Sound easy? Of course,it is much easier to lose than to win.In any competition,there is only one winner,the rest are losers of different degrees.
UK government is going to pay her citizens if they lose weight! Here is the link to the article.Using simple arithmetics,it is cheaper to pay the over-weights and obese people to lose their weighty problems than to provide health-care services as a result of being fat.
I don't have statistics for obese Malaysians but I am looking at one of them right in front of me now-bulging out and cause unnecessary stress to my backbone.I am one of them! When I go shopping at pasar malam or at shopping complexes,I see many,many fat people-very seldom I see thin Malaysians. As they say,eating is our national pastime.So, what else could we expect?
The political thermometer is moving to the 100 Deg F now.If I may suggest to any political party to include in their manifesto that if they are elected,all fat Malaysians call claim cash redemption of RM1,000 per kg of weight lost;-) That will turn our playing fields full of people -just like pasar malam now!
On personal note,if I may suggest to the government,all capital cost of sport equipments(like buying a bicycle as an example) that could help Malaysian tax payers to become healthier,will be given a full tax rebate.
New s from Telegraph:
The battle over Britons' bulging waistlines
The Government has tried reasoning with us about our weight. It has tried frightening us. It has even tried threatening us. All to no avail.
Britons just keep getting fatter: by 2050, only 10 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women will be the right weight for their height. So now there is a new idea: to fight greed with greed.
Those who try to lose weight will be offered motivational interviews and access to health clubs; those who succeed will get trophies, fruit baskets, vouchers or even hard cash.
We hope that these incentives do the trick - not least because of the tendency of the authorities to resort to coercion when persuasion fails.
It is easy to imagine the criminalisation not only of unhealthy food, but of the sedentary lifestyle itself - televisions that can only be powered by treadmill, or sofas that deliver periodic electric shocks. The war on waists has only just begun.
Dear Pak Adib,
Just to comment on your previous post on Gamelan, I was there to accompany my mother at the same wedding and the Gamelan Group is the UITM group which I used to join and perform during my student years.
Posted by: meandbaby | Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 07:26 PM
I was penyambut tetamu.Tan Sri was my ex-boss during JKR days.Next time,please say hello.Thanks.
Posted by: Adib | Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 10:04 PM
Great idea. The govt will benefit as by keeping tax payers healthy, they can collect tax for a much longer period!
However, I don't think it will work. The kiasu ones will lose weight, collect their money, and then overindulge on food with using their recent windfall!
Posted by: Gabra | Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 07:16 AM
Externally imposed/seduced change is not easy to maintained.I believe the need to change must come from deep inside us...
Any,let see how is the outcome of the British experiment;-)
Posted by: Adib | Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 08:52 AM
Pak Adib,
Over the years we have witnessed the dwindling in size and numbers of playing fields be it school fields or public fields. Since school compounds are fenced up, they become inaccessible to the public and now they have nowhere to play. No wonder Malaysia doesn't have the depth to get new players to replace the old ones. The new generations are playing games on computers!
When I was in Japan I was amazed to see the number of playing fields avaiable to them despite lands are scarce to them. Any avaialable areas are converted to playing fields. Not in Malaysia where any available space will be converted to housing areas to make more money for the developers.
Obese japanese is a rare sight. How did they manage to do it?
Posted by: Zawi | Monday, January 28, 2008 at 08:49 AM