Lotus must live up to its name, says Dr M

NORFOLK (England): Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wants the Lotus F1 racing team to achieve success by living up to the brand’s legendary name.

The former Prime Minister said the Malaysian-backed team had a mission since taking the Lotus name and reputation so “they jolly well deliver on that”.

“Lotus is a very famous name and if they fail, that is not going to be good for them,” he told newsmen after opening the Lotus racing factory in Hingham, eastern England, on Monday.

Dr Mahathir, who is Proton adviser, was later assisted in firing up the engine of the Lotus F1 racing car – the Cosworth T127 – while seated behind the wheel.

Ready to roll: Dr Mahathir sitting in the Lotus F1 racing car after opening the factory in Hingham on Monday. Giving him the thumbsup are (from left) Kovalainen, Fairuz and Trulli.

Present were team principal Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, his two deputies Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and S.M. Nasarudin, CEO Riad Asmat, chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne and the three drivers Fairuz Fauzy, Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen.

Touted as the Father of Motor Racing in Malaysia, Dr Mahathir is the visionary behind the birth of the Sepang International Circuit and the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Asked on the significance of his visit, he said he came because he did not believe the team could get the car ready in time (for the season opening race in Bahrain on March 14).

“So, I challenged them, you get the car ready and I will come and sit in it.”

“Well, I lost my bet but fortunately, no money is involved,” he said to laughter all round.

Dr Mahathir said normally, it would take a year or more to build a racing car but it took the team only five months to build it from scratch.

To a suggestion that the team’s low operational budget could hinder its performance, he said ‘‘We can work with a small budget. It is okay, we can do it”, referring to reports of the team’s one-third budget compared with McLaren’s.

Fernandes said it was not just about money but about Malaysian innovation, ingenuity, passion and people.

He drew attention to a question by CNN once on how the team could compete when Toyota and Honda had pulled out.

“I said AirAsia made more money than Japan Airlines and All-Nippon Airways,” he said, adding the team was also competing against Ferrari which had been racing since 1930.

He said history had shown that those with huge budgets did not necessarily always succeed.

*Taken from The Star Online

Third 1Malaysia clinic now open

KUANTAN: The people in Kampung Padang Jaya near here will no longer have to go to a nearby town for basic medical care after a 1Malaysia clinic was opened there.It was the third such clinic in the state after the first two were opened in Kampung Kempadang near here and in Temerloh, last month.

Some 10,000 residents in Kampung Padang Jaya and neighbouring areas will be able to seek treatment at the clinic.

Staff nurse Hafizannor Yusuf, 36, said since the clinic opened on Jan 4, they had treated about 2,000 patients.

"The high number of patients shows that the public are confident with the quality of services we provide."

The clinic also serves patients from other neighbouring areas as the nearest clinic is located 15km away in the town and Sungai Lembing.

Sukarno Lohim, a 45-year-old government servant, said the clinic had made it easier for the residents to get basic medical care.

"The service is good as I don't have to wait too long.

"It's also located near my house so I don't need to go to town to seek treatment for minor illnesses."

The 1Malaysia clinic has been set up to provide the poor and lower-income people with medical treatment for minor illnesses at a minimal cost.

It is being manned by qualified medical assistants who can handle minor cases such as fever, cold, flu and asthma. The clinic also provides the nebuliser for chronic asthmatic patients.

*Taken from NST Online

Malaysian RM100 two-year passports available now

PETALING JAYA: Applicants for the new Malaysian e-passport can obtain them at the current price from the Immigration Department.

According to a department statement, Malaysians can apply for the 32-page e-passport which is valid for two years and costs RM100.

A 32-page passport valid for three years costs RM300 while the 64-page one, valid for five years, costs RM600.

The e-passport was launched by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein on Feb 2.

It has upgraded security features in the form of a new microchip and higher resolution photographs, which comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.

The data stored in the new passports can be read in at least 74 countries.

Hishammudin said the enhanced security features of the new e-passport allowed for better monitoring of Malaysians who overstayed in foreign countries and could not be easily forged.

He added that Malaysians need not change their passports as they would be issued with the new ones upon renewal.

*Taken from The Star Online