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FLYING START Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:15 AM PDT 2011/07/31 By Ahmad Fairuz Othman Pupils join 1,000 people at the launch of the state-level 'Fly the Jalur Gemilang' campaign in Gelang Patah PRIMARY and secondary schoolers were among the 1,000 participants who took part in the launch of the state-level "Fly the Jalur Gemilang" ceremony at the public field in Gelang Patah last week. The youths were from Gelang Patah, and the nearby Pontian and Johor Baru districts. Some of the secondary school students were decked in Malaysian Red Crescent, Persatuan Puteri Islam as well as police and navy cadet uniforms. The younger primary school pupils looked adorable in their caps, track pants and T-shirts. All of them waved the Jalur Gemilang flag. Even a toddler was seen carrying two Jalur Gemilang to show his patriotic spirit. There were several contingents from government departments and agencies, all in colourful outfits. Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, state executive council members and head of government departments were also present. The ceremony began at about 2pm with the arrival of Ghani and his entourage. A marching band from Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar (MSAB) in Johor Baru, was among the first to emerge during a marchpast of all contingents from schools and government agencies. When the participants took their positions at the field, the crowd stood up to sing Lagu Bangsa Johor and the Negaraku. Large Johor and Jalur Gemilang flags were hoisted when the two anthems were sung. There was a patriotic poem entitled Ini Merdeka Kita (This is Our Independence) which was read by renowned poet, Shamsul Abdul Wahab. A highlight of the ceremony was an aerobic-cum-dance routine performed by more than 300 primary school pupils from Gelang Patah. They kicked, jumped and twirled to an energetic tune much to the amusement of the audience. An MSAB music teacher, Farizan Mansur, had only good things to say about the event, which she described as among the liveliest she had ever attended. "The school marching band has been invited to many Merdeka celebrations in previous years, but this is definitely one of the biggest and liveliest," she said. "There were many people here and they put in much effort to put on a good show for the guests of honour, especially the Menteri Besar." The 30 members of the MSAB marching band had been practising twice a week for the past few months to prepare for the ceremony. They performed the familiar Perajurit, Olahraga Malaysia and Kemegahan during their marchpast routine. Drum major Akashah Afiq Azmer, 16, said the Fly The Jalur Gemilang event helped to impart a sense of patriotism among youngsters. "It is great to see everyone in the marchpast holding up a Jalur Gemilang and singing patriotic songs. I also made many new friends during this event. It was definitely a fun experience," said Akashah, who had started in the marching band as a percussionist. In his speech, Ghani urged Johoreans to raise the Jalur Gemilang at home, on their vehicles and in their offices to show their patriotic spirit. "The flag is a symbol of the country's independence, so fly it proudly. It represents our identity as Malaysians. "Just imagine that prior to independence, the older generation had to sing God Save the Queen while raising the Union Jack. We must not take our national flag for granted. Raise the Jalur Gemilang because it represents our victory against colonialism," said Ghani, who also distributed the Jalur Gemilang to the convoy of motorbike riders who also participated in the ceremony. State Unity, Human Resources, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman, M. Asojan, meanwhile said that the Johor-level Merdeka celebration would be held in Batu Pahat on Sept 10, with simultaneous district-level celebrations the following day. He said 2,000 Jalur Gemilang have been distributed to the sub-district coordinating committees at each state constituency in Johor in conjunction with the Merdeka month celebration. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

Rashid dedicates life to batik Posted: 31 Jul 2011 09:29 AM PDT Rashid Abdul Samad in his batik workshop. — Picture by Ikhwan Muhammad BATIK continues to enjoy a demand due to the creativity and enterprise of batik painters. Kelantan-born Rashid Abdul Samad, 44, who lives at Kampung Pengkalan Batu, Mersing, picked up batik painting from the Malaysian Handicraft Board branch in Kota Baru. After he moved to Mersing 20 years ago, he began his batik workshop with RM5,000 in capital. His efforts were slowly recognised by lovers of local handicraft and he later set up a RM8,000 workshop with the help of the state Agriculture Department. Rashid also received a RM6,000 loan from Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (Tekun) and another RM12,000 loan from Mara to expand his workshop. He said he began selling his batik at home but later received orders from government departments, schools and individual buyers. "With an income of about RM1,000 a month, I can heave a sigh of relief as I am able to employ two workers, repay my loans and also fend for my family," he said. Rashid's steady stream of customers consists of both locals and tourists. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

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