BUDGET 2002, currently being debated in Parliament, focuses on Government-led stimulus packages to counter the effects of the global economic slowdown. A sum of RM33.5 billion in gross development expenditure has been earmarked for next year, up 4.6 per cent from 2001’s RM32.1 billion. The latter includes the RM4.3 billion fiscal stimuli and the earlier…
IN contemporary discussion, biotechnology is most closely associated with gene technology. This includes the use or modification of genetic materials in developing products for virtually any application in the food, agricultural, pharmaceutical and medical industries. These applications imply some form of genetic engineering, or movement of genes from one organism to another (often in a…
UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia recently announced a research initiative to study issues pertaining to philanthropy in Malaysia. For a long time, one of the most important forms of philanthropic activity in this country has been through the creation or founding of waqf. The Arabic word waqf literally means to stop. When it relates to a property,…
OBSERVERS agree that the Global 2001 ‘International Smart Partnership Dialogue’ in Uganda came to a close on a positive note. A few projects were launched to coincide with the occasion. It is good to see that this Malaysian-initiated dialogue is still going strong, with the participation of some interesting personalities of the developing nations. Ugandan…
ISLAM was given its special position in the Constitution because at the time of independence, the Malays who are the native people, were in the majority. No doubt that the provision in the Constitution plays a vital role in making Malaya, and later Malaysia, a peaceful and stable multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. The strategy of…
THE signing of guidelines to stop hostilities in Mindanao between the Philippine Government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and unity agreement between the latter and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) are indications that true Muslims are neither promoters nor propagators of violence. The agreement “to ease the war of bullets and of words,…
SEVERAL issues on the pharmaceutical industry were in the news earlier this week. One was the report by the US-based consumer group Public Citizen that the industry was overstating the cost of developing new drugs. Since a 1994 study by Tufts University, US$500 million (RM1.9 billion) is thought to be the average amount spent by…
IN the last two weeks, we have been inundated with reports of criminal breach of trust or CBT involving employees of the public service; a deputy public prosecutor with the Anti-Corruption Agency convicted of accepting bribe, several members of staff of the Home Ministry falsifying travel documents and permits of foreign workers, a soldier using…
CHILDBIRTH may be a joyful event from an onlooker’s point of view. But to a woman who has to go through it, the experience may be traumatic. Immediately after giving birth, the hormones, electrolytes and fluids in her body go haywire. She begins to experience mood swings and emotional instability. As if she does not…
WHILE addressing a conference on the impact of globalisation on the Islamic community earlier this week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad reminded Muslims that they could not afford to ignore the prevalent information and communications technology revolution. The Islamic world clearly lost out in the industrial revolution that took place a couple of…
