6 theSun | THURSDAY OCTOBER 22 2009

news without borders

Can 100Plus
cure dengue?
CAN 100Plus cure dengue?
That was the question posed
by Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Ind-
Pasir Mas) during a question-
and-answer session.
He said he heard some
people were cured of dengue
after drinking the isotonic
drink but in some cases, it did
not leave any effect.
Expressing concern that
the widespread belief could
endanger the life of certain
people such as diabetics, he
asked Deputy Health Minister
Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid
Shirlin the measures taken by
the ministry to give the right
information to the public.
“What is the method used
by the ministry to create
awareness among the people
so that they consume medi-
cine not based on belief but
based on medical reference?”
he asked.
Rosnah said she was aware
of it herself, but to date there
was no scientific analysis
which could support it.
“However, I’d like to share
my experience here that one
of my relatives too had con-
sumed the drink when he was
infected by dengue. Alhamdu-
lillah (Thank God), so far he
is healthy, has recovered and
it (100Plus) did not do him
any harm,” she said, adding
she would consider Ibrahim’s
suggestion and will get a good
answer for him later.
She added that the ministry
had set up special hotlines to
give information to the public
on certain diseases.
Earlier, Karpal Singh
(DAP-Bukit Gelugor) asked
whether dengue was an en-
demic in Malaysia and what
were the efforts taken by the
government to combat the
rise in cases.
Rosnah said it was an en-
demic disease in the tropical
and sub-tropical areas, includ-
ing Malaysia, but the number
of dengue cases had been on
the decline this year.
“In the first week of this
year, 1,633 cases were re-
ported with an average 1,176
cases reported every week
until March.
“However, thanks to the
government’s prevention and
control efforts and with public
cooperation, in the 41st week
(from Oct 11 – 17), only 563
cases were reported,” she
said.
Until Oct 17 also, she said,
the number of accumulated
dengue cases was 33,123 com-
pared with 36,234 in the same
period last year – a fall of 3,111
cases.
She said the number of
dengue-related deaths also fell
from 80 cases last year to 72 in
the same comparative period.
In the same period, the
number of dengue cases in
nine states also fell, except for
Selangor, Penang, Sarawak,
Perlis, Malacca and Sabah, she
said, adding the government
spent RM12 million on anti-
dengue promotional activities
through the media.
ICC to review Suhakam’s
status next month
THE International Coordinating
Committee of National Institutions
(ICC) will conduct a special evalu-
ation on the status of the Malay-
sian Human Rights Commission
(Suhakam) from Nov 14 to 16.
Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department Datuk
Liew Vui Keong said at the mo-
ment, Suhakam was an “A” status
entity.
“On that date, the final decision
on Suhakam’s
We hope the accreditation
amendments will will be made,”
satisfy the ICC on he said in reply
to R. Sivarasa
the steps taken by (PKR-Subang)
Malaysia to retain during question
Suhakam’s A status.” time.
Petrol kiosks not allowed
to set retail prices for fuel
PETROL companies or petrol
station operators are not allowed
to set their own retail price for
fuel, said Deputy Domestic Trade,
Cooperative and Consumerism
Minister Datuk Tan Lien Ho.
“This is because the govern-
ment has fixed the price of petrol
and diesel according to the Auto-
matic Pricing Mechanism (APM)
which has been in use since
March 1, 1983.
Sivarasa wanted to
know the steps taken by the
government to ensure that At the Dewan Rakyat
Suhakam’s A status would by Husna Yusop and Giam Say Khoon
not be downgraded by the newsdesk@thesundaily.com
United Nations Human Rights
Council for non-compliance Responding to Sivarasa’s sup-
with the Paris Principles. plementary question on claims
Liew refuted claims on Su- that a Suhakam commissioner
hakam’s purported non-compli- was not allowed to visit the KL
ance, saying the government had International Airport’s detention
amended the Act 1957 on two depot to interview some 200 Sri
occasions to give emphasis on Lankan refugees on Monday,
transparency in the appointment Liew said based on records, there
of Suhakam members as required was no application from Suhakam
by the Paris Principles. to visit them at that time.
“We hope the amendments will “Only UNHCR officers visited
satisfy the ICC on the steps taken the place,” he said referring to the
by Malaysia to retain Suhakam’s A United Nations High Commis-
status,” he said. sioner for Refugees. – Bernama
“If petrol companies are al- Pua asked whether it was true
lowed to determine their own petrol stations were not allowed to
retail prices, consumers would sell fuel at a price lower than that
have to pay different rates all the fixed by the government and the
time as the price would become reason for it.
higher when the price of raw oil in Tan said petroleum products
the world market increased. were supply and price-controlled
“This would have implications by the government under the AMP
in terms of an increased inflation which was meant to ensure sup-
rate in the country,” she said in ply and price stability, to control
reply to a question from Tony inflation and to ensure profits for
Pua (DAP-PJ Utara). operators and petrol companies.

Senior citizens given priority to perform haj

THE government has given priority to
senior citizens when selecting haj pil-
grims because the list of registered pil-
grims is very long and it would be a very
long wait until they reach their turn.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s De-
partment Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom said
for example, those registering with the
Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH or Pilgrimage
Fund Board) this year would only get a
chance to perform haj in 2020.
“Therefore, we always give priority to
senior citizens to ensure their welfare.
Not only senior citizens, we also give
priority to women in need of a mahram
(immediate family member) and the
disabled in need of a companion,” he
said in reply to Datuk Seri Abdul
Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) who
asked whether there is such a system.
He also told Abdul Ghapur the quota
given to Malaysians to perform haj every
year was 0.1% of its population and for
this year, it was at 26,000.

‘Amend constitution to clarify

country’s status’
THE government has been urged
to amend several articles in the
Federal Constitution to clarify cer-
tain issues including the status of
the country which adopts a dual-
system (a hybrid legal system) and
not a secular state as claimed by
some quarters.
The amendments to the consti-
tution are also necessary to draw
up the differing line between the
constitution as the main federal
law and the implementation of Is-
lamic law and syariah.
The call was among the 24 lists
of private members’ bills submitted
by Zulkifli Noordin (PKR-Bandar
Baru Kulim).
Zulkifli said Article 3 of the
constitution must be amended to
ensure the facts on the position
of Islam are not manipulated and
misinterpreted by certain groups
to give the impression that Malay-
sia is a secular state.
He has proposed that the
words “Islam is the religion for the
Federation including in terms of
the law and syariah” be included
to remove any doubt on the status
of the country.
He said Article 4 of the Federal
Constitution must be amended to
add in the words “the Constitution
is the primary law of the Federa-
tion and except for the Islamic law
and syariah, any other law that
is passed and that contradicts it
must be void for as long as it is
contradictory”.
“The House must take cogni-
sance that in many instances the
Islamic syariah law has become
void or cannot be enforced
because Article 4 of the Federal
Constitution places the country’s
law above other laws and regula-
tions.” – Bernama

RM1.96b still available for agriculture

RM1.96 BILLION from an al-
location of RM3.26 billion in 14
packages is still available to help
modernise farmers, said Agricul-
ture and Agro-based Industries
Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar.
He said from 1996 till 2003,
73,000 farmers benefitted from
the packages amounting to RM1.3
billion. He was replying to a sup-
plementary question by Nancy
Shukri (BN-Batang Sadong)
who wanted to know how the
agricultural sector could attract
youth and make agriculture a com-
mercial activity. – Bernama