05/11/2025

WEDNESDAY | NOV 5, 2025

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Beyond race: Unity against warming W HAT is the genetic difference between Malay and Chinese, Chinese and Indian, and

risk of several cancers, including breast, liver, head and neck, and colorectal cancers. Last year, some 2.6 million deaths globally were attributable to alcohol consumption, according to the World Health Organisation. Although previous studies have suggested that alcohol can raise levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, the latest medical opinion is that no form of alcohol consumption is risk-free. Even low levels of alcohol consumption carry some risks and can cause harm. Therefore, doctors advise that if you are not a drinker, don’t begin – not even a sip of wine, the least toxic of alcoholic drinks. Politicians on both

Malay and Indian? Scientists have discovered that over 99.9% of our genetic makeup is identical, regardless of race. The genetic diversity between races that make up humanity is, therefore, of a very small degree. Genetically, all humans are one race within the same species. If we are one race genetically, then it is political nonsense to keep using the terms “Malay race, Chinese race and Indian race”. Let’s start by extinguishing our separate racial identities and refer to one another as the Malay community, Chinese community, Indian community Bidayuh

sides of the divide should not defend the habit of alcoholic drinking nor attack it, as such tactics bring disrepute to politics. Even in the Dewan Rakyat, the ground became unsteady for a short spell recently as MPs swayed into a heated debate over the flow of alcohol at functions held in school halls. Why is it that both sides ought to simmer down? It is because those who claim the moral high ground may have cause to regret, and those who claim a “freedom of choice” are choosing sickness over health, which is a pretentious advantage. What is the slip-up that moralists can fall into? It is the tradition of cheering at cow slaughtering events held in conjunction with

community or Dayak community, as each community has its unique cultural features developed over several thousand years as adaptive mechanisms to cope with evolving conditions. It appears that despite the high degree of sameness, Malaysians still want to draw a dividing line, separating us into two sides – the alcoholic and non alcoholic side. The non-alcoholic side is claiming the moral high ground while the alcoholic side claims a “freedom of choice”. This is primarily a health and moral issue and not a religious debating point, as the Buddha 2,500 years ago warned of six dangers that come with alcohol addiction.

“We can no longer afford the luxury of wallowing in our separate racial or religious identities. What is common to all of us is that human life outside

When cows digest their food, they produce large amounts of greenhouse gas methane. Half the world’s methane production is burped out by cows. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/THESUN

carbon dioxide, and its main sources are cows and petrol for our cars. If governments, including our own, are serious about serving the people and saving them from being roasted to death by the ever-growing atmospheric heat – now at 37°C on the hottest days in Malaysia – it is time for all presidents and premiers to get serious about decarbonisation. Malaysia seems to have entered a period of indecisiveness. We have done little to advance electric vehicle technology. How long does it take to fully charge an electric car battery? Unless you have a charger at home, you will be standing at a charging station for an hour. Your car may get refreshed but you get worn out. The easiest step is to stop eating beef, although this means updating religious practices to keep the modern situation in view. Moralists need to realise that what was correct practice 1,500-2,000 years ago may have become outdated now. Two thousand years ago, the planet was not experiencing climate warming. The role of morality is to promote human welfare. While beef consumption was all right then, when the planet was not getting hotter, beef consumption appears increasingly to be a morally fraught practice now, as it threatens our health and is probably Misconduct should never be handled in isolation; it requires shared understanding and cooperation between teachers and parents to guide a child towards reflection and change. Consequences for bad behavior must be significant enough to make an impact, yet constructive enough to teach. They should involve the loss of something meaningful. For most students today, few things are more valuable than their digital life. Instead of caning, I propose a strict digital timeout. When a student makes a serious mistake, the school and parents work together to set a period during which the student

shortening the lives of frail and aged persons already succumbing to the higher daytime temperatures. Today, we need to go beyond morality to embrace planetary ethics to reduce methane discharge and save lives. So while one half of Malaysia suffers from the moral inadequacy of finding alcoholic consumption a matter of free choice, the other half suffers from the moral inadequacy of viewing beef consumption as a vital part of their diet. Let each community empathise with the other’s inadequacies. In bundling our weaknesses together, we may gain strength in realising that global warming is no longer just an external phenomenon, a discomfort to be endured. The climate crisis may now have entered our bodies and become an epigenetic phenomenon, making our bodies feel hot even with air conditioning. You find classy restaurants setting their air-conditioning at ultra-cool temperatures, with ceiling or wall fans blowing as an additional measure. If our bodies are warming up, the health risk increases because internal organs require a certain amount of coolness. At high temperatures, they wear out faster, inducing sickness and is restricted from using non-essential digital devices, such as social media, smartphones and gaming. This approach is effective because: 0 It is tangible and relevant. Losing access to their digital world is a real consequence that diectly affects their daily life and choices. 0 It mirrors real-world outcomes. In adulthood, poor decisions often lead to the loss of trust, opportunity or privilege. 0 It requires cooperation. Teachers identify the issue but parents carry out and monitor the consequences at home. This shared responsibility reinforces accountability and ensures the child learns from it meaningfully.

possibly organ breakdown. This is a serious issue that our medical experts should investigate. We can no longer afford the luxury of wallowing in our separate racial or religious identities. What is common to all of us is that human life outside the forest is at threat of being extinguished throughout the planet. The only survivors – perhaps as early as Year 2050 – may be the indigenous forest tribes still living close to nature. Two solutions must be urgently implemented: to decarbonise and demethanise – to coin a new word. Our government must summon up courage at the United Nations General Assembly or Security Council to propose worldwide implementation of these two essential measures. Decarbonising requires the world to reduce oil extraction; demethanising requires limiting the global herd of cows to produce just enough dairy for human consumption. Can we drastically cut oil use and beef consumption? These are enormous challenges but they pale in comparison to the existential threat posed by an ever-warming planet. JoachimNg champions interfaith harmony. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com We must stop viewing caning as a quick solution. The real work is harder; it involves communication, consistency and compassion. It means parents and schools walking side by side to teach children that choices matter, respect must be earned and that responsibility begins with understanding how our actions affect others. Only then will discipline become not a punishment to fear but a lesson that helps children grow into thoughtful, accountable adults. Scott J. Wong Persatuan Kebajikan Rolf Schnyder Malaysia

the forest is at threat of being extinguished throughout the planet.

festivals. On the surface, they are supporting the distribution of good protein meat but they ought to be aware of the methane emission that makes cows a strong contributor to global warming. When cows digest their food, they produce large amounts of greenhouse gas methane. Half the world’s methane production is burped out by cows. Methane contributes one quarter of the global warming effect. The remaining is contributed mainly by carbon dioxide. Methane has 80 times more climate-warming potential than behaviour in the short term. It does not help a child understand why their actions are wrong. Instead, it teaches fear, not responsibility. Just as the pain fades quickly, so too does the lesson. In today’s world, children must learn that the real consequences of poor judgement are not physical but social, emotional and professional. Their actions today will one day affect their relationships, careers and reputations. Focusing solely on physical punishment fails to prepare them for the challenges of the real world. Discipline works best when schools and parents stand together.

The six dangers are: loss of wealth, increase in quarrels, susceptibility to disease, loss of good character, indecent exposure and impaired intelligence. The sixth danger poses a threat to innocent lives in the motoring age, as someone may totter out of a pub in the middle of the night and get behind the wheel to ziz-zag their way home at speeds well beyond the permitted limit. Today, we can amplify the list with current medical knowledge that alcohol is an established carcinogen. Alcohol consumption increases the

Digital time-outs: Smarter way to teach students discipline

LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

I FULLY support the director-general of the Education Ministry and the ministry’s stand against the caning of students. We should move away from traditional disciplinary methods that rely on fear and physical punishment. True discipline is not about inflicting pain; it is about helping children understand that every choice carries a consequence. Some are calling for the return of the cane but caning only stops bad