sustainablelivinginstitute (10:51:19) :
We are talking about sustainabilty of communities, state and a nation above and beyond parochial politics. If the people wants it, Ku Li is willing and Allah grants it why not. He is the man of the hour to lead the state at least if not Malaysia.
But as an outsider, I must say that the Kelantanese are not predictable. (Not really an outsider though because 7 generations or so ago, my children on the maternal side inherited the genes of an Indian Muslim Kadzi who married a Patani princess)
He has been up and more downs in the political arena. He has been obediently serving UMNO for years and years bidding time in his elegant ways but at the same time he has not been idle either. He was and is building substance. If he has made mistakes as everyone does, he would have learned and atone them.
There is nothing much in UMNO left for him. With the new lamentable line-up he is much an outcast. What a waste of talent if he can bring good to the people and country!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Blair the Liar: Feb 21 2010
By al-Din on February 23, 2010 4:41 PM
Philip Giraldi, former CIA counterterrorism expert, quoted by Craig Unger, Vanity Fair, March 2007:
"[The build up to an attack on Iran] is absolutely parallel [to Iraq]. They are using the same dance steps - demonize the bad guys, the pretext of diplomacy, keep out of negotiations, use proxies. It is Iraq redux."
... with modern U.S. electronics, so the United States can bomb when and where and how much it wishes. Just 120 B52, B1, and B2 bombers are able to hit five thousand targets on a single mission, and Iran's political, military, and economic infrastructure (except oil) would probably be targeted in addition to nuclear-related targets, so one day's bombing could do more damage than Iran could repair in one year."
Source: Gwynne Dyer. 2007. The Mess they Made: The Middle East after Iraq. Scribe, Melbourne pp180, 182
Philip Giraldi, former CIA counterterrorism expert, quoted by Craig Unger, Vanity Fair, March 2007:
"[The build up to an attack on Iran] is absolutely parallel [to Iraq]. They are using the same dance steps - demonize the bad guys, the pretext of diplomacy, keep out of negotiations, use proxies. It is Iraq redux."
... with modern U.S. electronics, so the United States can bomb when and where and how much it wishes. Just 120 B52, B1, and B2 bombers are able to hit five thousand targets on a single mission, and Iran's political, military, and economic infrastructure (except oil) would probably be targeted in addition to nuclear-related targets, so one day's bombing could do more damage than Iran could repair in one year."
Source: Gwynne Dyer. 2007. The Mess they Made: The Middle East after Iraq. Scribe, Melbourne pp180, 182
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Isu Royalti. Feb 23 2010
Tengku,
I am a newcomer to your blog, being new to blogging in fact. I have read several of your postings and will do the rest. There is much meat in your writings, and the arguments, proposals, ideas, vision are convincing and make much sense especially at these dire times.
As the wellknown culture in UMNO, intelligence and independent thoughts are not so welcomed. The evidence can be seen in the cabinet lineup. Too many of them. Once they open their mouths trash come out.
They are weakening the PM. Najib got to weed them out or got to be totally weeded out, all of them in PRU13. Well, he got the chance at the very beginning but failed to do it.
Thus braininess is a threat, real or imagine to herd mentality, groupings, positions of power. Vested interests can overide national wellbeing
I am a newcomer to your blog, being new to blogging in fact. I have read several of your postings and will do the rest. There is much meat in your writings, and the arguments, proposals, ideas, vision are convincing and make much sense especially at these dire times.
As the wellknown culture in UMNO, intelligence and independent thoughts are not so welcomed. The evidence can be seen in the cabinet lineup. Too many of them. Once they open their mouths trash come out.
They are weakening the PM. Najib got to weed them out or got to be totally weeded out, all of them in PRU13. Well, he got the chance at the very beginning but failed to do it.
Thus braininess is a threat, real or imagine to herd mentality, groupings, positions of power. Vested interests can overide national wellbeing
Isu Royalti. Feb 23 2010
War is injustice. Injustice is insatiable. The war on terrorism and crusading will go on and on until the devil has drank (Muslim) blood to drunkardness. Allah will show them out.
On a smaller albeit local scale, the BN is develish (insatiable) to cause a 34 year injustice to the state and people of Kelantan, depriving them the much needed 5% petrolium income for development. They want to drive Nik Aziz to the bonkers. Pity, a simple Tok Guru is now half-crazy.
Orang Melayu memang suka menyusahkan orang lain terutamanya orang Melayu sendiri. If we cannot think above and beyond politics then humanity is at stake
On a smaller albeit local scale, the BN is develish (insatiable) to cause a 34 year injustice to the state and people of Kelantan, depriving them the much needed 5% petrolium income for development. They want to drive Nik Aziz to the bonkers. Pity, a simple Tok Guru is now half-crazy.
Orang Melayu memang suka menyusahkan orang lain terutamanya orang Melayu sendiri. If we cannot think above and beyond politics then humanity is at stake
Do the Right Thing: Feb 22 2010
It is about the best use of resources, equitable sharing of benefits, and sustainabilty of communities, state and nation. The last three factors are interlinked. The state must support communities and the nation must support the state. On the otherh hand, whole communities support the state and the state supports the nation. Definitely it is a multiway flow of supportive and dynamic interactions that lead to synergistic and sustainable development and human progress.
So, let’s be apolitical about it for it boils down to human needs. Anyway, the laws have been applied differently for other oil-producing states. That is amatter of concern too.
To be fair, the federal government should give Kelantan its due of petroleum income as it gives to Terengganu, Sarawak and Sabah. It must redistribute wealth in a just manner and do not discriminate innocent rakyat just because they are seemingly powerless.
So, let’s be apolitical about it for it boils down to human needs. Anyway, the laws have been applied differently for other oil-producing states. That is amatter of concern too.
To be fair, the federal government should give Kelantan its due of petroleum income as it gives to Terengganu, Sarawak and Sabah. It must redistribute wealth in a just manner and do not discriminate innocent rakyat just because they are seemingly powerless.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Mohd Najib: Feb 21 2010
SUSTAINABLE LIVING INSTITUTE (SAVE) said...
Apa yang DS Rosmah hendak bayangkan ialah "Still water runs deep". Jangan sangka air yang tenang itu tiada buaya.
For every succesful man there is a woman as the saying goes. The public may have a wrong notion of DSR's frontline approach as often depicted by the media or word of mouth. Hence the hidden hand perception. We are used to sideline approach, rightly so of wives of former premiers and top politicians.
It is sometimes difficult to hide ones true emotions and personality especially under stress and duress. Thought that table banging, finger pointing and fist showing is part of it. But that is not good either for it may end up in fracas. Anyway, the most important thing is coming up with the right decisions at the right time to solve the prioritised issues with wisdom to be translated into public good.
On the PERMATA Pintar program is something like adding salt to sea water or export carpets to Belgium. Those children involve are creme de la creme and come from urban, established families who have the means and the know what to do with their children.
The fact is that the needy and deprived ones in the rurals should be given more attention in terms of facilities and opportunities. This would be fair. Go and see the small town and rural schools in Sarawak and Sabah and you know what I mean. The same applies to sekolah BISTARI concept carried out under Najib before.
Apa yang DS Rosmah hendak bayangkan ialah "Still water runs deep". Jangan sangka air yang tenang itu tiada buaya.
For every succesful man there is a woman as the saying goes. The public may have a wrong notion of DSR's frontline approach as often depicted by the media or word of mouth. Hence the hidden hand perception. We are used to sideline approach, rightly so of wives of former premiers and top politicians.
It is sometimes difficult to hide ones true emotions and personality especially under stress and duress. Thought that table banging, finger pointing and fist showing is part of it. But that is not good either for it may end up in fracas. Anyway, the most important thing is coming up with the right decisions at the right time to solve the prioritised issues with wisdom to be translated into public good.
On the PERMATA Pintar program is something like adding salt to sea water or export carpets to Belgium. Those children involve are creme de la creme and come from urban, established families who have the means and the know what to do with their children.
The fact is that the needy and deprived ones in the rurals should be given more attention in terms of facilities and opportunities. This would be fair. Go and see the small town and rural schools in Sarawak and Sabah and you know what I mean. The same applies to sekolah BISTARI concept carried out under Najib before.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Tigers: Feb 14 2010
Living with Pak Belang.
Seeing the pitiful state of an Orang Asli household, I asked them,"Mengapa tak bela ayam?"
"Pak Belang datang nanti", Dolah answered.
We have encroached into all Orang Asli reservations with logging, development, and modern agriculture. They are driven further into the jungle to gather food sources and materials to trade. Alas, the resources are so meagre that they have to resort to hunting tigers for much needed cash.
Don't blame them but ourselves for destroying their ecosystem and not doing enough to provide means of livelihood.
If you really want to see how marginalised and ill-treated they are the perkampungan Orang Asli Lojing, Kelantan is such a pitiful state. Several years ago their kampong was surrounded by greeneries but now much bulldozed to their very doorsteps. The river where they used to bath, wash, and fish is murky with eroded soil.
Is this humanity in the land of Nik Aziz?
Seeing the pitiful state of an Orang Asli household, I asked them,"Mengapa tak bela ayam?"
"Pak Belang datang nanti", Dolah answered.
We have encroached into all Orang Asli reservations with logging, development, and modern agriculture. They are driven further into the jungle to gather food sources and materials to trade. Alas, the resources are so meagre that they have to resort to hunting tigers for much needed cash.
Don't blame them but ourselves for destroying their ecosystem and not doing enough to provide means of livelihood.
If you really want to see how marginalised and ill-treated they are the perkampungan Orang Asli Lojing, Kelantan is such a pitiful state. Several years ago their kampong was surrounded by greeneries but now much bulldozed to their very doorsteps. The river where they used to bath, wash, and fish is murky with eroded soil.
Is this humanity in the land of Nik Aziz?
Thursday, February 11, 2010
MV Agusta again. Feb 9 2010
By al-Din on February 11, 2010 5:32 AM
Twelve points on the MV Agusta fiasco:
1. The amount of money lost was voluminous enough to be a grief to Proton, country and Malaysians as a whole.
2. The amount lost was a gigantic gain by the group of unpatriotic Malaysians who pulled off the great cheat.
3. It proved the point to the world that the Italians (Romans of old) came off with a great raid.
4. The Robb Report further reinforced the success of the dawn raid to the world. Shame you Malaysians!
5. Harley Davidson and BMW expand their business from MV Agusta and are laughing at us for being fools.
6. On paper, the sale of MV Agusta worth a grain a sand but was it so?
7. The Malaysian perpetrators are still scot free and with money in the bank.
8. What is the Malaysian government and people do about it?
9. For PRU13, the opposition parties will use the MV Agusta debacle as a campaign issue to say that BN governance is corrupt.
10. Malaysians, especially the new and coming generationshave been deprived of acquiring homegrown motorcyle technology and its spin-off in terms of jobs, economics and pride.
11. Putting the protagonist of Proton, Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to ignominity by design by the perpetrators. If not why they did not seek his advice as advisor of Proton?
12. Malaysia will suffer the consequence of the tragedy of commons, one fiasco (MV Agusta), another (PKFZ), more (Rapid Transit buses, used commuter trains, Ipoh northwards double tracked lines) and more (masjid Terengganu runtuh, Altantuya, VOA, scenic bridge ...).
Twelve points on the MV Agusta fiasco:
1. The amount of money lost was voluminous enough to be a grief to Proton, country and Malaysians as a whole.
2. The amount lost was a gigantic gain by the group of unpatriotic Malaysians who pulled off the great cheat.
3. It proved the point to the world that the Italians (Romans of old) came off with a great raid.
4. The Robb Report further reinforced the success of the dawn raid to the world. Shame you Malaysians!
5. Harley Davidson and BMW expand their business from MV Agusta and are laughing at us for being fools.
6. On paper, the sale of MV Agusta worth a grain a sand but was it so?
7. The Malaysian perpetrators are still scot free and with money in the bank.
8. What is the Malaysian government and people do about it?
9. For PRU13, the opposition parties will use the MV Agusta debacle as a campaign issue to say that BN governance is corrupt.
10. Malaysians, especially the new and coming generationshave been deprived of acquiring homegrown motorcyle technology and its spin-off in terms of jobs, economics and pride.
11. Putting the protagonist of Proton, Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to ignominity by design by the perpetrators. If not why they did not seek his advice as advisor of Proton?
12. Malaysia will suffer the consequence of the tragedy of commons, one fiasco (MV Agusta), another (PKFZ), more (Rapid Transit buses, used commuter trains, Ipoh northwards double tracked lines) and more (masjid Terengganu runtuh, Altantuya, VOA, scenic bridge ...).
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Science and Islam: Feb 8 2010
By al-Din on February 9, 2010 1:28 AM
Yang terhormat Tun.
Behind science and discoveries: End of a Malay kingdom
The Melaka kingdom or sultanate lasted just slightly over a century (1402-1511). At its establishment period (by Parameswara), world events elsewhere were already in a state of flux with wars and conquests, coronations, explorations and discoveries, inventions, advances in sciences and humanities.
At the onset of the Malay kingdom, Western Europe was undergoing the Renaissance period when arts and architecture flourished at its centre, Venice. The Ming Dynasty was at its zenith especially in sea power. The Ottomans (Turkish) empire was expanding with a great victory at Kosovo in 1389 which gave them control of the Balkans for the next 500 years. The Tartars under Timur, however curbed the Ottomans by conquering Central Asia beginning in 1395.
The look-East policy by a western nation was first initiated when Portuguese navigators, geographers and seamen were encouraged to make expeditions to the East by Prince Henry ‘The Navigator’. By 1488 Bartholomew Diaz had rounded the southern tip of Africa and named it as the Cape of Good Hope. Their goal to the East was now wide open.
Duarte Barbosa wrote about Melaka as a great centre of eastern trade “Whoever is Lord in Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice”. Melaka had become a trading centre where exotic goods and products from the East were reaching Europe. So much so that the King of Portugal, King Manuel in 1509 dispatched a fleet under Lopez de Sequeira to request for permission from the Sultan to trade.
Melaka was under the reign of Sultan Mahmud Shah (1488-1511), the sixth Sultan of Melaka. The Bendahara was Tun Mutahir, the uncle of the Sultan. Using kris and spears Tun Hasan Temenggong and his warriors managed to repel de Sequiera and his men armed with matchlocks.
World events in science and discoveries 20 years before the fall of Melaka:
1488 - Portugal’s Bartolomeu Dias rounds Cape of Good Hope, opening a new route to India.
1490-2 - German geographer and navigator Martin Behaim (1440-1507) constructs the oldest globe.
1492 -1502 - Voyages by Columbus, the Genoese-born explorer reach Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti), Trinidad and Panama.
1495- Aldine Press in Venice prints the Greek Classics, spreading rebirth of Greek learning.
1495 - First known muzzle-loading rifles made for Maximilian, the Holy Roman Emperor.
1497 - John Cabot, an Italian navigator employed by Henry VII of England, lands in Newfoundland, which he mistakes for China.
1497 - Italian artist and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci paints Last Supper, Mona Lisa in 1502.
1497-8 - Genoese-born explorer makes two voyages in search of a North-West Passage to China and discovers Newfoundland.
1498 - Vasco da Gama of Portugal reaches west coast of India at Calicut after rounding southern Africa.
1499 - Switzerland gains independence from the German Empire.
1499-1501 - Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) explores coast of South America, and gives his name to the continent.
1500 - Portuguese navigator, Pedro Cabral lands on the coast of Brazil and claims it for the Portuguese Crown.
1501 - In Venice, Ottaviano dei Petrucci publishes first printed music.
1506 - St. Peter’s, Rome began to be built.
1509 - Earliest known pocket watch made at Nuremberg, Germany.
1509 - Dutch humanist and scholar Erasmus, the most influential man of letters in northern Europe writes Encomium Moriae (‘In Praise of Folly’).
1509 - Portuguese flotilla under de Sequeira’s arrives in Melaka.
1510 - Venetian Renaissance at its peak.
1511 - de Albuquerque conquest of Malacca and end of the Melaka Sultanate.
In hindsight, we could deduce plausible explanations as to the success and longevity, or failure of a kingdom. External factors as well as internal strength or problems affect the stability and sovereignity of any nation. For the case of Melaka, it was the total lack of science and discoveries that led to its downfall.
Leonardo da Vinci's last words at his death ‘I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.’
Yang terhormat Tun.
Behind science and discoveries: End of a Malay kingdom
The Melaka kingdom or sultanate lasted just slightly over a century (1402-1511). At its establishment period (by Parameswara), world events elsewhere were already in a state of flux with wars and conquests, coronations, explorations and discoveries, inventions, advances in sciences and humanities.
At the onset of the Malay kingdom, Western Europe was undergoing the Renaissance period when arts and architecture flourished at its centre, Venice. The Ming Dynasty was at its zenith especially in sea power. The Ottomans (Turkish) empire was expanding with a great victory at Kosovo in 1389 which gave them control of the Balkans for the next 500 years. The Tartars under Timur, however curbed the Ottomans by conquering Central Asia beginning in 1395.
The look-East policy by a western nation was first initiated when Portuguese navigators, geographers and seamen were encouraged to make expeditions to the East by Prince Henry ‘The Navigator’. By 1488 Bartholomew Diaz had rounded the southern tip of Africa and named it as the Cape of Good Hope. Their goal to the East was now wide open.
Duarte Barbosa wrote about Melaka as a great centre of eastern trade “Whoever is Lord in Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice”. Melaka had become a trading centre where exotic goods and products from the East were reaching Europe. So much so that the King of Portugal, King Manuel in 1509 dispatched a fleet under Lopez de Sequeira to request for permission from the Sultan to trade.
Melaka was under the reign of Sultan Mahmud Shah (1488-1511), the sixth Sultan of Melaka. The Bendahara was Tun Mutahir, the uncle of the Sultan. Using kris and spears Tun Hasan Temenggong and his warriors managed to repel de Sequiera and his men armed with matchlocks.
World events in science and discoveries 20 years before the fall of Melaka:
1488 - Portugal’s Bartolomeu Dias rounds Cape of Good Hope, opening a new route to India.
1490-2 - German geographer and navigator Martin Behaim (1440-1507) constructs the oldest globe.
1492 -1502 - Voyages by Columbus, the Genoese-born explorer reach Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti), Trinidad and Panama.
1495- Aldine Press in Venice prints the Greek Classics, spreading rebirth of Greek learning.
1495 - First known muzzle-loading rifles made for Maximilian, the Holy Roman Emperor.
1497 - John Cabot, an Italian navigator employed by Henry VII of England, lands in Newfoundland, which he mistakes for China.
1497 - Italian artist and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci paints Last Supper, Mona Lisa in 1502.
1497-8 - Genoese-born explorer makes two voyages in search of a North-West Passage to China and discovers Newfoundland.
1498 - Vasco da Gama of Portugal reaches west coast of India at Calicut after rounding southern Africa.
1499 - Switzerland gains independence from the German Empire.
1499-1501 - Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) explores coast of South America, and gives his name to the continent.
1500 - Portuguese navigator, Pedro Cabral lands on the coast of Brazil and claims it for the Portuguese Crown.
1501 - In Venice, Ottaviano dei Petrucci publishes first printed music.
1506 - St. Peter’s, Rome began to be built.
1509 - Earliest known pocket watch made at Nuremberg, Germany.
1509 - Dutch humanist and scholar Erasmus, the most influential man of letters in northern Europe writes Encomium Moriae (‘In Praise of Folly’).
1509 - Portuguese flotilla under de Sequeira’s arrives in Melaka.
1510 - Venetian Renaissance at its peak.
1511 - de Albuquerque conquest of Malacca and end of the Melaka Sultanate.
In hindsight, we could deduce plausible explanations as to the success and longevity, or failure of a kingdom. External factors as well as internal strength or problems affect the stability and sovereignity of any nation. For the case of Melaka, it was the total lack of science and discoveries that led to its downfall.
Leonardo da Vinci's last words at his death ‘I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.’
Monday, February 8, 2010
Science and Islam: Feb 8 2010
By al-Din on February 8, 2010 11:38 AM
Salam Tun,
Science, professionalism, and frauds
The practice of normal science or textbook science will not bring us to the frontier of technology. There are two prerequisites to enable non-normal (new) science to bloom, firstly knowledge and secondly the climate that allows constant disproving of hypothesis/ideas/findings to test their robustness and hence improve upon them.
Science is not the ultimate truth. We are using science to get closer to the truth. That is the dogma of science and a paradigm that scientists have to reconcile with. To quote Professor Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Atas in his book Islam and the Philosophy of Science stated that “For every truth there is a limit that is true to that truth; the knowledge of that limit is wisdom”. The ultimate truth belongs to the Almighty and His revelations.
In our quest towards scientific advancement we must work on the basis of truth and reject the untruth. This etiquette on truth has been expounded more than 2000 years ago by Aristotle (384-322BC), a Greek philosopher “To be acceptable as scientific knowledge a truth must be a deduction from other truths”. Truth leads to a climate of trust and accountability towards research and public beneficiaries.
Advancement in science is essential for national security. In our case, the priority is the advancement of science aimed at abundance in food supply. Often said it is a national agenda or policy but we have failed to make it a reality especially in rice production. The country’s system of rice production must jettison itself to be self-sufficient and not at the current 60% self-sufficiency. The country needs to study and revamp the whole array of factors influencing our staple food supply chain – land, water, research, technology, processing, marketing, laws and regulation, and enforcement.
The very basic tenet of science as exemplified in testing a hypothesis follows standard experimental procedures. Thus, there are not that many shortcuts towards excellence in science. Suffice to say that the road towards excellence and leadership in science is long and arduous. To be a scientist, one has to go through the grinds of a sound training obtained from established institution with well-known academicians. Equiped with a strong foundation a scientist is likely to contribute towards high throughput of quality research, technology generation and paper writing.
The hue and cry sometimes ago was that many professors and dons do not publish enough to meet their ranks (The Star, 21 Nov 2007). Whom to blame? The system or the so-called professors? To them the institution is a springboard for self-gain. Yes, scientists must write. Research results must be put in black and white and get published in acceptable publications so that new information can be disseminated and put to good use for the general public.
Writing sharpens the mind and the thought processes. It is not an easy task. It is an art. As in any work of art, practice makes perfect. It was noted that Abraham Lincoln once rewrote a letter a hundred times and yet did not send it for some reasons or another.
Improvement in writing comes gradually and seldom by leaps and bounds. It involves mental preparation beforehand – much reading and thinking about the subject matter over and over. The hardest act is to get into the physical commitment – getting glued to the chair and face the computer for hours on end, key in the data and the correct words, and out comes the draft paper! Usually, there is strong challenge or motivational force that moves us to write, be it to complete a thesis, for seminar presentation, or promotional inducement etc. Over time one gets the knack of writing and then it becomes a joy of doing it for whatever purpose. After a piece of good work is done (well), one tends to look back and in bewilderment say how in the world I could write that blurb!
A scientist is a professional that adds new knowledge to an existing pool of scientific knowledge. The Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defined professionalism as “the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person. Thus, it is an encompassing word that conjures elusiveness as the wind to grapple with. It has something to do with the fabric of an individual’s conduct – education, training, attitudes, habits, interests, use and abuse of knowledge/power, et cetera, et cetera.
It has been said that man is an egoistic animal. Then, is ego a problem in science? A big dose of it, yes. A big ego acts as a shield or mental block to knowledge, enquiries, and curiosities. Prolonged overdose of ego works strangely on the mind and personality leading to dire consequences on science and professionalism. As result of knowledge withdrawal over time the negative effect would be a feeling of inadequacy and insecurity. The person develops into a know-all buffoon and higher-than-thou attitude. An insecure person in a position of leadership is dangerous for the organisation for insecurity breeds insecurity being proven so for umpteenth of times.
Being human we need to guard truth, trust and accountability with appropriate systems of check and countercheck, reward and sanction. Reward and recognition should be due when it is due. If the yardstick is the number of papers published so be it.
Is the academia free of frauds or corrupt practices? Surely not. Of greater concern in academia is perhaps the corruption of minds. As expected among the milieu of the academicians there are some who thrive and hide using gameplans and corrupt practices such as politicking, rumour mongering, and character assassination. Their moral conduct questionable. Along the way the minds of students and (young) academicians got waylaid as to the correct principles, ethics, and fine values of education and research.
Who are these people who resort to fraud to achieve their ends? They are the mediocre and deficient in output but ambitious. They exploit students to do research and publish papers. Oftentimes they take the limelight by presenting the papers as their own work ie. plagiarism (refer to Sunday Straits Times, 10 Nov 1996). They use all means of influence within and outside the university to gain positions and promotions. They are to be seen to have the connections and unceremoniously drop in names of VIPs during casual conversations. Per chance they are in position of authority that is when they become dangerous and suppressive of threats real or imagined. They will find faults and use veiled threats and make people insecure.
If we allow those who commit frauds of science to go unpunished then the institution will suffer the tragedy of the commons. Meaning, that one additional fraud does not make any difference. Add one more, one more, and more, the cumulative effect of which would be tragedy beyond repair.
People come and go but the institution stays. The institution or organization should in fact gets stronger from day to day. Hence, an institution must devise effective means to weed out frauds and pretenders who corrupt science and the minds of others. Otherwise, it is easy to aim and claim that we are world class.
http://www.sustainable living institute (SAVE).blogspot.com
Salam Tun,
Science, professionalism, and frauds
The practice of normal science or textbook science will not bring us to the frontier of technology. There are two prerequisites to enable non-normal (new) science to bloom, firstly knowledge and secondly the climate that allows constant disproving of hypothesis/ideas/findings to test their robustness and hence improve upon them.
Science is not the ultimate truth. We are using science to get closer to the truth. That is the dogma of science and a paradigm that scientists have to reconcile with. To quote Professor Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Atas in his book Islam and the Philosophy of Science stated that “For every truth there is a limit that is true to that truth; the knowledge of that limit is wisdom”. The ultimate truth belongs to the Almighty and His revelations.
In our quest towards scientific advancement we must work on the basis of truth and reject the untruth. This etiquette on truth has been expounded more than 2000 years ago by Aristotle (384-322BC), a Greek philosopher “To be acceptable as scientific knowledge a truth must be a deduction from other truths”. Truth leads to a climate of trust and accountability towards research and public beneficiaries.
Advancement in science is essential for national security. In our case, the priority is the advancement of science aimed at abundance in food supply. Often said it is a national agenda or policy but we have failed to make it a reality especially in rice production. The country’s system of rice production must jettison itself to be self-sufficient and not at the current 60% self-sufficiency. The country needs to study and revamp the whole array of factors influencing our staple food supply chain – land, water, research, technology, processing, marketing, laws and regulation, and enforcement.
The very basic tenet of science as exemplified in testing a hypothesis follows standard experimental procedures. Thus, there are not that many shortcuts towards excellence in science. Suffice to say that the road towards excellence and leadership in science is long and arduous. To be a scientist, one has to go through the grinds of a sound training obtained from established institution with well-known academicians. Equiped with a strong foundation a scientist is likely to contribute towards high throughput of quality research, technology generation and paper writing.
The hue and cry sometimes ago was that many professors and dons do not publish enough to meet their ranks (The Star, 21 Nov 2007). Whom to blame? The system or the so-called professors? To them the institution is a springboard for self-gain. Yes, scientists must write. Research results must be put in black and white and get published in acceptable publications so that new information can be disseminated and put to good use for the general public.
Writing sharpens the mind and the thought processes. It is not an easy task. It is an art. As in any work of art, practice makes perfect. It was noted that Abraham Lincoln once rewrote a letter a hundred times and yet did not send it for some reasons or another.
Improvement in writing comes gradually and seldom by leaps and bounds. It involves mental preparation beforehand – much reading and thinking about the subject matter over and over. The hardest act is to get into the physical commitment – getting glued to the chair and face the computer for hours on end, key in the data and the correct words, and out comes the draft paper! Usually, there is strong challenge or motivational force that moves us to write, be it to complete a thesis, for seminar presentation, or promotional inducement etc. Over time one gets the knack of writing and then it becomes a joy of doing it for whatever purpose. After a piece of good work is done (well), one tends to look back and in bewilderment say how in the world I could write that blurb!
A scientist is a professional that adds new knowledge to an existing pool of scientific knowledge. The Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defined professionalism as “the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person. Thus, it is an encompassing word that conjures elusiveness as the wind to grapple with. It has something to do with the fabric of an individual’s conduct – education, training, attitudes, habits, interests, use and abuse of knowledge/power, et cetera, et cetera.
It has been said that man is an egoistic animal. Then, is ego a problem in science? A big dose of it, yes. A big ego acts as a shield or mental block to knowledge, enquiries, and curiosities. Prolonged overdose of ego works strangely on the mind and personality leading to dire consequences on science and professionalism. As result of knowledge withdrawal over time the negative effect would be a feeling of inadequacy and insecurity. The person develops into a know-all buffoon and higher-than-thou attitude. An insecure person in a position of leadership is dangerous for the organisation for insecurity breeds insecurity being proven so for umpteenth of times.
Being human we need to guard truth, trust and accountability with appropriate systems of check and countercheck, reward and sanction. Reward and recognition should be due when it is due. If the yardstick is the number of papers published so be it.
Is the academia free of frauds or corrupt practices? Surely not. Of greater concern in academia is perhaps the corruption of minds. As expected among the milieu of the academicians there are some who thrive and hide using gameplans and corrupt practices such as politicking, rumour mongering, and character assassination. Their moral conduct questionable. Along the way the minds of students and (young) academicians got waylaid as to the correct principles, ethics, and fine values of education and research.
Who are these people who resort to fraud to achieve their ends? They are the mediocre and deficient in output but ambitious. They exploit students to do research and publish papers. Oftentimes they take the limelight by presenting the papers as their own work ie. plagiarism (refer to Sunday Straits Times, 10 Nov 1996). They use all means of influence within and outside the university to gain positions and promotions. They are to be seen to have the connections and unceremoniously drop in names of VIPs during casual conversations. Per chance they are in position of authority that is when they become dangerous and suppressive of threats real or imagined. They will find faults and use veiled threats and make people insecure.
If we allow those who commit frauds of science to go unpunished then the institution will suffer the tragedy of the commons. Meaning, that one additional fraud does not make any difference. Add one more, one more, and more, the cumulative effect of which would be tragedy beyond repair.
People come and go but the institution stays. The institution or organization should in fact gets stronger from day to day. Hence, an institution must devise effective means to weed out frauds and pretenders who corrupt science and the minds of others. Otherwise, it is easy to aim and claim that we are world class.
http://www.sustainable living institute (SAVE).blogspot.com
Friday, February 5, 2010
kepelbagaian suara Melayu: 5 Feb 2010
SUSTAINABLE LIVING INSTITUTE (SAVE) said...
Pemimpin yang memperbudakkan minda raakyat akan terjerumus kedalam perangkap sendiri atau ia akan memakan tuannya. Oleh itu bila rakyat memberi pandangan pemimpin akan kurang mendengarnya dan ambil perhatian.
Bila pemimpin menghadapi masalah besar ia akan cepat rujuk kapada raja untuk mencari penyelesaian. Atau ia akan bergantung langsung kapada keputusan mahkamah. Ini memberi implikasi yang ia tidak bertanggung jawab atas keputusan yang harus diambil.
Andainya keputusan raja atau mahkamah tidak diterima rakyat pihak yang dirujuk akan dipersalahkan dan bukan tanggung jawab pemimpin itu sendiri. Dari segi ini pemimpin telah bertindak seperti kebudak-budakan.
Pembawaan kebudak-budakan ini jelas kelihatan bila menteri perlu merujuk kapada PM untuk nasihat atau keputusan atas perkara yang agak kecil seperti kebocoran maklumat negara. Walaupun ia rujuklah dahulu sebelum diumumkan.
Apabila Churchill hendak berperang pun ia sendiri membuat keputusannya selepas itu barulah memberitahu Buckingham Palace!
Dalam sembahyang Jumaat kaum Muslimat akan berdoa agar pemerintah dan raja di rahmati Allah. Mereka patut bertanggung jawab pula kapada ummah. Jangan memperlakukan kehendak sendiri kerana apa-apa langkah diambil bukan hanya melibatkan diri sendiri tetapi semua rakyat yang berdoa atau tidak berdoa.
Adakah patut raja melumurkan darah dengan si-pembunuh penduduk Iraq Tony Blair dengan menyanjungnya di Sabah? Allah telah membayangkan balasannya baik dari peringkat negeri mahupun negara.
Pemimpin yang memperbudakkan minda raakyat akan terjerumus kedalam perangkap sendiri atau ia akan memakan tuannya. Oleh itu bila rakyat memberi pandangan pemimpin akan kurang mendengarnya dan ambil perhatian.
Bila pemimpin menghadapi masalah besar ia akan cepat rujuk kapada raja untuk mencari penyelesaian. Atau ia akan bergantung langsung kapada keputusan mahkamah. Ini memberi implikasi yang ia tidak bertanggung jawab atas keputusan yang harus diambil.
Andainya keputusan raja atau mahkamah tidak diterima rakyat pihak yang dirujuk akan dipersalahkan dan bukan tanggung jawab pemimpin itu sendiri. Dari segi ini pemimpin telah bertindak seperti kebudak-budakan.
Pembawaan kebudak-budakan ini jelas kelihatan bila menteri perlu merujuk kapada PM untuk nasihat atau keputusan atas perkara yang agak kecil seperti kebocoran maklumat negara. Walaupun ia rujuklah dahulu sebelum diumumkan.
Apabila Churchill hendak berperang pun ia sendiri membuat keputusannya selepas itu barulah memberitahu Buckingham Palace!
Dalam sembahyang Jumaat kaum Muslimat akan berdoa agar pemerintah dan raja di rahmati Allah. Mereka patut bertanggung jawab pula kapada ummah. Jangan memperlakukan kehendak sendiri kerana apa-apa langkah diambil bukan hanya melibatkan diri sendiri tetapi semua rakyat yang berdoa atau tidak berdoa.
Adakah patut raja melumurkan darah dengan si-pembunuh penduduk Iraq Tony Blair dengan menyanjungnya di Sabah? Allah telah membayangkan balasannya baik dari peringkat negeri mahupun negara.
kepelbagaian suara Melayu: 5 Feb 2010
SUSTAINABLE LIVING INSTITUTE (SAVE) said...
Kepelbagaian merupakan lumrah alam yang dikurniakan oleh Allah. Dari sebesar-besarnya galaxi, planet hingga sekecil-kecilnya sub-atom. Semuanya ini berintaksi dan mempengaruhi antara satu sama lain dalam berbagai perkara seperti tarikan graviti misalnya. Manusia telah mengkaji dan maklum atas perkara seperti ini dan dalam banyak hal lagi.
Allah mengurniakan Malaysia dengan berbagai bangsa dan etnik supaya dapat kita mempelajari antara satu sama lain, menguatkan pemikiran yang berbeza berbangkit dari kepelbagaian budaya, agama, genetik dll.
Dalam Bangsa Melayu juga terdapat kepelbagaian asal-usul, budaya, kebolehan dsb. Tetapi kita tidak menggunakan kepelbagaian ini dengan sepenuhnya untuk kemajuan dan kebaikan. Malah, dalam banyak perkara kita suka memupuk keseragaman pemikiran (collective thought) dan indoktrinasi. Di peringkat universiti pun dipaksa pakai uniform bertali leher supaya berlagak sebagai eksekutif. Kononnya untuk meningkatkan disiplin tetapi kesan jangka panjangnya adalah 'herd mentality'. Menetapkan berpakaian batik atau uniform pada hari tertentu masa bertugas adalah unsur memperbudak-budakan daya pemikiran kita.
Pada pandangan pemimpin 'one collective thought' itu memudahkan pentadbiran negara kerana rakyat tidak akan banyak soal dan lebih mengikut sahaja. Ini menyenangkan tugasnya. Konsep 1Malaysia telah terbawa-terbawa kearah tersebut dengan adanya slogan-slogan berupa indoktrinasi minda.
Ya, kepelbagaian kumpulan suara Melayu sepatutnya digalakkan terutamanya dalam suasana politik pemimpin yang tahu hanya berpolitik untuk mengekalkan kedudukan hingga sanggup membelakangkan hak bangsa sendiri.
Kepelbagaian merupakan lumrah alam yang dikurniakan oleh Allah. Dari sebesar-besarnya galaxi, planet hingga sekecil-kecilnya sub-atom. Semuanya ini berintaksi dan mempengaruhi antara satu sama lain dalam berbagai perkara seperti tarikan graviti misalnya. Manusia telah mengkaji dan maklum atas perkara seperti ini dan dalam banyak hal lagi.
Allah mengurniakan Malaysia dengan berbagai bangsa dan etnik supaya dapat kita mempelajari antara satu sama lain, menguatkan pemikiran yang berbeza berbangkit dari kepelbagaian budaya, agama, genetik dll.
Dalam Bangsa Melayu juga terdapat kepelbagaian asal-usul, budaya, kebolehan dsb. Tetapi kita tidak menggunakan kepelbagaian ini dengan sepenuhnya untuk kemajuan dan kebaikan. Malah, dalam banyak perkara kita suka memupuk keseragaman pemikiran (collective thought) dan indoktrinasi. Di peringkat universiti pun dipaksa pakai uniform bertali leher supaya berlagak sebagai eksekutif. Kononnya untuk meningkatkan disiplin tetapi kesan jangka panjangnya adalah 'herd mentality'. Menetapkan berpakaian batik atau uniform pada hari tertentu masa bertugas adalah unsur memperbudak-budakan daya pemikiran kita.
Pada pandangan pemimpin 'one collective thought' itu memudahkan pentadbiran negara kerana rakyat tidak akan banyak soal dan lebih mengikut sahaja. Ini menyenangkan tugasnya. Konsep 1Malaysia telah terbawa-terbawa kearah tersebut dengan adanya slogan-slogan berupa indoktrinasi minda.
Ya, kepelbagaian kumpulan suara Melayu sepatutnya digalakkan terutamanya dalam suasana politik pemimpin yang tahu hanya berpolitik untuk mengekalkan kedudukan hingga sanggup membelakangkan hak bangsa sendiri.
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