No other way but a Royal Commission

One of the more reformed minded politicians in UMNO, Zaid Ibrahim, was qouted by malaysiakini this morning as saying that a Royal commission should be set up to investigate the Lingam tapes.

I welcome his statement and hope that more BN politicians would come out to voice support for such as move. Earlier this month, Parti Gerakan has called for a Royal commission.

This shows that the call for a Royal commission transcends political divide ; it is for the greater good of the country that the people as well as  organisations such as the Bar Council are asking for a thorough investigation into this. In order to get to the bottom of this case, it is imperative that a Royal commission be set up.

this is the wish of the people, and as a government of the people, it is time that such a commission be set up. The 3 man panel. as predicited, could not proceed any further as it has very limited power.

Zaid was quoted to say:

“This goes to show that the panel is powerless to do anything. I don’t understand. Why didn’t they just form a royal commission of inquiry into the tape?” asked Zaid, adding that the government should have formed the commission if it was serious in a quick resolution to the matter.

“This is not just any allegation, it is a serious allegation. In the 90s, we had a scandal involving the then chief justice, and now we have this.”

“I was made to understand that the prime minister (Abdullah Ahmad Badawai) wanted a royal commission of inquiry set up to investigate the tape but some people in the government do not want the commission”.

 Zaid said that the government should not have given the same task to two different parties and he urged the government not to do something that is “neither here nor there”.

“If the government wanted a panel to investigate the matter, leave it to the panel alone. Or if it wanted an investigation by the ACA, it should have just leave it to the ACA,” said Zaid.

He also urged the ACA not to go after the messenger but to look into the message itself.

If PM wanted a royal commissiom, I wonder who these “some people ” are that do not want it. Who are these people that are so powerful? Perhaps Zaid should reveal to us.

It is time for PM to exert his authority. If he is in the right, he can expect the people to be behind him all the way. Seize this opportunity to review the whole judiciary and establish again the seperation of powers that is so basic in any democracy.

recommended readings:

Call for a thorough investigation

golden opportunity to right the wrong

Climb the mountain, light the candle

mouse of a different kind

Heart risk lessens with more exercise

Human beings are difficult to understand, that’s for sure!

He or she knows that smoking is bad and may cut life short, but still continues to puff away! One of the most difficult tasks of any doctors is to ask their patients to stop smoking. It is easier to move a small hill than to make sure a patient continuing a regime of no smoke no drink!.

He or she  may spend hours  watering plants, washing cars, grooming pets, and when it comes to his  own body, there is only one word to describe “neglect”.

All of us know that exercise is good for body, but how often do we go for exercise?

 Modern lifestyle is such that we seldom walk far; even when we go to the neighbourhood grocery, we make sure  our car is parked right in front of the store! We complain when we have to park a few shoplots away to get to our destination!

So, the result: obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cardiovascular disorders such as strokes, etc etc etc.

 (from Rotary Club Of NorthRaleigh)

The latest research about exercise has just been published in Circulation,and it involves a group of 27000 people, considered a fairly big research project. It has confirmed the benefits of exercise in reducing heart disease.

For those who love their pets , their cars, I have one advise: read the report below, and start exercising, because you owe it to yourself to love your own body. If you love your body, you should take good care of it, just like looking after your car.

Many of us will give NET as an excuse. By the way, NET means Not enough Time. That is just an excuse. We can always find time for walking; walking to your office,; walking to the markets; talking a stroll after lunch and dinner. The best form of exercise is walk and walk more. Park your car a few blocks away and walk! Take a stroll after dinner instead of parking in front of your TVs. Have a long walk in the park during weekend.

That will do wonders to your body and help your pocket ,too – you will be seeing less of my kind!

This report from UPI is as followed:

Heart risk lessens with more exercise

BOSTON, Oct. 23 (UPI) — In a study of more than 27,000 U.S. women, the risk of cardiovascular disease events decreased with higher levels of physical activity.

The women, part of the Women’s Health Study, ranged in age from 45 to 90 were assessed for a risk factors and different levels of exercise.

Lead author Dr. Samia Mora of the Harvard Medical School said there was a 40 percent reduction in heart attack and stroke between the highest and lowest exercise groups.

The study, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, found the risk of cardiovascular disease events decreased with higher levels of physical activity compared to the control group.

The long-term benefits of exercise start at a relatively low level — equivalent to about two hours of physical activity per week — but those who exercised the most — greater than five hours of moderately intense physical activity such as brisk walking per week — reduced their their heart risk the most .