SINGING THE BLUES AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Had meant to share this yesterday so you could enjoy it leisurely during the weekend. Well, better late than never.

If you love the blues, you just have to watch this video clip.

For the full one-hour performance, click here.

You will be surprised at who else are in the line-up of blues musicians at this White House performance. Turn the volume up, sit back, and let the music blow you away. Remember to switch to full screen for better viewing.

ENJOY!

HANDS OFF MY EPF SAVINGS!

Report in The Star 15 March

Honestly, some of the things the government does makes no sense. Take the latest example. The government launched the My First Home Scheme in March 2011 to help young working adults own their first home. Banks were supposed to provide 100% loans for houses costing up to RM200,000 (for single applicants earning up to RM3k a month), and up to RM400,000 (for couples with a joint income of up to RM6k a month).

A year on, Bank Negara has issued a statement to say that half of the applicants from a total of 1062 do not qualify. The main reason - they failed to prove their ability to repay the loan due to poor credit history and non-sustainable income. (For details of eligibility criteria, click here.)

Not surprising. Which bank would want to lend to borrowers who have a high risk of defaulting on their repayments?

Time to crack the whip? Hah! Yet another empty threat.

Meanwhile, over in Petaling Jaya, the PJ City Council (PJCC) is threatening to evict defaulters of their public housing scheme. Tenants of the low-cost apartments in Taman Putra Damai, Subang and in PPR Kota Damansara owe a total of RM10 million in arrears. Despite the low monthly rental of RM124 for a 3-room unit, many tenants still don't / won't / can't pay up.

The defaulters have been issued several reminder letters, but they have chosen to blatantly ignore all these reminders. You can be sure they will similarly chuck the eviction notice in the trash bin.

The EPF is flushed with money and currently holds RM470 billion in assets.

The crux of the problem is the half-hearted attempts by enforcement officers to impose penalties, coupled with the habit of bending over backwards to accommodate defaulters. PJCC is prepared to discuss payment arrangements including accepting instalments. PJCC wants to wield the stick, but at the same time doesn't want to be seen as the bad guys. The result? PJCC is perceived as a toothless tiger that no law-breakers would take seriously.

The same goes for most government agencies. They make poor bill collectors. And so the losses keep mounting. Billions of the rakyat's money washed down the drain. No chance of recovering it. The same thing with student loans.

FT Minister (Pic: Malaysian Insider)

Unfortunately these financially painful lessons are not learned. And the long history of mistakes repeats itself. A case in point - Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) recently announced that RM1.5 billion of EPF funds will be used to finance DBKL's low-cost housing scheme. Federal Territories Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik said the ministry had already offered the loan to 24,000 City Hall low-cost housing tenants. The funds will be disbursed by June or July this year.

For sure, no commercial banks is prepared to finance these high-risk loans. The solution? Turn to the EPF. It's the government's second piggy bank after Petronas.

But EPF funds belong to people like you and me who have worked hard to put aside some savings for their retirement years. Should we be concerned that City Hall is digging into our retirement pie without so much as a "May we?" to ask for our permission? Have we no say in where our money goes?

Based on the poor track record of low-cost housing defaulters, we can probably say Bye-Bye to the bulk of the RM1.5 billion. What happens if these "eligible" applicants later find themselves unable to keep up with the repayments? Or worse, refuse to honour their part of the contract even though they can afford to?

How safe are my EPF savings? Of course, DBKL will assure employees and retirees that there is no cause for alarm. What would be your course of action if you had savings with the EPF?

It's obvious, isn't it?

MALAYSIA'S FIRST WOMAN PM/DPM IN 2022?

All ears when DAP's Lim Kit Siang took the rostrum.

Last Friday I was at the Thean Hou Temple for the Lembah Pantai fund-raising dinner. The hall was packed with Pakatan Rakyat supporters. Aside from the proceeds from the 96 table reservations at RM100 per person, an extra RM27,000 was raised on the spot from donations.

Featured speakers were DAP's Lim Kit Siang, PAS's Mat Sabu, Bersih's Ambiga, Nurul Izzah and her father Anwar Ibrahim. The latter was a no-show as his flight from Penang was delayed at the last minute.



The night definitely belonged to Nurul, not only because she is MP for Lembah Pantai, but also because she wowed the audience with her oratorical skills. She is not afraid to speak out against injustice and against corruption. She is well-informed, articulate and humble. Her good looks is an added bonus. She is also a loving wife, a doting mother of two, and plays a mean guitar, so I was told. She is a fan of English rock band Radiohead, and supports Arsenal. It's easy to see why she has a huge following, especially among the young people. And she is only 31 years old!

If you have never heard Nurul speak, do watch the video.

As Ambiga said in her speech, Malaysia is ready for a woman PM, and guess who that would be? You know the answer.

GETTING READY FOR THE GREY CLOUDS AHEAD

Imagine a greying world in 2050. The fastest ageing countries are Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, mainland China (Hong Kong) and Singapore. Guess what they all have in common?

These statistics from Taiwan's Council for Economic Planning and Development are representative of an ageing world. The ranks of the elderly are swelling rapidly whilst at the other end birth rates are falling.

The United Nations reports that by 2050, for the first time in human history, old people will outnumber children. The impact of this "demographic age-quake" will have far-reaching effects on almost every area of life, including the economy, work force, taxation, pension funds, inheritance, family composition and housing.

There will be fewer young people supporting the elderly. Pension funds will be insufficient to pay the escalating number of pensioners. Governments will have to raise the retirement age to keep older workers employed longer so that they can continue to support themselves. That means we will be seeing an ageing work force.

It's not just happening in Taiwan that women will outnumber men in the over-80 age group. It's a worldwide trend.

Singapore is pulling up all the stops in getting the island nation ready for the silver tsunami. It's all hands on deck as each ministry gears up to meet the challenges imposed by a greying population.

Speaking at a Ministerial Committee on Ageing dialogue session in January, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong stressed the urgency of the situation. "We need to act now ... in view of the more rapid pace of ageing post-2020. We need to ramp up aged care services and facilities significantly ... We cannot wait for the increase in needs to materialise before we start to build more facilities. 2020 is less than 10 years away. We must be ready when rapid ageing sets in." (Source: Today.)

There is constant coverage in the media of the latest government efforts in tackling the ageing issue. From new insurance schemes to healthcare provisions, from elder-friendly housing to nursing homes, from the Maintenance of Parents Act to the law on Re-employment of Older Workers, the government is wasting no time and effort in getting the country ready. By 2020, some 600,000 people will be above 65, or about 15 per cent of the population.

Growing number of elderly needing healthcare services. (Photo: Straits Times)

The Ministry of Health is feeling the pressure most. It will:

- Expand number of day social and rehabilitative care places from 2,100 to about 6,200

- Increase home-based healthcare services from 4,000 to between 8,000 and 10,000.

- Increase the number of seniors who are eligible for home-based social care, from 2,000 to 7,500.

- Ramp up number of nursing-home beds by some 70 per cent, to 15,600.

- Review aged care financing schemes and make aged care more affordable.

- Take the lead in building more aged care facilities such as day centres.

Students wearing grey singing for the residents in Ren Ci Nursing Home.
(Photo: Embrace Ageing)

Even the young people in Singapore are preparing themselves for a future of more elderly people. Aware that they too will turn grey one day, a group of them recently started the "Embrace Ageing" initiative on Facebook. Last Saturday March 10, it was "Wear Grey Day" to spread the message that ageing is a natural process, and not something to dread or fear. The event received good public support and extensive media coverage. This is yet another indication of the urgency in getting the country and the people ready for the grey explosion ahead.

Countries that have yet to implement elder-friendly policies and practices will have less time to adjust when the full impact of an ageing population hits them in the next 10-20 years.

SUPPORT FOR THE PM = SUPPORT FOR BN?

I sometimes wonder if our leaders think before they speak. They must take the rakyat for fools to assume that we believe everything that sprouts from their mouths. The truth is, more often than not, when they do open their mouth, it's to put their foot in it. Take this report in the NST today - "Najib's ratings 'a boost for party'". Since when does one man's improved approval ratings automatically translate into "positive indication of the people's support for BN'? Mana ada logik?

The PM is constantly in the limelight. Pictures of him are in the papers every day, not just on one page but several pages. Whether it's the removal of toll, the scrapping of the Public Service New Remuneration Scheme, the projects launched under the Economic Transformation Programme or the launch of the My First Home Scheme, it's the PM who makes the announcements. It is also the PM who offered his apologies for the mistakes his ruling party made during the last elections, although what these are he has yet to specify.

Shouldn't the respective Ministers be making announcements on behalf of their ministries? Our ministers hardly get their names or pictures in the media, and if they do, it's more often for the wrong reasons, like the Minister of Defence having to defend the fiasco of his multi-billion ringgit Scorpene submarine purchase. Or the soon-to-be former Minister of Women, Family and Community Development having to repeatedly deny that she has anything to do with the National Feedlot Corporation scandal.

The only other minister who is given some media exposure is the Deputy PM who is also the Education Minister. Unfortunately, his statements often reveal his lack of the Malaysian spirit or his ignorance about the status of English in the public exam system. By the way, can you name the Minister of Housing and Local Government? Or the Minister of Works? Or the Minister of Agriculture? Or the Minister of Foreign Affairs? ....I rest my case.

How do we know if they have done a good job if we don't know what they have done? What will their report card show at the end of their 5-year term in office? Will the people have confidence in them to vote them back for another four more years? The PM alone cannot ensure a win for the ruling party. It's about time his cabinet ministers reached out to the people and find out what they can do for the people in their constituency. Perhaps it's already too late.

The Malaysian Cabinet in 2009. Click here for the latest line-up, 

How many of the above ministers and deputy ministers have you read about in the papers since they were appointed in 2008? Look at the ministers again. Do they inspire confidence in their leadership? What are their academic or professional qualifications? How much experience do they have for their post? Does the BN cabinet stand for good governance? Several faces are no longer there today, and by the time you read this, Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat, will be history when her term ends on April 8. (Pix below: Defence Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat.)

The Malaysian electorate has grown up since the last elections. Thanks to the alternative media and the new social media, we have become more critical and more aware of our rights as citizens. No longer will we listen to what our politicians say and embrace it as the gospel truth. We want to do our own research, we want to do our own thinking and analyzing of what we hear and read.

Come GE-13, we know which party to support, and who to vote for.

TALKING ABOUT POO IS NO LAUGHING MATTER

While we are still on the subject of loos, perhaps it's the right time to bring up a related topic, that of poo. As we advance in age, we might find ourselves grappling with irregular bowel movement. It could be due to several factors: poor diet, lack of exercise, too much bed rest, and side effects of prescription drugs. It is a common but embarrassing topic to bring up, but when we do nothing about it, and allow it to worsen, the end result could be colon cancer, or heart attacks and strokes related to chronic constipation.

I recall reading about Elvis Presley's death in August 1977. He was found unconscious on the bathroom floor. He was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. His post mortem stated that he had died of cardiac arrhythmia - a form of heart attack. He was only 42, but already he was overweight and lived an unhealthy lifestyle.

Most reports said Elvis died of a drug overdose. But his doctor, Dr George Nickopoulos, who signed the death certificate, says it was chronic constipation that killed Elvis. He had so much compacted faecal matter that he literally gave himself a heart attack trying to force a bowel movement.

All of us have grappled with constipation at one time or another, especially when travelling and our regular bowel movement is thrown out of whack. When we carry too much accumulated poo for too long, we may end up with serious health complications the worst of which is colon cancer.

Not a pretty sight. Faecal matter eliminated from colonic cleansing.

It's time we got acquainted with our poo. Dr Oz will help us with this. Click here to view all the different kinds of poo we produce and what each type indicate.

A Google search on the topic confirms that drinking plenty of water is the cheapest and most effective means of preventing constipation. Next comes a healthy diet with plenty of vegetables and fibre, followed by regular exercise.

Foods to avoid include processed foods and deep fried foods. Also avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks.

Colon cancer is one of the easiest cancers to prevent.
And  W-A-T-E-R remains the undisputed No 1 preventive measure against colon cancer resulting from chronic constipation.

Some personal tips:

~ Carry a small bottle of water with you when you plan to be out for several hours. Better than resorting to buying soft drinks, teh tarik or expensive juices. Nothing beats plain boiled water from home.

~ Take plenty of vegetables, especially leafy ones and broccoli. You will have easy and smooth bowel movements just like my 6-year old granddaughter who pops into the loo to do her business and is done in five minutes or less.

~ Have high-fibre bread or cereals for breakfast. And make it a habit to move your bowels after that. Keep doing this, and after a week, it becomes part of your morning rituals.

~ If you haven't had a colonoscopy yet, might be a good idea to get one done. A painless prodedure, and if the doctor finds any polyps, he will remove them for you.

TAXPAYERS' MONEY GONE DOWN THE LOO

StarMetro headlines today. Click here to read more.

I almost choked on my tuna sandwich this morning when I saw this headline. That was just for starters. My eyeballs nearly popped out when I read the report. RM400,000 for a public toilet! That sum can buy a young adult a dream house under the MY FIRST HOME scheme.

An Automated Street Toilet at a launching ceremony in 2006.

The toilet today. Closed for permanent repairs? Honestly, it looks more like a
RM4000 toilet than a RM400,000 one. That's taxpayers' money truly gone down the loo.

I remember the fanfare that went with the launching of these toilets in 2006. I remember too thinking at the time that it wouldn't be long before one by one these toilets would break down and eventually become public eyesores. Well, my fears have come true in just a short span of barely six years.

What boogles the mind is that each of these Automated Street Toilets (AST) costs a whopping RM400,000. There are 20 of them scattered around the city. That makes a total of RM8 million spent on providing a convenient place for people to pee! Guess who uses these ASTs most? Foreign workers and labourers.

It gets even better. These ASTs are supposed to be high-tech. "The doors are very sensitive," says a spokesman from City Hall's building maintenance department. Probably true. I've seen a foreign labourer banging and kicking the door of an AST in the Kota Raya area in a vain attempt to get it open.

My question is - why go for state-of-the-art toilets when most folks here don't even know how to use the low-tech toilets we currently have in public places?

Something stinks here, and it's not just coming from these toilets. No one will be surprised if these ASTs end up in the next Auditor-General's report.

I was downtown today with my camera. I managed to capture more examples of shoddy maintenance.

This wheelchair lift at KLCC seems to be either under utilised or permanently under repair. Why?

Jalan Sultan in Chinatown after a heavy downpour this afternoon. The surrounding drains were all clogged. No wonder the area is flooded whenever there's heavy rain.

TV screens with no pictures. Most of the buses are poorly maintained, with broken plastic seats and ticket machines that often break down.

You wouldn't expect to see this at the food court in Mid-Valley, one of the city's premier shopping malls. Not only are both taps not working, the sink doors are held together with cellophane tape!

Potential danger. Exposed cables along Jalan Ampang.

GOING, GOING, GONE WITH THE TIMES

Hotel Equatorial today (Star Metro 5 March 2012)

The final countdown has begun for yet another Kuala Lumpur landmark. 31 March is the last day of business for Hotel Equatorial. Back in its heydays in the 70s and 80s, the hotel was the place to party, to hold wedding banquets and to be seen.

Hotel Equatorial in 1973. (Star pic)

Those days have long gone. Competition from the new hotels in the vicinity has sounded the death knell for the hotel. By the end of April, the staff will be moving out and the bulldozers will be moving in. The old hotel will be completely demolished to make way for a new one expected to be ready in three to four years.

Many among the older folks who have partied or dined at the hotel will feel a tinge of sadness. It's like witnessing the passing of an old friend.

Demolition began in 2007. (Star pic)

But that is life. Nothing remains forever. Even the Chinese high school where I taught for 35 years. Just before it celebrated its centennial in 2008, the school was demolished block by block, despite strong protests from thousands of former students. Recently when I went back for a visit, I could barely recognize the place. I felt like an alien there. Gone were the familiar faces and places in the school.

It's the same with our kampung. We return after many years to find a strange town in its place, with shopping malls and high-rise buildings. Childhood haunts no longer exist, and old school buddies have passed on.

Sad, isn't it? All that's left are beautiful memories...

Related article:

NEW LIFE FOR OLD BUILDINGS

TIME WE HAD A MINISTER FOR AGEING IN MALAYSIA

The above interview was conducted on 18 February and published today in The Star. If you don't have a copy of the papers, you can click here to read the article. Unfortunately, the full story is only available in the print edition.

I hope some of the issues raised in the interview gets the attention of policy-makers. It's about time. Australia has a Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mr Mark Butler. Singapore has a Minister of Health, Mr Gan Kim Yong, who is also Minister in charge of Ageing Issues.

When will the government here appoint a Minister for Ageing? The number of people aged 60 years and above will hit 10% by 2020. That's when Malaysia will become an ageing country, according to UN's definition.

Is the government waiting till the percentage goes higher before taking a serious look into the needs of the elderly? Giving a one-off sum of RM500 to eligible senior citizens brings only temporary relief. So much more needs to be done to help at-risk seniors, including those in the middle income group.