from: Ravinder Singh, via email
What has become of our institutions of higher learning? A couple of years ago a university in the East Coast proudly claimed that it had invented an anti-hysteria kit to tackle the frequent mass hysteria attacks that often happen in schools and factories.
But when hundreds of children in several schools went hysterical in the East Coast some months back, forcing the schools to be closed for days, these kits were nowhere to be seen. Wasn’t this a golden opportunity (God given?), to put the kit to practical test and show the world that the invention or discovery was as important as Archimedes’ discovery?
Now, on the Pearl of the East, we have USM which was a university of good standing, collaborating with a commercial enterprise to promote “miracle water” which, it is claimed, has been proven to treat over 150 medical conditions or “Terbukti merawati 150 penyakit, antaranya…..” according to a news report.
Among the medical problems listed are Diabetes (kencing manis), Tekanan darah tinggi, Keletihan kronik, Tumor/kanser, Gout & arthritis.
As has become Malaysian authorities’ culture, when criticised for what it did, USM had the audacity to advise “all parties concerned to make sure all claims are authenticated and not made arbitrarily”.
The question that demands an answer is: why didn’t USM make sure all the claims were authentic and not arbitrary before endorsing those claims?
It is inexcusable for an institution of higher learning to pass the buck to consumers to authenticate the claims that it had so boldly endorsed in the first place.
What USM did is disgraceful to say the least. It must take responsibility for the authenticity of those claims.
Could USM please come forward to tell the public if any of those claims are true? What kind of study was done, and by whom, to prove that the “miracle water” had in any way helped people with any of the over 150 ailments to recover partially or fully?
Did the study meet the stringent requirements of science to be considered valid?
By the way, how many percent of the profits from the sale of this “miracle water” will go to USM for endorsing the product?
What kind of business ethics is being exhibited by USM? Money first, consumer interests last?
Ravinder Singh is an FMT reader
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