Since the dissolution of the Parliament, the country is supposedly managed by a caretaker government. Since the Government has been dissolved and the powers to be has yet to be elected, who is actually running the country for this 13 day period of campaigning before the elections?

Neither BN nor the Opposition has the power to decide on matters pertaining to the country as strictly speaking, neither has been elected into office as yet. The Government service should neither pledge their support to any political party as their allegiance is to the winner of the next general election. BN should also not act like de facto winners of the election.

This thought came about after Carol Chew was invited by the DBKL to officiate the opening of a flyover bridge snubbing the DAP candidate, Teresa Kok, which happens to be the favourite to win and the incumbent, in the Seputeh parliamentary contituency. At a time when there is no elected political representative as yet, both parties should be respected and represented.

Similarly, the press should be fairer in its reporting, be it the mainstream press or news portals like malaysiakini. Political parties should never interfere with the independence of the press and therefore should relinguish their control of local dailies. Their attempts at controlling the press is blatantly clear despite their foolish attempts at hoodwinking the Malaysian public into believing otherwise.

A 13 day political campaign is surely insufficient for anyone to advance their political agendas, especially for the Opposition which gets little air or press time. Should the election date not be fixed rather than being dependant on the fancies of the ruling coalition party? Are 13 days truly sufficient for the public to assess the candidates thoroughly? I feel campaigning should be allowed way before parliament is dissolved and the election date transparently chosen.

There are many deficiencies of our current system and much improvements can be made. However, the Malaysian public has to awaken from decades of subtle brainwashing to realise the extent of trickery in our local political arena. Similarly, the press has to practice basic ethics of journalism to enable fair and just reporting as they wield great influences on the general public.

A BN victory is certain with their massive headstart and advantages, the question is how will the Opposition fare with its extremely limited resources?

Related article in The Star here.

Relationships between doctors and patients remain an important element in diagnosing and treating diseases. Unfortunately, the boundaries of acceptability can sometimes be contentious and blurred. When is a good doctor-patient relationship, just becoming too good?

Can a doctor be attracted to a patient he/she treats? Of course it can happen but both parties must understand that they can no longer be professionally linked. Once a professional relationship between a doctor and patient is breached, then such a relationship should cease and the doctor can no longer treat that particular patient.

So what happens when a doctor becomes attracted to a family member of a patient he/she treats? Is it still ethically wrong? Can he/she date a family member while still treating the patient? As of now to my knowledge, this is still deemed unethical.

Matters of the heart can sometimes be difficult to predict and might afflict any of us in the medical profession. It is important to understand that doctors are subjected to all the laws of nature and should never be viewed as super beings. Doctors themselves must be aware of their actions and its inevitable consequences. Seeking help when necessary is important even for doctors especially when love or lust may have blurred their normal thought processes.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The air of celebration is apparent, anticipating the clanging of cymbals in tandem with ever enthralling lion dances. Nevertheless, my attention is diverted thousands of kilometers away by another engrossing affair, the US presidential nomination race. Many of their arguments about the US economy may have little bearings at least for me, however, I am intrigued by the transparency of debates and press coverage.

Flipping through our local dailies tells a tale of media suppression with little space allocated to the opposition parties. Despite the Government being adamant that press freedom is guaranteed, many influential editors remain handpicked by the Government. Why not? After all, the press is literally under the control of ruling political parties with Berita Harian, Utusan, Sin Chew Jit Poh and the NST being owned by them. A beacon of light is seen in The Sun where stinging articles do surface putting much needed pressure on politicians to perform.

Why can't Malaysia have a fairer press coverage for the opposition? Afterall, they do represent certain sections of the population. Should they not also be heard? Voters should be given the freedom to choose based on unbiased information.

Therefore, watching the primaries of a nation other than ours, gives me added invigoration. I think that democracy is democracy. There is no such thing as a Malaysian brand of democracy. Look at the US where multicultural and multiethnic practices are abundant, yet are about to hold fair and unbiased elections.

The Government has always mentioned that our elections are fair. However, how are we to believe such when unethical practices of nepotism and cronyism remain a common scenario. Take for example Khairy. In fact, if Badawi is politically and ethically correct, his son-in-law should not be allowed in politics, no matter how qualified he is. There is bound to be political nepotism here as Khairy himself so readily has admitted.

The advent of the internet has revolutionised the dissemination and gathering of information. Such an open and public domain has tempted many opposition parties to focus on this medium to spread their ideologies. Now, at least for those with internet access, information is free flowing where ideas of both parties can be weighed before the vote is cast.

Indeed, the political landscape is changing. Will BN win this time? Sure they will. But how long can they hold their fort? They are fortunate that the opposition parties remain in disarray preventing them from making any serious challenges to the throne. But their voices are more clearly heard now than ever before.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone.