Tuesday, October 30, 2012

In Memory of Dr. Richard Teo (1972 - 2012)



Below is the transcript of the talk of Dr. Richard Teo, who is a 40-year-old millionaire and cosmetic surgeon with a stage-4 lung cancer but selflessly came to share with the D1 class his life experience on 19-Jan-2012. He has just passed away few days ago on 18 October 2012.

Hi good morning to all of you. My voice is a bit hoarse, so please bear with m
e. I thought I'll just introduce myself. My name is Richard, I'm a medical doctor. And I thought I'll just share some thoughts of my life. It's my pleasure to be invited by prof. Hopefully, it can get you thinking about how... as you pursue this.. embarking on your training to become dental surgeons, to think about other things as well.

Since young, I am a typical product of today's society. Relatively successful product that society requires.. From young, I came from a below average family. I was told by the media... and people around me that happiness is about success. And that success is about being wealthy. With this mind-set, I've always be extremely competitive, since I was young.

Not only do I need to go to the top school, I need to have success in all fields. Uniform groups, track, everything. I needed to get trophies, needed to be successful, I needed to have colours award, national colours award, everything. So I was highly competitive since young. I went on to medical school, graduated as a doctor. Some of you may know that within the medical faculty, ophthalmology is one of the most highly sought after specialities. So I went after that as well. I was given a traineeship in ophthalmology, I was also given a research scholarship by NUS to develop lasers to treat the eye.

So in the process, I was given 2 patents, one for the medical devices, and another for the lasers. And you know what, all this academic achievements did not bring me any wealth. So once I completed my bond with MOH, I decided that this is taking too long, the training in eye surgery is just taking too long. And there's lots of money to be made in the private sector. If you're aware, in the last few years, there is this rise in aesthetic medicine. Tons of money to be made there. So I decided, well, enough of staying in institution, it's time to leave. So I quit my training halfway and I went on to set up my aesthetic clinic... in town, together with a day surgery centre.

You know the irony is that people do not make heroes out average GP (general practitioner), family physicians. They don't. They make heroes out of people who are rich and famous. People who are not happy to pay $20 to see a GP, the same person have no qualms paying ten thousand dollars for a liposuction, 15 thousand dollars for a breast augmentation, and so on and so forth. So it's a no brainer isn't? Why do you want to be a gp? Become an aesthetic physician. So instead of healing the sick and ill, I decided that I'll become a glorified beautician. So, business was good, very good. It started off with waiting of one week, then became 3weeks, then one month, then 2 months, then 3 months. I was overwhelmed; there were just too many patients. Vanities are fantastic business. I employed one doctor, the second doctor, the 3rd doctor, the 4th doctor. And within the 1st year, we're already raking in millions. Just the 1st year. But never is enough because I was so obsessed with it. I started to expand into Indonesia to get all the rich Indonesian tai-tais who wouldn't blink an eye to have a procedure done. So life was really good.

So what do I do with the spare cash. How do I spend my weekends? Typically, I'll have car club gatherings. I take out my track car, with spare cash I got myself a track car. We have car club gatherings. We'll go up to Sepang in Malaysia. We'll go for car racing. And it was my life. With other spare cash, what do i do? I get myself a Ferrari. At that time, the 458 wasn't out, it's just a spider convertible, 430. This is a friend of mine, a schoolmate who is a forex trader, a banker. So he got a red one, he was wanting all along a red one, I was getting the silver one.

So what do I do after getting a car? It's time to buy a house, to build our own bungalows. So we go around looking for a land to build our own bungalows, we went around hunting. So how do i live my life? Well, we all think we have to mix around with the rich and famous. This is one of the Miss Universe. So we hang around with the beautiful, rich and famous. This by the way is an internet founder. So this is how we spend our lives, with dining and all the restaurants and Michelin Chefs you know.

So I reach a point in life that I got everything for my life. I was at the pinnacle of my career and all. That's me one year ago in the gym and I thought I was like, having everything under control and reaching the pinnacle.

Well, I was wrong. I didn't have everything under control. About last year March, I started to develop backache in the middle of nowhere. I thought maybe it was all the heavy squats I was doing. So I went to SGH, saw my classmate to do an MRI, to make sure it's not a slipped disc or anything. And that evening, he called me up and said that we found bone marrow replacement in your spine. I said, sorry what does that mean? I mean I know what it means, but I couldn't accept that. I was like “Are you serious?” I was still running around going to the gym you know. But we had more scans the next day, PET scans - positrons emission scans, they found that actually I have stage 4 terminal lung cancer. I was like "Whoa where did that come from?” It has already spread to the brain, the spine, the liver and the adrenals. And you know one moment I was there, totally thinking that I have everything under control, thinking that I've reached the pinnacle of my life. But the next moment, I have just lost it.

This is a CT scan of the lungs itself. If you look at it, every single dot there is a tumour. We call this miliaries tumour. And in fact, I have tens of thousands of them in the lungs. So, I was told that even with chemotherapy, that I'll have about 3-4months at most. Did my life come crushing on, of course it did, who wouldn't? I went into depression, of course, severe depression and I thought I had everything.

See the irony is that all these things that I have, the success, the trophies, my cars, my house and all. I thought that brought me happiness. But i was feeling really down, having severe depression. Having all these thoughts of my possessions, they brought me no joy. The thought of... You know, I can hug my Ferrari to sleep, no... No, it is not going to happen. It brought not a single comfort during my last ten months. And I thought they were, but they were not true happiness. But it wasn't. What really brought me joy in the last ten months was interaction with people, my loved ones, friends, people who genuinely care about me, they laugh and cry with me, and they are able to identify the pain and suffering I was going through. That brought joy to me, happiness. None of the things I have, all the possessions, and I thought those were supposed to bring me happiness. But it didn't, because if it did, I would have felt happy think about it, when I was feeling most down..

You know the classical Chinese New Year that is coming up. In the past, what do I do? Well, I will usually drive my flashy car to do my rounds, visit my relatives, to show it off to my friends. And I thought that was joy, you know. I thought that was really joy. But do you really think that my relatives and friends, whom some of them have difficulty trying to make ends meet, that will truly share the joy with me? Seeing me driving my flashy car and showing off to them? No, no way. They won’t be sharing joy with me. They were having problems trying to make ends meet, taking public transport. In fact i think, what I have done is more like you know, making them envious, jealous of all I have. In fact, sometimes even hatred.

Those are what we call objects of envy. I have them, I show them off to them and I feel it can fill my own pride and ego. That didn't bring any joy to these people, to my friends and relatives, and I thought they were real joy.

Well, let me just share another story with you. You know when I was about your age, I stayed in king Edward VII hall. I had this friend whom I thought was strange. Her name is Jennifer, we're still good friends. And as I walk along the path, she would, if she sees a snail, she would actually pick up the snail and put it along the grass patch. I was like why do you need to do that? Why dirty your hands? It’s just a snail. The truth is she could feel for the snail. The thought of being crushed to death is real to her, but to me it's just a snail. If you can't get out of the pathway of humans then you deserve to be crushed, it’s part of evolution isn't it? What an irony isn't it?

There I was being trained as a doctor, to be compassionate, to be able to empathise; but I couldn't. As a house officer, I graduated from medical school, posted to the oncology department at NUH. And, every day, every other day I witness death in the cancer department. When I see how they suffered, I see all the pain they went through. I see all the morphine they have to press every few minutes just to relieve their pain. I see them struggling with their oxygen breathing their last breath and all. But it was just a job. When I went to clinic every day, to the wards every day, take blood, give the medication but was the patient real to me? They weren't real to me. It was just a job, I do it, I get out of the ward, I can't wait to get home, I do my own stuff.

Was the pain, was the suffering the patients went through real? No. Of course I know all the medical terms to describe how they feel, all the suffering they went through. But in truth, I did not know how they feel, not until I became a patient. It is until now; I truly understand how they feel. And, if you ask me, would I have been a very different doctor if I were to re-live my life now, I can tell you yes I will. Because I truly understand how the patients feel now. And sometimes, you have to learn it the hard way.

Even as you start just your first year, and you embark this journey to become dental surgeons, let me just challenge you on two fronts.

Inevitably, all of you here will start to go into private practice. You will start to accumulate wealth. I can guarantee you. Just doing an implant can bring you thousands of dollars, it's fantastic money. And actually there is nothing wrong with being successful, with being rich or wealthy, absolutely nothing wrong. The only trouble is that a lot of us like myself couldn't handle it.

Why do I say that? Because when I start to accumulate, the more I have, the more I want. The more I wanted, the more obsessed I became. Like what I showed you earlier on, all I can was basically to get more possessions, to reach the pinnacle of what society did to us, of what society wants us to be. I became so obsessed that nothing else really mattered to me. Patients were just a source of income, and I tried to squeeze every single cent out of these patients.

A lot of times we forget, whom we are supposed to be serving. We become so lost that we serve nobody else but just ourselves. That was what happened to me. Whether it is in the medical, the dental fraternity, I can tell you, right now in the private practice, sometimes we just advise patients on treatment that is not indicated. Grey areas. And even though it is not necessary, we kind of advocate it. Even at this point, I know who are my friends and who genuinely cared for me and who are the ones who try to make money out of me by selling me "hope". We kind of lose our moral compass along the way. Because we just want to make money.

Worse, I can tell you, over the last few years, we bad mouth our fellow colleagues, our fellow competitors in the industry. We have no qualms about it. So if we can put them down to give ourselves an advantage, we do it. And that's what happening right now, medical, dental everywhere. My challenge to you is not to lose that moral compass. I learnt it the hard way, I hope you don't ever have to do it.

Secondly, a lot of us will start to get numb to our patients as we start to practise. Whether is it government hospitals, private practice, I can tell you when I was in the hospital, with stacks of patient folders, I can't wait to get rid of those folders as soon as possible; I can't wait to get patients out of my consultation room as soon as possible because there is just so many, and that's a reality. Because it becomes a job, a very routine job. And this is just part of it. Do I truly know how the patient feels back then? No, I don't. The fears and anxiety and all, do I truly understand what they are going through? I don't, not until when this happens to me and I think that is one of the biggest flaws in our system.

We’re being trained to be healthcare providers, professional, and all and yet we don't know how exactly they feel. I'm not asking you to get involved emotionally, I don't think that is professional but do we actually make a real effort to understand their pain and all? Most of us won’t, alright, I can assure you. So don't lose it, my challenge to you is to always be able to put yourself in your patient's shoes.

Because the pain, the anxiety, the fear are very real even though it's not real to you, it's real to them. So don't lose it and you know, right now I'm in the midst of my 5th cycle of my chemotherapy. I can tell you it’s a terrible feeling. Chemotherapy is one of those things that you don't wish even your enemies to go through because it's just suffering, lousy feeling, throwing out, you don't even know if you can retain your meals or not. Terrible feeling! And even with whatever little energy now I have, I try to reach out to other cancer patients because I truly understand what pain and suffering is like. But it's kind of little too late and too little.

You guys have a bright future ahead of you with all the resource and energy, so I’m going to challenge you to go beyond your immediate patients. To understand that there are people out there who are truly in pain, truly in hardship. Don’t get the idea that only poor people suffer. It is not true. A lot of these poor people do not have much in the first place, they are easily contented. for all you know they are happier than you and me but there are out there, people who are suffering mentally, physically, hardship, emotionally, financially and so on and so forth, and they are real. We choose to ignore them or we just don't want to know that they exist.

So do think about it alright, even as you go on to become professionals and dental surgeons and all. That you can reach out to these people who are in need. Whatever you do can make a large difference to them. I'm now at the receiving end so I know how it feels, someone who genuinely care for you, encourage and all. It makes a lot of difference to me. That’s what happens after treatment. I had a treatment recently, but I’ll leave this for another day. A lot of things happened along the way, that's why I am still able to talk to you today.

I'll just end of with this quote here, it's from this book called Tuesdays with Morris, and some of you may have read it. Everyone knows that they are going to die; every one of us knows that. The truth is, none of us believe it because if we did, we will do things differently. When I faced death, when I had to, I stripped myself off all stuff totally and I focused only on what is essential. The irony is that a lot of times, only when we learn how to die then we learn how to live. I know it sounds very morbid for this morning but it's the truth, this is what I’m going through.

Don’t let society tell you how to live. Don’t let the media tell you what you're supposed to do. Those things happened to me. And I led this life thinking that these are going to bring me happiness. I hope that you will think about it and decide for yourself how you want to live your own life. Not according to what other people tell you to do, and you have to decide whether you want to serve yourself, whether you are going to make a difference in somebody else's life. Because true happiness doesn't come from serving yourself. I thought it was but it didn't turn out that way.

Also most importantly, I think true joy comes from knowing God. Not knowing about God – I mean, you can read the bible and know about God – but knowing God personally; getting a relationship with God. I think that’s the most important. That’s what I’ve learnt.

So if I were to sum it up, I’d say that the earlier we sort out the priorities in our lives, the better it is. Don’t be like me – I had no other way. I had to learn it through the hard way. I had to come back to God to thank Him for this opportunity because I’ve had 3 major accidents in my past – car accidents. You know, these sports car accidents – I was always speeding , but somehow I always came out alive, even with the car almost being overturned. And I wouldn’t have had a chance. Who knows, I don’t know where else I’d be going to! Even though I was baptised it was just a show, but the fact that this has happened, it gave me a chance to come back to God.

Few things I’d learnt though:
1. Trust in the Lord your God with all your heart – this is so important.
2. Is to love and serve others, not just ourselves.

There is nothing wrong with being rich or wealthy. I think it’s absolutely alright, cos God has blessed. So many people are blessed with good wealth, but the trouble is I think a lot of us can’t handle it. The more we have, the more we want. I’ve gone through it, the deeper the hole we dig, the more we get sucked into it, so much so that we worship wealth and lose focus. Instead of worshipping God, we worship wealth. It’s just a human instinct. It’s just so difficult to get out of it.

We are all professionals, and when we go into private practise, we start to build up our wealth – inevitably. So my thought are, when you start to build up wealth and when the opportunity comes, do remember that all these things don’t belong to us. We don’t really own it nor have rights to this wealth. It’s actually God’s gift to us. Remember that it’s more important to further His Kingdom rather than to further ourselves.

Anyway I think that I’ve gone through it, and I know that wealth without God is empty. It is more important that you fill up the wealth, as you build it up subsequently, as professionals and all, you need to fill it up with the wealth of God.

They have Sandy, we have Debt



In America they have Sandy.
In Malaysia we have Debt.

Malaysian Gabbage


Subject: Malaysia Proton Cars - UK review

... read the critics on how our proton cars are being reviewed in UK
... better buy a cabbage, awful logo, ridiculous name
... and worst of all why bring these cars to UK, asking us to"walk away"

Malaysia Proton Cars
Just go to BBC top gear, it's all there! 

We don’t know what Malaysian motorists did to upset the gods, but it must have been something pretty serious, judging by the punishment they seem to be getting. Still, at least the domestic audience thinks this stuff is the norm – what on earth do they think they’re doing bringing it to the UK? Walk away.

  • Proton GEN-2 - gallery

    GEN-2

    £8,785 - £11,595
    A budget five-door hatchback intended to make you think twice about buying a Focus. Frankly, we think a medium-size cabbage makes a more sensible alternative.
  • Proton Satria - gallery

    Satria-Neo

    £9,785 - £11,440
    Not half-bad hatch with decent Lotus-aided chassis, but lack of space inside, awful badge and ridiculous name make it a must-not-have for the youth it’s aimed at.
  • Proton Savvy

    Savvy

    £7,830 - £8,530
    Truly awful, but we are grateful to Proton for reminding us of how good every other small car on sale in the UK is.  We suggest you try buying one of those instead.


http://www.topgear.com/uk/proton 

Monday, October 29, 2012

Fake Gold Bars


Your investment not safe after all.

Jabatan Eksais dan Kastam diRaja


 

Sorry, the vacancy’s filled

Last Monday, our columnist applied for a "dream job" with the Customs Department after discovering there are fool-proof measures to raise money for charitable causes. A week later, since he did not get nor expected a reply, he decided to pen a reply (purportedly) from the department.
Dear R. Nadeswaran
I have been directed to reply to your application. First, we would like to thank you for showing interest in our department and the happenings within. However, we regret to inform you that the vacancy had been filled long before we received your application.
To be honest, it is the policy of this department to fill such "exciting" vacancies which involve procurement and money with internal promotions and as a matter of fact, such positions are reserved for officers from the inner sanctum. Perhaps, you will read about the heroics of such officers in future editions of the Auditor General's Report, probably in 2017, as you had indicated in your letter.
Having said that, we need to clarify some points in your application which seem to suggest that there's a lot of wrongdoing in our department. This is far from the truth. On the contrary, we affirm that whatever claims you made in your application are true and can confirm that they are part of our work culture and customs (pun intended) which we have been exercising for decades. We may have a work-to-rule or other forms of industrial action if such systems which bring additional revenue are changed.
Ordering in excess of our requirements is one method we use to spend our budget allocated by the Treasury. Why should we save money which has been budgeted for our expenditure, even if we don't need the equipment?
We will look silly if we save funds for the government and we can justify that by putting on record that we collect billions for the government and that expenditure on equipment can be considered small change or "weekend rojak money" as one former minister called it.
Because you have not worked in our department or any government agency, you would not know the mechanics when it comes to spending. Let me give you an example. If we need 1,000 torchlights, we normally put up a budget for 2,000 or in some cases, 3,000. Our finance section approves it and money has been budgeted.
If we use the money to buy only 1,000 torchlights, next year, money will only be allocated for the lower figure. So, going by our standard operating procedures (SOP), we buy 3,000 torchlights, irrespective of whether there is use for them. What is wrong in keeping them in our store? That's how the government system works. And of course, buying such a quantity means there are hefty discounts and the invoice is adjusted accordingly.
We applaud your intention to raise money for charitable purposes. Let us state that such spirit and vigour are also with our officers, who also do their bit for the needy. Occasionally, they drop loose change in a container in the office. However, such efforts cannot be carried out in the same manner as you suggested. They cannot and never can emulate Robin Hood as they have their commitments.
Some of our officers have more than one wife and extended families to support, they have children studying overseas and some own two or more cars. Some are members of several golf clubs but avoid the club meant for civil servants. This is because they don't want to show off their RM40,000 golf sets which will cause envy among fellow civil servants. That's why their luxury cars can only be seen being vacuumed and polished in the confines of some of the best clubs in the country.
But they do a little for society and their contributions are minimal because our officers have been trained to plan for the future. Hence on retirement, with their pensions, some of them live in bungalows in posh neighbourhoods and on the fringes of golf courses.
While some get used to living in cramped quarters provided by the government, there are some who live in bungalows or renting their properties to support their lifestyles. Thriftiness has enabled this latter group. Some of them start saving from the day they start their service and within 10 years, are able to own bungalows costing a million each. Others just have to make one swoop and are made for life.
In view of the above and the "family concept" that is in practice, we cannot accept you into our fold.
Saya Yang Menurut Perintah.
Bagi Pihak Ketua Pengarah
Jabatan Eksais dan Kastam diRaja
Putrajaya
The writer's application which was published last week has gone viral. Thus, it was decided that he should close this chapter on an annual sour saga caused by the publication of the Auditor-General's Report. He hopes the words are taken in the same spirit as they are given with no malice to any party. Comments: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com

TM Yellow Paper that cannot be audit


MAKING IMPROVEMENTS: An annual affair, the Auditor-General's Report is a much-anticipated document; but because it is largely a bad-news story, it is a much-derided one. Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang tells Aniza Damis and Tan Choe Choe that a good-news story requires collective integrity. Here are the excerpts of the interview.

.
Question: Do you have guidelines on how a project is supposed to be implemented or supervised?
Answer: When a government project is signed, there is a provision for the appointment of a project director. These are technical people, so normally it will be Public Works Department people, or the technical people in the ministry. It is the project manager's job to supervise the work of contractors, vendors and sub-contractors. The issue is how effective is your supervision?
If you certify that a project is okay when it's not, you're not doing your job, you're negligent, and you should be subjected to disciplinary action.
Question: There was the issue of repair work being done on Terengganu government quarters that don't exist.
Answer: It's a matter of whether you supervise on site or you supervise on paper only. When it's on paper, you don't counter-check what happens on the ground. So, if somebody says there are three houses that have to be maintained and paid for, you accept it, but actually the work is not done.
Question: The controlling officer is supposed to be the director-general or the secretary-general. But he has his own department or ministry work to do. He can't drive to Terengganu and count the quarters before he gives his approval. So, how is the counter-check supposed to be done?
Answer: You're right. Certainly, you can't expect the controlling officer to know what is happening in Terengganu, but there are Responsibility Centres. They have the function to monitor how money is being spent. Whether they do it properly is an open question.
Question: One department bought air-conditioners for RM10,800 each, whereas the market price is only RM2,000. The department claimed the remainder was for maintenance. How can maintenance be nearly RM9,000 each?
Answer: That is their explanation. But imagine if the audit did not discover this, it would mean that things would just proceed.
Question: But the explanation sounds dodgy.
Answer: In the extreme of cases, you cannot discount the possibility of collusion between the desk officers handling the procurement and the supplier.
Question: So, what happens when the explanation given is so obviously not logical?
Answer: The controlling officer has to study the case and decide whether his officer's reply is reasonable. If he finds that it's not, he has the power to institute investigations. Hopefully, a neutral investigation committee will be established. If you appoint the accused's friend, there is the possibility the thing will just be hushed up. If you want to do an investigation, do it professionally. Get somebody who is not at all involved in that division or department.
Question: So, you come up with the report, they come up with the reply, and it's up to the respective internal audit committees to pick it up and take action. But some people will say, "This case has already been exposed in the audit report, therefore 'kira settle' (it's considered settled)," and they do nothing about it. Does that mean your report forgives mismanagement? Once it comes out, everyone knows about it, there is public humiliation, so it's settled?
Answer: Well, we have now been asked to help the government do the necessary follow-up. So, we will get reports from the ministries on what action they have taken. If you're conducting investigations, what is the outcome? What is the penalty you want to implement?
If, in our opinion, the penalty is not sufficient, there's nothing to stop me from taking it farther. I can write to the chief secretary to the government or to the Treasury secretary-general that in our opinion, this (action) is not sufficient. They have the power to take whatever disciplinary action they want. If the Treasury wants to conduct its own investigation, it has the power to do so because it is also the custodian of the public's money.
Our job doesn't stop at just tabling the report.
We are supposed to inform the government (on) what actions the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the police and the Public Service Department are taking. We are in that mode now, to collect information and find out the status of MACC investigations, because normally, they will do the follow-up (after our report comes out). We don't even have to ask them to investigate. They can do it on their own. Our report is accessible to everybody. I can assure you, where it merits punishment, there will be punishment.
Question: Are ministries audited in rotation?
Answer: It depends. If you talk about the accountability index at the federal level, all ministries are audited every year. That is for financial management. But when it comes to the performance audit, for the big ministries, we will cover at least one topic (project/programme). So, for instance, for the Education Ministry, there are two to three studies that we do. The same goes for the Home and Finance Ministries, the police, Customs and Inland Revenue Board. For the big ministries, there will be a performance audit every year, but not the small ministries.
Question: Is it possible that there will be some activity/project which your light will never shine on?
Answer: Yes. Each year, there are hundreds of thousands of government projects and activities. We only do a fraction of this because we have constraints. It is also an international practice to do sampling.
Question: How do you do your sampling?
Answer: It's random. We have a set of criteria, and we look at what are the topics of public interest. My policy is, every big project is compulsory. And we will come in without waiting for it to be completed. That's what we did for the double-tracking, and are doing with the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). In the past, we would wait until the project was finished before making our observation; but by that time, it was rendered meaningless. However, in the past three to four years of my tenure, we went in while the project was ongoing. Our idea was to help them, so that if there were certain procedures that they had not followed, we ask them to please correct it immediately.
Question: And that's why you looked at the national feedlot project last year?
Answer: Yes, because the project was under construction. If I were to wait for the project to be completed, we don't know when that would be. And it's a big project because it involves a loan of RM250 million, not to mention all the assistance they have got in terms of grant and whatnot, so we're looking at the project.
Sometimes, we do another audit after three years or so to see how things go. We really want to see whether there have been improvements. If not, we mention in the report that this has been brought up (before). Because you know, on the ground, people come and people go. Sometimes, they forget what was written three to four years ago, or they didn't read the report. But, on our part, we have the memory, you see. So, if we think that this is very important, we will do another audit.
Question: Is there any department, project or ministry that you're not allowed to touch, officially or unofficially?
Answer: I think we've touched all ministries. Our powers are all provided for in the Audit Act 1957.
Question: Have you ever been in error?
Answer: We take pains to ensure accuracy. We have mechanisms and there's nothing to prevent the checking and double-checking of facts. All I can say is that we reserve the right to make an opinion based on the facts collected by us. You may not agree with us; inasmuch as we respect whatever you want to say about our report, I think you also have to respect our opinion.
If people want to spin and make further comments, I cannot stop them. I do not wish to really comment. I would just say, "Your facts are not correct".
Also, you must remember, you're talking about an audit that was done early last year. After a while, things change. So, these people will say, "No, we have done this, we have done that".
Question: So, they have more than a year to fix it?
Answer: Yes. And that is good. Because our hope is that, wherever there are weaknesses, please correct them. And please use them as lessons. Otherwise, things keep on repeating.
Question: There is a proposal for three audits a year. Would you prefer that?
Answer: If something against the law happened last year, why would you want to wait one whole year before someone could come in (to investigate or fix it)? We are all for transparency. We are all for facts.
Question: It wouldn't be harder?
Answer: No, because our auditing process is continuous.
Question: Speaking about transparency and perception, when you sign the report it means that...
Answer: I stand by it.
Question: You signed it in July but it came out in September. Between the time it was published and tabled in Parliament, was there any chance of tampering? Can someone direct you to take something out?
Answer: Who would want to do that? The auditees themselves know much earlier what are the issues. If you look at some parts of the report, when we include the auditee's response, they have said what action they have taken. And most of this action is taken after the audit revelation. We have already revealed the thing, they respond. So, we put it in the report.
Question: But the Auditor-General's Report is a "bad news" story. When you read chapter by chapter, the story is acceptable. But taken as a whole, someone could say, "Oh, it's too much of a nightmare. Can you take out some of the scary parts?"
Answer: Well, some of our auditees say they have already explained. So, to them, why should the Audit Department still want to put it into the published version? But can you imagine the situation where we drop everything, then our report wouldn't be over two feet high.
If we feel it is a pertinent issue, about value for money, we will still include it in the final published copy. Because the report is supposed to serve as a lesson for everyone. If you delete that part, then there's no lesson to learn! It is normal that people overlook certain things, that they are not aware of certain things. Maybe there are too many regulations for them to follow or it is too onerous for them to follow.
Question: So, when you sign off in July, that means that the report is final? No more changes?
Answer: Yes.
Question: We've been reading your reports for as long as you've been the auditor-general, and it is really annoying to read the same sort of mistakes.
Answer: It depends on what you're talking about. You're talking about improvement, right? Last time, one of the problems is people are late in submitting their accounts for auditing, and then, there are many that don't get a clean certificate. Now, the situation has improved. They are submitting their accounts on time, and more and more of them are getting a clean certificate.
But, if you talk about complying with the guidelines, isn't that everybody's job to comply? Everybody should get four stars. But most of them only get three stars because in certain areas, they are still lacking. We want them to focus on following the guidelines. If you don't do anything about it, then you will never get four stars.
Invariably, there are bound to be weaknesses in planning, in implementation, this is the gist of our reports. It's how serious are the weaknesses. Some are just certain procedures being overlooked. Some involve monetary implications and additional cost to the government.
So, it's very difficult for me to comment on whether there has been any improvement. But, from the government side, they have taken steps to address this. For example, to get value for money, the government has introduced value management -- third-party evaluation. The government has been able to secure savings from that. So, this response from the government is a very responsible move.
Question: When you look at the overall report, is the wastage still more than the savings?
Answer: I don't know, because we simply don't quantify each and every transaction. How do you define loss? Let's take the double-tracking project. You can see that the project is shaping up. So, even though there is an increase in cost, do you consider that as a loss?
When people supply equipment, it is not being used because the building is not ready yet. But when the building is ready, it will be used. Do you consider that as a loss?
Question: In the seven years that you have been doing this, do you think the accountability and integrity message is getting through?
Answer: Yes, I could sense that when I check with my officers. They say they are happy, because now they get fair attention, unlike those days where you can write anything and nothing really happens. With regards to the consciousness of audit, I would say that the audit report is a permanent agenda to be discussed at a very high level and of course, at the cabinet. So, that, to me, is a reflection of the seriousness of the government. I'm sure that the state government, whether it is Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional, does, too.
Question: Does this trickle down to the officers?
Answer: It depends on their boss. Everybody knows what is mentioned by the auditor-general, so, have you sufficiently addressed those issues? If you say that your system is no longer working, do you take the trouble to change it? The onus is on them.
Question: You say there is improvement in terms of consciousness and accountability. Is it because of the media attention?
Answer: Yes, definitely. We are now in a network-environment; people are networking. So, you'd better explain yourself well. My advice to my fellow civil servants is: always when you work, think that you could be audited. That's why we have spot audits.
Question: Are the criticisms this year more ferocious compared with previous years?
Answer: No. (If) people want to spin, and you know very well that this is the political season, it is expected. But when you mention A-G, make sure your facts are correct.
Question: Your report last year on the NFC (National Feedlot Corporation) spring-boarded a bigger investigation. When you were doing this report, were you hoping that there wouldn't be another scandal? Do you let how your findings are reported affect how you do your work?
Answer: No. I am only concerned that I have to stand by my report. I always remind my officers, "Your job is not completed just because you have submitted; there will be follow-ups after that. If you are not lucky, you may be hauled up as a witness. So, you'd better be sure of your facts. Because when you go to court, you will be grilled".
Question: If an auditor doesn't shine his torch in the corner when he should, he can also be charged?
Answer: Of course.
Question: So, you never take into consideration that we're going into the 13th general election?
Answer: This thing is planned. For next year's report, from the beginning of this year, we have already decided. I have seen the list of projects. How are we to know when the election is going to be?
Question: Who audits the auditors? They could be bribed.
Answer: Yes, but I don't think it will happen. We are a department. We are subject to the accountant-general, the government financial system -- they also make an audit report on us. They tell us what mistakes we make. Also, being under the Prime Minister's Department, we are subject to internal audits from the department.
I have adopted the policy of jabatan contoh (exemplary department). You tell people to do this, do that, so, you must do what you tell people to do. Otherwise, you have no credibility.
Are we done? I have another meeting on disciplinary action.
Question: Disciplinary action for whom?
Answer: My staff. Does that surprise you? We are all humans, you know.
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Many relevant questions were not put forward to the Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang especially the most abuse 'TM Yellow Paper.' 
'Yellow Paper' comes direct from the Royal Household.  'Yellow Paper' are in the form of memo or letters demanding for the release of funds, payment or project that each state Government must comply.  Government servant who disobey the 'Yellow Paper' are transferred immediately to a remote kampung where nobody can find you.  In Pahang, Johore, Perlis and at one time Kelantan, Government Servants who refused to co-operate with these 'Yellow Paper' are murdered.
For the past 8 years Tan Sri Ambrin Buang biggest headache is 'TM Yellow Paper.'  TM is not Telekom Malaysia but Tengku Mahkota Pahang.  The biggest crook in the whole of Malaysia.  Like father like son, this Royal Household misused their position to enrich themselves using Rakyat's money.
Every year the auditors will ask and demand for invoices of purchase and evidences of payment.  Till today there is none.
Now that the whole world is aware of such 'Yellow Paper,' will the Rakyat demand from their MPs and BN Government how much has been written off quietly?

Sunday, October 28, 2012

I believe



“Make a choice of what you want, who you want to be and how you’re going to do it. The universe will get out of your way.” – Will Smith


In life many people wonder why things don't always go the way
they want them to but do not realize that in every thought they
think and words they speak starts the physical formation
of what begins to appears in our lives.

It is normal to have negative
thoughts from time to time because we do not live in a perfect world,
Or Do We?

The key is when a thought like that shows
up you just need to make the decision whether or not you want to
entertain that though for a long time or if you want to change the path
to a better one immediately.

This is where skill comes in to play.
With all things you must practice to make perfect, all though some
are borne with more talent than other, anyone can hone the skills of
being discipline and beat there fears into submission.
it was once said "your biggest fear should be fear itself" I would have
to say this is pretty right on. Why?

Because fear is a negative emotion
and because of fear you tend to pay more attention
to it which starts the physical birth of some kind of reaction.

This is why most people that fear that they are going to get hurt get
hurt more than the rest. Or think they are going to be sick and then it happens.

If you fear that you don't have enough money to
pay the bills and speak and think these thoughts and words everyday
then guess what,

You are creating the physical reaction to
show up in your life. This is why it is good to marinate yourself in
unconditional love and positive good words and belief that good things are
heading your way at all times.

You deserve it, It is your birth right.
Own it. except it. enjoy it. Live it. know it is in your escrow. more and more, every
moment. and when the other thoughts of fear come,

Do Not Entertain it leave it behind and get right back on track with the truth!
Live every moment of this life like there is no tomorrow,
because it is not a rehearsal.
So Start getting from it what is yours.
GREATNESS!!!


Subang Pervert


If you chance upon this guy grab whatever you can lay your hands on and throw it at him. The chances are you will forget about our stupid politic for an hour or two.

This picture was captured by one of his victims. And his message is this:
.Pls help me share this! THIS GUY PLAYING HIS DICK In front of my gf working place(ss15 subang jaya/malaysia)
. -Ycy Plantronics-.

This is no joke, many woman in suband had been harrassed by this psyco,please share it out !!,hide yo wife!! hide yo kids!! cause they might be the next victim

Friday, October 26, 2012

Latest Collector's item


Finally she acknowledge herself.

Destructive Phenomenon - a fire tornado


                                        A fire tornado spotted near Thargomindah.
Firefighters battling a huge grassfire in Queensland have witnessed a rarely seen destructive phenomenon - a fire tornado.

Crews fighting the fire near Thargomindah, in the state's far west, watched in awe as a massive fire tornado formed inside the inferno on Sunday.
It went up about 300 metres in the air 
Bulloo Shire Mayor John Ferguson says as the giant column of flame rose, it was photographed by a local woman.
"It went up about 300 metres in the air," he said.

"Then about 30 metres of flame broke off and flew about 400 metres over the fire break, which was the main road, and started another fire."

The photos are being passed around fire stations across the state.
]
Queensland Rural Fire Service Superintendent Wayne Waltisbuhl explained that the phenomenon occurs when an intensely hot fire sucks in colder air around it.

As the hot air rises, cool air is sucked into a central hotspot and begins to spin, creating a vortex of flame.

A fire tornado can even form pyrocumulous clouds, kilometres above the main blaze.

"As the heat rises, unburned particles are carried up and find moisture pockets," Mr Waltisbuhl said.

"The moisture wraps around them and forms a cloud, which stays quite hot and often the heat can be so intense you'll see lighting coming out of the clouds and even flames inside the cloud as well."

Mr Waltisbuhl says eventually the cloud cools and the charred particles fall as black rain.

"People talk about the black rain that falls after vortexes, that's what it is," he said.

Meanwhile, one fire crew is monitoring a bushfire at Greenbank, south of Brisbane, looking for flare-ups to ensure embers stay within containment lines.

There are 50 fires burning across the state, including several large grassfires at Agnes Water, Bundaberg, Kingaroy, and Gympie, but all have been contained within fire breaks.

Regional manager of rural fire operations Peter Hollier said any fire which starts in the next day would be harder to contain with a southerly wind change predicted.

‘‘There will be a hotter weather condition that is developing and will see any fire that will kick off on Friday will very quickly become difficult to manage,’’ he told 612 ABC Radio.

Yesterday, crews battled 42 blazes including major outbreaks at Hughenden in the north-west, Crows Nest National Park on the Northern Downs.

Backburning will continue today with a slight reprieve in conditions, but firefighters are warning even a slight weather change could create havoc.

‘‘Friday is going to be a worse day for us, temperatures rising, probably an elevated fire danger on that day we are expecting,’’ rural operations director Peter Varley told 612 ABC Radio.

AAP - with Marissa Calligeros


What have we Muslim sacrifice?


The meaning of Hari Raya Aidiladha


Aidiladha is also commonly known as Hari Raya Korban or Hari Raya Haji in Malaysia.
Celebrated about two months after Hari Raya Aidilfitri, on the 10th day of Zulhijjah, the 12th (last) month of the Muslim calendar, it marks the end of the haj pilgrimage period (about two weeks).
Every year, millions of Muslims make the journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform the haj, one of the five basic tenets of Islam.
Aidiladha also commemorates the sacrifices made by the Prophet Ibrahim (hence the word 'korban,' which means sacrifice in Arabic), who demonstrated immense faith when he was put to the test by God.
Prophet Ibrahim was commanded to offer his son Ismail up for sacrifice, and though it grieved him greatly, he made ready to perform the task. However, as he was about to strike his son, God stopped him and revealed that it was a trial. Ismail's life was spared, and a ram was sacrificed in his place.
As such, during Aidiladha, the sacrifice of four-legged animals such as lambs, goats, cows, bulls and camels is performed.
The slaughter of the animal is done after the congregational prayer in the morning of Aidiladha.
The animals are killed in accordance with the proper religious rites and the meat is then distributed.
One third of the meat is given to the individual who made the sacrifice, while the rest is given to the poor and deserving people in the community.
Making the sacrifice (korban) is not a compulsory religious duty, but an obligations for those who are able to afford it.
The rest of the day is celebrated by visiting relatives and friends.
The Star (2006)
*****************************************************************
Five basic tenets of Islam and one of them is to make a journey to Mecca.  If I am correct the trip must be with one's saving. Many years ago this is true.  But today almost all the Muslim I know go to Mecca with money stolen from us the people, while others are sponsored by our over zealous Santa Claus otherwise known as Mr Rosmah.
Maybe age is catching up with me.  But as a Muslim I feel very insulted when people proudly tell me they go to Mecca every year, been there four times within a period of six years etc...knowing these Muslim did not go with their own saving but with money obtained in sinful ways.
To me if you do not have the means, don't go.  Why be beggars to the Government to fulfil one of the tenets of Islam or why accept bribe or cheat your partners so that you can go to Mecca.
This habit of Muslim swearing on the Quran and going to Mecca to ask for forgiveness is sickening.
After swearing on the Quran or coming back from Mecca, these Muslim continue to sin more.
I was told that one need to have a licence to slaughter the cows and goats meant for 'korban.'
Yesterday, today and the next two days 700 Bangladeshi exploited by 6P agencies connected to Barisan Nasional Ministers are serving Tiger Woods and company. These 700 Bangladeshi each and everyone of them borrowed money or sold their land to come to Malaysia to earn an honest income so that their families can live a decent life in Bangladesh. Instead they are cheated by our Muslim brothers and sisters.  The agencies not only take their money but upon arrival they were forced to sign away their salaries for 10 to 25 years.  Some of them were even forced to change their religion to Muslim so that they can work in Malaysia. These workers do not have insurance for mishap in their job or losing life or being sick.
Beside the sorrowful tales of these 700 Bangladeshi, Malaysians and tourists at large are walking on time bomb.  These 700 Bangladeshi were never medically check by any doctors or were they vaccinated for German measles or small pox.
So what happens if Tiger Woods and company were to fall sick because of these unchecked workers?  Are the sponsors and Malaysian Government willing to take full responsibility?
So if one needs a licence for 'korban,' why is it not necessary for foreign workers to have vaccination?
Then we have sponsors in name only while the actual money for this tournament comes from EPF and Petronas.
So why do we need to celebrate today while at the same time going against the teaching of Islam? 
As Muslim we should ask ourselves whether we have sacrifice anything on Aidil Adha instead of slaughtering poor innocent animals.



Zahid's land corporation proposal is insidious, unfeasible

  One proposal announced by no less than Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi went relatively unnoticed at the recently concluded  Anwar...