United States, the flu situation could worsen. The prediction is that millions could be infected soon, especially students who would be starting classes in schools and colleges. The latest issue of Time reported that in the US, the sheer size of the pandemic response has begun to hit home. Immunization has started in schools and nurses are even placed in some schools. Local health departments are preparing to enlist private sector doctors and nurses to aid the effort with plans to rent empty shoplots and reopening vacant schools for the worst case scenario.

Back in Malaysia, there are concerns that our people are not displaying self-discipline with people who are supposed to be quarantined supposedly going shopping instead, without consideration for the rest of us. We have to get used to the idea that this is serious and that politicians should not be worried with media reports of the AH1N1. It's not a question of keeping tourists away but a matter of taking the necessary steps to prevent ourselves from falling sick.

Fighting AH1N1: Come on, this is a joke, right?

In case, you missed this Bernama story - an eminent practitioner of complimentary therapy Dr VM Palaniappan (picture, from his blog) has been quoted as saying that among the measures one can take against influenza AH1N1 is to avoid masturbation and homosexual activities. Yes, that's what the good doctor said. He reportedly said that "such activities caused the body to develop friction heat which in turn produced acid and makes the body hyper-acidised."

The former professor of ecology at Universiti Malaya went on to say that "the body becomes an easy target for H1N1 infection." The academcian, according to the report, has authored several books on complimentary therapy called Ecological Healing System.

He emphasised that normal sexual union between members of the opposite sex was absolutely safe, adding that his 33 years of research showed that high acidity in the body resulted in the loss of immunity, making people susceptible to viral diseases like influenza H1N1.

He has also recommended drinking coconut water, which is an alkaline, for the prevention of AH1N1. Other fruits - orange, lemon and pomelo - which contains citric acid.

I am not sure whether this small Bernama news item made it to world news but we are certainly learning something new everyday. You can either take what the good professor tells you seriously or laugh over it. But hey, we are living in dangerous times.

Where did he get his Datukship?

To the lockup: Koay (left) covering his face while being led out of the magistrate’s court with the other accused yesterday.

He has five previous convictions for theft, firearms offences and corruption, yet he kept his Datukship. Yesterday, Datuk Koay Khay Chye, 52, and five others were charged in Penang with trafficking 300kg Erimin pills worth RM20million. They were arrested during a raid on July 28 at Sungai Dua.

The public are left wondering where he got his title from - didn't the state which conferred him the title carry out any vetting with the police and Bank Negara? In the case of Selangor, the palace carries out strict checks before titles are conferred and a website has even been set up for the public to check. It is important that we know where Koay got his title, so upon conviction, the Datukship should be revoked. For that matter, the previous convictions are sufficient grounds for a revocation.

One personality, calling himself a Datuk Setia, in a trade organisation leadership fight, has been telling members that he is a Datuk from Selangor. Checks were made with the palace secretariat and an official has confirmed that he has never received any awards, not even a PJK, from the state.

There must be ways to prevent dubious characters from making such claims. I believe it is a crime. The Conference of Rulers should make a decision to set up websites, like the one set up by Selangor, where the public can scrutinise the list for themselves.

All states should stipulate in the state constitutions the maximum number of Datukships and other awards that would be given out each year. The situation has become so bad that there are perceptions, even allegations, that such awards can be purchased in one or two states.

The endless list of recipients each year has certainly lent credence to such allegations. More often than not, these recipients do not have strong credentials, besides being businessmen. For the record, businessmen create jobs and help increase the country's revenue. The congratulatory advertisements help newspapers earn money for sure but contribution to the state and country must go beyond that.

Cheers! I simply love this beer commercial!

I love my beer, especially Tiger beer because I am an Arsenal supporter. But I also love the Heineken commercial. You won't see this advertisement on television or Astro because liquor ads are banned. If you buy only pirated DVDs, you would probably miss this wonderful commercial. But most regular cinema goers have never grown tired of this hilarious commercial, even if they are not beer drinkers. This is a great piece of creative work. Cheers man!

Beer ban - now Zul Nordin wants Ronnie dropped

Ronnie Liu: Something's brewing in Selangor...

Latest: MB Khalid rejects call to strip Liu of portfolio, says it's a non-issue. All state officials warned not to issue statements until meeting on Friday to resolve issue, Star SMS alert.

Maverick MP Zulkifli Nordin has entered the fray. The Kulim Bandar Baharu MP has described Selangor DAP state exco member Ronnie Liu as a "liability" to the state Pakatan. Zulkifli also wants Liu to be dropped before "the people drop Pakatan."


According to MStar, he also expressed support for the call by Selangor PAS chief Hassan Ali who wants a blanket ban on the sale of beer in Muslim-majority areas in the state. In an unprecedented move, Hassan asked Liu to be removed from his local government portfolio following the DAP leader's directive to the Shah Alam council to send back the 70 cans of beer they had confiscated from an outlet.


Instead of banning the sale of beer, the Selangor state government should punish outlets which sell liquor to Muslims and underaged customers. Show the ID cards. If outlets are found selling liqour to people who should not be buying, then the punishment should be meted out. This blanket ban is a lot of nonsense.


If we are talking about Muslim-majority areas, that's almost the entire Selangor, except parts of Petaling Jaya. And with the Chinese population coming to 25% in a country of 26mil people, we can see pubs being shut down in future, if we buy this kind of argument.


The enforcement officers told Liu that they were pressured to act against these outlets. Liu should reveal to us who are these councillors and what political parties do they represent. Drinking, particularly excessive drinking, is discouraged by all religion but non-Muslims are given a choice. PAS will use the same tired argument but the point is we must have a choice.

Beer seized by Shah Alam council officers

What's with the enforcement officers at the Shah Alam Municipal Council? None of us can recall that beer has been banned in this country. But on Wednesday the council seized 70 cans of beer from a retail outlet in Section 8. The confiscated beer has now been returned after a protest. The officers have even apologised to the outlet owner, it seemed. The whole episode is pretty pathetic and crappy.

It is a typical case of council officers abusing their powers. The officers, in trying to explain their action, said the decision to act was made at a full council meeting. It's strange that beer can't be sold in Shah Alam but one whole brewery exists there. In fact, some years back, some home grown terrorist tried to blow up the brewery but failed. This time, it seems that the pressure is being exerted by the councillors.

Maybe these councillors should be brave enough to let us know their identity. It's very confusing. These Pakatan Rakyat appointed councillors are pushing hard to ban the beer and state exco member Ronnie Liu is trying to stop it. The council enforcement officers are caught in between. Guess we won't see a "beer summit" to sort out the problem.On the other side of the world, President Obama sit down with Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and the officer who arrested him, Sgt. James Crowley, for a beer at the White House.