Lorrain AO Breaks His Silence...

©The Sun (Used by permission)

The former chairman of Bumiputera Malaysia Finance (BMF) Lorrain Esme Osman speaks for the first time in more than two decades about the country’s biggest bank scandal and his trials and tribulations. R. Nadeswaran and Terence Fernandez have the exclusive. 

For 23 years, he remained silent. Having served almost seven years at the Pentoville Prison and later at Brixton in the United Kingdom and at Stanley Prison in Hongkong, earning the dubious honour of Britain’s longest-serving remand prisoner, he never uttered a word. Having been brought from London, he appeared before a Hongkong court in a flak jacket. He nodded his plea and said no more. His lips were not exactly sealed. If people were expecting him to spill the beans, they were utterly disappointed. If there were those who expected him to exact vengeance on those who did him in, he perhaps embraced the adage: "love thy enemy and drive him crazy". 

In a London pub, Lorrain Esme Osman, the former chairman of the now defunct, Hongkong-based Bumiputera Malaysia Finance (BMF) broke his silence on Malaysia’s biggest financial scandal of which he was faulted for – the RM2.5 billion collapse of BMF which preceded the murder of the bank’s assistant general manager, Jalil Ibrahim, who was conducting an audit in Hongkong. Lorrain spoke about the trials and tribulations; the heartache and the heartbreaks; the friends who suddenly disappeared and his dogged determination to fight for justice and fend off the allegations against him. Incarcerated for almost seven years, the 76-year-old lawyer-turned banker (part-time non-executive chairman) is not bitter about the events that changed his life and perhaps shaped the political landscape in Malaysia. 

Despite his low-profile existence in a house in an upmarket residential area in London, and in the company of a few friends, he has not been left alone. As much as he wants to stay out of the limelight leading a life with a coterie of close friends, Lorrain, for no apparent reason found himself in the news yet again early this year, on yet another false assumption and bad detective work by the journalistic fraternity.

Four months ago, websites linked him to the disgraced former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern who was forced to resign over a land scandal. And when he spoke, there was no venom against such self-appointed guardians of morality and justice, but disappointment that his name has been unnecessarily been brought into a mud-slinging exercise. "I don’t even know the man and somehow, I got linked to him. Many years ago even before he became PM, a few friends and I had wanted to acquire a parcel of land which was classified as heritage. Ahern was not even the PM and our offer was not proceeded with and we dropped out of the picture many years ago. We did not pursue it further," Lorrain stressed during the two-hour interview. 

When Ahern resigned, the skeletons of BMF were dug up from the grave and Lorrain was erroneously linked to the deal. He laughs about the link, but perhaps understands that two and two do not always make four. Lorrain fought a long, costly and arduous battle to remain in Britain against the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hongkong which wanted his head on a platter. It fought tooth and nail to have him extradited and in support of the request, the Hongkong government submitted more than 30,000 pages of evidence. 

Five-and-a-half years of legal battles in the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords, it was the same conclusion: Lorrain Osman alone is responsible for the position he finds himself in, and that anytime he wants, all he has to do is give up his fight for freedom and allow himself to be extradited to Hongkong. He refused and the fight continued until he exhausted all avenues for justice and fair play. 

After the long-drawn battle, Lorrain was put on a plane, escorted by Scotland Yard officers and flown to Hongkong. Lorrain laughs and says: "They knew the verdict before it was read out in the House of Lords. They had already booked the plane tickets earlier and I was whizzed off." The ICAC had 43 charges against him, or that’s what was said at all the court hearings. But the ICAC’s joy had little to go on. And losing the war after all the costly battles does not exactly appear good in law journals. "I was prepared to do battle all the way ... they gave me a strong deal. But I did not jump at it. Having come so far, why should I make any deal?" he asked. The ICAC officer, Lorrain said, had asked him a soul-searching question: "You have been fighting all this while for the benefit of others. Isn’t it time to do something for your own benefit?" He didn’t want to give them an immediate answer and wanted the offer to be repeated. "I wanted them to come around a second time. I wanted some time. 

At the end of the day, even the decision to plead guilty was made after a lot of soul searching as it affected me in the sense I had fought for seven years ... Then I thought my reputation is already muddied, so one little bit more is not going to make any difference, and if I get a decent deal, I’d take it!" But why cave in after all the effort? "Even if people are sympathetic towards me, I knew I did not have a great future, I was already over 60. (He was 53 when he was arrested) So, what’s the point?" he reasoned. 

So, when they came back again to make a deal, Lorrain told them: "I will plead guilty to one single charge and it will not be a corruption charge." They agreed and the deal was done – financial negligence. A year’s penance so to speak in jail but he had already spent almost seven. After two months in Hongkong’s Stanley Prison, he flew to London a free man. 

The BBMB story 

IN 1980, Bank Bumiputera Malaysia Bhd (BBMB) was receiving RM50 million a month from Petronas as part of an agreement to increase the coffers of the bank which was set up specifically for the benefit of bumiputras. Bumiputera Malaysia Finance (BMF) was set up in Hongkong as a vehicle to channel parts of this money. 

A series of loans totalling about RM2.5 billion were given to Carrian Group’s investment into the territory’s booming property market. However in 1983, Carrian went bust after the property bubble burst and the loans could not be recovered. BBMB assistant general manager Jalil Ibrahim was sent to the then British colony to conduct an audit. 

According to court transcripts, on July 17, 1983, he told his staff that he was leaving to meet a "Datuk". The next day, his body was found in a banana plantation outside Hongkong. The connection between Jalil’s death and BMF, and the unseen hands behind the collapse were never established. 

Klang businessman Mak Fook Than was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life. At his trial, Mak had claimed that he merely disposed of Jalil’s body – the murder committed by a Korean working for a man named "George". Mak had also retracted an earlier statement that he was working for the Finance Ministry and was sent to Hongkong to collect money for a high-ranking public official. 

Lorrain, however, feels there were no links between Jalil’s murder and his investigations into BMF’s finances, believing that Jalil was a victim of a blackmail that went wrong. "From what we had gathered then, Jalil had late night visitors at his hotel room where he was staying. On the day of his murder, Jalil had taken HK$20,000 purportedly for ‘Ibrahim’, but he was not in Hongkong then. 

That money was to pay off someone. Something went wrong and excessive force was used. "We the directors of BMF welcomed Jalil’s audit for it showed that we were on the right path to recover the loans. There were no secret accounts or that Jalil was going to expose more wrongdoings. Jalil’s report in fact, helped the board by showing that we had done them (the loan transactions) properly. Jalil was doing us a favour." Investigations revealed that irregular and even fraudulent lending practices led to the loss of billions – losses which were eventually absorbed by BBMB. Lorrain who was BMF chairman then,alternate director Dr Rais Saniman, Carrian Group chairman George Tan and BBMB executive director Datuk Mohamed Hashim Shamsuddin were implicated in the collapse and given jail sentences in Hongkong. 

In 1986, a Commission of Inquiry headed by former auditor-general Tan Sri Noordin Ahmad established that what was going on in BMF was just "the tip of the iceberg", implying that bigger hands were at play. The commission report was not tabled in Parliament and had limited public release – 2,000 copies at RM250 each. Noordin was ostracised by the Mahathir administration for his findings, where he was even accused of colluding with the Opposition. 

The Cause Celebre    

WHILE Lorrain was fighting his legal battles from prison, human rights campaigners were taking their fight everywhere. Petitions, public meetings and numerous appeals were sent. They claimed that the telephones of his wife and legal team were tapped. His house was raided by armed policemen while he was behind bars. 

Campaigners claimed it was an act of blatant intimidation. Scotland Yard claimed it had received a tip-off that one of his wife’s bodyguards was armed. Interestingly enough, the original complaint went missing! They also charged that Lorrain had been the scapegoat and the victim of dirty politics in three countries – Hongkong, Malaysia and the United Kingdom, and that the governments of Hongkong and the UK were suppressing some 150 documents which could clear his name.

In leaflets, the group said: "The only thing that is relevant is that Lorrain Osman has now served the equivalent of a 10-year sentence with remission and a 15-year sentence with parole, and he is still, in law, not guilty." 

‘I should have left Bank Bumi’

DESPITE his trials and tribulations, Lorrain Esme Osman remains philosophical. "If I allow myself to feel bitter, then I’ll never have peace of mind because regret is fodder for a completely distorted life. "But one thing I kick myself for is for not taking immediate control of Bank Buruh. 

I was on the verge of acquiring the bank and I had not done the transfer yet as it was pending, but I kick myself for not leaving Bank Bumiputera (in the impending period)." Just before news of the bank’s exposure in Hongkong became public, Lorrain was already in the final stages of taking over Bank Buruh. "I should have left and then run my own bank then I won’t be involved in this bull****," he says. 

Emphasising that he was not being too big-headed among the four directors; Lorrain says he was the most knowledgeable and the most strong-headed because he used to insist on a lot of things. After all, Bank Bumiputera, he had then held, was set up to help bumiputras, not to make money for the government. "So three years into its setting up, during the AGM, a director mentioned something about ‘it’s time for our dividends’.

I stepped in very strongly and said the purpose is not to give the government any profits but for the profits to go back to the people, the bumiputras, many of whom did not have the same access to banking facilities at that time. That made me very unpopular, but the question was never raised again." So if that was the conservative approach and thinking, then why go off-shore to Hongkong and set up BMF? "By that time, notwithstanding the principal purpose was to help bumiputras, the fact remained that Bank Bumi was a commercial undertaking and if we wanted to be successful, we needed to provide a full range of services.

"The rationale was for BMF to be part of the international scene. We first opened in a middle-eastern country and subsequently in London, New York, Tokyo, Hongkong, so that we have branches circling the globe. "Also we were awash with money from Petronas. Now if you have that money on deposit, you pay interest, and if it ended up in Hongkong at the time of the property boom, it would be used to generate income." But the loans that were given to George Tan and Carrian Group went awry after the property market collapsed with then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announcing the date of the official hand-over of the colony to the Chinese government.

Lorrain opined and still maintains that Thatcher forced Beijing to retake Hongkong. "If she had said nothing, I’m sure the Chinese government would have been happy to leave Hongkong alone." His reasoning is that Hongkong is a potential nuisance as it has rights other parts of China do not. "Any dissident will try to escape to Hongkong and when you talk about the western imperialists, all they need to do is point at Hongkong. But Thatcher said a treaty is a treaty! If she had just shut up, the British will still be there." 

Was He the Fall Guy?

"One has to accept the fact that if you are put there as chairman, you have to accept responsibility. At the end of the day, the fact that there was prosecution, I myself believe it was a means to attack the Malaysian government by certain British civil servants who were very anti-Malaysia and anti-Mahathir. 

I have no evidence to support this but there was no other purpose in it." From what initially appeared to be a domestic problem, Malaysia played into the hands of the British, and he faults the late Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad, who by then had become chairman of Bank Bumiputera. "Bashir fell into the trap and lodged a report in Hongkong by claiming that the (Malaysian) Attorney-General had said that Malaysia has no jurisdiction for offences in Hongkong, which is not true.

If they wanted to prosecute me in Malaysia, they could have. The Anti-Corruption Act provides for that," he says. "That is why I say, if I had left (Bank Bumi) once gaining control of Bank Buruh, I’d still be in Malaysia making money," he half-joked. 

Was he used as a pawn in the protracted political battle between then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in the Eighties? "I have no evidence of Mahathir’s involvement. "I know for a fact that the executive directors of the bank who were overseeing the running of BMF were doing things that I knew nothing about.

I didn’t know what they were doing, but I believe they were up to something. Only after my release did I realise this," said Lorrain, without elaborating.

The End.

Penubuhan Lembaga Urusan Tabung Haji - Jawatankuasa Pertama yang diPengerusikan oleh Haji Abdul Khalid AO

PENUBUHAN LEMBAGA URUSAN TABUNG HAJI 

Pada hari ini dalam tahun 1969, Lembaga Urusan dan Tabung Haji (LUTH) ditubuhkan dibawah Akta 8/1969. Sejarah penubuhan Tabung Haji bermula apabila Profesor Ungku Aziz mengemukakan kertas kerja bertajuk ”Rancangan Membaiki Keadaan Ekonomi Bakal-bakal Haji” kepada Kerajaan pada bulan Disember 1959. Beliau mengesyorkan penubuhan satu perbadanan untuk mengendalikan urusan orang-orang beragama Islam menunaikan Fardu Haji. 

Sehubungan itu, satu Jawatankuasa Kebajikan Ekonomi Bakal-Bakal Haji dibentuk dipengerusikan oleh Y.B. Menteri Muda Kementerian Luar Bandar, Tuan Haji Abdul Khalid bin Awang Osman. Hasil daripada perbincangan itu, ”Perbadanan Wang Simpanan Bakal-bakal Haji” ditubuhkan dibawah Undang-undang bil 34/62 berkuatkuasa pada 1 November 1962 dan dilancarkan pada 30 September 1963. Pada tahun 1969 Perbadanan itu digabungkan dengan Jabatan Hal Ehwal Haji yang beroperasi sejak tahun 1951 bagi mewujudkan Lembaga Urusan dan Tabung Haji. 

Lembaga ini diwujudkan bukan sahaja bertujuan mengatasi masalah sosio ekonomi malahan menyediakan pelbagai perkhidmatan yang membolehkan kaum Muslimin untuk melabur dan menyertai secara berkesan segala aktiviti ekonomi negara. Pada 1 Jun 1995 akta baru Tabung Haji iaitu Akta 535, Akta Lembaga Tabung Haji 1995 dikuatkuasakan yang memansuhkan akta lama dan nama Lembaga Urusan dan Tabung Haji digantikan dengan Lembaga Tabung Haji pada 28 Ogos 1997.

Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah - Baling Talks and AOs Involvement...

The District Officer of Baling masa tu ialah Dato Wan Daud b Wan Ali, suami kepada Datin Khadijah bt Mohd Arshad b Awang Osman.

Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah - Mohamed Arshad AO

The Early Malay Doctors - Dr. Mustapha AO

The Early Malay Doctors - Dr. Mustapha bin Osman

To do good is not only our greatest duty, but should be our greatest interest. 

INTRODUCTION

(Dr) Mustapha bin Osman was born in Kedah in 1900.

He studied at Penang Free School in Georgetown, Penang.[1][2] This was the initial site before the school moved to a new site in Green Lane (now Jalan Masjid Negeri). The old school was renamed Hutchings School which became Penang Museum today. A new Hutchings School was built nearby to the Penang Museum.

Penang Free School was first opened in Georgetown in 1816 

The new Hutchings School near the Penang Museum in Georgetown. 

Penang Free School in Green Lane was opened in 1925

He wanted to study Law in England but World War I (WWI) made it impractical and dangerous. The State Government of Kedah sent him to further his education in Hong Kong instead.

It is not known at the time of this writing, how he travelled to Hong Kong, but a few routes are possible:

(i) By ship which plied the South China Sea between Tanah Melayu and the Chinese lands. He probably left from either Penang/Kedah port, Port Swettenham/Port Kelang (now Port Klang) or Keppel Harbour in Singapore.

(ii) He probably took the overland route from Penang to Kedah and onward into Thailand, across to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and finally to Hong Kong.

(iii) He could have taken the train from Penang/Kedah to Thailand, then gone further down to Kelantan, and left for Hong Kong from Kota Bharu since there were steamers plying Sungai Kelantan.

It is not known how long each journey/route took, be it by ship or overland route.

Mustapha entered the University of Hong Kong [3] in 1917 to study medicine. Dr Mustapha Osman graduated seven years later in 1924, prior to the Canton-Hong Kong strike of 1925-26.

-- Footnotes

[1] The idea of a school in Penang for local residents was borne by Reverend Sparke Hutchings of the St George's Anglican Church. The proposal for Penang Free School (PFS) was submitted to the Governor of the Prince of Wales Island (now Penang) in 1815. There are two premises for PFS – a previous one in Georgetown and another which is still in use in Green Lane. The PFS was first set up at a premise in Georgetown on 21 October 1816, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the demise of Captain Sir Francis Light. When the initial PFS became overcrowded, a new PFS was needed. A 30-acre site in Green Lane (now Jalan Masjid Negeri) was made the new premise for the second PFS. Construction of the new PFS began in 1924 and was completed in 1925. The second PFS in Green Lane was opened on 9 January 1925 by Ralph Scott, Resident Councillor of Penang. When the second PFS was built, the initial PFS was renamed to Hutchings School after its founder. A part of the Hutchings School building was bombed during the Second World War. The remaining Hutchings School building houses the Penang State Museum today.

[2] The term free does not mean without school fees. The term free here means it is open to all locals.

[3] Established in 1911 from the former Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, founded by the London Missionary Society in 1887, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong was the only faculty that was open. In December 1916, the University of Hong Kong held its first congregation, with 23 graduates and 5 honorary graduates. – Wikipedia, University of Hong Kong. Accessed on 13 October 2010.

---

He became the first Malay Pathologist when he obtained his postgraduate diploma in 1925. He became the first Malay Professor of Pathology when he obtained his MD degree in 1930.

He was already working in Kedah when the Japanese attacked Penang island and Kedah. The Japanese attacked Kedah at Singgora on 8 December 1941.

Associate Professor Dr Mohd Isa Othman’s publication (translation by Haji Hashim bin Samin), The Second World War and the Japanese Invasion of Kedah had mentioned Dr Mustapha Osman along with his brother, Sheriff Osman, as they became part of the Japanese Administration in Kedah.

Of the administrative bureaus during the Japanese Occupation, Tunku Badlishah headed the Shumuin (Religion) Bureau while Syed Alwi was Assistant and Syed Shariff Osman was Secretary.

Professor Dr Mustapha bin Osman (Pathologist & Head of Shumuin Bureau

Haji Mohammad Sheriff bin Awang Osman/En Shariff Osman (Secretary of Shumuin Bureau)

Another bureau, Somu-bu (Public Administration) had six subdivisions - Kanbo (Judicial Secretariat), Shomuka (Public Affairs), Kanri-ka (Administration), Bunkyo-ka (Education), Shiho-ka (Judiciary) and Konsei-ka (Welfare).

These bureau was headed by Nakagawa Yamakami and seven Japanese officials along with En Shariff Osman, Momose, Ismail Marican, and Dr Mustapha Osman.” - Associate Professor Dr Mohd Isa Othman (translation by Haji Hashim bin Samin), The Second World War and the Japanese Invasion of Kedah, page 3. Accessed at Perbadanan Perpustakaan Awam Kedah website http://mykedah2.com/e_10heritage/e103_3_p3.htm. Retrieved 4 April 2011

The Japanese Military Administration appointed him as the Surgeon General

[4] during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya (1941-5).

-- Footnote

[4] The Surgeon General is an old term for the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO).

--

He was bestowed the Honorary Doctorate of Laws (HonLLD) by the University of Hong Kong in 1961. At the award ceremony in 1961, his background and achievements were mentioned as follows: “Dr. Osman is one of our distinguished Malayan graduates. Born at the turn of the century in Penang, he entered the University in 1917, and obtained his medical degree seven years later.

For one, whose forebears, a generation removed, engaged in piracy in the Strait of Malacca, it was inevitable, perhaps, that he should prove to be a bold and fearless undergraduate whose passage was marked by a certain degree of turbulence.

[…] Of this honorary graduand, Your Excellency, one of our professors years ago once exclaimed in despair, "Osman, why don't you go back to Malaya and plant paddy?" He went back to do far more than that, and it is with pride and affection that we have invited him here today to receive an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws.” – Honorary Degrees Congregation, University of Hong Kong,1961. http://www3.hku.hk/hongrads/index.php/archive/graduate_detail/105. Accessed on 4 April 2011.

The University of Hong Kong had published a book, Growing with Hong Kong (2002) which mentioned him as follows: “Many medical graduates returned to Malaya. Chinese doctors found it difficult to secure government appointments and most went into private practice in Penang, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

They enjoyed certain advantages over locally trained doctors who held licentiates rather than degrees, but positive discrimination in favour of Malays kept most Chinese doctors out of senior positions.

Mustapha bin Osman (MBBS 1924, MD 1930, HonLLD 1961) was one of the few non-Chinese medical graduates from Malaya. After graduation he worked as assistant to the professor of pathology before taking up the post of Government Pathologist in Kedah state in 1930. He became Chief Medical Officer of Kedah in 1949, a member of the Federal Legislative Council of Malaya, and a member of the Council of State and Executive Council of Kedah state.”(Growing with Hong Kong 2002:50).

Dr Mustapha was the sibling of Mohd Shariff bin Osman (former Chief Minister of Kedah), Datuk Shuib Awang bin Osman (former Secretary of Kedah State Government [5]) and Tan Sri Khalid Awang bin Osman (Malaysian Ambassador to Egypt). Dr Mustapha passed away in Penang in 1975.

-- Footnote

[5] Mantan SUK Kedah. SUK = Setiausaha Kerajaan.

-- Interview

I visited Prof Syed Mohsin at home on Sunday, 23 October 2011. We were talking about Boon Siew and Honda when our conversation suddenly moved to "Dr Mustapha bin Osman". I informed Prof Syed Mohsin that I was looking for someone who would know what happened to Dr Mustapha as I needed his biography/story for TEMD. Prof Syed Mohsin had this to say (refer to my post on Arabs in Penang: http://theearlymalaydoctors.blogspot.com/2011/10/arabs-in-penang.html):

Syed Omar

Syed Omar is retired, receives pension and lives in Kuala Lumpur. He was the former Accountant-General. He married the younger sister of Syed Razak, former Menteri Besar Kedah (ex-MB Kedah). 

Syed Razak

Syed Razak is related to Dr Mustapha bin Osman, an early Malay doctor (TEMD). His younger sister married to Syed Omar.

Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah - Dr. Mustapha AO

55th Congregation (1961)

Mustapha bin OSMAN
Doctor of LawsCitation

The Public Orator Professor D. Barker, M.A., D.Phil., wrote and delivered the following citation:

Dr. Osman is one of our distinguished Malayan graduates. Born at the turn of the century in Penang, he entered the University in 1917, and obtained his medical degree seven years later. For one, whose forebears, a generation removed, engaged in piracy in the Strait of Malacca, it was inevitable, perhaps, that he should prove to be a bold and fearless undergraduate whose passage was marked by a certain degree of turbulence. But if his Alma Mater had occasion to chastise him, she also found plenty to praise, for here was a natural leader both on and off the playing field, a man happy to meet any bowling life had to offer and hit it for six. After graduating, he spent a year abroad on a Rockefeller scholarship studying in the Universities of Edinburgh and London, as well as the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, before returning to serve on the staff of the University's Department of Pathology for five years.

At the end of this period, in 1930, he obtained his M.D. degree and left us to take up an appointment as Government Pathologist in Kedah State, Malaya. This was the beginning of a distinguished career in government medical service, one which was to survive and emerge triumphant from all the trials and tribulations of the Japanese occupation and the birth of the Federation of Malaya. These years were to make a severe test of his courage and endurance, and call upon his resource and initiative to the full. In 1949 he was appointed Chief Medical Officer in Kedah, and as a member of the Federal Legislative Council of Malaya, and of the Council of State and Executive Council of Kedah, he was established, as a leading member of the community. One of the appointments to bring him most satisfaction was that of Governor of the new Lady Templer Hospital in Kuala Lumpur in 1952. He has also taken a keen interest in education, having served on the Malayan Education Committee, and on the Councils of Raffles College and the King Edward VII Medical School in Singapore. 

On his retirement in 1955, he was designated Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, and he has received a number of high Malayan decorations from the States of Kedah and Perlis. He continues to serve Kedah in a medical capacity, practising as clinical pathologist in Penang. Of this honorary graduand, Your Excellency, one of our professors years ago once exclaimed in despair, "Osman, why don't you go back to Malaya and plant paddy?" He went back to do far more than that, and it is with pride and affection that we have invited him here today to receive an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws.

Khutbah Iduladha

MENGERAT PERPADUAN UMMAH

Sidang Jemaah Muslimin dan Muslimat Yang Dirahmati Allah Sekalian,

Sempena Iduladha yang penuh keberkatan lagi mulia ini, marilah sama-sama kita perbanyakkan rasa syukur dan meningkatkan ketakwaan kepada Allah SWT dengan sebenar-benar takwa. Ketakwaan yang benar-benar bertanggungjawab membawa kita mentaati perintah Allah SWT dan meninggalkan segala larangan-Nya, mudah-mudahan kita dikasihi Allah, mendapat perlindungan-Nya di dunia dan di akhirat. Mimbar pada hari ini akan menyampaikan khutbah yang bertajuk “IDULADHA: MENGERAT PERPADUAN UMMAH”

Sidang Jemaah muslimin dan muslimat yang di Rahmati Allah,

Pada setiap tahun jutaan umat Islam dari pelbagai negara di dunia berhimpun dalam satu perhimpunan terbesar umat Islam iaitu ibadah haji sebagai melaksanakan perintah agama. Di samping memuji dan mengagungkan kebesaran dan keagungan Allah SWT mereka ini dapat berkenal-kenalan, mewujudkan perpaduan dan menyatukan ummah serta dapat mengeratkan hubungan persaudaraan sesama umat Islam. Apa yang mengkagumkan dan mengembirakan, pada musim haji di tanah suci ini ialah mereka bersepakat dan bersatu melafazkan kalimah talbiah mentauhidkan Allah SWT: Maksudnya: "Wahai Tuhan kami, kami datang semata-mata dengan ikrar setia dan taat kepada perintahMu. Wahai Tuhan kami yang tiada sekutu bagiMu, kami sahut seruanMu. Seungguhnya segala puji nikmat dan kekuasaan, kesemuanya adalah bagiMu, wahai Tuhan kami yang tiada sekutu bagiMu."

Seruan ini memberi makna yang besar kepada seluruh jemaah haji kerana ianya merupakan ikrar yang dilafazkan semata-mata untuk bertakwa kepada Allah SWT dengan tujuan untuk merasakan kehambaan kepada tuhan-Nya, menghindari dari segala dosa dan bersiap sedia untuk berkorban sebagai memenuhi kehendak Allah SWT. Bagi umat Islam yang belum berpeluang menunaikan ibadat haji mereka menyambut kedatangan Iduladha dengan berhimpun di masjid-masjid dan surau-surau untuk menunaikan solat Iduladha di samping berpeluang mengeratkan hubungan silaturrahim di antara kaum keluarga, masyarakat setempat serta sesama kita umumnya. Pada hari ini juga umat Islam yang berkemampuan amatlah dituntut agar menunaikan amalan korban sebagai mengingati peristiwa yang berlaku di zaman Nabi Ibrahin AS. Islam mensyariatkan menyembelih binatang korban bemula pada hari ini dan tiga hari tasrik iaitu pada 11, 12 dan 13 Zulhijjah. Sabda Rasulullah SAW: Mafhumnya: "Sesungguhnya pertama-tama amalan yang kita lakukan pada hari ini (Iduladha) ialah supaya kita solat kemudian kembali ke rumah lalu kita menyembelih korban, maka barangsiapa yang mengerjakan sedemikian ia telah mengikut sunnahku. Adapun orang yang menyembelih sebelum melakukan solat, maka itu hanyalah merupakan daging yang hendak dipergunakan untuk keluarganya sahaja, tidak termasuk amalan ibadah penyembelihan korban." (Riwayat al-Bukhari)

Sidang Jemaah muslimin dan muslimat yang di Rahmati Allah, 

Iduladha yang kita rayakan ini melambangkan kesatuan umat Islam yang menerima keesaan Allah SWT sebagai tuhan, Rasulullah SAW sebagai pemimpin dan ikutan, al-Quran sebagai pedoman dan pengorbanan sebagai dorongan untuk kita berjihad di jalan Allah. Kekuatan utama sambutan Iduladha ialah sifat ketaatan yang telah ditunjukkan oleh Nabi Ibrahim AS serta anaknya Nabi Ismail AS. Keagungan peribadinya yang ditunjukkan merupakan sebagai contoh kehidupan, sebagai seorang hamba yang sanggup melakukan apa saja yang di perintahkan oleh Allah SWT. Firman Allah SWT dalam surah al-Mutahanah ayat 4: Maksudnya: "Sesungguhnya adalah bagi kamu pada Nabi Ibrahim dan pengikut-pengikutnya contoh ikutan yang baik." Sidang Jemaah muslimin dan muslimat yang di Rahmati Allah, Ibadah haji yang sedang dilaksanakan pada saat ini, perlulah dihayati dengan sedalam-dalamnya, supaya kita dapat menjiwai roh atau semangat Iduladha yang kita sambut ini. Umat Islam hari ini dengan laungan kalimah yang sama, pakaian ihram yang sama serba putih, dengan niat yang satu, tidak mengira bangsa dan keturunan patuh dan tunduk kepada peraturan yang satu iaitu hukum Allah SWT. Mereka ini memupuk semangat setiakawan sesama umat Islam, menjaga hubungan persaudaraan, sanggup berkorban, bersatu hati, menghindari sikap mementingkan diri sendiri dan sebagainya. Prinsip-prinsip inilah yang membentuk kesatuan yang perlu difahami dan dijunjung oleh setiap individu muslim pada ketika ini. Umat Islam yang longgar atau mengenepikan prinsip-prinsip yang membentuk kesatuan ini membuka ruang kepada musuh-musuh Islam menceroboh untuk menghancurkan Islam dan umatnya. 

Oleh itu kesatuan dan perpaduan adalah agenda umat yang penting yang mesti diperjuangkan. Mimbar ingin mengingatkan bahawa hari ini kita menyaksikan bagaimana umat Islam ditindas dan dianiaya di semua tempat seperti pembunuhan rakyat Palestin yang berulang-ulang kali merobek jiwa umat Islam, pencerobohan kedaulatan negara Iraq, huru-hara di Afganistan, Somalia dan Pakistan serta banyak lagi tragedi yang menimpa umat Islam diseluruh dunia. Semua ini adalah kerana kelemahan umat Islam yang tiada kesatuan dan sering berlaku perpecahan di kalangan umat Islam itu sendiri. Kesempatan inilah yang telah digunakan oleh musuh-musuh Islam untuk menyerang, sekaligus menghancurkan Islam dan umatnya. Cuba kita renungkan, ketika peperangan salib yang berlangsung selama dua abad telah merakamkan lebih sepuluh siri peperangan yang mana musuh-musuh Islam ditewaskan. Selepas itu, tentera kafir serta sekutu-sekutu mereka mencapai kata sepakat bahawa umat Islam tidak dapat ditewaskan dengan jalan peperangan menggunakan senjata, sebaliknya mereka mula merancang dan melancarkan perang saraf keatas umat Islam. Kesemuanya ini dirancang oleh mereka dengan teliti, dan mereka berani melancarkan serangan besar-besaran setelah mereka dapati kekuatan dan kesatuan umat Islam sudah tidak ada lagi. 

Hari ini, kemusnahan umat Islam tidak lagi perlu menghadapi pencerobohan dari Alfonso de Alburque atau Rafles atau Francis Light atau Yamashita. Kemusnahan umat Islam berlaku dalam bentuk baru melalui pelanggaran hak-hak eksklusif umat Islam. Hari ini isu murtad menjadi ancaman kepada umat Islam, nama suci Allah dipelekehkan, dilaporkan telah diguna pakai tanpa menghiraukan sensitiviti umat Islam, tanpa mengira potensi yang boleh mengelirukan akidah anak-anak Islam dan tanpa mengira tergurisnya perasaan ummah.Toleransi umat Islam semakin dicabar, keangkuhan semakin berlaku, umat Islam semakin dilemahkan, ia mungkin berpunca dari satu kekaburan dasar atau satu tafsiran yang salah. Walau apa puncanya, ia laksana anai-anai yang semakin membesarkan busut, yang semakin mereputkan umat Islam. 

Justeru, Mimbar menyeru umat Islam wajib menghayati semangat perpaduan. Umat Islam ibarat sebatang tubuh, di cubit paha kanan, paha kiri terasa. Justeru. marilah sama-sama kita mengeratkan barisan ummah bagi mengatur langkah memperkukuhkan dan memperkasakan ukhwah sebagai agenda utama dalam menentukan masa depan umat Islam itu sendiri. 

Sidang Jemaah muslimin dan muslimat yang di Rahmati Allah, 

Marilah kita gunakan kesempatan hari yang mulia ini, untuk membina keutuhan tali persaudaraan diantara kita dengan amalan ziarah-menziarahi dan bermaaf- maafan sesama kita. Buang yang keruh, ambillah yang jernih. lebih-lebih lagi dalam menangani isu yang membabitkan agama dan masa depan umat Islam, maka sewajarnya kita sama-sama bangkit bersatu hati tanpa mempedulikan perbezaan latar belakang, ekonomi, miskin atau kaya, berbeza latar belakang fahaman atau politik. Kita ketepikan segala perbezaan-perbezaan tersebut. Ingatlah bahawa pengorbanan yang sebenarnya adalah pengorbanan yang berasaskan kesatuan dan perpaduan. Inilah pengorbanan yang mesti dilakukan oleh setiap kita, demi membela dan menyelamatkan Islam dan umatnya. Kesemua ini menuntut pengorbanan jiwa raga dan harta benda serta menuntut elemen penting iaitu ketakwaan dan keikhlasan. Tanpa dua elemen ini, maka tidak tercapai matlamat pengorbanan seperti mana yang dituntut oleh Allah SWT. Firman Allah SWT dalam surah al-Hajj ayat 37: Maksudnya: "Daging dan darah binatang korban itu tidak akan sampai kepada Allah, tetapi yang sampai kepada-Nya ialah ketaqwaan kamu. 

Demikianlah Ia memudahkan binatang itu bagimu supaya kamu mengagungkan Allah atas petunjuk-Nya kepadamu. Dan sampaikanlah berita gembira kepada orang yang berusaha supaya baik amalnya." Mengakhiri khutbah, mimbar menyeru, marilah kita menghayati tuntutan-tuntutan syarak yang terkandung dalam amalan ibadah haji dan ibadah korban yang berpaksikan hubungan kita yang erat dengan Allah SWT dan hubungan kita sesama kita, demi kecemerlangan di dunia dan kesejahteraan di akhirat. Mimbar berpesan bahawa hari raya korban yang dirayakan tanpa pengorbanan, tidak mampu memberi apa-apa makna dan kesan kepada kita. Marilah sama-sama kita menghayati firman Allah SWT dalam surah al-Kauthar ayat 1-3: Maksudnya: "Sesungguhnya kami telah mengurniakan kepadamu(wahai Muhammad) kebaikan-kebaikan yang banyak(di dunia dan akhirat). Oleh itu kerjakanlah sembahyang kerana tuhanmu semata-mata, dan sembelihlah korban (sebagai bersyukur). Sesungguhnya orang yang bencikan engkau, dialah yang terputus (dari mendapat sebarang perkara yang diinginnya)."

KHUTBAH KEDUA IDULADHA

Sidang Jemaah yang dikasihi sekalian, 

Marilah kita memperbanyakkan syukur kepada Allah SWT yang mengurniakan kita nikmat keamanan dan keharmonian dalam negara ini. Dengan nikmat tersebut kita dapat berhimpun di masjid-masjid dan surau seluruh negara, sama-sama melaungkan takbir Iduladha. Marilah juga kita suburkan perpaduan antara kita kerana akhir-akhir ini bibit perpecahan di kalangan masyarakat mencetuskan reaksi yang kurang menyenangkan. Renungkan sejenak tentang nasib saudara seagama kita yang kini hidup diburu ketakutan, kelaparan, sengsara di negara masing-masing. Saban hari ada sahaja nyawa yang hilang tanpa mengenal kanak-kanak atau orang tua. Hari ini kita menangis kerana kematian orang tersayang samada sakit atau kemalangan, tetapi di negara-negara lain mereka menangis disebabkan kematian yang berpunca daripada persengketaan dan kekacauan. 

Sesungguhnya keamanan adalah nikmat yang sangat berharga dan wajib dipertahankan. Selepas ini umat Islam akan melakukan ibadat korban bagi meninggikan syiar Islam. Binatang yang hendak di korbankan mestilah mematuhi syarat-syarat tertentu yang telah ditetapkan oleh agama Islam.Ini menunjukkan bahawa Allah SWT tidak menerima ibadat yang dilakukan sambil lewa, tidak mematuhi peraturan yang ditetapkan serta mengabaikan soal kesempurnaan ibadat yang hendak dilaksanakan, oleh itu ketelitian dan kesungguhan dalam melakukan apa jua kerja mestilah di beri perhatian oleh semua umat Islam. Ingatlah bahawa setiap pengorbanan yang kita lakukan hendaklah disertakan dengan niat dan amalan yang ikhlas. Seandainya ibadat korban yang kita lakukan dicemari dengan sifat riak, takabbur dan menunjuk-nunjuk akan kemampuan, maka akan tertutuplah rahmat Allah SWT dan sia-sialah amalan yang kita lakukan. Pengagihan daging korban dapat membantu meringankan beban, mempertingkatkan kualiti hidup dan mengeratkan perpaduan di antara umat Islam itu sendiri. Selain daging korban, umat Islam juga boleh menghantar sumbangan dalam pelbagai bentuk tanda kasih sayang sesama kita, walaupun harga sebahagian binatang korban semakin meningkat, namun ianya tidak menjadi penghalang bagi yang mampu kerana ganjaran pahalanya yang besar. 

Mimbar menyambut baik usaha yang telah dijalankan oleh pihak-pihak yang tertentu seperti masjid-masjid, surau-surau, NGO dan pertubuhan Islam lain yang menjalankan ibadat korban di negara-negara minoriti Islam seperti Kemboja, Vietnam, Filipina bagi menyahut seruan suci ini. Paling penting adalah mereka yang mengorbankan harta dan binatang ternakan bagi tujuan suci ini dengan penuh ketakwaan dan hati yang ikhlas kepada Allah SWT. Mimbar amat menghargai sumbangan jemaah dan umat Islam sekalian yang menghidupkan ibadat korban samada di peringkat kampung, taman perumahan mahupun di luar negara. 

Sidang Jemaah muslimin dan muslimat yang di Rahmati Allah, 

Pada hari ini marilah kita memperbanyakkan ucapan salawat dan salam ke atas baginda Nabi Muhammad SAW kerana telah menyampaikan Islam kepada kita melalui berbagai bentuk pengorbanan dan jihad. Tanda kasih kita kepada baginda hendaklah dirakamkan dalam bentuk ucapan salawat dan salam sebagaimana Firman Allah SWT di dalam Surah al-Ahzab ayat 56: Maksudnya: "Sesungguhnya Allah SWT dan malaikat-Nya berselawat (memberi segala penghormatan dan kebaikan) kepada Nabi (Muhammad SAW); Wahai orang-orang yang beriman berselawatlah kamu kepadanya serta ucapkanlah salam sejahtera dengan penghormatan yang sepenuhnya." 

SUMBER: JAKIM.GOV.MY

Sdr. Abd. Jalil

Saudara Abdul Jalil bin Yahaya bin Awang Osman

lknln

The Spirit of AOs'

Saya biasa sangat dalam menerajui urusan event dan perjumpaan berbagai macam dan saya fikir menerajui event seperti perjumpaan keluarga 'is one of those things..nothing to shout about'...tapi bukan itu yang terjadi...it is not one of those things..it is the thing that must be done. Perasaan saya dalam berbincang dan bertukar-tukar fikiran di peringkat Jawatankuasa agak berbeza...there is something about it..there is this feeling that you are doing this out of love and the emotions that goes with it is unexplainable. 

I noticed every one involved in organising the event seemed extra careful to ensure that nothing goes wrong...every step of the way is discussed...to the extend of what we should wear, what to advice AOs to bring, torchlight, biscuits, blankets etc...the best part after each meeting there is the promise to meet again next two weeks...and when that came every discussions made earlier is done. Afifa Daud AO and her husband Mohamad Idzuan AO became the centre of focus by AOs all over the country. We made Ridzwan Jaafar AO as Wakil Zon Tengah and he really went at it...he bought new computer system, latest gadget, printers ..you name it he got it..such spirit is relatively rare this days considering the voluntary nature of it all. 

Iszham Idris AO is another one...never ending research, digging here and digging there...sometimes finding and sometime none...All in all we got it...THE MEET. What then is the reward....well to see for the first time strangers who are my blood coming to register smilingly, eyes wide with excitement, tired from their journey and shaking hands and warm embrace and the cameras... they were every where made my heart sing.....suddenly there before my very own eyes real family..the AOs. Oh!!! How that lovely feeling ...it lingers till today.........DDD(AO)

The First Menteri Besar of Kedah

Tok Mohamed Sheriff bin Awang Osman (AO), the first Menteri Besar of Kedah is the person standing in the picture. The person seated is the Sultan Badlishah, the Sultan of Kedah.

Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah - Tan Sri Khalid Awang Osman

The news article below is about Hj. Khalid's appointment as an Ambassador to Indonesia. The Straits Times, 5 June 1963 Khalid named envoy to Jakarta.

KUALA LUMPUR, Tues. – The Federation Government today announced the appointment of the Assistant Minister of Commerce and Industry, Haji Khalid bin Awang Osman, as the new Ambassador to Indonesia. Haji Khalid will replace Dato Haji Kamaruddin bin Haji Idris as Ambassador and is expected to leave within a fortnight to take up his new post in Jakarta. At 38 years, Haji Khalid is the youngest Malayan Ambassador. He became Assistant Minister of Commerce and Industry in October last year. Prior to that, for about three years he was Assistant Minister of Rural Development. 

Haji Khalid has been with the Umno since its inception and was returned in the Federal elections in 1955 as an Alliance candidate in Kelantan Selatan. He is the brother of the former Kedah Mentri Besar, Haji Mohamed Sheriff bin Osman, and is a father of four children. Haji Khalid was an agriculture student and has worked in the Rubber Research Institute and a rubber inspector and as a labour officer.

PROMOSI CENDERAHATI PKAOM

PROMOSI BARANGAN CENDERAHATI PKAO MALAYSIA

Cetusan Rasa YDP PKAOM

Cetusan Rasa Yang diPertua Persatuan Kerabat Awang Osman Malaysia, 2012

Saya mulakan dengan Salam Persahabatan Islam 'Asalam Mu Alaikum Warakhmatullah Hiwabarokatuh, Salam Satu Malaysia dan Salam Satu AO.' Seterusnya saya mengambil peluang ini melahirkan rasa bangga dan kagum melihat kehadiran seramai 430 orang anggota kaum kerabat Awang Osman yang hadir pada perhimpunan keluarga Kerabat Awang Osman kali Ke-2 di Genting View Resort pada 31hb. Ogos hingga 2hb. September 2012. 

Saya juga berterima kasih kepada semua AJK yang menjayakan program tersebut. Begitu juga kepada semua petugas-petugas yang tampil memberi sumbangan tenaga dan kerjasama di saat-saat yang diperlukan. Kerjasama semua pihak dalam menjayakan program perhimpunan tersebut sempena hari Merdeka Raya membayangkan bahawa semangat AO bersatu wujud dan segar sentiasa. AJK telah merancangkan program dengan begitu rapi dan sistematik bagi keselesaan semua .AJK bemesyuarat sebanyak sembilan kali dalam tempuh masa empat bulan sahaja. Semua kerja yang dilaksanakan dibuat secara sukarela tidak kira masa dan perbelanjaan yang keluar dari poket sendiri.Walau apa sekali pun, segala pengorbanan semua pihak disanjung tinggi dan dihormati selalu.

Saya juga mengucapkan terima kasih kepada semua warga AO yang datang dari seluruh pelusuk tanah air dan telah mengorbankan banyak wang dan tenaga semata-mata untuk bersama menghadiri perhimpunan yang bersejarah ini. Saya kagum melihat AO dari luar negara juga hadir dan bergembira dengan kerabat AO yang lain. Seperti yang telah dirancang, Mesyuarat Pertama untuk mengesahkan penubuhan PKAO Malaysia telah berjaya diadakan. Sehubungan dengan itu diadakan juga agenda penubuhan Yayasan Palajaran Awang Osman . Dua perkara penting ini jika dilaksanakan dan ditadbir dengan betul akan menjana kewangan yang akan digunakan untuk membantu anak-anak AO dalam meringankan perbelanjaan pelajaran dari peringkat tahap rendah sahingga ke peringkat Universiti. PKAO dan Yayasan Pelajaran akan didaftarkan dengan pihak berkuasa secepat mungkin. Walau apa pun pertubuhan ini tidak akan berkembang jika tiada ahlinya. Saya berseru kepada semua kerabat AO supaya lekas-lekas mengisi borang keahlian dan dengan itu usaha seterusnya untuk menambah dana persatuan boleh berjalan lancar. 

Saya kagum melihat jumlah anak muda dan remaja serta kanak-kanak melebihi 50% jumlah besar yang hadir. Di bahu merekalah terletaknya nasib kerabat AO dan merekalah yang akan mengambil alih kepemimpinan PKAO disatu masa nanti. Saya yakin dengan tertubuhnya PKAO banyak masalah yang dihadapi oleh kerabat AO boleh diselesaikan disatu masa nanti. Sungguhpun demikian saya sedikit terkilan kerana banyak lagi kerabat AO tidak hadir dan tidak sedar akan pentingnya kerabat AO bersatu padu. Saya berharap semua kerabat AO menambah huruf AO dibelakang nama masing-masing sebagai tanda nyata mereka keturunan dan kerabat AO. Dengan cara itu sajalah generasi akan datang boleh mengenali satu sama lain sebagai mempunyai punca kekeluargaan yang sama. 

Harus diingatkan bahawa AJK PKAO telah sepakat berkenaan perkara ini. Saya berpendapat jika huruf AO itu dijadikan sebahagian dari nama berdaftar disijil lahir lebih baik. Dengan cara itu kerabat dan keturunan AO akan wujud disepanjang zaman. Satu perkara yang penting ialah persoalan siapa itu AO dan siapa layak menggunakan huruf AO dibelakang nama. Di putuskan sebagai peraturan biasa iaitu semua keturunan AO dari segi nasab dan darah berhak menggunakan huruf AO dibelakang nama. Semua lelaki dan perempuan yang bernikah dengan AO juga layak memakai AO dan sejajar dengan itu anak-anak mereka juga layak. Semua anak angkat AO juga layak berbuat demikian. Dengan cara ini kerabat AO akan berkembang dan menjadi sumber tenaga yang besar dan ramai. 

Bak kata Hang Tuah 'Takkan Melayu Hilang di Dunia' saya juga ingin menyatakan di sini, 'TAKKAN AO HILANG DIDUNIA'. Kita daripada salasilah dan keturunan Awang Osman akan maju ke hadapan menjadi kerabat yang berkuasa, berketerampilan, berharta, berpengaruh dan berpelajaran . AO akan bangun sebagai kerabat yang megah, bercita-cita tinggi serta manjadi rakyat Malaysia yang berguna. Ingat pesanan Sir Shariff Awang Osman 'Fly the Awang Osman Flag High', kita akan mengarak Panji-Panji Awang Osman ke mana saja kita berada. 

Yang Berusaha, 

Dato' Daud bin Daros (AO) 

Yang Dipertua Persatuan Kerabat Awang Osman Malaysia

2012

Lima Kebaikan Merokok??

5 Kebaikan Merokok 

1. Merokok dapat mengurangkan risiko menjalani pembedahan lutut Seorang perokok mungkin pokai kerana kehabisan wang membeli berkotak-kotak rokok, namun mereka masih boleh menyelamatkan wang mereka pada masa hadapan daripada menjalani pembedahan lutut. Ini kerana kajian yang telah dilakukan mendapati mereka yang merokok kurang mengalami risiko pembedahan tisu penyambung di bahagian lutut berbanding mereka yang tidak merokok. Kajian ini telah dilakukan di Universiti Adelaide, Australia dan telah disiarkan di jurnal Arthritis & Rheumatism isu keluaran Julai 2011. Namun bagaimanakah kaitannya? Pembedahan penggantian tisu lutut biasanya terjadi di kalangan mereka yang obes dan juga mereka yang gemar berjogging. Walaubagaimanapun, perokok didapati jarang berjogging dan juga tidak cenderung untuk mengalami obesiti. Inilah sebabnya mengapa perokok kurang risiko menjalani pembedahan lutut. Selain itu, dalam beberapa kajian yang telah dilakukan, pengkaji juga gagal mengaitkan risiko kejadian tulang rapuh dengan tabiat merokok. Mereka berpendapat bahawa nikotin di dalam tembakau telah melindungi tisu di lutut daripada musnah. Kemungkinan inilah sebabnya mengapa perokok boleh terselamat daripada mengalami penyakit kerosakan tisu lutut. 

2. Merokok mengurangkan risiko terkena penyakit Parkinson Beberapa kajian yang telah dilakukan juga mendapati mereka yang merokok kurang terdedah kepada risiko penyakit Parkinson. Ini telah didedahkan dalam jurnal neurologi isu keluaran Mac 2010. Menurut jurnal tersebut, semakin meningkat jumlah tahun danjuga jumlah rokok yang dihisap, semakin meningkat kesan perlindungan seorang  individu terhadap penyakit Parkinson. Pengkaji-pengkaji daripada Universiti Harvard adalah di antara yang pertama mendapat bukti meyakinkan bahawa perokok kurang terdedah kepada risiko Parkinson. Walaubagaimanapun, kajian lain yang telah dilakukan dan diterbitkan di dalam jurnal Neurologi isu keluaran Mac 2007 sebaliknya mendapati kesan perlindungan seorang individu terhadap Parkinson berkurangan sekiranya perokok berhenti daripada merokok. Para pengkaji ini membuat kesimpulan di dalam kajian sains khas mereka bahawa mereka tidak mempunyai jawapan bagaimana perkara ini boleh terjadi. 

3. Merokok juga mengurangkan risiko mengalami obesiti Nikotin di dalam rokok bertindak sebagai 'pengurang' selera makan. Perkara ini telah diketahui berabad lamanya iaitu semenjak zaman Christopher Colombus lagi. Pada tahun 1920, pembuat rokok mensasarkan rokok kepada golongan wanita yang menganggap merokok dapat melangsingkan badan mereka. Suatu kajian yang diterbitkan di dalam sebuah jurnal bertajuk Psikologi dan Tingkahlaku isu keluaran Julai 2011 mendapati faktor utama mengapa seorang perokok sukar berhenti merokok adalah kerana faktor berat badan yang mungkin naik sekiranya mereka berhenti merokok, selain daripada faktor ketagihan. Kaitan di antara kenaikan berat badan dan berhenti merokok sangat sukar diperjelaskan. Tabiat merokok akan menyebabkan perubahan tingkahlaku di mana perokok akan kurang makan. Sebagai 'pengurang' selera makan, merokok juga akan menyebabkan makanan yang dimakan kurang sedap seterusnya mengurangkan selera makan. Seorang pengkaji dari Yale melakukan kajian terhadap tikus yang diberi nikotin dan tindakbalas 'hipotalamus' otak tikus menjadikan tikus tersebut kurang selera makan dan kajian ini diterbitkan pada isu keluaran Jun 10, 2011 dalam jurnal Sains. Tiada seorang doktor pun yang akan menyarankan rokok sebagai pengawal berat badan, selain daripada faktor rokok itu sendiri yang mengandungi berbagai bahan kimia beracun. Kajian yang dilakukan di Yale ini bagaimanapun telah membuka mata kepada mereka yang menghidap obesiti dan cuba menggunakan ubatan berbahaya sebagai alternatif untuk menurunkan berat badan dengan menggantikan ubatan berbahaya tersebut kepada rokok. 

4. Merokok mengurangkan risiko kematian akibat serangan jantung Berbanding mereka yang tidak merokok, kadar kematian seorang perokok akibat serangan jantung adalah kurang berbanding mereka yang tidak merokok. Perokok juga didapati lebih harapan untuk sembuh apabila menjalani rawatan jantung seperti 'fibrinolytic'(penggunaan ubatan tertentu) dan juga 'angioplasty' iaitu kaedah rawatan menggunakan 'belon' dan  'tiub' di dalam arteri berbanding mereka yang menghidap penyakit jantung tetapi tidak merokok. Terdapat sebab yang menarik mengapa perkara ini berlaku. Perokok cenderung mengalami luka di dalam arteri yang menyebabkan pengumpulan 'plak' dan lemak di dalam arteri mereka. Oleh itu teori mengapa perokok lebih mempunyai harapan berbanding mereka yang tidak merokok selepas beberapa kaedah rawatan dilakukan adalah kerana mereka mengalami serangan jantung pada usia muda iaitu lebih kurang 10 tahun lebih muda daripada mereka yang tidak merokok.(plak dan lemak yang terkumpul tidak pada tahap yang serius pada usia yang muda). Suatu kajian yang diterbitkan pada isu keluaran Ogos 2005 jurnal bertajuk 'American Heart' walaubagaimanapun menyangkal dakwaan ini dengan menyatakan bahawa faktor umur sahaja tidak memadai bagi menerangkan perbezaan kelebihan antara mereka yang merokok dan tidak, dan juga paradoks yang mengatakan bahawa merokok membawa kebaikan dan sebagainya. Tiada teori selanjutnya bagi menyangkal dakwaan ini dikeluarkan selepas itu. 

5. Merokok membantu ubat 'clopidogrel' berfungsi dengan lebih baik 'Clopidogrel' ialah sejenis ubat yang digunakan bagi menghalang darah menjadi pekat dan bermanfaat kepada mereka yang menghidap penyakit koronari arteri dan penyakit saluran darah lain kerana ia dapat mengurangkan risiko terkena 'strok' dan serangan jantung. Merokok didapati membantu 'clopidogrel' berfungsi dengan lebih baik. Suatu kajian dilakukan oleh pengkaji dari Korea dalam isu keluaran Oktober 2010 dalam jurnal bertajuk 'Kajian Trombosis' sebagai lanjutan daripada hasil kajian dilakukan oleh pengkaji dari Harvard yang diterbitkan pada 2009 adalah bagi menunjukkan kebaikan merokok 10 batang rokok sehari. Dalam kajian tersebut didapati terdapat sesuatu di dalam rokok yang akan mengaktifkan sejenis protein dipanggil 'sitokrom' yang akan mengubah 'clopidogrel' ke tahap yang lebih aktif. Sekali lagi, tiada seorang pun doktor bertauliah yang akan menggalakkan pesakitnya menghisap rokok bagi menjadikan 'clopidogrel' lebih baik. Tetapi kelebihan merokok ini dan juga 4 kelebihan lain yang telah disebutkan tadi menunjukkan kepada kita bahawa tembakau dan nikotin (tidak termasuk tumbuhan beracun yang lain) mempunyai beberapa kebaikan dan ianya amat berguna sebagai nilai tambah di dalam rawatan penyakit tertentu pada masa hadapan. 

*p/s:* Biar betul???