Tuesday, November 1, 1988
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Malak should be looking for a job
A "Voices" letter from Linda Miller.
ALEXANDER — I think it is interesting that the governor wants to give
Dr. Fahmy Malak a raise. Considering all the cases he has made mistakes
on lately, I would think he would be looking for other employment.
In most cases when you make several errors in a short time in your
work, you are either demoted or fired. And considering the importance
of the job Malak is supposed to be doing, I think he should be seeking
employment else where.
I sat in a hearing when Malak testified on his findings concerning the
two boys killed in Alexander. I found the man to be extremely arrogant,
rude, unsympathetic and cruel, not to mention unprofessional and not too
knowledgeable on the effects of marijuana.
I am not a pathologist or a drug user, but even I know that it would be
close to impossible to smoke 20 joints in a few hours and lay my body
neatly beside my friend on a railroad track. If I had smoked that much I
doubt I could even find the tracks, let alone lay down straight between
the rails in such a manner.
He also stated that if anyone was responsible for the boys death, it
was the engineer for not stopping the train in time—as if that were
within the realm of possibility. I though that statement was not only
cruel but stupid. ·
There are several other cases in question that the almighty Malak has
made rulings in error: the man at the rest home and two children who
were killed, all ruled as accidental or natural causes. So by all
means, let's give this great man a raise. You always reward employees
for not doing their jobs.
I think the governor needs to read the papers and review the facts a little more before he starts handing out raises. If he wants to give someone a raise, give it to someone who deserves it—like our teachers who bravely go into the class room to teach our children or the families of victims who have to fight to find out the truth about their loved one's death.