Khamis, 15 September 2011

NST Online: StreetsJohor

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AGENTS OF CHANGE

Posted: 14 Sep 2011 05:24 PM PDT

2011/09/14
By Chuah Bee Kim

Students from Indonesia, Laos, Brunei, South Korea and the Philippines
meet at a symposium to empower youths to bring about change

A TOTAL of 430 participants, comprising local and international students, came together recently for the Fully Residential Schools' (FRS) International Symposium hosted by Sekolah Tun Fatimah (STF) in Johor Baru.

The inaugural event, jointly organised by the Ministry of Education through the Fully Residential and Excellence Schools Management Division and STF students, saw the participation of youths, between 17 and 18 years old, from Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Brunei, South Korea and the Philippines.

The six-day event themed "Students: A Catalyst of Change for a Better Tomorrow" started last Friday and was declared open on Monday by Deputy Education Minister Dr Puad Zarkashi.

The opening ceremony kicked off with a choir performance, followed by a medley of dances comprising a Sabah and Sarawak traditional dance, the zapin dance, and Indian and Chinese classical dances.

Puad said the symposium was a stepping stone for young leaders as it allowed students to share knowledge with their foreign peers.

Most of the participants found the event, which required them to come up with working papers, empowering as it helped them to build up their self-esteem and confidence and also changed their mindset.

STF student Syafiqah Syakria Saiful Yazan, 17, said she now believes in the power of youth.

"Before attending the symposium, I didn't quite believe that youth can do much to bring about a change. But the experience I have over the past few days had opened up my mind and it has made me more humble.

"This is because I have met others who are much wiser and more knowledgeable. There is so much for one to learn," said Syafiqah Syakria, who also believed that to make a big change one must start by making small changes.

Muhammad Aiman Shuhaimi, 17, of Malay College Kuala Kangsar who was selected by his school principal to attend the event, echoed Syafiqah Syakria's sentiment.

"The young should be encouraged to think out of the box and I strongly believe small changes will lead to big transformations," Muhammad Aiman said.

Phonmany Fongsouyanh, 17, from Laos said her first visit to Malaysia was in May when she followed a school delegation to Penang.

Phonmany said she loves the friendly and caring attitude of the people. On the side, she said she enjoyed the local dish of chicken curry but disliked the taste of durian.

"I hope to visit Malaysia again on my own so that I can have more time to explore the different cultures, food and attractions of the country," she said.

Handy Trihusodo, 18, of Central Jawa, Indonesia, who had visited the United States on a student exchange programme, said he initially was apprehensive about making the trip to Malaysia.

"I have heard some negative stories concerning the country but after coming here, I found the people here are so friendly and there are similarities in our culture and food.

"I am going home to share my experience here and I am going to tell them, especially those who have negative perceptions of Malaysia, how wrong they are," Handy said.

Meanwhile, South Korean, Lee Inbok, said she has learnt from the symposium that knowledge can be acquired outside the classroom.

"Before I came here, I didn't realise that not everything can be learnt within the confines of a classroom. I have made so many new friends at the symposium," Lee said, adding that this was her first trip to Malaysia.

STF, helmed by principal Junaidi Santano, is a premier boarding all-girls school.

There are 60 FRS, a school system established in the 1970s, throughout the country. The schools produce excellent results in both academic and sports, as well as leadership.

The vision of FRS is to develop exceptional world-class leaders.

Pottery paradise off the main highway

Posted: 14 Sep 2011 06:37 AM PDT

ISTARTED visiting Aw Pottery in Machap almost 40 years ago, usually enroute to spending the weekend with Uncle Steven and Auntie Polly who lived on a farm located between Air Hitam and Kluang at that time.

The journey was a leisurely drive along the scenic route from Johor Baru to Air Hitam, often with a stop in Machap to see what was new in the pottery showroom. It was easy to spot the entrance to the showroom because it was marked by two giant figures that resembled a couple performing a Malay cultural dance, designed with a glossy mosaic covering of ceramic chips.

The distinct rough and rustic beauty of handcrafted Aw pottery has a special appeal to fans of ceramic ware. The founder and sculptor, Aw Eng Kwang, an immigrant from southeastern China, even expanded overseas to the US market, and products from their pottery plants in Ru Yang, Chao'an and Guandong in China were exported for distribution there.

The small plant and showroom in Johor was once a popular tourist attraction, and I often brought visitors there not only to see Aw's artistic creations displayed in the Aw Museum but also to check out the unusual restrooms, colourfully decorated inside and out with ceramic mosaic pieces. I was so fascinated and enthralled by the restrooms that I could not resist photographing them from all angles.

Ceramic ware in the Machap plant was first produced using a traditional wood-fire kiln that was nicknamed the "Dragon" because of its structure. Sprawled across a wide atrium in the rear, this brick-walled kiln measured 50 metres long, 4 metres wide and 2 metres high, and had two side entrances.

When it was fired up, Aw and his team of workers worked 24-hour shifts in a carefully-timed week-long cycle to prepare the "green" products, stack them inside the kiln, smoke them and maintain the fire before allowing the kiln to cool down. After more than 30 years of spewing smoke and fire, the "Dragon" retired in 1982 and its dormant frame became a museum showpiece.

In 2004, I had the privilege of going into the cavernous "Dragon" kiln for a glimpse of the interior that was still stacked with dusty disused "saggars" or containers made of high temperature refractory materials, used to protect the "green" products from direct flames. It felt cool then, but I could imagine the intense heat inside when it was fired up.

Having been dormant for more than 20 years, this derelict space inside the old "Dragon" had become an abode for spiders and other creepy-crawlies, so I beat a hasty retreat.

Aw Pottery remained popular for creative landscaping designs, and garden deco and die-hard fans still found their way to Macap for their regular ceramic fix. However, when the PLUS Highway opened, fewer motorists used the scenic route to Johor Baru. The north-south traffic gradually bypassed Air Hitam and Machap, and Aw Pottery ceased to be a popular stopover on the tourist map.

Recently, when a friend asked me about Johor ceramic ware, my first thought was Aw Pottery! I gave him the contact telephone numbers to call but was later told that no one was picking up his calls. Since it was just about an hour's drive from Johor Baru to Machap, it didn't take long for us to decide to go there to check them out.

After the exit to Machap from the PLUS Highway, I noticed that the old road looked different because new buildings seemed to overshadow the older structures along that way. Although they were now covered in moss, I recognised the two figures that marked the entrance to Aw Pottery.

As I drew closer, my elation turned to disappointment, because the front gate was shut and fastened by a huge padlock. I was sad that my search seemed to have ended in failure, and there had been no replies to email I sent to their American sales offices, enquiring about the factory in Machap.

Last Sunday, I was overjoyed when I finally received an email from Aw Pottery's Atlanta outlet saying that the Machap factory is still in operation and is open from Saturday to Wednesday, 8am to 5pm. It is closed on Thursdays (the day I went) and Fridays. If you like to visit the factory, call 07-754 1476.

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

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Govt doesn't marginalise development of vernacular schools

Posted: 14 Sep 2011 11:16 PM PDT

MUAR: The government has never marginalised the development of National Type Chinese Schools (SJKC) and National Type Tamil Schools (SJKT), but had constantly provided aid to these schools, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, refuted the views of certain groups who claimed that the government and ministry had not given adequate attention to the development of SJKC and SJKT.

"The government had built 1200 National Type Chinese Schools and 600 National Type Tamil Schools so far. Such developments were fully funded by the government," he said when officiating the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the multipurpose activity centre for Sekolah Tinggi Chung Hwa, Muar today.

The government, he said, provided significant allocations for the development of SJKC and SJKT, as it realised the development of these schools was part of the government's responsibility towards education in the country.

However, Muhyiddin, who is also the Umno deputy president, said the country had the national education policy which gave priority to the construction of primary and secondary schools.

"Nevertheless, we (the government) do not hinder or prevent (the development of SJKC and SJKT) to enable us to become a hub for education," he said.

He said every school that was constructed had the objective of providing the best education to the children to ensure the country's development in future.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Malaysia gave strong emphasis to the education of its nationals with 26 per cent of the annual budget being channelled to education.

The education sector was also given strong emphasis in the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and Economic Transformation Plan (ETP) such as boosting pre-school education and so on.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Muhyiddin also announced the allocation of RM1 million to Sekolah Tinggi Chung Hwa, Muar for the construction of the multipurpose activity centre costing RM10 million. -- BERNAMA

Fire at PD Esso refinery put out

Posted: 14 Sep 2011 10:48 PM PDT

PORT DICKSON: A fire at the marine pump loading area at the Esso Malaysia Berhad (EMB) refinery here early today saw workers running for safety and flames shooting skywards visible from two kilometres away.

The fire, which occurred at about 1 am, was put out about three hours later and prevented from spreading to two oil refinery tanks and a nearby LPG bottling plant, said Negeri Sembilan Fire and Rescue director Saadon Mokhtar.

He said foam was used to extinguish the fire by the 32 firemen and 24 fire-fighters from Esso and Shell.

"Our 32 firemen, including the hazmat (hazardous materials) unit, were rushed to the location after we were summoned at 1.06 am," he said, adding that the fire was brought under control at 3.36 am and extinguished at 4.17 am.

Saadon said about 100 workers were on duty at the time of the fire and all of them were safe.

"Although the fire has been put out, we are keeping watch. There is no danger to nearby inhabitants. The hazmat unit is determining whether any chemical substance had triggered the fire," he told Bernama.

A spokesman of Esso Malaysia said in a statement that the fire was extinguished with the support of the Fire and Rescue personnel and the area was secured.

"There were no injuries. Safety remains our top priority, and operations at EMB's terminal in Port Dickson were temporarily halted as a precautionary measure but have since resumed," he said.

The spokesman said refinery operations were not affected and were continuing.

"A full investigation has commenced with the relevant authorities to determine and address the cause of the fire," he added.

Many of the workers who fled their work stations were reportedly filling gas into cylinders at the time the fire broke out.

One of them, Kassim Bee Mohamad Kassim, 49, said she (rpt) she heard a loud mechanical noise and suddenly saw flames.

"It was 12.55 am. We were at work when we heard the loud noise and a small explosion. Then we saw the (delivery) pump on fire. We ran out (of the plant)," she said.

Another worker, T. Mallika, 54, said she and several fellow workers were filling gas cylinders when they spotted the fire and ran for their lives. -- BERNAMA

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Rabu, 14 September 2011

NST Online: Topnews

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Proton goes electric

Posted: 14 Sep 2011 05:48 PM PDT

2011/09/15
Rupinder Singh
rupinder@nst.com.my

PUTRAJAYA: Proton Holdings Bhd's global compact electric and hybrid car, Emas, could enter the market in two to three years, its chairman, Datuk Seri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, said.

The electric vehicle, designed by Italdesign Giugiaro and developed by Proton, was first unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show last year.

Emas, short for Eco Mobility Advance Solution, is a plug-in electric vehicle (EV) or hybrid Range Extender Electric Vehicle (REEV).

The compact car's powertrain could include a turbocharged small engine of 1.2-litre capacity, or lower.

Proton is currently fleet-testing the Exora REEV and Saga EV to assess their potential.

The national car maker yesterday handed over five Exora REEVs and three Saga EVs to the government to be test driven. This would be the first step before mass-producing them.

The vehicles were received by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in a ceremony witnessed by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is also Proton's adviser.

Others who took delivery of the vehicles at the PM's Department were Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui, Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah, Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir and Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri.

This is the first phase of fleet testing, a collaboration between Proton, the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry and International Trade and Industry Ministry.

Nadzmi said 250 electric-powered cars would be handed to the government in phases for fleet-testing by the year-end or early next year.

"We want to deliver them as fast as possible."

Proton will get feedback from the testing, covering the technological aspects, design and performance of the vehicles.

Charging stations provided by Proton will be at the Prime Minister's Department and the four minis tries.

The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry, in a statement, said that a charging system for home use would be supplied to motorists who will be identified from the PM's Department and the four ministries.

According to Dr Mahathir, Proton took three years to develop the vehicles.

"We hope that Proton will one day produce trucks and buses using this system which reduces the use of petrol by relying on batteries to power the engine."

Herbs to ward off haze effects

Posted: 14 Sep 2011 04:41 PM PDT

2011/09/15
By Punitha Kumar, Sulaiman Jaafar and Adrian Lai
news@nst.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: More people are resorting to traditional herbal treatment to counter the effects of the haze.

A traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, Ng Eng Joo, said he had his hands full dealing with customers clamouring for various herbs to deal with sore eyes and throat or chest congestion.

"Depending on the ailment, I will prescribe a combination of herbs like figwort, firmoss, bamboo green tea, licorice and arhat fruit," said Ng, who runs a traditional Chinese medicine shop in Lucky Garden, Bangsar.

One of his customers, a 43-year-old businessman who wanted to be known only as Lim, said he had stocked up on supplements and traditional medicine for his family to prevent them from falling sick.

The haze has affected asthmatics badly. A sales representative, who wanted to be known only as Muthu, said he had been going to the doctors more often to treat his asthma over the past week.

A housewife, who wanted to be known only as Rokiah, said she tried to keep her three children indoors after school.

"My youngest son is 9 years old. He has caught a bad cough and I think it has to do with the haze."

A pharmacy in Lucky Garden said the sale of face masks had been brisk.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said his ministry would alert the public should the Air Pollutant Index readings breach the 100 mark in any area.

On the Malaysia Day and Merdeka joint celebrations tomorrow, he said the event would be postponed should the API readings go beyond 300.

"My ministry would take appropriate action and, if necessary, provide face masks for the 9,950 participants."

He advised the public to drink lots of water and stay indoors if possible.
Liow said his ministry was working closely with the Meteorological Department in solving the haze situation.

The Meteorological Department yesterday said even though the visibility reading due to the haze in Kuching was a shocking "0km", the Air Pollutant Index (API) was a "moderate" 54.

Other areas with low visibility were Senai (also at 0km) and Subang (0.8km).
The highest API readings were in Alor Star (76), followed by Seberang Jaya (69).
In Kota Baru, visibility, which dropped to 2km on Tuesday, improved to 8km yesterday.

Visibility at other places, reported low on Tuesday, was also better, except for Sitiawan, where it dropped from 3km to just 1km.

A Kelantan Department of Civil Aviation spokesman said flights operating to and from the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Pengkalan Chepa went on as normal on Tuesday and yesterday. The airport handles 40 flights to and from here daily.

According to Singapore's Meteorological Service website, satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-18) showed haze activities only from 20 hotspots in the south of Sumatra.

The Department of Environment has banned open burning and asked the public to put out small fires quickly.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas is to meet Indonesian Environment Minister Professor Dr Gusti Muhammad Hatta this Sunday on setting up an Asean fire-fighting squad to tackle haze-related fires.

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

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Posted: 14 Mar 2011 10:28 AM PDT

2010/11/04
Joniston Bangkuai, Patrick Sennyah and Sajahan Waheed
news@nst.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Substantive swings produced two key by-election victories for the Barisan Nasional tonight.

BN has now won three of the four of by-elections this year, losing Sibu by 398 votes.

In Kelantan, BN wrested the Galas State seat from Pas by a majority of 1,190 - improving its near-victory in the July 2009 Manik Urai by-election when the coalition lost by 65 votes.

BN shall now look to repeat the kind of performance it produced in the 2004 general election when it won 21 state seats in Kelantan. As for now, Galas brings its state seats to 7 in a 45-seat Legislative Assembly.

The Galas by-election was called following the death of Pas' Che Hashim Sulaima, 46, on Sept 27 from colon cancer. Che Sulaima had defeated BN's Mohd Saufi Deraman by a 646 vote-majority in the March 2008 general election.

In the 2004 general election, Che Hashim had lost to Mohamad Saufi, by 1,729 votes.

Significantly for Kelantan politics, the Galas battle had been billed as contest between BN's Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, the Kelantan Menteri Besar and Pas spiritual leader.

Analysts had said that a Pas defeat would be seen as a sign of Nik Aziz losing grip. He is 79 and had been Menteri Besar since 1990.

"The face to face interaction adopted by BN has worked..this is a indicator of how BN can change," Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia told the New Straits Times tonight.

Pas had during the campaigning mocked Abdul Aziz Yusoff, the BN candidate for his lack of qualification. Dr Zulkefli Mohamed of Pas now has to his name three unsuccessful attempts to win seats in the Gua Musang area.

The results of the nation's 12th by election since March 2008 were announced by returning officer Wan Mustapa Abdul Hamid at the Gua Musang Civic Centre here tonight.

Many of Chinese voters in Galas had returned to BN, according to preliminary analysis of the results.

Pas lost in Kampung Baru, which is a Chinese majority area by 41 votes. It garnered more than 200 over votes there in the general election.

The BN election machinery which was led by Tengku Razaleigh, the Gua Musang MP, had adopted a new campaign strategy this time where they focused on a more personal approach as opposed to big scale ceramah and large entourages.

Election Commission deputy chairman, Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said voter turnout was 82.71 per cent or 9,555 of the total 11,553 voters in the constituency, compared to a 80.57 per cent turnout in 2008.

In Batu Sapi, the choice of a woman as a candidate and the joint-leadership of Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan of Parti Bersatu Sabah had contributed to the increase of majority from 3,708 (2008 general election) to 6,359, analysts said.

"My husband is watching me now and I think he is proud of me," said the BN candidate, Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin.

Tsen's husband Datuk Edmund Chong was the late parliamentarian of Batu Sapi. His death on Oct 9 had led to the by-election.

UiTM student posts highest score in accounting course

Posted: 10 Mar 2011 03:55 PM PST

2010/12/23
By Hanif Miswan

SHAH ALAM: Few Malaysians can stake claim to being the best in the world, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) student Khalid Kamarulzaman is one of
them.

He was acclaimed the 'World's Best CAT Graduate' in the Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) programme. The results were announced in October.

The 19-year-old Faculty of Accountancy student scored the highest aggregate of 474 marks or an average of almost 95 per cent, for five advanced CAT papers.

CAT is an international qualification offered by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the global body for professional accountants headquartered in the United Kingdom.

The qualification provides the graduate with the necessary knowledge and skills in Finance and Accounting to perform an accounting-support role. It is also designed to fast-track students towards a full-fledged career in accountancy.

Khalid achieved a perfect score in Drafting Financial Statements (T6) and came close in Managing People and Systems (T5) with 98 per cent.

His marks in these two papers were the highest in the world.

He also posted 97 per cent for Planning - Control and Performance Management (T7), 90 per cent for Preparing Taxation Computations (T9) and 89 per cent for Managing Finances (T10).

"It was important for me to shine in this programme as it has placed me on the right path to achieving my dreams so I can help my less fortunate family," said Khalid in an interview with Varsity Voice on Nov 21.

Although he expected to pass the CAT exams with flying colours, the outstanding results were "...a dream come true, and a tribute to my love for mathematics and numbers".

The third son in a family of nine siblings from Hulu Langat, Selangor, Khalid has now set his sights on completing another 11 courses in the ACCA programme to become a chartered certified accountant.

"CAT is only the first step. I intend to do just as well in the ACCA examination before gaining work experience and eventually opening up my own accountancy practice."

"For now, I must be careful not to get too carried away as there is still a lot to learn and a long way to go before I can fulfill my aspirations," he added.

The CAT programme was first offered by the faculty in 2002 to SPM graduates who had at least five credits, inclusive of Mathematics, Malay and English.

Khalid was recognised as a top student during the Faculty's Excellence Day on Oct 6, during which he received an award from UiTM's Vice Chancellor Datuk Professor Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar.

(Ed: This article first appeared in Varsity Voice, a monthly publication jointly produced by the New Straits Times and Universiti Teknoogi MARA (UiTM) under the newspaper's Journalism on Campus project.)

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

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Proton's hybrid car may roll out in 2 years

Posted: 14 Sep 2011 06:52 PM PDT

PUTRAJAYA: Proton Holdings Bhd's global compact electric and hybrid car, Emas, could enter the market in two to three years, its chairman, Datuk Seri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, said.