Monthly Archives: December 2020

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE AND WE HAVE MORONS WANTING TO PLAY GOD SAYS MALAYSIA ASEAN APEC LEAD CONSUMERIST PROF DR JACOB GEORGE

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TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE AND WE HAVE MORONS WANTING TO PLAY GOD SAYS MALAYSIA ASEAN APEC LEAD CONSUMERIST PROF DR JACOB GEORGE
Experts advised that having a local election was bad news but our intelligent politicians and their advisers went against common sense!
Experts advised that we need to address and initiate a task force of prominent individuals to coordinate with the government medical apparatus screening of foreigners and their living and working areas as early as March April, nothing was done as the industry captains and the tycoons/towkays were powerful to hinder the suggestion.
Several countries went into a 10 day quarantine drive and we waited and continued with our 14 day span until recently, though confusion still reigns.
More than 40 countries have closed their borders to British arrivals what are we waiting for?
I had advised that first responders and front liners to be briefed that disciplinary action will be taken against them if they directly, indirectly or by negligence refuse to follow or adhere to the Covid 19 protocols during and post work!
That there was a higher duty of care expected of them as per their position in a sensitive and critical job function in the eye of a pandemic.
My fears and suspicions came true when several hospitals were hit by infections and the finger pointed to insiders who had breached a fundamental responsibility and duty of care!
I had repeatedly stated that our media be used to brief in Bahasa Malaysia that hospitals are for those sick and needing medical treatment and not for the entire family with kids or a village in tour to join a patient in a hospital – period!
Now it is obvious with the infection and death numbers on a runway – there is still no regret shown, no re-think or apology and arrogance rules?
Now with several countries begin to roll out their Covid-19 vaccination programs – questions are being raised why the politics of delay or the ‘halal or haram debate’ – if a certain community does not want the vaccine its fine but they should not decide for those who are not in their camp!
This is clear and the rather pathetic and seemingly sluggish when what is needed is a fast track implementation.
Our nearest neighbor Singapore has already received its first shipment of vaccines on the 21st of December!
Here in Malaysia there are several voices making statements which is a national curse that this country has inherited!
The pertinent question raised is whether Malaysia will take up to four months to approve the same vaccine and expects the first shipment to arrive in February next year.
What will be the statistics of the infected and dead by then?
One commentator wrote in a popular comments column and I quote here:
‘Having had firsthand experience with the NPRA and MOH I can tell you that both organizations are filled with incompetents and deadwoods.
Dumb, lazy, but arrogant.
Laziness and “tidak apa” culture is rife. Most of them dont know what they are doing and they really cant be bothered. Words like efficiency and effectiveness are alien to them.”
This is pretty damming but who really cares?
I will end my blog statement by citing a dear friend, Dr Ashok Philip’s statement.
As an experienced practitioner and former MMA president who still keeps track of medical policy issues and initiatives, we should be humble enough to hear such voices and not just the ‘Malaysian Taliban’s and their ridiculous paranoia!’
There is no need to re-invent the wheel and only morns and idiots do it – period!
Says Dr Ashok Philip:
‘It is not controversial that social media and messaging apps are a mixed blessing. On the one hand I am grateful to have made new friends and reconnected with old ones. I am glad I can video-call at virtually zero cost. I am happy to be notified of significant news and events.
On the other hand, you do learn disturbing things about your friends, even those you thought you knew quite well. I’m not referring to the older denizens who send inappropriate messages to profiles of pretty girls. I am thinking of doctors who seem to be anti-vaccines on rather flimsy grounds.
For instance, some are saying that there hasn’t been enough testing. However, vaccines are usually marketed after Stage 3 trials, and the Pfizer, Moderna and Sinovac vaccines, and probably others, have gone through that stage. These studies have showed no serious adverse events. Of course, this doesn’t mean that very rare adverse events may not occur when millions or hundreds of millions of people are vaccinated. That’s why we have post-marketing surveillance.
Some are also asking how these trials could be done so quickly when other vaccine trials took so much longer. The simple fact is that the end point would be a certain number of Covid infections (determined beforehand by statisticians).
Since Covid is both common and highly contagious, the end point will be reached quickly. If we were looking for a vaccine for a slowly developing or rare disease the same process would take much longer.
The announcement by the Ministry of Health that it might take 3 to 5 months to approve the vaccine caused quite a stir. Many of us were wondering why it would take so long just to review trial data.
After all, Pfizer have already submitted their data. Surely the approval process should have started – there is no reason to wait till the vaccine is physically present here. Some doctors, though, were saying “No, we mustn’t rush. We should study it and make sure it’s safe”. Please remember – our authorities (and all authorities, including the FDA) will not be conducting trials. They are just reviewing the data gathered during the trials. It is by no means a trivial task, but in the current situation, a sense of urgency is needed.
There is room for disagreement among reasonable individuals, but it must be based on differing interpretations of the same set of facts. It shouldn’t be influenced by conspiracy theories and unscientific objections. We should stick to the principles of reason and science, as we were trained to do.’
So I leave this matter knowing that my blog is very popular among the intelligentsia, and they know that I am not a politician, neither have I any agenda nor have I ever had in my over 43 years as a well-known and respected Global Consumerist lead!
And one who this year was recognized by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) as having contributed to the various issues of healthcare in the country and region!

CERTAIN FOREIGNERS AND FOREIGN WORKERS A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER IN MALAYSIA SAY MALAYSIA ASEAN APEC LEAD CONSUMERIST PROF DR JACOB GEORGE

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CERTAIN FOREIGNERS AND FOREIGN WORKERS A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER IN MALAYSIA SAY MALAYSIA ASEAN APEC LEAD CONSUMERIST PROF DR JACOB GEORGE
From the late 80s, I have always addressed this matter which thanks to the current Covid 19 pandemic has created the perfect storm for policymakers and those in the stakeholders loop to take an honest and intelligent re-look!
But would they, can they or more importantly will they?
Or are they going to look at the obese profits they are obsessed with from time immemorial?
I have my doubts as this is a multi-million ringgit industry which is abused by all – be they politicians, war lords, their runners, VVIPs, industry captains and their human resources conduits, policy-makers, once former workers from Bangladesh and Nepal now turned millionaire agents, some having married local women set up companies here and living a bourgeoisie lifestyle and others with entrenched ties to very powerful individuals in source countries.
This is to be expected as foreign worker recruitment, processing, and placement is a massive business, worth more than RM5 billion annually to conduits and among them manpower and private employment agencies.
Recent arrest and corruption chargers initiated on civil servants who have assisted in the illegal extension process show that this is widespread.
There are reports of counterfeit foreign worker cards, which would save the foreign worker RM4,500-5,000 per year in charges and immigration levies.
We are told by whistleblowers that there is still several cartels and underground network in manpower agencies handling illegal workers, a commodity highly wanted.
That the countries porous borders by either sea or land do not help in the war against trafficking either.
If one thought that chargers against crooks, and conduits involved directly, indirectly or through proxies will be initiated post the discovery of the Wang Kelian transit camps on the northern border with Thailand, in which numerous bodies of apparently murdered illegal migrants were found it will stop this illegality we were wrong!
We again had a crime without criminals charged or held accountable.
What a shame!
Despite the photo-shoots by publicity seekers which included fakes!
Let me go on record here that the manpower business has no code of ethics, or conduct!
If carefully looked it is an industry which has all kinds of personalities in them, from criminals, civil servants, politicians, runners, to the bourgeoisie!
It is an industry of lucrative profits and low risks and where the collateral damage is foreigners who have taken huge loans from third dreaming of a high paying job here only to be shocked!
To me it is a fiction to say that there is a labor shortage in Malaysia.
If industry and their captains decides to change their wayward ways of being obsessed with low wages and unskilled foreigners and decides to raise the wage structure and perks locals can easily be attracted to fill in and we can move away from vulgar dependence on foreigners putting Malaysia in danger.
Are we aware how many illegals there are in Malaysia, from Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Nepal?
I would not hesitate to state that there are over 5 million illegals in the country!
I still remember my private conversation with a retired IGP who shared that having far too many foreigners here in Malaysia is a clear and present danger to homeland security!
More so when there is an economic downturn!
We have already seen how the foreigners had taken over many sectors, built illegal ghetto communities, even threaten locals and manipulate the current weakness and loopholes in a nonexistent foreign workers policy in Malaysia!
We have witnessed how they ran afoul of the law during the current pandemic and lockdown?
And shame on you industry captains and others, using illegal methods to bring in more foreigners.
First of all thanks to the pandemic we know that industry players have no proper accommodation prepared for their workers according to the international housing standards and benchmarks.
And I have stated this before to several state governments and sending source country’s politicians and ministers!
You cannot and should not put foreign workers within the local communities – be they in housing estate, flats or condominiums.
I had stated quite clearly that what was needed as a prerequisite for industry applicants to show that they have secured adequate and bench marked housing at Industrial areas and estates.
I had successfully pushed this when I was advising a MNC and the suggestion became policy.
Right now having the foreigners living among the local community has become a very dangerous precedence threatening spikes and infection.
Currently many high rise flats and houses rented have already been alleged to have Covid 19 infected workers living among locals.
Want should we do now to address this menace?
1. It is about time that we have a professional approach of hiring foreign workers (the Singapore model is one such good protocol) and one that is formulated by a new task force of inter-ministerial civil servants and prominent individuals with a track record putting into place a holistic system, accountable, transparent, corruption free, looking comprehensively at applicants profile, track record and background.
2. We should analyze industry players track record on Malaysian workers first policy (if they have one) and the remuneration given to locals.
3. We have to evaluate if they have secured adequate bench marked accommodation at industrial areas with suitable security and support systems.
What else should we do?
1. First, on the priority list is to immediate launch an invitation to illegals to come forward so that we can legalize them subject to them having no criminal record or infected!
2. Or if they desire to return to their home country we assist in the protocols.
I remember being part of such a project during the time Azmi Khalid was the Home Minister!
A period of time can be allocated for this nationwide project.
3. After the so called amnesty period it is pertinent that a nationwide crackdown be initiated to take the bio-metrics, detain and deport any foreigner who is here illegally, after charging and banning them from further entry.
4. Those who turn state witness to expose the masterminds behind the trafficking schemes in and outside the country can be given adequate protection and immunity.
There is no need for us to be held ransom to certain NGOs or others in initiating a policy shift to protect our borders once and for all!

COVID 19 INFECTIONS IN HOSPITALS – ARE YOU SAYING NOW WE CANNOT EVEN PROTECT OUR HOSPITALS AND FIRST RESPONDERS ASKS MALAYSIA ASEAN APEC LEAD CONSUMERIST PROF DR JACOB GEORGE?

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‘And please stop being cozy with industry captains and businessmen especially those whose failure to provide statutory bench-marked housing and facilities have now resulted in putting the Malaysian community at risk!’
COVID 19 INFECTIONS IN HOSPITALS – ARE YOU SAYING NOW WE CANNOT EVEN PROTECT OUR HOSPITALS AND FIRST RESPONDERS ASKS MALAYSIA ASEAN APEC LEAD CONSUMERIST PROF DR JACOB GEORGE?
This is indeed amazing where we are despite adequate feedbacks and information from global sources!
There are now reports that three hospitals have had infection breakouts among front liners!
We have had adequate time and exposure.
Where did we go wrong?
Who dropped the ball?
This was something I had predicted months ago as I also predicted that Selangor will become the new epicenter of the same.
No rocket science this just a comprehensive observation at the behavior of those we had trusted to protect our health needs now turned active politicians after tasting the kind of power you see in the corridors of power among politicians and a particular racial grouping who from day one of this pandemic behaving in a very recalcitrant manner where safe distancing, protocols and PPE were concerned!
Look at the ‘Mamak restaurants, Warongs, outlets foreigners frequently hang out.
Look at the foreigners and foreign workers walking about without masks.
As far as the politicos were concerned I warned them about our foreign workers living conditions and that they will be an epicenter and gateway of chaos and of further spread months ago!
Advising them to take steps similar as Singapore but our fellas were more interested in being media stars and ‘playing high powered politics?’
Now – res ipsa loquitor!
Coming back to Covid 19 hospital infections – the very fact that an investigation has so far failed to pinpoint the source of the outbreak is outrageous enough.
I will not be wrong to echo the concerns of others who have gone on record to state that it has now come to a stage where the spread has become difficult to control, especially within the community?
I was in Serdang hospital to pay my last respects to an Aunty more than a week ago, and, what I saw among both staff and visitors was not just revealing but shocking!
Klang General Hospital has always been a cowboy hospital and if something is going to happen it will here, in view of ground and environmental concerns.
Thanks to the appointment of me as a Patient Advocate (pro bono) by a former Minister of Health and Director General of Health Services I have had adequate exposure of this hospital and others.
And since 1983 I have addressed many issues that were carried in the mainstream media!
Not my first rodeo this!
The very fact that out hospitals have now been affected shows incompetence and gaps at the highest level.
Perhaps, it is best that certain individuals remind themselves that they are first doctors and not get carried away by the political access, honorifics, and attention they seem to enjoy of late.
We need to go back to the planning board and readdress issues from the movement of caretakers, staff, auxiliary staff, suppliers, staff of services that are out sourced, canteen operators and admissions before more harm is caused.
If the infection cannot be contained, with frontliners and hospitals compromised and ICU beds run dry – it will be an international embarrassment that those we trusted failed us, after so much ‘fanfare, song and dance!’
We definitely have lost the grip and what more with the opening up of movement.
I wonder whose actually advising the government?
Instead of stating that the ‘the situation, however, is under control’ – can we have the plain truth?
From time immemorial I have always advocated the public against visiting the hospital if they are not patients!
Hospitals are not supermarkets or malls!
I have also stated that hospitals must remain infection free and under control and therefore hospitals must not be turned into a shopping mall as many are today!
I can understand a well-stocked essential consumables outlet for patients but not what I am witnessing today.
One final word of advice to ‘those in the clouds’ – the Malaysian public are an intelligent lot, very connected and if you want to control the truth narrative – tell us exactly the truth as it will not trigger any unnecessary panic and confusion within the community.
And please stop being cozy with industry captains and businessmen especially those whose failure to provide statutory bench marked housing and facilities have now resulted in putting the Malaysian community at risk!

TIME TO DEPORT ILLEGALS IN MALAYSIA SAYS MALAYSIA ASEAN APEC LEAD CONSUMERIST PROF DR JACOB GEORGE

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TIME TO DEPORT ILLEGALS IN MALAYSIA SAYS MALAYSIA ASEAN APEC LEAD CONSUMERIST PROF DR JACOB GEORGE

For far too long we have ignored that elephant in the room.

For far too long we have allowed politicians, brokers, even the VVIPs and their runners, which includes a singer to play a pivoted part in the foreign workers recruitment protocols end to end.

We have even allowed industry captains to lobby the issues.

Many of them are alleged to have received huge blanket approvals.

It was once joked that even a certain high powered badminton star, a then speaker and another VVIP was running around with a few thousand approvals.

And no matter what one says the truth is as far as the issue of foreign workers applications, recruitment and others go – it is crystal clear that it is one of the most abused sectors to date.

Everybody had a finger in it.

From the onset I had repeatedly addressed the issues and fallout from the 80s, with the late then deputy home minister Megat Junid.

During our tea sessions and satays, he agreed with my observations but felt it was losing battle and difficult to address or manage the greed and political pressures from many strange quarters end to end.

It was at that time we even had that ‘six million ringgit man’ story and the Bangladesh cartels working hand in hand.

Or that story of the one’s super powerful multi-millionaire civil servant whose wife wore two watches in a golf visit to Nepal – one with Malaysian time and another Nepal!

It was hilarious how she became the brunt of many jokes there and within the diplomatic community.

Back to the issue – Industry players and captains wanted super cheap labor to maximize profits, their human resource team had their fingers in the plum as they developed symbiotic relationships with the agents and runners, those expected to be the gatekeepers were no better!

Everyone enjoyed the ride and anyone who poses a threat to them are threatened, defamed, even dragged through controversies planned and planted.

But my conversations continued with successive home ministers, head of states of foreign workers sending countries and their diplomats, who all agreed that we needed an air-tight public policy which identifies real needs from the false, and isolates political and state actor shenanigans who act as conduits in the multi billion ringgit racket.

One’s I was part of the entourage of both the then internal security ministry and then the human resources select committee who visited Nepal to address issues from ground zero with the stakeholders!

My then conversations with the head of state in Bangladesh were also very positive but political ground tremors were very strong as well.

It was always disheartening that the victims were the workers eager to seek employment though they had not the skills, nor the education and many resorting to falsifying their qualification as ex-service men or with paper qualifications and paying the conduits to secure employment by selling what little they had.

The truth is the conduits in the transaction end to end all knew the weaknesses but the financial kickbacks allocated to them helped compromise their positions.

It was after all a numbers game.

When I took on the cartels here which made headlines I received death threats as well.

There were advisories given me by powerful then state actors as well for my safety.

Fast forward 2020 – the issue of foreign workers both legal and illegal has not be resolved but gone from bad to wicked!

However, the Covid 19 pandemic has now come in as a savior and those who in the past insulated and tolerated these huge numbers estimated to be more than 6 million are feeling the heat!

There are still boats arriving from the Western Coastline carrying with them illegals.

The number of foreigners on our streets and community is still growing and does not make sense.

Our borders are compromised and the hard work of our security apparatus being hampered.

Locals must become the eyes and ears of the security apparatus that our borders are protected.

Go to any housing estate today and you will see foreigners gathering without following safe distancing, wearing the masks or abiding with the protocols.

There are many cases of infections where they are concerned and my fear is it is only a matter of time before the local population may turn against them, for not abiding to the Covid 19 protocols.

If this happens it will become a homeland security issue.

The Top Glove fiasco is just the tip of the iceberg.

It is my appeal that it is timely to set up a high powered task force with one aim in mind – the deportation of illegals and those “legal” – who attained approvals through falsification and fraud.

I will soon seek a meeting with both our Home Minister and our professional and no nonsense tolerating IGP to see how the civil society can assist our security apparatus to keep Malaysia safe!

TOP GLOVE – WILL THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY HIT BACK ASKS MALAYSIAN ASEAN APEC LEAD CONSUMERIST PROF DR JACOB GEORGE

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TOP GLOVE – WILL THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY HIT BACK ASKS MALAYSIAN ASEAN APEC LEAD CONSUMERIST PROF DR JACOB GEORGE

A silenced whistle blower, a full of hypocrisy, spineless trade and health ministries, a then-EU ambassador to Malaysia, Maria Castillo more interested in suggested running factories 24 hours a day, seven days a week rather than addressing fundamental issues  of health concerns, the rights interests of workers human rights,  from third world countries who is seen here as collateral damage?

What an embarrassment to the European Union who boast of ethics, standards and adhering to human rights?

I can understand the culture of Top Glove whose actions, inaction and failure mirrors how business is done in Malaysia and in certain third world countries,  in their lack of duty of care has resulted in Malaysia’s biggest coronavirus cluster with more than 5,000 infections, about 94 percent of them foreigners?

I cannot but wonder what would have happened to the owners and top management of Top Glove if they had behaved in such a manner in their operations in Thailand, China and Vietnam?

More importantly, China and if the casualty figures involve Chinese nationals?

I was a consultant for a top multi-national American company In Malaysia and the line of approach was always a fast-track response, once I had briefed the top management, when there is crisis, taking the ‘bull by its horn’ – a response that protects the brand, the workers, and that the rights interests of all parties!

I was given both the powers and responsibility of making things right!

Here based on the commentaries coming out it is clear that Top Glove appears to be only concerned about its bottom line with no care or concern for the welfare of its workers or the community around the epicenter of the infection?

And the facts are as follows based on reports:

  1. The allegation that Top Glove silenced the whistle blower indicates that it knew that the working conditions were bad and it was flouting Covid 19 protocols.
  2. Were they more concerned with maximizing profits rather than welfare of its workers?

This is vicarious liability and certainly against all norms and business standards and of compliance issues of the global community.

  1. Reports and comments even from the Human Resources ministry give the impression which collaborates with eyewitnesses and workers allegations that some of the housing provided to workers was abysmal.
  2. While there was and is still an eerie silence from the powers that be in Malaysia and I can understand why the global community namely the American government has accused Top Glove of infringing international laws on migrant labor.

I am certain that soon, very soon there will be a global reaction to this company and that fallout will impact the Malaysian government who will be accused of showing and saying different things to different audiences which plainly now being addressed shows a shocking level of indifference, incompetence and hypocrisy?

So is Top Glove untouchable because they have deep pockets and very strong friends in super high places?

I keep reminding our ‘self-appointed local heroes’ most of us veterans, have access to the global intelligentsia from diplomats, policy-makers, UN agencies, NGOs, power circles in the Hague, and the WHO as well!

That it is always critical that we are consistent, transparent, accountable and with zero tolerance for hypocrisy and political agendas!

Sucking up, providing ‘alternative truths’, withholding raw intel and data, or wearing masks may serve one’s immediate political and career obsessions but ultimately, that smell of lies, fabrication and of betrayal of one’s oath of public office will bring a stench and no disinfectant or chemicals can wash off!

But you already know that, right?