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Imported rice sufficient to meet Aidilfitri demand in Sabah Posted: 14 Aug 2011 09:05 PM PDT SANDAKAN: The supply of imported rice in Sabah is sufficient to meet the demand for the coming Aidilfitri, Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) board member Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said. He said Sabah has 101,803 tonnes of imported rice which will be able to meet the demand for up to six months. "There is no need to worry about rice supply because Bernas continuously monitors the situation to ensure supply is sufficient particularly in facing the festive season," he said at the breaking of fast with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman at the Al-Fajr Mosque, here yesterday. Abdul Rahman said Bernas will also ensure imported rice is of high quality and sold at a reasonable price. He also said that Bernas consistently implemented numerous corporate social responsibility programmes to help farmers and those from challenging economic background. This includes giving out assistance to 150 orphanages nationwide. In Sabah, nine orphanages benefited from the programme. At the event, Bernas handed over RM10,000 in financial assistance to five orphanages namely the Al-Aman Orphanage in Tawau, Ar-Raudhoh Orphanage in Beaufort, Putera Harapan Orphanage in Ranau, Suria Orphanage in Tuaran and Darul Bakti Orphanage in Kota Belud. -- BERNAMA Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

Video of Asyraf assault watched by nearly 3 million Posted: 14 Aug 2011 09:01 PM PDT LONDON: According to British monitoring sources, the YouTube video clip of the brutal assault on and subsequent robbery of 20-year-old Malaysian student Mohd Asyraf Haziq Rosli in Barking, East London, has been watched nearly three million times. This is the highest watched single clip of the recent rioting and looting in London and other cities of Britain, according to British sources. "Word of mouth about the brutal attack on the Malaysian student has got around so fast that almost everybody I know wants to see the clip on YouTube. People have been moved by the student's plight and the courageous front he has put up," said Percy Higgins, a London based chemist in a telephone conversation with Bernama. Asyraf, who was discharged from the hospital after surgery, spoke to journalists, and said that he had no grudge or ill-feeling against Britons. He said that he would pursue his higher studies in accounting in London, the reason why he had come to Britain. Asyraf's parents had urged their son to return to Malaysia and continue his studies there. Prime Minister David Cameron, who has also apparently seen the film, described the attack on the Malaysian student as a "defining moment", condemning it as "sick" and "disgusting". Describing the rioting as "criminality, pure and simple", Cameron announced a series of measures aimed at bringing to justice all those who were behind the attack, and said the perpetrators would be punished according to the law. The first arrest in connection with the attack on and robbery of Asyraf has already been made. Reese Donovan, who appears to be in his early 20s and lives near East London, was charged with robbing Asyraf of his Nokia mobile phone and a Sony PSP console. Donovan is allegedly one of the gang members who, posing as good Samaritans, helped the Malaysian student get up from the ground where he lay bleeding after his jaw was broken by street marauders in an earlier attack on him. The footage of the clip showed that Donovan, instead of helping him, allegedly rummaged through Asyraf's rucksack and removed the items as other members distracted him. The items removed from Asyraf's rucksack were said to be worth 300 pounds. Asyraf was riding a bicycle on his way to meet a friend when he was attacked by a gang of boys. His bicycle was stolen by a boy who, Asyraf estimated, was not older than 12. In an outpouring seldom witnessed in Britain for a foreigner, Britons criticized the cowardly act and the even "more sickening robbery of the poor victim". A website has been set up called "Let's Do Something Nice For Asyraf Haziq" to raise money for him. A message on the website announced that almost 4,000 pounds had been donated by Wednesday night. Doctors have put a metal plate in his jaw which, Asyraf said, "so far is good". -- BERNAMA Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

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RM1.1m for clean water in Kelantan Posted: 15 Mar 2011 01:24 AM PDT RM1.1m for clean water in Kelantan 2010/11/01 By NST team in Gua Musang, Kelantan news@nst.com.my GUA MUSANG: The health ministry has allocated RM1.1 million to the Kelantan state government to implement rural water development projects to ensure people living in rural areas receive clean and adequate water supply. Deputy health minister Datuk Rosnah Abd Shirlin said the projects consist of controlled wells, feed gravity system as well as piped connection from Syarikat Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (AKSB). "The allocation is channelled to state health department to implement the projects," she said after attending the handing-over of the projects to Sungai Terah residents here. She said to date, Kelantan received 84.7 per cent of clean water supply encompassing 223,115 households. Only 40,212 households have yet to have clean water supplied by the ministry or by AKSB. She expressed hopes that Gua Musang will receive 100 per cent water supply as soon as possible. To ensure the water is safe for consumption, she adviced residents to follow a few simple rules, namely: Boil water before drinking; The wells and feed gravity system need to be chlorinated periodically to kill off bacteria and reduce contamination risk; and Trees or plants near water catchment areas should not be cut down to prevent the water source from drying up. She also said this year, Kelantan has recorded six cholera, 28 typhoid and 2,168 food poisoning cases to date. "These diseases still pose a risk to rural folk," she said. Air your comment on this issue: RM1.1m for clean water in Kelantan Log in with your Facebook account or use the form below to comment. New Straits Times reserves the right not to publish offensive or abusive comments and those of hate speech, harassment, commercial promos and invasion of privacy. Your IP will be logged and may be used to prevent further submission.The views expressed here are that of the members of the public and unless specifically stated are not those of NST. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

MCA praises PM Posted: 10 Mar 2011 02:44 PM PST MCA praises PM 2010/11/15 By Chong Chee Seong MUAR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's achievements since taking over the mantle of the country last April had received praise from MCA. In commending Najib for his hard work, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said Barisan Nasional's victories in the Nov 4 Galas and Batu Sapi by-elections were due to the people's acceptance of Najib's 1Malaysia concept. Dr Chua said the Chinese were pragmatic people who will support the Prime Minister for doing what is good for the country. "MCA is confident the results (of two by-elections) will serve as momentum to regain support of the community for the next general election," he said after opening a RM500,000 building and a hall in the SJKC Chung Hwa 3 last Thursday. The speech was made on Dr Chua's behalf by Johor MCA secretary Tay Puay Chuan, who is also MCA Muar division chief. Dr Chua said Najib's assurance that BN pledges in Galas and Batu Sapi would be fulfilled was a positive step to win the trust and confidence of the people. He said by making continuous changes, BN would become a party that will received strong support. "The victory of the two by-elections is an indication that BN's is ready and will do well in the next general election." Dr Chua also said the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) was a clear-cut strategy and a roadmap towards making Malaysia a high-income economy. Earlier, deputy youth and sports minister Datuk Razali Ibrahim, who is also the Muar MP, said investment in education was not measured by ringgit and sen but by quality. Air your comment on this issue: MCA praises PM Log in with your Facebook account or use the form below to comment. New Straits Times reserves the right not to publish offensive or abusive comments and those of hate speech, harassment, commercial promos and invasion of privacy. Your IP will be logged and may be used to prevent further submission.The views expressed here are that of the members of the public and unless specifically stated are not those of NST. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

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AirAsia Philippine to take delivery of 4 planes Posted: 14 Aug 2011 07:51 PM PDT AirAsia Bhd's Philippine unit will take delivery of four aircraft from this year until 2012, including an Airbus A320 that's arriving at the Clark freeport zone today, the company said in a statement today. The company is awaiting regulatory approval to offer flights from the Philippines to Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Bangkok and Incheon as well as in two local destinations, it said. -- Bloomberg Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

IJM climbs on possible RM9b orderbook Posted: 14 Aug 2011 07:29 PM PDT IJM Corp rose the most in three weeks in Kuala Lumpur trading after UOB-Kay Hian Holdings Ltd said the Malaysian builder's orderbook may reach RM9 billion this year. The stock climbed 1.9 per cent to RM5.92 at 10:08 a.m. local time, set for its biggest gain since July 21. -- Bloomberg Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

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Badminton / World Championships: Chong Wei bows to Lin Dan again Posted: 14 Aug 2011 05:41 PM PDT 2011/08/15 Vijesh Rai rai@nst.com.my HIS apology to Malaysia was from the heart but Lee Chong Wei vowed to not only go for gold in the London Olympics next year but also make one more assault on the World Championships in 2013 before hanging up his racquet. The disappointment that he must have been nursing was well masked but there were times during the press conference that Chong Wei looked like he would break down -- as he did during the medal presentation -- but there was also a steely resolve visible. Having settled for second place for a third time after also losing to Lin Dan in the 2008 Olympics and last year's Asian Games, Chong Wei could have been forgiven for thinking that he is just not destined to win a major. But yesterday's result, which saw him coming within a point of claiming the World Championships title at London's Wembley Arena before losing 22-20, 14-21, 23-21, has made the shuttler even more determined. "I apologise to Malaysia for I know that the whole country was behind me. I tried my best but it was not to be and I hope that they will forgive me," said Chong Wei, who needed medical treatment for cramps and nausea after the 86-minute final. It was a final that had everything as momentum swung from end to end but when it came to the crucial moments, it was Lin Dan who was the better. "His quality is such that he refuses to give up. He came back when I led 16-14 in the rubber game and even when I held matchpoint at 20-19 and 21-20. "He was willing to take risks and that was the difference as I tried to play safe. He is a great player but what makes me happy, despite the defeat, is that I have narrowed the gap with him and this can only mean good for me," said the World No 1. The ranking, though, would stand for nothing if Chong Wei doesn't land a major before retiring and the 29-year-old said this is exactly what he plans to do. "I have a good chance in next year's Olympics and I am going to try for the world title one more time. I have unfinished business in the World Championships and both these tournaments will be what I will focus on from now on." The World Championships will not be contested next year but Chong Wei said he will immediately start preparing for the Olympics, which are in less than a year's time. "I will need help from all quarters, especially as we can be sure that China will unleash all their players from now on. I don't only have to worry about Lin Dan but also Chen Jin, Chen Long and Du Pengyu. There are also the rest of the nations to worry about and my programme must cater for all these." On current form, it does seem like Lin Dan is the only player capable of stopping Chong Wei from winning Olympic gold but the Malaysian said he had been boosted by his performance yesterday. "Lin Dan won the title and was the better player during the crucial moments but I was not too far behind. Nothing much separates us and victory is always going to go to the player who performs better on matchday. "I had my chances but didn't take them while he did but this is not the end for I will continue trying to deliver what Malaysia wants." RESULTS All FINALS :— Men's singles: Lin Dan (Chn) bt Lee Chong Wei (Mas) 20-22, 21-14, 23-21. Doubles: Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (Chn) bt Ko Sung Hyun-Yoo Yeon Seong (Kor) 24-22 21-16. Women's singles: Wang Yihan (Chn) bt Cheng Shao Chieh (Tai) 21-15, 21-10. Doubles: Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang (Chn) bt Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei (Chn) 22-20, 21-11. Mixed doubles: Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei (Chi) bt Chris Adcock (Eng)-Imogen Bankier (Sco) 21-15, 21-7 Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

Badminton: The narrow line that separates them Posted: 14 Aug 2011 05:30 PM PDT 2011/08/15 Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz Taufik Hidayat suffered a defeat at the hands of Singaporean Derek Wong. AS I sat comfortably in the upper tier in the middle section to watch the first two days' proceedings with the gentle patter of polite applause wafting through the air at Wembley Arena, it feels like as if I am in a parallel universe, with the maelstrom of mindless violence, arson and looting elsewhere in London and in the UK. The nearest hotspot of youthful thuggery was in Enfield and the only sign of potential trouble yesterday was when the shops closed early at 3pm and the local Curry's electronics outlet proactively boarded up its front entrance. I found it quite amusing to read of Beijing's castigation of London's authorities, casting aspersions towards security for next year's Olympics. Perhaps Beijing would like to offer its expertise and experience in dealing with the masses at such a supreme sports event? Lee Chong Wei has always been in top shape in terms of his conditioning, thanks to the dedicated work of ISN's Roesdi Ghani, who has been taking care of his conditioning work even before Li Mao started coaching him. What makes a difference this year is that Chong Wei is finally injury-free after such a long time with a run of three injuries in succession that took an inordinately long-time to clear up, with such a busy schedule affording inadequate time for complete recovery. Credit must go to BAM for complying with our request to curtail the number of matches in his competition schedule since last year. As luck would have it for Chong Wei, China's fifth-seeded Chen Long was defeated by Kevin Cordon, a total unknown from Guatemala. As an expected opponent in the quarter-finals, a tough encounter with Chen Long was on the cards. Taufik Hidayat had also just suffered a defeat at the hands of Singaporean Derek Wong, and so did Marc Zwiebler of Germany against Spaniard Pablo Abian. What this underscores, though, is how narrow the line is that separates the top players from the rest; a line that grows even thinner if one is troubled by an injury that, whilst not severe enough to exclude one's participation, it would still wreak havoc on one's well-laid plans. An athlete simply needs to be in top shape, injury-free, stable of mind and spirit; all of these are not mutually exclusive, with each one having an influence on the others. Imagine how supremely confident an athlete would feel - with finely-honed physical condition, with no injuries to cause any anxiety, no personal problems or busy social schedule that would be unwelcome distraction. As one cannot really be too forthcoming about an injury niggle for obvious reasons, outwardly when a defeat comes the picture is one of "mental weakness". It's never as simple as that. Many armchair critics would be quick to make such a diagnosis, not really aware of a whole-host of factors that contribute to defeat, which also includes not understanding and playing to one's strengths. The one-week training stint at the University of Bath in Somerset, UK was planned to bring out the best of the players involved, with none of the sort of distractions that may hamper preparations. It is not merely an exercise in environmental acclimatisation. The main reasons are several folds; firstly to address the seven-hour time difference that requires being in the UK one day for each hour of time difference. Thus being at the Sports Training Village (STV) at Bath University affords a physical and physiological opportunity to get properly settled in and sorted out. Time and again, athletes would fly in just days before such a big event and suffer an unexpected defeat in the early rounds. Other countries from far-off shores are doing the same; we'd heard that four Indonesian players were preparing in Belfast for a similar duration and the Singaporean players were training with their English counterparts in Milton Keynes. The STV's superb training halls and conditioning centre provide continuity in the conditioning work, which necessarily tails down but there's still some quality work to be done. The pre-competition phase would see our players having a longer duration to work on maintaining their fine skills and work on technical concerns with two sessions a day lasting two to three hours each. This gives our coaches ample time to glean the sort of stability and accuracy, and forge tactics and strategies, especially using the video technology that ISN provides. Previously, moving to the competition site straight away doesn't afford too much time to do this and court time would be very limited, especially at the competition venue. Being far away from the hurly-burly would also give athletes a sense of peace and stability and freedom from so many distractions. Last year, our top men's pair of Koo and Tan benefited and went all the way to the final and this year, Chong Wei, who had missed the stint last year, voiced his delight with the place and seeks to spend a longer period ahead of the Olympics next year. This concept of a forward training base will not only benefit our athletes ahead of the London Olympics 2012 and Scotland Commonwealth Games in 2014 but can also be a cost-effective way for athletes, especially our young up and coming ones. They can be exposed overseas for a longer period, as very often they spend a couple of weeks and often end up feeling like sports tourists. It takes at least four to five weeks for a place to feel like home and they can periodically take advantage of cheap rail travel within that period to play against challenging opponents in Europe. In the process, they will master travelling skills, develop self-dependence and confidence. "Jaguh Kampung" no more... Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

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Taxi drivers want government to address their problems Posted: 13 Aug 2011 11:10 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Taxi Drivers Welfare Association today appealed to the government and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to look into their plight. Its chairman, M. Manickam, said the association had submitted seven demands to the government and SPAD, but had yet to get any response from them. "Today, we are sending a memorandum, containing the seven demands, to the government," he told Bernama here. Also present was People's Progressive Party (PPP) Information chief Datuk A. Chandrakumaran. The demands contained in the memorandum included insurance scheme, the Social Security organisation (Socso) and Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for taxi drivers, special schemes to make it easier for taxi drivers to apply for housing and personal loans, and a guideline on the daily permit payment by taxi drivers to taxi companies. Manickam said the absence of a guideline on the daily permit payment had resulted in the taxi drivers paying more than what they earned. "The taxi drivers have to pay between RM19 and RM24 in daily permit payment to taxi companies, despite earning only between RM80 and RM100 a day and the company having to renew the permit once in seven years for only RM120," he added. He said they want the daily permit payment for taxi drivers to be set at RM10. The association, established in 2006, now has 120 members. -- Bernama Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

Matta fair packs in the crowds Posted: 13 Aug 2011 10:28 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: The three-day fair of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) is packing in the crowds. The fair, which began on Friday at the Putra World Trade Centre, registered some 19,000 visitors on Friday and 29,800 visitors yesterday. Some 940 booths are offering promotional holiday packages in the country and abroad. Several people interviewed said they were looking for attractive domestic holiday packages. One of them is Juwana Mohamad Shakroni, 25, from Cheras. She said she and her husband were nature lovers and planned to take up a good offer to go to Teluk Batik in Perak. A 25-year-old university student from Seri Kembangan, who wished to be identified only as Muiz, said he wanted to buy a holiday package to Kota Kinabalu for RM500. "I plan to go on the holiday with a friend," he said. Pakistani national Aman Khan, 22, said he had come to the fair to buy a holiday package to Sipadan Island off Sabah. A teacher from Klang, Ranjiv Ram, 31, was there to get a travel package to Perhentian Island which he said he wanted to visit with his wife on their third wedding anniversary. Kavita, 28, from Petaling Jaya, said she was looking for a holiday package to Sabah or Sarawak during the next school holidays. "I am looking forward to enjoying the natural beauty as well as the seafood there," she said. Matta had set a RM100-million sales target for the fair. Its organising chairman John Tan had said that he expected 80,000 visitors at the event, surpassing the 76,300 visitors at the September fair last year which chalked up sales worth RM88 million. -- Bernama Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

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Price control scheme to deter unscrupulous traders Posted: 13 Aug 2011 08:18 PM PDT SEBUYAU: Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is to identify about 20 goods under the Aidilfitri festive season price control scheme he will launch on Tuesday. Deputy Minister Datuk Rohani Karim said today the scheme would deter unscrupulous traders from raising the prices of these goods which had a higher demand during the festive period. She did not name the goods but it is believed that they include chicken, local and imported beef, eggs and red chilli. The price control scheme would be in force for a week before Aidilfitri, which is expected to fall on Aug 30, and a week after the festival, she told Bernama. The ministry launches the festive season price control scheme during the period before and after all the major festivals. Rohani, who is the MP for Batang Lupar, had earlier handed out "duit raya" (Aidilfitri cash donations) of about RM15,000 from Bank Rakyat's business tithes to about 100 villagers as well as mosques and suraus in Sebuyau. -- Bernama Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

MAKE ENGLISH FUN Posted: 13 Aug 2011 06:33 PM PDT 2011/08/14 By Satiman Jamin and Munifah Alwi nsunt@nst.com.my Questions have been raised about the weakness in the English language among Malaysian students. Could it be low quality textbooks? Teachers who lack ability? Or even a lack of teachers? Perhaps we should ask some American Fulbright scholars who are raising the bar in English among secondary school students in Malaysia. By making lessons more approachable with fun activities, they could be showing the way to stop the continuing rot in English among students. b>KUALA TERENGGANU: Strictly speaking, the 17 American Fulbright scholars posted in Terengganu secondary schools as English Teaching Assistants(ETA) are not qualified teachers. Yet, they have been successful in improving the students' grasp of English, making even the most shy student to work up the courage to address a native speaker of the language. The New Sunday Times went into their classrooms to observe them in action and discovered that, instead of sophisticated pedagogical approaches, the ETAs have been successful without even a syllabus. So what is the secret of their success? For Sekolah Menengah Agama (Atas) Zainal Abidin (SMAAZA) ETA Dakari Saeed Taylor-Watson, 24, it was as simple as engaging the students in two-way communication. The textbook and learning by rote normally used in our schools are replaced by discussions and games. "At first, the students were shy and unable to speak in English as their confidence level was low," he said. However, after the first few students spoke, the others saw that the American really wanted to hear their opinion and before long, everyone was clamouring for a chance to voice his or her opinion. Taylor-Watson made no bones about his lack of teaching qualification. "Although I don't have any teaching experience and proper training as a teacher, I am trying hard to make learning the language a fun experience." He said the students' communication skills had improved a lot since he started eight months ago. The students concur with him. SMAAZA Form Two student Muhammad Naim Fadhilah Kamaruddin, 14, said he understood Taylor-Watson's lessons well. "He speaks in simple English to help us understand," he said, adding that the games helped him improve his writing skills. Nurul Anisah Mohd Zaki, 14, said the fun way the language was taught made everyone want to take part in class activities. "The charades game that we played in class today improved our vocabulary as a friend was given an English word and we had to guess what the word was from his actions." Local teacher Anita Chik said the students' grasp of the language had improved by leaps and bounds. "The teaching techniques used by Taylor-Watson are really effective as my students' English exam results have improved since he came here," At Sekolah Menengah Agama Khairiah (SMAK) Lynn El Harake, 23, took the same approach. "I am focusing more on their ability to speak and listen in English as the other teachers are focusing on the students' writing skills. "In my opinion, the students generally can write well but they are lacking in their ability to listen and speak in English," she said. To make the lessons fun, El Harake staged a fashion show in June, showcasing Islamic fashion that was modelled by her students, to an audience including students from other schools. "It is a mutual learning experience because the ETAs are also learning new things from the students." SMAK student Nor Mardhiyyah Azman, 15, said she felt no pressure at all in El Harake's class. "If the discussion topic is too difficult for us, she will change it to an easier topic. We are also at ease as we can always speak our mind in class," she added. The pressure, or rather the lack of it, could also be a factor in the ETAs' ability to capture the students' interest as local teachers have to keep to a tight schedule to finish the syllabus. The local teachers' race against time was noticed by Nabihah Mohamed Hanafi, 15, who said it was probably the reason why local English teachers could not emulate El Harake's style of making the lessons more exciting. "The other teachers will usually read from the textbooks and base the lessons on textbook chapters. They also teach at a faster pace as they need to finish the syllabus by the end of the year," she said. The difference in focus between local teachers and the ETAs, as El Harake pointed out, could be the key to unlocking the secret of the Fulbright scholar programme's success. About 40km away, SM Tengku Ampuan Intan (SMTAI) ETA Blair Daly, has taken the lessons out of the classroom and into the playing field. Rather than restricting English to the classroom, the 25-year-old has made it into a living language to be used in the students' daily activities. Daly sent out his students as cub reporters to find out the origin of their village names. He was inspired by the "Places" column in the New Sunday Times and told his students to follow its format in writing the stories about their villages. "To make it more fun, I made it into a competition so that the best stories would be put up in the school hall during English week," he said. His effort was given a boost by the New Sunday Times when the winning story was published in the "Places" column. "The students were very happy to see their names and stories in print. It made them feel like real reporters." He got his students to push the envelope by taking them through a journey of discovery. SMTAI students have never had a baseball team before but under Daly's guidance, the school now has one and they even went neck and neck with last year's district champions, emerging as first runner-up. "Although we came in at second place, the students are very proud. They were the underdogs by a huge margin," he said. At first glance, their second place medal was the only thing that the students got from playing baseball but in reality, they achieved something far more precious -- the whole team communicated in English with Daly throughout their entire baseball adventure. The ETAs' "back to basics" approach in teaching the language shows that English is best learnt when students use it to communicate in daily life. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

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PM's Kluang visit: A commentary Posted: 27 Mar 2011 03:59 AM PDT 2011/03/27 By Shahrum Sayuthi news@nst.com.my I WAS quietly amused when my hometown friend Fiona reacted with much enthusiasm when I told her that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was making a stopover at her alma mater, the Chong Hwa High School, during his visit to Kluang on Saturday. She is after all a DAP supporter and had not made it a secret to me who she voted for when she had cast her vote for the first time in the 2008 general election. "Oh my God! That's so great of him!" was what she text messaged me in return before proceeding to relate how when as a student she had, along with others, lined the street leading to her school when then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad went there in 1987. "That was the last time a prime minister visited our school. I remember it was a very hot day and we were sweating, but we were all so happy that a prime minister visited our school," she added. If Fiona was at the school on Saturday, she may have thought she had been transported back in time to that day. The over 2,000 students, in their all white uniforms, were equally enthusiastic in welcoming Najib. The highlight of Najib's visit to the school was when he mentioned in his speech the government's "landmark decision" to allow Unified Examinations Certificate holders with three credits including passes in Bahasa Malaysia and English, to take part in the special intake for the Chinese language degree course to become Mandarin teachers. The students cheered as he made the announcement. "We (the government) are committed to being fair to everyone and will continue to strive for this. Dreams will not be realised until we are at peace with one another," Najib had said. My colleague Chuah Bee Kim interviewed some of the students and teachers on how they felt about Najib's visit. Seow Yu Sheng, 15, a Form Three student said it was a memorable day as it was the first time he had seen the prime minister in person. "I am happy to see him. Furthermore, he was here today to launch our school's green programme which my teachers have always promoted among us," he said. Another Form Three student, Dana Lim, 15, echoed Seow's sentiment but lamented that Najib's hour-long visit was such a brief one. "My classmates and I nonetheless feel very honoured to have the prime minister at our school," Lim said. Liong Kok Kiong, 32, a geography teacher at the school for the past six years said the announcement made by Najib regarding UEC holders was very uplifting as it was a step towards the success of the 1Malaysia policy. "I also hope that Najib's visit will encourage more English language teachers to join our school as we need more of them here," he said. Later in the night, Najib attended a "dinner with the people" function at down town Kluang which was attended by more than 10,000 people. Such was the overwhelming response given by the crowd when Najib arrived at the function that Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman had to pause several times to compose himself while delivering the welcoming speech. Expressing his pleasure, Najib in his speech, suggested that judging by the crowd's response at the function and during his walk-about in several parts in Kluang earlier in the day, Barisan Nasional may probably recapture the lost ground it suffered during the coalition's disastrous outing in the 2008 general election. He told the crowd how an old Chinese lady gave him a 51-year-old Jalur Gemilang during the walk-about. "I was so touched because she told me that it was a gift for my effort in initiating 1Malaysia," he said to thunderous applause from the crowd. The prime minister probably had in mind that Kluang, with its huge Chinese community, was the DAP's first stronghold in Johor before it was overwhelmed there by BN in the late 1970s. However, in 2008, DAP captured the Mengkibol state seat there when its Ng Lam Hua defeated Gan Ping Shou of MCA by a majority of 1,281 votes. Ng had got 13,538 votes while Gan received 12,257. When Najib announced an allocation of RM105 million for the construction of a dam in Kahang to ensure no recurrence of a water supply problem which hit Kluang during last year's Chinese New Year, I immediately sent a text message to Fiona. After all, she was the one who had pushed for me to initiate extensive news coverage about the problem in the first place. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

Gamis students released after statements taken Posted: 14 Mar 2011 03:24 AM PDT Gamis students released after statements taken 2010/10/31 By Aidi Amin aidiamin@nst.com.my GUA MUSANG: Police today recorded statements from four university students who were detained for several hours yesterday for allegedly distributing political pamphlets in the Galas state constituency. Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Ismail Omar said the students, aged between 18 - 25 years old were taken to the district police station and released soon after. "We are investigating if the students are from Gua Musang or outsiders," he said after a briefing at the police operations centre here. He said they would also work with the Election Commission and the students' universities during their investigations. The students are from a group, calling themselves Gabungan Mahasiswa Islam SeMalaysia (Gamis) and were allegedly distributing brochures urging the locals to exercise their democratic right to vote. A spokesman yesterday said the group represented students from various universities and had come to Galas to observe the campaign process and also explain to the people certain national issues, including the 2011 budget and how it effects them. Higher Education Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the detention of the students should not be politicised as they were merely detained for not possessing a valid permit to distribute the pamphlets. "The students were not aligned to any political party and were merely there to urge the people to come out and vote. They are acting on their own and nothing to do with their respective universities. "However, I would like to advise these students to go home and concentrate on their studies instead," he said when contacted. On another issue, Ismail also said the police had to date received four reports on minor incidents involving the parties contesting the by-election here. "I urge all parties to adhere to the laws and prevent any untoward incidents," he added. Air your comment on this issue: Gamis students released after statements taken Log in with your Facebook account or use the form below to comment. New Straits Times reserves the right not to publish offensive or abusive comments and those of hate speech, harassment, commercial promos and invasion of privacy. Your IP will be logged and may be used to prevent further submission.The views expressed here are that of the members of the public and unless specifically stated are not those of NST. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

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