Wet spell pushes up number of influenza-like illness cases

The Star

PETALING JAYA: There is a slight increase in influenza-like illness (ILI) cases due to the wet spell.

Health Ministry's Disease Control Division director Dr Chong Chee Kheong said the number of ILI cases compared to total number of outpatients (national ILI consultation rate) from Oct 7 to Nov 3 showed such cases went up from 0.43% to 0.50%.

He said this was still well below the alert threshold of 10%.

Dr Chong said the ministry's virus surveillance on week 37 (up to Sept 15) showed that the circulating virus was mainly the influenza B virus (72.3%) which was less virulent compared to the influenza A virus (11.6%).

He said ILI occurred throughout the year with a slight increase during the wet season.

The main symptoms of influenza are fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle aches, headache and fatigue, he said.

To prevent the spread of influenza viruses, he said people should follow basic hygiene rules and frequently wash their hands with soap and water.

“If someone has symptoms and signs of influenza such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing, he should seek early treatment,” he said, adding that those down with the flu should stay home until they were better.

Council: Family name at stake

By LOH FOON FONG

foonfong@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Fear of unwanted pregnancies is one of the reasons why parents allow their children to marry early.

Early Childhood Care and Education Council (ECCE) president Datuk Dr Chiam Heng Keng said parents consented to their children marrying early to prevent pre-marital sex that could eventually tarnish the family’s reputation.

“They believe marriage is the best solution and do not think that the girl needs to go to school,” she said.

“They also worry whether she could still be married off since she has lost her virginity.”

Dr Chiam said these parents did not appreciate the rights of the child but were more concerned about their reputation.

She said the parents might also not be aware that marrying their children off at a tender age could affect the youngsters’ health as well as limit their self-development.

She added that the children would be overpowered by their desires when not informed of the responsibility of sexual relationships and the importance of self-development and education.

“This could happen when parents do not communicate with their children and educate them on these things,’’ said Dr Chiam, adding that there was also a possibility that most times, the parents themselves were not well-informed of such issues.

She said schools too might not have taught the children life’s skills.

Meanwhile, Emeritus Prof Datuk Dr Hood Salleh said traditions tied to socio-economic needs were also reasons behind child marriages.

He said it had been a custom in the past for parents to marry their daughters off at a young age to help secure socio-economic position for the child.

Dr Hood said it might have worked for communities as a form of security in the past. “However, society has since evolved.’

It was reported that Nur Fazira Saad, 12, married Mohd Fahmi Alias, 19, last week in Kedah after their families agreed to the union.

Orang Asli risking limb and life to put food on our tables

I had a lump in my throat as I took the first bite to one of these mangosteens and recalled the story told by the fruit seller who sold them.

These mangosteens were bought from a seasonal fruit stall in Section 17 in Petaling Jaya yesterday evening.

The flesh was fresh, juicy and has an excellent sweet-sour flavour which I used to remember as a child. It seemed to taste better than the ones that came in from Indonesia.

It has been ages since I see mangosteens with flesh of such superior quality unless one hunts for them in a higher-end supermarket at a premium.

The fruit seller said that the fruits were harvested by the Orang Asli. The rainy season has made it difficult for them to harvest them, resulting in some of the Orang Asli who climbed the trees to harvest them fell from the trees and injured themselves or even died!

No further information were derived from the fruit seller as I did not understand Cantonese.

Much heartfelt appreciation for the Orang Asli for putting such excellent food on our tables but do they need to die for our sake? More needs to be done to protect them and their welfare.

PAS Ulama: Pakatan cannot ignore views expressed during muktamar

The Star (shared byline)

PETALING JAYA: The PAS Ulama wing has stepped up its call for their party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to be the Prime Minister if Pakatan Rakyat wins in the coming polls.

The wing said Pakatan Rakyat could not ignore the views of PAS' one million members.

“If PAS wins the most number of seats, naturally members expect the candidate to be picked from PAS.

“However, Pakatan has yet to make a collective decision on the candidate for the top post if the coalition succeeds in capturing Putrajaya. The party has to abide by the decision,” said Ulama Council vice-chief Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed yesterday in response to objections from DAP leaders over Abdul Hadi as Prime Minister if the coalition comes to power.

Ousted PAS leader Datuk Dr Hassan Ali warned that there would be a revolt in PAS if the Opposition parties reject Abdul Hadi when PAS wins the most number of seats in the election.

“If Pakatan truly practises democracy, it should listen to the voice of the majority, and not the voice of a few top leaders in the Opposition,” he added.

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu said the final decision would be made by the Pakatan leadership.
“It is too early to broach the subject, as we must win first. What if Abdul Hadi and Anwar lose in the election?

“Then perhaps even I can be the Prime Minister,” he said.

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said it had always been Pakatan's stand that the candidate for the Prime Minister's post would be the Opposition Leader.

“We stick by what has been agreed,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh said Abdul Hadi should stick to the consensus that Anwar be appointed Prime Minister if Pakatan comes to power.

“PAS should do likewise without being told because the position has been accepted all along,” he said in a telephone interview yesterday.

He said Anwar was the most qualified and acceptable person to take on the role because he had the experience in government administration as the former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.

In KUALA TERENGGANU, state PAS commissioner Abdul Wahid Endut said Abdul Hadi was the best choice for the Prime Minister's post because he has no moral issues to contend with.

“In the Islamic point of view, there's no one better,” he said.

However, Abdul Wahid said such hopes largely depended on the outcome of the general election.

“We should focus on winning the election first. If PAS wins the majority of seats, he would be the logical choice,” he added.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/20/nation/12342566&sec=nation

Private nurseries struggle to stay in business

Sunday November 11, 2012

By LOH FOON FONG
foonfong@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: About three million children aged four and below need daycare services in this country but many private nurseries are struggling to keep their doors open.

Association of Registered Child Care Providers Malaysia vice-president P.H. Wong said the Government should extend support to private childcare centres because of high operating costs.

As of May this year, 1,086 childcare centres had been registered with the Welfare Department: 989 were privately run, 16 set up by companies at work places, 67 in government offices and 14 were community-based.

Even for community-based childcare centres, there were few takers despite the RM50,000 set-up grant and annual RM64,000 subsidy given by the Government, Wong said.

This was because the subsidy barely covered operating costs since lower income parents could only afford to pay RM200 to RM350 for each child, she added.

A former childcare centre owner, who wanted to be known only as Cheong, said she closed her centre in Sri Petaling last month after operating for more than two years because the RM600 to RM800 monthly fees she collected from 14 parents could not cover the monthly expenses.

“It was really heartbreaking. I don't want to do it (run a centre) again,” said the 36-year-old.

She could not continue paying the RM3,000 rental for a corner unit house, pay providers' salaries, food, beverage and toys for the children, and utility bills, said Chong who spent RM25,000 to set up the centre.

She also had difficulty looking for care providers because the heavy workload made people reluctant to take the job even if she offered more than the RM1,000 to RM1,600 salaries.

Social Welfare Department legal and advocacy division director Dr Zaitol Salleh said that two nurseries had surrendered their licences from January to May, and on average five cease to operate each year.

Another childcare centre operator, who only wanted to be known as Ooi, said she had to close her nursery in a condominium after operating it for seven years because she could not get baby sitters.

“Most baby sitters prefer to work on their own at home while the young people prefer other jobs,” said Ooi, who is in her 50s.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/11/nation/12306342&sec=nation

Sunday November 11, 2012

Couples hit by childcare costs

By YVONNE LIM
yvonnelim@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: It's a double whammy for working couples with children maids are hard to find while daycare centres have increased their fees in tandem with higher operation costs.

A check with several centres in the Klang Valley showed that they have raised fees by up to 10% over the past two years.

A staff member at a centre in Bukit Damansara, who declined to be named, said that it had to increase its fees by 10% every two to three years.

The centre, which also offers pre-school education inclusive of daycare for children aged three to six years, now charges about RM1,600 per month.

Another centre in Taman Desa, which offers only daycare for children of two years and above without pre-schooling, charges RM500 a month.

“We charged RM450 last year, but had to increase our fees because food prices had gone up,” said the principal who only wanted to be known as Stacey.

A centre in Puchong has maintained its fees at RM500 per month, but expects to raise it soon.

The centre provides lunch and two snacks, a shower in the evening and assistance with school work for the children under its care.

“We will try to hold down our fees for as long as we can, but foresee having to increase it soon as everything else is going up in price,” said its operator.

Demand for childcare centres in the Klang Valley is especially acute as many families have both spouses working while living away from their parents and relatives.

The scarcity of maids has contributed to the increase in demand.

It was reported recently that agencies were asking Malaysians to pay more for maids from Indonesia even as the Philippines was phasing out the sending of its citizens abroad as domestic workers.

Association of Registered Child-care Providers P.H. Wong said the centres had been affected by the increase in living costs as the price of goods had gone up along with public expectation of the quality of service.

“Parents who want quality service must be ready to pay more. Centres have no choice but to increase their fees to survive,” she said.

She urged the Government to introduce a subsidy for parents who need to care for their children while they were at work.

The Health Ministry had announced stricter control of daycare centres, with regular inspection of nurseries to ensure that they are fit to take care of babies in the wake of deaths from choking on milk and other incidents at these establishments.

Social Welfare Department statistics this year showed that 52% of the 3,238 nurseries nationwide were unlicensed.

However, there is no record of the number of children who died while under their care.

According to news reports, at least 22 children under the age of four were believed to have died while in nursery care between 2009 and this year.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/11/nation/12306341&sec=nation

Suhakam to look into dam case

The Star, Saturday November 10, 2012

By LOH FOON FONG 

foonfong@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has decided to look into the Murum Dam blockade and assured it will hear from all stakeholders related to the issue.

Commissioner Detta Samen received a memorandum from the Damn the Dams Action Group representing 60 NGOs yesterday asking Suhakam to intervene in the state-led negotiations with affected communities.

“We will look into the complaints,” he said at the Suhakam headquarters here.

Samen said Suhakam in Sarawak was in the midst of contacting the Penan headmen, NGOs as well as the Sarawak state government and dam developer Sarawak Energy Bhd to meet in Miri or Kuching.

He said he welcomed whatever information that could be handed over to Suhakam before the meeting takes place.

Damn the Dams Action Group representative Ng Yap Hwa said the state government’s plan to build 12 mega dams, including the Murum Dam, would affect the communities.

“The impending displacement of more than 1,600 natives has resulted in them putting up a blockade since Sept 26 as a last resort to compel the authorities and project proponents to address their concerns over the loss of livelihood, homeland and future,” he said.

The construction of the 944MW hydro power plant to produce electricity by 2013 will inundate about 30,000ha of the Murum Valley.

Two companies from China are involved in the dam construction.

In a separate interview, Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Chai Xi said he would raise the concerns with Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

“I will look into it but I hope negotiations and consultations on any problems can be resolved,” he said.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/10/nation/12303532&sec=nation

China tops MM2H programme

The Star, Friday November 9, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: The number of Chinese nationals taking part in the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme is expected to increase in the next few years and spur domestic economic activities.

There were 3,332 Chinese participants as of August, making it the highest number of all MM2H participants, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.

From January to August, 475 Chinese nationals joined the programme compared with 133 the same period last year, she said.

“We expect to see a substantial increase in the number of participants from China from next year onwards,” she said during the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between the Ministry and the Bank of China (BOC), for the latter to promote MM2H to all its bank customers through its branches in China and other parts of the world.

Dr Ng pointed out that with 10,961 branches in and outside China (six in Malaysia), the bank has 300,000 high net worth (more than US$1mil) customers.

Since 2002 until August, the MM2H programme had successfully attracted 19,488 participants from 120 countries and after China, the other highest participants were Bangladesh (2,407), Japan (2,187), Britain (1,889) and Iran (1,211).

Dr Ng said Malaysia needed to maintain its economic vibrancy not just by drawing tourists in but also by getting them to stay longer.

The programme had also spurred the property market, as 1,659 pieces of property worth RM1.5bil were bought under MM2H from 2007 to 2012, she said.

For the programme, successful applicants are given a 10-year social visit pass with a multiple entry visa which is renewable for as long as they like. besides enjoying tax-free income from abroad.
Ambassador of China to Malaysia Chai Xi said he foresaw the number of Chinese nationals participating in MM2H to triple in five years.

He added that Malaysia was one of the nicest countries in the world to live in while Bank of China chief executive officer Zhen Jingbo said he would promote MM2H to attract Chinese entrepreneurs and individuals from greater China to invest here.

At another event, Dr Ng launched the book Enchanting Malaysia, which tourists could buy as souvenirs.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/9/nation/12294904&sec=nation

Superstorm Sandy turns lives of Malaysians in US east coast upside down

The Star, Thursday November 1, 2012

By LOH FOON FONG, TERENCE TOH and MARINA SUWENDY newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The damage and destruction caused by superstorm Sandy has thrown the lives of many Malaysians in the east coast of the United States upside down.

“Hurricane Sandy swept through the New York City violently, but we New Yorkers will be out in force the day after to give a helping hand to those in need!” said fashion designer Zang Toi, 51.

“It is quite crazy here!” said model Carolyn Li Ming Geh.

She however was thankful that her area, midtown east/upper east side, was minimally affected.

“It was really hectic before the hurricane with people scrambling to prepare for it and stock up on food,” she said.

Columbia University programmer Zarina Mustapha said she had made preparations the same way she did for Hurricane Irene in August 2011.

“I stocked up a little more than my weekly grocery shopping list, adding a more non-perishable food. I filled up water bottles with filtered water.

“My first concern was in case there would be loss of electricity, gas would go next,” said Zarina, who resides inland of Queens, New York.

... we New Yorkers will be out in force the day after to give a helping hand to those in need! - ZANG TOI

Jewellery company Paz Collective Director of Operations Tay Shar-Lyn, who lives in Forest Hill, Queens said strong winds knocked down some trees in his area.

Tay said she had to figure out a way of getting into Manhattan as she could not miss a third day of work since the subway service was disrupted.

Business development head Anuar Fariz, 31, who was stuck in New York after the John F. Kennedy international airport was flooded is keeping his fingers crossed that the airport would clear soon so that he could fly home.

Meanwhile Bernama reported that three Malaysian senators, Datuk Boon Som Inong, Datuk Muhammed Najeeb Abdulah and S. Bagiam, who had just attended the United Nations (UN) General Assembly meetings were also stranded after their flight home was cancelled.

They arrived on Oct 17 and were supposed to fly home on Monday.

Boon said they were informed on Sunday that all flights to and from New York had been cancelled.
However, Boon said the Office of Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the UN, was trying to get them on the earliest flight home.

Muhammed Najeeb said it was his first trip to New York and little did he know that he would also get a first-hand experience of the hurricane.

“Most of the time, we just stayed indoors. We tried to go out to buy some halal food, but all shops were closed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysians living in the east cost of the United States, maintained communications with each other through SMSes and Facebook updates.

Nur Yasmin Mohd Nuri, from Boston, Massachusetts, said she had sent and received many text messages and telephone calls from her friends.

Social websites, such as “Malaysians in US” and “Malaysians in NYC”, were also deluged with greetings and updates from those affected by Sandy.

Some people lamented over the disruption of the transit service, including bus, subway and the commuter rail service.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/1/nation/12252748&sec=nation