Rumor mills keep on turning...

Technorati tags: Rumors, Tun Dr Mahathir, Rumor Mill

Spreading rumors - it's definitely one of Malaysia's favorite pastimes - apart from gossiping. Now rumors in themselves are, by definition, unconfirmed news usually spread by word of mouth. And not necessarily malicious in nature. These days, though, they're frequently via SMS's - the high-tech word of mouth for the new millenium.

But rumors, while not intended to be malicious initially, end up that way sometimes, and as information gets passed on from one person to the next, details get fuzzy and sometimes exaggerated.

And so it came as no surprise that yesterday, Walski received an SMS from Marina M. asking him to assist her in dispelling rumors that her dad, Tun Dr. Mahathir, had passed on. Apparently, she's been getting condolence messages over the past few days.

Yes, it's true, TDM had to undergo a second surgery. And yes, it's true that his condition is critical, but stable. The old man is made of sterner stuff, and God-willing, is on the mend, slowly but surely.

To rephrase what Mark Twain once said: the rumors of Dr. Mahathir's demise are greatly exaggerated. What he needs now are your prayers and positive energy... and not rumors.

The best way to verify anything you happen to hear about TDM is to check out Marina M.'s blog, which she's been diligently updating to provide what's happening with the old man, health-wise. And quite undestandably so, diligently updating the Tun's condition to the point that she's not been writing about much else.

And your job, as a thinking individual, is to verify something you hear, before you merrily spread the word. Assuming, of course, you are a thinking individual.

Yeah, it's sometimes fun to share information you think is privileged - but verify it first. The last thing you wanna do is spread half-truths and unconfirmed, exaggerated reports about this, that and the other, and end up making a right nuisance of yourself.

Leave that to the politicians.