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Welcome breath of fresh air
I REFER to “People doubting PR-led
state govts, says Najib” (Sept 7), where
the prime minister is reported to have
said that several problems have arisen
due to the promises the Pakatan Rakyat
made to the people and their inability to
make the right decisions.
This is probably true but, at the
same time, it is also understandable.
New leaders with no previous experi-
ence of governing at such high level
are bound to make some mistakes.
Yet, the issues which have cropped
up are not new but problems that had
existed for a long time and which
neither the people nor their leaders felt
TELLING IT AS IT IS
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confident of discussing. These prob-
lems are now talked about openly, and
even though there are differing views
the fact that the debate is ongoing
augurs well.
As long as the various groups are
willing to listen to other views and find
a solution that is beneficial to everyone,
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this solution will sooner or later
be forthcoming.
We must certainly credit
the PR for opening the stage to
debate. Even the BN component
parties must admit that the ascent
of the PR made them freer to
pinpoint problems within their
own parties. However, those who
have benefited the most from the
PR ideology are the people who
belong to the silent minority.
We cannot deny that the PR
was the first to promote the idea
of a government where race
and religion would not be the
standard by which political and
economic decisions are made,
and from what is happening
Revise advisory on masks
I REFER to the Health Ministry’s
advice to wear masks in crowded
places. The World Health Organisa-
tion explains that unless caring for
an infected person, the benefits of
wearing masks for public use has not
been established. Furthermore, us-
ing a mask incorrectly may increase
the risk of transmission, rather than
reduce it. The Centres for Disease
Control in the US echoes this advice.
Why then does the ministry insist on
recommending masks in public?
This trend is all the more wor-
risome as some schools are now
making the wearing of masks
mandatory for all students.
Again, according to the WHO’s
recommendations, if masks are
worn, they should be tight fitting,
they should not be touched during
use, and they should be changed
frequently because masks that
contain humidity (from breath or
from ambient moisture) are better
environments for virus survival and
propagation.
Is it fair to the public?
IN “New task for old IGP”
(Down2Earth, Sept 8) the writer
posed the question “Is it fair to
deprive Musa of another extension
as a top cop?”
On this, I would like to rephrase
the question to: “Is it fair to the
general public (at least to those who
are not in favour of the extension)
to have such an extension taking
place?
“Is it fair to other prospective
members of the force to be de-
prived of a promotion to the top
position?”
I, for one, always believed that an
extension should only be made if the
person is of exceptional capability
(by virtue of his past performance) or
if there is nobody else to fill his posi-
tion. Tan Sri Musa Hassan had been
given an extension earlier to give
him the opportunity to complete
Road safety is in our hands
IT’S ironic but true. The festive
season is a time to be joyful but
for some it becomes a time to be
remorseful. Yes, because of road
accidents.
The traffic police, the Road
Transport Department and the Road
Safety Department are again on
high alert. Campaigns to educate.
Pamphlets and brochures to inform.
Fines and even jail terms to deter.
But the carnage goes on season
after season, year after year.
We blame it on road conditions.
We blame it on the elements. We
blame it on the lack of enforcement.
We blame everything else but our-
selves.
Perhaps for once we should
blame ourselves, the one behind
the wheel. We should blame our
recklessness (speeding, overtaking
| WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9 2009
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elsewhere in the world we can
see that this is indeed the type of
government for the future.
That the PR representatives
are having some problems in the
execution of their ideas and are
experiencing some delays in de-
livering their promises does not
mean that they cannot complete
the job. In fact, time is still on
their side if they are fast learners.
All in all, PR opened a window
to let in some fresh air at a time
when it was much needed, and
I think the people are likely to
remember.
Marisa Demori
Ipoh
My experience with small chil-
dren is that they rarely have masks
that fit properly, they fidget with
them constantly, and re-use the
same mask for as long as these hold
together. Thus, we are putting our
children at greater risk by insisting
on mask usage.
It is far more appropriate to in-
sist that children wash their hands
frequently and even support the use
of alcohol-based hand sanitizers
when water is not available; chil-
dren should be discouraged from
sharing food, drink, or even writing
equipment with their classmates;
and sick children should be sent
home immediately.
For the safety of our children, I
hope that the ministry will revise or
clarify its advice to the public and
to school administrators in order
to align with other health organisa-
tions.
Lynn Mason
Kuala Lumpur
his reform of the force and restore
the public’s confidence in the force.
What has he achieved thus far? Is
there any reduction in the crime
rate? Is there any improvement in
the professionalism of the force?
Taking a most recent example, the
way the police handled the cow-
head demonstration and candlelight
vigils speaks for itself.
On all the accusations made
against him, have any real and seri-
ous efforts been made to clear his
name? If investigations were made,
were they done and reported in a
transparent manner?
Has any investigation been made
to verify the truth of the two statu-
tory declarations made by private
investigator Bala?
Ed G
Via email
hazardously, tailgating, beating
red lights, queue jumping), our
carelessness (not using signals
correctly, reversing unthinkingly,
making U-turns indiscriminately),
and our complacency (indiscrimi-
nate parking, talking on the phone
and texting, allowing underaged
children to drive, not wearing safety
helmets, not buckling up, drinking
and driving).
The authorities have their hands
full and can only do so much.
Maybe the slogan for road safety
campaigns ought to be “Keep a hold
on yourself and you keep a hold on
your vehicle”.
Our safety is in our hands. You
and me can make our roads safe.
Tam Yong Yuee
Muar