aN aNt's liFe

Death of Sai Baba - An Enigma To The Last

2011-04-24T20:58:00.002+08:00

24 April 2011 Last updated at 05:03 GMT

Obituary: Indian guru Sai Baba

By Tanya Datta Documentary maker

Sai Baba was estimated to have millions of devotees around the world

Sri Satya Sai Baba, India's revered spiritual guru who counted presidents, prime ministers, judges and generals amongst his millions of followers around the world, has died at the age of 84.

Until the last, he was a man who inspired passionately conflicting emotions (as I discovered when I made a BBC investigative documentary about him in 2004 called Secret Swami).
To his devotees, Sai Baba was an avatar, an incarnation of God in human form, who appeared on Earth to preach his inspirational message in one of India's poorest corners.
To his critics, he was a fraudster dogged for years by controversial allegations of sexual abuse yet protected from prosecution by virtue of his powerful political sway.
Whatever he was, there was no doubt that over time he rose in prominence to become India's premier "god-man", eclipsing the likes of Maharishi and Shri Rajneesh who had first drawn Westerners east in the Sixties and Seventies.
A petite, softly spoken man dressed in full length saffron robes and perpetually sporting a trademark afro hairstyle, Sai Baba's appeal was not limited to Western hippies but cut across Indian society from its lowest to highest echelons as well as spreading to many other countries beyond.
'Immaculate conception' Satya Sai Baba was born Sathyanarayana Raju on 23 November 1926 in the remote village of Puttaparthi in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, although like many born at this time, there is no proof of his date of birth.
Stories abound of the early signs of his divinity.
It is said that his mother claimed her son was born out of an immaculate conception just as Jesus Christ had been, another messiah who Sai Baba often identified himself with.
On another occasion, he was alleged to have survived a scorpion bite and on his recovery, was miraculously able to speak Sanskrit, a language he did not know before. Indeed, throughout his childhood, he was said to have been abnormally gifted in artistic pursuits such as music, dance, drama and writing.

Sai Baba had a huge following

When he was 13 years old, the young boy announced to his family that he was the incarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, a 19th century Indian holyman who had been equally venerated by Hindus and Muslims alike. Changing his name was a key spiritual metamorphosis.
The teenage Sai Baba soon began to attract followers and by 1950, had constructed an ashram called Prasanthi Nilayam (Abode of Peace) near his village to accommodate them.
It heralded the start of the transformation of Puttaparthi into a Sai Baba wonderland spread over some 10 square kilometres; the vast complex of hotels, resorts, university buildings, speciality hospital, airport and enormous ashram thronged with devotees that I witnessed while making the documentary.
Non-dogmatic Part of Sai Baba's huge global popularity may be explained by his non-dogmatic, non-doctrinal approach to spirituality.
In contrast to many sects, followers were not required to give up their previous religious beliefs as the guru stated that he believed in the one God that lay behind all religious paths.
Certainly, Sai Baba inspired love and admiration.
During our time spent filming at the ashram, devotees from around the world would volunteer stories about how Sai Baba had visited them in a dream or had called to them though moments of curious serendipity.
In addition, his mystical ability to manifest vibhuti (holy ash), food as well as jewellery and watches out of thin air was often cited as further proof of his divinity and akin to the 'miracles' ascribed to other past prophets.
His opponents, however, refuted this to me.
In the Secret Swami, I was shown how these manifestations could easily be explained by illusionists' techniques and sleight of hand tricks.

A hospital in Puttaparthi set up by Sai Baba

For decades, various scientists, rationalists and magicians have in turn, attempted to challenge the guru to perform his 'miracles' under controlled conditions.
Sai Baba always refused to submit to these tests, once saying: "Science must confine its inquiry only to things belonging to the human senses, while spiritualism transcends the senses. If you want to understand the nature of spiritual power you can do so only through the path of spirituality and not science."
Sexual Abuse The most damning allegations against the "god-man", however, concern the sexual abuse of young boys and male adults during private interviews with him.
Damaging rumours have circulated since the seventies of the guru's sexual exploits but have always been dismissed out of hand by the tightly controlled Sai Baba organisation.
We interviewed the Rahm family in America who had been Sai Baba devotees for years. Both father and son stated that they had been subjected to Sai Baba rubbing oil on their genitals.
"He took me aside," said Alaya Rahm, "put the oil on his hands, told me to drop my pants and rubbed my genitals with oil. I was really taken aback."

Sai Baba counted former Indian prime ministers as his followers

Dr Michael Goldstein, chairman of the international Sai Baba organisation, admitted he had heard rumours, but told us that he did not believe them. He said: "My heart and my conscience tell me that it is not possible."
Sai Baba was never investigated on this issue. All attempts to prosecute him failed.
Nor was there any satisfactory resolution to the gruesome killing of four male devotees in 1993 who allegedly entered Sai Baba's bedroom, armed with knives.
The police claimed they had been shot in self-defence.
The lack of any legal proceedings against the guru was perhaps not surprising in light of the level of influence that he commanded.
A previous Indian prime minister, Atal Vajpayee, once issued a letter on his official notepaper calling the attacks on Sai Baba "wild, reckless and concocted".
Since 2005, Sai Baba's health had been deteriorating. Although he once predicted he would die in his mid-90s, he also claimed he could choose the moment of his death.
In death as in life, he remained an enigma to the last.
Tanya Dutt is a London-based radio and television broadcaster and writer. She made Secret Swami, an investigative documentary on Sai Baba for BBC Two.

Update on our local swimming scene

2008-06-05T17:41:00.001+08:00

Thursday June 5, 2008

National record for Marellyn but not an Olympic berth

SABAH swimmer Marellyn Liew can be forgiven for not being in a celebratory mood after breaking the national record in the women's 100m butterfly at the Batu Buruk Swimming Complex yesterday.

The 19-year-old's mind was already on improving her time further when she competes in the same event at the Singapore Open, the final Olympic qualifying event, tomorrow.

Marellyn's time of 1:01.82 erased the previous national record of 1:02.08 set by Luisa Los Santos at the Korat Sea Games last December. Although she cracked the record, Marellyn was disappointed that the time was slower than the 1:01.43 needed to qualify for the Beijing Games in August.

Marellyn Liew splashing her way to a new national mark in the women’s 100m butterfly event of the Sukma swimming competition at the Batu Buruk Swimming Complex.

“I consulted my coach (Lim) Keng Liat immediately after the race and he told me that I could have done better in the final 50m. I need to concentrate more on my way back to the finish line,” she said.

“Although I am happy to have won the gold as well as set a new national record, the fact that I managed to post a personal best swim just before heading to Singapore is more important. I hope that I will do a better swim and qualify for Beijing on Friday.”

Marellyn will miss the final day of the Sukma competition. She left for Singapore last night.

Four Games records also fell on the penultimate day competition. Olympics-bound swimmers Khoo Cai Lin and Daniel Bego set the pace in the women's 400m freestyle and men's 100m butterfly respectively.

Cai Lin was out to break Nurul Huda Abdullah's 20-year national record of 4:17.86 and she came within a second of pulling it off with a time of 4:18.94. But the Selangor swimmer can take some consolation in breaking Lew Yih Wey's 2006 Games record of 4:24.43.

Splashing success: (From left): Sarawak’s Ling Neng Ching, Eric Chang, Brian Lim and Daniel Bego after breaking the Sukma record in men’s 4x200m freestyle in Kuala Terengganu.

Sarawak's Daniel, who created a new national record in the 200m freestyle on Sunday, settled for a new Games record in the 100m butterfly. His 55:27 finish bettered the 12-year-old 56:24 record set by Anthony Ang at the 1996 Games in Kuantan.

“I feel good with my performances in Sukma as I am in the midst of gearing up for the Olympics. To earn one national and one Games record in my two individual events showed that my preparations are on the right track,” said Daniel.

The 19-year-old then anchored the Sarawak men's team to win the 4x200m freestyle gold medal. With Ling Neng Ching, Eric Chang and Brian Lim in the side, Daniel touched home in 7:57.81. Daniel was also a member of the Sarawak quartet who created the previous record of 8:05.94 in Kota Kinabalu in 2002.

Chan Kah Yan, who has collected five silver medals in Kuala Terengganu, finally nailed the elusive gold, anchoring the FT women's team, who also comprised Heidi Gan, Tania Lee, Chong Siew Mun, to victory in the 4x200m freestyle.

They won the race in 8:41.04 and their effort erased the previous Games record of 8:46.63, set by their FT predecessors in 2002.

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TALKING POLITICS: LIM GUAN ENG HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

2008-03-23T20:37:00.003+08:00

What an incredulous three weeks it has been for all of us since we all went to the polls on March 8 this month.

The drama that has been unfolding right before our very eyes has been unbelievable!

Tomorrow a brand new MB gets installed in Terengganu who is not our PM's choice. This, despite the fact that our PM had said on national television only about three days ago that he was confident that everything would soon sort itself out to the BN's favour.

This was obviously not what he meant or had in mind, surely. And it would be very interesting to see what he has to say about this tomorrow after the swearing-in ceremony of the person he didn't anoint.

It must be very difficult on our PM; not to mention, also embarrassing.

Penang CM Lim Guan Eng, meanwhile, continues to make positive ripples in everyone's lives.

I read in the newspapers how he slipped in and out of a local church on Good Friday to share in with Christians and their celebration of Easter this weekend.

That itself would have made a splendid lesson of humility and tolerance for all the worshippers.

The Star said the Chief Minister had no bodyguards but came into the church alone.

This next week is certainly going to add more hot and sizzling politics into our lives.

For now, that seems to be the only thing we can be sure about in this new political landscape that had bulldozed its way through on March 8.

aNt
TALKING POLITICS
2:30am Easter Sunday

Arthur Clarke Dies At 90

2008-03-19T19:24:00.002+08:00

Here is a man I had admired, now gone. aNt

Writer Arthur C Clarke dies at 90

Sir Arthur C Clarke was famous for his science fiction writing

Space Odyssey clips

Terry Pratchett pays tribute

British science fiction writer Sir Arthur C Clarke has died in his adopted home of Sri Lanka at the age of 90.

The Somerset-born author came to fame in 1968 when short story The Sentinel was made into the film 2001: A Space Odyssey by director Stanley Kubrick.

His visions of space travel and computing sparked the imagination of readers and scientists alike.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse paid tribute, hailing the writer as a "great visionary".

Since 1995, the author had been largely confined to a wheelchair by post-polio syndrome.

He died at 0130 local time (2000 GMT) of respiratory complications and heart failure, according to his aide, Rohan De Silva.

Far-seeing scientist

"Sir Arthur has left written instructions that his funeral be strictly secular," his secretary, Nalaka Gunawardene, was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

She said the author had requested "absolutely no religious rites of any kind".

A farmer's son, Sir Arthur was educated at Huish's Grammar School in Taunton before joining the civil service.

A great science fiction writer, a very good scientist, a great prophet and a very dear friend

Sir Patrick Moore

Obituary of Arthur C Clarke

In quotes: tributes to writer

He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II, and foresaw the concept of communication satellites.

Sir Arthur's detailed descriptions of space shuttles, super-computers and rapid communications systems inspired millions of readers.

When asked why he never patented his idea for communication satellites, he said: "I did not get a patent because I never thought it will happen in my lifetime."

In the 1940s, he maintained man would reach the moon by the year 2000, an idea dismissed at the time.

He was the author of more than 100 fiction and non-fiction books, and his writings are credited by many observers with giving science fiction a human and practical face. He collaborated on the screenplay for 2001: A Space Odyssey with Kubrick.

'Great prophet'

British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore had known Sir Arthur since they met as teenagers at the British Interplanetary Society.

Sir Patrick paid tribute to his friend, remembering him as "a very sincere person" with "a strong sense of humour".

Tributes have also come from George Whitesides, the executive director of the National Space Society, where Sir Arthur served on the board of governors, and fellow science fiction writer Terry Pratchett.

HAVE YOUR SAY

His writing inspired many people to wonder what might be possible

Pratik, California

Send us your comments

The author married in 1953, and was divorced in 1964. He had no children.

He moved to the Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka in 1956 after embarking on a study of the Great Barrier Reef.

There, he pursued his interest in scuba diving, even setting up a diving school at Hikkaduwa, near the capital, Colombo.

"Sometimes I am asked how I would like to be remembered," he recalled recently.

"I have had a diverse career as a writer, underwater explorer and space promoter. Of all these, I would like to be remembered as a writer."

A statement from Sir Arthur's office said he had recently reviewed the final manuscript of his latest novel.

The Last Theorem, co-written with Frederik Pohl, will be published later this year, it said.

BBC ONLINE IN PICTURES OF YESTERDAY'S HINDRAF PROTEST

2008-02-17T15:48:00.010+08:00

Pix 01: Malaysian police have broken up a demonstration against alleged government discrimination by about 2,000 ethnic Indians in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Pix 02: Demonstrators carried the portrait of Malaysian King Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and carried roses to symbolise what they said was a peaceful demand for justice.

Pix 03: Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse Saturday's protesters, who had gathered despite a government ban.

Pix 04: Chemical-laced water was sprayed on some protesters. They argue the government systematically favours the Malay majority in jobs and education.

Pix 05: More than 120 people were detained, although most have now been released.

Pix 06: The demonstration was organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force, which is demanding the release from jail of five of its leaders.

BBC ONLINE: Police Break Up Protest

2008-02-16T17:04:00.001+08:00

Malaysian police break up protest

The protesters carried roses to symbolise peaceful demands

Malaysian security forces have used tear gas and water cannon to break up a protest by ethnic Indians in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

More than 20 people taking part in the banned march were detained by police.

The demonstration was organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force, which is demanding the release from jail of five of its leaders.

Activists say policies granting economic advantages to the ethnic Malay majority discriminate against Indians.

The Malaysia government has rejected claims of unequal treatment.

Detention without trial

Some 2000 protesters defied a ban on public gatherings, and carried roses to symbolise what they said was a peaceful demand for justice.

A heavy police presence kept them in the city centre - preventing their planned march to parliament to give the flowers to the Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi.

The protest was meant to be led by a group of about 200 children. There were no reports of any children being injured.

Police used water canons thought to be laced with chemicals and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The group behind the demonstration has become increasingly effective at rattling the government, says the BBC's Robin Brant in Kuala Lumpur.

It was behind a large demonstration on the streets of the capital last November which saw 10,000 people gather.

That rally exposed increasing unhappiness among some of Malaysia's minority Indians who feel they have fallen behind after decades of government policy which gives preferential treatment to the majority Malays, our correspondent says.

Five rights activists were arrested at that rally - the biggest protest involving ethnic Indians in more than a decade.

They are being held under a rarely used security law that allows indefinite detention without trial.

BBC ONLINE: Ledger Died Of Accidental Overdose

2008-02-07T00:33:00.000+08:00

Ledger took lethal mix of drugs

Prescription drugs were found near Heath Ledger's body

Hollywood actor Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of six different types of prescription drugs, New York authorities have revealed.

The Brokeback Mountain actor, 28, was found dead in January in an apartment he had been renting in Manhattan.

The city medical examiner's spokeswoman said Ledger died "as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects" of the different drugs.

They include painkiller Oxycontin and anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Xanax.

Some of the prescription drugs were found near his body when it was discovered by his housekeeper.

Ledger's body has been flown home to Australia for a private burial, while a public memorial service is planned in Los Angeles.

Film suspended

Last week, his former partner Michelle Williams spoke publicly for the first time since the star's death, saying: "My heart is broken."

The pair met on the set of their Brokeback Mountain, in which Williams played Ledger's wife.

The couple, who had a daughter Matilda, now two, split up last September.

The makers of Ledger's most recent film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - directed by Terry Gilliam - have suspended production.

Ledger had completed filming in London just before his death.

The star also plays The Joker in yet-to-be-released Batman film The Dark Knight.

Also last week, US TV shows Entertainment Tonight and The Insider pulled a video they had planned to show of Ledger at a Hollywood party saying he used to smoke cannabis.

The star is apparently heard saying he "used to smoke five joints a day for 20 years".

The shows released a statement saying the footage, believed to be have been recorded in January 2006, would not be shown.

VOA's Latest Update on Ledger's Autopsy

2008-01-24T17:11:00.001+08:00

Actor Heath Ledger's Initial Autopsy Results 'Inconclusive'
By VOA News 23 January 2008

Body of actor Heath Ledger is removed from Soho apartment by NYC Medical Examiner team, 22 Jan 2008

New York City medical examiners say initial autopsy results of actor Heath Ledger are inconclusive and that more tests are needed to determine the cause of his death.

The Academy-Award-nominated actor was found unconscious Tuesday in a Manhattan residence with bottles of sleeping pills nearby. He was 28-years-old.

President Bush postponed an event Wednesday, promoting an advertising campaign on preventing prescription drug abuse. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says the administration does not want anyone to think it is tying the actor's death to the issue.

The Australian-born Ledger was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 2005 movie Brokeback Mountain.

He will appear later this year in the newest Batman movie, The Dark Knight, in the role of "the Joker."

Ledger has a two-year-old daughter, Matilda, from his relationship with actress Michelle Williams, who played his wife in Brokeback Mountain. The couple broke up last September.

My Tribute To Heath Ledger

2008-01-23T17:26:00.001+08:00

It was a 8.44am when the news of Heath Ledger's death came on The Star's SMS News Alert Service.

I was up unusually and doing my radio review assignment for my column Air Raves.

Since it was also Thaipusam Day, my mood was spoilt somewhat.

I first ever heard of Ledger was after his lead role in the controversial gay movie Brokeback Mountain.

When I actually saw the movie, it wasn't about sleazy sex as one might have imagined. Rather it was about an incredible struggle of two people trying to have a relationship that was frowned upon by society.

They tried their best to live out the roles that society had dictated to them but in some uncanny way, kept coming back to each other like a magnet as far as having a relationship was concerned.

As a disabled person who constantly faces discrimination almost everyday of my life, I find it extremely difficult not to be sympathetic to others who also face discrimination through other means.

Not to be empathetic would be totally hypocritical on my part.

The death of Ledger at a young age of 28 is most tragic. At the time of writing this, the cause of his death is still not known. The authorities suspect either an overdose of drugs or suicide.

If suicide was a factor, then it is truly a pity as this budding actor truly had so much going for him.

To me, I think Ledger's greatest contribution was in his support for those against homophobia.

I don't think he was gay himself. But I think people will remember him most for his support for gay people and their struggles.

It must have taken him a hell of a courage to accept the role in Brokeback Mountain. Another hero and obviously a good man is gone.

May his spirit continue to live forever and his soul rest in eternal peace.

aNt

BBC ONLINE: Heath Ledger found dead in his flat

2008-01-23T16:39:00.000+08:00

Last Updated: Wednesday, 23 January 2008, 02:47 GMT

Heath Ledger is found dead in US

Ledger's life in film

Hollywood actor Heath Ledger has been found dead at his home in Manhattan.

"He was found unconscious at the apartment and pronounced dead," the New York Police Department said, adding that pills were found near the body.

Police are reportedly investigating if the Australian actor - nominated for an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain - died of an overdose of prescription pills.

Father Kim Ledger said that the death of his 28-year-old "dearly loved son" had been "tragic" and "accidental".

Speaking in the actor's home town of Perth, in Western Australia, Mr Ledger said that his son had been a "down to earth, generous, kind hearted, life-loving, unselfish individual".

"Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life that few had the pleasure of truly knowing him."

The actor was found dead in the apartment he had been renting for several months at 1526 (2026 GMT) on Tuesday.

Split

New York police said they did not suspect foul play and that his body had been discovered with prescription pills nearby.

"We are investigating the possibility of an overdose," police spokesman Paul Browne told Reuters news agency. "There were pills within the vicinity of the bed."

He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss

Mel Gibson

Obituary: Heath Ledger

The BBC's Matthew Price in New York says the exact cause of death was still being investigated, but suicide has not been ruled out.

Police, journalists and crowds of fans gathered outside the Broome Street apartment in the fashionable SoHo area.

Investigators said Ledger had been due to have a massage at the flat.

His family said Heath was "generous" and "life-loving"

The housekeeper went to tell him the masseuse had arrived and found him dead on Tuesday afternoon.

The medical examiner's office said an autopsy would be carried out on Wednesday.

In September the Perth-born actor split from his girlfriend Michelle Williams, with whom he has a two-year-old daughter, Matilda.

Williams played his wife in the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain.

Hollywood mourning

Hollywood stars were quick to offer their tributes and mourn Ledger's death.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Terrible to see his young daughter lose her father. I've been looking forward to seeing him in the new Batman movie

Mark, Houston

Send us your comments

"I had such great hope for him," said Oscar-winning actor-director Mel Gibson. "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss."

In 2001, Mr Gibson had cast Ledger to play his son in the American war of independence epic, The Patriot.

"What a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to his family," said fellow Australian actress Nicole Kidman.

American actor John Travolta, who was in Australia at the time of Ledger's death, said the young actor had been one of his favourite performers.

"His abilities are rare...it's a tremendous loss," said Mr Travolta.

Brokeback breakthrough

Ledger had split up with fellow Brokeback star Michelle Williams

Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee said Ledger's performance had been a "miracle" of acting, echoing a young Marlon Brando.

He won an Oscar nomination for his role as a gay cowboy in the film but the award went to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his role as Truman Capote.

Ledger starred in I'm Not There, as one of several actors in a role representing singer Bob Dylan.

He also plays the Joker in yet-to-be-released Batman film, The Dark Knight.

Ledger also starred in A Knight's Tale and The Patriot, and played a suicidal son in Monster's Ball.

BBC Online on Bhutto's Successor

2007-12-31T01:19:00.000+08:00

Bhutto's son named as successor

Bilawal says his father will run the party while he is away

Benazir Bhutto's 19-year-old son Bilawal has been chosen to take over her Pakistan People's Party, after her assassination on Thursday.

He will become president in a ceremonial capacity while he finishes his studies at Oxford University.

Bilawal told journalists at the Bhutto family home: "My mother always said democracy is the best revenge".

Ms Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, who will run the party day-to-day, said it would contest January elections.

And he appealed to the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif - a long-time Bhutto rival - to drop his threat to boycott the polls.

Name change

Mr Zardari and his son were speaking at a news conference after a meeting of the PPP leadership in Naudero, near Larkana in southern Pakistan.

PPP TOP LEADERS

Asif Ali Zardari (pictured) Benazir's widower and former political ally, has faced corruption and other charges

Bilawal Bhutto Benazir's son, a 19-year-old Oxford University student, considered too young by some PPP members

Makhdoom Amin Fahim Senior PPP figure and top aide to Benazir

Profile: Bilawal Bhutto

Mourners blame Musharraf

Search for stability continues

Another senior party official, vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim, said Ms Bhutto had named Mr Zardari as her successor as party chairman.

But he said Mr Zardari had turned it down in favour of his son - a decision he said the party leadership had endorsed.

Mr Zardari also announced that the couple's children would now change their names and be called Bhutto Zardari.

Sitting between his father and Mr Fahim, Bilawal himself said his father would run the party while he was away at university.

"When I return, I promise to lead the party as my mother wanted me to," he said.

But Mr Zardari blocked any further reporters' questions to Bilawal, saying that although party chairman, he was still of "tender age".

"We are all in mourning," he said.

Mr Zardari also said he had refused to allow an autopsy on Ms Bhutto's body.

"I've lived here long enough to know how and where an autopsy would have been conducted," he said.

Instead, he said the party was asking the United Nations and the British government to conduct an investigation similar to the one carried out after the killing of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

And he appealed for an end to the unrest in Pakistan, which has killed at least 38 people since Ms Bhutto's killing.

New pictures

Earlier, Pakistani television released new pictures it said showed Ms Bhutto's attackers - a gunman and a suicide bomber. They also apparently showed Ms Bhutto was inside her car, and no longer standing through the sun roof, when the explosion happened.

Pakistani media picked out two suspected attackers, one of which apparently raised a gun (bottom)

The images added to the dispute over Ms Bhutto's death.

Interior ministry spokesman Brig Javed Iqbal Cheema said on Friday that she was killed when the force of the bomb blast knocked her head against a sun roof fitting, and was not hit by bullets.

The PPP has insisted she was killed by two bullets, one of which pierced her skull and another which hit her in the neck.

The assassination opened the question of whether elections due on 8 January would go ahead as planned.

The ruling party says they are likely to be delayed for several weeks, on the grounds that the vote would "lose credibility" if held under current conditions.

Opposition parties have been calling for a delay, amid widespread unrest and political disarray following the murder of Ms Bhutto.

Tariq Azim of the ruling PML-Q party said a delay would allow the PPP more time to re-organise.

Pakistan's election commission has called an emergency meeting for Monday, to decide whether the poll should be delayed.

But the PPP says it wants the elections to go ahead as planned - even though it is not clear who would be its leading candidates.

At 19, Bilawal is legally too young to stand for parliament.

And his father has been repeatedly accused of corruption - though he denies the charges and has never been convicted in court.

Mr Zardari said party vice-chairman Mr Fahim would probably be its candidate for prime minister.

But the BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones - reporting from Naudero - says filling the political gap left by Benazir Bhutto will be a very big challenge for her party.

Latest From BBC Online on Bhutto's Funeral

2007-12-28T23:53:00.001+08:00

Bhutto buried amid mass mourning

Mourners at the funeral in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh

Enlarge Image

Tens of thousands of people have attended the funeral of assassinated Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto.

Mourners converged on the family mausoleum where she was buried next to her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto near their home village in Sindh province.

The coffin, draped in the flag of Ms Bhutto's party, was driven in a white ambulance through the dense crowds.

Pakistan's interior ministry has said it has evidence al-Qaeda and the Taleban were behind the assassination.

Officials were speaking after a reported claim of responsibility by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Ms Bhutto, a former Pakistani prime minister, was shot at an election rally in Rawalpindi on Thursday by a gunman who then blew himself up.

Pakistani security forces are on high alert, with at least 19 people killed in protests by Bhutto supporters across the country since the assassination.

Slogans and tears

Ms Bhutto's plain wooden coffin was taken from the family home to the burial site 7km (four miles) away at the village of Garhi Khuda Bakhsh.

Search for stability continues

Shock in home province

Press mourns Bhutto

Amid weeping and beating of heads and chests, mourners jostled to see the coffin, which was accompanied by Ms Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari and her three children.

Her father, also a former national leader, was hanged in 1979 by an earlier Pakistani military government.

Outside the triple-domed mausoleum, crowds chanted slogans blaming President Pervez Musharraf for Ms Bhutto's death.

The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones, who is in the district of Larkana, says the mood among local people is one of anger and confusion.

Rioting and unrest has been reported across the country.

At least one passenger train was set ablaze in Sindh Province and a number of railway stations were reportedly burnt as security forces in the province were ordered to shoot rioters on sight

Several people died in Karachi as government offices, police stations and vehicles were torched by rioters and police opened fire on protesters in Hyderabad

The office of a pro-government party was ransacked and set ablaze in Peshawar

In the city of Multan in Punjab province, a mob ransacked seven banks and torched a petrol station

Other cities across Pakistan are at a virtual standstill.

Schools, businesses and transport are all closed, and people are reluctant to step out during the three days of national mourning declared by Mr Musharraf.

Musharraf under pressure

Plans for a general election on 8 January, for which Ms Bhutto had been campaigning when she was killed, remain unchanged, the government says.

Security forces have been out in strength in Sindh province

The election is meant to pave the way for a return to democratic rule, suspended in October 1999 when the then Gen Musharraf seized power through a coup.

Mohammedmian Soomro, the caretaker prime minister, said the government would consult other political parties on the election issue.

Ms Bhutto's political rival Nawaz Sharif, who was deposed as prime minister in the coup, has announced his party will now boycott the election, saying free elections were impossible under Mr Musharraf.

Another opposition politician, the former cricketer Imran Khan, joined Mr Sharif's call for Mr Musharraf's resignation, blaming the president for failing to provide adequate security for Ms Bhutto.

With all the opposition parties now against the election, it is hard to see how they will be a true test of the democratic process, the BBC's Karishma Vaswani reports.

'Hit list'

Ms Bhutto, 54, was leaving the election rally in Rawalpindi, standing in the open sunroof of a car, when the gunman shot her in the neck and chest.

BENAZIR BHUTTO

Father led Pakistan before being executed in 1979

Spent five years in prison

Served as PM from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996

Sacked twice by president on corruption charges

Formed alliance with rival ex-PM Nawaz Sharif in 2006

Ended self-imposed exile by returning to Pakistan in October

Educated at Harvard and Oxford

Obituary: Benazir Bhutto

Life in pictures

Seconds later, the attacker blew himself up, killing at least 20 other people.

Ms Bhutto returned from eight years of self-imposed exile in October, following an amnesty agreed with President Musharraf.

Shortly after her return, she survived a double bomb attack on her convoy in Karachi which killed more than 130 people.

She accused rogue elements of the intelligence services of involvement in the attack.

Pakistan is at the brink of civil war, courtesy of the dictatorship

Dr Rubab Ahmed, London

Have your say

Bhutto in her own words

The al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, claimed responsibility for her assassination, according to the Asia Times newspaper.

Javed Cheema, spokesman for the Pakistani interior ministry, told AFP news agency Ms Bhutto had been on the militant Islamist network's "hit list".

Bhutto Murdered

2007-12-27T23:44:00.000+08:00

A very sad and shocking day indeed today when news of the death of Benazir Bhutto was announced to the world after she died at 9.16pm Malaysian time.

Here is a report from BBC Online that will now go down in history.

I was only inches away from her mother in Vienna in 1993, I think it was now, during 2nd World Conference on Human Rights.

Much too lachrymose to say anything.

aNt

Last Updated: Thursday, 27 December 2007, 15:17 GMT

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version

Benazir Bhutto killed in attack

Benazir Bhutto had been addressing rallies in many parts of Pakistan

Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a presumed suicide attack.

Ms Bhutto had just addressed an election rally in Rawalpindi when gunfire and an explosion occurred.

At least 15 other people are reported killed in the attack and several more were injured.

President Pervez Musharraf and his government called on people to remain calm so that the "nefarious designs of terrorists can be defeated."

Ms Bhutto had twice been the country's prime minister and had been campaigning ahead of elections due in January.

Nawaz Sharif, also a former prime minister and a political rival, told the BBC her death was a tragedy for "the entire nation".

"I can't tell you what the feelings of the people of Pakistan are today," he told BBC News 24 after returning from the hospital where she was brought.

It was the second suicide attack against Benazir Bhutto in recent months and comes amid a wave of bombings targeting security and government officials.

Ms Bhutto's death has plunged her party into confusion and raised questions about whether January elections will go ahead as planned, the BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says.

The PPP has the largest support of any party in the country.

Analysts note that Rawalpindi, the nerve centre of Pakistan's military, is seen as one of the country's most secure cities, making the attack even more embarrassing for the government of Gen Musharraf.

Scene of grief

The explosion occurred close to an entrance gate of the park in Rawalpindi where Ms Bhutto had been speaking.

People were distraught at the scene of the blast

Wasif Ali Khan, a member of the PPP who was at Rawalpindi General Hospital, said she died at 1816 (1316 GMT).

Supporters at the hospital began chanting "Dog, Musharraf, dog", the Associated Press (AP) reports.

Some supporters wept while others exploded in anger, throwing stones at cars and breaking windows.

An interior ministry spokesman, Javed Cheema, was quoted as saying by AFP that she may have been killed by pellets packed into the suicide bomber's vest.

However, AP quoted a PPP security adviser as saying she was shot in the neck and chest as she got into her vehicle, before the gunman blew himself up.

Mr Sharif said there had been a "serious lapse in security" by the government.

Earlier on Thursday, at least four people were killed ahead of an election rally he himself had been preparing to attend close to Rawalpindi.

Return from exile

The killing was condemned by the US, the UK, Russia and France.

BENAZIR BHUTTO

Father led Pakistan before being executed in 1979

Spent five years in prison

Served as PM from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996

Sacked twice by president on corruption charges

Formed alliance with rival ex-PM Nawaz Sharif in 2006

Ended self-imposed exile by returning to Pakistan in October

Educated at Harvard and Oxford

Obituary: Benazir Bhutto

Life in pictures

In pictures: Fatal rally

"The attack shows that there are still those in Pakistan trying to undermine reconciliation and democratic development in Pakistan," a US state department official said.

UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he was "deeply shocked" by Ms Bhutto's death and called for "restraint but also unity".

"Extremist groups... cannot and must not succeed," he added.

Russia called on Pakistan's leaders to ensure stability while France spoke of an "odious" act and said it was deeply concerned.

Ms Bhutto returned from self-imposed exile in October after years out of Pakistan where she had faced corruption charges.

Her return was the result of a power-sharing agreement with President Musharraf in which he granted an amnesty that covered the court cases she was facing.

Since her return relations with Mr Musharraf had broken down.

On the day of her return she led a motor cavalcade through the city of Karachi. It was hit by a double suicide attack that left some 130 dead.

Hey, I'm mentioned! Fancy that?

2007-12-25T04:40:00.000+08:00

Y.B. DATO' SERI SHAHRIZAT ABDUL JALIL
Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat

Ucapan Y.B. Dato' Seri Sharizat binti Abdul Jalil

PERUTUSAN Y.B. DATO’ SERI SHAHRIZAT ABDUL JALIL
MENTERI PEMBANGUNAN WANITA, KELUARGA DAN MASYARAKAT
SEMPENA MAJLIS PENUTUP DIALOG “HOME OFFICE”
DI HOTEL PRINCE, KUALA LUMPUR PADA 18 MEI 2004

Assalammulaikum Warahmatullah Wabarakatuh dan selamat petang.

Terlebih dahulu marilah kita memanjangkan kesyukuran kita kepada
Allah s.w.t. kerana dengan limpah kurniaNya dapat kita hadir ke majlis
penutup Dialog “Home Office” pada petang ini.

Sukacita saya mengambil kesempatan ini untuk merakamkan
berbanyak-banyak terima kasih kepada para penceramah dan
pengerusi sesi Dialog “Home Office” kerana sudi meluangkan
masa bersama-sama kita untuk berkongsi buah fikiran dan
pengalaman masing-masing dan seterusnya membincangkan isu-isu
berkaitan “home office”.

Saya turut merakamkan ucapan terima kasih kepada wakil-wakil
daripada kementerian, jabatan dan agensi kerajaan, badan-badan
bukan kerajaan (NGO) serta institusi pengajian tinggi kerana memberikan
sokongan padu dalam menjayakan dialog ini.

Bekerja dari rumah merupakan cara kerja alternatif yang cuba
diperkenalkan oleh Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan
Masyarakat kepada masyarakat Malaysia, khususnya bagi golongan
wanita, orang kurang upaya dan warga emas.

Penganalisis ekonomi berpendapat bahawa “home office” adalah “trend”
bekerja pada masa hadapan. Di Amerika Syarikat, umpamanya, “home office”
sedang pesat berkembang pada kadar pertumbuhan tahunan kira-kira 10%.
Keinginan untuk mencapai “economic self-sufficiency” telah memberikan
motivasi dan semangat kepada ramai penduduk Amerika Syarikat
bagi memasarkan kemahiran mereka untuk beroleh pendapatan daripada rumah.

Berdasarkan perkembangan semasa ini, semakin ramai orang
di seluruh dunia ingin mengawal kehidupan mereka dengan
memulakan perniagaan dari rumah atau bekerja di rumah.
Konsep “home office” ini boleh menjadi sumber pendapatan
utama untuk seseorang ataupun “part-time venture”
bagi memperolehi pendapatan sampingan bagi keluarga mereka.

Inovasi dan perkembangan pesat dalam bidang teknologi
maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT), terutamanya Internet,
telah memberikan peluang baru kepada orang ramai
untuk bekerja dari rumah. Dari pengalaman negara Barat,
sebahagian besar daripada pengamal konsep “home office”
memulakannya secara sambilan terlebih dahulu. Seterusnya,
perniagaan tersebut berkembang menjadi pekerjaan sepenuh masa
dan sumber pendapatan utama. Itulah sebabnya konsep “home office”
mendapat sambutan yang memberangsangkan daripada suri rumah
tangga, warga emas, golongan kurang upaya, serta individu yang
ingin mencari pendapatan sampingan.

Saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengingatkan kita semua
bahawa pelaksanaan “home office” tidak boleh dipandang ringan. Ini
kerana kejayaan “home office” memerlukan kemahiran dalam penghasilan
sesuatu produk atau perkhidmatan serta pemasarannya secara berkesan.
Selain itu, ianya memerlukan kecekapan dalam bidang pengurusan
dan sikap positif seseorang individu. Terdapat banyak cabaran yang
perlu kita hadapi sebelum memperoleh kejayaan yang diharapkan.
Sehubungan itu, kita perlu merancang dengan teliti sebelum menceburkan
diri dalam “home office”. Tanpa perancangan yang rapi, kita mungkin akan
kerugian masa yang berharga selain daripada wang ringgit.

Di Malaysia, konsep “home office” telah mula dipraktikkan oleh masyarakat
tempatan, tetapi belum secara meluas. Penggunaan ICT telah
membolehkan seseorang individu bekerja dari rumah. Salah satu
contoh kejayaan pelaksanaan konsep “home office” ialah program
eHomemakers.net. Ia adalah sebuah komuniti siber bagi suri rumah
dan pekerja di rumah yang memilih tugas menjadi ibu bapa sebagai
tanggungjawab utama dan sebagai gaya hidup alternatif. Selain itu,
eHomemakers.net turut menggalakkan dan membimbing ahli-ahlinya
untuk bekerja dari rumah dengan menyediakan maklumat mengenai
cara membuat keputusan, cara memulakan dan mengekalkan usaha
penjanaan pendapatan dari rumah, serta menyediakan pelantar siber
bagi kegiatan peribadi secara berdikari, di mana ahli-ahli saling
tolong-menolong melalui rangkaian perniagaan, penyelesaian masalah
secara kreatif dan perkongsian idea.

Satu lagi contoh yang baik mengenai kejayaan “home office”
di Malaysia ialah seorang penulis bagi ruangan Wheel Power
dalam akhbar The Star. Penulis yang saya maksudkan itu ialah
Encik Anthony Thanasayan. Walaupun beliau tergolong dalam
kategori orang kurang upaya, tetapi beliau telah menjadi penulis
ruangan khas The Star semenjak lapan tahun yang lepas. Apa
yang menarik ialah beliau tidak pernah menjejakkan kaki ke pejabat
urusan The Star tetapi mampu memberi sumbangan artikelnya
secara berterusan kepada akhbar tersebut. Encik Anthony telah
menggunakan ICT dengan sepenuhnya untuk bekerja di rumah bagi mencari nafkah.

Sekiranya kita mengupas konsep “home office” dengan terperinci,
kita akan mengetahui bahawa elemen utamanya ialah
“tanpa meninggalkan rumah”. Elemen ini amat penting bagi
wanita yang mempunyai anak kecil kerana kecenderungan
wanita-wanita ini untuk berada dekat dengan anak-anak mereka.
Wanita-wanita ini yakin bahawa mereka adalah penjaga yang
terbaik untuk anak-anak mereka berbanding dengan pengasuh atau
pembantu rumah.

Para ibu ini tidak boleh disalahkan kerana ada kajian yang
menunjukkan bahawa enam tahun pertama adalah amat kritikal
untuk kanak-kanak kerana mereka memerlukan penjagaan
yang terbaik. Jadi, daripada meletakkan anak-anak kita di bawah
jagaan orang-orang yang tidak tentu latar belakangnya, adalah lebih
baik kita menjaga anak kita sendiri. Wanita-wanita yang berpegang
kepada prinsip ini sanggup berhenti kerja dari mempertaruhkan
masa depan anak-anak mereka di tangan orang lain. Kadangkala,
yang berhenti itu adalah wanita-wanita yang amat berkelayakan dan
berpotensi. Jika perkara ini dibiarkan, maka negara akan kerugian
dari segi sumber tenaga yang boleh membangunkan negara.
Sehubungan itu, “home office” bukan sahaja memberi peluang
kepada wanita untuk bekerja di rumah dan memperolehi pendapatan,
tetapi juga memberi peluang kepada wanita untuk bersama-sama
memberi sumbangan ke arah pembangunan negara.

Konsep bekerja ““home office” dapat memberikan kesan positif
kepada seseorang kerana peningkatan produktiviti melalui pengurangan
masa yang terbazir dalam perjalanan pergi dan balik ke pejabat
disebabkan kesesakan lalu lintas. Pada masa yang sama,
kesesakan jalan raya yang dihadapi terutamanya di bandar raya
utama di negara ini seperti Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Pinang dan Johor Bahru
dapat diatasi. Ini turut membantu mengurangkan pencemaran
udara di persekitaran kita.

Saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada semua pihak
yang telah memberikan cadangan dan pandangan yang bernas
bagi menjayakan Dialog “Home Office” pada hari ini. Kementerian
saya akan meneliti semua cadangan dan saranan
yang diberikan sebelum mengemukakannya kepada pihak kerajaan
supaya konsep bekerja dari rumah atau “home office” dapat
dikembangkan di Malaysia, dan dalam masa yang sama dapat
mewujudkan masyarakat yang mesra keluarga.

Saya yakin rumusan dan syor yang diberikan dapat membantu
kerajaan dalam usaha merangka program-program yang berkesan
ke arah mewujudkan kaedah kerja alternatif kepada rakyat Malaysia.
Pihak kerajaan akan cuba menyediakan persekitaran dan mekanisme
sokongan yang sesuai bagi membolehkan masyarakat Malaysia,
khususnya wanita, golongan kurang upaya dan warga emas,
menggunakan sepenuhnya potensi mereka di dalam dunia perniagaan
dan “home office”.

Akhir kata, dengan lafaz Bismillah Hirrahma Nirrahim, saya
menutup dengan rasminya Dialog “Home Office” anjuran Kementerian
Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat.

Sekian, terima kasih.

DATO’ SERI SHAHRIZAT ABDUL JALIL

Back To My Nest

2007-12-23T18:23:00.000+08:00

HEY I'M BACK! Not quite sure for how long though. As you might have imagined, I've been struggling to find time keeping my other Blogs updated.

Namely, PETPOSITIVE, Air Raves Malaysia and Wheel Power Malaysia. Feedback received from blog readers tell me that I've managed pretty well with PET+, so no worries there.

Yesterday, I was forced to create a new Air Raves Malaysia Blog. This was because as an amateur blogger, I made a mess of the Blog's formatting which I disliked. And since I don't know how to get it back to normal, I decided to create a new one which starts with last week's article.

So now, those interested to read articles from December 9, 2007 and before, they will have to click on the now old Air Raves to read them. For those interested in December 16 and in future, you have to click to the all new Air Raves Malaysia which I hope to improve over the next few weeks.

The same applies for aN aNt's liFe too. I hope to keep this Blog as often as I can - even if it means talking about my often crazy life.

As for Wheel Power, I decided to add "Malaysia" in it. This is because there are many readers overseas.

As an added feature, I will be, from time to time, including my original Wheel Power articles in this Blog.

The reason for this is because sometimes my articles are edited so much that not everything I want to say - in the way I want to say it - comes out in my published articles. This, I'm told by my dear editors is because of the lack of space rather than anything else.

So look out for them.

With that, this is aNt, signing off for now.

Demonstrations in Dataran Merdeka

2007-11-11T00:36:00.000+08:00

MY DAY yesterday was pretty much spent trying to follow the latest developments in Dataran Merdeka where some 30,000 people demonstrated for free and fair elections when it takes place in our country soon.

It was also a dark day for me when I learnt that our police had fired water cannons at the protesters who, according to Al Jazeera, were very peaceful all the while.

Here is a BBC Online report of what transpired in Kuala Lumpur:

Last Updated: Saturday, 10 November 2007, 16:12 GMT
Malaysia police break up protest
By Robin Brant BBC News, Kuala Lumpur

There was a heavy police presence in central Kuala LumpurMalaysian police have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of protesters who were marching in Kuala Lumpur to demand electoral reform.

The event was organised by a group called Bersih which is made up of opposition parties and dozens of non-governmental organisations.

The marchers were prevented from entering central Merdeka Square because police said they did not have a permit. Police estimated the crowd at between 10-30,000 people.

Rising tension

Heavy rains could not stop the marchers as they made their way along the roads on the side of Merdeka Square. Many of them were in the yellow shirts which organisers had asked them to wear.

Tension has been high in Malaysia ahead of the marchThey were calling for changes to the electoral process in Malaysia to prevent fraud. One demand is to use indelible ink to show who has voted.

Tension had been rising over the past few days with the prospect of violent confrontation at the march. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said on Friday that he expected trouble, despite the police ban.

But participants told the BBC they had the democratic right to express their demands.
"We don't have to wait until election day, that's five years or more," one demonstrator told the BBC.

There was a heavy police presence and rally organisers said 20 people were arrested.
Although no one made it into the central square, a small group did march to the national palace, home of Malaysia's king, to present a memorandum detailing their concerns.

SEE ALSO
Anwar shakes up Malaysia politics 01 May 07 Asia-Pacific
Malaysia cracks down on bloggers 25 Jul 07 Asia-Pacific
Ruling party wins Malaysia vote 28 Apr 07 Asia-Pacific
Country profile: Malaysia 04 Sep 07 Country profiles

Happy Deepavali from aNt

2007-11-07T14:08:00.000+08:00

HAPPY DEEPAVALI EVERYBODY!

I haven't got much planned to do tonight and tomorrow. I'll be at home with my lovely dogs.

aNt :)

Giant Step for Malaysia

2007-10-14T01:49:00.000+08:00

IT'S the wee hours of morning on the second day of Aidilfitri today. The night is so unusually quiet (probably because of the rain all day yesterday) that I couldn't resist taking advantage of the stillness and serenity of the morning to stop and pen down some of my personal thoughts.

Since most of my friends and bloggers have been talking about our latest Malaysian hero Dr Sheik Muzzaphar Shukor, I thought I'd type some of my feelings about this whole angkasawan (astronaut) thingy that seems to have taken our country by storm recently.

Last Wednesday, October 10, saw me rushing home from an afternoon appointment too, so that I can catch the live transmission of the Soyuz spaceship historic first launch of a Malaysian into space.

I have to confess that I watched the event only because a Malaysian was going to be in it.

Come to think about it, I wouldn't have bothered if it was merely a Russian or an American being catapulted off into space.

Well, I might have. However, certainly not rushing through traffic earlier to definitely make it a date with my TV.

The second reason (nope, come-to-think-about-it-now, the first, actually) is because it is part of my job helming my second column in The Star on Sundays called Air Raves.

I was curious to see how our radio stations were going to handle a scientific event such as this for the first time. Also the fact that it is so close to our hearts because a Malaysian was involved.

Well, the radio thingy turned out to be a huge letdown for those of you who can't wait for Sunday next week to find out in my column.

But that is as far as I will go. I can't say anymore. You will just have to catch a copy of Starmag to find out guys. Sorry!

But I can comment something about how our TV stations covered it.

I thought that Astro's Channel 588 which is carrying the space travel and mission features even now until Dr Sheik touches down on earth on Sunday, October 21 apparently at 11pm Malaysian time.

The strong feedback sound that was heard when our VVIPs spoke to each other from Kazakhstan and the KLCC Centre was bad and unprofessional.

You don't see such things happening in overseas events help by other broadcasters.

So Astro must surely take the brickbats here.

My other point is that it was a pity that the show wasn't interactive with viewers. That would've made it more interesting.

I hope that the VVIPs don't take this too hard but they can be really boring when they are on for too long. It would've been better if Astro had a good anchor to talk to viewers at home and include them in on the act.

Mahadhir Lokman was good but he appeared nervous at times. I don't blame him. He seemed to have a greater task than Dr Sheik for that moment it seemed trying to coordinate things from Kazakhstan and Malaysia.

And not to forget, having the Prime Minister sitting next to you!

And now, and very quickly, back to Dr Sheik.

First of all, did you know that he's 35 years old, an orthopaedic surgeon and a part-time model?

The latter explains his raw good looks. I'm really happy for the good doctor and that Malaysia has found a good role model for space in the country.

I can just picture him walking into classrooms and our kids beaming with joy. Pop stars, yes, world beauties, done that before, but now our very own angkasawan!

However, I must admit that I'm not too sure about the millions of taxpayers money that it cost to put him in space though. And certainly, not too enthusiastic about sending a second wannabe Malaysian cosmonaut in his footsteps.

Many of my disabled chums are not so interested with the exploits of Dr Sheik and the ISS space station. I really don't blame their lack of concern.

I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out why.

Malaysians with disabilities are still left to struggle with basic issues such as employment, education, healthcare and leading a high quality of life.

Most of the time, it isn't our handicaps which cripple us but it's society's lack of providing faclities to enhance our way of living that keeps us down in the doldrums of life.

For many of us, we don't want to be angkasawans. Just to be able to hold simple jobs, be able to go out like others to the local cinema or store, etc, is good enough.

Perhaps one can even call it "righteous jealousy", if you like.

Well, let's at least hope for this. That when Dr Sheik returns, he will be much more dedicated about helping his patients than he ever was.

And in particularly, using his newfound stardom and influence to make things right for many of his orthopaedic patients.

That can include finding finances for the poor who can't afford treatment to advocating for disabled people for their disabled rights.

In the meantime, let's all wish the good doctor all the best as he stays in the Russian space-station for now. Then again, he probably is on his way back now as I write this.

Let's not forget that it took a lot of guts to get out there too.

Well done Dr Sheik. We're proud of you!

aNthoNy thaNasayaN

Haven't been writing a while

2007-10-09T23:31:00.000+08:00

HI everybody. I just realised that I hadn't written anything in this blog in a while since I last wrote about the passing away of a good friend of mine - and the disabled's - Datuk Dr Sam Abraham.

Well, after that shot of really bad news I've been trying very hard to keep my spirits up. At about the time of Sam's passing, I also came across some disturbing news about another elderly friend being admitted in hospital over an illness.

This time it was Rev Peter Young, whom I know for many years. But what a joy it was to hear that he came out of the hospital two days ago - even though he has a few follow up tests to do.

I visited my good friend Gopal, 74, and his dog recently in Shah Alam. Their visitor wasn't only me but also my three other darling service dogs, plus a Shetland sheepdog, my best buddy's pet.

I'm not going to tell you what happened at Gopal's because it will all be coming out in Wheel Power in a couple of weeks time, I imagine.

I've been busy taking care of my wounds. I'm pleased to say that from four sores, I now have only one of them which Andrew is dressing daily for me.

Tomorrow will be a busy day for me. I have a Petpositive meeting to attend to in the afternoon and in the evening, it's going to be by my TV set and radio watching and listening the historic moment when our first Malaysian blasts off in space.

I hope to have something special for my readers of Air Raves to read on Sunday week. By the way, there is no Star newspaper this Sunday, which should be the second day of Aidilfitri.

So for those looking out for Starmag, please note.

Righto, I've got to go. Catch up with you all again soon.

aNt

So long Sam: Passing away of a much-loved paediatrician

2007-10-03T00:17:00.000+08:00

Sam at Petpositive's Launch in July (c) Oct 07

UPDATED @ 7.20pm on Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Always helping and trying to make a difference

I was saddened by the news yesterday afternoon of the passing away of a giant. Well-known national paediatrician Datuk Dr Sam Abraham, 78, who was in a coma breathed his last on Tuesday, October 2, 2007.

It was TraxxFM's broadcaster Pei Lee who first broke the news to me in an SMS message.

She wrote: "Dr Sam has passed away :( "

Her message came in at 6.46pm.

It was also she who told me a couple of days ago that Sam was in a critical state in the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

I later discovered from another friend that Sam had been in the cancer ward for more than a week, at least, after he was diagnosed with leukemia.

All this was naturally, too shocking for me.

It certainly must've been incredulous to all of Sam's friends too.

Run down
I last saw the good doctor three months ago at Petpositive's Charity Dinner and launching night at the Legend Hotel in KL on July 2007. (See picture above)

I recall noticing that Sam did look a little run down physically. But that was not the right place to ask him about it.

Sam had been helping me during the final days to help sell some of our tables. He managed to sell at least one table worth RM3000 and bought at least six RM300 tickets.

Five of them were sponsored by him to learning disabled persons and their helpers whilst the last one was for himself.

On the night of the dinner, he didn't just attend. He was spotted in various places trying to help out.

That's just the kind of man that he was - always helping around and trying to make a difference.

He also decided to invite himself into our VIP room - something I'm glad he did because he personally knew more than half of our guests than we did!

This turned out to be a huge blessing for all of us when it came to entertaining them.

Bigger VIP
It was clear that we had an even bigger VIP in our room!

I was told by one of our committee members that Sam had remarked that he was surprised at the key people who were present at our dinner do.

He quipped that a number of the big-shots were his personal friends and that he was really impressed to know that I "certainly had very good connnections."

Other than briefly chatting with Sam during the dinner, I never got to speak to him again. Not that I never tried.

I called him once or twice but either got his voice message on his mobile or he never answered his phone.

"Sam will do"
I first met Sam in the Selangor Cheshire Home in Selayang Baru during the early 1980s. He and I were doing voluntary work with the residents there.

I was teaching music and swimming lessons for the disabled community there whilst he was a regular doctor who provided free medical service for them.

Anyone who knows Sam Abraham knows what an incredibly humble man he is. He never wanted me to call him doctor "but just Sam will do" was what he told me almost 30 years ago.

That strictly has been his policy up until yesterday - even when he got his Datukship later. I don't recall exactly when.

During my stint at the Cheshire Home, I organised a unique Xmas carolling group of disabled and non disabled persons. One of our stopovers was at Sam's house in Damansara on a couple of Christmasses.

At each party, he was always the star of the evening. He made everyone feel welcomed and good about themselves.

But we parted ways when I stopped volunteering with the disabled home.

I got in touch with Sam again in 1989. I was looking for funds to go for an exposure trip to the United States. Sam, through his influence had helped me get a great discount from Malaysian Airlines.

I forget how much it was exactly now but it was something like RM500 for a round trip to Los Angeles and back.

Believer in inherent abilities of others
He and his wife Dulcie also made a visit to my house with their contribution to my trip. I was very touched by their kind gesture.

I was practically a nobody then. No columns in the newspaper, no society president head. This makes what he did for me then more meaningful.

He was obviously a believer in everyone's inherent abilities. He made good things happen.

My next encounter with Sam was to get his help to see a stomach specialist regarding my physical health. Through his intervention, I was able to get to see a top specialist in a private hospital free of charge.

I had told Sam earlier that I wouldn't be able to pay for the specialist's fees. He simply smiled and said: "Don't worry about it."

Sam and I got together again with his work as one of the Directors of Dignity and Services, an organisation that advocates for people with learning disabilities.

Added blessing
Sam and I used to share a lot of ideas and views together on how disabled people were treated - or rather - mistreated, at times, in our country.

More recently, he was thrilled when I got Petpositive formed. And looking back now, I am glad that he turned up on our big launching night and watched us in all our glory.

His presence was an added blessing to our proud occasion.

I recall picking him out from the floor when I was on stage with my speech. He was beaming from ear to ear.

That mental picture spoke volumes: he was in full support of everything I did. And that meant a lot.

By the way, Sam was also our invited guest when Bivai Special Dogs was formed in 2001. That launching was held at the home of the late Mr HRM Storey (the former political secretary of General Templer) in Jalan Gurney in KL.

My good friend Marina Mahathir was our honoured VIP to launch that auspicioius event.

Incidentally, Sam - known to Marina as Uncle Sam - was also her daughter's paediatrician, she told me last night.

We were SMSing each other only a few hours ago, chatting sadly about the loss of our dear Sam.

I forgot to mention that I have a photograph hidden somewhere of Sam pushing my wheelchair in St Mary's Cathedral a few years ago. The event was when Anglican head Archbishop Dr George Carey had paid a visit to Malaysia.

When I find it, I'll scan it and put it up here in this very blog.

Farewells
I hear that a wake is being held at St Mary's Cathedral tonight at 7.30pm for the much-loved paediatrician.

I regret that I'm unable to attend the occasion because of my poor health.

Sam's funeral is scheduled for noon tomorrow, Thursday, October 4, also at St Mary's.

St Mary's Cathedral is Sam's church where he once very proudly introduced me to their wheelchair-friendly toilets and their parking slots for drivers with disabilities.

St Mary also has an active blind community worshipping within its walls each week. Many of these members, I understand, are specially invited each Christmas to the home of the Abrahams.

Phone pal
Sam was my regular phone pal. He'd call me every once in a while to keep in touch or to say what a great article he thought I had written.

Once he suddenly even popped by at my house unannounced. It was a delightful surprise. He said that he had been trying me but couldn't get me for a while and so decided to drop by to see if I was okay.

Now, how many friends care to do that these days?

I will miss you my friend. So long Sam - till we meet again.

aNthoNy thaNasayaN

Sign off: 3.30am

Mess in my room whilst world in turmoil

2007-09-26T19:48:00.000+08:00

WOW! I can hardly believe it. After weeks (no, who am I kidding?) - after MONTHS of neglect, I finally got a cleaner guy to come over this afternoon to get some cleaning done in my room.

After three straight hours of non-stop work with a witch's broom and stick and one of those thingamajig that scoops up the unwanted dust and rubbish bits when you sweep them into it, the job's finally done.

The good news: there wasn't any of those creepy crawlies that I had imagined that had been delightfully squatting in those rubbish piles of paper that I've been meaning to get rid for weeks (er, I mean, months!).

The bad news: No matter how positive I sound, today was only phase one or my rather large room for one person, actually. The cleaner guy has promised to drop by next week to do the second half of my room.

By the by (a favourite expression my dearly departed grandfather used to use and which I use now also), whilst cleaning my room, I couldn't help paying attention to the uprising that was taking place in Burma this afternoon.

In all that dust and dirt, I managed to switch channels from BBC World to CNN just to try and get the latest on what was happening there.

By the time Mr Cleaner and I were through with our Phase One project, the sad and shocking news broke out that the military junta had beaten up and abducted scores of monks.

I can't imagine living in a country under martial law. (Picture from BBC Online)

Needless to say, things like these really make you appreciate living in Malaysia where I certainly hope that I will never see such a thing happening in a beautiful country like ours.

Speaking of Malaysia, I was disappointed that the protest march by more than 1000 lawyers at Putrajaya asking for a royal inquiry (gosh, is that with an "I" or "E" now?) got very little mention on our electronic media.

The Star followed it diligently though via its SMS News Alert service.

TV3 carried a brief report of it at 1.30pm. Bernama's Radio24 hardly mentioned it at the times I listened until I got fed up tuning in.

Anyway, on another and final note, I was pleased to hear that my good friend Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir's dad is finally off the ventilator today. According to her blog, the doctors at IJN removed it at 2.30pm today.

And as I write this, her dad should be having some ice-cream right about now.

Poor Marina and her family. It must be indeed very stressful for all of them at this time, having their loved one go through two operations in such a short space of time.

I decided to check on her blog instead of SMSing her because I don't want her to bother replying all her SMSes. I know how tedious that can become. So I figured that the best thing that I can do is to check her blog every now and then to see how Dr M is faring.

For those of you interested to do the same, Marina's blogspot is as follows:

http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/

aNt signing off at: 8.28pm.

aN aNt's liFe

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