It is said that freedom requires eternal vigilance. This tends to direct a focused attention onto the daily news, which in Malaysia is force fed to a news hungry populace, heavily laced with untruth and a political slant worthy of the crudest intellect. How are the citizens to improve in their three r's when the national leadership sets such a poor example?

The pm himself reflects the current level of academic malaise. In his arithmetic lesson for today he states that 90,000 people attended the formula one race. Is that an accurate count? How was it arrived at? Perhaps he picked it from the air, offering it as a statistic worthy of admiration. If so, he offers himself as an object of ridicule.

The 90,000 visitors included an unknown contingent of foreign tourists, who, according to the pm, have contributed RM1 billion to the Malaysian economy. It is not known exactly how many foreigners attended the race. To be absolutely fair, let us assume that more than half are foreigners bringing in new money. Taking 50,000 as an approximation, that works out to RM20,000 per person. For a couple, that is an average of RM40,000 to cover the race tickets, taxi fare, meals, and hotel bills.

Perhaps to the pm this is a realistic amount. He may be surprised to learn that most people, even when going on vacation for two whole weeks, do not spend that much money. If the number of foreigners is substantially less than this questionable figure, the numbers become even more suspect. If there are only 10,000 foreigners visiting to attend the F1 race, then the average amount of money they would need to spend is RM100,000 each, or RM200,000 for a couple.

These sums seem on the high side. Perhaps it is only a first approximation. Is the pm really so weak in arithmetic, or is he perhaps just stretching the truth again in an effort to cover the debacle of the racetrack?

Petronas, as the sponsor of the race, pays a fixed sum to the race organizer. From this check he then arranges transportation and lodging for the racing teams, along with all their other expenses. He keeps the difference as his profit. Petronas belongs to the people of Malaysia, though the pm seems to think it is his personal petty cash purse.

The gross receipts from ticket sales, both individual and corporate, should be announced to the public. The fee paid to the race organizer should be told. The expense of advertising the race should be revealed, along with all other costs. Only in this way can anyone appreciate whether there is any wisdom in holding this event in Malaysia again.

Other countries have totally excluded the participation of cigarette companies in the races held on their concrete. What is the contribution of Marlboro and other cigarette brands to this Malaysian race, in exchange for their extensive advertising? We need to ask some pertinent questions concerning all aspects of the racing game, and the support of tobacco companies in furthering its development.

Singapore and Australia have both joined the worldwide campaign initiated by WHO against the tobacco companies. Smoking is declining in both countries. In subsequent years the people will enjoy longer and healthier lives. The Umno-BN government in Malaysia has not joined this worldwide effort, yet it claims to be a modern country with visions of electronic sugarplums in the children's heads. In Malaysia the number of smokers is increasing. This is especially true among the youth. The ministers all know this.

The Finance minister has prepared a new budget for 2001, and both he and the pm promise that this budget will be "people friendly." Yet the cigarette advertising continues, with the logo of the Youth and Sports Ministry and the RTM logo of the Information ministry on each billboard.